#LOL!!! neigh indeed

[pompomqt]

Journey to the West Chapter 44

Pigsy flushing the three pure ones down the toilet:

I can see why Laozi wants nothing to do with their group lol.

We're back with yet another chapter of Journey to the West with @journeythroughjourneytothewest where our favorite monks get to encounter monks who are somehow even less fortunate then them. So let's get into it shall we?

So the gang has been traveling for a while without incident when they suddenly hear an ear piercing cry. Tripitaka is startled by the noise but not enough to fall off his horse thankfully. The gang makes their guesses on what the noise could be, with Sandy placing his bet on landslide, while Pigsy bets on thunder, and Tripitaka decides to stick with his guess of men shouting or horses neighing. They then send out Monkey to find out what the noise was to settle their bets.

So Monkey investigates and finds that Tripitaka is the winner of that little bet, it is indeed a bunch of men making the noise. More specifically a bunch of monks who are hauling building supplies up a cliff. At first Monkey just assumes they are working to repair a monastery or something and wasn't able to hire anyone however that theory goes out the window as soon as he see's two Daoist's approach. For as soon as the Daoist's approach the group of monks they start freaking out and pulling the cart even harder. When he see's this Monkey realizes that he's heard about this city before, a place where Daoism is revered and Bhuddism is harshly penalized.

Monkey decides to get a better picture of the situation before making his report to his manager, less Tripitaka call him incompetent. So monkey disguises himself as a Daoist in order to integrate himself with them. So Monkey introduces himself as a humble Daoist here to beg for some vegetarian food. The Daoist's cheerfully inform him that there is no need to beg for food here, since Daoism is revered by even the King in this nation, which is called the Cart Slow Kingdom. And with a little prompting from Monkey the Daoist's give us the whole kingdom's backstory.

The backstory in question is that twenty years ago there was a huge drout and although the kingdom came together to pray to the heavens for relief it was hopeless. However just as all hope was lost three immortal Daoist's stopped by who go by the names Tiger Strength Immortal, Deer Strength Immortal and Goat Strength Immortal. These three immortal's were able to summon rain for the kingdom. They also posses some other abilities like changing water into oil and changing stone into gold. The king was so impressed by them that he made all Daoists his royal kin.

Monkey asks if he would be able to meet these immortal master's of theirs and the Daoists say it would be no trouble at all, and they will gladly introduce him after they finish their business out here. This official business being a roll call of all the bhuddist monk slaves. So Monkey takes the opportunity to ask what that is all about and receives the second half of the Kingdom's backstory. Which basically just amounts to the Monk's failing to summon any rain, so when the Daoist immortals came and fixed everything instead, all the Monks in the city were enslaved, with the Monastery's being wrecked.

So Monkey turns on the waterworks and says how terrible it is, after all he came to this city hoping to find his long lost uncle who became a monk. The Daoist's are willing to let Monkey do the roll call for them to see if his uncle is one of the monk's they have, and if he is, they will let Monkey take him with him. Of course as soon as Monkey shows up in his Daoist disguise the Monk's freak out and say that they are all here and working hard. Which Monkey of course finds hilarious because he's a jerk, and in order to have some more fun with them he tells them he is actually here looking for his relative. Which of course has all the monks crowding around him hoping they are it.

Once Monkey is done laughing at all the poor monks expense he gets down to business and asks them for their side of the story. Which pretty much just aligns with what he already heard from the Daoist's. We also learn some new information though, such as they are currently building an abbey for the Three Pure Ones with the plan to make the king youthful for ten thousand years. We also learn that the monks can't just run away because the king has their pictures displayed everywhere and a large reward offered if they ever try.

When Monkey casually say's they could all just die as a solution, the monks say that a lot of them have died, there used to be two thousand of them, and they are the last five hundred left. However every time they try and kill themselves the heaven's interfere, which Monkey finds unreasonable of the heavens. Turns out the gods aren't all cruel though, since they have been giving these monks a ray of hope in the forms of dreams telling them they just have to wait for the arrival of the Tang Monk and his Disciple the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who will relieve them all of their torment.

Luckily Monkey is easily flattered and doesn't mind that heaven is just throwing the responsibility of all these monks onto him. I swear heaven is just trying to turn Sun Wukong into their errand boy by having all these issues pile up and just waiting for Sun Wukong to stop by and fix it for them, but I digress. So Monkey goes back to the Daoist's and is all like 'well what do you know- they all happen to be my relatives, I come from a big family. Soooooo we'll just all be on our way now.' The Daoist's unsurprisingly kick up a fuss about this, they can't just free all their slaves! Just think of the paper work! So Monkey decides to spare them any trouble and just takes out his rod and kills the both of them.

The monks upon witnessing this start freaking out because they are totally going to be the ones blamed for this. Monkey tries to tell them it's fine since he's the Great Sage they've heard so much about. However the monks aren't going to fall for that one! After all they've heard from the Star of Venus that the Great Sage is a hideous and scary looking monster! Monkey is both annoyed and pleased by this description so he decides to have a bit of fun with them. He's all like 'You're right, I'm not him, I just work for the guy- and hey look behind you isn't that him?' And once they all turn to look he jump scares them by reverting to his original form.

Now that the Monks know he is the real Sun Wukong, they take to following him around like little ducklings. Which gets old pretty quickly for Monkey. So he gives them all some magical protection in the form of his hairs that will transform into a clone of him upon the monks calling for 'Great Sage, Equal to Heaven' so they'll all scram. And indeed most of them do take off with their new protection, to wait to hear from Monkey who'll tell them when he resolves the situation so he can get his hairs back. A few of them stick around to help out though, which is nice of them.

Meanwhile Tripitaka has gotten bored waiting for Monkey to come back and has apparently scrounged up enough courage to come looking for him. Well done Tripitaka, I'm so proud of you. Anyways Monkey finally takes the opportunity to brief Tripitaka on the situation. The monks who stuck around also lead them to the last remaining Monastery in the city, which hasn't been torn down because it was built by the command of the previous king and still has his image inside.

So while Monkey tries to decide how to handle this situation, they all have a meal together before heading off to bed. Monkey however is feeling rather restless, so when he hears the sound of a gong in the distance he decides to investigate. He finds that the noise was coming from the new Three Pure One's abbey that the monks told him about earlier, and finds that they are all currently in the middle of a big ceremony. And Monkey who has never seen a heavenly themed banquet he didn't want to crash, decides that how he went wrong last time, was that he party crashed alone.

So Monkey returns to the Monastery to wake up Pigsy and Sandy to have them party crash with him. Obviously they don't wake Tripitaka though, because Tripitaka is a bit of a narc. Anyways Sandy isn't to happy about being woken up at who knows what AM, but Pigsy is on board as soon as he hears there will be food. Anyways the three disciples sneak out like any self respecting teenagers would do and make their way to the abby. In order to enjoy themselves properly however the other party guests have got to go. So Monkey whips up a violent windstorm inside, which the Three Immortals decide to take as a sign that they should probably call it quits there for the night.

Now that everyone is gone, they can properly indulge themselves, at least that's what Pigsy thinks before Monkey tries to whack him for it. Monkey thinks that they should still be a bit cautious of getting caught, so he asks about the statues of the Three Pure Ones. Pigsy explains that the statues are of: The Celestial Worthy of Commencement, The Daoist Lord of Numinous Treasures, and our good old Laozi. Monkey suggests that they disguise themselves as these three pure ones in order to blend in. Pigsy has no problems with this and immediately shoves Laozi off his seat in order to take his spot for himself. Right as Pigsy begins to dig in once again, Monkey stops him and tells him to properly dispose of the statues. And luckily Monkey happens to know the perfect place, and tells Pigsy to send them into the door down the hall on the right.Once Pigsy finds carries all the statues to the door, only to find that said room is the bathroom. Pigsy has a good laugh about this, before throwing the three idols into the toilet and rejoins the others.

