#and especially after she saw the dead dragon babies she should have immediately been like HOLD UP

[fullmetal-angelgrace]

damsel 2024 was pretty good, i really liked the setup of the elodie's increasing horror as she gets further into the dragon cave, but really I'm mostly annoyed because the ENTIRE movie i was just yelling at her to tell the dragon it was being lied to, they really spent for fucking ever dragging that out

[crystalgirl259]

The Flame and the Dragon Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Letter

Blood smeared the knuckles when they made contact with the thick wood of the thickest tree trunk. The Sorcerer hissed and hollered as he banged his hands furiously against the tree. His entire body shook with rage at the evidence his newest spy brought him. He waited too long. He pulled himself away from the free and covered his face with his hand. Now it was only a matter of time before Kai gave into Cole's seduction. He banged the tree again, then composed himself and pulled the hood of his cloak over his raven hair.

He watched the cut of his hand swell and bubble until perfectly healed skin was revealed.

He waited too long. The second he suspected the teen had Occulti blood he should have acted! His growl morphed into a roar.

"Damn to the depths of my lust and pride!" He bellowed. He had known he had taken a heavy gamble when he decided to change his strategy, but it was too difficult to resist such a tempting specimen, especially since if his seduction proved a success it would devastate the Dragon Lord more than a thousand of the most vicious monsters. Now, his miscalculation had caused him a major setback. It was worse when it became clear exactly who this mysterious specimen was.

It had been easy to ignore the first instance as merely a single occurrence.

It wasn't uncommon for humans to discover untapped abilities in traumatic or near-death situations. Many people held biological connections to magical ancestors. The religions might have changed, but the blood certainly didn't, he himself was proof of that. Still, many lines had become so thinned by mundane human blood any inherited power could only be tapped through stress or shock and usually only once. But the skills used to defeat his monsters and the premonitions were too much to be a coincidence.

That Occulti whore was dead and she continued to be a thorn in his side.

A wicked smile curled across his lips as he approached the road. The raven sat immobile like a statue on his shoulder awaiting instructions. It didn't matter now. She failed then and she will fail now.

"I'm running out of time, and I'll be damned if I let some Occulti whore destroy over one hundred years of patience and hard work!" He thundered and looked to the crow. It shot up and waited for orders. "Watch them, if they do anything together, inform me immediately; I don't have much time to carry out the next stage of my plan." He commanded. The crow bowed its head and flapped away into the night. The Sorcerer's grin widened as he chuckled then burst out laughing when he came to the main road.

He turned around taking one last look at the castle in the distance.

"Enjoy your concubine while it lasts, prince." He smirked recalling the conversations his spies had recorded. Episodes of the life the boy had forsaken to appease the dragon's wishes. Memories of a high-ranking man who fancied him. Of the childhood instances experienced in Ignacia. Of the siblings he had sacrificed himself for, who were no doubt still terrified for their brother's safety. He may have feelings for the dragon, but Kai was like any other human when it came to sacrificing.

As the Sorcerer walked along the forgotten path, he noticed a cold stream still flowing and an evil idea formed in his mind.

He dunked his hands into the freezing liquid and used his magic to create a small ball of water.

"Enough talking, time for some screaming." He cackled as he blew into the bubble turning it into an ice ball. He then shook the ball violently before throwing it into the air. He smirked as it broke apart and a grey, shimmering mist blew through the wind towards the castle. That should buy him some time...

****************

Nya hollered and roared in rage as she slamming the door to her house shut. It screamed in protest as it suffered the force of his anger. The only thing the village idiots were good for was gossip and apparently, Morro's dismissal of Kai's fate had spread faster than an infectious plague. So much now even other towns were mocking them. No matter where she went to who she begged to help her, she was simply laughed at. One of them even suggested she join her brothers and started to believe in children's stories.

A frustrated hand ripped at Nya's raven bangs.

The only one who seemed remotely worried was the librarian, Dr. Saunders, but he was just one old man. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't go wandering through the dark forest, let alone take on a dragon-hybrid monster. She stormed into the kitchen, her angry steps echoing loudly in the empty room. Nya growled and started grabbing whatever her furious mind thought she would need and stuffed them into a bag she already had set up on the kitchen table.

If no one will help her, she would find that castle and get him back herself.

She stuffed the bag with food, maps, and anything else. She strapped it tight and threw it over her shoulders, donned her thickest coat to keep out the freezing winter air, her cloak, and her heaviest boots. Once she was secure, she turned to the staircase.

"Lloyd, I spoke with Mrs. Grumbmiller, you're gonna stay with her until I get back, is that alright?" She called loudly. Her words echoed through the house, and she braced herself for her younger brother's protests. Instead, she found only silence and she started to panic. She quickly realizing Lloyd hadn't run downstairs when she came inside. He didn't come crying and begging to know if anyone would help them like he had done every time she came home over the last two months.

When their previous attempts had failed.

After two months of trying, Nya and Lloyd returned home only to discover the town was debating what to do with their house and shop now that they were gone. It was only because of Nya's fury that the town would act so irresponsibly. Nya refused to leave their home unattended. Despite Lloyd's protest, Nya left him behind to protect the shop under Mrs. Grumbmiller's care during the lonely nights. Panic started to rush through Nya's entire being.

She bolted from the stairs, checking each room on the ground floor, painstakingly for her younger brother.

When her search failed she thundered up the old steps. Her eyes scanned every room, meticulously for any sign of the young boy. Nya's eyes widened when she entered her own room. Lloyd had been known to sleep there some nights when his worry became too much. Again she found it all empty, even missing a few things. The realization made her sick as she bolted upstairs, heading straight towards Lloyd's bedroom. She panicked and threw the door open but her heart sank into her stomach.

The room was empty, but dressers were left open, empty of clothes.

Her thick winter cloak was missing from the hanger as well as Lloyd's thickest pair of boots. The only evidence that the boy had been there at all was a note left on the bed. She grabbed it with haste and read it as fast as she could. Her eyes bulged with horror and fear as she read over each word, filled with tears.

Nya,

If you're reading this then I'm already gone. I'm sorry I didn't wait until you came back but no one is going to help us, I know that now. I can't leave our big brother to suffer in that horrible place. He's only there to protect me, so I've decided I'm going to go back to that castle, and no matter what I must do I will free our big brother. No matter what. I've already taken more than enough remedy so I won't choke, so don't worry about me.

Please don't come after me, Nya.

I know you and what you're planning. You'll try and switch places with Kai and I can't let that happen. That dumb duke is right about one thing, you two have sacrificed everything for me, now it's my turn to help you.

I love you, Ny-Ny.

Nya screamed and cursed, crushing the little note in her hand, cursing her baby brother's foolishness. Her hands clenched the window as she looked outside. Though Winter was fading quickly, new frost still encased the ground. Winter was still dangerous and it was the most hazardous time of year for someone with Lloyd's condition. She could also swear that those dark clouds rolling in were the signs of an incoming blizzard. A bad one at that.

Snow was already falling and getting heavier with every passing second.

She screeched as she tied on her boots and hopped down the hall, before finally falling over and stormed out the front door. If Lloyd died, she was going to murder him. As soon as she was ready, Nya bolted down the street and towards the woods for any sign of Lloyd as she vanished into the night. She was in such as rush that she didn't notice or hearing the hammer of footsteps approaching the now-empty home. The snow-covered any evidence of her footprints within seconds, masking her trail in the process.

Seconds after Nya left, Morro and Bansha arrived with Noble's collection wagon.

"Nya! Lloyd! Kai!" Morro hollered as he shoved the door to the dark house open, not even bothering with chivalry as Bansha stepped inside behind him. As soon as they entered, they saw that the house was vacant of light and life. The lamps had burnt out, the doors were locked, and no sound echoed through the rooms.

"Where are they? I thought Nya would be back by now!" The duke screeched like an angry owl.

"They're not here, Morro." She quirked, not wishing to be on the wrong side of the Duke's anger.

"This is ridiculous! How long do they plan on being gone? It's been four months!" He bellowed throughout the house. He hissed in a furious rage when no one answered him.

"Morro, you don't think... maybe..." Bansha trailed off nervously. She nervously rubbed her arms and flinched and looked at the floor when Morro's heated glare turned to her.

"If you are going to say what I think you're going to say, I don't want to hear it! There is no such thing as dragons or castles or any of this nonsense! It was a lie! A trick of their little minds!"

"But Morro, think of it!" She protested. "Kai's been gone for almost four months, and ever since his disappearance Nya has been going around town and asking anyone to help her, and Lloyd's been doing the same thing, swearing on their lives that he's been kidnapped and taken hostage by this dragon; they've even gone so far as to seek help from other towns! Why would they keep this story of a 'dragon' kidnapping Kai going if it wasn't true? What if Kai really was kidnapped?"

Morro glared at the girl and opened his mouth to protest but found he could not.

Instead, he stormed back through the door scowling.

"Alright, say this 'dragon' does exist and their story is true? Why would Kai stay with such a monstrosity?" He chuckled darkly.

"Well as you said, Morro, he would do anything to protect his family correct? Maybe, he was forced?" She suggested.

"Excuse me, duke." A smooth voice interrupted Morro as he was about to scream again. The two of them turned around and saw a tall man dressed in vibrant red and purple colors that made him glow in the darkness of the storm approached them. His hood shadowed his face and eyes and only pale streaks of black hair were visible.

"Forgive my forward intrusion, but I'm afraid I couldn't help but overhearing your plight, the plight of your town, and I think I may know what has befallen this unfortunate family." He said with the best fake saddest look he could muster. The pair exchanged equal bewildered glances until Morro's gaze hardened and he returned his glare to the man.

"And who are you?"

"My name of no importance to one of such caliber as yourself, sir." He bowed respectfully. Morro soaked the flattery up like a sponge, but Bansha shivered, catching the sinister smile crossing the man's face.

"Know only that I wish to aid you, I have traveled much in my lifetime, seeking wisdom and the destruction of injustice; if this creature is who I fear we must act quickly or I fear this boy, your fiancé's fate, may already be sealed."

"What are you talking about? What will happen to my Kai?" Morro demanded.

"My entire life, my lady, has been devoted to the destruction of a terrible beast who is responsible for the downfall of my ancestors." The man began. "A hundred years ago they ruled these lands until they were brutally betrayed by this creature, as punishment he was cursed to become a dragon and since then I have hunted him down in hopes of avenging my family's senseless destruction and it seems I have finally found him." He spoke with the passion of a tragic hero but remained focused on their reactions.

He could see they were both skeptical but there was fear evident in their eyes.

Fear that he knew was the perfect fuel for creating an angry mob or a rebellion or an army to obey one's will if it would promise the return of their safety.

"What does your personal crusade have to do with my fiancé?" Morro demanded again as Bansha's hands found his arm and squeezed it tightly, shivering at the frightening presence the man radiated.

"As I said, sir, the dragon is a monster." He spat. "He seeks an end to his curse, and unfortunately, that freedom includes the seduction of a beautiful and talented mortal, and apparently he's settled for this boy you've fallen for, so just you watch; he will descend his destruction on the entire town if given the chance!" The man spoke, emphasizing the destruction of the town and the word seduction.

"No!" Morro screamed and thrashed in fury and rage. "Kill him! Destroy him! Slice off his head!"

"Calm yourself, my lord." The stranger soothed in a sophisticated voice that commanded obedience. "There is still time to save the boy and his family, but I need your help, yours and this town's if you are willing to help me?" He asked as his eyes were soft and his voice pleading. "My only request is that you let me kill the monster, all I ask is to avenge my family, your land shall be yours once more and whatever riches are in the castle, I'm wealthy enough that I do not need such trivial things, all I seek is to avenge my family."

"Of course," Morro announced, throwing his cloak over his shoulder and howling in his delight. "We must get to the town hall immediately! Bansha, go and gather my council, tell them to rally the people, we have to rescue my fiancé!" He ordered, leaving no room for argument. Bansha shivered and nodded mutely, before rushing down the street desperate to get away from the man.

"By the way, who should I say you are when I explain you to the city?" The duke turned to the man as he hauled after his maid. He was shocked, however, to find the man had vanished into thin air. The only difference to before was the thundering of the incoming snowstorm clouds...

[highladyluck]

For the fic title meme: Lay Down Your Crown and Sword

So, I was thinking maybe this is about Aviendha's feelings about Rand when they're in the Aiel Waste... just kidding, I know what the people want from me.

Wheel of Time, Mat/Tuon, post-canon, ANGST. This is one take on a scenario where Mat attempts to achieve his stated relationship goal, which is convincing Tuon to abdicate and run away with him.

(This sucker is LONG and SPOILERY so I’m putting it under a cut.)

It's ~2 months after the Last Battle. There's growing danger to Tuon- an almost-successful assassination attempt (my money's on Moghedien) that scares Mat, Selucia, the Deathwatch, and maybe even Tuon herself, just a little. The sul'dam secret is leaking out and emboldening the faction that wants to kill her, there's worry it'll lead to local rebellion, plus there's still the Seanchan homeland power struggle. Mat uses all this to convince Tuon that she needs to lie low for a while. His idea is for her to fake her own death, install a puppet successor secretly loyal to her, and go hide out with him in a place no one will be able to find them for a few months.

She's not thrilled about it initially, but it's not like she hasn't faked her own death before (love that about her!) so she agrees to Mat's plan, which is 'hang out in a Portal Stone alternate timeline'. (Mat would not come up with this on his own, Mat does not like Portal Stones, but Min suggested it and he eventually agreed it would suit their needs.) Tuon would prefer something where she could keep an eye on political conditions more easily, but she feels safe with Mat & appreciates that this is definitely a secure option, and she's been out of contact with home base before for a while and been fine. Selucia stays in the palace, to keep an eye on things and do intrigue (and also give Mat and Tuon actual alone time- I am entertained by the grudging truce between Mat and Selucia, but her chaperone services are not needed this time around.)

They've got an official pickup scheduled in a few months, about a month before Tuon's due; Mat thought about waiting more time to go back but he'd rather have the option to call in trusted medical help for the birth and he wants to leave a wide margin of error for the actual due date. He intends to rope in Nyneave if it seems necessary, although he doubts he'll be lucky enough that Nyneave would help Tuon out of the goodness of her heart or even as a favor to him. More likely Nyneave's help would cost Tuon in political concessions, which he will have to either convince Tuon to accept- assuming she's in a position to make that kind of choice- or negotiate on her behalf, if she's in too much immediate danger. Either scenario keeps him up at night, but the alternative is worse. Also, he hasn't run this contingency plan by Tuon yet- likely because he isn't totally against the idea of extracting political concessions from Tuon, so there's guilt as well as fear of how she'd react. The other thing Tuon doesn't realize about this vacation plan is that Mat is hoping to convince her to move there forever- if it's nice- or at least to keep faking her death and start a new life with him somewhere in disguise in their reality.

The Portal Stone world is one that's relatively close to their world, so it has people and feels fairly familiar, but the apocalypse hasn't happened yet and doesn't appear to be doing so in the near future. (For fun let's say the obvious divergence is Damodred-related; maybe the non-asshole Damodred branch is in charge, so you don't get Laman's Sin and/or Tigrane is actually happy in her political marriage, so the Dragon hasn't been reborn yet.) Tuon's ok with the 'vacation' vibe at first, we get some cute romantic bonding moments between her and Mat as they do normal people things, they have some cute dates in taverns or whatever. But Tuon becomes increasingly bored and anxious and frustrated about not being able to keep tabs on what's happening- probably some residual trauma from the last time she went AWOL with Mat, and came back to find her homeland in shambles and her family dead. So that's a source of conflict, especially since she doesn't actually confide that in Mat. She also keeps wanting to hash out political/military plans for when they get back, but Mat keeps trying to distract her, or makes arguments she doesn't like (re: Seanchan policy reform). Maybe Mat brings up the Nyneave contingency plan because he got worried about her health, and Tuon's like 'uh how long have you been sitting on this idea, when the fuck were you going to run it past me, the person it most concerns?'

Their relationship has always had an element of conflict in it, but back then they were strangers, had rules of engagement constraining them, and a kind of shared purpose. Their conflict was a kind of game that they played together, and it drew them closer. Now they know how to get under each other's skin and aren't constrained by witnesses or promises, and they have a shared mission (keeping Tuon safe) but don't agree on who is in charge of it. What's holding them together still is their own compassion and affection for each other, but they're not great at communicating it with words and now they're using words as weapons sometimes, so most of the reconciling is with gestures/gifts/actions. In general, things are tense and there's not much going on outside of their own interactions to distract them; Tuon's temper is flaring, she's feeling powerless and like her personal integrity is being attacked sometimes; Mat's being propelled around by his gut reactions and he's scared of losing her (and the baby), in any number of ways, and mad that she doesn't want what he thinks is best.

Finally the scheduled transit date arrives and they pop back to their original universe and get caught up on the news (maybe from Min?) Over in Seanchan, possibly emboldened by news of Tuon's 'death', a warlord has consolidated most of the warring factions. Now they know who to go after, and a war in Seanchan would help unify the Seanchan in the westlands; the Seanchan military-industrial complex loves a good patriotic war. Things domestically are a little better than before they left. Selucia flushed out the network from the earlier assassination attempt and is generally keeping things running and the puppet ruler honest.

Tuon's relieved; she was really worried that everything was going to fall apart when she was gone and now she's kind of grateful for the break. She tries to tell Mat this without actually admitting that she's got trauma around it, because the Empress doesn't admit weakness and Tuon the person is extremely bad at talking about feelings anyway; she's like "Ah, that's much better news than I came back to last time you kidnapped me. I'm glad to be back to work again, let's get to it." Mat's irritable, not catching on that she was actually really worried about it based on her previous experience, and thinking she didn't appreciate the break, and also worried that his plans to convince her to leave with him aren't going to work. Tuon catches that he's cagey and unhappy and not getting her jokes, and she remembers that this was what he seemed like when she first saw him in the Tarasin Palace. Mat argues that they should at least wait until the baby comes, that the person she put in charge is doing well, they can certainly let them rule a while longer. He says he's not sure it's the right time to attack Seanchan, he'd need to check the troops out, sniff out local sentiment. He's not decisive or commanding or focused when he says these things- it's stalling, it's bravado covering panic. It dawns on her- oh shit, he's gonna run.

Tuon's spooked. She KNOWS Mat now, but that doesn't mean she knows what to do to hang on to him. She doesn't know how to deal with a loss of control in her personal life, so she turns to what she knows she can control- the empire, her role, her property. She takes refuge in past promises. She tells him they will discuss the disposition of the army and the prosecution of the war in Seanchan once her heir is born and she's officially 'off the hook'. Mat looks grim.

Tuon wanted to announce that she's back immediately, but she starts having contractions and Mat's like 'you are absolutely not going to return from the dead right this second, you're super vulnerable right now.' They stay in a relatively secret spot in Tuon's territory with a small coterie of loyal retainers until the baby is born; it goes fine. There is one (1) cute bonding moment between Tuon and the baby and Mat; then the baby vanishes. Mat was on guard along with the usual people you'd expect to be on guard (not Karede, Selucia, or Min though). Tuon FUCKING KNOWS Mat did it with Aes Sedai help, she's initially furious and betrayed, but Mat isn't admitting it and within the extremely tight circle of people who know about the vanished baby, he's doing a reasonably convincing job looking as freaked out and upset as everyone else, and she's still hoping she can resolve this privately without any drastic public actions.

She takes Mat to a private place and she tells him that she has always, always been able to trust him. She trusts him so much it terrifies her. She does not know if this is what love is, but it is what she feels for him. She asks him to honor that, to honor himself, and not to lie to her. She then asks him why he kidnapped their child. Mat staggers, and blurts out that he can't bear the thought of their children constantly at risk of assassination, from strangers or their own siblings. He has nightmares about their child beginning to channel, or being able to learn, and what that means for them in the Empire. Tuon's made her choice and he'll respect that, though he hates the risks to her, and what the Empire does to her and others. But their child deserves the choice Tuon didn't have. He loves Tuon, but he cannot love the Empire, and he will not fight in the Empire's wars, and he will not let the Empire own his children, whether that's as royalty, sul'dam, or damane. He says he trusts she'll come to the right decision about what to do with this information.

The next scene has Tuon in mourning white. It's neither Tuon's nor Mat's POV- probably Karede, or maybe Min. In front of the whole court Tuon, as Empress back from the dead, bestows the Bloodknives ring and blessing on Knotai, and orders him to take a few members of the Deathwatch (the ones on watch the night the baby vanished, our observer notes) and assassinate the warlord in Seanchan on her behalf. She says she trusts he will succeed. They stare inscrutably at each other. The court is shocked into silence at first, but the whispers rise behind Mat as he straightens from his extraordinarily polite leg and heads out of the chamber. It is left up to the reader to decide if this is an elaborate plan to fake Mat's death and set him free, or his execution.

--- You may notice this is suspiciously fleshed out for a prompt I received this afternoon. XD I've been kicking around some of this premise for a while, though this ask made me finally come up with the circumstances that get Tuon to actually agree to temporarily leave her job, as well as most of the details. The main emotional beats came from stringing together several Mountain Goats songs, because of course it did. The whole sequence is Twin Human Highway Flares, Riches and Wonders (Eliza Rickman cover), Alpha Incipiens, Fault Lines, New Britain, Family Happiness. I’m not sure if I’ll actually turn this into a finished story with description and dialogue and everything, but it’s possible. This is also not the only Mat/Tuon post-canon idea I have kicking around! It’s not my ideal scenario for them for sure, but it’s a lot easier to write a ‘bad ending’ for them than to work on my ‘good ending’, because I have a lot more emotional investment in the ‘good ending’... perfectionist problems. :/

[ckret2]

Chocolate Pudding

Venom accidentally loses the symbiote’s newest spawn and turns NYC upside down trying to find it.

Meanwhile, a four-year-old girl prods a pile of chocolate pudding.

This fic was written for Day 1 of @symbruary, prompt: "symbisona/symbiOC". Due to the fact that I am not a four-year-old girl, this is an OC, not a sona. This fic is not yet proofed due to the fact that I wrote it on my phone in a five-hour haze of symbiote-loving hyperfocus.

You: "Hey, where does this fic fit into Venom's comic continuity?" Me: *makes a wiggly hand motion*

###

"That should hold Spider-Man for a little bit," Venom said to themselves as they swung away from the collapsing parking garage. "If it doesn't outright squash him like the bug he is! Ha! But no—fate has never been so kind as to smile upon us that way. This is but a short reprieve, during which we can—"

There was a sensation inside their brain like a sticker peeling off of its backing as symbiote and host's consciousnesses separated. Uh-oh. Eddie.

"Hm?" Eddie tilted his head, as though to better hear the voice in his head. "What's wrong, my love?"

Think I dropped a baby.

"What?!" Venom nearly crashed into a skyscraper. They cracked a window and then clung to it as Eddie's heart leaped into his throat. For them to drop a poor innocent baby, especially at these heights, because that accursed Spider-Man had been hounding them—When had they been holding a baby—?

Not human, the symbiote quickly clarified. One of mine. Ours.

"Oh!" The panic drained out of Eddie; and then immediately returned. "We had a baby?! Where? When?"

Don't know; wasn't paying attention. Near Times Square?

"We'll have to hurry. Any kind of miscreant could pick it up there!" Venom kicked off the building, swinging back in the direction they'd come from.

###

Faye leaned over as far as she could with the teacher's vice grip on her hand, stretching her chubby brown fingers toward what looked to her like a pile of iridescent chocolate pudding sitting in the street just next to the curb. She couldn't quite reach it with how tightly the teacher was holding her hand.

The pudding reached back toward her.

The teacher's attention was split between watching traffic for a safe point to herd her charges across the street and scanning the sky to make sure the super villain that had crashed the children's home van wasn't looping back with Spidey to terrorize the square again. She glanced down once to make sure Faye wasn't about to fall off the curb, looked back at traffic, belatedly registered that she'd seen the fidgeting four-year-old reaching toward some nasty gutter gunk, and looked down again. "Faye! Don't touch—"

But there was no gunk. Just Faye, standing straight up, looking around in a startled daze like someone had just dragged her out of a daydream by setting off a party popper in her face.

The teacher didn't have time to worry about it—Faye was probably just stunned from the recent super fight—and the light had just changed. The teacher hustled her charges across the street.

Faye saw a woman passing the other way with bright neon green cornrows. She reached up and patted her own cloud of bouncy black hair, then twisted around in her teacher's grip to look back over her shoulder at the woman with the colorful hair, seeing how the braids zigzagged like lightning down the back of her head.

Little patches of bright green bloomed in Faye's hair, thread-thin tendrils mixing in with her natural hair. They wrapped around her hair like ivy weaving through a trellis, then wove the strands together, starting from her hairline and moving back. By the time they reached the other side of the street, five wide black-and-green braids inexpertly meandered back and forth over her head and dangled down to her shoulders.

It took the teacher two blocks to notice.

###

"We've turned the whole city upside-down," Venom lamented, sitting morosely atop an office building with their chin in a hand. "A whole week, and no sign of our youngest progeny! Where could it be? Hiding in the sewers, cold and alone with only rats and strays to meet its needs for sustenance and symbiosis?"

