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starstruckkittensweets · 3 years ago

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Chapter LV (“AWWW”)

A/N: And I’m back with another chapter! The serious content has been toned down considerably compared to the last 4 chapters, but I’ve still left some warnings listed down below. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, please refrain from reading! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the chapter!��

Fandom: Attack on Titan Pairing: Levi x Mia (OC) Words: 7.3k

Warnings: mentions of healing bruises, nightmares, brief sexual content (nothing too graphic but please keep it in mind), just the whole process of recovering from trauma and assault at an individual’s own pace. If any of this makes you uncomfortable, PLEASE DO NOT READ!

Taglist: @omg-lexiloveyou, @ataraxia101, @super-peace-fangirl, @mr-robot-x, @unusversuscanicula

If you want to be added to the taglist please let me know, I’d be happy to add you!

|LV|

The first few weeks were the hardest.

Staring up at the ceiling in the dead of night, skin sticky with sweat and blood—no, not blood, just sweat—too afraid to close my eyes. When I did manage to snag a few hours of sleep, more often than not I would end up screaming myself awake, still feeling his hands around my neck. And every single time, Levi would be at my side, pulling me into his chest and whispering soft words against my temple.

But I knew it would get better. It had to get better. I couldn’t keep living this way; I had to move on and push forward, just as I always had.

Lina approved me for training at the end of the summer months, when my leg had finally healed completely. I no longer needed a cane to move around, and I could walk without supporting myself just fine. Once in a while I would stumble, but I was always quick enough to catch myself. All I had of that day in the forest was a thick white band splashed against my thigh, a constant reminder of my brush with death. I wore it as a badge of honor, just as I did with the scar on my cheek.

But there were other scars I wasn’t as proud of. The bruises healed in time. Eventually they would be nothing more than light marks on my neck, on my thighs where no one could see them. Sometimes I found myself tracing the marks with my fingertips, still feeling the ghost of his grip on my skin.

Scars that stayed in my mind, even when I closed my eyes. Scars that sent shivers down my spine, even with a thousand blankets wrapped around me. Scars that had me crying in the stupidest moments, whether I was getting out of bed in the morning, making myself a snack, or simply trying to enjoy a ride with Edel. No matter what I would find myself shedding a few tears—and no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to stop.

My kids were supportive. Reggie took the lead when I couldn’t, directing them through their training and keeping them in top form for the upcoming expeditions. He was strict but considerate when it came to their needs; he was becoming a better leader with every passing day. Murphy would linger at the stables with me, as I brushed Edel’s coat and kept him clean. Gretel would bring me tea and snacks when I was cooped up in the mess hall, working on my paperwork. Evan would accompany me to Ahorne, as both my personal guardian and my fellow shopper (neither of us could be trusted in a marketplace—we would both return with empty pockets, our arms full of useless trinkets that made us smile).

Sometimes people would stare at me, with scrunched-up faces and scrutinizing looks. They knew me as Mia Wolf, the girl who had killed a member of the royal assembly—and was allowed to keep her life despite that. Some of them expressed pity, which made me feel even worse some days. Sometimes I’d preferred if they hated me altogether; it just made it easier to deal with.

Hanji helped me get used to the ODM gear again. We took it slow, gliding through the forest to stretch out our muscles. It was almost like riding a horse—once you learned how to use the gear, no matter how much time had passed, you never forgot how to use it. When I was all warmed up, Moblit set up some of the wooden Titan dummies for us, and Hanji and I quickly set to work.

It was…nice. I enjoyed training like this, I always had. I enjoyed feeling the wind in my hair, the sweat on my palms, and the weight of the blades in my grip. I enjoyed riding Edel until the sun began to sink in the distance. I enjoyed walking through the towns and districts, feeling the cobblestone and dirt scuff beneath my boots.

For a few brief moments, one day at a time, everything started to feel normal.

|~|

Leyna had written to me again. She had stayed true to her word these past few months, keeping in touch through both letters and visits to the base. She never stayed long when she visited the base (she claimed it was too dirty for her liking, which made Levi scoff under his breath at her), but she always made sure to check up on me whenever she did.

So when the messenger brought me an envelope on his next visit to the base, sealed with the mark of the King’s Guard, I tore it open and held it to my face. Leyna’s elegant script stared back at me, like ribbons dancing along the page.

Mia,

How are you doing? Is your leg giving you any trouble? I know it’s been a while since I last wrote to you. I hope you’re feeling alright, and that Levi isn’t giving you any trouble over there.

I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it to the base any time soon. Something’s come up in the capital, and the King’s Guard has been instructed to remain close for a little bit. Nothing bad has happened, I promise. But it’ll be a while until I’ll be able to leave again. I won’t be able to come by until possibly next spring. Duty calls, right?

Sara and Emil were wondering about you, too. They hope you’re feeling alright. And so do Elise and Vivienne. They’re all worried about you, and they hope this stupid exile from the city won’t last for too long. Especially Vivienne—I can tell she wants to talk to you soon.

I promise I’ll write again soon. Let me know how you’re doing. And don’t push yourself too hard! (I’ll know if you do, so don’t test me.)

With love, Leyna

I read through the letter over and over again, my sister’s voice echoing in my ears. I took a seat at the edge of the meadow where Edel was currently grazing, with my back against the wooden fence, still holding the letter against my chest.

Things between us finally seemed fine. Pleasant, even, which was already more than enough I could ever hope for when it came to my relationship with my sister. We were constantly butting heads, acting as two opposite ends of a spectrum: the fast-talking politician of the Military Police, and the reckless girl from the Scouts who seemed just a little too eager to die.

I had caved in and told her about Jax, and what happened with him at the night of our graduation ceremony. Through our letters, of course. It was just easier that way. After everything that had happened, I didn’t think I could look her in the eyes and tell her all of that to her face. Besides, it made me feel better writing it out. Lina had said it would act as a coping mechanism, to write out all the things I could never say out loud.

So I did. And still, Leyna remained my ally, despite the distance between us.

“Everything alright with her?”

I glanced up at Levi, who was leaning against the rickety wooden fence beside me. Mischa was now in the meadow, bumping her nose against Edel’s and swishing her tail happily. He must’ve come out to join me… I smiled at the thought.

“She’s okay.” Thankfully, things had been more civil between the two whenever Leyna came down to visit. “She won’t be able to come back for a while, but she’s alright.”

He hummed under his breath before rubbing his hands together. It was only late September, but it was already starting to get colder in the mornings, before the sun was fully up. “Anything new with the exile?”

I swallowed hard and shook my head. “Not really. I don’t think they’re going to overturn it any time soon, either.”

Which was fine, in my book. I was currently banned from ever stepping foot into the capital of Mitras? It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. At least I didn’t have to suffer through any more lavish parties or boring meetings with the royal assembly. The only downside was, I only had a few chances to see my sister and her friends.

Edel whinnied before prancing off across the meadow, with Mischa hot on his tail. She kicked up her legs in a playful manner, spraying dirt and mud everywhere she went. Edel grumbled, shaking his head as a fleck of dirt brushed against his face. He stomped on the ground, throwing his head back and calling for her to follow.

I snickered at the two, fooling around like silly little foals. But Levi only rolled his eyes, before sinking down and sitting beside me in the dying grass. I huddled close to him, still holding Leyna’s letter between my fingers, not even caring if the other Scouts saw us.

“You were out with Hanji, I take it?”

“Yeah, she and Moblit helped me with some training. Tomorrow I might take Reggie and the kids out for a little practice in the forest. I don’t want to leave Reggie to do all the heavy-lifting nowadays.”

“Not pushing yourself, I hope?”

“Levi, I’m fine, I promise.” I leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek; he stiffened, but he didn’t pull away at all. “My leg’s all healed up, for the most part. As long as I don’t overdo it with training, Lina said it should be fine.”

Fine. That was the only word I could use to describe the last few months. Not bad, not good; not blissful but not exactly painful. It was just…fine.

Levi stared at me, as though he didn’t believe me, before rolling his eyes and pressing a hand to my head. I grumbled as he mussed up my hair, but I didn’t have the heart to shoo his hand away. I knew I never really would.

“…Oh, Levi?”

“What is it?”

“I was thinking…maybe later today, would you mind helping me…clean out my office?”

His hand froze against the top of my head. I held my breath, my fingers growing numb and sweaty around the letter. The only sounds I could hear were Edel and Mischa playing around in the field, and the rest of the Scouts heading out for another bought of late morning training.

Finally, he cleared his throat and pulled his hand away. “…Are you sure?” He still wouldn’t look me in the eye, which irritated me to no end.

“I think so. It’s almost October. I think it’s time to go back.”

I hadn’t stepped foot in that office ever since that night, before I left for my trial at the capital. Hanji and Levi were constantly in and out of it, grabbing papers and books and supplies for me whenever I needed them. But I could never bring myself to go back there, even after all this time. I was too nervous about what would happen if I did.

But it was my office. It had been my father’s office, back when he had been a member of the Scouts. That part of this castle belonged to me, and I knew I couldn’t hide away from it forever. It was mine, and I couldn’t let one horrible experience scare me away from it for the rest of my life.

“Fine,” Levi sighed, and his hand came to rest on my shoulder as he spoke. “When do you want to do it?”

“The sooner the better.” Might as well rip the bandage off now, right?

He hummed in agreement, before whistling to the pair of horses prancing in the meadow. Mischa’s ears perked up first, and at the call of her rider, she began trotting back towards us, with Edel close behind her. I gave her a scratch against her neck, before pulling Edel close for a kiss on his snout.

Once the horses were brushed off and tucked away in their stalls, the two of us headed for the main castle on the base. I knew I didn’t have to worry about my squad; they had been given the day off today, to focus on resting up for the coming week. And from the looks of it, Levi had done the same with his own. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Murphy and Eld talking to each other as they headed into the mess hall, as well as Petra and Gretel laughing as they lingered outside the girls’ barracks.

I folded Leyna’s letter and slipped it in my left breast pocket, right next to the old journal my father had kept in his office. They were just words, scrawled on aging sheets of paper, but they made me feel safe. As though they were both keeping an eye out for me, no matter how far away they were.

Levi led the way, keeping a protective hand around my wrist. He was careful of the bruises, which were almost completely healed, thanks to Lina’s steady treatment. Both my wrists and my neck no longer hurt as much as they used to. Still, he kept his grip light and soft, as though he were scared of hurting me again.

He suddenly stopped on the second floor, and I sucked in a sharp breath. The tall dark door of my father’s office stared back at us, silently beckoning me to step inside. There was a clink to the side—Levi placed the small brass key in my palm, with his fingers still closed over my wrist.

“You’ll be okay?”

“I think I’ll be alright. You’ll stay with me, right?”

He scoffed, “As if you needed to ask.”

I gave him a smile, although it was a bit forced. Then, with another shaky breath, I slipped the key into the hole and pushed the door open.

Half of me expected the office to be littered with dust, with cobwebs and spiders dangling from the ceilings. But none of that had been true; of course it hadn’t, with Levi coming here every other week to keep it clean. Whenever he would grab me something from my office, he would always make a point to sweep the floors or clean the windows. At least, that’s what Hanji had told me.

The floor had been washed not too long ago. I kept my eyes peeled for any red spots sprinkled along the wood, and I sighed when I failed to spot any, especially around my desk. The desk itself hadn’t changed in the slightest. Piles and piles of paperwork were still stacked on top of one another, with pens and pencils littering the surface. I groaned upon seeing that; no matter how much paperwork I’d done over the past few months, I was still constantly behind.

I stepped in through the threshold, with Levi close behind. Everything seemed normal, from what I could tell. The desk, the windows, the paperwork, the bookcase—everything was in its rightful place. Absolutely zero signs of a struggle.

But I knew better now than to think it was all a bad dream. I wasn’t fifteen anymore, praying for everything to go away on its own. The scars on my thighs and neck attested to that.

“How are you holding up?”

I smiled at him from over my shoulder. “I’m okay, for now.”

He nodded and followed me throughout the room, before coming to a stop at the edge of my desk. I traced my fingers along the wood, feeling every ridge and crook in the surface, before stopping at the very edge.

This is good. I managed to smile, before pressing both hands to the desk. This is normal. I’m okay right now.

The events of that night played in a loop in my head, over and over and over again. I still remembered everything so clearly, as though the months had never passed in the first place. I still remembered the scent of alcohol in the air, the tang of fresh blood in my nose. The surface of the desk, pressing into my chest, splintering against my fingers as I fought to break free.

It’s alright. I took a deep breath, and Levi’s fingers closed over my wrist once more. I’m safe now. I’m okay. It’s just a memory.

I glanced over to the corner of the room, and even though he was standing right beside me, I could still see Levi’s shadowy form, hunched over beside the bookcase, with blood trailing down from the wound on his head. But then something warm and pleasant came to rest on the side of my face—Levi held me close, his lips against the little white scar on my cheek.

“You’re alright,” he murmured, pulling me into his chest. “He’s gone. You know that, right?”

My hands only trembled a little as I reached up to hold him close.

“…Yeah, I know.”

|~|

Every day, I spent a little more time in my office. I started out small, only doing paperwork at the coffee table beside the couch, or maybe in my bedroom, through the door on the far end of the office. When I was sure I could focus without the memories becoming too powerful, I moved closer and closer, until I could sit at my desk and breathe normally again. Levi would always be with me, keeping a watchful eye on me—as though he was waiting for me to snap and cry again.

But thankfully, that day never came. At least, not yet.

I still slept in Levi’s room, snuggled against his side as he draped his arm across my waist. The nightmares were starting to get better; instead of screaming myself awake every other night, it only happened about once or twice a week. Sometimes I would jolt awake in the dead of night, too stunned to scream. But Levi would always be there, pulling me to his chest and smoothing down my messy hair. Somehow, he always knew when I needed him.

I felt bad, eating up so much of his time. When he wasn’t with Erwin or training with his squad, he was shadowing me like a loyal puppy, waiting on me at every step. I tried to bring it up to him at one point, but he only scoffed and brushed it off, claiming that it didn’t really bother him in the first place.

“Someone’s got to make sure you don’t get yourself into any more trouble,” he mumbled, and I knew that was the end of that conversation. He could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be.

I couldn’t fall asleep the first time we slept in my own bedroom. I kept staring up at the ceiling, flinching at every creak and crack in the castle hallways, only to roll my eyes and order myself to go the fuck to sleep. Throughout the entire night, I only got about an hour of sleep, and with the way Levi kept watching me throughout the night, I was sure he didn’t get much more than I did.

But we tried. The first week, I was able to sleep one or two hours. The next two weeks, I slept about three or four. It was a process, and a slow and steady one at that. But it was something I had to keep working on.

On the rare days I didn’t have any training or paperwork to tend to, I would either curl up with a book on the couch of Levi’s office (or his bed, if he was out for the day), or spend my time with Edel down at the stables. Once in a while I found myself lingering in the mess hall, helping the cooks wash up after dinner, or simply killing time before lunch, fiddling with the ingredients in the cupboards. The urge to make something was always there in the back of my mind, but I could never pluck up the courage to grab a pan and actually set to work.

