#eastern palace spoiler

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Dearest Husband [Consort AU] Pt. II

FEATURING : PRINCE DAISUKE YUICHI (OC) x CONSORT male reader

Disaster comes to rain on our beloved couple. Feelings, ego and pride crashing together and in the midst of it all Daisuke stands firm to fight for the person of his desires. How would it end? Would he be able to finally declare his affections for his convenient wedded husband? His back turned against the world, (m/n) surpressing his feelings, hidden from sight. Will our prince win in the war of love?

17k words of something. no spoilers, proceed at ur own risk, part 1, profile

Find out more under the cut!

Three months had passed….

And our beloved prince of the Eastern Empire, Daisuke Yuichi, could say he was content with his life. His body was great, the people were well, his preparations for ascension was still ongoing and delayed on his part. His marriage especially, was the highlight of his life.

The moans were not discrete, a sultry (h/c) clinging onto the prince, clenching his outer coat while roughly making out with him. Daisuke held onto his waist, one of his hands slowly cupping his ass as he thrusted his tongue inside the consort. (m/n) sucked his tongue, teasingly biting it as they continued their rough affair. They had been taking a walk, in Daisuke’s private garden in the Grand Palace when one of them randomly decided they needed a fresh face fuck.

Luckily, the Royal Palace itself was massive, holding many estates across numerous acres of land. The highlights were the Grand Palace, where the royals resided, Daisuke’s office, the treasury, the throne hall were located. The second but still as grandeur was the Emerald Palace. Its main function was to act as the living quarters of the emperor’s harem, but after the birth of Daisuke Yuichi, his father, the current emperor had divorced all of his spouses except for the previous emperor.

It holds beautiful castles, the famous greenhouse, small lakes with boats and regularly social outdoor parties was held there, Currently, the lavish consort of the crown prince, (m/n) (l/n) became the sole tenant of the Emerald Palace, to which he had secretly waivered the loyalties of its attendants to his reign, Daisuke had suspicions but he would let his favourite and only consort to do so.

Speaking of the consort, their relationship had improved drastically. (m/n) would visit his chambers every three days, and Daisuke visiting his every two. During the day, the (h/c) could be found lounging in Daisuke’s office, not even bothering him or snooping around but to sleep, read, or doing his own hobbies.

Seeing how often (m/n) would lay in front of the fireplace, Daisuke had a custom maroon sofa, with golden stands and plush armchairs, soft padding and an abundant of pillows so his consort could drape himself over the furniture however he’d like. He was satisfied just watching from his desk, how the (h/c) would munch on sweets, flipping a page from his book and he caught himself smiling so often embarrassingly.

They have yet to own a shared room in the Grand Palace, that was reserved for the position of the emperor and his own spouses, so they resorted to have their enticing affairs in Daisuke’s chambers. He adored making love to the (h/c), they were extremely compatible in bed. With Daisuke’s passion and (m/n)’s lust combined, many pleasurable nights had passed, although at the expense of the passing attendants, Daisuke’s knight hates them now.

The aftermath was sweet, he found the (h/c) would cling to him, desperate for skin-to-skin contact as grounding after their mind-shattering sex and he would provide comfort. Wrapping his arms around the consort protectively before drifting off to sleep.

However, he noted that at times, the consort was cold. Sleeping by facing the other way, and when he inquired the (h/c) would brush him off dismissively and Daisuke would just silently hug him from behind. The day after, (m/n) would pretend like that little bit didn’t happen, acting like his usual self. They didn’t have much pillow talk, (m/n) rejected the idea as he shushed him to enter their slumber.

He wasn’t sure how he felt, something had festered in his heart. After their rough consummation, he would see (m/n) walk around with a medical patch on the back of his neck, where he had bitten his nape. Daisuke felt extremely guilty and would dress him in lavish to satisfy his guilt. Had his guilt dragged behind him for this long?

Every time he’d gazed over the consort, when the (h/c) wasn’t looking, there was a longing in his heart, just to wrap his hold around (m/n) affectionately.

He thought his marriage would only be one of peace, but he didn’t expect himself to fall…

Fallen. Bewitched? He brushed the thought off of his mind, not wanting to be dizzy for much longer as he placed down the quill on his desk.

Stacks of letters, invites from other powerful houses, some foreign, mostly his subjects, and invite to their own parties, social events and some even included details of potential suitors, mostly daughters of dukes and counts. Ever since he married (m/n) (l/n), it seemed that the public thought he was open to a harem, given the fact that him and (m/n) couldn’t produce an heir.

His emotions that once fluttered around the (h/c), brewed fire in his heart as he burned the letters, throwing it into the crackling flame as fuel for the hearth, He looked behind him to see the consort sleeping in his designated sofa, a soft blanket loosely draped over his figure.

Daisuke walked over to the (h/c), his steps silent as he crouched in front of the sleeping consort’s face. His eyes glazed over the consort’s features, his eyes, his lips and even to the bridge of his nose…

He pondered how could such a being could appear so beautiful in his eyes, heavenly, bewitching, distinguished and so many words in all of the dictionaries couldn’t even describe how majestic he was to the prince.

Nightfall was encroaching and usually he would carry the consort in his arms, letting him sleep in his room, but he wanted to be selfish this time. Fully absorbing, sketching and engraving this memory into his mind.

It seemed he had taken too much of (m/n)’s whine, who had awakened, stretching his arms and lazily blinking his drowsy eyes. “…Princey?” Daisuke chuckled, now kneeling on the carpet. “Morning, sleeping beaut’.” “…Is it actually morning?” The consort propped himself, glancing at the uncovered windows before dropping himself back on the sofa, seeing that it was actually night instead.

“You sure took your time.” “I am quite tired today…” (m/n) mumbled, covering his face with his arm. Daisuke raised an eyebrow at his ironic statement. “Tired? And here I was, dying at my desk. If I had been pronounced dead, you’d probably be on your third nap.”

“Not my fault.” The (h/c) groggily whacked his shoulder. “I want to sleep more…” He was in a daze, rolling himself off the couch, the prince calmly catching him in his arms and in the safety blanket of Daisuke Yuichi, (m/n) (l/n) dropped his whole bodyweight on his husband.

“You’re heavy. Have you been gaining weight?’ Daisuke kissed the consort, teasing him and instead earning a slap, playful but the message was received, and he laughed, the (h/c) trying to clamber away from him but the prince held him tight, screaming apologies into his ear.

“I’m hungry.” (m/n) stated, his stomach grumbled following their short wrestle. Daisuke was hugging him from behind, both of them tangled in the blanket on the carpeted floor.

“Want to have dinner? I can call your favourite chef to be on duty.”

(m/n) thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. “I just want to have a snack. And get drunk.” Daisuke thought back to when the last time the (h/c) got drunk. They ended making out in one of the trees in the garden at the dead of night. How did the consort managed to convince him? God knows. It was probably the profound bias he had for the (h/c).

“…I can take you to my favourite tavern. It’s on the outskirts of town. The place is safe, with good drinks.” “Sold.” “We’d have to disguise ourselves, however. And that means, leaving all your jewellery behind.”

There was a mocking grumble, copying his speech from the consort. Daisuke only rolled his eyes, “This is how you get caught so easily. Come on.” He heaved himself up, pulling the consort with him as they get dressed blandly, hiding under the hood of their cloaks.

Daisuke had remembered something, quickly snatching one of his small wooden boxes and shoving the item inside his vest before joining the (h/c) at the gates, only a few guards accompanying them with a less lavish carriage that carried no insignia of their royalty as they traversed to town.

It took a while for them to arrive, a bustling tavern with customers in and out of its entrance, most of them leaving with a drunken flush on their faces. Daisuke held (m/n)’s hand as he stepped off the carriage, making sure their hoods were intact and waving at his guards, them nodding and getting into position to guard the place. Usually, Daisuke wouldn’t bring so many personnel with him, only him and his knight would do but since (m/n) was with him, a little extra security wouldn’t hurt.

The two entered the tavern, made their way to an empty table and called for a servant for their orders. A woman, who seemed to be in her late 20s and dressed a bit too exposed for the cold night took their orders and winked at the (h/c). A foreigner was always deemed attractive to the commonfolk.

(m/n) just laughed at the annoyed prince as their orders arrived, the consort immediately chugging the big glass of alcohol in front of him. “You said you don’t drink often.” Daisuke placed one of the tidbits into his mouth, staring at the dazed consort.

“I don’t…” His words were slurred. “But when I do, I drink hard.”

“…Whatever that means.” Daisuke stopped (m/n) from slapping his glass off the table as he pulled out the wooden box from earlier. “I thought this would be an appropriate time to present to you something…although I’m not sure you’re even sane enough to interpret my words.”

(m/n) wrinkled his nose, his face heating up from the alcohol as he slammed his fist on the table. “Hit me.” The prince only chuckled at his antics as he placed the small chest on the table, sliding it to the (h/c). “Open it.”

He grabbed the box, fiddling with the lock for a moment before managing to open its contents. The box itself was small, he thought he was about to receive another set of earrings from the prince but instead there was a skeleton key.

A pure bronze ornate key, with red highlights around the stem, a sharp bit and a small gem latched in the middle of the bow. (m/n) scanned the key confusingly. “…Is this supposed to unlock a bigger present or…?”

“You could say that.” Daisuke seemed excited, for his reaction it seemed, as he pulled out a cylinder leather case and (m/n) wondered how multifunctional his garments was. The (h/c) popped the cap off and shook out the scroll inside. He pinched the edges with his hands as he tried to make sense of the wordings of the paper.

“…A deed?” “Your summerhouse is complete.”

The (h/c) raised his hand at the smiling prince, who seemed like a child, giddy to give a present. “Summerhouse?” “The one you wanted. Beside a lake near the borders, took a while for construction to finish. Of course, that is the key to the gates instead of the mansion itself since the furbishing needed to be done along with a stampede of servants for maintenance.”

The villa that (m/n) had requested way back. Even after he received the treasure chest for the prince, he didn’t continue forward with his plans. Not after the whole incident.

“…But why?” The consort seemed confused, examining the key in his hand before Daisuke grasped his other.

“Consider it my first gift to you as my husband.” With that, the prince kissed the back of his hand, pressing his lips gently onto his skin. (m/n) was still stunned. There were so many presents the prince had gifted to him, but this was far more outstanding than any other.

“…I’m so confused.” “Do you not like the present?” “I do. It’s just…”

(m/n) didn’t finish his sentence, instead downing more alcohol into his system as he placed the key back into the box. Daisuke didn’t press further, the (h/c)’s flustered expression was more than enough to satisfy him.

They continued to drink, (m/n) ordering more than he could handle and it ended up with him hugging the prince at his waist as they exited the tavern. The alcohol was a rush, a good chunk of it in their system and it led to the consort whispering to the prince he needed him as they had a frisky amour in the moving carriage.

After sloppily covering up themselves, they continued in Daisuke’s bedroom, the prince thrusting into the consort, both with drunken pleasure. Daisuke held the headboard of his bed, caging the (h/c) under him as he came inside (m/n) missionary. He plopped himself on top of the consort unceremoniously, (m/n) whining about his sensitive hole still clenching around his cock.

The prince rolled off of him, laying by his side, basking in the afterglow of their misdemeanours. (m/n) sighed heavily, feeling full as he pulled the duvet beside him up to his chest. Daisuke turned to his husband and brushed the strands of hair out of his sweaty face. He gently pulled the (h/c) closer to him and closed his eyes, prepared to drift off to sleep.

“…I don’t understand…”

He opened one of his eyes, in the dark room, barely anything could be seen but it was evident the (h/c) was still drunk, Daisuke having a higher tolerance from his poison resistance buildup, and he was mumbling in a daze. “What do you not understand?” He simply entertained the intoxicated fool.

He smoothened the (h/c) hair, tucking it behind (m/n)’s ear as he inched closer to the consort. “…Whether do you have…an attraction for me…or is it to simply keep the peace.”

Keeping the peace? Even Daisuke couldn’t fully fathom what the mumbling consort was trying to transpire. “…Of course I have an attraction for you. Who wouldn’t?”

An idiot. He thought. Only an idiot wouldn’t fall for him.

“…This peace we have…it’s grounding me together…my sanity…”

(m/n) groggily creaked his eyes open.

“If I had truly been your preference, you wouldn’t have scrapped the idea of your beloved fairytale.”

With that, the (h/c) sank his head into the lush pillow, pushed into the realm of dreams. In contrast with the prince, his statement hit him like a brick. “My fairytale…” He thought back to before. There was only once where he had brought it up, but it had been so long back.

He felt restless, something aching in his heart, but he remained silent, drifting away to sleep.

In his mind, he wondered if he was slowly being smitten by the consort. There was a chance of it happening of course, they had been wed together but the impact was strong, he never felt anything like this in his life. And to think he cares so much about his consort.

His hold around the (h/c) remained strong as he subjected his mind into the abyss.

-

After that night, he found that the consort wouldn’t come to his office as often, distancing himself from the prince albeit his protests claiming that everything was alright. Daisuke felt a cold clench in his chest. As if there was a wall, slowly building up between him and his consort, every time he had become vulnerable, (m/n) would distance himself away. It pained Daisuke to see him hurt. He didn’t want that for both of them.

Maybe if he had spoken more, both of them would be much more open with each other.

Alas, all he could was to wait for the storm in (m/n)’s heart to subside. He had been patient with his bratty behaviour in the past, he can wait for him to mentally recover as long as he’d liked.

It had been a week and a half since, as much as Daisuke would like him to recover, his heart was longing for the consort. So, he decided to visit him alone in the Emerald Palace. The guards stationed there bowed to him, letting him pass with him requesting that they do not announce his arrival, it was a good decision to switch the paladins. Ones that are much more loyal to him.

He had heard that the (h/c) was strategically integrating himself into the Eastern society, mingling with the wives of the powerful, attending balls and parties, as per Ivan had reported to him. Although he was a bit sulky that he wasn’t tagged along, he could invite him to theirs. A ball at the Grand Palace, orchestrated for the holiday in the East. It would be good for him to show off his consort to the nobles.

Cue the yelling and pleadings, snagging Daisuke’s attention as he immediately ran through the halls, reaching (m/n)’s room where there were butlers and maids crowding around the door. The prince pushing himself through and as they noticed him, they all exclaimed, urging him not to enter.

As he pushed the doors open, there were two guards, carefully approaching the (h/c), whose hand was bloody, a stark red in contrast to the mint marble floor. “Your Grace! Please just-!”

“I said LEAVE! LEAVE ME ALONE!!” The knight swiftly avoided an ornament box thrown into his direction, he didn’t hear the shattering of the impact on the floor, so he turned to see-

“You…why are you here…” (m/n) scowled, his teeth gritting, clenching his soaked fist.

Daisuke frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he ordered the guards to leave. He scanned the (h/c)’s frenzied state, his outer coat tossed somewhere else and his red-coated hand.

“What happened?” He stated firmly, stepping to the consort.

The (h/c) defensively stepped back, behind him was his vanity, broken with a large crack in the middle. The table itself was a mess, he presumed the consort had used it to shoo away the knights. “You don’t need to know.” (m/n) seethed.

“Why are you hurt?” “Leave.” He stepped closer. “(m/n), I’m trying to help-“ “LEAVE!”

“I’m NOT LEAVING! Goddammit (m/n)-!” For every step he took forward, every step the (h/c) backed away, pressing himself against one of the shelves, leaving bloody trails on the furniture from his hand.

It seemed the consort was desperate enough, he started to chuck things to him as well, Daisuke swiftly avoided the barrage of intricate, one of them was a fucking vase holy shit-, and he was closer to the destructive, pained (h/c). “You’re hurt. You’re bleeding for fuck’s sake- I’m not leaving you like this.”

A raw sob tore from (m/n)’s throat, tears slipping down his cheeks as he exclaimed to the prince once again. “Please…I told you to leave!” It was a short altercation, one that involved Daisuke quickly restraining (m/n), holding his wrists together. The consort screamed, kicked and yelled at him, all with his bleeding hand and wet cheeks. This was the worst state Daisuke had ever seen.

He struggled with the consort’s hysteria, ultimately pushing him against the walls, caging him with himself. (m/n) seemed to be out of breath, still crying with his hands held together above his head. Daisuke gazed into his avoiding eyes, worriedly.

“…you’re in pain. Let me help you.”

True to his words, aside from the bloody hand, (m/n) was very much in pain. The (h/c) stared at the floor, silently sobbing. His tears falling from his lower lashes. “…you can’t help me…you’re going to cast me aside…”

“I wouldn’t. I would never.” Leaving the consort was the last thing on his mind. How could he possibly abandon the man he held dear in his heart.

“You will.” (m/n) scoffed, he coughed into the air, his throat aching. “You ought to be a trashy bastard like all the others-!”

“Who?! Who fed this mindset to you?!” He knew (m/n) recently came back from a jamboree, his garments were also an indicator. Did something happen at one of the parties?

“Who dared to ruin you like this!”

“…” (m/n) was quiet, at first. He mumbled nimbly, before finally dropping his bodyweight down, slowly sliding himself to sit on the floor. The prince followed suit, kneeling and sitting onto his own calves, his tight grip was replaced with a gentle hold on the consort’s hands, his eyes silently examining the blood before returning back to the consort who began to tell, confiding in his beloved husband.

-

(m/n) silently sipped from his wine glass, there were chattering all around at the beautifully lit party. It had been another aristocrats’ gathering, and he was invited so by the host, the Countess, the Earl’s wife and she was a pleasant old woman who treated him like most of the peerage. Curiosity and flatter, complimenting him trying to curry his favour and overall, an attempt to get closer to the crown prince since the emperor was known to be closed off regarding his sole heir.

Many people had gone up to him, either to chat or to tease and (m/n) rebutted it with his own charm, having been used to witty remarks especially during his time in the West. Later in the party, he spent some time alone, drinking to himself, rejecting any company.

Until one of them was bold enough to approach him.

It was an old man, dressed wisely and formally. (m/n) recognised him to be one of the ministers as he bowed his head to the consort. He had a look in his eyes the (h/c) recognised. Something scheming and devious mixed together behind a veil of unconcealed flagrant.

He responded little to the older one’s chat, only speaking when he needed to when a remark slipped out of his mouth.

“You are one arrogant little cunt.”

“…Excuse me?” (m/n) raised an eyebrow, already feeling heated in his head. Who had dared to speak to him in such a manner? The old man only smiled, his slanted eyes glaring at the consort. “I’m sorry, did my tongue slip? I didn’t mean to offend you in any way.”

“…” (m/n) knew what he had heard, and he wasn’t going to accept this disrespect to his face. He wanted to leave until another approached them, and another, and another until there were many men surrounding him, all dressed in similar attires that was forcing him into a corner.

“I want to leave-“

“It seemed the rumours were true.”

“No wonder the Western Emperor despised him.”

They all ignored him, standing firm in front of him as (m/n) felt he got backed into a corner. He gritted his teeth and yelled for a guard, but the barrage of nuisance prevented him so.

Pointed jabs, back handed compliments were passed. He was scrutinized to his face while the men acted like he wasn’t there. As if they were dissecting him down to his bone, judging his background and reputation present in the kingdom.

“What a wicked man.”

“He’d bring only downfall to our kingdom.”

“A pest, rooted in the rich, clean East.”

“Someone needs to cut him down.”

“Slice him.”

“Burn his defences, let him rot in the mountains.”

“What does the crown prince see in him? There’s so many like him in the cathouse.”

Amidst the passing comments, (m/n)’s patience was ripped from his head.

“…you’d think I give a fuck?” He stared at the man who had originally approached him. “I don’t care how much you try to scheme or attempt to intimidate me. I am the consort, husband of the crown prince.”

(m/n) scoffed at them. “Your precious prince favours me and that is a fact in itself.”

The old man stared back at him with a scowling glare. “You’re a pest to the kingdom…I presume you’re aware.”

The (h/c) only scoffed, smirking at him. “And what about it?”

“The harem is open. And you are unable to produce an heir. How long do you think you would be the sole keeper of the prince’s heart?”

And that hit the consort like a brick.

“I- “

“The kingdom needs an heir. The bloodline must be kept.”

“It doesn’t matter-“ He tried to counter but again flooded with remarks.

“It doesn’t matter to you. You are not of this kingdom. You are not our people, but we. We need a monarch. And if it wouldn’t come from you, it will come from another.”

“It’s about time the crown prince expanded his harem.”

(m/n) didn’t know why, but that sentence struck him the most. He had punched the man who had uttered those words, knocking him to the ground. Gasps of shock from other guests and the (h/c) was pulled away by his own guards. The trail of the men previously disassembled into the crowd, feigning innocence and the victim of his fist insisted he was dandy, that he was at fault for angering the consort, painting him as a hot-blooded bastard.

The consort left the party, not in the mood to converse any further despite the countess’ pleas. He returned to his chambers, tugging off his coat and the maids were preparing a bath for him since his return was at a short notice.

The (h/c) stared at the vintage rectangular mirror in front of him, gazing into himself, his furious expression looking back. The servants exchanged looks, some of worry and some of curiosity. (m/n) was too busy in his own thoughts to even reprimand them.

How long had he been the prince’s lover? No. Not lover. He couldn’t possibly be the object of his desires. If at most, then bedwarmer would be a better fitting for a heel like him.

The prince, his touch, his gaze, would he have to share them with someone else? A woman, perhaps. Someone able to carry his offspring.

It doesn’t matter. He thought, a pitiful attempt at convincing himself. It shouldn’t matter. Why would the prince’s love life be a meddling of his own? He’s satisfied with the things they are now. He’s supposed to be.

“How long do you think you would be the sole keeper of the prince’s heart?”

…did he even had a chance to embrace his love? Was there ever a moment that the prince, Daisuke, had shown his affection for him, without him thinking about the setbacks. Barely.

“…that fucking…”

Fairytale. Daisuke’s stupid fairytale. The one he told (m/n), the one where he expressed, he didn’t get to relive. A love story. Weren’t theirs supposed to become the upbringing of one? Was he so demure in the prince’s eyes that he wasn’t worthy of a possibility to fall for him?

“-Your Grace, the bath is read-“

A scream erupted from the girl, and (m/n) realised his knuckles were bleeding, and the mirror in front of him had broken.

“…Get out.”

“But Your Grace-!” “I said GET OUT!”

-

Not long after, Daisuke had arrived and that was how the whole commotion happened. Currently, they were alone, (m/n) sitting against a wall and Daisuke holding his bloody hand gently in his. He made sure there were no specks of glass in his knuckles.

The (h/c) had told him everything that happened at the party, except the aftermath, he didn’t confide of his troubling feelings regarding the prince.

“Who?” That was his first question uttered to the consort. “Who were they?” His voice bristled with anger, his composure gone with a gaze that was demanding an explanation from the consort, one that (m/n) didn’t return.

The words hung heavy in the air, laced with conflict. “…I don’t want to think about it any longer.” “(m/n), you need to tell-“ “I need to cool off…I need to think to myself.”

Daisuke’s expression slumped into a deep frown. The consort seemed so fragile, as if he could break at any moment. “I’ll-“ “By myself…I need to recollect myself.”

It seemed at the moment (m/n) finally registered the pain in his hand, causing him to wince in agony. As Daisuke gently held his wrist, taking out the cloth from his pockets to wrap around the wound. “If you let a doctor tend to your wounds, I’ll leave you for the day.” He gently kissed the now-wrapped hand. “But I’ll come to see you in the night.”

(m/n) stared at him for a moment, a blank look in his eyes before muttering. “Do what you like.”

And so, the sequence of events unfolded. A healer came to tend to the consort, maids came in to clean up the aftermath and Daisuke left. His gaze fixated at the closing door, but it wasn’t returned, (m/n)’s eyes downwards as he shut the tall doors in the prince’s face. Daisuke lingered for a moment before taking his leave. He requested Ivan to find the list of attendees of the countess’ party and asked him to send a mail to personally request for an audience with the Earl and his wife.

He wasn’t sure what to do. Politicians harassing his husband was the last thing he anticipated, he had let his guard down for too long. Being around (m/n) really made him feel like he had stepped into the heavens and he hadn’t noticed the sinking (h/c) that was descending into what seemed like hell for his husband.

When he stepped into the bath, he stared at the murky waters, and a hazy version of himself stared back. Me with another? He couldn’t possibly fathom the thought or imagine himself being with another. Be it a man or a woman. The second he had shared a bed with his consort, the ideal love story that had envisioned his mind as a kid had been scrapped.

“Fairytale…” Daisuke tried to pull a foggy memory from the back of his head.

(m/n) had mentioned it a few times. Had he been offended back then? It was just a passing comment. Why would the consort care as so, even he himself hadn’t declared any type of romance intentions to the prince-

Romance…The thought sent heat creeping up his neck, as opposed to the chilly water surrounding his body. Glancing at himself in a mirror, he found his face to be completely flushed, rosy hues decorating his pale cheeks. He didn’t even notice when his expression had changed into one of embarrassment. The prince felt bashful for a moment as he cupped his face with his palms sighing into them.

The prince's mind was consumed with thoughts of the consort— the joyful moments spent basking in his smile, his contagious laughter, and his endearing bratty mannerisms. Yet, the most heart-wrenching moments were those filled with sadness, when he witnessed the consort's tears and heard his anguished cries, or when the consort had pushed him away.

Daisuke’s soft cheeks filled the crevices of his rough tattered palms. His upper lashes fluttering, catching small droplets of water.

He was in love. In love with (m/n) (l/n).

And in that very moment, Daisuke realised that the (h/c) was no longer a mere consort he was forcefully wedded to, instead he was his husband, a man he had come to yearn, to love for.

Daisuke made his way to the Emerald Palace again that night. He was dressed more casually, in a long white creamy robe and his mind was free from heavy thoughts as he dismissed his escorts and knocked on the door. He half-expected his husband to lock him out for the rest of the night but to his surprise, the door was pulled slightly ajar just after his third knock.

Footsteps left the door, and he heard shuffles on the bed. He pushed the door open and shut it behind him and upon entering, he found that all of the curtains were closed and the only source of light was from the lit candle on the dresser. On the bed, (m/n) was laying on his side facing away from him. Daisuke silently went to the edge of the bed and climbed over to him. Shifting the blankets under him, he laid and curled himself into (m/n)’s back, wrapping his arm around his husband’s midsection, spooning him from behind.

Seeing the (h/c) was quiet, the prince remained silent as well, rubbing his thumb into (m/n)’s sleepwear before muttering.

“Regarding the fairytale…I never meant for it to represent my desire, my desire of which I want it to come to life..”

“…”

The response from (m/n) was a deafening silence, Daisuke continued.

“I didn’t…plan nor hope for any of it to actually happen. My father, he didn’t have the best relationship with the previous Empress, and I wish for my marriage to be different, to be ideal.” The ravenette thought of his mother that now only existed as a passing thought.

“But I never expected for us to happen. A marriage of convenience. At first, all I wished for was peace with my suitor. But the more I got to know you,” He kissed the shell of (m/n)’s ear.

“I’m happy you were my spouse. And I don’t care about some plot anymore. All I want is you.”

“…you don’t…don’t tell me this…”

(m/n)’s voice was strained and raw. Had he been crying again?

“I don’t want to know…I don’t want to care anymore…”

Daisuke nuzzled his hair with his nose, breathing in the scent of lavender present in his strands. “Why are you so scared?” He whispered softly.

“I’m not scared, I’m being realistic.” (m/n) seemed defiant, hinted with a twinge of shakiness.

“You are. I won’t look at anyone else. Yet you still fret.”

“I keep pushing you away. I’m a selfish man. I’m destructive and you know it.”

His tone sounded dead, like he was tired of it all. The prince’s grip on his husband was firm.

“Even if you are, we’ll persevere. We can work through it.”

“We won’t. You will give up on me. You will forget me.”

His dark eyebrows furrowed, nuzzling more into (m/n)’s nape, frowning at the indication.

