#and the two of them giving enemy soldiers the chance to run away if they have families to go home to

[waitineedaname]

the combo of ling's "it's my duty to protect and take care of the people I consider my own" + greed's "everything is mine, including people" to create the extremely potent philosophy "everything is mine, including people, so it's my duty to protect as many people as possible"

[phsychobanana]

In your eyes

Pairing: Zuko x Firebender!reader

Summary: When Zuko falls for a member of the gaang, he fears that his mistakes may ruin his chances with them.

Word count: 2.3k

A/n~ I think this is gender neutral? I don't remember putting any specific pronouns, but correct me if i'm wrong. Enjoy!

Funnily enough, the first time you met Zuko was at the northern water tribe. Two fire benders surrounded by waterbenders during a full moon. Not exactly an ideal situation for any firebender, but you were welcome, whereas Zuko was not.

You were running as fast as you could, your legs carrying you in a speed you didn't know was even possible. Katara was in trouble and the moon was slowly disappearing from the sky, fire nation soldiers were everywhere, the water benders were struggling with the loss of the moon and you were terrified.

"Katara!" You yell to her as you get closer to the girl. She was fighting a boy you had never seen before.

You jump on the boy's back and hold your hand to his throat, heating your palm up slowly.

"I would choose my next move carefully if I were you." You say as Katara puts her own hands to her neck and moves them around trying to mimic an explosion.

Suddenly, the boy moves his hands to your face and you feel a burning swipe across your eyebrow. You let go of him and move your hands to your face, a searing pain on your eyebrow almost making you drop to your knees. Katara rushes to your side in a panic,

You see the boy grab Aang and run off before you could do anything.

"Who was that?" You ask Katara angrily.

"Zuko."

***

Zuko followed you and the gaang around for weeks, those weeks turning into months. And the more he saw you, the more he wanted to see you again.

Unfortunately for him, the more you saw him, the more you wanted to smash his head through a window. But every couple has their problems.

You held a very strong grudge towards him, seeing as your eyebrow had scarred and you now had a line going through your eyebrow and over your eye. It made you angry every time you looked in the mirror.

Unbeknownst to you, Zuko felt absolutely terrible for what he had done. He didn't mean to scar you, he would never wish his fate on anyone. Not even his greatest enemy, which lamentably, happened to be you at the moment.

***

The next memorable time that you saw Zuko was in the crystal cave. You had both been thrown in there as a punishment and you were freaking out. Aang, Katara, and Sokka needed you.

You started hitting the walls, throwing as much fire power at it as possible, you even broke a crystal into one big sharp shard and slammed it against the door repeatedly, but it was no use.

"There's no point in doing that." Zuko says, looking at you with his blazing golden eyes. "We aren't getting out until they want us out."

You just scoff in response, unsure of why he was even talking to you in the first place.

He looks at you when he hears your scoff, "You don't have to be rude."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings by being mean?" You mock him in a baby voice, causing him to roll his eyes.

"What's your problem?" Zuko asks, looking you up and down with pinched eyebrows.

"What is my problem? You're my problem, Zuko. You've been hunting my friends and I for months, you've hurt us -or attempted to- more times than I can count, you gave me this," You point to your scar, making him flinch, "And you have the nerve to ask me what my problem is?" You let out another scoff and turn around, giving him your back.

Zuko looks down at his hands, not knowing what to say. He watches as you light each one of your fingers up like a candle to keep yourself distracted.

He walks over and sits next to you, doing the same with his fingers.

You look at him and roll your eyes.

He smiles softly to himself. You haven't moved away from him, yet.

***

If there had ever been even a sliver of you that had liked him in that cave, it was completely gone now. He had betrayed you that night in the cave and it hurt you.

It was the day of the eclipse and you were running through the underground tunnels, looking for Sokka. As you were running you bumped into something, falling hard to the ground.

"Ow!" A familiar voice huffed as the other person made contact with the ground.

"Zuko?"

He looks up, his hair falling into his eyes. You notice his eyes widen and light up, but just as he goes to say something you lunge at him.

With your hands around his neck, you yell at him through gritted teeth. "I trusted you!"

"I know, I'm sorry." He barely gets the words out, gasping and clawing at your hands.

You let go of him and slam him into the ground hard.

"I swear to the spirits, if you ever try to hurt my friends again I will kill you with my own two hands. No bending, no help, just me and you." You say and walk away to go find Sokka.

Zuko sits there for a moment replaying what you said in his head over again. A small smile spreads across his face and he jumps up, running after you.

***

"You have got to be kidding me!" You yell at your friends. They were letting Zuko, the guy that had tried to kill you and capture Aang on more occasions than you could count, into the group.

"Everyone deserves a second.....or 100th chance, Y/n." Aang says, placing a hand on your shoulder as Zuko takes a step towards you.

You clench your fist defensively, making him put his hands up in defense as he takes another step forward.

"I get why you wouldn't trust me, but I've changed." He says, taking one of your hands in his. You pull away with a hollow laugh and walk away.

"Fine, let this psycho join us. I don't care." You say as you disappear behind a wall.

Zuko looks down with a sigh. "Challenge accepted..." He says under his breath as he thinks of ways to win you over.

***

Two days after Zuko joined the gaang, you were attacked. A pack of firebenders found you, attacking the group. You all paired together, Sokka with Toph, Katara with Aang, and you with Zuko. You had begged Toph to pair with you but Sokka stole her, leaving you with the one person you did not want.

You were back to back, fighting off the soldiers when another fleet arrived. The gaang chose to run, not wanting to be captured. You stayed behind to fight off the rest of the soldiers so the others could get away.

"Y/n come on! Hurry!" Sokka yelled for you as you were running after Appa. A soldier dived at you and their hand grabbed at your ankle, making you tumble to the ground.

"Go!" You yell and Aang pulls Appa out of there. You kick your foot back at the soldier, successfully kicking them in the face. You run off into the forest, You can hear the soldiers running after you as you twist through the trees.

You feel something grab your arm and pull you toward them. Looking up, you see Zuko. He's not looking at you, instead looking at the soldiers running around looking for you. You notice that he pulled you into a clearing hidden by trees and bushes. He places his hand over you mouth as you go to say something.

His adams apple bobs as he swallows harshly, listening and watching for any signs that the soldiers might be headed towards the two of you. After no signs, he looks down at you, finally making eye contact.

His golden eyes shine as he looks at you and he smiles softly.

"Thank you." You say quietly, not wanting to be too loud.

He nods.

"Do you still hate me?" He asks with a barely there smirk.

You shake your head. "I don't think I ever really hated you." He smiles at you. "I just strongly disliked you. It was a very strong dislike. Very strong."

"Okay, I get it."

You laugh softly at his dismissiveness of the subject.

"Do you think I'm still a bad guy?" His voice is quiet. Barely a whisper, but you hear it.

You look at him, he's looking down at the grass, his fingers are playing with each other out of habit, his hair is fallen over his face and covering his eyes. You never quite realized how pretty he was.

"Of course not-" You begin to tell him your answer, but your words are interrupted by yelling.

The two of you turn your heads in the direction of the noises and see your friends running to you.

"There they are!" Katara calls to the others as she makes eye contact with you.

Zuko lets out a frustrated breath at the interruption, but he gets up and dusts off his clothes, offering you his hand.

***

The days after that moment in the woods would replay in your mind every night before you would sleep, every morning when you'd awake, every meal, every training session with Aang and Zuko, every group meeting, every day all day.

You had started watching Zuko more than you would care to admit. The way he tried to make up for all of his past mistakes always seemed to put a smile on your face. He helped Katara in the kitchen when he could, he always made time to talk about weapons with Sokka, he always played games with Toph and Aang, and he was especially trying to make it up to you. Though you didn't notice that part.

He always pulled your chairs out for you, he helped teach you how to control the lightning within you, he even got you flowers one time. Unfortunately the flowers backfired and Appa ended up eating them, sneezing petals for a week.

You were currently training Aang on the beach with Zuko. The sun was blazing down on your back and your cotton shirt was absorbing all of the heat, making you sweat more than you would normally.

You walk over to where Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Suki are sitting, sipping their little coconut drinks as they watch you and Zuko beat the arrows off of Aang.

You take both ends of your shirt and pull it over your head, leaving you in your shorts and bathing suit top. When you walk back over to the boys you notice how red Zuko's face is.

"You alright over there, Z?" You ask, worried that he might be overworking himself in the heat.

His head snaps to look you in the eyes, his face going an even deeper red.

"Y-yeah, heh. Why wouldn't I be?" He looks around, avoiding looking at you with everything in him.

You decide to ignore his weird reaction to your words and go back to teaching Aang.

"This one is a partner move. So, I'll demonstrate with Zuko and then when you understand how to do it, you can try with him." You explain as you walk over to the spluttering and red as a beet, boy.

You move his hand to your waist and his other in yours, your own face heating up a bit at this position. You then kick his own foot out from underneath him and flip him over your shoulder. You light your hand ablaze and put it near Zuko's neck like one would a sword.

"I thought you said this was a partner move," Zuko groans out.

"Yeah, good guy and bad guy. Partners." You say with a smirk.

"You can do that, right Aang?"

Aang nods his head excitedly.

After another hour or two of flipping Zuko over your shoulders, you all sit down around a camp fire on the beach for dinner. You and Zuko offer to collect the plates and take them back up to the house.

"You did good in training today." He says as he takes the plates from your hands and places them on the counter.

You let out a small laugh.

"Well I would assume I did considering the amount of times I was able to flip you."

He rolls his eyes and you take this moment to admire him.

His hair falls in perfect strands across his forehead, his golden eyes reflect the light of the setting sun peeping through the window, his skin is soft as you place your hand on his.

He looks at you confused when he feels your touch.

"You did good, too." You say softly.

He smiles at this, looking down at your hand that was still on his.

"How do you see me?" He asks, breaking the peaceful silence.

"What do you mean?"

"What am I in your eyes?"

You think for a moment, pondering how your answer.

"You're a person who has made many mistakes." You begin, making his shoulders droop a little bit. "But you are also a person trying to make up for all of those mistakes. You're a kid, a kid who has been through a lot. Yet, you're still sweet and funny and kind and loyal. You try to hide how you feel, but I can still see every emotion you have in your actions. You're trying. And for that, I think you are amazing. That is who you are in my eyes."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, making you feel nervous about how he would react.

With a million thoughts racing through his mind, he decides not to say anything. You said that his actions meant more, so he spoke with an action.

He gently placed his hand on your cheek and leaned in slowly, giving you time to pull away at any second. But you don't.

His lips meet yours in a soft kiss, his hair tickling your cheek. You smile into his kiss making him smile as well. Your arms wrap around his neck and you pull him closer as he pulls away from the kiss. You rest you foreheads against each other, catching your breath.

"I think I like you." He says, making you laugh.

"Oh shut up." You say and lean in for another kiss.

[neptuneiris]

for the crown (03/03)

two things can kill the soul, emptiness and false hope.

pairing: prince!aemond × lowborn!reader

summary: you gave yourself to him, you love him, he said that despite your low status at court, he will still marry you, because you are his, the woman who was his friend since childhood, until the war comes.

word count: 9.3k

previous part • series masterlist

and here ends another story, I can't believe it :( thank you so much to all the people who supported me and who read, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, you are incredible beautiful people, I love to write all this with pleasure for you❤ see you in the next stories. this is the end, there will be no epilogue.

warnings: angst, denigration, abusive behavior, possessiveness, infidelity, betrayal, mention of death, blood, cuts.

"Prince Daemon sends his greetings."

That's what the man says as he holds a dagger menacingly against your throat, feeling the cold metal firmly against your skin, while with his other hand he quiets your sobs as tears fall down your cheeks.

Even you still don't process how you got into this situation. It just all happened too fast.

All the commotion happened so suddenly, a soldier in green armor shouted ambush and suddenly men with black banners appeared surrounding the camp at Harrenhal, while everyone barely had time to react and suddenly they were already surrounded.

Even Aemond.

The maidservants were the first to flee towards the castle in fear, so you too quickly decided to go after them as the enemy soldiers began to surround everything and kill the men attacking them.

When you suddenly felt someone grab you from behind forcefully without expecting it at all and silenced your screams with his hand, instantly bringing the dagger to the side of your stomach, placing the tip ready to be embedded in your skin, threatening you.

"If you want to live a little longer, I suggest you put up no resistance and don't make a fuss, my dear," the unknown man threatens in your ear in a low, slightly amused voice.

He tells you as he moves the dagger threateningly firmer against your skin, warning you.

However, not thinking correctly and acting on a survival impulse, you gather courage and manage to get the man off you by hitting him with your foot in his intimate part as hard and fast as you can.

The man gasps loudly from the pain, releasing you, giving you time to run and call for help, crying and completely terrified.

But the man immediately pulls himself together and angrily grabs you again in a quick and calculated motion, knocking you to the ground.

You cry and cry for help as he drags you away and you continue to put up resistance, terrified and desperate, but still he places you at his feet and then stands over you, immobilizing your movements.

"No! No, please!" you cry out to him pleadingly, crying, resisting and beating him as best you can with your hands made into fists.

"Shut up!"

He shouts angrily at you, then unexpectedly hits you with his raised hand right on your right cheek, hitting your lower lip as well, bursting it, while a wave of pain runs through your face and you stop resisting.

When suddenly everything goes strangely quiet.

Rhaenyra's army does not kill Aemond's forces, there is no bloodshed or battle as such, except when the green soldiers put up too much resistance and the archers shoot them right in the forehead, killing them instantly.

This is strange to Aemond, who with his sword in hand, alert and defensive, watches as he is surrounded by all those men along with his army, attentive and waiting… though they are not actually attacking them.

Not yet.

Desperately he looks for some way to free himself from the situation, needing his dragon to have a better chance, observing how his men don't even have their swords with them or at least not many of them, most of them being unarmed by the unexpected situation.

When then he remembers you.

More desperate than before, he searches for you among all the people, unsuccessfully, starting to worry, feeling the nerves invade him even more, hoping and wanting to believe that perhaps you have escaped in time along with the maidservants.

But if you've been ambushed so suddenly and so carefully, where even he didn't have time to react, he doubts that you were able to get away from it all in time.

But if you're in the castle, hiding, equally that comforts him a little. However, Aemond did not expect to see Alys came out of the castle.

Static and with clear surprise on his face he sees how a tall man, of broad build, with strong arms, wearing brown leather clothes, with brown hair and beard of the same color along with his wrinkled face, holds tightly by her hair.

Alys gasps in pain and he make her walk and with his other hand he holds a dagger against her throat.

She cries and looks hopefully at Aemond, asking for his help and completely frightened, while the man continues to hold her tight to make her move forward and threatening her with the dagger in her throat, until they reach the middle of the whole ambush.

Aemond cautiously observes the whole scene, trying not to look as worried as he actually is, taking a few steps towards them, about to speak when a voice catches his attention.

"Ah prince Aemond, there you are!"

He then feels as if a wave of fire will burn him completely alive as he now sees how a tall, skinny, hairless man with some visible scars on his bald head and also brown leather clothes holds you firmly, making you walk as you cry and continues to threaten you with the dagger this time at your throat too.

Aemond wants to believe this really isn't happening as the man holding you stands next to the man holding Alys, his two women now in front of him, each being threatened with a dagger, on the verge of death.

His heart rate increases to a faster, unstable one, feeling like he will vomit at any moment, seeing the scene in front of him.

But his attention is drawn more towards you, with the man mumbling at you, threatening you to stop crying, as he notices the blow on your cheek and the blood coming out of your lower lip, instantly watching everything with his jaw clenched and his hands making them into fists, clenching his sword too tightly.

"We've been waiting to see you, Prince Aemond," says that man holding you, watching him amused, "Couldn't miss the show, could you?"

"Let them go, both."

He demands in a serious and deep voice, angry, hiding his desperation and concern, cautious and attentive to anything, while the man holding you watches him even more amused.

"I don't think you are in a position to demand a thing prince, or are you?"

"Then what do you want?"

Aemond instantly snaps at him, his voice hard and threatening, his whole posture tense and still clenching his hands tightly into fists.

He doesn't understand anything.

If they're here to kill them, why didn't they do it from the beginning? He doesn't understand what they're getting at with this by taking you and Alys.

"What do we want?" the man repeats, then laughs bitterly and with cruelty, "No," he denies with his head and then looks at you, "What we want we already have… right here."

This sends shivers down Aemond's body, who unable to hide it any longer, watches worried and alert as the man presses the dagger harder against your throat.

Your stir and cry in fright, to which the man quickly covers your mouth with his hand, making you gasp from the pain, so you close your eyes tightly and let out more tears, sobbing into his hand, wishing for this to be over soon.

"When Prince Daemon heard that his nephew took the Crown in the Usurper's absence and that he took Harrenhal to gain more support throughout the Riverlands against his wife, apparently enjoying the company of not one, but two women in the midst of war… this got his attention and he decided to act about it."

Then the other man holding Alys speaks with a deep voice and a determined look, while Aemond listens and watches everything carefully.

"Now he can avenge the death of his son, Lucerys, properly."

The tension rises at that moment, Aemond completely transfixed watches with his eye wide open at the scene in front of him, with the man's words constantly replaying in his mind as he sees the two of you more than willing in killing you and Alys.

Then the realization also hits him like a wave.

Blood and Cheese.

These two men are the same assassins that his uncle sent to kill one of his nephews, in revenge for Luke's death.

They were never found, both successfully escaping the Keep after such an act that his sister witnessed and drove her into madness.

Aemond truly took full responsibility and understood that his sister could no longer even accept his touch or tolerate his presence, crying completely devastated the next few days after losing her son and to this day.

But now… the victims are not his niece and nephews due to the lack of children of his own, now it's you and Alys.

He didn't bother to keep his activities with Alys discreet. Everyone knew there was an intimate relationship between him and her, he even knows that word must have gotten as far as King's Landing.

As well as with you, the words spreading since he stole you from the Keep and brought you here with him.

This is why he understands that these men have taken you and Alys successfully, until now realizing the grave mistake he made in carelessly letting his weaknesses be known.

Watch as Alys watches him intently, pleading, as the man continues to hold her tightly with the dagger at her throat, and then watches you, you already watching him the same way she is, frightened and begging for his help.

"We will tell you the same thing we told your sister, Prince Aemond," Cheese says in a more serious and firm voice, "We are debt collectors. In this case a son… for a mistress."

Cheese's grip on you grows tighter, as you gasp from the pain and continue to cry, while Aemond presses his lips together and stands as still as ever, afraid to make a false move, watching and listening to everything intently.

He feels as if his heart is going to burst out of his chest at any instant, he wants to vomit and wants to burn everything to the ground because of the fact that he can't do anything about it.

He is completely helpless in the face of the situation.

"We only want one to balance things out. The other one we won't touch a hair on her head."

Cheese continues, along with Blood still holding the daggers menacingly against yours and Alys' throats.

"Then… which one would you prefer to save, your Grace?"

The tension increases with every second, as Alys stares at him pleading and you too, crying.

These words hit not only Aemond, but also you, desperately asking for his help, terrified, crying harder, knowing full well that the dagger in your throat can kill you at any instant, the decision being his.

You watch him completely attentively, as Aemond slightly raises his hand towards the men, swallowing hard, wanting to keep calm and peace, as he feels the despair all over his body.

And now he understands what his sister had to go through.

"No, wait," he says instantly, trying to sound calm and look less desperate and worried, "Wait," he repeats firmly and cautiously, trying to reason with them, "I'm sure we can come to a beneficial agreement. Just let them go."

Cheese laughs bitterly, as Blood answers for both of them.

"An agreement is not a mistress, prince."

"It has to be one of the two of them," Cheese makes clear, in warning, "And I advise you to make up your mind soon before Blood gets bored and decides to enjoy one of the two, prince."

Your heart rate increases in panic, as Aemond purses his lips and starts to become clear in his indecision, really wanting to believe that none of this is happening, when the moment is more real, terrifying and vivid than ever.

"Choose or we kill them both," Cheese says as a final warning, his gaze determined.

Alys stirs hard, drawing the attention of Aemond, who with the clear worry and desperation on his face, watches as Blood orders her to stand still while she pleads with him to choose her. Worry invading him more, feeling his fingernails dig into his palms as he squeezes hard.

When then his gaze turns to you.