Sometimes I would wander into the library on my days off—only to find Petra already there, seated on one of the couches with her legs thrown over the arm, and a book placed firmly in her lap. She no longer looked at me with fear in her eyes; now she only smiled at me, as though nothing had happened between us that night. Sometimes I wanted to ask her about it, whether or not she saw me any differently now that she knew what I’d done, but I never had the guts to do it. I didn’t want to risk ruining whatever friendship we had salvaged for ourselves with a stupid question like that.

And it worked, for the most part. By the first week of October, I was starting to feel normal again.

Well, in most areas of life, anyway.

|~|

My chest was tight. I couldn’t breathe, no matter how much I tried. Something pressed lightly against my thigh. Something warm and familiar, something I knew from somewhere, but it still felt wrong.

With a shudder, I pushed myself away—only for Levi to grunt as he fell back against the pillows, his chest still heaving.

“What’s wrong?”

I pressed a palm to my forehead, still panting from his kiss. “N-no, I think I’m fine. Just…a little too much, you know?”

He sat up instantly, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. “Do you want to stop for tonight?”

“No, no, I promise I’m alright! I just…I need a moment…”

I couldn’t look him in the eye as I regained my breathing, trying to calm my frantic heartbeat. He simply sat there on the bed, with one arm around my bare waist and the other wrapped around my shoulders. As he stroked my hair and kissed my forehead, I could already feel my eyes burn with tears.

It was the same thing. Every. Single. Fucking. Night. And I was just so fucking tired of it.

November was closing in on us. With the icy winds and the falling leaves, I’d figured enough time had passed for me to try initiating some sort of physical intimacy with him. For the last few weeks, I had led him into my bedroom (or his, depending on where we were staying for the night) and pulled him in for a heated kiss. And for a few moments, everything seemed to be…well, normal.

But now it appeared I was back to square one again. Too nervous to go any further than holding and kissing him. Every time he let his hands wander anywhere other than my face and chest, I froze up and tried to push him away. It was fucking infuriating—here I was, inviting him closer, and then pushing him away when I got too scared to continue.

Just how I did before all of this.

“You don’t have to push yourself,” Levi’s voice was warm against my ear. “If you don’t feel comfortable, we can stop. Don’t stress yourself out over this kind of stuff, brat.”

“I said I’m fine.” It was hard not to get annoyed at him at this point. How many times did I have to say it? I was fucking fine—I just had to get over myself.

But I knew I couldn’t blame him. He was only trying to help.

I swallowed again before tilting my head up, pulling his lips to mine with my fingertips. His hands remained at my waist, even as I straightened myself out and wrapped my arms around his neck. Even as I lowered him down against the pillows, his hands stayed put, right where he’d left them.

I didn’t have any problem with kissing him. It felt nice, even the more intimate ones. There was something comforting about the way he kissed me—soft and warm and tasting of home, almost as though he was promising to keep me safe.

A shaky breath slipped through my mouth. I can do this. I’ve got this.

Slowly, I reached down and took his hand in my own. My thighs trembled as I led him down the length of my leg, fingertips barely grazing my skin. I was left in only my sleep shorts and underwear (my shirt was on the floor, right on top of his own).

I can do this. It’s okay. You know him. It’ll be alright.

Levi suddenly stiffened when I spread my legs just a bit, pressing the palm of his hand against my clothed sex. My nails dug into his shoulder, and in some strange way, the heat of his skin kept me grounded. Somehow, I knew I was going to be okay.

The weight of his hand was all too familiar. How many times had he pressed me into this very mattress, whispering words of passion in my ear, before moving down to grind the heel of his palm into my clit? How many heated moments had the two of us shared, grasping and clawing at each other like animals, moaning each other’s names in the darkness? How many nights had I gone to sleep feeling completely satisfied, knowing full well that I was loved by the man at my side?

Back then, I had felt safe. Secure. And easy enough to please.

Would I ever be able to feel like that again?

“You alright?”

I managed to smile at him, as the heat of his palm seeped through my shorts. “Y-yeah, I’m okay. What about you? Is this…okay with you?”

But he only shook his head, his free hand coming to rest on the back of my neck. “You do what feels right for you. Don’t worry about me, alright?”

Only when he nodded at me did I make any more moves. As slowly as I could, I rolled my hips forward, wincing just a bit as his palm grazed my clit. I wasn’t aroused in the slightest, unfortunately; apart from a dull throbbing in my clit, I was nowhere near as wet as I usually was. I knew I couldn’t force it—I had to let it happen naturally. But that was probably the most frustrating part.

I rolled my hips again, slowly getting used to the heat of his hand between my thighs. I knew it wouldn’t really prepare me for his cock, whenever we did start having sex again, but at least I felt a bit calmer now. Still, I knew I had a long way to go before that happened…

Finally, I loosened my grip on his hand and gave him another kiss on his lips. He took my face in his hands, pulling me even closer as he sank into the pillows below. When he finally pulled away, he brushed a finger over my bangs, sweeping them to one side so he could look me in the eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“I…” I swallowed hard and smiled. “Yeah, I am.”

“Good.” He kissed my temple again, before pulling me into his chest as gently as he could. “You’re doing so well already, Mia. I’m proud of you.”

It took every bit of strength I had not to burst into tears right then and there. And it wasn’t until we were both showered and tucked beneath the covers that I finally let a few of them slip, as I buried my face into the crook of his neck.

|~|

Some nights were better than others. Some nights, I could sleep peacefully, curled up with the man at my side, dreaming about everything and nothing at the same time.

Other nights, I woke up gasping for air, nails tearing at my chest, screaming at no one to get away, don’t touch me, don’t fucking touch—

“Mia!”

My eyes snapped open. Levi was hovering over me, his hands against my cheeks. Something wet rolled down my skin and splashed onto the pillow beside me.

My chest heaved, my heart pounded. Another nightmare.

Whenever they seemed to be getting better, there was always one night every once in a while that left me shaking like a leaf, crying and screaming and sobbing as Levi was left to pick up the pieces.

And judging by the way I gripped his shoulders as he pulled me in for a hug, this was one of those nights.

His arms were warm and firm around me, a makeshift cage that kept me safe. The thought made me want to laugh, in an ironic way. I had always hated cages, for both keeping me locked in and locked away from certain things—and yet here I was, not caring if I ever escaped Levi’s grip.

“W-what happened…?”

His hand brushed against the top of my head, smoothing out my messy hair. “Another nightmare, I guess. You wouldn’t stop crying. You want to talk about it or anything?”

Sometimes that helped. But sometimes, the dreams were too vivid for me to even speak properly. Right now, I could still smell the burning stench of alcohol, taste the sharp tang of blood on the roof of my mouth. Still feel his hands everywhere at once—everywhere they shouldn’t be.

I shook my head. Levi only hummed and continued to stroke my hair.

As I stayed there, huddled against his chest, I began to lose track of time. Minutes blended into hours; even as I felt my eyelids droop, I still couldn’t find it in myself to sleep.

Suddenly, Levi pulled away from me. I squinted my eyes through the darkness, watching him as he slipped off the bed and grabbed a spare jacket resting on the chair beside the nightstand.

“Come on,” he mumbled, tossing it to me, “let’s go.”

I didn’t ask where he was taking me. I simply put on my boots, threw the jacket over my shoulders, and placed my hand in his own. He led me through the darkened halls of the castle, holding a single candle to keep the shadows at bay. Not once did he loosen his grip; he kept his fingers laced with mine, a silent promise to keep me safe.

It was cold out tonight, the wind icy against my skin. I pulled the jacket closer to me, still keeping my hand in Levi’s. The cold didn’t seem to bother him, though. He simply pressed on, guiding me through the shadowy fields.

He pushed the doors of the mess hall open, and the two of us stepped inside. After lighting the lantern at the edge of the door, he finally loosened his grip on my hand. I rubbed them together, still freezing from our little walk. Neither of us spoke as he headed into the back of the empty hall, as I followed close behind.

Wordlessly, he set the lantern on the counter and started going through the pots and pans stacked in the cupboards above. I could feel my eyebrows knit together as he worked—feeding spare logs to the fire for the stove, running his hands under warm water to wash them, and gathering some of the fresh vegetables stocked in the pantry.

I opened my mouth, eager to know just what he was doing, but I decided against it in the end. So I wrapped my arms around myself and took a seat on one of the counters (the one furthest away from where he was working), watching him in silence.

Minutes ticked by. He mumbled softly under his breath as he worked, adding bits of carrots and potatoes to the pot. From the way he moved and the ingredients he was using, I could only assume he was making some kind of soup.

My eyes grew warm at the realization. Was he really making me soup from his own hand? Just to try to make me feel better about tonight?

I had no idea he could make soup. Actually, I had no idea he could even cook at all. Despite all the years we’d known each other, there were still some things I didn’t know about Captain Levi.

Finally, he grabbed a spare bowl and spoon from the cupboard, before gently pouring some of the soup into the bowl. But he didn’t hand it to me right away; instead, he motioned for me to follow him into the main hall, before directing me to an empty table. He set the bowl in front of me, keeping a towel wrapped around the bottom to protect his hands.

“Don’t burn yourself,” he mumbled, taking a seat across from me.

My stomach growled at the promise of fresh food. Homemade food—the best kind out there. And it looked simply stunning. A creamy white color with tiny chunks of celery, carrot, and onion sprinkled throughout. And when I scooped up the first spoonful, I could even taste the potatoes, rich and soft and absolutely delicious.

I couldn’t say much other than a mumbled thank you as I dug into the soup. I hadn’t been hungry when I’d gone to bed earlier in the night, but right now I was eating as though I’d been starving for weeks. It wasn’t until the bowl was half-empty that I could slow down enough to speak properly.

“Levi, this is delicious!” Another spoonful, and I almost burned the roof of my mouth with it. “Seriously, I love it! I had no idea you could cook!” Just like I had no idea he could draw, until he presented me with that beautiful sketch of myself and Edel last Christmas. “I wish you’d told me, maybe we can cook together sometime! That is, if you want to… Anyway, is it your recipe? I didn’t—”

“Slow down,” he hissed, “before you burn your tongue. Or bite down on it.”

I snapped my mouth shut—but not before slurping up another spoonful, my eyes fluttering at the taste. Levi scoffed, but I could see the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“One at a time, brat. We have all night, you know.”

Suddenly, I felt like I was twenty-four again, seated at this very table with Levi as he told me all kinds of stories about Isabel and Furlan. Getting him to talk then had been much harder than it was now. That was when the pain of losing those two, the pain of losing my brother Ben, had been almost too much to handle.

And now look where we are.

“I don’t do this that often,” he started, motioning to the bowl (which was nearly empty at this point). “It’s only something I do once in a while. Furlan did most of the cooking, anyway. He was better at it than I was.”

He was? I couldn’t believe it. This soup right here was probably the best I’d ever tasted—well, almost. Ma’s homemade vegetable soup still came out on top, as always.

“Oh, I get it. So…this is his recipe?”

His eyes dropped to the table, and even in the faint lamplight, I could see the dusting of pink on his soft cheeks.

“No, it was my mom’s.”

I froze, the spoon hovering in the air halfway to my lips. Suddenly, my chest felt warmer than it already did.

“…It was?”

He nodded, stretching his hand across the table, lacing his fingers with my own. “She used to make it for me sometimes, especially when I was sick. We didn’t always have fresh ingredients in the Underground, but she made do with what she had. Once in a while she got her hands on a little extra money, though. She always spent it on food for us.”

“Oh…” I swallowed the last bit of soup, tightening my fingers around his own. “They didn’t…feed you at the brothel? I thought they did…” My knowledge on brothels was limited, considering their absence above the surface, but I had been under the impression they secured their workers with both food and a place to sleep at night.

But by the way Levi was looking at me, I assumed that hadn’t been the case. “As if,” he spat, rolling his eyes. “She had to pay for that kind of shit. Everything down there cost money—just like it does up here. Only…” The forlorn look in his eyes made my chest hurt.

Only it’s not as bad up here as it is down there.

The two of us sat there in silence, still gripping each other’s hands. Finally, he sighed and leaned back in his seat, motioning to the empty bowl in front of me.

“You want any more? There’s still some left in the pot.”

“Yes, please!” But before he left with the bowl, I tugged him back by the sleeve, smiling up at his face. “Also, your mom was a really good cook to come up with that recipe.”

He rolled his eyes and mussed up my already messy hair. “Of course she was, brat. The best one out there…”

From the way Levi talked about her—the look on his face whenever he mentioned her—it made me realize just how much he truly loved her. And it only made me sad when I realized I would never be able to meet her for myself.

The night passed on comfortably, as the icy wind shook the walls of the mess hall. Levi returned swiftly, watching in silence as I ate the rest of my soup, while sipping a cup of tea he’d made himself earlier. Once in a while, I could get him to talk just a bit, either about his mother or his life in the Underground City.

“So, am I the only one who’s tasted your cooking so far?”

“Tch, you wish. It was the only thing that could get Isabel to shut up when she was sick. Damn brat could never stop whining when she wasn’t feeling well.”

The mere thought of a whiny Isabel moaning and groaning until Levi decided to cave in and shut her up with some soup…it made me burst out laughing. I clutched at my sides, already feeling the tears bubble up in my eyes. And when I opened them and saw him glaring at me, I only started laughing harder.

“Sorry,” I choked out, wiping my eyes, “it’s just… I can totally see her doing something like that.” Of course, she would try to push his buttons like that. Anything to get what she wanted; she was just that kind of girl.

“Of course you would. You’d do the exact same thing if you got the chance.”

“Who, me? I would never.” He glared at me over the rim of his teacup, and I bit back another giggle. “But seriously, it tastes awesome. You’re a really good cook, Levi.” Just like your mom probably was, I wanted to add, but I didn’t want to make him upset.

It wasn’t long before he started cleaning up after me. But this time, I helped him out; as he washed the dishes, I dried them off and put them away in their usual spots. Before long, the kitchen looked absolutely spotless, as though we were never here in the first place.

Levi kept his hand around mine the entire time, walking through the fields and back up to the second floor of the castle, and finally into his office. I felt a little better, as he led me back to bed. My stomach was full, my hands were warm, and Levi was right there beside me, throwing the blankets over the two of us. For a moment, I felt untouchable.

I’m safe. Levi’s with me. He’ll protect me, just like he promised.

“Go back to sleep,” he mumbled, brushing his lips against my temple. “You need your rest.”

I curled up against his chest, too exhausted to even think about what kind of nightmares were waiting for me.

|~|

“Levi.” His fingers gripped mine softly—a sign he had heard my voice. I leaned further back, my head resting on the arm of the couch, as Levi groaned softly from his spot on my chest. “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” he mumbled, and I rolled my eyes, “but what is it?”