“Now why would you even consider that happening…”

There was no universe where he would even think of abandoning him yet (m/n) kept dwelling on the possibility-

“Because that’s what I did to all the others.”

Daisuke became quiet as a heavy silence descended upon the room. His tongue wouldn’t move. The prince was at a loss of words. With that, (m/n) let out a pained sigh as he continued.

“My past lovers…I got bored and left. What if karma comes back to punish me?”

“…It won’t. Not through me.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you.”

The (h/c)’s body went rigid in his hold as the prince took a deep breath, his hands now clammy, growing damp with a nervous sweat.

With a tremulous voice, Daisuke confessed. “I’ve come to realised that I have loved you. For some time now.” He noticed his voice was shaky, and the consort was holding in his breath.

 “I have feelings for you. Ones that…I’ve never felt for and unlike any other. And ones that I want to keep. So please… don’t drive yourself to sickness over me…” His hold tightened around the consort, a silent plea. “I won’t leave us. Not now. Not ever.”

The tension was high in the room, the air taut with an undercurrent of unease, even in the comfort of their bedding. Daisuke buried his face into his husband’s shoulder, his heart racing, waiting anxiously for (m/n)'s response to his confession.

“…okay.” And that was all he received before it became silent again. A sense of worry lingered in his heart but he forced himself to sleep, not achieving a conclusion for the night.

But he would find himself awakened to an empty bed tomorrow once more.

-

The prince stared at the empty spot beside him, with hazy eyes as he rubbed his face with a twinge of annoyance. He ought to lock his husband up if this keeps occurring. He got off the bed and snagged a maroon robe on, a white undershirt and black pants with some casual boots as he exited the chambers to find the (h/c).

Daisuke asked the knights stationed outside where the consort was, and they reported that he went to get some air, accompanied by his own sets of guards somewhere in the courtyard and that’s where Daisuke went.

As his feet led his steps, the heels clacking against the painted concrete, he thought of what to say, how to coax his husband. In his mind there were many things circulating as well, the West Emperor, the Countess’ party, (m/n)’s past lovers…Fuck. He’s already feeling jealous at the mention of an ex-lover.

But now, his marriage is on the rocks. And he would do anything to save his relationship. For the (h/c), for him and for the both of them. He found a pair of paladins, watching over a scenery and he went up to them, asking where the (h/c) is.

They point to where (m/n) is and he sees a lone figure staring into the distance, in the midst of a green field. He steeled his heart for the ultimatum of their marriage.

-

(m/n) stared at the green open scenery, his arms folded with only a moss green blanket over his shoulders with his previous sleepwear. Despite the tranquil expression on his face, his mind had a storm. And the storm was filled with memories of his life.

The second born of the dukedom. He was raised with the knowledge that he would never inherit the House of (l/n), especially from his relatives. Compared to his older brother, he grew up with spite although his parents showered him with presents and love, he was never satisfied, knowing that he'd never achieve the title of a Duke.

But he was a smart kid, so he studied people, studied psychology, how to manipulate, how to act. So he could use those around him for his own advantage. He used his parents, he used his brother, and it didn't help he developed his own charm so he had lovers, especially those rich ones with the promise of marriage and his unconditional love but all was empty.

As soon as the well was sucked dry, he left, letting them grovel at his feet, begging for him to return but he didn't spare a glance. (m/n) was having fun for himself, although he would get reprimanded by his brother once or twice but a slap on his wrist and he was already on his way to ruin someone else's life.

Deep down inside, he knew what he was doing was terrible, that no one deserved the kind of treatment he was giving, especially seeing those enchanted eyes that were bewitched by him. But he justified himself, saying that he did what he wanted because he had no other prospects due to his heritage, due to his circumstances.

And the one he hated the most...(m/n) never got close to the West crown prince. They had merely chatted once or twice but that was all it took for the Emperor to rain hell against him. His parents had backed him, his father who was still the Grand Duke and that seemed to put him off but alas, the news of his hand in marriage sold to the East for the promise of peace between the kingdoms.

(m/n) felt dread when he received the news, especially when he found out that his family couldn't even accompany his departure to his wedding, mostly hooked up with missions that all linked back to the royals and he knew that old scumbag was against him.

So he went, fooling with a few people before entering into a foreign world, an unpredictable marriage with a foreign prince. He could only bring a couple of maids and footmen that volunteered to journey along with him to the East and truthfully, that made him feel sick. Homesick.

He missed the safety of his home, the comfort of his parents and even the harsh but gentle reprimandings of his brother. They were what had been grounding him all his life.

So he acted out and so many things had happened and he got to know the prince. Was claimed by him viciously in a way that he lewdly enjoyed and for a moment he thought maybe he could have an actual life in the East- until the prince mentioned his stupid fairytale. What Daisuke couldn't experience. Love? Is he not enough?

Then, he realised what his past lovers had said and it seemed that he was in that feeble position he had spat at long ago. The thought of another consort in Daisuke's harem made him sick. So he pushed his feelings deep down, thinking that there would only be pain and disappointment if he were to bring them to light.

Now that Daisuke...his husband had confessed to him in the cold night, he didn't know what to say. How to even act. How to respond. But there was a sliver of thought that the prince didn't deserve this. Didn't deserve him.

But he wanted to cry if Daisuke would find someone else instead, to spend their time together, to sleep in the same bed. (m/n) should be the only one to do so, not anyone else no matter how many people demanded for an heir but he understood the responsibilities of a crown prince but he just couldn't bear the thought of-

"Fuck." He whimpered. It almost seemed impossible but he had fallen for the prince too.

But he couldn't. He shouldn't. He would only drive the prince to despair. He was a bitch to deal with, his mood swings, his temperament, his attitude.

He heard the shuffles of grass, light footsteps behind him. The (h/c) turned around to see the last person he wanted to see, Daisuke walking to him, (m/n)'s robe he had adorned flowing behind him. The cool sun and the morning fog almost made it seem romantic, he always had handsome features befitting of a prince.

Even with despair in his mind, he still found time to admire the prince. When Daisuke stopped in his tracks, they both stood facing each other, (m/n) being quiet and pulling the blanket in closer.

Daisuke was the first to speak.

"I woke up alone. Again." His tone seemed disappointed? Mundane. (m/n) wasn't sure. "I think at this point, I should be the one afraid of being abandoned."

If it had been any normal situation, the (h/c) would think the prince was being cheeky. But even the gardeners knew they were both tense at the moment.

"I needed some air. I brought the guards with me."

"Could've woken me up. I would've accompanied you."

He shook his head. "It'd be a bother." "It wouldn't."

Daisuke was quick to cut his sentence. "I wouldn't mind. I would have enjoyed spending time with you." "Stop pushing this matter."

"What matters? So you admit that there's something wrong with you?" His voice was raising and (m/n) felt mad at the moment. "Your Highness, don't do this to me now!"

"What? I can't call out your bullshit? You're so stubborn when it comes to compromising-" "For fuck's sake, it's still morning, even the fog hasn't gone away and we're already fighting! I don't understand why you think we'd be a good match!"

(m/n) felt his own voice shouting as well, garnering looks from the working servants.

"Of course we're going to fight! It's okay that we fight! Fighting is not necessarily a bad thing. That's just how we sort things out-" "You know I'm the reason we fight most of the time. Hell, I even disrespect you, the crown prince out of all people, yet YOU CALL ME STUBBORN BUT YOU'RE STILL WITH ME-"

"YES! I AM STUBBORN TOO! I call you out when you're being a fucking jackass and you come lashing back at me with a four-second recoil. We're hard to work with. So what?! We'll solve this. I want this and I want you-"

"You do not want me." (m/n) seethed, frustrated with Daisuke who was wiping his face with his hands, equally upset.

"I do. I want you."

"Nobody wants me." The (h/c) shook his head, keeping himself in denial. "Not like you."

Daisuke frowned. He pointed to (m/n), trudging closer to him. "I do. I crave for you. My body is a drought without you- not even the richest of waters can quench this thirst, my heart yearns no one else but you." The prince seemed desperate, desperate to get his message across (m/n)'s thick skull who couldn't fathom that someone could love him this much.

"You shouldn’t want that, you’re the prince for heaven’s sake- this is NOT RIGHT FOR YOU-!"

"And who are you to tell me what is right for me? Ever since you came here all you did was go against me and I persevered! I put up with your bullshit because that’s how much I fucking love you!"

"You do NOT LOVE ME! STOP TELLING YOURSELF THAT-"

"I DO!!" Daisuke screamed at him, something that even (m/n) thought he would never do, rendering him eye-wide and speechless. The prince continued his yelling.

"NOT EVEN THE ANGELS THEMSELVES CAN SING HATRED INTO MY HEART! NOT EVEN THE DAMNATION OF THE EARTH CAN SHATTER THE HOLD YOU HAVE ON MY MIND! I CONSTANTLY THINK OF YOU! YOU ARE A DISEASE TO MY LIFE! A DISEASE I DO NOT WANT TO BE CURED FROM! If I had to be a sick man to dedicate myself to loving you for the rest of my life then SO BE IT!"

(m/n)'s breath was stolen away, stolen by the prince's declaration. His passion for him, out of all people and Daisuke was heaving, his face almost turning red from his long exclamation in one single breath.

"I don’t understand…how can you…how can you proclaim such a thing for me…I don’t deserve this. This happiness. It sickens me. I don’t deserve you." Tears fell from his eyes unknowingly, he sobbed into his hand, confused on how could someone love him this much.

Strong arms wrapped around his figure, Daisuke hugging him and gently touching their foreheads together to comfort themselves. (m/n) was pushing him away again. "We can't...we shouldn't..." He mumbled through his cries.

He might be the most stubborn man Daisuke had ever met and he had enough of his crap.

(m/n) choked when Daisuke tugged his collar, pulling it up and shoving the (h/c) away. The prince glared at him through glassy eyes. "…if you despise me so much then push me away again. I shall leave."

The (h/c) shook his head fervently. "...I can't. I can't possibly-"

"I'm giving you a choice, Lord (l/n)." The use of his last name made (m/n)'s heart drop as he looked at Daisuke, his expression helpless. "A choice to choose between us…or you. If u oh so desire to not be loved by anyone, then say it again."

"Please don't...don't make me-"

"It shouldn't be hard for you. You always knew what you wanted." (m/n) was heartbroken as a tear dropped down Daisuke's cheek.

"And I know who I long for."

The (h/c) couldn't speak, only stammers and cries escaping his throat, his hands clawing at Daisuke's sleeve, begging him to not make him choose. He couldn't make Daisuke suffer, not after what he did, his past sins were haunting him at night, terrified that karma would murder him in his sleep.

But at the same time he wanted to be selfish. He wanted to keep the prince all to himself. He didn't want any other woman to be able to embrace Daisuke like how he would on their passionate nights. Undeniably, he yearned for his husband's touch no matter how much he repressed his feelings.

"I want you...I...I want you, Daisuke."

Daisuke's grip was shaky as (m/n) cried out for him. "I don't want to see anyone else with you...I'm greedy. I want you for myself..." The prince pulled him into his hold, both of them falling to their knees as the prince freely let his tears flow from his eyes.

"I love you. I love you so much." Daisuke sobbed as he hugged his husband. (m/n) nodding and burying his face into the prince's shoulder. "I'm not an easy person to live with." His worry was still creeping in his mind.

"If I have to go to war with you everyday, then I'll fight until my last breath." The ravenette kissed his temple, thanking the heavens in his heart. "I'm no good for you…" A croaky remark came out of the consort.

"Then call me a madman because you are the first thing I want to see in every waking breath and the last thing I want to see with my dying one." He pulled (m/n) to face him, both of their expressions teary. "I love you, (m/n). Not even my father can change that."

Daisuke pulled his husband into a kiss and for the first time, (m/n) wholeheartedly accepted the kiss, his heart opening and slowly filled to the brim. His hands grasped at the prince's back, desperate for comfort as Daisuke deepened the kiss.

Fuck, he actually felt happy at the moment.

They spent their time clinging onto each other, (m/n) crying apologies at the prince, Daisuke muffling his own tears as they laid together in the field. In his heart, he was glad, a burden lifted off his shoulders, that the consort finally opened his heart to him regardless of his constant objections. He was so happy he got to keep his lover with him

-

"What the fuck..." One of the guards that was watching over them sobbed into his gloved palm. "Our prince...I didn't even know..." The other man elbowed him in his side, he was hiding his own tears as well. "I told you not to fucking *sobs* look, you bastard."

-

Things were mostly peaceful after the confession. (m/n) resided mostly in his chambers, his hand was healing and he was getting lots of rest from his mania the other day. Daisuke often visits him, sleeping in his bed with him, his father even sent a get-well-soon bouquet and the consort felt embarrassed about the whole shenanigan.

He didn't want to think about those stupid politicians. Just the thought of them makes his blood boil despite Daisuke's pestered to spill their identities so he could 'do something'.

He received a letter from the Earl's wife, an apology from her guests' behalf for his upsetting and invited him for tea for reconciliation.

(m/n) didn't reply, but he suspected she would be coming to the ball tonight. A ball held in the Grand Palace, for a holiday occasion. One where (m/n) wasn't planning to go.

He rejected the idea, not interested in meeting the public again or for another stupid social event. Although Daisuke asked him over and over to come to the ball since he had to attend, he refused nonetheless.

So here he was, standing in the balcony of his room, staring at the lights lit up and the multitudes of horses and carriages surrounding the entrance of the Grand Palace. He wondered if Daisuke would be dancing with someone else at the ball.

He randomly glanced to the left, the far left of the side of the Emerald Palace, where the woods meet the edge of the property and he saw a glint. It was like a glint of metal, a sword maybe? He squinted his eyes to see random movement and there was uneasiness in his heart as closed his balcony doors, sliding into his duvet

Maybe it was the guards patrolling the area, although he knew most of them were stationed at the ball since gatherings of high society required more security.

Something was odd.

He pulled the door ajar, to call for a maid but immediately closed it back once he saw an unknown man dragging a body of an unconscious maid. More came flooding in the hall opening the rooms, all dressed in black carrying swords and he knew his life was in danger.

It was either an ambush or a kidnapping.

This wasn't a peculiar situation to him, he was the son of a duke, there were numerous attempts of kidnapping since he was young for ransom from his rich family. He understood the position of a consort made him a bigger target.

He locked his doors, threw the balcony doors open, grabbed a dagger from his bedside table and slid under his bed to hide. The dukedom had trained him since he was little, how to hide from kidnappers. His fighting skills may have been rusty, but it should hold until the other knights arrive nonetheless.

There were hush yelling outside until his door was kicked open. Three men came flooding into his room and they cursed when they saw the open balcony.

"He's escaped. Target's not in his palace." "Get the ground men to search for the courtyard. He couldn't have gotten far. Kill on sight."

Fuck, it was an ambush. To take his life. He held his breath under his bed as footsteps left his room, until one retracted and stepped towards his closet.

This one is slightly smart. (m/n) thought as his beautiful closet was pulled open roughly by the ruffian. He readied his dagger and stabbed him by the Achilles' heel once he kneeled to check under the bed.

(m/n) rolled out of his hiding spot and kicked the screaming man in his throat, knocking him back onto the closet, rendering him unconscious.

He quickly gathered his bearings as he gripped the bloodied dagger, leaving his room for safety. The consort trudged down the halls and cursed at himself once another assailant spotted him, yelling for his other accomplices as (m/n) ran for his life.

He ran past a few familiar faces, his maids and servants, even his knights were all unconscious and (m/n) rolled his eyes at their hapless circumstances.

He wanted to run down the stairs but eventually clambered up instead when more assailants were coming up. He heard yelling for backup, looks like some of his knights were finally coming to their senses and there were clashing of swords between the paladins and the ambushers.

(m/n) ran down another hall, attempting to exit through the West Wing but he was tackled by an assailant, knocking the wind out of his chest. He punched and kicked the unknown masked man, the man retaliating and swinging his sword to his face but (m/n) barely dodged it, his cheek now bleeding.

He stabbed the dagger deep into neck after a few more punches and the man fell to the floor, choking on his own blood. The consort hissed in pain, his side bruised from the jabbing of a hilt and he hoped reinforcements would just come already but he faltered seeing more assailants at the end of the hall, running to him.

He did the next best thing.

The shattering of a window cut through the air and (m/n) jumped out of the third floor.

His target was the large trees surrounding the palace but his grip faltered and he fell, landing on branch after branch, grunting and cursing after every hit until he fell to the dirt floor in an awkward position.

He huffed, taking in breaths as he hoped the assailants wouldn't find him in the deep shrubbery he had landed in. (m/n) was too tired to get up to find his guards. They should be the one looking for him, not the other way around so he just laid there in the bush like a lazy twat.

(m/n) wondered what Daisuke was doing. That even if he cared that he was in this dangerous predicament. It was him who didn't want to go to the ball, leaving himself vulnerable.

He sighed, not wanting to scramble his thoughts any longer as he ignored the throbbing pain down his leg. Was something broken?

He took a peek and swore to not look down again. He swore something was poking out of his leg. And at that moment, horns were heard and reinforcements finally arrived. (m/n) sighing in relief.

"Fucking finally-" "KILL THEM ALL!!"

His mouth dropped at the familiar voice. In the distance was Daisuke, in his still lavish suit, fresh from the ball, drawing his sword with a face full of fury and a barrage of knights behind him. (m/n) forgot that the prince had been a commander at one point, as per his wedding suit.

"SLAUGHTER EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! THERE WILL BE NO SURVIVORS SPARED UNTIL THE CONSORT IS FOUND! FIND MY HUSBAND ALIVE OR I'M TAKING YOUR HEADS INSTEAD!!"

(m/n) wanted to giggle, because how down bad was the prince to murder the assailants and the knights if he was found dead. The paladins seemed to be pumped as they stormed the Emerald Palace, joining their brothers in the fight and bringing the staff to safety, all in the search of him and he could hear Daisuke screaming his name.

He rolled his eyes as he fumbled for a stone and threw at one of the guards running by, hitting their back plate. "What the-! THE CONSORT!! We found the consort!"

The guard immediately went to him, opting to pull him out of the shrubbery under the trees next to the entrances, how (m/n) was so close to victory, but he hesitated once he saw the consort's leg.

"I don't want to know." (m/n) deadpanned. He still hadn't fully embraced the pain from the adrenaline and he's not in the mood right now. Just in time, Daisuke had arrived at his location, scrambling off his horse and onto his knees, hugging him and spilling tears.

"Thank heavens, you're safe! Are you injured? Are you hurt anywh- OH MY FUCKING GOD?!!!" He grabbed a potion from one of the emergency medics behind him, it seemed that a lot of the guards had surrounded him, some out of curiosity on how the hell the consort ended down there and some were detaining the assailants.

Daisuke urged him to drink the small bottle, apparently as an anaesthetic because the injury was that bad but again he didn't want to know the severity of it.

Him and two other knights carefully lifted up the consort, laying him in an open carriage as Daisuke handed his husband over to his personal knight. "Bring him to the royal infirmary. Now." The knight nodded and sat on the horse, carrying the injured (h/c) to safety.

It seemed Daisuke wanted to deal with the rest of the assailants himself.

"Your Grace, you seem oddly calm. Your bone is sticking out-" "I don't want to fucking know, bro."

-

(m/n) was sulking, throwing a tantrum as he yelled for the guards to let him pass. It had been a few days since his attempted assassination and he was placed on house arrest or more specifically bed rest since he broke his leg, had a few bruises and the obvious bandage on his cheek.

Well, it wasn't his room he was staying in, instead he was confined to Daisuke's room. The man had gone berserk, catching all the assailants which were shockingly around forty men which was suspicious amount just for the murder of one consort.

He was furious and didn't even let (m/n) voice his thoughts of staying elsewhere as he locked the (h/c) inside his room. The consort couldn't do much, his left leg was in a cast from his ankle up to his knee. (m/n) was annoyed and frankly upset that he had to be placed in a protective lockdown just because someone wanted him dead.

Other than that, he thought he looked like a total loser using crutches because his arm strength was not the best, he’d be stumbling over himself half the time. So he opted for a wheelchair instead. He almost puked seeing the standard boring hospital wheelchair and Daisuke bought him a golden one instead. "It will do." He huffed as his personal maid pushed him down the halls after finally arguing and winning against the paladin to let him get some fresh air.

That came at a price of five knights surrounding him and his maid. All of them were talking military slangs so he was annoyed when they mentioned 'baby eagle has left the nest' but it seemed pretty obvious that they were his guard dogs.

"Don't fret, Your Grace. All will be fine soon." His maid consoled him, pitying at his annoyed state. "These idiots are blocking my view...and this cast is UGLY!" They were outside, (m/n) breathing a sigh of relief, finally escaping containment, still surrounded by knights however.

"And where the hell is the prince??" (m/n) hadn't seen his husband for the past two nights despite him practically living in his chambers. What the hell was he up to now?

-

Screaming echoed against the moist stone walls, a dimly lit prison with a sconce mounted onto a wall. There was a severely injured man, strapped to a wooden chair with belts around his wrists, ankles and waist. Most of his fingernails were ripped out, a bloody wrench was very effective, the beholder stared down at the impaired prisoner, his guards standing behind him menacingly.

Daisuke spoke, his voice low and commanding. “I’ll ask again. Who is your client?”

“I don’t know!” He sobbed out, tears and snot coated his face along with the occasional blood. “We only received a photo and a fuck ton of money- my men have no idea who employed us!”

The prince had been in the dungeons for a few days, slowly killing the remainder of the infiltrators who dared to step foot into the Emerald Palace, especially the ones who laid hands on his husband. He used a number of tools, screwdriver, wrench, a hammer, even a scalpel and once he found out who was the ringleader, he didn’t hesitate to rid the useless ones.

“How much did that bastard pay you?” “I can’t just- FUCK FUCK IT HURTS!!” One of the guards drove a heated steel rod into the gaping wound of his thigh, the ringleader cursing and screaming at the pain enveloping his body.

“It was five million- THE DOWN PAYMENT WAS FIVE MILLION STOP STOP!”

Daisuke gave it more thought, (m/n) was wanted dead, not kidnapped, someone paid a huge amount of money, enough to buy a palace, as down payment for his head. He racked his head, connecting more dots and gazed over the tattoo on the ringleader’s neck.

“A lion…you’re not from here, are you?”

The ringleader shook his head, wailing over the lack of feeling in his leg as Daisuke left the dungeon. “I’ll need to see a friend next week. Clear my schedule, Ivan.” His secretary who held in his retch, nodded as he walked beside him.

“Oh, and how’s (m/n) doing?” “Well, he’s outside right now. Strolling near the greenhouse.”

Ivan had received an update from one of the footmen spying on the consort, for safety purposes or Daisuke’s paranoia.

“…Let’s prepare a gift for him. Burn the dead ones. We have no need for them anymore.”

-

(m/n) was still sulking, strolling by the flowers in the wheelchair pushed by his loyal maid. The greenhouse was a beautiful place, often visited by the ladies of the kingdom just for the scenery itself. A big glass dome towering over the fauna that flourished and decorated the place. Endangered, foreign and unique floral bloomed in the gardens that were tended to by the gardeners. The (h/c) would often find peace just by being present in the greenhouse.

“All of you are dismissed.” He must have been daydreaming to just notice Daisuke had walked to them, shooing away his maid and the paladins, although they insisted they could tend to the consort but Daisuke denied it otherwise.

“How are you, my love?” Daisuke pushed his wheelchair, guiding him out of the greenhouse as (m/n) fidgeted with the thin blanket laid across his lap. “I’m fine. I feel fine, I think.” The prince chuckled, brushing his oddly stained fingers against his hair.

“I hope you’ll feel much better after I show you,” He coughed into his fist. “A little something that I made.” (m/n) could hear the teasing tone in his voice and he couldn’t guess what other present Daisuke had in store, considering that he had bought every single riche his kingdom had to offer for the (h/c).

“I’m excited.” He replied sarcastically. Daisuke laughed again and the (h/c) wondered if the prince had gone insane just by the amount of laughs he donned in the span of thirty seconds. “Allow me to…vent for a bit, husband. Monologue even.”

“Do as you like.” (m/n) sank into his seat, gazing at the landscape as they headed to the South Wing of the Grand Palace.

“…At the time of the ball, I felt quite lonely. The Earl came up to me, asking for you but of course I rejected his audience, for your recuperance. Many of the guests mentioned I looked like I was looking for something, someone perhaps…Even my father teased me, said I looked like a lost puppy.”

(m/n) snorted at the thought of Daisuke moping around in the ball, all elegant with his suit.

“I was so used to having you by my side…I couldn’t fathom the thought of you, not being around me. I felt unease…

So when your servant came running in, screaming that your palace had been ambushed…I felt dread and…anger.”

The path they were taking were cobblestones, far from the marble and concrete (m/n) was used to.

“Someone wanted you dead, (m/n).”

The (h/c) felt creeped out by this…side of Daisuke. He stopped fidgeting with his blanket.

“…But I’m not letting them have their way. I’m not letting them take you away from me, not when we have this…this love we harbour.

We’re here.”

They arrived at the barracks, for soldiers and knights of the kingdom. (m/n) never stepped foot here, he didn’t need to dirty his hands like the rest of them, Daisuke pushed his wheelchair into the courtyard that was far different from the ones in his properties.

The grounds were only soil, tattered and unkempt used for training but it was empty for this occasion. He was still scrutinizing the rest of the conditions before Daisuke leaned down next to his ear.

“Look up.”

A quiet gasp escaped his lips, his eyes wide as his palm went to cup his mouth in shock. Daisuke peered at his reaction before glaring back at the bodies before them

Three men were nailed high on a cross. Their stomachs slit open, crows pecking at their guts and entrails, pulling it and gnawing it down their throat.

(m/n) barely recognized a few of them, one was the one who almost caught him hiding under the bed, one was the one who had jabbed his ribs with the hilt of his sword and the middle one...he didn't recognise. He's even surprised at the fact that the other man survived his stabbing attempt.

The blood pouring down their torso was a glaring red. It seemed fresh.

"I left them alive for you. They deserved it." Daisuke whispered to (m/n). "One who entered your room. One who forced you to jump and the ringleader. I had them hung with their stomach torn apart to feed the crows. You should have seen them begging to be killed."

The (h/c) glanced behind him to see the prince sweetly smiling down at him. "I'll protect you. This serves as a reminder to anyone that dares to harm you. I'll never let you get hurt again."

At that moment, any normal person would feel fear, their instincts screaming at them to run from the menacing uncanny danger that seemed to be the prince. But not him, not (m/n). For what was supposed to be terror was replaced with heat in his pants.

"Your Highness..." (m/n) mumbled. This proof of love Daisuke had bestowed upon him only heightened his sense of security, pushing insanity. "...Thank you." A gentle smile at his lipsa he caressed the hand on his shoulder.

A warmth enveloped his heart as he stared at his assailants, satisfied with their violent outcome.

-

"Urghh- urmm hnnmm Your Highness- mhmm! I haven't- We haven't done it in a while- ahn!" His mouth was cupped shut by the ravenette, Daisuke smirking as he stared down at the struggling (h/c). "Keep quiet, unless you'd like to get caught.

(m/n) nodded shamelessly, his weight shifted onto his good leg, Daisuke holding his waist in place. He was forced to stand up, pushed up a wall behind one of the many buildings in the palace, shielded from many eyes. His wheelchair kicked aside.

The (h/c) whimpered while rubbing their cocks together, both of them had unzipped their pants as (m/n) struggled to masturbate both of their dicks while maintaining balance on his stand.

"Grip it more. Then, clench your fingers- mmn! Thaaaat's it." Daisuke praised the consort, who was mewling into his hand covering his mouth, he bucked his hips more into the (h/c)'s hand, rubbing his tip against (m/n)'s.

