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shijiujun · 5 years ago

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[ENG] History3: Trapped Novel - Chapter Ten

~7,000 words

Translation Masterpost can be found here

Disclaimer: Translations are entirely mine and Wei’s - these are not official translations and some phrases have been changed for better English interpretation so you’ll definitely see better/different translations elsewhere. Also keeping in mind when we translated this we aren’t exactly thinking about the style of writing and this translation is as close to the novel as we can make it XD So yes, some parts may be a little awkward to read. And yes some teeny weeny details and words may not turn up in the translation because the Chi to Eng mind acrobatics didn’t work out. If you see asterisks, scroll all the way to the bottom for notes!

Full chapter below the cut

*Note: I didn’t translate about 4 pages of the smut scene, it was taking me a little too long and I decided to drop it, so you’ll have to find alternative sources for that, but it doesn’t really impact the story much XD

Chapter Ten

Hospital

Jiang Jin Tang walks towards Tang Yi who is seated on the bench, and sighs, “You look like you’re in worse shape than the one currently inside.”

“Is… Is he okay?”

“He’s not going to die anytime soon, but I severely suspect that Meng Shao Fei has issues elsewhere.”

“Where?”

Jin Tang, who usually speaks ill of others with ease, says, “His brain!”

Tang Yi glares at the man clad in a white doctor’s robe, and cannot be bothered to respond.

“That guy keeps getting hurt because of you, and he’s the one who actually got shot, but the first thing he does after waking up is to worry about you, if this isn’t brain damage, what else can it be?”

“...”

“Tang Yi, just because Meng Shao Fei didn’t die the first two times doesn’t mean he’ll be so fortunate the third time. I don’t want you to regret this for the rest of your life, so as your brother, there are still some things I have to say. Love is just like life itself. Sure it’s beautiful, but it can also disappear at any time, so if you treasure this relationship, you have to let go of that burden in your heart. You can’t keep putting him in a spot and making things difficult for him,” Jin Tang says, somber and patting Tang Yi firmly on the shoulder.

“Okay, hurry in and go see him! If anything else happens, just look for me.”

“Thank you.”

Jin Tang shakes his head and smiles, then picks his vibrating phone out from his pocket.

“Be good, Tang Tang! I’m now in Mali and once everyone in the team and the equipment arrive, we’ll set off. The first treasure I dig up I’ll show to you first, you can’t tell anyone, okay?”

As he watches the message Jiang Zhao Peng sent over, Jin Tang’s lips curve into an indulgent smile.

Inside the ward, Shao Fei, who has already woken up and heard the conversation outside, immediately rips off tubes linked to the machine monitoring his vital signs. He closes his eyes and pretends that he’s in a coma.

Beep-------

Tang Yi barely steps into the ward before the distress signal sounds, and the curved lines on the monitor screen visibly flatlines. Going white immediately, he rushes to the bed and just as he’s about to press the button to ask for help, the person lying in bed hugs him around his waist.

“You’re this worried about me?”

Tang Yi freezes in shock, and the hand reaching out for the button retracts. With a stern, angry look, he glares at Shao Fei, who is grinning and happy, “Aren’t you a little too happy for an injured person?”

“Aren’t you a little too angry for someone who’s my boyfriend?”

“Hmph!”

Still chuckling, Shao Fei pulls at Tang Yi’s sleeve, gesturing for him to sit at the side of his bed. Afraid that Shao Fei would tear out his stitches, Tang Yi does not dare resist and can only sit down, his bad mood apparent on his face. Shao Fei touches lightly at Tang Yi’s wrists where the metal handcuffs sit.

“Don’t be angry, it's a reflex for me to try and snatch a gun, or put myself in the way of a bullet. I’m a police officer, after all.”

“I’m angry at myself,” Tang Yi frowns, holding onto Shao Fei’s icy hands.

“Then it’s better for you to be angry at me! Even if we had to do this again, I would still do the same thing.”

“I know you’ve been trying to stop me from killing others.”

“That’s right. Li Zhen Jie said it before, revenge can only bring you temporary satisfaction, but the consequences you will face for your actions will haunt you for life, and it’ll cause pain to the people who love you.”

“That includes you?”

“Of course!” Shao Fei shoots Tang Yi a look out of the corner of his eye, and continues, “Let me ask you, why did you think Tang Guo Dong tasked you with reforming the gang?”

After a moment of silence, Tang Yi replies, “Lao Tang said he didn’t want the brothers to continue a life like this, where they wouldn’t know if they were going to live or die tomorrow. He wanted everyone to live normal lives.”

“And if you, as their leader, did something illegal, would your men still try to turn over a new leaf?”

“....”

Tang Yi stares at Shao Fei. He did not actually think this far.

“Tang Yi, revealing the truth to everyone, letting the culprit be punished under the law, that’s justice. That’s answering to the victims, but if you handle this on your own, all people will see is a gangster killing a cop, then what Zhou Guan Zhi did will be hidden forever. Is that what you want to see? Is this the Xing Tian Meng that Tang Guo Dong would have wanted to see?”

Tang Yi sighs, and says, “... I’ll hand He Hang over to the police.”

Shao Fei smiles as he looks at the man he’s so deeply in love with, waiting for him to continue.

“And Zhou Guan Zhi too.”

“Thank you, and…” Shao Fei reaches for Tang Yi’s face on his uninjured side, pressing close and kissing his lips.

Tang Yi’s eyes close as he accepts the kiss. It’s a kiss filled with gratitude, love and happiness.

Half a minute later, Shao Fei pulls back and gazes into Tang Yi’s open eyes.

He says, “I love you!”

Knock knock.

Zhao Zi, who has been waiting for quite some time outside the hospital ward walks in. He looks at the man currently staring at Shao Fei, and reminds him, “Time’s up, Tang Yi, let’s go!”

He then takes out a jacket he prepared for this, covering Tang Yi’s hands to keep anyone from gossiping about his handcuffs if they see it while the both of them are walking out. However, Tang Yi simply shakes his head, standing up straight, and leaves the ward without turning back.

A room in a house

In an old, dilapidated room. Captain Shi sits in a corner looking at photos of his daughter in the wedding dress boutique on his phone. Two police officers in casual dress are guarding him nearby. One of them is scrolling through his phone, and the other one is resting with his eyes closed, seated on a chair with his arms crossed.

A little while later, the doorbell rings. The man on his phone walks to the door, and lets the person on the other side of the door in after verifying his identity.

“Boss!” Shao Fei calls, wearing the $60,000 NTD suit he bought at Tang Yi’s store, in his hands a traditional wedding cake.

Captain Shi looks at the person who’s just come from a wedding eagerly, and asks, “How did it go?”

“You can see for yourself,” Shao Fei takes out his phone and plays the video he recorded of the wedding.

Slowly opening the banquet hall’s doors, the bride stands there alone without her father, a bouquet of flowers in her hands. Her makeup done up so beautifully, the woman glances down at the red carpet with red-rimmed eyes, pausing for a bit before looking up and smiling widely. She picks up her courage and takes the first step forward.

On both sides of the red carpet, her close friends scatter flower petals and pop party poppers, representing their well-wishes for the new couple. Under the eyes of the marriage officiant, the bridge and groom exchange rings, completing the wedding’s most important ritual.

Captain Shi looks at his daughter’s wedding video, and nods profusely with his eyes wet.

Shao Fei pulls a chair over so he’s sitting opposite Captain Shi, and places the wedding biscuits on the table. “Xiao Ya asked me to bring these to you, there’re biscuits, and also the tea you like to drink, and wedding photos.”

“Ah Fei… thank you…”

However, the man does not accept the gifts, as if afraid of dirtying the beauty and goodness of the moment with his hands that are awash with sin and guilt. Shao Fei looks at his Captain, who’s almost a shell of his usual self.

The back of his nose burns as he says, “You and Li Zhen Jie have always been my role models and I have always believed in every single thing the both of you taught me. I remember the first day I joined the team, you told me that justice is just like lighting a lamp against the wind and police officers are the protectors of the lamp, so we have to be alert at all times. Because only when the lamp consistently lights up the path in front of us, can we then help others to walk down the correct path too. But you destroyed the person who was supposed to protect the lamp, tried to cover up the truth from four years ago and even allowed everyone to suspect Li Zhen Jie, and to point fingers at her.”

Captain Shi listens to the words he used to say, and lowers his gaze in remorse, “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. After all, having to choose between being a father and being a police officer, I selfishly chose to be a father.”

“Boss, do you regret it?”

The man shakes his head and replies bitterly, “When Ah Zhi told me four years ago that he killed Li Zhen and Tang Guo Dong, and destroyed the evidence after, I was relieved. If I didn’t have that sum of money that year, I wouldn’t have been able to see Xiao Ya on her wedding day.”

“Boss…”

Captain Shi looks at Shao Fei and with a complicated expression, he says, “Ah Fei, I actually resented you.”

Shao Fei returns the man’s gaze, stunned at the revelation.

“When everyone was no longer interested in the case at all, you were the only one persisting in bothering Tang Yi, insistent on finding out the truth, as if you weren’t afraid of standing on your own against the rest of the world.”

“But you never once truly stopped me.”

“Because I wanted to see just how long you would last. I even hoped that when you had to choose between justice and obstruction to that, you would choose to give up. Then at least I could comfort myself in the knowledge that you and I, we aren’t so different after all,” Captain Shi says in a self-deprecating manner, raising his head to look at the impulsive young man who really has caused him quite a lot of trouble up until now.

“Aren’t I really bad? I’d fallen, and wished that the people around me would be just like me. I’m sorry, the Captain you admired is actually such a despicable man.”

“No! Boss, you’re not,” Shao Fei stares at Captain Shi resolutely, finally saying the words he wanted to, hidden away under the guilt he felt, because he blamed himself too. “You didn’t stop me because you were waiting too, no, even anticipating the moment I would find the truth and expose you and Zhou Guan Zhi. It’s true that between being a father and being a police officer, you chose to be a good father, but you didn’t give up on the other part of you, the part that’s a police officer.”

Faced with Shao Fei’s understanding, Captain Shi, who has been suppressing all his emotions, finally lets his tears run free as he sobs, covering his face.

“If Li Zhen Jie was still alive, I don’t think she would have hated you. Though she might have kicked your ass,” Shao Fei jokes deliberately, trying to lighten the melancholic atmosphere between them and rubbing at his nose, his face full of tears too.

Captain Shi looks at the man sitting in front of him and recalls his colleague, the woman who worked harder than any other man he knew.

His shoulders shake slightly as he says, “She wouldn’t have just beat me up, but scolded me too. She would have scolded me for living like a coward…”

Outside the room, the rays of the setting sun eventually shine over the both of them, but in the corners where the sunlight could not reach, darkness still remains.

Before their meeting ends and just as Shao Fei is about to leave, Captain Shi suddenly moves in front of him.

“Shao Fei, I’m leaving Team Three in your hands,” he says knowingly, patting at Shao Fei’s shoulder.

Cemetery

Tang Yi stands before a gravestone and stares at the music box on the ground, before pulling out his lighter and lighting a cigarette at the side. From afar, Chen Wen Hao walks over with a bouquet of flowers, and after seeing Tang Yi, he hesitates. Then he walks over to the grave and places the bouquet on the flat surface.

“Li Zhen, I’m sorry… All these years, I vented my anger and hate on Tang Guo Dong, hating him for causing me to end up in jail, hating him for not stopping you from aborting the baby and even suspecting that he liked you. That day was the first day of my release from prison, but I saw the both of you together. That was the first time in 24 years we were meeting, but I didn’t expect it to be the last…”

“When I was younger, I didn’t have much money and when I gave you flowers I could give you only one stalk. How sad was that? But you always smiled so happily, so I thought, if I could earn more money I would be able to buy more flowers to make you happy. I ended up walking the wrong path, and didn’t dare to let you know, so I lied to you instead.”

“If that year, I chose differently, would you not have left me then? The three of us, a family, would we have been able to live like normal families, having meals at the dining table? Maybe we wouldn’t have had much money, but we would have led a normal, stable life… we would have also been… happy…”

He finishes his sentence and falls silent, his face filled with tears as he cries.

It is said that every person has to face the consequences of the decisions they make. Then, the price he paid in his lifetime was really just too much, too much…

Tang Yi walks over to Chen Wen Hao’s side, and places the lighter before the gravestone. To the photo on the stone, he says, “After you gave me up for adoption, I ran away from home because of my relationship with my adoptive father, and then I was given a home by Tang-ye. He loved and doted on me as if I was his biological son. Don’t worry, I’ll continue reforming Xing Tian Meng. I believe that this is what you would have wanted to see, the you who spent your life fighting drug dealers.”

Chen Wen Hao supports himself on his knees as he gets up, and now that he knows the truth, he feels as if he’s aged in a flash. He is no longer the fearful, big drug lord, and no longer the vicious Chen-ye he was known for. He is merely an old man in his sixties, a man who’s finally seeing his own son - a father.

He takes out the thumb drive saved with the list of Xing Tian Meng members and business deals, handing it over to Tang Yi.

“This is something I bribed Jack to gather for me as I was plotting revenge against Tang Guo Dong. Every step I’ve taken in my life has turned out to be wrong, and even as I stand before my son, I don’t have the right to ask for his forgiveness.”

Tang Yi’s grip on the thumb drive tightens. He nods at the man before him respectfully, and with a complex expression he leaves the cemetery. At the stairs, however, his footsteps pause and Tang Yi covers his face as he sobs.

At Zhao Zi’s house

“What are you doing?” Zhao Zi asks in confusion, looking at Jack in surprise, who’s standing at his door with his small luggage.

“From today onwards, I’m moving in with you.”

Jack beams, picking up his bags and ready to walk in, but the owner of the house stops him with both arms spread wide open.

“Who said you could move in?”

“You did!” the red-haired man cocks his head to the side, and grins, “Didn’t you cry and ask me to stay?”

“Yes I did, but when I asked you to stay then, and this kind of staying… it’s different!”

After realizing all the things that Zhou Guan Zhi did, Zhao Zi was so depressed that he sat in the middle of a square with a bottle of beer and started sobbing. After hearing that Jack too, was going to leave and go somewhere else, he hugged him and began to sob even louder, shouting that he wanted Jack to stay at his side.

Jack sets his bags down and stalks towards Zhao Zi until he cages the man against the wall. Staring into his eyes, he says, “Do you know how much I gave up, just because you said that?”

The ambush in Cambodia, the deal he had with Yan Zheng Qiang*, the status and position he had in Xing Tian Meng, and so many opportunities from where he could have earned a lot of money. All of it, he abandoned without a second thought.

“Huh?”

“So I’m now a pitiful bug who has no income and no home to return to, you have to be responsible and feed me well.”

“Huh?” Zhao Zi looks at the man who’s given up on everything, dumbfounded. “Wait, no, where’s your family?”

Jack’s expression goes still, and then speaking a half-truth of sorts, he answers, “How would someone like me, who lives in danger every single day, have any family left? No matter where I go, I’m alone, and it gets pretty lonely…”

Zhao Zi looks at this person, who also longs for someone to be at his side just like himself, and his resolve wavers.

“So just let me stay~ Not only will you have another person to share the bills with, but I can take over things like housework and the most important thing is…”

Jack, an ex-mercenary who has never let an opportunity to get the best deal in any situation go, takes the chance to persuade Zhao Zi, “My cooking is pretty delicious, no? As long as you let me stay, I promise you that I’ll take care of your three meals daily. How about that? Isn’t this a really good deal?”

Zhao Zi, a known glutton, swallows. He has to admit that the last point Jack made is the most tempting one. However, if Jack does everything, then what is he going to do?