After that the three indulge themselves into eating the abby out of house and home. Apparently Monkey doesn't really care for cooked food though, so he just has some fruit and hangs out. Meanwhile a young Daoist returns to the banquet hall in order to pick up his hand bell that he had left behind, only to hear the sound of breathing. This frightens the kid, so he tries to scramble out of the hall, only to slip and fall which of course causes Pigsy to burst out laughing. This frightens the young Daoist even more, so he immediately goes to fetch the Three Immortal Masters. And with that we end this chapter.

Current Sun Wukong Stats: Names/Titles: Monkey, The Stone Monkey, The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Monkey awakened to the void), Bimawen (Banhorseplague), The Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Pilgrim Sun. Immortality: 5 + 94,000 years Weapon: The Compliant Golden Hooped Rod Abilities: 72 Transformations, Cloud-Somersault, Ability to transform his individual hairs, super strength, Ability to Summon Wind, Water restriction charm, and the ability to change into a huge war form, ability to duplicate his staff, ability to immobilize others, the ability to put others to sleep, and the Fiery eyes and Diamond Pupils, intimidating horses, churning large bodies of water, sleeplessness, seizing the wind, enhanced smell, discerning good and evil within a thousand miles, Spirit Summoning, lock picking, object transformation, distance reduction and vanishing in a flash of light. Demon Kill Count: 9+ Unknown Number of Minions Human Kill Count: 1008 God's Defeated: 22 + Unknown number Defeats: 5 Crime List: Robbery, Murder, Mass Murder, Arson, Theft, Coercion, Threatening a Government Official, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Forgery, Employee Theft, False Imprisonment, Impersonating a Government Official, Treason, attempted murder, failure to control or report a dangerous fire, desecrating a corpse, breaking and entering, trespassing, violating Tree Law, looting corpses, trading counterfeit goods, criminal threat, animal abuse, Assisting or Instigating Escape and Damage to Religious Property Cry Count: 7 + 3 fake cries Mountains Trapped Under: 4

Current Tang Sanzang stats: Names/Titles: River Float, Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang, Tripitaka and the Tang Monk Abilities: Curing Blindness, making branches point a certain direction (allegedly), reciting sutras, pretty privilege, memorization and Heart Sutra. Cry Count: 21 Tight Fillet Spell Uses: 31 Paralyzed by fear: 5 Bandit Problems: 2 Kidnapped by demons: 6 Falling Off Horses: 8

Current Bai Long Ma Stats: Names/Titles: Bai Long Ma (White Dragon Horse), Prince of the Western Ocean, and third prince jade dragon of the dragon king Aorun Abilities: Transforming into a human, a water snake, and a horse, eating a horse in one bite, flight, Magic of Water Restriction, Singing, and Sword Dancing. Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Arson, and Grave Disobedience. Contributions to the plot: 2

Current Zhu Wuneng Stats: Names/Titles: The Marshal of the Heavenly Reeds, Zhu Wuneng (Pig who is aware of ability), Zhu Ganglie, Pigsy, Idiot and Eight Rules. Weapon: Rake Abilities: 36 Transformations, parting water, fighting underwater, cloud soaring, size enhancement and CPR Demon Kill Count/Kill steals: 2 Kidnapped by Demons: 3 Human Kill Count: 1 Failed Flirtation/romances Attempts: 3 Cry Count: 1 Crime List: Sexual Harassment, Murder, Kidnapping, arson, defamation and Damage to Religious Property

Current Sha Wujing Stats: Names/Titles: The Curtain-Raising General, Sha Wujing (Sand Aware of Purity), Sandy and Sha Monk Weapon: Monster Taming Staff Abilities: Fighting underwater and Cloud soaring. Demon Kill Count: Unknown number of minions. Kidnapped by Demons: 2 Human Kill Count: 1 Crime List: Breaking a Crystal Cup, murder, desecration of a human corpse, and Damage to Religious Property

Previous - Masterpost - Next

[braemjeorn]

the more i learn abt hwang kwanghee's idol career the more bewildered i am.

i believe i saw him first as a host for weekly idol, I think the guest were either skz or nct dream

by that time I didn't think he was an idol, that he was their 2nd gen sunbae, I just thought that he was one of the many famed hosts and mcs of variety shows, thankful that he took care of the boys kindly

tHEN I went back to binging 'we got married'

and HIS NAME popped up

THERE I FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS AN IDOL

AND THAT HIS GROUP MEMBER IS IM SIWAN

whom I saw in run on and it was such a lovely drama with a lovely ost and mr im himself was lovely

this revelation was a bit of a wtflipping smokes moment subdued only by me being distracted about wgm

these two people? in the same group? who'd have thought!???

in my defense, I wasn't paying much attention when reading through siwan's career

back to WGM

it started off real awkward but man...

him and his 'wife', han sunhwa

I tell you those two just matched up really well

if someone was acting chaotically extroverted with me I would have let out an embarrassed laugh and went please stop I cannot match that energy or something like aren't you too much for this hour?

i think some couples on wgm are like that as well

these TWO on the other hand

"we're gonna pay our respects to these balloon horses in place of your parents? sure, why not. the yellow one is my mum. why is she neighing? well, she just said you have to take care of me better."

you're crazy and so am I energy

and there's this one time seonhwa got such a mrs elton (mi cara sposo) energy going "my dear husband won an award as an up-and-coming celebrity of the year and he didn't even think to tell me!"

the way they just answer each other's antics is to die for

so ordinary couple coded those two

silly wild guy and a pretty girl who's as wild as him

and I think kwanghee actually liked seonhwa omalord //>.

she spoke about it in radio star mbc(? or whatever talk show that was) how he gifted her things and she felt she couldn't accept so much since they were just friends and all outside of shooting

and he's like "so you still think of me as a friend?"

(in her defense mr hwang, a girl gotta really guard her heart)

but she was kinda like "well, yeah"

so he went "arraseo - alright I get it, I won't rush you then."

dugeundugeun dokidoki moment I swear

the hosts in front of seonhwa def thought so

what a man WHAT A MAN INDEED

not standard handsome but has his charms and I admire that

(he scolded a hoobae for naming seonhwa his ideal woman lol)

God bless my elementary Korean, it helped so much already at understanding these uncaptioned clips

they flirt, they tease, they rizz each other up

they just get into each other's mischief without question and I just love that teamwork/union/partnership

I need to see more episodes abt them

on another thing that spurt out this post

I realized that kwanghee somehow looked like a combination of han and changbin??

that's the way I can put it as a 3rd gen kpop enthusiast, my apologies should I offend the veteran fans

like his jaw and chin and how it rounded nicely like a sunflower seed (what is this description lord)

you know how changbin have that notorious chin and hannie those jeekies

how they're not as manhwa-angled as minho or SM's flower boys or as firm and strong as chan's

I love this face category, I appreciate it

sunflower seed face ma lord why am I making up these terms

ALSO HE CHORTLES LIKE CHANGBIN

guys hilarious, one of them variety kings I'll bet

I think I saw on a youtube thumbnail kwanghee's picture on a video to note the list of idols who had plastic surgery which could just be uploaded for clout and all that clickbaities

he does look different if you compare his wgm looks (which was from 2013) to his recent 2020s contents

it could be surgery but it could also be how the styling for this decade and 2018 upward changed a lot since early 2010a kpop, hairstyle and all

or he just hit thirty and the fat melts by themselves

who knows bruh celebrities

whatever that was was not as wild as the fact that he did a stage with GDragon and Taeyang

MAbsOSAA

the Koreans in the comment section was wild about that performance

"ain't nobody gonna get on bigbang's level, nobody I tell you"

it was an amazing performance, but honestly I was just more bewildered over the fact that these people met

are even the same age and all that and just casually did collabs

97liners, what are yall up to?

look at me bewildered by recent history of hallyu

I may binge watch more wgm clips and look up kwanghee's performance as host to the younger idols

gonna look out for this man in the future for sure

I'll be back when I want to rant again LOLS

[meirimerens]

I was thinkin abt Horse(s) AU (the one where the mgs characters are horses?) and that led to another thought. We know what kind of horses they would BE, but in a world where they are humans who just happen to own horses what kind of horses would each of them have? 🐎

ooh baby didn’t you ask just the right person. come here

ok so a lot of them would have the horses that They Are : for example, The Boss would have an Andalusian, which i’ve said she was. now :

Snake would have 2 : one would be an OTTB (off-track thoroughbred: so a horse that was bred and trained to race on the tracks and then retired, either because of an injury or because it just wasn’t profitable anymore). a lot of OTTB end up being discarded in horrible ways when they don’t make enough money for their trainers and some are offered to be rehabilitated to be Normal Guy Horse, and snake would have one of them. he understands the story of being thrown away after you’re not Efficient In Your Job Enough. He would also have a mustang bought at the Bureau Of Land Management-supervised auction. i’m thinking it would be a 3-strikes mustang (was sold, sent back, sold, sent back, and now is being sold for cheaper and with less “protection”, which makes a lot of 3-strikes mustangs be bought by kill buyers and sent off). i’m thinking the previous owners attempted to “train” it in horrible ways and as such the mustang found its way back in an auction over and over, and Snake buys it even if he knows he could just end up being kicked and never befriend the beast.