His breath warmed my collarbone as my fingers dug into his hair. Soft and silky, with my nails brushing against the scruff of his undercut. I stared up at the ceiling, counting the spots and the stains, as I struggled to find my voice again.

“…You never call me sweetheart anymore.”

He froze up against my chest, and immediately his fingers slipped from mine. I kept my eyes on the ceiling, too scared to look into his eyes just yet.

A silent demand hung over our heads: Why?

It was a silly thing to bring up; something that shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. But I couldn’t help noticing it. Ever since that incident back in the spring, Levi had refused to call me by anything other than my name. To be honest, it wasn’t anything different than what he used to address me on a normal day—it was always either Wolf or Mia with him, or sometimes brat if I was being particularly annoying.

But in our most intimate moments, it had always been sweetheart. Now, he refused to call me anything.

The answer came to me with a shudder. A memory of sticky fingers and pounding hearts, of the stench of booze and the taste of sweat.

Who’s going to believe you, sweetheart? The assembly?

“It’s nothing,” he grumbled, pressing his face into my chest. “I don’t have to call you that if you don’t want to hear it.”

Of course, he would think that. Just because Jax had used that word, he would assume it was dirty. Soiled, tainted—every pleasant memory that word brought was suddenly no good. Better to get away from it altogether than to keep bringing it up.

My fingers wove into his hair on their own. “But I want to hear it.”

This time he glanced up at me, raising himself up with both hands pressed against the arm of the couch. I traced my thumb along the side of his jaw, completely taken with those beautiful silver eyes of his.

“I like it, so stop thinking I don’t. I like when you call me that, Levi. So…please keep saying it. Please.”

Please, don’t let him ruin another thing for us.

For a moment, I thought I saw his lip quiver. But then he was pressing himself into me, his mouth tasting of tea with the faintest tinge of mint. I pulled him in as close as I could, keeping my nails against the scruff of his undercut.

“If you say so,” he whispered against my lips. “You’ll be alright if I say it?”

“Of course I will. It was your word first, Levi,” I reminded him with a smile. His only reply was another sweet kiss, with his palms pressed against my cheeks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the sunset glimmering through the window. Dead leaves swirled through the chilly air, hinting at the close of yet another year. It wouldn’t be long before the snow began to settle on the ground.

But then Levi pulled me back in, his warm lips ghosting over my throat. “Mine,” his voice was husky, sending pleasant shivers up my spine. “You’re mine, sweetheart…”

A burst of heat bloomed in my chest at the name. My nails brushed his nape, his shoulders, and finally his back, digging through the gray fabric of his shirt. My cheeks were hot, my heart was racing. Levi’s eyes flickered up to meet mine, and his lips quirked up in a half-smile before he leaned down to kiss me once again.

Yes, I’m yours. I always have been. And you’re mine, no one else’s. Just mine.

There was nothing quite like the feeling of holding him in my arms, with his mouth against my own. It was just me and him, against the rest of the world. And that’s when I knew, deep down in my heart, that we were going to be okay.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #slow burn #levi x oc #levi ackerman #mia wolf #oc x canon #romance #a wolf with wings #wolves of the walls saga #oc story #oc insert #levi x mia #volume i #aot fics

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dontf8arthereaper · 2 years ago

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2:06 A.M. South Germany

South germany, where all their pain and the suffering began. One a peaceful place now a eternal warzone between the abominations of another world and the demon beasts of the dark realm of makai who lurked in the darkness of the outside world. All hope that is left is now lost that is until now, through the dark a group of horrors slain one by one by an unknown warrior as he was about to slay one more horror that got in his way but the parasitic beast manage to slip away far from him through the shadow only to finally revealing itself turning towards his prey all with a horrific roar then run towards him to fight back.

The attacker reveal himself to be none other than the first son Koaru Yakumo now fused with his father to become one entity to find Mato and end this nightmare once and for all for the boy has a special trick that none of these parasitic beasts seen it coming. He ready his sword preparing to finished these creatures off.

" 酸素の無駄.... "

{ " Waste of oxygen .... " }

The crimson dragon dashed forward toward the horror at full speed swinging his blade at the horror but it uses its claws negating the warrior' s attacks. Blade and claws now collided each attack they perform right up until the boy left him at a disadvantage and grabbing him by the neck using his strength slamming the being onto the ground face flat then swung his foot kicking him all the way back crashing into a nearby tree but the horror manage to set it's feet against leaping into boy but thankfully he evaded it just in the nick of time to unleashed the dragon within him. From his pocket Koaru pulled out a sharp tooth that of a dragon then the boy pierced the tooth into his as he let out a scream, now busting to a dragons flames as he began his transformation unleashing the true dragon within him the boy has chosen as the last dragon night by Edel the original dragon knight. Now upon completion of his transformation the dragon knight Koaru is now born but only for 999 seconds, that is the only amount of time he gets to used in this very moment.

The horror widened it's eyes realizing that the boy is a dragon knight, in the flesh but despite this situation turning for the worst the horror spreads both of it' s wings that are as black as night for one last and most desperate attack yet. The crimson dragon and the horror charged each other for one last time and once the two got closer...

' SLLLLIIIIIICCCKKKK ! '

The horror is now slashed in half by the boy and his holy sword, letting out a screech in the darkness before combusting into ashes permanently destroyed by the boy who now sheathes his blade while still in the armor of the dragon knight.

" それがどこから来たのか、より多くの恐怖があります... "

{ " There is more horrors where that came from... " }

Time's up, the armor disappears from the boy' s body reverting back to normal as he tips his hat while venturing through the dark area to regroup with his allies as it turns out the two Koaru and Koishi aren't along for he and she brought the only warriors he can bring with that will soon be revealed.

" やれやれだぜ... "

{ " Good grief... " }

There's no rest for the wicked thet will stop at nothing to find Mato and confront the great terror that is Shinki and the horrors for this is the beginning of two brothers in their paths, one seeks the demon king and the other seeks to reunite. No matter which of the two, there is always blood to be spilled.

#||| dont fear the reaper |||#kkhta vs touhou grotesque land #The rebirth of the dragon knight #SoundCloud

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lochnessies · 3 years ago

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I've been tossing around a fic idea that's basically "Edelgard and Rhea vs TWSTD" for a while. I've always thought that if Edelgard confided in Rhea about TWSTD and the influence they have over Fodlan (as well as Edelgard's- and other experimentations's- lives) then Rhea would come down on TWSTD like a ton of bricks. *cough* I also want Edelgard to ride The Immaculate One in full emperor drip because that would be really cool*cough* The only problem is that I don't know /how/ Edelgard would get to that point where she decides to trust Rhea with that information. It would require her to view Rhea as a more reliable option over TWSTD, among other things. What do you think would lead her to this? And how would you expect her journey to this decision- and what happens after- unfold? I thought you'd be a good person to ask because you're one of the few people I follow who seems to appreciate both Edel and Rhea's characters without totally villainizing the other. Omg this ask turned out very long lmao you can tell this is something I've been stewing over for a while. Thank you for reading my ramblings!

oh my god i love the idea of edel riding the immaculate one into battle to fuck twsitd up! that’s what the warriors game should have been not whatever it is we’re getting 😭

The only problem is that I don't know /how/ Edelgard would get to that point where she decides to trust Rhea with that information. It would require her to view Rhea as a more reliable option over TWSTD, among other things. What do you think would lead her to this? And how would you expect her journey to this decision- and what happens after- unfold?

well for one, edelgard has to acknowledge the inherent humanity of the nabateans and see them, and rhea by extension, as people and not beasts in order to even begin to think about allying with them.

and to view the nabateans as equal to humans she needs to get to the root of her prejudices. she has to be shown that she is wrong with no ifs, ands, or buts about it. the entire foundation for her world views (the imperial propaganda of her childhood and her father’s faulty info) have to be addressed. did her father knowingly lie to her? it seems likely since we do know he lied about anselma to her and his info about the church is also bogus. regardless of her father’s intent, she has to overcome those beliefs.

an idea i’ve thought about is edelgard getting visions of a sort. god forbid i give this man an ounce of respect, but if you’ve been keeping up with captainflash’s fic you’ll have seen that whenever byleth uses divine pulse edelgard is affected due to her also carrying the crest of flames. something like that. maybe she gets visions of zanado, before/during/after the attacks, wilhelm meeting seiros for the first time, the humans attacking the nabateans first. give edelgard the undeniable proof of experiencing the past for herself.

I thought you'd be a good person to ask because you're one of the few people I follow who seems to appreciate both Edel and Rhea's characters without totally villainizing the other.

i’m glad you think so! i do try to be fair ^^’

Omg this ask turned out very long lmao you can tell this is something I've been stewing over for a while. Thank you for reading my ramblings!

long asks are great don’t worry! esp fix-it ones where we psychoanalysis edel lol

#asks

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demoiselledefortune · 3 years ago

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1, 3, 5, 19?

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Apparently Dimitri/Claude is a ship and I just don't get it. I feel like they have very little to say to each other if one is going to go for a ship you can't do in the game (and also I'd think Edel/Claude and Edel/Dimitri are both more genuinely interesting).

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

I don't remember a specific exemple but I wouldn't rule it out. I think there's been times when I unfollow people who post too much character and pairing bashing and who talk about all of the fans who hold a different opinion than their own as "stans".

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

When I first read/watched Mo Dao Zu Shi, I was fine with Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian. It wasn't a big OTP but I'd enjoyed the pairing and was even curious about exploring aspects of them in fanfics. But then very quickly I grew disinterested with them and started actively disliking them, because of how the fandom talks them up as perfect people who are perfect together and always act righteously. Self righteousness is something I strongly dislike, so that's how the fans of the pairing have turned me against it so badly. Nowadays I just can't stand them when I read a fic with a long span of scenes which focuses on them, I have to skip it.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

I hate endless drama when people attack each others for their fictional taste, acting like liking a specific character or a specific pairing is ground for deriding a person as bad, impugning their characters or even harassing them with insults and threats. I especially hate when people act like they know better why people like something in fictions than the person themselves; you know "you like X, that means you must be Y" kind of logic. It's fiction so people need to chill and learn to respect each others as individual. Also fandom is more fun when lots of different opinions and tastes exist and people can talk about it freely and share it for the fun of it.

#fandom meme #mo dao zu shi #fire emblem #fodlan

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thedrag0nking · 2 years ago

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Injured brutally incapacitated to fight back now Koishi lays there coughing blood and in her life she has never face such a great and powerful defeat as this. Could this really be the end of the black dragon? Could all of the black dragon stuff be for nothing? She have hope so, perhaps she found the only thing that can really kill her. But despite this she refuse to die even when death is staring at her now.

The golden knight walks over towards the dragon king with his sword preparing to end Koishi for good. Garo slowly raised his blade up and highly to plunge it where the heart is located.

" これでお前の黒龍はおしまいだ… "

( " This is the end of you black dragon... " )

Koishi in her final moments stared at the blade that is about to finished as tears now flood in her eyes knowing that she cannot see her family again. The blade finally goes in for the kill until...

' KNNNNGGG!!! '

Just out of the blue Koishi have witnessed the final blow negated by another person who stands in front of her saving her life from her demise at the hands of the golden knight. Her savior is revealed to be the one with the mythical knights of old, the ones of dragon hood. A dragon knight. But this one is the most powerful of the dragon knights Edel now resurrected to avenged his kin and save the last black dragon from the knight.

" あなたは彼女に触れないでください、あなたは二度と親族を殺しませんでした！ "

( " You will not touch her! You have killed my kin once not this time! " )

" エーデル?! "

( " EDEL?! " )

Edel the dragon knight pushed him back all the while Koishi watches and regenerates her body immediately recovering as beliarok manifested back into her hand while the two spirits of knights continued to fight for to the death as the two jumped back away off from each other as the dragon knight let out a howling scream into the sky as he began to transform into his armor of the dragon knights. Edel now armored up and ready to fight along side the dragon king who has recovered from her injuries and regain her weapon.

Two against one Koishi stand besides the dragon knight glancing at each other with a simple nod showing respect for eachother as they both have a common enemy that have plague gensokyo to the core. This is it the final stand where both ronin and dragon knight fight along side for one last time.

" 一緒。 "

( " Together... " )

" いつも.... "

( " Always.. " )

With that the dragon knight charged head first towards the golden knight both their blades slashing and clashing while Koishi reached into her pockets using the tactics of the ronin to assist the dragon knight during the fight and pulled out ronin flash bombs that are in the form of fire works as she form a small flame onto the bomb and fired into the golden knights face flying straight at him and...

' POP! '

The firework exploded into a bright light all blinding the knight's eyes leaving him open for the dragon knight and Koishi's attacks as Edel swings his blade at his chest inflicting him with massive damage which even shock garo beyond belief, now he's becoming very desperate and sloppy at his attacks. Now it's Koishi' s time to join in and used Beliarok to used another attack with a pressed of his button the weapon laughs as Koishi plunge the blade deep into the soil as she grew all sharp energy infused claws as Koishi runs at the golden knight attacking along side the dragon knight slashing her claws without him expecting her. Both claws and swords all clashing and slashing as the gold knight is completely over whelmed by their fury. The knight have had enough of this and let out a howling roar unleashing a shockwave blasting away both the dragon king and the dragon knight. In front of then the golden knight sharpened his entire sword as it all engulf into green flames enhancing this very blade's blade destructive potential which is problematic for both of them but the other knight Edel has also the same trick of his sleeve.

Edel sharpened his sword also this time to a dragon flame powerful just enough to take on the makai knight's green flame. Both the knights charged at each other now swing and clashing both flame covered swords while Koishi waited for the opportunity to strike yet she couldn't wait any longer as she snaps her fingers and golden dragon doors all around her manifested above both of the knights and when they open the spirits of the makai dragons emerge through these doors for revenge unleashing their powerful breathes of purple fire at them scorching the golden knight's armor while the dragon knight's immune to the flames. The knight whose burned alive by the vengeful souls of the makai dragons continued to fight after he is damaged severely which makes things all the more exciting for the dragon knight and the dragon king. The shadowy claws in Koishi's hands disappears and Beliarok have returned back into her hands as she run up to the golden knight from behind slashing him by the back, shredding his armor and disorienting him giving Edel another chance to strike him at the open plunging his sword int the knights chest, raising his entire body in the air where he tossed him in the air as his metallic dragon tail sprouts behind the knight's back lunging towards him and now pierced into his body where he pulled him and slams him face flat onto the ground and now? It's koishi's turn! Koishi runs up toward where Garo have fallen only to leap into the air and.

' KRRRROOOOMMM!! '

Crashes down onto the knight's chest and crushed him with one foot stomping on his chest before she got off of him and grabs him by the leg lifting his entire body off the ground, slamming him again before tossing him away as he crashed towards the tree.

#muse #||| the dragon king |||#The dragon's vengeance

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butwhatifidothis · 3 years ago

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I just saw someone unironically claim Claude is the most guilty of imperialism. How?

