#contes cruels

[corydon8]

LES BRIGANDS

À Monsieur Henri Roujon.

Qu’est le Tiers-État ? Rien. Que doit-il être ? Tout.

Sully, — puis Sieyès.

Pibrac, Nayrac, duo de sous-préfectures jumelles reliées par un chemin vicinal ouvert sous le régime des d’Orléans, chantonnaient, sous les cieux ravis, un parfait unisson de mœurs, d’affaires, de manières de voir.

Comme ailleurs, la municipalité s’y distinguait par des passions ; — comme partout, la bourgeoisie s’y conciliait l’estime générale et la sienne. Tous, donc, vivaient en paix et joie dans ces localités fortunées, lorsqu’un soir d’octobre il arriva que le vieux violoneux de Nayrac, se trouvant à court d’argent, accosta, sur le grand chemin, le marguillier de Pibrac et, profitant des ombres, lui demanda quelque monnaie d’un ton péremptoire.

L’homme des Cloches, en sa panique, n’ayant pas reconnu le violoneux, s’exécuta gracieusement ; mais, de retour à Pibrac, il conta son aventure d’une telle sorte que, dans les imaginations enfiévrées par son récit, le pauvre ménétrier de Nayrac apparut comme une bande de brigands affamés infestant le Midi et désolant le grand chemin par leurs meurtres, leurs incendies et déprédations.

Sagaces, les bourgeois des deux villes avaient encouragé ces bruits, tant il est vrai que tout bon propriétaire est porté à exagérer les fautes des personnes qui font mine d’en vouloir à ses capitaux. Non point qu’ils en eussent été dupes ! Ils étaient allés aux sources. Ils avaient questionné le bedeau après boire. Le bedeau s’était coupé, — et ils savaient, maintenant, mieux que lui, le fin mot de l’affaire !… Toutefois, se gaussant de la crédulité des masses, nos dignes citadins gardaient le secret pour eux tout seuls, comme ils aiment à garder toutes les choses qu’ils tiennent : ténacité qui, d’ailleurs, est le signe distinctif des gens sensés et éclairés.

La mi-novembre suivante, dix heures de la nuit sonnant au beffroi de la Justice de Paix de Nayrac, chacun rentra dans son ménage d’un air plus crâne que de coutume et le chapeau, ma foi ! sur l’oreille, si bien que son épouse, lui sautant aux favoris, l’appela « mousquetaire », ce qui chatouilla doucement leurs cœurs réciproques.

— Tu sais, madame N***, demain, dès patron-minette, je pars.

— Ah ! mon Dieu !

— C’est l’époque de la recette : il faut que j’aille, moi-même, chez nos fermiers…

— Tu n’iras pas.

— Et pourquoi, non ?

— Les brigands.

— Peuh !… J’en ai vu bien d’autres !

— Tu n’iras pas !… concluait chaque épouse, comme il sied entre gens qui se devinent.

— Voyons, mon enfant, voyons… Prévoyant tes angoisses et pour te rassurer, nous sommes convenus de partir tous ensemble, avec nos fusils de chasse, dans une grande carriole louée à cet effet. Nos terres sont circonvoisines et nous reviendrons le soir. Ainsi, sèche tes larmes et, Morphée invitant, permets que je noue paisiblement sur mon front les deux extrémités de mon foulard.

— Ah ! du moment que vous allez tous ensemble, à la bonne heure : tu dois faire comme les autres, murmura chaque épouse, soudain calmée.

La nuit fut exquise. Les bourgeois rêvèrent assauts, carnage, abordages, tournois et lauriers. Ils se réveillèrent donc, frais et dispos, au gai soleil.

— Allons !… murmurèrent-ils, chacun, en enfilant ses bas après un grand geste d’insouciance — et de manière à ce que la phrase fût entendue de son épouse, — allons ! le moment est venu. On ne meurt qu’une fois !

Les dames, dans l’admiration, regardaient ces modernes paladins et leur bourraient les poches de pâtes pectorales, vu l’automne.

Ceux-ci, sourds aux sanglots, s’arrachèrent bientôt des bras qui voulaient, en vain, les retenir…

— Un dernier baiser !… dirent-ils, chacun, sur le palier de son étage.

Et ils arrivèrent, débouchant de leurs rues respectives, sur la grand’place, où déjà quelques-uns d’entre eux (les célibataires) attendaient leurs collègues, autour de la carriole, en faisant jouer, aux rayons du matin, les batteries de leurs fusils de chasse — dont ils renouvelaient les amorces en fronçant le sourcil.

Six heures sonnaient : le char-à-bancs se mit en marche aux mâles accents de la Parisienne, entonnée par les quatorze propriétaires fonciers qui le remplissaient. Pendant qu’aux fenêtres lointaines des mains fiévreuses agitaient de mouchoirs éperdus, on distinguait le chant héroïque :

En avant, marchons

Contre leurs canons !

À travers le fer, le feu des bataillons !

Puis, le bas droit en l’air et avec une sorte de mugissement :

Courons à la victoire !

Le tout scandé, en mesure, par les amples coups de fouet dont le rentier qui conduisait enveloppait, à tours de bras, les trois chevaux.

La journée fut bonne.

Les bourgeois sont de joyeux vivants, ronds en affaires. Mais sur le chapitre de l’honnêteté, halte-là ! par exemple : intègres à faire pendre un enfant pour une pomme.

Chacun d’eux dîna donc chez son métayer, pinça le menton de la fille, au dessert, empocha la sacoche de l’affermage et, après avoir échangé avec la famille quelques proverbes bien sentis, comme : — « Les bons comptes font les bons amis », ou « À bon chat, bon rat », ou « Qui travaille, prie », ou « Il n’y a pas de sot métier », ou « Qui paie ses dettes, s’enrichit », et autres dictons d’usage, chaque propriétaire, se dérobant aux bénédictions convenues, reprit place, à son tour, dans le char-à-bancs collecteur qui vint les recueillir, ainsi, de ferme en ferme, — et, à la brune, l’on se remit en route pour Nayrac.

Toutefois, une ombre était descendue sur leurs âmes ! — En effet, certains récit des paysans avaient appris à nos propriétaires que le violoneux avait fait école. Son exemple avait été contagieux. Le vieux scélérat s’était, paraît-il, renforcé d’une horde de voleurs réels et — surtout à l’époque de la recette — la route n’était positivement plus sûre. En sorte que, malgré les fumées, bientôt dissipées, du clairet, nos héros mettaient, maintenant, une sourdine à la Parisienne.

La nuit tombait. Les peupliers allongeaient leurs silhouettes noires sur la route, le vent faisait remuer les haies. Au milieu des mille bruits de la nature et alternant avec le trot régulier des trois mecklembourgeois, on entendit, au loin, le hurlement de mauvais augure d’un chien égaré. Les chauves-souris voletaient autour de nos pâles voyageurs que le premier rayon de la lune éclaira tristement… Brrr !… On serrait maintenant les fusils entre les genoux avec un tremblement convulsif ; on s’assurait, sans bruit, de temps à autre, que la sacoche était dûment auprès de soi. On ne sonnait mot. Quelle angoisse pour les honnêtes gens !

Tout à coup, à la bifurcation de la route, ô terreur ! — des figures effrayantes et contractées apparurent ; des fusils reluisirent ; on entendit un piétinement de chevaux et un terrible Qui vive ! retentit dans les ténèbres car, en cet instant même, la lune glissait entre deux noirs nuages.

Un grand véhicule, bondé d’hommes armés, barrait la grand’route.

Qu’était-ce que ces hommes ? — Évidemment des malfaiteurs ! Des bandits ! — Évidemment !

Hélas ! non. C’était la troupe jumelle des bons bourgeois de Pibrac. C’étaient ceux de Pibrac ! — lesquels avaient eu, exactement, la même idée que ceux de Nayrac.

Retirés des affaires, les paisibles rentiers des deux villes se croisaient, tout bonnement, sur la route en rentrant chez eux.

Blafards, ils s’entrevirent. L’intense frayeur qu’ils se causèrent, vu l’idée fixe qui avait envahi leurs cerveaux, ayant fait apparaître sur toutes ces figures débonnaires, les véritables instincts, — de même qu’un coup de vent passant sur un lac, et y formant tourbillon, en fait monter le fond à sa surface, — il était naturel qu’ils se prissent, les uns les autres, pour ces mêmes brigands que, réciproquement, ils redoutaient.

En un seul instant, leurs chuchotements, dans l’obscurité, les affolèrent au point que, dans la précipitation tremblante de ceux de Pibrac à se saisir, par contenance, de leurs armes, la batterie de l’un des fusils ayant accroché le banc, un coup de feu partit et la balle alla frapper un de ceux de Nayrac en lui brisant, sur la poitrine, une terrine d’excellent foie gras dont il se servait, machinalement, comme d’une égide.

Ah ! ce coup de feu ! Ce fut l’étincelle fatale qui met l’incendie aux poudres. Le paroxysme du sentiment qu’ils éprouvèrent les fit délirer. Une fusillade nourrie et forcenée commença. L’instinct de la conservation de leurs vies et de leur argent les aveuglait. Ils fourraient des cartouches dans leurs fusils d’une main tremblotante et rapide et tiraient dans le tas. Les chevaux tombèrent ; un des chars-à-bancs se renversa, vomissant au hasard blessés et sacoches. Les blessés, dans le trouble de leur effroi, se relevèrent comme des lions et recommencèrent à se tirer les uns sur les autres, sans pouvoir jamais se reconnaître, dans la fumée !… En cette démence furieuse, si des gendarmes fussent survenus sous les étoiles, nul doute que ceux-ci n’eussent payé de la vie leur dévouement. — Bref, ce fut une extermination, le désespoir leur ayant communiqué la plus meurtrière énergie : celle, en un mot, qui distingue la classe des gens honorables, lorsqu’on les pousse à bout !

Pendant ce temps, les vrais brigands (c’est-à-dire la demi-douzaine de pauvres diables coupables, tout au plus, d’avoir dérobé quelques croûtes, quelques morceaux de lard ou quelques sols, à droite ou à gauche) tremblaient affreusement dans une caserne éloignée, en entendant, porté par le vent du grand chemin, le bruit croissant et terrible des détonations et les cris épouvantables des bourgeois.

S’imaginant, en effet, dans leur saisissement, qu’une battue monstre était organisée contre eux, ils avaient interrompu leur innocente partie de cartes autour de leur pichet de vin et s’étaient dressés, livides, regardant leur chef. Le vieux violoneux semblait prêt à se trouver mal. Ses grandes jambes flageolaient. Pris à l’improviste, le brave homme était hagard. Ce qu’il entendait passait son intelligence.

Toutefois, au bout de quelques minutes d’égarement, comme la fusillade continuait, les bons brigands le virent soudain, tressaillir et se poser un doigt méditatif sur l’extrémité du nez.

Relevant la tête : — « Mes enfants, dit-il, c’est impossible ! Il ne s’agit pas de nous… Il y a malentendu… C’est un quiproquo… Courons, avec nos lanternes sourdes, pour porter secours aux pauvres blessés… Le bruit vient de la grand’route. »

Ils arrivèrent donc, avec mille précautions, en écartant les fourrés, sur le lieu du sinistre, — dont la lune, maintenant, éclairait l’horreur.

Le dernier bourgeois survivant, dans sa hâte à recharger son arme brûlante, venait de se faire sauter lui-même la cervelle, sans le vouloir, par inadvertance.

À la vue de ce spectacle formidable, de tous ces morts qui jonchaient la route ensanglantée, les brigands, consternés, demeurèrent sans parole, ivres de stupeur, n’en croyant par leurs yeux. Une obscure compréhension de l’événement commença, dès lors, à entrer dans leurs esprits.

Tout à coup le chef siffla et, sur un signe, les lanternes se rapprochèrent en cercle autour du ménétrier.

— Ô mes bons amis ! grommela-t-il d’une voix affreusement basse — (et ses dents claquaient d’une peur qui semblait encore plus terrifiante que la première), — ô mes amis !… Ramassons, bien vite, l’argent de ces dignes bourgeois ! Et gagnons la frontière ! Et fuyons à toutes jambes ! Et ne remettons jamais les pieds dans ce pays-ci !

