#but at the end of the day the ones who ruined and demolished their kingdom where Cornians who weren't even mindcontrolled

[randomnameless]

Artbook stuff : on the ages of the elves !

+ Alcina, because she's always involved when we're talking about elves.

So they went with the "stop aging for a while" after hitting a certain age - but the base was "1 elf year = 3 human years"

Granted, we see old elves, and I think a NPC calls Bestrals "unclean" or "corrupted" or something, so it means that old guy knew Bestrals used to be elves (something Bestrals themselves forgot!) some 800 years ago or something : was he there and lived through it, or was it hearsay?

As for Alcina...

Confirmation that yep, she used the "rejuvenation spell" like Yahna, but since she's supposed to be even more of a badass than her student, she apparently "rejuvenated" herself more than once? Still, the spell was reaching its limits, so she decided to body surf instead, picking an unwilling Eltrinde as her host.

At first I thought it was to get in the body of the elf priestress and thus get access to her special magic/priestress stuff, but what if she just wanted a "youthful" body that would last long?

Oh well, I guess it's nothing really new for her, save maybe for highlighting that Alcina was a very powerful mage, so her switching to the Zenoiran cause must really have done something to the morale of whoever opposed her/the Cornians who thought they could rely on her...

[naluwalker]

Brain bugs, brain bugs, someone get them out of my head

So, I have no idea about Game of Thrones, I have no idea about House of the Dragon, and even less about A Song of Ice and Fire, but I desperately need a Fairy Tail reincarnating in Westeros fanfiction.

Which is a very silly thing, because Fairy Tail is everything that George RR Martin's works are not, and by that I mean the power of the script and of friendship in all its splendor.

Make no mistake, I love Fairy Tail and everything related to it, but even I have to admit that Fairy Tail and A Song of Ice and Fire are complete opposites. My Fairy Tail babies would give them something if they had to spend too much time in Westeros and that's something we can all agree on.

But all that aside, I'd really like to see something like that, and since no one has done it, I'll write down the general idea and quickly forget about it to move on.

So, from what I understand a lot of the shit that happens in Game of Thrones originates from everything that happened in House of the Dragon, and I'm really indifferent to Rhaenyra, and I don't give a damn about Alicent, Viserys and Daemon, for that matter. what they will be demolished by my brain bugs and cast aside. When the Dance of Dragons happened and the entire war almost took out the entire family, ruining many lives in the process, so that in the end Rhaenyra's son who took the throne was basically left with the worst part: half the family dead, a stupidly uncomfortable throne, equally stupid children, dragons finally becoming extinct, and a pitch-black future for the rest of the nation. It's screwed, but everything in Westeros is screwed, so to fix it my babies will arrive to spread love and affection until everyone vomits rainbows out of their asses.

Although it's not that I don't feel sorry for Rhaenyra and also for Rhaenys, because what happened to them was screwed, but they will be sacrifices for this, and by the time the little tyrant king that I will put up takes the throne, all the girls of the seven kingdoms will be empowered, just wait.

Suppose the gods of Planetos saw the future shit crashing into the fan and said "Shit, we're all screwed," so they decided to bring in the purest, noblest, most destructive souls in the entire cosmos to fix it for them, and they had It had to be early, so that the disasters to come could be corrected.

So here we go, and with shipper glasses, to spread the crumbs that Mashima denies us:

Natsu Dragneel dies at an advanced age without remorse or sorrow, he married the love of his life, an incredible woman, he had children, he had grandchildren and lived to meet his great-grandchildren, he belonged to an incredible guild and has even more incredible friends and companions. He died a satisfied man... and then he wakes up again to a pretty fucked up world, but hopefully he's not alone.

Nataerys Targaryen is born with great vigor and even greater lung strength, his newborn cries pierce the ears of everyone in a radius of an entire palace and his movements are strong even when he is barely minutes old, he is everything a father could wish. Thus, on a hot summer day in the year 82 AD, the son Aemon Targaryen and his wife Jocelyn Baratheon are born.

Although luckily for Natsu, and for Westeros itself, he is not the heir to his grandfather's throne, as most might think, no. That dubious honor belongs to his five years older brother, Zaeferon.

Zeref Dragneel, after causing a war and attempting an invasion all for the sake of destroying space-time and finally dying, was unexpectedly able to partially fulfill his wish (the most important part, in fact) thanks to the power of love and most impressive woman he knows. But it seems that whatever god cursed him still wanted to continue chewing him like the cosmic toy that he is and let him be reincarnated in a shitty world, where he has become the heir to the throne of an even worse country, and a family to boot where they marry relatives as close as sibligs, and my god, he has an older sister.

But not everything is as bad as it seems, he recognizes the face of one of his aunts and for a while, he and Lucy use their time to keep each other company, read and research about this lost Valyrian magic and comfort each other so that if all else fails and in the end they are the only ones here, then they can marry each other and live the rest of their days among books in peace.

Luckily, that only lasts until on a day so hot the rocks melt, Natsu arrives into this world making a scandal that stirs up the entire Red Keep and they are able to completely ditch the backup plan when Zaeferon again recognizes a face among them his cousins.

Moving forward with family introductions, Lucy Heartfilia is born three years after Zeref as Luciaenya Targaryen as the last and youngest of the daughters of King Jaehaerys Targaryen and his sister-wife Alysanne, and the younger twin sister of Gael Targaryen. Lucy attempts to complete the first rites of a baby's life at top speed and spends the next two years of her life with her chubby little arm wrapped around Zaeferon's, swearing that she'd rather marry him than any of her other siblings or nephews. Therefore, the noisy arrival of her husband from another life at the palace is the breath of fresh air she needs to relax and refresh her brain.

With this in mind, her next steps are how to manipulate her parents to allow her to marry her nephew two years younger, and how to get her beautiful and sweet Gael a husband who will treasure her, care for her and protect her, and most importantly , to get her out of this den of vipers that is her new home. Later she will think about how to help Zaeferon accumulate power to put his ass on that stupid throne and take over the place, with the future goal of empowering all the women in the country. Never let it be said that Zeref does not respect the opposite gender.

The last reborn within the royal family also turned out to be the person Zeref wanted to see the most, luckily for him.

Mavis Vermillion, passing away peacefully after helping the love of her life fulfill their mutual wish to finally rest in peace, and with hopes placed on her children to protect the guild, is reborn as the daughter of two siblings, Baelon and Alyssa Targaryen and being the older twin sister of Aegon Targaryen. However, as in another time, Princess Alyssa died six months after a difficult birth and her twin Aegon died before his first year, so Maevys Targaryen became the beloved little princess of her father Baelon and his sons Viserys and Daemon Targaryen.

After the initial panic of discovering that she could be forced to marry any of her older brothers, Maevys joined Luciaenya to help her in her family manipulation plans and somehow get her sometimes not very well-liked grandfather to allow her to marry his heir, and Maevys is nothing if not smart, so she'll pull it off somehow. This time she will walk down the aisle with Zeref, whether the gods want it or not.

With the mere arrival of the four to the royal family things are already changing, the seven kingdoms will shake when Lucy and Mavis finally put Zeref's lazy ass on the Iron Throne.

Other reincarnates include Gaery Stark, grandson of Alaric Stark and current lord of Winterfell known for his Skinchanger ability; his wife Julianne Tully, a half-Dornish whose maternal grandmother belonged to the Orphans of the Greenblood; Erza Connington, the first female knight in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, whose mother is the first female Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and daughter of Aerea Targaryen, Irene Connington; Gerard Arryn, stepson of Daella Targaryen and older brother of Aemma Arryn; Wendeline Royce, a young but prodigious healer who calls herself a doctor, and is one of Maevys Targaryen's ladies-in-waiting; Garrett Umber and his wife Levina Reed, who are in the service of Gaery Stark, of whom Garrett is a cousin on his mother's side; Laxion Lannister, whose grandfather Marrek Lannister married Vaella Targaryen, younger sister of Jaehaerys Targaryen, who is always accompanied by Fredegar Westerling, Bilrentheus Banefort and Everwood Serrett; and Laxion's wife, Maenora Velaryon, daughter of Victor Velaryon and Marybel Massey, who is the older sister of Saelora, Elaerion, Laenyra and Vaenyra Velaryon, who are equally reincarnated.

With this in mind, Fairy Tail has been given enough political power to destroy a continent and can only pray that there is some left after Zeref Dragneel is named king.

[cielrouge]

YA SFF Books by Asian Authors

Ash by Malinda Lo: In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy cursed to love her and the King’s Huntress whom she loves.

Along the Indigo by Elsie Chapman: Marsden yearns to take her sister and escape Glory, a town famous for seedy businesses, but her friendship with Jude yields secrets that may chain them to the Indigo River forever.

Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard:  In this sci-fi retelling of Ramayana, Sera is a Hindu goddess incarnate and must battle between her good and evil sides in order to save the world from becoming hell on earth.

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee: It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her 17-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel, Raffe. 

The Archer at Dawn (The Tiger at Midnight #2) by Swati Teerdhala: Set in an Indian & Hindu-inspired world, long-held secrets will force Kunal and Esha to reconsider their loyalties—to their country and to each other.

The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif: After being fired from the Athena Protocol, an organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice, Jessie Archer investigates a human trafficking case in Belgrade, while her former teammates have been tasked with bringing her down.

Blood of a Thousand Stars (Empress of a Thousand Skies #2) by Rhoda Belleza: Rhee risks her crown to negotiate peace terms with villainous media star Nero, while framed assassin Aly plots revenge and Kara seeks technology that will erase her royal past.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco: Tea’s gift for death magic means that she is a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community, but when an older bone witch trains her to become an asha - one who can wield elemental magic - Tea will have to overcome her obstacles and make a powerful choice in the face of danger as dark forces approach.

The Bronzed Beasts (The Gilded Wolves #3) by Roshani Chokshi: With only ten days until Laila expires, the crew will face plague pits and deadly masquerades, unearthly songs, and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself, but at a price they may not be willing to pay.

The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi: An epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh: In 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight, half-Asian Celine Rosseau, a dressmaker from Paris, becomes embroiled in a murder mystery, connected to the glamorous supernatural cohort, known as the Court of Lions, and catching the eye of their mysterious, charismatic leader, Sèbastien Saint Germain.

Broken Web (Shamanborn #2) by Lori M. Lee: With Queen Meilyr bent on destroying the magical kingdoms, Sirscha becomes caught between a war in the east and the Soulless in the west.

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad: Set in the city of Noor, along the Silk Road which has become a refuge for those of all faiths, Fatima becomes embroiled in a war between two clans of powerful djinn who threaten to destroy her peace in different ways, forcing her to make unlikely alliances to survive.

Caster by Elsie Chapman: In this Chinese-inspired, magical Fight Club, Earth is already at the brink of environmental disaster due to the magic overuse. And 16-year-old spell caster Aza Wu must navigate through an illegal, underground battle magic tournament, while evading local gangs and police scouts to save her family from ruin.

Catalyst by Lydia Kang: Zelia Benten has lost her father, the love of her life, and any future she might have imagined for herself. Now she, her sister, and the band of illegal genetic outcasts they’ve come to call their family are forced to run when the safety of their foster home is compromised.

A Clash of Steel (A Treasure Island Remix) by C.B. Lee: Set in 1820s China, Xiah joins Anh and her motley crew in pursuit of the hidden treasure of the legendary Dragon Fleet.

Chainbreaker (Timekeeper #2) by Tara Sim: In 1876, someone is destroying the clock towers that control India’s time. Teenage mechanics Danny Hart and half-white, half-Indian Daphne Richards as they travel to Agra to investigate a series of clock tower bombings.

The Chariot at Dusk (Tiger at Midnight #3) by Swati Teerdhala: In the final book of this epic fantasy trilogy, the lands’ fate, their people’s livelihoods, and the bond that sustains their world all depend on what Kunal and Esha can offer—to the gods and to each other.

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu: June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic--and each other--and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic's border cities.

Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye: Love, spies, and adventure abound as apprentice warriors Sora and Daemon unravel a complex web of magic and secrets that might tear them—and the entire kingdom—apart forever.

Control by Lydia Kang: In 2150, when genetic manipulation has been outlawed, seventeen-year-old Zelia must rescue her kidnapped sister with the help of a band of outcasts with mutated genes.

Court of Lions (Mirage #2) by Somaiya Daud: After being swept up into the brutal Vathek court, Amani, the ordinary girl forced to serve as the half-Vathek princess Maram’s body double, is desperate to continue helping the rebellion But can she bear to remain separated, forever, from Maram's fiancé, Idris? 

Cross Fire (Exo #2) by Fonda Lee: When the peaceful alien-run government withdraws from Earth, it seems that the terrorist group Sapience is going to get the "free" Earth it wanted; but Donovan Reyes, member of the security forces, and once a prisoner of Sapience, realizes that freedom comes with a price. 

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye: Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia. The Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death. 

The Crown’s Fate (The Crown’s Game #2) by Evelyn Skye: Vika struggles with dangers in her new role as the Imperial Enchanter while Pasha faces disputes about his legitimacy and Nikolai considers how far he is willing to go to return to the world.

A Crown of Wishes (Star-Touched Queen #2) by Roshani Chokshi:  Gauri, princess of Bharata, has been captured by her kingdom's enemies and faces a future of exile and scorn--she has nothing left to lose. But Vikram, the notoriously cunning prince of a neighboring land, promises her freedom in exchange for her partnership on his team to win the Tournament of Wishes.

The Damned (The Beautiful #2) by Renée Ahdieh: Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The price of loving Celine Rousseau was costly. But as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.

Dark Goddess (Alpha Goddess #2) by Amalie Howard:  In this Indian-inspired fantasy, a girl who is the avatar of the goddess Lakshmi must work to prevent the apocalypse at the hands of demons. 

Dark Goddess (Templar Chronicles #2) by Sarwat Chadda: Billi SanGreal, a teenaged member of the Knights Templar, must prevent a young girl, who is being hunted by werewolves because of the dangerous powers she possesses, from falling into the hands of the ancient Russian witch, Baba Yaga.

Daughter of Dusk (Midnight Thief #2) by Livia Blackburne: After learning the truth about her bloodlines, Kyra can’t help but feel like a monster. As tensions rise within Forge’s Council, and a vicious Demon Rider attacks continue in surrounding villages, Kyra knows she must do something to save her city. 

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: In this Chinese-inspired fantasy, Princess Hesina of Yan is thrust into power when her beloved father is murdered, and she’s determined to find his killer–whatever the cost.

The Devil’s Kiss (Templar Chronicles #1) by Sarwat Chadda: 15-year-old Billi SanGreal has grown up knowing that being a member of the Knights Templar puts her in danger, but if she is to save London from catastrophe she must make sacrifices greater than she imagined.

The Devil’s Thief (The Last Magician #2) by Lisa Maxwell: Esta and Harte set off on a cross-country chase through time to steal back the elemental stones they need to save the future of magic.

Divided (Dualed #2) by Elsie Chapman:  When the Board goes after West Grayer for refusing to kill her next target, West must uncover the truth of the past to survive.

Dove Arising by Karen Bao: On a lunar colony, 15-old Phaet Theta does the unthinkable and joins the Militia when her mother is imprisoned by the Moon's oppressive government. 

Dove Exiled (Dove Chronicles #2) by Karen Bao: Phaet’s past catches up with her when the Lunar Bases attack the community and reveal that Phaet is a fugitive. She’s torn between staying on Earth with Wes—whom she’s just discovered her feelings for—and stowing away on a Moon-bound ship to rescue her siblings.

Dove Alight (Dove Chronicles #3) by Karen Bao: Shy, introverted Phaet Theta has gone from being a top student to an interplanetary fugitive to the reluctant but fierce leader of a revolution. But as the death tolls rise, the cost of the war weighs heavily on Phaet. Phaet started this war because she lost someone she loved. Will she have to lose another to end it?

Eclipse the Stars by Maura Milan: Criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot Ia Ccha and her allies make unpredictable choices as they fight to keep darkness from eclipsing the skies.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan, Laia, fighting for her family and a soldier, Elias, fighting for his freedom.

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean: During a once-in-a-generation competition to find the new empress, Mari, who hides a terrible secret, Taro, the prince who would denounce the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human outcast, will decide the fate of Honoku.

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza: Two sisters, Rhee and Kara—sole survivors of a murdered royal lineage - must reunite from opposite ends of the galaxy to salvage what’s left of their family dynasty and save the universe from a greater threat.

End of Days (Penryn & The End of Days #3) by Susan Ee: After a daring escape, Penryn and Raffe are on the run, but a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all. When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee: 15-year-old Genie Lo wonders if she’s qualified enough to gain admission to an Ivy League school, then becomes powerful enough to break through the gates of Heaven with her fists.

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa: Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allison Sekemoto will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever--and possibly end human and vampire existence.

The Ever Cruel Kingdom (The Never Tilting World #2) by Rin Chupeco: To break the cycle of sacrifice, twins Haidee and Odessa need answers that lie beyond the seven gates of the underworld, within the Cruel Kingdom itself. The shadows of the underworld may hunger to tear them apart, but these two sisters are determined to heal their world—together.

Exo by Fonda Lee: For a century now, Earth has been a peaceful colony of an alien race, and Donovan Reyes is a loyal member of the security forces, while his father is the Prime Liaison–but when a routine search and seizure goes bad Donovan finds himself a captive of the human revolutionary group, Sapience, terrorists who seem to prefer war to alien rule, and killing Donovan just might be the incident they are looking for.

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers: When evil versions of himself and best friend Nate appear one day, teenaged Ephraim embarks on a dangerous odyssey through parallel worlds to make things right.

Firestarter (Timekeeper #3) by Tara Sim: Colton, Daphne, and the others must choose between those striving to take down the world’s clock towers so that time can run freely, and terrorists trying to bring back the lost god of time.

Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4) by Kendare Blake: In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three dark sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested, and some broken forever.

Flame in the Mist by Renee Adhieh: The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by the Black Clan. Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of this gang. But she’s quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru. 

For A Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig: 16-year-old shadow puppeteer Jetta Chantray performs with her family’s traveling troupe, the Ros Nai. But as rebellion seethes and as Jetta meets a young smuggler, she will face truths and decisions that she never imagined—and safety will never seem so far away.

Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee: Sirscha Ashwyn, while training to become the queen’s next royal spy, discovers she’s a rare and powerful lightwender and is summoned to the realm of the Spider King, where her newly awakened abilities are needed to cull the bloodthirsty Dead Wood.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao: A reimagining of the evil queen from Snow White based on Asian mythology in which 18-year-old Xifeng must unleash a jealous god on the world and set free the viciousness of her own soul in order to become Empress.

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa: Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren. But Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions as his trail leads straight to the one place they must protect at any cost -- the last vampire-free zone on Earth.

Fury of the Phoenix (Kingdom of Xia #2) by Cindy Pon: When Ai Ling leaves her home and family to accompany Chen Yong on his quest to find his father, haunted by the ancient evil she thought she had banished to the underworld, she must use her growing supernatural powers to save Chen Yong from the curses that follow her.

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee: A teenage girl must keep her ability to manipulate the threads of time a secret, but when her brother goes missing, she risks getting caught up in a revolution in order to save him.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta: Eris Shindanai and Sona Steelcrest, two girls on opposite sides of a war fought with Windups, giant mechanizes weapons, discover they’re fighting for a common purpose–and falling for each other.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi: Paris, 1889: Treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie gets the chance of a lifetime when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help in exchange for a priceless treasure: his true inheritance.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig: From modern-day New York City to nineteenth-century Hawaii to places of myth and legend, 16-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end.

The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco: Okiku has wandered the world for centuries, but when she meets Tark she knows the moody teen with the series of intricate tattoos is not a monster and needs to be freed from the demonic malevolence that clings to him.

The Girl King by Mimi Yu: Sisters Lu and Min become unwitting rivals in a war to claim the title of Emperor.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust: As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Princess Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan: When Lei, seventeen, is stolen from her home to become one of nine Paper Girls, the Demon King's concubines, she proves to be more fire than paper.

Girls of Storm and Shadow (Girls of Paper and Fire #2) by Natasha Ngan: After escaping the Hidden Palace, Lei and her warrior love Wren must travel the kingdom to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans.

Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper and Fire #3) by Natasha Ngan: The last Lei saw of the girl she loved, Wren, was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. With the two girls torn apart and each in terrorizing peril, will they find each other again or have their destinies diverged forever.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh: A feminist retelling of the Korean folktale The Tale of Shim Cheong, set in a town where every year a girl is sacrificed to the sea to stop torrential rains, but when a brave teen girl dives in herself to protect a loved one, she discovers a spirit kingdom in need of saving.

The Great Destroyers by Caroline Tung Richmond: set in alt-history, 1960s America where WWI & WII were fought with giant mechs, biracial Chinese American teen Jo Linden is Team USA’s most unlikely pick in the annual Pax Games, an Olympic-style competition that pits mecha pilots against each other.

The Heartforger (Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco: With a thirst for vengeance, a band of terrifying daeva at her command, and her resurrected lover Kalen by her side, dark asha Tea is ready to face her adversaries.

A House of Rage and Sorrow (Celestial Trilogy #2) by Sangu Mandanna: As gods, beasts, and kingdoms choose sides, Alexi seeks out a weapon more devastating than even Titania. The House of Rey is at war. And the entire galaxy will bleed before the end.

Huntress by Malinda Lo: 17-year-olds Kaede and Taisin are called to go on a dangerous and unprecedented journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen, in an effort to restore the balance of nature in the human world.

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan: When outlaw Ia Ccha is captured by the Olympus Commonwealth and revealed to be a 16-year-old girl, they force her to serve them by joining the Commonwealth's military academy where new acquaintances cause Ia to question her own alliances.

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) by Julie Kagawa: Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city, until she too becomes an immortal vampire. Forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls, she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend -- a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

Inferno (Talon #5) by Julie Kagawa: Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon. The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn.

The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman: Japanese American teen Nami Miyamoto finds herself in a limitless world where the human consciousness goes after death, where she battles an AI entity posing as a queen that has hacked its way into the afterlife.

Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier: Mysterious maps from opposite ends of the sea cast doubt on the whereabouts of two princes, presumed dead.

Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan: A debut fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology, in which peasant girl Anh, cursed with the power to steal souls enters a tenuous alliance with exiled prince Altan, bent on taking back the dragon throne, and save the empire from a cult of dangerous priests.

Journey to the Heart of the Abyss (Light in the Abyss #2) by London Shah: Leyla McQueen has finally reunited with her father after breaking him out of Broadmoor, the illegal government prison—but his freedom comes at a terrible cost. As Leyla celebrates his return, she must grapple with the pain of losing Ari. Now labeled the nation’s number one enemy, Leyla must risk illegal travel through unchartered waters for the truth behind her father’s arrest.

Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena: Set in a world inspired by medieval India, the story tells of a girl, Gul, with a star-shaped birthmark who is prophesied to be the downfall of a tyrant king, the warrior women who come to her aid, and the boy she falls in love with.

The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker: set in 1890s Japan, half-British reaper, half-Japanese Shinigami Ren Scarborough flees London and enters the Japanese underworld under the service of Izanami, the goddess of death.

King (Dragon King Chronicles #3) by Ellen Oh: Girl warrior, demon slayer, Tiger spirit of the Yellow Eyes - Kira is ready for her final quest! She must save her cousin, the boy fated to be the future king, uncover the third lost treasure, and face innumerable enemies in order to fulfill the famed prophecy.

A Kingdom for the Stage (For A Muse of Fire #2) by Heidi Heilig: The rebels are eager to use Le Trépas’s and necromancer Jetta’s combined magic against the invading colonists. Soon Jetta will face the choice between saving all of Chakrana or becoming like her father, and she isn’t sure which she’ll choose.

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress #2) by Julie C. Dao: Princess Jade has grown up in exile while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules Feng Lu. Ready to reclaim her place, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Lords and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent God once and for all.

Legend by Marie Lu: In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, 15-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

Legion (Talon #4) by Julie Kagawa: The legions are about to be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragon slayer can stand against the coming horde in book 4 out of the Talon series.

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana: Amrita must unravel the mysteries of her past to save her kingdom, but in doing so, she herself might come unraveled.

The Light At the Bottom of the World by London Shah: Set in a future where the Earth is underwater, Leyla McQueen must navigate the treacherous abyss to find her missing father, but discovers a world drowning in lies.

Live in Infamy by Caroline Tung Richmond: 80 years since the Axis won World War II, and America was divided between the victors: the Nazis in the East and Imperial Japan in the West; but now resistance is growing in the Eastern territories and 16-year-old Chinese American Ren Cabot finds himself drawn into a resistance group. 

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna: 15-year-old Eva is the clone of a girl living far, far away on another continent--and when this 'other' dies, Eva must step in and take over her life.

The Infinite (Gates of Thread and Stone #2) by Lori M. Lee: Kai always believed the only danger to the city came from within. Now, with a rebel force threatening the fragile government, the walls have become more of a prison than ever. To make matters worse, as Avan explores his new identity as an Infinite, Kai struggles to remind him what it means to be human. 