(m/n)'s cries were muffled when he came, spurts of semen decorating both their cocks as Daisuke followed, moaning as he rutted up into his husband's hands.

The (h/c) went limp, crashing into Daisuke's chest as he whined for comfort, the prince cooing at him as he cleaned them both up, carrying him into his chambers.

-

"Huff, huff- ahnnn fuckk meee- mnhaa!"

(m/n) cried out when Daisuke came inside him again, his ass clenching around the prince's throbbing cock, his palms and knees digging into the bedsheets as his front crashed onto the bed, losing his composure.

His cast was weighing him down, tiring him more than usual but that didn't seem to stop Daisuke.

"One more time for me, love." He tapped his ass, pushing him onto his side as he pulled the (h/c) by his waist, slapping his crotch onto his ass. "I can't-" He hiccupped, a raw cry tearing from his throat. "I can't cum anymore...I'm too sensitive." He whined helplessly.

"Shh shh don't say that." Daisuke cooed at the (h/c), adjusting his cock, letting his til kiss (m/n)'s entrance. "Of course, you can. You can make me so happy just this once, right?"

(m/n) groggily propped himself on his elbows, whimpering at the pressing tip on his hole. "I'll buy you more jewellery. Have them made custom for you. You can have any gem you desire." The (h/c) moaned again when Daisuke slipped himself into his wet entrance.

It wasn't that he didn't dislike accepting gifts, but the fact that the prince offered like it was some sort of payment made him feel like a whore. And fuck that felt hot.

He melted more into the prince's touch, who was groping his chest, teasily trailing his hand up neck and gripped his throat. "You're practically an expert already, ain't ya'?"

(m/n) mewled, his drool seeping from his lips as he endured the lustful thrusts from the prince. Daisuke smirked, seeing (h/c) strands swishing every time he pounded into the consort as his grip tightened around (m/n)'s neck.

He pushed (m/n)'s good leg up more, bending it as he pushed his cock balls deep inside his husband who screamed at the stuffing of his ass. He knew he had come, watery cum decorating the sheets and his walls squeezing his wet cock.

Daisuke groaned lustfully as he emptied his sperm inside the consort once again as he dropped himself onto (m/n), making sure to avoid his bandaged leg.

The (h/c) was jittery, eyes glossy as he begged for aftercare from the prince who was more than happy to provide to the crying consort.

-

(m/n) admired the teardrop earrings which held the Artemis and Apollo Gem for each side on his ears. His maids behind him were also fawning over his growing collection of jewellery, courtesy of the crown prince.

"Get me my shoes." "Yes, Your Grace."

It had been some time and (m/n) could walk again. His cast removed and he finally returned to the Emerald Palace, sighing in relief. Daisuke sulked, asking if he didn't enjoy his time at the Grand Palace.

"You keep bedding me every night! How am I supposed to sleep?!" "But babe🥹."

That was the gist of their banter.

The prince himself had journeyed outside of the capital for a few days and he had sent a messenger beforehand telling him to prepare for another journey.

Apparently, in commemoration with his leg healing, Daisuke wanted to take (m/n) out of the Palaces for a vacation, more specifically finally using the long-awaited summerhouse. He also mentioned having another surprise for him, now with his recent one, (m/n) isn't sure what to expect the range of his presents. It could be the heart of his enemies or more designer shoes.

(m/n) embarked to the mansion first, accompanied by...a platoon of soldiers, per request of the crown prince. He even vented his frustrations to the emperor, the rare times where he would be in contact with Daisuke's old man. All he replied was with a drawing of a four-leaf clover.

The journey took three days, them staying in cabins and whatnot, he was even accompanied by Daisuke's secretary, Ivan and they bonded together with a deck of playing cards. As soon as he arrived at the estate, he whistled to himself in surprise.

Overall, he was satisfied with the lavish mansion, a huge lawn with floral decor, and a port for small cruising boats on the far side. With rows and rows of servants bowing on the sidelines.

Estate by the lake, fully furnished and a stampede of staff, just like he wanted. (m/n) thought he had to give Daisuke a good sucking that night until the prince's carriage had suddenly arrived, stopping beside his.

"Husband! I missed you!" Daisuke enveloped (m/n) with a bear hug, lifting him and spinning them around. "What a coincidence we arrived at the same time!" The prince gleamed.

"We arrived first, he was just waiting for you at the entrance for the whole day." Daisuke's personal knight deadpanned, not impressed with his prince. "Is that so?" (m/n) smirked, as he pinched the ravenette's cheek.

They spent their time together, (m/n) cruising around the mansion, commenting on the interior decor and Daisuke following behind him like an excited pup. The prince had to retire to a makeshift office with his secretary, private matters that even (m/n) couldn't join and he rolled his eyes and went to the master bedroom for that matter.

It was almost midnight and Daisuke still was in his office until (m/n) decided to put the lake to good use.

He sneaked out to the harbor, soothed his eyes with the calming water and stripped himself bare. He dipped his feet first, testing the temperature before fully submerging himself in the body of water, enjoying the cooling sensation.

(m/n) dived under, swimming through the ripples of water, gently rocking against his limbs as he swam further to the middle. He resurfaced and gasped, taking breaths as he swiped his hair back.

The (h/c) looked to the harbor and noticed someone standing over them, he squinted his eyes and perked up when he noticed it was his husband. "Could've invited me." Daisuke smirked, pushing (m/n)'s clothes aside with his shoe as the consort swam to the port.

"Didn't want to bother you. Seem pretty busy these days." (m/n) huffed, still keeping himself floating in the inky water. Daisuke rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms together, not bother to hide his very obvious erection with the wet naked consort.

"And what if someone else catches you like this? Dearest, I might find myself green with envy." (m/n) grinned to himself, pride surging within him as he offered a hand to the prince. "Then, join me." He purred before teasingly swimming away.

The prince laughed as he took off his own clothes, not hesitating to gracefully dive into the lake. (m/n) looked behind him for the prince that was nowhere to be seen before he felt something pulling at his feet.

He yelled in shock before Daisuke resurfaced, laughing at him while (m/n) smacked his chest for scaring him. They played in the water together, splashing each other, casual swimming and they even held a contest to see who could last underwater the longest.

"Crap, that's unfair! You're trained for this!" (m/n) pulled Daisuke's black hair who was still holding his head underwater for more than four minutes already. The prince gasped for air as he pulled the embarrassed consort close.

"I don't stay in my room all day when I was a teen, Your Grace." He teased his husband while (m/n) mumbled something along the lines of 'Yeah, cuz' I was in someone else's room-' before Daisuke dragged him underwater again.

The water was relatively cool, calm under the luminous glow of the moon, with the exception of the couple laughing to themselves, making small waves until Daisuke trapped the (h/c) in his arms.

"I love you, (m/n)."

Daisuke confessed as he kissed the (h/c), slowly trailing his hand below the water. The consort moaned into his mouth when he felt his ass cupped, digging his fingernails into Daisuke's back.

(m/n) held onto the prince as he embraced Daisuke, letting him lick, bite and even suck all over his body, him returning the favor, mostly on Daisuke's chest.

They returned to the port, wet and with a limp in (m/n)'s step as they readied themselves for another day.

-

There was another reason why Daisuke invited (m/n) to take a vacation at the summerhouse. He revealed that he needed to meet a friend, a contact in the West, and since the summerhouse was at the borders, he figured that it would be a perfect opportunity for them to relax together.

(m/n) first questioned why Daisuke hadn't gone alone, as what he did for all his previous side missions until the prince slid him a letter. The (h/c) recognised the letter, he received a similar one before. It was an invite from one of the famous privileged.

Apparently, Daisuke's contact was famous for his ludicrous events, organised privately for high society which required a partner. Daisuke couldn't go alone, and instead of hiring someone else to be his lover, he opted that the (h/c) could have a little outing.

"It's not that revealing." (m/n) rolled his eyes as he spun around in his outfit, checking himself out in the mirrors. "Dear, look at my pants and tell me otherwise."

The (h/c) threw a shoe at him before they embarked for the party in a black carriage, one without a symbol.

(m/n) was dressed in a two-piece bedlah, his cropped top was a see-through maroon garment that covered only his chest and parts of his arms, pearls and beads decorating the garb. His lower half had a golden waist chain with two long fabrics covering his front and behind that had small gems dangling on his hips. He also donned on a shiny brown mask that curved downward at the front, resembling a hawk, its decor matched his jewellery and arm cuffs all over his figure.

Daisuke wore a dark navy cropped top, only covering his shoulders and arms, draped down to his sides, essentially giving a window to his abs and chest. His jewellery leaned to silver, chains cross his chest and a printed flare pants to style the rest of his lower half. A black and blue masquerade mask tied around his head, complimenting his own set of jewellery.

The venue wasn't far from the borders, it took a couple of hours, half of those time (m/n) spent by groping Daisuke's chest over and over until they reached the mansion. They were ushered inside by servants who had empty masks on into a room with large doors.

Daisuke handed the invite to one of the guards and they were let in and there was a reason why the doors were 4-inches thick. Immediately, the sounds of moaning, squelching, and whipping could be heard throughout the ball room.

It was a refurbished hall, with multitudes of furniture decorating the venue, beds, sofas alike with men and women climbing over each other with similar lavish masks.

The event that Daisuke's contact usually organised was orgies or gangbangs accompanied by drugs and alcohols. (m/n) himself received an invite but he ran out of the hall when lots of people wanted a turn on him.

The (h/c) clutched his pearl as he nudged closer to Daisuke who calmly walked to the middle of the pile, seeing his contact, the only one without a mask.

"Ah! My friend, he has arrived!" A man that seemed to be in his thirties, brown curly hair that reached his shoulders and baby blue eyes with woman cooing over him, one of them on her knees deepthroating his cock. He gave a hand to shake but Daisuke respectfully declined, not risking any diseases.

"Did you receive word from my messenger?" "Of course. A shy one, isn't he?" (m/n) didn't fully grasp the context of what they were conversing but he was surprised Daisuke was speaking his mother tongue, despite the obvious accent.

They continued talking to each other, (m/n) hugging Daisuke's arm as he gazed over someone getting tag-teamed and the abundant of breasts present in the dim room, only lit by the candelabras. Suddenly, Daisuke ushered him elsewhere while the previous man got up from the round bed and headed off elsewhere all in his naked glory.

"What happened?" "He went to retrieve a few things for me. It should take some time, so we ought to lay low until then."

Daisuke was a prince of a kingdom, it would be bad for their reputation if he was to be discovered here, albeit the non-disclosure agreement they had to sign. (m/n) wondered if there were any other royals here, kings or queens even, looking at an old burly man fucking into a lewd girl.

The prince grabbed an unopened bottle of alcohol and pulled (m/n) to sit on a sofa in the far corner. More discreet but still surrounded, nonetheless. "He will take his time, that man." Daisuke scoffed as he popped the bottle open. "You can lay down to relax." The prince patted on the spot next to him as (m/n) sighed and draped himself over Daisuke's lap who began drinking and playing with his hair.

"Did you ever went to one of these?" Daisuke questioned him. "No. Some of my friends invited me but I had the feeling I might run into one of my exes if I ever indulged myself. The last time I entered an orgy, they ripped off my mask so it wasn't exactly the most fun adventure I've had."

The prince hummed as he rubbed (m/n)'s bare thigh between the garbs, warming his hands as he took another swig. "What is this? It's strong but sweet."

The (h/c) plucked the bottle from his hands. "It's native to the West. Really nice brand, but it's forbidden for international export, some beef between the owners." Daisuke took the bottle back and chugged it again. "Fuck, it really melts on the tongue."

(m/n) frowned, seeing Daisuke drinking by himself. "Let me have a taste." The prince took another swig and placed the bottle on the table next to them, beside a lit candle, illuminating the side of Daisuke's face before he leaned down and grabbed (m/n)'s jaw still.

He tilted their heads, knocking their masks slightly together before he pushed (m/n)'s mouth open with his fingers letting the wine flowed down his tongue and into (m/n)'s mouth. The (h/c) choked, squirming in Daisuke's hold as he gulped down the mouth-to-mouth drink.

He coughed as he sat up, wiping his lips. "What the hell-" (m/n) patted his own chest. "You're bold today." Daisuke hummed, grabbing the bottle back. "I'm just in the mood, y'know."

(m/n) frowned, ignoring the lewd moans from behind him as he glanced at Daisuke's pants. "You're not thinking of...doing it here, are you?" The prince pursed his lips. "It wouldn't hurt to have some fun, would it?"

"What if we get caught? What if they see your face?" "They won't. We'll be careful. Everyone's sucking something in this hall." Daisuke grabbed (m/n)'s arm, urging him to sit in his lap as the (h/c) hesitantly climbed over, facing the heated prince.

"I don't know...it just feels uneasy? I'm not sure." (m/n) felt the burn in his stomach, curling in his crotch but he wasn't sure what to make of it. The wine tasted different.

"It's okay, baby. I'm here, aren't I? You're safe with me." Daisuke cooed at him, gently nipping at his bare shoulder, caressing his back. (m/n) grunted as he took the bottle of wine, reading the back of it.

He almost dropped the bottle when he felt Daisuke's erection brushed under him, (m/n) squirming and bucking his hips as the prince pulled him closer, grinding up against him.

"Fuck it." (m/n) downed the bottle, drinking three full gulps as he slammed it on the table, Daisuke cheering at his swig as the (h/c) leaned in to kiss his husband, making out with their tongues.

Their teeth clashed, gums rubbing together while (m/n) was swinging his hips, circling down on Daisuke's clothed cock. "You're so hot. Sexy little thing." The prince purred, his hand inching underneath (m/n)'s skirt as he ripped the (h/c)'s thin underwear.

(m/n) hissed in pain when Daisuke dipped a dry thumb into his hole, rubbing against his walls painfully. He gasped and moaned as the prince's other hands began to grip his ass, pulling at it, stretching his entrance.

He fell forward, his face buried into the crevice of Daisuke's neck who took the wine and dipped it all over his hand, using at as lube as he began to finger the consort.

"You're a bit tighter today than usual. Want my cock or fingers to loosen you up?" Daisuke blew a breath into (m/n)'s ear, two of his fingers stuffing his hole, stretching his rim. "F-Fingers first please." The (h/c) desperately loosen his skirt, pulling at the fabric to release his dripping cock, he was much more sensitive than he normally was.

Was it because they were in public? (m/n) drooled, seeing another man getting his mouth stuffed with two cocks but his attention was stolen by the prince who immediately shoved four fingers in when he noticed (m/n)'s eyes were straying.

"Eyes on me, sweetie. Don't make me mad. I wouldn't want to tear off all your clothes." Daisuke licked a stripe up his neck. "Unless you'd like that."

A shiver ran down the (h/c)'s spine as he unclipped his waist chain, letting the fabric fell into Daisuke's lip. The prince rubbing his digits into (m/n)'s walls, loosening his ass as he rutted his hips up, grinding against his husband.

The ravenette bunched up the fabric, tearing it from the chain and wrapped it around (m/n)'s waist, barely covering his bottom. "If we're going to do it, I prefer if not many are able to see us." "Mmmnn ahn! Are you seriously trying to cover us up? You're the one who started this- ahngg!"

There was a pink flush on Daisuke's cheek, his lips smirking as he wrangled his ass to push him to the brink of pleasure, (m/n) squirting on Daisuke's abs as he almost fell behind, the prince grabbing his arms.

"I'd like to see you cum on my own terms, dearest." "Or what?" (m/n) scoffed. "You'll get jealous?" Daisuke smirked to himself as he kissed the (h/c). "I'll burn down this whole hall if I have to." "That's so fucking hot." (m/n) groaned into his mouth, pressing his wet tongue into Daisuke's.

The (h/c) pushed the prince back, forcing him to sink into the cushion behind him as he leaned into the prince's open chest. (m/n) pressed his tongue flat on his pec, dragging it upwards to the valley in between, watching Daisuke who stared down at him with bated breaths.

His mask was already tilting to the side, it was a bad idea to choose one with a beak. (m/n) kept biting on Daisuke's tits, sinking his teeth, hearing his gasps and moans. He sucked on the pale flesh, admiring the reddening skin as he licked and sucked on his nipple next.

Daisuke bucked his hips up into (m/n)'s bottom as he clumsily pushed his pants down, letting his dick flop out freely, leaking precum. The (h/c) was too busy sucking on his chest, marking his man while Daisuke grabbed his waist, forcing him to sit on his cock.

"Mmnn-" He pulled off of the prince's breast with a pop. "Slowly, slowly..." He whined at Daisuke, sighing as he sank his hole, swallowing his hot dick in one push. (m/n) took his time, throwing his head back in fuzzy pleasure before Daisuke patted his thigh, urging him to move.

The consort took a deep breath before bringing his hips up and slammed himself down onto the prince's lap, yelping as he does so.

He adjusted himself on the sofa, feeling his legs shake as he bounced himself helplessly on the prince's cock. "Up and down, baby." Daisuke kissed his neck, sucking and pulling at the skin making (m/n) squirm and clench around his tip. "Yeah- mmnn! Just like that- anhh!" The prince moaned and licked into his ear as he came inside the consort, shooting ropes of sperm into his hole.

The (h/c) cupped his mouth, resisting the urge to scream as he quickly fucked himself on Daisuke, squeezing around his cock as tears brimmed at the corner of his eyes. "You're doing good." Daisuke cooed at him, rubbing his sides.

"Make a little noise for me, princess." (m/n) gasped as he came on the prince's dick. He had a few hiccups before crying out, Daisuke pinching his chest. "That's it, thaaaat's it." The prince dragged his words, praising the consort as (m/n) cried into his shoulder, whimpering why was he so sensitive at that moment.

He flinched when he felt someone touching him from behind. "Hey, can I have a turn? You have a beautiful man on you, I couldn’t help but be smitten." The man behind him purred, wanting to pull (m/n) before Daisuke swatted his hands away, hugging the (h/c) close to his chest.

"If you want to keep your hands, I suggest you back away." The prince seethed, glaring at him through the masquerade mask before the brunette from earlier came, diffusing the situation. "Hey hey, let's calm down here okay."

He turned to the unknown man. "Apologies but this couple is exclusive, I can have one of my peers entertain you instead." He shooed the stranger away before facing the pair. "Sorry about that. People here don't exactly have manners."

He handed a scroll tied with a felt rope to Daisuke, who took it silently, still holding (m/n) close. "It's all the info you need. I'll be expecting the payment by the day after tomorrow." The prince moved to leave but the brunette stopped him.

"Don't bother, stay here as long as you'd like. We all need to let loose sometimes, y'know." He winked at Daisuke before running off to a girl wearing a kinky BDSM garter. The prince scoffed, examining the scroll before his attention was stolen by the (h/c).

"Princey..." He whined. "I'm still- mnn! I'm still leaking..." (m/n) cried, tears running down his cheeks, his cock still dripping precum, an abnormal amount as Daisuke licked his tears.

"We'll do it as much as you'd like, my love."

The prince recklessly dropped the scroll, letting it roll underneath the sofa as he bent the consort over on the couch, slipping his cock back inside the mewling (h/c).

Time seemed to be a fleeting moment and by the end of it, (m/n) found himself full, his ass leaking, and his stomach painted with semen, a strand connected from his flaccid tip to his stained skin.

His body was marked with teeth indents, some were bleeding, the prince was heaving over him. Daisuke's chest was mostly red, with hickey littering his skin and his pants had been long gone.

It took them five hours to recollect themselves, (m/n) gaining consciousness as he realised Daisuke was still rutting into him mindlessly. He had to slap him sober so they would leave, thankfully there was a section provided to clean up themselves with spare clothes, with payment of course. The two finally left the building with the scroll in hand.

"The wine there was fucking laced! How the hell did you fall into their trap so fast?! That's how people kept coming back!" In a fit of anger, (m/n) scolded the bashful prince who was the one to drink the spiked wine.

"...It hadn't been opened yet..." Daisuke mumbled, a pout on his lips, despite that he had no regrets having sex around others.

Apparently, the supplier of the wine had them custom-brewed, infused with aphrodisiac so people would return to the orgy, a harmful yet successful tactic.

Both of them had returned to their chambers and slept for eight hours and when the (h/c) had woken up, Daisuke was still drooling on his pillow, his body slack in his sleep. (m/n) rolled his eyes and was about to leave the bed to get himself some tidbits but noticed the paper untied on the bedside next to Daisuke.

The reason of why Daisuke had reached out to his 'friend' remained unknown in his mind, curiosity got the better off him as he reached for the scroll and read through its contacts.

It was a long list of people, brokers, clients and at the top of the list were mercenaries with the symbol of a lion. (m/n) hesitated to read the rest of the contents he rolled the paper back up. It was clear that Daisuke was investigating on the motive of the ambush the (h/c) had endured and seeing the remains of those mercenaries, (m/n) knew it was going to be bloody.

Dirty jobs aren't for people like him so (m/n) essentially just minded his own business and let his husband do as he wishes. By the time he had returned to the bedroom, the scroll was nowhere to be seen with Daisuke perching on the bed, happy that he had brought some snacks.

A few more days passed by peacefully and Daisuke finally revealed his surprise. The image of the (h/c)'s family had long appeared on his mind, and he certainly broke down in his mother's arms when his parents and his older brother appeared in the lobby of their mansion.

The prince had arranged an invite for the Dukedom after Daisuke had found out that the reason (m/n) wanted the summerhouse to be located near the borders was so that his family didn't have to travel far to the East Palace to visit him.

(m/n) whined to his parents about how cruel Daisuke had treated him and his brother saw right through his lies, pinching at his cheeks while Daisuke and his father was chatting by the sidelines.

The consort considered this to be one of the most memorable gifts Daisuke had presented to him, waving goodbye to his family after a two-day stay and they decided to spend their last night of their vacation out on the harbor by the lake.

"So, were you able to get all that you needed from your broker friend?" Amidst the glistening waves of the lake, the moonlight was more than enough to reflect light in their eyes, a small picnic with some tidbits in a basket. (m/n) popped a few grapes into his mouth as Daisuke began prepping his self-made sandwich.

"I was. He was more than helpful, more honest after a few bags of gold. But he is a reasonable man." The prince swiped the condiments onto his bread with a butter knife, (m/n) rolling his eyes at his reply. "He conducts orgies, Your Highness. How is that reasonable?" "Everyone's nasty down there one way or another."

A noise of disgust escaped his throat, (m/n) gagging on the thought of going back there again as he stole the sandwich Daisuke made. "Hey, that's mine." The (h/c) took a bite before Daisuke could retrieve it back. "Mediocre at best."

"I'm not your chef, you twat." Laughter could be heard from the couple, both of them eating from the same plate since (m/n) was too lazy to lift a finger and he positioned himself to sit in front of Daisuke, folding his legs as he leaned back into Daisuke's chest, both of them gazing at the moon.

"Do you think it's flat?" "We are not having this conversation."

(m/n) snuggled in further, him holding out his hand to admire his wedding band. "I couldn't believe we are an actual couple now..." He whispered in a hushed voice. The prince looked down to him, his nose nudging against the (h/c)'s cheek.

"We're compatible. I can't imagine myself with any other." Daisuke mumbled, pecking at (m/n)'s cheek. The latter sighed, sinking further into the prince. "...How long do you think we'll last?" The (h/c) inquired curiously.

"When the sun decides to rain fire on us, even then I won't let you go." A chuckle from Daisuke, the consort feeling the rumble from his chest. A heavy confession hung from his heart, a fleeting beat that had the aftertaste of a sweet fruit.

Memories of the prince holding him flashed through his mind. Their adventures, their flashy affairs and their sour harmony in tandem. The (h/c) knew he had fallen for the prince. Once again, he gave up his pride, and it drained his denial. (m/n) fidgeted the end of his shirt as he pulled a loose string, snapping it from his garment.

"I love you."

The prince's eyes seemed to snap wide open, the breeze of the night soothing (m/n)'s growing heat in his cheeks, feeling bashful and flushed. Daisuke kissed his face, peppering them all over as he kissed his lips last.

"I love you as well."

(m/n) buried his face with his hands, shielding his embarrassed expression while the prince was too happy to even notice, showering his husband with affection. Their last night of their long vacation was spent together, holding in each other's arms by the harbor, as the two finally accepted their love for each other.

[END SCENE]

[unedited]

EXTRA CONTENT:

Shortly after their public jerking off with each other...

"Can you move it to the left? That's about right." Daisuke was present with contractors in the greenhouse, after their public rendezvous, the prince decided that they should have a more accessible place to rest.

The workers moved a circular frame, positioning it to Daisuke's desire. It was a foundation for a new furniture. "Yeah, yeah...can you make something of a bed? Or one of those really big cushions you can...rest on. That's definitely the word."

The prince grinned to himself, imagining (m/n) laying on the circular mattress sideways, with petals of roses surrounding the consort. He can't wait to fuck (m/n) on this thing.

It took a moment for him to realise the rest of them were staring at him, unimpressed expressions behind their polite smile. "I'll take my leave now- make sure its STURDY OKAY MANY THANKS!" He ran away as fast as he could, excited to give the news to the consort.

-

A deleted draft, after their argument/confession on the field...

(m/n) was pulled by his hand, Daisuke guiding him, their feet trudging through the green grass. The (h/c)'s face was puffy, wet from crying as he felt a weigh curling in his crotch.

Why is he dressed so fucking handsome...(m/n) gritted his teeth, staring at Daisuke's ass before he stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" The prince looked back, his eyes had bags underneath them, his sclera red from tears. (m/n) bit his bottom lip before effectively jumping on the prince, Daisuke barely managing to catch him in his arms as they fell to the ground.

"LOOK AWAY- LOOK AWAY I TELL YOU!!" The guards immediately faced the other way, red hues painted on their cheeks.

By the time (m/n) was done humping on top of Daisuke, he had soiled his pants, walking off with a relieved sigh as he left the breathless prince who was now rock hard.

"What about me??" "Take care of it yourself."

The prince gave chase, adamant to wrangle the consort who quickly sprinted away, the two laughing and running in the halls of the Emerald Palace.

-

Daisuke training...

"I don't get why I have to come here. It's smelly and for sweaty people-" (m/n)'s whinings were cut off when his eye caught the prince, swinging his swords against two knights in a training arena.

Daisuke was in a tight black shirt, his chest hugged by the fabric and (m/n) thought he should start a clothing line specifically for muscular men because damn some of them need a bra.

He bit his nails, seeing his thighs move as the prince quickly evaded the attack by a knight and jammed the wooden sword into his chest, knocking him down. He defeated the other guard in a breeze, the other soldiers clapping for the prince's victory.

(m/n) let out a quiet, deep humming, quickly taking the stairs down where Daisuke was exiting the arena.

"Oh, (m/n)! You're already here-" Immediately the prince was pulled into a corner, (m/n) dropping on his knees, pulling at his belt and grinding on his foot, begging to suck his dick right then and there.

Daisuke had his eyes popped out for a second before pulling the consort back to his feet. "Just a moment, dearest. Wouldn't want to give them a show." He purred, bringing the consort into one of the barracks, kissing the consort as he pushed him down to his knees.

[Afterthoughts]

Guess who’s the flat earther lmao. I never watched Bridgerton. I should do it one day. Arabic poems are great btw. The extras aren’t fully canon, it’s just sexy scenes I had contemplated on adding. I thought of adding Emperor Aurelius’ son for a scene but I didn’t want to because it would go too deep into the non-existent lore.

When Daisuke was yelling at reader how much he loves him, I resisted the urge to write “(m/n) was gagged.”

When I wrote the dialogue, I don’t intend to fully use formal or old English, never took a course for the language except for in high school and I wanted the fic to be more understandable for the readers cuz let’s face it, just get to the damn point, I don’t need a paragraph to know someone is sleeping in a dark room.

THIS FIC IS SO FUCKING SHIT IM AWARE so be nice to me thanks </3

I intentionally used a mix of modern English/slangs/ and formal ones because I had writer’s block recently so things aren’t going the best for me right now.

