#Prince Septimus

[fortheloveofaminorcharacter]

The Stormhold Princes in Stardust (2007)

[fistfuloflightning]

I’m probably just shouting into the void here, but years ago eventide unicorn on fanfic.net wrote a handful of Septimus/Yvaine fics—and sometime within the last few years took down all their Stardust fics except one gen fic. This is what I could remember of the ones I loved:

The Raven’s Heart - as children Septimus and Una are cursed into birds and he ends up getting stuck on the Caspartine with Yvaine, Tristan and the Captain while he tries to find the Stone to break the curse:

He could let her live, perhaps even marry her, that way lay both life-long regret and worse, life-long temptation. There could surely not be much worse damnation than to feel old age begin to creep upon one, and then, to slay the wife one had sworn to love and protect, the mother of one’s children, one’s queen of thirty or more years…

Endings - where each chapter was an entire fic in itself—one where both Una and Tristan die in the last battle and Una forces Septimus to swear an oath not to kill Yvaine for her heart

—another where a voice guides Septimus through his childhood, keeping him safe from his brothers and helping him plot in turn, only to find out it was the star he’s about to cut the heart out of:

‘And you’re the youngest, and smallest, so he’s decided to kill you,’ the voice declared. Septimus bit his lip. That didn’t sound good. He thought of his brother, Quartus, eight years his elder and built like a carthorse. He gulped. He was very young, but he knew in that moment with piercing clarity, that he did not want to die.

These were the ones I could remember, there might have been another, but if anyone has a copy (I highly doubt it) I would be thrilled.

[yougetoneshot]

Stardust: Royal Pains

Chapter 1: Blood Moon

Summary:

Two mysterious figures resurrect all of the Stormhold princes but they come back in the wrong bodies.

Warnings:

All of the princes’ bodies are exactly as they were when they died. Elements of body horror associated with their injuries will be present.

Notes:

Based on events from the 2007 film- not the book. The Stormhold family is Fey and all have unique Fey traits. None of the traits or ages are canon.

Primus: 58 (Killed at 58). Badger Fey. Has tripes down his back, smells like parchment and wax, and super strength when angry. Sixth to die. Throat slit in bathtub by the witch Lamia. Possessor cannot talk.

Secundus: 52 (Killed at 52). Platypus Fey. He has webbed toes, smells like almond butter, and can speak to animals. Fourth to die by Septimus pushing him off a balcony. Body is completely unusable.

Tertius: 48 (Killed at 48). Fish Fey. Has gills, smells like fresh brownies, and can teleport. Fifth to die. Poisoned by Septimus. Possessor suffers from shortness of breath and random intense chest pains.

Quartus: 46 (Killed at 34). Bird Fey. Has a feathered spine, smells like mint, and darkvision. The second to die frozen to death in a freezer at the hands of Secundus. Possessor is constantly shivering.

Quintus: 42 (Killed at 28). Dragon Fey. Has small bat wings, smells like sandalwood, and can breathe fire. The first prince to die in his bed with an axe to the head from Septimus. Possessor suffers from memory loss and impaired mental capabilities.

Sextus: 40 (Killed at 35). Lizard Fey. Has a lizard’s tail, smells like coffee, and can camouflage. 3rd to die. Killed in a fire set by Septimus. Possessor cannot touch things without part of their skin sticking to it.

Septimus: 38 (Killed at 38). Shark Fey. Has a second hidden row of sharp teeth, smells like the ocean, and never sleeps. Last to die and was drowned via voodoo doll by the witch Lamia. Sustained fire damage, piercing and slashing wounds to the chest along with a broken leg and arm. Body is partially unusable and possessor struggles with breathing.

Una: 42. Una and Quintas are fraternal twins. Traded off by Septimus to Ditchwater at the age of 27. Has cat ears she hides under her hair, smells like lavender, and has the ability to charm any man that gets close. Still living.

Chapter 1: Blood Moon

Amidst rubble and broken glass, buried beneath a heavy chandelier lay the body of Prince Septimus. Only a matter of hours had passed since his death and partial reanimation at the hands of Lamia the witch. Over the chandelier, two cloaked figures stood and lifted it off his corpse.

“You’re sure this is one of the princes?” The taller of the two figures whispered.

“I’m sure. Let’s get the body and put it with the others.” The shorter replied while grabbing Septimus at the shoulders to start lifting.

“We have all seven now?” The other lifted his feet.

“Yes. Now we can commence reanimation.” They took the body out to a wagon and set it in the back next to six other bodies. The two figures rubbed their hands together as a cool wind whipped their cloaks about and a red moon rose in the distance.

“Quickly. There isn’t much time.”

The wagon was pulled into a large clearing where a circle was formed of seven large stones painted with varying symbols surrounding a pedestal holding an iridescent crystal.

“Now, we just set them by the correct stone and their bodies will reanimate at the height of the blood moon.”

“How do we know which stone goes to which body?” The taller cloaked figure looked around at the stones.

