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rxmqnova · 7 months ago

Text

Upset

Y/N: 4 years old Billy and Tommy: 6 years old ——————————————————

NO ONE'S POV Y/N shuffles into the living room with a huge pout on her face, holding a teddy bear in her hand and dragging her legs towards the redhead who's sitting on the couch.

Natasha doesn't notice the tiny body and keeps her gaze on the TV. The moment she realizes is when Y/N buries her face into the redhead's thighs.

"Детка, what are you doing?" Natasha chuckles, hooking her hands under Y/N's armpits and sitting the tiny one on her lap. (baby)

Y/N looks at her, pout still present on her face on which Natasha playfully pouts back. And on that Y/N wraps her tiny arms around the redhead's neck and buries her face there.

"What got you so upset, baby?" Natasha asks softly, rubbing the little girl's back and holding her close.

"Mommy" Y/N mumble out.

"Mommy made you upset? What did she do to you?" Natasha asks playfully, an amusing smile playing on her lips.

"Mommy said: 'no, Y/N/N, I have to cook, go play with Billy and Tommy'" Y/N explains, pulling out her best acting skills. "But Billy and Tommy don't want to play with me" She sighs dramatically and drops her tiny hands on her lap.

"Well, but you haven't asked me, have you?" Natasha raises an eyebrow with a smile, making the little girl smile back.

"Will you play with me, mama?" Y/N asks with the sweetest smile, making Natasha let out a small gasp.

This is the first time Y/N's ever called her that, the first time anyone has ever called her that. Her and Wanda are dating for 2 years and she wouldn't expect any of Wanda's children to see her as a parent.

Billy and Tommy are older and even before Y/N was born, Wanda was thinking about eventually leaving Vision. To be honest, a robot who has no idea about human emotions is not a good partner.

But Wanda found out she was going to have another baby and tried to save her relationship with the robot, but it just didn't work, so they broke up. Well, and 2 years ago she got together with Natasha and she couldn't be more happy.

The fact is that Y/N is actually the first one who accepted Natasha when Wanda announced their relationship. She only just turned 2 back then, but that doesn't change the fact that Natasha was and is one of her favorite people.

Not like the twins… Vision seems to have quite an influence on them, so liking Natasha definitely isn't even close to how they feel about her. But Natasha keeps trying and hoping that some day it'll get better.

"Of course, I'll play with you, sweetheart" Natasha smiles, giving the tiny girl a little cuddle, and presses a kiss to the top of Y/N's head. "Let's find some toys"

Natasha stands up, sitting Y/N on her hip, and starts to walk to Y/N and the boys' playroom.

"Mama, you and mommy are my favorite, FAVORITE ever" Y/N says enthusiastically, making sure the word 'favorite' is loud enough while kicking her small legs happily.

"Yeah?" Natasha smiles as the little one nods. "Well, you are my favorite, favorite too, детка" She tells Y/N back which immediately brings a smile to Y/N's face as she cuddles up to the redhead. (baby)

"What troubles are my favorite girls causing?" Wanda teases, spotting the pair walking around the kitchen.

That's enough for Y/N to bring back the pout she had previously on her lips while Natasha just chuckles at the sight of Y/N's cute little face.

"Aw, what's wrong, my little monkey?" Wanda pouts back playfully, giving her daughter's tummy a little tickle.

"Well, I've heard that mommy upset her. Am I right, детка?" Natasha says, letting out a little chuckle as Y/N nods her head with the pout still present on her lips. (baby)

"What did mommy do to you, malysh?" Wanda asks playfully.

"Mommy didn't want to play with me and said: 'no, Y/N/N, I have to cook, go play with Billy and Tommy'. But Billy and Tommy don't want to play with me too, mommy" Y/N explains dramatically.

"Well, someone needs to cook the dinner, baby. What would we eat then?" Wanda asks softly with a smile before pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead.

"That's okay, mommy. Mama will play with me" Y/N's pout gets replaced by a sweet smile immediately.

"I need to cook, bubs, remember?" Wanda repeats, giving her daughter an apologetic look, but Y/N just shakes her head.

"Not you, mommy. Mama" The little one explains like it was the most obvious thing ever, pointing at Natasha and swinging her legs happily.