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: blending Chinese history and mecha science, Wu Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. Features a poly F/M/M main romance.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo (Epic Crush of Genie Lo #2) by F.C. Yee: Along with a few other contenders for the throne,  heaven-appointed guardian Genie and her friends embark on a Heavenly quest to an in-between world.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen: An intergenerational story of a mother and son struggling to relate to each other—the mother an immigrant to America who wants to make a home for her family in an unfamiliar country; the son Tiế  trying to figure out the best way to come out to his parents. Through telling each other fairy tales, they’re able to find common ground.

The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas: When her ailing father is conscripted to fight invaders from the north, Mulan dresses as a man to take his place in the army, but an old enemy and an attraction for her troop's commander complicate her mission.

The Memory Keepers by Natasha Ngan: Seven is a thief with a difference - he steals downloadable memories from banks and memoriums to sell onto London’s black market. But one night, as Seven is breaking into a private memorium in a wealthy part of London, he is caught in the act by one of its residents; Alba, the teenage daughter of London’s most famous criminal prosecutor. 

The Memory Key by Liana Liu: In the not-so-distant future, everyone is implanted with a memory key to stave off a virulent form of Alzeimer's. Lora Mint fears her memories of her deceased mother are fading, but when her memory key is damaged she has perfect recall--of everything-- which brings her mother's memory vividly back--but may also drive Lora mad. 

The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall: A desperate orphan turned pirate, Flora, and a rebellious imperial daughter, Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, find a connection on the high seas abroad the Dove, in a world divided by colonialism and threaded with magic.

The Midnight Star (Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu:  Adelina is forced to revisit old wounds when a new danger appears, putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite. In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

The Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne: Kyra, a highly skilled 17-year-old thief, joins a guild of assassins with questionable motives. Tristam, a young knight, fights against the vicious Demon Riders that are ravaging the city. 

Mirage by Somaiya Daud: In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, 18-year-old Amani is forced to work as a body double for the princess who is hated by her conquered people.

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco: In  a world ruled by goddesses that has been split in two—one half existing in perpetual scorching Day, the other in freezing Night—twins separated at birth Odessa and Haidee embark on a quest across the great divide and rule a reunited world.

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker: Teen witch Nova Huang runs into her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. 

Moribito, Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi: The wandering warrior Balsa is hired to protect Prince Chagum from both a mysterious monster and the prince's father, the Mikado.

Moribito II, Guardian of the Darkness by Nahoko Uehashi: The wandering female bodyguard Balsa returns to her native country of Kanbal, where she uncovers a conspiracy to frame her mentor and herself.

Night of the Dragon (Shadow of the Fox #3) by Julie Kagawa: As darkness rises and chaos reigns,  fierce kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko and her shadowy protector Kage Tatsumi, will face down the greatest evil of all.

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee: Resigned to a life without superpowers in a world full of them, Jess takes a paid internship where she helps a heinous supervillain and works with her longtime crush Abby, but stumbles on a massive plot.

Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2) by C.B. Lee: After discovering a massive cover-up by the Heroes’ League of Heroes, shapeshifter Bells Broussard and his friends Jess, Emma, and Abby set off on a secret mission to find the Resistance.

Not Your Backup by C.B. Lee (Sidekick Squad #3): As the Resistance moves to challenge the corrupt League of Heroes, Emma Robledo realizes where her place is in this fight: at the front.

On This Unworthy Scaffold (Shadow Players #3) by Heidi Heilig: Jetta’s home is spiraling into civil war.Le Trépas—the deadly necromancer—has used his blood magic to wrest control of the country. Meanwhile, Jetta’s love interest, brother, and friend are intent on infiltrating the palace to stop the Boy King and find Le Trépas to put an end to the unleashed chaos.

The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond: After 70 years since Hitler's armies won the war, 16-year-old Zara St. James lives in the Shenandoah hills, part of the Eastern American Territories, under the rule of the Nazis--but a resistance movement is growing. 

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He: In a near future when life is harsh outside of Earth’s last unpolluted place, Cee tries to leave an abandoned island while her sister, STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara, seeks escape from the science and home she once trusted.

One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) by Kendare Blake: Preparing for the queens' sixteenth birthday celebration and navigating the fallout of the Quickening, sisters Arsinoe, Katharine, and Mirabella reassess their strategic paths to the throne using new understandings of their powers and destinies.

Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2) by Chloe Gong: In 1927, Shanghai tethers on the edge of revolution. After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and while secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat.

Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu: June and Day make their way to Las Vegas where they join the rebel Patriot group and become involved in an assassination plot against the Elector in hopes of saving the Republic.

Quantum Coin (Fair Coin #2) by E.C. Myers: Ephraim, Jena, and Zoe embark on a mission across multiple worlds to learn what's going wrong and how to stop it. They will have to draw on every resource available and trust in alternate versions of themselves and their friends, before it's too late for all of them.

Ravage the Dark (Scavenge the Stars #2) by Tara Sim: After escaping the city of Moray, Amaya and Cayo head to the port city of Baleine to find the mysterious Benefactor and put a stop to the counterfeit currency that is spreading Ash Fever throughout the kingdoms.

The Reader by Traci Chee:  Set in a world where reading is unheard-of, Sefia makes use of a mysterious object to track down who kidnapped her aunt Nin and what really happened the night her father was murdered.

A Reaper At the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir: Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger as the Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, Laia of Serra, and Elias Veturius all face increasing dangers.

Rebel (Legend #4) by Marie Lu: Brothers Eden and Daniel Wing struggle to accept who they’ve each become since their time in the Republic, but a new danger creeps into the distance that’s grown between them. Eden soon finds himself drawn so far into Ross City’s dark side, even his legendary brother can’t save him. At least not on his own.

Rebelwing by Andrea Tang: At a prestigious prep school, scholastic student Prudence Wu, who smuggles censored media in a futuristic North America divided by culture wars and becomes an unlikely revolutionary, after being imprinted by Rebelwing, a sentient cybernetic dragon.

Renegade Flight (Rebelwing #2) by Andrea Tang: Pilot-in-training Viola Park, a probationary student at GAN Academy, enters a mech combat tournament that becomes a fight for the future of Peacekeepers everywhere.

Rising Like a Storm (The Wrath of Ambar #2) by Tanaz Bhathena: Gul and Cavas must unite their magical forces―and hold onto their growing romance―to save their kingdom from tyranny.

The Righteous (The Beautiful #3) by Renée Ahdieh: Pippa Montrose is tired of losing everything she loves. When her best friend Celine disappears under mysterious circumstances, Pippa resolves to find her, even if the journey takes her into the dangerous world of the fae, where she might find more than she bargained for in the charismatic Arjun Desai.

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee: The never-before-told backstory of Avatar Kyoshi, from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.

Rogue (Talon #2) by Julie Kagawa: Unable to forget the human boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, Ember is determined to save him from execution with the help of rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues.

Rogue Heart (Rebel Seoul #2) by Axie Oh: Two years after the Battle of Neo Seoul, telepath Ama must use her telepathic abilities to infiltrate the base of the Alliance’s new war commander, Alex Kim, her first love who betrayed her.

The Rose and the Dagger (Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Adhieh: Unsure who to trust, Shahrzad takes matters into her own hands to try and break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

The Rose Society (Young Elites #2) by Marie Lu: Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis.

Ruse (Want #2) by Cindy Pon: In near-future Shanghai where society is divided between the fabulously wealthy business elite and the masses they exploit, Jason Zhou must play a dangerous cat and mouse game with the ruthless CEO of an all powerful corporation which has an ever-growing choke hold on the polluted metropolis.

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim: In the city-state of Moray, Amaya, orphaned by a powerful merchant’s greed and condemned to seven years aboard a debtor’s ship, returns to seek revenge only to encounter the merchant’s son in this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Serpentine by Cindy Pon: Although 16-year-old Skybright feels lucky to be the handmaid and companion to the daughter of a wealthy family, she is hiding a secret that threatens to destroy her position and her closest relationships.

Sacrifice (Serpertine #2) by Cindy Pon: When Zhen Ni discovers that her new husband, the strange and brutish Master Hou, may not be all he seems, Skybright and Stone must travel through the terrifying underworld to save her.

Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda & Valynne Maetani: Set in contemporary Japan, Shinto temple priestess Kira Fujikawa, must seek the aid of seven ruthless shinigami, in order to protect Kyoto from an ancient evil.

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells: Maren, desperate to save her kidnapped girlfriend Kaia, plans to steal one of the emperor’s dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold, but her success depends on becoming an apprentice to the mysterious dragon trainer, which proves to be a dangerous venture.

Talon by Julie Kagawa: In a world in which near-extinct dragons pass as humans to grow their numbers secretly, siblings Ember and Dante Hill prepare for destined positions in the world of Talon only to be hunted by a dragon-slaying soldier.

The Ship Beyond Time (Girl From Everywhere #2) by Heidi Heilig: Nix has escaped her past, but when the person she loves most is at risk, even the daughter of a time traveler may not be able to outrun her fate—no matter where she goes.

The Shadow Mission (The Athena Protocol #2) by Shamim Sharif: Jessie Archer faced down death to prove her dedication to Athena, the elite organization of female spies she works for. Now she’s back on the team, in time to head to Pakistan to take down the man whose actions spurred Athena’s founders to create the secretive squad. 

The Shadow of Kyoshi (Kyoshi #2) by F.C. Yee: Kyoshi’s place as the true Avatar has finally been cemented. With her mentors gone, Kyoshi voyages across the Four Nations, struggling to keep the peace. But while her reputation grows, a mysterious threat emerges from the Spirit World. To stop it, Kyoshi, Rangi, and their reluctant allies must join forces.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa: Demons have burned the temple Yumeko was raised in to the ground, killing everyone within, including the master who trained her to both use and hide her kitsune shapeshifting powers. Yumeko escapes with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll. Fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan. Yumeko knows he seeks what she has…and is under orders to kill anything and anyone who stands between him and the scroll.

Shadow Girl by Liana Liu: When Mei arrives at the beautiful home on Arrow Island, she can't help feeling relieved. She's happy to spend the summer tutoring a rich man's daughter if it means a break from her normal life. Yet she can't shake her fear that there is danger lurking in the shadows of this beautiful house, a darkness that could destroy the family inside and out...and Mei along with them. 

Shadowsong (Wintersong #2) by S. Jae-Jones: Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. But when troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be.

Smoke in the Sun (A Flame in the Mist #2) by Renee Ahdieh: After Okami is captured in the Jukai forest, Mariko has no choice—to rescue him, she tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was being held by the Black Clan against her will. But each secret Mariko unfurls gives way to the next, ensnaring her and Okami in a political scheme that threatens their honor, their love and very the safety of the empire.

Sisters of the Snake by Sasha & Sarena Nanua: an Indian-inspired fantasy where twins separated at birth—one now a princess, the other a street thief— must switch places in a bid to stop a catastrophic war that threatens to tear their kingdom apart.

Silver Phoenix (Kingdom of Xia #1) by Cindy Pon: With her father long overdue from his journey and a lecherous merchant blackmailing her into marriage, 17-year-old Ai Ling becomes aware of a strange power within her as she goes in search of her parent.

The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi: Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but at a terrible cost. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God. Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into icy heart of Russia.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim: The Wild Swans meets East Asian fantasy where an exiled princess, Shiori, must unweave the curse that turned her brothers into cranes, assisted by her spurned betrothed, a mercurial dragon, and a paper bird brought to life by her own magic.

A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes #4) by Sabaa Tahir: Laia of Serra is now allied with the Blood Shrike, Helen Aquilla. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory–or to an unimaginable doom.

Skyhunter by Marie Lu: Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in Mara. When a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. 

The Shadow Glass (Bone Witch #3) by Rin Chupeco: Bone witch Tea’s dark magic eats away at her, but she must save the one she loves most, even while her life—and the kingdoms—are on the brink of destruction.

Song of the Abyss (Towers of Wind #2) by Makiia Lucier: When menacing raiders attack her ship, navigator Reyna must use every resource at her disposal, including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom.

Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao: After cruelly rejecting Bao, the poor physician’s apprentice who loves her, Lan, a wealthy nobleman’s daughter, regrets her actions. After learning that Bao’s soul has been trapped inside a flute by a witch, Lan vows to make amends and help break the spell.

Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) by Julie Kagawa: As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna: In this sci-fi retelling of the  Mahabrahata, Esmae learns that the King of Wychstar is offering the unbeatable warship Titania to the winner of his competition and she sees her chance to return home and help her brother win back his kingdom.

The Speaker (Sea of Ink and Gold #2) by Traci Chee: Having barely escaped the clutches of the Guard, Sefia and Archer are back on the run, slipping into the safety of the forest to tend to their wounds and plan their next move.

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim: 17-year-old Maia Tamarin poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor, and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars, with help from the mysterious court magician, Edan.

Spell Starter (Caster #2) by Elsie Chapman: Yes, Aza Wu now has magic back, but now she’s in the employ of the gang leader, St. Willow. Who soon decides that having Aza as a fighter is much more lucrative than as a fixer.

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar: Inspired by Hindu mythology, half-mortal, half-star Sheetal enters a celestial competition to save her human father’s life.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi:  Treated with scorn and fear in her father's kingdom because of a formidable horoscope, 16-year-old Maya commits herself to her education only to land in an arranged marriage that culminates in her sudden elevation to the throne, a situation that is threatened by dark secrets and Otherworldly magic.

Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Choski:Three lush and adventurous stories in the Star-Touched world.

Steelstriker (Skyhunter #2) by Marie Lu: After the fall of Mara, and with the fate of a broken world hanging in the balance, Talin and Red must reunite the Strikers and find their way back to one another.

Storm the Earth (Shatter the Sky #2) by Rebecca Kim Wells: Maren and her girlfriend Kaia set out to rescue Sev  in Zafed, and free the dragons from the corrupt emperor.

The Storyteller (Sea of Ink and Gold #3) by Traci Chee: Sefia is determined to keep Archer out of the Guard’s clutches and their plans for war between the Five Kingdoms. As Sefia and Archer watch Kelanna start to crumble to the Guard’s will, they will have to choose between their love and joining a war that just might tear them apart.

Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan: In this steampunk fantasy set in Qing dynasty-inspired China, warrior girl Anlei teams up with a thief to save her village from shadow spirits, but after arriving at the Courts of Hell, a discovery challenges everything they know about who the real enemy is.

The Suffering (Girl From the Well #2) by Rin Chupeco: When an old friend disappears in Aokigahara, Japan's infamous 'suicide forest,' Tark and the ghostly Okiku must resolve their differences and return to find her. In a strange village inside Aokigahara, old ghosts and an ancient evil lie waiting. 

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong: In 1920s Shanghai, starcrossed heirs to rival gangs, Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, must work together to face a monster that hunts the city streets before the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: A fantasy about triplet sisters separated at birth, where one of the sisters will grow up to be queen of their magical island, but in order to ascend to the throne she must hone her magic for a dark purpose: assassinating her other two sisters before they kill her first.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman: 15 bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

A Thousand Fires by Shannon Price: In modern-day San Francisco where three gangs rule the city streets, half-Filipina teen Valerie Simons enters the Red Bridge Wars to seek vengeance for her younger brother’s death, but soon finds herself torn between old love and new loyalty.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala: In ancient India, soldier Kunal hunts the “Viper,” rebel girl Esha accused of killing his General, embarking on a dangerous cat and mouse game and where both must decide—loyalty to their old lives or to a love that’s made them dream of new ones.

Timekeeper by Tara Sim: set in an alternate Victorian era where clock towers control time, about a teen clock mechanic who is assigned to repair a damaged tower and finds himself falling in forbidden love with the boy he mistakes for his apprentice, but is actually the tower’s clock spirit, and whose life is threatened by a mysterious attacker planting bombs in clock towers across England.

A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir: Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts.

Two Dark Reigns (Three Dark Crowns #3) by Kendare Blake: A victorious Katharine sits on the throne, Mirabella and Arsinoe are in hiding, and an unexpected renegade is about to wage a war of her own. The crown has been won, but these queens are far from done.

Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars #2) by Elizabeth Lim: With a war brewing, master tailor Maia Tamarin will stop at nothing to find her love Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

Vicious Spirits (Gumiho #2) by Kat Cho: With the support of Somin and Junu, Miyoung and Jihoon might just have a shot at normalcy. But Miyoung is getting sicker by the day and her friends don’t know how to save her. With few options remaining, Junu has an idea but it might require the ultimate sacrifice and, let’s be honest, Junu isn’t known for his “generosity.”

Want by Cindy Pon: Set in a teeming, pollution choked Taipei which follows a group of teens living on the seedy fringes of a highly divided society that works only for the elite as they decide to risk everything to take down the powerful company which controls the city. 

Warcross by Marie Lu: When teenage coder Emika Chen hacks her way into the opening tournament of the Warcross Championships, she glitches herself into the game as well as a sinister plot with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. 

Warrior (Dragon King Chronicles #2) by Ellen Oh: Kira, the yellow-eyed demon slayer of Hansong, continues her quest to find the lost treasures of the dragon king's prophecy, save her cousin, the prince, unite her kingdom, and defeat the demon lord

We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1) by Hafsah Faizal: In a world inspired by ancient Arabia, 17-year-old huntress Zafira must disguise herself as a man to seek a lost artifact that could return magic to her cursed world.

We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya #2) by Hafsah Faizal: When Zafria, the Hunter, and Nasir, the Prince of Death both embark on a quest to uncover a lost magic artifact, they encounter an ancient evil long thought destroyed - and discover that the prize they seek may be even more dangerous this time.

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles: Showgirl Kallia, haunted by a dark past, must compete in a magician’s competition in order to secure her ambition and freedom from the handsome, enigmatic keeper of the club, Jack, even as mysterious accidents seem to plague her every move, while crossing paths with another talented magician, Demarco.

When Night Breaks (Kingdom of Hearts #2) by Janella Angeles: The competition has come to a disastrous end, and Daron Demarco’s fall from grace is now front page news. But little matters to him beyond Kallia, the contestant he fell for. With time running out, Kallia must embrace her role in a darker destiny.

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho: After 18-year-old Miyoung Gu, a nine-tailed fox surviving in modern-day Seoul by eating the souls of evil men, kills a murderous goblin to save Jihoon, she is forced to choose between her immortal life and his.

Wildcard (Warcross #2) by Marie Lu: Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Knowing the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she is determined to put a stop to his plans. 

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad: A a multi-perspective feminist narrative about a fierce band of magic-wielding girls—the Wild Ones—who have collectively survived unspeakable things, and together are determined to save other girls from the cruelties and tragedies they’ve had to endure in their own past lives.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones: After her sister is kidnapped by the Goblin King, Liesl journeys to the Underground and is faced with an impossible decision when she finds herself captivated by the strange world and its mysterious ruler.

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco: A girl descended from Filipina mythological heroine Maria Makiling, finds herself caught up in a war between two fairy tale kingdoms, where the fate of Avalon is at stake.

Windborn by Mary Fan: With magicians hot on their trail, air nymph Kiri and magician’s apprentice Darien embark on a treacherous journey through dangerous lands to freedom.

World After (Penryn & The End of Days #2) by Susan Ee: Penryn's search for her kidnapped sister, Paige, leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans, while Raffe must choose between reclaiming his wings--and his role as the angels' leader--or helping Penryn survive.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Adhieh: In this reimagining of The Arabian Nights, Shahrzad plans to avenge the death of her dearest friend by volunteering to marry the murderous boy-king of Khorasan but discovers not all is as it seems within the palace.

Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee: As 17-year-old Carr 'the Raptor' Luka rises to fame in the weightless combat sport of zeroboxing, he learns a devastating secret that jeopardizes not only his future in the sport, but interplanetary relations.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: What if you had one year to save everything you loved?

ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets— and her peaceful kingdom. But she’s frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge – maybe even, someday, love.

TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm – and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year – or suffer the eternal consequences.

THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all – herself?

FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH – OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER. 

Review:

Ruin and renewal, two gods, a bargain, a family at stake, and possible romance all come together in this beautiful story. The story follows Merida of DunBroch, princess and protagonist of the movie Brave, except now she’s older and this all happens a few years after the movie. Merida finds herself between two gods, Feradach, a god of ruin and Cailleach, a god of creation. Merida must prove to the gods that she can change her family in a year or they will all be ruined. Now we will follow Merida through the four seasons as she travels to three different kingdoms to witness the good and bad and help her family change while also uncovering change within herself. We are given more insight into her family, especially her mother and father’s past as well as more characterization of her triplet brothers. I loved the whole “ruin and renewal” lesson of the book, how we sometimes need to destroy something to pave way for something new. Also the very soft romance that just leaves off on an unresolved note?? Please I need a second book or a bonus epilogue or something, you’ve completely shattered me with that unresolved ending Maggie Stiefvater. HONESTLY WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO NOW? I NEED ANSWERS SO BADLY. I did enjoy reading this book but that ending just kind of broke my heart. I want more, I would honestly love a sequel to go on with this story and get some resolution cuz oh god do I need it.

*Thank you Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[roger-that-cap]

once upon a december

summary: you had no idea who you were, how you got to where you were, or even your real age. all you knew was that you needed to go to auren, and something there would help you find the family that you always secretly craved. little did you know, you’d find family far before you actually got to auren.

warnings: nothin’. maybe a little swearing possibly? memory loss (lol)

word count: 4.7k

so, not this being my first multi-chaptered fic up here… WOW. there’s absolutely no reason for me to put this out right now other than the fact that i wanted it to leave my drafts. ha!

part one!

You had known the cold your whole life.  When you woke up after god knows what happened, you were in the cold snow, face buried in it, clothes wet with it, and so that was what you knew. You laid in the snow for what seemed like forever, and you were lucky that a man was on his horse, selling trinkets that were said to belong to some lost princess of a far off land. The “Land of Always Summer”, everyone in the orphanage liked to call it. He carried you up onto his horse and dumped you right at the orphanage, and you weren’t even conscious enough to move your lips to thank him. But you would never forget his face and the way he tipped his hat, snow flurrying around before hopping up on his horse again and disappearing like he never existed in the first place. 

  The cold was the first thing you remembered, and the first part of the life that you now knew. Everything else was such a blur that you never even bothered to attempt at remembering what your life used to be, especially not when all of the other kids were around. 

  Growing up, they all thought you were weird. They had all been dropped off as young children, some even babies in the vicious winter storm. They knew that they couldn’t have done anything that made their parents want to chuck them, because they were too young to do so. But you? For you to have been thrown to the side at fifteen or sixteen years old, you must have been really weird. And to make it worse, you couldn’t even defend yourself. You knew nothing about yourself. Not even your name. But they had that covered for you.  

 At first, they called you Stacy. It was an old name, a name that was slowly on the rise again. It was easy to remember, and it wasn’t degrading, so you went with it at first. And then, one night, you woke up and shook your head, determined to name yourself, and not have others name you. You would give yourself at least that. Something would be yours, and if it wasn’t going to be memories, then it would be your name. You decided randomly on Y/N, and then that was what you were called from there. For years at the orphanage, that was who you were. 

  But you were done. It was the day. You had finally come of age, and it was time for you to leave, unless you wanted to be employed there. You surely did not. You were ready to get away from the people that ran the place, and the children that you grew up with and watched grow, except one. You were packing your bag, trying to keep the smile off of your face in order to not make any of the others feel bad. 

 “Today, isn’t it?” You jumped, even though the voice was one that you easily recognized. It was Lucas, the little boy who had practically become your shadow ever since he was brought to the doorstep as a baby. You were the oldest kid, you were a girl, and he had no mother. You were the one who was in charge of taking care of him because somehow, you knew how to take care of children. And you loved him, you loved him more than you had ever loved anything in your “new” life. He would be the hardest thing to leave, without question. 

  “Yes, honey.” You stopped packing your small bag so that you could walk up to him and crouch down to his height, his curly hair and sad brown eyes really plucking at your heartstrings. “I’m leaving now.” 

  “When will you be back?” He asked slowly, his eyes getting a little watery. But he had thick skin, skin so thick, skin that no child should have to wear. He wiped his eyes quickly. “Will you be back at all?” 

  “I will be, one day.” He was young, and you were hopeful, but you both knew that the chances of you coming back to the mild hell of the orphanage were slim to none. 

  “I want to leave, too.” He said, his voice tapering off into a whine at the end, his brows scrunching together. “I don’t like it here.” 

In every aspect, you thought about taking him with you. But you had nothing to support him with. You were sure that you were going to starve for a while even by yourself, and you couldn’t take the possibility of him being taken in by a good family who could provide for him away because you wanted to keep him close. “I know you don’t, sweetheart. But someone is going to see just how adorable you are and give you everything you want, alright?” 

 “A good mommy or daddy?” 

“Absolutely, my love.” You pulled him into a hug and closed your eyes, and you knew that it would probably be the last time that you were ever going to hug him. You squeezed him twice, drawing out a giggle from his little body. “Because you… what? Finish.” 

 “Because I deserve it.” 

You pulled away and smiled with pride. “That’s right. Because you deserve it.” You patted his head before turning to finish with your bag, and you hoped that you were fast enough so that he didn’t see your watering eyes. 

