#Gesture Control Light Market

[divinesolas]

The lady of Volantis | 1k celebration

Summary: Based on a request; You have been betrothed to Jacaerys for years now and you two have never exactly been close. He does not expect to see you anytime soon after your first couple meetings, but when Lucerys trial is happening you are suddenly in the keep. What are you doing there? Are you to be trusted?

w.c: 22.3k (i know... crazy right)

c.w: i will not include any bc they would include major spoilers for this fic,, all ill say is this includes things about Volantis culture, an alternative timeline, inaccurate westerios history, COLD READER and smut (a fair share of it). nothing too dark bc that's just not my style but be warned.

Jacaerys has been betrothed for years now. He has only seen the mysterious lady of volantis a couple times now. When her father answered lord corlys call for help with the stepstones with the terms that corlys offer them something in return. They knew they had nothing that could be even close in value to the mighty powers of volantis but in a desperate effort they offer him, Prince Jacaerys velaryon, heir to the heir. They expect volantis to say no, what good would having good relations with Westeros do, they have control of the largest trades and market in the world.

After no response for a good while they expect them to just have disregarded the letter and have given up. But when one day over 20 sea ships show up the flags of volantis on them and a young girl trails behind her father who introduces himself as the man they were writing to they were over the moon. They had only really got to meet the girl one time before she went off to join the effort in stepstones though she did pop by a few times they were few and far between. Her father had warned them his daughter was a bit cold. He gave no reason as to why she was the way she was other than that was just how she was raised to be.

Jacaerys attempted to play nice with his betrothed but due to her cold, off putting personality nothing truly came from it. Instead all she would do was stand and watch him, barely saying more than a few words to him. Every time was the same routine, she would come and leave, leaving jacaerys to worry for the future. He is well aware most marriages don’t contain any love, but he had atleast hoped the two of them could be friends but it seemed like the lady of Volantis wanted nothing to do with him. He had not expected to see her for many years in the future, For their marriage arrangement is not meant to take place until after rhaenyra ascends the throne.

“it is an honor to see you.” The girl nods, still an ever blank look on her face as she grips a square wooden box in her hand. The queen glances at rhaenyra and daemon who manage to hide their shock at seeing the girl in the keep. “It is a nice surprise to see you again y/n.” Another acknowledging nod is the only thing the younger women does before thrusting her hands that were holding the wooden box towards the queen. Alicent looks at it in shock and hesitantly reaches her hands out and grabs in from her. “A gift.”

Shaky hands slide open the box and a light gasp follows suit. A completely custom cyvasse set sets inside the box, alicents hand reach inside and pick up one of the pieces, the dragon, and brings it closer to her face to admire it. “Hand carved and painted.” She looks back towards the younger girl. Her heart warmed at the gesture. Nobody had gotten her a gift so nice, ever. “This is so lovely.” “I had heard you enjoyed to play.” A small real smile graces alicents face as she lightly nods, “Do you enjoy to play?” “You are asking if a citizen of Volantis enjoys playing cyvasse.”

It was not a question, as volantis was the origin place of cyvasse it should be no question she a member of one of the royal families of volantis would play. Embarrassment fills alicent and she places the piece back in the box swiftly, closing it up and turning away placing it on a table. “Of course my apologizes i have no clue what i was thinking.” She maybe expects some sly comment from the girl or maybe no response at all, maybe her scoffing or tsking but instead when she looks back over she sees the girl bring her head towards the ground and twist her foot as if she was squishing a bug. “I was jesting…”

A simple ahh is all that can escape alicents mouth as she looks away bashfully. She hadn't expected her to be so, kind? maybe that was not the right word and it certainly did not fit the look of the warrior that stood in front of her. Laced in black leather covering even up to her neck down to the soles of her feet. The only color added from the silver chains wrapped around her legs attached to the belt loops on her waist, a sword at her hip so close to her hands she could whip it out in mere seconds, her boots look so heavy like she could squish someone’s skull should she want to.

"ziry iksos unexpected naejot ūndegon ao.” (it is unexpected to see you) A voice cuts through the rooms now awkward air and Alicent just watched as the girls head rises and she's back to standing sharply and coldly as she was mere moments ago. "Skoros issi ao doing kesīr hāedar?” (what are you doing here girl?)

“Iksos ziry pirta hen issa naejot māzigon.” (is it wrong of me to come.) Alicent, though she had no clue what they we’re saying, had never seen someone speak and look at the rouge prince so bravely. If any man we’re in her place they certainly would not even be looking him in the eyes but you do not look at him with fear, if anything you just look at him with annoyance straightening your shoulders and you fold your hands behind you back.

“Skorkydoso gōntan ao gīmigon naejot māzigon?” (how did you know to come?) rhaenyra by his side pinches his torso and tries to shoot him a look but his gaze is locked onto you. All the girl does is shrug and turns her attention back to alicent. Daemon is not dumb. He knows this is all timed too well, arriving to the keep the exact day they arrived here. She must have begun her trip way before they had even received word of the trial. He stares daggers into her but she does not look back towards him, rolling her her neck as alicent attempted to come up with something to say.

“I believe i should attend to some things.” With a bow of her head and a goodbye she grabs the box from the table and before she opens the door she turns back to the younger girl, “We should play.” She does not expect a response from the girl, so when you nods a delighted look graces her face before she turns and leaves. Right as the door closes her face falls as she's greeted by a squire who was sent by her father to grab her, most likely interested in speaking about the volantene girl.

The three stand in silence for a bit. Daemons gaze has no let up and rhaenyra readjusts awkwardly. Despite the fact that she does not wish for him to question her so she has her own curiosities. “I hope you faired well on your trip, you must have been traveling for a long time.” The implications of her words are clear, if the volantene girl is annoyed she does not show it on her face instead she merely blinks a nods. “It was well.” “We have not heard from you since last year, we are merely surprised to see you now of all times.” “i was on my way to visit dragonstone, heard talks of you all traveling here. i came here instead.” You say nothing that is not necessary, no sweet talk no sugar coating just exactly what you are asking no more. Its a believable story if it is to be true, but daemon is still clearly restless. “And what would bring you to dragonstone?”

“I was planned to return back to the fight but i heard what happened to lord corlys, wanted to make a stop at dragonstone before driftmark.” Despite your young age you were more than useful to the effort. You and corlys had even formed a bond, you grew to care for the man and when you left the field for personal affairs you were horrified to hear of his condition. “Have you spoken to rhaenys?” “i am yet to see her.”

Suddenly a guard comes into the room and looks at daemon and rhaenyra. “the king is ready to see you.” The two stand and say their goodbyes to you before they leave. Out in the hallway they discuss to themselves. “Gaomagon ao pendagon issa…?” (Do you think she is..?) Daemon does not look to rhaenyra instead keeping his gaze forward, eyes glazed in though as he clenches his jaw. “daor.” (no) She would not come for no reason. The girl he knew would immediately return back to the battlefield after hearing of corlys absence. It is rather strange for her to instead make the trip here instead.

In another room sits alicent, otto and Vaemond discussing tomorrows trial. “It does not matter if the next heir to driftmark is indebted to us. Not when Rhaenyra's first born son is about to marry into the most powerful family in all of Essos.” Ottos voice cuts Vaemond off quickly. “There is something that can be done.” The two of them look at alicent, “She holds a distain for them i can see it, there is no question. Maybe she can be convinced to,” she trails off looking away, “depart from the betrothal?” “If there was a greater thing she could be offer, im more than sure she would agree.”

“It is a bad idea.” Otto cuts, “If your theory is wrong then you could put all of us at risk.” He shakes his head, “I do not approve.” “I believe it is worth a shot.” Vaemond adds looking to alicent, “She is a tigress, she is easily swayed. They are all the same they wish for war, it is the reason why she is out on the field with my brother. She has no conquest anymore in Volantis.” Vaemond leans forward on the table and looks alicent directly in the eyes, “If there is to be a war. You will not win it with her on their side.”

The sun had finally begun to set but there was no rest for the dark haired prince who stood in the keep library, a maester on the other side of the table watching the young prince struggle to recite the valyrian. “Rūsīr māzigon kustikāne se…” (with hardships come strength and…) He bites his thumb and taps his foot as he thinks. He is sure he remembers the phrase, jacaerys mentally berates himself for being so stupid. He is to be the future king, the heir of the heir, how can he let himself be so careless with his studies. “kivio.” (promise)

The voice behind him causes him to turn around in shock.“syt konīr iksis daor drēje mijegon.” (for there is no true struggle without triumph) Soon enough you are standing in front of him and he gulps. He cannot believe you are here, not expecting to see you for many years from now. He puts a smile on his face all be it a weak one as you just stare at him. “gaomagon ao lo mazeman toliot?” (do you mind if i take over) You address the maester behind him who looks between the two of you nervously before nodding and leaving the room.

The two of you just stare at one another in silence for a bit. He takes this time to admire you, you have not changed much since the last time he saw you. It had been at least a year now since you've visited dragonstone and when he got to see you. Even when you did meet you certainly never met this close anyways he takes this time to admire you fully.

The blemishes on your face, if he looks towards your covered neck he can even see a scar the fades under the fabric, he's curious about it, how did you get it? Did it hurt? When did you get it? He wishes he could ask, too fearful of your reply. He cannot mess this arrangement up. It matters too much to not only his family, but to the safety of the realm and the safety of his mothers claim to the throne. No one would dare mess with the power of volantis and the free cities, he would never be able to forgive himself if he messed up what his family worked so hard to get. Especially since it seemed like you did not care for him much.

“You are still a toddler.” You are the one to break the silent are between them. He flushes with embarrassment and takes a step back, hitting the table lightly. “You’ve merely caught me at a bad moment.” You raise your eyebrows at him, a challenging look. He knows you do not believe him, “You lie to me.” He scratches the back of his neck, You're right. “I would never, my betrothed.” He is embarrassed and he hopes by playing the engagement card you will leave, as you seemingly have no interest in it, so he can wallow in his own humiliation alone. She just stares at him while he cracks a smile at her. He wants them to be civil, for her to atleast like him, he fears that won’t be the case. He sees how happy his mother and daemon are and he feels a pit of dread in his stomach, he wants a life like that. He knows it is rare for marriages in his life to be happy ones but he wants it.

Instead of leaving you simply stare at him for a moment longer, he notices a change in your eyes if it was for a split second before you round the table and eye the book on the table. “it is because you are trying to learn from that stupid book.” “It is a book of the Targaryen history.” She picks up the book and sharply closes it before he can stop stop her, his hand lift hanging in the air as she tosses the book away. “Exactly. Stupid book.” He opens and closes his mouth in an attempt to come up with a retort but he can’t say anything before you speak once more. “lets roleplay.”

If anyone saw you right now they would feel as though they were seeing a stranger. If he were to ask anyone else they would say they’ve never heard you speak as much as you were or even the look on your face, though it does not look too different from your normal one, was an unfamiliar one. He raises his eyebrows at you, “what?” “the best way to learn anything is to practice.” “which is why i was reading from the book.” “The book is nonsense. you will learn nothing from it.” “It is how my mother was taught and my ancestors before me.” “Then they are stupid.” He groans in frustration and looks at her with a blank face. “You do not learn swordsmanship from reading you do not learn how to stitch from reading you learn from real experience.” He cannot say you are wrong.

As he says nothing you continue, “Lets say i am a jewelry shop keeper, and you are a traveler visiting my shop interested in buying something.” she presses her hands against the table and tilts her head at him. “sȳz?” (good?) a chill runs down his spine as she stares at him and a warm feeling fills his stomach. He is so screwed, but he just nods.

“rytsas skorkydoso glaesā tubī?” (hello welcome how are you today?)

“Iksan sȳrī kirimvose” (I am well thank you)

“iksis konīr mirros iksā jurnegēre syt?” (is there something you are looking for?)

You watch him struggle for a moment, unsure if he is trying to decipher your words or if he is trying to figure out what to say. He is shocked you are so patient, simply staring and watching him, not pushing him to answer.

“iā rudhy syt ñuha aderī naejot sagon ābrazȳrys.” (a present for my soon to be wife)

He watches your face change for a split second to one of shock then back down to neutral. With his confidence he takes a moment to admire your gloved hands, covered with rings over the leather. He imagines them running down his chest, running through his hair, maybe gripping on it as he pleasures you in ways hes only ever read about, maybe even wrapped around his-

You snap in his face and his head lifts back to look at you alarmed but your just looking at him blankly. “umbagon lēda nyke.” (stay with me) He would. He will. For as long as you asked him too. You sigh and roll your neck he watches the scar as it shows more of itself before disappearing once more. He shakes his head, he needs to snap out of it, he was being foolish getting lost in his thoughts, and especially since his thoughts were so,,, deplorable. He is thankful you cannot read minds as you would surely slap him across the face and never speak to him again if you knew he was thinking so terribly.

“gaomagon emā mirros qantre jaelā?” (do you have something specific you want?)

you.

“Nyke jaelagon nyke gōntan yn eman daor skoros ziry would hae.” (i wish i did but i have no clue what she would like)

She pauses for a moment and stares at him with narrow eyes. When he says nothing other than shrug she rolls her eyes, turning her head away.

“ābrar hae mirros” (women like anything)

“jaelan naejot jiōragon mirros ziry jorrāelagon” (i want to get something she would love)

“ivestragon nyke nūmāzma zirȳla pār.” (tell me about her then)

“gaoman daor gīmigon olvie yn nyke gīmigon issa kostōba se pazavor, se rovaja run naejot nyke iksis bona issa biare.” (i do not know much but i know she is strong and loyal, the biggest thing to me is that she is happy)

The air between them gets hot and he cant decipher the look in her eyes as she stares at him. He fears he’s upset her. The way her eyes and face remain unmoving or maybe he said the words wrong and she’s misinterpreting what he meant. His eyes stay locked on hers as she trails around the table to be standing right next to him once more. he opens his mouth to apologize but she begins to speak before he can say a word. “gaomagon daor tepagon qrīdrughagon aōha dōna udra sīr easily syt naejot qūvy ilagon se qēlossās se se jēdar syt ao”

His eyes crinkle and she has a content look on her face, seemingly happy he has no clue what she is saying to him. “what did you say?” Its eating at him. unlike when he hears his parents speak he does not mind much when he doesn’t know what they're talking about. even when lucerys is doing better in practice than him he does not mind it much though he grows annoyed at himself. But with you, he needs to know what you’re saying. He is latched onto your every word your every move. It makes himself sick to think about the fact he’s missed something you’ve said with the limited words you ever say. He’s shocked you’ve even talked to him this much today.

She just shakes her head and takes a few steps back. Her stoic nature has returned and she's back to not even looking at him. “It is getting late. You should have dinner.” He looks out the window and is shocked to see the had set and it had begun to rain outside. When did the sun even set? We’re they truly here for so long? He turned back to question her but she was already gone and the book placed back in front of him. The only reason he knows she was ever even here is the faint smell of her perfume in the air. Like a ghost she had up and left. Maybe she was a ghost, or merely a figment of his imagination to toy with him. He takes a couple deep breaths until the lingering smell of her is gone before he picks back up the book and leaves.

He clutches the book tightly to his chest to suppress the pounding of his heart and the ache that begins to bleed through his skin. He tries to mumble what she said to himself to try and figure out what you meant. Hes able to catch a few words, stars and the sky but he cant make sense of it all. he clenches his jaw in frustration as he returns to his chambers, placing the book down on his table and gripping the sides of it with his hands. This must be a challenge from her. She’s clearly toying with him. Maybe she did truly dislike him. But then why would she help him today? or can you even call it help? she didn’t exactly teach him anything. he grows irritated at the thought that his afternoon was wasted but then he realizes something. He had no clue he himself could even say or understand any of those words until she proved to him that he could.

Before he can even dwell on it he’s being called for dinner. On his way there he wonders if you’ll join them. His hopes are crushed when he walks in the room and you aren’t there. Greeting his parents quickly before greeting baela for the first time, the two share a friendly hug before sitting. “Did you know lady y/n is here jacaerys?” He almost gets whiplash from the way his head whips up to look at daemon. “yes i got the chance to see her earlier.” He hopes he does not seem too quick with his response. He takes a sip of his wine as daemon taps his fingers on the table in thought. He can never tell what daemon is thinking, though he doubts even his mother can tell what he’s thinking. “i am yet to meet her i am looking forward to it.” Baela turns to jacaerys, “Do you like her?”

Now this question really makes him pause. He has no clue. He is sure he does, in some way, but he barely knows her. Maybe that does not matter, especially in their political situation. It is purely a political marriage he does not need to like her. But he does, maybe it stems from him not wanting to disappoint his mother but he likes her, he wants things to work with her. but a man who is simply doing this just to keep his mother happy would not write her letters while she was out fighting even when he would not receive a response, he would not be overthinking what gifts to give her because sure he could go out and get her the most expensive gem in the world or the most finest silk but she is not the type of lady to like that type of stuff and this man would be imagining her underneath him withering with pleasure. Well, maybe they are but not a man like him.

“She is pleasant.”

The raging storm outside leads most of the hallways empty as people try to remain dry. but solely in one hallway sits a girl sitting with her thighs clenched tightly to keep the torch she has lit ablaze steady as her hands cup in a prayer. Its dead quiet expect for the storm outside and the quiet mutters leaving her lips, until footsteps walk down the hall and the spot next to her grows warm with a body sitting there.

“Lord of Light, shine your face upon us.” the person next to you says nothing as you continue in your prayer. “Light your flame among us, R'hllor. Show us the truth or falseness of this man. Strike him down if he is guilty, and give strength to his sword if he is true. Lord of Light, give us wisdom.” “For the night is dark and full of terrors” the person next to you finishes. A long looming silence hangs in the air as you do not dare move your position. “Are you going to say anything?”

“I thought you were praying.” You finally look up at the women besides you who gives you a curious look. “Is it impolite that i i finished it for you?” “No it is preferred, lady rhaenys.” “have you always been a follower of the lord of light?” “I have been visiting the temple of the lord of light before i could even walk, it would be strange if i were not.” She hums and simply stares at the storm. “it is rather cold, do you not fear of getting sick?”

“i have been through worse weather at stepstones.” There are a few more beats of silence, it is so quiet you are even convinced for a moment she will not say anything else but she begins to speak after awhile. “What would my husband think of all this?” You turn to rhaenys and tilt your head. Rhaenys laughs and shakes her head, “You are the first person i am speaking to that has had a close direct contact with my husband for the last couple years, i wish to know what you think he would say.” You do not say anything for a long moment, your gaze being stuck on the flames still sat in your lap. “I think he would say you are all absurd for thinking he is going to die from this.” Rhaenys snorts but says nothing as she waits for your next words. “But he would not want his brother to succeed him.” It is not as though she is shocked to hear the answer. Especially when it was something she already knew herself.

“why do you think so?” She wants to know why, no she needs to. Just to clear her head maybe, give her some justice in her choice, rhaenyra's offer about marrying rhaena to lucerys still looming over her head. “because his brother is a fool.” She has no clue whether they are his words or hers but it does matter much as in a funny way she seems content with the answer. or maybe she was already content with her choice and needed the extra push.

She watches as the girl stares into the flames aimlessly. “can you see things in them?” “that is the priestess job not mine. Though i can see flashes. i am no were near skilled enough to make anything of it.” “it is a shocker to hear you admit you are not skilled enough at something.” “I am honest.” she nods though you don’t look in her direction. “What do you see?” “Myself mostly. sometimes he is with me.” “who?” There is no answer from the girl which causses rhaenys to sit up straight. “Jacaerys?” A light hum is the only answer she is given but it is all she needs before she lets out a surprised scoff. “i thought you hated the man.” You rip your gaze away form the flames and look at her with a confused look. “i hate him?” “that’s what everyone says dear.” rhaenys looks at her.

“Do you not hate him?” she looks away and stares back into the flames, her face now solemn and she watches the flame slowly wither away to nothing. No more words are said between the two of them but they don’t need to be as rhaenys gets up. “i bid you goodnight.” Even if you wanted to reply you are not given the opportunity to as she quickly turns away from you and leaves. You are once again left alone but this time you cannot distract yourself with prayers. You lean your head back against the cold wall behind you, hoping to let your mind be flooded with mindless water like the grounds are outside.

You cannot fail this. For there is far too much at risk. The words of the priestesses ring in your ears. This is too important. the gnawing feeling in your chest grows as you think of him. Failure is not an option. As much as you wish you could sit and wallow here for the night in your thoughts there are still things you must get done. Still people you must talk to. Maybe you should go to sleep earlier for tomorrow will make or break everything. But you know thats not an option. You get up for the first time in two hours and head towards the opposite direction of your room, for there is something you must do first.

Dinner has finally ended and jacaerys is more then eager to go to his room and take a nice hot bath before he goes to bed but he is instead walking lucerys to his room who looks like he’s gonna throw up. “I am nervous.” Jacaerys sighs and grabs his shoulders making lucerys look straight at him. “It shall be fine brother. Mother will take care of it.” Lucerys looks at the floor, “So i am making it difficult for her.” “No. family is about taking care of one another. It may be tough but it is worth it. because we are family.” Lucerys take a deep breath and opens his mouth as though he wishes to say something but he simply shakes his head before whispering a goodnight and closing his door.

Jacaerys lets out a shudder and closes his eyes for a moment. He feels bad he cannot do more for lucerys. He cannot truly reassure him everything will be alright because in his mind and how his parents talk of the hightowers he is convinced tomorrow will not work on in their favor. He stands in his spot for far too long, His mind far away from his body, He does not know what will happen and that scares him. What does happen if driftmark is taken from lucerys? What happens to his mothers claim? He feels as though this is his fault though the more rational side of him tells him this was something completely out of his hands.

He knows what he is. it is no secret. He knew. But there is nothing he can do about it. He must live with it. It does not matter what anyone else thinks. He runs his now sweaty hands down the front of his tunic before turning and walking away from lucerys room. He cannot stress about this now or else he will not be able to sleep. He is not paying attention in front of him so when hands press on his chest to prevent him from moving he gasps and takes a step back. “My lady.” He feels like he’s imagining you. Maybe he thought about you a bit too much he’s starting to see things. You just blankly stare at with your eyebrow raised. His stress must be showing on his face. he sighs and runs his hands down his face. “I apologize i was lost in thought.”

He had thought you were waiting around for him to apologize to you. “you should not be upset. what is it now.” He grows irradiated. His face turns anger and his blood begins to boil. You were mocking him. it is the way you say it, the monotone voice you hold makes his skin itch. The cherry on top is the fact that you roll your eyes. His jaw clenches and begins to speak through his teeth. “i am sorry i am not allowed to be upset my lady. I know you hold your own anguishes against me but please save it for another day. Goodnight.”

He swiftly moves around you and does not look back as he storms off to his room. He cannot believe himself. Deluding himself into thinking the two of you could even be civil. You don’t like him. That much is clear to him now. He does not notice the fact that you have not moved a single step. There is no noise in the hallway it is as if you are not even breathing. For the first time all day you truly let you face fall. Fingers twitching at you side as if you wished to reach your hand out and grab him but he is already to far away. You have messed it up. of course.

You don’t know how long you’re standing there until a hand touches your shoulder and you turn your head. “Are you alright?” You immediately straighten back up and no one would have even known you we’re frowning before now that your face has been set back to neutral. “I am alright my queen.” “Are you lost?” No. “Yes. I seemingly have lost my way.” She offers to walk you and you finally fully get a good look at her. She is in her nightdress and you eye the box you had given her earlier in her hands. She notices your gaze and perks up. “ah in truth i had actually head to your room to look for you. It is late but, are you up for a game?”

Jacaerys attempts to contain his anger as he asks for the coldest bath he can have that night. They do not question him as they see him furiously unbutton and tear at his clothes. He does not even hiss as he enters the tub. His blood still boiling hot and the cold bath does nothing to soothe him. “You are dismissed.” “But my prince-” “I am capable of cleaning myself.” The servant bows before stating he will leave his night clothes on his bed before he swiftly leaves. For the first time today he is alone with his thoughts for the first time today. he leans down and submerges himself low enough in the water until his nose is just barely above the water.

He is sure the water is warming up quickly because of how hot his skin is right now. He does not even know why he is so annoyed. He does not know you. You do not know him. Maybe he is annoyed at himself for attempting to put in an effort that is not going anyway, maybe it is due to the fact that he is going to be stuck with you for the rest of his life. He doesn’t know. Maybe he is annoyed that he is so enthralled by you. Were you always so inconsiderate? He should have known, gods you never even answered his letters or even so much as tried to speak to him before today.

The stress of lucerys trial and his annoyance with you all builds and all he can feel is a pure ache. Throbbing and aching and throbbing. Fuck when did he get hard? He stares down at his errection with furrowed brows. His hot blood boiled until it all spilled down to his cock he guessed. He throws his head back in anger. Maybe he should just ignore it. He should call a servant in and ask him to throw as much ice as he can possibly take into the tub.

Or maybe he just needs a good stress relief. He is a man and tomorrow will certain be a tough day and he will be overthinking. Maybe he just need to get it out now? He sits all the way up and eyes his throbbing dick angerly. He rarely does this. His sex drive is not high enough where he gets hard everyday but every once and awhile a guy has to relieve himself. He leans his head back to lay against the edge of the tub and closes his eyes. hands sliding down his chest before they settle on his balls. He lets out a sigh of relief as he fondles them lightly in his hands, his thumb rubbing circles on the sensitive skin.

Suddenly the smell of a familiar perfume fills the air. His movements do not halt but his pleasure is increased when it begins to feel like a second set of hands lay over his, adding harder pleasure to his thumbs. He lets out a couple puffs of air and its almost as if he can feel the another hot breath drifting onto his face. His eyes flutter open slowly and he sees you. Staring at him how you were in the library and he whines, “please… y/n.” As if he is high on your smell he feels as though his hands are being guided by yours, they slide from the base of his dick to the tip causing him to curse and clench his jaw as his thumbs are instead pressed against his tip, rubbing in small circles.

He presses his lips together tightly to stop himself from letting out a loud moan. He wants to bring one of his hands up to his mouth to silence himself but it feels like their stuck where they are. Your hands holding his down tightly. “Jacaerys.” He can hear you, smell you, feel you. Its as if your hands have switched and he can feel the harsh leather your hands are covered with. “Please y/n i cant take it please.” Finally sliding down from his tip and down back to the base, it slides back up slowly, her pointer finger is tracing along one of the veins, this continues like a slow painful torture until each and every single vein has been drawn and pressed against the skin, Jacaerys does not know how loud he is, with every groan, hiccup, mumble and moan he can’t even be worried he’s getting louder and is instead completely and utterly consumed by you.

“y/n do not tease me please, please.” The hands suddenly begin to move faster and he throws his head so far back its basically outside the tub. His cock so painfully sensitive from the teasing he feels like he might burst any moment. But he needs something else, something more. Suddenly it's like he can feel your ghost lips kissing along his jaw, slowly working towards his ear, giving it a long lick and he shudders, “Jace.” He cannot take it, his balls begin to ache and he can feel an overwhelming pressure build in his stomach. “I need you y/n” Suddenly a long lick on his collarbone is what has him shaking and moaning out your name while white webs flood into the now very very very dirty bath water.

The only sounds that can be heard now are the light swaying of water and his deep heaving breaths. After many moments he finally lifts his head and slowly opens his eyes, blinking slowly he sees no one in front of him. Of course it was not real. he lifts up his hands and feels how his arms and hands ache from how long he was working himself and there is no smell of you in the room. For a moment he is disappointed until clarity hits him and he's suddenly very quickly standing up, well as best as he can his legs begin to rapidly shake and he hisses as his dick is met with the cold air of the room severely overstimulated.

What had he done? It was a one time thing. It was merely his mind running amok. Yes that's it. He dries himself quickly and attempts to suppress down any thoughts he has. All of them. all he wants to do is slip into bed and fall asleep, acting like today never happened. If he was lucky she wouldn’t be at the trial. Maybe she would head to stepstones tomorrow and they would go back to being strangers until they must marry. Maybe she would die in the war, he ignores how much his chest aches at that, and they would never see each other ever again. He just wants to rid of himself of all his thoughts. He tosses and turns in bed, sleep alludes him, or maybe its his own fears that once he falls asleep he’ll dream of you.

The library you reside in is cold, devoid of all light other than the two candles lighting up the board in front of you and the occasional light from lightning striking outside. “It is rare i meet someone who is good competition.” Alicent is enjoying herself. a small smile on her face as she places down another piece. Aemond is always far too busy to play, Aegon obviously won’t play with her and helaena has no clue how to play. She watches you closely but you face is unmoving, leaning far back into your seat with you arms crossed in your lap all you do is dart your eyes around to look at the board.

When you say nothing in return she is not surprised and says nothing more until you move a piece on the board. “I’d like to ask you about something.” she twists one of the pieces in her hands, eyes flying back between the board and to you. You make no noise or even so much as look up at her like she takes this as her queue to continue. “What are your thoughts on your betrothal?” Though it only happens for a split second she catches it, You tense.

She believes she is right. You are unhappy with your betrothal. She watches as you stare at your dragon on the board, lifting on of your hands to twist it to face you. “It is a fine match.” She hums and nods, “agreed.” Though for the first time you look at her and raise your eyebrows at her. you know there's something more to this. She feels a chill run down her spine as you don’t take your eyes off her while she's moving another one of her pieces on the board. “I hope this does not offend you, however i am truly just curious, is there anything keeping you in this engagement?”

