#and then his anger is because of the threat of the elves coming to arrest them. being mad at marcile was also justified

[theladyscarlettt]

Forgotten Figures (pt. 6)

To make up for the fact that I haven’t posted in a week, here is a juicy part for y’all. Also, I swear this will pick up the pace, it’s kind of slow recently I know. ~The Lady Scarlettt

Link to Forgotten Figures (pt. 5)

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Warning: language

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The first light of day leaked through the window, casting a long stream of warmth across their bodies. Legolas lay against the headboard, his arm draped across her figure, slowly circling his thumb along her back. He had not slept the entirety of the night, his thoughts would not allow him. 

At some point in the night, he asked her, again, what had happened and she told him of the encounter with his father. Legolas already had an idea his father had spoken with her because of her sudden outburst. And even before then, when he and his father were at the river, Thranduil spoke of her. 

This was not uncommon, for she was the army’s prodigal warrior, but it was uncommon in his speech. Instead of speaking of her as an elf, he spoke of her more as an object. One that the King was suddenly adamant about keeping under control from a distance, for “her abilities brought many followers.” He then lectured on the importance of their hierarchy. For non-elite elves, such as Y/N, if given too much attention could become a potential threat to the crown. Legolas had no doubt of his father’s knowledge of their relationship then, even though he had not bluntly stated it so.

Legolas shifted, uncomfortably, at the thought of his father’s ill will. While he loved his father, he did not agree with him and his ways, that were often cruel and unjust. Legolas realized this was never about their relationship, it was about his father’s desire for power. And Y/N was either a great ally or a great enemy of that power. 

If his father already knew of their relationship, then he already had a plan in place to end it.

His mind waged war with itself, as he tossed around his options and their outcomes of how to avoid the threats his father cast. At this point, there was no use in trying to go back to life as normal, for too many secrets were in the open. There was not a point, either, in reasoning with his father, for when Thranduil  was set in his ways, there was nothing that would set him off course. One idea, however, kept creeping back into his thoughts, that would ensure her freedom. He could try to convince her to leave, but he knew she held a deep sense of duty to the crown. No matter how much she loved him, she would not leave; Unless, she was forced. 

He shook his head at the thought, yet he could not deny, she would be safe and free from his father’s control over her. If his father held no value to her name now, Legolas knew his father would be reckless with her life later. 

But what had she ever done to make her deserving of such an act? Maybe it was not something she had done, but he had done. His mind recalled something he had given her, something the King was searching for.

“Legolas,” a yawn came from beside him as she rolled to face him.

“Yes, Darling,” he whispered sweetly.

“Did you ever sleep?�� She asked.

“Yes,” He lied, “Only for a short while.” He began to stroke her face, lovingly, “It is just after the sunrise, I must be leaving you now.”

She looked away, “I can’t help but feel this is the last time, I will see you in this light for a time.” She grabbed his hand and laughed, “Perhaps, I am far too paranoid for such visits.”

He couldn’t help but pull away, he felt dirty and undeserving of her. How could he turn his back on her? She had never asked anything or needed anything of him but this once, his word. His word to protect her in which he promised, knowing damn well there was no power behind it. He pulled himself from the bed, and began to dress himself. She stared at his back, where his muscles were tense with distress, she sensed truth in her words from before. A nervous feeling came across her. 

“Legolas,” she heard herself say. 

He pulled on his shirt, refusing to face her. “Yes, Darling.” 

She sat up, “Whatever it is that troubles you, know that we can go about it together, there is no reason to hide your worries.”

He closed his eyes, “I must leave you, before someone sees me.”

She crawled out of the bed quickly as he opened the window. 

“Legolas,” She repeated, this time more desperate. 

He stopped, half way out the window. He looked to her, “I will find you when it is safe.” is all he said before he crawled out, closing the window behind him.

She tried to move to follow him but she stood frozen. She tried to call for him but no words came to her, for her vocal cords felt strained. The only thing that moved, were her thoughts abusing what little hope she clung to, the hope that quite literally, went out the window. She did not know it then, but this was the first time she had felt betrayed, and certainly was not the last.

---

“Then he left?” Tauriel said with anger, “With no explanation? What the hell does “When it’s safe” mean, it could apply to an array of things.”

Y/N had told Tauriel everything from the beginning of their meetings, to the visit from Thranduil, to this morning. Well not everything, the daggers were skipped over. Y/N did not know why, but she felt it better to keep them secret.  

“Yes,” Y/N replied, her voice weak, “He has never acted that way before. I can not help but wonder what he will do. What is he confronts the King?”

Tauriel shook her head, “I understand how it looks from the outside but surely there is some greater reason then this? Even if not, why would Thranduil go to such extremes to separate you two? It’s not like the prince is affianced. Why would he create such theatrics? Especially when no one knows.” 

Y/N shrugged and shook her head, “I should have just obeyed his order and talked to Legolas, he would have agreed at some point. Instead I- I acted as if it were a suggestion. How could I be so foolish, Tauriel? I’ve allowed such childish behavior to risk my future or worse, and for what?” Y/N buried her face in her hands. Tauriel scooted over to her and grabbed her hands.

“Y/N, listen to me. Nothing has happened. We do not know the prince has done anything, yet. There is still time to find him and talk to him.”

“I do not know if I can.”

“Well, you’ll never know if you do not at least try.” She countered.

Y/N shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, “Tauriel, I can not be banished for this.” her voice cracked.

Tauriel tilted her head to the side and looked sadly at her friend, she squeezed her hands. “Hey, Hey do not speak of such dark things. Even if that does happen, just think you will finally know if the textbooks were right about the meadows and castles.”

Y/N opened her red eyes and looked to Tauriel, “I envy your positivity.”

Tauriel smiled and patted her friend’s hand, “I doubt that will ever happen, Y/N, You are far too valuable to the King.”

Y/N opened her mouth to speak but tilted her head. She heard the sound of crunching leaves approaching their spot in the woods. 

“Do you hear that?” she asked standing.

“Settle now, it’s probably a fawn.” Tauriel said.

Y/N stood still listening, she heard voices. “Someone approaches.”

Tauriel now stood, her bow at her side. 

Y/N saw a familiar build emerge from the brush, his starlight hair sparkled in the sun. 

She bowed instinctively and when she looked up she saw two guards behind him.  

“Your Grace,” Tauriel spoke for her, her tone bitter, “It is peculiar to see you in this part of the forest at this hour. Is there some sort of disturbance nearby which would explain this unusual encounter.”

Legolas did not look at her but kept his gaze on Y/N. He held no emotion in his face, nor none in his tone. “No Tauriel, I’m here with orders from my father to bring Y/N back to the castle immediately. He desires her presence.” 

“What kind of orders?” Y/N asked, not breaking his gaze.

Legolas looked to Tauriel then back to Y/N, “You are under arrest for high treason, larceny and false imprisonment.”

Tauriel gasped. Y/N laughed, not believing the words that came from his mouth, “What the hell are you talking about? Is this some kind of sick jest?”

He stepped toward her, unwavering, “I believe you know what I speak of.”

She then scoffed bitterly, “No I do not know actually. How about you enlighten me on these absurd accusation, my lord.” She said sarcastically. 

“You are under arrest for stealing the White Gems of Lasgalen. Now, if you will just return to my father with me, then you can hear more-”

“I will be damned if I go anywhere with you! What the hell do you mean stole the White Gems? and False Imprisonment? Of whom? You?! Legolas this is absurd, do you even hear yourself? Did your father put you up to this? That bastard-”

He slapped her across the face. Tauriel gasped. The forest fell silent.

Y/N touched her cheek, it stung of fire. She looked to him, stunned, infuriated and hurt. His eyes widened slightly, shocked at his own actions but he quickly made his face of stone again.

He tightened his jaw and looked down. In a low voice, which was barely even audible, he said, “Do not make this more difficult than it already is.”

She looked to him, her vision a haze of red. She held out her hands, as a guard came and chained her wrists together. 

He finally looked up at her. She had never looked away. 

She spit at his feet, “You bastard.” she growled before she was dragged away back to the castle. 

