#bewitching emperor; Draco

[draconicmayhem]

( @moonlitwanderers ) 14. A memory of a relationship for Draco?

(putting under a read more to be polite to the dash)

The Beast remembers little of her original life in clear, proper detail; after all, what use was there to remember more than what was important to the foundation of her being a Beast? But...

She could remember something; a shadow, ever loyal, no matter how far she fell, no matter what she ended up doing, that shadow would be there.

.......This was not her sword, not originally, though its current form is certainly her own; she remembers making it as a gift for that shadow, it was his, how did she end up with it? (She remembers taking a knife from him; how could she forget that knife after she used it to mark her own end.)

Where did he go? Why was he not at her deathbed, even in that Testament World?? Her beloved shadow, lost and forgotten by all but the Beast of Depravity, his sword now the only thing that remains of his will to protect her.

For such fidelity to someone so depraved as her, he deserved to at least have his wish to be by her side at the end granted, but fate is cruel, and not even the chalice in her hands could call upon that which was forgotten.

She wonders now if he ever realized just how much she truly loved him, and how grateful she is for his sword.

Bonus:

......Her poisoner really never changed, did she? Still a gigantic amount of love for both her Emperor and mushrooms.... Hopefully they meet again soon, the Beast is now craving mushrooms and Locusta always had the best ones.

[tgrailwar-zero]

Look, Rider, I have been listening, I just feel guilty about summoning someone only to drive them out. Yes, we shouldn't have summoned her in the first place, but we did.

Also, I am starting to feel worse every time she acts like a kid if I am honest...

Are we really doing the right thing by killing her? I mean it's probably in part because she looks like a little kid that I am having such trouble. It's hard when it's directly in front of you.

CONSTANTINE: "…Right. The Beast has bewitched you with it's appearance, and you deign to pity it. I understand. Heroic Spirits cannot be children. Nor is the Whore of Babylon a mere child. That thing does not deserve 'guilt', we must…"

He stopped, before crossing his arms with a sigh.

CONSTANTINE: "…Nevermind. Continue your talks with the Beast."

A moment of long, dejected silence hung before PRETENDER sidled up to him, watching as the Emperor gave another attempt to tug his blade free from the sheath to run through DRACO, only to be met with the resistance of the Command Spell.

PRETENDER: "Oho. With that sigh, I'm sure that means you've heard a lot of apologies and not much agreement. Now, I get that we're technically enemies- as you're the Rider of Red..."

PRETENDER: "...Though you're not much of a 'Rider of Red' anymore, are you? Your allies are now your enemies, and everything you say gets brushed off by your current allies. You want to be a hero, but you're tasked with a different part. I mean, if I were you, I'd be furious. I mean, if my enemy openly wished to behead me, I'd want my Masters to do everything to support me- and yet here they are now, with nothing but excuses..."

CONSTANTINE: "There's no reason to be furious. Besides..."

PRETENDER: "Ooh. Want to mark that ego blow, or should I? I'm sure you expected your Masters to rally behind you against evil, not saddle you with performance art and baby the demon, right?"

With an airy laugh, PRETENDER leaned in closer.

PRETENDER: "Listen, you seem like a stand-up guy. But that still doesn't change the fact that your Masters are giving more courtesy to a Beast than to you. Maybe they're already enthralled by it. The power, the opportunity… I can understand you're the type to 'turn the other cheek', but sometimes you need to just do the right thing. You know… like slaying a dragon."

The PRETENDER-Class snapped his fingers, as CONSTANTINE felt a surge of magical energy rush through his body. Compounding his innate magical ability, the resistance to magic blessed upon him increasing exponentially.

He drew his sword. Smoothly, simply, easily. His eyes widened, as he turned back to look at the PRETENDER- who returned the Emperor's surprise with a coy smile and a wink. CONSTANTINE turned to look at the Beast.

Slay a dragon. Like the great Saint Georgios.

