#ILYILY

[nanaslutt]

guys what the fwick (;° ロ°)

[cookie-crumblr]

(Don’t care that I’m not on anon gonna be shameless rn) how would Ezra, and Dev.In & ofc Issac react if the reader (female) said she wanted to their (his) little pet? Also for Ezra it’d also only be said it’ll be done if he doesn’t fucking kill her, or damage her too much to put her in the hospital AGAIN (I’ll finish Jasper’s in a min)

MINORS DNI

CW: F!reader, reader referred to as she/her, reader has a vagina, pet play, reader has hair (not described), names for reader (slut, bitch, little bitch, good girl, my bitch,kitty, good kitty, kitten, bad girl) size difference/n kink, nipple play, p in v, inhuman anatomy, fingering, reader has breast(not described)

OOOooooOOoOo!!! yessssss! (also this got way longer than what i intended XD SORRY)

So i feel like with Ezra this might be his ideal partner.

Like sure he loves a partner that he can reshape, but a partner that just chooses to fully rely on him? oh boy.

Ezra X F!Pet Reader!

“You really are a slut, you know that?” He pokes your forehead, “But you’re my little slut, huh?”

You nod eagerly, your collar in your mouth, and hands up as if they’re paws.

He takes the leather from your maw and buckles it around your throat snug enough that you feel it on you.

“What does the little bitch want, ay? You wannnaaaaa, treat? Little bitch wants a treat??” He coos and raises the pitch of his voice.

You nod again excitedly.

He backs you up against the wall, his arm over your head, and he leans down to you. Knee in your crotch, and his fingers run loosely through your hair. “Such a good girl,” his words send shivers through you.

“Plea-” He slams your head back against the wall when he slaps his hand over your mouth.

“Pets don’t talk,” His sinister grin grows, “they bark.”

“Woof” You’re muffled by his hand and the air puffs up into your eyes, but your own smile widens when his eyes admire you. A fire burns in your core.

“Fuck,” His voice is soft, the softest you’ve ever heard it.

“woof…” you let out a more quiet one hoping he’ll have mercy, your eyes seriously pleading.

His giant body surrounds you, as a hand wraps around your throat and his other one takes to between your legs replacing his knee. He removes whatever was blocking his way and stuffs his fingers deep into you with some resistance. “Good girl,”

“mmmhh!”

“Mm, you’re so tight,” your ear vibrates as he growls into it.

“Ow!” you squeak as he nips your ear, but it sends an electric shock through you.

“You tightened up, you love it when i hurt you” He clenches around your neck harder. You nod vigorously, you love it! you really do!

He rips through the rest of your clothes, leaving thick shreds around your body.

Lifting your leg along with him, you feel his massive member rub against your lower lips and shudder in his grasp. “Oh fffuck” falls from your lips.

He shoves himself into you, this time there’s a lot more resistance and it burns briefly, until you feel him hit your cervix, and practically gush around him.

He moans into your ear, “That’s my bitch, loves the pain i give.”

His body keeps you up, he’s huge and you feel so tiny, you both moan, as he bounces you against the wall. Your back burns against the painted wall, but somehow even it’s adding to the weight of that pleasure in your guts.

“Bark, bitch.” His voice reverberates inside you.

“Wo-woof!” He squeezes your neck harder and smacks your thigh. A coil snaps inside you, and he fucks harder through your rippling waves of pleasure. The spots in your eyes grow an wobble around, you can’t catch what little breath your able to get.

He pulls out and cums onto your stomach, some hits himself, there’s so much of it.

Dev.in and Issac is a fun one, probably my fave.🙈✨

Dev.In and Issac X F!Pet Reader!

“Well I can’t say I’m surprised. Issac will certainly be-”

“What will I be!?” Issac bounds in and trips over his own feet as he does, you catch him and he looks up thankfully.

“Happy. She wants to be my pet.” they say plainly.

“Oooo! Can I also be your pet, Devvy~!?!?”

“You already were,” Their growing smirk tugs at his snake bites.

“Yay!!!! Oh! Y/N this is gonna be so much fun~!!!”

~

Later, you’re both naked on all fours, kitty ear headbands, collars with leashes, and long sleek tail buttplugs in… You look expectantly at your master.

They’re sat legs spread and leaning back just enough to set a very commanding aura around him. His icy blue eyes glow in the dim light.

“Here kitties,” His voice is low and slow, as he curls a finger languidly. You imagine for a brief second that it’s inside you curling like that.

The crawl is uncomfortable, as you and Issac happily approach them and each climb a leg. You both admire the icy blue, inhumanly shaped, jagged, and thick, twin cocks, with drool in your mouths.

“You want these inside you?” they say cockily, while roughly grabbing both of your chins.

You nod. Oh gods yess! of course you want that beautiful beast of a thing inside of you!

“Such good kitties I have, it’s just too bad…”

You both cock your heads in question.

“I don’t feel like giving you what you want” Their grin drips of malice. “Make out with each other instead”

You do, you put your hands on Issac’s chest while sat on one of Dev.In’s thighs, and he sits on the other. Your legs are tangled together and he presses his knee between your legs.

“I didn’t say you could pleasure her yet.” they bounce their knee and slap Issac’s ass.

“Oh~! I’m soo sorry Master~~” He responds in a sing songy voice and winks at them, they return the smile and wink.

