#and that child’s family then rises to wealth and power and are treated as royalty

[krismatic]

today I bring you OC art. tomorrow? who knows… (it’s gonna be more OC art)

more versions under the cut

[desi2go]

Prince and Princess

part one -- part two

pairings: Prince Bang Chan x princess reader

Warnings: forced marriage, royalty au, strangers to lovers, slight angst

summary: When your parents engaged you with the prince of a neighbouring country, you flee. On your way you meet a handsome man...

Being a princess wasn't easy. Sure it had it's peaks. The beautiful dresses, never having to worry about anything and so much more. That's what you thought growing up. What you didn't realised that you lived in a golden cage with gold, power and everything you could wish for.

You were used to all the attention from a young age. The people in you land always turned their eyes to you. As a child, they loved seeing you by the side of your parents, even if it was just in a carriage. You always had multiple duties and that from the beginning. However, as a child, they were less noticeable and while growing up, they became more and more visible. You used to think that the big castle was a symbol of your freedom since you loved to run through the huge corridors. But it changed to a big cage in your eyes. You were always under the strict eyes of your parents, not letting you do something that you liked even if only the staff would notice it. It was your personal cage and you were the lion, the biggest attraction, running from one site to another without escaping it.

From the beginning you were born, it was clear that you would marry someone with importance and wealth to bring honour to your family. Therefore, love wasn't relevant. Especially, since your older brother was next in line to become king. You had hoped that your parents would give you more time, time in their cage without a husband that wouldn't love you. A marriage would just draw more attention towards you and a new cage would imprison you.

It was this morning where they introduced you to the news that they have found the perfect husband for you. He was from the neighbouring country and was three years older than you. He was the prince and because of that extremely wealthy. All your parents ever wanted. His name is Prince Christopher and they told you that yesterday, he asked for your hand and in exchange he would give them money.

You had hoped that a marriage would be far away in the future but hearing that someone wanted you as a wife made you anxious. Fortunately he wasn't an old man and just three years older than you. But still, you had never met him. He could be cruel and treat you badly.

But you wouldn't let it take that far. You decided to take your destiny in your own hand. At night, you grabbed a bag with food you had stolen earlier and a brown cape from your brother. Dressed in a plain brown dress, the simplest of your dresses, you climbed out of your window. You knew exactly when the soldiers would change the shifts and took the opportunity to climb up the wall, shielding the castle from the outside.

With quick steps, you ran through the night. You needed to get as far away as possible. The maids would find your bed cold in the morning and it wouldn't be long when the soldiers were commanded to search for you. You just paused for some minutes from time to time. You would sleep a bit when the sun was rising.

Around the afternoon, you finally let yourself rest for longer. You just entered another forest and you realised that sooner or later your food will run out. You really needed to go to the next market on the next day.

Walking through the forest, you tried to avoid any streets as best as you could. By all costs, you didn't want to get recognised from anyone. It was the next morning and it was already hot. The sun shone through the leaves of the trees and you hummed to yourself. You loved the nature, it made you feel free. Something you barely felt in the castle. Of course, sleeping on the ground was no comparison to the huge bed that you owned but you were willing to trade it against a life with freedom.

Branches cracked and at first you thought that it was just a dear but just seconds later, a horse came crashing through the woods. A man sat in the saddle, wearing simple armour and a black cape. His dark hair was lightened by the sun. His horse stopped in front of you. Judging by his plain armour he wasn't a soldier, especially not from the palace.

"Good morning, miss" he said, jumping off the horse to kiss your hand like a gentleman. However, he doesn't seem to recognise you.

"Good morning as well" you answered. His curious gaze observing you and eying you from head to toe.

"What do they call you?" He asked with a friendly smile, while patting the shoulder of the horse.

"Nevermind what they call me"

"You shouldn't be this deep in the forest alone" he stated.

You chuckled. "I'm not alone, I'm with you. Mister... What do they call you?" He was sweet when he returned your smile, his eyes sparkling with joy.

"You don't know who I am? That is... They call me Chan" he answered.

"Well, then nice to meet you, Chan" you said with a smile.

"So, do I get the pleasure to know your name?"

"I'm Y/n" You liked how he looked at you. All your life you were used to the same ways how people look at you. They are envious or angered for not living in wealth like you. But Chan was the first person to look at you like you weren't a princess. Like you were a living human being and not just a figure your parents could push around.

"Y/n, a beautiful name to a beautiful lady" he practised your name, his cheeks and ears turning red as he flirted with you. And you found it absolutely adorable.

"What are you doing in the forest?" He added.

"I'm just wandering around. What about you? You don't seem like a normal villager." You tried to distract yourself from the blush that crept up your face.

"I'm hunting." he exclaimed and held his bow higher. Right, that made sense, he is a hunter.

"Then, you might know where the next village is?" you asked, fiddling with your cape.

"Of course" he grabbed the rein of the horse and signaled you to follow him. It was nice that he showed you the way. He filled the silence with a comfortable conversation, earning from time to time a laugh from you.

♕✯♛

An hour and a half later, you reached the next village. It was small but extremely beautiful. Luckily, there was a market where you could purchase some food. By that time, you had already figured that you had crossed the border to the neighbouring country. They all eyed Chan respectfully with a smile.

However, the hunter still accompanied you, leading you to the best stand in the whole market, like he said. After buying something, you sat with him on a wooden bench, munching happily the food. Calm, you observed the crowd of people, pushing themselves to the dedicated stand.

Then, you noticed to figures, they were soldiers with the emblem of your royal family. They definitely searched for you. In panic, you jumped up, gabbing your stuff.

"What are you-" Chan couldn't even finish his sentence when you pulled him behind one of the stands. He came crashing down on the ground next to you, looking at you like you were crazy.

You observed the crowd once more and the two soldiers were still there.

"Are these soldiers searching for you?" Chan asked as he followed your glance. When you didn't answer he continued. "They are from the other country! Wow, what did you do to the royal family that they are searching that drastically for you?"

"Did you murder someone? That's why you were so deep in the forest!" He exclaimed. Before he could say more, you silenced him with pushing your hand on his mouth.

"Stay quiet!" you whispered. His lips were warm and even though you tried to prevent it, you blushed slightly. You felt his warm gaze on you. But you looked over the stand once more, unfortunately to the wrong time. One of the soldiers saw your face and pointed to you to show his mate.

"Shit." You mumbled, throwing the hood of your cape over your head, and running into a smaller street.

"Y/n! Where are you going?" Chan yelled behind you. It didn't matter where you ran to, just away from the soldiers. You followed the street, turned left into another one. Unfortunately, it was a dead end. That was it, there was nowhere you could go.

"What is wrong, y/n? Why are you running from them?" Chan's concerned face was pushed into your field of vision. You were still gasping for air due to the running. But you heard the steps loud and clear. You couldn't fight your destiny.

And then, they stood before you. It was like you faced your past, the silver armour sparkling in the sun.

"There you are, princess! Your parents have been worried sick." They walked towards you.

"Princess?" You heard Chan whisper. It was clear that he was hurt. Of course. He didn't know who you were. You didn't turn around because you didn't want to see his face fall. "I'm sorry, Chan" you mumbled and followed the soldiers.

♕✯♛

"What were you thinking young lady! Someone could have recognised you!" Your mother scolded. You stood in the throne room, your parents sitting ahead of you on their throne, staring down at you.

"What would your fiancée say? The honour of our family rises or falls with your actions. And you will marry him, there is no other way" your father added. Of course, they were just worried about the honour, not about you. Well, maybe they were but the throne and their reputation was way more important.

"I'm sorry" you mumbled, just wanting to get this over fast so that you could enjoy the last day here in your room alone. Tomorrow, you'll be on your way to your future husband, to his castle.

"You should be. Go, and pack your last things together" your father demanded. You nodded and left the throne room, walking through the numerous halls to reach your room. It was almost empty, the maids already packed most of the things, just the bed and a book that a friendly maid sneaked in.

Your parents hated it when you read. In their eyes, women shouldn't read literature because it made them too powerful. In the royal families, women are just important to bear children and to make sure the bloodline will continue.

In your eyes it was bullshit. When your husband dies and the children aren't old enough to reign, the wife will lead until the oldest takes over.

The next day, you just sat in the carriage, looking out in the wilderness. You would give anything to be out there again. Your parents sat in front of you, chattering about the upcoming wedding, your wedding. It will be the biggest event of the year.

Luckily, after your wedding, they will return to their palace and leave you alone. Then, you just had your husband that will disturb your peace.

It was like a journey into the unknown. You knew nobody there and even your husband was a stranger. In Addition, you didn't know anything about the life in a marriage. Your parents just told you that you need to consummate the marriage whatever that meant. But you'll know soon.