Your eyes completely teary, red and panicked look back at him, pleading with him to choose you, feeling just as scared as he is, feeling your fear increase and you breathe harder each time you feel the man place the dagger more firmly against your throat.

Aemond says nothing. His gaze is completely hard, his jaw clenched and clear indecision is on his face as he watches continuously between Alys and you, watching the daggers in each other's throats.

And in that moment you have hope.

All the moments you shared with Aemond since you were both children you remember, all the gifts, details and the caresses that happened as you both grew up.

All those moments together, when he gave you your first kiss and when he claimed you as his.

You've been his friend since you were both children and his companion ever since, to this day. And you are hopeful that he will choose you, because that is what you would do.

However, seeing Aemond's hesitation and how he watches you so deeply, his eye desperate and full of concern, you still wait for all this to be over once and for all, wanting to stop feeling the edge of the dagger against your throat.

But Aemond remains silent, being aware that he has to choose soon, because he can't lose both of them. But seeing you and then Alys, the decision is very difficult.

You watch him without understanding, expectantly, while begging and crying for him to choose you, while the man's hand hurts you by your broken lip, but still completely attentive to him, wishing that this horrible torture where you are on the verge of death is over.

When finally Aemond seems resigned and finally points.

"Her."

And in that moment… everything around you stops.

Your face slowly softens in surprise, watching Aemond with your eyes wide open, your soul falling at your feet.

You watch perfectly well as he points to Alys.

You watch perfectly well as he chooses her.

Then all the realization also hits you like a wave, not even crying anymore because of the panic and because of the man who can kill you at any second.

But you cry because you realize that not even in this kind of situation where you are on the verge of death, he will choose you.

All you feel is an empty feeling inside you, as if something is missing, with a huge sharp pain in your chest, as you watch Aemond and you can't even hear what he says to the man holding her, everything sounding too far away and feeling like you are flying for a moment.

With your gaze completely devastated, you watch as the man releases Alys and Aemond quickly takes her in his arms, concerned, everything about him looking for a moment relieved, as he holds her and makes sure she's all right.

The way he holds her face, the way she watches him as she is now safe in his arms, everything hurts.

Feeling completely weak and watching the scene, really not wanting to believe it, it's as if your very mind is going into a state of resignation unconsciously, as that sharp pain in your chest is more constant and you feel like you're breaking into a thousand pieces.

The man removes his hand from your mouth to hold you tightly by the jaw, you barely feeling his touch as you continue to watch Aemond's choice attentively.

The two of them embrace, he holds her against him as if she is the most precious thing he has, making sure that no one will ever take her away from him again.

When then his gaze turns to you and though you don't know it… his cold heart breaks into pieces at the sight of you.

All he can see on your face is how completely broken you are, tears streaming down your cheeks, confusion, sadness and betrayal completely to him, all of you totally devastated.

He presses his lips together, leaving Alys aside for a moment when you've seen it all and now you understand it all, looking away from him and focusing on the ground, all realization in your broken gaze.

And it all feels worse when Cheese says in your ear, loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Did you hear that, my lady? Your prince wants your death."

Letting out a sigh, you close your eyes and let some more tears fall, accepting all this, Aemond, Alys, your destiny, everything… and you wait for death, giving yourself completely to it.

Cheese watches Blood with a malevolent smile, that being the signal, while you silently cry and wait for it all, when Aemond again intervenes, worried.

"No, no, wait," he urges.

But both assassins already have what they wanted, so Blood watches him with a dark look.

"There is no more demand here, Prince Aemond. You have made your decision."

"No, wait," Aemond says again more firmly, desperate, watching behind both men and again at them, so continuously, "Just wait."

"No, prince," Cheese denies with his head slightly amused, "No more waiting."

He says to again place the dagger against your throat decisively, causing Aemond to freeze completely and you weak freely allow access, hoping it will all be over soon, as Cheese gives Aemond a dark smile.

"Prince Daemon sends his regards."

And then everything happens too fast.

You let out a last sigh, with your eyes closed, letting yourself go completely, waiting for the moment when you will feel how the blade cuts your skin and the blood will come out of your throat, running all over your body to the ground and so you will bleed to death.

However, the sensation of the blade against your skin never comes.

When suddenly, the whole place again explodes into chaos.

The men surrounding Aemond's men are surrounded by Lannister and Hightower bannermen, neither of them expecting it and they are killed instantly, this being the opportunity for Aemond's unarmed men to take up their swords and defend themselves.

This immediately catches the attention of Blood and Cheese, also that of Aemond, who pushes Alys away and again takes his sword, looking desperately at Cole, who observing the situation, orders one of his archers to attack.

And then… an arrow pierces perfectly through Cheese's head, killing him instantly.

Without expecting it, you fall to the ground in a firm hit, feeling how blood splashes in your direction, only it is not yours, while the army that was with Criston Cole makes its way through the whole place to rescue Prince Aemond and his men.

And the moment that happens, Aemond reacts quickly, holding his sword tightly, in an instant heading towards Blood, who completely bewildered watches the whole scene confused, to then behead his head in a calculated and firm movement.

He yells at Alys to hide in the castle, quickly, then rushes towards you, who crying on the ground with Cheese's body next to you, he quickly takes you in his arms, lifting you up.

You look at him completely bewildered, while everything around starts to be a battle and a bloodshed, as Aemond makes you run for safety.

But the instant you finally react and understand what is happening after such a sudden situation, you move his hands away from your body, avoiding his touch, to seek refuge in the castle yourself, scared.

Aemond then begins to kill the men who had surrounded him before, with fury running through his veins, without measuring his strength and his limits, feeling how his fear from before is replaced by adrenaline and kills every man who fights for his half-sister and his uncle, furious for the situation he was forced into before.

And he kills every one of those men, until there are none left.

Some time later, all is quiet again, as carriages take away the dead bodies that were seen around and inside Harrenhal, while Aemond's men supervise everything and Aemond has a meeting with Criston Cole and all his advisors, talking and discussing about what happened.

Aemond immediately orders the word to reach King's Landing about the ambush and also how he has avenged his nephew Jaehaerys.

They also discuss how they could have been ambushed in such an unexpected way, really none of them having an answer, as Aemond runs a hand over his face and feels completely exhausted in every possible way.

It is not until he has a short break, still having many things to discuss and do, that he goes to your chamber, where he was informed some time before that you were being attended to by the Maester, that he can finally come to see you.

He finds you alone in your chamber, without any trace of blood and your hair still wet from the bath you took, the wound on your lip is already clean, but the bruise on your cheek is more than visible.

Even when you hear how they enter your chamber, you still don't turn around and continue watching through your windows, knowing perfectly well that it's him, since you would recognize the sound of his boots walking anywhere.

With your gaze completely broken, disinterested at the same time and with dry tears on your cheeks, you look at the mountains beyond, still feeling that sharp pain in your chest and still feeling weak.

Aemond lets out a long breath, shortening the distance between both of you, placing himself behind you, while you continue without watching him, the tears wanting to come out of your eyes again and pressing your lips together, avoiding sobbing and crying in front of him, not wanting him to see you that way.

In fact you don't want anything from him anymore, you just want to be alone.

"Y/N—

He starts to say to you in a soft voice, while his fingers touch your arm, but immediately your face hardens and you pull his hand away in a cold, abrupt and curt way, not caring, not wishing him to touch you, even without looking at him.

Aemond remains completely still, watching you, not expecting at all that reaction and behavior from you, while you continue firm, without looking at him and without saying anything at all.

He lets out another long breath as he looks away from you for a second, to look at you again with some anger in his gaze, expectantly.

"Now what's wrong with you?"

Nothing, you don't watch him or say absolutely nothing to him.

Do he still dare to ask?

You ask yourself, incredulous, not believing he's fool enough not to know what's wrong with you. Of course he knows, he just wants to make you look weak and dramatic.

But how are you supposed to feel and how are you supposed to act, when hours before in that horrible moment, he practically condemned you to death?

Aemond runs a hand all over his face and hair, his patience beginning to wear thin, not wanting to have to deal with you now when he's already had so much to endure this day and it's not even over yet.

"Are you done yet?" he asks you annoyed, "Believe me I'm not in the mood for your behavior right now."

And that's when you can't resist any longer, answering him even without looking at him.

"Then leave," you tell him without much emotion, "I didn't ask you to come and I'm certainly not holding you back if you have more important things to do. I'm sure Alys will be more pleased to see you, after all… she is part of your important matters."

Aemond completely loses his patience and in a second he's already grabbing you hard by the jaw to force you to look him in the eye, while you stare at him without expression, your gaze completely dead and empty.

"You are going to stop this fucking nonsense and you are going to stop it now," he warns you in a serious and threatening tone.

"Do not touch me," you tell him seriously as you again abruptly pull his hands away from you.

And again you turn your back to him, staring at the window, instantly feeling tears run down your cheeks, only you dare not make a sound, waiting for him to leave and leave you alone.

"Can you stop behaving like this? I'm sick of it," he demands, annoyed, "I knew Cole was coming, I saw him approaching and I knew you would be fine, I saved you," he exclaims serious, explaining.

Again you say nothing to him, not daring to look at him, tears falling more freely down your cheeks, unable to hold back.

It makes you sadder that he doesn't really know why you are this way, and it certainly isn't because you were terrified of dying. In some part if it was, but what hurt you more was that he chose her and you were condemned to death, is that because he didn't choose you… for her.

And if he knew Criston Cole was coming, then why did he still choose her?

He could have chosen you, he could have taken you in his arms as he did with her, that's what you would have done because you have known him for years and you are the one who has always been with him, not her.

However, you understand that you should stop thinking about what you would do for people, because that doesn't mean they will do the same for you.

That has become more than clear to you, because even if you choose him, he won't choose you.

He couldn't risk losing his precious Alys one way or another, wanting to make sure he had her really safe first, while you remained in that man's arms, waiting for your death.

You are not more important than his witch. He needs her to win the war for his brother, his family… and you are not more important than the crown.

"Hey, did you hear me?" he urges you, annoyed "I knew Cole would come."

You sniffle, lowering your gaze, then nod even without looking at him, looking the saddest and most disinterested, really wishing he would leave and leave you alone.

"Of course," you murmur to him without emotion, bitterly.

He didn't know anything.

Your mind tells you, only making you feel worse, even though you knew from the moment he chose her, not wanting to say anything to him about it, not having the energy to fight him.

And at this, Aemond has had enough of your attitude and disinterest, so he snorts bitterly, annoyed and tired, turning around to leave, not saying anything else to you and certainly having more important things to take care of.

You press your lips together, your gaze completely hard, really not wanting to say anything, but needing to get it out of your system, so in a low murmur you say:

"Liar."

And even though you've said it to yourself, still Aemond hears you and in an instant stops, turning to you again, instantly feeling his watchful and annoyed gaze, hearing you as he takes a few steps towards you, while you stand firm even though you don't even return his gaze.

"What did you say?"

He asks you slowly, like a madman about to explode, not liking your word at all. And you make it clearer to him, swallowing hard first.

"It was Criston Cole and the archer who saved me, not you," you answer him coldly, "Even in that kind of situation, you will always choose her," you tell him bitterly, "It was you who gave me over to death, because you didn't even know if Criston would arrive, it was just a coincidence that it came at the ideal moment."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Y/N. You don't know anything," he tells you menacingly serious, "So I advise you to stop acting like a fucking little girl and stop bringing Alys up every second when I've already explained to you, countless times, that I need her to win the war."

"Yes," you mutter, your gaze bitter, "You need her so much that you'd rather kill me first, than lose her."

"Seven fucking Hells," he mumbles, sick of it, "That was necessary, what do you not understand?" he says to you annoyed, "And yet why do you care so much? At the end of all this I'm not staying with her, it's you I'm marrying."

"Oh is that so?" you say without emotion, "I'm not sure about that anymore. At this point maybe your witch will marry you first before me," you shrug, "And I wouldn't be surprised. Even if that happens, you won't let me go. I'll just be just your whore, like I've been all this time."

"Don't say that," he warns you.

"Or I will finally end up dead."

"Y/N," he warns you for the last time.

You let out a soft sob, closing your eyes tightly, breaking into pieces again, the memory even more vivid than ever, the dagger against your throat and him choosing her, over and over again.

And you feel again how Aemond tries to grab your arm, but you push him away again in an instant.

"'Go away. Leave me alone," you beg him hurt and upset, no longer bearing his presence.

He tries to speak, when at that moment there is a knock on the door, so resigned and irritated he orders with a firm voice to enter, turning around to observe who it is, being the Maester.

He catches your attention as well, at once calming you down and wiping your tears away.

"Oh my prince," he bows his head to him, as you continue to turn your back to both of them, still controlling yourself, "I'm sorry to interrupt, my prince. I just came to attend to Lady Y/N's wound, I have already gotten what I need."

"I understand you have already cleaned and tended to her wounds, Maester," Aemond tells you cold and serious, watching him intently and intimidatingly.

"No, my prince. I tended to the wound on her lip, but the one on her throat is missing. I didn't have what I needed, so I went to get it," he explains softly.

Aemond frowns slightly, as the Maester makes his way across the room to you, who once calmed down and with a calmer and more serious attitude, you let him do his job, not looking at Aemond for a second and pretending that he is no longer there.

While he continues standing, observing the work of the Maester. He didn't even know that the assassin had managed to cut a bit of your throat, being a barely visible and small cut, but deep enough.

He lets out a long breath, looking away for a moment, running a hand over his face to finally leave the chamber.

He feels furious, annoyed and stressed by everything that still awaits him, instantly meeting again with all his advisors, the matters of the war at this point really bothering him and a lot.

While you, when the Maester finishes cleaning your wound, continue to be locked in your chamber, not having the energy for absolutely nothing, reliving the moment in your mind over and over again about Aemond choosing her… and not you.

You cry silently, thinking about it and also about Aemond's words of justification, only making you feel worse.

Even lying in your bed, really having no peace and unable to sleep properly, you still feel that sharp pain in your chest. Fortunately Aemond doesn't appear in your chamber again, but still you continue to suffer in silence.

And when you finally manage to sleep, the nightmare repeats itself, the words of that man leaving the choice to Aemond, and then he chooses her, and finally the man kills you in a fine and perfect movement.

At that moment you wake up, bringing your hands to your throat in an instant, breathing hard and gasping in fear, beads of sweat all over your face and body, hugging yourself and in an instant crying again.

He choose her.

Your mind tells you, not leaving you alone, thinking that Aemond probably hasn't come to see you because he is with her. After what happened… he must still be with her.

It's not like you want him to, but all this just reinforces more what happened and how you are nothing to him, how you are not more important than her and that you just don't matter to him.

All these thoughts don't leave you alone, feeling completely alone and more than vulnerable, letting the ghosts of the cursed castle of Harrenhal consume you in darkness… letting her consume you, the witch.

When the next morning, after one of your maids brings you a tray with breakfast, even though you have no appetite and do not wish to eat anything, there is something hidden among all the plates and napkins laid out for you.

Then it's as if you again feel like you're floating, the realization hitting you harder than before and that ache all over your chest making you feel weaker and more vulnerable.

Just now truly understanding… the role you play in Aemond's life.

Everyone in Harrenhal hears the huge roar of Vhagar in the skies, approaching.

It is not until shortly after that a vibration is felt throughout the ground, indicating the landing of the huge dragon and also indicating the return of the Prince Regent.

Aemond runs one of his hands over his face as he removes the helmet that complements his armor, instantly seeing the ash permeate his fingers from all that he ordered burned and destroyed to the ground, heading towards the black castle.

Since the ambush yesterday, having the meeting with all his men and advisors, this morning he decided to head alone towards Rhaenyra's army that was slowly approaching, deciding to wipe them all out from the skies, responding to the harsh ambush and killing all those men fighting for his half-sister.

He didn't act instantly, he had to wait for the perfect moment to attack and take them all by surprise.

And when the moment finally came, he burned every single one of them with their carriages and supplies, leaving absolutely nothing, making sure of it.

Criston Cole and all his advisors wait patiently for their return, watching Vhagar in the distance on some mountains, while the figure of Aemond begins to get closer and closer.

And once they are all in the Council Room, again the discussions begin.

"There is not a man or carriage left," says Aemond firmly, "All is cleared as to any movement on the part of the blacks."

"There are no claims that there are any more soldiers fighting for the blacks in the Riverlands, my prince. According to the spies and soldiers you sent."

"Good," Aemond says with a nod.

"Ravens arrived as well, my prince," Cole tells him, extending rolled parchments to him, "All from Kings Landing."

"There was an attack?" he asks instantly, taking the paper.

"No, they report that all is well, Prince Daeron is guarding the entire Keep. It is King Aegon's answers as to the ambush, the assassins Prince Daemon sent and he has also let it be known that he has sent soldiers for the loss, to equal again the men we had, all from Oldtown and Storm End."

Aemond nods, understanding and being pleased to hear that, finally hearing good news since he arrived at Harrenhal and feeling some of that peace he needed, also that hope of winning the war again.

He continues to discuss other plans, until finally the meeting ends after several hours, where his advisors begin to leave the room, except for Criston, whom Aemond watches him expectantly as he notices that he does not move from his spot.

"Is there anything else, Cole?"

The man watches him for a moment in silence, then lets out a long breath and finally speaks.

"Yes, my prince, there is something else."

"Well, speak," he tells him without understanding, watching him intently.

Cole again remains silent for a few seconds, while Aemond watches him, waiting, beginning to lose patience. When Cole finally speaks.

"It's Lady Y/N, my prince."

Aemond stands completely still, still watching Cole intently, not understanding.

"What about her?"

"She's missing."

He says and at that moment Aemond feels his whole body tense up completely.

"Her maid said she wasn't in her room this morning, so she searched all over the castle and the surrounding area but she didn't find her."

He lets him know as Aemond feels all that peace at seeing progress in the war fade away. He lets out a long breath, closes his eye and runs a hand over his face, wanting to believe this isn't happening.

"Since noon I've sent guards to search for her all over Harrenhal, my prince," Cole adds, "But there's no sign of her."

"Fucking Hell," Aemond mutters tired, irritated and now worried, watching him instantly annoyed, "And why didn't you say anything before?"

"I-I…" Cole is speechless for a moment, nervous, "I'm sorry, my prince. You had just arrived and I thought you would want to take care of crown matters first."

Aemond rolls his eye, beginning to feel furious, his whole face annoyed, instantly rising from his seat.

"Fetch the maid, bring her here. Now," he orders him upset.

"Yes, my prince."

Cole immediately complies with the order, while Aemond feels that at any moment he will go mad, trying to calm down.

When your maid enters the room in fear, followed by Cole, to be instantly interrogated by Aemond, being intimidated at all times and answering his questions in caution.

Then he himself gathers more men, even men on horseback, ordering several of them to head for the roads leading out of Harrenhal.

"If she's gone on foot, she can't be far, so find her and get her complete, do you understand? Without any wounds," he threatens, to which the men instantly obey.

Aemond at once gathers the men who are searching all over Harrenhal, wanting to hear news, but they all inform him the same thing: there is no sign of you.

And he instantly orders them to keep searching, not caring how exhausted they already are or that they have already scoured the area, he just wants to find you.

But the men last all night until the Hour of the Wolf looking for you, without success.

The next morning, Aemond in a sorry state, not having been able to sleep all night, being on the lookout to hear some news about you, receives the men he sent on horseback and they let him know that there is no trace of you on any road.

Aemond demands that they tell him exactly what they saw, how far they got and making sure they did their job well, annoyed and beginning to lose his patience completely, taking his bad mood out on all those men, demanding answers.

However, no one finds anything, but he forces them to search again, not caring about anything, feeling that at any moment he will go mad, despair and worry eating him alive.

When they leave him alone in the room, even Alys comes looking for him, asking him if he's all right and offering a distraction for a moment, but he dismisses her instantly, not having the slightest interest in her now, too occupied thinking only of you.

He is left alone in the Council Room, running his hands all over his face and eye, feeling more despair all over his body, when a few moments later, Cole enters the room, cautious and watching him with some pity.

"My prince," he makes him aware of his presence, approaching towards him.

"Did you find her?" he asks at once in a serious voice and looking completely tired.

"Yes, my prince."

He answers in a murmur to his great surprise, making him watch him instantly attentive. Then he lets out a long breath, feeling all that tension and despair leave his body completely, feeling relieved.

"Fucking finally," he mutters still angry, getting up from his seat, ready to head towards you.