There's a fun easter egg around the ending, somewhere on the harbor so if anyone guessed it right, props to u!

HUGE shoutout to @jaythes1mp for helping me rewrite some of the parts, I felt so dumb yet so smarter now. And also HUGE shoutout to @kiiyoooo for reading and helping me correct some of the scenes. They didn’t beta read the whole fic, only one part of it (the emotional ones) and if u noticed the shifting quality stfu pls I cant do this rn tq!/srs im sorry

There was a problem with the formatting (i think i pasted it twice and had to manually remove them) so if there is repeating paragraphs, let me know thanks, ill check it properly tomorrow

Daisuke if (m/n) found his ex at the orgy:

(m/n) twice a day:

Taglist:

@tehyunnie @rainnyydaysworld @webwanderer @a-short-ass-disappointment @chikai-k @mello-life25 @miyuuuki @simpsations @sugar-p0p @kiiyoooo @helloanime @garlicforthewin @jaxyy219 @mikahrh @gayaristocrat @m4r13ll @pinxeajin @gyarukitti @syyyy4ever @pato-spoiler-27 @citrusequalsfrogs @animefan106sposts @bensontrechic @partywalker @gaynesspersonified @yanrandom @theorye @jentlesoldier @apotatoishereee @blepp0c @luciusclover @mazunzunne @basketbaal

Only prince daisuke:

@kingcomet

[blues824]

How about Female ubuyashiki in the remarried empress.

👩‍🦯A ill noble woman who is known for her heat of gold and motherly figure for most nobes they all call her mother in a respected manner.

🌸Her being there for navier when she is having difficulty with rattrash and sovieshit and calming her down even staying a couple of months in the eastern empire.

👩‍🦯How would everyone react to her slowly dying of her illness but she doesn't care about it she cares more about others than her health and always treats people with respect.

🌸imagine kosiar being her husband and how caring he is about his lovely wife and them already having children because they never know when she dies so her children whoud be there for kosiar when she passes away .

👩‍🦯The children don't have the same illness as their mother so they will have a normal life unlike their mother so kosiar whoud not have to worry about them dying before he does.

🌸How would everyone react to kosiar being a father of twins (spoilers navier get pregnant with twins later in the Nov ) and that the children are absolutely angels like the mother.

👩‍🦯Imagen the twin children of the female ubuyashiki and kosiar hanging around navier and them being more behaved than rattrash and them being loved by everyone.

🌸Imagen rattrash trying to spread rumours about her because she thinks she is a easy target because of her personality and illness only for people to get mad at her.

👩‍🦯Imagen rattrash pushing her and trying to make herself the victim only for people to help her up and ask her if she okay glaring at rattrash and people wanting her to apologise for pushing her even sovieshit can't do anything but to say she needs to apologise.

🌸She has always a person guiding her because of her losing her eyesight and loves to walk in the gardens to enjoy the beauty of natures.

👩‍🦯Her training crows to speak and sending a few to navier and the crows singing happy birthday to the and Queen and the crows vibing.

🌸What whoud be there reaction is she died because of her illness and seeing all the nobles morning her death and sending there regards to kosiar.

(I don't know why but that crow in the picture is so adorable)

Preface: You are a part of the nobility who is loved by all because of your motherly attitude towards everyone. You are married to Kosair, which makes you Navier and Sovieshu’s sister-in-law. Your children, one boy and one girl, are the perfect mixture of you and Kosair.

Sovieshu

He also considered you a ‘motherly’ figure, as you always offered him guidance in both political and personal matters. His earliest memories consist of him leading you through the palace gardens as he told you about problems he was having in his daily lessons. Needless to say, you were very close.

Even when he took on Rashta as a mistress, you gently asked him if he thought that he made the best choice for the Empire. You did not discriminate, even when he made mistakes, and that’s what he appreciated (and no, he did not harbor romantic feelings for you). Even after you were wed to Kosair and had children, the closeness between you two was not severed. He still went to you for advice. 

He was originally going to name one of your children the Crowned Heir of the throne if he and Navier did not conceive, but Rashta was pregnant so that threw a wrench in his plans. Still, you harbored no resentment. You even congratulated him on the news (although, you knew that it wasn’t his).

However, he also knew of your sickness. That was mainly why he had to lead you through the gardens, since the illness left you blind. He was aware that you wouldn’t live long, as your family was often cursed. It was typically thought that when you take the last name of another man, your illness would be cured but you chose to keep your last name. Your children had the name of Trovi, though.

When you inevitably passed away, it was the first time that everyone in the Empire gathered together to mourn. Even some people from different Kingdoms and Empires attended the funeral procession. Tears ran down Sovieshu’s face, and he held his wife to comfort her. Your spirit, before ascending, was happy to see that the Emperor and Empress came together for one final time.

Rashta

You were the first person to make her feel welcomed into the palace, and she appreciated it. However, she realized that since you were loved by everyone, both high-ranking and not, ruining your reputation would do good for her because all of the negative attention wouldn’t be on her anymore. Plus, you knew that the baby wasn’t Sovieshu’s. You had told her that you didn’t judge, but she felt threatened.

She invited you for a walk in the garden, and you accepted as long as she would guide you through. An odd request, but she agreed. Within the garden, she led you to the center, where she pushed you to the ground and screamed. A guard heard and went to investigate, only to find you on the ground. Rashta tried to say that you had tried to attack her, but the guard told her that you were blind.

That guard reported it to the Emperor, and he was angry at his mistress for daring to harm his ‘mother’ and try to paint herself as the victim. However, you argued that you weren’t terribly hurt, and maybe just got a bit of a scratch at the most. Thus, the punishment should fit the crime.

Of course, the fact that you were blind caught your attention. So, she asked a servant to bring her to see you, and you gladly accepted her into your chambers. There, you opened the conversation with ‘What is wrong, my child?’ She didn’t know how to beat around the bush, so she directly asked how you became blind. You smiled before giving her a painfully honest answer. It made her tear up a bit, to be honest.

When you passed, she did not attend the funeral procession. She was advised by the Emperor as well as Duke Ergi not to, as the people were still angry at her for hurting you even though that was. However, once you were buried, she placed a single white tulip upon your grave. She has been told that it would be best, as it is a symbol of an apology.

Navier

Since you were her sister-in-law, it was no wonder that you both were very close together. She too seeked out your wise counsel when she went through times of despair. It was a surprise to no one that a lot of the nobility had given you the honorary title of ‘mother to all’. She often leads you through the gardens whenever she is troubled about something, and your conversations always leave her mind at peace.

Your twins were her niece and nephew, and she loved them dearly. They were quiet and kind, just like you, but they weren’t afraid to stand up for the people that they love, just like Kosair. Navier loved it whenever she heard them yell her name and she would kneel down to hug them. She was happy that they did not inherit your disease, as that meant that she would only lose one person that was important to her.

Speaking of your illness, she also knew of it, and she saw how you pushed through it day after day. There were times where you couldn’t get out of bed without major assistance, which did make her uncharacteristically upset. She could tell that your twins and her brother were silently suffering at seeing you sick and weak.

She was definitely angry when she heard that you had been pushed to the ground by the mistress, but she was surprised to see you arguing that you weren’t hurt badly and thus any punishment given to Rashta should be light. But, she was not going to argue against you, as you always knew best.

When you passed away, she stood with her older brother and her niece and nephew as she cried. It was raining that day, and black umbrellas as well as black attire under a sky of rain clouds were all that could be seen. Sovieshu surprised her by wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and she let a few tears fall. She swore that she could feel your spirit next to her.

Every year, for her birthday, the same crows that you trained would come and sing her Happy Birthday.

Heinrey

He had first met you at the ball, and he could see that you were basically like a mother to all of the noble families. So, he chose to get to know you since you were a motherly figure to Navier. Almost immediately, you both were sitting down as you listened to the problems that he was having.

This is where he accidentally lets it slip that he is the bird that keeps visiting Navier, and you smile as you say that you can’t see anything, so you can’t say anything. Heinrey had noticed that you weren’t looking at him throughout the whole conversation, so now he realizes that you are blind. Your husband, Kosair, actually led you everywhere.

During his visit at the palace, your husband brought your children to see Navier, which was the first time that the Prince got to see them as well. From what he could tell, they looked like Kosair but acted like you. They seemed to not have inherited your curse as well.

Unfortunately, he was not informed about your declining health, as it was deemed to be untimely since his brother was on his deathbed as well. So, when he inherited the crown of the Western Kingdom and went to visit Navier, he was wondering where you had gone. Unfortunately, the wound was still fresh when he asked Her Imperial Majesty.

It felt like he actually lost his mother all over again. He mourned, and he did not take the grief well. However, your last words to him were in a letter, and they were to make the Empress happy. So, he would do that to the best of his ability because it’s what you would have wanted. 

Kosair

You both first met when you were children. Sure, you both were betrothed to one another considering it was believed that if you got your husband’s last name then you were exempt from the curse, but he still loved you with all his heart. However, for some unknown reason, you stuck with your original name. As sad as it made him, he did not argue against your choice.

The twins that you had given birth to were his entire world aside from you. His daughter and son had him wrapped around their fingers. He never told you this, but he was glad that you chose to give them his name, Trovi, instead of Ubuyashiki. But, you were still suffering from the curse, so he believed that it was his job as your husband to help you.

He loved leading you through the garden that you both had grown because it was a symbol of how you built a life together through the struggles. You loved that he cared about you so much, and it was always a wholesome moment. Eventually, your children would inherit the Manor and the garden, and you hoped that they would continue to help it thrive once you had inevitably passed.

Unfortunately, your health had deteriorated to the point where you were bedridden. Kosair held your hand and placed a kiss on the back of it as he spent as much time as he could by your side. Your children cuddled up next to you, which made you smile. Your crows were perched on the window sill, letting out sad cries.

Then, you passed away peacefully in your sleep. Because you were loved by everyone in the Empire, your funeral procession was one that would be typically for the Imperial Family. Everyone, aside from Rashta, attended. Kosair and your children as well as Sovieshu and Navier stood front and center as the High Priest said some words over your casket. Once the casket was covered with dirt, your husband placed your wedding ring within the dirt so that it would be buried with you.

[wild-typo-turtle]

Threads - Part 7

Explicit (slow burn, 18+ only) - Rings of Power - Gil-galad x OFC (Elf)

Includes S2E8 of Rings of Power - spoilers ahoy!

Gil-galad had only taken a handful of steps when his gaze passed over yet another collapsed building. From the looks of things, it had once been an open, airy shop that had faced directly into the plaza. The roof had caved in, creating dusty shadows, and even his keen eyes might have missed the slumped figure had he not heard the tiny whimper from the darkness.

Eregion has been destroyed; Sauron is gone. And yet, the sun still shines, as the ruined city holds the last thing that High King Gil-galad had ever expected to find.

Themes: #Idiots in love, #love at first sight, #soulmates, #smut with feelings, #fix-it, #everybody lives

Content Warnings: Explicit content eventually (slow burn), canon-typical violence

Tag List: @morganas-pendragons, @stellar-solar-flare, @the141bandicoot; @inyx-writes44

Dreamcasting: Keri Russell as Linnea

Part 1 (includes A/N and credits)

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Two Months Later

It had taken nearly a week of prowling the palace before Linnea had found the right space Not that the building was that large, strictly speaking - but the way it was constructed, winding around and through the forests of Lindon, meant that it had taken many hours of walking and investigating before she had found it. 

Adabes had made her a list - of course, there had been a list - and she had looked at every single option before she’d made her choice. And of course, then there had been days of outfitting it, procuring the necessary tools and supplies. She had indulged herself, trying - and occasionally failing - to not be too extravagant, but it was a heady thing having no limits on what she could do. 

Not to mention, a soon-to-be-husband who had done nothing to discourage her.

And now, it was finally ready.

The velvet loom had been delivered and set in its place, and the apprentices who had carried it in had departed. Adabes stood by the door, holding her ever-present portable writing desk, as Linnea slowly turned in the center of the weaving room.

It was circular, like many rooms in the palace, occupying an entire floor of one of the towers. It had windows all around it, large and open, spilling sunlight into the room, and there was a balcony outside that overlooked one of the large training courtyards. The floor was a light wood, almost white, and the walls had been whitewashed to keep the space as bright as possible; at this hour, just past midday, it glowed. 

She had divided it into working areas using the furniture: one for the traditional loom, one for the velvet loom, and additional small enclaves of seating and tables for handwork or simply sitting and conversing. And there was plenty of space to move things around later if that became needed; if she brought in more looms, or if there were weavers that wanted to bring their own.

Shelves held rolls of spun yarn and other supplies. She hadn’t brought in her own spinning wheel or dyeing equipment yet, but that could come later. For now, she could actually weave again as soon as the looms were warped, and it was a great relief knowing that that would be a way to occupy her days. 

After the wedding.

At the moment, she was consumed with preparations. For all their talk of trying to keep things as private as possible, it had been an Age since there had been a royal wedding, and there was no escaping that fact. To make it manageable, she had agreed to separate the wedding and the coronation, making the compromise of a fairly small wedding and a very public coronation held at the Tree, with the opportunity for anyone to come. And so, Adabes always seemed to have another list that she needed to look at, another decision that had to be made.

Gil-galad was trying to help as much as he could, but he had been just as occupied as Linnea, with reinforcing the eastern borders. And there was also the not-inconsiderable task of replenishing Lindon’s armies; the battle at Eregion had left few standing, and for most of the last two weeks, he had been gone visiting the Greenwood and meeting with King Oropher. He had returned three nights ago, but in the face of all of that, asking him to help decide on menus or schedules seemed to be an ill use of his time. He had offered for her to go with him, but there was simply too much to be done.

She also had yet to take her seat on the council. Despite Gil-galad’s assurances, it felt too strange to do so before she was formally crowned queen. Granted, there were plenty of people who were referring to her that way already, but she certainly had enough to keep herself busy without adding council meetings to the list.

There would be ample time after the wedding.

She finished her slow perusal of the room, coming to a stop and smiling at Adabes. “It’s all perfect,” she breathed. “Every bit of it. Thank you.”

Adabes returned the smile, inclining her head. She herself was not a weaver, and so her role in setting up the room had been limited to logistics. But she had brought her exacting nature to the task, as she did with everything, and all of the deliveries and other work had been executed seamlessly.    

“I am glad you are pleased, my lady,” she replied. “I know that this was important to you, and I am glad it is to your liking. Are you ready to visit the kitchens?”

Linnea kept herself from sighing, but it was difficult. Every time she thought the food for the wedding feast and the coronation reception was settled, someone had an idea that meant it all had to be revisited. She had to taste the new thing and carefully consider whether it was suitable, and if so, whether anything else was affected by the change. More than once, she had been tempted to tell Adabes no more, but the eagerness on the faces of the cooks was so palpable. How often, after all, did they get the chance to do this? And that reminder made it all at least a little more bearable.

It did help that everything she had tried was delicious and that the hardest part of all of it was having to say no occasionally. Else the feast would last an entire week.   

“I - “

I am, she had been about to say, but a shout from outside cut her off. 

“Dadhro nin!”

Gil-galad’s voice. She would know it anywhere.

The cry of come at me certainly snared her attention, and she glanced at Adabes, who shook her head - she had no more knowledge than Linnea. There was no sound of upheaval, nothing alarming, but a clatter of metal alerted her that something was happening.

Curious, she walked to the archway that opened onto the balcony, and stepped outside.

There were three groups of soldiers gathered in the training courtyard below. Two of them appeared to be mostly new recruits; their armor was shiny and unblemished, and there was a stern-looking soldier in front of each, putting them through sword drills. 

But that was not what had caught her ear.

At the south end of the courtyard was the third group, and here were the battle veterans. Scarred breastplates, stained leather; all cosmetic damage that could have been remedied, but they were marks of honor, of survival. It was not hard to understand why none of them had elected to have any repairs performed.

There were four of them, arranged in a rough arc around Gil-galad. He was also in full armor, training as he would fight. Aeglos was in his hands, and she could see that leather covers had been placed over either end of the spear to shield the blades and allow him to practice with the real weapon. She was no warrior, but she understood well enough the principles of weight and balance, and how important it could be to have no hesitation in the middle of a battle. Even having to make small conscious adjustments, as opposed to every muscle working without thought, could mean the difference between life and death.

Gil-galad’s four opponents had been hanging back, which had been the cause of his shout. She couldn’t blame them, being hesitant to attack their king, but as she stepped to the edge of the balcony they were moving in. Each was armed differently: one had sword and shield, one had two long knives, one had a length of chain, and the last had a spear of his own, although shorter and far less imposing than Aeglos. Variety that mirrored the battlefield, especially among their enemy, where the orcs were armed with anything they could lay hands on.

She had not yet seen him fight. And the sight of it, even here in training, rooted her feet to the spot.

He had the grace of a master dancer, every movement starting from his core and radiating outward to his limbs. Aeglos’ reach meant that his opponents had to remain at a distance, but they seemed to have some sort of strategy: the soldiers with the sword and with the long knives were pushing inward, forcing Gil-galad to defend while the other two moved in on his flank. 

The soldier with the chain was spinning it, preparing to try and use it to ensnare Aeglos and disarm the King, but Gil-galad was too fast. A sweep of the spear interrupted the whirling chain and his grip was tight enough that the force did not make him lose it; he snagged the chain like a fish with a net and flung it away, out of reach. The next spin brought the spear around to the soldier with the long knives, thrusting into his chest and forcing him to stumble back. One of the knives fell to the ground; the other snapped up into a crossguard position, turning Aeglos’ blade to the right. A less surefooted man might have stumbled, but Gil-galad used the momentum to fully spin around, bringing Aeglos through and cracking it directly across the first soldier’s shield. 

The soldier with the spear hadn’t been idle. He’d moved around behind Gil-galad, pressuring him into a continuous slow turn, exchanging a flurry of blows spear-to-spear before he would face the two other soldiers again. 

Linnea felt her heart speeding up, watching. It was training, there was no danger beyond perhaps minor scrapes and bruises, but it was still not the most comfortable feeling in the world seeing swords and knives thrust at her future husband. But Gil-galad was more than equal to the task; in the short few seconds it had taken her to finally draw a breath, he had disarmed both the soldier with the sword and with the one remaining long knife, and was fully concentrating on his spear-wielding counterpart. And even to her untrained eye, she could tell that the other soldier was skilled; he was pressing Gil-galad hard, willfully putting himself within reach of Aeglos and forcing the King to slide backward. It became a dance between the two of them, back and forth, the longer Aeglos presenting both benefit and disadvantage. 

Seeing him in armor took her back to that very first moment they had met. Her eyes had blurred from the pain in her arm, but he had been so clear to her as he had knelt by her side. His gentle touch had pushed the pain back, shielding her from it like the warrior he was. He had been filthy, injured, his mind in a thousand places, but all of that had been far less important than making sure she was all right. And she had known, the moment that his hand had touched her face; she had known who he was. If he would have her, she was his.

A cry from below; a yell of triumph. Gil-galad had finally disarmed his last opponent, sending the smaller spear flying. The soldier held up his empty hands, yielding, and she caught a faint chuckle from him. The King shifted Aeglos to one hand, stretching his shoulders back and settling his weight on both feet more firmly, and extended his other to his opponent. They clasped arms briefly and then moved off to the side, where a rack of weapons was waiting - presumably, to change out and continue their practice.

He hadn’t seen her watching, but that was all right. She had very much enjoyed the view.

And yet, even through her admiration, an icy tendril caressed the back of her neck. A whisper of a thought, looking at both the new recruits and the hardened veterans alike. Thoughts of the enemy and his armies of uruk, still out there, the same that had razed Eregion. 

Thoughts that there might come a time when every hand would be needed to hold a weapon. Her own included. She knew less than nothing, but there was clearly the means to learn, if she should wish it. Gil-galad would not ask it of her if it was not her will, but as queen, did she not have a responsibility to help him defend their realm?

Wife. Queen. Mother. And warrior?  

Behind her, Adabes delicately cleared her throat, and Linnea turned. The other woman had come up to the archway and was waiting patiently, but she knew that expression - Adabes was conscious of the passing of time, and they were expected in the kitchens.

Kitchens.

Gil-galad was working hard on the field below them. Even at that moment, he was lifting a practice sword from the rack, testing its weight in his hand, preparing to continue. 

He would surely be hungry when he was finished.

“Adabes,” she said slowly, a smile beginning to curve her lips as she pushed thoughts of battle away, setting them aside for later. “Would you please send to the captain of the guard, and find out how much longer the King will be training?”

It had been a long, and tiring, and good practice session.

Gil-galad sheathed his sword, placing the weapon in the practice rack. Another day he would fight with his own sword, with live steel, but these had been hours well-spent. He had also been able to keep half an eye on the new recruits that were drilling beneath the watchful eyes of the veterans. Enough of them were promising that he was able to breathe a little easier; Lindon's armies were depleted, but it would not remain so for long.

He nodded at one of the veterans, a captain, that had just finished an intricate drill with his troops. The soldier bowed to him before returning to his duties, shouting out at the recruits to do it again, faster this time.

Except they didn't. As one, they straightened up, snapping their heels together, and bowed deeply towards something behind him.

He turned, curious as to what it was, and smiled. He should have known.

Linnea.

He had seen her at breakfast that morning, but her grace and her beauty still took his breath away. She was wearing a soft blue gown, with the simple round neck and fitted sleeves that she favored, but the fabric was heavy silk and the skirts were full and brushing across the ground as she walked. And that round neck and those fitted sleeves were detailed with gold embroidery, and pearls, and she was also wearing a delicate half-circlet of gold filigree atop her chestnut curls. But it wasn't just her clothes that had changed over the last weeks; her bearing had changed too as she accustomed herself to who she was now. She was every inch a queen, and it pleased the great beast inside him - the beast that had been lazing in well-fed satisfaction for most of the last weeks - to see her receive the respect she was due. 

As she walked towards him, her guards behind her, he noticed that she was carrying a basket. A large, full basket, brimming with packages of folded leaves and papers, and there was a corked bottle resting against one side. 

She inclined her head at the soldiers, and they relaxed, reassuming their positions to start their drill. The captain bowed briefly to her and then turned his attention back to the recruits, and Gil-galad smiled down at her as she reached him. 

“My lord,” she said. “I hope I am not interrupting?”

“Not at all.” He reached for her free hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. “Your company is always welcome, my lady.”

She smiled. “I happened to observe your training as I was about to visit the kitchens.” She lifted the basket slightly. “And with such a level of exertion, I thought you might enjoy sharing some refreshment.”

It was so simple. Such a small thing. 

And yet that belt was back around his chest, cutting off his air with how much he had been given. Queen Tinnaril had been at court when he had gone to meet with Oropher, but she had seemed distant, seldom with the king except for the dinner that had begun his visit and the one that had ended it. When he compared her chill to Linnea's warmth - how she cared for him, plainly thought of him, made no secret of her love for him…

Perhaps Tinnaril was simply more reserved. Perhaps it had been different in the early days of their marriage. But he vowed that his own union would never change so, that he would never willingly submit to such a distance between himself and Linnea.

“You are most thoughtful,” he managed. “Allow me a few moments to shed this armor, to be in a fit state for such an interlude.”

Shed the armor, and change, and perhaps wash his face and tidy his hair. But Linnea shook her head. 

“Surely there is no need for that, when it is just us,” she said softly. “I find that you are in an entirely fit state.”

He did not miss the sparkle in her eyes - nor the way she dropped her gaze briefly, sweeping over him from head to foot. The beast purred at that, pleased that she found him pleasing, that he was not the only one counting the days till their wedding.

His appearance ceased to be of anything even remotely resembling a concern.

“As my lady commands,” he murmured. “Lead on, then. I put myself in your hands.”

He let his voice drop lower at that last, and he did his own share of running his eyes over her. Just for a moment - they were in public, after all - but enough for her to see it. To hear the desire in his voice, perhaps to plant an image in her mind of when he truly would be in her hands.

Her cheeks turned a delicate pink, and she smiled again.

Before they could test the bounds of propriety too much, he offered her his arm, and she took it, her hand resting lightly in the crook of his elbow. With the other, he reached for the basket, which she surrendered easily. And as she led him from the field, their guards falling in behind them, he could not keep the smile from his face.

The High King of the Noldor did not go strolling through fields gathering wildflowers.

But apparently, he did lie on a blanket in one of those said fields, stripped down to his gambeson and leggings with his armor in a pile off to the side. And further, he lay there with his belly full from the contents of the basket, with his hair loosened from the braid it had been knotted in for training, and with his head in his queen's lap.

The guards had positioned themselves at the edge of the clearing, as far away from them as was reasonable. Linnea was sitting upright, leaning back against the tree she had spread the blanket under. His head rested on her thigh, his eyes closed, and he could seldom remember feeling so at peace as he did in that moment. She was gently playing with his hair, stroking it back from his forehead and running her fingers through it, and the soothing motion coupled with his full stomach, with the faint sound of birdsong and the warmth of the afternoon, was in serious danger of lulling him to sleep.

“The pastries were excellent,” he murmured, and he heard and felt Linnea laugh softly. 

“Which ones?” she asked, and there was more than a hint of teasing in her voice. “The ones with lemon, or the ones with berries? Or the ones with honey and nuts? Or did you mean the apple cake, or perhaps the pumpkin?”

Gil-galad echoed her laugh, opening his eyes. She had packed the basket to bursting, and he hadn't been shy about sampling what she had brought. “All of them,” he said. “Must I choose?”

“Perhaps not,” she allowed, smiling. “This coronation reception has expanded so greatly, it causes no harm to have everything. But which is your favorite?”

He raised a brow at her, and tilted his chin over at the now nearly-empty basket. “Was all of that for the reception?”

She sighed, nodding. “I thought to bring samples of it all so that you could try it and make any preferences known, for the wedding itself. But yes - it is all on the reception list.”

She sounded weary, and he reached up, running his hand gently over the top of her leg. “I am sorry, melethel,” he said softly. “I am sorry this has fallen on you, and that it is not what you might wish were it your decision alone.”

“You need not apologize,” she said, returning to stroking his hair. “I understand why it must be, and it is not that I do not wish it - it is simply that I had…”

Linnea trailed off, and he let her collect her thoughts in silence. He caressed her leg again, not to arouse but to soothe, to let her know he was there. And by and by, she spoke again.

“I had not thought much of it at all, before you,” she continued. “And when I had - I had not ever pictured anything like this. It is not bad, but it is new. That is all.”

He sat up, the better to be able to look at her properly. This was important, and they had both been so busy, perhaps he needed to say it clearly so that she knew he was not blind to it. 

“I have asked a great deal of you, in a very short time,” he murmured. “I know it. And I have tried to make this change as easy as it may be, but it is you who bears the weight of it. Know that I am here, and that if there is anything you need of me, no matter how trivial it may seem, I beg you to ask it.”

Linnea smiled, her eyes soft, and she reached for his hand. He gave it, and she laced their fingers together, squeezing gently.

“You have had to change too, Ereinion,” she said quietly. “I know it must be strange for you, taking a wife after so long alone. Having to consider me in your plans, your decisions…”

He squeezed her hand back. “Strange, yes. And wondrous. You have brought light to my world, and I never knew it was absent, that I lived in shadow all these years. It is a change I welcome, do not think otherwise for a moment.”

“Nor should you,” she said. “The Valar did rightly, and I would not change it, meleth nín. I may be weary of tastings and guest lists and music and I know not what else Adabes doubtlessly has for me to consider, but it will pass. And what will remain is us.”

A kiss was the only answer he could give to her words, and he gave it gladly. He slid his hand along her jaw, cradling her face, and by now he was becoming accustomed to it - the feel of her lips, the freedom that he was allowed as many kisses as he wished, whenever he wished. The fervor and urgency of new love had overcome whatever shyness he might have felt about showing affection in the presence of his guards, and now he paid it no mind at all.   

