#Oath of loyalty

[vox-anglosphere]

A solemn moment at the Coronation when William pledges his loyalty

[charlietheepicwriter7]

"Grandfather."

Ra's knew who the boy was the moment he'd snuck into the room. He'd allowed the child--more man than child now, but everyone was a child compared to him--moments to steel himself while Ra's refrained from acknowledging his presence. The boy's breath was barely audible but unsteady, and a drop of something fell to the floor.

His grandson was injured. "Danyal," he greeted and finally gazed upon him for the first time in seven years.

Danyal had grown into his father's height, yet stayed lean in regards to his musculature. His black hair had grown out of the League-regulation haircut, held back in a messy braid. He held himself as strong as he could, but kept an arm wrapped around his stomach. His shirt--standard American teenage garb, he dismissed--was spotted with blood and he could see bandages poking out from under the cloth.

With great care, Danyal knelt before the Demon Head and recited the Oath of Loyalty.

Ra's watched.

The boy's tongue, fat with English, spoke the League's variant of Arabic with the grace of a mace to the head, yet his words were clear. He took his time speaking the oath, carefully sounding out words, working hard to avoid mispronunciation. The Oath in question was the older version, from before Deathstroke's insurrection, but Danyal spoke it with a calm certainty that it would be accepted.

And without a doubt, it would be accepted.

Talia's eldest son had been born from her body instead of through science, a mistake that nearly cost her the child and damaged him upon birth. While the best doctors in the world saved his life, Danyal Al Ghul would always be weak in a fight, always prone to illness, always struggling to excel. When it became clear that the boy couldn't become the next Demon Head, Ra's sent Talia to create a replacement while arrangements were made for her first child to be taught business and science, for the betterment of the League. Danyal, very much his father's child, thrived in his intellectual pursuits while Damian grew and developed into a budding assassin.

But Danyal was more like his father than he'd ever knew. Ra's couldn't miss the signs of one of his family turning away from the League. Not the mission--Danyal had written several university level papers defending the environment by the time the boy was 10--but Ra's methods...

Ra's had a conundrum. Danyal was a dedicated conservationist; once the boy was an adult, Ra's was certain he'd take the world by storm and bring the League to new heights. But if he forced his methods onto Danyal, he could create an enemy of him, just as his father was.

Ra's gave Danyal an offer; Danyal would be allowed to leave the League and live a normal life if and only if he faked his own death in such a way that reinforced Damian's loyalty to the League of Assassins.

Danyal had been hesitant at first, but past his test with flying colors. Instigating one of the more unstable assassins into organizing a coup, cutting the insurgents off near immediately, but "dying" protecting both his younger brother and mother. It was a masterful performance. Even Talia hadn't known about the deceit.

And yet, here he was, on his knees, pledging loyalty. Danyal knew what that meant, knew what he was returning to, which morals he would be allowed to keep.

"And what do you bring with you, child of no one?" Why should the League accept the return of this child, who left once before?

Danyal met his eyes. "I bring with me, my team, who are loyal to me and me alone. I bring with me, research surrounding the Lazarus Pits, in origins and further uses for the waters." Ra's raised an eyebrow, and Danyal smirked. "I bring with me, my knowledge, nurtured within this very home and sharpened in the world outside. I bring with me, my weapons, built with my own hands. I bring with me... my body, finally healthy and whole." He brought his head down to the floor, trembling with pain. "I bring my whole self to the Demon's Head, for Him to accept or reject."

Ra's smiled. "By the shadows that guard our order and the blood that binds us, I accept this oath. From this day forward, you are an instrument of the League, a harbinger of justice, and a weapon in the hand of Ra's Al Ghul."

Danyal returned to his feet, swaying percariously. He needed immediate medical attention. Despite this, he continued, "Long live the League of Assassins. Long live Ra's Al Ghul."

And he collapsed onto the floor.

