#I’m getting better at the controls but I’m not great at dodging | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thyme-in-a-bubble · 4 months ago

Text

pinch me

the wistful wyvern, chapter eight

a/n: i can’t believe this is the last chapter… this whole series is the thing that i’ve let myself go the most crazy with and not held back, so it’s kinda bittersweet when it comes to a close. it’s hard to say goodbye and let go of something you put so much work into, but it’s incredible to finally share the ending with you all so you can enjoy the story in its entirety.

summary: the wrestling was playful as you slowly shuffled further into the sparse cluster of trees. Giggling and shrieking, your back eventually collided with the trunk of a tree and Bucky pinned your hands above your head.

warnings: knight!bucky barnes x knight!reader, smut, fantasy AU (monsters, but not much magic), original fantasy world, ex-friends to lovers, coworkers to lovers, former fuckboy!bucky, tattooed!bucky, forced proximity, violence, injuries, kissing, oral, dirty talk, impact play, size kink, multiple orgasms, penetrative sex, protected sex (a fantasy birth control tea commonly used by men), creampie, time jump

word count: 2562

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

previous chapter | series masterlist

info about the world | maps | pinterest board | playlist

masterlist | join my taglist

“You know, it’s still not too late for you to apologise, we can both just go on our separate way,” you shrugged as you dodged the blow thrown by one of the bandits still on his feet before you.

“Fuck you, you cunt!” he simply spat back.

Blinking a moment, your head tilted slightly as you breathed out, “alright then,” and then clocked him in the face, making him stumble back, clutching his battered nose.

One of the outlaws in the grass then lifted himself back up onto his feet behind where you stood and charged at you, raising the dull axe in his grasp up to attack.

He only managed to nick your arm, and though a small cry did tumble out of your lungs, only a second passed before your fingers wrapped around the hilt of the weapon and you bashed the blunt side back against the bloke, knocking him back onto the ground.

“You good?” Bucky’s voice found your ears and you glanced over to see him wrestling with his own half of the dubious group.

“Oh yeah,” you smiled and tossed the rusty axe further down into the field that unfolded on the side of the road, “I’m great,” before whacking your elbow over the dirty-mouthed man who stumbled back towards you, blood dribbling from his nose.

Barely looking at his own opponents, the corners of your partner’s lips curled up as he purred, “that’s my girl.”

You had started by giving the highway robbers a generous out, stating that a fight between you two wardens and the eight of them just wouldn’t be fair. If they’d let one of you sit that one out and only fought either you or Bucky, then perhaps it would have evened the playing field just a bit more.

Yet, they didn’t heed your warnings and ended up losing in the blink of an eye.

“You guys should really consider a career change,” you said as they all laid dazed and bruised on the ground, “or at the very least get better at this one.”

As the pair of you went through and kicked their weapons far enough out of their reach, Bucky cast a glance at the boulder of a man curled up on the ground and clutching his arm.

“Hey buddy,” your fellow warden called, “try and keep that elevated till you see a healer.”

“Fuck you,” he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

“You were the one that fell on it,” his arms raised up before he looked to the other bandits, “guys, can you please make sure he gets that checked out?” and after they grumbled in agreement to help their stubborn friend, Bucky exhaled, “great,” and turned to grasp Echo’s reins, the black stallion only a few paces away from the aftermath, “well, have a nice life!”

“See,” you uttered as the pair of you began to walk off, tugging the horse along, “I told you we shouldn’t have taken this road. I was a criminal, I know what roads are hot for highway robbers.”

“Yeah, well, you were always smarter than me,” he chuckled, then smirked in your direction, “isn’t that what you used to say whenever I’d let you win during training? That I might be stronger, but you’re smarter?”

“You did not let me win,” you gasped, immediately defending your recollection, “I always won fair and square!”

“Hm,” he hummed as he let his gaze dance over the patchy cluster of trees that began to bloom on the right-hand side of the dirt road, “you sure about that?”

“Oh really?” your head cocked as you smiled back at him, “you wanna fucking go, Barnes?”

“Why not?” he reached out to tickle your waist, “just had a little warm-up, didn’t we?”

As Bucky let go of the reins, Echo simply dipped his head down to graze on the long grass below.

The wrestling was playful as you slowly shuffled further into the sparse cluster of trees. Giggling and shrieking, your back eventually collided with the trunk of a tree and Bucky pinned your hands above your head.

As you gazed back into his blue stare, the laughter began to fade from you both as another instinct entirely took over.

Tilting his head, Bucky captured your lips and kissed you fiercely. His fingers, enclosed around your wrists, flexed as your lips parted in a giddy groan and made way for his tongue to slip past and catch a taste of your own.

When his grip eventually loosened around you, his fingers floated down to weave within your hair and tilt your face to deepen the hungry kiss.

Then, as your hands had started scraping down the cool iron of the partial chainmail on his torso, the tiny loops grazing your skin gently, he pulled back just enough for you both to catch your breath.

“Drop your drawers, snow,” he commanded playfully, nuzzling his nose softly against your own.

His head tilted slightly so that his forehead rested against your own, and he shared your breath, as your fingers desperately soared to fulfil his demand. Undoing your pants, you swiftly shimmied them down till they were kicked off into the wild grass.

After stealing another kiss from you, a smile then spread across your face as you watched Bucky sink down to his knees before you. Planting pecks across your thighs, his gaze flickered up to capture yours as his lips danced up to your right hipbone.

“Please don’t make me beg,” you chuckled and ran a hand through his brown locks.

“But you sound so pretty when you do,” he smirked. The closer his peppering pecks got to your centre, the sloppier they grew, “just as pretty as when I do this,” he then closed the distance and flicked his tongue teasingly through your folds, dragging a whimper out of your throat.

Thankfully, he only kept his cruelly light licks to a minimum before he lapped at you properly, swapping your squirming jolts out with a trembling rocking as he savoured your slickness swiftly soaking his short beard.

Throwing your head back against the tree trunk, your fingers tangled in his hair as he enclosed around your clit. As your gaze fluttered down for his stare to capture yours, a warm rumble vibrated against your pearl as his eyes crinkled up and he smiled against your pussy.

“O-oh, just like that,” you uttered breathily as your fingers combed through his locks before finding purchase in them, “feels so fucking good.”

His broad palms curled around to your bottom and groped the curve a moment before one of his hands slid down your thigh and plucked it off of the ground, hooking it over his wide shoulder and thereby drawing you that much closer to his greedy tongue.

Tilting your hips slightly, his sloppy efforts only managed to wander down to your other hole for one kiss before everything unravelled inside of you and you came all over his face.

Standing back up to his full height, Bucky ducked down to steal a brief kiss from your breathless lips, letting you taste yourself still freshly lingering on his tongue, before fervently spinning you around.

Bracing against the tree, you peeked over your shoulder as his fingers hastily undid his trousers, his heavy lids staying glued to your backside.

Silky moans seeped out of the both of you in unison when he slowly buried himself in you. Melting down against your spine a moment, you felt the reassuring weight of his head against your shoulder, panting against your tunic, as his girth settled inside of you, your cunt dripping around him, begging for his movements to pick up.

“Fuck, I love you,” he hissed as he dragged his cock back out, just till the memory of him remained before slamming back inside, harshly enough for you to lose your breath.

His presence dissipated from your spine as he straightened up. One of his hands trailed down your back, bending you over more, before it settled parallel to the other around your hips.

Scratching against the dark bark, you whimpered every time his thrusts concluded with a teasing tap against your puffy pearl from his heavy sack.

“Shit,” he groaned loudly, “your little pussy’s gripping onto me so tight,” in awe, he glanced down at how snugly your cunt was clinging onto his cock, “does it feel good, baby? Does your pussy like being stretched out by me?” he landed a few electric slaps to your ass, “because it sure fucking feels like it… gods, she’s creaming all over me, turning my dick all fucking milky…”

“I–, I–,” your fluttering moans found their way out your throat as your fingers left the tree and reached back to blindly grab for him.

“What?” he swiftly captured your searching hand in his and slowed his efforts just enough for you to think, “what is it, snow?”

Your brain was all jumbled, so all you managed to mumble was, “…kiss…”

Curling his burly arms around your form, your brows crinkled up as he then slipped out before guiding you back around to face him.

Planting his lips to yours in a soft and slow peck, your molten arms slid up to wrap around his neck.

“Is this better?” his nose ghosted against your own, “huh?”

“Mhm,” you nodded lightly, your features nuzzling against his as you did.

“You good?” his gentle exhale seeped into your bones.

A soft smile then tipped up your lips as you uttered, “I’m phenomenal…”

Mirroring your own grin, he captured your lips once more before he plucked your left leg up off the ground. Sweeping his tip through your glinting folds, he nudged at your clit long enough to make you wiggle in his grasp before he dipped down to your drooling entrance and slowly slid back in.

“Ah,” you gasped and your head tilted away from his a moment as he split you back open for him, “I love you so much.”

“I love you, I love you,” his grip dented your flesh as he settled back into a silky pace, pumping in and out of your creamy cunt, “o-oh, fuck!”

Picking your other leg up, he lifted you into his strong arms and your ankles swiftly hooked around his frame.

Sloppy symphonies of your skin clapping against each other resonated every time he lifted you off his cock, dragging you over every detail of his fat girth before slamming you back down on it. The sounds echoed throughout the surroundings, dominating your attention rather than the wistful birdsongs that your lustful ears filtered out.

It didn’t take very long of him carrying you close and fucking you nearly through the tree that scrapped at your spine, before your body went as tight as a bowstring taking aim, and shaky profanities leaked out past your panting breaths as you tumbled over the edge.

Bucky’s mouth was hot on the side of your neck as you clambered around him, your pussy completely choking his throbbing length, and a gravelly groan rumbled against your skin as he swiftly emptied himself in your haven.

With his load dripping down onto the tall grass as he continued to cradle you in his arms, his softening girth stayed buried in you as you caught your breaths.

“See?” his heavy exhale fanned across your cheek as the side of his head rested against yours, “told you I used to let you win.”

“Oh,” you playfully chuckled, tilting your chin enough to find his hazy gaze, “you think you won just now?”

“Yeah, I clearly did.”

“Did you though,” you cocked your head, “or did I just let you?”

His eyes then narrowed to a squint as he sucked in a breath, “…rematch,” he declared, “as soon as we get home.”

“Really? You wanna wait–, what, a whole hour?” you guessed the time reminding till you arrived back to Borün.

“Yes, I wanna wait a whole hour,” a sly smirk crept up on his face as he slowly inched in closer, “one hour and then I finally get to throw you around in my own bed…”

FIVE YEARS LATER, ON THE THIRTIETH DAY OF SUMMER 863 PR

“Pinch me,” you murmured through your grin as Bucky’s kisses nipped down the column of your neck.

“What,” he smirked against your skin, clearly assuming you wanted to heat up your impromptu make-out session, “right here?”

Your glance flickered to the rest of the topiary garden, that sprouted in the centre of the great castle that was Fort Borün, and hoped that the pair of you were tucked away well enough in the semi-secluded corner for the other guests, who were up at the palace to round off the annual summer solstice festival, not to notice your intimate activities.

Not taking his lewd thought to heart, you went on and uttered, “it must be a dream, being here with you and in this beautiful place,” the smile on your lips grew wider as you reflected on the way your life looked now. Growing up you’d never dare to let yourself imagine anything like this, being so safe and at peace, living in a comfortable little cabin by the sea with the love of your life, “you my husband and I your wife…”

Tilting his head back up to be at your level, he caught your glinting eye and reassured you, “you’re not dreaming, snow,” one of his thumbs then swiped a few times at the hold he had on your waist. Leaning back in, his lips then tilted back up into a devilish smirk as he asked, “but can I still pinch you?”

As his fingers tightened around you and he leaned back down to seize your lips again, a giggle bubbled out of you and your palms swept up to his chest to keep him at bay, “not here!”

And just then, as your husband’s kisses began to bloom across your skin once more, burning so hot you nearly gave in, a pair of tiny footsteps echoed throughout the courtyard.

“Uncle Buck! Uncle Buck!”

Turning around, both of your glances fell upon the little princess that appeared around the central fountain.

“Cora, isn’t it well past your bedtime?” Bucky cocked his head gently.

“Papa promised I could dance one last time and you never gave me all of yours!” Cordelia demanded with a raised finger, “you still owe me one.”

Sucking in a breath, he nodded lightly, “I did promise you five, didn’t I?” and his gaze flickered up to spot the king as he caught up to his daughter.

Catching the tail end, Steve’s brows shot up, “she made you agree to five?”

“Well, I don’t know how to say no to that face,” the fellow warden beside you shrugged and gestured down to the little girl, “I mean look at her!”

Letting out a soft sigh, the king then tilted his head as a light plea flowed out past his gentle smile, “Bucky, please just dance with my daughter or she won’t let me tuck her into bed.”

Taking a step further away from you, Bucky then smiled down at the princess, “your highness,” and offered her his hand, “shall we?”

Snatching it up, a bright giggle then billowed out of the little girl as she dragged him back inside.

#lea’s writing #eflorr au #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes fanfic #winter soldier smut #bucky barnes fic #sebastian stan smut

203 notes · View notes

just-a-creep-babe · 2 years ago

Note

61 for the smut thing? Can you do EJ

Ooooooh so i was sUper inspired during this one, and I’m thinking bout turning it into a multiple-part fic--would y’all be interested? 👀

Lmk if you enjoy ❣️ ✨

~Requests are closed but commissions are open!~

Join my Patreon if you’d like to support me!

Masterlist: x

61. “Just…once. Please. I just need to taste you once.”

It wasn’t a secret that the hybrid had a thing for you

But you didn’t know just how badly he wanted you

Or how often he found himself thinking of you

And how often that led to him rutting his stiff cock into his fist, desperately wishing it was you beneath him instead

You knew Jack was into you

But you didn’t know he was borderline obsessed with you

He passes you down the hall on Friday night, and your scent alone is nearly enough to drive him feral

You pause in your tracks, then call out to him

“Oh, Jack!”

God, just the way you say his name has the muscles in his abdomen tensing

He turns to you

“Yeah, what’s up?”

He tries not to cringe at how husky his voice sounds—you somehow always seem to coax a deeper pitch from him, almost as if by some kind of instinct

You smile, and god, he swears you’re the prettiest thing he’s ever seen

“Are you free right now?”

For you? Always

“I wanna get some training done,” you continue, entirely unaware of the way his heart is beating in his chest, “but I can’t find anyone else to spar with”

“I’m free,” he blurts the words out faster than intended, but only because the thought of you sparring with someone else makes his blood boil

“Great,” you smile again, and he can feel himself getting warmer, “are you ready for it right now, or do you have to change or something?”

“Now’s fine,” he hums

He gestures for you to lead the way, which you happily oblige

You make small talk as you walk down the corridor to the gym together

He could listen to you all day

He wants to hear every possible sound that can escape your delicate little throat; your laughter, your hums, your moans, your screams

Fuck, he has to distract himself

By the time you get to the training mats, he’s already partially hard

And though they won’t be fun to work out in, he’s thankful he wore his dark jeans instead of his grey sweats—he hates the thought of making you uncomfortable just because his damn pants might betray his arousal

“You really gonna fight me in that?” you laugh, and for a split second, he’s scared you can read his mind

But then he realizes you’re talking about his oversized hoodie, and relief washes over him

Wait—are you flirting with him?

Dumb grin on his face, he shakes his head and pulls the top over his head, tossing it out of the way into the corner of the room

“That better?”

He’s shirtless beneath it, and he almost can’t help but tense his muscles to give you a bit of a show

“Mmh, yeah, I guess it’ll do~” you tease

Fuck, fuck, fuck

He forces himself to think about Jeff and BEN to hopefully ease the way his pants keep tightening around him

He wants nothing more than to inhale your scent to see if there’s any change in your hormones

Does seeing him shirtless like this turn you on—even if just the slightest bit?

But he knows he’d be done for if he focuses too much on your scent

It’s already hard enough for him to control himself around you as is

You bring your hands up either side of your face, readying your stance, and he does the same

A mutual nod is shared, indicating you’re both ready, and then you’re making the first move

You step towards him and try to throw a hook

He dodges easily, then retaliates by kicking at the foot you’ve shifted your weight to

You stumble, but only for a second before using the momentum to try for another punch, this time aimed at his stomach

Again, he sidesteps it, his instincts making him unnaturally light on his feet

He wonders if he should let you get a few hits in; he’d hate to see you train with someone else just because he so obviously outmatches you

But while he’s distracted, you take the opportunity to fake out another punch, only to spin on your heels and give him a roundhouse kick

He tries to dodge it at the last second, but combined with his previous dilemma and the fact that he’s still very much so trying to conceal a boner, you hit him right in his side

He chokes out a groan, clutching the spot you landed the blow, and while you’re ahead, you take another shot, this time at his legs

He’s just as shocked as you must be when you get the hit in

He falls to his knees, and you’re about to drop your attack stance when he reaches out and grabs your ankle

His instincts take over for a split second, and the next thing he knows, he’s on top of you, pinning you down, and the both of you are panting heavily

Well, there go his attempts at hiding his hard-on

“Jack—“

You cut yourself off when you notice the way he’s looking down at you

The air seems to grow thick

Neither of you say anything

You both just lie there, staring at each other, sweaty body on sweaty body while you try to catch your breaths

And then, it happens

He makes the fatal mistake of breathing you in

Your scent is intoxicating

As soon as he gets a whiff, he can’t help but nestle into your neck to breathe in more of you

It’s not just your sweat—you’re turned on

You want him

His pelvis digs into yours, rolling circles between your thighs

“J-Jack—“

You gasp his name, and he almost has to stop himself from biting down into your neck right then and there

He wants to claim you, brand his mark into your skin

You’re his, you’re all his

The only thing stopping him from doing that right now is his damn fucking mask

“J-Jack, stop—“

His body freezes at the command

The word stop repeats itself in his clouded, lust-drunk mind

“W-we can’t,” you swallow thickly, “we can’t do this”

“…Why not?”

Any other time, it would’ve made him cringe to hear how much of a snarl his voice sounds like

But right now, he’s so horny, he can hardly bring himself to care

“It-it’s not—we just can’t. We’re just friends”

Friends

The word stings

He wants to spit it out, tear it in half because it’s in the way of him getting what he wants

A groan escapes him, something guttural and frustrated

You can’t lie—you want him too

He knows it, he can smell it

His cock twitches, and he notices the way it has more of your delicious scent filling the room

He buries his face into your neck again, cursing his fucking mask for blocking his lips from your skin, but knowing all too well it’s probably for the better

Breathing you in again has his hips rolling into you involuntarily

He can’t help it

He doesn’t even know if he’s really in control of himself anymore, or if it’s just the demonic instincts taking over

“Jack”

You say his name again, and oh, how he wishes it meant something different

“Just…once. Please,” he chokes the words out

He’s desperate

“I just need to taste you once”

He watches you bite your lip, brows furrowed, the need evident in your eyes

It’s pathetic, he shouldn’t be begging like this

But he’s so, so fucking desperate

He’s almost surprised when you finally make up your mind and give a shy nod

But it’s more than enough of the confirmation he needs

His hands travel down your form, trying to memorize every curve of your body beneath his touch

He’s almost salivating by the time he reaches your shorts

He looks up at you one last time, like he’s asking for permission again, and when you nod once more, biting your lip, he pulls the material all the way down

He thinks he might be in heaven when your bare cunt is revealed to him

You’re so wet you’re glistening

And your scent has his head spinning—to the point where he can’t focus on anything else

He wants to take his time, good lord, he wants to savor this, but he’s too impatient for his own good

He pushes his mask up to kiss at your thighs and hips, his sharp teeth occasionally leaving teasing nicks into your soft flesh

Your hands reach out to fist at his hair, legs spreading apart just the faintest bit more

When his tongue first makes contact with your folds, he groans deeply

He must be in heaven

He’s immediately addicted, hooked on the taste of your dripping sex

He grasps your thighs, tugs your legs over his shoulder, and firmly holds you in place

When he presses his lips to your cunt, just like that, he’s gone

He loses himself entirely to you

He sucks at your clit, lapping long strokes up your slit, and circling at your entrance

The way your body reacts to him, the way your cunt clenches every time he delves further into you, all those fucking sounds you’re making for him

He wants more

He needs more, so much fucking more

You pull his hair, whimpering his name, and he has to stop himself from grinding down into the training mat beneath him

He’s so hard, it’s almost painful

But as long as he gets to keep fucking you on his tongue, he’s over the moon

He’s so lost in you that he almost fails to notice the way your thighs start shaking around him

You’re getting close, and every nudge of his lips and tongue against your clit is making you moan even louder for him

“F-fuck, Jack— Fuck!—“

Your back arches, lifting off the ground

You look like a goddess

Even as you cum, he can’t bring himself to stop

You’re moaning and squirming, writhing in the palms of his hand, and something about it is driving him absolutely feral

He snarls, pushing his tongue deeper down your sex until he can feel you clenching around him

The string of curses falling from your parted lips is like a prayer he knows he won’t forget

He only stops when you start pulling at his hair, trying to tug him off of you

You’re shaking from the overstimulation

He, on the other hand, is throbbing in his jeans

He’s never felt so desperate

He wonders if he’s on the verge of triggering a heat

He licks at his lips, tasting your arousal off of his skin

The room is filled with your scent, and your taste is on his tongue, but if it were up to him, he’d still have more

And fuck, you’re so cute when you’re all flushed and panting after your orgasm

What he wouldn’t give to be able to see you like this all the time

He sits up, and he has to tense his muscles to prevent himself from shaking with need as you fix your shorts back on

He wants to say something, anything, but he’s at a loss for words

The word friends still hangs in the dead air between the two of you

It’s just about the only thing stopping him from folding you into a mating press and filling you with his seed

You look unsteady on your feet when you pull yourself up to stand

He looks up at you, still kneeling in front of you, and all he can picture is how good you’d look sitting on his face right now

Why must you make him so insatiable?