[jungaji]

aaa thank you so much my cuties🥹 it might not seem like a big number but im so so grateful to have reached this milestone!!! thank you for being here and supporting my works<3

to celebrate here are some pics of my gomdo lee!!! (smiski one might be my fav)

[sentfrmabove]

trick or treat!!!!!! if u celebrate 🩷🩷🎀🎃 give me sweets pls

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!!!! who r u dressing up as im kenma from hq :33

also here take the whole mumkin

[w0rmdahl]

the snow ; day one — ilyily

gif ©: earthgif, theseulgis

film: i love you i love you (au)

synopsis: in order to evade the luneberg brigade attacking the kingdom, samir and yuna decide to take their chances in the wood hidden behind the north tower, suffering together through their first harrowing night of 3.

word count: 2.8k

featuring: (oc) yuna min, (oc) samir devgan

warnings: physical violence, strong language

a/n: hey again! here is the first piece i wrote after completing the outline of the first act which you can read here (recommended!) day two & three were left as wips that i hope to get to this week if i'm not distracted by my 5th watch of monkey man lol

"i ask not for refuge in the cold but instead your company and protection from man. can you do that for me, samir?"

the young knight-to-be towered above the princess as he stared back into her urging eyes sparkling brighter than any of the stars in the sky, lips pressing into a thin line before he could find his resolve within her gaze and concede to the fate laid before them. taking her hand in his sam could hear the lune brigade spilling into the field as they took toward the wood and dashed into the treeline in order to hide their presence. though, upon entering the vast and endless maze of trunks and bushes it became apparent just how driven the soldiers were to catch the fleeing pair as they lingered behind in a thick group, using the frantic footsteps shoved into the snow as a map leading to the very treasure evading them now.

fortunately, samir and yuna's countless memories made in and around the ellyn forest awarded them a huge advantage above the lunes who trailed in their footsteps, so while it would be difficult to lose the brigade in the snow, they ultimately knew these woods better than anyone in the kingdom. this did not cover for the fact, however, that the princess had to really watch her feet so as to not get caught up in the floor-length-skirt that had now grown soaked by the ice under their shoes, further weighing the hem under her toes. sam was surprised at how well she kept up with him — hand in his and the other lifting the heavy fabric — legs half as short as his moving twice as fast just to stay at his unrelenting pace that led them toward the cave he'd lost her in years prior. it proved to be a fantastic hiding spot all the way back then, entrance concealed by the unassuming rock angles and foliage spilling over the darkness. simply getting to it would be their best bet for now.

and then sam found himself abruptly yanked by the hand to a halting stop. his eyes whipped back wildly to the owner of the iron-grip on his fingers only to find yuna looking back at him with his same features reflected, panicked and hasty as she pulled at her dress snagged by a log. they could still hear the lunes in the distance gaining on them as quickly as they split up into smaller groups to cover more ground. samir was on his knee in an instant to wrap both hands around the fabric and tug.

"let me know if you see any coming," sam wheezed absentmindedly as he continued mustering all of his strength to rip this stubborn cloth free through panting breaths.

"three." she heaved.

"what?"

samir now looked up from the hem to find three lune men bolting for them only a few yards away through the heavy downfall of snowflakes, promptly finding his feet to wield the already-stained sword with the princess behind his back, other hand reaching behind him to find her waist. "stay behind me." he said. as if she was going anywhere.

the lunes drew closer and closer until they were finally charging headfirst for the helpless deer caught in the storm, showing no signs of slowing until they finally lunged for them. samir was immediately slammed into the snow with heavy chainmail armor crashing into his ribcage, knocked of all breath in his lungs as he met the cold earth below. his feeble gasps for air went utterly unheard, however, as the princess herself fought pressed against the wet dirt while one of the lune men attempted to hold her down.

"let go, bastard!"

the man laughed above her, grubby hands flailing to catch hers while also avoiding the jabbing elbows aiming for anything they could reach. "by gods, such a big mouth for a princess. i can fix that." he then redirected his filth covered hands to wrap around her throat and squeeze. yuna's mouth subconsciously fell open as she battled for air despite the grip beginning to crush her windpipe. her nails found their way dug into the dry, cracked skin on the back of his hands, leaving crescent shaped lacerations in the flesh. she could hear the man chuckle as her feet kicked at the frigid snow.

"you must relearn your manners, your highness." her palm pressed flat into the ground as she felt for anything of use in this moment — whether that be a weapon to defend herself or a hand to accompany her on her journey to the afterlife. "girls in luneberg speak properly without any exceptions, my lady. shall we take you back and make an example of you?"

there, hidden beneath the snow sticking out of the muddy earth, yuna's fingertips came across the sharp and jagged edges of a rock. she had to dig her fingers into the dirt with soil accumulating under her nails as she clawed this rock free from its dormancy and equipped it in her white knuckled fist. she then pulled back, and with one heavy swing using all of her draining might, brought the unyielding sediment into the side of his skull with a macabre crunch! once his relentless grip ceased around her throat she was shoving his weight away to catch her breath, choking down oxygen all the while trying to regain her composure and strength to turn back to the man. and without a second thought or even a moment of hesitation yuna clutched the harsh chunk of stone in both hands and bashed it into his face once, twice, three times before deciding it was enough.

he laid unmoving in the stark white ice as blood spilled down his broken facial bones like a grotesque reminder of peoples' fragility that left a nauseating feeling swirling in her stomach, the realization of what she'd just done donning on the panting girl. but it wasn't over yet; for she could still hear the muffled grunts of samir who'd faced two guards at once during this time. yuna rashly brought the sordid rock clasped in her tainted hands to swing into the snagged hem of her dress and crush it free from the rotting trunk that held her captive before attempting to aid sam. she finally propped herself on a knee before looking up to survey her options — only to find a predatory set of eyes already on her, growing closer with his sword drawn. and then she went completely still, frozen in fight or flight while she internally begged the question, 'is he gone? is he dead?'