 It took him a few more minutes to say anything, but you knew that he was standing there and watching with his wide eyes, curiosity flaring up inside of him like always. “Don’t you have a coat?” He asked quietly. “It’s winter time.” 

“Sure, I have a coat,” you lied, your voice a calming hum in the otherwise quiet room.

 You didn’t have a coat anymore. You gave him your coat not even three weeks ago, when the heat of the fire wasn’t enough for him to stay warm in the dark of the night. You worked with dull scissors all night and a thick sewing needle that you borrowed without the warden knowing, and you got to work with the needle and made him a nice fur blanket. It was much nicer than any of the ones that any of you and the others had ever been given, and he was convinced that you hired a seamstress to make it for him. You took the compliment. 

  That was your clue, though. Your singular clue to who you were, and it wasn't even big. You remembered how to do nothing but walk, talk, write, and read in the beginning. You were about as smart as anyone else, and unlike them, you had no hobbies. Until you went to a village and saw a cheap little sewing kit, and it sparked something so faint in your mind that you knew that you would work extra chores just to be able to buy it. You knew it. 

 You were an absolute goddess with a needle and some fabric, as it turned out. Your hand never wavered, your aim was never off, and no stitch was ever too tight or too loose. Your first stitching was immaculate, and so were your second, and third, and so forth. It wasn’t until Sophia, a girl who had been with you since you had started, suggested that it was a clue to who you once were that you truly considered it to be. From then on, sewing was all you had. You hoped that it would be enough. 

  “Why don’t you get on to breakfast, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.” You suggested, turning your head to give him a little smile of encouragement. He shrugged his shoulders and bounded away, leaving you with your own thoughts for a moment. 

You knew what you had to do. You had to go to the nearest town and get a job there, wherever you could knit something. You would get fast money there, hopefully, and maybe the money that you got would make you enough to buy a ticket, one to take you to the one place that stuck in your mind like it was pasted. Auren. 

Ever since you heard of the land where warmth surrounded you and the sun came down brightly on everything that breathed, you wanted to go. The cold was welcoming in a way, but the Kingdom of Auren was said to be the prettier one between it and Yuran. Yuran was cold and unforgiving, but beautiful if one allowed themselves an open mind. You didn’t want to have to think too much, not about something that should be so plain in front of you. But Auren was far, and it was expensive to get there. 

Chore money hardly got you that sewing kit, and it sure as hell wasn’t enough for a horse, or a train ticket. 

  By the time you got to the breakfast table with your bag around your shoulders, your plate was already made. Lucas was sitting next to it, where he always sat, and he grinned at you the second you walked into the room. The others were all demolishing their breakfast, because it was a good meal today. Bacon and eggs and even pancakes, which were a rarity. A big meal was made every time a person aged out or got adopted, and it was tradition. You almost teared up. It was your big meal, this time. 

You sat down in the chair and ruffled Lucas’s hair, putting the napkin on your lap and rearranging your spoon and fork. The sounds of cutlery against dishes was almost as loud as the others chewing, sloppily and without a care in the world as they stole glances at you, even the ones who didn’t particularly care for you. 

“Loosen up, would you?” A boy named Julius asked, like he did at every meal. “You always look so… so…” 

“You look fancy when you eat.” Sophia explained in a bored tone, nodding towards the way you held your fork and knife. “I don’t know why he feels the need to say it every single time we sit down together, but-”

“Because it’s true, Sophie,” he spat, and you sighed. You wouldn't miss the arguing, that was for sure. 

“So, where will you go?” Dalia, a brown skinned girl who had the cutest gap in her teeth and the brightest eyes in the orphanage asked. 

“I’m hoping to get a job as a seamstress in the village,” you said somewhat strongly, even though you were nervous. Actually, you were nearly bursting out of your own skin. What if they didn’t take you? 

“That will be a good job for you, you’re really good at it.” The entire facility could agree on that. Every time one of them ruined their pants or ripped a shirt so badly that the caretakers just told them to throw it away, they came to you. From the time that you came and up until the day you left, you had made entire wardrobes for them all. 

“I hope so, Dal.” You sighed out, giving a nice smile when you put a syrupy piece of pancake in your mouth, not talking until you swallowed again. “Are you guys going to be good?” 

“We’re always good, Y/N,” Lucas said with a small eye roll. “You don’t have to worry about us.” You wished that you didn’t. 

After everyone was finished eating, the door opened, and in walked the tall and broad shouldered woman who owned the orphanage. You saw all of the other kids sigh and look away, and you did the opposite. You were older, and this woman was mean, but she didn’t scare you. She was bitter, but that was all she was. “You’re leaving.” 

“In a few minutes,” you added, and then kept eye contact with her when you put a piece of bacon in your mouth, nearly collapsing at the taste. God, breakfast hadn’t been so good since Susanne left. You felt Lucas tug on your pant leg, his arm reaching under the table. 

“Good.” The woman said, and she gave you a once over. “I imagine that you’d want to work at the dress shop in the village, correct?” 

“That’s my goal.” 

“Hm.” She took a few steps closer. “I heard there’s an opening there, if you want it.” She looked towards the windows. “But you’ll have to make it quick. You’re not the only girl with quick fingers and a needle, you know.”

She wanted you out. You knew that. She never really liked you, and you never cared for her much, either. You came too late for her to get attached to, not even in that oddly placed way that she loved everyone else. “When do you suggest I take my leave?”

“Within the hour,” she answered immediately. “You don’t want to get lost in the dark, you know.” You frowned. It was eight in the morning, there was no way that the sun was going down any time soon. You knew that she just wanted you to leave, and so did everyone else at the table who was older than nine. 

“Okay.” You said, not anywhere near to being in the mood to start an argument with her. That’s not how you wanted Lucas to remember you, at all. So, you kissed his forehead, waved goodbye to all of the other kids, and then got up from your chair. 

The worst part of leaving was finally approaching, close enough to raise its fist and knock on your door. You had seen it happen millions of times it seemed, and yet, you thought that you would be exempt from it. The children were always ushered back to their rooms once another left, and you were sure that it had everything to deal with not wanting them to see what freedom looked like. The warden didn’t want them to witness what it looked like when an orphan got their own wings.

“Wait!” Lucas shouted, and he nearly yanked your arm out of the socket before shoving a little, wooden toy soldier in your hand, the one that he always played with. 

Your heart was warm. It was so warm that you had a hard time forming your next words, your mind so full of adoration for this little boy who had been your living shadow, your source of happiness in a world that had given you none at all, nevermind on a silver platter. You took in a deep breath at seeing one out of two of his favorite toys, the one that he always made you take so that he could play with the other one. The one he was trying to give you had an idle gun with it, and the other had it cocked aimed. Lucas’s one won every time. 

You gave him a sad smile. “No, kiddo, you can keep it.” 

“I have another one.” He rushed out. “Please, take it. That way we can still play when we’re far away.” 

Oh. Oh. If you could have chosen to stay there with him until he grew too old to be there, you would have. You would have a million times over. You knew that he had even the old, bitter woman thinking twice about her decision to throw you out when she made a hmph noise and turned away, her long dress exiting last. 

“Alright. I’ll take it, Lucas.” You ruffled his hair again. “I’m gonna miss you so much.” 

“I’ll miss you, too.” He hugged you tightly, and then you were swarmed by all of the younger kids, who held you all together in the customary send off hug as tears came through your shut eyes. 

“I’m going to miss all of you, you know.” 

“I’ll miss you, too,” you heard back, coming from about twenty different voices that you recognized individually. 

“I’ll miss you. Even that posh accent and the way that you eat and sit,” Julius admitted, and you cracked a smile at him. 

“I don’t have an accent, but, thank you.” You said, and you reached over and flicked his forehead. “You guys are all amazing, and don’t you ever not think that for a second. You deserve the best, and one day, you’ll get that for yourselves.” 

You looked at all of their faces, and saw them watching you. Despite how much some of the older ones didn’t like you sometimes simply because you were older, they listened to you. “You are the best children anyone could ever ask for, and if people don’t see that, they’re dumb.” 

“We don’t need parents to feel validated,” Sophie nodded. 

“Precisely!” You said, and then you cleared your throat when you saw some of them look at you strangely. “Exactly. Now, you guys remember that, okay?” They nodded their heads, and you pulled your back tighter. “Alright. I’ll miss you.” 

You watched them be ushered into their rooms, watching the backs of their heads disappear, even hearing a few sniffles. You clenched your jaw and cleared your throat, shaking your head clear of any worries or trace of sadness, and then you walked up to the door. 

No one would accompany you out there. No one was going to be able to tell you which way to go, not metaphorically or even directions wise. There wasn’t going to be anyone like Sophia, who had clued you in on your past so kindly before. No one was going to be beside you, and you were going to miss it, no matter how nagging everyone was. 

  You took in a deep breath as you felt the chill of the door on your hand, and you wrapped yourself in the blanket that came from your bag. You only regretted for a split second that Lucas had your coat, but then you remembered that he needed it much more than you did. And so, he had it. You opened the door to light snowfall, and immediately once you stepped onto the cold ground, a snowflake fell onto your cheek. 

Slowly, you walked up to the rusted gates that were probably once a brilliant silver, and then you looked back at the rundown place before touching the gate, forgetting all about rust. You took in a second deep breath and closed your eyes, because you knew that once you stepped foot outside of the gates of the orphanage, there was no going back. 

You were an orphan no longer once you stepped away. You were an adult. You were the caretaker, not the one to be cared for. 

You nodded your head to yourself and pushed the door to the gates open, hearing the same sound that you had always heard after breakfast when someone left, but it was much louder up close. You almost jumped at how easy it was to get open, and then you slipped through, shutting it after yourself quickly. You huffed out a breath and saw it fog up in the air, and then you felt tears burn in your eyes. 

You were leaving behind the family that you barely even realized that you had. And you would likely never see them again. And this was all because you wanted to find the family that had tossed you aside like yesterday’s newspaper, like you were someone else’s problem. 

But it wasn’t really to meet them, you knew. It was so that you could see what you had or hadn’t been missing. 

Your feet were moving before you even knew that they were. You looked back and couldn’t even see the orphanage anymore, and you had a strong urge to run in again and say that you regretted leaving, but you couldn’t. So you kept walking. 

§§§

You didn’t have a watch, but you knew that it had been hours since you started walking away from the orphanage. Your hands were getting a tingly feeling in them, and your pants were wet with snow. They weren’t nearly enough for you to be protected, and you really regretted not saving up for some real pants instead of a new sewing kit. 

You hadn’t passed a single road sign during the entire walk. You expected to see something, maybe even a landmark that the bitter woman would talk about, something that would spark a memory even, but you got nothing. You had absolutely no idea where you were, and you were starting to get scared. 

You were definitely in the woods, that was for sure. You were in so deep that turning back was the less intelligent option. You hadn’t heard another voice in hours, or even the sound of horses and carriages. Nothing. Where the hell were you? 

 Your foot caught a tree root that was hidden by a somewhat thick layer of snow, and you went down hard. You grunted when you hit the ground, and you immediately reached out for the ankle that started throbbing. You hissed when you touched it and then threw your head back, nearly starting to cry from being scared out of your mind and frustrated at the same time. 

“Why didn’t they give me a map?” You asked aloud, slamming a hand on the ground before bracing yourself to stand on the very tree that had got the better of you.

You only got three steps before falling over again, the pain in your ankle far too strong for you to go much further. You bit down a cry as you tilted your head up towards the sky, which was getting darker by the minute. 

You were going to die out there. After your first night alone. You were about to die. 

“Um, miss?” You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of another voice, scrambling up even though you felt the pain in your ankle intensify. “You shouldn’t stand on that.” 

When you finally turned around, you were met with a man on a gray horse, who looked just as confused as you. Even from the distance you were at, you could tell that he was handsome. His blue eyes contrasted nicely with his dark hair that was cut short with just the slightest hint of waviness. He tilted his head sideways at you, like he was trying to see something, and then the weirdest of noises escaped his lips, a strangled gasp that startled you even more. “Ale- who are you?”

You turned your head behind you, thinking that his slightly horrified question couldn’t have been directed towards you. “Do you see something?” 

“Who are you?” He repeated, his voice slightly choked yet as sharp as a blade. His horse trotted closer without him even speaking a command. He stopped a few paces in front of you, and you looked up at him directly for the first time and nearly cried. He was huge. And he looked like he could crush you.

  “I- wait, who are you?” If there was one thing the orphanage taught you, it was to not talk to men you didn’t know. It was a way to get hurt or murdered. Everyone knew that. Not even men on horses who could pass for rich knights could be trusted. 

It took a few moments of mutual staring for him to even think about saying anything. “I’m James,” he answered cautiously, like you were the one to be wary of. “And you are?” 

You kept your grimace to yourself. You had two choices; to be friendly with this man and hope that he gave you a bit of shelter for the night without anything in return, or to be rude and possibly save your life, or ruin it all the same. You were leaning towards the first choice. 

It took you a moment to clear the cobwebs of thought from your mind and come up with an answer. When you did, it seemed like he was hanging on edge for your response, like it would make a few things in his life miraculously make sense. “I’m Y/N.” 

 He gave you a look. It was long, curious, and doubting. You thought for a second that he was surely seeing through you, seeing a version of you that you weren’t aware of. He breathed in through his nose, looking you up and down. “How old are you?”

You frowned at the question automatically. “You know, it’s not polite to ask a woman her age.” 

 You could have sworn that his lips tilted upwards before he schooled his features. “Are you camping?” 

“I-”  were you to tell him that you were utterly helpless? Was that the smartest thing to tell a man so big and obviously strong? You wouldn’t stand a chance if he decided to be your worst nightmare, not at all. But something in you knew that he wasn’t anything like that. Something knew. “I’m kind of lost.” 

“Where are you trying to go?”

“I’m trying to find the village, where there’s an opening for a seamstress.” 

  His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “You’re a seamstress?” 

“I’m trying to be.”

“Have you learned?” He asked, and you looked towards your freezing feet. 

 You should have expected that question. If not from a stranger in the woods, than from a possible employer. You sighed. “No, I never learned. No one taught me.” 

“Then how do you plan on becoming a seamstress?” 

You looked up at him for a second, trying to keep your teeth from chattering as you decided to shed your bag and put it on the ground, opening it up to reveal some shirts and pants that you had made on your own. “I made these myself.” He made a noise. 

 “I thought you said you never learned?” 

“I didn’t,” you said softly, the warmth of the clothes feeling good in your hand. “I never did learn, I just did it one day. And it’s been what I do ever since.” 

 He was still giving you that look, like he was expecting something more, or like you were some type of ghost or hallucination. The staring match took a while, and you were starting to feel the numbness of your ankle wear off. “My friend and I are in need of someone who’s good with a needle.” 

 That wasn’t exactly what you wanted to hear, unless he and his friend owned a sewing shop. Judging by his appearance, it was unlikely that he did. “I should be finding town.” 

“The nearest town is about thirty leagues, and there are no openings for seamstresses—or  any job really—there.” He said. “I can take you to the nearest town, my pal is waiting there for me.” 

 You were thinking far too hard for such an easy question. Thirty leagues was too far for you to clear by yourself before nightfall, and if night fell on you, you were as good as dead. You tried to think about it, but you knew your answer. You were done if you didn’t get on that horse. “I… okay. I think I’ll have to take you up on that, James.” 

  “Do you need help getting on the horse?” He asked, and though you had never even been on a horse before, you shook your head. You weren’t going to let the man grab on your waist and hoist you up. You would fall ten times before that happened, because that was far more embarrassing. 

  “No, thanks.” You were scared. You had never seen a horse so close before, and they were much bigger than you expected. Horses were for the rich, and that was partly why you were riding with this man. If he was needing someone who could sew and had a horse, he would pay you well for something that you enjoyed. It seemed good, in theory. 

You took in a deep breath as you threw yourself up there, expecting fully to slip and land right on your butt, but you didn’t. And he didn’t help you, either. In a movement as fluid as water, you were on the horse, in the exact position that you were supposed to be in. You frowned at yourself, looking down at your legs in muted surprise. 

“I’m shocked you made it,” you heard him rumble, and you nodded. “Most people who ride for the first time can’t do that.” 

You added that to your memory bank, another clue to the screwed up mystery you were playing around with. You watched your sigh come out of your mouth, your breath coming out in smoke because of the cold. “Guess I’ve ridden before.”

*****

this isn’t what i usually write, but man, was this fun. i hope you guys liked this little part! come back if you want, and you’ll meet steve!! i hope you guys liked it, thank you so much for reading this far, y’all have my heart fr

[5-seconds-of-bucky]

Undertow (IV)

CH IV: Market Moments

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: none

Listen to the audio version here!

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 

Shawn felt slight guilt for letting the fib glide so smoothly off of his tongue. He and every other native to the town knew the market stands would have a slim chance of selling cheeseballs. Shawn knew not only because he works there, but also because he found the clear tub of the snack at an actual grocery store.

But the fib was worth it in his eyes. It resulted in Y/N running amuck in a quest for the orange snack, asking any patron she ran into where she could find some. Shawn just kept chuckling at her from his designated stand, apron tied around his waist. Anytime Brian noticed his employee’s lack of concentration during the beginning of the shift he would remind him in a stern tone to “keep your eyes on the bananas, not the girl.” And any bystander would have thought that comment triggered Shawn’s immediate tensing muscles and nostrils, flaring like a bull.

His employer knew, though, comments like those never put Shawn on edge like that. Brian’s eyes followed the young man’s gaze to see the same Y/N Shawn had introduced him to earlier that day. It was the stranger chatting her up, with his shoulder against one of the wooden beams nearby, that caught his attention. Based on the fuming reaction of the one beside him, the man piqued Shawn’s interest just as much. His sandy blonde hair and all-too-tight shirt made Shawn think to himself, why not just tattoo try-hard on your forehead?

“Jealous much?” Brian mumbles beside Shawn’s ear, resulting in a surprised yelp from the proximity. Though his emotions were undeniable, he refused them anyway.

“M’not.” Crossing his arms over his torso, Brian immediately patted one of his biceps in an attempt to bring them down.

“Don’t look so angry. Customers will think you’re unapproachable,” he hisses. Shawn obeys for the sake of his paycheck but refrains from straying his eyes from the two for long. Any customer who wanted assistance purchasing an item or had a question they demanded Shawn answer, the boy would only spare eye contact with them for fifty percent of the conversation.

“It’s been fifteen minutes. What could he possibly be talking about with her?”

Brian hums. “People talk about lots of things. Who knows, maybe they’re finding they have lots in common.” Shawn only scoffs at this.

“Please,” she’s a walking mermaid talking to a mooching lifeguard, Shawn thinks, “they have nothing in common.”

“Okay, how long can you hold your breath for?” Wesley’s lips form a devious smirk as the question leaves them. Y/N’s lips can only part, losing all acts of shaping anything near an answer. Her mind suffices a simple “just a while” seconds later, hoping it wasn’t too vague to beckon more questions. Lucky for her, it seems Wesley has a knack for caring more about the response to his own questions rather than hers. This was nothing new to Y/N, who did in fact, grow up with her father as a parent.

“My record is six minutes and fourteen seconds. It’s on my bucket list to beat the world record: twenty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds. I know it’s ambitious, but…” frankly, Y/N is growing bored of the conversation. As guilty as it sounds, she saw no point in speaking to Wesley when she would vanish from his world in a few days and head off to...somewhere else.

“Hey, let me ask you something,” she breaks off Wesley’s incessant chatting with a small smile and does not wait for his go-ahead to continue. “If you could go live anywhere on Earth, where would it be?” Wesley’s lips form a small ring as a strange, high-pitched tone leaves them. Y/N stands with wide-eyes and is too afraid to ask what that was or where it came from, deciding to stay silent.

“Does it have to be real, or can it be mythical?”

“I mean…preferably real, but--”

“Because my father always told me these stories when I was younger about this place on Earth. He claimed society was so different down there compared to the one on land, that he called it a world in our world.”

“D-down there?” Y/N responds in a meek voice, eyebrows raising.

“Yeah...Atlantis. You’ve heard the stories too, I’m assuming.”

“I mean...I’ve only seen it in that movie about the fish girl.”

“The mermaid,” he corrects.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Well, my dad described it differently. He said that their kingdom was built and crafted from a sunken city. Even after seeing it demolished and crumbled, the Atlanteans knew they could transform it into something incredible. And he went on about all these abilities they have, like how their eyes adjust naturally to the darkness of the water, how they have this innate connection to marine life and can communicate with any sea animal that crosses their path; they don’t even need to hold their breaths underwater!”

“Sounds like your father was a great storyteller…” Y/N chuckles nervously, eyes darting to the passing bystanders who continue giving Wesley concerning looks. Her blood was quickly running cold in fear of finding somebody with similar, piercing eyes Wesley’s father probably mentioned too.

“That’s the thing. My father might have been good at telling stories, but he is a horrible liar. I remember the fourth time asking him how Santa Claus could get into our house with no chimney and a locked door he could not come up with an answer and told me it was a myth. The same thing happened when I asked why we had to buy eggs when the Easter Bunny got millions for free. And when I asked how the Tooth Fairy had access to all the printing presses to international currencies without being arrested, he got upset with me...told me I was too smart for my own good.”

Y/N is slowly becoming baffled by the precarious names he is throwing out and decides to let him continue. Drawing any suspicion to herself due to confusion over well-known characters of the land-walkers is the last thing she needs.

“But, when it came to talking about Atlantis, he never seemed to run out of details. Any question I asked about it, he always seemed to have an answer for. I would ask more about it now because everything inside of me is telling me it’s a real place. But...I’m scared if I confront my dad about it…”

“He’ll tell you it’s fake.” Y/N pieces the end together for him. His lopsided smile slowly turns into that of a frown, earning a sympathetic gaze from Y/N. “Well, I don’t know how credible I am as a stranger, but…” She lifts a hand to rest on Wesley’s shoulder, “I think your father is right. You are too smart for your own good...and I think if such a place were to exist, there would be more evidence of it.” Wesley nods but soon pauses, becoming entranced by Y/N’s sincere gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice demands.

“Huh? Oh, nothing you just,” he clears his throat, “you have really pretty eyes.”

The orbs he was transfixed on moments before widen at this compliment. All at once, her mind rewinds itself to replay this afternoon with Shawn; his curls tickling her neck, the chuckle in his throat vibrating against her and her ruining their “moment”, a word she has yet to find a clear definition on. She also replays Connor’s entrance and comments about Shawn looking near ready to lock lips with her or be her utter demise through suffocation. Either activity sounded both passionate and intimate in a way Y/N was unclear about wanting with Wesley.

“Oh,” she whispers, dropping her arm from his shoulder in a haste.

“I-I’m sorry, that was awkward,” Wesley apologizes.

“No, no it’s alright. I just...I don’t want you to choke me,” she blurts, earning a few puzzled stares from those around them.

“What?”

“Or kiss me. Or...I don’t know, whatever happens in these moments.”

“Moments?” One of Wesley’s brows arch.

“Yes, a moment. Was that a moment? Because I think I just had my first one today and I’m not sure how--”

“Hey, Y/N, breathe.” He reaches both hands out to take her by the shoulders, quickly demonstrating a deep inhale and long exhale. She follows, mimicking his timed breaths down to the second. “It doesn’t have to be a moment if you don’t want it to be.” She nods, slowing her quick breaths and throwing a glance over her shoulder subconsciously for a quick peruse at Shawn’s figure behind the wooden stand. She smiles to herself, seeing his concentrating frame bend and twist meticulously to stack the bunches of bananas to perfection.

“Was it with Shawn?” Wesley asks. Y/N looks back toward him, pulling her brows together.

“Was…”

“Your moment. It was with Shawn, wasn’t it?”

“I..uh…” Her cheeks begin glowing red upon being caught.

“Hey, I’m not going to be upset.” He shakes his head, blonde streaks falling against his eyelashes. “Mendes and I might be tough on the water, but…” He takes his hands off of her shoulders, “I could never hate the dude enough to take his girl.” Y/N spares Wesley a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” She mumbles, preparing to pivot and return to Shawn’s stand.

“Oh, wait, Y/N--” the girl’s head turns back, humming.

“Where would you go, if you had the chance?” His question makes her eyes flicker down in thought, a pondering silence filling the air around the two.

“I’m not sure, actually. I don’t know if there is a place that could live up to this…” Through her answer, Wesley’s eyes met Shawn’s above her shoulder. Realizing he’d been caught, Shawn turned his body away, the feeling of dejection consuming his insides by the sight of his savior and worst enemy conversing.

“Well, just know a lot of people would miss you here if you left. More than just me,” he says, pressing a palm against his chest. Y/N looks behind her once more, only to be met with Shawn’s back.

“He would especially miss you.”

Another fond smile crawls onto her lips as she thanks Wesley again. When she turns to retreat to Shawn and Brian, the sinking feeling Wesley was awaiting inside of him felt more like a hot air balloon running off of helium than it did a whale with an anchor. As he begins walking in the opposite direction, sparing cursory glances at some of the products or swim trunks he walks past, his phone begins blaring its ringtone. He is stunned to pull it out and to be met with a pixelated version of his father and the name “DAD” overtaking the screen. Did his father finally keep his promise?