"Oh, mama will. I see" Wanda smiles warmly, locking her eyes with Natasha's who smiles widely back and rests her head against Y/N's before pressing a kiss to the tiny one's head.

"Have fun, you two. I'll call you on dinner" Wanda smiles, placing a kiss on her daughter's small nose that looks exactly like hers before pecking her girlfriend's lips.

Natasha just smiles back and carries Y/N away, so they could play like Y/N wanted. She's definitely excited about having a playdate with the tiny troublemaker, even more so to be her mother, help Wanda with raising her and see her grow up.

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

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I was so tired xd

Anyway, it's MY BIRTHDAY!

I'M 20 TODAYYY!! <33

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sugarybitterness · 2 months ago

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hidden trick - natasha romanoff x daughter!reader

word count: 1,811

a/n: guess who’s back! tbh this is very reader centric, with hints of wanda x r .. idk if ill write more for this but you never know ! anyways i hope not too rusty and that you enjoy this little fic <3 i hope to finish a work from swll soon so lets hope that happens hehe anyways! feedback always welcome and appreciated mwah

your leg bounces up and down nervously as you sit in the quinjet with bruce. at age sixteen, you are currently the youngest (and only) avenger in training. if it were up to your mother, you would be safe in the tower with maria hill but you are a valuable asset. you are the hidden trick the avengers have up their sleeve.

you were found in an abandoned hydra base by clint barton, having been left to die after the scientists had no use for you. in the two years you were with hydra, they had tried countless of experiments on you, each one seemingly failed. what they didn’t know was that one of them had worked- you were now enhanced. but your powers always had a mind of their own, and it had kept itself hidden- up until you were taken in by clint and laura.

it was one of laura’s favourite stories to tell, much to clint’s displeasure. they had been moving into a new place, a bigger one to accommodate you and the coming baby. clint had been bringing in boxes after boxes and you stuck close to laura’s side, both of you watching him do the work. as clint carried a particularly heavy set of boxes, he tripped and suddenly you were on your feet, hands shooting out with a blue magic flowing from them. clint had braced himself for the hard impact of the the ground but when he opened his eyes, he saw the boxes floating up the walkway to the house and he was held up by your magic. you slowly righted him and the three of you just stood in stunned silence before clint broke it.

“you’re telling me you could’ve used your magic for all these boxes?!”

to their credit, the bartons took your newly found powers in stride. they helped you work on training it, allowing you to use them for mundane tasks to help you get used to them. in their care, you slowly flourished. that’s when they found about your mother.

you rarely spoke about your time in hydra, but once you started speaking about your mama, it’s like you never wanted to stop. before hydra, you remember a woman with hair as red as yours. she trained you, taught you everything she could before you were taken away. you spoke about her promise, and the bartons never knew what to say- not wanting to let you lose the little hope you had left.

two years after natasha romanoff’s graduation ceremony, a baby was placed in her arms. she was told that it was hers, born from her egg, her own daughter. she was told to train you, and so she did. the red room had counted on her training keeping her impartial, but a mother’s instinct is something they could never smother. you were six when they had realised their mistake- and they ripped you away from her, given to hydra for their experiments. taking you away was their second mistake, because natasha ran. she spent the next three years staying hidden all while tracking you down. when she finally does, she shows up on clint’s doorstep with a proposition. in exchange for her and your safety, she will defect to shield and take down the red room.

you were the ace of the team for two main reasons, your power and your training. not only were you on the way to becoming just as skilled as natasha, your powers added an extra advantage. telekinesis and your ability to form shields stronger than the hulk as well as cap’s shield meant that you could do beyond what anyone else in the team could.

the team had argued back and forth before you were allowed to come on this mission. but you knew they needed you, especially with wanda and pietro maximoff in the picture.