You make up some excuse about needing to go, looking shy and flustered and bashful all at once

He wants to say something that’ll convince you to stay, but he’s way too horny to think straight

And for the first time this evening, he’s thankful he’s still wearing his mask

It’s pushed halfway up his face, but maybe that’s just enough to conceal his expression so that you can’t tell all the depraved thoughts he’s having

He’s left there, kneeling on the training mat he just ate you out on, as he watches you leave

And he thinks fuck it, he’ll make sure that won’t be the only time he gets to do that to you

#creepypasta #eyeless Jack #eyeless Jack x reader #eyeless Jack x reader smut #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x reader smut

3K notes · View notes

seeker-ophelia · 20 days ago

Text

Ophelia’s Review, Part Two: Thedas, The Dragon Age System

Some things I need to get off my chest.

One. This does not feel like a Dragon Age game.

Two. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.

Three. I have a lot of feelings right now but I’ll come back when my brain has re-hydrated itself.

(I finished Veilguard at 10PM on Monday, and wrote this the morning after. And its still true, 5 days later.)

TLDR at the bottom

[Read Part 1 Here]

I do miss the heady blend of power, intrigue, danger, and sex that permeates these events games.

[Photo Cred: Dumped, Drunk & Dalish]

Because Veilguard is missing all of that.

Listen, it’s good. Great even. I loved it. Cried. Laughed. Dropped my controller and paced around the room for 5 minutes in anger and angst. Drank a bottle of wine in the bathtub after Solavellan’s happy ending (and my Rooks sad one). But this is not a Dragon Age game.

It is Dragon Age ADJACENT. Similar of course. The backbone is there. The direction, the vector, is there. But the execution…

Dragon Age (Origins through Inquisition) for me, was A Song of Ice and Fire. I love that series.

It was deep. It was harsh. It was MEAN. If offered me hope and then snatched it away. The world-building, the lore crafting, was intense and deep and required attention and critical thought. The characters were nuanced and troubled and real.

Veilguard, for me, is Eragon.

I also loved that series. It is pure and good and takes me on a journey through a fantastical land of dragons and heroes, of good versus evil, of mysteries and magic. But, it is juvenile. Its simple. It doesn’t try to be anything other than it is. Veilguard, is shallow.

The essence is there, beneath the surface Veil, pressing and bursting at the seams to escape, but is being held back by a gentrification of Thedas, the Tranquility of the Dragon Age world, if you would.

The Lore

I don’t want to go into to much about it (its going to be its own post, I think), but I love the lore of Dragon Age. I love learning about it. I love the questions, the pervasive theme that history is only as true as the historians who write it; things get lost, muddled, confused through and over time. And Veilguard, kind of feels like I’m being spoonfed? Like I’m a baby.

I think EA did BioWare a disservice by making this game for new players, instead of assuming that RPG players have the intelligence and wherewithal to comprehend at least a little bit of lore and history, or at the very least, introduce a cannon world state. You can have your cake and eat it to, but, as Veilguard shows, it diminishes the quality of the cake as a whole.

This game is an Action RPG. This is a game about combat. For the record, the first, second, third, 17th time I saw my Rook in their Takedown Animation, I said, out loud, ‘Dragon Age, G.O.T.Y.’ I swore at my inability to time dodges properly, I planned and schemed with primers and detonators and damage types. This is very reminiscent of The Witcher and Assassins Creed, for me (I have not played a ton of games, im sure there are others more like it). It was fun, it was challenging. But. This is not Dragon Age. Its Something Else™.

Dragon Age: Dark Origins

When people say Dragon Age is a dark game, they’re not talking about the gameplay, or the graphics, or the art direction.

Dragon Age deals with dark subject matter. Slavery. Racism. Religion. Politics. Power dynamics. Mages versus Templars. Addiction. Death. War. An unstoppable contagion that deals death indiscriminately. THAT’S what makes Dragon Age Dark.

These stories are deep. They’re hard. And yeah, they weren’t always handled properly (lookin’ at you, Gaider), but doing something wrong… looks like it might actually be better than pretending it doesn’t exist.

As a Sollavellan, I’m unspeakably glad they didn’t yassify Solas. He is still an unlikable character who has committed unspeakable war crimes. And we got a redemption arc that did not end in death. That’s a win for me.

But they kept his darkness at the expense of lightening literally EVERYTHING ELSE in Thedas.

What the fuck happened to Zevran’s Crows? I got the Puss-in-Boots-Found-Family Assassin Agency.

Where are the slaves in Minrathous? Where’s the trip to the upper city, gilded and clean, so we can compare it to the slums of Dock Town (which was not bad at all). Where is the “Rescue the Rabbits” Quest? Tevene Politics boils down to Dorian or Mave, “bad” or “good,” change from within, or power to the people.

The whole Qunari are just Bad™ now? The Antaam warriors turned into… what the fuck is even that? You know the advertising theory where women’s bodies are shown but not their heads or faces? This feels like that. Giant Grey Muscular Powerful Bodies with NoFace. THAT’S the Antaam? The Tamassrins really eliminate every embodiment of individuality from them? They’re just Storm Troopers?

And ‘Thal’enaste, what a lost plot thread to not have Lace and Solas meet in the deep roads, or Kal-Sharok, or fucking anywhere. Instead, you give her one little blurb of “companion banter.” Weak.

Where’s the racism towards the Elves? What happened to that? What happened to Dark Thedas? Oh, its actually all in the South, and thats destroyed now (lets put a pin in that for a minute).

The Companions

I have written and re-written this section 3 times. Its too long. I don’t need to mention them all. How to summarize them.

If you read my part 1, you’ll remember how I fell in love with Dragon Age 2, years after its release (after playing Inquisition, in fact), and how I fucking hard I fell for those very real, very troubled, very nuanced characters.

Anders and his quest for freedom, Fenris and his quest for vengeance. Merrill and her quest for knowledge, Isabella and her quest for… other cultures relics, I guess?

I hated the graphics in 2. It was the characters that carried that game. I don’t know how BioWare wrote them, but they failed to do that in VG.

My favourite character in Inquisition? Surprisingly, its not Solas. Its not even Cole, or the Iron Bull, or Dorian.

Its Cassandra.

I love her. Her story is SO complex. Her devotion to the Seekers, to the Andrastian Faith, is so pure, yet it does not impede her friendship with a Dalish elf who believes in gods that she does not. It does not stop her form forming close bonds with other people from different backgrounds, and although she is fearless in calling out the darkness in her own faith, its sins and its rot, she admits to her Herald that she is envious of the Heralds conviction.

Which character in Veilguard has that nuance?

The necromancer afraid of death? The Elvhen Engineer with ADHD? The literal Demon of Vyantium Puss-In-Boots? The smirking detective? The questioning Qunari? Or the gruff monster daddy?

Listen. I read trash. Smut, romantasy... I read objectively bad literature, for fun, all the time. And, I have a fantastic imagination. It is my own personal fleshing out of theses characters that saved me in this game.

But I should not have had to do that.

The Keep

I cannot explain to you, in words, how important those one-off codices and cameos are.

(Don’tThinkAboutIsabela Don’tThinkAboutIsabela Don’tThinkAboutIsabela).

*Grimaces* Okay.

I can speak no more about this. I am already writing a “Keep” DLC for Veilguard.

I would have rather lived in your world state than this abomination. Which leads me to…

‘The Soft Reboot’

So. The South is Gone. That’s the answer. The Hero of Ferelden. Hawke and their siblings. Everything is wiped clean, just as EA asked. All of the South, turned to the Hissings Wastes and the Anderfels, because of the Blight and the hubris of the Gods. What a tragedy. DA5 looks likes its overseas. Cool.

You know what would have been a better reboot?

Spite, taking over Lucanis’ body, walking through the Ossuary, or the catacombs of Minrathous, explaining to Rook how the heavy emotions of People manifest in the fade. The birth of a spirit. Or a demon.

Taash, meeting a spirit face to face in Arlathan, recoiling in disgust, until they help the spirit on its journey, and Taash begins to question their whole worldview surrounding demons. I- I mean spirits.

Emmerich, taking Rook on a lecture-walk through the fade, meeting spirits, solving puzzles, ‘you know, its not so bad in here, what’s the big deal?’

Bellara, instead of discovering Cyrian only to lose him, meets the demon formed of his death, and how to help him back into a spirit.

Neve, following a trail of wisps in the fade, learning things, memories, feelings, songs. Neve, reveling in the pure beauty of the wisps, until they lead her to Vir Dirthara, and her eyes grow wide, what is this place?

Davrin and Assan, after hard training in the High Anderfels, take a break, and while Rook and Davrin flirt, or joke, Assan finds a long string, and begins to play, the string growing and lengthening and thickening until a soft, feminine whisper fills the air, I Am So Sorry… And Rook and Davrin meet a strange spirit, a perfect combination of protection and regret, and they help her find her way home.

Harding, palms flat on the stone, pushing, working, threading her magic into a titan, tilting her face up to Rook, eyes shining blue, speaking in a thousand voices at once, let me show you what was lost, and for a millisecond, we FEEL Isatunoll.

The Dwarvhen was tranquil’d from their Memories, but the Elvhen were tranquil’d from the Fade.

And when Solas turns from Rook in Minrathous, I am sorry for this final betrayal, he is puzzled at the lack of retaliation, and turns to see the Veilguard, standing behind Rook, eyes locked on the giant eye-shaped rift in the sky.

Why are you not stopping me? He asks the group of misfits.

And Rook answers, I can admit when I was wrong. Tear it the fuck down.

And Solas, battered, bruised, and bloody, smiles, brandishes his ritual dagger with a flashy flip, banishes the blight, and tears down the Veil.

When I learned there were only going to be 3 choices carried over from the rest of the series into Veilguard, I tagged my complaint posts with something.

#You Cannot Dangle A Carrot In Front Of Me For 10 Years And Then Not Be Surprised At My Anger In Discovering It Was A Painted Dowel

Let me reiterate. I enjoyed this game. It was fun for me. I’m in the middle of my second playthrough and am planning a third, and a fourth. But this is NOT a Dragon Age game.

This is an EA game. And its good. But it could have been everything.

Bellanaris.

TLDR;

How torn I feel; lobotomized, rendered tranquil, separated from the memories, lore, and spirits, of the old Dragon Age, while still, like the Veilguard, wanting this world to endure.

Var lath vir suledin, BioWare.

For now.

#dragon age #Dragon Age Critical #BioWare Critical #But You Cant Dangle A Carrot In Front Of Me For 10 Years And Then Not Be Surprised When Im Mad At Discovering It Was A Painted Dowel #The Tranquility of The Dragon Age System #Thedas Gentrified #Dragon Age Reviews #Ophelia Reviews #Veilguard Reviews #Veilguard Spoilers #DATV Spoilers #dragon age the veilguard #dragon age veilguard #da4 #datv #Long Post #Certified Long Post

62 notes · View notes

hxney-lemcn · 1 month ago

Note

Jamil:

Genre -🌹

Tropes: ⚔️

Prompts: 😤🙄🤭

Sorry if I messed this up but I hope it's okay. I hope you have a great day!

a/n: thank you for the order! You have a great day too!

tw: none

wc: 0.3k

2k follower event | master list

You hated it. Hated him. Jamil Viper. You had tried getting over him, going on dates with randos that you never went out with twice. It sucked, how whenever you sat across from someone that wasn’t him you wished it was.

Even worse?

Now he was pissed at you. For what? You’re not sure, but it was clear as day with the glares he sent your way and his short responses. So you did what any reasonable person would. Confront him.

“Why are you mad at me?” You asked Jamil with a glare.

“I don’t have time for this,” Jamil huffed, trying to dodge you, but you stood firm, blocking his path by placing your hand on the wall behind him.

“You’re not going anywhere unless you tell me,” You didn’t relent. You were tired of this cat and mouse game.

“I’m not mad,” Jamil glared. “I just think you can choose better people to kiss.”

Your heart skipped a beat and your face started to feel warm, but you didn’t let yourself lose your composure. Instead, you fell back onto your banter that Jamil seemed to hate so much.

“You want to kiss me so bad you look stupid.”

Jamil’s glare turned sharp, it seemed you hit the nail on the head. He was jealous, and the thought alone made you feel weak. You couldn’t think too hard about it as he pulled you in for a feverish kiss. It wasn’t as controlled as he’d like, his feelings getting the best of him. Nonetheless, it managed to steal your breath away. Once again, you said the first thing that came to mind after pulling away.

“Are you still mad at me?”

Jamil could only roll his eyes before he ducked under your arm and walked away. His last sentence ringing through your head with the thought of his soft lips.

“I can’t stand you.”

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst wonderland x reader #jamil viper x reader #twisted wonderland #twst #twst wonderland #2k event

51 notes · View notes

honeylations · 1 year ago

Text

- Over the limits -

MIYAWAKI SAKURA x FEM!READER

Prompt: Your girlfriend is usually a patient, calm, and quiet person, even during sex. That’s when you decided you wanted a little change. With the advice of Chaewon, Yunjin, and Kazuha, your plan of making Sakura jealous goes better than you expected.

Warnings/Notes: G!P Sakura, dom Sakura, degradation, biting, Sakura is scary but hot when angry, subby reader, jealous Sakura, cute Sakura at the end

———

“What’s with the frown, Y/n-ie?” Chaewon asks, noticing the way you were laying down on the living room couch as if your life was entirely ruined.

“I don’t know how to properly explain it Unnie” Your frowned deepened and the leader took your hand.

“Is it something about Sakura Unnie?”

You slowly nodded and Chaewon hummed. “Why don’t we go upstairs and talk to Kazuha and Yunjin too? They’re great at giving advice”

Feeling your heart soften, you mumbled a small ‘ok’ before going upstairs into Yunjin’s room where Kazuha was already seated on the floor, playing on her switch. Yunjin was on her bed, fiddling with the strings of her guitar.

“Hey girls, private meeting needed” Chaewon explained, locking the door.

“How about Eunchae and Kkura Unnie?” Kazuha asked, placing her switch to the side.

“Eunchae is out with Bahiyyih and Kkura is at Yena’s place” Chaewon responded as she got you to sit down on Yunjin’s study chair, making sure you were facing the 3 girls.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Yunjin asked, looking between you and the leader.

“I just had something on my mind lately in regards to Sakura and I need advice” You began explaining and Yunjin gasped.

“Don’t tell me you want to break up with her..” the American whispered.

You rolled your eyes and threw one of her plushies at her face. “No not that you loser!”

“Ow!”

“It’s not that big of a deal to be honest, I just need some…help?”

The three looked at you like a lost puppies before nodding at you to continue speaking. You took a deep breath. “So last night Sakura and I had sex”

“Charming” Yunjin commented, making you throw another plushie at her direction which she dodged.

“Anyways, it was nice as usual. She’s gentle, always telling me she loved me, going slow and whatever”

“But?” Chaewon arched her brow.

“It’s getting kind of boring, you know…all the vanilla stuff. I don’t know how to tell Sakura she’s not being dominate enough. Like I want it rough, I want her to really lose control. Main question I wanna ask is, how do I ask her to do that without hurting her feelings? She’ll think she’s not a good girlfriend”

The three girls exchanged each other looks before Yunjin spoke up. “In that situation Y/n, you just gotta…bring the rough side out of Kkura”

“What do you mean?”

“My best bet is to make her jealous. Sakura Unnie may seem calm but she’s quite possessive when it comes to you. Choose anyone you like and just flirt and flirt until your girlfriend can’t handle it anymore” Yunjin continued.

“Then you’ll get a good fucking for sure” Kazuha winked, making your face heat up at the thought of Sakura losing control.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Who can I choose?” You asked the girls who smirked.

“Choose Kazuha. She’s quite good at acting” Chaewon suggested, Kazuha nodding.

“How should we start it?”

“Oh don’t stress so much, Y/n. Just go with the flow. I’m sure Zuha has something planned” Yunjin shrugged, smile widening after hearing the dorm entrance open.

“I’m home!” Sakura yelled out and your heartbeat quickened.

“Relax, okay? Let’s go downstairs and we can worry about this tomorrow” Kazuha whispered and you nodded shyly in response.

———

The following day, your group had another photoshoot to further advertise your merch. This time, you did it in pairs:

- Eunchae and Chaewon

- Sakura and Yunjin

- You and Kazuha

The first two pairs had already did their round of duo photos so they were sitting in the back, taking a break whereas you and Kazuha were in front of the cameras, waiting for instructions from the camera director.

“You doing alright?” Kazuha whispered closely to your ear, knowing Sakura was looking at the two of you.

“A bit nervous from yesterdays talk”

“Don’t overthink it, okay? Let’s take advantage of this shoot, she’s already staring” the younger Japanese member informed.

“Kazuha-ssi, Y/n-ssi let’s begin! I’d like to try something different this time. Kazuha-ssi could you please stand behind Y/n-ssi, both of you facing the front” The man directed and you both nodded while adjusting your position.

Being the shortest member in the group meant you always had to be positioned in front.

“Alright, Kazuha-ssi, please have your hands on Y/n-ssi’s waist. Like a couple pose!”

You gulped at the order and looked at Kazuha who winked at you. Sakura wasn’t fond of the new idea this director came up with but she decided to bite her tongue.

“Unnie you’re squeezing my hand a bit too hard” Eunchae winced, the eldest blinking and immediately letting go of the maknae’s hand.

“Sorry Eun, got lost in thought”

“It’s okay. Kazuha and Y/n look good today don’t you think! Their merch outfits are almost matching” The youngest told with a huge smile and baby applause.

Sakura huffed and returned her eyes to you and the other Japanese member, realising that Eunchae was right. Both you and Kazuha were wearing baggy jeans that were unbuttoned and unzipped to display the Le Sserafim ‘panties’ (quoted by their leader last shoot). Kazuha wore the Le Sserafim black bra top while you wore the white version.

The cameras flashed for a few seconds before the director spoke up again. “Those were nice but Kazuha-ssi I need you to lean your face closer to Y/n-ssi’s neck. Right now it looks a bit too awkward”

“Yes director-nim” Kazuha responded and did what she was told, feeling her own heart quicken as Sakura’s glare never left her and you.

“Not gonna lie, I’m starting to feel threatened” Kazuha whispered, making you giggle.

“Did you tell director-nim our plan or something? He’s really going all out for these photos”

“I swear we didn’t say anything” Kazuha laughed with you.

“What are they possibly laughing about?” Sakura bluntly asked, arms folded over her chest with annoyance.

Chaewon caught on the jelly leader and smirked. “Jealous are we, Kkura Unnie?”

