#disneycindy

[lyranova]

Listen to Your Heart

Hi everyone! This is a oneshot for @vs-redemption ‘s Disney Event, and I decided to go with “Hercules” couple Meg and Hercules for a William x Reader/Zera fic 😁! Now I wrote this with my OC Zera in mind but I didn’t use her name so it can be read as an Xreader as well. I hope you all enjoy~!

Word Count: 1,789

Warnings: None

———

The young woman watched intently as the young white haired man named William Vangeance posed for another portrait. It was probably his fifth or sixth one this week, and the woman could tell that he was exhausted. His normally charming and dashing smile was pulled down at the edges just slightly, and the bags under his eyes were only just barely covered by his mask.

William Vangeance had superior strength, speed, and agility. But most people ignored him and dismissed him since he was only a farmer’s son. But after he defeated a Hydra single handedly and saved two young children in the process did the people of Thebes believe that he was the son of the god Julius Novachrono, and he became an overnight superstar!

But the woman watching him already knew all of this.

After he rescued her from a centaur he quickly introduced himself to her, and she could tell he wasn’t a normal human, but couldn’t quite place exactly what he was until Zagred appeared and told her.

After seeing how smitten William was with her, Zagred tasked the woman with trying to derail the young gods plans of becoming a “true hero”. At first she refused, saying she didn’t want any part of his plan, but firmly reminded that she didn’t have a choice in the matter since Zagred owned her soul.

The woman was pulled out of her memories as William nodded graciously at the painter as they wrapped up for the day, and his new assistant Langris Vaude escorted the painter out of the room. And that’s when she saw the real William Vangeance finally reveal himself.

He walked off the pillar, took his mask off, and flopped himself down onto the chaise lounge that sat in the center of the room. He threw his arm over his face and sighed loudly, all this sudden fame and fortune was beginning to weigh on him.

The blonde haired woman walked over to him quietly and sat down at his feet, she watched William move his arm slightly as the weight of the chaise lounge shifted and a tired smile appeared on his face.

“ You’re here.” He said softly as he moved his arm back over his eyes, and the woman nodded.

“ I am.” She then tilted her head. “ Why the long face hero? Things not working out with your group of fangirls?” She asked with an amused tone, and William chuckled.

“ It’s not that, although I am a little stressed out about them.” He admitted as he moved his arm and sat up. “ It’s just…I’ve defeated all these monsters for weeks and have made Thebes a safer place but…I’m still not a true hero yet, at least, according to my father.” He continued softly as he looked at the blonde haired woman, and she turned to look at him.

“ Maybe there’s more to it than just being strong and making Thebes safer. Maybe your father’s keeping something from you?” She suggested thoughtfully, and William tilted his head.

“ That does sound like something my father would do.” William admitted after a moment, and the woman laughed softly.

“ Of course it does. Do you really think Julius Novachrono, the god of all gods, would just simply hand everything to you on a silver platter because you’re his son? That’d look pretty bad on him, Wonder Boy.” The woman smirked, and she watched as William laughed while shaking his head. She had a point.

Suddenly the door burst open and the two quickly turned their heads towards it.

“ OMG THERE HE IS!” A young woman shouted loudly and pointed in William’s direction, behind her was a group composed of men and women wearing shirts with his face on them as well as other pairs of his merchandise.

William jumped up and grabbed her hand, but before his fans could come running towards them, William’s trainer jumped in front of the crowd.

“ Hey get back! This is a private area, you can’t be in here brats!” Yami Sukehiro, William’s trainer, shouted as he tried to keep the crowd back on his own. “ Go on and get outta here Goldie Guts, I can handle these kids!” He shouted over his shoulder.

William nodded and silently thanked his friend before running out of the room with the blonde haired woman in tow behind him.

———

They ran and ran until they were good and far away from the building. William and the woman stopped to catch their breath next to a large tree with white blooms, William rested his hand against its trunk and bent over a bit. It had been a while since he had to run that fast.

“ Ahem,” he turned as the woman cleared her throat. “ You can let go of my hand now.” She added as she held up their encased hands, and William felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“ S-Sorry about that…” he apologized before reluctantly letting go of her hand. The blonde haired woman shook her head.

“ It’s fine, you only did it to help me escape.” She said softly, she tried to hide the hurt and dismissal in her voice, but failed.

Again, she knew he had feelings for her, and had tried to firmly keep her distance from him. But between Zagred making her spend time with him, and her own curiosity, she just…couldn’t stay away from him.

“ Actually…that’s not the only reason I grabbed your hand,” William said softly. “ I just wanted to hold your hand, is that…okay?”

The woman looked at him with eyes wide in surprise, he held her hand just because he wanted to? Not because they were running away? She felt her cheeks burn slightly and shook her head, no, this was bad. She shouldn’t be flattered and happy about this, she should be trying to put more distance between them.

“ And if I say it’s not okay? Then what?” She asked curiously, and William smirked a bit.

“ Then I would say you’re lying if that tinge of pink on your face is of any indication.” William smirked back at her, and she couldn’t help but scoff. So, the hero knew how to tease and be playful too huh?

The woman’s smirk disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared.

“ Don’t fall in love with me, because if you do, it’ll only end badly for both of us.” The woman said softly as she stared into his purple eyes, she watched confusion pass over his face before it was replaced by something else, something she hadn’t seen before.

“ And if I still decide to fall in love with you, knowing it’ll end badly for us, what would you say?” He asked curiously as he pulled down one of the tree’s upper limbs to inspect a flower, the woman just scoffed.

“ Then I would say you’re an idiot.”

“ Well then,” he began as he plucked a flower off the tree, let go of the limb, and watched as the tree snapped back into place with such force that leaves and petals fell down around them. “ I guess I’ll just be an idiot in love.”

He handed the woman the white flower and quickly kissed her on the cheek as she stared down at it. The woman looked at him in surprise and her cheeks turned a bright red, William chuckled a bit.

“ You look really cute when you blush.” He muttered softly as he looked at her, his eyes widened and he quickly placed a hand over his mouth. That…wasn’t supposed to come out of his mouth.

“ And you don’t look too bad yourself when you blush, Hero.” She said back to him, and it only made his blush deepen, he really was too adorable sometimes.

Suddenly the two heard a noise coming from the woods behind them, William reached out towards the woman and put her behind him. After the noise continued for a few more seconds a white horse with a blue mane and tail suddenly appeared.

It was Pegasus, and Yami was sitting on his back with a stern look on his face and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

“ Sorry to interrupt the romantic moment, but we gotta go Goldie Guts. There’s a large Siren causing trouble in the Eastern sea, the fishermen want ya to take a look at it.” Yami said as he leaned over, grabbed the back of William’s shirt collar and pulled him onto the pegasus.

“ O-Oh alright…I guess I gotta go.” William said softly as he looked at the blonde haired woman, and she couldn’t help but grin at him.

“ See ya around Wonder Boy.” She told him as Pegasus took off quickly, she waved goodbye and as soon as he was out of sight her smile slipped off her face and was replaced by a sad look.

“ Y’know, you make it really hard not to fall in love with you, Hero.” She muttered to herself as she stared down at the white flower in her hand.

All this time, she had been telling herself that she didn’t like him, that she was only doing her job to try and get her soul back from Zagred, and that once she completed her mission she could go back to how she was. But…now? Now she wasn’t so sure.

He was kind, gentle, and maybe a little naïve. But his heart was always in the right place and he tried his best to keep everyone safe and worked hard to try and achieve his dreams. It was inspiring.

She also loved the way he didn’t belittle her or treat her as a regular ‘damsel in distress’ like the other guys or treat her like nothing but an object. He treated her as a normal person, he took her thoughts and feelings into consideration whenever they were together, he did a lot more for her than her last boyfriend did and William wasn’t even dating her!

As her ex popped into her head she felt her heart sink into her stomach, was she really willing to risk having her heart broken again? Every fiber of her being told her to take the risk, to fall in love with William, they were telling her that he was different. But her mind…her mind didn’t want to listen.

Which did she listen to? Her heart, or her mind?

“ Maybe…maybe it’ll be okay to fall in love with that idiot.” She mused as she sat down on the marble bench underneath the tree and smiled softly at the flower.

At that moment she decided to listen to her heart. All this time she had been listening to her mind and clearly it wasn’t working out, so maybe it was time to give her heart a chance?

