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justwinginglife · 17 days ago

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Waiting For You

25 Days of Simpmas: Day Twenty One December 21st: Prince Azure Seth Fortna, Rank 5 Anime: Nina The Starry Bride Event Masterlist

Death was less like an old friend and more like a business partner, but you were well acquainted all the same. You’d send souls to keep it company in the Underworld and in exchange, it’d pardon your sins just a little while longer.

It wasn’t like you wanted to kill; it was just the only opportunity you were ever allowed and you weren’t one to fight fate. You accepted that killing was all you were good at and all you were good for. Everyday, you waited for Death to claim your last breath; you waited for it to tell you that this time, you’d committed too many sins, this time you’d wronged too many people. But you always lived to draw breath the next morning, so you stayed your path.

When you’d grown quite the name for yourself, you were called upon by the King of Fortna. You’d thought it a trap, thought it your reckoning. You never could’ve imagined that he’d swear you to secrecy, offering to pay your weight in gold to kill his son and then forget about it. You wondered what the Second Prince, Azure Seth Fortna, had done to deserve such a punishment. It wasn’t your place to wonder, but still you wondered anyway. Your previous missions had always been so black and white. A tyrant needed replacing, a lover had turned traitor, a murderer was to be condemned. Everyone you’d killed had a reason to be killed. As far as you could tell, Azure had none. Now, it certainly didn’t change what you had to do; either way, you had a bounty to collect. But it was impossible not to ruminate on such a strange situation.

You’d always known Azure to be a good, kind-hearted prince. Of course, you’d never met him personally in your line of work, but it was impossible to take a single step in Fortna without hearing how the young and old alike, how the rich and poor alike, how the women and men alike, all spoke of him and the ways he’d changed the kingdom for the better. If the world was always so black and white, like you’d previously thought, then you were black and he was white. You were stained and he was pure. You were dark and he was light. He was just good to his core. So why was he the target of the king?

After your more irrational thoughts won out, you proceeded to trail him to satisfy your curiosity; you wanted to see if he was really the man everyone said he was or if the king had been justified in ordering his execution. So now you spent your days observing the Second Prince. And the more you followed him, the less you wanted to kill him. Really, you faulted the king for not giving you a specific timeline on when to kill him. Because now, how could you kill the man who’d worked to provide funding for orphanages? How could you kill the man who’d single handedly improved trade routes by commanding the construction of bridges and roads, creating jobs in the process? How could you kill the man who fought beside his soldiers in the trenches like his life was worth no more than theirs? And the more you followed him the more you realized that maybe it was because he didn’t realize his life had any worth.

When you’d discovered that the King had sent multiple assassins after Prince Azure -seriously, just what had he done to incur the King’s wrath?- just in case one wasn’t enough to kill him, you fought them all off in the shadows, telling yourself that it was only so you could collect the bounty that was rightfully yours that you sent them to their graves, but when you realized that Azure had noticed the attempts on his life and simply didn’t care, you wondered if maybe the reason you’d protected him was because you’d wanted to save him, maybe you’d wanted him to want to live, maybe you’d wanted to give him a reason to live. And maybe you couldn’t watch from the sidelines anymore.

“So, you approach at last. Although, I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting a woman to be the one following me.”

You gave a slight laugh as you emerged from the shadows. “And what were you expecting, Your Highness? A hulking barbarian? A shady swordsman?”

“I was expecting you to reveal yourself much sooner at the very least. You’ve not even tried to kill me. Why wait?”

“Maybe I was enjoying the show.”

“If you’ve been watching so closely, then you should know that I won’t die until my kingdom is secure. Once I’ve finally made all the arrangements to ensure its prosperity, you may then claim your reward.”

You’d known he was like this from the beginning, but you didn’t expect him to just come right out and say it, and you certainly didn’t expect the way his words would stir something so deep within you, something you never could’ve expected. You’d always considered yourself rotten to the core, not because you were inherently evil, but because you’d never tried or cared to be better. You were nothing like him. Nothing like his pure good. You were surviving the only way you knew how and you’d never needed or wanted to learn otherwise. But the way he sounded just now, like he was just waiting to die, he almost sounded like you. And you wondered if maybe you had more in common than you might’ve originally thought. You hoped so. Maybe he was your redemption. Maybe he was so much more.

You took a step towards him and he reached for his sword. He didn’t trust you, and for good reason. You tossed him your sword in response. He caught it, eyes widening in surprise at the voluntary relinquishment of your weapon. If he was shocked at your actions before, he was even more so when you then laid on the grass beside him and pulled out a pouch.

“You haven’t eaten since this morning- you need to eat.” You took a piece of bread out, but upon realizing he was still surveying you cautiously, you laughed and took a bite before offering it to him, saying, “It’s not poison, see? Just a bit dry.”

After a moment’s contemplation, he finally took it, watching you curiously as he ate beside you. “You’re the strangest assassin I’ve ever met.”

“You meet a lot of assassins?” You munched on a cube of cheese, passing him one as well.

