#HMS Ulysses

[uss-edsall]

The book HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean is rightfully held in high regard. It is a brutal, terrible book. It has incredibly evocative prose and is horrendously realistic. It stands upon the pedestal that The Cruel Sea and The Caine Mutiny stand upon, as the least known (inasmuch as it did not get a film adaptation) but no less lauded trio of 1950s novels of the Second World War.

It is primarily a character study. The book begins past the breaking point. The ship has just suffered a mutiny; yet despite the oratory skill of the ship's doctor, men who have seen one too many arctic convoys, led by a captain they love who's given too much of himself and destined to die on the bridge of tuberculosis, are ordered out to sea one more time.

The book asks "how far can a man, can a crew, go after the point you think you can be pushed no further, where you truly cannot continue on?"

Thirty-two ships set out. Five of them make it in the end. The titular ship HMS Ulysses is not among them.

It is not a novel depicting the horrors of war inasmuch as it does not depict the Shoah, it does not depict deliberate acts of crime. It depicts the horrors of war at its basest, the terrific pressure and awful feeling of being "worn-out, sleepless men, numbed with cold and sodden duffels, grey and drawn and stumbling on their feet with weakness and hunger and lack of rest." It is a novel depicting the horrors of war when war sends hundreds of men spilling into a sea that will freeze them to death in fifteen minutes - a sea covered in oil, filled with men, a sea that is on fire.

HMS Ulysses thesis is this:

“The synthetic national hatreds and the carefully cherished myth of King and country; these are nothing and less than nothing when mankind stands at the last frontier of hope and endurance: for only the basic, simple human emotions, the positive ones of love and grief and pity and distress, can carry a man across that last frontier.”

[datura-tea]

hey. if you all think ulysses is so fuckable, maybe make more art and writing about him then. please. please im starving

[soulchronicity]

you know the au brainrot goes deep when i get a second fictive from the same au. and its only a few days after the first one

[eyeballsoup7310]

Oedipus and Heracles are on this crappy au roadtrip too they’re just. Getting snacks or something idk I didn’t feel like drawing them

[threedotsfromstardom]

new promo pictures for ulysses' episode next week! his genre is an epic romance

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Fallout Characters' Lover's Embrace Quotes -- Extras

(Original ask): Hello 😊 I absolutely adore everything you do for the characters you write for! You get the interactions and such perfect every time I read something new 💕 I have a personal headcanon, not full blown request if you don't want it to be, question for you. If you could romance the companions in New Vegas like in 4, what would some of their lovers embrace quotes be? I love how you think and can't wait to hear what ideas you have for any of the characters ❤ have a good day

So I didn't actually get any requests for these specific characters that I can remember, but I had this in my WIPs folder, and had a good time looking back on them, so here they are!

As always, if you would like me to add any characters to this, please let me know, and I'll be happy to 😊

Also, here's a link to my first Lover's Embrace Quotes post with the FO3 and FNV Companions.

Just a heads up, too, a bit of nsfw below the cut (nothing explicit, but definitely some implicit stuffs).

Fallout 4:

Codsworth: 

“Prepared to face the day, sir/madam?”

“Oh my, now that was exciting!” 

“Your hair, sir/miss. Allow me to fix it for you?” 

“Good morning, sir/madam!” 

“My, you are truly amazing, my sweet.” 

Deacon:

“Whoa, when did you get here?” 

“Up for one more round? No?... Yes?”

“Just another minute. Then we can kick some ass or whatever.”

“Gooood morning! And it is a beautiful day out in the Commonwealth, the weather is looking mighty fine in this– Oh, you’re up? Okay, just making sure.” 

“Up and at ‘em, right boss?” 

“Wow. That was fun.” 

Maxson:

“Sleep well?” 

“I’ll take that over morning drills any day. No, I don’t need you to tell Kells that.” 

“Head’s still swimming…” 

“Don’t make me get up, not yet.” 

“Damn… Incredible.” 

Nick:

“Can’t take my eyes off you….” 

“Ain’t I the luckiest synth there is?” 