Exactly three day later, you arrived at the palace. It was huge, even bigger than your own. You were content to finally get out of the carriage. Your parents were annoying and a carriage hadn't much place to avoid them.

They were the first to leave it and were already greeting the royal family. With one last deep breath, you stepped out gracefully, all the eyes on you. The beautiful red dress fell around your legs, fluttering in the soft wind. You bowed respectfully to king and queen before turning to your future husband. When you locked eyes, your breath hitched. The stranger wasn't so unknown. It was Chan.

You froze, still don't believing who stood in front of you. Your mother coughed lightly, pulling your out of your rigidity. Quickly, you bowed to him. He took your hand and placed a tender kiss on it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, princess y/n" he greeted, his voice still the same, yet he looked completely different. That was who he really was. Not a hunter, he was prince Christopher.

"The joy is all mine, prince Christopher" you emphasized his name. In his eyes sparkled something else, maybe regret?

The next two hours were spend setting up your room. You're not going to lie, it was beautiful, twice as big as yours in your own palace with a huge balcony.

A knock interrupted you. Slowly, you opened the door, already knowing who is behind it.

"Hello prince" you greeted him while doing a curtsies.

"May you want to join me on a stroll through the garden?" He asked, his eyes wandering through the room.

"Of course." You followed him through the palace out to the massive garden, a chaperone always behind you. The way there was plagued with silence, uncomfortable for both of you.

With your hand, you brushed over the gorgeous flowers, distracting you.

"I'm sorry for not telling you" He whispered. Bluntly, you answered. "Why? I was a stranger. I had no right to know"

"Listen, y/n" he grabbed your hand so that you couldn't turn away from him. "You had every right to know. I - Sometimes, I like to keep my identity hidden. It gives me some sort of comfort"

"I understand. I don't like the attention either." You replied, quietly enjoying the warm skin on your cold hand. "You're cold. May we go inside?"

You just nodded, letting him guide you back in.

♕✯♛

The following day, your wedding day, you woke up early. Well, your mother with the maids teared you from sleep. She wanted that you looked stunning and perfect for the biggest event of the year. With great precision, they arranged your hair in an extravagant updo, putting every single strand of hair the way they were pleased.

Hours were spend on dressing you in the big fluffy dress made from the finest silk with the most expensive gemstones. It was beautiful but constrictive. You are glad when this is finally over. The shoes were uncomfortable and the makeup felt heavy on your skin.

You were brought downstairs, waiting for the right moment to walk down the aisle. The throne room was filled with important people from different countries, mostly royalties or noblemen. You heard the chattering while the small orchestra played. A bouquet of flowers was placed in your hand and the doors opened. Every person watched you walking down the aisle, you felt their gaze on you but you concentrated on Chan. He looked absolutely handsome in his pompous suit, his hair perfectly styled.

You grew more and more nervous the smaller the distance between you and your new life got. You stood next to him when the priest spoke about marriage, you didn't listen to him, completely zoned out. "Prince Christopher Bang, will you love, respect and protect Princess Y/n? Will you also swear eternal fidelity to her, then answer with yes, I do."

He looked you deep in the eyes, took the ring and gently put it on your finger.

"Princess Y/n, will you love, respect and protect prince Christopher? Will you also swear eternal fidelity to him, then answer with yes, I do." You took a deep breath before you replied with a Yes, I do.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife" Tenderly, he grabbed your hands before pressing a soft kiss on your lips. It was short and sweet, his velvety lips felt good on yours.

The people cheered and you blushed, remembering where you were. Hand in hand, you walked into the huge ballroom where you would celebrate, the guest following you. The room was filled with laughter. Your husband roamed through the crowd, speaking with the guests. You stood by the food, occasionally stealing small bites. You always hated events like these. Especially the men would follow you like dogs, asking for your attention due to your high standing. Luckily, you were now married so that most of them feared to come up to you.

It didn't take long before the first couples started dancing to the orchestra. You knew that you needed to dance at least once to keep your mother content. And Chan already came towards you, asking for a dance. You took his hand, letting him lead you to the middle. You knew the steps, it was something your mother had teached you from a young age, still, you were nervous. His hand felt hot on your waist, even through the fabric of the dress.

Steady, he lead you to the rhythm of the music. The whole time, you stared on his chest, not trying to keep eye contact.

"Everything alright?" He whispered into your ear. "I guess so" you answered. "You hate attention and crowds, right?"

"Yeah, is it that obvious?" He chuckled. "Only a bit."

"You don't seem to care the attention"

"Well, I'm the crown prince. I grew used to it and once I'm king it will be even more" That's right. He was the crown prince, meaning that you will be queen one day.

After your dance with your husband, your father took the chance to dance with you. Then, many men followed his example. Due to the horrible shoes, your feet hurt. You already wanted to flee from the dance floor when Chan's father asked. He was a great dancer like his son.

"I'm content that you will be on my son's side from now on" he starts a conversation, letting you twirl. "I'm honoured, great king. But why, when I'm allowed to ask."

"Chan most likely overworks himself. He doesn't need just a wife to reinsure that the bloodline will continue. He needs someone who takes care of him" you were shocked that he answered you so truthfully. "I'll do my best"

"I know that. That's why I chose you. And I'm content to consider you a part of the family"

When the event came slowly to an end, your mother pushed you in your room.

"Alright. It is time to consummate the marriage. Bring honour to the family" she said. The maids freed you from the dress and shoes. You sighed, now your a little bit more comfortable.

"What do you mean with consummating, mother?"

"Just let him do. He'll know. But it's important to consummate. Otherwise the marriage isn't fully complete." They opened the updo of your hair, letting it fall to your shoulder before brushing it through. Then, they put it up again and dressed you in another dress, a light blue one that fell to the floor in gentle waves from the waist down.

Your mother lead you out of your room down the hallway, stopping in front of a door. "Remember, do not bring shame on us" she whispered before she left. With a shaky breath, you knocked on the huge wooden door. Shuffling could be heard from the other side and a muffled "Come in".

Slowly, you entered the room. It seems to be Chan's bedroom. And it was huge. The room was lightened with the fireplace, turning everything into a yellowish colour. Chan sat on an armchair, flipping through a book. The pompous suit was replaced with a white chemise and comfortable linen trousers. He looked up when you stood beside him, fiddling with your fingers.

"I'm here to consummate our marriage" you mumbled, observing the fluffy carpet. He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I know"

He guided you to the bed, jumping on it and letting you sit next to him. It was awkward and uncomfortable. He grabbed something from the side table, something you couldn't make out due to the low light. Just when he flipped the thing, you noticed what it was. A dagger, a small but sharp dagger. Terrified, you pushed yourself to the edge.

"What are you doing?" You shrieked. He chuckled before pushing his chemise higher to show his free underarm. "You don't have the slightest clue what consummating means, right?" Chan placed the dagger on his arm, applied pressure and cut through his skin. He moaned in pain and held the cut over the white mattress. The red blood dropped from his arm on the mattress, a strong contrast to the white.

"What are you doing?" You asked again. You couldn't turn your eyes away from his red underarm. He threw the dagger on the side table, picking up a bandage.

"I faked our consummation. What else do you think it is?"

"I don't know. Why did you fake it?" Carefully, he bandaged himself.

"Because we are not ready yet. It should be fun and done out of freedom and will, not because of the stupid consummation. You don't even know what I'm talking about." He sighed, switching off the oil lamp, turning the room nearly completely dark.

"Lay down, y/n. I'm not gonna force you to do anything that you don't want. Having sex is something where both parties should have fun, not just the man" Obedient, you layed down next to him.

"What is sex? Is this what consummating is about?"

"Yes, it is. I'll insert myself into you. That way you'll be able to get pregnant" Even though it was dark, you could still clearly see how red his ears were. It was cute.

"Thank you" you mumbled, letting you slowly relax and enjoy the warmth that Chan radiates. Carefully, he draped the blanket over your figure.

"Good night, y/n"

"Good night, Christopher"

♕✯♛

The next morning you woke up when the wooden door banged open with a thud. You shot up, looking with big eyes into your mother's. Just then you noticed that Chan wasn't sleeping next to you. He must have got up early.

Your mother shoved the warming blanket to the side, showing you a pleasant smile when she saw the red stain upon the mattress. "I'm proud of you" she said and brushed over your demolished hair. Quickly leaving the room.

You sighed and let yourself fall against the mattress again. The ring on your finger shone in the morning sun, it was beautiful. You couldn't believe you were married, that you had a husband. And as it seems a really thoughtful one. Hopefully it stays like that because then, you didn't mind to spend your lifetime with him.

[thegreenfairy13]

A Mother’s Truth

A veeery belated birthday present for the incredible @mexican-texican. I do know you deserve better and I definitely fiddled waaaay too long with this fic. I’m sorry, dear! But I do love you! I hope you’ll like it <3.