———

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[vs-redemption]

THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO BOTH WRITING AND ART PIECES

Due Date: July 8th 22nd

The Masterlist for this event will be posted on July 9th. Any late submissions will also be accepted and added afterwards.

RULES:

Send me a message in my inbox or in my DM's to let me know you are going to participate. Please include a basic description of the Disney movie/couple you plan to write about and the characters/ships/self-ships you are writing for.

All pieces must be SFW!

Any characters and fandoms are welcome

There is no wordcount requirement. It can be as long or short as you want.

Headcanons will also be accepted

Reblog the masterlist once it is posted so we can promote everyone who participated!

the tag for this event will be #DisneyCindy

[loosesodamarble]

A Double Enchanted Tale

Here's my contribution to the Disney crossover event from @vs-redemption.

This is Disney’s Enchanted (with some plot changes) featuring Nacht x Josele (my oc) and Finral x Mallory (@sailor-muno's oc). Cameo from the ZorAcy ship (from @faewraithsworld). And not to worry I'm using my friends' ocs with permission~!

Cast -Josele as Giselle -Nacht as Robert -Finral as Prince Edward -Mallory as Nancy -Sterling as Morgan (Robert’s daughter) -Yuno as Pip the Chipmunk (but a more character appropriate bird here) -Liliane Vaude as Queen Narissa -Alecdora as Nathaniel (the queen’s lackey) -Zora and Acylla as Phoebe and Ethan (the couple that almost gets divorced but doesn't)

Putting this under a cut because it got loooooooooooooong. Lots of little headcanon notes as well as some drabbles for scenes in narrative format (not my best prose writing but I think I would've gone insane trying to do it all in headcanon format).

..........

As with the original film, this story begins with Josele waxing poetic and singing about True Love’s Kiss. She imagines her True Love™ with pitch black hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Yuno, Josele’s little songbird friend, helps put together the statue of Josele’s True Love™.

Josele’s song attracts the attention of a troll. When it tries to take her away, she fights back.

Elsewhere in the forest, Prince Finral is returning from a diplomacy mission in another kingdom, attended by Alecdora, Queen Liliane’s henchman.

Liliane keeps sending Finral away as a foreign ambassador to keep him distracted from romance. So long as he doesn’t find a bride, she can remain on the throne.

Finral isn’t a fighter but he’s always concerned about people who might need help so he rides into the woods, following Josele’s (kinda wretched) screams.

Alecdora attempts to follow but is left behind as he’s without a horse. He can only grumble that Liliane should try to have Finral killed and not just distracted. He’s fed up with the guy too.

Finral is chasing after Josele’s voice. Josele is fighting for her life.

Josele is up in the trees, trying to smack away the troll with tree branches. Yuno is desperately pecking at the troll.

.....

Finral followed the shouts of a woman’s voice through the forest until he happened upon a troll the size of a house, reaching into the trees.

“Leave me alone already!” Finral looked up to where the voice emanated from and saw a lady with brown hair. “There’s no way I’m going anywhere with you!” She had a tree branch held in both hands and used it to smack at the troll’s fingers when it got too close to reaching her. Finral also barely made out the flittering movements of a bird flying at the troll’s hands one in a while.

“Ahem!” Finral forcibly cleared his throat then projected his voice. “Sir Troll! I know I just arrived but it’s clear to me that you’re bothering that lady. She has no interest in you so I suggest you be on your way.”

The troll didn’t look at Finral and instead just grunted and continued to reach up.

Finral groaned but went on, “If you seek the attention of a fair lady, you must do better than this. Attempt a more gentlemanly approach. Give your name and offer a small gift in greeting, like flowers or even a particularly lovely stone.”

Granted, Finral had no clue if those strategies worked. He had always wanted to attend balls and other events in search of his True Love™. But he was so busy helping his mother establish friendly relations with other lands that he never had the time for romantic socialization.

“Love isn’t something you can force. It’s something you build through mutual efforts.”

“Would you be quiet?!” the troll snapped at Finral, finally giving the prince attention.

“Ah… Well…” Finral uttered.

“Or how about you leave?!”

The lady in the trees jumped down and swung her branch down on the spot between the troll’s eyes, the weak spot of those creatures. With a pained roar, the troll held its face and ran off into the woods. Finral wished he’d been able to do more. But he couldn’t not feel glad that the monster was driven away and that the lady in the trees was safe.

Speaking of…

Finral watched the woman land on a lower branch of a tree and lean against the trunk, probably letting out a sigh of relief. He got a better look at her. Brown hair that shined like varnished wood, a fair complexion, and arms that showed more muscle than Finral had ever seen on a woman.

“Excuse me, miss! You’re alright, yes?” Finral called up to the woman.

She turned her face to Finral and his breath was taken away by the beautiful depth of her brown eyes.

“Me?” She gestured to herself. “Yes, I’m oka—”

All of a sudden, her foot slipped and she was falling to the ground. Finral spurred his horse forward. And not a moment too soon as Finral caught the woman in his arms.

For a moment, the two of them stared into each other’s eyes.

“Hello…” the lady whispered, her face now colored a rosy hue. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Prince Finral,” he managed to say despite the tenseness of his throat and the heat in his face. “And you are?”

“Josele.”

“A name that’s as lovely as you are brave.” Finral’s heart thumped in his chest. He’d never had such a reaction to a woman. Did that mean that Josele was… his True Love™? “Would you… marry me?”

“Y-yes! Yes of course!” Josele blurted out, giggles bubbling in her voice.

“Then it’s settled, we’ll be married in the morning!” Finral exclaimed with glee.

As Finral and Josele rode into the sunset, singing refrains that came to them as naturally as breathing, the little bird that had been around earlier watched them leave. The bird was Yuno, Josele’s faithful companion.

“But he doesn’t even look like the True Love™ from your dreams, Josele!” Yuno yelled while flying after them.

.....

In New York City, Nacht and his daughter Sterling are on their way home in a taxi.

Nacht brings up to Sterling that he’s going to propose to his girlfriend, Mallory Demiscura.

Sterling: Her name sounds like an evil stepmother's name. Nacht: That’s not nice to say, Sterling. Mallory is a fine woman. And what’s more, she looks like she could actually be your mother. Sterling: Is that why you’re thinking of marrying her? Nacht: … Maybe.

Sterling frowns at the lame reasoning. It’s so unromantic. She wants her dad to marry someone he loves, not someone to be her mom.

As Sterling pouts and stares out the window, she spots a lady in an elaborate wedding dress climbing up a telephone pole.

Sterling hurries out of the car to investigate and Nacht of course follows.

Sterling: Aren’t you afraid of falling from there, miss? Josele: Not to worry! I’m used to being in high places! Nacht: So she’s a drug addict… Sterling: Or she climbs stuff often. Jeez dad, no need to be judgy. Nacht: Lady, I think you should get down from there! It’s not safe! Josele: Nah, I’ll be fi— (slips and falls) WAH!

Nacht instinctively goes to catch Josele because of course. Nacht is hurt more by the collision than Josele is. Sterling’s jaw drops at how durable and muscular Josele is.

Sterling: How did you get like that, miss? Josele: Get like what? So disheveled and dirty? Heh, well I’ve been wandering around, completely lost, all day. But I’ll be fine, I just need— (wobbles and collapses on top of Nacht again) To rest. Nacht: Uh, well, uh… We can take you in for the night? Sterling: (pumps her fists in victory) We’re bringing a princess home!

.....

Nacht pinched the bridge of his nose after pushing all of the rats, pigeons, and roaches out of the apartment. First a lady climbing in a wedding dress and now a vermin-led housecleaning job. Maybe he was hallucinating. He was pulled from his thoughts by Sterling tugging on his shirt.

“Do we have to wash the dishes again? Because the rats touched them?”

“Use the disposable ones for now. Please,” Nacht groaned.

“Okay.”

After Sterling left his side, Nacht noticed a sing-song voice coming from the bathroom. It had to be Josele. Nacht approached slowly, taking in the sound of Josele’s voice. Admittedly, she had a lovely voice. There was then a pang in Nacht’s heart as he remembered how Morgen used to sing.

Morgen probably would’ve loved a weirdo like her, Nacht thought with a scoff. He couldn’t help but smile though. Nacht stopped in front of the door but before he even knocked, Josele opened the door.