“Say… where’d my cuffs get off to, doll? May need ‘em for later.” 

"Well, that's one way to get the coolant pumping." (I know this is already a line of his, but I mean come on. It's too good not to use)

“What do you say, about ready to go?” 

“That sure was somethin’, sweetheart.”

Sturges:

“Mornin’ gorgeous/handsome.” 

“Ain’t nothin’ better than wakin’ up like that.” 

“You really are incredible, you know that?” 

“What a perfect way to start my day… wakin’ up next to you.”

“*whistles* That was somethin,’ baby.”

X6-88:

“Good morning, ma’am/sir.” 

“Awake quite yet?” 

“Damn.” 

“Sleep well, ma’am/sir?”

“I… Didn’t know I could feel like that…” 

Fallout 3:

Mr. Burke: 

“I suppose there are worse ways to wake up.” 

“Care for some coffee?” 

“Just a moment more, sweet one.” 

“Ahh, you vixen/scoundrel.”

“Just turn over. It can’t be time yet.” 

Harkness: 

“Starting our day off right, I see.”

“It can’t really be time to get up, can it?” 

“Mm, good morning…”

“What’re you… Oh? Well, a few more minutes, then.” 

“Babe, have you seen my handcuffs?”

Sarah Lyons: 

“Up and at ‘em. Come on.” 

“Oh, good, you’re finally up.” 

“The others better not have heard us.” 

“Quit your groaning, it’s not that early.” 

“Best to have a shower after all that.” 

Fallout New Vegas:

Benny: 

“Ring-a-ding, baby. Time to rise.” 

“Easy there, squeeze. Save some for tonight.” 

“Can’t be time yet. Stay here awhile, lemme hold ya.” 

“Geeze baby, you wear me out.” 

“24-karate, pussy cat. Just platinum...” 

Colonel Hsu:  

"Right, then... Up we get."

“Well… that was an excellent performance. Top marks from me, private.”

“Rise and shine, love.” 

“Now that was worth waking for at this hour.” 

“Wish we had a few more moments…”

Joshua Graham:

“Just… divine.” 

“Care to pray with me this morning?” 

“Wake up, dear one.” 

“Praise be to Him who lights the sky…” 

“Ahh… still, your love heals me.” 

Ulysses: 

"Be slow, beloved. We can take our time."

“Another sunrise…”

“Time to wake.” 

“So… It wasn’t a dream. Hm.” 

*huffing* “Need another rest after that.” 

Victor: 

“Shoo, didn’t know you had that in ya.” 

“Where to today, pardner?”

“You look like I dug ya outta that grave again, hehe. Only teasin’.”

“Well, how-dy.” 

“Mornin,’ pardner. How’d you sleep?” 

Vulpes:

“Awake at last? Good.” 

“Mm. Expect the same from me tonight, courier.” 

“Ave, amica mea.” 

“Ah, to hear my name sound from your lips… A fine sound this morning.” 

“Expergiscimini. The sun has risen.” 

Yes Man: 

“Wow, Six, that was the best way to start the day!”

“I sure am glad to have you by my side.” 

“Rise and shine!” 

“What a great morning it is!”

“Boy, that sure was fun! Ready to make a difference today?” 

[thebeeper]

it's been a hot minute since i read the odyssey, so this list is non-exhaustive, but epic has made me very odysseybrained rn so here's some of my favourite pieces of odyssey lore that were changed/not included by jorge:

odysseus having his men plug their ears with beeswax while passing the sirens but not doing it himself because he was curious real bad, and instead opting to have his men tie his ass to the mast of the ship and ignore all his kicking and screaming so he could listen for fun and survive

that one fucking guy who got drunk as a skunk at circe's and ended up on her roof the night before the crew was set to depart for the underworld, and when he awoke hungover to see everyone leaving without him, forgot where he was and ran off the roof breaking his neck and killing himself. the crew noticed he was missing but didn't look for him, which made things presumably at least a little awkward when he was the first guy they met upon entering the underworld

ok i've seen some people criticize odysseus for cheating on penelope with circe and calypso which is already a dogshit take cause obviously consent wasn't being freely given in a literal hostage situation, but also i'd like to point out that if he was a serial cheater he would not have ignored nausicaä like that?? she wanted him so bad and his ass did NOT care (probably cause she didn't fucking kidnap him or use sex as a ransom for his friends, hm.......)