Plot: Gertrud reflects upon her son’s rise to power, his infatuation with Jim, and her own delusions. 

Read it here on Ao3. Or here: 

Gertrud Kapelput is in denial. Nobody in their right mind would argue on that. Not even Gertrud - if she was in her right mind.

Sadly, or luckily for her, she left the shores of reason decades ago and set sail for the faraway land of delusion. It’s not like she had ever intentionally lied, she only liked to bend reality to her will. On some days, that would work out in her favor, on others, she would have to dive deeper into her own mind to achieve the intended goal.

So no, Gertrud wasn’t lying for her son Oswald when police showed up for the first of many times to follow. She was simply telling her very own truth. One that didn’t necessarily overlap with reality.

At this point, the frail woman is already used to being frowned upon. Despite the skeptical look on the agents’ faces, she opens her door widely, allows for them to step inside, and to judge the few belongings she managed to save over to this new life she’s living now. She shepherds those condescending officials into her living-room, pretends not to note how they wrinkle their noses at the cobwebs and the dust covering once invaluable furniture. If they only had the slightest idea what castle her decor had once graced, what family she belonged to, they wouldn’t….

Instead, Gertrud tilts her head, offers them coffee, and listens to them telling her lies about her beautiful son, Oswald Cobblepot, son of Gertrud Kapelput, grandson of Imre Kapelputh, Earl of a land long lost.  She huffs out a laugh, a sound that only means to hide the offended, undignified noise she’d else make.

She smiles tightly as she gracefully motions for them to sit down, tunes out as they start making wild accusations how her clever, kind, compassionate, caring, precious boy is supposedly part of the mob, making his way ever so slowly up the ranks. Gertrud can’t suppress an unladylike sneer once they don’t let go of their delusions. She looks over at her boy’s photograph and shows them the door. Back home, that menial task would have been up to one of her valets, but here in America, she used to be a servant herself, a cook for a family who had only known what it means to be rich for three generations. If they had only had known the Kapelputs go back to the middle-ages!

Gertrud grits her teeth remembering how the Van-Dahl’s dismissed her, carrying the legitimate heir to lands and castles the family has no concept of beneath her heart. Despite her dire fate, Oswald had always been destined to become a King. But certainly not one of blood and terror. As if a delicate soul like his could….But then Kings come with a certain strength.

There is more to it than only rumors, things she can’t unsee even if she wants to. Gertrud would be blind not to note the bruises and hematomas covering her son’s face and chest. Her fingers tighten in her darling’s hair as she applies more shampoo, trying to wash away the horrors he must have gone through. She clings to him in a way only the truly lost and lonely cling to another human being. After all, he’s all she’s got left, isn’t he?

And he’s such a beautiful, beautiful boy, right? The women must be tripping all over themselves for a slight opportunity to bask in the sun that is her only son. It’s her greatest fear, that one day some painted hussy will waltz right in and snatch her boy away. As inexperienced as he is, she’d only take advantage of his good heart and leave it broken.

Her fingers stiffen when he suddenly turns to her, eyes shining brightly, and mentions some new friend . Gertrud purses her lips. She knows the look in her boy’s eyes, recognizes it immediately, as it mirrors the expression she used to wear on her own face almost 30 years ago perfectly. It’s the expression of a believer in front of an icon, the look of a person with faith in a greater being, in a savior.  

Her heart almost stops when he reveals the one to have stolen his heart to be a cop. It’s the worst scenario, even worse than him running off with a greedy whore. “Don’t ever trust a cop,” she mumbles as she gently lets warm water run over her child’s head. Once upon a time, it had been a corrupt cop who had dragged her from her home, pregnant, and penniless. “They are bad news,” she adds, and her kid hums in agreement, unconvinced.

She thinks about the agents visiting her mere days ago, stares at a fresh bruise covering his back, and tries imagining her boy being what they claim him to be. It’s a lie, of course, it is, has to be, yet if there’s even a slight chance, the cop is toying with her darling’s heart and life.

“He’s different than the others,” her Oswald adds, finally calming Gertrud’s racing nerves. If her boy, a boy so different from all the others, so special, so unique, says so, the cop must be. After all, wouldn’t Oswald be able to recognize one of his own? Sighing deeply, she accepts how unlikely it will be for her to ever have grandchildren carrying Oswald’s features.

One week later, she can’t find it in herself to look away any longer. Gertrud demands an explanation for the ever-increasing bruises littering Oswald’s delicate skin, for the awkward gait, the pained expression on his face whenever he as much as takes a hesitant step.

She’s appalled at those dots of black, blue, and green, can’t help but trace the outlines of the wounds covering her child’s body, doesn’t even dare to ask what those finely-knitted trousers he all of a sudden is able to afford might hide. Oswald merely smiles in response with an expression so forced it looks painted on.

“I joined a boxing club,” he explains easily, and Gertrud raises an eyebrow at her son. She can’t recall her Oswald, this slender, elegant figure, ever being interested in such barbarous activities.

Frowning worriedly, she takes Oswald up on his offer to introduce his new friends to her.

“Mother, as the owner of Gotham’s most famous nightclub, I need to be able to defend myself. As you are well aware, we’re unable to hide our successes from jealous eyes in a city like this.”

Gertrud’s face lights up. How she could have ever doubted her son is beyond her. Of course, Oswald’s words make perfect sense.

“Please, mother, allow for me to dissipate your concerns,” he tells her, head cocked to the side, looking just as innocently as he had on the day he informed her he had gotten a scholarship and she wouldn’t need to work double-shifts any longer to pay off his school fees. It had been unheard of until this moment, a fourteen-year-old receiving the Wayne-aid for gifted pupils, but her Oswald had always been remarkable. Of course, they had to be hush-hush about it, refused to honor him during an official ceremony, but it had undoubtedly lifted a great weight off both their shoulders.

Gertrud nods in return and decides to surprise her boy the other day. The party greeting her once she places a basket filled with various treats from her home-country is nothing like she would have expected. Those men are nothing like her Oswald, not well-behaved, for sure not nobility. One of them flashes a smile at her, a golden tooth shines in the dim light, and Gertrud’s frown increases. Another one gets up, offering her a stiff bow, while her son fidgets worriedly behind him.

“Mother, this is Mr. Gilzean,” he explains, clearly nervous. The bulky man grins encouragingly while taking the basket from her hands. He looks at the wonderful supplies and trips all over himself to express his gratitude. Gertrud falls silent, tries to make sense of the other figures occupying the room, and wipes her worries away once more. She can’t help admonishing them just a bit though when she decides her eyes practically hurt from all that heavy gold those men decided to wear around their necks and in their mouths.

“It isn’t dignified to put your wealth on the table as you are, gentlemen,” she tells them while the one being introduced as Gilzean offers her a glass of champagne.”

“This is America, mother,” Oswald replies gently as the other men look somewhat sheepishly at her.

Her boy’s words are almost enough to dissipate her worries again. Almost . She decides to keep an eye at his contacts and starts visiting Oswald’s club regularly. After all, it’s a beautiful place, her son is a wonderful host, she’s being treated like the royalty she is, and she’s allowed to sing again.

The men, Oswald’s ‘friends’, clap politely whenever she enters the stage, and encourage her to keep going. The traitorous voices in the back of her head keep telling her they are simply being polite, or thankful for the food she keeps bringing. But then one evening one of those cumbersome men walks up to her, tears in his eyes, tells her how thankful he is that she keeps looking out for them. Crossing himself, he stares up her, awe written clearly all over his face, and vows to protect her with his own life. “You have become a mother to all of us,” he confesses. “Us Italians honor a mother,” he adds, refilling her glass.

Gertrud smiles benevolently, but her boy gives her reason to worry again when the infamous cop shows up at the club. The man named Jim is stern. His shoulders are straight, his jaw is set tight, and her boy seems nervous whenever he is around. Oswald pulls him into a corner, whispers something into his ear, and gestures at her. Gertrud is irritated. Nobody has the right to force such a reaction from her Oswald!

For a moment, the blonde man looks confused, and then, his shoulders sag. He puts on a smile, even if only forced, and bows for Gertrud just like the rest of his men. She doesn’t know what his visit is about, but she knows when a man bends to the will of another. His tone is reserved yet respectful when addressing her, the tone of a man trying to make a good impression. She studies him intently and decides he’s not the worst company for her son. Solid. Simply, but well dressed. Not a painted whore.

Gertrud bites her lip though when his body language changes again, when he cages her Oswald against a wall. Her eyes narrow when witnessing the way he keeps manhandling her boy but she also sees other things. She notes he’s always standing a tad bit too close to her Oswald, even when they are not talking, how their bodies are almost constantly being angled toward each other. She observes the blonde grabbing Oswald’s wrist, how he bites his lip when doing so, and the genuine worry he tries to hide. The way the blonde touches her boy is forceful, yet protective, indecisive.