“…I thought you knew that?”

“No, I thought you knew that?!”

“Why would I know that?!”

“You painted the stones!”

“Yea but I wasn’t told what the symbols mean!”

“Well, I’m sure it won’t be a problem to guess.. we were just hired to bring them back. The boss didn’t say they had to be in the correct bodies, right?”

“Right. Now let’s move them.” The two cloaked figures moved the bodies, all in varying degrees of decay, positioned with their heads just below the stones and their feet at the base of the pedestal in the middle of the circle. As the crimson moon rose directly over the circle, the crystal and paintings on the stones lit up crimson red and the bodies underneath them began to rise into the air. They floated for a moment before illuminating and falling back to the ground with thuds.

“..did it work?” One of the cloaked figures looked around at the bodies as the other pointed and moved towards the body of Quintus.

“That one moved.”

The two slowly moved to the body as it suddenly sprang up with a loud gasp and wide eyes set on the two cloaked figures as they screamed in surprise.

“Would you quiet down! I’ve got a splitting headache-“

The two figures exchanged looks as Quintus suddenly stood up and walked over to the body of Septimus. He stood over it as Septimus sat up spewing out water with pained gasps before looking up surprised.

“Quintus? You’re alive?”

“..I’m not Quintus.”

“You sure look like Quintus to me- wait… why do I sound like-“

“Septimus? Because I’m Septimus and that’s my body.”

“Septimus?! Why am I you and why are you Quintas?!”

“Who are you?”

“Primus.”

“I think I preferred the witch controlling my body.” Septimus rolled his eyes as he held his- or rather Quintas’s- head. He grimaced as his fingers felt a large axe shaped hole in his head. “What is happening?”

“I think they know.” Primus pointed to the cloaked figures watching them. He attempted to stand but yelped as his -or rather Septimus’s- right leg wouldn’t bear any weight. Primus moved to touch it but found Septimus’s right arm was broken in multiple places as well. “What didn’t the witch break?” He groaned as he decided to just sit in despair at his condition.

“Maybe we should have asked which bodies went with the different stones.” The taller cloaked figure mused out loud as the brothers began reanimating one by one- not a single one in the correct body.

“Too late for that now. Let’s just get them back to the boss.” The smaller one gestured to the wagon as they spoke to the group of resurrected princes. “Please climb into the wagon and we will take you home.”

The princes groaned as they complained about their swapped bodies that were still in various stages of deterioration. Primus sat grumpily in Septimus’s broken body while Secundus- shivering in Quartus’s frostbitten body- tried to help him to the wagon. Tertius fumed as he tried to speak out of the body of Primus but to no avail as the slash to his throat had cut the vocal cords. Sextus, who possessed Tertius’s body, stared at his own charred body that was possessed by Quintas and sighed in relief that he got one of the few healthier bodies instead of his own. Quintas was smiling ear to ear at Septimus having to endure the splitting headache from the axe blow he’d delivered to kill Quintas while he was sleeping- a well deserved irony in his humble opinion. Both Quintas and Sextus had to help Quartus as he had the misfortune of possessing Secundus’s body, which had taken a rather lengthy fall from the top of Stormhold tower and broken every bone in his body. Once all of the princes had managed to climb on or be helped into the wagon, the cloaked figures began the journey to Stormhold castle.

[dragonborndigitalart]

And that’s when Quintus took an axe to the head.

Bonus

[simonxkeyes]

Snape and Harry Potter.

A very unique take on Scar vs Simba

[incorrect-house-of-nine]

Poor Camilla goes through it in The Locked Tomb. She loses, in no particular order: Dulcinea. (Her maybe love interest) Palamedes. (Her absolute bestie) Gideon (Her other bestie) Harrow goes and lobotomises herself, so Cam loses the Harrow she knew too. She's caught in the middle of a constant argument, between a vexing Judith (whose also kinda going through it) and a princess who is adamant in joining the terrorist organisation holding them hostage. NONA SPOILERS AHEAD! Then this weird hulking sinew of a dude -- an ex Lyctor who has every single sort vice and could kill a man on sight -- turns up with Harrow's body in tow, but its not Harrow OR Gideon's soul piloting the Harrowbod, but a stranger, who turns out to be an absolute sweetheart, but still a stranger nonetheless. THEY SOME HOW LOSE GIDEON'S BODY. Becomes the vessel to hold her bestie, but can't ever really talk to him, well not face to face at least. Always a few seconds away from him. Its like a phantom you can never touch. (Heartbreaking btw) Hosting him is inevitably going to fuck her up, so either he has to go, or she has to go. Or they both end up dead. Neither is willing to allow the other to sacrifice themselves. Then she's dumped on a shit hole of a planet. The previously mentioned terrorist organisation kidnaps and holds hostage, both her dads, her sister and her bestie's Mom. GETS SHOT. Then Gideon's corpse turns back up, walking around with a Royal Title and the Content Warning that is Ianthe Tridentarius in tow, but she's all janked up and going through it as well, so understandable that she's not going to be the same nice funny girl they met back at Canaan House. Thats like over a year of absolute fuckery. Best girl is fucking exhausted. No wonder she jumped at the chance to become Paul. She deserves to enjoy the River cruise with the acute angle throuple that is her, Dulcie and Pal.