“No, I’m not like that. There’s just no need for them to be laughing during a photoshoot”

“Zuha is the funniest member after all”

“She’s not that funny”

Chaewon shrugged and watched your photoshoot continue.

“Ok let’s do one last pose. Kazuha-ssi could you please lie down on the ground with Y/n-ssi sitting on top of you” The director told, surprising all the members.

“I’m sorry, what?” You tilted your head with wide eyes.

“Y/n-ssi sit on her thighs and have your hands resting on Kazuha-ssi’s stomach”

Kazuha sent you a look before she laid down and you hesitantly followed, sitting on her and placing your hands on her gorgeous abs. “Am I putting too much pressure on your legs, Zuha ya?” You softly asked, looking down at her.

Kazuha was mad blushing at the position. “No, you’re fine. Just a bit awkward..”

“Kazuha-ssi please hold Y/n-ssi’s wrist and both of you look at the camera-“

An aggressive thud was heard in the back and all attention turned to Sakura who was already packing her bags. Her chair had skidded and fallen from the rough push she gave it when standing up. “I’ll be waiting in the van” She coldly said before pushing her way out the doors.

The rest of you looked at each other with fear, knowing that the eldest should never be messed with but you were proud to see that the plan worked.

It didn’t take too long for you all to change to your normal clothes and head home where Sakura was dead silent during the car ride. When the van stopped at the dorms, Chaewon spoke up “Yunjin, Kazuha, Eunchae and I need to attend separate interviews. We’ll see you two later, okay?”

Sakura nodded and was the first to hop out the van as you gave Chaewon, Kazuha and Yunjin a look.

“You’ll be fine, just text us if you need anything” Yunjin winked.

“Wait what’s going on?” Eunchae asked with curious eyes, looking between all her Unnies.

Chaewon opened a bag of chips and shook it in the youngest’s face. “No questions. Eat this”

“Chippies!” Eunchae smiled widely and happily took the snacks before returning to her seat.

“Seriously Y/n, everything will be fine. Don’t forget to take birth control” Kazuha giggled, making your heart stop for a second.

You sighed and left the van before following your pissed girlfriend into the dorm. You went upstairs to your separate room and placed your bags on your makeup table before you felt a body aggressively trap you, the person’s hands gripping on the edge of your table to the point their knuckles turned white.

“Did you enjoy your little couple photoshoot with Zuha, baby?” Sakura whispered hotly in your ear while she grinded her painful bulge into your clothed ass.

“K-Kura…”

“Was it fun? Hm?” She bit your neck, making you moan.

“Was it fun sitting on Zuha when you could be sitting on me with my huge cock deep in your tight cunt? Or was it because my cock wasn’t good enough for you to fuck yourself with?”

Your eyes rolled back at her words. This was exactly what you wanted.

“N-No, baby, it was just for the photos I swear!” You whined, her hands gripping your waist, her nails digging into your skin.

“You’re mine Y/N. You’re. Fucking. Mine. Got that?” She growled, moving down to suck a nice dark hickey onto your neck. Satisfied with the look of it, she spun you around and forced your lips together.

Your hands moved to wrap around her neck and pull her closer while in your mind, all you thought of was ‘yes finally!’

“You’re gonna regret everything that happened today. For now, you can try and gain my forgiveness by sucking my cock like a good girl. Are you a good girl, baby?” She moved one hand to cup your chin and force you to look up at her.

You nodded. “Y-Yes I’m a good girl…”

“On your knees then, slut” (A/N: DONT GOTTA TELL ME TWICE 🧎🏻‍♀️)

And you did straight away.

“Need to remember who you fucking belong to” Sakura said through gritted teeth as she untied her sweatpants and pushed it down with her boxers to her lower thighs, exposing the monster cock already oozing out precum.

You looked at it with sparkling eyes.

“I’m not gonna cum with you staring at it, will I? Put that mouth to good use like a good little bitch”

You whimpered at the degrading words and engulfed as much length as you could into your mouth, tears escaping your eyes from the stretch. You felt your girlfriend run her hand through your hair and applying a tight grip, forcing you to take her deeper.

“F-Fuck” You heard her grunt that sent a jolt to your stomach.

You started moving your head at a faster pace, feeling Sakura’s grip get tighter on your hair as her hips started to automatically move. You started to feel her tip hit the back of your throat, causing you to gag a little bit and Sakura sent a small evil chuckle.

“Too big for you, baby? Just wait until it’s in your small little pussy. Gonna stretch you out so good and fill you up with my cum. You like that wouldn’t you, baby? Being my personal little cum dump”

You managed to nod despite having your mouth full and Sakura decided to pull her cock away before she could cum. A string of saliva connected your tongue to her twitching tip, causing the ache in your pussy to intensify.

“As much as I’d love to make a mess on your face, I want my cum inside your pussy instead” Your girlfriend said in a low voice before laying down on the bed, making a ‘come here’ motion with her hand.

You crawled on the bed and Sakura nodded her head at her standing dick. “Sit”

No daring to think twice you hovered yourself onto her lap and your older girlfriend aligned her tip at your entrance. “Fucking pissed me off seeing you sit on top of Kazuha like that. Did you want her dick more than mine?”

You shook your head in panic, keeping your balance by holding onto Sakura’s broad shoulders. “No baby, I only want your dick”

“Damn fucking right you do. You’re not riding anyone’s cock other than mine, got that?” Sakura growled and pushed you down onto her entire length, your back arching in response.

“Fuck Kkura!”

Sakura dove into your chest, marking it as much as she could before continuing her trail of hickies to your collar bones. Her hands rested on your hips and forced you to ride her in a harsh motion.

“You’re so big, oh my god! Fuck yes!”

It was painful but also felt so fucking good. She planted her feet flat on the bed and bucked her hips up with each motion you gave. Popping her lips away from your skin, you looked down and she leaned her lips super close to your own, her minty breath fanning you.

“Fuck you feel so good around me, princess. Don’t make me catch you slutting around with the others, yeah? Or else I’m gonna have to keep teaching you a lesson”

You were close to telling her that you wouldn’t mind it as long as the rough sex kept happening but that could be used for another time.

Your screams filled the entire dorm and you couldn’t care less if the walls broke down, as long as Sakura’s cock was still hitting you deep into your womb, there was nothing else you could’ve wanted.

“Shit the girls are gonna come back soon, I need to make this quick” Your girlfriend huffed before flipping the position so she was on top.

She spread your legs wider and pounded into you mercilessly, your throat starting to hurt from the sinful noises you released. “Fuck fuck fuck, baby I’m gonna cum!” You cried, Sakura leant down to bite your neck and your hands went to claw at her milky back.

“God, that’s it, baby. Take all of me”

“K-Kura!”

The taller girl used one hand to rub your clit as her cock abused your insides, feeling her start to swell. “Gonna cum with you, princess. Take it, baby, fuck!” You heard her groan the same time you screamed her name for the last time.

The burning sensation in your stomach left and all you could feel was the gush of cum that filled you up so much that it escaped your entrance. Sakura gently pulled out and smiled at the mess.

She pulled the sheets over both your bodies and got you to lie down on top of her, letting your head rest in the crook of her neck. “You okay?” You heard her gently ask.

Soft Sakura was back

“More than okay. That was the best sex we ever had”

“Sorry I lost control. I was just so upset seeing you with Kazuha and that stupid photoshoot. I didn’t mean to be jealous I-“

“Baby, stop it’s okay. Having you lose control like that was so hot. Should do it more” you smiled at her.

“Is my soft side too boring?” Sakura pouted.

You found it hard to believe that this was the girl that had just rearranged your guts a few minutes ago.

“No no no, babe. I just think we should try different things sometimes” You responded, cupping her jaw.

“Do you have anything in mind?”

“I have a few…” Your innocent smile slowly formed into a smirk before you went to check your phone notifications.

‘Eunchae’s interview got held back a bit longer so will be home late. Everything okay there?’ Yunjin messaged.

“Perfect” you said to yourself before throwing your phone away, unbothered to reply to Yunjin.

“Perfect what?”

“Perfect amount of time to do another round” You bit your lower lip and pushed the sheets off.

“W-What?”

“How about blowing my back out, baby?” You winked at her but you noticed the slight concern in Sakura’s eyes.

“But bubby, my peepee hurts…” She squeaks with a pout and huge puppy eyes.

You couldn’t believe your ears right now. What happened to the Daddy Sakura?

“We only went for one round!”

“A HARD ONE ROUND TO BE EXACT! If we go again, my peepee gonna falllllll!”

“Suck it up! I’ve been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this. You gonna shove that dick in me or what?”

“Okay…”

#gxg #Le sserafim smut #Le sserafim x fem reader #Sakura smut #miyawaki sakura #wlw #smut

681 notes · View notes

elizabebabe · 5 months ago

Text

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 ೀ 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡: you're scouted for love island and you and your manager think of it as a business opportunity but what happens when you actually want to find love?, you're in for the summer of your life.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫: 3

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: use of y/n, kissing.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4.5k!

𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: imagine my shock, it's a chris fic!

you slowly pulled away from the hug, looking him in the eyes. you know he felt it too, you all sit back down at the fire pit ready to ask him the hard hitting questions,

“you nervous bro?” cade questions him.

“little bit.” he giggles, pushing his hand through his hair.

“we all are.” aidan comments attempting to mellow him out.

“what’s your name? age?, didn’t catch it.” leah calmly asks.

“chris, 20 years of age.” his smile is contagious, you can’t help smirking.

“what do you do for work?” clair asks from next to you, nudging at your side.

you playfully roll your eyes at her, “i do social media, with my brothers.”

you all nod along to his words, “what’s your type?” leah questions.

“i don’t have one, i know blahbla everyone says that but it’s true,

i just like someone that can sit back and chill and who can have those normal conversations.” he motions with his hands, everyone intently listens, naturally interested in what he has to say.

“who do you find attractive here though.” cade says in a ‘cut the bullshit’ way.

“they're all pretty.” chris rebuttals.

“he dodged that.” cyrus laughs, making the other guys chuckle.

a ding loudly rips through the laughter, chris checks his back pocket,

“got a text.” he sticks his tongue out, “islanders, in 24 hours chris will couple up, with a girl of his choice, “leaving a boy single and vulnerable.” everyone's jaw slacks, gasps and groans coming from different places around the fire pit.

“#you-tu-ber in for a treat.” he laughs at the hashtag, “you are in for a treat!” he exclaims.

all the guys squirm while looking at each other.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

after learning the news everyone slowly dispersed from the fire pit, boys and girls separating for their own chats, the girls going to the swing and the guys heading to the kitchen.

“how are you girls feeling?” abby starts.

you adjust yourself to sit comfortably, “i think he's a good looking boy.” you comment, turning your head towards the kitchen, you notice how outgoing he was, how touchy he is, your mind ran wild, not being able to control itself, you imagine —, you get snapped out of your thoughts by clair, bringing your attention back to the conversation you were having.

“he's not my usual type.” leah comments, kaia agreeing.

“but he's cute.” leah continues, “not again.” abby laughs, making you scoff.

“abby, how do you feel? i know you’re smitten with cade.” clair’s voice rings with concern.

“m’good, i just really like how it’s going with him.”

“we just don’t want you to close off so soon.” kaia comments, you nod your head.

“i know, i know.” she replies, sighing, toying with the fabric of her dress.

you notice chris approaching the swing,

you take a swig out of your glass then nudge at clair, grabbing her attention then the rest of the girls.

“heyy.” he says walking up, you were sitting across from abby, you both being nestled to the ends of the swing, you notice kaia and leah making room in the middle of the swing for him to sit, he plops down next to them with a giggle.

“how are you?” leah asks.

he man spreads, his hands in a ball on his lap, he smiles when the question rings through his ears.

“i’m great, thank you!”, “what about you?” he continues, aiming the question towards all of you, inviting you to converse.

“good.” abby responds.

“better now.” leah replies.

“yeah?” he says sarcastically.

“were you nervous coming down?” you chime in.

“yeah, definitely, this is kind of the first thing i've done without my brothers so it's really nerve racking.”

“you’re close with your family?” you reply.

“yeah, i'm a triplet so we rarely spend this much time away from each other.”

you all lightly gasp, “that’s so cool.” abby adds.

“thank you!” he smiles, putting one of his hands behind his head.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

it was about that time to head to the beach hut, you felt excited for some reason, feeling like you could get things off your chest in there without any judgment.

you sat down in the chair, adjusting your mic.

“hello..” you say nervously.

“how are you feeling about the new boy?”

you smile, fumbling with your outfit.

“he seems nice, i'm attracted to him so..we’ll see.” you say slowly, carefully thinking about what to say.

“what do you think about leah after your conversation?” the ominous voice behind the camera queries.

“i like her, i'm not gonna be off with her over something so small.”

“you both seem to like chris.” they state, obvious they’re trying to stir something.

you scoff, “mhm..”

“how do you feel about your connection with romeo? he seemed to be a second thought when chris arrived.”

your jaw drops, “he is not!”, you defend yourself.

“i’m still thinking about me and romeo, we're going quite slowly at the minute but i like that, plus leah is still in the equation so i’m just trying to get to know everyone.” silence takes over the room.

….

“alright, all done.”

“thank you.” you smile, getting up from the chair and opening the door, closing it behind you, there were two ‘beach huts’ one upstairs and one downstairs, they had called you to the one upstairs.

you walk around the corner into the makeup room, sitting down at one of the vanities, taking a breather, making sure you still look nice.

you needed this bit of downtime, a break, you readjusted yourself in your outfit, fiddling with a bit of it, you stood up knowing it was time to rejoin the others.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

when you walked back out romeo quickly pulled you away bringing you to the bean bags, you slowly sat down a “humph” leaving your lips from the low fall.

“you okay?” he chuckles.

“yeah.”, you quickly realize how unflattering sitting on it was.

“how you doing?” he asks

“fine, you?”

“good, do you like chris?” he quickly asks, getting straight to the point.

you’re stunned by his question, it naturally takes a while for you to answer, leaving him in silence.

“i don’t know him yet so i don’t know.” you reply in a hushed tone.

“you find him attractive though right?” he hurriedly comments.

“sure.” you say sharply.

you didn’t know why this conversation annoyed you, but it did, you tried to remind yourself he was just asking questions.

“alright.” he starts getting up leaving you with a confused face, that was it? that's all he had to say to you?

he pushes himself off the bean bag, putting his hand out for you, you put your hand in his allowing him to pull you up, leaving you unsteady, physically and mentally.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

it was time for bed, everyone piled into the bathroom to wash their face, brush their teeth. you decided to change first and wait everyone out, you peeled out of your outfit, placing it in your empty suitcase then changing into a t-shirt, you grabbed some toss around shorts and put those on too.

you opened your designated closet putting your heels on the shelf next to the shoes you unpacked earlier this morning.

the rest of the girls came in bare faced ready to change into their pjs, giving you the signal to head to the bathroom, you grabbed your toothbrush from a little bag nestled onto your vanity.

“this is basically like a big sleepover.” you heard abby comment as you exited the room heading to the bathroom.

you walk into the bathroom noticing chris laying toothpaste onto his brush, you seemed to have the same idea.

“hi.” you say awkwardly, grabbing a used toothpaste tube from off the sink

“heya” he smiles, he shoves the brush into his mouth, brushing ferociously, you can’t help but watch.

you side eye him, a “damn” leaves your mouth making him laugh, his laugh is infectious making you giggle, your interaction bellows through the halls, “who’s having fun without me?” abby questions sarcastically peeking into the bathroom, she notices you too and decides it’s better to not interrupt, walking back into the girls changing room.

you two are too busy chuckling to even notice her, you finish brushing your teeth alongside him, you begin to wash your face as he walks out of the room, presumably heading to the changing room as he was still wearing his jeans and t-shirt.

the guys changing room is across from the girls easily making for chaos but once everyone was done changing and cleaning up you all headed downstairs to the bedroom.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

you needed to have some water before bed since it always helped you sleep. you walked to the backyard and into the kitchen, the cool air made you shiver as you filled up your classic love island water bottle, you took a sip of the refreshing water while walking back inside.

you walked into the bedroom noticing couples in their beds and chris on his lonesome, his bed was right next to you and romeo, you headed to the right side since romeo was already comfortably conversing with robert who was lying next to clair.

you sit down taking a sip of your cool water from the fridge, “hey.” chris rolls over to get a good view of you, “hi.” you reply slightly uneasy, it made you uncomfortable knowing romeo was right next to you.

chris giggles at you, noticing your quick zone out, “you do that a lot.” he chuckles.

you scoff with embarrassment, placing your water bottle on the table in between you and chris’s beds, “you're funny.” he says with a smile, “but i'm not doing anything?” you question, only making him laugh harder.

romeo taps at you gaining your attention, “do you wanna cuddle or no?’”

chris stops laughing, taking note of the interaction, you lift your legs onto the bed and face romeo, “i don’t know.” you reply, genuinely unsure.

“alright.” he quickly replies.

everyone slowly goes silent, eye masks going on, ear plugs plunging into ears, mics being laid on the ground or the side table, you slide down, attempting to get comfortable, lifting your mic above your head and placing it next to chris’s.

the lights turn off, romeo turns on his side facing away from you, you hear sheets rustling as people get cozy.

“y/n” you hear a loud whisper from your left making your head turn.

“what?” you say quietly, turning on your side to face the whisperer, chris.

“goodnight.” he smiles, all you can really make out are his teeth and his eyes.

you smile back, “goodnight, chris.”

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

the lights are bright and a “good morning, islanders!” echoes, groans are heard from the other side of the room.

you squint your eyes open, a yawn creeping up on you, you bend down groggily grabbing your mic off the ground and slowly hanging it on your neck, everyone around you does the same.

“whoo!!” abby exclaims, causing leah to groan, “too much for right now.” she comments.

“guys, it's the first full day!” she gets up, jumping on her and cade’s shared bed, causing cade to rock back and forth.

you sit up smiling, grabbing the water off your side table, taking a sip.

“let’s have a good day people.” cade basically shouts, making romeo jump.

chris extends his arm to poke you, you look towards him with a confused look. he rubs his eyes, “they’re perfect for eachother.” he says raspily, you nod your head in agreement.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

you were needed in the beach hut for some morning catch up, you slowly walked up the stairs feeling like a zombie, everyone groggily followed behind you ready to freshen up for the day, well..everyone except for abby and cade who were basically bouncing off the walls. you entered the room, sitting down ready for the questions.

“first full day, how are you feeling?”

you stuffily giggle, wiping your eyes, “i’m ready to have more chats today, i’ve only really talked one on one with romeo so yeah..” a long yawn gently rips from your throat.

“you and chris seem to get on well, you were talking to each other before bed.”

you scoff, “he’s interesting for sure.” you pause and smile, “he’s like…adorable but also sexy? if that makes any sense.”

“are you happy with your couple?”

you hesitate, “i was..no i am..?” you think, questioning yourself, “i think little “conversations” i’ve had elsewhere have been smoother than my conversations with romeo..” you felt guilty even hearing that exit your mouth but you can’t help how you feel, right?

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

water hits you harshly, running against your back. you lathered yourself with soap, the guys had already headed outside to have breakfast so you weren’t worried about being walked in on and being made to feel uncomfortable but you still wanted to wash up as quickly as possible.

you hopped out and slipped on a one piece you prepared walking into the makeup room, clair and kaia were the only girls still in there. you sat at your normal spot, cozy next to clair, “how are you?” kaia asks beckoning towards you.

“good, refreshed.”, clair nods agreeing with you.

you started your usual routine, pulling things out of your small bag.

“clair, how you feelin’ about robert?” you question as you focus on the things in front of you,

“uhm.” she quickly replies, attempting to think. “i don’t know, i've had good convos with him but i've also had good chats with aidan.” she continues.

“damn, okay little love triangle.” kaia snickers as she moves her makeup brush down her neck.

“i’m just glad to have options.” clair states,

“how is cyrus?” clair changes the subject.

“he’s good, when he first came in he had a lot of energy but now he's really mellowed out.” kaia answers as she applies mascara on her eyelashes.

“which i love.” she continues.

“that’s gooood.” you drag your word while you attempt to focus on finishing up your makeup,

applying a lippie before standing up and going towards your favorite mirror, adjusting yourself in your swim-suit, you walk over to your closet picking out some sandals to match. “you look really good.” clair comments as she stops what she's doing to pay you mind.