Stepping closer, she wants to say something but then changes her mind as Oswald locks eyes with her. “This is not what you think, mother,” he’ll tell her later, and she’ll indulge him. She’ll always indulge him.

The next time Gertrud visits the club, she tries to see the place with the cop’s eyes. The man, Jim, he has clear eyes, the kind of eyes that see everything while hers are almost constantly glossed over.

She spots a new figure, a man with black hair who obviously has no concept of buttoning his shirts properly. Putting on her biggest smile, she saunters over, toys with her hair, and leans over the table, shoving up her cleavage in the process like a common hussy. The moment she lays eyes on that man, Sal Maroni, Gertrud is worried about her son and starts flirting as if her boy’s life depends on it. And then she notes the deep, genuine fear etched into her Oswald’s features. She doesn’t want to ask, and she knows he wouldn’t want to answer, so she accepts another glass and curls her hair around her finger.

The fear eventually fades from her beautiful son’s face as does the man she once met. What remains, though, is him constantly mentioning the name Jim. At times, the name is spoken in awe, at times it’s spoken in disdain. Gertrud sees him on the TV sometimes, righteousness and determination written all over his features, and she repeats to her boy how the man will be bad news one day. Oswald shrugs her off but she catches his wrist. “My boy,” she tells him. “My love for you is blind but it also derives from devotion. Does that go for him, too?”

Oswald sputters, clearly flustered, and doesn’t reply. Once he finds his voice again, Gertrud is already busy recalling the lyrics of a song she learned when she was little.

Mere weeks later, Gertrud’s devotion is being put to the test when another one of Oswald’s acquaintances kidnaps her and forces her into a tiny cell. She scoffs when they truly think her dingy surroundings will intimidate her. She notes the camera in the corner, starts pacing the room. Of course, she’s afraid. And she’s angry. She keeps banging at the walls, yelling out to anyone who might hear her how this must all be a terrible mistake, how she’s merely the mother of a well-respected club-owner. Nothing that could happen would convince her in any way that this isn’t the truth. And now the world has proof of her conviction, too.

Her misery ends, eventually, when her Oswald shows up, an entire army in tow. Her eyes light up then when she recognizes how he really grew into the king she always knew him to be. But the snake, Galavan they call him, is sly, and it almost ends in blood and tears - but almost.

The reinforcement arrives just in time, and Gertrud can’t help but flinch and curl in on herself when a single shot echoes through the basement she had been kept in way too long. There are blood and cerebral matter now covering her face. A beautiful woman with long, black hair is staring lifelessly at the ceiling while her son and the other man start shouting.

Oswald is completely out of his mind, wants to lunge forward, knife already in hand, when a heavy hand reaches for him. It’s that cop again, Jim, grim and, unmoving as ever. He steadies her boy, grounds him with as much as a touch even when he behaves in a way she never witnessed before. This is definitely not her boy, this howling, bawling animal that consists only of pain and fear.

“She’s alive, Oswald,” the blonde growls as her son keeps forgetting himself. Gertrud reaches for her child herself, holds him close as he breaks down completely, and continues to shout out horrifying threats. He wants to escape her grasp, and she has no doubt his intentions are anything but pure when he turns towards Galavan again.

Stiff as ever, the cop merely ignores him as he cuffs Galavan, takes his price with him to another cell much like Gertrud’s.

He’ll later testify how her son, Oswald, tried to kill him. And Gertrud will face him in court, unable and unwilling to recall anything in detail. She’ll cry and argue. Where she’ll be emotional, the cop, Jim will remain bereft of emotion. With a straight face, he’ll tell his very own truth how he found Oswald and Gertrud huddled together, terrified of the man now being dragged away forever.

Gertrud will smile in relief then. When it comes to her Oswald, she now isn’t the only person with her very own truth.

[alchemist-shizun]

I Can See My Kingdom Now

Read on Ao3!

Chapter 1: Arcadia’s Lost Boy

Word Count: 7,750

Characters: Virgil, Roman, Logan, Patton, Deceit. (There will be Emile and Remy in one chapter)

Pairing(s): Eventual Logicality and Prinxiety. (hints to Royality, they’re forced into an arranged marriage)

Warnings for this chapter: Mention of blood and bruises, Asthma attack,(nothing really heavy, but I decided to warn you anyway.)

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a kingdom which rose above all others thanks to its everlasting prosperity. Of course, there had been outer conflicts, but there wasn't a citizen who wouldn't say they were pretty content with the life they were conducting. It was called "the kingdom of Arcadia" and it was praised by foreigners because of how it resembled a constant Golden Age. Many had tried before to learn the secret to reach wealth and accomplishment. But the truth was that in order to understand and obtain peace, you initially have to first-hand witness and experience the worst of misfortunes. The royalty had intimated the whole people to never spread a word about the mishap out of the walls of Arcadia. It had shaken their inner tranquility so much they refused to talk about it publicly, it quickly became a taboo. Along with dark magic, since it was linked to the tragic story they had gotten themselves into. So sit back now and listen carefully to the tale I'm about to tell because this is the story of Arcadia and its long lost prince.

A/N: I decided to post it on here too instead of only ao3, so here it is! Won’t be saying much except that the summary is literally the first part of the fic so everything is under the cut. Enjoy!

✾

❝ I am a lost boy from Neverland Usually hanging out with Peter Pan And when we're bored we play in the woods Always on the run from Captain Hook "Run, run, lost boy," they say to me Away from all of reality. ❞

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom which rose above all others thanks to its everlasting prosperity. Of course, there had been outer conflicts, but there wasn't a citizen who wouldn't say they were pretty content with the life they were conducting.

It was called "the kingdom of Arcadia" and it was praised by foreigners because of how it resembled a constant Golden Age. Many had tried before to learn the secret to reach wealth and accomplishment.

But the truth was that in order to understand and obtain peace, you initially have to first-hand witness and experience the worst of misfortunes. The royalty had intimated the whole people to never spread a word about the mishap out of the walls of Arcadia.

It had shaken their inner tranquility so much they refused to talk about it publicly, it quickly became a taboo. Along with dark magic, since it was linked to the tragic story they had gotten themselves into.

So sit back now and listen carefully to the tale I'm about to tell because this is the story of Arcadia and its long lost prince.

✾ ✾ ✾

You need to know that there were many little villages, every so often nameless ones, at the furthest corners of the kingdom. One of these was peculiar for the gorgeous and almost mystical forests that it presented, it was completely surrounded by green spots and only the center was inhabited by a modest group of families. There weren't many citizens, but it was big enough to host a school and an orphanage. The people who lived there didn't have the brightest or loudest of careers, but they were fine in their own quiet place, everybody knew each other and harmony ruled over them. It looked unnatural. It was as if the idyllic locus amoenus that was part of the ancient bucolic poetry came to life.

And who wouldn't be more eager to play in these natural parks than little kids? Or maybe two particular little kids, characterized by their adventurous behavior and childlike audacity, which let them feel able to face any threat the woods had to offer.

Especially Raegan, who was the brightest of the two: Raegan was a seven-year-old boy with a desire to just live the world, he was part of the local orphanage and didn't recall who his parents were. The weird thing was that neither did the orphanage runners: the adults only remembered this three-year-old kid wandering around the town, in simple white robes, the boy's face was stained with dirty spots and some minor wounds and scratches. They had thought he got lost and hurt in the forest, but none claimed to know him. That's why they took him in and cared for him, gave him a name and waited for his parents to manifest. But nobody came.

Orphans weren't really treated any differently than kids in families, they were part of a big family themselves, they went to a regular public school and played together with the other children, so they were merged into a big crowd of small people. They would make friends and meet up at these friends' houses, maybe even have meals there.

Here Raegan met a little Virgil Mòros, the typical shy kid who didn't know how to approach other children. Their friendship started off with small talks and those that you could call adjustments to one another. Raegan watched him play with toys on his own, while he preferred running around, racing other kids, any physical movement was enough for him to get excited, really. It was an epiphany for him when they found out a ball to play with.

Their first conversations were mostly like:

"Do you want to play with us over there?"

"No, it's fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I don't want to."

"Alright."

Then it became more like: "We're trying to set up a new game, wanna join?" but the answers were always different versions of "no". Raegan was a bit perplexed as to he didn't understand how he could make the kid open up, but little did he know that one day he'd have an idea that would lead them to become the closest of friends.

Raegan had come up to him and sit down in front of him, getting his attention.

"Hey! Can I play with you?" Virgil had looked at him for a split second, then a faint smile had crossed his lips, he had then proceeded to hand him a bunch of his toys, that were some little animals, and a couple of human-like figures.

"Sure."

