#Kay x rr

[beautifulsnake2162020]

The Vitulation Cycle: An Arthuriana fanfiction (King Arthur x OC and Arthur x Guinevere x Lancelot) CHAPTER 12: GUINEVERE PART III

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction I do not make any money from this. Cultist Simulator elements belongs to the Weather Factory, House of the Dragon/Game of thrones elements belongs to George RR Martin and Arthuriana while generally regarded as under the public domain, it comes from the culture of Britain.

TW/CW: This chapter has some mention of suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to create it in a way that's skippable. This was very cathartic for me to write and essentially have a healthy outlet for my unwanted and forcibly suppressed thoughts from a real life experience. Just be warned

Chapter 12: Guinevere Part III

It was finally a relief to spend sometime outside of the castle without being obligated to wear the vestments required when you were doing your duties as a Queen. Admittedly people were bound to still recognize you as their queen but there was nothing you could do about it. You did your best to be as plain as possible in order to blend in and also to hopefully make Ayrmida less nervous.

She was a curious one, definitely the youngest lady you've had so far. Beneath her nervousness there was a spark within her that drew you in. She had initiative and drive to come to Camelot ahead of her family. And you had a feeling that her nervousness was just a matter of being in a new place for the first time.

"You're very excited for this." Your beloved teases you as both of you head to the garden where you told Sir Kay and Lady Ayrmida to meet you there. The gardens were near a hidden exit that went straight to one of the busiest marketplaces in Camelot. It's because of this proximity that the kitchens almost always had the freshest food made and the seamstresses and the tailors would have an easier time getting their materials to make clothes for their clients both in and outside the castle. The gardens would hopefully let her relax before you and Lancelot would introduce her to the wealth that Camelot has to offer.

"Of course I am. She's still a young girl who will begin her adolescence. She doesn't know a thing about politics yet which is refreshing. Some of my ladies like Galinda I only tolerate because the political backlash from her family would be worse than tolerating her dislike of me. If she is going to be one of my ladies I see no reason why I cannot personally help her."

This was another reason why you insisted on personally giving her a tour of Camelot. You knew that not all of your ladies wanted to leave the castle and fortunately for you, the ladies who only tolerated you would rather do something else while the ladies who were on your side understood that you wanted to be alone with Ayrmida for this tour. You wouldn't be without protection since you've personally asked Lancelot, Agravaine,  Gareth, Gaheris, and Gwaine to serve as your guards. You personally instructed that neither sir Kay nor Ector accompany you since you feared that Ayrmida's true person would just hide beneath that of her relatives. Hopefully this would be the perfect compromise between safety and adventure for her that will allow her to open up to you.

Both understood this which was why sir Kay had Mordred escort her from their private residence in the castle to the gardens. As you see her approach the entrance of the gardens lead by Mordred, you could tell by his expression that he was trying to impress her. You aren't sure if this was because of infatuation or a sense of indebtedness. From what you have heard, Ayrmida was the one who found Mordred wounded and assisted her uncle in healing him. And while the wound was indeed bandaged Mordred awoke feeling that his wounds were completely healed and the Gangrene had vanished. A miracle happened that night and he was grateful to everyone who helped, especially to sir Kay and Lady Ayrmida.

"Mordred, Ayrmida, we are over here." Gwaine says after seeing them struggle to locate where your party was. Her red hair now braided and her garments understandably on the plainer side.

"Lady Ayrmida are you ready?"

"I am your majesty." Her voice still showed that she was still a bit nervous but it was thankfully much lesser than yesterday.

As you showed her around it delighted you to see her slowly relax and before you know it her nervousness was a distant memory as her excitement for learning as much about Camelot reminded you of your first time arriving in the golden city and how much you were a lot like her.

You remember entering in awe and how gorgeous everything was. You could understand why plenty of clans were desperate to be the first one to make a marriage alliance with Uther's newly returned son who had lead the armies of the Britons against the Saxon invaders.

You remember being so quiet because once some of the awe had set in you recall your mother's voice destroy any inner peace you had.

"Close your mouth Guinevere, you're fortunate your father was able to get this marriage for you." You force yourself to look at your mother - the very woman who had raised you to be the perfect pawn. You were to mold yourself into whatever your yet unseen betrothed wanted. You recall that when you got news of your betrothal your mother hovered around you even more.

Looking back now you realize how much pain she had inflicted on your heart growing up.

She didn't care for who you were, you were just her pretty pawn that she loved dressing up and whom she wanted to mold into the best tool in her schemes. She was the one who had urged your father to begin courting the idea of a betrothal to Uther several years before Arthur had returned from hiding. You wanted to learn to ride more but she degraded your feelings as nothing except for a young girl's fancy. You wanted to dance wildly to the beat of any music that played, she said you may as well be a whore and stop wasting your father's money if you would continue behaving that way. You recall when you were sick and tired of another lesson of what was expected of being a lady which was made more earnest by the confirmation of your betrothal to Prince Arthur you made a passing comment about how a lot of work would push you to becoming suicidal.

Rather than listening to you and the context of your comment as a plea for rest and an end to her relentless nagging, you instead were reminded of why such thoughts were not discussed but forcibly suppressed. It instead lead to a lecture of her threatening to tell all your friends and teachers that you had these thoughts. And rather than listening to what you were actually saying - or even letting you speak at all, you were instead given the ultimatum of a witch trial with some sort of cleansing ritual that the Christians called an exorcism. Fortunately you had your friends who were coming with you to Camelot and the journal that you had kept hidden.

When the wedding was over and yours and Arthur's wedding night deception passed the test to both of your father's and your mother's satisfaction you remember being able to breathe when you heard that your parents were finally out of Camelot. It was the first breath you've taken in relief of finally no longer being subjected to their direct influence and that there was a difficult boundary that kept the distance between them and you.

"Why do you love Camelot so much your majesty?" Ayrmida asks you as you teach her how to embroider cloth. You remember it was one of the finer arts that you could finally indulge in as a married woman. Your mother had always thought that embroidery was just another form of vanity reserved for artisans and not for ladies married within the upper crust of society.

"Well it is the Kingdom I have vowed to serve and protect as it's Queen." She had been here for some weeks now and you two have grown closer. Or rather she had also grown close to Lancelot and nearly every knight of the round table. She was young and vivacious and wanted to learn how to do almost every single thing no matter how small or big the task was. She treated anyone with any skill, whether a servant or a noble, with the awe of a student looking at her teacher with the desire to someday savor in the knowledge that makes their craft. This made her very endearing to plenty of people. You remember laughing as you were impressed when her grandfather refused to teach her how to fight because he did not want to ruin her dress, she stomped straight back into the castle and managed to persuade Mordred into lending her his unused garments that were suitable for training.

"Will you teach me now grandfather?" After that he mutters something along the lines of her being very much her father's daughter. Or at least that's what Lancelot could hear.

She was a student of various skills with varying rates of initial success. You weren't surprised when she proved talented with the needle and to everyone's surprise, with the sword as well. Less talented with calligraphy and illumination given her illegible handwriting which she is trying to improve on. In each set she did her best to practice and learn as much as she can.

Looking at her embroidery work now, she has greatly improved with the tightness of her stitches. Though she would still work a little slower than you did. But you would rather have it this way than her matching your pace but getting her fingers pricked over and over again.

"But what's the real reason?" She asks in earnest curiosity and in interest.

"That is a real reason."

"It's not the only reason. There have been several Queens who say the same thing but do not have their kingdom's best interest. There's something deeper for you here your majesty. I've seen you made several decisions in court that was for Camelot's interest but would be detrimental to the place you came from. What does Camelot have that they do not?" Her eager interest and frankness was refreshing. And unlike some of the ladies that came into your household you did not feel that she had any ill intent and her heart was true in knowing how you felt.

You put your work down, careful to position the needle away from you as stretch your fingers.

"It's difficult to explain but Camelot is the first place that felt like home."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But I thought that wherever your family was is your home." You give her a sad smile.

"That wasn't the case for me young one. Put your work down - make sure the needle is facing away from you. Now lean back against the chair and close your eyes. I want to paint you a picture of what my life was like before I arrived at Camelot."

She does so and you move your chair closer to her.

"Imagine a place, with vast meadows, filled with flowers and the sun's rays touching your skin as you lay on the ground. Savoring the warmth, the peace, the calm."

You see a hint of a relaxed smile.

"Now imagine a voice so sharp that it breaks that peace you thought was everlasting."

The smile on her face fades.

"That voice soon gets louder and louder. And it seems like every time it speaks it was always something horrible you have done or haven't done. The fields that was so soft and full of flowers were now withering away before you. Desperately you try to grab the ones that haven't withered yet. You put them close to your heart. Your love for them makes them glow and makes them special even when the world around you begins dying. But that sharp voice says that they aren't special and you shouldn't have given them your love because it is a waste of your time. Menacingly the sharp voice says that those flowers will wither too. Your feelings don't matter because you have a purpose to serve."

"No" She squeaks out as you see tears begin to run from her still closed eyes.

"You try to save the flowers, for they are what gave you joy. They are reminders that you were a person and not just another pawn to be used even if you did have a purpose. But before you knew it a hand crushes them and in your hands are beautiful jeweled shackles. The sharp voice tells you that these are gifts and that you should be grateful for them. They are the reason why you have a roof over your head, food in your belly, and the freedom to go to the meadows where you found your peace. There is a price to be paid and it was time to pay up. Feelings had no place in paying back a debt."

It breaks your heart to see her cry more and more. You take your handkerchief from your pocket and hold it in your hands.

"Before you know it the shackles drag you through a dark forest. The darkness engulfed and suffocated you. The sharp voice keeps telling you what to do and what not to do. After all your feelings did not matter to the sharp voice. Until you paid the debt that you owed you were practically an object forced to restrain all your inner passions, thoughts, and feelings. And before you know it you enter into a gorgeous place. You couldn't help but be in awe. But you remember the shackles that dragged you there and it's beauty was tainted with how you were brought there. To be given to a stranger."

It was only then that you begin dabbing Ayrmida's tears away from her face.

"When the debt you had owed had been paid, it was then that you notice that there was a darkness from the sharp voice. It was as if you have been truly awakened by how dark it was. You knew there was a darkness around the voice but it was only then that you were in the stranger's arms that you saw how horrible it was and you realize how through the shackles some of the darkness has now gone into you. You worry that what the voice had said about you was true. That the darkness was now a part of you, and because of that you had to form yourself into an illusion of who you really are. An illusion to please the stranger, to protect your heart that had already been injured by the sharp voice, an illusion that you had been raised to make and at that point it was all you knew how to do. The darkness from the sharp voice was what was powering the illusion. The darkness that your realized had formed the hand that had crushed your special flowers and made you think it was your fault that those flowers are now dead."

"Wha...what happens now?" You continue to wipe the tears from her face. Her eyes still closed.

"Now the stranger does something you never thought was possible. He removes the jeweled shackles that have tied you into the darkness. And when those shackles were gone, it was only then that you realize you had been suffocating this whole time and you have just taken your first breath. The first breath of many more to come. Soon before you knew it, you were able to lie down in a different meadow. But this time you could laugh without worry, you could roll around and dance around this meadow. You feel yourself become a person again. Your heart was able to reach out and make more special flowers. These flowers showed you how beautiful and complicated this new place. But you can breathe, you can be at peace."

Her smile returns even though more tears emerge.

"And before you know it the stranger offers you your special flowers on one knee. He says that you have made them and they were precious and beautiful. Then the stranger was a stranger no more. Now open your eyes."

Her beautiful vibrant green eyes - still red and watery from her tears.

"That is what it was like for me. Camelot is a place I could be myself. It may not be perfect, but nothing in this world is. For the first time I could be myself, flaws and all." It was also why you were confident in your bond with Arthur. He loved you for who you were and hated the illusion you were raised to create yourself into. It was amusing to you that he had thought he was the one who wasn't enough and so brought you and Lancelot together.

It was why you would rather be tied to Camelot and his side than the place you had thought was home. It was why you were heartbroken when you learned that you were infertile and worked hard to makeup for it by being the best Queen you could be. You weren't deaf to some factions making it clear that once Arthur returns, they plan on pushing their younger daughters on Arthur's way. You haven't given him a child and it could be grounds to dissolve your marriage to make way for one of your ladies they plan to replace you with.

Even if that were to happen; even if that happening would allow you to marry Lancelot and possibly go on adventures with him...you couldn't deny that if that were to happen a part of your heart would be with Arthur. If it was what Arthur truly wanted then you would make way.

Even if it would break your own heart.

You could still recall a nightmare you had. It frightened you because of how real it felt. Arthur would return and seeing how Camelot's succession crisis needed to be resolved he would have to take another wife.

He loved you, he loved Lancelot...

And he loved Camelot.

He couldn't stand to see you suffer this much any longer, nor does he want to deprive you of your bond with Lancelot.

And so he let's you go.

Your marriage to him was dissolved.

Just like in the night of Beltane he brings your hand into Lancelot in a private wedding ceremony with him in his hood as a bittersweet witness.

And yours and Lancelot's hearts break when you see your beloved marry his new younger and more fertile Queen. Knowing that he still loves both of you, but may force himself to love his new bride for the sake of his love for Camelot.

The three of you longing to be together and yet duty has forced you apart.

"Guin, Guin, darling what nightmare plagues you?" Lancelot asks as you awake to his concerned face.

"Just one that forced Arthur away from us. This was the most horrible one yet." You snuggle into his arms for comfort.

"Why is that?"

"Because he did it out of love for us and for Camelot. It was like the days when he was plagued with his grief that he would distance himself from us and thought he wasn't a worthy lover. With other nightmares I would know it's a nightmare for it would be very unbelievable and may even just be the result of my imagination. It's that our beloved in this nightmare is closest to how he actually is that frightens me." You feel his lips press a kiss on your forehead.

"Darling, it's just a horrible dream. Perhaps it is another one of Morgan's tricks yet again."

"No - Morgan likes humiliating me. A nightmare would only plague us, not the entire court. I have learnt what she likes in her schemes against me. She seeks to prove to everyone and anyone why I shouldn't be in Arthur's side. If this nightmare has been sent to me it would not be from her."

"Or perhaps that is what she wants us to think. Perhaps she will slowly plague your dreams with only nightmares and your restlessness would begin to affect your performance in court."

"True, but all of these are just allegations. We can only dismiss it as a nightmare for now."

"Hmm very well. But if you feel there's a pattern or something strange about your nightmares then we should consult Merlin right away." You nod as you both get dressed.

Fortunately you have received word from Merlin that Arthur was nearby.

"Would you like to hear the good news or the bad news?" He asks in court as he holds his crystal ball.

"What's the bad news first?" You ask wanting to get it out of the way.

"The bad news is that there's some bandits and witch hunters along the way. The good news is that he's still very much alive and is currently taking care of the bandits as we speak." Using a spell he shows the entire court Arthur, whose beard has grown considerably, easily winning his fight against the bandits with Excalibur on his hand.

"Merlin, where are the witch hunters located in?" Sir Ector asks.

"At this spot with some surrounding them for additional support." Merlin then shows a map and where the witch hunters were in Arthur's route back home.

"That's one of the main routes going to Camelot. It seems the witch hunters have been stealing goods that should have been ours." Sir Bedivere says as he strokes the hilt of his sword. To be fair he has never been one for tourneys and was an opportunist to take engage in any actual battles no matter how small or large it was.

"Your majesty, with your permission I would like to take a group of knights to take care of the witch hunters blocking one of Camelot's main routes. And possibly meet with our King should fortune smile upon us." Sir Kay says with confidence. He was understandably protective over your beloved Arthur and would like to take charge on anything that could make Arthur's life a little bit easier.

"As long as you have a plan Sir Kay, by all means go ahead." After your court session and as Sir Kay has chosen his group of men, he walks toward you and Lancelot just as you were about to make your exit from the courtroom.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you Sir Lancelot, but could you please watch over Ayrmida?"

"I don't mind but may I ask why? Your father will still be here."

"My father is also old and unable to keep up sometimes. I'm sure you've noticed by now that if Ayrmida wants to do something almost nothing could stop her from getting her way. My father has been responsible for lecturing her but I was mainly responsible for catching and preventing her from sneaking out of sight. I fear she might find some way to join my men out of curiosity of possibly seeing our King for the first time."