[queeoretician]

Initial thoughts on The Unwanted Guest below the cut:

Well, damn. There sure is a lot going on here, and I'm all about it.

Front and centre is the concept of the permeability of the soul, and there's so damn much to chew on around that. Then we have Dulcie! Dulcie! She and Pal finally get to talk, both dead but still kicking! She would have liked Gideon! And we get more direct insight into Ianthe's psychology, which is a nasty little treat.

The first place my mind went was to Paul - if Pal and Cam were already experiencing memory transference, then maybe they saw some kind of soul merger as inevitable, and that was another push towards doing it intentionally, doing it right. But writing it down now I'm less sure of that inference. And the fact that Pal and Dulcie got to talk, really talk, was both wonderful and all the more bittersweet if (I'm assuming) Pal's and Cam's individual souls no longer exist to reunite with Dulcie in Alecto. I have to say, when I first read Nona I didn't really get why people found the birth of Paul to be so sad, but I've come around on it since then. (I should write more about that sometime...)

Regarding the permeability of Ianthe's soul, one thing that occurred to me is that her genderfuckery vibes over the past two books are probably not Ianthe Tridentarius's identity, but a new thing formed of the (imbalanced) gestalt that is Ianthe Naberius. I really hope Alecto gives us more on gender and lyctorhood and soul permeability! I imagine this is all the more jarring for Ianthe with how she's so deeply anchored to her relationship with Corona, to find her ego boundaries to be permeable in relation to Babs. I firmly believe her shell-shocked reaction to the birth of Paul was at least in part her thinking "oh shit, did I eat the wrong person?" If she had wanted this kind of erosion of self with anyone (and I'm not sure she did), it would have been Corona. Having it happen with Babs by accident is a real slap in the face.

Which brings me back to my wild theory for Alecto - Corona will (at least try to) pull a Paul with Judith, and Ianthe will utterly lose her shit. This story really underscored just how little Ianthe understands her sister, which we already saw some of in the embassy scene. Sure, Corona isn't the flawless sword hand that Babs was, but in BoE she's shown herself to be a canny operator and a decent fighter, which Ianthe is steadfastly in denial of. At the end of the day I believe the story of Ianthe will be of someone who loved without understanding, who put her love up on a pedestal and at the same time belittled her as someone both more and less than she actually was.

Another thing that I latched onto was the argument about whether lyctors' cavaliers' souls provide a truly perpetual source of energy or not. Ianthe was pretty adamant that they do, but that honestly came across as arrogance or bravado. There's a strong parallel between lyctoral power and nuclear power, and all kinds of nuclear activity eventually reach a point past which they no longer emit appreciable energy, so I feel confident in saying that lyctoral power also diminishes over a long enough timespan. I'm less sure of whether this will come up in Alecto, though - I would be quite surprised if we saw a 100,000-year timeskip (but if we did that could be super fucking interesting).

Back to more direct applications of soul permeability, I have to imagine there's been some exchange of something between Jod and Alecto, at least before he locked her in the Tomb. That could go in all kinds of interesting directions that I haven't yet had a chance to contemplate adequately.

Speaking of Alecto, the John chapters of Nona seem like a pretty clear case of transference between her and Harrow. I wonder - were those happening concurrently with the Nona chapters? If so, it would make for a nice symmetry between Harrow and Alecto/Nona.

Either way, we've got a gross messy soul transference hookup graph with Gideon<-->Harrow<-->Alecto<-->John (gross) - I'm dying to know more about what this means for each of them (especially with Tazmuir's "if Gideon's soul is a happy meal" line from this interview).

So as usual, Aaaaaaa there's so much to chew on and so much more I want to know and I can't wait for Alecto aaaaaa...

[septimus-heap]

Sometimes I remember that marcellus is kind of technically a prince and that's so funny. Do u think he ever brings that up

[we-are-the-graves]

I have a Locked Tomb-specific blog now!

I'm a little rough on my *Iliad* knowledge, so I'm gonna have to actually go back and familiarize myself with it, but here are some other Iliad parallels that I've noticed so far! (Please feel free to add any I've missed, like I said I'm a little rusty).

1. Palamedes was originally going to be named "Diomedes," who is, to quote TM, "Athena's favorite goodboy in the Iliad."

2. Protesilaus was the first hero to die at Troy, and the first person to die "during"/because of the Lyctor trials.

3. Rhodes, where Dulcinea is from, is a Greek Island said to have participated in the Trojan War.

4. Priamhark and Pelleamena are named for Priam, the last king of Troy, and Peleus, hero, king, and father of Achilles.

5. The Erinyes are mentioned, at least briefly. The Erinyes also being known as the Furies, of which Alecto is one. She is specifically the Fury named for "Unceasing Anger," meant to punish moral crimes, especially if they were committed against other humans.

