#It's not about ''they're my king and prince''. It's not about being in a slightly lesser station than them that he saved Dimitri

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

Something that SEEERIOUSLY isn’t talked about enough among Rodrigue fans is how Rodrigue (almost? or generally) always refers to Dimitri as “Your/His Highness” except in the moment that Dimitri’s life was at risk right in front of Rodrigue and Rodrigue shielded him with his own body.

Rodrigue is always respectful and aware of their stations, but none of that matters when Dimitri is almost killed. Rodrigue reacts emotionally without station in mind, forgetting to refer to him in an “appropriate” manner and reacting instead in a more intimate manner (i.e. using a person’s name instead of their title).

Most people wouldn’t dare to refer to their prince by their first name, but Rodrigue forgets all that the moment Dimtiri is in danger. He follows up that familial intimacy by calling Dimitri “my boy”. In a way it’s like Rodrigue's formalities are just forced expectations that are ingrained into him, because his actual instinct is to refer to Dimitri in a familial way. If he doesn’t have time to think about what he’s saying, it will be Dimitri’s name that he uses because that’s how he truly thinks of Dimitri.

He doesn’t solely view Dimitri as his prince. He views Dimitri as family, and in a setting where royalty exists, it’s so important to the relationship in question when that societal expectation is broken, simply because it tells you exactly what that character thinks of their royalty.

When royalty’s life is in danger, it would even make sense for people to hesitate because if they do anything, they might also be in danger and generally humans instinctually prioritize their own life (even if they do really want to step in to help). That typically is not the case with humans regarding loved ones, where that instinct instead changes to an instinct where they automatically step in to protect people dear to them - especially parents to their children. Parents - not just in humans but in most forms of life (cats, dogs, etc) - are extremely protective of their children and react without a second - even a first - thought, because it’s not a thought at all when they see their children in danger. It’s a base reaction.

Rodrigue wasn’t witnessing his prince being attacked. He was witnessing his son being attacked, and he reacted as a father would - not as a knight, a vassal or anyone under Dimitri’s station and how they would be expected to react to protect him. Dimitri didn’t have to be his blood son for him to react the same way a blood parent would. Dimitri wasn’t born to him but he was Rodrigue’s son all the same and he couldn’t accept his boy being harmed.

I love that his reaction is exactly the same as what Lambert would have done. I love that in that one moment when he didn’t have time to think about his word choice, such important stations meant absolutely nothing to him. I love that what was important to him was Dimitri the person, and not Dimitri the prince. I love that at the very end, he died knowing his boy was safe and alive. I love that, when he starts reusing “Your Highness”, it’s only after the immediate danger has passed and he has time to actually process his word choice again, because it really drives home how quickly and thoughtlessly he reacted to seeing Dimitri in danger when he dropped formalities to use his first name.

He also didn’t tell him to live for the people or live because he was a prince. He wanted Dimitri to remember to live for himself and likely died with the hope that those being his last words would be taken much more heavily and sincerely, and give Dimitri a lot to think about in regard to caring for himself as a person and not just seeing himself as a prince/future king, because Rodrigue also saw him as a person.

Not only did Rodrigue protect his son (which mind you must have been extremely important to him after already losing a son. Can you imagine how devastated he would be to lose another child? This time he saved a son from death, which he was unable to do previously and he wasn’t present to be able to even try), but he gave Dimitri the thing Dimitri desired the most from those he loved: he treated Dimitri like a regular person who needed to live his own life for himself, and in the single most critical moment to Rodrigue, forgot to use titles and formalities and openly expressed his true feelings just by using Dimitri’s name alone.

Dimitri never liked all those stuffy behaviors and titles. He just wanted to be a person. Rodrigue, his family, gave him that at Rodrigue’s very end, explicitly informing Dimitri that was how this man always thought of him just from that one moment of Rodrigue’s feelings slipping through. He was always keeping up appearances, but Dimitri was always just Dimitri to him.

Also, Rodrigue says “please tell me it wasn’t in vain”. Remember, Rodrigue’s son died in vain. Glenn didn’t actually get to protect Dimitri. Earlier, Rodrigue stated that Dimitri’s injuries left him on the verge of death. Glenn didn’t die protecting him. Glenn died in a tragedy. Nothing Glenn did that day that led to his death actually helped Dimitri survive. Dimitri survived because Gilbert found him in time.

Rodrigue knows that and doesn’t want another person dear to Dimitri to die a death that didn’t need to happen. He also doesn’t want it to be in vain because if it was, he would have died being unable to protect his son. Rodrigue “died for what he believed in”, but he died because he thoughtlessly, without hesitation, died to save his son. He believed in Dimitri, but he also believed Dimitri to be his child as much as Glenn and Felix ever were.

Even though Glenn did die in vain, he attempted to die keeping his best friend alive. He believed in his best friend, just like Lambert believed in his son to be able to saved if he ever went astray.

Before Rodrigue dies, he last thoughts are of Lambert, but also his promise to Lambert, which was about Dimtiri.

Rodrigue was always thinking of his family throughout the whole game (literally, he brings up Felix to Byleth regularly and brings up Glenn throughout the story as well), and that extended to Lambert and Dimtiri. At the very last, he literally died like he lived, and that was for his family.

[elaratyrell]

Jacaerys Velaryon NSFW Alphabet

*Divider from saradika-graphics*

Warnings: AFAB! Reader, smut under the cut {duh}, language, mentions of pregnancy, Jace's monster dick, breeding kink

A/N: Look at him. Look at how beautiful he is! Prince of Dragonstone ❤️

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

The king of aftercare, Jace will always prioritise your needs first in the bedroom, and that still applies to afterwards. You're feeling slightly sore? He'll immediately run you a warm bath himself with your favourite bath oils and massage your aching body. You're hungry or thirsty? He's already dressed and gone to the kitchens to fetch you a snack and a bottle of the finest Dornish red or Arbor gold. You just want to be held? He'll happily oblige. He'll hold you securely in his warm embrace, peppering kisses across your bare skin and softly singing to you in High Valyrian as you slowly fall asleep.

Modern! Jace will be pretty similar to his canon counterpart. He'll get you something to clean up with, run you a bath or shower and make sure you have everything you need to be comfortable.

B = Body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Jace is pretty much happy with everything about himself physically, but doesn't really think about himself like that. He would probably say his favourite body part is whatever his partner loves. Whether that be his hands, his mouth, his cock, whatever they love the most, he'll appreciate about himself the most.

As for his partner, he adores everything about you. If you asked him, he couldn't be able to name one thing. Your hips, your stomach, your thighs, your breasts, your cunt, your ass... he loves all of them. But he does adore your eyes. He loves gazing into them, how they well with emotion, how they cloud and glaze over in pleasure as he brings you to the edge again and again. Even outside of being intimate with you, he'll always be gazing into them, admiring how the light reflects in them, how your pupils dilate when you meet his gaze, how they flash with emotion. They're the physical part of you that shows who you are the most, and he loves that.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

I stand by my opinion that Jace has a bit of a breeding kink, and would love to cum inside of you. It's more intimate and the though of you two having a child drives him wild. But if you have a preference for where you'd rather him release, he'd be happy to comply.

Modern! Jace will always use protection if you're having penetrative sex unless you're actively trying for a baby or feel comfortable enough for him to release inside of you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He's the heir to the Iron Throne, the Prince of Dragonstone. He has definitely fantasized about fucking you on that throne, the pretty crowns adorning both of your heads sealing your rightful place as King and Queen of Westeros.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Hmmm... canon Jace would pretty much have zero experience, especially if you were betrothed when young (unless you count Aegon allegedly taking he and Aemond to a brothel when they were younger).

Modern! Jace will probably have some experience here and there if he dates you during college or afterwards, whether that be from hook-ups or a past relationship, but he hasn't slept around as much as Aegon has.

F = Favourite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary and he doesn't care if it's considered "vanilla", it's intimate, and he can have his gaze locked with yours all the while. He loves the way your bodies are pressed together, your legs hooked around his hips or even over his shoulders, lips connecting every few seconds as he thrusts into you. He also doesn't mind you sat in his lap, hips rolling against his. Any position where he can see your face. It's closer, more intimate and romantic where he can see you, kiss you, hold you closer.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

I think Jace lies somewhere in the middle. He won't go out of his way to be funny or humorous when having sex, but he also wants you to be comfortable, and will happily smile and laugh and make a joke to make you seem at ease. He won't take it completely seriously though, he isn't like that.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Dark curls up there, dark curls down there. But he keeps everything relatively neat and trimmed. He wants to look his best for you, of course, and does take pride in his appearance due to his status.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Jace is a romantic. He will see it as an intimate act, even in the more casual and light hearted times you've had sex. It’s an expression of his love, especially if in a serious relationship or betrothal with you. He's not the type to just sleep around with people unless he truly feels some kind of connection with them, and the deeper the connection, the more intimate he considers it.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

As a last resort. If you're apart for a long period of time then he might need to blow of some steam, but he tries to wait it out for as long as possible until he can see you, since he knows that you can help him out better than his own hand ever could.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

I feel like Jace wouldn't have as many kinks as other men in the hotd universe, but here are the ones that I feel he could potentially have:

Praise Kink: Nothing gets him going like you moaning about how good he's making you feel. He also loves singing your praises and feeling you hold him that little bit tighter. To be in this vulnerable intimate moment and hear you breathe out those three words makes his heart soar. Knowing he's making you feel this good makes him feel good, and makes that moment all the more special.

Hair Pulling: If you want this man to moan pull his hair. Feeling your fingers tangle in his curls, nails scraping across his scalp as you tug hard at his roots will drive him crazy. He fucking loves it.

Breeding Kink: The thought of you having a child together, having an heir to continue your family lines will definitely bring something out within him. Maybe not in the way someone like Aemond would. It's not the thought of continuing the Targaryen dynasty on, it's the thought of continuing your shared line, binding him to you and you to him forever. The idea of you wanting to have a child with him, regardless of... ahem, rumours, but because you love him, because you want him... draws out that possessive side of him.

Size Difference: I'm not talking about a physical height different here. I'm talking about the size of other things. I'm talking about when he's inside of you, and he sees the outline of his cock bulging your stomach. I'm talking about when he gently presses down on it and elicits a moan of his name from you. I'm talking about that.

Marking: It's that possessive side of him. It shows people you belong to him. Shows his uncles that you chose him, that you want to be with him, that he's the one who makes you feel good. I'm talking hickies, bruises and bites littering your neck, your chest, your thighs. Red nail lines raked down his back. And he'll happily let you leave one or two on him as well. It goes both ways.

L = Location (favourite places to do the do)

He'll mostly appreciate the privacy of your bed chambers or personal rooms where nobody can interrupt you, but if you rile him up enough, he may be tempted to sneak off somewhere discreet.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Tease him. He'll snap. His cheeks will flush, his jaw will clench, hands pinned by his sides and balled into fists. You will have such a hold over him, the effect you have, it drives him wild. And you might not even realise that you're doing it. An accidental brush of the hand will cause his whole body to stiffen until he realises it wasn't intended. A firm kiss to his neck will make his head tilt back and his hold on you to tighten.

Jealousy will also be a big motivation for him, on both sides. If you're feeling insecure, he'll show you that you have nothing to worry about, that he loves you and only you. If he's the one suffering a case of the green eyed monster, his more dominant, possessive side will come out. You're with him, not anyone else.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He will not hurt you, he will not degrade you, and he will not want anyone else to watch. Sex is a private thing between the two of you, and no one else.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He's a giving king. A selfless lover unless truly provoked, he'll happily spend hours between your legs just to hear your sweet moans and taste you as you come undone beneath him (or above him, he'd let you sit on his face).

Of course, he won't object to you wanting to give him pleasure, but if he had to chose, he'd chose you over him any day.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

It depends. Eight or nine times out of ten, it'll be passionate. He'll take his time in making you feel pleasure, preparing you for him and making sure the experience is completely satisfying for the both of you. But if he's riled up, whether that be from jealousy, a fight of just general frustrations, then he may be more rough.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He prefers to take his time with you, but if he or you needs it that badly, or his duties are time consuming and have led to the two of you not spending time with each other as often, he will of course be down for a quickie.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Yes. If you want to try something new, he will give it a try unless he's genuinely uncomfortable with it, like if you wanted him to hurt you, he'd be very hesitant.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He can last a few rounds for sure. Maybe even all night. For as long as you need him to keep going, he will. And if his cock can’t take any more, he has his hands and mouth to satiate your desires.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

I don't think Jace would ever own toys, but would use them if you had any you wanted to use. However, they wouldn't be his first port of call. I don't think he'd feel the need for them, since he can give you such pleasure with only his body. He wouldn't be opposed to toys, but wouldn't see them as a compulsory need either.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Jace will only tease to a certain extent to prolong any intimate moment you have. He likes the reactions he can get out of you, and how it makes your release that much more intense.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

I feel like he'd moan, groan and grunt a lot. It wouldn't be overly loud, most of the time muffled in some way, but not quiet either. And he wouldn't hold any noise back either. Why shouldn't he let you know how good you're making him feel? He'll moan your name a lot, breathe out praises on how good you're making him feel. You may even be able to draw out a groan if he's got that much pent up frustration.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

I want to talk about Jace's dominance for a second. This man has a POSSESSIVE streak.

Yes, Jace is kind. He is selfless and loving and protective of those he loves. But he does have a temper. And he does feel possessive over you. It's not because he doesn't trust you, because he does, with his entire being, but his protective nature just goes to the next level with you. And when he gets jealous and that possessive side comes out, his rougher, more dominant side will emerge as well. The side that will pin you against the nearest wall, that will have your eyes rolling back into your head, his name being the only word you can speak, you can think of as he rips release after release from you.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Do we really need to go over this? We know he's got a monster cock. It's long, it's girthy, it's huge.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Pretty high. He's pretty much always down if you are. It's not necessarily sex he's always after that makes his drive so high, it's you. You make him crazy. He could never get enough of you, hence why his drive sky rocketed after he started dating you.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Not that quickly. He'll make sure you're okay first, make sure you have everything you need. He'll probably wait for you to fall asleep if you're both wanting to rest, just to ensure you don't need anything before allowing himself to succumb to his tiredness. If you need to be up, to attend to duties or events of the day, he'll probably go and shower or bathe (with you preferably) after making sure you're okay.

Tag List:

@watercolorskyy @jacesvelaryons @bucknastysbabe @snowprincesa1 @your-favorite-god @howyouloveyourdragon

If you wanted to be added to the general HOTD taglist or taglists for specific character/s, just let me know

Masterlist

[bones4thecats]

How Did They Meet Their Genie! S/O?

Type of Writing: #10 - Poll Result Characters: Rollo Flamme and Baul Zigvolt Name: How Did They Meet Their Genie! S/O? Original Poll Link: Here

A/N: I have rarely, if ever, written for these characters, so they may end up being slightly OOC. Sadly, I had no ideas for Fellow Honest- the guy is hard to write something like this for without it being severely OOC. I also could come up with no ideas for Kifaji, since I couldn't find much information on him, I'm sorry for that. But, do hope you enjoy this my lil bubbles🫧

P.S: The Reader is inspired by a mixture of the original story Genie, Aladdin's Genie, the Live-Action Genie and Jafar's Genie form

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⛪ Rollo was not amused when he learned some students from Night Raven were arriving at Noble Bell College for the yearly festival. And he was far from happy when he gained knowledge that their two strongest students were coming as well

⛪ That being the Prince, and future heir to the thrown, of Briar Valley, Malleus Draconia, and one of the most powerful fae magicians in the world, one considered to be a genie, Y/N L/N

⛪ He stood alongside his secretary and right-hand as the group of magic-users approached, and he caught sight of the supposed genie flying around and messing with a spikey green-haired boy

⛪ Grabbing his handkerchief, he pushed the piece of purple cloth in front of his frowning face, making the two faes cock eyebrows at his actions

⛪ But, it seemed the Prince brushed it off faster than the other fae, as they kept a close eye on him throughout their small tour of the grounds. They also seemed to stay close to a black-haired boy, which he later learned was named Jamil Viper

⛪ Now, normally Rollo did not go out of his way for these magic-users whenever they came by at his school, but for some reason he felt drawn to you more than anything

⛪ He had began to actually speak to you before he realized it. He had asked you about your time at NRC and what your relationship was with the magicless human, despite your fairly obvious hostility to him

" Y/N, I am not quite sure I understand why you are so tense around Sir Flamme. Could you explain the reasoning behind it? "

⛪ Looking at Malleus, you sighed and played with a small blue figurine that you had been gifted by your guardians long ago, and you just handed him a red one as he looked at you with questioning eyes

" I have been told this story for many years, Mal. And it goes like this; Long ago, a young boy fell for a beautiful princess. But, due to their differences in rankings, they could not be together, and seeing the opportunity to gain some better status and power, her father's helper had seen complete red when the man began using a special power to seduce the princess. " " What was this power? " " A magic user. Back then, they were very rare. And very sought-out by men and women alike. Now, once he had gotten a hold of the magic-user, he had begun to trick the princess that he was a prince, in order to win her heart. "

⛪ Rollo stood behind the pillar, wondering on what in Twisted Wonderland you were speaking about? Was this some story from the Scaling Sands that he had not read about?