You couldn't help but sigh. As much as she was starting to be a darling of the court, she was also known for her curiosity, sneaking out was something she did with surprising frequency. Lancelot would tell you stories about how sometimes he would join Kay and sometimes Gwaine in searching for her when she sneaked out of the castle grounds. And into the various marketplaces within Camelot.

"Not surprising. Though maybe I should tell her that it would be rude to see the King before we did. After all Camelot has been missing him for two years." You couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"Oh please, don't pretend you two won't be dragging him back to your chambers the moment he steps foot in Camelot. Allow him to eat first before you both have your way with him."

"Oh don't worry Sir Kay. We'll make sure all his needs are met." You become amused as Kay rolls his eyes.

Just in time for the three of you to catch Ayrmida.

"And where do you think you are going?"

"I'm going to visit Mordred uncle."

"You are not joining us Ayrmida."

"Bu-"

"Ayrmida, this isn't like your other little adventures in Camelot or the training grounds." Kay says seriously. Even Ayrmida hears it and decides to obey.

For now at least.

"Ayrmida would you like to work on your horse riding?" Lancelot asks quickly. You could see the genius in his plan if Ayrmida would comply. Lancelot would be teaching her all he knew in engaging a possible duel to distract her from possibly sneaking out.

"Just horse riding?"

"I'll let you choose between a sword or a lance." As you've predicted this caught her attention and her interest. It may not have been popular among your other ladies but you see no reason why she shouldn't pursuit what interests her. Arthur and Camelot allowed you to be who you are, why shouldn't this be the case for Ayrmida?

As you tell Lancelot and Ayrmida that you would just change into lighter clothing you have a run in with Morgan le fay.

The grin on her face made you uncomfortable.

"You are rather excited."

"Oh I am. Savor your days with the crown Guinevere, I have a feeling your days as Camelot's Queen are numbered."

She leaves you with a cold confident air.

Suddenly Lancelot's suspicions on Morgan weren't so unfounded after all.

[nerdynewsblog]

The LoCOS Alana, Steph, and Keets share this week's Vibes and Nerdy News.

THE VIBES: Pickle and Peanut, Hulu, Disney XD, The Hollow, Netflix, Close Enough, HBO Max, JG Quintel, Jason Mantzoukas, Cartoon Network, The Witcher, Marvel, WandaVision, Coded Bias, Cobra Kai, Godzilla vs Kong, Solar Opposites, Overcooked, Overcooked 2, Nintendo, Switch

ANIMATION NEWS: Deadpool, Rick and Morty, Warner Media, Hanna-Barbera, Spire Animation, Danny McBride, Trouble, Star Trek Lower Decks, 20th Television Animation, Marci Proietto, HBO, Iron Anniversary, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Mirai, Wolf Children, cyberpunk subculture, Yasuke, Afro Samurai, Nickelodeon, Spongebob Squarepants

GAMING NEWS: Hideo Kojima, XBOX, Horror Games, Abandoned, PlayStation 5, Death Stranding, Streets of Rage 4, Mr. X Nightmare, Resident Evil Village, Demon Souls, Dark Souls, League of Legends, Mass Effect, Brazilian Justice System, Loot Boxes, Sony, PSP, PS Vita, PS3, Mario 3D Allstars, Activision, NeoPets, Star Wars: Republic Commando, Nintendo Switch, Ghosts Horror Game, Exploding Kittens, Destroy All Humans.

[my-name-is-apollo]

Okay! I finished reading the tyrants tomb and over all! I liked it a lot! Of course there are inconsistencies, some mistakes on Rick's side, and of course things that I didn't like because I'm a mythology fan, but whatever, the story kept me going and I finished the whole book in a day (which I usually don't). So! Here are my thoughts, in no particular order:

- My queen Reyna was SLAYING! Literally y'all! I've never loved her more!

- All ships please step aside, the only true ship we need is Apollo x Arrow of Dodona

- seriously though can we appreciate how encouraging the arrow was?

- ugh Ugly Sobbing at Jason's funeral! UGH!!

- again. JAASOOOONNNN!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

- Oh god Apollo go ahead and adopt Frank already!

- When Frank said he can't imagine a world without Apollo in it! My heart made a somersault and exploded into dust!

- I mean lets be honest, literally all the Apollo Frank interactions were good & wholesome

- LAVINIA! I love her! aksjekwkw! Lesbian! Yes!

- Meg and Apollo! MEG AND APOLLO! Meg saying she doesn't wanna lose Apollo too! Apollo saying she was like his own lil sister! 😭 I can't! So pure!

- When Apollo said "Come here...please" had Meg fell into his arms 😍😭💕💞💖💓💕💓

- OH ARTEMIS FINALLY FUCKIN CAME! But why you leave arty, not fair :/

- Apollo saying his favorite physician is Asclepius! You can really feel the love and pride he has for his son!

- Grandpa Apollo 😂

- Chiron, I want your playlist rn-

- I was irritated with Venus. Is it just me or the way she humiliated Apollo in front of everyone even though he'd done nothing was suuuper annoying? (I mean maybe she meant good, but still, ugh)

- Why DID DAKOTA DIE??? 😭 he was my favorite minor character!!

- I was sad to see Peaches weak! He gets better, hopefully!

- I'm really glad Apollo said that even as a god he didn't like issuing prophecies he didn't even want to hear for the sake humans. It really gives insight on why Apollo neglected oracles in the first place. Boi was just! so! tired!

- yo Apollo's monologue about his love life had me fucked up, I was so sad when he asked himself if he had ever kept his loved ones safe.

- coming to know about Apollo's past problematic actions had me like, yeeeah boooiii, here we goooo

- Oooohhh Apollo being called out for what he did to Koronis 👀 that was some good shit. But I hope that, while remembering what a dick Apollo had been to her, the fandom will also remember that Artemis was also fucked up in this case.

- (also I don't think Apollo knew Koronis was pregnant? still, definitely shouldn't have gone that far)

- I didn't like how Apollo called it a "curse" on the sibyl. It wasn't. She asked for immortality and he gave her. When she refused him, Apollo didn't curse her, he just pointed out how she'd grew old as usual like a human, and hence suffer from old age. (But yeah his well intentioned gift itself became a curse to her so-)

- Idk why Harpocrates was ever connected to Apollo, it made no much sense from mythological point, but whatever.

- Apollo being a bully seemed odd to me but then I remembered the gods bullied each other all the time (Apollo even mentioned that they were ready to kill each other)

- Harpocrates x sibyl though?? Idk I laughed way too hard but the way they ended was really beautiful

- WHEN REYNA LAUGHED! Omg I was experiencing second hand embarrassment for Lester but gosh I'm so glad it turned out the way it did. I really liked that scene!

- I don't know how to feel about Reyna joining the hunters, but I'm not complaining.

- I LITERALLY CRIED WHEN I FOUND OUT FRANK IN FACT ALIVE AKSJEKSJJSSJ my baby boy! He is alright after all!

- The whole healing Reyna's heart kinda fell flat to me... I mean it was good, but I guess I had higher expectations (not ApolloxReyna, ofc, but like,,,,something else,,,idk what)

- Apollo still thirsting over Commodus *sigh* boy get your head back 😂

- Ella and Tyson are so precious please treasure them y'all

- omg Apollo fuckin KILLED Commodus with his voice!!!! Omfg-

- APOLLO GOT HIS BOW BACK!

- Terminus adopted Julia!!!

- DON! 😭 why???!!!

- I totally agree with Apollo on Jason's death being so fuckin unfair! 😭 Especially when Leo and Frank could escape from theirs!!

- Hazel was SO BADASS I can't even-

- Thalia was so mature in handling the situation. Lmao Apollo haters wanted her to tear him down but guess what losers? she's not a kid like y'all

- hey how the fuck was Lester even awake till the end? With that zombie wound, the car crash, his stamina gone, and burnt wounds? Not to mention the times he straight up stumbled into a tree or fell down.

- it's sooooo strange that Apollo doesn't have Roman kids. On the whole, it seems like Apollo doesn't do well in Roman pantheon, even his sister is distant from him there. Since he is the same in Greek and Roman form, I think he actually witnessed all the time how much the gods change, even the ones close to him (Artemis). It's like, he is constant while everyone else is changing. That's kinda sad. I wonder if the Roman side of his family gives him a harder time?

- I know I was big on "no romance for mc in this series" but you know, I'd like to see Apollo being happy in love for once. At least at the end of series. Ugh. Idk Rick, bring Hyacinthus back to life or give us Litpollo or smth please. (I'm p sure I'll change my mind about this later lmao)

________

'kay, from here I'll be speaking outside the series, so if you don't wanna read a mythology nerd ranting about how badly Rick Riordan needs to have a mythology lesson on Apollo, skip this part! (I completely acknowledge RR's right to interpret the gods as he wants, but I'm still bitter™)

- I really dislike the way Rick writes Apollo! He's the god of knowledge ffs! He'd know a lot of things! He is Lord of wolves! He should know the language of wolves! Like it's so fuckin ridiculous when he says I'm the god of prophecy doesn't mean I understand all prophecies. Though you can give the excuse of his limited mortal memory, it still seems like Apollo's smarter side is being downplayed a lot by RR.

- He's also one of the bravest gods, so when Rick writes him being scared / having memories when he was scared even as a god is 😒

- The whole "oh I never regretted this until now", "I never thought of this until now" seems very exaggerated and honestly, very fake. Apollo has lived for so many years. He has been human before. He spends a lot of time on earth to not know certain things he didn't know in this book (and series). He is one the friendlier gods, you'll find so many cases where he helps mortals in need. He is the protector of children and youth too! So like this entire "I came 10 years after a mortal prayed to me", "I didn't think demigod lives actually valued", "I didn't know humans felt like this" sounded like F grade bullshit to me. It is gods like Apollo, Hermes and Dionysus who would actually know mortals better than any other gods.

- just basically the trend of Rick Riordan writing off gods as ignorant being who never cared for anyone irks me a lot.

[spanishskulduggery]

how would you say a plural amount of letters? like in english you would say “two K’s” (kays) or “three S’s” (esses), how would you write it in spanish and how would you pronounce it?

Just a warning this kind of goes all over the place because of a lot of grammatical minutiae, but the simple answer:

la K / la ka = the letter K(las) dos kas = the two K’s

la S / la ese = the letter S(las) tres eses = the three S’s

You sometimes see it a letter written by itself or as its pronunciation (la K or la ka in singular), but in plural it’s usually its pronunciation (las kas)

So like…

Hay dos kas en “jackknife”. = There are two K’s in “jackknife”.

“Necessity” tiene dos eses. = “Necessity” has two S’s.

Most of the letters will have a kind of -s sound tacked onto their pronounciation and that will get you the plural of that sound.

There are exceptions… the vowels + X

La a [the letter A] => Las aes [the A’s]

La e [the letter E] => Las es / Las ees [the E’s]

La o [the letter O] => Las oes [the O’s]

La u [the letter U] => Las úes [U’s]

La i (latina) [the letter I] => Las íes (latinas) [I’s]La i (griega) [the letter Y] => Las íes (griegas) [Y’s]

La equis [the letter X] => Las equis [X’s]

With U and I, it’s because you’re preserving the U and I sound so they take on an accent mark to fully pronounce it…. basically because when U+E and I+E are put together, they blend, so the accent mark adds a hiatus. With A+E and O+E, the hiatus is already there so you don’t mix the sound.

It’s really just to keep you from saying something like “the oohs” and “the ees” which could be confusing.

Saying “aes” is kind of like “a-es”, and “oes” is like “o-es” because of the hiatus.

And with E you get two options “es” and “ees”… typically I hear las es with a long EH sound for multiple E’s or people putting la letra E just to be very clear.

And X [equis] already ends in S, so you don’t have to add an additional thing and make it “equises” or something. If you see something like “XXX” it’s commonly pronounced as (las) tres equis 

Additional note: Q is frequently written as either la q, or la qu or la cu. In plural I think I’ve only seen las qus and las cus. 

———————————————————————–

Onto the confusing part - and I can’t stress enough how regional this all can be, so please let me know if I make any mistakes here, native speakers.

This might be a little difficult to explain completely well because I’m not using IPA here. I’ll try and be as clear as possible but just know that I’m using the Spanish pronunciations of things and how they’d write or approximate it.

First, all letters in the alphabet are feminine probably because la letra “letter” is feminine, so there’s that rule first.

Second this is generally how the letters are pronounced or said in Spanish and I need to point out some things because there’s a lot actually here that won’t make sense if I don’t:

A - (a)*

B - (be / be grande)****

C - (ce)CH - (che)**

D - (de)

E - (e)*

F - (efe)

G - (ge)

H - (hache) [although I did learn it as la ache]

I - (i / i latina)*

J - (jota)

K - (ka)

L - (ele)

LL - (elle)

M - (eme)

N - (ene)

Ñ - (eñe)

O - (o)*

P - (pe)

Q - (cu)

R - (ere / erre)***

RR - (erre / erre doble, doble erre)***

S - (ese)

T - (te)

U - (u)*

V - (uve / V corta / V chica)****

W - (doble u / doble uve / uve doble)

X - (equis)

Y - (i / i griega)*

Z - (zeta)

So now the little bits of explanations begin:

* The vowels - All of the vowels [A / E / I / O / U, and Y] are usually written with their pronunciations like I did above. In Spanish, most Spanish speakers know how “A” is pronounced but for the sake of non-native speakers:

A is pronounced like “ah”

E is pronounced like “eh”

I is pronounced like “ee”

O is pronounced like “oh”

U is pronounced like “ooh”

Y is pronounced like “ee”

With i and y it’s common to differentiate them as i latina [I] and i/y griega [Y]… The letter [I] is i latina being “Latin I” because it comes from the Latin alphabet, and because the letter [Y] comes from Greek it’s griega. They are pronounced the same “ee” like a long E song in English.

So say you were spelling out a word like yanqui “yankee / someone from the US” you would spell it Y-A-N-Q-U-I [i griega - a - ene - cu - u - i latina] in a way that tells you that Y and I are different letters.

** - CH. The letter “CH” which is pronounced like che or “chay” in English is not technically a letter in Spanish anymore, but it might show up in some dictionaries as its own section. 

*** - R and RR. I’ve seen R written as ere and erre before. And while RR is not its own letter (anymore, but in some places it is considered its own), I’ve seen it as erre or erre doble [double R]. I was taught ere [R] and erre [RR] but I understand why that’s not totally great for everyone depending on your own pronunciation; I personally recommend saying erre [R] and doble erre [RR] if you mean RR because it makes it very clear you’re talking about a double letter.

If you were saying multiple RR’s, you’d most commonly see erres dobles.

**** This one is really its own issue but B and V have similar pronunciations in a lot of things. Just suffice it to say it’s its own issue. 

For our purposes, it’s normally pronounced be [”bay”] and uve [”oo-vay”]. Otherwise, you’ll see B as B grande or B larga which mean “big/long B”… and you might see V as V corta or V chica which is “short/small V”

Another common way to differentiate it is to say B de burro “B as in burro [donkey]”, and V de vaca “V as in vaca [cow]”…….. that’s kind of like the equivalent of “B as in boy” and “V as in Victor” in English.

Side Note: It should go without saying but ele is pronounced “el-ay”, and elle is pronounced “ey-yay”… because LL has a strong Y sound. 

Side Note 2: Similarly ge is pronounced like “hay”, and jota for “J” is pronounced “ho-ta” 

Side Note 3: Ñ or eñe is pronounced “en-yay”

So moving on, just note that the letters are feminine, and normally you’re going to say la and then las for plural.

When doing plural, you usually have to add a -S sound to it. That’s mostly easy for the consonants, minus X so you don’t really have to worry too much.

I typically see the letters sort of spelled out so for example: hacer eses which is literally “to make S’s” is another expression for “to spin around” or “to spin out” is typically written as eses 

You might see something like la m but then you might see las emes for “M’s”… I think that might just be for the sake of convenience. But you might also see la ache instead of la h… or la jota instead of la j.

It’s more acceptable when it seems to be a whole different word, kind of like la equis vs la x which I think both make sense. 

I typically capitalize it if I’m going to write it as a singular letter because I think that is a little easier to understand when reading, but that is probably just me.

Additional Note: There are some abbreviations where Spanish pronounces them a bit differently; they’re normally treated as loanwords. 