Your gaze does not waver nor do you move to move one of your pieces and she begins to pick at her nails, a pit forming in her stomach. “I do not understand.” “It is simply curiosity. and if you would stay, if there was no longer any political benefit?” Your gaze does not stray as you pick up a piece and place it on the board. “No more political benefit?” You trail off for a moment, she expects you to say there would be no point then or maybe something along those lines. “What political benefit is there for me now?” Alicent freezes and looks at you confused, “What?” You shrug and fiddle around with some of your pieces on the board. “Am i supposed to be getting something out of it?”

All alicent can do this blink. What did you mean? Were you trying to mock her? What did you mean what benefit were you getting? “Your future husband is to be king one day….” She watches as you scratch your jaw and move one of your pieces. “Ahh,,,,, I guess you’re right.” She looks down at the board, she sees the clear path in front of her and tries to suppress her smile, maybe you were not as good at this as she had though, purposefully taking longer to continue to speak to you.

“It would be better if a marriage had benefits i suppose, so no?” Alicent picks up one of her pieces and places it down. Maybe this is her opportunity, there is a small voice in the back of her head telling her this was a bad idea, it was her fathers voice, but she must try no matter what he says. She could be in danger or even worse children could be in danger.

She knows how dangerous and cruel the people of Volantis are. If there truly is to be a war if she does not gain her as an ally they are doomed. and worse they would be fighting against her family, so the punishment and pain she would inflict would be far worse. It would be treason.

“So, would you consider another option, should you be presented one?” She sees the look on your face and panics a bit but manages to remain calm, “Purely hypothetical of course.” “Like what?” “Say if i told you my son aemond remains unmarried.” “A second son compared to a future king? A ridiculous proposition.” For someone who just seemed to have no interest in the political side of things your attitude sure has changed.

“but what if he was not just a second son, but the prince regent to the king” You just blink. you would be blind to not get what she was referring. she fears you will confront her, ask her what she means by her implications, but she is good to remember you are not that type of person. “a prince regent is still not a king.”

“but what if your first daughter would be promised to the next king, your line on the throne after you.” more blinking. She doesn't know what you’re thinking, your face as blank as it always it. “simply just something to think about of course. If tomorrows trial goes well, maybe there could be something.” She begins to sweat under your blank stare. Maybe her father was right, this was a bad idea. You are going to declare war on her and her family for treason. But you say nothing at all for a good while. She decided against opening her mouth again in fear of ruining it more than she already has.

But you make do not open your mouth to speak, instead you just push yourself to stand up and her heart drops but you just place one of your pieces before snatching her dragon and placing it on her side of the board. “I shall think about it. Goodnight.” She simply watches as you leave the room before looking at the board in shock.

you had won.

He’s kissing you. All over your hot skin. Occasionally leaving a trail of his own saliva when he stays in one sport too long. He makes sure to keep his ear right next to your mouth to hear every little whimper and moan you let out. His hands running up and down your sides, you were wearing a red silk dress, a night gown if he had to guess. but he has no room in his mind to think about it as he slides his hands under your dress kneading your ass with his hands and uses his knees to push open your legs to slot himself between you, lifting up your dress to expose you, you weren’t wearing anything underneath it. His lips are surely going to be sore with the force he’s kissing you.

The two of your hips thrusting each others with fever even through his clothed pants he can feel your wetness soak his trousers and onto his hard cock. His lips leave yours and they begin to suck down your jaw to your neck. His hands sliding up to your breasts, his thumbs brushing against your nipples, feeling as they harden against his skin.

“my prince.” He ignores this at first. continuing his assault on your skin and the rhythm of your hips getting faster. “my prince.” but the voice gets louder and louder and louder until-

“my prince!”

Jacaerys eyes open and he shoots up. He is breathing heavy as if he just ran all the way from the north to dorne. He runs his hands down his face and he looks at his hands with disgust as he feels the amount of sweat.

fuck.

“my prince.”

“What is it?” He is basically snarling. He is furious he was woken up. He can feel his cock throbbing under the blanket as if he was on the brink of climax. The servant shakes at the dragon princes hard glare. “It is morning my prince, we must get you ready for morning fast.” His head whips to look at the window. The sky bright blue contrasting the stormy weather it had been last night. as if the storm had to happen last night for the sky to be blue. He runs his hands down his face and apologizes, “I'm so sorry, i had a bad dream.” the servant merrily nods with a grateful smile on his face before he begins to help jacaerys get ready for the day.

Jacaerys cock throbs under the cold water. “my prince if you need a few moments alone-” “I do not.” he spits out. He certainly cannot do what he did last night. As much as his hands itch to touch himself he knows he would only be greeted with images of you. He cannot allow that. The servant says nothing more for the rest of the morning, his hardness dies down a little through out his routine but he knows once he is alone his mind will begin to race once more.

So he is more than thankful you are not there when he joins his family. Though his mother mentions she had tried to invite you but apparently you were no where to be seen. Seemingly not having gone back to your room last night. He wishes he was relieved, that he were happy you were gone from him and he could not have to see you for a while. but he is not. He must be so annoyed about it even Joffrey asked him why he had such a sour face.

They all assume you have gone to stepstones, not believing you would be interested in staying for the trial. He says nothing in return. A thought pops up into his head. Maybe he had upset you, he had lost his temper with you last night, maybe that is why you had left. He tries not to dwell on it but a pit grows in his stomach, he does not wish to think about you any longer.

He does not expect you to be there. He had thought you left just like the rest of his family. But as his family was being led into the room he sees you already leaning against the wall near where his family was standing. He could see the way the people were looking and whispering about you. This must be the first time for many people in this room seeing her before, even seeing someone from Essos before. You do not seem to care as he expected. He can’t take his eyes off you. Instead of your black leather outfit you were wearing a completely grey leather outfit still paired with your large boots and silver chains. You have a dagger in your hands fiddling around with it not taking your eyes off of it.

He does not like you he is certain of it but then why can he not remove his gaze from you? why does he wish to go over to you and compliment you though he knows your response will be something like a nod? Has he ever even complimented you? He can’t remember. Maybe he wrote something in one of his letters. But why does it matter why should he complement you if you do not even care. Maybe he should do the right thing and go greet you despite his grievances.

Your gaze suddenly lifts and you're looking in his direction so he swiftly turns away to glance at lucerys who look's more nervous than ever. He wishes he could offer lucerys any sort of comfort but he has no clue what to say. It is certainly not because he is using all his willpower to not look at you. He can feel your stare, your burning gaze staring into the side of his face. He does not allow himself to look. he only does when he sees otto sit down on the throne and it is almost as if you were not just looking at him. backing to fiddling with you dagger, was it really your gaze he felt on him? He has no time to truly dwell on it, not when Vaemond begins to speak.

The trial begins without a hitch. Jacaerys find himself growing more and more irritated as the trial goes on. Vaemond’s voice and the backhanded insults Vaemond is insinuating about his mother anger him beyond belief. Daemon places his hand on jacaerys back to attempt to keep the young boy at bay. Daemon looks over at you and sees you spaced out, as if you were not even listening to the trial at hand., neither really was he if he was being truthful, he knew this trial would work on in his favor, whether he would have to pull out drastic measures or not.

“Why don’t we get the lady Maegyr’s opinion?” Daemon chuckles as he watches your head raise and look to Vaemond with your blank stare. “You are sure to know better than anyone else about my brothers wishes.” Every head in the room is turned to look at you now.

Alicent feels herself praying in her mind. You must take their side, they can’t risk you having aligned yourself with the blacks. She glances at otto who looks to her for a beat, she does not miss the awaiting look on his face. She knows he will be furious with her should you not side with them, she looks at you hopeful, praying to the seven, praying to the father the mother anyone who would listen to her.

Jacaerys watches as you push yourself off the wall and walk towards where Vaemond is standing, stopping for a moment to glance at jacaerys. He does not turn away this time, allowing himself to look at you. He is desperate, he worries as he knows your distain for him he fears that will transfer over to your feelings on this whole affair. He has a look of desperation as your gaze does not leave him, please he finds himself begging in his mind. You must defend them, his mother, his brother. Him. His fists clench at his sides and your gaze drops to look at them before you look back up one more time and walk away.

Standing in front of the throne the room is dead quiet, every person in the room eager to here what you have to say, anticipating it.

“I think this whole ordeal is ridiculous.” You stop to glance at alicent who looks at you with wide eyes, you can see her picking at the skin on her nails. You look back at Vaemond and sigh. “worst of all i think you are nothing than a power hunger pig who cares not of his brother nor his family but only of himself.” There's a couple gasps around the room and Vaemond opens his mouth to speak but you are quicker. Daemon feels rhaenyra let out a sigh of relief and places a hand over her chest.

“Dare i ask why you do not campaign for Baela to take driftmark? by westerios succession rules she would be next in line after him if you do truly disregard corlys’ true blooded named heir Lucerys Velaryon. For you are nothing but an old rotting man no kids, no wife yet you believe you are best choice for driftmark? yet not baela who has spent the last couple years of her life on driftmark under her grandmothers wing who, as of right now, is the proper ruler of driftmark and is more suited than you, a lone man who is closer to his own death day than he is to ever sitting on the driftmark seat.”

Vaemond's face turns to anger, his eye twitches at your words and he takes a step closer to you, his voice louder than before, “You dare speak to me like this?” “You say that as if you are someone to be reconned with. I am supposed to fear a second son you dare insult me, maybe that is the reason you remain unwed, for no one wishes to lay with a second son.” Alicent feels her heart drop to her stomach. It does not help that she feels Aegon chuckling at her words next to him. She does not dare look at her father, for she fears his reaction more than anything.

“How dare you?” “How dare i? how dare you? you dare put into question the legitimacy of the princess and even worse the legitimacy of her children. Ser laenor claimed those children as his who are we to question such an act. You? A weak old man who is so bitter and resentful he must campaign in a room full of more ignorant fools who believe this should even be a question in the first place. You should be hung for treason.”

Vaemond finds his body shaking with anger at the girls in front of him with her ever so calm demeaner, her words cold and calculated like she knew exactly what she was going to say before he had even called on her. He cannot control himself. “You are a lying deceitful monster who believes she is so righteous and strong. Yet i find it hard to believe there is a fate worse than marrying someone of his blood-” “You will hold your tongue!” The room which had begun to be filled with whispers and small chatter ceases completely at the girls outburst. Her face having a look that no one has ever seen from her. Anger. Vaemond takes a step back as if her voice had thrown him back. Everyone else in the room finds themself frozen in fear.

“You dare forget yourself i am first lady Y/n Maegyr of House Maegyr, one of the three triarchs of Volantis i am not someone who is below you, i am not some family member of yours, you will not dare speak another nasty word about him or i shall watch your blood pool on the ground by my blade.” Without another words you swiftly turn your back to him and make your way back to the pillar you were once leaning against, not sparing anyone else a glance and sliding down it to be sitting on the floor with a bored look. You do not pull out your dagger nor do you look to speak with anyone else, simply all you do is stare out into space.

Before anyone else can say a single word the king is announced and he is shockingly walking in. Jacaerys can't find himself to care much however. You are the only thing on his mind. You defended not only his mother but him. You did not get angry when Vaemond insulted your own honor but his. He attempts to will away his blood that begins to pump down south. Maybe you had just done it to keep up appearances, it would be wrong if you did not defend your betrothed.

Suddenly he is rushed with guilt. He had been so cruel to you last night, maybe it had been deserved but he should not have spoken to you like that. He will have to make it up to you somehow. An idea pops up in his head. He is so distracted he does not even flinch when daemon slices off Vaemond’s head, instead turning his head in your direction to see how you react. You don’t, as expected and you do not move even as the trial is called to an end. He finds himself moving without thinking.

You look up once you notice a shadow close around your vision and see him staring down at you, offering you his hand. You eye it for a moment before grabbing onto it and he helps you up. He watches as you use your free hand to dust off your pants briefly before looking back at him. “Thank you.” He wasn’t expecting you to say anything and merely nods, he feels as though the roles are reversed, he should be the one speaking not the one silent. You make no move to let go of his hand and he does not let go either. He does not want to let go. “Are you free this afternoon?”

He watches as you look at him wide eyed, he gives you a small smile, maybe he could use this as a way to apologize. But he watches as you look down at the floor and let go of his hand. “I find myself,,,,,” You trail off with an unsure look on your face, “preoccupied with other things this afternoon until the dinner tonight.” He takes this as a clear rejection and takes a step back. Maybe you truly did what you had done for your own benefit and he finds himself annoyed at himself. You probably were not even busy, you were probably just not interested in seeing him. “of course you are. Good day then.”

You are once again forced to watch him simply just walk away from you as you have once again messed things up and merrily sigh as you watch him walk off. As much as you would like to spend the afternoon with him you have other things you must do. Things you cannot afford to miss. He will understand. But as you walk around out you begin to think about the words he had said to you last night. ‘I know you hold your own anguishes against me’ or even when rhaenys had asked you if you hated him, has you crinkling your eyes. What had they meant by that? You let out a sigh and continue walking through the streets with your hood up, You have things to do, people to meet, you will dwell on this later.

Dinner time has finally arrived and everyone had gotten into their seats, even viserys had been escorted into the room but one chair remained empty. Your chair. “The lady is no where to be found my queen.” Alicent sighs in defeat, had you left? It did not make sense. Maybe you are heading home to plan an attack on her and her family. No. She should not think so irrationally now. “If she shows up escort her here.” The guard nods before moving to leave the room. “Should we pray?”

“She cannot stand your presence so much she is missing dinner.” Aegon whispers in jacaerys direction before being shushed by his mother who begins to pray. Jacaerys has never been religious so he has no reason to pray. Are you truly missing dinner because of him? He begins to feel sick. Jacaerys had definitely not spend his whole afternoon thinking of you even when he was walking in the garden with baela or when he had found out lucerys was to be married to rhaena. It got him thinking of his own engagement. He has been trying his best to figure out what he was going to say the next time you spoke, maybe he should stop trying completely. Today was a slip up in his judgement, he should have listened to his head and not thought with his cock like Aegon.

He will not speak to you unless necessary.

That entire plan lasted all of five seconds because as soon as alicent was done with her prayer the doors to the room opened and his jaw fell to the floor. You stood in a floor length sleeved in the color of house velaryon. It had a long slit down your front down to your waist where it connected to another slit down your leg. the dress covered in detailed designs of flowers. Your hair was done, full of pins and topped with a golden clip which made it look like the sun was shining behind you. he could see the scar that was was usually hidden behind your very covered up look clearly now. it ran completely down your chest and stopped around your stomach where there was a bigger scar.

You were gorgeous. No gorgeous is not enough. you looked radiant, glorious, his vocabulary is not large enough to describe the goddess standing in front of him. He may not be religious but he believes you to be the closest thing to the maiden. A goddess that has flown down from the heavens to grace this earth.

You awkwardly readjust your dress as everyone in the room gawks at you. “I apologize for being late. This dinner clashed with my prayers.” There is a couple beats of silence before anyone says anything. “It is my fault, i should have taken your faith into account when i set this dinner up.” Otto is the first and only one to break the silence and is given a nod before you make your way towards the table.

Jacaerys quick to stand, you look at him in shock as you sit he pushes in your chair for you before sitting back down himself.

Shortly after all the food is being brought out and the chatter at the table begins. “you look beautiful. That dress is stunning, where ever did you get it?” rhaenyra is the first to speak to you, he watches as you reach your hands and readjust the slit on your dress. You are not wearing your gloves. “I had it made in a tailor shop in the city last night, i had gone to go pick it up this afternoon.” He cannot take his eyes off your hands, still covered in rings. He can see black marks peaking through your wrists but mostly hidden under your sleeves. He wants to see them. He wants to see you.

“A dress like that made so quickly? That is quite impressive.” “It is easy to have stuff done quickly when you are presented with enough coin.” more mindless chatter flows around you all. There is an awkward energy in the air but no one dares acknowledge it. Jacaerys feels terrible. You had been busy this afternoon. And he had been so rude about it. His terrible temper and sensitive feelings continue to sway him in the wrong direction.

He wants to speak to you. But he feels as though he will just screw it up once more.

“Lady Maegyr, you had mentioned you are a triarchs of Volantis, is it normal for two members of the same family to rule at the same time?” You pick at the food on your plate, “My father was not re-elected lord hand.” “That must have not gone over well with him.”

You glance up for a moment at daemon before you look down at your plate. “He was furious. So furious in fact he demanded a recount, then another recount. When that didn't work he attempted to bribe them. When that didn't work he tried to kill me. Both the other triarchs were re-elected, He had thought it was ridiculous i was elected. i had not spent a single second or coin to campaign” “but you traveled out there recently no? was that not to campaign?” “it had been to help my father campaign. Seems like it did not matter. The people wanted me to sit on the throne.”

“Do you know why?” It takes you a moment to answer but it is clear to daemon who chuckles to himself. “You are to be a Targaryen.” You hum, taking a large gulp out of your wine glass. “Every single old blood dreams of being even close to the great legacy of house Targaryen. They simply are trying to flatter me.”

There is no room to acknowledge the tension in the room. The adults more interested in learning about you, throwing questions at you left and right. Its a good thing, there's no room for in fighting between the family and you serve as the perfect distraction. “What happened to your father then?” “He had fallen off a cliff. Such a tragedy.” You do not mean that, you seem far too pleased for it to be merely an accident. “That is horrible.” You simply nod, and watch as a maid fills up your wine glass for the fourth time.

“Is your mother around?” “My mother died soon after giving birth to my brother.” Alicent places her hand on her chest, “I am so sorry.” You shrug, continuing to sip on your drink. “I was born with my twin brother, they had not expected her to live anyways.” “Twins are tough.” It is helaenas first time speaking that night, a depressed look on her face. “Birthing is not easy even with one, i cannot even imagine two. Isn't it not common to survive?”

“Yes well, my mother had not died while giving birth. She had actually looked like she was going to live which shocked the midwives in the room.” The room sits in silence and some in pure confusion, “Imagine the look on their face after my father picked up a blade and slit it across her throat.”

Rhaenyra chokes on her drink while alicent gasps and covers her mouth. “No…” “ ‘an heir and a spare’ they say. when i was pushed out first he had expected he would keep her around until she gave him another son but soon after me my brother came out and he had no more use for her i suppose.” “That's horrible.”

You simply shrug and finish off your cup requesting some more. “it is in the past. My father shall pay for what he’s done, the lord of light shall do what he sees fit to punish him. Even so he has already paid for his crimes in a sense.” It is a shock to hear you talk so much. Maybe it is the wine that is loosing you up. But there must be a deeper reason as to why you seem to be acting differently tonight.

“It is nice to see someone can keep up with me in the drinks. Maybe we should see if you can keep up with me in other places.” Aegon whispers the last part in your ear. You keep your gaze forward continuing to drink, had you even taken a bite out of your meal.

“Hold your tongue when speaking to my betrothed.” It is now jacaerys who whispers from your right. He has a venom in his voice as he glares in his direction. You look at neither man, simply blind to the stare down they are having behind you.

“My lady i truly feel bad for you. I'm sure his cock is so flaccid he has no clue what to do with it. If you ever need some real experience feel free to come visit me.”

What really gets jacaerys anger is Aegon placing his hand on your bare back that had been exposed. He swears his eye is twitching as he fights the urge to pick up his steak knife and stab it into his hand to get it off your skin. He had never even touched your skin before.

You suddenly reach behind your back and rip his hand off, twisting it lightly causing him to hiss. “Touch me or even so much as speak to me again and i shall do worse to you.” You do not even spare him a glance as you finish down yet another cup and wave down the servant to refill your cup.

Jacaerys however is too anger to say anything else just angrily shoving some of his chicken in his mouth. His other hand rests on the table clenched in the fist. He should not be so angry. He is embarrassed. Embarrassed that Aegon is most likely right. He was obviously not good at much, he could barely speak Valyrian, could barely control his temper-

A hand gets placed on his clenched fist and any thought in his mind ceases to exist. He looks over at you and he notices that they have just brought you a jug of win seemingly tired of having to walk over and refill your cup. You keep your gaze forward but he notices your clenched jaw and rapid blinking.

He has no clue if he’s right but due to your excessive talking and drinking as well as even your posture he could tell, you were stressed. Your mind was clearly not here, Which is why you were answering any questions throw at you. Why you seemed to not even mind the way the men were eyeing you down at the table. He had no clue why you were, he wishes he did. Wishes he could make it go away, he does not wish to see you so stressed.

He unclenches his fist, twists it around and hesitates before lacing his fingers with yours. He expects you to turn him away, or even glare at him but you don’t. Instead you allow yourself to grip his hand tight and your shoulders drop as you relax and let out a deep sigh.

His skin burns, like the two of your hands together rub together to create electricity which sends shockwaves through his soul. He is surprised your hands are so soft, he had expected them to be a lot rougher due to your excessive sword training but you must wear gloves almost all the time as they look like there are barely any scratches and marks on them, as if you have never even lifted your hands to do anything before. His thumb starts to rub against the back of your hand. He knows its not good to question you. Not that you will give him any answers anyways. but he hopes that you do not have to stress for long.

The tension in the room is much more palpable now. They had stopped grilling you about yourself. You almost want to leave but it would be in bad taste, you know they would fight and rhaenyra would want to leave the keep, you must prevent that from happening. “Do you mind if i ask her to dance?” You snap out of your thoughts and lightly turn in his direction. Haleana had just given a speak and looked rather down. Of course he would want to atleast try to cheer her up. but you know that is not a good idea. So you stand, letting go of his hand and his looks up at you in confusion as you walk over to the small group of people playing music.

You stand awkwardly as a cheerful jig started playing and everyone looks over at you. “Lets,,, dance?” Its a group jig. Everyone looks back and forth at one another. You reach your hand out in helaenas direction and she smiles as she stands up to grab it and jacaerys stands to join you soon after, rhaena baela and lucerys follow. Aegon shakes his head as his mother urges him to get him, she has to give a pointed look at the king before he rolls his eyes and stands, walking over to aemond who shakes his head at him causing Aegon to smile and grip his shirt to drag him with him.

Alicent and rhaenyra watch you all with a smile, even otto and daemon have a pleased look as they watch you all. Jacaerys is shocked you even know this tune, he had thought it was a westerosi tune but he guessed you have been in westeros longer than you have been in essos. The song ends and you all laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. You simply stand and watch all of them with a pleased look. Jacaerys looks at you with a smile and grips your hand tightly. He looked so happy. You wish you felt the same but you felt too much stress to share the same sentiment.

“This makes me so happy. To see you all get along. This is all I've ever wanted.” They all stand around and stare at one another as viserys speaks. Alicent stands and looks to viserys. “Isn’t this a great way to end the night.” Viserys eagerly agrees seemingly exhausted and everyone gives each other hushed goodnights as they walk out the room. You nod at rhaenyra and daemon who grabs your hand and thanks you before leaving. You can feel a gaze on you and turn to see otto staring at you. All you do is give him a dramatic bow your gaze never leaving his face as you walk off to join jacaerys who was waiting for you by the door.

“Allow me to walk you-” “No. I will walk you to your room. I don’t plan on sleeping just yet.” You grab his hand and drag him towards the direction of his room. He says nothing as he watches the back of your head, attempting to keep up with your long fast steps. Soon enough they are standing in front of his room and you do not turn back to look at him, instead breathing deeply and gripping his hand tightly. He turns you around to face him, “Please you must tell me what is wrong? Are you alright?” You shake your head and let go over him reaching down into the potted plant near his room and his eyes widen as he sees the long metal chains in your hands. “My lady..?”

“You will listen to me very closely. You are to tie these around your door, your windows and there is a shelf in the back of your room that you must secure this around as well,” He blinks at you as you shove them in his hands, “I do not understand-” “You must do this i beg of you,” “My lady-” “You will not leave your room. You will not open the door should you hear knocking you will not even answer if you hear one of your own families voice. unless it is my own. No matter what you do or see you will not you must promise me.”

You cannot falter to his puppy eyes. The clock is ticking until things start to explode and you are too worried too stressed, you cannot allow anything happen to him. You cup his cheeks and pull him closer to you, his breath hits your face and his eyes dart around your face. “Y/n…..” “Please jacaerys.”

He gulps. His past dreams and thoughts float their way up to his mind. He wants to kiss you, he is staring at your lips so intensely he is not even answering you. You notice this and sigh, shaking your head. “It is not a good time.” “If the situation is as dire as you make it seem maybe it is the best time.”

“I will kiss you later should you agree.”. Though his heart begins to race at the idea and he almost opens his mouth to eagerly agree he cannot stop the anxiety brewing in his stomach. “But what if you are in danger-” “No. You must stay. Agree to do it.” Your face turns to one of irritation at his continuous refusal. “What if i do not?” You press your face closer to him and he instinctively closes his eyes. “I guess i will just have to drag you to your bed and chain you there. Keep you there all night.” He lets out a shaky breath as you step back. That's all he wants. All he’s been thinking about.

“That doesn’t sound so bad. Would you join me?” You shake your head and look at him desperately. “please jacaerys. you must.” “Will you even tell me what this is for.” With you blank look he knows he wont get an answer so he sighs. “I will. as long as you promise to stay safe.”

You freeze. as he looks at you expectantly. He watches you look off to the side and think. He may not know what is going but he can tell you plan on doing something crazy. “I promise.” “do you mean it or are you just saying that.” You give him a flat look and roll your eyes. “I mean it. Kostan daor jikagon, mirri mēre kostagon gūrogon ao hen nyke.” He blinks and tilts his head. “Will you teach me what the things you say mean?”

You look at him once more before you begin to walk backwards, “Goodnight. jacaerys.” “Will you try to get some rest?” You say nothing and just turn your back to him walking off. He watches you until you are far out of his view and attempts to calm his pounding heart as he enters his room. His tub already ready for a bath, he does what you say after waving off a couple maids saying he has no need for them tonight and he wants to go to bed early. He is bad at tying it, he is sure you would be anger if you saw the terrible job he did.

He is unsure as to why you need him to lock up the cabinet in his room but he does it anyways with the most confusion. He strips himself and settles into his bath, its hot. Very hot actually. But it is a nice change from the cold bath he had taken yesterday. You are the only thing he can think about. He wonders what you are doing what is going on. But in a weird way he finds himself trusting you. He has no reason to. You have not shown yourself to be trust worthy. maybe it is the childish part of him or his own selfish desires but he believes you and will do anything you say.

His mind slowly drifts to your dress tonight. The way it flowed as you walked away, the exposed skin where he could see scares all over your legs and back but you still never showed your arms. Was there a reason for that? He wants to know everything about you. He dunks his head under the water as he begins to wonder what you are doing right now.

You stand in your room, back into your black leather outfit as you heart pounds. Looking at the variety of weapons on your table in front of you you hesitate before strapping them onto different spots on your outfit before you stand Infront of your door and freeze. wiping you hands in front of your armor you gulp. This is it. You cannot mess this up, what this has all been leading to. You stand and wait. and wait, and wait and wait and wait for your queue. When you hear the rushing of footsteps outside your door you open it. looking around the hallway before stepping out and swiftly making your way through the corridors with your hood now tossed up.

You were called to the temple about a month ago. it was the highest request from the high priestess herself. Only a few days after you had been elected.

‘There is something you must know. the flames have told me something of great danger.’

You sit in your chair held up above the ground with a bored look on your face. “What could be more important than ruling Essos?” You watch the priestess pace back and forth and sigh.

“The king is going to die soon.”

“That is a shock to no one.”

“no no you must understand they plan to kill the heir.”

This has you sitting up completely with wide eyes. “Whatever are you speaking of?”

“They plan to kill her, her and her children.”

You freeze, blinking slowly. “… her children.”

Jacaerys.

“They plan to gather in the keep. Should they leave war will begin, should they stay they will all die. You must go.”

You play with your dagger that you had tucked into your pocket and look at the priestess with a confident face. “What must i do?”

“They will not do it by their own hands. You must kill them.”

Viserys will be dead in minutes alicent knows this. She watches viserys mutter to himself. She feels sick, sicker than she’s ever felt when he would take her at night, sicker than he had announced to the council he will marry her. She does not want this to happen. She fears what will happen afterwards. The door of the room opens and she stands in shock looking at women who had just entered. “Rhaenyra?” Rhaenyra walks swiftly over to her father ignoring alicent completely and kneels down next to him. “Father?”

Otto walks in the room swiftly after and looks between them all alarmed and walks closer to alicent. “You will be a beautiful queen. I just, wish i could have seen it.” Otto eyes alicent who looks at him. Otto cannot allow this to happen. He already has the means to get rid of them set up, he had not accounted for rhaenyra showing up in this room right now. He can see a danger on the table and grabs it. Alicents eyes widen and she begins to steps towards her father. She does not want rhaenyra to die. That is the last thing she has ever wanted. So she is more than relieved when the door opens to the room once again and otto drops the dagger quickly.

Daemon, unlike rhaenyra who had seemingly ran in here straight from bed still in her night gown, daemon was completely dressed in his leather armor suit with his sword attached to his side quickly making his way over towards rhaenyra to comfort her as she had begun to cry as viserys retold the story of Aegon the conquer once more. Otto internally curses as he knows he cannot act with daemon around. The only real question he has is how did they know to come here? They were meant to be dead asleep in their rooms so the people he hired could come in and deal with them, but what were they doing outside of their room how had they even known to come in here?

