#c: briar rose | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writing-fanics · 2 years

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👉👈can I request slowly falling in love with bird boy 🥹Maybeeeeee she's liiiiike a princess of some other kingdom or something I don't know, I'm a sucker for princesses. Sleeping Beauty was my favorite (IS my favorite still) Disney princess movie. I always wanted a dress like Aurora's (rose, whatever). I would just die a little bit if there was a foggy moor and some angst But ultimately a happy ending

A/n: Queen Briar Rose not affiliated with Aurora

{ 𝕯𝖎𝖆𝖛𝖆𝖑 𝖝 𝕱!𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗 }

Word Count: 3k

[warning: arranged marriage: angst: fluff: diaval [yes he gets his own warning]: established feelings]

"I just don't think it's safe for you to travel alone to the Moors." [Y/n]'s father the king said while looking at his daughter the princess. She sighed, as she climbed onto her horse. "Father, I've traveled alone to the Moors before." [Y/n] said as she tightened the reins on her horse.

"Yes, but those creatures are dangerous and the rumors about Maleficent." He stopped for a moment watching as his daughter looked on.

"Father please, I'm friends with the creatures in the Moors as is Aurora." [Y/n] says as she pets her horse ready to ride off toward the Moors. She notices his worried look, "Father, don't worry about me I'll be fine." She says smiling holding onto his hands. The worried king could only smile as he looked up at his daughter, "You're just like your mother." He says to his daughter and she smiles softly looking down at him.

"I'll be back before nightfall." She says as hits the reins riding off towards the Moors. Her father watched as his daughter got smaller and smaller the further she got, "Sire?" The King turned around seeing the guard standing behind him, "The King and Queen of Thuwen have arrived." The guard says and the King nods. Sighing as he left the stables to go greet his guest.

[Y/n] smiled as she got down from her horse, and smiled seeing Aurora waiting for her, "Aurora!" She shouted running towards her friend and bringing her into a warm embrace.

"It's been too long my dear friend," She said smiling and looking at her, as they entered the Moors and began talking, catching up on missed things.

"I've missed coming here as you feel at home here as do I," She says smiling Aurora smiled, watching as the sprites flew around [Y/n] placing flowers into her hair.

As the morning leads into the afternoon, and the afternoon leads into the evening. The two friends spent time amongst each other and the Moor Folk, playing among the flowers underneath the trees and of course throwing mud.

Diaval laughed seeing her face covered in mud [Y/n] turned to look at him, and picked up some mud in her hand. With her hand covered in mud, she threw it at him his face was covered in even more mud. She giggled looking at his mud-covered face. She hadn't had this much fun in ages. After cleaning the mud off her face; she sat on some rock by the edge of the creek. Smiling as she looked up at the night sky. "The stars are far more beautiful here than they're in my kingdom." She says in absolute awe, the stars sparkled above her, she giggled as the sprites braided her hair; placing flowers of different colors and sizes on her [h/c] locks.

Diaval emerged from behind a tree; hearing footsteps [Y/n] sat up and turned to look towards him she smiled seeing him. "You are quite lucky." She says turning away to look back up at the stars, "You get to sleep below this beautiful night sky." He walked towards her and sat down beside her gazing up at the stars. His heart couldn't help but swell as he looked at her, the way her hair fell perfectly at her side. The flowers in her hair added to her beauty. The way her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. The smell of flowers followed her whenever she was around.

She yawned stretching out her arms and placing her head on his shoulder. "If I could I'd live in the Moors forever." She said tiredly her eyes becoming heavy. Diaval who's heart is practically banging loudly against his chest. "Um." He clears his throat, "Why not? Aurora loves having you around." He says and she sighs tiredly, "I cannot one day I'll be queen, and when that day comes sadly." She sighs yawning once more as sleep slowly takes over.

"My days of fun will be no more," She says he looks down at her sadly. She yawned again scratching the side of her nose as she fell asleep. Her head leaned against Diaval's shoulder. It wasn't long before she started snoring and drooling ran down the corner of her mouth. His heart continued to swell as he watched her sleep. Eventually, he fell asleep too his head on top of hers.

"You said by nightfall it's now dawn." Her father shouted at her and she sighed, "I fell asleep father, and lost track of time, I'm sorry." She said looking at him and he shook his head.

She sighed getting off her horse and walking passed her father. And into the palace to go towards her room, “Y/n, we have gu-”

“And there she is.” Queen Briar Rose said seeing [Y/n] emerge from around the corner. Walking towards her the Queen curtsied, “The beautiful princess Y/n.” She placed her hand on the princess.

“Y/n, might I introduce you too Queen Briar Rose of the kingdom of Thuwen.”Her father says to her and [y/n] smiles softly..

“Hello, your majesty if you might excuse me so I may get ready.” She says walking away and the Queen notices her bare feet.

“Your highness, May I ask does she always walks around barefoot.” She asked looking at the king.

“Yes, she’s free spirited. Her lateness is because of her daily visits to the Moors.” He said and the Queen gasped.

“You let your child travel to that place?” She asked in shock, “Your majesty.” She finished.

“Yes, she’s quite close with Aurora.” He says and the Queen looks at him. [Y/n] then emerges from the stairs wearing a clean dress and is ready for the day.

Throughout the day [Y/n] and the Queen would talk. And mostly the Queen would completely be rude to [Y/n] making condescending remarks about the Moor Folk.

“I’m sorry your majesty I have my opinion and you may have your own. but the things you say about the Moor Folk are wrong. They’ve never hurt anyone not without reason.” She said looking at the Queen.

“But that Maleficent.” The Queen began.

“Maleficent is misunderstood she’s the one that saved Aurora.” [Y/n] says sighing wanting this day to end so that tomorrow she may go to the Moors once more.

Eventually, the conversation didn’t go anywhere and the Queen ended it without letting [Y/n] give her side. Instead she went on about her son Jame. And how he may be a good match for [Y/n] which she immediately shut down.

Cause her mother made her father promise to not marry off their daughter and let her find love. On her own time. As time went on the prince arrived and his mother introduced her to [y/n]. Who wanted to sneak away to the Moors.

As the day slowly came to a close, [y/n] sat in her room. When her father knocked on the door, “Yes father.” She asked looking towards the door.

“Y/n, I’m getting old and as your father i want you to be protected once I’m gone.” He says and she looks at him and sighs.

“So, I know your not going to like this but. You’re now betrothed to Prince James of Thuwen.” He said and her eyes widened as she turned to look at her father.

“WHAT?!” She shouted looking at him glaring at him. Her hands balled up into a fist, “No, you can’t you promised mother.” She said looking at him and she was annoyed angry furious.

“You can’t do this to me! I barely know him! I just met him!” She shouted pacing her room. Just as Diaval landed on her windowsill.

“I’m sorry, but this is how it’s going to be.” He says and she groans tears brimming her eyes.

“I’m not marrying him and you can’t make me!” She shouted throwing her pillow across the room.

The king left knowing he need to leave her alone, sniffling she cried alone on her bed. Until she heard cawing and pecking at her window.

“Pretty bird,” she says smiling as she petted the top of his head. scratching underneath his wing and under his chin.

she sighed as she started venting about todays problems. “my father promised me that he wouldn’t marry me off.” she groaned pulling her hand away from him. and pacing back and forth in her room.

“My mother made him promise that he would let me find love in my own time.” She groaned in annoyance running her fingers through her hair.

“Now, I’m to be married off to the Prince of Thuwen.” She groaned twirling her hair.

“I have nothing against the prince nor the Kingdom of Thuwen. But”

“He promised, I know he’s growing old and isn’t long for this world.” She walked towards the chair on the end of her bed, and sat down.

Diaval flew over towards her landing on her lap. She smiled looking down at him, “What am I, to do Diaval?” She sighed gently petting him, he leaned into her touch.

[Y/n] so lost in her own thoughts she didn’t know. That someone was listening in on her conversation to the raven. Setting in their mind that the princess of Houdour was truly lost in the head.

“I hear she spends all day with those beasts and creatures from the Moors.” Queen Briar Rose said to her son James on the ride home to their kingdom. “I heard her talking to a raven.” James laughed as his family gossiped about the princess. “I hear she even walks bare feet around the palace.” King Vincent laughed, as the royal family of Thuwen gossiped about the princess.

“I will say she is beautiful but not that beautiful,” James says laughing and his mother nods agreeing.

Diaval listened to the royal's tasteless insults about [Y/n] and was livid. Hearing how cruelly they talked about the princess behind her back. When she welcomed them to her kingdom with kindness. He wanted to scare them. Knock some sense into them. But he could not he was merely a bird a raven no doubt. So he flew back towards Houdour and towards [Y/n]’s window. She lay in her bed unable to sleep tossing and turning. He landed on her windowsill and she smiled, sitting up and the bed and walking towards him.

She smiled as she lay in bed pressing a kiss on his beak. Before closing her eyes and falling asleep. His tiny raven heart pounded against his chest he felt as if he’d explode. He almost couldn’t contain his shock and excitement. But not wanting to wake her from her sleep. He contained himself. He looked down at her as she slept. Watching as her chest rose and fell. He watched as her nose twitched in her sleep, her tiny snores escaping her lips. He brushed his feathers against her cheek. A soft smile formed on her face as she curled into her bed more. Diaval then took off out the window and back towards the Moors.

The next day she was in the Moors, [Y/n] with the Moor Folk laughing, as they splashed in the water. Her dress now soaking wet and her hair as well. She smiled noticing Diaval watching her from afar he quickly looked away. She continued playing with the Moor Folk.

“You love her don’t you?” Aurora asked walking up beside him. “Is it that obvious?” He asked looking at Aurora, and she smiled softly nodding. "I see the way you look at her," She says watching as he looks at [Y/n] longingly.

“Why, don’t you talk to her tell her how you fell?” She asked looking at him and looked at [y/n] nervously.

“She’s to be married to someone else. I’ve heard what they say about her nasty sort.” He says looking at her knowing that if he ever married the prince of Thuwen. She’d possibly be miserable for her entire life.

Being forced to take the nasty comments by those who don’t understand her love for the Moors and it’s beautiful creatures.

“Oh, I just wanted to scare them you know. They were talking about her so poorly behind her back.” He continued on both Aurora listened.

“Tell her.” She said looking at him and as his gaze went back to look at [Y/n]. He realized she went missing looking around frantically it wasn’t until he looked down.

Seeing her figure underwater slowly creeping it’s head up. And blowing water at him like a fountain. Aurora laughed and Diaval wiped the water off his face.

[Y/n] started laughing seeing Diaval’s face wet, he looked at her as if planning a pay back. Which of course he did by picking up some nearby mud and throwing it at her hitting her straight in the face.

“Oh, you’re dead!” She shouted playfully getting out of the water and started chasing him around the Moors.

The two ended up falling on each other, Diaval landing on top of [Y/n]. Causing them both to stammer and pull apart from then compromising position that they were in.

“Diaval do you ever wish you could just fly away somewhere else?” She asked looking at him.

“No, why?” He asked looking at her and she looked down, “Because, I do. I don’t wish to marry prince Jame of Thuwen.” She says hugging her knees to her chest.

“I already know what they think of me. They think I’m not what they call a “princess” cause one should never frolic amongst the moor folk. one should never walk bare foot around her own palace.” she went on and on, and Diaval looked at her sadly.

“Don’t listen to them you’re perfect just the way you are.” He says and her cheeks heated up. She smiled looking at him. “Thanks Diaval,” she says smiling looking at him.

Slowly their hands crept closer and closer to each other. She turned to look at him then the two slowly leaned toward each other for a kiss. As they leaned in she noticed a signal going off at her palace. “No.” She said pulling away and looking towards her palace.

