#aeron writing prompt

[icanbeyourgenie]

[sirens attacking Aeron's ship]

It all happened so fast.

Morgana had finally agreed to let Aeron take a trip on his ship, and the fae couldn't be happier. He even had a pirate suit adjusted just for Calypso, who came with him, and was at first dizzy because of the movements of the ship. But Yasmeen held her hand until she got a grip of it, and now she seemed fine. She was even chatting with her husband, who was in better mood now that he was holding the helm of his ship that he had been in months. Yasmeen knew he loved piracy since... well, since he was a boy always asking her for pirate stories. Malachai came along, and spent more time watching Calypso and Aeron than actually talking. Yasmeen was content just admiring the move of the waves as the ship glided along it, when it all exploded.

The brutal contact with the cold water made her react. She was deep in it, now. Something was holding her leg. She grabbed one of her knives. The water slowed down her movement and blurried her vision, but somehow she was able to make enough damage to her oponent of them to let go of her. It was only when she finally reached the surface that she took a grasp of what happened.

They had been in a narrow path of a shoreline between two rocky cliff. Aeron had not been worried for a second. He had navigated worst paths a million times. But this time, something threw the ship against the cliff, effectively breaking it. Two somethings, actually.

The threat in the water was a bit difficult for Yasmeen to see, but judging by the speed at which the water moved, she would bet on sirens. The threat in the air, however, she never saw it before. Big birds, she thought, before she realized they were only half birds, and half human.

Her blood ran cold, but she snapped out of it. She only had a few seconds to react. She couldn't see where Malachai was, which meant he probably was fighting under the water. Aeron was in the sky, his wings spread. He seldom used them so Yasmeen almost forgot how they looked like. Aeron aimed for the weird bird that currently had Calypso between its claws. It dropped the girl into the water to fight Aeron, and Yasmeen swam towards her protegee.

Her knives slowed her down, but she arrived just in time to fatally wound two sirens that attacked an already injured Calypso. Yasmeen's moves were more difficult in the water. Thankfully, Calypso had turned into a mermaid already. And when Yasmeen became too exhausted to stay afloat after her fourth kill, the princess took her by the waist and quickly made them join the rocky shore.

❝Are you okay?❞ They spoke at the same time, but something moved in the corner of Yasmeen's eye and she was already on her feet, throwing a knife on the head of the bird that was aiming towards them. A few others followed and got closer, using their claws as effective weapons. Yasmeen managed to fatally hurt them before they got to Calypso and, thankfully, Aeron took over and drawed them to him, giving Yasmeen the time to kneel to assess Calypso's wounds. She had a few scratches on her waist, but it was mostly her tail that was bleeding. It probably explained why she hadn't turn back yet.

❝You're hurt.❞

❝So are you.❞ Calypso sounded worried, but Yasmeen had no time to assess her own wounds.

❝It's my job to protect you princess, not the other way around. Now let me see.❞

Yasmeen was aware that they weren't safe. It wasn't an island shore, but the feet of a cliff, filled with pointy rocks that gave them something to sit on and made it harder for the sirens to get to them, but not impossible. Yasmeen trusted Malachai to deal with them, and she knew Aeron could fend against the sky threats. So she focused on Calypso.

Fortunately, the wound wasn't too big. Soon enough, the threats were all dead, and the boys came back to them. Yasmeen let out a breath there. Calypso had grabbed her hand at some point.

❝Are you guys okay?❞ The princess asked, visibly worried.

❝Yes. Are you? Did they hurt you?❞ Malachai answered and the girls shook their heads.

❝Aeron, are you okay?❞ Calypso asked, and Yasmeen thought she was too good for him.

Aeron didn't answer. He was barely standing on one of the rocks, his wings did all of the job. He looked gloomy, almost murderous. He didn't often wear this look. Not that he wasn't dangerous, but Yasmeen knew he was more of the care-free kind of dangerous. The "I'll laugh and smile one second before stabbing you" type. He wasn't the cold-angry type. But seeing this look on his face, she knew he tought of his ship. It was his only joy in the world, it seemed.

❝You'll make another ship.❞ She wanted to think that she said those words respectfully, but she clearly sounded pissed. How dare he care more the well-being of his ship than the fact that they almost lost their lives?

It made him look at her with that same kind of anger, and Calypso immediately changed the subject.

❝What were those things?!❞

❝Sirens.❞ Malachai answered and Calypso rolled her eyes impatiently.

❝I know that already, brother. I meant the weird birds.❞

❝Sirens too.❞ Calypso frowned and he explained. ❝They're very rare, but the siren transformation processus is not unique. When the humans are turned into sirens, their bodies are given two choices.❞

❝So, like... bird or fish?❞ Malachai nodded. ❝You're saying that our brother could've been a bird?!❞

Yasmeen almost laughed but held it back. She could see that Malachai struggled to stay serious too. ❝Pretty much. We do not usually concern ourselves with the bird ones, since they don't live in the sea.❞

❝It was an attack.❞ Malachai answered.

❝We used to. When we lived in the sky. My uncle told me about them.❞ It was Aeron's first words. He looked a little bit more like himself already, but still a bit too serious compared to the usual. ❝My mother said they disappeared, but I already encoutered a few during my travels. Not this many in one pack, though.❞

A look of understanding passed between the two princes. A look that testified that, despite their differences, they were both trained soldiers who represented their respective people, and they knew what they had to do next. They nodded to each other.

❝Calypso, can you swim?❞ Malachai asked.

❝I think I can.❞

❝She can't.❞ Yasmeen chipped in. ❝She needs medical care first.❞ Calypso wanted to argue, but everyone could see that her tail was pretty hurt.

❝Then you'll hold on to me as we go back to court.❞

She nodded, as Aeron turned around to hold out his hand to Yasmeen. The two princes had decided of a way to bring the girls back to the fae court, but Yasmeen couldn't take this hand. She looked at the cliff above her.

❝I can climb.❞ She decided, and she knew she could. ❝I'll just walk.❞

❝Don't be ridiculous.❞ Aeron said. ❝It'll take you days. And you know I can't let you do that.❞

He couldn't. The risk of escape was too high. But she held her ground. ❝I'm not flying with you.❞

Yasmeen knew she was making it difficult, but she would always remember the time she flew with him to that wretched island she'll never forget. Malachai and Calypso were probably completely lost, but Yasmeen could feel Calypso squeezing her hand a little stronger, as a sign of support.

Aeron rolled his eyes. ❝You don't have the choice, wraith.❞

❝Yes she does.❞ Calypso answered, using her authoritarian princess voice. ❝If she wants to walk, then we'll walk.❞

Yasmeen almost smiled, her heart a little lighter to see that, even if Calypso didn't understand the problem, she had seen enough of Yasmeen's discomfort to take her side. People usually didn't do that.

❝Or she could swim with me.❞ All eyes turned to Malachai, who looked at Aeron. ❝You take my sister back, I'll take Yasmeen.❞

They looked at each other again, and Yasmeen could see the beginning of a trust blooming. Or at least the mutual knowledge that they were both constantly trying to avoid their immature parents to start a war. They could at least count on that. They agreed, and the girls did too. Aeron was about to take Calypso in his arms.

❝Wait.❞ The princess turned, and without a word, kissed Yasmeen on the lips. ❝That way, you'll be able to breathe underwater for at least an hour. It should be enough time for both of you to get back.❞

❝Hum... Thank you?❞ Calypso laughed at this reaction. Malachai did not.

❝Okay, time to go Sunshine.❞

He took her in, actually paying attention to her wounds, and they went into the sky together. It's when they were finally alone that Yasmeen noticed Malachai's stretched silence.

❝Are you... okay with that decision?❞

❝Of course I am.❞ He lightened up, or at least forced himself too. Yasmeen didn't understand, but blamed it on the recent fight. ❝But, just out of curiosity, why didn't you want to fly with Aeron?❞

Yasmeen wanted to be honest, but she wasn't ready for that conversation yet. ❝I don't particulary trust him. Does that surprise you?❞

❝If it was just that, you wouldn't have let Calypso go with him.❞

❝He can't hurt her without risking a war.❞ He knew it was only half the truth, but he didn't push. ❝Besides... I lost almost all of my knives.❞ She looked almost sad now. ❝I'd rather be with someone I trust completely if I don't have them with me.❞

He swam away without saying a word and, as puzzled as Yasmeen was, she couldn't help herself but realizing that it was the first time she saw his tail. Red, just like his eyes. She didn't have any time to dwell on her feelings that he already came back, holding said knives in his hand. Her eyes widened.

❝You mean those?❞

She jumped out of her rocks and came closer to him - thankfully, she still had a foothold, since they were near the shore. ❝How did you-❞

❝They all landed on the water when you threw them. I just caught them.❞

❝While fighting a hord of sirens?❞

❝I know how you love those knives.❞ Yasmeen didn't even try to hide her smile. ❝Besides, some of them helped. One of them landed right next to me at the exact moment I needed a weapon. I almost tought you threw it on purpose.❞

She put back each one of her knife in their sheath, trying but failing to find a way to thank Malachai for it, so she just stayed silent. Until the moment he touched one of the cut on her cheek, and she winced. ❝I was truly worried for you.❞ He admitted.