Otto gives alicent a look before leaving the room. Alicent begins to worry what otto is going to do. She has no clue but based on what he was about to do she has her worries. But she cannot dwell on that right now she approaches closer to the other two and simply can only watch as viserys passes.

Jacaerys was unable to sleep. His thoughts filled with you, and with worry. What did you seem to be so concerned with? His eyes closed he continues to toss and turn in bed until he hears a thump against the cabinet you had him lock up. He sits up alarmed his eyes widening and heart racing. It continues to thrash until he can hear the sound of gurgling and he can hear what sounds like a body hitting the floor. He wants to get up and check it out but your words ring in his head. He can’t. He is choosing to trust you. he hopes he does not grow to regret this

Alicent is left in a room for the first time since viserys had passed. Daemon and rhaenyra had walked back to their room to mourn maybe an hour ago? She had no clue how much time had truly passed. She finally allows herself to cry. To cry about everything. She swears this is the first time she's cried in years, everything suddenly crashing into her in a sudden wave of anguish. Maybe she had a distain for the man and his blind ignorance of everything but she never truly wanted him to pass.

“Pick up your tears girl there are things we must do.” She looks up towards her father who walks in the room with a satisfied look on his face. “What did you do?” Otto simply shrugged, “What i had to do. There is nothing you can do now it is already done.” Alicent looks angry now, the tear streaks still left on her face as she glares at her father. “The king never would have wanted this!” “The king is dead. Now it is time we move. Come, let us discuss this more privately.”

Otto is horrified to walk into his room to a pile of bodies stacked in the middle of his room the one of the topic having the his back exposed with a familiar skull carved into it. The volantis currency coin honors skull. “That cunt.”

“‘That cunt’ is right.” The two of them jump and like you appeared out of thin air you approach from a far corner of the room. “You.” Otto glares at you and he notices all the blood splotches on your face and he sees the dagger you are holding in your hands, covered in blood.

“Yes, me.” “You have no reason to get involved in this. These are family affairs.” You tilt your head and alicent sees a crazy in your blank eyes she only sees in daemon. It is not clear to her. You do not have a distain for him. You are on the same grounds as him, you probably respect him more than anyone else. She has severely misunderstood you. and now she will pay the consequences for it.

“I have no reason to get involved? They are to be my family. I am to be married to him.” You walk past him and stand directly in front of alicent who looks down. “Here is what is going to happen. You two are going to stop this mindless nonsense. Rhaenyra is going to ascend the throne, daemon will take the position as hand, otto will return to oldtown, Me and jacaerys will take our place in dragonstone, baela and rhaenys will return to driftmark, and you, your children, rhaena and lucerys and the rest of her spawn will stay here.”

“The realm will never accept a women on the throne.” You do not turn back to otto as you address him. your gaze staying strong onto alicent. “They did not seem to have any complaints. Not until you and your Hightower cunts started to spread around that ridiculous rumor about her.”

“You must know it is true,” Alicent hands begin to shake as she speaks, “You cannot truly look at him and think he is of pure blood-” “You will not open your mouth to speak about him again. I let your foolish game go on for too long, it ends today.” Otto stares at the back of your head and scoffs. “You do not truly love the boy do you? You are incapable of love you are nothing but a monster-” “QUIET!” He flinches as you are louder than you've ever been, even during today's trial you had not been so loud.

“You will never speak or even so much as think about him again or else.” His eye twitches as you do not even turn in his direction and keep your gaze on alicent. “You don’t want things to get ugly do you? It would be a shame if something happened to your dear son in oldtown, hmmm what is his name?” You put your hand on your chin in a fake ponder as alicents eyes widen in horror, “Daeron..” “Daeron yes! thats it! it would be terrible should anything happen to him no?” “What have you done?” You open your mouth in a mock horror as your face remains blank, “Why i would never? what a horrible accusation? I just happen to know a few people in oldtown who happen to be willing to do whatever i say.” You get closer to alicents face and stare her down, “It would also be oh so horrible should anyone find out what happened to dear poor Dyane.” “How do you know that?” She whispers to you, she feels like her world is closing in, she feels dizzy and the only thing in her vision is you.

“You may have tried to pay her off but it is best to remember this, i have more. More of everything. More men, more money, more power. You will never win in a fight against me. I am the threat, your worst outcome. You do not wish to toy with me. For i will not kill you, that would be too good of a fate for you. I shall lock you in a room and each day present you with a piece of your children all chopped up day by day night by night until there is nothing left of them and of you because you will be nothing more than an empty shell of yourself.”

She falls to her knees in front of you and when she looks up she sees the closest thing to the stranger. Maybe this is the gods way of punishing her, for trying to change history, for deluding herself in her own self righteousness, It was not all undeserving but she is certainly no saint. She watches as you tilt your head at her and raise your eyebrows. “You will do what i say.” “You did all this for him?” It is the only thing she can find herself to say as you crouch down to be eye level with her. She sees a dark look in your eyes as you lean forward.

“I would do anything for him.”

Knocking at his door came. He does not speak, simply holding his tongue and waiting. “It is me.” He lets out a sigh of relief and quickly rushes towards the door to unlock it and hurriedly lets you in. “My lady, Are you hurt? What has happened?” “You should head to the main hall, The king has passed.” “Grandsire?” He looks over you wide eyed and he grips your arms tightly as he notices the blood. “You are hurt.” You shake your head and for the first time ever he sees you smile. “It is not my blood.” You are so beautiful. He hopes you are forever this happy as you appear to be in this moment.

He is shocked when you grab his face and give him a peck on the cheek. “I told you i would reward you.” “I was thinking of a different kiss my lady.” You raise your brows at him, “I had no clue you were so scandalous my prince. Your grandsire just died.” He smiles and leans himself in to kiss you-

“Jace!” He groans as you step away from him and turn towards the door right as soon as Lucerys stepped into view, out of breathe. “Oh Lady Maegyr.” He bows and you nod your head at him before he looks up at you with wide eyes as he sees the blood on you and looks to jacaerys who is glaring at his brother behind your back. “mother is calling to gather all of us.” “I will meet you in a moment.” He says with intention on finishing what you started. “No he will accompany you there. I must go back to my room but i will meet you all there, if the queen asks for me tell her to start without me.” He glares as you give him a nod swiftly avoid his hand reaching out to grab you.

Lucerys looks at jacaerys who groans and walks out the room with a grumble. He does not even bother to check if his brother is following him. He is more than ready to get whatever needs to be done over with so he can see you again. His mother rushes over and pulls him into a deep hug upon seeing him. “I am so glad you are alright.” he smiles at his mother reassuringly, “i am alright mother, i swear.” After greeting lucerys he walks to stand by daemon who gives him a sly smile. He does not say anything to jacaerys but by the look on his face jacaerys knows he wishes to say something to him.

“Where is Lady Maegyr?” “She had said something about returning to her room. She said to tell you to start without her.” Lucerys answers her quickly. Rhaenyra glances over at jacaerys before simply nodding. She begins to speak about how today will play out, She will be crowned within the next couple hours but before then a personal family only funeral will be held for viserys which is currently being set up. He wishes he could say he is sad to see viserys go but in truth he barely knew the man besides the few times he would speak to him as a young boy.

“My queen.” You walk into the room having changed into a simply black dress, it had been a hand-me-down dress rhaenyra left in your room for you only hours prior and she smiles as she sees you, rushing over to you. “is,,, everything alright?” You know the implications of her question, her worries about the Hightower's and her half siblings and you nod. “It has been taken care of completely do not worry yourself.” She looks at you bewildered at the tone behind your words, “You are not implying what i believe you are…” Her words trail off as alicent walks in somberly dressed in complete black while Aegon trails in behind her looking like the happiest man in the world, a big smile on his face as he stands and bows to rhaenyra, “My queen.” Rhaenyra raises her bows and blinks in shock at his overjoyed appearance and simply nods to him.

Everyone in the room is looking at alicent who does not lift her head or say anything for a few moments before bowing. “My queen.” “There is not need for you to call me that, alicent.” Alicent looks at her hesitantly, the look on her equivalent to that of a kicked puppy before she nods and looks back down. Rhaenyra turns back to everyone else in the room and sighs, “You are all dismissed. You will get ready for the funeral and will be retrieved later.” Everyone floods out back to their rooms to get ready the only one who does not have a somber face is Aegon who practically skips back to his room.

You linger behind for a moment with jacaerys as you look at rhaenyra, “Do you need me?” She simply shakes her head and places her hands on your shoulders. “You have done more for my family than i can even say, please, is there anything i can do for you?” You blink for a moment, unsure of what to do with the sudden praise and simply shake your head. “No my queen. for i already have what i want.” You glance over at jacaerys who blushes at your look and turns away with a cough attempting to push down his smile. He turns around as to not have to face his mother and is instead met by daemon knowing grin and he shakes his head at the young boy.

“Then i can only as you to accept my thanks. and you stand by my family today during the ceremonies.” You nod and bow at her. “It would be an honor my queen.” “You are to be family my dear of course you shall stand with us,” she wraps you in a hug. You stand frozen for a moment, unsure you can recall the last time someone had even hugged you. You hesitantly bring your arms up and wrap them around her. “Maybe later we can discuss you and jacaerys staying at driftmark.” She pulls away after whispering in your ear and nods to dismiss you.

You bow once more before turning to leave, not turning back to look at anyone else and as soon as you step out the door you feel waves of relief crash over you. You had succeeded, they were all alive and well, rhaenyra would be crowned and there would not be any issues from the Hightower’s. You must write to the high priestesses and inform them of your successes but you are suddenly stopped by a frantic rhaenys sprinting towards you with a letter in hand. “Corlys is awake!”

Rhaenyra walks over to jacaerys and places her hands on his cheeks, “My boy. Today is a big day for not just me you know.” He nods and stands up straight. The past couple years of work he’s done to prepare and the years he knows he will have to prepare even more. “Of course my queen.” She presses her lips against his forehead, “Go get dressed.” He nods and exits swiftly leaving alicent, rhaenyra and daemon to discuss god knows what and makes his way to his room attempting to ignore his growing anxiety.

The funeral is a somber service. You stand by jacaerys and grip onto his hand tightly as viserys corpse burns he hears you muttering prayers to yourself with your eyes closed as the fire grows bigger. He does not know much about the lord of light and its religion, he’ll have to do some research once he has the free time but he knows the importance of fire to you and he pulls you closer to him. You open your eyes and stare at the flames in front of you and lean your head against jacaerys’ shoulder and let the flames take over your light of vision, the lords comfort warming you as you feel like this is a sign from R'hllor himself as the flames get bigger and bigger he is content with your work.

Unlike the funeral the crowning is a much more joyful affair, everyone changing out of their mourning outfits and putting on more regal attire as everyone stands around and watches rhaenyra be crowned. Jacaerys send a weak smile his mothers way as he watches her. Him being named her heir is inevitable at this point. He has begun to shake out of nerves. He is not good enough to do this. He cannot do this. He feels you grab his hand this time expect it is absent of your glove and he sighs at the feeling of your warm skin against his. The feeling of your cold metal rings and your comforting touch manages to calm him down until the end of the ceremony where he lets out a sigh of relief as people begin to flood away.

“You must accept my apologies my queen for i must leave.” It was the grand feast afterward rhaenyra looks over to you in shock, you had just given her your congratulations and she places down cup she had been sipping from. “Is something the matter?” “Lord corlys has awoke your grace, the situation at stepstones is too dire for me to ignore any longer.” Jacaerys walks over to from leaving his place by lucerys to stand by you, “You are leaving?” You stare at him with a sadden look before you look down at the floor. “I must.” He attempts to ignore the gnawing feeling in his stomach at the thought of you having to return to war. The two of you have not even gotten to discuss the rapid change in your relationship, if he can even call it one.

“I do not wish for you to go.” He grabs your hands in his and whispers to you. You look at him with a conflicted look and shake your head. “I will return to you. Wait for me?” He nods. He will, he will wait until the end of time for you to come back. So only a few minutes later he watches with a bitter heart as you get on a horse and give him one last final look before you ride off, it takes everything in him not to chase after you. Daemon places his hand on his shoulder and turns him so they can walk back inside together. “Will she be alright?” Daemon is quiet for a moment, “That is a ridiculous question. She is a warrior, she will live.”

It has been over a month since he’s last seen you. Since he’s been struggling with his thoughts and feelings about you. His mother had sent him to dragonstone to take up his place in the ancestorial seat. It was tough to be so far away from his brothers and parents but he did his duty day by day. He wrote to you once but as always did not receive a response. You confused him, You seemed to content with him but you continue to ignore him. He does not understand you.

So his confusion only grows as some of your footmen arrive in dragonstone one day with boxes full of items. “It is the triarchs things Lord Velaryon.” “You bring them here?” “The triach has requested it.” He simply nods and allows them to bring the things in, He is shocked to see how many boxes their truly was. He had never assumed you were the type to care about material goods. “A lot of them are dresses my prince.” A servant tells him as he sees Jacaerys eyeing the boxes, “It is much colder here than it is in Essos so the lady had to have many new clothes made for her to wear here.” Jacaerys lets out an ah as he roams around the boxes, of course, he head heard how hot it is in Essos, apparently Volantis is the hottest out of them all. He shakes his head as it begins to be filled with him trying to imagine what you typically wear back at home. You must not be as covered up as you are here. You probably wear anything at all.

“Do you two plan to share a chamber or do you have a separate room for the lady?” This snaps jacaerys out of his thoughts and he begins to think it over. It would be inappropriate for you two to share a chamber before you are married, but the selfish part of him wishes for when you return back to him for you to stay with him, it makes him sick a the idea of you staying in a separate room from him. But he knows he must do the appropriate thing, tell him he will have a separate room prepared for him. “We will share the main chamber.” Yet he cannot. The servants nod and begin to move the boxes towards the main chamber.

The hour turns late and the sun has since set until your people finally leave with a bow and all your stuff has been placed all over what was once just his chambers. He is at first overwhelms by the smell of you but he soon smiles to himself as he walks around the room. He did not have much stuff, he was never one for material goods but you however had many little trinkets and decorations placed all over the room. He notices a large vase in the room filled with beautiful red roses, he sees a tapestry of the symbol of the lord of light hanging near the bed, he notices the closet the once looked bare now completely filled with a variety of custom made dresses. He walks around the room with a smile on his face as he admire all the little signs of you all ober the room.

What does catch his attention however is a box places on the bedside table. It is a plain wooden box with no clear sighs of what would be in it. He should not open it. He should walk away and leave your personal stuff alone but he cannot stop himself from opening it. He is greeted by a sight he did not expect. Anything he had ever given you, from the letters, the flowers his mother forced him to pick and give to you, even his handkerchief he had lent you one time, everything laid neatly and organized inside the box. he picks up the letters and swipes through them. He is shocked that you had even opened them so much as kept them, he has sworn to himself you had thrown them away. But if you kept them why did you never respond? You continue to confuse his mind and his heart.

“And i thought it was improper to look through someone else's things.” He freezes as he hears the voice he’s been waiting to hear for over a month now. Whipping his head around he sees you, standing clad in your armor shaking your head at him with a soft smile on your face. “And imagine my surprise when the maids told me my stuff was placed in your chambers at the princes request. I never knew you were so scandalous my prince.” He quickly stands and to get a good look at you. You looked like not even a day had passed, just as beautiful as the last time he saw you. He hesitantly smiles. as you walk over to him and take the letters out of his hands and gently place them back in the box like they were your most prized possession.

“You kept them?” You nod as you close up the box and pick it up. “of course i did.” “But you never responded.” This has you looking down and turning away from him. “I did not think you wanted me too.” This has him laughing awkwardly as he watches you closely. “Whatever do you mean?” You place the box on the windowsill and turn back towards him, fiddling around with your armor. “I, am not very good at,” You put your hands back and forth between the two of you, “This. all i would do is mess it up.” He walks closer to you and he can feel his heart pounding, he wants you to mean what he thinks you mean. “Why do you think so?” “My father was a very strict man, he taught me that being friendly will get me nowhere, men don’t like talkative women. So when all you seemed to do was want to talk to me. I was scared.”

He feels his heartbreak. He thinks back onto your brief interactions that month ago and he begins to feel guilty. You just had no clue how to talk to him no matter how much you wished to. and whenever you would try he would say something rude to you. He feels like shit. “I am so sorry. What can i do to make it up to you?” You tilt your head at him in confusion, “Whatever did you do?” “I had been so rude to you-” “It is of no ones fault other than my own.” “That is certainly not true, you have been so so kind to me. to my family. and i have been nothing but a piece of shit.” You giggle at his foul language and shake your head. “Then we are both at fault.”

The two of you laugh. He is so happy. He had been feeling lonely this last month it is so nice to finally be with someone else, especially since it is you. “How is stepstones?” “The war is done. for now atleast, who knows when they could come crawling back up.” “So do you plan on returning to Essos?” “I will be staying here.” “Aren't you one of the rulers of Essos?” “They will be just fine without me, should anything dire come up you should come with me.” “truly?” “You ever been?” “no. but i have always wanted to see it.” You squeeze his hands as you stare at him, “Then i will take you. I will take you anywhere you wish to go.”

His eyes drop to your lips. He is dying to kiss you. He must. He will not live a second longer if he does not. “May i kiss you my lady?” You grip his cheeks and pull him to you. The second your lips tough he feels like he has been lit on fire. Everything else in the world fades as the only thing he can see and think about is you. Your lips move together like the perfect song, working in perfect sync in harmony to create something glorious. He does not want to pull away not even when his lungs begin to hurt from the lack of air he continues to kiss you. He never wants this moment to end. But it does when the two of you separate, breathing heavily. You look at him and he can see the wanting glaze over your eyes, it is unbelievable he is able to control himself.

He tried to pull you back into him once more but you put your hand between your lips. “If this is truly going where i believe it is going can you allow me to bath first? I do not wish to smell like fish and blood and shit.” He shakes his head as he tried to pull you back in, too greedy to even let you slip from his grasp for a second. “I do not mind.” “But i do. Please.” He groans and lets you go as much as he does not wish to. “Fine.” “Do you wish to wash me?” His eyes widen at the idea and his mouth might have even begun to water. “I do not know my lady. Is that a good idea?” “If the prince was not so scandalous it might not be but maybe i was wrong to suggest it.” “I will do as you ask.” “You are a fool.” “Your fool.” He watches as you flush at his words and he calls for the maids to draw you a bath.

He can not help but stare at you as you take off your amour. The leather pieces pilling up on the table as you relieve more and more of yourself to him. It could be poetic, but jacaerys can’t think about anything else like that right now. Not when you stand in front of him, he turns away when you begin to slide off your under clothes. “You do not wish to look at me?” “I am nervous to what i will do when i do my lady.” You say nothing in return but he hears a couple more items drop to the floor and your footsteps on the ground walking towards the bathroom. “Are you going to bath me or not?”

He quickly stands and his hands shake as he makes his way towards the bathroom. He is surprised his knees do not buckle under him as he sees you. Sitting in the tub, steam hitting you oh so perfectly and your bare arms rests against the sides of the tub and he finally sees you fully. “Pick your jaw off the floor my prince.” He can not. He wishes to get on his knees and worship you, he swears he has never seen anything as beautiful as the sight of you. he had thought the most gorgeous you could look is when he saw you in that dress but you look so much better here.

He hesitantly walks over to the bath and kneels right next to you. He grabs the soap and grabs your arm as you carefully watch him. He lightly turns your arm so he can get a full few of the tattoos on your arm. It is a beautifully intricate dragon, it almost completely covers your whole forearm and he can see you have a matching one on your other arm. “What are they for?” “In Volantis when you are of old blood it is customary for you to get dragon tattoos on your arm to symbol your relation to Valyria.” He traces the design with his fingers, admiring the art and the act of you showing this part of you to him. He places a kiss on the dragons head before he begins to lather your arm in soap.

No more words are spoken between the two of you as he washes your back, then your other arm before he moves onto grabbing your hair products and running his fingers through your hair and scratches his nails into your scalp. He hears you hum, your eyes closed in delight and he gulps as he begins to throb against his pants. He watches as you dunk your head under the water to get the product out and you sit back up, looking at him as you run your hands down your face to push away the water. “Why don’t you join me? It would be easier for you to clean me if you were also in here.” He hesitates, nerves build up in his stomach as he opens his mouth but no words come out. “Are you sure my lady?” You smile and nod at him, leaning your head back against the tub to watch him.

He stands and begins to unbutton his tunic, tossing it into some corner of the room. Unlike him you do not take your eyes off him as his bare chest comes into view or even when he begins to unbutton his pants. “My lady is very shameless.” “Is it so wrong i look at you?” He shakes his head before he hesitantly pulls down his pants and he is suddenly standing bare in front of you. He hisses as he cock jumps up to slap him in the stomach leaving you to laugh before he hurriedly moves to sit across from you. The tub is big enough for the two of you to sit side by side but he does not even dare to come that close to you. “You still have a job to do.”

He picks back up the soap and drags it over your collarbone. He watches as the soap bubbles slide down to lay on your breasts and groans to himself as he continues to scrub your down. Ignoring your breasts he instead focuses on your stomach and sides. It feels so intimate, to rub his hands all over your body especially when you continue to let out your own hums of pleasure.

He runs his finger along the long scar down your chest and stomach. “It was a gift from my father. When i turned of age and he found out i was able to be elected. People had begun to suggest i should be nominated in his place. He made sure i would be bedridden for months. They could not nominate me that year.” He leans his head down and presses a kiss against the top of the scar at your neck. “I am glad he is already gone for i would have to deal with him myself.” You reach your hand on his arm and smile at him, nothing more is said but the look in your eyes says enough.

He tries his best to not look between your legs as he washes your legs one by one, he does not allow himself to linger at your thighs before he swiftly pulls his hands away from you. His hands burning as if he had just touched the sun. The bath was now cold. The two of you simply laid their for awhile before you sat up and grabbed his face. “Thank you my prince.” “Jacaerys, jace, not my prince.” You press your lips against his and he groans. The kiss is full of much more fever and desperation this time. He barely believes this is real. He must be imaging this as he had over a moon ago.

You take your hands away from his face and slide them down his chest as he feels your tongue prodding against his mouth he pulls back suddenly causing you to freeze. “Did i do something wrong?” He shakes his head, out of breath as he speaks, “No no nothing wrong. I have imagined this far too often for it to be anything wrong. it is just, i am very sensitive and if you touch me just once i will not be able to perform again.” He hopes you understand what he means. He hopes you know you are not rejecting him, but he wishes for this to go right, and if he is being selfish he does not wish to watch his seed float around in the water but instead flow out of you.

He watches as you stand up and he cranes his head up to look at you. You are the pure image of beauty. He could die now and be content with how he lived for simply getting to breath and stand in your presence is enough for him. He watches as you step out of the tub and he cant help but stare at your ass as you turn your back and walk out of the room, you turn your neck and look at him. “Are you coming?” He quickly stands and follows after you, neither of you bothering to care about the dripping water all over the bathroom and the bedroom. You have sat down on the bed and hold out your hand to pull him on top of you.

He pulls you into another kiss as the two of your skins press against each other. He feels so hot. He hands press against your face as he opens his mouth and allows the two of your tongues to intertwine with one another. His lips leave yours as they instead they begin to trail down your jaw and down your neck as his hands move to grip your waist and pull you closer to him. The two of you stay like that for awhile, and expected to stay like that the whole time but are more than shocked when he grips your hips tightly and flips you around so you are on top and he is on the bottom, you sitting directly over his abs. When you look down at him in confusion he simply smiles at you.

“It is only right you are above me, for you are a goddess who deserves to be worshipped.” His hands slide up your stomach and begin to fondle your breasts as you throw your head back and moan. “gaomagon daor tepagon qrīdrughagon aōha dōna udra sīr easily syt iksan naejot qūvy ilagon se qēlossās se se jēdar syt ao” he easily recognizes the words. The same ones you had told him in the library that faithful day in the keep. “What does it mean?” You moan as he thumbs begin to flick against your nipples and look down at him. “do not give away your sweet words so easily for i am willing to tear down the stars and the sky for you.”

He can not respond, not when he watches as your hips begin to move along his abs, fuck, he can see you essence leaving a trail on him as you use him for your own pleasure. He would let you, use him all day, any day, if it meant he would get to hear the sounds you are currently making, the way your face twists in pleasure with your eyes closed. “Have you ever touched yourself my lady?” You let out a meek hum as you throw your head back, he's hands move from your breasts to your hips to help guild you. “I have Jace, everyday, i can not help it for i am thinking of you.” He lets out his own string of curses at your admission. He watches as you reach one of your hands to your folds and your moans only get louder.

He wants to do that. He wants to know every inch of you to be able to pleasure you in all ways he can. He wants to be the reason you get louder, he wishes for you to desire him, to have to need him like air like he needs you. “Teach me how to do that.” He is more than happy when you remove your own hand and grab his, moving it to slide under you and he curses as he feels your wetness dripping on him. “Are you supposed to be that wet?” “It is because of you Jace.” He feels you move his fingers to push past your folds and he can feel a hard bulb under this fingertips. “That. touch that Issa jorrāelagon (my love),” You moan as you feel his rougher fingers begin to press against it. “In circles, ugh yes like that, you can press harder.”

The roughness of his fingertips feel much better than your own fingers and you can’t help but move your hips faster against him. His fingers move faster against your clit and you can feel the burning in your stomach grow larger. “Issa jorrāelagon, im gonna make a mess.” He groans at your words and uses one hand to move your faster and the other hand to continue to play with your clit. “Please do, fuck, I want to see it, fuck.” Can a man cum untouched? He has no clue but the way his cock is throbbing he swears he is about to burst at simply watching your pleasure. He feels the rush of liquid begin to pool and cover his hand. He moves his fingers and moves them towards your opening as he can not get over the way it feels, the hot liquid pooling over his fingers.

You jump when he pushes two of his fingers inside of you, hissing as he shoves your own cum back inside of you as he touches your gummy walls. “Jace,,,” You moan out as your head drops forward to stare at his wrist. He says nothing but moans as he begins to thrust his fingers in out, barely pulling them out before he shoves them right in. He is fueled by your moans, the way your hands claw at his chest as he is simply amazed by you. You do not know if your walls are covered with your own essence or your own cum as he adds another finger and presses them against your walls.

He wishes to memorize you, to keep this locked tight in his memory for him to look back on. He can barely believe what he is doing and hopes he is doing it right. But when you begin to move against his fingers he knows he must be doing something right. The only words you speak are his name, over and over again as he fingers begin to move faster and faster inside you. The pit in your stomach grows once again and your begin to drag your nails down his chest in pleasure. “I am about to cum jace.” He says nothing this time only moving his free hand to play with your clit which sends you over the edge. He does not remove his fingers are stop his movements simply enjoying the withering pleasure you are feeling

“Please Jace i wish to feel your cock.” This has him removing his hands and you hiss at the sudden emptiness. You watch as he places each of his fingers in his mouth, closing his eyes and throwing his head back, like your own taste is his own personal pleasure. His eyes are cloudy in a haze as he watches you sit up with shaky knees and adjust grab his dick in your hands. He moans as you rub your thumb over his tip, spreading around his precum and pressing down against it. “Do not tease me y/n please.”

He watches as you sit right above him, you sink down low enough that just his tip is rubbing against your folds. You use his tip to push your folds aside and slowly you begin to sink down onto his cock. If he was told this is how it felt after he died he would have believed it. He has never felt a greater pleasure than he has right now. He understands why people consider this act sinful, for everyone would be doing it everyday if it were not. He watches his cock slowly disappear and he lets out a whimper as you sit all the way down.

He can see the dent in your stomach and reaches his hand to touch it. This was unbelievable. He stares at you, the way you look down at his hand and cover it with your own, pressing down causing him to groan and you to moan. Unconsciously you readjust yourself, lifting yourself on him just so slightly just to slide back down and he curses.

That felt so good, he wants you to do that again. “Can i move?” You are clearly as desperate as he is and he hears it in your voice. “fuck please my lady please.” Your hips lift and you come crashing back down onto him. The bed underneath you rocking with the action as you do it over and over and over again. Slowly at first but you begin to create a rhythm as his hands grab your tits to squeeze them.

The room is filled with the sounds of your slamming against him, the wet sounds of him pushing into you and your combined moans. If this made him a sinner so what? He was not religious and he would refuse any god that said this was not the most holy and pleasurable thing to do on earth. He begins to move his hips up to meet yours and he watches your face contort. “We must do this, ugh, everyday.” You nods feverishly as both of his hands moving to your hips to help you bounce faster as his hips begin to harsh slam up into you. “Yes, everyday, every night, ughh, everywhere,” You let out an especially high pitched whimper as he begins to toy with your clit. “All over the castle.”

Yes he would like that, so much. He can see it now, the way he would allow you to sit on the throne as he pounded into you. The way you would sit under the table during meetings and suck him dry while he attempts to maintain his composure, fuck he’ll do this everyday of his life for as long as he lives. He can feel that familiar feeling brewing ever so close in his stomach, “are you close my lady?”

