#but i struggled over lily and violet because they both fit fire

[hcro]

THE M.A. LEADERS + THE FOUR ELEMENTS

Lily Potter, Persephone Toots-Hookum ( @wiiltingflcwer ), Violet Longbottom ( @ofvixlcts  ), and Katya Wood-Krum ( @katyawoodkrum )

[bebepac]

Substitute Queen (Happy Birthday Queen Walton!)

This is a special edition of Fast Forward for my friend @queenwalton as she enjoys this series I've created a lot and it is her birthday! (Well a day early!)

I'm pretty sure you have been following along with me since I started writing on the fandom a little over a year ago. Thank you for your friendship and support. I hear from you after every chapter I post and I love it. Also thank you for being my trustworthy reader of infinite snippets. I hope you have an absolutely wonderful birthday my friend. 🥰🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤

A/N:  Thanks @dcbbw​ for bouncing some ideas around with me, and giving me a few to make this birthday fic even better.  Thank you girl.  

Summary:  Riley and Liam go on their first vacation alone since the events of Ellie’s kidnapping.  Maxwell and Taylor take care of all the children.  Maxwell throws a “Baby” Beaumont Bash.

Original Post Date: 03/24/21 at 11:55AM EST

The Book:  TRH and Beyond

Pairing: Liam x Riley  / Maxwell x Taylor 

Warnings:  None other than hilarious fluff

Word Count: 2425

Song inspiration for this chapter: Baby Shark (Trap Music Remix) 

I don’t own rights to this hilarious music.  

Liam saw Riley standing  in the study with her back turned to him.  The King of Cordonia shifted seamlessly into stealth mode as he crept silently into the study, surprising his Queen by pouncing on her like a lion, grabbing her and slipping his arms around her waist, and sensually planting a soft kiss to the sensitive skin on her neck.  He gently rubbed himself against her.  

“Take a break for a little while my love.��

He felt her body tense up.

“EEEWWWWW GROSS!!! NOT YOUR WIFE!!!  OOOOH GOD!!!!!!! NOT YOUR WIFE!!! PUT THAT THING AWAY!!!!!!  YOU HAVE FOUR KIDS!?!?!?!?!?  AREN’T YOU GUYS TIRED OF DOING THAT?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?”

Liam quickly recoiled from her.   Liam looked genuinely horrified when she turned to face him.

“I’m so sorry Taylor.  From behind, I swear I couldn’t…I mean I didn’t…..”  

“Bleh!!!! Don’t finish that sentence!!!!!!

Riley walked in the room seeing Taylor and Liam visibly uncomfortable.

“What did I miss?”  

“I need a bath!!!  Your husband thought I was you.  Apparently we look the same from behind.”  

Riley glanced at Taylor.  “I mean…. He’s really not completely wrong Tay. ��Now that you had the twins, we really do.”  

Taylor scowled.  

“And that right there is why no one will mistake us for each other from the front.  Your scowl face.”

“Well this is a sufficiently awkward conversation, so I’m going to go, especially after I’ve completely embarrassed myself. Riley when you’re finished, please come by my study.”  Liam still had a flush on his cheeks and ears.

“For real, put that thing away Liam, it’s barely lunch time.”  Taylor grumbled.

“I will be there.”  She winked at him.  

Liam’s smile returned.  

“Can one of you keep it in your pants please?  You two are like horny teenagers.”  

“I’m okay with that.”  They both said in unison smiling at each other.  Liam left the room.

“Are you going away for your wedding anniversary?”

“We probably should, but we have our date nights, and we can always sneak some time alone now that the kids are a little older, now that everyone is potty trained and not on the boob anymore.  God I missed my boobs being mine, and now that they are again, of course they look like a dumpster fire after breastfeeding four kids.”  

“Well that’s one hell of a bra then.”

“Who are you telling? They would be dragging the floor otherwise.”

Taylor laughed.  

“Please don’t do that visual to our body.”

“It is our body right?”  

Riley and Taylor giggled.  

“You two should go away alone.  You two never get adult time��� And I don’t mean just for that.  You two apparently get more than enough adult time for that.” 

“Tay, it’s just that we haven’t really been away from the kids.  Anywhere we go, we travel as a family.  I feel safer that way, so does Liam.”  

“Because of me right?”  

“Tay….”

“It is.  The last time you two tried to go on vacation was when I took Ellie, and you haven’t been apart from them a day since.  It’s my fault you two are afraid to be away from your children."

“Taylor, Liam and I have forgiven you for that, a long time ago.  We know that you’re not the same person you once were.”

“Prove it, you two take a trip, and it’s a trip you two desperately deserve. I promise the palace will be still standing when you get back.”

Taylor smiled at Riley.

“Please let me do this for the two of you. It’s been one thing after another, and you guys deserve a vacation. Let me and Max take care of the kids.”

“Tay… you do realize that would be your two barely crawling plus my four.  You two would be taking care of six children.”  

“And your kids are pretty self sufficient.  They can feed themselves.”  

“You’ll need some reinforcements, Tay. For real.  I’ll call Drake and Hana to help.”  

“I really think Max and I can handle it.”

“Tay…”  

“Riley, we got this.”

*^*^*^*^* Taylor and Maxwell *^*^*^*^*

“You volunteered us for WHAT?!?!?!?!?”

“Oh come on Max, they’re just kids.”

“Yeah, and we’ve been lucky to keep the two of ours alive so far.  We’re going to be outnumbered Softie. There’s going to be six of them and two of us. You have put them at an unfair advantage.”  

Taylor laughed.

“This is not a war Maxwell.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a war.”

A week later,  Riley and Liam were preparing to leave for their first vacation alone, since they had children.  

Riley kissed and hugged each child.

