#Only two kings had been 'removed' in the last two hundred years

[keylovesstuff]

It's Finally Finished hehe

Little Events-Chapter 5

AO3

FFN

Peach hummed softly tapping the end of the pen lightly against her cheek. The Princess could feel a headache coming along as she reviewed some of the papers scattered across her desk. There had to be some information that she was overlooking and not considering all the facts. Placing the pen down, she pushed herself away from the desk and slouched back into the chair, rubbing her temples, she let out another long sigh and for a few moments, she let her mind wonder. It's been four years since she's taken on the role as her people's leader. Only In the last couple of years did she begin to feel confident in making and handling decisions on her own with her team of advisors backing them up. Policies were either modified or removed as they all deemed fit.

Peach had to admit that she was proud to see just how far her home has come from her childhood to the current day. What was once a small and humble community consisting of thirty people now has hundreds. Tiny tents were now fully built and furnished mushroom houses and all the toads were finding their place in the Kingdom. Through alliances she's made over the past few years, some toads moved to different areas. Those were more bittersweet and the first few times it happened, she took it to heart that she was doing something wrong that made them want to leave. It took a long conversation with Toadsworth about where life takes others sometimes for her to understand and that she shouldn't take such actions personally. There were times she felt a little envy for them being able to leave and make their home elsewhere.

Sometimes she would get in her head about remaining in the Mushroom kingdom till old age. The idea wasn't necessarily a bad thing since that's what came with pledging her life to the people as they had done to her all those years ago and of course she'd do it all over again. It's just that at times she wished she'd got to experience more things before taking on all that responsibility. Maybe some time away would do her good, three days would be enough. It had been awhile since she'd been out or even just seen anyone. 

At that thought with another sigh she pulled herself up to the desk once again and rested her cheek in the palm of her left hand picking up one the pieces of paper with the other, glancing at it not being really bothered to read. Not that she particularly wanted to see anyone even with the fact that the only two people she could think of were probably busy with their own things. In the few letters she's read from Bowser, she remembered him telling her about finally succeeding in creating an egg. That part she was quite happy with, what annoyed her the most about him though was the persistent proposing in both the letters and anytime they met face to face and that started not even a week after she ended her engagement with Haru. It's been two years and she still wasn't sure if she'd ever have the confidence to show her face to him or step foot in his kingdom again after the way she broke things off. The King and Queen of Flower kingdom for its credit didn't seem to mind renegotiating their alliances via letters. Haru had sent letters of his own, seeing if they could arrange some sort of meet-ups, to which she'd always write back about being busy.

Shaking her head she refocused her attention to the matter at hand as it was approaching the early part of the evening. The summer was approaching and it was looking to be a little hotter than the last one. Seemed like a simple solution she told the council earlier in the day, she'd look over the paperwork and see what sort of power ups there were and if needed would see if there was any way to have them imported within the next few weeks. In the three hours of looking through what seemed like the same thing over again nothing seemed to be clicking. Sometimes she wished there was a better way to keep things organized for easy searching instead of having to dig through filed paperwork. It was a Longshot she thought as she pulled out a map of the entire land, her eyes tracing the areas in the blue regions. It took her about twenty minutes between her pinpointing the source she had to go through and referring to a book on everything they gathered over years.

"It would take a couple days there and back even with the shortest route it seems" Peach spoke aloud to herself as she continued studying the map while marking multiple routes to the destination with the pen. "I have no choice though, I took an oath to do everything in my power" she reaffirmed to herself. 

There was just one thing or rather person who she'd have to convince to allow her to go on this mission. Peach took a few minutes to prepare all her findings, herself , and Think about what she could possibly say. With one final exhale she gathered up everything and left her office and was faced with the closed door across the hall. Raising a gloved hand up she gave it a knock and opened it when the voice gave her permission to enter.

"A pleasant evening to you my dear Princess wouldn't you agree?" The mustached Toad behind the desk with his own paperwork asked. 

Peach nodded her head in response and took a seat on the other side when he motioned for her to sit down.

"I was just about to come check on you once I finished up here. It would seem that it's one of the rare times you've got done first" he said with a chuckle, writing some last minute notes before closing the book and giving her his full attention. "You are finished right dear? I noticed you bought some materials" he pointed a finger at the objects she held loosely in her arms.

"I have just about everything completed. Though I could use some of your help reviewing it once more before presenting it all to the council tomorrow morning. If you don't mind, that is." Peach told him while laying both the book and map down on the table.

The Princess figured this would be the best way to open the discussion with Toadsworth. This wasn't the first time she asked him to read over the details of plans she wanted to put in motion. There were times he'd pick out the tiniest bits she had overlooked or ignored completely. It also wasn't the first time she asked him to review speeches she had written out before presenting it to everyone. These weren't firsts and certainly wouldn't be the last. Toadsworth was her trustworthy advisor for a reason, he'd give the truth to her straight. Been doing that all her life actually, she couldn't ask for no one better.

If there was one thing she could get him to see more often, it would be for him to see past the tiny little girl he'd constantly worried about all those years ago and acknowledge her for the strong leader that sits before him now.

"Of course Princess. I'm ready whenever you're ready to start." He folded his hands in front of him and sat them on the desk.

Toadsworth let Peach explain the first draft of her plan and If it wasn't for the growing concern and hesitant nod of his head she saw from the corner of her eye the longer she went on, the Princess would've finally thought she came up with the perfect plan from the start.

"And so you see while we never had use for the ice flower before, It would be very useful now and I think it would be for the best if we add it in our monthly imports" The Princess concluded finally looking him in the eyes. "The trip will take a few days but, I trust you and the council will be able to take care of everything in my absence." She added. 

The silence between them lasted for about two minutes. The mustached toad let out a long sigh removing his glasses and placing it on the desk. With his hands crossed and placed under his chin he gathered his words.

"You are asking for quite a lot out of us my Princess as I'm sure you're aware of, yes?" Toadsworth asked and she nodded. "And while I'm confident in our abilities to handle everything, are you certain you have thought it all through?" He questioned, prompting her to look everything over.

"I believe so," Peach said, now more uncertain than when she initially came in at first. 

Toadsworth had certainly seen something she hadn't considered and instead of just saying it he wanted her to figure it out on her own. Peach found it a bit annoying when he insisted on doing that on one hand but understood it completely on the other hand. As a leader she had to think outside the box and about all the possibilities before advisors bought them up. Always had to have an answer to everything.

So what was he trying to get her to see? Was the question that ran through her mind as she reviewed the materials.

"Well we already have an alliance in place for a little over six months now. Sure we haven't traded resources but I'm certain I can set up something. While we have an abundance of all different types of mushrooms, the same could be said for their flowers." She talks it out while flipping through her notes. "Their King does seem like a reasonable person to agree with if that's what you're getting at" she told Toadsworth as she skimmed through the Penguins profile.

"You've only met him in person once, Princess. How can you be so certain? You are aware that just having a feeling that it'll just work out doesn't guarantee anything without having the actions to back it up" Toadsworth pointed out.

"While I can't be 100% certain it will all work out, it's all I can think of and I'm willing to give it all I got." She told him honestly cause as he's pointed out she really was just going off the feeling that everything will just fall into place. "I can write up something that no one could pass on," Peach added, hoping that would satisfy him.

"Princess you've never used an ice flower before-" Toadsworth started but the princess cut him off.

"The effects aren't as different compared to the fire flower I've noticed and I've been using that for years now. See?" She told him as she showed off the notes on another page. "Sure there might be a curve to it but, I'm confident in my abilities to master it" she assured him.

"Have you thought about any other options if this doesn't work out?" Toadsworth asked her again. 

Oh so he was really wondering if she had thought of a plan b and maybe even a c is what went through Peach's mind.

"Truthfully no and I know it's not the most ideal way to go about it but I haven't gotten a yes or no yet. Until I get something I can't properly come up with other solutions." Peach closed the book and rolled up the map. "Just trust me to do it this way first and if for some reason I come back empty handed, you and the council can do some research in my absence and once I return we can all look it over" she told him.

"You will take a couple of the royal guards with you, yes?" He asked and she looked like she was thinking against the idea. "Please Princess, if you're placing the responsibility of the Kingdom to me here then I want others there to ensure your safety." He got up from his seat and walked around the desk in front of her grabbing her hands.

"Yes Toadsworth I will. As they will be there to ensure my safety, I will do the same for them." Peach Promised him, squeezing his hands. "I will prepare that speech and turn in for the evening. I want to try to leave by the afternoon tomorrow and I will be back in three days." She let go and stood from the chair picking up the stuff she bought in.

"You had better or I'll journey to the Snow Kingdom myself to see what's taking you so long. I may not have a bike like you but I'm not beneath walking or finding any other means to get there you know" Toadsworth told her.

"I know you will," Peach laughed though she knew from experience that he was serious. Toadsworth was literally the embodiment of not allowing old age to hold him back from doing anything being in his fifties. "Please enjoy the rest of your evening. I'll see you in the meeting tomorrow morning." She bent down for him to hug her the best he could with stuff in her hands.

After she had left and he heard her office door close he went back to sit behind his desk for a while in silence. It would only be for four days he told himself but that still felt too long for him if he was honest. The Princess is their leader though and as her most trusted advisor, he had to have complete faith in everything she does.

________

The Princess had everything and more with the insistence of Toadsworth ready to go. With the climate being the way it was in ice kingdom she would not be underdressed or returning back home ill if he could help it. After one final check of her bike and the sidecar the toad guards would be occupying, They all bid their farewells and left. 

Operations for the next couple of days ran smooth but to the elder toad the hours felt like forever. On one hand taking care of all the citizens brought back memories of the older days. On the other hand it also felt unusual without their ruler around. The members of the council seemed to agree with Toadsworth sentiment when he bought it up. That final night before her scheduled return, he was preparing to sleep and was anxiously looking forward to her return. Toadsworth had great faith that she would succeed but wanted to hear about the journey from her own mouth. 

Toadsworth deliberately took long on the last of his own personal work when the Princess had not returned by the afternoon. He wanted to be the first to welcome her home and was willing to wait as long as it took to make it happen. Going as far to even leave both the light on and door to his office ajar to capture her attention as she returned to her private chambers. It was going on 11 at night before he finally heard the distant sound of the castle door open followed by heavy footsteps. That puzzled him for a moment but not enough for him to leave his office to investigate. The Princess had the guards she initially left with to help carry whatever they had bought from their trip. If they needed extra muscle power they surely would've sent for some of the staff members who resided in the castle. 

"Oh dear, it would seem that these numbers are slightly low compared to last month." Toadsworth talked aloud pulling out his mini notebook making a note to bring it up in tomorrow's meeting. At the sound of his door opening up the rest of the way he didn't look up from his writing. "Welcome home your Majesty, I trust your trip went well and you must be exhausted." He smiled fondly with a chuckle and only after looking up did that look get placed with one of disdain at the person who entered.

"By the sound of that statement, I take it Her Majesty's out?" The Koopa King asked closing the door shut behind him after walking all the way inside.

"To what does the Kingdom owe a visit from you at such a late hour of the night King Bowser? Something urgent I presume?" Toadsworth responded with a couple of questions of his own. Doing his best to remain respectful.

"If Marrying your Princess is something you'd consider urgent or important, you could say that's why I'm here."  He said a sinister smile slowly gracing his face "Thing is, I've grown more than tired of the rejections. If you know what I mean."

"If you're expecting me to talk her into accepting a proposal from you, then you're sorely mistaken Bowser." Toadsworth raised his voice a little higher slamming his tiny fist on the table. "In fact I would rather drop dead myself before giving you any sort of a blessing of mine" at that moment he got up from his desk and was just inches away from the giant dragon turtle.

Bowser was not at all intimidated by the older man getting all up in his personal space. The King crossed his arms over his chest as if to control himself, though his tail swayed side to side slowly. Toadsworth briefly took notice but that didn't stop him from backing down or finishing speaking.  

"That's my final answer to the matter." Toadsworth finished fixing his beady black eyes with Bowser's red ones. After a few tense seconds of silence, he went to open the door and motioned him out with his arm. "Now if you would like to be kind enough to exit, I have more important matters to attend to as it is getting late."

Toadsworth was initially shocked that Bowser was following orders from him of all people. He knew that was too good to be true. Just a couple feet out the door,  Bowser paused and slowly did a 180 facing the mustached toad with a threatening expression that sent a chill down his spine.

"If your dead body is all it takes for our marriage to be" He told him sadistically backing Toadsworth into the office once more. "Consider it done" he finished gravely.

With a spin of his body, Bowser's tail made contact with Toadsworth's right arm, sending him flying across the room. His body slammed hard against the wall first before plopping on the ground. Everything happened so fast, he could barely process the sensation of his bone breaking or the  piercing scream he let out waking up the entire castle.

"Don't worry it'll all be over soon" Bowser said, preparing what was looking to be a deadly fire breath.

Through blurry vision, Toadsworth closed his eyes and sent one last prayer and apology to the Princess he pledged his entire life too. All at once memories of her flashed through his eyes. While the majority were good ones, there were also some regrets of not handling things better. Still he prepared to meet his burning end and was surprised when it never came.

"Toadsworth!" A desperate scream of his name from an all too familiar voice was the last thing he heard before Bowser was forced away from his body with a swift kick to the face.

The last thing he saw was the back of her. Though he couldn't see her face, he imagined she wore an uncharacteristic expression of anger on her face. The Halberd she held was in an attack position as it seemed she was waiting for Bowser to make the next move.

"Princess" he all but whispered and reached out with his  good hand out to her back before dropping it to the ground as Toadsworth's body finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

“How lovely it is for you to show up just in time to accept my wedding proposal, Princess." Bowser started standing up and brushing off specks of dust. "As you may be able to tell, your dear Toadsworth isn't too keen on the idea of our union." He nodded in the direction of the fallen toad and relished at the sight of Peach gripping the weapon tighter.

"This is the only chance I'm giving you to leave peacefully" Peach told him, voice steady with a threatening undertone.

"Oh really? And what are you going to do about it if I don't?" Bowser chuckled, cracking both fists in the palm of each hand. "You know you never stood a chance against when it comes to hand to hand combat" with that he cracked his neck on both sides 

"I don't care about that right now. If you're planning on returning home in one piece, Leave now" she said again louder with emphasis on the last two words taking a few steps in his direction.

"All you gotta do is say yes." At his words, Peach stopped and her face scrunched up in confusion at the change in demeanor. "Become my Queen, My Kingdom has it all...except you" he explained coming closer to her.

Bowser was caught slightly off guard when Peach shoved the weapon just under his chin. He lifted his face up as she moved the halberd and put both hands up.

"Even if you had this world's most invincible artifact, I would never marry you" she told him with so much conviction in her voice.

"So you choose to go down fighting? I must admit that I like that in a partner. " Bowser said, raising a finger onto the blade prompting her to lower it a bit. "You'll be saying yes in a little while" with his other hand he grabbed the shaft and yanked it along with her forward.

With a yelp, Peach's grip loosened and the next moment she was across the room by the door. Bowser dropped the weapon to the ground in front of him. At that moment about five more toad guards showed up to her aid. One of the two that journeyed with her to the ice kingdom had returned with the native flower in hand. 

"Master Toadsworth" a guard had called out and started in the elders direction.

Time seemed to be moving fast and slow all at once for Peach to take in. One moment she saw Bowser preparing to send a breath of fire in the other direction. The next moment she didn't even register, demanding the toad to pass her the flower. A few seconds after activating its power with her current attire changing white and pale blue in color she sped their way just as Bowser released his fire. Forming an ice in front of her people with one hand, the fire made impact shattering it into smaller pieces leaving the toads unharmed. With her other hand she sent ice blasts the Koopa King's way encasing  his entire body in ice. Entirely immobilized, Peach worked on catching her breath walking towards him, only stopping to bend down to pick up the halberd.

"So this is how I meet my end" He laughed darkly as she once again held the weapon to his neck. Sensing her hesitation, he continued "Go ahead and do it Princess. My entire army will be here not even a day later after word of my death spreads. No amount of power ups in the world will be able to protect you or this Kingdom" Bowser moved his head up the best he could given his position to give her a cleaner cut.

Peach was silent. Thinking about what the next best course of action should be. Part of her mind was telling her to follow the movements through to be rid of him for good. At that she pulled the weapon away slightly to gather some force. The other part of her mind insisted that this wasn't her and begged her to consider the consequences of the future. The results weren't looking too desirable if she was honest and at that, she lowered the weapon again.

"You know Peaches, with how long it's taking you to make a choice, Any chance in saving that old man's life is slipping away" Bowser delightfully reminded her of what he had done to him just moments before she showed up.

"Huh? Toadsworth?" Peach spoke, losing her train of thought and glancing back behind. 

Another guard had joined the previous one and was knelt on the ground head against Toadsworth chest. 

"He's breathing but barely, go get help" the guard alerted, another disappeared down the hall.

"Make your decision Peaches. Kill me now or live to face me another day." Peach looked right back at him as he spoke. "Know if you choose the second option, I'll have you living in constant fear. You'll never know when I will strike. I'm going to make you wish you said 'yes' sooner" Bowser promised.

An ice blasts to his face followed that statement. Finally he was quiet, she thought with some satisfaction. Her attention returned to Toadsworth who was being carefully attended to a few medical toads. The other guards were now at their Princesses side with their weapons pointing at the Koopa King, awaiting her command.

"I can guarantee you I won't be thinking that. You guys can stand down." Peach told the guards and they did."If this is your way of proclaiming war against me then so be it."

All that was left to do was to remove Bowser from the castle. Unfreezing him wasn't exactly an option and she couldn't exactly trust him to just leave quietly. Just as she thought to get one of their many red mushrooms to make carrying the icy King to the pipe easier, floating shapes sparkled in the air followed by Kamek appearing.

"I sensed you needed a hand my lord" He directed towards his King and with a wave of his wand, Bowser started to disappear. "The Koopa Nation looks forward to taking down your pathetic Kingdom" was the wizards last remark before he disappeared as well.

There were some matters that needed her urgent attention. After a long trip, the last thing she wanted to think about was pulling an all-nighter on royal duties. However, making sure Toadsworth was taken care of was top priority.

"Take Toadsworth to the medical wing and you guys are to do everything you can  to make sure he's brought back to stable condition, Am I clear?" Though she kept her voice calm and collected, Her mind was racing with negative thoughts that it might be too late.

Minutes after everyone had left, she stood alone in his office failing to find comfort in the silence. It took her a little while longer to compose herself. A few steady breaths later, she headed out to go and be by Toadsworth side.

________

It was approaching dawn and instead of getting better, Toadsworth's condition was on a steady decline if the heartbeat on the monitor and labored breathing was any indication. The elder toad was a fighter through and through but, with old age, bouncing back from anything was a great challenge.

"Princess Peach" , one of the Doctors, called her attention after closing the door. "We've tried just about everything we can. We're not sure if there's anything else we can do" he broke the tough news to her.

"No, are you sure? Are you absolutely positive you've guys tried everything you could think of?" Peach asked as she stood up from Toadsworth bedside and sped over to the Doctor.

"All the herbal medicines known to toadkind and every power-up we've access to known to heal instantly" The doctor explained showing the clipboard of everything they did and the results.

"There has to be something we haven't tried yet. please" Peach begged frantically flipping through all the papers. 

The Doctor Toad hummed deep in thought. Making a mental checklist of anything else he's missed and other stuff they haven't tried. That's when an idea hit him, it was a longshot and there wasn't a 100% guarantee that it would work but it's their only option.

"The green mushroom" The doctor started and after her question, hummed he continued "We've still been studying it and haven't discovered a concrete use for it. If you give us permission to try it on master Toadsworth...may we"

"Yes, do it please" Peach spoke, not letting him finish. "We have to try all the options no matter how slim the chance. Go get it now" she told him.

The Doctor left immediately to gather the mushroom leaving the Princess alone with Toadsworth once again. Peach returned to sir in the chair by his bedside and grabbed one of his limp hands in both of hers.

"This has to work. You have to pull through for me, Toadsworth. I still need you for so much" Peach laid her head down on their joint hands.