“You don’t have to do everything in the house. Since it’s housework, everyone in the house has to contribute, that’s why it’s called housework.

“So…” Jack’s heart warms, and he immediately snatches a kiss from Zhao Zi. “Shorty, can I move in, and become a part of your family?”

“Hnn!” Zhao Zi nods seriously, biting at his bottom lip.

“Then let’s have our meals together, do housework together, you’ll take care of the odd days, and I’ll take the even days including Sunday.”

“Okay!”

Just as Jack is preparing to swoop in for a kiss, his hands holding Zhao Zi’s face, they suddenly hear Zhao Zi’s stomach rumbling, and the romantic atmosphere dissipates immediately.

“Pfft, is it 6pm already?”

“Hnn….” Zhao Zi laughs sheepishly, rubbing at his stomach that is even more precise than a clock.

Jack pats him on the head, then moves towards the kitchen, “I’ll make you dinner right away. First, I’ll feed you, and then after… it’s your turn to feed me.”

“Wait! What do you mean, it’s my turn to feed you? Jack you better explain! Jack!”

The Tang manor

“Have you stared enough?” Tang Yi picks up his teacup and glares at a certain doctor, who’s staring at him incessantly.

“Not yet, I specially came over to see what it would look like, for an ice mountain to be melted by the power of love. Pfft, it’s practically like an antique that’s just been unearthed, of course I have to look at it a few times. But Meng Shao Fei is really something, because only he can fall in love with a boring hard shell like you, who doesn’t like to talk?”

However, Jin Tang, who is gleefully ribbing at the Xing Tian Meng leader in an unusual turn of events, is quickly defeated in the next second with Tang Yi’s words.

“I didn’t think you would have the time to talk rubbish here with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Andy didn’t tell you?”

Jin Tang frowns, sensing some conspiracy in the air, “He didn’t tell me what?”

“Andy got some news today and told me that there’s a British man in the archaeological group who’s clinging onto your Xiao Shu Gong, and he even insists on squeezing in the same tent as him every night to sleep.”

Jin Tang snaps to his feet in shock and the usually gentle and composed man turns to Tang Yi with ferocity in his eyes. He glares at Tang Yi, “Fuck, why did you only just tell me this?!”

“I thought you already knew.”

“Damn it!” the man cursed, taking out his phone and calling his secretary. He says anxiously, “Book a flight for me to Mali right now… Of course I know there’s no direct flight there, why would I have called you otherwise? Settle this in the next hour, I want to get to my destination in the shortest time possible.”

After delegating the task to his secretary, Jin Tang hangs up and glares at Tang Yi again, huffing in anger, “What are you looking at! Have you never seen me angry?”

“I see you angry rather often, but I’ve never seen you jealous. It’s just like an antique that’s just been unearthed and it really does deserve a few more looks from me.”

The words he used to tease Tang Yi earlier are now being used back on him, word for word, and Jin Tang doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the end he puts up his middle finger and says, “Fine, you’re ruthless, teasing me like this.”

“It’s true that you have to wait in relationships, but if you always bury what you are truly thinking deep in your heart, the other person will never know how you feel. I don’t want to see you end up like that.”

Jin Tang looks at Tang Yi, stunned. His lips then curve in a smile, “I really didn’t expect to hear such deep thoughts from you.”

“I didn’t expect to think this way either.”

“But it’s good that you’re like this, you’re finally looking more like a human.”

“If you need any help from me, just let me know, don’t be shy.”

“Don’t worry! I definitely won’t stand on ceremony with you.”

Both men raised their teacups and smiled at each other. In the other’s eyes, they could see the vibrance of happiness shining through.

Outside the police station

Tang Yi has just parked his car in front of the station, and suddenly a huge motorbike zooms past the side of his car, then emergency brakes.

“Ah, what a coincidence, hi ex-boss,” Jack greets with a harmless, innocent smile as he takes off his helmet and reveals a mop of eye-catching red hair.

Tang Yi alights his car and looks at Jack coldly, “You resigned for another reason, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t,” Jack hangs his helmet on the handles and shrugs, “I just happened to find the life I want to live, there’s no other reason for it.”

At the same time, Shao Fei walks out from the station building, and looking at the guy seated on the bike, he says, “What are you doing here?”

“Please, even you guys are lovingly fetching each other from work, isn’t it normal for me to wait for someone to get off work too?”

Looking at Jack’s face, Tang Yi quickly changes the subject and says, “Chen Wen Hao told me that you used me to get access to Xing Tian Meng’s confidential documents, so previously, when you tried to assassinate me and failed, and was subsequently bribed by me, that was fake too?”

Jack’s expression stills, and knowing that he cannot continue to deceive him, the man regains his composure. He admits, “It was planned. Following you at your side was also so I could get information, but you still managed to get the thumb drive back, didn’t you?”

“Did you think I would let it go like that?”

Tang Yi will show no mercy to the people who have used him.

Jack forces a smile and says, “Let bygones be bygones. I had my own difficulties too. And to protect the happiness I managed to get after so much hardship, I’m afraid I would have to do something to you.”

“What do you mean?”

Shao Fei can feel the murderous intent coming off Jack as he speaks, and immediately moves to stand between both men, pushing Tang Yi behind him protectively.

“Nothing, I just want to remind my ex-boss that there is only interest between people and no real feelings or relationships. I have to lie in order to attain my goal, so we shouldn’t concern ourselves with these small things, don’t you think?” Jack shrugs again and bats his eyelids at Tang Yi.

Just as he does that, he hears another voice sounding from behind him, “So between you and me, we’re just using each other as well, there aren’t any real feelings?”

He sees Zhao Zi’s upset expression the second he turns his head around, and immediately shakes his head, denying, “No. I didn’t, shorty, listen to me!”

“Ah Fei, I’m staying at your place today,” Zhao Zi glares at Jack and walks over to Shao Fei to put some distance between him and the red-haired asshole.

“I object!”

“Overruled! Ah Fei I’m going with you.”

“You’re not allowed! We’re going home.”

“I don’t want to!”

Jack knows that it’s inconvenient to have this conversation right outside the police station, and so he decides to simply carry Zhao Zi and put him on the bike instead.

“Wah- Ah Fei, save me!”

“Zhao-”

“If you don’t want to die, then don’t interfere!” Jack glares at Shao Fei who’s intending to stop him.

With one hand around Zhao Zi’s waist and the other securing a knot around Zhao Zi’s waist with the jacket around Jack’s middle, he ties Zhao Zi to him. Then he slams his foot down on the accelerator and leaves the precinct quickly.

“Ah Fei! Ah Fei save me, Ah Fei!”

And the cries for help fade away as the bike goes further, and further.

Shao Fei stares at his good friend being kidnapped right outside of the station and it takes him a long while to break out of his trance. Pointing in the direction that Jack and Zhao Zi left in, he asks the Xing Tian Meng leader next to him who’s smiling mysteriously, “When did the both of them get together?”

“Who knows?”

“Hey! You were finding trouble with Jack deliberately earlier, right?”

“He’s a talent, but unfortunately there’s no leash that can hold him, so I obviously had to teach him a lesson. Only then can we use him in the future.”

“Don’t tell me you still want him to work for you”?

Tang Yi laughs and lets the silence speak for itself. Shao Fei gapes at Tang Yi, looking at this handsome but incredibly scheming man.

At Zhao Zi’s house

“Let me go!”

Jack takes advantage of his height to secure Zhao Zi over his shoulders in a fireman’s lift, and only after they’ve entered through the gates and the door does he put Zhao Zi back on the ground.

“Don’t be angry, listen to me-”

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to be used by you!” Zhao Zi presses his hands over his ears, even lifting his leg to kick at the other’s calf bone.

Despite being so skilled at fighting, Jack does not move or retaliate, only tolerating the pain and pulling the angry person before him into his embrace. At the same time, he pinches at Zhao Zi’s chin and angles his head up, forcing a kiss on Zhao Zi.

“Mmm…. mmm…. Go away!” Zhao Zi pushes Jack away for forcing the kiss on him, his eyes red as he glares at him.

“Zhao Li An! Listen to me!”

It’s Jack’s first time seeing the shorty this furious, and even though Zhao Zi’s eyes hold no plausible threat to him, Jack is still properly startled and all he can do is carry Zhao Zi to the counter, trapping him against it.

“...”

Zhao Zi stares at Jack in shock. This is the first time Jack has been so fierce to him.

“I won’t explain myself for what I did in the past. I admit that in this time, there were both truths and lies in the things I said to you, but I’ve never used you! Never!”

“How do I know what you’re saying are truths, and which are lies? Even the Chief I really trusted, even the senior who was so important to me, these people I can’t even trust. Why should I trust you?”

What happened with Captain Shi and Zhou Guan Zhi dealt Zhao Zi a heavy blow, and he even doubted himself, was it him who was naive and had too much faith in human nature? Does he have the right to be a police officer, even? Why is it that the Captain and colleague he had meals with every day, both had other sides to them that he missed?

Jack looks at his shorty who has lost control over his emotions, and emphasizes, “You don’t have to believe in everything else, but there are two things that you have to believe in.”

“What two things?”

“The first is, I like you.”

“And?”

“Second, I stayed because of you. These two things, you better remember them clearly in your heart!”

Zhao Zi looks at Jack with wide eyes and listens as Jack continues to confess to him.

“In the beginning, I was just curious about you, wondering how you could be both so naive and lustful.”

“I’m not!”

“You are, and you even touched me.”

“You’re the one who wanted me to touch!”

“Whatever, anyway, I was totally attracted to you. This is the first time I’ve cared so much about someone else, worried that if I’m not around, are you having your meals properly, worrying if you are lonely by yourself at home, worrying if you are crying in a place I don’t know… So I decided to stay, because I didn’t want to leave you!”

Zhao Zi, seated on the counter, blinks and rubs at his nose. Somehow, everything that Jack is saying strikes all his pain points and he feels like crying.

“If you still don’t believe me, and if you still want me to go, I’ll go. But you have to be prepared, because the moment I leave, you’ll never see me again.”

“You’re lying to me again, right?”

“No, I’m serious. So you have to make the decision. Do you want me to go? Or do you want me to stay?”

“I…”

Jack waits for Zhao Zi’s answer anxiously. This is the first time he is so uncertain about what he’s doing. However, Zhao Zi continues to look downwards, biting at his lips and refusing to speak. Taking Zhao Zi’s silence for rejection, Jack’s shoulders drop in disappointment.

“Forget it, I’ll go…”

The moment he says that, Jack hears the reply he’s been waiting for.

“Stay!”

“Really? You want me to stay? Why?”

“Because…” Zhao Zi’s ears go hot, and he says in a small voice, “I like you.”

The ends of Jack’s mouth curve, and then he’s kissing Zhao Zi’s lips hard.

“Mmmff, Jack... “

Zhao Zi, who was teased by Shao Fei for being single all his life, now realizes that kisses aren’t just like bland honey water, but a really, really sweet chocolate pie that is enough to make his legs go weak. Through the hands cupping the sides of his face, Zhao Zi can feel Jack’s body warmth, and also the way Jack’s fingertips are trembling, just that little bit.

It seems that even for Jack, who always seems to have everything under control and doesn’t understand the meaning of fear, there are also times where he feels insecure. It’s not only just Zhao Zi who is afraid of being rejected.

“What is it?”

As Zhao Zi is trying to hold his laughter in, his shoulders shake so much that Jack notices, and so Jack pulls Zhao Zi over to look at the giggling shorty.

“So you were actually so afraid of me rejecting you?” Zhao Zi stares at Jack, exposing the thoughts the other man was trying to conceal.

The red-haired man pretends to be angry and glares at Zhao Zi, but his eyes are full of adoration as he looks at the source of happiness that the heavens has finally put into his grasp. And only before this person, Jack has no need to lie or hide.

“I was very afraid.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t know how I could go back to being the person I was before.”

Jack was once obsessed with the thrill that uncertainty could bring, because he was very confident of his own abilities. As long as he worked hard, he could always obtain the things he wanted. However, with love, he could not be sure of how much Zhao Zi liked him, and there was no guarantee that even with his best efforts, that Zhao Zi would return his affections.

Moreover, once he experienced not having to pretend in front of someone else and letting go of all his defenses, much less having to lie to them, he no longer wants to put his armour back on and go back to the battlefield, where he can trust no one else but himself.

Zhao Zi nods, and then angles his head upwards to look at the man who’s much taller than he is. He says, “I understand, because since you came into my life, I feel like being alone at home is so lonely! It’s not as if I didn’t stay alone before, but now even when I eat, it doesn’t taste as good as when I eat with you, it’s not like…”

“It’s not like the food isn’t exactly the same,” Jack continues for him with a smile.

“Hnn! It really, really is like that.”

“Hold on! Shorty, don’t tell me you realized you like me because you found that the food you were eating tasted bad?”

If that really is the case, then he will be jealous of every food item that ranks before him in the shorty’s heart.

“Of course! What about you? When did you start liking me?”

“I’m not going to tell you.”

“Hey! How can you be like this, it’s not fair, I told you my answer!”

“You really want to know?”

“I do.”

“Then…”

“Ah!”

Jack suddenly picks Zhao Zi up in his arms and walks over to the dining table next to them, putting the shorty on the surface of the table. Then he begins to unbutton Zhao Zi’s shirt.

“Let me eat first, and then I’ll tell you the answer.”

Zhao Zi’s face turns hot, and he looks down, shy, “If you’re hungry… then… then go have supper…”

His smile oozing charm, Jack turns to the side and steals a kiss from the corner of Zhao Zi’s lips, “My supper is you - Zhao. Li. An!”

“But I’m not tasty.”

“Tasty or not, I’ll let you know what I think after I’ve eaten, so… let me first take off the packaging.”

“But…”

“Shhh!” Jack smirks, then presses his face against the side of Zhao Zi’s ear and says softly, “Didn’t your grandma teach you, when someone is eating you, you’re not supposed to talk?”

“No,” the honest and innocent Zhao Zi answers after actually considering the question. He shakes his head and clarifies, “Why can’t I talk?”

“Because…”

Fingers unbutton the last of the buttons on the shirt and Jack’s hands guide Zhao Zi’s arms out of the shirt’s sleeves. When Zhao Zi is finally half naked seated on the dining table, Jack continues, “Because when other people are busy ‘eating’ you, all you need to do is to moan nicely.”

Suddenly, Jack crouches down and moves towards the soft bumps on Zhao Zi’s chest, then bites down on one.

“Ah-”

Startled, Zhao Zi glares at Jack. No one has ever done this to his nipples. Jack is lightly biting on them. It stings a little, but more than that, whatever he is feeling right now he feels it strongly, but is unable to put into words.

“Jack…”

“Hmm?” Jack responds to Zhao Zi who is experiencing this for the first time, in a deep, nasal tone.

“It’s… It’s so weird…”

Not only is Zhao Zi’s face hot now, both of his ears are scalding hot too.

“It’s tasty,” the person with his head bent low mumbles, and then Jack begins to tease at the hard nipple he was lightly biting at with the tip of his tongue.

“Mmm...hmmm”

It feels really weird. Not only does the area where Jack is attacking feels weird, even a more embarrassing part of him is beginning to rise, and he’s feeling both uncomfortable and good at the same time.

Jack grins and enjoys the way Zhao Zi is reacting to him. He releases the pressure on Zhao Zi’s chest and the moment Zhao Zi relaxes, Jack immediately goes after the other nipple, continuing to use his teeth and tongue to bully the pitiful and soft little thing.

“Ah-hah… Jack!”