[leal-hound]

spoilers for my fanfic but i dont know if ill have the energy to finish it, so here's some uh oh doodles

[trappedinafantasy37]

So, I'm in the middle of typing up a mini essay about fandom opinion about Minthara and how she is often mischaracterized, especially by those who do not know her. One of the points that I bring up in that essay is that she is the most loyal companion. Then, I really started to question to myself, how exactly is Minthara the most loyal?

Shadowheart will leave your party if you don't take her to confront the Nightsong. Astarion will leave your party if you refuse to help him at all with the ascension ritual. Lae'zel will leave the party if you try to leave the creche without going into the Astral Prism and you fail to convince her to trust you. Wyll and Karlach will leave the party if you raid the grove. I believe Wyll may also leave in regards to a very specific outcome with his dad, but I can't find anything to confirm this. Gale will leave the party if you fail to convince him to stay after the grove raid, or you fail to stabilize his orb by the end of Act 2. Halsin will leave the party if you fail to resolve the Shadow Curse by the end of Act 2. Jaheira will leave the party if Minsc dies, or if Durge accepts Bhaal. Minsc will leave the party if Durge accepts Bhaal.

But there is not a single decision you can make that will make Minthara leave your party. Once she is there, she is there for good. You can make whatever stupid decision you want, good or evil, and she'll still be right there. You can make whatever decision she disagrees with, and she'll still be right there. You can leave her behind in camp when confronting Ketheric or Orin (even after she begs you to take her with you), and she'll still be right there. You can blow up the Netherbrain, and she'll still be right there. You can literally be the nicest do-gooder in the world, and she will still be right fucking there. She might be irritated, but she'll still be right there.

You literally have to purposefully drive her away to get her to leave, and that can only be done by getting her affinity deep into the negatives. And even the most morally good of players won't be able to naturally do that on their own. You have to go out of your way and purposefully choose every option that will piss her off. So, as long as you're not an asshole to her, she will stay by your side no matter what.

That's what I love about BG3 and the subversion of tropes. The one companion who will stick with you through thick and thin, is the "evil" one. The one companion who will never betray you in any way, is the "evil" one (which is ironic as she comes from a culture that is all about betraying the ones closest to you). You can recruit all 10 companions and have all of them leave your party at some point, and the only one who won't, is the "evil" one.

This is no longer just an opinion of mine. It is a fact, Minthara is canonically the most loyal companion. She will always stand by you no matter what you do, even if she hates the things you're doing.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Today I'm thinking about the degree to which a person is responsible for the loyalty they inspire in others.

To be more specific, I'm continuing my rewatch and thinking about the degree to which Franklin is responsible for the loyalty he has inspired in poor wee David Young.

-

Young's death is a foregone conclusion, one that's been years in the making to the point where he thinks nothing of his gruesome symptoms, yes. But his lionisation of Franklin is also a not-insignificant factor in Young neglecting to speak up about his failing health.

"I didn't want to disappoint Sir John..."

Then, as he continues to decline, Young relinquishes any semblance of bodily autonomy he ever had. He's terrified at the thought of being cut open and examined, begs for Goodsir to promise to refrain from doing so. But again, his loyalty to Franklin wins out - he trusts completely that whatever Franklin orders must be for the good of the crew.

"If Sir John orders it I will do it..."

And even as death rapidly approaches, Young isn't entirely free in his own mind either. He's an extremely vulnerable young man, little more than a child really. He's 3000 miles from home. He's dying and there isn't a thing anyone can do to stop it. He's even separated from his fellow Terrors now, friends who clearly cared for his well-being and could have been at least a small comfort to him as he passed.

Young is so so frightened and he can't even fully admit to and confront that fact because of Franklin.

"And don't tell Sir John I was afraid..."

-

I'm not sure yet what my point is really.

Young's loyalty and devotion to Franklin serves to make his death just that more desperate and traumatic than it otherwise would have been and it just feels like there ought to be consequences for that somehow. It feels like someone ought to pay for the tragedy of it all...