Hal methinks would have some kind of crossbreed, kinda colder blood but not a draft or half-draft. just a lil guy who’s calm and composed enough, perhaps a school horse, normal in his head, not spooky. a normal guy.

Big Boss would either have a mustang or some kind of explosive motherfucker, i’m thinking maybe a quarter horse but insane or a thoroughbred.

Ocelot has a Kladruber (nose twins) and a quarter horse (cowboy fantasy)

Boss has an Andalusian (like in canon <3)

Kaz has an OTTB escaped being sent to the the nether because Kaz showed up after it sustained a leg injury during a race and went I’m Keeping Him I Don’t Care, a mustang that’s fucked in in the head (also palomino) and a rescued some kind of crossbreed who had just kinda given up on thinking human are good people

V has some half-draft, either his Cob Normand or some crossbreed some Guy

Raiden has an off-the-track Standardbred that went insane during a race and was discarded, as well as a Lipizzaner (very light grey/almost white that’s important

Sunny has a mini/Shetland (mischievous) and later a Fjord pony

Strangelove has a gorgeous Appaloosa with pink around the nose and eyes (sun sensitivity) and a black Morgan

if you want anyone else’s lemme know 😏

[stayndays]

new year happy eve!

so, because everybody i know has been doing these letters, i feel obligated to do one as well! but i’m gonna put a twist on mine: i am going to say something to all of my moots in 10 words or less. this should be fun! 

@cotccotc - “10 out of 10 mother” my comment on yelp

@crscendoforsung - other angsty half who made me make 6 plus icons

@desertofdessert - we are twins question mark question mark?? wOW

@bangchanbin - one of my OGs, lets talk more often :>

@yangomangos - good writer good friend very nice jeongin stan

@skzctnightnight - you may be boomer but very cool boomer at that

@leggomylino - and i quote “CELI’S A CHAN STAN?” but extremely nice!

@hanniiesuckle17 - best network admin who flirts with mom on daily basis

@ph0ebevix - lets talk more often on discord when you’re doing better :D 

@mr-jisung - cool artist cool editor underrated in my opinion, NEIGH

i hope you laughed at least once

now, let’s go to the people who i find really nice and have spoken to a couple times and wanna become official moots with in 2021 (dON’T KILL ME PLEASE)

@freckledberries & @pixielix - you two are so sweet lets talk more please </3

@brathyuck - RUE you’re so cool, i will talk to you more :D

@woahhwa - i’m so glad you’re back on tumblr!! 

@sugas-cookie - i hope your survey is doing well! haikyuu supremacy huehue

@blueprint-han - i will forgive you someday for making me cry SKDJFKJ

@wingkkun - filipino pals lets get this jOLLIBEE

@leftnrightt - fun talking to you!! glad you liked your gift lol

honestly i think some of you are like “wait,, we aren’t moots?” and just uHH KSJDFKJ if you’re on this list, basically i just haven’t made a moot tag for you yet, so if you confirm with me that we are indeed moots then i shall make one just for you :>

finally, i’d like to call out some people who i see really often in my notes list. you guys are the real mvps and make me feel loved <3

@dayawantstosleep @thatrandomoneinthecorner @domestic-void @bossuns @banqtlattae @glow-seung @sunoo-luvs @worldtriiiip (i definitely missed quite a few of you.. i’m sorry T-T)

if you guys ever wanna become moots in 2021 and make it official, please do i am lonely and will welcome you with open arms </3

okay! that’s all i wanna say, but in general, even if you aren’t part of this post: thank you so incredibly much for an amazing year on tumblr! i’m extremely thankful to have never gotten any hateful comments or backlash and instead was gifted with 600 amazing followers! thank you thank you thank you!!!

i have a couple more things to post before the year ends, bare with me ^^

[oh-theatre]

You Can't Force A Fairytale (Chapter 4)

Chapter title: Pain Cuts Deep

A/n:  HI HELLO!! This sucks lol! no seriously im so sorry that this is so bad!! although some stuff was revealed!! also also..whats up with patton? and remus? And all of them! Aaa !! Anyway i hope you enjoy even though its trash and make sure to leave me comments!

Also yes Im keeping Dolion because then I can have... janus ;)

also if this is confusing i understand, so please tell me and ill try and clear it out!

words: 3516

summary: The group is scattered and needs to make a plan soon.

pairings: Eventual logicality, eventual prinxiety, eventual demus, eventual remile (These might change but for now im love them)

warnings: bow and arrow, violence, injuries, magic, swearing, bruises, scars, blood, fighting, stabbing, pain

Ao3 Link  

“Are you alright Patton?” Logan whispers, guiding the horses into a hidden cove of the forest, followed by the rest of the group. The prince swallows, the images couldn't stop running through his mind, staining the memories permanently in his mind. He doesn't understand why it set a quick blaze and a blush to rise in his face. Logan takes his hand, stopping them, his glazed eyes stare curiously.

“Im alright” Patton promises, hopefully the shadows hide away his blush. Logan looks doubtful but nods anyways, the others in tow. Prince Roman helps an unsteady Virgil practically tumble off the horse, a quick shove to a giggling Roman. Prince Remus follows suit with Dolion, though he is much more graceful and regal stepping off the horse. “Follow Logan into the cove, through the hanging leaves.” Patton guides, they follow suit.

“Good luck” Logan gives Patton's hand a gentle squeeze. The prince nods, giving Nork a sweet pat before Logan leads them away. Once the clearing is empty, he takes to the amulet around his neck, his hand enveloping the magical touch.

“As we search for cover in this mossy forest cove, let no one uncover or discover what's hidden in the mangrove” He chants, a sweet spur of magic dances around him, green flecks as they follow his spell. They take a moment to give Patton an entrance, once hes safely inside the dank dwelling they shut the group away from the outside world, protected from magic and tyrants above. He whispers a quick spell watching his hands engulf in safe flames, the light allows him to regroup with the others.

“Is it done?” Logan cautions, Patton nods feeling exhaustion hit him.

The sight was something. The wet stone was not faint of aroma, the moss that encircled the area was refreshing. The horses seemed to enjoy the small yet spacious patches of grass that led out the other side into a hidden pool of water. Remus, regal as always, lied flat on his back snoring away already. The gray stone may present itself as hard yet the prince seemed so cozy. Patton almost wanted to join him.

Logan sat ever so sweet under a shaded area, in the intersection of the cove leading out into the pond. He read his book, a routine while he ran his hands through a sleepy Nork’s mane. The horse sat next to him, almost as if he had forgotten what animal he was and was content to act as a smaller one. Thank god the space let him.

Dolion and Virgil seemed inseparable, they both sat with their feet splashing away in the water, their muddy boots by their side. The pair spoke in hushed whispers, hesitation to trust the characters around them, finding solace in the similarity of their situations. Patton did find his heart tug at him as he watched however, their soft delight at each magical essence this strange world presented was something that never got old and something you just couldn't deny.