Follow up on my previous ask. I came across this comment "Claude wanted to nab the Sword of the Creator for himself so he could BLOW UP FODLAN'S THROAT HIMSELF AND LET ALMYRAN FORCES INTO FODLAN. He ABSOLUTELY would've started a war if Edelgard hadn't beaten him to the punch." They really have zero understanding of what Claude wanted to achieve.

If you want my sister’s answer: “Foreign brown man with power coming over to White People Land, he must be Bad according to EdeIgard’s fans”

But like, Edelstans have shown that they are completely willing to look over obvious metaphors - and conversely read too much into benign comments - when it suits what they believe (which is Edelgard being the heroic good guy of 3H).

They ignore the fact that Byleth having the SotC gives them a lot of soft power with it being proof of their revered lineage, and Claude having that proof would have helped immeasurably in having his voice and ideas be heard in Fodlan - Claude said twice, early pre ts, that he wanted to cleave a mountain with it, so obviously that was part of his plan all along.

They ignore - or maybe even flat out don’t know - that Claude literally doesn’t view Byleth as an ambitionless husk by the time of the Goddess Tower event in the timeline and he is actually very firm in the belief that they have some sort of goal in life, even if they’re not aware of it yet - they view Byleth as ambitionless without Edel-chan to ~give them the choice~ to join her Claude admits to wanting to use Byleth for his goals during some portion of their relationship (in a bad way, unlike Edelgard), therefore that never changes and he keeps that view of Byleth throughout the entire game

They ignore the fact that Claude says, on multiple occasions, during both pre and post ts, that he believes Edelgard’s methods are too violent, that no one would genuinely change their minds under her methods, and that it would only lead to more conflict, with her starting the war by his own admission nearly destroying his dreams - Almyra attacks Fodlan a lot, he was born and raised in Almyra, so obviously he’d think invading Fodlan is the way to go

They ignore the fact that Claude goes out of his way to mitigate violence whenever possible, even at the risk of his own life, in order to keep as many people safe as possible - He said Edelgard and him aren’t that different, and Edelgard uses violence (for the right reasons, of course, unlike Claude), therefore Claude is A Okay with using violent means to achieve his goals as a first resort if he’s able

They ignore the fact that Claude introduces Almyran reinforcements only after he’s gained Holst’s approval and how afterwards he reveals his dreams to his friends, something which is very personal to him - he hid things from them (unjustly, unlike Edelgard), so he can’t ever be trusted when he says anything because he will always try to manipulate people

All of that and more culminates into looking at Claude’s usage of sending Almyran forces to help out in skirmishes and battles Fodlan still has to deal with after the war, and giving Byleth leadership of Fodlan, and seeing this as “clear cut” imperialism. But hey, Edelgard admits to her imperialism! That makes 1) violently and forcibly conquering centuries old independent nations 2) with the usage of mutated innocents 3) caused by a group of people willing to murder innocents - including children - to further their goals 4) while persecuting any religious person that doesn’t bow to her whims and 5) conscripting and starving her citizens to have the men and resources necessary for her army to do her bidding... hunky dory! Claude’s stinky so he’s a villain, but Edelgard feels bad doing all of that so she’s no longer the bad guy guys - she was really lonely, don’cha know

#ask #anti edelgard #Anti-edelgard #Edelgard discourse #Edelgard critical #just to be safe #see Judge Man I was FULLY AWARE of the fact that I had planned and calculated the murder so really should I be held THAT accountable?

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unproduciblesmackdown · 3 years ago

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get in we’re pondering / extrapolating some pt lore (there’s a tl;dr paragraph at the very end ;w;)

often musing about the overarching Theme/s in the series where there's like, these axes of, hope vs despair, self sacrifice (often to protect others) vs being protected by others (often to prevent self sacrifice), and i was thinking about how those protective self sacrifices (which often generally contain some aspect of hope And despair, the former in that someone is taking an action in the hopes of protecting someone, the latter in that they don't have any hope of any less (potentially) self destructive course to pursue to achieve that, or else they'd be doing that instead) do succeed at least in part. we don't really know what's going on with tutu in the story besides disappearing / turning into a point of light, but she exists outside of the story too and manifests in ways clearly associated with hope, & i think we can infer that her appearance/disappearance in the story did have this effect for mytho in giving him hope b/c like, how can it be a coincidence that the heart shard of Hope happens to be the one used to let someone become tutu, or that mytho was able to feel hope prior to technically have the capacity for it when thinking about her and then recognize as much in retrospect. and mytho himself sacrifices his own heart to protect everyone from the raven, rue sacrificing herself saves mytho from the raven in turn, and what i'm getting around to is that i was thinking about how sacrifices are never in vain, except for the knight's, but then i was like, well hey, what if because the rules of this story do seem to Always Reward tragic self sacrifices (surely at least in part to Incentivize it from the characters, b/c the sacrifices made wholly out of despair are apparently just people losing their hearts to the raven, f, and characters making sacrifices in the hopes of protecting someone have to actually have that hope at all), maybe the knight's death wasn't really Useless

and maybe it's relevant that the knight presumably wasn't intending to die right then, there's no implication that like, he was pushing the prince out of the way taking a bullet for him, just that the knight meant to attack the raven but didn't even manage to do that and got killed instead. but i think we can suppose that the knight was just always willing to die for the prince and there's this degree of inherent sacrifice in that already, as well as in being so devoted to the prince and protecting him, which the knight must've done plenty of even if, in the moment he was killed, there was no direct achievement in protecting mytho / siegfried / the prince. and i doubt that the way the prince felt about it was actually like "oh my god, useless" rather than that the knight did die For Him, even if mytho wasn't in immediate mortal danger that could've only been thwarted by the knight's death, and even if the knight presumably didn't Know he would die and actually choose that, because of accepting it as his only option to protect mytho. and it's evident throughout the series that characters being Real allows them to act in ways drosselmeyer doesn't predict or hasn't directed them to act or doesn't even necessarily know about, thinking of details like, mytho knowing his name is siegfried doesn't seem to come from any Text of drosselmeyer's in the story, or else people would know the prince has a name besides "the prince," and who knows, maybe drosselmeyer's unwritten hcs are part of the reality of his stories lol, but that's a fun mystery element, and beyond that these characters were all people with full lives and interiority that were not / could not have been written in full detail in the story's text and almost certainly weren't / couldn't have been Thought Out in full by drosselmeyer like that.

and i'm just thinking about how the knight is the only prominent character who outright dies in the unfinished story, aside from various, presumably not individually described/named people in the kingdom being killed by the raven, and possible details not mentioned in the series, like idk, whether or not mytho's parent/s died at some point in the course of the story. tutu's disappearance is too ambiguously magical to really call it a death, although it's a Tragic Fate intended to write her out of the story, and there's no indication of kraehe / the concept of The Raven's Daughter existing in the story, since in the first season kraehe is really fully standing in for the raven as the main villain / antagonist, with the raven not being shown or mentioned by her until the second season, and fakir just directly referring to kraehe as a crow or raven during that first season, and what with the idea in the second season that rue was just some random person the raven stole and presumably made up the concept of there being a [the raven's daughter] role.

(even though when kraehe appears in season one it's clearly a swan lake / odile thing, and i guess you could conceivably wonder like "hey, is she the daughter of some rothbart equivalent here. like the story raven as the primary antagonist"....that's all Meta beyond the series's metatextual layers and, since idk, characters know of these other classic ballets, i guess it's possible swan lake as a ballet exists too. nobody's mentioning anything though lol. now i'm like.....okay so another tchaikovsky composed ballet was relevant / known in the sleeping beauty episode, where electricity was also a thing people were aware existed, if rare, not sure when this series was set but late 19th century seems plausible enough and swan lake wasn't immediately popular so maybe it exists but is too niche lore for these characters to be familiar with it lmao.....but then i'm like wait hang on. what if it must be after 1892 because the dance of the sugarplum fairy playing when ahiru walks in on mytho practicing seems to be diagetic. and then i'm like, nijinksy was only born in 1890, and didn't perform afternoon of a faun until 1912, and that seems just a little late, although at the same time everyone's existing in a fairy tale town and it could feasibly be any point in time outside of that. this tangent is going on way too long and my Real Conclusion of course is that we're not really meant to match up any timeline with the In Real Life timelines of when ballets premiered and became popular / established as Classics)

back to the point: out of the four main roles, tutu magically and mysteriously disappeared but didn't outright die the way that the human knight was definitely killed, and the duck who is given her powers / role is apparently truly just some random duck who happened to care for mytho (thinking about his apparent affinity for birds and theirs for him), kraehe was probably not a part of the story at all as the daughter of the raven and rue is apparently just some random baby who was kidnapped, mytho didn't die because he's the same self he was from the story, uninterrupted, and the knight did die, and fakir is just some kid but is also apparently identified as the reincarnation of that knight. and, whether or not that's just some coincidence or meant to be true, it's true for all intents and purposes since fakir found mytho and chose to devote himself to protecting him and is aware of / thinks of himself as the knight, and if the raven and drosselmeyer could've picked some random babies and ducks to have roles in the story, it shouldn't actually be a detriment to fakir if he's actually also just some guy who chose to be the knight rather than also actually already that knight reincarnated. the roles of both tutu and lohengrin are supposed to be intrinsically limited by their same roles as written in the story, where clearly drosselmeyer, wanting conflict and drama and peak effective tragedy, and kraehe / the raven as antagonists to these two, expect and want tutu to willingly vanish again and the knight to wield his sword and, at some point here, die. which, in season one, it seems likely enough that although fakir wasn't exactly instantly torn apart by the raven attack that Got him, he would've died if not for edel's intervention altering the story. anyway, assuming the roles comes from Choosing it / being willing to accept it and having some sort of magical artifact access out here, ahiru having a heart shard, rue having...raven blood and the fact that there's also the like, actual ravens out there who are Also magic b/c they're doing evil stuff, and turning into cursed pointe shoes and attacking canaries so the prince might jump out a window to save one, and fakir having magic swords. as well as, you know, the prince, the most magic artifact of all, truly

i'm kind of losing the point there lmfao just getting into details in a tangent. what i was trying to point out is that yeah, the knight's the only one of the four main roles who was clearly, officially, violently killed in the story. and then i was thinking about how, as far as i can think, it kind of comes totally out of nowhere in season two that like, oh hey, also fakir is a descendent of drosselmeyer's and i guess has that same magic writing ability. not that i think these season two framework shifts like That, or like kraehe being the daughter of the raven instead of just directly standing in for the raven as a concept and character, or like "oh right and also i'd poisoned mytho back in the season one finale" weren't possibly in mind the whole time, Or that if they weren't that's a problem, Or that either way, they needed to be foreshadowed / set up Textually in season one or anything, since you do need to change things up for there to Be a season two that doesn't have to retread the conflicts in the same way, and that's what these shifts allow for. it's still just that the effect is like, oh damn, fakir isn't just The Knight from the story reincarnated, he ALSO happens to have drosselmeyer's magic powers b/c they're related??? wow what a coincidence, that's so lucky for him in affording him Magic Powers that don't come from the story b/c if he wields the power of being the knight he Has to inevitably die, and while the power to write reality is clearly dangerous and Could kill him (or others), there's at least a chance, whereas it seems like otherwise, if you're accessing the powers that come with having a role from the story, you either have to accept the same fate as in the story, someone with the power of those who guide the story, e.g. edel, must externally alter its course, or you have to give up the role and its powers, like ahiru ultimately did by giving up the final piece of mytho's heart, and fakir did by no longer trying to be the knight and instead protecting everyone by figuring out how to wield his power to Write.

so then basically my thought was, hey, maybe it's Not *just* a coincidence that fakir's Also drosselmeyer's descendent. in the same way that it's not Just a coincidence that the original tutu, having made this sacrifice in the story, is somehow, in part or in whole, attached to the prince's feeling of hope, and able to manifest even once that piece of the prince's heart has been returned and ahiru no longer "officially" has access to tutu's role and power (whether that power is gone b/c her powers were all about returning the prince's heart shards or because the powers she had were the prince's, because of having a piece of his heart). there's already these parallels between the roles of this tragic princess and the knight, both fated to disappear and die, respectively, and the story rewards these noble sacrifices even as it demands them b/c the author loves tragedy, b/c drosselmeyer's also trying to work within some conventions here to have a cohesive story and to allow enough hope in the story to motivate the characters and give everything enough stakes to really be effectively tragic (although he was also apparently writing characters who'd appear and then forever disappear on the same page, so. all to a degree lol). and yet the story and the people in it can also operate outside of drosselmeyer's Intent and Control and even knowledge of what all is a factor in everything going on, because that's part of his power, the stories and their characters become people who are real in the same way that people not from the story are real, and there's elements of who they were and are and can be that drosselmeyer didn't write. rue wasn't meant to sacrifice herself, edel / uzura wasn't meant to help the characters avoid tragedy, ahiru was meant to be powerless as a duck (and a regular girl), fakir was meant to be powerless or die, tbh mytho was probably meant to prevail in the end but also maybe drosselmeyer wouldn't've minded if the raven won And Also definitely wouldn't've minded if mytho going "well fuck this, i'll take out my heart again, regain it, kill you that time, then also kill myself" had been seen through which would've been decidedly ultimately tragic even if the prince also "won," and/or if the prince just kept getting stuck in these stalemates and having to shatter & regain his heart in an eternal loop (thinking of how mytho sure managed to like, phase Inside the raven magically via giant swan made of light (see: my theory that although that's very [tutu] visuals, tutu is also kinda Hope Embodied in this series, and we don't quite know whether original tutu's magic powers were different from the prince's magic abilities, or how, and i like to believe that mytho Can also manifest as a giant swan made of light) which was apparently only an option after he not only regained the capacity to feel hope but kinda had an actual feeling of hope kickstarted by ahiru, who's been and continues tapping into tutu's power as being so associated with / tied to Hope as a concept in general, so he presumably couldn't've done that move otherwise).