The dinosaur-people would know if so, the symbiote pointed out. They would say. Yes?

"That's true," Eddie said, relaxing slightly. "They know your scent, they'd know your child's too. Still, we should let them know to be on the lookout for one and to let us know if they find it." He tried to remember the nearest sewer entrance that wouldn't require them to pry up a manhole cover in the middle of a city street, and shot out a tendril to a taller building to swing them in that direction. "I just hope someone far fouler hasn't seized our innocent offspring," he said. "A criminal, a corporation, or, worse—an agent of the government."

###

The children's home's top social worker—certified agent of the government—watched through a partially cracked window as the four-to-six-year-olds played outside. She held her phone to her ear with her shoulder, listening to the hold music.

Faye tripped while running around between the faded playground equipment. The social worker saw her push herself up, rub her cheek vigorously, and inspect her scratched up bloody knee. Faye scrubbed the dirt off the scratch, and when she pulled her hand away the scratch was gone.

The social worker let out a low whistle.

The hold music stopped and the social worker sat up straighter. "Hi! Yes, this is... oh, hi, I think I spoke to you a couple of days ago." She laughed politely. "Yes, this is about the—Yes. Faye Fletcher. I was wondering about the uh, the procedures to enroll a child at Xavier's Institute if the child doesn't have legal guardians? I understand sometimes legal parents give up guardianship of their children to your institute, I don't know if the procedure is different if she's already a ward of the state—" The social worker fell silent a moment. "Four years old." She listened, then nodded. "Uh-huh. I see. See, our concern is—we don't have anyone on staff trained to help with, uh, gifted children, and since our grant doesn't allow us to hand gifted children to potential foster homes or adoptive parents unless they've passed a certification course—uh-huh. Oh, no no, I think it's great to make sure the parents are prepared, but it's—yes. It's going to make it harder to place her."

She listened a moment, watching the children outside play—a couple of the kids were pretending to be dogs, running around on all four and chasing after sticks other kids threw. The teacher on duty rushed over to stop them from putting the sticks in their mouths. Faye chucked a couple of sticks, but by this point there were more stick-throwers than pretend dogs to chase them, and hers were ignored.

"Oh, uh..." She checked her legal pad. "Nothing dangerous, so far. Shapeshifting. She keeps dying her hair, braiding and unbraiding it, and changing her clothes. I—yeah, the clothes shape-shift. They look like real clothing until they start shifting. And I just saw her patch up a wound, so self-healing. Mhm—no, while I was on the line with you, just in the last couple of minutes. I'm watching the kids play outside. Did you see the video attachment on my email? Of her braiding and unbraiding her hair?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, kind of like Medusa. That's what I was thinking."

She listened to another question. "No, the children aren't afraid of her—I think they're jealous of how she can 'play dress-up,' they call it. They—Oh! I should mention, she picked up an imaginary friend around the same time her powers developed. She calls it Chocolate Pudding. Some of the other kids say they've seen Chocolate Pudding, they think it's a ghost. That scared them."

The menagerie outside was expanding beyond dogs. One girl had started running around flapping her arms, cawing like an eagle; the teacher on duty had her hands full trying to keep the girl from climbing on the play equipment and jumping off. One boy yelled "I'm a dinosaur!" and started stomping across the playground with exaggeratedly large steps; a couple more joined in.

The social worker shrugged. "I don't—Chocolate Pudding could be anything, as far as we can tell. None of the staff has seen any such beast. We don't know if it's some sort of... of shared psychic hallucination? Or a shape-shifting trick she hasn't shown us yet, or just the kids being imaginative, or..." She trailed off. "Mhm. We don't know what to make of it."

Another kid yelled "I'm a dragon!" and charged at the first dinosaur, hissing loudly. Another cried, "We're a unicorn!"

"If she's not a fit for the Institute yet, then are you connected with any children's homes in the NYC area qualified to deal with gifted children? We don't want to foist her off on another home, but if she develops something that we don't have the support system to—" The social worker dropped her phone.

Faye was covered head to toe in a bubblegum pink second skin with a long mane of curly rainbow hair stretching down her back. Her eyes had been replaced by some cross between oversized anime eyes, multifaceted insect eyes, and sparkly rainbow-refracting diamonds. From the center of her forehead protruded a six-inch wicked-looking pearlescent horn.

They playground anarchy screeched to a halt as every child stared at her.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Faye grinned at them with wicked-looking pearlescent teeth.

Without breaking her gaze from the window, the social worker groped on the floor for her phone. "I've, uh, got something else you'll want to know."

The other children started screaming.

###

Peter Parker was awoken in the dead of night by a set of glowing white eyes. "What in the—!"

"Don't scream. We're not here to f—" Venom blocked Peter's foot. "We said we're not here to fight!"

"You're in my apartment!"

"You say that like we haven't been here before!"

"Yeah—usually to fight!"

They considered that, and shrugged. "Not this time. We're here—against our better judgment—to begrudgingly ask you to help us protect an innocent."

"At—" Peter looked for his clock, realized he'd knocked it off his bedside table in his flailing, and finished, "at whatever-it-is in the morning?!"

Venom shrugged again. "We couldn't sleep."

"You couldn't sleep, oy..." Peter rubbed his face. "Okay. Okay, just—is this going to require me to get out of bed?"

"No. Just to be vigilant."

"Yeah, yeah, all right. Vigilant's my middle name. Ol' Spider-Vigilant-Man." He rubbed his eyes. "What is it?"

Venom's face peeled back, exposing Eddie's shadowed face. "We lost a child."

"Oh." Peter spent a couple of seconds trying to muster up as much basic human empathy as he could after being dragged out of an extremely peaceful sleep. "I'm, uh... I'm so sorry. Was it—sorry, I'm trying to figure out how this works—was it a miscarriage, or...?"

"No! I mean we lost it. We dropped it somewhere around Times Square a month ago." With great indignation, he added, "While defending ourselves from you."

"Defending, you're the one who—" He flopped back and rubbed his eyes again. "Ugh. Okay. So are we—are we talking about another Carnage here? Please say no."

"That depends on the human with whom it's bonded. Assuming it found a human at all."

"Well—wow—in Times Square? It could've landed in a tourist group and be in China by now."

"That's why we need your help!" Eddie said, jabbing a finger uncomfortably close to Peter's chest. "You move in circles we don't. The Fantastic Four, the Avengers—we can search for our child in New York's underbelly, but your web reaches much higher. We need you to be on the lookout for it. And if you find it, find us. We are qualified to deal with it—whether it can still be raised as a hero, or is already corrupt and needs to be put down."

"Rrright." Peter pushed Eddie's hand away. The symbiote stretching over Eddie's knuckles briefly clung to the ridges of Peter's fingerprints. Yuck. "You sure you don't just want me to—y'know—turn a flamethrower on it and let you know when the problem's solved?"

"No!" And Eddie was gone, hidden again behind a mass of snarling fangs. "We don't know yet that it's another Carnage! We will judge it. If there's any innocence left in it, we want to—to try to save it."

At another time, Peter might have argued against the wisdom of "saving" a parasite for any reason—but it was half past can't-see-his-clock a.m. and he was tired. "Okay," he said. "All right, you got it. If I find a bundle of bouncing baby bile, I'll—uh—track you down, I guess—"

"Leave us a message," Venom insisted. "At the bell tower. Where you were divorced and we were wed. We'll check there nightly."

Divorced. Peter let that word echo nightmarishly in his head a few times. "Got it. Bell tower."

"We'll be waiting." With that, Venom climbed off Peter's bed and vanished into the night.

They'd been gone for half a minute before Peter asked, "Did you break in through my window?"

###

The workers at the children's home just didn't know what to do with Faye.

They'd made what adjustments they could. They'd switched out the alarm clock for a radio alarm in her room when its shrill buzzing made her scream in pain and caused strange neon colors to ripple across her skin, and later they hurried her outside under a jacket when an older kid pulled a fire alarm to the same effect. The door buzzer from the entrance that prospective parents used—which played through speakers along the whole length of the main hall and was audible from nearly the whole building—had the same effect, but they didn't have the budget to replace it with a different bell. They'd had to turn off the buzzer completely and tape a note to the door telling visitors that the buzzer was broken and asking them to knock, with a number underneath to text if nobody heard the knock. They were doing the best they could to help Faye.

But they didn't know how to handle biting. Bad enough when the normal kids did it—normal kids didn't have inch long daggers in their mouths.

"Faye, sweetie," her teacher said gently, "you hurt Martin very badly. You know that, don't you?"

Arms crossed tightly, staring at her lap, kicking her feet, Fay nodded sullenly. She'd hidden her face behind a layer of tie-dye rainbow skin without a mouth, which she'd taken to doing (colors subject to change) when she didn't want to talk.

"I'm not mad," said the teacher, who was more terrified than anything, "but I need to to understand why."

"We're hungry." Her voice was muffled behind the mask.

That was the worst possible answer. "Faye, you can't—you can't eat your friends."

"Yes we can."

"You shouldn't," the teacher said quickly. "I saw you pushing your lunch around instead of eating it today. Wouldn't you be less hungry if you ate your lunch? Then you won't want to hurt your friends?"

"It was mac and cheese! We don't want mac and cheese!" She kicked her feet more agitatedly.

In danger of getting kicked in the knees, the teacher scooted slightly back. "What do you want for lunch?"

Faye slammed her hands down on the edge of her seat and her mouth peeled open like a zipper, revealing three rows of fangs, and roared, "Chocolate Pudding wants chocolate!"

The teacher stared at her, mouth open. Already knowing this was a fight she was going to lose, she said, "Faye, honey, a growing girl can't live on dessert—"

She started wailing.

###

"Are you good with kids, Peter?" J. Jonah Jameson asked.

"Oh, yeah, kids think I'm pretty cool," said Peter, thinking of all the little Spider-Mans he'd seen wandering around last Halloween.

"Great. Got a human interest story we need a couple of pictures for," Jameson said. He passed over a piece of paper with an address and several names. "Underfunded orphanage stuck with a mutant girl."

"'Stuck with'? Hey, now—"

"Not like that. Their funding isn't good enough to let them add a specialist to their staff, and the only two places in the state that are qualified to take mutant kids are overcrowded. I'm hoping if we whip up some public furor over this poor kid we can get 'em some donations—maybe shame legislature into increasing funding all around." He pointed at Peter. "So I want you to make Miss Fletcher look cute as hell, got it?"

"Yessir." Relieved Jameson wasn't asking him to vilify an orphaned child, Peter looked over the address.

"And see if you can get her to uh... 'play dress-up' for the camera." Jameson waved a hand vaguely. "They said it's some sort of shapeshifting? We won't use 'em if they're weird enough to rile up the anti-mutant crowd, but if it's cute maybe it'll tug a few heartstrings and film's cheap. Just get some normal shots as well."

"Will do!" Peter headed out the door, plotting his subway route to the children's home.

An hour later, Peter was standing alone in the children's home playground, wondering if he should leave a tip with the FBI for the Anti-Symbiote Task Force... or leave a note for Eddie Brock.

Which one did he trust to treat a preschooler better?

###

The teachers were practically crawling up the walls.

Faye was literally crawling up the walls.

And camouflaging with the wallpaper.

And tipping over bunk beds.

And kicking through wood doors.

And tearing up furniture with her unicorn horn.

Most incidents were the result of normal four-year-old rambunctious play, or the expected tantrums that came from being tired, hungry, or overwhelmed. But normal play and tantrums attached to super strength and a fluctuating array of sharp spikes were disasters waiting to happen. It was a miracle they hadn't had any more incidents as bad as Martin's hospital stay.

Half of Faye's diet was chocolate bars now. They didn't know if that was making things better or worse.

The last thing the head social worker needed was to open the door to her office and be greeted by the sight of Venom—whose muscles looked even bigger in person—sitting in one of the chairs usually reserved for prospective parents, one foot hooked over the other knee, grinning like the world's happiest shark. "Hello," he said.

The head social worker gaped. Venom stared expectantly at her. She whispered, "Hi."

"My other and I are looking to adopt," Venom said cheerfully. "Or, more precisely, to reclaim custody. We have reason to believe one of our children was mistakenly put up for adoption. A terrible error—we've been searching frantically for our darling child for weeks!"

The social worker mentally ran over the various manifestations of Faye's "mutation," working back to the day she's come home with green hair—and her teacher had shakily recounted the close encounter between their van and a super fight. "Oh."

Venom's smile twitched wider. "I see you know who it is! Is it our family resemblance?" His teeth gleamed hideously white as he gestured toward her seat behind her desk, as though commanding her to be seated so they could begin negotiations.

She didn't budge. "Please," she said, "don't hurt anyone here. All we have here are children, and they've already been through so much—"

"Madam, we would never!" Venom placed a hand on his chest, over the head of his white spider symbol. "We are a protector of the innocent! And who could be more innocent than poor, sweet children longing for a family, and the kind-hearted staff that care for them?" He paused. "But we're not leaving without our child." He gestured again toward her chair.

This time, she thought maybe she should take it.

As she sat, Venom asked, "What have you been calling our child?"

"Her name is Faye Fletcher."

For a moment, this answer seemed to puzzle Venom; but then he said, as though talking to himself, "Ah, yes; quite right. She must mean..." He leaned forward slightly, fixing the social worker with what she could tell even with Venom's blank white eyes must have been a piercing stare. "And what has Faye been calling her other?"

###

It was the fastest and most wildly illegal adoption in the history of the NYC Administration for Children's Services. The terrified social worker informed Venom of the thirty hour parenting class most parents were required to take before adopting a child, as well as the five hour supplement for parents taking in mutants—although at this point she no longer had any idea whether that information would be at all helpful for Faye—and Venom reassured her so sincerely that he would attend the first class he could find that she actually believed him.

Even if he didn't go, she was sure he'd have a better idea of how to care for Faye than any of them did. And that instinct was only reinforced when he suddenly lifted his head and turned toward the door as though he'd picked up a familiar scent a full fifteen seconds before Faye came barreling into the office.

With reflexes so fast he almost looked like a blur, he dropped to one knee and spread his arms just in time to catch Faye in a great bear hug, the both of them wearing identical fangy grins. "We knew you'd still be an innocent," he said, holding her out by the shoulders to take a good look at her, taking her in from horn tip down to pink feet. "Unicorns are always innocent. Isn't that what you are, a sweet little unicorn?"

Faye giggled, sounding like a girl her age should for the first time in days.

When they left, Venom carrying Faye Fletcher Brock (and Chocolate Pudding) in his arms, he'd grown a gleaming white unicorn horn to match hers.

###

Fic also available on AO3, link in my description. If you enjoyed the fic, I’d appreciate a reblog or comment!

[severetimetravelnerd]

Change (ft. G Dragon and Yoo Yeon-Seok)

Part 19

Jiyong tries to learn more about pregnancies and giving birth, but manages to scare himself thoroughly in the process.

(I don’t own any of the images used. All credit goes to the original owners.)

Taglist:

@unabashedturkeytreeslime​

@starlighttaek8​

@happiestgirlontheeastcoast​

If there is anyone else who would like to be tagged, you can comment or leave me a message :))

I only write on this blog on tumblr, so if you see my work on any other platform, please let me know immediately.

———————————————————————————

“Get that away from me Kwon Jiyong!”

 you screamed as he took out the Mango you used to love from the fridge. He jumped back a little. Hesitating, he asked, 

“But Y/N, you love mangoes.”

 Nearly throwing up just from the smell of the mangoes, you covered your nose with your hand and screeched, 

“Do I look like I love mangoes?”

 Deciding not to argue with the pregnant woman in front of him, even if the same woman had asked him to buy the mangoes in the first place, Jiyong quickly put it back in the fridge and shut the door. Still sounding rather nervous, he asked, 

“Is that better Y/N?”

 Nearly in tears, you replied, 

“No! I can still smell it and it’s making me nauseous.” 

Jiyong raised his eyebrows and sniffed, trying to smell what you claimed was still around. That only served to annoy you more.

 “Ji, just because you can’t smell the damn thing doesn’t mean I can’t.” 

Getting nervous at how annoyed you were, Jiyong quickly sat you down at the kitchen island. 

“Okay, I’m sorry I couldn’t smell it Y/N. Now why don’t I make you some orange juice? You like that, right?”

 You sniffed, and completely serious, you said,

 “I don’t like it. I hate oranges, but baby likes it.”

 And when Jiyong heard you say that, he thought his heart would burst from how adorable you sounded.

----------------------------------

You got back from work one evening, your back aching so bad that you were considering asking Jiyong for a massage yourself, when you realised the house sounded eerily silent. You looked around, feeling slightly creeped out. 

“Ji?” 

You called out, feeling a little nervous. There was no response. 

“Jiyong?” 

Still no response. You were getting scared. You picked up the nearest weapon, which happened to be a lamp, and searched the house. You looked in most of the rooms, but you couldn’t find him anywhere. Suddenly, you heard an eerie typing sound coming from Jiyong’s room. You followed the sound, bracing yourself to attack, when you flung open the door and found Jiyong there, hunched over his laptop, his eyes wide and his face pale. He was watching something on his laptop. As though he were in a trance, he looked up at you, and in a shaky voice asked, 

“Y/N, why is pregnancy so scary?”

 Your eyes crinkled when you smiled back at him, feeling very warm on the inside from all his efforts to do research. It takes courage to watch a birthing video. You nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, it is very scary Jiyong.”

And smiled. He jumped up. 

“No, Y/N, why’re you smiling? There are so many things that have to be done!”

 He rushed around to get his car keys, wallet and phone. 

“Do you have a history of diabetes?” 

Before giving you time to answer, he launched into a barrage of questions.

 “Do you take magnesium? Are you taking your iron? You’re not eating sprouts, right? Have you found a pediatrician?” 

You were stunned at this sudden worry of his. You followed him as he made his way to the front door, too shocked to reply. He paused for a second before running out of the door, his hair sticking up in places because of the sudden rush, and shot you a reassuring grin. 

“God, Y/N, we have so much to do, but don’t worry, we’ll figure things out.”

 And he rushed out, leaving a perplexed you behind. He returned three hours later, with his hands full of boxes and bags. 

“Y/N, where are you? Open the door for me. I can’t see anything because of the boxes.”

 You rushed out of your room, wondering where he had disappeared to. You opened the door for him, just watching him in disbelief after seeing the number of things he bought. He struggled to put them all down, and then he beamed at you with a confident look in his eyes. He grabbed your shoulders, and gently made you sit down. You looked around, vaguely amused by how things seemed to be going, and decided to hear him out. 

“So, Y/N, your next appointment is coming up, and I thought I should read up on how your pregnancy should be coming along, so I looked it up. But I had no idea how complicated things were. There are so many things that have to be done!”

 His face twisted in memory of the video.

 “Are you getting an epidural? Cause otherwise, it looked really painful.” 

You ruffled his hair and smiled. 

“Jiyong, did you not know giving birth is very, very painful?”

 Looking at you with his eyes all wide, he said, 

“I didn’t know it was this painful.”

 “No, Jiyong, I am not getting an epidural.” 

His face went pale. 

“What? Are you serious?”

 “Dead serious.” 

He looked at you with a weird expression on his face, half terrified for you and half in admiration for your determination. He shook his head to shake out those thoughts and said,

 “Okay, wait back to topic. So, Y/N, I got all these things that I think you’ll need. I read up on it, and there are all these vitamins you’re supposed to be having, but I know you’re not having.” 

He paused to shoot you a playful glare.

 “So, I got you a tonne of pills, especially magnesium, vitamin D and iron. You have anemia, right?” He waited for you to confirm, but you were just stunned. You were stunned that he remembered that you had slight anemia. You had only mentioned it to him once. He tapped your hand. 

“Y/N, you okay? You do have anemia, right?” 

You blinked a couple of times and nodded rapidly. 

“Okay then, so yeah, you have to take all these vitamins. Also, you’ve always had bad back pain, right? I know it would’ve gotten worse with this, so I got you a couple of pain patches for foot pain, back pain and headaches.”

 Again, he paused to glare at you jokingly.

 “And I know you haven’t been eating enough protein. From now on, I’ll cook your meals for you, okay?” 

And he went on and on about some exercise equipment he got for you, but you zoned him out after that. Things had definitely gotten better between you and Jiyong after he took you to the shelter, but you just couldn’t believe it. You told him then that you had forgiven him for what happened a year ago, and you joked about how his punishment was looking after you during your pregnancy, but you warned him that you would always hold something against him for making you lose Yeon-Seok. Jiyong didn’t want to say anything, because he knew you would take it as him trying to absolve himself of the blame, but he seriously thought Yeon-Seok should have heard you out. As you zoned out, staring at Jiyong while he lectured you, and saw his eyes crinkle, his lips spread wide in his adorable smile and slightly flushed from his very excited rant, you knew you wouldn’t be able to continue with that grudge for long.

This was not the Jiyong you fell for. This was another Jiyong. A different Jiyong, and not just with you. It was those small changes that you saw when he thought you weren’t looking that convinced you that he changed. It was the way he acknowledged people now. It could just be the girl bagging his groceries, but earlier, he would never remember her name, or her face, but now, he would, and would ask her about her dog the next time he saw her. It was the old lady who lived a couple of floors below him. She had always lived there, but he only started helping her with the small things after he met you. It was the way he held the door open now instead of expecting people to do so for him. It was those small things that you saw when he had no way of knowing you were around that gave you some faith in the power of change. You stared hard at the earnest man in front of you, so invested in taking care of you and tried to gauge him. Should you just let go of the grudges? Should you give him the benefit of the doubt. The memory of how you felt when Yeon-Seok broke things off seared your mind again. You had never felt that low in your life. You looked back at Jiyong. Thinking hard, you finally decided that everyone deserves a chance to change. Why not give Jiyong that chance as well? He had, after all, taken you in, and was going out of his way to take care of you. You nodded to yourself. Yes, you would let go of the grudge, but you would remember what happened, because you couldn’t let yourself get hurt like that all over again. You were snapped out of your thoughts by an excited Jiyong asking you,

 “Really?! You’ll quit your job?” 

You snapped out of it fast. 

“Wait, what?! I’m not quitting.”

 In a whiny voice, Jiyong said, 

“But you just nodded when I asked you whether you would. Strenuous movement isn’t good for you!” 

You shook your head.

 “Ji, I can’t quit my job. I need the money. I haven’t even found a place of my own yet.”

 Jiyong had to stop himself from smiling when he heard you call him ‘Ji’. That never failed to make him happy.

 “Y/N, don’t worry about a place. You live with me until Yeon-Seok gets back.” 

There was a barely discernible tightening of his jaw.

 “Once he’s back, you’ll go back to your apartment.” 

You looked at him, surprised. He had never brought up Yeon-Seok before. You wondered how he was able to talk about you getting back together with Yeon-Seok when he himself had feelings for you. The thought made you a little sad. 

“Ji, I…” 

He tried to give you a reassuring smile, but you could sense the sadness behind it.

 “Of course you’ll get back together with him Y/N. You love him. He loves you. And you’re carrying his child.” 

You found yourself wanting to ask Jiyong if he was okay with that. With you leaving him all over again, but you didn’t. Jiyong smiled again.

 “Don’t worry, you have my unconditional support for whatever you want to do, and if you want my help to find Yeon-Seok, consider it done.” 

You gulped, suddenly feeling emotional. Your throat constricted, and you couldn’t talk. You smiled gently at him, and in a move surprising to both you and him, you leaned over and kissed his cheek, looking down immediately from the shyness. It was a pity you looked down, because if you didn’t, you would have seen the look of pure, unadulterated joy he gave you, looking at you like you were his whole world, and the determination to never again ruin that happiness.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer IV: Hollow Victory

It was about 8 pm at night when I got the knock on the door. Ru’Yi was still awake, laying on her stomach and lifting her head from the bed in an attempt to stretch for a small toy that I deliberately placed just out of reach. 

Immediately, my senses were keen. I hadn’t ordered anything and I wasn’t expecting any visitors.

I peered out the peephole. It was Crow!

I undid the chain from the door. 

The Japanese man wore a black trenchcoat with the colored lining that showed that he was a member of the Hydra clan. He gave me a kind smile. “Carli, how have you been?”

“Alright. Staying safe.”

He nodded once. “I need to talk to you.”

I let him in and closed the door, redoing the deadbolt and chain, looking back at him uncertainly.

As soon as he saw little Ru’Yi, his eyes lit up. “Look at how big she is!” He hurried to her and picked her up holding her up into the air. “Hey there!”

Ru’Yi curled her fingers into her mouth and giggled.

I thought Crow would pass out, he was so enthralled. He looked at me, eyes bright. “She smiled at me!”

Crow held her close. “What’s so funny! You think something’s funny?” He cooed at her.

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. “You’re sure you don’t have any kids?”

Crow sighed wistfully. “Kinda need a woman for that.”

I flinched. “Oh... sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” 

I noticed a hint of sadness as he turned away from me but it was gone in a flash. “I actually have something I need to tell you. I’m not here for a casual visit.”

He sat down, cradling Ru’Yi in his lap. “I’m here to take you. You’re completely surrounded by Hydra agents. ”

I gasped. “What?”