“What’s wrong?” He asked looking at her and sniffling, “My father, he’s gone.” She whispered falling to her knees.

Once she arrived at the palace the guards brought her to her father's chambers, and she fell to her knees at his bedside as she held his hand crying.

[ The Next Day ]

The maids helped prepare her for the wedding. [Y/n] held a blank face the entire day as they helped get the dress on. Of course, the queen wanted her to wear something more to her taste. Which wasn't of [Y/n]'s style or personality. As she looked at herself in the mirror seeing herself in the dress.

Her eyes glossed over as tears brimmed her eyes. She didn't want to marry James. She wanted to be with Diaval, not some prince from a neighboring kingdom she knew nothing about. She wanted Diaval the raven turned into a man she fell in love with. She'd never forget the day Aurora introduced her to him for the first time. At that moment she felt butterflies in her stomach. Like the whole world stopped around her and seemed to move slowly.

She'd always cherish the moments they spent together, "Are you sure you want this, your highness?" Amelia one of the servants asked, looking up at the princess. Wiping away her tears [Y/n] looked at her, "I must it's what my father would've wanted." She says looking down t the made.

"Yes, but what do you want your highness. I've seen the way you look at your raven friend." She says and [Y/n] looks away causing the maid to smile softly, "You care for him, you love him, then go to him. Don't put yourself through a life of misery. Your happiness is far more important. I've seen what marriages like this can do to a young woman." She says looking at the young princess.

"Follow what your heart wants." She says and Amelia curtsies before leaving the room. Leaving the princess there alone and in deep thought.

As she walked down the aisle, [Y/n] looked down she didn’t know was doing the right thing for her people her kingdom? Her mother would’ve wanted her to do what was best for herself. Her family for generations lived in this kingdom to watch as it grew and flourished. The people build with their blood, sweat, and tears. Maybe it was time to give it back to them. Give the kingdom to the people as Aurora did to her own.

[Y/n] tightly gripped the bouquet in her hands contemplating running out of the chapel and towards the Moors. To be with the one she truly loved the most. She couldn’t just stand here and be married off to a prince who’d never appreciate her. Who’d only bully and belittle her for the things she loved.

“Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace”

“I obj-”

“I object!” Diaval shouted. Everyone turned toward the doors as Diaval came running through the doors. Running towards the altar. “Diaval?” She said watching as he ran towards her, "Y/n," He said catching his breathing.

"Y/n, from the moment I laid I eyes on you I thought that you were the most beautiful person I've ever met. And those days spent with you were the most magical of them all." He said, looking at her and she smiled softly as she looked at him.

"Hey get ou-" James started but [Y/n] raised her hand in his face, and his eyes widened in shock.

"I love you, Y/n." Diaval says and [Y/n] smiled and looked at him, "I love you too" She said smiling pulling him into a kiss. Their lips finally touched a smile grew across her lips. James looked towards his parents in shock and his parents looked towards [y/n] in disgust.

“how’s you say we get out of here?” She asks looking at him, “I’d think of nothing better M’lady.” He says and she smiles as he takes her hand and the two run out of the chapel.

Not before she announces giving her kingdom to the people. which is followed by mass applause. and cheering. and two years later the same year Prince Phillip would propose to his beloved Aurora. Diaval and [Y/n] welcomed a baby girl into the world, Eufemie.

a/n: I had so much fun writing this omg, sorry if it seems a bit choppy at points but omg I loved writing this keep the Diaval request coming.

taglist

@hungrhay

#diaval x reader #diaval x you #diaval x y/n #diaval imagines #diaval headcannons #maleficent #romance #x reader #angst #fluff #sleeping beauty #sam riley imagines

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ghoststyles · 1 year

Text

Fairway to Heaven - Part 6

WC: 8.8K

Part 1| Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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Instead of hurt, betrayal or disgust, Briar feels heartbroken. Heartbroken Harry had to endure that. She moves closer, embracing him in a hug.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he violently cries into her shoulder. She rubs circles on his back, letting him get out his upset and frustration.

“You didn’t deserve that. At all,” Briar says softly. Harry nods, just thankful she’s not upset at him. It took him years of therapy to be able to openly speak about his situation.

“Do you know his name?”

“Oliver,” Harry rasps.

“That’s beautiful. I bet he looks so much like you. I bet he has your kind eyes. Your charm. Your ability to make anyone feel special. I bet he’s clumsy like you. And I bet he’d like to meet you, too,” Briar says slowly.

Harry cries harder, the sobs wracking his body.

They sit there for over an hour before Harry finally calms down. He musters up the courage to look at her. His eyes are so puffy and red, and snot is dripping from his nose.

“I understand if you’re upset with me, and if you never want to see me again,” he sighs in defeat.

“Harry, look at me,” Briar grabs his face and runs her thumb along his cheek. “I’m absolutely not mad. I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone. I want to help you deal with this, whatever way you need to.”

“Thank you,” he whispers. “I think I want to sleep for a while.”

“Of course, let’s go up.”

“Harry, baby. Wake up,” Briar whispers, gently waking Harry from his sleep. It’s well past 11AM. She called Niall to let him know Harry isn’t feeling well.

Harry stirs, the memories of last night flooding his mind. He’s not even sure if he slept. Briar runs her finger nails along his back, gently soothing him.

“I called us both out of work today, so we’re going to spend it how you want to.”

Harry exhales. He can’t even think of the last time he took a day off. Or the last time he had a panic attack. The two probably coincide.

When Camille left him, he buried himself in work. He quickly rose to the top as an associate, eventually becoming a manager. Now that his predecessors are retiring, Harry sometimes works from 6AM until 8PM. Even on Christmas Day.

He takes some labored deep breaths.

“Can we go get breakfast?”

Briar scrunches her eyebrows, not expecting his answer.

“Of course. Take your time getting dressed.”

Briar leaves the room, already having been up and dressed for hours. She tossed and turned wondering how anyone could treat him that way. Harry loves so strongly and so deeply. She already knows he’d be an incredible father, based on his love for Gus. But, she didn’t know him in his 20’s and 30’s. Maybe he wasn’t as mature as he his now.

Her heart broke again watching him sleep. He looked sad, even when unconscious.

Harry eventually comes downstairs, slowly and solemnly. He pets Gus, reveling in his fluff. He is truly their emotional support dog.

“C-can we go to this place to get a full English? You’ve had it before, right?”

“Yes, when I went to London in high school. Will you eat my beans?”

Harry laughs softly, “Yes, I’ll eat your beans.”

She guides him out to her car, knowing he’s probably not in a state to drive. She’s too nervous to drive his nice car. It’s a beautiful day, so she took the top of her jeep off. She can’t wait to see his hair flying in the wind.

They pull up to his requested breakfast spot. The parking lot is a little deserted. She is relieved, because if he needs to cry a little he can do so without judgement.

The waitress greets them with a chipper tone, but quickly adjusts based on their sad demeanor. Briar orders them both a coffee and full English breakfasts.

They sit in silence for a while.

“I know I don’t know her, but, should you call your mom? Is this something you’d talk to her about?”

“I did in the beginning; my sister, too. But then it just became a cycle of discussing the same thing over and over. So I just stopped bringing it up.”

Briar nods, knowing the feeling. After her dad died, she was enrolled in therapy. As a 6 year old, she didn’t have much else to talk about.

“I saw a therapist for a while. I was a little unwilling to talk about any of my other issues, so after a while they just gave me a prescription and sent me on my way. I felt like I got kicked out.”

Briar grabs his hand across the table, squeezing it. “That’s the tough part of it; they give you the tools and you’re supposed to just figure out how to use them. There were so many times I just wished my therapist had told me what to do and what to say.”

Harry hums. The food arrives a few minutes later. He gently breaks his egg yolk, “I’d really like you to meet my mum and sister.”

She smiles, “Aw, yes, I’d love to. It didn’t even cross my mind since you met mine so early on. Well, not my mom, I guess.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” He asks, happy to move onto a different topic.

Briar blows air out of her mouth as she tries to recall the last time she saw her mother.

“Christmas, I guess.”

“Can I meet her? Or do you just want to wait until it happens organically?”

“No, no. I should call her soon, anyway. I’ll try and set something up,” Briar says, pushing her food around. She supposes they're both facing their demons head-on today. “Do you mind if my brothers come? They usually need to be coerced into seeing her.”

“Of course not. Whatever is most comfortable for you guys.”

They eat in silence, only speaking up when the waitress returns to the table every so often.

“I send him birthday cards,” Harry says, staring at his hands.

Briar lifts her head, giving him a look to continue his thought.

“Every year around Christmas time. I’m not even really sure when his birthday is. I’ve never written a note, or anything. I just sign my name ‘Harry’. For all I know, she’s never even told him about me. Or even given him the cards.”

Briar’s sadness returns, evident in her facial expression.

“H-have you tried contacting your mutual friend? The one that introduced you?”

“I did, years ago. Everything was kind of fresh at that point, and I definitely think he took sides. I’m pretty sure they’re together now. His parents own an art gallery and are involved in high-society over there,” he coughs. “I just look like a schmuck in comparison. The craziest part of it all, I don’t know what I did to deserve no contact. I’m scared I’ll die never knowing.”

Briar closes her eyes, willing herself not to cry, “Did you ever fly to France to try and find her? Or her family?”

“I did. Once. I’d say about 6 months later. I drank whiskey the entire flight to Paris. I didn’t even have any luggage with me. I just marched off the plane and went to where I last knew she lived. I should’ve known her keeping her Paris apartment meant something.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Briar says softly.

“I knocked on the door. She opened it so quickly. I think she was expecting someone else. Her jaw dropped, and she tried to close the door on me. I was able to get inside, but she started throwing bottles at me. Then she threatened to get a restraining order against me. She was really showing at that point, so I didn’t want it the police to get involved.”

Briar is horrified the more he tells her.

“I went home to my mum’s for a while. Then flew back to the US and just went back to work. I can’t say I’ve done anything substantial since then.”

“Oh, stop. You renovated a gorgeous house. You started going back to Wynnewood. You’ve become your own boss,” Briar rattles off his accomplishments.

“I just thought I’d be married by now,” Harry chokes up a bit. She moves to his side of the table, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“I know this is ironic coming from a 23 year old; but, there’s no timeline on life, baby. You faced adversity and are moving on from it. That takes a lot of courage.”

Harry chuckles, wiping away a stray tear. Briar is so emotionally intelligent for a 23 year old.

They leave the café, opting to go back to Harry’s house. They grab books from his shelf and read them outside on his comfy lounge chair under the cabana, hoping the sunshine heals them both. Harry eventually dozes off, finally achieving deep sleep after a rocky 24 hours.

Briar massages his head, twirling his curls in between her fingers. As much as she wants to comfort him, she can’t help her tendencies to meddle.

She visits Niall’s Instagram, immediately checking his following list. She scrolls, closely examining every profile to find even a tiny breadcrumb that could lead her to Camille. Harry never said her last name, so she’ll have to pull out the big guns of internet stalking.

Nothing stands out tremendously; He doesn’t follow many people. Just a few OnlyFans models, golf companies and Barstool Sports. She spots a familiar name, Lydia…Where does she know that name from?

Briar’s thumb gives one last ditch effort scroll, when she lands on an account: @Fingermonkey

She clicks on it, and her heart immediately stops. Camille. The woman who made her boyfriend lose sight of who he was. The account is public, so she cautiously proceeds.

She’s a striking woman; she can see why Harry fell for her. She exudes beauty and class. It’s almost palpable.

Briar shudders, unsure if she should continue. She’s on her page for selfish reasons; to see Harry’s son. Her curiosity gets the best of her. She scrolls some more, before stopping at a photo of a tiny hand. Briar bites her lip, staring back down at Harry.