Angling his eyes downwards Zhao Zi can now clearly see the bumps shining with spit, and the usually soft area is now both red and hard from Jack’s ministrations. Even the soft tip has swollen into a little ball.**

“So delicious,” Jack finally looks up to appreciate his work.

“Look! It’s so red now!”

Zhao Zi looks down at his chest, and both his left and right sides have been bitten until they’re both red and swollen, and it feels itchy too. He cannot resist but scratch at the bumps, but then he hears Jack swallow and make a ‘sssss’ sound.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shorty, it seems that I’ve underestimated you, after all.”

“Huh?”

Jack then grabs onto the bewildered man’s hand, dragging it to the lower half of his body. That’s when Zhao Zi realizes, where the denim is hugging taut around something, Jack’s member is obviously hard.

“You-”

Zhao Zi is too embarrassed to continue speaking, and the skin from his face all the way to his neck flushes entirely red.

“It’s all your fault, so you better take responsibility.”

“Huh?”

“This is the first time I’ve gotten so hard so quickly, and…”Jack smirks and moves to Zhao Zi’s ear, and with a warm exhale, he continues, “And wet.”

[I’m skipping the rest of the smut scene! Sorry guys think you’ll have to find alternative sources for the translation of this part.]

“So tired…” Zhao Zi pants as he lies on the wooden dining table. Looking at Jack who’s pressing down on him, he grins, silly.

“What is it?”

“Am I… tasty?”

“You are. You are very tasty,” Jack grins and gives Zhao Zi his highest compliments.

Jack then carries his lover to the second floor and helps Zhao Zi to wash away the remnants of their lovemaking, before putting him on their bed.

“Hey… Will you still leave next time?”

“Since you’ve asked me to stay with so much passion, I wouldn’t be a man if I left you,” Jack’s hands move over Zhao Zi’s body under the blankets covering the both of them.

“Don’t… I’m so tired…”

Zhao Zi dives into Jack’s embrace, closing his eyes. Staring at Zhao Zi’s face, Jack looks as if he’s about to confess to him again.

“I’ve never thought so much about anything, until I met you. In the past, I always thought that settling down was such a boring thing as that kind of life would be stagnant without change, and only thrill and excitement could fulfill me, could make me feel alive. You made me realize that a normal life is happiness, so… shorty, be prepared! Don’t you ever think of leaving me.”

Jack presses a kiss to Zhao Zi’s forehead, and softly says, “Goodnight.”

He doesn’t realize that Zhao Zi hasn’t fallen asleep. The shorty smiles happily and sinks into his dreams.

Outside the courthouse

Shao Fei holds onto Tang Yi’s hand before the courthouse, and ignoring the looks of everyone around them, gazes at Tang Yi.

“After you go in, don’t refuse to talk to people.”

“Why are you saying this for no reason?”

“If people talk to you, don’t just keep quiet, and don’t ignore them.”

It was a different society in prison with its own laws and rules, and Shao Fei didn’t want Tang Yi to have any accidents inside.

“Hnn,” Tang Yi agrees, nodding.

“You’re no longer the boss when you go in, and I know you will find it hard to get used to, but tolerate it. If you don’t cause any trouble, you’ll be out in no time.”

“Hnn.”

“I’ll come see you every week, if you’ve got anything you need, let me know.”

“Hnn.”

“And one last thing…”

“What?”

Shao Fei chuckles, and says, “Don’t miss me too much.”

“Sorry, this is the only thing I cannot do.”

Hugging the lover he’s about to separate from tightly, Tang Yi suddenly feels anxious.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you on the outside, no matter how long you’re in there for,” Shao Fei promises, tearing through Tang Yi’s facade of calm as he pushes himself away from Tang Yi’s chest, looking into the eyes of the man who’s about to serve his sentence.

“I’m not worried about this.”

“Please, you are obviously so concerned about this.”

“You’re the only person in the world who thinks so.”

“That’s right! Because I’m the only one who understands you, so…” Shao Fei smiles, and using the words he said to Tang Yi in that dilapidated house in the mountains, he continues, “I’ll keep watching you.”

“You’ll keep watching me?” Tang Yi finally smiles, recalling the night they were hiding on the mountains as he stares at Shao Fei.

“Yes! I’ll keep my eyes on you always, both of them!”

“Okay.”

Still smiling, Tang Yi kisses Shao Fei one last time, before turning and walking towards the courthouse.

“Tang Yi!”

Tang Yi pauses in his footsteps, but doesn’t dare to turn back.

“I’ll miss you.”

Again, Tang Yi moves forward and walks into the courthouse with determination, prepared to face the sentence that is waiting for him.

Facing a future where he is no longer alone!

---

Notes:

*Yan Zheng Qiang is the name of the Interpol chief, you know the one that scolded Shao Fei and then colluded with Jack by the riverside?

#history3: trapped #history 3: 圈套 #history3圈套 #history 3: trapped #history3 novel #chapter 10 #XD

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imagineclaireandjamie · 7 years ago

Text

Adopted Daughters - Part Four

An AU in which Jenny turned Laoghaire over for shooting Jamie so Marsali brings Joanie along when she elopes with Fergus.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

“I dinna see why ye didna work on making yer own wedding dress while we were at sea. Ye kent ye would wed Fergus eventually,” Joanie remarked as she held the pink fabric of the skirt in place for Claire to pin and stitch as quickly as she might. The stitches weren’t tiny or neat and wouldn’t hold for long but they only had to make it through the ceremony and the brief celebration afterwards.

“And what might I have used?” Marsali asked her sister. “A tattered sail and fishing line?”

“Ye could ha’ asked Mother Claire if ye might make use of something she had. Ye’re doin’ it now,” Joanie pointed out. “And if ye’d taken yer time wi’ it, it wouldna feel so much like ye were borrowing it. Ye could ha’ made it yer own.”

Marsali shifted her weight and nearly tripped in the process. There was simply too much skirt to contend with and Claire’s attempt to create tucks that would get it out of the way were failing. As Joanie had pointed out, there wasn’t enough time to execute the attempt effectively.

Claire rocked back and rested on her heels with a defeated sigh. Marsali frowned too and Joanie gave up on the section she held aloft.

“It’s no use,” Claire voiced. “It wouldn’t be so bad if you could wear a few petticoats or if you had the panniers I wore with it originally but this… The skirt is too heavy for the stitches to hold.”

“It’s fine,” Marsali said, resigned. “I dinna much care what I wear and Fergus willna either.”

Claire shot to her feet, startling Marsali so that she did trip over the skirt, luckily landing on a nearby chair Claire had been using while trying to place pins and stitches higher on the skirt.

“I’ll be back momentarily,” she told the girls, hurrying for the door. “I’ve had an idea but I need something from Father Fogden if it’s to work.”

Joanie and Marsali looked at one another. Joanie laughed and Marsali smiled but only after Joanie looked back to the trunk of clothes that had been brought from the ship.

“Did ye ken Da had all these?” Joanie asked. “I dinna remember seeing them.”

“He left them at Lallybroch when he came to Balriggan when he wed Mam,” Marsali explained. “Dinna ken did he no want her near them or did she no want them near to her.”

Joanie frowned. “D’ye think Mam would want ye no to wear one of Mother Claire’s dresses for yer wedding?”

Marsali was silent a moment, her fingers rubbing the pink silk of the skirt, still in fine condition despite its age. “I dinna think she would, no. I think she’d say a lass ought to wear her own dress for her wedding. She’d likely say it was bad luck… But I also ken she’d say I ought not to be marrying Fergus so I’m no sure I care overmuch for her opinions on this matter.”

Joanie’s mouth fell open in surprise and Marsali turned away so her sister wouldn’t see the color of shame and anger rise in her cheeks. It didn’t last long as Claire soon returned with several metal rings in her hands.

“What’re those and what do ye mean to do wi’ ‘em?” Marsali asked.

“They’re the steel rings from around some old barrels,” Claire explained. “I think I can fashion you a hoop skirt that will help keep your skirts out of the way… at least enough so you won’t trip over them.” She sat on the chair and set to work with some sturdy scraps of cloth, tying the hoops together at several points.

“Do you think it’s bad luck for a lass to borrow a dress for her wedding?” Joanie asked, earning a scolding glare from Marsali.

Claire scoffed. “Not in the least. I borrowed a gown when I wed Jamie and… well, we haven’t had the best of luck in terms of circumstance, but as far as one another is concerned, I think we’ve been quite fortunate.”

“Why’d ye borrow a dress?” Joanie pressed, taking up a spot on the floor and drawing her knees up as she watched Claire work.

“Our wedding was hasty, like your sister’s is turning out,” Claire said with a smile, recalling the circumstances more than twenty years earlier. “Well… that’s not entirely true. Marsali and Fergus have courted one another longer than Jamie and I had.” She laughed again. “Now that I think of it, we’ve been on that ship longer than Jamie and I had even known each other when we wed.”

Both girls looked at her with surprise. Claire flushed but continued telling the story of her wedding to Jamie as she tested the makeshift hoop skirt and brought it over for Marsali to try on, then draped the skirt over it. She beamed when Marsali was able to walk across the room without stepping on the extra fabric. The hem would be filthy before too long but it would need to be raised anyway for Marsali to wear it again.

“It doesna sound like a poor wedding,” Marsali confessed when Claire had finished, heavily editing the events of the days that followed as she got to know her new husband.

“It wasn’t. It was lovely. And yours will be lovely too. You certainly are.”

Marsali blushed as she looked down at the pink silk skirt. The hoops felt odd and it was uncomfortable when they bumped into her legs but the effect on the skirt was indeed lovely. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Fergus’ face.

“Mam’s dress was lovely when she wed Da,” Joanie said quietly, her brow furrowed as she looked at no one in particular. “The ceremony was a bit dull. I thought Mam and Da were happy—they smiled back when I looked at them, and Da seemed happy when Marsali and I got to dance wi’ him after. But…” The frown deepened and she turned to her older sister. “He didna dance wi’ Mam, did he?”

Marsali flushed deeper, this time with something more like shame or embarrassment. “No, I dinna believe he did.”

“That’s enough talk of other ladies’ weddings,” Claire said brightly, banishing the spectre of the young bride’s absent mother from the room. “We need to get ourselves to Marsali’s wedding before the groom comes looking for her.”

Claire walked with Marsali, helping her keep her footing as they struck sand at the edge of the beach. Joanie had run ahead and taken a position with Jamie. He had his hands resting on her shoulders, fixing her into place.

“Good luck,” Claire whispered as she parted ways with Marsali, leaving her to take the last few steps toward Fergus.

Jamie reached up and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him while still holding onto Joanie with the other. Claire rested her head against him and slid one of her arms around his waist. She would tell him about arranging the dress later when they were in bed—a proper bed on sturdy dry land for a change, albeit a brief one.

Marsali grinned at them as Fergus recited his vows, using the full name Jamie had given him as a nuptial gift of sorts.

Claire wiped the tears from her eyes as Fergus kissed his bride then turned to Jamie who bestowed a kiss of his own.

A moment later they realized how quiet Joanie was and Jamie glanced down to see her looking disappointed.

“What is it, a leannan?”

“Ye’re all Frasers now,” she noted. “I want to be a Fraser too.”

Jamie looked at Claire who pressed a hand to her mouth as more tears filled her eyes. He knelt in the sand in front of her.

“If ye truly wish to take the name Fraser, ye’re more than welcome to it,” he told her. “But… I want ye to think on it a while first. It’s no trivial thing, changing the name yer parents gave ye when ye were born. Know ye’re a part of this family whether ye use the name Fraser or not.”

Joanie nodded. “I promise I’ll think on it.” And she slipped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

#;mod lenny #adopted daughters au #featuring: marsali #featuring: joanie #show!verse #alternate universe #wasn't planning on returning to this AU till I'd closed out Tagalong #but the inspiration struck unexpectedly and hard #gotta write while the muse is there sometimes

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sabraeal · 7 years ago

Note

PROMPT: Three accidental kisses... that perhaps weren't so accidental after all.

There are no masquerades in the North. At least, not likethis.

A wave of masks sweeps out of the ballroom, flooding thearcade and lapping at the manicured walkways of the courtyards. Their costumes are three centuries out ofstyle, cut much like court robes, though instead of being constrained to dowdycolors and matte fabrics, the crowd scintillates with satins and silks andvelvets, stitched in gold or silver and embellished with crystal. They are the portrait hall come to life, a congregation of history dressed in theirfinest.

“I thought Wistal was known for its full masks,” Hakiremarks, angling herself so that she may both see the revelry outside and watchher husband-to-be enter the antechamber. “I saw pictures of them once, in the libraries atLyrias. Porcelain embellished with gold.”

“Mm, once,” he agrees, coming to stand beside her. Theguests ebb and flow beneath them, and she cannot help but think they lookdesperate for a dance. That was the always the worst part of a night banquet,waiting for the floor to be opened.

“They’ve fallen out of style?” She runs her fingers alongthe stiff velvet of her own, feeling snowdrops beneath their tips. “A pity. I alwaysloved the look of them.”

“There are a few who are traditional.” His shoulder leansagainst the glass, mouth curving beneath his half mask. “But what is the pointof being anonymous, if your mouth is masked as well?”

Haki hopes the darkness of the room hides her flush. She’sto be married in three days, wooed and wedded and bedded, but she is not usedto such frank talk, not out of a nobleman’s mouth, and certainly not a prince.In the North such things are talked around, carefully couched in euphemism andcoy inquiries into whether one’s bed is large enough to warm two. Not – this.This casual mention of mouths kept uncovered for clandestine kisses.

She presses her cheek against the window, hoping the glasswill cool its burn. “Things are very different here.”

“You have a masquerade in Wilant, don’t you?” His mouth cantsslyly. “My mother brought me one as a boy. I had great fun with it. Zen, not asmuch.”

She clucks her tongue chidingly. “Cruel.”

He shrugs. “Elder brothers have their fun when they can.”

Haki ducks her head, smothering a smile into the puffedshoulder of her gown. She refrains from informing him younger sisters did aswell. Makiri still finds other places to be on Long Night.

“It’s not like this,” she tells him instead, when herexpression can be held placid. “It’s not celebration, but superstition. It’s tochase the spirits back to the mountains, before the winter sets in.”

Her fiancé hums thoughtfully. “Very different.”

She risks a glance up at him. Even with his mask on, she cantell he is serious, contemplative; every inch a king. “It’s all right,” shesays, gaze falling to the crowd below, their faces illuminated by the pale lightof the lanterns. “I think I like this better.”

Her neck aches, and she lowers her head, putting chin to chest. Her headdress is heavy, wrought gold that her hair has been wrapped so tightly around her temples pound. She can’t imagine how women survived this as fashion.

She lets out a soft hiss, fingers probing the back of her neck to relieve the tension there, but – ah, it only makes it worse.

A soft chuckle escapes him. “I am sorry,” her husband-to-be murmurs, stepping closer. “Mother did insist on the worst period for royal headwear.”

These masquerades are tradition, she’s been told a half dozen times. To celebrate the future of a royal marriage, it is considered auspicious to look to the past. A strange custom, to be certain, but there was a poetry to it that appealed to Haki, some romance.

The bride and groom were supposed to be dressed as ancestors that had previously joined their houses together, but – there was no point in history where a prince married a steward’s daughter.

It was an observation that had not gone amiss among thebriars of the court. No one had been cruel in Haki’s hearing, but she had heardthe titters behind hands, seen the speculative looks some of the women had eyedher with. Her own handmaidens brought back talk, had told her of women who hadlaughed behind closed doors and said, whoknows, perhaps she does have some fine blood within her. There’s always achance a lord takes his due.