He already had Ru’Yi. I trusted him and he just took advantage! I bared my teeth at him. “No...”

“Woah! Easy! Easy!” He tried to reassure me as my eyes had started to burn with Dragon fury. “I’m on your side, remember? I’m going to take you to Lu Mingfei as part of my friendship with him and I will pretend to capture him as well. I would have told you earlier but there was just no way.”

I tried to take slow calming breaths, watching Ru’Yi grab at the man’s fingers, trying to figure out how to take his large ring off. She attempted to use her mouth, but he pulled his hand away, lightly tapping her cheek.

“Don’t worry about doing and saying anything. This is under my control now. You can relax.” He looked down at Ru’Yi. “I won’t let anything happen to this precious little gem here, right?” He tickled her, chuckling at her wriggling.

My heart felt like a stone. My mind understood the plan but, at the same time, I couldn’t stand that he held on to Ru’Yi. 

“You have things to pack. Let’s go ahead and pack them.” He said.

We fit what supplies we could, with an emphasis on diapers and wipes, into the suitcases that EVA had bought me. 

“Don’t worry about the rest of it, I’ll have my men clean out your hotel room and get you the things you need later.” Crow put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know it’s scary to trust me but trust me. They really think I’m here to turn you in.”

We stepped out onto a a street that had been cleared out and closed off. On every corner were agents in black trench coats, brandishing bright swords.

I put Ru’Yi in the back car seat. I’d already fed her, hoping that she’d sleep for the rest of the night. While back there I saw the car was full of even more supplies! I gasped.

“Shh...” He said winking at me, “Come to the front seat.”

I nodded, lowering my head and trying to look as guilty as possible. “I got you a few more things... my treat.”

Even though he was being very kind, I watched as we drove, trying my best to remember landmarks as we passed by. But Crow took a circuitous route and it wasn’t long before I was hopelessly disoriented. Finally, we got on the highway headed to Tokyo.

While he drove, he talked to me. “You and Lu Mingfei are close friends of the Hydra Clans and especially my friend, Chisei Gen. But a letter issued by EVA for your arrest has been issued to all branches around the world. You’re to be returned to Cassell. Dead or alive.” 

“Everyone has accepted the assignment of hunting you down, including Hydra.”

“I’ve accepted the hunt as well...” He said.  “But only as the leader of Hydra. I am still your friend. I will not turn you over.  This is my decision and I will be responsible for it alone. In the unlikely event that I fail and you are caught, I will take the full responsibility for my own actions in betraying the Academy.”

“What will they do to you?” I looked up at him, concerned.

“Let me worry about that. You think this is the first time I’ve played two sides?” He glanced at me, the street lamps reflecting off his sunglasses.

I sat back, silent.

He glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled at the sleeping child.

After about an hour and a half, we pulled in front of an internet cafe and inn. He parked and pulled out his phone, speaking in low but commanding tones in rapid Japanese.

One by one, all the shops on the street began to turn their open signs over. Lights went out. In the inn, people were milling about the exits until a man, presumably the owner, opened the doors and let out the staff. Crow opened his car door to get out. I craned my neck to see. Crow was laughing and patting the cafe owner’s shoulder before waving goodbye.

Within a few minutes, the entire street was clear.

Crow returned to the car, leaned inside it and laid onto the horn. Frantic, I flailed at him. “What are you DOING?!”

Ru’Yi startled awake and began to cry. He looked horrified at his blunder while I crawled into the back seat to get her out and comfort her. Crow chuckled. “Oops...”

When I turned and looked again, I saw him waving at someone in the upper floors of the building. I looked down at the sobbing baby and shushed her. She calmed almost immediately, much to my relief.

Crow opened his trench coat wide. “Long time, no talk? Look, no weapons!”

Then he opened the back door and let me out.

I held Ru’Yi to myself as we passed through the corridor. All the rooms in the inn were empty.

Crow stopped in front of me. He faced off with a serious-faced Mingfei. Nono stood behind him.

“Carli!” Mingfei exclaimed. He reached out to me, but Crow’s arm extended in front of me, preventing me from moving forward. Mingfei’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing.

I hadn’t seen Nono since she left for Italy over a year ago. She was still as beautiful as ever, not aged a day. But she only glanced at me, unsmiling, clutching a submachine gun.

Crow introduced himself first, giving a slight bow. “Saeki Ryuuji, the current Acting Director of the Japanese Executive Department. I fought beside you once, Mr. Lu.”

Mingfei slid a large dagger from his coat sleeve to his hand, unmoved by such nostalgia. I winced, taking a step back. I’d never seen such a killer look in MIngfei’s eyes before, like he could strike in an instant and kill this experienced gangster.

Mingfei snarled. “You have deployed at least fifty people near this building. They are all elites of the Japanese Executive Department. You are a White King Hybrid. I don’t take that lightly. You come here using Carli and Ru’Yi as shields... right?”

Mingfei’s eyes shifted upward, as though to look through the ceiling. “Oh, and there is a helicopter too, right? There are not many tall buildings nearby, and a sniper doesn’t have a good position. It is different if a helicopter is dispatched. Best to have a good sniper to tie up loose ends.”

My eyes widened. Was this really Mingfei?

Crow seemed to agree. “You weren’t this good before.” He nodded, admitting it. “This time the newly formed Crane Group of the Executive Department has been dispatched and it includes many ruthless characters from the Devil Clan. Now you are a real S-class. If we want to catch you, we have to work hard. It would be unwise for me to come empty handed.”

Mingfei glanced at me.

I kept my silence. My pulse was racing but I didn’t move. Like his meet up with me, there was no way for Crow to alert Mingfei of our arrival. With his being this aggressive and jumpy, he likely he would have fled had their been advance notice.

“So we’re no longer friends?” Mingfei asked, looking back at Crow.

“Are you asking me? Or Hydra?”

Mingfei looked confused and then looked at me. I gave him a slight smile and nod.

“When it comes to the Hydra... of course not! The Hydra is part of the Secret Society which you have been accused of betraying! But of course, you and I are friends.” Crow said.

“Is this how the Japanese do things? Only you’re allowed to kill your former brothers? Other people aren’t allowed to kill them?” Nono asked.

Crow seemed to revel in their skepticism. He smiled broadly. “No. I’m going to come into your room, you’re going to assault me and take me prisoner!” Crow sighed. “Nono, Mr. Lu. You’re not disposable friends.”

Nono and Mingfei stood there stunned for a moment. I finally let myself smile more widely.

Nono was still unconvinced. “Hold on. Saeki... Saeki right? This is too complicated and dangerous. If you want us to escape you should have just told us there was danger and we would have left. There’s no need for this!”

Crow sighed again. “You don’t understand my position. If the Hydra is seen as protecting you, we would be in for a confrontation we can’t afford! We knew when you arrived in Tokyo. I knew the location of Carli! We have to pretend to cooperate with Cassell!”

Mingfei was still hesitant.

“There may even be turncoats in the Hydra who would inform the Academy if we even attempted to contact you. So I pretended to keep Carli safe as bait so she could contact me, and I’m pretending to use her now. Do you understand? I’ve made it clear to the Academy that I would not kill you but deliver you alive to them.” 

“But just as negotiations were going well...” He suddenly grabbed Mingfei’s arm and held his knife against his own throat! “A reversal! You are fierce fugitive! Not only did I not convince you, but you suddenly caught me! How can a bunch of gangsters take on an S-Grade Ace from the Academy? No one will question it!”

Lu Mingfei just stood there, his hand held by Crow. He looked back at Nono, bewildered.

There was the Mingfei I remembered.

Crow’s eyes widened. “Wait. I forgot. It won’t be convincing unless I look beaten up.”

“What?!” I hissed. “Crow...”

“You uh... might want to turn around for this.” Nono strode forward without hesitation, cracking her knuckles. “This won’t be suitable for children.”

I turned around clasping Ru’Yi to myself. I winced with every crack of her fist against Crow’s skull, every grunt, and hiss. Nono had a chance to vent her frustration and took it, unleashing a series of combos worthy of a professional boxer. Just the sound of it made me want to ring the bell and declare her the winner! 

When it was finally over, I looked back. Crow was staggering to his feet, looking like he’d been beaten in a hard fight. “Thank you for... sparing my teeth...” He murmured, wiping the blood from his lips.

He smiled again. “Alright. If you’re ready? We get one chance at this.”

The door opened behind Nono. 

My body reacted first at the sight of the person behind the door. I gasped, the air sucking loudly through my teeth. My throat closed and tears blurred my vision. My heart seemed to leap and drop all at once. I let out a loud desperate cry.

Crow turned to me, his sunglasses eskew at my sudden violent emotional outburst. “Eh?”

Nono look behind her. “Chu Zihang! I told you to stay in the room!”

I ran to him. “Johann! Johann!” 

Johann’s eyes widened and he backed away.

Mingfei had grabbed me, holding me back. “Easy! Carli! Wait! I need you to listen!”

Johann Chu stared at me with nervousness and fear.  I kept pulling away from Mingfei until he had to grab me with both hands. “Carli, stop!” 

“JOHANN!” I collapsed to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably, trying to crawl to him, reach for him while still holding Ru’Yi to me.

Nono pulled Johann back into the room.

Johann asked very quietly. “Who is that...?” Before she closed the door.

“Carli! Please... he doesn’t know you.” Mingfei said.

His words. They were like a death knell. A heavy darkness descended on my world.

“I’ll explain later...” Mingfei was holding me, hugging me, murmurring into my ears. “But for now, we need to get out of here.”

He stood up, trying to get me off the floor, but I had no strength to stand.

“What... the hell?” Crow asked. “Mingfei, You need to take me hostage... can that guy carry her? Nono can take the baby.”

Mingfei nodded and knelt next to me again, looking into my eyes. 

“Carli. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” He chuckled, his default reaction to anything that made him anxious. “At least this way, you’ll be able to hug him tight okay?”

He stood up and went back into the inn room. I sat on the floor, staring blankly at the door until it opened. Nono emerged first, taking Ru’Yi from me. Johann knelt next to me and picked me up easily off the floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my tears soaking his shirt. “Johann... Johann... I missed you. I missed you.”

I heard Crow loudly protesting. “Mr. Lu! No! Don’t do this! You still have a chance! This will break your own retreat! Aaaaaah!”

Who knew he was such a good actor?

With the farce clearly very convincing, we made our way back to Crow’s red sports car. With Crow driving and Mingfei in front, I was forced to hold Ru’Yi in my lap, putting the carseat in the trunk. Nono sat between Johann and I. She and Mingfei brought cans of beer with them. 

I was still too young to drink so she gave me a yogurt.

Johann asked in a meek and quiet voice. “May I have a yogurt drink too?”

Nono obliged. 

I couldn’t stop staring at him. His eyes were black, but he wasn’t wearing any contacts. He seemed lonely, nervous and confused.

Nono turned to me and gently explained. “Johann’s mind stopped aging at fifteen. He may look like the man you married, but in his head, he’s just a fifteen year old boy.”

[fyeahwildfire]

Spirit Bound

Avengers/Mortal Kombat series

Soulmate AU

Summary: Outworlders and Hydra have hunted down past members in your family line, they seek a weapon that has been in your family for generations. This weapon is a samurai sword. It’s not just any sword, this sword is capable of extracting the souls from those it kills. What happens when they find you and your mother?

Pairing: Mortal Kombat x reader; Bucky x reader 

Warning: angst, swearing, death

Character Powers: Telepathy and telekinesis

A/N: I used google to get images for pictures and gifs. Y/M/N is your mother’s name. She has telepathic powers only. More chapters to come! I hope you like it. 

Chapter 1

Y/M/N Pov

The clock struck midnight when your mother woke upon hearing the thoughts of Red Dragon spies. She ripped her blanket from her body and rushed out her room. She ran down the hallway heading towards your room.

Your mother shook your shoulder hoping to get you to wake. “Y/N, wake up.”

You woke with a start, as if you had a nightmare and immediately eased down. You looked around the dark room seeing nothing, but instantly you sensed your mother’s fear and heard the thoughts of incoming mercenaries.

“Y/N, get up. Time is short, we have to leave. It’s not safe anymore.” Y/M/N grabbed your small hand and pulled you out of the room.

She opened the hallway closet and pulled out a bag filled with important necessities; passports, money, and journals that held information. She knew this was bound to happen, after all many sought out to have your family’s soultaker sword.

Long ago, an ancestor of yours had found the lost samurai sword. Your ancestor realized the sword had been enchanted and took the souls of those slain by the sword. Because of how dangerous it was, he used blood magic to bond the sword with his genetic code, meaning anyone who was within your bloodline could wield it.

You and your mother rush out the house, heading towards her car where she buckled you in. However, you both notice you two aren’t alone anymore. Y/M/N closes your door behind her and sees the six mercenaries holding their rifles. 

You peeked out and noticed the rifles aiming towards your mother.

“Mommy!” You cried out as they open fired.

Your mother sees the bullets stop mid-air, she looks over her shoulder and sees your small hands placed against the windshield. You had saved her by using your telekinetic ability to stop the incoming bullets.

You continued to use your powers to keep them from shooting at her, all while she fought off the mercenaries with skills that equal an assassins. 

Y/M/N can hear more mercenaries running out of the woods. She can’t fight them for long, as she needs to get you out and far away from there. She needed to take you to Howard Stark. 

There was no way she could contact her former husband, as he all but left her and took their two sons away from her. Even if she did contact him, there was no way you would be taken in seeing as you weren’t his daughter and the Lin Kuei didn’t accept women in their clan.  

Y/M/N pants heavily as she realizes she is surrounded, all rifles and weapons aiming at her. She mentally curses them, if she were any younger she would have taken them all on.

“Tell us where the sword is.” One of the mercs says.

Y/M/N scoffs, “Tell your master I will never give him what he wants. If he desperately wants the sword tell him to come and get it himself.”

“Wrong choice, kill them both.”

“No!” Another mercenary speaks up. “The sword can only be wielded by those within their bloodline. If we kill them both, then the sword will be forever lost.”

“Fine, then kill the old hag and take the girl to Daegon.”

“You will not touch my daughter.” Your mother seethes and prepares to fight to the death. 

Except, she sees the rifles being ripped away from the mercenaries’ hands by glowing green energy shaped like mist. She looks over her shoulder to see your irises glowing a bright green.

You turn the rifles around, aim, and shoot at the mercenaries all without physical contact. Seeing the mercs on the ground, Y/M/N turns to walk over to the car. 

With the adrenaline washing away, your mother feels a sharp sting coming from her abdomen. She looks down to see blood coating her shirt. She can’t remember getting stab.

She stumbles and puts pressure on her wound as she quickly moves to the car. She knows she doesn’t have much time and she can’t go to the police or hospital. The Red Dragons would easily find them there.

When she enters the car, she immediately checks to make sure you’re okay.

“Mommy, are you okay?” You pouted with tears in your eyes.

“I will be baby.” She winces as she shifts and turns on the car.

She’ll be okay knowing you are going to be in good hands. You’ll be safe. That’s all that mattered to her. You would be safely in the arms of your biological father and you would finally meet you older brother Tony. 

She wished you could have meet your other older half-brothers Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, but that would never happen. Her heart aches as she wanted to see her two sons one last time. She wanted to embrace them and tell them she loved them.

She drives off and looks into the rear view mirror, tears run down her face as she wished she could have more time with you.

At Howard Stark’s manor…

Your mother laid on the guest bed, Howard rushed around the manor trying to find a safety kit. He couldn’t lose your mother, she had been his childhood best friend. 

His wife Maria had known he had an affair that resulted in you being born. As much as she resented your mother being there, she couldn’t turn you away. You were innocent, the fault was not your own, but of your mother and Howard.

She sat next to you and offered you comfort. She saw how you held your mother’s hand. Her heart ached for you. No child should ever have to lose their mother, especially at the age of seven.

“I’m sorry.” Your mother looked at Maria, her eyes held sadness. “I didn’t mean to….”

Maria shakes her head, “I forgive you, Y/M/N.”

Tears run down your mother’s eyes, “I don’t deserve it. I’ve done horrible things. I let my emotions get the best of me and I almost ruined your marriage.”

“You were not yourself. Howard told me about what your former husband did to you…how he took you’re…” she shakes her head and sighs. “I would not forgive Howard if he took Tony from me.”

“He loves you.” Your mother winced as she struggled to stay alive. “He would never do that.”

Maria smiles softly, she sees the tears run down your face uncontrollably.

“I know it’s wrong to ask, but…I have no one else. Could you take care of her?” Your mother squeezed your hand.

“Of course.” Maria rubbed your back. She could not even think about handing you over to the orphanage or leaving you on the streets. She was not cruel.

“Thank you.”

“Mommy, please don’t leave me.” You sobbed.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” Your mother could feel she was fading. She didn’t have much time to be with you. Her heart broke into a million pieces, knowing she will never get to see you grow older. She’ll never see you go off to prom, go to college, to have your first boyfriend, to be at your wedding, or see any of her grandchildren. “I love you.”

You stare at your mother for a moment, waiting to see if she said anything else. When nothing comes, you sob and place your head on her chest trying to hear out for her heartbeat. But you found none. 

You clutch onto her shirt afraid that someone was gonna pry you off of her. She would never be able to wrap her arms around you to give you love and comfort. Never again.

Maria swallows hard upon hearing your heartbroken sobs, she wipes her tears away and tries to comfort you. She honestly doesn’t know how you were going to move forward. But one thing she was sure of was, she was going to help Howard raise you. She looks over to see Howard coming through the doorway.

“Doctor is going to be here soon.” Howard said, he promised not to call the hospital or notify the police, but he never promise to call his personal doctor.

Maria shakes her head as tears continue to run down her face. “She’s gone, Howard. It’s too late.”

Howard stares at you and your mother, his eyes wide to prevent the tears from escaping. He couldn’t break down, not now, not when you needed him. He went to your mother’s side, knelt and grabbed your hand.

He looked into your watery eyes, “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“She’s gone! My mommy is gone!” You sobbed into your mother’s chest unwilling to let go.

Coming from the doorway, a sixteen year old Tony looked inside to see what all the commotion was about. He didn’t know why his parents were surrounded by a dead women and a child. Why were they not at the hospital or something?

Maria notice his presence, she kissed the top of your head and went over to explain to Tony that he had a younger half-sister. She wouldn’t give him all the details about how your mother died by mercenaries, but she felt he deserved to know about your existence.

Howard slammed his eyes shut, he couldn’t believe your mother was dead. She had survived her parent’s death, the multiple assassination attempts, the divorce from her former husband, the loss of her two sons, the process of becoming an assassin, everything...only to be killed by a group of mercenaries who sought a damn sword that had been hidden by her grandfather. Your mother had told him the location in case anything were to happen to her. Now, all he wants is for the damn sword to be lost forever.

“Your mother is in a better place.” Howard told you, he pushed your hair away from your face. He didn’t know if there was such a thing. Your mother had done horrible things just to stay alive. He just hoped she would find peace.

“Really?” You wipe your eye with your left hand.

Howard nods, “She’s at peace. She’s free.”

You look at your mother’s face, your bottom lip trembles. “She’s in heaven.”

Howard just nods, it’s all he can do to give you comfort.

“But... I’m all alone now.” You whimper.

“No, you’re not. Daddy’s here and I’m gonna take care of you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.” Howard wrapped his arms around your small body.

He sat there all while you cried and fell asleep in his arms. He then carried you to one of the guest rooms while the Doctor and his butler Jarvis moved your mother’s body. He had to make plans to have your mother’s body cremated and have documents that proved you were his daughter. He had to keep you safe.

Howard stay there well into the night, watching over you. Maria peeked into the room and smiled see her husband sitting in the corner chair. She walked into the room and stood by his side.

“Tony?”

“He’ll come around.” Maria sighed sadly. “Just like I did. Give him time.”

Howard rubbed his face with exhaustion, his shoulders shook as tears ran down his face. He finally allowed himself to grieve over the loss of his best friend and first love. He thought it was unfair that your mother had lived a hard life. Unfair that now you lost your mother and had to live with a man who hadn’t been a part of your life. And if fate didn’t completely fuck you over, you also had a soulmate who died many years ago. He had noticed the tattoo on your inner forearm. James Buchanan Barnes.

[553butterfly553]

Lightning Dragon Slayer Love - Laxus x OC 4

Back From The Dead

Most people were alright with Adryn's use of her pain magic, even though they wanted to see her lightning dragon slayer magic as well. However, one person was worried about the situation, which was their master, Master Makarov. “Adryn,” The girl turned to who spoke her name, which turned out to be Master Makarov. “Yes, master?” Adryn responded hesitantly. She wasn't sure what he wanted so she was unsure of the situation. “Explain something to me. Why do you not use your Lightning Dragon Slayer magic?” “I just don't like using magic that was forced upon me. Plus, after finally seeing what it could do, I think it's too strong and I don't want to hurt or destroy anything. I especially don't want to kill someone by accident with magic I'm unfamiliar with.” “Oh really? Why wouldn't you have a problem with that, considering all the people you killed and hurt under Master Ivan's care.” Adryn spun around towards the entrance of the guildhall. There stood someone that made Adryn's heart stop. It was a girl about Adryn's age with long pastel pink hair. She wore a black dress with a purple and silver corset. The dress's flowy part was knee-high in the front and reached the ground in the back. Most importantly though, she had a purple Raven Tail guild mark on her right cheek. “E-Eclipse?!” Adryn gasped out, horrified and shocked at what she was seeing. “Eclipse? You mean your childhood best friend, Eclipse?!” Mirajane also spoke with a gasp. She'd been the topic of many conversations. Eclipse was not only Adryn's first best friend but also the older sister of Adryn's former lover, Nova. Eclipse and her family had been supposedly murdered by Ivan when Adryn fought against him in the beginning. “It's been a while, Adryn. Did you miss me?” Eclipse began to approach the shocked girl. “I've been watching over you all these years. I saw all the horrible things you did at the request of Master Ivan. You murdered so many people. Women, children, even elderly people. So terrible. I've been so ashamed of you, but I'm here now. I'll make everything right again.” Eclipse held out her hand to Adryn. “You belong by Master Ivan's side after all the evil things you've done. Leave Fairy Tail and join us again, Adryn.” Adryn was now panicking and it showed on her face. She'd left out all the horrible things she did while with Ivan, but she only did those things because she had to and was told that Nova would be killed if she didn't. She didn't know that Nova was already dead and that all she did was pointless. So, scared, panicked and upset, Adryn smacked Eclipse's hand away and used her lightning dragon slayer magic to turn into a bolt of lightning and fly out of the room. Everyone was in shock, but Eclipse. She just laughed at the situation. “This is getting to be quite fun.” Eclipse then just casually walked out of the guildhall, as everyone finally moved into motion and went to catch her. Laxus was the first one to her, but as he went to grab her, she disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. “What just happened?” Mirajane questioned in shock at the whole situation. ��Laxus, you need to go get Adryn. She shouldn't be alone right now.” “Yeah.” Laxus simply responded as he began to leave the guildhall. Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow all got up instantly and followed after him. “We're coming too!” Evergreen stated as she caught up to Laxus. “Do what you want,” Laxus responded as he began to hurry through the town to get to Adryn's home in the forest. After a few minutes, they made it there, but there was no Adryn there. However, the could hear faint crying off in the distance. They followed the sound to a lake with Adryn sitting on a rock there with her head in her hands. She was clearly crying to herself. “Stay back,” Laxus ordered to his friends. He quietly approached the girl and spoke as soft as he could to her. “Adryn?” “Laxus?!” Adryn shot up from the rock and looked to the man, horrified. “You shouldn't be here.” “Adryn, we don't believe anything that girl said about you. We know you and we know you couldn't do something like that.” Laxus watched as the girl just shook her head. “It's all true. I did all those horrible things that Eclipse said.” “What?” Evergreen questioned from where she was standing just a few feet away. “I did what I had to do to keep myself and Nova alive. Though, it all came to nothing as Ivan had already killed her without telling me. I did so many horrible things that I can never take back, but I didn't want to do them. If I didn't, Ivan told me he'd kill me and Nova. I... I never wanted to hurt anybody!” Adryn broke down and fell to her knees, sobbing once again. “That girl, Eclipse. I was told she was dead and gone. She was taken from me when I first acted out against Ivan. I don't know what happened to her all these years if she's been alive. She wasn't the same as she was. That Eclipse that just appeared was someone completely different than who she actually was when we were younger.” “It's alright, Adryn. I understand that you had to do those things to live and I can see how you regret that. We all have something we regret doing, but it's okay.” Laxus spoke up as he walked towards the girl on the ground. “If you come back to the guild and explain it to everyone, I know they'd be on your side like we are.” “Yeah!” Bickslow and Evergreen called out in agreement, with Bickslow's babies echoing the word as well. “Indeed. Everyone would understand and not fault you for what you've done.” Freed spoke up instantly after his friends. “Come back with us, Adryn.” Laxus held out his hand to the girl, and hesitantly, Adryn reached up and put her hand in his. The man pulled her to her feet and patted her head. “Remember what I told you, I'll protect you.” To that, Adryn hugged the man, surprising everyone else, especially Laxus. “Thank you, Laxus. I truly appreciate that.” Adryn still had a few stray tears when she pulled away from the man, and to his friend's surprise, Laxus reached and wiped them away for the girl. “Let's go.” To Laxus' words, Adryn nodded her head. With that, they were off. They hurried back to the guildhall in silence. Adryn was quiet due to her being scared, but every time she thought about how terrified she was, she'd think of Laxus' words. She trusted that he'd protect her, no matter what. Once they got back to the guild, everyone turned to look at them. A few people stated how they were worried about her and some people demanded answers immediately. “Adryn, explain what that girl said. Is all she said true?” Master Makarov demanded as soon as they were fully inside the guildhall. So, Adryn told them all the whole story that she'd told Laxus and the Thunder Legion. She explained the situation and all she had to do to protect Nova and then explained how Eclipse was not acting like herself at all. “I'm especially confused about the Raven Tail guild mark on Eclipse's cheek. Eclipse was never apart of Raven Tail. She never was in any guild.” Adryn spoke as she finished the story that she told everyone. Mostly everyone seemed to accept her story, however, a few people still were against her and demanded that she be removed from the guild for her past actions. “Listen, everyone, I swear to you, I will take Ivan down for all the things he's done and that he's caused. If you still want me gone then, I'll leave.” For the most part, that seemed to calm everyone down. “I should probably leave now to go hunt Ivan down.” “We're coming with you.” Evergreen declared, surprising not only her friends but the others of the guild as well. “Yes, I agree. It was also our job to take the remaining Raven Tail members down, so we should see the job through to the end.” Freed agreed with Evergreen after he thought for a moment. “What do you say, Laxus?” Bickslow questioned as he looked over to the blond man. “Alright, let's go,” Laxus spoke up almost immediately. Laxus wouldn't admit it, but he wanted to keep being around Adryn, plus he was worried that something bad would happen to her if he wasn't there with her. “Thank you, all of you.” Adryn smiled at her friends. With that, Adryn, Laxus, and the Thunder Legion bid farewell to the guild and headed out to get ready for the long trip ahead of them. They each headed to the location of where they stayed to get a small bag packed. They honestly just needed clothes for the trip, so that's what they packed. They all met back up at the train station later that day. “Is everyone ready?” Freed questioned as they all stood there on the station platform as they waited for the train to arrive. Everyone nodded their heads in response and watched as the train finally arrived. They'd been practically right on time for the train, if they were any later, they probably would have missed the train. So, they quickly got on the train after it stopped and sat down. The men sat together while the women sat in a different seat. “I really hate trains...” Adryn was already turning green and the train hadn't even begun to move yet. “Just go to sleep. We'll wake you up when we get there.” Laxus stated as he leaned his head back and started to try to sleep before the train ever even moved yet. Adryn nodded her head, not that he saw, and rested her head against the window. She must have been tired from all the emotional drainage that happened that day because she fell right to sleep. ~ The five of them went from town to trying to track Ivan down, with no luck. It had been a week with no sign of Ivan when they walked into another town and caught a glimpse of what seemed to be Eclipse. All they caught was her hair as she turned a corner, but it was enough for Adryn to take off running. Quickly, the rest of them followed suit and ran after her. Eclipse must have noticed them because she moved just as fast as Adryn and led them to a remote