The Aenid, which also kind of deals with the Trojan War, sees the Goddess Juno command Alecto (spelled "Allecto" in that text) to essentially wreak havoc on the Trojans. She takes over the body of a queen (Queen Amata) to make a big fuss and convince all of the Latin mothers to riot against the Trojans. She also disguises herself as a priestess and appears in a dream, persuading Turnus, Roman King of the Rutuli to begin a war against the Trojans, which he mocks her for.

Do these bits have *anything* to do with Juno Zeta, Alecto, Ianthe "going to see a man about a queen," or Harrow being a priestess replacing Alecto in John's Dream?

I guess we'll just have to see. This is just what I've got off the top of my head at the moment. I am at work lol.

(Also wondering if Corona joining BoE makes her the Helen of Troy in this Iliad, also making "Ianthe went to see a man about a queen" relevant)

EDIT: just thought about Ianthe and her apples. Is Ianthe seeding chaos with her apples of discord??? I mean it *is* Ianthe. Probably not. I'm picking at the loosest threads at this point.

Rotating something new in the ol' Locked-Tomb-rotted melon.

Sarpedon is a ruler of Lycia famously killed by Patroclus during the Trojan War, and there is a struggle for his body until it is rescued by Apollo and conveyed to Hypnos and Thanatos (sleep and death) for burial.

I'm like well huh, maybe someone's gonna kill Sarpedon, who's our Patroclus.

Well, if we have a Patroclus, who's our Achilles?

Gideon's death is what undid Harrow, the way that Patroclus's death undid Achilles.

Here's the kicker: Harrow's mother Pelleamena is named for Achilles' father Peleus, according to the gtn name notes. a fun detail that seems incredibly specific for a character we never see alive. Tamsyn Muir, what the fuck are you up to.

Will Kiriona kill Sarpedon? I guess we'll just have to see.

(though to be fair, Harrow's father is named for the Trojan king Priam, who was on the side of the people Achilles and Patroclus killed, so who knows, this is just a fun little idea I've been rotating in my head). How much of this is gonna end up Iliad-based? We already obviously have the Dios Apate.

[holytragedycat]

Since we fans of the Tom Riddle era have little material, I thought I would help. Whenever I read a fanfic about this era, it's pretty messy because we don't have many canon characters and we put in all the blacks there are, so this is a list of students in Tom's years (based on canon).

Tom's year (students born in 1926 and 1927) ↓

- Tom Riddle (1926)

- Rosier (1926)

- Lestrange (1927)

- Avery (1926)

- Abraxas Malfoy (1927)

- Alphard Black ( possibly 1926/1927. As far as we know, Alphard was not in Tom's gang, but he could have been in his year, since he is younger than Walburga and Walburga is older than Tom.)

- Nott (1926/27 Or 1925? I edited this again, it is not known when Nott was born so he could be older than Tom by a year just like Walburga or be in his year)

- Mulciber (The same as Nott, they are the only ones whose date of birth is not mentioned, but they were from that time and were part of the Knights of Walpurgis.)

- Walden Macnair (I put him here because it is revealed that he was one of Voldemort's first Death Eaters and he does not have a date of birth in the search, so there are possibilities that they studied at the same time.)

- Dolohov (I put him here because in THBP Dumbledore mentions him among the Death Eaters who accompanied Tom when he went to ask for the position of defense professor.)

- Druella Rosier (???? His date of birth does not appear, if she had been in Tom's year, it means that she is at least 11 years older than Cygnus)

- Araminta Meliflua (She was a cousin of Walburga and her siblings, her date of birth is not stated but perhaps they were from the same year or a younger year.)

(students born in 1929 / 1928 / 1930) ↓

- Orion Black (1929)

- Myrtle Warren (1929)

- Rubius Hagrid (1928)

- Olive Hornby (1929, I guess it doesn't say her date of birth.)

- Alastor Moody (1930?? It does not say his date of birth, but he graduated in 1948.)

- Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank (It says she was born in 1930 or before.)

- Septimus Weasley (1930 or before)

- Eileen Prince (1929/30)

(students born in 1925) ↓

- Walburga Black

- Ignatius Prewett (possibly 1925; he was Lucrecia's husband, but the search does not say his date of birth, it could have been older or younger.)

- Lucretia Black

I update this every time I discover something new.