Everyone in the room was amazed at what the green mushroom did for a person. Toadsworth's heartbeat on the monitor returned back to normal. There were toads scribbling notes in their notepads and observing Toadsworth condition the best they could while he was under the covers. They dubbed the power up, the 1-up mushroom. Even after testing It on one person, they came to the conclusion that it had the capabilities to bring the consumer back from any near-death experiences. While it did need more tests, No one, Peach especially didn't want her people putting themselves in that predicament just to be 100% positive of what it could do. The 1-up mushroom would purely be a last resort option and she had a lot of thinking to do if she was going to share this discovery with her current or future allies.

Thinking about her current allies, there was also an uncertainty of bringing them up to speed about Bowser's declaration of war on her Kingdom. Rulers had already been skeptical about forming alliances with her nation based on the ties she had with the Darklands before, what would happen now? Not just that Peach thought, it wasn't just about the safety of her Kingdom but others as well, Bowser wouldn't spare anyone. This is something she'd have to handle alone. 

It took a few weeks for Toadsworth to recover fully save for taking some time to properly adjust to using a cane.

"I would've had to use one of these eventually, my dear. That reptilian scoundrel just sped up the process" Toadsworth told her with a chuckle when Peach sadly looked at him as he walked across the room to his desk. "Alright let's review"

All access to the darklands via pipes were destroyed just a couple days after Bowser's surprise visit. It may have been extreme on her part, but she thought it had to be done. In that one day time window, anyone that's made their home in her kingdom but native to the darklands was to return. In her mind she just couldn't risk surprise attacks or those who's shaky loyalty was still to the King spreading valuable information. Surprisingly the termination of their treaty went through without problems, no talking just signing letters and returning it via mail. Toadsworth agreed with the majority of all the new policies but, when it came to the potential evacuation plan, that's where he had some problems no matter how many times they reviewed it.

"The people are to do no such thing, we will stand by your side or die trying before we let you surrender yourself to be his Bride. You are our Princess" He would always slam his tiny fist upon the table and raise his voice.

"And I'd rather avoid any casualties if possible, Toadsworth. I'm the one Bowser wants at the end of the day." Peach would always say to reason with him. "I rather you all live a peaceful life elsewhere than stay here and be enslaved under his rule."

"What you fail to understand is that people like Bowser won't just stop after getting what he wants. That madman wants it all. The entire world would be enslaved in months, no weeks probably." Toadsworth countered.

"Then you guys can live peacefully for weeks or months wherever you guys go and hopefully their leaders are able to put up better resistance than I ever could as a leader" she always said hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

"What's the plan if you end up taking him down though. You must have one for that possibility" Toadsworth challenged as she looked unsure.

"Then...Then I'll visit all the places where everyone would have settled and if they choose to return home, I'll continue being the best leader I can be as I promised." Peach would tell him after thinking for a bit.

It was still something that never sat right with Toadsworth even a few years later, though the Princess was very adamant about keeping that plan in place, not allowing any changes to it in the slightest. Toadsworth along with the guards and council members constructed a meticulous method of their own when it came to gathering Intel on what the King Koopa's plans were in the Darklands. With the elders Toads guidance and decision making, they met with a select few councils of other Kingdoms to put extra plans in motion, there would be signs and signals they were to look out for. Sure it was a bad look by not including their Princess in these plans, but in Toadsworth eyes it was necessary to do so, Peach would insist for them not to get involved at all. They did fill their leader in on an important piece of information they found out about four months later.

"The Power star" Toadsworth shared all his notes from research on the item. "Legends say it hasn't existed for centuries now but it holds great power. We're almost certain that's what Bowser's looking for if his airships traveling different places is any indication." He finished.

"It doesn't make any sense, why go through the trouble of searching for something that hasn't been seen I'm centuries unless he found a positive trail" Peach asked aloud.

"That we're not quite sure. Rest assured we're keeping a close eye on the situation and share any new findings as soon as possible Princess." He assured her with a hand on hers. "With any luck, let's hope that he continues his futile efforts in search for this star." He finished.

"If I'm honest it gets to me sometimes Toadsworth" Peach started after an awkward silence holding her head down avoiding his eyes. "There hasn't been so much as any direct attacks on his end since that day. I've upped my training regimen but I don't know if it will be enough when he does do something." She finished with a sigh.

Toadsworth wasn't sure what to say that would just be giving her false hope or putting intense pressure on her to deliver but it was the truth if anything.

"You will know what to do when the time comes Princess. We all have faith in you. So have it in yourself. " Toadsworth said, squeezing her hand.

A few more months went by and with nothing new to report on, Toadsworth or rather the others along with the Princess, thought it would be ok for him to take a well earned two week vacation to isle del fino. The council promised him that everything would remain in order while he was away and to send for him if anything came up as soon as possible. It took a lot of convincing on their part for him to finally accept it but by the next day he had everything packed up and was heading down the hall of the castle to get to the pipe that would take him to the airport.

The Princess met him in the hall after the usual morning meeting. She was surprised to see that he was still here.

"I hope you have a nice trip Toadsworth.  Please try not to think about work while you're on vacation, we have everything handled here." Peach told him feeling more confident than she'd had in a long while.

"I know you will. You're an amazing leader my dear. I will do my best to put work in the back of my mind but it can be challenging. I'll write to you as soon as I get there" He said, motioning her to give him a hug.

Peach kneeled down to his level and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes. She walked with him to the pipe and helped him up, waiting for him to completely disappear before returning to the castle. She quietly worked in her office for about two hours before one of the council members burst into the room with dire news.

"Princess Peach, The Ice Kingdom has fallen. It's Bowser, he's found the Power star." The blue toad desperately told her.

[historicalasiandramas]

Omg Naksu backstory! Apparently, she was the daughter of a constellation recorder mage at Cheonbugwan. Lookit how cute and happy they were :')

The Four Families of Daeho killed everyone there for a reason that I'm sure will be revealed later. A woman rescues bb!Naksu and says that if she sees her father, she must run away. After placing the child in a shed, the woman is immediately killed. And then we see a closeup of her father, who attacks Uncle (his name is Lord Park Jin! I finally looked it up!) and is also killed. She's found afterwards by Jin Mu, who promises her power if Naksu comes with him.

She agrees and is raised in a shack in the mountains, hidden away from the rest of the world. She learned how to survive on her own. And now that Naksu is dead, Mudeok has returned to the place she was trained. Unfortunately, Jang Uk is a spoiled young master and complains the entire time.

She takes him to the shack where she grew up, but is shocked to smell chicken cooking and signs of life. Mudeok clearly remembers the shack destroyed when she tried to return before. As she inspects the hanging clothes to determine who lives here now, Sapsali appears! And since his job is to sniff out soul shifters, he's in full attack dog mode when he sees her.

Sapsali lunges for Mudeok, but Jang Uk intervenes and commands the dog to sit. The spirit dog remembers that Jang Uk shattered his previous host, and immediately obeys. Jang Uk asks Sapsali to go fetch his master, and he takes off. But he seems to have the wrong idea about why he was brought here. He jokes that there's enough room for two or three kids, but Mudeok insists that it was just for training.

Mudeok does not take the joke well and storms off. Being left alone with his thoughts makes Jang Uk remember what Park Jin said before he left: if he had stayed a clueless young master, he would've been protected. He mutters that he'd rather live here than live like that.

Back in the city, Lord Park has called a meeting of the best mages across Daeho, which is translated as the Unanimous Assembly.

So there are 11 total mage families in the country. Interesting! But still no sign of Uk's father. The mages have gathered to decide if they should accept the CP's duel. Even the CP himself doesn't understand why Jin Mu & the king are making such a big deal about it, but apparently the last duel was hundreds of years ago. There's always been bad blood between the mages and the royal family. I WONDER WHY! (Lookin at you, previous king who fucked Jang Gang's wife)

The mages ask if Lord Park agreed that if Uk doesn't show up to the duel, he forfeits his right to become the next Gwanju. Lord Park says that this is true, as he has someone else in mind for the job anyway. (OH???) Every mage at the table has been Uk's teacher at one point, and they all think of him as an embarrassment to mages. One of the mages suggest disqualifying Uk of his rights as a mage. Apparently, this would remove his power. Since Jang Gang had previously sealed Uk's energy gate, the rest of the mages agree this course of action would be best.

Lord Park calls out everyone at the table and says that it was Songrim who accepted the duel and they will accept whatever disgrace may occur. The others agree with this, but they can't help but wonder at Jang Uk's progress. Was he taught by someone at Songrim? Lord Park shuts this notion down and says that no matter where Uk goes, he will not find a master. Little does he know ;)

Back in the mountains, Uk emerges from the bath to find a sleeping Mudeok. He chastises her for pushing herself when Mudeok's body didn't have the same training that Naksu did. He's shocked to find how heavy their supplies are and that she was able to shoulder it by herself. As he settles into bed, he feels guilty seeing her sleep on the floor. He tells himself as her master, it's only right that he sleep on the bed. But he eventually caves and puts Mudeok on the bed.

While the two are passed out, Mystery Man appears. He's not blind, but he is still a soul shifter hunter. He thanks Sapsali for leading him to her, because "her soul holds no malice," so he wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise.

Mystery Man is about to kill Mudeok, but recognizes that a powerful soul has inhabited this body. Given the disparate levels of power between Naksu's soul and Mudeok's body, how has she maintained control? He checks on her power level, but he's unable to find any.

All this has woken Uk, and he's ready to fight to protect Mudeok - even to the point of taking off the binding bracelet! Even with just a wooden staff, Mystery Man is able to block Uk's wild attacks. They take the fight outside and Uk is quickly bested. But the hunter recognizes that sword.

He demands to know who Jang Uk is and why he's with a soul shifter, but instead Uk yells at Mudeok to run. However, she's in a deep sleep. She is face-to-face with the original Mudeok, but it almost seems like Naksu's soul is being imprisoned.

When she first attempted to shift to the maid in ep 1, Naksu was surprised to see Mudeok instead. Could the original Mudeok be powerful enough to force a soul shift? That's SO delicious to think about! She wakes up alone and goes outside to find Uk and Mystery Man eating together. She asks who he is and Uk says "the man you saw last night."

Mudeok notices a mark on Uk's neck but has no memory of seeing this man. It looks like she was sleepwalking and Uk protected her. The man introduces himself as Master Lee. He says they can stay and immediately assumes they're married by the way they bicker. Not yet, but they will be :3

Switch to Yul & Dang-gu eating together at the brothel, and Jo Wol asks if Mudeok & Jang Uk went to Danhyanggok, since that's where Mudeok went to set off fireworks last time. Dang-gu corrects her and says that they're in Sari Village, Mudeok's hometown. Yul remembers that name: he kept his pet bird there and also broke his foot there once.

Master Lee seems to be a powerful mage and is not hiding it. He chops wood with his hands, can use his energy to control fire, and easily removes water from his clothes. Jang Uk realizes that he could've been killed in their fight. Master Lee catches Uk drinking tea and is aghast. Apparently it's brewed with herbs that disconnect a man from his sexual desire so that he can focus on training.

Mudeok has heard of a man who only wears hemp clothing and adheres to this kind of training. He's called Hemp Master Lee. He finds it strange that a maid would know such things. She's in awe of being in the presence of such a powerful mage and immediately bows to show her respect. However, Uk is still freaking out about drinking an entire pot of "chaste" herbs. He is only focused on that, while Mudeok has not even considered that not having a libido would be a problem.

Surely such a powerful mage could help Uk control his arm, right? He agrees, but only if Uk will follow his rules: drink the chaste tea and forsake libido. Seems reasonable to Mudeok, but Jang Uk freaks out about it. They discuss the benefits of this training and in an outburst, Uk accidentally uses ryusu to fling a cup at Mudeok's head. She's bleeding, but delighted at the progress in her pupil's strength. Her glee at getting hurt unsettles Uk.

We see Lord Park at Cheonbugwan, checking their astronomical records. He recalls Jang Gang saying that the real record of Do-hwa's death & Jang Uk's birth has been replaced with a fake. Jin Mu approaches and mentions the Unanimous Assembly meeting. Uncle says that Jin Mu should start his own family, and if he receives a unanimous vote, he could join the elite mage families. Jin Mu laughs and then asks why Uncle is at Cheonbugwan.

Lord Park tells him of the soul shifter double agent case: the petrified man they caught was a constellation recorder mage for Cheonbugwan and they need to investigate. Jin Mu wants to know what they're investigating, but Lord Park only laughs.

Jin Mu claims he has nothing to hide and the mages are welcome to investigate anytime. Good, cuz they're already here! Headed by Yul and Dang-gu, they pour into the room. A mage tells Yul that the suspect's job was to continuously maintain the right energy. The section he was in charge of looks like it has an armillary sphere:

During the investigation Jin Mu's Right Hand Man secretly reports that there's a dead body in the secret room in Cheonbugwan. I was wondering what he did with that guy Eunuch Kim slurped up! Yul reports that the soul shifter was warned for sneaking a peak at the constellation plates. Dang-gu then appears to report that a large number of officials have suddenly disappeared.

Lord Park goes to Jin Mu and thanks him for his cooperation. And then requests a favor.

There is no corpse when he arrives, ofc. Right Hand Man used a secret tunnel to transport the corpse out of Cheonbugwan. Good thing the boys were sent to spy! Yul & Dang-gu intercept the wagon and ask to see what's inside. They can't let Songrim mages find out about the corpse, so Jin Mu's men attack while Right Hand Man rides off with the wagon. Dang-gu acts as a distraction while urging Yul to follow the cart. Even a mage can't outrun a horse, so Yul finds the cart abandoned. When he opens the floorboard he finds something curious: a spirit plaque!

When Dang-gu catches up, Yul shows him what he found. It was planted there on purpose, so that they'd lose the trail. Eunuch Kim apologizes to Jin Mu, who grabs him by the throat and berates him for absorbing a person in the middle of the street. Jin Mu shifted this guy's soul into a person of power so he could be useful. Which means that Jin Mu probably has shifters amongst the court officials, too.

Despite this failure, Jin Mu tasks Eunuch Kim with delivering a chest. As soon as he's gone, Jin Mu tells Right Hand Man that Eunuch Kim will have to be discarded soon. Jin Mu orders RHM to find another eunuch so that he can switch RHM's soul into the body. RHM seems alarmed by this, but submits. Jin Mu asks if RHM still carries around his soul ejector.

That looks like the bead Naksu was holding when she shifted!

JIN MU WHAT DOES THIS MEAN. Her Majesty the QUEEN??? I was wondering why we hadn't seen her yet! So he's working for her, huh?

Back at Songrim, the boys present what they found. Since Songrim's spirit plaque was found at Cheonbugwan in a suspicious wagon, they can't really do anything about it without making themselves look bad. Lord Park wants to find out whose plaque it is, and Dang-gu says he's sure it's Uk's. Lord Park orders the boys to find Uk and ask him where and how he lost his spirit plaque. OH?!? So Lord Park knew all along where Uk was?

And now we finally see the queen. Her intro is very interesting. We see her pour a cup of wine (tea?) for CP, but the camera doesn't show her entire face right away. CP turns to the queen and as she comes into focus, only half of her face is visible. IS SHE A SHIFTER TOO?! Eunuch Kim arrives with his delivery, and the king is curious about it.

We all agree that it's not herbs in the chest, right? I'm so curious what her deal is and why Jin Mu is working for her...

In Danhyanggok, it seems like Uk is not learning the things Mudeok wants him to. He's digging up herbs, going fishing, and learning to cook. They can survive on their own now! She threatens to kill Uk for being useless but he says that she's no longer Naksu. But Naksu's training was harsh and she wasn't created for this kind of life.

Jang Uk is running away from his destiny and says that he's happy here. If only Uncle could hear him! Mudeok calls him a coward and a jerk for trying to make her be the one to break of their contract.

Back at the Jang estate, Madam Jin proposes a way for Uk to avoid the duel and still become Gwanju: a marriage alliance.

If Jang Uk marries into the family, he will be considered a Jin and granted the same protection. Head Maid Kim said that they've already broken off their engagement once but Cho Yeon says she still has feelings for Uk.

On the mountain, Master Lee says that Uk should reconsider becoming his pupil. If he doesn't learn to control his arm, it will become a problem. He offers to cut off Uk's energy so that he could live as a normal man, but Sapsali interrupts. He saw the dead body floating in the river and Master Lee needs to investigate. He asks if Uk wants to come with him, but he declines and says he must cook for Mudeok.

But Mudeok went down the mountain and is back in the city, spreading rumours that Uk has mastered ryusu in preparation for his duel with the CP. Her courtesan unni says that Mudeok should leave because Cheonbugwan officials are at the inn. A high-ranking official has paid a visit, it seems. Mudeok exits through the front door, and is stopped by RHM. He thinks that there's no way that Naksu would shift into such a weak body, but he's still suspicious.

Even when his lackey grabs her and pulls her collar, there's no blue mark on her. How can that be? They still want to question her, but fortunately the CP is there! Mudeok immediately prostrates herself and asks if he remembers her. "I'm Poodeok, remember?" CP likes having his ego stroked so it's easy enough to get him to send the Cheonbugwan dogs away.

CP is curious what Jang Uk is up to, and Mudeok continues the bit. CP is loving it ofc.

Mudeok begs him to do something to prevent the men from Cheonbugwan dragging her away again and he tosses her his sachet.

She sniffs it and immediately gags. She apparently can't stand the scent of cinnamon but lies when questioned. CP then makes her drink cinnamon and ginger wine. That sounds terrible :D

Uk & Master Lee are in town now, and Master Lee is still mystified by their relationship. What kind of maid gets mad at her master and runs away? Uk says that she's no ordinary maid: she's like an egg that must be embraced. SIR,,, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU SOUND LIKE. There's no time for that though, because the townsfolk are in a tizzy due to the shifter corpse that has drifted down the river. Master Lee says the corpse isn't a shifter but the man did die because of one.

Uk learns what happens when a shifter loses control and begins to worry about Mudeok. He asks if all shifters eventually lose control and Master Lee says, "not if they've mastered Hwansu." Uk wonders if that's even possible for a human and Master Lee replies that it is. Cheonbugwan officials arrive to inspect the corpse and Uk has to take his leave before they see him.

As they're loading the corpse up, a rainbow appears and RHM turns to look with the townsfolk. When he turns around, the cart and the corpse are gone. Master Lee conjured the rainbow so CLEARLY he must have mastered hwansu! Back at Chwiseonru, Uk finds out that Mudeok was almost dragged away by Cheonbugwan men but was saved by the CP. She's now drunk, as she accepted every cup of wine he offered her. SHE'S ABSOLUTELY WASTED, and angry that this body can't even handle liquor.

In ep 1, we saw Naksu hesitant to eat chicken because as an assassin, she's sensitive to the smell of blood. But Mudeok's senses didn't react the same way. I wonder if Naksu would react similarly to cinnamon since it's so strong, or if it's Mudeok's body that can't stand it?

Yul & Dang-gu have arrived in Danhyanggok and we get to see how Yul & Naksu met. They run into the drunken Mudeok and Uk. Mudeok loses her footing and falls - you guessed it! - directly into Yul's arms.

He & Dang-gu get to see where Mudeok and Uk have been staying and Yul reminisces about the time he broke his leg and came to "see the birds" (Naksu). He said he "really liked them" (her). :)) Uk notices that Mudeok is awake and staring at Yul as he talks. His face screams, "she can't actually have feelings for him, right??" He is beginning to feel some jealousy :D

Deep in the forest, Master Lee is seen opening some kind of magic gate and walks through with the corpse wagon and Sapsali in tow.

Yul & Dang-gu begin interrogating Uk about the spirit plaque, but he pretends he can't remember where and when he "lost" it. Yul senses he's hiding something and says that this matter is important and dangerous. Mudeok seems to have finally passed out. Will he tell them that it was to help her?

Master Heo, Head Maid Kim, and Lord Park are discussing Uk's marriage when they're interrupted. Someone has entered Songrim. It's Master Lee! Apparently his only pupil before was Master Heo (Yeom), whom he calls by name. Master Heo tells everyone to put down their swords and addresses him as his teacher, much to Lord Park shock.

The episode closes on a sunset with Mudeok looking at the tree she used to stand on top of when she was Naksu. As Mudeok, she can no longer do that. Uk says that he wasn't motivated before, but he thinks he could get to the top of the tree.