❝Were you?❞ She smiled. ❝Well I, on the other hand, trusted you completely, so I'm a little offended. Have I not proven myself to you?❞ She joked, and was satisfied to make him laugh a little.

❝You always have a comeback, don't you?❞

❝I'm afraid so.❞ In the silence that followed, she noticed how close they were but didn't step back. What was it about Malachai that made him feel safe to be close to? She didn't know. He was a prince, and he had shown signs of interests, she should have avoided him like the plague. But she didn't want to. ❝I like your tail.❞ She said instead, and when he looked embarassed, she immediately regretted it. ❝Sorry, is this a weird thing to say? I'm not familiar with-❞

❝It's not weird. Not at all. Just..❞

She knew he wanted to thank her, just like she did earlier. It appeared they had a lost of issues in showing their feelings, so she changed the subject.

❝It was uncomfortable, I'll admit. Fighting in the water. I couldn't move properly, and my vision was blurry.❞

❝I saw you. You did great, but yes we should totally work on that.❞

❝I can't breathe under water.❞

❝As my sister said, we can easily fix that.��

❝I'm not sure the princess agreed to kiss me before every training session.❞

❝Well then we'll just have to find someone who's willing to do it.❞

Was this flirting? Yasmeen didn't want to answer this question. Lately, they toyed the line a lot, but always came back into safe territory just after. Maybe it was for the best.

❝Something is bugging me, though.❞ She loved the way he immediately listened. ❝I don't really know what happened. One minute we were on the ship. The next I was in the water. But there's a gap...❞

❝The sirens sang. It's hypnotizing for humans. Even I was a little disoriented by the birds' songs. I never heard it before. But... our ears are more fit to it. It's why we had time to react with Aeron. They stopped singing when we fought back.❞

She hated being reminded how humans were so vulnerable. ❝Is there a way to get used to it? For a human, I mean.❞

❝I admit I don't know...❞

❝I'll ask Nate when we get back. I'd like to try.❞ Malachai nodded. Their smiles dropped when they realized they truly had to go now.

❝Just hold on to my shoulders and I'll do the rest. Tell me if I go too fast, I know humans don't always like that. And if you can't breathe anymore at some point, you know what to do.❞

[princess-from-another-galaxy]

Me, writing a Benjicot "Bloody Ben" Blackwood/Aeron Bracken enemies to lovers fic, because I refuse to acknowledge that he isn't bloody ben and AO3 is down, so idk if there's already fics of them or not

[likeafairytale]

“Okay but did you already have sex with a man though?” — Aeron to Malachai

Malachai almost spilled his drink to the question. It's been five drinks that he told himself that it was 'the last drink' but somehow, they kept coming, and he kept drinking them. No doubt Aeron was the cause of it. Tomorrow, he will wake up with a horrible hangover, and possibly a migraine with the feeling of hating himself, but that will be tomorrow's problem, not tonight's. In between, they talked about numerous subject; navigation, ships, Malachai's gift, but somehow, they came back to the subject of Malachai's sexuality, no doubt that Aeron was the cause of it again. The man seemed distant all the long of their conversation, and now the sea prince knew why; this question was in his brain since the beginning.

Aeron was for sure curious. Malachai knew how to deal with curious people, he had to deal with Nathaniel and Calypso after all, and they were very curious. For sure, Aeron was as curious as his siblings, but he was probably asking the right questions all the time. Always the sensible subjects, the subjects Malachai wasn't at ease with, at least not while being sober. Maybe six drinks ago, he would have been offended, and even would have left the bar, but he was drunk and tired, and the idea of standing up was making him dizzy already. So he stayed there, drinking his drink, that Aeron took pleasure to refill, as soon as he was over. The fae's prince frowned, put the bottle down and looked intensely at Malachai. The sea prince frowned too, sensing a shift in the air. He did not like it. He drank his glass before Aeron could ask anything else, knowing damn well that another forbidden question was following.

“Wait..... Did you already have sex with anyone? I feel I should start there.” Aeron asked in a whispered, as if there were people ready to spy on the two princes. They were, in fact, no one else in the bar. They were alone for an hour, but too deep in their drinking to realize it, probably. To that question, all Malachai did was rolling his eyes and sighed a little.

“I may not be as experimented as you are, but I am not a prudish either.” Later, he would come to regret sharing so much –to him, it was a lot to confess– with Aeron, but once again, that will be the problem of his future self, not his present self, who was now laughing with the other prince, both finishing their glasses. They finished their second bottle of whiskey.

“Hey you can't blame me for asking. You're so... stoic most of the time. It's very possible to me that you never had sex.”

“I'm not so uptight... am I?” Malachai asked, suddenly serious. To him, he was normal, not sharing too much, it never came to his mind that he was hard to read. He looked at Aeron with a puzzled look, and the fae's prince couldn't help but laugh to that.

“Please, 'repressed feelings' could be your middle name. That's why it's fun to anger you.”

“I am, without a doubt, drunk, but I still can perfectly punch you, do you want me to try?”

The sea's prince asked, back to his formal self. It was as if he sobered up thanks to one sentence, and Aeron did not like that at all. He kept refilling Malachai's drink, and the latter kept drinking, until the mood was lighter. Aeron came a bit closer, which made Malachai frowned a little. The prince of the sea moved forward, and once again it felt as if they were sharing a secret.

“So? Did you or did you not, had sex with another man?”

“Why? Would hope to be the first one?” Malachai asked spontaneously. He barely noticed what he just did, just like Aeron. The sea's prince smirked before laughing, while the fae's prince stayed there, processing what just happened.

“... Hey... did you ju- … flirting is my thing!” They both laughed, so much that Malachai's ribs were hurting right now. He felt as if he should call it a day, but it was hard to remember his limis with Aeron. For the first time in his life, he felt free and lighter.

[thebenjiblackwoodexpress]

Jump then Fall prt.4

Description: Aeron is obsessed with kissing Y/N and she's happy to oblige. A fluffy oneshot with no plot whatsoever following Aeron's love confession.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5 Part 6

Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff with no plot. I embarrassed myself writing this 😂. Elizabeth loves The Princess Bride, which inspired this so I'm blaming her. Swearing. Female reader. I don't think there's anything else.

"Where are we going Aeron?" Y/N laughed excitedly as Aeron eagerly pulled her along. Aeron was sure no sweeter sound existed and he half turned to smile at her without slowing his pace, picnic basket swinging precariously in his free hand. He'd immediately whisked the basket of provisions from Y/N, before kissing her in greeting, grateful for her thoughtfulness. "You'll see, be patient my love." He delighted to see the blush that arouse on Y/N's cheeks each time he used that particular term of endearment, confirmation that he must affect her as she affected him.

Tugging gently on her hand as Y/N trailed behind him, Aeron wove through the underbrush, carefully moving rogue branches out of Y/N's way, to reveal a concealed pathway Y/N was surprised she had never seen before. At her quizzical look a ghost of a smile spread across Aeron's face. "Samwell and I came across it the other day. I think you'll like where it leads" he finished cryptically with a sly look. Y/n' eyes widened in alarm, prompting Aeron to look around for the source of her distress before pulling his eyes back to hers. "If Samwell was even remotely involved I'm not sure how safe this can be." Aeron took hold of both Y/N's hands, pressing them gently before leaning down to place a soft kiss to her forehead. "You can trust that I would never put you in harm's way, you are precious to me beyond all measure. Though Sam is admittedly an imp and not too be trusted." Y/N adjusted her hold on Aeron's hands to place them on her waist, moving hers to his shoulders instead. "I jest Aeron, I trust you." Aeron's mouth quirked back up, buoyed by her faith in him to protect her. "Good, then let's forget about Sam and continue on."

The knight and his lady followed the path for just under a mile, Aeron taking hold of Y/N's hand as it started to lead them downhill until they reached the bank of a brook. Y/N looked up at Aeron confused "is this what you'd intended to show me Aeron?"

Aeron chuckled, his eyes glittering with mirth. "No, although it is a pretty brook indeed. What I wish to show you is just across the water. There's a large tree trunk hat bridges the crossing, we can get across over there."  He pointed several yards away, Y/N following along after him as he started towards it. Grabbing the sleeve of his tunic, she brought him to a standstill just before they reached the log. Admittedly it was wide and seemed sturdy enough to bear the weight of a person, but Y/N's dress and shoes were not the most practical for ambling along a fallen tree trunk. She silently prayed to the gods that she wouldn't embarass herself by falling in the brook in front of Aeron. "My gown doesn't lend itself to balance, I'm afraid you'll have to help me walk across and promise to fish me out should I fall in." A look of horror crossed Aeron's face at Y/N's request which was only half-joking, as he began spluttering out a string of almost incomprehensible sentences. "Did you think? That I'd actually ask you to. Absolutely not! I promise you I thought this through entirely. I had it all worked out!" Not understanding where Aeron's alarm was coming from, Y/N cupped both Aeron's cheeks, softly brushing her lips against his, not quite a kiss but enough to halt his ramblings. "Now calmly tell me what you'd thought through?"