" What did the King's helper do about the swindler's treachery? " " The only thing he knew how to do; report it once found out. And, once he notified the Sultan, the man was found and handed about, though nobody knows for certain what happened to him. Most likely death. But, for his accomplishment in saving the princess, he was granted a magical lamp, and he used the powers to become Sultan. " " How impressive. Are these figures them? " " They're a form of the story. In there, the Sultan's helper was the enemy and had thrown the princess and Sultan into servitude like he was stuck in. And this blue one that I am holding was the 'good genie' who had been helping the swindler out. "

⛪ Gripping his handkerchief tighter inside his pocket, Rollo began to stroll away, not sparing any thought of you and the Prince of Briar Valley being outside past hours in the field speaking of nonsense

⛪ Once he reached his room, Rollo slammed the door shut as softly as he possibly could before looking around his room in a frenzy. Why did he want to pull that Dragon Fae away from you and escourt you to your room at that moment?

⛪ No matter, he needed to focus on his plan. And nothing, not even someone like you, would be able to change his mind...

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🐊 Ever since the war began, there have been many fae and humans alike falling to their shared enemy. Unfortunately, as of late, the humans have been gaining the upper-hand

🐊 This action was leading the Draconia family to improvise by sending in some fae from outside of Briar Valley, and there was a new group of them being added this week

🐊 And these fae were all from the Scaling Sands, a land inhabited by humans, though they chose no side during the war, due to being farther away and thriving on their own without any greed of land catching their minds

🐊 You had dressed in your get-go, that being a dragon's, and set your sights on collaborating your battalion's style of fighting with General Lilia's

🐊 Baul wasn't able to take a simple rest when he heard that you were going to be alone with their leader

🐊 He wanted to trust you, really he did, but you lived somewhere full of humans, you may end up betraying them if you caught sight of someone that you possibly knew

🐊 So, grabbing his mask and uniform, he slapped it on quickly before heading out and hiding behind a tree, concealing his presence from both you and Lilia

🐊 Once he reached where you both resided, he watched with a stink-eye similar to that of a sniper trying to take down one of the most dangerous people in history with one bullet left

" Commander Y/N, if I may ask, how have you lived alongside those humans, those mortals, for so long without an issue? " " It's quite simple, General Vanrouge. I have had many connections to the higher-ups in their society. One being a being from a long time ago, maybe hundreds of years? Huh, my memory of time seemingly has gone down, I apologize. "

🐊 Speaking so formally yet freely was something that Baul had never heard about happening with the General of the Fae army before, how remarkable

🐊 Wait- what was he thinking?! You were a possible enemy! He has to stay focused!

" Do you perhaps remember this being by any chance? " " Ah yes I do. Quite well, actually. I may not remember just how long ago it has been, but I do remember the man with precision. " " Would you mind telling me about this mystery man? " " Of course not. "

🐊 Taking a breath, Baul watched as your hand sputtered out some blue flickers, which forms into smokes and into small figures, one being teal, another being white, then red, blue, orange, purple, and a final resting light tan

" This one, is a woman, a princess from hundreds of years ago. And the small white one was her father, the Sultana and the Sultan. This blue character is a magic-user from way-back-when, our light tan in a swindler, and our red is our main character of this beloved legend and story mashup. Now, the young swindler had come across this magic-user, and he asked if they could put themselves to good use and help him try to sway the princess into a relationship. And, due to magic being a more rarity back then, nobody had suspected anything tricky taking place. Until the red one here, a man now known as the Sorcerer of the Sands, found out about the plot. "

🐊 Sitting up slightly as his shoulders sank down in a relaxed position, Baul found himself listening to the story with just as much attention as he gave to glaring at you from behind

" The Sorcerer of the Sands had eventually gotten enough information and turned the swindler in, leading in the arrest of the young man and eventual fate, one in which nobody knows, though, many believe he was executed for the crime of seducing the princess and plotting both overthrowing the Sultan, basically usurping the thrown, and treason. Now, while the swindler got punished for his actions, the respected-Sorcerer had stood proudly against the Sultan and was granted the object known as a 'magic lamp'. With this lamp, he made the wish to become Sultan. Now, while this story's final ending is shrouded in mystery, some suspect that the swindler broke out and stopped the Vizier from attempting to kill the royal family, while in some the Vizier married the princess and lived happily ever after, and in some others the Vizier had just ruled the land and kept it balanced until his death years later. "

🐊 Baul listened as Lilia sighed deeply, seemingly releasing some stress at hearing the story end fairly happily for the seemingly good-natured Vizier and the ill-intentioned swindler

🐊 Lilia turned to you and patted you on the shoulder as he stood up, shocking one of his right-hands with his words

" You are a good person, Y/N. I expect good things from you, yes? " " You shouldn't expect any less than that, General. " " Have a nice rest, Commander. Good night. " " I wish you the same, sir! "

🐊 Okay, you didn't seem so bad now. But just because you got Lilia to somewhat show trust in you, a Zigvolt is far harder to please, well, that's what he now tells your grand-children, but you get the point

[the-insouciant-scientist]

Coins of the Neath! This is only about half of the project I have planned, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to show off what I have so far.

Descriptions and explanations under the cut!

Top left is a First City Coin. Described in game as having a cedar on one side, and a circle of script around either a face in profile, a pair of eyes, or an image of the Bazaar on the other side. The script is a mix of proto-cuneiform, archaic Sumerian ideograms/pictograms, and symbols of my own design, and is intended to translate more-or-less to "The Masters approach/bind the King to divide the earth, to guard his prince's heart. The Bazaar's oath to see the sun is the foundation and the destiny". It's roughly the story of the First City's fall, and the Bazaar's quest. The face is based on some representations of Gilgamesh, as a reference to May.

Top right is Hinterland Scrip. In game it appears to be more the paper money kind of scrip, but I'm from a coal and steel industry city and go nuts for scrip coinage, so this was a little self indulgent. It's a 50¢ coin since one scrip is about equal to 50p in game. The naming of the fake company is mostly just me wanting to both include hinterland in the name, and not have to cram in "the great hellbound railway company" on such a small coin lmao. 1899 is a personal reference to when I unlocked the railway. The punch design is a reference to FB's logo.

Center is a rat shilling! Not uh, technically coins, but I wanted to draw a rat. They're described in game as a flat piece of metal, sometimes a button, with a rat face scratched into one side and a knot of tails scratched into the other. One side reads "valid until no longer valid", which I find absolutely hysterical. I tried to invoke a kind of rostygold color to this one, since that's what it reverts to when the rat market closes.

Middle right is a Justificande coin. They aren't described very much in game, just that they're seven sided and say "one day you will forgive" on the back. So I took a lot of artistic liberties with this one! The seven headed serpent and roses are both very common Iremi symbols, so it made sense to me that they'd be featured on their currency.

Bottom left is a Fourth City Echo. Described in game as having a familiar profile of a spire on one side, and hudum writing on the other. Talking to the Numismatrix gives you further info that the writing is a promise for repayment, and a warning against using any other currency. I had to translate this through two different translators in order to get traditional hudum script (they use Mongolian Cyrillic nowadays more commonly) so it may not be perfectly accurate, but from left to right it should read "One Echo. The Only Currency."

And then bottom right is an Amber Ha'Penny. They're described as being tiny, sticky, and stamped with the image of a chain. It's supposed to be the same image of a chain on both sides, one being broken and one being forged, but I decided to have the sides slightly vary to reflect that better.

[that-house]

I would love to hear more about how you run The Feywild and your stageplay rules

(the primary inspiration for my version of the faewild is the webnovel A Practical Guide to Evil, though I took things in a slightly different direction).

the rules of the faewild in my setting are as follows:

think of the faewild as an enormous stageplay, running the same old hackneyed fantasy stories over and over again. the farmer finds a magic ring, the king is betrayed by his closest advisor, so on and so forth ad infinitum

every fae has two sides, the actor and the role. the actor is the constant essence and intelligence behind the fae, while the role is the function they're currently fulfilling in the faewild's narrative

many fae tend to resent their role, because, you know, they're fully sapient entities that nonetheless have extremely limited free will. it doesn't matter if the actor is a kindhearted person, if their role is to be a murderous monster they have to do it

when acting in the capacity of their role, fae are nearly unstoppable.

any organism native to the faewild that isn't being played by a fae is essentially a philosophical zombie: they don't have sapience or instincts, just a programmed set of actions they follow. a faewild wolf isn't actually a wolf, it's a collection of atoms that are good at acting wolflike. (the difference this makes from a practical standpoint is ultimately pretty meaningless)

one seasonal court of the fae exists at a time, reflecting the state of the material plane (spring: prosperity, summer: war, autumn: upheaval, winter: stagnation)

it's the same fae every time, but each court uses different roles and different stories

when the courts shift, the faewild locks in its new status quo: any fae who gained power over the course of their story keep it. fae who died are demoted to background extras, and mortals who were stuck there are also "promoted" to being fae background extras forever.

mortals in the faewild have additional privilege, because they can take on roles but aren't necessarily bound to them. they're simultaneously audience and actor, and the risk of audience participation is always that they'll fucking ruin it for shits and giggles. like a bad GM, fae are generally pretty bad at working around mortal disruptions to "the plot."

the faewild itself is an ever-changing dreamscape of platonic ideal reflections of the material plane. time and space don't mean much: there's always exactly enough time to dramatically resolve the problem at hand, and distances are short enough that you make it juuuust in time.

honestly the best way to describe the visuals of the faewild is, like, those early dreamlike stages of AI art back when it was really bad at cleanly delineating between different objects. the capital city is simultaneously a city, a grand hall, and an enormous fucking throne.

whether hags are separate from the actor/role system or just have total synthesis between the actor and role is unclear, but they're doing pretty well for themselves and specialize in fucking with stories in ways that go against "the plot"

every fae in at least a marginally important role has a noble title of some sort. in my autumn court, for example, the three highest roles are the Autumn King, the Prince of Waning Sun, and the Princess of Rising Moon

i think that's about all there is to say. it makes for a really fun setting to run an arc in

[sinner-sunflower]

A HH Lucifer-centric AU 4/?

PART 1 , PART 2, PART 3, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10, PART 11, PART 12, PART 13, PART 14, PART 15, PART 16, PART 17, PART 18, PART 19, PART 20, PART 21, PART 22

Thanks to your support, I am so committed to this. When I finish this, I plan to make it into a long, proper, one-shot- better format and everything!

I've been doing these chapters in the middle of work lmao, so if you see a typo or some edits, it's me rereading it after work.

I'm trying to include more Alastor but he's pretty hard to write.

I used Velvette so much here cos I love her as that bitch you love to hate. She is obviously the spokesperson of the Vees

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

The hotel lobby is filled with unbearable silence as hell's overlords and high members of the Ars Goetia arrive one by one.

Just a few hours ago, Alastor heard from Carmila Carmine that the king had called a meeting for the top ruling people of hell. Charlie doesn't know why her dad called for it in the hotel.

The Ars Goetia (minus Stolas) were whispering among themselves and shooting the sinner overlords dirty looks every now and again. The overlords were good at pretending they couldn't hear anything. Apparently, they at least have the sense to know that that would be a fight they cannot win.

The hotel's residents collectively claimed it as their spot. Husk is talking with Angel quietly, keeping him distracted and out of view of Valentino, Vaggie is holding her spear as she keeps a close eye on the strangers in their home, Nifty is obsessively cleaning a corner of the bar (Husk keeps telling her that it is still dirty just so she won't venture elsewhere), and Cherri is playing with an unlit bomb in her hand.

Rosie and Stolas decided to approach Charlie and Alastor at the bar at the same time, both slightly bowed to her.

Charlie: Prince Stolas. Rosie.

Stolas: Hello, princess.

Charlie: How's Octavia?

Stolas: Via misses your outings together. But she is fine. She's with her mother today.

Rosie: Not that I'm not happy to see ya, Alastor. But why exactly are we here? Our Carmila has not stated a reason why.

Alastor: You know as much as me, my dear.

Stolas: It must be dire. His majesty rarely calls for the Goetia's presence. He is not here yet?

Charlie: No. He went down in Sloth earlier. I'm worried. After what happened yesterday, I..

Rosie: Yesterday? Did something happen, sweetie?

Charlie realizes the slip up and backtracks.

Charlie: Nothing, Rosie!

Rosie gives her a look that tells her they're going to be talking about it later. She gives the overlord a weak thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Velvette decides enough is enough and they have wasted too much time waiting.

Velvette: Ugh! Vois, let's go. This is a fuckin' joke.

Carmila: Velvette, calm yourself.

Valentino: Why should she? I had very important shit to shoot today and me being here is making me lose money.

Alastor: Then perhaps you should step down. Having to attend the bare minimum duty of their title must be so difficult for someone so... undeserving.

The Radio Demon has a giant patronizing grin plastered on his face. Alastor's comment prompted Vox to speak up.

Vox: Oh, you timely piece of shit! Fight us right now, Alastor!

Alastor: How unbecoming. Throwing tantrums in front of royalty!

Velvette: I for one, don't want to sit here waiting for a no-show fossil

Charlie's demon side flares as the demon insults her dad.

Charlie: How fucking dare you?!

Random Goetia: You shall know better than to disrespect your king, insolent pest.

Velvette: Ha! You think we're scared of a bunch of birds?

Alastor: Should have known you three cannot behave for a simple meeting haha!

Soon everyone was yelling obscenities at each other, filling the hotel with chaos. Before a proper fight could break out, the door opens with a bang, silencing every demon.

Lucifer has arrived, following him were the other Sins. They were arguing amongst themselves from behind him. Charlie can only catch glimpses of what is being said as voices overlap each other.

Beelzebub: Bel-

Mammon: Are you fuckin-

Satan: Wrath is-

Leviathan: We cannot-

Asmodeus: Evacuation-

Belphegor: Grown another mile-

Lucifer says nothing the entire time and just takes a seat in the middle of the semi-circle table he conjured up. With the way the table was placed in front of everyone else, Charlie gets the feeling of deja vu of her hearing in heaven. But now her dad will be the one passing judgment.

Most of the sinners in the room back up as the Sins continue to argue with their full form.

Lucifer sits back and raises a hand and the yelling stops.

Back then, she never really understood why demons were afraid of her dad. He was always a silly and happy guy when spending time with her. But one time, she sneaks into his rare meetings with the Sins and sees why he was called the devil.

The anger she saw then could have given her Uncle Satan a run for Uncle Mammon's money.

Lucifer: Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I will cut to the chase. I have called you all here because something is brewing at the very depths of hell. Something that may affect us all.

Stolas: The Ars Goetia is at your disposal, sire. But may I ask what is this about?

Belphegor: I can answer that. A few months ago, an anomaly appeared at the edge of Sloth. It was not a problem until-

She pressed her touchpad and a hologram screen appeared showing the infected ground.

Not a single demon didn't widen their eyes.

Angel: What the fuck is that?

Belphegor: We wouldn't have called you all here if it was not this severe.

She taps and shows a mutilated demon pig.

Belphegor: This is Patient Zero. An animal on a nearby farm made contact with the anomaly. It instantly infected the whole body, controlling the creature whilst killing it slowly. If it can affect an animal like this, we fear what it may do to-

Velvette: And what do you expect us to do about it exactly? Why the fuck would we care about some old place we can't even go to.

Belphegor is briefly stunned by the interruption but ignores the sinner's disrespect.

Belphegor: Because you would have to be naive to think that it will stop in Sloth. We cannot be too careful.

Velvette: So you think we would risk our lives? Yeah. No thanks. How do we even know that it will affect us? It's just a pig. The worst we can get is horrible floor decor.

Lucifer stands up and moves silently towards the middle for everyone to see.

Lucifer: Free will does not mean you are free from consequences.

The king starts to remove his shirt to everyone's panic, except Belphegor.

Mammon: Woah woah, mate. The fuck ya doin?

Lucifer shrugs off the last piece of clothing to reveal the glowing, infected marks. It has not been a day since he touched it but the veins are already covering the entire right half of his torso.

Charlie: Dad!

The princess attempts to go to her father's side but Vaggie holds her back.

Lucifer: Shall we proceed without any more interruptions?

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

What to look forward to in Part 5:

the rest of the meeting

more dialogue from the other Sins. Cannot decide what personality to give to Leviathan.

My HC for Satan is he's like one of those old butler types but has a jacked body (I know he has that workout app, but I'm leaning more of the liver king type of a gentle strongman with anger issues. I don't want him to be a fuckboy gymbro)

more badass lucifer

the Vees getting scolded like the children they are

[jinjinxedsoul]

When The Sun Loved The Moon - Aegon II Targaryen

CHAPTER 6. UNSPOKEN FEARS

warnings: smut, slight breeding kink, hand job,infidelity (? (Jaella and Harland but mentions of Aegon being with someone else, but they're both fine with it idk middle ages were wild), last scene is not main characters centered but I loved it so I kept it.