He asks if she wants to see the moon, but Mudeok protests and says that only one who has mastered chisu can stand at the top. There are no branches up there and you must use your own energy to create a foothold. Uk is nowhere near that level. He asks again if she wants to go to the top of the tree and this time she says yes.

The show has repeatedly said and shown us that Uk is a fast learner. Anything he puts his mind to, he can do. On the boat back to Danhyanggok, Uk tells a sleeping Mudeok that he wanted to do nothing but something keeps bothering him.

New motivation unlocked: DO IT FOR HER. :D

[scotianostra]

On November 15th 1746, James Reid was executed at York for being a part of the Jacobite uprising.

I'll cover the case of James Reid towards the end of this post, but he wasn't the only Jacobite to meet his end at York, so there is a fair bit of background I have to get through first.

After the capture of Carlisle on 30th December 1745, 193 Jacobite prisoners were sent to York. They arrived in York on 27th January 1746. By February 1746, there were 251 Jacobite prisoners held at York,

After transfers, releases and deaths in custody eventually there were 75 prisoners sent for trial in York. The trials were held between 2nd and 8th October 1746. Of the 75 prisoners, 53 pleaded guilty and were not tried but were automatically sentenced to death. Of the remaining 22, five were acquitted and the others sentenced to death.

On 1st November, ten executions were carried out at the Tyburn on York’s Knavesmire. Of these, three had their heads removed. The most prominent of those, Sir George Hamilton’s head was sent to Carlisle for display, while those of William Connolly and James Mayne were placed on Micklegate Bar. In 1754, the latter two heads were removed by a York tailor called William Arundel. He was heavily fined and imprisoned in York Tollbooth.

On the 8th November, eleven of the 53 planned executions were carried out and finally we get to the 15th November when just one man, James Reid, a Piper, was executed. At his trial, James had stated in his defense that he “had not carried arms”.

James Reid was one of several pipers who played at the Battle of Culloden. He was captured along with hundreds of men by Cumberland’s troops and taken to England. There James was put on trial and accused of high treason against the Crown. Piper Reid claimed that he was innocent because he did not have a gun or a sword. He said that the only thing he did that day on the battlefield was play the bagpipe.

After some deliberation the judges had a different opinion on the matter. They said that a highland regiment never marched to war without a piper at its head. Therefore, in the eyes of the law, the bagpipe was an instrument of war. The English jury, itself sympathetic, recommended mercy but it was rejected by a Commission headed by Lord Chief Baron Sir Thomas Parker.

The decision of those judges has echoed down through the generations. It was the first recorded occasion that a musical instrument was officially declared a weapon of war. For hundreds of years and many conflicts to come the bagpipes, when listed among the items captured in combat, was counted among rifles, sabers, and munitions. It is interesting to note that bugles and drums were recorded as musical instruments, where the bagpipe ranked among the lists of weapons. This continued through the Great War. Perhaps a fitting place for the pipes, but a tragic legacy for the piper James Reid who played at the last bloody battle of the Jacobites on Culloden Moor

In 1996, after some disputes with authorities, a man known as Mr Brooks was taken to court for playing the pipes on Hampstead Heath, an act forbidden under a Victorian by-law stating the playing of any musical instrument is banned. Mr Brooks plead not guilty by, claiming the pipes are not a musical instrument, but instead a weapon of war , citing the case of James Reid as a precedent. The unanimous verdict was that the pipes are first and foremost musical instruments returning them form a weapon of war to their rightful place as a musical instrument.

Two prisoners escaped from York Castle during this period; George Mills and William Farrier. Nothing is known of Farrier’s escape, but George Mills escaped on 10th August 1747. He had been given permission to go to the ‘House’ in which debtors were confined ‘to drink with a person discharged from prison.’

Seeing a coach driving out of the prison yard, “he got behind it… and, having a new coat on, passed out unrecognised”. Nothing more was heard of him. Following the King’s Act of Indemnity of 1747, all the remaining prisoners had eventually been released by 1752.

The pipes in the pictures are on display in The National Museum of Scotland, and are said to have been played at Culloden on that faefule day in 1746........

[dastardly-homo-writing]

(Queer) Pride and Prejudice || Chapter Five

Chapter Five: The Lucases Board the Darcy Hate Train

Within a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets were particularly intimate. Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Fruitville, where he had made a tolerable fortune, and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty. The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly. It had given him a disgust to his business, and to his residence in a small market town; and, in quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from Fruitville, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge, where he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and, unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. For, though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention to everybody. By nature inoffensive, friendly, and obliging, his presentation at St. James’s had made him courteous.

Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to Mrs. Bennet. They had several children. The eldest of them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, was Lezzie’s intimate friend. But not in that way. Though Lezzie had admittedly been quite infatuated with her, as one often is with older women, for a full year in her adolescence.

That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly brought the former to Longbourn to hear and to communicate.

“You began the evening well, Charlotte,” said Mrs. Bennet with civil self-command to Miss Lucas. “You were Ms. Bingley’s first choice.”

“Yes; but she seemed to like her second better.”

“Oh! you mean Jane, I suppose, because she danced with her twice. To be sure that did seem as if she admired her—indeed I rather believe she did—I heard something about it—but I hardly know what—something about Mr. Robinson.”

“Perhaps you mean what I overheard between her and Mr. Robinson; did not I mention it to you? Mr. Robinson’s asking her how she liked our Meryton assemblies, and whether she did not think there were a great many pretty women in the room, and which she thought the prettiest? and her answering immediately to the last question: ‘Oh! the eldest Miss Bennet, beyond a doubt; there cannot be two opinions on that point.’ ”

“Upon my word! Well, that is very decided indeed—that does seem as if—but, however, it may all come to nothing, you know.”

“My overhearings were more to the purpose than yours, Lezzie,” said Charlotte. “Ms. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as their friend, are they?—poor, poor Lezzie!—to be only just tolerable.”

“I beg you would not put it into Lezzie’s head to be vexed by their ill-treatment, for they are such a disagreeable person, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by them. Mrs. Longfinger told me last night that they sat close to her for half-an-hour without once opening their lips.”

Ah yes, their lips, thought Lezzie mindlessly.

“Are you quite sure, ma’am?—is not there a little mistake?” said Jane. “I certainly saw Ms. Darcy speaking to her.”

“Aye—because she asked them at last how they liked Netherfield, and they could not help answering her; but she said they seemed quite angry at being spoke to.”

“Miss Bingley told me,” said Jane, “that they never speaks much, unless among their intimate acquaintances. With them they are all of a sudden remarkably agreeable.”

“I do not believe a word of it, my dear. If they had been so very agreeable, they would have talked to Mrs. Longfinger. But I can guess how it was; everybody says that they are eat up with pride. And I am not referring to that of the homosexual nature.”

“But of course that is true of them as well,” Lezzie said, voice soft enough to be heard only by her elder sister. Jane held back her laughter. “One could tell even from a distance of a hundred feet,” Lezzie added, glancing over at Jane, who failed to compose her expression.

Jane tapped her shoulder lightly in warning. “Must you be so clever?” she whispered.

“I do not mind their not talking to Mrs. Longfinger,” said Miss Lucas, “but I wish they had danced with Lezzie.”

“Another time, Lezzie,” said her mother, “I would not dance with them, if I were you.”

“I believe, ma’am, I may safely promise you never to dance with them.”

“Their pride,” said Miss Lucas, “does not offend me so much as pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very fine a young person, with family, fortune, everything in their favour, should think highly of themselves. If I may so express it, they has a right to be proud.”

“That is very true,” replied Lezzie, “and I could easily forgive their pride, if they had not mortified mine.”

“Mortified? I believe you mean to say tempted,” Lydia laughed but stilled quickly at her mother’s expression.

“Pride,” observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, “is a very common failing, I believe. Though I adore the parades, make no mistake. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed; that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”

“If I were as rich as Ms. Darcy,” cried a young Lucas, who came with his sisters, “I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of foxhounds, and drink a bottle of wine a day.”

“Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought,” said Mrs. Bennet; “and if I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle directly.”

The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she would, and the argument ended only with the visit.

[fiction-quotes]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.

It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period, as at this. Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster. Even the Cock-lane ghost had been laid only a round dozen of years, after rapping out its messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally deficient in originality) rapped out theirs. Mere messages in the earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange to relate, have proved more important to the human race than any communications yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane brood.

France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards. It is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it, terrible in history. It is likely enough that in the rough outhouses of some tillers of the heavy lands adjacent to Paris, there were sheltered from the weather that very day, rude carts, bespattered with rustic mire, snuffed about by pigs, and roosted in by poultry, which the farmer, Death, had already set apart to be his tumbrils of the Revolution. But that Woodman and that Farmer, though they work unceasingly, work silently, and no one heard them as they went about with muffled tread: the rather, forasmuch as to entertain any suspicion that they were awake, as to be atheistical and traitorous.

In England, there was scarcely an amount of order and protection to justify much national boasting. Daring burglaries by armed men, and highway robberies, took place in the capital itself every night; families were publicly cautioned not to go out of town without removing their furniture to upholsterers' warehouses for security; the highwayman in the dark was a City tradesman in the light, and, being recognised and challenged by his fellow-tradesman whom he stopped in his character of 'the Captain', gallantly shot him through the head and rode away; the mail was waylaid by seven robbers, and the guard shot three dead, and then got shot dead himself by the other four, 'in consequence of the failure of his ammunition:' after which the mail was robbed in peace; that magnificent potentate, the Lord Mayor of London, was made to stand and deliver on Turnham Green, by one highwayman, who despoiled the illustrious creature in sight of all his retinue; prisoners in London gaols fought battles with their turnkeys, and the majesty of the law fired blunderbusses in among them, loaded with rounds of shot and ball; thieves snipped off diamond crosses from the necks of noble lords at Court drawing-rooms; musketeers went into St. Giles's, to search for contraband goods, and the mob fired on the musketeers, and the musketeers fired on the mob, and nobody thought any of these occurrences much out of the common way. In the midst of them, the hangman, ever busy and ever worse than useless, was in constant requisition; now, stringing up long rows of miscellaneous criminals; now, hanging a house-breaker on Saturday who had been taken on Tuesday; now, burning pamphlets at the door of Westminster Hall; to-day, taking the life of an atrocious murderer, and to-morrow of a wretched pilferer who had robbed a farmer's boy of sixpence.

All these things, and a thousand like them, came to pass in and close upon the dear old year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Environed by them, while the Woodman and the Farmer worked unheeded, those two of the large jaws, nad those other two of the plain and the fair faces, trod with stir enough, and carried their divine rights with a high hand. Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of small creatures – the creatures of this chronicle among the rest – along the roads that lay before them.

  —  A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

[swampgallows]

my laptop is from 2016 and i suspect it's heading toward its inevitable end. during a routine replacing of the stripped screw that keeps the outer chassis from splitting at the hinge, i noticed the battery was starting to puff up and removed it. with no battery, it's no longer portable. i use a wireless logitech mouse that i had to pair with a dongle from a predecessor, the previous no longer functional, but my mouse will still randomly freeze or lock up, which indicates it could be a problem with the motherboard. i already had to replace the ssd in this laptop as the original hdd was starting to fail.

my sister suggested i get a new laptop for christmas (from who?) but all the ones i see that have even a modicum of what my 2016 laptop boasts are well into the thousands, all with only two usb ports, no aux jack, sometimes not even an ethernet port. and if i shell out for a 'gaming laptop' ill get a heavy, near-obsolete space heater assembled with the shoddiness of a first-timer in ikea, sure to start deteriorating the nanosecond warranty elapses.

it takes about 30 full seconds for my phone camera to focus if i'm looking up at a bright light, tapping the screen, and shaking or tapping the side of the phone, and my battery drains pretty quickly nowadays. ive wanted to get a new phone, but those don't have aux jacks either, and i'll be damned if i'm putting lithium ion batteries directly into my ear canals and spend hundreds of dollars for something i have to charge to do the job that my $20 phillips earbuds of 5+ years handle just fine.

my 'check engine' light came back on. when we took it in the first time, the mechanic said it was hard-coded into the system to tell me to replace the part after a certain amount of time regardless of its condition. my car is from 2013, but because it was previously my grandfather's, it barely has 15k miles on it. so in the event that my engine actually does have a problem with it, i won't know because of the automated reminder to replace something that still works.

i had a consult for my gum graft this morning. after a hefty discount, it still comes out to 2600 dollars. even if i paid 100 dollars a month with zero interest, it would still take me more than two years to pay it off. i work freelance for minimum wage. i cannot afford it. the periodontist pointed out the scar tissue in the pulp of my teeth from my bruxism, which is also what caused the gum recession. the tooth beside it is still in need of a root canal, still capped with a "temporary" crown after 7 years. having just finished reading 'the body keeps the score', seeing an x-ray with tangible evidence of the literal scar tissue in my nerves from the trauma and stress, both physical and psychological, had a bitter, sardonic kind of poetry to it. the consult itself was 160, more than a day's pay.

i dont have a fitted sheet deep enough for my mattress so i use a king size sheet from one of my parents' old bedding. like my dad, i sleep so fitfully that a giant tear now runs half the length of the sheet, exposing the mattress and prompting me to fold it over a few times to conceal the tear.

the respirator i wear daily is called the Aura, by 3M. they recently began using recyclable materials, which is better for the environment, but now myself and several others (anecdotally) in cc communities can no longer achieve an airtight seal or proper fit in these masks. considering they are printed with a warning that misuse of the mask can result in injury or even death, it seems really irresponsible to suddenly change up the production of life-preserving equipment with no acknowledgment to the consumer. also, it's left me in a scramble to find a new mask that fits so that i can continue to dodge infection from the still-pandemic pathogen that has robbed me of my happiness and future from the moment it surfaced. ive already been prolonging them well past their limit but now i'm doing whatever i can to stretch the last of my masks until i can find a replacement, and im running out.

the thing that has undone me is the costco muffins.

they're smaller now. they cost more. the recipe is different, and worse. instead of buying two 'mix and match' clamshells of 6 muffins each (12 total), you get 8 tiny little bitch muffins, all the same kind, all crumbling to bits in your lap and wrapped in that shitty oil-blotted wax paper.

the consistency. the dependability. the costco loyalty. my precious, trustworthy costco. the faith and glory in the kirkland signature. the "if you raise [the price of] the fucking hot dog i will kill you" sensibility from the top down. im pretty sure ive been eating these muffins literally since the 90s. they used to come on the big cardboard sheet of 12 and everyone swears they tasted better back then, but when they switched to 'mix and match' two packages of 6 instead we were mollified by the new options. then they put them in plastic clamshells which didn't always seal properly and made them go stale faster but hey, it was that or having to individually bag them once you cut off the cellophane from the cardboard, so it wasn't all bad. but these new little piece of shit turd muffins are both in a clamshell and offer no assortment. and they're smaller. and they taste bad. and they're more expensive.

load bearing muffins? maybe. a final enshittification fork stuck in my overcooked hide? possibly. one of the mortal miseries of coping with change in general, but with the new understanding that it is all changing for the objectively worse? that people take a good thing and ruin it deliberately for their own personal gain? that people are squeezing each other for the last drop of every resource—time, money, attention—that they can, almost out of obligation?

that's the shit that drives me up the wall. we all know it doesn't have to be like this and people just. keep making it this way. every day we are making choices. that phrase used to piss me off. but i get it now. every day, we are choosing to uphold status quo. we are choosing to not do things as much as we choose to do the things we actually do. they chose to shit out these muffins, and all i can hope for is that costco will choose to act. that 3m will choose to protect both the environment and the people who rely on their ppe. that the powers that be will choose to let us choose, that people dont have to keep getting in accidents and dying to sway anyone away from implementing multiple touch screens in a 2 ton machine that routinely goes 70mph.

must i shed every petal? if my bulb is dead, i doubt i will grow again

[renaissanceclassics]

A Tale of Two Cities - Book 1: Part 1

In 45 parts.

The Period

Book the First—Recalled to Life CHAPTER I. The Period

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.

It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period, as at this. Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster. Even the Cock-lane ghost had been laid only a round dozen of years, after rapping out its messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally deficient in originality) rapped out theirs. Mere messages in the earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange to relate, have proved more important to the human race than any communications yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane brood.

France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards. It is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it, terrible in history. It is likely enough that in the rough outhouses of some tillers of the heavy lands adjacent to Paris, there were sheltered from the weather that very day, rude carts, bespattered with rustic mire, snuffed about by pigs, and roosted in by poultry, which the Farmer, Death, had already set apart to be his tumbrils of the Revolution. But that Woodman and that Farmer, though they work unceasingly, work silently, and no one heard them as they went about with muffled tread: the rather, forasmuch as to entertain any suspicion that they were awake, was to be atheistical and traitorous.

In England, there was scarcely an amount of order and protection to justify much national boasting. Daring burglaries by armed men, and highway robberies, took place in the capital itself every night; families were publicly cautioned not to go out of town without removing their furniture to upholsterers’ warehouses for security; the highwayman in the dark was a City tradesman in the light, and, being recognised and challenged by his fellow-tradesman whom he stopped in his character of “the Captain,” gallantly shot him through the head and rode away; the mail was waylaid by seven robbers, and the guard shot three dead, and then got shot dead himself by the other four, “in consequence of the failure of his ammunition:” after which the mail was robbed in peace; that magnificent potentate, the Lord Mayor of London, was made to stand and deliver on Turnham Green, by one highwayman, who despoiled the illustrious creature in sight of all his retinue; prisoners in London gaols fought battles with their turnkeys, and the majesty of the law fired blunderbusses in among them, loaded with rounds of shot and ball; thieves snipped off diamond crosses from the necks of noble lords at Court drawing-rooms; musketeers went into St. Giles’s, to search for contraband goods, and the mob fired on the musketeers, and the musketeers fired on the mob, and nobody thought any of these occurrences much out of the common way. In the midst of them, the hangman, ever busy and ever worse than useless, was in constant requisition; now, stringing up long rows of miscellaneous criminals; now, hanging a housebreaker on Saturday who had been taken on Tuesday; now, burning people in the hand at Newgate by the dozen, and now burning pamphlets at the door of Westminster Hall; to-day, taking the life of an atrocious murderer, and to-morrow of a wretched pilferer who had robbed a farmer’s boy of sixpence.

All these things, and a thousand like them, came to pass in and close upon the dear old year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Environed by them, while the Woodman and the Farmer worked unheeded, those two of the large jaws, and those other two of the plain and the fair faces, trod with stir enough, and carried their divine rights with a high hand. Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of small creatures—the creatures of this chronicle among the rest—along the roads that lay before them.

CHAPTER II.

[the-busy-ghost]

Also in other news we now have confirmation over which Alexander Stewart that guy is meant to be and it IS the Duke of Albany’s half-brother. I mean it’s probably not worth pointing out that he was Albany’s OLDER brother so it’s a bit weird he looks much younger. And also it’s not really accurate that they portrayed him as having a lot of power during James IV’s reign, when I would describe his position as ‘poorer cousin being supported financially by the Crown’ at best- and he was never on the secret council in 1511.

Equally despite the propaganda that began circulating in the late 1510s and 1520s- in my opinion there is no real evidence that James V’s position as king was ever seriously threatened. The real thing is that, no matter what Albany or Angus or Arran or whoever may have wanted, it seems very unlikely that they would have actually been able to get away with a Princes in the Tower situation and I think they knew that.

[genshinfand0m]

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata

GOD OF WISDOM

ELEMENT

Dendro

REGION

Sumeru

AFFIL­IA­TION

The Seven

DEATH

Died during the cataclysm 500 years ago

Additional Titles

God of the Woods

Lord of Verdure

Queen Aranyani

Avatar of Irminsul

Irminsul

The Seven

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was the original Dendro Archon of Sumeru and the predecessor to the current Dendro Archon, Lesser Lord Kusanali. Like her successor, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata held the title of God of Wisdom.

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata passed away during the cataclysm five hundred years ago. Before her death, she created her next incarnation, Lesser Lord Kusanali, who then ascended as the current Dendro Archon and God of Wisdom. In order to truly cure Irminsul, Rukkhadevata sacrificed herself by removing all memories of her existence from Teyvat. The only known person to still remember her is the Traveler. The reason for this is unknown, but it is implied that it is because there is no data of the Traveler in Irminsul.

The Aranara know her as Queen Aranyani and refer to themselves as her children.