“No going back,” she whispers to herself.

After another few scrolls, she finds what she’s looking for. It’s from around 5 years ago. Camille is holding a tiny boy with dark brown curls and green eyes, bright as day. They’re on the swings, bright smiles adorning their faces.

Briar feels like she’s been sucker punched in the stomach. He’s a beautiful little boy. A boy Harry never even got the chance to love and help raise. She takes several deep breaths and scrolls back even further to 8 years prior.

Another blow. The engagement photos.

Briar winces, zooming in. They seem to be taken in California, just as the sun is setting. Camille is holding Harry’s face as she kisses him, the ring being the main focal point. She reads the caption:

J'ai trouvé mon éternité.

I found my forever.

She clicks off Camille’s page, rolling her eyes. She clears the search history, knowing she’s been caught stalking in the past.

Briar has so many questions.

Does she want Harry to find her? Why is Niall still following her?

Briar is physically at Wynnewood, but mentally elsewhere. After her stalking session, Harry woke up feeling better, so they decided she should go home. As much as he loves her company, he always needs alone time to process things. She was happy to oblige, needing her own time to breathe.

Briar is taking inventory after her shift when she spots Niall on the practice green. A lump forms in her throat, but she knows she needs to confide in him. He smiles, waving her over.

“Hey, Briar. I heard about the other day. I was up in the clubhouse already when everything went down. How’re you doing?” He asks, pulling her in for a hug.

“I’m good, thanks for asking. Everything was taken care of, so I just needed some time to shake it off.”

He nods, fiddling with his putter. Niall looks around, not really sure what else to say.

“Hey, Niall, can I ask you something?”

His eyes go wide, clearing his throat, “Listen, if it’s about Lydia and I…”

Finally, it clicks. Lydia from the party. Lydia who told her she’s also dating someone from the club. Briar gasps, “I, uh, what?”

“Fuck.”

Briar crosses her arms in front of herself, “Um, I was just going to tell you that Harry told me about Camille, and about the baby.”

“Fuuuuck,” Niall scratches the back of his head. “Can you ignore what I said before?”

Briar laughs, “For now. We can talk about that later. I just wanted to see if you had other insight. It was obviously a very emotionally charged conversation.”

“Yeah. Are you off now? Do you want to go inside for a drink?”

She nods and waits for him to clean up his stuff. They walk back to the clubhouse in silence, so Briar grabs a table outside while Niall changes in the locker room. The club is empty enough, so she’s not worried about members seeing them together.

He sits down, sighing, “I-I don’t really know how to proceed. Do you just want to tell me what he’s told you?”

“Sure,” she says quietly. Briar begins filling him in about their dinner at Ashmont and Jonathan revealing more than Harry was willing to share. Her heart races as she shares more details.

“That’s tough, darling. I know he was going to tell you eventually. The situation absolutely wrecked him. It took years to feel like I had my friend back.”

She nods, biting her lip, staring down at her shoes. Harry bought her a pair of lavender and white New Balances; her initials stitched in the tongue.

“You’re a very rational person, even at your age,” he smiles, leaning to put his elbows on his knees. “So, I know you’ll both work through it. But, what are your feelings?”

Briar sucks in a breath. “I’m not angry, and I want to support him, of course. But, I can’t help but have this sinking feeling in my stomach. I did some Instagram stalking.”

“You found Camille on there?”

“Yeah, through your account,” she waits for Niall to look back up at her.

He meets her eyes, “I keep a distance. I don’t speak to her or our mutual friends from study abroad. But I like to keep tabs. He’s my mate and I want to protect him.”

Briar nods, picking the skin at her cuticles.

“He’s a cute kid, isn’t he?” Niall smiles.

“Yeah, he is. Harry didn’t deserve that. At all,” she says, sitting back in her seat. “Should I meddle? Or just stay out of it?”

“I would hate to see this kid get any older without meeting his father. And, if you think you’ll be,” he trails off, smiling to himself. “Sticking around for a while, I think you have the influence on him to face it head on.”

“I hope I’ll be sticking around for a while,” she smiles.

Briar feels slightly better after talking to Niall. She has to remember to ask Harry if he knew about Lydia.

Briar was in need of some cathartic release. If Harry was willing to face this obstacle, she’s willing to face hers. She sits in the driver’s seat of her Jeep and scrolls her list of contacts before landing on Catherine Barlowe.

She dials, going through several cycles before finally being answered on the final ring.

“Hi, Bri. How are you, sweetheart?”

“Hi, Mom. I’m good, how are you?”

“I’m so good, honey. I’m so happy to hear from you. Dean and I are actually getting ready to move in a few weeks.”

“Oh? Where are you going?” Briar scrunches her eyebrows. That means her mom is selling the house she bought with her dad. The house she lived her first 9 years in before her mother’s addiction led to the 5 of them being placed with her aunt and uncle.

“I thought your brother may have told you. We’re going to California, honey.”

“Who? I thought the last time we all saw you was at Christmas time? And why California?”

“Jasper. He comes to see me. A lot more recently. The other boys only contact me when you do. I don’t think I’ll ever hear from Welles on his own,” Catherine sighs. “Dean is from California. He has young daughters, so we’re moving there to be closer to them. You remember? I told you about them.”

Tears begin welling in Briar’s eyes. Her mother, now 4 years sober and remarried gets to go play house with Dean’s young children. Instead of tending to her own.

“Yeah, I remember. There’s three of them, right? But they weren’t at the wedding,” Briar says quietly, remembering the rushed ceremony that took place the week after they finished their program together. Welles was furious, Jasper and Callum didn’t say a word, and Cormac cried the entire time. Patrick couldn’t bear to go. Meredith went in support of the siblings.

“Yes, he didn’t have custody rights at the time. But, that’s all settled now. We’re so happy, Bri.”

“I’m glad, Mom. Listen, I have to go, but I wanted to see if you’d be interested in going out to lunch soon. I’d like you to meet my boyfriend,” she rasps out.

“That sounds great, honey. Just text me the details. Talk soon.”

“Bye,” Briar chokes, throwing her phone into the passenger seat. She takes a few deep breaths to regulate her breathing. The tears continue to fall as she pulls out of the parking lot of Wynnewood.

Her phone begins to buzz, seeing Harry’s contact photo pop up.

“Hi,” she says solemnly before placing the phone between her shoulder and ear.

“Hi, Birdie. Are you okay?” He asks, sensing her tone.

“Yeah, yep, I’m good. What’s up?”

“Nothing, I figured you’re leaving Wynnewood. Was gonna see if you want to grab Gus and come over. I can make us dinner.”

“Um, I’m kind of tired. Think I’m just gonna go home, if that’s alright.”

“No, yeah, of course, love. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, I promise. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”

“Okay,” he says softly. “Bye.”

She hangs up, not even bothering to say bye. Briar knows she shouldn’t take it out on Harry, but she’s struggling to hold herself together. She hears a crack of thunder before feeling thick rain drops hit her face.

“Fuck!”

Briar never put her Wrangler’s roof back on the other day. The droplets get more intense as she nears her apartment. Pulling into her spot, she frantically runs to her storage area to grab her roof parts.

It’s down pouring now, but she charges forward with her parts, lining them against the car. Her biceps are burning trying to lift the piece on top of the car. Tears are starting to roll down her face, her hair beginning to stick to her neck.

Briar squeezes her eyes closed, defeated as she feels two arms wrap around her. She whips her head around, startled by her boyfriend.

“What’s going on, love? Let me help,” Harry says, pulling her down from the step of her Jeep. She steps to the side under her apartment’s overhang, watching him effortlessly put the roof of her Jeep back together. He’s absolutely soaked, his gray sweatpants now a charcoal color. She watches the way his back muscles move under his white t-shirt.

He fastens the parts from the inside of the car before grabbing her backpack in one hand, and her hand in the other. He guides her to her apartment while fumbling with her keys. Gus greets them at the door, unsure who to go to first.

Harry sits Briar down on her ottoman before grabbing the fuzzy blanket from her sofa.

“What’s going on? I’m a little scared,” Harry says, his eyes full of concern.

She takes a shaky breath before sobs take over her whole body. She folds in on herself, burrowing into the blanket.

“I-I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” she wails. Harry is stunned, unsure what she’s apologizing for.

“I should be supporting you and here I am getting so overwhelmed and then trying to deal with my own bullshit,” Briar cries. He places his hand gently on her back.

“Baby, I’m lost. Did something happen today?”

“I called my mom. She’s moving to California to raise her new husband’s kids,” Briar cries, snot pouring from her nose. “I should’ve fucking known. I don’t even know why I called.”

Harry can’t help but feel a little guilty. He mentioned it at their breakfast to get himself out of the hot seat. She took his bait.

“And because I can’t stop meddling, I looked up Camille online,” she confesses. “I even talked to Niall about it all.”

Harry freezes. He figured she would confide in Niall. But he didn’t think she’d look Camille up. He’s too afraid to ask what she found.

Harry guides her to sit up. He grabs her cheeks with one hand and makes her face him, “Hey. Hey. I need you to breathe, Briar.”

Briar cries harder at his use of her name. She can feel herself start to hyperventilate. He wraps himself around her tight. He holds her until she stops shaking. Gus has brought them 5 of his toys to try and lighten the mood.

“Gus, go to your bed,” Harry commands, voice deep. Briar flinches.

She lifts her head, taking in a deep breath.

“I hurt my own feelings today. I went looking for information I shouldn’t’ve,” she admits quietly.

“I think we all do that sometimes. Which part do you want to talk about first?”

Briar loves how diplomatic Harry is. Even when they have their spats, he always makes her feel like an equal partner. She also loves when he completely dominates her in the bed right after.

“W-we can talk about my mom,” she says, assuming that’s the easier of the two. “Her husband has 3 young daughters. So, now my mom gets a do-over. Poof. Our family is just out of the picture.”

Harry sighs. His father did something similar after his parents divorced. It stung for years, and took time to mend. Now they’re very close.

“That’s awful, Birdie. I’m so sorry. Are you going to see her before she leaves?”

She nods, wiping her nose on his chest, “Yeah, told her about you. Apparently my brother has been visiting her in secret. I’m so angry.”

He smiles lightly, “I’m happy to come along. Or not. Whichever makes you more comfortable. Don’t hold it against him. You all have to deal with things differently.”

“Thank you,” she says.

“Of course, baby. Now, do you want to tell me about the other situation?”

“Only if you want to. I crossed a line,” she starts to cry again.

She wraps her hand within his, squeezing tightly. Comfortable silence is usually never an issue for them, but the tension could be cut with a knife.

“Well, social media is public information, baby. I could’ve done it years ago, but never did.”

“I saw him,” Briar blurts out. It was now or never.

Harry closes his eyes, feeling nauseous. He takes a deep breath through his nostrils, “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s gorgeous, Harry. Really,” she sniffles. “You shouldn’t give up. She’s wrong for what she did. And I want to help you fight for this.”

He can’t help but feel his heart swell with pride. His tough girl is ready to sit in the trenches with him. To fight the biggest demon holding him back from his happiness.

“I wrote a letter years ago,” Harry starts. “Let’s send it.”

Briar gasps, sitting up to face him, “I don’t want you to feel pressured by me.”

“I’m not. I’m not sure if this is too soon, but I already know I want to keep you around for a long, long time. This will help me get over my last hurdle.”

Briar cradles his face, kissing him gently.

“I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”

They huddle together.

Briar starts to snicker, “Did you have any idea that Niall and Lydia, the server from the club, are dating?”

Harry’s head shoots up, “Huh?”

“Okay, good. I would’ve been pissed if you hid that from me."

“How’d you find out?”

Briar laughs, “I said, ‘Hey, Niall, can I ask you something?’ And he confessed immediately.”