"My prince," Cole tells you instantly, taking a step towards him, "You must know something—

"What?" he inquire annoyed, "I don't have time for this. Where is she?" he demands to know, putting on his black coat, watching him expectantly.

"Wait my prince, s-she's—

"Just tell me where the fuck is she!" he demands desperately.

"She's dead!"

Cole tells him without further ado, stopping Aemond completely, as he looks at him seriously and with a sorrowful look, assuring him completely that he is serious and that he would never dare to say something like this if it were not true, while Aemond is completely paralyzed.

He watches him with his lips half open and his eye wide open, surprised and not expecting it at all.

"She was found in the lake just beyond the main road of Harrenhal, hidden in bushes," he explains to him gently, cautious, not wanting to disturb him further, "She had a dagger and cuts on both wrists," he says very carefully, preparing to say the next thing in the same way, "Apparently she did it to herself, my prince."

Aemond feels like he can't hold himself on his feet, leaning back against one of the chairs, watching Cole in bewilderment and as if he can't believe it.

"She was brought back here and is now with the Silent Sisters," he adds, "She had this with her, as well as the dagger."

He tells him to then drop in front of him on the table apparently a letter, instantly Aemond's gaze hardening and refusing to believe that you, his Y/N, is dead.

"No. It's not her," he says firmly, "Y/N is not dead."

Cole watches him with pity, lowering his gaze for a moment.

"Yes it is her, my prince," he assures him gently, as Aemond looks at him completely serious and on the verge of losing control, "I'm very sorry."

Aemond feels as if he is floating, his whole body tense and his mind refusing again and again to believe his words, telling himself that it is impossible, that you couldn't have abandoned him like that, that you have always been with him, by his side, since he was a child.

He denies, feeling how his heart begins to beat strongly, besides starting to feel that sharp pain all over his chest, tensing more, feeling as if he were drowning and short of breath, besides an emptiness, something missing.

He hardens his gaze and tightens his lips, feeling a huge lump in his throat and a discomfort all over his stomach, as if he feels like he is about to throw up, losing strength.

It just can't be.

No.

That's all Aemond thinks, incredulous, in denial and feeling all his palpitations getting stronger, the whole world crashing down on him, despairing and feeling completely dazed.

It is not until some time later that Aemond, with his hard look and tight lips, orders Cole coldly to leave the room, to which the knight obeys, not really wanting to leave him alone, only to stand right at the doors once he closes them, being alert.

And a few moments later, Criston Cole hears how Aemond finally reacts and starts breaking everything in the room, listening to his screams of rage, he even breaks and curses that letter you had with you when you were found, because now he understands why you did what you did.

This is the first and last time I will respond to one of your letters, Y/N. But first I want you to understand that I don't want you to write to me ever again.

You have brought shame to our entire family name, you have brought shame to me, destroying the few things I built so that we could afford a life. After all I did for you, you decided to turn your back on me and give yourself away like a common whore to a prince, allowing him to ruin and disgrace you.

You are not my daughter, you are not that woman I cared for and raised, because if you had been, you would not have allowed any of this. And yet you expect me to forgive you by believing that the prince is going to marry you by the time all this is over?

The news has reached here about how the prince has taken another mistress, a witch, so you are a complete fool to believe that he cares about you and will marry you. Open your eyes at once and understand that you are nothing more than just a desire, a whim, a woman to warm his bed, becoming his whore and nothing more, which is all you will be useful to him.

You have not only embarrassed and disappointed me, but also your mother, because believe me Y/N she would be very disappointed in you. Don't write to me again and don't look for me when he leaves you and you have nowhere to go, you are just a naive fool who got carried away by the whims of a man, believing his lies.

I truly don't recognize you and want absolutely nothing to do with you, so as I told you, don't ever write and look for me again.

These same words are the ones you had read when they brought you your tray with breakfast.

You definitely not expect that your father would truly respond as you decided to send him a letter hoping he would forgive you by explaining the whole situation, why you left with Aemond and what would happen when the war was over.

You did everything in secret and with Ellya's help, fearing that Aemond would find out but fortunately that didn't happen, until you fortunately received your father's reply.

However, you did not expect such words from him.

Reading it all, with your mind still fresh from what happened with those assassins, Aemond and Alys, you now really understood what you mean in Aemond's life…. nothing.

Your father's words broke you completely, realizing that he is right.

You also understand that you have no family anymore and that you are completely alone in all this, that your father hates you for what you did and thinking about your mother too, how terribly disappointed she would be in you.

You understood that even if you stay by Aemond's side, you are only his whore and that is how everyone recognizes you now, Prince Aemond's whore.

You understood that even he could get bored of you at any moment and take Alys permanent, that made it clear to you the moment he chose her over you with the assassins, because you are of no other use to him, you can't see the future and help him in matters of war.

You are simply of no use to him, other than to warm his bed.

And you don't want to live like that, where at any moment Aemond leaves you unexpectedly, having no one else, nowhere to go, realizing that you yourself ruined your life for a man who doesn't even care about you and doesn't love you.

With your heart in a fist, sadness completely invading you and the realization getting harder by the second, the moment you found out that Aemond had left Harrenhal to attack an army of the blacks, you decided to escape.

You took a dagger from the kitchens without anyone seeing you, you passed the guards unnoticed and you walked away until you reached that lake, with tears in your eyes and feeling completely alone and hopeless.

The memory of Aemond choosing her over and over again, the letter from your father and how you ruined your life by making the wrong choices, did not leave you alone at all times and you decided to slit your wrists.

All alone, taking a seat on the ground, near the trees with bushes and the beautiful lake in front of you.

And with the view of the dusk, you let yourself go completely with blood dripping down your hands, staining your dress and tears streaming down your cheeks.

It wasn't so painful even though you felt completely alone, starting to feel very weak and disoriented, breathing hard and waiting for the Stranger to take you away.

That last memory of the world comforted you and taking your last breath, you closed your eyes and thought of Aemond. Even though he did not love you back, you truly loved him until the day you died.

And you left, not really wanting to leave, but being necessary.

Now Aemond finds himself watching you at the table in one of the large unoccupied rooms of Harrenhal Castle.

Earlier the Silent Sisters were about to begin their work with you, only to be interrupted by him and asked for a moment, where he had heard before entering how one of them had said in a low whisper; "Poor child…she died alone."

He continues to feel that sharp pain in his chest, all hard stare and tight lips, barely processing that this is really you.

Your eyes are closed, your whole face in a slight expression of pain, still looking completely serene and still, your skin pale and without color… without life, still wearing your dress, stained with dried blood.

Aemond clenches his jaw and gathers courage to look at your arms, all the way to your wrists, where he sees the deep cuts perfectly, feeling that pain all over his body again.

Then he dares to raise one of his hands and delicately touch your cheek, almost with fear, instantly not feeling that warm and soft touch from you.

When the first tear falls on his right cheek.

Just at that moment alone, Aemond realizes all the damage he did to you, understanding that you are dead because of him, because of the decisions he made, because of the way he treated you, because of Alys, because of everything, leaning towards you and holding you in his arms.

It's not just the feeling of loss, he's also furious with himself and your father for that letter, asking you in low whispers to please wake up, only to see your eyes closed again… forever.

He made you a promise and was always willing to keep it, yet he never thought about your feelings, never really cared about you, because his problem has always been that he thought he would always have you by his side and that you would never leave him.

Even choosing duty, the crown, his family, you were always with him and that kept him confident, until you couldn't anymore.

Until just then Aemond realizes the terrible decisions he made, regretting over and over again, wanting to tell you that nothing of what your father told you is true, that he does care about you, that you are important to him.

However, he never proved it to you, not in the way that was right, always treating you as his possession, choosing others over you, because he always thought he would have you.

He didn't know you were suffering so much and now… because of him you are dead.

Aemond doesn't know how long he lasted that way with you, holding you in his arms, wanting to feel that warmth and comfort you always gave him, but instead you were just a cold and lifeless dead body.

Criston Cole is the one who convinces him to leave you in peace so that the Silent Sisters can finish their work with you, leaving him no choice.

Then, before nightfall, Aemond gives the order to Vhagar to burn your body, not caring that this is a Targaryen tradition, only he and Cole being present, this being the least he can do for you.

And the last.

"You knew, didn't you?"

Alys Rivers, the witch of Harrenhal, raises her gaze and observes the figure of Aemond in the doorway of her chamber, watching her attentively, without much emotion on his face, but with a cold and distant look, catching the woman's attention, who frowns and adopts her posture willing and seductive at the same time.

"What do you mean, my prince?"

She asks him with her attractive tone, the one that always has an effect on men and also on him, only that this time no anymore.

"You knew about the ambush… and you didn't tell me anything," he tells her with a deadly tone, "Because you knew what would happen, you knew that I would choose you and not her… sending her to her death."

Alys is confused, not understanding the prince's behavior, when he has always been so responsive to her, continuing her seduction.

"You know that I have always kept my word, my prince," she says slowly approaching towards him, "I have told you every single one of all my visions. But in this case, I saw nothing about the ambush."

In an instant, Aemond shortens the little distance between them, unexpectedly for Alys holding her firmly and tightly by her neck in a threatening manner, while Alys opens her eyes wide in disbelief and horror as he begins to choke her, everything about him emanating fury.

She immediately brings her hands to his, trying to stop him, watching him in fright, as Aemond watches her like a mad man, demanding answers, his eye red and swollen, his pupil dilated and all the pain in his gaze.

"You knew about the ambush, you knew what would happen and that's why you didn't tell me anything," he repeats to her in a deadly tone, "All to get her out of your way, isn't it?"

Alys squirms and gasps for air, watching him in complete terror, beating her hands and chest desperately.

"N-no," she says as best she can, needing air.

"Don't lie to me!" he exclaims unexpectedly, furious.

Alys coughs, tears beginning to spill from her eyes, crying, as Aemond watches her with as much hatred as possible, completely disgusted, to finally have enough and let her go, instantly her falling tactlessly to the ground, gasping for air, coughing and with all the fear invading her body.

Aemond thinks of course she knew, again feeling the urge to cry, but completely resisting, he turns around and walks out of the chamber, completely exhausted, furious and hurting, no strength left.

The next morning, Aemond orders the death of the witch of Harrenhal, being beheaded in an instant for carrying out the prince's order, to continue leading his side of the war… with the difference that nothing is the same anymore.

Aemond Targaryen was always haunted by all the ghosts of Harrenhal, especially you. Every day he woke up and you were no longer by his side, it was complete torture.

He couldn't sleep, had very little appetite and began to lose the war slowly.

From the beginning he always chose the crown over you, but in the end, it wasn't worth it at all. Aemond lost himself, all the time thinking about you, where he also lost his sister, his brothers, his grandfather and all those sacrifices being in vain.

Nothing he did was worth it, not even Alys, because he lost you and he also lost the war, with nothing left of him or his family.

And all for what?

For the crown.

Taglist:

@targaryenmoony @skzenhalove @yentroucnagol

[callofdudes]

Can I request TF141 x Reader where they’re on a mission til suddenly Y/n got into a fight by the enemy. Til she went trigger bringing out the savage beast and started to kill the enemy who get into her way. TF141 are shock what they’re seeing. They try to calm Y/n but she lost control and about to attack them. Price brought out a record tape that Lasewell give it to him and told him to play it for Y/n calm down just in case. Once Y/n hear the lullaby song the voice from her mother she started to cry and passed out.

Take all the time you need. No need to rush. Btw I love your work. I read all of them.

Ah, thank you for the request. I'm glad you enjoy my writing @silverwolf-108 I realized that you'd sent in a second and third request so I thought I needed to hop to it and finish this one for you!

A/n: I made the tape an ipod instead, I hope you don't mind, it's a bit easier to play quickly in a frantic situation.

Also thank you for being so patient with me, you are an angel 😊😅

The battle had gone on long and hard. Bullets sprayed across the field, wind whipping around you and the boys. Ghost was hidden back against a shed, practically pinned down and unable to move while Johnny bled out. He cupped the sergeants cheek to try and keep him awake, his heart beating out of his chest.

"Y/n!! Find cover!" Simon urges.

He turns back to Johnny, trying to keep him awake.

Your heart pounds out of your chest. Everything is a blur and it's way too much for you. Too stimulating. A bullet whizzes by your hair, blood rushing through your ears.

Your fingers start to itch on your gun, wanting to pull the trigger on these motherfuckers and give them a piece of your fucking mind.

You look back at your team, trying to hide for cover as well. Gaz is tucked into Price's shoulder, hiding against the ground to try and survive the bullet spray.

"Johnny!! Open your eyes sergeant!! We're not done here!"

You see Simon in desperation and Johnny's limp body. It's all too much. Your heart lurches in your chest and you feel like you're going to puke.

Blood drips from Johnny's chest and you lose it. Seeing his blood makes you violent. Animalistic.

You regrip your gun and run from your hiding spot.

"Soldier!!" Price yells at you.

You can't hear, blood rushes in your ears. You throw a smoke grenade one way and take out the two soldiers closest to you. You disregard their fallen bodies and run into the smoke.

You raise the stock of your gun and hit another man upside the head and send him down to the ground.

You drop your gun and grab your knife, grabbing another man by the throat and carving it out and up his jaw. Blood spilled across your face and you kick his body away.

They try to shoot you through the smoke, bullets whizzing and whipping by you but never touching.

You shoot two more men and advance on the others.

Everything is red. Murder and blood was all too much. Too stimulating. Your fingers itch as the smoke clears. Another soldier attempts to take hold of you, your blade meeting him first, followed by you snapping his neck before he has the chance to bleed out.

Another soldier grabs you but you sink your blade into his shoulder, chopping and hacking away at the spot before drawing a deep line across the expanse of his chest.

You don't stop to catch your breath, throwing your knife into the forehead of another man.

Two men grab you and pull you back. You snarl, kicking in the dirt and grab another knife, slicing it into one of the men's wrists and pulling him around and swinging him into the other men.

"I will not let you touch my family." You growl before sinking your blade into his chest and twisting it around in the cavity. The second man tries to get up and run but you slice his leg and slam your blade into the back of his head, blood spilling and splattering across the ground.

The 141 watches in horror and shock. The men that just moments ago were about the kill them all were now being demolished by you. What had happened.

Simon watches, honestly impressed. Though he'd kick your butt for pulling such a stunt and putting yourself in the way like that.

He clutches Johnny tightly to his chest, another bullet whipping past his head before you rip the man's gun from his hands and smash the side right into his face.

Another bullet whizzes by and Price pulls Gaz against his chest, breathing heavy. "It'll be ok, it'll be ok." He reminds Gaz, watching you from where they were hiding with shock and is just as impressed as Simon. Although he sees where your safety is in immediate danger.

Your heart is still beating out of your chest even when things slow and the soldiers are gone.

Using the soldiers gun you shoot down more of the soldiers until the troops begin to slow in numbers.

The last of the soldiers run at you and you hit him with the stock, slamming him on the ground and stomping on his head, cracking it and splattering more blood across the ground.

Price sits up and looks at you, he's not sure if he should congratulate you or slap you over the head.

You just stand there, hunched over and breathing heavily. Your fingers itch, bloody blade still clutched in your hand while you try to recover some semblance of thought.

Gaz gets up from his spot and rushes out to see if you're ok. "Y/n, wh-what was that??"

His footsteps make your head twitch. His hand grazes your shoulder and you push him back, throwing him into the dirt.

Price grabs you and pulls you into a roll with him, ripping you away from Gaz. Your blade drops from your hands and narrowly misses Gaz's eye, slicing a cut against his forehead.

Price is already reacting when he sees you climb on top of Gaz and raise your blade. Gaz tries to kick you off, trying to get away.

You snarl at him, your eyes are dark and he can see that you're not in there, not fully present right now. His heart lurches when the blade starts to come down and he scrunches his eyes tightly.

Price tries to hold you down while you scream and kick and squirm. You hit him with all your might, trying to take him down but he's just so much stronger than you.

Price firmly but lovingly holds you against him, shielding you from the world.

"I'll bloody murder you!!" You scream, trying to bite him.

You grew distressed and uncomfortable in his arms. Too tight, tol restricting, to unsafe. You scream again, trying to kick and punch and spit.

"It's ok y/n, it's ok, it's just us. It's just us." He tries to soothe you with his voice but it's not affective.

You continue to kick and squirm, hitting him in the shoulder and trying to bite his arm.

And then he remembers protocol. He'd been given a rundown on this when you'd joined the 141.

"Gaz, check my bag!"

Gaz whines, clutching his bleeding forehead but rushes to complete the task and searches Price's bag. "When you find and old ipod let me know."

Gaz keeps digging until he finds the phone at 100 percent. "Got it."

"Play the first song, now!"

"Is now the time for songs, captain??"

"Kyle Garrick do it now!!"

Gaz is shaking as he presses play and a soft moldy starts. He holds it's closer to you and your fighting starts to slow. Your nails dig into Price's forearm and your bottom lip quivers.

You go limp and burst into sobs. Hot, wet tears flow down your face and your breathing gets faster. You cling to Price now instead of trying to fight him.

You clutch his gear, trying to breath through heavy tears.

Price runs his hand over your head. "It's ok sergeant, take a deep breath soldier. Take a deep breath."

You whimper and exhaustion floods your body, and your eyes close.

Gaz pauses the music as you fall asleep in Price's arms, curled up in his safety and his warmth.

"What... Just happened??"

"Classified sergeant. But it's over now." He strokes your hair gently. "Now we need to get both Y/n and Johnny out of here now."

Simon comes over, still a little stunned with a shivering, weak Johnny in his arms.

They all move to the evac site where they meet medical. They take both of you and fly their soldiers back to base.

Price is nervous for you to wake up, but he sits the boys down for a chat to try and explain what happened as much as he can. it brings a bit of light to the subject, but doesn't change the fact that Ghost and Gaz didn't see it coming and are a stunned.

Ghost had never seen anything like it. The absolute rage that drove you into that battle like a madwoman.

Nonetheless they were all happy that they survived, it was all thanks to you.

You woke up a day later, exhausted and tired, but alive. You didn't all remember what happened. You remember you were fighting, and then you were cradled in Price's arms. Looking back on it felt like a mindless blur.

You slowly sat up, seeing small wounds of yours patched and stitched.

In the next bed lay Johnny, out cold with bandages tightly wrapped around his chest.

The door opened and you snapped up to look as Price, Ghost and Gaz come in.

"Guys!" You smile and hold your arms out for hugs. Price hugs you tightly, kissing your forehead. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Ghost pats your head and Gaz also hugs you.

You notice the bandage on his forehead and brush your thumb over it. You don't like to see them hurt.

"Who did this to you, Gaz?"

Gaz smiles awkwardly. "Just some guy on the field, but with how you were hacking around I think you got him."

You clutched your head when you felt a sharp headache come on. "I... I don't remember much... I'm sorry."

Price takes your hand and squeezes it. "You were very brave y/n, you saved our asses back there. You don't have to remember it for it to have happened."

You look up at him and nod. "Thank you."

Ghost moves closer to you and grumbles under his breath. "I don't know what the bloody fuck you were doin', but you could have gotten yourself killed!!" He sighs and squeezes you in a tight hug, surprising you.

"So bloody glad you're alive. You hear me??"

You hug him back and smile. "I hear you lieutenant."

He pulls away and leans over the other bed, clutching Johnny's limp hand in his own.

"What about Johnny??" You ask.

They all look over at Johnny who is still unconscious and breathing quietly. The heartbeat monitor near his bedside plays in soft smooth rhythms.

"Johnny is alright. Lost a lot of blood and needs rest, but he is doing ok."

You sigh in relief. Price helps you off your bedside and you shake out your sore limbs. "I think I'm gonna go rest in my room for a bit... Thank you."

"Of course sergeant, call us if you need us."

"Will do Captain."

You headed down to your room, still with a headache you crawled into your nice warm bed, and drifted asleep. The anxiety and overstimulation got to you sometimes on the field, reminding you of things and sending you into overdrive fight mode.

But I guess this time it really did save your asses. Johnny doesn't remember anything, but he'll thank you for saving them regardless.

And they all lived happily ever after, I hope you like it 😊

[gremlinmodetweeker]

Sweet Like Honeysuckles, Bloody Like Venison

So I have not written something for the past two weeks because I have been in a bad mood (tm) because of the weather changing. I admit, it's hard to stay on top of things. However, I can't stop myself from writing more cannibal king!König. I love him so much. I also like reader more and more as they accept the lifestyle of the cannibal colony. They're actually pretty sick, you know.

