#I know so much about medieval boats now

[jinxedruby]

Febuwhump Day Seventeen: Hostage Situation

Featuring Time, Warriors, and Wind. This is the conclusion to Wind getting kidnapped (day four: obedience and day thirteen: you weren't supposed to get hurt).

Well, this sure is long. Fun fact: I wrote this by hand and wrote so hard that my fingers were tingling by the time I finished haha

Heads up for some graphic injury and several minor character deaths (they're all bad guys and none are very graphic).

AO3

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Time stood beside Warriors, staring out at the river beyond the harbor. Water lapped at the numerous boats and ships moored at the docks, the fresh smell of the river filling Time’s nose. Sky stepped up beside him, peering out toward where the river stretched nearly to the horizon, only the slightest strip of land visible on the other side.

“Wow,” he said quietly. “Are we sure this isn’t an ocean?”

“Doesn’t smell like it,” Legend replied from where everyone else stood behind Time and the others.

“I didn’t know rivers could get this big,” Hyrule murmured.

“Which is why we need to find the sailor as soon as possible,” Warriors stated, turning to address the group. “There are a lot of ships. We should split up so we can cover more ground.”

Everyone paid the captain rapt attention as he split the group into pairs. Normally, that sort of job fell to Time, but his fingertips tingled and the roof of his mouth buzzed, millions of thoughts drumming against the inside of his skull. He could hardly focus on a coherent train of thought aside from save him, save him. He felt immensely grateful that Warriors could focus and strategize. He’d have to thank the captain once all of this was over and Wind was safe.

“Old man, you with me?” A tap on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. Warriors stood in front of him, gazing at him with a carefully neutral expression. When Time nodded, Warriors continued, “You and I will search the middle few docks here.” He turned to point them out and Time nodded again.

“What about the watchman?” Four asked as the pairs began to split off. “Won’t he notice us poking around the ships?”

“If this is anything like my era, the watchmen are there to make sure no one shoves off in the middle of the night,” Warriors replied. “Just don’t do anything loud and they shouldn’t bother us.”

Four nodded before heading off toward the docks with Twilight. Warriors turned to Time again.

“Ready?”

Time nodded sharply, gaze hardening as he looked out over the ships. He set off toward them, Warriors beside him. Time had to consciously remind himself not to run, despite the angst and impatience prickling under his skin. They passed by one or two errant crew members but weren’t given a second glance. Time had remained out of his armor and Warriors had removed his spaulder and scarf in order to keep a low profile. They’d also left behind their shields as Warriors worried that the moonlight reflecting off of them would draw too much attention. With only their weapons strapped to them, they could pass off as generic guards hired onto ships.

The dock creaked beneath them as they stepped onto the wood, their footsteps joining in with the rhythm of the water flowing and pushing against the ships. Several of the boats were small enough that they could simply peer over the edge and see no one aboard. The other larger ones required boarding and therefore stealth. As Time slipped past a crew member watching the deck, he remembered sneaking through the Gerudo and pirate fortresses. These men were far less observant than the Gerudo, making sneaking onto and off of the ships unseen that much easier. The cover of night certainly helped as well. He and Warriors methodically checked every ship along the dock as quickly as they could while still being thorough. With every ship they checked and no sign of Wind, Time grew more anxious. When they searched the last ship with still nothing after an hour had passed, he felt close to exploding. Warriors squeezed his shoulder reassuringly as they walked back up the dock.

“There are a lot of ships, old man,” he murmured.

That hardly made Time feel better. He clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to control his breathing. When they began down the next dock, he blurted out what had been on his mind since Wind was kidnapped.

“They thought I was his father.”

Warriors half-turned to him, brow pinched.

“In… in the moment, I…” Time pursed his lips, digging his nails into his palms.

Warriors rested a heavy hand on Time’s shoulder. “We’ll find him.”

Time let out a slow breath and nodded. The second dock took just as long to search and proved just as fruitless. Another hour gone, daylight creeping ever closer. Third dock. Nothing. Time pounded his fist against the side of the last boat on the dock. Warriors shot him a concerned glance, but he looked almost as close to snapping as Time felt. When they began the trek to the next dock, Time glanced at the ones further away to try and get a glimpse of the others. He thought he saw a blond head over the edge of one of the ships, but it was hard to tell. In any case, he could see no indication that the others had found anything. He and Warriors started down the fourth dock and Time felt close to simply screaming for Wind and hoping to get a response. He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from doing that and spooking the traffickers into hiding even better. When only three ships remained at the end of the dock, Time’s heart sank. Two ships and a boat. He could see from where he stood that the boat sat empty. That left two ships. Cogs, he thought he remembered the captain calling them.

Warriors pointed to himself then to the ship on the right, just as he’d done at the ends of the last three docks. Steeling himself, Time headed for the cog on the left. A shadowy figure moved about on the deck and Time ducked down, hugging the side of the ship and moving toward the gangway.

“You sure we shouldn’t grab another one while we’re here? We paid that customs officer off.”

Time went still at a voice from the cog, heart thudding in his ears.

“I’m sure.”

Time’s eye widened, blood freezing. That voice. Evenin’, gentlemen, he could hear that voice drawl.

“If the kid’s father survived, he’ll be making a big fuss. ‘Sides, that officer will only look the other way for so much. He hears about kids going missing, he might decide to grow a conscience.”

Time’s hands shook. This was it. This- this- Warriors. He needed to tell Warriors. After several tries and with monumental effort, he stepped away from the cog, slinking across the dock to the ship Warriors had gone to search.

“Oh, shit- Hey! We got a problem!”

Time’s head snapped around at the shout, fearing he’d been caught. But the figures aboard the cog weren’t looking at him, they were running toward the center of the ship, vanishing out of sight behind the sides. Boots pounded on what sounded like stairs. Several exchanges passed back and forth, muffled below deck. Then Time heard the words ‘kid’s gone.’ His chest tightened, eye widening. Quickly, he turned back to the ship Warriors was on.

“Captain!” he hissed as loudly as he dared. Warriors appeared over the side of the ship after a few moments, eyes round. Time pointed to the cog and he heard Warriors suck in a breath. The captain raced toward the gangway with soft steps, hurrying down it and joining Time to head to the cog. The voices from below deck raised, Time catching words like ‘don’t know’ and ‘here somewhere.’ Did Wind escape after all? Time glanced around, noticed the captain doing the same, but he didn’t catch sight of the fluffy blond head or blue tunic. Time reached the gangway first, creeping up it with Warriors just behind him. He stayed low, cautiously poking his head over the side of the ship when he was close enough. Moonlight spilled across an empty deck, warm torchlight emanating from a staircase in the center, leading below. He carefully stepped onto the deck, heard the soft thud of Warriors landing behind him. As they moved toward the stairs, the conversation below deck became clearer.

“-tching the deck the whole night, I swear, he couldn’t have gotten past.”

“Which means, like I said, that he must be down here somewhere,” the man that first approached Time and Wind said. “Stop panicking and start searching. It’s a small space, he doesn’t have that many options. Go watch the stairs to make sure he doesn’t slip past.”

Hurried footsteps came toward the stairs and Warriors and Time quickly moved around to the back of them so they wouldn’t be easily spotted. A sharp thwack like someone kicked something sounded, followed by a chuckle.

“Resourceful little brat, aren’t you?” the first man called.

Footsteps thudded on the stairs, the head of a different man appearing below Time and Warriors. Time carefully withdrew his gilded sword from its sheath on his lower back, silently stepping around the side of the stairs, remaining just out of the man’s peripherals. The man jogged up the stairs and turned around with a huff, agitatedly scratching the top of his head. His eyes darted toward where Time crouched and he froze, going bug-eyed. He opened his mouth to yell but Time moved faster. He whipped his sword about, slamming the flat of it against the side of the man’s head. Warriors was there before Time could blink, catching the man as he crumpled before he could hit the deck and alert the other traffickers.

None of that mattered though, as the second man that had followed the first up saw everything.

Before Time or Warriors could move, the man put his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. Warriors cursed and drew his blade as footsteps pounded from below them. The whistler took a step back down the stairs, yanking a knife from within his coat. Three more men appeared behind him. Then they all rushed up the stairs.

Time blocked the first blow with his sword, returning it with a strike of his own. The tip of the blade nicked the man in the arm, who grunted, stumbling back down a step. Another took his place, slashing at Time. Time automatically lifted his right arm to block before remembering he didn’t have his shield. He caught the blade on his forearm, clenching his teeth as it sliced through his brown undershirt and into his skin. He resisted the urge to step back, parrying the next attack.

Warriors yelped and Time glanced at him out of the corner of his eye to see the captain fall to one knee. The man Time knocked out had already woken back up and sunk a dagger into Warriors’ calf. The moment the captain went down, the men on the stairs surged forward. Time jerked forward to block a blow aimed for the captain’s neck while Warriors twisted around to fend off the man behind him. In moving, Time left an opening for the men to slip past him up the stairs. He dodged a swing, stepped so he stood directly beside Warriors, turning to face the traffickers. They circled like sharks, jumping back when Time slashed at them. He tried to find a moment to switch to the biggoron sword, but the attackers gave him no respite. They traded strike after strike, forcing Time to go on the defensive as he tried to remain as a wall between them and Warriors so the captain could recover.

The deck lurched beneath him and he staggered back into Warriors. The other men lost their footing at the unexpected motion as well, the fight halting momentarily as everyone focused on regaining their balance. A loud clatter sounded behind him.

“What are you doing?!” one man shouted.

“They’ve got company!”

Time risked a glance over his shoulder to see a different man, one that must have snuck around the other four, dropping a long pole onto the deck. The gangway lay on the dock, presumably having fallen from the cog when the man shoved away from the dock. The ropes keeping the ship in place were cut clean through. Two figures sprinted down the dock and Time recognized them to be Sky and Hyrule, the two that had been searching docks closest to him and Warriors. By the time they reached the end, the cog had already drifted too far away and Sky had to grab Hyrule to keep him from running right off the dock, the traveler not stopping fast enough.

Time didn���t get a chance to see what they did next, whipping back around to defend against the men. One lunged forward and Time ducked under the swing. He shoved off one foot, driving his shoulder into the man’s gut and knocking him back down the stairs. The man tumbled with a series of thuds and yelps as the others dove at Time. He blocked one attack which left him unable to dodge the other, knife slashing across his shoulder. He forced the first attacker away and stepped backwards. His back hit something warm and solid. He stiffened, turning, only to find Warriors fending off both the man that had stabbed him and the one responsible for undocking the ship. He turned back just in time to intercept an overhead swing with his sword, riposting and leaving a deep gash in the man’s chest. One knife clanged against his sword, another deflected off his arm and leaving another deep cut. He gritted his teeth, trying and failing to find a moment to grab his biggoron sword. Between Warriors at his back, the four men surrounding his front and right, and the stairs to his left, he had very little room to maneuver.

One man made a clumsy swing, overextending. Time knocked the knife aside, throwing the man off balance. Then he followed up by running his sword through the man’s gut. The man’s eyes bulged before Time ripped his sword free and he collapsed. The remaining three hesitated. In a flash, Time swapped the gilded sword for the biggoron sword. He swept the massive blade out in front of him in a half circle. The first man in its path failed to dodge in time, receiving a devastating slash along his middle. The others leapt back with a cry as he fell, his blood pooling beneath him and mingling with the other man’s. Time pushed his advantage, stepping forward and swiping the claymore in front of him again, forcing the men further back. A sharp yell from behind him spoke of Warriors’ success and a thrill of adrenaline rushed through Time as he realized they could win this.

“Let’s everyone calm down!” a bellow carried across the deck. A yelp accompanied it that made Time’s blood run cold. He glanced back toward the stairs he’d moved several feet away from and his heart stopped.

The man that had first approached them stood at the top of the stairs with a smug grin. His fingers twisted into the sun-bleached blond locks of Wind, a knife pressed to the sailor’s throat. Wind writhed in his grip until the blade pressed against his skin hard enough to draw blood, a mixture of anger and fear etched into his face. Blood roared in Time’s ears as he watched, eye stretched wide, hands shaking.

“You two are going to put down your weapons,” the man said casually. He yanked Wind’s head back so more of the sailor’s neck was exposed, tilted the blade more directly against his throat. “Alright?”

“You won’t kill him,” Warriors spat. Time’s gaze darted over to see Warriors staring down the man with utter loathing, knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. “He’s merchandise.”

The man cocked his head to one side and flashed a grin at the captain. “You’re right.” Then in one swift movement, he pulled the knife away from Wind’s neck and plunged it into the sailor’s arm, dragging the blade along toward his elbow. Wind yelped, high-pitched and sharp, as Warriors and Time both shouted. Heat rushed into Time’s face as he watched blood soak into Wind’s sleeve. The man flicked the knife, blood droplets scattering from the blade, before returning it to rest against the cut, drawing a small gasp from the sailor. “Nothing a potion can’t fix.”

Time could barely see straight. Pure rage boiled in his chest and throat, flooding his head. Unconsciously, he took a step toward the man and Wind, but stopped as the man shoved the point of the blade into the gash again. Wind gave a strangled shout, digging his nails into the man’s arm in an attempt to free himself, but to no avail.

“I’ll repeat myself as many times as it takes,” the man said, smile dark. “Drop your weapons.”

Half a beat passed and the man stabbed the knife deep into Wind’s arm. He twisted the weapon and Wind screamed, the sound piercing Time’s very soul. Time tore his hands away from the hilt of his sword, the blade clattering to the ground at the same time as Warriors’. The man’s grin widened and Time’s blood screeched through his veins with a hatred stronger than any he’d ever felt before. His skin burned despite the cool air pulling past him as the cog drifted farther and farther down the river. He was so focused on watching the tears roll from Wind’s eyes that he didn’t see the shadow racing toward them across the water until the last moment.

The oncoming boat rammed directly into the cog. The impact sent everyone flying with shouts. A couple men unlucky enough to be near the edge sailed right over it, plunging into the river with distant splashes. Time tumbled across the deck, colliding with another body. He ripped himself away as pandemonium erupted around him. More men came from below deck, shouting about a breach in the hull. The man he’d crashed into attacked, launching himself into Time. They toppled back, Time sent a punch into the man’s jaw. His shoulders hit something hard. He recognized it as the side of the ship. The man wrestled his way on top of Time, aiming a blow at his face. Time let it hit, instead reaching to plant his hands on the man’s middle. Then he shoved, curling and kicking the man up and over his head. The man fell over the side of the ship with a yell. Time sprang to his feet before even hearing the splash, head reeling slightly from the hit. He glanced around for his sword, discovered Legend and Wild on the deck, coming from the boat they’d crashed into the cog with.

A holler from his right alerted him to a man running up in his blind spot. The man slashed, Time ducked under the swing. He dove forward, catching the man off guard, and shoved him over the side and into the river. He turned back, remembered the gilded sword, yanked it from its sheath. He heard a grunt and spun to his left to see two men pinning Warriors to the deck. All three were unarmed and the captain kicked at them as one fisted a hand in his hair and slammed his head back into the deck. Time darted up to them. He stabbed one through the back, the other noticing the fatal blow and leaping aside. Legend appeared behind the man and smashed the hilt of his sword into the man’s temple. Warriors stumbled to his feet, Time reaching out to steady him.

“I’m- I’m good,” Warriors panted as he regained his footing. His injured leg gave beneath him but he managed to catch himself before falling. “Get the sailor!”

Time nodded and darted away, head swiveling as he looked around for Wind. He vaguely became aware of water burbling underfoot, but he couldn’t care about that. Wild fired arrows from across the deck but switched to his sword when a man got too close. Legend leapt back into the fray with a cry, tempered sword gleaming in the moonlight. Then he spotted Wind, the sailor clutching a knife in his good hand and fending off a trafficker. Time took off toward him. He made it two steps before a body collided with him, bringing him to the ground. The impact knocked his sword from his grasp, sending it skittering across the deck. He twisted, managing to knock the pair of hands away before they could wrap around his neck. He punched man in the gut then shoved, pushing him over and sending them rolling so Time was on top. He grabbed the man’s head and slammed it against the deck. Then he did it again, and again, until the man fell still. He scrambled to his feet, gaze darting to where he last saw Wind. He located Wind just as the sailor sank the knife into a man’s gut, sending him down. Wind slumped forward with a gasp, staggering slightly. He didn’t see the first man approach from behind.

A red haze flooded Time’s vision. Before he knew what happened, he sprinted across the deck, careened into the man, and brought him down. The man’s shout cut off with a gag as Time grabbed his throat, pressing all his weight down into his hands. He’d kill him, he’d kill him, for everything he’d done to Wind, to his son. Everything the man would’ve done, everything he would’ve allowed to happen, everything, everything-

Something popped under his hands then all at once someone grabbed his shoulders, trying to pull him back, shouts filling his ears.

“-dead, he’s dead, Link, please!”

Time blinked and his grip loosened. Warriors yanked him back with all his strength and pulled him back off the body. Neither expecting the sudden motion, they fell to the deck in a tangled heap, Warriors ending up half beneath Time. Legend appeared above Time, grabbing his hand, pulling him up. He said something that Time didn’t register, Time glancing back almost numbly to make sure he hadn’t hurt Warriors. Then he caught sight of Wind. The sailor staggered toward him, arm drenched in blood, bits of flesh jutting out of the wound and through the hole in his sleeve. A cry tore itself from Time’s throat and he wrenched his hand out of Legend’s grip, lunging for Wind. Wind’s expression crumpled just before Time collided with him. He gathered the sailor into his arms, shaking as he clutched the back of Wind’s head and held him tight against his chest. Wind’s body hitched with a sob, arms coming up to hug Time in a death grip. Time rocked back and forth, arms shaking as he stroked Wind’s hair, tucking the sailor’s head beneath his chin. Wind was here, he was safe, and Time felt quite certain in that moment that he would never let him go ever again. Then Warriors appeared at their side, squeezing Time’s shoulder saying they had to go, ‘I’m sorry, we have to move, now.’ Time stared at him for a long moment before sound came crashing back properly into his ears. He’d hardly noticed its absence until it returned. Water roared below deck, rushing in through whatever breach the ram caused and filling the cog.

“The ship’s got a raft!” Wild yelled. Time looked up to see the champion standing at the back of the ship, one leg up on the ledge. “We can take it to shore, but we have to go now!”

Warriors shook Time’s shoulder. “Come on, Link, we have to move.”