Forgotten Figures (pt. 7) coming @8 pm (CST) 2/10/21

[ben-the-hyena]

Something tragical I didn't expect to see from Le Teigneux especially from the one show of the franchise that is purely fictional

(Spoilers for the second last episode)

In that space opera show, which is probably the only one to be its own universe since it's not the characters imagining themselves in historial or scientifical stories they are hearing, Le Teigneux and Le Nabot are Cassiopeians, a race of humanoid aliens that look like elves (or rather Vulcans). Cassiopeia is under fascist dictatorship with General Le Teigneux as its leader and Consul Le Nabot at his bootlicking side. Til then he was just his normal self : a villainous brute with not very many braincels all of them being Le Nabot and who only thinks about war and fighting feeling anything to be a threat to his power and to Constellation Cassiopeia. The main villain of the show because he always wans to go on war at any pretext whether be it by trying to attack Constellation Omega or any other planet they come to. Classic bidimensional villain for kids, no depth, entertaining and funny anyway so we like him but nothing deep

So I was very surprised in the second to last episode

In it, he grows more and more paranoid and violent with a bigger ego and officially declares war without any subtility anymore when taking the last straw as a threat (despite the fact he started it and they just responded). Other leads of his planet oppose, the bootlicking Consul aside, so he gets even more on the defensive has them arrested, essentially making a coup. Then the whole episode he keeps sending more and more and more men and ships at war without any stratagy other than "destroy em all" no matter how his Admiral and other militaries worry but fear him too much to disobey no matter how as the episode progresses the good guys win thanks to their wits that destroy little by little their ships, which only angers and blinds him more etc it's a vicious circle

So around the end of the episode, you can guess it right, the good guys win and Cassiopeia loses. Even better for the good guys and worse for the bad guys, Cassiopeia is now weaker than ever since all their arms got wasted senselessly and the Galaxy forces demand them to surrender or see their planet destroyed, as a VERY stressed out Admiral whose blood pressure probably increased 200% tells Le Teigneux

Le Teigneux sure was paranoid and also wanted to be THE strongest people in the Galaxy for his own ego (dictators always need to compensate for something), it seems like during the show past his brutish ways and love for warcraft he did want it so that his people would be the most glorious, strongest, most respected and the safest, him seeing threats everywhere

Now, they lost, they no longer have any ally since they attacked them all all by themselves, they are weaker than ever since all their war resources got used and wasted at the same time, and there is kow an ultimatium to surrender, which during the whole show was an idea he loathed and alwsys refused, or their home planet will be destroyed. All because of him

Instead of angry and loud as he always is, he asks for more precisions with a worried look and a soft voice. The Admiral tells him about the ultimatum. Le Teigneux now sounds desperate and sad, starting to look up at nothing as he repeats "they want to destroy our planet..." as if exhausted and hopeless and barely realizing what is happening

And cries. For the first time in the show, he cries (and for the first time in the franchise cries silently as if too broken and nerve wrecked), anxiously looking around and not knowing what to do with his hands. As the Admiral begs him to accept and reminds him they have no longer the choice, he quietly accepts to surrender. Something he would have never done the episode before

He who was always proud and despised what he perceived as weakness and always thought he knew what was good for his Constellation and his planet, he now realizes that it all got ruined because of himself and that he was the cause of his people's reputation and glory's demise. He no longer fights back and insists like he did during the whole show whenever he lost, promising that they'd pay or that he'll have the last word. No. He finally gave up

And the camera slowly pans from his seat to the whole room after the call ended. As he repeats to himself alone over and over "we have to accept it... we have to accept...". And we see he is alone. He didn't just ruin his people intergalactically, but himself to his people. They all fear him, when they told him no because they saw his violence and paranoia went too far he had them arrested, the one who followed him only did so out or bootlicking and since we don't see him with him anymore possibly surrendered or fleed before everyone else... he is all alone. For again his whole fault

What makes it even lore chilling is it is the LAST scene we ever see him. He doesn't appear in the last episode. Is he depressed ? Was he destituted ? Was he arrested or even executed for high treason ? We will never know

[dork-empress]

Viren’s Supporters

part of my ‘another 100 dragon prince aus’ oneshot collection

Read on Ao3

Instead of a unanimous decision, the Council is split between following Viren's plan and doing nothing. What that means for the nation is yet to be seen.

Sorry I've been in and out. Combo of plans and pure laziness.

“No one wants a war, Viren,” Opeli said.

“Clearly the Xadians do,” Viren shouted, “They’ve killed our King, kidnapped our Princes, and you expect us to do nothing?”

“The assassination was a clear response to the death of their own King and Prince. A response YOU provoked,” Councilor Neils said.

Viren bristled, “They killed our Queen.”

“After she trespassed into their lands,” Opeli said, “On a mission you, again, led.”

“On a mission that saved lives across two Kingdoms!” Viren said, “I didn’t hear any of you come up with solutions when children were starving in the streets.” He stared each of them down. Some had the decency to look ashamed. “If we do nothing, we will be sending a clear signal to the elves and the dragons that we are vulnerable. Thousands of years ago, they forced us into this half of the land. Who’s to say they won’t push further and further until we have nowhere to go?”

Opelli stood. “You are not our King,” She said, “You will NEVER be our King. And we will not fight in your war.”

With that she marched out of the council chambers, Neils and more than half the council with her.

Viren glared at her retreating back, and was almost surprised when he saw there were still people in the room. General Marson was still there, along with a few others. “Well?” Viren said, “Staying to insult me further? Or perhaps you think reasoning with me will get me to forget the threat on our doorstep?”

“Hardly,” Marson said, “Actually....we’ve been having some meetings outside the council sessions.” He looked to the others who had stayed, “And we think Opelli is being at best naive, and at worst she is plunging us into darkness.”

Viren’s frown morphed from anger to confusion. He still didn’t trust these people, never had and never would. “Then why didn’t you say this when she was here in the room?”

“Because then she would have known we agreed with you,” Councilor Paroma said, “Then she might have suspected us of treason.”

Viren took half a step back. “Treason…?”

“You will never get the votes in council to start a war,” Marson picked up, “War scares them. They want to go back to their own lives, pretend everything is alright until their world comes crumbling around their ears.”

Viren was starting to catch on, but didn’t want to be the one to say it. No one else did either, so he took a deep breath and said the word on everyone’s tongues. “You’re suggesting a coup?”

“Not entirely,” Paroma said, “We are agreed at the moment that Ezran must be returned and named King once he becomes of age. But that will not be for years, not until after its too late.”

“We would name you regent,” Marson said, “And back you on your orders. And if I might make a recommendation,” His eyes went to the door Opelli had left behind, “You may wish to make some key arrests. Against those who would attempt to discredit your rule.”

Viren stood to his full height, looking down on him. “I don’t wish to rule by force.”

“Forgive us, Lord Viren,” Paroma said, “We know its not what King Harrow would want. But no matter what we wish, King Harrow is dead. You were his best friend, and closest confidant. And more than that, you understand the situation we’re in better than anyone.”

Viren considered his options. “If this fails,” he said, “It will plunge this country into a civil war, one we will never recover from.”

Marson stood, towering over the other council members. “The city guard are behind you, Lord Viren,” he said, “we will not fail.”

Viren nodded. “Ensure they do not,” he said, giving the man his instruction, “Councilor Paroma, We will need replacements for those who can properly ensure the benefit of this nation, see to it. And,” he said before they could leave, “Send word to General Amaya to gather forces at the Breach. We must protect Katolis.”

[catastrophe-conglomerate]

Elemental Affairs - Session 5 Summary

Night has fallen in the Defiant Ship, silence crawls through the halls until the air suddenly carries a horrible scream and the sounds of a struggle. Lara and Rei, being elves, don’t need to sleep and hear the racket going on upstairs. They immediately run over to see what’s going on.

In the guest room where Blatrenn is, Auk is confronting him with their rapier drawn, in another attempt to end Blatrenn’s life. Rei and Lara manage to hold them off barely, though Auk still wants to kill him and is seconds away from just going through with it.

At this point, Lynnae wakes up and sees that Auk is no longer in the room with her. When she hears screams upstairs, she assumes the worst and runs over immediately, only to find things exactly the opposite of what she expected. Luckily, she manages to cool Auk off enough, telling them that she has a plan and that she needs Blatrenn alive for that. She takes them back to their room and waits until morning.