also i'm very tickled by the idea of him in some versions of the story being like "hey kid, you're sweet and all, but you're too young for me and i'm happily married...... you know who IS single and your age though??" and then he sets her up with his kid (if someone knows which tellings have the nausicaä and telemachus kissing content in them PLEASE let me know which ones. for research purposes)

this one's only tangentially related but i need to talk to someone about the loose movie adaptation where ulysses is a runaway prisoner in the 1930s american south who starts a band with his friends called the soggy bottom boys. what was all that about

[this-life-was-amazing]

P...Polites...?

Odysseus couldn't believe it. His friend, the one he thought he lost to the lotus, was here.

It's me, Od-- Right. The curse, it made... Polites wouldn't recognise him.

I-... Nevermind. I'm... I'm Ulysses.

- @unseen-king

"Hm?" Upon hearing his name, the ghost turned his head, giving the 'stranger' a warm smile. "Well, hello!" Polites momentarily looked 'Ulysses' up and down, gears clearly turning behind his eyes. There was a familiarity there, but one he couldn't quite place. There was a warmth in his now normally cold chest that he only ever felt when thinking of one person... but something kept him from making everything click, from connecting the normally obvious dots. And that fact, knowing something was wrong but not being able to place what frustrated him. Polites shook his head to get himself out of his thoughts, realizing he was staring while trying to figure things out. "Apologies, I didn't mean to stare- I'm not normally so rude, I promise-" "Have we met before?"

[cl0wnedren]

HELLLOOOO!!! i saw u open for requests,,, if it's okay may i have some ulysses w an ult. spy!s/o hcs??? THANK YOUUU 🫶🏻

A/N :: yessir 🥴 enjoy reading this one anon and gang ✊ by the way i haven't made fanfics and hcs since last year, so if it doesn't relate to your request, im so very sorry🤧

— — — —

- When you first met, Ulysses had already jotted down notes about you, your personality, etc...

- He knew spies are good for their tactical skills, so he had to ask you some questions.

- "Hm...so, you're the Ultimate Spy?"

- "Yes...that's me. Why?"

- "Doesn't an Ultimate Spy gather information with their tactical mindset?"

- Wow. This guy's asking lots of questions, but he's admiring something.

- "It's not something people can easily do. I need to use my tactical mindset to figure out something, otherwise I won't get my title...at all."

- "...interesting..."

- He's definitely intrigued after hearing your explanation. You told him more and more about yourself and your talent...

- "Are you spying on us right now?" Holy fuck. That question definitely surprised you.

- "What?! No, I'm not spying on you all right now...I just met you and the others, Ulysses."

- "Ah...right. My apologies."

- You excused yourself and had a shade of pink in your cheeks. That was...an interesting conversation.

— — — —

this was something i struggled making on; but atleast i sent it early...hahha...hha.

[stuffedwriting]

The sound of madness

Just outside of a local hunting ground of Artemis stood the living corpse known as Ulysses, with him the favored priestess of Apollo, Cassandra and the god’s strangely birthed niece Dyomiteron. Unsure of his next action until suddenly for Ulysses the world was engulfed in darkness as the whites of his eyes became a dark blue. He looked through the black, silently hoping for the familiar gray light on the horizon when his goddess would come to him, instead water rose all around him to his ankles. Then some of the water formed into what seemed to be a pillar until it took on its true form, a tall, muscular figure holding a golden trident, his hopes stomped down he knew this could only be one thing, Poseidon.