“Good morning,” Josele said with a grin. Such a blithe and innocent look. Like she hadn’t nearly fallen to her death—or at least a broken bone—last night. “You’re looking well, Nacht.”

“Uh…” Nacht glanced down before hurriedly locking eyes with Josele. Holy hell, she is ripped! “Morning. So uh… you…”

“The shower is absolutely lovely,” remarked Josele, glancing back into the room. “I’m used to bathing in rivers but that was a whole new experience!”

“In rivers?” Nacht repeated. Did she grow up in the wilderness or something? “Right. So look, the thing is—”

“Nacht? Who’s that?”

Nacht’s head whipped in the direction of another woman’s voice. Mallory stood a few feet away, jaw dropped and eyes wide in a look of confusion and hurt.

Mallory was there. Seeing Nacht talk with Josele. While Josele was only in a towel.

“Oh hello there! I’m Josele!” She strode up to Mallory without a second thought and began to shake the redhead’s hand. “It’s so nice to meet you! What’s your name?”

“Mallory…”

“Oh that’s a gorgeous name!”

“Thanks?” Mallory pulled back a bit. Her face twisted, looking more horrified by the millisecond. “Uh, what are you doing here?”

“I was on my way to the castle to be married—”

Nacht hurried to the women and stepped between them.

“Mallory, please listen,” Nacht started while holding Mallory’s shoulders and moving her away from Josele. “She and I, we’re not— You have to understand.”

“Understand what, Nacht? That you’ve finally decided that I’m not good enough for you?” Mallory choked out. Tears had already formed in her eyes. “I thought we were just taking it slow because of Sterling and…” Mallory quickly rubbed her eyes. “And we have our careers to worry about too! But I guess the real reason was—!”

“That’s not it at all!”

Mallory pulled away from Nacht and stormed towards the exit. “I’ll go! If she makes you happy, I won’t get in your way!”

“Are you leaving already?” Josele asked, stepping in the way of Mallory’s exit. “But you just arrived.”

The question made Mallory pause. “You don’t want me to leave?”

Josele and Mallory stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. Both seemed confused. And Nacht had to step in.

“Ladies, please, I can explain everything,” Nacht said as he got between them.

“Okay then…” Mallory nodded for a moment then looked Nacht dead in the eyes. “Explain.”

.....

Nacht explains to Mallory the situation with Josele. And she listens.

Mallory is baffled to say the least but considering Josele’s behavior, it seems to be the most believable explanation.

Nacht asks Mallory if Josele could stay with her only for Mallory to say her apartment is getting renovated and she’s already sharing a space with her three sisters.

But Mallory promises to help look for leads about how to get Josele home.

The situation still puts a strain on the relationship since Nacht will be focusing his attention on Josele until she returns to Andalasia.

Mallory is jealous of Josele’s hopeless romanticism and optimism. She was once a romantic herself but lost her spark. She ended up with Nacht because of proximity and convenience.

Nacht takes Josele to his workplace. He hands Josele over to his coworker, Secre, hoping she can help locate Josele’s home.

Meanwhile, Nacht tries to help move along the divorce proceedings for Acylla and Zora. In Nacht’s opinion, they had to split sooner rather than later.

.....

Josele approached Acylla with a wide-eyed, almost awestruck smile.

“Your eyes…” she whispered sweetly. “They’re gorgeous with that little sparkle in them. And your presence is so calm and graceful.”

“I, well…” Acylla flushed at the forward compliments being given to her. “Thank you, miss.”

“The person who holds your heart is a very lucky individual,” Josele commented as she took Acylla’s hands.

And those words made Acylla’s shy grin drop into a deep frown instantly. “He may have held it before but he dropped it like a hot potato.” The words made Josele reel back. Acylla only continued, “And believe me, I doubt he feels lucky to know me at this moment.”

“I don’t understand…” Josele whispered as she shook her head. She glanced at Zora who scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you two in love?”

“Read the room, lady,” snapped Zora. “We’re sick of each other.”

Nacht buried his face in his hands and groaned. First his personal life. And now his professional life was being torn asunder by a woman who made a dress out of his curtains before skipping away, without shame or guilt.

When he raised his head, Nacht had every intention of snapping at Josele to keep her nose out of Zora and Acylla’s business. But then he saw them, the tears in her eyes. Soft and real, truly broken up by something most people would brush off as an unfortunate but unextraordinary event. So Nacht ended up pulling Josele aside and quietly letting her know that she didn’t have to worry since the divorce was what the former couple wanted.

“But they’re losing the love of their lives, Nacht,” Josele whimpered as her tears fell. “I can’t imagine loving someone one day and then… not loving them the next…”

“That’s just how the world works,” Nacht said. He almost included an “I’m sorry.” But what did he have to be sorry for?

When Nacht glanced past Josele’s shoulder, he saw Zora staring at Acylla. Not with annoyance as he had been earlier. But rather, he looked curious, as though examining Acylla for the first time. As for Acylla, she was red-faced and avoiding Zora’s eyes.

The air between the two had changed. Nacht didn’t know how but it had…

.....

Mallory is still on her own commute to work. On the way, she spies a man in an elaborate medieval style tunic standing in front of a bus.

Finral: Be still you beast of steel! Those poor civilians in your belly don’t deserve to be eaten! Bus Driver: (honks aggressively) GET OUTTA THE STREET! Mallory: Oh no. That man’s gonna get himself run over. (runs over and grabs Finral out of the street) Finral: Hey hey! Wait wait wait! I was helping those people! Mallory: You were causing a traffic jam! (brushes Finral down because he looks like a mess) You good, man? Finral: I am a good man, yes. Or I’d like to think so. Mallory: Um… Yeah I don’t think you’re doing so hot, sir. (thinking) He does look hot though…

Mallory and Finral get to talking once they get some distance between themselves and the street.

Finral goes on and on about finding his “precious doe” and “other half.” But he doesn’t mention Josele by name.

Still, Mallory gets a weird feeling that Finral’s fairy tale dreamy attitude is familiar…

Alecdora runs up from out of nowhere and grabs Finral away, saying he knows where to find Finral’s love.

“Lead the way, Alecdora!” Finral exclaims as he and Alecdora run off.

“Alec-darrel? What kind of name is that?!” Mallory asks. She tries to chase them for a moment but she’s not fit to keep up.

And then, a little songbird (Yuno), lands on her shoulder and seems to glare at Alecdora.

“What’s your story, little guy?” Mallory asks sarcastically. “I’m actually thinking of chasing after Prince Charming there.”

Yuno chirps aggressively at Mallory and directs her to follow Finral. So she does!

At some point, Alecdora makes his first attempt to kill Josele with a poison apple provided by Liliane. Only to fail.

.....

“That’s how you know~!”

Josele’s melodious voice rang through the air.

“That’s how you know~!”

Came the harmonious echo of what felt like half of New York City, somehow knowing the song that Josele had begun.

Nacht had thought he was dreaming. Honestly, he’d thought that since he first met Josele. Yet sitting in an open carriage as everyone from street musicians to newlyweds performed in Central Park felt strangely real. Every smile on the people’s faces was wide and genuine. The clouds from the morning had parted and the afternoon sun made the colors around Nacht brighter.

And the brightest person there was Josele.

The song and dance had concluded. But people were lingering, mingling amongst themselves or approaching Josele as she stood within the carriage with Nacht.

Nacht blinked a few more times. But he couldn’t take his eyes off of Josele as she spoke with the people who complimented her song or thanked her for the experience. And she replied with a “no, thank you for joining” and such.

How did she manage to be so kind and genuine? Okay, Nacht knew why: fairy tale princess turned real. The question still lingered in his mind. He wondered if the kind of magic Josele exuded was something everyone had a little of, and that’s what made everything happen.

.....

With Mallory, she’s caught up with Finral who is separated from Alecdora thankfully. As they’re walking, she tries to get across that she knows where Finral’s “other half” is.

As she tries to explain, she gets a text from one of her sisters.

[Is he cheating?] The question is accompanied by a picture of Nacht and Josele, sitting in a carriage and surrounded by… a lot. [Check social media. They’re there.]

Mallory looks up what’s trending and finds pictures and videos of some chaotic flash mob. With Josele and Nacht seeming to lead it.

The doubt in Mallory’s heart starts to come back. She and Nacht had never done anything like dance or sing together, especially not in public. And yet with Josele…

.....