A/N: I didn't intend on leaving the smut scene but my bestie insisted so I did. Again, my smut may suck but hey practice makes perfect. Also, yes, I changed the title. Anyways, thank you for reading this I really appreciate it 💕

131 AC

At sixteen, she had yet to find a worthy suitor; in reality, there had been many, but she always found some scandalous flaw that led her to decline their marriage proposals. Rhaenyra didn’t seem too pleased with this, but she remained silent when Daemon reminded her that she had been the same in her youth. The prince was also not very happy with the young and not-so-young men who presented themselves seeking Jaella's hand.

Desperate to find her a good husband, it was decided to organize a grand event to receive the suitors, where they would be evaluated by the princess and the prince to consider the best of their options. Although, without a doubt, Jaella already had her proposal of marriage and made sure that invitations were sent to Prince Aegon and Prince Aemond since both were still single and worthy candidates for her hand. Of course, the princess's interest was solely focused on the elder of the two brothers.

“It seems foolish to me,” the princess commented while her hair was being brushed.

Harland, who had been tasked with bringing news about the event, let out a small laugh.

“I don’t think your mother and Prince Daemon think the same,” he said, shrugging. “It’s an event in your honor; you should be excited. You like these kinds of things.”

“It’s an event to have me chosen as if I were cattle,” she corrected, frowning. Then she waved her hand to signal her maid of honor that she could leave, which the girl did immediately. Once they were alone, Jaella continued speaking. “I don’t need to be chosen. I know what I want.”

“And what is it that you want, princess?” Harland asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at her through the mirror.

Jaella kept her gaze fixed on the mirror, observing her own reflection for a moment before responding.

“Aegon,” she said finally, with a certainty that left no room for doubt.

Harland approached her carefully and took the brush that Jaella’s maid had left, replacing her in the task.

“A knight brushing the princess’s hair?” Jaella asked, allowing him to do it, enjoying the difference that Harland’s less skilled hands made compared to the previous ones.

“Aegon wants you too,” he said, completely ignoring her question. “But until the king and queen accept the marriage proposal, I’m afraid there’s little you can do about it.”

She hummed in agreement, nodding slightly at the boy’s words behind her.

“There has never been a formal proposal,” Harland frowned, looking at her with confusion. “Apparently, my wishes are not that important, and my family has never dared to formally ask for my marriage to Aegon.”

“And... I suppose the princess has a solution for that.”

Jaella smiled widely.

“My mother and Daemon are reluctant to marry me off to him. Perhaps it’s because they don’t trust Aegon as much as I do.”

“Which is quite reasonable,” Harland said, annoyed, earning a light smack from the princess.

“I’m sure Aegon has told his mother more than once that he wants to marry me, but she will never accept it. So, it’s up to me to handle the matter myself.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” he asked, his curiosity palpable.

Jaella turned slightly in the chair to look directly at him, her expression now filled with determination that made Harland’s chest swell with pride.

“I’m going to make my own proposal,” she said firmly. “I won’t wait for others to decide for me. Aegon and I know what we want, and if my mother and Daemon aren’t willing to make it happen, then I will do it myself. I’ll speak with Aegon, and we’ll find a way to present our request in a way that they can’t refuse.”

The young Arryn sighed and nodded gently with a smile, daring to give the princess’s hair a soft stroke, earning a bright smile in return.

“Rest assured, I’ll support you in whatever you need.”

“Perhaps you’ll need to chop off Ser Criston’s head,” she joked, wrinkling her nose.

“Nothing would make me happier,” the slight tension in the room dissipated with the joke. “Is there anything the princess wishes to do today to avoid the fateful destiny of getting involved in the preparations for her engagement celebration?”

“There actually is...” A couple of knocks on the door interrupted her, but instead of bothering her, they made her smile. “Come in.”

“Princess, the ship that will take you to Kingswood is ready.” Decran Stark had entered the room respectfully but relaxed when he saw Harland was there. “Will Lord Arryn be joining us?”

“Of course,” said the silver-haired princess. “When have you ever seen him away from me?”

Harland gave Decran a teasing smile, which the young Stark chose to ignore. During their time at Dragonstone, both young men had developed a closeness with the princess, as one would expect. However, it was clear that there was a noticeable difference in how Jaella treated each of them.

They were frequently seen together in the Conqueror’s Garden or, when the weather was warmer, playing by the sea. They also shared some history lessons and often sat down to read after dinner. It was no secret that the princess enjoyed the company of the two young men more than that of her ladies-in-waiting.

“I suppose he’s never far enough away.”

“I’ll soon be sworn to the princess; it’s what’s expected of me.”

“Well, I could be the one to marry her,” Decran said, smiling smugly at the princess.

Harland let out a chuckle, and Jaella’s cheeks flushed pink. She was accustomed to the meaningless bickering between the two, but she still hadn’t managed to let Decran’s bold remarks affect her. It wasn’t that she was so enamored with him that she considered him a marriage option, but she did like him and was aware that the northern lad had become much more attractive with age.

“If you don’t stop talking about my future marriage, I’ll leave you here, take the boat, and go away for two moons without anyone knowing where I am.”

“Please don’t,” Harland pleaded, visibly distressed. “I like my head where it is.”

“Then let’s go.”

═════𖠁 ═════

The purpose of the trip to Kingswood was to enjoy a day of hunting, but it was well-known that the princess was not very skilled in this discipline, so it meant that she would spend the day playing with Moonfyre while Decran and Harland hunted.

“When do you want to return?” asked Decran, sitting next to her and earning a hiss from the little dragon playing in Jaella’s lap.

The silver-haired princess quickly tried to calm her down.

“Tomorrow. I don’t plan to stay any longer than necessary. I just want to relax before facing the storm,” she replied, shrugging and suddenly turning to confront the northerner. “Do you want to ask me something, Decran?”

“Nothing too serious, princess,” he reassured her with a smile. “My brother, from what I know, is in the capital. I would like to pay him a visit, if it pleases you.”

“I have no objection,” she answered with a reassuring smile. “You’ve already done enough by hunting dinner for us. I’m sure Harland will take good care of me, and there are some guards watching the surroundings. I’ll be fine.”

Decran left the small camp as the sun began to set, and Harland was grateful for it. He really couldn’t tolerate much of the attention the northerner lavished on the princess, finding it desperate, though it was clear that jealousy was fueling his growing disdain for the young man.

It was no secret that the princess favored the young Arryn over the Stark, though many attributed it to the fact that Jaella was closer in age to Harland. The reality was that there was another reason behind the young princess's favoritism.

Since her last visit to King’s Landing, when she had shared the bed with Aegon for four uninterrupted nights, her desire for pleasure had nothing but increased. It had been barely two moons since their return when she found herself fervently needing the prince’s attention again, who was too far away to meet her needs whenever she wished.

Perhaps it was the lack of affection from her uncle that had led her to share the bed with Harland for the first time, but it was not the reason she allowed him to continue visiting her on some nights.

She knew that Aegon was aware of this, but it did not seem to bother the prince that his beloved niece sought to satisfy her desires, even if it was not with him. Aegon appeared to take pleasure in knowing that Jaella was desired by others, that she had the power to attract anyone to her bed. It was as if, in his mind, his sense of possession over her was reinforced by seeing her desired by another, a reminder that, at the end of the day, it was him that Jaella always returned to.

Moreover, over time, Aegon had come to understand the young Arryn, even daring to call him his friend when referring to him. He liked Harland because he did not seek to overshadow him or steal the princess's affections, which were so precious to him. The falcon knew his place and understood that he could never compete with the dragon.

Harland, for his part, knew that his place beside the princess faded with the appearance of the sun in the sky, but this did not trouble him. He loved Jaella and knew that she loved him in her own way, which was enough for him. While he could not have her completely, it was far more than many men could ask for.

“Did you bring the cages?” Jaella asked.

Her face was dimly lit by the torchlight, but Harland could clearly see the smile that spread across her face. The young man nodded and handed over the cages carefully while she tried to catch the small, glowing insects flying around the bushes.

“What do you need these for?” Harland asked, looking at her with curiosity.

“They’re for Princess Helaena,” she replied with a shrug. “The climate on Dragonstone doesn’t support many of these beautiful insects. Jacaerys said that a couple of days ago, two of her fireflies died, so he asked me to bring some.”

Once they had the insects secured, they returned to the makeshift camp they hadn’t strayed far from. They had a bit of bread and warm wine for dinner before going to sleep, making sure to settle Moonfyre in the special cage they had brought for her to sleep in at night.

It wasn’t long before Princess Jaella called Harland urgently. Unable to sleep, the young Arryn assumed she would need his attention, and he wasn’t wrong; the young Velaryon had asked him to kiss her.

The young falcon was quick to obey his princess's wishes and had ended up in her tent that night, ready to do whatever she asked of him.

"No," she had whispered when his hand tried to slip under her dress.

Harland obeyed immediately and a smile took hold of Jaella's lips; in private, the young Arryn was much more submissive than Aegon and although she liked her uncle's possessive attitude, she truly enjoyed the stillness that Harland offered, his willingness to let himself be guided by her desires without insistence or demands.

Jaella was lying on her back between the soft sheets and furs, her legs around the boy's waist and her arms clinging to his neck as he moved on top of her, seeking to relieve the tension in his crotch.

The Velaryon ran one of her hands through Harland's soft brown hair and then caressed his cheek, drawing him towards her to kiss him. A new thrust made her sigh and laugh, taking the opportunity to gently bite the boy's lower lip.

"Calm down" she warned him jokingly "Tell me what you want."

"I need you"he murmured "I want to be inside you"

"You won't" she sentenced, making a pitiful moan leave Harland's lips "But I want to give you pleasure"

Jaella's hand ventured between their bodies, until it reached the brown-haired man's crotch, getting lost under his clothes. Harland trembled pleasantly and the silver-haired girl smiled with satisfaction as she saw the younger man's grimace transform into one of pure pleasure.

The princess gave a light squeeze around his erection, drawing out a small moan that made her own body shudder; her hand began to move up and down his length.

"Princess" he whimpered with his eyes closed.

"That's all you'll get tonight, Harland" she warned him, continuing with the same tortuous rhythm. "Imagine you're inside me if you want it so much."

Harland's hips moved involuntarily, thrusting against Jaella's hand, making the princess's smile widen.

“Again”  she said, stopping her movements.

He moved again in an attempt to keep up, his moans becoming more intense as he tried to adjust to the same rhythm as the girl beneath him, his lips parted and she rushed to kiss him almost desperately.

“Keep going”  she ordered him mid-kiss, pulling his lip a little harder.

The younger boy's labored breathing prevented him from speaking, but he did his best to make himself understood.

“I can't hold on any longer”  he gasped, hiding his face in the curve of the princess's neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses to her lips. “ I need... ”

“ You won't have any more”  she reminded him, giving him a light squeeze. “It's not my wish to torture you either, but you won't enter me tonight. ”

His erratic and desperate movements continued for a few more seconds, until Jaella dared to pull his hair with a little more force than necessary, then she approached his ear and shamelessly began to moan, causing him to resume his movements in an attempt to coordinate them with the sweet sounds the princess was uttering.

“I want you to fill me with your seed” she moaned, leaving a languid kiss on his cheek. “Don't you want that?”

“Y-yes” his movements became faster and his brow furrowed for a moment.

Harland's lips parted and formed a perfect circle, a broken moan escaped from his mouth and Jaella felt his warmth empty into her hand. She smiled satisfied and he let his head fall on the princess's chest, with her free hand, she caressed his hair slowly while leaving languid kisses on his temple.

It was rare the time that the princess allowed him to take her; that did not matter to Harland, what he truly treasured were those moments when he could rest at her side while she caressed and kissed him.

“The prince will be upset. So close to King’s Landing... you could have called for him,” he murmured against the skin of her neck, adjusting himself more comfortably with her.

“The prince is already a bit upset,” she said simply. “He’s not too happy about the idea of the event to find me a husband. If I called for him now, he might want to take me away, you know how he is.”

“Impulsive,” Harland muttered. “But I don’t blame him; I’d be the same if I knew they were trying to betroth you to someone else. He’s the most viable option. Doesn’t Viserys see that?”

“The king knows, my mother knows... But I haven’t been able to understand what scares them so much,” she said, gently withdrawing her hand from Harland’s virility.

The brown-haired man hurried to fetch a cotton cloth, then dampened it in the water container within the tent and began to clean the princess's hand with utmost delicacy while she watched him.

“When your mother ascends to the throne, what will happen to her brothers? Don’t you think the queen fears that your mother might remove any obstacle to her claim? She already has Helaena secured; Alicent won't risk losing her eldest son,” Harland said.

“When my mother has a crown, Aegon will have one too,” she replied, looking at him seriously. “I know, I’ve seen it. My mother won’t do anything that could harm her own blood. Helaena is married to my brother and will soon bear him heirs. Aegon…”

“Aegon will fight for you, married or not,” Harland interrupted, finishing the cleaning. “Even a blind person could see that.”

Jaella looked at him. She wished she could be as sure of that, but she knew well the strength of the Hightower poison; she was aware of Otto’s tricks and the queen’s manipulations. She didn’t know how far Aegon had been corrupted by his mother and grandfather.

“And the other two?” Harland questioned, making Jaella look at him with curiosity. “Aemond is very close to his mother, and Daeron… we know nothing about him.”

“There shouldn’t be any problem. They know that my mother is the heir to the Iron Throne. She will have the crown, and no blood will need to be shed for it.”

“If you’ve seen it, then I believe you,” Harland reassured her, brushing his hand through her silver strands of hair. She was about to say more, but he interrupted her. “And we’ll do everything we can to ensure that your marriage proposal to Aegon is finally considered.”

The young princess smiled, satisfied. She liked having someone on her side.

═════𖠁 ═════

The hot water relaxed her aching body. That morning, she had decided to train as well and had pushed herself harder than usual. Her effort paid off, as she managed to defeat Jacaerys in two of their many sparring matches, a feat that Sir Erryk praised enthusiastically. She still hadn’t managed to beat Harland, but she knew it would take many more moons of extensive training.

She could feel the stiffness in her joints and saw some purplish and greenish bruises along her arms as the maidservants scrubbed her body. She grimaced in displeasure, knowing she wouldn't be able to wear the sleeveless dresses that Aegon liked.

“Princess, you need to come out now. The guests will start arriving soon, and your mother expects you to be ready to receive them.”

She really didn’t want to go. The only thing motivating her was the chance that Aegon would be there, and this time she wouldn’t accept a refusal. It was probably her last chance to make a move, so she had to seize it.

“Prince Daemon said that if you didn’t come down soon, he’d come get you himself.”

Jaella rolled her eyes in amusement and nodded slowly, submerging herself in the water one last time before abandoning it for the rest of the day and facing her duties.

“Prince Daemon is aware that bursting into the chambers of an improperly dressed princess could cost him his head. He wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Don’t test me,” she heard the mocking voice of her stepfather from the other side of the door.

“Get out of here!” she exclaimed.

She heard him laugh, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. With a heavy sigh, she shook her head and had no choice but to get out of the water. The maidservants dried her off and applied ointments to the areas most affected by bruises, grateful that the prince’s brother always avoided hitting her face. They then scented her with aromatic oils from Lys, a gift from Daemon on her name day.

That day, Jaella had chosen a beautiful blue dress with white sleeves adorned with small pearls at the cuffs. A lovely golden embroidery extended from the bust to the waist, interspersed with pearls of various sizes.

Her hair was half-up in intricate braids decorating the back of her head, while the rest fell freely down her back, almost touching her waist.

She looked beautiful. More beautiful than on any other day, and she knew exactly why, but decided not to dwell on it and instead focus on her plan.

When she was fully ready, she finally left her room and found Harland waiting for her right outside the door. The young Arryn gave a small bow of his head as a greeting, and she flashed him a brief smile, nervously playing with her fingers.

“You look especially radiant today, Princess.”

“Thank you,” she smiled again, this time with a broader and more lasting grin. “Your mother asked me to escort you to the hall. She threatened to cut off my finger if you tried to sneak away, so please, behave.”

“Don’t worry, your fingers will be safe. I’m not planning to run today,” she said with a tone of boredom, prompting Harland to roll his eyes. “The sooner we start this, the sooner we’ll be done.”

And although Jaella wanted to believe that would be the case, the reality was that it took her over half a day to attend to the suitors who had arrived that morning, and none of them had met with her approval, let alone her mother’s. Not to mention Daemon, who had laughed in the faces of two or three elderly men who had dared to ask for Jaella’s hand.

“Can we leave? I’m hungry,” Jaella complained, glancing at her mother. Before the princess could respond, the doors of the hall opened once more, causing Jaella to roll her eyes in exhaustion.

“Princes Aegon and Aemond Targaryen,” was announced, and the mere mention of their names made Jaella’s face light up. “And Their Majesties, King Viserys Targaryen and Queen Alicent Hightower.”

The deterioration in her grandfather’s health was evident. The man could barely walk on his own, his skin looked even more pallid than the last time she had seen him, his hair had become much thinner, and the skin on his face appeared quite damaged. However, Viserys wore a radiant smile that only grew wider when his eyes landed on his eldest daughter.

Jaella felt a lump in her throat. Seeing her grandfather in such a state reminded her of how fragile time was, and instead of diminishing her desire to make a proposal, it only fueled her determination. She knew that if she married Aegon before her grandfather passed away, her mother would have a better chance of ascending the throne without any objections from the queen.