Finally Roman, Patton had to admit, the sight was hard to watch. The prince stood against the rock in the corner with a bland look to his face. He watched the prince skip stones across the pond, bored, his crown that typically rested perfectly upon his head now flopped a bit with no sight in mind to fix it. Romans steed, Dracaena, neighed in concern but had no qualms about returning to her important task of chomping away at the grass around her.

“I wonder if she would be more comfortable in her other form?” Patton inquires, catching Romans ear instantly.

“I think the same, I sense she's eager to be on alert in case of danger though” He expresses. Patton nods understanding, though he did miss the vicious, mischievous creature, he understands. “I don't believe we will be staying for long, correct?” Romans body shakes with impatience. His clear want to ride through the open fields with a hunger for victory was clear. Patton could feel the fiery passion that boiled his blood, not that he needed his powers for that. The amulet strung on Romans neck was alight with the amber blaze.

“I'm not sure Ro” He glanced towards the foreigners, their anxieties at bay for now. “There is alot to process and we mustn't put innocents in danger over our own goals” Patton explains, Roman knows he speaks only truths but still his anger was unkempt. “For now though, we are safe and this gives us ample time to come up with a plan...a much needed one” He reminds stringing his arm through Romans. This releases a chuckle from the prince. “Come, for it was not I who led the battle of Sarcane to victory, but you our brave warrior at the front line”

“Well I had assistance” He smiles at the newly appeared dragon that rested upon his shoulder, a quick breath of fire in excitement.

“But of course, much credit to Dracaena” Patton gives the creature a sweet pet, adoring the soft murmur of affection. “Now come before Logan and Remus tear eachother apart”

~~~

“My opinion?” Virgil gasps with a vile sarcasm. “I think you're all insane and i'd like to wake up from this nightmare!” He shouts, ending with a bite and smirk. Should Roman find that defense so pulsing for his heart?

“I do indeed second that” Dolion whispers with a yawn, the cross-legged boy sits sleepily next to Remus. He holds in another sign of his tiredness before settling very lightly onto the prince's shoulder. He hadnt meant to but he simply couldn't keep his focus much longer, and the prince was there. Remus froze of course, terrified to move, he didn't want to wake the boy. And he surely didn't want to call attention to his reddened face.

“Maybe it would be wise for us to rest for the evening,” Patton suggests. Logan huffs shutting his book, the maps and scribbles collected quickly by him. He shakes his head, muttering to himself walking to a secluded corner. “Lo” Patton sighs, he eyes the others asking them to set up the proper conventions for the night before following his quiet friend.

“We dont have time to rest!” He utters, throwing his items away from him, Patton quickly waves his fingers making sure they dont sink into the water. “Thank you” Logan stubbornly acknowledges, watching the prince delticaltyl stack his things next to him. “We must prepare Patton”

“Lo we dont even know what we’re up against” Patton sits beside him, the stars shine through the only opening, reflecting delicately upon the water. “Everything escalated much too quickly” He takes his friends hand, it always eased them both.

“You and I both know that he will be coming soon” Logan reminds, the image of the army marching towards them, led by the figure of whom Logan speaks flashes familiar in Patton's mind.

“Yes but we mustn't allow it to consume our minds as of now” Patton assures “You need rest as much as everyone else, for now we are safe” They hear wild giggles from behind them, turning to see the four enjoying their time. Remus dances kookily around the cover, Roman finishing his meal with delight as he watches Dolion and Virgil quite entertained. “Even in darkness, a light can shine through to guide you” Patton whispers, Logan nods from behind him, he takes the words to heart. “Ill take first night!” Patton announces, receiving no arguments from the group. He goes to stand but feels a tug at his hand.

“Promise me i'll see you in the morning” Logan begs, the soft features catching his eyes. “Come back to me?” He worries, the forest though magical and enchanted was not short of danger. A gentle Patton places his gloved hands on Logan's cheek.

“Always and forever” He swears, Logan nods, the exhaustion now dawning him. “Get some rest Logan, your mind has been at work for much too long”

“Agreed” He yawns, he rolls out his makeshift cloth, a comfy pillow and takes what little warmth he has. Quickly Patton watches him follow into his dreams. The shivering did hurt him just a tad, so when he knew no eyes were watching him, a quick spell he cast.

“On this cold and fateful night, give him warmth, give him light” Patton watches the amber flecks dance before shrouding Logan. He smiles to himself before taking his bow and horse and makes his way to the front.

~~~

“Patton!” He would be lying if he said he hadn't jumped, for the voice, though cheery came at the blackest of moments.  Emile and his graciousness fluttered to where the Prince lay sleepily on his horse, trying his hardest to keep awake. Though what protection could he grant with his bow on the floor and his arrows scattered. He was delighted to see the godfather however.

“Emile, your sorcery” He greets, allowing the fairy to fix him up, feeling the boost of energy boil through him. “How did it go?” Patton questions, adjusting his position.

“I was able to clear my own name of crime and reinstate my position but the royal guard is on the hunt just as suspected” He explains. “They're sending out the cavalry”

“Goodness not Remy!” Patton whispers furiously. Emile nods solemnly. “The King is truly going all out...but why?” Patton wonders “What does he know about these foreigners that we mustn't, and what does my needing to get a suitor hold over the kingdom?” His thoughts pour out of him. Emile shrugs as he fiddles with the flowers around him, watching the echinopsis dance around him. He heals the ones that had not been tended with pleasure before summoning a treat for Nork. “We can't stay here then, when morning befalls us we must travel once more” He sighs

“I will do my best to keep you updated, I must go now my dear prince, but I shall visit soon again” Emile promises, an understanding nod from Patton and the godfather disappears in a dazzling shower of light.

Luckily the night went on without any incidents, Patton scoured the area, took Nork for a calming venture before returning to the hideout as the sun came to fruition. He remained outside, reading through one of his many books he had tucked away, Nork allowed him to sit easy while he grazed the small land.

“Good morning” He heard from behind him. Logan emerged from the dangling leaves, a yawn escaping him. “What, might I inquire, are you perusing?” Logan questions, Patton shows him the novel. “Ah very well, I do adore flowers”

“As do I” Patton agrees, he shuts the book marking his page, stuffing it carefully into his sack. Logan observes the area, his eyes admiring every small inkling and detail that surrounded him. Patton extends his hand, a sweet smile. “Care for a morning ride?” He asks, Logans excitement may have begun with his curiosity for the world but it only grew with Patton's proposal. He takes his hand as he had done many times before and allows Patton to hoist him behind him. The simple buzz Patton experiences as he felt Logans respectful hands wrap their way around his waist and his head rest easy on Patton was something he would simply never ever fail to love.

Scratch that… as Logan laughs timidly while they rush through the saplings of the forest, the love that filled his eyes and the mental notes he saw the prince take, the giggle that escaped as water splashed his face

That was something he would never fail to love

Logan..