“Is something the matter, Miss Mallory?” Finral asked gently, breaking Mallory out of her gloom.

“Oh! Uh…” Mallory slid her phone into her purse, making her chest tight with guilt at hiding Josele’s location from Finral. But perhaps their reunion could wait an hour or two? “I’m… fine?” She shook her head. “It’s just that the man I love…” The words felt so heavy in her mouth that she trailed off and had to take a breath. “He’s not all that good at being loving.”

Finral blinked then stared wide-eyed at Mallory. “But how can that be? A fine woman such as yourself is surely easy to love. Why, I can already name several things that make you splendid!”

“L-like what?”

“Well for one, your hair! It’s the loveliest shade of red I’ve ever laid my eyes on!” Finral exclaimed with a wide grin. “I bet if you were to give a twirl, it’d fan out so beautifully that the crowd would stop and stare.”

“I don’t think I could do something like that!” Mallory squeaked, feeling herself warm up as people were already eyeing her and Finral because of his loud voice. “But, um, thanks for the compliment.”

“And I have more to give, still!” Finral quickly followed up. “Your smile. It shines as bright as the sun. Surely, that smile alone has made the day of your sweetheart.”

Mallory shrugged, not wanting to admit that she’d never seen Nacht smile. Not truly. Only ever the empty, cordial smile he used at work.

“There’s also your heart, so full of kindness. We only passed by each other this morning and yet you’ve returned to aid me.” Finral went on waxing poetic. It was incredible how genuine he sounded. Not a hint of irony to him. “Your lover, whoever he may be, should be ashamed for not treasuring you the way you should be!”

Mallory pursed her lips and nodded a little. She did want for a love that was… more. But she was never brave enough to ask that of Nacht.

Raising her head, Mallory locked eyes with Finral. His warm grin and the way his eyes looked at her with gentleness. The deepest parts of her heart wanted that.

Mallory wanted the bold and free love that Finral was offering.

It’s just that he wasn’t offering it to her…

.....

Finral breaks out into song. Let’s call it “With All Your Heart.”

I’m not writing the whole thing out (not a lyricist here), but the gist of the song is Finral explaining his belief that love should be expressed boldly and being proud of one’s love will make them happier. It’s why he’s so forward.

Finral’s song number gets the crowd going as much as “That’s How You Know” did. Mallory is in absolute awe of the literal magic in front of her eyes and excitedly runs alongside Finral as he encourages other couples to loudly proclaim their love for each other.

Yuno is following along the whole time and is picking up on the vibes with this pair.

When the song ends, a pair of doves fly up to Mallory. They give her a wreath of flowers and tickets to a ball happening later that week, addressed from Nacht.

And now she’s thinking of Nacht again and her heart hurts realizing that she’s already smitten with another man, a taken man.

Finral hears of the ball and excitedly thinks of taking Josele there before returning home.

Mallory agrees to help him get tickets. She wasn’t just going to give up the tickets for her and Nacht, but she’d at least help Josele and Finral’s love.

Alecdora finds Mallory and Finral and takes away the prince saying he has a lead on where Josele is. Mallory tries to argue that she knows but Alecdora ignores her.

Yuno comforts Mallory for a moment then chirps, as if to reassure her that he’ll get Finral back.

.....

Nacht blinked a few times, not quite believing what he was hearing.

“Can you say that again?”

“We don’t see any reason to divorce,” Zora repeated with a smile. He looked at Acylla who grinned back. “That lady from yesterday, she was so right. Acylla’s eyes have a beautiful sparkle to them. It was the first thing I noticed. I really am lucky to have fallen for her.”

“But just the other day you two were having problems,” Nacht pointed out, to which the couple snickered.

“Everyone has problems, Mr. Faust.” Acylla’s hold on Zora’s hand tightened. “But should we really allow the bad things in life to outweigh the good ones?”

Nacht raised a brow. “You’re really going to try again after a chance encounter with—”

“Have you considered that it wasn’t merely chance?” Acylla posed. “Maybe we were meant to meet that lady and she would remind us of what really mattered.”

“Like how sweet you are when I’m not bothering you,” Zora joked. The couple laughed again before sharing a brief kiss. “Yeah, I could get used to this all over again.”

Nacht fell silent. His mouth snapped shut as he had nothing to say.

There it was again. That strange magic that Josele’s presence exuded. At work again in Nacht’s life.

Nacht guided Acylla and Zora out of the office while reassuring them that Josele would hear of their gratitude towards her. There was no doubt in his mind that Josele would be overjoyed to know that the couple’s marriage had been saved.

“What a peculiar woman,” Nacht muttered, feeling a smile come to his face just thinking of everything Josele had done in only two days. “What else could possibly happen now?”

.....

The timeline of events does get extended. There’s an extra two or three days of shenanigans.

Mallory keeps on putting off telling Nacht that she’s met Finral because 1) Alecdora keeps dragging Finral off and Mallory would rather not say “I’ve seen him but I’m currently not with him” due to the inconvenience, and 2) she just wants more time with Finral herself.

So Nacht and Josele have their misadventures while Finral and Mallory have theirs.

Josele and Nacht’s misadventures include: 1) taking Sterling to an archery range since the kid is interested and when Josele tries her hand at the bow, she cuts her fingers on the fletching, 2) Josele helping some kids find their lost pets with her little animal summoning ability, and 3) Josele decorating a statue with flower wreaths and teaching Nacht and Sterling how to weave flowers together during that time.

Mallory and Finral’s misadventures include 1) getting caught up in a dance off on the streets which Finral absolutely flops since its break dancing and not ballroom, 2) coming across a runaway teen and talking things out with them (Mallory gives more grounded advice like finding a shelter while Finral’s advice is optimistic but helpful in keeping the teen’s spirits up), and 3) meeting Mallory’s sister Athena and her boyfriend, during which Finral convinces the boyfriend to go ahead with proposing.

Meanwhile, Yuno is fighting for his life against Alecdora, trying to separate him from Finral so Finral can meet up with Mallory again. Alecdora has tried clipping his wings, selling him to a pet store, and even threw him into a bird of prey exhibit at the zoo. It’s crazy.

Nacht eventually takes Josele and Sterling out for dinner, during which Nacht reveals the story behind Sterling’s lack of mother.

Sterling is Nacht’s adopted kid, but she wasn’t meant to be. She was supposed to be adopted by Morgen, Nacht’s brother.

Years ago, Morgen’s apartment building caught fire. Something about a stove being left on.

Instead of escaping immediately, Morgen went to every room he could to help others get to safety.

He eventually found a woman with one of her legs pinned under debris and a baby in her arms. The woman insisted that Morgen take her baby and leave her to die. If her baby lived, that’s what mattered.

Morgen carried the baby girl out, using his own body to protect her from the smoke and flames.

Morgen and the baby escaped, but he sustained some bad injuries.

While in the hospital, Morgen said he wanted to adopt the baby girl, named Sterling, once he was recovered. However, he wasn’t getting better, only worse.

With his dying breath, Morgen asked Nacht to take care of Sterling. “I know you have no attachment to her, brother. But please, watch over her. Don’t let the hope that lives in that child die.”

And so Sterling became Nacht’s child.

Alecdora makes a second attempt with a poison apple and Yuno saves Josele from this one.

Alecdora and Yuno face off. It ends with Alecdora “killing” Yuno.

After they return to the Faust apartment and Josele comforts Sterling, Nacht talks to Josele about staying in New York.

.....

“It’s been nearly a week since you’ve arrived, Josele. And if he hasn’t come by now, I just don’t think your so-called prince is coming at all,” Nacht whispered, trying to be gentle with the woman’s feelings.

“But he is,” Josele insisted once more. “I believe in him.”

“And maybe that belief is misplaced. You can’t hope for the impossible.”

At Nacht’s words, Josele’s expression twisted into a frown. A look which Nacht hadn’t seen since Josele had cried over Acylla and Zora’s situation days earlier. But the current frown she wore was markedly different.

“What’s with you, Nacht? Why can’t you have a little hope?” Josele asked as she leaned forward, closer to Nacht, more aggressive than she’d ever been before. “Why is it always ‘let’s stop now’ or ‘it won’t work’ or ‘it’s a waste of time’? Why are you always so gloomy?”