That is until Haruto arrived, all smiles and sunlight, andtold her she had chosen a time where one of her own ancestors had married intothe Wisteria line – the marriage that brought Wistal and Wilant as one.

Haki’s eyes had burned with gratitude. It was not just anhonor, it was a claim. Whoever tookissue with her bloodline had issue with the Queen Dowager herself.

It is more than she deserves, but Haki knows well enough not to say.

“I see now why you just have the bands.” Her whole head chimes as she tilts to look him in the eye. It feels like her scalp might rip off from the weight.

“I am suddenly very suspicious of why she begged off the evening,” she continues, teasing. It would be just like Haruto to put forth all this effort, only to find herself conveniently allergic to the evening.

“Oh, I’m sure the accessories are part of it.” His lips part beneath his mask, just slightly. “But please do not feel as if it is a slight. I think…”

Something very serious settles over his face; he looks less a young man and more a king in this light, lines furrowing the space between his brow.

“I think she did not think the festivities would affect her so.” His mouth pulls at the corners, grim. “She thought she had put so much of this behind her.”

“Ah, I –” Haki flounders, looking for words that won’t come. “I didn’t think how hard this might be for her.” She wraps a hand around his elbow, gentle. “She must have loved your father very much.”

Muscles tense beneath her hand, and when she looks up, his mouth is a rictus of a grin.

It is gone in a moment. “I only mean,” he drawls, humor rich in his voice, “that it is hard for her, as a widow. She does so love dancing.”

A laugh bursts from her. “You would not dance with your mother? Hm, they say there is much about how a man treats his wife in how he treats his mother. Should I worry –?”

“You will never find fault with me as a husband,” he promises with an amount of vehemence that startles her. “Not in this.”

“I did not mean –”

He holds up a hand, gently quelling. “I know. I only meant – you may be at ease with me. There is no harm I would ever visit upon you.”

Her fingers tangle in her skirt, if only to keep from touching him. “Thank you.”

He turns his head, waiting for their signal. “It is nothing.”

She looks at him, so strikingly handsome even masked and costumed. There is something about the robes of this era that lend him an air of wisdom, though they do not hide the lithe power of his frame either. Makiri often said the king was one of the bests swords in the country, and dressed like this she could believe it.

In the dim light of the corridor, the pale arch of his cheek glows, and she cannot help herself, not when he makes himself so – so within reach.

She leans into him, finger sinking into the soft velvet of his robe as she rises on her toes, lips tingling with the expectation of the sharp curve of his cheekbone –

He turns, so attentive, at the last moment. “Is there some –?”

His breath catches as their lips met, hardly more than a brush of skin and shared breath –

She rocks back onto her heels with an embarrassed chirp. “Your Majesty, I –! I didn’t –”

“Ah, no.” His hand comes to her cheek, pulling her back toward him. “Haki, it is – fine. I don’t –”

Their eyes meet, both so black in the darkness.

“– Mind,” he finishes, strangely breathless. She feels it ghosting over her lips, her toes curling in her slippers. Surely he cannot mean –

“We’re to be married, are we not?” he asks, his voice so low, so enticing. She leans into him, his robes tickling her palms. “We should not be so shy with just a single kiss.”

“Well,” she replies with more confidence than her quivering heart feels. “It is the only one.”

He leans closer. “Thus far.”

Her eyes flutter shut. “Thus far…”

“Your Majesty!”

They spring apart, like a scullion caught in the hay with a stable hand. The steward, eyes rolled aloft, waits just outside the doors. “It is time.”

Izana clears his throat, pink dusting his cheeks. “We can continue this conversation later,” he tells her, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow.

“Ah,” she sighs, pressing a hand to her cheek. “Yes. Later.”

Everything about this damned thing itches.

Zen has done his part for the night – his due diligence, as brother had so eloquently put it. He’s stood at Izana’s side and pretended he does not look absolutely ridiculous in – what is this? Some sort of dress? – his hair fighting the fashionable curl of yesteryear with every strand.

He’s made polite conversation with every foreign dignitary, even the Samese ambassador, who wore musty furs and smelled heavily of musk. The old style, you know, Batbayar had said with a laugh, slapping Zen on the back hard enough to make him stumble.

He’s danced with every eligible young woman Haruka deemed it would be an insult to miss, and his costume would be nearly sweat through if it was not so copiously padded in the shoulders and chest. He hopes whatever perverse impulse that made his mother pick the Solomon period has been exorcised from her, for he won’t be having any of this at his marriage masquerade.

With that thought, he smiles. Finally he is done with duty; now he may turn to the more pleasurable part of this night.

He scans the shadows of the ballroom, letting his legs leadhim out the doors, down to the arcade. Here the usual alcoves are curtained –for privacy, his brother had said all-to knowingly – and Zen’s sharp eyes onlyserve to catch couples dallying in their finery.

His nose wrinkles. Weddings are romantic, yes, but even withthe anonymity the masks afford, public displays are unseemly. Using the alcoves to steal a few kisses that could keepto the end of the night was the height of impropriety and –

Zen’s mind grinds to a stop. He sees her.

Her back is to him, but he recognizes the curve of her body,the way she is so small but stands so tall. The court in season is like asummer storm, but Shirayuki has weathered it all, unbowed. She makes it so easyto picture her beside him, to imagine her hand in his and this distance betweenthem erased in a single moment, her at his side as they promise to step forwardtogether.

She’s done well to hide herself in the alcoves; Izana hasn’t forbidden himto see her – and he invited her in the first place – but still he feels hisbrother’s disapproval like a palpable weight. Shirayuki peers out from thecurtain, head swiveling about on her neck, looking for him. Her hair is covered– one of the few fashions of the Solomon period that has any merit, in Zen’sopinion – and her mask covers all but her mouth, but still he knows her. Hewould know her anywhere.

He must traverse half the arcade, but it feels like only three steps, his hand coming to grasp hers and spin her into his arms. “There you are –”

She’s clever; the shadows are thick here, and he has no fear of being spotted when he lowers his mouth to hers.

His name is muffled by his lips when they meet, drawing outa yelp of surprise. For a moment she sits stiff in his arms, one of her hands clutchedin the padded shoulder of his robes, but he keeps the kiss insistent, coaxing.Shirayuki is shy in this, always waiting for him to move first, for him to soothher, and as he expects, she melts against him, opening her mouth under his, and –

She shoves him into the alcove.

His back hits the wall, hard, jolting their lips apart for along second, every noise muted by the curtains save for their heavy breaths. Hebarely has time for another before she is on him again, lips dragging over hiswith a hint of tongue that leaves his knees weak, that leaves him whining,needy, against her mouth.

They’ve never kissed like this – she’s never kissed him like this, never been the one to press formore, always waiting for his lead before her tentative response, but –

Her tongue licks out over the roof of his mouth, draggingalong each ridge behind his teeth and – and he moans, yanking her against him. It’s both too much and not enough;he knows that he shouldn’t, that thishas progressed far beyond their usual kiss, but also – also –

“It’s been so long,” he groans. She hums in agreement, nails dragging along his scalp, and he jerks against her, hips grinding into the flat of her belly.

It’s embarrassing to be so uncontrolled, to be so shameless, but – but she rolls her own in response, whimpering against his mouth, and oh, oh, it is more than fine if she is just as lost as he.

He’s flushed, hot, nudging her mouth aside so he can put his lips to the salt of her skin, sucking at the soft place between her neck and shoulder –

“Zen,” the woman breathes, and – and –

That is not Shirayuki’s voice.

He jolts back, eyes wide. Her mouth is swollen from his kisses, red and still inviting, still tempting, but – but –

He pulls the single ribbon that keeps her mask in place, and blue eyes stare back at him.

He groans.“Kihal.”

No matter how tame he gets, Obi will never enjoy these night banquets.

It’s not the drinking – though as his miss’s guard, he’s not encouraged to imbibe – or the dancing – though it’s not a plus, not in his book. And it’s certainly not the food, but –

The music shifts; the stately strains of the waltz drowned out by the beginning of a playful polka, and there she is, regular as clockwork. He knows her even with the mask, and not just because of the way her hair is burnished in the moonlight, how every fancy whorl catches the light and shines red. It is the way she walks, her feet so firmly planted on the earth even as her chin is tilted towards the heavens; the way she holds herself so tall, cutting through a sea of blue bloods like a skiff does toward shore.

It’s in the way her mouth curves when he drops to the banister in front of her. It how she doesn’t flinch when he wraps a curl around his finger, brushing the pad of his thumb over the silken ribbon of her hair.

“What’s the point of going to a masquerade, if you’re only going to give yourself away?” he asks wryly, smirk hidden behind the porcelain of his mask.

She clucks at him playfully, angling away. “It wasn’t quite my idea,” she admits. “Tanbarun had done away with hair coverings. And it seems my ancestor hadn’t been fond of them even when they hadn’t.”

Obi laughs at that. In the course of her research, his miss had discovered there were a great number of things polite society wore that Lady Theophanu went well enough without. It was the sort of eccentric behavior that might have gone unrecorded, had she not seen fit to inform every person that she happened to come across of the fact. More than once, Obi had caught his miss leaving the library red-faced, only answering his queries about her research with a shrill, It’s going fine!

“What a compliment His Majesty has paid you, suggesting her for tonight…”

Miss’s laughter peals like a bell, and he’s glad his face is behind a mask; he knows how poorly he hides his longing.

“Everyone’s been complimenting me on my wig,” she tells him, leaning close. Her scent winds around him, and he sways, just slightly. “Apparently red wasn’t so rare then. I’ve seen some other women with it tonight.”

“I hope Master isn’t too confused,” Obi teases, letting the curl slip from his finger. “I heard he owed you a dance.”

“Mm,” she hums, distracted. “But what are you supposed to be, Obi? You don’t look so different. I mean,” Her mask hide some of her blush, but the neck of her dress reveals more. “You look very handsome, but I don’t think they dressed like that.”

His breath catches at the compliment,but he shakes it off. His miss is far too kind for his heart. “Can’t you tell, Miss?” He taps on the mask. “I’m the dog!”

Her jaw drops, he thinks in dismay, until a laugh bursts from her. “Obi! Your ancestor wasn’t a dog.”

He lowers his eyes, smile tight behind the mask. “I wonder…”

“Oh well,” she sighs, her shoulders brushing his knees. “I do often prefer dogs to people.”

“I think what you mean,” he laughs, hoping he does not sound so breathless to her ears, “is that you prefer mutts to purebreeds.”

She ducks closer, her mouth struggling against a laugh. “Obi.”

“You’re out here with me, aren’t you?” His voice shouldn’t be this low, shouldn’t show so much, but still, still.

Sharp green watches him from beneath lowered lashes. “I am.”

She’s too close to him; her shoulders are bare, and they rubagainst the knit of his trousers as she stands between his knees. It’s too much;he sways at her proximity, at the temptation of closing that small distancebetween them and –

And he can’t do this. He’s too bold, knowing that he canhide from her.

His fingers slide under his chin, lifting up his mask, and –

Soft lips flutter against his. Air stutters out from hislungs, leaving him gasping.

What is this? What isthis?

His miss jerks back, not enough to leave the cradle of histhighs, but enough so that their eyes meet, so that he may see the shockedquestion in them.

She fell. That’s – that’s the only explanation that makessense. Her slipper caught on her gown, and she just fell onto him.

“Miss –”

“I didn’t –” Her eyes are wide behind her mask. “It was just supposed to be – your mask was still on –”

“Oh,” he breathes, “right. Of course. You meant for the mask…”

His mind grinds to a halt. If she meant for his mask to bethere, would she have meant to –?

“Obi,” she sighs, and there is no reason for him to benddown, no reason for him to assume –

Her hands tangle in the straps of his uniform, pulling himdown as she rises to meet him, and – and there is even less reason for this,for the way she sighs into his mouth, for the way she gasps when his handthreads through the braids and twists at her scalp to draw her closer, to tilther head just so. His miss whineswhen his mouth opens under hers, tongue eagerly slipping past his teeth toslide against his; the friction so delicious that he groans, so softly –

“Oh!” She breaks away, her heavy breath busting over hislips. “I – um…”

“There’s something that bothers me, Miss,” he purrs, slowlyslinking off the banister, unfurling himself so he stands head and shouldersabove her.

“O-oh?” Her skin is flushed a delicious pink, from justabove the top of her mask all the way to her décolletage. It’s…encouraging.

“If my mask was supposed to be on…” His mouth spreads into aslow grin against her lips. “Just what were you planning on doing to it?”

There is only so much she can take.

Haki sweeps into the antechamber, heaving a sigh of reliefwhen she finds it devoid of honored guests. She flicks her train out frombetween the doors and leans back, letting her weight close it the rest of theway. The smooth wood cools her back, and she lingers for a long moment.

Finally, some time to think. Not that she’ll been able to domuch of that tonight, anyway.

She paces away from the door, shaking her head. That kiss haunts her. Or, more accurately, the moment after, when the king royal leaned back in –

Or did he? She must have imagined it; the king is not known for his softness, for having a weakness.

It must be the dream of a hopeless romantic, a fevered wishing by a woman destined to be disappointed by the harsh reality of her marriage –

The door flies open.

Haki is in no mood for pleasant company. “I would prefer to be–” Her eyes fall on the lithe form filling the doorway. “…alone.”

“Good,” His Majesty says, door snicking shut behind him. “I prefer you to be alone as well.”

Her brow furrows. Why could he possibly –?

He descends.

There is no other way to put it. One moment there is an entire room between them, and next there is nothing, his hands dragging her closer still, flattening the ornamentation of her skirt.

“Wait,” she gasps, and he tears himself from her mouth with a wounded noise. “You’ll ruin the flounces.”

The way he looks at her from under his hooded eyes, irises as dark as midnight, makes her want to rip them off herself. “Are you concerned greatly?”

“No,” she breathes, and then pulls him back, fingers threaded tightly against his scalp. He gasps into her mouth, and yes, yes, this is what she wants from him –

“Your Maj – oh, really? At your own party?”

Haki springs away, waking her mouth with the back of her hand. Sir Shidnote stands at the door, torn between amusement and wishing he could be anywhere else.

“Would it really be any better if it was at someone else’s party?” Izana drawls, turning away from her with eyebrows raised.

His knight laughs. “At least no one would be telling me to come fetch you for the dance.”

Her fiancé lifts a single shoulder, as if he couldn’t be bothered by such trivial complaints. Sir Shidnote only laughs harder.

“Just come as quick as you can. I don’t want to be explaining this to Haruka.”

The door remains ajar when he leaves; a reminder. She can hear the din of the party wafting through it, and she is embarrassed to know she almost let herself be accosted mere feet away from the court, in a room without even a lock –

Izana turns to her, gaze heated, and her thoughts evaporate. She wants his hands on her again, wants him to find where the seamstress hid the closures of her gown.

He steps close, bending so that the tip of his nose meets hers. Her eyes must be crossed, but she hardly cares as long as he looks at her like that. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”

“Perhaps after we are married?” she teases, looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

He smirks, one hand spreading over the narrow waist of her gown. “There’s plenty to discuss before then.”

She hums thoughtfully, making to sweep past him, but his hand keeps her close.

His voice drops, so deep, when he says. “I will make you a very happy woman, when we are married.”

Her heart flutters in her chest. “Aah,” she sighs. “I do so hope you live up to your reputation.”

His eyebrows raise.

She smiles. “I’ve heard you are a man who keeps his promises.”