Once downstairs, Lyn distances herself from the group and keeps glaring at Hadall and Trick: the situation from yesterday hasn’t quite blown over and she distrusts them greatly.

Hadall takes Trick and the toddler aside and he starts talking to the child. She’s a fire-genasi tiefling with tiny little tusks and she’s absolutely adorable. When Hadall asks about where the child lives, she just answers with a happy “home!”. She also describes her home as “green” and with many “birbs”. Hadall asks for her name: she can say it, but it comes out a little fucky. She says “Kaya Covinus”, and Hadall’s face tightens immediately. In order to help her calm down and have fun, Rei casts minor illusion and makes a bird for Kaya to play with.

Now Hadall starts talking to Trick: he’s interested in the reason Trick gives out so many fake names to others. Not just that, too, the massive scar on Trick’s side has also piqued his interest. Trick explains how she had a reputation of playing harmless pranks in her hometown, until one day her family home burned down and she got the blame for it (despite the fact she witnessed goblins burning her home down). Her parents and siblings all perished in the fire and Trick was arrested. She broke out of prison and has been on the run ever since. She doesn’t know if there’s anyone still after her. Hadall asks her if Trick is her real name, to which Trick answers “it is now.” Trick spent some time in the circus, traveling around and performing. She misses that life.

Trick, in return, has some questions for Hadall: she’s wondering about the name that Rosa first addressed him with (Kuvan). It’s one of his names. Hadall reveals he’s from Fass, from a little village called Glynshyr, which Trick has visited with the circus once, at least a few years ago.

Lynnae butts into the conversation at this moment, telling Hadall and Trick that they still have something to discuss with her. Lyn wants to make it very clear that she will not appreciate being “fucked over” like yesterday, at which Hadall starts yelling that he wasn’t really the one fucking her over, but that she fucked over the team instead. Lyn’s convinced Hadall could have stopped her in a different way. They shout about matters of trust, how Lyn doesn’t dare trust Hadall anymore and, in return, how Hadall’s afraid that he can’t trust Lynnae in stressful situations because she’s practically a ticking timebomb. At this point Lynnae turns to Trick, asking her what the fuck she was thinking threatening her with her biggest fear. Trick had absolutely no clue that the threat of being charmed was that bad for Lynnae, and neither did Hadall. Hadall cools off a little and tells her that if he had known this would upset her so much, he never would have taken her hostage. Trick tells Lyn she still would have used the threat out of a wish of survival, to “do what must be done”. It was the uncertainty and loss of control that got Lynnae in such a state of stress in the first place.

Just as Lyn starts losing her shit again, Trick casts Calm Emotions and dispels the anger immediately. Both Hadall and Lynnae feel better at once. Hadall tells Lynnae to, next time, at least try to restrain herself a bit better, to which Lyn says that she has always had the tendency of exploding at these moments. They talk about how Lyn should think of the good of the group more. Hadall assures Lyn that he only means well, and that he never would have taken her in if that weren’t the case. With promises of improvement, the two finally make up and Lynnae gives him one of her business cards, but instead of “I’m sorry for the way my party treated you”, it now says “I’m sorry for the way I treated you”. Lyn admits that she wouldn’t be alive now if not for Hadall, and she gets up from the table, announcing that she needs Hadall, Trick, and actually the entire group including Rosa and Blatrenn.

The group reconvenes, and Lynnae says she wants to interrogate Blatrenn. To prove her trustworthiness she gloves her hands, and promises not to hurt Blatrenn unless he gives her a valid reason, even asking Hadall to hold her back if she blows up again.

Lynnae pulls out a list of questions and starts the interrogation.

 Who of the five missing children from Pasekar are dead? Blatrenn didn’t ask their names. And where were the other three taken? The remaining three children of Pasekar are with Vurryl in Trestyr What are the chances they are still alive? Blatrenn has no clue. There is a chance but that’s it. Were you the one who killed them? He was. What is the name of your cult? There’s no official name, but they call themselves the Followers of the Many Eyed. Any subdivisions or anything? No more subdivisions apart from Vurryl’s and Falk’s. What is your deal with the Gold Dragon of Wyntir? That was Hykaril’s business. Is this related to why you use Draconic for your writing and communication? It’s the language of magic and it’s unrelated to Hykaril’s fascination for the Gold Dragon. Is Hykaril’s hunting party still out there and are their crystals connected to the same set as ours, considering they belonged to Hykaril’s group? Hykaril’s group was very small and he depended on Vurryl and Blatrenn a lot for the hunting. Blatrenn doesn’t know who else can listen in on us. What was the spell Kauthrien enchanted you with? Blatrenn doesn’t know what it’s called. He describes it as being commanded. Kauthrien repeatedly told him to “not disobey her”. You mentioned in your diary that you and Kauthrien had a meeting here in town a while ago. When was this exactly? A few weeks ago What was it about? In order to “reassure her orders”. Blatrenn was enchanted one year ago, and during the meeting the spell was cast on him again and renewed in that sense. Anything about her behavior that struck you as odd? Not weirder than usual. Is there a possibility she’s still closeby? He has no idea.

Now this is where Lynnae gets down to business:

How do we contact Kauthrien? There’s a possibility you can only do it with Kauthrien’s face in mind, but Blatrenn’s not sure. You do, however, have to focus on her. Can Kauthrien spy on us through the crystal or does she have other means to do so? What are the chances we’re being watched? He has no fucking idea man. He mentions she probably knows magic for it but he doesn’t know anything for sure. Is there some kind of code language you use for communication through crystals? There is, actually! The enchantment placed on him prevents him from talking about it, but through another game of hangman we figure out that the greeting is: “May his eyes be on you”, and the answer to this should be: “May his tyranny reign true.” When does Kauthrien usually expect a “call”? Kauthrien is the one who knocks. She usually calls her underlings instead of the other way around.

 With this, Lynnae finishes her interrogation and turns to the rest of the party, at which she starts proposing a plan for ambushing Kauthrien by contacting her. The rest of the party quickly shoots the plan down: it’s too risky. Lynnae then yells that if she has to die again, she’d rather do it for her friends – she then immediately gasps and covers her mouth. Hadall starts questioning her about her slip-up but she refuses to say anything else.

We start discussing out next move. Although we want to head to Fass and Suald as soon as possible, Rei still has business in Tyreh. Therefore we first decide to go to the Kaydan-ter island to visit the monastery they want to go to.

That, however, means having to go on the seas again, setting Lynnae back into an anxious rambling spree. When Hadall and Trick tell her that hey, at least she didn’t die last time, she goes awfully quiet. Considering what she accidentally revealed before, Hadall puts two and two together and asks her if she drowned, to which she nods.

We leave for the docks then realize, yo, we’ve still got Kaya with us. Bad idea to take the toddler out to sea, of course, so we decide to leave her in Rosa’s care and pick her back up on the way to her home in Fass. Blatrenn offers to sail us to and fro on his own fjullgan, an offer which we gladly accept. There’s a problem, though: the islands of Tyreh float around on the water along with the tides and currents, and it’s almost impossible to map the region because of that. We have no idea where to go. Since there might be places where they sell maps of the Tyreh currents or otherwise have information on how to pinpoint where Kaydan-ter might be right now, we decide to split the party and take a look around town.

Trick, Hadall, Lynnae and Auk go to the library. The friendly dragonborn librarian guides them to the geographical books section of the library and the group starts looking around. They find what seems to be a sailor’s book with information on the currents and tides of Tyreh, and with his knowledge of sailing Hadall starts trying to figure out where Kaydan-ter is right now. Lynnae copies the relevant information in her notebook.

Meanwhile, Laraëssil, Rei and Cassandra are in Melora’s Gifts, the general store of Tyressil. Lara gets her hands on a beautiful tidal chart made for sailors, while Rei buys a component pouch while they’re there anyway.