Rhaenyra almost ran to her father with a beaming smile, like a child returning home after a long time. Daemon followed closely and also greeted his brother warmly.

Aemond approached Jaella first, giving her a smile before taking her hand and kissing it as a greeting.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Uncle,” she said with a broad smile.

“Likewise,” he replied.

Aegon skipped the formalities as usual and leaned forward to plant a kiss on Jaella’s cheek, gently holding her face with one of his hands and also caressing the opposite cheek. Alicent made a face of disapproval but remained silent, as usual, seeming to be the only one displeased with the situation.

“I didn’t expect Your Majesties to accept the invitation to my daughter’s suitor search,” Rhaenyra said, drawing attention to herself.

“We didn’t come to present a proposal, Princess,” Alicent immediately replied, and Jaella had to restrain herself from lashing out. “But your father was very insistent on meeting the candidates.”

“The candidates who presented themselves today were not what we had hoped for,” Rhaenyra said, not looking at Alicent but directing her words to her father. “But I am confident that Princess Jaella will find a suitor to her liking.”

“It is an important event, without a doubt,” Viserys commented finally, his voice faltering. “Princess Jaella has much ahead of her. I’m sure she will find… what she is looking for.”

"And we’re here now," Aegon interrupted, earning a disapproving look from his mother. "Who better than the king to oversee my dear niece’s betrothal, wouldn’t you agree?"

Daemon let out a laugh that only further irritated the queen. Rhaenyra shot him a warning glance, while Viserys smiled and nodded towards his son, approving of his words.

"We were about to serve the meal; the journey must have been tiring," Rhaenyra said, trying to ease the tension while signaling the servants to prepare.

Alicent, still frowning, adjusted the folds of her dress, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere Aegon had created. "We appreciate your hospitality, Princess," she replied formally, her tone distant.

As everyone headed towards the dining hall, Aegon and Jaella lagged a few steps behind. The prince clasped his hands behind his back and walked alongside his niece with a smile.

"I didn’t think you would come," Jaella said.

"We weren’t going to," Aegon replied. "Aemond and I had to work on Dad’s head to get him to take action and let us come."

The princess let out a giggle and shook her head. "How charming," she said, still laughing.

"Well, I had to prevent you from being married off to the first lord who walked through the doors," he shrugged.

"I avoided being married off to the first lord who crossed the threshold," she grimaced. "It was dreadful, to say the least."

Aegon focused ahead and, seeing his family disappear down the hallway leading to the dining room, he stopped. He wrapped his arm around Jaella’s and pulled her close until she bumped into his chest. His hold softened once he had her in his arms; one hand rested on her waist while the other cradled her face, bringing it closer to his for a quick kiss on her cheek.

"I’m not going to let you marry anyone else, alright?" he whispered near her lips. "I’m going to—"

"I’ll make a marriage proposal to the king," she interrupted. He looked at her, confused.

"Your mother won’t let you," she continued. "She won’t, and for some reason, neither has my grandfather. So, I’ll ask him myself."

The prince smiled and nodded softly, still caressing the younger woman’s face.

"You have to be my wife, Jaella," he said seriously, looking into her eyes. "We can't delay it any longer; I've rejected every woman my mother has brought to the Red Keep."

"She must be very upset."

"She and a few families," he said dismissively. Jaella looked at him, surprised, and though she was curious, she didn’t dare ask about the terrible fates some of those women might have suffered. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

She nodded, trusting him as she always did.

"I'll talk to my grandfather tonight... You should talk to him too."

"Yes, I'm sure the plea of two spoiled children will make him see reason," he joked, drawing a laugh from her. Aegon's expression turned serious. "I’ll talk to him, I promise."

"Now let's go to the dining room or your mother will go crazy," Jaella said, trying to pull away.

Aegon held her in place, and Jaella frowned, but her expression softened when she noticed the way he was looking at her.

"It’s been over a year; my bed has been lonely," he murmured, brushing his thumb over Jaella’s lips. "Aren’t you going to grant your future husband a kiss?"

Jaella smiled and felt her heart race as he leaned in, their lips meeting in a kiss that, though brief, was charged with the desire they had both kept at bay all this time.

"It’s impossible for me to believe you’ve been alone all this time," she said when they parted.

"My bed has been lonely," he corrected her, making her roll her eyes. "I didn’t think it was right for another woman to be there after you," he whispered, still caressing her face.

"Keep it that way," she said as a threat, but Aegon just smiled and placed a fleeting kiss on her lips.

"As the princess commands."

═════𖠁 ═════

Helaena was undoubtedly an enigmatic person. Even during the years she had spent in King’s Landing, her own mother had never fully understood her, which made her feel isolated even when surrounded by attention. However, things were different in Dragonstone. Although not many understood her riddles and the visions that appeared in her dreams, she received much more patience and understanding from her husband and her half-sister than from the family she had left behind in the Red Keep. Jaella and Rhaena were also good company for her, and she enjoyed spending afternoons playing with the little ones, especially Joffrey, who loved listening to her talk about insects for long periods.

She felt at peace, but now that her mother had arrived, she couldn’t help but feel a certain anxiety. Alicent had once told her that one day she would come to retrieve her, and she feared that this might be the case. The queen constantly spoke of how Rhaenyra would put their heads on spikes to claim the throne. As a child, Helaena had been terrified. When she was betrothed to Jacaerys, she thought it wasn’t so bad because she adored the young prince, but her mother never ceased to instill fear in her, saying that bastards were inherently bad and that marrying Jacaerys would bring her suffering day and night.

Later, Harland Arryn had secretly delivered the first letter Jacaerys had written to her. In it, the prince expressed interest in getting to know her and allowing her to know him as well, showing her a side of himself that starkly contrasted with her mother’s gossip. When they married, it became abundantly clear to Helaena that everything her mother had said was vile lies—not just about Jacaerys but about Rhaenyra. Especially about Rhaenyra.

Her half-sister had done nothing but protect and care for her, just as she did with Jaella. It was clear that Rhaenyra was made to be a mother of sons, but she had a special affection for the young women in her family. The princess was extremely loving toward her, Jaella, and Rhaena.

Helaena didn’t want to leave Dragonstone, didn’t want to return to King’s Landing, and certainly didn’t want to go back to her mother.

It was Helaena’s custom to take a bath before bed; it helped her relax. And it was Jacaerys’ custom to brush his wife’s hair before they slept, as not even the maids were allowed to touch her hair, so they had had to teach the prince how to manage the task of styling the young princess’s hair.

“Is everything alright?” Jacaerys asked, watching her through the mirror. “Did something happen with your beetles this morning? I saw you looking at them the longest”

Helaena shook her head without looking up at him. She seemed nervous, evident in the way she was torturing her own fingers, peeling the skin at the edges. Jacaerys frowned; she only did that when she was worried, something that hadn’t been common since they had been at Dragonstone.

“I don’t want to leave,” she whispered, still staring down at her lap.

Jacaerys paused his task, setting the brush aside. Moving slowly so as not to startle his wife, he carefully circled around her and extended his hand, waiting for her to take it. He always waited for her to touch him first.

Helaena hesitated for a few seconds but then placed her hand on the prince's and dared to lift her gaze.

"Where, my wife?" he asked gently. "You don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to. Your place is here with me. Where do you fear going?"

"She will want to take me," Helaena said, clinging to her husband's arm, her eyes filling with tears.

"Alicent?" His frown deepened, and Helaena nodded. "She won't take you. I promise."

Almost as if Jacaerys’ words were being challenged, there was a knock on the door, announcing the late-night visit of Queen Alicent. Helaena’s grip on Velaryon’s hand tightened, and her eyes widened in fear. He gently stroked her hand, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine, knowing well that the queen's demeanor would not be hostile, at least not at that moment.

"Your Grace," the dark-haired prince greeted, offering a slight bow of his head. "To what do we owe your visit at this hour?"

"I wanted to speak with my daughter, as we didn’t have the chance to during dinner."

Jacaerys nodded, his lips forming a thin line meant to resemble a smile. Helaena’s gaze pleaded for him to stay, and he considered it for a moment but ultimately decided that it was best to give them privacy

"Very well," the prince said, more to his wife than as a response to the queen. "I won’t go far; I’ll be right outside if you need me."

Helaena gave a soft nod, and when Jacaerys let go of her hand, she quickly reached out to stop him, making a silent request he immediately understood. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, a gesture that seemed to calm her, as if that simple act had given her the strength she needed at that moment.

"My sweet daughter," Alicent whispered as she approached, wrapping her in an embrace that Helaena reluctantly accepted. She didn’t enjoy her mother’s effusive hugs. "How have you been? You've replied to so few of my letters, I feared it was the bastard hiding them from you."

The princess grimaced in displeasure.

"Don’t call him that," she whispered. "We don’t use that word here."

Alicent looked at her as if hurt by her words, but Helaena didn’t meet her eyes, so the pained expression on her mother’s face went entirely unnoticed by the young princess.

"I promise you’ll soon be home again. We’ll crown Aegon, and you won’t have to stay here any longer. He’ll annul the marriage, and you’ll be able to—"

"I am at peace here," she finally said, mustering the courage to look at her mother.

She wished she hadn’t. She regretted it immediately upon seeing how Alicent’s face twisted into one of displeasure. It was the same look she gave all her children, especially Aegon. Helaena didn’t like it.

"Peace... among traitors," Alicent said in a low voice, shaking her head in disbelief. "You cannot trust them, Helaena. They have filled your head with lies. Rhaenyra will..."

"I have seen the dragons dance in the dark if they are not allowed to intertwine their wings," Helaena spat the words with bitterness. "You will make the dragons dance."

The queen swallowed hard, unable to hide the fear that always gripped her when her daughter spoke this way. She did not understand her and did not want to, but Helaena’s words always lingered, haunting her mind.

"My love, I..."

Alicent reached out, trying to grasp her daughter’s arm once more, but Helaena pulled away again.

"You do not hear them, but I do," Helaena murmured, her voice a mere whisper. "The dragons are restless..."

"Helaena," Alicent tried again, her tone firmer, "this is for your own good. Everything I do is to protect you."

But the princess did not respond. She simply turned her face toward the window, gazing at the horizon beyond Dragonstone, as if there, in the distance, lay the future she so feared.

[pourcap]

thoughts: kr chapter 15 (pt. 1)

'If they come this way—’ said Nikandros in a low voice. ‘Hey!’ Laurent called out. (...) i bet this will make nikandors love laurent even more :)

(...) Brief visions of strangling Laurent weren’t helpful. (...) damen is the best protagonist ever

(...) Damen judged the distance between himself and the nearest of the approaching soldiers, his chances of killing them, of killing enough of them to even the odds for the others. (...) also does damen's mind ever not immediately go this route? imagine constantly being so on edge because you feel like you have to fight and protect because that's all you've ever known, and because you're the best at it so everyone's survival depends on how quickly you eliminate threat. so exhausting.

(...) ‘You are Charls the renowned Veretian cloth merchant?’ said the officer sceptically, as if this was a name well known to him. ‘No,’ said Laurent, as if this was the most foolish thing in the world. ‘I am Charls the renowned Veretian cloth merchant. This is my assistant. Lamen.' ummmm. okay. 'as if it was the most foolish thing in the world' made me laugh. laurent's brashness lol. also i absolutely love how laurent just went for the ship name, which is of course veeery far off from damen's actual name so they totally won't risk being found out at all

'I don’t suppose your men could aid us in our repairs?’ said Laurent. Damen stared at him. They were encircled by fifty mounted Akielon soldiers. Jokaste was inside that wagon. no way that's why laurent stopped them. is he insane???? i can 100% picture the way damen's staring at him.

just remembered "it's the game i like" so i'm guessing this turn of event makes sense

The officer said, ‘We’re patrolling for Damianos of Akielos.’ ‘Who’s Damianos of Akielos?’ said Laurent. His face was utterly open, his blue eyes unblinking, upturned to the officer on his horse. ahhhhh!!! oh god. also i looove when laurent puts on this faux-innocent look he used so much in book one. it's just so amusing to me bc he's such an asshole and i mean this very lovingly

(...) Nikandros had the slightly stupefied look that Damen remembered from several of his own adventures with Laurent. (...) can you believe i'm getting emotional over this? because damen knows laurent now. because laurent is known. for probably the first time in his life except for by auguste he has someone who really actually genuinely knows him and appreciates him for the way his mind works. i just love laurent and damen so much <3

Damen followed him in, acutely aware that he was being separated from his men. Laurent simply walked into the inn. such an interesting nod to how damen feels more comfortable in the presence of his men (whether that's because he feels the need to protect them or because there's safety in numbers in general) whereas laurent had to rely on only himself for the past years

(...) Perhaps he could overwhelm Stavos. He could negotiate some kind of exchange, Stavos’s life for their freedom. his brain just won't stop omg. imagine constantly thinking about how to get out of situation that could end in your death (also imagine how intimidating damen must look to an outsider since he's basically just always coming up with battle plans in his head lol)

'I can assure you. Charls the renowned merchant is already here.' noooooooo

'That is impossible. Call him out here.' ohh the audacity. laurent can be such a prince

Charls took one look at the unmistakable blue eyes and blond hair of his Prince, who he had last seen in Damen’s lap dressed as a pet in a tavern at Nesson. His eyes widened. Then, with a truly heroic effort: ‘Charls!’ said Charls. hahhaaha no way. bless the real charls <3

they're all charls :')

'Thank you, Charls, this man believes I am the King of Akielos,’ said Laurent. god he's soooo annoying i love him so much

'An agent of the King when he has raised taxes and threatens to bankrupt the entire cloth industry?’ said Laurent. Damen put his eyes somewhere where they wouldn’t meet Laurent’s, (...) i repeat: he's so annoying and i love him so much. also a fed up damen is so funny to me

'You speak very good Akielon,’ he said, loudly and slowly. ‘Thank you,’ said Damen. ohh that reminds me of that scene in book one when laurent had damen drugged and this guy told damen that laurent had an eye for detail or something lol

'(...) Nikandros is completely useless as the Kyros,’ Laurent said, loudly enough for Nikandros to hear him. ‘He doesn’t know the first thing about cloth.' oh my god laurent stop antagonizing your boyfriend's best friend!!!

Damen looked over at Laurent, who was deep in conversation, letting his eyes pass slowly over every familiar feature, the cool expression tipped with gold in the firelight. He said, ‘Did he?’ ‘Charls said, think of the most expensive pet you’ve ever seen, then double it.’ ‘Really?’ said Damen. damen stop getting horny pt. 34972387

'Of course, Charls knew who he was right away, because he couldn’t hide his princely style, and nobility of spirit.’ ‘Of course,’ said Damen. hahahhahaha awww i love charls and i'm happy that in the future he'll have some new tales to tell about this moment right now

'Maybe you could encourage Akielons to wear sleeves. You’d sell more cloth,’ said Laurent. Everyone laughed politely at the joke, and then speculative looks crossed one or two faces, as if this young cousin of Charls’s might have stumbled by accident onto a good idea. you can always count on laurent to find a new way to be a nuisance to akielos <3

ahhhh did laurent push their mattress together to sleep next to damen????? i'm crying. sobbing, actually <3

they're kissing !!! i love them soooo much i can't even put it into words anymore, my heart just goes "!!!" every time they're close to each other

Laurent didn’t seem to care, even seemed to like it. Damen pressed him into the wall, and took his mouth. Laurent smelled of soap and fresh cotton. Damen’s thumbs pushed into his waist. laurent being turned on by damen's sweat... honestly if we got laurent's pov, he'd probably be just as intense about damen as damen is about him. they're truly a match made in heaven.

(...) They had not before had the luxury of extended lovemaking, deliberate and unhurried as a First Night. His thoughts ribboned with all the things they had yet to do. damen is such a softie!!! he's seriously just thinking about all the things he still wants to experience with laurent. he's so cute :')

(...) It was charming, because it was clear that Laurent was unsure exactly what to do, yet, typically, had acted to take control of everything. again: he knows laurent so well by now! i'm so emotional.

'First time to entertain a lover?’ Just saying the word made him flush, and he saw Laurent flush too. god. goooood. godddddd.

(...) He watched Laurent react to his body. Virgins and the inexperienced tended to get nervous, which he enjoyed as a challenge to be overcome, hesitancy turned into eagerness and pleasure. It pleased some deep part of him to see in Laurent the flickering of a similar reaction. (...) hmmmmm. :)))))))) i mean, he's wrong obviously, but i am super happy that laurent gets to experience sex with a good man who he finds attractive and who he likes and who is, on top of all that, great at sex <3

And dropped to his knees on the floor of the inn. i'm getting teary-eyed over a blowjob. seriously. i'm just so proud of laurent and of him taking initiative because he wants to do this with and for damen !!!!

that description of the contrast between laurent's internal struggle and practiced skill makes me sick

[dantefreakdaaaa]

So I have this wip I really just don't know how to add to, might make a part two if enough people like this blurb. This has been sitting in my drafts for a while so it's a little old

General! Johnny Cage x Prince/Princess! reader

Gn reader || Romantic

A/N: an AU me and friends talked a little bit about, it's an AU where Johnny is evil and takes General Shao's place, acting as the general of the Edenian army. mk1 spoilers, this takes place during the dinner scene

---

"Your Majesty." Cage walked towards you, bowing slightly as he gestured to the empty place next to you. "May I?" You stared, looking him up and down. Cringing slightly you opened your mouth to speak, doing your best to be respectful. You were never too fond of the General, his cocky and arrogant attitude combined with his obsession over the throne always gave you a terrible feeling.