#obiyuki #hakizana #kizen #my fic #ans #onepetal #i got FOUR WHOLE ASKS for accidental kisses #this is the prompt that survived #i debated long and hard over which pairings would get them #CLEARLY I CHOSE ALL OF MY FAVS #including my STEALTH FAV #hello kizen tag #i can't wait to put more content in you #Holiday Promptathon

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shannaraisles · 7 years ago

Text

Set In Darkness

Chapter: 54 Author name: ShannaraIsles Rating: M Warnings: None Summary: She’s a Modern Girl in Thedas, but it isn’t what she wanted. There’s a scary dose of reality as soon as she arrives. It isn’t her story. People get hurt here; people die here, and there’s no option to reload if you make a bad decision. So what’s stopping her from plunging head first into the Void at the drop of a hat?

New Arrivals

Skyhold was evolving.

With the worst of the winter storms gone, the snow was easier to handle these days, and work had renewed as the sunshine began to battle through the icy temperatures. There were still plenty of accidental injuries to be dealing with, as well as a brief bout of something that might have been 'flu, but thanks to the resources Kaaras had already gathered out there in the world, the infirmary was a solid reality within a week of the storm's passing. There, at least, Rory, Evy and their staff had a warm, safe place to treat their patients, most of whom were only walking wounded. The worst of the accidents seemed to have slowed up for the time being, something they were all deeply grateful for.

First Day came and went; where some might have expected an extravagant celebration, Josephine had insisted on making the day as family-feeling as possible. The hall had been bedecked in evergreens, lit with magical light that softened the atmosphere sweetly as the Inquisition gathered within its walls to share a hearty meal among friends and family, allowed to take their time over their food, to enjoy the opportunity of being social with little pressure to return to duty for this one day.

Of course, another feast was looming in their near future, bringing with it fits of nerves and the occasional storming temper. Cullen had sent Rylen to collect the outlying cells of mages hidden in southern Ferelden, just to keep the man busy and out of his hair. The Starkhaven captain did love Evy, and he did want to marry her, but he was also deeply afraid that her family would take one look at him and run away with his little lady in the dead of night. He'd shared this view so often that Cullen had eventually decided to give him something more productive to do, a long way from Skyhold. Evy had sulked for a couple of days, but even she had to admit that it was a good thing for everyone to be free from the swirling nerves that radiated from both bride and groom.

Thus, when a yell from the courtyard announced the arrival of some special guests, no one had to deal with Captain Rylen having a heart attack at the sight of his wife-to-be racing down the swept stone steps to throw herself into the arms of her mother and father. The Trevelyans had arrived. Now all they needed was the groom himself, and the Inquisitor - who was in Emprise du Lion, doing wonderfully vicious things to red templars - and the wedding could get underway.

That, however, was a few days away, giving Evy plenty of time to spend with her parents in the meantime. It became a familiar sight to see the young woman with one or both of her parents, jabbering excitedly at them as she showed them around Skyhold and Skysend, and one that made most people smile. For all their noble blood, Bann Galen Trevelyan and Lady Edith were gracious - far more so than their Orlesian peers, it had to be said - genuinely interested in the day-to-day running of the fortress, and in their youngest daughter's new-found career as a healer. It didn't surprise Rory in the least when Evy reported for her shift three days after her parents' arrival with her mother in tow.

"I won't trouble you," Lady Edith assured her in a warm tone. "I may even be able to help - I have a little experience with nursing."

"Mama makes a potion that puts you back on your feet, no matter how ill you are," Evy gushed enthusiastically from her desk.

Lady Edith's smile was a little rueful as she met Rory's eyes, lowering her voice. "It was just winterberry juice with a little elfroot," she murmured to the senior healer in amusement. "Childhood stomach troubles are a world away from what you've taught my daughter to deal with."

Rory bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely. "I don't know if I've taught her much," she admitted with a shrug. "She's very intuitive. Most of the bandaging and poultices seem to come naturally to her. She's a born healer, my lady."

Edith seemed to swell with pride on hearing this, and it wasn't false praise. Evy really was that good. "I must confess, I never truly believed she would be suited for a life in the Chantry," the older woman said, a faintly guilty set to her expression. "Devout in her beliefs, of course, but she thrives on a certain amount of independence. Here, she has that."

"Well, she's certainly thriving," Rory agreed, nodding in agreement as she smiled. "Rylen's good for her. Her confidence has grown so much since they found each other."

"And he's a good man, this Starkhaven captain?" Edith asked, the barest hint of concern in her eyes. "I have heard he was a templar once. I did not know a man could leave the templars so young."

"With all the turmoil, my lady, I wouldn't be surprised if a great deal of men and women in our society were once templars," Rory told her gently. "Some will fall, undoubtedly, without the support from the Chantry. Those who have found a home in the Inquisition are well looked-after. Many are still dependent on lyrium, but we keep them supplied, and those who choose to stop taking it are also cared for."

"Rylen has ... not chosen to stop?" Edith asked. Rory got the impression she wasn't so much fishing for information as needing to be aware of as much as possible before she met the man who would be joining their family.

"No, he hasn't," Rory told her quietly. "But if he should, at some point in the future, Evy is aware of how the process of withdrawal goes. It's something that will take years, but the worst is the first year."

Edith tilted her head, eyeing the redhead curiously. "You speak as though you have some personal experience of this, mistress," she pointed out. "Yet you do not seem a warrior."

Rory chuckled, shaking her head. "I have never been a warrior," she admitted quite happily. "I never will be. But my husband was once a templar."

"Ah, yes, you were recently married yourself, weren't you?" Edith's expression cleared, curiosity replacing her concern. "You have my sincere congratulations. Knight-Captain Rutherford has always had the better of the reputations in the Free Marches, especially so after the fall of the Chantry in Kirkwall."

"His title is Commander, now," Rory corrected her in a gentle tone. "But thank you. Life goes on, even in the middle of war. A few weddings here and there will do more for morale than any number of inspiring speeches."

"The right speech at the right time can spur a man to do anything," Edith pointed out, but she was nodding in agreement. "Though what you say is true. A wedded man has more to fight for, perhaps, than one alone."

"Perhaps. I really couldn't say - I don't exactly see people at their best in here." Rory laughed softly at her own comment, glancing up as Evy came bustling from the back of the infirmary. "Everything under control?"

Evy flushed, smiling at having been asked such a thing in front of her mother. "Wilfrid's delirious again," she said, ever so slightly embarrassed. "I, um ... do you think it would be better to ask Luis to work with him until his fever breaks?"

Rory bit her lips to keep from snickering. Wilfrid was the loveliest old man you could ever wish to meet most of the time, but when he was feverish and delirious, he seemed to sprout eight arms and twelve hands, all of them aimed at breasts and buttocks. "That is probably a very good idea," she conceded, her smile audible even if it wasn't visible. "When Gustav comes back from the apothecaries' workshop, we can ask him to take over care for the time being."

Relief flickered over Evy's expression. She liked the work, but sometimes it was just a little too flustering for her peace of mind. "I can do that," she volunteered. "Master Tethras left a note for you this morning - I forgot to mention it. It's on your desk."

"Oh ... thank you!"

This time, Rory did laugh. She was terrible at remembering to look at her desk when she arrived in the infirmary, invariably missing some important note or other left for her. It was becoming common knowledge that if you wanted the senior healer to know about your issue, you had to catch her on her way past. Even the quickest conversation lodged somewhere in her mind; leaving a hopeful note somewhere she might see it could result in her not getting to your presentation for days.

"Lady Trevelyan, do excuse me," she apologized to Evy's mother. "I have a few things that need to be seen to. Evy is more than capable of taking you in hand if you ask her to."

Edith's smile was just a shade shy of mischievous as Evy stared at Rory in horror at the suggestion that she should tell her mother what to do. "I'm sure she is, Mistress Rutherford. Please, do not let me keep you from your work."

"Thank you."

Smiling, Rory winked at her young friend as she passed her by, side-stepping Andra to reach her own desk. Sure enough, there was a small collection of notes left there in various hands, from people who hadn't been able to guarantee catching her at some point today. She sat herself down, sorting through them.

Stitches was curious as to whether he could get hold of a stethoscope like hers; that was easily done. Dagna was toying with the idea of improving the design, but for now, they could get any of the workers who was good with wood to knock out a stethoscope in an afternoon. Apparently the orphanage was finally complete down in Skysend, and there was an invitation for her to go down see the little ones she'd helped to guide safely out of Haven at her earliest convenience. Roderick had left a request for an updated supply list; she grimaced to herself, but added her own note to that slip of parchment and impaled it on her spike for later. By the time she reached Varric's note, Evy had her mother watching closely as she changed the dressing on a visiting soldier's arm. No one noticed the surprised look of interest that crossed Rory's face as she read.

Cupcake, Three little birds in the tower right above you - one's a bit torn up. Drop by this evening if you can. Don't tell the Seeker. - Varric

Well, now, wasn't that interesting? How had Varric managed to smuggle Hawke and his companions into Skyhold without anyone noticing? She studied the little note again. One's a bit torn up. That could mean anything from a few cuts to a broken limb to internal injuries or bleeding out. She thought she could safely disregard the latter two - Varric wouldn't just leave a note if his friends were in that much danger of worse injury or death. The timing wasn't great, though ... she was going to have to tell Cullen who was here, or he wouldn't let her go out after dinner. Mind you, he might attempt to come with her whether she told him who it was or not. His interactions with Hawke in Kirkwall probably hadn't left him with the most glowing of opinions when it came to the Champion.

Still, it wasn't such a big ask. She doubted Varric would be inviting her into close quarters with Hawke and friends unless he was sure she would be in no danger from them, and despite his sometimes impossible-to-read outward appearance, she had faith that the dwarf didn't mean her any harm. It wouldn't be difficult to pick up one of the emergency packs, now refilled and ready for anything, on her way past the infirmary this evening.

Another note caught her eye as she tucked Varric's message into her belt. It was a scrap of torn parchment, the words scrawled in messy charcoal. Healer, do you like griffons? -B. Rory frowned, lifting the little note up to consider it. Who was B? And why did they want to know if she liked ... Griffons. She sniffed the slip cautiously, grimacing at the faint scent of manure. Blackwall. So why did Blackwall want to know if she liked griffons? What was he up to?

A yell went up outside, multiple voices lost in the sudden deafening rumble of collapsing masonry. Rory didn't even glance at Evy as both women shot to their feet, snatching up the packs by the door to run out of the infirmary, leaving Lady Edith behind them. The billowing cloud of dust was emanating from the door that lead down into the prisons ... the carefully built passageway that encased the stairs had collapsed on top of a couple of workers.

"Is it secure?" Rory demanded of the mason who was checking the blocks overhead at the entrance to the passage.

He was silent for a moment, but finally nodded. "Safe as it can be," he told her.

"Right." She moved to duck in through the door, and a long arm pulled her back by the waist.

"Not a chance, little red," Iron Bull rumbled quietly as she protested. "Evy, you step back there, too."

"Bull, this is our job," Rory protested, trying and failing to free herself from the strong arm keeping her from going into the still dangerous situation.

"Stitches'll do the dangerous part," Bull informed her calmly. "One new wife, one bride ... neither one of you is going down there."

As he spoke, several of the Chargers were ducking down into the passageway to retrieve the trapped workers from the rubble. Stitches tipped the two other healers a grinning salute as he stepped smartly out of sight. Rory sighed heavily.

"Bull, if this has anything to do with me being pregnant, I am going to stab you," she informed the Ben-Hassrath agent calmly.

He laughed, patting her head gently. "Try not to hit anything important when you do."

Which was as good as telling her that it was because she was pregnant. She ground her teeth together, glowering at the open doorway. All right, yes, she was pregnant, but that didn't mean that she was suddenly more precious than anyone else here. Except ... it did. While there were women who were expecting babes down in the city, she was the only one here in the fortress who was; the only one known to the inner circle, to the advisors, to the Inquisitor himself. This is going to get really annoying.

"You know what," she muttered to Evy as they waited side by side for the Chargers to bring the injured out, "the sooner you get pregnant, the better."

The Marcher woman glanced at her, and burst into giggles, nudging her shoulder fondly. "At least I'm doing things in the right order," she teased, and despite herself, Rory felt a laughing grin cover her face.

"It's not like it was planned," she protested, rolling her eyes as she shook her head. "Besides, I'm married now. If anyone asks, this kid is premature."

"Oh, yes, of course," Evy agreed with sage mischief.

Tucking her hair back behind her ear, Rory glanced away with a smile. Her gaze caught on Lady Edith, standing in the doorway of the infirmary, staring at her with what seemed like a shocked expression on her face. The older woman's eyes flickered between Rory and Evy, as though studying them, comparing them. Bemused, Rory glanced at her friend, wondering what Edith was seeing to compare there. She only saw the shared smile, her own widening at the realization that Evy was still grinning at her.

"What?" she protested.

"Oh, nothing." Evy shrugged teasingly. "Just imagining what kind of mother you'll be."

"A terrifying one," Bull offered from behind them. He grunted obligingly as Rory elbowed him, despite the fact that they both knew she hadn't made any impact at all. "A terrified one?"

"That's more accurate," Rory agreed with a chuckle.

A call from the passageway wiped the smile from her face as Grim and Dalish appeared, supporting one of the workers who had been trapped. His leg was bleeding, a rough tourniquet tied about his thigh as he limped along between the pair.

"All right, bring him to the infirmary," Evy told them, shouldering her pack. "I'll see to him, you wait for the other one," she added to Rory.

Proud of her friend for taking charge of the situation, the redhead nodded with a reassuring smile. "Will do," she agreed. "Don't forget the cobwebs once you get the bleeding under control."

"Oh, I won't forget them this time," Evy promised, moving to follow the two mercenaries as they helped the man toward the infirmary, where her own mother was waiting. Edith was about to get an insight into just how far her baby girl's confidence had come in the last six months.

It was almost a shame Rory was going to miss that, in a way, but she had work of her own to do. Within minutes, Stitches came out of the passageway, the second of the trapped workers on a makeshift stretcher, the other end carried by Krem. Rory took one look, and winced - there was very little she could do for a crushed pelvis without a very specific type of help.

"Someone run and fetch one of the mage healers, please," she asked, gesturing for the Chargers to bring the young man into the infirmary.

It was a strange process, healing with a mage, but it was certainly an educational experience. All the mage really seemed to do was focus healing energies into an injury - it was up to the conventional healer to give pain relief, pull bones straight, and hope that the internal injuries were not too severe. The focus on conventional scientific medicine in the games now made much more sense to Rory, especially since she was living it. The rather elderly mage who came when summoned had worked with her since they'd left Haven, and between them, they somehow managed to straight and rebuild the man's pelvis, forcing him through the white-hot agony of having almost paralyzed limbs moved, and joints tested, finally able to say that he would recover. He would walk again.

It was when Rory was tidying up her desk, preparing to go to dinner, that it happened.

"Aurelia?"

"Hmm?" She looked up without thinking. It was only seeing the astonished, triumphant look on Edith's face that brought home to her that she had answered to a name she hadn't heard in over a decade. How the hell does she know my real name?

Edith's smile was warm. "I thought it might be you," she said gently. "You've been missed."

"I doubt it," Rory heard herself say. What the hell is going on here? her inner fangirl was shrieking. This isn't familiar! Who said this Thedas could fill in my backstory and not tell me about it? Who does she think I am?

Lady Trevelyan's expression grew a little sad as she considered the redhead before her. "May I at least tell your mother that you are well and safe?" she asked in a wounded tone.

Rory's expression grew hunted. I have a mother here. A living mother. Who apparently knows Edith Trevelyan. Hell, Edith Trevelyan knew me somehow. This is ... awful. "As long as you don't ... tell her who I am or where to find me," she conceded warily. "There's a reason I'm not a part of her life."