Harry throws his head back laughing.

Harry is in his study, silently reading his letter from years ago. His tears are falling onto the paper, dotting and blurring the ink. He was 32 when he wrote this. It sounds old, but he was a kid. It was hard to keep him at home. He had access to disposable income, so he used it to its fullest.

Camille lived a simple life, finding pleasure in gardening, reading and going to cafés. Her job always came first, which kept her busy traveling around the world. Harry was restless; always chasing the next big thing, and partying until his body physically shut down.

It didn’t help that he was a touchy person. Even though Camille had his whole heart, he shamelessly flirted with other women. He let them hang on him at bars, on yachts, and anywhere he could get attention. People in their circle talk; leaving Harry in the hot seat more than once.

He’d be naïve to blame it on Camille’s attachment style. She was generally cold, not showing him much affection. But, nonetheless he pursued her, absolutely enamored by her beauty and grace.

He was dumb enough to suggest an open relationship one time; about 6 years into the relationship. His needs in bed became too much for Camille. She didn’t understand his need to get off and dominate her. He slept at a hotel every night that week. She gave him an out, but he couldn’t take it.

When Camille left, he started hooking up with women more regularly. His heart hurt so bad, but he was finally getting his physical needs met. None of them lasted, until Briar.

Over the course of 8 years, his heart slowly healed. It’s not ideal that Briar is so much younger, and an employee of his country club. There’s a strange power dynamic there. He loved how flustered she got when he looked at her; she still does sometimes, but he can feel the difference.

They bring encourage each other’s confidence. They drive each other to be a better version of themselves. They feed each other’s deepest desires; scratching every itch that had been culminating over several years.

Harry begins rewriting the letter; changing the tone from blinding rage, to one of neutrality. He wishes her well. He hopes she’s healed.

From what? He’s not sure. He hopes she understands his point of view, and will consider letting Harry meet his child. He’d do anything at this point.

He seals up the letter, addressing it to Camille. Not even sure she still lives at this address, he walks it out to his mailbox anyway, lifting the red flag to signal the post man.

He feels weight lift from his chest that had been there since the day he met Camille.

Briar and Harry are sitting at a nice restaurant on the water. She sips gingerly at her mojito while they wait for her mother to arrive. Briar extended the invite to her brothers, but received radio silence from them all.

She’s anxiously bouncing her leg, to which Harry firmly grasps her thigh as he locks his jaw. She inhales sharply, closing her eyes. After the emotional turmoil they’ve experienced over the last few weeks, their sex life has toned down immensely. She misses his hand around her neck and his dirty whispers.

“Relax. I’m right here,” Harry whispers in her ear lowly.

Briar gasps when three of her brothers appear from the restaurant’s entryway. Jasper must’ve picked up Callum and Cormac from Patrick’s.

Briar stands to hug her older brothers, while Harry pulls Cormac in for a hug.

“Where’s Welles?”

“Not sure. I haven’t heard from him,” Callum says simply.

She rolls her eyes. He’s 28, but he is the most immature out of all of them.

They sit, easing into a conversation with Harry. She’s grateful she can entertain them while she’s somewhere else in her head. He reaches over to lock pinkies.

Her mother walks in, looking stunning. That’s one thing that Briar has always been jealous of. It’s why her addiction flew under the radar for so long. She was always put together and exuding happiness. But in secret, she was struggling.

Her strawberry blonde hair is longer than when she saw her last, loose waves falling over her shoulders. She’s in a floor length floral gown, a sweater over her shoulders to fight the chill of the restaurant.

She spots them after speaking with the hostess, her smile lighting up the room.

“Hi, my babies!”

Jasper stands to greet her, while her other brothers hold in a groan. She walks around the circular table to press a kiss to Briar’s head, before turning her attention to Harry.

“And who’s this? Don’t think I popped him out,” she laughs, waiting for Harry to stand up.

“Mom, seriously?” Briar grimaces.

“Hi, I’m Harry. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Harry says smiling, pulling out the chair for her.

“Pleasure is all mine, Harry. I’m Catherine. Isn’t my daughter incredible?”

Harry smiles, nodding. He can sense Briar’s discomfort. He assumes this praise is just for show.

Her mother brings up every topic under the sun, effectively avoiding topics regarding Briar’s father, the move, and her new husband.

They eat, letting Cormac talk about school, Callum talk about grad school and his new girlfriend, and Jasper about his new job. Briar realizes she’s done a shit job at talking to her brothers lately. She doesn’t know any of this.

“Where’s Wellie, Briar? Didn’t you invite him?”

“I did. Didn’t hear from him.”

“It would’ve been nice for you to follow up with him,” Catherine snipes. “It’s not everyday I get to see all five of you.”

“Really? How about you? When was the last time you talked to him?” Briar crosses her arms at her mother.

“It doesn’t matter. This is family time,” Catherine raises her eyebrows, waiting for Briar to snap.

“You know all about that, don’t you mom? Just counting down the minutes until you can go play house with Dean’s kids in California.”

Callum and Cormac look between the two women, stunned. Jasper’s eyes widen.

“California?” Callum questions. “Mom, what is she talking about?”

Catherine looks around, “I thought Jasper would’ve filled you all in. I’m moving to California with Dean to be closer to his kids. They’re younger.”

Jasper looks down, pushing the vegetables around on his plate. Callum shakes his head, throwing his napkin on the table before storming off. Cormac starts to cry, to which Harry puts a hand on his back.

“Mom, how can you leave?” Cormac asks, his lip quivering.

“Baby, you’re all adults. You don’t need me anymore.”

“I’m only 17, Mom,” Cormac chokes.

Briar has tears streaking down her face. Briar hasn’t needed her mother since she was 12 years old, hoping and praying for her to come back. Cormac barely knew her; only fantasizing what their relationship could’ve been.

Harry pays the bill before suggesting Catherine leaves. She nods, standing to grab her purse. She silently looks each of her children in the eye before walking out of the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, Bri. I thought she changed,” Jasper says solemnly.

“It’s okay. You deserve to handle your relationship with her however you want.”

Harry and Briar walk out hand in hand after spending 20 minutes consoling her brothers.

They climb into Harry’s car, silently staring ahead. Harry grabs her hand again.

“That was rough, pup. I’m sorry,” Harry says softly.

“Can we just go home? I miss you, Daddy.”

Harry clears his throat as his cock twitches.

“You have me, Birdie. Let’s go home.”

“Be rough with me,” Briar pleads from the bed. “I want it so bad.”

Harry chuckles as he pulls his belt from the loops on his pants. She’s completely bare, her wrists fastened to each corner of the bed. He opts to leave her feet out of the restraints, hoping he can toss her around a bit.

“Daddy’s been taking it easy on his Birdie for the last couple weeks,” Harry says, trailing his knuckle along her rib cage. She keens, shivering from the light touch. “But don’t think I forgot about your stunt at Ashmont.”

Briar freezes, remembering their escapades. She taunted him, removing her panties in the stall, waiting for him to come after her. It’s a shame the night turned into a disaster soon after. She whines, not sure what else to do.

“Hm? Remember that, Birdie? Words,” he stares straight into her eyes.

“Yes, Daddy. I was naughty,” she bites her lip.

He doesn’t like that. He shoves his middle and ring fingers into her mouth, choking her a little. “Leave that lip alone. I bite that.”

She purrs around his digits, goosebumps rising on her skin. He removes them from her mouth before sticking them at her core. He barely grazes her folds, seeing how she’ll react. She jerks around, slightly moving her pelvis to meet his hand.

“Ah, ah. No. You’ll be taken care of how I decide.”

She nods, swallowing thickly. She’s eating up everything he throws at her.

“Think I’m gonna take my time tonight,” Harry let’s out an exaggerated sigh. Briar whines, pushing her face into her shoulder. “Mm-mm. None of that.”

Harry pushes Briar’s legs in the air, holding her ankles together, so the lips of her vagina are peaking out between her thighs. He growls at the sight.

“This little pussy is so used to getting what she wants. What does she want tonight, Birdie?”

“Your mouth, Daddy! Please!” Briar balls her fists, wiggling slightly.

Harry spits, watching the liquid drip down her thighs and cunt, “Nah, I’m good.”

Briar’s jaw locks in frustration. She watches as he walks to his closet grabbing her plug and vibrator. He generously applies lube to the plug, gently circling her ass. Briar closes her eyes, laying her head back.

He gently pushes the plug in past the tight muscle, moving it in and out a little.

“Oh my godddd,” Briar exhales. Her chest is rising and dropping fast.

“I think tonight’s the night, baby.”

Briar whines, half out of horniness and the other out of nervousness. He flicks the vibrator on, pressing it firmly on her clit. She throws her head to the side.

“Look at me. Don’t look over there,” Harry threatens, increasing the speed.

She wills her eyes open, staring into his, her mouth opening slightly. The tension is building in her pelvis. She’s sure to come once he starts circling the vibrator on her clit; his signature move. Within seconds of him doing that, she’s crumbling.

Harry shuts off the vibrator and adjusts her leg position so her legs are open wide, one resting on his shoulder.

“Wanna see your pretty face when I fuck your ass,” He says, peppering kisses on her face and neck.

“Please,” Briar whispers.

Harry reaches between them and pulls the plug out and tosses it on the floor. He’ll clean it later. He extends his hand to rest in front of her face.

“Spit.”

She spits on his fingertips, a line of spit connecting them to her lips. He lowers his hand to lightly touch her hole before inserting his middle finger. Briar groans, pulling on her restraints. He quickly inserts another, rocking them in and out of her gently.

Harry’s cock is neglected, standing tall and proud, nearly touching the tip to his torso. Briar begins to panic, unsure if his girth will fit in there.

“Relax, baby. I got you. Do you remember your word?” He says, petting her cheek.

“Bogey,” she says softly.

“Good girl,” he kisses her again. Harry has never withheld kisses, even in her worst punishments. “One more and then we’ll go for it, okay?”

“Mhm,” she nods, a single tear escaping her eye. She trusts her boyfriend with her entire being, but her heart rate is skyrocketing.

The third digit enters her, eliciting a whine. Harry flexes his fingers, giving her a delicious stretch. A thick layer of sweat has formed behind her knees and on her forehead.

Harry kisses her forehead, licking the saltiness from his lips, “All good, Birdie. Doing so well for me.”

After a few more minutes of stretching her out, Harry pulls his fingers out and lowers himself to be eye level with her ass. He licks a long stripe over the now open hole. Briar shivers, pulling on the restraints.

Harry rises from his spot on the bed to pull his underwear all the way off, his cock bobbing as he moves. He grips his length firmly, giving himself a few generous pumps. He kneels over her, undoing her right hand’s restraint. She looks at him curiously, but understands when he entwines their hands.

He uses his right hand to line himself up at her delicate center. Briar sucks in a breath in anticipation. Harry presses the bulbous head of his dick in, groaning as he moves. His pace is painstaking, taking in every facial expression from the angel below him.

“Such a good girl. Letting Daddy be the only one to fuck this little hole,” he pants, nostrils flaring. His forehead is starting to drip with sweat.

“Only you,” she whines as he pushes in little by little.

“Let me know if you need me to stop and take a break, lovie.”

She furiously shakes her head, still holding in a breath. Harry is finally working his way up to full thrusts.

“Breathe with me,” Harry pleads. “1,2,3, exhale.”

Briar feels high. That breath sent her senses all the way to her pussy.

“Daddy,” Briar breathes heavily.

“What do you need, baby?”

“Fingers. I-In my pussy,” she cries. “Please.”

“Okay, baby. I know y’empty in there,” he smiles down at her lovingly as he untangles their fingers so he can stick them inside. “So wet f’me.”

The sensations are too much once he starts petting her g-spot with his fingers.