TWs: mentions of cannibalism, nudity

Wordcount: 3.2k

Art from This Post

Story Below the Cut

Sweet Like Honeysuckles, Bloody Like Venison

A deer passed through the clearing ahead of you. Her head was held high up to admire the sunlight filtering through the coniferous trees with a regality that betrayed her splendor. Her tan coat twitched in the cool misty dawn, the only sign that she was a creature of this forest as much as you were.

König sat beside you and looked out. His eyes wandered beyond the deer to the trees beyond, through them to the figures that stood across from you.

The five men wore basic skins, their tanned skin painted white with glowing pigments. The tallest among them was red as a newborn, his face pudgy and soft. His thick fingers curled around the club in his hand nervously.

König called out to the men calmly, spooking away the deer. If you didn’t feel his arm tighten around your shoulders, you might have thought he was warmly greeting them. As it was, whatever he said was as crisp and cool as the forest fog.

The big red man shouted back warily. He rose his club meekly, but as soon as König straightened his spine the club was lowered and tucked behind his bare body. König snuffed and stomped his foot. He let out a feral snarl and the men of the forest scrambled back into the dark undergrowth, leaping like the deer that left before.When he turned back to you, the hardened look in his eyes washed away to some incommunicable sadness. 

He touched where your heart lay in your chest and whispered your name.

“König?” you asked warily, “who were those men?”

He looked back to where the men once stood and snarled at the ghosts they left behind. He shook his head, but you noticed he touched the club that hung at his side. He tapped the handle, then pointed back across the clearing. He turned back to you and shook his head ominously.

Enemies.

“Why were they here?” you asked as you followed König back through the forest.

König shrugged as he knelt beside a small trap. He raised the woven twig box to look underneath. He sighed, set it back upright and turned back to you and pointed at you and then back at his chest.

“Safe,” he grunted as he ruffled your hair.

“Are you sure?” you stepped closer to his bare chest.

He nodded before giving you a brief one-handed hug, “Safe.”

He pulled back and led you through the forests again. You followed him obediently. You knew that in any other situation, you would’ve taken König’s turned back as a chance to run and escape this madman and his wicked ways, but he was your only chance of surviving on this rock. If you were lucky you’d be rescued one day, but the odds of surviving this hell grew slimmer with each passing day. The seasons passed by so quickly that you couldn’t keep track of time. Again you thought of those soldiers that had been sent to reconnaissance the island with you. They had a better chance of survival than you did, but you still wondered if they were still fighting out there, or if they had been struck down by a different band of cannibals.

Your current band of cannibals, the one that König had kidnapped you into, were a surprisingly comfortable group to share the company of. As you lived with them, their noisy grunts and feral snuffling began to form patterns. Those patterns were slowly decoded, and you could pick out bits and pieces of words if you strained your ears. You couldn’t speak to your captors, but you were slowly starting to understand them. Of course, you’d learned from König that they understood you perfectly well. All your cursing and crying and screaming and shouting, they’d bore witness to it all. They had listened to you curse them and their ways all the way up to Heaven and then down to Hell, but they still showed you what primitive kindness they could.

The woman who’d brushed your hair before had soon become a close friend. She was the one member of the tribe (other than König, of course) who you’d really started to understand. She was a gentle soul with you. After a brief discourse with König, she’d slowly come to teaching you some of their language.

She taught you the word for hair, and then the word for flower. You learned the words for wood and axe soon after. She noticed your interest in some of her herbs, and she carefully taught you the names of each one in turn. She tried to explain which ones were used for what, but she soon lost you. Instead of disappointment, she instead gently rested a frail hand on your shoulder and gave you a thin smile. There was no irritation, only a fiery determination to keep going. You matched her fervor and strived forward.

She watched as König would drop you off with her every other day. After the claiming in front of the tribe, she’d watched you and him more carefully. She noticed things you didn’t, and she taught you in turn. She taught you what berries he liked to eat the most, which parts of the rabbit he liked roasted over the fire. She taught you, in a way, how to be a woman in this world.

Being a woman in a cannibal tribe turned out to be harder work than expected. While the men went to hunt, wage war and gather wood and stone, the women worked closer to home. They worked the small farms, they skinned and tanned the meats. Here, a woman was expected to work the land and provide for her family. However, as you soon learned from König, men were equally expected to work.

König was the chief of his band and he acted every part of it. He spoke to the women to mediate disputes and he comforted the men as their bones were set by the shaman. He hunted, he cooked, he managed trades and he protected borders. He worked with every member of his tribe and watched over them personally. He was an honorable leader in that sense. You watched as children climbed his back to try and take him down with laughter and delight. He lifted them up and, even from a distance, you could see the sheer joy in his eyes under that golden mask of his. In a way, he was a crucial part of every family. He was the father, the mother, the wife, the husband. He was the teacher, the shaman, the diplomat and the judge and, as needed, the executioner. He was with everyone through thick and through thin.

And then, he’d come home to you.

Ever since he’d claimed you in front of his kin, he’d become more intimate with you. Carefully, gently, he’d taken you into his arms and held you at night. When he tired from the strenuous days, he’d rest his head on your chest and groan as you worked the knots from his back. The great cannibal king that kidnapped you and lorded over you became naught much more than a tired dog when he came back to your arms. You watched over your king, worshiped him with oils and herbs that had been gifted to you by the one eyed crone with a wink and a wry laugh. Your king had taught you how to use them on his skin by practicing on you.

You’d been tired after working all day. You were exhausted by the long day of foraging and hunting and when you’d come back to his cabin you’d nearly collapsed at his feet. That was when he rolled you onto your stomach and taken the tinctures from their clay jars. At first, you’d been frightened when he straddled your back, but soon you realized that he was more interested in caring for you than caring for himself. He’d been gentle that night, every so gentle. He whispered soft words into your ears, and that was when you learned the words for gratitude and praise.

You thought of that night as you walked behind König through the woods. In your oblivious state you’d failed to notice when he’d taken two rabbits from the traps and slung them around his belt. You looked around you and stalled.

König turned back to look at you as soon as he felt you drop behind him. He stalked back up to you and snuffed.

“König,” you asked nervously, “where are we?”

König chuffed and took your elbow in one of his hands and lightly tugged you along.

You briefly resisted before sighing and giving in. You let him drag you along, grateful that he slowed hsi stride to accommodate for you. You felt almost like one of the children in his grasp, what with how he guided you firmly and surely through the woods.

The trees parted and you stumbled out across a rocky stream.

You looked at König as he put his belongs onto a rock and turned back to you. He nodded towards the stream and crossed his arms over his hairy chest.

You looked at the stream and back at him, bewildered by his insinuations.

“You want me to take a bath?” you asked.

König nodded firmly.

You looked at the clear water running across the smooth river stones. Some lush green weeds waved through the current with a shoal of fish fry. You stepped closer to the bubbling water, peering down into the depths. The water was so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom. Each pebble shone like a gem against the muddy bottom.

You turned back to König to say something and immediately turned back. You hadn’t seen much, but of what you did see it was enough to make you blush furiously. You felt hands trail under the hems of your shirt and skirted away with a squeak.

“König!” you scolded him furiously, determined to keep your eyes above his shoulders.

König grunted and nodded again at the river. This time, the message was too blatant to pretend to ignore.

You shivered as you pulled your shirt up above your head, followed quickly by your tactical pants and then your underwear. It was mostly ruined by now, but without it you felt more vulnerable than ever before. You shivered in the cold and looked down at the river. You turned back at König and looked at the golden mask on his face. You scoffed.

“So I have to take everything off and you can keep your mask?” you snarked.

König paused, then nodded begrudgingly. Your eyes widened as he walked back over to where he hung his loincloth and grabbed at the black hood. Your lips parted as his big hands gripped the fabric in a punishing grip. A part of you felt like you should look away. As König had bared you to the world, so too did you bare him. He brought the fabric up slowly, then pulled his head free and out from the wretched thing.

His head was nearly bald, just like all the other cannibals. However, unlike the others, you could see the big mars of scars over his neck and up the back of his head. They crossed over his left ear, making it naught much more than a stub of fleshy scar tissue. If you hadn’t seen him in action, you’d have thought he might be deaf out of the one ear.

He turned slowly, almost as though he was afraid of what you’d think. Maybe he was right to be afraid. You shivered and sniffed in the cold, then took him in for the first time fully.

Were you to meet this man in any other circumstance, his face could really only be described at best as possibly above average. He had a light dusting of blond stubble over his round chin. His aurochs neck was thick with ropes of muscle, a stark contrast to his soft lips and crooked roman nose. His eyes, fully bared to the world now, were soft and sad. He looked less like a powerful chief and more like a timid man, forced to bear a title he never wanted. He looked vulnerable, afraid, human. He was no longer the conquering cannibal king; he was a man underneath all his dressings and scars.

You stepped forth carefully, stumbling a bit over the stones before catching yourself. You could see König’s small mouth quirk up to the side. You huffed, but continued up to him.

In front of him you had to crane your head back to admire his visage. You reached up to touch him and he leant his face down to be embraced. He curled himself like an inchworm, bending himself in half to be able to take your small affections. He closed his innocent eyes and you mapped your fingers across his marred skin. Burn marks, hatchet cuts, spear wounds, they all pockmarked his skin. You traced a white line across the side of his neck. How he survived such a wound was a miracle. He opened his eyes at that, life sparking behind them with an electric intensity. You traced your thumbs across his lips reverently. He let you, but when you leaned in to kiss him he pushed you back softly.

You stumbled as you were pushed. You looked up to him, aghast. You felt mortified. Had he really just rejected your advances? He’d kidnapped you, he’d taken you into his cabin and massaged your body, he’d mounted you in front of his entire tribe, and he rejected you? You could hardly wrap your head around it.

König pointed to the water and grunted. You followed his hand, then turned back to him. He smirked as he tapped his lips, then pointed back at the water.

So that’s how it would be.

You sulked over to the river bank and peered into the water. The water was deceptively deep. You’d only make it a couple of strides in before it sloped down.

You squeaked when you put a pinky toe in. It was cold, terribly cold. You already hated it. This felt absolutely awful. You already wanted to go and put your clothes on and sulk underneath a tree. You turned to shoot König a bitter scowl before finally letting yourself step into the water.

It was terribly cold, but it was bearable. You knew how this worked, as long as you kept going the water would eventually get warmer. You stepped further and further into the water before you got to the edge of the slope. With a deep breath, you fell into the water.

Ice cold water encompassed you entirely. You pushed to the center of the riverbed and came up for air. The water wasn’t cold enough to get frostbite, but you damn well felt like you would. You cursed and spluttered to yourself, not taking notice of König dipping into the water behind you.

König chuckled as he stood beside you. He dunked his head under the water briefly and rubbed at his scalp before coming back up for air. He looked at your shivering form and rolled his eyes. You huffed, but followed his lead to wash the water through your hair.

Weeks of grease floated away down the stream. Despite the cold, you felt like you were shedding layers of grime into the current. You’d never felt so fresh before. The water was still unpleasant, but if nothing else you were getting accustomed to it.

König focussed on cleaning his body, something you never knew you’d take so much interest in. You watched him lave water over his face and back, cleaning away dirt marks that had built up. You realized that König must have been coming out here often since you’d been brought back to his cabin. In fact, you must have been downright filthy compared to him. How he’d been able to tolerate hugging you close every night, you’d never know. If nothing else, it was another tally for him being a rather benevolent kidnapper at least. At the very least.

König turned back to you and stepped closer. He gently moved in closer, closer and closer still until he had his front pressed up against yours. Were he not a beacon of warmth you might have pushed him away, but as it was he was the only thing standing between you and freezing to death out there. Or, well, you figured you might, but if König had been coming here for so long, it mustn’t be quite as bad as you made it out to be. Maybe you were just too accustomed to the steaming hot showers you had back home.

König sighed as he let himself bend over you. You, for your part, took your arms out and embraced him, rubbing his back and humming under your breath as you took in his company. He was more than happy to let you rub concentric circles along his spine.

König grumbled something and begrudgingly stepped back. You lamented the warmth before you realized what he’d pulled back to do and turned away to give him some semblance of privacy. You turned your focus onto yourself and focussed on scrubbing away the dirt from your body. Once you finished, you peaked around yourself to look at König and check if he was finished with cleaning himself yet.

To your relief, he was already striding to shore. He tossed you a glance over his shoulder expectantly. When you followed him out, he pulled a couple of woven mats from his bag and offered one to you. You were quick to take it, but when you went to get your clothes back König was quick to hold you back. Instead, he offered you a pair of simple robes. They were slightly too big, they smelled of leather and animal, but the fur was terribly soft and warm on your body. You were shocked to realize that it was a full-length robe, much like that of some of the other cannibal women. What amazed you was the amount of neatly woven embroidery along the hems of the garment. It was simple rope made of basic materials, but it had been dyed vibrant colours and woven in intrinsic patterns. You looked back at König, who was still standing bare in front of you, the makeshift towel slung around the back of his neck.

You focussed on his face, upon which a contented smile sat. He gave you an affirming nod and took one hand to ruffle your damp hair before leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. You looked up at him briefly.

You stared at each other for a moment. He bent down slowly and let his hand fall from the top of your head to your cheek, stroking it lightly with his thumb. He leaned in close ever so slowly and you responded in turn.

Your lips met, and you almost immediately pulled back. The shock wore off quickly, and you leaned back in again for another. His lips were rough and chapped, his breath was poor, and yet it couldn’t have been sweeter. It reminded you of honeysuckle nectar and blueberries growing among the forest floor. When König pulled back, his smile was bright and innocent, boyish even. You were shocked by a thought that passed through your mind; he was the most handsome man you’d ever seen.

Konig Dump

Alternate Universes

[darkstarofchaos]

EarthSpark spoilers ahead. Also a possibly unpopular opinion regarding Breakdown and Bumblebee.

I said previously that Breakdown's line to Bumblebee about the Cons being his family rang hollow because we had previously seen no good will between almost any of the Decepticons in S2. And I stand by that - him seeing them as family would have felt a lot more genuine if we'd ever seen the Decepticons interact like people, not cardboard cutout villains.

But I think the betrayal itself makes perfect sense. Yes, even in light of Breakdown letting himself be captured to save Bumblebee in S1.

We know almost nothing about why the war reignited after S1, and what we do know comes from incredibly biased sources. I'm of the opinion that the Autobots were more to blame for it than we'll ever be told. Obviously both sides would have had to work to keep the peace, and neither had a reason to trust the other. But considering the only reason we've ever been given for the war's continuation was "Cons will be Cons", I think the side that's being all self-righteous and refuses to take any responsibility is probably the one most at fault!

(And no, I'm not taking "the Cons did want power, though" for an answer. This is the cartoon about characters who basically worship Quintus even though he seems to have been pretty terrible, and the cartoon that treats war veterans relying on child soldiers as the correct course of action. None of these characters are reliable narrators and I'm not taking their word for it that the Cons restarted the war because they just can't quell their thirst for power).

Anyway, back to Breakdown.

With the above in mind, I propose the following:

Breakdown chose the Cons over Bee a long time ago - that's why they're on opposite sides.

Breakdown gives himself up to save Bee because he still cares about him.

On being released from jail, Breakdown goes with the Cons instead of helping to fight Mandroid because he still cares about Bee - but not enough to break ranks with the rest of the Cons.

The jailbirds meet up with the Seekers and explain why they were set free; Starscream tells them they're all stupid and takes them back to fight the factions' mutual enemy; Breakdown gets to help Bee and stay with his faction, so this is his best-case scenario.

With Mandroid dead, the two sides try to work together for a while; the Autobots treat the situation as "we're giving all of you a second chance" instead of "neither side has a reason to trust the other so we all have to work to overcome our differences".

The Cons get fed up with being blamed for everything and dip. Breakdown goes with them, choosing them over Bee for the third time (that we know of).

Fast forward to S3: Breakdown wants to get all of the Cons out of the dome, and gets in contact with Bumblebee. Bee tells him he's not like the other Cons and makes it very clear the Bots won't let the Cons run free again. Breakdown lies to Bee about being mad at himself for joining the Cons because it's easier to explain away his anger than pretend he's not angry.

Breakdown sees an opportunity to free the Cons and takes it, even if it means finally ending his friendship with Bee.

TL;DR: Breakdown has chosen the Decepticons over Bumblebee over and over again. He may have wanted to keep his friend and his so-called family, but if he could only have one, he was never going to choose Bee over them.

[alex31624]

Duck Comic Reading Club Week 14: Paperinik New Adventures: Trauma

Another great issue for this week. PK has been great lately. Let's get into the comic right away.

This time, the story begins with the Evronians, most precisely, with Gorthan. He's a branch-captain visiting an Evronian prison.

There is a bit of commotion, with an attempted mutiny, but the situation is rapidly handed by the Evronians in charge.

This is the only problem I have with this particular issue. The Evronians, in outer space, are a fearsome force. A race of soldiers that can overcome any obstacle. But in Earth? We'll see.

Gorthan is in the prison because he needs to meet with one particular prisoner. The one who gives his name for this issue, Trauma.

This is an amazing reveal, he's blasted right into your face. You can see how massive Trauma is compare with others of his kind.

Gorthan is there to offer Trauma a deal. It seems like Trauma was imprisoned because he was to dangerous, even for the Evronians standar.

But now, they need him.

PK has been a big trouble for the Evronians, and now they're not taking any more chances.

And now that I mention him, let's see what's PK doing.

It looks like Duckburg resident superhero is having nightmares. Poor Donald, let him sleep all night for once.

Since that's not an option anymore, PK went to patrol the city.

He's so cool.

And, then, the weirdest PK's page ever.

I swear, I thought we were on the prison planet again, because, what the hell?

We have a gang of Elvis impersonators, and also a gang of Monty Python's Life of Brian fans. Imagine the odds for this two groups to even exist. Amazing.

By the way, what's with the Elvis thing? In Darkwing Duck was also a villain whose theme was Elvis. I don't know, I guess Disney dislikes the man. I like A Little Less Conversation, but… I don't know… is weird man…

Anyway, PK beats the gangs, and the guy who was saved by him, runs away from PK. And later that rat tail SOB goes to professional hater Angus Fangus and claims PK is a criminal.

This city doesn't deserve PK.

But, let's waste no more time, is time for the fight we were promised.

Trauma has arrived and immediately makes an impact. The fear in Angus and the police's faces are palpable.

PK comes to the rescue and what we have next is the best action sequence so far in this run.

PK is throwing everything he has on Trauma, but is useless. The giant Evronian is an unstoppable force.

And the worst thing has yet to come.

Trauma launches his most powerfull atack, not to the body but to PK's mind.

The pain PK is suffering right now, you and I can feel it. You can tell, he's living an agony.

Thankfully, One takes over the Duckmovil and saves him.

But PK lost. And thanks to Angus, everybody know it. PK ran away, because he was scared.

This is so powerful.

But PK is a hero, so round two is not far away. And this time, PK has an ace up his sleeve.

HOLY COW!

PK went full Lt. Ripley in Aliens.

Some would say he went Hulkbuster but I like Aliens way more than Age of Ultron.

We were gifted with one more awesome fight, that ends with PK taking another trip to Trauma Town.

Now we know what's PK seeing in those attacks.

Turns out, 35 years old Donald is being bullied by some 40 year old dude. I know, it supposed to be in his youth years, but look at them. That flashback happened yesterday.

Trauma attack was supposed to be definitive. This was PK end.

But…

The most feared word of bullies, no. The word the weak speaks when is tired of the abuse. The word Trauma has never heard his enemies say.

Also, this is the best double page we have had so far. You could frame this and hanged on your wall.

Trauma had made a career inflicting fear in his enemies. To be confronted was new, terrible, fearful. And he couldn't take it. Trauma rans away, and PK is victorious.

That was what Trauma and the Evronians can't understand. PK is not a hero because he can't feel fear. He's a hero because, even in fear, he steps up to do what is right.

How can you not get hyped up by this?

This was amazing. The issue was packaged with action and emotion. I mention before how the Evronians are so powerful outer space, but they can't beat PK. They just can't. Not even their strongest warrior.

I don't know what's going to be next for this comic.

For now, I'm just going to enjoy it.

[roachsideblog]

Day 17: Held Down/Restrained

Thanks @nonsenseafterdark for the list!