the lune man now ambled only a few feet away with a growing appetite in his gaze and smirk on his lips as the wind lowly whistled a sorrowful song. the snow around them absorbed all sounds of havoc emanating from the kingdom, leaving this unlikely pair — the lune lion and divine sheep — completely and utterly alone with no one to witness this historical travesty but the snowflakes gathering in her eyelashes and the wailing wind around them. yuna pressed her lips together in acceptance of her fate and steeled her narrow gaze up at the last face she'd ever see, presenting forth each ounce of rage and frustration she'd let fester over the years on her face like a badge of honor.

and then, accompanied by the guttural howl that pierced through the air sharper than any blade, the lune stopped dead in his tracks — literally — head sliding from his neck to tumble along the ground. behind his toppling body that followed after stood samir with his own sword in battered hand, eyes just as vengeful before he looked down upon the bloodstained royalty in the snow, chest heaving along with his quivering lip. "a-are you alright?"

she looked back up at him, her gaze far more incredulous than his, and let the rock fall from her grasp as she brought herself to her feet. "yes." yuna panted "are you?"

sam nodded and swallowed thickly before dropping his sword to instead reach out for her hand with trembling fingers, met halfway by her crimson palms clasping his and giving a firm, reassuring squeeze. and without another word they were off again, journeying further toward the hidden cave at a substantially slower speed than before.

shivering shoulder to shoulder in the cramped rock, samir and yuna sat in wait with attentive ears whilst the lune guards called out to each other across the snow outside.

"people don't just disappear, damn it! they're here!"

"then where, osric?! where are they?! because i don't see them."

sam instinctively shot a knowing look at yuna who held back the smirk that heavily contrasted their desperate situation at the moment.

"just — just let me think—"

"no — no, we are not going to sit here while you fucking think. if they haven't been lost to the snow already then they will soon. and we will, too, if we don't find our way back."

there was a beat of silence outside before a final anguished shout echoed through the woods, "rot in hell, bitch!"

and then, as indicated by the crunching of ice under heavy sets of footsteps, the men slowly descended back into the woods from which they came. thankfully sam had been levelheaded enough to muddy their footpath prior to entering the cave, leaving the remaining...4? 5? lunes still lingering behind nothing more but a dead end. they had been holding their breath for the last thirty minutes as the final men of the brigade searched high and low in the area for them before finally giving up.

when the world outside imminently went quiet again, yuna let out the breath she had been holding and laid her head back against the cold stone, eyes fluttering shut to bask in the relief. she felt a nudge from the arm pressed to hers.

"you alright, your highness?"

her eyes snapped open again and she quickly enacted her previously restrained smile as she found his sincere gaze. "yes. are you?" he nodded shortly.

"yes," samir sighed, now following her lead on taking in a normal amount of oxygen. "i think we're safe here for now. i don't imagine they'll be heading back anytime soon. i say let's catch our breath and head back around the long way."

"tonight?"

his head cocked to the side as her nose scrunched at the idea. "yes?"

"but what if they're still there? what if we run into more?"

"then...we'll figure something else out. i'll protect you either way, princess."

again she grimaced, now outwardly shaking her head at him in disapproval of this suggestion. yuna placed her hand on his arm as if to halt any unexpected movements. "i don't think that's a good idea. i think we should rest here until sunrise and leave as the ice starts to melt. we would be better equipped to face the trek home." she noted (and appreciated) the intent with which he listened, mulling over her words before expressing his own response.

"but...there's a chance we won't survive the night, your highness..." he now noticed the scowl that flashed on her lips at the title "the cave will only grow colder through the night, and the wood is too wet for fire..."

"we'll just have to stick close, then. we can keep each other warm."

"or; we'll freeze to death together and our bones will be lost to this cave forever."

yuna chuckled at the thought, her luminous laugh tinkling off of the crystals as she shrugged. "i think that sounds alright; an eternity of hibernating here. better than falling to fatigue in the snow." samir could feel his own small smile curling his lips at the ghastly idea of being lost to the wood with the princess for the rest of time and ultimately decided to abandon his own plans in favor of taking a chance with hers, hoping — praying to make it out the other side in the morning yet content with a perpetuity of her remains beside his.

"okay" he'd announce "but we leave at first light. i'll carry you if i must."

yuna beamed up at him through the shiver that chattered her teeth and took hold of his frigid hand, entwining their frozen, crimson fingers. sam would have to pull his eyes from hers as to not get lost in their warm depths and make a rash decision, sight then locking on the immensely unfamiliar sight of her stained palms. of course he'd seen blood on her skin before — plenty of times, even; like the time she gashed her knee open on the castle steps after trying to race him up. but this time was far more distinguishable as a vastly different scenario, her pure, clean hands now stained with blood not of her own. a flash of pain registered on his features.

"i'm sorry, your highness." sam's voice was quiet in this space of their own, soft and tender as his glossy brown eyes looked back up at her through dark lashes "you shouldn't have had to do that."

there was a split second of misunderstanding before she put the puzzle pieces together and gave his distinctively bloodier hand a squeeze while mirroring his tone, "it's alright. i'm wildly resilient. don't worry." her unrelenting light-hearted nature never failed to bring a smile to his face no matter how grief-stricken it may be. sam held her hand a little tighter.

"your highness—"

"please, drop the formalities, sam." the red-nosed girl interrupted with a groan "yuna. just yuna."

he gulped down the utter bewilderment growing in his chest. "yo—princess, i couldn't."