Logan was something he would never fail to love

~~~

“I swear to god princey if you don't shut up i'm going to tape your mouth shut” Virgil moans, his head falling into his hands. Roman feels taken aback, the shock of such disrespect and yet the almost...excitement from the nickname was something else.

“For such disrespect the kingdom could have your tongue” He retorts, his face hot with anger but almost wanting to engage.

“And yet here you stand with your tongue” Virgil teases, he hears a faint smoky laugh from Dracaena, she slithers away from a silent Roman nestling into his lap. At first hes frightened, but the soft purring spreads a warmth over him. Roman...well despite feeling mocked...enjoyed the gentle view. He takes a place next to Virgil, watching the young teen flip curiously through some of Logan's journals while keeping a steady pet on the dragon.

“What do you think you're doing!” Speaking of the prince, Logan rushes into the room, fuming with shy anger. “Those are my journals! My property!” A scrambled Patton follows him, a look of anticipation for though rare, Logans outbursts were...unpleasant. He quickly snatches them away from Virgil, a glare towards the black haired boy. “Only I and a select few…” He glances towards Patton, did his defenses fall? “Have access! So stop touching others things!” He demands

“And so with Logans anger boiling, and Virgils own fury at storm the two are at odds, will they be able to ban together for a new threat approaching fast?” Remus spouts, Roman takes his side instantly knowing the pain that would come. “I hate it, I hate it” Remus sputters, the sweat fast approaching. Dolion, who while he enjoyed the princes antics found nothing charming as of yet, was intrigued by the sad honesty of the pain. “With that! The group should begin on their way” He barely manages, tears forming as Roman aides him.

“What does-” But Virgil is quickly cut off by the distant sounds of shouts, determination as each beautiful thing in the forest is stomped by power and raging fury. “Oh”

“Nork!” Patton calls, Logan stuffs his books away before allowing Patton to assist him on the horse. “Come now, we haven't much time” He signals to the others. Roman whispers a quick check to his brother, Remus nods. Though pained, he's ready to flee on his own steed. Unsure, Roman calls to Dracaena. She flies away from Virgil before a mist of shrouded light appears and a midnight horse takes her place.

“Coming?” Roman questions, extending his hand to Virgil. The teen rolls his eyes but joins the prince. “Hold on” He warns, and though his own blush denies him, Virgil grips tight to Roman. He watches as Dolion helps Remus to his own horse.

“Estrella” He whispers sweetly, the horse neighs with affection. This fragile moment tugged at Dolion, he missed his own home. New Orleans seemed like such a distant place, Luna, his cat could still be heard purring. “Up up and away” He jokes, Dolion takes the reins, thanking his mother for the horse riding lessons. He doesn't even mind when Remus collapses on his back, the warmth of the prince was...nice.

“On my signal” Patton heeds, and so one by one they gallop through the woods. The horses follow one another, protecting each other from danger and shielding themselves from the public eye. They reach an opening after what seemed like hours, the rope burning on Dolions hands was almost too much to bear. Remus had healed so they switch positions. It seems the sun was setting which set off a yawn in Virgil. He grew more comfortable on Roman, practically hugging him. Not that the prince minded, he enjoyed their journey. And his mind couldn't stop thinking about ...one particular-

“-Moment!” Virgil huffs “Just give me one moment” He slides off Dracaena, clutching his stomach. The group decides to take a rest near the waterfall, Logan leans against a tree and begins reading. Roman makes sure Dracaena is secured before following Virgil to where he sits by the lake.

“Are you alright?” He questions, sitting next to him.

“I feel...sick” He groans, Roman finds his little puffed features adorable. “It just keeps...making noise” He points to his stomach. Roman fiddles with the glass before pulling something from his satchel.

“You haven't eaten have you?” He shakes a small container holding delectable treats. Virgil scrunches his face in realization. “Here” he opens it, pulling out what seems to be a biscuit. Through his own habit he goes to feed Virgil. Virgil takes the first one, before both take a second to come to reality. “Apologies” He rubs the nape of his neck, Virgil laughs watching crumbs fly out. “Habit I guess”

“Fwo wat?” Virgil swallows his food, taking a handkerchief and wiping away the crumbs that had escaped

“Well when I had to meet suitors I had to charm them.” He explains, I suppose the mindless princesses my father found for me enjoyed being treated like a baby” Virgil snorts, Roman would love to hear that sound more.  “ Oh but thats just a few of them! Ive met so many amazing ladies of royalty, each so smart and strong” he muses

“And yet here you are...alone” Virgil notes, he wasn't going to lie. Roman was the spitting image of every disney prince. He should have been scooped up by now.

“Heh...I suppose the shoe...just hasn't fit yet” He gulps, the truth of his uncertainty was something he had only ever confessed to Patton. He wasn't even sure! And yet even with his doubts...No Roman. Once all of this has calmed, you will return home, a perfect princess will be ready for you and you may rule.

Better that,  than living the torute he watched his brother endure. He takes a peek back at Remus, he sits giggling away with Dolion, the look he gives the foreigner was one he had only seen once before. He did miss Janus, he was a wonderful fencing coach, and always challenged the twins. But no one missed him more than Remus.

Ugh! Roman enough! This is ridiculous. You're being ridiculous. You don't know anything, you've never tried anything.

Ok so maybe he didn't enjoy the entire scene, but...he takes a quick peek at the curious raven haired boy, he enjoyed Virgil.

No Roman...

For the crown

For the kingdom.

He looks to Patton. Follow his example, he tells himself. The prince didn't just have a kingdom on his shoulders, he had the entire land of which they rode across. He had endured more suffering than anyone.

But he laughed away the idea of a suitor, he walked away from it

Roman purses his lips...he did, didn't he?

So why can't you

~~~

“Are you alright?” Logan whispers from his position. Patton coughs coming back from whatever daydream he was engaged in. He tightens his hold on the reins, nodding away his suspicion.

“Yes of course, are you?” He wonders. Logan doubts his answer but shrugs it away.

“I am, I am more than ready to find a resting spot. I simply must show you these new spells, and oh the mus…” He rambles on, Patton listens, he does but suddenly the world goes silent. He looks to Nork but finds scared darkness. He panics trying to find anything familiar until he hears a voice...his own.

Hes watching himself, he watches the scene that had been haunting his mind for days unfold once more.

“No stop” He tries to call out, but the fearful hoarse cry was nothing. His eyes follow as Future Patton races through the castle, fighting his way. He knows what's coming, he doesn't want to see it. Not again, not anymore… “Stop!” he cries, nothing changes, his future self continues on his path. Tears swell in his eyes as he tries to avoid seeing the tender moment but he can't peel away. He gasps in pain relief, preparing to return to his body.

“What a sad sight” He peeks through his tightly closed eyes. What's this? He doesn't remember this. The King had not spoken before. But now he spoke and moved. “He was brave, tougher than I thought” The King expresses, Patton watches himself keep a protective hold on the frozen Logan. “But he just wasn't strong enough”

Logan's figure collapses, Patton wastes no time kneeling beside him. Patton watches himself and Logan share a hush conversation, but his eyes quickly glance towards the towering figure. The King moves silently as he takes his sword. Fear quickly engulfed Patton. The prince wanted to cry out, scream, do anything, but all he could do was watch.

And listen to the ear piercing scream as the sword slashed its way into Logan. It became too much, The Kings dastardly laugh, Pattons desperate sobs, and the fades of Logans demise. Too much ...too much. Patton clutched his head before the world went black and he felt himself hit a grassy meadow. His eyes fluttered only to catch Logan jump off of Nork and rush to his side. He heard mumblings and worries but soon he lost all senses and fell into a deep sleep.

But not a pleasant one.

Not with the images flashing their way through his head.

He had to change it, he had to.

[peggysousfan]

A Wild Reign

Here is chapter 2! It had been split up because I am still writing the other half, which is dragging out lol, so here is what happens!

As the crowd begins to regain their composure, murmurs fill the silence of the arena. Their own Princess had competed for her own hand under false pretensions; a facade not even the King was aware was happening. To them, this was more of a twist of fate than they could understand, as for the King and Lord Steven, it was beyond comprehension. Harrison calls to order and dismisses the event with haste, taking his daughter's arm and swiftly proceeds to the castle.

"What in God's name were you thinking? Wh-do you know what it is that you have done!" He paces, his head hung low in worry.

"Father-" She hastens to reply, but his state is much too panicked for her to speak.

"Peggy you cannot do such things! This- O this will make a mockery of us." The King stops and looks at her with an eye that can only be described as anxious; as fear.

"The rules still apply do they not?" She smirks shyly, hoping to keep her father from loosing his head. "Am I not required to marry Lord Rogers now that I have succeeded in beating his hand in this competition?"

He stops and looks at her attire, the armor fitting well and glistening with the victory she had overcome. Much like her brother stood, she too had a stance that demanded respect and shown her skill in combat. As much as he has tried to keep his wit and understand of the gravity of this circumstance, he can not help but laugh at the situation in which he finds himself in.

"My darling, it does not work that way. You must marry a suitor." His smile, now dim, pleads with her. "You must marry Lord Rogers."

"Your Majesty I was simply doing what I thought was right. I cannot stand by and watch as a man towers over me and seeks to rob our Kingdom!" Harrison ceases his pacing and stands before the Princess, her words striking fear in his very heart.

"My dear you do not know that of which you speak."