“Now you kids behave for Auntie Taylor and Uncle Maxwell.  I’m counting on you Miss Crown Princess for a report when I return. You know you’re first in command Ellie.”

Ellie stood up straight and squared her shoulders.  “I promise Daddy, we’ll all be good.”

Ellie gave a little salute.

Liam gave one back.

“As you were, my princess.”

Riley, still kneeling, smoothed down Liberty’s little curls.  Her little lip was already trembling.  

“Mommy loves you baby.”  She kissed her little cheeks.  

“Are you ready to leave My Love?”  

Riley stood up nodding.   Liam reached out her hand for hers.  

They started to walk towards the SUV.  

“Mama.”  

Liam felt Riley stop.  

“It’s okay My Love we can do this.”  

Riley’s eyes were quickly filling with tears.

Riley resumed her stride.

“Dada?”

The little inflection of a question in Liberty’s voice made Liam stop dead in his tracks. His grip tightening on Riley’s hand.  Liam took a deep shaky breath.

"Don't look back Liam, you know we won't leave if we do."

Bastien and Nico could see how the King and Queen were struggling to leave their children.

“Your Majesties, come this way.”  Bastien called out to them gently.

Both the King and Queen were in tears hearing their youngest burst into tears at the sight of them leaving, as they climbed into  the black SUV.

“It’s okay.  They’ll be fine Riley. They have reinforcements.”

“Taylor wouldn’t let me call Drake or Hana.”  

Liam hit a button on his phone. He put the phone on speaker.

“What’s your location?”  

“Already inside the palace.”  

“Olivia?”  

“And you fully understand the plan?”

“Let your tiny humans drive Taylor and Maxwell insane?”

“NO!!!!”

“I know the plan Liam! Not be seen and keep a watch on them, and only appear if they need help with the children. “

“Yes. Thank you Liv.”  

“I do this because we’re friends Riley.”  

“Liberty has a set of lungs on her, she hasn’t stopped crying since you two left.  I’m sure she’ll be fine.”  

“Thank you Liv.”  

“They’ll be fine, i’ll be watching. Enjoy your vacation already.”  

“Where are we headed? Since you wouldn’t disclose a location to me, I literally packed for everything including plagues and fire rain.”  

“For some fun in the sun on our own private beach.”

“Good thing I packed a bathing suit.”  

“You won’t be needing it.”  

Riley smacked Liam’s arm as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

*^*^*^*^*^* Meanwhile back at the Palace *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“C’mon Libby it’s okay.   Mommy and Daddy will be back.”  

Taylor picked her up, rocking her in her arms.  

“Shhhhhh… it’s okay Libby.   Auntie Taylor is here, so is Uncle Max.”

Libby’s cries subsided a little but not significantly.

“Can I try?”  Ellie asked.

Ellie crossed her eyes and made a funny face at Libby causing her to break out into a fit of giggles.  

“We’re evening out the odds.  Three on three, I like those odds better Taylor.  We might actually survive this. They will listen to one of their own.  Ellie is like our super agent spy.”

By the end of day one both Taylor and Maxwell were exhausted, tending to and chasing around six children.  At least their two were relatively easy to catch, as they were barely mobile.

“Why did I think the children being self-sufficient was going to be a good thing?  I’ve never been this tired in my life.”  

“Is this what we have to look forward to when they’re older?”  

"Seems like it."

^*^*^*^* Liam and Riley *^*^*^*

“My Love?”  

“Yes Dear?”  

“You don’t have to cut up my food for me.”  

Riley had absentmindedly cut up Liam’s chicken into very small child bite size pieces. She had also ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.

“Oh!  I didn’t even realize.”

Liam smiled at her, running his fingers through his hair.  “We’ve been parents for so long, it’s been a long time since you and I have been truly alone.”  

“You know what I want to do after dinner?” Riley inquired.

Liam raised his eyebrow with an intrigued smirk.  

“I think I might have an idea of exactly what you want to do.”  

Liam and Riley went to sleep after dinner.  Both stretched out in the bed.  Both had covers, and no kids arms, legs, feet, or hair  in their face.

Every night was like that Liam and Riley got the most sleep they had, had in years…. Well after other adult activities. Liam had even turned off his alarm living in the moment with Riley.

*^*^* Baby Beaumont Bash *^*^*^*

Taylor was feeding the girls when she heard loud thumping music. Taylor could hear jingling. Taylor glanced up, seeing the chandelier above her head was thumping to the beat of the music. Thank goodness the twins were used to Maxwell's antics, and Lily and Violet were sleeping right through it. She put Violet back in the crib and walked down the hall. The closer she got to the east wing ballroom the music got louder.

Taylor pulled the doors open to the ballroom, smoke bubbled down the hall.

There were multi colored blinking lights, a disco ball spinning from the ceiling and a snack table full of candy, sweets and soda.

Maxwell had a DJ station set up  playing a song on an endless loop, bobbing his head to the music with his headphones on.

And Riley's kids hopped up on kiddie cocaine (aka sugar) dancing and flailing around in what Taylor could only think to describe as a kiddie rave.

"Is that….. a trap remix of baby shark?"

"Heck yeah it is."

And the kids were loving it.

Maxwell let the music keep playing and he had a bottle of champagne in one hand calling Ellie and Adam over to him. He had a sword in his right.

"Adam you hold the bottle."

"You are not giving them champagne Maxwell! They're children!"

"I'm shocked at you Softie. What kind of Uncle do you think I am? It's just sparkling apple cider. Okay Ellie, you get the sword because you're the oldest. And what you want to do is slice just like I'm showing you. Oh, and don't kill your brother, that would be bad."

"I don't think Daddy would let us do this Uncle Maxwell." Ellie said wearily.

"Heck no he wouldn't.  Well not with Maxwell teaching you. If anyone is going to teach the crown princess to slice anything while someone else is holding it, it's going to be me."