We converge on the docks once more, and using Lyn’s info and Lara’s map he manages to figure out Kaydan-ter’s general location. We set sail and start heading to the monastery’s island. In order to distract herself Lynnae starts working on a health potion. The first day of this journey goes without a problem but the second day we lose our way for a moment as a thick fog sets in and a ghostly ship comes into view. On the side of the ship, it says “The Rotten Dahlia”. It must be the phantom ship that the tavern in Tyressil was named after. Blatrenn mentions it happens more often, and as the fog lifts we correct our course and boat on.

On the third and last day of this journey, Trick takes Hadall to the side and out of earshot for a moment. She expresses her concern for Lynnae’s loyalty and how she might use the crystal anyway to contact Kauthrien. Despite the fact they don’t trust Lynnae at all with her crystal, they feel they have no choice but to leave her be.

We reach the tiny, tiny island of Kaydan-ter in the evening and we see a beautiful white building on there. It’s the monastery we have been looking for and immediately, an enormous goliath man approaches and greets us. Rei gives him a tiny package which holds a golden statue of Pelor, the deity Rei reveres. The goliath is happy with it, and invites us in to stay the night and eat. He introduces himself as Master Kindarian and he brings us to the main part of the building, beautifully decorated, and in the evening rays of the sun the floor lights up in an intricate pattern. We dine (it’s… not great food) and head over to the dorms to sleep.

However, in the middle of the night the two Trouble Tieflings decide they haven’t had booze in a while yet and they want to get drunk, so they get out of bed and start nosing around in the kitchen. Though someone takes notice of them, they’re quick enough to duck out of the way and remain unseen. There’s no booze in the kitchen, so they head over to what seems to be a storage room for ceremonial supplies. There. Is. No. Booze.

So they exit and are immediately caught in the act by a monk, a human man. He takes them back to their dorms, and though the two tieflings again try to escape and look for booze, the hallway is now being guarded and – persuaded by a very cranky and sleepdrunk Lynnae – go back to sleep.

We wake up and eat breakfast the next morning (again… not that tasty) and head out towards the docks to return to Tyressil immediately – no time to waste. The Master of the monastery bids us goodbye and tells Rei they’re always welcome amongst them (and of course, because we’re assholes, we all say “amonkst” us). On the way to the docks we get to see some of the monks’ daily activities: it seems like they’re a much more fun-loving monastery than Rei’s. There’s some kind of training area where monks are sparring with each other, and there’s actually some monks RUNNING ACROSS THE WAVES, RACING EACH OTHER LIKE D&D JESUSES. There’s a very light and cheerful atmosphere, standing in stark contrast to the monastery in Solitude where Rei is from – there was a much more serious and gloomy atmosphere there, almost cold, like everything in Kyllm.

We get back on the waves to go back to Tyressil. Lynnae finishes her healing potion on the way, but that’s about the most exciting thing that happens in the three-day-journey. We hit land again on the evening of the third day, planning to pick up Kaya and leave with the ferry right away. However, as we ask the dockmaster when the next ferry leaves, he tells us it left yesterday and the next one won’t leave for another week. Blatrenn offers to bring us to the port town of Terstys, where we started our adventure in Tyreh in Session 3.

Trick and Cas head to the Defiant Ship to pick up Kaya, and Cassandra gets herself three bottles of booze for the road. In the meantime, Lyn takes Auk to the side and asks them how they’re holding up: it’s not going great. Lyn also admits she doesn’t know if she can stay friendly with Blatrenn for much longer, at which Auk assures her that they have her back if she decides to attack him.

We decide that since Terstys is just a few hours away by boat, we can make the trip now and just arrive at dawn so we can head back into Fass first thing in the morning. We get back on the boat to make our way back to the port town. On the boat, Lynnae realizes that the crystal she sent to Kara must have arrived in Parshyr right about now, and she doesn’t like that her elder sister still hasn’t contacted her.

We reach the shores of Terstys in the early morning. When discussing where to bring Kaya, Trick says we don’t really have a name to go on but Hadall begs to differ: he recognized what Kaya was trying to tell him before. When saying her name, Kaya didn’t say “Kaya Covinus”, she said “Kaya Corvinius”. The Corvinius family is a big merchant family Hadall knows very well, and they have a huge manor near the town of Fjynlen, about 5 days walking from Terstys.

Trick asks how Hadall knows the family, to which he answers that he used to work as a mercenary for them, but he didn’t quite leave them on good terms. One day he just up and left, because it didn’t work out according to him. The rest assures him that it might be good if he brings back the kid, because it’ll help his reputation a fair bit.

The town of Runar is on the way to the Corvinius manor, and Lynnae wants to stop by to see how the watchtower is doing because Blatrenn crystal-bullshitted to his hunting party that after being ambushed, he fled to Hykaril’s old base. When asked where the hunting party is right now, Blatrenn mutters into his crystal to ask and find out and learns that his hunting party is in the very north of Suald, in the town of Parwyn. This startles Lyn to the bone but she refuses to tell why. As Lara makes a telepathic connection and asks if there’s anything life-threatening going on, Lyn replies that there very well might be.

Though tired, we make quite a bit of progress on our first day. We make camp, Lynnae starts on an ointment against sunburn and Rei goes squirrel hunting. Since Rei has double the walking speed of a squirrel and hella good Dexterity, they eventually manage to catch a live, wild squirrel, they stash it in their bag, and name it Bøbiël (this is a massive inside joke but okay we now have Bøbiël the squirrel).

On the second day of traveling something Lyn has feared for a while comes to pass: the crystal around her neck makes a crackling noise and a female voice speaks the words “May his eyes be on you”. Lyn distances herself from the group, then with Alter Self turns herself into the wood elf Aerith Araynore to change her voice. She answers Kauthrien’s call with “May his tyranny reign true”, and thus the contact is established.

Kauthrien is obviously not amused with “Aerith” having taken Warden Hykaril’s crystal. Aerith tells her that she was poking around the Runar watchtower a while back to look for rare herbs and stones – as she is a potionmaker – and she stumbled upon the dead bodies of Hykaril and his underlings in the ritual room. Intrigued by the stones, Aerith took them and next found some documents in the office that detailed how to use them. For a moment, things seem to be going in the Conglomerate’s way but the second Aerith says that this went down three weeks ago, Kauthrien’s demeanor seems to shift. She calls this fact interesting, thanks Aerith for the information and tells her: “The Many Eyed will be watching you”, and proceeds to break contact.

In an anxious rant Lynnae relays to the party what happened, but as we discuss what just took place and the possible consequences of this, Blatrenn steps back a little as he too receives a call. Since he answers in Draconic and no one speaks Draconic here, Lynnae casts Comprehend Languages to hear what he’s saying.

Kauthrien is definitely onto us. She interrogates Blatrenn, using the enchantment to force the truth out of him. Blatrenn is forced to reveal that he’s with us, and that we were the ones who killed Hykaril and his entire division. Kauthrien apparently orders him to kill us next: Blatrenn drops contact, asks us to knock him out, and draws his swords.

The battle is ended within 3 seconds: Cassandra gets the first strike, Blatrenn then attacks her back but Trick – with a fantastically executed Inflict Wounds – knocks him unconscious at once. We tie him up and take his crystal, at which Lyn realizes the gravity of what’s going on and stresses out. Cas and Hadall tell her to take off the crystal or hand it over, at which she gets defensive and says that she needs her crystal. Hadall reminds her that she should work with the team more, Lynnae snaps back that she is working with the team by keeping her crystal and protecting the others from Kauthrien’s contact. The rest seems to be worried that, since Kauthrien was able to control Blatrenn through the crystal, she might also be able to control Lynnae after establishing contact. Lyn’s adamant that she’s safe because it technically wasn’t her who answered the call. If Kauthrien would have been able to see her, she would have seen a wood elf.

Trick wakes Blatrenn up, he seems to no longer be under the direct command that he must kill the party. We offer to destroy his crystal but he tells us it’s even more suspicious if he suddenly falls off the radar altogether. Hadall proposes Blatrenn returns to Tyreh alone with the crystal, but that would also put him in extreme danger. As we go back and forth, proposing ideas to keep both Blatrenn and the party in relative safety from Kauthrien, Lynnae commits another attempt on Blatrenn’s life, using a subtle spelled Burning Hands to make it look like she had a wild magic surge (ironically, she actually does get an actual wild magic surge while casting the spell and her age reverts to 18). Despite the fact it looked like a surge, Hadall sees through the deception quite easily (Lyn just uttered the most sarcastic “whoops” of all time) and he berates Lyn for breaking the promise she made before. He then picks up Kaya and legs it away from Lynnae – he does intend to keep his promise of not hurting the sorceress.