Aeron's expression turned somewhat sheepish his eyes flitting between her, his boots and a nearby tree. "It would only be if it was agreeable to you and you do not have to feel obliged. I would not want you to feel pressured in any way."

"You're still rambling Aeron and you're starting to sound like your incorrigible idiot of a cousin Edmund." Y/N snorted, trying to ease Aeron's nerves which had set him to stuttering as if they were back in that Banquet Hall several moons ago when he could barely string a sentence together in front of her. They'd always been able to have a good laugh about Edmund, the simpering peacock of a Bracken who constantly teased Aeron's favourite cousin, a quiet girl with her nose always in a book about knights and princesses. Aeron took a deep breath through his nose and straightened his back, rallying himself for whatever he was about to say. She wondered briefly if she should be concerned for his mental wellbeing. "I had thought I might carry you across if you permit it." His eyes suddenly bore into Y/N's and she felt her cheeks begin to burn at the notion of Aeron carrying her in his arms and her blush only further deepened when she fully registered that he'd wanted to. Aeron groaned and threw his hands up. "There now, I have embarassed you. I am an oaf, I admit it."

Y/N quickly reached for Aeron, pulling him back towards her, willing herself to be bold when she felt oddly timid and shy at his suggestion. "Would it not make it very difficult for you to cross safely with me hindering you?" Aeron gaped, equal parts surprised and gladdened that Y/N seemed amenable to his plan, opening his mouth and closing it several times before speaking. "You would be no burden at all to me." Y/N felt her heart flutter at his words. "And you promise not to drop me?" Y/N tried to add mirth to her tone but it was a genuine concern. Aeron brushed the back of his right hand against the side of her face before tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear. "I give you my word that I will never drop you." Y/N gulped. Her legs felt like jelly from his sweet words and they'd have to make a success of it as she was convinced she would certainly fall headfirst should she attempt to make the crossing on her own now. Aeron cleared his throat then, placing their picnic basket down on the ground to collect afterwards, and held his arms out to her. "If you could place your arms about my neck..."

Y/N awkwardly shuffled over and wrapped her arms around Aeron as he'd instructed, waiting for him to take the next step. Placing an arm around her back, he gracefully leant down to swoop her up by the backs of her knees, before pulling her close to his chest. Y/N's arms instinctively tightened around Aeron from the loss of contact with the ground and as he started to walk across the fallen trunk she began clinging onto him in earnest, catching his smile in response.

Gently setting Y/N down on the bank the other side of the brook, Aeron ran to retrieve their basket. The path resumed a couple of paces from the edge of the bank before it began to open up into a clearing, whereupon Y/N understood what Aeron had been so eager to show her since that morning. The meadow he had brought her too was vast and bedecked with Baby's Breath flowers. Blades of sunlight cast a golden glow over the flowers and an unseasonably warm breeze blew gently throughout the meadow. By the way Y/N's lips parted in awe,  Aeron understood that his surprise had had the desired effect.

He loved the way that Y/N's eyes shone with delight each time he would bring her a fresh bunch of flowers from the small patch they'd found as children in these same woods. Now he could give her a meadow of flowers. He stayed a pace back from the opening of the clearing with his hands clasped behind his back to watch Y/N's reaction to his offering. The gentle sounds of nature had little appeal to Aeron, not the singsong chirping of birds or the gurgling of the rushing water of the nearby brook. The sound of Y/N's laughter as she twirled in her meadow, her dress billowing out around her, was the only one he cared to hear. Amused by her antics, Aeron swiftly bounded up to y/N, taking hold of her waist with one hand and capturing her small hand in his other, sweeping her into a dance with him. Coming to a stop when they both started to stumble with dizziness, Y/N placed her hands on Aeron's elbows in an attempt to steady them both. "I Love it Aeron, thank you" she spoke earnestly, tenderly brushing loose hairs back from his face as she often did just to feel the softness of it and watch his eyes flutter closed st her touch.

Hours later, when the sun was just beginning to set, Aeron was gently grazing his hand over Y/N's ribcage over the soft fabric of her dress as they lay side by side, his golden cloak laid out beneath them. As Aeron cotentedly gazed upon her delicate features, Y/N leant down over him to brush her lips against his. Aeron's hands came flying up to pull her flush against him, one hand tangling in her hair, the other pulling her across his torso by her waist as he crashed his lips more fully into hers, deepening the kiss. There was nothing Aeron loved more than kissing Y/N. Ever since the fateful day he'd rescued her from those bastard Blackwood Knights when he'd first kissed her, he'd been like a man starved for oxygen, almost driven to distraction by the desire to feel her soft lips on his again and again. Gently turning them over, Aeron braced himself on his elbow so as not to crush her, one hand splayed across Y/N's torso. Breaking contact to allow her to catch her breath, he placed tender kisses along the edge of her jaw before recapturing her lips with his own, feeling her smile against his lips as she toyed with his hair.

A few moments later Aeron felt Y/N lightly push against his chest, immediately pulling away. "Are you well my heart, have I made you uncomfortable?" He asked anxiously. Y/N pulled herself into a sitting position, patting Aeron on the chest. "I am well my love, but the hour grows late and my father will be worried. We should head back." Aeron felt his face redden and his body heat as Y/N placed an affectionate kiss on the tip of his nose before she disentangled herself from his arms to stand, straightening her skirts. Aeron swiftly followed, interlocking their fingers together as they walked back from whence they'd come. "Will you come to watch me in the training yard tomorrow?" He asked, eager to have his lady love cheer him from the sidelines of the knights' training yard, as she often did of late. He had never been so dedicated to the sword and his duties as a knight but they granted him endless opportunities to impress Y/N, who swung their joined hands to and fro as they walked. "Of course, a lady should support her knight after all." Aeron removed his hand from Y/N's hand to wrap it around her waist, pressing her against his side, wanting to be closer to her and to express his gratitude for her unfaltering support.

Carrying Y/N back over the log that bridged the brook, an empty picnic basket dangling from his elbow, Aeron felt the happiest he ever had. He was finding a place for himself as a knight, beginning to feel that he truly did belong in the order. The Blackwoods had been surprisingly quiet, with very few disputes on the borders of late. For this he was grateful, for he'd become aware of his favourite cousin's concerning penchant for dissappearing to her own Brackentree dangerously close to Blackwood lands. His Lord Uncle had made no further mention of betrothing him to a Tully girl since the day he'd stormed from his halls, and he was quite sure he'd forgotten the whole matter. Above all else, he now held the girl he loved in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, nose brushing his neck, and his heart was warmed by her trust in him.

@lovebabe18 @poppyflower-22 @ithilwen-blackwood @spinachtz @lady-callisto @twistytimesandthoughts @abookloverlawyerfan-blog @mymoonempress

[finch-the-foolish]

Welcome back to "aeron writes prompts late at night for fun", on today's episode we've got day 7 of @black-rose-events event. Again, little editing, praying this all sounds ok. Also, for context, Villain can sense when people are lying :)

TW/CW for drugging, implied general harm

“I.. I love you.”

The words hovered in the air, coated in a sickening sweetness, a desperation which clashed against Hero’s usual demeanour. Villain faltered, taking a stumbling step as their pacing came to a halt.

“What?” A question, a sharpness, a plea for the truth, golden on their tongue and mind, to turn ashy with falsehood. “Hero-”

“[Villain]. You know it's true. I love you. I have for a long time.” Hero stared at them from where they sat, partially restrained—it had been odd how little effort they'd made to escape—just.. watching, with those damn eyes of theirs. The kind of eyes that could melt your heart even as they ripped it out. The kind that could make a lie taste like the finest wine, like a ray of sunrise overlooking the bay.

“Oh- oh [Hero], no. No you don't. You can't. Don't.. don't tell me those things.”

“Why not?” Hero pulled against their restraints, staggering to their feet. “Why can't I?”

Villain shook their head, clutching the vial in their hands a tad tighter. “You're a liar, [Hero]. Stop- stop lying to me. We can't have that, no matter what you think. There's too much at stake.”

Hero took a step forwards, confident even now. Gods, Villain hated that confidence, that self-assured look, those eyes like a well of dark secrets that would only drag you in and drown you. Villain couldn't drown. Villain couldn't be reckless. Not now.

They glanced at the clock hung on the wall, cursing softly at the time. They didn't have time for this. They didn't have time for lies.

“We.. we could try, [Villain], we could make it work. Just let down your walls. Stop destroying things and build something true for once.” Hero was.. closer than Villain had thought, one hand reaching to grasp their shoulder.

Villain flinched away, grimacing as the vial in their hands swished lightly. “I can't, [Hero]. I don't have time for truths.” The words were bitter, but right all the same. How could Villain love, let alone love someone like Hero? How could they let their guard down for them of all people?