“Dad, hey!” The young man greets with exuberance.

“Hey, son. Finally got some free time…” Ripley announces at a regular volume. Hidden in between a few displays, he peers at Wesley slowly drifting from the curious girl, who was now speaking to an associate and pointing to the yellow fruits between them. “Tell me, how is it going? Did you win that surfing contest?”

“Yeah, but it kind of sucked to win now that I think about it. One of the other guys got really hurt.”

“Eh, I’m sure he’ll be fine. That’s what a rookie gets for going up against my son!” he barks a laugh. “I bet that trophy won you a couple of girls’ attention, huh?” Wesley gulps.

“I mean...not really--”

“Don’t lie to me, son. I can hear how lovesick you are. What’s her name?”

“Are you almost done yet?” Y/N groaned after Shawn finished up with a customer. She was sitting in a chair Shawn found under their table, picking at her nails in hopes that something interesting would happen.

“We’ve got another hour before we close up but then we have to put everything away so it’ll probably be an hour and 45 minutes before we can leave.” He shot her a smile as she dramatically slumped in the chair.

“They didn’t even have cheeseballs! I wasted half my day asking people if they had cheeseballs and they looked at me like I was insane.”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help that she wanted the orange delicacy and in her opinion, these people were insane for not having it. “Just shut up and do your work so we can get out of here faster.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“I know what I want. Can you blame me?”

Shawn turned his back to her, opting to ignore her complaints instead of feed the fire.

“So you’re ignoring me now? Rude.”

He tried his best to keep the laugh in.

“That’s fine. I’ll find someone else to talk to.” She stood up and brushed off her pants, purposely bumping Shawn in the shoulder as she walked past. He reached out to grab her arms before she could get too far, forcing her to stop and turn around to look at him. “What, scared I’m going to find someone else to buy me cheeseballs?”

“Just stay safe.” There had been something nagging at his gut since he saw her with Wesley earlier and he was wary to let her out of his sight since then.

“Okay?” She gave him a funny look. “I’ll stay safe, no need to worry. Trust me, I know how to take care of myself.” It didn’t make Shawn feel much better but he let go of her anyways.

She walked off, only looking back once to shoot him a wink. He could only shake his head as he went back to work, wondering how it had been only one day and he was already infatuated with this girl.

Y/N walked around from table to table, actually taking the time to look at the contents this time. She didn’t have any money, as she found out earlier that day, but she still enjoyed looking at what each stand had to offer.

She looked around for a while before one stand in particular caught her eye. It was pushed back in a darker corner of the marketplace that people would probably miss if they weren’t paying attention.

She approached the table slowly, making sure to not startle the person running it, who seemed to be asleep in their chair. The table was decorated in an array of beachy looking stones and jewelry.

The person woke in her presence, sitting up and pushing their sunglasses up on their nose. “Why hello there.”

Y/N smiled at them, suddenly offset by their demeanor. She kept her gaze on the trinkets on the table, running her fingers over the symbols imprinted in them. Some posed a striking resemblance to the things she could find in her jewelry back home. Or, what used to be home.

“See something you like?”

“Yeah, they look a lot like-” She stopped herself, realizing that she almost revealed her identity.

“Like what?” They leaned forward, urging her to go on.

“Just, uh, something I saw in the store the other day.”

“You know,” They leaned back, crossing their arms over their chest. “Some say these came from Atlantis. Straight from the room of the princess.”

“Oh really?” She forced a laugh, retracting her hand to her chest. “Won’t the princess be upset that her things were taken?”

“She lives there no more. Ran away from an arranged marriage and was never found. I’m sure she cares very little about what happens to her old possessions.”

“That makes sense.” Her voice was so quiet she almost didn’t hear herself.

“Please, take whatever you’d like. I’ll give it to you, half price.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I can’t.” She looked back to Shawn on the other side of the market, seeing him busy bagging some fruit for a customer.

“Are you sure? Such a beautiful girl deserves beautiful jewelry. Perhaps that boy you’ve been sitting with would want to get you a gift?”

“I really should get going.” Y/N nervously scratched her upper arm. “Thank you though.”

“Always! Come back any time.” They gave her a sly smile and she took a few steps back. “Have a great day.”

“Uh, you too.” She gave a polite smile and nod, turning around and hastily making her way back to Shawn.

The vendor pulled their sunglasses down from their eyes, revealing a pair of piercing green eyes. They pulled out a phone from their back pocket and unlocked it, clicking on the name Ripley in their contacts and bringing the phone to their ear.

Someone picked up at the last second, a gruff “what?” to greet the caller.

“It’s Merlin,” the vendor spoke. “I’ve got eyes on the subjects.”

Shawn’s post-work exhaustion and shopping trip from earlier in the day made heaviness caress his eyelids without complaint. Y/N hoped it would be the same for her, but she felt there was a kickdrum where her heart usually lied and the incessant wriggling of her toes beneath the bedsheets was impossible to control. This night in particular was when the girl felt scared to let sleep wash over her like a high-tide. Various scenarios of her waking up tomorrow without Shawn beside her or not in his bed played in her mind on an unrelenting loop.

The lime green digits on Shawn’s nightstand read 2:23 when the girl surrendered to the endeavor of catching shut-eye and opted for shuffling from beneath the covers and waddling to the kitchen. Despite seeing Shawn lock it earlier that night, she inspects the front door anyway. She does the same with the windows, even going as far as to flip the lock back and forth to build the small sense of security she felt. Even then paranoia still cloaked her mind and hypnotized her to grab the near-empty bin of cheeseballs from the kitchen cabinet and situate herself into a sitting position on the kitchen island, eyes pointed directly at the meager shard between the curtains of the kitchen window.

Slowly, the girl grew disoriented from the lack of sleep and stress harboring her for the last few days. The vision her distressed subconscious conjured is one far more macabre than she could have manifested while awake. Not only did they find her, but they kidnapped Shawn alongside her and drug him down to the depths of the water with no mercy. The scream he elicited when he no longer carried any valuable oxygen was muffled and distraught. Bubbles blurred his face, which, in turn, made tears build beneath Y/N’s eyelids. When she witnessed the facade of him go limp in the guard’s merciless hold and begin sinking, the whimpering pleas for him to wake up and escape quickly morphed to crackling screams.

When she heard his voice break through clear to her, the lids shielding her vision flung open. Immediately, her eyes stung from the contact of the cold air to her hot tears as she observed Shawn and Connor’s perturbed expressions. Glancing down, she found her arms stiff and cradling the bucket of cheeseballs to her chest.

“Uh…” she sits herself up, mimicking the position she was in last night before trying a buoyant tone of voice. “Good morning!”

“Good morning...you alright?” Connor lifts an eyebrow in Y/N’s direction, while Shawn is still lost for words after stumbling into her body tucked inwards and crying out for him.

“I’m good! Just came down for a...late-night snack. I must’ve closed my eyes for a few minutes.” She assures, holding up the plastic bucket for their eyes to study.

“Seems like you were here a little longer than that.” At this comment, she twists her body around and gasps at the numbers on the stove. The numbers 7:04 stared back at her menacingly.

“Woah,” she breathes out, whipping her head back to face Shawn and Connor. “My bad.”

“Were you feeling okay last night?”

“Yes,” she squeaks defensively. “I just...had trouble getting comfortable is all.” Crossing her arms, she refuses to meet Connor’s questioning eyes and Shawn’s features, still locked in place. “I’m going to the bathroom.” Y/N excuses herself in a mumble before sliding off of the counter and scurrying through Shawn’s open bedroom door, shutting it behind her. When a second closing door sounded, Connor looked directly at Shawn’s profile.

“So, you’re not gonna tell her what you heard?” Shawn glanced down to his fingers, picking at his nails.

“Why should I?”

“I mean, if a girl I was into confessed her love for me in her sleep I wouldn’t be standing there keeping quiet.”

And Shawn’s initial reaction was quite the opposite. When Y/N murmured “I love you” followed by his name an undeniable smirk tugged the corner of his lips. The man wasn’t quite sure he felt smitten at the same level, but he could surely reach it. And he wanted to, but the only thing stopping Shawn from planting a kiss to her lips the moment her eyelids fluttered open happened to be the echo of her cautionary messages playing on a loop in his brain. Both knew their relationship already pushed boundaries that threatened their lives to those looking for Y/N and to draw any more attention to themselves would be a ludicrous choice.

Furthermore, Y/N has shown no signs of traveling these last few days. For Shawn to jeopardize this new affair by selfishly wanting more out of it would only result in her packing her bags and leaving. She even preached that she would only provide Shawn with a load of heavy burdens and trouble. He begs to differ, since the moment they crossed paths, his woes were as scant as raindrops. But even in this unacknowledged intimacy, Shawn understood he must reciprocate the blurred lines, throw out the words he can never say to her, realize that she could up and leave any day now.

This new friendship was one Shawn was riding like a bumpy wave. And each time he thinks he may be near the end he plummets back into the thought of her. Every being of Shawn wants to follow Y/N’s instruction and keep paddling to the next wave to sweep him up.

“It was just a dream, Con. It didn’t mean anything.”

Whether or not he had admitted to himself, though, he was already snagged beneath by her undertow. The depth she chooses to yank him down to could be the least of his worries. The only doubt suffocating him is the matter of her deciding to let him go.

Look out for the next part of Undertow coming out 2/19/21!

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[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Day 2: “You should probably go home.”/“But I’m already home.”

masterlist

Kingdom Collisions AU (prequel scene): you do not have to read or be caught up on my Kingdom Collisions fic to know what’s happening here

Princess Piper Mclean wakes up to the midday sun and sighs contentedly, stretching her languid limbs until they shake. It is one of those rare days when her princessely duties are non-existent and her mother wouldn’t bug her because she’s not there. She hears the soft chirp of birds outside and peers out the window to see scarlet-breasted sparrows hopping along the branches and singing merry tunes. She loves summer. Everything is always so cheerful and full of life. It reminds her of childhood. A gentle knock sounds at the door and she recognises it as her handmaid/tutor/nanny. Her friend.

“Come in Anisa.”

“Princess,” She smiles, bowing her head with one hand over her chest.

“Hello,” Piper sits up in bed, “I like your hijab.” It is the most beautiful shade of blue, like sapphires in glittering water.

“Thank you.” Her lady smiles, “I have brought you something to eat.”

“Are we classifying this as breakfast or lunch?” The princess teases, knowing her need for order and compartmentalisation.

“Brunch. A truly glorious invention.” Anisa huffs, scrunching her nose at the crack.

“Well thank you all the same. Are you going to join me?” She takes off the silver cover of the tray to reveal berry and cream waffles and a steaming cappuccino with the prettiest leaf design. “Chef Ambrosia is really getting creative with their designs.”

“I’m pretty sure they just have the biggest crush on you and the only reason they haven’t put a heart is because it would be wholly inappropriate.”

The princess just laughs and digs into her meal with vigour. They talk about non-essential things like her dress for the upcoming ball and their various plans for the weekend. Anisa was finally going home to see her children and anyone could see the excitement radiating off her. Now that she didn't have to be a nanny all the time she could actually look after her own children. Finally the waffle is demolished and the cappuccino nothing but froth.

Anisa looks at her carefully.

Piper raises a brow, “What?”

“I have some news.”

Immediately her heart is beating a thousand miles a minute and there is disaster after disaster crossing her mind. “What?” She says again, this time breathless with worry.

“A certain Prince wants to visit.”

She immediately lets out a gush of air, her whole body dropping in relief. And then she registers what her friend had said and her brown eyes go as wide as saucers. The last time she had seen that prince, because undoubtedly it could only be that prince, she had nearly ruined their lifelong friendship by almost kissing him. Now she doesn’t trust herself around him, which means she’s been avoiding him.

“I think you should say yes.” Anisa gives her a pointed look, “He’s worried something is wrong because you can’t woman up and face your feelings. You’re hurting him by avoiding him.”

The Princess groans, scrubbing a hand across her face. “I know, I know. But I just can’t face him without wanting to either make the world swallow me up or jumping his annoying pretty bones.”

“You should invite him to the ball.”

Piper closes her eyes, the sun suddenly too bright, too hot against her sensitive skin. If she invites Perseus she’ll get to see him and reassure him and actually get to spend time with her friend, which she misses, greatly. Her own fault. If she doesn’t invite him she can put off dealing with her ever-growing, constantly-harder-to-ignore feelings and have an embarrassment, possibly rejection free night. The coward’s way out. She is many things, but a coward has never been one of them.

“Okay,” She nods, letting the decision settle in her core, “Let’s invite him. He can stay the night. Hell the week if he wants.”

Her friend claps her hand and gathers the empty dishes and cutlery. “Ill be here to collect the letter this evening to send out for the night post. Don’t be late.” She waggles a finger, ever the mother. “And use the blue wax seal. It’s his favourite.”

“It is?” Sometimes she feels like a terrible friend.

Anisa just winks and makes a graceful exit, her hijab catching in the once again warm rays, and glittering sweetly.

A week later her castle is abuzz with activity: caterers and decorators and various other event planners all running around like hounds are at their feet. There is little more than an hour to the ball and Piper is finally getting around to putting on her dress and swiping a little lipstick on. She fell in love with her garment the moment she laid eyes on it and now that she sees it in her gilded mirror she feels as if every stitch was made with her in mind. A deep maroon fell across her in waves of silk, starting with the string-thin straps over her shoulders, into the straight neckline, and down, down, down to the skirt that flared at her waist and trailed against the pristine marble floors. She buckles gold shoes at her ankles and slips on two small diamond encrusted earrings. With a final glance at her reflection she steps out of her room and into the transformed hallways. There are flowers hanging from the ceilings and stars underneath her feet and she feels as if the world has turned on its axis. Adequate considering it is Summer Solstice which marks the changing. She nods hello to the guests and servants rushing through the passage and then she is outside the ballroom doors.

With a deep breath she smiles at the doorman who returns it before pushing the door open.

“Presenting Princess Piper Mclean of Hanaan.” A loud clear voice says from somewhere to her left.

She curtsies low to the room and then glides down the stairs to greet her mother. All the while her eyes are scanning the room, trying to catch a particular head of black curls, and skin only slightly darker than her own. When her scan comes up empty she hides the disappointment behind a practiced smile and engages in conversation with some duke and duchess. She really isn’t paying attention to anything so it catches her by surprise when a warm hand brushes her waist and the familiar scent of ocean, and wind, and life surround her.

“Sorry Duke,” A charming smile disintegrates her worries. “May I steal the princess away for a dance?”

“Please,” The duke is jovial, waving them away. The duchess smiles that smile that says aw cute young love.

Piper wants to see them through her eyes. But before she can think on it she is being whisked away and planted on the dance floor, suddenly staring up at hypnotic green eyes and that troublemaker’s smirk.

“Sorry for my tardiness Princess. Wanted to make a grand entrance.” Crown Prince Perseus Jackson grins.

She narrows her eyes at him as they sway across the floor, “You overslept your nap again didn’t you?”

He rolls his eyes, stealing a pinch on her side that tickles more than hurts. “Actually I got caught up in the music room.”

Her eyes light up like crackling fire, “Will you play for me?”

“Anything you want,” He whispers and pulls them closer, so her dress is flush against his suit, also made of the smoothest satin.

“How have you been?”

He gives her a look that she chooses to ignore. “You would know if you weren’t avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you,” He dips her, and she thanks the heavens they put her hair up or it would be sweeping the floor.

He pulls her back up and sets a determined gaze on her, “Yes you are. I haven’t seen you in almost three weeks. We’ve never gone that long without-”

“Okay, okay,” She’s never going to win this argument. “Maybe I have been avoiding you just a little.”

“Tell me why.” His voice is soft but his tone is demanding. She loves when he gets like this.

The music speeds up and before she can reply he’s twirling her so fast only the years of ballet are keeping her from dizziness. When she stops abruptly right against his chest she is only faintly aware of the scattered applause.

“It’s not important.”

“It is to me.” Raspy, gentle, caring, raspy, raspy, raspy.

She suppresses a shiver. “I’m planning a surprise party for your birthday and i’ve been a little busy with the details.”

He growls in her ear before lifting her up in a twirl of his own and setting her down, “Liar.”

“Am not.” She huffs. The music speeds up.

They spin, and spin, and spin.

“You are. You used the surprise birthday party excuse every year for something or the other.” A gleam enters his eyes as he dips her and swoops her all the way up until she’s back to looking at his beautiful, angular face. “In fact last year you used it because two books from your favourite series were coming out at the same time and you didn’t want to be disturbed until you were finished.”

She stifles a giggle and looks anywhere but at him, because she will burst out laughing if she sees his judgemental look.

“Okay, okay.” The music reaches a crescendo as he lifts her high above his head, so she can see every patron attending the ball, and the crystal chandeliers hanging like rose bouquets above her. He sets her down and they stop abruptly; the last chord of the violin reverbrates through the room. “But let's go outside.”

She is breathless, his chest is heaving, and the applause is deafening. They are angelic. Percy raises a hand to present her and she curtsies for their audience. The claps get impossibly louder. She maintains a dignified smile, but can do nothing about the beautiful flush of her cheeks as she presents her dance partner who bows low and blows a kiss. The spectators laugh, some swoon, she wants to scowl. She smiles brighter.

And then they're racing outside and into their favourite place to get lost: the Maze of Madness. He laces their fingers together and sprints for the center, diving around corners and cursing at dead ends. She just laughs, her hair coming loose and her princessly state unhinged. She is nothing but sweetness, and flower petals, and summer breezes.

Finally they get to the center where the white stone bench sits, engraved with the words Si vis amari, ama. If you want to be loved, love. Gifted to them before she was an inkling on the horizon by the Kingdom of Caelum. The bench has held many a love story, and supported many a heartbreak. She believes it’s good luck.

They collapse onto it, stars glittering in their eyes and take a moment to catch their breaths.

Percy is the first to break their silence. “So,” he pokes her side, ‘Why are you avoiding me?”

“I was being a coward.”

He turns his body to her and gives her that intense look that simultaneously makes her wince and sets her soul on fire.

She starts slowly, trying to find the words that wouldn’t ruin their friendship but would still make her feelings clear. “I wanted to do something that night in the House of Hope but it might have turned out badly and I didn't want to risk it”

He doesn’t say anything for a while, doesn’t even seem like he’s breathing, so she forces her gaze upwards, to see green eyes burning into her.

“Some risks-” He is just as slow with his words, just as gentle. “Some risks are worth it.”

Percy puts a hand to her cheek, cold fingers brushing her skin. There is a question in his eyes that opens the cage of butterflies in her stomach.

“Kiss me Percy Jackson.” Piper whispers.

His answering smile lights up her every nerve, and when he finally brushes his soft lips against her own, every beat of her heart shudders to a stop. He cups her face in his hands, and brushes their lips over and over and over. Like he’s tasting the barest hints of her. Like if he goes any deeper he’ll never stop. She doesn’t ever want him to. So she laces her fingers behind his neck and keeps him pinned to her and when he groans her world detonates. They explore each other, in languid, deep strokes. His lips. Her tongue. His teeth. Her lips. Their hearts. They kiss like they mean it. They kiss like they’ll never get the chance again. They kiss like this is the meaning of life.

And when they break apart for gasping-interrupting air they are both grinning as wide and bright as moonlit ice. Her lips tingle and she touches a finger to them to make sure they’re still there, working, experiencing what she did.

He chases her hand away and brushes the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “You are so beautiful.”

Before she can reply a messenger rounds the corner, breathless. “Prince, your mother would like you back at the castle. She says it’s urgent.”

“Can it not wait till tomorrow?” He doesn’t bother to put any distance between them as he turns to the young boy. Her lips brush his cheek.

“I’m afraid not Prince, she says it’s a matter of great importance.”

He nods stiffly, and she can see the exasperation trying to escape his lungs. The messenger hurries away and Percy turns back to her, resting their foreheads together, eyes half-closed.

“You should go home,” The princess says after several beats of silence.

He presses a kiss to her forehead. “I’m already home.”

And she cannot help the smile that bursts out of her, like fireflies escaping the glass jar.

“We will continue this again soon, yes?” He opens his eyes, looks at her with all his intensity.

“Yes,” And the possibilities running through her soul float her up to cloud 9.

“Good,” He nods once, captures her lips with his again, and then tugs her up. “Then i shall go home, attend to whatever emergency my mother has and come back within the week.”

“I can’t wait.” Somewhere in the back of her mind, a clock is already ticking.

He kisses her again, like he can’t get enough, like he’s addicted. “You are beautiful Little Dove.”

Her heart squeezes at the familiar nickname. “Come back soon.” She hugs him by his car. “Come home soon.”

“You should come to Mare with me.”

“I cannot. I have to be here for the ball, and besides it’s the Floating in a few days.”

He takes her hands in his, kisses her knuckles. “Then I will be as fast as I can.”

Her eyes are shining with love as she pulls him in and kisses him one last time. He returns it with vigour, promising, promising, promising worlds between their lips.

And when she waves goodbye to the retreating black vehicle until it blends in with the night she decides the bench is in fact goodluck.

-------------------------------------------------------------

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[intricate-oeuvre]

On how to be deadly || Geralt of Rivia || part I

A/N: Hey! I finally, kind of, did it! xD Based on lot of things, the Netflix series, the books and the games. Just so I can do background check. Let me know if you wanna be tagged in the future chapters. P.S. the tittle might change, not sure about this one atm.

Word count: 1k+

Summary: Axelia is Witcher experiment herself and has gone through same harsh Trials as Geralt, but she wasn’t so lucky with the outcome. Her vision didn’t become better. Therefore, she was rendered blind in the end. And because of that, she solely uses her Witcher senses to make her ways. Only potions can give her false sense of sight for limited time.Somewhere along the way she meets the Rivian. Who’s interested to know how she’s been killing monsters and hasn’t been killed herself yet.

Warnings: Nothing. Not for the first chapter.

part I || part II || part III || part IV || part V || part VI || part VII || part VIII || part IX || part X || part XI || part XII || part XIII | Epilogue

Everyone had heard about Geralt of Rivia. About Witchers and their wickedly good senses. The ways they fought monsters. About the ruins of Kaer Morhen huddled against the stone precipices- the partially demolished trapezium of the defensive wall, the remains of the barbican and gate, the thick, blunt column of the donjon.

The ruins that once stood tall and intimidating. Where in older times, witchers trained and underwent mutations. And to become one, you had to go through several gruelling stages or the witcher trials. First there is The Choice, which involves dietary changes and immense physical training.

Then there is the Trial of the Grasses, in which the young soon to be witchers, if lucky, consumed various alchemical ingredients which affected the nervous system. The Trial of the Dreams involves mutation of the eyes, bone marrow and hormones. And the Trial of the Mountains. Sometimes these processes where were enchanted from time to time, as a test of new elixirs and mutagens. Typically, this meant even more pain, vomit, or worse. Geralt emerged from these experiments with a lifetime of foul memories and the loss of pigment in his hair.

The Trial of Grasses was designed to work on boys and men, because women have different hormonal composition than men. Therefore, they were required to do new research. That’s why a girl from the same kingdom where the school was located, had been delivered on the doorstep of Kaer Morhen. As a test subject. It is known pretty well that females how lower survival chances when it comes to the Trials of Grasses.

Through screams, pain, vomit and shit, Axelia of Kaedwen managed to survive the Trials. But unlike any other witcher before her, she wasn’t so lucky when it came to obtaining cat like vision. In the end all that it led to was a blind witcheress.

Most of her life she lived in the witcher school. Unsure where such hexer could be of use.

It had turned into a gloomy day. The sun couldn’t be seen no where near the sky. It was the most ashen weather. But at the same time, it was dry, didn’t feel humid. Her head was bent down, as if she was carefully looking down where she was placing her feet. One in front of the other. But the black till like material type of blindfold was across her eyes. What point of the eyes if you don’t see? She was walking through a field filled with dry, white-ish grass, that somehow resembled her white hair. Her right palm was constantly dragging atop of the tall grass, as if she was feeling her surroundings. At the edge of the field stood pine trees. At start they seemed placed randomly, far from each other, but the more one stared, the thicker and deeper they went, turning into black endless mush. Wind blew peacefully, gently moving the ends of her hair and moving grass all around. As if someone had told her to stand still, girl abruptly stopped at the edge of the woods. With exhale she lifted her hands and untied the transparent blindfold and secured it at her hip. Looking in to the deepness of the trees, a gust of wind blew her hair behind her, deep growling sound coming from somewhere deep with-in. Reaching for a Cat potion at her belt, she took a swing and shivered. Her milky eyes gaining only cat-like black slits. She looked behind herself, where she had come from. Nothing but fields of grass and hills and mountains in the distance. Little to the left was small grove and behind that was hidden small village, only smoke from the chimneys could be seen above the trees. Turning back to the dark forest in front of her Axelia stretched her left hand to the closest tree. Her fingertips expertly scanning over the bark and caught on the ridges that were left there.

“Bear. Or wildcat. Wouldn’t leave marks like theses with-out a reason. Nor as deep.”  She whispered to herself. Remembering what villagers had said to her: that lone wanderers had been lost, never coming back and a lot of dead dears around. Rolling her neck, she reached for the silver blade on her back and with wicked smirk on her lips she walked into the dark forest.