[a-asterias]

— micaela's february recs

ty to all these amazing writers who have left me with butterflies in my stomach and/or tears rolling down my face, much appreciated <3

GRISHAVERSE

— nikolai lantsov.

young royals by @clairecrive

currents by @lantsovsupremacist

↳ you are in love

the art of pretension by @fleurspun

↳ sick and stubborn

↳ healer's duties

love language by @fishley

speak up by @prince-septimus

sugar cube by @magpiencrow

a dare for a truth by @sumsebien

— kaz brekker.

when am i gonna lose you? by @crowsmybeloveds

confrontations in a lonely club by @curseofaphrodite

what do you want from me? by @romeomontaague

silent birthdays by @amourology

↳ schat

you are done for by @sumsebien

this is what happens by @fishley

MARVEL

— peter parker.

you more than anything by @nghtwngs

↳ you love me, i love you

on that rooftop by @nezuscribe

skateboards, the force, and a lack of pants by @damnedparker

secrets and skateparks by @earthgirl616

aurora by @mgparker

scenes from a modern romance by @dameronology

— marc spector.

just let me dream a little more by @the-archxr

— matt murdock.

green is the color by @courtforshort15

the defence rests by @dameronology

OUTER BANKS

— jj maybank.

hot for a pogue by @butgilinsky

meet me at our spot by @amourology

— rafe cameron.

midsummers by @butgilinsky

so gorgeous it actually hurts by @folkloreslovechild

HARRY POTTER

— fred weasley.

after all this time by @httpbakugou

MARAUDERS

— james potter.

five times james wanted to kiss you and the one time he did by @moonlitmeeks

— sirius black.

all your fault by @heloisedaphnebrightmore

↳ absurd ideas

'cause i don't want you like a best friend by @evermoreal

grand scheme by @fishley

— remus lupin.

it's time to go by @godlessandwrecked

BRIDGERTON

— benedict bridgerton.

en garde by @delphispoeticals

show me love by @romeomontaague

— anthony bridgerton.

should've never let go by @writeroutoftime

illicit affairs by @marwritesgood

— colin bridgerton.

alone together by @romeomontaague

TOP GUN

— bradley bradshaw.

delirium by @kyber-crystal

↳ head in the clouds

ENOLA HOLMES

— sherlock holmes.

invisible string by @marwritesgood

AVATAR

— lo'ak.

in full bloom by @loaksky

— neteyam.

warm hands by @loaksky

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

— aemond targaryen.

corridor kisses by @flowerpotmage

[fortheloveofaminorcharacter]

Mark Strong as Prince Septimus in Stardust (2007)

[the20thangel]

The Younger, His Brother, and His Sister.

Summary: Caracalla has always been a sickly child as an adult. Causing his family's fierce protection. Knowing the love Caracalla has for his brother and good sister, Empress Arabella, Tragedy strikes, leaving them shaken.

(Note: Arabella is the same character as in The Emperor and His Lady series. I used Heleana from HOTD because it fits the scene of this fanfic, but Arabella still has brown hair and brown eyes.)

Word Count: 1.8k

Tags: angst with comfort.

This song inspired this story, and I recommend listening to it while reading.

In the might of Rome, she was ruled by two emperors, Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla. Twin rulers who ruled Rome under a mighty fist, many called them crazed tyrannical rulers that no one could tame, much less themselves. Of course, that was before the Empress Arabella graced the lives of the two Emperors. Empress Arabella was brought into the twin rulers' lives when they were mere princes. A promise between a loyal Senator and Emperor Septimus Severus: at first, Prince Geta and Lady Arabella were indifferent to each other, knowing their duty, but they had no care or love for each other. Both knew what was needed from them and would proudly fulfill the duty without love. They both thought it was okay and did not need the comforts of love. 

Caracalla, the younger twin, was always a sickly child, which caused him to be overprotected by both his mother and older twin brother. Both understood his fragility and, in their efforts to protect him, didn’t allow many people around him. So when the time came to succeed, their father, and mother left the plains of living. Geta took it upon himself to become his brother’s sole protector. There were times when this would cause complications between the brothers because Caracalla could not understand why there were certain days he couldn’t be with his brother during Gladiator fights, Senate meetings, or even enjoying the company of concubines. He wanted to experience the benefits of being the Emperor of Rome; He wanted companionship. That all changed once Arabella married Geta; while the couple tolerated each other and were only seen together in public, Arabella and Caracalla found solace in each other. 

Arabella knew from her husband what the Older twin's restrictions on his family were like, so she could sympathize with Caracalla about their frustrations of not having certain liberties due to Geta’s paranoia. She noticed when both brothers grew tense with their different views regarding the empire. Felling the tensions, Arabella took it upon herself to take Caracalla away. She would always ask him to accompany her in the gardens, where the two would spend hours lounging. She would read numerous great hero myths to Caracalla as the younger emperor leaned on his good sister’s shoulder. Enjoying the comforts, something he missed from his departed mother. At first, Geta was weary of his brother and wife spending so much time together, thinking something nefarious would transpire, but it all changed when it came to their birthday celebrations that year. 