Et, comme ses acolytes le considéraient, béants et les pensers en désordre, il montra du doigt les cadavres, en ajoutant, avec un frisson, cette parole absurde mais électrique ! — et provenue, à coup sûr d’une expérience profonde, d’une éternelle connaissance de la vitalité, de l’Honneur du Tiers-État :

— Ils vont prouver… que c’est nous…

[zzeu]

En train de lire les Contes cruels de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, j'ai rarement autant ri. La machine à gloire c'était pour m'achever vrm jvais me faire virer de cours c'est impossible à lire en cachette. C'est d'une ironie mordante j'adore.

[wildwaxshows]

Fr., 7.2.2025, 21:00 Uhr: UNDINYX (HH) + CONTES CRUELS (B) + NA ZAROT (HH) – Komet Musik Bar, Hamburg

Let`s go blackkkkkkkkkkkkkkk with these 3 beautiful acts!

UNDINYX

Singer and guitarist of Hamburg, Germany’s Post-Punk act Grundeis delivers on their first solo album as Undinyx. Laura Mueller has a very nostalgic quality to her vocals. A bit Cocteau Twins mixed in with iamamiwhoami-era Ionnalee. The combination of her ethereally haunting deliveries and the rain-soaked electronic arrangements creates an atmosphere of intense longing and melancholy. A veritable tour de force of a debut, Undinyx is an act to watch. This project is classic enough to appeal to the fans of a bygone era of darkwave yet fresh enough to bring in a whole new audience. Laura Mueller is proving that she is more than capable of creating a sonic world of her own.

CONTES CRUELS

Drawing inspiration from the 80's subculture, the moody allure of the Neue Deutsche Welle, the seminal post-punk sounds of Britain, decadentist literature and experimental electronics, among others, Contes Cruels crafts their sound, characterized by minimalist compositions, vintage gear and evocative, cold lyrics. Venturing into the realms of hauntology, exploring the pervasive sense in which contemporary culture is haunted by the "lost futures" of modernity—those futures that never materialized or were eclipsed by the tides of postmodernity—the duo embodies this spectral presence in their debut EP, Séance.

NA ZAROT

"..that the pain of division is as nothing, and the joy of disssolution is all.."

[versinalia]

"Paraíso de Emergencia" by German band Contes Cruels, off their 2024 album Séance

Bandcamp

[inthewindtunnel]

Contes Cruels

Sangre Azul

S​é​ance

-ep-

[sesiondemadrugada]

Cruel Tale (Gaston Modot, 1930).

[au-rythme-de-mes-pensees]

La Mort 👽

Tu m’as broyé le cœur,

Infâme oiseau de malheur,

Immonde cruauté,

Sans âme ni clarté…

Tu es là à nous épier,

Pour ôter nos vies tant convoitées…

Tu aimes les larmes versées,

Mais qui es-tu donc toi pour oser nous briser ?

La Mort ! à n’en pas douter…

Hors de ma vue !

Sombre inconnue !

Sorcière de l’enfer !

Horrible vipère !

Je te hais !

Et je voudrais,

Que tu disparaisses à tout jamais de notre bel univers,

Notre terre bien aimée dont tu aimerais t’en emparer pour mieux nous manipuler, nous diviser…

Mais saches que tu n’y arriveras jamais,

Car nous ferons tout pour la protéger de tes vilaines griffes acérées…

Mais que vois-je à présent ?

Sombre damnation…

Ton teint devient livide, tes yeux vides, larmoyants…

Serais-tu en train de vouloir implorer mon pardon ?

Dans l'unique espoir de gagner ta rédemption ?

Mais c’est trop tard voyons !

Alors n’essayes plus jamais de me duper méprisante insolente,

En voulant te métamorphoser en bonne fée...

Car oui, ta comédie a assez duré...

Non mais ! Quel toupet de vouloir à tout prix te racheter,

Alors que tu m'as dépouillée des êtres que j'aimais...

Maudite inconnue mise à nue,

Retirée de ton masque de diablesse, traîtresse !

Retournes là d'où tu viens Vaurien !

Là où tu as vu le jour Vautour !

Dans les bas-fonds de ta prison,

Froide comme un glaçon,

Sans âme ni émotion…

Retournes y à l’infini Faucheuse haineuse,

Condamnée à perpétuité,

Pour tous ces crimes que tu as commis...

Laideur sans coeur,

Que je maudis avec ardeur...

Retournes y silhouette squelette,

Noirceur fantomatique,

Déguisement effrayant,

Arborant éternellement ce sourire sardonique,

Ta signature machiavélique...

Retournes donc dans ton manoir hanté,

Ce mouroir de l'ignominie, Saleté...

Retournes y Harpie,

T'y enterrer à vie,

Afin que je t'oublie...

[dixvinsblog]

Contes d'Asie - Le cruel empereur

La famille Meng planta un jour unecourge le long du mur de son jardin. Lafloraison fut magnifique et d’une fleurnaquit un fruit exceptionnellement gros.Lorsqu’il arriva à maturité, d’un joli jauned’or, la famille Meng décida de le cueillir.Mais en coupant le fruit, quelle ne fut pasla surprise des Meng de trouver en soncœur une adorable petite fille. Ilsdécidèrent de l’élever et la baptisèrent du…

[primopinku]

a little hc I have about Ascended Astarion cont (possible spoilers about act 3) under the cut

I've been thinking a lot about how once you ascend him about how once pure emotions get twisted by undeath. How love turns to hungry obsession (think Strahd and Tatyana). Even if you leave him, even after he coldly spouts cruel words at you in response, admits how he would have twisted your love for him (he def would). I couldn't help but think "is it really over? Just like that?", I get the sinking suspicion that it's not really over. Especially after he says you will regret leaving him so bitterly. Maybe he'll give you a couple of years of freedom, but in the end he will come for you.

Well enjoy this "supposed to be simple" sketch of Vampire Lord Astarion having a party, deciding whether or not to end it in a blood bath (nah but it's a funny thought. Being civilly minded is hard) because he doesn't like people touching his things.

[drunk-person]

The Promises We Make

Pairing: King!Aemond Targaryen x lover!reader

Summary: She was supposed to be his. Not that filthy bastard. He knew her first. He loved her first. Only to they give her hand in marriage to Jacaerys Velaryon. But now the war is won, and as the new king Aemond can have whatever he wants, and he wants her. He wants to fulfill the promise he made to her outside the sept all those years ago.

WARNING: 18+ mdni! Smut, p in v, forced voyeurism, consensual exhibitionism, fingering, oral sex F and M receiving, anal sex (very little, but it's there), possessive sex, dom/sub tones if you squint, mentions of murder, Aemond murdering more kin, bastardophobia, Jacaerysphobia, no description for reader.

Word cont: 4.800k

A/n: My little contribution to Halloween "very evil laugh here". To my Aemond wives: This is basically the dirtiest, slightly darkest thing I've ever written, I'm blushing as I post it. Let's go!

Before

The sept was full of people to watch Prince Jacaerys' wedding, he waited anxiously next to the septon for the bride's arrival while slightly moving his hands.

The door opened and Lady Y/n walked in, at the same moment everyone turned to look at her. Y/n smiled beautifully as she struggled to walk down the hallway, feeling her legs still wobbly and slightly damp.

Her eyes burned as they met Jacaerys' and her smile grew even wider. Her steps became more confident, and when she reached the end of the walk, she stopped in front of the septon, still with that smile on her face.

Jacaerys watched her, visibly confused. They had met about three moons ago and the wedding had been arranged. Until then, he hadn't thought she was so eager to get married, since she barely spoke to him usually. But there she was, eager to marry him.

Interlude

Things had never been so bad. His mother and brothers had perished, and from what he could tell Daemon had also found the stranger, only he was left, the last one to survive. Jacaerys did not know if this was a gift or a punishment.

He could have fled, gone to the free cities and been free now. But he was no coward, he was a Targaryen and would not back down. But courage did not help him much when his uncle's men captured him and brought him to the black cells of the red keep.

Aemond Targaryen. Not content with the title of kinslayer after murdering Luke, he sought even deeper immoralities.

He murdered one by one all the ratcatchers at Aegon's command while they begged for their lives. He killed Rhaenys and exposed the charred remains of the queen who never be, to the kingdom after her victory. He personally beheaded each of the remaining ones who swore fealty to Rhaenyra. He burned the riverlands until only ashes remained on the ground without caring if there were innocents there. He personally exterminated House Strong from end to end, sparing no nobles or bastards, women or children.

At the end of the war, when everything seemed lost, he guided his uncle, Daemon Targaryen, into a trap. From what little was known, Aemond Targaryen lured him to Harrenhall Castle, where, separated from Caraxes, he ambushed him in a dark corridor and before the Rogue Prince knew what was happening, he was dead.

And now with the death of Aegon, who had finally succumbed to his wounds and died shortly after murdering Rhaenyra. Aemond had lost his title of one-eyed prince and kinslayer in favor of a new one.

King Aemond Targaryen, the cruel.

Now

The cell was opened with a loud noise and Jacaerys turned to see two guards enter the cell and drag him out without further explanation. And he just followed them without question, but he began to frown when he noticed that he was being taken to the bedroom wing of the fortress.

-Where are you taking me? - He asked, but received no answer.

The guards took him to one of the rooms, tied him to a chair with a thick rope, and without saying a word to him, left him there alone.

A little while later, the door opened behind Jacaerys, who felt the back of his neck shiver. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and suddenly all sounds seemed to become quieter. There was no need to look back to know who had entered the room.

A low murmur left no doubt, Aemond had ordered him to be taken there.

-Enjoying your stay, my Lord Strong? - He asked in that cynical and cruel voice that made Jacaerys's blood boil in his veins.

-Velaryon. - He growled through his teeth, and Aemond just hummed as he gently curved his lips.

-No, it isn't. And we both know that. But now I don't need to pretend that you're nothing more than a bastard dressed as a prince walking around the court. - Aemond had a deadly voice as he spoke.

-What are you going to do? Murder me tied up like the coward that you are? Just like you did with Luke?

Aemond laughed as if Jacaerys was telling a joke.

-Please don't try to boost your own ego, we both also know that you wouldn't last even a breath in combat against me. - When he finished, Aemond was serious again.

-I'm not going to kill you, at least not yet. - His cruel voice sounded through the room.

-So what do you want from me? - Jacaerys glared at him angrily. - If you expect me to bend the knee, forget it, I will never do it.

-I don't need bastards to bend the knee to me, their false loyalty doesn't represent any value to me. I'm already the king. - He walked while mocking Jacaerys.

-But there are certain things that need to be put in their proper place. There are some promises I made that need to be kept because after all I am a man of my word.

Jacaerys did not understand a word of what Aemond was saying, and came to think that he had finally lost his mind. Until then there was a knock on the door and he said the words that changed everything.

-Come in, my dear.

The door opened and then closed behind him, soft footsteps sounded against the floor and to Jacaerys's horror when the person finally entered his field of vision he discovered that the one who had come through the door was Y/n, his Y/n. He clenched his fists, locking his jaw, trying to free himself from the chair. Aemond approached her and passed the back of his right hand gently across her face as she closed her eyes.

-Get away from her. - Jacaerys shouted in fury.

-I could. - Aemond just laughed as he addressed him again. - If she wanted me to stay away.

-She never wanted you, my dear bastard. It was always me. - Aemond's mocking smile almost tore his cheeks as he caressed Y/n's neck with his fingertips, his stomach tingling with contentment as he saw her sweet, soft skin shivering with his touch.

-Lie. - Jacaerys practically shouted as he stared at Aemond with cold eyes.

-I'm going to show you the lie. - The king said, suddenly becoming very serious, his eyes flashing in the direction of his bastard nephew.

-Take off your clothes. - He ordered Y/n who hesitated for a second because she was in front of Jacaerys.

-Aemond… - She blushed visibly looking at his hands.