How could they love when every second felt like their life’s decay, every second a reminder of the death that was approaching. They had to go, they had to leave, they had to-

Hero grabbed their wrist, and Villain froze, staring at them.“Please. [Villain]. We.. we can fix things. We can make time. I'll.. I'll help. Okay?” There was almost.. sincerity, almost truth, twisted in their words. It made Villain sick.

Villain sighed, soft, still staring into those eyes, those drowning wells of dark water, a face which had seen more blood than it had any right to. “O.. okay.”

Slowly, carefully, they lifted their free hand, as if to cup Hero’s face in their palm, as if to show some shred of kindness, as if to become the creature reflected in the depths of those wells. Then, face just as reluctant as before, they shoved Hero back, away from the entry to the lab, their free hand smashing the vial against the floor as they sprinted off. The door slammed shut, locked in their wake, silencing panicked shouts as they morphed into frantic coughs, dulled silence.

They'd nearly run out of time. God only knows what Supervillain would have done if they hadn't paid their debts. Hero would have to pay in their absence, it seemed. Villain stalked down the hall, even as guilt churned in their gut, even as the familiar voice of their boss echoed through the corridors, even as they heard Hero’s muffled screams.

It was better to be a liar than admit their love, they supposed.

[alleyskywalker]

Aeron/Falia

Post-Euron healing

There is seaweed in Falia's wet hair and a smear of blood across her right cheek from the gash at her temple. She's shaking - from the cold, fear, or both - as she presses against Aeron, still naked and wet, seeking some comfort in him that he is not certain he can offer. How they survived, he's not certain - a miracle of the Drowned God, surely - but they survived and that's all that seems to matter in that moment. She looks up at him with trusting dark eyes, and he gently brushes a lock of hair out of her face, hears himself say something about getting the cut on her face seen to, feels himself a man of flesh and hot blood for the first time in years...

[send me a ship + prompt and I'll write a 3 sentence fic]

[aslanjadecarlyle]

Jesus Christ, this Barlyle oneshot is 3,580 words and I don't think I'm even halfway done yet

[tempest-toss]

“Recap” into teaser

[[Ozzie here! Just writing this author’s note to say that I’m really glad that this is finally done! It took three months (mostly procrastination) but it’s here! And if you’re wondering, it’s being posted here on the Tempest blog first because it is considered lore for Tempest. Before we begin I would like to say a few things:

1) The writing style is weird because it’s written in a recap sort of way 2) The writing style seems to switch partway through as it does start to lead into a teaser-sort of style near the end. Apologies for the weird switch, but it would’ve been harder to write if I had to stick to one style for this. 3) There are Content/trigger warnings including: mentions of blood/gore, death, mentions of suicide. If there’s more, please let me know so I can properly tag it.  --Ozzie]]

Sapphire woke up in a chamber. It was outfitted with a sink, a mirror, a bunk bed, and a metal door locked, needing a keycard. After getting herself familiar with her new surroundings, the room started to flood from a sudden pipe burst. With quick thinking, she looked around the room and managed to procure the keycard for her door. She quickly exited and shut the door. As she began to look around the new hallway she was in, seven more doors near her opened, and out walked people she recognized immediately: Bandage, Rewind, Neon, Sprockets, Goggles, Clack, and Pixel, code-named agents that worked alongside her for the MTF unit Omicron-5. The quick breather of reassurance that they got from meeting each other soon ended as Goggles pointed out that water was quickly filling the hall behind them. That was all they needed to bolt forward.

 They quickly found stairs and ran up them until there were no more stairs to use. A quick look revealed that they were at a level that opened up into a wide floor. Just as they were reaching the end of the stairs, they heard a commotion from up above. A quick look-up confirmed that there was a secondary set of stairs not attached to the ones they were on. Down from the secondary stairs arrived seven more people. It didn’t take long for it to be obvious that they were from GOIs.

The first ones to introduce themselves were an Alexylva student by the name of Gardenia Meadowood, and a Serpent’s Hand scholar by the name of Morty Aeron. Specializers in botany and embalming, these two were the first to introduce themselves to Sapphire and the others and were the only ones to not have any real immediate identifiers (Morty did have a snake tattoo that reached to his hand, but it was mostly obscured by his sleeves.)

The remaining five were easy to associate with a GOI considering they had their logos and/or markings on open display. Two of them, Iouli Thomaie and Vassilis Admetos, were Sarkites, easily identifiable thanks to their tattoos. Two other young men were members of the GOC, according to the picture they wore along with their ID badges, which identified them as Benny Smith and Jason Snike. The remaining three were a father, mother, and daughter trio all bearing the Insurgency’s logo on their matching hoodies; they identified as Blake, Cheryl, and Tina. Shortly after introductions were made, a part of the wall collapsed, revealing a young man who would identify as Jeremy Fairfield, a secretary for Dr. Wondertainment. 

After all, introductions were given (again), a voice was heard through speakers in the room. The voice identified themselves as “The Gamemaster'' and said that the eighteen of them were going to participate in a game of life and death. They were instructed to go through special numbered doors via numbered bracelets that they wore (something they didn’t realize they were even wearing), and that they could escape if they left through a door marked with a nine. They could only enter a numbered door if the digital root input equaled the door’s number; furthermore, the minimum number of people required to open a door was six, and the maximum was ten. When opened, the door would remain open for nine seconds, before closing on its own. Once the inputees entered through their door, they would have 81 seconds to find the deactivation panel. If they find it, they have to input their numbers and the countdown would end. If they didn’t find the panel, didn’t all input themselves, or if at least one person stayed behind outside of the numbered door, then those that were beyond the door would explode from bombs placed in their stomachs. The Gamemaster dropped two last bits of important info. Firstly, this game is timed. All players have nine hours to escape. Second, the transmitters that connect to their bombs are in their bracelets. The only way to get your bracelet off is to either escape or if your heart ceases beating. He then wished everyone good luck before the speakers signaled that they had been disconnected.

The eighteen began to talk amongst themselves. “What is going on?” “Why was I selected for this nightmarish game?” “We have BOMBS in our guts!?” Sapphire gave a sharp whistle, immediately quieting everyone. With the chatter quieted, and a deep breath taken, the conversation resumed, but now with a more logical focus. The first thing the group did was test to see if what The Gamemaster said was true. They tried to open one of the two numbered doors present to them with three, four, and five people, but found them unable to open. They tried one last time with six people, and the door was able to open. That’s when the first incident occurred.

Jason fell in after the door had been opened for seven seconds. He fell so quickly that no one was able to grab him as the doors shut. A methodic beeping was heard. Jason began to panic from the inside. He then told everyone to tell his siblings that he loved them before a sound of an explosion was heard. Shakingly, six of them opened up the door to reveal blood, tissue, and the clothes and bracelet of Jason. Nobody moved as the doors slowly shut themselves after nine seconds. His death meant that everything that The Gamemaster said was truthful.

After the reality had settled in, the overall motivation to continue had lowered. However, they knew that they couldn't stand around and do nothing because of the time limit The Gamemaster had put on them. They took a moment and figured who could go through which of the two doors and split up and entered them. 

After clearing the puzzles they had encountered in the rooms, (and after one group nearly exploded from being unable to find the deactivation panel early on), the groups met up again in an area reminiscent of a hospital room, except it was full of empty cots and had three numbered doors. A quick examination showed that the main power for the scanners had been removed, thus preventing them from going any further. Everyone agreed to split up and search for them, the only exceptions being Rewind, Gardenia, and Tina, who decided to assist Tina in finding a restroom. About an hour later, Goggles ran up to Sapphire to tell her that someone had restored the panels. Sapphire knew something was wrong when she noticed that Goggles was not smiling. As soon as she was about to ask why a scream was heard from the hospital room. Sapphire ran with Goggles back to see why a scream was heard.

In the middle of the room was Blake and Cheryl laying in their own blood. These two insurgents, father, and mother to Tina, now lay dead in front of the numbered doors. Suspicion was immediate amongst the now fifteen remaining “players''. After all, everybody had split up, so all alibis except for Gardenia, Rewind, and Tina were hard to trust. But it seemed that a culprit was found quickly, as Neon pointed out that Iouli had been obscuring her hand behind her back. A quick pull from Morty revealed that Iouli’s hand was stained with something red, which caused an argument as Vassilis defended Iouli, claiming that she was innocent. His words were swiftly eaten as Iouli pulled a blade from her pockets and lunged at Tina, only to be grabbed and suplexed by Vassilis himself, causing Iouli to be knocked out. Some rope was grabbed from a nearby room and used to tie her up; after affirming that she would stay put, the fourteen split up their groups and entered through the two rightmost doors. Fortunately, the puzzles this time around were a bit more straightforward. They soon exited back into the hospital room with relatively high spirits, despite the loop they realized they had made. 

Iouli was gone. They found her body lying in the hallway, stomach down. A quick test with Bandage and an examination by Morty confirmed the truth: Iouli Thomaie had no heartbeat, and she was killed by a sharp attack to her gut. Instead of suspicion, confusion spread amongst the fourteen; the only question that was floating in their heads was, “How could she be killed if we were all together?” It was a tricky conundrum indeed, as everyone except Iouli entered the two numbered rooms, and everyone was by someone the whole time, so there would be no possible way that someone could have left, murdered Iouli, and returned. Sprocket’s voice piped up, amplified by the silence.