Time nodded jerkily, unsteadily getting to his feet and keeping his hold on Wind. The sailor made no comment on being carried, hiccupping and burrowing deeper into Time’s shirt. Time, Warriors, and Legend hurried to join Wild. Warriors stooped to grab Time’s gilded sword as they passed it while Legend darted away to grab the biggoron sword where it had slid across the deck. Once they approached, Wild turned and jumped off the back of the ship. Time’s heart fluttered with panic before he reached the side and saw Wild standing on a dinghy lashed to the back of the cog. Time secured his hold on Wind before jumping the short distance down. Wild had already begun attempting to untie the dinghy by the time he landed. The champion cursed, fumbling with the knot as the cog let out a loud groan, tipping slowly to one side. Time stumbled and quickly sat down, taking one hand off of Wind and bracing it against the thwart to steady them.

Just as Wild gave up and reached for his sword, Legend jumped forward, deftly undoing the knot. The dinghy plunged and Time’s stomach fell away. The boat slammed into the water with a splash, water jetting up the sides and raining down on the heroes. Legend snatched oars from beneath the thwarts. He sat at the dinghy’s bow, stuck the oars in the water, and rowed. Two powerful strokes had them gliding across the water away from the cog. Another loud groan reverberated across the water. Time looked back just as it rolled belly-up. The boat Legend and Wild had rammed into it got pushed beneath it, sinking below the surface. The river slowly swallowed the cog, bringing the bodies of the traffickers into its embrace.

Wind shivered in Time’s arms. Time looked down at him, suddenly aware of something warm and wet seeping into the front of his shirt. He gently pulled Wind back to see the sailor’s arm curled between them, blood soaking into both of their clothes.

“Potion,” Time said, voice raspy. His head snapped up to look at the others frantically. “Potion, he needs a potion!”

Wild and Warriors both reached into their pouches, withdrawing bottles.

“Drink yours, Captain, you’re hurt,” Wild said, holding his out to Time. Warriors didn’t argue but he didn’t drink either, watching as Time grabbed the bottle. Time pulled the cork out with tingling fingers, holding it to Wind’s lips. Wind lifted his good hand to it and tilted it back, gulping it down. The others all watched, making sure he drank it all. As he did, the flow of blood from his arm stemmed, the wound closing. He finished it with a gasp, sitting up a bit straighter in Time’s lap as he did.

“Alright, Sailor?” Warriors asked softly. Wind nodded a bit unsteadily, sinking sideways into Time and resting his head on the old man’s chest.

“Captain, drink,” Wild gently reminded him. Warriors watched Wind for a moment longer before knocking back the potion and sighing with relief. Since the dinghy moved along at a steady pace, Time wrapped his other arm back around Wind, enveloping the sailor in warmth. Wind wound his arm around Time’s waist, pulling himself closer.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Time’s heart squeezed. The exhaustion of the battle, the pain of the cuts in his arm, the stress, the panic, the rage, everything came crashing down all at once. A wave of dizziness struck him, chest and extremities tingling. He exhaled through his nose and rested his cheek on Wind’s hair. He held Wind close, feeling the sailor’s little torso expanding and contracting with each breath. He closed his eye and held Wind just a little tighter.

[fl3shm4id3n]

ₛₑcᵣₑₜ ₚᵣᵢₙcₑₛₛ

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧, 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐨.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴀꜱᴛᴀʀɪᴏɴ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ᴛᴀʀɢᴀʀʏᴇɴ! ᴛᴀᴠ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Tw: reader is described to have white hair and lilac eyes, medieval misogany and themes, biting scene, slight angst but fluff towards the end.

A/N: I miss writing about my Targaryen! reader, I almost didn't have anything to wite for this, but I tried, hope ya'll like it. I might make a part two to this. Any feedback in appreciated.

Masterlist

You had run away from King's Landing, you hated the Royalty life and you knew that if you remained there, things would get worse. So you left, as much as you wanted to take Bloodfyre, you didn't. You didn't want for something to happen to him, so you left him behind. You had gone wherever the boat you boarded has taken you. That happened a year ago, but now things seemed to be fine, for now.

Except, you had a tadpole in your head, that was making you have dark urges and you had to find the Emperor and stop these Tadpoles from doing anymore harm. You manage to find yourself a group of people, who joined you on your quest to find this Mindflayer, soon after came Astarion. Your first impression was a bit off, he literally had a knife to your throat and threatened to kill you but he didn't. That was a strange encounter, now he too was a part of the party.

He was a very interesting person. He is very charming and charismatic as well as cheeky. He just knew his way around words. Astarion had began to show an interest in you. It felt a bit weird, but you didn't think much of it. Back home everyone wanted to be with a Targaryen, due to you having different features than most and because you can tame dragons. Back home, a lot of suiters wanted to marry you, one because you were a princess and two because you'd give them heirs with Targaryen features, that's another reason why you hated being royalty. It was no secret that despite being a princess and all, you'd be seen as an object of power and you'd have no say to anything. You job was to stay quiet, obey your husband and squeeze out heirs, well, that was no longer in your mind.

But Astarion was a whole new different story, he actually showed some genuine interest in you. He didn't try to kiss your ass to gain your trust, he was actually trying on getting to know you. That was something new. It felt a bit flattering, knowing that someone was genuinely into you despite who you were and what your name was. But he would make comments, asking why you'd have a three headed dragon on your cape and why you had gold, plus ruby earrings with a matching necklace, which were a target of getting them stolen, which you'd brush off and ignore the question.

That night you were squirming in your sleep, all you could see if fire and hearing the roars of your dragon. As if he was trying to call out to you. Then you opened your eyes, to see Astarion about to bite you. He opened his eyes and backed up. "Shit." He said, you quickly got up and faced him. "No no, It's not what it looks like, I swear." He said, almost frightened. "I... I wasn't going to hurt you." He said, breathing heavily. "I Just needed... well, blood." He finally spit it out, still nervously.

As you looked closely, you saw how his pupils were wide, in need and his fangs on display. Then you grabbed a stick near by. "What are you.." he stopped as he watched you snap it and half and pointed the now broken part of the stick at him. "Oh no! There's no need for that!" He scolded you as he smacked the stick out of your hand. "How long has it been since you killed someone? Days? Hours?" you accused him, a bit upset by him trying to bite you earlier. "I've never killed anyone!" he said, getting defensive. "Well.. not for food." He admitted. "I feed on animals. Boars, deer, kobolds. Whatever I could get, it's not enough. Not if I have to fight. I feel so... weak." He explained, seeming guilty in a way.

"If I just had a little blood. I could think cleanlier. Fight better. Please?" He asked. You then took this the wrong way. "Oh... so you want me for my Valyrian blood is it?" you asked him, getting a bit offended by this. "What?" he asked confused. "So that was your plan? Make me trust you and fall at your feet so that you can have a taste of my blood!? Is that it!?" You asked him, getting mad. "What on earth are you talking about?" He asked, now even more confused by your sudden accusations. "Don't play dumb! You only want to drink my Valyrian blood! You want to get a taste of a Targaryen don't you!? Is that it!?" You asked, not getting agressive.

"Targaryen? What on earth is a Targaryen!?" He asked, then you felt like your face fell. "You don't know who I am? I'm a Targaryen princess, or at least was." You explained. "Whoa, darling I didn't know who they are and what you are talking about." He explained, now you felt a bit embarrassed. He had no idea who you were and you had basically blurted out your secret to him. "I did catch that you were a princess?" He asked, with a cheeky grin. You then sigh. "You know what, I'll let you drink you drink my blood and I'll explained everything to you afterwards, deal?" You asked him. All Astarion did was nod with a smile on his face.

After allowing Astarion to drink your blood. You were sitting on your bedroll which was next to his. "So, please explained to me, why you nearly went hysterical on me dear." He asked. "And I apologies for that." You added, then you sighed, rubbing your hand onto the area where he bit you. "Well, due to the History of Targaryen's having different features and taming dragons, many noble houses want to marry a Targaryen. One for power and two, because we have the ability to tame dragons." You explained to him. "Oh? That explained, and here I thought you were a being from the moon, due to your white hair and lilac eyes." He said with a chuckle. Also making you chuckle.

"But tell me, why did you leave your life of royalty behind? Was being a princess not all as it seemed?" He asked. "Depends on who you asked. I was basically born to be an object, my whole role is to be quiet, obey my husband and squeeze out as many heirs, boys." You added. "It was tiring you know, not being able to make my own choices, I was always told to follow my role and due everything that would please the people. Who probably don't even care about me or anyone in the palace." You told him. All Astarion could do was just listen to you. Hearing your story on why you left behind your life of royalty.

"Not only that, but my mother and grandsir are as bad as anyone that I know. My grandfather basically told my mother to seduce my father right after his wife and son had died instead of letting him properly grief, but law is law. They're not good people, my grandsire wants power, and he'd mostly use his grandchildren to get what he wants." You told him. "Wait, you have other siblings?" He asked. I nodded. "Three brother, a sister and a half sister." You told him, he only hummed in response. "Yeah, a bunch of weirdos if you ask me." You added. It was quiet for a moment, then Astarion spoke. "Well, as strange as it may sound, if that didn't happen, you would've never excited, and I am happy you're here!" he admitted.

You looked at him with shock in your eyes. You never expected him to say something like that. "Oh.. well..." You didn't know how to respond to that. Astarion chuckled, seen the flattered look on your face. "Although, you may not be a princess anymore, you're the princess I'd gladly bow down to." He said, almost cheeky, making you even more flattered.

[justpostsyeet]

Mîr Vin universe Origin story

Chapter 6 - Mîr, the mime

A/n - I'm so sorry. I didn't updated the story for months.

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The rest of the evening was uneventful for her. She ate and slept. When she woke up, it was already bright sunlight hurting her eyes. "Wow, I slept too well for someone in peril," she muttered. She searched for her glasses. Putting them on, she sat up and saw Feanor standing in the corner, staring at her soul. She let out a strangled gasp. "Feanor, what the hell?" she said. Feanor came close and repeated, "Feanor, what the hell?" with a questioning look. "No, no," she said. "I wouldn't teach you to swear."

She huffed and became silent. Feanor was with another woman. She gave her a tray filled with a water basin, some powder, and tiny clothes. Feanor motioned to her and taught her to clean her teeth. It wasn't her regular toothbrush and paste, but it was still refreshing. They changed her dress. Her new dress was brown with orange and red embroidery at its cuffs. It was a surprising fit for her body. "Don't tell me you sewed it all night," she said to Feanor. Even though Feanor didn't say anything, she just nodded. The lack of communication was frustrating sometimes, but for now, she could deal with it. Feanor called her Mîr. She looked up, knowing it wasn't her name, but the creatures here had started to address her as Mîr. So, whatever floats the boat.

Feanor insisted on combing her hair, but that was a problem. Mîr had been gifted with unruly curly hair, which she stubbornly kept cut in layers. Yesterday, she had tied it in a messy bun as soon as it was semi-dry. Now, it was frizzy and tangled. The poor woman was struggling, and her action hurt Mîr's head.  Mîr was reminded of her poor mother struggling to brush her hair and her grandmother lovingly making her sit down and combing it. She was also hit by a sudden image of herself floating in water with someone calling her hair beautiful from behind. These colliding memories made her head spin. She closed her eyes, finding it hard to remember without two types of memory coming to give her a headache. She opened her eyes to see Feanor giving her a concerned look.  She smiled and guided Feanor to a seat. She took the comb from her and took out a piece of hair, combing it like her grandmother had taught her. Feanor's eyes lit up, and she more or less snatched the comb back, looking at her eagerly. Mîr smiled and sat down. This time, Feanor was seated, and she was sitting by her feet. She repeated the motion to detangle her hair. Mîr wanted to say that her hair had a special affection for getting tangled; it would get tangled in a few minutes. But she was sure Feanor would not understand.

Feanor combed, styled her hair, recombed to detangle, and repeated. Mîr had to agree it did feel nice. When Feanor was done, Mîr couldn't see what she had done to her hair, but Feanor brought two pots. One she patted all over Mîr's face. It was... translucent powder? "Please don't be lead," she thought. "These people remind me so much of medieval times." Then Feanor pulled out a smaller pot and a small brush, putting a red tint on Mîr's lips. When she was done, she was smiling. Mîr couldn't help but smile back. "So, am I your dress-up doll?" she said. Feanor just nodded and said something in her own language, then motioned her to follow.

Mîr was taken across the building, and she couldn't help but appreciate its beauty. There were carved designs, paintings, and beautiful curtains and furniture. It reminded her of many old castles and monuments she had visited. The building seemed to be mostly made of cement with stone pillars, each carved with patterns, the most common being fish scale-like designs. While she was walking and admiring the beauty of the building, she didn't realize they had arrived at a large door. Foolishly, she stood at the door like an idiot, thinking about what kind of wood was used to make it, until Feanor coughed and motioned for her to go in.

Inside were all the people she had met yesterday. On the large stone table were her belongings, all spread out. "So, it's questioning time," she thought, taking a deep breath and readying herself for a round of interrogation.

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Glorfindel watched her with amusement. She looked so adorable, staring at the door as if pondering some deep question. He often wondered what went on in her mind. When she entered the room, her eyes lit up upon seeing her things. She took a deep breath and looked at them, seeming to understand the purpose of the gathering. Glorfindel exchanged a glance with the others, then gestured for her to step forward.

"Please," he said gently, "come closer. We need to ask you some questions about your belongings."

Glorfindel and the others watched her closely, occasionally exchanging glances and murmuring among themselves. She could see they were trying to piece together the puzzle of her life and belongings, just as she was trying to understand their world.

First, she picked up her pouch of vials and brushes. She pulled out a lipstick and mimed applying it to her lips, then did the same with some powder, patting her cheeks lightly. Feanor's eyes lit up with excitement, nodding enthusiastically as if she understood perfectly.

"Ah, like paint for the face!" Feanor exclaimed. "How fascinating!"

Gildor chuckled, his curiosity mixed with amusement. "A touch of color to brighten the day, it seems."

Glorfindel watched her with a soft, smitten expression. "It enhances her beauty," he murmured, almost to himself. Círdan stroked his beard thoughtfully, clearly intrigued. "A curious custom indeed."

Lumion crossed his arms, his curiosity begrudging but present. "Seems unnecessary," he muttered, though his eyes stayed fixed on the demonstration. Gildor chuckled, his curiosity mixed with amusement, while Glorfindel watched her with a soft, smitten expression.  Next, she picked up a book. She opened it, miming reading and flipping through the pages. She pointed to the words and pretended to be engrossed in the text. Gildor leaned forward, genuinely interested, while Círdan nodded approvingly. Glorfindel seemed more focused on her expressions than the book itself, his gaze never leaving her face. Lumion's suspicion seemed to wane slightly as he watched her mime the familiar act of reading. "We know what books are?" Lumion said dryly. The tone of his voice made her stop.

She moved to next item. Her clothes were next. She picked up a short and long tunics of vibrant colors and patterns and mimed putting it on, then did the same with a pair of breeches with unique fastings. She showed how they fit by patting her body and pointing to the clothing. Feanor clapped her hands, excited by the demonstration, while Gildor smiled broadly. Glorfindel's eyes twinkled with admiration as he watched her every move. Círdan continued to nod thoughtfully, his curiosity unwavering. Lumion still seemed a bit suspicious, but his curiosity was undeniable.

"Such interesting garments!" Feanor exclaimed. Círdan continued to nod thoughtfully. "Her world must be very different from ours."

Lumion still seemed a bit suspicious, but his curiosity was undeniable. "They seem functional," he admitted grudgingly.

The next item was a challenge. It was same rectangular object tbat seemed to be made of glass and metal with rubber covering. She held it up. She touched it . Like before it lit up but this time the picture changed. Everytime she touched it, the portarits inside the glowing box changed. She picked it up and mimed swiping, tapping, and making a call, holding it to her ear and pretending to speak. As Mîr attempted to mime the concept of a cell phone to the elves, their confusion only deepened. Glorfindel, ever patient, watched her gestures carefully, trying to decipher their meaning. He tilted his head, furrowing his brow in concentration.

"Do you mean a communication device?" he ventured tentatively, gesturing with his hands in an attempt to mimic her actions.

Mîr nodded eagerly, relieved that he seemed to grasp the idea. She continued miming, showing how one holds a phone to the ear, taps on a screen, and even takes pictures. Gildor, who had been watching with interest, chuckled softly. "Ah, I see! You're trying to tell us about a talking device, perhaps one that shows pictures?"

Mîr nodded again, smiling gratefully at Gildor's understanding. Círdan, who had been observing quietly, spoke up with a thoughtful expression. "It sounds like a wondrous device indeed, but such things do not exist in Middle-earth."

Feanor, always curious about new knowledge, leaned forward. "Could it be a tool from her homeland? Something we have not encountered before?"

Lumion, ever cautious, raised an eyebrow. "Regardless of its nature, we must proceed carefully. We know little of her origins or the capabilities of these devices."

Glorfindel, having pondered Mîr's gestures, spoke gently to her, "Thank you for trying to show us. Perhaps in time, we will understand more."

Mîr nodded, feeling a mix of frustration and hope. Despite their confusion, she appreciated their efforts to comprehend her world and not throwing her in dungeon while  accsuing her of witchcraft. She thought it better to honest with them and show them the rather than hiding it. If they found it later, it could cause mistrust or even chaos.he mystery of the cell phone remained unresolved.

She then picked up her bag, showing them how she wore it over her shoulder and mimed putting things inside. She demonstrated taking items out, as if she were packing for a journey. Gildor laughed heartily, clearly entertained, while Feanor's eyes sparkled with understanding. Glorfindel watched her with a soft smile, clearly smitten by her efforts. Círdan's wise gaze remained fixed on her, analyzing every detail. Lumion's suspicion seemed to ease further as he saw the practicality of the bag. "At least she's organized," he said with a nod.

Finally, she picked up her glasses. She put them on and pretended to squint, then took them off and mimed having difficulty seeing. She put them back on and smiled, showing how they helped her vision. Feanor nodded vigorously, her excitement almost tangible.

"Ah, to aid her sight!" Feanor exclaimed. "Ingenious!"

Gildor chuckled, clearly amused by the simple yet effective demonstration. "A clever invention indeed."

Glorfindel's smile widened, his admiration for her growing. Círdan's curiosity seemed satisfied as he nodded approvingly. Lumion's suspicion finally gave way to understanding as he realized the practical use of the glasses. Instead of any snide comments he decided to be silent.

Mîr sighed in relief, hoping she had conveyed enough for them to understand. The elves exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from amusement to deep curiosity. She could see that each of them had their own thoughts and questions, but for now, she had done her best. She looked at them expectantly, waiting for their response.

"Thank you, Mîr," Círdan said, his voice warm and kind. "You have given us much to ponder."

Gildor nodded enthusiastically. "Indeed! Your world seems full of wonders."

Mîr couldn't understand a word but she felt a sense of accomplishment and hope. Despite the language barrier, she had made progress in communicating with the elves. She smiled at them, feeling a bit more at ease in their presence.