[dailyayao]

[ruegarding]

Do you think Percy should be single? Or do you ship him with another character?

i don't think rick is particularly good at writing romances, so any endgame relationship he writes is going to annoy tf outta me. eventually.

i've rbed a few posts talking abt his proclivities when it comes to writing romances, but a special shout out to the "my partner is the only thing that matters in the world" that's typical of a romance novel. i'm not reading a romance novel on purpose. can we care abt other characters. and characterization. and the plot.

so, yes, i would rather percy (and literally every major character) be single bc of that.

[umbraastaff]

Occasionally, the Starblaster lands in a place that's actually receptive to their dire warnings. On one such world, with their society being accelerated by the Light of Creation, they even began making plans for how to combat the Hunger.

Barry goes to visit a convene a few months into the year, and finds them developing and honing skills they'll need to detect the Hunger - and to fight it when it arrives. To keep its destruction at bay until it follows the ship to the next planar system.

The skills they train are unlike anything he's seen before. Their healing appears as divine as any cleric's, but without the aid of gods - so cutting off the Celestial Plane won't stop their magic. And they fight, too, infusing that same magic into their weapons, powered by the force of their belief. They call themselves Watchers.

Barry trains with them, just the basics. They teach him how to draw power from the force of belief. From the memory of the Hunger consuming his world, and the promise that he'll do anything to stop it consuming others.

Anything.

Lup would do anything. He's sure. They're all incredibly fortunate to have someone like her onboard - someone who wouldn't ever let them destroy a world just to make this easier (and oh, he wasn't there, but he knows he would have been on Davenport's side about destroying the crystal).

He doesn't take the oath. He can see the way it codifies their belief into reality - the way it powers them, makes their souls divine. He wants to be that person, but he isn't. He doesn't put this foreign world above himself.

(But still, the magic takes to him. His senses sharpen to the Hunger's influence, letting him catch sight of the scouts without Blink. He can raise friends from unconscious mid-fight with just enough healing magic. He's dedicated, he believes, even if he won't commit and tie his soul to it.)

--

For a time, he leaves it there. There's so, so much to do and learn and see on this journey. He stays a level one rogue while Magnus trains up more dexterity and stealth, and he stays a level one paladin too, for now.

On Faerûn, Barry commits hard to an imperfect plan. And when he falls, already dead, from the ship, he already knows - on top of finding her - that he's going to have to defend it.

He's trapped in a cave for months at a time. The thing about plans is it doesn't really take three months to concoct one, no matter how granular he gets (and really, he needs to stop himself getting too detailed - it's hard enough getting his living self to follow basic instructions exactly how he wants). So he takes up other studies in the meantime.

He can't use weapons as a ghost, but he can practice the movements, ingrain the knowledge into pockets of 'muscle' memory. He's no cleric, but he can study their magic, see the ways their spells overlap with that training he underwent all that time ago.

He won't risk asking any god on Faerûn for help with the Raven Queen after him - he's not close with one like Merle is - but he already knows he can pull similar magic from inside himself. And some of the most basic spells look really useful, when he's only ever had wizard spells before.

Even when he doesn't remember, when he's just some guy who couldn't cast a spell to save his life, he feels it: the promise, the belief that drives him. He doesn't remember where he learned to fight, but he knows how to move a weapon like it's a part of his body. He knows when he's really, truly desperate, when his adventuring party of the week is on its last legs, his weapon glows with that fury and hits harder than it ever should otherwise.

--

He appears in his workshop feeling sick and furious, lightning lashing off him. All he can hear is their voices, so casually dismissing the dead guy they'd found the umbrastaff on.

Lucretia knows too. She must know, and she hasn't done anything about it -- still leaves Taako without the knowledge of just how fucking important that thing should be to him.