What she didn’t know that while standing at that field, was the fact that she wasn’t the only witcher in the village.

One problem with the same monster, two people willing to pay to get rid of it.

As Geralt was about to step inside of the forest, leaving Roach in the field where she with-out worry fed on the grass, he was hit with a familiar smell, that he couldn’t pin point at the moment. Velvet rose and sandalwood. And the deeper he went into the woods, the strong the smell got. And it was accompanied with sound sword cutting through flesh, screams and groans and yells and hisses. With his silver sword in his hands he slowly made his way towards the source of the sound.

With an agonizing scream which didn’t sound human like, silence took over the dark forest. Now only using smell as his guide, Geralt made his way towards the war zone.

Finding now dead leshen. A woodland spirit that only lives to kill. The one that was responsible for the dead wanderers in the woods. Some fire was still flaming in the patches of grass and branches, which indicated the use of Igni. Everything of its body seemed to be laying somewhere around. There was one hand, there was a leg. But the deer scull head with antlers seemed to be missing.

“Here to steal my coin.” A female voice said behind the witcher. But he had felt her approach her before she had even opened her mouth. With elegant spin, Geralt had grabbed her sword that had been pointed at his back and turning both of the around, held its sharp edge against her throat.

And suddenly that smell of velvet rose and sandalwood seemed stronger than ever.

“Axelia of Kaedwen.” He stated, his brows furrowed. Her being the last person  he thought that could be here.