They escorted her out. Lord Círdan had mime the motion of reading and then pranced around. Glorfindel, ever the chivalrous elf, escorted Mîr to his horse, a majestic and imposing creature. As they approached, Mîr's eyes widened with a mixture of awe and apprehension. Glorfindel, noticing her reaction, smiled gently.

"My lady, have you seen such a grand steed before?" he asked, his voice soft.

Mîr shook her head slowly, her eyes fixed on the horse, which neighed and stamped its hoof. She took a step back, clearly intimidated. Glorfindel's brow furrowed in concern. "Perhaps in the lands you come from, horses are not so common?"

Before Mîr could respond, Gildor approached, laughing heartily at the situation. "Oh, come now, Glorfindel! I'm sure they have horses where she comes from. Maybe she has just never ridden one."

Gildor's amusement quickly turned into action as he lifted Mîr and placed her onto the horse. Mîr's glare at Gildor was so fierce that it made both elves shiver slightly.

"Looks like she's a fiery one," Gildor huffed, still smiling. "Take her to the library while Lumion arranges a study for her."

As the horse began to ride, Mîr clung to Glorfindel for dear life, her grip so tight that he could feel the pressure against his waist. He blushed, trying to focus on the task at hand despite the discomfort.

"You are holding on quite firmly, my lady," he remarked, trying to sound light-hearted despite the slight wince in his voice. "I assure you, you are safe with me."

When they finally arrived at the grand library, Mîr's fear was replaced by sheer excitement. Her eyes sparkled as she took in the sight of the vast collection of books. She almost squealed with delight, her earlier discomfort forgotten. Glorfindel dismounted and helped Mîr down. "Welcome to our central library," he said warmly. "I hope you find it to your liking."

Mîr could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She looked around, her eyes wide with wonder. "This is amazing," she breathed, though Glorfindel did not understand her words, he understood her tone and the expression of pure joy on her face. He smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction in seeing her so happy. "Please, feel free to explore. I will be here if you need anything."

As Mîr wandered off into the aisles of books, Glorfindel watched her with a mix of curiosity and admiration. Despite the challenges they faced in understanding each other, he felt a growing respect for this strange and fascinating woman. Glorfindel couldn't help but admire Mîr as she roamed the library. She seemed so fascinated by the structure and designs of the building, moving from shelf to shelf, examining each one. She pulled out many books, but none of the scripts were familiar to her.  She tried her best to communicate with Glorfindel, and he, in turn, tried his best to translate whichever books she held out. Despite the language barrier, they both put in effort to help each other. They exchanged a few words, and to Glorfindel, her language, while less melodic, was pleasant to hear. As they worked together, Glorfindel arranged the books they had pulled out, while Mîr decided to explore another corner, eventually heading to the balcony. He smiled and continued his work, but after a while, he went to check on her, only to be greeted by a rueful sight.

Mîr was crying, seemingly in a trance. Alarmed, Glorfindel jolted her awake, but she didn't respond. Instead, she melted into his grip, unresponsive to any communication. He glanced out at the view from the balcony, wondering what had caused her distress. Gently, he held her against his chest and rode back to the manor as slowly as possible, not wanting to startle her further. By the time they arrived, she had fallen asleep. Glorfindel looked at her peaceful face, then gently carried her back to her room. He instructed a servant to call for Feanor and sat there, looking at her sad expression, pondering what about the view of the sea had affected her so deeply.

Feanor arrived shortly after, concern etched on her face. "What happened?" she asked softly, glancing between Glorfindel and the sleeping Mîr.

"I found her crying on the balcony, looking at the sea" Glorfindel replied, his voice tinged with worry. "She seemed to be in a trance, unresponsive to anything I said or did. I brought her back here, but I have no idea what could have caused it."

Feanor looked at Mîr with a sympathetic expression. "Perhaps the sea reminded her of something painful from her past," she suggested gently. "We must be patient and understanding. She is far from her home and everything familiar."

Glorfindel nodded, still watching Mîr. "I just wish I could understand her better, to help her more." Feanor placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "In time, we will. For now, let her rest. We'll be here for her when she wakes."

Glorfindel sighed, but nodded in agreement. As he left the room, he couldn't shake the image of Mîr's tears and the mystery of what had caused them.

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[deadmenandthedivine]

DEAD MEN § the DIVINE

chapter nineteen: when the canary sings

Maetilda Targaryen, First of her Name, was supposed to be many things. What she became was entirely different.

table of contents

trigger warning!!! this fic contains many graphic topics and depictions. such as but not limited to: dead parents, abusive parents, toxic family systems, incest, medieval misogyny, forced marriage, threats of assault (sexual § physical), actual assault, sexual situations (consensual § nonconsensual), imprisonment, kidnapping, murder, blood/gore, uxoricide, familicide, disassociation, thoughts of self harm and annihilation, PTSD and other neurodivergence. i will do my best to update as i go along, but please let me know if i have missed anything!

word count: 4635

Dirt and grime. It felt like a layer of both coated her skin no matter how hard she rubbed and itched at herself. Her skin was starting to redden with the irritation of her picking and scratching. The feeling spanned throughout her body. Both inside and out. Eating at her slowly but thoroughly. A sensation she couldn’t escape. Despite the fresh cleanliness of her limbs, she still felt too filthy to be laced into her fine gown. With a myriad of old Pentoshi songs and plenty of coaxing, her handmaids had eventually convinced her to dress before the sun had reached its daily peak. What a princess she was. A poor excuse for a Targaryen. She was nothing more than an animal, confined to the enclosure that was her chambers and itching for another flea bath. She desperately wanted to feel clean again.

The day felt strange from the moment she opened her eyes. The castle walls were eerily silent. Less footsteps, less chatter, less life floated down the corridors. There was a hole in her chest, a hole the size of her family. After their departure, the princess forced Ser Gunthor to read to her for the rest of the afternoon. Both Ser Eddrin and Ser Wyllam traveled back to Dragonstone to see about the transfer of all of her belongings to King’s Landing and Runestone, leaving Ser Gunthor to remain with his princess. Despite how much he struggled to decipher the bigger words on the page. She wanted the tales of the Bronze Kings to drown out any lingering thoughts of Dragonstone. The place she had called home for the longest. The place she would likely never see again, unless specially invited by Jacaerys. If only his nose hadn’t been broken by her betrothed. Perhaps then, she would have been invited regularly. She would have visited her nieces and nephews twice a year, if not more. Perhaps they would have visited her children at Runestone too. 

But what had once been a given was now a question. King’s Landing was beginning to feel like a fever dream. Everything seemed backwards and wrong. From the castle decorations to the lords and ladies’ behavior at court. Each movement, each breath felt made on borrowed time. As if when traveling there by boat, her family had all taken a wrong turn and docked in Sothyros. In a false city meant to trick them into thinking it was King’s Landing so that the locals could pick them off one by one. And she was the last one left, finally awoken to the horror of it all. If that were the case, at least her dreams would make sense. She felt like she was going mad. 

After breaking fast with her father the day before, she had not gone down to the main courtyard to see the rest of her kin off. She felt too shaken up after the table had been thrown. Her maids had brought a bath and scrubbed her skin raw, yet she still felt dirty from the other night.  She didn’t want to leave her chambers in the slightest. The guilt of it all ate her alive. She did not even have the decency to send her own family off. If they hadn’t hated her already, they certainly had to now. As much as she did not like it, the princess could not blame them. They were not wrong to feel she had betrayed them. In many ways, she had.

A knock sounded on the chamber door before Ser Gunthor stepped inside. Maetilda looked up at him from her embroidery scribbles as she remained perched on spot in the fainting chair. Respectfully, he bowed before announcing that the Princess Helaena Targaryen had come to visit. Her cousin was immediately welcomed in. The princess-by-birth wore a beautiful periwinkle gown with a high neckline and seven-pointed star brocade. Her hair was pulled out of her face and left to flow down her back. She smiled wide upon entering.

“I visit my mother every evening with the children before we all go to bed. I do think I shall visit you every morning that you are here.” The younger smiled.

“I should have no bad days if they all start with a visit from you.” Maetilda smirked before giggling at the face Helaena made.

“You have spent too much time with my brother already.” She scrunched her nose up.

“He is the one who will not leave me alone.” 

“I have not thanked you yet, for what you did.”

“Thanked me?”

“You stood with my brother, and I am not the only one who appreciates your loyalty.”

“Yes, well.” Maetilda could not help the lost sigh that escaped her, “I do not feel as if I did the right thing.”

Helaena nodded bluntly, “There shall be repercussions.”

“I can feel them coming.” The princess-by-title laughed dryly, “But I do not know what to watch for.”

A silence fell between the two as Helaena stood rigid in thought. Alone in the room together, they dropped all traces of any act. Behaving as they felt most natural. The princess-by-birth seemed to jolt out of her own head before she took a seat on one of the other loungers.

“Do bugs break fast? Or do they have meals at all?” Helaena thought aloud.

Eyebrows furrowed, the princess-by-title responded honestly, “Suppose it depends on the bug. ‘Some must.”

“Do the silverfish and the earwig?”

“They get a meal when they can. Don’t know if one could call it anything.”

“The earwig eats the silverfish, in the end.”

“Unless the silverfish can get away.”

“But that does not always happen.”

“No, it doesn’t.” The princess-by-title sighed again, “Is Aemond the earwig? And I the silverfish?”

“You are the silverfish. That I know.” Helaena nodded.

“Who else would wish to eat me?” Maetilda laughed.

“From what Aemond has told me, he already has.” The princess-by-birth smirked as her cousin’s jaw fell to the floor, “On the balcony, was it?”

Maetilda’s cheeks enflamed to a bright red, “He told you?”

“Spilled all his deepest secrets on our walk yesterday.”

“It was his idea.” The princess-by-title crossed her arms, “Don’t believe I ever agreed to it actually.”

Helaena shook her head knowingly. Yet despite the knowing in her eyes, the rest of her was more rigid. “Do we ever?”

“How do you stay afloat amongst it all?”

“My family, my children. I find a purpose in them. Then the rest does not seem to be so much.”

Maetilda nodded, as her mind raced on the inside. What was she to do if her family hated her? She had no children to focus on and her family likely would not speak to her. Finding a purpose would not be so easy. Perhaps she didn’t have one. Perhaps she was meant to live a life alone in exile at Runestone. Perhaps she was meant to be her generation’s cautionary tale for maidens who waited too long to wed. 

“You shall find what brings you joy with time. I did not like my own children at first.”

The princess-by-title laughed so hard she nearly snorted, “Well, of course! You had two at once!”

“Thought they were a curse when they were born. I see why they were given to me now.”

“You do?”

“Yes. The gods could not leave any one child to suffer alone with me.” She laughed, “They are meant to keep each other company, keep each other distracted. I could have  never had just one.”

The princess-by-birth looked so relaxed when she smiled. It spread a sense of peace throughout the room. The sun shined brighter, reflecting off the surface of her teeth. And just like the sun, Helaena seemed to practically glow. In their youth, the princess-by-title always envied her cousin. How pretty she was, how neat her curls were. Three children later and nothing had changed. Yet, so much had changed. She remained under her mother’s watchful eye more than ever. She stayed tucked away in her chambers unless accompanied. After their time in the Godswood, they hadn’t seen each other much at all — unless attending dinner or visiting the other’s chambers. Amongst the same castle walls, should they not be inseparable?

“May I ask you something?” Maetilda broke the silence.

Helaena nodded idly.

“Why is it only now that you have come to visit me? Have you and the children been in your chambers for the duration of my family’s stay?”

Again, Helaena nodded. 

“Do you hate them all?”

This time, the princess-by-birth shook her head. “No.”

“If that is the case, why make yourself sparse?”

Helaena only smiled. While she was younger, she often seemed as if she had far more years’ worth of knowledge. Far more than the others around her. There was an answer to her cousin’s question present in her eyes, but it never actually became words in her mouth. Her eyes were always so much more expressive than the rest of her. The two stood in a silent standoff as Maetilda waited for a response that never came.

“I am sorry. That was unbecoming of me to ask of you.” The princess-by-title looked down at her feet, wondering if perhaps she was the only one to let all improprieties fly between them.

“No, no. Do not apologize.” The younger giggled.

“Have I not offended you?”

“Not at all.”

“Have you no answer?”

“Not one that comes from mine own mouth.”

The room fell silent again. The princess-by-title stared at her cousin incredulously, not fully understanding what her words meant. Regardless, she could feel the restraint in her throat. She wished to say more, but could not. For whatever reason. But perhaps that was truly all she needed to say.

“May I ask you something more?” Maetilda piped up again.

Helaena gave her silent ‘yes.’

“Do you think my siblings will ever forgive me?”

The younger took a pause before proceeding with her answer, “They will not extend the olive branch first. You are one and they are many.”

“‘Suppose that is in our nature. But I do not wish to be made to choose between my family and the man I should marry. A marriage is supposed to do quite the opposite actually.”

The subject seemed to pain the princess-by-birth the longer they lingered on it. Her face scrunched in discomfort. She practically squirmed in her seat, mumbling under her breath. “What is left after the beast eats itself?”

“All the evidence.” The princess-by-title shrugged.

Helaena let out a brief dry laugh. “‘Suppose so.”

A thoughtful silence fell between the two. Maetilda did not know what to make of her cousin’s line of questioning. She couldn’t seem to find the meaning behind it, couldn’t figure out what was being hinted to. It felt as if the answer was staring her down the nose, yet she still could not see it. It made the hair on her arms and legs stand uncomfortably on end. She wondered what she was missing.

“Will you promise me something?” The princess-by-birth seemed to snap out of her own head again.

“Of cour— What is it?”

The younger hesitated, stuck on her words, “The storms.”

The princess-by-title waited for her to finish.

“Silverfish cannot swim.”

“No, they cannot.” Maetilda nodded. “Can dragons?”

Helaena’s body squirmed again. She shook her head, hard, before she eventually dizzied herself into stopping. She clutched the closest furniture piece until her knuckles turned white. Long fingernails scratched into the wood. Her dizzy head swayed until it eventually gained balance. Her eyes focused on something in front of her that the other could not see. When she was done, her demeanor had changed. Like she was a different person entirely. Maetilda’s mouth hung open in shock. Unsure what to do or how to help.

“Helaena, are you alright?”

“Shall we take a stroll? Perhaps visit Aemond?” The princess-by-birth suddenly inquired, effectively changing the subject.

“A-are we allowed?” 

“Why would we not?”

“I have not left this room since my family’s departure.”

“No you haven’t,” Helaena nodded slowly, “Are you alright?”

Maetilda shook her head, “I must have been cursed.”

The younger cousin laid a comforting hand on the other’s shoulder, “I understand how you feel.”

Helaena’s words felt weird to Maetilda. It was such a simple sentence. Yet after it touched her ears, her breath seemed to come with more ease. Like a weight had been pulled off of her chest. That is, before she remembered her cousin’s comment from earlier.

“Aemond told you everything about what happened?”

“Most everything. We are each other’s closest friend.” Helaena gave her an unreadable look.

“I still cannot fathom it. I feel so rotten inside. I cannot show my face at court ever again. I am a disgrace.”

“Maetilda, no one shall ever know. No one saw you.”

“He drew a rune on me in blood, Helaena. My handmaids saw it while I was dressing.”

“He drew it in blood?”

“Yes! I don’t know what it meant. ‘Wiped it away before I got a good look at it.”

“Was it yours? Did he hurt you?”

“I… never… felt a cut. ‘Haven’t found one yet either.”

“Aemond would not hurt you.”

“You said he told you of our evening! How much did he truly tell you?” Maetilda crossed her arms.

“I did not ask for every detail.” Helaena attempted a giggle before clearing her throat, “Your handmaids likely have not kept this knowledge to themselves.”

“I begged their mercy. But gold coins are worth more than tears.”

“True.” The younger nodded, “Perhaps the gold should come from you then.”

“I have none.”

“Aemond does.”

“You suggest I ask him for coins to pay off my maids?”

“Precisely! He is to be your husband after all. It is his duty to protect you.”

The princess-by-title felt her back straighten with an unusual wave of confidence, “Yes, you are right. It is. Perhaps we should visit Aemond after all.”

“Yes, let us go! You shall have plenty more time to stay cooped up in this room. Aemond was going to go riding this afternoon.”

“Riding?” Maetilda gasped, perking up even more.

“Vhagar must stretch her old bones.” Helaena giggled again.

“Let us make haste then.” 

Throwing on her traveling cloak, fighting off the flashbacks the fabric gave her, the princess-by-title did not ask another question before she was pulling her cousin out of the room. Large grins on their faces, the two scurried down to the training yards with Ser Gunthor a few steps behind them. The princess-by-birth’s giggles carried throughout the corridors. The cousins walked hand-in-hand, fingers linked, just as they did as girls. Practically skipping, the younger took the lead. The light of her smile radiated out even more. Suddenly, the wide expanse of an emptier keep did not seem so dreary.

Down the stairs, through a corridor, across a landing the older did not recognize, through another mysterious corridor, and down several more flights of stairs. Maetilda was shocked when her cousin pulled her through a door and out onto the grounds. Very close to the training yards. Even closer to the front gates, where she should have bid her family a safe journey the day before. Guilt weighed down on the princess-by-title’s shoulders, it made her stomach bubble with nausea. She spent so much time fretting over whether or not they hated her, whether or not they would ever forgive her, when she already knew the answer. What had she done to earn their love and forgiveness? They would be foolish to take her back. Unaware of the other’s inner turmoil, Helaena simply continued smiling.

“Sunny day!” The younger chirped.

Looking up, only to be blinded by the big star itself, the older nodded in agreement, “I had not yet noticed.”

“I quite like the sun.”

“The two of you are one in the same.” Maetilda lightheartedly remarked.

Helaena giggled, “Have we already found my brother?” 

“Suppose we should stop our search!” The older shrugged innocently.

“Nonsense!” The younger smirked. “Where should we start?”

“The training yards lead to the Dragonpit, yes?”

“That is one direction to take.”

“There is another?”

Helaena giggled harder. “Of course!”

Of course, there would be. Maetilda thought to herself. With all the different passages throughout the castle, the city itself was likely the same. It would be absurd to only have one path that led to the Dragonpit. Perhaps she was as thick-headed as her father thought.

Helaena grabbed hold of both Maetilda’s hands before she spoke, “Should we try the stables first?”

The older immediately nodded her head, “Would you lead the way?”

From behind them, Ser Gunthor cleared his throat. “Forgive me, Princesses. I believe the Prince has already found you.”

The two cousins spun around in opposite directions until they each found the man in question. He took long purposeful strides, eye locked on his target destination. His hair floated behind him in the wind of his own speed. He was dressed in a cloak and riding leathers, ready to mount Vhagar at a moment’s notice. Wherever she was. Linking their elbows together, Helaena eagerly led Maetilda to meet him in the middle. Ser Gunthor followed behind with a menacing swagger in his step and an arm casually draped on the hilt of his sword. A soft warning to the Prince to be on his best behavior.