Both emperors were happy in their celebrations, more Caracalla, because Geta eased the restrictions and even allowed the concubines to flock towards them. Arabella gifted Caracalla his most treasured friend, a monkey that he named Dundus. As Caracalla enjoyed the musing of the people in his feast and his new friend, he saw his brother stare at his wife in what seemed in shock before lifting her in joy and kissing her. It was later discovered the Empress was expecting a child, and everyone was overjoyed… all but Caracalla. He did not want to share his brother and sister; if they had a child, they would soon forget him and push him away into the shadows again. Who would comfort him when Geta was pressing down on his restrictions? Who would be his loyal protector and ensure he keeps his vow to their mother daily? Caracalla did not want the babe, but alas, he could not be angry when he saw both Geta and Arabella lean closer to each other. So much so that Geta dismissed the concubines, not wanting to risk anything or offend his wife. Even if Caracalla protested. Not when Arabella's stomach swelled, and tiny kicks could be felt whenever Caracalla and Geta pressed their cheeks to her belly. 

Indeed, it was not when the new prince was born, screaming his lungs out to announce to the world that he had arrived. Seeing both Geta and Arabella's joyful tears as they welcomed their son. He was a perfect copy of his father except for the eyes; those were his sweet mother’s eyes opened and stared at his uncle—a lovely, chubby, cheeked babe who stared at his uncle with pure love and admiration. Caracalla, too, then wept as he held his nephew. That is when Caracalla understood the pain and effort Geta took daily to protect him. So Caracalla vowed always to protect his nephew, little Gaius. Much to everyone’s relief, Geta’s headache proved correct. Little Gaius always follows his uncle in creating mischief in the palace, only stopping when Empress Arabella catches them and lightly scolds them both. This always ended with a kiss on their cheeks as she whispered to her boys. 

“What am I ever going to with you both, my troublemakers.” 

Yes, life was good for the Emperors and their family… until it wasn’t. 

It had been a cold winter, and many were sick from shivers and fevers. Unfortunately, not even the royal family was immune. No one knew who it was, but a servant who was ill went into Caracalla’s chambers long enough to infect the emperor, who succumbed to the sickness, leaving him tired and coughing in bed. As Geta again grew paranoid, he ordered healer after healer to heal his brother. Empress Arabella took the tool to accompany her brother, feeding, entertaining, and reading. Last but certainly not least, little Gaius, his messenger to the outside, came daily to report to his uncle about the news in the palace. 

Today was no different. As Geta set out for the Senate, his wife and son went to greet and awaken Caracalla. Arabella and Gaius walked in as the chambers opened, allowing her son to break free as the little boy ran to his uncle’s bed. Smiling, the young empress walked to the window, pushing open the curtains to allow the warm sun of Rome to shine through. 

Little Gaius climbed up the bed and gently shook his sleeping uncle. 

“Uncle Cara, it’s time to wake! The Sun is shining!” exclaimed the little one, growing confused when his uncle did not stir. 

Pushing his uncle with more force, Gaius tried again, “Uncle, it’s time to wake…” 

Again, there was no movement. Learning to touch his uncle’s cheek, Gaius furrowed his brows. His uncle was cold. Turning, he faced his mother, who was tidying Caracalla’s desk from last night's activities. 

“Mama… Uncle Cara… he’s too cold.” 

Arabella swung her head at her son’s words, her breath hitching as she turned, her eyes filled with worry. As she quickly walked to her brother’s side, she gently shook his shoulder and leaned to kiss his cheek. Riling back from the shock of the coldness, she breathed heavily. Turning to her son, she smiled weakly before calling for his nanny. 

“Take Gaius to the garden. Gaius, go with your nanny and pick some lovely flowers for Cara, please,” commanded the Empress. 

Waiting for her son to leave, she then ordered healers to be brought and her husband to be called back. She climbed into the bed and gathered Caracalla into her arms as she rocked the stiff and cold emperor. 

“Please, please wake sweet boy. Please, Cara, don’t do this… please.” 

As healers rushed to assess the emperor, Arabella grasped Caracalla’s hand, pressing a kiss, whispering, pleading with the gods for him to wake. Unfortunately, the healer, finding no pulse, remorsefully turned to the empress, shaking his head. Arabella gasped, tears filling her eyes as she tried to deny the news. 

“No…” she whispered, tears falling. 

As her breaths grew shallower, she turned to her brother, shaking her head. She rose, gathering him into her arms and pressing her cheek to his cold one as her heart tore in two. 

With a wail of anguish, she cried for her brother, “NO! Please, please… Cara, wake up! Please!” 

Geta, who came back rushing, froze at his wife's screams as he too sharply inhaled before sprinting into the room, His love holding his brother, crying in despair as he too shouted. 

“No, Brother! You are not gone! AWAKE! Cara… CARACALLA!” cried Geta, taking his brother’s face and shaking him. Arabella cried as she pleaded with Geta to be gentle. 

The whole palace froze, hearing the grief vibrating through the walls. 

Days later, the remainder of the royal family rode a carriage through the streets of Rome. Loyal senators convinced the royals to do a funeral procession around Rome so the empire could also express their grief to the fallen co-emperor. To show the people the humanity of the empire and bring them closer to it. Although Arabella initially pushed against it, hearing the Senator's plea, somberly agreed, as did Geta. Grasping her husband's hand with a deadly grip, the Emperor, Empress, and prince rode behind Caracalla’s body. As the Roman People watched their remaining Emperor and his family ride, they threw flower petals while shouting their support for the Empress and prince. In her grief, Arabella pressed her body to Geta, tears flowing down her cheeks as she raised her face toward the sky. Her veil covered her face as flower petals fell around her. She just wanted her brother. 