“thank you.” you smile back at her.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

you, clair, abby and leah sat in a circle of bean bags, the heat sticking your body to it, “abby, is there anyone else you’d want to talk to?” leah peacefully questions.

she looks around, noticing kaia and cyrus having a convo at the fire pit, ��maybe cyrus? he’s the only one other than cade that checked a few boxes so, i don’t know.” she pauses,

“it's hard because i need to be open and remember that we’ve only been here for a day.”

she hesitates, “like i keep telling myself that but nobody in here matches my energy like cade.” she continues talking quietly in fear of anyone else hearing, you all nod your heads.

“i get that.” leah states, “me and cyrus still haven’t talked. should i go pull him?” she carries on.

“right now?” clair asks.

“yeah.” she quickly replies.

“if you want to.” you chime in, looking between abby and clair.

“ok.” leah pushes herself up from the bean bag, walking towards the fire pit.

“pulling him while they’re talking is devious work.” abby chuckles, making you and clair laugh, you look over abby’s shoulder noticing chris coming your way.

“chris is coming over.” you whisper.

abby and clair look around them, noticing him approaching.

“i didn't tell you to look for him.” you giggle.

“sorry girl.” abby and clair snicker.

“you want to chat?” chris questions you, “sure.”

“look away, getting up from this is embarrassing.” you comment as you attempt to push yourself up from the bag. you make abby and clair sneer from your comment, he smirks then follows your command, looking away.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

you both walk over to the swing then sit down, he sits in a certain position so he can maintain eye contact, your eyes widen. “holy shit, you have blue eyes?” you exclaim, for some reason only noticing this now.

his jaw drops making himself chuckle “you didn’t notice?”

“i had no fucking idea.” you quickly reply.

“so you don’t pay attention to me…okay.” he comments, making a sarcastic frown.

“no, no.” you swiftly say as you giggle.

“it was dark, they looked brown.” you add, attempting to defend yourself.

“oh really?” he says sarcastically

“okay mr. sarcasm.” you couldn't stop smiling when you were with chris, this is all you wanted.

“you look pretty.” he observed you, sending a chill down your spine.

“thank you..” you said flusteredly, “you too.” you continued.

“i look pretty, yeah?” he questions, leaning back on the swing, throwing his hand behind his head.

you giggle, “very.”

he went on to ask you questions about your life, whether it was about the smallest thing or something huge, there wasn’t one dull moment with him.

but that didn’t make you forget to ask him questions as well,

when he talked about his family his eyes lit up. it was so wonderful to see, you intently listened to his every word, highs and lows about his career, favorite food. you could easily talk for hours but unfortunately it was interrupted by a ding.

“got a text!” cyrus shouts, you slowly get up, giving chris a quick side hug as you both walk over to the fire pit, “islanders, it’s time to reveal your red hot flags in today’s red hot challenge.” you bite your tongue in an attempt to not laugh.

“#willyoubemybuoy, #slipperywhenwet”, cade and abby cheer.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

you and the girls enter the dressing room, noticing 5 red bikinis lined on the closets, quickly changing and adjusting yourselves in every mirror.

“this is so exciting!” abby exclaims to you all.

you smile at her.

boys and girls will compete against each other in "red flags", you’all each pick a life buoy which will unveil a saucy secret about one of the islanders on the opposing team. then jump into a slime pool and wrestle an inflatable shark, once you exit the slime you’ll do your best ‘baywatch’ inspired slow-mo walk down the sprinkler runway before making your guess by kissing the islander you think the secret is about.

cade started us off, grabbing a life buoy off the wall and flipping it over. “this girl got caught having sex in her parent’s room.” all of your jaws dropped, you and the girls were lined up vertically along a fence allowing you to give playfully, judgy, looks down the line.

“that’s insane.” leaves one of the boys' mouths but you couldn’t tell who.

cade basically skips over to the pool, jumping in and mounting the inflated shark. the guys cheer him on as well as you and the girls, “get it!” robert shouts.

he jumped out, covered in slime, taking his time getting to the “runway”. he did his best walk while holding the buoy, sprinklers blasting him.

he ran down the line up of you girls, making his way down to abby, performing mouth to mouth, the kiss looked wet and slimy, you cringed as clair laughed next to you.

once they finish their long kiss he walks over to the flags to reveal who’s secret it was, he peels it back revealing leah. you all giggle as she covers her face, “my cat was asleep on my bed, there was no other choice!” she defends herself, everyone gives her questioning looks, “i can think of many other choices.” clair responds.

after cade’s go he lost the boys a point.

it was aidan’s turn next, he slowly picked up a buoy of his choice, reading off the back, “this girl did ballet growing up and still uses it to this day.” he pauses.

“that would be normal but there’s a winky face.” he snickers,

“just look at their feet.” cade says, making everyone laugh.

aidan quickly made his way through the pool and the runway, making it time for him to choose a girl. you could tell he really wanted to earn the boys a point as he took his time thinking about who to pick.

he looks down, taking cade’s advice, you all squirm in an attempt to hide your toes, he smiles, “fuck it.” he mutters, going over to clair and placing the buoy round her neck then leaning in for a wet, sloppy snog.

it seems to take her by surprise, you try not to look but it goes on for a while.

they finally stop and he makes his way to the flags, pulling the sticker back revealing clair’s name, “holy shit!” the boys cheer.

cyrus’s turn! he quickly grabbed the buoy, “this girl once peed in a shoe hiding in an ex’s closet.” he quickly jumped through the slime, doing his funkiest baywatch walk and making his way down the line, he wrapped the buoys string around leah, bringing his lips down to hers.

right…next..to..kaia, you look down the line attempting to get a good view of her reaction, she didn’t look very happy, especially when that didn’t remotely seem like something leah would do, she’s too chill.

“yikess..” abby says quietly, he pulls away from the kiss making his way to the flags, peeling back the sticker to unveil kaia’s name. you silently gasp and you can hear clair having the same reaction.

“i found out he was cheating on me and i had his house key, i spied on him.” she quickly says, she’s definitely told that story before.

it was romeo’s turn, he grabbed a buoy off the wall and cleared his throat, “this girl lived in a strict household and didn’t have lingerie so she cut big holes out of her granny panties.” you scoff, watching people's reactions as you knew this was you, what are the chances he picked your damn story.

all you could think about is how you didn’t want romeo to kiss you especially in front of chris.

while you zoned out he was already covered in slime, awkwardly making his way down the runway, then observing all of you, ‘don’t kiss me.’ was the only thing echoing in your mind.

he walked up to you, putting his hand around the side of your neck, you could hear cheers from the boy's and abby’s loud self.

he leaned in placing his lips on yours, it was messy as you attempted to find a rhythm that worked for you both, he easily led the kiss, the cold buoy from his other hand hits your side like a tambourine making you squeal.

he takes advantage of your open mouth, slipping his tongue past your lips, you can’t stop thinking about chris, how he feels. your teeth bang together reminding you you’re still kissing him, you slowly pull away in an attempt to let him down easily, he smiles at you and you lightly smile back.

you fearfully avoid eye contact with the boys, clair nudges you, you look at her and she discreetly points towards the boys, you look over soulfully noticing chris’s gaze making you quickly turn away.

romeo pulls the sticker back, your name bold for everyone to see, the boys cheer, everyone except for chris.

robert was next, you couldn’t pay attention to what was happening with him as your mind raced about what just happened,

you were only able to notice him having a quick peck with abby, then pulling the sticker back and getting it right, earning the boys another point.

lastly, it was chris’s turn, you felt sick to your stomach, guilt continued to wash over you but you didn’t know why, you didn’t do anything wrong, right?

clair had to touch your shoulder to get you out of your thoughts, bringing you back to reality as chris splashed into the slime, it oozed off of him.

he quickly glided down the wet runway, him holding the buoy in his hand reminded you that you didn’t pay attention to the prompt, he walked down the line of you all tapping his lip with his finger.

he tsked, walking up to you and using his unoccupied hand to hold the back of your head, he delicately kissed your cheek then pulled away, giving you butterflies, he peeled back the sticker revealing kaia’s name, “awe, shucks!” he comments sarcastically.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

it was finally you and the girls' turn, you switched spots with the boys, them now standing in the line.

abby was first, she excitedly grabbed a buoy off the wall, “this boy has never been in a relationship.”, oohs and ahhs are shared between everyone, you and the girls huddle,

“what you guys think?” abby whispers, “it’s not robert, he’s 28.” leah mentions. “that doesn't mean anything..” kaia slowly replies, “she’s right to be fair.” clair says, “i think it’s chris.” he’s only 20, abby states.

“he’s on social media though, surely...” leah replies, “i back that actually.” you comment.

“kk!” you all quickly stop huddling, and watch as abby dives into the slime pit, “it’s in my nose!!” she complains.

she struts down the walkway, the sprinklers hitting her at every angle.

she darts straight to chris, placing the buoys string over his head, he giggles as she snogs him, you can’t get a good look which is probably for the best.

she pulls the string off his head then walks over to the flags, pulling back the tape to reveal chris’s name. you girls cheer and rally, you notice cade having a sour face as abby walks back over.

you all played to win, not considering who you wanted to kiss but who you had to, your lips ended up locking with aidan which was unexpected but ended with you getting a point, the only point you girls lost was leah’s turn with a bad guess.

as you girls guessed the most flags correctly, you were all crowned as winners, ending with jumps up and down and cheers from you all.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

everyone arrived back at the villa, wet, slimy and sticky messes.

you and the girls decided you needed some chat after the game, heading to the swing,

“did you see cade’s face, abby?” clair starts.

“what?” she quickly replies.

“he looked pissed.” leah states.

“what’h i do?” her words mush together from her panic, you all shrug.

she rolls her eyes, “anywayyyyy, we won!” she exclaims.

the rest of you cheer alongside her.

“high fives!” kaia places her hand out and you all join her.

a ring is heard from the fire pit, where all the boys were talking.

“text!” chris shouts, all of you stickily get up from the swing, walking over to the boys.

“it’s time to get freshened up as chris will take two girls of his choosing on dates!” the guys cheer, patting his back. he chuckles.

“#sunsetdining, #sunkissed.” he delivers with a smile.

who will chris choose to go on dates with? find out next time on love island..

i'll definitely keep the challenges based off real ones so they aren't extremely hard to imagine, this one is based of aussie love island, season 4. also since this is a chris fic i'll probably end up doing one for matt, i have an idea in mind....anyways, ilysm <3

#zabe's finest pieces 👚#the sturniolo triplets #sturniolo triplets #christopher sturniolo #matthew sturniolo #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #chris x reader #matt x reader #zabebabe

85 notes · View notes

thetraumaking · 6 months ago

Text

The Accursed Crown

Other Chapters

Chapter 15: Thief

One thing Azula hated most were thieves.

Unfortunate souls who could not get a proper grasp on life, stealing from others around them. The scum of the world, pathetic weaklings deserving nothing but waste and scrap.

As a princess, she had her fair share of encounters with thieves. Petty little servants worming their way through the cracks and ending up in her chambers. Not knowing that they will soon be caught red handed when they’re elbow deep in her treasury. They even had the gall to wear her jewelry, parading around as if they stumbled up to a gold mine.

She has no tolerance for those who steal. Especially if they take what is hers.

Especially if they are some petty brat from a primitive nation that still uses huts and wooden boats. No engineers, no notable achievements, no nothing. Beggars who survive off of what little they manage to hunt and bits of ice.

Scavengers, that’s what they are.

From the moment she got word that those water fleas would be coming to their palace, she was against it. Honestly, what was her grandfather thinking? Letting these peasants inside their palace. Allowing their poor polished floors be sullied by the mud and grime they track in.

She burned those lowlives who stole from her, at least they made some nice dummies for her to blow off some steam. A healthy way for her to manage her anger.

A productive way for her to channel her emotions to make sure she’s under control.

For the past month or so, it was a great way for her to train and maintain peace within her mind. Though, as she looked at the low life carelessly touching you.

Oh if she could treat her like how she treated those who stole from her, it would have been grand. Those filthy hands that grab at her belongings should burn like the cinders. Cracked, smoking, and hot.

‘Having a proper outlet for strong emotions will help you in maintaining a cool head in battle’

Your word rang in her head like a mantra. She couldn’t possibly attack her without repercussions, Yue may be from a back wash nation but she is a princess nonetheless. Maybe challenge her to an Agni Kai? No, she’s not fire nation nor is she worth such an honour.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Yue currently had her hands placed over your cheek and neck, where the most notable of scars lay. One from the brand and one from the very first offence Princess Ursa had committed where you had to burn off.

A ball of blue danced on the palm of her hands when she took aim.

Azula knows she can’t possibly harm the great Northern Tribe’s little Princess, so she curls her finger just so her fire would graze ever so slightly against Yue.

An audible click of the tongue was heard when you dove to save the water girl. Your hand on the back of her head, protectively pulling her closer to your chest to better dodge any more possible “attacks.”

Deducting that her acting skills might need a bit more work, she clasped her hands together. “Oops, I’m sorry, my hand slipped.” Azula tilted her head ever so cutely, feigning innocence.

Her eyes remained on Yue. If she has a working brain, she should know to play along. An open hostility towards their host nation won’t bode too well, especially if they want their negotiations to go well.

She unclasped her hands when she saw you help the water girl up. When she got a closer look at you, she noticed that your skin seemed to be looser? Walking up to you, she got a better look. The branded scar on your cheek was healed, the skin looked even and smooth. That’s a first. Though the tattooed number remained intact. And that large scar in your neck was also missing, replaced by smooth skin. The hands that released Yue were quick to be snatched by her, she inspected your palms and only then did she notice the lack of those signature calluses and wounds that littered your hands. The very wounds she used to trace and play with when she was younger.

She let go of your hands before dismissing you, sending you off to fetch beverages for their esteemed guest. How dare she modify you without informing her. Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.

She watched Yue fidget under her gaze, although she’s taller and older than her, nothing but a simple angling of the head can’t fix.

“I don’t know about you but I’m famished.” When you came back with a tray in hand, she smiled at the girl, “Well? The tea isn’t going to pour itself now is it?��

Yue wouldn't be able to defy her. They are in their territory and they are the ones looking for appeasement, they are the ones who are looking for financial stability. When she saw Yue nod, she couldn’t help but smile as if a weight had been taken off of her.

Good. The water tribe’s princess wasn’t a fool.

Though, she wasn’t the wisest. One should never try to appease the aggressor. But she doesn’t need to know that.

Yue kept her head down as she raised the cup to her, offering the tea. Keeping her smile on, she brought her hand to raise it, only for glass to shatter and hot tea to spill.

“Oops, my hand seemed to have slipped once more.” The rich brown stained the white and blue of the princess’s dress. “Pour me another.” Lifting her empty —waiting hand— she smiled.

The grimace she was rewarded with was quite satisfactory. She waited for the second pour and like before, her hand “slipped.” She heard the lid of the teapot rattle from how her hands shook. Despite being able to follow her father around for political affairs, she’s no good at masking her emotions it seems.

The corner of her mouth twitched. She was enjoying this.

Though, sparing you a glance, she lets out a huff. “Geez, you’re no good at this at all, Princess Yue. In any case, why don’t you use your bending to clean this mess.” She lazily gestured to the spilled tea and shards of glass littered across the grounds.

“But, since my purpose wasn’t to come here to humiliate you–” at first, “It appears that your father’s plea may come to fruition—” there was a hopeful gleam in her eyes at her words, and she was about to crush it. “If he manages to win the duel to show his worth.”

She watches Yue try to suppress her tears, her lips trembling and brows furrowed.

From what her father had told her, the water tribesman would be going against Zhao. Although he is the lowest ranking soldier that is within her circle, he did manage to land a position as their trainer. He must have some skill if he can, allegedly, fill your position. And your position is nothing to scoff at, rumoured to have royal blood, a young powerful soon to be general, the youngest and fastest to have risen up the ranks, and someone who has survived and thrived within the child officer program that had the mortality rate of sixty nine. *HAH.

Though, even if he did lose, it simply means that there will be a job opening for one fortunate soul. There will be no true losses on their part, a lousy lieutenant is hardly worth anything, besides, it's a small price to pay for the entertainment that they get to have.

Before she could taunt her more, Yue sped past her towards the direction she came from, the glass teapot shattering upon impact.

A second passed in silence before she crossed her arms, clicking her tongue, “That girl, she could have at least made herself useful and cleaned up this mess.” She then looked at you, you were still holding the tray. “Does she even know where the arena is?”

You stayed silent.

Grumbling, she looked down at the spilled tea and porcelain.

“What a waste.”

#fanfic #atla azula #avatar the last airbender #azula x reader #fire lord azula #fire lord ozai #atla #prince zuko #princess ursa

48 notes · View notes

successblueprints · 3 months ago

Text

Discipline is one of those things we all know we need, but rarely talk about in a real, no-nonsense way. It’s not about perfection or having everything figured out—it’s about how we show up, especially when things get tough. In this piece, we're cutting through the noise and breaking down some practical, grounded strategies for building and maintaining discipline in everyday life. No fluff, just straightforward advice you can actually use. Think of it as baby steps toward a more disciplined life—small actions that add up over time. Whether it’s pushing through challenges, setting clear limits, or learning how to embrace failure, these insights will help you take control of your mindset and habits, one manageable step at a time. Let’s dive in.

1. Embracing Learning

The idea here is to go beyond just surface-level knowledge. Think about it like this: you don’t just study to pass a test—you study because the information could be crucial when you least expect it. It’s like being the mechanic who knows every part of an engine, not for show, but because one day that knowledge might be the key to solving a real problem.

How I’d use this:I’m not going to just cram facts. I’ll take time to understand the material deeply so it sticks, especially in subjects where real understanding matters long-term, like chemistry or biology.

2. Becoming the Character

Instead of looking up to characters or people who seem to have it all together, what if you just became that person? It’s like putting on a new mindset, the same way you’d wear a suit that makes you feel more confident. You act the part until it’s real.

How I’d use this:When I’m feeling unsure or unmotivated, I’ll flip the switch and act like I’m already the disciplined, focused version of myself. It’s about adopting the mentality, even if I don’t feel it yet.

3. Honest Conversations

We often dodge the truth about where we’re slipping. But nothing changes until you face it. The sooner you admit to yourself that you’ve been cutting corners, the sooner you can fix it. It’s like finally cleaning out a messy room—it’s tough to start, but afterward, everything flows better.

How I’d use this:Next time I catch myself skipping workouts or studying less than I know I should, I’ll stop and call myself out. No more pretending everything’s fine when it’s not.

4. Overcoming Adversity (Sisyphus Mentality)

Think of discipline like pushing a heavy boulder up a hill, knowing it might roll back down tomorrow. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a daily choice. You either keep pushing or let the boulder flatten you.

How I’d use this:When things get overwhelming, like with exams or back-to-back assignments, I’ll focus on just moving forward. One task at a time, knowing every little push counts.

5. Embracing the Furnace (Let’s Skip the Dungeon)

Instead of shying away from challenges, face them head-on. It’s like stepping into a furnace where you get refined, not burned. The more time you spend dealing with hard things, the stronger you get. Avoiding discomfort only holds you back from leveling up.

How I’d use this:When I’m avoiding something tough—whether it’s a hard concept in class or just dragging myself to the gym—I’ll remind myself that pushing through now makes everything easier later.

6. Friction and Greatness

Every day starts with friction, that resistance that keeps you in bed or makes you procrastinate. That resistance doesn’t just disappear. The trick is to recognize it’s always there, but every time you push past it, you get a little stronger.

How I’d use this:Next time I feel like avoiding a workout or putting off a difficult study session, I’ll push through the friction, knowing that every time I do, it gets a bit easier.

7. Embracing Failure

Failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the process. Think of it like learning to ride a bike. You’re going to fall, scrape your knees, and maybe even get frustrated, but that’s how you learn. Without those failures, you’ll never figure out how to balance.

How I’d use this:If I mess up a quiz or struggle with a new concept, I won’t dwell on it. Instead, I’ll treat it as feedback, figure out what went wrong, and try again.

8. Set Clear Limits

Knowing your limits isn’t about being lazy; it’s about being smart. If you try to run full speed every day, you’ll burn out. It’s like running a marathon—you need to pace yourself to make it to the end without collapsing halfway through.