He drags himself back to some semblance of composure, ignoring the new burns and cracks he's put in the walls. Lup is out there somewhere. Lup still exists in this world, along with Merle's children and Magnus'... well, extended in-laws, and--

And she wouldn't let them flee this world, not with their families rooted here, and she wouldn't let Lucretia destroy this world.

And neither will he.

He's going to find her. He's going to bring them all together. He just needs their trust, and he's sure some echo of that century will get them to listen to him. He can bring everyone together, and once he does that, they'll find some way through this. They always do.

The bonds that tether his soul pull taut, burning now with divinity in the heart of an unholy abomination. He knows now how to change the shape of his soul, how to let its form twist around newfound power.

On the discipline of a decade's routine, on sleepless vigilance, on undying loyalty, he swears his oath.

This world will not be consumed.

[fisherrprince]

I have done my yearly "look through Kick's stuff and fall in love with the Knight Ven promising Way Too Much to Sora" comic, and mmmmmmmmm, the implications that Sora just GETS and the subtle horror as he knows that Ventus is Extremely Serious about "anything"

anon sorry it took me a month but I have been just looking at this in my inbox and kicking my feet like :3<-< like hehehe… you’re right. You’re right! Keep talking I don’t have anything to say let me kick my feet some more. im very slowly pulling the kintsugi heart out of my bag would you like to stay for lunch

[lloydfrontera]

Hello! Did Javier or Frontera couple actually never find out that Original Lloyd and Kim Suho shared the same soul????

That's so sad :"(

they don't :( but to be fair neither does lloyd. as far as i know, this is an audience exclusive revelation and no one in-universe knows about it.

and tbh i'm kinda glad? i don't know, i much prefer that the affection and love that exists between the frontera family and suho come from their own experiences and the relationship they built by themselves rather than because it turned out suho was their own child all along. i think it would cheapen the found family aspect of it all.

as it is, i think it was... not a bad decision on bk moon's part to make the twist, but only because he waited to drop the bomb til the last chapter, once all the relationships had already been developed on their own. had it been on the middle of the novel, there would've always been the doubt of "oh is he doing all of this because they were his family in his previous life? does he actually care for them or does he just feel guilty? do they only love each other because they were biological family once?" and honestly it would've sucked, i hate just thinking about it lol

as it is, i think it's already a slippery slope, i've already seen a couple comments about how suho is the way he is because of og lloyd's feelings and guilt and like,,,, No ajsdhjka

for one thing suho has no recollection of his previous life, he's not at all affected by og lloyd's guilt or memories, everything he does, everything he feels is because of his own lived experiences and character. to attribute everything he accomplishes to the last split second resolution of a man who never cared enough to do something for himself or his family in his own life, would be a disservice to his character and honestly, kind of a let down if that's what bkm was going for.

and for another, i just think it's way more poignant to have lloyd find a family that loves and cares for him, not because of blood ties or same-soul shenanigans, but because of who he is and what he's done. it would be kind of disappointing for the story to say "they only care for each other because they were biological family before" because,,, then what was the point of the build up, of their relationship development, of the slowburn of lloyd coming to accept that not only does he sees arcos and marbella as parents but that he deserves their love too. it would negate how big of a choice it was for the fronteras themselves to decide that they loved lloyd, even knowing he wasn't their son, that they cared for him not as a replacement but as his own person, that they trusted him even after the deception, that they wanted him to come home and be part of their family.

all of that would be kind of cheapened if everyone knew that suho's previous life was og lloyd, because then what's the big problem, it's still the same soul, it's basically the same person, they were already family once, no big deal to be family again, everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow with no loose ends and they can carry on their merry lives without facing the big difficult emotions that come with all of the previously mentioned dilemmas.

ok maybe i'm exaggerating a little, i do think there would be very interesting feelings to explore if they did end up knowing about it, but let's be honest, they wouldn't have been explored in canon lol. this is not the kind of novel to explore the grand dilemmas that come with a reincarnated soul making amends for the faults it committed in its previous life and that's okay, not every novel can be.