“Geralt of Rivia.” Axelia gritted through her teeth and elbowed witcher in the ribs.

~~~

part I || part II || part III || part IV || part V || part VI || part VII || part VIII || part IX || part X || part XI || part XII || part XIII | Epilogue

tags: @901seconds​

[holymoonlighted]

Lost in the Sands, Irithyll, Anor Londo and beyond.

Spoilers for Dark Souls III for the entire post:

Irithyll is an interesting location in Dark Souls III, a snowy town with an eternal Moon upon its sky; Anor Londo being the same. However, if not obvious it was not always the case for Dark Souls III. The intentions for Anor Londo and Irithyll were much different, it can even be seen in the game still.

If one needs some information before we begin: Dark Souls III was heavily edited and reconstructed very late in the day. You can still see so many unused structures and different placements of things especially from Vordt’s room where you fly to Undead Settlement. Many maps even now have drastically rearranged, new or removed architecture, placements of buildings and locations, the works. It is a miracle that this game even came out, honestly. Nevertheless, this is needed to explain that the story was shifted around insurmountably. It is why many things in the story seem to just fall off, or seem like they don’t belong. Many things even during the DLC were absolutely switched and patchworked in to make sense or to make things even more confusing. Boss Musical Chairs is the name of the game in this game as well. Nevertheless, enjoy.

(Sorry, this is the best shot I could get for this building.)

This itself is Anor Londo. This is not the end of the world as the Ringed City would like you to believe. It was never planned to be that until they had to cut the entire concept. Yes, this means Irithyll was a desert at some point. It’s still quite obvious in the final game, but luckily snow acts the same as sand in the way it’s used but, nonetheless, here we go. In this version, it was just sand everywhere. Furthermore, this proves something by the appearance of it. It’s old, decrepit and quite frankly demolished. Ruins are all over the place and it is obviously quite large. It also appears even from Vordt’s view, not as high up as if it’s sunken into the sands. Many buildings are left to ruin and most likely, no holy sights or Gwyn or even Gwynevere statues exist anymore.  So, it’s not how it appears in the final game, and that can be explained. What would have happened is, at some point, travelling back to a past Anor Londo was necessary. How or why this was isn’t know, but, what is known is that travelling back was a thing but then possibly defeating Gwyndolin or someone that looks like Gwyndolin was necessary. If you notice, the Gwyndolin we fight as Aldrich, well that isn’t Gwyndolin. It’s just Lothric with a mask similar to Gwyndolin. It is also interesting to note, at one point, Aldrich had the ability to summon Man Grubs as one point and it links him to being Rosaria’s firstborn even more, so fun fact.

Current story aside this, well, is not Gwyndolin. The mask is so different that it looks like a Bootleg. Not to mention the clothes are entirely new, especially that the color is transparent and black. And this was most likely the case. Someone who was pretending to be Gwyndolin and faking it so that they can influence the people of Irithyll their god is still alive, somebody named Sulyvahn. See, Aldrich’s internal name is Sulyvahn. With this it can be concluded that some roles were changed, Aldrich at one point was at Archdragon Peak, way, way past Anor Londo. Then he was at the Cathedral, still far away from Anor Londo. In conclusion, Sulyvahn was this character that was acting like Gwyndolin, who is leading the Darkmoon Knights and corrupting their image. There is just a boss in the files called “Anor Londo Boss” and well, it was most likely Sulyvahn and was probably a callback to the Gwyndolin fight. At the time where you travel back to, Anor Londo was still whole, in fact the past map is actually the current map but the past map would have a “past” world state aka just a filter on the screen. Also, the entire Sulyvahn and Aldrich plot was absolutely just not here. As will be seen later. The boss that was “Moonlight Witch” and this enemy still appears in game, as the “Fire Witch”. It’s also in the art book with some impressive art, it being the boss is the reason. These enemies still bare their magic and weapons in the final game, but not the spell shown in its art.

This location by the way is called “Anor Londo Ruins” and the entire place would just be ruins and it was also the end game area, assumedly. And, once in the past, and defeating this boss some event revolving around resurrection is involved. An unused game flag called “After Resurrection” is present but sadly, nothing is known about it other than that. Except, we probably do know. Sulyvahn as we know him now is actually a boss called “Old King of the Eclipse” and was actually the final boss before Soul of Cinder. He was probably the final boss for a long while until he had to be changed due to unspecified reasons.

The Old King of the Eclipse:

This part of cut content is extremely, very, very hard to pin down lore-wise but other parts like mechanics is pretty easy to decipher. So, to state a few things I said before and some I didn’t: 

Aldrich in Archdragon Peak

Resurrection in Anor Londo

Lorian and Lothric being an early boss

Old King of the Eclipse being resurrected

Archdragon Peak lines up with Lothric Castle with some teleportation manipulation, meaning Archdragon Peak was closer at one point, incredibly close.

So, with this information we can construct a narrative: Aldrich is still a Lord of Cinder, traveling to him would be like Anor Londo now. But instead it would be in Archdragon peak. Since the Lothric princes are early bosses, no need to fight them as Lords of Cinder(them being Lords is very late, apparent by their absence in the intro cutscene.). So, three lords defeated and once at Anor Londo, a resurrection happens. Then you go to Untended Graves and unlock the Kiln of the First Flame. It is unknown if something at Anor Londo resurrected the Old King, or what it’s just up in the clouds. Also, I am not sure when this was a thing but the Pilgrim Butterflies at one point were seemingly Dragons. A lot of early stuff seemed to involve Draconic Children and really the return of Dragons in general. Which could help with the whole scenic thing of “Things are turning back to how their primal form” which would also include the world itself, which includes Dragons who were there before Gwyn and Humans. But. nevertheless, assume that this resurrection is related. 

Then, this possibly kickstarts the Eclipse or furthers it along. The Eclipse in a logistical standpoint is not explained as far as I know. It has not true explanation that gives credence to any sort of theory involving it rather than content clues. It seems that a King was born and became a holy symbol of this world ending eclipse, it is most likely that this eclipse is something like the 2012 Mayan Calendar event and when this or this happens like the resurrection, it kicks off and the world ends. The picture below is assumedly the eclipse as well as the Kiln at this point:

Also, keep in mind that this King is literally the Sulyvahn Model, from what I know, nothing drastic changed and it’s the same. The King seems to form this duality, like souls tends to do; Life and Death, Alive and Undead, Good and Evil and Light and Dark which are incredibly key opponents in the Dark Souls world. Gwyn has always been seen as the light of the world, he is literally the Sun. The Eclipse is the Moon, Darkness. An Eclipse is the Moon obscuring the Sun, and this King of the Eclipse can be well equated with a Dark Lord character archetype found in fiction. This figure that overshadows the Dark. It’s even more apparent looking at early Anor Londo, it’s absolutely destroyed.  Gwyns legacy is destroyed, at least one of its major parts.

Gwyn as a name is essentially forgotten. And yes, it is unknown how worshipped this King was, but, he’s doing way better than Gwyn, he’s still alive. So, it seems this King and the Eclipse is this symbolic thing that says “Gwyn is dead, his age of light is dead, overtaken by the dark.” and it’s way more maddening when you realize this is the apocalypse, the end of everything. Also, notice how it looks exactly like the Darksign, this bloody Moon of Darkness which covers the Sun; It’s definitely a symbol of Gwyn’s fear and his failed efforts have finally overtaken his world that he’s built. 

 It’s not only Gwyn, though. The society he built is still lingering through Lothric, in some capacity. Undead are still hated, the linking of the fire is still “needed” and supported to the point an entire Kingdom’s ethics are based around making a worthy linker. It symbolizes, in my mind, the idea of the curse and the world that the sins are bleeding onto the world as if it were saying “this has been brought onto you, by you, your blood.” Of course, Gwyn did bring the curse to humanity, but they continued to link the fire, the fear of death is a thing that lingers still: But due to humanity’s fears as well, they continued to link it. But since humanity continued this tradition. The world must sit and watch itself burn. 

Of course, this is just my theory, if you have anything else to add or you don’t agree, feel free to let me know.

Thanks for reading! (This post has been drastically edited!)

[lady-divine-writes]

The Prince of the Sea and his Child of Fire - Chapter 9/15 (Rated NC17)

Summary: Blaine is a water sprite, prince of the undersea kingdom and sole heir to the throne. Five days away from turning seventeen and his big coronation, he decides to take a journey to the surface, to seek out a legendary flame said to be tended by an evil witch. Instead of a witch, he finds something else entirely ...

Kurt is a fire fairy, prince of a race of fire fairies and heir to the throne. Five days away from turning seventeen (on the night of a full solar eclipse when he will transform and become king), he sees for the first time in his life a water sprite - a member of a race that he's been raised to hate.

What will happen when these two mortal enemies fall in love? Is there any way for them to escape destiny and be together?

Read on AO3.

Blaine paces the floor of his cell - back and forth, back and forth - trying to figure a way out. He's never been trapped in a place or a situation that he couldn't escape, but his father might have him beat this time. The dungeons are in the lowest part of the castle, beneath the sea floor. It has multiple levels and spirals down, down, down, like the inverted cone of a conch shell. His cell is on the upper level – a simple recess cut into smooth rock. It's long enough for him to lie down on the floor, but shallow width-wise. In front of him - a single door of coral bars and beyond that, two armed guards who no longer recognize him as heir to the throne.

In his many explorations of the castle growing up, Blaine made it a point not to go down into the dungeons. This is the kind of place Kurt probably imagines when he said he thought the ocean was dark and spooky. This is dark and spooky, and cold – so much colder than any other spot in the ocean Blaine has ever traveled to. But it's the silence that bothers him the most. Even in the tranquil waters, he could hear the swaying of plants, the darting of fins beating against the water, the tides rushing in and out. Down in the dungeon, the thick walls dampen the noises from outside. All he hears as he shuffles about are his footsteps against the stone, his breathing, his heartbeat …

The dungeons are reserved for the worst villains in the realm. Most prisoners go mad within a matter of months.

Some of the prison guards do as well.

He tries to let his mind wander to thoughts of Kurt and their night together. Being with him had been more incredible than he dreamed it would be. Kurt is beautiful, soft, and so full of fire. Every sound he makes, every touch of his skin is like immaculate music. But it's not for superficial reasons that making love to Kurt had been so amazing.

It is because Kurt loves Blaine.

He’d said it. Now Blaine has the memory of those words to carry him forever.

But it also made rotting away in this cell that much more agonizing.

He wants to slap himself hard for believing that he could have Kurt, that the two of them could bring their people together and begin an era of peace. That his father might accept him and Kurt, that he might even be proud of him for finding a way to bring their races together.

It is plain to Blaine now that there will never be peace between them - he and his father.

And there is little hope that he'll see Kurt again.

His father was right. He is a disappointment. And useless to boot.

At least, with the true traitors behind the jellyfish attacks behind bars, the fairies are safe.

Maybe it would have been better if Blaine had never traveled through the forbidden waters and went to the cove. Maybe meeting Kurt was a mistake. But it's a mistake he doesn't regret. Not for a minute. Not even locked up in this cell for life.

Blaine hears footsteps and his ears perk up. It can't already be time for a changing of the guard. He peeks out through the coral bars, but they're woven so tight together that little can be seen through the gaps.

"Stand aside," a voice commands. "I have orders to relocate the prisoner immediately."

Blaine's heart leaps when he hears Trent's voice.

"But, sir," the first guard says, "we have orders from King Malek to keep the prisoner …"

"Yes," Trent cuts in, "and in a day I will be king. For now, I carry his message. He wants the prisoner moved and he has sent me to do it."

Blaine smirks. Trent might be overdoing it a little, but he's not complaining. Hand it to Trent to come to his rescue.

He'll never let Blaine live it down.

"With all due respect, sir," the second guard starts, but Trent doesn't let him get farther than that.

"Would you like to go up to the throne room right now and tell King Malek that you questioned his orders?" Blaine can hear Trent move closer to the two guards, his voice dropping to a lower, more dangerous register. "From what I've seen, he's in an exceptionally foul mood. I'm pretty sure he will not take well to having his commands second guessed."

In the silence that follows, Blaine hears an audible gulp. It makes Blaine shake his head. His father rules more by fear than respect, but whatever works.

"Wh-where is the prisoner being moved to?" the first guard stutters as he hands his keys over.

"He’s been ordered to a cell further below," Trent answers, the iciness in his voice striking Blaine straight through his soul.

Further below.

Down in the deep.

Where prisoners are locked away, and then forgotten.

Maybe this isn't a ploy like Blaine originally thought. Being locked farther below sounded like something his father would do. He just can't believe that it's an order Trent would consent to carry out.

Malek probably didn't give Trent a choice. Possibly Malek opted for something worse, and Trent negotiated up to this.

The lock clicks, the door swings open, and Trent steps inside - his face stony, his eyes hard. And Blaine gets ready to put up a fight.

A fight against his best friend. He never thought he would see the day.

Trent sees Blaine stare at him from the far corner of his cell, hands up for defense, preparing to charge … and he smiles. He puts a finger to his lips to keep Blaine from speaking. It takes a moment for Blaine to understand, but when he does, he gets angrier before he calms down.

Trent almost had him there. In any other situation, Blaine would give him the hardest punch in the arm he could.

"Come along," Trent commands loudly, grabbing Blaine by the elbow and dragging him from the cell. Blaine struggles in the presence of the guards for effect. He kicks out, and the guards shuffle out of the way.

“Do you need some assistance, Lord Trent?” one guard asks. “We can accompany you and the prisoner. Help keep him out of trouble.”

Trent’s hand, locked on Blaine’s elbow, tightens, and Blaine’s heart double-thumps in his chest.

“Not at all,” Trent says with a casual confidence Blaine has never heard from his friend before. “I can handle him on my own, thank you.” He brings Blaine around harshly, leading him down the hall and out of sight.

Blaine mellows when they turn the corner, but Trent keeps a hold of his arm in case they run into anyone else along the way. They walk through the dungeon, traveling deeper and deeper into the belly of the prison, along curling corridors until they are near enough to the bottom that no light reaches them and they are less likely to be heard.

"You're going to have to go out through the sewer," Trent says in a hushed voice, eyes glowing blue in the dark. "There are guards all around the castle, inside and out. There's no way you'd be able to escape that way."

Blaine nods. "Thanks," he says, steeling himself to go, but Trent puts his hands on Blaine's shoulders, holding the focus of his glowing golden eyes.

"Blaine, you have to get to the fire fairies. Your father is gathering an army – every soldier he can. They're going to attack the cove." Trent pauses to take a breath, unintentionally prolonging Blaine's suffering. "They have orders to leave none that they find alive."

“What?” Blaine's vision suddenly blurs. He sees nothing but a haze in front of his eyes - thick, black smoke billowing up towards the sky. And as it starts to clear - the carnage. Hundreds of fairies drowned, hundreds of sprites burned. They are equally numbered, equally matched as far as Blaine can tell. If there is a battle, it isn't going to end with anyone the victor.

His father's war will wipe out both races.

"But … but Hunter …" Blaine stammers, still unable to comprehend his dad's purpose in attacking the fairies.

"Both Hunter and his father have been imprisoned for treason," Trent explains, "but it doesn't seem to matter." He shakes his head, sympathizing and equally confused. "It doesn't make sense. After hearing about you and Kurt, your dad got it in his head that the fire fairies have to be destroyed. It's going to take him the day to gather the numbers that he needs, but he's planning to attack during the coronation, before I am crowned king. There's nothing I can do."

"I have to warn them," Blaine says, staring stunned at the dark space surrounding him, feeling more trapped than before.

"Go." Trent embraces his friend, patting him heartily on the back. "Go save your fairy."

Blaine returns Trent's embrace, then races down the spiral staircase that leads into the furthest reaches of the dungeon. Even for creatures that live in the dark, this part of the castle is a never-ending nightmare, and Blaine hopes to never visit it again. He focuses his every thought on Kurt. He has to reach Kurt. And if he has to travel through the dark to get to Kurt's light, he'll do it a thousand times over.

***

The sewer lets him out far away from the castle. From this distance, he can see the ruined gates, the scarred coral, the mounting army preparing for battle, and he knows that, locked in his throne room, Malek is looking out with satisfaction at the thought of the destruction he is about to cause. Blaine has heard his father talk maliciously about the fire fairies before.

He knows that the king has been longing to demolish that foe for years.

Blaine pushes off the sea floor and swims to the surface without anyone the wiser. He always thought that being relieved of the leadership and authority of becoming king would feel like a weight off his shoulders, but he feels heavier as he leaves the castle behind. He worries for his friend, about to become king in his place. He worries for his kingdom, entering a needless battle. He even worries for his father. Whatever happened to make him the bitter, heartless sprite he is now, Blaine wishes he knew. He can't imagine that his father was always this way.

But becoming king - that part of Blaine's life is over for him, and there is nothing he can do to get it back. The only choice he has is to move on with his life – and moving on means Kurt, in whatever way he can have him.

Right now, his sole purpose is to warn Kurt that his father's army is headed their way, and they're out for blood.

***

"So, when is your sprite going to get here, huh?" Rachel teases, flitting around the fire while Kurt sits on the branch, staring into the water, his feet grazing the surface. He thinks he can feel it – that cool comfort Blaine talked about, that solitude the water gives him. Kurt thought he would never find it. Blaine belongs to the water; Kurt does not.

But now, Blaine is a part of Kurt. And just as Kurt's body burns Blaine less and less, Kurt can find the allure of the water.

Even if he can't have Blaine, maybe he can have that.

A whole day has gone by without a word from the kingdom beneath the sea. Kurt knows that Blaine can't contact him till nightfall, if he gets the chance to contact him at all, but the torture of waiting wears Kurt down emotionally until the slightest thought of Blaine's touches or his kisses makes Kurt cry. All Kurt knows is there had been a battle beneath the ocean. What if it was still going on when Blaine got there? What if he had been hurt … or even killed?

Kurt would like to believe he'd know if Blaine died, that he would feel it like the tearing of his own heart from his chest. But there is no way for him to truly know until Blaine comes back. Unless he tries to go under water.

Kurt doesn't have enough faith in the water yet to try.

Rachel throws her flowers into the flame, not really paying attention to it. It reaches out and flicks her on the butt.

"Ow!" she yelps, rubbing her sore bottom. She catches sight of her melancholy brother dangling his feet and shudders. "Can you not do that? It gives me the creeps!"

Kurt bites his lip. He didn't want Rachel there with him, but his mother had insisted – a fostering of goodwill, she’d said. But Kurt is sure she did it to keep him from seeing his love again. Out of spite, Kurt sticks his feet in the water up to his ankles. Rachel lets out a high, trilling scream.

"Stop!" she squeals. "Pull them out, pull them out, pull them out!"

Kurt closes his eyes, letting the cold creep up his legs to his knees, reaching for him beneath his skin. A hand wraps around his ankle and gives a gentle tug, and Kurt jumps. He flies straight up, pulling a giggling Blaine free of the water and dropping him unceremoniously on the grass.

"Blaine!" Kurt screams, tackling him to the ground, holding him tight, not concerned about the drops of water chilling him to the bone. "I thought … I thought maybe … oh, Blaine!"

Blaine feels Kurt's chest heave, hears the fairy cry into his skin. Blaine puts his arms around him.

"Shhh …" He strokes Kurt's hair and kisses his cheek. "I'm here. It's all right. Everything is all right."

It breaks Blaine's heart that those sentiments aren't entirely true, but for now they are. While they hold one another, everything is alright.

"So this is the water sprite you're so in love with?" Rachel groans, hovering overhead.

Blaine feels Kurt's body deflate against him and he tries not to laugh. Kurt reaches a hand up to wipe tears from his cheeks without his sister seeing. When he’s regained his composure, he turns to face her, her snobbish air tarnished by the blush covering her entire body.

"Blaine, this is my sister, Princess Rachel," Kurt mutters, motioning to his sister, who performs a clumsy, mid-air curtsy. "Rachel, this is Prince Blaine, heir to the Undersea Realm."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Rachel says sweetly.

"The pleasure is all mine," Blaine returns, kneeling to bow.

"Don't encourage her," Kurt grumbles, "or you'll make her feel important, and we'll never be rid of her. I was hoping to get a little time with my prince alone."

"You can have all the time you want with me," Blaine says, trying to sound upbeat, "because I'm not anymore."

Kurt's brow furrows. "Not what?"

"Not a prince.”

"Not a … what happened!?"

Blaine sighs. He wishes he had the whole night to explain, wrapped naked in Kurt's embrace where he can kiss away the fairy's confusion, along with all of his pent up anxiety and fear.

"We need to talk," he says. "Something terrible is going to happen, and every fire fairy is in danger."

"Rachel, go back to the flame," Kurt commands, Blaine’s serious tone chilling him to the bone. "I need to talk to Blaine alone."

"No!" Rachel stomps her foot defiantly. "I’m princess! Second in line to the throne after you! If the fire fairies are in danger, I want to know why!"

"It's all right. She might as well find out now." Blaine holds Kurt at arm’s length. He would much rather embrace him while he tells him, but he needs Kurt to see the truth in his eyes. "We were caught," he says, pausing a moment, waiting for Kurt to understand.

Kurt gasps. "Wha---who!? Did your friend …?"

"No." Blaine runs his hands up and down Kurt's arms to soothe the rage building beneath his own skin. He doesn’t feel like reliving the past few hours, and there are some parts of that tale he wants to tell Kurt when they’re alone. "No, not Trent. Someone else. Someone who used to be my friend, who's been trying to get the crown for ages. But he doesn't matter. My father found out about us and he took away my claim to the throne."

"Who's going to be king now?" Kurt asks, even though deep down he knows that question isn't necessarily important. But it’s a placeholder, giving him time to come to terms with everything.

"Trent is." Blaine smiles automatically at the thought of his best friend becoming king. "But my father is furious. He wants revenge."

"Against you?"

"Yeah, against me," Blaine answers dryly, "but also you and your mother, and every other fire fairy he can find. He's gathering an army. During Trent's coronation tomorrow, they're going to attack. He wants to kill you all."

Kurt stumbles back from Blaine's hold on his arms. "But … but why would he want us dead? What have we done to him?"

"I don't know. I don't understand it. I think I know someone who might. And maybe, if we can find out the answer, we might be able to find a way to stop this war before it starts. But we have to go now. We're running out of time."

"But … the flame." Kurt turns towards the fire burning a gloomy blue. "I have to tend it. If it goes out …"

"I'll do it," Rachel says. Kurt and Blaine look at her, surprised as they had both temporarily forgotten her.

"But you can't! It’s too dangerous! You're not strong enough!"

"I'm as strong as I'm ever going to be! I'm taking over tomorrow anyway."

"With Mother's help and guidance! I can't let you …"

"Kurt!" Rachel raises her voice. "You're running out of time! If I can't do it, then I'll call for help, but I need to give you a head start. Once Mother finds out about the army, you know what she's going to do."

"Yes. I know." Kurt bows his head. Blaine looks on befuddled.

“What will she do?” he asks.

“If the queen finds out about the coming army, she’ll attack first,” Kurt explains. “She’ll extend the power of the Eternal Flame beneath the water. She’ll put all her power behind it till it burns brighter than the sun.” He swallows hard. “She’ll eliminate every creature she can reach – malignant and benign.”

Blaine chokes on air. “Kurt! We have to …!”

"All right, all right." Kurt takes a deep breath. "Rachel, you’re in charge. But you have to promise that if it gets too hard for you, you'll call for help."

"I will," Rachel says with a solemn smile.

Kurt heads for a log on the far side of the meadow. He returns quickly with an armful of burgundy leaves and drops them on the ground at her feet.

"If you need help, put these in the flame. They'll turn the fire a brilliant gold that can be seen for miles. Burn these, and I'll return."

"I will." Rachel hugs Kurt tight. "Now, go. Find a way to stop this war."

"I will." Kurt kisses his sister's hair. "I promise."

Kurt turns to the fire, morphing in shades of light to dark green - colors of fear and confusion. Kurt puts his arms around it. “Take care of my sister,” he whispers. It flickers, then becomes silver.

The color of Kurt’s wings.

Rachel starts gathering up leaves, waving shyly at Blaine, who winks back before diving into the water. Kurt takes to the air. He looks down at the cove, the flame, and his little sister bravely tending the Eternal Flame. To the east, he sees his mother's palace, shining like a flame itself, a pyre of ivory stone.

"I'll be back," he says. Turning toward the ocean, he spots Blaine cutting sleekly through the water. Kurt beats his wings and, staying above the spitting surf and the rolling waves, follows the sprite out to sea.

[timhatchlive]

The Enemy from God's Perspective

Sometimes you and your enemies need a reminder of who your God is. That is what happens for Hezekiah when Isaiah sends word that the threat posed by Sennecharib is nothing at all and he needn't fear. The language is poetic, grand, and devastating for the threatening potentate considered by many in the world to be the most powerful man on Earth. 

God has a different perspective.

2 Kings 19:20–22 (ESV) Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: 

    “She despises you, she scorns you— the virgin daughter of Zion; 

    she wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem. 

    22 “Whom have you mocked and reviled? 

    Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? 

    Against the Holy One of Israel!

You have to love the beginning of God's assurance to Hezekiah. The threat against him was really a threat against the Lord! Herein lies the benefit of living your life for the glory of God. He has a way of taking care of His own reputation. If you live for yourself, there's really no guarantee. That is what Sennacherib found out.

In the second portion of the prophetic word, Isaiah condemns Sennacherib's vain glory-seeking exploits. 

2 Kings 19:23–24 (ESV) By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest lodging place, its most fruitful forest. 24 I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and I dried up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.’

Assyria has strong armies and many chariots. Assyria has indeed demolished many other kingdoms and took their treasures out from under them. In their own mind, Assyria probably figured all this made them a nation that was unstoppable and undefeatable. But the next line of Isaiah's prophecy blows that idea out of the water.

2 Kings 19:25–26 (ESV) “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? 

    I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, 

    that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins, 

    26 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, 

    are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, 

    like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown.

Wow. All that Assyria had accomplished and even the way in which they were an instrument of judgment upon Northern Israel was determined beforehand by the Lord. Please remember this, Christian. Your Father knows the end from the beginning and He's in the business of using the devil's evil for His ultimate purpose and good for you. 

God confirms He's Lord not only of Israel's fate but that of Assyria's as well:

2 Kings 19:27–28 (ESV) “But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. 28 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.

The chapter ends with the death of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and the assassination of Sennacherib himself at the hands of his own sons. 

What are we asked to see in this passage? We are asked to see how the Lord sees our enemies. They are not a threat to Him but a tool for His plan and purpose. NOTHING... absolutely NOTHING should give us more hope than that. Ultimately, our hope is in the death of God's own Son at the hand of His enemies. That death and those enemies were used to save our souls. 

Praise be to God!

via Blogger https://ift.tt/324o4to

[sophisticauthor]

Profile: Callahan, Alexa D.

Description: Brown hair, Brown eyes, 5 feet 7 inches

Birthdate: September 18

Age at conviction: 16

Current age: 19

Birthplace: Rochester, New  York, United States

Current Location: UNKNOWN

Family:

     Mother: Alisa Callahan age 47 - deceased

     Father: Geoffrey Callahan age 52 - deceased

Siblings:

     Jennifer Callahan age 12 - deceased

     Benjamin Callahan age 19 - deceased

This file contains eye witness accounts of events related to and/or allegedly caused by Alexa Callahan.

Eye witness account by Victor Drell

Age: 37

Occupation: High School Teacher

  September 18,

     I never saw the explosions, but I heard them. My wife Mary called the police as I went to go investigate. We live two houses down from the corner, I could see the apartment building on the opposite side - or where the building used to be – in a smoking heap. A couple of houses around it were knocked around too, but the residents there seemed to be fine.

     When I got closer, I noticed the other neighbors start to come out as well. I climbed into the rubble hoping that someone was still alive. I noticed crushed remains of corpses lying everywhere; I wanted to vomit. One man was missing an arm and groaning loudly, so I called to the others to help move him to a place where rubble wouldn’t fall on him.

     One of the neighbor kids called out from behind me that there was a girl who was still breathing. I told someone to take my place with the man, and rushed over to the girl. She was still breathing. She looked to be about fifteen and was wearing a white dress that was all tattered around the edges, her hair was a little singed, and I thought she probably suffered some trauma from what seemed like a fall from the second floor. But she looked mostly fine otherwise, which in hindsight was a little odd. Seemed like a miracle at the time. That’s when the police and paramedics arrived and took all the living away.

     I learned later that the man’s name was Carl Stephenson, and the girl was Alexa Callahan, who was turning sixteen that day. I heard on the news that Carl Stephenson had died in the hospital and was taken by family for burial. But not that Alexa girl, she had no family left, and she was alive. A real shame, to have a bomb like that go off on your sixteenth birthday.

Report by Vanessa Bradford

Age: 42

Occupation: Nurse

        I was assigned to a girl by the name of Alexa Callahan. She had suffered from several injuries caused by the explosion of her building. The full extent of the damage done to her was: A few broken ribs, a hairline fracture in her arm, a mutilated ankle, and trauma to the head. She seemed to have landed on her left side, and somehow managed to save her spine and vital organs. She was unconscious for 72 hours after the operations were finished. When she finally awoke, she was mostly unresponsive. She played with the recliner on the bed for a while and just stared at faces for a long time. She didn’t speak to anyone; not to doctors or nurses, not to the other patients. She didn’t respond to food or water, and didn’t even react whenever we adjusted the needles in her arm.

     Many of us tried to coax her to eat or speak and she did neither for almost two weeks. Her doctor was beginning to wonder if we should be running tests on the speech part of her brain when she finally spoke.

     She asked me when she could go home.

     I told her that we had to make sure we had treated all her injuries first. Then she asked me what happened. I told her that authorities were still figuring it out, but it seemed as if someone planted a bomb in the building, possibly a terrorist attack.

     This made her jump up in a panic, she just shouted “It wasn’t!” Her heart rate spiked, and she almost tried to get out of bed. I calmed her down a little and asked her what she remembered.

     What she said didn’t make any sense. “People, people talking happily; singing, my singing, singing for me; color, lots of color, piled on the walls and the room; fire, there was fire and ticking. Tick tick tick. Incessant humming, thousands of bees humming in the walls. You can‘t hear it? Tick tick tick. I made a wish, then BOOM. Fire, fire! A little boy calls for help. Help her, help her, is she okay?”  

     I cut her off because she was flailing about and going on about nothing. She kept talking. Nonsense, more about the ticking and the humming. I tried to get her to sit back and relax, not to strain herself with the memory, and I eventually managed to get her to sleep. I remember she whispered “not terrorist, no terror. Make a wish” as she drifted off to sleep.

     I only witnessed one other event that was significant.

     A couple weeks later when she was being encouraged to walk around, we found that she would disappear for hours on end. We were deciding what to do with her, the ramblings hadn’t stopped and we were getting worried. Furthermore, she had no living blood relative that anyone could find. Meetings were being held to come to a decision. I was lucky enough to be personally involved in the discussions.

     She burst in to one of the meetings. I don’t know how, we thought the doors were locked. Her hands were bloodied as if she had cut them on sharp glass or metal or something. She took a seat at the table with us and said something odd.

      “I realize that I am the main subject of these meetings. And I feel obligated to put my two cents in.” Then she dropped two gears on the table, like they were the two cents she was putting in. I don’t know where they came from, but they were covered in the blood from her hands. A couple of us stood to try to help her back to bed. But she waved us off and insisted that she needed to continue speaking. She said “I’m not yet so far gone that I don’t know what is happening.” And then something like “I have completely lost all relatives, I am underage, and I’m raving mad.” And she dropped another gear on the table for each thing she listed. Her grammar would get all jumbled up, because I remember she said “I would think it advisable that under any circumstances you do NOT create me another family. I could not handle an artificial mother.” Which was worth four gears for some reason. At this point, we were starting to realize that these were clock parts. And then she told us that she didn’t want to be sent back into society, that she was too crazy and too dangerous before dumping the rest of her bloodied clock parts onto the table. We wanted to stop her, but I think we were all too shocked.

     She started to rearrange them in some order and I remember she said “But time is running out, and you really need to come to a decision” Then she pulled out two clock hands and placed them in the center of her bizarre pile. Then she wrote “tick, tick, tick,” on the table in her own blood, stood up and said “Thank you for your time” like she had just asked for a little favor, not made a mess of the table.

     I have never seen a transfer report go through more quickly.

 On October 23 Alexa was transferred to The New York Psychiatric Institute, and then by an anonymous request, to Castle Facilities in Virginia. The transaction of this was only documented once. The only legitimate information recovered from this document was the location and the date she was moved (February 15).

She remained at Castle facilities for about two years, until authorities started to take an interest in her case and launched an investigation. However by the time they arrived at Castle facilities, Miss Callahan was unable to be found.

At the alleged location of Castle facilities only ruins were found. It was apparent that the site had not been visited for many months. The building was demolished in a way that was similar to the explosion at the Callahan residence.

This leads authorities to believe that the explosions were caused by the same person. Suspects include: Alexa Callahan (missing), Justin Carter (missing), or Jamie Lucas (deceased).

At the site of the wreckage, few pieces of information were recovered. However, there was one piece pertaining to this case that proved to be interesting. A badly documented journal by Dr. Harvey Lancaster (deceased) containing vital information about the Callahan case.