“guys? is this a code green?” bruce’s voice snaps you out of your nerves, but it only grows when you hear nothing but static.

you take a deep breath, pushing yourself up from where you were sitting on the ground. “stay here, i’ll go in.”

before bruce can stop you, your hands glow a brilliant blue as you speed off to the ship. you let your eyes close momentarily as you try and remember everything natasha taught you. your eyes flutter open when you feel the hum of someone’s magic- it had to be wanda. zoning in on it, you speed up and you can only hope you are able to take her on.

you stay hidden as you walk through the ship. you hear thor’s words through your intercom and your steps speed up. a flash of red has you tensing- but the shield you had around you repels the cloud of red that surrounds you. you hear a gasp as you push your magic out, and you pull yourself and wanda into a room to your left.

wanda’s strong, you can see it in the way her power swirls a brilliant red. but her training was incomparable to yours, as thor had been the one in charge of your training. your magic pushes her against the wall, another barrier coming up to block the entrance of the room should the other maximoff decide to appear.

the red smoke disappears and you have to stop the gasp that falls from your lips. you knew from the moment maria pulled up their photos that the twins were the ones you had met all those years ago. but seeing her in person sucks the wind out of you. it seems that wanda recognises you too as she stops struggling against your magic.

you both pause as you regard each other, the sounds of the fight around you growing fainter. you break the silence first.

“hi wanda.”your voice is shaky and you have to resist the urge to drop your magic just to hug her. the twins had been the only reason you survived in hydra. their presence had been the biggest comfort through all the pain the scientists put you through day after day.

“im sorry.” it comes out as almost a whisper, and you see the way wanda’s eyes glisten “we should’ve fought harder for you. to take you along. we thought..”

the unsaid words hang in the air. you swallow thickly.

“why are you working for them? did they-” wanda’s eyes harden as her next words spill out “did they take you too? did they use you? experiment on you?”

you shake your head, “no. they saved me- the archer, he found me and took me in. my magic was from one of the experiments they did, it just didn’t become active til after.”

wanda regards you quietly, and you feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of your neck. it’s now or never.

“come with us. the both of you, please. ultron he.. he wants to destroy the world, not save it. please, don’t fall for it. you can still walk away.” your voice is almost pleading.

“if ultron can’t tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it- where do you think he gets that? why would i work with him.” she hisses, and you remember the way you comforted her after her nightmares. the way she would mumble in her sleep, begging tony stark to spare her and her brother from death.

“because you are better than him. if tony stark can’t tell the difference- you can. you can make the choice.”

wanda sees your eyes glow and you pull pietro into the room, your magic swirling around him. you look at the both of them, and wanda is captivated at the way your power flows around you, surrounding you in a soft glow.

“i know you were dealt shitty cards. but you choose the life you want to lead at the end of the day.” you know that you’re making progress, however small, because not once has wanda tried to use her powers on you. “so please, make the better choice here. help us stop ultron.”

the twins look at each other, and you watch carefully. pietro turns to you then, speaking to you for the first time.

“you’ve grown up well.” your lips stretch into a soft smile. “but i don’t want to work with tony stark.”

“then don’t. think of it as working with me, with the others.” you think of the rest of your team, and you can only hope that they made it out safe. or that natasha hadn’t gone full mama bear mode when she realised you’re not on the quinjet. “tony stark is doing his best to right his wrongs and i know he has a long way to go. but right now this is beyond him.”

the twins share another glance and you can see pietro sigh. you got them.

the walk to the quinjet was silent, the twins in front of you and your magic on the standby. you see a figure run towards you and you place a hand on wanda’s shoulder when you see her hands raise almost instinctively. you step in front of the twins and natasha engulfs you in a fierce hug.

she pulls away and inspects you, her warm hand on your cheek as she looks for any injuries before scanning the rest of your body. when she decides you’re safe, she breaths a sigh of relief. her gaze shifts to behind you where the twins are still standing. you see the rest of the team come out and steve speaks first.

“he got away with the vibranium. we don’t know where he went,” he looks to the twins “i don’t suppose you two have any idea what he plans to do with the vibranium?”

when the twins shake their head, tony lets out a scoff and the twins immediately tense up.

“cut it out stark.” the words tumble from your lips before you can stop them and he looks at you incredulously.

“you do realise they could still be in cahoots with him right? dont you find it a little strange?” tony raises a brow at you and you roll your eyes. the rest of the team watches you quietly, natasha reaching out to rub your arm.

“they’re on our side now, and i’m not gonna let your ego drive them away. i trust them and if you don’t then suck it up.” you pause before adding, “if they go, i go. if you choose to not have them come with us when we do find ultron you won’t have me either.”

you see the way tony flinches and you knew you hit a nerve. you feel a little guilty, tony had been good to you over the years. but he also created a robot that wants to destroy the world and now that the twins are back, you don’t want to lose them again.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x teen!reader #natasha romanoff x daughter!reader #natasha romanoff x you #mama!nat #avengers x reader #natasha romanoff

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threepandas · 3 months ago

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Bad End: Mama Mine

I woke, that first time, to the most beautiful child I had ever seen. Even through a fever that felt like it was cooking me from within, I could see she was different. It was honestly impossible not too. She looked cherubic. Angelic. Impossible, somehow. As though favored by the gods.