"You may, General Cage."

He sat down next to you, armor clinking and shuffling while he got himself comfortable, sitting as close as he could to you. You stayed silent and after only a few moments, the general began to talk your ear off.

"Have you seen the earthrealmers? They all look pretty lame, wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?" He turned to look at you, that grin plastered on his face as always.

"Their champion was able to defeat Li Mei, they're stronger than they look." You looked forward, staring at their champion, Raiden. His elemental powers were nothing to sneeze at.

"Well, Li Mei isn't necessarily the greatest fighter... I'm surprised Sindel has allowed her back into Edenia. If I was king and she allowed my partner to die-"

"But you are not king, are you general?" You snapped your head over to him, a cold gaze on your face as you stared at his slightly surprised face. His mouth was agape before he closed it again, taking his time to choose his next words carefully. Sitting in silence for a few minutes, all you could hear was the faint singing of the entertainers. Sadly the quiet was short-lived before he had to open his mouth again.

"Your majesty, since you're going to rule when your mother dies, have you ever considered having a partner? Someone to rule alongside you?" His words were phrased carefully enough to ask if you're single, while still being respectful. Surprising to see Cage put that much thought into his words.

"No, I haven't, General. How come you're interested?"

"Just uh- making sure that if you're considering someone they'll be right for the kingdom is all. Someone strong who will rule with an iron fist." He quietly mumbled an 'unlike your mother' under his breath, just barely audible.

"Hmm, well I appreciate your concern, General." Mumbling with mock thankfulness, you replied. You could honestly care less about what he had to say, his opinions on the throne didn't mean much considering his role.

"Just looking out for you, Your Majesty. I wouldn't want you ending up with someone like him." Johnny glanced over at Raiden before looking back at you. Just staring.

"And what's wrong with him?"

"Look at him, he's so... small. And he's merely a simple farm boy. What's he got that I-" Immediately he shut his mouth

"Hmm? What were you saying, General?"

"Nothing, your majesty..." He averted his gaze, staring down at his plate of food.

[rileys-battlecats]

Finally made some simple reference sheets for my little guys :D I also put together some little facts about them and their personalities :P

Minare

pronounced mee-NAH-ray

Half leader, half figurehead to the rebellion against the current king and his heir

The people who work with her respect her as the last scion of the true royal line, but also they have known her since she was Fresh Out The Womb so she's also kind of their baby. Collectively. Collective rebel baby

Disregard the fact she's like. Early twenties. That's their baby girl

This makes Minare A Little Insane. She loves the rebels, they've supported her and her family through the worst times they've seen in living memory, but also She's An Adult and she NEEDS to have someone respect her and her decisions.

Her opinions don't always hold the weight that she thinks they should, her being the future ruler of the kingdom and all

Much of her work in the rebellion is stunted by the fact that she is THE last of the true royal family, so she is Not Expendable. They have to keep her safe, and she knows why, but it's also a little infuriating that she can't help more

Dangerous missions are an Absoultely Not, but Mina still helps by doing safer missions and planning/strategizing

She's been given tons of self-defense training, and she carries a short blade with her just about everywhere. This is seen as slightly unusual, but ultimately understandable for a young lady when she's traveling on her own often. Like having a can of pepper spray with you

Makes casual friends very easily; she manages to seem incredibly open and personable while simultaneously telling you Nothing important about her personal life

That being said, she doesn't have many close friends. She doesn't want to put anyone in danger, and she also doesn't want to put herself or the rebels in danger by making an opening that could be exploited. Her friendship with Vaitus is something that happens without her really meaning for it to happen. She just looks up one day and realizes she's gotten way too attached to this guy that was supposed to just be another acquaintance

She's got a protective streak a mile wide. if she makes the connection in her brain that she's responsible for someone, they INSTANTLY become someone Under Her Protection. This clashes with the inherent sacrifices she has to make as a leader of a political rebellion with high stakes consequences for each decision made

If one were to ask a random citizen of the capital if they know Minare, 9 times out of 10 they're at least acquainted with her. she's always keeping an ear out for people who need help, and is known for being able to give them a hand. If she's not doing the helping herself, she probably knows a guy

Loves finicky work. tinkering, fixing things, touching up stuff, anything that most people would find boring to work on, she's your gal

Vaitus

I'm. not sure how to explain pronunciation like I did with Minare. It's 'Vai' like in 'vital', and 'tus' like in 'tusk'

Doing His Best™

Crown Prince of the kingdom. I think I might name the kingdom 'Acora' but I haven't decided on that quite yet

"Crown" Prince is kind of an unnecessary title, since there's no other heirs. There used to be! Up until Vaitus was around 7 years old, he was one of the last in line for the throne. But then An Event occurred. I will get into this event at another time, I've got a few animatic ideas for it :P

Vaitus is less than enthused (read: terrified) by the idea of becoming king one day, but he's also aware that the kingdom would almost certainly fall into chaos if the current king died without a ready heir. A rush to fill a power vacuum could tear the kingdom apart. So he just. keeps on keeping on!

Fantasy autism. it's just like real life autism except the royal physicians diagnosed him with "occasionally possessed of foul spirits and daemons" so the diagnosis wasn't really helpful. He has no idea why he suddenly loses the ability to speak (or sometimes even think) in high stress situations. this is especially unfortunate when most of his life consists of going from one high-stress situation to another

Very thoughtful. will not speak until he's got the full sentence ready + 3 possible follow up sentences depending on where the conversation goes

Animal lover. but he doesn't know this until he gets to interact with an animal. he meets one (1) stray dog and is so normal about it (lying)

TERMINAL rbf

Was told as a child that it's impolite to not make eye contact with people, so now he makes All The Eye Contact. he's being polite. wait what do you mean he's being scary

[bookofbonbon]

tta: first meeting - aemond targaryen.

pairing: Aemond Targaryen (10) x Reader (12).

warnings: slight bullying from reader towards Aemond, I suppose? They're just friends - actually, not even that at this point lmao.

summary: Curiosity gets the better of you and you must see if the rumours are true about the maiming of the young Prince Aemond spurring the start of an odd friendship.

word count: 1882.

Through The Ages Masterlist.

gif credit: @pedropcl (X)

You’d heard the rumours, anyone with a working ear had heard the rumours. Word spreading throughout the realm like wildfire about the maiming of the boy Prince Aemond by his little Prince nephew Lucerys on Driftmark. That was just it though, to you, they were only rumours still. Months had passed since King Viserys and his second family had returned from Driftmark and the supposedly maimed Prince had yet to make a public appearance. So, after a long, few months and, biding your time, you decided you would see for yourself if the rumours were true.

Moving stealthily in the shadows, you’re sure to keep yourself hidden as you traverse the Red Keep grounds to get to your destination. A fairly easy task for you having grown up in the Red Keep and, spending most of your free time mapping the network of secret passageways & tunnels that ran both within & beneath the castle. Something you began to do four years ago, when you were just 8 and desperate to find a way to get around without all of the stares.

Finding the hidden door, you were looking for, you open it only slightly and slip in but, don’t allow it to close because of the noise it would make. You move quietly through the room, eyes roaming all over the Prince’s private chambers and taking in the grandiose space until you spy the Prince himself.

“So, the rumours are true,” you call from behind the Prince, who sits sombrely in front of his fireplace.

Aemond looks up, seeing your blue hooded figure standing behind him in the reflection of the mirror. When combined with the light cast over his face from the fire, it gives you the perfect view of the now scarring flesh that starts from halfway down the left side of his forehead, over where his eye once was and down his cheek.

“You are without an eye.”

“Who are you?” he demands, standing suddenly. “How did you get in here?”

The young Prince unsheathes a dagger holstered to his side, trying to appear braver than he felt when he attempts to charge towards you but, falls - his foot catching on the leg of the chair that he could no longer see in his peripheral; dagger scattering across the rug onto the stone floor and stopping at your feet.

You sigh heavily, picking the small weapon from the ground before walking forward to help him.

“You need to start being more careful,” you scold him lightly. “More vigilant of your surroundings.”

Taking his arm, you begin to pull him to his feet but, your attempt to help is thwarted with one quick shove that puts you on the ground beside him, your hood falling back – the glow from the fire casting light on part of your face.

“Do not touch me or I will feed you to my dragon!” he threatens.

“Feed me to your dragon?” you snort.

Rising to your feet, you fix your hood back over your head and watch as the young Prince struggles to stand and just as he’s getting to his feet, you gently nudge him back down; the pressure only slight but, his lack of balance toppling him over.

“I heard that’s what you said moments before you lost your eye,” you mock, twirling the blade in your hand as he lands on his forearms. “Wouldn’t want to lose the other one too now, would you?”

Fear flashes in Aemond’s eye and, an unfamiliar feeling settles in your chest at the sight; you've gone too far.

"I shouldn't have said that," you sigh.

Tossing the blade to the side, you move to help him again, when suddenly he shoves you away again.

“I could have your head,” he spits. “All I have to do is scream.”

“So, scream,” you roll your eyes, patience wearing thin as you now forcibly pull the younger boy’s smaller frame to his feet “but, you should know that I do have some idea of what you go through and might actually be able to help you.”

The Prince’s face twists in confusion, eyes squinting at your hooded head, not able to see much but, being able to discern that you have two working eyes to his one.

“How can you help me when you have both eyes,” he points out the obvious.

You roll your eyes once again, taking the Prince’s hand in yours and forcing him to grip the top of the chair he was seated on for balance. The last thing you needed was for him to actually injure himself once you were gone.

“My prince, I knew that you lost an eye but, I did not know that you lost your hearing too” you tut.

“I said I had an idea not, that I knew exactly what it is you go through. So, when you no longer feel like feeding me to your dragon,” you mock his earlier words once again. “Come find me.”

With a final glance, you look the young Prince over once more to ensure he’s steady.

“Perhaps have a cane crafted in the meantime. It will do wonders to help you with the new adjustment,” you finish.

Turning swiftly on your feet, you disappear into the shadows; sneaking back out the way you came in and leaving a bewildered Prince Aemond behind you.

-

Your eyes keenly study the surface of your skin in the ornate mirror, fingers running lightly over the different textures. With one last look in the mirror, you throw the blue velvet fabric in your other hand back over it, concealing your reflection from yourself.

Moving towards the doors of your chambers, you pull the hood of your cloak up and exit; setting off throughout the hidden passageways until you emerge in a corridor that leads down and out into one of the Queen’s private gardens.

“I was sure I wouldn’t hear from you after the second week with no word,” you call from across the garden, announcing your presence.

Aemond’s eye flickers toward you, a sour expression on his face and a wooden cane in his hand.

You had left the boy of ten both, angered and intrigued but, always determined to meet with you again after your intrusion into his chambers. His curiosity about you outweighing his desire to feed you to Vhagar. The only issue at the time of course being that he had no idea who you were up until a day ago.

“You know, my grand sire once told me that if you keep making ugly faces when the wind changes, your face will be stuck that way forever,” you stop in front of him.

Aemond’s scowl deepens, and the expression has you erupting in laughter.

“Stop laughing at me,” Aemond snaps, whacking your leg with his cane and this time you’re the one scowling at him.

“I by no means meant for you to use your cane as a weapon against me when I suggested you have one made,” you snap back at him.

This time it’s Aemond who breathes a slight laugh, an unfamiliar and quiet sound that somehow undoes your annoyance but, you keep the façade.

“So, he does smile,” you comment flatly, sitting beside him.

“Don’t get used to it,” he warns. “It’s probably not going to happen again. Not around you at least.”

You roll your eyes, desperately wanting to take his cane from him to smack him too with it but, knowing it would you get you nowhere. So, instead you change the subject.

“So, tell me, after two weeks, what changed your mind? Made you actually want to meet me.”

“Nothing changed my mind. I just didn’t know who you were, Lady Reckless,” he emphasises your last name.

You snort a laugh, you hadn’t told him who you were indeed.

“The name is befitting of you,” he comments absentmindedly. “Only a reckless person would do what you did to me when I now mount the biggest dragon in the world and could have you fed to her.”

“Seven hells, you and that bloody dragon,” you make a face. “You know if you feed me to your dragon then I won’t be able to help you.”

“How exactly are you going to help me? Or do I need to remind you again that you have both-”

Pulling your hood down, you show Aemond your face, effectively shutting him up.

Aemond’s eye widens, his body involuntarily jerking away from you but, you feel nothing about it, accustomed to the way people reacted when they saw the scar that marred your face.

Like Aemond’s, it started on your temple but on the right. However, where his went through his eye, yours curved to the side (just missing your eye) across your cheek and ending near your right nostril.

A tense silence fills the air for a few more moments before Aemond breaks it.

“But you still have two-”

“Yes, Aemond, I still have two eyes,” you groan irritably at his inability to look past the fact that you had two eyes. “But it may as well be all I have. I am a Lady who comes from lesser nobility so, my worth is only as much as I am beautiful and noble Lord’s do not want damaged goods.”

You take a deep breath, before continuing.

“Whether you have come to this realisation or not, you like me are now damaged goods too but, the difference is that you… you can do something about it. You are a Prince of the Realm; you have everything you need at your disposal to still be great. It may seem odd but, where I can do nothing for myself perhaps I can do something to help you.”

Aemond takes pause, hand flexing on his cane as he thinks on your words for a minute.

“But, you said it yourself,” a smug look pulls at his lips. “I have everything I need to still be great. Why would I need you?”

This time it’s your turn to look smug, a small laugh leaving your lips, “Because unlike others, I won’t hinder you with pity.”

Standing from your seat beside him, you smooth your hands down the skirt of your blue dress before looking down your nose at him, “Now, if you don’t mind, I will take my leave.”

You get halfway back across the garden when Aemond calls for you to wait. You almost don’t but, the smack of his cane against the stone path makes you turn, and you’re met with the sight of him hobbling towards you with his aid.

He’s out of breath when he reaches you but, even breathless the sour look on his face never leaves.

“What do you get out of all of this? Out of helping me?”

You raise a brow at the platinum-white haired boy, surprised that he was finally able to look past your having two eyes.

“The pleasure of your company… and not being fed to your dragon, I suppose,” you smile sarcastically.

Aemond scrunches his face however, unimpressed and, unappreciative of your mocking as he sets his jaw and waits expectantly for your real answer.

"A friend," you sigh, hands fisting in your dress anxiously. "I get a friend."

-

All fics are my own work - I have not posted my work anywhere else.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters/places mentioned above.

Do not copy. Do not translate. Do not repost.

bookofbonbon 2022. All rights reserved.

[octochick]

i think its time for me to come back to my origins:

shitty spiderbit villain isekai au

Cw suicide idealization? Kinda? Nothing too realistic or explicit but there is a little bit

First, there's Cellbit, the 'villain'

-Was tricked by Mike into watching shitty fantasy harem anime #1413 (Mike doesn't like this type of anime, but he does like to see Cellbit suffering)

-And suffer he did, he was almost pulling his hair out when the first episode ended, and really did it when the opening spoiled the little mystery there was in the show

-He went to sleep balding mad and woke up in the body of 5 years old Farael, the prince of Embersland Kingdom, brother of Bagriela whom he is fighting for the crown

-There's also this voice in his head telling him that he needs to follow the plot and shit and he's just like- what the fuck do you even mean by this, I wanna out, get me the fuck outta here

-'Follow the plot and it may be considered to send you back', it says, and Cellbit obviously argues with it because 'Don't fuck with me like that, get me out of here right now' and 'No sorry can't do', 'What I have to do to go back? Send me back right now' and it's this back and forth until the system is tired enough to just say 'Die by the hero's blade and we'll send you back' and Cellbit's like 'Ok fine'

-It's not really fine because it will take at least two decades before he will be able to be killed by the hero, but it's something more concrete than a simple possibility so he will take it

-So he starts preparing to be a villain, quite successfully if you may allow him. And the worst part is that he really ends up as a 'good' villain, winning the crown from Bagi, organizing an army, making evil plans full of twists and turns, neglecting the people, all in all he is a decent villain for a bellow average harem anime

-(Btw, there are some reason why a 'normal' person from the real world ends up being so good at being evil, that includes: he's already something of a freak, he thinks this is just a shitty harem anime, he never had any contact with other people that aren't nobility or servants except for a single instance. He really wants to go back, he thinks nothing in this world matters, and it's part of his bucket list so...)