The edge of his lip twitched in amusement as he accepted your offering. “…I kill a lot of assassins.”

“Would you kill me?”

“Well,” He bit back a smile, “Not after you’ve just fed me lunch. Maybe I’ll try around dinner.”

You laughed at that. “Ahh, so a dinner date then. Have to admit, death never sounded so good.”

He shook his head at you in wonder. There was just something about you that was intriguing and he wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was the way you’d surrendered your weapon to him without even thinking. Maybe it was the way you’d just officially met and you were already trying to take care of him. Maybe it was the way you spoke about dates and death so easily. Maybe it was the way he found himself glancing over at you, taking in the curve of your jaw, or the strands of your hair, or curl of your lashes. Maybe it was all of this combined. Or maybe he was losing his mind.

“You don’t fear death- why is that?” You pondered aloud, your tone nonchalant, but he knew you were aching to know the answer.

He gave a light scoff. “What a bold thing to say. You know, I could ask the same of you.”

You shrugged. “If Death comes to claim me, it’s only what I deserve. My life has always been forfeit, I’m only waiting for the bill to come due.”

His brows furrowed as he contemplated the weight of your words. He’d never met an assassin so abject before. Of course, then again, he’d never met anyone like you before. But he could understand some of your sentiment at the very least. He’d felt like an imposter his whole life, but at least he’d had a purpose. Now that the First Prince had been born and was to ascend to the throne in his stead, his purpose had been taken from him. So, in a way, he was exactly like you- waiting to die, waiting to be of no further use. His life had never been his to control and maybe yours had been the same. Maybe you were the only one who understood just how painful it was to grow apathetic about your predetermined fate. Maybe fate’s final gift was meeting you, before Death came to claim him too.

Sensing that you’d stumbled across something sensitive and not wanting to pry any longer -even your curiosity had its limits- you suddenly changed the subject. “Out of the two of us, who do you think would win in a fight?”

Your ridiculous words immediately derailed his train of thought and he had to laugh; it was impossible not to. There was just something so bizarre and yet so highly comical about the fact that you could go from discussing matters as serious as death to instigating a battle of skill in a matter of seconds.

You raised a brow. “The Prince can laugh?”

“The Prince is only human, after all.” He said, with a small smile. Then he tossed your sword back to you. “Why don’t we find out the answer to your question?”

He stood up, assuming a fighting stance, and gesturing for you to make the first move.

You smirked. “Shall we state our terms before we begin? After all, it’d be a shame for me to get beheaded for treason when I win.”

He crossed his arms, scoffing. “And here I thought you didn’t care whether you lived or died.”

“I don’t, but it’d just be embarrassing to die by a sore loser’s hand,” You teased.

“If you thought you’d win so easily, then why bother asking which one of us would come out on top in a fight?” He raised his sword, itching for action now that you’d baited him on.

“I believe I was being what you call ‘nice.’”

He was waiting for you to pull yourself from the ground, waiting for you to stand and face him like an honorable opponent, you knew he was. He’d even given you a moment to unsheath your blade. But you weren’t honorable, not in the slightest. From your position laying on the ground, you swung your leg out suddenly, sweeping his feet out from under him. Now he was on the ground and you were leaping into an offensive position, aiming your sword at his chest.

“Are you so ashamed of your own skills that you can’t duel fairly?” He taunted, quickly countering your blade, before uprighting himself.

And now you were both circling each other, blades drawn.

“Are you so limited by your honor that you can’t imagine a foe attacking through less than honorable means?” You retorted back, daring to flick your sword out for a strike or two and being met with his blade in counter every time.

“I’ll admit that it was rather foolish of me to think that the girl who offered me a meal unprompted would retain that same decency in a fight.” Suddenly, he was lunging at you. You only had time to dodge.

When you’d finally put enough space between the two of you to regain comfortable footing, you launched a counterattack. He parried with ease, but the force with which you’d attacked him had him locked in a defensive position and parrying was all he could do for the moment.

Your blades clashed several times before he decided it was his turn to play dirty. “If you were serious about that dinner date earlier, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”

You stumbled for a brief second but it was enough. He forced your sword from your hand and it clattered to the ground.

You held your hands up in surrender. “What a move- distracting me with the promise of your attention. I see the Prince is not so honorable after all.”

He chuckled, amused. “It wouldn’t have worked so well had you not been so eager to believe me.”

“And what if I am eager? What if I’d like to get to know you?”

“As opposed to your assignment of killing me?”

“I’ve already decided how you’ll die.” You responded simply.

He raised a brow, intrigued. “Do enlighten me. How should I die?”

“Old age.”

He grew quiet at your words. Two simple words but they’d meant everything to him. Two simple words and you’d given him permission to live, to keep on existing, to keep on fighting. Two simple words and a lifetime that followed them. Two simple words and he was already yours.