"why? no one is here to reprimand you. and you know i won't tell." yuna could see as the cogs in his mind turned in comprehension of her words, eyeline flickering between hers as if to check for a trick.

perhaps she was playing a joke on him and would soon give him a jab to his sore ribs as she revealed her elaborate ruse. or, maybe — if he had understood her well enough over the last 15 years — maybe she was honestly and truly sincere in her words. perhaps she was genuinely granting him the permission to call her casually like she called him so easily. perhaps he'd be able to utter her name for the first time outside of the solitude of his dark bedroom and stand on level ground with the girl he'd looked up to his whole life. maybe he'd call her by a nickname later on.

"...yuna," he spoke hesitantly, urged on through the nerves by the encouraging grin on yuna's face "there is no one in the world who knows your tenacity better than i. but, i think — just because you can brave harsh conditions doesn't mean you should have to."

she replied almost instantly. "i'd say the same for you."

once again sam was left scouring the corners of his mind for something to say — something worthy of responding to such ardent words from the subject of his undying fondness sat before him. thankfully the anticipation for some sort of response from him was interrupted by the sudden shiver of yuna's goosebump-riddled form, her teeth now clattering loudly throughout the echoing cave as she simultaneously wrapped her free hand around herself and pressed closer into his side.

"here," sam sat up to remain in the same position as much as possible as he untucked his cape from around his neck and pulled it from behind his back, moving to throw it over her before she stopped him.

"hold on, i have an idea."

shuddering with every movement she made yuna released the warm grip on his hand to stand as much as she could within the confines of the rock around them, accepting the cape from sam's insistent extended hand before looping it over her shoulders. then, without a word, the princess lifted her skirt to find her feet and stepped over his legs to then sink down into his lap. with wide attentive doe eyes watching each and every maneuver, yuna unfurled her dress and tucked it around his legs as best as she could, creating a makeshift blanket from her place straddling his hips. she then ran her fingers down the outer hems of the cape to outstretch the fabric enough to insulate their top halves as she wrapped her arms around samir's broad shoulders, effectively pressing herself into him and pulling him into her. and though this position left his heart thrumming against her chest it almost instantly generated the most heat they'd felt all night, drawing his hands to wrap around her back and pull her impossibly closer.

not another word would be spoken that night as the saccharine pair plunged headfirst into the warmth and comfort the other offered, lulled into the deathly grip of slumber by the soft breaths ghosting over the shell of their ear as they burrowed their faces into the others' neck.

[yourtamaki]

is somebody gonna match my freak (be obsessed with tumblr user yourtamaki’s writing and their mind and genuinely make them ur fave writer oat)

LOVE OF MY LIFEEEEE

[maxivstappen]

I am in love with your fics, My favourite is the greatest I am begging you to write more you are truly amazing writer. <3

that’s so sweet of you🥹 I’ve been having some problems with motivation to write even though I do have some ideas but I think you just gave me enough motivation to go write some new stuff <3💘

thank you so so very much and talking bout the greatest - I might just have to post some more angst stuff🤭

but when I say angst I mean ANGST guys

[candyn-gutz]

omg ur an adult now. happi borfday

i hope u have a good day <3 and a wonderful year <3<3

for real... scary to think about.

but THANK YOU SO MUCH VANII!!♡♡♡ :]

[jistagrams]

for what brought me to your blog: it's jaehyun sugar daddy messages

THATS ACTUALLY— whole time I thought those msgs would be a flop 😭😭 kicking my feet real hard

[aevallare]

🏜️ (also i love you mwah mwah)

hi miaaaaaa mwah.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

i love hearing that something i did for myself, something that i didn't expect anyone else to even notice, also resonated with a reader. an example of this would i suppose be chapter 48 of kindred when shadowheart is deciding whether or not to kill the nightsong.

i thought i was being so clever and tricksy with the idea of loss being the point of the spear and how heavy the spear is but i really thought that was just something for myself lol. finding that others appreciated it in the comments was so satisfying.

[fukashiin]

hey uh i was wondering if *trips and drops note* sorry uh *fumbles glasses* do u wanna go out with me *voice cracks*

of course *picks up your notes* pookie *fixes your glasses* i literally love you *smooches u on the forehead* somuch *holds your hands*

[manpleblog]

I love you, handsome :]

[ansy-tea]

SCREAMING CRYING LET'S GO OMG IT'S MY HUSBAND IT'S GENSHIN'S BEST BOY + KAEYA WHO IS ALSO AMAZING OMG OMG LETS GO LET'S GO I FINALLY HAVE SOME FOOD AFTER MONTHS OF BEING DAINSLEIF-LESS LET'S GOOOOOO–

[luveline]

I would also like to add your blog got me through a lot in 2022 and I just wanna say I am so thankful for you and I hope you have an amazing holidays Ilysm 🫶

This blog got me through just about everything this year, I'm so thankful for you and for everyone here, I hope your holidays are peaceful and happy my love ♥♥♥♥

[eulchu]

even tho im not the most active on tumblr i appreciate all the support/advice you've given me with running the dnf smp server :) i always love your sillly posts and glad to see you stayed after everything ❤️❤️

☹️🫶

[w0rmdahl]

the beginning — ilyily

film: i love you i love you (au)

synopsis: an overview of the complete first act of i love you i love you (2020), an arthurian inspired tale of free will and rebellion centered around a mischievous queen-to-be and the son of a knight.

word count: 5.2k

featuring: (oc) yuna min, (oc) samir devgan, (oc) king jin, (oc) sir kabir devgan, & more!

warnings: medieval time-y issues, physical violence (idk really)

a/n: hellooooo first piece posted to w0rmdahl :) here is something i wrote in one sitting immediately after finishing tgk <3 hope you enjoy!