Olivia appeared walking out of the shadows of an alcove.

"Have you been here the whole week?"

"Of course! You know Liam and Riley. And these kids are never going to fall asleep, if we don't have them dance the sugar out."

"I've got just the thing.”

 Max cranked up the music.

*^*^*^*^* Liam and Riley *^*^*^*^*

"Liam I miss them."

"We'll be home to see them by noon tomorrow."

"Liam I know you miss them too, log into Crown Cam, so we can see them."

Riley sat next to Liam as he logged into Crown Cam.

As they went to each room they noticed none of the children were in their beds.

"It's past their bedtime."

"Did you really think Max and Taylor would get all kids to bed on time?"

"No but…."

They clicked on each room, until they got to the ballroom on the east wing.

Both gasped at the scene. Liam clicked the button enabling the cameras to pick up sound in the room.

Both looked at each other, seeing their kids wildly dancing and flailing about. Libby was excitedly jumping up and down with a glow stick while Olivia sang on stage.

"Is Olivia really singing and rapping to Let It Go?!?"

Olivia's Rap

Liam nodded, watching the scene for a few more moments before slowly closing his laptop.

"I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this."

*^*^*^*^*^* kiddie rave *^*^*^*^*

Taylor danced with the kids while Max continued at his DJ station.

"Olivia can flow, can you believe it Max?!?"

"OLIVIA!!!!! LANGUAGE!!!!!!! THEY'RE CHILDREN!!!!" Maxwell screamed.

"Are you serious with me right now?!? Language?"

Olivia rolled her eyes in complete annoyance.

"Of all the things you've done, LANGUAGE is your hard stop? You gave the crown princess a SWORD to slice a bottle out of her younger brother's hands, and instructed her not to kill him. That's entirely okay, but CURSING is where you draw the line in the sand? Seriously Maxwell?"

Both Taylor and Olivia glared at Maxwell for a few moments in confusion.

"Liv keep going!!! We have to tire them out!!!"

Olivia resumed her rap battle….with herself.

Within an hour it looked like a crime scene in the ballroom. Children were passed out everywhere.  

Taylor picked up a sleeping Ellie, Olivia, grabbed Adam, and Maxwell carried Jaiden and Liberty upstairs to their beds.  

"They need baths, their faces and hands are dirty with crumbs and sweets."

"We'll give them baths in the morning, before Liam and Riley get back." Maxwell was confident they could get it done.

They didn't. They all slept in instead.

When Liam and Riley arrived back at the palace, they didn't know what to expect.

They saw their kids, all lined up wearing yesterday's clothes, dirty faces, and wild chaotic hair, looking like they had their own kiddie walks of shame.  But each child had a huge smile on their face.

Liam walked up to Ellie.

"Your report my Crown Princess?"

"Daddy! I sliced a bottle top off a bottle while Adam held it."

"And I didn't die!" Adam screamed confidently.

"We had fun!" Jaiden exclaimed.

"Daddy did you know Auntie Liv is a gangsta rapper?" Ellie's voice sounded like she was in complete awe.

"Yes My Princess, we saw."

Olivia turned pale, then she knowingly nodded. "I should have known you two would access Crown Cam."

Riley turned to Maxwell.

"So you threw a Beaumont Bash…. for our children?"  Riley asked.

"Of course, gotta train them up right!! Little Blossom!"

"Sure, they're a little dirty, but at least the palace is still standing, what else would you expect from the Substitute Queen?" Taylor commented with a smirk.

Happy birthday! I hope you enjoyed this!

Tagging the comments

[raikenblog]

Raiken Student Chapter 1: Worlds Upon Worlds

A pocket of flame sped past my head, singeing some strands of chestnut hair that had come loose from my braid.  I turned and barely had time to dodge out of the way as another, bigger glob of fire careened toward me.  

I shifted to look for who had created the fireballs with tufts of smoking hair sticking out all over my head.  

Clearly, I hadn’t managed to dodge it completely.

“What the hell?” I yelled toward the others around me, frazzled.

A small nervous looking boy shrank away from my voice, as the rest just stared at me blankly.

“Were those yours?” I asked the boy.  He nodded.  “Not bad.  But watch what you set on fire, will you?  Practice with your instructors in the proper areas, eh?  Not in the courtyard.”

I puffed an exaggerated sigh and the boy nodded before scurrying off toward the stables.  I smiled and shook my head, then continued on my way through the courtyard, fussing with my burnt hair as I walked.  

A few other students gave me wry looks as I walked past.

I shrugged and kept walking toward the terrace and the dormitory beyond that.  I stared up at the Kalina Tree as I walked.  

The Kalina Tree was a massive willow that stood in the center of the terrace.  The trunk of the tree was so thick it took twenty-one full-grown men touching fingertips with their arms completely stretched out to make a full closed circle around it.  Eadrin Academy was built around it because of how gigantic it is.  No one had ever heard of any tree being that big, let alone a weeping willow.   People theorized that someone powerful had altered it with magick for some reason in the past, making the founders of Eadrin think it was important.

I bowed my head to the tree as I walked past it and entered the dormitory, heading straight for the kitchen.  A few other students getting food gave me curious glances about my appearance, but I didn’t stop to explain.  I was running late, so I just grabbed a small chunk of bread, some cheese and a skin full of water.  Then headed for the dormitory gardens.

Several more students were lazing around in the gardens as I sped past them and into the miniature maze of hedgerows.  The entire garden was surrounded on three sides by the hedgerows, which acted as a sort of wall.  And there was a small maze of them toward the north end.  Normally, I would admire the patches of lilies, violets, verbena and lavender surrounding the small pond near the center as I walked.  But this day, I just continued to a nearly invisible opening through the hedgerows that marked the northern border of the garden.