“Helaena, where is your guard?” Aemond asked as soon as they were close enough to have a private talk.

“We have Ser Gunthor with us!” The princess-by-birth replied innocently.

“That is my intended’s guard, dear sister. Where is your guard?”

“With the children.”

“Right,” He nodded with a frustrated sigh, “What brings the two of you out here?”

“You.” Helaena smirked.

Maetilda answered simultaneously, “Are we not allowed to be outside?”

“Funny! I was just beginning to believe you were locked in your chambers, Princess.”

The princess-by-title froze, utterly shell shocked at the fact that he seemed to know where she had and had not been. “Why do you say that?”

“I went down to the gates yesterday to bid your family a safe journey home. Mother and Helaena did too. You, however, were noticeably absent.”

“Yes, I… I had a hard morning.”

“Your siblings refused to speak to me. Except Joffrey.”

“They are upset with the both of us.”

“We have done nothing wrong.”

“I have.” Maetilda shook her head, “I shouldn’t have fought with my sister like that.”

“No, ñuha dōna, you were right to defend me.” (my sweet)

“Fighting was not the answer. For any of us. We should all be shackled and locked in the same room until our differences are settled.”

“Shall we do so before or after the wedding?” Aemond snarked.

“They shall come back before then. My brothers, at least.”

“I have nothing to say to them.”

The future couple stared each other down, a duel of intense glares. Each refusing to be the first to cave. Ser Gunthor and Princess Helaena were left to stand and watch as the moment dragged on. The prince and princess were both as stubborn as the other. It was an infamous Targaryen trait they both shared.

“If you care for me, you care for them too. It would do you good to remember that.”

“If you care for me,” His eye burned with a passionate fire, “You will not allow them to make a fool of me — of us — any further.”

“The only fool I know wears a hat with bells.”

“You jest enough, I should have one made in your size.” He crossed his arms, “It would suit you.”

“Have it made for me so that it may become yours once we are wed? That is the way you wish to have things, is it not?” The princess-by-title smirked, knowing how the deeper meaning behind her words would cut through the prince’s armor easier than butter. “How clever of you.”

Helaena giggled as Aemond sucked his teeth and laughed incredulously. He glanced about the grounds as if looking for an audience. “Any other man would have the intelligence to not take a woman who tempts fate to wife.”

“I cannot bear to witness this any longer!” Helaena interjected.

Ser Gunthor stifled a grunt behind them. A reaction that the princess wished she had made. It was not she who wished to tempt fate. He needed an accomplice in his crimes.

“My apologies, dear sister.” Aemond turned to look pointedly at Helaena, “I hope we have not made you uncomfortable.”

“Only slightly.” The princess-by-birth nodded.

“What brings you both to find me? Truly.”

The two princesses shared glances back and forth, unsure who should explain. Maetilda ventured a peek at her knight to find him watching their conversation intently. She wondered if he had any inkling of something being amiss. She wondered if he could tell something was different about her. His face did not give much away. Regardless, the princess-by-title’s skin crawled. The night she shared with the prince was burnt onto the back of her eyelids. Her thoughts all wandered back to that night. That cursed night, him, the rune, the consequences. She couldn’t escape any of it. 

“We wish to speak with you.” Helaena finally answered.

“Speak with me? Now?” The prince seemed shocked, “Vhagar is hungry.”

Maetilda’s eyes timidly flicked between her cousins. Wanting to escape the conversation and any ramifications that came with it, her mouth moved before her brain had given it permission. “Go then. You mustn’t let her go hungry.”

The siblings shared a confused look. Aemond took a second a moment to give his betrothed’s traveling cloak another once over. His weight shifted from one foot to the other. “Come with me?”

The princess-by-title could not help the smirk that spread across her face. “I rode her long before you did.”

“You rode with Lady Laena?” The princess-by-birth smiled.

“All over Essos. Well, not everywhere. We hadn’t made it as far east as father originally planned.” A sorrowful longing added to the ever present guilt that weighed down her insides. Vhagar was a bittersweet memory.

Aemond chuckled before offering out his arm for his betrothed to take, “The game we have fenced up in the Kingswood is not quite as exciting as Essos, but I would love to reunite two old friends.”

Helaena’s face lit up like a spark. “Ser Gunthor? Would you take me to my mother’s solar?”

Shockingly, the sworn knight immediately tried to decline. His head already shaking no. But the princess-by-title cleared her throat. “Ser Gunthor, please see Helaena to where she needs to go and meet us back at the Dragonpit.”

The knight’s body went rigid, his face screamed all sorts of obscenities. Yet not a single dissenting word left his mouth. “As you wish, princess.”

Without much word of fair departure, the unnatural pairings went their separate ways. As feather-light as a sprite in the wind, Helaena floated off back toward the castle with her cousin’s sworn night trailing behind her. It was weird for the princess-by-title to see her knight walk off without her, without leaving another knight in his place. Instead she was left with her betrothed. Unchaperoned. Alone with Aemond again. 

Arm-in-arm, the prince led them off in the direction of the stables. “Shall we have a carriage dressed for you?”

“We cannot ride horseback to the Dragonpit?”

Aemond chuckled, “It would be unbecoming for the princess to be seen riding as a man through the capital.”

His words sat funny in her gut. He only seemed to care for her reputation when it best suited him. Where was this care when they were alone on the balcony? Perhaps he knew what he was doing. Perhaps through his lifetime spent within the greenish-red walls, he had learned exactly where to place his feet to avoid the lingering booby traps. She hoped for the latter.

“And if I rode as a woman?” The princess probed.

“That is for our wedding night.” He laughed again.

Maetilda promptly dropped his arm, “Despicable.”

“It was only a joke!” Aemond exclaimed, feigning innocence. “I shall fetch some Kingsguard.”

And he did so immediately. A party of four mounted white cloaks and a horse-drawn carriage were assembled quicker than she ever thought possible. Closed roof, so that they could not be seen from the outside, but the Kingsguard on horseback at each flank would give their presence away regardless. Made of a glossy dark wood, the carriage was far nicer than the one she had arrived in. Black, red, and green dragon brocade curtains framed each window. Aemond held her hand steady as she stepped inside to find the same brocade fabric duplicated on the seats and the ceiling. Nonchalantly, he slipped into the carriage after her. Closing the door behind him. Yet again, they were left unchaperoned. As if forever coated in dried mud, the ever present itch across her skin only seemed to get worse. 

“Aemond!” The princess hissed.

“Yes?”

“We are alone!”

The prince smugly smiled from his place on the opposite bench, “We are. As we shall be alone on dragonback.”

“You wish for the servants to whisper. You wish for my virtue to be questioned.” The princess narrowed her eyes.

“Of course not, ñuha dōna. I want a good wife.” (my sweet) 

“A good wife would have shunned you from her chambers if you came to her before her wedding night.”

“That is different.”

“How? Tell me.”

“Because you—“ He looked down to his lap for a moment before looking back up at her more confidently, “You could not help but surrender to your own destiny.”

The princess crossed her arms over her chest, “That is not how I remember it.”

“No?” He gasped.

“If following my destiny feels like making a grave mistake, then…”

“What? Then what? Do not tell me you wish to call off the wedding now. What should be left of your good name after that?”

“You twist my words.”

“Tell me what you want. Tell me what upsets you.”

“You upset me. I want you to promise not to ruin my name.”

“What tells you I shall ruin anything?”

The princess’s mouth hung open gobsmacked, “Take a look at us!”

He rolled his eyes. “You worry too much.”

An angry, stubborn silence fell between them. Maetilda’s skin continued to itch in a way that seemed to gnaw at her. The carriage jostled them slightly as its wheels rolled over the stone streets of the city. The hustle and bustle lining their path filled any sort of silence they would have had inside the castle walls. Children’s laughter, merchants advertising prices, the hum of chatter. It sent a buzz through her bones. A peaceful, calming buzz, like the rumble of thunder in the distance.

“Listen, I am sorry.” Aemond finally conceded.

“Are you?”

“Of course.”

“Hmm.”

“You do not believe me?”

“No.”

He rolled his eyes again, “Of course.”

“You think I am craven?” Came Maetilda’s quiet challenge.

“Slightly,” He nodded.

“Because I fear what could happen?”

“A craven fears the future. A wise man prepares for it. Does he not?”

“What future do you prepare for?”

“The one where their jabs and laughter turn to fire and blood.”

“Who are they?”

Almost confused, the prince shook his head, “You do not know?”

“Do you mean my siblings?”

“Of course,” He deadpanned, “But not just them.”

Maetilda crossed her arms, subtly scratching at her them as she turned to look out the window instead of at her betrothed. With a nearly inaudible scoff, Aemond did the same, making sure to stare out the opposite window. Despite the noise outside and the jostle of the carriage, the two remained as silent and as still as stone statues for the remainder of their journey.

A/N: you know when you know you’re in deep shit, but you can’t yet fathom just how deep that shit runs? yeah? maetilda’s there.

the next chapter is in the oven! it may take a bit longer because the next few chapters are more show related and i will need to go back and review said episodes again. the new season has really been lighting a fire under my ass though!! it’s giving me lots of new inspiration for where this train is headed!! thank you for continuing to read it!

TAGLIST: @marvelescvpe @nessjo

[cerastes]

'stultifera navis' is a reference? I mean, when I saw people going "oh it means stupid boat" figured that that wasn't *quite* the whole story but no one's explained what else it means.

You know how we are intimately familiar with Plato's Allegory of the Cave?

This thing? Alright, so Plato didn't make just one allegory. Plato's Allegory of the Cave comes from Plato's "Republic", specifically Book VII. In Book VI, one can find the Allegory of the Ship of Fools. Long story short, the allegory's intent is to represent the problems of leadership and governance in a political system where the key figures aren't chosen based on expert knowledge, but rather, other things altogether ('divine right' is a good example).

Now, with this in mind, we talk about Stultifera Navis, a satirical allegory from 1494 by one Sebastian Brant, a German humanist. It's other title is Daß Narrenschyff ad Narragoniam, in medieval German, all meaning the same: "Ship of Fools". It's worth noting that the Ship of Fools was a popular concept in this era, much like the internet really likes the Allegory of the Cave! Humanity has always been the same in some regards.

Brant's Stultifera Navis was about a fleet, the Fleet of Fools, bound for the Paradise of Fools and, without getting too into it, because it's a decently long read consisting of over one hundred brief satires, it serves as a criticism towards the Christian Church and how it was, largely, a mangle of underqualified fools not only having WAY too much agency in the lives of WAY too many people, but also, it was driving itself in such a hilariously self-destructive manner that it eventually sinking was practically inevitable. Brant creates a character, the Saint Grobian, whom Brant made into the patron saint of vulgar and crass people, so not only was he making a whole book with over 100 little stories about how much a dumbass collective the Church was, he also got spicy and threw in his own OC, Grobian the Hedgehog, the worst and shittiest of them all, and the one that codified the Church most closely.

Now, you may be thinking, "Hey, did Brant get fucking burned at the cross for this or something? Wasn't criticism of the Church the leading cause of death back in those days right after being invaded by Church for no reason?". Well, there was a SPECIAL JUTSU you could use back in the day, one that rendered you naught but a little birthday guy that couldn't be killed for criticism: Employing the voice of the fool. Y'see, Court Fools were allowed to say whatever they wanted, because they were court fools, and this little loophole allowed certain figures of the time, like Desiderius Erasmus, to criticize the Church openly, as he did in "The Praise of Folly", and when the Churchboyz came to his house with pikes and broadswords, demanding he step right out to they could eviscerate him for the SIN of speaking ill against Our Most Righteous, Loving, And Considerate Of Institutions, The Holy Church Itself, Erasmus threw his arms up in mock surrender and yelled "I'm just a little fool! The work was written from the voice and perspective of but a fool! I'm just a birthday fool! Come on, man, don't get so mad!" and then the Churchboyz, smoldering in white blistering ire, sheathed their arsenal and walked away FUMING because he was now impervious to Christblasts.

Well, Brant used the same jutsu, as the book is Entirely about Fools, he claimed it was just the fools talking, ergo, it's not what he REALLY thought, ok? Just some food for thought, a little what if, no need to get so spicy over a WORK OF FICTION. So the Church harrumphed and hmppphroomed their way home, stomping their feet all the way through because AGAIN they couldn't execute someone for their (alleged) opinion.

Now, moving to the Arknights' Stultifera Navis, given how much the event shows the longing for the Iberian Golden Age, and very much states how impossible it is to go back to those days, simply because, one, the world has changed to something that would never again sustain this Iberian Golden Age, and two, the 'Golden Age' in itself was built upon the systematic oppression and suffering of others, ranging from the Aegir persecuted within the Iberian lands to the Victorians and Bolivars raided and pillaged outside the Iberian borders, and it was the selfsame greed, close-mindedness and ignorance of Iberia that led to its natural end. The Inquisition is very much a Ship of Fools: Guided by old relics, fueled by archaic and obsolete beliefs, it's bound to collapse under its own weight. Saint Carmen himself is the perfect representation of the Inquisition: Tired, old, full of regrets, putting a strong front, yet completely ravaged and exhausted, his life artificially prolonged well past the natural lifespan of a Liberi, guided by ostensibly good intentions and yet adhering to principles that necessarily involve the oppression of certain people in order to exist. I wouldn't say Saint Carmen and Saint Grobian are one and the same, but you can't help but see some similarity. Patron saint of the vulgar and crass indeed.

The allegory also extends to Aegir to some degree as well, but we don't have the full picture just yet. Stultifera Navis does suggest that Aegir Beefed It to some degree as well, and not a minor beef, either.

Notably, Laurentina defies the trope: Her recovery stems in part to having let go of her "Golden Age": The times when she could have pursued her passions as a sculptor, the times when she happily hunted away with her fellow Hunters in the 2nd Company, the times when she didn't have a country's worth of Super Death Rock Cancer Juice in her spine, the entire swath of time she lost due to having been replaced by 'Specter', the time when she was blissfully unaware of her Seaborn blood, she makes it clear to Amaia: She's fully aware that all of these things are irrevocably lost, and that that's fine, she's got the present and the future still. She misses that Golden Age of her life, but doesn't agonize over it, she simply has to make a new Golden Age, comprised of other, unknown, exciting things, in the future.

Sometimes, you don't need to think too hard about it. Just tear apart what's in front of you, and move forward. She is not a crewmember of the Ship of Fools.

There's a few more comparisons and connections you can draw between the Allegory of the Ship of Fools and Arknights' Stultifera Navis, but I think the point has been made!

[whumping-valentine]

Continuation of that short Sailor Whumpee Lighthouse Keeper Whumper thing I wrote last month. Will tag as "Sailor Whumpee" Also I guess Whumpee is trans and uses he/they pronouns.

"The Docks aren't the friendliest of places, you know." The Lighthouse keeper warned the sailor about to leave. It was the day after their shipwreck, and out of all the many sea travelers he's seen, never has the old keeper encountered one quite like this. Already so eager to leave despite their condition.

Whumpee stopped in their tracks, hand on the cold iron doorknob. They turned around, "What do you mean by that?"

"What else is there to mean? The pirates in town are rough and tumble, and I'm just not so sure they'll take too kindly to the bruised, washed-up sailor." Whumper closed their eyes, taking a slow sip of their tea. "Mm. Besides, they all know about you. The Boy in the Boat, they called you. Found your little pathetic board smashed out on the rocks. Not much of a boat now, is it?"

"So you pull me in off the shores just to insult me?"

"Yeah, pretty much." A sly smile appeared on Whumper's face. "People often find my hospitality comes with a price. But hey! I pulled you off the shores, bandaged your wounds, and gave you a place to stay. Though I know sailors don't take too kindly to badmouthing their ships— even if she is nothing more than plywood now."

Whumpee rolled their eyes, "Well, thanks for saving me, but our short paths end here. You can quit your yapping."

"Farewell. But there is one thing you should know—"

Whumpee opened the door, and was greeted to a horrendous downpour, and a perfect strike of lightning.