Even in worn, threadbare, patched then re-patched old clothes, so far from new as to have forgotten the name of it, she looked... like a dancer. Beautiful. A tiny painting brought to life. I couldn't understand, delirious as I was. I thought I was hallucinating. Worried her terribly.

She was just a small thing. Trying her best. Too care for her sick mother. She could barely reach the stove. Struggled to carry the buckets of water she needed, to cook and wipe my fevered sweat away. But she let nothing stop her. So determined to save me. Her little face so filled with love and worry, forever a step away from tears.

She was so afraid.

How could I do anything but love her back?

Disoriented or not. Lost and confused I may be. I had a child. Any plan I made? Would be for two. I had never really seen myself a mother, but cast into the role? I refused to abandon the child who loved and needed me. Who was innocent in all this.

Instead, as my fever broke, I held her close. Told her she had been so, so brave. Let her cry. Cuddled my little girl and gave myself a moment to just... breathe.

Then in the morning I got to work.

I appeared to be a single mother. A PEASANT single mother. Delightful. We had little to nothing to our name. I could try and fix that, I think. I knew a few crafts. But I had "forgotten" everything practical. Great. Luckily? I had a VERY observant little helper. Who remembered most of how everything was done.

I could context clues from there.

We made due.

Cleaned up the house, washed the linens, aired everything out. In bits and pieces, using half remembered wiki binges and crafting videos, I improved our little homestead somewhat. It wasn't by MUCH. I didn't have the skills. But it looked... nicer, I think. Homey.

We foraged. Sold hunted animals and things we had found. The occasional baked good. More then that? I tried to make time for my daughter. Keep her away from powerful eyes. The sort that might covet a pretty young thing. Taught her what I could.

Not just how to braid her beautiful hair, but that her beauty did not define her. That love was wonderful but not all there was to life. Too be wary of empty promises and watch for how the powerful treat those that they deem weaker then them. To lead with a smile but be prepared to throw her fist.

Also don't eat those mushrooms, honey, those are the poisonous ones.

I wish... Honestly? I wish I could have given my daughter a better childhood. Better education then the lessons scratched in dirt I was able. If I'd been able to REMEMBER. To recognize. Maybe I would have scrimped and saved more for third or forth hand textbooks, instead of the new hunting knife she so badly wanted.

But I didn't remember.

And as we were visiting town? PROPER town as opposed to our little settlement? I heard about wealthy, comparatively, family's having their children tested for... magic?

I faltered but adapted. Was it that much stranger then being transported into a new body and world? Magic it was then, I guess. Huh. We continued shopping. I bought my daughter a new sturdy pair of boots. Room to grow, would serve her well. She adored them. They had FLOWERS on them, mama! I couldn't help but laugh. Ah, my daughter is so cute!

Then I saw it.

As we passed the temple square. The only building in this whole town that could count as ostentatious. Some silk clad toddler broke from the pressing crowds, no doubt displeased with being crushed in on all sides. He wriggled free. Back from the steps and out into the road. Blind to the mortal peril he had just put himself in as the carriage of some wealthy To-Do raced carelessly down the street. Looking around, innocent, as only a toddler can as he wandered farther and farther from safety.

I dropped my shopping.

The world fuzzy and muffled, far away in my panic. Some Mother's instinct SCREAMING as I raced forward. Throwing a few people aside to reach the road. Then bolting. Distantly I heard my daughter scream, another scream as they finally notice, too late, their child was in mortal peril. But all I could see... was the little boy. Turning. Noticing. The big scary horses.

About to crush him to death.

Time felt slow.

I got there.

Then PAIN.

Far away, people were screaming. A child was crying. Small and terrified in my arms. Some arrogant voice was first demanding, then stuttering, then begging. A frantic voice, joined by others. Rich perfume. The... the child reaching for someone. Safe? Safe. I let go. Tried to smile. Ah... my daughters voice. Crying. Shhhh, shhhh. I'm sorry. It's okay. I'm sorry.