Edith frowned reluctantly, but she nodded. "I understand," she said softly. "But please ... know that your aunt remembers you, and knows you for who you are. And is deeply grateful for your guidance of your youngest cousin."

She stepped away, ducking out through the door of the infirmary, leaving Rory to stare into the middle distance in a confusion of horror and shock. Did she just hear that right? If Edith Trevelyan was her aunt, then ... Holy crap. Evy's my cousin. I have family here, real family, family that I didn't write. This world has made a place for me, and it's ... Her thoughts stuttered to a halt as she realized what else it meant. Oh, my giddy aunt ... I'm a noble. How the hell did that happen?

#set in darkness #multi-chapter fic #MGiT #modern girl in thedas #cullen rutherford/original female character #cullen rutherford/rory allen #rory allen #evy trevelyan #lady edith trevelyan #iron bull #bull's chargers #skyhold #notes #the wedding is looming #the unwritten part of her backstory is starting to make itself known

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darkspellmaster · 8 years ago

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Cielizzy Week: Day 2 Wedding

Sorry I’m a day late on this. Will try to write out Day three for the next part asap. This is a short story for @cielizzydefencesquad

Cielizzy week: Day 2: Wedding

Nervous. Why was she so nervous? This wasn’t the time for that. Lady Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford sat, hands folded properly on her lap, in her family’s carriage as they rode through the streets of London. Dressed in a white gown with light purple flowers carefully embroidered onto the dress she nervously peeked out and looked at the bright sunny street. People were busy bustling about, not noticing the carriage heading for the church. Edward, who sat beside her, dressed in a dark blue suit with tie nudged her slightly.

“Stop fretting Lizzy. You’ll do fine.”

She looked away from the street scene and over to her brother, a smile slipped onto her lips. “Do you really think so?”

“I don’t think, I know,” he said simply and looked away for a moment from his cute younger sister. She was adorable dressed in the white bridesmaid dress that their cousin had purchased for her. “Now, stop worrying. You’ll be just fine.”

Elizabeth smiled brightly and seemed to ease up some. Her eyes moved over to her mother who seemed preoccupied with something, although she glanced over and smiled softly at her daughter. Alexis on the other hand was wiping his eyes as he seemed to blubber some next to his wife. “You’re growing up so fast Elizabeth,” he told her and sniffed when she asked what was wrong. “You look so lovely. Not that long ago you were small enough that I could carry you in my arms, and now you’re a beautiful bride…”

“She’s not getting married yet,” quipped Frances, and shook her head. “She’s only a bridesmaid today dear. Calm yourself, your god daughter is going to see you. Are you ready to give her away?”

“Ah, yes, of course!” Alexis took the kerchief out of his breast pocket and wiped his eyes. He too was dressed up for the occasion in a black morning coat, dark vest with a lavender buttoner and a lighter gray waist coat with a sharp looking lavender bow tie as requested by the bride. Both Frances and Edward were in their Sunday best with a hint of the lavender color to their attire out of respect for the Bride’s wishes.

Frances handed her husband a new handkerchief then looked at Lizzy directly. “You remember what you learned at the practice?”

“Straight back, walk slowly, head up, and do not look more elegant then the bride. Be humble but also smile slightly, and stay in a straight line as you walk and hold onto the groomsman’s arm, don’t look left or right and try to keep pace to the music.” Lizzy recited and her mother nodded, pleased by her daughter’s attention.

“I think that’s all of it,” Frances said as the coach reached the church. Outside there were people walking in readying to get seats. The other bridesmaids and their families were there as well, each dressed in the same white gown with lavender flowers lightly stitched onto them. As Lizzie’s father helped her and then her mother out of the carriage, she caught sight of a dark cape blowing slightly in the warm wind. A familiar face came into view and Lizzy stared with surprise. Ciel stood out like a black storm cloud amidst the billowing white of the bride’s party. As usual he was dressed in his dark colors, only this time it was violet in nature, and he had a more elaborate suit on. Sebastian, standing beside him, gave a nod to aknowledge that he’d seen the family.

Lizzy made to move towards him, wanting to say hello, but her mother quickly caught her by the arm and fixed her veil.

“You’re needed in the church, my love. No time for greetings. I’ll say hello to Ciel for you inside.”

“What’s he doing here?” Lizzy asked as her mother made sure the flower crown and veil sat and stayed pinned to her daughters golden updo. For a change Lizzy had her hair swept up at the sides, and layers of ringlets cascaded down from the back.

Frances shrugged, “He’s the Earl, it’s custom to invite noble houses to weddings. Some come, some don’t. He chose to come to this one.”

“He doesn’t know Miss Gwendoline though, does he?”

“No, I believe he does not,” Frances admitted as she ushered Lizzy up the stairs of the church. “But that’s neither here nor…” she and Lizzy paused upon seeing the scene in the bridal area of the church… “There.”

Both women blinked hard at what they saw. Alexis was trying to comfort the bride who was sobbing, and the groomsmen were looking unsure of what to do. The bridesmaids were aghast and the groom was furiously yelling at the best man, who was trying to calm the groom down as he furiously waved his finger, pointing at a man that was slouched in a chair snoring.

Frances took one look at the scene and cleared her throat gaining everyone’s attention. Lizzy hid a smile behind her hands. Her mother was, after all, the Aunt of the Queens watchdog, if anything she knew how to get attention in a room.

“What in the world is going on here?” she asked upfront, and then looked at the Best man, a noble Lizzy only knew as Sir Hardy. “You there, John, what is the matter with that man?”

“He’s gone and gotten himself drunk, cousin Frances,” John said shaking his head as the groom went over and shook the man hard by the coat. John grabbed him and pulled him back. “Confound it Westly. You can’t just shake him like that. He’ll vomit on you. You don’t want this day ruined.”

“But we don’t have the right number of groomsmen,” Westly insisted and looked over at the bride. He let out a long sigh. “Gwen, must we have the ten?”

She nodded, “It was a request of my mother, for luck, she’ll be upset if I don’t have the same number as her wedding to my father.”

The groom let out a long sigh again. Lizzy had heard the story before. Gwendoline had lost her father several years before during a boating accident on the Atlantic where he’d gone fishing with friends. Her mother was a supersticious woman who believed that luck came by numbers, and that in order for Gwen to have a happy wedding she need ten bridesmaids and grooms, or else the wedding wouldn’t go through.

“What do we do Cousin Alexis?” Gwen sobbed onto the Marquess chest as he tried to calm her down.

“There, there, Gwen, you’ll get married today I promise.” He tried to sooth her and looked to his wife and daughter for some guidance. Lizzy glanced at her mother.

“Who can we get at such a short time?”

“We could probably use an usher, but then that would be short and Hilda would have another fit on that,” Frances muttered to herself, when Lizzy was struck with an idea. She grabbed a boquet and hurried out the door from the back room her mother telling her to wait, she didn’t.

Walking quickly, almost at a slight run, she burst through one of the back doors away from the main aisle. Guests were already taking their places and she scanned the pews for a familiar face. The tall black hair of Sebastian lingered near the back corner, hiding out away from most of the crowd. Lizzy knew that where Sebastian lurked Ciel was never far behind.

She quickly and quietly made her way over, ignoring the glances of the guests who found her sudden appearance rather odd, and sat down next to him. Ciel had taken a seat near the back of the church, alone. He’d done so, she assumed, so he could leave right away once the ceremony was over.

At first he made no motion to indicate he’d noticed her until Sebastian cleared his throat, “You look lovely, Lady Elizabeth. Don’t you think so, young master?”

Ciel didn’t quiet look at her, for a moment, then turned to face her and turned away again just as fast, covering a red tinge that had moved up his cheeks. “You look well Lizzy. What are you doing here? Isn’t this breaking protocol.”

“Ciel, I need your help.” She whispered and he cocked his head, then turned to face her looking worried.

“What’s the matter?” there was that serious look to his eye again, the one that he always got when he was thinking of things. She grabbed his arm and pulled him up. “Lizzy! What on earth are you doing?!”

“We have to get to the back of the church. Mother will fill you in on the directions that the bride wants,” Lizzy explained as she yanked him to his feet, much to the shock of the other guests. She ignored this, at the moment and Sebastian stepped lightly between her and Ciel.

“I must ask, my lady, that you kindly explain what’s going on. The young master has nothing to do with this wedding and is merely a guest here, and it seems rather rude of you to just pull him along like this.” He bowed to her slightly and Lizzy flushed some, embaressed as the guests gaped and whispered at her. She smoothed out her dress and tried to look as dignified as possible, keeping her voice low.

“We need another groomsman,” she explained to both of them and Sebastian looked amused as Ciel looked on confused.

“What for, Lizzy?”

Elizabeth crinkled her gloves on her hands as she looked around, noticing that people were starting to talk more and kept her eyes down, “One of the grooms men looks…what was that word that Cousin Matilda said her sister gets when she gets too much drink in her?”

“Sloshed,” suggested Sebastian and she nodded. He chuckled, “I see, so one of the groomsmen is too drunk to go on, and you need the young master to replace him. How…charming.”

Ciel huffed, “No it is not. I don’t even know the bride or groom.”

“Then why did you come?” Lizzy asked incredulously. “I know that sometimes noble families are invited to the weddings of some retainers to the royal family but...I didn’t think you were one to…”

“Well the Young master felt that it was a nice day to travel, and he heard that you were going to be in the wedding party and wanted to see what the fuss was all about…” Sebastian stated and Ciel looked mortified, flashing daggers at his demon butler.

“Sebastian!”

Lizzy felt heat creep up her face, “I…I um…well, tha…Thank you Ciel that makes me very happy to hear that.” She said and he gave a slight nod of welcome, although clearly he wasn’t too thrilled with Sebastian opening his mouth up. Lizzy though forced herself to ignore the heart beats that were quickening in her chest. “But…there’s no time for that. Please, I’m asking you, could you please stand in?”

“Do I really have a choice in this,” he asked and she gave him a pleading look. Ciel gritted his teeth, huffed, “Fine,” and then walked quickly before her as Lizzy gave him a grateful smile. All the while the dark butler trailed, whispering comments to him.

“How sweet of the young master to be so willing to step in and help. I’m sure the daily papers will be pleased to report on this in the society pages.”

“Knock it off Sebastian.”

“She does look quite stunning though,” he teased him about Lizzy as they hurried along to the back of the church, Ciel trying to ignore the facts. He’d noticed Lizzy right away, out of all the girls there she was like a perfect rose among a bunch of peonies. He couldn’t help but stare, if not for her being there he would have skipped the invite, but Frances had mentioned that it was Alexis’s goddaughter and then told him that Lizzy was going to be in the bridal party. Sebastian had suggested they go, as a show of good faith, and to his surprise Ciel had not expected Lizzy to look so grown up.

They wandered into the back of the church were Frances was waiting. Before Ciel could protest he was whisked away from Sebastian, who held his cloak, by a group of four older young women who at once cooed about how cute he was.

“Sebastian!” he called out as they dragged him away.

“Fear not, my lord, I’m sure that this will be quiet interesting a lesson for you on the decorum for your own future wedding,” Sebastian called out as the door was shut, and chuckled seeing the poor boy being mauled by the bridesmaids as they fixed his suit for use in the wedding.

“Aunt Frances what exactly…don’t touch me!...What’s going on?!” he begged her as he pulled back from the women who seemed to pout. Frances glared at them sending them scurrying back to the bride’s side. She bent over and fixed his jacket.

“As you can see,’ she motioned to drunken groomsman, “we have a bit of a problem. You’ll walk down with Lizzy. If you please Ciel, it would be a favor to me and to her.”

He sighed, “Alright Aunt Frances. I’ll do what I can.” She nodded and then escorted him over to the bride, and the groom, who were talking quietly in the corner.

“Gwendoline, Westly, I would like to introduce you to your new groomsman, Earl Ciel Phantomhive. Earl, this is Westly Sonderhim, and Alexis’s goddaughter Lady Gwendoline Harrington.”

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Ciel gave courtesy to the two adults. He looked between them and then focused on the bride. “Is there anything that I need to know before this starts?”

Gwen looked happy to see the young boy and patted his cheek, something Ciel did not find endearing.

“Well, simply put, you just need to walk slowly down the aisle with Elizabeth, then stand with her off to the side during the ceremony. Once that’s finished, escort her back out of the church, and that’s it.”

Ciel raised a brow, “That’s all you need me to do, are you sure?”

She nodded, “Yes, that’s it. It’s quiet simple. Don’t go too fast, or slow, and look forward. Oh and one arm should be linked with hers and the other…”

“At my side, I’m sure,’ he said slightly bored by it all. She nodded again.

“You’re very clever for your age.”

Ciel gave a weak smile, but took the compliment, even though it felt more like an insult to him and Frances hurried him over by Lizzy. “Is she always that condescending.”

“Only to you it seems,” Frances said bluntly. “And it was meant as a compliment Ciel, do try to take it as such.”

“I’m almost fifteen now, Aunt Frances,” he pointed out as they walked over to Lizzy, “I’m not a child …”

“And neither is she,” Frances motioned to her daughter who was trying to seem polite to the young men in the grooms party as they flirted with her. Ciel clenched his fist. What were they doing with his fiancée? He could see that she was wearing heels this time, and the dress curved to her figure more than her normal outfits did. If her face wasn’t the normally cheerful one that she always had, he wouldn’t have recognized her at that moment.

Feeling what he couldn’t describe, jealousy, annoyance, Ciel didn’t know, he walked over and cleared his throat loudly. One of the men looked down at him, “What is it boy.”

“I believe Lady Elizabeth is to be my partner in this, and I would like you to step away from my Fiancée.” He said in the coldest tone that Lizzy had ever heard him use. His eyes narrowed as the groomsmen moved back and Lizzy smiled at him, grateful, that he’d come beside her.

“I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take their comments.” She said taking his arm as he offered it.

“You don’t have to, you know. You’re engaged to me,” he pointed out and again looked away. Lizzy giggled some and he relaxed until she joked.

“You know it’s almost like we’re getting married.”

“Lizzy!” he felt his face flush and tried to recover. “There’s a time and place for such things. And here and now is not that time or that place.”

“Sorry,” she said softly and smiled, “Ciel, thank you.”

“For what?” He stared at her and tried to ignore the beating of his own heart seeing her like this. Lizzy grinned happily.

“For being willing to stand up to this wedding with me. For dealing with all this. I know this isn’t something that you like to do, or deal with, but thank you again.”

Ciel shrugged, “It’s nothing to big, besides, if you didn’t ask I’m sure Aunt Frances would have.”

He felt her squeeze his hand, “I’m glad I’m walking down with you though. I won’t feel as nervous.”

Ciel nodded, “Me too. Or embarrassed.”

“Ciel, do you think, one day we’ll be able to walk down like this?” she asked quietly. He gave her hand a pat as the ushers came over to line them up.

“It’s time to go Lizzy.”

With that the duo got in line and together walked arm and arm down the aisle.

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duckybeth99 · 8 years ago

Text

The Wedding (Pirate!AU)

part two! it’s long so buckle up

—

Esther quietly made her way through Lord Claus’s large mansion. It was a grandiose one, one Esther easily found herself lost in. But this also meant, she would be alone, with nobody to find her.

She sat sadly down in the library, sitting beside the window seat. She watched the waves far away, ships both of blatant pirates, and regular sailors. Esther sighed, setting her hands in her lap and staring at her fair skin, remembering Johnny’s hand holding hers. His kiss to her.

Could it be possible, that she…

“Esther?” Mabuz entered the library, seeing his daughter looking so sad. He let out a soft sigh and sat beside her on the window seat. “My darling, what’s wrong? You’re a bride to be. You should be happy.”