Whumper smiled, "Welcome to The Docks!"

~~~ Continued ↓ ~~~

Whumper was surprised when Whumpee actually went out into the storm, with no hesitation, at that. Suppose that kind of stupidity is exactly what got them crashed here in the first place. It didn't matter, though. They'll be back, and they'll have questions. It was only a matter of time.

Whumpee was never one to care of storms. He'd sit in the mud during a downpour, run across the beaches in a hurricane, and hoist his sails in a thunderstorm. He lived for the clouds, the sea, and the storms. People called him crazy and reckless, but he would never see it that way. After all, he always said:

If you don't die on a boat in the middle of a thunderstorm, did you ever truly live?

He made his way off the rocky shores of the Lighthouse, despite the crashing waves hitting his feet. They knocked him over quite a few times, but a face full a' sea water n' a rock jammed in his side wasn't any new feat. Most people might find the sand up the nose and wet clothes to be uncomfortable, but for Whumpee it was just another part of life, and they tried to enjoy all of them. Even in the unpleasantries there is something to be experienced.

That experience was life itself. It was something to be cherished. Every shipwreck, every storm, every literal rock in the side, it was life. Even death was just another part of it, albeit the end.

He stepped off the rocks and onto the docks. Ships swayed in the violent rain, hitting loudly off them. He walked down them and into the coastal town, simply referred to as "The Docks" as a whole. They weren't too sure what time it was, as the clouds were just that thick, but they reckoned it had to've been midday.

The town was as rough and tumble as they came, more so than Whumpee had seen, and they'd sailed all over the world. What I meant by that is it looked like it was out of some nautical maritime fairytale. A cluttered, disheveled, seaside town, but it was medieval, too. Old timey, 15th century, and— did that Lighthouse keeper mention pirates earlier?

Sure, they're still around, they've ran into a few, but to so casually mention them like that seemed strange. Then again, they were also talking about mermaids sinking ships, so maybe the lonesome old keeper was just crazy and full of shit. Still, with curiosity at its peak, they walked down the cozy wet cobblestone streets.

Though the rain was loud and rough, they could hear the lively chatter inside the old buildings. The sound of clanking glasses, laughter, dancing, and old-timey sea shanty music boomed inside the large tavern building. The widows were open holes in the wall, covered by planks that could swing open.

Whumpee pulled opened the tavern window, and an olive skinned woman happened to be standing right against it.

"Oh, hi, sorry." Whumpee said.

"It ain't be a bother." Said the woman, a piratey accent to her voice. She took a sip of the beverage in her hand, "Mm. Besides, the air be nice, it's stuffy in this ol' place. Name's Caretaker."

"Whumpee."

"Charmed." She said, doing a raise of her glass before taking another sip, "What bring ya peerin' into taverns?"

"Just walking around, getting acquainted."

She chuckled, "Durin' a storm? You're quite the adventurous one."

"I was born out at sea, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't." He said, hoisting himself to sit on the windowsill, getting out of the rain. "There ain't a better time to get out into the open air than during a thunderstorm."

"Ain't ya frightened by it?"

"It's about risk vs. reward. Is the risk of dying out at sea greater than simply being out at sea? Is the threat of getting struck by lightning worse than the experience of being out in a thunderstorm? Does the thought of getting sick outweigh the positives of being one with nature? The answer is no, to me at least. Like, I'd much rather die in a shipwreck than of a heart attack in some dumb suburban house, you know?"

"Can't say I do, but I respect your enthusiasm."

"That's more than most people. I just really love life, and that includes all the bad things that come with it. I've gotta admit, I love me a good shipwreck."

"Oh, are you the new boat boy who crashed on the bay last week?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm surprised people know about me already."

"In a town like this, word tends to spread fast. Ain't much goin' on. How'd the grumpy ol' keeper treat you?"

"Well, he was talkin' about merfolk and stuff."

"Ah, that old bastard is always so cryptic. He is one of the merfolk. Don't know why he does it, but I suppose it's just to scare any of the humans he gets."

Whumpee furrowed their brow in confusion.

"Oh, yeah, you're new, sorry. He's a human-trapper who works with the royals. Sometimes they end up crossing over, so it's his job to turn them in."

Whumpee was incredulous, "What are you talking about?"

"Hm? What d'ya mean?" She asked, brushing her long, dark, curly hair behind her ears, letting Whumpee see they were long and pointed. Whumpee nearly choked on air as their eyes widened and heartrate accelerated. Was... was this real?

"Hey, you alright?"

"Eh, I was... just in a crash the other day, ya know? Still a bit lightheaded and all that. I— I should get going. Nice talking!" He said, jumping down from the window, shutting it, and running off down the streets back to the shores.

He practically had to crawl through the sea across the stones to the Lighthouse, the waves that stong and harsh. He kicked open the door, dripping wet.

"Back so soon?" Whumper asked, but Whumpee only had one thing on their mind.

"You sunk my ship!" He slammed the door behind him, "Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here?"

Whumper smiled, still with his cup of tea that he sat down on the table. "Welcome to The Docks."

--- --- --- ---

Hey hoped you like this! It wasn't very whumpy, but I'm currently just fighting demons (writer's block) hoping they'll go away soon. I was sat out in a thunderstorm soaking wet and wrote this while waiting for round two so then I could go shower 😂

I wasn't intending on this being anything other than a one-off, but I love the rain and sea (if you couldn't tell) and when inspiration strikes, it strikes. I now plan on continuing this, as I have a few ideas, but I'm just kinda going with it. I don't have a plot or anything but I DO know that while Whumper may seem chill now he's going to be the absolute worst later. This confident, life-loving Whumpee is about to be crushed.

Also! Since I'm continuing this, I'd like to name them! Since I have literally, actually, 300+ named characters (I listed them) I'm kinda all named out. So I'd like some suggestions! Masc/neutral names for whumpee and whumper and fem/neutral for caretaker.

[laufire]

august reading meme!

BOOKS

Burning Your Boats by Angela Carter. I got through this collection of short stories slowly but surely, and it cemented Angela Carter as one of my favourite authors. The Bloody Chamber will always have a special place in my heart, but each collection had stories that made my imagination run wild and enthralled me with their prose. Some of my favourites were "The Loves of Lady Purple," "Impressions: The Wrightsman Magdalene," or "The Scarlet House."

Olvidado Rey Gudú by Ana María Matute. This is my ASOIAF. What a long, meaty, enchanting tale, seriously. This book is the magnus opus of one of my favourite Spanish authors, and tells the story of the Kingdom of Olar from its birth to its end, over five tumultuous generations. It mixes the grounded medieval setting and outlandish fantastical elements in a very fluid prose, and following the tragic tale of woe in its pages over the last couple of months was a delight.

COMICS

The Cheshire Contract (Action Comics #613-618). I wanted to read the story of Lian going to live with Roy, for Reasons. It's good and fun and short (it occupies a small part of a larger issue, 8 pages each), so if it interests you, go for it.

Batman & Spiderman. This is part of a bunch of crossovers I haven't read, and don't plan to for now, so I was mixing some context, but I read it because Talia was there lol. I don't think DC and Marvel mix well, most of the time, but this little one-shot makes it work.

Jason Todd: Rebirth (2016-2020ish). It... had its moments. Waaaaay too much Lobdell, just as the New 52, but now that I've started the next phase to fall face-first into Cheer, of all arcs... yeah, neither is good lol. But one thing that really appealed to me was the dynamic between Jason and Bizarro; hence the cover. The other highlight was the (tragically few) interactions between Jason and Duke, especially in New Talent Showcase 2017. Give me mooooore, DC!! Other than that... well, there were many things that annoyed the hell out of me (Black Mask's writing, Bruce's EVERYTHING), but let's not get into it lol.

Green Arrow (2001). What a run. I've loved it from beginning to end, really (though a bit through the middle the art horrified me xD). It turned Mia into one of my favourite characters (and in reread, elevated a rareship into an OTP, because it really works for her character :P), which is not rare given that this is clearly where here best arcs are :D. Connor didn't have enough to do, tragically, but he's a great character and I look forward to read more about him; about Dinah&Ollie as well.

Batman: Bane of the Demon. Hi yeah just mentioning this arc to tell you guys about how Ra's apparently keeps cameras in Talia's bedroom :))) he might've been watching as she hooked up with Bane (who he unceremoneously decides she must marry to advance his plans). Let's all kill Ra's.

Batman: Death and the Maidens. A Rucka story, so you know it's good (though not particularly good to Talia lbr... I'm not bothered by *what* happens, I just wish we'd seen more of her perspective, during and especially after -though that's not a mmater of *this* run of course). Bruce's dream journey/possible visions of his parents's ghost were a highlight. Do recommend.

Truth & Justice: Hunted by the Past (#4). Way better than similar "Jason fears becoming the Joker!!!" stories, though that interpretation of the character is never going to be one I agree with. I liked seeing him with the helmet again, and the art is fun. The story gave Jason yet another pre-Robin childhood friend (this one got killed

Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Travelling Heroes. A fascinating read, especially taking it in its context and comparing it to how timid DC is about politics in current comics, IMO. This run was messy and didn't always seem to know what it was doing, and some of what it included or argued feels wrong from a modern perspective, but it dared to take risks and that's always appreciated on my part. My favourite story was the one introducing John Stewart; both for John himself, of course, but also because it was unafraid to write Hal as someone that despite good intentions and despite being a ~heroic character, had racist biases he needed to face and overcome.

Kingdom Come. This is one of those ~iconic comics that feels like a must-read; it's meaty and it raises questions and it's a run you could really sink your teeth into. And I didn't like it at all LOL. It's so... nostalgic and regressive and downright reactionary. Its fluffy epilogue does it no favours, too (other than prompting this post of mine, ig).

No Man's Land. I finally read the whole thing!!!!!! It took me SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!! And speaking of reactionary beliefs añdslfkjasf. But I did like it and enjoyed it far more than Kingdom Come, tbf (except Dixon's issues omg whyyyyy is he everywheeeeere he's so boriiiiiing). Helena Bertinelli is the uncontested star of this event AFAIC, and I won't hear otherwise. Well, Leslie, Barbara and Cass definitely shined too. And Montoya and Essen. Aaaand Harley Quinn has her introduction. And Selina has a lot of fun stealing things and screwing with everyone!!! And Talia gets Bruce to get his head out of his ass!!! Ugh, there's so much I could say about this run. The Renee & Two-Face issue. Alfred's tale of himself as Bruce's squire. Lynx and Batman's brief team-up. The Secret Files and Origins tale about a man named Jason who thinks Gotham is speaking to him, and who thanks Barbara for her service to the city. There is a lot in this arc that I'd gladly rotate in my mind forever. But Helena is my darling and THEE best Bat(man). That is all.

[ariesmusingz]

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ╱    MANIC DREAM PIXIE SENTENCE STARTERS ( created using lyrics from peach prc's manic dream pixie ep. feel free to adjust to fit your muse. )

"i know your favourite pair of jeans"

"i'll lay them out when you leave"

"i'll make you breakfast, coffee black"

"receipts told me that you like that"

"i was thinking spring, silver wedding rings"

"i've picked out all our baby names"

"i'm kind of obsessed"

"you're kinda famous"

"don't wanna be friends"

"you're not a phase"

"i know you don't know me yet"

"my obsession know you well"

"take me out backstage"

"i know all the names of every song you played"

"one day you'll write about us too"

"i can be your muse when we say i do"

"you might love me if you knew me"

"you're gonna love me soon enough"

"you're gonna love me"

"i'm your biggest fan"

"can we go outside for a walk?"

"they told me you guys were hitting it off"

"she kissed me in the bathroom"

"it's just for attention"

"i'm making her jealous"

"you guessed it"

"i'm not a good friend but she doesn't know that"

"she's gonna hate me but i want you so bad"

"kiss me"

"i'm not scared if she's gone"

"i'm done tryna play it fair"

"i don't care"

"touch me"

"i'm alone"

"i want you on your own"

"she might want you but i do too"

"baby i'm perfect for you"

"harley had a party you were at"

"you were in boots and a cowboy hat"

"jenna said you knew my music"

"now i can't betray her"

"i'm in your sweater"

"don't wanna upset her"

"i can do what she can do so much better"

"i know it's been a while since you've seen me"

"i heard you're doing well now with your comedy"

"i reminisce nostalgic bits of 90s hits"

"we listened, do you miss it?"

"have you thought of it since?"

"if you still think of me, i'd love to meet for coffee"

"if i could just see your face, i'd look into your eyes"

"i hate your jokes and don't think you're funny"

"i hope you choke, go broke, lose your money"

"know that you were the worst forty five seconds i had in my life"

"i hope your conscious haunts you at night"

"fuck you and goodbye"

"a couple therapists are now familiar"

"by the way, i caught up with your ex"

"we shared regrets and most of them were sex with you"

"i'd sit down at your table and scream if i was able"

"thanks to you, gentle hands still resemble demands"

"loving lips on my mouth feel like currency now"

"thanks to you i fear kind"

"now i can't spend the night"

"i bet we were a couple bugs just living in the mud, happily in love doing bug stuff"

"i think i met you in a store in 1944"

"i probably wrote you letters while you went off to the war"

"we could have been two birds"

"now wouldn't that be so absurd?

"maybe just lost lovers that keep getting rediscovered"

"i think i loved you before back when we were dinosaurs"

"i wanna stay in love in this life and the next one"

"i think we've already met somewhere on another planet"

"i wanna stay in love in this life and the next one"

"i loved you before"

"i loved you"

"maybe you loved me on a trip, two pirates on a ship"

"counting all our gold as the boat tipped"

"could we have been there drinking win in medieval times?"

"forever just lost lovers that keep getting rediscovered"

"if i'm the sun and you're the moon"

"if it's over soon we'll go back through"

"i try not to compare a teenage love cause i know that isn't fair"

"why can't i just shut up?"

"i'm always going on about you when i'm drunk"

"i see your name in every numberplate"

"i tried to erase your fave but you're there everyday"

"you're my favourite person"

"i have created a version that hurts less"

"I had to tell myself you're toxic"

"better off cause you're the problem"

"really, i just couldn't take it"

"being hated by my favourite person"

"i tried to fall but i can't cause they're not you"

"i hate that i'll never stop thinking that we're not still home growing up"

"i hear your tropes in all my stupid jokes"

"i'm starting to lose all hope of ever letting go"

"if the world was ending i know i'd be spending my last day pretending we were fine"

"when we both grow old with families of our own"

"i'll probably always go back in my mind"

"someone kissed my closing eyelinds"

"i made it mean more than it did"

"someone put a plate down a little too loud"

"now i still flinch whenever i hear the sound"

"as i'm getting older, i learned my mumma was just trying her best"

"not that i owe her forgiveness but i'm sorry to that girl in a dress"

"if you wanna wear pink, i'll wear it for you"

"if you wanna dance then i'll strap up my shoes"

"if you wanna sing then consider it sung"

"i'm sorry that you had to grown up this young"

"forget that love is earned cause it was always deserved"

"i know you had to work hard just to show them your worth"

"remember that a plate is nothing but a plate"

"even if it breaks, we can throw it away"

"i learned that i was only trying my best"

"i think i owe her a deep breath"

"she was the strongest little girl in a dress"

"you were the strongest little fighter who carried me here"

"i know that you're tired from surviving in fear"

"now i got us for the rest of our life"

[yuri-is-online]

My brain is whirring in the blender right now so here are the things I think twst characters would find interesting/horrifying

Atom bombs. Why would they need atom bombs? Wars were either fought with magic or swords if lilias backstory is standard war procedure. And in endless halloween, leona tells a (fake) story about a terrorist group on a yaht party or something that attacked with a magic cube. Also that whole moment with Oppenheimer where he didn't know if igniting that bomb would set off a chain reaction that would ignite all the other bombs and basically destroy the world. AND HE STILL FUCKING DID IT.

Gun. Same reasons as the atom bombs.

French revolution and the reign of terror. What do you mean 40,000 were executed and over 300,000 locked up in the time span if a few years? Why did the "french" switch between so many governments so fast? Who the hell is napoleon?

Russian revolution and Anastasia. that revolution was MESSY. But imagine telling leona or someone about how everyone thought that princess Anastasia and her brother escaped execution cause they couldn't find their bodies with the rest of the royal family. So all these middle aged women just started coming out being like "I am Anastasia", and one of these women was eventually accepted as Anastasia. Until they found out that thr royal family were submerge in vats of acid after they were killed, and because children's bones aren't quite solid, the just. Melted in the acid.

The whole mystery of those villages getting up one day and dancing themselves to death and we still don't know why.

Medieval torture devices. Like the crowd cage or when you get covered in honey and sent away on a boat to be eaten alive by bugs (jamil throws up)

The black plauge. Just. The black plauge.

Early Industrial revolution working conditions. I think even azul would get uncomfortable with those.

Mansu Musa going on tour and giving away so much gold that he collapsed entire economies.

The cold War. "Yeah so the US and the USSR were in a war-not-war because of paranoia of nuclear atom bombs but they couldn't actually go to war because if they actually went to war that would just be the end of the world so they just had a massive dick messering contest. Oh yeah! That's actually why we got the space race!"

The space race. ("The fucking moon in the sky!" "Yes azul, the moon in the sky. And Mars. And there are satellites that literally went to the cold cold edge of our solar system" "...why are you guys insane?")

American prohibition laws and the outlawing of alcohol that everyone hated so much that the government legalized alcohol again and now we have this thing called moonshine.

Mexican revolution and the solid century where their presidents just kept getting assassinated.

The greatest night in pop "we are the world". Just as a treat for the pop music club.

The entire age of exploration honestly. "What do you mean half your world didn't know the other half of the world was there until a few centuries ago?" "Oh you're gonna shit yourself when you find out what Europeans did next"

What the Europeans did next.

The world wars. Lilia has a fucking stroke while listening to it. But some of it was funny! Not really but yk! A polish bear loading an artillery Canon, an unsinkable cat, that British guy that carried a bow and arrow and played bag pipes when the nazis found him only to be the most unkillable yet unserious guy ever, a US naval captain that literally FLOODED HALF HIS SHIP on D-Day just to tilt that bitch back so they could hit the Germans better, and the US just converting a spare ship into a massive ice cream machine is pretty fucking hilarious.

The coups of the ancient past. I don't really remember who but I think this Indian (?) Prince literally threw his brother out a window, dragged him back upstairs, only to throw him out again for good measure is fucking hilarious.

The mono Lisa wasn't famous until this Guy™ stole it from a museum. The museum employs didn't even realize it was gone until someone asked where it went 💀

The way we name our countries tbh. Most of them translate to some ancient language (Spain translates to "rabbits" and Columbia is "dove"), but twst really has countries like. "Scolding Sands ✨️ and Queendom of Roses ✨️. So our country names are probably really weird to them. Especially the full country names. Do you know Hong Kongs official name? It's long as shit.

The first chainsaw was invented by two socttish doctors in the early 1800s to help with childbirth

I have many more historically rambling I could go on but this shit is getting long.

If anyone at any point wants to ramble about history they are very welcome to do so in my literal dms and not just my ask box. I love history and I love talking about it!!!

I think out of all of the things you listed the atom bomb, the space race, and the Cold War would probably be the what I think the various twst boys would find most interesting. Even in the history of our own world those things were extremely unusual, the sheer scale of something like a world war is really hard to grasp and I doubt Twisted Wonderland has had a similar event. I think the concept of such a thing would really scare the cast, though I imagine Idia, Leona, and Lilia would be grimly impressed at just how creative people can be when it comes to destroying each other. Magic isn't required to make a mess of things, sure they already knew that but oh wow. Now they're really thinking about it.