TWs: Chasing, kidnapping, POW, the beginnings of torture, Philip Graves

Words: ~500

Summary: The Shadows grab Roach while they're looking for Los Vaqueros, Ghost, and Soap. Graves isn't happy to see him.

There's another WIP I have for the 17th that I may post later (on my nsfw sideblog @sideroachblog) involving roach tied to a table, price, and gaz 😳

~~~

Roach pushed himself off the ground in hopes of escape only for a steel-toe boot to bash the back of his skull. It sprawled him forward, arms out in front like some stupid looking Superman impression. Suddenly, his arms were twisted behind his back, and a burlap sack tugged over his head. They shoved a rag up the neck hole. Chloroform, probably, considering how he slowly lost the energy to kick and scream as someone threw him over their shoulder.

His consciousness waned as they loaded him in a van. The last thing he remembered was the door slamming.

The mission had been going well until he was separated from his team when an enemy grenade collapsed an alleyway between them. The Shadows caught up, surrounded him, stripped him of his weapons as his team promised help, then ripped his comm unit off. He broke away but not for long.

Roach woke sitting on the floor of a dark concrete cell in the with his arms tied around a pillar behind his back. His body ached; looking down, there were bruises and scrapes from the chase. They stripped him to his skivvies and undershirt. A killer headache split his brain with every heartbeat. One of his eyes had swollen shut. He let the other one fall closed. Drool dangled from his busted lip.

Someone wolf whistled. It brought him to attention. A metal door screeched open behind him and slammed, then Commander Philip Graves came sauntering info view.

“In a bit of trouble, aren’t you, son?” The man drawled.

Roach spat at his feet.

“Easy, now, tiger. I don’t want no trouble. Seems like my boys played a little rough; I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting them to nab you, Sanderson. Was hoping they’d get one of those remaining Vack-way-rows.”

“You say that like a dumb Texan.”

Graves narrowed his eyes. “Help me help you,” he commanded, grabbing Roach’s jaw, gripping the Sergeant’s cheeks tight. “I’m happy to let you go; you’re a good soldier. You follow orders well. It’s what you’re doing now—I get that. I enjoyed working with you and it’s a shame our professional relationship ended the way it did. So, help me get you outta here by telling me where Parra, Riley, and MacTavish are.

“Otherwise, you’ll be thrown in with Colonel Vargas,” Graves sighed with a head shake. “You don’t want that. See, I have strict control over my men, but I’m focused on finding Hassan. They tend to run things like a zoo when I’m not around to… keep ‘em in line.”

“There’s only one double-crossing cunt in this room, Graves. I won’t tell you a damn thing. I don’t care what you do to me.”

“I’ll give you one last chance to play nice with me.”

“Choke on it.”

A heavy kick smashed Roach’s abdomen. He grunted and lurched at the impact. Graves gripped his hair with two fists to hold his head down, bringing a knee up to bash Roach’s forehead.

[blingblong55]

Eyes off you- Alejandro Vargas

Based on a request:

hello, i really like alejandro and i really love the angst but I'd like to have an angst with happy ending with him 🥺 thank you!

GN!Reader, angst, friends to lovers, happy ending

Don't ask why I can paint a picture of you in my mind, love All my life I never thought someone would make me feel so high But here you are

It started off as him just seeing you as another soldier. Then it progressed to you and him spending training, meetings and even missions by each other's side. Slowly you started to consume his life but as with most things in his life, he will have to fight for you. You are in a very long and committed relationship and you let be known you won't cheat or leave said partner any time soon. You had become the sole purpose to why he woke up ten minutes earlier. Just so he can get ready and rush out the door to see you in your quiet and grumpy morning self.

The more time he spent with you the more he saw himself spending his life with you. You never took notice of him. He was always the friend that waited for the girl, a cliche thing you hated but oh how much he clings to the idea of you and him, two friends that end up together.

Four months after you and your partner, you let Alejandro know. You had taken time to heal behind his back. Wanted to preserve the feelings before he could even come in and shake them up. "You did, like really did break up?" He tried to sound sad about and he really did his best to hide the smile after the news.

Now, as you and him run across Las Almas looking for yet another cartel, he has one thing in mind for when you two get back to base. Confess his undying love for you. So far that love has been one-sided but oh does he hope you love him like he loves you. You two are being chased down by the enemy, running and shooting at them. One bullet, that's all it took to have you on the ground and have him calling Rudy for help.

As Rudy and the team took time to get there, you felt it was your time to depart the world. Your weak hand holding his, "Ale, please just listen." But he shook his head, refusing to believe it was your time to leave, to leave him. "No, R/, N, you don't get to poison me with your half-assed love and just leave, not when I was so close to having you as my antidote."

You furrow your eyebrows, confused as to what exactly he meant. "You can't just leave me, not when I finally have the chance to get the love of my life, porfavor cariño, no me dejes." Tears form in your eyes and all you do is let out sobs of desperation as the pain sets in. It's another romantic movie, the guy gets the girl just at the last second of her life. "R/N! R/N...CARIÑO!" his voice muffled as you blackout from the loss of blood.

It's a cruel world for him to live in, what if your next words were that you loved him all this time? A man like him needed you, the antidote to all his poisoned past lives. Couldn't you be less cruel when you left him like that?

It's been days since he last heard your voice and all he hears now is the machines in your hospital room, the muffled voices between the nurses and doctors who talk to Rudy instead of him because at this time he can't comprehend the living hell he has been in. And there it was, his antidote, finally squeezing his hand back. His gaze immediately on yours. Tears of joy and despair run down his already saddened face.

"Cariño?" a small smile across his face, Rudy leaving with the nurses and doctors so you two can have this chance. "Alejandro." That sweet voice, the one he has been needing since you left him in tears days ago. "Are you okay? Are you cold, hungry, sore-" You pulled him in for the first of many kisses to be given. "Don't ever think I would leave you and not give us both the medicine that was needed." You say and wipe his tears away.

A/N: Blaming an angst reading session I had in the morning.

[peachymilkandcream]

Kingdom of Ash and Greed|Part 6|King Levi x Evelyn

WARNINGS: noncon/dubcon, big age difference, kidnapping, slavery, violence, power imbalance, implied somnophilia, forced pregnancies, mind breaking, yandere behaviour, yandere themes, etc.

===============================================

Levi leaned back lazily after his escapade in the closet with the maid. It was just what he needed to think with a clear head before setting to work on strategies once more. He wanted to conquer the Northern Kingdom by the winter, since his soldiers wouldn't be able to withstand that severe cold. Frustration had made everything seem impossible, until he finally cleared himself of that stress by using a warm body.

"Your Majesty." The guard kneeled down in front of him.

"What is it. What could you possibly have that would justify interrupting me at this time?"

"A thousand pardons Great One, you see, I saw one of your maids leave the castle gate. When I questioned her she claimed that you had sent her out to collect wild flowers to torment the captive princess."

Levi's eyebrow rose. "Torment? I didn't send for any such thing."

"She claimed it was to give the ex-princess a taste of the outside life before ripping it away, forgive me sire, it seemed like something you would think of."

His temper rose with each word. "I could behead you for such stupid actions. Tie you up like the pig you are and roast you."

The guard bows his head lower, trying to seem even more reverent.

"But." He pauses and sits back down. "I'm a merciful king and will let you go. This once. Where is this maid you speak of."

"I left her at the front gate Your Highness, she promised she stay put until I checked with you."

Now it rose more. "Idiot! That's exactly what she wanted! To leave her unattended and escape!" He takes a deep breath to keep himself from going off the deep end. "Summon my guards. Tell them to comb the surrounding area, and get my horse." He starts for the stairs.

"Where are you going sire?"

"To check on a royal cunt."

================================================

Evelyn had started to run since she got through the tree line. Barreling through the forest at top speed to try and escape.

No doubt Levi had discovered her missing by now, sending all of his thugs after her. She had to cover a lot of ground very quickly, if she even had a chance at making it home.

Her quaint little kingdom seemed so far away now, burned down and hollow without the life in it. She would come back, give her father and mother their spark back and teach them how to rally the kingdom and defeat their enemy once and for all. She had seen inside his lair, she knew enough that together they could rise above this tyranny.

They would all be free!

She kept running until she was too exhausted to anymore, sleeping in a hollow burrow for the night, praying that no one would find her.

================================================

It had been two days since Levi had left on his hunt for Evelyn, she would almost be back in her kingdom by now.

While in theory that wasn't the end of the world, there could be a secret passage to another kingdom he hadn't conquered yet hidden in the walls of that crumbling tomb of a civilization.

The dogs searched non-stop for their master's mistress, picking up her trail stronger one moment and weaker the next. The pace was infuriating, but if he wanted to track her right he needed to have patience for once.

It was no different from his own conquests, playing the waiting game to let his prey slip up. This would be no different.

And then the dogs started barking.

================================================

Just as the towers of her home were insight Evelyn heard the dogs far behind her. The horses hooves hitting the forest floors with great big thuds.

They had found her.

For faster travel Evelyn made the split decision to break from the tree line, bolting towards the ever closing in walls surrounding her home. She could take the servants door in, taking her in the belly of the castle while Levi searched, keeping her hidden until they left so she could be safe.

"Stay right where you are!" The crude and nasty voice of a soldier rang out behind her, and furious hooves pounded ever closer.

Pure adrenaline kept her going, her feet pounding on the grassy hills and onto the stone as she leapt over the crumbled section of wall and disappearing in the stone of her home.

"Search the grounds! Don't let that bitch escape!" Levi's voice was angry and ruthless. Armored feet clanked around the stone, before she heard the great wooden doors of her father's house open.

Distracted while guarding their king, Evelyn took the chance to sneak out of her hiding spot and bolt towards the servant's door, climbing quietly up the wooden stairs until she was above her father's Great Hall.

She climbed the rafters until she could see down into the room, the ceiling long since crumbled away with the battering it had taken.

Levi stood before her father, just as proud as before, bit with a touch more anger.

"So. I mercifully give you your pathetic lives and you steal from me."

To Evelyn's surprise, her father drops to his knees before Levi. "I never would steal from our merciful ruler oh Great One. Your servant wouldn't dare throw you generosity away. Please, tell me what I have done to displease you so that I may atone for my actions!"

Levi scoffs. "Your brat of a daughter escaped two days past. My soldiers and I saw her making a line for this castle. Now I'll only ask once. Where is she?"

"I don't know, honest and true oh Levi the Magnificent! We had no idea my daughter would attempt to spit in your face. Please I beg you to believe me!"

Levi pauses a long moment. "At least you're consistent. Very well. I'll take your word. However, I assume you wouldn't mind if my men inspect every inch of this dump then?"

"But of course my lord, please. You must be weary, sit, only allow me to inform my servants to let you roam freely so they won't give you any trouble, and unlock any doors."

Levi sits in the offered throne. "As you wish. But if my men even see a hint of rebellion, I'll take your whore wife and tie her up in my streets."

Evelyn's father nods profusely and hurries away.

Evelyn stares down at the man who has been holding her captive, his strength, pride, and commanding presence. She should like to see him brought low, brought to the point her father is now.

She had to find her father, and tell him he didn't have to be a slave any longer.

[nextinline-if]

A Chance Encounter - Constantine Short Story

There's still some time left on the poll but Constantine is clearly going to win (big shocker lol). Here is the first short story I ever wrote for Patreon and for Next in Line. I hope you enjoy <3

Warning: violence, blood, death, war

The world spins as Constantine flies from his horse. A kaleidoscope of blue, gold, red, and black swirls in his vision. Until it's just black. The sounds of the battlefield have been replaced by ringing. A groan escapes his lips as he tries to push himself up with his left hand while his right-hand searches for the hilt of his sword.

“Looking for this, little Knight?”

A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face. He stumbles up and turns around, his icy blue gaze landing on an Arandale soldier who grins as he spins the missing sword. Constantine blinks several times, hoping the world will stop spinning.

It does after a few seconds and he spits, blood landing on the ground around him. Even after all this time, he hasn’t gotten used to the way iron tastes. “Wouldn’t be much of an Elite Guard Knight if I need that to kick your sorry ass,” he growls at the soldier.

The soldier’s eyes narrow, rage rolling off him in waves. He sticks the Kinght’s sword in the ground, drawing his own from his hip. “Let’s put that theory to the test,” he replies, a smug smirk on his face.

Constantine takes a deep breath, tuning out the sounds of the war around him. Until he can no longer hear the clashing of swords or the dying cries of his comrades. He sends a silent prayer to Gaia. This could not be the moment before his death. He would not allow it.

The thud of the other soldier’s footsteps float to Constantine’s ears as the soldier moves toward him and throws his weight into his sword, but the Knight moves at the last moment, leaving both of them off balance on this foreign land.

And although the young Knight was larger than this other man, he was still nimble enough to kick the soldier’s hand, knocking the sword to the ground. The soldier lent down to retrieve his sword, but Constantine grabbed the man’s outstretched arm, locking it in place as he wrapped his other arm around the soldier’s neck.

The man struggled, his gasping echoing in the air around the pair. He desperately sought to fight the Knight’s arm away with his free one but it wasn’t long until Constantine had control of both arms and held them behind the soldier’s back. Then came the sound of snapping and the soldier’s neck went limp.

Constantine drops the body and hurries to retrieve his sword before looking around the bloody field in search of his horse. He finds her, her eyes fluttering as she tries to fight the inevitable. An agonized sigh leaves his lips as he kneels in front of her, his steel in one hand. “I’m sorry, girl,” he whispers as he runs his free hand through her mane. Nausea rises in his throat but he pushes it down.

He stands and swiftly plunges his sword through her chest. Then he turns on his heels and strides away. This was far from over and he knew that to linger even a moment on the pain of the necessary deed was to invite death.

One slain enemy after another turns into hours until finally, the light begins to give way to the night. The sounds of the dying are less frequent now. Still present but if he closes his eyes at the right time, he could have the illusion of peace. And he did just that as he embraced the shadow of a tree. But a strangled screech causes his eyes to snap open. Flames fill his vision as he rushes toward the sound.

A pair of distraught eyes meet him across the wall of flames. Two soldiers are circling a young man. Constantine runs through the flames, his armor and speed protecting him for the most part, although his cloak succumbs to the flames. The boy’s eyes widen in surprise and one of the soldiers turns to look, their eyes landing on the Knight.

They smirk as they turn their body toward him. Constantine wastes no time attempting a blow. But it falls short. As the minutes tick by, the sound of the growing flames knot his stomach. He glances over to see the boy barely holding off the other soldier, who towers over him. The Knight clenches his jaw as he directs his attention back to the one in front of him. He parries a strike, arms aching. But this is no time to think of rest. Or his next slumber will be eternal.

A surge of adrenaline propels him forward and the tip of his sword plunges through the neck of his opponent. He moves around the body, heart pounding in his ears.

The boy stumbles from the weight of the enemy’s weapon coming down on his sword and he falls to the ground. The soldier moves in for the final blow but Constantine intervenes from the side, knocking the sword out the soldier’s hand and then shouldering him hard in the chest. The Knight takes advantage of the soldier falling to the ground and sticks a hand out to the boy.

But just as the boy stands, the Arandale soldier grabs a dagger from his boot and plunges it into Constantine’s abdomen, in a place of weakness that his cloak previously kept hidden from view. He drops to one of his knees, a hand pressed against the gushing blood.

The boy gasps, eyes wide as he watches the Knight’s blood spilling over his fingers. Constantine swallows, only able to hear his heart in overdrive as he grabs his dropped sword with his other hand and thrusts it behind him without looking.

It makes contact with the soldier’s stomach. Constantine looks into the boy’s eyes. “End this.”

The boy’s eyes widen and he looks behind the Knight, at the struggling soldier who is preparing a final blow of his own.

“Now,” Constantine growls.

The boy heeds his command, tears rolling down his cheeks as he parries the soldier’s swing before his shaking fingers tighten around the hilt and drive it into his heart.

The Knight looks over his shoulder, a groan escaping his lips. He watches as blood pools around the fallen body. When he’s certain the chest is not rising, he uses his free hand to push himself up and turns to the boy, whose face is full of anguish.

Constantine sighs, remembering his first kill. And his second. And his third. And how it took years for him to stop seeing the faces of each new one when he closes his eyes at night. But there are still many faces he cannot forget. He puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “What’s your name?” he asks gently.

The boy blinks and turns to look at him. “James…just James. And yours, Sir?”

The Knight smiles a little. “Just Constantine is fine, James.”

James nods and then looks back at the body before turning his gaze back to the Knight. “Thank you for saving my life.” Before Constantine can respond, James' eyes move to his bloody hand. “Let’s not linger, you need medical attention.”

“We should find some horses,” Constantine supplies.

“Okay, I’ll lead the way,” James says.

The Knight chuckles. “Sure you know your way back to camp?”

James’ lips twitch. “I’m not an imbecile.”

“Hmph.”

James rolls his eyes and starts walking in the direction of camp. They stick to the shadows until they come across two Arandale soldiers resting with their horses. After a successful sneak attack, the two ride off toward Castelon’s camp.

A sigh escapes Constantine’s lips as his vision begins to blur. James looks over at the Knight, his brow knitted. “Just a bit longer, okay?”

“Yeah,” Constantine responds, his voice weaker than he intends.

A few agonizing minutes later they come to a stop. Constantine lets out a grunt as his feet hit the ground. James wraps an arm around him and insists that Constantine lean on him. “You sure?”

James huffs. “Yes, I’m sure. Do I really look that weak?!” Constantine’s lips twitch, but James cut him off before he can respond. “You know what? Don’t even answer that.”

“James! There you are.”

An authoritative voice grabs their attention. Constantine’s breath catches in his throat when his eyes land on the crown sitting atop the man’s graying hair. The Knight pulls away from James and drops to one knee, biting his lip to contain the pain as he sticks his sword in the ground. “Your Majesty,” he says, voice dripping in awe as he stares at the sandy ground.

“I see you’ve met my son,” the King says. Constantine’s head snaps up and his eyes land on James. Both shock and pride surge through him. He had protected his future King. And not many could say the same.

James smiles at Constantine as he grabs his arm and pulls him up. “Save me would be more accurate, father.”

The King beams at the Knight and gives him an enthusiastic clap on the shoulder. “Then we shall drink in my tent tonight,” he announces, before taking his leave.

After escorting Constantine to the field hospital, James refuses to leave his side and waits for the doctor to tend to his wounds. “You don’t have to stay, Your Highness,” the Knight tells him.

James chuckles. “I wouldn’t dare leave my hero behind. Besides, my father wants to drink with you after this.”

Constantine glances at the Prince. When he decided to become a Knight, he never imagined that he would ever cross paths with his King, or his future King for that matter. He’d only hoped to raise his station in life by fighting for his kingdom. “I assumed he was only being polite, Your Highness.”

James grins. “My father doesn’t do ‘just polite.’ And the Highness stuff gets old real fast, stop it, would you?”

The Knight shakes his head and turns his gaze away from the Prince. “As you wish…”

A couple hours later, James and Constantine are walking toward the King’s tent. The doctor had advised Constantine to rest because he’d lost so much blood. But he couldn’t do that. When would he ever again have the opportunity to drink with his King? He only hoped he wouldn’t pass out from exhaustion. The other Knights would never let him live it down if that was the case.

But he needn’t worry about that - because the night was only full of ale and stories of Castelon’s royal family. A few hours where he forgot there was a war waiting to be waged again when Aurora rose the sun.

The King laughs and takes a sip of his ale. “That’s the perils of twins, Constantine. They gang up on you! Keep that in mind in case you ever have children.”

The skin around Constantine’s eyes crinkles as he takes another sip from his own mug. “I shall heed your words, Your Majesty.”

“Please,” James says, “my father over exaggerates. Besides, being a twin is the best thing about life.”

Constantine raises an eyebrow. “And why do you say that?” he asks. The King’s eyes bore into James.

James looks down into this mug, a small smile on his young face. “Because I have someone to fight for and to live for.”

Silence wraps around Constantine as he considers the Prince’s words. He’d heard that siblings could be protective of one another, but he was an only child so he didn’t know what that felt like. But there’s something else about James’ words that leaves him questioning the meaning. “But don’t you have the throne to fight for? To live for?”

James glances up from the drink, his expressionless eyes meeting the Knight’s curious blue ones. “The throne is only meant for us to die for, my dear hero.”

My Patreon is currently paused due to my focus on completing chapter 2 so it's not possible to subscribe at this time.

[lyledebeast]

Captain Vidal vs Colonel Tavington