“Coming, Daddy,” she babbles.

“Go ahead, Birdie. So fucking proud of you.”

She squeezes her eyes closed, letting out a cry of relief as she hits her wall.

Harry chuckles at her babbling. She is fucked out to high heaven. He wants one more out of her before he comes. He alternates thrusting into her ass and fingering her pussy. He releases her other hand from the restraint. She’s too distracted, so her hand remains in the same spot.

“Rub your little clit, baby. One more f’me.”

“Ugggghnnnn,” Briar whines, drool coming out of her mouth. She circles her clit three more times before she’s clenching hard on his fingers and cock.

The squeeze of her ass pushes Harry into his own orgasm, a ringing forming in his ear. He gives two last lazy thrusts, emptying himself into her. He closes his eyes and hangs his head low before slowly pulling out.

Briar squawks, so he shushes her gently. Harry could come again at the sight in front of him. His come is leaking out of her ass hole, dripping onto the sheets below. He picks some up with his finger, smearing it on her pussy. She mewls, her head lolling to the side.

“So fucking good for me. Gorgeous, baby.”

Harry takes a mental image before hustling to the bathroom. He starts the bath, making sure to throw some epsom salt and lavender oil in there. He wets a towel with warm water for Briar, and throws two towels into his towel warmer.

He reenters the bedroom to find his girl curled up, her back to him. He runs his knuckles down her protruding spine. Harry gently dabs the towel along her labias and ass to clean up.

“Birdie, I ran us a bath. Gonna lift you,” Harry coos. Her eyelashes flutter as she looks up at him with moony eyes.

Harry lifts her from her armpits and knees, and swiftly carries her to the tub. Her eyes are shut, but she rests her head on his chest. He’s become a pro at maneuvering themselves into the tub.

Harry positions Briar at the front of the tub, before finding his seat at the back. He leans forward to pull her body to his chest. Harry closes his eyes and rolls his neck along the edge of the porcelain tub, listening to their uneven breaths.

He plays with Briar’s hair; twirling the long pieces between his fingers. She hasn’t said a word, but he knows she’s elsewhere right now. He moves his fingertips to her scalp, gently scratching around the nape of her neck, hoping she’ll come back to him soon.

“Mmmmm,” Briar hums, smiling to herself.

Harry smiles, increasing the pressure and speed like he’s petting Gus.

“Stop,” Briar whines, her hair now in her face.

“Sorry, Birdie. How do you feel?”

“Good. Sleepy,” Briar yawns.

“Hungry? I can order us something,” Harry taps her sides.

“Can we have Caesar salads and Diet Cokes?” She cranes her neck to look back at him.

Harry laughs, “Sure, baby.”

“And french fries.”

“You got it,” Harry leans down and kisses her.

Briar is staying at Harry’s while he’s in the city for a few in-person meetings. It’s been nice; she does yoga outside in the mornings, takes Gus for walks around the picturesque neighborhood, and cooks using his expensive appliances.

🦊: Hi, Birdie.

🐥: Hi Daddy

🦊: Miss me yet?

🐥: I like being able to lay sideways in your bed

🦊: You can do that when I’m there.

🐥: You’re too hard

🦊: How’d you know? Send me a picture.

🐥: It’s 10AM. Pay attention to your meeting

🦊: I’m not asking.

Though Harry isn’t home, Briar still walks around his house scantily clad. An idea to terrorize her boyfriend pops into her head. Bolting up the stairs, Briar grabs her plug from Harry’s special area in his closet. She smirks to herself, feeling the cool metal in her hand. She walks outside, peering over Maureen’s fence to ensure no one will witness what she’s about to do.

She gathers spit in her mouth before lubricating the plug. She places one foot on the lounge chair for leverage, before nudging the plug past her entrance. Waddling around, she moves two lounge chairs to face one another. Propping her phone up on one, she shuffles to the other to get into position. She removes her sleep tank top and silk shorts, staring up into the sky to get some sun on her face.

She kneels, making sure to pop her ass out more. The phone is set to video so she can take screen shots of the poses she likes best. Or just send the whole damn video to him.

She makes sure to twist her body to fake some curves, looking over her shoulder and touching her hair. She fiddles with the plug, making her whine.

Yup, she’s sending the video.

After a few minutes, she gets up from the lounge chair, being sure to flash the camera. She grabs the phone, scanning it over her body before blowing a kiss.

Delivered

Looking around again, she quickly throws her clothes back on, opting to leave the plug in for the day. Gus joins her outside, laying on the chair opposite hers. She has an urge to shut her phone off completely, just to push Harry’s buttons a little more.

Her quiet morning is interrupted by her ringtone blaring. She picks up without saying anything.

“Do you think you’re funny?”

“Who is this?” Briar is holding back laughter.

“I am in a meeting, little girl. You sent that video when all I told you to send was a photo.”

“So are you jerking yourself in the bathroom?”

“What a fucking mouth on you, huh? And yeah, your little video is causing a problem,” Harry grits.

Briar whines, “Don’t you wish it was my little hand, Daddy? Or my mouth?”

Harry slams his fist against the bathroom stall. His neck vein is protruding as he growls.

Briar is full on smiling to herself. She’s not particularly horny right now, but she’s happy to aid Harry with his issue. She can hear his panting increase before a clattering of the phone.

“Harry?”

“Fuck, I dropped my phone,” he laughs incredulously.

“Oh my, well, maybe I should let you go,” Briar trails off.

“No, baby. Almost done. Just tell Daddy how much you love,” he groans. “Love him.”

“I love you, Daddy. So much. Come for me,” Briar says, leaning into her chair.

Harry releases into the toilet with a strangled moan. He prays to God the conference room walls are thick. He grabs a wad of toilet paper to wipe down his misfires before flushing.

“Thanks, Birdie. You’re in so much trouble when I’m home. Love you.”

“Okay, bye.”

She hangs up, shaking her head. She looks over her shoulder to see Maureen standing at the fence, watering her plants. Briar gives her a tight smile and wave, to which Maureen grimaces in response.

Briar lounges for a few hours before feeling intense boredom. She cleans a little bit, making sure to dust Harry’s various trinkets from his travels. She lightly wipes a ceramic elephant he got in Thailand, a Russian nesting doll from his time in St. Petersburg, and a clay shark from South Africa. While Harry has been all over the globe, the two share a desire to one day back back in South America. She hopes a llama trinket will one day sit on this shelf.

It’s been a few weeks since the lunch with Briar’s mom and since Harry sent the letter to Camille. While she’s happy Harry is attempting to get to know his son, Briar can’t help but feel extreme anxiety. Why hasn’t Camille responded?

The shrill sound of the doorbell and Gus’s subsequent bark breaks Briar’s train of thought. She can see a figure through the frosted glass of Harry’s front door, lingering at the table of snacks designated for delivery drivers.

Briar can see the UPS logo on the man’s shirt, so she lets him pick his goodies before opening the door. She waved to him as he drives away, looking down at the package at her feet. She wonders if Harry sent her something for when he returns.

Bending over, she’s surprised at the package’s weight. If it were new lingerie, it’d be light. She bends at the knees, inhaling when she lifts the package. Shooing Gus away, she manages to get the package to Harry’s long kitchen table.

She’s wracking her brain what it could be. The entire package is wrapped in brown paper. She flips it over to see the label. Harry’s name written in cursive letters using a Sharpie. Her eyes are drawn to the left hand side; the sender.

C. Rowe 4 Rue Dupetit-Thouars Paris, France 75003

A lump forms in Briar’s throat. It’s been a few hours since she talked to Harry this morning. Her fingers start to dial his number.

“If you’re calling for a follow-up to this morning, I have to let you know that Niall is right next to me.”

She hears Niall groan in the background. When she doesn’t laugh or respond, Harry tries again. “Birdie?”

“Hi, I-I wanted to tell you that a package came f-for you,” Briar chokes out.

Harry scrunches his eyebrows, “Okay, just leave it with the others. Anything else?”

He wants to be sweet with her, but she knows not to call about random things while he’s in meetings.

“I-it’s from Camille.”

Silence. Briar closes her eyes.

Harry sighs, “I see. Okay, thanks for letting me know, pup. I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon. Are you going to be okay until then?”

“Y-yes, I’ll be fine. I’m sorry. I’m not sure why I’m so nervous.”

“It’s okay. This whole thing is a little odd. Just try to take your mind off it. Throw it in my office if you don’t feel like seeing it.”

“Okay, I will. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”

“Love you.”

Harry sighs. Niall looks over at him empathetically.

“So when were you gonna tell me you’re dating one of the servers?”

Niall’s eyes go wide before rubbing his temples, “She told you?”

“What? Why wouldn’t she? She’s my girlfriend.”

“We’re not dating. We hooked up once...twice.”

“Mhm,” Harry laughs. “Better nip that in the bud, then.”

Niall groans again just as their next meeting begins.

The anticipation is killing Briar. Harry is due home any minute, so she’s pacing between his kitchen and living room. Sitting on the sofa, sitting on the stool, sitting on the chair, standing by the window. She can’t keep still.

She joins Gus in his outburst of barking and running from window to window when they hear Harry’s car pull into the garage. She pokes her head into the garage to see Harry unloading his bags from the back.

She walks over to him, pressing her hands into his chest.

“Hi, Birdie. Missed you,” Harry says, pressing a kiss to her mouth.

“Welcome home,” she smiles back at him.

She grabs the wheeled suitcase, lifting it over the threshold of the door.

“Let me change and we can open it,” Harry says simply. Briar’s stomach drops.

“Okay.”

Briar corrals Gus to the sofa, the two of them perching in the corner seat. Harry changed into colorful sweatpants and a t-shirt that says ‘vote vote vote’. He grabbed the package from his office on his way back into the main living room.

He places the package on the coffee table. The two of them stare at it silently.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do this alone?”

“Mm, no, it’s okay. If there’s a letter, then I’ll read that on my own.”

Briar nods, waiting for him to open the box.

Harry peels the brown paper from the edges, tearing straight through his and Camille’s names.

He removes the paper in its entirety, examining the oversized shoe box before pulling the lid off. He places it off to the side while peering at the contents. From first glance, it looks like junk.

He scrunches his eyebrows when he spots one of his old shirts. Did Camille really use this as an opportunity to send his shit back?

He moves the shirt to reveal a few envelopes, a baby rattle, a small pair of vans, a stuffed dog, and drawings.

Harry opens one of the envelopes to find a stack of Polaroid pictures. He can feel his eyes start to sting. They’re in chronological order, showing his son grow from a tiny baby to an excited 7 year old. Briar has her head on his shoulder, silently viewing the photos. The birth photo has words scribbled in Sharpie at the bottom.

Oliver Styles Rowe 18-11-2016 3.3kgs | 53 cm

Harry is crying now. Briar rubs his back, trying to encourage him to keep going.

He flips through the photo, feeling vomit bubble up his throat. This kid looks like a lot of fun. Fun that’s killing him to not have been a part of. Camille keeps him well travelled; there are photos from Tokyo, Australia and Mexico.

Unlike most babies, Harry’s had his signature curls from the start. Briar gasps at the photos as they get closer to present day. Oliver is Harry’s twin.

Oliver receives great marks in school; he’s pictured with several certificates and trophies. He even seems to be a footballer.

Harry puts the stack on the coffee table, turning to face Briar.

“Wow,” Harry says, wiping a tear from his eye.

“What’re you thinking?”

“Just heartbroken all over again.”

Harry went into his office to read the letter. He stops at his bar cart to pour himself some tequila.

It’s short, but gives Harry some closure. Over the last 8 years, Camille embraced motherhood by focusing less on work. She meditates, volunteers regularly, and is extremely involved at school activities.