part of town before turning to face them. “Hello again.” Eclipse stated when the five of them caught up with her. She had a snarky smirk on her face, which was completely unlike her. “Eclipse, what is going on? Why are you part of Raven Tail?” Adryn demanded to her past best friend. “Why? Because I want to be, of course.” “You must know where Ivan is then, correct?” Freed questioned as he looked at the arrogant girl. “Oh? Do I?” “Tell us where he is!” Adryn yelled out, stepping forward angrily. Instead of responding, Eclipse raised a hand and muttered a few words before the air around her hand began to swirl. It became a little tornado pointed straight at Adryn. The little tornado then was sent straight towards Adryn incredibly fast. The girl didn't move out of the way, but Laxus grabbed Adryn and pulled her to the side to avoid the little tornado. It would have barreled right though Adryn, probably killing her. “Does she have wind magic?” Evergreen questioned as she too avoided the little tornado that had passed Adryn and came at her. “No, she has elemental magic, so all elements are at her control.” Adryn simply explained as she looked up at Laxus and muttered a thank you for saving her life. “Elemental magic? I've never heard of that.” Freed stated as they all watched Eclipse raise another hand to begin creating an even bigger tornado pointed at all of them. “Stop it, Eclipse, don't make me hurt you,” Adryn stated angrily once again. Eclipse just laughed and continued creating the tornado. So, Adryn used her pain magic on her. Adryn's eyes glowed and Eclipse began to cough, breaking the tornado. As Adryn used her magic on her, Freed created and enchantment around Eclipse to trap her. With Eclipse now trapped, Adryn stopped causing her pain. “That was unpleasant.” Eclipse commented with a laugh. “Tell me what is going on? Why are you acting like this?!” Adryn demanded as she approached the trapped Eclipse. “Adryn, could she be brainwashed? You said she isn't acting like she used to act, maybe Ivan has taken over her mind?” Freed suggested as he thought deeply about the situation. “That... is a possibility, but Eclipse has a strong mind, I doubt she'd be easy to control like that.” “Try to talk to her, to see if you can break the brainwashing if that is what happened to her. You never know unless you try.” Evergreen stated to the redhead. Adryn nodded her head and approached Eclipse. “Eclipse, please listen to me. This isn't you. You would never try to hurt me.” Adryn spoke up to her former best friend. “Shut up! What do you know?!” Eclipse yelled back angrily. “I know you better than anyone. You most likely are being controlled, so I know this isn't you right now.” “Be quiet! You don't know anything about me!” Eclipse's face contorted in pain as she yelled out to Adryn. Something seemed to be bothering the pastel pink-haired girl. Pain was written all over her face. “Eclipse, please, I know you aren't you right now, but I finally got you back. I don't want to lose you again. Please fight this and come back to me.” Adryn fell to her knees in front of Eclipse. Something in Eclipse must have clicked because, in a moment, the air around her seemed to change. “Kill me before I kill you, Adryn,” Eclipse begged as tears came to her eyes. However, before anyone could react, Eclipse's silver eyes began to glow brightly and she emitted a bright light. She sent a huge blast of wind from her body, knocking Adryn backward. Laxus moved to catch her, but they were both sent flying backward and collided with a building with a loud thud. “Laxus!” Freed yelled out as he turned to look at where the two had landed. “Adryn!” Evergreen cried out as she too turned around. “Hey, where did that chick go?!” Bickslow questioned as he realized that Eclipse had disappeared completely. Freed and Evergreen turned back around to see that Eclipse was indeed gone. However, that wasn't the most important thing at that moment, so the Thunder Legion hurried to Laxus and Adryn. Laxus had clearly taken the brunt of the hit, while Adryn suffered minor injuries. Laxus' head was bleeding and there was a slight blood pool forming on his back. Adryn had cuts all over the front of her and she was bleeding from a few of the deeper cuts. So, worried about their friends, the Thunder Legion quickly took them to an inn. Bickslow and Evergreen carried Laxus, while Freed carried Adryn. As soon as they set the injured two on their own beds, Freed hurried off to find a doctor. “Why did Laxus move to catch Adryn?” Bickslow questioned, with his babies actually not saying anything for once. They knew how serious the situation was. “He just showed us that he truly does like her. He must care about her on some level. Especially to be willing to get injured for her sake.” Evergreen responded as she looked to her injured friends. The two then sat in silence for a little while until Freed returned with a doctor. Freed had already explained what had happened to cause Laxus' and Adryn's injuries. “I'll check him out first.” The doctor simply explained before the man moved to Laxus. He spent about a half-hour checking him over and then treating the injuries that the man had. “This man only has superficial wounds. Just bruises and a few deep cuts. He'll be fine by tomorrow.” The doctor then moved to Adryn and spent the same amount of time on her as well. “She also will be fine by tomorrow. Both of them should wake up within the hour.” “Thank you, doctor,” Freed spoke to the man as he paid him for his services. The doctor then left, leaving the Thunder Legion alone with the two injured people. Soon though, Laxus woke up. As soon as his eyes opened, they all threw themselves on the man. “I'm so glad you're awake!” Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow all yelled out as they hugged their leader. “Guys, get off me,” Laxus grumbled simply to his friends. They all let go one by one, with Freed letting go last. “What the hell happened?” “Eclipse attacked Adryn, and you moved to help her, which resulted in both of you getting injured,” Freed explained causing Laxus to instantly turn his head to the unconscious Adryn. “Is she alright?” “She'll be fine. Though, I think that is only physically. Mentally, Adryn might be hurting still.” “I see.” Laxus frowned deeply as he looked at the girl. “When do you think she'll wake up?” “She should be waking up soon.” However, Freed was wrong. An hour went by and Adryn never woke up. Two hours then went by and Adryn still didn't wake up. It was close to three hours going by when she still didn't wake up, which caused Laxus to get angry. “I thought you said she'd wake up soon?” Laxus demanded as he looked to Freed. “The doctor said she would wake up within an hour,” Freed explained, worried that he would just upset the blond man further. “Freed, Bickslow, we should go get food. I'm sure Adryn will be hungry when she wakes up.” Evergreen stated as she looked to her two friends. Bickslow began to object, but Evergreen elbowed him instantly. “We should go get food, right Freed?” Evergreen was trying to get her male friends to not be so oblivious. She clearly wanted Laxus and Adryn to be alone together. “R-right!” Freed caught on and nodded his head. Bickslow was still confused but allowed Freed to drag him out of the room. The Thunder Legion hurried out of the room and closed the door. After Laxus was left alone with the still unconscious Adryn, he began to speak to the girl. “Adryn, we have a job to complete. I thought you wanted to make up for the things you've done. You can't do that when you're unconscious.” Laxus stated to the girl. He sighed when there was no response from her. It was like he thought she'd wake up if he asked her to. However, after a few moments of silence, the girl began to stir. Laxus watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked around with confusion before her eyes landed on Laxus. “Where am I?” Adryn questioned in a quiet voice. “It seems that we're at an inn.” Adryn nodded her head and slowly sat up. “Do you remember what happened?” “Yeah, Eclipse attacked me, but why do you look hurt?” Laxus' head was wrapped with bandages from his head wound. He was also shirtless now with bandages around his abdomen. “I tried to catch you and ended up getting hurt.” Laxus simply explained as he shrugged his shoulders. That caused him to wince though, causing Adryn to frown. “I'm sorry that you got hurt because of me,” Adryn said after a moment. Laxus just shook his head and reached up to pat the girl on her head. “It's alright. I'm just glad you weren't too hurt.” Laxus then realized what he said and turned away from the girl who was now blushing. “Thank you, Laxus. You really did end up protecting me, didn't you?” Adryn had a smile on her face, while Laxus tried to not smile back at her. Then, the door burst open revealing Bickslow who stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Adryn. The rest of the Thunder Legion then all paused and looked to Adryn. “You're awake,” Bickslow said, pointing out the obvious. Adryn nodded her head and watched as Evergreen and Freed followed Bickslow into the room. “How are you feeling?” Freed questioned as he approached the girl. “I feel... fine I guess. Just a little upset.” Adryn responded as she looked up to the green-haired man. “Understandable.” Freed nodded his head and headed to Laxus. “How are you feeling, Laxus?” “I'm fine. I don't even feel any pain.” Laxus simply said as he stood up. He looked at the three of them and looked confused. “Where's the food?” “What food?” Evergreen spoke before it hit her. “Oh! That food.” Evergreen then looked to Freed to help fix the situation. “We figured that we'd go to a tavern once Adryn woke up,” Freed explained, hoping that it would sound normal. Laxus just nodded

his head and moved to get his shirt on. “Do you think you can eat?” Laxus questioned the redheaded girl who still sat on the bed. Adryn just nodded her head in agreement. “Then let's go.” Laxus began to put his shirt on as Adryn got out of bed. She stumbled a little bit, but Laxus instantly moved to catch her. “Oh, thank you,” Adryn muttered as she regained her balance. “No problem,” Laxus responded as he took a step away from the girl. He resumed putting his shirt on and watched as Adryn put her cloak and shoes back on. Once they were ready, they headed out. There was a nearby tavern which was where they headed. Once there, Adryn and Evergreen went to find a seat, while the boys ordered beer and food for the group. As soon as it was all ready, the boys went to where the girls chose their seats. It was a corner table away from others, as they all weren't that friendly towards strangers. “So, how will we go about finding Ivan?” Freed questioned after they were all done eating. “Right to work again, huh Freed?” Bickslow sighed as his babies echoed “Right to work!” a few times. “I think we need to find Eclipse. She'll guide us to Ivan. We should find her and follow her.” Adryn responded, ignoring Bickslow and his babies. That seemed to be good enough for the group and they all began to drink. “Wait, Adryn, don't drink too much,” Laxus remembered after a couple of beers. Adryn frowned but nodded her head. “You don't want to carry me back to the inn again?” Adryn joked as she looked to the man. “I don't have a problem with that, I don't want you to get sick,” Laxus spoke without thinking and instantly froze once he realized what he'd spoken out loud in front of his friends. “I mean, you already are hurt, we don't need to be held back by you getting sick too.” Laxus tried to hide the caring under the rudeness of his comment. Adryn still smiled though. “Thank you.” After that, they all began to chat about random things, mostly involving the plans for the upcoming days. It was a nice evening with them drinking, eating and chatting. For the first time in Adryn's life, she felt like she was apart of something good. She was really starting to like it.

[rhetorical-ink]

Rhetorical Ink Reviews: Game of Thrones, Season 8 Episode 1

** PREMIERE HYPED SPOILERS BELOW **

After waiting nearly two years for this premiere...the HYPE was real! I barely watched any media about Game of Thrones’s season premiere in anticipation for this episode! And...let’s dive in!

My Top Then Thoughts on Game of Thrones: Season 8, Episode 1:

10. Right off the bat, we see Dany and Jon Snow coming back to Winterfell and it feels like such a “Bizarroworld” parallel from Season One, when the Lannister’s and King Robert visited Winterfell -- looking back at that first episode and seeing this, there is such a stark (wink wink nudge nudge) contrast, it’s actually hilarious...more on that parallel later!

Oh, and Arya’s expression when she first sees the dragon?

“Imma ride one of them...just you wait.” *Cue Hamilton soundtrack*

9. Of COURSE Sansa has to be petty and hate Danearys -- I get the reasoning behind it, though I’m not happy that she’s clearly being snobby and not trying to understand Jon’s reasoning -- even Arya, though her reunion with Jon Snow is touching -- shares in Sansa’s sentiments, in a more chilling moment. One that really has Jon Snow give that “what all have you been through while I’ve been gone” look, especially knowing how much Arya and Sansa hated each other in the earlier seasons...oh, you know nothing, Jon Snow.

More on what he doesn’t know below!

8. Euron Greyjoy may be my least favorite villain in the show -- so it’s a strange thing seeing him shack up with my favorite villain of the show.

But, the scene does lend to some interesting moments post-coitus between her and Euron. One, she is free to openly talk about having sex with Jaime with someone who’s not put off by it, and two, Euron’s talk about “putting a prince in her belly” (when dude, she’s already pregnant...can you not tell?) and Cersei’s reaction when he’s not looking, leads me to think that maybe she’s going to use the baby to wrangle Euron further into her clutches to milk more out of his service...maybe, you know, get some friggin’ elephants?

IknowyourCGIbudgetislimitedbutstillHBO

7. There is a lot of set up with these characters, the chess pieces in route.

On the one hand, while Cersei and Euron are “getting to know one another,” Theon pops in to save Yara -- I like the slight foreshadowing that if things “go south” literally at Winterfell, Jon Snow and everyone should be able to retreat to the Iron Islands, where as Yara says, “The dead cannot go.” Yeahhhhh, anyone else seeing some creepy dead pirate foreshadowing? Because I am!

Also, Qyburn sends Bronn north to supposedly murder Tyrion and Jaime...using the very crossbow that Tyrion used to kill Tywin. Obviously, we can assume Bronn’s not about to do that...but it does beg the question what that cross bow will be used for...Hmm...

6. Probably my least favorite scene in the episode is where Dany and Jon ride Drogon and Rheagal...I get that it does need to happen at some point to establish that Jon can even ride a dragon...but still, it was WAY too sappy and “Disney-esque” to match the dire and serious tone of the rest of the episode.

Plus, of COURSE they land in front of a gorgeous winter waterfall, and you can literally see Jon Snow’s flashbacks to Ygritte, especially when Dany proposes they “never leave.”

Leave it to an awkward Dragon stare to take Jon out of the mood. #thanksRhaegal

5. Speaking of awkward, there are plenty of reunions worth noting, two especially below, but we get to see Sansa show how smart she’s become to Tyrion, who seems to be extremely nervous as of late (probably with the writing on the wall he knows between Jon Snow and Dany -- which has become even more problematic given that Sir Davros’s scheme is to get them to marry one another), but especially between Arya, The Hound, and Gendry.

I really like the reunion between The Hound and Arya -- it’s clear their mutual hate/respect they have and it fits each of their characters well.

Arya’s reunion with Gendry is fine, but it’s clear that their relationship is tense and awkward, especially with Arya not be a “little girl” anymore...although, have we ever touched on how old Arya is in this show? I’m all for Arya not being a “traditional lady” and settling down with Gendry, but hopefully we at least get some scenes with them fighting together!

4. Arguably the best scene in the episode is Dany meeting Sam -- in what should be a happy moment between Dany meeting the rescuer of Jorah, Jorah, Jorah the Explorah (and since it’s the last season, he shall be referred to as such only). Instead, it instantly goes south when Sam mentions his last name -- uhm, Jorah, Jorah (Sir), how did you NOT realize the connection? Granted, Sam looks NOTHING like his father or brother, but still. You can’t help but cringe at the realization that this was all coming to a head...

Credits to the actor playing Sam, as his reaction to the deaths of his brother and father are rightfully pained and real. Though he didn’t like them, they were family. It was such a poignant scene, and a clear slap to the face for Danearys that her actions DO have consequences, just like Tyrion warned her.

3. And it makes all the more sense why it has to be Sam to tell Jon Snow of his true lineage. Now Sam has motivation -- Jon Snow is the true king, NOT Danearys. Meaning, she has a right to make him King for the betterment of the North, not the other way around.

I absolutely love Kit Harrington’s portrayal of Jon Snow finding out the truth! It’s a perfect blend of:

* My father Ned Stark lied to me my whole life

* I’m a king and a Targaryan and the grandson of the Mad King

* Holy Crap, I’ve slept with my Aunt ... and still want to do it again

2. Tormund and the Night’s Watch make it to the House of Umber, only to find it ransacked, and I really forgot that little boy, Ned Umber, until we saw him speared to the wall -- scarily surrounded by body parts similar to those in the form of a swirl in the first episode of season one.

In true white walker fashion, the boy comes to life at the most unexpected moment and screams, causing me to nearly jump out of my seat. The stakes are here, yo. Our first death is confirmed for the season with Ned Umber.

1. Arguably, though, the reunion I was waiting for most didn’t require me to wait long. Jaime makes it to Winterfell, glorious beard and all, and quite sneakily might I add...only to be immediately stopped by the one person he probably didn’t want to run into first: Bran.

I love this for so many reasons. First, Bran’s line to Sam that he was “Waiting for an old friend,” which is why he couldn’t go and tell Jon Snow about his lineage. Is Bran truly a “friend” to Jaime, or foe? I love the almost sinister nature in which Bran says this......and second, the perfect parallel to Season One.

Our last shot of the first season was seeing Jaime shove Bran out the tower window to his seemingly imminent death.

The last show of the final season is seeing Jaime confront Bra, who is going to take him to his seemingly imminent death. (at the hands of both Danearys and Sansa).

Poetry, y’all. Poetry.

So, this episode went by SO fast, setting up many pieces and bringing so much to the table for next week. I knew it wouldn’t have any crazy twists yet, but I’m geared up for what’s to come next weekend!

[rollzerox]

13. I lost our baby

Alright anon you want angst, here it comes *cracks fingers* But I’m going to do something different now using @zenoobsessed ‘s OCs Zoe & Alex, based on her recent fanfic over on her @i-create-as-i-write blog newest fanfic Different Times Different Faces, the OC Queen Jin-ae we created together and this takes place back in Hiryuu’s time. This would be at least around 4 months before Lina’s visit:

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry if only I had gotten to you sooner…” Zoe had been sobbing for the past hour in the infirmary where she and Queen Jin-ae were taken after the attack on the castle. Abi was asleep in the bed across from them due to his wounds.

 “Zoe you just blew up trying to heal Abi, you did all you could.” Jin-ae sighed, looking at the mage’s stomach where there was a scar with bright green and red. “Are you sure you’re ok after that?” she had been crying a great deal herself after what Zoe’s nurse assistant told her. “Apparently the dragon’s blood doesn’t like magic it seems…” she shivered.

 “I’ll be fine Jin-ae seriously!” Zoe was still crying as she buried her face into her friend’s shoulder. “What am I going to say to Hiryuu? I failed to protect someone so important to me and…”

 “Precious, the king is here.” Alex, the captain of the queen’s guard shook her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. “There, there. You did all you could. Even I couldn’t fight them all off with Abi’s help.”

 “Hiryuu dear…” Jin-ae sighed and looked to the side, clutching at her stomach that had just been healed recently but her clothes were soaked with her blood.

 “Jin-ae, I’m so relieved you’re safe.” Hiryuu hugged his wife right away, holding her small frame tightly. “… When Guen sensed Abi in danger my first thought was that you…”

 “I’m alright thanks to Zoe, she got to me in time to heal me before I bled out.” Jin-ae sighed, shaking her head.

 “The only thing I did right.” Zoe sobbed, hiding her face in Alex’s chest.

 “Old man, my sis would be dead right now if not for Zoe.” Shu-ten commented, standing right behind him. “I arrived just as she was nearly blown out of the castle from trying to heal Seiryuu over there.” He had rushed back of course in fear for the queen, and got there thanks to his dragon leg. “That’s why I took them all here to rest. With all that blood on the floor I knew it had to be bad…” he balled his fist. “Those bastards are going to pay for what they did.”

 Guen nodded. “My queen are you alright?”

 “Not exactly…” Jin-ae frowned, whimpering as she turned to her husband. “… I lost our baby…”

 Hiryuu’s eyes widened and he saw Zoe’s expression as she bawled out crying again, Alex was trying to soothe her by petting her hair. “Precious it’s not your fault…” he mumbled.

 “Yes it is! If only I had stayed by her side I would have been there!” Zoe sobbed. “Now they’re lost their child due to this!”

 “Zoe… Don’t please. I know Jin-ae doesn’t blame you right my love?” Hiryuu sighed, hugging his wife right away and rubbing her back. “The people to blame are those that stormed the castle, not the ones that tried to protect it. And she begged you to come with me for protection which you did.”

 Guen stiffened at that. “I should have stayed instead of Seiryuu, maybe I could have…”

 Shu-ten frowned as he pet Jin-ae on the head. “… I’m sorry sis… God dammit if only I got back to you faster…”

 “Hiryuu…. I’m sorry I’ve lost your heir.” Jin-ae sobbed into the king’s robes. “Our precious child together is gone and it’s because I couldn’t protect…”

 “Jin-ae….” Hiryuu sighed, leaning his head down to kiss his wife and brushed her tears away with his fingers. “While I am upset about losing something special we created together, I’m still glad you’re here and safe with me. I’m thankful to Zoe for keeping you alive as you’re the wind in my back and the sword at my side.”

 “Charmer.” Jin-ae smiled finally, shaking her head. “Usually that’s my department to flirt you dorky dragon.”

 Hiryuu smiled warmly as he held her close. “Remember what I told you before Jin-ae when you agreed to become my partner, that together my love, we shall build a peaceful world. We are two halves of a greater whole.”

 Jin-ae’s cheeks redden as her heart quicken in pace from her husband’s words. She pulled his head down to give him a passionate kiss, making several of the people in the room turn heads especially the other injured soldiers.

 “It’ll be alright precious, I’m sure you healed Jin-ae enough they can try again to have a child.” Alex said, petting Zoe on the head. “I know we’re all upset over the loss of the unborn child, but you still saved her and that’s what counts. I just wish you didn’t get hurt so bad trying to help heal the Seiryuu.”

 “… I’m still not sure what happened.” Zoe choked, trying to get her crying under control. “… I need to research it later… Something for sure reacted with that dragon’s blood.” She sighed as she looked at Jin-ae in pity still for her loss.

 “Hey sis, people are staring you know.” Shu-ten coughed after a moment as the royal couple kept kissing and whispering words of love to each other.

 Jin-ae pulled away from kissing her crimson haired husband to merely shrug. “Let them, I’m such an unbeautiful mess right now I need to make up for it with my lovely husband.”

 “Jin-ae I’m fairly certain that’s not a normal human custom.” Hiryuu twisted his mouth, noting how many people were avoiding eye contact and his wife was good at tricking him into thinking it was normal to make out so publicly as she lacked much sense of shame. “And you should rest, along with Zoe. I’ll come back to check on you after I see to the damage done to the castle.”