“Well, what if she took her own life?” Everyone turned their heads toward him. How could he say something like that, and what prompted him to say that? 

“Sprocket may have a point,” Neon spoke. “We went through different numbered doors and we think we have each found half of a special document. We were discussing as we were leaving the hospital room a few moments ago.” Everyone gave their full attention to the duo as they began to speak. 

“Through my door, I found a document describing a neurotoxin called Korem-23,” Sprockets began. “It was discovered by Dr. Andrea Korem, and evidently, it’s very hard to create. It must be kept in temperatures at around 30- -10 degrees, otherwise, it’ll evaporate or solidify. It is also a very tricky toxin, as the resources required to make it are hard to acquire, and it can only be administered as a liquid.”

“Through my door, I found the other half that explained what it does,” Neon continued. “It would seem this neurotoxin is unique in the fact that unlike other neurotoxins, it is not fatal, however, it does interfere with certain aspects of a creature’s psyche. Mainly that it causes the victim to experience heightened aggression, stress, and desperation, which eventually leads to them becoming desperate to… y’know” she said, knowing that she needed not to expand further on the topic. Sapphire couldn’t help but look at Iouli’s body. Could that be true? Could Iouli have been injected with Korem-23? But if that is true, then wouldn’t the one behind all this, AKA The Gamemaster, have infected more of them? Sapphire wasn’t the only one that had this idea, as others were slowly coming to the same conclusion. The clock in the main staircase brought them out of their thoughts as the chimes were heard. They had a few hours remaining.

Panic began to slowly creep into the remaining “players”. Could they actually escape from where they were? After all, every single room that they had been in so far has made it seem like the location everyone was at was a ship of some kind in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. If they escaped, would there be a boat for them to use? Doubt was beginning to dampen their spirits, so to stay positive, Neon, Sprockets, and Benny decided to explore any remaining areas to see if they could find the number nine door since most of the ship was available to them.

About half an hour passed before a loud yell was heard. Without any hesitation, everyone ran down towards the general area where they heard, and the sounds of a pair of doors opening alerted them to what room to enter. The room they entered was designed in a way that resembled a celebration room, but nobody paid any attention to that, but instead the corpse of Sprockets. The mournful cry of Pixel echoed throughout the room. Tuning out his cry, Morty checked Sprockets’ hands, discovering a scrap of paper written with his blood. He showed it to Gardenia, and the two approached the door, drawing almost everyone’s attention. It was then they realized a possible motive for murder: The number 9 door. They saw Gardenia and Morty pull apart the panel and fiddle with wires, and an unlocking sound resonated through the room; using Sprockets’ final words, they were able to bypass the door without leaving anyone behind. With a promise to avenge him, Pixel was able to leave Sprockets’ body and join the group as they opened the door, and found the exploded remains of Neon. The sight alone prompted Tina to burst into tears, while a feeling of anger filled most of the others as the main culprit was now blatantly clear: Benny. With a few calming words, everyone continued beyond the door, eager to make sure that Benny could not escape.

Fueled on adrenaline, the remaining participants rushed forward, eventually reaching an open area with stairs and the murderous GOC member. A standoff was initiated, as Benny pulled out a gun, and threatened to shoot whoever moved forward. Then, presuming that all intel would die with them, began to monologue. He began a spiel admitting that he orchestrated almost every death and that he was part of a rogue cell of the GOC known as the Platinum Fangs, who were the puppet masters behind the Isolation Experiment. It was this experiment that caused them to separate from the GOC, as they didn’t approve of the human experimentation. As he continued, Jeremy reached into his pocket and pulled out Dr. Wondertainment's Stretchy Stretch Stretch String™ and with a quick whip smacked the gun out of Benny's hand and another attack brought him down. He was quickly restrained and was knocked out with a kick, for extra precaution. With that, everyone stopped and let out some deep breaths: They were finally going to end this experiment once and for all. With the mastermind tied up and with them, they bid a farewell to the building and their fallen comrades and then ran up the stairs. Soon the end was in sight and they burst through the door, expecting the sea breeze, only to walk out and see the barren frost land that was the wilderness of Russia. The ship was never real, but instead, all participants were in a facility built underground, most likely to withstand a nuclear event. A van, most likely having been used to transport everybody here was nearby. Using their skills, Goggles was able to hotwire it and Rewind was able to call in to Site-781, which was nearby, and let them know of their arrival. They then piled in and drove, all of them a mix of happiness and shock that they had survived the whole ordeal.

At Site-781, everyone was checked for injuries and the members of the GOIs were interrogated with the assumption that they had something to do with the earlier events. In the end, Morty, Jeremy, and Gardenia were allowed to leave, while Vassilis took Tina and vanished before the Foundation could decide what could be done about them. An encrypted message received later seemed to point to the idea that Vassilis took Tina to the Insurgent cell that she grew up at. Benny Smith was the main focus of the Foundations’ time; he was eventually incarcerated.

Unfortunately, the stress of the experiment took a toll on Pixel, who ended up slipping into a coma, in which his memories of the event were locked away as he eventually woke up with no knowledge of anything having happened. In order to heal and so to not trigger any horrible memories for him, Goggles, Clack, Bandage, and Rewind decided to go on temporary leave from the Foundation for several years, with the ultimate choice at the end to figure out if they would be willing to return or get amnesticized. With no more of her members to work with, Agent Sapphire pulled the plug on Omicron-5, and the name was retired.

It’s been nine years since the first Isolation Experiment occurred, but that didn’t mean it was the last. For a few years afterward, several other experiments occurred; some were short, some were done by other people, and one was so intense that it gained notoriety in the public eye. For each of these experiments, Agent Sapphire made sure that she was involved in their investigations so that she may be able to help end them once and for all. Five years after the initial one, the eighth Isolation Experiment ended up revealing a flaw that exposed the Platinum Fangs, and they, along with any possible connections, were apprehended. After this, Agent Sapphire became content with the knowledge that nothing that heinous would ever happen again. So she was hit with a horrible pang of unease when she received an email from an O5 with the simple subject of: “It’s happening again”. The rest of the email explained that Agent Sapphire would be a willing participant and would have to risk her life to put an end to this once and for all. After thinking about it, she obliged.

Elsewhere, different people were ending their days and packing up. Some were double-checking their bags, some went to the back of their room to check out a noise they heard, and some were simply on a drive. But each of them are met with the same fate of a white gas that puts them to sleep. When they awake they’ll each have to participate in a game of life and death, where teamwork is key but deception is much more profitable. Hopefully, they can all make it out alive when they go through The Isolation Experiment.

[againthemartyr]

While I am still writing a more in-depth explanation of Xartsa’aga/Aeron, I wanted to go and write some easy-to-chew tidbits about him! I will edit this post to also include the link to the document when it’s done. I’m using this post so I can keep adding details about him in a more informal manner and explaining more about the characters involved without needing to write a whole Novel about it. 

He is actually part of a WoL group! The “main” Warrior of Light is actually Vohti’a Janra, and Aeron and another two people can be considered... sub-WoLs?? Let’s just go with that! They each have their character arc in different expansions, and they are the personification of the found family trope.

Originally from the Steppe and part of the Tumet clan, Aeron experienced a vision of the Dusk Mother and that made him decide to abandon his home and somehow manage to board a ship to Eorzea. 

A plus point of this is that he (back then) did not speak or understand Eorzean Common at all! You can probably imagine how his journey went. He met Vohti’a at Ul’dah, and that is how they became acquainted. Over a very weird campfire, a hooded man who barely understood anything that was spoken to him and warm food. 

It was then that he decided to adopt an “easier” name for himself, as he noticed Vohti and other people had trouble with it. It was then that he borrowed the historical name “Aeron Cadeyrn” to himself, and this is what he goes by to this day. 

Following these events, it was agreed that the two of them would travel together: there he learned the basic knowledge to be able to communicate with others, but Aeron prefers to keep quiet and let others do the talking.

His name means “falcon”, and it was given to him due to his love of Really High places. You can find him always standing outside on the highest point of any place they are camping. He just enjoys it. 

Speaking of enjoyment, he is the ‘assigned chef’ of the group. Just do not ask the components of his meal, as he honors every piece of it. It is delicious, but the knowledge will definitely be something you do not desire to know. 

Originally a lancer! This leads him to an early-entry at Ishgard than the Actual Quests allow, due to his duties as the Azure Dragoon. This might or might have not been endorsed by the Fortemps. 

It is then that he got a bit of more ‘formal’ education. The current status is that he can communicate what he wants to - along with reading and writing to a small extent. But much like talking, if he has to read letters he probably hands them to the nearest party member.

This does not mean he is absent from the events of the game! Just that he had his own stuff to deal with.

The black markings on his face are actually makeup/warpaint! Aeron diligently applies it every day. His face does look kinda funny without it.

