#Princess Lara is getting married

[justanothersimsblog]

Carlos answered the question Ibis didn’t bother to ask out loud. “We strongly encouraged Charles to date all of the good hunters. Including Elizabeth. Luckily it was a real love connection.”

Now it made sense to Ibis why Charles had insisted that Lara be allowed to choose her own husband. He always just thought it was just an excuse to keep creepy Grayson away from her. Maybe it had been both.

“With Lara we had big hopes she would end up with Rob.”

“Rob SLATER?! As in Fabian’s-”

“-Father, yes. They hung out together all the time as teens.”

Ibis’ mind was swirling with thoughts trying to absorb all this information.

“So who are you guys imaginary setting me up with?”

Carlos laughed. He wouldn’t have used those words but there had been discussions. “Well, you were dating the fairy princess in high school, weren’t you?”

Ibis blinked. Yes, he’d gone out with Ella…sort of… “Yeaahhhh… that’s not happening.”

“I know. You don’t want to get married. And that’s fine. You can have an heir regardless. Someday.” Ibis swallowed and reached for one of his Oblivion joints. Carlos continued. “I just really hope all my descendants find the love I found with my Kathy.”

[simshousewindsor]

BEGINNING AND END

[Buckingsim Palace 1:53 PM WST]

Prince Louis: "Each day I call on mom in the afternoon, and although she doesn't look quite as bad as the doctors warned me, she'll never again be able to leave her rooms, far less go out in public."

[Kently Palace 8:20 PM WST]

Prince Louis: (writing) It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to endure. When father died, it was sudden. When George died, it was sudden. I'm not sure how much longer she has. The doctors think days. I've lost my father, and my brother, and now my mothers' time is coming to an end. The Spare left behind.

- - - - - THE PAST - - - - -

[Buckingsim Palace, March 1940]

Princess Amelia: Why her?

Queen Lara-Leigh: She is the daughter of a King, a princess by birth, and a descendant of Albert I. She's also quite the beauty!

King Edward I: I have not seen her since she was 11, the last time I visited Sulani.

Queen Lara-Leigh: This union will not only strengthen our relationship with Sulani but the Windsor bloodline. She will be the perfect consort for Edward. He will need someone strong.

Queen Lara-Leigh: She also speaks several languages!

King Edward I: Edward has visited Sulani, and they have spent ample time courting.

Princess Amelia: ...here they come.

(Edward and Zarah enter)

[Equerry]: Presenting His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, and Her Highness Princess Zarah of Sulani, Your Majesty's.

Prince Edward: Mother! Father!

Queen Lara-Leigh: (kissing cheek) Hello, darling.

King Edward I: How was the airport?

Prince Edward: There were so many sims waiting.

Queen Lara-Leigh: My, you are a beauty!

Princess Zarah: (curtsy) Your Majesty.

Queen Lara-Leigh: How lovely to finally meet you.

King Edward I: and this is Edwards younger sister, Amelia.

Princess Zarah: (to Amelia) Hello.

Princess Amelia: (smiles)

Queen Lara-Leigh: I hope your journey was well.

Princess Zarah: Yes, ma'am. It was quite smooth.

Queen Lara-Leigh: Peter will show you to your room. I'm sure you'd like to you get settled. Your things should have made their way up to your room by now.

Princess Zarah: (curtsy) Your Majesty.

Queen Lara-Leigh: Zarah, when it's just the close family, there is no need to curtsy. Formalities are not required.

Princess Zarah: Yes, Your Majesty.

- - - - - THE PAST - - - - -

[Buckingsim Palace, March 1940]

Lady Danberry: You look beautiful!

Princess Zarah: Thank you. I'm so nervous! What if I mess up?

Lady Danberry: They're going to love you! You'll meet Prince Edward and walk down the stairs together to the waiting press. They will ask a few questions about the ring, how he proposed, the wedding date, your wedding gown, and of course how soon you'll start having babies!

Both: (laughs)

Lady Danberry: Just be yourself. Windenburg will love you!

Princess Zarah: Will the King and Queen?

Lady Danberry: They already like you! You're an amazing sim, Zarah. You're also about to marry their son, and become the future Queen of Windenburg! And one day, you're also going to give birth to the future King ...or Queen.

(press clamoring)

Lady Danberry: It's time.

Princess Zarah: Okay. Here we go!

- - - - - THE PAST - - - - -

[Buckingsim Palace, 14 December 1962]

King Edward II: (excited) It's a boy! I have a son! The twenty year drought is over.

Princess Amelia: (excited) ...finally an heir! Thank God!

- - - - - THE PAST - - - - -

[Buckingsim Palace, May 1963]

(Queen Zarah enters)

??: (snoring)

King Edward II: (snoring continues)

Prince George: (sleeping)

(Queen Zarah exits)

Queen Zarah: (smiles) Heaven!

Previous | Beginning | Next

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

Psst hey it’s yo local Stritzo anon, I’ve got some dead!Lilith ideas inspired by one of Lara-Kein’s older AUs! (I know the things below aren’t biblically accurate but! I recall in a mythology channel, the speaker said that Lilith is believed to be the representation of feminism.)

Pre-Hell Era?: Lucifer comforts an emotionally hurt Lilith after she breaks up with Adam. And it was nasty since word had spread about. The tall lady finds Adam to be rather controlling and demeaning, not really considering her feelings.

Luci says that she doesn’t deserve that and she should at least have equal say in the matter. Lilith is wary but gives him a chance. Aside from agreeing with equal rights, they also have a rebellious spirit.

Rebellion: Adam confronts Lilith about how he was “betrayed” by her. She retorts that he was being a jerk to her even around several other people and was glad that she eloped with Lucifer instead of him.

The man gets absolutely livid and stabs her in the chest with a spear. He blames her for her own actions and claims that this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t defied him.

Lucifer sees this and immediately breaks off from his other fight. He holds onto his dying love and screams in despair. The war continuing on.

Post-Hell: Lucifer cradles his newborn crying daughter Charlie in a dark dreary plane of existence. “I’m sorry little one, your mother isn’t here… Daddy will take care of you from now on. You’ll also have aunties and uncles to hang out with…”

Childhood: A young Charlie asks her father like any curious child would, “Dad?”

“Yes sweetie?”

“Where’s mommy? I see most people in Hell have both mommies and daddies.”

The King of Hell pauses and looks down, “Oh… Your mother… She was killed by a bad man.”

“But why? She didn’t do anything wrong? Did she?”

“No no! Never! It was just that awful man’s fault… he became jealous that she chose me over him even after he found someone else to marry. Your mom was actually happier with me than him. When she was carrying you in her, I was so happy to be a new dad. After you were born, things just got crazy with the big war… you and many of my other followers’ children had to be hidden away safely while we fought. Unfortunately, we all lost and got sent here as punishment…”

Adulthood: Charlie most likely follows her mother’s path of feminism and equality despite being the Princess of Hell. Instead of promoting her Hotel in Hell since the sinners were already sent there for a reason. She does it in Purgatory/Limbo instead. Limbo would be in between Heaven and Hell, the awaiting trial for the many deceased spirits.

Most Limbo spirits have a very mixed bag of virtues and sins. One outweighs the other despite some sins being rather serious. Charlie gets a huge wake-up call that not everyone is redeemable. Some people are just awful; obsessive Yanderes who deny their nasty behavior and claims of “loving” their target regardless of how they feel, immense power abuse, harming innocents for no good reason, willingly and willfully following true evil etc. She feels saddened by this but at least her father and crew comforted her.

At least her “Happy Hotel” can save the Limbo spirits. They have a somewhat bigger chance of redemption instead of Hell’s residents.

Nice

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

I need to bother you, I'm sorry! Hope everything is alright, dear!☺️

I'm curious because it seems no one asked, but will Lara and Aemon have children???

In every fic that I read, the dragon twins always had a specific "sexuality."—Baela would be always Bi, Rhaena would be straight, but your Rhaena being Sapphic👀👀—

In your dance, you can make Rhaena and Nettles canon🤭

Rip Laenor and Rhaenyra, you were doomed from the start, the roycegaryen having a successful marriage while R and L are going through it XD

The ramble about the strong boys made me laugh. Those children couldn't bloom properly🤣

alskdjfasdf, you are not bothering me, I love to yap. Also, everything is going fairly well rn, & I hope that's the case for you! 🩷

Gonna answer in parts to keep it organized, so lets goooooo

1. Do Lara & Aemon have kids?

Yes! But Aemon is only 3-4 years older than Aegon (Viserys when I catch you), & Lara is a couple years younger than Aemon, so we really only meet one (maybe 2) of their kids before The Dance, & those kids are babies. So Larameon's kids aren't doing a whole lot & we really only see them in the epilogue, like, 20 years after SOTF Proper ends. They all have names & face claims though, lol. Gonna lore drop all that here, so putting a readmore since it's making the ask super long

Their oldest is Yorick Royce the Younger

Then Jorah Royce

then Marrhea Royce

and finally Desmond Royce

2. The Dragon Twins

I feel like Baela is gonna be a lot of "feeling it out in the moment," & I may not even get to explore what's going on with her until I work on The Red Princess where I am inevitably going to focus more on the TB characters. I truly can't know yet. And ngl, sapphic Rhaena was mostly "end of season 2 copium, here's how we can still get Nettles" but then I decided "this fucks actually. I'm keeping it" lmao. So if I can justify Rhaena x Nettles in SOTF I'm going to have it there. I must speak my truth. And that truth is "being named Rhanea makes you gay." Source? Rhaena the Lesbian, Daughter of Aenys

3. Nyra & Laenor

RIP to their lavender marriage. Maybe if Laenor hadn't been shooting blanks things would have worked out better? Maybe if Criston hadn't done a murder things would have turned out better? Maybe if Lyonel Strong had been ambitious for, like, 5 minutes & wasn't trying to give Vizzy the only solid political advice he ever listened to things would have been better? I can't really know, but I do know that a lot of the situations around their failing lavender marriage become absolutely fucking comical in SOTF thanks to the absurdism of 1) giving Laenor a friend who he's not banging, 2) all the marriages at Runestone being really healthy & communicative in a way that makes all the King's Landing marriages stick out when you have all the married people in one location, & 3) sticking Nyra's sons around a bunch of actual Baratheons + kids who actually do look like Baratheons.