I glanced around me to make sure no one was watching and slipped through, breaking out into a run toward the woods as soon as I was free of the branches.

I sprinted all the way to the woods, slowing to a jog only once I reached the cover of the trees.  Moving at a steady trot, it wasn’t long before I reached the Strom River, which is the northern border of the Eadrin Academy grounds.  

Students weren’t allowed to go across the river without trainers or instructors with them.  

But, well…  Some rules don’t always need to be followed.

Once I reached the Strom, I followed it east until I found the tree I was looking for.  To the average eye, it looked just like any other oak.  But if you looked closely, you could see that some of the branches midway up formed an unconventional bridge where they tangled with the branches of a similar tree across the river in the Shen Forest.  

I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure someone formed the bridge and strengthened the trees and branches with Zea Raiken or, simply put, life magick.  Many of the students that study at Eadrin have some form of Raiken, or magick, after all.

I climbed the tree forming half the bridge and carefully crossed to the other side.  I made my way partly down the other tree across the river and jumped down the rest of the way, breaking into a trot again after I regained my footing.

After jogging north a few more minutes, I finally reached my destination, another giant tree in the middle of the forest.  This tree, which my friends and I call the Coll Tree, isn’t quite as big as the Kalina Tree.  But you’d be hard pressed to find another birch like it.

“Where have you been?” Came a deep voice from a nearby apple tree.  “You’re late.  We only have an hour and a half until supper.”  

The dark-haired muscled bulk of my best friend, Kellen, came into view as he hopped down from the branches.  

“What the hell happened to your head, Aeli?”  

“Brecht kept me longer at the orchard.  It was like he knew I wanted to be somewhere else, so he had me load two extra carts.  Then, when I was walking through the courtyard this new kid practicing his Nera Raiken nearly set my head on fire.”

“Looks like he kind of succeeded.  Maybe if you ask Tanlin nicely, she’ll re-grow it for you.  Though, if you could ever learn how to use your power you wouldn’t have to ask someone else.”

“Alright, Mr. Eiba Raiken master.  Just because you can already control metal, doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t struggle to learn our own power.”  I scowled at him.  “Anyways, where’s Maedi?”

“Right behind you.”

I jumped before turning around.  “How do you do that?”  

Maedi just smiled shyly, her green eyes gleaming in a patch of sunlight.  

“There’s nothing loud about you, is there?”  

She shook her head.  

“Just remind me never to make you angry.  Your Dima Raiken can be scary.”

She blushed and her small, lithe form straightened a bit.

I smiled back and, since I was finally not moving, I took this time to shove some bread and cheese in my mouth and wash it down with some of the water from the skin I grabbed.

“When you’re ready,” Kellen huffed.  “I’d like to get started.  We don’t have long until supper, which means less time to explore.”

I nodded and stuffed the last of the bread and cheese into my mouth.  I took another pull from my water skin and readied myself.  The others gathered in closer to me, just in case I accidentally left them behind.  

I’m not the best at controlling my Raiken, so it’s happened before.

I focused my mind and opened myself to the energy, or what we call Ken, flowing around me.  I felt around and sensed Kellen and Maedi standing near me.  Both of them contained incredible amounts of power vibrating within them.  

I then expanded my senses and felt the trees and plants around us.  A squirrel darted out, not far from us.  Its smaller amount of energy swirled about a lot faster than the slow pulsing that came from the trees.  I felt the heat and light Ken of the sun, coming through the leaves in pockets.  The wind gusted softly and the energy of its movement washed over me.  Finally, I sensed the vast pounding of power coming from the Coll Tree.  Its Ken was the biggest in the forest.  

The only thing I had ever felt with a greater amount of power was the Kalina Tree.

Now that I could feel all the bigger sources of Ken around us, I narrowed my senses in an attempt to detect the much smaller ones.  The soil beneath our feet teemed with energy, as did the air around us.  

As I searched around, I finally found what I was looking for, a tiny break in the web of Ken.  It was almost like an error in the energy flow.  Like, for some reason, Ken just didn’t move there.  Or, if it did move, it vibrated so strangely that I couldn’t sense it properly.

I zeroed in on the error spot, which was a few paces away from us.  

The spot was moving, but very slowly.  

Gently, I started to gather Ken.  I drew it in from everything around me.  Some from the plants, some from the animals, some from the wind, some from Kellen and Maedi and some from the Coll Tree.  But this was the tricky part.  If I gathered the Ken too quickly, it was possible I’d bring in more than I needed and cause an explosion that could incinerate everything nearby, including us.  Or I could drain too much energy from some smaller life forms and kill them.  

So, I took my time.  

Once I thought I had enough, I compressed the Ken and pushed it into the moving break, letting it re-expand slowly.  Once the energy entered the break, it stopped moving and began to stabilize.

As the energy expanded and changed, so did the error in the Ken web.  After the crack had grown to a hole about the size of a rabbit, something interesting could be seen through it, another world.

I studied the alien world as the hole grew bigger.  It didn’t seem outwardly dangerous.  Sometimes we could tell if a world was too dangerous to enter before a portal was opened, but this one seemed all right.  Just strange.

The light coming through the opening was blue.  

I cocked my head at the sight, trying to decide what it meant.  I glanced at Kellen and Maedi to see if they had any ideas.  

Kellen shrugged.

“Maybe the star that world utilizes as its sun is blue,” Maedi said softly.  

My dark eyebrows drew together as I studied her round face framed by chin length blond hair.  

I never would have thought of that.  And I have no idea how she thought of that.  

I looked back toward the portal, which had stopped growing, but was still too small for us to fit through. I never said I was perfect.  And opening a portal to another world wasn’t exactly easy.  So, I gently drew more energy and added it directly to the opening.  

Soon, it was ready.  