This is something that he does not reveal to many, but this man is actually very. Religious is not the right word, but he has a massive amount of faith in the Dusk Mother. He feels very close to Her, and his faith is an important part of his character.  

Related to the point above: Aeron has a hard time dealing with grief. The first time was actually during the whole Vault conundrum. Death is something he thought of as natural: it happens to all beings, but the void that is left by the death of someone that you loved is not something he has ever had to deal with. Needless to say, it ends poorly. It is probably the first time Aeron questions his beliefs.

He disappears for a bit after that, and in that period he apparently gave up the lance and the title to find something else that would help him make sense of this. This is what prompts his change to Dark Knight, believing it is best to protect people than to be protected.

The lasting effects of trauma really resided in his soul: his sense of self shattered in two. His "normal" self -- Aeron -- continued to navigate the world as usual, serving as one of the Warriors of Light. His other half -- Xartsa'aga -- took on the burden of all of their anger, grief, and pain. With Xartsa'aga dealing with their negative emotions, Aeron could continue to act as the man he has always seemed to be. The two of them have learned to coexist over the years and have grown closer, learning to accept themselves and work together to care for and protect their loved ones.     

Values personal freedom a lot. And also the ability that people have to choose their own fate.

Finds various monsters to be “cute”, which draws many skeptical looks from others. Has a tendency to try and bring them home with him. A notable example was him trying to convince one of the Fuath to simply return to the Source with him. 

From his perspective, Hien views the Xaela as a tool to use for combat, and he does not care for the man. Or any that sees his people as simply ‘savage beasts’. 

Aeron is. Very. Moon themed. For obvious reasons! The neutrality of the moon, the many faces of it. This relates deeply to his decisions back in Amaurot. Ultimately unable to pick a side, but then following the decision that was not correct, but the one that made sense at the time. 

(Me staring at the camera blankly while I unfurl an even bigger list of terrible stuff I wrote) You can probably assume from the previous post that he did not ultimately side with Hydaelyn. Not because he did not agree with the principles of it - but of the immediate necessity of the world he loved to be saved.

Going on with the moon/night theme that he embodies, obviously I picked “Nyx” for his ascian name. The odd attachment to strange creatures probably originated there, along with his calm demeanor.  

This also means that his “love” for the World carried on as well. As much as he can relate to their supposed “Enemy” (as he is now aware that they are not so different after all), this is their world now. This is what he swore to protect. This is the place that he loves, now and forevermore.   

[icanbeyourgenie]

[ A very scared Zelda hiding under Aeron's desk, in the Captain's cabin, after a violent attack ]

“Ah, there you are.”

Aeron was still covered in blood when he found Zelda. He didn't think the girl would hide in his own quarters, since he was, after all, the reason she was so terrified. At least partly. He had searched in other hiding places in vain, and ended up figuring out that the girl would come out when she felt like it. He went back in his cabin to clean the blood. Aeron had no problem getting blood all over him. But when said blood started to dry and become crusty, that was a truly unpleasant sensation.

When he saw Zelda flinch and stay under the desk, he decided to wait a bit and resume what he originally came for. He got over the bassin and started cleaning off the blood. He took off his shirt and started searching his closet for a clean one. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Zelda starting to relax. Her breath getting more even. What a perfect opportunity for a joke.

“Usually seeing me shirtless takes people's breath away, but it gave yours back. I'm not sure how to take it.”

He was quite amuzed, and he figured Zelda would be too if she was still not recovering from the shock. When he finally put on a clean shirt, he came closer and sat on the floor, at the foot of his bed, just in front of the girl's hiding place. Their eyes locked for a moment and he could see she was still terrified.

Aeron didn't expect her to react this way. He sometimes forgot that most people weren't used to the same degree of violence he became desensitized to. They were in the middle of a perfectly fine conversation about a mad hatter who was particularly fond of tea when a few of his crew came to interrupt rather vigorously. Protesting about how a girl on a ship was a bad omen, how Aeron was distracted ever since she got here. He was distracted, but a mutiny wasn't something he would allow. (And clearly these mortal boys didn't meet his mother if they think girls were weak). So it got bloody really fast. Two died at the hand of the fae. One by being sent overboard in a particularly sharky area, the other with a sword through his chest. It lasted only a few seconds and had the rather efficient effect to remind the others that they shouldn't go against their captain. But Zelda had been mute ever since. And then she went away.

“Do you want me to drop you at the next port we'll land in?” Aeron asked, which had the effect to snap back the blonde to reality. She looked at him again.

“What?”

“I could do that if you wanted to.”

“...... Do you want to get rid of me?” She asked in a little voice.

“No. That's not what I want. But Zelda, staying here means you can't freeze when I get violent. We were lucky the past weeks, but if you stay you'll witness more deaths. More violent that these ones.”

“I didn't mean to freeze. But I got scared.”

“Which brings me back to my original question. Do you want to leave?”

“No. I... I don't want to be alone.” She almost stopped shaking now. She confessed that to him one night where she came into his bed and he changed her nightmare into a dream. “Why choose to be a pirate? If it's so... violent.”

He smirked. “I don't mind the violence. Most times I actually enjoy it. But I don't think violence is in your nature.”

“Didn't you say that most faes had a talent for violence? Maybe it's why I'm a changeling and my parents got rid of me.”

“I don't think you're a changeling, because I don't think you're a fae.”

She locked eyes with him again, confused. “But you said-”

“You lied earlier.” He had not realized this sooner, because she had been mostly honest with him, but today she did lie. “When John came closer to us with his knife and you said you weren't scared. You were. That was a lie. A great one, it's what you should say. But still a lie.”

“It was just a small lie... Something I said on instinct.”

“Faes can't lie at all. Not even a little. We bend the truth but we can't lie. Which means that you're an elf.” She raised an eyebrow and he laughed. “I don't know how I didn't notice this sooner. Usually you guys live in the trees now.”

“What's an elf? You didn't talk about elves.”

The was a lot to unpack there. Talking about elves would mean talking about the war, and he had a feeling she was not stable enough for this conversation. She had come out of under the desk to sit next to him, the curiosity calming her. Even with dried tears and blood, she was beautiful. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do more than just kiss her. But he just sighed and answered instead.

“I didn't think it was necessary. I'll tell you about elves tonight. But then you'll need to decide what you want to do. Tomorrow we'll arrive in Egypt. We'll stay there for a few days, there's a few repairs I have to do on the ship.” He was actually excited at that prospect. He always loved mechanics. “You'll have until we leave to decide if you're ready for that life or if you want to try to find peace elsewhere.”

“.... Your crew don't like me, Aeron.”

“I don't give a fuck what they think.” He slowly touched her cheek. He didn't know why, he just did it, and then pretended to wipe a tear away. “They'll warm up to you eventually and if they don't, I don't care. As long as you stay with me, they won't touch you. But I can't protect you from everything. So if you decide to stay, we'll have to teach you some basic self defense skills. And maybe get you a sword. I have a feeling you'll do great with a sword.”

She was smiling now, and it was truly unfair because Aeron wanted to kiss her again. They almost kissed a few days ago, when he called her intriguing, but they were interrupted. And she responded quite well to his flirting. But he understood enough to know that he shouldn't do the first move. Even if they got closer now, and she took his hand, and she said in a happy voice:

“You think I could use a sword? You don't think I'm weak because I ran away?”

“I called you intriguing didn't I? I'm only intrigued by strong people, know that. I'm not a generous or good person. If I thought you were weak I would've asked you to leave already.”

“But it's not what you want.” She said, repeating his words from before.

“No, it's not what I want.”

“So what do you want?”

She had whispered those words. It was a sign of how close they were now. Their sides were almost pressed together and she didn't let go of his hand. She was looking at him with those deep green eyes that made him feel light-headed and her lips looked so soft. They were in dangerous territory, but he always loved danger, so his smirk grew wider.

“You don't want to know what I want.”

“Tell me anyhow. Please.”

It looked like a challenge, and he never backed down from a challenge. “Fine. I want you to stay with me. I want you to want to stay with me. I want us to get you actual proper pirate clothes when we land so you can stay, and lead us to some more treasures and adventures. And I want to kiss you.” He paused a second, just to examine her reaction. “But I won't. You have my word. Not until you do it first.”

It's when he let go of her hand. He was used to flirting, probably harder than that, but he was not used to want to kiss someone that much. It was unsettling. Which is why he got up before she could answer.

“I'll let you change now. I'll go assess the damages I'll need to repair. Take some time to make up your mind.”

[likeafairytale]

"Be honest with me.... If you liked boys, would I be your type?" - Aeron to Malachai

“Bold of you to assume that I do not like boys already.”

Malachai said nothing else. He simply smirked, the way he learnt to do since he became close to Aeron. Refilling his drink and his brother-in-law's one, he finished his quite easily, while the fae was still on his words. Maybe Malachai stuttered, it can happen when he was drunk, and surely he was to admit his sexuality so openly. Not that he was ashamed to like boys and girls, far from that, but the prince of the sea wasn't the most talkative when it comes to personal life. No one knew he was seeing Wendy in the intimacy of his room, and he hoped for it to stay that way, so in the back of his mind, he reminded himself to stay sober enough to keep it a secret.