These are different from Spanish abbreviations:

FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation]In Spanish el FBI is pronounced like el Efe-Be-I sort of how you’d expect

CIA [Central Intelligence Agency]In Spanish this is la CIA which is pronounced la Si-A, rather than pronouncing each letter individually

KO / K.O. [knockout]In Spanish this is normally el KO which is pronounced el ka-o the way you’d pronounce K + O. In some places you’ll hear el knockout with voz inglesa but in some places they use estar KO to mean either “to be unconscious” or “to be dead tired” 

OK / okayIn Spanish estar OK or OK/okay sounds just like English “o-kay”, and it’s pretty directly adapted from English

OVNI [el objeto volador no identificado] In Spanish el OVNI or el ovni is the direct translation of “UFO” or “Unidentified Flying Object”. You pronounce it “ov-ni”, rather than pronouncing every single letter

There are other expressions like this. The one I mentioned above “XXX” in English is “triple X” or “X-X-X” but in Spanish it’s tres equis and is a synonym for “pornographic” in some contexts

There’s some variations with Spanish abbreviations.

Some are like when you might see Los EEUU / Los EE.UU in writing, but you’d hear it as Los Estados Unidos “the United States” rather than hearing it all pronounced.

So it really depends on the actual word/abbreviation in question.

[tartareus]

Do you condone/ship incest? I was reading your rules and got confused about your sentence where you said if people are uncomfortable with fictional consensual incest this isn’t the blog for you. Except Incest is incest regardless of if it’s fiction

hi there, friend, how do you do?

while i'm not particularly fond of anons (nex time you'd like to discuss something regarding my rules and/or character portrayal, i strongly encourage you to do so via ims - i don't bite, and if our points of view don't quite match? that's alright, i promise i'll leave you in peace :) ) for various reasons, i'm so glad you've read my rules (that probably makes you one of the few who follow me - at least i presume you do, idk - who has done so, so thank you so much!), i cannot stress enough how important they are to me. if i happen to follow you, rest assured that i have read yours (unless, ofc, i couldn't find one in your blog - in any case, if i happen to accidentally break one of yours, just hmu or gimme a nudge).

considering that you've asked more than one question, i'll answer to you in separate sections - needless to say that while i break it down your questions, the answer might become a little longer than usual (again, i'm sorry). i'll keep this tagged, in case any of my followers don't feel like reading about this. without further ado, let’s dive in.´

“do you condone/ship incest?”

short answer? nope. but that is not a black or white question i’m afraid. no, i – nox, the human behind this blog of fictional characters – personally do not condone incest , never have and never will, and  don’t ship it. i do, however, ship consanguinamory on rare occasions, and when i do happen to write it i never do it in a good light.

for those who are not familiar with the term, here’s a little bit of info about it x && x. in short, the key difference between them is: incest is usually linked abuse (a fictional example that can be used, taking in consideration one of my very own muses, in this case is margot verger – who was sadly abused by her brother in the hannibal books) while consanguinamory (the lannisters, for example, or even the sharpe siblings from crimson peak are examples of consanguineous relationships) is the consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship between members of the same family who are of consenting age.

[ personally, i find both of them gross as fuuck irl but when it comes to fictional works i may get over this first disgust and ponder more on that && take in consideration the characters arch, plot, thoughts and the whole world they are set in. ]

i suppose the turning point here is the consent. i never, never, condone any sort of abuse – not in fiction and neither in real life – and while it’s a subject that bothers me to no end in real life, when it comes to fiction i am less inclined to project into them. i may write dark and toxic relationships, but i obviously do not condone them. that’s the point here – people on this hellsite usually mix the two together (condoning something and shipping/writing it, that is) when in fact they shouldn’t even be in the same box to begin with.

let’s say you write a fictional serial killer – norman bates, tate langdon, hannibal lecter, catherine tramell (that chick from basic instinct), patrick bateman, mrs lovett and sweeney todd, kai anderson, bellatrix, grindelwald and voldemort (the list of plausible examples could go on forever…) – here and ship with them; does it mean that you, the writer, condone every single action and choice your muse does? if writing something purely fictional equals to condoning it in real life, well… the world is even more fucked up than i first thought.

you see, in this little exercise in imagination, you could’ve easily picked a good guy or gal to write, the hero; the goody two shoes. why didn’t you? well, it’s complicated to pin point why some are drawn to darker works of fiction and characters while others are not, i suppose each individual has their own reasons && i can only speak for myself when i say that i am drawn to these sort of fictional works because they the safest way to explore dark topics that pertain to human society. on my side, it’s nothing but raw curiosity.

there’s also the issue of how different cultures see these relationships. in case you haven’t noticed, i am not from the states but actually from brazil. especially in the rural area, it’s not uncommon for second cousins to date or even marry (ew, i know, pretty gross). that’s something that is luckily falling out of practice, but you can easily find it, more so in the poor rural areas that are really far from the cities.

you may have noticed that most of the sources for the terms come from a blog that advocates real life consanguinamory – but make no mistake, i don’t support it. these were the only places i’ve found as sources in a quick look online. i don’t support it irl, but whatever consenting adults are doing amongst themselves is no concern of mine – i have no say on the matter and all in all, i don’t give a damn. i just don’t like it. everything i’ve discussed here is related to fiction, consent and is only ever related to people of consenting age.

“i was reading your rules and got confused about your sentence where you said if people are uncomfortable with fictional consensual incest this isn’t the blog for you. except incest is incest regardless of if it’s fiction”

to be honest with you, anon, i couldn’t possibly see how you’ve got confused with this. i thought i was pretty clear with that, but perhaps not. sorry, my english is not perfect. however, with the risk of sounding like a meme, i said what i said. if you personally feel uncomfortable or even triggered with fictional consensual incest otherwise known as consanguinamory, maybe my blog isn’t for you. not because i – as the mun –  condone it, but because i might mention it or even allude to it when i write certain characters. again, consent is the main thing here – you won’t ever see me writing that awful part of margot’s past, but i might mention it on some threads as it is part of her trauma but i will write jaime’s feelings regarding cersei and joanna’s love for tywin – and that should not be overlooked.

“except incest is incest regardless of if it’s fiction” 

so far so good, am i to assume that you also believe that “murder is murder, regardless of if it is fiction or not”? should we call the police on, idk, george rr martin for killing....hell knows how many characters...at this point i’m sure not even he knows. leaving my petty comment aside (it’s the arthritis, i’m always annoyed when in pain), i see where you’re coming from; fair enough.  but you missed a big point here – consensual. i do not write abuse, even to the muses who – in the canon source material – have done so    ( like jaime lannister himself – who’s in a consanguinamorous [therefore, falling under the category of fictional consensual incest] relationship with cersei – who abused his sister next to their son’s dead body [ yeah, jaime apologists, i’m out to get y’all...jokes aside, i do not acknowledge people claiming that cersei manipulated him into going to bed with her, while they are both shitty and toxic as fuck people, their relationship is mutually messed up – gag if you must but jaime lannister is far from innocent angel ] )     in the past. i. don’t. write. it. but i do write jaime’s feelings for cersei because they are canon and are also a big part of the character he became.

all of that, of course, has to do with my own position on the “war” between the people who believe fiction has a great power and influence over reality vs the ones who do not believe in that. personally, i find it hard to believe that fiction is a brainwashing tool rewiring people’s brains  - i find the idea itself ludicrous, the ones who strongly stand for that aren’t that different from flat-earthers and people who believe in reverse racism tbh – but i do acknowledge the influence media has on society. its not nearly enough to turn someone to the “dark side” alone by itself – those who claim that videogames, for example, made them violent most likely already had something different and perhaps wrong with them before the games triggered something. i don’t believe that media creates things on people, but brings buried things (fears, feelings, emotions, hopes) back to the surface. it’s all about the stimulus.

if you wanna be scared, watch an horror movie; if you wanna be happy, a comedy video.  wanna feel warm inside and live unrealistic romantic expectations vicariously through fictional characters? read a 50.000 words slow burn fluffy happy fanfic of your otp at 3 am even though you gotta wake up early in the following morning....

point is, they are not creating things, they are bringing forth responses from you that were already there in your brain (everybody has laughed before and felt fear, it’s part of human development). and how you react to certain content is entirely to you and your past. say, if you drowned as a kid on the sea - and had trauma from that - the idea of watching titanic is not so fun, is it?

it’s not my place to decide what you should do, that is entirely your own choice to make, just be aware that, as i’ve stated before countless times, i may write dark topics that may or may not be triggering to some.  i do so because it is my blog, and i don’t react so harshly to this content (in fact, i love horror, thriller and dark fictional stuff – meanwhile i dread the thought of rom coms, hell knows why??) for i am lucky to be able to separate fiction from reality. basically, whilst writing a villain, i myself do not become one in real life – that part remains in fiction only and doesn’t affect me.

that is not a constant, sure. i don’t just write dark shady stuff – there’s plenty of fluffy shit on my blog, but i like to warn people beforehand to make sure we are all on the same page. it’s for your own comfort, i suppose, because i may not understand certain points of view on fiction but i will always defend your right to be comfortable and safe.

so yes, if you aren’t feeling well at that notion, please unfollow and block me if you must – i never wish to cause any discomfort to anyone – however, before you do so (that is, if you do so) i beg you to just send me an im warning me beforehand, please? that way i can block you – and your other blogs as well – so the chances of me running into you again and causing you discomfort will be minimal. that way we’ll both be on own respective lanes and happy about it. i mass follow very often and don’t usually know which blogs belong to whom (uh, did that make sense? my latina ass is not used to using whom in a sentence....), i may follow another blog (or the revamped blog) of someone who has blocked me and never even realise it – that’s not me following you around and stalking like a total creep, that’s probably me not even remembering who you are. again, sorry – i don’t mean for this to come off rude or anything but???? its the truth? you know the drill, big following list, big followers list (well, big for me tbh, i cannot remember the name or alias of 600 people for the life of me, excuse me if my memory doesn’t serve me right), hard to keep track. there will be no witch hunts, at least on my part, because i deem them to be childish and way too dramatic for my taste. if you’d like to speak in private, adult to adult, i’m always game – i dread vague posting, i personally see it as a pathetic and weak trait. 

as long as you’re civil, so am i.

either way, do whatever makes you feel comfortable and safe on your blog – your  mental health is far more important (to me, and hopefully to you as well) than a hobby, than tumblr, rp or whatever fictional stuff someone’s writing or reading; you are responsible for your own online experience, and i am responsible for mine. that’s an empowering thing that should be reminded more often.

i truly hope i’ve managed to answer whatever doubts or questions you had in mind, if not my ims are always open and so is my discord. once again, thank you for reading my rules and stay safe!

edit; my dumb ass forgot to drop my disco handle, since i change often. it currently is   DOCTOR BITCHCRAFT !!! | 𝒏𝒐𝒙#1398

[indescribablechoices]

Masterlist (updated 06/09/20)

Fics are listed in chronological order according to story progression, not date of posting, and obviously some were written before books were fully released so I’ve taken some liberties with plots. Ones listed at the bottom are for future fics I plan to write, please feel free to send asks/prompts.

MC Masterlist

The Royal Romance (Liam Rys x Alicia Harper)

This Room Where You Should Be  -  After having her engagement party ruined by assassins, Alicia speeds towards a safe house with an injured Drake, not knowing what lies ahead; whether any of her friends or her beloved Liam made it out alive. (will direct to my old blog)

Wish Comes True -  During an interview, Alicia gets herself in a twist over the thought of the holidays, and Liam makes a promise he intends to keep.

Piece by Piece -  A year after their wedding as Alicia, Liam and the others celebrate her birthday.

Where You Abandoned Things -   A figure from Alicia’s past turns up, and Liam learns why his wife has never spoken about her family before.

Reach In A Little Deeper -  When a security threat leaves Alicia and Olivia trapped in a room together, things only get worse when Alicia goes into labour with hers and Liam’s first child.

Count On Me (Maxwell x Penelope) -  Maxwell comes to Alicia for advice. Feelings and an abundance of platonic love follow.

Your Kingdom (D&D crossover) -  After becoming Queen, Alicia begins to look back over her own family tree and finds some things she didn’t expect.

Side by Side -  Liam and Alicia wake up together on their five year anniversary.

Lift Your Chin A Little Higher -  Twenty years after the events of TRR, Liam’s daughter visits the gardens in Valtoria to reminisce about the past, hoping to find comfort for the future.

Enchanting Series (updated 28/04/20) -  The story of Liam and Alicia’s daughter Lyra as she enters the social season in search of a husband. Familiar faces, sibling shenanigans and naturally; romance, all await along the way.

Perfect Match (Damien Nazario x Kai Park)

All I’ve Ever Learned From Love  -  Kai and Hayden have barely spoken since everything that went down with Eros in New York. During a quiet moment, he begins to reevaluate their relationship and what it means for the future. (will direct to my old blog)

Afraid of Falling  -  After talking with Hayden, Kai heads out to find Damien and finally fess up her feelings. But it seems Damien had the same idea.

Nobody But You (NSFW) - After admitting their feelings for each other, Kai and Damien let their desires get the better of them.

Indescribable  - Kai’s life is falling apart when the truth about Damien is revealed.  (will direct to my old blog)

Walking The Wire  -  A rewrite of the reunion scene with some memories more personal to my Kai and hers and Damien’s relationship.

Someone’s Bound To Get Burned -  Kai and the others rescued Damien days ago, but he barely look at her. Kai confronts him, and an argument ensues.

Miss Me When I’m Gone -  Kai and Damien talk about Nadia leaving in a quiet moment together. Discussions about the future ensue.

Take What Comes  -  Distracted texting leaves Kai in an awkward situation when her auto correct decides to propose to Damien.

Dancin’ Merrily -  Kai and Damien spend their first Christmas together as a married couple with their family.

It Isn’t Easy  -  Damien heads home to Kai after a long day at work, but some discussions about the past may affect their future.

My Arms Will Hold You -  Four times Kai Park woke up in Damien’s arms and one time she didn’t. Set across their years of knowing each other.

Dedicating Every Day To You  -  Kai wakes up in the middle of the night and Damien isn’t beside her. She finds him in the nursery instead.

Just One More Thing  -  Damien and Kai head to the local dog shelter and bring home a new member of the family.

Go Gentle  -  Kai receives a phone call from her children’s high school, listing off all of the trouble her son is in. She asks for an explanation from him and delves deeper than she planned.

(Damien Nazario x Hayden Young x Kai Park x Alana Kusuma)

Stay The Course -  On the flight from Tokyo to San Francisco, Damien and Hayden take a moment to talk and clear the air for the first time since everything happened with Eros. Bonding and fluff ensue.

The Things That You Want -   During a quiet afternoon in San Francisco, Damien asks Kai about her feelings for Hayden and makes a proposition that could benefit everyone.

Be Your Safety (NSFW) -   After Hayden walks out in San Francisco, Kai goes after him, and a heart to heart leads to confessions. 

The Human In Me -   Damien comes home on his lunch break and interrupts more than a dance party. 

How Long You Would Wait For Me (Alana x MC focused) -   After receiving the worst news possible, Kai reflects on her relationship with Alana.

One So Small -   Kai is in labour, and needs the people she loves around her.

So Snowy White -   A little glimpse into one Christmas at the Nazario-Young household. Damien pulls a scam. Kai teases her boys. Hayden learns the meaning of a perfect memory.

Let Me Go Home (part one, TH:M crossover) -   Eighteen months after the events in Monaco, Nina brings Sonia home to meet the family.  

It Lives In The Woods (Andy Kang x Maggie Young)

Pull Me Closer -  After their first kiss in the pool, Andy and Maggie head into the laundry room to dry off. 

If I Only Could  -  Andy wakes up from surgery and realises that not everyone made it out of the ruins. (will direct to my old blog)

The Sharp Knife of a Short Life  -  Maggie decides to pay a visit to Jane and Noah’s mother after Noah’s ‘death’ in the ruins.

Tonight  -  Maggie is preparing to go to prom with her friends, but she can’t help but feel the absence of her boyfriend as he rests his still injured leg. But it seems that fate, and Andy, have other ideas.

It Lives Beneath (Tom Sato x Penn Vance)

A Love Like This -   Tom and Penn spend a lazy afternoon together, and Tom has a sudden realisation.

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor (Eleanor Waverley x Hadley Byrd)

So Full Of Love  -  Hadley reflects on her time with Eleanor and begins to worry that she made the wrong choice.

When I Am With You  -  Hadley and Eleanor discuss their plans as the seasons begin to change and reflect on the time they’ve had together.