He heard the earthshaker’s voice, “Greetings Ulysses. I take it you’re lost. Well, now that Dionysus is no longer in her debt it’s time you carry out my wishes and something I bet you can’t stop thinking about. Odysseus is alive once again. He’s in a port south of here. What you do with him is up to you. Undoubtedly the sight of you and his dear Cassandra by your side will certainly give him a shake.” Before he could respond the sights of the natural world returned and he found the two women by his sides, Cassandra let out a fury of panicked questions and concerns, “Ulysses?! Are you okay? You acted like this just before Dionysus killed you. What happened? Please tell me!”

Ulysses, regaining his composure, he stood up, “Another godly visit. Poseidon to be precise, Odysseus is alive once again. He’s due south of here. In the local port town.” The red haired priestess tried to question him but Ulysses simply ignored her as he went to his destination. Dyomiteron followed and spoke to Cassandra as she joined in, “Right, so, you’re Apollo’s favorite hm? Every time he comes to chat with his sister I hear about you and your company, is it true? Are you really dating Erysich The Devourer?” Cassandra blushed, “Yes but that’s not important right now.” The huntress smiled, teasing her but not opening saying it, “Okay, what about that Odysseus guy? What did Ulysses mean by him being back? How did Poseidon talk to him?” Cassandra signed, then proceeded, “Odysseus is our leader, he’s the favorite warrior of Athena, she tells him what to do and we follow him for our own personal reasons. Recently he died. Drowning after killing priests of Dionysus, he angered Poseidon a long time ago so the two gods turned him into a living corpse without a soul, both to use and torture him. Ulysses is the body of Odysseus and now the soul has been given a different, new body. It’s strange but everything in my life is.” Dyomiteron looks in pure confusion, without speaking she continues to follow the two.

The group reached the town and Ulysses finally laid eyes upon his counterpart. No traces of the rot, decay or cuts that covered his own body, he was in his prime again, it hurt to see a better version of himself but something hurt more, the screaming sounds of flutes and the hard beat of drums that suddenly overwhelmed his mind and ears as his eyes glowed purple. He covered his ears but it did nothing to stop the noise, the only thing that he heard through the maddening noise was the sound of his two companions' concern and a soft yet demanding voice ordering him to kill the man in front of him, and so he did. With no weapon at his hip a vine burst through the web of skin in between his middle and ring finger, protruding out into a long green blade that split his hand as it reached its final length. It felt awful but nothing compared to the cacophony of noise in his head. So almost on pure instinct he flung himself and his viney blade at Odysseus who immediately blocked it with his bronze dagger, he spoke, “What in the underworld are you?” Ulysses let out a death rattle just before a second blade came from his other hand and Odysseus kicked him away, Ulysses regained his footing and charged again, Odysseus grabbed a rope from the dock and tackled him, he tied it around his copy’s arms and shoulders then rolled over to drop him in the water.

Odysseus stood up and ran to the ship, calling out, “Cassandra! Get on the ship! We’re getting out of here!” She complied and boarded as Odysseus cut the rope and pushed the boat away from the dock as they began to row. At the bottom of the shallow water Ulysses cut his binds as his mind calmed from the terrible noise leaving. He resurfaced and climbed on the wooden dock and looked over to Dyomiteron who stared at him wide eyed and terrified. The blades retreated into his arms, stitching his hands behind together and his eyes returning to their previous mismatched colors, only causing her to become more unsettled, she managed to let out a shaking and screaming question, “What?! Why would you do that?! Why’d Cassandra leave me?” Ulysses sighed, massaging his forehead to ease the still lingering pain of the noise until the migraine left, then he answered her raving question, “I don’t know… I wasn’t myself- or rather I wasn’t him. This terrible sound just boomed in my head, I couldn’t think, my body just moved on its own. I think I was being controlled. Controlled by a god. The madness of Dionysus.” She continued to look in disbelief before she mumbled, “The gods hate you…” He chuckled, “No doubt about it.” He paused and began again, “Enough, let’s go do something that is less scaring. Mentally…” He looked at his hand, “And physically.” He turned around and gestured her to follow.