Finally, his words arrived in Aeron's brain. The fae prince opened his mouth, visibly surprise, and it made Malachai laughed a little while he refilled his own drink. Perhaps he should stop there for tonight, after all, fae's alcohol was famous to be strong. He finished his drink and decided that it was enough for him, but it wasn't for Aeron, apparently, for the man drank three time in a row, as to process what he just heard.

“Come on, this isn't so shocking, is it?”

“Everything about you is shocking.” Aeron started with amusement. “Seriously, though? Am I your type?” His amusement turned into seriousness and Malachai frowned a little to that.

“Obviously not.” He said without hesitation, without stuttering, and Aeron seemed almost disappointed.

“I like to think you're lying.”

“I'm not.”

“Yes, you are.”

A silence, followed by them both laughing and refilling their drink –damn avarice. They drank in silence for a few more minutes, this time Malachai swearing to himself to stop after this one, while Aeron was deep in his thoughts. It wasn't rare between them to have deep silence in their conversation, most of the time they were initiated by Malachai, since Aeron loved to talk too much to let a pause go too long between them. So the silence did not annoy the sea prince. What disturbed him, however, was that Aeron was silence for a whole minute, his eyes lost in the distance, as if he was piecing things together. After a moment, the fae prince smirked and looked at Malachai, finishing his drink.

“Was it Markos?” He asked, and Malachai was visibly surprised. He stayed silence for a moment, before decided to go for another drink.

“How did you guess?” He asked, grimacing.

“It's always the second in command.” Aeron whispered, smirking, before winking to him.

“... We were young.” Malachai started. His brother-in-law did not ask, but he felt talkative tonight so why not. Or maybe it was the liquor who was talking now. “Markos was my companion, every class I took, he took them with me, every training, he trained with me. He was raised to be my second, my best friend.”

“Ouch, my feelings are almost hurt.” Aeron laughed, which made Malachai rolled his eyes.

“Maybe it was because I was with him all the time. More than with my own siblings. But those feelings disappeared as quickly as they came.”

“Does he know?”

“If he does, he hides it well.”

“Why not? You could have a little fun.”

“I'm not you, I don't jump on everything that moves.” Malachai frowned as if it was obvious, while Aeron put a hand on his heart as if it was hurt.

“Ouch, such vile words from a prince of the seas!” They both laughed and drank to that. “I can't believe he is your type, and I'm not.”

“Not all Blackwater has bad taste in men.” Malachai answered, smirking a little making Aeron laugh. Soon enough, the bottle was over, Aeron went to grab another one to refill their glasses while Malachai swore this was his last drink of the night.

[medievalcat]

some thoughts on Asoiaf and religion prompted by a talk w Fae

It’s interesting to me that I see people claim (in agreeing w this theory) that the series is a treatise against religion or that x or y character is there to show “why religion is bad”. I do think it’s clearly written from an atheist perspective (I don’t mean that as a judgment) but it’s not saying Religion Is Bad? I do think there are characters that function as a criticism of how some powerful people use religion to justify power-grabs (like the High Septon wearing crystals while people starve and the High Sparrow claiming to be holier than  thou while saying widows are dirty and doing the wos) but at the same time there are a lot of povs who are religious (like Davos, Sansa, Catelyn) and it’s not like. A Thing. and even the specific “Religion Oriented Povs” like Mel and Aeron...really clearly aren’t there to be like “religion is bad or wrong” (even though wrt those two I do think you can argue there’s a hint of “sad how traumatized people Cling To Religion” but I don’t think it’s that intentional or overwhelming)

if anything I think it sometimes writes about religion as good? Like Bran literally becoming one with the gods and probably saving the world using his power

[krakensofpyke]

Geschenke des Ertrunkenen Gottes

Jung Aeron entdeckt eine verborgene Gabe.

 "Komm' schnell an, Urri!" 

 Aeron flog vom Zimmer seines Bruders.  Er war sehr begierig, es Urrigon zu zeigen.  Der ältere Greyjoy holte den jüngeren gleich ein, denn seine Beine waren viel längere.  Die Zwei rannte atemlos und lachend nach Aerons Gemächer.

“Was ist denn los, kleine Bruder,” fragte Urrigon.  “Sag mir bitte nicht, dass du Balons Stiefeln mit Krebsen wieder gefüllt hast.”

“Nein, nein,” erwiderte Aeron.  “Doch hätte er es sicher verdient, wenn ich hätte.  Bitte, lieber Bruder, schau mal.”

Vorher hatte der kleine Krake dem Nachttopf sorgfältig aufgestellt und seine Anlegung zigmal geübt.  Er stand mit einer weiter Haltung, drei Meter von dem Topf entfernt.   Er gab seine Verwandte ein sicheres Lächeln und löste seine Hose.  Er bereitete ein Paar Augenblicke vor, dann befreite der Ironborn ein starkes Flüsschen Pisse.  Sie schlug das Metall mit einem resonierendem plink.

Aeron drehte sich um, um die Reaktion seines Brüders abzumessen.  Ihn starrte Urri an mit einem halboffenem Mund.  Einen langen Herzschlag gab es einer angespannter Ruhe zwischen die Zwei.  

Dann, lachte er.

Zuerst begann es als ein stilles Kichern.  Schnell verwandelte es in lautes, knabenhaftes Lachen.  Die Beide wurden fast gekümmert mit Fröhlichkeit.  “Wie hast du das endeckt, kleine Bruder,” stammelte Urri zwischen Lachkrämpfe.  “Das ist wunderbar!”

“Danke, Urri!  Ich glaube, ich kann noch länger pissen.”  Er deckte seinen Schwanz wieder zu.  “Vielleicht hat der Ertrunkene Gott es mir geschenkt.”  

Der Siebtgeborene Sohn Quellons klatschte sich die Hände.  “Vielleicht, Aerie, vielleicht.  Du musst den Männer von Lordsport zeigen!”

“Javoll,” stimmte er zu, “aber zuerst habe ich vor, Balons Stiefeln mit etwas außer Krebsen zu verstecken.”

[icanbeyourgenie]

“ Isn't there something that you want? Something more than anything else in this world? ” – Malachai to Aeron

Aeron didn't have to think to know the answer, but he still paused for a second, deciding if he should give that piece of information to the sea prince or not. Apparently, alcohol made him more honest.

“The sky.” He said, and Malachai raised an eyebrow. “I'd want to go back to the sky. Where we used to live.”

“It was way before your birth that your people came down here, isn't it? You don't know what it was like.”

“I know that we probably flew a lot more. I hate not using my wings for a long time.”

“So you dislike the forest?”

“No I don't. There's a lot of forests in the sky islands. They're mostly forests flying around. With... big voids every 10 meters.”

“So it's the ground you dislike then?”

“Yes. Too restrictive. Humans are fun, but otherwise the land is boring to death.”

The fae sighed and poured another drink to both him and the merman. They stayed in silence after that. Aeron was about to return the question but Malachai spoke first.

“You could, you know ? If you were high king, you could decide to go back to the sky.”

Aeron sneered while emptying his glass. “But I'm not high king, am I?”

“Everyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in this place can tell that your mother wants to name you the crown prince. Not your fucked up brother.”

“And for the hundreth of times, I don't want it. But even if I did, I wouldn't be high king. Morgana's immortal. And she doesn't fight her own battles anymore. So unless there's an actual war between our two people, there's no chance she'll die. Accepting to be the crown prince would just mean losing the bit of freedom that I still have.” He took another sip and looked at Malachai, deciding to push the conversation a bit further. “But you seem fine with it though. ”

“What?”

“Being the heir forever. The dutiful son, always doing your father's biding, even if you lose yourself in the process.”

Malachai's fist tightened. “I have a duty of care towards my people. And my siblings.”

Aeron chuckled. “Ah yes, your siblings. What an excellent excuse is it not? They do worship you... Do you think you're worthy of that worship?”

Malachai seemed really angry now, and Aeron liked it. But he soon understood that angering the man was easy. He had so much anger bottled up inside of him.

“You always have to be an asshole, don't you?”

“An asshole who tells the truth. But I don't judge. After all, we have a lot in common.”

“We don't.”

“Yes we do. We both have great hair.”

“That's not a personality trait.”

“Oh, say that to all the pretendants who want to touch your hair every night.”

This time, they both laughed. Aeron knew these times were trying for Malachai, since his father forced him to find a wife and all his evening were about meeting new sea ladies that could fit. Aeron knew forced marriage all too well, he didn't need to ask to know that Malachai felt trapped.

The sea prince poured another drink.

“It always bugged me, when I was a child. I had the best history teachers, yet no one knew why you just decided to give up on the sky and come on land.”

“The fae people don't know either. Most books from this time have been lost. Or burned.”

Malachai smirked. He had become better at detecting Aeron's subtle deflecting, when he couldn't lie. “But you know?”

“I don't.”

“You at least have a theory.” Aeron's silence. told him he was right. “Won't you tell me?”