 “Alright but you owe me later, my lord.” Jin-ae said in a slightly teasing voice. “Hey Shu-ten make yourself useful and get us something to eat for big sis!”

 “Yeah, yeah….” Shu-ten sighed, heading out to go for the royal kitchen. “I’m not your damn delivery servant you know!” he smiled when turned away though, glad to see his sister alright.

 “Oh just make yourself useful already!” Jin-ae said in a teasing tone, sticking her tongue out at him as he left. She then frowned and stood from the bed to hug Zoe once Alex released her. “Zoe, really. Thank you for saving me and protecting Hiryuu. You know he’s everything to me. You can’t be everywhere and protect everyone you know.”

 “…” Zoe frowned, it still didn’t sit well with her she couldn’t find something, some sort of spell to save her friend’s child. “You need to be more careful, Jin-ae. Or else I’m sticking by your side like glue from now on.”

 “Well that would be rather kinky in the bedroom.” Jin-ae said with a grin, winking at her. “I’m all for it if Hiryuu dear is.”

 Alex held up a hand. “I’m ok with that as long as I can watch.”

 “… Is that a normal thing for humans to share their companions?” Hiryuu asked, blinking in confusion.

 “My queen!” Guen looked like he was about to have a heart attack. “Do not put such blasphemous ideas into our king’s head! What would people say if they found out….”

 “Oh please, so many have a bad opinion already about Hiryuu.” Jin-ae rolled her eyes. “Maybe they’d stop whispering nasty things about Zoe being a mage knowing she’s one of Hiryuu mistresses.”

 Zeno sighed and rubbed his head as he walked in. “What’s got Hakuryuu all upset?” he blinked at the scene before him. “Queen Jin-ae, I’m glad to hear you’re safe. How’s Seiryuu?”

 “Still asleep don’t wake him.” Zoe sighed. “… I bet he’s going to blame himself as much as I do…”

 “About what? Shu-ten seemed upset when I passed him but he wouldn’t tell me what happened.” Zeno frowned.

 “Zeno can you do me a favor? Watch over my wife and the others as Guen and I see to the rest of the castle.” Hiryuu said, patting Zeno’s shoulder as he hugged Jin-ae once more. “Be safe love.”

 “You too.” She whispered as he left, frowning as she turned to the Ouryuu. “The princess is gone…” she clutched at her stomach. “When those ugly bastards attacked Abi took out the first wave but his powers you know how he passes out. He was fighting it so hard when the second wave came and got stabbed. I grabbed his sword and tried to defend myself but there were too many.”

 “Oh no…” Zeno’s face looked horrified, bowing before her. “I’m so sorry, if only we had been more careful at the east side when they got in…. We thought the main storm up front was the brunt of their army and then they flanked the castle.”

 “Jin-ae, I’m sor-“ Zoe whimpered.

 “Zoe if you apologize one more time, I’m going to tickle that special place of yours until you scream.” Jin-ae threatened, referring to her curse mark.

 Zoe stiffened at that, quickly shutting up as her hand snapped to her back as if to block the queen’s attempt immediately, her cheeks flushed as she knew Jin-ae would do it too.

 “Is that true my queen?” Abi’s voice could be heard from the bed, his eyes were open as he lay still, tears in them as his voice cracked. “… I failed my duty to you completely…”

 “Abi don’t…” Jin-ae came over to the Seiryuu’s side, seeing he was still stiff due to the backlash of his powers. “You did all you could to protect me, don’t blame yourself.” She brushed a bit of hair from his face. “I’m just thankful Hiryuu wasn’t hurt in any of this.”

 “That’s because Zoe here had a shield on him the whole time.” Zeno explained. “Seriously nobody could get within sight of the king she was so determined to protect him…. Guen said she was starting to make us look bad.”

 “Sounds like you were overdoing it there in battle, precious.” Alex chuckled.

 Zoe just blushed, looking away. “… What? I was just making sure he came back all nice and beautiful for Jin-ae.”

 “And I thank you for that.” Jin-ae strolled back over, kissing Zoe’s cheek. “You’re the best mage ever and my most precious friend. Don’t ever forget that.”

[bluerosesburnblue]

Extremely late to the party, but I finally finished reference drawings of my Hogwarts Mystery MC, Seren Dwyn, and her hopefully not dead bro. Sorry if the colors are weird, I had to manually adjust them when I switched computers

Assorted Information under the cut

Seren Dwyn

Full Name: Seren Aisling Dwyn

Birthday: July 29, 1973 (yeah, it’s just my birthday. I got lazy)

Blood Status: Half-blood (and 3/16 Siren)

Nationality: Half-Irish, Half-Faroese (lives around the shore of Malin Head, outside of Ballyhillin in County Donegal)

Wand: Acacia wood, Unicorn Hair core, 12″

Boggart: Has two. The Voldemort boggart, which represents her fear that Jacob wasn’t the person she thought he was, and Jacob as he was before he left telling her that she was a disappointment that shouldn’t have been born. Only Professor McGonagall saw the latter the one time it appeared, the Voldemort one showing up more often in Year 3 as that was the fear at the forefront of her mind at the time

Favorite Classes: Care of Magical Creatures (!!!), Charms, and Herbology (aka her chill out class)

She and Jacob were pretty much raised as Muggles due to the fact that their father was a Squib and disowned from his pureblood family and their mother was a Muggleborn from a Durmstrang-covered nation and so grew to resent magic as she received little education on its workings

So, like, they went to Muggle school until Hogwarts and knew of most things magic and Wizarding World, especially with their limited interactions with their father’s mother, but they were mostly removed from Wizard culture

Jacob’s nickname for her is Rinn, because it potentially means the same thing as Seren and is phonetically similar to the last part of her name

Her first bit of magic was hiccuping up floating balls of water when she was less than a year old. That was when Jacob knew she was going to be talented at magic

Her favorite candy is peppermints

Was just barely a hatstall between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Like, six seconds over time. The hat was insistent that she go to Hufflepuff, but Jacob told her he wanted her to go to whichever house was best for her, not just his house. It took the hat a while to convince her that Hufflepuff was the right house for her

She’s loyal to a fault, but also has no personal ambition. Literally everything she does is for the sake of people she cares about. No dream job, no future plans, nothing. She also has a strong sense of justice/fairness, which comes out as both a strong desire to help others, even at the expense of herself (literally most sidequests) or knocking others down a peg when they start acting unfairly and hurting others (most interactions with Merula)

That said, she’s really creative and treats magic like a science. She experiments with it, and is extremely gifted in magical theory. Prefers to understand why a spell works as opposed to how, and once she does she casts it extremely well

Starts out at Hogwarts as extremely shy and skittish, which just gets worse the more people compare her to Jacob. Bucks up a bit during second year, starts getting more sarcastic in third year, and completely snaps after the Vault of Fear. She comes back in fourth year Much Angrier, with less of a filter, and a bit more Punk™ (but not much)

Literally snaps because she can’t stand how Dumbledore is treating the situation. Constantly reprimanding her and then unfairly awarding her? Not just gathering a team of Curse Breakers and sweeping the school over the summer when no one’s around like she suggested? Yeah, no, she lost all respect for him and may or may not get it back depending on where future story updates go

“Well damn, if everyone wants me to be Jacob 2 I may as well give them what they want” but she knows the rules so well she manages to break them in spirit without breaking the letter and weasels out of trouble most of the time because she never technically broke the rules and does so out of spite

That said, it’s still Seren, and she’s a genuinely nice person and a snarky dork, she’s just no longer taking unfair punishment lying down and lost all sense of self-preservation

Seren cares too much about other people, but hides it behind a facade of snark that occasionally comes across as a bit dismissive at times

Very stressed, acts chill, but breaks down when she knows people aren’t looking. It’s hard dedicating your childhood/teen years to finding your missing brother

Loves magical creatures. Loves them. Fire crab? Sooo cooool. Bowtruckle? Aw heck yeah little buddy you go! Murtlap? Oh, what a sweetheart. Sickleworth??? Mine now!!!

She’s loved Augureys ever since she was a kid. They’re her favorite magical creature

This love extends to normal animals but they don’t teach that at Hogwarts

Named the bowtruckle Jacob because she just wants her big bro back, dammit

She has a plush baby seal from when her family went to the aquarium when she was a toddler. Jacob used to do a voice and pretend the toy was alive to cheer her up as a kid. She still sleeps with it

Her owl, Arlo, is actually Jacob’s owl whose care she took over when he disappeared. The rest of her pets were found around Hogwarts, and she has her friends take them home over the summer because her parents would KILL her if she brought four animals home

While she’s good at Transfiguration, she kinda hates the class most of the time. Anything involving turning living creatures into inanimate objects or vice versa just skeeves her out so much and opens up WAY too many existential questions

That said, her favorite teachers are Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Kettleburn

She likes Professor Sprout well enough, but she’s her Head of House and Seren has a crippling fear of disappointing others, so she’s constantly worried that Professor Sprout secretly hates her

She doesn’t share a lot of personal information with the gang. She would if asked (usually), but since Jacob was her only friend growing up and he knew this stuff already, she never really thinks to share

She will never tell anyone her middle name because she’ll die before any of her friends find out her initials are SAD

The gang kind of considers her Team Mom/Team Big Sister because of her proclivity for taking care of everyone’s emotional states. Ironically, she’s the youngest person in the group, though no one in it is aware (because she’s never shared her birthday and at this point refuses to because she doesn’t want anyone making a fuss over it, especially since it’s not like any of them will see her over the summer to celebrate it)

Seren gets kind of protective over her friend’s siblings. Percy doesn’t like her much due to her chronic disregard for rules, but she still looks out for him. Fred and George think she’s cool but can also be a killjoy sometimes. Ron and Ginny both adore her. And if Penny’s sister Beatrice ends up in Hufflepuff and Seren’s a Prefect? “Oh boy, Penny, I’m stealing your sister she’s mine now!”

The gang has a minor freak out when they find out that Seren “Frequently an Irish Stereotype” Dwyn is actually only half-Irish and hates potatoes

Madam Rakepick makes her really uncomfortable... because she sees too much of herself in her. Rakepick kinda represents a “who you could be if you were an arrogant asshole” and Seren, being very Hufflepuff, wants to be anything but arrogant

Rakepick really does like Seren, or at the very least thinks she has potential, and has ever since Seren’s response to dueling Ismelda was to immediately disarm her and go into a leg sweep. Rakepick’s gotta respect a kid willing to fist fight if it helps their cause

Seren has no desire to be a Curse Breaker and chafes a bit every time someone tells her she should be one. Breaking curses is just a necessary part of finding Jacob. She doesn’t particularly care for it

Her courses are geared towards Curse Breaking, but it’s more because she has ZERO plans for her future beyond locating Jacob and at least it’s something she’s good at

She stole Jacob’s old sweaters at the start of year 4. It’s not like he’s using them. Team sweater vest all the way

Had she gone to Ilvermorny, her house would unquestionably be Wampus. Girl gets things done, especially once she gets over her shyness, but the fighter potential and defiance was always there as evidenced by the way she kicked Merula’s ass for harassing Ben and Rowan in their first year

5′3″ and steadily getting angrier every year

A lot of people think she just blindly worships Jacob, but she really doesn’t. She’s aware that he was a pretty flawed person, she just doesn’t care. He was good to her and she loves him and that’s all that matters

Jacob Dwyn

Full Name: Jacob Caradoc Dwyn

Birthday: December 15, 1968

Blood Status: Half-blood (and 3/16 Siren)

Nationality: Half-Irish, Half-Faroese (lives around the shore of Malin Head, outside of Ballyhillin in County Donegal)

Wand: Maple wood, Dragon Heartstring core, 10″ (broken before expulsion)

Boggart: Seren’s nearly drowned body that he can’t resuscitate*

Favorite Classes: Flying, Charms, and Transfiguration

Five years older than Seren but only four years above her in school due to where their ages are in relation to the cutoff date. Would’ve been in the same year as the prefects

Seren’s nickname for him is Jay, or Jayjay if she’s trying to be annoying/cute. Jake just never caught on for him

His first real bit of magic was accidentally charming a room full of people while singing in a school pageant when he was four. He’s been afraid of singing in front of other people since, despite having a really good voice

His first reaction to being told that he was going to be an older brother was “Oh boy new friend!!!” The first time he met Seren he let her grasp his finger and told her he was gonna be the best big brother ever

He then started hating her for a few months because she just would not. Stop. Crying. And her room was right next to his so he heard it constantly

Warmed up to her when he realized that she was just scared of loud noises and would sing her to sleep after that (and she’s the only person who he’s comfortable singing around now)

*His boggart comes from a moment when Seren was three and he was supposed to be watching her but was so caught up in his own adventure he didn’t notice her get too close to the cliff edge and she fell into the ocean. He jumped in after her but she was completely submerged and her leg was stuck in some seaweed. She definitely would’ve died if a nearby Merrow hadn’t pulled her out. And he didn’t know CPR (he was eight) so he was lucky she coughed up the water herself. The event traumatized both of them. Seren was afraid of going into the water for years and Jacob got super protective of her and developed a fear of being unable to save her, which is what his boggart represents

Firmly believed that rules should never prevent you from doing the right thing, which would really inform most of his actions at Hogwarts

Has two main goals in life: become a cool detective and go on a world tour with his family (though once he’s estranged from his parents for good it becomes go on a world tour with Seren)

Loves liquorice and liquorice wands. Was known to eat whole bags of them at once

Was a true hatstall between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, but was ultimately placed in Hufflepuff because he would throw away everything in a heartbeat to benefit someone he loved, he valued loyalty above all else,  and preferred to do things on his own merit rather than cheating. He got a rush from genuinely overcoming challenges

That exhilaration when he overcomes challenges led to him really loving puzzles and mysteries of all kinds. In a way, Seren was half-right when she speculated that his reasons for looking for the Vaults was that he wanted to overcome a complex puzzle. It was why the search became addicting, but not why he started looking in the first place

He was notably impatient and had a habit of acting without thinking through consequences a lot. Honestly, Seren was a good part of his impulse control and he took a lot more risks at Hogwarts than he would have if she was there

His witty and cunning side tended to get him into trouble, too. Boy had a hell of a sarcastic streak and never could keep himself from snapping back at people who made snide remarks at him (looking at you, Snape)

Say what you will about his bad habits, but he was a very good brother to Seren. Their parents were always pretty distant so he became the emotional support that she needed. He’d let her sleep with him when she got scared during thunderstorms, would hold her whenever she got upset after being teased in school (and helped her with her homework as much as he could), and at one point climbed up onto their roof without a second thought when she got herself stuck up there by an accidental use of magic... and then he realized that he didn’t know how to get either of them down. He played games with her until their parents came home and got them down

The entire faculty was aware that he would gush about his sweet baby sister if given reason to. Most of them already knew who Seren was before she started at Hogwarts because of it (”Hey Professor Sprout, what plants would be good to mail to my sister? She loves flowers!”)

The only way I can reconcile a Hufflepuff!Jacob going on a search for the Vaults is that he thought something in them/someone looking for them was going to pose a threat to either the student body or Seren, so that’s what I’m going with until proven otherwise

Honestly there were a lot of reasons people thought that he was certifiably insane. Beyond raving about Vaults that most people didn’t believe existed he:

had a tendency to just Not Sleep when he was working on a project and was known to down bottles of Wideye Potion and then not sleep for days. He always looked tired in his later years

got really twitchy when he didn’t sleep, so he was always nervously fidgeting in his later years

was so impatient that he’d jump off of part of the Grand Stairwell to get around faster

once had a serious craving for fish (due to his Siren blood, which neither he nor Seren are aware of) and ran into the Great Hall in a panic, grabbed cod with his bare hands, and then ate it while jogging out of the room. This was one of Angelica Cole’s few interactions with him and one of the only times Bill Weasley ever really saw him in their 1 & 1/2 overlapping years (”Seren, your brother was weird.” “Yeah, I- ...yeah. That sounds like Jacob.”)

was kind of a mess just before he was expelled. His shirt was never on right, he was lucky he could even get his tie on, constantly forgot his robes, and he was using Reparo on his clothes nearly every day because they kept getting torn up with Vault related stuff

is farsighted, but refuses to get corrective glasses or fix the issue, leading to him squinting a lot when he reads and such. He just can’t freaking see

Also, it’s canon that he has godawful handwriting and can’t draw to save his life. Boy’s a living disaster sometimes

If he hadn’t gotten involved with the Vaults, he probably would’ve joined the Quidditch team as either a Beater or a Chaser, and likely would’ve also been the male prefect of his and Jane Court’s year

He and Jane absolutely hated each other, but the kind of hate that involves some belligerent romantic tension. The kind that would probably lead to an emotionally abusive relationship if they ever got involved when they were older, but mutual attraction was still there. It’s a good thing they never got to that point, but I could see Jane trying to sneak him a love potion in 6th or 7th year if he hadn’t gotten expelled

If you asked him about it, it’d take him a while to remember who Angelica Cole was. He’d need you to describe her. He was nice to her, but their interactions were limited and he was usually distracted by the time she started talking to him more

I actually have a hard time seeing him in a long-term romantic relationship with a British/Irish witch or wizard due to his reputation. I could see him with a foreign magic user, maybe an Ilvermorny alumni or something

I could very easily see his Ilvermorny house being Thunderbird had he attended school there because he’s always wanted to travel and always yearned for adventure. Not super relevant, just some interesting personality trivia

Also, he’s only an average 5′9″ at maximum height, but he’s taller than Seren and that’s enough for him

He got expelled about a week before his 15th birthday. The last time Seren saw him, he was hugging her while sobbing and just kept muttering “It’s gonna be okay. I love you. I’m so sorry,” over and over again. He was gone the next morning and Seren hasn’t been “okay” since

Both/Other

Both of them are trilingual at Hogwarts (English/Irish/Faroese) and may eventually learn Mermish in the future

Their mother taught them Faroese and their father thought it would be fun to do the same with the language of his country, even though he did not speak Irish himself

They make a lot of very similar expressions and have similar body language, which most Hogwarts professors picked up on fairly quickly (”Miss Dwyn, I know you’re lying. Jacob used to make that face when he was lying, too”)

Jacob’s patronus would be a Sea Lion* and Seren’s a Common Seal*

*I actually haven’t settled on whose is whose. Dunno if I want their patronuses to represent the caster or their sibling more

Seren is unable to cast a patronus unless Jacob is found alive. She cannot cast one before they find him and will never cast one if he is found dead or irreversibly evil/insane/corrupted

I was actually pretty against it at first, but I’ve gotten attached to the idea of both of them being Raven animagi, with Jacob being unregistered and Seren’s registration status up in the air right now

Both of them keep their eye color when they transform, which is much better for Jacob since Ravens tend to have similarly colored brown eyes

They also both have a chuckle that sounds like the clicking noise Ravens sometimes make

Being a Raven animagus makes Jacob’s tendency to transfigure things into black quills to hide them way more ironic

Assuming Jacob is found alive, in the future they end up starting a private investigation/private detective’s office where they take jobs that the Ministry has turned down. They get a bit of a reputation for not turning anyone away who needs help: human or not. Also espionage

If Jacob is found dead (and Seren does not also wind up dead) then Seren either takes odd jobs with no real purpose OR joins the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division, depending on the circumstances of Jacob’s death and how well she’s able to cope with it

Goodfuture! Jacob and Seren both get very good at Legilimency and Occlumency, Legilimency due to its uses in their profession and Occlumency due to paranoia arising from the entire Vaults incident. They practice on each other

Jacob is slightly better at Occlumency than Seren, Seren is slightly better at Legilimency than Jacob

Reading each other’s minds as much as they have leads to them being even closer than they were before. They now know secrets the other will never speak, and they can predict each other’s thoughts fairly easily. It also helped them work through Vault-based trauma

At some point they get really good at communicating wordlessly through magic. It freaks people out

Their siren blood does effect them, but I feel like that’s grounds for its own post

[jloves-pp]

The Lassie in the Cove-part 8

Chapter 8

It had being many years since Merida and Hiccup met and Hiccup had become a Selkie himself. The couple and Toothless had made it to Merida's home, Hiccup and Toothless were welcomed with opened arms and had become part of the family, which made him content because after the loss of his father. It had taken a while to get used to life as a Selkie but with Merida and her families help he had manage it. Even though the King wasn't sure about the once human Selkie boy (it's normal for fathers to worry about their daughters) he had started to warm to Hiccup and now he thought that not all humans were monsters after all. As for the Queen, she treated him like her own son and was secretly glad that Merida would have a good influence in her life.

As for Merida and Hiccup, their love was still as strong as ever and the pair were inseparable. Even though they appeared to be polar opposites they were drawn together. They never tired of each other's company and they never seemed to have a dull moment when together.

They would go on adventures with Toothless of course. They explored the ocean, near home and further afield. They found hidden treasures, lost cities and magnificent creatures. They went to islands that Hiccup could have never imagined, beaches with white sand and seas that were clear and blue. They found hidden grottos with amazing waterfalls, beautiful lagoons with the fascinating flowers and underwater caves with crystals, which no human had ever touched.

For a while Hiccup and Toothless missed flying, because Hiccup couldn't control Toothless's tail wing and the metal bracket had began to rust. One day Hiccup was moving his fins, as was the dragon with his tail, when he realised that their tails moved in the same way. He planned to make a device that could be controlled by his fin but he didn't have any tools to make it. It was Merida who suggested that he should make his own blacksmith shop, he soon got to work and had all the equipment he needed. After weeks of hard work and a lot of trial and error, Toothless' new tail was finished. They flew as fantastical as before, Merida even invited her family to watch Hiccup and Toothless in action. Fergus was really impressed and the triplets immediately wanted to have a go. Elinor however wasn't sure it was safe but after riding with her daughter, she changed her mind as well.

Now that flying was possible again, Hiccup, Merida and Toothless would travel to islands, seeing the different plant life, wild birds and animals and so much more that Merida had imagined existing. She began to collect seeds from fruits and vegetables and planted them in a patch of earth inside the cave which was their place. It was where Hiccup's blacksmith shop was, which had soon become the teens hangout. They had made a sitting place with pillows and sheets and other pretty things that made it quite homely. The Night Fury also had a space for himself where he could sleep and eat his fish. There were lots of wild flowers growing on the cave wall that added colour to the place. There was also a bedroom just in case Hiccup was working into the night, Merida would sleep on the bed. It was big enough for both them and they would lay there together, relaxing and cuddling. Sometimes they would end up falling asleep and waking up the next morning.

For a long time many people didn't understand what their princess saw in Hiccup. Even if they whispered or made fun of him, he didn't care because he was with his best friend and the love of his life. After solving some of the merpeople problems with dragons and providing help with repairs, Hiccup soon gained repect and praise from the merpeople and other Selkies. A few years had passed, Merida thought Hiccup had become even more handsome. Even the young girls started sighing and became giddy when he was around. One day Hiccup was swimming with Merida, they passed a group of young girls who had crushes on Hiccup, he gave a friendly wave and that was enough to make one of them faint, the young couple thought it was odd but they dismissed this behaviour because they thought the girls were joking about. As they had only eyes for each other, many young people hoped at that they would find the same love and joy that the two had.

When Merida just turned 21, that was when Hiccup ask her to married him. Of course she said yes and they were wedded two months later. They didn't want the usual grand ceremony as they didn't want fuss or to be the centre of attention. They were secretly married by a priest they had saved from drowning with Toothless as witness. They had a grand celebration with Merida's family, it was one of the best days ever.

Hiccup had worried in the past about having children, so imagine the look on his face when Merida told him that she was pregnant. He should have known because she had been acting a bit oddly and she'd been asking for a lots of apples. Merida and Hiccup loved their young pup even before she was born and needless to say how happy they were when 9 months later their little baby girl was born. She was beautiful, she had a round face and button nose just like her mum. She had Hiccups brown straight hair, his tail colour and his green eyes. To her parents, she was the most perfect thing ever; they both knew that she was very special, they named her Ardra (which means Nobel). All family members could see parts of her personality that were similar to theirs. Fergus actually said that she had her father's heart and her mother's spirit. The Selkie couple enjoyed taking Ardra on adventures on land as well as sea, she was showing signs of being as adventurous and a lover of finding new things as her parents were.

Merida loved being a mum, just holding her baby and kissing her in a lovely motherly way, especially when they had quiet times together, like feeding times. Hiccup loved playing games and making his little girl laugh, even though Ardra was small that didn't stop him from teaching her about dragons, which she enjoyed a lot. Toothless also loved the wee baby. At Ardra's nap time it had become a habit for Toothless to cuddle up with her and fall asleep. He loved giving her rides either on his head in the water or up in the air (it was obvious that Ardra loved flying just as much as her parents).

Occasionally Hiccup would wonder about his old life. He thought about Berk and his old friends. Had they looked for him?, Did they believe that he was dead? Or had they move on? But Hiccup still never wanted to go back. Why would he? He had his best friend, his beloved daughter and the woman who he loved. He had a new life now.