The chapters about the tourney are gonna be wild, & Sins Of The Father is a comedy actually lmao

4. #and RIP Jace & Luke I'd love for them to be important important but their mom isolated them #so they barely show up & I have zero thoughts on what's going on with them

RIP the Strongaryens/Velaryon boys, they never stood a chance in SOTF. I'll figure something out for The Red Princess, but in SOTF they are just 🧍🏻‍♂️🧍🏻‍♂️

RIP Jacaerys Velaryon, you would have loved being an important character & being in The Bro Squad with Stannis, Baldric, Griffith, & Aegon. You could have all tossed your curly hair & served cunt & been dumbasses who all look obscenely related (except for Stannis, who is Boremund's mini me & you just gotta trust he's related to the others--yes even his own little brother)

[ericmicael]

A few words about "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft", there will be some spoilers.

Has it only been 3 years since the 2013 game? This anime takes place after the last game, Shadow, and the anime starts by saying that it took place three years after an adventure between her and Roth that took place before the 2013 adventure. I never really researched dates, but it seems like people agree that Shadow takes place in 2018… I don't know.

This anime is quite LGBT, huh. It starts with the girl in the village having a huge crush on Lara that is even mentioned by Jonah.

There's Lara's childhood friend (I thought they were ex-girlfriends, so she said she sees Lara as a sister and in my frustration I even deleted the screenshots of her that I took, lol) who is Roth's daughter and has some suspicious photos with women, there's the new Zip (the "Tomb Raider" reboot follows the logic of the "The Legend of Zelda" games by bringing new versions of characters, but in the case of "Tomb Raider" there are only two universes: the classic and the reboot) who has jokes about him going out with men and at the final party he's dancing with another man.

But by far the thing that most draws attention to those who played the reboot games and went after the art books and comics, heard about the kiss that Lara would give her (in the dream) and that turned into a hug, the half-Japanese: Samantha Nishimura. She only appears in flashbacks of Yamatai (2013 game) and in some hallucinations/nightmares that Lara has during the journey. I only went after the comics briefly and from what I remember after the 2013 game Himiko's spirit returned to possess Sam, there is a group of bandits involved with this and at the end of the mini-series they manage to banish the ghost for good, but Sam decides to move away to treat the traumas that this experience brought her… That's more or less it. In the art book for "Rise of the Tomb Raider", the second game in the reboot, it says that the initial plan was for her to accompany Lara in the game and not Jonah, and honestly I don't think they changed the role before giving it to the guy since all he does in the game is: be absent for about 70% of it, get kidnapped, mess around with a gun and make mistakes… Considering that Sam in the 2013 game is Princess Peach for Mario Lara to save, it seems like they would have given Nishimura that kind of storyline a lot, but maybe when they decided to swap her out for Jonah they were short on time and used the storyline she had. In "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", the third game in the reboot, Jonah is in fact a more present character and even ends up finding a sweetheart who he marries in this anime.

But Sam… Sam, although she is practically the co-protagonist of the 2013 game, only has mentions in the other two games and there is this plot from the comics that left her out until now and when she is mentioned a lot again in this anime, what happens? She is still away from Lara working abroad and it is the cliffhanger for the possible second season. I admit that I was more irritated by this than excited, damn man, why take her so far away from Lara's life? Don't you want to canonize this LGBT shipp? Don't canonize this (I would be very sad, I love Lara x Sam), but what a bummer this waste of a character and this obsession the writers have with Jonah, at least in this anime Lara has more than one friend.

[bunnymajo]

Top 5 or 10 Sonic characters who aren't from the games? (or aren't primarily from the games, I guess??)

Hard Mode: I'm not including Surge, Kit & Elias

10) Tekno the Canary - I've only read a smidge of Fleetway and just know her by proxy but I love her. Adorable design, smart tech-y girl, instantly loveable.

09) Saffron Bee - I just feel so bad for her & I think her story is really interesting from her perspective, a teenage girl engaged to become royalty (I can't remember if she was already a princess in her own right) but her home gets destroyed, her fiance captured, they get him back but he's reverted to a childlike state and become his caretaker - there were plans apparently to brutally kill her off?? and now she's fated to never be used again.

I just want this bee to be happy ;.;

08) Lara-Le & Wymacher - I love this little married couple. I'm glad Lara-Le's with someone who respects her, and I like Lara-Le as Knuckles mom, she seems like a nice spunky church lady mom.

07) Kneecaps - Kneecaps! Light of my life, taken from us too quickly. Deserves the world.

06) Anita/Tania the Hedgehog - I love the idea of Sonic having a baby sister so much. I guess Cream kinda takes that roll now? But never forget the OG

05) Manic & Sonia the Hedgehog - Love them both for different reasons. Manic being a chill punk dude with a tendency for kleptomania and Sonia a social debutant that will karate chop you. Sonic having a hedgehog family might not ever come back into play for him, but I hope if it does Manic & Sonia can be part of it.

04) Clutch the Opossum - I didn't get him at first but now I really love Clutch as a mainstay villain. If Eggman is bombastic and always upfront about his villainy - Clutch is more quiet and calculated. A seedy type that's up for a long con, and I think that's an interesting element to the franchise. I want to see what he does next.

03) Bunnie Rabbot - Bunny girl with a southern drawl, powerhouse moveset, body image issues, romance with a goofy man who drinks his respect women juice, has an artistic flare, sweet & sassy. Sometimes I feel like Bunnie was like made to appeal to me specifically.

02) Tangle the Lemur - The whole reason I decided to check out IDW Sonic was because I saw her (and then later Whisper's) design and thought "woah who is that? she looks cute!" and I still think she's immediately charming. She's fun, adventurous, silly, likes to punch, kind & loyal to her friends, what's not to like?

01) Cosmo - I've always liked Cosmo, I think she has a cute design, her more shy & reserved personality was a nice balance to the Sonic X cast. Even if she was always kinda fated to die, her resolve to sacrifice herself was really noble. I hope something can be worked out so Cosmo can come back in some form or another (like at least on some merch, like c'mon Sega!)

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Endure XVIII: Heir

Series Synopsis: You and Eren Jaeger have been best friends since the age of two, but the two of you are destined for an inevitable tragedy. The world you have been born into is cruel; it is one where friends are traitors and enemies are allies, one where you find yourself doubting everything you've ever known. In this life, mistakes are fatal, and you must be careful, lest you make one too many.

Chapter Synopsis: You get news from your home country of Triura, asking you to return from Marley at once.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x Female Reader, Armin Arlert x Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 6.4k

Content Warnings: swearing, canon-typical violence, sexual abuse (non-explicit), major character death, angst, original characters included

You reclined back on the bad passively as Claude placed wet, open-mouthed kisses against your neck, sucking on the skin and leaving dark marks wherever he went. Letting out a soft breath through your nose, you resigned yourself to not moving, knowing that the quicker he finished, the quicker he would leave you alone.

“You’re so pretty,” he murmured, “I’m so lucky.”

Luck. Luck had nothing to do with this sham of an engagement. You had been attacked by some mysterious outside force and sent to Triura. When your blood was tested, it was revealed that you were an Eldian, but instead of kicking you to the curb, as most countries would have when faced with a wayward Eldian girl without her memories, the Triurans saw an opportunity.

“You’ll be such a good mother. I can already imagine it. You’ll be even prettier filled with my children,” Claude said. In and out, in and out, the motions were painful and repetitive. You knew what to expect and so you just closed your eyes, willing it to be over soon.

Claude Tybur. The youngest of the three siblings, though still quite a few years older than you were. He was also famously the cruelest when compared with his unassuming sister Lara and his charismatic brother Willy.

Triura needed an alliance with the powerful Tybur family. The Tybur family needed a noble Eldian girl to marry to Claude so that he could produce heirs, one of which might inherit the Warhammer Titan once whoever the current holder might be’s time ran out. You solved both problems.

So you were adopted into the Triuran royal family, given the title of princess and then nearly immediately given away to Claude, who was delighted to have a bride as young and beautiful as you. It was a matter of pride for him.

You, for one, were in no position to complain. You were spoiled, whether in Triura or in Marley. Everything you wanted, you got. If you had to put up with Claude’s cruelty for the few minutes you saw him each day, then so be it.

In and out, in and out. You wanted him off of you. You never wanted him to come near you again. You did not move. As always, you let him have his wicked way with you. You had no choice, after all.

“Do you think this’ll be the one?” he grunted, face flushed.

“I should hope not. It would be shameful if we were to have a child out of wedlock,” you responded.

This was the wrong answer. Claude’s hand went around your neck, and the other shoved its fingers down your throat.

“You need to have as many children as possible in order to continue the Tybur line and ensure that there is a proper candidate for the Warhammer Titan. If you know what’s best for you, you’ll take this time. And out of wedlock? Shame? You needn’t worry about that. Do not forget your place, Eldian whore. You are only here because I allow it, but I can replace you easily if I so choose. Triura wouldn’t do anything. You are alone; you have no friends or allies. You belong to me. Do you understand?” he said. You nodded frantically, tears slipping out of your eyes as you stared into his cold, dead blue ones. He gave you a pleased smile, removing his fingers from your mouth and his hand from your throat. Bending down, he nuzzled the very spot he had just bruised.

“That’s right, pretty girl. You’re so good,” he cooed mockingly, caressing your sides and cupping your jaw until he finished, after which he collapsed on top of you, falling asleep within seconds, leaving you a mess with no escape.

Unbidden, a pair of jade green eyes flashed across your mind, and you frowned. Checking to make sure Claude was truly asleep, you sighed, whispering an apology to them.

“I’m...sorry.”

As soon as Claude had rolled off of you, you took a shower and then fairly ran to find your best friend and inform her of this latest development. She was where she always was, tending to the garden. Hiking up your skirts, you waded through the grass to tap her on the shoulder.

“Hey, Princess! How are you today?” she said, bending down and plucking a pink camellia from the bush and tucking it behind your ear. You gave her an impatient look.

“It happened again,” you said.

“What did?” she said.

“May! What do you think?” you snapped. The girl looked at you, raising one perfect eyebrow. Her caramel colored hair was tied back loosely in a messy bun, and her icy green eyes were impassive as she regarded you.

“You saw something?” she said. You sighed and nodded.