Long ago, I rewatched Pan's Labyrinth (2006) with the intention of comparing its villain with from The Patriot's. Then and also in last week's rewatch, I was surprised to find even more similarities than I expected. In no particular order, some things these two men have in common: rooting out rebel forces, child-killing, torturing, speech-making, and shaving. So, why is it that Vidal is the most terrifying movie villain I've encountered in my adult life while Tavington is my babygirl? There are three reasons.

Vidal is crueler to his enemies than Tavington.

Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) sees the rebels as vermin to be exterminated. Within about ten minutes of his first appearance he brutally and unexpectedly murders a young man with a wine bottle in front of his father for having Communist propaganda, and then murders the father. He seems to relish torturing rebels and attempts to do so on two occasions. In the first scene, Vidal addresses the man in a conversational tone while showing him the implements of torture he plans to use to get him to talk and explaining the effects he believe they will have. He taunts the man, who suffers from a speech impediment, that he will let him go if he can count to three without stuttering. He also makes a speech to Mercedes, but it is interrupted when she attacks him with the knife we saw her sew into her apron earlier. Although Vidal views the rebel man with contempt, he faces him during his speech. Mercedes is only able to escape because Vidal is so little concerned about her as a threat that he makes the whole speech with his back to her. Like Tavington, running his mouth gets him into trouble.

Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs), in spite of claiming to find "real pleasure" in his victim's suffering, is prepared to ride away from his first encounter with the Martin family without killing anyone. He metes out Martin's punishment for having aided rebel soldiers, threatens him and his children with his pistol, and seems content until Thomas ignores the warning and rushes to free his brother. After one rebel dies under torture, Tavington offers his companion a chance at more riches to add to his stolen ones if he gives up the information. I think Tavington is lying here and would kill this man even if he had accepted the offer, but that he is trying to get out of torturing him too provides a sharp contrast to Vidal, who is clearly mixing business with pleasure.

2. Vidal is crueler to those close to him than Tavington.

Vidal's men are as rattled by his murder of the farmer and his son as the audience, and yet he lays the blame for his actions at their door: "Let this teach you to search these fools before you come bothering me." He berates them similarly throughout other scenes. Tavington is clearly annoyed that the lieutenant he replaces as the highest ranking officer at the Martin farm does not know who carried the dispatches handed directly to Tavington in spite of having arrived two whole minutes before him, but he does not reprimand him. Tavington's second in command shows signs of being afraid of him both during his interview with the wounded soldier and after the first tortured militaman dies, but Tavington never behaves towards Bordon in ways that justify that fear. After Tavington's men follow him into Martin's trap, he does make some attempt to stop the charge and mitigate the damage he caused.

The sharpest contrast, though, lies in Vidal, unlike Tavington, having members of his own family on hand to mistreat. Initially, he seems to show some concern for Carmen, his wife and Ofelia's mother, but it quickly becomes clear that this is only a facade. When Dr. Ferreiro tells him that Carmen should not have traveled so near her due date, Vidal responds, "a son should be born where his father is," and when she falls dangerously ill, he tells the doctor to save his son, even at the expense of his mother. Vidal is indirectly responsible for Carmen's death, and, of course, very directly responsible for Ofelia's, but one particular incident of cruelty really resonated with me on this last rewatch. At the dinner party Vidal hosts, one of the officers' wives asks Carmen how she and Vidal met, and she explains that her late husband had made his uniforms. Vidal apologizes for her and says, "My wife is uneducated, and she believes these kinds of silly stories are interesting to people." If he is embarrassed at having married is deceased tailor's wife, perhaps he should not have married his deceased tailor's wife? Embarrassed or not, he saw a polite exchange between two women and said, "What in the fuck is that? I hate it!" Carmen is not a wife to him but a broodmare, and Ofelia is simply a nuisance. The only person he really cares for is his son, though even that care is questionable.

3. Vidal's evil actions are backed by evil principles

While Guillermo del Toro's heroes in this film are communists, the film is so much presenting communism in a favorable light as it is absolutely skewering fascism and the kind of masculinity that goes with it. Tavington and Vidal's attention to personal grooming initially appears to be a similarity, but closer inspection reveals the differences. The scene where Tavington shaves in the creek sets him apart from his own men, who are socializing with each other, but also the more rugged militiamen who cannot be bothered with such superficial concerns (and yet remain barefaced nonetheless . . . somehow). Vidal, though, is shown shaving on several occasions. And shining his boots. And cleaning his watch. As any second wave feminist can tell you, it's not about the final effect but the work it takes to produce it. Vidal is reproducing a rigid, militaristic masculinity like it's his job, which in some respects it certainly is. It is also a family legacy.

Both films provide stories about the villain's fathers, but while Tavington's is told by him in a scene of surprising emotional honesty given his usual propensity for lying his ass off, Vidal's is told by an unnamed man at the aforementioned dinner party. When he describes General Vidal breaking his watch in battle so his son would know at what time he died, Vidal replies, "That's ridiculous. My father never owned a watch." If you want to dispel a rumor, telling an even more ridiculous lie is not the way to do it. It is not a rumor, though, and Vidal confirms that when he hands his son to Mercedes at the end of the film and holds up his watch, saying, "Tell my son when his father died." In his eyes, this child is less a child than a replica.

Vidal's masculinity is one rooted in violent domination of both women and men that he sees as less than himself. He wants to pass these traits on to his son. As he explains to Ferreiro, "That boy will carry my name and my father's." Tavington also seeks to subjugate the local population, but like his shaving, this does not set him apart from the film's heroes in the ways the filmmakers intended. Vidal is evil because he's a patriarchal fascist in a feminist fantasy/drama. Tavington is evil because he's British in an American nationalist propaganda piece. I would argue that Vidal "works" better as a villain simply because Pan's Labyrinth is a better-written, smarter story than The Patriot. Of all the insights comparing these films has brought me, my favorite has to do with fatherhood. While Roland Emmerich sets it up as a virtue in and of itself. del Toro reminds the audience that being a father does not necessarily have to do with being selfless and caring. On the contrary, it can be narcissistic. Caring for one's own children carries little weight if it does not also entail caring for other people's children, as Mercedes does when she takes Vidal's son from his arms and when she tries to protect Ofelia from him. She breaks the patriarchal cycle when she responds to Vidal's final demand with, "No. [Your son] won't even know your name."

Indeed, it has been a real struggle to write this post without digressing onto the topic of how well-written and amazing the heroes of Pan's Labyrinth are in comparison to The Patriot's, but that's another post!

[kudzuoath]

Bullying the Wizard

Karlach tells Gale he's being an idiot.

Direct sequel to this.

--

“It’s amazing how much of a perfect arsehole you’re being about all of this,” said Karlach.

She’d dropped beside him and draped an arm over his shoulders. In any other context this might have felt like a threat, but since stabilizing her engine, their wildheart friend had been touching anything and anyone who gave her half a chance. Usually with a giddy and contagious giggle. Even Astarion had deigned to allow her to vigorously shake his hand — after ducking an enthusiastic and ill thought out hug first.

“Elaboration would be most welcome,” he said, eyeing the arm about his shoulders. “Considering I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re referring to.”

The tiefling leaned into him, nearly sending him off the log and into the dirt. He had to drop his book and hold on to avoid it. “Karlach!”

She grinned at his aggrieved tone, but did indeed lay off on the leaning. Her grin quickly morphed into a more serious expression — but being who she was there was still a hint of cheer in her face. He had no idea how she did it. He’d never taken his impending doom with as much aplomb.

“You’re looking at me the way the proprietor of the Yawning Portal looks at a set of green adventurers who want to see the pit. Should I be worried?”

“Maybe. Don’t know yet.” Karlach removed her arm so she could cross them. “You were left in camp this morning. Bit unusual, that.”

Blood was rushing in his ears. “Well, who am I to question the decisions of the leader of our merry band of miscreants? It seems she found Astarion more needful.”

“Uh-huh,” said Karlach. “Listen, everyone’s noticed the two of you are on the outs. You ought to try actually, you know, talking? Like adults?”

“I assure you there’s quite nothing to talk about,” he said, busying himself with retrieving his book and dusting it off. “Tensions are bound to run high given our current locale. And considering the manner of enemy we’ve found ourselves facing off with, I can understand why one might prefer someone better at sneaking about to a purveyor of the arcane seeing as – personal connections aside – I have very little to do with the divine.”

“The cracking of your joints is a bit of a give away.”

“Jest if you must, but I distinctly remember your heart serving as a glowing orange target when we tried to free that woman from the hag’s lair.”

“Oh, ouch!” She clapped a hand to her chest dramatically. “Someone is feeling prickly tonight.”

“I give as good as I get,” he said. “Now if you’ll excuse me –”

“Oh no you don’t, soldier –” and there was her tail blocking him in. “I’m not done.”

Annoyance was beginning to temper his mortification. He settled back on the log with a put upon sigh. “Truly, I don’t see how it’s your business, Karlach.”

“The two of you are some of the best friends I’ve got,” she said, leaning in. “And neither one of you knows the bell end of a bugbear when it comes to talking about things. Temperance’s lips oughta have buttons sewn on. And you’re so set on burying yourself while you’re still breathing you’ve stopped seeing anything other than a bloody tombstone!”

Gale stared at her.

“I’m not just gonna sit by and watch the two of you avoid each other until we’re all six feet down, yeah? Seeing as you’re so set on taking all of us with you for the sake of –” and here Karlach visibly restrained herself from saying… something. He had the sense it was unflattering. “-- For the sake of a goddess who doesn’t give a rat’s left hand for you.”

“What Mystra asks of me is not something she does lightly –”

“How d’you know?” Karlach interrupted. “I didn’t see any gods traipsing about camp, just that grandpa who ate all the cheese wheels we’ve found since we crash landed. Second hand knowledge, mate.”

“Elminster would hardly lie to spare my feelings on the matter,” Gale bit out. “And Mystra is not some – some tyrannical wicked goddess. She is the mother of all magic! All that is beautiful in the fabric of the world! If she says the only solution to this Absolute lay in my sacrifice – well who am I to question? Something that has historically gone very poorly indeed, I might add.”

“Okay, fine, set that aside or whatever. If you’re living on borrowed time why are you wasting all of it?”

“I hardly think there’s so much time as all that left to me, Karlach –”

“Left to us,” she pointed out.

A little chill slid down his spine. How easily she took their impending demise at his hand. It had to be worth it. If it eliminated the Absolute… it had to be.

“Given the half chance, I would endeavor to do all I could to see as many people as possible are clear of the blast before I… go to meet my goddess. She would not… she would not ask for so much death without cause.”

Karlach frowned at him. “Sounds like she’s as much of a bitch as Zariel. She never asked for things lightly either. ‘Cept for when she did.”

Gale swallowed, but did not rise to the bait. His own death was easily accepted, terrifying a concept as it might be. It was all he deserved. But the thought of so many others… of his… his friends… that clawed at him as surely as the orb had. At least Elminster was well clear of them by now. And Tara and his mother were safely in Waterdeep. Though that was a hollow comfort. So too the knowledge that nearly everyone in camp was living on borrowed time anyway.

There was a burning pain under his ribs. Radiating up into his neck and spiraling around his skull. He set his hand over the place where his folly slept, grimacing. Stable, yes. But the pain lingered, and bit at him.

You deserve no less, Gale. Grin and bear it.

“What are you asking of me Karlach?”

The tiefling huffed, but when he looked at her he saw concern creasing her brows. “Tell her how you feel. Obviously!”

“And what would that accomplish?” he said. Perfectly rational. “I would not put the onus of my feelings on her for the sake of my comfort.”

“Gods, you’re thick! ‘Onus’ what does that even mean – no, don't answer.” She blew out a rough, frustrated sigh. “Tell her. Seriously! You have to know she feels the same way, right?”

“Not after all I’ve done to put her off. Even the deepest well of patience will eventually run dry and I can only imagine I have reached its not insignificant depths. It’s too late –”

“Bollocks,” Karlach insisted. “If I had someone I sure as the hells wouldn’t be waiting to kick it before I kissed them. But then I’ve been real short on kisses since I was dragged into Avernus by the one horn. C’mon, where’s the cocky mage who told me to my face he could be smooth enough for two?”

“Several weeks and morbid missives behind us,” he said sharply.

“Ugh,” she groaned. “Look – just – say something, Gale! Don’t let all this end with the two of you avoiding each other. If I can’t be happy, at least my friends should be, damn it!”

Her voice cracked there at the end. A dagger to his heart. Karlach might have been the best of all of them. And hearing even that little crack in her cheer…

“I shall try,” he said softly. Hand going once more to his chest, clutching at the fabric there. The razor edge of pain had dulled to a red throb. Easier to ignore. “It’s – the very least of what I owe to my friends. To you.”

Karlach smiled at him. “Damn right it is. Now. What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

Gale couldn’t help laughing at the abrupt change in subject. “I’m afraid the vittles leave much to be desired in a place as blighted as this – however, my skills are more than up to the challenge. Tell me! What do you crave?”

“Well…”

Karlach followed him as he got started on the nightly meal – and only tried to help a little before raising both hands in surrender to his unquestionable prowess. A hard little knot in his throat refused to loosen itself – but the warmth of the fire and his second favorite tiefling soothed.

The question now though – how to approach Temperance?

[prinnamon]

finally done with Shephard's Mind! i took notes on the first couple episodes weeks ago, put the series off, then raced through the rest in the past three days. series official playlist here. it doesn't include some of the extras, but i'll link all of them when i get to them!

even though all my notes are finished, i'm going to split them up into three posts (plus a fourth for comments and misc source finds) so that this is more manageable to revisit. it's a longer series than any of the ones i covered previously.

below are some overall thoughts about Mindrian as a character, followed by my notes on episodes 1-10.

my overall impressions of Shep, not specific to a single episode:

his first instinct is to give people the benefit of the doubt, but if someone definitively betrays his trust. he will hold a grudge.

interested in aliens. not really disgusted by them. doesn't have a problem killing them but doesn't seem to take joy from it that can't be attributed to an appreciation of his own skill/luck/success or a matter of "fuck this specific individual alien."

the description calls him a "cowardly individual," which i've seen one or two people disagree with, but which to me feels accurate. he runs from danger and only faces it head-on when he can't run anymore.

he's not really squeamish about evidence of bad things happening to other people unless the implication is that it could also happen to him. he is unabashedly looking out for himself first.

doesn't use his own name much in his internal monologue early on. did say "Adrian wins" in episode 10, so i started calling him Adrian instead of Shephard. but then he went and started referring to himself as Shephard quite a bit more frequently in the late series. oh well. you’ll all know who i’m talking about.

EPISODE 1

Adrian was asleep before the intro. dozes off again while the others are chitchatting.

considers "your mom" jokes immature.

COMPLETELY silent while the helicopter's getting blasted to bits

says "my tummy hurts" when he regains consciousness at one point. his tummy hurts and he's not gonna be brave about it. as is his right

not too upset at the sight of dead HECU soldiers! i mean, he was trained for this eventuality.

head hurts. flickering lights bad.

he's expecting the first aid station to dispense Advil. it does not.

recognizes his sergeant being carried by scientists on a stretcher. follows because "i'm not gonna miss a chance to see him in pain!"

gets knocked over when the headcrabbed soldier throws the scientist's body through the window. gets back up and runs away!

has a reasonable degree of fear but isn't panicking.

assumes the zombies are black mesa's creation/responsibility. ("hey, your monster broke out of the lab.")

treats the first guard he meets as an ally! …until said guard offers arbitrary instructions Adrian has to follow before they can move on. then Adrian becomes antagonistic towards him.

lets the zombie chase the scientist while he goes for his vest. once he realizes how the headcrabs attack and attach to people, he decides to go help.

doesn't really end up helping. won't let the scientist stand behind him. ultimately leaves him behind. the scientist can be heard getting killed off-screen.

Adrian wants something he can keep between him and the enemy. grabs a rolling chair and pushes it around in front of him. (like Stark with that stool…) ditches it for the wrench immediately but then goes back for it and uses it to climb safely past the laser.

gets a bad electrical shock from a live wire. takes a break to recover.

best line: (after noticing collapsed support beams) "so, uh… you guys doing some renovations in here or what?" (after noticing bloody handprints on the wall) "and, uh, heh, evidently some… ahem… finger painting."

EPISODE 2

acknowledges the HUD! he can see it. it displays on the lenses of his helmet.

doesn't want to touch the crabs :/ avoids instead of engaging!

accosts the guard, demanding he let Adrian in. when he doesn't, Adrian is surprisingly willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and dismiss it as being because of technical difficulties.

would NOT work here.

yells to hear his voice echo in the chasm

"okay. i probably shouldn't look down." (inching closer to the edge of the cliff and looking down) "don't look down. why are you looking down? stop looking down!" (looking back up and moving on) "okay"

very enthusiastic about finding a knife. takes it out of the vortigaunt's corpse without noticing the body. spends several seconds admiring the knife before realizing there's an alien there

"i've never seen an alien up close." (buddy what do you think the crabs are? oh, wait, right, he thinks zombies—and i guess, by extension, also headcrabs—are black mesa's creation.) "but now that i have… now that i have, i feel richer for the experience." he's learning so much!

only mildly bummed/perturbed to reach the crash site and find everyone there dead.

brushes the same arm that was already electrocuted up against the electrified fence in the middle of chastising a dead guard for having been electrocuted.

slur count: 1

i've noticed he goes quiet for long stretches when there's immediate danger or he needs to focus. he may be a contender for mind series character most capable of shutting the fuck up

thinks to check a soldier for a pulse.

cannot whistle. wishes he could.

hit by a vortigaunt's beam. electricity really is his number 1 enemy

never goes to barbecues. they're boring to him

left the base at noon. estimates it to be 5:30 PM now. hoping to "get home before [he misses] the new episode of House tonight" (referring to the show House MD and placing the series between 2004 and 2012)

best line: "all i did was touch an electrified wire and i'm already 12 percent dead! or 88 percent alive, depending on your point of view."

EPISODE 3

formulating a backup plan that involves stealing an alien spaceship from a lab.

sees a barnacle. considers leaving it alone because he wants nothing to do with it. reconsiders. kills it.

thinks maybe this one wasn't an alien. after all, he hadn't heard of echidnas until recently

loves the laser sight on the desert eagle. sounds almost disappointed at how easy it is to kill aliens with it.

has second thoughts about stealing an alien ship. it wouldn't be good to get mistaken for an invader by air traffic control.

wonders if the invasion is happening all over the planet.

hit by a vortigaunt's beam again!

sooo disappointed about being unable to take the lift up to the top

incredibly grateful to gman for letting him out of the electrified toxic waste room. when gman isn't there, Adrian wonders where he could've gone since the other way out is also blocked by electrified toxic waste

unhappy that all his pessimistic predictions are coming true. thinks of himself as "the Nostradamus of fucking up."

thinks headcrabs look like featherless chickens. contemplating taking one home and cooking and eating it.

chastises a dead guard for dying right next to a first aid station. hopes said guard reincarnates as a featherless chicken alien

slur count: 2

has a cousin James who thought he was a spider in his past life & would try to construct webs out of his own hair

fails at tucking and rolling

wonders now if gman ("that suit guy") found a secret passage out. resents gman for not telling him about it.

refers to an automatic gate arm by itself as a toll booth

best line: "okay, that's it! i'm gonna beat the shit out of you… with bullets!"

EPISODE 4

his suit is not waterproof. neither is his mask

disgusted at the barnacles slurming him when he shoots them

mood is greatly improved by the discovery of a hand grenade. mischievously says "it's time to ruin someone's day >:)"

recounts a story of a guy sneaking into prison with a hand grenade up his ass. hopes he can acquire lightning powers so that in case he goes to prison he can have a weapon on hand without having to store it in such a difficult and uncomfortable way

very irritated by the alarm sound

initially mistakes the houndeyes for puppies but guns them down before they can do their soundwave attack.

was terrified of big dogs as a little kid. says that fear has been replaced by his new fear of aliens. (wait, so was he afraid of big dogs until black mesa when he found something to be more afraid of, or did he leave it behind in childhood?)

calls houndeyes hamdogs. (headcrabs are still chickens. zombies are zombie chickens. vortigaunts are, i think, just aliens.)

feeling tired again. apparently couldn't sleep the night before. supposes that "maybe on some intuitive, instinctual level, i really knew this was going to happen."

takes a lil nap on the tram. mumbles in his sleep about "Freeman" and "pulling out," which is quoting something he doesn't hear until next epesode. his premonitions… (technically, Adrian has heard the name "Freeman" before over the intercom--at least, according to Krim; i never verified that myself—but next episode when he hears the name "Freeman," he responds "who?")