Story

Ancient History

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was once friends with the Goddess of Flowers and King Deshret (Scarlet King), and each had their own views on "wisdom." Greater Lord Rukkhadevata presumably worked alongside her two friends in governing Ay-Khanoum, the "City of the Moon Maiden." However, as a result of a certain incident, the Goddess of Flowers perished and Ay-Khanoum was destroyed when the "first pillar" descended and turned the region into a desert.

King Deshret, who had been in love with the Goddess of Flowers, became obsessed with the past. This eventually caused the Deshret and Rukkhadevata to split ways, and Rukkhadevata decided to pursue her own ideas of wisdom by creating a verdant paradise in the forest.

Creation of the Forest

After her falling out with Deshret, Rukkhadevata created the Varuna Contraption in a section of the desert and used "hedges and streams" to protect a certain secret related to "sun and rain."

With the help of her followers, who would go on to establish the Amurta Darshan of Sumeru Akademiya, Rukkhadevata developed a flourishing rainforest. Sumeru City was built on the Divine Tree, a particularly massive tree located in Sumeru's forest region, and the sages of Sumeru Akademiya assisted Rukkhadevata in managing the nation's affairs.

Rukkhadevata also created the Aranara, small plantlike creatures with the ability to control dreams.

At the border between the forest and the desert, the Wall of Samiel was erected to prevent the forest from undergoing desertification. The Lord of Forests, a lineage of "tigers" which began with Viaghara, protected the forest with the help of humans who would learn the secrets of the forest, such as Viridescent.

Suppression of Forbidden Knowledge

Thousands of years ago, while Rukkhadevata was cultivating the forest, Deshret's pursuit of his ideal world led him to inadvertently release forbidden knowledge into his kingdom.[21] People heard crazed whispers in their heads and the disease known as Eleazar — the manifestation of The Withering on human bodies — began to spread. This led to the fall of Deshret's civilization and its people were divided into numerous short-lived city-states, including Gurabad, Tulaytullah, and Saleh.

After learning of the plight of Deshret's people, Rukkhadevata came to their aid on account of her old friendship with Deshret. She gathered the people, instructing them to build temples and creating Aaru Village as the last bastion of Deshret's civilization. She also expended a great deal of her power to suppress forbidden knowledge and regressed into a childlike form. Even this, however, was not enough — in the end, Deshret sacrificed himself to finally put an end to it.

The Cataclysm

Five hundred years before the start of the main story, a bitter struggle between Khaenri'ah and those who lived under Celestia's control, including the denizens of the surface of Teyvat's Seven Nations and the Archons who ruled over them, as well as an attack by Abyssal monsters, wreaked havoc on Teyvat. The Withering spread uncontrollably throughout both the forest and the desert, causing decay and destruction so terrible that it was called "The Black Tide."

To put an end to the devastation, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata embarked on a final journey with some of her followers. She ultimately descended to the heart of the land, which the Abyssal creatures had made their dwelling and turned it into "a cavern of the damned where neither sun, moon, nor fire shine." Rukkhadevata never returned from her journey, while the final Lord of Forests perished in defense of the forest.

 As a result of Rukkhadevata's disappearance, the "grass and trees never spoke again" to Viridescent.

It is later confirmed that she was not actually summoned to participate the war against Khanenri'ah; instead, she had a mission to protect Irminsul. The pollution of forbidden knowledge occured alongside the disaster, and it had already invaded Irminsul and caused great distress to Rukkhadevata. She created the Akasha System to "borrow" her citizens' dreams and wisdom, and used her own strength the second time to clear the forbidden knowledge, like how she did it with King Deshret thousands of years ago. However, she realized that the forbidden knowledge caused corruption to her mind as well, as she was the avatar of the world tree. She realized that her existence must be eliminated, because her existence was still present in Irminsul even after death. Before her demise, Rukkhadevata prepared for her next incarnation by cultivating the purest branch of Irminsul, and left a trail of clues, "Let the world completely forget me."

It is unlikely that Rukkhadevata personally met the Traveler's sibling. The Traveler's sibling befriended the Aranara during their journey after the cataclysm and repaired the Varuna Contraption, which saved the rainforest from destruction. The Aranara have known them ever since as "Nara Varuna."

Legacy

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was remembered as a goddess who had protected Sumeru "since time immemorial" by dealing with disasters and creating the rainforest so that the people of Sumeru could live in peace. Some of her most devoted followers who were researchers founded Sumeru Akademiya and assisted her in ruling Sumeru. The Akasha System, which was powered by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's Gnosis, was considered her legacy. It has since been reformed by Sumeru Akademiya into its current form. While Lesser Lord Kusanali had her reservations about the Akademiya's current use of the Akasha, she believed it was Rukkhadevata's wish to see it taken to its maximum potential and thus did not interfere with its affairs until the sages enacted their Samsara plan during the Sabzeruz Festival.

The Akademiya greatly idolized Rukkhadevata — or at least, the wisdom that they believed she personified. After Rukkhadevata's disappearance, the sages searched for her. They found Lesser Lord Kusanali, who bore a great physical resemblance to their former Archon, and brought her back to Sumeru City. Initially, the people rejoiced at her discovery and changed the Sabzeruz Festival's date to commemorate Kusanali's birthday. However, after some examination, the sages found that Kusanali was barely any different from an ordinary human child; she had no great wisdom nor the strength of a god. Disappointed in their new god, the sages locked her up in the Sanctuary of Surasthana and greatly reduced their focus on the new god in favor of espousing Rukkhadevata's legacy.

Over time, and with the help of the Akademiya's misinformation campaign, the people of Sumeru have forgotten the true history between Rukkhadevata and Deshret. Some believe that a battle between the two was what created Sumeru's desert, and fanatic followers of Deshret view Rukkhadevata as a traitor who betrayed him and took the place of Archon. This perversion of the truth has allowed the sages to maintain tight control over information in Sumeru by pitting the people of the forest against the Eremites, making it easy for the sages to manipulate both groups from behind the scenes.

The duty of protecting the "secret of sun and rain" has since fallen to the Aranara, who use dreams and illusions to create a labyrinth with a similar effect to Rukkhadevata's original hedges and streams.

In present day, after the Traveler and co. frees Kusanali and then defeats the faux god Shouki no Kami, Nahida now has two Gnoses and can finally understand the final memory of Rukkhadevata. After the painful realization, Nahida is forced to eliminate Rukkhadevata from Irminsul to completely remove the forbidden knowledge. As a result, the consequence of the forbidden knowledge (crazed whispers, The Withering, and Eleazar) disappeared, but Rukkhadevata herself is forgotten, as if she never existed in the world. While she still existed, no one can remember her, and all references to her are rewritten.[9] The only individual that still remembers Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is one of the Descenders, the Traveler.

[sharonrb]

Death is only the Beginning Pt2

Disclaimer: If any characters resembles any of those in BP2WF; because maybe they are. They story has been altered due to the imagination of the author. Fanfic and all in fun.

Enjoy

A continued of pt1

Chapter Fourteen

Wakanda spent the last week or so rejoicing for the return to life of their Queen Ramonda; whom they thought had been dead. Along with them, the Talokanils celebrated a milestone for their kingdom. It was the first time in five hundred years and since the birth of their kingdom; they crowned themselves a Queen.

Finally, their ruler K’uk’ulkan found himself someone to marry and share his throne. It was the last night of festivities by tradition for the Wakandans; but it will continue for days to come. The Talokanils were still in their jubilee as the morning sun crept over the two worlds. But, unknowingly to them both, things have taken a turn for the worse.

“What do you mean the Queen is missing?” King M'Baku yelled to the top of his voice. Okoye bowed her head in submission. She had sought a private counsel with him, and wanted him to know first of the events that had occurred through the night and the morning.

“She’s gone and we have no idea her whereabouts, My King,” she told him. M’Baku had agreed to meet with her in a secluded place free from itchy ears. He knew it wasn’t going to be good news, but never in a million years did he expect this situation.

“Tell me everything,” he demanded. Okoye relayed to him what occurred the evening before, and earlier in the day. He allowed a growl to come through, releasing the tension building. This was not good!

Shuri’s mind kept replaying all that had come to pass and her reaction to her mother coming back from her night with Namor. Her mother informing her that she would be returning to Talokan and Namor. The Shaman had given her a potion swearing it would reverse the side effects from the previous in gestation of the heart shaped herb.

Shuri knew her mother wouldn’t take it willingly; she had embraced these knew abilities. She felt of she could convince her, but with Ramonda informing her she would be back with Namor, Shuri made a conscious decision to spice her mother’s tea.

Ramonda took a few sips, relaxing from the fresh air and Shuri’s company. Then she grabbed her head, her face distorting; she yelled out in such excruciating pain. Shiri jumped to her feet backing into the wall thinking; what had she done. Ramonda stood to her feet and with one last agonizing scream flew straight up and away. Okoye and Attuma came onto the scene in confusion. Then the appearance of Namor only made it worse with his announcement of the marriage between her mother and him.

“That damn Shaman,” she could have kicked herself. “Why would I listen to you. It was your recklessness in the first place that brought this about; by giving my mom the herb without consent or permission. You’re going to wish you hadn’t done it.” Shuri caught herself and calmed down. She has to bear some of the blame too. The Shaman didn’t force her to give it to her mother. Or neither would being angry help find her mother and bring her home.

Shuri began to ponder over something that’s nagging her. if the recreation of the potion to remove the Black Panther powers didn’t reverse the effects on her mother. Then maybe the enhancement is due to something else. Shuri walked over to the vial and began to study it, thinking scientifically and objectively. She had been too close to the problem to think straight.

Then her brilliant mind took over; she needed to get to her lab. That’s where she could work the best. She just needed to run some tests. She gathered what she needed and called for one of the planes. Right now, she has no idea if the concoction the Shaman gave her worked or not. She just hopes her mother is alright.

Namor came back to his dwelling and started tossing things about; in anger and silence. Attuma and Namora stayed on the outside for two reasons. First, to let him blow off his rage, and second to await his next command. Namor was very concerned because he has no idea what happened. What he did know it all lead back to Shuri. He didn’t know for sure what she did to Ramonda; but he has no doubt Shuri did something. Now he will have to break his people’s hearts. He could hear them still in festivities; they finally have a Queen of their own. But that is not the case now.

When Attuma had summoned and notified him Ramonda had disappeared; he swam like he never had before. He would have flown but Namora had demanded to come. Hope was in his heart Ramonda would be there once he arrived. It was not so, his fears manifested. Namor stood before a wall he had began another mural; one of Ramonda and his love story. How will it end?

Attuma and Namora heard him grow silent and knew he was in much pain. They wanted to get out there and find their Queen; and wondered why he was hesitating. Namor emerged from his room, subdued and walked over to the edge staring into the water.

“Prepare my people for the announcement. I will not keep this from them any longer.” He told them. “Then I will go to Wakanda to speak with King M'Baku. I need to know what are their plans to assist me in finding my Wife!” He turned and went back inside, never looking at either of them. They looked at each other knowing this was not good. They plunged into the water and headed for Talokan to gather the citizens to the meeting place.

Ramonda stood in the entrance of the cave, pressed against the frame. She stared out as she would the windows of the palace. Not much to see but the majestic mountains, unlike the beautiful capital city of Wakanda. She has a lot to process and decisions to make.

Months of being comatose, being giving the herb that gave the Black Panther their powers. And how did that happen, since the last she recalled; Killmonger had destroyed the plants. Maybe he missed one. No, they had searched diligently to save T'Challa; there were none. Evidently, they did discover more somehow. So, if they have the plant, and they used it on her. Then there has to be another Black Panther.

“What the---,” it dawned on her. The last thing she remembered, Namor and his people were attacking Wakanda. He flew to the throne room where she was with Riri. “Riri!” She remembered him throwing spheres of water at them, and they burst through the windows, exploding. She swam down to get the child who was unconscious and brought her to safety; then everything went black. She wondered, what happened after that? How did they rebuild Wakanda so fast? The biggest question of them all. How did they become allies with Talokan.

“The Talokanil are my people now, and I am their Queen.” She whispered. How will she be able to pull this off? It was not their fault Namor is who he is. They were so welcoming and full of joy to have a Queen, for the first time; since their kingdom came in to existence. If she went back to Talokan, she would have to pretend she was still with Namor; and that would be a lie. She could never be with him ever again. Never!

He seduced her, knowing she had no memory of what he had done. She recalled coming home from the banquet. He was there waiting for her, they talked and walked on the beach; he was so sad. He knew then, it was a possibility he could lose her; if her memories would return. But, he had a chance to tell her the truth; but he did not.

Instead, he took her to meet his people, knowing they would be ecstatic to have a Queen. He knew also she would fall in love with them. They made their commitment to stay yoga her before all of Talokan, binding them as long as they lived. He took her to his rooms; there he made passionate love to her. She was so happy and full of love for his people and him. She came to tell Shuri, she was his wife and Queen of Talokan. And that she was staying there, because they needed her more than Wakanda. But she didn’t get a chance!

Shuri gave her herbs, adding to what was already in her system. All for what? Was her hatred for Namor, greater than her love for her; that she would risk her life? She felt like a guinea pig being tested on all those months; and with Shuri’s betrayal. No one knows but her, what actually transpired the first time she was given the herb. It was frightening; even more now that she has regained her memories. Yes, great decisions have to be made.

Chapter Fifteen

After Okoye had enlightenment M'Baku of everything that happened, from the evening before and earlier that day. He shuddered at the fact; he would have to call another emergency meeting, with the council and Chieftains. His respect for T'Challa grew even greater; this was not an easy position. There was always something new to deal with.

At that moment, M’Baku stiffens; catching movement out the corner of his eye. He turns to see Namor approaching, not surprising! He needed to have a word or two with him, concerning the part he played in this debacle.

“I was wondering when you would come to meet with me,” M'Baku acknowledged his presence.

“We have much to discuss before you announce the disappearance of my Wife, Queen of Talokan,” Namor is straight to the point. M'Baku chuckled.

“Your wife?” He questioned. “And Queen of Talokan?”

“Why are you disputing what is a fact?” Namor held his anger; with M’Baku’s query of the validity, of the matter.

“I am not per say,” M'Baku took a seat on his throne. “What I am inquiring is, does Queen Ramonda feels the same. Now that is the question.” Namor stared at him, as the answer formulated in his brain.

“That I don’t know,” He replied as honestly as he could. The fact of the matter, he has know idea what is going through Ramonda’s mind. Or if she’s even alive; he knows nothing.

Okoye, Ayo and Aneka arrived ahead of the council. Okoye had already filled the two of them in on what was happening. She looked at Namor, then came to him. An unspoken understanding went between them. She went to take her place at the side of M'Baku. Ayo and Aneka were already in place. The council spilled into the room. Namor started towards the door.

“Namor,” M'Baku called out to him. Namor slowly turned around; the two stared each other in the eyes. “I would like for you to stay; after all, it is your wife and Queen of the Talokan whom we will be discussing. Your input will be greatly appreciated.” M'Baku gestured to the very chair he possessed; during the meetings with Queen Ramonda. Namor was surprised, but took the seat offered while the room erupted. M'Baku smirked; it was always a pleasure getting the council roused up. Namor grew a great admiration for M'Baku, he will truly rule Wakanda well.

Attuma was standing outside Namor’s quarters, when Namora came up. Namor informed him he was leaving, to go speak with King M'Baku concerning Queen Ramonda. Even though, it hadn’t been very long since her disappearance; the way she left in such excruciating pain, was alarming.

“K’uk’ulkan is not here?” She asked peering inside, searching for him.

“No, he left for Wakanda to talk their King; to see what they were doing to find our Queen,” he told her.

“That’s good and fine, but why are we depending on them to find her. She is our Queen,” Namora had a certain emotion in what she was expressing. This caused Attuma to take a double look. Is this the same Namora who was angry that Namor had yielded to the Black Panther? But now has a hint of desperation in her voice, for the new Queen.

“Namora, you sound as if I you care about the Queen,” he had a little chuckle, as he teased her.

“You joke at a time as this?” She snapped. “Don’t you understand? Our Queen is missing, Attuma! Our people our basically mourning now. And our K’uk’ulkan is miserable with the loss.” Attuma stood towering over her, with a serious demeanor enshrouding him.

“I understand quite well, Namora,” his voice low and deliberate. “The K’uk’ulkan and our kingdom in whole are sad, so yes I do. But I was wondering the attitude you are displaying. You didn’t want him with the Princess; but you accept her mother for him, as his wife and as our Queen?” Namora walked away from him and stared into the water.

“No, I did not feel the Princess was the right one for him or our people,” she told him. “But yes, the Queen is a Queen; she will love and protect us, just as our K’uk’ulkan has done. She is better suited for him; look how happy he is around her. We have never seen this in him since ever. So yes, I want her back in the worse way.” She ran and nosedive into the water, then swam away.

Attuma stood watching the ripples settle down, then laughed out loud. Could there be a surface dweller, their Namora could truly love and care about? This is astonishing. He couldn’t wait to pass this development along to Namor. He wasn’t sure about Namora accepting Ramonda, let alone as his wife and Queen. Well, Namor can rest on that problem and dwell on finding their Queen.

While Shuri was grieving over her mother’s flight and after she had given her the potion. There was something that lit up the corner of her brilliant mind. She just hoped she was on the right trail. After gathering some things that belonged to Ramonda, she went to the lab.

“Griot” Shuri called to him as she rushed into the lab, tossing things everywhere. “There is something I need help with.”

“Yes Princess, anything I can do I will,” he told her.

“Pull up the analysis of my recreation of the herb, and the one the Shaman gave my mother. Then analyze this sample I am going to give to you.” Shuri dropped what was left of the vial onto a slide, and pushed it into a compartment; then waited.

“Princess your recreation as we discovered; is not the same ingredients as that of the Shaman's. She added some other herbs, but they didn’t alter the outcome of what makes the Black Panther.”

“Yes, I just wanted to double checked if my mother was given the Black Panther serum. And see what was in the latest one I just gave to you?” Griot begins to analyze it.

“It’s different than the others. I’m detecting a rare flower plant, that hasn’t been used in Wakanda for decades. It was banned by the Shaman sect due to the after effects.” Shuri became alarmed.

“A rare plant? Banned for decades you say?” She asked.

“Yes Princess,” Griot replied.

 “What were the side effect?” Shuri asked.

“After twenty-four hours of ingesting, they would go insane,” he informed her.

“Why would she do this,” Shuri recanted her statement. “Why would I ask? She fed her mother the Black Panther herb for months. I can’t deal with her right now. Griot, what was that particular plant used?”

“It actually was a type of memory elixir. It didn’t effect all but enough to cease using it.” So she was trying to help her mother regain her memory. Why didn’t she tell her the truth?

“Alright, I will take care of her later,” Shuri took a comb she had brought from home and pulled a strand of hair from it. Then she placed it on a slide, and pushed it inside a small drawer for Griot to analyze. “Alright Griot, what you see?”

“Very interesting,” Griot stated.

“What? What you see?” Shuri was frantic.

“This person has the X-gene; the Black Panther mixture triggered it. They are in full blown mutant stage.” Shuri’s jaw dropped. She figured as much, but needed for it to be confirmed.

“That’s why taking the serum had not effect. My Mother is a mutant!”

Ramonda came down on the shore near the hut. She felt out if anyone was there; she wasn’t ready for any confrontation. She needed more time to sort things out; too much was at stake. She moved closer seeing it was empty. Shuri most likely went to the lab. She had came to get some things to hold over until she returned; whenever that would be.

She retrieved a tote bag to carry whatever she could. The outfit she wore would not do. Shuri had some pants, maybe she could get a couple or so. She had lost weigh to next to Shuri’s size, if she could not fit them, she could always alter them. She saw Shuri’s jacket tossed across her bed. She picked it up and placed it to her nose, breathing in her daughter’s scent.

“Shuri!” She rubbed it against the side of her face. Tear filled her eyes. “Now that I remember you, I don’t want to see you right now. If I did my words would be too harsh, and it’s been enough separation between us. And I don’t want that; give me time.” Ramonda got herself together and grabbed what she could; then ran to the shore, only to stop abruptly.

“My Queen!” Namora exclaimed with great joy. Ramonda was stung beyond words. So much for get in and out, she thought to herself.