Your Kiss Is Like A Lost Ghost (AU) -  AU in which Hadley is a reincarnated version of the original governess of Braidwood Manor, and when she returns in present day, she finds herself falling for Eleanor all over again.

Veil of Secrets (Flynn O’Malley x Marli Greene)

Running Out Of Words To Say -  After the events of VoS, Marli heads home for real this time, but will either her or Flynn have the courage to tell the other how they really feel?

Bloodbound (Adrian Raines x Emeline Martinez)

All That Grace  -  Adrian has a beautiful night out planned for him and Emeline to prove his commitment to her, but her all too human immune system gets in the way. Though things always have a way of working out in the end…

It’s You And Me -  An engagement party with Em’s family has Adrian wondering about the future, and the things they can and can’t have together.

We Can’t Tell The Future (AU) -  What if Adrian hadn’t recognised Emeline in time when his body was overtaken by the serum? What if it had other lasting effects on his body?

Open Heart (Rafael Aveiro x Cora Chase) (Kyra Santana x Cora Chase)

Where You Belong (Rafael x MC) -   AU. There is no attack on the hospital, and Rafael leaves Edenbrook for the last time. Cora realises that she has one chance before the man she loves is gone for good.

Guess I’d Rather Hurt Than Feel Nothing At All (Part One) -   Months after their breakup, Cora and Rafael spend one more night together.

Just A Delicate Kiss (Part One.5) -   Cora gets called into Ethan’s office, and her true feelings about Kyra come to light.

Everything You Kept Inside (Part Two) -   After finding out that she is pregnant after a one night stand with Rafael, Cora has a lot to think about.

These Nights Never Seem To Go To Plan (Part Three) -   Cora finally tells Rafael about the pregnancy.

America’s Most Eligible (Mackenzie Harris x Winnie Reed)

Me and My Ripped Jeans and You -  Mackenzie goes over to Winnie’s apartment one afternoon and finds her girlfriend wearing her jacket.

My Sweet Honey Bee -  Mackenzie and Winnie take the next step in their future together.

Desire and Decorum (Luke Harper x Jess Woodmire)

Let This Moment Be The First Chapter -  Jess and Luke visit Luke’s estate together for the first time after its completion and their thoughts turn to the future.

No Beat, No Melody (AU) -   The consequences of the duel.

A Garden You Never Get To See (AU) -   The consequences of the duel, part two.

The One I Was Meant To Find (AU) 

-  Part One: Jess can’t take the pressure any more and runs away from the estate. Mr Harper comes to find her, and in the wake of an impending proposal, they finally admit their feelings for each other.

Losing Sight of You (AU) -  Part Two: The morning after, Jess awakes with the man she loves, but she knows that this happiness cannot last.

Enough (AU) -  Part Three: Left alone and scared for her future happiness, Jess knows that she has to do something before she finds herself wed to the Duke and torn apart from her beloved Mr Harper forever.

Your Kingdom (TRR crossover) -  After becoming Queen, Alicia begins to look back over her own family tree and finds some things she didn’t expect.

The Heist: Monaco (Sonia Alves x Nina Nazario-Young)

This Woman Is My Destiny -   Nina takes the biggest risk she’s ever taken, and Sonia gets a surprise visitor.

Let Me Go Home (part one, PM crossover) -   Eighteen months after the events in Monaco, Nina brings Sonia home to meet the family.

Red Carpet Diaries (Matt Rodriguez x Bailey Johnson)

The Best Day With You -  A little family fluff fic between Matt, Bailey and their daughter Sofia.

Across The Void (Sol x Bo Elara)

Oh, Let’s Get Lost -  Sol and Bo take some time away to themselves, enjoying being in love on a distant planet away from everything else.

A Courtesan of Rome (Syphax x Korina x Sabina)

Lead Me Back Home (Syphax x MC focused) -  Finally away from the grasp of Rome, Korina takes in the life she has built with the people she loves

Mother of the Year (Thomas Mendez x Lori Day)

Surrounded By Your Embrace -  Thomas and Lori celebrate their two year anniversary together. Lori thinks back over their relationship and Thomas gets a present he wasn’t expecting.

Big Sky Country (Sawyer Oakley x Daphne Dehaven)

Scars On Our Hearts -   After Sawyer is injured at the rodeo, he and Daphne get into a fight at the hospital about the decisions they’ve both made.

The Elementalists (Beckett Harrington x Hallie Russell)

Blades of Light and Shadow (Nia Ellarious x Aurora Feathertide x Imtura)

Nightbound (Nik Ryder x Willow Greeves)

The Royal Masquerade (Kayden Vescovi x Ophelia Aster)

Ride or Die (Mona x Rose Wheeler) (Ingrid Delaney x Rose Wheeler)

Distant Shores (Charlie Smith x Emily Hawthorne)

Unexpected Heiress (John Somerset x Marianne Hayes)

The Nanny Affair (Sam Dalton x June Martinez)

Queen B (Ian Kingsley x Briar Hughes)

Platinum (Shane Parker x Adelyn Oliver)

Sunkissed (Samson x Skylar Bell)

Wishful Thinking (Jaime Lewis x Kit Huxley)

Home For the Holidays (Holly Wright x Robyn Joy)

Baby Bump (Myra Dixon x Theo Cassidy)

Rules of Engagement (Leo Rys x Kaylee Buchanan)

Passport to Romance (Ahmed Khabbaz x Nell Shepherd)

[swampusplanet]

@d-o-t-s

             SHREK

                                      Written by

                               William Steig & Ted Elliott

                                    SHREK                         Once upon a time there was a lovely                         princess. But she had an enchantment                         upon her of a fearful sort which could                         only be broken by love's first kiss.                         She was locked away in a castle guarded                         by a terrible fire-breathing dragon.                         Many brave knights had attempted to                         free her from this dreadful prison,                         but non prevailed. She waited in the                         dragon's keep in the highest room of                         the tallest tower for her true love                         and true love's first kiss. (laughs)                         Like that's ever gonna happen. What                         a load of - (toilet flush)

              Allstar - by Smashmouth begins to play. Shrek goes about his               day. While in a nearby town, the villagers get together to go               after the ogre.

              NIGHT - NEAR SHREK'S HOME

                                    MAN1                         Think it's in there?

                                    MAN2                         All right. Let's get it!

                                    MAN1                         Whoa. Hold on. Do you know what that                         thing can do to you?

                                    MAN3                         Yeah, it'll grind your bones for it's                         bread.

              Shrek sneaks up behind them and laughs.

                                    SHREK                         Yes, well, actually, that would be a                         giant. Now, ogres, oh they're much worse.                         They'll make a suit from your freshly                         peeled skin.

                                    MEN                         No!

                                    SHREK                         They'll shave your liver. Squeeze the                         jelly from your eyes! Actually, it's                         quite good on toast.

                                    MAN1                         Back! Back, beast! Back! I warn ya!                         (waves the torch at Shrek.)

              Shrek calmly licks his fingers and extinguishes the torch. The               men shrink back away from him. Shrek roars very loudly and long               and his breath extinguishes all the remaining torches until the               men are in the dark.

                                    SHREK                         This is the part where you run away.                         (The men scramble to get away. He laughs.)                         And stay out! (looks down and picks                         up a piece of paper. Reads.) "Wanted.         ��               Fairy tale creatures."(He sighs and                         throws the paper over his shoulder.)

              THE NEXT DAY

              There is a line of fairy tale creatures. The head of the guard               sits at a table paying people for bringing the fairy tale creatures               to him. There are cages all around. Some of the people in line               are Peter Pan, who is carrying Tinkerbell in a cage, Gipetto               who's carrying Pinocchio, and a farmer who is carrying the three               little pigs.

                                    GUARD                         All right. This one's full. Take it                         away! Move it along. Come on! Get up!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Next!

                                    GUARD                         (taking the witch's broom) Give me that!                         Your flying days are over. (breaks the                         broom in half)

                                    HEAD GUARD                         That's 20 pieces of silver for the witch.                         Next!

                                    GUARD                         Get up! Come on!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Twenty pieces.

                                    LITTLE BEAR                         (crying) This cage is too small.

                                    DONKEY                         Please, don't turn me in. I'll never                         be stubborn again. I can change. Please!                         Give me another chance!

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Oh, shut up. (jerks his rope)

                                    DONKEY                         Oh!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Next! What have you got?

                                    GIPETTO                         This little wooden puppet.

                                    PINOCCHIO                         I'm not a puppet. I'm a real boy. (his                         nose grows)

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Five shillings for the possessed toy.                         Take it away.

                                    PINOCCHIO                         Father, please! Don't let them do this!                         Help me!

              Gipetto takes the money and walks off. The old woman steps up               to the table.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Next! What have you got?

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Well, I've got a talking donkey.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Right. Well, that's good for ten shillings,                         if you can prove it.

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Oh, go ahead, little fella.

              Donkey just looks up at her.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Well?

                                    OLD WOMAN                         Oh, oh, he's just...he's just a little                         nervous. He's really quite a chatterbox.                         Talk, you boneheaded dolt...

                                    HEAD GUARD                         That's it. I've heard enough. Guards!

                                    OLD WOMAN                         No, no, he talks! He does. (pretends                         to be Donkey) I can talk. I love to                         talk. I'm the talkingest damn thing                         you ever saw.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Get her out of my sight.

                                    OLD WOMAN                         No, no! I swear! Oh! He can talk!

              The guards grab the old woman and she struggles with them. One               of her legs flies out and kicks Tinkerbell out of Peter Pan's               hands, and her cage drops on Donkey's head. He gets sprinkled               with fairy dust and he's able to fly.

                                    DONKEY                         Hey! I can fly!

                                    PETER PAN                         He can fly!

                                    3 LITTLE PIGS                         He can fly!

                                    HEAD GUARD                         He can talk!

                                    DONKEY                         Ha, ha! That's right, fool! Now I'm                         a flying, talking donkey. You might                         have seen a housefly, maybe even a superfly                         but I bet you ain't never seen a donkey                         fly. Ha, ha! (the pixie dust begins                         to wear off) Uh-oh. (he begins to sink                         to the ground.)

              He hits the ground with a thud.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         Seize him! (Donkey takes of running.)                         After him!

                                    GUARDS                         He's getting away! Get him! This way!                         Turn!

              Donkey keeps running and he eventually runs into Shrek. Literally.               Shrek turns around to see who bumped into him. Donkey looks scared               for a moment then he spots the guards coming up the path. He               quickly hides behind Shrek.

                                    HEAD GUARD                         You there. Ogre!

                                    SHREK                         Aye?

                                    HEAD GUARD                         By the order of Lord Farquaad I am authorized                         to place you both under arrest and transport                         you to a designated resettlement facility.

                                    SHREK                         Oh, really? You and what army?

              He looks behind the guard and the guard turns to look as well               and we see that the other men have run off. The guard tucks tail               and runs off. Shrek laughs and goes back about his business and               begins walking back to his cottage.

                                    DONKEY                         Can I say something to you? Listen,                         you was really, really, really somethin'                         back here. Incredible!

                                    SHREK                         Are you talkin' to...(he turns around                         and Donkey is gone) me? (he turns back                         around and Donkey is right in front                         of him.) Whoa!

                                    DONKEY                         Yes. I was talkin' to you. Can I tell                         you that you that you was great back                         here? Those guards! They thought they                         was all of that. Then you showed up,                         and bam! They was trippin' over themselves                         like babes in the woods. That really                         made me feel good to see that.

                                    SHREK                         Oh, that's great. Really.

                                    DONKEY                         Man, it's good to be free.

                                    SHREK                         Now, why don't you go celebrate your                         freedom with your own friends? Hmm?

                                    DONKEY                         But, uh, I don't have any friends. And                         I'm not goin' out there by myself. Hey,                         wait a minute! I got a great idea! I'll                         stick with you. You're mean, green,                         fightin' machine. Together we'll scare                         the spit out of anybody that crosses                         us.

              Shrek turns and regards Donkey for a moment before roaring very               loudly.

                                    DONKEY                         Oh, wow! That was really scary. If you                         don't mind me sayin', if that don't                         work, your breath certainly will get                         the job done, 'cause you definitely                         need some Tic Tacs or something, 'cause                         you breath stinks! You almost burned                         the hair outta my nose, just like the                         time...(Shrek covers his mouth but Donkey                         continues to talk, so Shrek removes                         his hand.) ...then I ate some rotten                         berries. I had strong gases leaking                         out of my butt that day.

                                    SHREK                         Why are you following me?

                                    DONKEY                         I'll tell you why. (singing) 'Cause                         I'm all alone, There's no one here beside                         me, My problems have all gone, There's                         no one to deride me, But you gotta have                         faith...

                                    SHREK                         Stop singing! It's no wonder you don't                         have any friends.

                                    DONKEY                         Wow. Only a true friend would be that                         cruelly honest.

                                    SHREK                         Listen, little donkey. Take a look at                         me. What am I?

                                    DONKEY                         (looks all the way up at Shrek) Uh ...really                         tall?

                                    SHREK                         No! I'm an ogre! You know. "Grab your                         torch and pitchforks." Doesn't that                         bother you?

                                    DONKEY                         Nope.

                                    SHREK                         Really?

                                    DONKEY                         Really, really.

                                    SHREK                         Oh.

                                    DONKEY                         Man, I like you. What's you name?

                                    SHREK                         Uh, Shrek.

                                    DONKEY                         Shrek? Well, you know what I like about                         you, Shrek? You got that kind of I-don't-care-what-nobody-thinks-of-me                         thing. I like that. I respect that,                         Shrek. You all right. (They come over                         a hill and you can see Shrek's cottage.)                         Whoa! Look at that. Who'd want to live                         in place like that?

                                    SHREK                         That would be my home.

                                    DONKEY                         Oh! And it is lovely! Just beautiful.                         You know you are quite a decorator.                         It's amazing what you've done with such                         a modest budget. I like that boulder.                         That is a nice boulder. I guess you                         don't entertain much, do you?

                                    SHREK                         I like my privacy.

                                    DONKEY                         You know, I do too. That's another thing                         we have in common. Like I hate it when                         you got somebody in your face. You've                         trying to give them a hint, and they                         won't leave. There's that awkward silence.                         (awkward silence) Can I stay with you?

                                    SHREK                         Uh, what?

                                    DONKEY                         Can I stay with you, please?

                                    SHREK                         (sarcastically) Of course!

                                    DONKEY                         Really?

                                    SHREK                         No.

                                    DONKEY                         Please! I don't wanna go back there!                         You don't know what it's like to be                         considered a freak. (pause while he                         looks at Shrek) Well, maybe you do.                         But that's why we gotta stick together.                         You gotta let me stay! Please! Please!

                                    SHREK                         Okay! Okay! But one night only.

                                    DONKEY                         Ah! Thank you! (he runs inside the cottage)

                                    SHREK                         What are you...? (Donkey hops up onto                         a chair.) No! No!

                                    DONKEY                         This is gonna be fun! We can stay up                         late, swappin' manly stories, and in                         the mornin' I'm makin' waffles.

                                    SHREK                         Oh!

                                    DONKEY                         Where do, uh, I sleep?

                                    SHREK ��                       (irritated) Outside!

                                    DONKEY                         Oh, well, I guess that's cool. I mean,                         I don't know you, and you don't know                         me, so I guess outside is best, you                         know. Here I go. Good night. (Shrek                         slams the door.) (sigh) I mean, I do                         like the outdoors. I'm a donkey. I was                         born outside. I'll just be sitting by                         myself outside, I guess, you know. By                         myself, outside. I'm all alone...there's                         no one here beside me...

              SHREK'S COTTAGE - NIGHT

              Shrek is getting ready for dinner. He sits himself down and lights               a candle made out of earwax. He begins to eat when he hears a               noise. He stands up with a huff.

                                    SHREK                         (to Donkey) I thought I told you to                         stay outside.

                                    DONKEY                         (from the window) I am outside.

              There is another noise and Shrek turns to find the person that               made the noise. He sees several shadows moving. He finally turns               and spots 3 blind mice on his table.