“I’m not gloomy, I’m realistic.” Nacht felt his chest grow tight as Josele’s eyes narrowed and she let out a sharp exhale. “You can’t always get your hopes up. Otherwise, you’ll get disappointed a lot.”

“So I should be like you and never get my hopes up?” Josele shot to her feet as she yelled.

“That’s not what I said!” Nacht rose to his feet too. “I’m just saying that hoping for the impossible will never work out!”

All Nacht has wanted to do was to spare Josele from the heartbreak of someone giving up on her. He didn’t intend to get Josele fired up, to cause her to come to the defense of her own hopes and desires.

“Well at least I have hope! Unlike you!” Josele jabbed Nacht in the shoulder, as if to emphasize. “You’re so afraid to try new things! You’re afraid to open your heart! Sometimes you’re so kind and sometimes you’re like this!” So caught up in her emotions, Josele started to pace back and forth. “And it just—! I don’t know—! All of it makes me so—! You make me so—!”

“I make you what?” Nacht pressed, leaning in close without really thinking.

“You make me so angry!” Josele snapped. “I’m angry with you, Nacht Faust!” The fierce scowl on Josele’s face was blinked away, and then she grinned. “I’m angry! Oh my gosh, I’m angry!” Her laugh, like a chime, echoed for a moment. And then, “Wait, I’m angry.”

Josele frowned again and then punched Nacht square in the stomach. The impact sent Nacht to the floor—it still shocked him how surprisingly muscular she was. Nacht groaned and held his aching torso.

“I’m sorry! Oh I’m so sorry!” Josele yelped while kneeling on the floor beside Nacht. “I didn’t think—!”

“You’re good, Josele. It’s fi—” Nacht paused when he felt Josele pick up his head and then rest it on her lap. “Josele?”

“I’m still angry, you know,” she whispered. Her fingers stroked through Nacht’s hair. “Just because not everything is as good as I want it to be, doesn’t mean I should resign myself to the bad, right?”

Nacht held his tongue for a moment. As refreshing as it had been to see Josele upset, he wasn’t going to risk a second bruise to the stomach.

“I still don’t know if your prince is coming. But… I guess we can give it a few more days.”

“Thank you, Nacht.”

It was then that Nacht dared to look up at Josele. The look on her face was… She wasn’t beaming the way she normally did. But she wasn’t scowling either. She looked… impassive. Yet peaceful. As if she was lost in thought. Something about Josele in that moment was… beautiful.

“Josele?” Nacht reached up and touched her cheek with the back of his hand.

“Hm?” Her eyes drifted down to meet Nacht’s gaze.

“We should get to sleep now. So we’re not exhausted in the morning.”

“Y-yeah…”

The silence that followed was heavy. Not even a “goodnight” was shared, only quick and quiet nods of acknowledgement.

When Josele sat back down on the couch, she noticed how fast her heart was racing. And she knew that the thought of Nacht, of standing so close to him, was the reason. But that couldn’t be right. Her True Love™ was Finral. Right?

When Nacht sat on his bed, he buried his face in his hands, feeling how warm he’d become. Seeing Josele and the new sides of her brought on by conflict, however small, had him wanting more. But she was not his to love.

Rest wouldn’t come easy to either of them that night.

.....

The morning before the ball, Mallory finally is able to get Finral away from Alecdora for good (taking Finral to her sisters’ place ensured that the man wouldn’t come knocking).

And Mallory is finally able to explain to Finral that she knows where Josele is.

Nacht receives a call from Mallory and she explains everything to him.

Mallory brings Finral over to Nacht’s apartment for the reunion.

Finral tries to prompt Josele into song but it’s Mallory who picks up on it and tries to feed Josele the words.

Still, everyone (except Sterling) agrees that Finral and Josele should return to Andalasia together. But not before a date in New York and some time at the ball that evening.

While Josele and Finral head out for their date, Nacht and Mallory sit down and chat.

Mallory: Sorry I couldn’t bring Finral by sooner. Nacht: Mallory, it’s fine. You were probably busy with work so it makes sense that— Mallory: No no, I wasn’t putting it off. I literally couldn’t bring him because some other guy kept dragging him off! He was super weird and really rude too. Even his name is weird: Alec-darrel. Nacht: That can’t be his real name. Mallory: That’s what it sounded like to me. Also, this bird kept on finding its way to me and it acted a lot smarter than the birds I usually meet. I haven’t seen him in a couple days though. Nacht: That must be the Yuno bird Josele told me about. Mallory: The bird’s name is Yuno? Not something like “Cheep” or “Chirpy”?

When Josele comes back from the date, she’s very worried about going to the ball. Mallory and Sterling immediately volunteer to help.

.....

The time came for the ladies to pick out dresses to wear to the ball.

“If you really want to get… to get Nacht’s attention, try wearing complementary colors,” Josele remarked while eyeing the rows of dresses.

Her chest ached as she thought about how lucky Mallory was to have Nacht’s attention on her. To be the one to make him stop and stare in awe. But why? Josele had Finral so why did she want Nacht to see her, to admire her?

“S-since your hair is such a lovely shade of red, you would look good in green.”

“Yeah! Daddy says green makes my hair look extra pretty too!” Sterling piped up. “I’ll go find something for Mallory! Just you wait and see!”

“Hmm.” Mallory pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. “But isn’t Finral’s tunic green? It’d look weird if he and I… matched.”

The suggestion of which actually made Mallory’s heart flutter. She knew how silly her thoughts were but she couldn’t help it. The days spent beside Finral repeated in her mind and she wanted to remain beside him, even knowing they were both promising themselves to others.

Josele gave a weak laugh and shook her head before saying, “Oh no, it’s fine if you two matched.” She shrugged. “You two already do a fine job of matching energies so matching appearances isn’t out of the question.” She blinked and caught herself. “N-not that you and Nacht don’t also get along well! You’re both intelligent and understanding of me and Finral’s… peculiarities. A-and you, uh…”

“Sele, it’s okay.” Mallory took Josele’s hands in her own then patted the back of them. “I know Nacht and I aren’t two peas in a pod, but we’ve managed.” With a reassuring smile, she stepped back. “Now, let’s think about what you’ll wear. You ought to look like a princess for… for Finral, huh?”

A sickening jealousy twisted Mallory’s stomach. There had to be something wrong with her for wanting to be with Finral despite Josele being his True Love™. So she pushed down the wish for Finral to serenade her as his love.

“Let’s think about what you’ll wear now.” Mallory approached the dress rack. “Black goes with everything. And I know you’re more for blue but I personally think purple works better with black.”

“Yes, they make quite a pair…” Josele muttered, immediately imagining Nacht in the black suit and purple dress shirt she’d seen him wear the night they met. It was a dark and elegant look. Nacht looked…

“Oh right! Nacht!” Mallory yelped. “Maybe you shouldn’t wear black or purple because then you’d kinda be wearing Nacht’s colors! Not that it’d be bad if you did. It’d actually be good. More than good! Great even!” Mallory paced the boutique floor and gesticulated wildly as she spoke. It was quite cute, how animated and lively she was.

Smiling as she watched, Josele recalled when she first met Mallory. The red-haired woman seemed like she had been trying to restrain her feelings that fateful morning. But now, her fluster was on full display. It was cute. And she seemed more like herself.

“Because you two honestly look great together in my opinion. NOT THAT YOU’RE TOGETHER! WE CLEARED UP THAT CONFUSION ALREADY!” Mallory laughed in a way that sounded painfully forced. She then turned to Josele. “What I’m trying to say is that you’ve done each other good! I mean, you’ve brought Nacht out of his shell and he’s really gotten you adapted to New York!”

Josele blinked. “Finral hasn’t gotten used to New York?”

“Not really?” Mallory replied while giving a shrug. “He’s not talking to buses anymore but… It’s just not the place for him.”

“Well I quite like it,” Josele admitted. “It’s not as pretty as the forest I grew up in, but there’s so many people and so much to do. Each new day is an adventure.”

“There sure is a lot. Though I personally would want adventures like fighting a troll,” Mallory joked and earned a giggle from Josele as well.

The laughter between Josele and Mallory died down however. Though neither said it out loud and neither recognized how the other felt, there was a sad tension shared between them. The lives that they initially saw for themselves were no longer what they wanted.

“Mallory!” Sterling piped up, finally returning from her search. “I found the perfect dress for you!” She looked between the women. “Did I come back at a bad time?”