You let out a rush of hushed yes’s as you begin to move faster. “Cum with me my lady, cum please.” You let out more yes’s as he feels you throbbing around his cock causing him to burst. You cry out at the feeling of his hot seed spilling webs inside you as he suddenly flips you around and continues to pound into you as your back hits the bed. “Cum my lady, fuck.” The change of angles hits you so well along with the sounds of wetness splashing below you as he cock pushes his cum deeper inside you and all around your walls.

You suddenly splash over him with a cry and your back arches off the bed. He can feel you hit his upper stomach, all over his thighs and even his chest. You looked so beautiful, the way your eyes shut closed so tight there were crinkles around your eyes and the way your teeth and jaw clenched as he feels you continue to pulse against him, liquid trickling around his cock and out to drip on the bed.

He leans his forehead against yours and the two of you just lay there for awhile. attempting to catch your breathes. He brings one of his hands to caress your cheek and you open your eyes to look at him. “Jace.” “I love you.” You smile, a wide grin fills you face as you chuckle. “I have loved you for a long time Jacaerys.” He kisses you lightly and the two of you simply lay like that until you fall asleep. sharing pecks and tiny whispers of admiration. He can barely believe he got so lucky end up with a woman like you. Someone who loved him so much they would do to the ends of the known world for him even if he had said some cruel things to you. He loved you he loved you he loved you and he was so happy you loved him too.

a.n: This is genuinely the most crazy project of my whole writing career LMAO if you've made it this far i really want to say thank you. It's because of the endless support I've gotten on my recent stuff that really gave me the confidence to write something like this. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS i love you all so much <3

perm jacaerys taglist: <3

@tyronesien @itsbookworm987 @cruelworldlana @smurfelle @ireneispunk @hxtd @venmondiese @urmomsgirlfriend1 @aegonswife

[reminiscingtonight]

Cruel Summer

Lia Wälti x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

A/N: Based on Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift

[WOSO Masterlist]

There’s a loud rev outside your apartment.

Despite it being the dead of the night, there’s an idiot lighting up the night, echoes of their engine blasting through the air. 

If it was any other night, you would ignore it. If you hadn’t just finished one of the most important games of your life and flown hours back to your cozy little home in England, you would have ignored it. But you’re tired. The type of tired that seeps so deep into your bones that nothing but peace and quiet (and lots of sleep) could fix. 

The engine’s been blasting for nearly five minutes now, seemingly no resolution in sight. With no other choice, you roll out of bed, whipping open your curtains and throwing up the window, ready to give the driver a piece of your mind.

What you see makes you roll your eyes instead, a tired smile making its way across your face.

“Lia, it’s twelve-thirty. What are you doing out here?”

Your best friend grins right back. “Jail break. Come on!”

You raise an eyebrow when Lia gestures for you to come downstairs and hop into her passenger seat. “It’s twelve-thirty,” you repeat. “Can’t you come jail break me at a more acceptable time? Like, let’s say, eleven tomorrow morning?”

“Boo,” she groans. “We haven’t seen each other in so long. You’re really going to make me wait another eleven hours to get my (Y/N) fix?”

Lip twitching in amusement, you shake your head. 

Even though she’s parked on the street, still some distance away, you can see her pout crystal clear. 

She doesn’t even have to say another word before you’re ducking back into your room.

It’s not like you can ever say no to Lia. 

It only takes you five minutes to make yourself look presentable before you’re slipping out the front door and into Lia’s car. 

Lia looks more than a little pleased at her success and it takes all your self-control to not smack (or kiss) the smirk off her face. 

“Where to?”

She gives you a look. 

The night ends like how it always does. 

You pressed between Lia and a mattress, lips slotted together all hot and needy, every touch exchanged feeling more and more like heaven. 

---

You’re used to it by now. 

The late night phone calls followed by mindblowing, worldchanging--

Let’s just say Lia’s good. Like really good.

But what you’re also used to is mornings waking up to a sleepy smile shot your way. Face pressed to your neck, arms around your waist as Lia doesn’t want you to leave. Hands in yours as you stroll through Sunday morning farmer markets. Quiet afternoons curled up together on the couch, Lia reading her book of the week and you watching your tv show.

So yeah, the sex is good. But so is the domesticity you’ve created.

Lia made it clear from the beginning. 

“I’m hot, you’re hot, let’s bang,” she had said with a smirk. Though a joke, you both knew she was being serious.

One night led to two, two into three, and soon she was calling you almost every night. 

This was just sex. After her relationship with Caitlin ended all Lia wanted was some physical release, nothing more, nothing less. 

“No feelings,” Lia tried to act stern, though with her hand down your pants and you being slightly distracted by her mesmerizing eyes, neither of you really paid those words much attention.

But you agreed. 

You agreed to ‘meaningless, best lay of your life’ sex even though you’ve been in love with Lia for as long as you’ve known her. And with each night you spend together you find yourself falling more and more for her.

“Do you ever…” you trail off, eyes fixated to the ceiling above you. 

Lia’s laying on her side, fingers lightly tracing your ribs as she tangles your legs together under the blankets. Nights like these come more often than not. You don’t remember the last time you spent the night apart. Having sex always seemed like an excuse for Lia to ask you to stay the night and you definitely weren’t going to complain. 

Her eyes drift from where they’ve been ghosting over your skin, no shame present in her eyes for how much she was ogling you. 

“Do I ever what?” 

You swallow, trying to act nonchalant. “Ever think about what it would be like. If we… If we gave this a go.”

A furrow appears between Lia’s eyebrows, the Swiss frowning as she tries to understand what you’re saying. “‘Gave us a go’ as in… date?”

You shrug. “Would it really be that bad of an idea?”

It’s silent for a moment as Lia takes in your words. You can practically see the gears turning in her head, the brunette worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she tries to work through her thoughts.

When Lia sits up a bit, shuffling so she is half hovering over you, the blanket pulled over her shoulder slips down, pooling down by her waist.

It takes everything in your power to keep your eyes glued firmly above her collarbone, trying not to drool over all her exposed skin. 

It’s a bit embarrassing, the effect Lia has on you. You still turn into a blushing mess whenever she pulls you into bed with her. Your mouth still goes dry whenever she gives you a grin, whenever her perfect lips and perfect voice says your name. 

“(Y/N), I care about you. And I know you care about me.” 

You nod, but Lia has a look on her face. She’s not done with whatever’s on her mind. 

.

Every nerve in your body is screaming for there not to be a “but”.

.

“And this,” the way her eyes trail down your body makes it no mystery what exactly Lia’s referring to, and you flush red at her attention, “this is definitely worth every second of every day.”

.

You want to come home to this every day. You want to tell Lia how much you love her every day. There is so much you want.

.

Lia leans forward and you’re not able to stop the way your eyes flutter shut, lips burning where hers touches yours. Kissing Lia will always be one of your favorite things. There’s nothing like it. She lets out a quiet, happy sigh when you break apart, leaving a hand splayed over your bare stomach when she lays back. 

“This is heaven. Why break something that’s not broken?” 

.

But what you want isn’t what she wants.

.

And that’s what makes this so much worse.

.

Lia’s eyes are on the ceiling now, fingers still tracing absentminded shapes on your skin. “I don’t want to screw anything up between us, alright? And things are just, they’re so good right now. I don’t want to add anything that could mess this up.”

It feels like your throat’s closing up, your heart squeezing and crumbling to pieces right in front of you.

She’s looking your way now, and you realize Lia’s waiting for you to say something. For you to reassure her she’s making the right move.

.

You don’t want it to be the right move.

.

Of course you’d fall for the most basic of all tropes. Falling in love with your best friend. Falling into bed with the best friend you’re in love with. 

Falling in love with someone who so obviously doesn’t love you back.

You give her a curt nod, hoping Lia can’t notice the way you’ve slightly stiffened. It feels like glass when you clear your throat, every nerve in your body screaming at you to run. To protect what little you still have of your own heart. 

But you were never good at self-preservation.

“No, no, I, uh, I totally get it.” It’s hard to ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach, the burning sensation prickling behind your eyes. But you do it. Because it’s Lia. Because she’s asking you not to change anything between the two of you. 

“The summer’s supposed to be fun, not complicated.”

It hurts, the way you see her shoulders relax at your words. 

Lia shoots you a soft smile, pressing a kiss to the fingers you have tangled together. It’s almost natural, the way she rolls back on top of you, elbows landing on either side of your head. Your heart feels like it’s going to beat out of your chest when she leans down, breath hitting your lips as she stays just out of reach. There’s a sparkle in her eyes as Lia bites down on her bottom lip. You’re unable to stop yourself from looking right at her mouth, the brunette knowing exactly just what to do to drive you crazy. 

“Speaking of fun… I think the two of us have a lot more fun to be had.”

And when Lia kisses you again, so full of passion but so lacking of feeling, you let her. 

After all, you’ll take whatever she’s willing to give you. 

Even if it tears you apart. 

---

One week.

That’s how long Lia’s been out of town for. She had a little girl’s trip with Ana, a trip she tried convincing you to come along on. But you knew how much Lia’s been missing her best friend so you let her go off alone.

Lia had kissed you goodbye at the airport, in your car of course, promising to call you when she got back.

And now she’s back. 

You’ve been bouncing off the walls at the chance to see her again.

It should honestly scare you, the hold Lia has over you. She’s so addicting, something you crave every second of the day. And the week spent apart has only exacerbated your need to be near her.

It’s a little past midnight when you pull up to her house.

Sneaking through the garden, you make it to Lia’s door in record time.

Your hands are shaky but you play it off as nerves, rolling your shoulders back before rapping your knuckles against the door. The grin on your face hasn’t fallen since you made the decision to surprise Lia. It’s usually Lia making these secret trips out without informing you she was heading over. But oh how the tables have turned.

It isn’t until the third time you knock without any response that your smile slips off your face.

Frowning, you look down at your phone. The [I’ve made it back!] text you received from Lia a couple hours ago seems to mock you as you turn your attention back towards the door.

Of course you could always call Lia to see where she’s at, but the small part of you that still knows shame knows how desperate that would look.

You could practically imagine the smirk on Lia’s face as she teases you for not being able to go a week without seeing her.

You drop your head against the door with a dejected thump.

Maybe Lia was busy tonight. It’s not like the two of you don’t have any other friends who have stayed in England during the off season.

So much for your attempt to surprise her.

Standing up with sigh, you turn around, fully intending to head back home. And then the door swings open.

Lia’s breathing hard, shirt hastily buttoned up, wild sort of look in her eyes as she leans against her door frame, squinting into the dark night to look at you.

You have to blink to make sure you’re not seeing things. 

Lips swollen, hair mused, it doesn’t take a genius to know what Lia’s been up to. 

“Sorry, I um, I was busy.” Lia clears her throat, hands coming up to run through her messy hair. “I didn’t forget any plans of ours, did I?”

Shaking your head, you shove your hands into your pockets. There’s an urge to flee on the spot, but you muster enough courage to just shuffle in place, clearing your throat as you try to stop your heart from crumbling to pieces. “No, it’s… I just wanted to see if you wanted to go out. But uh, I can see that you have some company so I’m just gonna go.”

Lia swallows nervously, hand darting out before you can turn away. You fight the urge to flinch at the contact, watching as Lia begins fidgeting uncomfortably instead. 

“I didn’t know you were coming.” She sounds small, and something about it makes you curious, but the bigger part of you just wants to flee home and drown your embarrassment in a big tub of ice cream. 

You were thinking of Lia the entire time she was gone but it’s clear she wasn’t thinking about you. And that’s on you. Not her.

You clear your throat again, trying to plaster on a fake smile on your face. “Lia, it’s fine, it’s cool. It’s not like we have any rules in place so you’re free to do whatever you want with whoever you want.”

She frowns, but you’re quick to drop your eyes to the ground when you notice her trying to gauge where your emotions are at. 

You know you have no right to be jealous. That she’s not yours to be possessive over. As much as you want her to be yours, she didn’t want you the same way and that’s just something you’d have to deal with on your own.

“Okay,” Lia breathes out slowly, hand gently releasing her grip on your arm. “I’ll, um… I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

You give her a small nod. “Of course.”

.

When Lia pulls you into bed with her the next day after dinner, you pretend not to notice the bruises littering her skin. 

Bruises that aren’t your doing.

Bruises that serve as a reminder that Lia holds all the power to kill you slowly. 

And you wouldn’t stop her from doing it.

---

Laughter and shouts ring through the air, the atmosphere happy and light as the Arsenal girls meet for a couple drinks the second day into the new season. There’s no denying how much you missed the lot of them, the rambunctious bunch having a special place in your heart. 

You and Lotte have been lost in conversation for a bit now. The two of you have gotten really close since she returned to her childhood club a couple years ago. So you talk about everything and nothing, just catching up from your time apart over the summer.

“Have you been to that new restaurant that opened down the street?”

You nod. “Yeah! Lia and I stopped by there a couple weeks ago. They have some pretty good seafood.”

Lotte’s eyes light up and she goes off into a tangent about her favorite seafood places. You sit back with a fond smile, loving the enthusiasm of the young girl.

You’re nodding along to something she says when you feel it. You nearly jump out of your seat at what feels like a foot kicking yours. Hard.

Looking up, you make eye contact with Lia. There’s a slight frown on her lips as she pretends to listen to something Steph is telling her.

You tilt your head in question but she just huffs, turning back to her conversation with Steph.

Shrugging, you don’t think too much about the interaction.

Until it’s nearly thirty minutes later and you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom.

You don’t realize anything’s amiss until you step out of the stall. You almost leap back in fright when you see Lia leaning against the sink, arms crossed. 

“Er, hi?” Your greeting comes out more like a question, your surprise at seeing her evident in your tone of voice.

Lia doesn’t say anything, simply watching as you wash your hands. Your eyes keep darting to hers, confused why she followed you in here.

You would be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed that your hookups have seemingly come to a stop now that pre-season has begun, but it’s not like you were really expecting anything more. The two of you have been fairly busy getting back into the swing of things. 

But Lia following you to the bathroom reminds you of the nights you spent together that often began like this. An innocent gesture turned shameless and passionate.

So safe to say you’re not really sure what to make of her bathroom visit.

Out of all of the possibilities, you’re definitely not expecting the hostile tone that comes out of her mouth the second you’re done wiping your hands and turning around.

“What was that?” It’s whispered, but you still feel taken aback by how harsh Lia spits out her words.

“What was what?”

You wrack your mind, trying to think of anything you did wrong. The two of you haven’t interacted much tonight. Apart from the greetings when you arrived tonight and saw her already there, the two of you kept mostly to different groups. You’ve spent most of the night laughing with Beth and Lotte while she’s been chatting with Steph and Leah.

“Why did you tell Lotte that we went to the sushi bar together?”

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion at the reminder of your conversation that felt like so long ago. “Uh, because we did? I’m sorry, why do you sound so mad?”

“I’m not mad! I just don’t understand why you had to tell Lotte we went there together.”

“I… what?” you blink, the stiffness of Lia’s body only confusing you even more. “Are you upset that I told Lotte we had dinner together?”

Her mouth shuts with a click, nostrils flaring as you seem to be missing something that Lia’s so clearly fuming about.

“You didn’t want me telling any of our friends, because?” You wait, the silence dragging on, but Lia glares pointedly at a spot right past your ear, refusing to say a word. 

You sigh. “Lia, what’s going on?”

Her jaw clenches. “We said it was just going to be a summer thing.”

You nod, confused. “Yeah, and?”

“It’s no longer the summer.”

It’s not the summer anymore, that you know. You and the rest of the girls have been kicking balls around for a couple days already, laughing and joking around as if you guys haven’t been apart for a couple months. As much as you enjoyed your summer with Lia, there’s no denying that you’ve definitely missed the girls a bit, even if being back with the team meant no more late nights sneaking around--

And just like that, everything clicks.

You try to keep your face unchanged despite the realization knocking all of the breath out of your lungs.

“So this is a secret.”

Lia doesn’t say anything but you don’t need her to. Her silence says a thousand words.

And each one cuts to the bone.

“You want me to pretend nothing happened between us? Like the summer meant nothing.” Sadness and anger mixes in your veins. You knew this was coming but it still doesn’t dull the way it hurts.

“The summer was fun. But that’s all it was,” she mutters, eyes still hard.

“The summer was fun,” you repeat, shaking your head in disbelief. “It was fun? That’s really all you have to say?”

“What else is there to say?” It’s snapped back, almost defensive. 

You’re left blinking at Lia, heart sinking with every single word spoken. “You can’t be this dense.”

Lia’s lips pinch into a thin line, but the Swiss doesn’t say anything else. 

Somehow the silence hurts more than what you know is about to come. “You can’t seriously say you didn’t know how much it meant to me.”

“I don’t--”

“Lia, please. You couldn’t not know.” It’s pathetic, the way you literally beg Lia to acknowledge the truth the two of you have been dancing around. 

“We said no rules,” Lia swallows, hand clenching and unclenching by her sides. Her eyes are darting around now, as if she’s looking for some sort of escape.

It’s the way she keeps denying it that cracks your heart even more. It’s the pointed ignorance that makes this hurt much more than the inevitable rejection you know is headed your way. 

“I love you, Lia.” 

Those words feel both freeing and crushing, finally saying it out loud. You’ve always dreamed about this moment. The moment you finally tell Lia how much you care for her. How much you want to shout your love for her from the rooftops. 

Never would you have thought it would come out like this. In backroom bathrooms, makeup ruined with tear stained cheeks as you do your best not to fall apart.

You should have expected the dream to just stay a dream. After all, they never work out the same in the real world.

“I love you and you act as if that’s the worst thing you’ve ever heard.”

Shoulder slumped over, you drop your face into your hands. Though no longer making eye contact, you can still feel the weight of Lia’s gaze on you. 

Neither of you say anything else, but no other words are needed. You’ve said your part. Lia’s said hers. 

So much for happily ever afters. 

It feels crushing, the way Lia doesn’t move to stop you when you brush past her to reach the door. Every step you take feels like a stab to the heart, but you know there’s no going back anymore. There’s no more ignoring what you both know is the truth. 

Maybe Lia loves you like you love her. Maybe she wants you just like you do her. But if she doesn’t want to make this a thing, there’s nothing you can do about that. 

Hand on the doorknob, you pause, making sure to keep your back to Lia. You breathe in shakingly, pretending like you can’t feel your heart crumbling to nothing in your chest. “You don’t want our friends knowing anything, fine. I won’t say a word about the summer.”

If Lia says anything after that you don’t catch it. You’re letting the door shut behind you, already making your way back to the rest of your teammates. 

And when Lia returns to the table minutes later, you’re already faking smiles, pretending like your summer in heaven wasn’t the cruelest thing that’s ever happened to you.

[kaciebello]

Money tree

Masterlist Money mail ☼ Slytherin boys x Hufflepuff!reader (fem) Summary: Sell it or wear it Warnings: no use of y/n Authors note: Mrs. Zabini is a icon word count: 1.5k Song: I like it - Stray Kids

The girl was sitting on Blaises bed. His mother was kind enough to give them some clothes she no longer wears. Blaise was simply gonna throw all of it away. Luckily the girl is better than that. It has been about 3 hours since that encounter and they were still going through it. Starting out what they can and cannot sell. Most of it they could as Mrs Zabini does not wear things twice. Blaise has been taking pictures of some of the jewellery as it was easier than anything else. Shoes were next on his list.

Fain ‘ hello boys’ misses both of them. That's why they are surprised when the door bursts open and a pile of teenage boys spills in.

“There you are! Blaze mate, please don't hog my girlfriend.” Enzo says first thing in the room. Taking huge steps to the girl and spinning her in a hug. Not even a gagging sound from Theodore can stop him. Blaise just looks up from his phone with raised eyebrows. 

“What the fuck is all this.” Draco chimes in, gesturing to the not-ending pile of clothes on the bed.

“Our next few thousand,” Blaise answers, very aware that they can all of it for way more than they actually need. The boys just nod. Theodore dived in and rumbled through the pile. 

Back to taking pictures neither he nor the girl noticed Theodor and Matthew putting various items on. Giggles from Draco are what caught their attention.  They both snap their heads to them. There stood Matheo, in a vintage Chanel short dress while Theodore was trying to put on Versace platform boots. stopping in their tracks when he noticed them staring at him. Blaise just let out a sigh and went back to take a picture of the jewellery. The girl just stood there, mouth hanging open. Enzo closes it for her. 

Shaking her head to recover. She has regained her composure.

“Boys, are you serious right now?” she asked, struggling to hold back a smile as she looked at Mattheo, who was attempting to adjust the straps of the dress.

Theodore grinned mischievously as he wobbled around in the Versace boots, nearly toppling over.

 “Serious as fashion week, darling,” he quipped, striking a dramatic pose. Draco rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide his amusement. 

“If you lot are done playing dress-up, maybe we could actually help. That’s a lot of stuff, Blaise. Are you really going to sell all of it?” Blaise smirked, still focused on photographing the jewellery. 

“That’s the plan. Mom has expensive taste, and there’s a market for this stuff. Why not make some money off it?”

Enzo, still holding the girl close, nodded approvingly. “Smart move, mate. But don’t overwork her. You’ve got to let her breathe, too.” He gave her a playful squeeze, earning a light shove from her in return.

The girl smiled up at him, appreciating the gesture but still shaking her head. 

“You guys are impossible. But if you’re going to stick around, you might as well make yourselves useful. There’s a lot more to go through.”

Draco, still examining the pile, picked up a sleek black dress and held it up to the light.

 “This one looks expensive. Maybe I should try it on next,” he teased, earning a round of groans from the others.

The room filled with laughter, the tension of sorting through Mrs Zabini’s wardrobe easing as they all fell into a rhythm of playful banter and teamwork. The girl, now back in control of the situation, couldn’t help but feel a bit more at ease with this odd but endearing group of friends.

As the laughter settled, Blaise finally looked up from his phone, satisfied with the progress he'd made with the jewellery. 

"Alright, enough fooling around," he said, though there was a trace of amusement in his tone. "Let’s get serious. The faster we sort this out, the sooner we can get it listed."

Theodore, who had finally managed to wobble out of the platform boots, nodded and tossed the shoes back onto the pile. 

“Fine, fine. But just so you know, if I end up modelling any of this stuff, I’m charging extra.” Draco snorted, folding the black dress over his arm. 

“You wish. I’m pretty sure no one wants to see you in a dress, Theo.” Matheo, still in the Chanel dress, struck another exaggerated pose.

 “Speak for yourself, Draco. I think I could start a trend.”

The girl, rolling her eyes but clearly amused, stepped between them.

 “You're acting like all of this is not going to the bouncy house. We need to organize this stuff by type—dresses, shoes, accessories—and then by brand. Blaise, you keep taking pictures, and we’ll make sure everything’s sorted.”

Enzo, ever the doting boyfriend, grabbed a handful of scarves and started folding them neatly. “You heard the lady. Let’s get to it.”

The group fell into a rhythm after that, the initial chaos giving way to a surprisingly efficient operation. Blaise continued photographing the jewellery, expertly capturing the shine and detail of each piece. Draco and Theodore focused on sorting through the clothes, occasionally tossing an item at Matheo, who was still hamming it up in the Chanel dress. The girl and Enzo worked together on the shoes, organizing them by size and style.

As they worked, conversation flowed easily between them, punctuated by the occasional joke or comment. The girl had found some red bottoms sues and turned to Blaise.

“Can I keep these?” She motions to them. The boy stops for a minute before nodding. They have more than enough. One pair of sues is not gonna make a dent.

“It’s not like Mrs. Zabini will miss any of this. She probably doesn’t even remember half of it.” Enzo metined.

They all shared a chuckle at that, but the girl couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. Despite their playful banter, they were all contributing to something bigger than just making a quick buck. There was a sense of purpose in the room, a shared goal that brought them together. The last time she saw them work together so well was when they all decided to learn Morse Core to cheat on an exam.

A couple of hours later, they finally finished sorting everything. The bed was now neatly organized into sections—clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewellery—all ready to be listed for sale. Blaise put down his phone and stretched, satisfied with their progress.

“Not bad for a day’s work,” he said, glancing around at the others.

“Not bad at all,” the girl agreed, her eyes shining with excitement. “This could actually work.” I can almost feel the plastic of the bouncy house.”

“ Girl that's weird.” Chimes Matteo but lets it go regardless.

The boys agree with her in a way, the weight of what they’d accomplished settling in.

Matheo, who had finally changed out of the dress, grinned. “So, when do we start counting our millions?”

Blaise chuckled. “Soon. Very soon.”

With that, the group began to clean up. Theodore lets out a gasp. The group of teens turn to look at him. There he stood, a bag made out of cow leather in his hand. Horrified expression on his face.

“Maybe don't show this one to Betsy.”

Previous Chapter ☼ Next Chapter

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[painted-flag]

OF FLOWERS AND DEATH - Aemond Targaryen

Chapter 3: A Study in Death

☾⋆⁺₊✧ dark elf!Aemond Targaryen x f!human!reader series. ✧₊⁺⋆☾ series masterlist. ☾⋆⁺₊✧ word count: 3.2k ✧₊⁺⋆☾ series warnings: 18+ depictions of violence/gore, eventual smut, warfare, sickness/disease, some moments of misogyny, and mentions of alcohol consumption. ☾⋆⁺₊✧ you begin to settle into your new position in the kingdom and forge tentative friendships.

It was disorienting, waking up in another bed. You had been shown to your room by Helaeana before she went off to sleep herself and it had taken hours for your mind to calm down enough to sleep. Your room was at ground level and made from the same combination of roots and black stone as the rest of the castle. It was larger than your entire home combined. There was a main living space with the most comfortable furniture you had ever sat in. It was all nature-oriented, with hues of green being the preferred choice of colour for decoration. 

The living space was separated by a rise in the floor by a few steps, where your bed was placed horizontally next to a wide set of windows. A desk was placed in front of the windows, along with a bookshelf next to it. There were few books, but you knew with the items you packed it would fill up a good portion of space. Your view was of the palace gardens, where plants and flowers of all types bloomed even under the dark cover of the elder trees. 

Your bed was four posters made of dark oak, all intricately carved in forest imagery. Sheer white fabric draped down on all ends, cocooning you in. Your sleep came slowly as you had tossed and turned for hours the night before. You were in a strange land, surrounded by strange people, with a king who clearly did not like you and had a penchant for killing those he disliked. Naturally, calm had not come to you. 

You had been in a state of being between sleep and awake when soft rapping sounded on your door. Your eyes shot open and you looked around your room. You scrambled out of the silken sheets of your bed and stood in the room, unsure of what to do. You were in a nightrobe that had been given to you, its gentle caress of fabric brushed against your skin. 

“C-come in.” You called out. The door opened and two elves walked in. One who stood on the right was dressed in a light powder pink dress of fine silk with sheer fabric on top that complimented her brown skin with cool undertones. The pink gown had gold embellishments that matched the jewelry draped from her ears and neck. The pink jewel that rested between her collarbones reflected the low lights of your room. Her hair was pin straight and decorated with gold ornaments in waterfall braids that formed a low crown on her head. 

Her companion was dressed in lavender, which happened to be the same style as the pink one. Her pale skin was littered with light and dark freckles that looked like the shimmering fireflies that occupied the grounds outside. Her hair was not done up like her friend's but was curly and a deep amber like the honey you would buy from the market back home. 

You knew there was no getting used to the awe-inspiring looks of the elves. A year here or not, each time meeting one would come with a moment of shock you were sure not to get used to. 

The red-haired one stepped forward, “Good morrow. I’m Amara and this is Liriel,” She gestured to her companion, “We’re to be your handmaids for the time you are here.” 

“Handmaids?” You questioned. You did not think, other than the lodgings you were given, that any other kindness would be extended your way. 

The other elleth pitched in, “We are here to fetch things you need, get you ready in the mornings, and provide company.” That was the nail in the coffin for you. They would provide company for you, a kinder way of saying that everything you did and said was being watched and would be reported to the king. This was Aemond’s way of exerting even more control over you. It was not surprising in the least, but it still made you uncomfortable. 

Another servant stepped through with a silver tray of food; breads, fruits, and cheeses. Your stomach made a slight noise and you became painfully aware of how long it had been since you last ate. The tray was placed down on the table and next to a clear glass pitcher full of water and some matching glass chalices. You moved to inspect the food while Amara and Liriel sat down on one of the couches. They gestured for you to join them and you did, choosing a spot on a chair positioned across from them. 

“Once you’re finished eating, we can get you ready for the day,” Liriel spoke. She shifted her gaze to the large dark oak wardrobe resting against the wall behind you. You had opened it last night to see dozens of fine dresses in a variety of colours and sizes, obviously planned to try and fit the needs of any random guest. However, you doubted the word guest could accurately describe your situation - a prisoner with special privileges felt more like it. 

“Oh! I cannot wait to style your hair. I’ve never done a human’s before.” Amara smiled as she reached out to pluck a cherry from the tray. You were resigned to eating in silence while the two elves chatted away, talking about what it is like to live in the castle. You paid attention but were also focused on the underlying message in your conversation with them. While you had yet to meet many elves, there was always a secret unspoken point when they spoke to you. 

The aspect of your humanness was treated like an oddity. It was something rare and unique to gawk at for a moment before one would become bored and disregard it. You believed yourself to be nothing more than an object displayed on a shelf; meant for entertainment and nothing more. 