“I know this marriage is for my safety, along with Aquilo’s,” Esther began, “but I don’t love this boy. Not at all. And I wish I wasn’t forced to be wed to him.”

“I know,” Mabuz sighed. “But this is for your own protection. Here, Claus’s home is large enough for all of us. We will unite our lands, stay strong against pirates. Even if Claus works with them.” The last statement is left in a low grumble. But the old man shakes his head and brushed his daughter’s cheek gently with his hand, “You’ll inherit much wealth that will keep you both comfortable and safe. And when I die, you will have someone to protect you. While I might not agree with Lord Claus, or Lady Virginica too much, Aquilo is a fine gentleman. He’ll do well for you. And, at least, he’s a friend you’ve known, not a stranger.”

“I suppose,” Esther murmured. Mabuz looked sadly at his daughter and kissed her head gently.

“Perhaps this marriage will turn out better than you anticipate,” Mabuz spoke positively. Esther could see the care in his eyes. The daughter leaned against her father, him placing a gentle hand around her and rubbing her arm to soothe her.

—

“This marriage will go swimmingly, just swimmingly,” Virginica rolled her eyes.

“I’ve made preparations for the best of the best for my step-son here,” Claus beamed. “The only wedding it won’t compare to is our own.”

“And this is for my son, not for you?” Virginica raised a brow. Claus rolled up his list of preparations.

“Have a little faith in me,” he scoffed.

“I did,” Virginica grumbled.

“I don’t see much of a point in all of this,” Aquilo looked up from his book. He watched servants fly in and out of the study, showing plans and preparations to his mother and Claus.

He refused to refer to him as his stepfather, even after all this time

“The point is to see some lovebirds fly off,” Claus gave a fake smile. Aquilo narrowed his blue eyes at him. Claus scoffed.

“It’s a marriage to unite our lands,” he explained. “When Virginica and I were wed, we united our lands and our funds.”

“So that’s all this is,” Aquilo grumbled. “Marriage for money and land.”

“Did you think marriage was any different?” Claus raised a brow.

“He has a point, dear,” Virginica crossed to her son and sat beside him, “Love never had anything to do with marriage. I married your father in an arranged marriage, and you were the best thing to come out of it.”

“Are you forgetting the gold and land?” Claus piped up. Virginica shot her small husband a glare. She turned to face her son with a sickly sweet and doting smile.

“You were, Aquilo,” she hummed. “So you could,” and she cleared her throats and with a much louder voice and glare towards Clause, “inherit my fortune in case anything were to happen.”

“Unless there’s another parent!” Clause chimed. Virginica ignored him and stroked her son’s cheek, much to his frustration. He hated how she babied him.

“My sweet boy,” Virginica kissed Aquilo’s head, “romance has nothing to do in these kinds of weddings. It’s a partnership, for the benefit of both parties, their land, and wealth.” With a pause, she added, “Surely, you don’t believe your stepfather and I like each other.”

“At least a little?” Aquilo inquired. Virginica and Claus looked at each other and burst into laughter. The thought of them both enjoying something made Aquilo slightly sick.

“No, dear, not at all,” Virginica giggled.

“Absolutely not,” Claus grinned.

“I tell him every day of how I’m planning his murder,” Virginica hummed too happily, standing and making her way towards Claus, almost towering over him.

“And I have plenty of women to choose from over her,” Claus nudged his solid gold cane at Virginica, “I invite them over daily! I tell them my dreams of when my wife dies and the wealth can be only for all of us.”

“Oh, come along, Claus,” Virginica finished enjoying her laughs, “duty calls for planning this wedding.” She led her husband out of the study.

Aquilo stared at where they had just been in pure confusion.

He shook his head and went back to reading. At least Esther was a pretty girl he could show off, and they would have all three family’s wealth combined. That was something.

And, god, think of the power.

Perhaps this wasn’t so bad.

———

“The wedding is in a few days,” Ghost mumbled. “If we’re going to act, we need to act fast.”

“The wedding is going to be on mainland, I bet,” Beth sighed. “It would be easier if it was on a ship, but with all their fears of pirates increasing, they’re going to want to keep it at the land as much as possible.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Moirin smiled. “We’ve got inside information from people in that town. The wedding is going to be on a ship.”

“Really?” Johnny blinked. Moirin nodded. “That’s odd.”

“They said it was a specific request of the bride,” Moirin explained. Johnny felt his heart jump.

“So, what’s our actual plan?” Ghost asked. Moirin laid out a map on her desk and pulled out her sea charting tools.

“This is where they’ll be sailing at the time of the wedding,” Moirin pointed to the specific quadrants. “We have to be at enough of a distance that they won’t see us, but close enough to intervene before they say their ‘I do’s’. By then, we’ll be too late. And we’ll need the help of the whole crew for this to work. Distractions, help if the fighting gets tough, all of that.”

“What about us?” Beth asked. Ghost shook his head.

“Bethany, your father might be there,” he said. “If he sees either of us, we’re done for. It’s a risk enough to allow Junior to go after her. Merhib’s known him for even longer than you. He’ll know him. I’m terrified of this idea even with only Johnny involved.” His eyes shifted over to his son and he placed a hand on his shoulder, “But everyone deserves to pursue love.” Johnny gave a thin smile.

“So,” Moirin placed a small boat figure at the coordinates, “here’s the plan…”

———

Esther stood still as Claus’s servants dressed her in the wedding gown, feeling the bobbing of the ship below her. Rouge was placed on her lips by another, highlighting the bride’s pale complexion. One of the handmaidens shook her head at it and put rouge to Esther’s cheeks in an attempt to even it out. The gown was tight even on the slim girl.

Her hair was pinned high to her head, pearls wrapped around it, and her veil long behind her, the gleam of small gems stitched in. Claus had this dress made for her, and she knew she should be grateful for his efforts, but the dress was heavy from all the jewels and she felt nothing like herself.

Her wedding was nothing like she wanted.

The servants and handmaidens finished preparing the young lady, then slid the front part of her veil over her eyes and handed her the bouquet. The servants all bowed, one still standing to open the door to allow Mabuz in. He gave his daughter a thin smile and held out his arm. Esther linked their arms together, as the old father led her up to the deck of the ship.

Music played as soon as Esther and Mabuz were visible, Aquilo standing still and straight, stone faced as he watched his bride walk up the aisle. Esther showed no emotion outside of tinges of sadness and tiredness.

Mabuz released Esther, who walked slowly and quietly to her groom. Aquilo looked down at her for a moment, her never facing him. He turned to face the officiator.

“Dearly beloved,” his low voice began, “we are gathered here today…”

“Could you at least have toned down your look for Aquilo’s wedding,” Virginica hissed to Claus. He rolled his eyes.

“This is as much of an event and appearance for us, as it is for them,” he said. Virginica made a face at seeing his powdered wig, even taller and thicker than it normally was, rouge heavy on his cheeks and lips, with a makeup sort of mask on his face. Virginica straightened her gown to avoid her desire of hitting Claus. The woman looked over her shoulder to see Mabuz in the other side of the aisle, and space for Merhib there.

But the other Lord was nowhere to be seen.

Virginica raised a brow and gave a little frown, then turned her attention back to the ceremony.

Esther kept her eyes low, staring at her flowers. She could only think of Johnny, of the kiss they shared. She wondered if he knew that she heard his whisper, of his love for her.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him as the entire ceremony continued.

“Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the officiator began, “To have and to hold, 'til death do you part?”

“I do,” Aquilo responded, his voice almost monotone and dull.

Esther felt herself tear up, her face turn hot and her hands begin to shake.

“And do you,” the officiator turned to face her, though she continued to look down, “Esther Sephtis, take Aquilo Aster to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, 'til death do you part?”

“I…” Esther stammered. Her throat tightened.

He wasn’t coming for her.

She lifted her head and looked behind her at everyone watching her. Aquilo glared down at her and tugged her wrist to turn her around.

Mabuz’s face flashed with anger.

“Say it,” Claus grumbled.

“Say it,” Aquilo whispered, a harsh tone in the back of his throat. The officiator waited.

“I…” Esther stammered again. The sun was setting on the ocean line. Esther swallowed slowly and breathed softly. “I… I d—”

“Ahoy there!!!” Johnny screamed, and Esther looked up, to see the young man swing on a rope down from the Fairy Wing to the wedding ship.

“Johnny!” Esther cried. She looked ready to run to him, when Aquilo grabbed her and held her still.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled. A few other pirates jumped down from the ship, causing panic from the guests.

“Guards!” Claus stood and shouted, “Guards!! Get up, quit slacking! They’re ruining the wedding!!” He pointed his cane at the crew. Faced with a few guards appearing from below the ship and from the sides of the deck, the pirates immediately drew their weapons.

“Claus!” Virginica tugged her husband’s shoulder, “Let’s just leave! We should have done this on the mainland! There are escape boats, we have to get people off the ship!”

“She just has to say 'I do’, he says one more thing, they kiss, and that’s it! We get the wealth, we get the land!” Claus snapped at her.

“I’m not risking my son or myself!” Virginica yelled back. “We need to get out of here, at least us. Come on! Get Aquilo!” The lady rushed away to find a boat. Aquilo looked in rage at Johnny, who fought and leapt over guards, with a scheming smile. Claus looked at the boys and rolled his eyes, following Virginica down below the dock.

Aquilo reached beside his wedding suit and pulled his sword from its holder. Johnny looked away from laughing at the guards, his grin vanishing at seeing Aquilo stare at him in rage.

“You,” he growled, “this is all your fault. You ruined my wedding!”

Aquilo raised his sword and was ready to slice Johnny.

“Johnny!” Flynn shouted, tossing a sword to Johnny. He caught it and blocked Aquilo’s attack.

“You bastard!” Aquilo pressed more force into his sword. His arms shook. Johnny smirked and pushed back at him, causing the boy to fall back and lose his sword.

“Guess you should have done more push-ups than laze around in your mansion, huh?” Johnny teased. Aquilo growled, snatching the sword back up and hitting Johnny’s leg, making him fall. He let out a yell.

“Johnny!” Esther gasped. Mabuz rushed to her and began to pull her away from the chaos. Esther shook her head, tugging her arm away and ran after Johnny. She called out his name again.

Turning to look over his shoulder at her, he could see the reason why he was here.

Why he was fighting.

The crowd of the elite pushed Mabuz and others away, down to the lower part of the ship to try and escape. Johnny stood back up with his sword and continued to fight Aquilo. The younger man slashed against Johnny’s arm when he wasn’t paying attention. He clenched his mouth tight and bit back the pain.

“You don’t sincerely think I didn’t recognize you on the island, do you?” Aquilo growled. “You’ve always been an annoyance. Thinking you’re so much better than anybody! When in reality,” Aquilo pinned the edge of his sword close to Johnny’s throat, “you’re nothing! Nothing but someone’s damn bastard, picked up by not even Lord Collins, by his damn servant! Parading around like you’re even close to being like us! But you’re not!! And you aren’t stealing my bride!”

Johnny struggled to keep Aquilo back, shaking. He was going to slice his throat, behead him if he couldn’t stop him.

“And now,” Aquilo chuckled darkly, “looks like it’s the end for—” he suddenly stopped, letting out a yell.

Turning behind him, Esther was holding one of the weapons from the guards. Johnny grinned, and noticed Ariel giving him a thumbs up and a smile, with a knocked out guard laying on the floor by her feet. Esther rushed to Johnny, sharing a tight embrace.

“Come on,” Johnny pulled away, holding Esther’s hands, “we need to get out of here.” He began to lead her back to the rope to climb back on the Fairy Wing. Esther was tugged away from him.

“Not so fast!” Aquilo snapped, sliding his sword against Esther’s throat. She shook, afraid and still to avoid getting hurt. Johnny glared at the man. “Come anywhere near me, and she’s dead. Call off your little pirate crew, put down your sword, and leave.”

“Johnny,” Esther whispered longingly. Johnny stabbed his sword roughly into the deck of the ship, a glare on his face. The crew stopped fighting, though most of the guards were already down.

“Arms up,” Aquilo growled. Johnny raised his arms. The young future lord smirked. “You’ve always been good at following orders. Just like your father. Stay in your place, Jonathan. In fact…” and the man laughed, “down on the floor. Get on your knees and beg for her.” Johnny felt his chest rise and fall faster, with short and angry breaths. Aquilo pushed the sword closer to Esther. “Do it. Or else.”

Johnny slowly moved to his knees, placing his hands on the dock. His hands shook in rage. Esther looked down at him sadly. Johnny lowered his head between his hands.

“Let her go,” he said roughly.

“That doesn’t sound like begging, Jonathan.”

“Please,” Johnny’s voice shook, “let her go. Don’t hurt her.”

“Good boy,” Aquilo smirked. He looked over at one of the guards, still knocked out. Creeping slowly with Esther still trapped by him, he reached into the guards uniform and pulled out a pair of chains.

“You’ll be arrested soon,” Aquilo began, “along with the rest of your little crew here. Set to rot, for years and years. Your crew will be killed. But you… it would be too easy. You can look on, for years, at me and my wife, at the children we’ll have and raise, at everything we’ll have, while you have nothing but vermin like yourself accompanying you.”

“Not so fast.”

There was a click behind Aquilo’s head.

There, stood Mabuz, the end of a pistol against Aquilo’s head. Johnny could see Moirin and Ghost behind him, with just as a furious and determined face as Mabuz.

“Release my daughter,” Mabuz demanded. “Now. No more games, Aquilo.”

“I’ll tell them all you pulled a gun on me,” Aquilo spoke in a hushed voice, “then you’ll be arrested.” Mabuz smirked.

“It’s my word over yours.”

“There’s witnesses.”

“Excuse me,” Mabuz called at the crew and Johnny, “did any of you see anything? Something involving a gun?” They only offered shrugs, murmurs of faked confusion, head shakes and polite whistling from those who hated to lie. Mabuz chuckled. “Nobody else is conscious or on this deck anymore. Nobody would believe you.”

“Fine,” and Aquilo dropped the sword and tossed Esther towards Johnny, after a long moment to think. The man stood up fast and caught her. He smiled her comfortingly. Esther clung tightly to him. “Now what?”

“You tell no one of what happened on this deck, with you and I,” Mabuz explained, “You tell no one you saw these specific people. It’s all a blur.”

“You work with pirates,” Aquilo mumbled. “You’re as much of a traitor as Edmond.”

“I don’t work with pirates,” Mabuz clarified, “I work to save my daughter from monsters like you.”

“Really,” Aquilo whispered, “that’s what you’re going to call this?” The young man turned fast, snatching the gun from Mabuz, “I’m worse than pirates?!” Mabuz struggled to get it back from him, Johnny pulling Esther closer and away from the possible danger.

The sound of a gunshot was heard.

Blood bloomed from Mabuz’s side.

“Father!!” Esther screamed. Moirin grabbed the gun from the floor and hit the end of it against Aquilo’s head. The young man was knocked out.

“Lets go!” Moirin shouted at her crew. “Jonathan, help me carry Mabuz onto the boat!” The steward nodded and helped his wife carry the Lord who began to fade in and out of consciousness. The crew climbed back on their ship, Esther looking terrified for her father.

“It’ll be okay,” Johnny spoke softly to Esther. “He’ll be safe with all of us, we can help him. Now we have to safe you, too, before everyone else comes.” Esther nodded tearfully. Johnny looked up as the twins tossed down a rope ladder for the couple to climb. Esther went up first, Johnny following to be sure she would be safe.