gets Otis a chocolate bar from the vending machine. when Otis doesn't move to take it, Adrian goes for it. his now :]

Otis shoots a zombie, so Adrian, impressed, invites him to tag along.

slur count: 3. follows this one with a "no offense" :\

in response to Otis saying "fighting aliens is not in my job description," Adrian offers that at least it'll look good on a resume.

manages to find a working phone and call 911. is sadly taken for a prank caller. may have also reached a pizza place instead of 911..?

best line: (about houndeyes) "and it's got, like, twenty eyes. who the fuck needs to see that many things at once!?"

EPISODE 5

this episode has a cold opening before the intro! and it's a really good gag honestly

gets put on hold by the person on the other end of the call. gets so mad he shoots the phone multiple times

directs Otis to stay behind and make sure everyone who arrives via the tram gets through safely. wow. that's really considerate

calls a headcrab a headcrab for what i believe is the first time! no longer featherless chickens. they are now crabs. another victim of carcinization

announces that backup (himself) has arrived. never walks this back even though everyone dies before he reaches them there

figures out the HEV chargers work with the PCVs!

does not have a dust allergy. this is fortunate, because the vents are dusty.

tells another marine he should go easier on the scientist since the guy's probably at least 60.

wonders who Freeman is. jokingly but accurately guesses he's an "evil scientist who drops people down elevator shafts or collects human skulls or something."

distraught at being shut in while the helicopter leaves without him. recognizes gman from earlier and is angry that he won't open the door.

epic melee combat sequence with cool music playing! Adrian efficiently takes down three vortigaunts using only the wrench and doesn't say a word.

sadly, the above only occurred in Adrian's imagination. in his Shephard's Mind, if you will.

the real encounter involves him running around and wildly shooting without landing most of his shots

fantasizes about enacting cartoon violence against gman

generally no longer surprised by aliens teleporting in. getting used to all the bullshit like finding weapons lying around in random spots and having to crawl through vents. not pleased at the fact that he's getting used to this.

immediately goes for a vent, ignoring a door. catches himself in the middle of doing so, but the door's locked anyway, so he had the right idea in the first place

perplexed at how a metal air vent partially submerged in electrified water does not electrocute him when he stands on it

piss time! nobody was looking, but then of course someone shows up right in the middle so he has to try to play it cool. end of episode.

best line: "like, what happened? did they just suddenly decide to convert this entire room into a pool? i hope they at least put chlorine in it. wouldn't want the aliens to get sick!"

EPISODE 6

the scientist who saw him pissing is dead now. eaten by zombie. no witnesses ("on the upside, the only man who has ever seen me with my pants down is now dead")

"i just saw this guy, like, three minutes ago" huh? took you three minutes to piss???

smacked in the head (helmet) by a fan blade. this is painful but not horribly so

wrist is starting to hurt from the recoil of the guns he's using. anticipates he'll get carpal tunnel "by next year." (so he is counting on his own survival.)

critical of the positioning of the "alien garden" right next to the vents of fire

entranced by the xen light stalks. starts making silly noises and "scaring" them for fun

gets that mischievous manner about him again when he has the opportunity to disobey a warning sign and blow some shit up

questions what the gonome is tossing at him and realizes with disgust that it's throwing parts of its own body

wanting to shower soon. worried about getting sick from alien blood in his wounds. thinks it could give him superpowers or leukemia

feels safe in the vents since it's harder for things to surprise him

irritated at a dying marine's unhelpful and obvious advice

goes for his gun and accidentally grabs the wrench instead for a sec. very silly

once again dreams of commandeering a vehicle to make getting out of here easier

frustrated that all the black mesa employees are afraid of him. thinks he deserves some appreciation for killing aliens.

best line: "looks like the service elevator is… out of service :("

EPISODE 7

successfully conquering (or suppressing) his fear of heights!

anticipates he'll come out of this situation with a drug addiction (which, at this point, he thinks he's earned)

looks back and forth between the crashed elevator and the snapped/sparking cables and then, in a goofy voice, says "well, there's your problem!" and proceeds to laugh for several seconds. i found this endearing

slips and falls :[

plans to make a habit of turning off electricity wherever he can since there have been so many electrical hazards

considers himself good at climbing ropes normally. climbing an elevator cable is a nightmare and a horrible experience (greasy)

"better not fire this gun." (continues holding gun at the ready as though prepared to fire at any moment)

(disapprovingly) is that a crate of explosives!?" (throws a grenade to blow it up)

grossed out by human head on the floor

remarks "what a shocking end!" about an electrocuted scientist. proud of and entertained by his cheesy one-liner

derogatorily calls a headcrab a "little ballsack"

cheerfully greets and has a positive interaction with a scientist

finds a radio. laments that there's nobody still around to call. hears voices nearby, though, so he gives it a try anyway.

links up with other marines for the first time! one of them's Jack, an engineer from his squad in the helicopter at the start! (Adrian doesn't know the other guy, and he won't say his name)

incredibly impressed when Jack lights his cutting torch with his cigarette

guy-who-won't-say-his-name stays behind while Jack and Adrian go on.

Space Oddity is the elevator music here! kinda neat. Adrian sings along a bit but doesn't remember the words.

best line: "oho! you just lit that with a cigarette! didja see that? he lit it with a cigarette. that's hardcore."

EPISODE 8

(while fighting aliens as the elevator music continues) "the power of David Bowie compels you!"

Adrian and Jack cooperate well!

Adrian considers how easily aliens break down doors and whether he could use that to his advantage.

Jack was,,, told to guard this area? so he stays behind. i understand talking to an NPC is sorta impractical, but i will miss him.

explodes a vortigaunt with a knife. shocked at the fact that this really happened. supposes they're so explodeable because their bodies are full of electricity…

the cool melee sequences he could only daydream of a few episodes ago are now a reality! good for him. character growth.

his actual life goal was to go into acting, not the military. thinks he could have cut it as a martial arts movie star.

passes Freeman's employee of the month photo and laughs about it. "yeah, i bet that guy's wishing he had taken the opening for a high school science teacher right about now."

gets briefly strangled by a barnacle. after escaping, he immediately backs into another one. decides these are the worst aliens. "now my trachea feels like someone stepped on it >:("

once again has the displeasure of encountering electrified toxic waste

apparently had gross greasy hands for quite a while after climbing the elevator cable but is no longer plagued by that

feels so insulted to have been shot with bees. would rather be shot with bullets

comes across a medic he doesn't know! pokes fun at the fact that Jack is "bravely defending a walk-in closet."

stumbles into a turret laser and gets shot at. very irritated by this. claims he was there the day turrets were brought onto the base and was assured friendly fire would not be a problem

gets shot at by black ops but still sees them as misguided allies who think he's an alien

when saying "it's me, Corporal Shephard" still gets him shot at, he tries "i mean, Corporal Swanson!" just in case that changes their minds

doesn't actually mean to kill the first assassin; only intended to fire off "a few warning shots."

worried about being court-martialed for killing four people.

there's a fifth assassin. Adrian fights him. while the assassin lies on the ground, Adrian says, "i'm sorry, but I can't have any witnesses" and then shoots him in the head.

he’s hoping the situation doesn't continue to spiral out of control and result in him having to kill even more people

has always wanted to say "double-time it" and is happy he got the chance to do so

i really like the way he tells the medic "come on, come on! we got an injured guy! there's no time to dust for fingerprints here! let's go!" because it simultaneously conveys the urgency he feels because of the engineer's injuries and his need to hurry the medic along so that he doesn't put together the details of what Adrian did. 😀😄

best line: "that's how it goes. in the face of extinction, all men become equals. and most of them become dead."

EPISODE 9

accidentally hits the engineer's gas can when trying to take out the turret. very dismayed at the bloody mess. the medic is unconcerned

never expected he'd ever actually kill someone. even when he enlisted, the possibility didn't feel real

makes several unsuccessful attempts to flirt with the assassins

says "okay, this time i'm not going to kill anyone" and then takes the assassins out with the pipe wrench, spraying blood everywhere. Adrian..! that kills people!

chastises a marine for getting BITS all over the place. later admonishes the same guy for talking loudly while they're trying to stay hidden. sadly has nothing nice to say to him

formulates a plan to dispose of all the weapons he used to murder people today in electrified toxic waste. suspects that black mesa disposes of incriminating evidence the same way

Adrian's knee gets grazed by a bullet because he's trying to flirt with an assassin. he STILL keeps trying even after this

very pleased with himself because he thinks he's being very stealthy, hiding from some assassins behind a box. accidentally backs into some other assassins.

suggests black leather in a brightly-lit area with light-colored walls may not be the pinnacle of stealth

can't explain why, but he feels Freeman is the reason he's here.

carries the SAW (which he calls the M60) for a while and uses it until it runs out of ammo. decides it's too heavy to justify carrying indefinitely. abandons it.

best line: "you see that, private? i just shot her in the leg. that's called courtesy."

EPISODE 10

anticipates being awarded a good ten medals at the end of this. purple heart for sure. thinks he's eligible for a medal of honor. as long as he's not a wanted criminal, that is.

he is DELIGHTED with how well things went when he distracted an assassin with a grenade and then shot him in the back of the head. "Adrian wins. Flawless victory."

shocked to find a rocket launcher not in use. disappointed that he can't carry it with him. "goddamn. i really wanna blow things up :("

believes he's "almost outta here." buddy you're not even at the halfway point of the series

"who's there? come out where i can see you! i got a half-melted chocolate bar and i'm not afraid to eat it!"

hears Freeman's name. looking forward to kicking his ass.

VERY nearly makes it into the portal after him.

somehow able to tell the difference between an open portal and a closed one.

has a lot of reservations about being on "the alien planet." might breathe in poisons… might contract an alien virus… nowhere to get a cup of coffee…

enjoying the low gravity, though. feels strong.

holding onto some uranium-235 even though he doesn't currently have any weapons that use it as ammo because he thinks he can sell it after this is over.

gets launched by a "crazy space trampoline" and hates the planet again.

a scientist falls from a portal up above, to which Adrian says "oh my god. it's raining men"

calls the displacer cannon the BFG9000

engages in the classic pastime called "make up a guy to get scared of" (jokes about there being giant bees and then gets worried about having to fight giant bees)

falls and screams for so long he runs out of breath and starts to cough. pathetically tries to continue screaming but can't make it work and is confused that he isn't dying

best line: of COURSE it has to go to "hey! get back here, you big orange fuck!"

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Hearing about the Hunger games continuation and thinking about all the Story continuations/prologues I wish we could get for The Underland Chronicles

Gregor's dad

I want To know what Gregor's dad (Who I want a name for... Steve, Lee, Heidi... What is his name? ) first trip to the underland was like. How was he found and brought to Regalia? We know he met Vikus and Luxa's Parents, SO what did he think of them? The Books say he stayed in Regila for two weeks (During which time he was very worried about his pregnant wife, children, and mother) and that he took a BB gun from the Museum. So I am guessing he knew about the war with the rats, but his family was in hell and he felt he had to get back soon. What happened during his capture.

I don't really want to know about his torturous time with the rats, but I would like some on how he was able to keep both hope and his humanity, the interesting relationship he is hinted to have had with Ripred in book 3 (He says Ripred used to feed him sometimes. He also was not scared of Ripred, Even though he was a rat and was "pretending" to attack his son). And lastly I want to know what coming home felt like for him and why, unlike his wife, the experiences did not make him fear or hate the underland.

Ripred

Speeking of Ripred I want All of his backstory, being a pup and growing up with his litter mates. Going into battle and finding out he is a Rager. How this made him famous all around the Underland, but also made him hated by enemies, and feared by allies, unless they needed him. What was going on when He tried to "Take over the fount with an army of Lobsters"? Seriously the Rat's don't even want The Fount. It is surrounded by rapids and sea monsters! What did was your interest Buddy?

Also I want to see his Mate, their family, and how their loss first broke him then made him change his stance on the war. Him building his relationship with the human side. Going up to the Overland to visit Libraries. His view of his relationships with Gregor and Lizzie and how it feels to him to being taking care of kids again after so long.

Hamnet

Up Next is Hamnet. Solovet and Vikus son, the beloved twin brother to the wife of the King/Queen, Brother in Law to the King (recently reread has me thinking they had more of a business relationship than a familiar one), the Regalian Army's most skilled soldier, and for a long time he was Solovet's heir to becoming captain of the Army, because everyone thought he was just like his mother. This is what everyone thought, but they thought wrong. Unlike Solovet Hamnet felt guilt. Guilt that drove him to speak against his mother in a war meeting to which she locked him in the dungeon for a month. When he was finally let out he went back to being obedient to her and buried his grief down, let it eat away at him, until one last horrible act (As a solider) destroyed him.

But give me Hamnet's complete story. Show him being a ruthless soldier and a fearsome killer on the field of battle, then coming home to be a loyal son, good friend, loving brother, and doting Uncle; becasue that is how many soldiers have to be. Show me him not being Okay but doing his best to hide that because that is all he could do. Then show me when everything went to far, and when he decided to leave Regalia, everything he knew and loved and run to a place that he and all his allies feared, for good reasons. Show me him missing his former friends and family. But also show me him meeting Frill and her deciding to take a chance and help him, him also taking chance and letting her (The books generally imply he wanted to leave his old life but did not expect to make anew one). Give me him learning about life in the jungle. How the animals there do not attack each other and instead employ a method of survival where first you hide, then you try to give a warning, then run. fight last. Show me him finding an overland women lost in the jungle and helping her. With the pair eventually forming a relationship and going on to have a child. Why did she never return to the Overland? Hamnet is a good father to Hazard, but you cannot tell me that he wasn't terrified during the entire pregnancy. Anything about Hamnet has to end where he ended. Having to once again fight in a pointless battle on behalf of Reglia, that the city once again brought on itself and got nothing out of. Our tragic beauty

Ares

Speaking again of Tragic Beauties I want Ares to. What kind of Stuff did he get up to to earn the reputation of a reckless, rule breaking, ...thrill seeker?...strength tester? To where he bonded with Henry to be able to get away with more. What were things like in the time HE and Henry were together. I don't think it was all bad. The Books clearly state that what hurt Luxa, Ares, Aurora, Nerissa the most was that they had loved Henry and could remember good things about him. Things that no longer felt the same after he betrayed them, and things they struggled with only becoming memories in the wake of his death. But the also show me his side of his and Gregor's bond, of him coming to love Gregor like he once loved Henry, and how their friendship helped him move on from the Trauma Henry put him through.

Nerrisa

This last one will never happen because its not really Susanna Collins style, but since none of this will happen, I want more Nerissa. What is it like for her loving her family and people so much, but knowing with her frailty and the Kingdom consistently being on the brink of war she cannot protect them. Show me what her visions are like for her. Note whatever we learned about Sandwhich I do believe Nerissa is an actual visionary. Her Visions of a bad and mysterious fate happening to Henry, Hamnet living for 10 years and building a diverse family, and Gregor being secretly being hidden away in the dungeon by Solovet...all came through.

Knowing that I have another question: Did she know suspect that Sandwhich was a fraud? Nerissa spends more time in the Prophecy room, analysis them than any other character. Many of the "misunderstood translations" are later "explained" by Nerissa. She got Gregor and the other questors off death row by replacing Boots with the Bane as the aforementioned "Baby" in the prohpecy and telling everyone: "they actually did complete the prophecy, you are are safe from the imaginary threats Sandwhich illueded to. Let them go and let's get back what's actually going wrong." When Greogor sobs about not understanding what the point of the journey to the jungle was (It had no point) and how him fulfilling the prophecy did not make everything better, Nerissa twist the prophecy to being about a war for the cure and reminds Gregor that because of what they discovered in the Jungle the council was forced to give the Gnawers the cure instead. Lastly she loves the one Prophecy that suggest hope for peace, even though its title is the only suggestion of it. On the day of the surrender she knowing her cousin will want to make the wrong choice about how to end this. So when she see's Ripred marked himself with an X (If Gregor and Luxa knew he did it himself there was no way Nerissa did not, she was always smarter than the pair of then) she decided to lend him a hand in getting everyone to believe he is the peacemaker, and they need to have peace. I really love the theory that Nerissa had realized what Sandwhich and the prophecies were and spent the books studying them, so she could try and mitigate the damages they caused.

[forestgoblinvibes]

Ch. 2 TASK FORCE 141 x MALE!READER (PLATONIC) SHIFTER!AU

MINORS DNI!! 18+

CHAPTER TWO: Saviors and new beginnings

WARNINGS: The following chapter contains mentions of, blood, consumption of blood, death, shootings, injuries, torture, stitches, the word bug

A/N: chapter two is here!! I’m so happy so many people enjoyed the first chapter and hopefully y’all enjoy this one to. And I may start taking some one shot request so if y’all have anything you’d like to see between chapters let me know! I’ll be making a post of my rules soon if it’s not out before this!!. And Y/N/N stands for of course, your nickname! And the 141 characters may be a bit ooc. But agin! This is just my version of these characters for this story

-

‘PROTECT HER’

It’s the only thought that ran through your mind as you lunged, body that of a hulking black panther.

This caused the attacking man to become distracted. Who wouldn’t when a man is suddenly a beast? Dennis used this to her advantage and quickly ripped the gun from his hand before he could pull the trigger.

Not that he would have been able to. Not while your fangs ripped into his throat and claws dig into his spine with vicious snarls.

Blood. That metallic taste should have disgusted you, should have deterred you away. But it never once bothered you. Call it the animal within but it didn’t taste bad.

Now you didn’t crave it, nor regularly consume it. You can and do live without consuming it. But on the occasion it did happen, you were unbothered.

Once the man stopped fighting you released his corpse and stood tall. Crystal green eyes flicking to Dennis as she stared at you. She’d never seen you this large and was rightfully intimidated.

You let out a soft growl, almost a baritone hum as you lower your head and inch towards her.

‘Keep her calm, stick to the plan’ you think while lowing to the ground, internally wincing as several wounds had reopened while shifting.

“Holy shit..” she mumbled after a moment of gathering her own thoughts and stepping forward. Gun in hand as she limped to your side. “Get us out of here yeah?” was her comment as she carefully climbed into your back and you stood up. Taking a moment to adjust to the added weight and forign feeling as she placed one hand between your shoulder blades for balance.

With the door now open you cautiously made your way out of the hell hole you’d been in. You discovered you’d been locked in some old off room, turned torture chamber, of what seemed to be a warehouse. You were cautious as you rounded corners and tried to find a way out. It was quiet, the air still and as you moved through hallways you didn’t find any guards or soldiers. Then you figured out why as the sound of guns firing rung through the warehouse.

Your enemy was distracted. This was your time to escape.

-

They landed about ten miles from the warehouse and made the distance on foot. The decision to travel on foot was made to lessen the chances of alerting the enemy.

 Price of course lead the group and once they reach their abjective he started to give orders.

“Alright, Ghost and Soap. Take the north side and head towards the middle. Clear every floor and room, call for backup if needed. Gaz and I will take the south side and meet you two in the middle. Radio in if you find any of the team members” he barked before both teams separated to their respective locations.

Price and Gaz made their way through the first two floors of the south side with relative ease. Taking down enemy soldiers before they knew what hit them. But the more levels they climbed the more soldiers they began to run in too.

Soap and Ghost where the same, each level becoming increasingly full of soldiers until the entire warehouse was inevitably made aware of the invader. Ghost calls it when while soap shoots down enemies left and right.

“Price! We’ve been made, we need to move quickly!” He said into the coms while ducking for cover as more gunfire erupted.

-

Your ears perked up from the gunfire and shouting from the floor below. It made your heart quicken and body tense as you make your way down another hall, and met with stair and a railing to the floor below.

Dennis heard the gunfire as well as you reached the stairs. “Why are they shooting? You think someone came?” She questions weakly a tinge of hope in her voice. It made you peek up on her current condition, you look back at her and a soft worried growl is released at her state.

She was pale, sweating and shivering at the same down. Exhaustion hit her quickly when her adrenaline disappeared and the full effect of her own injuries began to take over, you didn’t check over her injuries before hand, but you could tell she was bleeding from several different wounds.

And while not deadly the wounds had became infected making her sick and now you could hear how rattled her breathing was, see how she swayed side to side and gripped your fur to stay steady on your back.