“Yes. Claude was...you know...and then I saw a pair of eyes that were the most beautiful shade of jade green I have ever seen, and I felt like I had disappointed them, somehow,” you said. May frowned, returning to pruning the camellia bush.

“Maybe you had a lover before, and you feel like you’re cheating on them now,” she said with a shrug.

“Am I?” you said.

“I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not like you remember him, or anything, really. He can hardly blame you,” she said.

“Plus, for all we know, he’s dead or something, killed in the same attack that claimed my memories. It’s not unlikely. We have no clue what happened or how I ended up in Triura, so…” you trailed off, feeling immensely saddened at the thought of this jade-eyed person’s demise.

“Or we could be wrong and he might not have been your lover, or even a he. Your memory’s a funny thing. I doubt it’ll come back until you’re surrounded by things that remind you of your past, but the problem is that we can’t exactly do that when we don’t know what your past is,” May said, handing you the pruning shears and gathering the fallen leaves she had cut away in a basket.

“It’s probably for the best that I don’t remember my life before all of this,” you said with a wistful sigh. She gave you a sad look.

“Rough day?” she said.

“When is it not? He called me a whore and threatened me, saying he’d cast me aside if I didn’t get pregnant this time,” you said, drawing your woolen cloak tighter around your shoulders as if it would protect you from Claude’s cruelty.

“You won’t,” May predicted. She was uncannily good at such things, having known when each of Willy Tybur’s children would be born, and even which gender they would be. This meant that she was right; you had not gotten pregnant, and even though you were scared, a part of you felt relieved. You didn’t want Claude’s demon child inside of you. You didn’t want any child inside of you, to be fair, but you did not want Claude’s most of all. It would be just another way for him to control you.

“Is it bad that I don’t feel upset?” you said as the two of you walked back towards the Tybur mansion.

“Well, you’re here to marry Claude and have his children, so in that sense, yes, it’s probably bad, but I understand your feelings. If I were you, I wouldn’t be upset, either,” she said, stopping by the shed to toss her pruning materials and the basket of cuttings in their proper spots.

“I really shouldn’t complain. The Tyburs are good to me, besides Claude of course. Willy and Lara are perfectly pleasant, and Willy’s children adore me. If I must put up with Claude and bear his children, then isn’t that a small price to pay?” you said. May hugged you tightly, stroking your hair.

“We both know it isn’t.”

Entering the mansion, you were immediately sought out by Willy’s five children. Fine and Vanessa, his two daughters, began to tug on your skirts, while Alois, Bruno, and Rico ran around you, chattering about something or another. You exchanged looks with May, who was doing her best to hide her amusement at your predicament.

“What’s the matter with all of you?” you said.

“Daddy said we can go into Liberio if we have an adult watching us! Uncle Claude and Aunt Lara said no, so we came to you and Miss May! Please, Aunt Y/N, please!” Fine said.

“Why would you ever want to go into Liberio? That’s the internment zone, isn’t it?” you said.

“Well, yeah, but it’ll be exciting! Like an adventure, you know? We’ve never been before. Please say yes! We’ll be very very good,” Bruno said, clasping his hands together and giving you puppy dog eyes. His siblings all did the same, and you sighed.

“Let me check with your father. I’ll take you, but only if he says yes,” you said.

Willy Tybur was lounging about in his sitting room when his children dragged you and May into it. He gave you both knowing looks.

“Did my hellions pounce upon you next?” he said.

“You guys are the hellion duo!”

You blinked. Whose voice had that been? It must have been another memory, though you did not recognize it. May gave you a worried look, and you shook your head.

“They want to go into Liberio. May and I are fine with taking them, but only if you’re okay with it,” you said.

“That’s fine. You five won’t bother Aunt Y/N and Miss May too much, will you? I better hear only good things from them, or no more field trips,” he threatened his children, though his voice was gentle and amused as he spoke, belying the fact that he was not serious. Still, all five took it to heart, saluting at their father.

“Yes, sir! We will be the bestest in the whole world!” Alois said. Willy smiled.

“Very well, then. Have fun!” he said.

The seven of you stuck out in Liberio like sore thumbs. The Tybur children were bright and happy, wearing neatly pressed clothes and having spotless faces. May wore a long pastel skirt and white blouse tucked into it, and she had on a sunhat to shade her face. You were the worst of all, with your dress that touched the ground, your wool cloak, and most importantly, the gold tiara adorning your hair, marking you as a princess amongst commoners.

People gaped at you in awe as you walked through the streets. The Tybur children raced ahead, pointing at the different sights and whispering amongst each other excitedly. You and May followed at a far more sedate pace, fond smiles on your faces as you watched over them.

“So, what was all that earlier?” she said to you after a moment.

“Another memory,” you sighed, knowing immediately what she was referring to.

“What now?” she said.

“A man saying ‘you guys are the hellion duo!’” you said.

“Hellion duo? Was the princess a troublemaker back in the day?” she teased. You shrugged.

“It’s possible. I wouldn’t know,” you said, tapping your head mockingly, cursing your own amnesia.

“Ah, that’s true. But this is good, right? You got two memories in one day! Let’s run through everything you’ve remembered so far, maybe it’ll help trigger something in you,” she said.

“It’s not much, you know that. There was a white horse that I rode sometimes, a town that I saw from the perspective of a rooftop, a dead girl with red hair that I gave a lily too, and now the eyes and the man’s voice,” you said.

“Right, and let’s go over where you got these memories from,” she prodded, even though she already knew the answer. It was an exercise in futility, to be sure, but one you engaged in anyways.

“The horse I remembered when I saw horses pulling the Tybur’s carriage, the town I remembered when I went in one of the airships for the first time, the girl I remembered when Fine was sick, the eyes I remembered when Claude...and the man’s voice I remembered when Willy called his children hellions,” you said, abruptly cutting yourself off when you got to Claude. May gave you a sympathetic look.

“So it seems like whenever you’re put into situations similar to the ones that you used to know, you remember more. That tracks up with most amnesia patients,” she said.

“Glad to know I’m not abnormal, but it seems my memory regaining is going to be a slow process, since so far, all of these situations have been at random. We don’t know what situations to put me in, so we can’t put me in them deliberately in order to force me to remember more,” you said. She pouted.

“I know, I was just hoping talking about it would make things better,” she said.

“Thank you for your help, May, truly. You’re the only one that even cares. It couldn’t matter less to the Tyburs if I remember who I truly am, and same with the Triurans. In fact, it’s better for them if I don’t. Kind though they may be, I have to remember that besides you, nobody here is truly my friend. Oi, Rico! Leave that poor man alone!” you shouted, seeing Rico messing with a tired looking blond man.

Rico froze and looked back at you with a guilty expression, darting back to your side as you reached the man.

“I’m so sorry about him, Mr…?” you trailed off, staring into his wolfish amber eyes. He looked at you in fear.

“Y/N?” he said.

“How do you know my name?” you said. He shook his head.

“Ah, right, of course. I’m Vice Chief Reiner Braun,” he said.

“Please, Reiner, you were joking, right? This is a joke. Please get off of me.”

This time, it was your voice that you remembered. You backed away from Reiner hesitantly, some instinctual part of you telling you that you had to run, that the man you were faced with was dangerous, though he had been nothing but polite in the few seconds you two had spoken.

“Lovely to meet you, Vice Chief. I’m Princess Y/N,” you said. His face was sorrowful when he spoke again.

“I know. Have a nice day, your royal highness,” he said, turning abruptly and marching off before you could say a word.

“Who was that? He’s pretty good looking,” May said, appearing beside you.

“Run along, Rico, but please try not to bother strangers anymore,” you reprimanded him. He nodded at you, wide-eyed, before scampering off to rejoin his siblings.

“That was Vice Chief Reiner Braun. He has the Armored Titan right now, if I’m correct. May, for some reason...I remember him. I don’t know how, or why, but at some point I met him, and I was scared,” you said.

“Maybe you were from Liberio. You must’ve been scared because he’s an Honorary Marleyan or something. I wouldn’t think too deeply into it. He would’ve said something if he knew you, right?” she said.

“Well, I guess that’s true. He knew my name, but I suppose that isn’t too hard to guess. How many princesses are visiting Marley at the moment, especially with Willy Tybur’s children?” you said, relaxing only slightly at May’s assurance.

“Right. This has gotta be some kind of record, huh? Three memories in one day?” she said.

“Certainly,” you said, “I wonder if it’s because my head injury finally healed and I’m more comfortable now, allowing my mind to relax and begin to try and remember things.”

“Could be true,” she said.

“Regardless of the reason, I think it’s a blessing in disguise. Maybe if I remember enough...I’ll be able to return to my old life. Provided that my old life is worth returning to,” you said.

“As long as you take me with you,” May said with a wry smirk.

“Why would you give up being one of the Tyburs’ favored servants to run away with me to god knows where?” you said. May’s stature was not one that came easily. She was treated as one of the Tyburs themselves instead of a low-class Eldian, and it was a role many dreamt of.

“It would be rather boring to deal with the Tyburs without a friend, now that I know what true friendship is like. We’ll suffer together, yeah? Us two Eldians against the world,” she said, interlocking your pinkies.

“I’m glad to have you as my best friend,” you said.

“I promise we’ll be best friends forever,” she said.

“Best friends, times infinity,” you agreed.

Returning to the mansion, corralling the Tybur children into their rooms, you and May were met with an irritated looking Claude and an equally irritated Willy.

“Why the hell did you let her visit Liberio?” Claude hissed.

“She’s a grown woman. You don’t own her. She’s free to do as she pleases, and she did me a great favor by watching the children,” Willy said.

“I didn’t give my permission,” Claude said.

“She doesn’t need your permission. Like I said, she’s a grown woman,” Willy responded, crossing his arms.

“She is my bride-to-be, and ergo my property!” Claude said.

“Excuse me, am I interrupting something?” you said, entering the room with May at your side. Claude turned his cold gaze to you, stalking across the room.

“Who the hell said you could go out today?” he said.

“Your brother,” you said.

“Are you engaged to my brother? Or are you engaged to me? You’ll come ask me for permission next time,” he said. You frowned at him but nodded demurely, not seeing the point of fighting. It would just lead to more pain and suffering for you.

“There won’t be a next time for quite a while, actually,” Willy said.

“What are you talking about?” Claude said.

“The princess has been called back to Triura to take care of some affairs there. She will return to her home country at once,” Willy said.