samir hadn't always been the personally appointed bodyguard of the king's only child and expected queen to be. it came with work — taxing work the aforementioned princess yuna was never privy to. though, she never was privy to her fathers' ministrations; the old, wrinkled hands that pulled each and every string in the kingdom she called home.

sam and yuna's relationship started at the very beginning of their own lives. the son of the kings' knight was only a few months old when the princess was born, an unexpected pregnancy for the queen after having many unsuccessful attempts in the past who ultimately gave her own livelihood for that of the newborn baby girl. she was named after the mother she'd never meet and subsequently burdened with the shoes too big to fill for her father who still held the fond memories of his late wife. so, as little yuna began to grow too large for the kings' palm and too loud for his thinned patience, he'd wave her off without uttering a word at her thousandth question in the hour — too preoccupied in discussion with sir kabir devgan to hear her ask 'can i play outside?'

5-year-old yuna would hurry out of the room to then giggle to herself as she skipped down the dim and dank halls of the castle and out into the field behind the castle wall, stopping dead in her tracks as soon as she spotted him; a boy sitting patiently in the grass as he plucked dandelions. he had dark curly hair and mud covering his feet all the way to the knee, wide eyes flicking up to hers upon the sudden presence.

"hello." yuna would say with eyes squinting at the blinding the sun rays. she'd ask the unknown boy what his name was — what he was doing — if she could join him. shy young samir would introduce himself humbly to the princess just like his father taught him before inviting her in on his independent time outside in the sun. and here, in the large patch of tall grass just below the northern watchtower, the foundation for a strong and long-lasting friendship was forged by the small hands caked in mud and dirt — a detail that did not please the king once he found out.

yet, much to the annoyance to the 'great king jin', from that point it was only a matter of time before they grew into larger troublemakers. samir and yuna would always somehow find the time in their day to speak with one another at least once. sometimes samir would weasel his way into the castle to join her reading in the library, other times he'd lure her out of the stone walls to pick berries and admire her complexion in the warm light of the outside world. never in his wildest dreams would he ever lead her into danger, though —  that was all her own doing. son of a knight, samir had always been instilled with the duty of protecting the royal family at any and all costs, meaning he was the one shirking away when she'd beckon him into certainly-dangerous adventures.

"come on!" yuna would chirp over her shoulder as she crawled with fingers full of the thick grass blades, boots sputtering past her skirt to dig into the dirt. samir's eyes once again surveyed their surroundings in search for anything looming around in wait for their naive arrival, gaze running along the hills and valleys as he nervously called back. "i don't know — what about the king?"

"what about the king?" she repeated back to him without faltering in her pace up the rising ground "you worry too much, sam. now come on or i'll have to tell him you hurt my feelings!"

sam, with the stressed brow that appeared far too often for just a 14-year-old, finally let out an exasperated chuckle at her playful antics and joined her in the tiring journey up this particularly steep hill. he found his way to the top with a groan and couldn't help the smile that donned on his face as she helped pull him up the crest with a hand on his arm, finally realizing just exactly why the princess had been so adamant about this adventure.

"wow..." he uttered as his wide doe eyes surveilled the vast valleys laid before them, the sunlight bathing everything it could touch over the various peaks that left dark shadows in the trees below. from their spot on top of this mound they could see the raging foxtrot river. "how'd you find this?"

yuna would finally turn to look at him, gaze promptly meeting hers the second he noticed. "promise you won't tell?" she always said this to him — always checking in as if to make sure he had her back even though he always answered the same way. at this point he couldn't tell if it was true distrust or consent to further the wedge between him and his loyalty to the king.

"i wouldn't dream of sharing your secrets."

a blush would dust her cheeks as she beamed and tucked a dark strand behind her ear. "one of the cooks said there was gold at the end of the foxtrot river. she said she'd seen it at the top of the hillcrest with one lone tree swaying above her head." now, with her nod gesturing behind him, samir noticed the peculiarly lone tree whose leaves danced with the gentle wind that fluttered through their hair. "i thought maybe we'd check it out."

there was a beat as sam watched the sunlight filter through the leaves, a push and pull tugging on the tender strings of his heart before he internally steeled himself enough to turn back to the exceedingly more precious treasure beside him. "your highness," he spoke hesitantly — carefully "you don't really think there's gold out there to find, do you?"

the restrained frown on her lips could've killed him right then and there if he would succumb. but then again, she still needed to walk back to the castle after this.

"i think there's adventure out there. i think there's something else...something other than this."

sam would always find himself mulling over their conversations on his lone walk home. she had a habit of leaving him things to think on; great adventures to be had or the possibility of different lifetimes. for a princess yuna was so strangely drawn to something other than nobility, so wholly unattached from her royal bloodline that had famously held reign of the largest kingdom in the region for the last century. he'd hoped that maybe she'd come around to the idea of royal duties later, maybe she'd grow big enough to fit into her mothers' shoes, grow into the fully blossomed leader she could be. but, after a particularly stormy night when a heavy knock came to the devgans front door, it grew more apparent how far the princess was willing to go in order to avoid the looming title of queen.

samir found himself braving the storm alongside his father as they covered opposite directions in search for the lost princess. the angry winds whistled through the walls of the kingdom as the cold rain brutally pelted his cheeks in his seat on horseback, fingers numbing while he clutched the reins. sam followed along the foxtrot river calling out her name until his voice grew raspy and took in as much as he could visually whenever the lightning would strike and light up the dark sky for just a second, illuminating the virtually pitch-black wood he ventured into. it wasn't until an exceptionally bright strike allowed him to properly survey the surrounding wood and notice the shivering figure against a tree trunk that samir spotted yuna.