"How do we play?"

"I usually make up stories to put my toys in."

Raegan's face had lit up so much that moment, he hadn't really ever thought of doing that, who knew how fun it would be!

"That's so cool! You're Virgil, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm Raegan! And I'd love it if I could please make up the story this time?", he had put his hands together in a pleading act. Virgil couldn't help but nod at him.

"Of course, there's no problem."

Raegan had presented the brightest of smiles and he took up a bunch of toys; the story was about the two of them being part of the Royal Guard, they were the true mighty heroes who were the only hope against the infamous Dragon Witch.

Virgil had been more than amazed at the creativity of his new playfellow, which had made him pretty happy to play with the boy in the first place, not to mention that he was having the most fun he ever had compared to when he was by himself. When he was alone he'd just stay sit in that one spot; on the other hand, Raegan used his dinosaur toy to pretend it could fly around the playground, so the two had to follow it around, sometimes even run to "catch up" with it.

So as Raegan had entered his bubble, Virgil was slowly adapting to the other's personality. After that day they quickly became inseparable, they even met up multiple times out of school: this is where they started to explore bit by bit the forest next to Virgil's home and found out other ways to play.

In fact, they stopped using toys and started doing actual make-believe, sometimes they even dressed up for the different occasions they had to perform. They would walk around and pretend to have other identities, to be in faraway places, to live in castles or palaces. Raegan's favorite role to play was the knight: he would pick up any long enough stick and use it as his "perfectly manicured sword", any flying animal would be one of his mortal enemies he had to protect Virgil from, who every time claimed to be "actually able to stand for himself, thank you very much." but with a smile on his face.

One day they'd be alone against the world, the other they'd be against each other, the other one they would just practice sword fighting together. It was fun, it was different, they eventually ended up all dirty and tired from all the fictitious traveling.

But they were best friends, that was all that counted. True, until they reached their tenth birthday.

✾ ✾ ✾

When Raegan and Virgil were busy being ten-year-old kids, two other boys were busy being teenage messes. But oh, you first need to know about Arcadia's fellow kingdom, Tinfea. Its royal family had been a great hand for Arcadia's king and queen: apart from being of help to rise up again after the attempt to overthrow Arcadia's government, they also offered to intervene in the search for their missing child.

The two families were close, first of all, the Tinfea sovereigns lent their seer's abilities to see into the future and locate the lost boy: his name was Logan Diànoia and had had the power of magic in his veins ever since he was born. His parents had died in ... particular circumstances and the sovereigns decided to take him in and provide him with both regular and magic lessons even if he was little. He had always had quite a passion for learning, his curiosity also benefited him in expanding his knowledge and mind. Not that you would only find him in his chambers or in the library constantly studying, well mostly, but he was also a good friend of the royalty's only child, Patton Pàis.

There were many times in which nobles would meet up with the Royals and bring their kids to play with Patton, but most of the time he'd be alone, so Logan was enough for him to be of good company. They ended up having lessons together, sometimes Logan would even teach or lecture him; Patton found his way of speaking pretty funny, he sounded like an old cultured man in the body of a child. Despite being opposed to a lot of entertaining activities, the seer didn't really stop the prince from having fun: he would just watch over him and prevent him from getting hurt, though it had happened that Patton had played tricks on him to let him have some fun for once too. Like that one time he made Logan chase him when he actually wanted to play tag. Then Patton would smirk at his out of breath friend, realization would hit Logan and he'd just smile and say "You sly little kid."

"You're a kid too, Logan ..."

"Regardless."

There were also quiet moments in which they would lay on the grass and look at the sky, and the little prince was more than happy to stay silent and listen to his friend's voice that traveled through different flows of thought, to the point he would somehow start philosophizing. He always sounded passionate during these moments and appreciated Patton for listening every time.

Logan was fourteen when he was busy being a teenage mess, staying up late to find ways of helping the kingdom of Arcadia, catching some innocent animals to practice his spells on, feeling bad when he failed at them and always pushing himself to the limit. He was consulting an enormous spells book, being a medium-level mage by then, to find an exact way to track the prince of Arcadia when a thirteen-year-old Patton knocked on his door.

It was fairly late at night, so Logan found himself surprised to see him awake.

« I wasn't expecting you here, Patton. » his affirmation sounded more like a question to himself.

The shorter boy showed a quick smile only to look down right after, he seemed kind of gloomy.

« Yeah, I wasn't either. » his voice like a whisper.

Logan arched an eyebrow, his body was aching with worry. « Are you feeling quite alright? Please, sit down. »

The only words that escaped Patton's mouth were "No, it's-" as the seer led him to his desk and then proceeded to stand right in front of him. He honestly had to cover up how glad he was to see him- wait, what was he thinking?

« Thank you, Lo, but I just ... wanted to ask you something. »

Oh, boy.

« Go ahead. »

« Well, you know how we've been friends since we were little? »

What is this feeling?

« Yes, what are you implying? »

« Uh, you know I've never asked you anything and respected your magic? »

Oh. Logan was taken aback because of where the conversation was going. Or was that disappointment in his face?

« Please, be clear, what is it that you need? » Patton started fidgeting and wasn't really able to look at him in the eyes.

« I ... I need you to cast a spell on me. »

« What? » Logan lost at words? This sure was something.

« Listen, I have good reasons- »

« Patton, I am not a full magician yet, who knows what could happen! Plus you do not need any kind of magic, if it is an excuse you're looking for to escape some sort of lecture, then I shall help in different ways. »

He stopped when he noticed his friend looking up at him and giving him a sad smile, so he walked up to him slowly, staring at him, a sense of dread forming in his stomach. His look just screamed "What's going on?".

« It's different this time. » Patton took a deep breath, picking at the chair's wood, too anxious to talk any longer than that.

« I haven't been of help at all with this lost prince thing ... My family is supposed to look for him in the first place, but ... I can't do anything for them, I feel kind of ... useless. » if his voice was breaking, then Logan's emotions were shattering upon hearing his closest friend say such severe words.

« What ... are you talking about? » Logan sounded almost hurt, why would he belittle himself like that? But most importantly, how long had he been thinking about this? And why didn't he tell him sooner?

« Logan, you can see it too, I'm not contributing to anything- »

« You're only thirteen- »

« -which is why » Patton marked that last word to grab his attention « I was thinking: if I were able to draw somewhere the image you pictured in your head of the prince's face, then maybe it would be easier for them to see it and for us to look for him, wouldn't it? »

The seer just sighed « Your point? »

« I'd like you to find a spell that would give me the skills to do that. » Patton spoke these words so firmly that Logan thought he was talking to his father instead.

« You want drawing skills. » Patton simply nodded, serious in the eyes « So that I can project into your mind the prince's exact looks and you can represent it on paper to help Arcadia's king and queen. » another nod.

Logan was about to yell at him for how stupid that sounded, tell him that he didn't have to prove himself to anyone in order for them to love him or judge his worth, that he didn't have to do this at all, that he should instead tell him why he was feeling so wrong, but every thought died in his head. He wanted to be a good friend, but little did he know he was about to be the most selfish one.

The older one took too long to respond, so Patton's hope was fading away bit by bit and his face started falling, and Logan just couldn't bear to see him like that, he felt responsible for his friend's happiness at this point. He wouldn't let him down now, would he?

He wasn't really one of those touchy people, but he found himself making his way toward the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder, « I just ... don't want to hurt you. » he wore a concerned expression that the prince couldn't help but understand. Of course he was scared, he had never practiced his magic on humans before, he didn't find it quite correct.

Patton smiled then settled his own hand on the other's arm « I know. But I trust you, that's why I came to you! »

« I'm not sure this is a good idea, though. »

« You should be more conscious of your own abilities, Logan. » he then presented a smirk and leaned in, as if he were up to tell a secret. « Aren't you in fact the best and youngest mage in the whole kingdom? »

A grin crept on the seer's face « I have still to reach perfection. » he admitted, stepping away from the boy a couple of paces.  They shared a look, then Logan gave in and faced the multiple books on his bed and started to go through their index.

« I'll see what I can do. »

Patton lit up immediately and basically ran to hug him tight and thank him over and over again, in the meantime Logan froze and stopped working for as long as the boy held him in his arms. Damn him and his powers over him.

But most importantly, damn feelings.

He spent half an hour looking at different Latin names and descriptions that never exactly matched what he was looking for, the prince in the meantime had peacefully fallen asleep on the desk. Finally, two spells got his attention: one simply gave any skill you wished for that lasted a week from the moment in which it was cast, the other would give you an everlasting perfect ability, but you had to pay the price.

Of course it was death, specifically, the cursed person would be dying the day before their wedding at 23:59.  Wedding. Logan suddenly remembered the most logical thing that was going to happen if the Pàis family was going to be the one finding the prince of Arcadia, that is Patton was going to obviously get married with this boy once he'd reached adult age.