You plopped a piece of cheese in your mouth and despite it being delicious, your thoughts bittered the taste.

It had taken an hour for Amara and Liriel to get you ready for the day. Each of them fretted over different aspects of your style, conversing with one another on colours, hues, styles, and jewelry. You had spoken to them many times that you cared little for your own presentation and that you were here on one mission alone; find a cure for the taint. There was no time to fuss over what complimented your undertones or how one particular fabric pattern suited you more than the other. However, you knew putting up a fight and resisting would be pointless and resigned yourself to becoming a doll they could dress up. 

Their intentions were good, but you regretted it the moment you left your room and began to be escorted down the hall. Other elves passed, all servants or members of the court, and they gawked at you. The elvish clothing on you felt wrong and you occasionally tugged on the ends of your sleeves with nervousness. You felt inadequate in any way and just wished to go back to your work, for that was what you could do well. 

You happen upon a set of two doors, not as large as the ones at the grand hall, but still detailed enough that you appreciated the craftmanship. The two guards that had walked you from your room each grabbed a handle and opened it. Inside you could see a large study. Shelves were lined with countless vials, boxes, and chests filled with more ingredients than you knew existed. It was the most exquisite laboratory you had ever seen.  

A door on one of the far ends opened and an elf walked in. He had short silver hair that hung down just past the bottoms of his ears in whisps. He was dressed in dark trousers with high boots. His doublet was made of an emerald-coloured fabric with metal embellishments. His stature was thin but built, and he appeared to be just a few inches taller than you. Surprisingly so, he looked to be a young elf.

“Ah, I’ve been expecting you,” He spoke. The elf waved off the guards, “You can stay posted outside, I can take her from here.” 

He placed down a box he brought in on one of the many tables. His gaze swept over some brewing vials and adjusted some of the fires below them. 

“I am Daeron, the head healer and potions master. I must admit, my sister Helaena did not tell me much about your research, other than the fact that you have been studying the taint.” His eyes, the same shade of blue as Helaena and Aemond, caught yours. He subtly smiled to reassure you, as you had stayed rooted in your spot with your arms wrapped around your stomach. 

“Yes, your grace. I have experience studying the taint’s effects on the land. I am also a healer.” You stepped forward and lowered your hold, letting your arms hang at your sides. 

“That’s good,” Daeron stopped his work and straightened his back, “I’ll take you on a tour and fill you in on what we know.” He gestured for you to follow him and the two of you walked side by side to one of the two doors at the back of the laboratory. Daeron opened it for you and let you walk in first. 

While the grand hall with the throne impressed you, this room far exceeded it. It could not truly be called a room, for it was a vast tower that went up as far as you could see. The walls were covered in bookshelves overflowing with texts. In the centre of the tower was a large open fireplace with a low flame. Around it were a bunch of tables with chairs. 

“This is the library, well, one of them at least. This one concerns all the information we would need regarding medicine, plants, and magic,” Daeron began as he walked around the space, his footsteps echoed off the cold stone floor, “You will find all kinds of languages here, but we have translators should you need them.” He moved back towards the door to walk back to the laboratory, but you hung back for a moment, eyes still scanning the vast array of scrolls and tomes. 

You turned back around to follow Daeron. He led you through the other door that opened up to a grand hall full of elves in sick beds. Other healers were moving about between the patients, offering medicine and comfort. The sounds of murmurs and coughing flooded the room. 

“This place was an old feasting hall, but we converted it to house the influx of sick patients. While we have a decent understanding of the taint’s effects on plant life, the effects on the body are… different to all previous knowledge we have.” Daeron walked down the centre aisle at the foot of all the beds and you followed. 

“I know it spreads through cuts and other openings of the body,” You added while glancing at all the sick people as you pass by, “Truly my expertise remains with the taint's effect on nature, not the body. I have only met a few people who were afflicted by it and only for a moment.” 

Daeron nodded and stood in front of a long white sheet that sectioned off a part of the hall, “Then I must warn you about what you are about to see, it is not pleasant.” He opened the curtain and walked in, holding it so you could pass through. On the other side were more patients, however, they did not look like the ones you passed. The ones you passed were sick with a common fever, coughing and sweaty, but the ones here had visual effects on their body. 

Wounded elves lay in their beds, most asleep, while the ones who were awake acted caught in a perpetual hell. Their skin looked like glass, shiny under thick covers of sweat but had marked cracks as though it was the bed of a dried lake. There was a dark purple, almost black tint on different areas of each person’s body with their veins protruding to the surface. Some were coughing up blood onto rags as their body convulsed. The sight was grim and you had to suck in a breath to refrain from displaying any signs of discomfort. 

“It burns through the body quickly in some cases, eventually rendering them immobile in some limbs. It occurs at different rates as well. No remedies for pain or other ailments even aid in pain relief.” Daeron turned to you and leaned in, lowering his voice so the others could not hear, “The people in this section have no more than a day or two before they pass. At this stage, all they can do is wait.” 

You looked around at the elves, despair rolling over you in waves. It was one thing to hear of the taint killing but to see it was something else entirely. It was an incredibly sad sight, to watch the life be horribly drained from people that did not deserve it. You and Daeron continued on as he began to name patients and how they got infected. Most were injured while inspecting the taint, others approached because they did not know what it was and suffered the consequences of curiosity. 

“Have you tried moonweed? I’ve seen it make surprising effects on the taint I experiment on back home.” You proposed. Daeron turned to you and thought for a moment. 

“Moonweed is a poison,” Daeron stated. 

You nodded, “Yes, but it is known that some poisons can be used to counteract others. I tried it in an experiment once. Tainted flowers began to grow alive again, but it did not last.” You were solemn by your failed experiment just the day prior. You truly believed it had worked, but when the life faded away and the taint took over again you felt a part of yourself go with it. 

Daeron walked closer to you, awe in his eyes as his hands went up to rest on your shoulders, “Are you being truthful? It really receded?” 

“Well, yes, but only for a moment,” You undermined your work, still reeling from the colossal failure. 

“Genius!” Daeron began. He started to walk away from you towards the exit of this area of the sick ward, “None of our healers have yet to accomplish that. You must go over it with me in the laboratory. What a feat!” His steps had renewed vigour at your words. You got the sense that this was an elf with an intense passion for his study, bordering on obsession by his reaction to your words. 

“Genius for a human, right?” You did not mean to say that as loudly as you did, but it had been feelings simmering under the surface the whole time you had been in the elven kingdom. Whenever people talked to you, their compliments always felt backhanded; as though a human was unworthy of such praise but received it otherwise. 

Daeron looked at you with an eyebrow raised, confused that you would ask such a question, “No. Just genius.” As he walked away, you paused for a moment. Your heart swelled at the compliment and you knew that hopefully, you would be making another friend in this place; anything that could make your stay here better. 

You sped up your walking to catch up with Daeron and walked with him to the laboratory, where the two of you spent the following hours swapping notes and other bits of information. The two of you had to catch up on what the other knew, as being on the same page was crucial. 

The time between you and Daeron passed swiftly. Despite the topic being grim, it felt nice to share information with someone just as deeply invested in the same study as you. His passion for healing was much like yours, though his talent for potion-making far exceeded your skills. The two of you spent hours in the laboratory, bouncing ideas back and forth and scanning through books. 

Over that time, your conversation had managed to move into topics that were not strictly work-related. You had gotten to know Daeron beyond that of the role of head healer. He had an interest in horse breeding and animal care. He had a plethora of pets, including some cats, dogs, an owl, and two ferrets. You had instantly seen a resemblance between him and Helaena, as she had an interest in collecting insects. Your thoughts drifted to Aemond and if he collected anything like his siblings. 

Your feet pattered against the stone hallway as two guards walked in front of you. It was as if your thoughts summoned Aemond himself, for at the end of the hallway he turned down to walk by you. His shoulders swayed with the movement of his gait. His lithe figure was tall and lean. He wore a similar outfit to the one you saw yesterday, all dark leather. His longsword was strapped to his waist and moved back and forth with his steps. His hair was done in the same style of half up and half down. 

The elf king was the most exquisite being you had ever seen, but his reputation threw you off entirely. With the stories you had heard, he was like a spawn from the greatest evils deep under the earth’s surface. Another elf walked beside him, with sunkissed skin and dark hair. Thick stubble covered the bottom portion of his face and you realized that he was the first elf you saw that possessed a beard. He was clad in silver armour and conversed with Aemond. While Aemond did not so much as spare you a glance as he passed by, the man to his side was looking at you with an intensity of hate you had yet to receive from anyone. Even the scornful look you had received from the king the other day was not as odious as this. 

The elf stopped glaring at you to give attention to his king. You nodded with respect as you passed, but you doubted it was noticed. The guards in front of you marched at a steady pace while you maintained a step behind them. After Aemond passed, you released a breath of relief. You hoped that he would continue to ignore your presence for the year you were there, for you did not wish to see what would happen if you were to get on his bad side. 

A burning feeling at the back of your head hit you and you knew someone was staring at you. It felt exactly like the stare Aemond gave you when leaving the throne room the other day. You knew the king was watching you as you moved down the hallway. It was with great relief that it faded once you made a right turn and got out of his sight. 

There was a part of you that wondered why he had been looking, but logically you hoped it was nothing but your nerves tricking you. 

Chapter 4: A Night of Song and Dance Preview

“What about,” You lowered your voice slightly, “The Great War?” It had ended centuries ago, but the scars from such gratuitous violence still cut and the blood still stained the minds and hearts of everyone. Daeron’s eyes darkened for a moment as if recalling it himself. You knew he would have been alive during that period and it once again hit you how odd it was to be among elves. They live so long, and everyone in this room was guaranteed to be many centuries, possibly even a millennium, older than you. 

“All that my brother did was to defend our lands, that is all. What about your people? Are you telling me they did not do terrible things to protect themselves?”

☾⋆⁺₊✧ If you want to be added to the taglist, click here!

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[bloodlust-1]

The Consort ₊⁺જ⁀➴

NSWF | Explicit 18+ | Angst | Blood | Ascended Astarion | Spawn Tav | Dark | Smut | Trauma | Stockholm Syndrome | Violence

Ascended Astarion x fem Tav

Chapter: 2 | Red Is Traditional

Summary: In a tumultuous tale of love, power, and betrayal, Tav finds herself entangled in a complex relationship with Astarion, a heartless vampire lord who will stop at nothing to maintain control over his newfound spawn. As Tav witnesses Astarion’s transformation and descent into darkness, their love is put to the ultimate test amidst love triangles, drama, and the pursuit of world domination. Redemption seems like an elusive goal while Tav grapples with the realization of who her lover has truly become.

UPDATED EVERY MONDAY

AO3 LINK | MASTER LIST

Lovely photo by @aristenfromwarsaw

"Wake up." Tav was shaken awake by Astarion. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at him, confused.

"What's going on?" she asked. Her eyes darted to the window and the sun was slowly settling down into the horizon. Astarion was usually in the palace by that time, with no intentions of leaving.

"Don't question me, just get dressed," Astarion said, passing Tav an embroidered black cloak. "We must hurry before it gets too late and the shop closes."

Tav's eyes widened. "oh - okay." She sat up from the bed and hurried to put on the luxurious cloak and slippers. "Is there something going on..?" Tav stumbled as her finger got snagged while trying to slip on her flats.

"Wait," Astarion held Tav by her shoulder as she fixed herself. "You need to drink this first." He reached for a glass cup sitting on their bedside.

The thick liquid of blood filled the brim of the cup. It was darker in color than Tav's freshest pint of the slick, but he was right. She needed to eat before starving herself.

As Tav gazed at the glass in front of her, a look of disgust crossed her face. With a swift motion, she pushed it away, “I don’t want it..”

Disgusting.

Astarion’s expression shifted into a frown, his eyes reflecting a hint of anger, "You can eat all the food you want, but we both know it'll never give you the proper energy your body needs."

With a subtle yet commanding gesture, he pressed the glass against her lips, his tone firm yet strangely alluring. “Drink.”

She held the glass lightly and sipped the thick dark slick. It coated her mouth in a bitterness that turned Tav's face sour.

"It's bitter," she coughed, dabbing away the excess spill from the corners of her lips.

"It's old," Astarion continued. "But it'll give you some energy."

Astarion had to bottle animal blood for Tav, and not every day was a successful catch.

Tav took another sip and forced it down. It tasted awful, but it did give her a little energy.

"Okay," she said. "I'm ready."

Astarion studied Tav's face, his dark eyes glittering with amusement. He cupped her cheek, pressing his thumb against the smeared blood on her lips. "You're a mess," he chuckled, his voice low and playful. "But you look so beautifully delicious."

He leaned over and licked the traces of blood left on her skin, pressing his lips into hers in a small kiss. Tav willingly opened her mouth, her heart pounding. She could feel his tongue against hers, and the taste of his kiss was intoxicating.

Astarion pulled away, his eyes still locked on hers. "Now we can go."

Tav nodded obediently, her mind still reeling. Her chest pounded with a heat that burned from the absence of Astarion's touch. She had never felt so alive.

They left the palace and headed to the market. Tav held onto Astarion’s arm as they walked down the familiar streets of the lower city.

"Where are we going?" Tav pulled her cloak's hood over her head, shielding her from any light left in the horizon.

"Fabrics. The party is formal attire and I wanted you to wear only the finest material." Astarion guided Tav up the ally ways and she gazed up at him, face flushed.

"Are you going to...sew me a dress?" She tried to peek up at his face, and when his eyes caught hers, he nodded once with a smirk on his face.

The rush of warmth squeezed Tav's chest and her smile beamed brighter than any star in the sky. Tav knew Astarion was a skilled sewer, but she had never seen it for herself. This felt special.

The city was still under construction from the Netherbrain and it was kinda sad to see all the rubble piled up in front of destroyed buildings.

Astarion tugged on Tav's arm as she got caught between her feet staring out at the ruins of what was once a grand city.

“Come now, my dear," he said with a stern lilt to his voice, "We're almost there." He too looked at the rubble, remembering how weak and helpless he had felt back then. But now, he was stronger than ever.

With a small jingle of the door, a wave of natural fibers hit Tav and Astarion. The countless rows of material covered the walls and the store clerk greeted them,

"Good day!" The clerk's eyes sized up the couple and his eyebrows perked up. They looked expensive. "Looking for something as flawless as you two?"

Tav cracked a shy smile, her elf ears dropped with reddened tips. She waited for Astarion to speak, "Yes. I want nothing but the best."

The clerk's smile widened and he guided them to a section of the shop with a wave of his hand, "Of course! I have the finest material all available to the likes of you. Here - take a look."

Tav eyes trailed down the rows of fabric, and one caught her eye. A purple velvet material. It was soft to the touch, stretchy, and rich in color.

"Astarion, look how pretty." Tav rolled out a piece of the velvet from the roll, face flushed with amazement.

Astarion’s face turned bitter and he shook his head, "No, darling. Just feel how heavy it is. Do you really want to drag this dress around?" He scuffed, how foolish.

"I suppose..." Tav rolled the velvet back with a sigh. "I thought it just looked pretty."

"What you thought and what is true are two different things. Now - let us take a look at this." Astarion rolled out a silky red fabric with a glint of approval in his eyes. "Now this is something worth our attention. Red is traditional after all."

Tav hummed with a nod, yes it really was beautiful. Maybe he was right, the velvet would be a heavier material.

"That is our mulberry silk. It is made from the cocoons of silkworms. It is one of my finest materials in all of Faerun, everyone will know its worth just by its look and feel."

The feel? Tav would be wearing it and there's no way he'd let anyone touch her under his watch. Astarion frowned, "No one will be touching this material except me." Jealousy blurred his vision for a moment before clearing his throat, "This will be all."

The clerk's worried expression landed on Tav. It was like he was trying to telepathically send red flag signals to her, but alas, she knew this side of Astarion too well. And sometimes it was very abrasive.

To cut the tension, Tav spoke out with excitement, "Well! it's very beautiful. Thank you for your time, sir.

~

As they walked home, Astarion noticed the admiring glances from other prying eyes as they passed by, and a flicker of jealousy crossed his face.

It wasn't Tav's fault she was unique in beauty. She was definitely foreign in appearance compared to the city’s people. She bared clear crystal white eyes, that were eerie yet captivating. Growing up, the wood elves thought she was born blind, but it was just genetics. She looked ghastly with dark glowing skin like licorice and had long messy locs. Her hips were fuller than most, with petite shoulders. Even in a cloak, she shined in the crowd. Nothing could mask her beauty.

She was Astarion's vision, his muse.

He subtly tugged at Tav’s arm, a gentle yet possessive gesture that didn’t go unnoticed. Tav turned to him with a knowing smile, her eyes sparkling mischievously, "Jealous?"

Tav shrugged, she was used to people staring at her.

“Tav,” he murmured, his voice laced with possessiveness, “When people stare, they'll know your mine.”

Tav stopped in her tracks, turning to face him fully. She reached out to gently cup his cheek, her gaze unwavering. “You have nothing to worry about, my dear vampire,” she assured with a grin. “I have eyes only for you.”

Astarion’s expression softened at her words, a rare smile escaping his lips as he shook his head amusingly. “You are daring, my dear spawn. But I suppose I am reassured by your words.”

There’s no need to be jealous when he consumed so much of her already, mind body and soul.

Tav tried to pull his face into a kiss, but she was stopped mid-gesture. Astarion grabbed her wrist, and he loomed over her with dominance, "Now, now. We must save our energy. I still have to take your measurements."

Tav yanked her arm away from Astarion, slightly rubbing her wrist, "I really don't like when you grab me like that, Star." She felt a little crossed.

He leaned in closer to Tav, his voice low and seductive. "On the contrary, you do. It's Just when you're not on your knees is when it is a sudden problem."

Tav raised an eyebrow, looking slightly offended but also amused. She crossed her arms and scoffed.

“Oh, is that so?” Her tone teased. Despite the provocative comment, she refused to let Astarion’s charm rattle her composure. She met his gaze head-on, unflinching and bold.

“Well, if you think that’s a problem, maybe you’re just not used to someone who can stand tall in your presence,” Tav batted her eyelashes in amusement.

Tav took a step closer to Astarion, their faces merely inches away. “But don’t worry, I’m sure we can find a way to work around that little issue,” she added with a wink.

Astarion’s lips curled into a smirk, “That mouth is going to get you in trouble.”

He was entertained and impressed by Tav’s cheekiness. Without missing a beat, he reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Come now, Let’s not keep the night waiting any longer,” He appreciated her daring nature and found himself drawn to her fiery spirit.

But in the back of his mind, Tav would have to suffer punishment for speaking so rashly to her master. In all due time, of course.

Next part here

Any thoughts? Comment 👇🏼 I love to engage!

See ya next Monday ( for a smutty chapter! ;p)

I'm posting chapter 3 NEXT NEXT Monday (March 4th) since I couldn't wait to get this out. and then I should be able to stay consistent every Monday since I have a few chapters already written up :D

[incognitobobcat]

Headcanon Tomáš

Photo Source: @jojogreg8441 on Twitter

Name: Tomáš Vrbada

Birthday: July 11, 1993

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Prague, Czech Republic

Languages: Czech, English, Chinese (dialect unknown), learning Japanese

Fighting Style: Ninjitsu and Pencak Silat

Weapon: Karambit

Religion: formerly Catholic

Favorite Colors: Silver and light shades of blue

Favorite Foods: Svíčková, Řízek, Rajská omáčka, Madam Bo’s cooking, homecooked meals, Gyoza, and food from the Osaka night markets (ie. Kuromon), enjoys food in general

Favorite Beverages: Water, Pilsner, milkshakes, and some juices

Favorite Pastimes: movies and tv shows, music, walks in nature, traveling, enjoying various foods from restaurants and night markets

Favorite Actor: Johnny Cage

Favorite Movie Genres: Action, adventure, suspense, psychological thrillers, comedy, and whatever else from other genres that appeal to him.

Favorite Music: Contemporary music, alternative metal, classical and soothing instrumental music.

Favorite Dating/Hangout Spots: Osaka night markets, cozy and casual and cozy restaurants, and romantic and peaceful natural spots.

Personality: He is stern, intimidating, and quiet on the outside. He is able to command the respect from his subordinates. He is assertive in a firm and confident way. As a trained assassin under two established clans, he is true to his oaths and never backs down from kombat. He is loyal, courageous and deadly in his profession. As a person, he is kind, gentle, soft-spoken, eager to help and caretake others. He is intelligent and kind. He enjoys favorite past times with people he likes to hang out with and a woman he’s interested. He can be funny and is a good actor.

Ideal Woman: Tomáš likes a soft and gentle personality who can really connect with him on an emotional level. He values kindness, compassion, and empathy. He needs a partner who can give him the emotional safety and space to be vulnerable. Being a giver himself, he loves it when a woman graciously and enthusiastically accepts his gifts and chivalrous gestures. He also wants a woman who can handle his constant need for reassurance and appreciation, so constant attention and physical touch are very important to him.

Turnoffs In A Woman He Dates: Abrasive, angry, negative, careless with how she words things (straightforwardness is a gray area as it varies from individual to individual), blunt to harsh, overall oné who isn’t “feminine” in behavior. Fiercely independent women are frustrating for him to deal with. He may not be aware of this: even though he has fought alongside strong women who are fierce warriors, he has traditional views of how his woman should be and prefers her to be meek and dependent on him, as it feeds his masculine ego and need to look after someone who is weaker.

Deepest fears: To expand on the last point mentioned above, Tomas’ need to look after someone weaker stems from his past traumas of losing loved ones. He has a fear of abandonment. Subconsciously, this is his way of being in control of what he views as his and those who he sees are in need of his help. This brings him alot of gratification and allows him to feel like he is in control, sometimes in an intrusive way.

Furthermore, When Tomas feels he is not being seen and recognized for his acts of kindness, this will further fuel his fear. When someone can do for themselves what he desires to do for them, he interprets this as a message that he is no longer needed, and therefore discarded.

Turn Off For A Potential Partner: Once Tomas has decided that you are the woman that he wants because you check all of his boxes and meet his needs, he will physically and emotionally latch onto his partner. He would want to be with her as much as he can. Tomas is a very physically affectionate person and will want to cuddle, hold hands and make out as much as possible. He loves frequently having sex as a way to pour himself into his partner and bond with her, and it helps him de-stress, so he will make sure that he gets this as much as possible. This may drain the woman, especially when she is tired or not in the mood.

If the woman isn’t on the same level as Tomas is regarding falling in love at his pace or is more reserved regarding his physical and emotional needs, is not ready to open up about the details of her life, or cannot be emotionally present for reasons ranging from business to tiredness to being with girlfriends, he can get frustrated, insecure, and extremely jealous, to which he will verbally express this making him come across as whiny. If she is careful with her body and not want to have sex during certain times of the month out of fear of unwanted pregnancy, Tomas may eventually accuse her of making excuses to not want to be intimate. In his mind, there must be something wrong with him or she may be falling out of love that she’s distancing herself from him. Repeated reassurances may fall on deaf ears as he may shut down and walk away, or argue her points in such a way to make her feel guilty. The woman may feel obligated to give in to soothe his fears and build resentment over time or she may have to end the relationship.

Tomas expects his partner to be able to pick up on what he is feeling and can’t shut down when his partner doesn’t. Because he fears abandonment, he can be emotionally selfish where he will emotionally manipulate his partner with guilt trips on how much he has done for her, her not appreciating him, and playing the victim to get reassurance and physical affection from her. This may make the woman feel like her efforts are not good enough, which affects her self-esteem, she may feel abused and and be emotionally drained to the point of apathy. Her pulling away from him will further trigger his fears and Tomas may cry and beg, promising to change. If she chooses to stay, things may get comfortable for the old habits to come back. If she walks away, Tomas may double down on his efforts, making it even harder for her to leave.

These behaviours only manifest behind closed doors when you are his person. Outside of that, things are normal to untrained eyes.

Healthy Tomas: If he is healthy and secure in himself and his partner, Tomas is the most giving to her beyond the physical. He will make her feel like she is his priority and she will feel emotionally safe and contained by him. He is empathetic and is attuned to her moods and needs. He also knows when he needs his space and can communicate clearly with his partner, and vice versa. He is also able to walk away from a toxic relationship or once he feels that a relationship has run its course while holding on to the good memories. Tomas is respectful of his partner’s refusal to be intimate for her reasons and will make sure that her needs are taken care of when she is tired or stressed while putting his feelings aside. He is a great friend and lover, and wants to build a family with his future wife when she is the one. He will make an excellent father and husband and would die to protect his family.

[thewriterrr]

The hating game ~ Chris Sturniolo

Chris Sturniolo x Reader

In which you are working in LA and have to work alongside the Sturniolo Triplets. Nick and Matt seem happy to have you there, but Chris on the other hand, isn’t happy to have you there at all.

The two of you form a tense relationship built on disdain and dislike, often arguing and making remarks at one another. But when the two of you are alone, you realise there is more to the tension.

**slight angst, cussing, tension!, enemies?**

You had never imagined yourself living in LA, much less the lavish lifestyles and influencer heavy population. Perhaps it wasn’t a crowd you particularly slotted into, but you didn’t mind. You had gotten yourself into a position where you could afford a studio apartment in Los Angeles, albeit not extravagant, LA was the place of endless opportunities. With an impressive, top-level degree in media and marketing at the age of twenty-one, your skillset was much needed across the city, and it wasn’t difficult to find work.

That’s how you ended up where you were today. A management team had come across your work and contacted you. After all, your pay-grade was a stark contrast to others living in LA, you didn’t require an eye-watering amount of money, plus your hours where flexible.

It had come from the Sturniolo Triplets management team. Three guys from Boston, catapulted into fame quickly, now balancing content creation alongside brand deals, tours and interviews. So that’s where you came in. You were a helping hand when it came to preparing the triplets for interviews or any public appearance where they didn’t control what was put out into the digital world. You helped with their communication, topic avoidance, and how to approach media outlets that for some reason gained sick pleasure from warping the words of celebrities and painting them in a bad light. You were there to make sure that didn’t happen.

Nick and Matt were grateful for the help and agreed with the management team that your work was beneficent, though the same couldn’t be said for Chris Sturniolo. He wasn’t on board with having another new face on the team, much less being told what to do.

*Flashback to first meeting*

“You know, we can actually handle this shit on our own. What’s the point in bringing more people in for this? We’ve been coping fine.” Chris complained, earning an eye roll from Nick who was stood beside him.

“Our schedules have been crazy lately, Chris, and we have a fuck ton of other things coming up. We need all the help we can get if we want to do this right.” Nick quipped, earning an earnest nod from Matt who fiddled with the car keys looped onto his jeans.

“I agree.” Matt mumbled back lowly, and gestured towards Nick, allying with him.

Chris rolled his eyes, tightening his jaw for a moment as he bit back another remark.

You stood there, awaiting a moment of silence before you parted your lips to speak.

“I’m not here to infringe on anything you guys do, just to be an extra hand when it comes to the work you do outside of your content creation. LA media is pretty unforgiving.” You noted, your fingers pushing back a few loose strands of hair from beside your cheek.

Chris finally turned to look at you, his expression was cold and unwavering, eyes locked onto you as he responded.

“Are you suggesting that we’re gonna do something wrong?” He pressed, earning a whack on the arm from Nick. “What, Nick? She’s pretty much implying that if we don’t have her around, we’re gonna fuck up and get roasted by LA media.” Chris bitterly added and you furrowed your brows slightly.

Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill, you thought to yourself. This guy is defensive.

“That isn’t what I said,” you defended. “But your management team reached out to me, so I’m here. You don’t have to want me around, but until your management decide that they don’t need me to help you guys anymore, you’ll be seeing me every Monday and Thursday.” You responded in a desperate bid to keep the conversation professional.

“And we’re glad to have you.” Nick chimed in and shot Chris a warning look, enough for Chris to purse his lips and remain silent, but his eyes betrayed him as he looked at you with disdain.

Matt offered a small smile and a nod, though the air remained heavy.

*Present day*

Since then, it had been almost two months. You wished you could say that the tension between you and Chris had eased, but in fact, it was the opposite. It had worsened. Whenever the two of you were alone, the tension could be cut with a knife until Chris would decide to make a snide remark about your being-there. You held your own though, eight weeks in and any essence of professionalism you carried went out of the window when you were around Chris, often biting back until it left the two of you locked in a death stare.

On the flip side, growing closer with Nick and Matt had been nothing short of a privilege, and working with genuinely, authentic nice guys was a perk to your job. With the frequency in which you saw them, for hours at a time at least twice a week, you had formed a light-hearted and banterous bond with the two less bitter brothers.

Standing in the kitchen that belonged to the Sturniolo triplets, you looked over at Nick as he spoke. “Okay so in this interview, I can still be my funny and charming self, but politely avoid any questions regarding…” Nick spoke, listing on from the prior conversation you had with him.

“Exactly. You’re gonna smash this interview, hands down. I know you’ve got it covered.” You said, earning an award-winning smile from Nick. “I’ll talk to Matt when he gets back from the store, if he needs anything. Hey, you might not even need me around much longer.” You smirked at Nick, who gasped and placed his hand to his chest.

“Wouldn’t that be a treat?” Another voice rang through the kitchen as Chris entered, wearing grey sweats that hung loosely on his hips and a black t shirt. Your eyes flickered over him before a soft huff escaped your lips and you rolled your eyes.