"But I do, father! I do not trust Lord Rogers to be as allocating or assisting as he claims he will be!"

"Margaret we need all assistance we may come across. If we do not we shall fall!!" The King's bellowing voice echoes through the deserted quarter, leaving his words to settle in the Princess's mind.

What could the King possible indicate with such a statement? How could Astoria fall? As these such thoughts bound through her mind, she looks at her father with caution. Surly evidence of a collapse would have caught her eye. Or would it have?

"Father, how could that be?"

With a heaved deep breath, the King takes a seat at the council's table. His posture slouched and his soul heavy. Everything is not as it once was, and now Astoria will see the consequences of it. The Princess sits opposite of her father, silent, hoping he will speak aloud the thoughts that trample his mind.

"After the war we became fragile.... weak. Our defenses had fallen for many months, you do recall such winter?" Peggy nods in confirmation, her thoughts running wild as a steed, not knowing where to stop or find its calm. "The Concordian Empire took advantage. Robbed us blind!"

"How!? Surely they would have been too broken to create another uprising."

"I wish it were so, but alas it is not. Rather it is not an uprising and more so a rebellious lash of outrage given the peace treaty that was written and signed between the 4 realms." The King, exhausted, looks to his daughter, so bright and righteous. Quite the opposite to how he feels. "They placed a specter within our walls. Hidden among us, I'm afraid. They were able to breech our Kingdom with his assistance, and looted all the schillings and gold we had from the vault. We have nothing left."

It is in his final statement fear strikes her heart. She is to be married to a man, rule as Queen, in hopes of restoring their lands. If she does not succeed, Astoria as they know it will crumble into nothing. Thousands of lives lost, homes vacant or destroyed, war after war with no defense. Woman and children starving, their bodies feeding off of their very bone...

What if marrying Rogers does not aid their oppression? Her marriage, her reign, would all be for nothing more then to be in the history books as a failed Kingdom. A failed rule. At such horrid, dreary thoughts, her body acts before her mind can think properly. She stands and walks away, her pace quick as a storm.

"Margaret? Margaret!"  The King calls after her, but she simply cannot hear. The sound of her heart pounding is too deafening to listen. Her legs continue to run, and yet she knows not where to. Anyplace but there...

Before she is aware of where she has stopped, her feet stayed planted, the leather souls beneath sink down into the march of the forest. It was not until she saw a familiar figure, one now etched in a position in archery, that her heart began to calm. She walks towards him, her pace slow and sure.

The knight releases his arrow, succeeding in hitting his target. As he begins to celebrate, his mood uplifted from his day, he senses he is not alone. Cautious, he turns swiftly behind and sees none other than his lifelong friend, the Princess.

"Peggy! I saw what you had done at the jousting tournament," Daniel laughs, "I must admit that was quite the....show." He stops in his amused statement and ponders her somber expression. "Peg? Are you alright? What are you doing here?"

"I-I don't know what to think, Daniel. I don't-" She stops abruptly and looks about the trees, wishing her duties did not prevent her from explaining her troubled state ."I simply wish to not be alone. Father... he has set my wedding day." Although this is not the entire truth, it is partial and enough.

"Oh... That is jolly news," He feigns a smile. His support secretly misplaced.

"He has chosen Lord Rogers as my husband. I do not wish to marry him."

"Could you not request another suitor?" At his suggestion she shakes her head in sorrow.

"Let us not speak anymore of it." Her mood only deepens into sadness the longer they converse on her troubles. "My only wish is to escape this place, if but for a moment."

Daniel looks out to the lightened sky, a fixture of beautiful, vibrant, color, and then back to his dear friend. Such a stark contrast between them. One filled with grace and glee, the other filled with misery and dejection. Peggy's state shakes his very core, his heart shattering at her sullied manner.

In his mind he finds but one way to lift her from the slums of her fears and thoughts. The knight takes the Princess hand in his own and stands before her. "Come. We shall bid this place goodbye and flee to anew. If only for a moment?"

"Where did you have in mind?" The solemn sadness within her eyes dims as the light of hope surfaces through.

"You shall have to wait and discover the answer yourself when we reach our destination."

She beams a cheeky smile, one in which he interprets happiness and tease. They walk hand in hand towards the stables, readying the horses as they go. But before they may depart, Sir Daniel glances at his beloved friend and laughs. Peggy in turn gazes up and questions his amusement. He then answers with a gesture towards her clothing- she has not removed her armor.

"May I ask... is that Micheal's armor you wear?"

"It is indeed. I hoped it would be a stoke of luck to win the tournament." The knight smiles sorrowfully and the Princess, too, hangs her head low. "I miss him too." They young friends embrace before pulling apart. The metal of their armor clinking together as one.

"You may wish to change before our ride. A more comfortable attire for our adventure." In response she nods in conformation, asking him to avert his eyes. "Why?" He asks cautiously, but she only chuckles and shoves him lightly until his eyes are on the horse and not herself.

As he stands and saddles the majestic beast, he hears the sounds of metal clinking to the ground. Curious, Sir Daniel turns his head over his shoulder and quickly averts his gaze. The Princess was in nothing but  that of her chemise. With a swift clearing of his throat, he began to toss the saddle on the horse, avoiding the direction in which his beloved had stood.

"I really must speak with a armourer. If not to change the weight of the armor, then that of the design. It is preposterously difficult to withstand for so long. I don't understand how you do it, Daniel."

"With much difficulty myself, your highness. I hear that plated armor is what is best to wear. It is more comfortable, and suited better for movement and fighting. In my own confession I must say, it would be a blessing from God himself to see myself."

More clothes shifting is heard from behind him as he pulls the bridle atop the horses mane and head. She neighs  beside his ear, the breath hot on his cheek. Sir Daniel chuckles lightly,petting the beauty as he finishes.

"Good girl," As he is distracted, Peggy seizes the moment and proceeds to take his helmet. "Are you quite finished, Peggy? The horses are ready for travel. Peggy?" He turns every which way but sees no sign of the Princess. Once he notices his helmet gone, a sigh releases from him; his eyes shutting in defeat. "Ever the games you play, your highness"

Sir Daniel stalks around the wooded barn, searching for the Princess. Weary as to where she could have gone. As he turns a corner of hay, a laugh behind him catches the knight off guard, as does the hands and body grasping him from behind. A pair of legs wrap around his waist, and the arms do so around his neck, a cool metal clinking against his cheek.

"You didn't expect such an attack, did you?" She asks, continuing to keep him in her hold.

"Very amusing, Princess. May you release me and return my property, or shall I have to do so myself." An underlying tease within his voice.

"Mmm I must admit I would love to see you attempt to try."

"Is that a challenge, you highness?" The woman in question huffs a breath, hot against his neck.

"How many times must I tell you, Daniel. You mustn't be so formal when its simply the two of us."

"Very well, I apologize Peggy." She laughs, tickling his neck through the helmet o'er her head, causing a shiver down his spine.

"Good, now what- Ah!" She shrieks as he swivels suddenly. He laughs knowingly, causing her to grip onto him tightly. "Daniel!" Around and around he spins, her head becoming dizzy. He then takes advantage of this and sits down, causing her to release him and sit as well.

Quickly realizing what their position must look like, Peggy tucks her legs underneath her, away from his waist. Had any one  saw such a thing, the kingdom would buzz with gossip, and Peggy, nor Daniel's reputation would ever be the same. The Princess would be seen as a tease, a whore easily gotten to. And Daniel? He would loose his position in knighthood along with everything he had worked so hard to achieve.

"I told you I could get you to release me. Now, my helmet?" She looks up at him his back to her, his head turned over his shoulder.

"Only because I allowed you to do so." Sir Daniel guffaws  and stands, taking her hand in his as they walk to the horses.

"If you say so, Peggy. Then it is." She removes the metal from atop her head and place it in the spot she had thieved it from.

"Hm, I must  say it is about time you learned that. And all it took was years of training." She jests, poking at his side.

"Aha! Much more vigorous than training to become a knight." He retorts, shrinking away from her teasing touch.