“I am not a prince,” He admitted finally. He wondered what you’d do with this information, if you’d rescind your prior sentiment. He watched as you processed his words, confused as to their meaning. “I am not a prince-” He repeated, “I am merely an imposter, sent to live as a replacement for the king’s departed son. I have no royal blood in me. I am only as useful as my title and my title is worth nothing at its core. I’m worth nothing, I have no real value to offer. So what do you say now?”

You flicked him in the forehead and he took a startled step backwards. “I may be a killer, but I am not a liar, Azure Seth Fortna. I told you- I’ve already decided how you’ll die. Do you intend to make a liar out of me now?”

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “No, of course not. But I’m afraid I must impose one condition on your ruling.”

You snorted, crossing your arms. “The Prince who’s not a prince wants to command something of me? Go on then, what is it?”

“Stay by my side.”

Your heart thundered in your chest, as if realizing how to beat properly for the first time in your life.

He swallowed, realizing the severity of his words. But he wasn’t about to take them back now. Straightening his posture, he continued, “If you’re to sentence me to a long life, you must bear its weight with me; that is my only condition.” When he realized you’d gone silent, he added, “Besides, who else is to entertain me if not you? Victory won’t taste nearly as good if it isn’t you I’m beating.”

Your brow twitched. “I’m sorry, were you under the impression that you’d spend the rest of your life winning our matches? Now that I know you play dirty, you can be sure I’ll be assuming victory in our next fight and every fight following it, for as long as we both live.” You declared defiantly.

His posture finally relaxed and he even smiled. You’d agreed. You’d stay by his side. You’d make life worth living. You’d make rainy days bright and sunny days even brighter. You’d turn wrinkles into trophies, turn happiness into a lifetime.

He’d spent his whole life waiting to die, but maybe he’d just been waiting to live.

Maybe he’d just been waiting for you.

Taglist: @pixelcafe-network @minasfwoopyponytail @ouiouimochi @inkytypewriter

#azure seth fortna #nina the starry bride #nina the starry bride azure #azure seth fortna x reader #anime fanfic #anime oneshot #han's library

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chocolatechipc00kies · 13 days ago

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Azure is jealous - part 2

He tries to suppress it but can't hide it very well.

Warning: Spoilers for chapters 34, 35 and 44.

Still on ch 34, although King Azure is very disappointed, he can't bring himself to hate Nina. Not only she is his special person who motivated him to come this far, taking back Fortna's princess is also his declared goal to the people who let him rise to power.

So Az decides to not have negative feelings for now. He'll focus and try to persuade Nina to return to Fortna with him.

Azure's facial expression on the right panel above is very telling, though. He isn't happy to bring Prince Sett along even as a hostage. But Az will have to swallow more of his pride and say he'll treat Sett as an honored guest until he recovers and can be sent back to Galgada, since Nina won't agree to Azure's first idea.

Finally, Azure uses the "Fortna needs you" card to make sure Nina can't refuse as he knows Nina's the kind of person who wants to be needed. Nina agrees to these conditions and Azure wins. Or does he?When Az has to watch Nina do and say this to Sett:

Once more Nina senses Azure's presence which she now describes as "cold" and "wavering". She realizes Azure is hurt by her choice.

Sol will give her some comforting words by saying there is no right or wrong, just a choice, probably referring to whether or not she goes to Fortna or stays in Galgada. In chapter 35, where they all pass through Minerva, Prince Bidoh's territory, on their way to Fortna, some interesting things happen when the travelers stay in Bidoh's castle.

Even though Nina is blind, she can't help but be close to Sett, care for his needs and treat him tenderly. Azure sees everything. He tries to suppress his jealousy but Bidoh would never miss it and points it out.

This brief, sympathetic talk with Bidoh allows Azure to stop himself from coming to resent Nina for getting hurt by his love for her.

Soon enough Az will have a chance to act as Nina's savior again helping her rescue Meeva (which represents Az). Symbolically, they're trying to save their relationship here.

This is a bonding moment for Az and Nina like the old times, when there was no 2nd ML nearby to get in their way. It reminds Azure of why he loves her... why he's willing to be the one who protects her. When they're like this, Azure is able to relax and, finally, he stops sulking! 👍 To his credit, he apologizes for it, too, though Nina didn't see his facial expressions, she could tell he had been off all this time.

BONUS: On chapter 44, we get to see two more expressions from Azure as flashbacks to when he was negotiating with Nina about her return to Fortna. Firstly, we see that his fists are closed and his eyes aren't drawn to give him a menacing look.

Comparing this to the panel where Az is in that exact spot at ch 34, we notice his fists had been hidden by his cloak and his eyes were visible.

The second new expression is this look on Az's face when he stares into Nina's blind eyes and doesn't see his reflection in them. We know at that moment she never left Sett's side too.

I've been very impressed by these Azure's expressions ever since I read the manga a second time. I haven't seen anyone else talk about most of them. But at least for me, they make me sympathize with Azure's struggles a lot.

Part 1

#Jealous Azure #i may talk about the panels where Sett is jealous too #nina the starry bride #hoshifuru oukoku no nina #hoshinina #my post #Azure Seth Fortna #Azure #Az

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