Within reason, of course.

He let her go after far too short a time. He had been gone for nearly two weeks, and although both of them had made a diligent effort to make up for his absence since he had returned, there was still much to be done. But there would be other opportunities for that. 

She leaned into him after he released her lips, and he folded his arms around her, holding her close. 

“I did not tell you earlier,” she murmured into his shoulder. “The weaving room is complete. All is finished. The last of the looms was delivered this morning.”

“Truly?” Gil-galad released her, leaning back to gain space. “I should like to see it. Considering you have not allowed me past its doors until now…”

Linnea laughed, and he was glad to see the strain fading from her face. It had amused him, being barred from a room in his own palace, but she had been adamant that it was not properly appreciated until everything was in place.

“Of course,” she agreed. “Whenever you desire.”

“Then let us go once we have had our fill of this lovely picnic you have arranged for us,” he said, smiling. “You will show me your weaving room, and then we shall find Adabes, and we will set this menu once and for all. You need not endure any more tastings or changes; let us have it done.”

She chuckled wryly, but she was smiling, and he could see that his words had pleased her. 

“So says the High King?”

“I will order it so,” he promised. “Our wedding should be joyous, not having you wishing every minute that it were over.”

Linnea’s smile changed, as she took in his words. And he caught his breath, for it was a smile he was learning - a sultry, soft smile that pierced straight to his core and sent a rush of heat through his veins.

“Perhaps both is not so bad?”

He laughed, low and deep, as he understood exactly what she meant. And he drew her back into his arms. 

“Perhaps not, indeed.”

And as it turned out, there was still a bit of lost time to be made up for after all. 

Continue to Part 8

[semisolidmind]

How did Wukong find MK and decide to adopt him?

non-spoiler answer: wukong found mk when he was small, had a rare moment of empathy, decided to adopt him and raise him as his own.

(season 4 spoilers: context taken from later episodes in the season. also bad end mk lore, ig)

spoiler answer: stone egg.

mk comes from a similar place as wukong; made from the same stone, although mk came out as a young child instead of a fully formed adult. despite having a small thought about "sparing" mk the pain of a life as a monkey demon by killing him then and there, wukong decides to adopt mk and raise him to be as strong as he can. think of it like an extra middle finger to heaven from the monkey king (that and the fact that the only person wukong ever would have felt comfortable having kids with has been dead for thousands of years and he isn't sure if she's gonna reincarnate, so mk may be his only chance at having a legacy).

i have a theory that the reason mk looks human in the show is because he saw humans when he wandered into the city, so he unconsciously changed his form to look more like them. like, the magic that created him knew he'd be safer if he looked human.

however, seeing as villain wukong decided to adopt him and raise him alongside the other monkeys of ffm from the beginning, mk's form in this au is similar to the monkey form we see in the show. he has better access to his powers that way, on top of swk actively discouraging him from looking human.

it's like the reverse of what we see in the show. mk has been raised (by wukong) to believe that humans are mostly terrible, so he should be happy being a monkey demon. when he does his gold magic glitch-out thing from the later episodes, he looks human during said glitch. it's a sort of reflection of his mental state; he's come to see himself as more human because of his exposure to mortal society and his changing ideals, but the distrustful, cautious side of him can't face that fact.

the mk of this au has some considerable differences from the normal mk. the biggest one being his skill level in combat. in this iteration, swk has been training him from day one, so that classic mk clumsiness is practically nonexistent. the kid's basically a living weapon (almost) on par with one of the greatest fighters in the world. there's an innate power and grace in his movement.

he's a lot more brutal in his fighting style as well. you get trained by a villain notorious for going all-out, you learn to not pull your punches no matter the opponent.

this is compounded by the fact that mk has his own staff. villain wukong isn't about to give up his signature weapon, and it doesn't seem like that much of a stretch to just...go steal another magic pillar from the eastern dragon palace.

"Like that old codger could stop us. C'mon, kid, let's go get you a real weapon."

another difference is mk's general attitude. sure, he's still a fairly happy kid, but he was raised to always keep his guard up. strike first, ask questions later. his first meeting with mei was an all out battle, because he didn't understand that this dragon decendent wasn't trying to hurt him. he's a bit more serious here too, and it's mei who's the upbeat one between the two of them. she's also the one that introduced him to pigsy, sandy, and tang. she's kinda his safety net as far as mortal interactions go, teaching him the ins and outs of mortal culture.

this version of mk can kick red son's ass stupidly easily. the whole dbk family, really. to the point that red son's terrified of him, though he tries to hide it behind a superior attitude. this could go for all the demons in the show, really. mk scares all of them to a certain degree.

he wouldn't reallyneed his friends help, in this au. he's got this idea in his head that he shouldn't be dragging his much less powerful friends into fights he can easily finish on his own. he's been raised with a "help yourself, because noone else will. in fact they'll be in your way" type mentality when it comes to battle.

his story in this au is more of a "allow people to get close to and care about you, not everyone is trying to kill you" arc, instead of a power-up, training arc. mk needs to learn to let people help him, and allow himself to be open.

to sum it up; mk is seen as a monster like his father, and is learning to be less of a monster. he wants to be a hero.

"I...I don't wanna be like him. I wanna be better, I want to use this power to help people, to protect them! I just...don't want to be what the world thinks I should be."

[katarh-mest]

the real overarching theme of Apothecary Diaries

It's anti-primogeniture: The first son isn't necessarily the one that should inherit everything.

(Spoilers for the novels released into English up to volume 10-ish, with some speculation beyond that, so I'm putting this all behind a cut to keep those who are anime only or manga only safe unless they wanna read it.)

The idea that the "first son should inherit it all" in some cultures (although ironically, more often in Western than Eastern cultures) fails to take into account a lot of different variables.

Sometimes the first son (or only son) isn't suited to the job and there is no one else who can do it. (See: the former Emperor.) That's why his mom ended up becoming Empress Regent and ruling in his name, and doing the unspeakable in the hopes that one of the young girls might still bear her a grandson. (In any other clan, she could have just adopted a branch family member, but doing so with distant relatives in the Ka clan would have probably caused a civil war, since they were all in other named families.)

Sometimes the second son is far more suitable to the job, and the first son has talents that would be better placed elsewhere (Lahan vs Lahan's Older Brother.) The oldest brother might be in denial about it, but it's clear to everyone around them that that boy belongs on a farm, not trying to arrange family members like pieces on a shogi board like Lakan or Lahan are capable of doing.

Sometimes there's only a daughter, and she is perfectly suited to take over the job, if only someone would give her the proper training and the opportunity! (I believe that eventually Maomao will be the head doctor of the Rear Palace, taking over Luomen's original family business, so to speak. Even if she's also forced to become a princess consort in the process. The two positions are not incompatible.)

Sometimes the oldest son is suited to some parts of the family business, but not other parts. (Jinshi would probably be okay as an actual ruler, but as a monogamist to the core, finds the idea of a harem of concubines repulsive.) And so he wants no part of it and wants out of the line of succession.

Sometimes the family business really should be handled by the ENTIRE FAMILY - see the three sons of the metalworker. Only the youngest son had the talent of their father, but the two older sons had their own roles within the family business, and between the three of them, the business will thrive.

It's really an examination of the family version of the Peter Principle - it's entirely possible to force a family into extinction by making people unsuited to govern fail upward.

Speculation time:

The Yi clans and the Shi clans fell because their families got too ambitious. They wanted to rule for the sake of ruling, instead of focusing their talents on their historical strengths, and supporting the family that did currently rule.

Now, when the former emperor and the empress regnant were still in power, it made sense to consider trying to seize the throne - the succession hinged on a lone surviving male (the current Emperor) and it appeared that the Ka clan was in danger of dying out because of the "curse" that kept killing his children (leaded facepaint.) The Yi clan were wipe out by the Empress Regnant (still waiting for the details on that in the next volume or two) and the Shi clan plotted to take out the last surviving threat, the Moon Prince. That plot failed because of Maomao.

Unfortunately for them, the current Emperor is suited for the job of ruling the country, and knew what shogi pieces to send to stop them from their rebellion.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

edgar allen poe + twst??

***Spoilers for book 7 part 4!!***

In the latest main story update, Lilia tells us about the princess of the Briar Valley (ie Malleus’s mom) and a fae messenger that went to an human fortress to the east (Malleus’s dad). If you’ll recall, Malleus tells us in present day (in his Birthday Boy vignettes) that his “only living relative” is his grandmother, which implies his parents are gone. The update leaves us on a cliffhanger where Lilia and co. are at the eastern fortress while the humans are launching a surprise attack on the palace where Malleus’s mother resides. It is very possible that she will die as a result of this encounter (for as powerful as she is, the humans greatly outnumber her). His father had gone missing prior to this while going to deliver a message to the humans. It is not confirmed if he is dead or just… missing at the moment.

Both Malleus’s mom and dad are referred to by name, but the fandom is finding it difficult to settle on one variation until an official English localization of book 7 comes out. “Mallenoa” appears to be the commonly accepted term for Malleus’s mom, whereas “Levan/Revan” is for his dad.

Well… what if we looked at the works of Edgar Allen Poe?? More specifically, at the two poems Lenore and The Raven? 🤔 Stay with me here—

The first poem, Lenore, was written by Poe to cope with his wife Virginia contracting tuberculosis. It speaks of the passing of a young woman (Lenore), and those who mourn for her. Important to note is that Lenore is described as “the queenliest dead that ever died so young”.) Her intended is not crying at the funeral, so others accuse him of not caring for his now deceased fiancé. He counters by claiming the other mourners are the ones who never really cared for her. The poem finished with Lenore’s husband-to-be saying that she is in a better place now than this “damned earth”.

What does this have to do with Malleus’s mom? Look at how her name is written in TWST JP (the two characters that follow the name refer to her title):

Now notice how Lenore is written. All of the characters match except the missing first one (which is understandable, since that is the “Malle”/“Mare” part missing). I confirmed this by typing in “Mallenore”; the end result was the exact same writing as how Malleus’s mom’s name is written in game.

Knowing that Mallenoa is in a dangerous situation that puts her life at risk and Lenore is a poem all about someone who has passed... PLUS Lenore is a woman who is described as “the queenliest dead”, and Mallenoa is the princess of Briar Country, destined to be queen one day... AND how their names are written matching up, it’s possible that “Mallenoa” will be localized as “Mallenore”.

But what about Malleus's dad? Well, I see two possibilities: "Levan" could be a reference to "levin" or lightning (something which Maleficent is associated with) OR it could be "Revan", which is just raven with the vowels swapped around. (It's difficult to know for sure which one would be "more" correct, as the /r/ and /l/ sounds tend to blend together in Japanese.) As we all know, Maleficent is also known for Diablo, her pet raven. Levan/Revan also serves a very similar role as Diablo did for Maleficent to his wife and princess (ie he advised her and acted as her right-hand man; hence why he was the one who departed for the diplomatic trip).

Edit: TWST EN has confirmed that the official localization for Malleus's dad's name is "Raverne". Back to Lenore for a moment, Levan/Revan could be filling in for the role of the upset husband-to-be. Thinking about it, after his wife has died (and assuming he is still alive at that point), the world really would be like a "damned earth" to him. His wife is gone, his country in tatters because of how the human invaders have ravaged it, etc. And worse yet, if he is fae himself then it will be years and years before he is able to rejoin his wife in death.

This brings us to The Raven, which was published 2 years after Lenore and serves as a sort of companion piece to it. The Raven refers to a creature that visits an unnamed man, who laments the loss of his love, Lenore. (Note that even though the same name is used here, it’s not clear if this Lenore is the exact same as the one in Lenore.) The bird continuously antagonizes the mourning man and drives him to madness, reflecting the poem’s sentiment that lingering grief can interfere with one’s ability to live in the present. The Raven, then, is said to be the spirit or presence of Lenore paying a visit to her lover and/or “haunting” him.

The Raven doesn’t have parallels as clear as the ones between Lenore and Mallenoa—however, the motif of the raven itself would match up with what we know of Diablo. “The Raven” is a bird that refuses to leave the mourning man’s home no matter which room he goes to. This could refer to the relationship between Malleus’s parents, between princess and her trusted aide that follows her like a shadow. Alternatively, since the mourning man is Lenore’s lover, this could be foreshadowing. It could mean that Levan/Revan (again, assuming he is still alive by the time his wife dies) will be deeply affected by his wife’s passing.

All of the canon details and stuff aside, this makes some sense thematically if we think about Poe’s general themes. He often talks about death and the loss of loved ones, both of which are major themes in book 7 and now, as we can see, in the history of Briar Country.

So 👁️ 👄 👁️ in conclusion, you should read Edgar Allen Poe… 👉👈

ADDENDUM: HER OFFICIAL NAME IS MELEANOR, BOYS... We were so close...

[silviakundera]

another snippet from the Grand Princess novel. I am going to be SO ANNOYING about this. (spoilers for their first life! )

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Pei Wenxuan still remembered that at the beginning of their marriage, when he lifted Li Rong’s veil, she raised her head and looked up at him with embarrassment and curiosity. Then, when they exchanged cups of wine, she said in a frank manner: “Wenxuan, no matter how we came to be together, having become husband and wife, I still want to live with you for the rest of my life.” At that time, he also seriously thought that he would live with Li Rong, have children and live peacefully for the rest of their lives.

That was, until Li Rong found out that he liked Qin Zhenzhen.

In truth, he didn’t even know what kind of feelings there were between him and Qin Zhenzhen, whether it was love or merely responsibility. They grew up together as children, and he only had her in his heart and hoped to live with Qin Zhenzhen for the rest of his life, but he could not do so.

Later on, Qin Zhenzhen married Li Rong’s brother, Crown Prince Li Chuan.

As Crown Prince, Li Chuan was a good Crown Prince but not a good husband. He married for political reasons, so although he was just the Crown Prince at the time, he already had a Princess Consort and four concubines. Qin Zhenzhen had a mild temperament and was unfamiliar with Palace affairs. If not for the Crown Prince’s favor and Pei Wenxuan’s help, she would have been long buried in the schemes of the Eastern Palace.

He helped her. Li Rong naturally knew about it, but she didn’t mention it at first. Later on, when he secretly rescued Qin Zhenzhen at a palace banquet and almost was exposed, Li Rong could only step in and help him with arrangements.

That day, they were sitting in the carriage on their way home, and Li Rong was silent. He was a little panicked at that time and wanted to explain, but he didn’t know what to explain because he felt that no matter what Li Rong said, she would be right.

Then, Li Rong returned home and after entering the bedchambers, she walked to the table and poured tea for herself. She turned her back to him and asked: “Do you like her?”

Pei Wenxuan stood at the door. He actually intended to say no, but he felt that it would not be completely truthful, so he replied honestly: “I can’t forget her.”

“What is your relationship with her?”

Li Rong held the cup of tea and looked very calm. Pei Wenxuan still told her the truth, their engagement when they were young because they were childhood sweethearts. After his family had fallen, the Qin family annulled the engagement, and Qin Zhenzhen was forced to marry into the Eastern Palace…

“I just wanted to help her,” He said in a low voice, “No other intentions. She’s the Crown Prince’s Side Consort now. There’s nothing else I can do.”

After he had spoken, Li Rong didn’t speak for a long time. That silence became a deeply engraved impression of that night for Pei Wenxuan.

He saw that Li Rong kept drinking water, one cup after another. After a while, Li Rong seemed to calm down. She turned her head, stared at him and only asked: “Will you betray me?”

“No.” He answered immediately. He looked at her, “You’re my wife.”

“I’m not your wife.”

Li Rong looked at him with a serious expression: “I’m just your ally.”

These words stunned Pei Wenxuan. Li Rong turned and looked out the window and calmly continued: “In this marriage, you and I had no choice and only did it for power. Truthfully speaking, there’s not one bit of love between us. You have someone in your heart, and I have someone in my heart. It’s just that we didn’t make it clear before and had some misunderstandings. Now that it’s clear, it doesn’t matter.”

“It’s not a big deal either,” Li Rong laughed, her tears seemed like they could fall at any time, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

Pei Wenxuan stared blankly at her. He wanted to deny it, but he felt that Li Rong wasn’t wrong either. There was no such love between him and Li Rong because it was impossible for a person to truly love two people at the same time. He already had Qin Zhenzhen in his heart, so how could he make room for Li Rong?

Seeing that he still had not spoken, Li Rong lowered her head and softly said: “If you make it clear, then it won’t be a problem. We will live as we have in the future, but I hope Pei daren remembers this in his heart:

I’m not your wife, and you’re not my husband. I don’t care who is in your heart, and you don’t need to care about who I am with. You and I will have our own lives, and we will each have our own happiness.”

“As long as Pei daren promises me,” Li Rong looked at him, her eyes sharp as a hawk, “You and I are allies, so we must never betray one another.”

That evening, it also rained.

Just like now, the rain was pouring down.

[somethingclevermahogony]

OC Intro: Akard

Note: (Left) Akard as the Pabaket, (Right) King Akard

As promised, the last poll was a tie between Dati and Akard, I already did the intro for Dati, so now it's Akard's turn! As with other characters I'm going to try to avoid most spoilers, I don't think its too big of a surpirse to say that Hutbari is killed since that's what the entire story revolves around, so the events described in this intro will end there.

The new poll will be up soon!

Name: Akard (Written below in Kishite and its Apunian equivalent)

As a noble Akard is named in the traditional style of a Kishite noble (Click here to see more). He is named for his ancestor, King Akard "The Sailor". Akard was born into the line of Asher (Asherdul), however upon taking the throne of Labisa, he declares the start of a new line, The Line of Akard, Akarddul. He marks the 53rd monarch of Labisa and the beginning of the 8th royal line.

See the timeline of the rulers of Labisa below the cut!

Family

Father: The Deposed King Kurush (Dead)

Mother: Unnamed Apunian Servant Girl (Sanapi) (Alive)

Brother: Prince Hiru (Dead)

Uncle: King Hutbari (Dead)

Aunt/Ex-Stepmother: Unma (Dead)

Aunt: Tamyras (Dead)

Aunt: Saaket (Dead)

Aunt: Ladara (Dead)

Aunt: Duccarin (Dead)

Aunt: Zibatha (Dead)

Cousin: Bazus (Dead)

Cousin: Kota (Alive, Married in Apuna)

Cousin: Hiru (Dead)

Cousin: Unma (Alive, Married in Ikopesh)

Cousin: Ladaru (Dead)

Cousin: Asher (Dead)

Cousin: Sema (Alive, Married in Shabala)

Cousin: Fifina (Alive, Married in Apuna)

Cousin: Uridush (Dead)

Cousin: Ninma (Alive)

Homeland/Place of Origin

Born in the City of Nashawey, Apuna

Ethncity

Eastern Kishite (Labisian) and Apunian

History

Akard was born 27 years before the events of the story. His father, Kurush, was unseated from his throne through the machinations of his brother, Hutbari. Though Kurush was the elder brother, Hutbari's strength and charisma allowed him to forge strong alliances within the Labisan court, including with Kurush's own wife, Unma. These alliances enabled Hutbari to successfully seize the city, with his followers killing or capturing any nobles loyal to the old king.

When Hutbari, accompanied by the lords Farut and Haman and their soldiers, entered the royal chambers, they found Kurush’s son, Hiru, instead of Kurush. Despite being only eight years old and barely able to lift the ancient sword he held, Hiru fought with the bravery of a lion, reportedly even cutting down one soldier before his sword was taken from him. Though Unma begged for her son's life, Hutbari killed him. Hiru’s sacrifice was a distraction, allowing Kurush to be secretly carried away from the city. The shame of this decision haunted Kurush for the rest of his life.

Kurush was hidden in the cargo of a slave ship headed from Labisa to the coast and then transported to the Apunian city of Nashawey. Kurush hoped to gain the support of the Fapacha in reclaiming his throne, but the ruler of Apuna was not interested. However, out of a sense of hospitality, he allowed Kurush to stay in his palace and sent notice to Hutbari claiming that Kurush’s body had been presented to him, thus ending the search for the fugitive king.

Living as a permanent guest of the Apunian court, Kurush was showered with luxury and opulence but suffered greatly. His illness, Asherdul's Bane, worsened, disfiguring him. He refused to learn the Apunian language and was hostile to the servants. In an attempt to lift his spirits, the Fapacha sent him many beautiful men and women, hoping he would take one to wed. However, Kurush showed interest in none except Sanapi, a peasant girl fluent in the Kishite tongue. Akard was the result of a single drunken night between Kurush and Sanapi. Afterward, Kurush disregarded her and ordered her removal from his chambers.

Kurush never saw Sanapi again and didn't think of her until a servant brought a young child before him. The child, named Rebru by Sanapi, was two years old when he was found half-drowned in a decorative fish pond. Wearing rags, the boy began to babble his father’s name, Kurush, which Sanapi had taught him. At the Fapacha's urging, the child was brought before Kurush. Initially, Kurush shunned the child and attacked the slave who brought him. For his safety, the child was taken away from his maddened father.

That night, after many bowls of Apunian beer, Kurush had a dream. He saw a great king, dressed in lion’s skin, standing tall as a cedar tree before the walls of Labisa, driving darkness away with bow and spear. Beside this great king stood another, burning with a wrathful fire. Kurush believed this vision, sent by the sun god Re, showed him retaking Labisa with his son by his side.

Upon waking, Kurush called for his son and declared that the savior of the Kishites would not bear an Apunian name. He renamed the boy Akard, after Akard "The Sailor," the Drowned King. Kurush ensured Akard was well-educated. By four, Akard was bilingual in Apunian and Kishite. By five, he was learning to use a bow; by six, to ride a chariot. Kurush also taught his son about the great kings of old, Tamel the Mighty and Nasib the Lion, instilling a deep hatred for Hutbari.

At 14, with Kurush’s eager approval, Akard traveled with the Fapacha's soldiers to the deserts of Pyria, driving the chariot of Apunian general Batkhet. Over the next decade, Akard, known as Akarat to the Apunians, earned renown fighting the tribes of Pyria and the kingdoms of Namut. His charisma and bravery won him much love from the troops, though it also earned him the ire of old-blood Apunian commanders who saw their men fawn over the young upstart.

Kurush maintained contact with informants in Kishetal, hearing of Hutbari's failings. He formulated a plot to retake his kingdom, supported by Barunaki, ruler of the city of Bur, a vassal of Labisa. However, Kurush's failing health made this plan seem increasingly unlikely. At 23, Akard led his first battalion against the Namutian prince Qirush, capturing him despite being outnumbered. For this victory, Akard was given the noble title Pabaket, a Mouth of the Fapacha.

Around this time, Akard began showing symptoms of Asherdul's Bane. His father, now almost entirely bedridden, was mentally and physically deteriorating. Kurush had neglected to tell Akard the nature of their family curse, until then. Knowledge of his terrible affliction, and the thought of sharing his father’s fate, lit the fires of ambition and intensified the feeling of righteous fury within him. Shortly after Akard’s 25th birthday, Akard, in an act of mercy, killed his father by strangling him, disguising the evidence among the sores on Kurush’s throat.

Akard reached out to his father's contacts in Kishetal, winning their favor with his fire and fervor. He swore to avenge his father and wipe Hutbari's line from Labisa, promising to bring a new, greater line to Labisa. He even sent messengers to the roving tribes of Makur and the Sea Lords of Ikopesh.

With the Fapacha's blessing, Akard boarded a ship to Kishetal, carrying his father's ashes in a satchel of lion skin. Hutbari welcomed the venerable Pabaket into the throne room, unaware that the handsome young Apunian diplomat before him was not only his nephew but also his doom.

Appearance

Akard is a man of average height with a broad chest, narrow waist, and a fit physique. His arms and chest are marked with the scars of battle. When he first arrived in Labisa, he concealed the sores on his skin with makeup to prevent Hutbari and his family from discovering his true nature. His features and hair resemble those of his Kishite father, but he has the terra cotta-colored skin of his Apunian mother. His hazel eyes are framed by long eyelashes. While living among the Apunians, he adorned himself with their decorations, painting his eyes and face gold and blue, and combing sweet-smelling oils through his beard and hair.

His handsome features will one day be marred by the ravenous spread of Asherdul's Bane.

Personality

Akard is charismatic and passionate. His actions and thoughts are driven by his ambitions. He has a strong sense of justice and of honor and will pursue these alongside his ambitions, his dreams of creating a better Kishetal, to terrifying lengths. When he wishes to, he carries an aura and power which draws people to him.

He can be kind and empathetic, a gentle and good ruler, however ultimately history will remember him as a conqueror.

Though usually reasonable, he is driven the fear that his escaped cousin, Ninma, may one day act against him, taking revenge against him as he did against Hutbari. For this reason, he obsesses over the fugitive princess.

Gender/Pronouns

Cis-man He/Him

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Relationships

Akard is close with his men. He acts as a sort of father figure to the warrior, Zatar (though whether Zatar also views their relationship like this is uncertain). He falls in love and in time is married to the seer, Zenit, once a slave of his uncle Hutbari.

His relationship with his family is absolutely terrible, after all he is responsable for the deaths of all but the runaway Ninma and those whose marriage had taken them out of the circle of Kishite influence

Favorite Color

Cyan

Favorite Food

Menam-hewud, a traditional Apunian stew made primarily of beef and onion

Biggest Fear

That the progress and prosperity he has brought to the people of Labisa will be destroyed, either by inner turmoil or Ninma's revenge.

Sage?

No

Literate?

Yes

Excerpt

Context: Akard confronts the oligarchic rulers (The Bidani) of the city of Chibal

" I did not come to this city to hear a greasy merchant babble about why they thought it appropriate to waste my time." Akard barked.

Wadikir dropped to his knees to grovel.

" I didn't mean to offend, Great King. Please forgive me." He leaned forward to kiss Akard's feet.

" Don't touch me, rat."Akard snarled, kicking at the merchant's face. "It seems obvious that incompetents rule this city. As recompense for your wasting my time, I will be taking this city and your heads." He announced coldly. 

This caused the other Bidani to protest loudly.

" You can't do that! There is an agreement that the heads of the cities may not kill each other. You know as well we do. You would be breaking a trust between the city states."

Akard shook his head." That applies to kings, my friend. You are not kings. And besides, who would enforce that agreement? What Kishite king cares so much for your lives that they would rush to condemn me, and who would have the might to do so?"

" We'll have you killed before you even reach the docks! Guard!”

One of Bidani’s guards stepped forward, brandishing his spear threateningly. There was a flash, a spray of red, and yelp of terror from the watching Bidani. The guard collapsed as Zatar pulled the spear from the man’s gullet with a soft squelch. Most hadn’t even seen the spearmaster strike The other guards who had started to move to stand next to their companion tripped over one another in their effort to distance themselves from the spearman. 

Akard chuckled dryly. " A valiant effort, but fruitless. If you did by some twist of fate manage to kill me and my friends here, my men waiting outside the walls would still take this city and slaughter each of you. Whereas if I lead the attack perhaps, just perhaps I'll have a change of heart and decide to spare you, perhaps."

" And if we surrender now?"

" I'll have you all executed, as is deserving of those who would abandon their posts so readily. Good day, see you all again soon."

@patternwelded-quill @flaneurarbiter @skyderman @blackblooms

@roach-pizza @illarian-rambling @dezerex @theocticscribe

@axl-ul, @persnickety-peahen, @surroundedbypearls, @elsie-writes

@mk-writes-stuff, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @the-golden-comet

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s Poison Date translation (Part 2/2)

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

⚠️ Content Warning: Suicide. Please proceed cautiously and prioritize your mental and emotional well-being when engaging with this material

I've committed unforgivable sins, drunk the incurable poison.

Your sweet voice has set my reason ablaze, beckoning me to follow you to the depths of hell.

So kiss me, my love, with those poisoned lips of yours.