All in all, the time it took to create the portal was probably around ten minutes.  It used to take me nearly forty-five to get it right without killing something small in the process.  Definitely an improvement.

I stepped toward the opening, trying to get a better look at the other world before I decided to enter.  It was hard for my eyes to focus in the blue light, so I looked at Kellen and Maedi again to see what they thought.  

Maedi shrugged and Kellen nodded eagerly, setting his dark-skinned face into a roguish smirk.

I poked my head through the portal and, having not seen anything I thought potentially dangerous, stepped through.  Kellen and Maedi followed close behind me.  After about a minute of squinting around, my eyes adjusted to the blue light.  

I glanced at Maedi close by.  Her blond hair reflected the light in a way that made it look sky blue.  Kellen’s shoulder length black hair just looked even darker in the light.  Not surprising.  

I wondered how my chestnut brown hair looked.  Then I remembered that a lot of it had been scorched.  I drew my braid up and around to my face, but I couldn’t see if it was scorched or not.  It all looked muddled.  So, I dropped it and went back to examining our surroundings.

Even with my eyes adjusting to the light, it was difficult to figure out what I was looking at.  The ground below our feet was dark blue, almost black in some places.  And it seemed to be wriggling, just slightly.

I bent over to touch it and it felt strange, jelly-like.  Kellen gave me a questioning look but I just shrugged.

I scanned the horizon.  Just about everything had a blue tint to it.  I looked up and found the sun, which was, as Maedi had guessed, blue.

“Huh…” I said.

“What?” Kellen asked.

“Mae was right.  Look.  Blue sun.”

All three of us looked up.

“Weird,” Kellen and I said at the same time.

We went back to scanning our surroundings.  We seemed to be in the middle of a meadow-like area.  In one direction, giant blue-green mountains rose.  And in another, we could see strange tree-like structures.  In the other directions, we just saw the meadow continue on to the horizon.

“Which way?” Maedi asked.

“I dunno.  Let’s just walk this way, I guess,” I said, and we started walking toward the tree-like structures.

As we got closer, it became clear that what we were seeing were not trees.  Or, at least, they weren’t like any trees in our world.  They were as tall as trees.  But they had big, long trunks with multiple arms that stretched out in a circle from the top.  And they were translucent, reflecting just enough of the blue light for us to see them.  

But that wasn’t even the weirdest part.  Some of the things were moving on their own.  They would bend at the trunk until their tops where nearly flat on the ground.  And then they would flip over and plant their trunks again.  They didn’t have any roots, just a base on the trunk that suctioned it to the ground.  The arms moved too.  We could see them stretch out every so often and retract back toward the top of the trunk.

“What are they?” Kellen asked.

“I have no idea.”

“I feel like I’ve seen something like this before in Adyskia,” Mae said.  Kellen and I both stared at her blankly.  “In a book,” she quickly added.

“What book?” I asked.

“It had to do with creatures that live in fresh water.”  We continued to stare at her.  She shrugged slightly.  “The book was sitting on Master Figlop’s desk.”

“Why were you in the Zea Master’s office?” Asked Kellen.

“I was asking him a question about the nature of Zea Ken and how life forms use it to move.  I wanted to know if he thinks it could be possible for someone with Dima Raiken to tap into that kinetic energy created when they move and use it to move other non-metal, inanimate objects like I can normally control.  Or use it to strengthen myself.”

Kellen and I had matching faces with scrunched eyebrows and mouths that were stupidly hanging open.

“Sorry I asked…” Said Kellen after a moment.

“What was the answer?” I asked.

“Hm?  Oh, he didn’t know.”

“Oh.  Ok.  Well, anyways,” I said, “what did the book say about the water creatures?”

“Well, in our world, they’re really small. Like, the size of a fly at the biggest.  And they live in fresh water.  There are plenty in Cemlyn Lake.”  My forehead shrank as my eyebrows went up.  “I don’t think the ones in Adyskia are this complex though.”

“Are they dangerous?” Kellen asked.  “Not when they’re Adyskian size.  I mean, are these giant ones heredangerous?”

Maedi stared at the ground for a moment, her green eyes searching.  “I’m not sure.  I remember something about them using their arms to capture other organisms as prey, but we might be too heavy for them.  I don’t think they really have muscles.  At least, I don’t think the ones back home do.”  She looked back toward the creatures.

“We should probably keep our distance.  Just in case.” I said.

Despite my warning, Maedi started walking toward them.

“Mae! What are you doing?” I yelled.

She didn’t stop walking.  “Look.  There’s something flying toward that one.”  

She didn’t even turn toward us.  

She’s kind of scary when she’s determined about something.

Kellen and I jogged after her.

“Mae, please!” Kellen called.  “Don’t get too close!”

Still, she kept walking.  

“The tentacles are moving toward whatever is flying over there.  Watch.”

Finally, she stopped about twenty paces away from the nearest creature.  Kellen and I caught up with her and watched too.

The tentacles of the creature were indeed moving at a steady pace toward something flying by it.  Then suddenly, one of the arms shot out, extending to a length that seemed impossible.  It wrapped around the unsuspecting winged creature, which gave a high-pitched shriek when it realized it was under attack.  Several more tentacles wrapped around the struggling animal.  After a few moments of struggle, it gave one final shudder and then was still.

Slowly, the tentacles began to contract, bringing the prey in toward the top of its trunk.  The animal disappeared for a moment and then we saw it haltingly slide down inside the translucent trunk.  Right away we could see whatever flesh covered the prey begin to melt away.

We were all so intent on watching the creature eat, that we didn’t even notice the tentacles of another crawling toward us.

“Bairaji stones!” Kellen cursed loudly after a moment, getting our attention.

All three of us backed away hoping to be out of reach soon, but the creature’s body just kept stretching.  Then I remembered the lightning speed and expandability the things possess when they’re within range to strike.