Much of this journal is either missing or illegible. Therefore, the following information contains errors and assumed information. The following information is paraphrased, not quoted, and only vital information was inputted. The full copy of Dr. Harvey Lancaster is not available for viewing.

Information is as follows:

1.   Alexa Callahan has a strange fascination with clocks. She is known to either disassemble the clocks, or to change the time inaccurately. The number that she chooses seems well thought out and precise and she changes every clock to the same time, though it is inaccurate. She attempts to change all clocks at once. Every attempt at this results in a different time. The purpose of this behavior is unknown.

2.   Alexa Callahan had no apparent intentions of harming the other patients or facility employees.

3.   Alexa Callahan has moments of near sanity where she would stop her mumblings of clocks and ticking and the end of the world where she will occasionally ask about her family or the facility. During these states of mind she would frequently ask about her friends Jamie Lucas and Justin Carter. Both Carter and Lucas came to visit Alexa in the Castle exactly twice, but not at the same time.

4.   Alexa refuses, under any circumstances to believe that she is wrong in her ramblings, though she will admit to the doctors that she is insane.

5.   Intense flashes of light, fire, loud noises, and shaking or sliding scare Alexa. She afterwards falls into a bout of crazed, relieved laughter, and more rambling about ticking.

6.   Alexa can accurately tell the time without consulting a time piece. It is unknown how she is able to do this, but it is not any of the conventional methods.

7.   Alexa made many references to the fall of the kingdom and gave an exact time, down to seconds, of the alleged time. - As a discovery not recorded in the journal of Dr. Harvey, it seems that this number led to the explosion of the mental ward.

8.   All ramblings about the past from before the explosion are real memories, not stories of her own invention.

9.   She is unable to walk in a straight line; her movement pattern sways back and forth.

10. She is able to recognize people and speak clearly with them. She seldom mistakes the identities of people around her.

11. She avoids all effort to make social interactions, however is not fearful when approached.

12. She enjoys acronyms, puzzles, word games, and brain teasers.

13. She fights most attempts at physical and eye contact.

 An investigation was launched to find any survivors of the explosion. 15 recorded patients were reported alive. Eight patients were discovered in a nearby town (about 13 miles away). Local authorities had discovered the patients and were housing them while awaiting orders of what to do. Six of the seven remaining patients were recovered in the woods surrounding Castle facilities.

Alexa Callahan, the only unrecovered patient, is theorized to have fled to the woods surrounding Castle facilities. No bodies or sightings that match her description have been reported, leading authorities to believe she is still at large.

Authorities have lost all trails but refuse to give up the search.

Alexa Callahan is suspected for murder and terrorism. If identified, it is recommended that authorities are alerted immediately so that she may be taken into custody.

 Do not try to approach, converse with, or make eye contact with Alexa Callahan. It is uncertain how she will react.

 Do not flash lights or light fires in her presence; she is known to react violently.

 Do not try to detain Alexa Callahan alone, she is known to be violent when angered.

 TAKE CAUTION.

 If Interaction is unavoidable, refrain from sudden movements, physical contact, and eye contact.

 If conversation is unavoidable, keep voice at a low register and avoid any loud noises.

 If she begins to make a countdown, inform authorities immediately. If this action is not an option, remove yourself from the vicinity. Countdowns from Alexa Callahan seldom lead to anything less than disaster.

 If these guidelines are not heeded . . . god save you.

[nature-led]

Prologue

The magician let out an exhausted sigh as the pig demon disintegrated underneath his -now bloodied- golden blade, it was finally over, Hyrule was free of the apocalypse he had foreseen long ago..

Yet, the more he looked around at what was once his own home, the more unrecognizable it was to him. The throne room was completely demolished, the staircase leading to the stage he once performed upon was nothing but rubble, even the basement of the once proud castle was turned into nothing but a bog infested with savage monsters.. Everyone he had once known was nowhere to be seen.. The King, The Sheikah guards, The Princess, her personal knight... His Father.. they were all gone.. He saved the world he knew, but.. He was utterly alone.

No. He wasn't going to stay here, not like this.

So with a quick disassemble of his blade and a wave of his enchanted baton, he vanished, bringing himself back to his own time- bringing himself into the fortune teller's room he had once left from, where he lowered his arms, hung his head down, and spoke his mind to her.

"After defeating Ganon, I expected to rejoice. But not only was I in the ruins of my old home, I was alone there. Everyone I had once known had vanished off the face of this kingdom. And after realizing this, I couldn't live out my days there, regardless if it was free of danger.. I thank you for bringing me the chance I needed, my sincere apologies to any trouble I may have caused you.

Farewell, may the winds of time be your guide."

And with that, he stood himself upright, and made his way back home. 

What a foolish mistake it would soon become..

What would he tell the kingdom when he made it back to Hyrule Castle? What would he tell his father..? He had gone against his word after all; promising that he would wait so they could both defeat Ganon together, but ultimately leaving without him anyway.. Possibly leaving him in worry and- knowing him- unintentionally causing him to begin a search hunt for the magician. Who knew how long he had already been searching? Who know how long he was gone..

The drawbridge leading into Hyrule Castle was lowered and.. strangely unguarded.. concerning.. He had put a spell on the knights and cast them into a deep slumber so he could initially leave without a hitch, but.. They were completely gone. He had a sickening, twisting feeling in his gut- no, this isn't right, something is happening in there- inside that castle.. it wasn't long before he felt his arms gripped, his adrenaline pulsing through his body as he was carried into Hyrule Castle and led directly to the King, surround by the guards he could've sworn he cast to sleep- in fact, he had cast EVERYONE in this room to sleep, but.. What's going on..? "Your Majesty-?"

"Silence." It was a quiet, yet stern tone the magician had heard before, but never directed at him.. It caused him to flinch.

"Care to explain your recent actions, Pseudo?”

The magician's ears had lowered, not simply because he knew he had done something wrong, but because of his stage name being used in place of his real name. It was insulting.. still, he adjusted himself and spoke up "Yes, your majesty. I've spoke of dark times coming to plague our kingdom's future recently and had begun to prepare for the inevitable since then. I used the power of the triforce to enchant my magic, giving me the ability to perform spells beyond mere illusions, and set off for the future once I had finished preparations: sending you and your knights into a slumber so I wouldn't be stopped as I was nearing my goal. I bore no ill intentions upon doing this, your majesty, I simply wanted to insure the safety of Hyrule's future and--"

"You traitorous snake!" The king's words had suddenly boomed over his own, silencing him immediately and causing the magician to shrink "You steal the triforce, bring a curse onto this family, make ludicrous claims without a thread of proof, and possibly endanger the future of my citizens- of my family- all for your own illicit plans?!"

The young mage shivered, his explanation of truth shot down, he had nothing else to say- and no one to back him up..

"I expected more from your family. . . I wish not to see you in this castle again. Guards, cast him away- to a place where the eyes of Hyrule will never find him. An execution will come soon enough."

With those words began a panic, he had begun to struggle as the guards who held him in place swiftly carried him away from the room "No- Wait!! You've misunderstood my intentions! I never meant to betray the royal family! I only aimed to stop the impending doom before it struck! Let me go!!"

His shouts fell on deaf ears as he was taken farther away.. Where was he being taken to..

The knights took him into a forest, still within a distance from the castle, and opened up an entrance to the underground, climbing inside with the magician. The inside already looked hollowed out.. a long hall with a small staircase and an empty cell at the end.. It was his, wasn't it. As he was being taken closer to the cell, he felt a surge of magic through his body, though it wasn't his own.. It felt heavy, like it was dragging his soul, binding it into the underground prison. He wasn't able to fully comprehend or even ask about the feeling before he was tossed into the cell, locked away with a golden key which would soon be shattered and dispersed into the air by one of the knights, leaving but one shard of it in the hall before they turned and headed back down the hall. The young mage pushed himself up from the hard floor and looked back as the knights climbed out of the underground cell and vanished into the light, he drew breath to call for them to return, but before he could even shout, the entrance closed, leaving him in nothing but darkness. The only light for him was from the candles lined against the halls outside his cell, other than that, he had nothing.

A shame, he went on this quest to prove himself, prove that his family had changed from their dark past, to save Hyrule's future.. But now he had none of that. He slandered his family's name, shown himself to be lower than the ground beneath the kingdom, and now.. He wouldn't even be there while Hyrule falls into ruin. He couldn't save them. He couldn't do anything anymore. He was alone.

He had failed.

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of Hyrule | Chapter 50

Link stood in the driveway, his eyes to the sky. Mipha followed his gaze. The night was darker than they were used to. Clouds even darker than the night were visible in the distance, coming up over the horizon and rolling in rapidly. Link's phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly answered Zelda's incoming call.

“What's going on?”

“The city is under attack,” Zelda said quickly. She was panting slightly, as if she were running. “I don't know where they came from. Impa never said anything about the forth portal.”

“Or the first one,” Link muttered. “Where are you?”

“I'm heading out of the city,” she said. “There's a base just outside where there are some troops stationed. They're doing what they can, but they're falling back.”

“Alright,” Link said. “We'll meet you there.” He ended the call, then slid the phone back into his pocket. He glanced at Mipha, hesitant.

“Don't even think about telling me to stay behind,” she said, her arms crossed.

“Not even for me?”

“Fat chance.”

Link didn't argue further. He moved to his father's car, sliding in behind the wheel and starting the engine. Mipha got in beside him, and once the door was closed, he peeled out of the driveway and sped down the street towards the outskirts of the city.

By the time they reached the base, Link could see the battle as it crested over the distant hill, and the conditions did not appear to be in their favor. Link threw the car into park and barely had a chance to cut the ignition before he ran towards the base with Mipha at his heels. The Hylian soldiers that stood guard, however, were not about to make things easy for him, despite his arguments.

“I don't care who you are,” he said, narrowing his gaze on Link and stealing a glance at the sword in his hand. “Unless you have orders from the king, you're not getting through.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Zelda said as she pushed passed the two soldiers. “Link doesn't need permission from anyone.” She narrowed her gaze on them. “In case you have forgotten, Link is the only one that stands a chance in that battle. Unless you plan to lose all your men out there, I suggest you let him through.”

The two soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. One of them turned his back to them, speaking into a radio as he walked away.

“Look, Your Highness,” the first soldier said, turning to Zelda, his voice fierce. “Our orders are to -”

“Your orders are to stand back and let us do our job.”

“Our orders are to defend the Princess of Hyrule.”

“While I'm out there doing my job.”

The soldier turned over his shoulder when his comrade called to him. He beckoned with his hand, and the soldier sighed.

“You're clear,” he said, turning his back to them abruptly.

Link and Mipha followed Zelda into the base. More soldiers hurried about, shouting commands to one another. When Link passed, their eyes turned to him, their voices momentarily silenced. Link met their gazes, his brows furrowed. He pulled his gaze away and tried desperately to ignore their stares. When they reached the center of the base, they found Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa waiting for them.

“Does anyone have any clue what the hell's going on?” Urbosa said.

Zelda shook her head. “I can't get a hold of Impa, either. Or Paya for that matter.”

“There was a problem,” a voice said from behind them. Dorian emerged from the hurrying soldiers. “They're safe right now. Focus on keeping the city safe.”

At that moment, there was a loud explosion, and the ground erupted just a few yards away from them, ripping the corner of the base apart and turning it to rubble. From the opening, Link could see that the battle had moved closer.

A decorated soldier moved to them, then, sneering at Dorian.

“Sheikah,” he hissed. “Get out of the way and let us do our jobs.”

Dorian's brows knit together angrily. “And why don't you stand down and let me do mine?”

The captain chose to ignore him, however, and started barking commands to his men once more. “Let's move!” he shouted to his men, but they didn't need any orders to tell them it was time to fight. They were already on their feet, scrambling to their weapons and hurrying out of the base to meet the onslaught of enemies.

“No!” Link shouted at him. “You're sending them to their deaths!”

“In case you haven't noticed,” the captain barked at him. “That's what we do in war. Keep out of our way and let us handle this.”

“You're weapons will be useless,” Link hissed. “This isn't my first rodeo.”

“You will stay here and out of our way.”

“I don't take orders from you.”

“Your orders,” Dorian started, “are to protect them while they clean up your mess.”

“Fine,” he muttered. “I don't give a fuck what you do. But if I so much as see you drag the princess out there, I will make sure the King throws your pathetic ass in jail.”

Link watched the captain join his army, still barking orders at them until they left the base.

“You can't let them go out there,” Daruk hissed.

“Let them,” Link said stubbornly. “I don't fucking care anymore.”

“This isn't their war,” Daruk reminded him. “They'll all die out there.”

Link pinched his lips together and crossed his arms. Daruk was right, of course. Link knew that. And when it came down to it, he wasn't going to sit back and watch them get slaughtered. Still, it didn't make him any less infuriated with the captain and his damn army.

“His threats are empty,” Zelda assured him. “And there's no way in hell I'm staying behind.”

“Of course not,” Link said. He sighed and let the sword rest on his shoulder. “Alright,” he continued. “Let's do this.”

The six Champions hurried out to join the army on the battlefield. Just as they expected, the gunshots proved to be ineffective against the undead army. From time to time, the explosion from a grenade showed to do fairly well, scattering the bones of the smaller skeletal soldiers. Yet, the larger, heavily armored skeletal soldiers were unfazed by such attacks, and they pressed on, grabbing Hyrule's soldiers by the neck and slicing through them with ease with their sharp swords. They were losing men and barely making a dent in the battle.

“Pull back!” the captain barked to his men. “Pull back!”

The soldiers ran back towards their base, prepared to defend it at all costs, despite the grim outlook of the battle. But Link and Zelda and the other four Champions burst through the rush of retreating soldiers, meeting their charging enemies head on. Urbosa's attack hit first, knocking the undead soldiers down. Those that remained standing, still charging forward, met the power behind Daruk's fists, and Revali quickly shot his arrows, taking out the undead one by one. He whooped with each hit, counting out loud in triumph as each undead soldier fell to his bow.

“Catch up, Link,” Revali shouted over his shoulder. “I'm already at seventeen!”

Link ran forward, swinging his sword across his enemies with ease, all too pleased to be showing up Hyrule's trained army and their snobby captain.

Daruk thrust his fist into the ground, sending a wave of the undead army flying through the air and crashing to the ground in pieces. “I've got seventeen in one blow,” he said with a smug grin. “Don't get cocky.”

Zelda and Mipha fought side by side. While Mipha did her best to control her own power, sending water-based twisters through the battle, Zelda focused her power on close ranged attacks, taking their enemies out en masse as they tried to close in around them.

Above them, two helicopters circled. Dorian's voice shouted to them, and the six Champions quickly retreated back to the base. As they did so, the helicopters each dropped a set of explosives which erupted upon impact with the ground, demolishing the rest of the undead army almost instantly. Hyrule's soldiers hurried forward, quickly taking out the few stragglers that remained and thus ending their battle.

“Assholes,” Revali muttered as they made their way back into the base. “Stole the winning point from us, just to prove that they could.”

“We're probably better off,” Zelda said. “We really don't need that kind of attention.”

But she spoke too soon. There, waiting in the base, was a crew of cameramen and reporters, and they instantly turned their attention on the six teens as they entered the base.

“Keep your damn mouths shut,” Zelda muttered to them as the reporters swarmed in around them. They thrust cameras and microphones in their faces, shouting questions and accusations.

“A hero? Me?” Revali said smugly in response to one of the reporters. He shrugged, feigning modesty. “I've never considered myself a hero. Just doing what's right.” He winked at the camera. “All in a day's work for this single guy.”

Link would have done anything to ruin Revali's moment of fame, but he was too busy feeling suffocated as the reporters continued to press in.

“So, you're saying that the legends are true?”

“Princess Zelda; is it true that you possess the power of the Goddess Hylia?”

“How are we supposed to believe that you are the spirit of the Chosen Hero?”

“Do you really posses a piece of the Triforce?”

Dorian pushed his way through the crowd, snarling. “That's enough,” he growled at the reporters. “You have no business being here, now scram.”

But this only caused the reporters to ask more frantic questions.

“The kingdom deserves answers!”

“You will get your answers,” Dorian said. “There will be no further comments until then.”

This still did not satisfy the reporters, but Dorian pushed through them once more, clearing a space for Hyrule's Champions to make their escape.

[advocaado]

Day 30: Proposal

@thirtydaysofzutara @zutaramonth

It’s the last one, my dudes.

Find the whole collection on fanfiction.net User: Advocaat

The moment her feet touched solid earth, Katara promptly fell to her knees and cried.

In the wake of the devastation that was the outcome of the siege of the North, it was all she could really do.

She cried for Aang, who had been taken by the spirits and turned into a monster. She cried for Sokka, who she’d been unable to find in the destruction wrought by the Ocean Spirit. She cried for Yue, who had given her own life so that the Moon Spirit could live again. She cried for the thousands of men and women drowned beneath the icy sea, Fire Nation and Northern Water Tribe alike. And she cried for all the lives that were being snuffed out even now by the boy who had once been her dearest friend.

It had been a week now since the incident that had sparked what was being called the spirits’ judgement. Already, two coastal Earth Kingdom towns had been demolished along La’s warpath toward the Fire Nation and Just about everyone knew on some level that the destruction wouldn’t stop there. This was the spirits’ retribution for one hundred years of war, they were saying. The massacre of the Northern Water Tribe was proof that no nation was safe.

How had things come to this? Katara tried to rationalize it in her mind but couldn’t. A scant seven days ago, she and Aang were being trained by Master Pakku. Sokka was having the time of his life making googly eyes at Princess Yue. Even though they were at war, they were happy. They had each other and they had hope. Now, the world was under siege by a murderous spirit with all the power of the Avatar at its disposal, her brother was missing, and Yue was dead. Katara herself had just barely made it out of the North alive and that was only thanks to Appa refusing to listen to her desperate pleas to turn back.

Exhausted, Katara picked herself back up and scrubbed the tears away. She gave Appa’s nose an encouraging pat before grabbing his reins and leading him into a walk. They needed to find food and a place to rest safely.

oOo

Three more towns.

La’s fury was being felt the world over as previously calm ocean waters became unsailable and rivers swelled and flooded villages and residences. Ships were snatched by the waves and slammed into ports. People were forced to flee inland to escape the raging tides.

Katara could do little more than use her waterbending to hold off the destruction where she could so that people could get away. In her head she thanked Yue again and again for giving them back the moon because without waterbending they would be truly helpless.

For two weeks now, Katara had travelled up and down the Earth Kingdom’s Northern shore hoping to run into any hint of her brother. In her heart, she believed he was still alive. Aang would never let the Ocean Spirit harm him. That’s what she told herself as she searched the coastline day in and day out for Water Tribe wreckages.

When four weeks had passed with no sign, though, Katara’s optimism began to fade. While she’d discovered a number of washed up Water Tribe vessels, Sokka was nowhere to be found.

Never before had Katara felt so utterly, achingly lonely. Her heart yearned for the return of the peaceful days before the siege. She began to think she would do anything to just see a familiar face, and it was as she was thinking this that she ran, entirely by chance, into the last person she ever expected to see again.

At first, she didn’t recognize him. His fierce ponytail was gone, replaced by about a centimeter of freshly sprouted raven hair. Instead of Fire Nation armor or the white snowsuit he’d warn in the North, he was garbed in a mixture of russet and earthy brown. It was only when she saw his face—saw that telltale red comet-scar that marred the left side of his face—that she knew who he was.

At the same time, he saw her. Their eyes met and at once the feeling Katara got was not fear or anger, nor was it suspicion or even irritation. Rather, against all reason, the feeling that lit inside her like a warm stove in the winter was relief.

She’d wanted a familiar face. He would do.

“Zuko,” she called to him, her legs carrying her toward him without hesitation. “You survived.”

Zuko didn’t make any motion to flee. He stood his ground and allowed her to approach him. She could read tiredness in the lines of his face and also a grim resignation.

“I did,” he answered matter-of-factly. His tone was soft, not the normally angry and commanding growl she was accustomed to.

It was an odd moment for Katara, talking to Zuko of all people as if he were a friend she hadn’t seen in some time. This was a man she’d never actually had a proper conversation with before—the closest thing to one being the few words they’d spoken to each other during their fight in the Spirit Oasis just four weeks prior.

He looked so much smaller now than he did that day.

“It’s really over for us, isn’t it,” she said in a voice as soft as his. “Everything.”

The sharp cry of a gull caused her eyes to turn to the point where the cloud-choked, colorless sky met the ocean. The rocky beach they stood upon crunched like bone under the soles of her shoes as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Somewhere beyond that gray horizon, her brother was either fighting for his life or dead at the bottom of the sea. There was no way of knowing which.

The old, familiar burn of tears welled up behind her eyes. Here she was, having a talk with Zuko as if it were the most normal thing in the world while past the ocean the city of her people was in ruins. It really was the end of the world.

The tears spilled over, making hot, salty tracks on her face. She couldn’t have stopped them and she didn’t try. There was no one here to be strong for. “Sokka… my brother’s gone,” she spoke through soft sobs. “I don’t know where he is.”

There was another crunch of rock and shell and then a warm arm appeared around her shoulders. The contact was a surprise, but Katara couldn’t even think about the utter ridiculousness of such a gesture from Zuko when her heart was so full of sorrow and despair. There was simply no room in her thoughts to question it.

“Uncle, too,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Katara lifted her hands to her face and cupped her palms over her eyes as if by doing so she could block out the misery that surrounded her. For a long time, she and Zuko didn’t move. She just continued to cry and Zuko continued to offer his silent comfort. It was funny, she thought somewhere in her mind, how quickly the hard lines of war were scuffed away. Four weeks ago, she and Zuko had been enemies. Now, they were all the other had.

When Katara’s sobs had subsided somewhat, Zuko finally spoke again.

“I’m going back,” he stated without preamble. His eyes were fixed on the steely waves before them and his brow was set in a determined angle. From her vantage point, Katara could see only his good eye and it was bright with conviction. His golden iris flicked down to look at her and he said, “Do you want to come?”

Katara took a deep, shuddering breath and when she exhaled it was smoother. She touched his hand on her shoulder to tell him she was alright now and he withdrew it. Still holding his gaze, she nodded once, soberly. “Yeah,” she answered, injecting some of her own conviction into her tone. “I do.”

oO0Oo

Not quite the sort of proposal you were expecting, eh? I had to subvert expectations one last time. For posterity.

I’ll bet a lot of you could tell that my inspiration for this final story came from Final Fantasy X. I thought it would be interesting if Koizilla was something more akin to Sin—just a giant unstoppable monster that attacks indiscriminately. Could you imagine if La had never relinquished control of Aang and instead used his power to go on a furious rampage? What a different show that would be. I enjoy exploring these sorts of what-if scenarios.

[dat-town]

we found our destiny

2nd part of the destiny trilogy

Characters: Jeongguk & fairy!you

Setting: Beauty and the Beast au (part of my fairytale collection)

Genre: tale as old as time a.k.a angst with happy end

Summary: Once upon a time there was an arrogant king warning a proud princess that both of their nations would lose this war if they didn’t cooperate. What an irony that after all the mistakes he made, he was right about this. But will anyone be able to save him before the last crimson petal falls?

Warning: violence, body horror (Jungkook looks similar to Kyle in Beastly in his cursed form but with more nature elements e.g. horns, divided tongue)

Words: 9.6k

Loneliness has never killed a soul as harshly as his.

There are rumours, whispers about a castle deep in the woods overgrown by poisonous roses with sharp thorns cutting throats. They say a monster lives there, merciless and brutal, and everybody who had set a foot inside seeking treasures didn’t see daylight anymore. Only one handful of reckless men who attempted to kill the beast returned bruised and beaten, not saying any word ever since about what they saw.

According to history books, that cursed land was once a part of a kingdom lead by the generous and loved Jeon dynasty. However, when the Great War of Three Kingdom, the Kims, the Jeons and Jeju started, their legacy was immediately demolished. The Kims took everything and now they rule over the fields. Only the haunted, horrible castle remains the Jeons’ territory since nobody else dares to claim it.

The fairies of Jeju don’t have it any better. They are on the verge of extinction because of the fairy hunts initiated by the new ruler of the region. The power fairies have is feared and humans are doing what they do the best when it comes to things they are afraid of: they destroy them.

Your family has nothing to do with the war between Jeons and Kims and yet, it doesn’t matter. The fact that you were born as a fairy is apparently enough reason for the hunters to kill you. Your kind barely has any allies left after the pact with the Jeons was broken, so you can’t trust anyone. You’re on your own in this.

You hide under a cape as you cross the forest and you hope nobody will stop you on your way. So close to the border, there’s a huge chance of getting caught and yet, you have to try, you can’t give up. You have to fight till the end for the sake of your family. It’s been a while since you got separated from your sisters and now you’re heading north to the hideout your kind whispered about. It isn’t more than three days of walking with the shortcut you found and you dare to hope that the closeness of that forsaken, sinister castle is enough to keep people away.

You only realize you’re dead wrong when a watch guard from a tree catches sight of you and you barely escape, flee from the hunters strolling under the crown of trees, waiting to take innocent lives from the shadows.

“That’s one there,” one of them shouts, pointing at you from above and you run faster than you had ever before.

You were supposed to pass by the castle, following the border but because of the echoing footsteps behind you, you take a sharp left turn, running out of the forest. In desperation you break through the iron fence of the castle, the ruins and roses with thorns. You’re crawling on all fours until you get past the heavy metal gates of the once beautiful royal household. The shouts and sound of footsteps seem farther and farther away the closer you get to the front door of the marble building standing oh so majestically in the middle of the ruins. Yet, you can’t let yourself marvel at the design as you put pressure on the golden handle. When it gives in, allowing the creaking door to open wide, you don’t hesitate to slip inside and close it behind you as quickly as possible. You don’t want to give hints and clues for the hunters about where to look for you, so you hide from plain sight immediately.

As the adrenaline drains from your blood and your breathing is back to normal, you notice new scratches on your pale skin, cuts from rose thorns and red smudges on your knees. You hiss as you see a few of the cuts still bleeding and even though you know it's too much to hope for, you’d kill for a bath. But this place is abandoned, unkempt, so you doubt there’s still water running. Based on the state of the castle, naively you don’t even worry about meeting any other living soul under the roof.

You’re soon proven wrong.

“You shouldn’t be here,” a deep, hoarse voice roars, the sound of it echoing off the tall, thick walls and a shiver runs down your spine as your head snaps towards the darkness, the source of the voice hidden in the shadows.

“I- I’m sorry. I thought this building is abandoned and I was running away from the hunters, so I had no other choi–” you explain hastily but your mindless, nervous rambling is rudely interrupted as the voice snaps at you again.

“Leave.”

The rough, masculine voice, raspy from disuse, orders but you keep your chin high up. You can’t be afraid of a faceless figure that hides behind the gilded velvet curtains, right? Maybe he’s just like you, a hunted prey too afraid to trust anyone.

“Please don’t make me go out there. They will kill me,” you plea, asking for nothing more than a bit of sympathy and compassion.

There’s a short pause, a silence so defeating you unconsciously hold your breath.

When you finally get an answer, it almost chokes you.

“Aren’t you afraid that I will kill you?”

Something moves, its shadow overtowering yours on the floor. The only light in the room is provided by the moonbeams filtered by the torn curtains but still, you gasp when a figure emerges from the darkness. You slowly lift a hand to cover your mouth in horror as your eyes settle on the horrific sight.

The creature has sturdy body and sickly pale skin covered in motives and passages written in ancient fairy language. The horns on the top of his head peek out of his long, messy, dark locks. He has a huge, ugly scar across his face and the visible, ugly, purple blooded veins are getting thicker around where his heart is. He wears clothes that were expensive and glorious once but now they look worn and used, dirty and bloody like rugs thrown on his body. Some of the creature’s bones stick out unnaturally and the grimace on his mouth indicates that he’s in pain during a few movements. There are rose thorns scattered all over his body and those constantly poking his skin seems like torture. Not to mention that only one of his eyes is fully human while the other is fiery red and filled with tired rage. Just a boy, barely man brutally hurt and broken in this harsh world.

“You… you have a fairy curse on you,” you whisper as the realization hits you seeing the signs of one of your sisters putting her hands on him. What kind of horrors could he do to earn the rage of your kind?

Before you could question his state, he moves so fast you barely have time to blink before he rips your hood off revealing your pointy ears and sky blue eyes to him. Suddenly you feel vulnerable under his fierce gaze. And a bit scared as he growls at you.

“And you’re one of them. Ugly, sly creatures. No wonder the Kims want you all dead,” he spits disgusted and you shiver as you catch a sight of the snake tongue in his mouth.

“That’s a very prejudiced thing to say by you,” you say and it’s hard not to sound judgemental but you know that sometimes hurt people say things they don’t actually mean. “You judge all of us based on one fairy you met.”

The man scoffs in disbelief.

“Believe me, I have met more than enough,” he hisses and nostalgic, angry emotions flicker in his human eyes. “Are you saying you’re any different?”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone. And I can help you get rid of the curse,” you say hoping that the eye for eye trade would be sufficient enough for this stubborn creature to let you stay. Why is that so hard for him anyway? He made it clear he isn’t afraid of you, so what?

The black, smoky glow around him doesn’t budge or soften and his dark aura doesn't change at all after your offer. The red eye looks at you mocking as if you were laughable for even trying.

“No, you can’t.”

“Every curse has its own aura in our eyes, I could–” detect the source, trace back the origin and find another, powerful fairy to help, you’d like to say in a hurry, clinging onto the last hope but once again you can’t even finish the sentece.

“I know what I would have to do to break the curse but that won’t happen. Stop saying you know better.” The way he says it sounds finale and unchangeable, and you know when to give up your battles. You don’t push the topic further.

“Please,” you plead because you have no ounce of pride left anyway. If you have to beg to a stubborn human – or at least a partly human creature – in order to stay alive, you will. You need to survive if you ever want to reunite with your family.

The young man falters for a second. He looks conflicted now that you didn’t leave even after he openly threatened you, that you didn’t flinch or pulled too far when he approached you. He seems actually surprised that you didn’t run away screaming after seeing his face.

It must be lonely to be doomed to be alone.

“You can stay for the night but I want you gone by the morning,” he tells you in a stern voice, visibly wincing as if kindness hurt him and these are his final words before turning on his heels he disappears back into a shadowy hallway on the western wing of the building.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and move towards the opposite direction careful not to bump into anything on your way. The palace is a remnant of a once glorified, beautiful place that wasn’t taken care of during the last years. Now it looks like a ghost house as you walk down the empty, hollow corridors framed by shabby wall paintings and torn curtains hanging from the huge French windows. Suddenly you’re hit by a wave of cold wind and there’s something itching under your skin, a bad premonition with doubts choking you. You’re not sure anymore if it’s really a good idea to stay but what better you could do? Outside the hunt is waiting for you and Death would welcome you in his loving arms. Compared to that, somehow there’s safety in uncertainty.

You walk around mindlessly, searching for a place for the night where you can lay your head down. It’s pure coincidence that you find that room, the one with shining gold handle at the end of the hallway. Unlike any other part of the castle, this one suite seems so untouched and intact as if nobody stepped over the threshold in years. Dust has settled onto each furniture and piece of clothing but other than that it’s the cleanest part of the place and you fell asleep as soon as you crawl under the blankets and close your eyes. It has been a long day.

It’s already bright outside when you wake up, blinking the sleepiness and faded memories of your dreams out of your mind. Stretching you sit up and look around. In the daylight, the dim rays of rising sun casts light on the marble walls and on the paintings you couldn’t see in the dark earlier yesterday. There’s a huge piece of art right across the baldachin bed that portrays the members of the royal family: a man on the chair, a woman on his right and a child, no older than four years sitting on his knees. They seem like a loving family and you only realize belatedly why this painting is in this room. Oh. It must have been the former King and Queen’s bedchamber.

As you realize this, it feels wrong to stay there any longer. Even though you have always known this is considered as a break-in, you didn’t mean to sleep in the bed of the passed away monarchs of the Jeons. As soon as you leave the room after refreshing yourself a bit in the old-fashioned washroom, the hit of cold touches you again and creeps under your skin. Your head whips towards the window expecting predators on the other side and you aren’t too wrong. You could still sense them, their bad blood and the hatred following them like vultures. The hunters who are reckless enough to dare to come closer to the castle their kind fears so much.

Your steps are light on the floor, echoless as you barely move around in the hallways and yet, a tired, furious voice rings in your ear.

“I told you to leave.”

The stranger reminds you of his order and you turn around, eyes searching for the young man in the ballroom you have merely bypassed. He sits there with his back to you, at the old piano. He hasn’t pressed any key yet otherwise you would have heard it but he’s still there, not even bothering to turn towards you. You don’t blame him for hiding nor not wanting to see one of your kind. But it’s not an excuse for his rude behaviour.