“I can accompany her,” May said. Willy seemed surprised but nodded.

“Very well, then. Pack your things, both of you,” he said.

“Wait a second! I will go as well,” Claude said.

“Claude, you were not invited,” Willy said.

“Neither was May!” Claude said.

“May will come as my lady in waiting. King Alexander and Queen Lanie should accept her then,” you said immediately.

“Whose side are you on, anyways?” Claude said.

“That is enough. The two of you, go pack your things. You will depart as soon as you are ready,” Willy said. You and May raced out of the room before Claude could find some new reason to make you stay.

“What a relief!” you said, giggling as you ran through the hallways.

“You can get a vacation from Claude, and maybe we can work on your memories, too!” she agreed, her eyes sparkling. You did not know how you had become lucky enough to have a friend like her, so dedicated and loyal.

You packed as many gowns and cloaks and tiaras as you could fit into your trunks before calling a few of the servants to bring them into the carriages. Triura was, thankfully, not too far from Marley, so the carriage ride would only be a few hours or so.

“I wonder why I was called back,” you said to May, who was sitting across from you, leaning her head against the window.

“Who knows?” she said.

“I just hope nothing’s wrong,” you said.

“Triura’s a peaceful country. I’m sure it’s nothing big. They probably just want to check up on how your engagement’s going,” she assured you.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out.”

The driveway to Triura’s palace was lined with ancient cypress trees that towered, nearly touching the sky for how tall they were. They formed a natural archway, almost, shading the paved drive and protecting it from the weather.

King Alexander and Queen Lanie were standing and waiting at the end of the driveway for you and May. Opening the door of the carriage, the coachman helped you down, and you both immediately dipped into curtseys.

“Princess. We have much to discuss,” King Alexander said, his voice and face serious. You gulped but nodded.

“Very well, your majesty,” you said, “Come, May.”

“Do you trust your friend?” Queen Lanie said.

“More than anyone. Anything you want to say to me, you can say it in front of her,” you said, grabbing May’s hand. King Alexander pursed his lips but motioned for you to follow him.

As soon as you were shut away in his private meeting room, the king turned to you.

“Who are you loyal to?” he said.

“Triura, of course,” you said.

“Y/N. Having seen how Claude treats her and how Willy and Lara do little to stop it, I can no longer in good conscience continue to serve them. It is why I’m here now, instead of back at the mansion,” May said.

“Good. Triura has decided that it is going to ally itself with Zeke Jaeger and the devils of Paradis,” he said.

“What? The island devils? What happened to the treaty with the Tyburs?” you said.

“We’re going to play both sides, as it is. The outcome of this war is far too uncertain; in order to assure Triura’s continued survival, we must have good relations with both the forces of the island and the Tyburs. You are key to both contracts. We will explain Zeke Jaeger’s plan to you and then send you to the island, where you will explain it to them. Once your business on the island has concluded, you will return to the Tyburs as if nothing happened,” Queen Lanie said.

“Fine, I’ll go, as it is my duty to Triura. But I will not force May to come,” you said.

“Like hell I won’t! I’m by your side, remember?” she said.

“May, the island devils are a savage people, from what I’ve heard. It won’t be anything like what life with the Tyburs is like,” you said.

“You’re a princess, and I’m your lady in waiting. They won’t do anything to us. They’d be foolish to try it, and I’m sure we’ll have guards, too,” she argued.

“Yes, we will send guards with you. Mark my words, every effort will be taken to ensure your protection and safety on the island,” King Alexander said.

“It’ll be suspicious if I return to the Tyburs’ alone, and I have no place in Triura. I’m coming with you, like it or not,” she said. You sighed in acquiescement.

“Alright, then. When do we set out?” you said.

“Your ship leaves tonight,” Queen Lanie said.

“Well, at least we won’t have to worry about unpacking our things,” you muttered.

The ship ride to Paradis was long. You and May lazed about, walking above deck and watching the sea until you grew bored; and when you were bored, you tried to jog your memories.

“The sea...I think it was important to me,” you said to her, staring at the water as the ship cruised through the waves. There was a sense of home, of longing and wonder that you felt as you basked in the brilliant blue.

“Does it have a memory with it?” she said.

“No. No, I don’t think I ever got to see it, but I think I wanted to. What a shame, I must’ve lived in some landlocked country or something,” you said, feeling bad for your previous self.

“Then let me officially welcome you to the sea!” May said, spreading her arms out. You rolled your eyes.

“Bit late for that, don’t you think?” you said.

“Now you’ve finally been officially welcomed. It’s never too late for that!” she said.

“Thanks, May. Means a lot.”

Paradis Port was nothing special; indeed, it was downright primitive compared to Marley or Triura’s. It was lucky that there were only two ships docking, yours and the one from Hizuru.

You had never met the Azumabitos, but they were famously greedy, and you were not looking forward to having to meet them. Still, they were friendly enough, so you supposed it wouldn’t be so bad.

“And now, her royal highness, the Princess Y/N L/N of Triura!” the herald called.

“That’s our cue,” you said to May, who grinned at you as you disembarked the ship.

“Time to meet these so-called devils,” she said.

Immediately, your eyes were drawn to a group of people that looked to be roughly you and May’s age. They were staring at you in shock, their faces white and hands shaking, as if you were the devil. As you watched, one of them, a particularly handsome boy, began to smile and run towards you. You were taken aback. Was this some sort of traditional greeting on the island?

“Y/N!” he said. Before he could reach you, though, he was tackled by your guards. They were famously protective, and you were glad that they were there, lest you be assaulted by this random boy. He struggled against them, but their grip was too strong.

“Let go of me, bastards! Let go, I’ve waited two years for this! Y/N, tell them to let go! Come on, tell them we’re friends!” he said. You frowned at him before giving May a perplexed look. She seemed equally as lost, biting her lip.

“I’m sorry?” you said. You were quite sure you had never met him in your life, let alone been his friend. You had never even been on this island before.

“It’s me! Eren! You know me!” he said. You felt bewildered, looking around for some sort of aid. His friends seemed confused as well, though understanding had dawned upon the blond one’s face.

“I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t,” you said.

The only way you could describe them at this moment was horrified. The handsome boy, Eren, gazed at you with huge, wounded eyes, going limp in your guards’ grasp. The blond boy buried his face in his hands, and the girl with braided hair’s jaw dropped.

“The hell kind of joke is this?” Eren said.

“Is this a typical greeting in Paradis?” you said, furrowing your brow. The customs of the island were a mystery to you and the rest of the world, but perhaps this was what they did.

“Why are you acting like you don’t know anything? What is wrong with you?” he snapped.

“Excuse me?” you said.

“Eren, that’s enough. I think she has amnesia,” the blond boy said.

“How did you know that?” May said.

“By the walls, this is a joke, right? This is all a fucking joke or something. She’s not supposed to forget me! We were going to meet again, but not like this!” Eren said.

“Did I know you before or something? I’m sorry, I don’t have any memories from before I arrived in Triura. Although, I don’t know how I would’ve known you. I’ve no clue how I would have gotten to Triura from this island,” you said.

“Did you know me? Did you know me? Oh, Sina, you really have forgotten everything,” Eren groaned.

“Come on, Eren. Let’s go. We can talk to her later,” the girl with the blonde braids said. Her pear green eyes pierced into yours, as if she was searching for something. You tilted your head, but obviously, whatever she was looking for, she did not find. She turned away in disappointment, and you shivered, bringing your cloak tighter around you.

“That was weird,” May commented as you rode in the carriage towards Paradis Castle. You snorted.

“You’re telling me. That Eren kid was really upset I didn’t recognize him,” you said.

“He’s the one with the Founding Titan, did you know?” she said.

“No, I didn’t. Claude hardly found such things important to tell me. Is he really? Wonder what he wants with me, then,” you said.

“You must’ve known him! Maybe he’s the key to regaining your memories,” May said in delight.

“Do you think I was from this island?” you said.

“It’s possible, although you’re right in saying that it’s very odd that you ended up in Triura of all places,” she said.

“Agreed. We can worry about this whole situation later, at any rate. For now, we just need to focus on informing the Paradisians of Zeke’s plan,” you said.

The Azumabitos had arrived at the castle far earlier than you and May, most likely because they had not been held up having a conversation with the people of Paradis. When you joined them in the courtroom, Lady Azumabito was crying about something. You gave her a startled glance.

“This girl is the rightful heir to the Azumabito line!” she sniffed, pointing at a beautiful girl with short, dark hair and grey eyes.

“How fortunate that you were able to meet her, then,” you said before smiling at the girl, “You have lovely hair, by the way.”

“Thanks,” she said, her eyes wide when she looked at you. You remembered her as one of the ones from the port, and you wondered if she had known you before, too.

“Well,” you said, clearing your throat uncomfortably, “Let’s go meet the queen, then, and inform you all of Zeke’s plan.”

You sat beside Lady Azumabito, with May on your other side. Queen Historia looked equally surprised to see you as everyone else had been, and you were beginning to wonder what the implications of all of this were. Had you been an islander in your past life?

“Zeke’s plan, um, has three parts,” you said nervously, well aware of Eren staring at you as if you were a precious piece of art or some sort of angel. Your cheeks warmed, and you kept your eyes focused firmly on the paper that had Zeke’s plan detailed on it.

“First, there will be a small-scale version of the Rumbling, in order to test its power,” Lady Azumabito said, noticing your nerves. You gave her a grateful smile before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“As well as testing its power, this will demonstrate your strength to the world on a non-catastrophic scale,” you said.

“While preparations for this are being made, we will also work to improve and modernize your military. With Triura and Hizuru’s aid, you should be able to become strong enough that, in time, you will be able to defend your country without the need for the Rumbling,” Lady Azumabito said.

“And the final part of the plan is for someone with royal blood to inherit the Beast Titan. This person will then need to continue to have children that will take the Beast after them, as for the Founding Titan’s powers to work without it being possessed by someone of the royal family, they must be in contact with a titan that has royal blood,” you said.

“I will do it,” Queen Historia said calmly.

“Absolutely not!” Eren said, slamming his hands on the table, his eyes filled with rage. They were a pretty shade of jade, though they had darkened with fury. You flinched back, scared by the anger he was displaying.

“It’s necessary to have a royal titan shifter at all times,” Lady Azumabito tried to explain. Eren turned his fierce glare upon her.