"your highness!"

the familiar albeit hoarse voice cutting through the howling winds brought the princess's face from her soaked knees, arms still wrapped around her legs to pull them close to her chest as her wet eyes found the boy hurrying off his horse and to her side. reins hooked around his arm so it hung near his shoulder, sam cupped her frigid cheeks in his similarly frozen palm, noting how she leaned into his hand.

"why are you out here? the king's worried sick!"

yuna's glossy gaze now made sense as they welled with tears, a deep crease forming between her eyebrows as her typical smile-ridden lips pulled into a pained grimace. "he's going to sell me off, sam." her voice was relatively quieter than his although she still had to project over the harsh white noise, "he said he's made a deal with king pyre of the east. i'll see out tomorrow and then...it's over, samir."

sam rode back to the castle with his own hand on top of hers belted around his waist, fingers intwining as he roped her arm around his shoulders to aid her inside, the rough and calloused skin only leaving her starkly delicate and clean hands once he began to start the fire in the dining hall. he'd spend the rest of the night by her side as he warmed her up (as well as himself, though he'd never admit it) and as they waited on the king or sir devgans arrival samir would wear himself thin reassuring her that everything would turn out all right in the end. everything would be okay because he said so. and when he saw the flash of disbelief in her eyes sam would pull out an old trick up his sleeve he'd never used before — one he'd never thought would see the light of day. until now.

"your highness...if i may be honest...when i count my blessings at night, i count you twice. for as long as i shall live, you will exist as someone loved wholly and entirely. show me your thorns and i will show you my hands, ready to bleed. and if you must die i'll envy even the earth that surrounds your body. for as long as i shall live, you will live within me."

this improper confession left a soft smile on the princess's face tainted by the tear stains running down her cheeks, her gaze scrutinizing his features under a microscope to look for supposed feigning for only a fraction of a second before softening upon finding nothing but pure unadulterated vulnerability and sincerity. from her spot beside him on the floor yuna would scoot closer and loop her arm in his to rest her head on his shoulder, his curls tickling the crown of her head. he was lucky she couldn't hear the pounding heart in his chest over the combination of sounds swirling around them, nor the thick gulp bobbing his adams apple as he swallowed back the fuzzy feeling bubbling under the surface. samir would statue in this spot even after she fell asleep and his back started to ache in the now uncomfortable position, all to lap up the final days he'd get to spend with the celebrated princess.

and then, by the grace of god, the dreadful day came for princess yuna min of elora to meet prince asa enoch of hidora — only for him not to show. samir, who made sure to loom around the princess all day, watched as the sun began to fall in tandem with the mask of patience on the kings' face, the moonlight illuminating the identical furrowed brow both royals shared. king jin went to bed that night uttering curses and arguments to himself as he went to his chambers for the night, heard only by samir who made sure to sneak into yuna's after the coast was clear.

samir nearly got himself caught the moment he stepped into her chambers with the laugh that emitted from his chest at the wide and wild-eyed grin on her face. he knew her well enough to know that, while the king's angry brow had been a result of flakey business deals, yuna's annoyance was merely due to the subjection of sitting still for an entire day. she couldn't have been more thrilled that the prince didn't show. the almost childlike-giddy pair would spend the night talking in circles about what could've happened that day, their theories about why the 'illustrious' prince asa didn't show, and samir would reluctantly have to pry himself out of her room so as to not get caught in the princess's chambers. he went to bed with half the mind that prince asa would arrive the following morning and sweep the king off his feet, maybe even sweep yuna off her feet. but then the following morning arrived with the king up and ready at the top of the day...and then midday...and then night. it wasn't until the fifth night past their scheduled meeting that a letter arrived signed by king pyre, father to asa — well — father to the late asa.

as explained within this letter, prince asa and all of the men accompanying him were tragically killed in a passing storm in the area. he'd sent more men out to find his missing son after not receiving a letter with updates and "found bodies scattered in the woods." so, with a heavy heart and a heavy hand king jin signed his goodbyes to pyre and subsequently whatever business deal it was that was great enough to rid of his one and only child. however, sam and yuna's relationship would not come out unscathed. in fact, this is when things really began to change.

in a meeting set up by the king, samir was offered a 'chance at the opportunity' to personally watch over yuna, though it came with a few conditions. while this would be proving his worth both to his father and the king as a potential knight of elora as well as appointing him in the princess's presence at most (if not all) times, the cons laid out by the king really painted a troubling picture. he would begin this apprenticeship under the guidance of his father, sir kabir, until he was satisfied with his sons' skills. this was the first troubling thing that caught his attention, and then king jin went on.

after completing the physical training samir would then present himself before the king for a fortnight in place of his father as the prestigious 'king's knight.' once and only once the fortnight had been completed, and if king jin was satisfied with samir's performance by the end of it, would he be granted the permission to claim the title of 'the princess of elora's personally appointed guard.'

and then, once he claimed his title, samir would have daily check-ins with the king to reveal all of what she'd spoken about that day. the king said he "wanted every minute detail down to the gory bits." failure to produce a 'satisfying' dialogue or withholding information would be considered as disloyalty to the king and result in the subsequent removal of this role.

"do you understand the guidelines i've laid out before you?"

samir gulped. "yes."