Ah... there... there was so much blood.....

Then there was LIGHT.

Like someone had cupped the sky itself and poured it directly onto me. Blue. So light and weightless and blue. The pain vanished as though erased. New agony and old aches alike. My eyes blinked open in suprise. And there? Tear stained and glowing? Was my daughter.

Like the sky itself had wrapped around her. Sunlight and blue sky and drifting clouds. Swirling like she was the world itself. Her eyes filled with tears when they connected with mine. With a choked cry, she through herself into my arms. Oh, baby. My poor baby. I wrapped my arms around her tight. Hugged her back for all I was worth.

"Your daughter?" A gentle voice asked.

I looked up. What HAD to be a noble woman sat, skirts ruined, in the dirt and blood at my head. Clutching desperately at the toddler I had saved. I could only nod. Understanding passed between us. Mother to mother.

Which is why, when a priest with covetous eyes came forward?

The noble women's smile turned cold.

She had changed her mind. She was, in fact, going to have her son tested by the temple closer to home. AND? She was going to be taking us with her. I agreed. Immediately and before anyone could try to seperate us. Daughter mine, darling, honey, Get In The Carriage. NOW.

We got out of there while the getting was still possible.

It was safe to assume, my new noble friend eventually said, that my daughter had magic. But what did that mean for us? Well, according to Nation Law? (Oh goodie. Laws I know nothing about.) She would have to attend the Royal Magica Academy.

What.

I knew that name. I KNEW that name! My jaw was surely on the floor, my daughter squeeking out flustered and rambling questions at my side. But... but all I could do? Was slowly turn to look at her. She was healthier then the game cover. Not as "that's not what real women look like!" Thin that... that in hindsight? Was probably prolonged food scarcity. Starvation.

She was taller too. Less... oh god, less "child like". That had to have been malnutrition. Stunted growth.

The way her hair shown, soft and healthy. The brightness to her skin and nails. Clarity to her eyes. Fullness to her cheeks. She was hardly even within sight of being a plump child, more muscle then anything, from a life of work and survival, but? She wasn't... waifish. I had made sure of that.

Even if it meant sacrificing my own meals to do so.

But I could SEE it. Could SEE the familiar features. The curling hair and doe like grey eyes. The generic princess character that I had been playing right before... before... God, I couldn't even remember the game's NAME. Just the plot. It had been mid at best. Magnificent art. Everyone raving there was some secret twist after the first play through.

So I grit my teeth a pushed through the generic. Tried to figure out what it was.

Never did get the chance. I died before the second play through and the twist everyone insisted made the game awesome. Now I wish I had caved and looked up spoilers. I tried to remember the mother. Did she die? What happens to my baby girl? Should I push her towards one man or another? Let her follow her heart?

It's a long, long night.

We stay in a guest room. Fancier then anything I've ever seen in this life. I keep my daughter calm. Help her avoid embarrassing herself. Tips for when in doubt. See, honey? It's a learning opportunity! No need to panic! Mama's certainly not, on the inside! She's very calm. Completely, utterly, definitely very ultra calm. Ha ha...

I think my soul had a panic attack.

Things moved very quickly after that. In the end, they had too, if I was to keep my daughter safe. The temple would want to train her. Her magic was apparently quite rare. Religiously significant. And being so lovely? She would make an EXCELLENT propaganda peice. A figurehead and puppet, forevermore in gilded chains.

Everything I feared for her.

No. That was NOT going to happen.

The Academy it was. Nobles and their games aside. The education would be unparalleled. She could probably even make friends. Possibly find love. I told her to Be CAREFUL. That is was a treacherous but beautiful place. Filled with powerful people used to getting their way. Do whatever she must to survive. Thrive. Be happy.

And remember, she is loved.

I...Returning home alone felt like ripping my heart out. I had thought I would have years, yet, before my daughter married and moved out. That I would have time to adjust. Get used to the idea, as my future son-in-law came around. Instead? I returned from a trip to emptiness. A life interrupted.

My daughters sewing, still resting, waiting for her, on the kitchen table.

I collapsed. Weeping. In the entryway.

My tiny home had never felt so vast and hollow.