“We aren’t cattle that will be forced to breed in order to survive. Find another way,” he spat.

“There is no other way. I’m sorry, but it’s what must be done, according to Zeke. He could be wrong, but…” you trailed off, frowning.

“No, he’s not wrong,” Eren said, shaking his head, “The one time I used the Founding Titan’s powers, I was touching a titan that had royal blood, I’m sure of it.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Commander Hange, the leader of a branch of their military called the Survey Corps, said.

“I didn’t know what you’d do to Historia,” he said with a frown. You gave him a pleading look.

“Please, I know you don’t like it, but it’s your country’s best chance for survival,” you said. His face softened impercibtly when he saw you, but he did not give in.

“It isn’t fair,” he said.

“Zeke still has a few years left. We can execute the first two steps of his plan, at least, and revisit the Queen Historia issue later, but I’m afraid you won’t really have much of a choice in this matter. My apologies, but the world isn’t a fair place,” you said, your hand unconsciously going to your stomach. Like it or not, you were in the same situation as Queen Historia. Soon, you would have to have Claude’s children, and just like Queen Historia, you had no choice in the matter. Unlike Queen Historia, you could not even pick who the father would be.

Eren’s sharp eyes went to where your hand was placed, and he gave you a surprised look. Face burning, you drew your hand away and turned back to Queen Historia, who nodded at you gratefully.

“Hey. We need to talk,” Eren said as everyone left the courtroom. You and May paused, and you turned to look at him curiously.

“Certainly. What’s the matter?” you said.

“Privately,” he stressed.

“I’ll go. This could be your chance to get your memories back! Good luck!” May said, darting off. You groaned, watching her go before turning to Eren, who was standing there and waiting for you.

“Lead the way, then,” you said, following after him through the maze-like hallways of the castle without complaint. Once you were a safe distance away from everyone else, he paused and gave you a look.

“Are you pregnant?” he said.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” you said.

“You — Sina, I fucking hate this. Fine. You’re right, it’s none of my business,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m not, by the way,” you said, “Not yet, at least.”

“Is he good to you?” he said. You did not respond, and he scowled at you, grabbing your hands in his own.

“I have everything I could ever want,” you said.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass. Does he hurt you?” he said.

“Why should I tell you? Why do you care?” you said. He stared at you as if you had said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

“You seriously don’t remember me. Not even a little bit,” he said mournfully.

“I do not. I’m sorry. Were we close?” you said. He laughed bitterly, closing his eyes in pain.

“Yeah, we were close. We were best friends, Y/N. Ever since we were two years old, we’ve been best friends. We all thought you were gone forever these past couple of years, but you’re not. You’re back, and you’re alive, but yet I think I had more of a chance with you when you were dead than I do now,” he said.

You racked your brain. Where were your memories now? If there was ever a time for something to happen, it was now, but nothing appeared. You stared at Eren, wishing you could remember what he did, but you just couldn’t. You were his best friend, or so he claimed, but he was a stranger to you.

“I think you might be right on that count,” you said. He let out a choked sob.

“Don’t do this. You’re joking, right? It isn’t funny anymore,” he said.

“It’s not a joke, Eren. I genuinely don’t know who you are. I really, really want to, but I just don’t,” you said.

“Do you remember any of us? Tullia? Armin or Mikasa? Jean? What about Petra?” he said. You shook your head.

“No, I don’t. Like I said, I have no memories. I wish things were different, but the fact remains that they aren’t. Maybe one day I’ll get them back, but in the meantime, this is who I am. Princess Y/N L/N of Triura,” you said.

“So there’s a chance you’ll get them back?” he said. You shrugged.

“Yes. When I’m placed in situations that mirror ones I’ve been in before, I sometimes get memories. It’s May and I’s hope that if I go through enough of these situations, I’ll be able to get most if not all of my memories back. However, it’s not really been a reliable indicator of anything. After all, it isn’t like anybody knew what my past was. We didn’t know what situations to place me in, even if we wanted to. As it is, the Tyburs haven’t exactly been falling all over themselves to find a cure for my amnesia, either. I expect that’s because I will make a far better wife for Claude if I don’t even know who I am,” you said.

“But I know what your past is! And so do Tullia and Armin and Mikasa and Jean and Captain Levi and Sasha and Connie! We can try to help you get your memories back!” Eren said excitedly.

“So I really was an island devil, then,” you said with a small frown, “How amusing. Say, did I ever know Reiner Braun?”

“He was the one that killed you. Fed you to a titan, or so we thought,” Eren said coldly.

“What? But when I saw him in Liberio, he didn’t seem at all like he knew me,” you said. Eren shrugged.

“Reiner’s a good actor. Who knows what was going through his mind back then? Anyways, what do you say? Will you let us help you?” he said, offering you his hand. You stared at it for a second, weighing your options.

Like May had said, this was your chance. You could get your memories back, and you could maybe even escape Claude for good.

This motivated you. More than anything, you wanted to escape Claude. If the people of the island could offer you protection from your fiance, then I’d be a fool to deny them, even if it did mean you were stuck with the island devils.

The island devils. It seemed you were one of them, if Eren was to be believed. And for some reason, you did believe him. There was an honest openness to his kind gaze. His jade green eyes shone with affection, and you realized that it was his eyes you had seen, back when you had lain with Claude. You had known him in the past, and what’s more, he had been important to you.

You took his hand and shook it. A pleased grin formed on his face, and your expression mirrored his own.

“Well, I’m willing to give it a shot, Eren. Yes — I want you to help me get my memories back.”

taglist (send an ask or dm to be added): @futuristicxie

[ashsound]

A Handbook for Villainesses

Original Novel JAYA (“The Wicked Ladies-In-Waiting”, “Lady Evony”, “Pick Me, My Queen”) Art onezerotwo Story saemmi (“A Ranker’s Guide to the Good Life”)

Friends & Leads Lara Bailey: FL Isadora Moneybags: Lara’s mom Damian Rhode Drake: ML Arcelus: Prince of Tarragon & Damian’s best friend but doesn’t have the power to protect Damian in Tarragon Princess Sonette Lara’s friends: Himena (black hair) & Eunice (red hair)

Enemies Prince Sidar: first timeline fiancé Marquess Bailey: Lara’s dad Dark Mages

Season 1 summary:

Lara got engaged to Prince Sidar, pretended to be the Saint because of him & Marquess Bailey, & drank poison so she wouldn't be sacrificed. In this timeline, demons take over. Damian tries to fight them, but the demon blood turns him into one.

Lara returns to just after her coming of age, makes up with her mother, works to destroy her chances of marrying Prince Sidar, goes to the colosseum to buy Damian Rhode Drake (who feels a sense of longer from her), & kisses him in public. He proposes she be his master for 6 months, instead of setting him free like she offers. Lara lives with her mom after her dad starves & beats her. She attends a ball where he gets into a fight, is arrested, & a guard tries to get Lara to sign away Damian but Lara knows her rights & refuses. Lara befriends two villainous girls, Himena & Eunice after they stop her father from kidnapping her. Isadora demands a divorce. Sidor is working with Marquess Bailey & tells him to ask Isadora for too much financial compensation. Lara knows Marquess Bailey has colluded with the temple, committed crimes, & cheated on Isadora, so she plans to make it public so HE has to pay Isadora instead. At a Grand Banquet, Lara brings Damian "to protect her" but actually to save Sonette from the Dark Mage. Marquess Bailey tries to get Lara to "come home" & Lara tries to get him to hit her in public, & he does raise a hand. Damian pushes Lara into the princess, then detains the Dark Mage on the boat. Isadora talks with Damian & he promises to protect Lara, so she hires him. Lara finds Valentine, servant of a dark mage, to free him & punish the dark mage that’s also working for her dad. When he kidnaps Lara, Isadora's knights the wolves, & Damian go to free her. Lara locked the doors, set the room on fire, then jumped out the window in a soaked sheet. Lara is in denial about being a saint, but she has healing powers. Arcelus tells Damian to focus on finding the Saint & killing the Dark Mages. Lara tells Damian about her reversal & he realizes she loved him in the other timeline. Lara escorts Sonette to Eunice's ball. We learn Arcelus half sent Damian to Otan hoping he'd find happiness because Arcelus didn't have the power to protect him. Lara makes it clear she doesn't like Sidar. There are 2 fake saints: a farmer's wife & a noble's daughter. Damian gets Lara to confess she was in love with him in the other timeline. Lara tells him she was a fake saint then. Lara visits the temple, where she kisses a statue then is shown what happened after her death. The god tells Lara to find their name. Lara tells Damian & Isadora that she's the real saint. Sidar pursues Lara for Isadora's money. With Himena & Eunice's help, Lara rejects all his invitations, refuses all his gifts, goes around with Damian, & spreads rumors that Sidar is after Lara for Isadora's money (it's true), & Sidar ambushes Lara at tea with Sonette. Lara plays dumb about Isadora helping Sonette, & rejects Sidar's hand & friendship, saying he's only after her money & she's not interested. Sonette & Lara agree to team up to get Sonette on the throne. Sidar has snuck dark mages & assassins in to kill the faint saints & Sonette at the saint's banquet, but Lara protects Sonette, getting stabbed in the process, revealing she's the saint to Sonette. Sidar kills one of the fake saints (the farmer & wife), but Lara saves the noble's daughter, & they reveal Sidar's crimes. Sidar's crimes are revealed, and, when Sidar doesn't come out, the king sets fire to Sidar's palace.

[doushenka]

#𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐊𝐀 .         private     independent     writing     blog      penned     by     𝑑𝑖     ,     affiliated     with     highsociety .