He began to walk forward, slowly. The Beast wasn't paying him any mind. Arrogance, made manifest. He felt a myriad of things- guilt, anger, frustration… mostly towards himself. He was given an order, and he was disobeying. Even if it was the right thing, he made an agreement. This was treachery, but…

He began quietly praying to himself.

CONSTANTINE: "Remit, pardon and forgive, O God, our sins committed voluntarily and involuntarily…"

This was the right thing. He could ask forgiveness later, if needed. He shook his head- why feel shame for enacting justice?

By Saint Mary. Saint Martha. Saint Peter. Saint Paul. Saint Michael, who had boldly fought the Dragon in order to bring peace to the world, as prophesied by Saint John. This Beast must be laid low. Destroyed, completely and utterly.

He continued quietly praying to himself as he marched silently onward.

CONSTANTINE: "…By word and deed, knowingly and in ignorance, by thought and purpose, by day and night…"

Closer. Closer. Step by step. Moment by moment.

He raised his blade.

CONSTANTINE: "…forgive all these... for You are gracious and love mankind."

[draconicmayhem]

"Oh, I see quite fine sets of assets on display today~ Perhaps if one asks nicely, I might join in."

[draconicmayhem]

"Rider, is there a Grail War starting? Why are there suddenly more Servants like you around?"

'I forgot that I told her I was a Rider and not a true Beast class.'

"Don't worry, I haven't sensed the Grail at all, those are likely just some Rogue Servants. There would need to be at least seven anyways for a Grail War to begin."

"......I see. If you say so then."

[draconicmayhem]

The Beast is watching with great amusement. “Ah, this reminds me that I once fell for my Master in a Grail War I took part in. Such a handsome man, but so dense that he couldn’t figure out I loved him. A shame I never got to properly claim him; it would be nice to have a consort that I actually care for.”

“Though I admit I have a bias; humans are something I’m rather fond of, given that I was one an extremely long time ago. And they can be quite good sources of food...”

[draconicmayhem]

[ stop ] sender holds their palm out facing receiver, stopping them in their tracks || from rika for whoever

The horned woman didn't quite expect to be stopped in her tracks by the much younger dragon, but Draco just smiles at what she considers a cute child before kneeling down. "Yes, what do you need? Trying to find our teacher perhaps?"

[draconicmayhem]

Once stripped down, whats at your core?

Tagged By: ......no one, I stole it off my dash. Feel free to steal it from me. (Results under cut)

acerbic wit

you're a mentor — an old scarred wolf, an injured soldier, a disgraced paladin. your teachings read as shamelessly pretentious, speaking in rhymes and biting down hard into anyone stupid enough to make the wrong move. this isn't your first life, nor your second, nor your sixth — you'll make the most of your time shackled to this world, no matter how many loops it takes to get it right. with every defeat, you reincarnate; a little smarter, a little quicker, crueler and nastier. will you choose to be brutal, equalizing, that final strike in the face of your enemies? will you go soft, become tender and domesticated? the choice is yours. it's not like i can stop you.

cauterizing rage 

the house has burned around you, and you’re the only one left standing. is it gratifying to be the survivor? fear and anger are weapons in your capable hands, used only to serve your agenda of fighting back when deemed necessary. you're a powerful person, built from the ashes of your despair and your family's mistakes. with time, you'll bloom into someone softer, like the full blossoms that grow each spring and wither away with the leaves in fall. they won't disappear if you take your eyes off of them. you're enough. 

sympathy for the devil

you try so hard to be a beacon of hope for everyone, but nobody’s a beacon of hope for you. most likely, someone’s betrayed you in the past. it’s not like you’re easy to walk over, you just believe(d) too much in the inherent good of people. that isn’t a bad thing, and there’s nothing wrong with being kind and forgiving… i just feel kind of bad for you. i hope you can get a friend who doesn’t fuck with your head and take advantage of your kindness for once.

[draconicmayhem]

“Why is everyone discouraging spring ‘festivities’? Isn’t spring supposed to ring in new life or the creation of it? That reminds me, I need a little snack myself....”