SO we're really meandering around here, by which i mean that i am, but so it goes. my point is!!! with All That in mind, and again reiterating how i opened that last paragraph before getting a little off track as always, i was thinking that it might not be Just A Coincidence that fakir is both the reincarnation of the knight / takes on the role of the knight, AND has drosselmeyer's magic writing powers in this completely separate matter of genealogy. (also, i'm sorry, but total tangent again: i'm not 100% on the timeline of things, but i'm like, okay, the raven comes into the real world, and the prince follows it, and then we know that this real world town had like, these killer raven attacks that could disappear an infant or kill a kid's parents. and i think we can suppose that rue and fakir happen to be pretty much the same age, and rue was kidnapped as a baby, so the raven was definitely around then, and fakir's parents were killed when he was like, a young kid but definitely not a baby or even a toddler, and rue was also running around and able to dance and only knew herself as kraehe until meeting mytho and wanting to give herself another name as just a human. so like....i'm bad at estimating ages but like, what, they're at least 5 when they meet mytho? maybe more like 6 or 7. the point is, so there were raven attacks for actual Years before the prince shattered his heart? and maybe mytho was fighting the raven in that perpetual stalemate for all those years, but probably he would've aged those several years if he existed outside the story's [Paused In Time] situation but still had his heart, since it's presumably his having Lost his heart that means he has no pulse and doesn't age and, you know, has lost his memories and emotions. and if we say it was like, at least 4 years or something, and mytho's like, ambiguously sort of Older Teen, say 16 or 17, idk (he's a baby still ;m; but also a fairytale prince, so) and you supposed he aged while out of the story And that he was out of the story and fighting the raven those several years before giving up his heart, that'd mean that when the book left off, he was locked in this deadly battle for the kingdom with the main villain as like, circa 11 years old or what have you. not outside the realm of fiction or fairytales, but still....but more so than that, idk, you'd think if there was this magic storybook prince around fighting the raven/s for years, full hearted and thus with his memories / sense of self intact, people would've been as aware of his presence as that of these killer ravens, and like, actually know who he is, as siegfried, and prior to there being this guy, mytho, who only fakir and co. and rue, out of anyone else in town, realize is actually this prince from a story that exists as a storybook in their world. which, i Guess it's possible that mytho was around outside the story for years before shattering his heart to seal the raven away, but also, seems like maybe instead it was years before he followed the raven out of the story and then once he did he pretty much immediately sacrificed his heart? not that the All Realities Narrator mentions a gap between the raven escaping the story and the prince chasing after it, but a) they also didn't specifically say that this didn't happen and b) maybe it was just some like, issue of jumping between dimensions basically, i.e. from the perspective of mytho in the story he did follow the raven out immediately, only to find that from the perspective of this other world, the raven had been an issue for years and c) maybe this difference in time was so that mytho would be dropped into more of an equivalent situation as he was in back in the story, where the raven had Also already been a problem for years in that story's universe, before the point where drosselmeyer has died and the story is left off unfinished. so here's mytho now entering this other reality, where even though he himself has just shown up after having battling the raven for years In Story (and then in stasis because the story was not able to progress in its own world), and is having to choose to protect these people who have not Just been introduced to the raven's attacks, but have been dealing with it for years as something that can and has killed people, just as was the case with the townspeople back in the world of the story.)

okay i apologize to the readers and to myself, no more tangents: what if!!!! it's not a fortunate coincidence that fakir has access to the powers of the separate roles of "the knight from the story" and "drosselmeyer's descendent in this world"!!!! What If!!!!!!!!! the knight's death, rather than being truly "useless," actually still counted as a sacrifice made in the hope of protecting others, and was thusly rewarded with some form of success, as other such sacrifices are rewarded both in the story of prinz und rabe, but also in the overall story of this series, aka princess tutu, although clearly in the end the Happy Ending comes from not only these sacrifices but the characters all protecting each other so that these ultimate self sacrifices don't need to be made (thinking of how often characters talk about wanting to protect each other, fakir being motivated to try Writing again after realizing all these other characters are doing their best to protect him, mytho saying he won't Give Up Again to ahiru (also tutu....just standing here staring at the wall like blair witch style that he never seems to have known that the duck was not only the version of tutu he'd been encountering but also ahiru who he was like "hey bestie :)" to in ep 14 before getting ko'd and never knowingly talking to her again haha scream that's just. that's fine!!! anyway rue could tell him but then again like, a little late. UNLESS they can just come back and visit?? i have some sense that there might have once been plans to make a season three for the series if possible way back in the day, yknow, when said series was being released, but i only "remember" this from Maybe someone's post from that 15th anniversary event and maybe, jonathan frakes voice, it never happened) referring to his intent to sacrifice his heart again as being that "giving up"......THE POINT BEING. maybe the knight's death was a sacrifice, and according the role that such sacrifices have, that sacrifice had some positive, helpful, protecting effect, and in this case, it was that the knight's reincarnation had these Other powers as well beyond the knight's role in the story, so that this knight could do more but protect mytho some but ultimately die in the effort with that death Supposedly being for nothing, aka the fact that fakir is related to drosselmeyer is thanks to lohengrin sacrificing himself to protect mytho, even if the circumstances of his death did not appear to, and were not intended by drosselmeyer to, have any direct benefit for anyone. did the knight somehow have conscious influence over his own reincarnation, or was it more like, these superhuman forces Rewarding the sacrifice / affording the knight this new chance at fate? could be either i guess!! (and was fakir born when the raven entered that world, or prior? he was as old as he was when he met mytho, had mytho Just shown up or did he really arrive just after the raven and had been fighting all the time and it's just that, for whatever reason, nobody else knew he was there? or they did, but once the raven was sealed away, maybe other people Forgot what had happened prior too, re: the prince and the Monster Raven anyways? since while people had known about the like, regular bird form ravens who killed people, nobody mentioned the big german abstract expressionism sky blocking raven who ate hearts.....and not like there wasn't people dying back in the story despite the prince's efforts (though that was related as well to like, people Definitely knowing the prince existed, and Despairing b/c he was so epic, actually) i don't know, it could be Either Way, i'm just wondering like, was fakir born prior to a character from The Story entering that world, or after? i feel like Maybe some timeline details might've been mentioned re: when the ravens showed up, but i don't remember. although i guess it's not impossible re: this theory that he was born beforehand but is still definitely the knight, and as i type this, i remember the whole "he's always had the birthmarks that identified him as the reincarnation of the knight" element, so it's Already True that whenever he was born, that was the case, aaand also i'm remembering that lohengrin died before where the story left off, and in that story's universe, idk, maybe years passed....and i Just was talking about how maybe the timelines / passage of time are not parallel and Aligned 1:1 between worlds here, so. point is! however it shakes out, lohengrin died for all intents and purposes Before fakir was born, who Is the knight whether or not he's really lohengrin's reincarnation, which he Could be, because lohengrin Was a human who Did die. so!!!!! (it's 6am....i've been writing this for hours lol. i prommy my thoughts would've been a Little more in order otherwise. possibly)

TL;DR: what if, rather than the knight's death being "useless" and his failing to protect the prince through being killed, it still counted as a sacrifice to protect mytho, and when you consider how this Theme of sacrifice is handled throughout the series, it would be in line with everything else if this sacrifice was rewarded even if the text of prinz und rabe / drosselmeyer did not consider this / recognize this to be a "successful" act of self sacrifice to protect the prince, and that reward was the knight's reincarnation Also being a descendent of drosselmeyer with a power that would allow him to protect people without being held to the knight's fate of being killed, rather than it being a complete unrelated coincidence that fakir is the knight And a person who just so happens to have the ability to write reality, thanks to being in the same family as drosselmeyer. what if lohengrin's sacrifice let him escape his own fate down the line and this time "successfully" protect the prince without having to die before the story finishes! it wouldn't change anything in the story as we know it and i think it'd be Thematically Resonant.

#that's #princess tutu #not playable trailer (2014) or part time (job)#''time to sit down and write probably a good handful of extensive paragraphs abt this for a little while. say an hour at most!!''#[smash cut to me typing these tags hours later. it's 6:30am. the sun is up. head in hands]#never know when it's time to think and post about this again #also i only remember so much of The Canon Lore so if there's info i missed here and mused about yknow. feel free to chime in #love how this series has so many quick / fleeting / One Time / vague / ambiguous mentions of pieces of information #so there's plenty of threads that are really intriguing and you're given enough glimpses to piece some other pictures together if you want #but nothing is really established with tons of certainty / precise in depth clarity in canon which gives you plenty of room to Interpret and #Extrapolate as we are doing here all the time #for example: lohengrin (Presumably the knight but! we don't even Know that 100% lol) was mytho's boyfriend. pensive #not to kin drosselmeyer but first of all: consider the drama of that :/ he did die tragically :/#second of all why not. third of all: see the mentions about tutu and the knight having these parallel roles in the story and beyond it...#and third point fifth of all well clearly tutu was his magical gf spirit of dance hope embodiment...#fourth of all idk the story's all ''look any and everyone is in love with the prince. it's kind of a problem actually'' lmao #not the first person to die by the raven monster for being too in love with the guy!! apparently!#mytho's gotta end up with someone completely Not From the story b/c his other dates in the story die or vanish :/#haha but seriously. and he can turn into a giant swan at will if his ability to feel Hope is all fired up. haha but seriously #well anyway! the point is this #everyone is always like ''wow the cringe and fail knight. way to die Uselessly 9_9'' about said knight #but what if! his death actually had this power and had a helpful; successfully protective impact on the story in a way no one was aware of #sorry for taking 10 paragraphs to say as much in there. w/the last several getting extra long....it is My Way #i am [epcot ball vine voice Mytho...] about pt lore lmao but i can still ponder other things. he's connected to all the others! bless him

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crystalelemental · 4 years ago

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I saw someone post their +10 max flowers fully kitted out Petrine going up against an UNMERGED Fallen Edel with no seals and Petrine missed the kill by 7. As far as I know Petrine didnt have any buffs, but its still riddiculus. Edelgard really is Intsys new favorite cow, every new version they pump out is just overtuned and overpowered with like three superboons and 180+ bst to make sure she sells. I mean people talk about Camilla getting a lot of alts but not every new Camilla broke the game :/

Hehehe. Get fucked, Petrine.

But in all seriousness, that’s pretty fucked to be able to beat someone with a clear effectiveness against you, who also targets your lower defensive stat. They definitely did go the extra mile on this one, but not because of the BST. 180+ BST is something every melee armor gets. No, what pushes her over is just how stacked the PRF weapon and skill is. BST creep is less relevant, except how it makes it impossible for older units to even pretend they compete without dragonflower investment, and even then it’s not enough because 95% of all powercreep is stored in the PRF.

That said, I think what pushes her over the edge in this scenario is the same thing that always does: damage reduction. This effect is so fucking braindead, there’s literally no counterplay. “Just use Deadeye or Young Innes!” Okay sure! I’ll make sure to always have my special ready when engaging so that when they do attack her, they’ll still deal nothing off her 80 billion defense. It’s just such an unnecessary addition to slap on her. And worse, it’s the worst kind of damage reduction: only on first hit in either phase. That is the type of effect that can only benefit the AI, because the only solution is to swarm it. The AI can swarm. It can sac a unit to negate the effect and keep going, and lose absolutely nothing. But a player can’t, because sacrificing a single unit means less lift. It means losing the arena or arena assault streak. It’s complete bullshit for that one effect to be included, and just like L!Claude, it pushes her over the edge from something that could be manageable but terrifying, but outright busted and impossible to handle.

That said, I do think L!Claude still retains the championship title of “Most absurd powercreep.” Fallen Edelgard is terrifying, but notably, did that Petrine die in retaliation? If not, good, now someone else can finish the job. While it’s a scary kit to handle, and there’s a reason they won’t have her appear in general play, the fact that she’s more of a defensive unit overall automatically makes her easier to handle. NFU exists to get your doubles as needed. Windsweep actually works. There are already counters baked into the meta. What counters does L!Claude have? Keeping in mind that Deadeye is a 3-turn cooldown special, so even Slaying weapons can’t bait him first and retaliate with it, meaning that skill is a check to him at best, not a counter. That’s right, it’s Young Innes. ONLY Young Innes. No one else can counter L!Claude. Because how do you counter a hyper-offensive unit with fucking 80% damage reduction, Gravity effect, NFU in the weapon, +5 spectrum buff, and every other level of bullshit this clown pulls out of his ass?

#Anonymous

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ask-jaghatai-khan · 4 years ago

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The Mistbranch Grove

// Sylvaneth homebrew! Jumping from 40k into AoS I finally whipped up a faction that speaks to some of my favorite fantasy tropes, and I would be more than happy to collect if I had the money to do so.

Keepers of the Shrouded Nowhere, Dwellers in the Unknown Mists of Al’idhor, Protectors of the Well of Memories

History:

Long ago, in the Age of Myth, the goddess of life Alarielle was awakened by Sigmar the stormlord and began to wander through the mortal realms. While her favor lay in Ghyran, the realm of life, she sought to spread her bounty to all the eight worlds. It was by her craft that the soul-pods of the first Sylvaneth were grown anew out of memories of the World That Was, and set about tending to the lands of Ghyran in accordance with the Everqueen’s will. At the height of their power, Alarielle sent out expeditions from all those Realmgates under her possession, seeking to seed pure and nourishing life throughout all the lands.

In the realm of shadow, Ulgu, there emerged the Mistbranch Grove upon mysterious reaches known as the Silver Hinterlands. Cut off from the surrounding realm by strange and obscure mists, the Hinterlands were rich with magical energy that would allow for the first Ancients of the Mistbranch to set deep their roots. From a grim and shadowy land there sprung a new wealth of life, infusing the forests and highlands and showing to all who witnessed that no realm was without beauty, so long as the power of the Everqueen abided.

The Mistbranch drew their power from the artifact known as the Well of Memories, which the Wanderer Aelves named Gelemar, the Starlight Well. A vortex of life-giving energies, the Well not only allowed the soul-song of Ghyran to flow into the Hinterlands of Ulgu, but also allowed for that song to be carried up to the distant stars, and to High Azyr. It was the Branchwyches who mastered this craft, and though the Treelords and Arch-Revenants protected the old lore and the sacred wilds of the Hinterlands, the elder dryads became masters of sorcery and divine magics. They raised up the great tree Hithond about the Well, that mighty tower being itself but a reflection of the god-trees of Alarielle’s own realm.

But the glory of those times was not to last, for then came the Age of Chaos. By unknown craft were the servants of the Dark Gods able to breach the Mists of Al’idhnor, coming in great hordes from over the sea, the wastes, and the mountains. They cut back the expansive forests and burned the Sylvaneth’s sacred shrines, defiling the lands and returning them to naught but Shadow. With Ghyran under attack by the endless hosts of the Plague God, the Mistbranch Grove was left to defend the Well alone. For long ages did the Sylvaneth war against the tides of monsters, barbarians, beastmen, and daemons, until the Branchwyches devised a means to save their land. Drawing upon the power of the Well of Memories, the druids compelled the Mists of Al’idhnor to reject the intrusions into the Hinterlands and cut off the forests of the Mistbranch from any outsiders at all.

The repercussions of that ritual could not have been known at the time. Even the Sylvaneth elders did not realize the Mists themselves had an inscrutable will of their own. Once, the Mists had sought to draw in worthy souls to the Hinterlands that they might drink from the Well, empowering those noble heroes to spread wisdom throughout Ulgu and protect the Well in turn. Now, after their compulsion by the Branchwyches, the Mists turned to darker motives. Incensed at the invasion of their lands, the fog would allow no stranger into the hidden wilds – noble or otherwise. Instead, the Mists called out to the wicked, to the weak-willed, and to those with guilt and darkness in their souls. These damned individuals would be drawn into what was now known as the Shrouded Nowhere, to go mad and become prey for the Sylvaneth. Rather than be gifted with wisdom, their memories would be sapped, and their life essence drained to sustain the Well and the Realmroot.