It’s an awkward evening around the campfire. While Kaya has no idea what’s going on and is happily playing with Hadall, Lyn and Trick keep sharing distrustful glances. Rei even tries to steal Lyn’s crystal but she notices them and slaps their hand away.

Although there’s once again a tension lingering within the party, the rest of the journey goes well and after three more days, we reach the iron gates of the Corvinius manor, decorated with great black crows. Hadall now turns towards the party with a nervous look on his face: there’s something about the Corvinius family he needs to tell us. He reveals that he was at first working for them as a mercenary, but he then married the heiress of the family and left her rather suddenly a few years ago…

…meaning Kaya Corvinius might in fact be his daughter.

[araglas1989-writing]

The long journey

Chapter 2

After so many years in Kirkwall it was strange to be on the road again. After a few weeks of aimless wandering he finally realised that indeed Kirkwall had been his home. Fenris shook his head. ~When I was there I never thought of it like that, so why is it that I do now?~ Feeling homesick was new to him.

His hate for Anders was familiar, a feeling he knew well from a time before they were together.Whilst hunting down slavers Fenris never thought much about Anders, feeling only the thrill of the blood lust. But when silence fell at night, and his thoughts began to wander, he tried to quench every feeling of missing him by recalling their biggest arguments and reliving the memory of his betrayal. It was easier this way. The warrior could handle hate… but the feel of his heart full of hurt and missing Anders’ loving touches… these were emotions that he did not know how to deal with.

~~

Two months later Fenris stayed at an Inn at Ostwick for one week. After having camped so long in the field it felt nice to finally sleep in a warm bed again. It was late autumn and the days were colder and the nights sometimes near freezing.

Fenris had just come back from shopping when the host of the Inn waved at him. "Serah Fenris a letter arrived for you." the elf was by his side quickly. He took the letter and handed the host a copper.

"Thank you." He nodded and made his way up to his room. The warrior put away his shopping then made himself comfortable in a chair with a glass of cheap wine. He took a few sips, enjoying the warm feeling as the liquid trickled down his throat. Finally, he reached for the letter and opened it.

 Hey Broody,

 You really give an old dwarf a hard time trying to reach out to you. Always on the road, never an address to send you letters to.

 I hope you are well. According to my information, you are a true slave hunters nightmare but I didn't expect anything less from you.

   I think Hawke has now settled in as vicomte, the people of Kirkwall trust him but he has much to do. There are so many repairs that need to be done and there are so many families who lost their homes.

 Cullen is now officially knight commander. He has placed most of the mages under house arrest. The only exceptions are those with healing abilities. They go, heavily guarded, to the people who need to be healed. After all the fighting the civilians fear them but the idea is, that with the help of the mages the fear will slowly disappear.

 Hawke isn't too fond of the idea of house arrest after all that happened in the circle, but he understands that it is necessary.

 Red is not very thrilled that her new boss is now Hawke, but since he asks her sometimes for advice I think it will settle.

 Rivaini got a ship from Hawke as long as she would make some trading errants for him for at least one year. She is now sailing again.

 Daisy lives still in the alienage trying to help her fellow elves there.

   We all still meet once a week for wicked grace or diamondback though. But without you, Rivaini and even Blondey it's not the same.

 Speaking of Blondey, it seems like he finally learned to take cover. No one of my informants knows where he is now.

   Stay safe.

   V.T.

Fenris smiled a little. It was nice to hear how things were back at Kirkwall and that he was missed. Somewhat surprised, he noted that he missed them too. Even Merrill, however he knew that it was only because he did not have her around.

Fondly, the warrior read the letter again, enjoying his glass of wine.

Later that evening he decided to write back.

 Hello dwarf,

   I am quite deadly so do not worry about my well-being. To make your life easier, I think I will head towards Antiva. After all this time I desire a rather warm climate.

 I am sure Hawke has everything under control. He always managed to do so.

   Greetings to all.

   Fenris

He stared at his handwriting. It was nothing compared to Varric's neat one. But on the other hand he had learned to write much later in life than the dwarf had. Fenris sighed and folded the letter. ~He will be able to read it, at least.~

~~~

A little more than a year had passed since Fenris had left Kirkwall and for nearly six months he lived in Antiva. At the moment he was in Seleny.

Besides killing slavers he offered his services as a sword for hire to get some income for living expenses. (Since nobody paid for dead slavers and they didn't always have much money on their corpses it was not the best way to make a living.)

His last job had led him into the city. He‘d been hired to escort one of the many Antivian nobles there. Two and a half weeks of constant complaining had meant that the warrior had been looking forward to each and every battle so as not to vent his anger at his client. Therefore, Fenris was more than happy when the job was completed, which is why he allowed himself the luxury of a good room in an Inn.

Fenris wasn't too surprised that, after only staying for three days, he received a letter from Varric. The warrior wasn't quite sure if it should concern him how easily the dwarf could track him down. Every time the elf stayed a few days in the same city he found a new letter from Varric who kept him informed of what was happening in Kirkwall.

He decided to eat first before reading the new letter.

 Hey Broody,

How are you? Here nothing ever changes, it continues to be the same as always.

Hawke is gradually growing restless. He dislikes not being able to go on adventures anymore and being "trapped in this damn throne room". But so far he had only caused a minor scandal, so everything is allright for now.

There are rumors about unrest in the circle. Also, there is a rumor about an apostate gathering more apostates around him close to the border from Ferelden to Nevarra. Could possibly be Blondey....

  I wonder if you still want to kill him? Hawke has forgiven him for his actions but he is still angry and hurt, how Blondey had involved us with his lies instead of being honest...

  Choirboy finally got his throne back. Took him longer than he expected, I think. And I'm pretty sure that he still wants to kill Blondey...

 Anyways stay safe.

 V.T.

~I wonder if you still want to kill him?~ There had been a time only Fenris' loyalty to Hawke had kept him from killing the abomination. He had been everything the elf had hated and even worse, he had been everything Fenris feared. But their leader had adopted Anders like a stray dog, so all he could do was argue with the apostate and he had done so fiercely.

Untill Hawke finally had enough.

(3y0 b.ch.b.u.)

 "... and that's exactly why mages should be free!" Anders gesticulated wildly whilst walking.

   "If you really believe that, then you are as naive as the blood mage! Mages can not be trusted to have that much power. They will certainly misuse it!"

"And yet you follow a mage right this very instant and do everything he says!"

  Fenris glanced forward at the broad back of their leader who walked silently in front of them.

"Hawke is one of a kind, after everything he went through he never resorted to blood magic or said yes to a demon. The only mage I have ever known with that willpower." He looked disdainfully at Anders.

 The blonde bristled. "Justice is no demon! And surely there are more mages like Hawke."

  "Maybe a few, but most of them will be like you, like the blood mage, like Danarius!"

  "Take that back!" Anders turned around and grabbed Fenris by the collar. "I'm nothing like that scum!" The skin on his hands started to crack, but his furious eyes stayed golden.

   Fenris' markings came flaring to life. "Do not dare to touch me, abomination! Let me go or I will end your pathetic life!" His left hand had also grabbed Anders' collar whilst his right glowing blue hand hovered threateningly in front of the face of the mage.

  "E-NOUGH!" Hawke turned back to his companions. A mindblast sent them stumbling back. "All I hear of you two since I met you is; mage rights here, mages are monsters there and I have had enough! You are both right and both wrong and if I hear you argue ONE MORE TIME then as the Maker is my witness, I will give you" He turned to Anders, pointing his finger at him "wrapped like a gift to the next templar I see" He turned to Fenris, now pointing at him "And I will hand out you to the next henchman of Danarius! Understood?"

 Both of them had ducked away and nodded.

 "I asked, do you UNDERSTAND?"

"Yes" - "Understood" they answered simultaneously. It was difficult for Fenris to fight the urge to throw himself to the ground and plea for forgiveness. ~I'm not a slave anymore and Hawke is not my master!~

 After Hawke turned and walked away, Anders and Fenris looked at each other and nodded their truce.

At first it was not easy to not pick a fight with Anders anymore, but after a while Fenris realised that he had been tired of arguing quite some time already and he only did it out of habit. But after Hawke's threat they finally made peace.

~Close to the border of Nevarra~ He scratched his chin, and then he shook his head. Fenris still hadn't stopped to nurse his anger and hate towards his former lover.