“The hunters are still in the forest,” you tell him, explaining that you only stay because you’re not very keen on dying so soon. However, the young man couldn’t be bothered any less.

“I don’t care. Go away!” he stands up from the piano chair hastily almost tripping over his own legs in the hustle. The snarl on his face is full of disgust and annoyance for whatever reason.

“Not to be rude but who the hell do you think you are to order me around?” you retort unwilling to show the white feather anymore. You aren’t a coward, no fairy is. “As far as I know you could be just another stray who found an empty place to stay.”

For the first time the almighty stranger looks utterly confused and dumbfounded. He looks at you closely, gaze dragging over your figure leaning onto the wall by the threshold. It takes a few long moments for him to speak again.

“You really don’t know?” He blinks, unsure like he doesn’t know how to do introductions. There’s bitterness between his consonants while he does it anyway with a grimace tinting his scarred mouth. “I’m King Jeongguk, last descendant of the Jeon dynasty. The monster people tell stories about.”

“Well then I don’t see a monster, just a spoiled brat,” you’re quick to reply, too reckless for your own good even though you have heard the stories too. But you thought they were just that: stories, fiction. Until the antagonist itself doesn’t roar into your face.

“Are you blind or what?” Jeongguk punches into the doorframe right behind your head and you can’t help but think how his outburst of anger is so unfit for the royal he says himself to be. His heavy breath is fanning your face as he towers over you and his eyes roam over your soft features dubiously. “Aren’t fairies supposed to be unable to lie?”

“We cannot lie. Or at least we cannot speak words we know as untrue,” you confirm, forcing your voice to be calm and steady.

The so-called king hums then smirks, darkness casting over his face dangerously.

“Then tell me: don’t I look horrifying?”

His question is followed by defeating silence. The words freeze onto the tip of your tongue as you are forced to stare into his red eye. It reminds you of the bleeding moon and sacrifices that shouldn’t have been done.

At your speechless state, the boy scoffs like he expected this answer and he takes a step back, his eyes glinting like dark stars as if he won something. But there’s something haunting behind the glitter: the pain of being proved right in a matter he has never wanted to.

“I have seen worse,” you blurt out in the very end and you really have.

You have seen curses that made people so inhumane you couldn’t even recognize them beneath their new exterior and you have seen the dead of wars, tortured, skinned and drawn. On the other hand, Jeongguk looks like he has a weed garden from the inside. Still himself but the rotting nature made home inside of him. You aren’t sure what kind of curse made him like this but you know you could do something.

“If you would just let me help...” You reach out carelessly, not thinking but before you could even just graze the skin of the boy’s cheek, he yells at you.

“Don’t touch me, you filthy creature!” he bats your hand away furiously and wipes the back of his hand that touched your bare skin into his rugs as if he couldn’t bear the ghost memory of you trace on him.

You recoil in shock, taken aback by his arrogance.

“You know what? I don't even want to stay here with you,” you pretty much spit the words at him because you aren’t willing to listen to his hateful words anymore. You were wrong: you still have enough pride left to not let yourself be so looked down on.

The Jeons’ king doesn’t even know you, yet he has already decided to hate you and you don’t need one more human the kingdom that wants to make life a living hell for you. At least the Kims order to kill every fairy on sight but there’s no torture or no hurtful words thrown at you, merely an arrow throw your beating heart.

With hasty movements you don’t even waste any more time. Turning on your heels, you rush out of the door, down the stairs back to the main hall. You grab your hooded cape from the floor where you had left yesterday and slam the huge entrance door behind you with a loud thud scaring the pigeons away from the pit in the ill-kempt garden.

You run without a destination in mind, you have no idea where to but away for sure. Not out of fear, not because you think the snobbish king would follow you but because you don’t need toxic people near you and the overwhelming urge to leave has never felt so inviting. So you follow the melody of your rapid heartbeats until the anger dies down, until the snow melts under your feet, until an arrow pierces through the cape that’s swirling in the air behind you.

You halt, the cloth yanks you back and you’re not quick enough to get rid of it. Three hunters on horseback surround you and look at you in pity. A girl in a thin floral dress under the thick coat and fire in her eyes. Of course, they belittle you, the fools.

“Oh the little witch came back to play,” one of them mocks both you and your magic that’s miles away from the western magic bearers they mention.

Just to show them what you can do, whom they are facing with, you fist your hand like you’re holding something in it. Waiting for the right moment, you don’t move until all of them gets off the horses and starts approaching you tentatively like you were a wild animal. That’s when you let go the power in your grip with a sudden movement and a small avalanche of snow pours to them from the trees above you all. Just in time, while they are busy with the distraction, you hide behind the thick tree trunk struggling with steadying your breath.

Come on, think! You have to get out of here.

“Are you enjoying hide and seek, sweetheart? We were really patient waiting for you to come back,” a man chuckles and the others join him in the laughter. You’re disgusted at how much they enjoy this mass murder that’s going on.

“Come out and play,” another one tries to rile you up but you’re smarter than to walk right into their trap and believe that they would let you go easier if you listened to them and maybe grant them a wish like some claimed your kind could.

Crouching down you try to make yourself as small as you can, so you could pass by them without getting noticed, maybe snatching one of their horses but as a branch of tree hidden by the layer of fresh snow snaps under your boots, you know you got caught.

“There you are,” a strong hand grabs on the back of your dress and tugs you back brutally. You end up falling on your butt in the cold snow staring up the three men circling around you, their prey. Brute, bulky huntsmen. Their laughs is like the cawing of crows.

“Oh, it’s a pretty one. How much do you think we would get if we sold her head?”

“Hm… let me see,” one of them, the tallest one leans closer and taps your chin, so that you have to look him in the eye and when you do, you spit into his face. His smirk only widens as he wipes the saliva away. “A feisty one for sure,” he clicks his tongue and grabs your hair crushing your sensitive ears with his strong hold.

You don’t think twice as you unbind a dagger with feminine hilt from the belt of your dress and slice a part of the air with it drawing a pretty scar on the closest man’s cheek.

“Bitch,” he curses and forces the dagger out of your hand almost breaking your fingers in the process. You yelp as you feel a knife pushed to your throat from the back and flinch at the rough hands tearing at your hair to keep you in place. It’s unfair, three grown up man against one girl but you wouldn’t go down so easily, or at least not alone.

“Animals,” you growl at the hunter in front of you and kick him right in the stomach as hard as you can. It’s not enough but satisfaction still settles in your bones as you watch him fall. He doesn’t find it so funny though.

“I’ll enjoy skinning you,” he flashes a lopsided grin and picks up an arrow out of the quiver fallen on the ground. The sight itself injects fear into your bloodstream.

You know it too well, that the arrow’s head is dipped in poison and it’s deadly as soon as it pierces through your skin and reaches your veins. You squirm in the arms of the hunters struggling to escape while you don’t take your eyes off the weapon.

“Let’s hear you scream, doll.” A stinking breath hits your neck as the man on your right whispers into your ear and you want to puke.

“Let her go.”

Suddenly an angry growl shakes the area and for a moment all the hunters seem to freeze. You follow their gazes towards the voice’s source and your mouth falls open. Jeongguk stands there in a worn jacket with a crossbow in his hands aiming at the men holding you.

“Let. Her. Go,” he repeats and the authority in his tone proves that he was raised to lead people.

Not these hunters though. They don’t move.

“She’s ours.”

“I’m nobody’s,” you hiss and twist your arms in a way that hurts but makes it possible for you to bend down and give enough space for your unexpected saviour to shoot the other men. Blood spills onto the back of your dress and you feel it leak through the soft, white material. You should be disgusted but instead, you feel relief rushing through your veins.

As the hands get loose on you, you pick up your dagger and send it flying straight towards the chest of the man who threatened you earlier. Just as you let comfort flood in your system because each assaulter is on the ground, the man with blood bubbling from his side grabs on your ankle pulling you towards him. The ground slips under your feet and watch in horror the arrow held in his other hand waiting to strike.

Jeongguk comes to your rescue again, to free your leg from the grip but he’s careless, he doesn’t see the attack coming from his left. You realize in fear that he can’t see with his red eye.

“Watch out,” you scream, trying to warm him but it’s too late. Just as he strips the rough fingers from around your ankle and moves to help you up, the half-dead hunter sticks the poisoned arrow into the monster-looking king’s lower back.

Jeongguk whimpers like a hurt animal and kicks into the hunter mercilessly.

“Are you-” you mumble as you stare at him dumbly. Maybe the arrow wasn’t poisoned after all? Or is it the curse that makes the blood in his veins unaffected? You’re confused and watch him in worry.

“I’m fine,” he shushes you away and stands up on unsteady legs.

It doesn’t take a whole minute and he falters. Falling to his knees, he collapses on the cold, harsh ground.

“No-no-no...” your teeth are shattering as you crawl to him.

He just saved your life. He can’t die leaving such a burden for you to bear now that you own him. To your relief, he still has a pulse beating faintly under your fingertips and a shallow breathing dancing on your skin when you lean close enough.

“Fuck,” you swear when you grab him under his armpits and try to lift him off the ground. In the end, you have to use a bit of magic to put him on one of the horses. You plan on guiding the animal back to the castle on foot but your leg hurts too much where the huntsman grabbed you. You take a deep breath and limp to stand in front of the horse and stroke its skin in soothing circles.

“Take us back to the castle, straight on that path down there. Careful, okay?” you whisper looking into the mild creature’s big, warm brown eyes. The horse neighs and you pat its back in encouragement. As soon as you step backwards, it follows your command obediently. You quickly get another horse, tugging on the bridle of the third too as you go after them. It goes simply because when a fairy speaks, the nature listens.

Back in the castle, you lay Jeongguk down on his side and strip him off that ragged shirt and jacket he wears. Under the layers, there’s still so much blood. Breaking off the end of the arrow, you only have to worry about the head that pierced deeply into the king’s skin. It bleeds angry red just like any other human would but for once, the curse works beneficially for him as it doesn’t let the poison get into his bloodstream. Silver drops of the deadly liquid pool on the old cloth you laid on the bed. When you pull out the metal from the flesh, Jeongguk hisses in pain and all his thorns move as his body tenses. You clean his wound with herbs you found on the way back and wrap it up nicely in a bandage.

By the time night falls, Jeongguk gets a vicious fever. You feed him hot soup even though he’s barely conscious and put a cold pack on his forehead. You stay beside him all night in an uncomfortable armchair to watch over his state and just when you’re about to fall asleep and let the dreamland take you in the middle of night, he startles from a fever dream.

“Hey, Jeongguk, it’s alright.” You lean over him and soothe your palms over his tense shoulders as he looks around in panic. You’re a bit worried that he will get the bandage off if he moves around too much, so the sooner you can make him fall asleep again the better. But as soon as his gaze settles on you, his whole body stills and then faster than you’d think he could in his current state, he lunges forward.

“You… you made me this way, ugly witch,” he grumbles as his hands curl around your throat.

You gasp for air as he presses down on your throat-pipe choking you.

“Jeongguk–” you rattle short on breath as you try to pry his fingers off your neck. It’s getting dangerous – the vengeance in his eyes – because you’re sure even wounded he could seriously hurt you.

“Sorry,” you mumble as you blindly take the powder of a rare plant from the table and throw it all in his face. He lets out a painful yelp as it stings getting into his eyes and he quickly covers his itching eyes with both hands. As he lets you go, you immediately jump back waiting until the drug takes effect and knocks him out completely.

Even when he's calmed down, breath even and out to this world, you don’t dare to sleep after that. It's in the late morning when Jeongguk comes back to his senses looking around quite confused like he had no idea what he was doing on one of the sofas with a bandaged wound in his back.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” you inquire worried about his wellbeing but still a bit wary about him wanting and trying to kill you… or maybe you only fear his subconscious.

The king blinks at you surprised to find you - or anyone - beside him while being in such a vulnerable state.

“Numb,” he breathes. His voice is still rough and heavy from sleep.

“Yeah that’s because of the painkiller cream I put on your wound,” you hurry to explain and Jeongguk acknowledges it with a short nod. He isn't looking at you, in fact, he's looking everything but you like he haven't seen this room of the castle countless times before! You don't know what to think of it.

The atmosphere becomes quiet, so quiet you can hear the cool breeze move the curtains. It only takes a few more passing minutes of talking without words and you can't bear the awkwardness any further.

“Thank you… for coming to help me,” you whisper into the expanding void between you and finally, Jeongguk graces you with his utmost attention, eyes dark and honest.

He doesn’t say it out loud, that it was wrong of him what he said to you before you left but it’s there in his eyes, at least in the human one.

“Thank you for not leaving me there,” he says instead while chewing on his lower lip anxiously. “And sorry… for that.”

He means the bruises on your neck that weren’t there in his memories. Your right hand comes up to cover the marks out of instinct and you realize that you stupidly forgot to put healing cream on them.

“It’s okay. You weren’t yourself,” you reassure him that you don’t hold grudges against him. It’s funny, isn’t it? How you were so keen on leaving and write him off him as a rude, arrogant person and now your opinion of him changed so quickly. But actions speak louder than words or so they say. Even a judgemental person like Jeongguk needs to know that he isn’t the monster he thinks he is just because he’s said to be one.

“That shouldn't be an excuse,” he mumbles bitterly but you don't want to argue. You have other, most important issues to discuss.

“Do I remind you of her?” you ask faintly, almost not sure if you’re allowed to bring that incident up. You don’t want him to get mad but it has been haunting you ever since he launched himself onto you with that murderous glare of his.

But he doesn't seem to realize at first what you could be talking about. He answers with a question.

“Who?”

“The fairy that cursed you.”

She must have been a powerful one, you guess, close to the Queen’s bloodline to cast a curse like this. A curse that miraculously saved Jeongguk’s life just now. You could never do that.

“In a way every fairy would remind me of her,” the king admits, recalling the cruel smile of the princess which reminds him… “What happened to your kind’s kingdom after mine fell?”

He doesn’t ask: what happened to her, the princess? Because he claims he doesn’t care and he almost believes himself.

“We couldn’t withstand the attack. We might have magic and hundreds of knights but the poisoned arrows came from nowhere with no declaration of war, no warning,” you sigh, awful memories fighting their way up from the hidden corners of your mind. It's been two years but you still remember it all vividly. It's never easy to forget a war. Even so if it’s still going on in a much subtle way then open slaughter. “Fairies are loyal creatures but the Queen told us to spread and hide in other kingdoms because she wasn’t willing to see us all die to protect the Court.”

Jeongguk nods, because he knew this would happen. He had warned the princess but she was so proud, she ruined them both. He should feel satisfaction that he was right but instead, the victory tastes like bitter medicine.

“Were you there?” he casts a glance at you sitting on his bedside. In his eyes, you look so fragile, all gentle lines and smooth skin. Before he could barely imagine you with a sword in your hands and yet, he just saw you fight three men twice your size and you were the one who brought him back here all the way from the snow-covered forest. You were anything but weak and nothing proved it better than the bruises on your neck and the scratches made by tree branches on your face.

“At the war you mean?” you raise a brow not knowing what exactly he meant by that. You have been in a lot of places. Jeongguk nods and his eyes are wide as he has been told an untold tale. “Yes, every fairy is a warrior of some kind.”

The king lets out a non-committal hum and closes his eyes to rest them a bit. But before he realizes, your sweet voice telling him about your traditions and habits lulls him back to buoyant dreams.

You’d never absolve him of his sins because you know very well that he isn’t a saint. But like this, he looks so young, too vulnerable to wear these battle scars.

It reminds you of the stories whispered in the villages close by, the tell-tales about a pretentious prince who has never left the castle he was born into. They say the entire household left him behind because he was so horrendous and the monster he came to be only feeds on the poor souls lost in the forest. Now you know it’s hardly true. Just like most stories.

After Jeongguk recovers and your scars also heal, things shift between the two of you. Something you can't quite put your finger on - trust maybe? - definitely evolves because he doesn’t ask you to leave ever again. Instead he just…

“You’re still here,” he blurts out stopping in his tracks when he sees you at a balcony one fine morning. He’s limping a bit because his back still hurts but the wound heals nicely around your needlework.

“Uh yeah, I sprained my ankle, so I have to wait until it heals,” you turn your back on the scenery you admire. You have come to enjoy spending your quiet mornings outside since the weather is getting less chilly as the winter is saying goodbye. You're watching over the awakening fauna of the forest, making friends with birds but you have to admit, it's lonely. Jeongguk isn't so keen on talking with you and you know better than to push. So you sit out there alone each morning until the lord of this place finds you.

“If you don’t mind…”

“No. You can stay, just… just stay away from the western wing.”

That part, as you realize, is the most trashed, the most broken part of the castle, proof of his rage and grief, a representation of his soul. You can't help wondering what happened to him and you're too nosy for your own good because you want to help him no matter what. You can't bear the thought of leaving him here alone and bitter once you're ready to go.

That’s why one morning when Jeongguk decides to join you on the balcony, you initiate a conversation that's long overdue.

“When you said you know what could lift the curse...”

“It won’t happen. Stop asking.” He doesn't even let you finish. His posture stiffens and his face darkens as he talks about the curse.

“Have you tried getting the marks removed? To pull out the thorns?” you keep on asking, trying to open up his shell, to make him realize you just want to help.

Fairy magic doesn’t work that way, you know that, but it would still worth a try.

“I have consulted every healer and doctor in my kingdom, they couldn’t do anything. The thorns grow back once you break them,” Jungkook objects and he can confidently say this because he’d tried. Multiple times and he failed each attempts. He learnt that it’s better not to hope than to get disappointed. “In a few months, it’s not going to matter anymore anyway.”

“Why...” Why do you think that? You’ve wanted to ask but Jeongguk is too quick to misunderstand you.

“Why was I cursed? Because I’m selfish and arrogant, ugly from the inside. She said that she just made it seen from the outer side,” he laughs dryly. He remembers clearly how he begged to the princess written her countless letters only receiving an answer when it was too late he couldn’t save his kingdom. The princess said the curse punishes him until he learns to see right, speak right and feel right. Whatever that meant.

“You know the more people tell you how good you are, how talented, how handsome… how fucking perfect, the more you believe them and strive to make it true. At some point I lost my good judgement. I was selfish, impulsive and reckless after my parents’ death. I wanted to save the kingdom at any price and look at it now! I’m the one who destroyed it.”

There’s so much sadness in his words that you would like nothing more than to hold him, to brush his hands away from his eyes but you don’t dare to move. You don’t know if you’re allowed to. He snapped at you roughly when you last touched his skin and you wouldn’t like to get on his bed side again. So you just sit there with him listening to his breathing become steady again as you both bath in the warm sunshine.

Jeongguk dreams a dreamless dream that night. There’s nothing but vast darkness and an echo of a painfully familiar, bewitching voice: How does it feel? To admit and say it out loud? How is it to say monstrous things about yourself? Think, young king, think before you speak because words can hurt just as much as nicely carved blades.

Jeongguk wakes up covered in sweat despite the open windows and the chilly night breeze of late winter. He tries to persuade himself that it was nothing more than a dream, one of the nightmares he’s used to but he remembers the fairy princess’ devilish smile all too much.

He reaches for the glass placed on his nightstand table and only when the fresh water touches his mouth, does he feel the difference. It freezes him in place for a minute. He can’t believe it, he’s too afraid to believe it as he slowly, not daring to hope too much, puts his fingers to his lips, chapped as always and then tentatively he darts his tongue out. A normal human tongue instead of the divided tongue of a snake that he had to get used to in the past years. He feels his entire lungs collapse with both relief and panic. What if it’s just a dream?

He’s still ugly as ever but he had never hated anything more that those parts of his new horrendous appearance that constantly reminded him of his disfigured body. Like the tongue, the one-sided blindness, the heavy horns on his head, the thorns digging deep in his skin… and now the hideous tongue is gone. What does it mean?

He isn't foolish enough to believe it's anything good.

“Can you play?” you ask the next time you see him in the ballroom by the grand piano. Curiosity is dripping from your words like honey.

His breath hitches involuntarily when he turns around to look at you. There's a flower crown made of snowdrops on the top of your head complementing the nice fall of your locks.

“I could but now…” it hurts. He doesn’t say but you see the scars on his fingertips, they’re angry red.

“Can I?” you gesture towards the piano and the bench he's sitting on, asking for permission. Jeongguk looks at you for a long time and then nods.

You're careful not to make any sudden movements as you approach him and sit down next to him. It actually surprises you that he doesn’t pull away but stays there by your side watching you play. The instrument hasn’t been used in a long, long time, you can tell and you’re out of practice too, but thanks to the ballrooms acoustics the harmonies are nice. You forget yourself in the music and looking at you, Jeongguk can't help but think that it's magic too.

It happens slowly, gradually like spring takes over the place of winter and fills the fields with flowers. It happens unseen between garden walks, stargazing sessions and library talks. It happens in the littlest things.

“Can I cut your hair?” you ask when it’s finally getting warmer but you start to miss the hidden warmth of that brown eye. Jeongguk blinks and stares at you in utter surprise like he's never had his hair cut. Suddenly you feel a bit silly for offering. He could do that himself if he really wanted to, right? “Sorry… I just noticed that you keep brushing away the fringe that's getting in your eyes.”

“Uh... yes. I mean, you can,” he announces just as you turn away.

You arrange Jungkook to be seated on a wooden chair in the kitchen and you circle around him.  You have never cut anyone’s hair before, so you hold his messy locks gently and carefully slid the scissors across the strands letting them fall one by one. It feels strangely intimate. Even so since Jungkook doesn't tear his eyes away whenever you're in front of him.

“This isn’t from the curse, right?” you whisper as your index finger gently follows the line of a scar across his face, starting from his eyebrow up until his jawline.

“No, it’s from those who think I’m a monster,” Jeongguk answers with the corners of his mouth turning down and eyes closed. He thinks they are right, you can tell it from his posture and your own cold heart aches with it. Fairies are supposed to be manipulative creatures, always playing little games in the head but it doesn’t take away your ability for sympathy.

“You’re not,” you tell him because he is no more of a monster than everybody’s their own monster, the worst kind. Jeongguk doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t need to. His silence is comforting enough.

By the time you finish, you have a whole mound of hair at your leg and you can’t suppress a smile thinking how much Jeongguk looks less like a caveman with his new haircut. And even though he doesn’t say it out loud, he feels more humane too.

“Done,” you clap proudly at your own handiwork and then start cleaning up the mess you made. The boy of royal blood watches you intently, head bobbing to the rhythm of the silly, lovesick folk song you're humming.

“You’ve never told me your name,” he wonders aloud.

“You never asked,” you shrug nonchalantly with the final brushes of the broom. But secretly it makes you happy that now he cares at all.

“I’m asking now,” he says and you tell him just like that.

He repeats the soft vowels after you, playing with the word, committing it into his memory like someone memorizes a complex painting wanting to remember even the slightest details.

“Pretty,” he mumbles and you have to fight the blush creeping up your neck. Gosh, he was just complimenting your name, why are you acting like this?

You prepare to go back to your room – a smaller one that used to be one of the maids but you tidied it up nicely - just so you can bury yourself in a book stolen from the library to hide your silly smile but then Jeongguk surprises you with a confession.

“You’re nothing like her.”

Your vibrant greenish blue eyes turn to him curious and confused.

“What?”

“You’re nothing like the fairy that cursed me,” he tells you, eyes sincere, voice soothing and your heart throbs.

You remember as clear as daylight what he told you: And you’re one of them. Ugly, sly creatures. So you just smile at him softly and when you finally leave, a warm feeling follows.

The black emptiness welcomes Jeongguk in his dream again. The otherworldly sound echoes in his mind: How does it feel? To see others for who they are and not for what they are? You know that difference better than anyone, don’t you? Remember, young king, remember that we can’t help what we were born but we are who we make ourselves to be.

When Jungkook startles awake at dawn he doesn’t feel the difference at first. The bright bleeding orange of the rising sun is on his right but then, on his left, he catches a glimpse of his reflection and a young man stares back at him with two blown, dark brown eyes. A boy with freshly cut, messy dark hair… without horns. He keeps touching the top of his head because he can't believe it. After the past two years, it's almost too good to be true.

His appearance leaves you astonished too. You’re sitting in the dining room sipping on your herbal tea and when you look up, your cup-holding hand stills in mid-air.

“What… what happened to you?” you gape at Jeongguk dumbfounded because the change is so prominent this time. Of course, you noticed that his snake-like tongue was gone too but you didn't know what to make out of it and you’d rather not ask about something like that. But now with his horns gone too and his human eyes back, he looks a lot less scary. Just like you’ve always known.

“I don’t know.”

He runs a hand through his own hair in awe and stares at you like you could know the answer. There are still thorns, unhealed bruises and ugly scars on his body but he resembles more and more the young king he used to be. The one looking determined and proud on his coronation painting you’ve found torn in the throne room.

“Didn’t you say the curse cannot be broken by any methods you’re willing to try?” you recall his sentiment, not his actual words but Jeongguk doesn’t protest at your imprecision.

“I didn’t think it was possible,” he admits as the fairy princess' words echo in his ears: King Jeongguk, your people who blindly trust you will finally see who you really are. You’re selfish and empty-hearted, so hear my curse. This rose blooms until you turn 21. If the last petal falls and the flower dies, you shall stay in your monstrous form for ever. The only way to break the curse is to find someone who truly loves you, someone who can teach you how to love.

Jeongguk ridiculed love then and told the fairy that it's impossible for royals like them, so the curse was also a test of his beliefs.

Since you don't know any of that, you can only guess it's the kind of fairy curse that has an expiration date. And when that day finally comes, Jeongguk will be a handsome, legitimate king again fighting to get back what he lost. He’ll soon forget about the stubborn fairy staying in his castle a while back. For a reason, it makes you nervous. You keep fidgeting with the hem of your dress, tea long forgotten. You know now is the time.

“Actually I’m really glad that you’re getting… better,” more human? You hesitate, chewing on the inside of your cheek. “Because I… my ankle is fine now and the forest is quiet, so I should... I should go. My family waits for me.”

It’s been days, actually weeks since you don’t feel the sharp pang of pain in your leg whenever you walk. You told yourself you’d wait only to make sure but day after day you kept waiting and it couldn’t get any better anymore. You didn’t want to admit but you stayed for him, because you didn’t want to leave Jeongguk’s side. But your family is in hiding in a small village up North and they will leave with the next shipping ferry at the end of the month. You'd better go if you don't want to miss it. You should have been there a lot earlier to be honest. It's been almost a months since you’re here but the thought of leaving still makes your throat close up and Jeongguk doesn't make it easier either.

His smile falls much like withering leaves in early winter. Of course, what did he expect? Everyone leaves. He was stupid to hope you wouldn’t just because his curse is getting less effective.

“Oh. Sure. You shouldn’t stay out of pity,” is what he says when his heart wishes: please don’t leave.

“That isn’t what I was doing.” You taste something bitter as you protest. It bites into you, sealing your lips, so you can’t plead: ask me to stay.

He doesn't. Even when his eyes bore into yours, he doesn't say anything.

He only has few months until his 21st birthday, that fateful one that will seal his fate. If he can’t break the curse until then, he’ll stay in this form forever. How could he let you leave now? When he’s so sure it’s you who’s helping him get better? But he can’t just lock you up and keep you there. That would be just as bad of him. You deserve better. You should be with your family.

“Then take care,” you say instead of goodbye because you can't bear to stay any longer in this awkward state, not when your heart is threatening to break into pieces so easily like fine china.

There’s no answer and your heart aches.

“Take care,” he whispers once you’re long gone taken all your belongings with you, everything that he could remember you by. There’s nothing but the half-read book left open on the dining table and your scent still lingering in the air.

He cares for you. A lot, he realizes, so what would it say about him if he hadn’t let you go?

That night he can’t sleep but he still hears the enchanting words: How does it feel? To love someone so much to give up something for them? Can you see now, young king, can you see that selfish actions wouldn’t bring any good?  But you shall see the selfless is always rewarded in the end.

You walk without looking back until night falls upon the land. You know that this time Jeongguk won’t follow you yet hope blooms in your chest instead of fear whenever you hear a crack or any strange noise in the forest. It takes long hours to convince yourself that it really won’t happen.

When it’s getting dark, it occurs to you that you could rest on a tree in the forest like you used to do but after your latest encounter with the hunters you’d rather not risk it. So you pay for a night in a small room above a fairy sympathizer inn in a hidden part of the wild area. It’s more hectic than you’d have thought and while you’re having your humble dinner you hear the others talk about rumours that the Kims plan to attack the castle. They say they want to claim the rest of the Jeon territory because the monster that lives there killed their hunters; it’s too dangerous to let it stray. The possibility of the gossips coming true scares you and your grip on the counter tightens with every overheard word.

“Care to join me?” a gentle hand touches yours and looking up you face with the prettiest fairy you’ve ever seen.

“Your Highne–” you gape at her, the princess of your Court smiling down at you brightly.

“Shh, my sister, not here.” She shakes her head slightly and leads you to a private room already filled with several of your kind. The princess offers you a place on the wide sofa alongside with a refreshing drink, the ambrosia of fairies. You’re in awe at her kindness, the gentleness she treats you but you can’t help the anxious knots in your stomach urging you to go back to Jeongguk. “You look dishevelled. Have you just arrived?”

“Yeah, from the forest,” you nod and take another sip of the nectarine.

“Oh such a dangerous place,” she says with a hint of intent and motherly understanding colouring her voice. Her cornflower blue eyes are curious, waiting for you to open up.

With each drop of the energizing liquid tasting like pure sunshine on your tongue, the eagerness to do something builds up in you until it becomes too much to bear.

“I need to go back. I need to warn–”

“Jeongguk. I know,” the princess smiles sweetly and gently brushes a stray lock behind your ear. “He saved you, didn’t he?”

“He did more than that,” you blurt out before you could think about the meaning it holds.

You don’t even realize until you say it out loud and your own confession leaves you astonished. He might have been rude to you at first but with time, you could see more and more of his softer side and the way he cared in the most subtle ways. You already miss him and the quiet mornings spent together on the balcony.

The omniscient eyes of the princess soften. Fairies are loyal creatures and in time of need the Court appreciates every bit of kindness: we protect those who protect us, they say.

“Does your heart pull you back to him?” she asks and you blink hard.

“How…” did you know that?

“Magic, dear,” the princess chuckles like one would be amused at a child’s mistake. Then her face turns serious and the entire room goes quiet at her next words. “Go and tell him that we’ll fight beside him. We won’t let the Kims have the entire land. We’ll fight back.”

Jeongguk is ready to sink back into his self-hatred filled loneliness when the castle begins to feel like the ghost of itself, hollow and empty. He certainly doesn’t expect the repetitive knocks on his bedroom’s door. When he opens it wide, he’s too surprised to be mad at you for showing up in the western wing he specially told you to stay away from. Instead he’s rendered speechless as he’s staring at your blushed cheeks and determined eyes. Not to mention the whole army of fairies behind you.

“Jeongguk, is that you? What happened? Is the curse broken?” you stumble over you words because you’re just as surprised as him. You liked him with horns and thorns and all his flaws by the time you left but at this moment, there’s a gorgeous young man in front of you. Tall and lean, skin smooth in a golden hue and your breath hitches as you look him in the eye. That sad sea of brown is glinting with a hint of hope now.  

“Wha– What are you doing here?” he asks confused, your questions long forgotten. To be honest, he doesn’t even know the answers himself.

“The Kims are preparing an attack. I brought reinforcement,” you tell him and suddenly Jeongguk can’t decide what to feel. There are so many emotions rushing through him as he’s looking over all the pointy ears, bright eyes and proud looks on the dozen strangers in his hallway. And among them there’s one he knows practically very well, one that he asked of the same thing you brought him: her men and women to fight on his side.

“Princess…” he curtly nods as a greeting towards the royal standing on your right.

“I see you have learnt the lesson, Jeon Jeongguk,” she says firmly and that’s only when you realize it has been her all along who cursed the boy. No wonder why she has known where you’d come from. “Now don’t forget and one day, you shall be a great king to be proud of.”

“Thank you,” Jeongguk whispers and at first, you think he’s still talking to the princess. But looking up, you find his gaze fixed on you. Daringly, you take his hand in yours, playing with the fingers because you know it won’t hurt him anymore and smile like there’s nothing in the world that could ruin this moment.

“Don’t thank me yet. We still have a battle to fight.”

Author’s note: Since the prologue as I like to call it was one of my first stories posted on tumblr and this idea has been bugging me for a while, I decided to write the actual “tale” to celebrate my 2nd anniversary on this blog. I know this is an open ending and there’re quite a few questions left unanswered but it’s totally intentional since I plan to write an epilogue hopefully sooner than the 4th anniversary of the blog. Till then I hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading and hit me up if you have anything to tell me about it. ♥