-

Previous Part-> [Here]

-

[Subbed Video - Turn on CC!]

Lucien being over the top and dramatic with his villain narrative is a bit comedic LOL, it is not something that you hear every day. Also, that end part….. the despair is very painful to hear and watch huhu.

[Part 3]

Tonight, the audience in the theater consists only of the Pope and me, so the opening applause is naturally a bit sparse.

After the melodious music begins, the curtain is drawn open.

On the stage, the simple set pieces appear to be a palace.

The music gradually slows, and the sound of footsteps approaches from one side of the stage. I follow the sound, and in an instant, my breath catches.

Even the Pope beside me can’t help but take a sharp breath and sits up with great interest.

A magnificent crown, a dark-colored robe…

For a moment, I almost believed it was the spirit of my husband, resurrected and standing before me.

MC: Lucien….

Xu Mo doesn’t look like Xu Mo at all now. After taking the specter, he is almost identical to Lucien.

Xu Mo seems quite pleased with the reactions of the two of us in the audience. He winks at me lightly and raises his voice.

Xu Mo: (dramatically) Another long and endless night.

Xu Mo: I’ve spent countless hours on lengthy and tedious scriptures, and now I have to deal with the infatuation of that boring princess…

Xu Mo: …I gave up being a servant of God and immersed myself in the secular world, but when will my ideals and ambitions finally be realized!

MC: This is…

I listen in shock to Xu Mo’s arrogant speech, and amid it, an indescribable fear creeps up from my heart.

On the stage, Xu Mo appears like a true king. He gracefully reclines on the throne, casually toying with the scepter with one of his hands.

Bloody, withered bones spread beneath his feet, and amid the dimming flames, he continues to pour out his ambitions.

Xu Mo: I can’t wait any longer.

Xu Mo: Perhaps I should instigate an impeachment, a rebellion, and crown myself with the blood of countless people?

Xu Mo: But what about my wife?

Xu Mo: The poor little princess is too delicate. Her ears can only bear the beautiful music of the harp; the sound of weapons would frighten her.

His words, with their ups and downs, are filled with a cruel chill that seeps into every fiber of my being.

———What on earth is Xu Mo performing?!

Xu Mo: Wait, I’ve thought of it.

Onstage, Xu Mo tosses aside the scepter, and, as if performing magic, he now holds a captivating bouquet in his hand.

Oleander, Aconite, Gelsemium… each one of them is the dazzling poisonous flowers that Lucien once told me about.

Xu Mo: An Eastern sorcerer once taught me an unnamed formula, and that colorless, tasteless powder will surely help me realize my dream.

Xu Mo: Perhaps tonight, I should set up a banquet and invite that foolish and ignorant king.

MC: ….!

Banquet. King. Hellish memories flow back into my mind like a stream of mud, and I tremble all over.

On that day, Lucien hosts a banquet and invites my father and the Pope. I can’t attend due to a sudden high fever.

After the banquet, while I was still ill, I received shocking news-

My father dies at the dining table, and my husband, whose plot to poison the Pope and usurp the throne is exposed, is executed on the spot by the surviving Pope.

Within a single day, the two most important men in my life have left me in this way.

But these are royal secrets, and I have never told Xu Mo about them. How did he find out?!

At this point, the music for the second act has already started, the lights are dimming, and the execution table is about to be brought onto the stage.

MC: No…!

Unable to bear it any longer, I suddenly stand up and stumble out of the theater.

——————————————————————————

After the girl’s fleeing figure disappears, the music and the performance immediately come to a halt.

Xu Mo raises a glass of wine, walks down from the stage, and approaches the Pope.

The actor still wears a magnificent royal robe, his voice composed.

Xu Mo: Unfortunately, there is only one audience member left now. What do you think of this performance?

The Pope leans back in his seat contentedly and perfunctorily claps his hands.

The Pope: Outstanding performance. It even had our esteemed Princess MC completely engrossed.

The Pope: However, the plot does seem a bit too long. It’s about time for the curtain to fall, don’t you think, Xu Mo?

Xu Mo: Indeed.

Xu Mo: Then please, have this glass of wine to celebrate the end of this great performance.

Xu Mo hands the wine to the Pope, who smiles as he drinks it all in one go before leaving happily.

——————————————————————————

After returning to the palace, I pull all the curtains closed and bury myself in the corner of the bed.

Thoughts in my mind become a tangled mess, and amidst the chaos, that most secretive and terrifying thought uncontrollably resurfaces.

—Perhaps there was never an actor “Xu Mo” who traveled from the East, there’s only…

Just thinking of that name alone, my heart feels like it’s being twisted by a knife.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but my bedroom door is pushed open, and the candlelight illuminates through the darkness.

Xu Mo: Madam, I know you’re here.

The source of light is getting closer, and Xu Mo has already taken off his costume, his expression gentle as if nothing had happened before.

Xu Mo:(gently) You’ve been like this before, after being frightened, you would extinguish all the lights and huddle in the corner of the bed without moving.

Xu Mo: Every time, I had to coax you for a while, using sweets or kisses to persuade you, before you’d finally come out like a little rabbit.

He sets down the candlestick and leans slowly towards me. His voice is so gentle that it could drown anyone.

Xu Mo: Actually, the play I had prepared wasn’t this one, but because of an unexpected audience, I had to perform this kind of scenario.

Xu Mo: I’m sorry, did I frighten you tonight?

I open my mouth as if unsure of how to find my words, and after a moment, I speak with difficulty.

MC: …Who are you really?

Xu Mo: Who do you think I am?

His voice is soft, like a ghost’s whisper, but his breath is warm, landing gently on my forehead, repeatedly scorching that small patch of skin.

MC: ….

MC: You are…

That one word is too heavy; once spoken, it would shatter the resolve I’ve built up over these past few years.

In the long silence, Xu Mo can’t wait for my response, and he lowers his gaze.

Xu Mo: I’m a little disappointed, young princess.

Xu Mo: I believe I’ve taught you enough, you should be able to taste that someone has poisoned your drink at today’s banquet.

Xu Mo: Now you should… Ugh! [gasps]

His calmness completely ignites my anger; I swiftly throw off the blanket and lunge towards him.

Xu Mo gets caught off guard, and I push him down onto the bed.

The anger of being played with completely drowns my reason, and I only want to repay him with all the torment I’ve endured over these years.

But my body is too weak, and my struggles in his eyes probably resemble nothing more than a bedroom game. With little effort, he manages to restrain my wrists.

Xu Mo: Be good, now is not the time to be angry.

Without the need for elaborate attire, Xu Mo’s voice regains the composure befitting his high position.

He used to always use that kind of voice to coax me, kiss me, making me willingly ensnared in his web.

I used to be so enamored by his composure, but now I can only let out a bitter laugh.

MC: Do you expect me to weep tears of joy at your “resurrection”?

MC: Why can’t I be angry about your deception?

MC: Why do you think I wouldn’t want to kill you, Lucien?

Ding-ding- [sounds of bells]

————————————————————————-

Outside the castle, a mournful tolling of funeral bells suddenly echoes, startling countless crows into flight.

A towering blaze erupts from the cathedral, and the priests, in a panic, try to rush out but find the entrance surrounded by layers of soldiers.

Priest: You…?!

Soldier: The Pope is dead, and until the new Pope arrives, no one is allowed to leave the cathedral.

[Part 4]

Neither Lucien nor I care about the deafening tolling of the bells and the cries from outside; none of it has anything to do with this room.

I take a deep breath, reaching for my concealed dagger, and at that moment, a cold gleam flashes within our locked gazes.

Lucien:[gasps] ….!

A rare surprise flicker in Lucien’s eyes. In the blink of an eye, he only manages to reach out his hand to block the dagger.

The blade slices through his palm, and the tip of the knife stops at his throat.

Crimson droplets of blood slide down the silver blade, landing on the hollow of his collarbone, one drop after another.

Lucien:[gasps] ….

Despite the pain he’s clearly experiencing, a smile blossoms on Lucien’s face.

He even opens his other hand, baring his chest, as if inviting me to do as I wish.

Lucien: Okay then, what’s the reason for my wife wanting to kill me?

MC: Isn’t the act you’re putting on today the reason?

Lucien: Did you really believe it?

Of course, I didn’t believe it.

When the pope told me back then, I never believed that Lucien would poison him and usurp the throne.

I know his ambitions and ideals, and I believe he must have secret trouble and is unjustly accused.

I know better than anyone the kind of person my beloved, whom I mourn day and night, truly is.

So when I tasted the poison in the holy water, I thought it was just the Pope torturing me, wanting me to follow him to his death slowly.

-But now, the glaring truth in front of me shatters my wishful thinking.

I don’t apply more force, and Lucien doesn’t release the blade either.

As if my silent response is more unbearable to Lucien than the pain in his palm, he tilts his head slightly, then turns back again.

Lucien: I’m sorry.

Lucien: From the beginning, you shouldn’t have trusted Lucien.

My gaze blurs and then clears with his words, and suddenly, a tear falls on Lucien’s cheek. Only then do I realize my tears have gathered on my chin.

MC: So, then, that day… Was it really you…?

Lucien: It was me, but it wasn’t me at the same time.

Lucien’s response seems ambiguous, but in reality, both he and I know exactly what we’re talking about.

Lucien: I was just a bottle of poison in the hands of the Pope; wherever he needs me to be used, I will be used.

Lucien: The Pope realized that he couldn’t destroy your father’s reputation, but he couldn’t wait any longer, so he used my prescription.

Lucien: I was afraid he would eliminate you as well, so I added something to your food that caused you to get a fever that day, sparing you from attending the banquet.

The truth has shaken me so badly that I can hardly hold the knife handle steadily.

Lucien takes the opportunity to hug me tightly, prying open my fingers and stripping the dagger away, but his words continue to haunt me.

Lucien: The Pope has discovered my little tricks. He promised not to harm you, but he has given me new orders.

Lucien: He shifted all the blame onto me, had me executed, and Lucien ceased to exist in the world, leaving him as the sole ruler of this land.

MC: Then “Xu Mo” rises from the grave and goes to a neighboring country to continue working for him, right?

Lucien nods.

MC: Then why are you here now?

Lucien: Because my plan has come to an end, and it’s time to reclaim what’s rightfully mine.

MC: What’s rightfully yours… the Papal throne?

Lucien: Mm.

Lucien: And you.

Lucien’s expression at this moment is filled with deep love and regret, but it makes my inside feel as if they’re being squeezed.

His slender fingers carefully trace over my throat, confirming my heartbeat, as they leave red traces on my skin.

Lucien: The poison in the wine at today’s banquet was quite potent. Fortunately, it was detected early, but you might have trouble sleeping for the next few days.

Lucien: But now is not the time to discuss this. Accompany me to the cathedral, okay?

Lucien: The Pope is already dead, there won’t be any danger in the future… [gasps] Huh?

His fingers pressing on my pulse suddenly stiffen.

MC: ….You finally figured it out, didn’t you.

I slowly, very slowly, start to show him a grave smile.

MC: Why did you believe I wasn’t poisoned? Always so sure that everything was under your control?

Arising emotions and the effects of the drug cause an unusual flush on my pale face, and Lucien’s breath freezes.

Lucien:[his breath hitches and his words shaken] No…

MC: I should thank you, Lucien.

MC: Thank you for not letting me die at the dinner table a few years ago and from the poisoned wine tonight.

MC: I’m also thankful for the pharmacology lessons you gave me, which allowed me to taste the subtle sweetness in the holy water I drink every week at the cathedral.

Every time I went to pray, the sealed wax on the silver chalice, the faintly sweet water, and the Pope’s hypocritical smile made me nauseous.

MC: You said all your poisons have their rightful place, does that include me?

MC: Lucien, you’re murdering and saving me at the same time… Why?!

Lucien grips my wrist tightly, and for the first time, a look of panic appears on his face.

Lucien: What if I told you I didn’t know about the poison in your holy water… Since you knew it was poisoned, why did you drink it?

He suddenly lifts his head, his voice trembling.

Lucien: -How long have you been drinking it?!

A smile forms at the corner of my lips, my heart feeling relieved and liberated.

MC: Because I’ve been missing you all this time.

MC: …I’ve missed you for so long. That’s how long I’ve been drinking it.

Lucien’s pupils contract in shock. He stumbles out of bed and starts rummaging through a dark cabinet, pulling out one bottle after another.

Lucien: (in a panic) Not this… not this one…

Lucien: Why did I develop it in the first place… why did I give it to him…

Lucien: Yes, MC, drink this first. It can’t wholly detoxify you, but it should provide some relief.

He finally finds a medicine bottle. He anxiously half-kneeling in front of me and bringing a small bottle to my lips.

I gaze at him steadily, not making a move for a long time.

I’m well aware that relief is only temporary, and everything has come too late.

——————————————————————————

As dawn breaks, the guards in silver armor knock on my door, and they say, “We’ve come to welcome the new Pope.”

Lucien: And the new Queen.

He supports my weakened self, walking into the bright light.

My coronation ceremony is even grander than our wedding, with flower petals showering down as if to squander all of spring.

Unfortunately, I run out of strength before reaching the end of the red carpet, and amidst a flurry of gasps, Lucien carries me to the throne.

Lucien: …I am honored to crown you.

His kiss, along with the crown, descends onto my forehead, its weight almost too heavy for me to bear.

—————————————————————————–

My body deteriorates further, and Lucien asks me to wait for him, to give him time to concoct an antidote and to see his true heart.

Actually, he doesn’t need to go through all this trouble.

I’m incapacitated by the poison, unable to do anything, while he is a wise and astute Pope who will lead the nation to prosperity and order.

Yet, he insists on seeking my opinion on every decree, whether I’m in a coma or awake.

And when he formally proclaims them, he always adds the phrase, “In accordance with the Queen’s will.”

I transform from a pitiable woman of ill omen into a resourceful Queen who’s been working hand in hand with her husband, who faked his own death, to overthrow the tyranny of the previous pope.

Even though no one has ever seen me, they all sing praises for me.

It’s really funny. If my fingers still had strength, I’d love to play a scherzo for them.

Lucien continues tirelessly to research and search for an antidote for me. However, the increasing duration of my unconsciousness has left his face more and more grim.

——————————————————————————

When I wake up this time, I find myself carefully wrapped in a feather bed, and there’s a bouquet of purple bellflowers by my side.

Freshly picked, with dewdrops still on the petals.

MC:(smiles) …Poison-free.

My voice startles Lucien, who sits at the desk, and he suddenly looks up.

Lucien:(gently) Is my wife awake?

I softly hum in response. I can’t bring myself to be resolute with him. At least now, we can talk calmly.

I blink drowsily, and my gaze shifts to the desk.

MC: What are you writing?

Lucien: Just some decrees to be issued in the future.

MC: Why do you have to write so long?

The spread-out parchment scroll drags on the floor, and I can’t help but be surprised.

But Lucien doesn’t explain. He picks up a small vial and leans down in front of me.

Lucien: Recently, a physician from the Far East has arrived in the capital. This is a prescription we formulated together. Try it, okay?

His tone reminds me of “Xu Mo”. I press my tongue against my teeth and manage to say, “Okay,” with difficulty.

A spark of delight lights up in his eyes. He carefully administers the medicine to my lips, eagerly awaiting my reaction.

Lucien:(with a bit of hope in his voice) Is your head still hurting?

MC: It still hurts.

Lucien: Are you breathing better?

MC: No.

Lucien: ….

Lucien:(quietly) And… your heart?

MC: I feel… like it’s not beating anymore.

For a moment, I can almost see the invisible despair crushing down the man in front of me.

He lowers his head and gently buries his face in the palm of my hand.

Lucien: ….You’re punishing me, right?

MC: I’m not punishing you, Lucien.

I feel the salty dampness in my palm, sticky and wet. It’s as if we are already trapped in an unsolvable situation.

MC: My innocence and romance had already come to an end on that day, and I… I’m just very tired.

MC: I want to hate you, but I know I can’t hate you. I want to love you, but I don’t dare to love you.

MC: It’s me… I hate myself that’s like this.

Deathly silence pervades the dimly lit room until the sun sets in the west and the morning dew dries up. Then, Lucien’s hoarse voice finally breaks the silence.

Lucien: If Madam doesn’t dare to love Lucien, can she perhaps show some mercy for Xu Mo?

He has never begged like this before; I can’t refuse him.

MC: …Okay.

MC: Xu Mo, my most loyal servant, could you please reenact the scene from the first time I saw you?

Lucien nods, his face obscured by the twilight glow, only his melodious voice reaching my ears.

Lucien: I’ve committed unforgivable sins, drunk the incurable poison.

Lucien: The secret elixir is as sweet as honey at times, and as bitter as chicory at others; Once you taste a drop, your soul will perish.

Lucien: Your sweet voice has set my reason ablaze, beckoning me to follow you to the depths of hell.

Lucien: So kiss me, my love, with those poisoned lips of yours.

As I listen to his soothing voice, my vision gradually blurs. In the final scene, I see Lucien taking out that dagger, pointing it towards his own chest.

–In the final moment, I remember.

The reason I brought Xu Mo back that day is because he performed a beautiful play of lovers ending their lives together for love’s sake.

———————Fin——-—————

[Afterwords]

Before I share my thoughts- I want to remind y’all that this story is fictional and shouldn’t be taken as encouragement or inspiration for any harmful actions, particularly self-harm or suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with such thoughts or feelings, please seek help and support from a mental health professional or a trusted person.

Okay, let’s talk a bit about the date. Honestly, I have a bit of mixed feelings about this date. On the one hand, I like that PG finally has the guts to have a bad ending; it’s beautifully written, and I LOVE all the tropes being used here, but on the other hand… I feel that because the date is so short, it doesn’t explore much of his motivation and detail of his plans, making his plan feel flimsy and his character a bit OOC. I mean, the Lucien that we know wouldn’t be ‘dumb’ enough to trust someone like the Pope.

But, well, I can only compromise, so here’s my take on what might have transpired. At that time, when the Pope sought to eliminate MC’s father, he may not have wielded much power. Consequently, he might have had no choice but to acquiesce to the Pope’s terms. After his ‘death’, while doing the Pope’s work as ‘Xu Mo’, he also secretly gathers power (ie. the soldiers at the end might be his people) to reclaim the papal throne for him and the Queen’s throne for MC. He is a loyal servant to his master, but his real master wasn’t the Pope, classic Lucien double agents trope, I must say. It’s almost reminiscent of the main story, especially with his connection to NW.

Perhaps he already did everything he could, like teaching MC how to recognize the poisons, so if the Pope tried to poison her, she could acknowledge it promptly and avoid consuming it. However, he didn’t take her deep feelings for him into account, didn’t consider that she would rather follow him into the afterlife after his ‘death’ :”.

After many years, he finally came back for revenge. Coincidentally, MC is also bringing him back to the palace, and as Xu Mo, he takes care of her needs as her servant. The stage play is indeed for the Pope to see; the purpose is to relax the Pope’s vigilance. By acting as the villain as MC’s watch, he proves ‘his loyalty’ to the Pope. This act lulls the Pope into a false sense of security, and it’s only when the Pope’s guard is completely down, Lucien finally can ‘let the curtain fall’ as he poisons the Pope.

It’s understandable why MC gets mad at him. First, he faked his death, leaving her for years with her grief and depression, only to find out that he was alive all along. Second, although she doesn’t believe in the stage play, he still deceives her and indirectly kills her father. And yet, despite everything that’s happened, she can’t bring herself to hate him.

AND THEN, here comes the final twist, just when Lucien thought he could finally reclaim everything that was rightfully his. He found out that everything was not under his control. Just like in the Main Story, MC is always outside of his control. His composure crumbles the instant he learns of her impending demise. The throne, the power, and the land mean nothing to him if there’s no MC by his side. What’s worse, it’s his own prized poison that slowly kills her. He saves her, yet at the same time, he is also the one who indirectly kills her. Ironic, isn’t?

(By the way, the coronation scene is excellent; it’s just ugh so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time)

Although it’s painfully clear that there’s no way to save her, Lucien still relentlessly and desperately tries to find a cure. Really, as long as she's alive, he will never give up even a trace of hope because he believes in the future when he will rule the kingdom together with her, so even when MC was seriously ill, he was still writing decrees and trying to discuss it with her. He clears out her name and prepares his death by writing that long decree for the future (at least the kingdom will be okay, I guess :”D).

But when MC utters those heart-wrenching words, telling him that her heart no longer beats after he gave her the antidote, he gives up all illusions, all his status, power, wealth, and fame, without any hesitation and directly chooses to die together with her. The last thing he could do was beg for her mercy.

–In the final moment, I remember.

The reason I brought Xu Mo back that day is because he performed a beautiful play of lovers ending their lives together for love’s sake.

This last scene :””. MC brought back Xu Mo because the act of dying out of love touched her. It gave her some relief that perhaps dying for love wasn’t so bad. By using ‘Xu Mo’ play, Lucien also dies out of love, completing this ‘play’ doomed from the start.

[animeandfilmotaku]

烏は主を選ばない-[A Raven Does not choose its master]: Outside world through Inner lenses (Non-spoiler Free review)

“The world isn't in your books and maps, it's out there.”-J.R.R Tolkien

On the last episode I feel it’s emptiness and yet it’s beauty as we close with Yukiya acknowledging Wakamiya as his master- you may wonder why I chose the subtitle- similar to an episode in the second half of the series, while I praised the first half for its tasty court drama, the second half zooms out to the world of Yamauchi, and it’s conflicts which affect its intriguing characters which made me proclaim the best series I watched to date (well alongside Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, Dororo and Mononoke), and since we reached its conclusion, I would love to go to an in-depth review on this hidden gem since I touched it so briefly in my previous review (And yes I get to read the manga so yes, I got a different outlook of that gorgeous series.)

(FYI I am hiding this behind, in case you do not like to get spoiled by the plot points)

The 1st half is painted on the inside world of the Yamauchi-the court; ministers conspiring on court affairs, 4 consorts in their ‘bird-cage’ Sakura palace, fighting with one another to win the Kin’u’s hand. And those close to these noble court feeling the tidal wave of its affections, similar to every court intrigue drama which I thought of The Tale of Genji in my head.

We see two persons that are entwined to the ‘court’ world- Asebi (The Eastern consort); naive and kind- entering a glided world where she unfortunately holding little straws to the cut-throat inner world of Sakura Palace; and Yukiya-a ‘blockhead’ from Taruhi Village- a prominent point in the North prefecture; whom by unusual circumstances is called to serve Nazukihiko (I.E Wakamiya), a true Golden Raven (I.E the Kin’u), which it is emphasised through interactions between the clever Yukiya and the mysterious Wakamiya.

I would say navigating through a complex maze of court intrigue proves to be tantalising to me, because no one expect any moment of each character’s intakes whenever it was the stern Lord Natsuka, the strong-willed nature of Hamayuu or Atsufusa- one of Natsuka’s followers. You are introduced to backthroat court world, at a flip of a coin, he could either be a great ally or a cunning enemy that is willing to stuff a chicken in your robes to pretend you are stabbed by a burly bodyguard (Looking at you Atsufusa), having the two anchors which are Asebi-a kind-hearted consort with no allies holding this line out from Tennesse Williams -'A Streetcar Named Desire' (I will always depend on the kindness of strangers) energy, a moth intrigued by the bright blinding lights.

and Yukiya whose battle with his own conflicts of identity and purpose, both plunged into a world where facades are not what it seems and one must keep its toes up in order to survive.

You may wonder about who shall be his consort, well- it was an unexpected choice. Neverthless that twist of Aesbi on the end of the consort selection contest haunted our minds, which I am still reeling over- a beautiful flower that hid rot within her core (I need to mention that I wish to see the Empress' reaction on knowing Asebi's evil intentions to be animated because when I read the manga, it would be delightful but I see why it is edited out due to pacing purposes)

With the choice of the consort out of our mind, we pave for the second half, which Yukiya went home for a brief moment after a year in service in court. If the 1st half of Raven is about the inner politics; the 2nd half sees a world beyond the confines of Yamauchi- which make the selection ceremony a minor ripple in the pond , as always you are always keep up to your toes with our characters and its motives- expect it is no longer inner conflicts of ladies who desire Wakamiya’s hand with their courtly backstories. Instead we follow a young girl Koume who survived a village massacre and the rumours of a drug that cause its residents to go berserk.

You may think that we, like Yukiya can rest on our laurels on this case- however it went much deeper like the medicine that circulate the veins, this second half is when I fell truly in love with its series- because the real meat is here, a sheltered bubble threatened to burst. It is never what it seen, we explored the seedier areas only briefly explored on the 1st half, where the threat rippled at every crevice, which we hold our suspicions on Koume's truth if she is the carrier of the drug. As always- it is not a simple incident that concidently built up overnight, akin to a full course meal, with intriguing flavours, each moment enchant a truth or hide a lie, and Yukiya despite being jaded from witnessing the court’s cruel acts especially on Asebi, changing from a stubborn boy who desired to protect his small village, to a loyal and steadfast ally to Wakamiya, carrying the burden to protect his folk, his change proves to be gradual which made the last episode which he call himself a 'lowly servant' impactful.

I would say the Wisteria Arrows scenes are my favourite because the choice of music and animation made these scenes haunting, and tangible that someday that bubble could break anytime.

In the end, we no longer see Yukiya as charming “blockhand”, but as a young man with his eyes open upon the world that is beyond, it is a cyclical change for all characters, and in the end, akin to that Tolkien quote; the world is not simply written in books or whispered by scheming court officials but expanded through different lenses, neither good or evil, but layers of grey that one must journey.

If there is a flaw- is that the court intrigue drags a little longer and it may pull people off, which I can guarantee- it is not,it is a pity that it really flew under the radar among the packed anime season (BTW I did not follow much), because the plot and characters proves to be intriguing with unexpected twists and all.

I really hope for a Season 2, with that post-credit scene; I would love to dive to the world of Yamauchi again following Yukiya's devotion to the Prince, in the meantime I am going to try to catch up the manga with the translated scans, as much as I can (I actually finished A Raven of All Seasons Manga which dealt the 1st half of the series, and I tell you, it is soooo good)

[moonglide]

echoes of wisdom hours 6 and 7

-smallant skipped the entire fucking water temple. went from start to finish in what seems like five minutes. i'm going to flay him alive. i wish i'd thought of that

spoilers under the cut for end of zora questline, the eastern palace, and (non-plot) parts of gerudo desert

-the water temple boss was very fun. i had to think.

-i know i said i wanted to kiss kushara but now i want dradd to kiss kushara

-the song the zora play is nice.

-TRI STOP TALKING ABOUT THE POWER OF FRIENSHIP. these two are clearly going to bang as soon as we leave.

-god. is there just. an optional dungeon? just sitting there? i love you nintendo

-the cloud boss at the end of the eastern temple was fun. I spammed octoroks.

-what?? i get a damage reducing acessory from this? hell yeah

-i walking around and i can't believe they ripped this portion of the map just east of castle town straight from alttp. it's great

-walked through castle town. did a little acorn minigame.

-ok what is the deal with these stamp platforms? i keep finding them but idk what to do with them. I know there's stamp guy or whatever but where is he.

-went to kakariko. the slumber dojo has a sparkly katana. i want it. i'm coming back for it.

-upgraded my sword.

-death #4 to some sandslash level two caromadillos in a cave in the gerudo highlands.

-horse!!!!!

-my main man what do you mean you can't find the horse. it took me exactly two seconds to find it.

-he says i can borrow any horse. i try to hop on a horse. he says i can't have it because it already belongs to someone.

-guys i tried to ride a cow

-horses probably aren't great in this game anyways because of all the elevation changes

-on my way to the oasis. is that the ruins of the goddamn second dungeon in alttp????

-did mango minigame. got a fan! oh, it's just a collectible. damn. i thought i'd be able to fight people with it.

-got an anti-knockback accesory.

-went to gerudo town. beat someone in a race.