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featuring ,　alexander esterházy-koháry .　　athina-magdlini de grèce .　　barron alderidge .　　cláudia jade d'ávila .　　dimitri vetrov .　　euphemia stuart .　　isoline neuville .　　kundavai "harina" chola .　　matilde de lara .　　mattia della torre .　　william reuben windsor .　　yasmin hassan .

alexander esterházy-koháry :      thirty - four. former rma football player. grand duke of western transdanubia and spare to slovakian throne .

connections :      barbara de bragança ( wife )   ,   blažej esterházy-koháry ( brother )

athina - magdlini de grèce :      twenty - seven. princess of greece, cousin of the filipović's of croatia, though recently someone has claimed to usurp their title .

connections :      ilija filipović ( cousin )   ,   tbd .

barron alderidge :      thirty - five. board member of comoedia corp. university rugby player and london business school alumni. engaged without baby mama drama at the moment .

connections :      beatrice alderidge ( mother )   ,    bradford thurnbury ( father )   ,    bernard alderidge ( eldest brother )   ,    céline vergès ( fiancée )

cláudia jade d'ávila :      twenty - eight. the second oldest of the brazilian royal family who claimed their legacy after an uprising left the former republic to return to the rule of royalty .

connections :      caio d'ávila ( older brother )

dimitri vetrov :     thirty - three. russian oil tycoon billionaire, family owns the equivalent of getty images. he portrays the starving artist trope without the starving part, and pretending he's fine with getting divorced from his fashion designer wife after their public new york break up .

connections :      pérola belmonte furtado ( ex - ish wife )

euphemia stuart :      twenty - nine. princess of scotland second in line, duchess of ross. currently working on gaining more favorability from the public to become next in line for the throne .

connections :      barbara de bragança ( match maker )

isoline neuville :      twenty - nine. features editor for chèrie .

connections :      céline vergès ( best friend )

kundavai "harina" chola :      thirty - one. daughter of the emperor of the chola dynasty in india which made a resurgence after their decline in the 13th century. she married a commoner a year ago must to the dismay of some .

connections :      tbd .

matilde de lara :      thirty - five. duchess of aragon, queen of catalonia. mother of two at present, manel aged four and malena aged two .

connections :      sergi d'aragó ( husband )   ,    barbara de bragança ( best friend )   ,    inna soletskaya ( best friend )

mattia della torre :      thirty - two. the duke of genoa. gained his title due to his closeness with the prince of italy. he wanted more and ended up the face of what dating to rise in ranks looks like .

connections :      leonor de bragança ( ex - girlfriend, bad terms )   ,    barbara de bragança ( number one hater )

william reuben windsor :      twenty - eight. f1 driver number sixty - three for mercedes. some number away from being in line to the english crown that nears double digits .

connections :      ilija filipović ( best friend )

yasmin hassan :      thirty. crown princess of morocco. eldest of two though her younger brother was favored by some closest to her father .

connections :      tbd .

[tehuti88-art]

2/2/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Leopoldine Jäger. She's the young (around eleven years old) daughter of Magdalena Jäger and adopted daughter of Major Ludolf Jäger (her mother was pregnant when they met). She's also the oldest of nine children (and counting). She's every bit Daddy's little princess; despite them not being related by blood, they adore each other, and she's plainly Jäger's favorite. She's also a budding fanatic just like her parents. There'll be more about her later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding her design, she's leucistic, not albino. Since she's a child, I tweaked her design, and made her eyes and ears about 10% bigger.

TUMBLR EDIT: I've already gone over most of Leopoldine's role in the story in her mother Magda's entry. Magda is pregnant with her, via a one-night stand with an SS officer when Magda is around eighteen or nineteen, and he has no interest in marriage (and Magda's family is no help), so Magda goes to a Lebensborn maternity home in hopes they'll help deliver the baby and put it up for adoption (abortion of Aryan babies is illegal). While there, she meets Jäger (a captain at the time), a former Waffen-SS officer who's recently transferred to the Allgemeine-SS and is touring the maternity home; he'd recently been involved in the other part of the Lebensborn project, offering his own services fathering children he'll never get to meet. He's looking to start his own family, and something about Magda sparks his interest; the two of them pretty much see it as fate that they meet when they do, and quickly end up engaged and then married. Magda worries that Jäger will be disappointed in a daughter, much less a daughter who's not even his by blood; yet Jäger latches on to little Leopoldine immediately, declaring her his "perfect little Prinzessin." He officially adopts her without a second thought, and always treats her as his own. He and Magda just as quickly start their own family--Lisbeth, Liesl, twins Lars and Lara, Lothar, twins Lilli and Lotti, Liane, and another baby on the way by the final story--yet it's Leopoldine who holds the first place in Jäger's heart until the very end. These two just adore each other to bits, and Jäger spoils all his children, but he spoils Leopoldine the most. Leopoldine is his heir, and his most promising pupil. He plans for her to one day take his place as leader of the Fourth Reich.

Leopoldine is bright, she's devoted, and she's motivated. She'll do anything to make Papa happy. She's the perfect Nazi daughter. Jäger easily uses his powers of persuasion on Magda, who's not terribly intelligent but loves him dearly; still, Leopoldine is even more devoted than she is. Magda tries to believe in the cause but at times she has her doubts, especially as time goes on and the Third Reich begins to falter. Leopoldine never doubts. Not once. So of course, Jäger deduces quickly that she's the one he has to groom to make the perfect Führer. Sure, she's a girl. But that's just a tiny inconvenience. Jäger has his own bizarre vision for the new world, and if he and Magda can't lead it, then Leopoldine will.

Leopoldine is kind of a pathetic figure in that really, she has no will or vision of her own. Everything she believes and does is for her father. She exists merely as an extension of him, a personification of his own hopes and dreams. From the moment of her birth, she never really stands a chance. Sure she's happy, she fully believes in the plan. Just that she never had the chance to believe in anything else, or to know that there are other paths she could have followed. Jäger does such a thorough job of ensuring her devotion that even if someone had the chance to show her what else is out there, she wouldn't care; Papa's plan is all that matters. In this way, despite her reprehensible belief system, she's basically an innocent. She doesn't know it's wrong, or any other way to be. She's just the empty vessel an SS officer fathered, Magda bore, and Jäger filled to the brim with his plans for a new Reich to replace the old.

The Fourth Reich is never to be, of course; but Jäger is smart, he comes up with an emergency plan for that, too. He hopes it never comes to pass, though it does. He shares this backup plan with Magda and Leopoldine shortly before the end. Magda is anguished, and tries to refuse; Leopoldine holds steady. At the very end, when Jäger is gone and the time comes to implement the final plan, Leopoldine still has full belief it'll work out, even if in a different life and not here; she reassures her mother that Jäger had promised it would be so. Why would Papa lie? As Magda gathers the children and gets things ready, Leopoldine brings hot cocoa for all to drink until they fall asleep. She's the last to doze off; she's also the last child Magda shoots and kills, her mother sobbing her eyes out the entire time. Magda takes her own life shortly afterward, all part of the plan. And just like that, the sprawling Jäger family is no more.

The sad little bodies, all bundled up lovingly in a row and with their heads covered (except for Magda, of course), are discovered by the same group which defeated Jäger. Among them is Otto Himmel, a former SS captain; he previously worked for Jäger as a secretary and trusted confidant. He was well loved by the Jäger children, including Leopoldine, and despite his feigned cranky demeanor he loved them as well, slipping them candies whenever he could, tolerating their cries of "Uncle Otto" as they would clamber over him. Himmel had longed for a large family yet was never blessed with one; the Jäger children served as a sort of surrogate. Upon finding the children's bodies, he breaks down weeping, kneeling and gently clasping Leopoldine's small cold hand in his own. "Why? What was the point?" he cries; "I gladly would have taken them in." The actual point--that either the Jägers were to live and thrive together, or be defeated and die together, no in between--is too alien for him to understand. Himmel's always believed in life, unlike the fake professed beliefs of the Nazis, who believed in life under particular circumstances only. He doesn't see a defeated Reich, a noble sacrifice, in the end. All he sees is an immense waste of what could have been. A family tragedy.

Indeed, that's all that becomes of Jäger's grand plan for his wife and children and himself. A new world that collapses before it's born, and the annihilation of a family. A tragedy, and nothing more.

[Leopoldine Jäger 2024 [‎Friday, ‎February ‎2, ‎2024, ‏‎12:00:10 AM]]

[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: New eAudiobooks

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (read by Meryl Streep)

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart.

American Prometheus by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin (read by Jeff Cummings)

American Prometheus is a full-scale biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the awesome fire of the sun for his country in time of war. Immediately after Hiroshima, he became the most famous scientist of his generation - one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, the embodiment of modern man confronting the consequences of scientific progress.

He was the author of a radical proposal to place international controls over atomic materials - an idea that is still relevant today. He opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb and criticized the Air Force's plans to fight an infinitely dangerous nuclear war. In the now almost-forgotten hysteria of the early 1950s, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup, and, in response, Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss, Superbomb advocate Edward Teller and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover worked behind the scenes to have a hearing board find that Oppenheimer could not be trusted with America's nuclear secrets.

American Prometheus sets forth Oppenheimer's life and times in revealing and unprecedented detail. Exhaustively researched, it is based on thousands of records and letters gathered from archives in America and abroad, on massive FBI files and on close to a hundred interviews with Oppenheimer's friends, relatives, and colleagues.

Pageboy by Elliot Page (read by Elliot Page)

“Can I kiss you?” It was two months before the world premiere of Juno, and Elliot Page was in his first ever queer bar. The hot summer air hung heavy around him as he looked at her. And then it happened. In front of everyone. A previously unfathomable experience. Here he was on the precipice of discovering himself as a queer person, as a trans person. Getting closer to his desires, his dreams, himself, without the repression he’d carried for so long. But for Elliot, two steps forward had always come with one step back.

With Juno’s massive success, Elliot became one of the world’s most beloved actors. His dreams were coming true, but the pressure to perform suffocated him. He was forced to play the part of the glossy young starlet, a role that made his skin crawl, on and off set. The career that had been an escape out of his reality and into a world of imagination was suddenly a nightmare.

As he navigated criticism and abuse from some of the most powerful people in Hollywood, a past that snapped at his heels, and a society dead set on forcing him into a binary, Elliot often stayed silent, unsure of what to do. Until enough was enough.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (read by Jennifer Blom)

There's a princess trapped in a tower. This isn't her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

[justanothersimsblog]

Summary: Ibis’ childhood cont

At 11 Ibis got his first girlfriend, a girl from his class named Anna, because his older siblings got in relationships too and that made it cool. Ulene inadvertently told Ibis that the house rule for girls was that they (he and Katra) had to meet them first before they could spend time over. Kiki couldn’t stand her so she was happy when they finally broke up later.