-I said take off your clothes. - He murmured the order very seriously as he gently caressed her chin.

She then obeyed, and looking only at Aemond she removed them piece by piece little by little, becoming completely naked. The look of pure desire he gave her made her press her thighs together tightly as she bit her lip, momentarily forgetting that Jace was in the room.

-Come here, my love. - He called her, extending his hand and Y/n immediately went to meet him eagerly.

-Always so obedient to me. - He said, stroking her hair as she practically rubbed her head against his hand.

Jacaerys watched this without reacting. Y/n had never obeyed him, she seemed like a wild horse. She wouldn't let him touch her, she was never willing to sleep with him, she was cold and cruel no matter what he tried, the few times they lay together she hadn't even moved in bed, or completely removed her clothes, seeming to do nothing. the slightest matter of being there. And now here she was obediently naked before Aemond as she melted into his touches.

Aemond moved his hands down to her nipples and squeezed them languidly, making her open her mouth in a soft moan, while she leaned towards him, silently begging for more. He then brought his mouth to her left nipple, sucking and kissing it, making her moan softly for him as he caressed his hair, pulling his mouth closer and closer to her.

The king then brought his right hand to the top of Y/n's thighs and smiled mischievously against the flesh of her breast, still with the nipple between his teeth, as he felt the moisture that was there.

-Always so wet for me.

He then had an idea. And releasing Y/n, causing her to let out a groan of frustration, he positioned a chair in front of Jacaerys a short distance away.

-Sit here, my dear. - He waved his hand, and Y/n, even hesitantly, did so.

-Now I want you to open your beautiful legs for me, and rest them on the chair. - He spoke in that soft voice and Y/n felt herself blushing to the roots of her hair for doing that in front of Jacaery, but she did it anyway.

Aemond stopped behind her and slowly ran his hand down Y/n's body, caressing her breasts, her belly until he reached where he wanted. And then he opened the lips of her pussy, exposing her to Jace. The wetness dripped from inside her uncontrollably, wet like Jace had never seen.

Aemond smiled mischievously as he gently caressed her folds, spreading more and more of the fluids that ran from her pussy, making her moan and gasp.

-Just look at her, Jacaerys. - He said maliciously. - Melting for me, so wet.

-Has she ever wet herself like this for you? - He said, slapping Y/n's pearl, making her scream as she threw her head back.

-That's enough! - Jacaerys shouted, fuming with rage at seeing his wife in that situation.

Aemond just laughed darkly as he inserted two fingers into Y/n's intimacy, who threw her head back in pleasure with the movements he made.

-Oh my dear Lord Strong, this will only end when I have fucked each of her delicious holes in front of you and taught you how a lady likes to be treated.

As he said that, he squeezed that spongy spot inside Y/n, making her beg for his name in pure desperation. Her moist flesh pressed against Aemond's fingers, begging for more contact, begging to be filled.

-Always making such sweet sounds for me, sweet girl. - Aemond whispered close to her ear, making Y/n gasp squeezing the back of the chair with that voice sounding so close.

With an almost evil smile, gently licking his lips, Aemond turned around, lowering himself between her legs in front of the chair and without warning, pulling her by the thighs, leaving her wet and warm pussy very close to his face.

-Raise your hips a little for me, my dear. - He asked in a firm voice and she did it at the same moment, needing his care more than ever. - Good girl.

Without waiting another second, the king took her moist folds into his mouth, tasting her with desire, eliciting screams and gasps from her lips, which for Aemond were as sweet as that pussy.

-Oh Aemond… - She sighed his name between degrading moans of pleasure as he sucked her pearl and played with her using his tongue, while his long fingers hit that specific spot inside her that made her scream every time. - More, please, more.

Aemond laughed in pure malice against her, making her feel even more pleasure, her soft walls contracting against his fingers as her whole body began to spasm slightly, Y/n's moans became louder and more debauched as she tangled her hands in Aemond's silver hair, practically rubbing herself against his face as ecstasy took over her body, screaming the king's name in desperation as she reached her peak and collapsed against the chair, feeling boneless. The body giving slight spasms as Aemond teased her sensitive pearl with the tip of his tongue even after the intense orgasm.

-Who do you belong to? - Came the firm question in Aemond's laconic voice as he held her by the hair to face him, now standing in front of the chair.

-To you, my king. - She sighed, staring at him.

-Then get on your knees for me like the good girl I know you are! - He growled, still holding her by the hair, making Y/n moan with contentment as she got up from the chair with her legs still slightly shaking.

As she stood up, she caught a glimpse of Jacaerys again, momentarily even forgetting that he was there, and with a mischievous smile she knelt in front of the chair where Aemond was now sitting.

-You know what to do, Issa jorrāelagon. (My love). - He murmured with a sickly side smile to Jacaerys who was about to vomit, while delicately stroking Y/n's locks of hair.

-Yes, my king. - She sighed, nodding eagerly. Without needing to hear anything else, she guided her hands to the laces of Aemond's pants, pulling them avidly, overcome by the desire to please him too.

Her hungry eyes shone as she finally placed them on Aemond's already hard and leaking cock, caressing his hardness with a lewd smile on her lips. Y/n ran her soft hands all over his length, from the base to the tip, leaving a gentle caress with the tip of her thumb on the slit from where that pearly liquid slowly flowed.

With an even bigger smile when she heard the king grunt softly, she finally brought her lips to the tip of his cock, slowly sucking only that part until her cheeks sank, moaning at the same time as he felt the strong taste of his pre-cum on the tip of his tongue.

Breathing deeply through her nose, she lowered her lips as far as she could, sucking and licking him with praise. Taking her mouth off and taking a breath, she only lowered her lips to his balls and kissed and sucked them hard while she moved her hand back and forth on his member, eliciting grunts and gasps from his trembling lips. Without warning, she lowered her lips once more to his cock, making him growl and tangle his hands in her wild hair.

-I'll fuck your mouth. - He growled, giving the first thrust against her lips and Y/n did her best to nod, feeling her eyes water. Aemond grunted lightly with his hands tangled in Y/n's voluminous hair while she sucked his cock hard, kneeling between his legs more like a whore than a lady.

-That's enough. - He growled, feeling his body tremble slightly with agonizing pleasure on the edge of the abyss, making Y/n remove her mouth from his cock and look at him with those doe eyes shining with tears, as if she hadn't just sucked him like a whore, her lips still full of saliva and pre-cum.

-Come here, sweet girl. - He pulled her to sit on his lap with a sideways smile, leaving a hungry and wet kiss on her lips, feeling her moan and rub her hot, wet mouth against him hungrily. For a moment he almost forgot about Jacaerys' presence in the room, so lost in the softness of Y/n's lips and pussy.

Until he heard the sound of wood hitting the floor and looked at his nephew over Y/n's shoulder, letting out a laugh when he saw him writhing in his chair, his eyes burning with fury as he tried to free himself.

-I thought you were stronger than that, my dear nephew. - Aemond murmured mockingly as he firmly squeezed Y/n's ass with both hands, making her moan and throw her head back, rubbing herself even more against his cock.

-Aemond please…- She sighed without caring about Jacaerys. - Please…

-Please what, my sweet? - He asked, laughing, kissing her neck roughly as he looked cruelly at Jace, waiting for Y/n's answer.

-Fuck me. - She begged him without any shame, grinding on his thighs and rubbing her wet folds against his hard, leaking member. - Please fuck me, my king. I'm yours.

-Did you hear that, bastard? - Aemond growled, serrated his lips and then biting Y/n's neck, making her scream for him. - It's me she wants!

With these words, he brought his right hand to the friction zone between the two of them and with a smile of satisfaction, guided his own hard cock, leaking inside her, making her moan with satisfaction as she descended on him.

-Yes… yes… yes… - She sighed in joy, feeling him stretch every corner of her to the edge, scratching the leather of his jerkin, hungry for more contact, hungry for more of Aemond.

-My girl is so needy. - Aemond hissed, slamming his hips against hers firmly, making her scream. - Always eager for my touch, always begging for me.

-Harder, Aemond. - She moaned between sighs as she nodded her head, going crazy with each bite the king left on her neck. Going up and down on his cock, riding him harder and harder, feeling goosebumps covering her skin with the sensation of pleasure that only Aemond could give her. - Please… please…

Growling with pleasure, Aemond tangled his left hand in her hair and pulled her against him, taking her lips in a wild kiss full of greedy bites, while lifting her hips from the chair harder, making her tremble above him and grip him even tighter.

Pulling her lower lip into a bite, he trailed kisses down her neck to her breasts, sucking and caressing them with his tongue, drawing even more pleasure from Y/n, who threw her head back lost in pleasure, finding her husband's glazed eyes watching the scene, looking like he was about to vomit.

The pleasure in her core multiplied. She liked the feeling. She liked seeing the humiliation in Jacaerys' eyes as Aemond took her. Y/n liked the feeling of knowing that he was feeling even more humiliated than she felt every time she was forced to endure his touch.

Feeling Y/n's walls contracting around him, Aemond guided his hand to her sensitive pearl that gently brushed against his pelvis with synchronized movements and caressed her even harder, making her scream and tremble above him, rolling her eyes in pure pleasure.

-Who do you belong to? - He growled breathlessly into her ear, feeling on the verge of his own orgasm.

-You, my king! - She practically sobbed amidst her moans, burying her face contorted with pleasure in the gap between his neck and shoulder, still riding him with trembling legs. - You. Only you.

-Look closely, you bastard. - Aemond growled, rolling his eyes in pleasure as he fucked Y/n with abandon. - I want you to see how well she cums on my cock.

With a loud moan of Aemond's name, Y/n came all over his cock, shuddering and convulsing as she collapsed on him, squeezing him so hard that she practically ripped the orgasm out of the king, who grunted and bit her shoulder, feeling the pleasure tear him apart as his seed invaded her hot pussy.

The two of them stood still for a few moments, panting and immersed in pleasure. The only sound in the room was their uneven breathing. Jacaerys could very well be dead in all that silence. Little by little, Aemond felt his cock slowly come back to life as Y/n's pussy spasmed around him, driving him completely crazy.

She whimpered against Aemond's neck, feeling his now semi-erect cock still buried deep in her sensitive intimacy. Aemond cooed softly at her as he stroked her hair.

-Are you okay, my dear?

She nodded at him as she stared at him with a tear-stained face.

-Can you hold one more for me? - He asked, tucking a strand of Y/n's wild hair behind her ear.

-Yes. - She sighed, throwing her arms around his neck and panting when she felt Aemond harden beneath her again.

-Then be good, go to the bed and get on your hands and knees for me. - He murmured with his lips pressed against Y/n's ear, while firmly squeezing both of her ass cheeks.

Y/n stood up and gasped as her body disconnected from Aemond's and with wobbly legs she walked slowly to the bed, not sparing even a glance at her husband still tied to the chair. Aemond's seed ran down her thighs along with her own fluids and with a sigh she knelt on the bed making every effort to stay steady, with her legs aching after sex.

Aemond walked to the bed and opening the last drawer he took the bottle of oil and Y/n moaned with contentment already knowing what was coming. He positioned himself behind her and gently kissed each of her ass cheeks before spreading them, exposing her wrinkled hole. She sighed at him and leaned her body even further forward just as she knew Aemond liked, her gaze meeting Jace's at that moment with a smile of pure satisfaction as she saw tears running down his damn face.

Y/n then felt the first finger soaked in oil entering her ass and sighed as she buried her face between the sheets. It didn't take long for Aemond to insert the second and then the third while making slow movements with his hand. He brought his other hand to her swollen clitoris and gently stimulated it, making her sigh and moan with the double stimulation.

And when he removed his fingers she waited anxiously for what was to come, the feeling of pleasure taking over her body as Aemond invaded her ass with his cock slowly.

-Seven hells. - Aemond moaned as he sheathed himself completely inside her. - Always so tight back here.

He then slapped Y/n's ass making her moan and began to fuck her hard against the mattress while she moaned desperately. Aemond pressed her pearl again leaving her a mess of moans and gasps for him as she begged for more. She no longer had any strength in her arms and collapsed on the bed, only with her hips raised as Aemond held them and she tried to keep them in the right position with the little strength she had left in her body.