“Run!” I yelled.  

And we turned to run just as a tentacle shot toward us.

It barely missed Kellen’s foot and buried itself in the ground.

I turned to look as I ran and saw stingers start to form down the arm that was stuck.  

Then I saw several more tentacles speeding toward us.

After a couple more close calls, we were finally out of range and back to the portal to Adyskia.  

We quickly went through and collapsed on the other side.  As I lay on the ground panting, I raised my arms and started to absorb the energy out of the portal to release it back to where I had borrowed it.

A few moments later, the portal was fully closed and I collapsed back down.

The three of us didn’t move.  We just lay there, squinting in the light of our yellow colored sun and trying to slow our breathing.

“I’m sorry,” Maedi whispered.  

I turned and sat up to look at her.

“There’s no need to be sorry,” Kellen said.

“I nearly got us killed,” she said, even quieter than before.

“Nah,” I said. “We’ve gotten out of worse than that.  ‘Sides, what’s life without a bit of excitement, eh?”  

Mae smiled weakly.  “I guess we know we’re not battle ready, huh?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I didn’t even think to use my Raiken to fight them off.  I just ran.”

“Neither did I…”

Kellen looked serious for a moment.  “Alright, come on,” he said.  “Or we’ll be late for supper.  And we need to clean ourselves up a bit or someone will suspect we’ve been up to something.”

Mae and I nodded and the three of us stood to head back.

[esonetwork]

Downton Abbey Review: An Elegant Return To The Castle

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/downton-abbey-review-an-elegant-return-to-the-castle/

Downton Abbey Review: An Elegant Return To The Castle

When I sat down in the theater to see the Downton Abbey movie, I wondered if the magic of the show could be recreated. Sometimes reboots don’t work. Yet, the first sweeping shots of the Downton Abbey castle accompanied by the iconic orchestral theme on the theater screen were instant magic. It was as if no time had passed since the series finale and I had to know what all of my favorite characters were doing.

It’s been 4 years since Downton Abbey ended its series run on TV. It was a show that detailed the differences between the life of the elite upstairs world and the working class downstairs servants. Yet, you somehow felt a connection to both worlds because of the fantastic storytelling. Each episode was full of gorgeous sets, detailed character development, and one special castle.

In Downton Abbey, the Crawley family is expecting a visit from the King and Queen of England. This provides a shake up at Downton as the staff must get ready for the most regal visit they’ve ever encountered at the manor. Will it all go according to plan? Can Mrs. Pattmore make enough food? Will Carson return as butler? You just have to see the movie to find out.

I won’t give away plot details, but I can say that director Michael Engler does well balancing several storylines in Downton Abbey and bringing them all together. I’d say it’s important to be a fan of the show to follow along with the film. It assumes you understand the character dynamics and plot details. So if you haven’t caught up yet, now’s the time to binge it on Amazon Prime! The series always bounced around from one plotline to another in each episode. The movie does the same thing, but they all fit together under the plot line of the King and Queen’s visit. There is the downstairs struggle of frantically preparing everything for the royal visit (chaos ensues, naturally). Then there is the upstairs struggle of keeping the estate going. Writer Julian Fellowes makes sure that the audience remains intrigued throughout the film. No moment drags and all of the beloved characters are brought back for the big screen debut. (Except for Lady Rose! I missed seeing Lily James reunited with the Downton crew.)

As a huge fan of the show, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing each character get a special moment to shine in the movie. There are certain character relationships that are so great to see in the movie like the friendship between Mary and Anna, Carson and Mrs. Hughes, and Daisy and Ms. Pattmore. It’s the little moments at Downton Abbey that stand out. Every character gets their moment, but I’ll give you a quick ranking of who are the most highlighted characters

Mary We all know Mary (Michelle Dockery) is a boss. Downton began with Mary being DENIED the ability to inherit Downton even though we all know she was the true heir. (The 20th century was a complicated time and women couldn’t get any respect.) She also had the tendency to be a little catty towards Edith. Those days are over, so wave goodbye! Mary has come full circle. She and Edith are getting along! She is organizing events for Downton. Don’t try and stop her because this is a whole new, mature Mary.

Tom Branson Tom deserves happiness. Ever since the death of Sybil, (may she rest in peace. No one will ever be over season 3) things have been tough for Tom. He gave up his life in Ireland to stay at Downton and raise his daughter with the Crawleys. That was a very mature thing to do. He gets such a great storyline in the film and continues to show that he’s such a loyal and upstanding character. Allen Leech plays the character with such charm and ease. You go, Tom Branson.

Anna Anna is the best. We all know this from watching Downton Abbey. She is the most loyal and kindhearted person who happens to have the worst luck in the world. Thankfully, she doesn’t suffer at all in this movie! She and Bates see no time at a court house and don’t go to jail for the whole two hours. Can you say miracle? Thank you Julian Fellowes, for having mercy on the innocent. For the movie, Anna shows a strong sense of leadership when morale is low among the servants. Joanna Froggat portrays Anna perfectly.

The Dowager Countess What is Downton Abbey without the Dowager Countess? It’s not a show! Maggie Smith’s portrayal is full of wit and charisma in every scene. The film adaption makes sure she has plenty to do, keeping the fans entertained. She has a trove of one liners ready to go at a seconds notice. Violet has more to do than just fire witty comebacks though, the film presents an intriguing storyline about her relationship with a cousin.