[celestialcontrail]

ADMIN USE ONLY These questions only need yes or no answers. They’re not commitments if you say yes, simply organizational tools. Are you interested in finding critique groups/partners? No Are you interested in being a beta-reader? No Are you open to being tagged in writing questionnaires/asks/games? Yes Are you open to being messaged to talk about writing? Yes Are you open to being tagged to participate in writing discussions? Yes Would you like to participate in Writeblr by Region? Yes Would you like to participate in the Translation Corner? No      If so, which languages would you like to be listed under? N/A

Short Profile: Preferred Nickname: Celeste or Contrail Country/Region: Arizona, United States Languages: English Preferred Writing Type: Fanfiction Preferred Genre(s) to Write: Superheroes, Fantasy, Science Fiction Preferred Genre(s) to Read: Fantasy, Superheroes, Science Fiction Favorite Book(s) and Author(s): George RR Martin, Seanan McGuire, Douglas Addams, Guy Gavriel Kay Favorite Music Genre(s)/Artists(s): Video game soundtracks Favorite Fandom(s):    Movies: The Princess Bride, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story    TV Shows: The Addams Family    Anime: Princess Tutu, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Tiger and Bunny, Ranma 1/2, Fairy Tail    Comics: X-Men, 80s Teen Titans, Legion of Super-heroes    Video Games: Final Fantasy series, Breath of Fire series, Tales of Graces f, Fire Emblem series Hobbies/interests other than writing: Video games, sewing, art

Extended Profile: Personality Zodiac Sign: Pisces —Does it match your personality? Yes MBTI Type: INFP —Does it match your personality well? Yes Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert 

Writing Habits Number/Names of WIPs: 4 (only counting ones I’m currently posting) Favorite book about writing: Don’t really have one Planner, Pantser or Plantser? Plantser Favorite Outlining Method: Just jotting a bunch of notes in a text file, maybe broken down into chapters Do you write on a schedule or sporadically? Sporadically Any creativity rituals that you use: Not really

Your Writing Community Tumblr: celestialcontrail.tumblr.com Current writing/creative communities you participate in: NaNoWriMo Community Name (if applicable): N/A Wattpad Community Name (if applicable): N/A fanfiction.net or AO3 Community Name (if applicable): Contrail (for both) DeviantArt Community Name (if applicable): N/A Patreon Community Name (if applicable): N/A

[beautifulsnake2162020]

The Vitulation Cycle: An Arthuriana fanfiction (King Arthur x OC and Arthur x Guinevere x Lancelot) CHAPTER 11: AYRMIDA

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction I do not make any money from this. Cultist Simulator elements belongs to the Weather Factory, House of the Dragon/Game of thrones elements belongs to George RR Martin and Arthuriana while generally regarded as under the public domain, it comes from the culture of Britain.

Chapter 11: Ayrmida

"So what do we tell people when we arrive at Camelot?" You ask your uncle, sir Kay who despite being your father's foster sibling looks surprisingly a lot like him only with blonde hair and a few inches taller than him. You do your best to have Goldie keep up with his horse's pace since you wanted this to be private.

"I say we go with the truth while leaving out certain details. That way you can still call me uncle and my father grandfather. We won't specify our exact relation just that you are my niece from the Fisher King's kingdom. Your father is of course my relative."

"Is there anyone who might know?"

"Only Ector, and he's going to know either way." He tells you assuredly.

"That's somewhat comforting." You tried to keep the uncertainty outside of your tone but by the look of your uncle's face he wasn't deceived.

"Your parents told me that this isn't the first time that you are travelling alone."

"That was different uncle. I was already familiar with my route back then. And I also knew at the back of my mind that my mother had people watching me."

"Well this time I and Ector will be watching you and you'll be learning a lot more of your father's work. I have to admit, you are really brave and smart to do this."

"Ever since I learned of what my father does and who he is I know things will change and so will people's perception of me and my family. I want to know what it's like without him there. And if people are going to talk about me I want it to be on my own merits and not who my father is." Your uncle smiles affectionately at you.

"I approve of this endeavor and I'm excited to see how members of court and of the round table will take to you."

"What would be my position in court again?"

"I'll be introducing you as a lady in Queen Guinevere's household. She has been looking for new members for awhile."

"And she won't be suspicious or bothered by someone from another Kingdom? Or how young I am?" Your uncle chuckles, partially at you and partially affectionately.

"We are used to many immigrants from many parts of the world who wants to live in Camelot. It's not unusual at all. You are just the right age to enter court since you are beginning your adolescence and your journey to becoming a woman. Besides there are some who are a year or two younger than you. In my opinion they are still too young to appreciate courtly life."

"Forgive me sir Kay for interrupting your conversation but how much further is Camelot?" Joffrey one of the soldiers from the Fisher King's kingdom asks. He was a bit younger than your father, but not as flexible. He was rather plain for your taste and didn't have anything to say that interested you.

"Provided we don't run into any bandits, we could reach there within one week."

"That soon?" You ask startled. It seems so close now and yet you cannot help but be nervous too despite this being your idea.

"Are you sure I won't be suspicious at all?"

"You'll be fine Ayrmida. Trust in yourself, you are half of your father after all." You do your best to take your uncle's words to heart. Yet you can't help but feel both nervous and excited at the prospect of living an ordinary life without magic but not prohibited from it either. All your life you've either been suffocated by magic or have lived in fear because of your blood's association with magic. Sure it had been convenient and wonderful - even you couldn't deny that you miss the ease that you could get almost anything you wanted while you lived with the mages.

Anything except freedom.

With the exception of a few mages such as Kyrelle, you've always felt that you were being watched by the mages and how no matter what you did, whether it was dancing your heart out or writing little stories in your diaries, it was always never enough for them. You were too energetic, too much in her imagination, or too many questions.

Questions like why you weren't allowed to leave the magical palace.

Why you weren't allowed to climb trees or to do anything fun like the games other children played.

Questions like where was your father.

It was clear that your mother still loved him. She made sure to tell you all she knew about him, the good and the bad. And for many times growing up it made you mourn and wonder why the hours have deprived you and Daeron of a father. In all your little unofficial travels and when you would sometimes interact with other children your age and learn that you were fortunate in the sense that he had sounded like a good person, even with the flaws your mother would make sure you and Daeron knew.

Daeron had once questioned if your father was secretly alive somehow. You thought at first he was ridiculous but after thinking about it and realizing the many holes in the story your mother and Kyrelle told you...It was clear that both of them had reasonably thought he had died. That much was true. But in some conversations with the mages that you eavesdropped you began gathering that he may have indeed been alive but there was great effort into making it appear to your family that he had died.

That was until your mother refused to take another male lover to make more children, then the conversations began changing and you secretly began to hope that you could at least meet him. To do what, you didn't know. Perhaps it was just to answer any questions you had. Did you abandon us? Did you wonder or think about us? Where were you all this time? What did the mages do to you?

You weren't expecting to accidentally meet him along the way back after finally being allowed to officially spend sometime outside the magical palace. Sure there were mages still watching you, but it was the best compromise you could have. All you knew was that you needed to be away from the magic, away from the illusion, away from your mother arguing with the mages to not involve you and Daeron in whatever they want to do with your blood. It broke your heart and you were upset that it seems you were powerless to do anything to help her when all your life she had been the one protecting you.

You had noticed him first, he seemed to be exhausted and yet determined. An unusual look for a traveler. Most travelers reveled in the leisure time of their pilgrimages or visitations. Messengers would have the same look of exhaustion and determination but by his attire he wasn't one. He was more at a loss if his journey was worth continuing.

It intrigued you enough to choose him to dine with. And you could tell that you two bonded almost right away. Sure you did most of the talking but he didn't seem bothered by it. He was surprised by your company but it wasn't unwelcomed. As a matter of fact the more you two talked that fateful dinner the more he enjoyed having you as a companion.

When it turned out that he was your father and all this time he had thought your mother had died...that night you said a prayer in thanks to the hours of the Malachite and the Colonel. Perhaps there was a reason why it is only now that they brought your father into your life.

"Do you see that Ayrmida? That's Camelot right there."

Your heart beats rapidly as you gaze upon the golden city, it seemed to shine even more as the sun began setting and the darkness of night slowly crept in. The next day you would make your first step in the place where your father ruled, meet his court, his Queen and their shared lover. You hope they wouldn't hate you but if they were then at least its for who you are as a person and not your association alone.

You tried to sleep that night but you just simply could not. You decide to gaze more at the Kingdom that you were about to enter tomorrow. Perhaps it was the abundance of stars and the full moon but it seemed to be beautiful in the night time. Camp was not far away and you could see some of the soldiers of the Fisher King still up and drinking a bit. They were preparing their armor to be worn tomorrow as they would meet with your father's own troops under the direction of your uncle.

You hear a twig snap behind you which startled you out of your late night activity.

"Who's there?" You ask doing your best not to be scared. You shouldn't be. The nearest tent was your uncle's. There is no reason for you to be scared.

Says your mind not your heart.

Your heart begins beating rapidly as you hold the hilt of your dagger. It wasn't obsidian like your mother's but it was one of the best blades the Fisher King has in his kingdom which he has gifted to you.

"Ugh." You hear a groan and then hear someone or something collapse.

"Uncle!" You find yourself running towards your uncle's tent.

"Uncle! Uncle!" You hear him groan as he awakens.

"...Ayrmida? What's wrong?"

"There's something or someone among the trees. And I don't know who it is." You hear him quickly dress into something decent before he comes out of his tent.

It turns out that was a good choice to make.

"Mordred? Mordred are you alright?" Upon a closer look was a teenage boy close to your age who has a large gash on his knee.

"Argh Kay, I'm - ugh."

"Mordred stay with me. Ayrmida go to the soldiers who are still awake, I'll need assistance."

"Yes uncle."

He was running a high fever and upon closer inspection it seems his wound has Gangrene on it. You cleanse the wound with the medical supply of distilled alcohol as your uncle puts a damp cloth on his forehead to break the fever and Joffrey was making a soup that would help.

"Stay awake Mordred. You're almost a knight, trust me on that."

"Of all the times for a hunt to go wrong. I bet no one's looking for me in Camelot."

"You're wrong, my father would be and so will the Queen and Lancelot. I know the others may tease you but they will also mourn you if you were to die before they did."

"Here's more soup for the boy Kay, if it's alright with you I feel like I need rest."

"Very well, thank you Joffrey."

And soon it was just the three of you in his tent and Mordred could not stay awake any longer.

"Uncle, maybe I could...um..."

"Out of the question Ayrmida, your father promised you and your mother that I keep you safe. That will only put you in danger."

"But his fever is so high and it seems he might not make it. It's only the two of us in here and I have permission from my mother to do it discreetly if someone is dying." He sighs.

"Let's wait a bit more, if his fever is still high..." He doesn't finish as he soaks a new cloth in water and replaces the one he placed on Mordred's forehead.

You don't know how long you've waited but eventually your uncle fell asleep in treating Mordred.

Now was your chance.

You take out your blade and briefly run it through the candle used to light up the tent to see Mordred's injuries. You then quickly submerge the blade in the water your uncle used to help keep the cloths wet and damp in the hopes of breaking his fever.

Then you position the blade against your non-dominant hand making sure that your thumb is out of the way.

And then you make the cut.

Not all doors are wounds; but all wounds are doors.

You watch as your blood drips on his injuries and the areas where the Gangrene has begun developing and you watch them begin to heal.

Maybe just a little bit more blood, just in case.

You watch the injuries heal and his body restored itself. It was only then that you begin bandaging the area that previously had the open wound and Gangrene. Maybe by the time you enter Camelot you could just pass it as someone magically healing him.

Soon you too feel yourself in need of rest and you head back to your tent and you succumb to your own darkness.

You aren't sure how long you were asleep only that you must have awakened long after everyone has broken their fast.

"You did it didn't you?" Your uncle asks as you break your fast and he uses this as a chance to talk to you in private.

"I'm sorry uncle, I just couldn't let him die." He sighs but gives you an understanding look. You hear him mutter something about being your father's daughter.

"We'll have to find an explanation on why he no longer has Gangrene and his wounds are closed up and healed now."

"That's why I still bandaged it. I thought maybe if he doesn't see it yet then by the time we are in Camelot we could excuse it in a magical ritual?" He raises an eyebrow at you.

"He's still going to feel the difference. And that's what he has been saying when we were breaking fast earlier."

"...Maybe a magical miracle? Or being touched by the Grail? That's technically not a lie." He was about to rebut when Mordred being assisted by a soldier - his name is Gruffydd from what you can remember - as he go towards you.

"Sir Kay, I'd like to thank you again for healing me. I don't know what you and the other's did but it seems my wounds and infections are gone now."

"Oh there's no need for that Mordred. But just because you are healed now does not mean that you shouldn't take care. You'll be riding with me to relieve the weight from your injury."

"I couldn't possibly."

"It's fine, Mordred. Once we return you are getting checked by Morgan or Seren. Come Ayrmida, let's get ready to ride if we are to make it to Camelot before sun down."

"Yes uncle." You say as you get up and begin packing up your belongings.

Your uncle and some others assist Mordred in getting up the saddle without putting pressure on his bandaged leg. From the looks of it and knowing that your blood has managed to heal his injuries you would say that his discomfort is more of the presence of the bandages.

And soon you arrive at the gates of Camelot. There was much fanfare from your uncle returning, but also immediate concern upon the boy named Mordred being injured who was riding with him.

"Get Morgan or Seren checking on Mordred to be sure, tell my father once his meeting ends that the Fisher King has sent troops to help with the Saxon problem and the witch hunters." He tells his squires as he leads you to help you get settled.

"My my sir Kay, who is this fine young girl you've brought?" One of the female servants ask. She's about Mordred's age or maybe even one or two years older than him.

"Laurel I'd like you to meet my niece, Ayrmida. She's from my relatives in the Fisher King's kingdom. She had wanted to live in Camelot for awhile now."

"Oh welcome to Camelot dearie, let's get you settled in now. Queen Guinevere will probably meet you tomorrow." She says as she helps you with your belongings and leads you to where your room would be.

"Tomorrow? But I just arrived and I barely know anything about being in court."

"Oh don't you fret dearie, the Queen is most gracious and is happy to guide your way in court."

"I will also be here all the way Ayrmida. You won't ever be alone." His reassuring tone  and his matching smile helped settle your nerves as Laurel lead you to your room to help freshen you up before dinner. Tonight it was to be a private affair since you and your uncle just arrived and it would also allow you to talk freely with him and sir Ector your grandfather.

"And how do you find Camelot so far young one?" He asks in a gentle yet stern tone. It is probably from him that your own father learned this from.

"Honestly speaking I haven't really noticed my surroundings yet. My main concern on my mind was Mordred."

"Oh?"

"She healed him with her blood father. A secret that should not be revealed yet."

"OH."

"He was dying and I did it as discreetly as possible. That's why I still wrapped the area with a bandage so hopefully there's deniability? Besides I doubt he would even remember me being there."

"Don't underestimate things Ayrmida. What you may think is a small matter might be a big matter to someone else. How is Mordred doing?"

"Morgan is checking on him right now. She might be able to connect the dots but as long as we don't mention Ayrmida's involvement we may assert deniability just a little bit longer."

"Hmm good. Now Ayrmida for the meantime and while your father isn't here yet please refrain from doing that again. Both for your safety and for the success of this experience of yours."

"Of course, I understand...grandfather." A ghost of a smile dances on his lips briefly before he begins talking a little bit more about what to expect when being in court.

Funnily enough the first person you meet in court is not the Queen but Mordred who was waiting nearby as your uncle and your grandfather was escorting you after the three of you broke your fast in the private dining hall.

"Oh Mordred shouldn't you be resting?"

"Lady Morgan has told me that I could walk again Sir Ector. Forgive me my lady but I believe we haven't properly been introduced. I am Mordred, cup-bearer and a squire of the knights of the round table." He bows to you before looking up at you with his dark brown eyes.

"I am Ayrmida, I'm not quite a lady yet since I have yet to meet the Queen."

"Then let's not keep her waiting." Your grandfather says as he leads you to court and tells you how to conduct yourself while Mordred followed by your side.

"It won't be as formal as you are thinking, when all else fails just follow what the Queen asks you to do." Your uncle says before your grandfather stops to inspect you.

"Kay will take over from here now, but if you still have any questions after your meeting with the Queen you need only ask where I am. Goodluck Ayrmida."

You nod in thanks as he leaves the three of you.

"Ready?"

"No - but I may as well." Your uncle chuckles as he opens the door leading to the hallway to the court proper.

"Your majesty, Sir Kay and the squire Mordred." The herald says as you walk behind your uncle. You take a deep breath as you make yourself relax as you gaze upon the Queen, her ladies, the other knights and the rest of court whom you could hear was whispering as to who you were.