“No no no, Sterling!” Josele quickly knelt down by the girl. “Thank you for coming back.”

“You said you had a dress for me?” Mallory asked, hoping to dissipate the earlier atmosphere.

Sterling glanced between them again. She may have only been six, but even she knew that something was wrong.

.....

The ball scene! AAAAAHHHHH!

Finral would try to profess his love for Josele but he’d fumble it, so unlike his usual eloquent self. He’s got Mal on the mind.

Josele does her best to compliment Mallory and Nacht as a couple but Mallory points out that she looks sickly when trying to speak.

Mallory and Nacht can barely look each other in the eyes because they know they love Finral and Josele. But they stubbornly think they should stick with how things are.

Finral dances with Mallory. Nacht dances with Josele. Both men hold the women as close as they can in the dance because no one wants to let goooooo!

Still, Finral guides Josele away so they can return to Anadalasia. And when he goes to get Josele’s cloak, Liliane (disguised as a hag) comes and offers Josele the poison apple.

Finral only tries True Love’s Kiss with Josele once. After one try, he knows it’s not gonna work.

When Nacht tries to deny that his kiss might save her, Mallory snaps at him, “Don’t you dare give up. Josele needs you!”

Josele’s fight against Liliane is much bloodier, actually drawing blood from the evil queen.

But it’s Yuno pecking Liliane directly in the eyes which makes her fall to her doom.

Once the dust settles, the four adults finally speak honestly.

Mallory and Nacht officially break up and wish each other the best with their new loves.

Finral and Josele bid each other goodbye and hope for one another’s happily ever afters.

Mallory takes to the fairy tale world well, evening singing her own song on her first day.

After a year of dating, Mallory and Finral have their full fairy tale wedding.

Josele gets herself established in the real world, working some odd jobs before being able to establish her own boutique.

While Nacht does propose early on, they still take a couple of years to date and plan.

.....

“And they all lived happily ever after. The End,” Sterling stated with finality. “So? What do you think?”

Sterling’s younger siblings—Dawn, Dusk, Sirius, Merel, and Vivian—stared in awe.

“It explains why Mommy’s so good with animals,” commented Dusk.

“Mommy was gonna be a princess?!” Dawn gasped.

“But she married a lame lawyer instead…” Merel grumbled.

“Daddy’s job isn’t lame!” Sirius retorted.

“Daddy’s kinda lame for being kidnapped by a dragon though,” Vivian muttered.

“Kids, it’s time for bed!” Josele said before poking her head into the living room.

Nacht leaned his head into the door frame too. “And what was that about me being lame?”

“Sorry Daddy,” Vivian whispered.

Together, Nacht and Josele tucked in the kids before going to their own bed.

“Are we living happily ever after, Josele?” Nacht whispered as he stroked her hair.

“I’d like to think so…” she whispered back, smiling.

[a-crimson-dawn]

Pirates of the Carte Seas Chp 3 - Captain Yami Sukehiro

Little ways from the harbour, a warning hangs in the form of four skeletons - the remnants of the navy's efforts to clean out the place from people of the criminal sort. In tattered clothing, they hung from gallows, off the headland looking over the Carte seas, one corpse clutching a wooden sign on which is printed "Pirates be warned" in black paint.

It is not that the newest visitor does not see this warning, nor that he ignores it.

The brawn-for-brains, of rugged looks, simply doesn't - can't - give a shit.

As the sails of his truly magnificent sea vessel pass by, he looks on, unfazed, headed landward, in spite of his rather obviously damning looks. At most, he salutes them, before chucking the cigarette he'd been smoking into the sea. Leaping from the rigging…

… he finds himself hopping onto to the wooden tiller, parting ways with his sinking fishing boat that had the great misfortune of leaking. He didn't know how, he didn't know why, and cared even less than he had about those skeleton men. Best not to cling to things – including the "Stubborn Bull", that went near completely under just a few moments as he stepped ashore.

Port Raquey welcomes him with less fanfare than he'd hoped, but at least, with some luck, he'd be able to slip past the towering ships of the navy - the large form of "Integrity" catching his eye briefly -, fixing his focus onto his next vessel. Sure, the large dreadnought is a powerful ship, fit for a large crew, but with the man's somewhat less… numerous… team, he found it more tempting to "borrow" the smaller armed vessel that floated near Fort Kira and went by the name of "Faith".

He walks past the harbourmaster - who glances at his small sunken boat with confusion, before regarding the visitor cautiously. "This man is either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," the greying harbour master remarks to himself, in what he thinks is too quiet a voice to overhear. Clearly, he doesn't fancy the idea of pissing the visitor off.

And in fairness, neither does the visitor.

"Tch. You'd be surprised at how often those two traits coincide," the visitor takes subtle glee in watching the man flinch when he is heard, before the harbour master gets to tying the ship down.

The visitor goes off ahead - or plans to, anyway - fixing up his sword-belt, attached to which is a sheathed katana, a compass, a pistol and a small powder horn. Instead, the harbourmaster seems to pluck up the confidence to step before him.

"It's a shilling for the dock space, and I'll be needing your name," the older man remarks, tapping at his ledger.

"How about three shillings – and you forget the name?" three shillings are tossed at the ledger, which the man looks down on with apparent eagerness, giving the visitor a welcoming smile now, as he steps aside.

"Welcome to Port Raquey, Mr Smith."

For three shillings - not his own, either - the visitor figured, the welcome was warm enough… and Captain Yami Sukehiro could do with the boring alias for now.

[vs-redemption]

So, I just came across your channel recently and this event seems interesting! (Also I love how organised and stylish your tumblr is!)

I may join the Disney collab thing with Mereoleona x William ... but I'm undecided on the Disney pairing/story they'll be following. I'm currently torn between gender-swapped Cinderella, Hercules (possibly gender-swapped, possibly not), gender-swapped Beauty & the Beast and Pirates of the Caribbean (William as Will Turner x Mereoleona as Elizabeth Swann).

That said, I'm not great with deadlines, and I struggle to make up my mind, so it might take a while before I can give a more precise idea of what I'm doing, let alone post an entire fic. And if you have a preference of all those ideas, feel free to say which one you think I should try; it'd definitely make deciding easier!

I am intrigued by Mereoleona X William as a ship! Also VERY curious about how a Pirates of the Caribbean pairing would be. I love that. I never even considered that. My deadline is not so strict, so please take your time. I just know some people work better having a deadline (like me!) but there's no pressure at all. I would LOVE to have you join my event. Let me know what you decide!!!

JOIN MY DISNEY COLLABORATION EVENT!

[a-crimson-dawn]

Pirates of the Carte Seas - Chapter 2 | Hearts

Mereoleona wasted little time following after her father, anticipation making it difficult to stay put. Sure, it could just be Augustus, however…

She runs off, leaving the poor maid calling after her meekly, forgetting that her hair was still a red mess atop her head. Mereoleona, of course, couldn't care less, as she fast-walked through the hallway, dress dragging a little behind her. She passed by pictures hanging off the wall - paintings of happier times; her mother embracing her brothers and her, eyes warm and smiling; the two eldest siblings in their toddler years, both in matching red dress (it was more practical in those days), her auntie and governess, Acier (back then, both women were alive and full of energy).

Below, she could hear her calling a name that made her heart flutter, just a little bit.

"Ah, Mr. Vengeance. It is good to see you again!" her father greeted and she found herself glancing over the curving bannister, down below where a young man stood in the foyer.

Unsurprisingly, he was nervous, glancing around, seeming uncertain what to do with himself. In his hands he held an elongated presentation case - she perks up, wondering if what was in there would be staying with them. (She had a fondness for fighting of any kind, and there was unmistakably a sword in there.)

William himself had grown quite a bit since she'd first met him. His face, though scarred, is - at least to her - a handsome sight, and she hasn't the slightest as to why he constantly seemed to wish to hide himself from view. His hair is still the soft white of his younger days, if maybe a touch longer, and though he's dressed rather roughly, his face stained with a few lines of a darker colour, he's still a sight for sore eyes.

"Good day, sir," the young man nods over to her father, smiling in a friendly greeting, holding out the case.

Her father walks over to the case, opening it, to reveal what is indeed a gorgeous-looking dress sword. A fine craft, sharp and elegant looking and she suspects - though he doesn't say it - produced by him. She doubted the man he works for has even a fraction of the care and ambition.