Carson/Mrs Hughes In the 4 years since the show ended, Carson (Jim Carter) was off living that retirement life. He got married to Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan), settled down, and planted a garden. #Retirementgoals, am I right? When the details of the royal visit become known, Mary believes he will do a much better job organizing things than Barrow. So she asks for his help. Just like that, Carson is back, carpooling with Mrs Hughes to work. (Actually, they’re walking because I doubt they have a car.) Goodbye to that retirement life. While Carson seems to have a grumpy exterior, all fans know how much he loves Downton. It wouldn’t have been a movie without him in attendance at the royal visit. As for Mrs. Hughes, she is still in charge of the housekeepers at Downton. Don’t try to cross her because she will come out victorious in her efforts. Her relationship with Carson is so sweet. I’m happy for them. Hopefully after the royal visit, he can go back to his retirement life.

I could spend plenty of time writing about other characters because the film is a wonderful collage of moments letting everyone have a storyline. Yet, I will say Daisy and Andy’s plot is a bit disappointing. She spends most of the film pouting that the royals are coming to visit while he is jealous of her flirting with a local handyman. It’s not the most thrilling storyline and it made me wonder how they ever became a couple.

The characters may give us the drama, intrigue, and comedy, but what would Downton be without the set and costume design? If you thought it was incredible on the show, wait until you see it on the big screen! The details of every set are exquisite. This is truly a spectacle film that should be seen on the big screen to admire the beauty of the grand sets. There are numerous costume changes that will impress all Downton fans. Mary’s final dress and Edith’s blue sequined Star dress were my personal favorites, but I’ll have to see it again to catch more details.

Downton Abbey marks a grand return to one of television’s most elegant shows. Fans, don’t miss out on this cinematic event. My Rating: 8/10

[illuminating-dragons]

Dreams and Visions (26/51): Falling Petals

Time Period: BBC

Chapter Summary:  Kitty tells Sherlock and John about her case, and arrangements are made. WARNINGS FOR: Mentions of prostitution, underaged prostitution, rape and sexual slavery. This is never explicit, but if you're not comfortable with this subject matter feel free to skip this chapter.

Read it on AO3

           Five minutes later, Sherlock was back with tea. Kitty was now curled on the sofa, hands shaking so badly she could barely hold her mug.

           "What's the problem, Kitty?" John asked.

           Kitty looked away. "I'm a prostitute."

           "Okay. And you want to get out? We can help with that."

           Kitty stared at him and then threw her head back and laughed, setting her mug on the table. "Wow, Doctor, you're surprisingly non-judgmental. But that's not my problem, I could have gotten out of that years ago. I just don't know what else to do, you see. I'm good at this."

           Years. Years.

           "Anyways, no, that's not my problem." Kitty closed her eyes, her face drawn quiet again. "My friend is in trouble."

           "With the Devil?" John asked.

           "That's what I call him. Me and all the living Blossoms."

           Sherlock drew in his breath. "You've been involved with the Gardener?"

           John hadn't heard his husband speak in such a quiet, fierce tone since Moriarty.

           "Call me an idiot, call me a desperate slut, call me whatever you like," Kitty all but snarled, "but yes, I have been. Believe me, I've paid for it." She was starting to hyperventilate.

           John reached out, alarmed, and Kitty shied away like he was going to hit her. John immediately raised his hands, leaning away from her. "It's alright, Kitty," he said as gently as he could. "You're safe."

           It was heartbreaking, watching the girl struggle to get her breathing under control, curled in over herself. John saw his own anguish reflected in Sherlock's eyes, but neither of them wanted to make it worse.

           Eventually, Kitty calmed down. "Maybe you ought to explain it, Mr. Holmes," she croaked. "I dunno if I can, now that it comes to it."

           Sherlock steepled his fingers. "Stop me if I've got something wrong," he directed  Kitty. "The Gardener is one of the most vicious pimps in London, John. He's got a large amount of prostitutes of all ages and genders working for him, and he treats them with as little mercy as he can get away with."

           "Right...so why hasn't anyone stopped him?" Why haven't we stopped him?

           Sherlock sighed. "Because even I only have so much pull. Because there's no witnesses, not even when witness protection is involved. Because his name is Bertie Gruner."

           Kitty flinched. John groaned.

           Bertie Gruner was one of the most famous men in London. Well known for his philanthropy and sound business sense, Gruner was a regular face in the more respectable newspapers, a constant presence at society events, and a three-times heartbroken widower.

           Widower...

           "Oh God," John whispered. "His wives..."

           "He called them Lily and Callie and Goldenrod," Kitty said, "even though they weren't their real names. That's what they're under in his book."

           "His book?"

           "That's what I need you to get."

           John didn't quite see the connection, but clearly Sherlock did.  "Tell me about your friend first," he requested.

           Kitty bowed her head. "Her name's Delia, but he's started calling her Violet. She's...she's not like me. She's...dainty." Kitty stared out the broken window for a moment."

           "Were you lovers?" John asked.

           "Not for long," Kitty said. "I mean, I'm a working girl, aren't I? She never knew, and it was just too hard to keep a secret, so I lied and said I wasn't into girls anymore. Luckily enough, neither was she. We've stayed friends, sort of—I ring her sometimes." Kitty started picking at her nails. "The last time I called her was about two months ago, and she said that she was seeing someone. Two nights later I was dancing at one of his clubs, and I saw them together."

           "Did she see you?" Sherlock asked, voice intense.

           "No. But he did. And he told me that she was his now, and I better not interfere. He'd just tell her that I was jealous, that I stalked him and I'd threatened to kill him and she would believe him. And he's right, because when you're in love with him you believe anything he says, because he must be right." Kitty clenched her fists. "And he's taking her out and rubbing her in my face and I'm dancing in costume, in fucking white-face so I doubt she'd recognize me even if she looked at me properly."

           "Kitty," John said calmly, "you need to drink your tea. You're going into shock."

           Without any consideration for the heat of the drink Kitty raised the mug and downed it in one go. "There. Thanks Doctor, that does feel better. So what you need to do—what I'm asking you to do—is to find his book."