Most of the Sylvaneth despaired at this development, as they had wished to share the beauty of their land with those who might appreciate it – who might have grown and been uplifted by the glory of Alarielle’s power. These tree-kin reached out to the tribes of Mist-Dweller Aelves and humans, guiding their sages through the Mists that some inkling of the Everqueen’s wisdom might be passed into the outside world. Others did not take so well to the change. Most awful among these was the Treelord known as Mornur, who was then after named Morraug the Terror. He remembered the defilements wreaked upon the Silver Hinterlands by outsiders, and grew to hate the quickbloods and all their ilk. His stretch of the western border-woods became a den of horror, and even other Sylvaneth were remiss to speak the name of the Terror.

Still, under the watchful guidance of Treelords like Brunorn, called the Elder, the Shrouded Nowhere maintains something of its ancient beauty. Within sprawling webs of roots there flow the energies of the Well of Memories, making the Nowhere a mighty nexus of magics. Revenant hosts may venture out wherever the Mists lead, singing the word of the Everqueen, and the Branchwyches may commune with great mystics of the other realms through their empowered rituals. Mortals are not inclined to trust the Mistbranch anymore, by virtue of their dark appearance and the reputation of their lands, but that has not stopped them from their queen-granted mission to aid in the spread of life, and maintain the balance of nature.

Notable Characters:

Brunorn the Elder

Brunorn is the oldest of all the Treelords in the Shrouded Nowhere, first among those Sylvaneth who first stepped from the Realm of Life through the Mists of Al’idhnor into the wastes of Ulgu. Most often he is simply called “The Elder”, for none in all Nowhere are so ancient as him. His form is that of a great and gnarled oak, and his heart is heavy with long eons of sorrow. The elder treeman remembers the time when the Silver Hinterlands were in bloom, mild and beautiful, and mortals could come and bask in their majesty, with their sages and heroes drinking deep of the Starlight Well. Still he has not given up faith, though he struggles ever with the fact that he may one day lose what hope he has left. Those who can survive in Nowhere long enough to find him might just be granted reprieve and salvation.

As the Lord of Clan Doroniaur, Brunorn is the leader of all Treelords in Nowhere, and guardian of the inner woodlands. Due to residing in Ulgu, summer is brief in the Mistbranch’s realm, and most of the year the land is grey and foggy. Brunorn claims stewardship over the passage of summer into autumn, and the care of the very oldest and most sacred things in his forest.

Morraug the Terror

Once known as Mornur, the being now known as The Terror was not always the subject of grim rumor and shiver-inducing tales. Mornur guarded the western borderlands, where the forests transitioned into the rolling uplands of the outer wastes, out to the cliffs of the sea. In his youth he met often with those wayward elves and humans who found themselves brought by the Mists to the outer reaches of the Silver Hinterlands, and he delighted in the sharing of stories and songs. However when the Great Shadow came from the Realm of Chaos, it was Mornur and his lands that suffered the most. The forests of Clan Edel’fae were cast into darkness and became as a graveyard. Mornur was changed then, coming to be known as Morraug, the Terror. Now he is a specter, a shade of vengeance that provides the greatest barrier to any mortals who dare intrude on the Sylvaneth’s lands. He does not remember the soul-song of Ghyran, and dwells always in the shadows, hungering for mortal flesh and souls.

Still the Terror leads the outcast Clan Edel, known sometimes as Edel’fae. Like all outcast Sylvaneth, the spirits of Edel are quite mad and vengeful, and delight not just in the slaying of trespassers, but in the slow destruction of mortal minds. Beneath the underbrush of the western border-woods there lay corpses thick as moss, and within the whorls of its twisted trees can be seen the faces of those wanderers, good or evil, who were driven to insanity and death by the predations of the Terror. Morraug believes that he acts in accordance with the Mists, and that the sacred lands will never be safe so long as the quickbloods are allowed their intrusions, though he has not turned against his brethren. He guards the passage of autumn into winter, the time of death, and his vicious nature is but another part of the world’s cycles.

Aelinde the Laysinger

The Branchwych known as Aelinde the Laysinger is eldest amongst all the dryads of the Shrouded Nowhere, and rivals even Brunorn in her years. She is a creature of great wisdom and power, having once held company with Alarielle herself, and holding deep memories of the beauty of Inner Ghyran. Now, Aelinde guards the Well of Memories, directing the rituals of her companion druids in harnessing and guiding the powers of that mystic font to protect the shrouded lands. It was she who compelled the spirits of the Well to turn back the dark tide of Chaos with violence, and to this day she struggles with the ramifications of her decision. Though unlike Brunorn or the Terror, she does not sway one way or another in terms of her feelings on mortals. To her, balance in nature is of the utmost importance, and her choice to turn the Silver Hinterlands into a realm of foreboding and gloom chafes more with her sense of duty than anything else.

Known as the Laysinger, Aelinde has perhaps one of the strongest connections to the soul-song of Alarielle, and is able to channel this attunement into her rituals about the Well. With her power she can reach across the realms, influencing the Mists even in their current state, and communing with powerful spirits from Ghyran and Azyr. She leads the Clan Luthan, also known as Luth’angol, which comprises the largest gatherings of the dryads and other spellsingers of the Mistbranch Grove. Aelinde is said to embody the tears of spring, when the very first droplets of warmth grace the dead season of winter.

Araseth the Wastewalker

Araseth is notable among the leaders of the Mistbranch in that as a revenant, he was once a mortal. His memories of such a time are dim and half-formed, though they still shape his personality. Once an Aelven bard, Araseth delighted the Everqueen with his sagas and recitations, and so was chosen to be born anew as a tree-revenant of the Sylvaneth. Now he leads the Shrouded Nowhere’s own wild hunt, traveling with the scouts and emissaries of the Grove through the outer wastelands and into the Mists of Al’idhnor. Still the call of wanderlust and adventure flows in Araseth’s half-living heart, and so he is the eyes and hands of the Misbranch beyond the borders of their realm. A being of strength, guile, and a surprising amount of charisma, Araseth can be both an omen of grim portent or an enchanting ally for those who happen to meet him.

Leading the Taurim Clan, Araseth guides the greatest proportion of the Grove’s revenants and outriders. Contrasting the ponderous gatherings of Clan Doroniaur’s Treelords, or the hordes of vicious dryads and spites of Edel and Luthan, the treeguard and hunters of the Taurim are much more akin to mortal warriors. They are disciplined yet boisterous, swift yet enduring, terrible yet honorable. For mortals who have never been to the Shrouded Nowhere, the impression of the Taurim hunt would be one more in line with most Sylvaneth clans – so long as they are not the target of the hunt itself. For those who fall so afoul of the Mistbranch that they must be hunted even beyond the Mists of Al’idhnor, there are few more terrifying experiences than the long pursuit of Araseth and his warriors. The Taurim are the passage of spring into summer, and the fury of that high season.

The Four Clans

Clan Doroniaur

Elder protectors of the deep forest, Clan Doroniaur holds the largest concentration of the Grove’s Treelords, all of whom defer to the wisdom of the ancient Brunorn. Doroniaur’s holdings lay in the deepest reaches of the Mistbrach’s forests, into the pine-strewn uplands, protecting the sacred lands of the Well.

Clan Edel

Under the will of the Terror, Clan Edel embodies all the horrors of the Shrouded Nowhere. Their forests lay in the western border-woods, where wanderers from the outer wastelands might stumble through the Mists right into their clutches. The Terror commands a great host of vicious dryads and spite-revenants, and Edel’s forces are known for their cunning approach to warfare that seeks to break the enemy’s will before landing the killing blow.

Clan Luthan

Wyches of the Well of Memories, Clan Luthan is the smallest of all in the Mistbranch Grove, yet perhaps the most powerful of all. They are the druids of the Well, and maintain its power and the balance it holds with the realmroot Hithond. Balance defines all that they do, for they are neither good nor evil, caring nor callous. It is their interest, under the direction of Aelinde the Laysinger, to ensure that the Shrouded Nowhere remains a point of power for the greater plans of the Everqueen.

Clan Taurim

Wanderers of the Wastes, Clan Taurim are the wild hunt, the outriders of the Mistbranch. By the guidance of Clan Luthan are the hosts of revenants, spites, and Kurnoth hunters able to move through the Mists of Al’idhnor and journey to faraway lands in the name of the Everqueen’s grand mission. Though the most warlike of all the clans, they are also the most diplomatic, as it is their purpose to interact with outside factions and see to the Grove’s interests abroad. To their foes, they carry the terror of Nowhere beyond the very borders of the Mists, yet to their allies they are as a blessing from Alarielle herself.

Geography of Nowhere:

The Shrouded Nowhere is an ill-defined subsection of the Realm of Shadow, Ulgu. Encircled in the thick Mists of Al’idhnor, access to the darkened woods are cut off from most means of conventional travel. Rather, any who pass through the Mists – whether they be near to the actual borders of Nowhere or in another part of Ulgu altogether – will find themselves transported into those hinterlands. While the Mistbranch have some degree of control over the Mists, they are as fickle an ally as they are useful a defence, and the accuracy of their teleportations cannot always be assured.

Most of Nowhere is wooded by thick and diverse forests, as is to be expected of Sylvaneth holdings. To the north and east the lands become hilly moving into mountainous, filled with upland pines all the way into the craggy heights of the impassible grey peaks. The lowlands are dominated by mossy arboreal forests, which to the south and west give way to expansive, open wastelands out to the foggy seas. Those wastes on the western border are highlands ending in cliffs, while to the south the beaches are shallower and broken by many islets. Deep within the center of the Mistbranch woods there grows the great tree Hithond the Realmroot, which drinks deep of the waters of the Well of Memories.

All manner of diverse life can be found within the Shrouded Nowhere, though like all creatures within Ulgu they are elusive and deceptive. Still the invigorating energies of the Sylvaneth have made the forests a menagerie of growth and bounty, even if those shaded boughs spell death for any mortal outsiders who wander in. Many ruins can be found scattered throughout the lands, some predating the age of the Sylvaneth and others more recent – leftovers of when Aelves and humans were permitted entry to the woods of the Mistbranch. Still within the outer wastelands there can be found semi-nomadic tribes of these two mortal races, who through faint druidic traditions or dark sorcery have retained memories of how to traverse the Mists. The Sylvaneth permit their presence so long as they do not enter the woods, as they provide a partial buffer against other roaming outsider groups.

Non-floral life is still abundant, though it is as mysterious as the Sylvaneth themselves. Great eagles, strange beasts of Ulgu, elemental spirits, and other elusive beings of nature call Nowhere home alongside their Mistbranch allies. Though the occasional corrupted monstrosity may be able to survive within the unseen depths of the wood, for the most part any mortal not allied with the forces of the Everqueen is sure to meet a quick death upon entering Sylvaneth lands uninvited.

Within the Mistbranch’s lands, the central and upland forests are considered the territories of Clan Doroniaur. The southern wastelands and parts of the western highlands are the hunting grounds of Clan Taurim, while the Realmroot and the lands about the Well of Memories are protected by Clan Luthan. Those darkened forests to the west, scarred by the arrival of Chaos so many ages ago, are the domain of the Terror, and none but the very oldest and most powerful of the Mistbranch dare enter.

Neighboring Factions:

Mist-Dweller Aelves

It used to be that the Aelven peoples were far more plentiful in the Silver Hinterlands, living with and learning from their Sylvaneth allies. However with the change that came over the Mists of Al’idhnor, the Aelves were driven out lest they be consumed by the Terror. Yet despite this, some of the druidic clans have retained knowledge of how to move within the Mists. Living a semi-nomadic existence in the outer wastelands and coasts, where the realm of Nowhere merges with other parts of ever-shifting Ulgu, these Aelves may still commune with the Mistbranch when seasons are favorable. Though none but their most venerable lords dare enter the woods anymore, the quickbloods may still serve the purposes of the Sylvaneth.

Tribes of the Shrouded Nowhere

Also among the wandering peoples who journey throughout the fluid mistlands are various tribes of humans. These peoples are given much less regard than even the Aelves, and a druid of one of the mortal tribes must show great promise and respect to be allowed within the Mistbranch’s territory. Most of these human clans are superstitious and fearful, making dark sacrifices to the Mistbranch and helping to turn away travelers who may find themselves transported through the Mists into the outer wastelands. Some of these tribes still worship the Shadow of Chaos, but even they dare not enter the woods in such small numbers, lest the Terror consume them body and soul. Some of these tribes are more developed, building hamlet settlements of Sigmarite influence on the far borders, while others are little more than barbarians.

The Voices in the Stars

Though the Well of Memories is most notable for providing a connection between the realms of Ghyran and Ulgu, it is also known as the Starlight Well, for its mystic powers are given stability and energy by the light of the heavens themselves. It was Aelinde the Laysinger who discovered the means to influence the Well’s soul-song to reach across the Mortal Realms, allowing her to perceive sights even in faraway planes such as Azyr. The Voices in the Stars are those beings Aelinde communes with – sages of the astral coldbloods, and mystics of the Stormlord’s kingdoms. On rare occasions, these beings may be summoned to the Nowhere at the behest of the Elders, even in these dark times. Ancient ruins scattered through the Mistbranch woodlands speak to civilizations even older than the trees – structures built by the Seraphon in their own ill-fated attempts to colonize distant realms. Though distrustful of outsiders, the Mistbranch realize the necessity of working with those beings the Everqueen has deemed allies.

Spirits of Nowhere

Within the forests of the Shrouded Nowhere there can be found many more beings of mystic natural power than the Sylvaneth alone. Among those venerable beings who hold to the Everqueen’s vision – whether native to Ulgu or brought from afar – there are such creatures as the reclusive Scuttle-Spite clans, the noble eagles of the eastern aeries, the naiads and elementals of the stones and waters, and the even such rare fauna as existed in times before the coming of the Mistbranch. Dreadful Great Serpents and the degenerate beach-shamblers move through the currents of the stormy coasts same as overland travelers might stumble through the Mists. So long as these beings respect the holdings of the Sylvaneth and hold neither ill will against the Everqueen nor common cause with the Shadow, they may move unimpeded through Nowhere. For those who wander too close to the Well, however, or into the darkened boughs of Edel lands, there can never be promise of protection.

Notable Events:

The Dawn of the Green Lay

In the Age of Myth, at the awakening of the goddess Alarielle, the first soul-pods of the Sylvaneth peoples are planted. At the height of their civilization in Ghyran, the Everqueen seeks to send out expeditions across the other Mortal Realms so as to seed them with new and flourishing life. Among those who journeyed into the obscure lands of Ulgu, the realm of shadow, there came the Treelord Brunorn. Discovering the Silver Hinterlands and the mystic Well of Memories within its forgotten, ruined wastes, the Sylvaneth began planting what was to become the Mistbranch Grove.