~~~~

A few months later, after some unpleasant clashes with the Crows - he really hated the way they recruited -, the warrior decided to leave Antiva behind. The Crows were a too big organisation to fight against. Especially since their recruits were mostly orphans or were sold by their own parents and Fenris couldn't do much for the children after rescuing them, so he decided that it wasn't his fight. Instead, he returned to kill slavers whilst roaming through the Free Marches.

He camped in a Forrest near to Ansburg. It was already dark, a fire burned in front of him. Fenris shivered slightly, he reached into his bag to pull out a blanked, when two books fell out of it. After placing the blanket around himself, Fenris picked up the bigger, older and more expensive book. He fondly stroked the title, thinking of Hawke who had gifted it to him. It was his first gift ever so it meant much to him, even when the elf had to admit, that he couldn't read it at first. He still remembered the warm feeling when Hawke didn't made fun of him as he’d expected, but instead offered him to teach him how to read. Fenris still hadn't read it because the language used was quite complicated since it was very old. Still, he valued it very much.

Again he stroked it fondly before putting it back in the bag.

Next the warrior picked up the smaller, more well used book. His gaze was sad but still fond. A third of the way in, the book had a bookmark, but it wasn’t Fenris that had read that far. The bookmark showed where he and Anders had stopped reading, just two nights before Anders had blown up the Chantry.

Fenris sighed sadly when the memory of how all this began, rose...

(2y0 b.ch.b.u.)

 After Fenris had asked Anders to stay after the flu incident, they reached an agreement that Anders would come to the mansion on some days to take a break from his obligations. Since talking too much still risked them quarreling, they were silent for the most part. With the permission of the warrior, the healer looked around the mansion and found a library. So whilst Fenris busied himself with sharpening his sword, repairing his armor, practice sword fighting or just sat and drank wine, Anders read most of the time sitting next to the fireplace.

   One day, Fenris was busy sharpening his sword, Anders suddenly started to read out loud. The warrior’s ears twitched slightly. His hands stopped working and he threw a bewildered gaze at the mage, before he continued to work in silence. They had somehow nonverbaly agreed to not question what the other does.

 After a while, Anders voice sounded rough and he cleared his throat often, so Fenris gave his blade one last stroke with the whetstone and put his sword away. He stood and left the room. A few minutes later he brought a cup of water.

 Anders looked up and took the offered cup with a smile. "Thank you."

 The elf just nodded.

 The healer read a few more pages of the collection of fairy tales of the free marches, before it was time to go back to his clinic. "Good bye Fenris."

"Stay safe." The Warrior watched Anders leaving, then his gaze wandered to the book that was left behind. ~Why does he read for me?~ He frowned. ~And why does the library contain fairy tales?~

 Several days later Anders came back to the mansion, he picked up the same book and started to read the next story out loud once again.

Again the warrior was rather puzzled. He watched the human for a moment, before leaving the room. He came back with a cup and a flask of water. He placed both within reach of the mage. Fenris then started to make a bit of space so he could practice his sword fighting moves in this room instead of his foyer where he usually trained.

   The third time Anders started reading to him, Fenris wasn't surprised anymore and by the forth time, he sat near to the mage, enjoying his wine and listening how Anders tried to give every character in the story their own unique voice. Now and then a little smile found its place on the lips of the elf. It was nice to see how the mage got into the story and played his role as narrator.

   By the seventh reading session, Anders had found a new childrens book, Fenris even dared to sit next to Anders and look at the pages.

 Instinctively, Anders read slower and started to use one finger to follow the words he read, so that Fenris could read along silently. The elf had had some reading lessons with Hawke where he had learned the alphabet and some slow reading, but pronouncing the words correctly was still a big problem for him. It didn't really help that Fenris couldn’t quite learn alone and Hawke was a really busy man so he didn't want to bother him. Now to have Anders read the words out loud for him whilst he could see the words as they were spoken was nice.

 Four months passed since Anders had started to read out loud. When they sat together this time, the mage pointed at a small paragraph. "Could you read this for me? I'm a bit tired."

 Fenris gave him a side glance, then he stared at the paragraph, reading it first silently before he tried to read it loud. It was slow but after listening to the healer so much and reading it along, it wasn't as hard to figure how the words were pronounced as Fenris had feared. He threw some side glances when he realized that he had made a mistake, but Anders just nodded encouragingly and smiled, so the warrior continued.

 Finally Anders took over again, but now and then he let Fenris read some of the easier parts.

He shook his head to shoo away the memories. ~He betrayed me. He threw everything away! What was doesn't matter anymore!~ He reminded himself and forced himself to think of all their worst moments, to awaken the hate again. It was getting harder and harder to remember his anger.

~~~

It was winter again, now nearly two years since he had left Kirkwall, and Fenris wished he would have stayed in Antiva. Snow may look really beautiful but it was damn cold and he HATED the cold!

He struggled through the snow towards a village that he could make out in the distant. The snow reached him almost to the knees and the wind blowing into his face took his view.

When he finally reached the village and found an Inn, his lips were blue and his bare feet numb and full of frostbite. The warrior was just glad that elven feet were much more resistant than human feets and would heal soon. He booked a room, ordered a warm meal and brought his things to his room. He nearly dropped his bag, when a big sneeze shook him. ~Oh no~

The warrior just felt that the flu he was fighting, would hit him soon.

After eating and much sneezing he decided to go to buy some things he remembered from his last bout of the t flu would help him feel better. When Fenris came back he went straight to bed.

In the morning he felt hot from fever, his nose was blocked and he shivered. Fenris reached for one of the 6 vials of greenish fluid he had bought and drank it. Then he took the pot with some salve and creamed his chest, to help him breath better. Tired again he went back to sleep, dreaming of the last time he was sick:

(2y2 b.ch.b.u.)

 Fenris didn't remember the last time he was sick. All he knew was that he felt miserable. He couldn't breathe properly, his nose was either running or blocked, his chest felt tight, he had fever and felt so damn weak!

 And it seemed his ears also weren't working right, because Anders sudden appearance caught him off guard. "Why are you here?" Fenris voice was too rough and weak to sound as cold as he wanted while he was trying to get up.

 Anders was by his side before the elf even managed to sit up and pushed him back on his bed. "Hawke told me you are sick."

 "I do not need healing, it will get better on its own" He pushed Anders' hands aside, then he moved to one side coughing violently.

 The healer waited till Fenris laid still again. "Honestly flu’s only can be tended but not healed. I don't know why though. – I am going to check you for fever, I need to touch your forehead with my hand." It said much about the state of the warrior that he didn't protest any further. Carefully the blonde turned him on his back and laid his hand on Fenris' hot forehead. "You’re burning up", he mumbled then he spoke a little louder "Look into my eyes" Anders noticed that the pupils were a somewhat wide and the eyes shadowed. For a moment Anders’ gaze flickered to Fenris' lips noticing that they were cracked and slightly open. He moved out of sight and continued his examination. After that Anders stepped away from his patient and took his bag. He took a cup, a towel, a potion and a salve out of his bag. "I will cast two little spells" Anders warned, before he filled the cup with ice and then melded it with a heat spell. After that the blonde wet the towel and came back to Fenris side. Carefully he washed away the sweat from the warrior's face.

 Honestly in that moment nothing could have felt better than those caring hands on his face and the cool towel, so Fenris closed his eyes and turned his face into it. But much too soon Anders finished the cleaning. He opened his eyes again and watched the healer while he got the potion and the salve.

"This potion will help restore some of your strength but that doesn't mean that you should walk around much do you understand?" He waited till the warrior nodded before he gave him the vial with the greenish fluid. Then he gave him the little jar with the salve. "Apply this on your chest, it will ease your breathing", Anders explained, "I need to go now but I’ll come back tomorrow."

   The next three days, Anders came every day roughly the same time with soup and more potions and salves. He stayed to make sure that Fenris ate the soups and took the potions, then he left before the elf started to apply the salve on his chest by himself.

   The warrior wouldn't admit it but after the first awkwardness he enjoyed Anders' presence. Normally he appreciated the loneliness of his mansion and he sure as hell didn't like others to see him weak, but somehow the healer's presence was soothing. When Anders turned to go on the forth day, Fenris spoke up. "You need a break, stay."

 The seemingly surprised mage turned back. "You... want me to stay?"

 Fenris kept his face carefully blank. "Your presence does not bother me."

 Anders stared at him then he shook his head. "My patients need me. There is a flu epidemic in the city. Even Hawke caught it yesterday, but Bodahn takes care of him."

 "You are of no use to anyone if you overwork yourself. But do as you see fit."

 Anders seemed torn as to what he should do now, but finally he said. "You are right. A little break will not hurt." He yawned then settled himself on the floor in front of the bed and leaned his back to it.

 "You know you could also take a chair from over there..."

 "Nah I'm fine."

   After that, Anders always remained between half an hour to an hour at Fenris mansion after tending him. They mostly did not speak as Anders dozed in front of Fenris’ bed, leaving him wondering why the healer refused to take a chair.

Every time Fenris woke up, he thought for a moment that he would find Anders by his side with some soup or water or a wet towel. But each time it was a disappointment when he realized that this was not the case. Each time when he struggled to get up to get something or to order food, he longed for the caring hands and the soft smile of his healer. Completely exhausted he did not have the strength to rise up in his hatred, so was all that was left his longing and loneliness.