           "And what's in the book?" Sherlock asked.

           Kitty shuddered. "The only thing that can break Bertie Gruner's spell. It's his...lust memoir, I suppose. It's fucking frightening. It's got all these pictures of all of his 'flowers', little notes about them...even records of how long it took him to break them."

           John felt very ill.

           "He showed it to me when he thought I was his," Kitty whispered. "God, I loved him so much, and I wanted him, and we were going to get married, and I was going to fix his broken heart. This was before Goldie, you see. Then he showed me the whole thing...even my own page."

           A deep silence fell over the room.

           "I ran. But I couldn't get away forever. All of a sudden no pimp wanted me, no escort service, nothing. I kept getting chased through the streets by his goons. Finally he called me, said we were finished now but I could work for him if I liked. And I went back to him." Suddenly Kitty looked up, and her eyes were burning fire. "But I've not once stopped trying to find a way to ruin him like he's ruined me. And now he's got my friend, and I will be damned if I let him hurt her!"

           "We'll help you," John said firmly. "I promise."

           A bit of the fire went out of Kitty's eyes. "Thank you."

           Sherlock stood up. "I think you'd better get to bed, Kitty. John, will you help her get upstairs?"

           "Wait, we need to go—"

           "Gruner's not married yet," Sherlock interrupted. "Your friend isn't beyond us until then. You haven't slept in at least forty eight hours and you've got a twisted ankle. The best thing for you to do right now is sleep. I'll go and make sure you weren't followed. I've got informants of my own, they may be able to give us a lead on where the book is."

           "You'll need it. I've searched as much as I dared, the bastard's got it hidden well." Kitty looked at John. "What's upstairs?"

           "My old room," John replied. He hesitated. "It might be a bit tricky for you to get up with your ankle."

           Kitty rolled her eyes and held out her arms. "Carry me, valiant knight!"

           "He isn't one, much to my chagrin." Sherlock bent and kissed John. "I'll be back soon, love." He nodded to Kitty, then left the room. John waited until he heard the door swing shut before turning to Kitty. He bent and picked the girl up. There wasn't enough of her for the height she was.

           Kitty stayed quiet as John carried her up the stairs. His old bed was still there, in case of visitors (rare) and migraines for both him and Sherlock. Mrs. Hudson gave it an airing every once in a while, and the bedding was clean. John put Kitty on the bed then stepped back, unsure of what to do.

           "Do you want night clothes? I've got some old T-shirts that might fit."

           Kitty shook her head, curling in on herself. "I'm alright, Doctor. Thanks anyways."

           "Right. Well, get some sleep, okay? You'll be perfectly safe here, I promise."

           "Do you think we can actually get him?" Kitty asked.

           "How do you mean?"

           "I want him gone." There was a terrible hollowness in her voice now. "I want him gone from my life, from my memories. I wasn't happy before we met, not really, but I had some idea that I could be happy someday. Now I don't believe that. So I want him gone. I want him to suffer."

           John sat down next to her. "I can't imagine what he did to you," he said quietly, "but I promise that we will get him, one way or another. And we'll help you find happiness. Sherlock's grand at that."

           To his alarm, tears started rolling down Kitty's cheeks. "I want to believe you," she sobbed. "I want to, I do, why can't I?"

           Carefully, ready to withdraw the second she wanted, John drew Kitty up and into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "You've had a bad go of it, Kitty," he whispered. "And I know that finding hope once you've lost it is the hardest thing to do, but you'll find it. You will. This will pass."

           Kitty leaned against him, her arms still at her sides, but she offered no resistance to the embrace.

           John let her go, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket.      

           Kitty stared at him with wide eyes. "I thought people only carried those in books."

           John chuckled, carefully wiping her face dry. "It comes in handy every once in a while. Come on now, blow." He tucked the handkerchief away when she was done. "Now if you need anything, just give us a shout. We've both got excellent hearing."

           "So you'll hear if I sneak out, then?"

           "I hope you don't feel the need to do that," John answered quietly. "But if you do, remember that we'll still help you. Your friend will be alright."

           Kitty nodded, then turned her back to him, clutching the pillow to her. "Goodnight, Doctor."

           "Goodnight Kitty." John left the light on but closed the door, frowning deeply as he went downstairs.

           Two cups of tea later, Sherlock was back. His husband's face was very grave.

           "She's telling the truth, but she doesn't know how bad it is yet," Sherlock said, sitting on John's knee. John wrapped his arms around his husband and listened intently.

           "She wasn't followed—Gruner's arrogance is quite bad, that may be his undoing—but there's some chatter that Gruner's getting tired of having one of his...Wilted's around." Sherlock's lip curled with disgust. "I didn't know things were this bad, or I would have done something about this bastard sooner. There have actually been four wives—the first was ages ago. She drowned on a cruise when they were honeymooning."

           John shook his head. "Poor lady. Poor ladies. What do we do, Sherlock?"

           "Keep Kitty safe. She's right about that book—my informant knew about it too, but apparently it's not widely known, especially among the women. It seems like it might be enough to put him away for life, as well as save Kitty's friend. We can get started on that tomorrow."

           John nodded. "She's a good kid, Kitty."

           "Sherlock leaned his forehead against John's. "Is she going to be alright, John?"

           John didn't know how to answer that. "I hope so, dear," he said finally. "We'll help her to be as much as we can—that's all we can do, isn't it?"

           "I suppose."

            John held him another minute in silence. "Love, what's the opposite of denfestration?"

            "I...have no idea."

            "It must not exist then."

           Sherlock rolled his eyes. "I'm not infallible, love. I'll think about it."

            "Try to instead of imagining what happened to the girl upstairs," John whispered.

             Sherlock didn't even bother protesting. "You know me too well."

             John kissed his temple. "That's my job. Come on, let's get some rest."