Another trip! This time the family went to Monte Vista. Both Ari and Eti now had boyfriends who also tagged along in this trip. Ulene rented a big house for the 11 of them. They met an old fae, Agatha, who recognized the pink hair. They discovered that she was related to them, sort of, she identified herself as the adoptive mother of a Lewis Notte, which was the family’s last name in Bridgeport. Lara changed it and then adopted Deadwyler after marrying Alan. Lewis didn’t have pink hair but his wife did and Agatha had a picture of them. Also during this trip Ibis met Francesca, who believed him to be 15 instead of almost 13. When Ulene found out he made him tell the truth which obviously meant she didn’t want to see him anymore. Before the trip ended Ulene and Ibis had a little chat about the responsibility of having a Pink haired heir.

Ibis’ more rebellious years begin. Before he’d broken rules and gotten punished but now he started taking things to new extremes. He got his piercings, eventually got his tattoos, started smoking, and making more drinks and the drugs him and his friends (Kiki and Pubert) would smoke. He didn’t care that he was breaking his mom’s biggest rule of absolutely no drugs or smoking. He also tried to date Kiki, and they hooked up for a bit, but when he wanted to take a step further she said no and everything ended.

10th grade and over the summer Ibis came up with a ridiculous plan that would end with him getting laid. His friends laughed when he told them and assured him they’d help but it wasn’t going to work. “No girl would fall for something so stupid!”. Well, one did. Ibis started ‘tutoring’ girls, first having lunch at school, then taking them home for dinner with the family so everyone would get a chance to meet, and finally ending in his room where he did everything he could to not open a book. Taia fell, hard, for him, and so their non-relationship relationship started. Saylor, Taia’s best friend, was vocally against this and even intimidated Ibis with her half-demon powers, but he took it in good stride because he had no intention of causing any harm. Because he lied he got grounded and punished, but he kept sneaking around to see her, and the whole thing started a vicious cycle. His mom was also on his ass for smoking which also kept extending his punishments. At the end of the year his school work had suffered so much due to absences that he had two choices, all boys military school, or Yinera Ealin Academy for genius occults. 

He chose the Academy. He boarded there in Moonlight Falls for the last two years of high school\, where he made new friends and ‘dated’ new interesting girls. His roommate Kayne (and his brother Kale) became his new best friends, along with twins Emma and Grace. Emma was a frequent visitor of Ibis’ bed while Grace dated Kayne. Ibis also secretly ‘dated’ prom queen, class president, and actual fairy princess Ella, and a bunch of other girls, much to her distaste.

Ibis returned home to a Graduation party where everyone, even from neighboring towns, attended. Benny finally sealed the deal with girlfriend Gen, Timmy found some courage and did his first magic show performance in front of a crowd, Blaze and her new buddies escaped town after killing a guy right outside the venue, and Ibis hooked up with Taia after not having seen her for two years. Then it was off to college for Benny and Timmy, but off to travel the world for Ibis. With either friends (Kayne mostly) or family (his grandma Lara) he went to many cities around the world and had fun. He even visited his siblings in college.

[simshousewindsor]

The Royal House of Windsor: A Royal Look Back

Her Majesty Queen Lara-Leigh

Queen consort to His Majesty King Edward I Mother to His Majesty King Edward II

Royal Traditions

The royal family has many Christmas traditions, and one of the most famous is their annual walk from their Christmas celebrations at Beaverdam in Brindleton Bay to the nearby Mt. Table Chapel for the Christmas morning service - a tradition started by King Edward I and Queen Lara-Leigh in 1900. The tradition continued until King George I was crowned in 1992, as he preferred Christmas at Sumpterson in Henford.

Every New Year, King Edward and Queen Lara-Leigh would give gifts to the poor. The event took place in the Riding School at Windsor Castle until 1917 and gifts included: meat, bread, coal and blankets. Through the Royal Foundation, the royal family continues to highlight and volunteer at several charities for the less-fortunate during the Christmas season.

Family

Their Majesty’s had three children, Prince Edward (later Edward II); Amelia, Princess Royal; and Prince Albert, Duke of Hastings.

Prince Edward was only ten months old when his sister, Princess Amelia, was born. The pair shared a close bond, and also shared a tutor until Prince Edward was age 14. Prince Albert was born four years after Amelia.

The trio lived during the glorious Edwardian reign of the monarchy, witnessing Windenburgs regal transformation by their parents. They were also the first royal children to be born in, and reside at, Buckingsim Palace.

Jewels of the Crown

Queen Lara-Leigh is widely responsible for expanding the Jewels of the Crown, having received the massive Hammond Bequest - a jewelry collection bequeathed to her by Mrs. Hammond in 1932. Her Majesty also retrieved more of the jewels owned by Queen Lucille that were lost during the 1802 flood of Beaverdam Castle; most were retrieved by Albert II.

Over time, people have accused the queen of being a kleptomaniac. Reports say that when she would visit other residences or antique shops, she would closely admire an object (usually ranging from jewelry, antiques, Fabergé eggs, and miniatures) and would make it very clear that she was interested in receiving it as a gift or purchasing it. Other reports also say that aristocratic families would hide their prized possessions when the queen would visit. Her Majesty then started to show up places unannounced in order to get around this.

While it is easy to accuse her of being a kleptomaniac, her behaviors do not necessarily match the definition of kleptomania. Kleptomania is when a person has the urge to steal items of little to no value. Queen Lara-Leigh would go after expensive items, many believe, in order to expand the royal collection.

Legacy

Edward I passed away at the age of 74, two years after her son, Prince Edward, married Princess Zarah. Queen Lara-Leigh's son ascended the throne as Edward II after just turning 24 years of age.

Never feeling prepared for the throne, he relied heavily on his mother, Lara-Leigh, the new Queen Mother. Their closeness caused tension between her and Queen Zarah. The two Queens later became close until her death in 1962 at the age of 95.

Edward I and Queen Lara-Leigh created a lasting royal legacy, along with acquiring much of the regalia, traditions, and jewels the Royal Family is known for today.

During their reign, Windenburg experienced its longest period of stability showcasing the nation as a Sims world super power.

A Royal Look Back Collection

[starwrittenfates]

And that was exactly like Lara didn't want to get married or liked the idea of her father's idea of an arranged marriage to begin with. Not only was everyone already eyeing her for the precious Elder Blood and the possibilities it carried, but for the child she could bring forth with it along with her title. She knew the symbol of hope it would hold for their people, but Lara wanted to be more than that.

For starters, she wanted to be her own person too. Not just the Princess of the Aen Elle, or the Elder Blood, but Lara. She had to hide the feeling of wanting to cringe at Crevan's words of confirmation.

Green eyes went wide, looking up at him when he mentioned teaching a human magic. ❝ Are you sure that's a wise thing to do? What--what if this human turns and uses it against his own, forbide the rest of our kin still stuck on that continent and other world? ❞ However, the look of disbelief on her face only grew. ❝ You want me to meet this Cregennan of Lod, don't you? If my father ever found this all out...❞

But when had she ever been one for listening to him? Perhaps it was time she stopped it completely. And again, she was determined for him to not find out a thing. They had to keep up the act of pretending everything was okay and going smoothly.

"And Ge'els..." He added, folding his hands behind his back and doing his best to keep his face as passive as possible. "Imlerith, Nithral and well... I suppose the shorter list would be 'who doesn't want to marry you' I can't think of anyone in their right mind who wouldn't." Although he supposed their reasons for wanting to marry her were vastly different from his ideals of a marriage with Lara. He loved Lara for her soul, and they wanted her for the status she could give them. Sweet. Her father certainly wouldn't think so. "I'm careful. I know that I shouldn't, Lara, but healing a dh'oine child and watching the smile on their face as they walk for the first time... I can't sit by and do nothing when my magic can do that for them." "One of them is exceptionally talented for a human. We have a deal, he and I. I teach him magic, and he teaches the others. Nobody will ever know it came from me. Most important he learns magic to help his people, and he doesn't flinch at a pointed ear. I believe that we both want the same thing." He only hoped that he was not making a terrible mistake that would come back on their people later on down the road. "Cregennan of Lod they call him. I think that you would like him, Lara."

[thesvnsins]

{Prologue}

Genre: angst, fantasy

Warnings: kidnapping, dragons, separating from family, a little family drama.

Wordcount: 2.4k

A/n: okay so this is my first series. Don't know what to expect(?)

Be my Treasure | Next

Your feet dragged you through the hallways of your palace. Everything was already set. The weather was clear and the sun was shining brightly. The guests had already arrived. The food was already prepared. The wedding gown was sitting perfectly on you.

The wedding.

Your wedding.

A ceremony that binds the groom and bride together. Forever. Something special for both of them. Something that makes their hearts bloom....so why aren't you able to feel anything?

It's not your day. It was supposed to be your sister's day. It was Lara's wedding. And yet here you are, preparing to walk down the aisle and become one with the person she was supposed to be with.

Royalty is such a cruel path.

Your parents had worked hard to find the perfect husband. A princess and a king. The ceremony would unite you to him making you the queen of his kingdom.

But not his heart.

Your sister had specially given you her most adorned jewellery for this day. The royal circlet. Only the highest-ranked people in the family were allowed to wear it.

You weren't supposed to wear it. It's only worn on the wedding day of the crown princess. You are not the crown princess. You never were.

You were summoned ten minutes ago, informing you about the beginning of your wedding ceremony.

Typically, it would be held in the royal church with a minimum audience, sealing the deal in front of the families. But since the king liked the outdoors, the wedding was also being held in the royal gardens with more than required people.

That's where you were headed to. The royal gardens. A place where you spend most of your childhood with your sister. Playing with her. Laughing with her. But now all the happiness was going to get crushed under your king's commands.

When a princess is married to a king, he takes over the princess's kingdom as a sign of dominance and power. Taking the crown and making it his own. Stealing it. Claiming it as his. A centuries-old tradition of your kingdom.

Said tradition is going to happen to you. Caelum isn't a very big kingdom and you might not be the crown heir but being the princess of an independent kingdom was one of your dignities which you carried with pride.

Covering your face with the thick veil you enter through the heavy metal doors, introducing you to the new setup arranged in the gardens.

The chairs are placed in proper rows and the orchestra is playing a beautiful melody for your arrival. The guests all are standing up from their seats, some smiling, some clapping.

A big floral arch was straight in your view with white and pink roses, just like the bouquet you were holding. Your eyes land on the person in front of the arch.

The king.

Your king.

Or that's what he is supposed to be.