"Your majesty." He bows and Mordred follows suit. You do your best to do an acceptable curtsy though you have no doubt that someone in court will take issue with it.

"Sir Kay, thank the heavens you have returned to us safely and even returned Mordred whom we have been worried about. Though Mordred should you really be walking already?"

"The lady Morgan has said so your majesty. I don't know what miracle happened that healed me but I am nevertheless thankful for it."

You keep your face lowered down since you have not been addressed yet.

"And who is this young girl you have brought before us?"

"I would like to introduce my niece from the Fisher King's Kingdom. The Lady Ayrmida, your majesty."

Silence followed. You keep your head down.

"Look up Lady Ayrmida and come closer. I would like to have a better look at you." The Queen says with a gentle yet commanding tone.

You finally allow yourself to look up and to see her for the first time.

Appearance wise she was quite different from your mother. She had rich brown hair with matching brown eyes from what you could tell. She was also beautiful with her being slimmer than most ladies. Her fair skin heightened the contrast of her features even more.

"You seem nervous child. What's wrong?"

"Forgive me your majesty. But this is my first time in any court and I don't know how exactly I should behave." She gives you a warm smile.

"Oh don't worry, we are less formal than other courts. All of us are not born with knowledge of courtly life. I welcome you to our court and I feel you will fit right in here. Sir Kay has she been introduced to the members of the round table yet?"

"I plan to do so after this session your majesty."

"Good, afterwards have her join me and my ladies in my sitting room."

"Of course your majesty, and before I forget the Fisher King has sent troops to aid us against the Saxons and the witch hunters."

"Good make sure they are all settled. I will entrust you and the other knights with the militia plans."

"Very well your majesty." He then leads you to the side to allow you to observe the Queen as she continues holding court. From what you could see so far she was decisive yet still allowed room for change, warm and yet you feel she wouldn't hesitate to put you in your place if you threaten or disrespect her or anyone she loves.

You have to admit she's a good match for your father. They may not have been each other's first choice but you could so far understand why he grew to love her. Whether that is entirely reciprocal or if she vastly preferred Lancelot over him was yet to be seen.

You soon meet members of the round table, people who didn't know that you were technically their relative though they did not know that yet.

"Is this what all ladies go through in their first day?" Sir Gwaine and his siblings chuckles.

"Not exactly, usually we meet them during a ball or a party. Because we would be in a meeting with our King. But since our King is still away, her majesty must have thought that this would be more convenient for everyone to meet you." Says Sir Gwaine.

"Yes, it is rather unfortunate that you arrived at a time when he is away. King Arthur loves entertaining new members of his court no matter their rank is. I have a feeling you and he would get along." Sir Dagonet says with a peculiar look on his face. You sincerely hope it's not the possibility of you being their King's eldest child. True you heavily resembled your father but your features were not uncommon among the common folk. You recall many times when you would ask your mother or a mage if a child you saw with red hair and green eyes was related to you only for them to say no.

"And what gives you that feeling Sir Dagonet?"

"You have a hidden rebelliousness within you that I could sense. That ought to put Arthur on his toes, and he always loves new perspectives."

"That's quite an insight of me for my first day Sir Dagonet. Perhaps you may be mistaken."

"If I was mistaken it would make familial relations very awkward in meeting your foster relative in the King."

"Okay no need to pressure her Sir Dagonet." A new voice enters the room and you turn to look at the latecomer. He had long black hair, broad built but it tapered to a narrow waist - or so his clothes alluded to - and had a little bit of a beard growing. Like many others in the room he was rather attractive and you could understand why many ladies would want to immediately meet your father's knights.

"Sir Lancelot, you've finally arrived from your morning training. I would like to introduce my niece from the Fisher King's Kingdom. This is Lady Ayrmida, today is her first day here." Ah so this is Sir Lancelot, technically he is your step-father since he is also your father's lover. You curtsy to him as he bows to you.

"Ah so this is Lady Ayrmida, the Queen has asked me to escort you to her sitting room."

"Oh come on Lancelot you've just came here, you barely even got to know the girl." Lancelot chuckles as he goes to you and offers his arm.

"Gwaine this is just her first day, I think she could take a breather from you trying to impress her. Sir Kay, Lady Ayrmida, may I?"

"Certainly Sir Lancelot, Ayrmida I'll just be here with the other knights discussing militia plans. If ever you need me I'll be here and your grandfather will be in his room should you need any help. Am I clear?"

"Yes uncle, thank you so much." And with that you take Sir Lancelot's arm and he escorts you while also acting as a guide to the layout of the castle.

"I'm confused Sir Lancelot, I thought the Queen would only meet during court sessions?"

"For formal affairs such as an introduction of a new face in court who isn't part of the serving staff. Her majesty much like the King prefers more informal settings. She and her ladies would gather in her sitting room when not in courtly sessions."

"But my uncle says this court is more informal than any other court."

"And your uncle is right. But there are still some things that are still too informal in courtly sessions. This is why her majesty specifically requested that you join her and her ladies in her sitting room after you've been introduced to the knights of the round table."

"Oh...Sir Lancelot may I ask how many times do I have to curtsy?" He chuckles with an affectionate air.

"Trust me that's not something you will have to worry about when you enter the sitting room. You will feel the difference between the court session earlier and the simple gathering of the Queen's ladies in her sitting room."

"Why do I feel that I am the youngest in this court?"

"There's nothing wrong with that Lady Ayrmida. Honestly speaking I think this court is in need a lot more youths around your age. Some things have become stagnant ever since our King is away on a Grail quest."

"Grail quest? Is that why he isn't here?"

"Yes, he has been mandated from a magical being to find the person called the Grail. Once he finds it, it is believed to benefit us as well." He speaks with reverence about it. Almost hoping that it is about to end soon. But then again your uncle did tell your father that he has told both him and the Queen that he was still alive but did not tell them the probable location where your father was hiding.

"What will this Grail person do?"

"I honestly don't know." He gives you a sheepish smile.

"I have yet to figure out what thirst the Grail will help satisfy. In all honesty Lady Ayrmida, I'm more interested in his return than whomever the Grail may be." Longing, a similar longing to what you sometimes saw in your mother when she thought your father was dead. Maybe it was similar to your longing to finally see him and ask him questions that had been plaguing you for awhile.

You both stop on front of a door.

"Just relax and be yourself." He says reassuringly.

"Really?"

"Really. Her majesty genuinely wants to know more about you. If she didn't she wouldn't have made this request, let alone in open court. Everything will be fine." All you can do is take a deep breath as he opens the door and you follow him in.

"The Lady Ayrmida, your majesty." He bows his head briefly before nodding to you and as he makes his exit.

You make a curtsy just in case only to be stopped midway by the Queen herself.

"Oh there will be none of that Lady Ayrmida, there's no need to be formal here." It was only when you feel her hands on your arms that you realized that she had walked to where you were and was now leading you to sit beside her among her ladies who appeared to be closer to her age. She briefly introduces you to each one before she returns her attention to you.

"As you can see you are the youngest person to become one of my ladies which is why we are all a little bit excited."

"I'm not sure where to start your majesty."

"Well why don't you start by telling us why you want to come to Camelot?" Her friendly and warm tone did nothing to calm down your nerves. Nevertheless you were thankful that this was one of the questions wherein you could be honest while omitting a few details here and there.

"I've heard plenty of stories from my father and uncle about how Camelot was a golden city. I thought they were just giving me pretty stories, but as we travelled around a little bit I heard similar thoughts from strangers and other travelers who have been here and who are going here. So I took advantage of my father asking me what I desired for my twelfth birthday to come here and see Camelot for myself. He agreed under the strict supervision of my uncle and grandfather."

"Your father must be really trusting to allow you to be here with your uncle and grandfather." One of her ladies - Brigid from what you could recall - commented as she drank from her goblet.

"Not entirely my lady, he'll be arriving here with the rest of my family a bit later. He and my mother are just taking care of my aunt - or is it grandaunt because she is also my uncle's and my father's aunt?"

"Well I'll be delighted to meet them when they arrive. How do you find Camelot so far?" The Queen asks curiously.

"Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to take in the sights. I was focused on helping my uncle with Mordred's injury for me to truly see Camelot and I have yet to venture outside of the castle yet."

"That won't do, I have the rest of tomorrow off I'll personally give you a tour of Camelot."

"But-but aren't you the Queen?" She gives you a warm expression.

"All the more that it should be me who shows you around." One of her other ladies snorted in laughter.

"Are you trying to beat Arthur in welcoming newcomers Guinevere?"

"He's not here and therefore he cannot snatch this moment from me. But yes it is true that had you arrived when my husband Arthur is here, he'll want to be the one to give you a tour of Camelot. He does this with every new member of court and I'm lucky he's not here to snatch my chance to do this."

"Scared he might be interested in this new lady?" The same lady who made the earlier comment said. You aren't sure if this was teasing or if there was tension between the Queen and her. Perhaps just because you were Queen didn't mean that you could simply choose who would be a lady in your household.

"Very funny Galinda. I'm secure in Arthur's love for me, just as I am secure in the hope that he will one day return." The Queen says with an underlying threatening tone directed towards the lady Galinda which was unexpected for you. Your earlier intuition might be right in that her warmth does not mean she was scared to respond to any possible threat no matter how small or large it might be.

The rest of the day which you have spent with her and her ladies went fairly well. She introduced you to the art of embroidery after you noticed her needlework on a nearby table. While Daeron may have been the artist that didn't mean you didn't also dabble in creative works. Needlework and embroidery had always fascinated you and you remember being upset that you weren't allowed to pursuit it out of fear of the needles injuring you. Only the mages were allowed to have needles which were attached to the syringes they used to gather your mother's blood.

While your nerves did not go away, you did calm down more and you found yourself looking forward to the Queen's tour of Camelot. So far you couldn't find anyone who suspected what you had feared in order for this experience to give you true insight. And you hoped that everyone will understand why you needed to do this when the time comes for this experience to end.

AN: I'll be honest I did not have a specific appearance for Lancelot in mind when I began writing this story. But then I encountered the Choices option for Lancelot as I was scrolling through tumblr (The Asian looking one with long straight hair and with a bit of a beard) and I fell in love so this will be the image of Lancelot I will be writing on.

[isthespiceoflife]

H4thOJ!

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On NOW, “Represent: Hip-Hop Photography” at the Smithsonian (in D.C.), running ‘til May 5, 2019. U got time!

Opening exhibit reception for artist Olimpia Zagnoli’s “Cuore Di Panna”, May 25 (this Friday) in LA @HVW8 Gallery, RSVP.

It goes -- Fall, Winter, Spring... Summer! Well, U all know if U lived thru NY’s winter, how harsh weird it was. We’re in 80+ degree weather in Spring, yet there seemed to be NO TRANSITION. Which means, let’s get out-side, I mean right here in NY! Riis Park Beach anyone? There’s been so much going on nationally n’ internationally, from Kanye’s ‘free thought’ as a precursor to promote his latest music, NBA playoffs is heating up, then there’s the ever-revolving media circus surrounding this madman, not to mention his staff. Ummm...what else? So much going on, I need a RED BULL! See some below beats, if U may -- including some treats rockin’ from Cali, to JA. And don’t forget, Cinco De Mayo this weekend passed, esp if you’re not Mexican!

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From Side Hobby, to Cash Flow: Shooting for Brands! This Saturday, May 5 (don’t worry you can drink after U elevate your photography career) in NYC! 

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U won’t wanna miss this (n’ no that’s not Jazzie B from Soul II Soul, it’s Comrade Cav)! UK II BK, going down @Black Flamingo in W’Burg w/DJ Misbehaviour, tomorrow Fri, May 4.

Wait ya turn boy!? Missed that? Then go to this “Everyday Afrique” (Memorial Day) @Output!

Schomburg Talks: Carnival traditions in the African Diaspora thru the lens of T&T. On June 20th, “Consecrating the Consequence -- Masquerade, Performance n’ Spirituality in Carnival” happens @Schomburg Center for Research in BC, from 6:30-9p. RSVP.

After almost a year after a mishap in immigration/passport issues, this tour is finally on n’ happening. Tricky is here in the U.S., catch him as he promotes his latest 2017 Ununiform album, if U can (below dates)!

5/3 - New York City, NY @ Irving Plaza - Tickets 5/5 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick - Tickets 5/6 - Chicago, IL @ Bottom Longue - Tickets 5/7 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry - Tickets 5/9 - Denver, CO @ Marquis - Tickets 5/12 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos - Tickets 5/13 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge - Tickets 5/14 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre - Tickets 5/16 - San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine - Tickets 5/17 - San Diego, CA @ Music Box - Tickets 5/18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre - Tickets

Yea, this May 10th David Bowie event @BK Museum, will soon sell off! A Music video binge on some of Bowie’s best.

Celebrity photographer & director Markus Klinko presents: “2000s” -- an exhibit open to the public (June 14-30), @Mouche Gallery.

X Gallery and EnFoco join together to present “Queer Eye” -- a photographic artistic exhibition celebrating LGBTQ Pride month, opening June 1-30 w/an artist (Lola Flash) meet n’ greet on June 14.

Join these two house music master DJs (Chicago’s Roy Davis, Jr. + France’s Franck Roger) in Paris @Glazart, June 9. Peep all the invite info, and no I don’t have flight info haa!

Cuco’s Tour Dates:

5/5-6 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House

5/26-27 - Cleveland Square Park, TX @ Neon Desert Music Festival 

6/1-3 - Randall's Island, NY @ Governors Ball

7/21-22 - Exposition Park, LA @ FYF Fest

8/2-5 - Grand Park, Chicago @ Lollapalooza

8/3-5 - Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal @ Osheaga Festival

8/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Shrine

8/10-12 - Golden Gate Park, SF @ Outside Lands

A rare happening, Fishbone’s on tour (see dates below)!

Thu, May 24/18 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's Fri, May 25/18 - Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival Sat, Jun 23/18 - San Diego, CA - 91X Beer Festival Fri, Jun 29/18 - Los Angeles, CA - Levitt Pavilion, Downtown LA Sat, Jul 14/18 - Ventura, CA - Surf Rodeo Festival Sat, Jul 28/18 - Tokyo, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival Thu, Aug 23/18 - Silver Spring, MD - Fillmore Fri, Aug 24/18 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl Sat, Aug 25/18 - Worchester, MA - Palladium 

BRIC’s Opening Night Concert n’ Gala feat. Common, hits us June 5. Don’t sleep, it’s FREE. It just sounds (n’ he looks) fancy!

Annually, most equate summer in Europe n’ the U.S. to...? Yes, outdoor reggae festivals! And this one’s been growing bigger n’ stronger each year, in Monterey. California Roots Music & Arts Festival is hitting 9-years old, w/a line-up that’s special.

Protoje has a new LP (A Matter of Time), pushing “No Guarantee” n’ is on tour w/Chronixx, see dates below!

MAY 24, 2018 - SUBTERRANEAN - CHICAGO, IL - BUY TICKETS MAY 25, 2018 - SUMMER CAMP FESTIVAL - CHILLICOTHE, IL - BUY TICKETS MAY 26, 2018 - UNION STAGE - WASHINGTON, DC - BUY TICKETS MAY 27, 2018 - CONEY ISLAND AMPHITHEATER - BK, NY - BUY TICKETS

Awwww...that’s Ziggy Marley w/his lil’ ‘Ziggy’, he’s going on tour -- to promote his latest Rebellion Rises, see dates below:

UPCOMING NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

Dates:                                   City:                                                       Venue:

6/8/18                                   Napa, CA                                           Uptown 

6/10/18                                Carmel, CA                                         Sunset Center

6/12/18                                Jacksonville, OR                                Britt Pavilion

6/13/18                                Seattle, WA                                        Seattle Zoo

6/14/18                                Portland, OR                                      Portland Zoo

6/16/18                                Kamas, UT                                           DeJoria Ctr

6/17/18                                Winter Park, CO                                 Hideaway Park

6/18/18                                Aspen, CO                                           Aspen

6/19/18                                Albuquerque, NM                 Villa Hispana Outdoor

6/20/18                                Phoenix, AZ                                        Van Buren

6/22/18                                Santa Ynez, CA                                  Chumash

6/23/18                                Sacramento, CA                                 Ace of Spades

6/24/18                                San Francisco, CA                             Sigmund Stern

8/23/18                               Bellvue, CO                                  Mishawaka

9/1/18                                   Vienna, VA                                         Wolf Trap

+UPCOMING EUROPEAN TOUR DATES!