-Whose cunt is this Y/n? - Aemond growled as he pinched her pearl between his fingers making her scream and spasm on the sheets.

-Y-yours Aemond. - She whimpered at him with tears of pleasure running down her cheeks.

-And whose mouth is this? - He murmured leaning down and kissing her in a way that could be passionate and dirty at the same time.

-Only yours my king. - She moaned between kisses.

-And whose is this tight, delicious ass? - He asked, slapping her left cheek, fucking her even harder while stimulating her clitoris with his fingertips.

-Yours. - Y/n cried and moaned. - Only yours, Aemond. Only yours. Always only yours my king.

Jacaerys could no longer look, could no longer feel repulsion, all of this was too much for him. Y/n was his, it was not supposed to be like this. He was supposed to be the king. Y/n was supposed to be his wife. Tears ran uncontrollably down his face as he saw his wife being degraded in the worst and most repulsive way before his eyes.

-Cum for me one more time Issa jorrāelagon. (My love). - Aemond spoke with his body glued to hers as he sped up his movements, and shortly after Y/n came with a moan and collapsed on the bed while Aemond came deep in her ass with a guttural moan and bit her right shoulder.

-I love you. - She said with a tired smile as Aemond pulled out of her and kept his own intimacy in his pants.

-Avy jorrāelan tolī, issa jorrāelagon. (I love you too, my love). - He murmured softly only for Y/n's tired and sleepy ears, as he left a wet kiss between her shoulder blades.

Y/n had never said those words to Jacaerys, had never even come close, had never even told him that he was tolerable. And a tear of pure hatred and betrayal ran down his face. He saw her in bed falling asleep covered in sweat with Aemond's seed dripping down her holes while Aemond smiled victoriously at him.

-What did you do all this for? - He asked with a choked voice trying to keep it steady, feeling the bile about to make him vomit after seeing one of the greatest atrocities of life happen in front of him. - You already had her now.

Aemond walked slowly towards Jacaerys with confident steps and a smile that was a mix of victory and malice.

-No my hateful nephew. I always had her. She was always mine. And you always trying to steal what is not yours dared to put your filthy paws on her perfect body! - He hissed with his eyes burning with fury, leaning over the chair and staring at him deeply.

-On your wedding day she came to me crying and begged me to take her virginity so that she would not have it stolen by you. - He smiled at the memory in an almost melancholic way. - And I did as she asked and fucked her, while she was still wearing that wedding dress, before you had even seen her in it.

-When she entered the sept, it was with my seed dripping down her thighs, just like now. - Aemond laughed victoriously as he watched Jace shake his head in pure shock and sadness.

-She never wanted you, she came to me every chance she got and begged me to give her the pleasure she knew only I could give her. - He hissed angrily, his voice low and deadly. - She told me she felt disgusted every time she needed to feel your touch against her skin and that she would kill you in your sleep if she could.

If Aemond had told him this a few hours ago, Jace would have denied it, said he was lying, but now… there was no denying the facts. Not after the torture she had subjected him to. Not after seeing his wife being sodomized by his uncle while she cried and begged for more beneath him.

-And now… - Aemond said, approaching with a sick smile as he pulled the dagger from his belt. - I will fulfill the promise I made her years ago.

And with his eyes still glazed over from the nightmare he had been forced to watch, Jacaerys waited silently for the stranger, who was certainly coming to meet him in the form of Aemond Targaryen.

The promise

-When my brother is king and I am your hand, I will take you for myself in front of that filthy bastard, and when I finish giving you pleasure, I will cut his throat and take you as my wife. - Aemond whispered softly against her jugular, very close to her ear, making her skin crawl.

And with that promise, Lady Y/n entered the sept to marry Prince Jacaerys with a smile on her face.

The future

Y/n felt free, she felt light, she felt like the most beautiful creature in all the kingdoms. The maids were preparing her wedding dress, beautiful as only something royal could be.

The council warned Aemond about the fact that marrying the wife of Prince Jacaerys, who had consistent rumors that the king himself had slit his throat, would not help improve his already low reputation. But he did not care. And ignoring all opinions, he set the wedding date as soon as possible, because he was sure that his seed had already taken root now with the absence of moon tea.

And today, finally, the most important day of all had arrived. She would finally be Aemond's, Aemond's and his alone, no more unwanted touches, no more pain, no more tears. She would be his alone. And that was why she smiled as they arranged her clothes. Shortly after they had finished dressing, combing her hair and putting her shoes on, all the maids left her alone in the room. It wasn't long before she heard a light knock on the door. Frowning, she went over and opened it, finding a young page standing there with a yellowed piece of paper between his fingers.

-The king ordered this to be delivered to you my lady. - He said, giving her the paper, bowing and then walking away.

Y/n smiled even wider if possible, and when she opened the paper, she thought her heart would explode with pure happiness.

"I'm thinking of you, see you in the sept.

A.T."

She pressed the letter to her chest with a sigh of joy, and then safely put it away in her bedside drawer.

Lady Y/n, soon to be queen, entered the sept with a smile from ear to ear, but this time it was for all the right reasons.

[hedgehog-moss]

Pls give recommendations for Odd books 🙏

Here we go, a list of literary oddity :) This post contains majestic spheres, alien taxonomies, cruel subway polytheism, a fourth-dimensional cat, disturbing earthworms, infinite space football, existential mussel terror, a Parisian absurdist time loop, and a picture of a telegraph-pole-man-cheetah. I'm not exactly recommending these books, in the sense that I won't take any complaints if you find them more odd than good, and some of them transcend the concepts of good and bad anyway.

• The Other City, Michal Ajvaz. It's all like this:

• Contes du demi-sommeil, Marcel Béalu ('Half-asleep tales') —is the book that prompted my post about stories that have no ambition or justification beyond being odd. I'm sad that it hasn't been translated :( One of the tales is about a strange opaline sphere that rolls on the road. It doesn't accelerate when the road becomes a steep slope but continues rolling majestically. At one point it floats away towards the sky. Someone wonders if it was the moon. Someone else says authoritatively "It was an angel's egg." Everyone is reassured by this explanation. The whole thing feels exactly like remembering a dream you had. There is also a man who reads too much and whose body atrophies so only his head is left and his wife puts it in an egg cup for better stability.

• Leonora Carrington— The Skeleton's Holiday, or maybe the Hearing Trumpet. I've read them so long ago but I think the latter is the one with the old ladies and nuns? There's also a guy who was murdered in his bath by a still-life painter because he said there was a carrot in one of his paintings, but it might not have been a carrot? It's hard to remember details from this book without feeling like I might be making them up. Bonus Leonora Carrington painting which kind of feels like a short story:

• The Codex Seraphinianus, of course. I wish there were more bizarre encyclopaedias out there.

Also I love this review:

• Sleep Has His House, Anna Kavan —I really liked the way this book used language; making life feel like a fever dream even more than in Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream (which I really liked too.)

The eye is checking a record of silence, space; a nightmare, every horror of this world in its frigid and blank neutrality. The actual scope of its orbit depends on the individual concept of desolation, but approximate symbols are suggested in long roving perspectives of ocean, black swelled, in slow undulation, each whaleback swell plated in armour-hard brilliance with the moonlight clanking along it . . .

• The second half of Michael Ende's Neverending Story, where things get stranger! I remember the hand-shaped castle with eyes and the city of amnesiac former emperors and the miserable ugly worms who cry all the time out of shame then create beautiful architecture with their tears...

• The Gray House, Mariam Petrosyan. This is the one I had in mind when I talked about a 'museum of the strange, but one you wouldn't want to be trapped in after closing time'. Another book that made me feel uncomfortable in a similar (good) way was Edward Carey's Observatory Mansions, the protagonist of which is a man who curates an odd private museum and can't stand the sight of his own hands.

• Oh, speaking of uncomfortable, and hands—He Digs A Hole, by Danger Slater. To me this book was in the more-odd-than-good category but I liked its refusal to have a coherent philosophical meaning. It's about a man who can't sleep so he goes to his garden shed and saws off his hands and replaces them with gardening tools. Then he starts digging a hole. And then it gets weird. (Read at your own discretion if you have a worm phobia; there's some body horror featuring sexually aggressive earthworms. And then it gets disturbing.)

• 17776 — Someone sent me an ask a few years back to recommend this online multimedia narrative to me and I really enjoyed it! Here's the summary, borrowed from the wiki page: Set in the distant future in which all humans have become immortal and infertile, the series follows three sapient space probes that watch humanity play an evolved form of American football in which games can be played for millennia over distances of thousands of miles. The work explores themes of consciousness, hope, despair, and why humans play sports.

• Saint-Glinglin, Raymond Queneau —the author admitted that this book presents some "internal discontinuities." I didn't like it much but I respect the talent it takes to write a novel where everything feels like a random digression, including the key suspenseful scene that matters to the plot. The one digression I loved had to do with the way the narrator is existentially horrified by various sea creatures. It's like he dreads them so much he can't help but think about them when he should be telling a story.

The oyster... This gob of phlegm, this brutal way of refusing the outside world, this absolute isolation, and this disease: the pearl... If I conceptualise them even a little, my terror starts anew. The mussel is even more significant than the oyster and even more immediately admissible in the domain of terror. Let us indeed consider that this little sticky mass whose collective stupidity haunts our piers, consider that it is alive in the same way as a cow. Because there are no degrees in life. There is no more or less. The whole of life is present in every animal. To think that the mussel, that the mussel has, not a conscience, but a certain way of transcending itself: here I am once again plunged into abysses of anxiety and insecurity.

Near the beginning he philosophises about what would happen if a man and a lobster were the only two survivors of the apocalypse. The lobster would break the man's toe and the man would say, "We are the only beings that remain on this devastated Earth, lobster! The only living beings in the universe, struggling alone against the universal disaster, don't you want to be allies?" But the lobster would disdainfully walk away towards the ocean, and "the sight of the inflexible and imperturbable lobster pierces the sky of humanity with its unintelligible claws." (I can't overstate how little this has to do with the rest of the book.)

• Autumn in Beijing, Boris Vian —needless to say the story does not take place in autumn nor in Beijing.* To the extent that it can be said to be "about" something, it's about people trying to build a train station in a desert with tracks that lead nowhere. (I just went on goodreads to check the title, and it's actually called Autumn in Peking in English. I also discovered that it was featured in a list of Books I Regret Reading. I liked this book, but I understand.)

(* French writers love doing this—like when Alphonse Allais said about his 1893 book The Squadron's Umbrella "I chose this title because there aren't any umbrellas of any sort in this volume, and the important notion of the squadron, as a unit of the armed forces, is never brought up at all; in these conditions, hesitating would have been pure madness.")

• The Library at Mount Char, Scott Hawkins—I fear this one makes a little too much sense for this list, but you can't say it isn't weird; and I loved it and recommend it any chance I get.

• The Eleven Million Mile High Dancer, Carol Hill —this book was so wacky and made me laugh. I've not yet managed to successfully recommend it to someone; its brand of odd didn't resonate with the people I know who've read it but that's okay. You could say it's about a woman astronaut whose weird cat disappears into the fourth dimension (or the quantum realm?) and she goes to space to save him—but that makes the book sound more straightforward and less messy than it is. Her cat leaves her a note before he disappears:

• The Bald Soprano, Ionesco —fun fact, there's a tiny theatre in the Latin Quarter in Paris where this absurdist play has been staged every night for nearly 70 years, with the exact same set design and costumes and everything, like the actors are stuck in a time loop. They celebrated the 20,000th performance this year! There's an actress who has been playing her character for 40 years and said joining this theatre was like joining a religion. I've been going to see this play as a New Year tradition with my best friend since we were 14, so I love it madly, though I wouldn't say it's good, necessarily—the author said it was about "absolutely nothing, but a superior nothing."