Once both were up safely, the crew pulled the ropes and ladders back up and set sail. Esther looked back at the wedding ship, seeing the lifeboats sailing back towards the mainland.

Johnny placed his hand gently on Esther’s shoulder. She gave a shaky sigh and pressed herself close to Johnny. He pulled back Esther’s front veil, kissing her forehead gently. She sighed softly and pressed herself close to him.

“We’ll be okay, and so will your dad,” Johnny repeated softly to her, “I promise.”

#beth writing #mcgillicuddy sunshine #johnny bosteau #ghosty beth #Aquilo aster #thespianler #virginica aster #skeleton uncle #Esther #ghosty blogging

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duanecbrooks · 8 years ago

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Patton General Remember how I've talked--and more than once--how one of the coolest things about having a DVD player is that it enables you to see--and re-see and re-re-see and re-re-re-see--pictures that you dug when you first saw them in a theater? Well, the fact is, I recently, thanks to said--and fantastically-regarded--DVD player, caught a theatrical film that I saw and dug through watching its trailer on YouTube. That flick, by name, is Baggage Claim, and I can say unequivocally that it's just as stylish, just as qualitative as its trailer--which, again, is on full display thanks to YouTube--wants you to believe. It is indeed a picture that is near-to-bursting with snappy dialogue, attentive direction, and, above all, lively performances--in point of fact, one such performance is easily the highlight of the picture; there'll be more about that as we go on. Indeed, I'll go so far as to say that said cinematic rom-com has worked its way onto my list of Most-Cherished Theatrical Offerings (The others: Body Heat, Boomerang, the great writer-producer-director Garry Marshall's final creative object Mother's Day, and my gal Robin Givens's classic made-for-television film The Penthouse). Now to the picture in question. Claim kicks off with a shot of a church that, after around one minute, has a group of happy, celebratory, greatly well-dressed black folks, having obviously attended/participated in a wedding, bustling out of it. Included, of course, are the bride and the groom--and this quite spirited adolescent, who, we learn, will grow up to be Claim's lead character, Montana Moore (Paula Patton). Through voice-over we hear Montana ruminating on her Mom's, ahem, busy romantic past ("Marriage has always been a big deal to my mother. She loves marriage. Especially hers [Cut to another group of spiffily-attired blacks happily emanating from the same church, the same bride and a different groom included]. And hers [Same scene, only with a different groom]. And hers"). From there Montana lays her cards on the table concerning her own romantic life ("A easy as it is for Mom to get married, my relationships have never been cleared for takeoff"). Cut to a mega-busy airport, where we see planes taking off and landing, folks bustling along in a hurry to get to their planes--and where Montana, still in voice-over, discloses to us her lifelong ambition ("I've always wanted to be a flight attendant...You get to travel around the world, meet interesting people"). We're then taken to our heroine's apartment complex, where before she enters her particular abode she runs into her longtime buddy, William Wright (Derek Luke), to whom she further discloses her hopes regarding her romantic situation ("I don't want to spend my life listening to my mother telling me how she could find five husbands and I can't even find one"), whereupon William tells her what his wife Taylor has cooked up ("She planned a trip to Rome to celebrate our one-year anniversary"). Moving forth: We witness Montana rushing through the airport, anxious to catch the flight she'll be working, and, as she races along, we hear yet another voice-over of hers, wherein she gives us some Mom-originated words of guidance ("According to my mother, you're not a woman until you're married on or before your 30th birthday. And you're not a lady until you've had two kids"). We then see Montana having made the flight she'll be working, and we're also introduced to two of our girl's closest working buddies, brother flight attendant--and card-carrying homosexual--Sam (Adam Brody) and sister flight attendant--and frequent Sam adversary--Gail (Jill Scott). Right away we're given a look at the aforementioned Montana buddies' dueling relationship (Sam: "Gail, I seem to have misplaced my badge. Could you check your cleavage for me, please?"). Later, as the three are congregating in the plane's food-preparation area, Montana lets her friends, and us, in on this guy she's been seeing and how it seems to her like the guy is going to pop the question. Gail, for her part, bluntly hurls cold water upon said scenario ("Montana is not getting married. If she was, as her best friend, I would know first"). Shift to Montana with this guy, a smoothly handsome dude named Graham (Boris Kodjoe), where the two of them are affectionately pressed against each other during a cruise and Montana is absolutely over the moon about it all ("Graham, you have talked about [us taking this cruise] for so long...[The view is] absolutely beautiful!"). We get a marvelously-shot montage of Montana and Graham coming together physically--during which Patton shows that not only is she achingly gorgeous but has a BITCHIN' bod--then we see the latter dropping the former off at a hotel, claiming a need to attend to his professional life ("I got an emergency phone call. I got to fly to New York"). When our Montana gets to her room, she calls up gal-friend Gail, who right away demands that her buddy fill her in on the progress of her relationship ("Are you guys doing it?"). Afterward--after zipping down her exercise outfit so a nearby hunk who's also exercising can see her cleavage--Gail urges girlfriend Montana to go out to Graham's house and spy on him so she can ascertain for sure whether or not he's on the up-and-up. To which Montana, no surprise here, initially objects. We continue. Claim takes us to Graham's rather luxurious house and Montana sneaking up on said house--fully demonstrating that, pace her initial resistance, she's just dying to know whether or not Graham is playing it straight with her. Upon getting close to the aforementioned house, Montana rings up Gail, who, respectively, upbraids the former ("I didn't think you would do it [follow Gail's advice to spy on Graham]!") and instructs her ("Do not knock on that man's door! You'll look like a stalker"). Upon looking in the window, Montana, and we, see Graham in his living room going over some papers, which greatly eases her mind (Montana in voice-over: "[Graham] was preparing for his meeting, just like he told me he was. Gail was wrong!"). Alas for her, however, Montana, along with us, sees a stunning woman enter and Graham fondly helping her off with her coat--both of which clearly saying that Gail's suspicions were entirely valid; Graham indeed does not consider himself, and never considered himself, Montana's guy alone. Having been thus chastened, our gal makes a quick--and quite saddened--exit. In time we're transported to Montana's apartment and witness the drop-ins of Mom Catherine (Jenifer Lewis) and younger sis Sheree (Lauren London), both of whom bearing big, big news (Catherine to Montana: "We [she and Sheree] are so excited! We wanted you to be the first to know." Sheree to Montana: "I wanted you to be the first to know." Catherine: "After me"): Sheree is getting married. This, unsurprisingly, distresses Montana big-time and we next see her in a bar pouring her heart out to Sam/Gail ("I just can't go to my little sister's wedding alone! I'll be the laughing stock of the family"). Sam at first seizes upon Montana's predicament to stick it to Gail ("Why don't you take Gail? She never waxes her moustache. [Your family will] think she's Steve Harvey"), then comes up with the notion of Montana's "accidentally" encountering all of her exes until she finds the one who will accompany her to Sheree's wedding. Here we meet Montana's other working pals, among them Cedric, the fellow who checks passengers before they board ("First name, Cedric. Last name, take everything out your pockets! I need your pockets out your pockets!"). Since the scheme came from Sam, Gail balks at it, but he pushes on, citing the considerable, as he sees it, benefit to Montana ("[W]e can come to the aid of the sweetest, most fantastic human being alive"). Let's press on.Montana is at first resistant to Sam's ploy but then Catherine makes another visit, again guilt-tripping her oldest daughter ("I started thinking, my daughter is marrying a handsome, athletic young man. I may not be alive to see my oldest daughter do the same"), and, upon Catherine's leaving, Montana is on board concerning Sam's notion. As William is driving Montana to the airport, he comes up with some especially wise words--"You know, Mo, the magic isn't in getting married. It's in staying married." We get further introduction to Montana's charmingly loopy working friend Cedric as he's going about his business regarding passengers ("I have no life! Which gives me all day to ruin yours!"), then Montana boards this plane wherein she'll meet, according to Sam, her first prospect, one Damon Diesel (Tremaine Neverson)--who, let it be said, was initially dismissed as prospect by Gail ("You gotta be kidding me! Damon Diesel can barely take care of himself, much less a family"). Montana is ready to dump the entire plan when, lo and behold, Damon spots her and lets her know that he has ("I'd love to see the stitches in that skirt"). Having discovered each other, the two get to be on friendly terms, to the point where Damon responds quite favorably when Mo enquires as to just how long he'll be in town (Damon: "Long enough to spend some quality time [with you]. If I'm allowed." Mo, smiling warmly: "You're allowed"). As they spend more time together, Damon becomes more and more enamored of Montana (The former to the latter, with clear-cut affection: "You could stay awake for the rest of your life and you'd still be beautiful to me"). In time Damon takes Montana to what he tells her is her place and she, along with we, find him taking a nice, warm bubble bath--in which he eagerly invites Montana to participate. However, trouble, big trouble in paradise soon comes, at first knocking on, then banging and, eventually, screeching at the door, in the form of Janine (Tia Mowry), a key executive at Damon's label and his current main squeeze to boot. Having met Montana earlier when she stopped by her and Damon's table to remind him of an upcoming meeting, Janine, her Spidey sense going full-blast, is well aware of the likelihood that Montana is inside with him and the prospect has her going flat-out postal ("Damon, I know you hear me! Open this damn door!...Damon, I know you ain't got that 'ho from the restaurant [referencing Mo] in there!...I'm gonna shoot you and that bitch!...Open! Open, open, open, open!"). Happily, and at Damon's urging, our lady manages to hide out on the stairwell outside while, inside, Janine continues hollering and ranting at Damon. Yet it soon goes from raining to pouring when Catherine calls, inviting her dear daughter to a pre-wedding slumber party ("We're all here in our pajamas, and we want you to come over"). Montana, for her part, winds up slinking away, having been thoroughly defeated and being totally dejected. More transpires. On a flight she' s working, Montana happens upon two former beaus--Curtis and Langston Jefferson Battle III (Taye Diggs), the latter currently running for Congress. Montana and Langston wind up together and the latter wasts no time turning his considerable charm on her, inviting her to a meeting he's scheduled to have with a hoped-for financial backer (Him to her: "Would you happen to know a young lady--gorgeous, intelligent--who would be so gracious as to join me?" Her, in a warm tone: "If I'm asked." Him: "Consider yourself asked"). Fast forward to that meeting, where we see Mo and Langston hook up with that hoped-for financial backer, one Howard Donaldson (Ned Beatty), accompanied by his wife. Right away Donaldson is warm and gracious toward Mo ("Young lady, I hope you can withstand this election [involving Langston] will surely bring"), then Langston tells their waitress what he'd like to have and...he orders for Mo, also. This of course mightily pees her off, so Langston takes her off to one side and "explains." ("[Financial supporters] want to know that the candidate they're backing is a take-charge man. A leader"). The evening continues and, to Langston's great delight, Donaldson strongly takes to him ("If you're not elected to Congress, it won't be because of insufficient financial support"). Yet the evening takes a fiercely uncomfortable (for Langston) turn when Donaldson raises the issue of just how "black" Langston genuinely is, eventually bringing Tiger Woods's alleged lack of real and true "blackness" into the conversation. Understandably wanting to lighten the increasingly grim mood, Mo quips: "What I think would make Tiger Woods black is that he drives an Escalade and his Daddy's name is Earl." Her humor, however, doesn't go over well with Langston and when the two get back to the latter's hotel room, he aggressively bawls her out. In the midst of his denunciation the phone rings and, when Langston picks it up, he discovers that it's Donaldson with good news: Being wholly enchanted by Mo's wit--after the call, Langston informs her, and us, that Donaldson told him that her wisecrack "was the highlight of [Donaldson's] evening"--Donaldson has decided to double his monetary contribution. Yet rather than recognize and express appreciation for the obvious fact that Montana was an enormous asset to the evening, Langston patronizingly tells her The Facts Of Life ("[S]ometimes being [the] greater [woman besides the man] means being quiet"). Here our Mo naturally becomes fed up and, after telling Langston off big-time ("New actions, new outcome. Same asshole, same outcome...You haven't changed a bit. Langston"), she angrily storms out, permanently crossing him off her list. And so Claim goes, with Montana at last finally sucking it up and telling her assembled family that she doesn't have a boyfriend and that that fact doesn't have any negative impact on her ("Marriage doesn't make you a lady. Any more than standing in a garage makes you a car...I like me. A lot. With or without a husband"), at last finally discovering that it's her old and cherished pal William who's her real and true love--which brings about a cinematic-rom-com first: a woman (our Montana) rushing to and through the airport in order to intercept her male love object (William)--and at last finally William getting down on his knees right there in the airport, slipping an engagement ring upon our lady's finger, warmly proposing marriage, and our gal tearfully--and happily--saying yes, culminating in joining William on his knees and the two of them sharing a soulful and loving kiss while still in the airport--a scene which is just as moving and winning as when Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston did it at the conclusion of the former's legendary baseball picture For Love Of The Game. Claim ends with Mo pals Gail and Sam, relieved that their lady buddy's romantic melodrama is over, sharing a taxi and winding up battling with each other over a man that they previously didn't know they shared (Sam to Gail: "You bitch! That's my man! I had him first!"). So that's Claim, a flick that not only deserves high marks for being a black-oriented picture that to a greater degree than even Boomerang staunchly refuses to in any capacity shove race down our throats--the aforementioned scene with Montana, Langston, and Donaldson and his wife is literally the only time during Claim's unspooling that race is dealt with and, as was not the case with Boomerang, not in any victimization sense--but merits praise for being, on its own, a highly likable, warmly funny, and smoothly stylish theatrical rom-com. Ned Beatty, as said financial backer Howard Donaldson, is appealingly unctuous and, in time, appealingly race-conscious. Tia Mowry packs her role as "spurned" woman Janine with sizzling energy and rousing humor. Jenifer Lewis as Montana Mom Catherine is engagingly commanding and, in her confession scene with Mo, engagingly forthright. Christina Milian, as kid sister Taylor, wins us over with her dazzling spunk and her unflagging fizziness. Jill Scott and Adam Brody, as Montana compadres Gail and Sam are entirely warming with their steadfast loyalty and their graceful sparring. All of the men in Montana's life--Djimon Hounsou as a hotel magnate who is the deciding factor in Montana's eventual determination to absolutely refuse to allow a man to define her; Diggs, Kodjoe, Neverson, and Luke, the fellow our lady with whom she at last finally winds up--are all stylishly amiable and agreeably manly. David E. Talbert, adapting from his original book, provides the cast with spicily humorous and spicily sexy things to say and do. And Talbert the director deftly creates an air of tangy camaraderie and simmering sexuality that, to his great credit, he maintains throughout the entire picture. Now to Paula Patton. She is, in a word, sensational. Starting off with the fact that her slender statesqueness--she's 5'7", to be precise--gives her a forcefully enticing valkyrie appeal, she's an honestly captivating blend of urbane beauty, Seven-Sisters-colleges charm, and Katana-sharp intelligence. Whenever she's in a two-shot, regardless of who the other actor is, her carefully-polished good looks and her runway-model sexiness have your eyes riveted upon her. You might remember that, in an earlier article, I discussed the sincerely depressing scarcity of contemporary big-screeners in which there is the emergence of a real and true female star, the monumental lack of modern-day pictures which feature the appearance of an honest cinematic diva who shines mega-brightly and who easily towers not only over her brother-and-sister theatrical-film actors but over us as well, such as Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and Sandra Bullock in Speed and my lady Robin Givens in Boomerang. It is Baggage Claim that forcefully and proudly shows that Paula Patton deserves to be added to that woefully short list.

#baggage claim #Body Heat #boomerang #garry marshall #mother's day #robin givens #The Penthouse #paula patton #julia roberts #pretty woman #Sandra Bullock #speed

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