but i don't know. perhaps i just like the found family trope more than the 'they were related all along' one even if it's just soul wise askjdlafkd

again this is just the way i see things, if you feel differently that's also perfectly okay and i would love to talk about it if you guys want! i'm just. being silly :3

[transmutationisms]

loving the people on the copyright post like "oh they don't get these rights unless you sign them away" babygirl you would not believe the things i signed because the alternative was not getting paid

[ladysnows]

META   + sara's relationship with duty and how that ties into cregan?

i'm the most asdfghjkl excited to gab about these two and more importantly how that fits into sara's own personal views of what true duty means. to do that i'll have to first unpack the importance of their relationship itself... cregan does go through a lot at a fairly young age he not only loses his brother but also becomes lord of winterfell fairly young and has to wrest that status from his own uncle. then lo and behold he gets married, loses his wife to child birth, and has to take care of not only winterfell but a newborn son. starks, more than most families, place a very deep value upon familial bonds - particularly the one between siblings. we also know that starks have a tendency to treat bastards better than most, what we hear of them is how much ( even in little accounts ) cregan truly loved his sister. when he believed jace could have sullied sara he flew into a rage and nearly killed him.

there is somewhat of an age gap between them but not necessarily a substantial one. that would factor in to him trusting her to take care of winterfell when he isn't there, his time is split between the wall and the care of his people back home, where his son also is. he needed someone he could trust to not only keep the north safe alongside him but rickon, his heir. he puts a lot of open trust in his sister and it never seems to factor in that she is a bastard.

sara is afforded the same respect and love by cregan he would give to anyone in his family. all the same choices as well.

so that's unpacked. them. because that is vital to duty. it is her privilege to serve for her brother. it's quite literally the beating heart of who sara is. and that duty exists because he's never treated her any less. in fact it's rarely spoken of that she is even a bastard except briefly.

the origin of duty for sara also begins with knowing her own family history. she believes the legends, she believes in the night's watch, and takes sending men to the wall as seriously as cregan or any other person. she also views the north as the most important part of westeros for what they sacrifice and the oaths they keep to the continued safety of the kingdom.

[kazz-brekker]

the problem with being really into the concept of fealty is that it's really easy to find bodyguard romance books and a lot harder to find books exploring the concept of fealty in general

[nyanahogini]

Oh! To be Belle in the 2014 French live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast!

Every morning waking up to find a new amazingly magnificent and beautiful gown to wear that day for the Beast.

[betweenlands]

fifth horsemen

[arcxnumvitae]

Part 4

Gentry crowded into the throne room, a quietly murmuring mass of worry and indignation. Who was this new man to have declared himself king? Despite word that King Oisean had slept with no other but his wife, had he had dalliances elsewhere? Who was this heir? The murmurs only seemed to grow once the king's two-toned eyes were noticed. Another source of worried murmuring were what were presumably the bodies of guards still impaled in various places against the walls and floors, silver gore scattered around them. The gentry tended to avoid those areas.

Iain, completely unbothered by the low chatter, lounged atop the throne as a hand idly caressed one of its arms. As Iomhar and Eilidh filed in and scanned the rom, Eilidh's eyes landed on Ruaidhri-- standing oddly close to where the supposed new king sat. What was that about? Eilidh shot Ruaidhri a wide-eyed questioning look, to which Ruaidhri widened his own eyes in a silent response. To others he may have looked as composed as usual, but to her...he seemed a bit freaked out. That was to be expected though, wasn't it? Yet she couldn't shake the feeling it had something to do with his proximity to the king.

The last of the gentry filed in, and Iomhar spared a glance behind him as the heavy doors to the throne room began to creak shut of their own accord, or, more likely, by the new king's will. He dearly hoped Sivel would remain in the room he had been ushered to. He didn't anticipate violence, nothing would be gained by slaughtering the gentry, but if worse came to worse...