Far away from the port now, Odysseus grabbed Cassandra’s arm tightly due to his stress, Explain priestess. What was that thing, why does it look like me, why were you traveling with it?” His sudden action frightened her, raising her own stress but she explained the best she could, still stuttering and stammering despite her attempts to suppress it, “Well he- it is you. More specifically your corpse. It found me in a cave and explained that it was you without a soul and how it was basically a puppet for Poseidon and Dionysus. They renamed it ‘Ulysses’. As he told me all this I couldn’t help but hear the pain in his voice…” She looked down, thinking about Ulysses’ suffering but she shot back up and continued in a rushed tone, “He told me that Dionysus told him to meet one of his priests but after finding me he figured I could tell him where to go instead, I said into the local forest of Artemis, I foresaw that if he went alone he would be shot down by the goddess so I joined him. We talked to her and she told a girl she had been taking care of named Dyomiteron to join us. We left the forest and Poseidon contacted him saying how the favor they owned Artemis was done and then told him that you were back and where you are. That’s when we saw you and suddenly covered his ears with a pained look on his face right before he charged you. And… that’s it…

Odysseus looked around, gathering and putting together all she had told him as he rambled to himself, “Alright. My living corpse, now the two gods have their own ‘pet’ Odysseus. Their own warrior to match me; myself…Cassandra! Let’s find the others. Where are they?” She answered quickly, “Crete, we wanted to get as far away from the wrath of Dionysus.” Odysseus nodded, “That’s where we’ll go then.”

[scotianostra]

The novelist Alistair MacLean was born on April 21st, 1922, in Glasgow.

MacLean was originally named Alasdair MacGill-Eain in Scottish Gaelic. He was the son of a Scottish minister and a singer. His mother tongue was Scottish Gaelic, so he learned English as a second language, and was brought up in Daviot near Inverness.

In 1941, at the age of eighteen, he joined the Royal Navy; two and a half years spent aboard a cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his first novel, the outstanding documentary novel on the war at sea. After the war he gained an English Honours degree at Glasgow University, and became a schoolmaster, in 1983 the University honoured him with a D.Litt (Doctor of Letters).

Maclean is the author of twenty-nine world bestsellers and recognised as an outstanding writer in his own genre. He died at the age of 64 in Munich, Germany and is buried in Vieux Cemetery in Céligny, Switzerland. His grave is a few paces away from Richard Burton’s grave who starred in the film adaptation of his novel, Where Eagles Dare.

[amarithecat]

Six: Hey babe, are yous a gargoyle? Cuz' yous the only goyle I'd gargle 👉👉.

Ulysses: Hm. Straight to the Divide.

ED-E: <EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER>

Arcade: I hate it here.

Six: Everyone's a critic.

[disruptivevoib]

may I ask on how Yarn got those scars? Like I know he was holding the trident and he was bleeding with scars and stuff just wanna know what happened and yeah :)

Ooh! Are you talking about this post

? (Semi-gorey images in link btw for those who haven't seen that art)

If sooo! I will try to summarize up what happened with Yarn in the Chatroomverse rp! Ahead of time though I will say that this involves @/agent-8449's au Voice of Reason too ^^.

Essentially, for reasons with far too much of a story on their own, Yarn and Voice of Reason!Heart, nicknamed Ozzy, swapped Psyches (Brains or basically universes and worlds). They did not swap immediately thus things within VoR's Psyche were rough. No body can live well without a Heart, ykno? Everything starts slowly falling in. Same goes for if your Mind or Soul were gone.

Anyhow, Yarn arrives to help save VoR!Mind (Ulysses) from VoR!Soul (Coda). The two get into a pretty nasty fight. Which, side note: Sun Down!Thirds (HMS) have slower regeneration, it's faster than human healing but they're not immortal by any means. The VoR!Thirds however, regenerate rapidly and constantly, their bodies always adapting to a change and thus.. they are immortal.

So, Coda got very violent with Yarn, and thus wound up cutting into the Heart's neck with his halo (a ring of red usually behind his head), which is broken up in the chatroom story. Agent.. idk.. might be willing to tell you all more about the VoR guys if you ask nicely. Cant promise!