"Daniel!" He laughs jollily and grabs her hand in his won before she could advance. Peggy then at this looks up at him and tries her other hand, only he too catches it.

He smirks knowingly, realizing her troubles seem to have begun fading from her mind. Perhaps this is how he may keep them at bay.

They stand for a moment, staring into the golden light in the others eyes. A quiet sense taking over their being. The Princess calms her stance, standing straighter and towards her knight. Sir Daniel does the same, the forms but a few breaths apart. Every second passes, the closer they stand, all of time ceasing to stop. But it was to be in this moment the horse neighs loudly, needing its bridle fixed. The two pull apart, reality setting once again. As does the moment that lead them here, Peggy running from her father's words. Such sully takes hold of her once more. They mount and take leave, traveling beyond the gates and through the trees.

The wind is soft and quiet, brushing through the air. The ever still quiet, giving in to Peggy's somber mood. But how may Sir Daniel uplift her her? As if a light from heaven had shone upon his mind, an idea had formed; a song. He begins to sing bache bene venies, starting out soft and quiet, only to grow in sound, louder for her to hear. She looks to him, a small smile upon her face, giving into his playful nature. Together in harmony, soprano and baritone, the contrast of their voice fills the air with life and light. Their voices ring through the wind, carrying them along their journey. As they stop soft and low, they laugh in harmony, both moods uplifted in joy.

Ever still was the silence to follow, until Peggy's voice began to ring through the air once more. The tone of Los set gotxs recomptarem echoing through the wind. A light laughter leaves them once finished with the song. An uplifting manner surrounding them.

For only a few moments the continue on their journey. The wind calming and the horses neighing lightly, their hoofs following the trail into trough the clear woods. A trail long since known in the Princess's mind. A smile appears on her lips, a pleased expression upon her features. It is not until the pair have stopped that she questions their destination.

"May I ask why it is you have brought me here?"

Daniel looks over at her, a flit of a smile visible on his lips. She catches it and tilts her head curiously. It always fills her mind with wonder at the possibilities for that smile. The one he has when he plans something; whether it be mischievous or simplistic. Peggy can never discover the reason until it is present.

He dismounts his horse and ties the reigns around the trunk of a tree. Peggy sits and waits, reaching out as he holds her waist to assist her fall. As she lands on her own two feet, she stands before him, their faces but a breath apart.

"Thank you, my good Knight." She grins with amusement.

"Of course, Your Highness." Moments pass before they pull apart, the lingering feeling between them never parts.

As they walk side by side, the princess glances to her left, witnessing Daniel in an odd posture. Much relaxed and saddened. More so than his attempted smile as before. Rather than impose on a question, she takes his hand in hers, walking to the reservoir ahead.

The mystic, cold waters, laying flat in in its dark  infinite color and depth. The luscious green grass surrounding the water, such beauty and tranquility. A bird from afar whistles its song, echoing through the tree. Such peace fills her soul as the two walk along the land. They then take an abrupt stop, much to the princess's surprise. With an inquiring question on her expression, the knight laughs and sits upon the ground, motioning for her to mimic his posture; and she does. Sir Daniel then lies down on the ground, the grass a fickle feeling upon his cheek, so thin and wispy. As that wispy of the clouds above, floating high in the sky, there in the mist of heavens gates they surly fly. Peggy looks to him, such ease showing from his features. Relaxed and content. She looks to him and back at the peace above, gratified in this blissful moment of quiet. The princess lies down as well, upon the bared grass beneath, resting her head upon her knights armored shoulder; comfortable and pleased. As darkness falls upon her eyes, she feels nothing but the welcomed embrace of Sir Daniel, sleep filling her mind.

It is not until the sun begins to set, the colors vibrating in the sky, that the Knight opens his eyes and wakes the Princess. They must journey back home. Peggy's mood is much more at ease as they travel. The silence no longer stiffing, but pleased. As she returns to her chambers, a faint smile hidden on her lips, she shuts the doors behind her, happy to have her knight by her side. Such peaceful sleep had not been bestowed upon her in many months. Had it not been for the laws of the land, her own choice of a lifelong partner would have been the one she knew since childhood. The one man she falls for more as the days pass. If only God could give a helping hand and relieve her of the dreadful days to come. A wedding she does not wish to attend; her own.

It is with the following days the wedding is set. This day in which the princess marries her betrothed and starts her life anew. A life she hopes to render a positive change.

Within 3 days time the royal wedding is hosted. A grand event for all the Kingdom to celebrate, and yet not everyone was pleased with this turn of event.

"Are you ready, Your Highness?" Angela asks, her head peeking through the large metal door to Peggy's chambers.

The Princess stands in her deep blue, silk dress. The trail of fabric hanging from her arms and leading from their feet. The Juliet-styled dress soft on her skin, trimmed in gold. Upon her head lies a veil trickles in jewels, her crown the only topping needing to be set.Angie smiles encouragingly as the Princess takes her leave; starting anew.

[nomanicsdak]

New Post has been published on https://manicdak.com/athenian-ping-pong/

Athenian Ping-Pong

Huh, I hear tell on the internets that people are already getting tired of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla? Meanwhile, here I am, still playing Odyssey until the eventual heat death of the universe. As long as I am having fun on my journey is all that matters! Right?

Anyway, first and foremost in this session, I’m going to peruse Lemnos island, of the Skyfall puddles, for more locations. The first thing I stumble my way into is a cultist who for some reason is being set upon by a group of five or six Spartan soldiers. I don’t even have to do anything. I just roll up on them and confirm the kill. Thanks, my brethren! 

All the Bounties

There is nothing more to do on this island, and despite my best efforts, I can’t run my bounty up higher than 3 guys. I head all the way back over to Elis again to complete more locations and while I have 3 bounties on my head, I complete the last fort here. I stroll on in, because my goal is to be noticed and get these 5 bounties without civilian casualties (even though I know that’s the easiest way to do it.) I get the guards to to chase me around and eventually manage to kick my wanted level all the way up to five! 

As soon as the trophy registers, I run the heck away from there and pay off all my bounties. I know, another trophy is to become the best mercenary and an easy way to defeat other mercenaries is if they’re all coming directly to me, but I still have stuff to do! The last thing I need is to have an important quest interrupted by “Wisteria the Floral” trying to murder me.

I do however, almost immediately get my bounty back up, so let’s rethink that strategy. I let them come at me and basically have four of them hit me at the same time. I only die once though! And now I am a Tier 3 mercenary! Only two more tiers to go before I am the top dog! Woohoo!

I let my bounties stand and head off on a quest. I am back in Sparta now, on my way to clean up a bunch of undiscovered stuff in Athens. How there is still stuff I haven’t done in Athens by now is beyond me.

Some lady, Xanthe, the magistrate, is all excited and knows who I am. Let’s see what she has in store for me.

An escort mission??? Bah.

Is he Old Enough Though?

Basically, I have to escort her son to his military training because his parents are too busy. Like–he’s old enough to be in the military, can’t he just go there himself? I will do it anyway, of course. Should be easy enough. (Famous last words?)

Surprise! It was easy enough! Less of an escort mission, and more of a me following this literal child up a mountain. Once I get there, the trainer wants to battle me because, Sparta! I suppose. Afterward, I learn that some of his students have gone missing including the little kid’s brother. Now I must go and find/rescue them. Alexios hints that maybe some other beast, not wolf or bear, has gotten them. I mean, we just battled a Minotaur; it wouldn’t surprise me. 

Okay, wait…the camp is like a hundred meters away from the training grounds. How in the heck did the trainer lose them? Also, how did he miss the body that is up here? Anyway, the dead guy is not the brother. Come to find out that he is hiding out in the cave of sorrows, which sounds like a familiar place that I’ve been to. Let’s check it out. When I arrive, it looks like some rogue Athenians got to them. Well, in any case, I provide rescue, give bro a pep talk, and return to give Xanthe the good news. In return, she gives me more tasks. 

Apparently, I am to go around town and advise some people. My own personal self help tour, I guess. Lady, I have got things to do and mercenaries to defeat! C’mon!

As you can probably guess, I am going to do the quest, though.