-"only authorized personnel can come in here" yeah just try stopping me.

-there's no secret entrance???? damn they stopped me. never thought i'd see the day.

-oh no this teenager lost her voice in a rift and now she's depressed??? someone call kushara we need more anti-PTSD harp music

-checking out the rift. trying to kill a redead so i can use it to kill my enemies. i got too close. it one-shot me. i wasn't even paralyzed. it didn't even hit me, it just bent over to start screaming and i died bc i got too close or something. that's death #5.

-fave monster is spikes again. the ai in this game is kinda stupid and it's hilarious. everything keeps dive-bombing them and like. honey. can you not see it's made of spikes.

-ok edit forgot to mention but does Zelda dislike general wright??? Like, with lefte she just took her hood off but with wright he approached her, and she jumps back, and THEN reveals herself. What beef do they have????

[phantombanquet]

Main Story: Diasomnia Book Chapter 4 (Translation)

7-63: State of Concern!

⚠️ DIASOMNIA SPOILERS. PLEASE BEWARE!

Land of Briar - Campsite

Lilia: Baul, you ended up having another three servings of “risotto”.

Was it that good? Kufufu.

Baul: O-On second thought, there was no crime in the food.

Sebek: I'm glad it suits your taste!

Baul: Ahem! Even... so.¹

Lilia: Ahh. Those Silver Owls have been frequenting this side of the Whistling Wind Valley² lately.

Baul: They ravage the Land of Briar as if it were their own….. Those lowly thieves!

Lilia: Around 100 years ago, one small ship barely landed on a cape where the sunrise could be viewed from the top of a high mountain.

However, in a blink of an eye, those guys grew in number and outnumbered the fairies living in this country.

Now, the Whistling Wind Valley from the east is completely their home.

Baul: Grrrr…… Those humans~~~~!!

If that was the case, we should have just driven them out!!

Lilia: I'm certain Her Majesty The Queen didn't think they would be this much of a handful back then.

Sebek, Silver: ……

Lilia: If they had respected nature, animals, and lived modestly, I would have left them alone, however……

I can't stand that they continue digging up all over the mountains and forest.

We must hurry and deliver Mallenoa-sama's letter to the Eastern Fortress.

Grim: Mallenoa-sama? Who even is that?

Sebek: You bastard³, do you not know of Mallenoa-sama? She is the Young Lord's….. Ah!

……Mallenoa-sama is the Princess of the Land of Briar.

Lilia: It's as the youngster says.

She is the only daughter of the current Queen Maleficia, our master and the Lord of the “Wild Rose (Heidenröslein) Castle”⁴.

Silver: “Wild Rose Castle?” The Royal Castle in the Dragon Capital, and not the “Black Scale Castle”⁵?

Lilia: A green field with a wetland spreading throughout the south side of the Land of Briar.

In the center of it all, a fortress glares at the scoundrels coming from beyond the Coral Sea and the Whistling Valley…

That is the “Wild Rose Castle”.

Baul: Mallenoa-sama, who commands the Royal Guards, is the keystone of this country's defense.

We, as the Royal Palace's guards, will be the delegation that delivers a written request to the “Silver Owls” from Mallenoa-sama.

Today, we had just left the Wild Rose Castle.

Sebek: When you say “written request”......

Baul: Isn't it obvious! It is an ultimatum to immediately stop the ill-mannered behavior of the “Silver Owls” in our country!

Lilia: Hah…… If I could fly by magic, I could easily reach their fortress.

Silver: Is there any reason you don't use flying?

Lilia: The delegations that carried the letter to the Eastern Fortress before us have been disappearing one after another.

Sebek, Silver: Eh!?

Lilia: Our job is to deliver the letter.

Next is to search for the missing ones on the way to the destination. And…

To find and destroy the “Silver Owls” who continue mining without the permission of the fairies.

Baul: Guh…… Diplomacy is primarily the work of the aristocrats. Why must the General be forced to do so!

Lilia: Fairies are much fewer in number compared to humans. Ever since the “Silver Owls” showed up, there has constantly been a shortage in labor.

Moreover, the aristocrats were so unreliable that the mere scent of iron made them swoon.

Mallenoa-sama must have also had that in mind, and chose me instead.

Baul: That is…

Lilia: From now on, we will pass through the Forest of the Night, travel along the green fields, and walk towards the Whistling Wind Valley.

After passing through the Whistling Wind Valley, we will search for the missing ones in the Red Field and at the slope of the Dragon Mountain while aiming for the fortress of the “Silver Owls” at the eastern continent.

Silver: ……It's going to be a long trip.

Lilia: Kufufu. Are you frightened?

Hey, messengers of Night Raven College. Does it look like I still have spare time to attend school?

Sebek, Silver, Grim: ……

Lilia: Even if you break your bones to follow us, you will only be taking a risk and there is not much good left for all of you.

I won't say anything bad, so go back to your school.

Silver: ……No! Now that I have heard you talk like this—!

My desire to have Vanrouge-dono enter Night Raven College has grown even stronger.

Lilia: Ha?

Silver: Indeed, there is not much “magic” we can teach you. However……

I am certain that school life will become an irreplaceable memory for you.

Sebek: Silver……

Silver: That's why, the moment we finish this mission, I will invite you once again—

To our alma mater, Night Raven College!

Lilia: I still won't change my mind once this mission is over…

…Even so, do you still intend to stick with us?

Silver: Yes!

Lilia: Even if your life is in danger?

Silver: YES!!

Lilia: ……

I don't know much about humans…… Could it be that Night Raven College is filled with fairly weird guys among the humans?

Silver: Certainly, there are many of them who are fairly unique.

Sebek: The origins, race, and even culture… It's diverse.

Silver: That is why we learn so much every day.

Lilia: Ha… Have it your way. I don't know anymore.

Silver, Sebek: THANK YOU!!

translation notes:

¹ - I just want to note that Baul said 「それにしても……です。」 です is a Japanese copula (grammatically links subjects and predicates), and is commonly for politeness. The way I formatted the text was the only way I could think of on how to express what he said. Tldr: Baul is still trying to be polite even if he's being teased so bad rn

² - 「風鳴き渓谷」 Whistling Wind Valley; it contains the kanji for wind 風 and the kanji 鳴く, which is commonly used as “to sing (bird). I decided to literally translate as to not drastically change the original text.

³ - 「貴様」 Sebek usually uses this (as well as Baul and, sometimes, General Lilia) i just wanted to make a note of it lol. Kisama is a derogatory way to address someone, and the closest translation for it is “You bastard”.

⁴ - 「野ばら城」 I believe 野ばら (translation: Wild Rose) is also a reference to Heidenröslein, a poem written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about a young man plucking a rose despite the rose's warning not to or else she will stick to him with her thorn forever.

⁵ - 「黒鱗城」 (くりんじょう) Black Scale Castle; it contains the kanji for black 黒 and the kanji for scale 鱗 (of fish, snake, etc. but in this context it's probably dragon scales). Again, I decide to literally translate it as to not drastically change the original text.

personal note: i decided to translate ONLY this chapter because it contained important locations to know for the world building lore. i won't fully translate the entire chapter 4 because of its length.

[karama9]

Echoes of Wisdom

Mild spoilers after the cut

I really love how some landmarks from A Link to the Past are back. Totally geeked out seeing an Eastern Palace AND the ruins of the Desert Temple.

But Nintendo, why is my old house completely gone? Just one little chest now? A shop would have been so cool, like Ravio is gone but a shop stayed...

[princessmotif]

detailed timeline of the world of Utterpok, pre-canon and with only B1 backstory spoilers (up to chapter 13) and B2 lore spoilers, the latter of which you know if you've read The History of Memory

Notes: Each character’s name is given as they were born save for trans characters who later chose different names. This means that boys in the Empire of Fire have different names at birth than they do in adulthood. Furthermore, characters with no surname are listed with their title and the country or ethnic group they are born to. Names are given in eastern order where applicable (surname then given name). In addition, the years used are those used by the Empire of Fire to track time. They are not universal across the globe. Due to the method of record keeping used, not every country or people’s origin is included as some of them came to be before the creation of the Empire of Fire. The timeframe of each season is also altered from the Gregorian equivalent. Spring is from February 5th to May 6th, summer is from May 7th to August 8th, autumn is from August 9th to November 7th, and winter is from November 8th to February 4th. In this timeline, the names of the months used are the Gregorian equivalent for simplicity. However, in accordance with lunar new year’s changing date, the new year begins with the real world equivalent of each year. For reference, the timeline begins in the equivalent of 660 BCE and ends in the equivalent of 1838 CE.

Imperial Year 1 February 11th - the first legendary Emperor of the Empire of Fire, born to the daughter of Amaterasu and Susanoo, fathered by Agni’s human form, and named Ryuichi, begins his rule of the newly founded [Great] Empire of Fire, which is composed of the main island Hondo as well as its surrounding islands, Kyushu, and Shikoku

Imperial Year 126 ??? - after over a century of war between both them and other bending nations which have dwindled down all of their numbers significantly, the southern airbending countries of the Hava Empire, the Kingdom of Air, and the Air States sign a treaty to become one large country, the Air Nation, under the advice of Avatar Reyansh. They decide who their first dynasty will be with a contest of whose ostrich horse is the first to cry out at dawn

Imperial Year 279 ??? - the major religions of the Air Nation, Buddhism and Hinduism, begin to spread across the Great Earth States, their eastern neighbors

Imperial Year 346 February 11th - the Imperial Palace, nicknamed The Caldera, begins construction in Heian-kyō, the capital of the Empire of Fire

Imperial Year 444 September 4th - to keep weak blood off of the Dragon Throne, the Imperial Sparks Test is put into law

Imperial Year 492 ??? - the Air Nation sees a decline in its airbending population as becoming an Air Nomad becomes more popular

Imperial Year 561 ??? - the Great Earth States invades and takes control over its southern neighbor, naming them the Kingdom South of Earth despite it being home to waterbenders

Imperial Year 603 ??? - the Earth Nation, which is east of the Great Earth States, becomes the still unified Three Kingdoms of Earth with three separate monarchs ruling over each major kingdom, Goguryeo, Omashu, and Silla. There’s also Tamna, an island off the shore of Goguryeo which is forced to rely on its relationship with Goguryeo monetarily, and a fourth territory, the Confederation of Gaya

Imperial Year 888 ??? - with the help of the avatar, the Kingdom South of Earth is able to free itself from the Great Earth States’ rule and becomes known in their language as simply Đất Nam

Imperial Year 928 ??? - the Air Nation and Great Earth States enter a war over the illegal occupation of Air Nation territory by the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 935 ??? - the Air Nation and Great Earth States sign a treaty, ending their war, but the Air Nation’s population has been lowered yet again

Imperial Year 1111 ??? - the writing system of the Great Earth States is adopted by the Empire of Fire’s Imperial Court where it’s called ​​chiji. Chiji is only used within the Imperial Court and in the military, so noblewomen and commoners are not taught it. As a result, women begin to write in what is now known as hentaigana, a writing system inspired by the cursive script of shūfǎ, the calligraphy of the Great Earth States. This system is at the time called onnade—women’s writing

Imperial Year 1117 ??? - onnade begins to catch on amongst all commoners

Imperial Year 1129 ??? - onnade becomes hiragana

Imperial Year 1143 ??? - hiragana becomes the standard writing system of the Empire of Fire and begins to be taught in schooling to both noble-born girls and commoner boys. Chiji remains the writing system used in the Imperial Court and military

Imperial Year 1149 October 5th - Đất Nam is invaded and taken over by the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 1197 ??? - a form of Buddhism known as Zen Buddhism makes its way to the Empire of Fire and begins to gain traction alongside the native religion of the Empire of Fire, the way of the spirits. It is met with conservative disdain from some, especially the Nakatomi clan due to their claimed descent from Amenokoyane and traditionally held government position of Master of the Ceremonies

Imperial Year 1436 June 22nd - Đất Nam is made a territory of the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 1457 September 25th - the Xiongnu, a nomadic group of earthbender warriors, enter a war with the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 1480 May 2nd - the Xiongnu sign a peace treaty with the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 1586 March 28th - Đất Nam fights off the Great Earth States, becoming an independent country once more

Imperial Year 1593 January 13th - the Xiongnu enter a civil war

Imperial Year 1598 April 1st - the Xiongnu civil war ends

Imperial Year 1620 August 21st - the beginning of the shogunate and daimyo period in the Empire of Fire

Imperial Year 1698 December 31st - the Xiongnu begin a tributary relationship with the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 1763 February 28th - Đất Nam is able to fight out the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 1763 March 7th - the first water puppetry show in Đất Nam is put on using waterbending to celebrate their freedom

Imperial Year 1905 ??? - the Xiongnu begin to be integrated into the Great Earth States, eventually disappearing completely

Imperial Year 2050 January 22nd - the Great Earth States sends thirty-six families to the Fire Kingdom, a series of islands inhabited by indigenous firebenders nearby the Empire of Fire, to manage dealings with the kingdom

Imperial Year 2087 December 29th - the Fire Kingdom is unified through the backing of the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 2088 February 4th - the Beifong family comes from the Great Earth States to the fractured Goguryeo. Despite their foreign roots, they become the royal family there after massacring the previous family and rename it Gaoling

Imperial Year 2156 September 1st - 49 days after the death of the previous avatar, Yangchen of the Eastern Air Nomads is born

Imperial Year 2162 August 31st - Đất Nam is made a territory of the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 2218 December 22nd - the Avatar Yangchen dies

Imperial Year 2219 February 9th - 49 days after the death of Avatar Yangchen, Kuruk of the Water People is born

Imperial Year 2247 September 11th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2249 May 7th - the second born unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2250 September 11th - the firstborn unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire fails her Imperial Sparks Test and is drowned by the Fire Empress Consort

Imperial Year 2252 May 7th - the surviving unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire passes her Imperial Sparks Test and is named Akari

Imperial Year 2252 August 8th - Prince Asahito of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2254 April 19th - Prince Hitachi of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2256 July 3rd - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2256 November 8th - the Avatar Kuruk dies of spiritual illness

Imperial Year 2256 December 27th - 49 days after the death of Avatar Kuruk, Kyoshi of Tamna is born

Imperial Year 2259 July 3rd - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire fails her Imperial Sparks test and is drowned by the Fire Empress Consort

Imperial Year 2261 March 9th - kabuki is invented in Heian-kyō by a group of women

Imperial Year 2267 April to June - the Empire of Fire invades the nearby Fire Kingdom, capturing the king and his capital. The Fire Kingdom becomes a tributary of both the Empire of Fire and the Great Earth States

Imperial Year 2269 May 7th - Akari’s genpuku. She is named crown princess

Imperial Year 2272 May 14th - Đất Nam is liberated from the Great Earth States by Kyoshi

Imperial Year 2272 August 8th - Asahito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Takechiyo

Imperial Year 2272 October 12th - the Fire Empress Consort has her eldest child, Akari, assassinated to clear the path for Takechiyo to become Fire Emperor

Imperial Year 2272 November 30th - Takechiyo is named crown prince

Imperial Year 2273 June 7th - the Fire Empress Consort is executed for ordering the assassination of Akari

Imperial Year 2274 April 19th - Hitachi’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Sasuke

Imperial Year 2275 April 24th - the Great Earth States enter a warring states period as the major provinces turn on each other. They begin to be known as the Warring Earth States. Takechiyo muses how far the mighty have fallen as the Great Earth States used to believe themselves superior to the Empire of Fire. He begins to conceive of a more prosperous future for the Empire of Fire. All he has to do is ascend to the Dragon Throne and crush the daimyo and shogunate

Imperial Year 2275 April 27th - after consulting with his advisor, Duke Zhaozi of the Earth State, Ba Sing Se, erects the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se and begins to lie to the people of the capital about the rumors concerning a war between the Great Earth States—there is no war in Ba Sing Se

Imperial Year 2275 June 30th - the Warring Earth States lose control of the Fire Kingdom fully to the Empire of Fire which dubs it Hinokuchi

Imperial Year 2277 March 16th - Wei Province captures Song Province

Imperial Year 2285 October 3rd - Zhao Province captures Zhong Shan Province

Imperial Year 2287 ??? - kabuki becomes an all-male art form as women and young boys alike are banned from participating in it

Imperial Year 2292 January 22nd - Shu Province captures Ba Province

Imperial Year 2294 December 26th - the Fire Emperor abdicates. Takechiyo ascends the Dragon Throne and becomes the fourth nonbender to be Fire Emperor despite the practice of the Imperial Sparks Test prevailing for daughters of the Imperial House

Imperial Year 2295 January 3rd - end of the shogunate and daimyo period in the Empire of Fire as Takechiyo executed the daimyo to unite the country under his singular rule

Imperial Year 2299 March 14th - Qin Province captures Shu Province

Imperial Year 2306 December 27th - in honor of the avatar’s 50th birthday, Tamna becomes known as Kyoshi Island and the Kyoshi Warriors are founded

Imperial Year 2310 August 2nd - the Empire of Fire annexes Hokkaido, an island inhabited by indigenous firebenders and nonbenders

Imperial Year 2318 March 13th - Fire Emperor Takechiyo abdicates and his son, Crown Prince Kazan, is crowned Fire Emperor

Imperial Year 2319 November 16th - Prince Zuko of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2326 ??? - tensions reach an all time high between the indigenous firebenders of Hinokuchi and their colonizers

Imperial Year 2339 November 16th - Zuko’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Yaketsuku

Imperial Year 2340 ??? - in an attempt to mollify the indigenous firebenders of Hinokuchi, kabuki is brought to the island

Imperial Year 2343 June 21st - 49 days after the death of Avatar Kyoshi, Prince Hisahito of the Empire of Fire and Ishikawa Tamagusuku are born. Tamagusuku is descended from both the indigenous firebenders of what was once Fire Kingdom and Empire of Fire nobility

Imperial Year 2347 October 8th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2348 November 16th - Kazan abdicates and Yaketsuku is crowned Fire Emperor

Imperial Year 2350 October 8th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire fails her Imperial Sparks Test and is drowned

Imperial Year 2352 ??? - Hinokuchi becomes famous for its kabuki performance and is nicknamed Ember Island by visitors

Imperial Year 2355 January 22nd - Tamagusuku and Ta Min are betrothed

Imperial Year 2355 April 23rd - Hisahito and Junko are betrothed

Imperial Year 2359 June 21st - the Fire Sages tell Tamagusuku he’s the avatar

Imperial Year 2363 June 21st - Hisahito and Tamagusuku’s genpuku. Hisahito’s personal name becomes Sozin. Tamagusuku’s personal name becomes Roku

Imperial Year 2364 February 10th - Roku and Ta Min are wed

Imperial Year 2364 May 16th - Sozin and Junko are wed

Imperial Year 2366 March 3rd - Prince Hisato of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2366 August 15th - Ozutsuki Hanabi is born

Imperial Year 2367 May 29th - Gyatso of the Southern Air Nomads is born

Imperial Year 2368 December 21st - Prince Akihito of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2370 January 22nd - a descendant of Zhaozi is the first ruler of Ba Sing Se to be declared a king

Imperial Year 2373 October 10th - Prince Zuko of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2374 March 15th - Sozin shares with Roku his family’s longstanding desire to spread the prosperity and superiority of the Empire of Fire through imperialism. Roku is disgusted with the Imperial House and tells Sozin he can’t support this as someone descended from the indigenous firebenders of Fire Kingdom and has seen firsthand the harms of imperialism. They fight, ending their friendship

Imperial Year 2376 July 19th - Yaketsuku abdicates and Sozin is crowned Fire Emperor

Imperial Year 2376 August 15th - Ozutsuki Hanabi and Hisahito are betrothed

Imperial Year 2376 August 28th - Roku asks Sozin if his heart remains unchanged. Sozin lies to him to placate him. Roku doesn’t know if he quite believes Sozin but, remembering the love he had for Sozin in their youth, chooses not to take action until he has no other choice

Imperial Year 2378 June 18th - Mononobe Nukatabe is born

Imperial Year 2378 December 21st - Akihito is betrothed to his illegitimate half-sister, Kokomi

Imperial Year 2379 September 30th - Hisahito dies in a firebending accident with his betrothed, Hanabi, who is blamed and imprisoned

Imperial Year 2380 October 2nd - Heike Hanabi is born

Imperial Year 2381 November 20th - Yaketsuku dies of a heart attack

Imperial Year 2383 September 22nd - Fushimaru Suiko is born

Imperial Year 2384 February 19th - Roku is assassinated on Sozin’s orders. Rumors swirl about who could have assassinated Roku and why. People remember how his friendship with Sozin soured. Homosexuality is outlawed in the Empire of Fire as it is a “product of inferior cultures that hinders a country’s ability to grow”

Imperial Year 2384 February 28th - Nanurjuk of the Water People is born

Imperial Year 2384 April 3rd - the next avatar, Nyima of the Southern Air Nomads, is born 49 days following Roku’s death

Imperial Year 2384 June 30th - Nakatomi Kuzon is born

Imperial Year 2384 September 30th - Lobsang of the Southern Air Nomads is born

Imperial Year 2385 November 6th - Sugawara Arashi, second cousin to Mononobe Nukatabe is born

Imperial Year 2385 September 1st - Prince Bumi of Omashu, is born

Imperial Year 2387 October 4th - Lobsang’s biological mother passes due to disease

Imperial Year 2387 October 7th - Lobsang’s biological father passes due to the same disease

Imperial Year 2388 March 26th - Lobsang befriends Kuzon

Imperial Year 2388 December 10th - Kokomi falls overboard and drowns while coming home from Kinokuchi Island

Imperial Year 2388 December 21st - Akihito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Minato

Imperial Year 2390 September 1st - Lobsang befriends Bumi

Imperial Year 2392 June 19th - Mononobe Hanabi, cousin to Nukutabe, is born

Imperial Year 2393 February 18th - Lobsang befriends Nanurjuk who gives him the nickname Aang

Imperial Year 2393 April 24th - Hanabi is released from prison and betrothed to Minato

Imperial Year 2393 June 11th - Minato and Hanabi are wed

Imperial Year 2393 October 10th - Zuko’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Hinote

Imperial Year 2395 March 28th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2395 December 12th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire falls ill

Imperial Year 2395 December 17th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire dies

Imperial Year 2396 September 1st - four years before they’re supposed to, the elder monks tell Nyima she’s the avatar and tell her of the sacrifices she will have to make to dedicate her life to this. They withhold the fact that they’re telling her out of fear the world around them will not continue to be harmonious due to the length of time the Great Earth States have been at war with each other. She confides her desire to run away to Aang who agrees to go with her. Secretly, he plans on convincing her to come back after a week or so

Imperial Year 2396 September 3rd - Hanabi has a miscarriage

Imperial Year 2396 September 5th - Nyima and Aang take Nyima’s sky bison, Appa to go to Hinokuchi

Imperial Year 2396 September 8th - Nyima and Aang are caught in a bad storm that causes Appa to go down into the ocean. Nyima dies to save Aang’s life, freezing both him and Appa to preserve them. Her last thought is that she hopes Aang will be alright without her; saving him is like saving the world to her

Imperial Year 2396 September 9th - the Air Nomad genocide at the hands of the Empire of Fire occurs during Sozin’s Comet on a Tuesday, a day under the element of fire. This marks the beginning of the Hundred-Year War

Imperial Year 2396 September 12th - the Empire of Fire sweeps across the Air Nation to commit a second genocide. This one is also incomplete, but it sends many Air Nation citizens into hiding

Imperial Year 2396 September 17th - the Water People split into two when a group of men and women alike with their children set out to find any survivors of the Air Nomad and Air Nation genocides to provide shelter to them

Imperial Year 2396 October 27th - 49 days after Nyima’s death, the next avatar, Mikilaaq, is born in to the members of the Water People traveling southward

Imperial Year 2396 December 7th - Bumi’s father dies. A regent king is appointed. Bumi begins to be known as The Boy-King of Omashu

Imperial Year 2397 April 19th - Hanabi has a miscarriage

Imperial Year 2397 November 1st - the Southern Water People settle in the South Pole

Imperial Year 2398 February 23rd - the Empire of Fire discovers the Southern Water People

Imperial Year 2398 June 3rd - Sozin orders the first Southern Water People Raid, targeting waterbenders, elders, and shaman, which Mikilaaq escapes due to her young age

Imperial Year 2400 June 30th - Hanabi has a stillborn

Imperial Year 2402 April 9th - Hinote dies in an accident

Imperial Year 2403 May 11th - Minato divorces Hanabi for being unable to bear him a suitable heir, boy or girl

Imperial Year 2403 May 12th - Minato marries Nukatabe. He becomes the first Fire Emperor to practice Zen Buddhism due to Nukatabe’s own Zen Buddhism

Imperial Year 2403 September 1st - Bumi is crowned King of Omashu

Imperial Year 2403 October 31st - Bumi is wed to Su-Ho

Imperial Year 2404 February 24th - Nukatabe has a miscarriage

Imperial Year 2404 May 30th - Arashi becomes one of Minato’s concubines

Imperial Year 2405 July 31st - Prince Ugeo of Omashu is born

Imperial Year 2405 August 8th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2405 August 14th - the unnamed princess of the Empire of Fire dies due to infection

Imperial Year 2406 May 19th - Minato executes Nukatabe via drowning for alleged adultery, conspiracy, incest, and treason. She committed none of these crimes

Imperial Year 2406 May 30th - Minato marries Arashi 

Imperial Year 2407 October 12th - Prince Naruhito of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2407 October 24th - Arashi succumbs to sepsis

Imperial Year 2407 December 10th - Sozin sends the first troops to Đất Nam

Imperial Year 2408 January 6th - Minato marries Suiko

Imperial Year 2408 April to June - the Empire of Fire invades Đất Nam. It becomes the first entire country to be colonized by the Empire of Fire

Imperial Year 2408 June 20th - Sozin abdicates the Dragon Throne and Minato is crowned Fire Emperor

Imperial Year 2408 July 12th - Minato divorces Suiko

Imperial Year 2408 July 28th - Minato marries a very young Mononobe Hanabi. Fukui Ilah is born

Imperial Year 2409 February 13th - Minato has Hanabi executed for alleged adultery via drowning

Imperial Year 2410 July 12th - Minato marries Heike Hanabi. Mikilaaq is taken prisoner during one of the Southern Water People Raids. Ugeo succumbs to a childhood ailment

Imperial Year 2411 May 15th - the Empire of Fire fails to captures Yue Province

Imperial Year 2412 February 14th - Prince Baekho of Omashu is born

Imperial Year 2416 April 28th - the Empire of Fire captures Yan Province

Imperial Year 2418 July 28th - Naruhito and Ilah are betrothed

Imperial Year 2419 May 9th - Prince Xiao of Ba Sing Se is born to replace his late sister and brothers as heir

Imperial Year 2421 December 31st - Princess Sunwon of Omashu is born

Imperial Year 2427 January 22nd - Minato orders a failed Siege of the Northern Water People. In it, not only is the Imperial Navy beaten in battle, but the Northern Water People are able to secure Imperial Armor. This armor is in the style of samurai armor

Imperial Year 2427 October 12th - Naruhito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Azulon

Imperial Year 2428 January 28th - Minato is possibly assassinated, but his death goes uninvestigated due to a lack of care on the part of the citizens and Fire Emperor Azulon

Imperial Year 2428 July 28th - Ilah’s genpuku

Imperial Year 2428 August 15th - Azulon and Ilah are wed

Imperial Year 2429 ??? - the brainwashing in Ba Sing Se begins and each victim takes on the name Joo Dee

Imperial Year 2429 April 6th - Pakku of the Northern Water People is born

Imperial Year 2429 August 1st - Ilah has a miscarriage

Imperial Year 2429 November 20th - the Empire of Fire captures Zhao Province

Imperial Year 2430 June 21st - Azulon decrees that the age of majority is now fifteen in the Empire of Fire