"do you agree meet the challenge according to my terms?"

the starkly smaller boy blinked up at the grizzly man before him, his signet ring twinkling in his big brown eyes. "yes."

samir began training the very next day. his father worked him to the bone from the moment the sun rose until the sky became pink and orange, signaling that it was time to head home and rest up. he went to bed nightly with aching muscles tender to the touch and yet there was still a smile lingering on his lips, his chest humming with who he was doing all this for. her name circled around his mind like the tumbling rocks kicked on his morning walk to the field he trained, and like the dust clouds that flittered through the air when he hit the dirt, her name settled on his tongue in the dim silence of his room. quietly, to no one but himself, samir would whisper the prized name that predated the princess's birth, the name uttered only by those worthy of such intimacies with her.

"yuna."

it took a full 2 months and then some before kabir gave his approval to the king. he told his now broader son the same night over dinner, stoically and subdued as he stated he "was shocked by sam's drive to improve and ability to do so quickly." samir had pride swelling in his chest from his father's words as he then adorned his fathers' role beside the king. he went into his first day optimistic and honestly a little cocky thinking that this so-called duty would be more or less standing around all day. he soon found out that this was in fact not the case, and when he wasn't patrolling the forest for bandits or accompanying the king in a leisurely but protected stroll samir was subjected to the crushing weight of overhearing what was going on in the other kingdoms.

by the end of the first week samir had learned about the looming attack expected from luneberg whose leader believed they owned all of the land west of the kublai river. by the beginning of the second week he had been formally prepared to protect the king and his kingdom whenever the 'lunes' arrived. and by wednesday this fateful day arrived.

snow had begun to fall when the first man in the guard tower called out "lunes!" sam stood by the king with restrained heaving breaths as he waited for instruction, waiting to be told to find yuna or venture out to the drawbridge where he could stop by her room. but before any instructions could be given lune soldiers stormed into the halls from around the back, hidden from the original watchtower that had alerted the kingdom. samir had no choice but to step forth and protect the king; lead him to safety and out of the violent corridors being stained with blood, urged on simply by the drive to locate yuna. only when he was able to finally hand the role of 'kings knight' back to his father did sam have the opportunity to turn back to the castle and brave the horrors occurring inside despite the calls of his name from behind his back. he'd gone specifically against the kings' orders to find yuna, sword drawn as he dodged in and out of every room hidden within the stone walls. he'd slain only a few unfortunate lunes before coming across the field hidden under the northern watchtower; the field they'd claimed as their own all those years ago.

almost hidden in the tall grass filling with snowflakes sat a man fighting to hold down the arms that emerged from the blades, nails digging into his throat to keep him as far away as possible. over the roaring cries of chaos that boomed from each and every corner in the kingdom samir could recognize the yelps and yowls of resistance as belonging to the one and only yuna. he wasted no time in plunging his blade through the back and out the chest of the beast assaulting the princess, using this lead to push him off of her and offer a hand out to the panting girl in the grass. upon finding her footing samir noticed the bruises that littered the soft skin on the side of yuna's face casting purple shadows below her eye and along her cheekbone.

"your highness..." was all he could say through panicked breaths, big brown eyes wet and wide as his delicate blood-stained fingers moved to almost touch the unfamiliar looking flesh. yuna would catch his hand to fully press her cheek into his palm and inadvertently leave crimson fingerprints on the angle of her jaw. this tender reencounter after far too long of not seeing each other would then be rudely interrupted by the heavy footsteps that echoed off the halls toward them, far too loud and fervent for just one man. it sounded like an entire brigade headed their way, and as samir stopped to analyze what he needed to do, there was a firm tug on his hand in her direction.

"come on, they won't catch us in the woods."

samir turned with the panicked shake of his head. "we'll die out there."

she pulled him again. "you'll die if we don't." the thunderous footsteps grew louder as he allowed her to pull him a step closer before then pulling her towards himself by their intwined fingers.

"it's snowing, princess, we'll freeze."

"not if we're together." her answer was immediate.

"i can't protect you from the elements, your highness."

yuna now squeezed his hand tight as the lune brigade loomed just around the corner. "i ask not for refuge in the cold but instead your company and protection from man. can you do that for me, samir?"

the towering boy above would stare back into her pleading eyes sparkling brighter than any of the stars in the sky and find his resolve within them, taking only a second longer to finally make his decision. by the time the luneberg soldiers made their way into the tall grass they only caught a glimpse of the princess's stark blue skirt before she disappeared into the white snow dusting the vast wood. with nothing but footprints in the snow leaving a discernable path to follow for as long as they moved quickly, the lunes chose to take their chances in the storm rather than return home with empty hands, unbeknownst to their fate located within.

samir and yuna would embark on a three day journey before finally returning to elora shivering and covered in filth. king jin sat them in front of the fire and filled their bellies while interrogating them about what happened — where they had gone and what they had been through. yet, neither had much to say, though it seemed obvious by the glint in their eyes that something had occurred within the woods. jin eventually gave up on trying to pry information from them and ushered his daughter to rest with plans to visit the apothecary the following day. yuna said her goodnight to the men before exiting the dining hall, leaving samir alone with the king who turned slowly, his usual furrowed brow forming in the light from the fire.

"you're late, samir. the fortnight was yesterday — training completed yesterday."

"my apologies, your majesty —"

king jin interrupted him. "i mulled over my decision whilst grieving my child. i was certain she'd been lost; to the wood or the snow or the lunes — i was certain i'd lost my only kin. i prepared to meet her again alongside her mother. and yet here you are now — shivering without a cape because you forgot to ask for it back..." jin trailed off with a mouthful of condescension growing the smile that curled his lips, looking like he was almost going to laugh before pulling his eyes from the flames to look at the anxious boy before him.

"you disobeyed direct orders, abandoned your duty, lead my daughter into the elements, and didn't return for three days."

samir's cheeks flamed red with shame as his eyes fought to disconnect from the icy glare produced by the king, yet he remained still, braving his reprimanding. "yes, your majesty..."