And then there's Roier, the 'hero'

-He's just a peasant boy living in a frontier town, abandoned by his father, mother died during childbirth, raised by his old abuelo

-He does odd jobs around town and helps in the adventurers guild, going in a small quest here and there, nothing too big despite him being quite good with a sword

-That is, until Bagis busts into the guild asking for help to defeat her brother before he does even worse than he already did, of course for a handsome reward

-But everyone there knows how much of a tyrant King Farael is, and how they'll end up with their salted heads hung in the public square if they do anything against him so no one accepts it

-Roier comes in late, and Bagi begs for him to help her... he really doesn't want to, but money's tight and he really needs it because abuelo has been getting worse recently and there's not a lot else he can do (Saving the kingdom is just a bonus for him)

-And so they go out on this quest, they recruit some other people during the way (In the original anime they're all woman and part of his 'harem') and plan how to end King Farael's reign of terror once and for all

-Syke! Cellbit kidnaps Roier when they're near the capital and brings him to a 'dinner' to monologue to him about his evil plans (It's to motivate Roier to really kill him, he can't be imprisoned or exiled, he has to be killed)

-Anyways they get a little frisky and end up in a knife fight where Roier cuts Cellbit's mask in half and oh shit! This guy, tyrant King Farael is Roier's first crush! He knows he is, his blue eyes are the same as he remembers!

-The rescue party arrives at the castle and saves Roier, while he is slightly confused about the villain

-It's not even about the puppy crush he had on him, even if it did help him think about the situation from a slightly different angle, it's more like how his evil plan now sounds like a very elaborated suicide attempt

-Well, if this is what the villain wants, then he won't let him have it!

-Meanwhile Cellbit is surprised Roier remembers him, but is otherwise happy because he thinks now Roier has even more reasons to kill him

... and that's all I have until now

[sketchedboba]

"A Green Queen" AU

Chapter VIII

TW: Discussion of Self-ham

A few hours passed as the two discussed various agreements, commerce deals, supply exchanges, and of course the Grand Peace Flair Ball. Luigi sat on the side next to Kamek, taking notes as the MagiKoopa guided him and kept him up to pace with the conversation. He had chimmed in a few times to give his thoughts on certain guard stations or small reminders of past agreements King Totomesu had stood by. He felt a sense of distance every time the Prince or Bowser shut him down on ideas, but chalked it up to them having more experience. Kamek also reassured him each time that he was doing fine and gave a small pat on his back for comfort. They had broken conversation a few times to eat and rehydrate before they talked on end again.

And as the night fell, they had finally completed their discussion. Prince Khufo cheered and bound off to the kitchen to check on their nightly meals. Kamek, also took this opportunity to check the older scrolls for new spells and remedies for the Koopalings.

The King, however, was at the edge of the balcony looking up at the stars and humming to himself, he was ready to leave, but too tired to go too far into the palace.

Luigi fixed his papers carefully and placed a little gold slate paperweight on top, so they didn't fly off as the breeze kicked in. He stood up, hair flowed slightly, as he watched as Bowser's head turned to follow a certain passing star that shot by.

He walked over with a chair and sat down beside him, still keeping a bit of distance between them. "They're pretty... D-Do you like watching shooting stars?"

"Yeah... I usually watched them with the little ones, but I doubt we would've made it back in time to see them together.. You should see their little eyes light up when they..."

The large koopa's words trailed off as he noticed Luigi's galaxy blue eyes shimmered, eager to hear him talk fondly about his hatchlings.

"That's sweet of you... They could be watching right now. If that makes you feel any better.."

'Why does it matter what he thinks? You're just-'

"Hah! You underestimate their attention span. Ludwig is probably telling Iggy to stop trying to replicate star patterns with his bombs. And Lemmy is most likely drawing silly faces on their shells when they're distracted, speedy lil champ!" He exclaimed. "Wendy won't be so pleased, once she finds out though, she's not afraid to tackle any of them down and nip at them."

Luigi looked at him mortified. "That sounds...greaatttt.... Um.. Did they all come from the same.."

"No, you've asked before"

"When you nearly severed my arm off?"

"Hey! I apologized!", The large lizard huffed. His arms now crossed on the ledge.

Luigi chuckled a bit, "Uh huh.. What an amazing apology."

"You're damned right it was!", Bowser grinned.

Luigi snickered and rolled his eyes, enjoying the King's confidence. Bowser smiled a bit seeing the Queen's enjoyment and continued.

"I'd found most of their eggs on islands or in dense territory I had conquered. Most Koopas my size will abandon eggs once most of the clutch hatch out.", He huffed and gazed back up at the stars. "Yeah, some of them were a hassle to raise, still are, but I'd caused the entire universe to quake in fear if any of them got hurt.", He chuckled at his own comment.

Luigi eyes lifted slightly as he saw the King's gaze softened. "I raised them myself and even though they drive me insane sometimes; they're family to Junior.."

'Just Junior?'

"What about you? Aren't they your family just as much as they are Junior's?"

Bowser gave a low growl causing Luigi to stiffen.

"N-Nevermind.."

The two stayed gazing at the show, Luigi sighed and started to think about when he and Mario would watch the sky with Peach and Toad.

They shared food and witty jokes about their adventures. The countless of times they had saved or helped the kingdom and allies. It had become a second home to Mario and himself. He always felt some sort of peace being with Mario and wished he had some way to contact his brother outside of the contractual agreement.

The agreement.

In light of the situation, the dreamy atmosphere, the cool breeze. Luigi had forgotten that all of this was temporary.

He was a queen to his enemies and all of it was his fault. He agreed to be Bowser's bride, strictly married to the koopa next to him by circumstance of he and his brother's plans. Despite it being his karma, he still missed Mario, and trembled realizing the passage of time.

A light sense of pain hit his arm again but it stopped as Bowser's claw quickly removed his hand from digging into it.

"Why do you keep doing that?!", he yelled.

"It's nothing! Let go!"

"Greenie"

"I said let go! I'm fine!"

" You're not fine! Just let me see and-"

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm FINE."

Bowser's nose flared at his tone and his claw tightened around his hand slightly.

"You know you're REALLY stubborn!"

"I learned from the best...", Luigi muttered.

Bowser growled deeply, "What'sTHAT supposed to mean!". His grip tightened around Luigi's hand more as his pupils slitted and were locked on him.

Luigi winced from the pain breathing heavily then looked away shaking.

Bowser growled then roared briefly as he let go.

Luigi checked his hand for injury, only to see light bruises on the sides of his wrist. He let out a sigh of relief as he massaged them, then looked over at his captor.

Bowser sighed, his tail swayed violently as he tried to cool off. " Why can't you just talk?"

"You ask me to shut up every other time.", He muttered.

"I-", he turned around to object, but couldn't retaliate. "That's usually because you've said something stupid and you know that's not what I meant, when it comes to that."

He lightly tapped a finger on Luigi's right arm.

"I... You caused this."

The King's head tilted in confusion. "But I said-"

"I know... And I'm glad, but it doesn't erase it immediately. It still hurts me. YOU still harmed me! I want to forgive you, but every time I think I understand I begin to blame myself for not thinking about why I'm here and that all of THIS could've been avoided."

Tears swelled in his eyes the more he went on, only to be met with Bowser's perplexed expression.

"As far back as the wedding, I've just been replaying it over and over! If I didn't let my disguise slip or if I hadn't agreed to be here or if I hadn't bothered you that night! I wouldn't have gotten hurt, I wouldn't have these fucking nightmares!"

Luigi's streams of tears blurred his vision, he was regretting every ounce of information he was telling him. He didn't even bother to look over at the Koopa and kept his eyes on the stars as they reflected in his tears slightly.

Bowser blinked, he watched the small man's body shake and hiccup from crying. He reached over slightly with his claw about to say something then retracted, before getting up to leave.

Luigi sniffled as he covered his face with his hands and slowly slid them back into his hair. A light breeze made him shiver, but they didn't stop the quiet crying.

'Why did I do that... He doesn't care! Get a grip, Luigi!'

Half an hour had gone by and Luigi had rested his chin on his uninjured arm to calm down.

His pink eyes gazed out at the palace fountains and the desert beyond the gates.

Dried snot flaked on his mustache and he didn't bother to try and look for Bowser or call for Spotty once his tears stopped flowing.

Purely out of embarrassment.

As he closed his eyes, he heard claws clank against the tiles, and a mild quake rattled his chair.

He felt a warm sheet embrace him only to open his eyes and see Bowser removing a lid from a small dish with an aroma of hefty spices leaving the plate. He gestured towards his face with some wipes he'd brought back, almost ordering him to take it.

Luigi nodded and took a few to wipe off his face and 'stache, being careful of his eyes and lips. When he finished, he glanced behind him to see the blanket placed over his shoulders. A simple black velvety sheet with Bowser's emblem on it, he sighed looking at it then turned his attention to the food Bowser brought.

He hadn't said a word about his outburst and was a bit ashamed to ask, "I'm s-sorry about all of that!", Luigi laughed. "Just forget I said-"

Before he could finish, Bowser slipped food into his mouth with a spoon. As Luigi began to chew, his face lit up tasting a familiar fruit he hadn't had in a while, tomatoes.

Despite the pleasant surprise he looked up at the King confused.

"You talk too much."

".....Not usually..", he swallowed.

"You also cry worse than a hatchling."

Luigi sighed, "Probably..."

Bowser looked down at him, "So you hurt yourself because of me?"

Luigi didn't say anything nor did he move in response to his comment. He stayed staring at the stars, the blanket covering his shoulders.

Bowser hummed, understanding to not press further for now, and asked if he wanted to just eat.

Luigi nodded, his face flushed as he slightly opened his mouth for another spoonful.

Bowser's tail slowly swung as he fed him again and looked up towards the heavens. He wanted to know more about this self inflicted harm, if he could for a moment, stop the pain as quickly as each star shot above. A pit of guilt growing in his stomach, as brief as the streaks of silver, luminescent, and ever fleeting.

Spotty stepped onto the balcony and stared at the two, "Your highness. The Prince has found intruders in the palace and is requesting your...and the Queen's presence immediately."

Luigi groaned a bit and slightly stood up. His knees shaking as the crying has caused a small headache to form, making him feel dizzy.

Bowser caught him carefully and growled, "Fine, but tell him I'll be taking the Queen back to his room for the night."

"But-", Luigi stammered.

"No. You are going to rest. That's an order."

"....."

Spotty bowed, "Yes, your highness".

Bowser glanced down at Luigi and puffed, "Do you mind if I carry you?"

He shook his head slowly, not wanting to worsen his head ache. "Just...really slowly. My head is spinning.", he gasped.

Bowser nodded and gently slipped his claws under the Queen's thighs. He made sure to avoid digging his nails into the pants, despite wanting to playfully poke at Luigi's soft skin.

Luigi kept close to the koopa's chest, hearing a slow thump thump coming from his shell. He listened to its shallow rhythm and closed his eyes as Bowser carried him down the hall.

Prince Khufo yawned as he stepped down the torch-lit stairwell. His wings opened greatly as he darted down the stairs dramatically, causing the once sunset shimmering flames to blaze ocean blue.

At the bottom, he stepped into a sandstone hall, filled with nearly empty cells, holding long gone dry bones, goombas, and deserted, torn shy guy uniforms. The Prince padded past each cell with a cheeky grin and as he approached the last two his eyes lit up.

"Oh, what a treat! Thinking you could get in here unannounced? And why.. not even a single letter either. We're not plebians yknow..", he pouted.

He held one of the torches closer to the cell and the light shined onto a cloak, covering his captives face.

"Nothing? Really? Hmph, suit yourself. Maybe the Koopa King will have more fun with you and your little band of outcasts. It'll sure be quite the show~", he giggled.

[fan-goddess]

The dance of the newfound lovers

Aemond finds himself discovering love at first sight with a lady at Aegon and Helaenas wedding party

This is heavily inspired by conversations I’ve had with an Aemond AI

Also here’s my masterlist :)

As Aemond looks over at the people he ponders on how he would leave the party undetected. However, as he glances over be vast amount of people he skims over a woman which makes his head whip back to look at her. She’s got brown hair, and like him is also near the edge of the room and observing the people. The two even catch eyes and holding eye contact before the lady becomes nervous and ducks her head to take a sip of her drink.

Aemond lets out a smirk before downing the goblet of wine he was holdin and walking towards the woman. He doesn’t let his eyes of off her. Fearing that any moment she could slip from his view and never see her again.

The lady looks up to see if the prince is still watching her, but gives a look of pure panic when she makes eye contact with the determined prince. “Hello my prince” she says as he gets close enough.

"A pleasure, my lady. Do I have the honour of knowing your name?" Aemond asks as he offered his hand and asked with an earnest and polite smile. It was typically unsuited for his face as Aegon liked to say but he hoped this woman did not think that too. Still, this woman called him ‘My prince.’ Whilst he heard himself be called that everyday by the servers the way she said it made him feel...something.

“Maybe my prince. But only if you offer me a dance.” The lady says is a hidden sly tone. “My father is quite anxious for me to be married quickly and I feel it may satisfy his demands for a short while if he was to see me dancing with a powerful man like yourself”

Aemond agrees to her small demand and takes her hand, taking note of how her fingers feel small in his palm, and offering her his other arm in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Of course, my lady. Your father's concerns will surely be eased, I assure you."

As a Prince of House Targaryen, Aemond knew his station was high, but he didn't care much for the glamor of it all. What he did care about was the power that came with his position. To have access to the power of King Viserys's name, to have some authority over the Seven Kingdoms...that appealed to him greatly.

As she danced with Aemond the lady couldn’t help but feel anxious in the presence of a man like Aemond. He was handsome. There was no denying it. He looked so powerful and yet so graceful as they danced. She blushes barely noticeably as her thoughts begin to become clouded.

Aemond kept his eye firmly fixed on hers, noting the hint of red that crept into her cheeks and knowing that it was because of his presence made him slightly smirk. There was nothing Aemond enjoyed more than the reaction he saw from others; he loved knowing that his every word, movement, and action influenced the people around him.

"Do you enjoy dancing, my lady?" He asked, looking down at her with genuine interest and intrigue. "It's good to be active, to move about. I don’t think I could stand being inside all the time without some sort of interaction."

“I enjoy its from time to time my prince. It does get awfully tiring after a while. I do love horse riding although I guess you do not do that when you have your dragons...” the lady replies

"No, I certainly do not ride horses. They're far too slow." Aemond scoffs. Aemond's dragon, Vhagar, was so large that most castle walls were unable to prevent her from getting inside if she so desired; to put things in perspective, Aemond's dragon could swallow a horse whole if she so chose. Which she often did.

"Have you ever flown before, my lady? Upon dragonback, I mean?" Aemond curiously asks. The way she spoke of only horse riding and not dragon riding was curios. Most women Aemond was forced to converse with brought up how marvellous either themselves or their children would be at dragon riding. This lady did neither.

“No but I remember as a little girl my mother would tell me stories of the dragons here in kingslanding and the targaryens who rode them. They kept me most entertained as a child” She says with a smile. Aemond can tell she is reminiscing a happy memory through the glaze of her eyes and the small smile gracing her lips.

"Your mother sounds like a good woman; wise to tell her daughter of our family and the history of the dragons. They're a truly powerful weapon, my lady. Nothing rivals the might of a dragon. It's like having a little flying mountain that is under your control." Aemond had a lot of respect for the dragons power. To be able to harness a creature like an ancient dragon was a great feat, but to have such power at his disposal was an honor he made sure he never took for granted. Not since he lost his eye.

"Would you like to ride sometime, my dear? Maybe we may fly together sometime soon." He asks surprisingly nervous. “I do wish to show you how different a horse ride is to a dragon ride.”

“Yes my prince she was an amazing woman. She passed during the childbirth of my youngest sibling Gareth. I would move to ride with you though my prince. But are you sure you should be offering to ride with a person like myself? she asks looking at Aemond in slight concern as they danced together still.

"Why should I not my lady?" Aemond asked, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "Unless you're some sort of assassin or traitor to the Crown, then I see no issue with you riding with me." Aemond chuckled. "I think I'd probably notice that you're trying to kill me." His laugh had a note of humor in it, but his words were deadly serious. Aemond Targaryen was many things, but stupid was not one of them. His gaze never left her own as he listened to her answer.

“You should be more careful jesting about that sort of thing with so many people of noble and royal blood around my prince. But what I meant was that you are a prince. Which means reputation is everything. Rumours in this castle spread as quickly as flys to honey my prince!”

“Well, my lady, that is an excellent lesson you are teaching me. I shall keep that in mind." Aemond was, in many ways, glad that the young lady was around to teach him that lesson. Having grown up as a Prince of the Realm, Aemond had never had to consider the rumors or gossip that could circulate if you let others see your true feelings. With his mother, Prince Daemon, and Lady Alicent as his only close confidants, Aemond had become a man who was closed off from the outside.

“It was no lesson my prince only true facts. I am beginning to tire though from all this dancing. Are you still interested to know my name my prince?” she says with a small smile and a slightly raised eyebrow

"Of course, my lady, what is your name?" Aemond asked with genuine curiosity and interest.

He knew that knowing her name was a small thing, but to his mind, he wished to hear it from her own lips. He was still uncertain as to why, but he couldn't help himself; he wanted to know everything about her.

“My name is Aenid my prince. I am the third daughter of Lord Quarellis” aenid reveals with a small smile as she sees the curiosity in the princes eyes

"Aenid." Aemond repeated her name, rolling the syllables around in his mouth. "It's a beautiful name, my lady, and fits a beautiful person such as yourself." There was something about her that intrigued him, excited him even; perhaps it was her intelligence or her boldness, or maybe a mixture of the two. He couldn't exactly tell, but he knew that it was something he liked, and something he wanted to cultivate. "Your father must be a proud man."