She and Theo, their mutual friend from study abroad, have been together since she moved back. That sends a pang to Harry’s heart. They got married about 5 years ago, and have a little girl named Amélie. She only talks a little about Oliver, saying how much he reminds her of Harry.

Camille apologizes, which Harry didn’t expect. She recognizes cutting him off from his son was wrong. She also left her contact information, followed by the last line.

He would love to meet you. I think it’s time.

Tears are fully falling on Harry’s cheeks as the heaviness of the last 8 years hits him. His son has Styles in his name. He smiles to himself, feeling the butterflies in his stomach.

He shoves the letter in his desk drawer before wiping his eyes. He joins Briar and Gus back in the living room cozied up by the fire.

____________________________________________________________________

OHM YGOD. SOMEONE PLZ TALK TO ME AB BIRDIE AND HARRY I AM LIVINGGGGG

Taglist:

@daphnesutton @pandeebearstyles @anxiouswaterss @gem1712 @stylesfever @awesomenavy @crazygirlinthisworld @butdaddyilovehim-hs @luxiorchive @alchemxx @narry-heart

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #Harry styles smut #harry styles imagine #fairway to heaven #dom!harry #dom!h #daddy!harry #daddy!h

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hana-bobo-finch · 13 days

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settle down everyone, it is time for Hana to ramble about her silly stuff

SHOCKINGLY I am not yapping about a character this time but a place. The Briar Zome (as seen (poorly) drawn above)

SO!!! Going to try to explain this as simply as possible because even I don’t remember everything about it

It’s a pocket dimension of sorts. For the sake of simplicity let’s call it B while the “normal” dimension is called A. It’s unknown how B is actually accessed. Every Friday the 13th (hence why I’m posting abt this today, yippee) a Very Definitely Not Suspicious Guy who runs an illegal restaurant at the top of a mountain (story for another day. Or for never at all) serves his “special coffee” which he heavily persuades if not forces people (by people I mean really his only 2 or 3 regular customers) to drink. Shortly after you drink it, you black out and end up in the briar zome with no memory of what happened in between drinking the coffee and waking up. The “special coffee” also leaves you with a horrible illness the next day. While other similar pocket dimensions have been accessed by studying the environment of the Briar Zome, think of those as dimension “C”, it still remains a mystery how to actually get to B. It’s equally a mystery as to how you leave—you leave just as suddenly as you arrive, you blink and suddenly you’re back in the “normal” world, “dimension A”.

Time works differently there, as to be expected. Usually experiences in the briar zome last anywhere from a day to a week, but in dimension A no time passes at all (e.g. you could find yourself there, spend 3 days there, but when you go back to the “normal” dimension, no time passed at all). I could get into the numerous time and dimensional theories but um. I won’t. That will bore you all to tears I think

It’s a consistently cold environment with snow and ice caking everything, yet plant growth is rampant, especially rose bushes and brambles, hence the briar part of the name. There are multiple patches of thick thorns, making some areas hard to traverse. Between different “visits”, if you could call them that, to the Briar Zome, the general layout changes slightly. To put it in pikmin terms, it’s like the caves in pikmin 2 but less drastic. There are also long stretches of water and rivulets that are, of course, frozen over, but the ice is generally very thin. Although it’s snowy and icy, the temperature seems to be bizarrely non-existent. It’s not cold, it’s not warm, it’s not in between, it simply does not exist. The atmosphere is rather thin, but still breathable. Everything in the briar zome is slightly off in a way. Think like the feeling you get when you’re struggling to remember something that’s on the tip of your tongue. It’s also just generally quite unpredictable. Anything could happen, really. The landscape is never ending. If there is an end to it, nobody’s seen it. It seems to go on forever. Same with the snow—you could dig in it all you want, but it’s infinite. The ground has never been seen there.

In one specific area, known as the Eye Rink, there are, as seen in my quick drawing of it, sentient eyes!!! Their nerves take root at the bottom of the water and rise up above the ice. They’re incredibly long, as the lakes and rivers can get quite deep. Surprisingly they’re almost rather doglike in behavior. They just want to be your friend :) they’ll hug you with their big ol’ eye stalks. Very tightly. To the point you might break a bone. But they’re just big sweethearts.

There’s nobody else there but the people who were mysteriously transported there. People tend to end up there in groups—if two people drink the “special coffee,” they’ll go there together. And they’ll be, aside from each other, completely alone. Wildlife is also sparse but there are a few creatures here and there. Some rabbits, deer, and foxes. Most injuries sustained in the Briar Zome seem to not follow you into the “real” world once you awaken, but nobody’s had the guts to see what would happen if you were to die there. You’d most likely end up dead in the real world, too.

There’s a special form of writing there. A code of sorts, I suppose. It’s written via drawings of phases of the moon and types of plants. This is a TOTALLY fleshed out idea, I definitely didn’t think of it like 6 hours ago. But it, in its beta form, looks like this:

good luck translating it, because I can barely read it myself, and I probably wrote it wrong!

There is probably more to it that I’m forgetting because I made the briar zome in like. What, December of last year? And it isn’t a huge part of my silly goofy story stuff so I don’t think about it very often. But. Yeah

#not a pikmin post #that was a long post (I am not sorry)#not sure what to tag this as #I should have a tag for my silly stuff…..hrmmmm #PDBC #< that is what it’s called. name reveal. heehoo. pumpkin daddy’s book club……..#heehee yeah (PAINED SCREAMING) (REVEALING ANYTHING ABOUT MY PROJECTS IS SCARY AND PAINFUL)#but yeah I’ll tag nonsense like this as PDBC in case u want to block that tag yes yes 👍

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briar-ffxiv · 6 months

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— B A S I C S

Name: Briar (the) Redfeather Nicknames: 'Rose', 'Little Fox', 'Wildling' Age: Early 20s in ARR, probably nearing 30 by Dawntrail (depending on timeline) Nameday: 21st Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon (not that he knows exactly. He just knows the month) Race: Half-Elezen/Half-Hyur (Padjal bloodline through Hyur) Gender: Non-binary, masculine leaning (born male, prefers he/they) Orientation: Demiromantic Greysexyal Profession: Healer, Shepherd, Warrior of Light(depending on the 'verse)

— P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T S

Hair: strawberry blonde, almost rose gold with lighter gold highlights due to the sun. He has 3A curls, although when kept short the curls are less noticeable. Eyes: warm moss-green flecked with gold Skin: naturally quite pale, faint golden tan from the sun and tons of freckles everywhere. Tattoos/scars: no tattoos. Leaf birthmark on his right shoulderblade. Plenty of scars, including the slice from a spear on his left cheek, burn scars on his left shoulder and back, and rather heavily scarred palms and undersides of his fingers due to a nasty injury to his hands

— F A M I L Y

Parents: His mother was named Saule (Willow) and her family was from Dravania, but sought shelter in the Black Shroud when Saule was very small. His father was known as Ciro, officially U-Ciro-Tek before he was disgraced and exiled from being a Padjal. Siblings: Briar was an only child, as was his mother. Grandparents: Briar knows nothing about Ciro's parents, other than they died some years before he was born. Saule's father died before he was born. His grandmother died when he was under two so he has no memories of her. In-laws and Other: As far as Briar knows, his only living blood relative is E-Rani-Tek, Ciro's older brother and a Padjali pariah. Pets: Briar has a terrible habit of adopting many a creature, although if they are wild-born his goal is always to return them to the wild. Currently, he has a small herd of sheep, a flock of chickens, three Chocobo (one grown, two chicks), a dog named Jack, and a unicorn friend named Whinny. (And a lot of little forest friends that take care of themselves but visit often.)

— S K I L L S

Abilities: Despite normally not eating meat, Briar is a skilled archer, hunter, and tracker. He is an avid gardener. He has a knack for animal handling. He has a decent, if untrained, singing voice. He knows a lot about herbal medicine and non-magical healing. He rides quite well. Hobbies: Briar loves a good book, particularly romance. He loves beekeeping. He is quite skilled in many kinds of fibre arts, including weaving, spinning, and sewing. He likes to draw as well.

— T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Briar is a very kind person. He always gives the benefit of the doubt. He does his best to settle things without violence if he can. He forgives often and tries to be empathetic to everyone he meets. Most Negative Trait: Briar can definitely be naive. He forgives when he shouldn't. He has a very hard time understanding why anyone would be cruel. Sometimes he simply doesn't get it and it puts him at a disadvantage with people more than willing to take advantage of that.

— L I K E S

Colours: Blues, greens, golds. Smells: Fresh-cut wood. The smell of rain on grass. Hay. The smell of clean, well-oiled leather. Honey. Textures: Silky fabric. Soft wool. Supple leather. Smooth wood. Drinks: Various teas, often floral varieties. Soft spot for juices. Loves the rare treat of hot chocolate.

— O T H E R D E T A I L S

Smokes: He doesn't. Drinks: He is not against a glass of something fairly light in safe company but left to his own devices, Briar doesn't really have the urge to drink. Drugs: He doesn't. Mount Insurance: He would have no idea what that is, but he does have a unicorn he rides in the Black Shroud, but normally prefers his own feet. (Once he's officially in the steppes, I might get him an actual house.) Been Arrested: Detained by Wood Wailers more than once, but not officially arrested.

(( Art is by @shadesofblades / @coffeehands! ))

Tagged by: @thefrostflower @tripl3cast @sundered-souls - thank you all! <3

Tagging: @shieke @valdiis @shadesofblades @midnightmagicks @bloodredhands @prettygayway @avaritia-ffxiv @calico-heart @thefrostflower @starrysnowdrop @ahollowgrave @naejlas-axe @cadrenebula @skyysinger & anyone else that wants to do it!

#answers #ask briar #character: briar redfeather

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cheerleaderman · 9 months

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Astrid Primrose

A quite person who doesn’t want to stand out.Some-people think he’s hiding something deep given his curse but others see him as friendly and helpful.

Personality :

quite, reserved, socially awkward,only show true self with people their comfortable with, won’t say if he’s hurt, more Genuine with people they are comfortable with, pretty simple , Gracious

Twst : the enchanted rose

Basic Info

Age: 17

He/they

Voice claim: Langa- Sk8 the infinity (eng and Jp)

Birthday: September 18

Height: 174cm

class: 2-C

Dorm: Diasomnia

Nickname: koi fish (Floyd) ,Monsieur rose enchantèe(Rook) ,Ash

Dominant Hand: Right

favorite food: different kinds of bread, salad, chocolate and melon

Hobbies/likes: chess, cross word puzzles, puzzles, origami , snow, birds, architecture, stargazing

Dislikes: feeling trapped, moldy food, mold , dumpster diving

Club: Equestrian

Hometown : Briar Valley

Best subject: astrology

Talents: Completing puzzles quickly and reading maps

Unique magic/Curse : Beast of the guilty

He has no control of the curse but it seems like if he touches or direct eye contact for long enough. A shadow looking beast will surround a person in vine staring them down making them relive something they deeply regret and it could last for a day or two after being let go basically tormenting them with guilt. Astrid curse that will later become his UM.

For the selfish and the lairs

You must not feel pity

Because soon they will meet

The beast of the guilty

More info

-Wants to travel the world when they hit 21

-thinking of becoming an architect

- Astrid pretty goofy with people they are comfortable with and would do it with his resting expression having others if he’s serious

- Doesn’t talk much about their home or family when they do some say there is a kinda unsettling feeling/ look in his eyes

-Swears the horses like messing with him

-Part Fae but didn’t know until Sebek said something ( Malleus and Lilia thought he knew about it)

- is like 80% Fae 20% human [ he can Fly ,is super strong and poison doesn’t have the same effect on him as humans]

- believes they’re unlovable

-played against Leona in chess during a school club event and impressed Leona so now they play against each other often (Astrid got adopted )

-Friends with Jamil (they don’t have a label on their relationship) They met during joint classes in 1st year and would talk continue to talk. Would look Astrid in the eyes and miss the shot on purpose goofy stuff like that.