"but, on top of it all," the king took a breath and relaxed in his seat "yuna is home. you brought the princess back home safe and warmer than yourself."

his demeanor was suddenly so relaxed and — dare he presume — grateful. samir sat expectantly, listening with his full attention for king jin to get to what he was saying. what he meant.

"you may not have proved worthy as the king's knight, samir, but you have certainly proved yourself worthy as the princess's guard."

samir went home that night with an ear-to-ear grin as he reunited with his father. he laid in bed exhausted and yet entirely too excited for the days that would follow. the ceremony that would take place to grant him his knighthood, the endless hours that would be spent beside the beloved princess, the memories to be created with the beloved princess.

and his giddy anticipation would turn out to be quite a founded reaction; samir's knighting ceremony would be marked by the kiss pressed to his cheek as he said goodnight to the princess, the following days filled with the song of her laugh and the monumental view of her smile, cheeks flushed by the sun as they picked flowers or sat under the old willow tree. he'd appease her wild imagination and accompany her on horseback to pick apples in the very wood that granted him this opportunity only to stop by the kings chambers every night and go over all they'd done that day. he typically omitted some details, of course, but it didn't change the fact that his relationship with the princess was so heavily monitored nor did it ease the ache he felt as a result of the secrecy and inauthenticity feigned towards her. after so long of true friendship and trust built...

the straw that broke the camels back wouldn't come until the fateful days following princess yuna's 19th birthday.

king jin had grown noticeably grayer by this point, reminding both himself and the entire kingdom of his eventual end of reign, leading all of the watchful and anxious eyes to fall to the queen-to-be. he began implementing formal preparations the year prior, personally instructing her on the various different duties rulers have and the rules they abide by, all the while yuna pulled every card in the book to shirk her hereditary duties. samir had watched silently nearby as the kings patience grew thinner and thinner over the span of the year, paling in comparison to the growing resentment the pair harbored for one another until finally it could no longer be contained.

samir had returned from getting a breath of fresh air away from the bickering royals when he heard the kings booming voice echoing off the stone walls. he stopped with his back pressed to the wall to listen.

"you've always wished to be rid of me! father, i have been burdened by the blood on my hands! i stole her life as well as her name and it has tainted me in your eyes since the first breath!" yuna's voice was shaky and pitiful as if she was fighting tears.

"your impurities lie in your heart, not your name! you have been corrupted by your immature imagination ever since you were born!"

"why? because i dream of something more? something other than a lifetime of losing myself for others? because i want to be more than just a woman? because —"

the princess was cut off by a sharp, deafening smack that even made samir flinch from his place against the cool stone. the kings' voice had gone quiet now, only audible due to the unassuming manner in which sam entered.

"because you are just like your mother."

yuna sat on her knees with her hand on her cheek, wet, venomous eyes craned up at the man bent before her even after he noticed samir.

"escort her to her chambers, samir. she needs rest."

he'd do so promptly with a hand placed gingerly on her back, internally seething at the burning red skin on her cheek that lied below the laceration from jin's signet ring, swaying him further into her fantasies even before she told him "i'm leaving tomorrow night. come with me." he originally denied her preposterous idea before appeasing her with the promise of 'thinking about it' as he left her chambers to return to the kings' with a lump in his throat, tongue bitten between his teeth. though, sam wouldn't alert the king until the following evening — the final day of elora.

the following morning began with sam attending to yuna's cheek. his father had taught him plenty of remedies for injuries far less severe than this one, even ways to rid the healed skin of scarring later, the whole time being persuaded into joining her pursuit of a new life. he always managed to find new reasons not to abandon elora, more reasons why it was an awful idea to venture into the unknown in search of something 'better.' but as the sun made its way around the sky it grew more apparent how certain she was about her decision, and by the time she clarified she'd "leave with or without him" samir realized he had to do something.

with great pain he brought himself before the king just as the sun began to set and revealed the awful truth of what yuna was planning; how she said she'd steal a horse and ride as far as she could away from elora until she had to figure something else out. he didn't realize his fatal mistake until the king clarified on when this information had been made apparent.

"last night, your majesty."

"and you didn't think to mention this then?"

"...your maj—"

"what else have you 'forgotten' to mention, samir?"

"n-nothing, your—"

king jin didn't even let him finish before throwing him in the dungeon, alone and sewer-level as temporary punishment for his disloyalty. "i'll deal with you later" the king would say before leaving the boy to his solitude in search for his scheming kin. samir spent this time — only a couple hours, really — imagining the anguish on yuna's face as he was hanged in the square, martyred as the face of treachery in elora. he clutched at his heart when he realized the life that she'd be sentenced to and for the first time openly let the tears run down his face, sobbing pleads of forgiveness to no one but himself in the dark cell.

and then — like a knight in shining armor, a light in the darkness — yuna crept down the dungeon steps, a crowbar in hand as she whispered to call out for him.

"prin—yuna!" he'd call back. samir was already apologizing the second she found him, grabbing for her hands despite her efforts to lodge the crowbar between the bars until she finally took his hand.

"prove your sincerity by leaving with me. tonight. i'll get you out of here and then we'll leave and never return to elora again. can you do that for me, sammy?"

sammy; the greatest accolade to come from their voyage through the snow. well — second greatest — behind that of the privilege to call her informally. yuna.

"yes."

yuna used all her weight to finally bust the cell open, slamming herself into it until the rusted metal succumbed to the force. sam would pull her into a tight embrace against his chest before the fated duo would run hand in hand out of the kingdom and onto the path of a new life; one with only one constant in the form of the others' company.