Imperial Year 2430 August 1st - Prince Norihito of the Empire of Fire and his unnamed sister are born

Imperial Year 2430 August 9th - Prince Beifong Haoyu of Gaoling is born

Imperial Year 2431 January 2nd - Haoyu’s illegitimate half-brother, Beifong Hye-sung, is born

Imperial Year 2431 May 27th -  Saionji Kazuya is born

Imperial Year 2431 June 15th - Sunwon dies of disease

Imperial Year 2432 May 29th - Lo and Li of the Empire of Fire are born to Azulon’s favorite concubine, Aburaya Yuki

Imperial Year 2433 July 5th - Kanna of the Southern Water People is born. She is betrothed to Tonraq

Imperial Year 2433 August 1st - the unnamed daughter of Azulon and Ilah fails her Imperial Sparks Test, so Ilah must drown her

Imperial Year 2433 September 22nd - Princess Chung-ha of Omashu and Saionji Kikuyo are born

Imperial Year 2434 March 21st - Gok Bong is born

Imperial Year 2434 June 25th - Seon Geumseong is born

Imperial Year 2434 September 9th - Mikilaaq dies due to illness contracted in the prison she’s being held in

Imperial Year 2434 October 28th - 49 days later, the next avatar, Chiê'n, is born in the colonized Đất Nam

Imperial Year 2434 October 30th - Yagoda of the Northern Water People is born

Imperial Year 2435 May 7th - the Empire of Fire conquers Silla. Azulon orders it be named New Sozin

Imperial Year 2436 February 16th - Baekho is killed in combat

Imperial Year 2436 May 10th - the Empire of Fire fails captures Qi Province

Imperial Year 2436 July 26th - the unnamed daughter of Azulon and Ilah is born

Imperial Year 2438 June 24th - an airbender named Zoya is born to the descendants of two survivors of the Air Nomad genocide in the South Pole

Imperial Year 2439 March 15th - Xiao is wed

Imperial Year 2439 July 26th - the unnamed daughter of Azulon and Ilah fails her Imperial Sparks test, so Ilah must drown her

Imperial Year 2440 ??? - Yagoda shows the potential to become a shaman

Imperial Year 2440 January 14th - Prince Huiwen of Ba Sing Se is born

Imperial Year 2441 April 28th - Prince Hisahito of the Empire of Fire is born. Ilah develops postpartum depression

Imperial Year 2441 September 22nd - Kazuya and Kikuyo are betrothed 

Imperial Year 2445 August 1st - Norihito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Gen'ichirō

Imperial Year 2446 May 27th - Kazuya’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Eito

Imperial Year 2446 August 8th - Sozin dies in his sleep

Imperial Year 2448 September 22nd - Kikuyo’s genpuku

Imperial Year 2448 October 13th - Eito and Kikuyo are wed

Imperial Year 2449 July 31st - descendant of Zhaozi abdicates and Xiao is crowned King of Ba Sing Se

Imperial Year 2450 August 2nd - Aunt Wu of the Three Kingdoms of Earth is born

Imperial Year 2451 March 5th - Imagawa Makoto is born

Imperial Year 2451 September 8th - Prince Akihito of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2452 May 17th - Bumi becomes a widower

Imperial Year 2452 October 6th - Chung-ha and Bong are wed

Imperial Year 2452 January 22nd - Bumi abdicates and Chung-ha is crowned Queen of Omashu

Imperial Year 2453 December 30th - Prince Dae-hyun of Omashu is born

Imperial Year 2454 June 21st - Li and Tachibana Katamori are wed

Imperial Year 2454 June 22nd - Lo and Suzuki Ayumu, born to the former Zhao clan of the Warring Earth States, are wed

Imperial Year 2455 February 27th - Bato of the Southern Water People is born

Imperial Year 2455 May 11th - Prince Jae-sung of Omashu is born

Imperial Year 2455 October 8th - Hitachi of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2456 March 15th - Prince Zuko of the Empire of Fire is born. Hye-sung and Geumseong are wed

Imperial Year 2456 June 21st - Kuroda Sayaka and Saionji Danuja are born

Imperial Year 2456 June 28th - Hirata Toshi is born 

Imperial Year 2456 October 11th - Eda Homura is born

Imperial Year 2456 December 6th - Ichikawa Ursa is born

Imperial Year 2456 December 27th - Hakoda of the Southern Water People is born 

Imperial Year 2456 December 28th - Kya of the Southern Water People is born and arranged to be betrothed to Hakoda

Imperial Year 2456 April 28th - Hisahito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Harunobu

Imperial Year 2458 February 26th - Nakatomi Hisahito is born

Imperial Year 2458 October 23rd - Long Feng is born

Imperial Year 2458 November 9th - Zoya is taken prisoner by the Empire of Fire during a raid. Her parents are killed

Imperial Year 2459 ??? - Eito begins to rape Zoya

Imperial Year 2459 June 8th - Matsudaira Michi is born

Imperial Year 2459 June 11th - Chan Yoshiki is born

Imperial Year 2459 July 3rd - Chikamiya Anzu is born

Imperial Year 2460 August 24th - Saionji Taro is born. He’s the product of Eito’s rape of Zoya, but Eito takes him in anyway, ignoring Kikuyo’s complaints. Inoue Kagami is born

Imperial Year 2460 September 1st - Akihito and Makoto become friends after fighting a mock Agni Kai at the Academy during which they come to a draw

Imperial Year 2461 May 14th - Beifong Lao is born 

Imperial Year 2461 June 21st - Akihito is declared a prodigy firebender by Azulon

Imperial Year 2461 August 1st - Azulon has his eldest two sons, Gen'ichirō and Harunobu, killed to make way for Akihito in the line of succession. Ilah’s depression worsens and she enters a psychotic episode

Imperial Year 2461 September 14th - Noe Poppy is born

Imperial Year 2463 February 12th - Akihito and Hashiji Hanabi are betrothed

Imperial Year 2464 April 20th - Danjong is wed

Imperial Year 2464 December 21st - Hye-sung defunds the Kyoshi Warriors entirely and begins to rub shoulders with the Empire of Fire. The Kyoshi Warriors begin to be picked off by the Empire of Fire or go into hiding

Imperial Year 2466 March 5th - Makoto’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Jeong Jeong

Imperial Year 2466 March 25th - Jeong Jeong graduates the Imperial Fire Academy for Boys

Imperial Year 2466 April 23rd - Prince Kuei of Ba Sing Se is born

Imperial Year 2466 June 21st - Hitachi and Sayaka are betrothed

Imperial Year 2466 September 8th - Ahikito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Iroh

Imperial Year 2467 March 25th - Iroh graduates the Imperial Fire Academy for Boys

Imperial Year 2467 May 3rd - the Siege of Gaoling begins under Iroh’s command

Imperial Year 2467 May 9th - Katamori dies in combat

Imperial Year 2467 May 30th - the Siege of Gaoling comes to an end. Haoyu, his wife, and their children are killed for their resistance. Their grandchildren are imprisoned. The treaties of surrender are signed by Haoyu’s surviving half-brother, Hye-sung. Iroh renames the kingdom New Azulon. In Higo, this sounds like God Azulon

Imperial Year 2467 June 10th - Eito is declared to be governor of the capital

Imperial Year 2467 October 11th - Zuko and Homura are betrothed

Imperial Year 2468 February 23rd - Iroh and Hanabi are wed

Imperial Year 2468 June 17th - Danuja and Toshi are betrothed

Imperial Year 2469 June 10th - Hisahito and Michi are betrothed

Imperial Year 2469 June 24th - the last surviving Kyoshi Warrior is killed

Imperial Year 2469 October 5th - Xiao abdicates and Huiwen is crowned King of Ba Sing Se

Imperial Year 2470 August 2nd - Aunt Wu is wed to the love of her life

Imperial Year 2470 March 17th - Yoshiki and Anzu are betrothed

Imperial Year 2470 July 20th to August 31st - Zuko and Ursa meet while he is vacationing in Hinokuchi with Iroh and Jeong Jeong, pretending to be ordinary noblemen. He falls in love with her, but when he writes home to ask Azulon for permission to marry her, Azulon refuses to nullify his betrothal contract

Imperial Year 2470 September 19th - Iroh and Hanabi’s unnamed daughter is born

Imperial Year 2470 October 8th - Hitachi’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Yōmei, but Zuko and Iroh continue to call him Zhao to mock him

Imperial Year 2471 March 15th - Zuko’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Ozai

Imperial Year 2471 June 21st - Danuja’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Taijo

Imperial Year 2471 September 10th - Taro and Kagami are betrothed

Imperial Year 2471 July 18th - Zhao and Sayaka are wed

Imperial Year 2471 December 6th - Ursa’s genpuku

Imperial Year 2472 November 11th - Ozai and Homura are wed

Imperial Year 2472 February 26th - Hisahito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Ukano

Imperial Year 2472 May 3rd - Taijo and Toshi are wed

Imperial Year 2473 September 19th - Iroh’s unnamed daughter (who was to be named Princess Azula) fails her Imperial Sparks Test, and Hanabi must drown her for it. Jeong Jeong, who came home from deployment to witness the test, consoles both her and Iroh in the aftermath. 

Imperial Year 2474 June 8th - Michi’s genpuku

Imperial Year 2474 June 11th - Yoshiki’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Masaru 

Imperial Year 2474 July 3rd - Anzu’s genpuku

Imperial Year 2474 September 29th - Masaru and Anzu are wed

Imperial Year 2475 April 3rd - Kyoshi Island falls under Empire of Fire control

Imperial Year 2475 August 24th - Taro’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Hinata. Kagami’s genpuku

Imperial Year 2476 February 14th - Hakoda and Kya are wed

Imperial Year 2476 July 30th - Prince Hisahito of the Empire of Fire is born. Hanabi develops sepsis during the birth

Imperial Year 2476 August 7th - on her death bed, Hanabi essentially gives Jeong Jeong her blessing to be with Iroh in whatever capacity he wants on her deathbed

Imperial Year 2476 August 9th - Hanabi dies of sepsis

Imperial Year 2476 December 4th - Ozai discovers Homura’s infidelity and sees her executed via boiling. He quickly secures a new betrothal contract with Ursa

Imperial Year 2476 December 30th - while traveling for business, Aunt Wu’s husband is murdered by Empire of Fire soldiers who take her prisoner to become a comfort woman

Imperial Year 2476 January 10th - Ozai and Ursa are wed. Aunt Wu escapes her abusers and captors with help from a Three Kingdoms of Earth woman, Jisoo

Imperial Year 2476 January 14th - Anh of Đất Nam is born

Imperial Year 2477 June 18th - Ukano and Michi are wed

Imperial Year 2477 August to November - Ilah’s depression-induced psychosis returns. She is hospitalized during this time

Imperial Year 2478 April 16th - Togukawa Fuyuhiko is born

Imperial Year 2478 June 2nd - Hao and Lien of Đất Nam are born. They are Anh’s siblings

Imperial Year 2478 January 27th - Chan Ieyasu is born

Imperial Year 2478 January 29th - Hata Tsutomu is born

Imperial Year 2479 May 16th - Hinata and Kagami are wed

Imperial Year 2479 July 1st - Taijo succeeds Eito as governor of New Azulon

Imperial Year 2479 July 5th - Ikeda Suki/Sook-ee is born to a Three Kingdoms of Earth mother, Ikeda Jee, and an Empire of Fire soldier for a father, Ikeda Iori 

Imperial Year 2479 July 13th - Hinata and Kagami move back to Heian-kyō

Imperial Year 2479 July 25th - Mae Bongseon is born

Imperial Year 2479 October 12th - Sun Chae-won is born

Imperial Year 2479 November 9th - Yue of the Northern Water People is born, ill and on the verge of death until Tui saves her life, imparting some of its spirit in her

Imperial Year 2479 December 22nd - Prince Zuko of the Empire of Fire is born

Imperial Year 2479 January 10th - Saionji Ty Liu and Ty Lum are born. Ty Liu is six minutes older than Ty Lum

Imperial Year 2479 January 16th - Sokka of the Southern Water People is born

Imperial Year 2480 May 17th - Nakatomi Mai is born

Imperial Year 2478 July 30th - Minh of Đất Nam is born. He is Anh’s brother

Imperial Year 2480 August 1st - Jet of the Three Kingdoms of Earth is born to an earthbender refugee from Đất Nam and a nonbender from the Three Kingdoms of Earth

Imperial Year 2481 February 14th - Saionji Ty Lee and Ty Woo are born. Ty Woo is three minutes older than Ty Lee

Imperial Year 2481 March 30th - Teo of the Warring Earth States is born in Han Province

Imperial Year 2481 April 1st - Haru of the Warring Earth States is born in colonized Yan Province

Imperial Year 2481 May 4th - Chiê'n dies of natural causes

Imperial Year 2481 June 22nd - 49 days after the death of Chiê'n, Ozai and Ursa’s unnamed daughter and Katara of the Southern Water People are both born. Katara is several hours older than the princess

Imperial Year 2481 January 22nd - Lao and Poppy are wed

Imperial Year 2482 October 1st - Saionji Ty Lat and Ty Lao are born. Ty Lat is two minutes older than Ty Lao

Imperial Year 2482 October 21st - Suki/Sook-ee, Bongseon, and Chae-won become friends

Imperial Year 2482 January 6th - Meng of the Warring Earth States is born in Mapaku Village of Qi Province

Imperial Year 2483 March 23rd - Beifong Toph is born

Imperial Year 2484 June 22nd - the unnamed daughter of Ozai and Ursa becomes the first girl in generations to pass the Imperial Sparks Test. Ozai names her Azula for her grandfather and to spite Iroh. Her name is written in hiragana

Imperial Year 2484 August 27th - Ayumu dies of illness

Imperial Year 2484 November 15th - Azula attends the Shichi-Go-San Festival with her mother and father

Imperial Year 2484 November 19th - noble born daughters around Azula’s age are presented before the princess. She chooses Mai to be her friend without a second thought and shows Mai her firebending immediately

Imperial Year 2485 January 13th - Ursa begins to teach Zuko to use swords to fight since his firebending isn’t progressing like he wants it to

Imperial Year 2486 March 8th - Kanna concludes that Katara has the potential to be a shaman but, to protect her from the raids, says nothing

Imperial Year 2486 April 6th - Zuko, Ieyasu, Fuyuhiko, and Tsutomu begin attending the Imperial Fire Academy for Boys in the same class. Ieyasu and Fuyuhiko become friends

Imperial Year 2486 May 14th - Zuko and Ieyasu become friends

Imperial Year 2486 June 28th - Katara waterbends for the first time—she is now the last waterbender in the South Pole

Imperial Year 2487 August 1st - haunted by the ghosts of her children and the sins of her husband, Ilah kills herself dishonorably

Imperial Year 2487 August 3rd - Suki/Sook-ee asks Jee why she can’t be a girl. Iori overhears and is furious

Imperial Year 2487 August 6th - Jee kills Iori to protect Suki/Sook-ee from him. Suki/Sook-ee begins transitioning

Imperial Year 2488 April 6th - Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and Ty Woo begin to attend the Imperial Fire Academy for Girls in the same class

Imperial Year 2488 April 9th - Azula and Mai befriend Ty Lee

Imperial Year 2489 April 9th - Huiwen abdicates and Kuei is crowned King of Ba Sing Se

Imperial Year 2489 July 30th - Hisahito’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Lu Ten

Imperial Year 2489 August 28th - Anzu dies of an autoimmune disease worsened by the heat

Imperial Year 2489 October 28th - the 600 day Siege of Ba Sing Se begins under Iroh’s command

Imperial Year 2490 February 23rd - Jet’s parents are both murdered by Empire of Fire soldiers

Imperial Year 2490 March 25th - Lu Ten graduates the Imperial Fire Academy for Boys 

Imperial Year 2490 April 3rd - Lu Ten is sent to fight under Iroh’s command at the Siege of Ba Sing Se

Imperial Year 2490 May 25th - Iroh’s gifts from Ba Sing Se for Azula and Zuko arrive as do Lu Ten’s gifts for them. To Ursa’s horror, Azula burns the Three Kingdoms of Earth doll Iroh gifted her. However, Zuko treasures his engraved knife

Imperial Year 2490 June 30th - Haru’s father, Tyro, is imprisoned for earthbending

Imperial Year 2490 July 21st - the latest Southern Water People Raid occurs during which Kya falsely identifies herself as the last waterbender in the South Pole to save Katara’s life and is killed by one of the raiders, Yon Rha, for it

Imperial Year 2491 June 19th - Lu Ten is killed in combat

Imperial Year 2491 June 20th - Iroh ends the siege to grieve

Imperial Year 2491 June 27th - Jeong Jeong goes to Iroh to spend the remainder of the 49-day grieving period with him

Imperial Year 2491 July 9th - in the wake of her cousin, Azula is declared a prodigy by Azulon. Ozai requests he be named crown prince since Iroh has lost his heir which Azulon refuses. Azulon orders Ozai kill his firstborn son. When Ozai tells her this, Ursa poisons Azulon. This is the last time Ursa is seen alive

Imperial Year 2491 July 10th - Azula’s flames turn blue when she realizes Ursa said goodbye to Zuko but not her

Imperial Year 2491 July 30th - Jeong Jeong fakes his death with Iroh’s help. Their relationship ends on a horrible note, but Iroh’s feelings for Jeong Jeong persist

Imperial Year 2491 August 21st - Ozai is crowned Fire Emperor

Imperial Year 2491 September 16th - Iroh invites Azula and Zuko both to have tea with him. It ends with Azula breaking his favorite tea cup and telling him she won’t suffer fools while Zuko assures Iroh that Azula is always like that. This is the last time Iroh tries to reach out to Azula as he decides Zuko would be easier to save

Imperial Year 2491 December 2nd - the Empire of Fire captures Han Province

Imperial Year 2492 June 22nd - Azula and Ieyasu are betrothed

Imperial Year 2492 June 28th - Jet founds the Freedom Fighters

Imperial Year 2492 October 12th - Toph begins to fight in the underground earthbending fighting ring

Imperial Year 2492 January 7th - Iroh “convinces” Ozai to let Zuko into a War Council meeting. Zuko speaks out of turn and out against Ozai’s orders during the meeting. He’s charged with a violation of filial piety, but he does not understand the gravity of the situation. He is barred visitors as he awaits his Agni Kai

Imperial Year 2492 January 8th - Zuko dishonorably loses an Agni Kai to Ozai, and is banished, set to leave when his burn has healed enough

Imperial Year 2492 January 16th - the Empire of Fire captures the Lu Province

Imperial Year 2493 January 28th - Iroh and Zuko leave the Empire of Fire together aboard a rickety ship

Imperial Year 2493 March 4th - Anh’s airbender friend is imprisoned

Imperial Year 2493 March 8th - Anh flees her home, leaving behind her younger siblings, after suspicion around her swampbending begins to rise

Imperial Year 2493 April 5th - Suki/Sook-ee starts the next iteration of the Kyoshi Warriors with Bongseon and Chae-won

Imperial Year 2493 April 16th - Fuyuhiko’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Ruon-Jian

Imperial Year 2493 May 24th - Ty Lee runs away from the Empire of Fire entirely, leaving only a note for Azula, Mai, and her sisters each

Imperial Year 2493 July 2nd - Danjong dies in an accident

Imperial Year 2493 December 22nd - Sokka begins transitioning

Imperial Year 2493 January 27th - Ieyasu’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Asahi

mperial Year 2493 January 29th - Tsutomu’s genpuku. His personal name becomes Taiji

Imperial Year 2494 February 16th - the men of the Southern Water People leave on an expedition to make contact with the Northern Water People and get help

Imperial Year 2494 March 25th - Asahi, Ruon-Jian, and Taiji graduate from the Imperial Fire Academy for Boys

Imperial Year 2494 May 22nd - to Ozai’s amusement, the new Kyoshi Warriors chase the Empire of Fire out of Kyoshi Island

Imperial Year 2495 February 11th - the adventure begins

[imbouttasue]

the "Tweeter Diary" side story but dolshi is ergi. Ta-da !! new erkenna AU. Huge novel spoilers.

Part 1

Part 2

Summary: Angel gave ergi an enchanted bracelet that can turn a person into someone they wish to be. Ergi - with his self-insecurities and feelings for Mckenna - the bracelet turned him to a woman. He'll only come back to his true form once he took the bracelet off.

Angel stole the bracelet from the Eastern Empire dean.

The bracelet is rose-gold in color, and it looks like three handcuffs glued together.

Of course, the dean is beyond pissed at getting his bracelet stolen, and demands other mages to capture the thief. Other empires and kingdoms are searching for the bracelet as well because there's a huge cash price.

Angel gave the bracelet to Ergi as a "gift." Ergi accepts it reluctantly only because he wants the scoundrel out of his sight.

Surprise - ergi's father ordered angel to get rid of him in exchange of a huge sum of money. Angel decides to give the bracelet to the duke, because if his appearance is changed, no one will recognize him. Worse case scenario, the dean will eliminate him for "stealing" his bracelet. angel's hands won't get dirty, and the guy will be dead. It's a win-win situation.

Ergi's father wants him dead because he hates him... that's it

"Patience, grand duke. Your duplicitous son will be the one to decide his fate."

After repeatedly getting manipulated by his father about his own self as a whole (wishing that he had a daughter instead, etc.), and also hearing about mckenna looking for a lady to marry from heinrey as a tipping point, he got tempted to wear the bracelet.

He wore it, and turned to a woman.

His pronouns will be your/mom

He went outside of the palace, knowing that with his new appearance, he's not the duke anymore.

Ergi touches the somehow long strands of his hair, frowning. He's wearing a coat to hide himself. He's currently on the pathway in his dukedom. It'll took a while before he'll make it to the entrance. And it's morning! Just perfect for him to be seen and caught by the guards.

Who would have thought that Angel is being serious, anyway?

He tried taking the bracelet off, but it bear no good. It's persistently intact on his wrist. He keeps on walking out the pathway, and on his dismay, a guard blocked him in his way.

"Halt. Who are you?" Great.

"I'm a maid." He replied. Wow, my voice sounds nice, actually.

"I've never seen you before." Another sentinel enters. They held his chin, and he turned away with a subtle snarl. "She has a pretty face, don't you think?"

"As pretty as the grand duke's son, mayhaps."

A chill runs down Ergi's spine as both guards bursts into laughter. "My, what humor you have! If only he has a more petite figure to match his face, I would ravish him every night."

"You are lusting over him? Foul!"

"Quit it! Aren't you the same?!" The scandalous guard cages Ergi with their arms, and he winced. He feels so small, like a prey. He doesn't like it.

"What do you say, we have some fun with this woman? She doesn't look like she could lift a finger."

Son of a - is this how the society treats a lady?

"You're disgusting." Ergi says with gritted teeth. "Let go of me."

They laughed at his display, and he feels himself getting suffocated. Just as his pride begins to crumble, he sees a glimmer of blue hair. A glimmer of hope.

He launches forward, attempting to get away from the guards. "McKenna!" He yells, and the knight turned to his direction. Ergi almost sighs in relief at seeing him, desperately wanted to get out of the situation he didn't expect to be put in - not until the confused knight turned back his heel. He walked away.

Like he doesn't know him.

... he doesn't recognize me.

The torturous tittering among the duchy's guards is so close to sending ergi to a killing spree. He's not only annoyed, his pride is wounded. The insufferable feelings he had for the knight made it worse.

The guards pinned him to the wall roughly. The impact took the air out of him. He closed his eyes to minimize the pain.

It feels like thorns being tied on his neck.

They touched his ears as if he's an object.

He can't breathe.

You're supposed to be a knight, birdbrain. I'm a damsel in distress. Why aren't you helping me?

Do you really never cared for me?

Suddenly, he heard a loud crack! and the air around him felt lighter. He opened his eyes little by little, and he saw the guards passed out on the ground. Breathless, he looked up; and saw the pair of black eyes he adored so much.

"You must be new in this household, miss," McKenna utters, but Ergi is so lost in the moment to care about anything he says. So this is how being saved feels like. "most working men here are - um, well, perverted. I hope you talk to the head maid soon about the safe routes you can take to avoid them."

Ergi choked out a cry.

McKenna flinched, startled. This ... woman just called him minutes ago - he doesn't even know her! - and is confusing him even more. Why is she crying?

By then, he noticed her eyes. It's pretty. A cute shade of green. Almost as deep-colored as an endless sea. It feels familiar.

"M-miss?"

"Birdbrain!" Ergi jumps at him, forgetting proper decorum - enveloping him in a hug. His tears fall. Overwhelmed by all the things his father said to him, the helplessness of knowing that he will lose this man so soon when he never even got the chance to hold him like this.

McKenna makes the noise of a dying bird. Now, their emotions in this moment are clashing. Ergi is emotional. In the eyes of the birdbrain however, what the maiden is doing doesn't make a single sense.

"It's me, birdbrain, please ... " her cries are enough to make any men waver, including him. But still!

He awkwardly pushes her away.

"I-I'm really sorry, you must have confused me for your lover or, haha, something."

He saw her tearful eyes when he looks down on her. No in snowballs name of hell. He would not succumb to some crocodile tears!

"It's me, Ergi. I could explain all of this ... please listen to me." He heard her say once more. His jaw is on the floor, almost literally.

[aworldforastage]

Book Review: Governor's Illness/督主有病

(reasonably spoiler free, I think)

Synopsis: Xiahou Lian is raised in a notorious assassin organization, but he seems like a poor fit for it, having failed most missions and once even helped a target run away. As he grows into his teen years, the reality and cruelty of this life catches up with him in a string of cruel losses and dreadful secrets, and he commits to becoming strong enough an assassin to take out his enemies and maybe even break free. Meanwhile, the young master he helped save from the assassination attempt all those years ago has entered the imperial palace to become the extremely powerful Governor of the Eastern Depot. The Governor is obsessed with capturing Xiahou Lian, because, well ...

What I like about this novel:

This story contains some of the most compelling depictions of loss and grief I have ever seen. With character deaths, most stories choose to focus on the trauma of the moment and the immediate aftermath. This story has all that, but continues to hammer us with the absence of the lost ones. Memories keep popping up in unexpected. The dull ache of what's missing never quiet fades away.

Despite having the sympathetic point-of-view, the narrative does not shy away from the darker elements of Xiahou Lian's life as an assassin, shown over a series of devastating losses. The first story arc already rips into the full brutality of being murderers by profession, and Xiahou Lian spends the entire story struggling with the morality of his past choices.

I love Xiahou Lian. He is the best combination of strong, smart, kind, and vulnerable -- prefect blorbo material.

Both main characters are competent and talented, but their abilities and influences do not overpower others in an exaggerated way, so there are sufficient levels of suspense as the plot advances.

Despite a bit of bittersweet back-and-forth, the relationship arc is a sweet and light affair that brings a much needed light into this story. These two people love each other immensely, even if they aren't on the same page about it most of the time.

There is a large cast of well-crafted supporting characters.

The prose in this really hits me in all the right places, but I can imagine some people finding it a bit repetitive or cheesy.

What didn't work as well for me:

Most characters who take on "villainous" roles in this story are given backstories in which better and kinder options are taken away from them. While some of these instances set up these villains as inevitable tragedies of their circumstances, others feel like a shoe-horned in attempt to create depth and invoke sympathy for characters who would be more interesting if left as a more intentional and extremist kind of villain.

Roughly a third of the story relies focus on the work of "Governor" in his titular role, but the political story line is very weak and unsatisfying compare to the wuxia arcs.

This novel has made it into the short list of stories that I wish I didn't have to move on from. This story is coming-of-age, survival and redemption, hurt-and-comfort, and pining romance, all rolled into one. It's Xiahou Lian's story, but so many other characters struggle with the survival in a similar way in this grim setting. The heroes can't change their world, but when they earn their happy ending, I believe their left their part of the world a bit better.