It’s incredible how fast this movement grew into something actually cool, over just a few years. It WAS poorly organized, poorly attended n’ pathetically not a true reflection of the carnival zest from Trinidad, representing in LA. But that’s recently changed, also incorporating other cultures from across the globe! Don’t miss from June 21-24 in H’wood, the Hollywood Carnival & Parade + ‘nuff activities surrounding this better soca-infused weekend of LA Carnival’s non-stop bachannal!

Hop on, but don’t hop off ‘til it docks. You’re invited, btw...this is a one-time only summer event, don’t lapse.

If you’re performing at one of Brooklyn’s coolest venues, National Sawdust, there’s something really cool about you. And that’s why U should check Underground System on Sat, June 16 @7p. Hopefully tix are still left!? If not, there’s 2 other upcoming shows (see below) too!

Feeling a lil’ nostalgia living in NYC, for the Pacific Ocean, Venice Beach n’ West Coast Gangstarr rap? @Project Parlor in BK, every 3rd Saturday, from 3p-8p, Str8 West Coastin’ got ya ‘chronic’ needs!

Above, catch the duo -- Adrian Younge + Ali Shaheed Muhammad aka The Midnight Hour w/band in NYC on Weds, June 20 @Manderley Bar (McKittrick Hotel). And below, back in their home-base of LA, catch them on Saturday, June 23 @Lodge Room. These shows should be a top priority, if music is your thing, ya feel me?

This year, Reggae Sumfest organizers are really kicking up some dust in branding this year’s festival (July 15-22 in Montego Bay), to be their best yet. For instance, it has now expanded to 8 days of real authentic Jamaican entertainment n’ food, amongst other forms of entertaining one’s self ;-) 

See lineup + schedule below.

Sun. July 15   Sumfest Colour-Fest Beach Party @Tropical Bliss Beach | Doors Open: 3pm | (Ticketed)

Mon. July 16 Sumfest Street Dance @ Hip Strip, MoBay | Gates Open: 7pm | (Free)

Tues. July 17 All White Party @ Pier One Restaurant & Bar | Doors Open: 8pm | (Ticketed)

Wed. July 18 The Blitz “All Black” Party Feat. Safaree and Stefflon Don @ (Venue TBD) | Doors Open: 8pm | (Ticketed) 

Thu. July 19 The Inspire Awards @ Iberostar Hotel | 5pm-9pm | (Invitation Only) 

Thu. July 19 Reggae Sumfest Presents: Irish & Chin's World Clash 20th Anniversary @ Pier One Event Center | Doors Open: 8pm | (Ticketed) Tony Matterhorn, Mighty Crown, Ricky Trooper and Pink Panther!

Fri. July 20 Sumfest Symposium @ Montego Bay Conference Center | Time TBD | (Free) 

Fri. July 20 Sumfest Festival Night 1 @ Catherine Hall Event Centre | Doors Open: 7pm | (Ticketed) Popcaan, Aidonia, Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Spice, Tommy Lee Sparta, Agent Sasco, Ding Dong, I-Octane, Stonebwoy, Harry Toddler, Yanique, D-Major, Kemar Highcon, Dance Expressions, Govana, Tosh Alexander, Shano, Jah Fabio, Kim Nain, Rygin King, Vanzo, G Don V, Press Kay plus special guest stars 

Sat. July 21 Sumfest Festival Night 2@ Catherine Hall Event Centre | Doors Open: 7pm | (Ticketed) Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Beres Hammond, Maxi Priest, Cham, Capleton, Raging Fyah, Jesse Royal, J Boog, Fantan Mojah, Keznamdi, Empress Ayeola, Naomi Cowan, Jah Dore, D’Yani, Stushi, plus special guest stars.

And everyone in NYC -- young n’ old, has to hit up at least one of these, come summertime. See below, or FULL line-up here.

[10inlinguistics]

Spanish pronunciation

Just like the letter B in english isn’t pronounced “bee,” the Spanish B isn’t “bay.” Here I will use Spanish words, but as these lessons are intended for beginner Spanish students, most of the Spanish words will probably not be recognizable.

Vowels are always pronounced as the alphabet pronounces them.  To refresh, vowels are a, e, i, o, and u (ah, ay, ee, oh, and ooh).  There are no silent vowels in Spanish and these sounds will never change.  Remember, though, that a diphthong (two vowels strung together) is not a vowel.

Consonants are every other letter in the alphabet.  The sounds of these letters can change depending on other letters in the word.  We’ll go in alphabetic order, skipping the vowels.

B is pronounced as a “buh” sound, but the “uh” is pretty much inaudible.  Bebé (bay-BAY) is a good example here.  The “ay” sound in this is not generated by the B, but by the following vowel, e. C is a letter with dual pronunciation.  Like in English, it can have a soft “s” sound or a hard “k” sound.  In carro (Kah-RROH) the C is followed by an A; Whenever a C is followed by A, O, or U, it is pronounced as a hard C.  Rinoceronte (ree-noh-say-RON-tay) shows the C followed by an E; When C is followed by E or I, it is soft.. CH is one of the unique Spanish letters from lesson 1.  This is one of the letters removed from the alphabet.  The “chuh” sound is just like the English counterpart and, like the B, the “uh” should be virtually inaudible.  Charlar (CHAHR-lahr), meaning “to chat” is a fine example here. D is also pronounced like the English D. Dolar (Doh-LAHR). F is used far more often in Spanish than in English because we use the crazy “ph” to substitute for F rather frequently.  F is a regular letter and is the same as the English F.  Falta (FAL-tah). G, like C, has two pronunciations and follows the same rules as C.  Gente (HEN-tay) follows the I/E rule and is soft, pronounced like the English H.  Ganar (Gan-AHR), following the A/O/U rule, is the same as the hard English G. H is the only “silent” letter in Spanish, and is used primarily for spelling and gender purposes.  Helado (Ay-LAH-doh) would be written as “el helado,” not “la helado” because it is masculine and the ah sound followed immediately by the ay sound would be difficult to pronounce.  Remember that CH is one letter and not a C and an H!  Charlar doesn’t have a C or an H in it and if you tried to spell it aloud as “C-H-A-R-L-A-R” a Spanish speaker would likely be confused about the new word you had created. J is the Spanish equivalent of English H.  Mujer (Moo-HAYR).  It’s hard to remember that if you hear an H it’s a J, but you will eventually get used to it. K is the same as the hard C and is not used often.  K is seen most often in words borrowed from other languages.  Kárate (KAH-rah-tay), for example, is obviously not Spanish. L is the same as English L.  Quelidón (Kay-lee-DOHN). LL is one of the crazy double letters and one of the letters removed from the alphabet.  For beginning students, it will be most used in llamar (Yah-MAHR) and the forms of llamar.  Remember that the LL sound like the English Y, but the Spanish Y does not!  Like the J-H situation, the one that doesn’t look like it sounds like it! M is the same as English M.  Tiempo (Tee-EHM-poh). N is the same as English N.  Nunca (NOON-cah). Ñ is another special letter.  The squiggle over the N is called a tilde.  The only tilde accented letters I have seen are Ñ in Spanish, Õ in Latin, and à in Portuguese.  It causes the N in Spanish to gain a Y sound at the end.  This can be tricky because the N sound and Y sound can actually be in separate syllables.  Niñeta (Neen-YEH-tah) is a perfect example. P is the same as the English P.  Perfecto (Payr-FAYC-toh) Q, like the English Q, is followed by a U and either an E or an I.  The only words having UA and UO are both borrowed words, and UU doesn’t exist.  Make sure you look at the next lesson, where I explain diphthongs, as Q is always followed by a diphthong.  The Q is pronounced as a K sound and, unlike the English Q, is not followed by a W sound.  Que (KAY). R is the same as the English R, although many people are actually incapable of producing this sound.  If you have trouble with your R’s, you can substitute it with an L, just be careful not to emphasize the sound.  Rompar (Rom-PAR) RR is the a rolled R.  The tip on rolling R’s can be found in the Tips category.  It is used some, but not with the frequency of other letters.  Erradicar (Ay-rrah[rolled]-di-CAHR). S is, again, the same as the English S, and is similar to the R in that many people cannot produce S sounds.  It is not bad or wrong to replace an S sound with the English TH sound.  In fact, in Spain this is done very often.  All S sounds (the Z and the soft C) can be pronounced this way.  Estar (Ays [or th]-TAHR). T is also the same as the English T.  Batalla (Bah-TAH-yah). V, as I explained in lesson 1, has a sound that is really more of a combination of English B and V.  Just say a B sound instead of V.  Vengo (BAYN-goh) W is used in words borrowed from other languages, like K.  It is pronounced exactly as the English W.  Windsurfista (Weend-soor-FEES-tah) is one of the few spanish words with a W in it. X has dual pronunciation.  In some words, like Extraño (Eks-TRAHN-yoh), the X produces the same sound as the English X.  In others, such as México (MAY-hee-coh), it is pronounced as a Spanish J or English H. Y is a strange letter that is an oft used word by itself.  I haven’t actually seen it used very often except by itself.  The word Y will be explained in later lessons.  Hoy (OYEE) is a good example of it used in a word.  The pronunciation is a bit hard to explain because it sometimes has a light English Y sound followed by a long E or Spanish I sound.  Both “parts” of the sound are together and don’t generate their own syllable like Ñ can. Z is pronounced as an English S.  It never takes on the buzzing tone the English Z has.  Zapato (Sah-PAH-toh).

As you can see, the language can be tricky.  English is FAR more difficult than Spanish.  This guide should help you pronounce words accurately the first time you see them and without needing to hear them aloud.  If anything in this doesn’t make sense, talk to me about it via email or comment and I will edit the lesson to clarify it if I can.

[beautifulsnake2162020]

The Vitulation Cycle: An Arthuriana fanfiction (King Arthur x OC and Arthur x Guinevere x Lancelot) CHAPTER 4: GUINEVERE

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction I do not make any money from this. Cultist Simulator elements belongs to the Weather Factory, House of the Dragon/Game of thrones elements belongs to George RR Martin and Arthuriana while generally regarded as under the public domain, it comes from the culture of Britain.

Chapter 4 - Guinevere

It was clear to everyone that you were angry and you were out for blood. You did your best to project calm on your way to the knights of the round table. But inside, you felt your wrath fill within you at what happened to Lancelot under your watch.

"An incident happened last night. I and many others here have fallen victim into what seems to be a sleeping potion. And while we were asleep, the Princess Elaine had deceived Lancelot and harassed him enough to get his seed."

"How do you know this your majesty? When you also fell asleep to the potion just like us?" Sir Bedivere asks skeptically. You couldn't blame him, if you had been in his shoes, you too would be suspicious of why you would be the one to deliver the news. Especially news regarding Lancelot. While you two did your best to be discreet, it didn't surprise you to know there were rumors spreading about your interactions with each other.

"If you must know sir Bedivere, Merlin was able to awaken me after he saw the Princess Elaine slip away after I began sleeping."

"Quite fortunate indeed that I am not fond of such gatherings eh. Merlin said as he enters the room. You suppress the feeling that this was a hidden message to you. You were still uncertain how Merlin came to really know about Princess Elaine's secret plans or where he stood when it came to your affair with Lancelot. Does he know that you and Lancelot only gave in after Arthur secretly gave you his blessing in the last Beltane celebration?

"You truly are wise Merlin, thank you."

"No need to thank me sir Ector, though I still do not know why the Princess Elaine would want Lancelot's seed in particular."

"What do we know about the Fisher King and his kingdom so far?" You ask as you push your emotions down. You can explode in rage later when you were in private and certain that no one else was there. You were angry, but that doesn't mean you should allow it to make you impulsive.

"His kingdom is a port kingdom filled with various bodies of water. His kingdom has access to both the sea and to the river that connects to the sea. He is called the Fisher King because of his love of fishing, your majesty." Sir Percival says as Mordred hands him a goblet and fills it with water.

"What is the current state of their kingdom?"

"It used to be prosperous but now many people say it no longer is so and is in danger. It may not be obvious but they are struggling." Sir Gwaine says as he looks over the notes on front of him.

"Allegedly, when Kay and I were there briefly for a visit, their resources appear to still be bountiful and sufficient for their people and for any passing visitor. It may be more likely that there is someone or some people in the Fisher King's court that is exploiting their resources and hoarding it instead of sharing it with the people." Sir Ector replies as he quickly finishes his water and summons Mordred through his hand to fill his goblet once more. He does have a point though. Arthur did allow them, sir Ector his foster father and sir Kay his foster brother, to visit a relative who now lives in the Fisher King's kingdom. Arthur specifically told them to not tell anyone that they were two of his knights in the round table. For one thing it was still new, and also while it was unsaid, this was a chance for Ector and Kay to spy on the Fisher King's kingdom without being noticed.

"May I speak my Queen?" Mordred asks bashfully as he finishes filling Ector's cup with water once again.

"Certainly Mordred."

"I would just like to ask how this is connected with the Princess Elaine stealing Lancelot's … um…"

"Oh come on Mordred you can say it." Sir Percival says in a teasing tone.

"Seed, sperm, semen." Sir Gwaine joins in making the air in the room a little bit lighter.

"Honestly now." You hear Sir Bedivere mutter under his breath at their humor while further muttering how this isn't the time for it.

"I just wanted to be respectful the Queen. I don't know which term she would prefer." "I'm sure her majesty wouldn't mind either way." Merlin says in a deceitfully lighthearted tone. But you could hear the underlying warning coming from him.

He knows about the affair. And if you do anything he doesn't like, he would expose you and Lancelot to the entire court. By that point it wouldn't matter if either of you explained that Arthur gave you both his blessing since you were proven to be barren and thus there would be no crisis of succession anyway. All people would talk about is how the Queen and one of Arthur's best knights had betrayed him while he was away.

"By any chance does Sir Lancelot know who the Princess was before she arrived?"

"He doesn't Sir Kay." You reply hastily.

"Hmm maybe there is someone here who the Princess Elaine knows. Merlin is it possible for you to find out?"

"I will do my best sir Kay. Although I believe it is Morgan who may be responsible for all of this."

A chill suddenly came in the room.

"What makes you think it was Morgan Merlin?"

"Think about it your majesty. We've both seen that the Princess Elaine is capable of magic spells and potions. She used a spell to disguise herself, and she used a spell to harvest Lancelot's seed. And even when you had her restrained to the ground she was able to use magic to get away. I know this must be jumping into conclusions and it is possible that she may have just studied and followed Lancelot here. But who has the most to gain with Lancelot's trauma?"

"With all due respect Merlin, all we can conclude for now is that it is the Princess Elaine who is at fault. There is no proof that Morgan was even involved."

"That is true Sir Bedivere. I just want you all to be open to the possibility. Morgan after all was responsible for the incident involving the Green Knight which caused such distress to the Queen. It is not above her to arrange such distressing incidents to happen. What better alibi than to not be in court at all when this recent one happened rather quickly."

The meeting ended with sir Ector arranging for spies to go to the Fisher King's kingdom to spy on the Princess.

Merlin did have a point in that Morgan had the most to gain from anything that caused Lancelot trauma. She of all people in court knew that anything that harmed him caused you distress.

But why would she go to such lengths?

To protect her brother.

You, yourself answered that question.

Is this her way of revenge for your affair with Lancelot? Does she even know that Arthur had approved of this?

From the first days of your marriage to him you already knew that she didn't approve of it. For what reason? You still didn't know. It seemed that no matter what you did it was never enough for her. You awaken one day knowing two things. First was that you did love Arthur. Even now as he was away on his private pilgrimage with his sister, you missed him. You miss the way he would be on his study as he was constantly studying to keep his mind sharp. You miss the way he would take time to make sure you two would spend at least once a month away from court and just allowed the two of you to be yourselves.

"I know I may not be your first choice as a husband or as a lover. But I don't want you to lose who you are in this marriage." He says as he begins making a fire in your homely cabin in the woods.

"What do you mean Arthur? Neither of us had a choice when our fathers married us."

"True, but that doesn't mean you should only be serving me. I should also be serving you." He begins feeding the small fire with multiple logs as he carefully positions it deeper in an opening called the chimney. An experiment from one of the townspeople that prevented smoke from getting everywhere in the house. "I've witnessed many people simply becoming a servant of their spouse once they've entered into a marriage. And while to some of them it may make them happy, I personally don't find any pleasure in it."