“Namora! What are you doing here?” She asked. Namora came closer to her. “We are all out looking for you.” Ramonda feared as much. She hates she’s hurting others, but if she doesn’t deal with this right now; it will be more painful later.

“Namora,” She said. “I need to figure some thins out. It has been so much to deal with, especially now that I got back my memory. “

“Oh,” Namora said quietly.

“Oh no, not like that. I remember everything, even last night with all of my Talokaniles. You all showered me with so much. I remember all of that.” Ramonda informed her. “This is one of the reasons I need to make some decisions. It’s not going to be easy for me. I have to be away from everyone that I love, so I can be with those that I love. Does that make sense?” Namora understood, so much has been done to the Queen.

“I do My Queen. We all love you. We want you home and safe.” Hearing this coming from Namora warmed her heart. She always felt Namora was the more standoffish. Ramonda walked up to her and pressed her face against the side of Namor's. If blue could blush it would be Namora.

“Thank you for all you said. You really don’t know how much I needed to hear that.” Ramonda wanted to cry, but kept her composure as Queen.

“What should I tell K’uk’ulkan?” Namora asked.

“I don’t want you lying to him. Just tell him what we discuss.” She told her. “It probably be a few days, then I will return.” Ramonda told her and flew high in the air, so when she made the turn towards the mountain; Namora couldn’t see it.

Chapter Sixteen

“Okoye, where are you?” Shuri asked, calling on her kimoyo beads.

“I’m in the throne room. We just finished speaking with the council and tribal Chieftains” she informed her. “They are aware of everything.”

“Good, no more secrets and lies,” Shuri says. “I need to share some findings; I discovered this morning with all of you.”

“I will let them know,” Okoye told her. “You want us there in your lab?”

“Yes, please,” Shuri expressed. “It’s easier to explain here.”

“Something you should know,” Okoye says.

“Yes?” Shuri braced herself.

“Namor attended the meeting, and remains here speaking with the King.” Okoye enlightened Shuri.

“Good, then I won’t need to summon him,” Shuri replied. “He has to hear this too.”  Okoye was taken aback at how somber Shuri seemed; at the mention of Namor’s name. Now she was anxious to hear, what is so important.

Namora returned to Talokan and sought out Attuma; she had to notify him she had spoken to the Queen. She needed him to be her support; when she reveals this to Namor. She found Attuma playing their favorite pass time game with a few of his friends. Namora pulled him away, which didn’t please him at first; but he saw her distress and came with her.

“What’s wrong, Namora?” She took him to a place where they would not be heard by anyone. This needed to be confidential.

“I saw and spoke with the Queen,” she told him.

“This is good news, Namora,” Attuma yelled out in excitement. Namora tried to calm him.

“No, no it’s not Attuma,” she expresses. “She’s still gone.” Attuma stared at her bewildered.

“What? What do you mean she’s still gone?” his excitement turned to dismay.

“I went to the place the Princess and she lives, just by chance,” she begin to explain. “I was standing on the beach when she appeared; coming from their home. She was very surprised to see me there, and I also. But that changed, when she told me she remembers everything. She knows who she is, Attuma.” He was silence for just a moment; until all Namora had told him registered.

“That means she knows what K’uk’ulkan did, and the cause of all this trauma,” he looked to Namora.

“I’m afraid so,” she confirmed. “But she remembers all of us as well; with love. This is what is making it so hard for her; choosing the right path. She is truly our Queen, and she wants that to be known.”

“For us it sounds good, but for K'uk'ulkan it’s not,” he sighed loudly. Namora sadly agreed.

Shuri was going over her files on her mother, when M'Baku, Okoye, Ayo, Aneka and Namor entered. M'Baku could tell by her expression, they were not going to like what she had to say. He had come to consider her his little sister now. A promise to her brother, T'Challa. Namor was edgy with the uncertainty of what he was going to have to accept. Okoye, Ayo and Aneka waited patiently.

“Thank you all for coming,” Shuri was nervous. “While I was thinking about what happened, and my mother in so much pain that I inflicted on her for my own selfish reasons. I realized I was too close to the subject.”

“Subject, Princess?” Namor injected. “She is not some lab research; she’s your mother and my wife.”

“You don’t have to remind me of that, Namor,” She snapped. “Or the fact, it was your actions that generated this whole mess.”

“Alright! Alright you two! Let’s get on with it,” M'Baku demanded. Shuri turns around from facing them, exhaling; then slowly back to them.

“As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted,” she rolls her eyes at Namor; and he conveys a loud snort in response. Okoye, Ayo and Aneka look on; amused with the interaction of the two. “I ran some tests on a theory. The herb I recreated for the Black Panther and the one the Shaman gave my mother; were one in the same.”

“We know this, Princess,” Okoye came closer.

“True, but why did it not kill my mother; is the question needed to be answered.” She addresses her AI. “Griot, explained what you told me.” She told it. They all moved in front of the screen, to see what was being displayed.

“Queen Ramonda, at some point during her comatose; went into a death state. And when the elixir was administered; she was revived. The reason it was able to bring her back? Because she has what is known as the X-gene. Once this gene is activated; mutation occurs. The Queen is at this time in full generated mutant stage. She has been endowed with her powers; whatever they may be.” The room was silent, each lost in their own thoughts with what was revealed.

“You telling us, she is no longer human?” M'Baku asked, breaking the quiet. Namor took offense to M’Baku implications. But it didn’t hinder him from asking a question of his own.

“Can you explain, what caused her to suddenly fly off in pain?” Namor already knew that answer; Shuri had something to do with that. He felt this was the best time to get the bottom of it.

“It was something I gave her,” she finally admitted to him. His eyebrows furrowed. He knew it! “The Shaman said it would reverse the effects from the herb. I trusted her, but now I know she did it again.”

“Did what again?” M'Baku asked.

“My mom did die. Not initially, but when I saw her on the ancestral plane; she was gone. The Black Panther serum was given to her by the Shaman; activating the x-gene to initiate her into a mutant.”

“We need to deal with the Shaman; she did too much without authorization,” M'Baku looked at Okoye. She turned to Ayo, signaling for her to arrest the Shaman.

“Wait! If she had not taken the chance, Ramonda would not be among us. No matter in what state!” Namor reminded them. “Did not Shuri in desperation, do no differently?” They digested what he said.

“One other thing,” Shuri looked at each one. “The herb the Shaman gave to me was not the same herb, as the heart shaped,” she informed them.

“What?” M'Baku said.

“It’s a flower that was banned by the Shaman sect because of the side effects,” she explained.

“Princess, tell me it is not the plant for memory loss,” Okoye asked.

“Okoye, you know of this flower?” M'Baku asked.

“Yes, many years ago it was used to help those who suffered from memory loss in some forms.”

“Princess!” Namor came to her, she could see the fear in his eyes. “What are the side effects?”

“Only one, Namor,” she was gentle in replying to him, but nothing will soften the blow. “In twenty-four hours of ingesting it; the person goes insane. Not all have; but enough did that they chose to banned it.”

“What?!!” Namor was beside himself. He had heard enough, and left the room before they could notice he was gone.

“Twenty-four hours,” M’Baku paced the lab, thinking. “How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be?”

“With everything we have,” Okoye said and left also. Now there were four.

“We need to activate the Midnight Angels, come Aneka!” Then there were two.

“What good is being the Black Panther, when I can’t find my mother and save her?”

“Aww Shuri,” M'Baku walks to her and rests a hand on her shoulder. “You are one of the most brilliant minds around. Just like you figure your mother becoming a mutant; you will find her.” He left to expedite the search; time is of the essence. Shuri stood alone in the lab feeling hopeless.

“Princess?” Griot called to her.

“What Griot?” She stared at nothing in particular.

“What happens after the Queen is found?” Shuri thought about what he just said.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “We bring her home.”

“And then what? Watch her go insane?” Shuri realized what he was asking.

“We have to find something to counteract the plant,” Shuri sprung alive. “Let’s start with its make up. Maybe if we discover what is in it that causes the insanity; we could isolate it, and actually create a variant to aid in memory loss.”

“Exactly Princess,” Griot agreed.

“We don’t have much time,” she reminded him. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Ramonda arrived back at the cave she now calls her refuge; and placed the bag of supplies in a corner. A cool breeze flowed through from the outside; she saw she would need to start a fire. Luckily, she thought of grabbing a lighter. She wishes there were a door to shut, and curtail the cold. It was close to winter and the mountains were feeling it’s approach sooner than any other place in Wakanda. Soon they will be covered in snow. She would have to endure, there is none other place to conceal her whereabouts; and especially from Namor. She paused, hearing a noise coming from the entrance.

“What is going on?” She exclaimed, turning to see the opening had been sealed over. She slowly approached it, staring at what was once a exit, but now sealed. “Open up!” She yelled! At that very moment; it did as she commanded. The entrance became as it once had been. She began to inspect the walls not sure of what was happening; her mind racing. Could it be another one of her abilities; connected to the earth? She will have to figure what her powers were and how to control them. This time she willed it to close; then she returned to start a fire.

Ramonda pulled the bag in front of her, as she sat near the warm fire. Even with the protection of the wall in place of the opening to the cave; the brisk air could be felt. She brought out the blankets she had retrieved from the hut. Shuri won’t miss them; she can always have more delivered. Or better yet, she could just return to the palace.

Ramonda paused for a moment of reflection. She was very angry with Shuri for her part in this; but she was being sarcastic with what she had thought. Shuri is her little girl; her baby. Well, not exactly a baby anymore. With so much that has hit her; in such a short time. It would easily: have cause a person to make bad choices out of desperation. Her baby has grown into womanhood; and she was proud of the person Shuri had become.  

Ramonda came across a mirror and peered into it; shocked at the person who gazed back. Someone a little younger than herself; but definitely her. Had to be at least twenty years younger. How did this happen? Is this another one of those side effects, from taking the heart shaped herb? If so, will she be going through, what that guy in the movies; Benjamin what’s-his-name did? He continued to grow younger and younger, until he became a baby; then he died? What’s happening to her?

Ramonda gathered her knees to her chest, and as sort of cushions; rested her head on her arms. She stared into the fire, watching the flame swaying in a seductive movement. Her mind reminiscences that fatal day her life ended. The day her husband; Namor threw those water grenades right at her, as she stood in the window. Right after he had tossed his spear into the window; right at her face at her. But the window only cracked.

Ramonda recalled the way he glared, because she pulled Riri behind her; as a protective mode. That sinister smile chiseled on his face. She saw him leave and knew he would return to deal the death blow. She told Riri to run, but children are children; Riri didn’t want to leave her side.

Namor came back as she knew he would, the windows exploded with the impact of the water bombs. Riri and her were thrown backwards, losing consciousness. She was able to come too quicker than Riri; she was sinking fast and needed to be saved.

Ramonda remembered making a crucial decision, she plunged deeper into the water to save someone’s drowning child. She struggled with the dead weight of Riri to get her to safety. It took all she had in her to get her out of the water, and onto the floor. Ramonda tried to pull herself up and along side Riri; and make a attempt to revive the child. But too much of her strength had been exhausted. She remembers sliding back into the water; it covering her face, then it all went black.

There was something else cloaked from her happened; prior to her waking up in the room, she now recognized as the Hall of the Shaman Sect. She didn’t remember anything or anyone, except the summer place she spent summers with Shuri. She made her way through the catacombs and by the river; until she saw Namor. No, she didn’t recognize him; but he knew her, and that was comforting. At that moment, her body quake all over with forcible tremors.

Did he devised this plan, once he realized her memories were lost? All the sweet gentle kindness he showed her; but plotting all along. Her tears stung her eyes, her heart ached. She felt violated! The man who killed her, let her fall in love with him. For what? She was no longer Queen of Wakanda, it does not make sense. What did he hope to gain making her his wife, and moreover; Queen of Talokan.

Why? To get an alliance? He had that. This was wrecking her brain. He gained nothing, unless there is a piece from this puzzle missing. But what wasn’t she getting? Namor was not complex then, nor is he now. He is always straight forward. People only get fooled when they paint him as this complicated person. But she knew then and knows now; Namor needs and wants are very direct.

Ramonda felt cozy secluded from the outside. She made a cot with her blankets before the fire; and laid down on it, resting her head on a pillow she had brought also. She continued to look at the flames at their sultriest dancing was almost hypnotic. She knew what it was that Namor wanted and needed, but she didn’t want to think about.

It’s insane to formulate in any words; but it’s classic Namor. When did he first developed the scenario in his mind? When did it hit him what he wanted; but above all needed? She had to know at what point, Namor decided he wanted and needed her as his wife; and the Queen of Talokan. Her head had begun to pound. Maybe a nap will help, she thought. Ramonda shut her eyes; seeking some equivalent to tranquility. She then found her peace and slowly drifted off to sleep.

[raggaraddy]

hello if you want you can ignore this of course but I was wondering what would vampire Hoseok do if he found out someone turned oc? Your fics are amazing by the way!

Bitten to death

A/N: Thank you for your request :) It was fun to write. However I took it less as a reaction, and more of a story prompt. So it's not exactly a conclusive answer to your question. I hope you still like it, though ^-^ 💜💜💜

Summary: You thought you knew everything about Vampires but when you wake up one you learn there are some important things you did not know. And it's only going to let worse once you learn why you were turned.

Trigger Warnings: Blood, death, maiming, choking, violence, mind control, abduction, yandere themes.

Vampire! Hoseok

It was like a horror story within your already horrific story. Some man you've never met before broke into Hoseok's house when only you were there. While you screamed and fought and instinctively called for Hoseok, he covered you in bites unlike any other you had felt before. Ones that made you suffer as if fire was coursing through your veins. You wish that you could say you were strong enough that your fight had some kind of impact. But in truth, it was over after only a few seconds. And it was in those few seconds that you felt your chest burning and your breath fill your lungs for the last time.

Waking you're met by the stranger hovering above you. Your head aching and your body throbbing in ways you had never experienced before. With a quick glance, you can see everything around you, and that does mean everything. Every single little detail. And the information is overwhelming.

Your mind feels as if it's breaking from everything you're taking in. For as far as you can see there are pallets and long isles of shelves lined up, the contents on every rack crystal clear. You can hear the sound of his shoes on the concrete and the dirt gritting underneath, and how each peak of sound travels and bounces off the farthest point in the warehouse. Even the smells, there are hundreds of them all hitting you at once. A few you know like the fragrance of the treated wood or the oils stain, but others you couldn't guess at. It's as if all of your senses are on high and you have no way to focus them.

Despite your panic, no matter how much you want to run, you can't. Laying on your back with your arms spread out to either side of you and your legs held together, you're being bound by the thinnest most delicate length of silver chain. Though, it's not tied. It's only draped over you, but still holding you as if it were stronger than any steel. Burning you as if it were touched by the sun.

You may have only seen a few newly made vampires before, but you have still been around them enough and know enough about their existence to recognize how and why your body feels wrong. And absurdly you can't help but feel betrayed. This was not supposed to happen to you. It was the only safety you got from belonging to someone who was called The Immortal King, and The Origin of Cruelty. No one was supposed to be foolish enough to steal from him, and most importantly, no one was supposed to be able to hurt you. But now because Hobi didn't keep you safe, he's now lost his blood supply and you've lost your humanity.

The stranger snaps his fingers, the sound bursting in your eardrums making you groan and wince as he repeats it. "Focus your attention on just this one sound. On just the sight of my hand. Feel the air around it." He coaxes you, snapping again. The noise echos dozens of times, ricocheting off every wall. The dull thud of his fingertips hitting his palm only sounding the once though.

Opening your eyes your concentration goes to the hand held above your face as he said, the space around it blurring. On the back of his pointer finger on an otherwise porcelain complexion, you notice a small patch of dry skin just below his knuckle. Clear blue-black defined veins wrapping the back of his palm. He clicks his fingers again and you catch the sound of friction from the way his finger rubs down his thumb, feeling the most minuscule shift in the air created by his motion.

The pinpointed attention helps for a moment, but then you shift your eyes to his face and the explosion of information overpowers you again. His hold comes around your neck keeping your head from turning. The tight pressure on your throat while stifling your movement, nearly makes you smile. There's no airflow to restrict. Your chest isn't heating, your body isn't convulsing trying to breathe. Even in this tense moment, you can't help but find it humorous, thinking how many times over the years had you wished for this exact thing when Hobi had squeezed the air from you.

"Watch my eyes," on his words your vision becomes immersed in them. They're piercing blue. Made up of streaks of white interlacing with a clear sapphire shade, like thousands of threads made out of the purest tropical ocean. A transparent irregular line encircling his pupil, and beyond that every distinct strand blurs together with the others until it reaches the shadowed grey edge that holds the circular shape. Slowly his jet black pupils dilate, stretching and filling his entire iris till every trace of colour is removed. As if transfixed, you're unable to close your own eyes, a flooding of bright light filling your field of view. The strength of it is so intense that the tendons in your sockets ache and your eyes begin to water. Tears rolling down the sides of your face, cresting in your ears.

"Apologies, you are only my second." He confuses you with a vague explanation you did not ask for. The black finally receding into its natural size. Your own eyes scrunching as you try to blink away the soreness. The bizarre occurrence leaving you feeling drained of strength, filling you with anxiety caused by the uncertainty, which is only worsened by the glimmer of triumph in his gaze.

Searching past him to the ceiling your brain is again processing the whole image instead of the sum of its parts. The strain in your head slowly fading, your tight held muscles releasing as everything begins to normalize. You don't know what he did, but it seemed to help.

He doesn't back away, continuing to invade your personal space. Although, the way his fingers are trailing along your skin while you're restrained on the floor is still not the worst thing he has done to you. Seeing as he killed you.

"I had almost given up hope that Jung Hoseok would love." His hand daintily caresses along your neck and up your jaw. Your eyes shutting as his fingertips run over your lips. "I began to fear it might not be something possible for him." He divulges, his touch still aimlessly wandering.

The way he speaks you can feel his vailed anger. Despite his soft words, this is not someone who cares about Hoseok's wellbeing, this is someone who hates him deeply.

"However, you restored my lost faith. And for that, I would like to thank you, Inamorata."

He thinks Hoseok loves you? Is he crazy?. He's possessive of you, that is all. Even in moments of deception or weakness when you had told him that you loved him, he's never said it back with any sincerity. And he has never said it of his own accord.

"Sir," your eyes reopen. "I think you've misunderstood. These," you weakly gesture to the silver, each slight movement searing the links deeper into your flesh. "aren't necessary. We are on the same side. I hate Hobi, more than anyone."

"Truly?" He asks tilting his head to the side. His white hair messily hanging across his forehead.

"Yes," you nod trying to insist your point. "He's kept me locked up for years." you chuckle dryly. Finding it nearly risible that all of this is because this man believes in a fantasy.

"Well then, you are free to rise," he nods resolutely. Plucking the chains out of your melted skin as you grit your teeth. The sound of the sizzle on his own skin baffling you as to how he can even lift them.

Sitting up you gently pull your limbs in, inspecting the blistered and bloody marks. The skin on your wrists already starting to intricately knit itself back together.

"Come here." The stranger calls from a rested place on one of the pallets to your right.

Standing, it is a bit hard to walk with your ankles still cut up but you make it to him decently. Looking around you, you can see the sun streaming in from the high windows that line the whole length of the warehouse. It's enough to light up the otherwise dark space, but with the sheer size of this place, the beams of sunlight do not get close to the two of you in the centre. Still in the middle of the day, it means Hobi can't get to you. Not easily at least. So you're on your own for now.

"Kneel." He instructs plainly. And you follow, lowering onto your knees in front of him. Your only thoughts are of escape. You may be in your first minutes as a vampire, but it should be simple to move quickly. It always seemed like something that came easily to them. "Inamorata, you will call me Master." he declares abruptly.

"Yes, Master." You smile confusedly. Inamorata? Why does he keep calling you that? You're unsure if it's a name or a title, but it's weirding you out.

Your face drops, your heart thumping, realizing what you said. The words you just spoke replaying in your head. You hadn't meant to say that.

Why did you say that?

In fact, why had you knelt? Why were you doing what he said at all?

With a gaped mouth you climb back to your feet. "Look, I think-um." You start not knowing what you want to say.

"Kneel." He orders again more forcefully yet with a knowing, jovial smirk. You shake your head hard, staying upright. You're not going to let him order you around. He has to be kidding.