Something hit his heart real hard as realization set into him, he felt paranoia eat his mind away; he had to just admit it to himself, the only problem with him was that he had been crushing on Patton for quite a while now.

So there was a voice in his head.

Logan was a fourteen-year-old boy who still didn't have enough common sense to understand right and wrong, he was just a servant with little to no other job than to provide the sovereigns with information. He never did anything wrong, but there was always a first time. The voice in his head was just too loud, screaming "if you can't have him, then none else would". He didn't mean to do such a mess, he still didn't know where that was going to go.

« Fine! » he shouted at himself, slamming his hands on the book, the sudden movement woke Patton up in an instant. He looked up at Logan, curiosity in his eyes. « Did you find anything? » he asked followed by a yawn.

« Yeah but ... » he looked at the angelic little princely face, « ... there's only one. And it's dangerous. » how could he do this?

« What for? »

Logan started explaining, but he regretted his decision as he was talking about his inevitable death. Maybe that part would scare him enough to just let it go. Maybe another prince or princess would find the boy and he could still have some kind of chance, maybe-

« Do it. »

« I apologize, what did you just say? »

« Do it. » Patton ordered firmly, a serious look on his face to mark how determined he was about it.

« You want me to place a curse on yourself. »

« If it's the only way then so be it. I don't care, I'll have eight years to prepare for the inevitable day. » he sounded insecure about that one last bit, but it looked like he wasn't going to back down any sooner.

Logan was just whispering "I can't let you do this." when he was cut off by Patton's « And besides, death will eventually come for me anyway. » he laughed it off in a vain attempt to lighten up the mood.

« I don't think I can- »

« Please. » Patton put his hand on Logan's « Do it for me, okay? »

God damn it.

And there he was, giving up to his longtime friend yet again. He couldn't believe he was actually placing a curse upon the prince of Tinfea. His best friend. The one he lo- cared about.

To make him feel better about himself.

Some disturbing red lights began floating around the room, Logan's eyes darkened until every spot of his pupils was pitch black, he raised his hand toward the boy in front of him and drew a sharp symbol into the air, he then proceeded to recite the Latin formula, he pointed his finger to the symbol which flew against Patton and hit him hard, causing him to shield his face with his arms. And just like that, everything was back to normal.

Logan was breathing heavily and Patton felt definitely shaken from what he had just seen, he looked up at his friend and worried instantly for him; he let him sit down and catch his breath for a couple of minutes, providing him with some water to support him. How much of his energy did that thing take away from him?

« How about you try it out? Let's see if it worked? »

« Uh, sure. » Patton stepped away with uncertainty and took some paper and ink, he locked eyes with a particular weirdly shaped object of the room and started drawing it from reference. After some minutes he had already finished and was shocked at how well and detailed it turned out, he showed it to Logan excitedly and started jumping around from happiness.

But the whole deal wasn't yet done. « Are you okay to let me see his face or ...? »

« I can handle it, I'm fine. »

Logan made him sit right across him, then he stared into his eyes, focused, and thought about just putting his knowledge into the other's head; it was when Patton's eyes widened that he realized he had actually succeeded. Patton started drawing immediately, concentration stuck in his expression. It didn't take him long to be done with it.

Logan looked down at the picture and almost fell out of his chair.

« It's ... » Patton listened to him carefully « ... exactly what I have seen. Patton, it is ... perfect. »

✾ ✾ ✾

The day it happened Virgil and Raegan decided to visit the forest early in the morning so they could have enough time to play before the inevitable appearance of the royalty of Arcadia: after they found out the appearances of their missing child, they started traveling the whole kingdom in order to find him at all costs. They said they made 10-year-old kids line up and get compared to a certain picture, so that was what was going to happen to Virgil and Raegan too, but first, they had to get cleaned, dressed in the best robes they had, boring stuff that would take up too much of their precious acting time. That's why they went there earlier than ever.

It was a pleasant and clear spring day, they noticed the multiple flowers that had been growing while they pretended to be pirates in the latest weeks, they also saw more birds flying around out of their nests and making pleasant sounds as they battered their wings.

They changed the storyline of their make-believe for that special occasion in which they brought with them their wooden swords fabricated by the local woodworker that had taken a liking into them because of their passion for nature. Raegan was leading the way as a gentle breeze flew through his little red cape, which was actually only an old ripped shirt of Virgil's father. He followed the path they had learned by heart, which led to a clear pond that they had always seen frozen during winter. A couple of waterlilies were lying gently on the surface of the water. The place looked magical.

Raegan looked back at his companion, then stretched out his arm to him « Here take my hand. »

« I thought I was your knight, not a damsel in distress. »

The orphan boy rolled his eyes but smirked at the remark « We have to do your investiture first. Come along, young man. »

Virgil took his hand anyway and let him help down the little steep hill that separated them from the pond. They walked up to it, then Raegan turned to his friend smiling, the light of the sun hitting the back of his head, which gave his already messy hair a goldish brown color.

They imagined they were in a castle's throne room full of festooning of red and gold hanging from different areas of the Great Hall, the whole kingdom present, breaths held as they waited for their prince to speak, they were hanging on his future words.

Virgil bowed down his head, placing his left knee on the ground and bending his right one, he then placed his right hand on it, while his wooden sword was laying on the ground not too far off from him.

« Virgil Mòros. » Raegan looked down at him with a solemn expression, he raised his sword and lightly placed its blade first on one and then on the other shoulder, while he was speaking the words « I, prince Raegan, hereby declare you as my first personal knight and head of the Royal Guard. »

The golden eyed boy took off his cape and draped it across Virgil's shoulders. Virgil stood up after that and all he could say was « "Hereby declare"? How do you even know what that means? »

Raegan gave him an annoyed look « Soft you, now! I just gave you a title, behave. », then he walked off somewhere imprecise and left Virgil wondering what kind of books he read at the orphanage. It wasn't the first time he said weird lines and wouldn't even know what they meant exactly. It was as if he just knew the right context.

Virgil was forced to snap out of his thoughts when an impossibly fast animal ran past them and stopped thirty meters away from them, keeping a fierce stance; it looked like it was smirking at them from afar. The creature that was staring at them showed off its orangish-red and white fur glowing under the sun, it appeared to be quite a mystical form with those shining yellow irises that kinda matched Raegan's. He was, in fact, the one struck by its charm, how could a simple fox like that appear so majestic? He felt like he wanted to be like it too. Small, but important.

The fox took a few steps towards the boys, it didn't seem like it wanted to be friendly, more like to challenge them, chin up and mischievous gaze. The two friends shared a look.

« It clearly wants us to approach. »

« I don't think it is a good idea. »

« Then what do you suggest, my fellow knight? » Raegan turned to his best friend with a radiant smile, keeping up their make-believe.

« Maybe we should take some steps forward too? »

« So we'd be safe if it wants to attack us or we won't scare it away quickly? » Virgil simply nodded.

« Smart thinking. Then I shall face it. » his tone sounded so dramatic he could hear Virgil roll his eyes from behind him. He took a step forward, but before his foot could touch the ground again the animal was already sprinting away, causing Raegan to immediately run after it and, of course, the other villager couldn't help but follow them. Who knows where the fox would lead them? A whole new world to explore? Would they find new roles to play? Or maybe it was taking them to its own home, trusting them enough to let them into the forest's unseen.

But the chase had been going on for quite a while, the animal wasn't giving any sign of slowing down and Virgil felt like he was experiencing the whole forest over again at maximum speed, he couldn't even remember where they had left or how long would it take to go back home. Raegan's rapture, on the other hand, made him able to keep up with the fox, and easily avoid any obstacle, it was his determination that was giving him the energy to run as fast as he possibly could and enough breath to jump every other meter.

Why was following that animal so tempting? Raegan felt like he couldn't stop though he didn't quite acknowledge the reason why, there was something fascinating about it, but other than that he felt like he was being pulled. He wasn't aware he was only going to find trouble: Virgil wasn't used to running this much.

« Hey. Prince? » no response.

Virgil wasn't able to catch his breath, his heart beating too fast. « Ra- Raegan? »

He wasn't listening.

He was about to call him again when he gasped for air and before he could do anything else he found himself losing balance and falling face down onto the ground with a loud thud. He had tripped over something he couldn't yet comprehend, his head lightly hit the ground and was now covered in dirt and some green from the grass around the spot he dropped his whole body into. Raegan turned instantly and his eyes widened at the sight, causing him to stop and tripping over his own feet, not used to the sudden stop.

He caught himself and glanced over to his right where the fox was now long gone, knowing he will hardly ever see it again; he wanted to rush over to his friend but he felt his limbs as heavy as his breath. He felt as if everything was moving in slow motion around him, the weight of his body too excessive to bear. He looked like a zombie as he was hardly taking steps.