• Statuary Gardens; or Les Mers perdues (apparently not translated) by Jacques Abeille. This man is obsessed with weird statues. Unfortunately I find his writing style rather dull—I feel like he takes strange ideas and makes them feel mundane in a bad way...! But his books still have a nice, quiet, oneiric atmosphere, and images that stayed with me, like a solitary gardener trying to grow stone statues in the depleted soil of a walled garden. Here are some illustrations from the second one:

I'll look into some of the books recommended on my previous post! (and I agree with the people who brought up Cortázar, Borges, and Junji Ito. <3) Some potentially-odd books I have on my to-read list: Clive Barker's Abarat, Goran Petrović's An Atlas Traced by the Sky, Salvador Plascencia's The People of Paper, Jean Ray's Malpertuis; Jan Weiss's The House of a Thousand Floors; Brice Tarvel's Pierre-Fendre.

[corydon8]

LE DÉSIR D’ÊTRE UN HOMME

À Monsieur Catulle Mendès.

« Un de ces hommes devant lesquels la Nature peut se dresser et dire : « Voilà un Homme ! »

Shakespeare, Jules César.

Minuit sonnait à la Bourse, sous un ciel plein d’étoiles. À cette époque, les exigences d’une loi militaire pesaient encore sur les citadins et, d’après les injonctions relatives au couvre-feu, les garçons des établissements encore illuminés s’empressaient pour la fermeture.

Sur les boulevards, à l’intérieur des cafés, les papillons de gaz des girandoles s’envolaient très vite, un à un, dans l’obscurité. L’on entendait du dehors le brouhaha des chaises portées en quatuors sur les tables de marbre ; c’était l’instant psychologique où chaque limonadier juge à propos d’indiquer, d’un bras terminé par une serviette, les fourches caudines de la porte basse aux derniers consommateurs.

Ce dimanche-là sifflait le triste vent d’octobre. De rares feuilles jaunies, poussiéreuses et bruissantes, filaient dans les rafales, heurtant les pierres, rasant l’asphalte, puis, semblances de chauves-souris, disparaissaient dans l’ombre, éveillant ainsi l’idée de jours banals à jamais vécus. Les théâtres du boulevard du Crime où, pendant la soirée, s’étaient entrepoignardés à l’envi tous les Médicis, tous les Salviati et tous les Montefeltre, se dressaient, repaires du Silence, aux portes muettes gardées par leurs cariatides. Voitures et piétons, d’instant en instant, devenaient plus rares ; çà et là, de sceptiques falots de chiffonniers luisaient déjà, phosphorescences dégagées par les tas d’ordures au-dessus desquels ils erraient.

À la hauteur de la rue Hauteville, sous un réverbère à l’angle d’un café d’assez luxueuse apparence, un grand passant à physionomie saturnienne, au menton glabre, à la démarche somnambulesque, aux longs cheveux grisonnants sous un feutre genre Louis XIII, ganté de noir sur une canne à tête d’ivoire et enveloppé d’une vieille houppelande bleu de roi, fourrée de douteux astrakan, s’était arrêté comme s’il eût machinalement hésité à franchir la chaussée qui le séparait du boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle.

Ce personnage attardé regagnait-il son domicile ? Les seuls hasards d’une promenade nocturne l’avaient-ils conduit à ce coin de rue ? Il eût été difficile de le préciser à son aspect. Toujours est-il qu’en apercevant tout à coup, sur sa droite, une de ces glaces étroites et longues comme sa personne — sortes de miroirs publics d’attenance, parfois, aux devantures d’estaminets marquants — il fit une halte brusque, se campa, de face, vis-à-vis de son image et se toisa, délibérément, des bottes au chapeau. Puis, soudain, levant son feutre d’un geste qui sentait son autrefois, il se salua non sans quelque courtoisie.

Sa tête, ainsi découverte à l’improviste, permit alors de reconnaître l’illustre tragédien Esprit Chaudval, né Lepeinteur, dit Monanteuil, rejeton d’une très digne famille de pilotes malouins et que les mystères de la Destinée avaient induit à devenir grand premier rôle de province, tête d’affiche à l’étranger et rival (souvent heureux) de notre Frédérick-Lemaître.

Pendant qu’il se considérait avec cette sorte de stupeur, les garçons du café voisin endossaient les pardessus aux derniers habitués, leur désaccrochaient les chapeaux ; d’autres renversaient bruyamment le contenu des tirelires de nickel et empilaient en rond sur un plateau le billon de la journée. Cette hâte, cet effarement provenaient de la présence menaçante de deux subits sergents de ville qui, debout sur le seuil et les bras croisés, harcelaient de leur froid regard le patron retardataire.

Bientôt les auvents furent boulonnés dans leurs châssis de fer, — à l’exception du volet de la glace qui, par une inadvertance étrange, fut omis au milieu de la précipitation générale.

Puis le boulevard devint très silencieux. Chaudval seul, inattentif à toute cette disparition, était demeuré dans son attitude extatique au coin de la rue Hauteville, sur le trottoir, devant la glace oubliée.

Ce miroir livide et lunaire paraissait donner à l’artiste la sensation que celui-ci eût éprouvée en se baignant dans un étang ; Chauvdal frissonnait.

Hélas ! disons-le, en ce cristal cruel et sombre, le comédien venait de s’apercevoir vieillissant.

Il constatait que ses cheveux, hier encore poivre et sel, tournaient au clair de lune ; c’en était fait ! Adieu rappels et couronnes, adieu roses de Thalie, lauriers de Melpomène ! Il fallait prendre congé pour toujours, avec des poignées de mains et des larmes, des Ellevious et des Laruettes, des grandes livrées et des rondeurs, des Dugazons et des ingénues !

Il fallait descendre en toute hâte du chariot de Thespis et le regarder s’éloigner, emportant les camarades ! Puis, voir les oripeaux et les banderoles qui, le matin, flottaient au soleil jusque sur les roues, jouets du vent joyeux de l’Espérance, les voir disparaître au coude lointain de la route, dans le crépuscule.

Chaudval, brusquement conscient de la cinquantaine (c’était un excellent homme), soupira. Un brouillard lui passa devant les yeux ; une espèce de fièvre hivernale le saisit et l’hallucination dilata ses prunelles.

La fixité hagarde avec laquelle il sondait la glace providentielle finit par donner à ses pupilles cette faculté d’agrandir les objets et de les saturer de solennité, que les physiologistes ont constatée chez les individus frappés d’une émotion très intense.

Le long miroir se déforma donc sous ses yeux chargés d’idées troubles et atones. Des souvenirs d’enfance, de plages et de flots argentés, lui dansèrent dans la cervelle. Et ce miroir, sans doute à cause des étoiles qui en approfondissaient la surface, lui causa d’abord la sensation de l’eau dormante d’un golfe. Puis s’enflant encore, grâce aux soupirs du vieillard, la glace revêtit l’aspect de la mer et de la nuit, ces deux vieilles amies des cœurs déserts.

Il s’enivra quelque temps de cette vision, mais le réverbère qui rougissait la bruine froide derrière lui, au-dessus de sa tête, lui sembla, répercuté au fond de la terrible glace, comme la lueur d’un phare couleur de sang qui indiquait le chemin du naufrage au vaisseau perdu de son avenir.

Il secoua ce vertige et se redressa, dans sa haute taille, avec un éclat de rire nerveux, faux et amer, qui fit tressaillir, sous les arbres, les deux sergents de ville. Fort heureusement pour l’artiste, ceux-ci, croyant à quelque vague ivrogne, à quelque amoureux déçu, peut-être, continuèrent leur promenade officielle sans accorder plus d’importance au misérable Chaudval.

— Bien, renonçons ! dit-il simplement et à voix basse, comme le condamné à mort qui, subitement réveillé, dit au bourreau : « Je suis à vous, mon ami. »

Le vieux comédien s’aventura, dès lors, en un monologue, avec une prostration hébétée.

— J’ai prudemment agi, continua-t-il, quand j’ai chargé, l’autre soir, mademoiselle Pinson, ma bonne camarade (qui a l’oreille du ministre et même l’oreiller), de m’obtenir, entre deux aveux brûlants, cette place de gardien de phare dont jouissaient mes pères sur les côtes ponantaises. Et, tiens ! je comprends l’effet bizarre que m’a produit ce réverbère dans cette glace !… C’était mon arrière-pensée. — Pinson va m’envoyer mon brevet, c’est sûr. Et j’irai donc me retirer dans mon phare comme un rat dans un fromage. J’éclairerai les vaisseaux au loin, sur la mer. Un phare ! cela vous a toujours l’air d’un décor. Je suis seul au monde : c’est l’asile qui, décidément, convient à mes vieux jours.

Tout à coup, Chaudval interrompit sa rêverie.

— Ah ça ! dit-il, en se tâtant la poitrine sous sa houppelande, mais… cette lettre remise par le facteur au moment où je sortais, c’est sans doute la réponse ?… Comment ! j’allais entrer au café pour la lire et je l’oublie ! — Vraiment, je baisse ! — Bon ! la voici !

Chaudval venait d’extraire de sa poche une large enveloppe, d’où s’échappa, sitôt rompue, un pli ministériel qu’il ramassa fiévreusement et parcourut, d’un coup d’œil, sous le rouge feu du réverbère.

— Mon phare ! mon brevet ! s’écria-t-il. « Sauvé, mon Dieu ! » ajouta-t-il comme par une vieille habitude machinale et d’une voix de fausset si brusque, si différente de la sienne qu’il en regarda autour de lui, croyant à la présence d’un tiers.

— Allons, du calme et… soyons homme ! reprit-il bientôt.

Mais, à cette parole, Esprit Chaudval, né Lepeinteur, dit Monanteuil, s’arrêta comme changé en statue de sel ; ce mot semblait l’avoir immobilisé.

— Hein ? continua-t-il après un silence. — Que viens-je de souhaiter là ? — D’être un Homme ?… Après tout, pourquoi pas ?

Il se croisa les bras, réfléchissant.

— Voici près d’un demi-siècle que je représente, que je joue les passions des autres sans jamais les éprouver, — car, au fond, je n’ai jamais rien éprouvé, moi. — Je ne suis donc le semblable de ces « autres » que pour rire ? — Je ne suis donc qu’une ombre ? Les passions ! les sentiments ! les actes réels ! réels ! voilà, — voilà ce qui constitue l’Homme proprement dit ! Donc, puisque l’âge me force de rentrer dans l’Humanité, je dois me procurer des passions, ou quelque sentiment réel…, puisque c’est la condition sine qua non sans laquelle on ne saurait prétendre au titre d’Homme. Voilà qui est solidement raisonné ; cela crève de bon sens. — Choisissons donc d’éprouver celle qui sera le plus en rapport avec ma nature enfin ressuscitée.

Il médita, puis reprit mélancoliquement :

— L’amour ?… trop tard. — La Gloire ?… je l’ai connue ! — L’Ambition ?… Laissons cette billevesée aux hommes d’État !

Tout à coup, il poussa un cri :

— J’y suis ! dit-il : le Remords !… — voilà ce qui sied à mon tempérament dramatique.

Il se regarda dans la glace en prenant un visage convulsé, contracté, comme par une horreur surhumaine :

— C’est cela ! conclut-il : Néron ! Macbeth ! Oreste ! Hamlet ! Érostrate ! — Les spectres !… Oh ! oui ! Je veux voir de vrais spectres, à mon tour ! — comme tous ces gens-là, qui avaient la chance de ne pas pouvoir faire un pas sans spectres.

Il se frappa le front.

— Mais comment ?… Je suis innocent comme l’agneau qui hésite à naître ?