“It’s really great when you greet us with your warm presence, Chris.” You muttered as he swung the fridge door open to grab a soda.

“Alright I’m heading upstairs to go over whatever else I need for tomorrow. Don’t be a dick, Chris,” Nick said as he headed out of the kitchen, leaving you and Chris alone.

Chris turned to face you, leaning against the kitchen counter opposite you, his fingers wrapped around a can of soda and his eyes now on you. You looked at him, folding your arms across your chest as you raised your eyebrows.

“What?” Chris asked flatly as he took a sip of his drink.

“You have an interview coming up next week. If you want to stop being stubborn and actually talk about it, we can.” You responded.

Chris looked at you, his eyes didn’t waver, they stayed glued to your face as if he was trying to read your expression. You weren’t the type of person to get nervous beneath the stare of somebody else, but for some reason it was different with Chris. When he looked at you like that, his jaw clenched and eyes low, you felt the familiar knot forming in your stomach that you tried to ignore. Your skin felt like it was warming up and you had to distract yourself from the moment almost instantly, tearing your gaze away from his and looking to another area of the kitchen where Chris wasn’t stood, looking as good as he did.

“I already told you that I don’t need help with this shit. I’m startin’ to wonder if you’re gonna understand that.” Chris spoke lowly, and you could feel his eyes burning into your skin as you pushed some hair away from your neck, exposing the skin.

“You’ve made it pretty clear. But I don’t get paid to stand here and argue with you. It’s been two months, Chris, and it’s tiring.” You complained.

“Well having you around here up my ass trying to tell me how to speak in interviews and shit, is also pretty tiring.” He snapped and you scoffed as you turned your attention back to him.

“I might’ve been gone by now if you weren’t acting like an asshole all of the time.” You retorted, your voice sharp and you could have sworn you saw a ghost of a smirk on Chris’ lips, but you continued anyway. “And if you act in an interview the way you’re acting around me right now, you could fuck up quite a few good things you have going.” You told him, though regretted the way you worded it. But, your point still stood strong.

Chris traced his tongue across his lower lip as he set down his drink, standing up straight from the counter and taking a few steps towards you.

“You’re not gonna talk to me like I’m a fuckin’ idiot, are you?” His voice was more gravelly now, his expression daring as he watched you with close inspection.

As his proximity to you got closer, you could feel your skin heating up and your heart rate quicken, though you fought to keep your expression neutral as you looked up at him.

“I won’t, if you don’t act like one.” You quipped, but your voice wasn’t as steady if you would have liked, it was breathy and unsure.

“You keep runnin’ your mouth like that and you’re gonna regret it.” Chris warned, and with his words, took another few steps closer in your direction until you were closer than the two of you ever had been. He settled both hands on the counter either side of you, his head slightly dipped as he looked at you, awaiting your response.

Your eyes traversed across his bare arms outstretched either side of you as his hands gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, before you looked up at him, your lips slightly parted as you tried to think of a response. With Chris being this close to you, close enough for you to smell his cologne, you weren’t sure if your brain was even capable of forming a coherent sentence. His eyes glanced down at your parted lips for a moment, before landing back on your eyes, silently urging you to respond. After a few moments, you gathered yourself just enough to speak.

“If you think I’m scared of your threat, you might want to think again.” You breathed out, and this time, the sly smirk that tugged on the corner of Chris’ mouth was much more evident.

He lifted one hand, pushing some of your hair out of the way of his quest, before he placed his hand on the side of your neck, his thumb tracing lightly across your throat. Your breathing hitched and you could feel goosebumps forming on your arms, the kitchen had suddenly jumped from cold to hot, much like your own temperature. With one of your hands, you wrapped it around Chris’ wrist that was still on the kitchen counter beside you. “Chris,” you warned.

So many lines were being crossed at this point, your brain could hardly catch up with what was happening, but your heart hammering in your chest was enough to tell you that it shouldn’t have been happening. But, by God, you wanted it to be.

Chris lowered his head, and you could feel his soft, slightly damp hair graze across your forehead, as his lips stayed barely an inch away from yours.

“See where that fuckin’ attitude gets you.” He whispered, and you could feel his breath against your lips, emitting a quiet breath from you.

Before you could say anything else, the sound of the front door opening was a rude awakening for the both of you, shaking the moment into reality. Chris stepped away from you and back to the other side of the kitchen, while you stood breathless and wordless.

“Hey,” Matt chimed as he walked into the kitchen, placing a few groceries down onto the counter, looking over at you and then over at Chris.

“Hey,” you responded and mustered a small smile. “Ready to talk about your upcoming interview? Me and Chris just got done talking.” You said. Chris rubbed the side of his jaw with his hand as he looked at his brother, starting to make his way out of the kitchen.

As he approached the doorway to head upstairs to his room, you caught another glimpse of a smirk on his lips.

[littlest-w01f]

Chapter Three

Series Masterlist

Cw: None

It was around 5 bells in the evening, from the last time Novali had heard the loud ringing as she made her way to Sailas' home in Hewn City, the faerie lights the only thing eliminating the place, she smoothed out her dress, her face expressionless as she walked the busy streets.

Novali, clad in a simple yet elegant dress, strode through the crowded market square, her head held high despite the anxiety gnawing at her insides. She passed by stalls laden with products and wildflowers. Every now and then, she would catch sight of familiar faces, acquaintances who greeted her curtly before going about their day.

As she neared Sailas' house, a sense of unease crept up her spine. This wasn't just another visit, this was different. This was important. The Night Court's inner Circle would be arriving today, and she had little to prepare for the cold welcome they would most likely receive. She hated not being in control, and Rhysand's possible arrival tensed her.

She looked up to see Aleks trailing beside her on the rooftops of the homes, his hair a fire-like beacon. "I'll be watching your back." He had said, not looking for her to deny him, not waiting for her to ask him.

Novali felt warmth in her heart when she saw Aleks looking her way, she'd

Novali nodded faintly, trying to suppress a small smile that threatened to appear at Aleks's constant vigilance. "Thank you," she whispered under her breath, not bothering to disguise the fondness creeping into her tone.

Despite herself, Novali could not ignore the warmth spreading within her heart, it seemed as though everything she felt for Aleks was magnified in those uncertain moments.

Finally, the quaint row houses came into view, the richest parts of the city, Sailas's residence nestled amidst them, bathed in the twilight glow of magical lamps. A few steps away and she could already hear voices echoing within, presumably Kier. Her stomach twisted nervously, but somehow, knowing that Aleks was right behind her helped to steady her nerves somewhat.

Novali masked her nervousness and knocked on the doors of Sailas' house

Sailas, standing at the threshold, eyed Novali warily when she knocked. His gaze drifted towards the empty street beyond her, a clear indication of his suspicion. Nonetheless, he opened the door and gestured for her to come inside.

The moment she stepped foot into the grand foyer, the scent of old magic enveloped her like a suffocating shroud. Sailas closed the door behind her while Kier emerged from one of the many corridors, his sharp gaze scanning every inch of her person.

"You're late," Kier commented without preamble, crossing his arms over his chest in typical fashion.

Novali stayed quite still Sailas placed a hand on her lower back, "Answer him." He demanded.

"I'm sorry. I got held up." Novali replied, her chin dipped in a show of respect, not looking the males in the eye.

Sailas's grip tightened momentarily on her back, his fingers digging slightly into her skin as a silent warning. But his voice remained even, betraying none of the annoyance he must have been feeling. "You should know better than to keep us waiting."

Kier's lips curled into a smirk, clearly amused by her apology. "And why is that? Because we hold your fate in our hands?" he asked rhetorically, taking a step closer to her.

Novali shifted uncomfortably under their combined scrutiny, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. She wished desperately for Aleks's presence, his steadying influence and his quiet strength were sorely needed at that moment.

But there was no sign of him anywhere, and she knew that he was likely keeping watch from afar.

"Yes... Sir." Novali replied, trying to make her voice as pleasant as she could. "I will not be late for tonight."

Both Sailas and Kier seemed to relax ever so slightly upon hearing her promise, but it didn’t take much to notice the underlying severity in their expressions. “Good,” Sailas murmured approvingly.

“Make sure you keep that vow,” Kier chimed in, a hint of sarcasm dripping from each word.

Novali stayed close, doing her best to keep her composure intact despite the simmering rage boiling beneath her calm exterior, rolling her eyes when the males looked away from her. She dreaded what tonight might bring, confrontations, arguments, perhaps even violence. But whatever happened, she couldn’t afford to let any of it get to her. Not here, not now.

Novali sat in a room in Sailas' house, a black dress laid out in front of her, it was quite a scandalous outfit. Novali studied the garment laid out before her, her heart pounding in her chest. It was unlike anything she'd seen before, revealing, provocative. A part of her wanted to reject it outright, but she knew that would only lead to further consequences. So instead, she swallowed hard and reached out hesitantly to touch the fabric.

As she did so, memories flooded back: her mother dressing her up in similar outfits for feasts and gatherings back when life was simpler, how proud her mother had been when people would compliment her daughter's beauty. Suddenly realizing what she was doing, Novali jerked her hand away from the dress as if burned. Tears pricked at her eyes, blurring her vision momentarily as she clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides.

Her mother, the monster of her nightmares, the female who despite her own abuse sold Novali to suffer the same fate the second she bled for the first time. marrying a young 14-year-old to a male as old as Sailas, then turning her back on her after she was forced with child.

Novali's mind swirled with conflicting emotions, torn between past trauma and present dread. Memories of her mother flashed through her mind like images from a disturbing dream - her face contorted in anger or disgust, always looking away from Novali as if ashamed of what she'd done.

But reality snapped her back to attention when she heard Sailas's voice echoing down the hallway outside the room. "Hurry up," he called out impatiently.

With trembling fingers, Novali began to undress, discarding each piece of clothing with increasing speed until she stood naked before the dress. It seemed so foreign against her bare skin – heavy satin clinging to curves meant to please rather than serve. And yet, it also brought back echoes of childhood innocence, moments stolen before her world turned upside down.

In the blink of an eye, Novali's expression hardened into a blank mask, devoid of all emotion. The transformation was almost eerie, one moment she was lost in painful recollections, and the next she was a statue carved from stone.

Slowly, deliberately, she lifted the dress off its perch and slid it onto her body. The fabric clung to her curves like a second skin, accentuating every dip and swell of her form, making an elusion of it, because she had none, no dips or swells, it was the fabric and the wat it clung to her body, cuts on her sides and a deep V down her neck, that made it appear she had. She felt exposed, and vulnerable, but she could never let anyone see it.

With a final tug at the hemline, Novali stood fully clothed once more. There was something about this outfit that made her feel vulnerable, it was something her mother would've praised her for putting on, even if she would tutt at her breasts, pulling at them, commenting how they were too small, but at the same time be proud of the fear-filled look Novali used to wear.

Novali found herself staring back at someone else entirely reflected in the full-length mirror before her. The dress hugged her curves tightly, drawing attention to areas that had previously been hidden under layers of modest clothing. Its plunging neckline revealed far more cleavage than she was accustomed to showing, while the skirt flared out around her hips before tapering down to just above her knees.

Her eyes went to the high heels that were for her, being her size, as she went to put the heels on, Sailas barged in the room, a maid beside him, "Ugh, could you make that dress any less flattering?" He taunted Novali, "Do your best you can with her," He motioned at her for the maid

Novali's heart skipped a beat when Sailas suddenly appeared in the doorway, his harsh words cutting through her thoughts like a knife. She bit back the instinctive retort rising in her throat, knowing better than to antagonize him. Instead, she held his gaze steadily, refusing to allow him the satisfaction of seeing her flinch.

Her hands hovered over the high-heeled shoes sitting neatly on the floor, their reflective surfaces reflecting back the chaos swirling within her. But she couldn't afford to show weakness, not now, not when Sailas was watching her so closely. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then bent down to slip on the uncomfortable footwear.

The maid standing obediently beside Sailas stepped forward, her eyes darting nervously between both figures.

Novali sat down on the chair of the vanity in her room was the maid began her work, lathering Novali up with make-up, on Sailas' command, going as far as putting some on her exposed chest to give the illusion of a heavy cleavage as Novali stayed as still as a lifeless doll.

Novali walked with Salias, in the depths of the throne room in Hewn City, a place she'd never been before.

Sailas led Novali through the grand halls of Hewn City, their steps echoing eerily in the vast expanse of the throne room. Despite its impressive size and opulent décor, Novali couldn't shake the feeling of unease that clung to her like a second skin. She glanced around nervously, taking in the towering pillars adorned with intricate carvings and the massive chandelier that hung ominously overhead, casting long shadows that danced with every flicker of light, giant statues of beasts on the pillars.

Her gaze was drawn to the dais at the far end of the chamber where the throne sat empty, a stark reminder of the power dynamics at play. The realization sent a shiver down her spine, causing her to look for Aleks' presence.

Her eyes widened seeing Cahira in the dark, she shouldn't be here, the thought ran through Novali's mind but Cahira gave her a simple nod, she was her back.

Novali's heart pounded in her chest as she noticed Cahira standing in the shadows near the entrance of the throne room. Her eyes met those of her friend, and for a brief moment, she allowed herself to believe that everything would be alright. But then Cahira gave her a simple nod, acknowledging her presence without breaking character, and returned to blending into the darkness.

Novali's stomach twisted uncomfortably at the sight, a wave of guilt washing over her. Here she was, dressed up like a doll for Sailas's amusement, while Cahira risked her life to help her. It was a stark reminder of the precarious position she found herself in and the sacrifices others were willing to make for her sake. But then she forced herself to remember Cahira didn't like being treated with delicate hands, she was capable of staying some time outside of her comfort, all she hoped for was that Kier didn't see the girl.

As uncomfortable as it was, Novali forced herself to focus on her role. Cahira didn’t need her worry clouding her judgement. She had a mission to complete, and Novali needed to trust that she would succeed.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself as much as possible, reminding herself that she wasn't just doing this for herself anymore, but for everyone. The thought provided a measure of solace amidst the chaos swirling within her. She held her head high, walking tall despite the anxiety coursing through her veins.

As they continued through the throne room, Novali began to notice more and more people gathering, their gazes turning towards her as Sailas led her through the crowd. She could feel their eyes on her, appraising her like a piece of meat at market, and it only served to fuel the fire of indignation burning within her. She clenched her fists at her sides, forcing herself to keep her composure despite the rising tide of anger threatening to spill over.

They reached the center of the throne room, where Sailas stopped and turned to address the gathered crowd. His voice rang out clearly, commanding attention and respect. Novali remained silent, standing dutifully at his side as he announced their engagement to the room full of nobles and courtiers.

"The scume that call themselves are rulers are coming tonight, let's show them they can't take back our city after a century of abandoning us!" His voice roared, and Kier also joined in rallying up the Court of Nightmares. The worst of the worst was easy to describe it, especially when they killed the kind ones, the innocent ones to show what would happen to those who went against them. Anyone who spoke up ended up in the dungeons that the spymaster hadn't visited in years.

Novalie only hoped Cahira didn't die tonight as she found her in the dark again, hoping she'd stay hidden.

{General - @nox-ceur @lilah-asteria @paleidiot}

{Meeting in Grey - @sleepylunarwolf @achaotichuman @sarawritestories @bakananya @sheblogs @anuttellaa}

[jinxxangel13]

Phantom of the Night

Chapter 7:

Tw: blood, gore, minor character death, guns

~Masterlist~ ~Prev~ ~Next~

Recap:

“Contact!”

Phantom took cover behind some crates with Soap, losing eyesight of Ghost and the rest of their team as she focused on the AQ soldiers. She switched guns as fast as she could, double checking that she had enough bullets before going prone and aiming between the slits on the side of the shelves.

She was able to drop 2 people on the top floor, and one heading down the stairs before she had to take cover again. The AQ were now lighting up her hiding spot with bullets, so she had no choice but to dash to the forklift in front of her. It wasn’t a lot of cover, but it was good enough for her to take down a heavily armored soldier hiding behind an ammo crate at the back of the warehouse.

Phantom couldn’t see anyone else, but still waited for Ghost’s call.

“We clear?”

“All clear.”

Phantom shouldered her gun, rolling out her shoulder with a wince at the pain in her arm, but it could wait a bit longer at this point.

“Search it. Let's find what they were hiding…”

“Lieutenant. This warehouse wasn’t on the schematics. Got a bad feeling about this.” Phantom lowered her voice when she stopped near him. “Check the container.” 

Ghost gestured to the one in front of them, with her nodding in agreement. With the help of two other Bravo soldiers, they opened the heavy metal doors to reveal a computer system with lines upon lines of code flying across the screen.

“The fuck is this?”

Phantom's eyes widened as she stepped into the container, trying to decipher the letters flying across the screen before it clicked.

“It’s English.”

“It’s all in English.”

Phantom scoffed as Ghost mimicked her words without realizing and stepped up to the controls. Her fingers flew across the keyboard before she flipped a switch to the side, waiting a moment after she heard metal creaking above her before making her way out of the container.

“This isn’t good…”

Ghost, Soap and Phantom watched as something was raised out of the top of the container.

 “Steaming Betsy...:” Soap muttered, stepping back slightly.

“Ballistic missiles.”

“It's a fucking mobile launcher.” Phantom snapped, her fists clenching tightly. "Shit."

“Sir, these'll go 1,000 miles.” 

“At least…” Ghost huffed. 

This mission just went from bad to worse as the weight of what they found settled on everyone's shoulders.  Phantom snapped back to the present as she noticed Soap starting to climb up a nearby crate to get a closer look at the side of the metal.

“How the hell did Iran get their hands on this?” 

Phantom stepped closer to Soap, though she kept her feet on the ground this time.

“Could be anyone at this point. Trade, black market, stealing.” Phantom shrugged. This wasn’t the first time she had witnessed something like this happening.

Ghost called out to one of the other team members.

“7-6, get us through to Laswell.”

“Roger, stand by... Bravo 7-6 Charlie to Watcher-1, how copy?”

“This is Watcher-1, send traffic.” Laswell called over the radio.

“Laswell, this is Ghost, we got something.”

“Tell me you found Hassan…”

“Hey, Phantom, take a look at this…” Soap pointed something out on the missile, Phantom's eyes finally understanding what symbol was on it.

The American flag was etched into the missile.

“Ghost, do you have Hassan?”

“Negative. We found a weapons cache. Hassan's got missiles... they're American.”

“0-7-- This is Gold Eagle Actual, repeat that last.” It must be bad if General Shepherd answered.

“I say again- Hassan has missiles.” Ghost retorted back.

“They have fucking American missiles, General.” Phantom called through her radio.

She walked away from the crate in annoyance, not caring about what else was said at that point as the pain in her head and arm started to become debilitating. 

“Let’s clear out to exfil.”

Phantom was one of the last people on the plane when they picked the team up. She took the time to rewrap her arm tightly with the help of Alpha 0-2, who also used some antiseptic she handed him from her kit to try and clear her head wound-sans her helmet. She hissed in pain, knuckles whitening in her lap as she sat as still as possible.

“I know, kid, gonna hurt like a bitch.”

Phantom chuckled, tilting her head slightly to allow him easier access to the rest of the wound.

“Probably gonna need stitches.” She groaned, earning a small yet pained smile from the man in front of her.

[sizzlerseth]

Shopping

Summary: Trying on some clothes! With your favorite ler, what could go wrong?

You stare outside the window with your fist on your chin. The window is slightly warm, but it doesn't burn you.

"How long has it been? Two days?" I said, my hands on the wheel.

I was driving you to the mall. You were angry at me because I had forgotten to do the dishes two days ago.

"But you won't apologize." You glanced to the driver's seat, looking for my reaction. I had only opened my mouth, but closed it again.

"I'm sorry." I said, pretty sincerely, but not sincere enough to get forgiveness just yet.

"Maybe I can help you with something, then would we be even?" I looked over as much as I could without creating a big danger.

You finally turned over to face me, but not making eye contact. "Yeah I guess. I could use it, maybe."

"M-kay, so what should I do?" I made a right turn at a light.

The black exterior of the car was bad for the summer, making it a bit hot. I turned on the air conditioner, and you positioned your fans toward you.

"It's getting hot these days, so I was thinking of getting some cooler shirts." You leaned back in your seat.

"Sure!" The car slowed as we reached our destination.

After parking both of us exited the car, walking the short walk in-between the parking lot and the large shop.

The shop was a beige color, and the bricks were a bit rocky seeming. The super-store expanded the length of the parking lot, and was one story tall. There were 3 different entrances, and we walked toward the center one. The glass was slightly blue, and it reflected the puffy clouds in the sky.

As we entered the large market, there was a small beep. I grabbed your hand and we walked through the long aisles to the clothing section at the back. You had a tiny flinch, but you didn't let go.

I squeezed your hand as we stepped between stands of tank tops and shirts, grabbing one or two every once in a while. We stopped suddenly, nearing the dressing room.

"Ok wait here," You said gesturing towards a bench beside the red curtains of the dressing room.

I sat down, crossing my arms slightly impatiently, but you were quick at changing and came out in a navy blue crop top.

"Wow, niceeee" I walked in circles around you. "You look really good in-"

Your brain blocked out the rest, because something heavenly and hellish at the same time touches your uncovered armpit, and you can't even flinch before you whirl around, grabbing my hand, but it's too late. My other hand has already made its target, and softly falls to your tummy.

The little scribbles as if I'm a kid drawing with Crayola's are forcing your throat to close up as you desperately try to stop the ripples of little giggles and snorts.

"StoP, STOHOJAHAHP RIGHIITAH NOWWOWOW" As you open your mouth to speak, hell breaks out and you can no longer hold it back.

Each of your nerves cry for attention but they also scream in joy and terror as I make contact with your upper thighs. You almost SHRIEK in joy as I roughly dig into your muscles, like a massage, but in no way relaxing.

"Aw, stop trying to grab my hands, I know you love this, so stop trying to take this away from yourself." You had thought you had gotten away from my teases this time, but now you were blushing and flailing all over. You would've thought that people would be staring by now, but the store was surprisingly empty.

"EEK, GUHSHA" You rolled over, protecting your overworked tummy, but suddenly, your legs were completely immobilized as I locked my thighs around yours and rocketed onto your sides.

The tingling was so bad that your eyes were locked closed at this point, and you thought you wouldn't even have enough time to try on the other clothes.

You wriggled, not whatsoever in control of your body.

I had stopped directly tickling you, but the ghost tickles kept you rolling for a whole minute. "STOHHOHOP, STOP STOP-" You gasped for breath, the moment your body finally caught up to the fact that I hadn't touched you in multiple minutes.

You gave me a punch as you ran back into the changing room to avoid any more public embarrassment. Not that anyone had seen you. Actually, no one was even around to hear you... Actually, maybe it wasn't so bad...

You tried a few more shirts on, extremely careful to make sure all your weak points were covered, avoiding any tank tops or crop tops.

You could tell I was a bit disappointed, but what were you to care. He had tickled you. IN PUBLIC TOO! He deserved this. After the on edge dressing, we went to the cashier and started ringing up a few shirts.

Suddenly, I spotted a navy blue crop top. You could tell I had noticed it because I gave you a look of total slyness that you wished you could tear right off of my face.

You ran to the car, avoiding any chance of torture, but in the car, you were forced to sit only a foot away, and you knew what you were gonna get.

"TICKLE, TICKLE, TICKLE" I softly scratch at your specifically covered stomach, lifting your arms, somehow fast enough you can't even wriggle.

You jump backward trying to get away, but the door stops you from moving. Almost as if you have your seat belt, you couldn't move at all, enhancing every little nerve activation. You silently screamed.

"Aw, come on. I knowwwww you love it, why did you get the shirt if not?" I grinned. "Can't you just tell it to me, 'I want you to destroy me with tickles?'"

'OH MY GOSH IF HE DOESN'T SHUT UP RIGHT NOWWOWOW I'LL-HAHAHAHH' You think, completely confused how you were even laughing in your mind?

Suddenly you feel your shoes slide off, and you're allowed a moment of panic before little waves of dots and dashes rush into the sensitive skin on the bottom of your feet. You stop yelling to yelp and you kick as hard as you can, but the hands just fall onto your tummy.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to speak- Now just tell me, look into my eyes and give me a big laugh, and I'll know you lovvveeee it~"

Surely your face is as red as a literal fire, and you're sure it's as hot as one. Every single nerve is burning in desire of tickles and desire that the tickles will stop, relieving you of this torture.

"Aww, your screaming turned into your adorable laughter, just like I asked. You would ask for this everyday if you could get the courage, wouldn't you my tickle bug."

You have NO idea how I can just say tickle, and you feel like the surface of the sun. You are melted and no longer even have the energy to wriggle, just sitting on your seat. You think that it's ended, but little tingles remain, as if your body doesn't accept that it's ended. You suddenly sway, the car starting to move, but you can't even buckle yourself.

You close your eyes, giggling as little ghost tingles take you over.

[bxwitched]

Captive - Part 4

Warnings: Explicit 18+ only, please read at your own risk. Noncon / dubcon, slavery, manipulation, sexual content, violence, descriptions of wounds and blood.

Character Pairing: King!Ivar the Boneless x Slave!Reader

Summary: You find yourself a captive of Ivar the Boneless.

Word Count: 2.2K

A/N: I finally found the inspiration to continue this fic after a whole year. Comments, reblogs and likes are all appreciated! You can find my masterlist here.

You stirred as cold fingertips traced along your leg, a large callused hand smoothing shapes over soft the flesh, waking you from your dream. You kicked out at the explorative touch, making a sound of displeasure as Ivar caught your ankle in his firm grip and snickered in amusement.

"It is time to get up, Valkyrie." You groaned, burrowing your face further into the furs.

"Leave me be, King. Let me sleep." He huffed at you from his perch at the end of the bed and you gasped in surprise as he leaned forward and snatched your leg from beneath the blankets, jostling you as he hitched it over his broad shoulder. His icy eyes locked with yours as he pressed a slow kiss to the side of your knee.

You tried to ignore the heat simmering in your belly as his lips brushed against the sensitive flesh, leaving fire in their wake. His intense gaze bore down into you and flashes of the night before came rushing back; the way that Ivar had looked at you as you had taken control of him and used him for your pleasure.

You had behaved no better than a common whore, desperate for the gratification that his body could offer and you felt your cheeks heat at the memory, your stomach twisting into knots.

You leaned back on your elbows and studied Ivar, he was already dressed in his light armour; with his axe fixed to his hip, his knives stowed at his waist, and metal braces in place on his legs. You didn't have time to wonder what his plans for the day were before he brought you out of your thoughts, his breath tickling your soft skin as he spoke.

"I thought that you would be eager to see your little mouse, Valkyrie. But if you would rather remain in bed-" His voice was teasing and you bolted upright, wrenching your leg back from his grip as you looked at him with narrowed eyes, suspicious.

"You will allow it?" He nodded once, his bright eyes fixated on you.

"You have been good for me, haven't you? Torsten is waiting outside to escort you." You tried and failed to hide your excitement as you stood from the bed and rushed to get dressed. Ivar's lips tilted up at the corners and his eyes remained glued to your form as he watched you ready yourself for the day, beguiled by you.

As you walked the streets of Kattegat you had quickly learned that Torsten was not a talkative man; he was tall and well-built with short hair, shorn at the sides and a dark beard. He was more of a mountain than a man, clearly battle hardened and you had no doubts that he was one of Ivar's finest warriors. 

You travelled in silence, trying to ignore the stares of the townspeople as you passed through the busy market, some offered you looks of pity, whilst others flashed you looks of distaste. You couldn't decipher the hushed words and low whispers that were spoken, but you imagined that it was gossip of the king's newest toy, his foreign concubine. 

You wondered how many there were before you and what words were spoken of them, whether they were also from Eire or from lands further afield. 

Torsten came to a stop when you neared a large barn and gestured you in ahead of him. You entered the dimly lit space hesitantly, mindful of the other thralls as they bustled around, readying for their tasks of the day.

You eyes flitted through the crowd of women, searching for the head of golden hair when a weight suddenly barrelled into you, taking your breath and nearly knocking you backwards as a smaller figure clung tightly to your waist.

Alva sobbed against you, her tears staining the richly-dyed fabric of your dress, 'a gift' Ivar had said, 'wear it for me'.

"I thought- I though that I would never see you again-" You hushed the younger girl as she cried, hiccuping as she tried to form words between her gasped breaths and tears.

"I'm here, Alva. All is well." You rubbed her back with one hand and stroked her hair with the other as she slowly calmed and managed to steady her breathing once more.

She looked up at you with glassy eyes, deep emerald irises that she had inherited from her mother's side. 

"Come." You took her hand in yours and lead her away from the barn, down to the waterfront where it was quieter, calmer. You both walked in silence along the waters edge, taking in the warmth of the sun on your face and the sound of the waves as they lapped gently at the shore. Torsten followed behind,  giving you just enough distance to speak privately, a courtesy you hadn't expected from the warrior.

Alva sobbed against you, her tears staining the richly-dyed fabric of your dress, 'a gift' Ivar had said, 'wear it for me'.

"I thought- I though that I would never see you again-" You hushed the younger girl as she cried, trying to form words between her gasped breaths and tears.

"I'm here, Alva. All is well." You rubbed her back with one hand and stroked her hair with the other as she slowly calmed and steadied her breathing.