Your brows furrow, your mouth drops open, and your forehead tightens as your knees bend against your wishes. You drop back into your knelt position. Grunting as your jaw clenches, your fingers digging into your legs, doing your best to resist without success.

Your eyes go wide in shock.

"Good. Now stay there," his voice makes your stomach drop. But your muscles relax, your shoulders dropping and your bottom lowering on your calves. Your body resting in this position.

This is nothing you have ever seen before. It's nothing that you knew was possible. It shouldn't be possible. On top of all the horrible advantages they already have, you're sure you would have known if mind control was one of them!

"How?" You gape, shaking your head in disbelief. "Why?"

"Why?" a smile fills his face, "What you have told me is far different than what I had heard." He stands and turns, tapping his foot against the top pallet sending it and its boxed contents flying. He grabs at the bottom slats of wood underneath and drags them closer to you with a horrid screeching on the concrete. Sitting back down he is now much lower and much nearer to you. So much so that his legs spread straight out on either side of you. "See, I had heard stories of the self-proclaimed King of Vampires, who had fallen in love with his human pet. That he kept her close, kept her safe, and drank from her exclusively."

"That's not love." you interrupt with a scoff, "That's imprisonment."

"Well, let us see what the truth is. Tell me honestly, Jung Hoseok's little Inamorata, do you love him?"

"Yes." You're mouth answers before your mind has time to think. "No!" you instantly correct.

The smile grows larger on his face "And what do you feel about him?"

"I'm scared of him. But I care for him." The words are pouring out of you uncontrollably, your face placifying as you speak. "and I miss him when he isn't home."

"And does he love you?"

"I think so, yes." You wish you could make yourself shut up! Your calm tone drops and you bite your jaw trying to take back your own body, growling as you do. "No! He doesn't." you snarl in a rapid shift.

"You think so? Then my last question; Do you want him to love you?" He asks satirically.

"Yes," The word slips out. Being accepted joyously from him. "You can't just make me say anything you want!" you shout. Your body is rigid and stiff as you think to stand with nothing happening.

"I did not," he chuckles, "I made you say what you believe is true."

"No, you didn't! Tha-" his finger raises to his lips shushing you, cutting you off like your voice had disappeared.

That is not how you feel! Hobi may have gotten better as time has gone on, but he is still cruel and malicious and heartless. The only thing this man is doing is speaking to your primal brain. The part of you that gave into its survival instinct and it's the part that you fight every day to repress so that you stay in control. You can't love him, it's not possible.

"Ha, you are far more amenable than my last. I can hardly feel any resistance." He mocks, tapping his temple. "And I recall Jung Hoseok trying to move heaven and earth to break free. Even Mansueto struggled to contain him. But you," he reaches down holding out his hand and you follow his gesture, your body moving independently to accept it. "You are a broken little thing."

You don't understand his ridicule. You're not moving consciously. Your own mind isn't connected to your actions. So you can't fathom how your body is even reacting, let alone how you should be able to fight it.

"Stop." You complain, your voice coming out with far less strength than you had intended. "Look, Hoseok doesn't have my blood anymore, okay. So just leave me out of whatever fucked up feud you have you have going with him."

"No, that is not enough." his tone becomes suddenly harsh. He lifts his hand and you stand as he raises it. "He stole someone precious to me and he must feel the same agony of loss."

"You're wrong." you swallow, working to overcome your nerves, "I'm sorry, but you just are. He doesn't love me. I'm not precious." You try to reason, seeing your pleas falling on an unreceptive man.

"We will see."

The sun has barely set before you hear commotion beyond the metal walls.

You had tried over and over to pry information from this man, to convince him to let you leave. But you were unable to gather so much as a name from him, and clearly, you failed to be let go. After a certain point of ignoring you, he stopped you from speaking altogether. Not allowing you to say a word until he permits it. More than that though, he filled your head with many instructions. Telling you how to behave in anticipation of Hoseok's arrival.

100 meters in front of you the locked doors are ripped off their hinges, a dozen men and women pouring into the warehouse with inhuman speed. But as if time slows down your eyes adjust and you can see them, see their movements with full clarity. Hoseok comes in last and straight down the middle into the open square that you all occupy. And you must admit, you are genuinely happy to see him. Now you just want him to hurry up and get you out of here.

The man steps forward to meet them while you are sat on the stack of pallets behind him. Your only instruction at this time is to sit quietly and wait for him to call you. Hating the feeling of being restrained by your own body.

Watching them all lineup versus a single man, you find it comical how outmatched he is.

Hobi always said that when he got tired of playing with your human body, he was going to turn you. And he was furious if anyone robbed him of even your smallest reactions, so clearly, he was going to be beyond pissed that someone sped up his plan, and took your death away from him.

"That's mine," Hoseok puffs up his chest, looking past the man's shoulder to you. 

The only thing that's confusing you, though, is if this man knows who The Vampire King is, why he didn't expect to be met with hell on earth, and why he didn't prepare better.

"Jung Hoseok, always so impolite. Do you not think you should greet an old friend after so many years?"

"We can talk all you like, Kol," Hoseok snarls, finally giving a name to your killer. "Once I get my property back."

"I think you'll find this is my belonging now." he chuckles in a brief pause. Hoseok's expression darkens, his eyes becoming murderous. The fury around him actually making you shiver. "Do you like the modifications I made? She is much more durable now."

Supposedly, Hobi's already noticed your change, because he doesn't look at you again. Instead, the two men have an intense staredown. All of the vampires on his side looking ready to kill on a word.

"And far more obedient. Come here," Kol calls you, holding his hand out at shoulder height for you to take. Moving automatically, you jump down from the stack of wooden pallets placing your fingers on his palm.

Unable to stand the rage on Hoseok's face you look down, just missing the exact moment he charges. But you see an instant later as he is thrown back like a paper doll into four stories of shelves, his weight bringing the metal, the shelves, and the products down on top of him as the whole structure collapses. His men looking as startled as you to see Hoseok so easily discarded.

Before the toppling construction settles, Kol breaks from your side and an incredible, horrible scene breaks out. His speed is something you can't follow, even now. You only see the trail of destruction when he stops. One after the other, he made his way through half of the vampires, ripping them apart. Literally tearing some in two halves. Decorating the square with blood and innards.

The others are as belated and overwhelmed as you, only just having the sense to react as his blurred image stops. When he advances again, this time he doesn't use his quickness for an advantage and simply ploughs through them. They attack all at once, and still as they grab and strike at him, their forces barely move him. And his response is terrifying.

You can only bear to watch the first one. Kol's fist driving through a woman's chest, the horrid cracking of her ribs as he tears it back out making you want to scream. But his orders have you completely silent. Instead, you close your eyes, sealing your hands over your ears. Trying to block out the violent sickening sounds of his destructive rampage.

There's a last thud before it falls quiet again. Your eyes springing open to see as horrific of a sight as you had imagined. He's dripping in blood. Drenched in it. And Hoseok's people are strewn in every which way. Not a single one having survived.

Sauntering through the sea of dead bodies, he makes his way to the side where Hoseok is unmoved, tossing away the beams and panels as if they were nothing. Grabbing him by the ankle, he drags him from the rubble into the clear space in front of you. The man you once thought of as the most powerful in existence, and his troupe of vampires, was completely demolished in mere seconds of work. And you can only watch on with your body shaking. Your hopes of rescue decimated. Your chest aching with worry, even for Hobi's sake.

"Now that it's a more intimate number of us, should we talk?" Kol releases him, brushing past you as he sits where you had before. His action triggering an instruction he provided earlier, forcing you to follow him and kneel at his feet.

Sitting up, Hoseok rubs the back of his hand against a large gash under his eye. The ferocity not having left his mannerisms. "You disappear for 90 years, and you show up to what, gimmie a blood bath." His laugh falls into a grimace as he stands himself back up.

"I was created in the 13th century and you brought infants to a fight with me. What did you think would happen?" Kol asks scornfully.

"I was hoping they would do a little better," He smirks, shrugging off their deaths. "Okay, that's my bad. But still, that doesn't tell me what you want. Or did you just want to remind me that you're still alive?" He taunts, his sardonic nature returning, "Remind me that you're still pissed and you can kick my ass. Good job. You put on quite a show." he smiles, his tongue running over his fangs as he gestures around at the gruesome display. "But she," he points to you with two fingers, bitterness lacing his next words, "is worth nothing to you."

"Oh, she is worth everything to me," Kol slides forward, his hand brushing down the back of your neck, "because she is worth everything to you."

On those words, you get the most heart-wrenching sight. A pang of insecurity shows up in Hoseok's eyes. Uncertainty and something so close to fear. The smile fading as he looks him up and down.

"I am curious, though, Vampire King, do you think she will detest the Sire bond as greatly as you did?" he punctuates the question, tugging your head back by your hair. "If I treat her as Mansueto treated you, how long do think until she breaks?"

With immense speed, Hoseok splinters one of the wooden crates near him, lunging at Kol, aiming to drive the shard into his heart with a roar. But he's caught before his hand ever plunges forward. Instead, Kol takes the sharp wood and spikes it into Hoseok's stomach. Continuing to dominate him with a solid blow, knocking him off his feet, smacking him into the concrete in front of you. Stepping down, he swings his foot punting Hoseok in the chest hurling him back among the remains of his fallen creations.

You had thought if you ever saw Hobi being handled as roughly as he treated you, that you would enjoy the Karma of it. But seeing him so easily immobilized is making you sick with fear and mostly sadness.

With Kol having stood, you're no longer bound on your knees and you scramble to your feet. You want to run to Hoseok's side but before you have the chance Kol drags you into him, his hand wrapped around your waist, his other crudely brushing the hair from off the side of your face.

"Call out to him. Tell him your every feeling." He hushes the order in your ear.

"Hobi!" you yell, not sure you would have even needed to be compelled to want to shout for him. "Get up, please. I'm scared. I wanna go home!"

"Go to him," Kol releases you and you sprint to his side, hardly able to slow your sudden frantic speed.

Doubled over Hoseok is bleeding profusely. He needs your blood- but you can't do that anymore. And you have no idea what to do. You don't know how to help him or how to get out of here. He's the one that is supposed to keep you safe.

Coming from behind you, Kol bends down shoving you out of the way to lift Hoseok by the throat. "Stop!" you follow their movement, hanging on Kol's arm. "Stop! Please." But you have no effect. Instead, he jerks the wood dagger out making Hobi yell in pain.

"Do you recall what you said as you killed our Sire?" Kol whispers maliciously. "You told me that 'I will get over it'." Releasing him, he lets Hoseok plummet to the floor and you drop with him trying to catch his weight. "In 100 years from now, I'll let you see her again and you can tell me if you were able to take your own advice." he smiles spitefully.

"Hobi," you whine lowly. Brushing his hair from his sweat and blood wet forehead. "I don't want to go with him. Rather the devil you know, right," you softly chuckle, trying to pull his energy back.

Even though you know the both of you have no chance at the moment, you guess you're just looking for an affirmation that he isn't going to let you go and let this other man keep you for the next century.

"Please," you whisper, your waterline filling with tears.

Reaching towards you, Hoseok's hand constricts around your throat, pulling you into him like he has countless times before.

"You're mine," he growls through pained grunts. His anger lessened, distress replacing it. But he gives you the answer he could see you searching for.

"Yes," you nod subtly. Closing your eyes as you lean further into his hold.

"Get up," Kol orders, interrupting you.

Despite his tightening grip, you pull away from Hobi, standing as you were told. The elder vampire taking your arm leads you away through the bodies to the open doorway.

"Say goodbye Jung Hoseok," Kol calls back, leaving him injured and alone, making you wish more than ever that you could pull back. "And do not worry, I'll take very good care of her for you."

[chaozsilhouette]

Imprisoned yet Unshackled

I was so inspired by the large support my last post received, I was able to finish this scene in record time. One thing that was wedged into the back of my mind was, just how does one pass the time when you're trapped under a mountain for five hundred years? Here's my take on Sun Wukong's second imprisonment in @winterpower98's Swap Au. I hope I managed to capture the brilliant yet insane nature of the monkey tyrant.

_____________________________

Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, had to smile at his plight.

Once again he was trapped underneath a prison of magic and stone. Only this time the entrapment had not been orchestrated by the Buddha, but by his dearest beloved, a motley crew of demon rejects, and one despicable monk.

He should be infuriated. His rage should invoke the horrible sense the end of days had arrived. Heaven should tremble, Narakas should rush to defend its gates, but no. No, the Monkey King’s temper had cooled to a dangerous degree. Now he could smile and look back on his past with fondness.

Why?

Because he refused to be caught unaware twice.

He may not have been able to stop his imprisonment, but he was able to leave a little insurance for his release. His darling was wise to seal the mountain with the Ruyi Jingu Bang. The infamy of his trademark weapon would be more than enough to strike fear into the hearts of countless demons. Its immense weight prevented all, but the strongest from getting it to budge let alone lift it.

However, for the Handsome Monkey King, it would be a minor feat. Just before the seal was completed and the mountain crashed down, he created a hair clone and sent it out into the world in the appearance of a young human boy. He couldn’t have it mirror him or it would have been hunted down before it could free him. As a precaution, he sealed any memories the clone would have as being, ya know him.

During his time in hiding, he made many new alliances and took on countless servants, many of which joined him after they experienced a thorough humiliation by his darling. The only upside of that worthless journey was all the laughs he got after hearing about all the different demons his beloved trounced on the way.

Seriously, how could one monk keep falling for the same trick over and over again? Maybe Tripitaka enjoyed being abducted? Either way, he had faith that at least one would connect the dots if they knew what was good for them.

He had no doubt the entire Celestial Realm would act to create thousands of mystical and physical barriers to secure and hide the mountain. The villagers would spread tales of destruction and fear, but that would draw in as many as it would push away. Princess Iron Fan would no doubt lead the concealment project herself out of spite. Her husband would personally engage the weaker demons in a fruitless attempt to lessen his fury.

Hehe, the poor demon couple.

Once the heads of a rising court no one would ever dare cross, reduced to celestial dogs as they mourned the loss of their son. The screams of the Demon Bull family curled his toes in the most delightful ways as he forced them to watch their precious matchstick collapse under the fury of his own flames. Unfortunately, the mountain was sealed before he could witness Red Boy’s demise by the True Fire of Samadhi, but even if he survived no one could walk away from that unscathed.

It would take time for his clone to remove the staff, leaving him little to do but think. What else was he going to do trapped under another mountain? This time, not even his face was free to take in the fresh air or watch the stars. He had forgotten how spiteful his darling could be.

They would work on that once he was freed.

Sun Wokong acted too rashly, he could admit that now. He had spent so much time away from his beloved, confident in his capabilities that he failed to account for other dangers. He underestimated Guanyin’s monk. This mortal was the one expected to teach him humility, how could he expect his darling Macaque to survive unaffected.

He thought back to the simple days on Flower Fruit Mountain after Macaque had accepted his invitation to live with him. When it was just the two of them against the world. Their days were filled with training, experimenting with their powers, and making quick trips to scare humans and demons alike. Sun could still picture the easy smile that would grace his beloved’s face after a fulfilling day or whenever he groomed that silky mane.

The playful chirps and growls of the other monkeys filled the background as they went about their normal lives. He watched with pride as families grew and newborns matured into colorful pranksters all their own. Each generation instinctually knew who he was and learned to give him respect, but he didn’t mind them crossing a few lines. What kind of leader would he be if he discouraged what made him happy?

Anytime hunters or an upstart demon attempted to set foot on his mountain, Wukong and Macaque would switch guardian duty. While he definitely enjoyed killing any idiot who dared to intrude upon his territory, watching his beloved slaughter in his name brought him even more pleasure. Unlike his personal tastes of crushing his opponent’s skull after ripping off their limbs, his beloved took a more surgical approach. Delicately Macaque would toy with his prey, methodically tearing apart their physical strength and their sanity, until nothing was left but a pitiful husk who begged for death.

Ah, each one of those performances was nothing less than pure poetry all designed for him.

He wanted that back. He wanted all of those pleasures back and more! And he would get them. Once he was freed, he would find his wayward beloved and undo all the damage Tripitaka did. Macaque would be reminded of their ambition to conquer. But more than anything he would remember who he belonged to.

Fortunately, neither of them was in any danger of dying. During his little stay in the Celestial Realm, he saved a couple of souvenirs. A peach of immortality, a bottle of heavenly wine, and a gourd of pills from Loa Tzu’s lab; each capable of granting the consumer immortality and combined with the safeguards they had already taken.

Macaque had become just as much a fundamental part of reality as himself. He didn’t even have to lie. Despite Macaque being concerned for the consequences of his actions, the six-eared immortal couldn’t help but kneel over laughing as Wukong mimicked the expressions of his celestial servants whenever they tried to ask something of him. Wukong looked on in adoration as his mate indulged in the bounty of the Celestial Realm, tying their futures together until time itself ceased to exist.

It did not matter how long it took. The seal would be broken and all of creation would know fear. Time held no meaning for him. He could afford to be patient.

[ladyartemesia]

The Terms

◐ PART III of THE ALPHA ◐

◐ Part I ◐ Part II ◐ Series Masterlist ◐

Pairing: Alpha Werewolf Jimin x Omega Reader

Rating: Mature (for this installment)

Warnings: ABO sexual dynamics including discussion of scenting, marking, mating, and claiming. Violence and discussion of violence relating to ritual combat. Jin’s pheromones need their own warning. Yoonji and Yunli are not the same person.

Word Count: 2300

Author’s Note: As promised, this chapter is twice as long as the previous two and a lot of what people have been speculating about in the asks is discussed in this chapter... along with a few surprises...

“Luna rex provocatione means ‘the moon king’s challenge.’ It is never invoked lightly as its consequences are grave indeed... If an alpha believes that he is the true Alpha and the goddess has placed another in his path as a test of worthiness and dedication to the pack, then he will acknowledge his acceptance of this test by declaring luna rex provocatione. Once the challenge has been set forth only the death of the Luna’s first mate or the total surrender of the challenger can satisfy it...”

Text of the traditional speech given by a chief elder to begin a luna rex provocatione ritual [7th century]

“I know you won’t understand, but this isn’t personal-”

Jimin offered his rival an overtly feigned smile.

“You plan to kill me and claim my mate. Which part of that could I possibly take personally?”

Tae snorted somewhere in the background and Yoongi elbowed him hard.

Tradition dictated that both alphas meet with their second-in-commands in the chief elder’s chambers to discuss the terms of combat.

Namjoon brought Min Yoongi and Jimin had somehow ended up with Taehyung.

He didn’t remember actually agreeing to make Tae his second...

It just sort of happened somewhere between calming his hysterical mother and quickly reading up on archaic pack law.

The chief elder coughed uncomfortably. Goddess, this ascension was supposed to be easy. He never in a million moons thought he’d be in this position.

The last chief elder who oversaw a luna rex provocatione ritual had immortalized it in his journal as “the single most horrific moment of my life,” describing in detail the Luna howling in torment at the loss of her mate and the victor collapsing over the corpse of his foe in misery and guilt.

As in the past, the outcome of this conflict was already decided by fate...

Pain and regret weighed heavily on the older man as he considered the younger of the two alphas.

Park Jimin was going to die violently and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Because Kim Namjoon issued the challenge, his opponent will decide combat form. Your choices are human form, half-shifted, and wolf-form. After your choice is declared, Namjoon may add a minor alteration if he so desires. Park Jimin, please declare form.”

“Human,” he answered softly - and every single occupant of the room recoiled in response.

It was bad enough to witness a fight in wolf form or half-shifted... but to engage in ritual combat as a human-

It would be brutal - even psychologically disturbing - without the benefit of a wolf’s hide to mask the savagery.

Namjoon’s eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly.

“I request teeth and claws.”

Not quite a half-shift. Teeth and claws allowed for attacks using lengthened canines and claws.

It could make a kill slightly more... humane.

Jimin nodded and the elder pressed his seal over the first of the terms.

The were no windows in the small, stuffy chamber and between the heavy ceremonial garb and the nearly twenty braided praesidium bracelets wrapped around his wrists, Jimin felt as if the blood in his veins was literally coming to a boil.

Though he dared not remove them to relieve his discomfort.

Each bracelet represented a prayer to the goddess. They were given as protection to a loved one before a great trial.