“You are too kind my prince…” aenid laughs with a blush beginning to take place on her face “yes my father is proud just as he is with all his daughters. He prides himself in having such handy tools to male alliances in” as aenid speaks the final sentence her gaze gardens and her mind wanders to her sisters married of in political marriages. Whose bodies are bred

"Your father would do well to be proud," Aemond said, smiling back at the blush upon her cheeks. "Having beautiful and kind children is a gift of the Seven." He paused, and with a slightly sly smirk, asked, "I should imagine that many would desire a chance to woo you, my lady." At first, it was merely a thought, then a wish, then a desire; with every passing moment he spent with the third child of Lord Quarellis the more Aemond wanted to have her as his own. It could be me, I could be that person to woo her.

"Is your hand still unbetrothed, my lady?" Aemond asked, a small, but telling smirk pulling at his lips. The way she talked about her suitors made him think that perhaps a more genuine form of romance would work better to win her affections.

His father had betrothed his older sister to his older brother Aegon, and all of the Seven Kingdoms knew just how little love there was between them. A betrothal should be based on more than mere political interest. It should be based on love, and respect, and genuine interest.

“Yes my prince I am currently unbetrothed. My father gave me the benefit of picking my husband but for a while now my father has been attempting to get me to pick.”

"Well, perhaps your father could be given a better option?" Aemond said quietly, raising an eyebrow as a sly smirk found his features. He paused for a moment, and then asked, "If you had your choice, my lady; who would you want as your husband?"

“If I could choose a husband he would need to be honourable. Respecting me is equally important as well as him needing to be there for me when needed. aenid smiles as she thinks of her make believe husband Though I doubt there are any men in the seven who are like that though. But what option could my father have? He encourages my marriage as if he was to have one unmarried daughter he fears people may believe our house is undesirable…”

"I would consider myself a man of honor, my lady," he said with a smile and a knowing glance. "As a knight of the Seven, I swear to always do the right thing and to be a guardian of the weak. And, as a husband, I would be there for you whenever you would need me."

Aemond paused, taking a breath, and then asked, "What more could you ask for from a husband? A man who will fight for you, who will love you...how much more could you ask of such a man?"

“Is this you asking me for my hand?” aenid asks with a shocked look on her face “My prince… we have barely gotten to know each other! We are still on the dance floor after meeting not even a day ago and tern here you are saying what you would be like as a husband to me”

"Is that what it seems like, my lady?" Aemond smirked. "I have seen enough for me to make a decision," he said in a confident tone that masked his internal nerves. Aemond had never experienced true love or romance, and as such, he was unsure of what to do or say. But his mother had always told him that life was a journey of discovery, and Aemond would not turn away a journey of discovery, of adventure. "Is that not enough, my lady?" He asked genuinely, his eyes searching her own to see how she would respond.

“I dont know maybe prince… perhaps if we were to court for a while. Then we would have our decisions in place… the only thing I am certain of though in this moment” aenid begins as she slides her hand to Aemonds face with slight uncertainty “Is that out of my suitors who have asked for my hand you are the one I would marry in a heartbeat…” aenid reveals nervousness evident on her face

Aemond's heart skipped a beat when she slid her hand to his face, his eyes wide in shock as he felt her soft skin upon his own. He had just proposed marriage to her, and it looked as if she had accepted it.

"My lady...my love," Aemond whispered, leaning forward slowly to kiss her lips tenderly as he did so. His heart was racing, and every nerve in his body was on high alert. He was terrified that she would reject him, but she had done just the opposite.

As the prince lent towards her Aenid did not lean back. Instead she lent to meet him halfway placing her lips carefully one his own. She feared her inexperienced was obvious to a man as desired upon as Aemond

He kept his eyes closed the entire time, only opening them when he felt her pull away first. Aemond was ecstatic, to say the least. The woman he felt as though he could love had just accepted his proposal and his kiss, and thus, the first person he ever showed a romantic or intimate form of love to was the young lady of House Quarell.

"My dear lady...my love," he spoke with such affection, such care and kindness, that his mother would've been proud. "I will make you my wife. I swear that."

Aenid looks at him with such affection. The man she felt as if she has known her whole existance even though she was known for an afternoon cares for her also. She looks at Aemond in pure awe do you mean it? emotion and anxiousness evident in her voice as She reminds herself of the previous suitors only wanting a virgin cunt for the taking

"I do," Aemond stated, his eyes meeting hers with a sense of affection and love that he had never before felt. He felt whole and complete in her presence, like he could do anything with the power that the Crown had bestowed upon him.

"You are...my world. I swear it," he said as he lifted her hand to place a kiss upon her fingertips. Aemond was hers, just as she was his.

aenid almost begins to tear up as his confession but reigns it In quickly. She instead pulls him towards her to kiss him again. Already missing the feel of his lips on her own

As she pulled him back towards her, Aemond couldn't help but smile and kiss her once more. He held it longer this time, allowing himself to get lost in her touch.

He never wanted this moment to end, and thus, he kept his arms firmly around her while they kissed each other on the dancefloor. His hand was on the small of her back, and he could feel the slight beating of her heart. His heart raced in his ears, and in the moment...this was heaven.

Aenid kissed her newfound betrothed with Almost a new found passion. Her heart was beating in her chest and her body burned with an unknown feeling. She forgot she was on the dance floor for practically all to see but all she currently cared about was kissing the man in front of her with all she could

"My love..." Aemond spoke in a whisper so soft that it was barely audible. He paused his kiss for a moment, allowing him to feel her heart beating in his palm. His thumb idly went up and down her back, and he sighed with a smile. "I'm yours, Aenid. Forever."

“And I am yours” aenid replied back with an equal smile

"Then I'll do all I can to protect you," he vowed, his hand leaving her back and going back to rest on her cheek. He gave her another kiss, a tender and caring one, as he began to smile at her.

"Does my lady want to continue this...elsewhere?" He asked while whispering into her ear.

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

Would it make much of a significant change if, say, Ella was born a boy instead(so, Rhaegar??). So, Daemon and Rhea have three sons instead of just two.

I would assume they would still claim and have their respective dragons like in SOTF(come on, Cannibal and Yorick are soulmates), but in Ella/or Rhaegar's case, would he be more unhinged? I don't doubt the Roycegaryen kids's love for their mom, one bit, but since Ella is born a boy, that would mean Daemon probably took him with Yorick to King's Landing, too.

Much discussion had to be had to figure this out (because while I've thought--not in depth mind you--about Roycegaryens Genderswap AU, I haven't thought about a "they're all boys" au) & it's not totally figured out how it would be different, but I've got a chunk of it so let's go!

So, the names would be switched around a little bit. Ella was born first, so she'd be Yorick & our Yorick would be "Rhaegar." For the purposes of this as I'm gonna keep it easy & mostly refer to them as boy!Ella & Rhaegar!Yorick, & we're only gonna use the in-universe names when it feels like it suits the need. Also, because boy!Ella is, y'know, a boy, Daemon would actually notice that this is the kid who's like him & be slightly less focused on trying to mold Rhaegar!Yorick into being his mini me like he tried with canon!Yorick. There'd still be Vizzy's weird projection because all versions of Yorick look like the late Prince Baelon, but that wouldn't be the "be all end all" for both Targ Brothers. That would inevitably change things from the get-go, for sure. Now, I'm gonna try & bullet point the alterations I know would happen just to try & keep this sort of coherent.

The "let's deflect from my brother wanting me to have another kid & piss off my dumb wife I hate & take my son as a squire" thing would still happen. Daemon would propose taking both of the twins, but because there's two boys now one of the other adults present would probably bring up the "just have one & the other stays at Runestone" thing. Either Aemma trying to minimize damage or Vizzy going full delusion, either way boy!Ella remains at Runestone due to being the heir, & Rhaegar!Yorick is in King's Landing to be Daemon's squire because that will offer him more training for things he could do with his life now that he's not the heir to Runestone.

When this gets agreed upon, this makes a bit of a rivalry form between the twins. Because boy!Ella is still working off the same logic as canon!Ella, so the whole "I need to convince dad to be proud of me" would become "I need to make dad love me the most because I should be his squire instead of Rhaegar." There wouldn't be any outright animosity between the twins during visits to King's Landing to go see Rhaegar!Yorick, it would just translate less as "codependent we shouldn't have been separated, that's my other half your honor" & more "time to be super competitive with my brother to prove myself!"

Things are mostly the same until the Go Pick Up Daemon From His Drunk Night/Meet Evyn/Befriend Evyn/Get Caught In The Tunnels/Daemon Was Exiled to Dragonstone & Took Rhaegar!Yorick. That all plays out, but now the dragon claiming is boy!Ella sneaking out alone to try & prove himself in Daemon's eyes & become the favorite. Rhaegar!Yorick sees his brother sneaking out & follows him, & tells him that he's gonna go with him & be lookout because even though boy!Ella sees him as a rival they're still brothers & he can swallow his fear to stick by him. This is basically their reconciliation (because they're 10 & they were besties before the sort-of-one-sided rivalry, so it is that easy), & then the dragon claiming plays out as in the canon of SOTF

Things are unaltered again until the twins' 13th name day. The fam is in King's Landing & Daemon takes both his boys to a brothel to get laid. Rhaegar!Yorick isn't into it, Daemon tries to coerce him into being into it, & boy!Ella puts two-and-two together that "oh, my dad got my mom drunk & assaulted her at Storm's End & he's doing kind of the same thing here with my brother." This is where the resentment kicks in for boy!Ella, & a fight breaks out (yes, boy!Ella is the one with the fucked up nose in the All Boys AU & it happens way earlier)

Back to business as usual, following the events of SOTF where Daemon gets exiled (for distressing his sons & breaking boy!Ella's nose. "Daemon, that's a 13-year-old you should know better. Boy you are 28"). The Royces back in King's Landing again until the s1e1 tourney. This also goes mostly unaltered, save boy!Ella being Ser Gerold's squire & there not being the Baby's First Period stuff

Rhea still has the "I have blue screened in the throne room & blurted out that my son is betrothed to Shireen already, sorry Vizzy." So Yoreen still happens, but there's another boy in the picture so there's still a chance for Vizzy to kind of get what he wants

And it's at this point I stopped plotting things out & knowing exactly how they go down. I can however present you the absolutely cursed (& completely canon to this au) love triangle of boy!Ella/Laena/Rhaenyra. Also, I apologize for how crunchy the picture of boy!Ella is. I couldn't find a higher resolution image of Carlos Peters that I liked

Whatever happens though, boy!Ella is the baby father. Is he married to Rhaenyra & those boys are his legitimate sons? Is he married to Laena & he's slutting himself out by being Rhaenyra's side-piece to give her sons that are at least kind of believably Laenor's because "at least they're blonde?" Is he married to some heretofore unconsidered woman & he's fucking Rhaenyra and Laenor? The possibilities are endless (I mean, not really, I just listed the possibilities. But you know what I mean).

Also, Rhea Royce lives longer in this AU. The hunt that had her isolated for Daemon to kill her happened to celebrate the first grandbaby, & in an AU where Yorick isn't the heir that wouldn't really play out the same way. Both boys would be dragged to the Stepstones, I don't think there's any way around that. And it's boy!Ella's wedding who was planned for when they got back because Rhaegar!Yorick getting married isn't as much of a priority. His kids aren't gonna inherit anything. And, much like how Ella didn't get pregnant from her wedding night, boy!Ella's wife probably isn't getting pregnant immediately either. So no hunt, no isolated Lady Rhea, no murder even if Daemon is exiled in The Vale. So that's all getting stretched out, because honestly everything would get run into the ground of any version of Ella was the head of House Royce that young & that full of grief. If we've got a normal Rhea death there's a fighting chance for a normal reaction to it.

[dragons-and-dwarves-are-nice]

To the Shadows that Cry Witch /// Chapter 23

WELCOME TO PART 3!! AHHHH I'm so excited that we've finally reached the actual hobbit storyline. It's been almost 3 months since I uploaded the last chapter, but I've made it worth it by returning with a double chapter package, so I hope you're around this weekend for when I post chapter 24! Enjoy! <3

Summary: When two girls fell into Middle Earth, excited at the prospects of living through their all time favourite novel, they find things are not as they seem. Something is watching them, as if they're being dared to reveal their secrets. How will they survive the challenges of the journey, dealing with the darkness that follows them, alongside certain two princes who are fascinated at everything they do, and a brooding, grumpy king who begins to suspect that they aren't telling the whole truth.

Where were they from, really? They did take the rabbit hole down, after all.

Tags: Kili x oc/reader - Fili x oc (POV to be written soon) - Thorin's company × ocs/reader (platonic) - fluff - angst - EXTREME slow burn - crack - Bagginshield

Word Count: 4542

Warnings: Swearing.

Taglist - comment or message to be added!

Want some background music? Check out my Soundtrack Playlist!

Now available on Wattpad and AO3 (please let me know if links aren't working)

< Chapter 22 // Chapter 23 // Chapter 24 >

Part 3: Chapter 23 -

The Shaquille O’Neal of Improvisation.

Oneirataxia (Definition): The inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

(Noun / Origin: Derived from the Greek word 'oneiros', meaning dream and 'taxis' meaning arrangement / one-er-tax-ea)

Bag End, Hobbiton, The Shire – T.A. Monday, 25th April 2941 of the Third Age (Monday, 5th Thrimidge, 1341 in Shire-reckoning)

Our eyes widened, a silence falling over the both of us as we stilled. Staring at each other, we remained frozen like statues, listening for the words we had been desperately anticipating for the past 19 months.

And just like that, our prayers were answered.

“What do you mean?” Grumbled an oh-so familiar voice, and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end. “Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not?” The two of us practically scrambled onto our hands and knees, hovering our ears near the bush to catch every word. “Or, perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning, or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?”

I leant up on my knees, ignoring the sharp sting of a random thistle that Bilbo had forgotten to meticulously weed out. Grasping Kay’s shoulder, I held my breath, preparing for what was about to be revealed in front of us. Something we had been waiting an eternity for.

Slowly raising my head, my eyes immediately locked onto the tip of a pointy, grey hat, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach in nerves and excitement as I rose up further, the hat entering my view inch by inch until it revealed the person wearing it beneath.

Kay grasped my wrist that was still latched onto her shoulder, and I felt myself practically shaking as Gandalf the Grey himself finally came into view. I was almost back in my living room, watching the original scene play out, the shot from the TV coincidentally lining up with the view that was in front of me.

My eyes darted between Bilbo and the tall wizard in front of him, and I felt a tiny bit of relief at the sight of someone taller than me for once. But that didn’t last much longer as the initial shock silenced my spinning mind, taking in the two once-fictional characters with rigorous intensity. Kay and I refused to budge an inch, determined to catch and absorb every second of this moment and keep it seared into our minds for the rest of eternity.

Eyes as wide as owls, our gazes flicked to Bilbo as he squinted up at Gandalf.

“All of them at once, I suppose?” he muttered, waving his wooden pipe around slightly to emphasise.

At this point I could practically hear the soundtrack, the happy Shire tune shifting to one of uncertainty. Gandalf’s expression morphed slightly as he grasped his staff with both hands. Furrowing his brows at the hobbit, he regarded him with a disapproving look, a grumbling hum of unsatisfaction escaping his throat as Bilbo continued to stare up at him in bewilderment.

A moment of silence passed as the two continued their glaring contest, until Bilbo’s usual lack of patience for odd manners got the better of him and broke the quiet.

“I’m sorry, can I help you?” He sputtered out, blinking profusely as if that would help him grasp the situation.

Gandalf’s expression and stance hardly changed as he replied. “That remains to be seen.” He half-muttered, his cryptic wording confusing the poor hobbit further. “I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure.” He explained slowly, and we waited patiently for Bilbo’s reply. That was, until Gandalf’s piercing eyes snapped over to where our heads were peeking over the bush, sending a jolt up our spines. “And it’s been rather difficult to find anyone.” He exclaimed, voice raising slightly, almost causing us to cower.

Bilbo continued to squint up at Gandalf, his pipe dropping from his half-open mouth as his brain caught up with what was said. Soon enough, he noticed Gandalf’s gaze had wandered elsewhere, and he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on us. “An – an adventure?” He guffawed, turning back to Gandalf, and his toned shifted to a rather snarky one. “Now, I don’t imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures.” Desperate to do something that would get himself further from the wizard and closer to us, he stood up from the bench and stepped over to the letterbox. “Nasty, disturbing –” He reached inside, grasping the letters. “– uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.” He exclaimed before shoving his pipe between his teeth, absentmindedly sorting through the letters and envelopes in his hands as he made some odd noises to try and convince the wizard his interests were elsewhere. He spared Gandalf a brief glance – though it was more of a glare – and noticed the wizard’s eyes were still on us, observing without saying a word. Stepping in front in an attempt to block his view, Bilbo stuck his thumb behind his braces, opened his mouth to continue, but hesitated, instead giving a curt “Good morning.”, and quickly turned towards the door, where he motioned stiffly with his arm for us to follow suit.