Virgil in the meantime had been able to push himself up on his hands, despite the skin on his palms was burning with blood and dirt, he looked up at Raegan with a pained expression as he slowly got to his knees to check on Virgil.

Somehow the fallen boy still hadn't caught his breath, which sometimes got mixed up with small coughs; Virgil thought this feeling was normal, he had never run that fast for that long, he had felt pain in his chest after running before. But this time it was worse than just simple pain, it felt as if his lungs were shrinking with every breath he took, even his heartbeat didn't hint to slow down at all, it only increased together with the speed of his breaths. He could no longer inhale, nor exhale through his nose. He was scared stiff.

« Virgil? » Raegan's concerned tone hardly reached his ears as he covered them in fear. « Virgil, what is happening? » of course there was no response. But Raegan either thought it was because he was too afraid to talk, or his state didn't let him talk. He tried to lock eyes with him, to see if somehow they could communicate, but little did he know that the boy in front of him was unable to talk and was panicking because he didn't know what he was going through. The only sound that went out of his mouth was the wheezing of his breathing becoming even more persistent as time passed and as anxiety grew into them.

Raegan reached for his friend as Virgil crouched down, embracing himself, arms almost touching his knees, frightened eyes wide open and anguish starting to swell up in his chest. He did not know what was going on, nor did he know how to stop, the only thing he was aware of was that he was quickly getting worse, he couldn't control his own breathing, he couldn't control his whole body, he felt miserable. He couldn't help his own self and he was just terrified. He felt like he was choking. This was it.

« Oh my goodness, Virgil! » Raegan did not realize what kind of situation he got them into, panic started to set into him too, but as a prince would do he reminded himself that in alarming situations he needed to stay calm for the both of them: he needed to find a solution, to act fast. He tried to grab his attention by calling his name multiple times, never getting a reaction.

So he attempted to concentrate all the composure in his voice « Hey, buddy, can you hear me? » and he didn't get a single response. Not a twitch of the hand in his direction, no sign with his head. Oh dear, this was bad and it was all his fault. He chocked back the tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes because of the stress and the guilt. « I will help you move, okay? Bear with me, please. You'll be okay. » his voice cracked at the end of the sentence, which sounded more like a reassuring to himself than to the other. He was going to be okay, he was gonna do this, he knew he could. « I promise. »

First of all, Raegan slowly pushed his knees down, so Virgil could go back to his previous sitting position, then he lightly grabbed his wrists and proceeded to lower his arms, showing how his face had gone even paler and sweaty. He accompanied the arms down to his sides and then helped him sit up straight against the tree behind them. Raegan felt a sense of relief as he noticed Virgil's breathing starting to ease up, he now believed in both of them more than before, he was sure he had this. But of course, he wasn't quite there yet. The boy's chest was still visibly going up and down at non-regular speed.

Raegan paid attention not to touch him in any risky spot as he encouraged him to look at him in the eyes: that was the first time he had noticed how different the two irises were from one another, bronze and emerald bind together. He made sure Virgil was focused on him as he spoke. « I need you to try to follow me, okay? » even though there was still a tone of worry in his voice, for the first time he got a slight nod from the other kid « Good, we're going to slow it down. I need you to be patient and relaxed. »

He settled down right in front of him, fixing his gaze on Virgil's face. He mirrored the boy's movements and was able to coordinate their breathing; the first thing he did afterward was to inhale a tick slower, then he did the same thing while breathing out. He kept doing this until Virgil would match him, then he would slow down again and repeat the cycle till he was finally properly breathing again.

They sit there for a couple of minutes to ease up from all the tension that was brought by the previous circumstances, Virgil had closed his eyes while Raegan had gotten all cuddled up next to him, still on alert in case it happened again.

« I have no idea what that was. »

« It never happened before? »

« No. I don't like it. » Virgil knew it wasn't a normal response to some running around, even for someone who wasn't used to do that.

Silence fell between the two as they were both filled with the void of ignorance on the matter, not knowing if they had to worry that much or if they had to wait more. The innocence of two children.

It wasn't long until Raegan broke the peaceful moment.

« I'm sorry. » he looked down at his feet and felt the same guilt from earlier building up again, it was him that insisted on chasing after an incredibly agile animal, for a moment he didn't look back at his best friend, he felt wrong because he now believed his friend would think he didn't care. What if now he'd stop playing with him or spend time with him or-

« What for? »

« Uh? »

« You said you were sorry. Why? »

Raegan wasn't sure he had understood. « For clearly hurting you? Or scaring you to death? I don't even know where to start! » it was so obvious he failed to get why Virgil wasn't blaming him in the first place.

« You didn't know. I didn't know. Plus you helped me recover. » he turned to his sorry friend and gifted him with a reassuring smile, to which the other responded to the same way. « Now that I mention it, how did you know how to ...? » Virgil made some gestures as he did when he didn't know how to explain himself, which was kind of adorable.

« One of the children at the orphanage had been crying for half an hour one day and was unable to stop, so I saw one of my oldest brothers walk up to him and doing the same thing I did. » Virgil tilted his head while Raegan was staring at a fixed point in front of him, as if he was spacing out, then he displayed his best impression of a 17 year old that sounded more like an old man and pointed his finger at the tree ahead of them « And he told him to man up, boy, you got some dishes to clean! »

Both of them burst out laughing at that, as the impression was so good and yet so terrible it sounded perfect.

« Did he do the dishes then? »

« Nah, I had to do them. » Raegan sighed so profoundly at the memory he shook his head, that altogether caused Virgil to laugh even more.

The comfortable silence fell back on them after some more goofing around, memories flying in their minds of other events, but they chose not to revive them with spoken words.

Then they remembered as their gaze fell on Virgil's cape.

« What would you do if you were an actual prince? » Raegan was caught off guard by the other's question, but that surely was an interesting argument. Being part of the royalty in their minds meant being able to do anything, you'd have magicians at your side, the possibility of changing the rules whenever you wanted, what was there not to do?

« I'd probably order my whole kingdom to have desserts at every single meal. Anyone who'd get caught not eating cake would get arrested and executed in the main square. »

« Woah, drastic. »

« But there'll be cake hour ... »

« Cake hour. » Virgil repeated, amused at his friend's idea.

« Cake hour, Virgil. It's important. » Raegan warned him as if it was the first priority in their lives.

« Why don't we have a cake hour at school? »

« Now that's a nice question! »

Their cake discourse, sadly, was abruptly interrupted by the distant chime of bells: they looked at each other with a panicked expression, that was the sign that the royalty of Arcadia and Tinfea had arrived at their village and all the 10-year-old boys had to show up before them. And Raegan and Virgil were still in the forest, dirty and bruised. They were dirty, bruised and also late. They immediately got up and decided to walk with wide steps in order to be as fast as they could and to prevent the whole breathing issue to present again.

After Raegan had helped Virgil up, before he could do anything the little knight wrapped his arms around his friend, who was taken aback by the sudden hug, but didn't hesitate to return it immediately. Virgil murmured a soft “thank you”, still uneasy from before.

They filled their way to the center planning whichever lie they were gonna say once they got back: they were chased by a giant animal and got hurt, scared and had to hide away for a while. It wasn't like either of them was gonna be the prince they were looking for anyway, they were just two kids in a tiny village. It wouldn't have made any sense.

Or so Virgil thought.

✾ ✾ ✾

Patton felt another wave of excitement as he checked the new kids he had to examine from a distance; he held his drawing close, the tips of his fingers brushing lightly against the margins of the paper. He sensed the portrait of the lost prince nearly weighing against his chest. He took a deep breath as the king and queen received the last regards from the village's inhabitants, Logan at his side gave him a reassuring nod, despite being a tad nervous himself: he felt like he had already seen the place somehow, like it held some kind of familiar trait he couldn't quite put his finger on, it was frustrating.

They were about to begin when a couple of women and a man ran towards the group and made their way through the crowd of villagers that wanted to assist the scene. The woman that was dressed like an orphanage caretaker was the one to speak, deep worry in her words « Please accept our apologies, but two of our village's kids are missing, we have been looking for them anywhere but they can't be found! »

« Oh my, is that so? »

« Yes, » the man paced forward « one of them is my son, I believe they went into the woods and we are afraid they got lost, or worse ... » he refrained from ending his own sentence, the worst case scenario he didn't want to cross his mind.

They were about to ask for help when the king stared into the distance and pointed right behind the people in front of him « Could they be your children? »

Sighs of relief set onto everyone as the three villagers smiled, but soon after a look of horror painted their faces as the appearance of the two ashamed kids came into view: they saw the dirt, the spots, the rips, and the blood.