She looked up at you with glassy eyes, a deep, rich emerald that she had inherited from her mother's side.

"Come." You took her hand and lead her away from the barn and down to the waterfront. You both walked along the waters edge, your shoes sinking slightly into the damp sand as Torsten followed behind you at a distance, giving you enough space speak privately. It was a courtesy you hadn't expected from the warrior but appreciated immensely. 

"Where did they take you?" Your heart wrenched at the concern and fear in her shaking voice.

"They took me to the king." Alva's face paled, her eyes widening further. She looked akin to a doe in the forest, startled by a waiting hunter in the trees.

"Ivar the boneless." Her fear was evident now, her eyes moving over your body franticly. "What did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"No Alva, I'm fine." Your stomach twists at that and you let out a deep sigh, your shoulders sagging slightly. She was six summers younger than you but she was naive for her age, fragile. She wasn't hardened like you, she was innocent and she couldn't begin to understand the complexities of your situation.

She was a lamb amongst wolves and you knew that you had to do everything you could to protect her, even if it meant being the king's whore.

"King Ivar has taken me as his and so long as I am good to him, useful to him, our safety is guaranteed here. We may be thralls here but we are alive Alva, and we are protected. That is all that matters." She chewed her lip nervously and her worried gaze dropped to the floor.

"I have heard things, whispers from the other girls.." You stopped and crouched down to her level, ignoring the cold water that seeped into the hem of your gown as you searched her face with questioning eyes.

"What things?"

"They talk about the king, they say that he is a great warrior, that he is favoured by the gods and has never lost a battle. But-"

"Go on, Alva." You insisted as she shifted her weight nervously.

"They say that because of his legs, he cannot please a woman. He has hurt slave girls and threatened to kill them if they speak of it. They talk of a woman called Margarette, they say he strangled her."

Your eyes lowered to the sand and you nodded your head solemnly, you would not be surprised by such things given your experience of Ivar's volatile nature. You returned to your full height and forced a small smile, one you hoped would reassure the young girl.

"Come along, let us enjoy the water a little longer."

Torsten allowed you to spend a few hours with Alva, soaking up the warmth of the sun and the feel of the salty ocean breeze before telling you that it was time to return to the Hall.

Alva was unhappy to leave you and return to the thrall house but she finally relented when you reassured her that you'd be okay with a soft smile and promised that you would see her again soon.

You were almost back at the Hall when you heard your new moniker being called in the distance and turned to see Hvitserk making his way towards you.

"Valkyrie!" The man was completely different to Ivar, not only in his physical appearance but in his demeanour; whilst Ivar was impassive and unpredictable, Hvitserk was open and seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

He grinned widely at you as he rested on the fence of the training ground, his hair mussed and cheeks red from sparring.

"I see my brother has finally let you spread your wings." You huffed at his jest and moved to rest against the fence beside him, watching as Ivar's men fought each other with vigour, the sharp clashes of steel and crashes of shields heavy in the air.

"They are fine warriors. Though not as fine as you I'm sure.." Hvitserk raised an eyebrow at your taunt, his grin widening as mischief danced behind his eyes.

"You told me that you were a fighter, Valkyrie. Perhaps I wish to see it for myself." You raised your chin slightly, your eyes narrowing in playful challenge.

"My father always believed that I possessed enough fury to rival that of a berserker, maybe we should test that." The blonde man's eyes flashed in delight and he held a hand out to you, helping you over the wooden fence and into the training arena, ignoring Torsten's protests and silencing the larger man with a raised hand.

"Hand me a sword, Ragnarsson." He passed you a short-sword, lighter than you had used before but well-balanced and finely made. Hvitserk opted for a larger sword, heavier and better matched for his larger frame.

"Don't worry, Valkyrie. I will go easy on you." You scoffed, watching as his grin widened and his eyes changed, the mossy green growing darker with his building battle-lust.

You watched his feet, anticipating his initial attack and dodged each skilful slash of his sword. You moved in time with him, keeping up with the prince despite your heavy dress weighing down your movements.

You grinned as you blocked several of the beserker's attempted hits. Hvitserk's expression was positively wild and the fight between you became more intense the more you challenged him.

He barely managed to block your attack to his torso and you grinned as he growled in irritation. You were so focused, until your name was shouted from the fence line.

Your head turned for no more than a second but it was enough time for Hvitserk to land a hit, successfully slicing a line of crimson across your forearm. You gasped as the flesh stung and you clutched at the wound as the blood began to seep from it, running down your skin and dripping into the dirt beneath your feet.

Hvitserk froze, his face dropping into one of remorse as he realised what he had done, then one of uneasiness when he noticed Ivar stalking towards you both with his men in tow. His face was stony but his sapphire eyes gave away his rage, they were practically glowing as he glared at both of you.

"What do you think you are doing, hm?" His voice was level, an unnerving contradiction to the storm brewing behind his eyes. He turned on Hvitserk then and the older Ragnarsson visibly tensed. "I suppose that this was your idea, brother?"

You were quick to speak up, stepping in front of Hvitserk to shield him from Ivar's wrath. Although he had been the one to challenge you to spar, you had been just as willing. He hadn't meant to injure you and you had enjoyed the rush of it, the freedom.

Despite being your master's kin Hvitserk had been civil to you during your time in Kattegat, amiable even. From what you had witnessed he seemed to be a decent man and you didn't feel that he deserved to be reprimanded for your poor choices.

"It's not his fault, my King. I challenged him to fight, if you are to punish anyone then it must be me."

"Is that so?" Ivar tilted his head at you with a raised brow and you nodded, his face said everything his words did not. This is not over.

He ran his tongue along the front of his teeth and nodded once, his jaw tensed.

"Very well, Torsten will take you back to our chambers." He dismissed the larger warrior with a wave of his hand and turned to face Hvitserk, fixing him with a false smile that left no room for argument. "Brother, you will go and fetch the healer. And the next time that you wish to fight? I suggest that you find a different opponent."

@wittysunflower​ @heavenly1927​ @youbloodymadgenius​ @that-virgo-witch​ @helleiaiwritting @the-king-of-kattegat-ivar @nukyster-blog @ietss @belladaises @victoria-styles

[trashlama]

How about future mikey and leo trying to get with reader and there "ha bitch i get her first!" And reader in the background "man they are great *friend*"

A Mikey and Leo rivalry? I can work with that.

Knowing these two this would probably end up being in a situation like the Jupiter Jim sidekick competition episode/or the Mafia Boss Dinner episode.

Both instances the brothers bumped heads to gain favor. Willing to pull whatever to gain an advantage over the opposing brother. Vying for the approval of their idol and table.

Though instead of Space Points and unicorns this two-man competition's prize was your affections. And were they determined to win it. By any means necessary.

Because of this pretty broad concept I conjured up a couple scenarios. One that is pretty long(wouldn't call it a drabble but, I guess it could be), and the rest are pretty short and sweet.

Sorry if these are pretty fluffy!

Enjoy!

1.) Mikey and Leo budding heads over who would their newly acquired yokai friend would prefer romantically.

It was obvious you liked them. You visited their home all the time. Polite and friendly. Always happy to lend a hand when needed.

A darling Oni that has been relentlessly plaguing Mikey and Leo's thoughts since their first encounter with you on a trip to the Mystic City market. Lost in the sea of merchants and patrons your light shined the brightest amongst the populace they swam through. Memorized by your character they found themselves hooked. They needed more of you in their lives. They just couldn't get enough. You were too addictive. Like a good slice of pizza that demanded seconds. They craved more.

It wouldn't take long until a disagreement sparked between them because of Leo's arrogance and lack of self-control. Mikey although capable of choosing his battles would not stand for Leo's blatant antagonism. Defending that he too was just as capable of obtaining your attention as his older blue color coded sibling . After some back and forth bickering the two would arrive at an agreement.

They'd settle this just like everything else they both wanted. Compete for it.

And the prize? You and the bragging rights that came with.

With a handshake the match was set.

And so let the games begin!

The following weeks when visiting the Mad Dog's Lair a ceaseless competition between the red eared slider and box turtle. Given the opportunity the two wild child Hamatos would one-up each other. Both in their own unique way of trying to woo you.

Leo being the showoff that we all love and snicker at would approach this with all the swagger in the world. Bombarding you with compliments and grand gestures. Surprising you with sentiments of affection and trips all around the metropolis. Showboating his skills on the court and in a match. Pulling out all the stops to make sure every time you guys hung out was memorable. After all he's got a girl and bragging rights to win.

Mikey would just try to play it cool in his own Mikey-ish way. And by cool, I mean over the top. Using equally cringy pick-up lines and gestures that anyone else that wasn't you, would've recognized right away for their romantic undertones. Attentive and sweet constantly whipping up snacks and treats just so he could gift them to you. Encouraging you to join the box turtle playing games and other extracurricular activities. Doing anything to get you alone with him. He wasn't losing you to Leo! Not on his watch.

Meanwhile you found the whole charade fun. Finding humor in the way the color coded brothers would squabble as they butted heads over what most would consider little things.

Since the encounter that introduced you to the turtles the grass was a little greener on your side. Finding acceptance amongst the family of mutated Hamatos despite your lineage. Being a kijo wasn't an easy life for a yoaki. So finding someone let alone a whole group of similarly fated individuals who didn't immediately shun you was a blessing. To the Hamato clan you were just another friend. And for someone like you that was a tough commodity to come by. So of course when the turtles— especially a pair of blue and orange bandana wearing brothers wanted to invite you all over the place. Who were you to deny such an opportunity?

You were just glad to have such great friends.

2.) A friend of April's that they both found interest in and compete to woo their s/o. Ooonnllly for the reader to be into Raph/or Donnie. Naive s/o just thought she's making a great first impression with her crush's family. Not realizing instead you further stoked the fire between the red eared slider and box shell.

3.) Human s/o convinced by Mikey and Leo to visit the Mystic City with them. The two using the excursion as a way to settle who you would prefer to date out of the two of them by putting you through wild ass obstacles. Such as them taking out to eat to see who could pick out the best dish for you, taking you down to the mystic market to see who could pick out the best gift, even going as far as taking a detour so they could purposely run into trouble so they both could 'save' you. To only find out later after all of this once they return you home that you already had a human boyfriend. Welp guess they're going to have to team up to take out the real competition.

4.) A newly mutated s/o who Mikey and Leo try to woo as they try to 'help' you adjust to your new form. Taking advantage that you mutated into a turtle so that they can get closer to you. Claiming that because their turtles too that they would be able to help with the transition process. S/o just thinks they're great friends meanwhile in the background Leo and Mikey bumping heads over who will get to be with you when spring comes.

Annnnd that's all for now folks!

I probably could've come up with more but, I suck.

Here's a little author's note in regards to requests���

Sorry about slackin' on the request! I'm also sorry about the requests not being posted in the order that may have been requested in. They don't really have dates next to them so I kinda've been pickin' and choosin' the ones I can get out quickly. I suck I know. Buuuuttt, the reason others that may be older is also because I want them to come out good. Everything I make may it be writin' or drawin' I always try to work on soemthin' until I'm satisfied with it. I hate creating something that I don't like. I like for all my stuff to be on some level unique, personal. I make these for you guys so I want you guys to feel like I actually gave a damn rather than just throwin' somethin' together and saying tada. Once again sorry about this long ass message. I haven't abandoned these requests. I'm just slow due to some outside forces and my own personal stuff.

Thank you guys for bearing with me and I hope you guys enjoyed these!

I hope you guys have a great day!

Here's some memes I came across while at work.

Sorry this is long↓ I don't own these memes. I've never claimed to do so. I just come across them on Pinterest when I'm on break at work and think they're funny so I like to share them. If I mistakenly put one on here that I shouldn't have please let me know! I like to respect people's wishes. And if you could add the creator names too that would be great so the same mistake isn't made twice. Sorry for the inconvenience that my sharing may cause. I hope you have a good day.

[theroyalhouseofwindenburg]

The Illusion of Loyalty

For more than three years, Cordelia's whereabouts have remained a mystery. On Christmas night in the year 1353, the royal family gathered at Windenburg Castle for an opulent feast befitting royalty. The dining hall glowed softly in the dim light as snowflakes danced outside, lending a cozy atmosphere to the occasion. King Edward, now approaching his sixteenth year, sat solemnly at the head of the table, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of his absent mother. Despite the festivities and merriment around him, the lingering absence of Queen Cordelia cast a somber shadow over the gathering.

Since 1350, numerous events have unfolded in rapid succession. In the autumn of 1352, the Kingdom of Bagley faced a formidable threat as the French launched an invasion in a bid to seize control of the land. Their massive army forced Bagley's royal family into exile, seeking refuge in Willowshire. Tragedy struck when Finchwick fell to the invaders, culminating in a devastating ambush on Bagley Castle that left it in ruins, the billowing smoke a grim testament to the chaos that ensued. As the summer of 1353 arrived, the once-proud Royal House of Bagley found itself teetering on the brink of collapse under the relentless onslaught of war.

Back at Willowshire Castle, the suffering persists. Priscilla, the Dowager Queen of Bagley and the last living descendant of the Tredonian Dynasty, a pure Tredonian lineage that has endured since the year 999, has grown gravely ill in recent weeks. She lay in her chambers, surrounded by family, being comforted by her daughter Corrine. Suddenly, she awoke from her slumber, looked to Corrine, and asked, "Wherefore art thou, Cordelia? Hast thou unearthed her whereabouts?" Corrine looked at her mother with sad eyes, softly shaking her head. The look of fear lingered in Priscilla's eyes as she responded, "My dear Corrine, as I lay here, feeling the weight of time pressing upon me, I must share with you a heavy burden that rests upon my heart. My soul trembles with the fear of the unknown. In these moments of uncertainty, I urge you to remember that even in darkness, there is strength to be found. Hold fast to hope, for it is a beacon that guides us through the darkest of nights. Trust in the resilience of our family, and believe that love will prevail, no matter the trials we face. Remember, my child, that courage is not the absence of fear, but the determination to persevere despite it. Let these words be a balm for your troubled spirit, and may they grant you the fortitude to weather this storm with grace and resilience."

Corrine provided assurance to Priscilla that their search for Cordelia would never cease, affirming the enduring legacy of the Bagley Dynasty. The next morning, Priscilla succumbed to her illness at the age of 66. Her grieving family gathered around her, draped in mourning attire, grappling with the unfathomable reality of her passing.

King Henry perceived the ominous signs accumulating around Bagley, the economy plummeting as the French ravaged markets and homes, spreading chaos through the once-prosperous kingdom. Amidst this turmoil, King Henry discerned an opportunity that could not be overlooked. Meeting with King Edward of Windenburg and his trusted Regent and Lord Protector, Lord Richard, King Henry orchestrated a pivotal meeting.

Gathered within the solemn halls of Windenburg Castle, Henry, Edward, and Richard engaged in negotiations fraught with tension and urgency. Aware of Bagley's dire state and the looming threat of the French invasion, Henry proposed a bold exchange. In a solemn pact, Henry relinquished the deed to Willowshire, a symbolic gesture of trust and alliance, in exchange for a substantial amount of gold from Windenburg that would provide them security for years to come.

The terms were meticulously crafted to ensure Bagley's survival amidst the ravages of war, the gold serving as a vital lifeline to protect the kingdom's interests and fortify its defenses. Edward, recognizing the gravity of the situation and the importance of solidarity among neighboring realms, graciously accepted the agreement. In an act of magnanimity, Edward extended hospitality to Henry and his kin, permitting them to remain within the walls of Willowshire Castle until the tumultuous war had run its course.

After the grandeur of the Christmas feast had faded and the halls of Windenburg Castle quieted down, King Edward retired to his chambers for the night. However, sleep eluded him, and a gnawing hunger stirred his stomach. With a sigh, he rose from his bed and made his way to the dimly lit dining hall, hoping to find a servant to attend to his late-night craving.

As he stepped into the corridor outside his chambers, his ears caught snippets of conversation coming from nearby. Against the stone wall, he listened intently as Lord Richard and Father Paul Leudemond engaged in a discussion that sent shivers down his spine.

"Intriguing," Paul remarked with a sly grin. "First, Bagley Castle succumbs to flames, a spectacle fit for legends." Lord Richard nodded in agreement, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"And then, the Dowager Queen Priscilla's demise. Quite a coincidence, wouldn't you say?" The tone grew somber as they delved into the recent events, with Paul adding, "A cruel twist indeed. But let us not overlook the grand finale. Willowshire slipping through their fingers into Windenburg's embrace. Oh, the tragedy of Bagley seems boundless." Despite the gravity of their words, Lord Richard couldn't help but chuckle with a hint of mockery. "Ah, but there's one more delightful twist to savor. Our elusive Cordelia, hidden away amidst the chaos. Yet, we know precisely where she lies."

Paul nodded in agreement, summing up their thoughts. Both men erupted into laughter at their manipulation of power, oblivious to King Edward's vigilant ears absorbing every word.

Consumed by fury, Edward felt the weight of betrayal heavy upon his shoulders as he refrained from confronting Lord Richard and Father Paul. His mind echoed with their mocking laughter, each chuckle a dagger in his trust. As he retreated to the sanctuary of his chambers, the flickering candlelight cast shadows of doubt upon his once unyielding faith in those around him.

Inside, the room seemed to shrink around him, suffocating him with the enormity of his anger. His clenched fists trembled, his jaw tight with restrained emotions. The silence was deafening, amplifying the bitter taste of realization that trust, once a cherished virtue, had become a fragile illusion in the treacherous landscape of a political game.

[0mysticmidnight0]

~Mystically Broken AU - Chapter 2~

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A week after your.. encounter with 4 of New York City's most wanted criminals.. You were currently walking down a hallway of one of the Genius Built™ buildings. It glowed purple.. (Due to the LED's) "Why do i have feeling we're.." Donatello cut you off.. "Underground? We are. This wasn't my only choice but it was the easiest to create. I was also thinking volcano, underwater, abandoned library.. but those are still in progress." He didn't spare you a glance as he tapped away on his gauntlet with a smug grin. "Why am i here again?" Donnie glared at you as you asked your question. "Scoff, Did you not read my very detailed email i sent you?" You remember receiving it.. though, it was LONG.. so you decided, what's the harm in ignoring it? "You're here to gather information about us to plead our innocence to the public. In return we're helping your company. Let's hope your boss wasn't lying when she said you could manage." You looked at him, he was wearing a black turtle neck under a white button up shirt with a few buttons unbuttoned and tucked into a high-waisted pants paired with black boots and a few chains hanging from his pants. You looked up to see he had purple eyes with goggles, one colored red and the other colored blue. (I WILL DRAW THIS WHEN I HAVE THE TIME) You enter a room, purple couch, big TV, circular table in the middle which had a screen built in it.. and a rug with the Genius Built™ logo on it. Donatello smirked. "Hold your applause." You just sat down. "So, how are we gonna do this?" Donatello looked at you and sat down the other side of the couch. "What do you want to know?" "Why do you sell deadly weapons to criminals? to the black market.?" You looked at him and he was typing away at the built in screen on the table. "It's not my fault my clients were criminals. I'm not responsible for anything they use it for." You sighed. "You made it didn't you?" His (drawn on) Eyebrows perked up a bit. "I didn't know they were gonna use it to harm anyone. Therefore, out of my control." He says it as if he didn't care if they were criminals or not. But he was right. .. "That's not helping!!" You grabbed a pillow and shoved your face in it..He just shrugged and continued typing away.. You started thinking.. You spent hours thinking of anything. ANYTHING to help him. Hours of laying in different positions, walking and pacing around.. You were stressing at this point. You were hugging a pillow before someone placed a cup of coffee infront of you. You turned to your side to see Donatello sipping his own coffee, you take a sip of yours and smiled before covering your mouth to spit it out.. WHY WAS IT SO BITTER?! Donatello must have saw you cause you heard a light chuckle. You turned to look at him, he was..smiling.? Well, he wasn't looking at you anymore. His gaze back on the built-in screen on the table. "Bitter? There's creamer and sugar in the kitchen." He gestures to the door on the left without sparing you a glance. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- At this point you were looking through his criminal records.. and WOW.. you were distracted by a voice. "Still going at it?" He asks. You were angrily looking at the folder like if you glare hard enough at it you'll find something... You checked the time. 11pm..?! "You'll be sleeping here. You can talk to Leo tomorrow." You paused and looked at him. "You didn't think you could've told me that earlier?" Donatello just shrugged. "I didn't want to break your focus." You sighed. "S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. will escort you to your temporary quarters." An adorable purple drone with a head and face waved at you with its... arms? hover things? and the robot lead the way to your room. It was kinda decent!. A bed, night stand, mini fridge, TV, a few books. You were going to enjoy it to it's fullest. Almost forgetting you're gonna deal with Leonardo tomorrow. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- hope you like it!!! From yours truly, MysticMidnight

[windlion]

Trick or treat!! 🦹 <- anon costume

Happy Halloween! Excellent costume, couldn't tell who you are :D

The purple tiefling who was Mollymauk had not addressed him directly as of yet, and truly, Essek did not expect him to.  They were strangers, and he did not have the easy amiability of the Clays to recommend him. Therefore he could be forgiven for not understanding at first.

Mollymauk apparently had just as much respect for personal space as Jester, which was to say none at all.  One taloned finger tapped him in the chest, over his heart, and Essek held himself back from flinching by main force.  "Heavy."

Beauregard cackled like a hyena, "Thelyss is not heavy, Molly-- I could pick him up one handed and throw him."

Essek, frozen with the split second memory, of grief weighing him like a leaded shroud and holding his feet to the fiery flesh that was the ground was entirely too late to react. "Do not."

It turned into an undignified yelp as Beauregard demonstrated her point ably with one arm around his middle.  Flexing her arm consideringly like measuring a sack of potatoes at market, Beau turned and yelled over her shoulder, "Hey, Fjord, I think we finally found a weight light enough for you to train with."

Forced to dangle head first with a view towards his knees, Essek folded his arms and waited with an impassive if aggrieved expression.  He'd been through this with Verin: the more he reacted the worse it would be.

Thankfully Fjord was the voice of reason, calling from across the room, "Ah, hell no, Beau. Put him down.  Caleb's gonna kill you with his eyes and I'm not dumb enough to piss off two wizards.  Even if one of them's travel-sized."

Beau laughed as she set Essek back down, with rather more care than he'd been anticipating.  She clapped his shoulder before shifting back to her seat around the fire.  She'd never even put down her drink. "Maybe we need to get you and Caleb training with us.  Runs in the morning."

Pulling his clothes back to rights, Essek arched his eyebrow at her, "I am not that much of a glutton for punishment, Beauregard."

She shot him a sidelong look, knowing, but anything she would have said was cut off by Mollymauk pronouncing again, with a nod, "Heavy."

It was followed this time by him immediately gesturing to himself, "Empty."

It seemed introductions were in order between the last addition to the Mighty Nein and one of the very first of them.  The best of them, if they were to be believed, and Essek did.  Court protocol provided a script and an automatic polite bow, one hand swept to his chest.  His voice didn't betray the butterflies in his stomach.  "Essek Thelyss.  I'm glad I was able to meet you, Mollymauk Tealeaf."

The purple tiefling seemingly accepted this, his head tilting consideringly, and he reached out to tap Essek's chest again.  "Heavy, and stiff."

For an amnesiac still working on stringing together sentences, that was a surprising amount of smug judginess. This time Essek lost the battle to control his composure, wry. "Oh, I can definitely see how you fit in."

Mollymauk smirked at him, turning the tap into a soft, proprietary pat.  Essek might not know the tiefling but he knew the Nein, and he rather thought that was a "You, too."   Mollymauk trailed his hand upward, ending with his fingers lifting Essek's chin up, before he stepped back, tail jauntily swinging behind him as he set his eyes on some new objective.  Essek attempted to remember how to breathe. 

Beau hadn't stopped laughing throughout the exchange, and she grinned at his expression, "Congrats, Molly likes you.  Or he's going to make your life living hell, one of the two."

Essek huffed, glancing up to see Caleb looking back at him, eyes warm.  "Are you sure there's a difference?"

"Tieflings, man."

[weyrwolfen]

Eidola: Chapter 21 - CT-8821 Reaver

Rating: T

Characters: Gen, Clone Trooper OCs, Captain Rex, Ahsoka Tano, and other canon members of the 501st/332nd and the Bad Batch

Warnings: canon-typical violence; references to self-harm, injuries, and substance abuse; PTSD; it’s post-Order 66 and nobody is having a good time (but they’re all working on it)

Summary: The mission was never to bring down the Empire. Not really. The mission was to save every single one of their chipped brothers. But if doing do helped break the Empire’s stranglehold on the galaxy? Well, that was just a bonus.

“I will admit, the upcoming, earlier-than-expected visit from the Imperial tax assessor has put us in a bit of a bind,” Governor Shalk said, reaching for one of the datapads on her surprisingly utilitarian desk. “Of course, we here on Wadj are proud to support the Empire, but we have so few goods we can export to Core worlds to generate additional income, and fewer highly-connected allies to help us find markets for those goods we do have to offer.”

Major Ullmann reached across the desk and accepted the datapad, turning it around to scan through the proffered file.

Reaver was standing at attention, just to the left of the door of the governor’s office. The Coruscant Guardsman, Ori, was opposite him, posture propaganda-holo perfect on the door’s right side.

They weren’t exactly a matched set though. Ori had handed Reaver an orange command pauldron, when they’d all been suiting up for this escort mission. Reaver wasn’t sure what to make of that: if their recently arrived brothers were honestly trying to loop him in on their non-standard command structure or if it was just a sop to his ego. He might still be the top-ranking clone in the 241st, but he clearly wasn’t the one calling the shots around the base anymore.

Neither was Major Ullmann, but that had been true since they’d arrived on Wadj, right after the war had ended. That was a separate issue to mull over in the middle of the night, when Reaver’s insomnia got the better of him.

“Might I take this ‘pad to review these files in detail?” the Major asked, all diplomatic etiquette and careful obfuscation, promising nothing.

Governor Shalk waved one hand with casual grace. A single ring caught the light at that gesture, one small stone set in a plain band, resting on the finger several natborn cultures reserved for signs of marital status. Reaver had been in this room dozens of times before, guarding meetings just like this one, but he hadn’t really noticed any of the fine details of the place or the people involved. It was vaguely horrifying, just how bad he’d been at everything, under the chip’s control.

“Of course, in the event this little endeavor bears fruit, I would be happy to negotiate some form of remuneration for your efforts,” the Governor was saying with a small smile.

A bribe. She was offering the Major an under-the-table cut of the profits.

Reaver’s memory might be spotty and incomplete, but after reviewing what recollections he did retain before this mission, it was obvious that the Governor had been making every effort to ingratiate herself with Major Ullmann, from the moment they’d all been stationed on Wadj.

The funny thing was, Reaver didn’t think less of her for it. It was obvious that she was doing everything in her very limited power to protect her planet’s citizens. If that meant sucking up to the Empire’s military commanders on-planet, or greasing a palm or two to keep everyone happy, then so be it. Her actions on other fronts were far more telling.

The local economy ran as much on barter as it did credits, but what little revenue did come in from the taxes on off-planet trade was cycled back into public works and social safety nets, not into lining Governor Shalk’s pockets. Not unless she was hiding her tracks better than any of them realized.

Given the aggressive plainness of the governor’s office and attire, Reaver kind of doubted it.

Wadj wasn’t exactly a prime posting for any ambitious Imperial officer. It was too small, too out-of-the-way, and too strategically unimportant to rate much scrutiny from the Empire. As long as the planet paid its taxes and kept its head down, the chances the local politicians would be replaced with Imperial cronies were low. And the higher-ups on Wadj had been scrupulously toeing the line to keep things that way. On flimsi, the planet was populated by loyal, if poor, Imperial citizens.

The planet also appeared to be the perfect place to send a trio of disgraced Imperial Army officers to languish in obscurity, under the guard of their chipped clone troopers. Finding those reports on his personal terminal had been sobering. Reaver had immediately sent them all to the Major, who had read them over with something resembling dark amusement before forwarding them to a few key brothers among their rescuers.

At least CT-8821’s chip-addled incompetence had extended to the reports he’d filed behind his own officers’ backs. They hadn’t contained anything too incriminating. Lists of comm contacts, details of the Major’s bank records, his daily schedule. Invasive? Yes. Horribly so. But not incriminating.

Ori was confident he could mimic Reaver’s, CT-8821’s, wording well enough to take over sending safely innocuous, false reports, occasionally seeded with useful misinformation. The Corrie had offered to run all of the falsified documents past Reaver and the Major both. Reaver wasn’t having any better luck interpreting that offer than he was the orange pauldron on his shoulder.

The Governor leaned back in her chair and adjusted the drape of her robe, seemingly appeased. The garment was made of a well-crafted, but unpretentious, blue fabric with only a little embroidery around the seams to add visual interest. Not austere, but also not extravagant, at least by Outer Rim reckoning.

“Now,” she said, clearly changing the subject. “Is there anything I should be aware of, regarding security operations in system?”

From his current position, guarding the door, Reaver couldn’t see the Major’s face, but he had worked with the man long enough to easily read his body language. If they’d been playing sabacc, Reaver would be on his guard, given the way Major Ullmann had just shifted in his seat, shoulders angled casually out of perfectly square.