Et après un temps nouveau :

— Ah ! qu’à cela ne tienne ! reprit-il : qui veut la fin veut les moyens !… J’ai bien le droit de devenir à tout prix ce que je devrais être. J’ai droit à l’Humanité ! — Pour éprouver des remords, il faut avoir commis des crimes ? Eh bien, va pour des crimes : qu’est-ce que cela fait, du moment que se sera pour… pour le bon motif ? — Oui… — Soit ! (Et il se mit à faire du dialogue :) — Je vais en perpétrer d’affreux. — Quand ? — Tout de suite. Ne remettons pas au lendemain ! — Lesquels ? — Un seul !… Mais grand ! — mais extravagant d’atrocité ! mais de nature à faire sortir de l’enfer toutes les Furies ! — Et lequel ? — Parbleu, le plus éclatant… Bravo ! J’y suis ! l’incendie ! Donc, je n’ai que le temps d’incendier ! de boucler mes malles ! de revenir, dûment blotti derrière la vitre de quelque fiacre, jouir de mon triomphe au milieu de la foule épouvantée ! de bien recueillir les malédictions des mourants, — et de gagner le train du Nord-Ouest avec des remords sur la planche pour le reste de mes jours. Ensuite, j’irai me cacher dans mon phare ! dans la lumière ! en plein Océan ! où la police ne pourra, par conséquent, me découvrir jamais, — mon crime étant désintéressé. Et j’y râlerai seul. — (Chaudval ici se redressa, improvisant ce vers d’allure absolument cornélienne :)

Garanti du soupçon par la grandeur du crime !

C’est dit. — Et maintenant — acheva le grand artiste en ramassant un pavé après avoir regardé autour de lui pour s’assurer de la solitude environnante — et maintenant, toi, tu ne reflèteras plus personne.

Et il lança le pavé contre la glace qui se brisa en mille épaves rayonnantes.

Ce premier devoir accompli, et se sauvant à la hâte — comme satisfait de cette première mais énergique action d’éclat — Chaudval se précipita vers les boulevards où, quelques minutes après et sur ses signaux, une voiture s’arrêta, dans laquelle il sauta et disparut.

Deux heures après, les flamboiements d’un sinistre immense, jaillissant de grands magasins de pétrole, d’huiles et d’allumettes, se répercutaient sur toutes les vitres du faubourg du Temple. Bientôt les escouades des pompiers, roulant et poussant leurs appareils, accoururent de tous côtés, et leurs trompettes, envoyant des cris lugubres, réveillaient en sursaut les citadins de ce quartier populeux. D’innombrables pas précipités retentissaient sur les trottoirs : la foule encombrait la grande place du Château-d’Eau et les rues voisines. Déjà les chaînes s’organisaient en hâte. En moins d’un quart d’heure un détachement de troupes formait cordon aux alentours de l’incendie. Des policiers, aux lueurs sanglantes des torches, maintenaient l’affluence humaine aux environs.

Les voitures, prisonnières, ne circulaient plus. Tout le monde vociférait. On distinguait des cris lointains parmi le crépitement terrible du feu. Les victimes hurlaient, saisies par cet enfer, et les toits des maisons s’écroulaient sur elles. Une centaine de familles, celles des ouvriers de ces ateliers qui brûlaient, devenaient, hélas ! sans ressource et sans asile.

Là-bas, un solitaire fiacre, chargé de deux grosses malles, stationnait derrière la foule arrêtée au Château-d’Eau. Et, dans ce fiacre, se tenait Esprit Chaudval, né Lepeinteur, dit Monanteuil ; de temps à autre il écartait le store et contemplait son œuvre.

— Oh ! se disait-il tout bas, comme je me sens en horreur à Dieu et aux hommes ! — Oui, voilà, voilà bien le trait d’un réprouvé !…

Le visage du bon vieux comédien rayonnait.

— Ô misérable ! grommelait-il, quelles insomnies vengeresses je vais goûter au milieu des fantômes de mes victimes ! Je sens sourdre en moi l’âme des Néron, brûlant Rome par exaltation d’artiste ! des Érostrate, brûlant le temple d’Éphèse par amour de la gloire !… des Rostopschine, brûlant Moscou par patriotisme ! des Alexandre, brûlant Persépolis par galanterie pour sa Thaïs immortelle !… Moi, je brûle par devoir, n’ayant pas d’autre moyen d’existence ! — J’incendie parce que je me dois à moi-même !… Je m’acquitte ! Quel Homme je vais être ! Comme je vais vivre ! Oui, je vais savoir, enfin, ce qu’on éprouve quand on est bourrelé. — Quelles nuits, magnifiques d’horreur, je vais délicieusement passer !… Ah ! je respire ! je renais !… j’existe !… Quand je pense que j’ai été comédien !… Maintenant, comme je ne suis, aux yeux grossiers des humains, qu’un gibier d’échafaud, — fuyons avec la rapidité de l’éclair ! Allons nous enfermer dans notre phare, pour y jouir en paix de nos remords.

Le surlendemain au soir, Chaudval, arrivé à destination sans encombre, prenait possession de son vieux phare désolé, situé sur nos côtes septentrionales : flamme en désuétude sur une bâtisse en ruine, et qu’une compassion ministérielle avait ravivée pour lui.

À peine si le signal pouvait être d’une utilité quelconque : ce n’était qu’une superfétation, une sinécure, un logement avec un feu sur la tête et dont tout le monde pouvait se passer, sauf le seul Chaudval.

Donc le digne tragédien, y ayant transporté sa couche, des vivres et un grand miroir pour y étudier ses effets de physionomie, s’y enferma, sur-le-champ, à l’abri de tout soupçon humain.

Autour de lui se plaignait la mer, où le vieil abîme des cieux baignait ses stellaires clartés. Il regardait les flots assaillir sa tour sous les sautes du vent, comme le Stylite pouvait contempler les sables s’éperdre contre sa colonne aux souffles du shimiel.

Au loin, il suivait, d’un regard sans pensée, la fumée des bâtiments ou les voiles des pêcheurs.

À chaque instant, ce rêveur oubliait son incendie. — Il montait et descendait l’escalier de pierre.

Le soir du troisième jour, Lepeinteur, disons-nous, assis dans sa chambre, à soixante pieds au-dessus des flots, relisait un journal de Paris où l’histoire du grand sinistre, arrivé l’avant-veille, était retracée.

— Un malfaiteur inconnu avait jeté quelques allumettes dans les caves de pétrole. Un monstrueux incendie qui avait tenu sur pied, toute la nuit, les pompiers et le peuple des quartiers environnants, s’était déclaré au faubourg du Temple.

Près de cent victimes avaient péri : de malheureuses familles étaient plongées dans la plus noire misère.

La place tout entière était en deuil, et encore fumante.

On ignorait le nom du misérable qui avait commis ce forfait et, surtout, le mobile du criminel.

À cette lecture, Chaudval sauta de joie et, se frottant fiévreusement les mains, s’écria :

— Quel succès ! Quel merveilleux scélérat je suis ! Vais-je être assez hanté ? Que de spectres je vais voir ! Je savais bien que je deviendrais un Homme ! — Ah ! le moyen a été dur, j’en conviens ! mais il le fallait !… il le fallait !

En relisant la feuille parisienne, comme il y était mentionné qu’une représentation extraordinaire serait donnée au bénéfice des incendiés, Chaudval murmura :

— Tiens ! j’aurais dû prêter le concours de mon talent au bénéfice de mes victimes ! — C’eût été ma soirée d’adieux. — J’eusse déclamé Oreste. J’eusse été bien nature…

Là-dessus, Chaudval commença de vivre dans son phare.

Et les soirs tombèrent, se succédèrent, et les nuits.

Une chose qui stupéfiait l’artiste se passait. Une chose atroce !

Contrairement à ses espoirs et prévisions, sa conscience ne lui criait aucun remords. Nul spectre ne se montrait ! — Il n’éprouvait rien, mais absolument rien !…

Il n’en pouvait croire le Silence. Il n’en revenait pas.

Parfois, en se regardant au miroir, il s’apercevait que sa tête débonnaire n’avait point changé ? — Furieux, alors, il sautait sur les signaux, qu’il faussait, dans la radieuse espérance de faire sombrer au loin quelque bâtiment, afin d’aider, d’activer, de stimuler le remords rebelle ! — d’exciter les spectres !

Peines perdues !

Attentats stériles ! Vains efforts ! Il n’éprouvait rien. Il ne voyait aucun menaçant fantôme. Il ne dormait plus, tant le désespoir et la honte l’étouffaient. — Si bien qu’une nuit, la congestion cérébrale l’ayant saisi en sa solitude lumineuse, il eut une agonie où il criait, — au bruit de l’océan et pendant que les grands vents du large souffletaient sa tour perdue dans l’infini :

— Des spectres !… Pour l’amour de Dieu !… Que je voie, ne fût-ce qu’un spectre ! — Je l’ai bien gagné !

Mais le Dieu qu’il invoquait ne lui accorda point cette faveur, — et le vieux histrion expira, déclamant toujours, en sa vaine emphase, son grand souhait de voir des spectres… — sans comprendre qu’il était, lui-même, ce qu’il cherchait.

[high-dragon-bait]

Pleaaaaase Zevran and Lucanis 💖

Note: I got the request for Zevran and Lucanis A LOT. So there will almost certainly be more banters between them. I'm still grasping Lucanis and am rusty with Zevran, so consider this a trial run as I feel out their hypothetical dynamic. Enjoy!

___

Lucanis: The worst crow in history standing at my side. 

Zevran: So it seems. 

Lucanis: I should kill you.

Zevran: Yes, you very much should. 

Lucanis: The crows' reputation never truly healed from your humiliation in Ferelden. 

Zevran: Humiliating for you, perhaps. That story ends very well for me. 

Lucanis: Are you really going to argue perspective while I debate your life? 

Zevran: Seeing as you haven’t killed me yet, why not? 

___

Zevran: So, how much did you cost? 

Lucanis: Three-hundred sovereigns. Starting rate. 

Zevran: My that is impressive. I was a mere seven. 

Lucanis: Your talon agreed to contracts worth only seven sovereigns!?

Zevran: Oh, it is contracts we are discussing. 

Lucanis: What else could we be discussing? 

Zevran: How much we were purchased for of course. 

Lucanis: You were… purchased?

Zevran: From a pen of brothel bastards. Where did the crows buy you?

Lucanis: House Dellamorte does not purchase our fledglings. You are born. Or you are chosen. I was born. 

Zevran: Ah. This explains so much. 

—-

Lucanis: I was not aware any crow houses still purchased recruits. 

Zevran: But, of course, it is the simplest way to find them, no?

Lucanis: No. The simplest is to scrape the gutters of Treviso. Plenty of far more willing recruits to find there. Free of charge. 

Zevran: So purchasing children is beneath you, but feeding off the desperate is not? 

Lucanis: With how many fledglings already never reach the rafters, I’d rather not waste the gold. 

—-

Zevran: What did the training of the first talon entail, Lucanis? 

Lucanis: Torture. 

Zevran: Yes, obviously, but what kind of torture did Caterina favor? 

Lucanis: Beatings. Starvations. Often combinations of both. 

Zevran: You are not good at being specific, you know that? 

Lucanis: Once, I’d been challenged to starve in a windowless stone cell for an entire moon. At the end of the third week, the servant tasked to bring me only water and a new chamber pot left the door unlocked. 

Lucanis, cont: I waited, but no one returned. I dared to venture out to where Caterina stood on the other side. She scolded me for falling into such an obvious trap and used her cane to break every bone in my arm. 

Zevran: Ah, there is the difference. My talon would have taken the whole arm. And never provided a chamber pot.

Lucanis: Fewer hands hold fewer knives. Making for a more poor assassin. 

Zevran: Another difference. It seems your grandmother lacked not only discipline but creativity. 

___

Zevran: Why did your cousin not simply kill Caterina? 

Lucanis: She is family. 

Zevran: So? 

Lucanis: The world is made only of enemies and contracts, family is all that matters. Caterina taught us that. He could not even use his own hands to kill me. He could never harm her.  

Zevran: If he cannot put aside such feelings for a contract, he is a terrible crow. 

Lucanis: Yes, he is. 

—-

Zevran: It surprises me, Lucanis, that I have never heard tales regarding the Demon of Vyrantium’s skills in the art of seduction. 

Lucanis: I do not practice that... art.

Zevran: What!? Is it not one of the greatest skills of a crow!?

Lucanis: I was taught the heart was a target. Not a toy. 

Zevran: There are many ways to strike at a target, you know.

Lucanis: But not all of them so needlessly cruel. 

Zevran: Cruel? If you know someone is on the last night of their life, you might as well help them enjoy it, no?