His mother had not stopped making them since the ascension. She’d torn apart her most expensive dress and spent hours twisting the fabric strips into intricate traditional braids while she prayed...

Jimin’s fingers sought them out for comfort as the miserable parade of ritual legalities marched past the two hour mark.

Many agreements (like Jimin’s insistence that his mother not be allowed to attend the fight and Namjoon’s pledge to financially support the Park family in the event of their alpha’s death) were settled quickly, however the sheer number of details to be solidified was overwhelming.

“I think it best if we adjourn for a short recess,” the chief elder sighed wearily and Taehyung nearly ran Yoongi over in his desperate scramble to finally use a restroom.

Jimin turned to leave, but a hand on his elbow drew him back.

“I want you to know, I did this for you as much as for the rest of them.”

His tone was low and carefully respectful, but Jimin’s wolf snapped irritably at the elder alpha’s presumption.

“What an... interesting statement to make.”

He pointedly removed Namjoon’s hand from his arm with calculated nonchalance.

“No one expected you to be chosen... Jungkook, or even Hoseok, would have been an understandable alternative, but you’ve never taken being an alpha seriously-”

“According to you,” Jimin fired back, finally allowing his voice to harden in cold fury. “I have always known and valued what I am. I simply never felt called to your version of it.”

Namjoon tilted his head in acknowledgement.

Park Jimin might not look particularly dangerous ... but for the first time, the Kim alpha considered that he may have underestimated his opponent.

“Either way - the pack does not trust you. They are not confident in your ability to lead them,”his hands fisted reflexively at his side as he considered the weight of his next words, “...but if you beat me, they will never question your strength.”

Jimin’s hands tightened into fists.

Namjoon might be an overconfident windbag, but he had a point.

He faced an uphill battle to subdue a restless pack as well as increased threats from rival clans looking to expand their own power and territory.

The challenge was a chance to establish his claim.

Or die trying.

“You think rather highly of yourself,” he chuckled and Namjoon bristled indignantly.

“I have devoted my life to the pack. I have never questioned my duty to them.” He leaned forward a bit, holding the younger alpha’s gaze with purpose. “That is why I will not hesitate to kill you.”

“And what of the Luna?” Jimin wondered in mock contemplation. “Do you think she will take kindly to the loss of her mate if you win?”

Namjoon’s jaw clenched. The Luna was clearly a sore subject.

“If I win, then you were never really her mate were you? Your entire existence boils down to nothing more than a sacred test in my destined path.”

Silence stretched heavily as the two alphas regarded one another with open hostility.

“I will fight you till the last shred of life is ripped from my body,” Jimin snarled.

A shiver ran down Namjoon’s spine, though he was far from intimidated.

“At least now you sound like an alpha,” he scoffed.

Then he was gone.

Jimin waited till the sound of the older man’s footsteps faded before slamming his fist into the table.

He needed air and to be alone with his thoughts for moment before he could civilly resume the endless negotiations.

Unfortunately, the only place offering both of those things was a cluttered balcony near the back of the building.

The room traditionally designated for luna rex provocatione proceedings had been used as a storage closet for at least the last hundred years (and therefore needed to be hastily cleared after Namjoon’s inconvenient declaration). Consequently, the room’s former contents (piles of toys from this season’s charity drive) were now strewn haphazardly across the narrow outdoor space like debris from a brightly colored bomb.

Jimin carefully navigated his way to the balcony’s wooden rail and lifted his eyes to the moon.

“Please,” he begged softly “... send me a sign.”

“If he did not hate me before, he surely does now,” you sighed, staring morosely at the lights flickering in the old chamber building. Somewhere within the bowels of that archaic fire hazard, your mate of less than twenty-four hours was negotiating a nightmare.

“This is not your fault, Luna-“

“Isn’t it?” you snapped. “That’s who I am. I’m the Luna, if I could just accept another mate without someone getting their throat ripped out, then none of this would be necessary.”

Jin sqeezed your hand sympathetically.

The council placed you under guard in a small cottage across from the elder’s chambers in order to prevent the alphas from having any contact with you. Since then you kept a constant vigil from its rickety porch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the young man whose life you had ruined.

“Would you do it then - if you could?... Would you accept another mate to spare the Park alpha?”

Bitter tears burned at the corner of your eyes.

“Yes,” you whispered, “...I think I’d do almost anything to save him.”

Comfortable silence settled between you for several minutes - until a small flutter of movement drew your gaze to the chamber balcony.

Then he walked out.

And just the sight of him was enough to slam your heart up into your throat.

Jimin...

Jin quickly turned to your guard and unleashed a wave of pheromones that would have knocked out a grizzly bear. The guard whined and abandoned her post to follow him inside without a second thought, leaving you conveniently alone.

Male omegas are a rare and dangerous breed, you observed wryly, before retuning your attention to the man across the path.

A painful ache twisted hungrily in your gut as you watched him tilt his face to the sky. Somehow the relentless beauty of his features was even more captivating in the moonlight...

Suddenly a strong breeze braided though the air around you, playing with the loose strands of your hair and carrying your scent away from the small cottage and up to the balcony where the young alpha sought solace.

Jimin’s eyes shot open as the rich, unforgettable essence of you exploded over his senses. His gaze immediately locked with yours, cutting through the distance and darkness with an intensity that left you reeling.

You could not see his face at the ascension - instead the blindfold left you burning with curiosity as your mind conjured a thousand variations of how he might have looked on you in that moment...

Yet every last one of them fell short.

You could never have imagined the naked longing - the fierce desire - that burned boldly in his regard.

A strange, desperate frustration overtook you.

He was too far away - and Namjoon was going to take him from you before you could touch him again - before you could breathe him in again-

The cruel wind continued to pull your fragrance toward Jimin like an erotic incense, yet it offered you no such gift in return. You could not discern his scent and you wanted to - needed to - with a voracity that was almost blinding.

Please...

A mournful whimper tore from your lips and Jimin’s body reacted instantly to your distress.

Suddenly he was digging through the piles of mismatched trinkets and toys on the balcony, tossing aside all manner of discarded treasures till he finally found what he was searching for.

“Jimin-hyung! Where are you? Chief elder wishes to resume-”

Jimin glanced toward door as his fingers worked frantically over the object his hands.

“I’m on my way!”

His eyes found yours one last time, then he drew back-

A muted thwack echoed a few inches from your shoulder as whatever Jimin threw embedded itself into one of the porch beams.

Your fingers trembled with anticipation as you reached forward to retrieve (what appeared to be) a pointed metal dart - probably from a wall-mounted Darts game someone donated...

A length of braided cloth was tied tightly to the shaft and you recognized it immediately as a praesidium bracelet.

Soothing waves of Jimin’s scent drifted up from the fabric where it had rubbed repeatedly against the glands in his wrist.

Your body calmed instantly. Cold desperation gave way to the soft warmth of tenderness.

He knew.

He knew what you needed and he found a way to send it to you.

Your hand closed tightly over the bracelet as you crumpled to your knees and sobbed.

A gentle knock sounded at Namjoon’s door and a familiar figure slipped inside.

“...Yunli?”

Namjoon blinked for several moments in confusion before closing his evening read to approach her.

“Yunli... why - what are you doing here? It’s late - the ritual set to begin at sunrise.” He glanced at the door behind her, “Is Yoongi with you?”

She shook her head.

“My brother doesn’t know I’m here.”

Namjoon’s eyes widened as he considered all the ways his best friend’s younger sister sneaking into his house (in the middle of the night no less) could go horribly wrong.

“Ah. Well... that’s ...not good,” he mumbled, running his hand over his face. “Are-um - are you here to wish me luck for tomorrow?”

He reached for a glass of water to soothe his suddenly dry throat.

“No. Frankly I hope Park Jimin beats you to a bloody pulp.”

Water sprayed comically out of Namjoon’s mouth as he began to cough violently.

“What?!” *wheeze* “Why?!”

She offered him a sad smile.

“You know why, Kim Namjoon.”

He did know why.

Yunli had loved him (or believed she loved him) since she was a little girl.

He sighed heavily.

“Yunli, we’ve been over this-”

“One week. The change comes to me in one week-”

“You’re Yoongi’s sister-”

“I’ll be twenty years old, and for the last time I’m not your sister-”

“Goddess above, Yunli!” he shouted, “You’re just a child!”

Yunli’s hands gripped the collar of his shirt and yanked him down to her level.

“I am not a child!” she growled.

Then her mouth was on his and every single thought he ever had disappeared.

There was only her.

Heat poured through him like heavy syrup as his senses surrendered one by one. His arms wrapped around her without the slightest hesitation, as if their sole purpose was draw her in.

Sweet... Oh goddess, she’s sweet.

Yunli whined needily and a possessive growl rumbled from his chest in response.

Then she was pulling back - wrenching herself away from him with an anguished sob.

Bitter tears flowed freely down her impossibly beautiful face and Namjoon - who spent the majority of his life barely acknowledging his heart - suddenly felt it shatter.

“You should have waited for me,” she whispered.

“Yunli-I-” he tried calling out to her, but it was no use.

She was already gone.

“Are you sure you have everything you need?”

Jimin offered his second a distracted smile and nodded. His room looked the same as it did the morning of the ascension, yet his entire life was different...

“You were great today, Taehyung. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Tae felt his chest swell with pride. He didn’t want to think about what sunrise might bring, but he was determined to serve his old friend well.

For as long as he could.

“I don’t know about that,” he chuckled, recalling that he fell asleep on his feet for three entire terms before anyone noticed. “You’re a surprisingly ruthless negotiator. I barely contributed.”

“I wasn’t alone though...” Jimin whispered, “and when Namjoon first issued the challenge... I thought I might be.”

Taehyung gulped, pushing back the oppressive sorrow settling in his gut in favor of some levity.

“You - uh - you actually missed the wildest part of the whole day.”

“...I did?”

“Yeah it was bizarre. Did you notice the table was different after our break?”

Jimin shrugged. His thoughts had been... elsewhere at that point.

“We couldn’t find you at first, so you missed the whole ordeal but - when we all came back to the room, that big oak table was split in half.”

Hello my precious readers! If you would like to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments.

(If you are already on the taglist, I will automatically tag you in all future chapters, you do not need to ask to be tagged again.)

Please please please PLEASE let me know what you think! This chapter was HARD and I genuinely aganized over it. Your feedback and support are what kept me pushing though. Truly. I would love to hear from you! I treasure every word of feedback like diamonds.

End Note: Yoonji was mentioned earlier in the story. She is Yoongi and Yunli’s cousin. Yunli and Yoonji are separate characters.

[lightcreators]

Knoweldge had been shared a little time before their current conversation --- fact Elizabeth had, between her hands, an particular mission to find some chest who had hidden in the Caribbean … where in an certain manner, he had participating during the moment it had happened even though it was from an different manner and there was no use to pressuring himself once more time ! Oh, of course, Featherine offered the spoiler who had to been protected by all costs. Inside another time, after all, it was the Master who had been an gentle protector of such understanding, and with two arounds, she didn’t wanted them to interfere at all towards the choice of the knoweldge … hence it would be an uncanny other Time Lord inside the Ministry that will handle that business. Accidentally someone, depending the universe, he already had been pressuring a lot, and having lot of fun to admiring his decomposed reactions, besides, to just be someone … he heard of … but had remained that single companion who never crossed his path. Featherine wanting him to just keep a eye on him, not need of usual pressure.

Point was, the other Time Lord knew he was an Time Lord, and even without having an name or an idea about what he represented, to had crossing him somewhere else where he did remember how funny it was, there was an opportunities to get some further fun. After all, inside this current year, he expected Draco Malfoy showing finally the colors of Alois Trancy who will suit him fine --- at least, that time around, he didn’t have been disappointed … even if he make an strong impression. One hundreds of years associated to further grudges could transforming an man after all, and oh, as an acknowledged witch, it was natural to showing how great his magic could be ! Landscape of fun had opened for him. Some part of the script would remain unchanged. Other parts of the script would be corrected when possibly some fragments would be removed altogether. He would have hoped to get permission to kill all Death Eaters in one go --- it was his definition of fun --- nevertheless, becoming the nightmare of the Minsitry was also for the best. Important thing was to distract them to Featherine, by turning their invisible unreacheable problem --- where the Masters would have their mutual entertainment as needed. His current temptations weren’t kind over these group of people. It was best he was the last resort before they get themselves destroyed. He wasn’t though worried over the potential threat over Elizabeth’s husband --- it was just an transient theory.

❝ I will always be here~ ❞ He noticed playfully. More than ever, he was inclined to help. Meeting Draco Malfoy before his leaving for Hogwarts had been something who had been necessary. There was consciousness he would want to give up at some point, in same manner, hundreds of years ago, Alois Trancy would have hesitated … if he hadn’t showing up and giving him motives to the goal. Only, his encouragements today were a bit rutheless. Only, at the current day, his ways to motivating him was more straigthforwards inside his wants : if a lifetime ago, he desired to give his existence inside the hands of an witch that could offer him the gold he wanted, he could let himself embraced by the Underground witches … where it would be best to any demon’s deal … though, there will no coming back … but at the current point of things, what kind of coming back he could hope for ? How much did he wanted having an chance inside all eternity to find his twin again ? It was really sad he couldn’t expose the case of Rokkenjima really. It was really sad he couldn’t confess how he perceived directly all the trouble the kid offered to kings … It wasn’t important. If within Phobos, he could sense Deimos protective presence, he would have the sensation with one person to get two … and he had been waiting for that moment. He dreamed to becoming his official support without end … Something who also happened in middle of Rokkenjima after all … He wasn’t surprised otherwise her cousins weren’t inside the mood to help her or noticing her inside circumstances. Concerning what her little cousin had to do, he was aware of it --- it was time he was practicing some lessons. He would handle the rest, meanwhile not feeling concerned at all towards the chaos it would bring. It was time for the wizarding world to change … and her little cousin wanted revolution in same way. Just stole an king’s crown before, of course, they would make the path easier for him … even if it was someone else who had to finish the job after had say hi again to the Underground ! ❝  Though you might get another ally with your mission at hand, even if it would be more delicate to talk about your little cousin with him. After all, they crossed each other at the school. He probably had a little idea about what to think about him. ❞ There was some hint of careful amusement and jealousy. Yes, there was an certain envy sensed towards that Time Lord and that person who had been so close to the events … but without possibly realizing how crucial his presence could be inside that specific spot … He was quite possessive over that kid, and knowing it was him among everyone, where that person he never met wasn’t at all aware to begin with of his mere existence … He smiled then slowly. He appreciated the reassurance. He counted sending him some couple of owls eventually, with unsigned letters offering encouraging words. That boy wasn’t going to give up, not on his watch. ❝ That year in Hogwarts must be different of everything else he experienced back then. Giving news must be further complicated for him. I hope you will get news soon though. I’m glad we managed to connect each other, I really had been dreaming of it ! Eventually, I will sending him an owl. For making him remember I don’t forget him~ ❞

@lightcreators ( phil ) said “You’re not alone, you’ve got me.”

Elizabeth looked toward Butler with a soft smile. The woman had so much on her plate regarding her husband, her little cousin, and a few friends. She did feel like she was alone her her journey to help Draco and to keep the information she gathered from her husband at the Ministry. For a curse breaker that usually only dealt with travelling and breaking curses, she had so much more on her plate now. She was still travelling and searching for a certain chest that the ministry wanted. Yet, somehow Mister Bulter's presences seemed to help her. He was helping her after all!

"I'm glad I can count on you to help me. It seems like your the only one interested in helping." she commented over the situation both were aware of with her little cousin, Draco. It seemed all her friends and loved ones were either afraid or did not care. She rarely spoken to her older cousin, Lucius as he wasn't too fond of her flighty behavior. She wasn't a Malfoy, that was her mother. She was a Burke, still a proper and old family like they were. She truly was different from most of the family anyways. Something she never could explain.

Her husband, he liked her oddness and found it interesting. Oh, her husband. The minister of magic, how he was being hated right now with everything going on in the wizarding world. Death threats toward him ( and even some to her ) over how he was dealing with things. Yet, Phil was here to help. "I haven't any news for you about my cousin sadly. I wish I could be of more help, but there's little I can do outside sending him an owl at school." she frowned.

[thatfanficstuff]

Her Three Kings - Chapter 15

A Volturi Kings x ofc Story

Warnings: fighting, injury

A/N: Lily kicks ass. That is all.

Divider by @firefly-graphics​

Liliana turned to face the guard. Demetri remained on the mats while the others moved to the perimeter of the room.

She drew her sword and tossed the sheath to the side before stepping onto the mat herself. “Sorry, Demi,” she told him and got a grin in response.

Demetri moved forward without warning and she moved at the last minute, bringing the sword around with her as she did. It slid across her friend’s back and he arched in pain. When he turned, he wore a look of utter surprise before he grinned again. “Oh, this will be fun.”

She shook her head and braced for his next attack. All the training she’d had, that was the one thing Jasper emphasized the most with her. She was human. She was slow and weak. She had to use what advantages she had. She was small and graceful and observant. Wait for them to move and dodge. Use the sword when the opportunity presented itself. Make it more than a weapon. Make it an extension of herself.

So that’s what she did. Like most vampires, Demi moved fast, which made changing direction at the last minute difficult. Once he finally realized she was using that to her advantage, he slowed. She dodged again but took a blow to her shoulder blade. Pain radiated from the spot and she threw a block up instantly. The hit knocked her off balance and she turned as she fell, slicing the blade through the air.

She landed on her back, accompanied by two thuds as Demetri’s hands joined her on the mat. The only sound in the room for a stretch was her panting as she caught her breath. Finally, she sat up to find Demi staring at his hands. “Sorry, dude.”

“You just removed the hands of one of the elite guard,” Aro said, his voice heavy with disbelief. She shifted her focus to her mates. The three of them were standing by the wall. Marcus and Aro were noticeably ill at ease. Caius however leaned against the wall. His arms were crossed over his chest and one leg was bent with his foot resting on the wall. His crimson gaze simply moved between her and the guard she’d just defeated.

Lily got to her feet and grabbed one of Demi’s hands. She held it to his arm and waited for it to begin knitting together before she grabbed the other to do the same. It wouldn’t take him long to be back in fighting form. Half a day maybe. Much less if he had some blood. She glanced up to see if he was pissed at her. Instead, he was grinning. She couldn’t help but grin back. “You are so weird, Demi.”

“Felix,” Caius barked.

Lily grabbed her sword and Demi flashed off the mat. Felix was bigger than Demetri, obviously and while he was by no means clumsy, he was less graceful than the smaller vampire. His moves just weren’t quite as fluid. But what he lacked in grace, he more than made up for in strength. So, when he landed a glancing blow to the side of her face, she felt the pain through the block. It was followed immediately by a numbness spreading through the left side of her face. Well, that wasn’t good.

She took advantage of his size and slid between his legs, slicing the blade across the inside of his thigh as she did so. She hopped to her feet as he fell to his knees and grinned at him. “If I was a complete bitch, that would have been a crotch shot.”

Felix’s eyes widened comically. “Thank you oh kind and benevolent mistress.”

Lily snickered at his dramatics.

“Alec. Jane,” came Caius’s order before she even had a chance to breathe.

“Ass,” she grumbled, fully aware the vampire in question would hear it as she turned to face the twins. Two on one wasn’t exactly fair. Especially as her opponents were vampires. Vampires that had been working together for several hundred years. Time to implement Jasper lesson number two and use her environment to her advantage. Not that there was a lot here to use. But there were two large pillars in the middle of the room and targets set up on one end.

The twins were faster than Demetri and Felix had been and they played off one another strengths. They landed more blows than the others but still no full on hits. That was until Alec got hold of her and launched her into one of the pillars. Certain she was down, he turned to walk away. Jasper’s voice ran through her head again. Never turn your back on your opponent.

Lily launched forward with a smirk and swung her blade once, twice, taking off both Alec’s arms in the process. Okay, so that wasn’t completely necessary but damn it felt good. Jane’s hands fisted at her sides as her face contorted in anger. Caius and Aro yelled, “No!” at the same time Jane screamed, “Pain!” to no effect. Did they really think she wouldn’t have a block up against the girl just in case?