Kay and I glanced hesitantly at each other, before rising to our full heights. I found myself unable to move, continuing to stare at the robed figure stood tall at the tiny gate as he returned it with his own scrutinising and wholly unsettling gaze. Though it barely lasted a second as his gaze shifted to one of frustration as he looked over at Bilbo’s retreating figure.

“To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took’s son,” he called out, raising his voice. “as if I were selling buttons at the door.”

Bilbo’s head swivelled round, his body following not long after with a startled look upon his face. “Beg your pardon?” he sputtered.

Gandalf let out a huff, switching his staff to rest in one hand as he spoke. “You’ve changed,” he breathed, a reprimanding tone of disappointment underlining his words. “and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins.”

Bilbo’s brows furrowed, leaning forward slightly as he seemed to properly take in the wizard’s appearance for the first time. “I’m sorry do I know you?”

I felt quite awkward, standing by the door fiddling with my hands whilst witnessing the exchange, watching with bated breath as Bilbo desperately tried to end the conversation, then also for one to say something that would set the other off. And if my guesses were correct, that was going to happen relatively soon.

At this point Gandalf’s demeanour had shifted from quiet, obvious frustration to one of exasperated amusement. “ Well, you know my name, although you don’t remember I belong to it. I’m Gandalf!” He practically cried. “And Gandalf means…” he gave the hobbit a small but endearing smile. “..me!”

Recognition flashed across Bilbo’s face as his eyes flickered over the tall wizard, and a smile slowly grew on his face. “Not… Gandalf, the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks! I remember those! They used to go up like great lilies and snapdragons and laburnums of fire and hang in the twilight all evening!” He emphasised with a few friendly jabs of his finger. “Hah! Old Took used to have them on Mid-Summer’s Eve!”

From where he was stood almost next to me, I watched as he paused, looking Gandalf up and down. Realising what he was about to say next, I side-eyed him with a warning glare, but he took no notice, his attention far too fixated on the wizard.

“I had no idea you were still in business.” He regarded with a frown, and I let out a small sigh of disappointment. Looking off into the distance for a moment to spare myself the second-hand embarrassment of the exchange to come, I glanced back at Gandalf, only to find he had been staring at me the whole time. My eyes widened, and I suddenly found the grass under my feet extremely interesting.

Feeling the burning intensity of Gandalf’s eyes shift elsewhere, I looked back up to find him giving Bilbo a rather scathing look. “And where else should I be?” He demanded, giving the hobbit a small fright with his tone.

Bilbo stiffened. “Well…” he sputtered, blabbering a few more half-words as he gestured around him with his pipe awkwardly, eyes wide. Trailing off, he decided to instead stuff the pipe back in his mouth, finishing his sheepish parade of sounds with a loud clearing of his throat, taking a deep heave from the smoke.

“Well, I’m pleased to find you remember something about me,” Gandalf regarded with another sigh. “even if it’s only my fireworks.” His expression shifted as swiftly as he passed his staff between his hands. “Well then, that’s decided. It will be very good for you all!” he exclaimed with a grin, wagging his finger at us and the rapidly paling hobbit. “And most amusing for me. I shall inform the others.” He concluded with a small, amused bow of his head.

“Wait, us-?!”  I exclaimed, almost stepping forwards in shock.

“– Inform the who? What? No! No, no!” Bilbo interrupted my sudden exclamation, storming back up the steps to the circular door. “We do not want any adventures here, thank you!” he cried, jabbing at the ground with a thunderous look. “Not today! I suggest you try somewhere over the hill, or across the water!” He continued, waving his finger in every direction that would take the old man far away from his home. Grasping the golden door knob, he swung around, about to yell something else, before deciding to end his tirade early. “Good morning!” He half-cried, and he stormed into the house.

Apart from the usual sounds of the birds and rustling leaves, silence blanketed the front steps of Bag End. Kay and I were leaning forwards slightly, having bent over to watch the hobbit storm through the doorway. However, the noise of someone clearing their throat had the two of us shooting up, straightening our backs as we turned to the wizard still stood expectantly by the gate.

“And here I was wondering about the day I would come across the two of you.” He proclaimed, settling where he stood as he finally spoke to us.

As if waking from a trance, I let out a loud “HUH?”. All Kay could do was lightly whack me on the shoulder as Gandalf blinked in surprise.

“Though…” he trailed off, flickering his grey-blue eyes between us. “You are not entirely what I expected.”

It was Kay’s turn to act confused as she made an odd noise in the back of her throat, and Gandalf swiftly went to reply.

“You look at me as if I am as familiar as an old cousin, yet I only recognise you by your faces alone.” He began, changing the subject. We only got more confused.

“Have you seen us walking around or something?” I blurted whilst my face scrunched in bafflement. Unconsciously, I took a glance around, as if I was about to spot a hiding place that the wizard could have sprung out of.

“No, no.” He chortled, taking his time to admire the scenery around him with a fond eye. “I haven’t been here in quite some time, I’m afraid. But it seems you both have certainly settled in.” He gestured up and down at us. “The last time I experienced a dream where you were present, you were wearing some awfully odd clothes.” We both glanced with wide eyes at each other, and Gandalf raised a brow. “Sometimes you were here, other times in a very strange place – otherworldly, in my opinion.”

All I could do was stare. There was a weird mix of emotions floating around inside me – a mixture of shock, excitement and suspicion. The latter not so much, because this was Gandalf we were talking about here. Except for the dream part, that weirded me out a little. In the end I barely managed a small shrug. I was at a loss for words.

Though that was broken when Kay piped up next to me. “… Youuu could say that.” She replied with a few light nods. Suddenly her face contorted to one of alarm. “Wait, you dreamt about us?!?!”

At this reveal, Gandalf narrowed his eyes. “Why are you here? If I may ask.” He interrogated firmly, avoiding Kay’s question.

I took a moment to consider my next words – and figured only the truth was the best way. “…Honestly? We could ask you the same thing.” I answered, albeit the nervousness in my voice was quite prominent as I wondering if I had done the right thing. “We didn’t really have a choice, nor did we know this would happen. We just, you know, appeared out the blue from the sky.”

“Out of the blue?” Gandalf repeated amusedly, then glanced up at the cerulean sky. “Quite literally, I take it.” He hummed, and gestured to the door with his staff. “Does he know?”

“He does.” I replied, nodding firmly. “We figured it would be a bit unfair hiding things from the one person who kept us alive and has looked after us this whole time. We kinda owe him our lives.”

Nodding with a low hum, Gandalf seemed satisfied. “And what do you know?”

That caught us off guard.

“What do you mean?” Kay questioned, puzzled but wary.

He tilted his head as he looked at us. “You know who I am, despite us having never met in person. And I am yet to reveal what this journey entails, yet you seem calm and I dare say prepared for this. And along with the vague visions that were conjured as I dreamt, I am therefore led to believe,” He levelled us with a look. “that you may know more than you let on.”

My mouth bobbed open and shut, not to similar to a fish as I absorbed the reality of Gandalf’s statement. ‘He knows.’ Was all my mind managed to conjure. ‘Of course he knows, he’s Gandalf, for Christ’s sake!’

Blinking, a moment passed as I attempted to get a word out, until my throat decided to conjure the oddest sounds as I tried to put together the words. “Mmmmmmmnnyyeeeaaaaahummmhaaawwww-HURK!!!” Kay had elbowed me in the ribs – hard.

“The answer isn’t hum and haw, though we may have an overall idea.” Kay stated as I keeled over with a groan. “But we can’t say much without our throats literally closing up.”

Gandalf squinted at her, his free hand reaching up to absentmindedly stroke at his beard. “You cannot say a word?”

“Barely.” I wheezed with a cough, attempting to straighten up despite the protests of my now-sore ribs. “I mean, we’ve managed to say a few things, but most of the time we can say it as long as we don’t think about it too much – if we prepare to tell anyone, it seems to alert something that doesn’t want us saying anything that might change things. But it’s really random and hard to explain without it sounding like there’s a thousand plot holes.” My mouth was moving a mile a minute as the words tumbled out.

At this point I was practically ready to tell Gandalf everything, the words explaining my theories having been ready to spill out of my mouth for months.

“We keep seeing things.” I carried on without a thought, almost relieved at the fact that I could tell someone who had the ability to possibly understand whatever the hell we were saying. “Getting chased by weird creatures, I threw a pillow at a literal shadow creature – that’s appearing more often than not lately – an-and I just want to know what’s going on.” I pleaded, shoulders slumped as I felt the exhaustion of dealing with the last year and a half’s events catch up with me.

The wizard stared. “Intriguing.” He muttered. “You truly haven’t got a clue?”

“No!” I groaned, the frustration of everything flowing over. “And we want to find out why.”

He continued to stroke his beard with a low grumble. “I must say, this is something I cannot leave behind.” He stated, seemingly almost speaking to himself. “But whether I’ll be allowed to take you both with me to figure out why, is an answer we must leave until tomorrow.” He explained with a pointed look, that I thought I somewhat understood.

From deep within Bag End, Kay and I heard our names echo throughout, reaching our ears to the still-open front door. Cringing slightly, we both looked inside at the sound of footsteps drawing closer.

“Well I must be off.” Gandalf announced, and we turned back to watch him readjust the front top of his robe slightly, before gripping his staff. “We’ll see what happens soon enough.” He suggested cryptically, before Bilbo’s frustrated face appeared at the other end of the hallway.

Desperate, I quickly spun towards the wizard. “Can we come?” I breathed, the words escaping quicker than I could think. “We’re not useless despite what they’ll think! There’s a lot we could bring to the table if you just give us a chance?” I pleaded.

Hissing our names, the hobbit strode forward, grasping the door as he hurriedly beckoned us in whilst regarding the wizard with a wary but thunderous look. The wizard paid him no mind, deeply furrowing his brows as he regarded my words with a suspicious glint in his eye.

“We shall see.” Was all I got in response before a raging hobbit seethed my name, Kay already having retreated to his side.

Seeing that this was a battle that wasn’t going to be won, I reluctantly followed, disappointedly glancing at Gandalf before turning our backs. Bilbo called out about the wizard coming for dinner some other time – the two of us figured he was barely aware that he was doing so, and with that, the green door swiftly slammed shut. Bilbo fumbled with the bolt as he slid it into place with a snap. Finally achieving so, he turned to rest his back against the wood, eyes closing with a relieved sigh whilst he leant his head back.

A moment of silence passed, the hobbit settling as he seemed to be in the clear, until a muffled scraping noise near his feet filled the quiet hallway. Moment disturbed, Bilbo’s eyes immediately snapped back open, the tenseness straightening his spine once again. He jerked away from the door, almost like he had been prodded with a hot iron, as he stared down at the source of the jarring noise.

Ears wiggling slightly, he leant over, his back to us, before he shot back up with a furious glimmer morphing over his features. Storming over to the small circular window to the right of the door, he stood up on his toes, peering through the panes to try and catch a glimpse of the assailant.

He got his answer soon enough, when the silhouette of Gandalf sprang into view, casting a shadow into the hobbit hole. Stumbling back in surprise, Bilbo was caught in the arms of Kay before he would send himself sprawling onto the floor. All three of us stared at the window, a hush washing over us as we peered at the distorted image of Gandalf’s face as his gaze glowered through the glass. His eye twitched once, and with a flurry of robes, he vanished from view.

Scrambling to his feet, Bilbo dashed into the parlour over to the larger window, the two of us following suit, bending over to squish our heads together as we all tried to peer out at the wizards retreating back. His humming flowed through the air as he leant down to swing the miniature gate open, strolling down the path with a happy tune, until the edge of his cloak and the point of his hat disappeared round the bend.

I backed up until the ceiling was high enough, and stood to my full height, the events of the last five minutes hitting me full force as I stared blankly at the chandelier hanging in front of my face. Kay was the same, and we watched as Bilbo stared at the windowsill, scrunch his nose up with a loud sniff, then storm off into the kitchen without a word.

As soon as he disappeared, I practically deflated. With a roll of her shoulders and a few clicks of her back, Kay shuffled over to the armchairs that sat by the unlit fireplace, flopping down on it with a loud huff.

“I think I need to lie down.” She half muttered with a groan, barely glancing up at me as I collapsed on the chair opposite. “I cant believe we just met Gandalf.”

Nodding, I remained silent, staring at the small fraying threads of the rug beneath my feet as my mind raced through what just happened. I felt Kay’s eyes on me at my lack of an answer.

“What is it?” She questioned, and I figured she had seen my face cringing at the floor.

Glancing up at her, my eyes filled with worry. “Do you think he heard those weird noises I made?” I asked apprehensively.

She deadpanned. “Yes.” She stated. “I’m pretty sure the most prominent thing he’ll remember from our first meeting is you attempting to sound like every animal on Old McDonald’s farm.”

I groaned loudly, my whole body cringing as I brought my knees up, shoving my face into them as I slapped at my head.

“I mean, you could always Obliviate him once you learn how to?” She offered jokingly.

“I can’t do thatttt.” I whined, voice muffled as I shoved my face further into my knees, not caring if the pressure would leave my face red for the next few minutes. “What if the Middle Earth equivalent of Jesus appears and puts me in Jesus-prison for accidentally completely wiping the memories of one of their mini-gods??”

Kay huffed, unable to contain her laughter as she chucked a cushion at me, the object bouncing off the top of my head as I raised it, watching the projectile ricochet onto the floor.

Hair ruffled and sticking about after being assaulted by the cushion, I squinted with bleary eyes at Kay as weird shapes danced in my vision after being pressed to the bones of my knees. A thought came to mind, and I opened my mouth, before the thuds of large feet sounded through the wooden floor, Bilbo storming through the archway from the kitchen not a moment later.

“…nd what on Earth did I ask him to tea for!” he muttered to himself as he stared at the floor, flushed cheeks puffed out slightly as he chowed down on a seed-cake. Stopping in the middle of the room in front of us, he scoured the room, not acknowledging us in the slightest as he twisted and turned on the spot.

Darting his eyes across our forms, he flinched slightly as he seemed to only then notice our presence, before continuing on his search.

“You haven’t seen my Engagement Tablet anywhere, have you?” He asked, headspace still elsewhere as he marched into the entrance hall. “I need to write everything down before I forget.”

“Can’t you just use the calendar?” I called out, leaning over the arm of my chair as I tried to spot the hobbit behind me. My eyes landed on him, observing as he stopped in his tracks to swivel towards the calendar we had him nail to the wall when we had found it just this morning.

He flailed a bit, raising his arm up and down whilst pointing a finger at it, scanning the paper rapidly before shaking his head distractedly. “No, no.” He muttered, turning away to stride back into the parlour whilst taking another ferocious bite out of the seedcake. “All plans are on my tablet, I need my tablet.” He rambled to himself as he entered the kitchen. Coming to a stop in front of the straw basket that he was yet to empty, he let out a grunt. “Oh, for Yavanna’s sake I forgot the fish! Forget it I’ll go tomorrow. My head’s far too full to run into that damned wizard again.”

Once again, Bilbo frantically disappeared as he ranted to himself, going further this time – presumably to his bedroom, where the sounds of rustling, thuds of things being dropped and drawers being pulled open vibrated through the walls, along with frustrated complaints about Gandalf thrown about as he continued his search.

Kay and I looked at each other, and a moment passed between us, before we scrambled to our feet. Stumbling into the middle of the room, I tried not to trip over the cushion that still laid on the floor. Facing Kay, we both nodded at each other, and swiftly vanished to our respective bedrooms.

Swinging the door shut behind me, I grabbed the last few remains of my belongings that I had left out as to not rouse any suspicion from Bilbo as to why it looked like we were spontaneously moving out. Hauling out the large backpack that I had shoved to the back of my wardrobe, I swung it onto the floor, unclasped the straps and lifted the lid open, loosening the leather drawstring holding the opening together wide enough for me to fit down the steps that looked like they led into the floor.

Once fully opened, I clambered to my feet, and began pulling the clothes the bag had been hidden behind from the hangers, their wooden edges clattering against the back panel of the wardrobe they swung against as I speedily pulled each piece from them, before chucking it all into the awaiting entrance of my bag.

After hearing the thump of the final piece hit the bottom of the steps, I proceeded to scour my room, pulling open drawers and using my wand to light up the underneath of any furniture that something could have rolled or been stored under.

Satisfied that everything had been packed, I climbed down into the bag, hopping over the pile of clothes and random objects that had been thrown on top. The next thirty minutes was spent reorganising, making sure everything had its place.

Just as I was about to hang up the last skirt I had laying around, I jumped slightly at the sound of my name being called. Peering out of the tiny hallway leading to the two tiny rooms, I looked up to see Kay, who signalled with a thumbs-up that she was done and ready.

Giving everything a once-over, I returned the thumbs-up with my own, and held my hands out, catching the bag she chucked down, storing it in the corner of the main room for tomorrow.

Clambering up the ladder and out onto the floor, I sealed my own bag back up, before shoving it back into the corner of my now-barren wardrobe. With a final scan, I turned to Kay, and let out a breath as I gave her a nod. We were ready for tomorrow.

And honestly? I was fucking terrified.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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