~~~

While recovering from the flu, a new letter from Varric arrived. It told him that the circles had started to revolt and that there were still rumors about an apostate gathering more and more people. There was also a warning that Sebastian had began the search for Anders.

Due to a heavy snowstorm Fenris was forced to stay in the village even after he was healthy again. So he nestled in his rented room between the covers, drank warm wine and thought about the news and what that meant for Anders. The warrior felt restless and concerned. When ever he didn't try to recall his anger because of the betrayal, his thoughts slipped to his former lover and good memories bubbled up.

The memory closest to his heart was their first kiss.

(1y7 b.ch.b.u.)

   They sat together for another reading session. The warrior was now confident enough in reading that they began to read sections alternately. They sat closely, their shoulders and legs touching while both of them held the book with one hand.

 Fenris finished his first paragraph without any mistakes or pauses.

 "That was perfect, Fenris" Anders smiled happily and gazed proudly at the elf.

 The warrior turned with a sly grin, which faded away when he saw that Anders suddenly looked at him as if the healer had seen him for the first time.

 For a moment Anders just stared at Fenris, their faces very close. Without thinking the healer leaned even closer and kissed him. Tenderly the healer pressed their lips together, moving slowly savouring the slightly rough lips. When the other didn't return the kiss, Anders retreated with an apology dying on his lips. Fenris’ ears had dropped, his eyes were wide, glassy and almost as if he wasn’t even there. "Fenris...?"

 The elf blinked a few times, bringing himself out of his reverie . His gaze averted while the fingers of his right hand brushed over his lips. He looked up again. "You truly like me, do you not?” Fenris’ voice was low full of awe and disbelief. He never had never been kissed before. Slaves were never kissed, they just were used. A kiss showed affection, attraction and maybe love, all things you show towards an equal but never towards a lesser being.

 Anders was clearly confused at the odd reaction of a simple kiss. "I... yes I do. Are you all right? I know I should have asked first, but..."

 "Can... can you do it again?" the warrior interrupted with a shy blush.

 Anders hesitated for only a moment, before he leaned in again. This time Fenris responded to the kiss, pressing his lips firmly against the others. Anders’ left hand wandered at the back of Fenris' head, pulling him closer, whilst his right hand caressed the elfs cheek. They parted again for a second before kissing more. First the healer took the lead and slowly showed Fenris how kissing worked, but soon the elf took over. Neither of them noticed how the book slipped from their lap and fell with a little "thump" sound on the ground.