How I’d use this:I’ll stop glorifying overwork. Instead, I’ll set manageable study sessions and take breaks when I need them so I can keep going strong in the long run.

9. Declare Your Limits

Once you know what you can handle, it’s important to communicate that to others. It’s like drawing a line in the sand, setting boundaries so you don’t overcommit and end up exhausted.

How I’d use this:When I feel overloaded, I’ll be honest about it and set boundaries with myself and others. No more saying yes to everything just to prove I can handle it.

10. Prevent Overexertion

Whether it’s at the gym or in your studies, overexertion doesn’t help anyone. Going too hard too fast is how you end up injured, either physically or mentally. The key is to build gradually and pace yourself.

How I’d use this:When I’m tempted to do a marathon study session, I’ll pull back and focus on balance. No need to kill myself over one day’s work—steady progress is what counts.

11. Find Passionate Work

If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, discipline becomes a grind. But when you care about something, discipline becomes easier. It’s not about forcing yourself to grind—it’s about genuinely wanting to put in the effort.

How I’d use this:I’ll focus more on the parts of my studies I’m actually excited about. That way, I’m working hard because I want to, not because I have to.

12. Clear Goal Setting

Without clear goals, you’re just wandering around aimlessly. Goals act like a map, keeping you on track. The clearer and more specific your goals, the easier it is to know what you’re working toward.

How I’d use this:Instead of vague goals like “study chemistry,” I’ll break it down into something actionable like “review 3 chapters” or “complete 10 equations.” It keeps me focused.

13. Routine Development

Discipline becomes easier when it’s part of your routine. Think of it like brushing your teeth—you don’t debate whether or not to do it, you just do. Building a routine takes the guesswork out of discipline.

How I’d use this:I’ll create a daily study routine so it becomes automatic. Same time, same place every day—no negotiating with myself about when to start.

14. Environment Design

Your environment matters. If you’re surrounded by distractions, you’re setting yourself up to fail. It’s like trying to run through quicksand—you’re not going to get far.

How I’d use this:I’ll make my study space distraction-free by clearing clutter, silencing my phone, and making sure everything I need is within reach so I can focus better.

15. Regular Reflection

If you don’t stop to reflect, you’ll never know how far you’ve come or what needs adjusting. Reflection isn’t about patting yourself on the back—it’s about checking the map and making sure you’re still on the right path.

How I’d use this:Every week, I’ll take a few minutes to look back at what went well and where I need to make adjustments. It helps keep me on course.

16. Self-Reward

Discipline doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the process. Small rewards along the way help keep you going, making the grind more manageable. It’s like giving yourself little checkpoints to look forward to.

How I’d use this:I’ll give myself small rewards after hitting certain study milestones—whether it’s a break, a snack, or something I enjoy. It helps keep the momentum going without burning out.

#producitivty #100 days of productivity #productive #self development #self improvement #self care #self love #girlblogging #david goggins #study motivation #motivation #aesthetic #self help #health & fitness #healing #discipline #femininity #girl blogger #mental health

20 notes · View notes

1moremilgram-enjoyer · 1 year ago

Text

Currently obssessing over 0308 (as usual) and the way punishment/judgement is represented as fire in Fuuta's MVs and rain/water in Amane's. The parallels are driving me insane I swear.

Punishing someone else.

Being punished (I assume Fuuta is supposed to be burning here).

Like okay okay listen.

CW: Online harrassment, doxxing, child abuse, cults and indoctrination, burning and drowning.

What do these things represent in the MVs? Well, like I said, it's punishment or judgement. They're these suffocating, overpowering forces of nature which feel like they swallow you whole, right?

[Backdraft] Flames closing in, are both sides losers? Flames closing in, can’t douse this FIRE

Alight, enmeshed, their eyes closing in Dodging seems impossible Bust out, explode that counter uppercut Swallowing me whole, can’t douse this FIRE

Amane may not mention water in her lyrics, but the visuals are clear enough.

But obviously they're so so different. The fires in Bring it On and Backdraft always have human origin. It's Fuuta weilding the fire swords, it's Fuuta who uses the highly flammable spray paint. In fact, Fuuta uses the username Pazuzu, a wind demon, and wind very easily causes fires to spread and worsen (more on the Fuuta-Pazuzu connection in this post by milk-ly I highly recommend you read!). Fuuta for a long time had control of the punishment and judgement dealt out to others, he controlled the fire.

But humans don't control rain. It always comes from nature, and in Amane's eyes, from a God. It's an immutable fact of life, punishment shall come because it is ordained by a higher power.

Right? You get it?

And there's more. Because rain and water in general is a necessity. It's something humans can't live without. Even if it's unpleasant or annoying when it does rain, people should always be grateful that it does. Even if it's inescapable, it's a gift from God. It's love.

[Magic] But it’s not scary at all, because it’s love I can really think it’s great. See, isn’t it a great thing?

Please get my girl some therapy.

Okay so that's all well and good. But probably the most important difference is the aftermath.

Because for Fuuta, fire doesn't leave anything behind, but ash. It's a completely destructive force. Even if something new can take the burnt object's place (see: agricultural uses of fire), the old object is completely destroyed. It's unforgiving, nothing good can come from being burnt.

[Backdraft] An ever-victorious FIRE, burn so high 'till it becomes ash

With just one mistake and I’m out of chances Bless me, please, with one more chance

Fuuta's lives in a world where judgement is damning. Just one mistake, and you're already burning, and no one can douse the fire. That's how it's always been for him and the people he attacked. Nothing good comes from being punished, and there are no second chances.

But rain isn't like that. After the rain comes the rainbow, right? After punishment comes reform, after being judged, one can become a better version of themselves.

The thing that ties all the Purge March scenes with a rainbow is the theme of punishment, of rain. It first appears when Amane fumbles the Gozake flag, later when Amane heals the cat, then the last two images are after her victim killed the cat. It's the good following the judgement, the "improvement."

[Magic] I won’t say “I’ve had enough” Will you laugh with me and forgive me? I promise! I can only become a better girl!

I wonder why she won't say she's had enough punishment...

[The Purge March] The “It can’t be helped”, from the scum who can’t be helped That makes them doubtlessly, clearly, absolutely, unequivocally, beyond any doubt, GUILTY

Oh right! Because saying you won't be able to change after punishment is blasphemous and makes you "scum who can't be helped"! Right!

Please get my girl some therapy.

Okay, and why's all this paralleling important? Like sure it's neat, but this is all stuff that can be gathered individually from each MV, why do we gotta relate it to one another?

Well, because it makes it make so much more sense.

[Fuuta] Brat, you’re on the side who weren’t forgiven too, right? ……so why can you still stand? Don’t you can hear it too? The voices blaming us. ……I don’t have the energy to do anything like this. [Amane] It goes without saying. Because there’s something far more important than the voices of people we can’t even see. People are able to get back up again. As long as there’s something to guide them. Kajiyama Futa, by coincidence today happens to be your birthday, correct? Don’t you think it’s a good opportunity to be reborn?

Of course Fuuta wants to believe Amane! Because if her religion is right, then he does have a second chance!

Bless me, please, with one more chance

The use of "bless" here really became quite ironic huh. (Disclaimer, I don't have a good way of checking if there really is a religious implication in the original Japanese lyric and I actually think there isn't)

He's going through the punishment here, and he's reforming! He probably wouldn't dox anyone again after what happened with Killcheroy. Suddenly, his Guilty verdict isn't just an unforgiving fire which will consume him whole and leave nothing but ash. Instead, it's just a tiny bit of rain, and as long as he holds out, he can see the rainbow. If you feel like you're standing in an inferno, wouldn't you rather be in the rain instead?

I've always been worried about how Fuuta would react to a second Amane Guilty. I'm pretty sure Amane herself would only cling to her beliefs harder, because when the rain turns into a storm, the rainbow becomes even more necessary. If after all she's gone through she still believes in her faith, there is zero chance in my mind a second Guilty would help at all. The question is what the hell would Fuuta do if Amane suffers so much and the only thing she has left is her religion. The issue is that Amane's religion, given everything I talked about, seems like it would love martyrs, so if Fuuta is already starting to believe, he's only going to be... more impressed? Maybe? By Amane.

[Magic] I won’t say “I’ve had enough” Will you laugh with me and forgive me?

Yeah that line again.

And I don't know man, I really hope he doesn't end up attacking Shidou in Amane's stead, but I think it's not all that impossible. And it would also be very funny I think, a small part of me wants to see the reaction of people who voted Amane Guilty to protect Shidou if that happens.

Would Amane Innocent help? Not by itself, probably. But if Amane gets into a better mental state, it's possible Fuuta would be able to sorta start getting her to realize some of the bad parts of her cult and hopefully a Trial 3 inno on Amane would be enough to start a path to healing.

Listen, Shidou can survive a stab, and he can tell someone else how to heal the other injured prisoners. He and the others can probably come back from Shidou's injury. I don't think Amane can come back from a second Guilty if I'm honest. Given the Situation, I hope I'm wrong, but I am so so worried.

Come on Fuuta make a Timelines post asking us to inno Amane like Haruka did with Mu. Do it. I know it didn't go well last time but you know.

Anyways, Inno Amane please- take care!

#fuuta kajiyama #cw doxxing #amane momose #cw cults #cw child abuse #cw drowning #i really hope im wrong about some of my predictions on voting results but oh well #p0308 my beloved #milgram #milgram project

113 notes · View notes

lovelikedestiny · 2 years ago

Text

It all begins with Nile looking out of pure boredom at Nicky’s ID - or at least one of his innumerable ones - lying on the kitchen counter.

“Aren’t Nicky’s eyes green?” She asks and regrets her question the exact moment the words leave the tip of her tongue because Joe gasps and puts a hand dramatically on his chest as if she had offended him personally somehow.

Which is ridiculous since it’s Nicky’s eyes she asked about and said person isn’t even in the living room with them but off in the kitchen, cooking while softly humming to himself.

In the only armchair Booker places a hand on his face as if Nile had just made the biggest mistake of her life. Andy doesn’t hesitate, groans barely audible and mumbles something like having to check that her ax didn’t disappear before disappearing herself like morning fog on a field.

“Green?” Joe repeats bewildered and Nile plays with the thought of quickly changing the subject but she can’t think of anything useful.

Great.

“You’re asking if Nicky’s eyes are green?”

With a suffering, long-drawn sigh Booker fishes for the remote control, increasing the volume of his soccer (football, Nile corrects inwardly due to several former and appalled protests of the boys) game which doesn’t seem to bother Joe in the slightest.

“Mon dieu, here we go again…”

“Uh…yeah? His ID states that his eyes are blue and I just wondered because they appear to be green,” Nile tries to explain her question.

“Blue?” Joe raises his eyebrows and Nile almost expects to get into her first real argument with one of her new team members but to her relief - apparently having dodged a bullet there - he only smiles fondly. “My dear Nile, you will notice it’s impossible to pin Nicky’s eye color down to a single shade. On paper the mirrors of his kind soul are always forced into dullness unworthy of their true beauty.”

Whatever Nile had assumed to get as an answer to her question, it is absolutely not this indirect declaration of love from Joe to Nicky who - again - is not even in the same room to hear that.

While her curiosity is piqued and she is strangely moved by the crystal clear affection for the love of his life, illuminating Joe’s face, Booker turns off the TV, obviously having given up on his attempt to ignore the situation.

“Andy, do you need help checking on your ax?” He calls as he rises.

“Get your own excuse!” Andy yells back and Booker looks at Nile and Joe.

“Andy needs help with her ax, so I’m going to…help her with her…uhm…ax,” he ends awkwardly. Entering the hallway, Nile can hear him mutter: “You can do better than that, Sebastien. You imbécile.”

“Impossible?” Her attention returns to Joe who invites her to sit down next to him with a light tilt of his head. She willingly follows his request, unceremoniously plopping down on the sofa. “Even after all these years?”

“Especially after all these years,” is Joe’s mysterious reply. Thankfully he elaborates on his statement without Nile having to require more information. “I know it’s hard to believe but even after more than 900 years Nicky and I still discover new habits of each other: certain preferences, a change in particular movements, new interests or the urge to try out a different hobby. But most and for all we are still able to see beauty in mundane things like waking up in the same bed, sharing a cup of coffee or taking a stroll through parks. Nearly a millennium ago I wouldn’t have believed it if someone had told me that I’d love someone with every fiber of my being, so much that it would hurt to breathe sometimes, although I would’ve spent centuries with them. It is difficult to verbalize this feeling of deep connection ingrained in the bond I have with Nicky.”

The devotion to Nicky - unquestioningly Joe’s soulmate - Nile can hear in his warm voice takes her breath away and she only remembers how to suck air into her lungs when they start to burn. Despite the sheer wonder of a relationship having lasted that long without losing any of its mutual love it means a lot to Nile that Joe is speaking to her so openly and devoid of any doubts regarding Nile’s acceptance.

“And it fills me with the utmost joy that I am still incapable of capturing every single color of Nicky’s eyes because it means that there are so many things about him waiting for me to detect them.” Nile admires Joe’s honesty and the unashamed way with which he tells others about his connection to Nicky.

Infinite and profound tenderness.

“Wow, when you phrase it like that I can totally see where you’re coming from and I’d love to hear more,” Nile says, forgetting the actual reason she started this chat. Her brain is catching on a little too slowly. “I mean if that’s alright with you,” she backpedals hastily although Nicky joining them interrupts their conversation for the moment.

“Andy said you were holding ‘exaggerated and dramatic love speeches about me’.” He greets the both of them with a smile hidden in the corners of his mouth and presses a kiss into Joe’s curls as he walks behind the sofa.

“I would never dare to do that,” Joe protests, winking and leans back his head to get another kiss directly on the lips.

“Is that so, habibi?” Amusement sparkles in Nicky’s eyes which originally had been the drive behind Nile’s curiosity. “Nile, is Joe holding an exaggerated and dramatic love speech?”

Grinning, she admits, “Yeah, he kind of does but honestly I’m here for it.”

Joe throws a small pillow at her but he is laughing, showing off the crinkles making him look even more likable. “Liar!”

“So you’re not ‘being so disgustingly sweet that one has nausea’ as Booker put it?” Nicky digs deeper. The two immortal warriors evidently have a lot of fun playing this little game and Nile enjoys the relaxed atmosphere.

“Booker has bad taste,” Joe says loudly, clearly addressing the French man somewhere in the safe house.

“Shut up, jackass!” Booker shouts back.

Nicky tsks chidingly and acknowledges Joe’s shit-eating grin with a lopsided smile of his own. “Now that we’ve settled the matter I wanted to inform you that dinner is ready in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, vita mia.” Joe threads their fingers together, caressing each knuckle with a peck. “I appreciate your cooking wholeheartedly.”

“Not just you,” Nile adds and mentally takes note to look out for the color of Nicky’s eyes.

Her plan is astonishingly easy to carry out once she knows what to keep her own eyes on.

More often than not Nicky’s eye color consists of various shades of blue mixed with splinters of green, turning his eyes in the right light into shards of seafoam, deep, mysterious teal lagoons on hot summer days, lucious, vast forests or the wide expenses of the sky.

She notices that they seem to get colder whenever something arouses his irritation: an insult spit at Joe on a mission, impoliteness in everyday life, injustice, an attempt to hurt Andy or when someone shoots Booker or Nile herself is in danger. Then the tempting, gentle mountain lakes freeze to merciless, piercing shards of arctic ice and blazing silvery steel, so frosty you can nearly feel the cold as thousand pinpricks in your skin.

If he is sad or in a bad mood there is a depressing gray outweighing the other colors in his gaze like clouds on a rainy day or a raging storm in fall, making them more washed out and muted.

On a mission as they’re in the crossfire Nicky pushes her out of the way, shielding her with his body and an “Uff” escapes her as the air leaves her lungs all at once. Carefully he braces himself with his arms above her and for a second she only stares into his eyes, intensively looking down at her in return, examining her body for wounds.

“Are you alright, Nile?”

“Oh shit!”

Alarmed by her curse he starts searching for an injury. “What is it? Did you get hit?”

“There is fucking gold in them!” Nile exclaims, unaware that she is completely ignoring his concerned questions.

Confused, he pauses. “Prego? I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

But Nile’s focus is on something else. “There are golden freckles in your eyes! Are you kidding?”

“I told you so!” Joe calls somewhere on their right, involved in a fight. “Nicky’s eyes don’t have one color!”

Despite the fact that they’re in the middle of a battle, bullets flying over them, Nile laughs and has to chuckle even more when Nicky shakes his head. “Unbelievable…”

The next time Copley makes them fake ID’s he asks Nicky: “What eye color do you have?”

And Nile goes: “You can’t answer that so easily.”

332 notes · View notes

dragon-creates · 11 months ago

Text

Royally Screwed!

Read on AO3

1/2/3/4/5

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, there was a lot of issues going on and it took out a lot of energy from me. But it's here now and I hope its worth the wait. Hope you guys enjoy! Also I tried to edit it as much as I can but I'll go back is there's any spelling mistakes, but other than that, here's chapter 2!

2. Irish Eyes

Kaufmo groaned as he pressed a hand to his lower back, tonight’s show hadn’t been kind to him in the slightest. The ringmaster has suggested a few new stunts for his act to make the audience go crazy. Now usually that would be fine…if the ringmaster hadn’t announced it while performing. It gave Kaufmo no time to warm up or prepare before he saw an anvil failing for the sky and aiming right at him. He managed to dodge it just in time and had earned him some good reception, but he had twisted his body the wrong way while ducking, leaving a pretty bad sore spot on his back.

He sighed, at least it was over now and he could have a better chance tomorrow morning to prepare for that new trick (and anything else the ringmaster hadn’t told him about yet). He was going to head to his tent for the tight when he heard light sniffling from the lion cages. He turned and tried to peak through the shadows to see who was inside of Ragatha’s lion’s cage…oh, it was Pomni.

The child was the newest member of the cast, and the youngest. Now that Kaufmo thought about it, no one had joined the circus at her age before, so the experience must have been so much more jarring for a young girl. And she was only five years old, the poor thing.

The girl was patting each lion’s mane as she tried to control her tears, the large animals providing as much comfort as they could. She had been quite nervous around the two felines when she first met them, but after seeing how tame they were, they were a great source of security for her in times like this. Times when she felt overwhelmingly homesick.

Kaufmo tapped one of the bars, alerting everyone of his presence. The lions let out a growl when Pomni let out a startled gasp, only to calm down once they saw the clown. “Easy, it’s just me,” he said reassuringly as Pomni gripped tighter to one of the lions. “Hey kiddo, sorry for scaring you.”

Pomni wiped her eyes as the clown climbed in, sitting on the wall opposite her with one of the lions between her. The other lion came back to sit beside her, nudging her hand for more scratches.

“Huh, Simba and Kovu seemed to have taking a liking to you,” Kaufmo mused. Despite their large size, both of the large felines were rather friendly to the rest of the circus. Give them a snack and scratch their favourite spot and you were practically their best friend.

“Yeah, they’re nice,” Pomni whispered, harshly rubbing her the tears off her cheeks to hide the fact that she had been crying. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, the show just finished up and I was gonna get back to my tent,” he explained, “But, then I heard someone wasn’t feeling that great.”

Pomni paled, hiding her face in Simba’s mane. “It’s nothing!” she mumbled into the fur, “I just had something in my eyes, I’m fine!”

Kaufmo hummed. Pomni seemed to be quite a particularly panicky child, one wrong move and she’ll be shaking like a leaf, in fear for her life. He had to approach her carefully, she had already been through enough. “Here,” he pulled out a handkerchief. Pomni stared at it cautiously. “Don’t worry, it’s joke free. Clown’s honour.” He put a hand to his chest with a mock serious expression.

The child smiled, taking the little white fabric and wiped her cheeks.

“I know you’re scared,” Kaufmo said, “I understand. We’ve never had anyone as young as you join. Well, ‘join’ might be a might of a strong word. And you have every right to be scared, upset, angry. It isn’t fair what the ringmaster did. If you need to scream, scream.”

“Maybe not scream,” she muttered, “But the ringmaster said we’re not allowed to get upset.”

“That’s because he’s void of any emotion and doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he placed the tips of his fingers on her hand just in case she wanted to pull it away. “Pomni, you’re five. Cry if you have to cry.”