The day ended when Caracalla’s body was placed in the pavilion, lighting the pyre that burned the younger twin emperor as his loved ones stared in worry, disbelief, and grief—thinking about what the future entails, a world without Caracalla. 

With a sharp breath and cough, Caracalla awoke from his slumber. Turning, he noticed he was in his chambers, his desk a mess, and curtains close. Relieved from his nightmare, the emperor rose from his bed and ran through the halls towards his brother’s chambers. Bursting through his entrance shocked his brother and good sister. 

“Brother! Worry not, I am-” 

“Caracalla! What are you doing, brother? You are sick, and stepping through these cold tiles will only harm you.” interrupted Arabella as she scolded her brother. 

Caracalla grinned as he saw his beautiful sister rushing to her, and he kissed her cheek.

“Sister! Do not cry for me yet… I am alive.” he comforted her, remembering her grief. 

Geta and Arabella looked confused at the younger twin's words. Shaking his head, Geta responded by gathering his brother and leading him back to his chambers. 

“Of course you are alive, brother, but you will cause me more headaches if you do not lie back down and recover from your sickness, at risk of getting worse.” 

Lying his brother down, Geta smoothed the younger twin’s hair as Arabella placed the sheets on top of Caracalla. 

“Where is Gaius? He needs to see that his uncle is alive, and I wish to see my nephew, " Caracalla ordered. 

“He is still sleeping, Cara. I will bring him later. Rest now. I do not know what you dreamt, but you are very much alive. But remember, you are sick, and we need you to get better.” Arabella comforted as she kissed the emperor’s cheek. 

Smiling, Caracalla snuggled in the warmth as he watched his brother and good sister walk in arms out of his chambers, perplexed by the events. He was alive.

[yougetoneshot]

Stardust: Royal Pains

Chapter 2: Danse Macabre

Summary of Body Swaps:

Primus - Septimus (Can’t walk)

Secundus - Quartus (Constantly Shivering)

Tertias - Primus (Can’t talk)

Quartus - Secundus (Can’t move)

Quintus - Sextus (Can’t touch anything or their skin will stick to it)

Sextus - Tertius (Intense chest pains and shortness of breath)

Septimus - Quintus (Memory impaired)

Chapter 1

The seven brothers glared at each other in tense silence for a while. Secundus, who currently possessed Quartus, finally spoke up through his intense shivering.

“W-what k-kind of m-m-ma-magic can d-do thissss?!”

“The ironic kind?” Quartus smirked from Secundus’s broken body.

“How are any of us living right now?” Primus frowned through Septimus’s brows. “These bodies are broken- some more than others.” He’d look over at the body of Secundus.

“I don’t mind. I can’t feel any of it.” Quartus gave a self satisfied smirk from Secundus’s body. “Besides, whoever hired these goons to bring us back must know a way to fix us.”

“Even if they do, I’ll just have to kill you all again seeing as I’m king now.” The other brothers looked over to Septimus possessing Quintus’s body.

“You’re n-n-not king.” Secundus growled.

“I found the stone. I’m king.”

“Septimus, you’re dead. Our nephew, Tristan is king.” Primus explained.

“Who is Tristan?! Which one of you had a son?!”

“Una. Don’t you remember?”

“Of course I remember… who is Una?”

“I think that axe wound might be treating your memory poorly.” Quintus smirked from Sextus’s body.

“What axe wound?” He lifted a hand to feel the gaping hole in his head then back down at his hands before looking over at his body staring at him. “Why is my body looking at me?!”

“Because our souls are in the wrong bodies. I’m Primus.”

“Why did it have to be you?” Septimus grumbled and Primus sighed heavily.

“Why couldn’t you have been in my body- then you’d at least be quiet.” Primus looked over at his body who he knew from process of elimination must be possessed by Tertius who was glaring at him angrily.

“Una has a son?” Septimus whispered and shook his head. “I traded Una to a witch over a decade ago how does she have a son?”

“You sold off Una?!” All the other brothers glared at him.

“..what? I didn’t kill her.”

“We all loved Una, how could you do that?!”

“Because you loved her! She made us all soft! I never could have killed Quintus if she stayed around.”

“Una didn’t deserve that, Septimus. Your quarrel was with us, not her.” Primus frowned and Septimus became even more irritable at his own face glaring at him.

“I should have killed her.”

“If you had, we’d all be stuck as ghosts right now.” Sextus growled from Tertias’s body.

“As opposed to these broken bodies?!” Septimus growled back before clutching his head and blinking a few times before looking up at Primus.

“..why is my body looking at me?”

“Oh here we go again.” The other brothers groaned.