It never failed to fill his heart with warmth and yearning, as such it was the memory he kept hidden deepest. But after two weeks being too weak to keep up his protective walls against these feelings for Anders, the feeling slipped through his defenses. Fenris stared sadly out of the window into the cold white world, hoping that it would be warmer soon so he could hit the road again.

~~~

By the time the snow started to melt, Fenris had been stuck in the village for two months. He was glad the snow had began to melt not only because of his restlessness, but also because he was running out of coin. .

So as soon as it was safe to travel again he was up and away.

[asgardian-light]

Random HC #77 (Continuation of #4 - #76)

[bi-apps]

Accepted - Alecto Carrow

brookisms

submitted:Alecto Carrow Application

Regular Application

OOC Information:

Name/Age/Timezone- Brooke, 24, MST (GMT-7)

Activity Level- During this time of social distancing? like a 7-8! I work in an essential service so I do work 4-5 days a week but I’ll still be online almost every day.

Ships/Anti-Ships- Alecto/Fenrir Greyback, Alecto/Chaos, Alecto/Unhappiness

Did you read the rules? Yes I have.

IC Information:

Character Name- Alecto (Greek: unceasing anger) Alexandra (Greek: defender of mankind) Carrow

Age/Birthdate- Alecto has just turned twenty-three years old with her brother at a lavish party during the near summer of 1958. They were born at midnight on June 13th 1955, the perfect example of a true gemini, both of them being able to be what the other is not at any given moment. Though Amycus and Alecto get on like a house on fire, their arguments could also be the very thing to set that same house ablaze.

Faceclaim- Florence Pugh, Billie Lourd, Liz Gilles (I don’t have a 1,2, or 3 I’d be equally happy to use any of them! You guys can choose who you think is best for Alecto :))

Occupation- Socialite/Apprentice buyer at Borgin and Burkes: Alecto had not been encouraged to find employment after her graduation like her brother was. It was not important to her family that she made anything of herself like Amycus was destined to. She was expected to be quiet and grateful that she was going to spend the rest of her days tending to the household of a husband whose name she had yet to learn. Like so many defining moments in her life, Alecto had taken the chance to rebel while staying within the confines of what defined a lady in her age. Finding a part time apprenticeship was easy, the Carrow name carried a weight with it, at least at the right sort of places. Borgin and Burkes was an easy fit for the fashionable young lady and an easy sell to her particularly old-fashioned mother. What better way to find a husband than while working with the kind of men that could afford her.

Blood Status- Pure

Traits-

Positive:

Perceptive: Alecto somehow knows what you’re about to say before you say it, knows how each times she backs up somebody is watching her, watching to see if she’s going to descend on them with the full extent of herself. She has spent a long time thinking about why people do the things they do and its lead her to become quite good at reading people which has lead her to become the most powerful version of herself.

Devoted: Alecto has been given everything she could ever dream of wanting, she has had the promise of a charmed life from the moment she took her first breath. Its not that she believes that she owes her family (or anybody for that matter) for raising her to be perfect, in her own mind she was always destined for greatness, but rather that she’s truly thankful. Because of this feeling, Alecto has no problem committing whole heartedly to people and causes who she deems as aspirational within her world. It’s truly a devotion to an aspirational version of herself, whether she’s willing to admit it or not.  

Efficacious: She has the beauty, she has the status, and she has the brain to back it all up. Whether its in her own mind or not, what Alecto Carrow does works. She’s whatever she needs to be in any given moment; she can be menacing, pragmatic, or seductive at the turn of a dime. Being a perceptive person is a strength that Alecto doesn’t recognize in herself, she’s too busy worrying about being the perfect version of herself to realize she already is for who she wants to be.

Negative:

Co-Dependant: Having Amycus meant always having a partner. He is more than just a brother to her, he’s half of her whole. Her mother was another demanding influence on her life, the standards Alecto was expected to live up to weighed heavy atop her poised shoulders. At the same time that her mother was the one ladening her with the expectations of high society she was also very much the person who taught her how to carry the load. Alecto has always had people who have helped her along her way to personal greatness. If it wasn’t her family it was one of the many men she would wrap around her fingers, her confidants have become her safe place and she simply cannot imagine a world where she is without them and god forbid one where she is entirely alone.

Sadistic: Alecto is a Death Eater because she will do whatever it takes to preserve her own way of life. Whether or not she actually believes in blood supremacy is not entirely formed thought inside of her still young mind, however she believes that the introduction of impure blood into wizard society is a threat to the way her family has existed for centuries. If they’re allowed into the schools and the ministry, what’s to stop them from dismantling the businesses and institutions that she holds os dear. Change is an evil word and she will not stand for it. Alecto’s temper is famous and its something she’s come to be infamously proud of, turning to fits of black out rage and destroying everything in her wake. She gets a sick joy from it, as though the screams her victims emit validate the inflated sense of sense. She loves hearing the sound of her own name begged, a small whimper from the back of one’s throat will send a chill up her spine to spread wide across her face into some catlike grin. She’s not ashamed of this part of herself and wears it as a sort of badge of honour.

Immature: Alecto lives within a state of arrested development, she’s not a girl and not yet a woman- perpetually teetering on the edge of behaving like either. She’s haughty and emotional, never one to think twice before making a decision. This might make her insufferable to those who are not enough of her own kind to see the deeper layers of herself, but its also a very good way of protecting that inner child.

Patronus- Alecto is unable to produce a patronus.

Boggart- Alecto’s boggart is the sound of her brother’s cry coupled with the rush of a bird moving past her. The wind that is created from the hawk like creature’s wings has such a gusto that it whips past Alecto knocking over her most prized photo. The glass in the ornate frame is smashed and each the shards cracking over her family member’s faces. They’re unrecognizable and the break is irreparable.  

Key Points-

In the Carrow household, children are seldom seen and never heard. They are nothing more than heirs and accessories at society events. Her mother and father had not been expecting twins to be delivered on that cold December evening, so when the midwife told Irina and Aleksander that there was another baby to come after the birth of Amycus they were shellshocked. The little baby girl was born forty minutes later, she came into the world without a scream. Her parents were not worried that their newborn wasn’t crying, they already had what they needed before she had taken her first breath .

Upon her birth everything was nearly entirely arranged, there were to be lessons, then cotillions, marriage and then babies. Alecto was always taught she was the best and that she deserved the best, she was taught that while she was entitled to the very best things that life had to offer there would always be people who would try and stand in the way of that and it was her duty to ensure that that would never happen.Alecto Carrow was raised to be a perfect little girl, she wasn’t to question anything, but told simply to out her head down and do as she was told. If she was a good girl, things would work out for her, if she wasn’t- then it would be all her own fault. While Amycus was showered with praise and gifts, Alecto’s accomplishments were largely ignored. It didn’t matter what she did, her mother would tell her, her last name wouldn’t stick and whomever she married would get to boast her accomplishments as his. The Carrow daughter grew withdrawn at home, feeling as though nothing she could do would make a difference. The only person to ever make her feel like she was worth something was her twin brother, he told her that she was special, that she was a part of him and that if he was being praised she was too. He taught her to stand up for herself, to be fearless in the face of adversaries. He made her realize what being a Carrow meant. It no longer meant hiding and waiting, it meant getting the praise she deserved and taking it if it wasn’t given to her.

During her school years, Alecto thrived. Her marks were exemplary and she finally found a crowd of people she fit in with. Perhaps choosing to hang around the bullies of the school was an extension of her toughening up, but Alecto hardly ever minded. She found those who chose kindness to be weak, they were not the kind of witches and wizards she could see fighting for what was right- let alone fighting at all. It was a natural step for her to begin a walk on the wild side, she could often be found smoking on school grounds or planning ill-mannered quidditch parties. Though if one was ever to confront her about anything, she would simply bat her eyelashes and ask them if they were really sure. She knew people knew of her temper, she made sure rumours flew through Rita Skeeter. She didn’t manage to get too involved within the daily dramatics, no matter how much she loved to indulge in the day’s gossip. The young witch knew it was worthwhile to know the goings on of those around her, how trivial it may seem to outsiders. If you know somebody’s next move it’s much easier to get ahead of them. Alecto Carrow wanted to be feared, that was the only way she ever saw herself being respected.

Upon graduating from Hogwarts Alecto travelled the world with her brother, making sure to meet up with whomever the Dark Lord wanted along the way. It was Amycus that introduced Alecto to the death eaters, Amycus that sparked the fire in her that burned brighter than any other. Alecto Carrow was made to be a death eater, the girl who would terrorize house elves until they gave her what she wanted and tricked professors into letting her never turn in assignments had finally found something she was a perfect fit for. Her wild temper and self serving nature led her to personalize her attacks on her victims, making them especially brutal. It was like when Da Vinci first picked up his paintbrush- Alecto Carrow was born to kill. Murder for hire however was not exactly the way a young woman who was from the upper echelons of society was to make her living. Alecto found something she loved almost as much as hearing her victims squeeze her name out of their strangled throats- fine antiques or rather selling them to noble and meaningful families. The Carrow girl got right to work at Borgin & Burkes, her family name helping her get her foot into the door, but it was her eye kept her there. Never before had they seen a buyer who was so able to get families to part with their treasures and heirlooms for such fragmented prices. Was it truly her eye, or rather the silver tongue that darted from between her lips like the moniker of her former house.

With her professional life thriving, there was only a matter of time until she heard the talk of engagement muttered beneath the breath of her family members. Her mother was itching to rid herself of Alecto, there was no doubt there. But the choice they were teasing her with was hardly somebody she would have opted for. With growing resentment towards those in charge of her future Alecto looked within herself, wondering what if she could figure it out on her own just as she had with nearly everything else.

Changes/Extra Info- http://brookisms.tumblr.com/tagged/character:-alecto-carrow/

Para Sample-

The mark didn’t hurt like Amycus said it would. The smell of searing flesh still lingered fresh in her slitlike nostrils and warmth emanated from beneath the sleeve of her white silk blouse. Work that day seemed futile and though she chattered on about ornate lamps sourced from Romanian castles, her mind was clearly elsewhere. Indeed it was, Alecto Carrow’s mind floated above the storefront of Borgin & Burkes off to truly anywhere else. In her mind that day she was wielding a whip, cracking it down onto the backs of anybody who doubted the possibility of power she yearned for. She felt complete in a way, more satisfied than any exam score earned, or scream squeaked out of the impure, or even kiss stolen from her many suitors could have ever made her feel. To be a marked woman was not only a significant feat, it was a badge of honour. She above most of the other women who roamed the earth around her, had pledged her life to serve the cause of the worthy.

Alecto’s hair pooled around her shoulders in curled tendrils, it was perfectly quaffed and hardly maintained by her own doing. The porcelain of her skin offset in a stark contrast by her dark features, as did her outer delicate beauty and the rogue devil that lurked beneath the surface. She felt lucky to have her job she truly did, to have gotten out of her family home for longer than a lunch or a party, though selling antiquities was hardly her passion so to speak. Her calling was the same as the mark newly etched deeply into the innards of her right forearm. It crossed over her when she held her hand to her heart, tucking her in safely with the promise of a brother and sisterhood filled with only the purest and most loyal of souls. She truly meant it when she killed for him, promising to lay her own life and prosperity on the line for the benefit of the greater good. Too long had filthy mudbloods and half breeds walked the streets alongside her and finally she had some true power above them, or at least she felt entitled to it.

The bell above the door jingled its cursed song and Alecto managed to put her customer service smile on. Her once pursed smirked turned on itself upwards into a catlike grin as she eyed up her opponent, or rather client. The hooded guest in the shop was not somebody she immediate recognized and the hair on the back of her slender neck stood up as she anticipated a challenge. She knew that it was;t likely to be somebody with whom she’d have to be combative, Alecto would still play the part of the English rose in this case, but beyond that the man remained a mystery. She didn’t much care for that, Alecto dealt in absolutes, like she was absolutely going to scream if he did not remove the blasted hood from around his face. “Hello sir,” she purred artificially, her heart seizing as his face was revealed before her voice dropped into itself, dripping with poison. “And to what do I owe the pleasure?“