Suddenly, a wall had crumbled and the dams were loose. The child latched herself onto the clown, muffled cries escaping her and tears soaking his costume. He instantly wrapped his arms around her. “Shh, there, there,” he whispered, “It’s gonna be okay kiddo, I got you.”

“I want my Ma and Pa!” she wailed as he stroked her hair. “I wanna go home!”

Kaufmo sighed. She was way too young for this. Curse the ringmaster and his void heart. “I know kiddo,” he hugged her tighter. “I know.”

They remained like that for a moment, Kaufmo letting Pomni cried while he stroked her hair before the child pulled away, her cheeks tear stained. “Sorry,” she sniffed.

“There’s nothing to apologise for,” he reassured her. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself, would that cheer you up?”

“Um, okay,” Pomni nodded. “I…I like to sing a little bit, my ma used to teach me.”

“Huh,” Kaufmo lit up, an idea forming. “You know, I like to play guitar, I used to play it a lot.”

Pomni beamed, crawling closer to him, “Really?!”

“Heck yeah,” Kaufmo chuckled, “How about I go get it and I can show you what I can do?”

“Yeah!” Pomni cheered, giggling and falling back, a lion catching her with the side of his body.

“Okay kiddo,” Kaufmo grinned, “You just wait there. I’ll be right back.”

The clown had never run so fast in his life. He couldn’t recall the last time he played his guitar, but he remembered how much he loved it. Once he made it to his tent, he picked up the instrument from the side of his bed and ran straight back to Pomni, the little girl was playing with Kovu’s mane before gasping with excitement when she saw the guitar.

“Okay, it’s been a while,” Kaufmo told her while tuning it, “But I think I remember this.”

He began playing a simple chord, rummaging through his mind before landing on a song he hadn’t sung for anyone.

You can't take my past

You can't take my history

You could take my Pa

But his name’s a mystery

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

“Wow!” Pomni looked absolutely awestruck, it was the cutest thing in the world. “That’s so cool!”

“It’s not finished yet,” he admitted bashfully. “I haven’t really had the time to.”

“I can help finish it?” Pomni suggested shyly, “And maybe…you could teach me too?”

Kaufmo’s eyes widened, not only had he not played for someone in so long, but it was the first time a person asked him to teach them. For the first time, someone didn’t want to now the clown that Kaufmo played, but rather the part of a person that the ringmaster had forced him to bury so long ago. “Yeah,” he nodded, “I think that can be arranged kiddo.”

He carefully placed the guitar on her lap, the instrument was comically big for her little body, but she managed to hold it properly. She giggled with excitement as her guided her hands on where to go. “So, if you put your fingers here, it makes a makes a C chord,” he told her, her fingers making the shape and strummed the strings, her face brightening after playing her first ever note. “Atta girl, and just make this shape and you’ll get a G chord.” He shifted them again, grinning as she played the second note.

“I’m doing it!” she exclaimed.

“You’re doing great kiddo,” he grinned, “Now, have you got any ideas for lyrics?”

The child nodded so fast that he was afraid she’d hurt herself. With a gentle voice, she began to sing.

You can't take my charm!

You can't take my humour…

Twenty Years Later

Kaufmo hummed cheerily as he walked through the inn the rest of the cast and himself were staying in. They were here for the rest of the week to perform, but everyone had really wanted to explore the rest of the town. And who was he to stop them?

Ragatha had wanted to see if they had any good treats for her lions, Zooble wanted to buy some flowers for Gangle, and Moon and Sun had wanted to wander with everyone and see the sights. Kaufmo decided to stay, wanting to take the day to rest. However, there was one person who didn’t say anything about wanting to go or stay.

Pomni.

Despite last night’s fiasco with the prince, she seemed to be in a good mood. He was heading to her room, just to check up on her and see if she wanted to go out as well. He was about to knock when he heard the faint strums of a guitar and a female voice singing along with the tune.

My mother says I have Irish eyes

Irish eyes, Irish eyes

My mother says I have Irish eyes

They go ever so blue under stormy skies

But they're never so blue as when I let them cry

Kaufmo smiled, Pomni’s voice was always so heavenly whenever she sang. Every song she wrote, he would always be excited to hear. He cracked the door open a little, seeing her standing with her guitar in hand as she sang. She wore a simple shift with brown stays adorned with pink stitched flowers and a light green skirt that reached her black boots. She looked a little bit like spring itself.

My father says I have English hair

English hair, English hair

Brown like the bark of an oak somewhere

Like the bed of a lake where the hemlock grows

Like the thorn in the stem of an English rose

She began to twirl happily, dancing along with her song without a care in the world.

I'm a map of the world and the ones before

One foot in sea and one on shore

Every step, every hope flung high

I'm a map of them all with my Irish eyes

She jumped, whipping round when she heard the sound of clapping, only to soften when she saw that it was Kaufmo standing at the door. “Don’t scare me like that,” she giggled, putting her guitar away.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you kiddo,” he said, “Is that a new song?”

“Yeah, I began to write it when we were on the road,” she confirmed, “Decided to give it a whirl before I went out to town.”

“You’re going out?” Kaufmo asked hopefully. Pomni wasn’t normally someone who liked to be out in busy places when she wasn’t performing but seeing her actively wanting to go out was quite a big step for her. While it left him protective, it left him proud of her as well.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Gangle wanted to go look and see the dresses here so I wanted to go with her as well. Ragatha and Moon should be with us as well.”

“I’ll come too,” Kaufmo said, “Just in case you want to leave early and come back.”

“Kaufmo,” she sighed, “I’ll be fine.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Kaufmo reassured her, “It’s just, you know…It’s always going to be my instinct to protect you.”

Pomni smiled, walking over and wrapping her arms around the clown, with Kaufmo doing the same. “I understand, what we went through was…its over now,” Pomni said, “I wanna be able to go into towns without being terrified of who I run into, enjoy my time with my family. With my Pa.”

Kaufmo patted her cheek, she never failed to amaze him. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” he asked, “Let’s go have some fun.”

Pomni patted his hand back before Kaufmo let it fall to his side, both of them leaving the room and heading downstairs to greet everyone else before going into town.

Jax paced back and forth in the dining room, dressed in a simple white blouse, blue waistcoat and black slacks. The room had been cleared earlier after breakfast, but he needed the space to pace and think about his plan to woo Pomni. She was going to be tricky – if her outburst was anything to go by – so he had to tread carefully about this. Motley watched the prince go back and forth, the kitten perched on the table experiencing the most brainstorming that Prince Jax had ever done in his life.

How would one win over the heart of a spitfire? A being so beautiful and entrances you with its song and dance but can easily scorch you if you make one wrong move. But it was that danger that pulled him closer to her. Only a woman like her deserved the best when it came to courting. But where to start, what should he do?

Queenie and Kinger watched their son’s pacing from the slightly ajar door. The staff had alerted them of the prince’s peculiar behaviour, so they wanted to investigate it for themselves – from afar of course.

“I still can’t believe it,” Kinger muttered, “Never would I have though the day would come where Jax would be so entranced by a girl.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Queenie mused, “I’m not surprised it was the jester that stole his heart. She does seem to be such a darling. Although, I will admit, I am slightly concerned with what Jax has up his sleeve with this one. His mind is quite…devious after all.”

Kinger hummed in agreement, “That is true. He always has these great plans when it comes to playing tricks on the servants or his escape attempts. Part of me doesn’t want to know what type of plan he comes up with for courting her.”

“Yes,” Queenie nodded, thinking to herself for a moment. The jester, Pomni was her name she believed, seemed like such a sweet young woman. While she was glad her son was in love, Queenie was completely aware of Pomni’s outburst with him they other day (after all she was outside tent when it happened, and was able to hear every single word). “How about you let me handle this Kinger dear? I’ve had my experience when it comes to men falling to a woman’s feet before. I could help correct him with the proper ways of how to win a girl’s heart.”

Kinger blushed, memories of himself as a young prince falling for a lord’s daughter many moons ago flooding back to him like a tidal wave. “Uh, y-yes darling,” he stuttered slightly, “I believe that would be for the best. The last person he needs advice from is his old man who laned face first into mud when trying to court the person he admired.”

“But I fell in love with you because of that dearest,” Queenie teased, giggling at Kinger’s flustered expression. “Now, if you excuse me. I have a son to steer away from making a fool of himself.”

“Good luck,” Kinger gave her reassuring thumbs up. Truth be told, when it came to Jax (especially since he was in love) she probably needed that luck.

Queenie took a breath, opening the door further and entering the dining room, though it seemed that Jax didn’t notice her presence, still caught up in his planning and muttering. Motley did though, letting out a happy mewl and ran over to her, climbing up her cloak and settling himself in her arms. The queen let out a small laugh, running a finger over his head as she walked up to her son.

Jax jumped as soon as he heard the sound of a throat clearing, exhaling when he saw that it was only Queenie. “Holy shit!” he cursed, placing a hand on his chest, “You scared me!”

“Language young man,” Queenie reprimanded him, “I just wanted to see if you were alright, the servants said that you haven’t left this room since breakfast.”

Jax sighed, the moment word about anything happening to him got out, his mother would instantly be by his side to make sure he way okay. It was one of Queenie’s most admirable qualities. “Yes, I’m fine mother. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“I see,” Queenie hummed, her eyes giving off a teasing glint. “It’s definitely not the jester from last night’s performance.”

Jax was so sure that his fur had changed from a periwinkle purple to a cherry red as he whipped round to face his mother, a smug look curved upon her features as she eyed her son knowingly. “M-mom!” he nearly choked on his words.

“Careful now dear,” Queenie chuckled, “The last thing we need is for our heir to suffocate on himself. Besides it was quite obvious, you immediately trailed after her like a loyal pet the moment her performance ended and are still infatuated with the girl despite her verbal lashing with you. Yes I’ve heard it, I’m sure most of the kingdom did too.”

“I can’t help it,” Jax rubbed the back of his neck. “The moment I heard her singing, my soul was bewitched. I had to listen to her song, her voice was telling a story and I wanted to learn it word for word until she’s ingrained into my memory. And her beauty, I don’t think I’ve met another person who radiated starlight just as much as she did. She’s a book that I can’t put down, I need to know more about her! I have to let her know that she’s the one for me!”

Never in all her years did Queenie think her son was capable of being bashful. Everything about Jax, from the way he spoke to the way he strutted down the hall screamed nothing but self-righteous confidence. What type of magic tricks did Pomni possess to reveal this new side of the prince? “Well, well,” Queenie breathed, “It seems that you’re very taken with this girl.”

“Oh, she definitely stole my heart and run off with it,” Jax sighed, “I just need to know what to do that will make her realise just how perfect I am for her!”

Queenie cringed, she had a feeling this was coming. The last thing Jax needed was his ego sabotaging any chance of Pomni liking at least a quarter of him back. After all, it was his arrogance that made him receive her angry and biting tone with him, if he continued down this road he would ending up kissing any plans of courting her goodbye. “Now Jax, I understand the butterflies that come with meeting someone that has you ‘bewitched’,” she spoke carefully, hoping that her son’s head wasn’t already full of outlandish plans already. “However, Pomni has already made her opinion of you quite clear. I will support you if you want to make amends with her, however I will put a cease to that if you try and force her to become yours.”

“Force her?!” Jax gasped, flabbergasted at his mother’s suggestion. Women would throw themselves at him without Jax doing nothing more that blink, how on earth did she think he was going to force Pomni to be his? “She’ll come running to me when I show her how charming I can be, before she leaves she will practically be begging me to marry her. It’s just as easy as that.”

“Jax,” Queenie shook her head with a disappointed frown, “Are you even listening to yourself? You barely know anything about having these types of feelings, how on earth do you plan on courting a girl if you don’t take them time to access yourself first?”

“Well judging how you and father say sappy crap to each other all the time and don’t end up gagging by how overly sweet it is, it’s probably not that hard,” Jax shrugged. His heart sunk at Queenie’s crestfallen expression. He went too far there. Motley gently purred into the queen’s chest, providing comfort for her hurt state.

Despite the saccharine display his parents put on, Jax could tell how much they treasured their love for one another. To insult their bond was an insult to his mother as well, and he hated making her feel awful. “I…mother forgive me,” Jax exhaled slowly, “I got caught up there, I didn’t mean that-”

The door burst open as a guard entered into the dining room, “Your highnesses. The markets have new products after the recent shipment. Would you care to be escorted into town today, or shall I have the servants search for something that you need?”

“I, I suppose it would be nice to go into town today,” Queenie turned to her son, her eyes giving a soft forgiving shine. “What do you think Jax?”

They were okay, Jax nearly sighed with relief. Seeing his mother upset was his own personal torture, and he hated every bit of it.

“I also wanted to inform you that the circus cast from last night are also in town today,” The guard informed them, “In case you have any words to say to them for their performance.”

Jax practically beamed at that, his grin nearly splitting his face. He cleared his throat, putting on a suave look and straightened his back. After all, he had a jester to court. “Well there’s no harm in saying hi to them, now is there?” he smirked, “I think a little trip sounds just delightful.”

Queenie paled. She recognised that smirk, Jax always wore that smirk when he was up to no good. “Jax…” Queenie drawled warningly.

“Go alert my father that we plan to leave as soon as possible, in case he wants to join,” Jax commanded the guard.

The soldier in question raised a brow at that, familiar with the young prince and his antics, before turning to the queen for her verdict.

Queenie sighed, once Jax’s mind was set that was no point in trying to change it. Besides, she really wanted to go out today. “Inform Kinger that we plan to leave soon,” she said, “I would hate for him to miss out on this.”

“Yes, your majesty,” the guard bowed, turning on his heel and walking out the door.

Queenie gave Jax a glare, a silent threat to not do anything stupid.

The prince gulped, whenever Queenie sent him that look it gave him nothing but sinking dread in the pit of his gut. He had a lot on the line today, not only risking it all to win Pomni’s affection, but also to make sure he didn’t suffer from his mother’s angered wrath as well. “D-don’t worry m-mother,” he stammered, “I promise that I have nothing but good intentions going forward.”

Queenie raised a brow as Motley let out a meow – Jax swore the little shit was mocking him. “As for you,” He picked up Motley and set him on the floor, “You’re staying here. The last thing we need for you is to get lost and become someone else’s pet.” Motley mewled, pawing at Jax’s leg with a pleading look on his face. “Nope, I’ve made up my mind. Your tricks aren’t working on me today.”

He turned to his mother, offering his arm out to her, “Shall we?”

Queenie sighed, letting out a little laugh at her son’s outlandish behaviour, “I suppose. But you better behave, got it young man?” She nearly growled.

“…Yes ma’am,” Jax whimpered pathetically.

Queenie patted his cheek, “Good. Now then, let’s go find your father before he chases after another butterfly for his collection. We don’t need a repeat of…last time.”

Jax shuddered at the memory, despite his own bug-like pranks, he certainly didn’t want to do what his father was capable of. “You and me both mother,” he nodded.

He hid the dopey grin that stretched on his features the more he thought about the jester, how he was going to spoil her, give her everything she could ever hope for and more, to do anything to make her his and his alone. He couldn’t wait to see her again.

To tell the truth, Pomni was nothing but nerves when to came to public situations. It was different whenever she was performing, she knew that by the end of the day – as long as she put on a smile and a good show – everything would turn out according to plan. When it came to actually being in a crowd full of people, she always felt like she was going to be sick. It wasn’t easy to put on a façade when there was no pre-planned performance. The thought of being around so many people, not knowing what they were like or what they would say, she could make one slight mistake and everything could go wrong.

She was a bit glad that Kaufmo insisted to come along, to read the signs on her face in case she had to get out of here. But another part of her felt guilty for doing that. She wanted to enjoy herself put in public, to not fear the next person coming here way, to not fear if they had any other ulterior motives. Why did her mind have to be like this? And she hated how she always dragged Kaufmo down with her, he deserved to have one day where he wasn’t constantly worrying over her, how did he not see her as a burden? She just wished could be…normal. But someone like her could never be normal, not in this lifetime anyway.

Still, she wasn’t going to waste her time dwelling on misery, life was too short for that. She remained glued by Moon and Ragatha’s sides, Kaufmo trailing behind them like a guard dog (a rather colourful guard dog but the intention was clear). She wanted to have fun, have a day to just be Pomni, not worrying about the performance for tonight and if it was perfect enough. That was for later, this was now.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Sun marvelling over cakes at the window of a bakery, his mouth watering at each flavour presented through the glass. Gangle and Zooble were at a flower stall, with the latter buying a rose the same colour as the ribboned woman and gifting it to her, making Gangle blush. Pomni smiled at the couple, maybe one day she would find someone to share a bond with like Zooble and Gangle.

She heard a small gasp, turning she noticed two young girls pointing at her while whispering excitedly. Pomni shook her head fondly, they must have recognised her from the show the other night. She gave them a small curtsy, the children become even more excited before bounding over to her. She was a little bit nervous with the sudden closeness and enthusiasm from the children, but Moon and Ragatha were behind her, making sure she was alright.

She was fine, all she got was a fright. “Hello,” she waved at the two girls, “Hope can I help you?”

“Hi miss!” The first girl squealed, “You were so pretty last night!”

“Why thank you,” Pomni cooed, “Did you two enjoy the show?”

“Yeah!” the second girl cheered, “You were my favourite! You were so sparkly and twisty!”

Pomni giggled, they must have been referring to her costumes and her dance flexibility on the aerial silks. It was the main highlights of her performance and what boosted audience numbers. She wasn’t surprised that the girls liked it so much. “I’m so glad you two had fun,” she grinned, her chest fluttering at the girl’s collective beaming faces.

“What you like one of our flower crowns?” the first girl asked, “It has pretty daises!”

Pomni placed both hands to her chest in a flattered manner, “I would love to have one of your flowers crowns.”

The girls jumped with glee, fishing into one of their satchels and pulling out a delicate daisy chain tied into a circle. Pomni lowered her head as they placed it on her hair, the whole interaction made her feel giddy and warm. After all, who didn’t love flower crowns? She never got to do that at their age, so there was something bittersweet having a chance to do this now. She was about to open her mouth to thank the girls for their gift, when a loud and brash voice made her flinch.

“I knew a crown would look good on you,” Prince Jax’s voice made her wince, “Just have it in gold and you’ll look like a real princess.”

Pomni took a breath, plastering on a face of fake kindness and concealed annoyance as she turned to the prince – Moon and Ragatha were protectively standing on each side of her as Kaufmo stood from a distance, ready to intervene in case anything happened. “Prince Jax,” she spoke through gritted teeth, “To what do I owe the pleasure.”

“Your presence is enough for that little lady,” he grinned as she bristled at the nickname, “I was just making my way through town and decided to stop bye and say hi.”

“Well, now you did, so you can go now,” Pomni rolled her eyes and turned to face the girls again. Moon and Ragatha smirked while Kaufmo’s chest puffed proudly.

Jax faltered a bit, he didn’t want this conversation to end so soon! He ran up to her, dodging the ragdoll and Moon, ignoring Kaufmo’s icy glare and shoved himself in front of Pomni’s eyeline. “If you like, I could get you a little souvenir,” he offered suavely, “After all, daisies die pretty fast. Kind of a pathetic gift if you ask me. A little gold chain with a diamond would like nice around that pretty neck of yours.”

Pomni scowled at him, her anger growing more as she heard the two little girls’ sniffle at his insult. They were young, yes, but she knew about much effort must have gone into making this crown. And the fact that she never got to do this as a child only added fuel to the fire. “You have some nerve insulting the talents of your people,” she poked him harshly in the chest as a look of fear spread across the prince’s face. “This is a gift made from the gentle hands of the next generation of your kingdom, don’t you dare degrade this is present in front of them. And even if it were to die quickly, it only means I must cherish it more before that happens.”

“I-um,” Jax stammered, he was barely a minute into talking with her and he was already screwing up. He had to try a new tactic. With quick thinking, he ran over to the flower stall, blindly picked up a bouquet, slammed a few coins down and ran back over to Pomni. “Here,” he shoved the flowers into her face, making her splutter. “As an apology.”

After Pomni regained her bearings, she took a proper look at what was shoved in her face. Taking a note of the flowers in his hand, she gave him a deadpanned look, “Orange lilies and yellow carnations?”

Jax gave her a smug grin, looking as though he won the lottery, “From Prince Jax himself. You’re welcome.”