J-“what’s your obsession with bread?” A-“Bread was the only food that wasn’t stale or moldy that was given to me at the orphanage * goes back to eating bread*” J-*shocked*

-Managed to get Azul indebted to him with 2 favors and would always avoid his attempts saying “he doesn’t want anything from Azul” Azul can’t even blackmail since there isn’t much he can use besides basic info even then Astrid blocks the attempt.

-good at drawing manly buildings and interiors and has some sketchbooks filled of them

- Would carry Sliver back to the dorm if it’s late/ Sliver would sometimes fall asleep on them

-Sebek has never called Astrid human

More about Astrid

Outfits

(Astrid’s hair is covering his eye in lab wear just lazy to fix it)

Backstory

Astrid lived in an poor orphanage in Briar valley until they were 10. During their time there others would stay away or bully him because of his curse thinking he did it on purpose causing them to run away.Astrid would dumpster diving for food, doing best to survive when he teacher found them.

Being taken in Astrid reside in the west wing of the place.Given a place to stay and food to eat he was very grateful for finally finding a family so he thought. Even though his teacher showed him love and kindness the rest of her family didn’t seem to like him and didn’t understand why.

At 14 is when he finally understood sneaking out of the west wing. Walking around coming across room where Teacher and her husband were talking about no other than their cruse.

The cures was supposed to be used against his teacher.Due to the selfishness and betraying her old friend.

One day you will come across a child who will be your downfall.

By the time the child turns 21 you will pass as they will obtain the magic you prioritize so dearly.

But if you put away your selfishness and welcome the child into your arms truly loving them you may live to see another day.

He never heard such a venomous tone from his teacher but didn’t hear anymore running back to his room heartbroken.

“That why teacher family doesn’t like me”

“Were those accident everyone trying to get rid of me”

“Teacher doesn’t even like me, My parents didn’t want, The staff ignores me, no one wants to be around me”

“All because of this stupid curse! The only reason I’m here is for someone’s revenge”

“I’m I really that unlovable?”

After that day Astrid started to pretend to reciprocate the “love” their teacher gave them.Planning to leave at 20 which changed when he got excepted into NRC for when they graduate they’ll just never return home.

Divider

#twisted wonderland #art #twst #twst oc #twisted oc #twisted wonderland oc #oc art #oc #artists on tumblr #cheer!art #cheer!Astrid #oc lore #oc intro

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tsarisfanfiction · 6 months

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Overgrowth

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Gen Genre: Friendship Characters: Will, Miranda, Billie, Douglas, Steve Clearly the newest Demeter kids haven't yet got the hang of growing plants with their powers. TOApril day 14 - Every Rose Has Its Thorns. I went literal today. Also, despite Meg being the clearly obvious candidate for this prompt, I managed to go with every other TOA Demeter kid except for her, whoops. All kids in here are canon names, I promise.

“Hey, Will!”

He turned to see Billie jogging towards him – as fast as she ever moved unless she was fighting or running from something actively trying to kill her – and sighed, because the daughter of Demeter didn’t usually seek out his presence, which only meant one thing.

“Miranda wants you,” she said, then confirmed it with, “bring your medical stuff.”

“Medical stuff?” he parroted at her, bemused. She shrugged dismissively, turning her back on him and starting to head back the way she’d come. Will hadn’t paid attention to it, but it was the direction of the cabins so he had a pretty good idea where she was leading him.

He’d long since got into the habit of keeping an emergency pack of medical supplies on him at all times, so he didn’t bother to make a detour to pick anything else up. Not until he knew exactly what he was dealing with; Billie hadn’t been running, even if she’d been jogging, so Will was confident that his emergency pack would at least suffice for initial treatment of whatever cabin four had done to themselves.

Sure enough, Billie ploughed straight through the door of her cabin without stopping, and Will hurried to get across the threshold before the door slammed in his face.

Cabin four was, in Will’s opinion, the strangest of the cabins. Sure, the Hecate cabin had magic permeating every inch of it rather disconcertingly, and the Nike cabin was an active puzzle for reasons he’d never quite worked out, but there was something about a floor that was actually grass, and a central support that was actually a living, thriving tree that had never quite managed to click in Will’s head.

He was pretty sure those things were all supposed to grow outdoors, but if there was one place where they had an argument for growing indoors, Demeter’s cabin would be it.

The central tree was swarmed with other plants, which certainly hadn’t been the case that morning when Will had done cabin inspection and given cabin four a seven for scattered seeds but tidy hammocks.

For some reason, Demeter wasn’t counted alongside her brothers as superior amongst even the Olympians. Everyone knew the Big Three was the three male godly children of Kronos, while their sisters went mostly unacknowledged. It was difficult to understand why so many people dismissed her or her children, though. Will had seen cabin four members consistently pull off illogical feats – always plant-related – ever since he first arrived at camp, and having seen the sheer destruction they could bring about when they wanted to, he had no intention of ever underestimating them.

Unlike most demigods, who got ADHD and dyslexia and no special powers to show for it, Demeter’s kids consistently got green thumbs and plants that would do anything they asked. Will had never seen one that couldn’t manipulate plants to some degree, and that certainly held true for the current occupants of the cabin.

In the middle, tangled around the central tree, was a massive rose briar, complete with wicked sharp thorns and fully blooming roses the colour of blood. Billie had made her way to join Miranda where the head counsellor was standing by the cabin’s new plant addition and trying to get the plants to move.

Inside the snarl of thorns and vines seemed to be something that Miranda was specifically trying to get to – or someone, because Will could count just fine and there were two kids unaccounted for, visually, at least.

Douglas’ thick accent was slurring out curse after curse as something struggled inside the branches. Will couldn’t make out the exact words, but that wasn’t particularly unusual when the Scottish boy slipped into Scots. He could get the gist, though.

He sighed, drawing Miranda’s attention to his arrival. “What happened?” he asked her.

She responded with a sigh of her own. “Plant growing gone wrong,” she said, gesturing broadly at the massive plant. Some of the branches rustled with her movement, just enough to reveal a glimpse of Steve fighting inside as well. That answered the question on where both the young Demeter boys were lurking, at least.

It wasn’t the first time it had happened. It wasn’t even the first time it had happened to those particular boys – Douglas was an enthusiastic plant grower, and Steve was far more of an enabler than he was clearly prepared to be when it came to the consequences. Neither of them had been in camp all that long, but Will was already well aware that they were going to be a potential headache source for him – especially once they found their own feet at camp.

Will knew the routine, so he waited while Miranda did her magic (not that she would ever call it as such when it was just her normal) and slowly got the branches to release their death grips on the two boys.

Steve was the first one to disentangle enough, rolling out of the mess with stray leaves and the odd broken off thorn stuck deeply into his hair. He also had several freshly-bleeding scratches across his skin, and Will didn’t wait to be invited over when his role was pretty obvious.

And also very much routine.

“Can you at least try not to bury yourselves in plant matter of the injury inducing kind?” he asked as he pulled out some antiseptic wipes and began dabbing at the myriad of scratches that stood out red against the younger boy’s dark skin.

“It was Douglas’ fault!” he protested.

There was an immediate “Oi!” in a thick Scottish accent emanating from the centre of the still-snarled tangle of thorny vines, followed by what Will was pretty sure was a protestation of innocence in Scots.

“You’re not blameless, either!” Miranda called over, and Steve’s shoulders hunched up to his ears.

“It was an accident,” he muttered. “They weren’t supposed to get so…”

“Big?” Billie supplied. “Wild?”

“Yeah, that,” Steve shrugged, thankfully letting his shoulders drop again after a warning poke from Will.

Another sharp gesture from Miranda and Billie had Douglas spilling out from the briar as well, his own curly hair sporting a fine collection of leaves and thorns, and even the occasional petal. He also had openly bleeding scratches on his bare skin, including one long one too close to his eye for comfort. It wasn’t close or deep enough to cause permanent damage, or even scar, but it was a reminder of what could have gone wrong.

Will wasn’t a fan of could have gone wrongs, although he did prefer those over the did go wrongs, for hopefully obvious reasons.

He sighed again and pulled out a fresh wipe to attack the other boy’s scratches with. Douglas winced away from the sting, but Billie grabbed him and held him still.

Neither boy was injured enough to need anything more than just the disinfecting wipe, thankfully, so Will’s medical duties didn’t take long to complete.

“At least try not to injure yourselves on your own plants,” he said as he balled up the used wipes for disposal in the infirmary. “I’m pretty sure that’s lesson one for plant summoning.”

“Something like that,” Miranda said. “Thanks for the assist, Will. I’ll take it from here.”

Will didn’t need to be told twice; he was already in charge of his own cabin and anyone that ended up a patient in the infirmary. He neither needed nor wanted to expand his responsibilities beyond that – Miranda could handle her own siblings.

“See you at dinner,” he said, and made his way out of the cabin, back to where the grass was outdoors and normal. As the cabin door shut behind him, he heard the Demeter kids discussing the best thing to do with the rose bush and whether or not it would damage the tree – or pose an ongoing risk to demigods – if they left it where it was.

That was certainly not Will’s problem, either. Miranda was welcome to that one.

#trials of apollo #trials of apollo fanfiction #riordanverse #riordanverse fanfiction #toapril #toapril 2024 #tsari writes fanfiction #will solace #billie ng #miranda gardiner #toa douglas #toa steve #cabin four #demeter cabin

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warwickroyals · 4 months

Note

I love when you answer world building questions!! So I want to know little bit more about Sunderland role in the American Civil War. Also I know you answered an ask about Queen Rosalyn, but can you explain her story again with the backdrop of the war. Sorry for the long question.

Warning for general talk about slavery and one brief mention of child loss in my family tree.

Sorry for the years it took to answer this! I ended up thinking about this one so much that it became unproductive, so I'm just doing to give a brief overview of Rosalyn as a character.

Yeah, Rosalyn's time was actually slightly before the American Civil War. She was Queen from 1858 to 1860. Her entire point is to explain what would happen if the King were to marry a woman who was wildly unsuitable for a myriad of reasons, both political and moral.

Rosalyn Briar (get it, she's like a Rose) grew up on a plantation in one of the Carolinas during the twilight years of the Antebellum South. During this time the American southern elite was panicking. They knew slavery's influence was dwindling both in the US and abroad. Remember, by this time the British had abolished slavery decades ago, and slaves were escaping another into British Dominions (Canada).

The South needed allies who would support the them during the unavoidable Civil War. Sunderland at the time was doing what it does best during times of crisis: riding the fence, trying not really to meddle in foreign politics. King James was very old, but less impulsive than his brothers. Sunderland's population saw slavery as barbaric and James understood that. He also didn't want to risk Sunderland's allyship with the United Kingdom.

All changed when James died, leaving his 17-year-old son Louis IV on the throne. Louis was a small and sickly boy, the only child of King James and Queen Caroline. His mother in particular spoilt him. She had a hard time telling him no . . . and it went to Louis's head in the worst way possible. He had the same view on being king as young Simba in The Lion King, basically.

Look at my family tree, with Louis IV, and Caroline and James's other dead children + James's casual 11 bastards just chilling on the far left. Post continues below.

So, when Louis met Rosalyn he grew infatuated with her. At the time, the king was limited by the Constitution politically. There were no checks and balances that extended into the king's personal life. So basically, Louis did what he wanted and Caroline wasn't trying to tell him no. So, Louis and Rosalyn married.