Now you know who would want to talk about all of these things? Professor Trein! He'd be really interested in learning anything and everything Yuu can remember about the history of their world. As an educator it allows him better insight into his student, and as a lover of history he gets to learn a lot of new things no one else knows.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Getting back to Marmion! Some bits of context for the last few days’ posts.

A palmer was sort of a continual pilgrim, who spent a period of time travelling to holy sights and praying. The greatest holy sight of all was Jerusalem, where the palmer in the poem has in fact been, along with a huge list of other holy sights, from Mt. Ararat where Noah’s Arc reputedly came to rest after the Flood, to Mt. Sinai, to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and in England Durham and Canterbury among others.

I think (I am not sure) palmer paid for their travels in part by donations from pious people, who might want the palmer to pray for them at some shrine. Marmion himself expresses a more lighthearted picture of palmers in general -

I love such holy ramblers; still

They know to charm a weary hill,

With song, romance, or lay:

Some jovial tale, or glee, or jest,

Some lying legend, at the least,

They bring to cheer the way.”

- and that may not be unrealistic for a category of people that could have included the medieval equivalent of a tourist with a GoFundMe. But this palmer is not of that kind - he’s haggard and gloomy, and kind of disturbing with his nighttime mutterings. But Marmion chooses to accept him as a guide all the same, and the next morning the whole group departs.

The first canto (The Castle) ended, we switch scenes and characters for the second (The Convent), to a boat travelling north, up the eastern coast of England, from Whitby to the island of Lindisfarne (also called St. Cuthbert’s Isle) with a group of nuns aboard. Now, where has Lindisfarne been mentioned in the previous canto? In the bit about Marmion’s former page:

That boy thou thought’st so goodly fair,

He might not brook the Northern air.

More of his fate if thou wouldst learn,

I left him sick in Lindisfarne:

The voyage is both a little scary and exciting for the nuns, who don’t get out much. Many of the castles the pass, like Warkworth and Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh, are ones you can still see on the Northumberland coast today.

But two of the group in particular are not having fun: the abbess (chief nun), who is not named, and the novice (i.e., has not yet taken vows and become a nun) Clare. Clare joined the convent recently after the loss of the man she loved, and in order to escape an unwelcome suitor who is trying to marry her in order to get at her property.

She was betrothed to one now dead,

Or worse, who had dishonoured fled.

Her kinsmen bade her give her hand

To one who loved her for her land;

Herself, almost heart-broken now,

Was bent to take the vestal vow,

And shroud, within Saint Hilda’s gloom,

Her blasted hopes and withered bloom.

On top of these griefs, there’s been an attempt to murder her, and the people who attempted it are now prisoners in Lindisfarne awaiting trial:

And jealousy, by dark intrigue,

With sordid avarice in league,

Had practised with their bowl and knife

Against the mourner’s harmless life.

This crime was charged ’gainst those who lay

Prisoned in Cuthbert’s islet grey.

Moving back a bit to yesterday’s entry, this is why the abbess of Whitby is going on this journey: to sit in judgement on these attempted murderers.

Sad was this voyage to the dame;

Summoned to Lindisfarne, she came,

There, with Saint Cuthbert’s Abbot old,

And Tynemouth’s Prioress, to hold

A chapter of Saint Benedict,

For inquisition stern and strict,

On two apostates from the faith,

And, if need were, to doom to death.

Lindisfarne is a tidal island: at low tide it is a peninsula that can be reached from the mainland across mudflats, but at high tide it is an island.

The tide did now its floodmark gain,

And girdled in the saint’s domain:

For, with the flow and ebb, its style

Varies from continent to isle;

As the ship reaches Lindisfarne, the nuns of Whitby on the ship sing a hymn, and the nons and monks of Lindisfarne sing one in return.

[b3llb00]

" We Pull The Tail, Now We See Who Bites. "

Robin of Loxley/ The Hood X Fem!reader.

Summary: Robin got injured during a chase to get some coins for the commoners, so Y/N offers to heal his wounds if she gets something else in return from him. ;)

A/N: I need to stop watching this movie, I’m obsessed and it’s gotten the better of me.

Contains: Kissing, 50% dom/sub reader and 50% dom/sub Rob, mentions of sex, injuries. [WILL INCLUDE: Smut, Unprotected Sex (Use Protection, Yall.) P In V, Oral (Male/Fem. Receiving) , Fingering, Creampie, Multiple Rounds. Mild Dirty Talk.]

Wc: 1.2k * I think. * (Will Prob Change.) IM COPY AND PASTING AND EDITING THIS FROM MY OLD ACCOUNT, SO DONT SAY IM A COPYCAT. THE FINISHED IMAGE WILL BE UPLOADED HERE. IF YOU WANT TO LIKE AND FOLLOW ME, LIKE AND FOLLOW THIS ACCOUNT.

DONT REPOST OR COPY MY WORK, YOU CAN REPOST WITH PERMISSION, ENJOY.

(Btw sorry if this picture is bad, just ignore John and pretend it's you lol.)

»»———-　🏹　———-««

You are setting up traps for Robin to shoot at later, when all of a sudden you hear a loud, groan from him coming upstairs, making a shiver run down your spine. When Robin was back in Arabia and you had to fight him, you ended up sparing his life, but your mercy to him didn’t do much as you still got captured and was set sail in a boat with him for 3 weeks. Surprisingly, you too starting talking and some would even call you " friends " .

You decide to go upstairs to see what Rob was groaning about, and there you saw him, shirtless, his toned torso on display. In nothing but his pants with a wet, bloody rag resting on his massive thigh where he been impaled. You had to close your eyes for a second, trying to push the weird desire you had for him to the back of your mind.

I wasn’t joking when I said the treasury itself was a hard target. You say, slowly walking toward him, this made him look up from his leg to look at you. He decides to ignore your statement and press his rag into his thigh further, making him hiss through gritted teeth. You decide to go grab your medical supplies you used whenever you two got hurt. You always had wanted to be a nurse, but ever since the Sherif of Nottingham drafted you, things changed. But I guess it’s pretty useful to know how to properly treat somebody’s wounds.

Hey! You heard Rob say from across the room, Where are you goin-

I'm getting my medical supplies, dumbass. You say back with a bit of an attitude, not wanting to be told where you’re going or what you’re doing when all you trying to do is help. Oh, sorry, love. Carry on. He said, making you turn your head to see a light smile adorning his features.

As much as you sometimes hated Robin's attitude and sarcasm, you just can’t help yourself to be mad at him. It’s almost like you're drawn under a spell that will keep you from ever getting into any sort of confrontation.

You finally got all your medical supplies and you headed to the small table that he sat in on. Letting the supplies fall from your hands, you organized it quickly, while Rob eyed you carefully the whole time.

Once you got everything ready and set up the way you wanted it, you took one more look at his thigh. ' Shit. ' You thought, his cut is too deep to get a good look at what’s going on, so you’re gonna have to find a way to ask him to take his pants off.

The cuts- uhm. You stutter, Your gonna have to take your pants off if you want me to get a good look at it and fix it.

You were looking everywhere except his face, not wanting him to see your blush-coated cheeks. Even though you weren’t looking at him, you could still feel his gaze burning a hole into the side of your head.

Just the pants or the braies too, love.? He winked at you, causing you to basically turn into putty right in front of him. (Keep in mind they didn’t really have ' boxers ' in medieval England, but they did have what were called braies. They were basically the same thing.)

You decided to try and flirt back to the best of your abilities by saying. Well, first, take your pants off, and then I’ll tell you.

This earned you a chuckle from the handsome man as he threw the bloody rag to the side and very carefully came up from his spot on the table, you watched him intently as you noticed some of the blood continued to trickle down his clothed thigh. He didn’t seem to care, he kept eye contact with you the whole time as he slowly took his pants off. To be honest it felt like an entity had passed when his pants finally hit the floor, and you weren’t disappointed, let’s just say that.. there was definitely a buldge hidden underneath the fabric of his braies, and you could actually see it growing..

You could practically hear Robin’s smirk as he called out to you, his voice low and teasing. Hey, my eyes are up here, love..

You immediately snap your gaze back up to his face, and he just has an amused expression painted all over his features. You could feel the heat start to radiate off your cheeks and your heartbeat start to pick up as you mumble out defensively. Yeah, yeah, I know.. You close your eyes for a second, trying to recompose yourself.

He takes a step forward, biting his lip to hold back a groan from the wave of pain that just shot up his leg. He cocks an eyebrow and says in a lower octave. You sure about that?

[I am currently editing this, and right here is my stopping point. If the story shifts or changes I’m sorry, I will fix it soon.]

" Hmm. If I fix up your thigh, will you give me a kiss? " You say before continuing, " I’ve always wondered if your a good kisser or not. "

He let out a small chuckle when his eyes kept flicking down to your lips. Then he finally spoke up and said, " Sure, love. " You blushed at the pet name. " Maybe I’ll give you something more than just a kiss. " He winked, making you roll your eyes at his audacity to be this flirty when he’s impaled.

" Fine, let me get my stuff.. " You say, heading away to get your medical supplies while Rob just watch you leave with a smile on his lips.

~

" Mkay, done. " You say as you wrap up his leg and stand up straight, pretty of yourself.

" Well, here’s the kiss that you wanted. " He said as he grabbed your arms, lightly pulling you in before his lips collided with yours.

It feels amazing, and you wanted to be immersed in this feeling forever. You didn’t know what to do, but you were able to make room by spreading his thighs wider so you get closer to him, which made him moan into your mouth. You smiled into the kiss, knowing it could be any moment when John could walk upstairs and see you two start to make out like teenagers, you didn’t care. You just wanted to feel Rob, you wanted his weight on top of you, you wanted him to pin you against the wall and fuck you till your legs went numb and you were cockdrunk.

He wrapped his muscular arms around your waist, pulling you closer and you felt his buldge in his pants grow. You let go of his lips for air and you almost whined at the loss of contact.

" Sorry, love. I don’t want us to get caught. " Rob said with a frown. You cupped his cheek with your hand and kiss him again softly before saying. " It’s fine, we can continue later. "

~

[i-am-baechu]

Forever (M)

Genre: Space Pirate! Yoongi, Weapon Shifter! Reader, ancient magic, quest time lol, romance, fluff, smut, violence and angst

Summary: The nation of Qepriotan was a doormat nation because of the overruled space pirates and bandits. There was a time when it was thriving but it was all taken away when the Marigold saber went missing. Centuries later, Yoongi’s father thinks he's found the said saber and will use it to become king of Qepriotan. When he requested Yoongi to steal the saber, he was met with something he wasn’t expecting from touching it. A beautiful girl with dark orange eyes stared at him with a blank face.

Warnings: Bad parents, sex (lol), kind of a slow burn, and violence

Authors note: Hey guys! I got fucking sick from the sun. I went to visit my grandma and it was so hot that my body went lol. I would die in the medieval ages. Sorry for the wait!

The nation of Qepriotan was once beautiful. Trees cover every inch with rivers as clear as diamonds flowing through. It was safe and the King, Lee Shin, made sure to keep it like this with the Marigold saber or L/N Y/N. It wasn’t until his son, Cho, started showing signs of anarchy. Shin accepted this because he blamed himself for his son’s attitude. Paying more attention to being a king than being a father and realizing it later when it meant nothing to Cho. In his eyes son, he will always be wrong and there was nothing he could do about it. Fearing the worst, he sent Y/N away to a secret location. Obviously, it wasn’t that secret because this is where our story starts when a space pirate's son touched this mystic weapon and his fate was changed, forever... 

“Yoongi! Stop daydreaming and look at the map!” Min Yoongi sighed to himself and looked away from the stars to look at one of the crewmates with a frown. Yoongi was the captain's son which means no one would hurt him but that just meant physically. The crew hated Yoongi and that was because he didn’t do much on the boat. He would always be in his room looking out his window or playing his piano. He barely talked to anyone that included his father, the crew put together that he thought he was better than them. 

This wasn’t the case. Yoongi hated his father and everything he did. He thought it was wrong of him to steal from nations or just stealing in general. He watched his father steal from the poor and the rich like he was riding a bike. His father loved Yoongi with all his heart and wanted to give him the life that he never had. The only way he was going to do this was by stealing what he wanted or what he thought Yoongi would like. Yoongi’s mother passed away when he was young so he didn’t really have an opinion on her. He heard from others that she was kind and was a well-educated woman (which was rare for pirate wives). Yoongi’s only real opinion of her was that she was beautiful and he was glad that he looked like her.   

Yoongi followed the crewmate to where his father was to look at the map. His father was too busy talking to someone to even notice Yoongi coming into the room and he felt better because of that. He sat at the table and looked at the screen with a bored look. He didn’t understand why he had to look at the map when everyone else could do the same. Looking at the map is boring until it beeps, which is what is happening now. 

“Captain! We're on the island!” 

Why did he even need me here? His dad turned around and looked at Yoongi with excitement, “Yoon, when did you come in?”

He didn’t answer him because his father walked away to the steering wheel. Yoongi shrugged his shoulders and left the area with annoyance. They were in Qerpiotan and he knew that it was going to be boring. No one lives here anymore and he didn’t really know the story behind it but he also didn’t want to know. He was about to go back to his room when he heard a soft voice. He raised his eyebrow and looked around with a confused look. The soft voice was singing but he couldn’t figure out any of the words. He walked away from his room and down the hall more to see if the answer was there but there was nothing, “What the hell?” 

“Yoongi! Your father needs you!” 

Yoongi sighed and put his hand up letting the crewmate know he heard him. He heard footsteps walking away but he still heard that soft voice. It was alluring but he thought he was going crazy. He entered the main room and crossed his arms over his chest as his father gave him a wide grin, “I have good news.” 

“What?” 

“I picked you to take the Marigold saber.” 

Yoongi heard the crew around grunt at this but he just raised his eyebrow at his dad, “Why me?” 

“I thought you would like this. Marigolds were your mother's favorite flower.”

Yoongi sighed and nodded his head, “Fine...I’ll do it.” He knew what his dad was doing. Whenever he wanted Yoongi to do something, he would throw his mother into it. It was annoying and yes, Yoongi could easily say no but his heart told him to do it. 

His father smiled at him and nodded his head, “I can’t wait for you to see the saber. I heard Lee Shin, the king, put magic into the sword.” 

Yoongi raised his eyebrow and looked outside at the ruins of Qepriotan, “Magic?” 

“It’s just a rumor...Now go son, go get the saber.”

Yoongi nodded his head and saw that everyone was glaring at him in the room. Annoyed that they were mad at him for this, they should be annoyed at his father; It wasn’t his decision. He walked down the hall towards the exit and that soft voice started to come back to his ear. It was beautiful and soft, it made him frozen. He just wanted to know where this voice was coming from. He shook his head and exited the ship onto the glider to go down to the ruins. He started to go down and the voice only got louder, he wondered if everyone could hear it or if was he just going crazy. 

He parked the glider next to the rundown castle and he tilted his head at the building. It was ruined but it looked like it was ruined on purpose. He looked back at the ship and then back at the castle, how did his father find this place? He took out his knife and started cutting off the vines that were blocking the door. He kicked the door open and looked around to see pure darkness. The moment he opened the door, the singing got louder. As if he was in the same room with the unknown person. He took out his flashlight and went inside the building.

Out of all the buildings that he was forced to explore, this was different. He couldn’t explain but the aura that this castle was giving made him feel safe. He had no idea how to explain it. He went deeper into the castle and the singing only got louder so he followed the voice. Forgetting the saber altogether, the singing was clouding his mind and he wanted to figure this out. 

He opened another door and some vines hit his head but he ignored it. He walked into another room and saw there was light coming through the cobblestone roof onto something on the floor. The singing stopped and he looked around to see if the singing would come back but alas it didn’t. He walked towards the light and saw the saber staring at him. He tilted his head at the saber and gently touched the gold metal but when he touched it, the singing came back and a bright light blinded him. He looked away from the light and when he looked back, his eyes widened. There was a girl with dark orange eyes staring back at him with a blank expression. She was dressed in a simple light blue dress that stopped at her thighs but the dress was clearly from a different century.   

She blinked her eyes and tilted her head at him as he did the same. She gently placed her hand on his cheek and a small smile appeared on his lips, “H-Hello...”

Yoongi sat there in shock and swallowed some spit, “Hey...are you the Marigold saber?” 

“Y-Yes.” He nodded his head and looked down at her hand on his cheek. He felt his body get hotter when she leaned forward with her blank face, “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. Are you okay?”

She put her hand down and looked around with a confused face, “What happened? Where's Shin?”

Yoongi's eyes widened at this and gave her a confused look, “King Shin? He’s been gone...it’s been centuries since he's been alive...” 

Her face turned into shock and she looked away from Yoongi to look at the plants around them, “H-He’s gone?” 

“I’m sorry....” 

“It was...it was only a matter of time. I wished he never hid me away, I just wanted to say goodbye.” 

Yoongi felt sad for the girl but he was awkward. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, he never comforted anyone in his life. Especially a girl, “Do you have a name?” 

“Yes, I do. L/N Y/N. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Min Yoongi. Can you stand up?” 

She raised her eyebrow and nodded her head slowly, “I’m sure I can.” 

He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous manner, “What the hell am I going to tell Dad?” 

Y/N slowly got up but her legs were shaking and she finally gave in. She fell back on her bottom and looked up at Yoongi with an embarrassed look, “I’m sorry for asking but can you help me?” 

Yoongi glanced down at her and nodded his head, “Yeah.” He put his hand out and she gently placed her hand into his larger one. Their eyes locked onto each other and Yoongi saw her eyes flash towards him. Her hand fit right in his hand but he thought nothing of it, he was just helping a girl up. He brought her up slowly and she fell into his chest. She looked up at him with big eyes and gave him a small smile, “I’m sorry...I guess it’s been a while since I used my legs.” 

“Centuries to be exact.” 

She rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh, “Don’t remind me. Did you hear my singing?” 

He looked down at her and nodded his head, “That’s how I found you, why?”

“That means you're my next wielder.” 

“W-What!?” 

She moved away but intertwined their fingers together with a small smile, “Those who hear singing from weapons are the next wielder...do they not teach you this?” 

Yoongi glanced down at their hands and then back at her with a confused look, “There is no wielder or whatever...I have never heard of that before.” 

“Pity...Well, there is now.”

“How do you change into a sword?” 

She smiled at this and leaned towards his face as Yoongi watched her with wide eyes, “Each wielder is different. With Shin, he would use a mind link with me but with you it's different. It’s a physical touch.” 

“You’ve been holding my hand this whole time and nothing. I think you're just making this up.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She stood on her tippy toes and placed her forehead on his, “Close your eyes.”

He rolled his eyes but he did what she told him to do. As soon as he closed his eyes, the touch on his forehead disappeared and a new weight appeared in his hands. He opened his eyes and saw the saber staring right back at him, “What the hell?” 

“I told you it was different. Now to change me back, touch the orange crystal.” 

“What the fuck is going on today?” He gently touched the crystal and with flashing lights, Y/N was in front of him again. She gave him a small smirk as he looked at her with a blank expression (it was a lot to take in), “See I told you.”

He sighed and rubbed his forehead roughly. His watch started beeping and cursed under his breath. He pushed a button on the watch and brought it up to his mouth, “What?”