The quiet in the room slowly began to die down, until the man spoke up.

"My subjects, I am your new king for the foreseeable future it seems. My name is Iain Moireasdan. It is my understanding that each new royal," laughter lingered in the word, "is ushered in by an oath of fealty sworn to them by their personal guards. I thought to expand that celebration a bit, and require it of each gentry as well."

A rush of protests broke out across the room, angry, indignant-- all were quickly silenced by a rumble across the ground. The king's expression quickly darkened as he sat up in the throne. The voices quickly died down. Except for one.

"What happened to King Camhlaidh and Princess Tara?"

Iain's eyes quickly locked onto Iomhar, and he raised a brow. "Your name?"

Eilidh's hand settled in his to quietly tug it, a silent warning. But what else was he meant to do now? Simply quietly bow his head to a miscreant who seemed no better than a bully? "Iomhar Mèinnearach, member of the Council."

"'Mèinnearach'..." The other man seemed to savor the name on his tongue, thinking deeply about something. A light suddenly lit in his eyes, and he let out a laugh. "Ah, Mèinnearach!"

A root shot from the ground and pierced through Iomhar's right shoulder. Blood began to seep from the wound around the plant, and Iomhar let out a muffled noise of pain. Iain shrugged amidst the gasps let out by the crowd.

"The former king and princess have been taken care of, by me of course. Any other questions, Mèinnearach?" The vine began to pull, dragging Iomhar forward, with stumbling steps and pained breaths, towards the king.

Leithe began to step forward, but her father's hand around her wrist harshly jerked her backwards.

Eilidh instead moved to stand between Iomhar and the king, fixing him with a steady look.

The king seemed unbothered. "And your name, dear?"

This time, it was Eilidh who ignored Iomhar's attempt to tug Eilidh behind him, away from the king's attention. "Eilidh Deòireach."

A second root wrapped around her neck and brought her to her knees. Eilidh's panicked fingers scrabbled at the unyielding plant, choking as her air was ruthlessly cut off. A cry came from within the crowd, and two figures began to push their way towards their daughter. Neacel and Liùsaidh's eyes were fixated solely on Eilidh, and a cry went out throughout the crowd when two more roots shot from the ground through their abdomens. Eilidh let out a choked scream as her parents' forms slumped, and the crowd began to panic. A few even attempted to pound at the wooden doors, as if any of the terrified servants would free them and risk the mad king's wrath.

Iain, of all things, seemed annoyed, as if the scurrying of ants beneath him had grown too bothersome. The sky outside darkened, and more roots shot from the ground to wrap around the ankles and wrists of each gentry member present.

Iain grinned at the display of power. "Perhaps your weakling royalty caused you to forget, but Seelie is mine to control. It is mine. There is no defying me when within the borders of my domain. To snuff out the lives of each and every person here would be as easy and effortless as a thought." The roots began to tighten, creeping up the bodies of the captured gentry as their panic grew.

"Y-Your Majesty." Only the small stutter and the slight pallor to his expression betraying his nerves, Ruaidhri settled a hand on the king's arm with an easy smile. The title alone seemed to momentarily placate the king, and he took a deep breath and continued. "If you wish to rule over them, it will be no fun if they are dead." His hand slid up the king's arm, and the man's gaze lingered on it with an indulgent grin.

"You make a good point, I suppose. I cannot procure more gentry from anywhere after all, can I?" The roots retreated from the gentry back into the ground. Iomhar, one hand clutching his now freely bleeding shoulder, knelt to wrap an arm tight around Eilidh's crumpled, crying form. For a long moment, her sobs were the only noise in the otherwise dead silent room.

Iain looked over the room, seemingly satisfied at his handiwork. He turned to a few guards positioned nearby. "Take those two to the dungeons. I will determine which others bear the names in time. As for the rest of you," he shot a glare at the petrified crowd. "Get out of my sight."