The Silver Hinterlands prove to be a somber place, but Brunorn sees in them great beauty, and the Branchwych Aelinde is able to gather depths of natural power from the arcane Well. Flourishing, the Mistbranch lands become a haven for those seeking wisdom in the harrowing realm of shadow. The Four Clans see to the growth of their people, and the bounty of the Age of Myth’s height are enjoyed by all.

The Shadow Comes

Peace is never to last so long as Chaos exists just beyond the veil of the world. At the will of the Dark Gods and their tyrannical Everchosen, the forces of the Great Shadow pour out from the Realm of Chaos to bring death and doom to all non-believers. Brought through the placid Mists by dark sorceries and divine guidance, droves of monsters and barbarians invade the Silver Hinterlands from over the seas and through the mountain clefts. Reavers and wizards, beastmen and daemons – the horrors set alight the woods of the Mistbranch and sought to corrupt their sacred Well with the rotting husk of Hithond the Realmroot.

Drawing upon all her powers, Aelinde the Laysinger compels the once-peaceful Mists to turn back the tide by any means necessary. The Mistbranch are saved, but at great cost. A change comes over the Mists, turning their subtle intentions malevolent and cruel. Cut off the from the majority of trade with the outside world, the Hinterlands become known as the Shrouded Nowhere. Few who are not Sylvaneth remain in those reaches, and soon many begin to hear the terrible stories carried out of that once-peaceful realm.

The Saga of King Svein Doomtouched

Many ages later, true war comes again to the forgotten lands of the Mistbranch. Compelled by visions from his dark masters, the grand chieftain Svein Doomtouched leads a fleet to the foggy shores of Nowhere, seeking the power of the Well of Memories. At once, his Chaotic warband begins pillaging the forest borders, and killing any they encounter – yet despite what tales Svein has heard, he sees nothing of the fabled Sylvaneth.

Moving into the woodlands on the western border, what ensues for the Doomtouched is a nightmare. The barbarians are assailed from all sides by unseen attackers, and they are picked off piecemeal during their long trek through the forest. Warriors and shamans alike are driven mad by terrible visions, and bloodthirsty berserkers find their strength and wills sapped day by day, until the remaining members of Svein’s horde are pleading with their lord to give up the pursuit. Attempting to breach the inner forests, the warband travels in circles despite the guidance of their best hunters, stumbling upon crooked trees in whose bark can be seen the faces of comrades thought lost. Scouts report great shadows moving between the trunks, and the feeling of being watched in unceasing. At last, Svein finds himself alone, and the Terror reveals himself at last. What horrible fate the outcast lord of the forests subjected that barbarian king to is unknown, but thus ends the saga of the Doomtouched.

Myths of Ulgu

In the many centuries since the shrouding of the Mistbranch’s lands, the Grove itself has fallen into legend for those within the realm of shadow. Few remember the Silver Hinterlands save for those who once walked there. None can pass over the high mountains, and travelers who find themselves drawn through the Mists over sea or across the wastelands may not realize the terrible threshold they have crossed until it is too late. At the very fringes of Nowhere there still exist communities of wayward mortals – fearful souls who cower at the passing of the wild hunt, and dare not enter the woods, even though they have few means to escape the Mists that drew in them or their ancestors. More spiritual groups may still hold communion with the Sylvaneth, but it was not until the dawning of the Age of Sigmar that the true forces of the Mistbranch began riding out once again. For the first time in millennia, monsters and mortals who have never beheld the placid landscapes of Nowhere find themselves encountering beings such as the riders of the Taurim, or the shades of Edel. In the Sylvaneths’ hearts there has come a time for vengeance – to once again spread the glory of the Everqueen to all lands, no matter how grim, just as the Everchosen once spread his darkness into their own sacred groves.

#warhammer #homebrew #sylvaneth #wood elves #age of sigmar

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mrneighbourlove · 5 years ago

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Burnt Heart: Ch 1. The Emperor’s Will

Emperor Zannah Gard Edel tapped her green fingers together in anticipation. Her and Annuciata’s plan to kill the Queen of Danjur’s child donor went off without a hitch. Her elite assassins reported to her of the King to be’s death from a tragic ‘bandit’ attack. The Queen’s official statement was ‘she’d need some time to grieve for her lover’s tragic loss, but thank the stars her baby child was on the way to continue the royal blood line’. Quite the tale to be spun. Her children were ecstatic to learn that they’d have a new sibling on the way. Annuciata’s first visit to the Empire she spoiled them rotten. The twins already considered her a second mother. Now, for the Queen’s second visit to the mainland, she’d bring the fruits of her labour. Quite literally.

Annuciata hated traveling by boat. She preferred her massive Sky Gliders. The machines easily sailed through the air without a care in the world. Bad weather was always a hitch, but luckily there was a safety mechanism for landing and maneuvering through violent storms. It was easy to announce her arrival to the Kikai Empire with a fleet of Sky Gliders in grandeur with flowing banners. Once near the palace, the captain landed the machine and rolled out the 'red carpet' for the queen. She strutted down the walkway with her little one at her side.

"All hail Queen Annuciata and Princess Eleonora!"

The Hasai guards bowed respectfully to the Queen as she walked the red carpet. In return, some advisors announced the arrival of their own leader. “All hail Emperor Zannah! We welcome Queen Annuciata and Princess Eleonora.”

The Emperor smiled graciously to Annuciata as she made her way closer. Both Prince Griffith and Princess Athens stood at their mother’s side, but just behind her. Each was excited to meet their newest sibling, yet respectfully held their tongues. Zannah’s voice was smooth and clear. “Queen Annuciata. Marvellous to see you once more.”

Appearances were important, so for now, Annuciata had to refrain from snogging Zannah within an inch of her life. That, and she had a little one in a sling wrapped around her chest. The little princess was a few months old, and was just a beautiful as her mother. She had dark emerald eyes and blonde hair, and little dimples. With a graceful courtesy, the queen smiled at the three.

"Empress Zannah, Prince Griffith, Princess Athens... it is so good to see all of you again."

“Ah... hello little princess Eleonora.” Zannah peered down with her golden eyes, smiling at the little baby. “Was your trip well Queen Annuciata?”

As they walked through the palace, Zannah’s children were very well behaved in keeping up appearances, despite the wish to explode with excitement.

"The Sky Gliders proved to be less nauseating rather than traveling by Sea Surfers," Annuciata's servant followed closely behind her, carrying her luggage and a cart of gifts. "I do recall you had a rather unpleasant experience of the same manner with one of the Land Riders."

“I prefer the sky myself.” Soon enough, the royals found themselves in Zannah’s guest sweet. “Thank you for carrying Annuciata’s luggage. May you excuse us?”

Once the servants left the guest suite, Annuciata threw her arms around Zannah and kissed her deeply. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Zannah swirled her tongue with her lovers, one arm carefully reaching to squeeze Annuciata’s ass. “I’ve missed you too as well. My love, your child is adorable darling. She looks so much like you.”

Both the royal twins didn’t mind their moms making out. Once they patiently waited for them to finish, they were glued to their newest sibling.

“May we see here?”

“I always wanted another sister.”

"Did you really think I forgot about you two?" Annuciata bent down and hugged Griffith and Athena tightly and kissed both their cheeks. "Would you like to hold her? This is Eleonora, named after my mother. She was known as the mighty, beautiful lioness of Danjur. She was a captain in the navy before she married my father."

“Mother taught us vigorous lessons on how to hold and take care of a baby.” Athena, sure enough, carefully held Eleonora properly.

Griffith carefully felt her step-sisters hair. “Mothers? Would you like us to take our sister so you might embrace your love?”

"Not before you open your presents," Annuciata led Athena and Griffith over to the elaborately wrapped gifts. Inside of Athena’s was a new wardrobe from Danjur composed of the finest silks. There were flying dragons stitched into the fabric with golden trim and deep red in color. Griffith's present was full of knowledge, containing books of fighting history, tactics of the Danjuran navy, and of course, a single piece of clothing; a brand new robe with designs of ancient Kikai warriors. "I hope you like them. Eleonora was most helpful in selecting the colors. She has good taste, like her mother."

“We love them.” Both twins were happy with all their gifts, speaking in union once more.

Zannah smiled, brushing both their heads. “If you’re careful, you may run along with your new baby sister. Is that alright with you love?”

"Take Eleonora's bag. It has her diapers, blanket, and a few toys." Annuciata reminded them. "You'll have to bring her back in an hour for feeding."

“Understood. We won’t fail your trust.” Griffith bowed, carefully walking out with the baby while Athena took the supplies.

Zannah locked the door behind them, turning to her Queen with a grin. “They were highly excited by the news you were pregnant, insisting they be taught on how to properly care for a baby.”

"That is so cute." Annuciata gushed over what Zannah told her of the twins. "I'm sure they will be the best brother and sister to Eleonora. She will be happy having an amazing pair of siblings to play with her and teach her." She then told her lover. "And of course, I did not forget about you. I brought you a gift as well."

“Oh? Do show your Emperor what you brought my Queen~”

"Unfortunately, not want you're probably hoping for, but something nice still," Annuciata strutted over to the largest present and pulled the ribbon, undoing the bow. The sides of the present fell to reveal a beautiful jade sculpture of Zannah on her throne with a dragon wrapped around her. "Well? Do you like it?"

Zannah threw a hand to her mouth to quiet a gasp. “Annuciata! It’s marvellous! How did you accomplish this feat?! Such a passionate declaration of love.”

"You know I used to study mechanical engineering before I became queen," Annuciata then gestured to the sculpture. "Wasn't too hard to design a machine that would carve the stone exactly how I wished it. I ordered the jade from Al-Daida's mines and then set to work on this myself. It gave me something to do while I was on bedrest."

“... You never cease to surprise me Annuciata.” Zannah pulled her in for slow, deep loving kiss.

"Ah, I'm sorry to disappoint you, my love, but... well... I might have to wait a while longer." Annuciata halted Zannah's kissing. "I would like nothing more than to make love to you, but... I'm still healing." She undid the front of her glamorous dress and gently pulled it down to show Zannah her c-section scar. "Let's just say Eleonora was a little too big for me to deliver."

Zannah’s eyes widened, but no sound of shock left her. Instead, she merely traced a hand along the scar. “I see... I’m merely happy you both survived. You can’t let me simply kiss you? Or am I too much of a tease that way dear?”

"You are a tease, and you know it, don't play coy." Annuciata raised an eyebrow at her lover, knowing how sly Zannah could be. "I wouldn't mind a soft kiss, but unfortunately, I won't be able to make love until one more week. The scar tissue has to heal all the way."

“I understand.” Zannah softly rubbed her lovers belly gently.

A knock came at the door, followed by two more. “Query: May I enter?”

“Annuciata, perhaps you can be part of my council with Tod?”

"Though as soon as Wednesday hits, I'll be happy to have you all to myself." Annuciata winked at Zannah and then when T0-D announced his arrival, the queen inquired, "Council?"

“I have been thinking of a necessary expansion to the Empire. T0-D has led his calculations and opinions, but perhaps another set of human eyes and mind can be of use.”

"An expansion?" Annuciata asked. "Like another island? A factory? I'd be happy to look over the blueprints."

“T0-D, come in.”

The android unlocked the door with his finger acting like a pic lock. “Greetings: Wonderful to see you Queen Annuciata.”

“I already have acquired a new island recently. Quite large in size. Tod, bring up the life forms we’ve brought into our glorious Empire.”

T0-D nodded, and from his eye, a holographic image like a blue shimmering ghost appeared. The first images were rather short humanoids standing at 5.1 on average with monkey like tails, sharp fangs, spiky hair and thick beards on the males. “These are a people know as Dals. Primitive, yet skilled smiths, workers, and have a few excellent fighters. They gladly joined the Empire in exchange for protection from a sea monster that forced their tribes to make sacrifices to its hungry.”

The next image was of a scaly winged beast. They were the size of an average bathroom, so not terribly big. They had legs and wings, yet no arms. “On this island, I am also proud to say we’ve started taming local Wyvern’s. I know they’ll never be the scale or size of Hyrule or Lorliedi’s dragons, but they are making excellent mounts and companions. Great nimble flyers too due to their size and balance. The island is large enough to colonize my people and share recourses with the locals. I’m going to finish a city there soon. What do you think?”

Annuciata carefully looked over the specs for the island. While she was glad Zannah was expanding her empire, there were still a few red flags here and there. The queen pointed to the far side of the isle. "Here are the cliffs," She suggested. "You'd be better to colonize the Wyverns there instead of the inland. They would have a natural vantage point, and probably be happier. Since the Dals are primitive smith workers, they need to be away from the heart of the forest. If it would catch fire, then all your work would be for naught." The Danjuran queen then motioned to a small peninsula on the isle. "And here would be a great area to build a dock for import and exports. You'd need to check the depth of the coral and the surrounding sea life," And for a last point, Annuciata said, "And this area, in the middle of the island, this would be wonderful for development. It's rich with rivers, and most connect to the sea. You could have another city here."

“Thank you. All great points. Tod, log them for my lords to carry out.” Zannah rose up, going to the window to look down at her Empire. “Annuciata. The matter on my mind isn’t more land, but my people. More specifically, my tribes. The Waku in particular.”

"The Waku?" Annuciata thought for a moment and then replied. "Oh, Zizi's husband, Kahli. He's Waku, correct?" She looked momentarily puzzled. "You're going to... give their descendants an island?"

“In a way. But first, I need him to produce more Waku on a grand scale.” Zannah said so matter of fact in a monotone voice with no confusion or stifle of clarity.

"Wait, you want Kahli to be a... donor?" Annuciata wanted clarification.

“I do.”

"Well, that is something you'd have to discuss with him." Annuciata did not look too convinced. "You do realize he's married to Zizi."

“I do. However, Kahli is not a citizen of Hyrule by legal decree. King Covarog does not allow it. He is a citizen of the Kikai Empire, though. What’s more, he has a life debt to me. Hasai must follow the commands of those they are indebted to. It is in our... coding, if you will.” Zannah carefully pick and choose her wordings. “I can’t force Kahli to physically have sex with other Hasai, but I can have him give me samples of his bloodline to disperse to individuals I deem strong to carry a child.”

"I'm... not sure this is the best idea, Zannah." Annuciata was honest with her lover. "If you hurt the sister of the queen, it could cause tension with your alliance. Not only that, but Zizi helped save your island. While I know the two of you don't have the best relationship, she does still consider you a friend."

“This goes beyond simple emotional attachments. This is to rebuild an entire culture. Zarazu would do the same if one of her tribes was reduced to a single finger she could count on her hand. There is already tension due to the boar king. With enough expansion, Hyrule won’t even be a necessary ally should they choose to depart due to foolish pride. If Zizi treated me with more respect, Tod with more respect, then perhaps she would have been included. Instead she thinks she can mock me, mock you behind my back without me knowing. Friend? Bah. Such nonsense.”