Another three steps brought Lily within sword’s reach and she swung her blade, stopping it just to the side of Jane’s neck. “I understand decapitations are quite painful. Let’s avoid that, shall we?” The guard was furious, but she gave a nod of her head and took a step back.

Demetri and Felix had already started the reattachment process for Alec’s arms. “Alec to the infirmary,” Aro bit out. “Jane go with him. We will discuss your disregard for orders later.”

Lily sat on the floor, trying to catch her breath. As soon as the twins left the room, Felix dropped to one knee in front of her mates. “Masters, I humbly request to be assigned to the Queen’s guard when I am in residence.”

Before she even had time to process that, Demetri knelt next to his friend. “I make the same request, my kings.”

The three rulers exchanged a look before all three turned their attention to her. She raised her brows in question.

“You have the final say on your guard, Liliana,” Aro stated softly.

She blinked at that. “Um…I approve?”

“Request granted. Both of you,” Caius snapped. “You are dismissed.”

The two guards hurried from the room, Demetri sending her a wink on his way out the door. Lily laid back on the mat. “Well, that was fun.” She took a deep breath. “Y’all might want to brace yourselves for a minute.”

“What are you talking—”

Marcus’s question was cut off as Lily dropped the block she’d had on her pain, knowing if she left it on, it would only be that much worse when she did lower it. The dull aches and twinges she’d been feeling to let her know she was injured gave way to the full fury of the pain that should have been there from the beginning. She grunted as the wave swamped her, spiking before evening out. “Ouch.”

“Why did you not tell us you were injured?” Aro demanded as he knelt beside her.

She blinked up at him and swiped some of the blood from her lip before showing it to him. “I am literally bleeding. A vampire threw me into a pillar. Never mind everything else. I kind of thought it was a given without me saying anything.”

“You should not have blocked this from us. We would have stopped the fight,” Marcus said.

Lily lifted her head to look at him. “That was kind of the point.” She caught sight of Caius’s smirk before she let her head drop back to the mat. “Your guard was holding back, but this was a nice diversion. Thank you, Caius.”

“We keep a doctor on call for our human staff. We will have him come at once,” Aro said.

She frowned. “What for?”

There was a beat of silence before Aro broke it. “You are in pain.”

She snorted and let him help her into a sitting position. “I trained with Jasper and Emmett for a good portion of the last ten years. I’m good, trust me. Nothing a hot bath and a couple of days won’t cure. Nothing’s broken. I promise.” They still looked uncertain but she didn’t want to be fussed over. She turned to Aro. “Could you escort me to my room please and I’ll get started on that bath?”

“Of course,” he agreed immediately and helped her to her feet. “Brothers.” And with that he swept her up in his arms, ignoring her protests and carried her from the room.

Marcus POV

His gaze followed Aro and their mate until they were out the door. He was displeased that she had been injured because Caius was trying to prove a point. Speaking of… His volatile brother had been rather quiet once Liliana allowed them to feel her pain. He hadn’t even responded when directly spoken to. And he seemed to be in deep contemplation at the moment.

“You are much more involved with the training than I am. Did they hold back as she said?”

“Of course, they did,” Caius responded immediately. “I chose them for that reason. I knew they would be careful with her without making it too easy.”

“Exactly how much did they hold back?” Marcus asked. He’d had to fight his protective instinct the entire time she was on the mat so he made a poor judge.

Caius frowned. “Demetri and Felix pledged themselves to her. That should tell you all that you need to know.”

Marcus nodded in acknowledgment. He’d thought as much. “She was quite impressive.” He paused before adding, “For a human.” It was a subtle jab at his brother who was still very hung up on Liliana’s humanity.

Caius stood in one swift movement. “She will make an exquisite immortal,” he said before disappearing out the door.

[innocent-malfoy-slut]

Sytherin Queen

Draco Malfoy x slytherin!reader

Word Count: 3,8k

Type: fluff/angst/smut

Summary: the Sytherin Queen and King are announced and to celebrate your victory, Draco has something unusual planned for you.

Characters: Draco Malfoy, Reader (y/n), Pansy Parkinson

Warning(s): cheating (?), fingering, sex in front of a mirror

The first month of your seventh, and last, year at Hogwarts had started really smoothly. You had been no problems at attending classes and, for the first time since you attended the school, you felt like a normal student in a normal school.

But then your caring boyfriend took the matter into his own hands and did his better to remember you every day who you were and who you belonged to. He was older than you. He had graduated the year before and when you went back to the School on the first of September, he wasn’t with you.

“Troubles in paradise?” Pansy Parkinson appeared in the seat next to yours in the library and after placing her bag down on the floor, she turned completely to you and started intensely at you, “I can see the gears rotating into your brain.”

You let out a bitter smile and lowered your gaze on the opened book in front of you, not able to hold hers any longer, “Graham isn’t replying to my letters anymore,” you rubbed your hands on your face, but kept going, “We spent the entire summer together, but now he is distant and…I don’t know why I am doing this, it’s like he doesn’t even wants to try to make this work,” you spat out all your doubts regarding your relationship with your boyfriend. A tear went down your cheek and then landed on the white paper, “And I don’t know if I still love him.”

“Silly, I already know that!” she kept het voice tone low, yet it was like she had shouted it right to your face, “If it can comfort you, you’re pretty good at hiding your emotions, but you like staring…a lot,” Pansy was pleased with herself when she succeeded in getting a smile from you, “Listen, I remember how you and Graham used to be and I hoped it would work also once outside these walls. But obviously they aren’t going the way you wanted them,” she took your hands in hers and said: “I’ve never been seriously involved with someone yet, but I suggest you take your time and clear your mind about your feelings for Graham…and the other boy.”

Two weeks later you were still fervently hoping in a reply letter from your supposed-to-be boyfriend outside the school. After the fourth day you understood it wasn’t worth the wait, so you removed the necklace he had given you on 31stAugust that same year and put it into your drawer, next to your bed, unsure of what to do with it.

A few days before Pansy had convinced you to compete for the role of Slytherin Queen, which would have been assigned the night of the Ball -exclusive for Slytherins. You signed up under your friend’s insistence and there you were, in your dorm, in front of a full-figure mirror, just looking at you.

You had chosen a long green satin dress, with thin straps on your shoulders and a draped cowl neckline which highlighted your olive-skinned neck. Your parents had sent you earlier that week a piece of jewellery which came directly from your grandmother’s collection. It was a necklace representing a snake, it was entirely encrusted with shining diamonds, and at the end of it, right on the head of the snake, there were two big emeralds.

“That outfit is literally screaming ‘I’m the Slytherin Queen’,” Pansy appeared from behind the door of the bathroom and leaned against the frame of it, “Was that you the one who didn’t want to sign up for the competition?” she took a sip from a glass she then placed down on her bedside table.

“Yeah,” you mumbled as you sat down on your bed, “I’m still not sure about that,” you chuckled and fidget with your fingers, “Why would I be the Slytherin Queen when there’s you, or Daphne.”

“There’s a difference between you and us. Yes, we may be the centre of gossip, but I look at you while you take care of the First Years, or while you help the Third-Year girls with their problems. If I can use this term, you act as a mum. You are the kindest Slytherin among all of us.”

You gave her a heart-warming smile and hugged her tightly, “It’s time for us to go,” you hid yourself from her while swiping a solo tear running down your cheek, “Are your ready?” your hand reached for the doorknob and turned it once you made sure Pansy war right behind you.

You climbed down the stairs and soon were met with the strong smell of Firewhiskey, introduced illegally inside the green and silver common room. You didn’t notice the whispering all around you, both boys and girls were astonished by your beauty that night. Pansy went pouring you a glass of Whiskey, meanwhile you found a free-from-people spot in the room. You detected Blaise and Theo making their way into the crowd, being soon approached by two girls per one. They were both wearing two simple grey suits, which fitted the very good.

Behind them the door of the prefect’s dorm opened, and Draco Malfoy got out of it. He was wearing an entirely black suit; the trousers covered his thin and long legs perfectly, making them look slimmer. His tie was what made you drool the most; the thing you imagined him doing to you with his black tie. You were almost ashamed by the way Draco attracted you; you had never felt anything like that with Graham, especially because the nature of your relationship was strictly based on who you were and the heritage -cultural and non-cultural- you brought with you.

“You’ll need this, trust me.”

You didn’t notice Pansy coming closer to you and handing you a glass of Firewhiskey, which you gladly took from her hands and swallowed in one swift motion, “I won’t make it ‘till the end of the night,” you whispered more to yourself than o your friend, and fortunately she seemed not to have listened.

Instead, Pansy was focused more on the three boys now approaching the two of you, “Girls, aren’t you stunning this evening,” Theo lingered with his eyes on your neckline, earning a slap on the back of his neck, “What?” he asked the platinum-haired boy on his left.

“She has a boyfriend, who is a Slytherin. Calm down,” Malfoy scolded him with a harsh tone, while he kept shaking the drink within the glass between his hands. He raised his gaze from the light brown liquid and fixed his eyes on Pansy’s dress.

“There you are!” a voice which came from behind you surprised both you and your brown-haired friend on your left, “They are about to name the Queen and the Kind,” Daphne informed all of you. She was followed by her younger sister, Astoria, who kept revolving around your group since the beginning of the year.

You couldn’t say you were bothered by her presence, especially since she would sometimes turn to you when she needed any kind of advice. But you often found yourself observe the way she approached the older boys, mainly Draco. Astoria used to touch his arm whenever he was talking to her, or her fastidious laugh which was always too exaggerated.

Even though you had never talked about it with Pansy, you had the impression she had the same thoughts as you about the younger Greengrass and her pretty explicative manners with boys.

You moved along with your group as they came closer to the little stage, set up for the occasion, and stopped right underneath it. One of the boys from the same year as yours -so, from the seventh year- climbed up the stage and took the microphone between his hands.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the annual Slytherin Ball,” the crowd started cheering and considered the amount of alcohol which had been already consumed, the excitement was brimming, “We will start right away with the name of the Slytherin King,” he pointed at a crown laid on the top of a wooden-made stool, “Let’s be clear, who competed never had a chance against the one and only Slytherin Prince. Ladies, you voted your King to be…” the suspense which followed was senseless, because everyone in the room had understood who was about to be called. And, in fact, the crowd exploded shouting when Draco was invited to collect from the stage the crown now belonging to him. “Malfoy, do you want to reveal your Queen’s name?”

The platinum-haired boy took the envelope from the boy’s hands and unwrapped it. He read the name written on it and let out a soft chuckle, “Give me the crown,” after a moment he was getting off the platform with a feminine version of his crown, studded with hundreds of little silver-coloured glitters, in his hands. He came to a stop only once he was in front of your group.

Next to you, Pansy got excited, but you kept it together since you knew you weren’t the only one among you girls competing that night. Astoria Greengrass had signed up only one day before the beginning of the poll and she had quite an amount of ‘friends’ who certainly gave her their votes.

Draco switched his eyes between you and the younger girl. To you, it seemed like you could normally breath no longer; the only thing you attempt doing was holding your friend’s hand and, in that moment, you figured that maybe you actually cared about the damn crown. You looked into Draco’s eyes as they laid on you and you saw his lips slightly curling up.

What came next, your brain couldn’t process it. All of a sudden everybody’s eyes were on you and they watched as Draco carefully placed the crown onto your head, eventually locking a rebellious lock of your hair behind your ear. He looked at you as your cheeks flushed under his touch and, liking how your body reacted to his, he grabbed your hand with his while the other one was gently placed on your waist, “Would you like to dance, Queen?”

Saliva was no longer being produced inside your mouth, so what you did was simply nodding, trying not to lose your respectability by drooling over him.

The crowd made some space for you in the middle of the common room as Draco dragged you away from your friends. Once you were one in front of the other, he pulled you closer and you had to place both your arms over his shoulders -no that the position upset you. You started dancing really slowly; it was like you were studying each other, unsure of what you were doing was okay with the other.

Draco wasn’t the kind of boy who liked to ask, he would rather take what he believed being his by right. That was what he did with you on September of the same year; he didn’t care about your ‘boyfriend’ outside the school, what he really mattered to him was that you were his. And you were glad you could count on him.

What brought you to him was entirely different from what brought you and Graham together. You and Draco actually shared the same interests and there wasn’t a single moment since you knew each other that he made you feel inferior to him.

That was why when, in the general confusion, he asked you to follow him, you did it without even questioning him where to. He interlaced your fingers together and dragged you through the crowd and across the room; in less than a couple of minutes you were walking down the aisle of the boys’ dorm.

Draco had a room only for him; he said to you it was because he was a prefect, but deep down you knew he got it because of his father. And each time you tried to tease him about it, he would rapidly change the topic of the conversation. You had been more than one time inside of his room, and no one of your friends knew it.

Once you made it to his room, he closed the door behind your back and pushed you against it, “So, my Queen, how to you want to celebrate?” he whispered in a seductive tone next to your ear, “I have a couple of suggestions to make,” he kissed your lobe over and over again, leaving a trail of wetness behind, “Want to hear them?”

You nodded frantically, “T-tell me,” your hands were soon wrapped around the back of his neck and your lips found his in a matter of seconds, “What were you thinking, Draco?” you knew how much he liked his name being whispered by you, and since he had firstly told you that, you kept doing it -but only when there was only the two of you.

He put some distance between the two of you while he stroked your bottom lip with his thumb, “You are astonishing with this crown on,” he drew with his fingers the outline of it and then laid his eyes again on your figure, “Do never take it off tonight, sweetheart.”

You shivered as his fingers lifted the straps of your dress, “Is the door locked?” you looked around yourself and then stopped your gaze on his features, enlightened by the weak light inside the room. You didn’t have to ask; Draco brought a hand behind you and when you heard the key being turned in the keyhole, you were sure no one would have busted into the room that night.

Your hands, which were still hanging behind his neck, went stroking the tiny, soft hair on it, while his were now placed on your waist.

“Don’t waste our time then,” Draco dragged you forward, again and again, until your butt hit his desk, “I had in mind something different for today,” as he pulled down the strips of your dress, and let it fall on the ground, he was pleasantly surprised by what were you wearing under it.

A constant thought lingering in your mind all day made you wear a lingerie under the silk dress; it was basic, yet the sexiest Draco had ever seen on a woman.

He took his time observing you, imprinting in his mind the forest green strapless bra and slip on you, “I cannot say how much I love this colour on you,” his fingers went playing behind your back, with the hook of it, while his eyes paid attention a little lower from there, “No, I will show you how much I love this colour on you.”

You felt his hands leaving your body and felt cold and alone when he turned his back at you completely. You watched him tearing down a drape from the wall, unveiling a full-length mirror, “One quick question,” your curious self was coming out, “Is that always been there?” you didn’t address to him directly, instead you preferred looking at him through the glass, “And why I didn’t know about it?” you suddenly felt two large hands regaining their place on your hips.

“I don’t like the idea of seeing myself as I wake up.”

You looked up and chuckled at his words; it was such a Draco Malfoy’s typical expression to use, “Are we going to spend the entire night commending your mirror?” you turned around and placed your hands around the back of his neck, again, “Or are we up to something else?”

“You can bet that pretty ass of yours we are,” he roughly flipped you, now your back was pressed against his chest and your ass was grinding against his hard erection, “Nice dress, by the way,” his fingers traced the line of your shoulders and then went down, up to the very end of your back, “Maybe tomorrow morning you can make a catwalk just for me.”

“It depends,” you answered vaguely, and you lips curled up in a lazy smile as you enjoyed his touch burning your skin.

“On what? If I may ask.”

“On how good you fuck me tonight,” you looked like the typical innocent, good girl to everyone -even to Graham-, but there was one only person in the entire world who had the pleasure to meet the real you.

“Are you challenging me, Miss Y/L/N?” Draco pulled you further against him and his arms wrapped around your hips, “You know I never refuse a challenge, especially if I know I will win,” having said that, there was no more time for words. He pushed you down and within seconds you were on your knees, looking at him through the full-length mirror in front of you.

You kept silent, watching Draco pushing down his black jacket, which was soon followed by his black shirt; his fingers found the buckle the belt he was wearing and undid it -quite masterfully, according to you. His trousers were thrown onto the bed; he stood there, behind you, in his underwear which did left nothing to your imagination.

You licked your upper lip and smirked, staring directly into his eyes, “Are we going to take it slow all night?”

“Face down. Ass up,” Draco commanded you and chuckled as you eagerly accomplished his orders. His eyes followed the narrow line of the thong you were wearing. He couldn’t say he didn’t like it -he wanted that catwalk the morning after more than anything. Draco’s fingers trailed down the fabric until they rushed against your core, “Already so wet for me?”

“Only for you, Draco,” you knew how much he like it when you said it to him, and so you fitted that sentence every time you could.

“What do you want?” he kneeled behind you, eyes fixed on yours through the mirror, “You ask, and I will accomplish, my Queen.”

“Then,” you turned your head around to look him straight in the face, “I want to be fucked so hard that I won’t remember even my name tomorrow morning,” you noticed the lust sparkling in his eyes.

Draco’s hand laid down on your head and pointed it towards the mirror, he pushed until your cheek touched the soft carpet, “Spread your legs,” he supported the movement you made with your legs, “Good girl,” your underwear was moved to the side and the boy’s cold fingers were met with the heat of your wet pussy. Draco pushed his index inside you, twisted it and pulled it out. He repeated the action a couple of times before thrusting his middle and annular inside, too. He intensified his pace and was about to brought you your first orgasm of the night, except that he removed his fingers before the wave could hit you, “Pathetic.”

“W-why?” you asked breathless.

Since the first time you had sex with Draco, you understood it was nothing like the boys you had been before -nor Graham. Draco had always cared about you and your body, and out your pleasure before his own. Though he didn’t seem an altruistic person, within the walls of the bedroom, Draco came in second place. But he was an arrogant asshole even when you were throbbing for him.

“You should know by now that you are only allowed to come on my cock,” he kept his back straight while he brushed the tip of his hard member against the labia of your pussy, “I haven’t heard you beg yet.”

You let out a deep breath and steadied yourself o your elbows, reaching an even wide opening with your legs, “Please, my King, let me come on your cock. Please, fuck me ‘till my mind blo-“ you gasped when you felt him going deep inside you. You thought that he knew what he was asking for when he told you to put yourself in that position: you could literally feel him hitting all your soft spots and his tip was less than an inch away from your cervix.

He was big and thick; again, nothing you had experienced before.

“Move.”

You brought forward your hips and pushed them back, enough for his balls to hit your clit; you tilted your head back and closed your eyes, pleased with the sensation. You repeated you action once more, this time you were staring at his face, twisted in a satisfied expression. You heard him babbling senseless words and that gave you the strength to do it again. After that, you didn’t push yourself away, instead you kept your position and held his cock deep buried inside you.

“Already tired?” Draco went down on your ass at first gently, then he slapped it quite hard. He didn’t go back, but he gave you a thrust and you couldn’t help but lower your head. His fingers grabbed a few hairs of yours and pulled it up again, “I said: eyes on me. If not, you will be punished,” then he whispered next to you ears, “I really don’t want to show every Slytherin how accommodating you can be.”

Draco pulled himself back and then, in one quick motion, he thrusted back into you. He steadied himself to a fast pace, which had you moaning so loud that he congratulated himself for casting a silencing charm over the room moments before. He grabbed your crown, which had fallen from your head, and put it back on it, keeping it in place with another charm, “Look at yourself, the Slytherin Queen being destroyed by the only man who will ever see you like this,” he felt your walls tightening around him and his cock growing harder inside you, “You desperate slut.”

When you noticed his hand running between your legs, and your core, you shivered and then, all of a sudden, he pinched your clit, and you didn’t hold it back anymore; you screamed while the orgasm washed you over and over again.

When you raised your head to meet Draco’s grey eyes, he was already looking at you with a smile plastered over his face. It wasn’t his usual smirk, neither was he making of somebody, Draco Malfoy had on the soft smile he had only shown to you. The only girl he had ever cared about.

“I’ll give you that catwalk tomorrow morning,” you said in no more than a whisper, but you were sure he had listened to you because he giggled and placed a warm kiss on your back, along the line of your backbone, “Can we cuddle before round two?”

Draco broke into laughs, “Are you up for round two?” meanwhile he carefully made you stand up and took you to the bed. As usual he tucked you under the sheets and then jumped on the mattress, reaching his spot behind you.

“I’m always up for round two with you.”

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