“There has been a minor uptick in pirate activity in a few of the neighboring systems,” the Major said, sounding professional, if largely unconcerned. That statement, at least, was true. “You may notice some heightened activity, around our base. We have been instructed to take certain steps, to increase our operational readiness in the event we need to repel similar raids in system.” And there was the lie, Reaver knew that they’d received no such orders. The Empire, like the Republic before it, cared very little for the safety and security of Outer Rim planets. “We have been increasing patrols, both on the ground and in orbit, but I assure you, these actions are precautionary only.”

That was a neat and tidy way to explain away anything odd the locals had almost certainly noticed around their base, not the mention the increase in fuel the base was requisitioning from the capital’s small spaceport.

Reaver’s lips twitched upwards into a lopsided smile, which he only allowed because it was well-hidden under his bucket.

The Guardsman, Ori, might as well have been carved from stone, visor facing perfectly ahead, seemingly focused on a blank patch of wall some indefinable distance above the Governor’s head. He might have been rolling his eyes behind his visor, but honestly, Reaver doubted it. Ori had struck Reaver as a consummate professional, even though this meeting had to be painfully quaint to a brother who’d spent most of his deployment on Coruscant serving the Senate.

Major Ullmann and Governor Shalk continued to chat for another twenty minutes, discussing minutiae that Reaver would remember this time, even though he didn’t find much of it interesting. Regulation of fishing quotas, hiring additional locals to fill empty staff positions in the Imperial registrar and judicial offices, unusual storm activity off the main continent’s southern coast.

When they left, picking up Jade and Facet along the way, they were stopped at the door by one of the Governor’s aides, who presented the Major with a wooden box of ‘export samples.’ Another bribe, no doubt. Major Ullmann clearly found the whole thing highly distasteful, but he hid it well with a polite thank you and a vague gesture to the four clones flanking him.

Jade accepted the small crate, and Reaver saw Ori discretely palm out a hand scanner and give the box a quick once over. Reaver trusted that the Corrie would do or say something if he found anything too alarming.

Apparently he didn’t.

With some final nods and empty platitudes, they were finally able to join Sergeant Levee and another one of their new brothers, Hitch, who’d been guarding the armored transport they’d taken from the base.

The drive back was largely uneventful, except for the part where Ori insisted they open the crate so he could make absolutely sure of what they were bringing back before they reached the base. That seemed paranoid, but Reaver couldn’t exactly fault the man’s reasoning. The good news was that the contents seemed to be innocent enough: some kind of alcohol in three rather fancy-looking bottles, a shockingly soft bolt of green fabric with an iridescent sheen to the weave, a solid cylinder of some kind of faintly luminescent mineral, two vibrantly painted ceramic bowls, a few jars of scented creams or cosmetics, and a selection of fancily packaged herbs and spices whose names Reaper didn’t recognize.

No explosives, no surveillance equipment, nothing biologically reactive unless you counted the alcohol.

Ori sealed the box back up, apparently satisfied with his findings.

Major Ullmann sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him in the back of the transport. “I wish I had even a quarter of the connections the Governor apparently thinks I do,” he said dourly. “She’s not wrong to be concerned though. The slated increase in Imperial taxes is going to be crippling to what few import and export businesses they have.”

The clones were all silent for several minutes. Planetary economic theory hadn’t exactly been covered in the standard trooper training regimen back on Kamino.

Eventually though, Ori did say, “I will speak to the Commander,” and left it at that. It was as vaguely non-committal as anything the Major had said back at the Governor’s office. Reaver had no plans to hold his breath waiting for anything to come of it.

Clip was waiting for all of them in the base’s courtyard when they all filed out of the transport. Much to Reaver’s surprise, he wasn’t there for Ori or the Major.

“You’re needed for a comm call upstairs,” Clip explained. The ARC’s uncharacteristically terse tone made Reaver tense up, immediately assuming that he’d be receiving some kind of bad news. Clip clearly noticed that reaction and grimaced a little before adding, “It’s nothing bad, but we thought it best to let you and Brace decide what should be shared with the rest of the base.”

Brace. Brace was the 241st’s CMO. That really didn’t set Reaver’s mind at ease.

They didn’t head to the main holotable in the base’s command center, but instead diverted off to one of the conference rooms meant for more sensitive conversations. And sure enough, there was Brace, standing on the other side of the compact comms system, looking as worn and worried as Reaver felt. He had a stack of datapads sitting on the table in front of him, which he’d obviously been reading through when they’d arrived.

Clip punched a quick code into the wall panel and said, “I’ll be in the command center if you need me.”

The device hummed and flickered to life when the door closed behind Clip, light resolving into quarter-sized images of two clones. The one on the right was a brother Reaver didn’t recognize, but the medical symbol painted on one of his spaulders spoke for itself.`

The other was Captain Rex.

Despite their nominally equivalent ranks, Reaver knew perfectly well where he fell relative to Rex in the new command structure around base. Reaver found himself stiffening unconsciously, shoulders squaring under the other Captain’s scrutiny. Out of the corner of his eye, Reaver saw Brace do much the same thing.

“Sir?” Reaver asked, with a deference he knew was deserved even if it was poorly defined.

Captain Rex was silent for a moment, and Reaver wasn’t sure if it was because of a delay in the signal or something else. “We’re working on getting someone embedded in the capital’s hospital, a Core-trained surgeon,” he finally said. “Be working on a list of your people you think could benefit from access to their facilities.”

The news was a kriff-ton better than whatever Reaver had been half-expecting. “We can do that,” he said, still waiting for the other boot to drop.

“We also have some medical files to transfer to you,” Captain Rex added, glancing over to his own medic, who leaned forward to enter something into the holotable on their end of the connection.

Brace picked up one of his datapads and plugged it into the ‘table. The file transfer only took a few moments, but whatever came up on the screen earned a sharp intake of breath.

“Nails finally agreed to let us read you in on his situation,” the other medic said without any further preamble. “He’ll be on the next ship we send your way.”

Reaver couldn’t sleep.

He was exhausted, but every time he started to drift off, some new thought would bubble up to the surface and jerk him back to wakefulness. The medics informed him that this was a fairly normal, even mild, reaction to coming out from under the long-term effects of his mind-control chip. Given how most of Reaver’s men were, or were not, recovering from their own surgeries, he kind of understood their point.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t the chip. It wasn’t like he was short on other, more immediate sources of stress.

Nails, for example.

Force. Captain Rex himself had told Reaver about Nails, almost the moment Reaver had left the infirmary after his own surgery. That news had seemed too good to be true, and Reaver’s small kernel of doubt had only grown after the days turned into weeks and their long-lost brother still hadn’t commed any of them.

But now that Reaver had read the medics’ reports, he had a better idea why Nails might have been hesitant to reach out to them.

Reaver himself had signed the flimsiwork, sending Nails off on a temporary assignment to the Republic medical station in the Hosnian system. He’d been helping to repair the base’s malfunctioning carbon dioxide scrubbers when Order 66 had gone out. Apparently there had been fifteen Jedi on base: nine knights and six padawans, all injured and receiving medical care.

The clones, Nails among them, had killed them all in their cots.

It wasn’t the last slaughter Nails had been ordered to perform, before being rescued out from under the noses of his Imperial commanders on one of Millik’s moons.

Force. The details had been hard to read. Reaver couldn’t even imagine.

Reaver had lost two years of his already foreshortened life to a slave chip the Kaminoans had planted in his brain before he was even decanted. He was angry, and bitter, and (although he hadn’t actually admitted it out loud) deeply afraid that removing the chip somehow hadn’t been enough, that one day another random comm call would snatch his mind away again, this time forever.

But in comparison to what their new brothers had experienced, in comparison to what Nails had experienced, Reaver was also very lucky.

Almost his entire company was here with him on Wadj. His men were wounded in mind and spirit, but they were recovering. The situation was far from ideal, but it could have been so much worse.

Reaver had met maybe a dozen new brothers who wore the infamous blue of the 501st, but the rest of their group sported all sorts of other colors, rarely in groups bigger than two or three. He hadn’t seen a single other brother wearing Clip’s shade of medium-green, or Shark’s brownish-red, or Aughts’s pale lavender. He didn’t know if their battalions were gone – just completely wiped out, or if their closest brothers were still out there somewhere under the control of the Empire.

Their new brothers had been opening up more and more every rotation, sharing stories from their pasts. Hearing more about them, what they had gone through during the war and especially after it, made his own experiences seem small and petty by comparison.

Reaver was so angry, and so afraid, and so lucky, and he’d really just like to work through his own osik, without also feeling guilty for not being happier or more grateful for his comparatively good situation.

He couldn’t blame his reaction on their new brothers. They weren’t doing or saying anything to stoke that guilt. If anything, they were being so unfailingly supportive about the whole situation that it was just making Reaver feel even worse. Aughts had flat out asked him if he’d prefer to schedule his check-ins with one of his own medics. That had seemed cowardly, not to mention rude towards the brothers who had saved them, so Reaver had turned the offer down.

Maybe he shouldn’t have.

He really needed to get his bucket on straight, and fast. He couldn’t let his own issues spill over onto Nails. He wouldn’t.

Sleep was a long time coming.

“Malk, we’ve got the Scythe incoming,” Latch said over the command deck’s open comms. “You’re gonna want to clear your cadets out of the way.”

They weren’t really cadets, but nobody seemed to have a better name for the pair of stringy, half-grown Nautolans one of their new brothers had somehow adopted. They’d been on base for a little over a week at this point, running endless laps around the courtyard, or eating in the mess, or practicing with blasters under the watchful eyes of multiple different clones. They seemed like good kids, not that Reaver had a lot of experience with less-than-fully-grown natborns.

Captain Rex had asked Reaver if transferring them here was going to be a problem, and Reaver had said no. He genuinely hadn’t thought there would be any issues.

He also hadn’t been sure if he could actually voice a complaint if he did have one. If it would be heard or heeded.

He wasn’t sure if the question itself hadn’t been some kind of test.

He was pretty certain he was being unfair.

Reaver just wished somebody would just lay out the details of this… whatever the kriff this was. Rescue mission or rebellion or what.

Maybe their new brothers couldn’t.

Maybe they didn’t know themselves.

Reaver had always known where he stood back on Kamino, with the G.A.R. Kriff, even with the Empire, under the control of the karking chip. The knowing made things easier, let him predict how he should act, when he should speak, and when it was better to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t know where that line was anymore.

Major Ullmann had always encouraged his officers to speak their minds, but now he was deferring to the newcomers in all the ways that mattered. He’d instructed his men to do the same. There had been a lot of pretty words to say about self-determination and the founding principles of the Republic, but none of the brothers present had missed the guilt and anger and grief and heartache behind his words.

Reaver got it. He did. The Major felt responsible for what had happened, for not figuring out the reality of the chips or how to give his men their own minds back earlier, no matter how irrational or illogical that line of guilty reasoning was.

Reaver felt the same way.

He just wished his CO would give him a little additional guidance here.

The 241st still answered to Reaver, and Reaver now answered to… somebody. Maybe Captain Rex. Rumor had it he’d been promoted to Commander near the end of the war, but those same rumors also said he’d been stripped of his rank and accused of treason after Order 66. Reaver wasn’t interested in reopening any of those wounds with tactless requests for details. And besides, Rex hadn’t exactly been around much, to oversee the day-to-day workings of the Wadj base.

The same could be said about Ahsoka Tano, who as a Jedi padawan also had held the rank of Commander, but who had also made herself scarce shortly after Reaver had been released by the medics. From what little gossip he’d been able to gather around base, her actual rank was even more convoluted than Rex’s, even though both of them were clearly the leaders of this operation.

Perhaps Reaver was supposed to be answering to one of the seemingly random sampling of Coruscant Guards, ARCs, or indeterminately elevated troopers who seemed to round out the rest of the upper echelon of the group’s command structure. Who even knew?

Force, the entire outfit was a karking organizational mess, except he couldn’t exactly say anything against their operational effectiveness. Not when they’d taken his own base out from under him and then seen to the health and freedom of his brothers. Chips or no, the entire incident was deeply humbling in retrospect.

Reaver sure as kriff couldn’t run any of these thoughts past his own men, who needed him to be a source of stability while they all sorted themselves out.

And he still didn’t know where he was supposed to fit into this whole mess.

“The Scythe is on her final approach,” Bar reported, sending out the data on the projected flight trajectory to the other terminals. “Requesting permission to land.”

Reaver had a wild, irrational impulse to deny that request, just to see what would happen.

“Latch, please confirm that the yard is clear,” he said instead, perfectly professional.

“Yard’s clear,” Latch said after only a moment’s pause.

“Then permission granted,” Reaver said, rattling off the prescribed words like he was reading from a script.

The shuttle was easy to pick out, a dark silhouette against the last colors of Wadj’s fading sunset. They’d been routing most shuttles in and out after full dark to hide them from the locals, but sundown was just going to have to be good enough cover this time because–

“Did a piece just fall off of them?” Bar asked, alarmed.

Because of that. Yeah.

“Looks like yes,” Reaver answered without glancing over his shoulder at the men. He didn’t need to. He could feel the incredulous looks they were trading behind his back.

He didn’t blame them. He sure as kriff wouldn’t have been comfortable taking that thing out of atmosphere, much less into hyperspace.

Despite the obvious beating the ship had taken, the Scythe rotated smoothly and sank carefully into the courtyard. The base’s floodlights were doing their karking best to highlight every spot weld and temporary patch that were currently holding the craft together.

Reaver stepped closer to the command deck’s main windows, so he could see into the courtyard below. Ori was down there, waiting to greet his brothers as they exited the ship. Eventually the 501st ARC and their senior medic, Jesse and Kix, appeared, escorting an unfamiliar sentient down the ship’s damaged ramp. The being’s slender build looked particularly out-of-place surrounded by so many clones.

Right.

The surgeon.

“Slicing isn’t the issue,” the trooper said, scowling down at the datapad in his hands. Reaver had seen him around base, but he’d never managed to catch this brother’s name. Whatever his name was, he didn’t seem terribly comfortable being the temporary center of attention. “We have the access codes. In Hutt space, that’s all you need to open accounts and move around credits. But…” he trailed off.

“But the Hutts police their own banking system, and they don’t look favorably on unsanctioned thefts,” Ori said, picking up the thread of conversation without glancing up from his own ‘pad. “Draining these accounts will be a blow to their reputation.”

Jesse nodded, clearly unsurprised by their analysis, but also unhappy about it. “With the Imperial oversight of their own banks, somebody’s going to notice a huge number of credits suddenly appearing in some random account on an Outer Rim skug hole.”

“The Mandalorian banks are still independent,” Ori said, frowning to himself, and then amended, “Barely.”

Wait. Wait… “Wadj has an independent banking system,” Reaver said, looking around the holotable. He’d thought Ori, at least, had already known that, but maybe not, given the hard looks he was getting. “Lots of these small, Outer Rim systems do. It’s small, and I don’t know all the details, but I was never asked to report back on the Major’s Imperial accounts, only the Wadj ones.”

Reaver could practically see the gears spinning in all three brothers’ heads.

“Factor, can you look into this?”

Right. The trooper’s name was Factor. Reaver filed that piece of information away, grateful that he wasn’t going to have to break down and show his shebs by asking.

“Already on it,” the trooper said to himself, eyes flicking back and forth across whatever he was reading on his personal screen. After a protracted silence and a lot of rapid fire typing, he said, “Oh, that’s interesting,” under his breath. He seemed momentarily oblivious to the fact that everyone else was watching him, waiting for some kind of elaboration.

Finally, Jesse sighed and then asked, “What’s interesting?”

Factor looked up, refocused his attention with a small shake of his head, and reported in a stringently professional tone, “The local system functions more as a membership-based, credit sharing entity instead of a true bank. It looks like it only really handles in-system transactions and has agreements in place with the Imperial banks for anything off-planet.” He handed his own datapad over to Ori, who took it with obvious interest.

The Coruscant guard’s expression sharpened like a hunting strill catching a scent. “They don’t require chain codes for membership,” he said, half to himself. He shared a weighted look with Jesse. “And the transfers can be done in the system’s name, not the individual member’s.”

Jesse made a quiet sound, half exhale, half low whistle. “How the kriff did they get away with negotiating that?” he said.

Ori shrugged. “By being too small and too unimportant to be worth targeting,” he said, but there was something distinctly predatory under the casual statement.

Reaver hadn’t been following the conversation half as well as he would have liked – credit-sharing didn’t sound any different from what regular banks did to him – so it was almost a relief when a comm request popped up into his HUD. It was from Brace. He turned to the side, flashing an explanatory hand signal to the others, and accepted the call.

“Reaver here,” he said, hoping this wasn’t some kind of emergency.

“The surgeon’s here,” Brace said flatly, not even bothering with a greeting.

Kriff, already? Reaver checked the chrono in his HUD and realized that this meeting had run exceedingly late. He’d completely lost track of time. He’d meant to get down to the infirmary before the natborn surgeon arrived. “I’ll be right down,” he said.

“Good,” Brace said and then cut the connection.

Well, that didn’t sound promising.

Reaver re-engaged his external mic just in time to hear Jesse say, “… If any of the natborns might be willing to test the waters by opening a personal account.”

Ori actually snorted. “Better than stashing their credits under their bunks, which is what I’m pretty certain everyone in the safehouse has been doing so far.”

“I’m needed in medical,” Reaver inserted into the brief lull in conversation. Maybe he should have phrased that as a question, but kark that. His brothers needed him, and whatever else this karked up situation ended up demanding of him, they would always come first.

But Jesse just nodded and asked, “Can you ask Echo and Tech to come up when they get done?”

Reaver just nodded and left the command deck to the others.

The walk across base was largely uneventful. It was a little disconcerting, how day to day life just kept humming along, chip or no chip.

Except, of course, there were differences. There was more chatter in the halls, more anger and more laughter and more sniping and just more personality underlying every conversation. Most everyone was wearing their old Phase II armor again, freshly pulled out of storage and touched up with the paint their new brothers had sourced.

And of course, tan wasn’t the only color paint he saw on his walk.

Reaver had known exactly who to expect in the infirmary, but the space still felt unexpectedly crowded. That could probably be chalked up to Clone Force 99’s presence, in its entirety.

The surgeon, a slender, multi-armed sentient in surprisingly colorful attire, was tracking a small light back and forth in front of Wrecker’s clouded eye and asking questions in a tone too quiet to make out. Kix was discussing something with Echo and Tech, the kid, Omega, was obviously trying to provide moral support to the others, and Hunter was hovering over them all like a broody Krayt dragon, puffed up and just as prone to bite. The situation seemed well in hand, so Reaver felt precisely no qualms about going to his own men.

Brace was bristling in front of Truss and Curl, pretending to review something on a datapad while actually watching the proceedings unfolding in the infirmary’s neighboring cots. It didn’t escape Reaver that he’d placed himself between his brothers and the unknown natborn in the room.

As for Curl and Truss, their reactions were about what Reaver had expected. Curl just looked bored, but Truss was fidgeting, playing with the makeshift prosthetic the medics had knocked together out of scavenged neural tech and a partial droid hand. The two metal digits curled along with his organic ones, but they moved more slowly in awkward fits and starts.

“Interface still glitching?” Reaver asked him, keeping his voice low.

Truss shrugged and looked up to meet Reaver’s eye, expression stubbornly blank. “Not really,” he lied.

“I had trouble figuring out distances back when it happened,” Wrecker was saying, his booming voice filling the space. “But I’ve gotten pretty good at managing.”

That also sounded like a lie to Reaver’s ears, but maybe it was a day for it.

Reaver was about to ask Curl how he was doing as well, when his scout suddenly hissed a soft, “Force,” under his breath.

Reaver turned to see what the issue was.

Echo had removed his armor and was starting to strip off his upper blacks as well.

Karking hells.

They all knew about the prosthetics, of course. They were kind of hard to miss, even when the 99 ARC was fully armored up, but Reaver hadn’t had any idea exactly how extensive the modifications were. Exactly how far up did–

A solid thwack against his armored shoulder jerked Reaver’s attention back to Brace, who had just hit him with his datapad.

“Stop staring,” the medic hissed, expression full of warning. He turned and leveled the same glower at Curl, whose shoulders hunched up in defensive guilt, and then Truss, who was the only innocent party here.

Truss just responded with a flat, unimpressed look of his own.

“Right,” Reaver said, pulling himself back on track and trying to drag his brothers along with him. “So, what’s the plan here?”

“Plans,” Brace said, not toning back his side eye a bit. “Plural. Tide, Kix, and I have worked out a number of different options, depending on what’s actually available.” He pointed at Curl, who’d taken a lungfull of corrosive gas back on Siesiss and experienced severely decreased lung capacity ever since, and said, “Regenerative therapy, partial mod replacement, or transplants, tank-grown or otherwise.” Then he shifted to Truss, and said, “Integrated ports or enhanced neural interfacing with an updated skeletal framing covered in either armored plating or synthetic skin.”

“All of which sounds pretty kriffing expensive,” Curl grumbled under his breath.

At least that concern was something Reaver could lay to rest. “That shouldn’t be a problem for long,” he said with a tiny, lopsided smirk which slanted at least a little mean. “I can’t share all of the details, but our brothers are working on a plan to relieve some slavers of their blood credits.”

Curl and Truss just stared in surprise, but it was Brace whose entire demeanor shifted. If he’d been wearing his plate, Reaver might not have noticed the slight shudder that worked its way down the medic’s spine, but Brace was in his light grays today. His expression flickered back and forth between hope and doubt.

Reaver could relate. The clones had always worked under the framework of tightening budgets and stringent rationing. The concept that they could just get whatever they needed without skimping elsewhere seemed too big to contemplate. Too big to be real.

Apparently the 241st weren’t the only ones to feel that way either.

Later that evening, well after the surgeon had returned to the natborn safehouse and Reaver had gone back to the regular day to day running of the base, Jesse had shown up to drag Reaver and a few of his officers to an ‘unofficial, official command meeting’ in the section of the base designed for natborn officers’ R and R time.

To Reaver, it looked a lot more like ‘after-hours drinking,’ but he wasn’t about to complain about that. Not when the Major had stopped by to add one of the governor’s fancy bottles of iridescent liquor to the more questionable options their brothers had ‘liberated’ from the Abainya pirates.

Who even knew how many glasses into the evening, Jesse had leaned back in the cushioned couch they’d claimed against one of the room’s walls and said, “It’s good to see him like this.”

It took Reaver a second to figure out who Jesse meant, but he did eventually realize that the ARC was watching their own CMO, Kix, who was snickering over something with two 501st brothers and Brace, who’d also been dragged into this impromptu celebration.

“What,” Reaver said, feeling and sounding a little fuzzy. “Drunk?”

Jesse snorted, because there wasn’t any denying that Kix was at least a little tipsy, but he still corrected, “Having fun. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen him smile since… Well, you know.”

Reaver did know, but this was getting a lot more personal than he was ready to handle, even if it turned out that Jesse and the other ambiguous ‘officers’ were surprisingly easy to talk to, at least after a few cups of liquid courage.

“This is the first alcohol I’ve had, since then,” his inebriated brain decided to blurt. The admission was somewhere between a confession, an explanation for why his tolerance was so pitifully low, and a poorly-thought-out attempt at commiseration. “Imperial regulations.”

Jesse just nodded and lifted up his own glass in a casual, almost mocking toast.

“To breaking Imperial regulations,” he said.

Reaver clinked his own glass against Jesse’s and echoed, “To breaking Imperial regulations.”

The weird, sparkly liquor really was good. Certainly better than that piss-tasting swill Ori was drinking.

“Oh, speaking of recreational reg-breaking,” Jesse said, leaning forward to set his glass on the low table in front of them. “How long do we all have to keep pretending we don’t know that one of your troopers has shacked up with Agent Weeks?”

Reaver just about choked on his drink, trying not to laugh mid-swallow. He’d been covering for Callan since before the war had ended. They all had. And now that every free breath he and his brothers took already amounted to high treason, Reaver was finding it even harder to get worked up over a little enthusiastically consensual fraternization on base, especially now that the remaining complications related to their company’s chain of command were actively being jettisoned out of an airlock.

The charade was getting more than a little silly, but there was something humorous and almost comforting in the familiar, unnecessary pretense, so after a moment’s thought, Reaver answered, “Probably right up until we get invitations to the marriage ceremony.”

Don’t lock your knees.

That was one of the earliest lessons Reaver remembered from back on Kamino. Before combat training, before blaster drills or armor maintenance, before learning to read or even to march, clone cadets were taught to stand at attention. Keep your back straight, chin up, eyes forward, and never, ever lock your knees. The instructors never explained why, they just gave the order and expected it to be obeyed. Of course, a few brothers didn’t listen, or weren’t sure what the instructors meant, or maybe they just forgot the detail, and ended up face-planting on the training room floor, out cold.

And when they’d come back to, then they’d been punished for not following their orders in every detail.

So, Reaver had learned pretty quickly not to lock his knees.

He locked his knees now though. He had to.

Nails was on that descending shuttle.

“I’m going to kill them,” Reaver muttered under his breath, trying to distract himself from his own irrational apprehension. At his side, Clip just laughed quietly. Pulling a half-joking grimace in response was easy. Reaver was still working things out in his head, but he thought he’d reached something resembling equilibrium over their ambiguous ranks. Getting absolutely plastered with your brothers was useful like that, even if his head was still throbbing.

“It’s too late to dismiss them now,” Ori said blandly, standing on Clip’s other side. “You’ll start a riot.”

Wasn’t that the truth?

Reaver had told Truss, Bolt, and Callan about who was arriving today, because to do anything else would have been cruel. He’d told Agent Weeks because he wasn’t an idiot and he knew that Callan would tell her even if Reaver didn’t. He’d also told all four of them that while he didn’t expect them to keep the news to themselves, they needed to keep the welcome party as small as possible so they wouldn’t overwhelm Nails.

It looked like the entire base had shown up instead, formed up in precise lines and decked out in their old, painted armor, buckets tucked neatly under their arms. Their non-241st brothers must be covering all of the base’s essential duty postings, to help make this happen.

At least most of the extra ships had relocated to the rapidly expanding archipelago base. It meant that at a bare minimum, they at least had the room for this kind of nonsense.

The shuttle was descending towards the last open space left in the base’s courtyard, thankfully far enough away from the front line of their formation to not shower them all in dust. Once the ship had landed and cut its engines, Reaver gestured for Truss and the other brothers assigned to the armory to fall in with him. Agent Weeks did not, as Reaver had half expected, join them. She just stood at the front of the formation in her formal blacks, shoulder to shoulder with Major Ullmann and Sergeant Levee in a silent show of support.

Reaver stopped next to the shuttle’s still-sealed ramp and waited as his brothers from the armory lined up next to him.

But then the shuttle’s ramp was dropping down and there, flanked by Captain Rex himself, was Nails.

Force.

It really was him, Nails, impossibly returned to them, but frozen at the top of the ship’s ramp, body language all but screaming that he was uncertain of his welcome.

Well, that wouldn’t do.

“Welcome home,” Reaver said, voice cracking only a little.

And then Bolt staggered forward up the ramp and caught Nails in a bone-crushing hug. Callan and Truss were only a step behind him. It was a wonder the four of them didn’t topple over, back into the ship.

A miracle, which probably had something to do with Captain Rex planting a supportive hand in the middle of Nails’ back.

As for Nails, he just buried his face against Callan’s spaulder and gripped all three of his brothers with desperate strength.

“I told you there wasn’t anything to worry about,” Reaver overheard Captain Rex say to Nails in an undertone.

It took Nails a bit, but once he got himself a little more under control, Reaver managed to gently entice the lot of them back down the ramp and towards the rest of the 241st, who look ready to storm the shuttle by force if they were asked to wait even one more minute.

He fully intended to join his men in the celebratory feast he wasn’t supposed to know Kenner had been cooking up in the mess. But there was one thing he needed to handle first.

When Captain Rex finally took the last few steps down off of the ramp and into the dust of the courtyard, Reaver gave him the most proper salute he could manage, shoulders back, posture perfect, and said, “Captain Rex. Thank you, sir.” He meant it too, the respect and the gratitude for Nails. For everything. He’d been raised to be loyal, and giving that loyalty to a brother was the easiest thing in the galaxy. Especially a brother whose men and mission continuously demonstrated their mettle. This brother.

Captain Rex just looked at him for a long moment, and then, instead of returning the salute, he extended one of his hands.

Kark it all, Reaver had really thought he’d gotten this relative rank thing worked out.

But Reaver did reach out, maybe a little awkwardly at first, and grip Rex’s forearm in greeting.

“Can we not, Captain?” Rex said with a small smile, putting a little extra emphasis on their shared rank.

Except it wasn’t shared, was it? Not really.

But Reaver really was feeling a little more confident in his footing. Enough to relapse into the familiar territory of being a subtle pain in the shebs when his superior officers were being particularly dense. “Anything you need, Commander.”

Stalemate.

The grumpy, resigned expression on Captain Rex’s face was legitimately hilarious, not that Reaver was going to let that reaction show on his face and lose the upper hand here.

Finally, Rex just sighed and buckled under the inevitable. “Can I at least get some food before having to deal with whatever crises cropped up dirtside?”

“Of course, Captain.”

AN: Previous chapters are available here.

Dividers by @freesia-writes using helmets by @lornaka. More designs available here.