Anyways, the injuries to his stomach were due to transferring himself across time and space into an alternate universe!

Yarn's neck did heal, he linked with Coda briefly (his strings connecting to the halo, this giving them shared.. not consciousness or thought but something close to that.), and Coda's rapid regeneration healed him. Though his voice is kind of scratchy now. Sorry Yarn.

[lu-is-not-ok]

what are your initial thoughts on the other railway abnos with new info?

Steam Engine Machine - Good to know it has a much closer connection to Backwards Clock than its MD Event and E.G.O Gift seemed to imply. The connection made between it and Dante is fascinating to me. We know Steam Engine Machine repairs itself by using Time, which points to the possibility that Dante's rewinding is indeed tied to Time as well. It's something mused on a few times in the main story, but it's nice to have even more evidence pointing towards something going on with it.

Faelantern - Rodya x Outis fuel. We don't learn that much more about the Abnormality itself, the info we gain is straightforward and what I already assumed to be the case for it. What's interesting is the things we learn about Outis from her writing these logs down. One - she continues to take charge of the Sinners in lieu of Dante's direct orders. Two - Her knowledge of deception-based traps. Why, Odysseus "Outis" Ulysses, if that is even your real name, what could be the reason for your intimiate knowledge of such tactics? Perhaps a certain Horse of the Trojan variety, hm?

Wayward Passenger - Again, mostly stuff we already knew or could guess, but there is still some stuff worth noting. We get a better understanding of how Wayward Passenger's rifts work, being that they can lead to dimensions that don't seem survivable to living creatures, and that they are physical enough that applying force to them is enough to close them. Also, there's a small detail here I find interesting, mostly about what it tells us about Meursault. How he, someone from N Corp aka the Corp that values Humanity and the Human Experiences above all else, struggles to ascertain if the Passenger can be called a humanoid. Just something that stuck in my brain a little.

[datura-tea]

every now & then I Do think about how you kinda wind up. following ulysses around the DLCs (mainly old world blues & dead money though)

there is also admittedly something funny to me in the mental image of elijah getting fucked over at the end of dead money & going "hm. fucking couriers".

humor aside. idk there's just something abt how you hear about ulysses in the DLCs it's something I like to chew on now & then

yes!! it's such good foreshadowing. the dlcs just build him up and up so you're left wondering who the fuck he really is, then you get another whole dlc to get to know him truly :)

[wa-royal-tea]

Previous | Beginning | Next

(Transcript under the cut - Click Pics for HQ Version!)

Inggar Palace, Langdale (7:48pm)

Leon: *sighs* Are you done?

Ulysses: Almost, your highness. I might need to alter the waistline.

Leon: Will it take long? I don’t want to be late.

Ulysses: It’ll take a few minutes. I’ll try to make it quick.

Leon: Alright. Go ahead then. I’ll wait.

Ulysses: Of course, sir. Please excuse me.

*door opens and closes*

Leon: *sighs*

A few years ago...

Alfie: Are you sure you don’t want to join us? We’re probably going to get dinner too, y’know?

Leon: I���m not in the mood to go out. You guys just go enjoy your date.

Catalina: It’s not a date, Leon. We’re just...hanging out.

Alfie: Yeah, what she said.

Leon: Sure, whatever you call it. Now go.

Catalina: Fine~ We’re leaving now~

Catalina: Oh! I forgot to tell you. Nora’s not feeling well and sleeping in our room right now. Can you check in on her once in a while? And make sure when she wakes up she eats her meds too. I’ve put it in the fridge.

Leon: Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.

Catalina: Cool. Call me if you need anything for her!

Leon: Yes, ma’am.

*phone rings*

Leon: Hello? What is it, Danny?

Leon: Oh, the schedule? I thought father said that I’d start my engagements after my graduation?

Leon: Hmm...is that so?

*click!*

Leon: Can I talk to you later? Something came up. Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll get back to you when I can. Okay, bye.

Leon *thinking*: The main switch is on. Is it a total blackout?