“They literally symbolise hatred and rejection,” said Pomni. Jax’s face fell, as though lightening struck through him at the realisation. “I think I’ll stick with my daisies.”

With that, she gave him a tight-lipped smile and walked away – but not before giving the two girls a warm hug and reassuring them that she loved her new flower crown.

Jax was about to go after her, until he was stopped by the death glares of Ragatha and Moon, as well and a tight grip on his shoulder. His eyes followed the hand attached to the arm, all the way to the furious gaze of Kaufmo. “I don’t give a damn if you’re royalty or not,” the clown growled, “But you will not disrespect my kid in front of me. Do I make myself clear?”

Jax gulped, the last thing he needed today was to be murdered by an overprotective clown, “Yes sir.”

“Good,” Kaufmo took his hand off, brushing it on his suit and walked away to find Pomni, Ragatha and Moon in tow.

Jax let out a breath, he never knew clowns could be that scary. He froze at the sound of a throat clearing, he groaned as he looked at Kinger and Queenie, disappointment etched on their faces with the royal guards standing behind them. “I ask for one thing Jax,” Queenie muttered, “One thing. For you to behave, and this is what you do?!”

“To be fair…this is me we’re talking about,” Jax gave them a nervous chuckle.

The couple’s expression didn’t change. “Come on,” Kinger sighed, “You’re sticking with us for the rest of the day.”

Jax whined, crossing his arms as he followed his parents and the guards. Queenie stuck by his side though, leaning up to whisper in his ear, “You know, the next time you want to impress a girl, keep the snide comments about simple gifts from children to yourself. You aren’t going to get anywhere if you keep up that attitude.”

Jax grumbled under his breath. But his mother did have a point though, they were just kids, he didn’t have to stoop so low. His stomach churned, hearing those whimpers from those little girls struck him in the heart, how could he be so cold-hearted? “You’re right mother, that wasn’t the best choice of words,” he admitted. Queenie’s eyes sparked a little bit, perhaps her son was finally taking the right step- “That’s why I’m going to spend so much fortune on Pomni and gift her anything she could ever ask for without commenting on the boring stuff she likes!”

Queenie’s face fell. Nope, Jax was still up his own ass.

The minute Jax was back in his room, he started writing a list. He wrote down everything he knew about how to woo a woman, and as someone who was quite popular with the ladies, he felt pretty confident with his abilities. Truly, he was a master of his craft. Once he was satisfied with his plan, he got to work, with Motley watching the trainwreck preparing itself from afar.

Firstly, he went to the best broker he could find and purchased the most beautiful, one-of-a-kind diamond that he had ever seen in his life. It was just as striking as Pomni’s perfect eyes. He had a servant deliver it to her, content that within a day’s time she would be coming to the castle to visit him. However, the servant had come back and instead of his jester, he returned with news that Pomni had sold the diamond to a local jewellery shop, where it was smashed to pieces and turned into lovely necklaces for the other women of the village.

Okay, so she wasn’t a fan of shiny things. It doesn’t matter, he still had a few plans up his sleeve.

Next, he took out a deposit of his spendings (it was at least enough to buy ten castles) and requested it to be sent to Pomni in her name for her to do what she pleased with it. His heart skipped a beat when he found out she accepted it, only for him to choke on his tongue when he found out that she had donated it all to the orphanage of the village. The only thing he received from her was a note telling him to ‘do something beneficial with his spendings since he had so much of it’.

He swooned over the fact that his little jester was so charitable, but he couldn’t ignore the irritation that came with it! He was going further beyond for her, yet she wouldn’t even spare a glance at him. What else did he have to do to make her notice him?!

It continued like that, he would send her the most lavish, expensive gifts that would make any man or woman swoon, and every single time she either gave it away or returned it. Jax was starting to get on his last nerve, she was going to notice his affections one way or another. He still had one more plan, and if this didn’t work (which it would!) then he was truly at a loss.

The next day, he gave instructions to the royal announcer. A royal banquet was going to be held at the castle tonight, with Jax wanting nothing more than to have Pomni to be his plus one for the evening. Maybe it was a bit of a jerk move to announce this publicly, but he was just so desperate to see her again, he was willing to do anything just to catch a glimpse of her lovely face.

He awaited patiently, so sure that his plan was going to work. When the announcer came back, there was a smug grin on the prince’s lips, expecting for him to say that his jester would be attending tonight. However, the situation was much more different than the prince had hoped. When the news went out to the public that Prince Jax wanted to invite Pomni to the banquet, she had merely given the announcer a simple bow and replied:

“I appreciate the invitation, but I will have to decline the prince’s offer and his lack of planning ahead.”

Jax felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach.

She rejected his invite! In public no less! It was one thing to reject an invite to such a regal occasion, but to reject a royal? That was the biggest humiliation that anyone could ever do to royalty! It would leave a mark on his reputation! The only prince known in all the lands to be rejected for all the kingdom to see.

And this is where it left him now, alone at the banquet, swirling a glass of wine as he mumbled to himself. “It was the diamond, I should’ve gotten her the ruby,” he muttered under his breath, “Diamonds are overrated anyways. I don’t understand, I’m great with courting, how could anyone-”

“You know, you can tap a cocoon as many times as you want, the butterfly still won’t come out,” he jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice as she walked up to him.

“Mother,” he gasped, “You can’t keep surprising me like that!”

“Just like how you can’t keep pushing this girl to be with you,” Queenie crossed her arms over her chest, “Honestly Jax. Out of all the ideas you have had in your entire life, announcing to the public to make Pomni join you for tonight has got to be your most ridiculous one yet! Honestly, I don’t blame her for rejecting you, someone had to hit you with common sense eventually!”

“I-I, but!” Jax stammered, but deep down he knew his mother was right. Karma had to hit him eventually, and it hit him with the most alluring, beautiful, one-of-a-kind songbird that fluttered into his heart, only for her to be completely out of his reach. He sighed, “I just… I never felt this way for anyone before.”

“Really?! I couldn’t tell with the way you were constantly making a fool of yourself!” she ignored Jax’s gaping mouth towards her, continuing her speech. “She has expressed to you multiple times that she isn’t interested with what you have to offer Jax! Either you cease these attempts or you actually find something that will let her see you in a different light!”

“How?! If this is all that I can offer her, then it’s already too late for me. You know it, you see it! I’m nothing but a reckless prince who keeps ruining things for myself,” Jax’s shoulder’s tensed, taking a breath while feeling his heart twist in his chest as his eyes drifted down to the ground. “For the first time something finally good came my way and I already messed it up. But I don’t want to let her go.”

Queenie’s shoulders sagged, her face twisting somberly, “You already have so many good things Jax. I wish you could see it too.”

Jax was about to open his mouth to ask what she meant, but Queenie was already walking away. He stared at the wine in his cup, watching the bubbles rise to the top. Through the glass, he could see the other guests spying on him, whispering to one another while pointing at him.

He knew they were talking about his most recent blunder with Pomni, and as much as it hurt, it wasn’t the first time the upper class had gossiped about him. Even before his pranks, before his reputation as the ‘disaster heir of Laphria’, ever since he was a child every lord, duke and count always had their opinions and comments about of him, none of them friendly.

Jax scoffed at them, he didn’t care. At least now that he was older he had a reason for them to talk nothing but rubbish about him, instead of simply being a child.

He took a swig of his wine, it was going to be a long night.

My nana says I have travelling feet

Travelling feet, travelling feet

Slippers for princesses don't fit me

But I dance to my own drum, bright and bold

And my travelling feet always get me home

Pomni strummed her guitar in the dressing room, fully decked in her costume and waiting for the performance to start later. She always got nervous before a show (especially after the public invite she received from the prince) but her music always calmed her down.

My sister says I've a restless soul

Restless soul, restless soul

Easy to catch, but I'm hard to hold

Like a song on the wind that you caught one day

I get under your skin, then I slip away

Gangle, Zooble, Moon and Ragatha were in there as well, adding the last touches to their costumes while listening to Pomni’s song. The girl had come a long way, for better and for worse, but her music was one of the things that gave the circus members hope. After what they went though, they could all use it.

I'm a map of the world and the ones before

One foot in sea and one on shore

Every step, every hope flung high

I'm a map of them all with my Irish eyes

“That’s coming along really well Pomni!” Gangle clapped as Pomni finished up.

The jester smiled, resting her head on the side of her guitar as she faced the rest of the group, “It still has some polishing but it’s becoming a new favourite of mine.”

“I’m glad you have something to focus on after that whole mess earlier,” Moon sneered at the memory of the announcer, feeling nothing but fury at the prince for trying to pressure Pomni to join him. “It took bravery to decline such a heavy offer Pomni.”

Pomni cringed, “I don’t understand, what on earth does the prince see in me for him to keep running back! I mean, you’d think he’d take a hint after what I said to him the first time I saw him! But no, he just wants to keep being annoying. Ugh, men are the worst thing in this realm.”

“Agreed,” Ragatha nodded, “Men are only born with half a brain with not a lot going on in there.”

“I don’t know,” Zooble shrugged, “Granted, women are better. But you seem pretty passionate about someone you find annoying Pomni.”

“W-what?!” Pomni stuttered, nearly dropping the guitar, “What is that supposed to mean?!”

“You know, if you really hate him Pomni you wouldn’t be talking about him this much,” Zooble grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gangle gasped, an excited grin gracing her mask, “It’s true! Pomni, you can say you like him, we won’t judge!”

“I-I, no! I don’t like him! That’s absurd!” Pomni stuck her tongue out in disgust.

“Exactly, there’s no way that prince even deserves Pomni,” Ragatha nodded.

“Honestly, you and Zooble might be so head over heels with one another that you both are making up stories in your head!” Moon frowned, shaking her head.

“Or maybe we’re able to see the obvious,” Zooble chuckled.

“No! No! You don’t see anything!” Pomni squeaked. “Besides, Jax is not my type at all! He’s so loud and rude. And has a terrible sense of humour. And struts as if he owns the place. And he has untamed, wild eyes…that shine. And he’s always smiling no matter what’s thrown his way. And his smile, its so…” She trailed off, whipping her head up when she noticed Zooble’s shit eating grin, Gangle’s giddy face and the shocked looks that Ragatha and Moon shared. “…It’s so annoying! I mean come on!”

Her eyes darted between everyone, no one was buying her excuse. “I’m getting some air!” she huffed, setting her guitar down and running out of the dressing room.

Once she was at a good distance, she climbed the nearest rope connected to the ceiling, balancing and swinging on it slightly before jumping onto a nearby trapeze swing. She sighed with relief, despite her anxiety, the vertigo from being up so high was enough to distract her. She smiled a little bit, from up here she could see half of behind the tent and the audience were starting to flood the seats.

Her mind went back to what Zooble said, more so what they said about Jax. Her?! Like him?! How could she ever like him?! They were so different and he oozed nothing but a ‘higher than thou’ attitude, something she despised. She hated him, yup that was her final verdict, she hated him.

But unfortunately Gangle was right, she couldn’t get him out of here head.

She groaned, why couldn’t the rabbit prince get out of her head?!

“Did you hear about Prince Jax?”

Pomni perked up, looking down at the crowd. There was a group of young adults around her age, from the fine fabrics and jewels they wore that had to be belonging to quite prestigious families.

There were two young women and men, each one of them wearing vicious smirks. “This has to be his most embarrassing blunder yet.”

Pomni frowned, she didn’t like their tones at all.

“As if he wasn’t an embarrassment enough,” the first man sneered, “Honestly, I can’t believe that the crown will be going to him.”

“Marriage into the crown is the only saving quality of that man,” the first woman giggled, “That and his parties.”

“Imagine how low you have to sink to be like that,” the second man cackled, “Only being good for parties and nights in the sheets.”

The second woman whacked his arm with her fan, “Don’t talk about such topics in public!”

“He isn’t wrong though,” the first woman pointed out, “He was so desperate to lose his virtue, such a pig!”

Pomni’s heart sank. She only heard the village talk about the prince, his recklessness and pranks and all that, but was this how the upper crust talked about him? He probably had to spend every day with these types of people coming into the castle, did he hear every bit of it in the hallways?

“What else do we expect from an orphan bastard,” the second man sneered, “Only taken in because the royal family felt pity for him. Only one with peasant blood could act so foolishly.”

Pomni saw red. That was the final straw. To think so lowly of someone just because they had no blood relation to royalty, out of all the things to not like about the prince, that was what they hated the most?! He couldn’t control not being born into status! And each comment that they made was an indirect insult to the king and queen taking in a child from the kindness of their hearts!

In fact, having this knowledge made her understand Jax a little bit more, was this why he acted out the way he did? From hearing these comments all the time? After all, she knew better than anyone about being taken care of by someone with no blood connected to them, she didn’t know if she would even be here today if it wasn’t for Kaufmo.

She glared at the ignorant cluster below her, she wasn’t going to let them get away with this.

She looked up, on the platform next to Moon and Sun’s tightrope, she could see the bucket of water that was typically dumped onto Kaufmo’s head at the beginning of his act. She titled the swing, giving it a bit of momentum before swing over onto the tightrope. She jumped, balancing carefully before tiptoeing over to the platform. She picked up the bucket of water, searched for the group again before dumping the water over them, soaking their clothes and makeup.

They let out ear-piercing screeches, demanding who did this. Pomni jumped back onto her swing, hidden in the shadows as she bit back a giggle. That would teach them a lesson for their vile little words.

She froze when she heard a throat clear, looking back behind the tent, she saw Kaufmo with his arms crossed while frowning. Damn it, he saw what she did.

“Uh…the water was dirty?” she gave him a nervous laugh.

His face didn’t move a muscle. Oh I’m in big trouble “I’m sorry Pa.”

There was so much smoke.

So much fire.

She couldn’t breathe, the smoke was too much.

There was no one there.

Where did everyone go?

She couldn’t be alone.

She can’t be alone.

“Ma!”

There was no answer.

No body

No life.

“Ma where are you?!”

Pomni woke in a cold sweat. She took in her surroundings, she was in the inn, sleeping after another show. She wasn’t a five-year-old girl anymore, she wasn’t stuck in a burning town with faded memories. She was here, she was safe.

She rubbed her face, the nightmares would always change, but they would never become dreams and they would never go away. There had been nights while she was more than willing to sacrifice her sleep, but it only resulted in passing out during the middle of the day. Nothing but a viscous cycle that she couldn’t escape from.

She contemplated getting her guitar out, but she didn’t want to risk waking anyone. She hated it when she got like this, she was nothing but a burden that everyone else was forced to carry. She was weak and stupid and a coward and-

Smash!

She screamed when the glass of her window smashed, a hooded figure climbing in with a knife and rope.

Pomni’s stomach sank. No, no I can’t go back.

She reached under her pillow, pulling out a knife of her own. The hooded man came forward to hit her, she blocked his attack and kicked him away. He let out a yell as he was pushed back. Pomni jumped off the bed as he began to stand back up, slashing her knife on her arms every time he lunged to her.

She raised her knife again, only for her door to be kicked down by another figure. They grabbed her arms, forcing her to drop the knife. The first stranger handed the rope to his associate as they reached into their pockets for something else. “Thought you had her under control,” the second figure spat.

“Don’t blame me,” the first one retorted, “Caine didn’t say how much of a spitfire she was.”

The name sent a shiver down Pomni’s spine. “Help! Somebody hel-” her cries were cut off when the first figure wrapped a gag around her mouth, muffling her screams.

“The pay before make up for this,” the second growled, “I got every mind to cut this little bitch’s fingers off.”

“Easy, Caine said he wanted her in one piece,” the first told him, “Just keep your eyes on the prize and we’ll be fine.”

Pomni heard more screams and crashes coming from outside her room. The others, they were in danger to. She tried to escape from her captor’s hold, but they were too strong as they wrapped the rope around her wrists and dragged out of the room.

She paled as she saw the rest of the circus crew being dragged out of their rooms, with staff members of the inn trying to stop them. In the midst of the ruckus, her captors managed to drag her away and outside into the pouring rain. The first figure pulled him onto his horse, with the second one hoisting Pomni behind him.

“Remember,” the second one spoke, “Meet Caine in the middle of the woods, that’s where he’s doing the pick-up.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” the first nodded, whipping his reigns and taking off.

Pomni could only struggle as she watched the inn grow smaller and smaller, while her heart spiked and panic washed over her.

She can’t be a prisoner again.

She can’t let that happen.

She won’t let that happen.

The royal family was awoken in the middle of the night, an emergency was afoot and it needed their full attention.

Jax rubbed sleep from his eyes as he followed his parents into the throne room. This had better be good if he was rudely awoken.

“Your majesties,” a guard bowed, “The innkeeper has requested immediate help, her inn is under attack.”

The fur on Jax’s neck stood, that’s where Pomni was.

“Word has it that they call themselves the gloinks, a group of bounty hunters that has raided many kingdoms before,” the guard continued, “We managed to send over as many as we could to arrest them and they managed to intervene before anyone was hurt. But one already got away with a victim.”

No, no, no, no, no, no. Please don’t tell me its-

“They took the jester from the circus.”

Jax was numb, the rest of the world falling silent.

From the corner of his eye, he could see his parents worrying and giving out instructions of what to do. But Jax? He already had a plan. Get Pomni back.

And so, he ran.

“Jax!” Kinger yelled out to him, “Jax!”

“Jax where are you going?!” Queenie shouted.

He ignored them, he had to. Someone kidnapped Pomni, and they were going to pay.

He ran all the way to the stables, pulling a nearby coat off the rack as he took out his horse. He didn’t bother with a saddle, he had ridden plenty of times without one. Maybe he would get in trouble for disobeying his parents later, but he didn’t care. What mattered right now was Pomni’s safety.

He took hold off his horse’s mane as he took off, running out of the stables and towards the gate.

“Open the gate!” he shouted to whoever was there.

At his command, they opened.

“Come on boy,” he told his horse, “We gotta go!”

The horse galloped faster and faster, running past the gates and into the town.

He had to pick up the pace, Pomni’s captor was probably reaching the edge of the village. There was one thing he knew, tonight, he was getting Pomni back.

Pomni struggled with her binds, her kidnapper’s horse was starting to near the forest. She couldn’t go back to Caine, not when freedom was at her grasp. She closed her eyes and focused, blue mist levitating from her hands. She focused on the knot on the rope, letting the mist carefully pull it out. It took time and patience, but she managed to get it to slip out.

She pulled the rope off, taking the gag off and was about to jump off the horse when an arm grabbed her. “Oh no you don’t!” her captor growled, “You ain’t getting away that easily!”

“I’m not going back!” she screamed, “You can tell Caine to go fuck himself!”

She raised a hand, scratching him in the face, leaving behind three bleeding streaks across his skin. “You stupid cunt!” he screamed.

He struck Pomni across the face. The momentum sending her off the horse, hitting the back of her head on a rock. “Fuck!” he jumped off, going over to her, “Shit, Caine’s gonna kill me!”

“Not before I kill you first.”

A fist grabbed the back of the captor’s hood, and he met the striking yellow and furious eyes of Prince Jax. He swore death was staring right back at him.

Jax used his other hand to grab the captor by the throat, lifting him above the ground. Jax grinned as he watched writhe in pain, scratching at his hands for air. He felt no mercy for this son of a bitch, he put his filthy hands on Pomni. He was going to pay. He slammed the captor against a tree, his head collecting with the trunk as he passed out. Jax threw him to the ground, he would deal with him later. There were more important matters at hand.

“Pomni!” he rushed over to her, kneeling to the ground and putting her head on his lap. When he pulled his hand away, his heart twisted as the sight of blood on his fingertips. Carefully lifting her head, he saw a nasty gash bleeding in the back of her head. He had to get her to a healer and fast. He pulled his jacket off, tearing off a sleeve and wrapped it round her add, making sure it applied pressure to the wound and ceased the bleeding.

He slid his arms under her waist and back, pulling her into his embrace and let her head rest on his shoulder as he stood. He carried her over to his horse, lifting them both up as he cradled her. He could see the rest of the guards coming, they could deal with her captor. For now, Pomni needed medical attention.

Without missing a beat, his horse tore off back to the castle, Jax keeping one hand on his mane and the other wrapped around Pomni to steady her. “Come on boy, come on!” he grunted, the horse snorting back as he ran as fast as he could.