It was a disaster. A near monarchy-ending disaster. Rosalyn was legit one degree of hatred off from having rotten tomatoes pelted at her wherever she went. She was blamed for everything, despite being more affably evil than a literal foaming-at-the-mouth white supremacist (it's up to you whether that's better or worse). Her public image itself was political, so the worse thing got in America, the more she was hated, and blamed for stirring the pot. Her attempts to import Southern culture to Sunderland were strongly resisted. For example, Roslyn wore a lot of magnificent clothes in various hues of blue. Dyed with indigo. Which, urm. Now, the Queen obviously influences fashion, so when other high society ladies also started wearing these deep blue garments, controversy was kicked up. Sunderland's elite were now basically keeping indigo plantations in operation. This really shows how even things that are incoucous (fashion, music, etc.) can have a deep political impact. Rosalyn's mere existence is political. Even if she came to Sunderland with no intentions of being a Confederate propaganda tool, her living and breathing still fed into that system.

Louis and Roslyn had one child, a daughter named Louisa, who many still argue wasn't even Louis's to begin with. Rosalyn's "failure" to produce an heir combined with Louis's ill health is what lead to her having very little influence over the country. She was queen for three years. Alexandra, for context, was queen for sixty. Irene, around forty. Anne, twenty-six. This was very little time for her to actually get anything done. There was half-hearted talk about the infant Louisa becoming queen reagent. But two seconds after Louis IV died, his big dick, chad cousin George took over. You see, in Sunderland you only become king after you're "sworn in" in front of Parliament. The period in between monarchs is known as abeyance. During the abeyance between Louis IV and George I, Rosalyn was convinced to leave the country. George had Parliament's support, in fact he had been colluding with them for years, and Louisa was a literal baby. Not hard to predict how that turned out.

George was king during the Civil War and he reversed thing: he turned a blind eye to the slaves escaping into Sunderland all while distesting slavery and funding the Union privately. The guy was a bleeding-heart Liberal and he supported all sorts of wacky ideas: emancipation, Darwinism, class welfare, etc. Any political block that Rosalyn had formed promptly collapsed.

All this will be talked about more during the series I'm planning.

#warwick.answers #anonymous

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dani-luminae · 2 months

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Based off another idea: what if Nightshade and Caspian came to the past to try and prevent the Rulers of Evil from ever becoming evil?

Nightshade goes by the alias of Amaya Orisaina, of Harrow's Glen (the forest where Aurora grew up as Briar Rose.) Caspian takes the alias of Christophe "Kit" De Lancret, a minor noble of Charmanten. Together, they find themselves in the past... a bit too far in the past, as a matter of fact. Soon-to-be-King Ben has only just announced his first proclamation: to allow four children from the Isle of the Lost to come to Auradon.

At first, Caspian suggests to Nightshade that they can sabotage the kids arrival. Preventing Mal from ever entering the picture would prevent her from coming between Audrey and Ben, and setting in motion the events that lead to the rise of the Rulers of Evil - right? But Nightshade thinks of all the other VKs, such as Evie, Uma, Harry, Celia, and knows that if Mal doesn't get her chance, none of them will. So putting a stop to it that way is out of the question.

So next it becomes how can we ensure the kids still get their chance without a) getting in the way of Audrey and Ben, b) driving away Ben's allies, and c) keep the Isle kids from getting the wand so the way forward is easier for Ben?

There is no actual single answer for that.

Nightshade gets involved in helping to prepare for the kids arrival. Perhaps showing Ben unwavering support... despite the trepidation of most-if-not-all of the rest of the school... will be helpful in preventing trouble. She works with Audrey, closely, as they arrange dorm rooms, class schedules, school supplies, and all of that. Audrey and Nightshade are polite, respectful, and capable of working together well, though Nightshade is surprised to see how judgmental Audrey can prove to be, not only to the VKs but to some of her own classmates.

(The Rulers of Evil have had the benefit of looking back. They understand their own shortcomings as teenagers and worked hard not to let those same qualities bloom in Nightshade. As a result, Nightshade doesn't know so much about her parents past aside from the 'fairy tale' they told her all throughout her life.)

Caspian isn't being very outright helpful. It's simply not in his character. No, he's better at fading into the background to be aware of everything going on all over the school. He joins the tourney team to blend in (his father's lessons come in handy!) and maintains modestly successful grades - just another student, nothing to note. Doing so, he ends up encountering Chad more than he would like, and it takes so much of Caspian's willpower not to clash with him.

(Caspian's father knew he had been a sheltered, spoiled, pompous prince. He did what he could to try and keep Caspian from being the same way. But the end result is similar: Caspian never knew how unkind Chad truly was.)

Finally, the day comes. The limo pulls up to the curb. Nightshade and Caspian are standing in the back of the big assembly of students gathered to welcome the Isle kids. The limo stops. The door is opened.

Jay falls out. Nightshade laughs because she thinks it's hilarious. Caspian, however, knows immediately that this has gotten so much more complicated than the task he originally signed up for. But Nightshade's kindness is unwavering, and she keeps trying to engage with the Isle kids. Her first conversation with them is that evening, over dinner, when she walks up to the table where Mal and Evie are sitting and asks them, "Is everything working well for you girls so far? With your dorm?

Mal squinted at the brave Auradonian girl. "And you are?" Nightshade paused in surprise, and smiled. "Oh, my apologies. My name is Amaya." "Yeah?" Mal's tone hadn't changed. Most of the kids here started off their interactions by boasting about their parents. Might as well get it out of the way now. "Whose kid are you?" "And who sewed your dress?" Evie interrupted, to Mal's annoyance. Nightshade beamed and brushed her hand down an embroidered sleeve of her snow-white dress. "I sewed it myself! And, I don't think the two of you would be familiar with my parents," she said. "I've been castle-schooled up until a couple months ago. I was a part of the process of getting your rooms together. Are they comfortable?" "Too plush," Mal said flatly. "You really could not have possibly outdone yourselves." "That's wonderful." Nightshade's smile was dazzling. "If you need anything, please, don't hesitate to ask me." "I thought we were supposed to ask Doug?" Mal replied, and Nightshade just laughed as she strolled away. Behind her, she heard Evie comment, "Definitely a princess. Look at her royal-perfect posture." Mal scoffed. "Nah. Too brave to be a princess."

The failed attempt at the museum doesn't alarm Nightshade or Caspian, because Caspian knew it would happen and assures Nightshade it was destined to fail from the beginning.

The next day, Nightshade doesn't expect any issues. She accompanies Jane in visiting Remedial Goodness 101 to get the signature from the Fairy Godmother, and later witnesses Mal do her first spell on Jane's hair and subtly convince her to ask for the wand. Nightshade is concerned, but Jane doesn't listen to her, and Caspian has to reassure her, again, that this attempt fails.

Later that evening, Nightshade visits the kitchen and walks in on the Isle kids in the middle of creating the love spell - but Nightshade doesn't realize this is the love spell itself, and considers it odd but not necessarily suspicious for the kids to be making themselves a late-night snack. She is present to listen to the "even villains love their kids" misconception from Lonnie.

She talks about it with Caspian the next morning, just after homeroom.

"Lonnie thought even villains love their kids," Nightshade explained. Caspian paused rummaging in his locker. Out of everything he'd guessed they might find in their way on this quest, that complicated... discussion was not one of them. Did villains love their kids? His mother hadn't necessarily loved him, and yet, Nightshade's parents... He stammered over his words, realizing Nightshade was still looking at him. "Oh. Uh. I mean... some of them do, I'm sure, especially -" "I think she's right," Nightshade said unexpectedly. Caspian looked at her in surprise. "Nigh - Amaya," he said, tripping over her alias. Did she really believe her parents hadn't loved her? She didn't look heartbroken. Had she gotten over it that fast? No, this was Nightshade, who felt everything deeply. Was she just trying to hide it, then? "No, come on -" "And that it means my parents aren't all villainous," Nightshade concluded. Caspian stared at her. She smiled brightly. "That's what we're here trying to prevent, right?"

Because of this conversation, they completely miss when Mal and co slip Ben the love spell, and are entirely unaware until the tourney game finale. Caspian plays well with the team as Nightshade cheers him on (she loves tourney - almost wishes she had the skill to play it herself) and everything seems perfectly fine until Ben grabs the mic.

"Give me an M!" "M!" "Give me an A!" "A!" "Give me an L!" "L!" "What does that spell?"

Audrey runs off the field in tears, followed swiftly by Nightshade. But Audrey isn't particularly interested in being comforted, quickly picks herself back up, and heads back out onto the field to act as if she's completely unruffled.

"Chad's my boyfriend now!" She proclaims. "And I'm going to the Coronation with him, so I don't need your pity date!" And she turns and kisses him. Nightshade and Caspian look away, uncomfortable. Sure, they knew vaguely that Chad and Audrey were close, and dated once. Seeing it in front of them was just weird. "Well. Strike one, out the window," Caspian muttered. "There's still so much time to fix it," Nightshade whispered to him.

With all the chaos, however, Caspian does see the chance to explore the sunlit, beautiful kingdom he was always told stories of. He and Nightshade step back from the school for a couple days after that - best to let the business between Mal, Ben, Audrey, and Chad settle down - and they explore the city, the nearby towns, the forest. Nightshade in particular finds the Enchanted Lake - not frozen over like she knows it in the future - and adores spending time there. They might have stepped back from the task at hand, but by no means does it lessen their resolve. Now they see more of the kingdom that they're fighting to restore, to prevent the destruction of.

They formally return on Family Day, and Nightshade would spend the day with Audrey were it not for Queen Leah's arrival. So once again, she and Caspian sort of fade into the background, watching everything from afar.

Which makes for an unfortunately good vantage point when Chad ruins everything, and Caspian's never been more ticked off with his dad.

"He's a stupid kid," Nightshade tries to dismiss it. "All our parents were. He'll learn." "He only learned because his closest friends united under evil and took over the kingdom," Caspian pointed out. "What's he gonna be like if we keep that from happening?" The expression on Nightshade's face is troubled, but she knows he doesn't really mean any doubt. They weren't just striving to help her parents, they were helping all their kingdom, even if that meant a prince or two remained a spoiled jerk.

Nightshade descends from the parapet to join Ben when everyone has walked away from them. She seems like the only person willing to walk up to him as he stood alone, and he jumped when she spoke.

"Don't listen to them, Ben," she said, as he turned to her. She looked pristine and angelic, as she always did, in her white dress, with flowers in her hair. Like a princess who stepped out of a storybook. "This isn't your fault. You wanted to do the right thing. It's their own prejudice that caused this, blinding them to the fact that these children deserve the same chance as anyone." Ben looked at the way that Audrey, Chad, and the others had left, then back to where his parents had walked away. "How do I get them to see through it?" She smiled sadly. "That's not something that you can do. Only they can choose to confront the lies they were raised with, or the pain from the past." Ben looked at her. She looked so calm and composed... like she knew this was going to happen. Most of the onlookers had been shaken by a display of dark magic, but not Amaya. "How come you're not afraid?" How could she ever explain the answer to that question? Nightshade shrugged it off vaguely. "The villains of my bedtime story... are much, much different."

The Coronation arrives. Nightshade and Caspian do not attend, and instead watch from the television in Caspian's dorm room. They know what will happen, and they are not surprised, but Nightshade still flinches at the sight of the Dragon's Eye in Maleficent's grasp. Caspian holds her, and she hides her face against his shoulder.

Sure, Nightshade has faced far scarier, but there's something especially chilling about seeing such powerful evil a year before it would ever influence her father and alter the future of Auradon.

...Fortunately, she and Caspian still have plenty of time to keep that from happening.

~~~

Okay so this got so long I decided it's just the Descendants 1 part for now. Movies 2 and Good to be Bad adaptation coming... eventually? lol.

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