When Ardra was about 10 months old, the family were having a day in their cave. Hiccup was at his desk, finishing plans to show the King new homes to build for the merpeople. Merida was feeding their baby in their sitting area she had closed her eyes. Hiccup turned and looked at his girls, Hiccup loved them so much and enjoyed drawing them both together. He slipped from the desk into the water, he swam up near them and smiling at them. Just then, Ardra turned her head and saw her daddy.

"Hey there sweetheart, how was your nap?" he asked softly. His baby didn't say anything but smiled and then she slowly crawled out of her mother's arms, her tail dragging on the smooth rock as she crawled to Hiccup. The young dad smiled proudly at his daughter as she began to move on her side and roll the rest of the way. Hiccup caught her before she fell into water.

"Oh there, Good job, my clever girl" he chuckled before giving a kiss on his little girl forehead.

The Selkie girl began babbling happily, she loved being hugged by her daddy. As he held her up, Hiccup started to move his finger up and down on her lips, making cute babbling noise to Ardra. The baby laugh as she grabbed his finger, he couldn't help but smile with the child as he rubbed his nose to hers. She turned her attention to the water, the end of her small tail flicking in the water, he knew what she wanted.

"All right, here you go" he chuckled. He moved the baby above the water and she dived perfectly into the water. He saw his pup swimming round and round about and then in a circle underneath him. Even though Ardra was just a wee babby, she was a wonderful swimmer, she was fast and it was hard to catch her but Merida was quicker and always caught her.

Soon Ardra jumped out and into her dad's arms. "You're getting better everyday Ardra" he said as he rubbed his nose to Ardra's nose. Ardra began to giggly when Hiccup brush his thumb on her cheek,

"I guess your ticklish aren't you" Hiccup asked with grin "Are you ticklish here?" He started tickling her neck which made her giggle. "Or are you ticklish here?" He moved his fingers to under her arm, that made Ardra laugh even more. "No wait, I remember now. You're ticklish right about..." And he tickled her all over. Ardra laughed so much as he kissed her gently on the cheek.

Merida woke and find them both playing together, she loved to watch her two favourite people interacting. She couldn't think of life without them both, Merida thought she was luckiest woman in the world.

Merida laughed at the scene and it caught the attention of her husband and child. The Selkie baby look upside down at her, a smiled soon appeared on her face as well as on Hiccup's.

"Hello Milady"

"Hello to you my dear" Merida replied, putting Ardra upright, Hiccup swam to Merida. He handed their daughter to her which she happily recieved. "Were you having fun with your daddy" she said sweetly to her pup, hugging her close as Ardra place her tiny head on her mother's shoulder. The young mum softly brushed her thumb on her baby's cheek, looking into her eyes.

Merida felt Hiccup's hand on top for her. She intertwined her fingers with his.

"Hey Merida, you know we still have time before we go home. Is there anything you would like to do?" Hiccup asked. Merida thought as she placed Ardra down next to them.

"I don't know, Toothless is busy on the island so we can't go flying off to any land and we've been to our favourite places already " The Selkie woman said thinking a loud, all the while Ardra was holding her tail in her mouth and was chewing it.

"Well, what about the lake, we haven't been there for a while. What do you think?" he suggested. Merida thought about it, the lake was a Selkies secret place, where Selkies had celebrations.

"I think that's a grand idea" she said with a smile. Merida then turned to see Ardra now playing with an apple as if it were a ball.

"Ardra" Merida softly said, The little girl turned to her mum. "Would you like to visit the lake before we return home".

The Selkie baby squealed, in approval Merida handed Ardra to Hiccup before she slipped into the cool water, she lent over and gave her husband a quick kiss and then they all dove under. They swam out from the underwater entrance, passing the sealife and fish. Ardra laughed at some fish that were swimming by.

They soon arrived at the lake, when they surfaced Merida fixed her hair which was over her face. Ardra mimicked her, both of them chuckled at this. They didn't waste a single second as the wee baby began to play she swam to and from them, then they had a splash fight (the grown Selkies had to be careful not to splash Ardra so much), then exploring some ancient ruins that had sunk hundreds of years ago and Hiccup threw Ardra in to the air, she shrieked with delight. They found themselves at a small arch of rocks. The grown Selkies were sitting on a flat rock while they proudly watched their giggly child paddling and splashing around. Hiccup had one arm around his wife while Merida relaxed her head on his shoulder.

"You know Mer, today is actually a very special day" He said. She looked to him, wondering what he was talking about. She knew it wasn't anyone birthday or their wedding anniversary.

"Of course I remember" she replied with confidence but Hiccup knew she didn't. He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you?" He asked and soon Merida sighed

"No, I'm sorry".

"Well" he began softly "today is the anniversary of the day when we first met".

His wife started to smile before she laughed softly. "Has it being that long?".

"Yeah, look how far we're come" he said as he remember that day. If Merida had never ran away, she wouldn't have met Hiccup, wouldn't have fallen in love or wouldn't had save him.

"Hiccup, are you happy?. Like truly happy?" Merida asked feely a bit nervous. Hiccup gave a look of concern and his eye brows furrowed,

"What's wrong?"

She took both of his hands into hers and took a deep breath. " it's just...I feel like I've robbed your old life from you...and I'll never forgive myself. It was supposed that we chose to be together." Merida confessed with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I didn't know if..."

She didn't finished because Hiccup gently place his hand on her face. "Merida, you saved me" Hiccup explained softly "You've gave me a second chance of life. We have our child and these years have been the greatest years of my life, because I have you" Merida slowly smiled at Hiccup and squeezed his hand. "I said I was forever grateful to you and I'm still am. If it wasn't for you, I would be at the bottom of the sea"

She then realised something "And if you never came to the cove, I'd still been there and who knows what would happened" how funny fate is she thought. They slowly leant forward and kissed. They held each other close, their embrace grew their tails coiling one around the other. When they parted and Hiccup gently moved some of Merida's curls away from her face.

"So, does that show you I love you" Hiccup softly said, then he whispered in her ear "Or do you need more proof", Merida giggled like a school girl, she loved it when Hiccup was romantic. moments like this alway made her bliss.

Mischievously Merida said "You'll have to catch me first", she jumped into the water with Hiccup right after her. The duo began a darting around, underwater, passing the rocks and ruins. She peeked from behind rocks and nudged her husband with her tail. They laughed and chased each other for what seemed like ages. What They did not realising, whose that Ardra had swam away and she had reached the shore. The little girl was laying flat on the sand, looking at pretty seashells and pebbles. She saw a tiny crab scuttle by and was trying to catch it. Ardra babbled in her infant talk when she heard a loud noise from the rocks nearby. It was seals, real seals. There was a group from them, all different shapes and sizes. A few smaller seals lifted their heads they had spotted the baby Selkie, she waved to them. They soon moved over sand to Ardra giggled happily at them and rubbed their noses.

They weren't alone on the beach, nearby two young children were playing together while their mother was resting.

"You can't catch me, Edward" cried the small blonde haired girl as she ran from her big brother.

"Oh yes, I will Camicazi and when I do, you'll be sorry" the dark haired boy said as they ran over the hill and saw the lake. The two of them had stopped, they were both panting trying to catch their breaths. It was then that Camicazi saw the seals, lying on the sand. The seals soon spotted them and took fright, they rushed away diving into the water as quickly as they could. There was just one seal left, a funny looking one the girl thought because it was an unusual colour. This made her curious. Edward had turned and walked back, but his little sister slowly walked closer.

"Come on, mum will wonder where we are", he called but she carried on closer to the seal. As Camicazi got nearer, she could see more clearly. It was a little baby with a tail. Ardra turned and spotted the wild haired girl. They stared at each other for a long time until the human took another step, this startled the Selkie, her eyes wide she quickly wriggled into the sea. Camicazi was about to race after it when...

"Camicazi, what are you doing", Edward called as he caught up with her. " mum will freak if we..",

"Didn't you see it", she asked which made Edward look at her strangely.

"See what?" He questioned.

"The baby mermaid, I saw a baby mermaid", she explained pointing at the sea.

"What mermaid?" Edward said, Camicazi looked again but there was nothing there.

"But it was there, right there" she pointed where it was and then saw a shadow moving away. "There it goes" she cried and instantly ran after the shadow. Splashing in the water, her brother ran after her, making sure she wasn't going to get in trouble.

Hiccup and Merida, lounged together, Hiccup questioned, "What do you want to do now?"

"Mmm..It depends if you want to or not" she replied in a way that always made Hiccup blush a little.

"When I'm with you, I will always want to", with that they kissed passionately. They couldn't get enough of each other, moments like this were cherished by them.

Before the Selkies could go any further, Merida was distracted she heard a familiar sound "Ardra?" Merida muttered, looking over her husband's shoulder.

"Merida?" He could see worry on her face. Then he heard the sound and it was coming closer. The partners now saw their little girl swimming to them at a top speed. Ardra was crying as she swam straight into her mother's arms and buried her head into Merida's chest.

"Ardra, what's wrong?" Merida softly asked in panic. She looked up to Hiccup who was just as worried. Before either of them could say anything they heard...

"It went this way, I know it" the Selkies immediately dove under.

Luckily, Edward and Camicazi didn't seen them.

"Are you sure what you seen wasn't a seal" Edward asked,

His sister sighed "I did see a mermaid, I really did" before the two could start arguing. They heard a familiar voice calling

"Edward, Cama, where are you?" The kids turned and saw their mum coming around the corner.

"Oh, there you are" she said relieved before she climbed in to join them. "I turned my back for one minute and the two of you run off".

"But...I saw a mermaid, a baby one, on the beach" , Camicazi said pointing her finger to the beach

"Well, she thinks she saw one" Edward explained folding his arms, huffily.

Their mum sighed, they always got into trouble and each were trying to blame the other. "Look, I don't know what you think you saw, and I'm not saying I don't believe you"

"But"

"No buts, from either of you." She said before she hugged them close, but then she saw glints of something behind her children. The mum now has a serious look, her eyes narrowed, "There is something there" she said under her breath.

Camicazi and Edward looked at one another, they knew when she looked like that, she meant business. "Stay here and don't move" as she took out her axe on her belt, she quietly moved to the spot that she had seen something.

The Selkies were hiding with their backs against the rocks. They watched, hoping they would leave so they could leave. They couldn't go now incase they would be killed. Hiccup held Merida close as she held Ardra to her chest. "When do you think they will leave", Merida asked in a whisper, the pair were frozen, too scared to move.

"I not sure" Hiccup replied as he looked upward as well. They weren't sure if whoever it was had gone or not, " I'll go and check, you stay here".

"Ur.. Maybe we should wait a little longer" Merida replied.

"Mer, I'll be quick" Hiccup said, but then saw a worried look on her face. "What's wrong" he could tell even if underwater that she was crying.

Since that day a long time ago, The Selkie had made sure that her Hiccup was safe. Once or twice they had been in dangerous situations but they had always came out of it. Still she feared that one day he would be taken from her.

"Hiccup, I don't want you to go. What if they kill you?"

Little Ardra didn't understand what was going on but she could sense that something bad would happen if her dad left them. She was crying too.

"Sh, sh, please don't you start" Hiccup reassured as he softly brushes her check "I get enough from your mum" this made his wife smile. He placed a hand softly to Merida's shoulder, " Merida, please know that I will always come back to you, always"

Merida knew that he was right and he would do his best to keep them safe. She looked into his eyes, she loved him and he loved her.

"I know you will Hic"

Hiccup return the smile, he then gently place a hand on his little princesses cheek.

" Look after her while I'm gone, OK" Ardra held one of his fingers in her tiny grip and gurgled to him in her infant language, The Selkie man leant in as Ardra reach out and touched his face. Hiccup gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead. He then turned to his wife, after a moment Hiccup swam up an broke the surface. Merida and Ardra could only watch as he went, Merida hope things would be alright.

Hiccup made it out and went behind a rock. He didn't see anyone or anything so he thought who ever it was had left. He sighed in relief, just before he return to his family, he heard.

"Whoever you are, you better show yourself"

Hiccup's eyes widened. He knew that voice, it been years but still he knew that voice.

"Astrid, stop".

The woman froze. Had she imagined it? She never thought she would hear that voice again. "Hiccup?" She asked softly, as she slowly walked around the rock, and there he was. Astrid mouth dropped, is was really him. Of course his looks had slightly changed but there was no mistaking, she wanted to say something but nothing came out.

Finally Hiccup broke the silence by saying cheerful

"Hi Astrid",

Astrid lost her grip on the axe she was holding and fell with a clank.

"Bu...but...you...what...we thought...you were dead" Was all she could say.

"Well, I'm alive and well" he chuckled lighting the mood, which make his old friend laugh a little.

"I just can't believe that you're alive", Astrid said, then she notices his tail "And with a tail"

"Yeah, it's a long story" he admitted while he rubbed his hand through his hair.

Astrid mind whirled she had thousands of questions to ask him, not knowing where to start. Finally one did come to her "Where's Merida? Is she here?"

Hiccup remembered that she was still hiding. He'd have to tell her about this.

"Oh, she here, I'll go and get her. Be right back" The Viking woman watched in awe as Hiccup swam and dove down under the water.

Ever since the awful day, Astrid had hoped that Hiccup had survived. She had always hoped the Selkie would find him and save him from dead. Now finding Hiccup here and being a Selkie himself, she couldn't wish for any thing better. She was truly thankful to Merida.

"Mum", Astrid heard, it snapped her out of her thoughts. She had forgotten about her children. Edward and Camicazi ran around the corner after waiting for a while "Mum, are you all right?" her little boy asked as he and his sister hugged her close. Astrid hugged them back and softly kiss them each on the forehead.

"I'm fine, wonderful actually" she replied after she pulled back to look happily at them.

"So, was it a mermaid" Camicazi asked hopping with excitement.

"Well, not exactly but you were nearly right".

"What", Edward said looking baffled.

Astrid rubbed her son's black hair, "You'll soon see".

As for Hiccup, he soon returned to Merida and Ardra. Merida was relieved to see her husband was alive and well "Hiccup", she called as she swam to him. Their baby also was happy to see her dad return. Hiccup embrace them both.

"Have the humans left?" she asked wondering what happened.

"You'll never believe who it is" Hiccup said with a smile.

Merida was confused. They didn't go near humans so who was Hiccup talking about?

"Who?" She asked but Hiccup had taken her hand and lead her to surface with the wee baby still in her arms, who was also confused about what was going on.

Astrid turned to the water and saw Hiccup and Merida appear.

"Astrid" Merida said in relief and surprise, Astrid returned Merida's with her own smile.

"Nice to see you again, Merida. It's been too long"

"Much to long" the two ladies chuckled happily and Hiccup was grinning at the pair. Edward and Camicazi were gob smacked by the couple with tails, they just stood and stared with their mouths open. Edward tried to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Mum, do you know them?" Camicazi asked looking at to Astrid.

She knelt to her daughter level,

"These, are good friends of mine from long ago" she answered.

"And who are these two?" Hiccup asked which made both kids jump.

"Well, this is Edward and this is Camicazi" Astrid said.

They both said hello before the little girl spotted Ardra, curled up to her mum.

"You see, see. I told you, a baby mermaid!" Camicazi shouted proudly, she liked it when she was right.

"Actually, she's a baby Selkie" Merida said, smoothing her daughter's hair "Ardra, why don't you said hello" she said softly. Soon the little creature turned her head and saw them, at first, nothing happen but then...

"Hello there", Edward said quietly as he waved to her "I'm Edward and this is my sister" and he urged Camicazi to join him,

"Hi, I'm sorry I scared you. I've never seen someone like you before", she explained. Just after she said that, Ardra slowly smiled to them. she was happy to make new friends.

After that, the children began to mix they started to swim and play together happily, while their parents were catching up on old times.

"So, Lady Macintosh, it must be hard", Merida said when Astrid was telling about her marriage.

"Yeah but he is a good man and I do as much as he does, we are a very good match" Astird said with a grin, " I'm surprised about all the places you guys have been to though".

Hiccup nodded " I know, I never imaged places like that existed", he had his arms around Merida as he and Astrid watch their children playing tag. The two humans swam slowly, so the baby Selkie could catch them more easily.

"Well I'm just glad you're alright, we were searching for you for weeks, then we decided we had to move on. We do miss you Hiccup", Astrid added.

"I miss them too" Hiccup said regretfully, Merida felt his hand intertwining with hers "but I'm happy here and I never want to change that".

"I know you are", Astrid said softly, She could see how happy his new life was, that is all she wanted for him. Just then, they saw Ardra slowly swimming up to them, she looked so tired. Merida held her up and saw that the sun was setting.

"It's getting late" she said to her husband.

"You'e right, we should getting back" he replied.

"Well, it is time for us to go home too" Astird said her kids groaned at this.

"But we want to stay longer" Camicazi said sleepily. Her mum wrapped warm clothes around them both.

"I think you dad will be really worried about us if we don't go home soon" Astird said combing her small blonde hair girl's hair with her fingers.

"I don't want dad to worry", Edward said "Do you think dad will send the army to look for us?"

Merida and Hiccup had both slipped into water before they turned again to Astird and her chrildren.

" I wish I saw Toothless again" Astird said.

"Well maybe next time" Hiccup reassured her.

"Will we see you again" Camicazi asking hugging her mum.

"Maybe one day, just keep your eyes on the sea. You never know what's waiting", Merida said which made the little girl smile.

They said their goodbyes and Astird and her children watched the Selkies swim to the mouth of the lake. Hiccup and Merida waved to them, Ardra was asleep they slipped into the water and then disappeared from sight. Edward and Camicazi asked their mum about them on they way home, she told them the whole story which they wanted to hear again and again. The two grew up and have children of their own, they told the story which turned a legend. The legend about a boy the son of Chief Stoik the Vast who was an unlikely hero, he trained dragons who became past of the tribe, he found his true love a Selike in a cove, who saved his life and gave him a new family and a new way of living.

The end

[fallen029]

A Dragon’s Love.2: Protector

Previous Chapter

For as long as he could remember, it'd always just been him and his mom. Oh, and his Aunt Lisanna, who lived with them for a few years there. But mostly just him and Mirajane.

Not that it meant anything to him. Not at first. When he was younger, he didn't pay it any mind. How could he know that he was missing something if, as far as he knew, he never had it?

The older he got though, of course, he began to take notice that something was missing. And when he realized it, there was nothing more that bothered him everyday than that. He must have annoyed Mira with it constantly.

"How come they got fathers?"

Or,

"Where's mine?"

And his favorite,

"Now am I old enough to tell?"

Mira usually had the same answer to any of the incarnations of those questions he could come up with.

"We'll talk about it when you're older." And she'd usually pat him on the head too, which was just annoying. Especially because he only kept getting older. But the answer never changed. Not once. How old was he supposed to be, anyhow?

Sometimes though, it was less curiosity that bothered him and more how lonely he felt. It hurt a lot, sometimes, watching Natsu get to play with his kids or listen to Radic brag about how he and his father had spent the whole day training. Whenever he mentioned that to Mira though, she'd only tell him that he didn't need a father to play with. He had his uncle, after all.

As great as Elfman was though, that just didn't fill the hole. At all.

He pictured the guy at least a thousand times. Depending on how he was feeling that day though, the picture changed. Sometimes he was a very handsome young man with tons of muscles and that was a great mage too. Those were the times that he felt like he was missing out. He'd decide then that the man probably went out on a job and gotten killed or something. Maybe just never returned. He could even be waiting for Orion to come get him.

Maybe.

Other times he was a jerk with beady eyes and an evil stare that left his mother all alone and never even cared. Those times were when Orion was angry with him, for leaving him all alone and never even coming back for him. He decided when he felt that way that he was better off without the guy.

Mirajane only really ever told him one thing about the guy.

"He always watches over you," she'd say whenever he got too whiny about the man's whereabouts. "That's all that matters."

Which led him at times to believe that he was dead. There was just something in the way that she said it though that didn't seem like it. And if he was dead, why couldn't she just tell him that later? When he got older? Why the big secret?

He'd asked everyone in the guildhall before to tell him, but he never got a real answer. Everyone loved Mirajane and there was no way they were going to defy her. He was more or less stuck.

There were very few times though that it hit him as hard as once, when he was nearly nine, and Radic was being a complete asshole about it.

The older boy was rather sadistic in most ways. None of the other kids ever seemed to like him much. He mostly used the fact that he was older than all of them to his advantage and would fight them mercilessly, never letting them surrender or, for that matter, actually agree to the fight. He liked bash their heads into the ground and, even a few times, had broken their bones.

But all of his abuse wasn't physical. He seemed to rather like making the younger kids cry any way that he could. And, as it turned out, that day he found the fact that Orion was fatherless to be the best plan of attack.

Orion couldn't remember exactly what was said, but whatever it was must have been pretty cruel. Not that that was shocking. Usually, in an attempt to appease him, the other kids would join in with Radic whenever he went on one of his tirades, if only to save themselves.

He was never one to cry much. His Uncle Elf always told him it was unmanly (though he himself did it quite frequently) and he tried his hardest to follow through. So when he came to Mira one day, in tears, rushing around the bar to bury his head in her dress, she knew something was wrong. And, since she wasn't the only one working that day, she was able to take her break and go calm him down.

"What's wrong?" She'd asked as she took him to one of the backrooms to talk. It was a storage room and his cries echoed somewhat. "Orion? Just tell me. Are you hurt?"

No. He even shook his head as, slowly, she got down onto the cold ground, even at the risk of ruining her dress, just so he could climb into her lap. He was staring to get too big for that though.

He just buried his head in her chest though, trying hard to swallow his cries as she took to stroking his head. When he finally calmed down enough, he told her about how Radic had shoved him down on the ground outside and held his face to the dirt, which, really, wasn't that unusual for the older boy. But when he refused to surrender or admit defeat, the older boy dug his knee into his back and began to taunt him about different things. The one that he found to be the most effective was the boy's lack of a father.

It'd never really occurred to Radic that that could be used as ammunition against the Strauss boy. He never thought much about it. The two of them weren't friends and, usually, the other child was around one of the adults. Recently, a lot of times he was training with Erza, which was obviously not someone he wanted to mess with.

Radic had leaned down too, to hiss in his ear about how much of a loser he was, that even his old man hadn't stuck around. That even as a baby he'd been able to see what a worthless little runt he was. And he made the other kids that they had been playing with join in. Tell him what a disappointment he was. How weak he was. And how even if his father ever did come back, he wouldn't stick around long, when he saw what a sissy he had for a son.

Mira only listened as he sobbed though, gently stroking his head. When finished, she even kissed his head.

"Why do you care what Radic says?" she asked. "I've told you before that there's something wrong with him. He's not nice and you shouldn't play with him."

He hadn't meant to. He was out at the park, playing by himself, and just sorta ran into the other kids. He didn't know that he would become the victim for the day.

"I'll talk to his mother," Mira said then. "And-"

"No." That was worse than not having a father and crying in front of the other boys all rolled into one. Lifting his head, he stared up at her with his eyes full of tears. "You can't."

"Ori, I have to. He-"

"No. Promise."

"You-"

"Promise."

With a sigh, Mirajane said, "Fine. I won't. But I should. He had no business saying that to you."

He only cuddled closer to her again. "If you told me though, who my dad is, then I could-"

"When you're older."

"That's not fair!"

"Ori-"

"It's not. All of the other boys, they get to go train with their dads. Natsu and Gajeel play with their kids. Why don't I get my father? It's not fair! I want a dad too!"

"Shhh." She went back to just stroking his head. "What have we said about that?"

"I-"

"That you don't need a father to be there all the time. You have me and your uncle and-"

"I want one."

"I know. And one day it'll make sense, I promise, but for now, it doesn't matter. You know that he's always watching over you. Don't you?"

He only sniffled. "You say that, but-"

"And it's true. And he's so proud of you. I promise."

"How do you know? If you don't even talk to him?"

But she didn't answer that and, eventually, had to get back to work. Not before she made sure he was fine again though. And he was. Or at least he was finished crying. Radic had embarrassed him pretty deeply though and he had to pay for that.

It didn't take long for Orion to get his revenge, anyhow. Just a few days. All he needed was his bows and a very naïve Erza. She usually didn't let him train with magic arrows and would only let him use them under her supervision, but he was able to get a few out of her, to use while she was away on her job, he explained.

And use them, he did.

First though, he had to track the other kids on one of their own little training sessions. Sometimes Radic liked to go out with one or two of the other kids into the woods to 'practice' (beat the crap outta them where no one could hear their screams).

He followed along above, in the trees, all the way to a clearing. And when the three kids down below came to a stop, Orion got one of his arrows ready.

He hit Radic square in the shoulder. It didn't pierce his flesh much, as it wasn't meant to, but rather nicked him some before falling off, onto the ground. Just glancing up at the trees, all the other kids saw exactly who it was.

"You little coward," Radic had called up to him, almost immediately. "Your damn arrow didn't even hurt me! It-"

And he stopped talking too, just like that, as suddenly, all his muscles seemed to give out. Much to the shock to he other children, he hit the ground. Up above, Orion only grinned.

"What did you do?" the pink hair boy that was down there in the clearing called up to him. "Orion?"

He just jumped out of the tree then as the other kid, Gray's daughter, Jules, was the other one there with them and she just went to go kick Radic's shoulder.