“Are you having trouble, son?” 

This isn’t what I need right now. “I’m fine. I’ll be up there in a few minutes.” 

“Okay, son.” 

He glanced at Y/N as she watched with her head tilted, “What’s that?” 

“A watch. I need you to turn back into the sword.” 

“Okay, where are we going?” 

Yoongi let out a fake laugh and shook his head, “Home, I guess.” 

The ship erupted in cheers when Yoongi entered the main room. He gave an awkward smile and nodded his head toward everyone, “Are they always this loud? I guess that's fun.”

Yoongi wanted to laugh but he kept it in. His father went up to him and put his hand on his shoulders with a proud smile, “How do you feel?”

“The same, I guess.”

“I’m going to let you keep it. You deserve it.”

“Thanks...” 

Yoongi walked back to his room and locked the door. He touched the orange crystal and Y/N gave him a comforting smile, “You really don’t like your dad.”

“You can say that. Do you eat?” 

Y/N let out a small laugh and nodded her head, “Of course, I eat.”

“Well I didn’t know...I’ll make you some soup.”

“I can help you cook, I used to cook for the maids.” 

Yoongi nodded his head and walked towards his small kitchen with Y/N behind him. He took all the ingredients out and watched Y/N organize them in the corner of his eye. He was shocked at how well they got along. She was cheerful and well the opposite of Yoongi. He also noticed that her eyes would get brighter whenever she looked at him but he just assumed it was because she was different. 

They sat at the dinner table with empty bowls and Yoongi had some questions, “So...you change into a weapon.” 

“Yes, I am. I thought we made that clear.” 

He rolled his eyes as she let out a small laugh, “But how? Did you get picked by some higher being or what?” 

“My parents were weapons.” 

“You had parents?” 

She nodded her head and looked down at the bowel with a frown, “Technically they are my parents but I wouldn’t call them that. Shin was my only father figure...Weapons don’t normally have a happy family. Parents are always gone while you go away to specialty schools. I went for wind and sound waves, just like my parents...I didn’t even know their name, that’s how much I didn’t know about them.” 

“Did you ever talk to them?”

“After I turned five, I never saw them again. Never really looked for them either. Weapons get born just like humans but they're lonelier, I suppose.” 

At least we have that in common, “How old are you technically?” 

“Technically I’m around 300 I think...but in human age, I’m 28 ish.” 

“I’m older than you then in that department.” 

She tilted her head at him and looked him up and down, “How old are you then?” 

“I’m 30.”

“You don’t look thirty.”

“Thank you? We should change you back to the saber in case they come into my room in the morning.”

She nodded her head but before their foreheads could touch. She kissed his cheek and gave him a wide smile. This made Yoongi smile but he quickly wiped it off when she turned back into the saber. He sent the weapon next to him on the bed and he sighed to himself, “What a day...” 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

There’s nothing like waking up in the morning with the sirens going off and yelling. Yoongi got up and touched the orange crystal by accident making Y/N appear with a scared expression, “What’s going on?” 

“I’m not sure...but whatever it is, it’s not good. Go back into your weapon form, I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

She nodded her head and touched his forehead gently. He placed the saber in his belt loop and made it out of his room in a panic. Everyone was running around with panic on their faces, which can mean many things. One of the things that Yoongi was thinking about was that someone is attacking the ship. He went to the captain's headquarters and tried his best to avoid everyone running in the opposite direction. Yoongi opened the door and saw his father clicking buttons at his desk, “Dad what’s going on?”

“Someone is attacking us, you need to go with Namjoon and Jin.”

“What? Why?”

“They’re after the saber, you need to go now.”

Yoongi hated his dad but he didn’t want to leave his dad to die alone. Yoongi shook his head at his dad and stood his ground, “I’m not leaving you.” 

“Yoongi, there’s already a boat waiting for you. They will take care of you, I will call you when things are okay again. Okay?”

Yoongi sighed and knew that he couldn’t argue with his dad on this, “Fine. Good luck.”

He ran out of the room and towards the back of the ship to leave. With each step he took, the heavier his heart felt. This could be the last time he sees his dad again and that’s how he left him, he sounded so evil but he couldn’t help it. “Yoongi, It’s okay. Please don’t say those things about yourself.” 

“It’s hard Y/N, I feel like I am evil. My mother is probably looking down at him with disappointment and I can’t blame her.” 

“Enough. You don’t deserve this treatment, especially from yourself.”

“Fine, Y/N. I’ll stop.” 

He opened the door and saw Namjoon and Jin talking to each other not seeing that he entered. Namjoon and Jin were his father’s closest guards and he grew up with them. He didn’t talk to them at all but he was familiar with them, that’s better than nothing. He let out a small cough and they turned to look at him with a small smile. Jin was the first one to move forward toward him, “Yoongi, are you okay? This can be a lot.” 

“I’m okay...thank you, guys, for coming with me and protecting me.” 

Namjoon nodded his head with a tight smile, “Of course, we need to get going before things turn for the worse.” 

Yoongi nodded his head and followed them onto the boat. Namjoon spawned out of the glider while Jin turned on the engine. Jin pushed a button and the gate opened letting Yoongi see the blue sky with the clouds welcoming him to a new adventure. The boat started and they were off. Yoongi glanced down at the saber and sighed to himself, What the hell is going to happen?

Jin glanced down at the saber and smiled, “I heard so much about the marigold saber.”

“Like what?”

“I know that she transforms into a human, that kind of stuff.”

The silence on the boat made Yoongi feel uncomfortable but he quickly shook his head, “W-What do you mean?”

“Namjoon is my weapon. You don’t have to hide it from us.” 

Yoongi glanced at Namjoon and then back at Jin, “Did my father know this? About the saber?”

“If he did, he never told us. Namjoon knew because he felt a connection at the temple. He assumed you were the next wielder for the marigold saber.”

Yoongi took the saber out of his belt loop and stared down with a sigh escaping. He touched the crystal and Y/N appeared looking at them with a shocked look, “There are other weapons! Yoongi told me there was no more.” 

Namjoon let out a small laugh and kept his eyes on the sky, “There isn’t a lot left. So, of course, Yoongi wouldn’t know they existed.” 

She turned towards Yoongi with a frown, “You lied to me.” 

Yoongi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t know, there’s a difference.” He glanced back at Jin with a serious look, “Where are we going?” 

“We need to go to Phiaserat. We have to have the council know that the Marigold is back in existence and has a new wielder.”

Yoongi glanced at Y/N and then back at Jin, “How long would that take?”

“At least a week because we have to stop in a town for gas. Hopefully-”

Before Jin could finish his sentence, something hard hit the boat and caused it to get damaged. The hit was so hard that Y/N fell backward into Yoongi’s arm and with a natural response, he wrapped his arms around her waist holding her tight. Protecting her from whatever will happen. Jin glanced over his shoulders and saw that they were the same pirates that were attacking the main ship. Jin glanced at Y/N with a serious expression, “We need to fight them.” 

Y/N’s face turned into a shock and glanced at Namjoon, “How are we going to fight them? I-I-”

“Namjoon transforms into a gun and you can use your special powers. We need to act fast before it turns bad. Let’s go.” 

Y/N nodded her head and turned towards Yoongi, “Are you ready?”

He nodded his head and as soon as their foreheads touched, he was ready to fight. Namjoon set the glider on autopilot and prayed that it could glide safely to the ground. Jin snapped his fingers and Namjoon transformed into a sniper rifle. He turned towards Yoongi and nodded his head, “Good luck.”

“Thanks?” Yoongi glanced down at the sword and sighed, “What are you doing Y/N?”

“Walk on air.”

“A fucking excuse me?” 

“Trust me okay. Just go on the edge and take a step, I’ll take care of the rest. Okay?”

Yoongi leaned forward and looked down, only now realizing how high they were. He swallowed his spit and nodded his head, “You won’t kill me?”

“Yoongi, no. I won’t kill you okay? Trust me.”

Jin looked through his small scope and aimed at the crew shooting cannons toward them, “Namjoon are you ready?” 

“Always.”

With that, Jin shot a bullet but it wasn’t a normal one. The bullet was covered in poison making sure whoever was hit was brought down. The bullet flew through the sky and hit the crew in the chest. The loud gasp echoed through the air and he held his chest in pain. The poison quickly went through his skin and he started coughing up blood. Jin smirked at this, “Good job, Joon.” 

Yoongi nodded his head and put his foot on the ledge. He closed his eyes and put his foot out, “Please don’t kill me.” He put his foot out and when put his weight down, he didn’t fall. He looked down and saw an air bubble holding him up, “Oh, thank god.”

“I told you to trust me.” 

Yoongi started walking slowly and then he started running towards the boat, “Y/N, what do I do?”

“We’ll use my soundwave, it will be powerful enough to send them backward and away from us. Just swing the sword forward and I'll take care of it.” 

“Okay, I trust you.” He did what he was told and watched the waves erupt from the metal. They were so powerful against his palm that he watched his skin vibrate. He held his ground and when the sound waves hit the boat, they were sent back with them screaming away. Yoongi watched them and put his saber down with a shocked face, “You're really strong...”

“It was because you trust me...we have a bond now you know.”

“Thanks...thanks for not letting me die?” 

“You're not good with words.”

“I’m sorry...”

“No, no...I like it.”

Before Yoongi could say anything, Jin yelled out to them, “Guys come back!!! We need to try and land this boat!” 

“Can we do that, Y/N?”

“Of course, we can. We can do anything together.”

Yoongi smiled to himself and felt his heart flutter a bit. He yelled back to Jin, “We’ll land this boat!”

“Okay! Once we land, we’ll fix the boat. We’ll camp for tonight!” 

Night time came and everyone was sitting by the fire. Jin made everyone soup and he was sitting next to Namjoon talking about something. Y/N looked at Yoongi and gave him a small smile, “I’m going to the river.”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “For what?” 

“I just want to be by the water. It's peaceful, want to come?” 

Yoongi glanced at Jin and saw that he was immersed in the conversation with Namjoon, he probably wouldn’t notice. He looked back at Y/N and nodded his head, “Sure...”

She stood up and when he followed her, she intertwined their fingers together and whisked him off. They went through the tall trees and Yoongi couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was so lively and had this gentleness to her that he couldn’t explain it. They made it towards the river and she turned towards him with excitement, “Are you ready?”

“What are we doing exactly?”

She tilted her head towards that, allowing the moonlight to highlight her eyes, “We’re going to walk on water together and sit. We can learn more about each other.” 

He nodded his head and held his hand out toward her. She glanced down at his hand and then back at him with a small laugh, “Do you want me to hold your hand?” 

“Isn’t that how-”

“I do want to hold your hand.”

She placed her hand on his and gently pulled him towards her. The two put their feet on the river and they started to head towards the center. Y/N glanced at Yoongi and stopped, “Is this okay?”

“This is fine.” The two sat on the water and he glanced down at the water, “Is this your air power?” 

“Yeah, unless you want to take a swim.” 

He let out a small laugh and she looked at him with a surprised look, “Wow! You actually laughed and it didn’t sound sarcastic.”

“I can laugh, you just have to be funny.”

“I am funny, you're just boring.” 

He scoffed at this and gently flicked her forehead causing her to laugh. She rubbed her forehead and he glanced down at her with a soft smile on his face. When she opened her eyes she saw that he was looking at her and she suddenly felt shy, she’s never felt this way before. She bit her lip and glanced down at his hand. She placed her hand on top of his, making Yoongi glance down, “You really like my hands.” 

“I do...they make me feel safe.” 

“That’s good. I make you feel safe with me?”

She nodded her head and looked up at him with a sincere look, “I do...I want to protect you.”

“Likewise.”

Her eyes widened and she leaned forward with sparkles in her eyes, “You want to protect me?” 

He felt his face get hot at how close she was and he nodded his head, “Of course I want to protect you...”

“That makes me so happy.”

“Why? Shin protected you.”

“With you it's different.”

He glanced at her and then back at the moon with his red face, “Is that a good thing?”

“It is...I like different things. I like you.” 

“I-I like you too..”

She looked at him and smiled. She leaned her head against his arm and he was shocked at the action but he didn’t hate it. He brought his arm up to wrap around her shoulder and she couldn’t help herself from nuzzling her head into his arm. They stayed like that with the moonlight shining on them and the fireflies surrounding them. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It took the group two weeks to fix the boat. It took them a week to find the supplies and then another week to fix the boat. During the two weeks, Y/N and Yoongi went to the river almost every night to spend time together. She learned about his childhood and he learned about her time with the king. Jin and Namjoon noticed the two getting closer and thought it was cute, which is why it took two weeks. They wanted the two to get closer. 

Within two weeks, Yoongi didn’t hear anything from his father. He was worried about his father but he knew that his father was hard to kill, he had to be alive, right? He asked Jin and Namjoon if they heard anything from the crew or even his father but nothing. They told him that the attack could’ve hit the communication line and that's why. He was hoping that was the reason.   

They went forward to Phiaserat and during this time, Yoongi missed those times he had with Y/N. It was peaceful, he didn’t have to keep an eye out for danger and drove the ship once in a while. He just wanted to be with Y/N and he didn’t know why exactly. They stopped at the town that was near Phiaserat and decided today was going to be a free day. Jin and Namjoon went off to look at swords while Y/N took Yoongi to a cafe.

Yoongi opened the door for Y/N and she ran into the building with excitement. She looked at the menu and pointed at it, making Yoongi smile softly, “They have white cake, we haven’t had that for a long time.” 

“We never had it together.”

“Oh? Really? Let’s change that now.” 

He let out a laugh and ordered the two cakes as Y/N found them a seat. The two sat together and she looked at the busy walkway with a smile, “It’s so fun here.”

“It’s loud but it’s not too bad.” 

“I like it. They're going to have a flower festival, I saw it on a flier. It’s going to be in the main square, can we go?” 

He saw her looking at him with that innocent look and he couldn’t help his face getting red, “Yeah we can go.” 

“Oh, that’s so exciting! I love flowers, they're so pretty.” 

Just like you. The two ate their cakes as Y/N continued to show her excitement about the flower festival but as she did it, there was some icing on the corner of her mouth. Yoongi leaned forward and gently brushed away the icing with his thumb which caused Y/N to freeze in her spot. His thumb felt so soft against her skin and it made her feel so shy. He saw her shy expression and a smirk appeared, “You okay?”

“I-I’m okay.” 

The sun went down and evening arrived. The sky was light purple with orange hues, it was beautiful. The two went to the town square holding hands as everyone in town was getting excited about the festival. All around there were flower booths and Yoongi took a marigold off. He tapped Y/N’s shoulder causing her to turn around with a confused face. Yoongi gave her a soft look and pushed some hair back, placing the flower into her hair. 

She let out a small giggle and kissed the side of his hand, “You need a matching one now.” 

She grabbed another marigold and placed it behind his ear with a shy smile. She placed a kiss on his cheek. When she pulled away, she grabbed his wrist and went towards the front to watch the different flower floats. She clapped her hands when each float went by but he couldn’t focus on the flowers, only on her. When the last float came by, she went toward them and started talking to them. Yoongi smiled to himself as he watched interact with everyone. It was nice to see her so excited to talk to anyone. He looked away for a second when he heard excited gasps, it was just a jester handing out flowers to the little kids. He let out a small chuckle but that chuckle quickly disappeared when he saw a man talking to Y/N. It was clear he was interested in her with the way he kept leaning towards her and this annoyed him. He glared at the scene and walked towards them with heavy footsteps. 

“I like these flowers because-AH!”

Yoongi grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the guy. Before he left, he sent one last glare to him, “Let’s go, Y/N.”

“Eh?”

Yoongi continued to drag her and she looked at his back with a confused look, “Yo-Yoongi? What’s wrong?” Yoongi didn’t answer the question as they went down the long alleyway. He gently pushed her against the wall and slammed his hand near her head. She tilted her head at him as he leaned towards her, “Yoongi, are you okay?”

“I don’t like him near you...”

“Eh? He was just asking about flowers..”

“He was too close.”

“Eh-”

Yoongi leaned down and gently placed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened at the softness but she slowly closed them when she melted in the kiss. He tilted his head and his tongue slowly entered into her mouth as she accepted it. He leaned away and looked down at her face to see her cheeks bright red and out of breath. He went down to his neck and she let out a small moan when she felt him kissing his neck, “Yoongi~! We're outside...”

He moved his hand up her thighs and brought her into another kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in closer as his hand went up higher. He pulled away and brought his hand up to gently grab her boob. She grabbed his wrist and covered her mouth as she let out another moan, “Yoongi~..” 

“Fuck, Y/N, turned around.” 

“Eh?” 

She turned around and she looked over her shoulder to see Yoongi unbuckling his pants. She felt her face get hotter when she saw his length glistening in the light above him. He moved up his shirt and looked down to see a big wet spot. He let out a small groan at the sight, she looked back at him with her big eyes, “Y/N fuck...” 

He grabbed his cock and took a deep breath before putting it in, just the thought of him being in her was making him go crazy. She let out a loud moan when she felt him and couldn’t help getting louder, “Y/N...your voice...”

He put his hand over her mouth and she started to suck on his fingers. His eyes widened at this and he felt his body get hotter. He turned her head and looked at her with a shy face, “Do-Don’t let other guys talk to you like that...only I can.” 

She blinked her eyes at this and she let out a wide smile appear on her red face, “Yes!~” 

He leaned down and kissed her again as he thrust into her. He swore he could die at that moment. Her soft lips on his and the way she was tight around him was making him lose focus. This was the greatest feeling for the both of them. He didn’t want this to end. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

“Just go down the hall and the door on the left is the council.” Jin gave the guard a smile and went up to the group with a smile. They were finally in Phiaserat, this was a big moment for Yoong and Y/N, this was going to let her stay with him forever and no one could rip her away from him. They knew what could happen to their well-being if they did that. The relationship between Yoongi and Y/N became stronger, they weren’t together per se but they knew they had a strong bond. A bond that made both of their hearts flutter. 

“Are you guys ready?” 

Y/N glanced at Yoongi and nodded her head, “I’m ready. Yoon, are you ready?”

“I’m ready.” 

He grabbed her hand and gave her a small smile as she returned it. Namjoon glanced at Jin and gave him a thumbs up at the scene in front of them. They all walked towards the door and before they opened Y/N glanced at Yoongi with a nervous smile, “Are you sure you want this?”

He raised his eyebrow at her and nodded his head, “Of course I want this.”

“Are you sure? You're going to be with me forever.”   

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Her eyes widened and she felt her face get hot, “Really?” 

“Really.” 

Jin opened the door and They saw seven men sitting on a raised platform making sure they were looking down at whoever entered. Y/n’s grip got tighter and Yoongi rubbed her knuckles to relax her. One of the men at the platform leaned forward to look at her and then at Jin, “Registration?” 

“Correct sir.” 

“Will the weapon and wielder step forward so we can start the process?” 

Y/N and Yoongi did what they were asked to do. While Y/N felt scared under their eyes, Yoongi was standing strong, wanting nothing but to have Y/N to be with him forever. Another man spoke up and it caused Y/N to jump, “Names.” 

“Min Yoongi.” 

“L/N YN.”

The room got quiet and this made her feel even more uneasy. There was a loud gasp and the same man that asked them to step forward, got down his platform. He walked towards her and she wanted to disappear, “You're the Marigold saber...it’s been centuries since we’ve heard of you.” 

She glanced at Yoongi and then back at the man, “I am...”

“This is your wielder? We can't go with him.”

Yoongi glared at him and moved in front of her, “And why is that?” 

“She’s royal property.” 

“The fuck she is. I’m her wielder and you are not taking her away from me.”

The man glared at Yoongi and let out an unamused laugh, “You can’t be serious. She should be used for research.”