—-

Zevran: What is the longest you can last with your head held beneath water, Lucanis? 

Lucanis: Eight minutes if I can manage a gasp first. Six if I cannot. 

Zevran: Ah-ha! I can manage nine minutes with a breath, and seven without. 

Lucanis: With how much you like to talk. I do not believe that for a second.

Zevran: Fine. Meet me in the baths tonight, and I’ll prove it. 

Lucanis: And I’ll prove you wrong. 

Zevran: I knew you could be fun. 

—-

Zevran: So, if you have any questions regarding the techniques I showed you- 

Lucanis: Don’t. 

Zevran: -Or require another demonstration. I am happy to oblige. 

Lucanis: Stop. 

Zevran: That is not a no I hear. I’ll be waiting. Patiently. 

[fayes-fics]

Notte D'Amore

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: Sequel to Bella Notte. Exactly one year later, you find yourself at Aubrey Hall lake again...

Warnings: 18+ smut, minors DNI. Slight exhibitionism, oral sex (m to f), cunnilingus, vaginal sex, sex underwater, orgasms. Benedict speaking foreign languages, yep, that needs a warning.

Word Count: 3.4k

Authors note: I've finally finished this sequel that I started almost two years ago. You don't need to have read Bella Notte to read this, but it helps with the grounding of the story and shows the growth of their relationship. Thanks as always to the amazing @colettebronte for beta reading. Enjoy! <3

An elegant grandfather clock softly chimes midnight as you pad through the hallway of Aubrey Hall. Struggling to sleep after a rousing midsummer day of Pall Mall, you decide to go for a walk to make yourself drowsy, leaving your husband and beautiful three-month-old baby daughter sleeping soundly. 

Before you know it, you are outside on the rear terrace enjoying the night air. There, you realise that it has been exactly one year since you went for a memorable night swim, just a few short days before your wedding.

Unable to resist, you drift towards that very lake, surveying its serene, moonlit beauty again. You recall with perfect clarity how Benedict stood naked with the water hugging his hips, beckoning you in. And, like so many times since, you joined him in a new adventure. 

Wandering along its edges, you eventually pause to lean against the reddish trunk of a sturdy, towering evergreen. Inhaling deeply, you savour the refreshing fragrance of the pine needles above. Staring out at the glassy surface, vividly remembering how it felt when your husband first kissed you—how your world spun. And you giggle to yourself as you reflect that; even now, all it takes is one brush of his lips, and you are just as swept away, perhaps even more so now, knowing exactly where such journeys can end, a stirring between your legs.

“It was precisely a year ago.” 

His sonorous voice from nearby startles you; you jump and grab your chest, your heart erratic from the shock. You didn’t even hear his approach, so lost in wistful reverie for untold minutes. 

“You half scared me to death!” you scold affectionately, shaking your head as he rounds closer and slides his arms around your waist. He wears a somewhat crumpled white shirt and britches, obviously haphazardly thrown on before leaving your rooms as he always sleeps naked, not something you ever complain about.

“I am so cruel, am I not, my darling?” he chuckles.

“The very worst,” you concur dryly, settling into his embrace, always your very favourite place to be. 

“I do not know how you tolerate me…” he jests mildly, his hands running soothing patterns along your spine.

“Wait! Bella!” you exclaim, pulling back a fraction, concerned about your little bundle of joy.

“She is fine,” he soothes. “Meredith is watching her sleep.”

Your nursery maid is so often a veritable lifesaver.

“Thank you,” you smile as he draws you flush against him once more, rocking you gently in his arms for a few minutes of companionable silence.

“So is this a little trip down memory lane, Mrs Bridgerton?” He asks sotto voce, his warm lips lingering on your temple.

“Perhaps...” you coquette, that kindling flame always smouldering between you.

“Mmm, it was so very memorable,” he hums, his lips tracing over your cheek until he reaches your mouth and seizes it with a brief but fiery kiss. “Do you have any idea how much willpower it took to stop when we did? I had to go back to my room and take myself in hand,” he pouts over your lips.

“Poor, poor lamb,” you tease playfully, your hand lowering instinctively to palm his stirring cock. “I would happily have helped.”

“You were so innocent then; what a change a year makes,” his breath more laboured as your hand drags insistently over his clothing.

“I know you liked me innocent, but I think you like me even more so now,” you contend, your intent unmistakable as you make fast work of the buttons on his trousers.

“You are not wrong…” he breathes as you shove the fabric down his muscular thighs, a searing need to have him inside you right away.

“Fuck me,” you demand crudely, your hand wrapping around his bare cock. “Against this tree, right now, right here.”

He groans, surging into your grip, his hands flexing on your back. You glance at the house around his shoulder, realising you are not remotely concealed from most of the East Wing. If anyone were to drift to their window, they would get an eyeful of your husband’s naked bottom at this very moment.

“I hope no one can see us….”

“Let them watch,” he snarls, tugging off his shirt and removing your hand so he can shuck his trousers, fully naked now.

It’s a sight that always has you flustered, so much lithe musculature, his skin glowing like sculpted marble in the moonlight. But you get little chance to admire or to run your hands along his contours, for he hauls you off your feet into his arms. Your robe and nightgown are pushed high around your hips as he presses you into the tree trunk; the fabric snags the rough bark. 

Then he guides his cock where you want, with no preamble, both groaning as he thrusts into you in one swift, decisive move. 

“Yesssss, that's it…” you hiss, your toes scraping the meat of his calf, your arms banding his neck tightly as he withdraws and then surges back in, your whole body rolling with the sheer force.

It’s only been three months since you had your baby, and he has been so tender with you since you started having sex again mere weeks ago. But tonight, you don’t want gentle; you want raw, rough passion, a reminder of just how much you cannot resist each other.  

‘“Harder husband,” you implore, finger digging into his toned flesh.

And he delivers, setting a fierce rhythm, snapping his hips in a way that ensures neither of you will last long. You moan a litany of encouragement, your eyes drifting to the lake, remembering how thrilling it felt to touch him for the first time. He grabs one of your legs and loops it over his forearm, opening you wide, your thighs burning slightly with the stretch, your mouth slackening as his pelvis glances at your clit.

“Oh yes, right there, do not dare stop,” you moan through gritted teeth, fighting off your thin silk robe.

“So very demanding tonight,” he huffs, bemused, but his pace never wavering as he assists you in tugging your nightgown off, now as naked as him. 

“Make me come,” you order, breathing heavily, bearing down into his upward thrusts, plunging yourself deeper onto his cock, greedily chasing your orgasm.

“Happily…” he retorts with a victorious smile.

But you mewl bereft as, instead of moving faster, he abruptly withdraws from you, leaving you pulsing and wanting. 

With you still in his arms, he takes a few paces and lays you down delicately by the water's edge. The verdant grass cushions your back as he quickly snakes down your torso, landing between your legs. You cant upwards and howl at his sudden acute suction on your throbbing clit. 

This is why you thank your lucky stars every damn day for your husband. You ask him to fuck you, and he changes it into something else, entirely other, taking you beyond. He tilts his head up, bringing your attention back to his handsome face framed by your thighs, his eyes glittering like the lake.

“I want to be out here all night, bringing you pleasure over and over. I don’t care if anyone sees. One of my family, even. I want everyone to know how good we are together. How lucky I am.” He turns and sucks hard on your inner thigh. “So give them a good show, my darling wife, scream for me.”

Your responding groan is loud and appreciative, your hands grabbing his head to direct his questing tongue.

This.

This is the Benedict you can never get enough of. When he’s all riled up, he is a force to behold: filthy poetry dripping from his sinful, talented mouth. Enchanted by his decadent words, your knees fall open wider, pushing yourself into his face.

“Yes, my love,” he encourages silkily as you lightly scratch your fingernails across his scalp; his reply muffled into your folds as he languidly swirls his tongue.

So you do as bidden. Begin to ride his face shamelessly, his nose nudging your clit as he slips lower to swirl his tongue into your pussy, murmuring words into your soaked, quivering flesh.

“Mia bellissima, mia dia…”

All you can do is shudder and hold tight, the ground dewy under your shoulder blades as you writhe upon him, toes curling into the muscle of his back as he feasts upon you, drinking your honeyed nectar. Notching you gently up that invisible ladder towards ecstasy as he returns to your throbbing clit.

“Mon vie, ma femme, tu es mon monde.”

Each word is like a precious jewel he drops onto your pearl, his tongue a glancing tease that has you begging for more. 

“Please husband…” you rasp, licking your lips, that telltale twinge deep in your belly.

His stubbled cheeks rasp your folds as he takes pity and sucks your clit hard between his lips and doesn't let up. Your pussy clenching in pulses, his strong hands grasp your thighs to hold you down as you buck up reflexively, all your muscles tensing as he takes you higher. Your engorged nub in his hot mouth, him driving you towards the edge with each roll of his muscular tongue. When he reaches up a hand to pinch one of your nipples, you are gone. Hurtling into the stars above, calling his name—uncaring if your lusty cries awake anyone sleeping in the house.

He growls encouragements as you begin to break under him, but his hold is still firm, not letting up, elongating your rapture. Making you thrash your head into the mossy verge, your pussy convulsing, leaking onto his chin as he chuckles richly, the echo seeming to travel through your pelvis. Knowing your body so well, he keeps suckling on your sodden flesh, running the edge of his teeth over your nub, holding you right in that state of mindless ecstasy for what feels like forever, a dizzying high that wracks your whole being, buzzing down to your fingertips and toes.

Just as it seems too much, and you want to beg him to stop, he relents, switching to delicate kisses on your inner thighs as you fight for breaths, your entire being tingling. 

“You were right,” you stutter, idly raking your fingers through his thick chestnut hair as you come back down to earth.

“About what?” he queries, resting his chin on your pubic hair.

“W-what you said to me in this very lake,” you sigh, head lolling to the side to observe the moonlit waters. “That I would receive pleasure from you at length.”

He smiles jubilantly and crawls up on all fours, landing a kiss on your lips. The tangy flavour of your release is strong on his face. And yet, even quaking and dazed, you are still greedy for more—for him, for this night not to end.

“I need you inside me again,” you appeal breathily. “In the water. Take me the way you wanted to that night, husband.” 

He looks out to the adjacent lake briefly, then back to you, that devastating lopsided smile claiming his features.

“You are full of wonderful ideas, my love. What a fitting tribute to that night.”

He swoops you into his arms bridal style, athletically springing to his feet and strides decisively into the lake. Your whoop of delight morphs into a shriek as the cold water engulfs your nethers. 

“Colder than I was expecting, too,” he acknowledges perkily but wades on regardless. 

You giggle to distract from the mild shiver at the sudden change in temperature. Impressed that his cock is still rigid at your hip as the ground under his feet falls away rapidly, the water quickly up at your ribs.

His hold changes as you both begin to float in the water, spinning so you are face to face. The juxtaposition of his warm skin and cool water is just as beguiling as it was that night. Your lips find each other in a languid kiss, wrapping your limbs around him as it deepens, that fire stoking within you that he always seems to ignite.

“Roleplay with me,” you beseech impromptu as your lips part. 

“What do you mean, my darling?” He queries, his face the picture of intrigue as his sizable hands slide over your buttocks, grabbing your cheeks.

“Pretend I am the innocent I was that night,” you whisper into his ear, pressing your pebbled nipples into his chest as you lightly bite his earlobe. “But do not be a gentleman this time.”

He groans, fingers kneading your bottom as his cock tip ruts into your belly button, telegraphing how much he loves that idea. You grab one of his hands and guide it between your legs.

“I ache there…. when you kiss me.” 

You employ the exact words you uttered to him one year ago, the moment, indeed the whole night, etched so clearly in your memory.

You watch his face cloud with a beguiling mix of tender nostalgia and pure seductive menace—his cheekbones and jaw in stark relief in the moonlight as his cadence slips lower.

“That is wonderful news, my love. That is how it should be; it means you desire me as much as I desire you.”

Your heart leaps as he recites, verbatim, his reply to you that night. A meaningful beat passes between you, silently conveying the poignancy. 