You replied to her with soft chuffs. Drawing her attention back to you as you looking over the railing, now you could see a few enemies shooting, back not at what. It both worried you, for the fact that getting in the cross fire meant death or being captured agin. But also gave you hope that maybe you both were saved.

Slowly you make your way down the stairs, large paws taking three steps at a time. You could feel your own body weakening, shifting while wounded and already weak took a lot out of you. Made your wounds worse as it wasn’t a recommended task for shifters unless dire.

Your only reason for pushing forward was the woman on your back, your best friend.

Somehow, be it the luck of the gods you manage to sneak your way behind the enemy. You could take down a few while they were distracted. But Dennis was struggling more now to stay awake. She was almost laying in your back, to tired to stay sitting up and the gun clattered to the ground. Alerting the enemy to you.

‘Stay awake bug’ you mentally chant, not that she could here you. Upon noticing your position had been made you crouch down and carefully rock Dennis off your back, she slides to the ground with a weak groan and curls in on herself. But at least the crates kept her covered as you kept forward agin.

-

141 had finally regrouped in the middle of the warehouse. Taking cover between crates and pillars. It wasn’t supposed to turn into a full on firefight but of course they endured nonetheless less. Dropping bodies like flies without being hit themselves.

“We still got one last floor to check. They gotta be here!” It was Gaz who shouted over the gunfire, ever the hopeful one. Despite them being rather outnumbered.

He ducked down to reload his gun, Soap started shooting. It was like a dance between the team. Two shoot, two reload and gain new cover. A back and forth dance of calculated killing.

Price was the one to notice you first as some enemy soldiers stopped firing at them and you launched out of hiding to attack. Ghost was the first react though, quick to aim his gun at what he could though could be another threat.

“Fuckin’ hell! Fuck’s that?!” He shouted gruffly, none but price knew you were a shifter. It was confidential and ‘Need to know’ even for his team. Shifters in the army are rare, Laswell wanted it kept secret in case anyone in task force 141 wasn’t found of the non-humans.

“Don’t shoot him ya muppets!” Price commanded, seeing as his men quickly perceived you as another giant threat. Which of course was understandable, a seven foot wild cat isn’t something one sees on a daily!

But dispite their questions they didn’t second guess their captain. Not now, if their mission was to protect you. Then they would. The team moved forward from their position and continued to press to towards the enemy.

-

You took down soldier after soldier, briefly managing to avoid bullets through the element of surprise. But that was short lived, the first bullet managed to graze your hind leg, causing you to hiss out in pain but you still kept fighting.

The enemy was on their last legs, only a few still standing but quickly being dropped like flies.

It was now when you finally got a glimpse of who the enemy was shooting at. The first he noticed was a large soldier with a skull mask balaclava which did in fact worry you that the soldiers were not friendly. The second soldier you noticed was one wearing an old fisherman’s hat, immediately you knew who that was. You’d heard the stories of Captain Price.

And you then knew team came for you both. Captain Price and his Task Force came for you.

But through your distraction you earned the bullet in your side. You felt it pierce through your dense muscle and couldn’t tell if it hit anything vital. The sudden pain caused you to growl out and struggled to stay standing as you eyed the soldier who shot you. But before either of you could react the soldier dropped dead with the bang of the captains gun.

Looking at the Task Force as they eyed you cautiously you turn away. Limping back to Dennis, who much to your relief was miraculously still breathing. It wasn’t tell the firefight ended and the last of your own adrenaline flickered away that you noticed how much pain and exhaustion you were in. Your large form was trembling as you stood protectively over the the woman you cared about so much.

Your happily die protecting her, for while you knew, deep down that the Task Force, meant no harm.

Your mind was foggy and pain made everything scream “danger!”

-

“Soap, call for evac. Gaz, get the med kit. See if we can patch them up a bit. Ghost keep your eyes out for anymore enemy soldiers” Price listed off orders in an especially calm tone while eyeing you. He was cautious and slow with his movements, knowing you’d been through a lot and didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt if you reacted negatively.

“Kid, i need you to step away from her yeah? We are here to help” he spoke to you calmly but still held the athoritive tone. He was met with hesitat warning growls as you swayed, blood dripping from your fur in several spots the most sever being your side and leg. Your lips curl back to bare large fangs, claws unsheathed as he makes a move to step forward.

Gaz came back with the med kit and eyes you for a moment, surprised and concerned filling his gaze with a hint of fear for such a large beast.

“How are we doing this cap?” He asked cautiously as you visibly tense and growl.

“Evac is ten clicks out!” Soap announced agin drawing your attention towards him. You were jumpy, muscles twitching at the ready to protect Dennis.

-

“Kitty..” it was a weak call out, breath and sluggish. But all your attention was to her in an instant.

You lower your head so she can see you and make a soft chirp like sound, letting her know your there.

“..gettin’ us out of here?..” she asked tiredly while reaching out for you. You looked towards Price and gaz. Price seemed to understand the unspoken question you had and nods well stepping a bit closer.

“Yeah, we’re getting you both out. Just hang on for us kid” he spoke to Dennis and you finally stepped away to alway them to assess her injuries.

Gaz assessed her, getting her on her back and patched up when wounds he could while keeping her stable.

You stumbled a bit now, taking the opportunity to sit back. Breathing was becoming increasingly more difficult and keeping your eyes on Dennis felt like a whole new challenge. Pain seemed to seep into your very bones. Your head hung low and jaw parted slight as you struggled to breath.

It was then, you realized the bullet in your side as moved closer to your lungs.

Price noticed and stood up, this time getting in your full view.

“Son your hurt pretty bad. Think you can turn back for evac? Your friend here is stable, now it’s your turn” he spoke, and though it sounded like a hurried order you knew why he requested you to shift back.

Not many people were trained for medical in shifters, let alone in their animal forms. They weren’t equipped for it. Neither was evac.

But gods above the idea of shifting sounded so exhausting.

“Evac is here we gotta go!” A gruff, accented baritone voice called out. Bringing your thoughts back to prices request. You offer a small nod, now internally grateful for the skin tight under armor you’d been wearing since your failed mission.

This time the shift was anything but pretty between your old and new wounds it hurt like hell. The bullet wounds especially, which stretched and moved as your body changed. Pain growls became cries and screams as you managed to return to your human form.

But it took the last been of fight out of you, your body felt like lead and you had no strength to hold yourself up. Price caught you before you hit the floor and the last thing you rember seeing is Dennis being carried away.

-

“Y/N/N!!” You could here her small scream before seeing her run towards you, small arms raised in the air as she ran.

You drop your duffle back and kneel down in time to scoop up your little sister. Laughing softly as she wrapped her small arms around your neck and almost immediately started to sniffle and cry.

“Aw little tiger! I missed you” you exclaimed while hugging her and doing your best to not become choked up.

You stand up as you see your mother and father make there way. Your mother was already crying and your father wore a proud smile.

“Hi ma” you said softly and embrace her tightly before facing your father who pulled you into a tight hug.

“Glad you came back to us son” he whispered.

-

Beep beep beep

It’s insistent and you try to open your eyes to find the source of the annoying sound.

The first thing you notice is the soft bed your in. The next thing was the smell of sterilization, and then the numbness in your body.

You finally work up the strength and slowly open your eyes, your meet with bright lights that make you turn away. And movement is heard to the left.

“Your awake, good. Had us worried for a moment” a woman speaks, her voice kind and soothing.

You open your eyes agin once adjusting to the light and see the doctor checking over your vitals. You look around to see no one else in the infirmary which makes your heart drop.

“W-where is she?” Your voice hoarse from being unused.

“Who?…ah yes your friend. She woke up a few days ago. Should be in the mess hall. Now focus on yourself” the doctor informed while checking your bandages.

For a while you let the silence fill the room, your mind going through what bits and pieces you could remember. Back to the warehouse and your rescuers.

Your owed them your life, and hoped you could find someway to repay them.

“How long? Have I been out?” You finally ask while working up the strength to fully sit up, with the doctors help of couse.

“Since your arrival, almost two weeks. Lost a lot of blood, you were dehydrated and on the verge of starvation, and you lung had almost collapsed when you arrived. To list a few things . Your friend, she was discharged after the first week. Just a few sprains, some deep cuts. I’ll let you go tomorrow if your vitals stay stable. For now just rest. I’ll let your team know your awake”. The doctor gave you no room to ask questions as she left the room, leaving you with your thoughts.

“Team?” You mumble to your self with a deep frown. Other then yourself and Dennis your team was gone. You’d be placed transferred to a different team, probably infantry after recovering.

But you had no current team in your mind.

-

It was about thirty minutes when you picked up on the sound of boots coming towards the infirmary. One set quicker then the rest, the second pair were heavy and swift.

You’d dozed off before hand and jumped when the infirmary door swung open. Greeting you with a bright, shit eating grin and a laugh.

“Your awake!!!” Dennis all but yelled while making her way to you, she was limping a bit but seemed other wise fine. And had all her strength back from the bone crushing hug you received.

“You scared me, didn’t think you were goin’ to wake up” she whispered and you wrapped your arms around her, ignoring the pull of the stitches.

“I’m ok…I’m here” you assure and hug her even tighter if possible. “How are you feeling bug?” You ask and she pulled away now. Her smile small.

“I’m alive, thanks to you. I can start training next week as long as I’m careful” she said and wheezed your hand.

That’s who she was, someone quick to get back in the field when she had the chance. She was a person full of light, even now. After everything you’d both been through you could tell she still had that bright light in her. But today, she seemed especially giddy.

Someone cleared their throat behind you, drawing both your attention to the man with that fisher hat.

“Good to see you awake kid, gave us a scare for a moment” he said with his arms crossed, a gentle smile gracing his features.

“I’m Captain John Price, you can call me Price” he introduced and stepped forward to hold out his hand. You shake it after a moment’s hesitation.

“Your the one who rescued us? Thank you…how can I repay you” yku ask and price seemed surprised and shakes his head.

“You don’t have to repay us for anything, it’s what we do, I’m just sorry we couldn’t find your team sooner” he bowed his head, a show of respect as your mind flashes back to your Nova and Lana. Nova has a wife and son, Lana had their husband.

“Their funerals? I missed them?” You ask and Dennis squeezed your hand even tighter while nodding.

Agin silence filled the room, you missed their funerals. Didn’t get a chance to apologize to their families for failing to protect them. You lean your head back as Price speaks agin.

“Listen kid, I know you just woke up. But I have an offer for you both, dagger here already knows. But I’d like you both to join my task force. I believe your skills as a shifter and her knowledge of working with you while an..animal will be good for the team. Not to mention my team could use the experience with a shifter in combat. I’ll give you the day to think about it, rest up” Price spoke with authority and while his tone was gruff he meant his words kindly. After he gave you the proposition he leaves you with Dennis and your thoughts.

-

Once alone you sigh and shake your head before glancing at Dennis who had moved to carefully sit on the bed beside you.

“So, what do you know about the task force? I can’t assume you’ve spent the last two weeks not getting to know them?” You ask with a small chuckle, making her smile and begin to spill what she had gathered.

“Well there is Price, he’s the captain. He seems nice enough but definitely strict. Then there’s Sergeant Mctavish. Goes by soap, definitely your type, tall annoying but funny. And Scottish” she teased making you laugh and swat at her arm.

“And then there is Sergant Garrick, they seem to call him gaz. He’s sweet, kind of a tense guy but still cool, he’s around our age I think?. Oh! And then there’s the mystery man, also your type. Tall, brooding and mysterious as hell. They call him ghost. And absolutely scary looking fucker if you ask me. Always wearing this skull mask, and it might be real! But to each their own” she sighed dramatically and laid across your legs, making you wince a bit but you made no move to get her off.

“Ya think I’d be into any of these men? Who are all probably twice our age?” You ask, faking a hurt expression as she laughs.

“I think you’d be into any man. Especially if he’s older then you” she hums, making you scoff and shake your head. Though was she wrong?

You’d quickly grown close to Dennis when first meeting, she joined with no family attachments. Either she’d been disowned or the family that did accept her had long passed. She’d become a friend to you, she was family. You both had agreed during a mission that you did indeed love each other but not in a way for a relationship to grow and both of you were happy with how everything turned out. More than friends but not together.

“Mhmm and like your any different?” You counter making her laugh. She sighs and sits up, becoming serious after a moment.

“What do you think? About the offer?” She asks while getting more comfortable beside you, which involved you being pushed to one side of the already small hospital bed.

“Truthfully I don’t know, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I mean he said they need a shifter, and they don’t have experience with one. So you’d be teaching them what you know. But I mean, being on a task force with THE Captain Price? Or Ghost? Who’d throw that away? Their all legends” you gush a bit as did she in agreement.

“So we take the offer, see how it goes yah?” Dennis said to which you nod in agreement, a yawn being pulled from you.

There was this silent agreement between the both of you to just take a nap as she pulled the thin blanket of you both. Despite only just waking waking up you had grown tired and didn’t fight sleep when it took you.

-

A few days had passed uneventfully after being released from the infirmary, you still had to take it easy and walked with a slight limp dispite trying to hide it and much to your disappointment shifting was out of the option until you healed more so you didn’t rip open your stitches.

For you, your animal form was most comfortable, especially when in unfamiliar areas surrounded by people you didn’t know. Being a seven foot tall panther scared others, and made you fell more safe.

The most eventful thing was being able to video chat your family, after nearly three weeks of hearing nothing from you, when you’d at least call once a week, they began to fear the worst.

-

You were sitting in your new room, after officially transferring to Task Force 141 you learned each member had a private barrack, a nice change from bunking with several soldiers.

A laptop sat in front of you as your finally connected to the internet and called home. It rang one, twince and then connected.

“Y/N!? We’ve been worried sick!” It was your father who answered, his tone full of worry and some anger. Your mother came over with your sister who lit up when she saw you. Your mother was teary eyed but said nothing for now. Giving your sister a chance to gush about the things you’ve missed.

“Y/N/N!! Guess what!?” She said excitedly while wiggling out of your mothers grasp to sit on your fathers lap.

“What’s up little tigger?” You question curiously seeing her grin grow impossibly wider to reveal small but sharp fangs. It was only now that you noticed the black and orange tail that swayed behind her and your eyes went wide as tears swelled.

“I shifted!!!” She practically screamed with glee, she was eight, not entirely young but still younger then when you first shifted at fifteen. You chuckled and cough to hide the choked up noise that came after. You missed her first shift, something you’d promised to never miss.

“That’s amazing! I’m sorry I wasn’t there Lyra ..” you’d apologize a thousand more times if you could but she didn’t give you the chance.

“It’s ok! Mama said you were saving people! But now we can go to the forest together when you come home!” She was happy, excited, speaking quickly. And while you knew at one point your sister was probably upset she held no anger.

“Hey Ly, I gotta talk to ma and da, how about you pick a book and I’ll read it to you yeah? I know it’s almost bedtime for you” you suggested and the young girl excitedly ran off to her room to find a book. Your mom was the one to speak, her tone shaky and full of worry.

“Y/n, where have you been? You never called, emailed, we never got any letters….” She was on the verge of crying, you could tell. The thought of losing her only son scared her.

“Ma I’m sorry. I uh, my team got in some trouble, mission went wrong…It was bad ma. But I got out, I’m ok…” you didn’t go into details. They understood and your parents faces went from worried to terrified to worried and relived.

“Well, when will you be home? Your sister has a class presentation for “what do you want to be when you grow up” next month and she wants you to be there” he questioned just as your sister returned with her book of choice. Harry Potter.

“I’ll try to be there, I’ve been transferred so I don’t know how things work here” you say while grabbing your phone and opening the books app.

The rest of that night was spent reading and catching up with your family.

-

The fifth day out of the infirmary was when you and Dennis were officially introduced to the rest of your new team.

You were all sitting in a meeting room when Price started to talk.

“Alright men, I’d like to officially introduce you to Dennis Evanstien, call sign Dagger. And Y/N L/N, call sign is kit-” you interrupted a bit stiffly.

“Only Dennis can call me that” you said, which earned you a kick to the ankle from your friend and a quick glance from price. Who at this moment let your interruption pass.

“Anyways, these two will being joining Task Force 141, for now on a test run. And then they will either stay or go. Now, as you men saw, Y/N here is a shifter. First to our team. In the following weeks you will all be training together, you lot need to learn how to work with and against him while in his animal form” the captain explained while handing the rest of the team yours and Dennis’ files.

You watch the team carefully as they scan through the files. Watching for any looks of disgust. Soap, looked intrigued, gaz seemed excited, either be for the fact that he wasn’t the only young one on the team for that you were the first shifter he’s met you couldn’t tell. And then there was ghost, thanks to his mask you couldn’t read his reaction as his eyes remained neutral.

“We have a mission in six weeks time, if not sooner. So I need everyone working fluidly. Take this time to get to know each other through training or recreationally. If there’s no questions, your dismissed” Price finished and Dennis was the first to stand and speak, half dragging you up with her.

“Well! I know that I look forward to working with you fine men! And knocking some of you on your ass” she said rather confidently which earned a laugh from soap and gaz.

“Aye Las, is that a challenge?” Soap asked curiously while standing and you could already tell where this was going.

“It is Scotty” she said, mocking his accent with the added nickname and crossing her arms with a confident grin. Always quick and sharp with her words.

“Ten bucks on Soap” Gaz laughed agin as Soap scoffed and stared at her.

“Twenty on Dags” you add with a small smirk for the shorted nickname you knew she’d give you hell for.

“So, Suds. Accept the challenge” she tilts her head and you can’t help but snicker while glancing around the room. Price was grinning while watching the banter and Ghost was seemingly brooding in his chair. You couldn’t tell, but he was indeed intrigued.

Soap seemed to think for a moment, he could let the teasing pass. Or he could test her skills. And seeing as their day was uneventful he chose to accept.

“Alright Dagger, I’ll see you on the mats” he chuckled before walking out of the meeting room. Slowly after he left so did everyone else, heading their own way until it was time to watch the “competition”.

-

“You cocky spider!!” You tease while slapping Dennis’ shoulder making her laugh and dramatically flop onto your bed. You both bunkered down in your room for a few before the sparing between Soap and Dennis started.

“What!? I wanna know what skills these men have if we will be working with them. Plus, I’ve done nothing but sit around the last few weeks and I’m itching for action. I know your feeling the same way” she teased and started to poke your sides.

You laugh and bat her hand away, wincing at the tender area where a bullet was once imbedded in your side.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m itching as well. But he’s like, six foot something. Your the shortest one here and he has more experience. I don’t want to see you get your ass handed to you” you laugh making Dennis sit up and scowl at you.

“Yeah? And your a six foot two shifter no less. And yet any time we spar I always hand you, your ass” she smacks your leg.

“We both have the same amount of experience, plus. I hold back for you” you mock while sitting up, staring at her with your now feline like eyes and sharp toothed grin.

Dennis stares at you in shock and stand up while crossing her arms.

“You better be lying” she grumbled while turning her back towards you, every the dramatic one.

But your tone turned serious while you pulled her by the waist back into bed.

“I’m not bug and you know that. Naturally Im a lot bigger and stronger then you. Your human, and while I’ll never doubt your skills and strength. I hold back because I don’t wish to hurt my friends. I mean it as no insult” you explained while she leaned back against you and rolled her eyes.

“Mhm fine. I suppose your right. But do you think you’d hold back against them?” She asked curiously and you grin, agin revealing your fangs. Something you always preferred to have exposed.

“Well I don’t know. I don’t think I’d hold back against the big guy with the mask, Ghost? No I’d probably go all out if I were fighting him. As for the rest, at first Yeah. Until I knew what they could handle. Or at least until you teach them how to spar with me” you say and shrug your shoulders before poking her sides making Deniss laugh and squeal. Then you perked up to the knock at your door.

“Uh..soaps waiting for you at training area…sorry for interrupting” it was Kyle. Who sounded rather awkward and then you both put together why. Making you both bust out laughing.

“Alright kitty, come watch me kick a Scotsman’s ass” she said triumphantly and dragged you out of bed with her and to the training area

-

Alrighty!!! I’m stopping this here because of the fact that it’s quite long, and I don’t want to make it drag on! Let me know how you like this chapter as not to much is going on. And I hope you look forward to chapter 3!!! Also!!

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