“Keep it down back there. We’re approaching the castle.” One of the cloaked figures yelled back to them. “We don’t need to concern anyone with you all looking.. like that.”

The princes grumbled but all silently agreed they did not want to be seen in their current states. The wagon was pulled into the castle and escorted to the royal stables. The cloaked figures came around to the back of the wagon once it was stopped. “Alright, let’s go.”

Septimus furrowed his brow at the cloaked figure and saw the stone they were holding. “That’s my stone!” He reached for the crystal but the cloaked figure backed up just out of his reach. Septimus leapt from the back of the wagon, bat wings unfurling from his back and fire slipping out the side of his mouth as he snarled. “Give me the stone!”

“Oh no, he’s going full dragon.” Quintus looked over at Primus. “You’ll have to stop him before he gets too heated and burns the place down!”

Primus barked at his brother as he painfully drug himself to the edge of the wagon. “Septimus! That’s not the stone!”

Septimus turned around and furrowed his brow. “Who are you?!” He stormed towards Primus and lifted him from the wagon and shoved him against the nearest wall.

“I’m your brother! Primus!”

“You expect me to believe that?!” Septimus spat small sparks of flame.

Primus grabbed onto Septimus’s arm and looked over to Quintus who nodded. “Sorry brother.” He bit hard into Septimus’s arm- which was really Quintus’s. Septimus howled as he was bitten by his own body, feeling the sharp pain of his second layer of teeth. The cloaked figures came over to help Primus but as the did, a burst of flame shot out of Septimus’s mouth and into the air. The crystal one of them had been holding fell to the ground and shattered causing all the princes to fall unconscious to the ground.

“Well… that went well.” The shorter cloaked figure quipped.

“Let’s just get them inside before they cause any more trouble.”

[dragonborndigitalart]

The Stormhold Princes

[criesinliess]

━MARCH 2023; susan's recs

LOCKWOOD&CO

knock knock. who's there? @klineinie

━━ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

a taste of normalcy @websterss

the stray from arif's @↑

everything @frogserotonin

marker mayhem @oblivious-idiot

no one else @vi-trying-to-survive

public displays @↑

the language of longing. looks and stolen glances @fleetingvow

at times like these @teaandransacking

out the window @givemea-dam-break

patch you up @↑

you left me @↑

anthony @↑

i know it hurts @warrenposts

love me, forever, always @klineinie

dancing with our hands tied @bloodcanbehot

i wish you would @↑

you talk too much @helloooofandoms

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

━━JAKE 'HANGMAN' SERESIN

tiktok trouble @ultralightpoe

do you want me to lie, sir? @simpforrooster

the princess and the hangman @↑

howdy, darlin'; part2 @↑

━━BRADLEY 'ROOSTER' BRADSHAW

daddy would say yes @roosterforme

GRISHAVERSE

━━KAZ BREKKER

six months @grimbanes

the king @magpiencrow

bejeweled @honeyfict

━━NIKOLAI LANTSOV

i want you to want me; part2 @sophierequests

the one you think about as you lie awake; part2 @↑

young royals @clairecrive

stars in the night @↑

currents @lantsovsupremacist

august @↑

sick & stubborn @fleurspun

healer’s duties @↑

the art of pretension @↑

speak up @prince-septimus

SPIDER-MAN

━━ANDREW!PETER PARKER

you're not peter parker; part2 @curseofaphrodite

coffee run @↑

caviar and cigarettes @↑

MARVEL

━━DRUIG

unrequired; part2 @givemea-dam-break

MARAUDERS ERA

━━JAMES POTTER

getaway car @curseofaphrodite

mortal enemies @↑

━━SIRIUS BLACK

collide @curseofaphrodite

━━REGULUS BLACK

drunk nights; part2 @curseofaphrodite

the door @↑

words unsaid @↑

the break-in; part2 @↑

wishes and a gift @↑

of monsters and men @↑

the best man @↑

tricks and charms @↑

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

━━PRINCE CASPIAN

my prince @heliads

OUTER BANKS

━━JJ MAYBANK

assigned seat @quin-ns

fiending for something, might just be a meaning @idcntlikedarkness

a visceral feeling, that i can never leave behind @↑

throw another stone at a glass house @↑

went out searching for an angel, then you came to me my darling @↑

━━RAFE CAMERON

whipped @mrsstarkey1

said you’re smoking less, and then you ashed it on your chest @idcntlikedarkness

this too shall pass @probably-writing-x

another? @↑

country club @a-aexotic

rafe defending pogue!reader @↑

no for one night stand @↑

i'd choose you over anyone @↑

cuddle buddies; part2 @fantasylandloser

tear-stained cheeks @sunraies

BULLET TRAIN

━━TANGERINE

safe house @quin-ns-moved

ÉLITE

━━GUZMÁN NUNIER

out of love; part2; part3; part4 @probably-writing-x

THE BEAR

━━CARMY BERZATTO

the way to his heart; part2 @adore-laur

little by little @↑