You have been trying so hard to have any sort of feelings for him but it always comes back to your emotions and not the title of his position.

He is wearing proper regal attire with a sword clasping close to his waist. His smile is wide and gorgeous, but not welcoming.

He has always been known for his looks more than his victories. But you don't find him quite attractive as your friends had suggested. Or was it because you don't feel anything for him. You don't even know his name, how did your parents think you can love someone without knowing a single speck about them.

After today, you will be his and would have to follow all his rules, all his regulations and all his orders. Nothing yours. Nothing of your own. You won't be allowed to make any decisions or be given any choices.

Just him and his rules.

You start walking as the pianist hits the crescendo. The guests smile while looking at the bride, all fake. They all know it's meaningless.

Everything is fake. They always have two faces. One for show and the other which shows the real person. This is all for show.

Always have been. You rarely get to meet a genuine person. Even your own family makes you question them sometimes.

At least they are not able to see who is behind the veil. They don't know. Would never know. If it's you or Lara.

You reach to the handsome king and he gently takes your left hand and kisses the top of it.

"You're looking beautiful, my princess" he compliments you but his words somehow make shives of fear run through your spine.

Princess.

His princess.

More like a caged bird kept as a trophy. Used as a souvenir to show off. Making them believe that he had won you. Conquered you.

His smile, his touch, his presence all make you feel cold. So cold. Is this going to be your life? You can't spend a lifetime with someone who makes you feel numb but one look at your parent's face twists your thoughts completely.

They both look so happy, looking at their daughter getting married and having a settled life. Getting to have stability in the kingdom and their lives, who wouldn't want that.

The officiant starts to speak the seven holy vows made by the bride and groom which binds them together in divine matrimony.

The vow of Communication

The vow of Support

The vow of Respect

The vow of Protection

The vow of Vulnerability

The vow of Trust

The vow of Love

You know he won't obey any of these vows as he is the king, he treats everyone as his housekeeper, let it be his family members too.

Your eyes roam around your surroundings for one last time. Looking at them through a filtered white layer. Remembering each detail - the view of lavender flowers lined up against each other, the listless flow of the river Meraki through your gardens, the little passage it created through your gardens to water the plants themselves, your parent's proud faces. Your parents. The king and the queen of Caelum.

But your sister was nowhere to be seen. Maybe hidden in her room or the library with her lover.

Everything suddenly seemed so surreal. You were just a princess - walking around the palace halls, playing with your friends, enjoying your life - and suddenly you were going to get married. But when the reality hit you, you couldn't stop but close your eyes and breath still to calm yourself. How you grew up here and now you have to leave it all behind just for the sake of a deal.

A deal with no respect, no independence, no love.

Nothing.

The officiant's voice brings you back as he asks you to answer his question with an 'I do'. The king looked at you with gleaming eyes awaiting your reply. If eyes could speak, his would confess greed. Hungry for power and not for love. Burning for authority and not respect. How could someone be so lifeless?

Your parents waited for your answer. Even the guests seemed interested. Dying to know when the 'crown princess' will answer the king with a charming smile.

Suddenly the open environment felt suffocating to you. Were you ready to give your life to someone you never knew just for the sake of strength? Were you ready to respect someone who you knew would cheat behind your back? Were you ready to love him just for the sake of a promise?

But before you could give any reply, high pitched screams were heard from the other side of the palace. Servants screamed and many came running into the gardens.

Your father went to one of them, "What happened?" he asked, terrified by the look on the servents face.

"The da-drag..." But they couldn't get much out due to the lack of oxygen. Your father turns towards you his eyes filled with tears as if full of regret or was it fear?

You couldn't understand.

He ordered a few guards something and they all started to run with him to the other side of the palace.

The king abruptly held both of your upper arms tightly making you look at him, "Just say yes Lara and it would be done!" he screams, still wanting an answer. An answer. An authority that only you could give him. Authority over you and your kingdom. But you couldn't get anything out of your mouth. As if you froze on spot. You are not Lara. How could you answer?

You could never answer.

Lara could never answer.

The guests and your relatives started running in different directions, trying to hide from something you didn't know.

Before you could ask anyone the reason for this frenzy your mother held your wrists tightly

"Come on, just get in! Be safe!" her voice cracked mid-sentence but that didn't stop her as she ran with you towards the palace.

The king shouted behind you about something like 'missing a great opportunity' but you didn't halt your steps, you felt good running away from him but still didn't understand the reason behind the shouts and screams.

But before you could get inside the palace threshold, a big silhouette covered the grounds. The sky was clear, you saw it this morning. The clouds don't move that quickly. You didn't realise when your mother stopped, neither the shouts were audible nor the guests were visible.

The shadow moved and that's when you realised that it wasn't a cloud. Your eyes slowly moved towards the sky and all you could see was a dark purple body of a huge winged creature you never saw or read about.

The creature moved its wings in a powerful stoke which lead to you and your mother stumbling. As you fell, the circlet tiara adorning your forehead also dropped.

You moved quickly to get it as it was studded with the most important royal jewel, a Painite.

As you gripped the tiara close to you, you felt a strong presence behind you.

But before you could turn and look behind you, two very sharp claws held you by your upper arms and you felt your feet being elevated off the grounds.

Many screams and desperate pleas of your mother and sister were heard by you. You started twisting and swivelling but his strong limbs held you so tightly, you could feel your skin being pierced by his nails.

All you could do was scream and shout at the top of your lungs as their figure became shorter and shorter.

You didn't even dare to look up, too scared of the creature who was holding you. Your lips trembled as tears poured out of your eyes. The pain given by his claws was too much for you to take.

Its powerful wings flapped and spiked through the air as it moved further away from your home. All you could do was just stare in disbelief.

It was your wedding day. You had just walked down the aisle and now you were being held by a mystical creature that was taking you to God knows where.

A small part of your brain was somehow glad. Now you don't have to marry an obnoxious king. But looking at the bigger picture, you were being held by a monster in mid-air. One slip and you will be quiet forever.

You hadn't noticed how fast your heart was beating until now. Your breathing was slightly increased and uneven. A single drop of sweat trickled by your hairline to your brow.

Fear.

You were never afraid of anything but right now the fear of not ever meeting your family combined with the fear of death made you hysterical.

That thought made you adjust your shoulders a little bit. That might have provoked something as the beast flared its nostrils and clenched his claws more tightly.

You noticed creeks of blood seeping out of the jabbed claws on your forearm. It wasn't burning very much or maybe the adrenaline wasn't letting you sense it.

After a while, you finally found the courage to take a good look at your captivator. Through your position, you weren't able to define much of its feature but you were able to see the shiny purple-coloured scales in the sunlight.

It had a long neck and scales all over its skin. Its head had two long regal shaped horns. Its back supported its huge wings.

The most striking feature this animal had were its eyes. They weren't any usual colour but were the colour of amethyst. They gleamed in the sunlight. They looked so magical that you almost forgot you were flying high up in the sky.

Your eyes roamed to his limbs and you saw two arrows stabbed in his front limbs, through which it held you.

Its blood wasn't clearly evident but the glint of the red liquid made it clear that the arrows were deep in his skin. You looked down and couldn't help but be captivated by the view beneath you.

The Meraki river was flowing gently through the woods and the trees were standing tall. Their leaves covered most of the ground and rare open patches of land were visible with a few houses. Not many people were residing there.

Suddenly a thought occurred to you. You have studied in your earlier years that a few houses meant that the area was barely habitable or uninhabitable at all. Not many residents meant you were at the edge of the habitable province.

"Where are you taking me?!" you shouted at the creature but got nothing in response.

You wiggled a bit as you knew it aggravated it and that it did. But you didn't get any information instead it clenched its claws more deeply into your forearms making you whimper in return.

It was foolish of you. To even try to talk to an animal who has probably never seen civilisation.

The sun was slowly starting to set. The shadow of this animal was constantly on you so you weren't able to feel much of the afternoon sun's heat.

But now as the sun started to move west, you secretly prayed that it didn't. You have no idea what would happen to you once there is no light for you to survive in. The moonlight won't be sufficient for you.

You don't know where this creature was taking you but the rush of cold that ran down your spine was one indication that things aren't going to be the same anymore.

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@dayrin085

[yoursaltytears]

From Inferior to Superior - Strong Women Lead.

In the age of classic video games during the era of family computers, SNES and PlayStation. There are popular story missions that we always encounter, a strong male protagonist needs to rescue a damsel in distress. Who would ever forget that Princess Peach is in danger after Bowser, the main antagonist of the Super Mario brothers, was kidnapped and it's our mission as Mario or Luigi, to stop the villain from marrying the princess. As the game progresses and cleared out every stage the only thing we can notice is that the higher the castle, the stronger the enemies until Lo and behold we defeated the evil Bowser and his minions.

I always ponder why classic video games portray women as weak and inferior?. Is it because that a woman's role is to wait until a hero comes along or it is intentionally designed in that way?.

Study shows that mostly 60% of the gamers are men and video game companies market their titles to appeal to their liking, until the modern age of gaming arrives and strong female leads such as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn,Ellie Williams from The Last of Us and many more female protagonists rise above the industry. It opened a lot of opportunities to female gamers to relate on their favorite characters to be courageous, strong and independent.

As female lead is introduce, story driven games welcomes a fresh narrative making strong protagonist women “fearless” breaking the stereo type that female lead with immense power and skills, they can take down an army, a walking death reaper and unstoppable force of nature.

Playing A Plague Tale: Requiem, the  sequel of the adventure survival game A Plague Tale: Innocence. It perfectly execute that a female lead can be superior and unforgiven. In the game, Amicia de Rune is getting darker and darker marking the end of innocence by protecting her brother Hugo who is suffering from a mysterious malady from a group of Inquisitors to the point that she will get her hands dirty with their own blood.

Amicia is facing a  statement of "What have I become". She began to question her morality by the actions she committed. But not only Amicia, but a lot of strong video game female lead ended up becoming the same story as her, mistaken the power as a strong suit to become the villain.

Whether it's because of nostalgia, characterization, or simply because of their overall uniqueness, some female protagonists create an enduring impression on their audience. They may have extensive and elaborate legacies, or perhaps they are just getting started. There are many female protagonists that have already become famous, whatever the circumstance.

For as long as video games existed, women have fought to make themselves known within the medium.