"Quite true - you prefer to be the one serving rather than being served." You couldn't help but chuckle with him as he realizes this fact.

"This might be the first time someone else has noticed that."

"When I realized that, I began to have higher hopes for this marriage." You say as you begin preparing dinner. Or rather you tried to prepare dinner.

"Here, Guin allow me to help." You're not sure if he noticed that you weren't paying attention to his instructions. You were too distracted by how much more relaxed and confident he was. How the light from the fire place showed you who he is without the burden of being a King to Camelot.

You weren't sure if it was the warmth from the fire or the warmth from your heart beating rapidly that made you blush.

You remember wanting to retort that he was a horrible lover. Lancelot may have been the one to remove your virginity. But it was also clear that both of you were unskilled in the secret art of lovemaking. The passions you two shared that night were of discovery and excitement initially, but even you will admit that it was still awkward. Reflecting on it now, the main appeal and excitement was of your impatience of experiencing first hand what taking a lover would feel like. Who better than the knight who saved you from your abductor. Back then you didn't know if your husband to be would be able to satisfy you or would even concern himself with your pleasure. You didn't blame your mother for rolling her eyes whenever your father wanted to bed her. She may have been a willing participant but she herself did not get any pleasure from it. And after her frank advice on how this was the norm for most married couples who did not marry for love, you wanted your first experience to be with a lover you chose before being subjected to a marriage that would leave you unsatisfied.

If only you could tell your younger self that you were one of the fortunate ones.

You remember your shock when Arthur had asked you if you were comfortable in consummating the marriage during the wedding night.

"In truth Guinevere, I would like to get to know you a little bit more before we consummate our marriage. Would it be fine with you if we did nothing more but sleep?"

"But wouldn't they be looking for proof?"

And he takes a vial of blood - chicken blood to be precise - and pours it on where your virgin blood would have spilled.

You were thankful that you weren't forced to do it at that night. Perhaps this is also why you also fell for him, his need for privacy without judgment. It wasn't about hiding a deep dark secret, but for him to be able to breathe and simply live.

Something that was considered a luxury since his father was missing and was presumed dead.

You remember the moment when you two had actually consummated your marriage. It was a month before he was officially crowned the King. By that point you knew you could trust him and he wasn't like the husbands you've heard about. You could still remember the uncertainty in his eyes, of himself or something else you couldn't really tell. But as you lead him into your tent as the two of you were making your way to your once a month trip to your little cabin - you knew at that point that you were ready.

You remember regretting that you didn't seduce him earlier.

Not only was he gentle, he took the time to explore your body. Taking the time to truly cherish your flesh. You remember being secretly baffled why he didn't just enter you already. When you and Lancelot made love, both of you were eagerly taking each other's clothes off. And once it was done, he entered you while you two were exchanging deep kisses.

That night, you discovered how amazing Arthur's fingers was on your flesh. He was nowhere near your nether lips but you found yourself mewling like a cat as you felt your desire and your impatience increase.

Your eyes opened wide as you felt yourself release as Arthur was kissing your neck and his fingers stimulated your breasts. It was then you realized that he was still wearing his trousers as your legs wanted to trap him and encourage him to enter you already.

"How do you feel?"

"Ple…pleasured." Your heart began racing once again as you feel his smile on your neck. He then kisses his way down and before you knew it he began pleasuring you with his mouth and even startled you when he began stimulating what he calls your hidden pearl. Something that you didn't know you even had. He later explains that yours was more inward and would only come out when you experienced arousal. It was only after he had stimulated it and you felt incredibly wet that he finally entered you. He was slow and similar to his earlier stimulations he took his time. The pleasure you experienced already gradually built up more and more. If you had thought you experienced pleasure before, by the time you felt yourself release once more had proven to you that you had just began to taste true pleasure. You feel yourself relax and calm down as you came down from your high just as you feel him release his seed inside of you.

It was why you feel guilty of not being able to give him a child. The child that would solve Camelot's succession. It wasn't lost on you that Arthur could die any day and he still doesn't have an heir. Suspicion would be placed on you since you would be the person who would most benefit from his death. As his Queen you would have near total control over the court. It was why you strove your best to keep the different factions and their competing interests in court balanced. You have long since stopped caring what other people have thought about you. Some believe you still have time and that you and Arthur just need to keep trying.

They didn't know that one of your selfish reasons for having an affair with Lancelot was to know if you were truly barren or not. Seren, the court herbalist who was paid generously for her reliable abortive concoctions was one of your closest friends and allies in court. She had given you plenty of concoctions to try to help you conceive whether the father was either Arthur or Lancelot.

To your despair, neither Arthur nor Lancelot was able to fill your womb with a child.

You were reminded of this pain when you received news from both Ector's spies and from the Princess Elaine herself. She was pregnant with Lancelot's child. She was fertile and you were barren. You couldn't give Camelot a child either by your husband or your lover.

Now you understood why Merlin may have suggested that Morgan may have had a hand in this. Elaine was not speaking but somehow someway Morgan may have influenced her to target Lancelot specifically. Morgan after all seemed to relish the fact that no matter how much you tried, you remained barren. And whenever Arthur was not around she can be cruel and did anything in her power to undermine your influence over Arthur and the court. After the incident with the Green knight it seemed she wouldn't be above helping Elaine take Lancelot's seed to make herself pregnant to throw it in your face that you couldn't give Arthur the child he wanted or Camelot the heir it needed.

And all at the expense of Lancelot, your beloved's trauma.

You were on your way to confront Morgan when Mordred, an adolescent boy whom Arthur has taken unofficially as his son and may probably even be his heir, gave you a worried look as you passed by.

"They are arguing." He mouthed at you.

"Who?"

"Her and the King." His eyes asked you if you really wanted to continue going in there. You give him a reassuring look before continuing on. It wasn't long before you began to hear heated voices within Morgan's chambers.

"Do you really think that low of yourself because Daenara is not by your side anymore?"

"Don't you understand that I'm trying to let go of Daenara."

"Why do you want to let her go?"

"Because I'm tired of the pain in my heart Morgan. It's not fair to anyone when I know a part of me still belongs to her. Someone who is already long gone and out of my grasp…someone who I've killed…"

You were tempted to continue eavesdropping. But it also wasn't fair to allow your husband to wallow in self-pity. "Morgan may I enter?"

"These are my private chambers your majesty."

"Let her in Morgan, she probably already heard us anyway."

"If you think I'm just going to let her in-"

"With all due respect Morgan, I am the Queen in this Kingdom. Therefore you will allow me entrance whether you like it or not."

"You may be Queen of this Kingdom but these chambers were given to me by my brother. And last I checked his rank is higher than yours."

"Arthur." You hear him sigh before you see him exit Morgan's chambers.

"Arthur you can't be serious."

"Morgan I'm not letting her in. I'm merely exiting this conversation for now. Besides I need to check Mordred's development with Kay."

You wanted him to stay, perhaps this confrontation would be easier if he was there. But it was also clear that he was drained from his argument with Morgan. Confronting him about who Daenara was could wait. You have learned to respect his space and time. Just as he has respected your own time either on your own or with Lancelot.

"Well what is it your majesty?" Morgan's piercing green eyes - the eyes she shared with Arthur - stare at you in defiance. Her tone icier than usual. It was probably because she and Arthur just had an argument.

"I'll make this as brief as I can. What is your involvement with the Princess Elaine?"

Her eyes give away nothing.

"What makes you think I was even involved at all?"

"After you told the Green knight to behead himself on front of me, I wouldn't put it past you to give the Princess Elaine some encouragement."

"Oh please your majesty, if I wanted to really insult your barrenness I would be having my allies search for ways to annul your marriage to my brother. After all under your custom, what use is a wife who cannot bear children."

"I don't know what your game is Morgan, but whatever it is, it ends now." She gives you a smirk.

"You really think you could just order me around? Just like how I could demand you to stop betraying my brother?"

"And what makes you think I am betraying Arthur?"

"Tell me, does this arrogance of yours make you moan louder whenever Lancelot thrusts inside you?" She chuckles as you feel yourself keep silent.

"You may be Queen, you may be Arthur's partner under the eyes of Camelot's laws. But I will not hesitate to tell Arthur that you have been sleeping with the knight he is closest to once he gets over his current despair." And with that she shut her door at you. It seems Arthur has not disclosed that it wasn't betrayal since it was with his blessing that you and Lancelot even gave in. But knowing him, he would probably do his best to persuade Morgan that it was not betrayal. That was one secret comfort to you.

You meet Arthur later that evening and it was clear that there was something that he wanted to tell you but was still too exhausted. Your heart broke as his mind was almost lost staring at a candle on front of him as he slowly ate dinner.

"Arthur?" Upon hearing your voice he seemed to return to his senses as he briefly shakes himself back before looking back at you. His eyes were more tortured tonight than other nights. You reach for his hand and rub the back of it.

"I'm here." You say with your hand as you reassure him with your eyes. He nods softly as you before saying that he would retire for the evening. He gives your hand a kiss, his eyes showing thanks to you before he leaves for his chambers.

A few days later, he requests to see you and Lancelot in his private chambers. "I have a confession to make to both of you. A secret of mine that I have been reluctant to share until now. And I fear that this would change how you both see me."

"I highly doubt that Arthur."

"You haven't heard what I have to say Lance."

"We are here for you Arthur." The three of you settle down as you await for Arthur to tell you what has been bothering him so.

"I am sorry that I refused to tell you the details of my personal pilgrimage before I took that trip. I needed some time to prepare myself. It was the first time in awhile that I felt comfortable to take a trip purely for myself and to settle my own personal demons." He takes a breath before continuing on.

"Some time before I became the leader of Camelot's armies and sometime after I was raised by Sir Ector, Morgan and I decided to run away. To where? We didn't know either. All we knew was that we just wanted to get away from our responsibilities in Camelot. Morgan used what she knew to make us invisible and undetected from my father's guards and spies. Along the way, we were attacked by bandits. I forgot how now but I ended up mortally wounded and Morgan was seeking help from anywhere while doing her best to keep myself alive."

"Is - is that why you have a scar over your heart?" You ask with trepidation within you.

"No, this was the scar below that one. At my ribs." He takes a drink from his goblet before he continued.

"Soon, a village - no a commune, had received us late in the night and their healers was able to heal me from my first brush with death. It was on this night that I met Daenara."

"Daenara?"

"Daenara Targaryen, my first wife."

You feel yourself entering into a state of shock.

He was married before?

Who was this woman?

"Morgan and I stayed in the commune for about four years. I fell in love with Daenara during that time. I loved being ordinary among the new members of the commune. It's as if I was healed not just in my wound but also in spirit. It was as if they rejuvenated me and restored me to who I was before my birth father came for me and sternly settled the responsibilities that I suddenly inherited as the heir to the then very new Camelot. And I will be honest, I was looking forward to living the rest of my life in that commune. My birth father be damned. He can go marry someone else and make a new heir for his kingdom. Or find someone else to become his new heir."

"What happened?" Lancelot asks in a curious tone.

"Daenara had always wanted to know what life was like outside of the commune. She was one of the youngest ladies among her very large family which made up a lot of members of the commune. And because they were everywhere in the commune it was a little difficult to know for herself which parts of herself are truly hers or simply just the influence of her family. So I promised her that we would live for awhile outside of the influence of the commune. And I was able to do that only a few months after we had been married. She and Morgan were close friends and Morgan found her a position as a teacher. We were on our way to the school when one of the gloomiest days happened to me." He stops for a breath. You could tell that he was struggling to tell you this part of the story. You offer him his goblet in encouragement. He nods at you as he takes a drink before he continues.

"Daenara and Morgan sent me out to hunt for our dinner. I had a feeling that they were up to something but I couldn't tell what. I trusted Daenara to eventually tell me since she always loved setting up pleasant surprises for me. Any surprise she gave me had always made me smile. I was walking back with that day's dinner when the village that we were staying in had a riot. I couldn't tell what started it, but nearly everyone was fighting with almost anyone. As I went closer I found myself surrounded and had no choice but to fight back while doing my best to make my way to the Inn where we were staying in for a few days. Morgan saved me by using her magic discreetly on any blind spots I had. But it wasn't enough. I don't remember how but I found myself stabbed in the heart." You feel your eyes widen and one of your hands cover your mouth in worry.

"I vaguely remember Daenara once again being able to save me once again. She was the last face I saw before I thought I was going to die from blood loss. She was determined that I was going to live. That was all I could remember before I gave in to the darkness, thinking that I was going to die, and that it wasn't so bad that her face was the last one I would see."

"And yet here you are." You say puzzled as you look at Arthur.

"When I find myself waking up, Merlin told me that Daenara had died in my arms after she saved me once again. After throwing a tantrum someone, either Morgan or Merlin I can't remember now, had convinced me that dedicating my remaining life, my service to Camelot, to her. It was only this year, when I gave my blessing to you both in the Beltane celebration, that I was able to begin mourning her death after so long." His voice begins to become broken as you find yourself and Lancelot moving closer to him.

"I couldn't help but feel guilty of her death. If maybe something had gone different -"

"If things had gone differently we wouldn't have met and Camelot wouldn't have you."

"And if Camelot didn't have you-" Lancelot puts his hand on Arthur's unoccupied hand.

"I don't even want to think of that possibility."

"Lance I still caused her death."

"And that was beyond your control. Even on the battlefield when you lead us you are the most inspiring figure for us…for me."

They look into each other's eyes, the air thankfully has now become more intimate.

This was your chance. Your chance to finally truly be lovers with both of the men you loved and lusted.

You move your hand to move on top of theirs and gently turn Arthur's face to look into yours. "Daenara did not die in vain. You don't have to stop loving her for she has already made you into the man you are today. And I couldn't have asked for a better husband."

"But-"

"Haven't we have proven my husband that it is possible to love more than one?" You look up at Lancelot and he nods at you.

He leans in.

Arthur was hesitant but willing.

"Are you sure?"

"You have no idea how long Guin and I have been waiting for this." And with that Arthur met Lancelot's kiss and you couldn't help but smile in relief and elation.

Tonight both of you would finally become his lover for he has finally opened his heart to both of you.

All three of you ended up in his bed with him in the center. The most you did was exchange passionate kisses among all three of you. You and Lancelot knew he wasn't ready to be physically intimate with either of you yet. That was fine, both of you could wait. Intimacy from feelings is what he needs right now.

All this time he had been neglecting his own needs for the sake of you, Lancelot, his knights, and the rest of Camelot. This was the first year that he had even began to be even a little bit selfish in mourning a love lost. And yet he still believes that this secret - this insecurity would make you not want him anymore when nothing could be further from the truth.

You woke up earlier than both of them and had commanded one of your loyal servants to bring in breakfast fit for three and to tell the knights and your advisers that Arthur will be resting for the rest of the day. He deserves his rest after allowing both you and Lancelot into his heart the night before.

"Arthur how do you know it was Daenara who saved you from your wound to your heart?" At this he sighs sadly.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you Guin. I promised her, and her family that I won't tell anyone of their secret. It's a secret that's not mine to tell."

"It's fine, you are being respectful to her memory." Even though a part of you is admittedly curious, even you won't force him to break his promise to the person he loved.

"The trip was about her isn't it? You wanted to investigate how she died?" Lancelot says as breaks bread while moving closer beside Arthur.

"Not only that. I wanted to find her remains. Neither I nor Morgan was allowed to remain there before being taken back to Camelot. Both of us were hoping to find her remains or any of her possessions from that day. It seems I wasn't the only one who was prevented from mourning her."

"Have you tried returning to the commune?" Arthur's face became grim.

"The commune has moved. Neither of us know where they are. Morgan believes they either scattered or had gone into hiding since even she couldn't find any member of the commune anymore even with her magical abilities. Or at least that's what we want to believe. We don't want to think of the possibility that they might have been hunted down because of the secret they possess but… it is possible."

"What if we searched for them?"

"Lance I can't use Camelot's resources for something so selfish."

"What's so selfish about wanting to protect the people who helped you?"

"I hate to admit but Arthur's right. Our duty is to Camelot, and while this year had been peaceful, we still have challenges up ahead."

There's something more to this story. Something that maybe Arthur doesn't know but Morgan does. Perhaps this is why she was so hostile to you and your influence over Arthur. Nevertheless you would be by his side, just as now he has you and Lancelot to make sure that even his heart would be safe. Even if the rest of the world won't see it so.