But then, just as you want, as you need, he flips the script. A sharp tang of desire floods through you as he curls his fingers into your folds.

“And fear not, I shall make that ache go away,” he rumbles. “I will take you right here. Make you mine. Ruin you for every other man. You will not want another for as long as you breathe.”

You pull him in for a kiss, burning from his possessive words, hitching your legs, encircling his waist—a blatant invitation. His other hand slides up your spine, dampening the strands at the nape of your neck, grasping there lightly as he continues in that resonant tone.

“I fear I cannot be gentle, for you have bewitched me.” It sounds like the very best kind of warning, his fingers teasing over your clit.

“I do not wish you to be,” you affirm truthfully, your lips ghosting his as you breathe other's air.

There is a rich groan from him, and his fingers are gone, replaced by the blunt head of his cock demanding entry. You gasp as he slips a fraction inside you, your eyes going wide as if this were unknown, even though all you feel is bliss from that now familiar stretch.

“Relax, my sweet, let me in,” he tutors, stilling, playing the part so perfectly.

As he inches in so slowly, you attempt a noise of astonishment, but it just sounds wanton, the hot steely plunge of his cock such a contrast to the cold water enveloping you. Part of you rues asking him to treat you as the innocent, for the slow pace is almost agnosing, like sandpaper rasping gradually over the needy edges of your desire. It makes you impatient for him to take you roughly, perhaps more than he ever has before, greedy for another spine-tingling orgasm. Even as you enjoy the cling of your pussy to his every contour.

“Well done, my love. You've taken all of me so well,” he praises as he reaches your hilt.

You can't help but peal a laugh; although his swagger is not unfounded, something about the moment feels both humorous and oddly sweet.

He breaks character too, chuckles warmly into your ear: “You are terrible at acting innocent, darling wife.”

“Maybe,” you concede as you swat his shoulder affectionately, clenching your pussy so he moans loudly. “But I am enjoying you corrupting me, you utter rake, so please continue,” you giggle.

There is a twinkle in his eye as he withdraws and then charges back into you, not at all how he treated you on your wedding night. 

“Be gentle; I am so innocent,” you entreat with theatrical irony as your eyes beg for him to be anything but. A ripe, pulpy sensation in your core needs relief.

“I warned you that I cannot…” he volleys back in a low timbre, quirking a brow and deploying that devastating, crooked smile, goosebumps breaking over your arms, and not just from the coolness of the lake.

This playfulness, slipping into and out of roles for each other's amusement, is why you feel so lucky to be married to him, indeed, why you love him so much. The deep, trusting bond you have built together since the last time you were in this very lake. And passion, so much passion. A mutual wish to always be joined as you are now, him buried inside you as you float together. 

“I love you, Benedict,” It falls from your lips unbidden. Honest. Truthful,

“I love you too, y/n.” His response is instant; his mien softens in understanding as if he intuits where your thoughts have slid. 

Profound emotion mutates to tart, metallic want, causing you to undulate upon him. The buoyancy of the water aids your movement, rising, then sinking back onto his cock, staring into his hazy eyes, blown wide by inky pupils. 

“Amore mio,” he murmurs, his gaze never straying from yours. 

Even if you do not understand every word when he speaks in another language, you can feel the meaning emanating from his very soul. 

The water ripples out in concentric waves, distorting the glassy reflection of the moon as you move together with increasing urgency, naked bodies entwined under the surface. He ploughs so deep into you, hitting that spot only he can reach—the one that makes you feel altered, renewed, powerless to do anything but chase that addictive, dizzying high again. Eyes rolling, caged in his arms, you hit a new joined rhythm that feels sublime, stealing kisses between breaths.

You moan his name as he plants his feet firmly on the bottom of the lake to give him more capacity—a dangerous smile as he grasps your bottom vice-like, slamming you onto him, redoubling his efforts. You throw your head back, your hair trailing in the water, moaning to the dark domed sky above, his mouth hot on your throat as you move together with increasing speed, the cool water a balm to your now fevered skin. Spurred on by the illicitly arousing thought that anyone in the house could see you out in the middle of the lake, fucking under the stars.

“Mon amour,” Benedict stutters, his voice tinged with the desperation of nudging ecstasy. 

“So close,” you pant, grabbing his jaw and kissing him deeply, lathing your tongue over his as one of his hands dives between your legs. You cry out into his mouth as he strums roughly against your swollen clit, flinging you towards bliss.

You feel that dam breaking, your whole being wound tight like a spring that abruptly snaps in a kaleidoscopic release. Your pussy clenching around his cock, an imprint you want to carry always. Fireworks behind your eyelids as a thrill races down your spine to all your nerve endings. Your fluttering pulls him over the edge, too, his body spasming then stilling as he releases into you, a bloom you feel inside as his teeth sink into your neck and he emits a wracking groan of sheer relief. 

For a few moments, you hover in the water, him still inside you, catching your breath. Chaste, pecking kisses and little words of reassurance as he slips from your body, both of you belatedly realise just how cold the water is now that your passions have been sated, giggling as you swim back towards the edge. Certainly not as warm as it was during last year’s heatwave.

After he has helped you out of the lake, you return hand-in-hand to your pile of discarded clothes under the trees, jostling into each other for warmth, staving off your shivers in the night air.

“I need you to promise me something…” you murmur, pulling on your nightgown, it turning translucent as it adheres to your damp skin.

“What is that, my darling wife?” he drawls, intrigued, pausing in the haphazard refastening of his trousers.

You wait until his gaze meets yours. “I know it is close to our wedding anniversary, but I need you to bring me here every year, Benedict. On this exact date… And take me right here, in this very lake…” 

His eyes flash, and he tugs you into his arms. 

“That can certainly be arranged, my love,” his words laden with dusky promise. “This shall forevermore be our notte d’amore.”

masterlist • wips • taglist (must follow this blog to be tagged)

Benedict taglist pt1: @makaylan @longingintheuniverse @iboopedyournose @colettebronte @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaani @musicismyoxygen84 @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989 @fern-reads @corpseoftrees-queen @magical-spit @bunnyweasley23 @how-many-stars-in-the-sky @hanji-emo-blog @sya-skies @urfavnoirette

[little-diable]

Chi, I'm here to request a smutty Tommy blurb if you're still accepting them. I can't stop thinking of the garden scene you wrote recently and now I'm hoping you'll be inspired to cont that thought OR write something between Tommy x reader which finds them giving into their passion outdoors. I think you're onto something about this setting being relaxing for Tommy 😉

My love!! Thank you for this, I truly love this pairing just as much. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: No direct follow up to this, but the same vibes, just pwp, Tommy eats out his wife in their garden

Warnings: 18+, smut, oral (f), outdoor

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x fem!reader (800 words)

“I think this was the first time they didn’t cry,” (y/n) whispered her words to her husband as she sat down next to him. She had just waved goodbye to her father who had taken her and Tommy’s children with him for the weekend.

“They’re growing up.” Tommy kept his eyes closed, smoking his cigarette as he enjoyed the sun rays dancing over his pale features. The soft summer breeze wrapped itself around them, teasing the two lovers. 

“Don’t act like I didn’t catch you close to tears as Emma told you she won’t need another bedtime story last week.” With a sigh Tommy opened his eyes, shaking his head at his scowling wife before rolling his head back towards the sun. 

“Don’t rub it in, eh? I can’t let my wife run her mouth and destroy my image without paying the price for it.” (Y/n) couldn’t stop her laughs from rumbling through her, leaning closer to kiss Tommy’s warm jawline. The hum leaving her husband left (y/n) grinning and squealing as he tugged her closer, landing on his lap. “So, we’ve got the house to yourselves now, don’t we?” 

“What’s your plan, Mister Shelby?” Their eyes met, his full of excitement and mischief, hers filled with curiosity and longing. He pulled her in for a slow kiss, allowing her to taste cigarettes and tea on his tongue, a mixture she had learned to love over the past years, adjusting to the way Tommy Shelby lived two different lives as a cruel gangster and as a loving family man. 

“First, I want to get a taste of my wife, right here only for my eyes to see.” Tommy rose to his feet with (y/n)’s legs wrapped around his waist. “And then I’ll fuck you through the night.” 

“I certainly won’t stop you from doing so.” She was placed down on the ground, on the blanket their children had sat on this morning, keeping their clothes clean before driving off with their grandparents. (Y/n)’s eyes followed his every move, watching Tommy push her dress up to her waist, groaning at the sight of her bare cunt. “Took off my underwear after they left, I knew it wouldn’t take long for you to grow impatient.”

“A smart woman I’ve got on my hands, eh?” He smirked at her before he buried his face between her thighs, tongue brushing through her slit, tasting her arousal. The birds sang in the distance, yet not loud enough to drown out her moans, the beautiful sounds clawing through her as Tommy ate her out. 

He loved the sounds rumbling through her whenever he touched her, only his to pick up on, his to coax out of her. Tommy had his wife at his mercy, ready to feast on her, to turn her into a trembling mess as he towered over her with his cock twitching in excitement and his heart racing from the adrenaline thumping through him.

“You taste so sweet, fuck, I could die between your thighs, darling.” He groaned his words against her cunt as his fingers found her pulsing bundle. Cruses left (y/n) at the touch, forcing her to arch her back off the blanket, eyes focused on the blue sky above. He always managed to push her close to the edge within a few seconds, leaving her gasping and trembling for him only.

“Jesus, Tom, you’re too good at that.” A proud grin tugged on his lips as he dipped his tongue into her tightness, feeling her walls tense around the strong muscle. She was close, ready to let go with his name leaving her – the first orgasm of many to come. Her fingers tightened their grip on the blanket, trying to hold onto it as the intense feeling washed through her.

It was a spectacle so beautiful, Tommy wasn’t sure if it was just a trick of his brain, imagining the most beautiful sight he could come up with. But the moans were too powerful, and the trembling of her body was too real, leaving him chuckling as he watched her fall apart.

“I won’t say no to spending the next few hours like that.” (Y/n)’s breathless whispers drew another laugh out of Tommy as he crawled up her body, meeting her lips in a slow kiss.

[obsessedandindistress]

yellowjackets is such a good escapism theory show. (cont. below)

of course Lottie doesn’t want to go home. home for Lottie means being medicated and treated and numb to the world around her and who she is.

of course tai doesn’t want to go home. home is where her life is laid out in front of her as a series of steps she has to take and goals she has to meet in order to be successful.

of course Shauna doesn’t want to go home. back to the everyday boredom of trying to fit into a cookie cutter life that isn’t the one you want, but the one you think is the best you’re going to get.

all three of these girls embraced the wildnerness, they embraced the chance to be wild and free and completely on their own, outside of society and the horrible laws and rules they make to wear us down. but you can’t run away from your problems. you can’t hide out in the woods and let the world go on without you. (i mean you can but it’s not really a great idea)

escapism is what you turn to when you feel like the world has given you no other choice. when you feel your soul slipping away into the abyss of trying to be “normal,” trying to be something you’re not, because for whatever reason, you feel like you can’t step up and fight for who you are. the cost of escapism is that you feel like you can never go back. that if you go back home, you’ll lose the freedom to be yourself, and that after awhile you’ll forget who you even are.

that’s why Natalie is the one fighting so hard to return. Lottie’s right, she has no home to go back to. but because of that, Natalie has always been the only one who is free, who can be whoever she wants, whenever she wants. and don’t get me wrong, she pays for her choices over and over again, but they are her choices to make. she can go home because the person she is out in the wilderness is the same person she has always been. she’s never had a fear of showing people exactly who she is.

you can run from your problems and escape into the woods and yes, you’ll finally feel free for the first time in your entire life. but what does it cost? what sort of tenacity and courage does it take to be yourself when no one is watching? the world is evil and cruel and built to break us down, which is why we have to be better than it, why we need to fight harder to hold on to who we are. if you don’t know who you are, escapism is sometimes the only way to find out. but if you never go back, if you never go home, that escapism will be your downfall. it’s easy to be true to yourself when no one is watching. it’s much harder when the entire audience is shouting at you to step in line.