Relief flooded him the moment the castle gates were in sight, opening at the first sight of the prince. Jax jumped off the horse as he slowed to a spot, keeping Pomni in his arms as he ran to the doors of the castle.

The guards positioned outside immediately opening the doors once they saw the royal and the injured jester, not wasting a moment so he could get her inside.

“Medic! I need a medic!” Jax yelled out, running up the marbled stairs.

The servants rushed out at the sound of the prince’s voice, gasping at the sight of Pomni and led them both quickly to a guest room.

Jax gently lay her on the plush bed, a few maids rushing over with bowls of water and towels. “She hit her head,” he told them, “I tried to add pressure to stop the blood but I’m not sure if it did enough.”

He unwrapped the makeshift bandage, tossing it aside before grabbing one of the wet towels to press it against the wound. A maid took it from him, pressing against it instead. He didn’t want to stand there doing nothing, Pomni was hurt and he was hanging around like a useless fly. “Blankets, do we have blankets?!” he turned to another servant, fear and desperation in his eyes.

They must’ve noticed, for they didn’t waste time pointing to a nearby cupboard. Jax rushed over, pulling out every blanket he could find and placed it on Pomni’s shivering body. “Hang in there Pomni,” his hands began to shake, there was more blood. He couldn’t lose her, not after treating her the way he did. His mother was right, now he was paying the price.

A doctor rushed in, medical bag in hand and ready to get to work. Jax’s stomach flipped when he heard Pomni letting out a whimper in her unconscious state. “Be careful with her!” he growled.

He felt a hand pulling him back by the shoulder, he flinched, shoving it away, only to soften that it was his father with his mother behind him. “Pomni is in good with hands with the doctor,” Kinger placed his hand back on Jax’s shoulder, “You got her here in time, let him do his work.”

“I can’t do nothing,” Jax interrupted, “Not when she’s hurt like this! I have to, I need to-”

“Ma,”

Everyone turned to the voice. Pomni wasn’t awake, but a tear slid down her cheek as she shifted in her slumber. “Ma,” her voice cracked, “Ma I’m stuck. Where are you?”

Jax’s heart shattered into a million pieces. Seeing and hearing Pomni so vulnerable, stripped of the glam and sass she wore, leaving behind a broken and frightened person instead. It made the guilt ten times worse. He felt himself sway, his head was pounding and his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest from how hard it was beating. Queenie immediately noticed, already wrapping her arms around her son and led him to a cushioned chair in the corner of the room.

“Pomni, she needs my help, she…” he murmured.

“Shh, it’s okay, you’ve done enough,” Queenie reassured him, running a hand over his ears, “Rest, she’s going to be okay.”

Jax wanted to protest, to insist that he was fine, to be by Pomni’s side. But the promise of sleep was too strong to ignore. And so, he shut his eyes. He’d wake up later, then he would help Pomni.

Kaufmo couldn’t stop trembling. When the inn was under attack, he was roughly grabbed out of his bed and shoved against a wall, leaving him with a bleeding forehead and a black eye. The blood was ringing in his ears and his vision was blurred, but what he did notice was Pomni screaming and tied up as she was dragged away.

He wanted to reach out for her, to give hell to those who hurt his kid, but the pain was too much and his attacker was too strong to escape from. Just hearing the cries of his family, and the fear of…him finding them. It was too much.

He thanked whatever god was up there when the palace guards came, saving them from the gloinks. But it was short-lived, with Pomni being the first thing on his mind. Out of everyone in the circus, it was his kid who had the highest bounty on her head.

He nearly cried when the news of Pomni being safe at the castle arrived to him, but what shocked him was who saved her. Prince Jax. Never in all his days did he think that the arrogant prince would care for anyone’s wellbeing other than his own. Nevertheless, Pomni was Kaufmo’s first priority, he wanted to get to the castle as soon as possible.

And this was where he stood now, in the throne room with the rest of the circus behind him, all praying for Pomni to be okay. The king and queen trekked into the room, Kaufmo running as soon as he saw them. “Where’s Pomni? What happened to her? Is she okay?” tears were streaming down his face, but he didn’t care, his kid was all that mattered.

“It’s okay,” Queenie spoke, “Pomni is safe, she hit her head but we had a doctor attend to her and she is recovering in a guest room.”

Kaufmo let out a giant sigh of relief. All tension leaving him the second the news was told to him. Pomni was okay, they got to her in time.

“However it does leave a question,” Kinger said, his tone serious and avoid of any other emotion, “Why were the gloinks targeting Pomni directly? What’s going on with you all?”

Kaufmo paled, the rest of the circus matching his expression. They had a feeling that after what happened, this question would arise. After all, this wasn’t a normal attack. The gloinks were infamous for their bounty hunting, always demanding the highest pay for whoever that had to go after. So why go after a simple jester?

“Kaufmo?” Ragatha walked towards him, placing a hand on his back, a silent question if he really wanted to get into this mess.

“It’s okay, they have to know,” Kaufmo took a breath to prepare himself, he could so this. “Our circus wasn’t always like this, and I wasn’t always the ringmaster. Many years ago, I wanted to be a clown for my whole life. Performing in a circus was always my dream. But no matter who I went to, they would never hire me. I was going to give up until I met a man named Caine. He was starting a circus of his own and he had everything, except a clown. He practically hired me on the spot, I was so excited that I was willing to look past any warning that were blaring.

It was fine at first, the audience liked my jokes, it was good pay and I got to travel all over the land. However, after a year of being there, I was ready to go home and see my family. But when I tried to leave, that was when I saw Caine’s true colours. The moment I stepped out of that tent, I was attacked by Caine’s hunters. It was then when I learned that no one could leave, and even if you tried, Caine would send his men after you. Either you get attacked, but if you attempted to leave multiple times…I know many members who chose death rather than stay.”

“That’s how Caine tricks people,” Moon spoke up, “He offered me a home for me and my brother. I even fell in love with him. But when I saw what he was doing, I tried to get help. I made it about three feet before his hunters came after me.”

“He said he would help my family,” Ragatha rubbed her arm nervously, “We were poor and he said he would pay for anything as long as I stayed in the circus. I haven’t seen my family in five years.”

“I wanted to run away with the circus, escape from the harm that was in my town,” Gangle sniffed, Zooble wrapped an arm around her, “I never thought how much worse it could get.”

“It went on like that for so long,” Kaufmo continued. “For years we were nothing but puppets for Caine as he fed off our talents. If we weren’t sleeping, we were either rehearsing or performing. And if we showed the slightest sign of fatigue, he’d unleash his fury on us. It only got worse when Pomni arrived. Pomni…I’ll let her tell her story. But she was the youngest out of all of us. She was five when Caine stole her. I took her under my wing, protecting her from Caine. But Pomni was different than the rest of us, her talents are…unique to say the least. It was what attracted audiences however, and as long as Pomni had that power, there was no way Caine was ever going to let her go.

“That was where I came in,” Zooble spoke up. “When the circus arrived in my area, I already had my suspicions. That was when I met Gangle, she told me what happened and I knew I couldn’t do nothing. So I came up with a plan to get them out. I would pretend that I wanted to be in Caine’s show while trying to get everyone out. It took a few buddies of mine and some help from my village, but it worked.”

“We managed to get the enforcers of the town and alert them of what was happening and then managed to detain Caine…at least for a while,” Kaufmo’s face fell. “A while ago, we heard news that Caine had managed to escape, but what really scared us the most was that he didn’t want any of us. Just Pomni. She was irreplaceable, so we’ve been on the run ever since. As long as Caine’s out there, none of us are free.”

Queenie and Kinger stood there, shellshock keeping them frozen in place. How could anyone react any differently to that information?! They wanted to so badly to ask about Pomni, but they knew that they shouldn’t pry her story from others. It was hers and only hers to share. “I appreciate you telling us this, I can’t imagine what you all have gone through,” Queenie told them, nothing but kindness and sincerity in her tone.

“Rest assured,” Kinger straightened up, “We will do everything in our power to make sure Caine doesn’t come near you ever again.”

“But how?!” Kaufmo cried out, “We’ve done everything in our power to get rid of him and he still manages a way to find us! We’re lucky to be alive at this point!”

“Believe my husband and I when I say that Caine will not get away with these crimes,” Queenie informed them. “For your safety, including Pomni’s, we advise you to stay within the castle walls under Caine is no longer a threat. Our soldiers are highly trained to deal with these types of threats. Worry not, your freedom is going to be granted soon.”

Kaufmo opened his mouth and closed it. Freedom? Was it really that possible for him? Would his daughter finally be rid of that monster? Maybe he was getting his hopes up, but by the end of the day, it was still hope. And as long as Pomni was safe, he would take it. “Thank you, your majesties, thank you,” Kaufmo shuddered, feeling a sense of happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time.”

“Of course,” Kinger nodded, “Once Pomni has arisen, we’ll let you see her. As for now, we’ll have your belongings transferred over to the castle. Please, breathe, you are all safe here.”

The circus members looked to one another, was it really possible? Would they finally have a life without fear? All they knew was one thing, as long as Caine didn’t get his hands on Pomni, then they could all finally breathe.

Pomni stirred lightly, her head thundering with pain. She was half tempted to go back to sleep, this bed was the softest she had ever slept in. She eyes shot open, the bed at the inn wasn’t normally this soft. When the bleariness cleared, she could see that she was laid upon the most luxurious sheets she had ever slept in, along with sleek silky pillows that cooled the heat rising upon her flushed skin. As her eyes travelled, they landed upon red wallpaper with embroidered gold stems and leaves, her gaze drifted to the side as she spied some type of curtains tied to each side of the bed.

She lifted herself up into a sitting position, ignoring her throbbing head as she took in more of her surroundings. She was still wondering how she got here, in fact, her memories were just as fuzzy in her. Then, in a flash, it came back to her.

The nightmares.

The break in.

The cries of her family.

The fear of seeing Caine.

The agony of her head hitting the rock…

And then Jax was there. His touch soft and his voice gentle as he lifted her and carried her back to the castle. Jax…saved me.

Pomni turned, gasping faintly as she saw the prince in a chair next to her. The castle she realised to herself I’m in the castle. Jax’s head was resting on the side of the bed as his breathing evenly flowed in and out. She smiled a bit, he looked so innocent like this. Stripped of his brashness and confidence, a small glimpse of Jax was peeking out to her. She was half tempted to brush her fingers through the fur of his ears, but quickly decided against that. He was a prince for goodness’ sake, how improper would that be.

She flinched at the sound of small pattering feet. She had a feeling she was safe due to the heavy protection surrounding the castle, but even that couldn’t keep the nerves at bay. She held the blankets closer to her, as though they would act as some sort of shield. All that worry melted away into awe once she saw the sweet brown eyes of a kitten starting up at her as he wandered into the room.

“Aw!” she cooed, “Hi little kitty!”

The kitten meowed, his tail wagging slowly as he made his way over to the jester. Pomni patted the bed, gesturing for the feline to come up. His claws caught into the sheets, making his way up until he joined Pomni on the mattress. Unable to resist, she scooped his up into her arms, with the little kitten rubbing his head against her cheek as he purred. “You’re just the sweetest little thing, aren’t you?” she scratched behind his ears.

Mew

She pressed a small kiss on his nose, he was just so cute!

Unbeknownst to the duo, the movement and noise that they were making made the prince stir a bit.

Jax let out a low grumble, the back of his neck aching after sleeping in this horrible position. But he didn’t want to leave Pomni’s side for a moment. Just in case she woke up or something happened to her in her sleep. No, he had to be here. Even if he resigned himself to sleep in a terrible way, Pomni mattered more.

He could feel something move next to him, along with the sound of coos and tiny meows. Wait a minute, he recognised those meows. He straightened up immediately, ignoring the neck ache. Pomni jumped at how quickly got up, hugging Motley closer to her.

“You’re awake!” Jax’s mouth split into a relieved grin, “Are you okay, nothing hurts does it? Do you need anything? Another blanket, water?”

Pomni blinked with confusion at the prince’s many questions. He seemed so…sweet? He did save her life, but still, seeing this side of him was so jarring. “Um, I’m fine thanks,” she smiled awkwardly.

He ran to the door, not wanting to waste a single moment longer, “Doctor! She’s awake!”

It wasn’t long before the doctor came in, checking her over and making sure she was alright, informing her about her extended stay in the castle and the search for Caine. However, all her focus seemed to be on Jax. When the doctor asked for a cool towel for her flushed face, Jax was eager to fetch it. When a breeze through the window made her shiver, he was quick to close it. And when the maid was setting up a tray of breakfast for her, Jax dropped everything to help her. Even the servants and doctors seemed perplexed by his behaviour. What happened to the mischievous prince who made sure to make his crudeness his reputation?

When the buzz died down, the doctor informed Pomni to stay in bed and that he would fetch her family.

Her family. They were safe, it relieved some tension that she didn’t even know she had. It was when Jax turned to leave that she did something that puzzled both of them. “Wait!” she called out. The prince turned back, did she want him to stay? “I-I just…why did you save me?”

Jax was taken aback by that question, staring at her as though the answer was obvious, “I couldn’t just let them take you. Bounty hunters invaded my kingdom and kidnapped one of our visitors. Besides, you hold value to your family and circus. They need you in their lives.”

“R-right, well what I wanted to say was…thank you,” her smile made his heart turn to melted gold. So soft yet so delicate and beautiful. It was burned into the prince’s memory.

“Y-you’re welcome Pomni,” Jax stuttered, sitting himself back down on the chair. He gulped, not once in his life did he get so tongue-tied over another person. It was certainly an interesting feeling to say the least. “And I should apologise for sending you those gifts and the announcement in the town square. Please believe me when I say that I didn’t aim to make you uncomfortable. How does my mother put it? My heart can be bigger than my brain sometimes. But I’m sorry that you had to witness it.”

It was Pomni’s turn to be taken aback. She had never heard words so genuine and sincere, especially with it coming from someone she always saw as pompous and crude. She cleared her throat, “I appreciate the apology your highness. It may take me a while to fully forgive you, but you’ve made a good start already.”

“Jax,” he said.

She hummed questioningly.

“Call me Jax,” he clarified.

“Oh! Well, thank you Jax,” she ran her fingers along the kitten’s fur, listening to him purr to fill the pleasant silence.

“Ah, I see you met Motley,” Jax poked the feline’s nose.

“Motley?” Pomni tilted her head.

“My cat,” he clarified.

Pomni let out a gasp, excitement washing over her. “This is your cat?!” she beamed, holding the kitten up to her face, “He’s adorable.” She pressed little kisses over his small face, Motley purring louder at the affection.

Jax grumbled, ignoring the twinge of jealously, “He’s an obnoxious little shit.”

Pomni scoffed at him, “No he’s not! He’s a sweet little gentleman.”

“He broke in here and decided that this place was gonna be his home,” Jax retorted back, “I didn’t get a say in the matter.”

“But how could you say no to this cute face?” Pomni held Motley closer to Jax’s face, the kitten pressing a paw to the prince’s nose.”

“He’s quite…persuading. But you won’t like him when he’s taking a bath, trust me,” Jax said.

Pomni rolled her eyes, cuddling the kitten again. Jax smiled softly, it was sweet to see her bonding with Motley, after what happened she could use this little interaction to help lift her spirits.

They paused for a moment, Jax letting Pomni take small bites of her breakfast while he prepared some tea for her. He had requested chamomile from the maids, it was what helped him for whenever he had a sick day and he hoped it would help Pomni as well. Once Pomni’s plate was cleared, he gently put the mug in her hands and took away the breakfast tray. She hummed appreciatively at the warm drink, watching Jax’s carefully stack everything together and taking it to the door. It was quite the sight to see, a prince waiting beck and call for a commoner. But she wasn’t complaining, it was rather comforting to be taken care of.

Throughout the silence, simple questions being traded back and forth between the two. “So tell me, how do you know so much about flowers?” Jax asked, “You know, after my abysmal attempt of trying to give some to you.”

Pomni laughed, it was quite funny looking back at it now, “My ma-…my family always loved flowers, they taught me everything there was to know about them. My favourite was always roses, it might be cliché but there are so many meanings to come out of one flower depending on the colour.”

“I see,” Jax murmured, even the smallest thing about Pomni meant the world to him. She was just so fascinating.

“And you,” Pomni spoke, “What is your favourite pastime?”

“Well…I have a passion for reading,” he told her, “Ever since I was young I’ve always had a fondness for books about adventures and swashbuckling pirates! Every page was a new journey and I wanted to devour it all! I wanted to live that life more than ever.”

“That does sound amazing,” she mused, “I haven’t been to a library in so long…” she trailed off. Jax’s face fell slightly, reaching his hand out to her. Pomni noticed the sudden change in mood and smiled again, “But it’s alright, I’m sure I will one day.”

Jax nodded, keeping her sentence locked in his mind. He’d have to come back to that later.

Pomni bit her lip, another question had been burning at the back of her mind and it had made her more curious than she thought she should be. She turned to Jax, “I have to ask, why did you want to see me so badly? What did I do that made you so infatuated?”

Jax blinked, resting his arms on his legs as he clasped his hands together. He took a breath, his face serious as he answered her, “I know it might sound ridiculous, and you’re allowed to laugh. But in all honesty, it was your voice.”

Pomni perked up, her eyes wide, “My voice?”

“Yeah,” Jax nodded, “The moment you started singing, I just wanted to know more about you. You were telling a story simply through song, but you were only telling the first chapter. I got impatient and wanted to read more. From the first note, I knew that there was more to you that I had to know. I just…didn’t go about it the right way at first.” He let out a nervous chuckled, only to freeze when he saw a tear slide down her cheek. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

“No, no, you didn’t,” she let out a choked laugh, wiping the tear away, “In fact, you said exactly what I needed to hear.”

Motley rubbed his head against her arm, offering as much comfort as possible. Jax placed his hand on hers, “Pomni, if I act or say anything stupid just say the word. I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m a massive idiot.”

Pomni giggled, her face twisting into one of mock surprise, “Really, I had no idea!”

Jax rolled his eyes fondly, “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up short stack.”

She snorted, about to say another word when the room was suddenly flooded by the circus members. Each one of them fretting over her and checking if she was okay. “Guys! I’m fine!” she reassured them, Motley scrambling out of the crowd and ran over to Jax.

The rabbit picked him up, giving the circus cast their space as they reunited with Pomni. “You scared me to death kiddo!” Kaufmo squeezed her, “I thought they got you!”

“I’m okay Pa,” she rested her head on his shoulder, “I gave them a piece of my mind before Jax saved me.”

Kaufmo froze, slowly turning to the prince. “You saved my kid?” he asked.

Jax gulped, he still hadn’t forgotten the clown’s terrifying threat, “Yes?”

Kaufmo hummed in thought, it seemed that he judged the prince a bit too harshly. But only a little bit, he didn’t regret chewing him out. “Thank you, your highness,” he gave Jax a simple bow, “It’s good to know that our safety is taken seriously by you.”

“O-of course,” Jax stuttered. He had fought and won battles against much more frightening opponents, how did a clown seem worse than that?

Kaufmo turned his attention back to Pomni, running his hand over her wound and cringing at the sight. He sat on the bed next to Pomni, the girl leaning into her father’s hug as the rest of the circus members watched over them.

Jax decided to take this as a que to leave and give them their privacy. He was just about to head out the room when he was stopped by Pomni’s voice, “Jax!”

He paused, turning back to her.

“Thank you, again,” Pomni smiled at him, “For what you did.”

Jax grinned, feeling a sense of pride fill him. But it wasn’t the usual arrogance he’d come to expect, there was a warmth to it, and a flutter of butterflies in his stomach. Holding Motley in one arm, he gave the jester a bow, “Always. If you’d like, once you’ve recovered, I could give you a tour of the castle?”

“I’d like that,” Pomni nodded.

And with that, Jax took his leave, fully aware of the stabbing glares of Kaufmo, Moon and Ragatha on his back, never did he expect to feel such danger from a circus crew.

Pomni bit her lip shyly, fisting the sheets below her hands before looking up to meet Gangle’s giddy smile and Zooble’s teasing gaze. “So, you got yourself a date with the prince huh?” Zooble chortled.

“S-shut up!” Pomni threw a pillow at him, making them laugh harder. She sighed, that prince really wormed himself into her heart, didn’t he?

Song Credit: Irish Eyes by Rose Betts

32 notes · View notes