*phone rings*

Leon: Hello?

Alfie (on the phone): Hey, did anything happen back at home?

Leon: The power went out. But all the main switches are up. Why’d you ask? Did something happen?

Alfie: There’s a power outage on the entire Island. We asked the locals what happened and they said that they heard there was a fire happening at the power plant.

Leon: That’s not good. Are you coming back soon?

Alfie: We plan to but we’re stuck in traffic now. Cars aren’t moving and there’s an accident in front.

Catalina (in the background): Check on Nora! Don’t leave her alone!

Alfie: Lina asks you to check on Nora.

Leon: I will. Be careful, you two. Don’t rush back home.

Alfie: We won’t. Lock the doors. I think we have candles somewhere in the kitchen.

Leon: Okay. I’ll look for it later. Bye, take care.

Alfie: You too.

*thump!*

Leon: Nora?

Nora: *sniffles* Leon? I-is that you?

Leon: Yeah. Are you okay?

Nora: I’m fine. I just fell from the bed. What happened to the lights?

Leon: There’s an outage. The whole island went dark. Come on, I’ll help you up.

Nora: Thank you.

Nora: W-wait! Where are you going?

Leon: I’m going to get the candles. My phone’s about to run out of battery.

Nora: Can I...Can I come with you?

Leon: Aren’t you sick?

Nora: I am. But I don’t like being in the dark.

Leon: Hmm...okay. Follow me then.

Leon: Lay down on the sofa. I’ll get the blanket for you.

Nora: But what about you?

Leon: I’ll be fine. You’re sick and you need to rest. Stay here, I won’t be long.

Leon: Here you go.

Nora: *content sigh* Thank you.

Leon: Hm.

Nora: Why didn’t you go with Alfie and Lina just now? Aren’t you bored staying here?

Leon: I don’t feel like going out.

Nora: Why?

Leon: I don’t know.

Leon: And besides, I can’t leave you here alone. What if something happens to you if everyone left?

Nora: *chuckles* I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.

Leon: *playfully* Says the girl who just cried in the dark.

Nora:...

Leon: Sorry, I was just joking.

Nora: I-I know. I didn’t mean to make it awkward for you. Sorry.

Leon: It’s fine.

Nora: *clears throat* You must think I’m childish, right? For being scared of the dark?

Leon: Why would you say that?

Nora: Y’know. I’m a grown woman, but I cried just because it got dark. Only kids cry because of something small like that.

Leon: I don’t think so. Everyone has things they’re scared of. It doesn’t matter how old you get, if a thing scares you, it scares you.

Nora:...

Nora: Why are you so nice, Leon?

Leon: I’m not.

Nora: Maybe you don’t think so, but I do. You stayed behind to keep me company and you’ve been nice to me since we first met. You even helped me feel better.

Leon:...

Nora: *yawns* You’re a good person. More than what you give yourself credit for.

Leon:...you should go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when the lights are back.

Nora: Hm? Okie~

Nora:...Leon?

Leon: Hm?

Nora: Is there anything you’re scared of?

Leon:...I don’t know. My father told me that men shouldn’t be scared of anything.

Nora: Hm...that’s such a sad thing to say.

Leon: Why?

Nora:...

Leon *thinking*: How can you sleep after saying that?

Annaleigh: Leon?

Leon: Mother? What are you doing here?

Annaleigh: Your father made me check in on you. Astrid is waiting downstairs and your father wants you to get ready now.

Leon: Oh...I see.

Annaleigh: Is everything alright? Are you okay?

Leon: *exhales deeply* I...I can’t do this.

Annaleigh: It’s your duty, Leon. Who else other than her can stand next to you?

Leon: Mother...

Annaleigh: I know it’s hard. But having a choice is a privilege for people like us.

Annaleigh: I wish you can choose who you want for your future. But we both know that it’s not possible. You’re the future King. You need someone who can understand your future role and support you.

Leon:...I understand.

Annaleigh: I won’t hold you back anymore. You can continue getting ready. We’ll be waiting downstairs.

*door closes*