Days passed. Then weeks. Finally, a letter arrived. Delivered by a very uncomfortable servant. The man checking more then once if I was TRUELY who he was supposed to deliver too. Clearly more then a little uncomfortable in the presence of such poverty. I did not care. I had a letter, thick with writing, from my daughter.

She was doing well.

MORE then well. My lessons had actually put her ahead of the curve in several classes, much to the shock and outrage of her peers. They had expected poverty to equal mental deficiency, it seems. And the library was quickly making up for any classes she was behind in. That's my girl!

She had made several friends that way. Quiet young ladies, willing to help her make sense of the complexities of history or magical theory. From nice, stable, neutral houses, too. No tea parties yet. Or boys. But I didn't care.

My baby had FRIENDS!

I sent a care package of her things back. Not indiscriminately, of course. But tools and notes, a few unfinished projects she had been working on to pass the time. Some snacks from home. They would likely still embarrass her somewhat, but... I did not want her to think I did not CARE. That I had tossed her towards that Academy and promptly forgotten her.

The servant, Geoffrey, and I got to see quite a lot of each other.

He got over the state of my house rather quickly. Instead, started bringing things he "just happened to have lying around" that would you look at THAT? I happened to need! Between letters on my daughter's meeting, then dramas, with pretty wealthy boys? Geoffrey helped me repair my roof. I mended his uniform. We shared new year's festivities together.

I even went to the actual festival, like I was some sort of lovely young thing.

As my daughter grew closer to graduation, the questions started. If I could go anywhere, where would it be? If I could do anything? What if I never had to work again? I wasn't a fool. Told her in no uncertain terms. If I EVER suspected she married for anything less then love and herself, I would disown her.

I did not sacrifice so that my daughter would SUFFER.

However... it seemed there was more then a few things my daughter had left from her letters. The next letter arrived in the hand of a man that wore Geoffrey's face, but even as I walked back towards my cabin from the forest... I knew.

That was not the man I had grown to love.

When the imposter turned, no doubt to lie, I RAN. Dropping my harvest of foraged wild greens. I had been planning to make a dish for him. One he was fond off. Perhaps my daughter's magic came from me, my line instead of her unknown father, or perhaps I had just enough to give it wings. To carry her to term.

Because...

I knew he was dead.

They pursued me. Of course they did. But this was a forest I had wandered for years. I lost them in the trees. Attacked them with rocks and stones. Destroyed my trails with rocks and rivers. Every hunter I crossed paths with an ally. Every hunting trap a peril I could lead them into. They were good.

I was better.

But more came.

Then more. And more. And MORE.

And I was not so good as to fend of a legion. I would not risk the village for some nobles scheme. I was dragged, bloody, bruised before some arrogant little sadist. A nasty little creature, like a porcelain doll filled with bile. What an utter waste of good fabric. I told her as much. Interrupt her sneering little monolog.

The backhand across the face barely hurt.

Toddlers had more muscle.

Unfortunate for this brat. My daughter had arrived in time to see that. And worse for this brat, she brought her friends and suitors. A veritable crowd of power and influence. The brat did not have the common sense to shut up while she was ahead. Even I, a peasant, could recognize royalty on sight. There were at least two of them before us.

MY daughter was not as merciful as the Cannon Protagonist had been.

It was a blood bath.

I tried to stay awake. Head wounds and all that. I... I had wanted to introduce Geoffrey to my daughter. Hinted at it, over my letters. I would... would never get the chance now... oh god. Geoff. Geoff, forgive me. Tears welled up. I could not stop them. Just as I could not stand. Just as I could not move...

I was... was rather useless... wasn't I?

Familiar yet no longer familiar arms threw themselves around me. Cradled me close to a softly perfumed chest, locks of hair I'd know anywhere, shielding me from the world.

"Mama..." my little girl said. Her voice the very picture of heartbreak. "I'm sorry. I... I was too late."

One of her suitors untied me. The knight, probably, from the calluses I felt. But all I could think about was, wrapping my daught in my arms. Together for the first time in years. And it had to be like THIS? Oh gods. Why was fate so cruel?

My little girl had grown so big.

This was a grown woman in my arms.

I just... I just wanted this terrible night to END. And as my daughters power slid over me? It did.

I woke up in a guest room. He dear friend Agatha had INSISTED. Geoffrey had worked for her family. It... it brought relief. To mourn with people who had known him. He had apparently spoken of me. Quite often. The sap.