"Is he dead?" she asked, staring at Orion in fear, if not some form of excitement. He just shook his head.

"Passed out." He went to retrieve the arrow and return it to the quiver strung on his back. "And you will be too if you don't help me."

They had to hurry. The effect wouldn't last long (Orion had to infuse it the spell into the arrowhead himself and, well, his magic abilities weren't that great just yet), so they only had a minute or two. When Radic awoke, he found himself tied to a tree and unable to get out.

"Hey," he growled almost immediately, his eyes focusing first on Jules and then the pink haired boy, both of who were just staring. "What the hell do you think-"

"My father is not something that will ever come out of your mouth again."

He focused then, across the clearing, at where Orion stood, bow in hand, one of his arrows poised to hit its mark, tied to the tree. Radic just widened his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he growled. "You little-"

"I just learned a new spell. You wanna see it? It's real cool." Orion's voice was cold then. "See the arrow head? How shiny it is? I've infused it with lightning. Just like Laxus. You know, the jerk? Wonder what it'll feel like when it pierces your skin?"

"I don't know what your problem is," Radic said then, his tone losing some of its gruff undertones. "But knock it off. What have I ever done to you?"

"My arms getting tired," Orion said then before, to the other two children's amazement, he actually released the arrow. It hit right above Radi's shoulder.

"Hey!" the older boy growled. "What are you-"

"Did you like it? The light that came off it? Looks even cooler at night." Orion moved to grab another arrow. "This one's not infused with anything, but I can think of a few places you would not want it to hit. Can't you?"

"Let me go, you little-"

He released it, the arrow coming to rest above the boy's head.

"Erza and I practice every day," he went on, grabbing another arrow. "She says that I have such good aim, it's almost like I was born with it. How do you think, Radic, that your dad will like you without an eye?"

That one hit the tree too, but it was at the right side of Radic's head. The boy wasn't even talking any more. Not fighting his bonds.

"Your not gonna bother me anymore," Orion said as he steadied his next arrow. "Are you, Radic? Because if you are, I'mma have to go ahead and make it hard on you. Don't you think it would be? With only one eye? Or ooh, how about none?"

"I won't talk about your dad anymore, you stupid freak! Now let me go!"

First he came closer, to retrieve his arrows. And stare the other boy down.

"I wonder what Gajeel will say," he said as he pulled them from the tree. He wouldn't be using them again, but he wanted a chance to look Radic in the eyes. "When he hears that you gave up. To me. And none of your friends came to your rescue."

"You can't tell him."

"Why not? You told everyone that I cried and that I-"

"You just can't."

"Maybe." He was finished then. "Or maybe I will. Or maybe when you say something about my father again, I'll-"

"I said I won't! Now let me go!"

"No way." He was walking off then. "Jules can. You could stay here and rot for all I care."

He knew too that he was playing with fire. And honestly, he was just glad that Radic was so stupid. If the boy had any intelligence, he'd have realized that, though he was bound, it would have been easy to have a rock come up and knock Orion in the head. But that was the problem with all the kids of the slayers; they were too damn stupid. Their fathers had filled their head with nonsense about how strong they were and it'd made their minds weak.

The last thing Orion had was a weak mind. He knew that he had a hold over Radic then and, also, a pretty good pick off technique. If ever the other boy started up on him again and threatening to tell the others of what had transpired didn't work, he'd just repeat the events. Maybe have a longer sleep effect in an arrow and drag the boy off to some part of the forest, bind him up, and leave him. That sounded like a real good plan of attack.

Even though he was pretty much over the whole thing then, as he'd extracted his revenge and established some form of dominance all in one fell swoop, Mirajane didn't know about it. He couldn't tell her, after all, as she'd see it as him misbehaving. So she still thought he was hurt by what Radic did and, though she was a great mom, sometimes she was really stupid. Or at least she made stupid mistakes.

He could remember too, it being the most embarrassing thing she'd ever done. Or at least he felt that way. Not that it was impossible for him to see where she was going with the whole thing. She knew that he admired Laxus and, as she and him had always been friends, decided to use it to her advantage.

Or at least that's what he thought.

"Hey, Laxus," Mirajane greeted as, one day, thanks to the packed hall, he got stuck drinking his beer up at the bar. Orion was up there too, going over a spell book, trying to read up on some new ones. Erza always wanted him to be learning new things, as his arrows' powers would become limitless if he did so. Mostly though the boy was just trying to get noticed by his idol, but the man seemed mostly focused on his beer and nothing else.

"Hmmm?"

"How was your job?" Mira was standing in front of the two of them with a smile. Orion hardly even glanced up. Laxus didn't seem to have a lotta friends in the guild outside of the Thunder God Tribe, but the she-demon had always been kind to him. She was kind to everyone, really. Orion never once thought she would do what she did.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Why?"

"I was just wondering."

Grunt.

"Aren't you going to ask me about how I was doing while you were gone?"

That made Laxus stop, if only for a moment.

"Something happen?" he asked. "Mirajane?"

"Not with me, really," she said slowly. "But you know Gajeel's son?"

That made Orion glance up. Laxus only shrugged though.

"Enough," he replied. "The annoying little ass tried to attack me once."

She nodded slightly. "Well, he was teasing Orion about how he didn't have a father and-"

"What are you doing?" The boy in question had never felt his face heat up that badly. "Stop it! Why are you-"

"I'm just telling Laxus about how-"

"No! Shut up! You-"

"Hey." The man glanced down at the boy then. "You think it's alright, huh? To talk to your mother that way?"

"I was just-"

"You're lucky to have a damn mother." Laxus glanced back at Mirajane then. "Refill my beer."

As she scurried off to do so, the man glanced down at the boy again, who was still red in the face and, honestly, more embarrassed that Laxus had reprimanded him than anything.

Why had his mom done that? The last person he ever wanted to look like a crybaby to was Laxus.

"Why'd you let that little shit get you, boy?"

He only glanced up at the slayer speaking. "I didn't. He-"

"You gonna lie to me now?"

"N-No. I was just-"

"What do you need a father for? Huh?" Laxus' eyes were heavy as they bore down on the child. "I had one and it didn't do shit for me. You got more in your mother than most people do with even two parents. So stop worrying about it. And next time Gajeel's kid bothers you-"

"I already took care of it."

"Did you?"

He was able to meet the man's eyes then. "Yeah. I did."

"Good." Then he gave him one of those grins and reached down to pat him on the head. "Having a father would have just ruined you. Trust me, huh?"

And then, even though Mira wasn't back yet, the man got to his feet and threw a wad of jewels down on the bar top.

"Tell your mother I had to run," he said simply. "Last thing I wanna do is actually listen about how her week was."

After the man was gone, he did give his mother the cold-shoulder for a bit. Sure, he'd gotten that nice conversation with Laxus in return, but the risk had been too much.

"I'm sorry," Mira told him later that night at home when he was still refusing to talk to her. "Honest. I just thought that Laxus could-"

"Why?" That was the first word he'd spoken to her in hours and, honestly, Mira didn't know what to say for a moment. They were in the kitchen at home, her making dinner and him waiting on it. "You embarrassed me! You know how much I like Laxus and you almost ruined everything. Just because you were in my business again."

"Laxus and I are friends," Mira told him as she glanced over at the table from the stove. "I've told him before about how you-"

"Well don't. You're gonna ruin it."

"Ruin what?"

He couldn't put it into words, not really, but basically that weird feeling he got from Laxus. Like the man was impressed with him. Like he didn't think of him how he did the other kids. That he really thought that he was special.

"Just it," he told her with a frown. "Don't talk about me to Laxus. Don't talk to him at all!"

"Now you're just being silly."

He didn't care. Though he knew that his mother meant well in all the things she did, she also had a tendency of screwing things up. She was really nice and caring and sweet, but she wasn't the best at plotting things out. He couldn't risk her messing up what he had with Laxus. No way.

It never rightly seemed to add up to him, either, when he was a kid, but looking back on it, there was only one explanation to what happened that next week. Radic hadn't been bothering him, not since he'd gotten his little revenge, but he'd glared heavily at him a few times. He could feel the other child's stares every time he was in the guildhall.

But that all changed rather suddenly when, a week later, the boy and his father showed up to the guild hall both in rather sour moods, the later starting to drink early that day and well into the night. Their Exceed that hung around them, Pantherlily, would snicker sometimes at Gajeel's grumbling, but Radic was rather quiet the whole day. Every single time Orion passed his table (after first noticing it, he did it a few times for trial), he would wince a little and advert his eyes.

Though Gajeel was out of his funk the next day, it was that way with Radic for a year, at least. He wouldn't even come into the same room as Orion if he could help it. He flat out avoided him. Eventually, whatever was wrong faded from the boy's mind, of course, just like that threat of telling his father, and the demented boy went back to bothering Orion randomly, like he did all the children, but it was never about his father again. Never. And though he'd have liked to attribute it to that time he shot arrows at him, something just told Orion that that wasn't right. But nothing else could have happened. Not that he knew of back then. It didn't make any sense.

To him at least. From that first day, Mirajane, though not the most perceptive person in the world, knew exactly what had happened.

"You did not-"

"Why didn't I?"

"Laxus-"

He just leaned against the bar, watching her with a slight grin. It was near closing by that point and the whole day, as Mira was serving Black Steel his beer, she could tell something was wrong. Which wouldn't have been odd, had she not noticed that something was wrong with Radic too. It was actually Lily, who, when he said something about Laxus not being around, got a swift growl from Gajeel, that tipped Mirajane off the most.

"Gajeel knows that the boy's under my protection," the other slayer said with a slight shrug. She had been closing up when he came in and the only person that seemed to be around was the drunken Cana, who was snoozing over in the corner. "It was time that his son realized it too."

"You didn't hurt that boy."

"Of course not, demon," he grumbled as she, slowly, went back to counting the money for the night. "Just roughed up stupid Gajeel a little. The idiot don't know when to give. Whatever he did to his son is his business. Not mine."

"I don't think he hit him," Mirajane said slowly. "But what could he have told him? I mean-"

"Don't know, don't care. Just to leave Orion alone and that's all that matters."

"You're too old to be picking fights with the other guys in the guild. Honestly, you-"

"Shut up, woman." He was still just watching her. "Where is the boy anyways?"

"With Elfman. He and Ever are taking him out of town tomorrow, so he spent the night at their house."

Grunt. Then, "You should have just tell the boy his father's dead."

"I'm not lying to him."

"Why not? You're not telling him the truth either. What difference does it make? It'll make him stop asking. Don't you want him to stop asking?"

"I honestly don't care if he does. Do you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her then before saying, "No. I don't. But he ain't comin' to me, botherin' me about it. He's comin' to you."

"And I'm dealing with it. I just tell him the same thing. Eventually he'll get tired of asking."

"Or eventually he'll find someone new to ask."

That made her look up then, glaring right back.

"What do you want from me, Laxus?" she asked then with a frown. "I did everything you asked. He doesn't know anything. What more do you want?"

He just pushed away from the bar then before saying, "You need anything, demon?"

This annoyed her and, with a snort, Mirajane went back to counting the jewels. "If you're asking if I got your tip from the other day, yeah, I did. It's not all about money, Laxus. I've told you that a thousand times. Just throwing money at him isn't-"

"It's keeping him fed and housed, ain't it?" He was done with her for the day, apparently. "What more can a boy need?"

"I'm not even supposed to be talking to you."

"Eh?" That made him stop.

"He's afraid I'll say something to embarrass him," she told the slayer, grinning somewhat, finally. "And that you won't like him anymore."

"He thinks I like him?"

"Mmmhmm."

He grinned too then. "What else did he tell you?"

"Just that. I'm not allowed to talk to you about him." She giggled. "He's so afraid that you're going to think he's weak."

"He's not fucking weak." Then man's grin turned dark almost then. "He's a-"

"Strauss," Mira said then, before he could finish his sentence. "You made sure of that, remember?"

He could hear it in her tone then and, grin turning fully then, he glared at her before turning to walk off.

"Whatever, demon. The boy won't be bothered anymore. Just came by to make sure you got my jewels. That's all."

That wasn't all though. She knew he'd come to make sure that not only Gajeel's brat had gotten the message, but also that she had. That he'd listened. He was wanting her to tell him what a good guy he was. What a protector he was. How great he was.

But she wasn't going to do that. He didn't deserve it.

Mira only sighed though and went back to counting the money. Laxus was a lot of things, but worth her time, at that moment, he wasn't. Besides, she still had a bar to close down and a drunk Cana to get home.

Then again, what else was new?

Next Chapter

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[princess-in-a-tower]

The Second Dance of the Dragons.

The Dance of the Dragons was a civil war during Targaryen rule of the Seven Kingdoms. A war of succession between Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra over their father Viserys I's throne, the war was fought from 129 AC to 131 AC. It saw the deaths of both rival monarchs, and the crowning of Rhaenyra's son, Aegon III. [x] The whole realm bled during the war between the “Blacks” (Rhaenyra) and the “Greens” (Aegon II) and House Targaryen entered a steady decline ever since.

And there has been much foreshadowing in ASOIAF about a second Dance of the Dragons happening.

Since the beginning of AGOT, GRRM has been meticulously using the colors “black” and “green” in certain characters’ narratives, in order to symbolize their involvement and role in the second Dance of the Dragons. The two characters that really stand out in that regard are Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen.

In Tyrion’s chapters there is a duality in the colors “black” and “green”. He has one black and one green eye. He fought on two battles, one on the “Blackwater Bay” and one on the “Green Fork”. He defeated Stannis’ fleet on the Blackwater using an iron chain and wildfire. He ended up in the black cells because of the green Tyrells etc.

So, in my opinion, this indicates that Tyrion will take the side of both the “Greens” and the “Blacks” in the second Dance of the Dragons, either by changing his allegiance in the middle of the war, or by advising both sides at the same time without choosing one over the other.

In Daenerys’ chapters the color black is usually neutral, but the color green holds great significance. With a simple search in Daenerys’ chapters it’s easy to spot that each and every time the color green is mentioned, it represents deceit and betrayal; death and defeat. It’s the color that links all her enemies. Some prominent examples are the green of Mormont’s surcoat, the green paste that killed Drogo, the green scarab of the Sorrowful Men, the green tokar Kraznys Mo Nakloz wore, the Green Grace, the green slippers the Butcher King sent her and the green berries that made her feel sick in the Great Grass Sea. And there are many more.

So I believe it’s safe to say that Dany is the “Blacks” in the new Dance of the Dragons, since the “Greens” have been foreshadowed to be her enemies.

Those mentions of black and green were GRRM’s subtle hints at what was coming… until ADWD came out. In ADWD the hints suddenly had all the subtlety of an anvil; a second Dance of the Dragons all but a foregone conclusion.

And then, the Arianne sample chapter for TWOW came out and gave us this prophecy, by Teora Toland:

"They were dancing. In my dream. And everywhere the dragons danced the people died."

The Winds of Winter - Arianne I

With that,  GRRM has already established that history is going to repeat itself and a second Dance of the Dragons is inevitable, so there is not much to discuss on whether the Dance is going to happen or not.

What I would like to examine though, are identities of the two “Dragons” that will fight in this second Dance.

My question is simple:

Who will be the “Blacks” and who will be the “Greens” in this new civil war?

I believe the answer that comes immediately to mind is:

“Aegon and Daenerys of course.”

This answer is something all of the fandom seems to agree on magnanimously, but I do not understand why. Why does everyone seem to accept this blindly without hesitation or even an ounce of skepticism?

For me, it’s not a foregone conclusion. Far from it actually.

In my opinion a second Dance of the Dragons between Daenerys and Aegon is never going to happen and I shall list my reasons bellow:

The first thing that made me question this commonly held belief was the fact that it made no sense time wise.

At the end of ADWD, Dany was wandering the Great Grass Sea, after having left Mereen in a chaotic state. In the final line of her final chapter, she was found by Khal Jhaqo and his men, so I believe it’s safe to assume that in the beginning of TWOW they will take her to Vaes Dothrak to make her join the Dosh Khaleen. After leaving Vaes Dothrak behind, she will still need to head back to Mereen, if not to liberate the city and lift the siege, then at least to get back her dragons and armies in order to head to Westeros. Obviously, for all that to happen, it will take her, in the best case scenario, about half of her chapters in TWOW.

On the other hand, at the end of ADWD, Aegon was already in Westeros, marching to Storm’s End, with the Golden Company at his back, after having reclaimed Griffin’s Roost and various other castles in the Stormlands. In the epilogue of ADWD we also see Kevan Lannister getting notified about this new invasion and making plans with the Small Council to end it before Daenerys reaches their shores with her dragons. But Kevan Lannister died in the very same chapter and his plans will obviously never come to fruition.

Despite that, I doubt Aegon’s conquest in the Stormlands is set up for success. Jon Connington’s grayscale, the army of exiled sellswords (the only thing sellswords value is the money), Aegon’s questionable parentage… all of that (and maybe some more things) will play a part in his downfall and I highly doubt he will be around when Dany finally reaches Westeros. I really wouldn’t put it past GRRM to stage a grey-plague outbreak inside Storm’s End in the next book. And even if Aegon is still there when Daenerys comes, his forces will be weakened to such a degree, he will definitely not be able to face her on equal grounds and pose enough of a threat to her for the fight between them to be deemed worthy of the title “Dance of the Dragons”.

Another thing that looks at least a bit shady at me is the fact that Aegon is not who he claims to be. GRRM has made it abundantly clear to us that Aegon is a fake dragon. Even if all the mentions of the “mummer’s dragon” and the “cloth dragon” are not enough to convince someone of this fact,  even if all the foreshadowing about a “black dragon” resurfacing as a “red dragon” are not enough either, I believe Varys’ unbelievable story is more than enough to convince anyone:

"A true friend, our Lord Connington. He must be, to remain so fiercely loyal to the grandson of the king who took his lands and titles and sent him into exile. A pity about that. Elsewise Prince Rhaegar's friend might have been on hand when my father sacked King's Landing, to save Prince Rhaegar's precious little son from getting his royal brains dashed out against a wall."

The lad flushed. "That was not me. I told you. That was some tanner's son from Pisswater Bend whose mother died birthing him. His father sold him to Lord Varys for a jug of Arbor gold. He had other sons but had never tasted Arbor gold. Varys gave the Pisswater boy to my lady mother and carried me away."

A Dance with Dragons - Tyrion VI

"It is justice. It was Ser Amory who brought me the girl's body, if you must know. He found her hiding under her father's bed, as if she believed Rhaegar could still protect her. Princess Elia and the babe were in the nursery a floor below."

A Storm of Swords - Tyrion VI

Princess Elia of Dorne pleading for mercy as Rhaegar's heir was ripped from her breast and murdered before her eyes. 

A Game of Thrones - Daenerys I

So are we meant to believe that Elia of Dorne would have died trying to protect a baby that was not her own? Yes some babies look alike and nobody expects you to remember what your friend’s baby exactly looks like, but a mother not realizing that her own baby, her flesh and blood, has been swapped with another? Are we really supposed to believe that?

So, in short, Aegon is in fact a fake dragon, a black dragon, a Blackfyre pretender.

The first Dance of the Dragons though was between Aegon II and his half-sister Rhaenyra, who were both legitimate children of Viserys I. Both real Targaryens. Both real Dragons. So, I believe it comes to reason, that if history is meant to repeat itself, then the second Dance of the Dragons will be between two legitimate Targaryens once more and not a real Targaryen and a Blackfyre pretender.

Another reason I cannot get behind this theory that Dany and Aegon will be the opposing dragons is the complete absence of ties between Aegon and the color black.

We already established that Dany’s “bad color” is green, so if Aegon is supposed to be the “Greens” in this war, shouldn’t there have been some similar connections between Aegon and the color black in the chapters he is being featured? I believe there should have been, yet there is no such symbolism in those chapters to be found.

So why would GRRM use systematically so much color symbolism for the “Blacks” but not the “Greens”? Especially since he went into such great pains to put this duality between black and green in Tyrion’s narrative as well from the very first book…

Another objection I have about the Dance being between Dany and Aegon is the fact that it would be a completely underwhelming development.

Daenerys is a much beloved POV character, and most of the readers want her to succeed in everything she does. They want her to win the Iron Throne, to restore House Targaryen and then live happily ever after in the Red Keep.

On the other hand, Aegon is a non POV character who appeared literally out of nowhere in ADWD. Most readers don't care about him like they do about Dany. The readers don’t want him dead the same way they wanted Joffrey, and they don’t love him the way they love the Starks. Should Dany have to fight him, there will be no high stakes, no real suspense no sense of justice being served. It will fall flat, because nobody will be particularly emotionally invested in this fight. And when Dany eventually wins, her victory will have little to no resonance. It will be obvious. It will be expected. It will be boring.

The straw that broke the camels back for me though, was the fact that GRRM seemed to be “shouting from the rooftops” that an Aegon/Dany clash was going to happen. Yes, Aegon and his councilors were speaking of alliance and marriage, but still, GRRM has “painted the canvas” in such a way that anyone who reads ADWD will reach the conclusion that they will be enemies instead of allies.

Aegon has landed an invasion in Westeros, boasting of a claim to the Iron Throne better than Daenerys’. Daenerys has been warned of both Aegon and Jon Connington by Quathie, who called Aegon “the mummer’s dragon”. She has spent 5 books believing the Iron Throne is her birthright and she has been trying since AGOT to get it back by any means possible. Judging by the way she thinks and behaves at the end of ADWD, she will not be willing to share it with anyone. Any man she marries will have to be her consort (like Hizdahr) and not her equal, for she is the Mother of Dragons and nobody is her equal. As for someone claiming to be above her… that would not go well and we all know it.

So, GRRM has been giving us direct prophecies about a second Dance of Dragons and obviously setting up the board for a war between Daenerys and Aegon. And everything looks legit so far, if you completely disregard the fact that there is not even a single plot twist to be found in that narrative.

So I’m asking myself: Why would GRRM make it so obvious since he prides himself in giving us those huge plot twists? He could have easily made us believe Aegon and Dany will become allies, get married and get the Iron Throne together, only to pull the rug from under our feet later, but he did not. Instead of that, he has been shouting at us at every turn that they will fight. And that train of thought had me remembering a conversation that happened in AGOT between Arya and Syrio Forel:

“On the day I am speaking of, the first sword was newly dead, and the Sealord sent for me. Many bravos had come to him, and as many had been sent away, none could say why. When I came into his presence, he was seated, and in his lap was a fat yellow cat. He told me that one of his captains had brought the beast to him, from an island beyond the sunrise. ‘Have you ever seen her like she asked of me.

“And to him I said, ‘Each night in the alleys of Braavos I see a thousand like him,’ and the Sealord laughed, and that day I was named the first sword.”

Arya screwed up her face. “I don’t understand.”

Syrio clicked his teeth together. “The cat was an ordinary cat, no more. The others expected a fabulous beast, so that is what they saw. How large it was, they said. It was no larger than any other cat, only fat from indolence, for the Sealord fed it from his own table. What curious small ears, they said. Its ears had been chewed away in kitten fights. And it was plainly a tomcat, yet the Sealord said ‘her,’ and that is what the others saw. Are you hearing?”

Arya thought about it. “You saw what was there.”

“Just so. Opening your eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies and the head plays tricks with us, but the eyes see true. Look with your eyes. Hear with your ears. Taste with your mouth. Smell with your nose. Feel with your skin. Then comes the thinking, afterward, and in that way knowing the truth.”

A Game of Thrones - Arya IV

In this case –and most other cases in ASOIAF, GRMM is the Sealord of Braavos and we, the readers, are the men contending for the position of the “first sword”. In every turn he tells us the Dance will be between Dany and Aegon, toying with our wishes and expectations, only to do something completely different. Yet that different thing he does should have been obvious to us all along, had we really been paying attention.

And now you are probably wondering:

If not Aegon, then who? Who is the other obvious and yet hidden choice?

Let us examine the requirements. The other “head of the Dragon” has to be a legitimate Targaryen heir, with ties to the color black, who is an important beloved, or hated character. Moreover, he has to have flown completely under our radar; someone completely inconspicuous.  And finally, he must have a sizable army and a kingship at the time Daenerys lands on Westeros.

Too much to ask I reckon…

Or maybe not…

I believe there is one character, who has been set up to fit the role to a t in the following book and it is none other than Jon Snow.

Yes when we saw him last he was bleeding to death by the Wall, but his arc has not yet been completed. There is much more for him to do. This death for him is only a door that will lead him to the next chapter of his journey. So, it stands to reason that he will be resurrected at some point early in TWOW.

Let us examine exactly how well Jon fits the requirements above:

If there is one character in those books irrevocably tied to the color black since the very beginning, it is Jon Snow. With a simple search, we can see that the color black is mentioned 447 times in his chapters alone –not counting the times other POV characters have used this color to describe Jon in their own chapters.

But black is not Jon’s “bad color” like green is Daenerys’. Jon took the black to prove his worth and he kept the black to prove his honor, despite it feeling like a prison to him. But this black cloak he wears is as much his prison, as it is his protection and the cover that hides who he really is underneath. That’s why I am inclined to believe that before the second Dance starts, Jon will be “hiding” under the cloak of the “Blacks”, only to change his colors later, when his real identity is revealed.