Governor Vermillion takes the sword out with reverence.

"The blade is folded steel. That's gold filigree laid into the handle," Will explains, gesturing to the different parts of the sword with his hands. It's tempting to grin at his eagerness. He rarely gets this excitable about anything, which makes it all the more obvious that this is his work. "If I may-"

The Governor nods.

The younger man takes the sword, balancing it on one finger. "Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade…"

"Impressive, impressive," her father remarks, looking to the sword and then to William, whose face has ever so slightly brightened with the praise. "Commodore Augustus will be pleased, I'm sure." Mereoleona scowls internally at this, not keen on having to see such a nice blade being given to someone so ill-fit for it. "Do pass my compliments onto your master."

She tenses, wondering if her father is truly this oblivious, or if he is secretly just that cruel.

William's face falls. Perhaps out of spite he flips the sword with ease and grabs the hilt, returning it into the case for a little show. "I shall," he bows, "a craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated –"

It is then that they locked gazes, blue meeting purple, and she can tell he's surprised - whether by her presence or get up or both. She can't help but grin.

"Mereoleona, you look stunning," her father said what she couldn't help but wish William had, as she rushed down the staircase, half-tempted to tackle Will and half wanting to know what he thought of this.

"Will, it is good to see you!" she exclaimed, her hand unconsciously reaching to the medallion, reminded of it by him. "I dreamt about you last night!"

She is sure she sees a faint hint of red on William's cheeks. "Truly?"

"Mereoleona-" her father tries cutting her off, but with their meetings getting so scarce as of recent, she is not having it.

"About the day we met – do you remember?"

The younger man nodded, "how could I ever forget it, Miss Vermillion?"

"How many times must I ask you to call me Mereoleona, Will," she insists, watching him smile sheepishly, turning even redder and she couldn't but find it endearing.

"At least once more, Miss Vermillion, as always." Damn propriety.

"But you will spar me later, won't you?" It wasn't like William to deny her requests, he hadn't done since they were little, and he was the one who taught her the basics on her urging. Back then she'd been bored out of her mind and curious to see the boy having decent skill with a sword. With reluctant permission from her father - who was currently looking at her with mild exasperation at her forwardness -, she'd trained alongside him.

"Ah, I am certain you've better partners to spar with - you have surpassed me…"

His excuses stung. Had she misread something?

"Well, said, Mr Vangeance. Now there's a boy who understands propriety," her father said, pointedly. "Now, we must get going," he adds as he takes the display case, and steps towards the door, opening it for her.

Frustrated with her father, and reluctant to part, she nevertheless looks to William, wondering if he felt the way she did when he saw her. "Good day, Mr Vangeance," she says, straightening her posture and fixing her skirts, before turning away from him and walking out the door, followed by her father.

She doesn't see his longing gaze, only hearing him say, "good day," which leaves her chest a littly achy.

Outside a gold embellished carriage awaits, comfortable and pulled along by stunning white horses, well-bred and raised. She knows William would have loved to pet them - he'd always been an animal lover in secret (he was a lot of things in secret), but he restrains himself, being that it'd be improper for someone of his standing to be anywhere near the carriage without Governor Vermillion requesting it himself.

For her part, she only gives them a glance - non-humans and humans alike had always been wary of her -, before accepting the carriage driver's assistance.

Settling in the carriage, she sees the door close, and looks out the window, at William's soulful expression. Does it hurt him to be so formal the way it hurts her? Or is it out of politeness and obligation that he responds to her at all.

She turns away, letting the carriage drive off, not hearing the young man whisper to himself "Mereoleona" as he follows the cab a little ways.

"Daughter, I hope you demonstrate a bit more decorum in front of Commodore Augustus," she could hear her father chastise her, and feel his glower on her. She doesn't pay much attention though, instead thinking back to one of her fencing sessions as the older man keeps on talking. "After all, it is only through his efforts that Port Raquey has become at all civilized."

[a-crimson-dawn]

Pirates of the Carte Seas - Chapter 1 | A Decade Later

Mereoleona's eyes snap open, her breathing shallow, her chest tight. It has been a decade and the nightmares have continued - that ominous feeling haunting her every other night as she closed her eyes.

From the corner of her eye, she can see a silhouette and leaps from her bed, this time ready to fight. But the looming shadow turns out to be a trick of her restless mind and so she settles down, reaching out for the oil lamp beside her bed. Lighting it up, she carries it over and sat it atop one of the dressers.

Pulling out the top drawer, her hand digs into the drawer, pushing out the false bottom - a precaution against a nosey servant, father, or worse still, Augustus -, and exposes a golden medallion, its skull grinning up at her.

Not so easily intimidated, she's free to move this time, sliding the false bottom atop the real one.

It is the knocking at the door that startles her, if only because she knows she's sneaking behind people's backs - not something she does with anything else in her life -, and that there could be dire consequences - a short stop and a sudden drop - perhaps, if she were found to be harbouring and protecting a pirate.

She knocks over her chair as she spooks, and it falls with a faint thud. Ignoring it, she is quick to first close the drawer, then raise the chair once more.

"Mereoleona, is everything alright?" her father exclaims from behind the door. "Are you decent?"

"Yes," she responds, putting on the medallion, hiding it beneath her dressing gown, moments before her father enters alongside a maid.

In his hands is a box that draws in the eyes.

The maid - Grey - is quick to open the curtains, and sunlight floods the room. Clear blue skies hang over Port Raque, and the faint call of sea birds, the chittering of land birds, can be heard through the glass. Mereoleona's grimace at the blinding sunlight turns into a briefly softer expression, something almost akin to a sentimental smile, before it turns neutral again.

The window reveals that beneath and beyond the expansive building she lives in stands a large stone wall lined with canons - a precaution against attackers, a reminder that she, that they are safe. Safe, she sighs to herself, and bored.

And beyond that, the natural harbour lies, a slightly sheltered area, with a stunning view out towards the ocean.

"Still abed, at this hour?" Governor Vermillion comments, seeming almost amused. "Pity to waste away such a good day inside, no?"

He was in a surprisingly good mood, all things considered. In fairness, that was a good thing.

'No point hanging onto ghosts.'

"I have a gift for you," he breaks her out of her thoughts, extending the box to her as he opens it. It reveals a dress - of expensive material, rich with regal colours. She can't help but admire it for a moment, before stepping back, a little confused and maybe a tad bit suspicious.

"May I ask of the occasion?" A dress like that surely couldn't be worn lightly, she decides, pulling the dress out to feel its soft fabric.

It wasn't of a material or length one would do chores in or spar in - if she could get away with such a thing today.

"Does there have to be a reason for a father to spoil his daughter a little?" he response evasively, with a question of his own. Despite this, she accepts the gift, disappearing behind a flame pattered screen, with Grey following her, holding the box. "Though I admit I did hope you would wear it to the ceremony today."

'And now he reveals his true intentions.'

She halts mid-dress. "Ceremony?"

"Well, yes. Augustus is getting promoted today, and he would likely wish for you to be there," he explains away. She is sure that she has heard this somewhere before and filed it under "marginally important, but personally, not really", and then proceeded to forget about said file's existence.

Nevertheless, she finishes pulling her slip over her and peaks from behind the screen. "Of course, of course." She can't quite hide the annoyance - she'd just been tricked into dressing pretty for someone's stuffy ceremony.

Specifically, Augustus Kira's stuffy ceremony.

A waste of a dress.

And for what, some man's unearned promotion? Almost certainly it would have come from a place of being connected to the right people. Last she checked, Augustus couldn't even hold a sword properly. Last she'd met Augustus, she managed to make him jump without even trying.

(In fairness, her making people jump out of their skin seemed a curiously common occurrence.)

Her father appears sheepish.

"Commodore Kira appears to have grown fond of you," he appears oddly tense about this, having harped on about the fact that she was twenty-six and could stand to get married soon. If he was trying to advertise a union with her distant relative, he wasn't doing a particularly good job of it; even by his usual standards.

She pulls her hair away, along with the medallion, careful to hide the skull symbol from her maid's eyes.

Still, it does its job, curling her lip downwards in distaste, even as the maid helps her put her corset on. "No tight-lacing, Grey," she says in a low voice, having enough bull-shit for the day to be more than happy to go without suffocating herself for a couple less inches at the waist.