"Zannah, Zizi has never mocked me. She respects you; I honestly think she just doesn't like the robot." Annuciata then reminded her lover. "I will not go to war with Hyrule if this idea of yours cause strife. I told you and Queen Zarazu of that notion long ago before we started our relationship."

“No. She fears me. Kahli told me himself. And why? Because I happen to be the most powerful woman in the world? Because I took charge in saving my people?” Zannah scowled, looking out her window. “I don’t plan war with Hyrule over this plan to replenish the Waku tribe from the effects of genocide. Besides, Lord Malik and King Covarog, despite personal feelings, would never break off treaties due to some tantrum Zizi might throw if she ever discovered my architecture in rebuilding life Annuciata.”

"I won't stop you from carrying out your plan, though... I would suggest you not tell Zizi of it. Or have it where Kahli cannot tell her." Annuciata sighed, thinking this would not end well in the future. "She gave your island life because she wanted to do the right thing. Don't make her take it away."

“She knows I could burn what’s left of her precious island home left to ash if she dared try anything so foolish. Besides. She is a life giver, not a destroyer. The little green thumb might take life on a smaller scale as to preserve her own mortality, but she does not have the character to kill hundreds at a whim. But of course, as to give me less of an ear full, she will be kept in the dark.”

"I won't lie to you, love, I don't believe this is the best idea. Retaliation might be due later." Annuciata then placed her hands on Zannah's shoulders. "And even if Zizi fears you, I doubt she would ever try to hurt you. Just please be careful of your plan?"

“I will. The children will be kept on one of the colonized islands, to be raised far from the eye of Hyrule, and Zizi.” Zannah held Annuciata’s hand for support. “Some ideas can change the world for the better. But you have to steel your heart sometimes to make them work.”

"I understand, though... I just don't like hurting people." Annuciata then asked. "Please never let Zizi find out if you're going to do this. A woman scorned, well... hell hath no fury."

“Well, then Zizi would be far behind. My fury has burned brightly for years.”

Zannah turned to T0-D, tilting her head with a light sigh. “Tod. Go tell Kahli to come to the imperial palace.”

“Confirmation: As you wish master.”

Zannah started to disrobe, looking for her more powerful, armour attire. “Kahli and Zizi are actually here at the island on vacation. This no time like the present as they say.

"I still think this is a bad idea... just be careful, Zannah. While you have much fury yourself, Zizi is the earth sage." Annuciata kissed the Empress' cheek. "While fire can burn plants, earth can smother a fire." She then picked up the edges of dress. "I'm going to check on Eleonora. My breasts are about to burst. I'll see you in a bit?"

And her lightning would strike down like fury from god herself to make a final killing blow. “So soon? But the children just left. You sure?”

"I think it's just nerves, my love. I still don't like to be away from Eleonora for too long." Annuciata was honest with the Empress. "I trust Athena and Griffith with her, though it's like... this sense that I have. I have to see her and check on her or else, I feel unease. I suppose it's part of being a new mother."

Zannah smiled lightly, giving Annuciata a nod and kiss, now fully naked to the Queen mid dressing. “I understand that feeling well. Go see your daughter.”

"I'll return shortly." And before she exited the room, she made sure to give Zannah a harsh slap on the buttocks. "And that was for being a tease earlier." With that she strutted out of the bedroom.

Zannah growled lovingly back as the Queen made her way out with T0-D. Once alone with her own thoughts, however, she felt a bitter cold in her heart. The choices she’d come to shortly make would kill any chance of continued friendships... not that she ever has had true friends. Allies, advisors, rivals, enemies, a lover, family, but never friends. For the Empire, she would steel her heart and mind.

T0-D was rather quick in arriving at Kahli’s get away home. Only took an hour to sprint to the West side of the island. With a knock, he awaited compliance. “Statement: Kahli. Are you home? The Emperor requires your private attention.”

"You are being very naughty, you beast," Zizi giggled as Kahli kept kissing down her throat while she was trying her best to fix a cake. Yet, her husband, between nibbles on her neck, kept stealing cake batter. The two of them were celebrating Zarazu's latest gift to them; Hylian citizenship for Kahli. Her sister finally was able to convince Covarog to pull his head out of his ass and sign the official statement. "You have two sons, and three daughters, are you asking for another child---EEEK!" She jumped when he pinched her backside. "Okay, let's continue this in the bedroom---" And of course, there was an interruption. Her least favorite interruption from her least favorite mechanical nuisance. "No, he's not." she replied in an annoyed tone from inside the house. "Go away."

“Observation: I know you’re about to have sex. Your meat bag ritual can wait.”

Kahli had been cautious of his duel citizenship, not knowing how much validity it held. But the look he gave Covarog and him a geeky, yet meekly giving one of defeat in return was incredibly satisfying to relish. Perhaps Covarog’s unseen emotional blowout was the reason Zizi pushed for a vacation out to the Kikai Empire. At the Android’s interruption, Kahli sighed as well. “My dear Emperor can wait a little while, can she not?”

“Annoyance: An order is an order Kahli.”

The Waku walked to the door, getting his shoes tied.

"You'll come back as soon as you're done, right?" Zizi walked to the door with her husband. "Zarazu offered to look after our children until we return in a few days. Until then, I'd love to have you all to myself." She purred at Kahli, giving him a deep smooch on the lips. "Don't keep me waiting long."

“Of course, my dear. I’ll be back in a flash, so the expression goes.”

T0-D looked around inside the house, curious about their living arrangements. To be honest, he wasn’t impressed. “Assistance: Would you care for help with your baking, Zizi Slatki?”

"...? You? Bake?" Zizi wondered what foolish notion this was. She personally did not care for the robot. Yet, today, she was in a good mood. She supposed she could tolerate his company while Zannah spoke to Kahli. "Very well. If you'd like to help, I'm not going to turn down assistance. At least you won't eat all my batter like he does." She waved goodbye to Kahli. "Come on, you can help mix."

“Statement: Oh honey. I can do much more than mix.”

"Honey? Using pet names now? ... I'd ask if your wiring was messed up because this sounds too good to be true." Zizi motioned for Zizi to follow her over to the kitchen. "I don't suppose you know Zannah's favorite? Or Annuciata's? I heard that she was visiting and wanted to do something nice for them. Annuciata just had Eleonora a couple months ago, and a new baby is always cause to celebrate."

Kahli's journey to the imperial palace was about two and half an hours by horse, maneuvering his way through mountainous jungle path to reach the central territory. The Imperial Capital was a gigantic walled city now with its construction completed. Inside citizens of the Empire did industrial work, went to academies for learning, or trained in military drills. The Imperial Palace itself was a massive mansion, the size of two dozen city blocks in area sitting atop the mountain top with its own walls and gates present. By now, Kahli knew where to journey. Arriving at the throne room, Zannah awaited Kahli, giving him a smile. He in turn bowed respectfully. "My Emperor."

The Emperor sate on her silver throne, looking down at all who approached her. "Rise Kahli. I trust you and your wife are well."

"We are Emperor Zannah."

"Good. We won't waste one another's time, as I know trek amongst the island can be long on foot. I have summoned you here to give you a glorious task. The repopulation of the Waku tribes."

Kahli's eyes widened, surprise and shock being rare to him. Quickly, he narrowed his gaze, unsure how she would accomplish such a feat. "Zannah, I am all I know of my people left."

"I am acutely aware." She shot a pointer finger at him with the speed and intensity of an arrow. "You Kahli. You will repopulate them."

That surprised the man greatly. Kahli shook his head, even growling back at Zannah. "I have a wife."

"Kahli. We must all make sacrifices in service of the Empire. I made the sacrifice of my body to carry my children for the sake to carry on the royal line. You think you better than your Emperor?”

He shook his head once again, not meaning to be insulting. "No. I never did. But I can't do this thing. My bond to Zizi is the same bond you share with Annuciata. I cannot lay my hands on another woman." Turning to leave, he shook his head to cast away his inner disgust at the thought. Having his people back was something he never cared for. The dead could stay dead. "I can't do it."

"Kahli Slatki! Do you forget the life debt you owe me?" Zannah's words cut Kahli's departure clean in half, freezing his feet to the floor. "I spared your life when you came to kill me. In return, because of my generosity I allowed you to met Zizi. It was my will that allowed you to find love. It was my design that gave you the power of Exodrum. Now turn around, and take your place. Now."

She spoke to him in a low, scolding voice, lightly pointing her finger for him to take his place. A psychological command, a mental force in Kahli's soul compelled him to obey. Kahli turned around, his fingers squeezing into his palms, nearly bleeding them with his nails. "I cannot physically touch another woman Emperor. The mental strain alone-"

"Will be bypassed altogether. Kahli, you will simply provide the seed. I have planned this well." Their golden eyes stared one another down, a mental battle taking place between them. "Do you know what they did to me? Once I was forced to select a mate, doctors took a turkey baster, a turkey baster of all things, and they forcibly injected me. You see, we lacked proper medical equipment during the first decade after the war. I had to carry two children, children that nearly killed me at child birth, all for the sake of tradition. All you will need to do is be a provider of a sample."

"What then?" Kahli's chest felt heavy, his mind numbing him from lashing out or running away. A life debt was a part of honour, and honour was practically coded into the DNA of Hasai. He was compelled to hear her out.

"What then? You will have the benefit of never seeing the children. I know this necessary act would never fly with your stubbornly emotional wife."

"You would break her trust?"

"But not yours. Tell me Kahli? Am I breaking any code of ethics you hold? Any honour? Do you fail to see the significance of this project?"

Kahli searched deep, wanting to spit the most vile bile at her. Yet all he found was the truth. "No..."

"As an order, you will never reveal this project to any other living soul, let alone your wife. This is the command of your Emperor."

"I will obey." The most defiance Kahli held was a small, weak growl.

"Kahli. You are my subject. You are the future of the Hasai people within the Empire. Waku, Skorge, and all others in unity. Imagine that future. A tribe that could once again fuel the might of the Empire by giving it its spirit back. This is your role in the Empire Kahli. The resurrector. Not the killer."

Zannah truly believed her cause was just, and Kahli somehow knew she wasn't doing this out of spite, or pure cruelty. He sighed, already feeling the burden of keeping this secret from his wife even before he began. "How long must I do this?"

"Your life debt will be repaid when you help give birth to 1,579 new Waku." Kahli stared at her stunned, but Zannah simply continued. "Those are the amount of lives that were left when you came to assassinate me in the Empire. 1579 lives that'd been thrown to chaos and perished without my leadership. Once that task has been complete, you will have no further obligations to me, except to fight for the Empire in times of war."

"Zannah, that will take years. I can't-"

"You will. Or perhaps you will consider giving me all of your children once they reach the age of fifteen?"

"No! Anything but that!"

Zannah nodded, raising a palm for Kahli to be still. "Then you will comply. Your offspring will be taken to the colony islands where you and Zizi will never have to worry about them. Now, you will begin the process immediately, Kahli Slatki. I am sorry if this brings you any distress. I truly am. But this is for the greater good of the Kikai Empire."

A doctor in a white mask made herself know. With the rest of her medical equipment, Kahli couldn't tell what tribe she hailed from.

"This is Doctor Mercellus. She is one of five who will know the true origin of this plan. Accompany her, and by the time you are done, I will have invited Zizi over for a dinner."

"Yes, Emperor Zannah..." Kahli could barely remember what came next. He followed the doctor in a mental haze, arriving to a medical facility. She left, telling him to drop his pants and to fill the vials best he could. Next thing he knew he felt Zizi shaking his arm as they were in the palace dining hall. "What?"

"Kahli?" Zizi looked concerned. Her husband had been out of it since she arrived at the palace. There had been word sent to their home that Kahli would be occupied longer than usual. She figured it was paperwork or something tedious of the sort. "Are you sure you feel all right?" She put her hand on his forehead. He felt... clammy. "Are you feeling ill?" She whispered to him. "We don't have to stay for dinner if you don't feel up to it."

"Huh? Oh... No, I'm fine. The journey here and all the running around took me out of it for a moment." Kahli smiled, sounding like his normal self. A little dark, but honest.

"...? If you say so." Zizi still sounded worried.

"It's been quite a day for all of us," Annuciata spoke as she sipped on water, not drinking wine or fancy alcoholic beverages since she was still breastfeeding. "If you need to retire, we understand, don't we, Empress?" She turned to her lover. "After all, you know about how it is nice to have a break from the usual everyday life."

Zannah looked to Zizi, raising an eyebrow as she bit into a cookie. "You and Tod truly made these?"

"Conformation: I amazed the little Zemlja. Together, the kitchen was no match for our combined skill." Was the first time he called her by her tribe title, not opting for meatbag.

"He's actually pretty good at being an amazing helper in the kitchen. Though I told him we really didn't have to count how many chocolate chips were in a pound, but he insisted." Zizi told the Empress with a wide smile. "Who knew? Baking helped us turn over a new leaf. He's not too bad. I guess he views me as I view him. Tolerable. Right, Tod?"

"These are a delight, mmm." Annuciata nibbled on a cookie. "You should go open a bakery together."

Kahli stared at the cookie for a while. The look he received when he glanced at Zannah told him to enjoy his life. That this changed nothing between any of them. He nodded, taking a bite. "Hmmm. Incredible my dear."

"Too bad you can't eat of these." Zizi noted. "Makes me feel a bit guilty that you put in all the work and can't enjoy the outcome."

"At least you enjoyed making them?" Annuciata asked the robot. "You do feel 'joy', right?"

T0-D looked down to Zizi, his fingers tapping together in contemplation. There was suddenly a part of him that regretted making sure she stayed put at her home. It took only an instant to calculate his feelings. He was allowed to regret it, but for Zannah's vision, he'd do anything required. "Statement: You've never felt bad before for me. No need to start now. I feel joy in knowing that you enjoy the pleasantries of food."

"At least you two have called a truce." Annuciata remarked. "That's for the best."

"Like I said, he's more so tolerable now. Must be because Kahli and I have five children that can drive us up the wall sometimes." Zizi laughed. "But we do love them so much. Manaco, Ahusaka, Keira, Urboro, and Miku are all growing so fast. They'll be fine men and women one day. Just like your little Eleonora."

"She's already demanding." Annuciata mused. "Squeals when it's time for feeding or cries when she doesn't get her way."

Zannah chuckled, drinking mango juice to be fair to her lover. "I don't know if I'll ever have more children myself."

"Kahli has always wanted a big family, so we'll see if we have anymore." Zizi held her husband's hand. "Though the most important thing is that we are happy."

"Of course, my dear. You are my treasure." But after today, the weight of how many children Kahli would have weighed with the force of a sleeping giant on his mind. One that he wondered would ever awake to cause tragedy.

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Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/611234309094948864/burnt-heart-ch-2-trust-thunderstruck

Co-Written with @ridersoftheapocalypse. Written for @s-kinnaly and all you passionate readers.

#Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #triggers for infidelity #D.R.A.M.A #Kahli #Emperor Zannah #zannah #Annuciata #Zizi #Hasai #Waku #T0-D

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