It... it wasn't fair.

But when was life ever fair?

My daughter visisted. Now that i was finally closer. Her suitors dropped by, to pay their respects I think. Possibly win me over, as mother of their lady love. They were awkward little things. It was adorable. I was patient. Listened. Prodded them when then froze up, uncertain of what to talk about. Got them rambling about their hobbies. Really, it was no great difference then most shy kids.

The visited more. Stayed longer.

Brought gifts.

The gifts were expensive, elaborate, and wildly impractical. I was forced to gently explain why I, a peasant woman, could NOT accept their gift of fist size gemstones. It started with "I will be robbed" and ended with "they WILL be certain I stole these, no matter WHAT documentation you give me. I will die". They were very confused and alarmed. Much like puppies learning that suddenly treats were somehow illegal.

Agatha herself? Was a delight.

A very "mob" looking young lady with a sharp wit and an old man's sense of humor. Her personal maid was Geoffrey's niece. That neither held against me what had happened? Spoke of both of their maturity and grace. They WOULD however, never forgive the house that ordered the attack. I much agreed.

I considered, going back to the village, but...

The memories were too raw there.

I decided to follow my daughter, settle near wherever she decided to go. She seemed thrilled at the idea. Somehow, word spread. On the next visit, the future "head of the mage's tower" and man of entirely too many titles, Valtaan mentions an estate he owns near the Tower. How it lies empty. Would be the PERFECT place for a mother-in-law, you know... if he had one. Lovely gardens!

Oh, really?

Then, the Knight mentions how HE'S going to be stationed up North. In a Great Big Fortress with SO many rooms. Just... just SO MANY. Entirely too many, really. Honestly, he should bring more people! Like a wife! And... and a Mother-in-law! Really fill up the place, you know?

Mmmmhmmm.

The Prime Minister to be? Oh HE talks of TRAVEL. Ever considered traveling? The Embassies are LOVELY. So much to DO around them. Foreign lands, beautiful locals, silks and lovely little treats.

You don't say....

The Duke is blunt about it, at least.

I have a castle. I have SEVERAL castles. Estates. He is aware you are not motivated by that, but it does leave you with options for where you want to live should your daughter decide to marry him. And he DOES intend to marry my daughter. Second husband if not the first. Motivated, aren't we?

I politely infor both prince's, the SECOND they sit down, before they open their mouth, that I like them. I do. A lot in fact. But it's not going to happen. It'll be a cold day in hell the day I let my daughter marry into the royal family and they both know exactly why. They pause... consider it. Then nod.

They agree.

Wouldn't wish this life upon ANYONE who had a chance at something better.

My daughter graduates, with HONORS. There is much gnashing are rending of clothes from the elitist base. Ha! Get fucked. I STILL have no idea what the "twist" is in the plot or if I was being punked. Also not a single clue which, if any, of her suitors she's chosen. Could be all of um. I could care less so long as everyone consents and is aware of each other.

The graduation party is, naturally, grand. I'm in a dress one of the suitors likely bought for me. Somehow, I actually look like I belong. Instead of dancing and reveling, my munchkins hover. As though afraid to leave me alone at my first Big Girl Party. I laugh, trying to shoo them away. Go, go!

My daughter stubbornly shakes her head, leaning against me, her dress complimenting mine. Though I doubt I could be half as lovely.

"Noooo~ I refuse! I will be staying Right HERE, Mama!" Her voice is playful but... there's something strained. Desperate, that's never really gone away I think. Not since the accident. "What if someone tries to take you AWAY? You're too pretty! You gotta stay with US, mama!"

I laugh out loud, completely missing the interested looks that glance my way. Well to do gentleman, widowers and respected servants alike. Long time bachelor's, who's eyes linger a touch too long on the length of my neck, the curve of shoulder. The way it dips down, past my collarbones towards someplace... interesting.

My crowd of young protectors DO NOT miss the looks.

Bristle like angry cats. Eye venomous and society smiles sharp enough too cut glass. There is a murder to their expression. A command to Look Away.

While you still have EYES.

"No, Mama." My daughter insists when I try to tell her she's wrong. That I am far from desirable. "I'm not letting go. Not EVER. We're FAMILY. And that means? That means you're MINE."

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