At the same time, one boy's mother yelled "Goodness gracious, Virgil!" while one of the orphans cried out "big brother!" as a couple of adults and Virgil's parents ran towards them.

The mother hugged his son fiercely, not caring about smearing her clothes with blood and the dirt on her child's clothes, while his father helped him to walk over to the sovereigns, Raegan on the other hand, looking better than his friend, received multiple scolds by the caretakers for being too careless.

After they had reached the crowd, Virgil and Raegan personally approached the royalty and bowed down to them in an apologetic manner, at which the two monarchs softened up enough for them to get closer and kneel down in front of them.

« Straighten up kids, you don't need to feel sorry, I would've probably done the same if I had been you. » the king snickered and did a quick wink at them.

The queen ruffled their hair with a sweet smile, she appeared so tender it didn't even feel real, all the social class boundaries were broken as her motherly instincts acted up.

Then she turned to Logan « Can you perchance heal these bad-looking wounds? »

The mage slightly bowed at them and walked up to the kids with a smug look on his face « I can do even better, madame. »

So the two Arcadian rulers stepped away and gave the boy his own space to practice the spell: Patton could see it was completely different from the curse he had placed on him.

This time the lights around him were light blue, almost white, he drew a sinuous symbol with no sharp edges, not like the one he had seen. Logan didn't have to pronounce any formula, instead, he duplicated the symbol and commanded it to fly up above the two boys; and just like that, the symbols started to lightly crumble in little particles that looked like stardust on them. Once it was finished they looked perfectly refreshed, fine clothes and clean faces, they looked like they didn't enter the forest at all.

Raegan and Virgil both stared at their hands, then at each other with astonished expressions and faint smiles.

But there was something else, the familiar sensation had strengthened upon seeing the two boys more clearly, upon having them so close in front of him ... could it be? He locked eyes first with the orphan, then with the other child, he examined their facial features so long silence fell into the place: the kids started feeling uncomfortable, did the spell do something weird to them? Were they going to turn into trolls? Still, Logan's apathetic gaze fixed on them didn't help them ease up.

The seer turned to the royalty after a careful study of the two « Patton, could you assist me for a moment? »

Something hit hard Virgil's heart. Wait, what? They were actually getting checked up? Or was this only protocol? Had they already gone through the other children? It couldn't possibly be one of them, Virgil was sure about who his parents were, and he was certain that Raegan ... well, he was his best friend, it's not like he'd turn out to be a prince and out of nowhere get ripped away from him. They were just village kids. He tried to repeat this sentence into his mind over and over again, trying to convince himself as panic rose back into him.

Patton had come closer with a warming smile that almost calmed Virgil completely down; he held out his drawing in front of him as he compared the picture first with Virgil, then with Raegan.

When his eyes widened. Logan understood immediately what was off about that place by the behavior of the prince of Tinfea.

Patton locked eyes in awe with Raegan, who somehow felt the need to straighten his posture, he felt like he was being judged by everyone. With the corner of his eyes, he could see his best friend's almost pained look.

He couldn't breathe when Patton turned his back to him to face the sovereigns.

Patton couldn't contain his smile. « Your majesty, » his solemn tone was the only thing filling the village's air, everybody was holding their breath. Raegan's heart skipped a beat.

« We found him. »

Next chapter

[k-banning-kellum]

Let’s talk about Jafar - Was he a Tyrannical Traitor or a Determined Iconoclast?

Good or evil? Maybe neutral? Maybe just an overworked Statesman stuck in a toxic pool of outdated royalties? You tell me. And feel free to reblog with your own villain who you believe is perhaps been given a bad rap that isn’t all as it would seem.

Jafar was the Royal Vizier - a position meant to represent the people’s needs alongside the laws and customs of the ruling class. If he were truly evil he would have likely sat back and just milked the Sultan dry of all his wealth and sanity while doing nothing for the kingdom. However Jafar did see the incompetence of the Sultan. He saw it first hand. The kingdom was suffering through poverty. The Royal Guards were little more than violent criminals themselves. And through it all Jafar couldn’t get the Sultan to sit down and take any advice. Jasmine made it clear that she despised Jafar so her rise to power would have meant no hope for improvements. The final straw perhaps was after Aladdin returned as Prince Ali. Jafar recognized him as the thief, realized he was there to manipulate the Sultan and Jasmine into gaining a position in the Royal Family. He tried to warn the Sultan and still had to sit back and watch his boss obliviously smile and clap at the shiny distractions.

Jafar wanted to usurp the Sultan - that is true. But he also wanted to rule the kingdom. Or perhaps lead the kingdom. Perhaps bring the kingdom into its own Renaissance? We never get to find out. 

Would he have ruled it as an evil tyrant? Most signs point to yes, or at least probably. But we don’t actually know that. Perhaps he would have changed things for the better. Jafar himself wasn’t violently evil. If so he could have killed the Sultan countless times. He also treated Iago well (at least as far as Disney villains treat their lackeys) and most of his “evil” essence radiated from his clothing and mannerisms. But both his attire and interpersonal exchanges stayed more in line with what one would expect from a competent Statesman. A stark contrast to the childlike foolishness of the Sultan.

So when you break it all down - was Jafar really evil? He was a governing official with a duty the people. He was a brilliant tactician. A talented practitioner of esoterica in a land where sorcery wasn’t scene anywhere else. Jafar rose to his position more than likely through merit than manipulation. And where did his merit, his brilliance, his patience and understanding of elements beyond the grasp of the average joe get him? No where. He was trapped chasing after an overgrown man-child. The Sultan was a poor leader yet because of archaic concepts like royal blood and lineage, Jafar, perhaps the most intelligent man in the city, was forced to sit back and watch his liege fail at governing, fail at fatherhood, fail at economics and even fail to see a thief hiding in plain sight. And perhaps the most insulting aspect - Jafar had earned his place and should have had more trust from the Sultan, but instead, he couldn’t even get his king to give him 5 minutes to explain that a fraud was attempting to manipulate his daughter through lies and subterfuge.

Jafar was fed-up with the bullshit. 

Did I get it right? Y’all think maybe I’m missing something? Pile in if you’d be so kind as to entertain the ramblings of a man bored enough to sit down and write a theory piece on the moral compass of Jafar from Aladdin. 

[iincantatorum-a]

Name: Dr. Ombre Mystique Facilier Age of Character: 23 Species: Human/Shadow Face Claim: Antonia Thomas or Rihanna Appearance: Always well kept, her hair usually permed with curls. Height/frame: average height for a female, slender. A tight corset makes her appear bustier than she is.

Family History :

Dr. Facilier (father) Unknown Mother

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Personality: Mystique has the charm of her father, but her façade is much more divisive. Her natural personality is that of loud, judgmental, selfish, and only doing favors that will help her in some way.  On the outside, she is quite the lady, one who would have made the finest debutant, cooking, cleaning, and sewing her way into a man’s heart for money.

Hobbies: Tarot Cards, piano Fears: Facilier coming back from the shadows.  As much as she would like to marry rich, she fears a “loveless” marriage. Abilities: Precognition through her Tarot Cards, creating simple spells, and amulets for basic things like health, wealth, love.

Brief History:

Voodoo priests and priestesses are often chosen at birth, and Mystique was no different.  Except for having been taken from a loving home by Dr. Facilier and treated generally as a nuisance.  Her abilities exceed the normal expectations of a child, but it was never enough for her “father.” While some couldn’t even understand the cards, Mystique could understand them all, although if she read even one out of order it would be several raps on her hands until she got it right.  She was to be a protégé after all; why else would he have named after“the” Voodoo Queen.

Mystique developed his charms, although more harshly.  While his charm and anger often were quite balanced enough to not scare any customers away, Mystique would eventually snap at what she perceived as their stupidity.  She began to rebel against her father, finding that none of the people she “helped” gave her anything she wanted in return.  Her temper would cause harsher punishments, until she perfected the art of smooth talking her way into a man (or woman’s) wallet… unless she found out they didn’t have anything then her façade would quickly drop.

Mystique had been sent away by her father to learn his art before the events of The Princess and the Frog; he had decided that until she was better than she already was she needed different tutelage.  When she had returned to New Orleans, he had already been taken by the shadows, Marie’s chances of inheriting his magic amulet with him.  This led her to lose out on the powerful (albeit darker) side of Voodoo, leaving her with charms, amulets, and “cure-alls.” Disgusted by her own father’s failure and the future his fall had caused to be snatched away from her,  she decided to do her best to rise up above and beyond her father.

This was easier said than done, and without a way to contact any of her former teachers, Mystique suffered the life of a below average voodoo priestess, scraping by with tarot readings and selling charms and amulets.  This was not the life she wanted.  She was named after a queen, and a queen she would be.  She set out to find any eligible royalty for her to finally get the life that was rightfully hers, one reading, one charm at a time.