The maid "eeped" and assured her there wouldn't be tight lacing, not that it spared her ability to breathe.

"How's it coming?"

'Oh, it was coming fine, until you told me my distant relative had a crush on me.'

"Difficult to say."

The maid laces up the corset, firmly enough for it to stay in one place, but not so firmly as to cut off circulation. She resigns herself to forcing her posture straight, reminded of the limited mobility at her torso. Well, if Augustus tried anything, she could still kick and punch.

"I'm told that dress is the very latest fashion in the Royal Capital."

"And I suppose marrying one's relative is too?" she mutters under her breath, too quiet for her father to hear. Grey stifles a giggle, much to her surprise. She was normally too shy to express much of anything.

The maid helps her into the dress, looking at her with awe as Mereoleona turns around in it, glad to note there was still room to move her legs and feet.

As she steps out from behind the screen, she notices the butler - Gauche (who seems to draw out a very shy "hi, Gauche!" from Grey) - appear in the doorway.

"A caller is here for you, Governor," he announces curtly.

Always a sullen one, but even his gaze seems to light up a little after Grey's greeting, however subtly.

[a-crimson-dawn]

Pirates of the Carte Seas -

Prologue

One could barely see through the dense fog.

She has no doubt her distant cousin, Augustus - whose chest up until now has been puffed up like a peacock's, having been allowed to play captain temporarily while her father was off to deal with conflict below the deck - was even more frustrated than she was. Probably blaming the fog for all his "suffering" too.

And this is the man she is betrothed to.

About three years older with three times more of a temper problem.

She huffs, walking over to the side of the ship, leaning against the rail, as a memory brushes through her mind in the form of a song.

"Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me,

Yo ho, yo, ho, it's a pirate's life for me…"

Her mother sang the song to her and Fuegoleon when they were younger, and when their father wasn't around. It is a favourite of theirs – even if piracy in itself is illegal, and even though Fuegoleon is the last person she can picture as a pirate.

"Ack! Do you want to call those beasts upon us, Mereoleona?!" a familiar, indignant shriek comes from behind her.

She hadn't realised she's been singing along.

Turning to face the pompously dressed Augustus - a powdered wig and a navy hat completing the insufferable look - she can't help but grin. "You're not scared of a group of common criminals, are you?"

"This ISN'T funny!" he spits out. "And for it to be you, of all people… the Governor's daughter!"

And?

"I would have expected more from you."

Except, it is her. As a habit, no one expects much of her, except trouble.

After a short pause, pointedly ignoring August - it was very fun experiencing him steaming up in anger at the lack of attention towards him - she decides "I think meeting a pirate could be… interesting."

More exciting, she figures, than etiquette lessons, or the men's talk of "oh-so important" politics.

"Well, if I get any say, there won't be any pirates to meet! What such villainous scum deserves is a short stop and a sudden drop."

Mereoleona doesn't quite understand what he means by that, but figures it couldn't be anything good. For the pirates, anyway. "A short-"

"Hanging," a deeper voice supplies. She looks to see that the tall red haired man she knows as her father has returned from his dealings. He looks sternly over to Augustus, and she can swear she's seeing the younger fellow flinch. "And it would be best if we changed the subject here…" he insists.

"But it's a fascinating subject!" she can't help admit. Dark, sure. More intriguing than learning about the dozen different types of fork.

Her father gives her a look that doesn't surprise her at all; a resigning look of acknowledgement, an "of course you'd think that" of someone who was well aware of the kind of disposition his eldest child has.

"Even so," she says, turning away to stare out at sea again. "It'd still be exciting…"

It is then that a silhouette forms in the water and her breath catches. As it floats closer towards them, she can make out a human figure; a boy, scarred, clothes tattered, floating up on the waters surface, far from any other notable vessel.

"Father! A boy- there's a-"

"Man overboard!"

"Boy overboard!"

"Fetch a hook; haul him out of there!" her father calls to nearby sailors who are quick to jump to their feet. The men grab a boat hook, pulling the boy up in passing, her father hauling the boy onto the deck.

Curiosity brings her up to the unconscious child - younger than her, with soft white hair, the upper half of his face badly scarred though the scar seems to have been an older one. It is unlikely he would've gotten it in the same event that pushed him overboard. There's something about him that looks fragile and haunted, but thankfully, he seems to be breathing, as her father notes.

Tatty clothes hide something gleaming, a metal that captures her attention alone.

"Where'd this brat come from?" Augustus seems irked, though his question is - almost - a fair one.

As if he'd summoned it with his words, a wreckage, a half sunk naval ship comes into view, exploded remnants drifting away from the main body. It certainly appears as though he might have been a young hand or the son of a Clover navy man, judging by the Clover emblem on the tattered flag that still remains attached - though barely - to the ship.

"Seems for all the armour, an explosion to the powdered magazine left the ship sinking - the boy might be from there," her father observes. "Perhaps we ought to check if there are any other survivors on board…"

Reluctantly, Augustus complied, shouting at the sailors - who don't appear too pleased to be ordered around by a pubescent brat - as they clear away the deck, pulling away the boy.

Her father, meanwhile, looks to the boy and then her. "Mereoleona, I want you to accompany the boy. He's in your charge now. You'll watch over him?" he asks, and despite speaking of a complete stranger, he appears concerned. More so than Augustus, at any rate, who seems as though the boy could've drowned and he wouldn't have been able to care less.

Mereoleona gives him a nod, ushering her father away, as she follows some of the sailors who place the boy just behind the wheel. She kneels by his side, as they leave, reaching out curiously to touch his hair. She can't really explain why, she just did it and doesn't exactly regret it either, finding it to be very soft. Nevertheless, the touch startles the boy. His eyes snap open - a soft purple-blue colour, the colour of blue-bells, lisianthus or lavender - and his hand reaches out before him, almost defensively.

She pulls away, amused by the reaction. Taking the hand, she locks eyes with him, noting the look of fear and sadness in his eyes.

"The name is Mereoleona Vermillion," she introduces herself. "What is yours?"

He blinks. "William…" he responds softly, appearing to relax a little, if hesitantly. "William Vangeance."

"Then I will watch over you, William," she assures him, and he seems to fade out of consciousness again.

As he shifts in his sleep - seeming uncomfortable (then again, perhaps he was having nightmares from the explosion) -, Mereoleona notes something around his neck. The gleaming metal reveals itself to be a golden medallion, that had been tucked beneath the shirt. One side is blank. She turns it around. The other… has a skull on it.

"You're a Pirate…" she figures, shocked, knowing this could only mean one thing.

Especially with Augustus around. She can hear shuffling of feet, the young man giving impatient orders, sounding more furious by the minute.

She grabs the medallion, hiding it within her coat, just as she hears footsteps approaching herself and Will.

"Has he spoken yet?" her father's voice makes her sigh inwardly in relief.

She nods. "His name is William Vangeance - but that is all I could get from him."

"Good," he praises, and with that he walks off to the ship's stern.

Finally exhaling aloud, she briefly takes the medallion out of her pocket, twirling it a little, almost mesmerised by its shine. Like a siren's call…

Then, from the corner of her eye, something floats by. A schooner, pushing silently through the fog, like a ghost. Her breath catches and body stills. It is tempting to come closer, it is tempting to run. She isn't the type to run from confrontations, but the Black Sails make the blood in her veins turn to ice, an ominous aura surrounding her.

Unable to call out, she makes out the skull and bones of the Jolly Roger even through the fog. Noticing the symbol and the one on the coin is almost identical, she snaps her eyes shut, wishing it away. She can do little here if she is found out.

If it is something of theirs…

She and Will would both be in danger.

[vs-redemption]

I would like to join the Disney thingy. I'm thinking about writing a small soft friendship fic for the Hunchback of Notre dame (my favorite Disney movie)

I love this idea!! Thank you for joining my event too 💖💖 I’m excited to see who you pick! I will add you to the masterlist!

Click Here To Join The Disney Collab Event

[vs-redemption]

I think I’ve decided what I’ll be writing for my Disney event!

Iwaizumi x reader based on The Princess Diaries

[vs-redemption]

yaho Cindy!! i wanna join your Disney Collab! i was thinking Kuroo X OC as Tianna X Naveen from Princess and the Frog? OwO i’ll write a fic heheh

Ahhh this makes me so happy. I love princess and the frog!!! I’ll add you to the list!!!

Thanks for participating