Aeron's smile turned devilish when he said: “I don't know. Keep making me drink and who knows where it will lead us.”

Malachai rolled his eyes at the innuendo but he was used to it by now and they kept drinking, soon enough the subject drifting elsewhere.

[icanbeyourgenie]

“ Once, my father told me as the delight's realm, my loyalty was to my people. To him. Now I feel like my loyalty belongs to someone else and it scares me. ” – Calypso to Aeron

“To whom?”

Calypso stayed silent. The mermaid was definitely drunk now. She had come a few hours earlier in Aeron's bedroom, claimed it was the anniversary of her mother's death and that she didn't want to be alone. Her brothers were occupied, Wendy was on a mission, Miakoda was tired of her and her new commoner friends - Achilles and Nastya - were spending the evening together, so she really had no where else to go to. He let her come in against his better judgment, but after that many drinks, the conversation took an interesting turn.

“For what it's worth, and I know it's worth a lot, I think you should be loyal to yourself before anyone else.” Aeron said when he realized Calypso wasn't about to answer.

The girl stood up and came near him, sitting on the table in front of the chair he was in, looking at him like she wanted to analyze him.

“Where does your loyalty lies?” She asked after a few seconds.

“With myself. And my interests.”

“See, I don't believe you. I know there's more than that, deep down.”

“It's because you're set on seeing me as a good man. That's naive.”

“No, it's because I'm starting to get to know you. No matter what you're saying. So tell me, what do you truly want. I wish to know.”

She had said these words with a firm resolve, looking straight into his eyes. With a demanding tone that she used to order people around. Aeron didn't know exactly what triggered the need to tease her, but he was suddenly in a playful mood. It was strange. One second she was annoying him, the next he wanted to push her buttons until she'd slap him.

With a smirk, he got up and came a bit closer to her. She didn't step back. Fine, the game was on.

“You wish to know what I truly want?” He asked, repeating her words.

“Yes. I do.”

She held his gaze and didn't move, even as he was coming even closer and put his hands on both side of her sitting frame, on the table. It was probably a good thing she was sitting, Aeron thought, as he noticed the shade of deep pink on her cheeks and guessed her heart was beating faster. Still, she didn't look away and didn't move one bit. He was impressed.

Their faces were almost touching now, and when her eyes finally went to his lips he recalled kissing her that one time.

“You should be careful what you wish for. Haven't I taught you that lesson already?”

“You're the worst.”

“I am. But you like it, don't you?”

He smirked seeing her struggling a bit to answer now that they were so close, almost pressed together. He knew she'd try to flirt back, to show she wasn't impressed. He also knew that she wasn't very good at it. She was easily flustered and always came up with awkward answers. It was entertaining to say the least. Maybe that's why he loved pushing her buttons so much.

“You- You like my dress?”

Aeron tilted his head in confusion. “Your dress?”

She tried to answer, but decided to just nod. Intrigued, he took a small step back to observe the dress in question.

He actually noticed it as soon as she entered the room. It was a night gown, but not the usual. Deep sea green, very light and way more flattering that her usual. Taking time to actually look at it made his throat a bit dry, and he had to pause a second. Calypso seemed please, and she wasn't done yet.

“I chose it just for you. This is your favorite color, right?”

Now that was a low blow. He actually needed a few seconds to regain his compusure, and the mermaid's smile didn't help. She looked at him like she won. He couldn't let that happen. Two could play at this game, and he was better.

“Did you?” He asked while coming closer again.

“Mh-hm.” She vaguely answered, and he could hear she was flustered again. Good.

“And how exactly...” He let a finger run through her cheek, then slowly coming down to her neck, then her shoulder when he started playing with the shoulder strap of her dress. “...Did you know I would like it?”

“I- I... ”

He did not give her time to find her words. Her skin looked soft, so he put the shoulder strap down and kissed her shoulder. Lightly, but enough to make her shudder.

“That was a good choice. I like it a lot. In fact,” He said before kissing her neck, then her ear, before whispering: “Would you like to stay in my bed tonight?”

When she realized what he meant, her cheeks took another side of red. Their lips were a thread away, almost touching, and he could feel her breath intensifying. His hands were on her waist, hers firmly on his neck. It made him feel dizzy. He could kiss her, right? It was a bad idea, but he did it once already. What was once more? Then he could go back to being distant and pretend this never happened. He could, right?

Calypso must have heard his thoughts cause she closed the gap between them. For some. reason, it's what brought him back to reality, and he stepped away. She protested but there was a meter between them already. Aeron kept his composure.

“So you didn't mean it. It was just mind games, right?” Calypso asked, both angry and clearly disappointed.

“No I meant it. My bed is yours for the night.”

“But... you're not staying.” She realized, and he nodded. “Why ?”

“You're drunk.”

“And you're such a gentleman.” She said with so much sarcasm it almost made him laugh.

“I don't want you to throw up on me.” He replied. But that was not all. Flirting was one thing, but taking advantage of a drunken girl was a line he didn't intend to cross. No matter how disappointed Calypso seemed.

He put his jacket on and was at the door when she said:

“You're not supposed to leave me alone on that day...”

She sounded truly sad. No doubt thinking about her mother's death right now. But Aeron was distant again, so he still opened the door and left, his last words being: “Don't throw up on my bed either.”

[icanbeyourgenie]

“ My sister got lost for seven hours in your fucking maze of a castle and no one looked for her?! You're her husband, that you like it or not, your duty is to protect her. Next time I won't be this merciful. ” – a mad Malachai to Aeron after learning Calypso got lost in the castle which prompt him to come

Aeron raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect the son of Triton to be there. Didn't he leave not long after the wedding? Aeron did not push the reasoning further. He didn't care much about a man he talked to maybe twice in his entire life. But he could see that the other prince was angry. Angry enough to confront him in an empty corridor with unsaid threats, when they all knew how fragile the peace between their two people were. Maybe Malachai didn't care, but war was a fate Aeron did want to avoid. However, if the fae had one passion in life, it was to push the buttons of angry people. And seeing the look on Malachai's face, he was about to have some fun.

“What are you talking about?” He was truly clueless there.

“Don't play me for a fool. I'm talking about your cousin 'accidentally' losing my little sister in this fucking maze of a palace for hours! If her maid didn't find her, she'd be dead by now.”

Aeron sneered. “If it's Euphemia you're talking about, it definitely wasn't an accident.”

“I know that. Which brings me back to my original point: You have a duty of care over her. It should not have happened.”

“What shouldn't have happened? Her needing the help of a maid not to die, or calling her big brother to the rescue like a little girl? Because I'd argue that both shouldn't have happened. But hey, who am I to judge the raising customs of merfolk, huh?”

Malachai's eyes got even redder if that was possible. He got closer to Aeron, clearly ready to strike. “Be very careful what you say next.” He warned.

“Besides, what do you want me to do about it? Put her on a leash? Oh wait-” He showed his wrist, where still lied Calypso's bracelet. “I already did.”

Malachai's fist ended up on Aeron's jaw faster than expected. Aeron laughed, and Malachai stroke again, and again, to wipe that smile off of the fae's face. It only intensified it but soon enough, Aeron started to fight back, and it got messy real quick.

They were already covered in blood when Malachai started to shake the ground to unsettle Aeron, who immediately fell on his back, giving Malachai the opportunity to get on top of him to keep hitting him. Aeron knew each one of Triton's kids were granted a power, but apart from Calypso's, he had no clue what the others were. Until today.

He used the fairy dust to animate a statue that was resting next to the wall, making it drag Malachai back just enough so Aeron could get back on his feet again. He stroke again, and noticed that for now, as heavily armed as they both were, none of them drew an actual weapon. Good, maybe Malachai did care about not starting a war after all.

“What is the meaning of this?”

This question came from the only person who could actually scare Aeron into giving up a fight. Fortunately, it stopped Malachai too. Of course it did, Aeron thought. Malachai probably had the same experience with Triton. After all, when your parent was the most powerful person alive, you learned to obey real quick.

So they were both on their feet, facing Morgana with their back straight, like they were just having a conversation and weren't covered in blood at all.

“Nothing, your Majesty.” Malachai spoke first. “We were just...”

“Settling a minor disagreement. It's over now.” Aeron finished.

“Good. Because my corridor is no place for a fight. If you boys have some extra energy to spend, we have actual training fields for it. Am I making myself clear?”

The Sceptre glowed a little - a bad sign - and they both nodded. It seemed to appease Morgana, but Aeron knew she hid her true feelings like no one.

“Now, Malachai, I believe you have just returned to us from the Sea. You must be tired from the journey. I had the servants prepare your room.”

“This is very kind of you, your Majesty.” He answered like a proper prince.

“Aeron, you're coming with me. We have things to discuss.”

When she walked ahead, Aeron had to follow her. He only turned around to see Malachai still fuming. He almost laughed. He didn't pay much attention to the heir of Triton before, outside of when he tried to gather informations, but maybe he should have. If the prince Malachai often displayed this temper, Aeron would definitely enjoy his company.