And what is the real identity of Jon Snow?

Judging by the more than ample foreshadowing in the books, Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, a true Dragon and also the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms. This theory has been already discussed to death, so I will not dwell in the foreshadowing and the clues pointing towards it.

Up until now, Jon Snow checks on almost all the boxes presented above. He is a legitimate Targaryen heir, with ties to the color black, who is also a very much beloved POV character. To make things even better, since Jon is currently dead at the Wall, pursuing no crowns or thrones, who could even suspect him to be the one to fight Daenerys Targaryen during the second Dance of the Dragons?

The only thing missing is a crown on his head and an army at his back and the whole set is complete.

I believe the crown part has already been half-settled, since Robb stated in his will that Jon will be his heir should he die childless. There have also been many instances in which Jon has been called a King in the books, so everything points towards that direction in my opinion.

As for the army part, there's this little tidbit in ACOK

The trees stood beneath him, warriors armored in bark and leaf, deployed in their silent ranks awaiting the command to storm the hill. Black, they seemed . . . it was only when his torchlight brushed against them that Jon glimpsed a flash of green.

A Clash of Kings - Jon IV

A black army awaiting his command to storm a hill... But the army is not black at all and under closer scrutiny it's actually green. Very interesting

And in case you are wondering who will come out on top at the end of this second Dance of the Dragons, I believe the color symbolism speaks of itself:

The “Greens” will bring death and betrayal to the “Blacks”, and thus, history repeats itself, but with a twist.

[cavefelix]

Rinley 'M’ Yatskaya

Not that long ago ago...

"Story!” young Rinley said, grabbing on to her sister’s leg. Rinley was at the age where her sentences were typically only a word or two long. 

Caroline smiled indulgently, lifting Rinley up and walking around the temple. She sat down by Grizzly, a calico who liked hearing tales too. 

“All right. But it will have to be short. I need to go to the market to get some apples to poison and it’s getting late. So let’s tell a story about someone else short -- you, Rinley.”

“There is one man that all fear. One who is unstoppable. One whose motives are inscrutable. He comes to all. Brave men fear him; fear of him is what makes them brave. Wise men seek to avoid him, though their wisdom leads them to eventually learn this is folly. I speak, of course, of Death.”

Rinley clapped. “Brother!”

Caroline nodded. “Yes. He’s much nicer to you than he was to me growing up. He’s never pulled your hair or put a spider down the back of your shirt.” But she said it affectionately. The childhood antics of Kuroma were just  a memory.

“None know why Death chooses to end lives. And none know why he chooses to spare others. But all were surprised when one day, while walking along the shore of Big Lake, he found the wreckage of a boat washed ashore. And clinging on for its life was a baby rat, which he chose to spare.”

Rinley held her little paws up. “Me!” she said.

Caroline nodded. “Yes. You. I don’t know why; normally we don’t like rats very much. But Kuroma took you home. He saw something special in you. You’d been born at sea, and maybe that whispered to him, as our family was founded by a selkie. Or maybe the fact you were barely holding on, on the threshold of life and death, called to the part of him that was death. Perhaps it was the fact that he found you on the anniversary of the day mama disappeared. Or maybe he thought you were cute,” Caroline said, poking Rinley’s belly.

“Yes!” Rinley said.

“To be honest, I thought you’d be eaten within the week --” Caroline began.

“Fish tastes better,” Grizzly interrupted, grooming her paw.

“-- true, but you know some cats are less particular,” Caroline responded conversationally. “But anyway, I was wrong. The cats took to you as well as anyone. And Goro, when he found you, rather than being annoyed said that you should be adopted.

“I wanted to name you Minnie, because you were so tiny. But the rest of the family said you were a Rinley.”

“Yes!” said the little rat.

Rinley ‘M’ Yatskaya

Age: 34 months

Academic Skills: Good

Athletics: Catlike and Ratlike reflexes

Favorite Food: Fish! Especially smelt, sardine, and herring, where you can eat a whole one by yourself.

Animal: Cat

Background

Caroline pretty much told Rinley’s origin story above. She grew up in the Yatskaya shrine, surrounded by cats, raised as a member of the family. Occasionally Fortitude Rats came to parley with Caroline, or discuss the cat population. They were invariably put off by Rinley, and the feeling was mutual.  But for the most part, it was a mystic and mellow upbringing. 

Recently, however, she’s been coming into herself, or out of the shell that is the temple. She realizes she’s changing, and believes it’s a good thing. She doesn’t want to hold it back anymore (if Frozen has made it to your version of Fortitude, she probably loves the song Let It Go), and doesn’t want others to hold back either. She’s ready to dive in to life, seeking new experiences.

Skills:

Superior Non-Fortitude Fortitude Rat 2 -- Rinley would never admit to being a Rat of the Far Roofs, but this skill comes in useful when you need to be 18 inches tall or have a tail.

Story Teller 1 -- Rinley has always had a love for stories

Cat Speaker 2 -- As a Yatskaya she has a natural affinity for cats...

Cat Magic 1 -- ...Including their spirits

Claimed By the Sea 1 -- The ocean claimed her (biological) parents; perhaps it has a hold on her too.

Superior Dreamer 1 -- Growing up in the Yatskaya shrine does things to a young rat.

Play Games 0 -- Rinley has the ability to play chess, checkers, backgammon, Ticket To Ride, and so on, or at least properly move the pieces.

Perks:

Connection 1: Death -- She has always had a special bond with her older brother. It’s possible she also has a bond with the Headmaster, though she’s never met him.

Connection -1: The Rats of the Far Roofs -- They’re just so weird. 

[Bonus Slot] Perk: Accessory - Evening Primrose jewelry -- Rinley has a piece of jewelry that was designed as a bracelet for a human, but she can wear as a necklace or belt. It is a silver chain with a realistic evening primrose hanging from it.  The Primrose is carved from old ivory, so old it has yellowed to the point it is the color of the flower. Its origin is unknown, though  probably it’s connected to more than a long-dead animal. (Since I know ivory is a sensitive subject, I’m assuming Rinley knows somehow it wasn’t taken from a living animal, but one who passed away peacefully, and has an association with death. A piece fo the tusk of an elephant god?) See the power under Prophet for more.

Miraculous Arcs

Prophet 2/Creature of Delerium 1

Prophet

Rinley is deeply connected with death,  After all, she was saved by Death and raised among nine-lived beings in a mystic environment. But not the “you’re no longer alive” aspect of death. She's connected with the symbolic meaning of Death, its representation in the Tarot. She's associated with the aspect of Personal Change, or Self Transformation, depending on which wording better suits the situation This is her Principle. She’s probably not actively aware of this. She's consciously going around trying to upset the status quo. But she's an agent of this whether she wants to be or not. (She does. Your character doesn’t get to be called The Troublemaker by chance.) Of course, this has created enemies. Obviously, not everyone wants change and the uncertainty it brings. In the Glass Maker's Dragon, she's probably opposed by The Moon Prince, who seeks for people to let go, to stop changing. I suspect she may also be opposed by Billy Sovereign, whose vision is not quite a world of changelessness, but one in which there is but one kind of change, where you become sycophants of Billy Sovereign. It's even possible she'll butt heads with the Dream Witch or someone else who wishes a return to old fashioned ways, though I advise that to be more a friendly rivalry than outright hostility if the Dream Witch is a PC.  Rinley has the following powers associated with this Mystic Arc. If you're trying to become more mystical, which isn't the default but there's an option in her quest set, she also has Frantic. Divine Guidance: When Rinley is uncertain what do do, she can form a Level 4 Intention, at no Will cost, to "Listen to the subtle ways that change is all around us." Usually this is an HG hint as to what might foster change in this situation. She also, when using Divine Guidance, may understand symbols and motifs of death, even when unfamiliar with them. When she uses this power to serve the principle of change, she gains a +3 tool bonus. Finally, when opposed by a bleak power, this can shatter the effects, creating a chaotic backlash that affects Rinley and the target, essentially inflicting a Serious Wound. This power can be used once or twice a book at no cost. Subsequent uses cost 1 MP. For 2 MP, Rinley can use this with any intention. Divine Guidance (Powered Up): If Rinley can sustain the Intention of Divine Guidance for an entire chapter, she can cause a major sort of change in the Region. A downtown neighborhood could get a facelift, a school could adopt a new curriculum, or a medical organization may decide that exercise and diet are bad for your mental health, and change to suggesting eating only butter because it feels good emotionally. Materialization of Possibility When you're facing a problem you can't deal with, you (or someone) needs to change. Rinley can invoke Materialization of Possibility to use personal change to solve an immediate problem. This power can take many forms, often a Tool Bonus or temporary Perk. This can be used once or twice a book at no cost. For 1 MP, this can make things somewhat more likely or powerful. For 4 MP it makes something much more likely or more powerful. Example: Rinley is being chased by the First Free Dog, because she stole its favorite squeaky toy on a whim. Materialization of Possibility might give her a +1 bonus to persuade him that rope toys are more fun, changing his outlook. If she runs through a pet store and spends 1 MP, the First Free Dog may see the ideal new toy. For 4 MP, she might decide it's time to change herself and stop treating dogs as inferior to cats, gaining the Superior Dog Speaker 4 Perk to telepathically explain herself to the undead pup.

Inspiration

RInley draws inspiration from places where her aspect of death is not weak. Much of Little Island and the Walking Fields are out of bounds, due to their properties of “things can’t change before they’re ready” and “What happens is what always happened,” respectively, but there are exceptions there where Death and Change are strong enough -- the memorial statue of Jade Irinka; or during a Wild Hunt, for example.. 

While in these places, she can invoke Inspiration to have her Story Telling and Game Playing Skills transform, becoming The Story Telling  and The Games of Transformation. They will always have a minimum Intention of 4, and ignore 1-2 points of Obstacle.  They also function as if they were Superior 1 Skills; her stories seem particularly inspirational; the dice seem to favor her, forcing you to adapt your strategy. 

In places hallowed by death/rebirth -- important mausoleums, holidays about Death, etc., these skills function as Level 2 Superior Skills. Rinley plays games on a master level revealing the need for you to adapt, and her tales stir the hearts of the most callous person.

Inspiration can be used 1-2 times per scene at no cost. It costs 1 MP for subsequent uses, or 4 MP to use it as many times as needed per scene.

Vestments

In the language of flowers, Evening Primrose is a symbol of fickleness, or inconstancy. A sign that people change. While Rinley doesn’t always wear it, her jewelry can function as if she were in a place where death is strong enough for her to get the lowest advantages of a Superior 1 skill with Inspiration. 

(Sometimes Rinley leaves this at the the temple, because cats like to paw at dangling things on chains.)

This is a bonus perk, noted above.

Hallow

Over the course of several months*, or instantly for 4 MP, Rinley can make a place sacred to her principle, giving it the Property People are driven to do something different with their lives. 

* Normally Hallow takes years to invoke, but as a rat her lifespan is, like, seven or eight years, so I’ve reduced is slightly. 

Creature of Delerium 1

Rinley wants people to change, to achieve their potential. They don’t do that though, and she always wondered why. She only recently realized the answer when a cat spirit spoke to her. “You can’t just wait for the door to open so you’re on the other side You need to yowl incessantly. You can’t wait for the Ming vase to fall; you must push it yourself. They who hesitate are lost.” 

And the spirit taught her the truth, feelings of hesitation. This is her Experience. Or course, making a deal with a Cat Spirit to learn more about how to help people has a downside. Rinley sometimes notices it affecting her way of thinking. That’s a curse, though she may not realize it’s a problem.

Also, while on Creature of Delerium, Rinley gains the power Sickly.

Embodiment

Whenever Rinley has been in an area for more than a few minutes, a Region Property forms: Rinley feels no hesitation.

Extraction

Rinley may, by touching someone on the shoulder, remove their sense of hesitation. (Getting to their shoulder may require some climbing, but such is life.) Their sense of hesitation takes the form of a small chain (holding them back, get it?). Someone without hesitation isn’t necessarily going to do stupid impulsive things, but they’re not going to let what was holding them back from what they wanted stop them without a solid reason, 

Rinley can affect their sense of hesitation by manipulating the chain, wrapping it around a particular object to make the person hesitate over it. She could also theoretically use Cat Magic to affect it, presumably making the person hesitate over what would make a cat hesitate. 

She can return their sense of hesitation with no effort; others face an Obstacle 2 Action. 

Using Extraction can be done for free once per chapter; subsequent uses cost 2 MP.   

Command

Rinley may see through the senses of someone who she has extracted their sense, or direct their actions.  Normally, this faces a Level 2 Obstacle, though that can be waived for 1 MP. While doing this, Rinley is considered the vessel for purposes of any Miracle targeting it.

Catharsis 

When RInley targets you with a miracle, the effect can be emotionally powerful. (This includes interacting with command.) Since she wants people to change, this is very convenient.

This can be used twice per book (but once per chapter) for free, It costs 2MP for a third use; and 4MP to use more than once per chapter. 

Notes

Prophet is an easy Arc to visualize, and hard to pin down when writing it. I felt I could have made most of the powers’ listings much longer.

The Victorian language of flowers has a few plants that signify death, but I think they signify the I Want You To No Longer Breathe aspect, not the change aspect. Evening Primrose isn’t perfect, but it’s as close as I could come.

If you’re using this as an alternate Rinley for a GMD campaign, a few possible suggestions:

Substitue the Rat Prince(ss) for the Straw Haired Child if you are looking for a lead. They’re the first Fortitude Rat she’s met that’s interesting, then she loses them to something.

Rinley’s quests and emotion XP work pretty well for this character. If you want her a emotion XP to be a little more serious than Groan, I’d consider Fist Shake. 

When Rinley interacts with they Titovs, I’m pretty sure that she isn’t going to accidentally free Iolithae. Instead, she’s going to “accidentally” free Iolithae.

[loveandturmoil87]

The other man ~ Part ten

A/N ~ Ok babes are you ready to find out what happened? This one picks up a year after the reader left. Oh and this is my first hit @helvonasche and I am aiming straight for where your heart used to be lol

Theme ~ Cheating/Infidelity/Love triangle

Pairing ~ Choi Seung hyun x Reader x Kwon Jiyong

Rated ~ Angst/fluff/smut

Series masterlist

After time Seung hyun feelings had fayned, he realised the words you spoke in the letter were true, although he would always hold a place for you in his heart he knew you would never be happy together after what happened and he forgave you for how you ended things. He knew in his heart that he would have never been able to let you go at the time and he was thankful that you made the sacrifice that he couldn't.

It took time but he repaired the tear that you made in his and Jiyongs relationship but he had noticed Jiyongs reluctance to commit to anyone since, even though he still slept with people he never went back a second time and he even dropped his regular late night booty call Candy. He knew Jiyong took it hard and it didn't take more then a few too many drinks over dinner for Jiyong to spill his guts about the fact that he had always had feelings for you and he thought at the time he could sacrifice his own happiness so you could be happy with who he thought was the better man.

After that Seung hyun decided it was his responsibility to take him under his wing to help him heal from his loss and help him move on, especially since Seung hyun had started seeing someone. He felt guilty, that he had moved on yet Jiyong had not entirely. Sure his self destructive behaviour had mellowed to almost non existent in the past few months but Seung hyun could still see a sadness in his eyes, especially whenever he saw a woman with a child. It was like he was pining for what could have been, for what he could have had before it was ripped away from him almost the second he found out.

“After you my lady” Seung hyun smiled as he opened the door to the café.

“Why thank you” Hae jung, Seung hyun's girlfriend replied with a bow before entering, they took a seat at a large booth near the window, it had large wooden panels to separate each booth that give diners privacy of sorts.

“So when do the guys get here? I'm starving” she asked as she picked up a menu and looked at it.

“Soon but maybe we should just order” he replied as he looked out of the booth, he furrowed his brow as he recognized the woman walking past. “_____-ah?”

That familiar deep voice calling your name that you hadn't heard in so long made you stop dead in your tracks, your heart raced as you turned to look at him, he was still as handsome as the day you last saw him.

“Wow, I can't believe it, how long has it been? A year right?” he asked with a chuckle, those dimples set deep in his cheeks just as you remembered.

“I believe so” you said as you gave him a small smile.

“It's good to see you, you look well”

“Thank you, so do you....” you replied out of politeness, your eyes drifted to the girl sat next to him. She was beautiful and had an air of sophistication around her, you couldn't help but think how well she suited him, she was the complete opposite to you and the exact image of what you always imagined for him.

“So how are you? What have you been up to?” he asked breaking you out of your thoughts.

“I....” your reply was cut short by a baby crying in the next booth, Seung hyun noticed you shifting nervously as your eyes darted into the booth.

“Is everything ok?” he asked as he furrowed his brow, you shifted again as you nodded to someone in the same booth.

“Yes, it's fine.... I'm sorry but I have to go.... It was good seeing you again” you said before disappearing to the next booth without waiting for an answer, Seung hyun looked at Hae jung with a confused expression.

A series of shushes came from the booth as he heard the baby calm down.

“Seung ryong just wanted her omma” an older woman's voice cooed, Seung hyun's eyes widened at her word's. He quickly got out of the booth almost bumping into you, he looked down at the baby wrapped in your arms, his mouth agape as his eyes landed on it's face. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about who's child it was, the heart shaped face with chubby cheeks was a dead give away, she was the spitting image of her father.

“I'm sorry” you said before biting your bottom lip, his shocked expression and lack of response as he processed what was going on was driving you crazy.

“You have to tell him” he said as he looked up at you, your eyes began to fill with tears at the thought.

“I have to go” you strained before you hurried off, Seung hyun called after you but it was drowned out by your thoughts. How could you tell him after all this time and after you lied to them both by saying you lost the baby, the thought of his reaction of disgust made the tears threatening your eyes fall. What if he didn't want anything to do with his daughter after what you did.

As you rushed out the door you bumped into someone sending the bag over your shoulder to spill it contents, baby supplies spilling all over the pavement.

“I'm so sorry” you said to the man that was already on the ground picking up your things as you wiped the tears from your eyes, the man froze as soon as you spoke, his head lifting up to reveal a stuck Jiyong.

“_____?” he called as he stood up, his eyes drifting to the child that was held tightly in your arms. You couldn't speak, only nod in response. “You....” he paused, his eyes still locked on the baby.

“Yes” you managed to force out, his presence and the whole situation caused a lump in your throat. He stared for what felt like hours.

“Who's is it?” he blurted out, shaking his head a moment later, you knew him well enough that he was internally scolding himself for his choice of words.

“Yours....” you said as you turned her slightly so Jiyong could see her face, his brow furrowed when he did and you swore you could see his eyes filling with liquid. “I was just heading home....” you said with a heavy heart as you watched his face.

“Do you need a lift?” he asked almost immediately looking up at you,you just shook your head in response, you got caught in his eyes. You hadn't looked in them for a year but they still had the same effect on you, they made your breath hitch and your heart race and your mind turned to mush as you forgot about everything around you and where you were going with the comment.

“Oh...” he replied as his eyes went back to his new found daughter, your heart sank once again.

“But you can walk us home.... We only live two blocks from here” you said as you watched the corner of his lip twitch slightly, the smile he was trying to hide tugged at its flesh. He nodded without looking at you.

The walk back was quiet but nice, it was without unease, it had always been easy for you to just be around Jiyong and it seemed after all this time and all that had happened that nothing had changed.

Seung ryong started to grumble as soon as you got inside the door, you struggled as you put the bag down on the mat that covered the lounge room floor.

“Take a seat, she just needs to be changed” you said as you gently dropped to your knees and placed her on the mat, Jiyong was silent as he sat on the couch beside you.

As you changed her you noticed Jiyong watching out of the corner of your eye, that smile tugging at his lips again.

“Would you like to hold her?” you asked as you finished putting on the fresh nappy.

“Please...” he answered immediately, a smile tugged at your own lips at his eagerness. You picked her up and placed her in Jiyongs arms, the smile that threatened his lips finally succeed as his daughter studied his face.

“Her name is Seung ryong” you said as you sat beside him, cocking your head to the side as you watched him coo at her.

“Rising dragon....” he said with a smile. “I like it”

It wasn't long before Seung ryong fell asleep in Jiyongs arms, Jiyong gently brushed what little hair she had to the side as he watched her with a smile, you could tell he was smitten by her and it made your heart swell but hurt at the same time. If only things had been different, it would have never have turned out this way, you would have never have deprived him of knowing his daughter.

“I better put her to bed” you said as you stood up, Jiyong nodded as he gingerly moved her and held her out for you to take.

You took her and cradled her walking to her room, you placed her in her bassinet and took one last look before going back out to the lounge. When you entered Jiyong was pacing back and forth in the lounge, his fingers raking through his hair as he clearly thought about something. Your heart began to race again as you imagined the fight that was about to ensue and the hate filled words he would probably hurl at you.

“Would you like something to drink?” you asked unable to look at him as you walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, you heard foot steps approaching as you took out a bottle of orange juice. You knew you should face him but your chest hurt at the mere thought of the look on his face, you kept your back to him as you moved to the counter and got out a glass. You picked up the juice to pour in the glass but froze, a pair of hands laced around your stomach and you could feel the warmth of his chest pressed against your back.

“Please don't go again” he whispered as he nuzzled his head into the crook of your neck, you placed the juice back down on the counter as your heart began to race and tears came to your eyes. “It broke me too much the first time”

“I...I'm sorry...” you strained as you tried to fight the tears. “.... about what happened”

“I don't care about any of that now” he said as you felt his own tears drop to your shoulder.

“I panicked..... I didn't know who the father was and I didn't want to hurt either of you any more.... I know it was wrong but I couldn't see any other way out..... Seung hyun would have hated you” you admitted as you traced his arms with your own, everything you had been keeping in seemed to be spilling out of you at his touch.

“It's ok, I already know why you did it and I understand completely” he told as he placed his forehead against the side of your head, you turned so you could see his eyes. “I just want the three of us to be a family”

“What?” you asked slightly taken aback by his omission.

“I still love you as much as I did the day you left, not a single day has gone by that I didn't think of you or regret how I acted the last night I saw you...” he paused as more tears fell from his eyes. “I wish I had never said those things to you, that I had just told you the truth and ran away with you instead of putting my career and the band first”

Your brow furrowed as your tears fell freely, his words hit you right in the chest, to be honest you had been fantasizing about this moment. Day dreaming about him turning up at your door and forcing you to let him in but you had thought it was just that, a fantasy, you never actually believed things would go like this.

You couldn't think straight, your mind was reeling from both his close proximity and the words that fell from his lips. Your nose brushed the edge of his as you shifted your head, your eyes still locked, the whole thing sending the fluttering in your heart into overdrive. Your eyes dropped closed before you pressed your lips against his, the contact made your whole body feel as though it was tingling. His fingers gripped at your sides as he deepened the kiss, his tongue slid into your mouth and as soon as it connected with yours he felt your hips buck back at him, a small moan escaped your lips with it. Jiyong couldn't help himself after hearing you being turned on by just his tongue, he knew it probably wasn't the best idea considering you had just been reunited after a year but he couldn't help it, he had to have you.

His hands worked to lift up the hem of your dress before one quickly dropped under, you moaned and bucked again as you felt his hand softly brush against your panties. It had been a while, a long time in fact, the last man you were intimate with was him at the hotel a year ago.

“Jiyong” you moaned softly as his fingers rubbed against your clit.

“I've waited so long to hear you say my name again” he breathed in your ear, his erection pushed against your ass as he tried to get closer to you.

“Wait” you said as you grabbed his hand and stopped it from moving, his head lifted from yours, panic washed over his body as he thought you didn't want to do this. “I want to see you” you said softly before turning to face him.

His gaze was heavy as he looked into your eyes, you held his eye contact as you placed your hands under your dress and pulled down your panties, allowing them to drop at your feet before kicking them off. You reached out and grabbed his belt buckle, you fumbled slightly while undoing it, his hands cupped yours as he helped you undo it, his pants came down a moment later. You twisted your fingers in the material of his shirt and pulled him closer before kissing him, his lips were tender and gently, not at all how you remembered. He lifted you onto the counter before spreading your legs and stepping between them, his erection rubbed at the inside of your thigh sending shivers through your body.

“God I missed you” he said breaking the kiss, one of his hands disappeared from your thigh as he lined himself up, he rested his forehead against yours before pushing himself inside of you. You stared into his eyes and bit your bottom lip as a way of trying to contain your excitement from how good he felt, his hand snaked back on your thigh and he began slowly thrusting a moment after.

Your eyes were locked the whole time, your moans mixed together on your breaths that got intertwined in the close proximity. It didn't take long for both of you to reach your climax, you tried to be as quiet as you could but your moans echoed through the room, as soon as they did you heard Seung ryong cry.

“Please not now, I'm so tired” you sighed as you lent your head against Jiyong's shoulder.

“You get some rest, I'll take care of Seung ryong” Jiyong said as he ran his hand down the back of your hair, you smiled into his chest before he pulled away and dressed himself.

“Are you sure?” you asked as you got off the bench and put your own underwear back on.

“It will give me time to get to know my daughter” he replied with a gummy smile before slipping out the door, your heart fluttered again, he was going to be a good dad.