1st: Lady who thinks her farm is cursed

2nd: Help some lady get control of her wild daughter

3rd: Taming more Precocious children…didn’t I do this quest already? It seems very familiar.

1. I have to take an “offering” to her husband who is hanging out on a beach. The Offering is actually a gift basket full of booze and shrooms. All us dudes party down and are so messed up we don’t notice a Trojan (Athenian?) horse full of Athenian soldiers roll up on us. We defeat them: end of Quest, but I have to wonder why on Earth anyone would want to check out a Trojan horse after what happened with the first one? ( PS: I later find out that this quest is not part of Xanth’s tasks. Oops)

Neigh? Nay.

2. The Wild daughter just wants to adventure and have fun. Sounds fine to me, but instead I just offer to teach her how to be the best Spartan she can be. She flirts with Alexios, I don’t flirt back, but it all leads to a pick nick under a blossoming tree and nothing else. Quest finished!

3. This isn’t the same quest, because all I have to do with these precocious children is tell them the story of Perseus. Apparently there are clues to how that goes down around the building they are in, but I just barrel right on ahead and begin the quest without checking anything out first.

I cannot back out of this cut scene now, and instead of choosing to look up the actual story on my handy laptop, I just plumb the depths of my brain for memories of Clash of the Titans. Did Athena really have a mechanical Owl???? Was there a Kraken? Did it get released? Apparently not because the kids hate my very inaccurate retelling. Lol, I pass the quest anyway.

Alright, Xanthe errands completed. I do not have an option to go back to her, so I just keep it moving.

I spend a lot of time clearing locations around Athens that I missed, and now I have finally found another quest.

My dearest friend Sokrates, has a stolen horse. 

It is not his stolen horse, alas. He knows who did it and now he is going to pose his questions of morality on to me. ‘Krates…you know what my actual job is? We’re gunnin’ for top mercenary honours; nobody should be trusting questions of morality to Alexios at all. 

Okay, the thief did it because his only horse died and he can’t afford a new one. He didn’t take the best horse, and it will help with the farm. 

Bro, you can keep the horse, I steal horses all the time even though mine is a whistle away. Seriously, who am I to judge?

I return with my opinion to Sokrates and he hits me with a Trolley problem. Gosh, dangit. I am not in the mood for this deep thought in a stabby game, right now.

Alexios is tired of ‘Krates philosophies and mental tests now, so we leave to find another quest.

It always ends up with someone drunk and/or poisoned on the floor

I head on across the way to another exclamation point and find none other than Alkibiades, fresh off another successful party and still super drunk. We are going to bask in each other’s hotness for a moment before he gives me an escort mission. Gotta help this poor, even drunker, politician who clearly didn’t know what he was getting into back to home. I get to ask Alkibiades about his hard partying, wily ways, which I already know all about.

Then I take the drunk politician to his “home” which turns out is a set up. Once I clear out the ambush and save the guy, Alexios wonders who it is that set them up.

Uhhh, not the dude that told you where to go and wouldn’t let the guy sleep it of at his place? Nooo, never. Couldn’t be. I return to Alkibiades for another quest and he doesn’t exactly admit that he set us up, but he set us up.

As for this new quest…not to put too fine a point on it, but he wants me to retrieve a dildo from some lady he done wrong. Once again, the things I do for you, Ace.

Haha, the good news is that I already have it in my inventory.

Why do I have it???? Where did I get it??? How long did I have it???? For Zeus’s sake.

Turns out it wasn’t his to retrieve in the first place, and I actually stole it to Alkibiades’s political advantage somehow. You did not have to lie to me to get me to do this quest, Ace. You should know that by now. Anyhow, I don’t get all the details about why this needed to be done, and As for the end of the quest, well, let’s just say all the effort didn’t go to waste. *shrug emoji* Alkibiades is right, I have given up saying no to him. Haha!

Now that I’m finished here, I have a new quest from Sokrates. THESE TWO ARE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME!

Okay, well, I find a quest to help a slave get his freedom. He tried to pay for it, but of course the master didn’t let him go. Because people that own people are such stand up and trustworthy guys. Let’s go take him out!

I go talk to him and find out that he’s a card carrying cultist who isn’t trying to hide and he’s baiting me because Phaidon needs his papers to be free and “the Master” is hiding them, so I can’t just kill him. I have to do an assassination of his choosing in hopes that he’s acting in good faith. I doubt it, but I don’t get the option to tell him to go fuck himself.

What are the chances indeed.

This quest is entirely confusing. After standing firm in the belief that all are created equal when Sokrates ask me about it, I get a quest update to return to the cult dude. Alexios tells him he won’t do his bidding, he tells me he won’t be freeing anybody and that’s the end of the quest.

Instead, I hit the road and meet Sokrates, who I’m sure is going to pose some philosophical and unhelpful question. Where is Ace with his goof-goof-dildos when you need him???

Sokrates now has me questioning myself on whether I should just sneak-stab this slave owner a-hole when he’s not looking, even though he’s on my culty hit list already and I have to if I want to Platinum this game. Instead, I let some dude out of a nearby cage so I get attacked first which makes the decision easy!

I don’t get a new quest from Alkibiades after this, but I do uncover a new cultist who is nearby!

I finish her, and another branch of the cult tree! 

I click on over to the map to find a brand new quest, and it seems like this ping-pong match between Sokrates and Alkibiades quests is not over yet after all. I trek on over to him for another escort mission. To make a medium story short, I’m taking a woman to a sanctuary to escape her abusive husband, and Alkibiades is helping her out of the goodness of his heart. So, not everything he does is self-serving after all, which Alexios doesn’t quite believe at first. 

Afterwards, I return to Alkibiades to find out that he is getting married now.

Wait, what??? Alexios, notably as confused as I am, wonders why he hasn’t heard of this woman before. Ace does not tell me everything about his life though, alas. I now have to help him steal some flowers and a wedding ring from some love temple which is way more difficult than it should be at this point.

The Lucky Lady

I also have to present these items to the lucky lady for him and she straight up informs me that she’s totally using Alkibiades as a step up on the ladder to ruling Greece. Like, girl, you are telling your nefarious plans to the wrong person. Not that I think Alkibiades is going to give two shits; I think he probably has his own nefarious plans, but I’m still going to rat her out.

I am right of course, but he insists he is marrying for love and so that the people can see a more serious side to him. Their joint ambition to use each other to take over the country is just a bonus. We know how that works out because of history I suppose, but Godspeed anyways, bro! 

I also get a recap of all the quests I’ve been running around doing for him this whole time and his reasonings behind his plans. All in the name of moving up in the world, except for helping that last lady escape her husband. He confirms that one was just the right thing to do. I already basically knew all of this though. The big question is, am I not going to get any more quests from him now??? 

Am I nearing the endgame? Will I actually finish a game of Assassin’s Creed? Are we ever going to travel back to the present times?

 Find out next time!

[sommer-rain]

I had just come back home from shopping at the grocerystore and had just ate the first piece out of four of the pizza i bought when dad calls, saying Marja has a kalakukko (a uniqe finnish dish that -i think- is from Kuopio region?..i don’t remember it that well) that is still warm that she just got from one of the rare guests that has visited them this week (i can’t remember if it were the two that slept over or Marja’s son) as asked if i wanted some of it too! It was the..err..perch version! (i often forget what that fish is called in english) Omg it’s so good! And i have no difficulty eating it at all! :D

He said he picks me up in 20 mins and me and Marja ate it and afterwards we went outside to find Ville (the cat) beause he hadn’t been seen at home since they let him out 3 in the morning. lol so silly.. me and that go around the yard yelling his name and after a while he comes sprinting from one of the neigh-bour’s properties up to us :p We all got back inside and gave him some of the dish too that he indeed liked. Oh well..rest of my day were just pretty boring.

Fun fact: the couple that slept over one-two nights at them were aquantances, i think, to Marja or to her son, who travel around alot to different places within- and i think outside perhaps too (?) of Finland in nature and also has his/their own YouTube travel channel!  But it’s a finnish spoken and i dko if they really have and subtitles to those videos anyway.