“You are not touching her.”

“Guards!” 

Yoongi's eyes widened and watched the doors open to see guards coming in with swords. Namjoon and Jin glared at the guards that were surrounding them. Yoongi pushed Y/N to be completely behind him as he glared at the guards all around them, “What do you think you're doing?” 

“I told you we need her for research, she should be a part of the museum.” 

“You're not going to take her away from me. It’s not happening.” 

“You’re doing a disservice to this country-”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, “I’m not even here from this country.” Before anyone could say anything, the roof above broke and people landed around them. Yoongi was shocked when the person turned around, “Dad?” 

“Go to the third floor and complete the registration. Once you do that, they can’t take her away from you.”

“Dad-”

“Go now.” 

Yoongi nodded his head and turned towards Y/N, “Are you ready?”

“Always, with you.”

They touched their foreheads and Yoongi was ready to fight. Yoongi drew an “X” in the air and blasted away the guards that were blocking their way. He glanced at Jin and Namjoon, “You ready.” 

“Let’s go!” 

Namjoon transformed into two pistols and Jin followed Yoongi up the stairs. There was screaming and groans that echoed through the building. Jin with his skilled shooting was making things easier for Yoongi and with Y/N’s power, the soundwaves echoed through the stoned stairwell. Jin shot someone in the head and looked at Yoongi, “Go into the room! It’s on the left!” 

Yoongi ran and opened the door wide. He closed the door and locked the door as there was banging on the wooden door. He touched the orange crystal and watched Y/N look at him with a determined look, “Are you ready?” 

“Forever?”

He cupped her face and brought her in a quick kiss,“Forever.”

[bugflies00]

RIGHT so the pirate au

well it's nothing very original don't get your hopes up or anything BUT. basically it's mainly lmancrew (with a crimeboys focus) and tntduo centered and it's set in like a medieval-esque fictional setting like basically six of crows minus the magic. like i literally typed six of crows into pinterest to get good images those are the vibes

wilbur's captain of this ship called the l'manberg (ok no but i hesitated between naming the ship or their og town lmanburg but i ended up naming the ship that because i just think it's such a good ship name like . she/her in a boat way. does this make sense) and the crew is niki, jack, eret, fundy and tubbo (well obviously theres more people cause how would a ship Function but the rest of those are Unnamed background characters).

wilbur's also a pretty high ranked official like idk general or captain of the guard idk how the military works i would have to figure that out, but basically he's kinda famous and so's his ship. they aren't participating in a war it's more of like an explorer position because wilbur's known for being a brilliant cartographer and so the previous king just kinda appointed him to this new position to let him fuck off & do his own thing mapping the whole world with his crew. the issue is the old king died with no heir and replaced by his nephew (dream) who's much more controlling and power-hungry than he was and who doesn't want to waste money & resources on some bs like maps. this will create Conflict (im so good at narration guys. Help)

tommy's like a homeless orphan (as he alwyas is) and really needs a job and money and all that and he hears the l'manburg isn't at sea for once and wilbur & his crew are taking a rest at the capital for a couple days before sailing back off again. naturally he sneaks in, lives in the storage room for like a week or two, surviving off scraps of food . then tubbo stumbles across him and almost reports him, but tommy convinces him not to and so tubbo helps him for a couple days. then someone else finds him, and he's brought to the captain and they all threaten to throw the stowaway overboard (they wouldn't actually they're all kinda softies) and tommy's like pissing himself from how scared he is especially cause wilbur's like . this really famous general who's had books and songs written about him and shit (he doesn't know yet hes just an annoying pretentious prick (/lovingly)) so he's like Ohmygod im dead and then wilbur's like . "Can you cook" "erm no" "can you clean" "yeah ig" "Can you fight even somewhat decently" "yeah bitch me and my knives are the best they call me th-" "Ok you're hired" AND THUS tommy joins the crew

and so they keep on sailing with their mission yadda yadda and WHAM they encounter the most notorious pirate crew of the continent, named, you guessed it, las nevadas. and tommy's heard a lot of proper horror stories about them and he's terrified but the crew have fought them off a bunch of times before so they're mainly annoyed because they're gonna have to deal with the frankly disgustingly homoerotic rivalry that their captain and the pirate captain have been passionately engaging in for several years now. THATS RIGHT TNTDUO BABY oh they are so pathetic and so gay it's actually embarrassing they'll have like sword duels . wilbur's the uptight, bitchy, and somewhat pretentious general with perfectly styled hair and ornate coat always huffing and puffing and waxing poetry meanwhile quackity's the fuckin bad boy stereotype with like a half unbuttoned poet or blackshirt (slut) (wilbur cannot stop staring its embarrassing) and he's always hanging off ropes and shit and doing sick acrobatics and taunting wilbur GOD they're so. and yeah they have sword duels where all they do is "distract the opponent" in order to "efficiently win the battle" which is code for "practically make out while hurling insults at each other"

also crimeboys is like "in awe of the legendary general" "who is this child on my boat" >>> "oh my god the general's a prick" "oh my god the child's a demon" >>> "maybe he's not that bad but i would rather die and curse his entire family line than admit that" >>> "that is my brother i would die for him and if you lay a hand upon him you won't have hands anymore" (the funny thing is they both end up with that same level of protectiveness and making the same threats despite wilbur being a like Adult and high ranked official with power and influence and decades of training of elaborate swordsmanship behind him . and tommy is a stowaway fifteen year old orphan with three knives and teeth and a whole lot of anger . but they're both like "no i must protect and die for the other" im sorry i just love them ok theyre so stupid) i just LOVE crimeboys having to go through begrudging bonding instead of instantly being ride or die brothers GIVE ME TO MORE ENEMIES TO FRIENDS TO BROTHERS anyway

also we also get emerald duo in the form of them being co-captains (please pretend that is a thing i know Nothing about anything ever) of this other ship and they're like independent merchants or whatever idk i have not figured out that whole bit yet MY POINT IS they're not affiliated with anyone they just sorta do their own thing and only help people if they want to or are indebted . they help out wilbur sometimes cause he's a dumbass

speaking of wilbur like i said he's had books and songs written about him (his age is kind of a grey zone like on one hand he's pretty young for a general but he's also had time to become this like famous and mysterious figure so can't be Too young . so i think probably like 27-29? smth like that) and one of them was a legend about how he fell in love with a mermaid . yes she had red hair and teal scales and her name was sally BUT SHE'S STILL AN OCEAN MERMAID I KNOW SALMONS LIVE IN RIVERS anyway . also for little tntduo crumbs he's called quackity a siren multiple times (in his mind he's insulting him like "ooh you manipulate people" and everyone around him is like "that is the Gayest thing you could possibly have said") and quackity's like "didnt you date a mermaid" "yeah but sirens are like evil mermaids" "so you want to date me" and then wilbur stabs him

ALSO more about wilbur's character development (this is a bit spoilerish but also it's not like im ever writing this full fic so you're not exactly risking much but just be warned) he starts out like i said as this really uptight military official who started when he was really young and trained really hard and flew through the ranks really fast because he worked his ass off . And so he's Very protective of his rank & title & prestige not so much because he's snobbish but because he worked so hard for it but so it often comes across as him being this like pretentious fuck (well he's also pretentious but thats just wilbur) . also he originally dreamed of being a cartographer and he spent his whole childhood drawing up maps but then he realised he couldn't make a living out of that so he decided to work hard enough to be at the top and then do what he wanted. and so he wears like his tricorn hat with a feather and his ornate coat and neatly tucked in shirt and everything cause for him it's like Proof that he Did it yknow . but then as time goes by, especially in the presence of quackity (who's very antihero-esque and so does not give a shit about ranks or whatever he's a pirate he does his own thing) and also a bit tommy (who was literally dressed in rags until they clothed and fed him but still behaves like a street rat on the most famous ship of the country) he slowly loosens up and he ends up ditching the coat and the hat and instead wears more stuff like loose poet shirts (open because he's a slut) . and so yeah character development through clothing and whatnot

ok so YEAH those are the tidbits that were plaguing my mind the most but there's definitely a whole lot more in my head like ive got a pinterest board and shit

[is-she-suffering]

2005 - Trash Pit Magazine

Always one to court attention due to her rag doll in torn dress appearance and quirky off the cuff personality, vocalist Katie Jane Garside has always been the centre of attention in whatever band she has performed in whether she liked it or not. Dropping into the public eye in the early part of the 1990's in Daisy Chainsaw, the band released just one album before Garside disappeared for almost a decade until returning with a new band, Queen Adreena, in 2000. The band have built upon a somewhat cult reputation and now boast an ever growing underground following. Following the release of their new album 'Butcher & The Butterfly', Taz Miller caught up with Garside prior to the bands show at Rock City in Nottingham. 'Taxidermy' and 'Drink Me' were very different albums, how do they compare to 'The Butcher And The Butterfly'? There's a sort of... oh god I don't know how to answer those questions? You know the 'How are you?' questions? I think it's a lot easier to do interviews when they're written down so that I can be foxy with words rather than spontaneous! I don't know what the albums about really, it's just the one that survived. There was a great storm, some things survived and some things were washed away for better or for worse! What are your musical influences? (A humming noise is coming from a fridge in the corner) Sounds like that! The white noise all around us, the sound of the sea, anything around us, the sound of blood pumping through my ears. I mean I have extremely developed tinnitus so I have my own high pitched squeal and that kind of white noise cancels it out. If you cut out the outside noise I think voices, but it's not that. It's too easy to say you hear voices. That's what my influences are anyway, it's just white noise and pulling out external noise and then figure out what it's trying to say whether it's the spirits or the gods or the fucking nut case I don't know! What's your favourite song to perform? Ummm I don't know, I really don't know because it comes and goes. That's a tight rope as well, if you can cut down these external extractions it becomes like some physic ballet and then you can find it, and it you don't find that place it can become a living nightmare like a pendulum blade. What do you like to do outside of your music career? I'm trying to figure that out right now, there has to be another way... there has to be! What did you do before you started singing? I was a child I suppose. My mother and father looked after me and I moved to London when I was 16. I met Crispin when I was 17, and I always did this, always. Being bought up on a boat we had a lot of time to talk to ourselves and sing to ourselves. You've been working with your sister (Melanie Garside - Maplebee) this year how has that been for you? It's been an interesting year. She's gone on to much better things, for her own sanity really! Mel's doing great, she's doing things with the Medieval Babes and her own Maplebee Records so she's a really busy chick, but it was really nice. What is the best thing about being in a band like Queen Adreena? It's damned if you do and damned if you don't. There's a gorgeous seduction about it and it can also get down on you. A cliché question I know but do you get nervous before a show? Yes, I do I think about it before I go out and it's one of the things you get sick of, I get very tired of it. I don't know if I'm confused about the whole process, taking things for granted and things taking you for granted. I found a stack of fan mail and I think as a woman you shouldn't look at that stuff - I found it a bit distorted when I read it. Maybe I'll see you afterwards and tell you how it goes this time, maybe it will make more sense because I've let the fog clear a little bit and I haven't been drinking. That's left a big question mark so I don't know much about nothing right now. I want to go to the beach and look at the sea for a bit - something like that!

Taz Miller

[spaceless-vacuum]

☕ [futuristic and medieval characters meeting]

(love your work btw ^°^)

So for these I don't know what they would say to each other, but I do know what ideas and knowledge the modern chain would share with the mediaeval chain.

Modern!Wild introduces Wild to so many new types of recipes. They sit and chat for hours about everything they've seen, what they've been fighting, how the technology of the sheikah slate has been involved, and everything that has to do with the advancement of machines. Wild spent a lot of time with the divine beasts and nothing came close. Until modern Wild went on an airplane and rollercoasters. He is a huge fan of both and is quite the thrill seeker in that regard. I think he’s got quite the kick from finding out how they work and would like to be a mechanical engineer.

Especially Since tears of a kingdom, not 100% the same Wild but I think he would be so interested in robotics and the like. Both as a way to cope with his new arm and because of the new technology. It would scratch an itch in his brain as to how everything works.

Both version of Wind would love talking about marine biology and sea life. We dont sea (get it?) much ocean life in windwaker but I can imagine Modern!Wind finding out about coral reefs and scuba diving and being so excited. You measn theres veen more fish than he origanlly thought? Theres aquariams!!! That's not even talking about all the different types of boats there are, and now theers engines on them.

He drags Warriors off every weekend to go sailing with him. Sky loves to join so he can feel the wind in his hair but there's a lot of difference between this and flying.

One thing I think Modern!Wind would try to explain is how much faster these boats are, and bigger too! He gets stuck on trying to explain a yacht because it seems useless, until he points out how fun it would be to steal from it. The pirating dies hard in this one and I think he would have a case of sticky fingers for chain stores.

Sky would miss his Loftwing but would enjoy travelling the world. He’s almost always on holiday and misses the days of his adventure when it wasnt so serious and he could do almost everything at his own pace. 

Sorry if this isn't a lot. My brain just shut off after I started to write for Sky’s part and I couldn't turn it back on. I think this idea is neat but mostly I think a lot of it would be the modern side of the chain explaining themselves and trying to pass down wisdom to their alternatives.

Yet the alternatives would absolutely be so confusing. It's like that meme where someone gives a Victorian child a jolly rancher except it’s wind giving himself super sour candy and finding out his other side hates it so much.

Modern!Time: “Remember guys we cant give them guns, it’s not fair and it's just not right.”

Modern!Legend: *casually shoves the entirety of a walmart back into his inventory* “That’s right guys, we shouldnt do anything of the sort.”

Modern!Hyrule: “-and there's different blood types so you have to be careful who you give a transfusion to but we know that Twilights blood type is O-negative so that should be good to give to everyone-”

Hyrule: “you lost me when you said germs can mutate.”

[arabellasleopardcoat]

My thoughts on Episode 7 SPOILERS AHEAD

I am guessing this will be a heavily Black episode on account of the dragonseeds. Edit: I was right!!!

SYRAX AND SEASMOKE MEET AGAIN! Addam is very brave and he seens very taken with Rhaenyra. He really likes her or believes in her. Good god, he has the medieval man ™ ego. Leave fame and memory indeed. Do great things, a calling. She is so pleased. 

Ugh. Alicent this season has gotten on my nerves. From patriarchy victim, to patriarchy ally, now she thinks herself a victim again. But she is the female influence in the raging misogynists she raised (Aegon and Aemond I am looking at you) Why did she expect to be loved by the commonfolk if she did nothing for them? Neither did Rhaenyra, really, but at least she wasn’t firing and giving an abortive to the victims of her rapist son. 

Larys is so wrong about the mystery rider. Aemond is sending men from the revolt to the wall

Jace. His face as he hears the news about Addam is a poem. Trouble there. Corlys’ face? Also a poem. I bet he thinks it’s Alyn. 

Mysaria, as always the voice of reason. Pure blood… Rhaenyra girlie, come on. She hesitates on using the commonfolk as dragonriders. Army of bastards, she calls them. 

Corlys and Addam! Addam has won me over already, he remains humble. Corlys is such an awkward father. 

The Tullys! And the horrors! Baby Oscar Tully setting Daemon right. He is so brave. I love him. If he had inherited sooner, Daemon would have been whipped into shape much sooner. King consort. I am laughing so hard, he is getting roasted by a child. So now they are allies, and the kid carries a sword bigger than himself. He is very regal. Daemon keeps interrupting him and making things worse. He is very smart and has guts. I like him. Daemon looks about to pounce on the poor boy. 

I agree with his punishment. Raping and looting as a war tactic is not right, and the Blackwood ruined plenty of lives. All in all, nicely handled. He will be a great player, one day. Family, duty, honor suit him well. I have to confess he changed my opinion on the Tullys (Who I despised in Got)

And Daemon hesitates. Killing his ally seems to traumatize him, which shows a hint of humanity in the man that gave orders again to pillage and rape. 

Viserys again. Crown hallucination + wise advice about wanting the throne and the crushing weight of it on the one who wears it.

Aegon y sus tres pelos tratando de recuperarse, me da demasiada risa. Larys appears. Cheers on him, a mix of praise and tough love. 

Alyn and Corlys, he is giving him more important tasks. Huh. So that explains the mystery about Celtigars, Velaryons aren’t dragonlords either. Interesting about their mother. Corlys guesses she is the one with Valyrian descent. I wonder how beautiful she must have been.  

Rhaena watches the babies leave and doesn’t go. Fabulous costume worn by Lady Arryn. We track a dragon. 

Poor Alicent’s Kingsguard, forced into a camping trip from hell. 

Ohhh, Jace upset about mixed blood claiming dragons. Insecure because the dragonseeds might look more Valyrian than him. Jace worries about when Rhaenyra dies, worried the lords will not follow him because his hair us dark. Ohhh, he throws Harwin in her face. His argument to succeed was having a dragon and now she takes it from him.  She is set on it, it could give them the edge they need. Suddenly, Addam is a sign of the will of the gods. I see how it is. 

Mysaria sends notice to the dragonseeds in King’s Landing, along with the boats Alyn organized. Ulf is going, it seems. So is Hugh, who is Saera's. I fucking hate Targaryen men, so many abandoned children. Assholes. Poor couple, they lost their little girl.

It’s mentioned some women are going too, and it makes me a bit angry knowing they scrapped Nettles because no successful dragonseed will be a woman. 

Alicent cut off the self pity. Drowning is not even such an efficient method, but it appears she was just swimming and not trying to die. A dragon? passing interrupts her.

Ah, now the dragonkeepers rebel too. Dragons are too sacred, the last of old Valyria to give like toys. They quit. Their order won’t partake. I love Rhaenyra’s motivational speech after they get yelled at in a language they do not know. Lovely. Also, her dress is gorgeous. She still wears the necklace Daemon gave her.

We start with Vermithor, who has a dramatic entrance fit for him. I love Emma’s acting. Their Rhaenyra truly acts and feels like a Queen. Subdued Vermithor and gave a smug grin, even (So hot!!)

First to try, and everyone royal + Addam leaves??? Feels so feudal. They truly see them as less, as more expendable. They watch on a little platform, increasing the otherness. Whoops. There they go, up in flames. 

I loved the claiming of Silverwing and Vermithor. Has to be my favorite scene this season. It was brilliant, from the twist of the script to the way the camera moves following them. You feel as if you are the one being chased and tumbling down. Hugh was especially compelling to me, trying to help a stranger and distract the dragon and instead ending up claiming him. I doubt anything they do can top this scene from me. The last focus being Rhaenyra’s smiling face with teary eyes is so strong. She knows she sacrificed so many lives in a matter of minutes, but she now has Vermithor so it’s worth it. She looks both haunted and pleased, give Emma their Emmy now!! As for Ulf, I liked how Silverwing chose him after giving him a good sniff. She keeps grumbling at him as in disbelief by how dumb he is, that he doesn’t pet her. But Vermithor is the one I loved the most.  

Green council. Daeron is name dropped and he now has a big enough dragon. But interrupting the news is Silverwing (I think?) Aemond is on a horse to get to Vhagar and face him, which will never be not terrifying. She has taken down two dragons now, but they flee. 

Haunting shot of Rhaenyra surrounded by all her new dragons. The stakes are higher than ever before. Perfect last scene.