#edmund x oc

[raging-violets]

Caged Nightingale | Chronicles of Narnia | Chapter 03

Read on FFN or AO3

Authored By: Rhuben

Rated: T

FULL SUMMARY: Readjusting to his “old life”, Edmund finds himself drawn back into a Narnia he doesn’t recognize. A Narnia filled with ruin and loss. Much like himself. Feeling like he betrayed his beloved lands for a second time, and haunted by memories of the White Witch, Edmund will do everything he can to extinguish his lingering doubts of his royal title.

Witnessing the effects of war on her father, Issi has dreamt of a life of healing. Following the honeyed voice only she hears - the spirit that leads her straight into becoming a Telmarine prisoner of war – Issi promises to nurture Narnia (whatever that was) the best way she knew how, but found herself rebuilding a King desperate for some sanctuary, all the while fighting off the growing urge to do him and his family harm.

-

Excerpt:

“It’s better he doesn’t know.” Peter’s words caught in his throat as he tried to justify himself before managing to get out, “We shouldn’t even have a radio, Professor.”

“Nor should we have sugar with which Ivy, Margaret, and Betty have made us delicious meals; nor any coffee that you’ve grown to wanting to taste, nor any cheese.” Professor Kirke let out a soft laugh, ending with an even softer sigh. “But we do have them, and it’s ok that we do. You are safe here, Peter.”

“We were told that London was safe, too,” Peter replied in a solemn tone. “And then they told us we had to evacuate - some of my friends just disappeared - and then nothing happened, and then dad left, and then...”

“And then you found yourselves here. Yes, yes, I can understand how unsettling that all is.”

“So why unsettle him even more? Or Susan and Lucy?”

“You know your father never wanted any of this to happen, I’m sure. Nor your mother. They’re doing what’s best—"

“And I’m doing what’s best for them.”

Professor Kirke said nothing in response. Peter had clearly made his final decision on the matter. Edmund was just shocked to hear Peter interrupt the professor, let alone the tone of voice in which his brother had used to do so. For if there was one thing about Narnia that Edmund remembered, it was that High King Peter never spoke to anyone like that.

Shout out to @purpleyearning for the fic cover!

Tag List: @foxesandmagic @witchofinterest @arrthurpendragon @andromedalestrange ​ @darknightfrombeyond ​ @ocappreciationtag - If anyone else wants to be added, just let me know :)​

[darkbluekies]

Catch the queen

yandere!king OC x fem reader

Summary: you're fleeing the evil king and hide in the village, hoping to blend in before you can run away for real. Edmund loses his mind and decides to lure you out with fire.

Warnings: yandere, arson, knives, harassment, drunk men, isolation, behading, corpses, a bit of Stockholm symdrome, hints of abuse, name calling

Word count: 4k.

Edmund’s arms are like suffocating cages. Everytime his hands touch you, you lose the ability to breathe. His kisses feel like fire and burn your skin every time they press against you. You can’t take it anymore. You don’t want to be his pretty doll. 

You have nothing planned, but you know that you need to be quiet and run the fastest you possibly can. 

Quietly, you get out of his arms. They’re difficult to bend off of you, but finally, they loosen up. You’re careful not to step on any creaky floor planks as you try to dress yourself. Covering yourself in a dark blue cloak and your body in a warm dress is normally a hard task, but near impossible now that you have to look over your shoulder and try to make your trembling hands cooperate. You grab your dagger, a gift from Edmund. He wants you to be able to protect yourself if he’s ever away from you. 

Edmund twists and turns in bed. He never stays still unless he holds you in his arms. You have to get out of here before he realizes that you're no longer in his embrace. Guards are walking through the mighty corridors, but you do your best to avoid them all and sink into dark corners when they pass by. Heart beating loudly in your ears. A part of you regrets ever trying to leave. They’ll notice you soon enough and then you’ll have to get down on your bare knees and beg forgiveness from Edmund. He’ll revel in it and you can’t stand seeing that satisfied smirk on his face when he once again gets what he wants. 

Finally. Finally, you manage to leave the castle. A fresh breeze hits your face. WIthout looking back, you run. But where? The forest is deep and dangerous at night. Thieves hide where to get away from the royal knights. If they noticed you, you'd be their hostage. Edmund would get you back to every price and you'd be right back where you started. You have to blend in to get away. You have to go to the village. 

It’s late at night and you doubt that anyone is up to help you. No lights are shining in the windows and all doors are locked. The streets are as empty as the grave. You pull the cloak closer to your body. What should you do? It’s not safe to be out on the countryside roads during the night. You can’t leave the village in the middle of the night and even if you do, the chances of your legs giving up before you reach another is too big to take. 

You run through the dark alleyways, looking for somewhere to spend the night. Tomorrow morning when the sun rises, you’ll move on. It’s dangerous to stay in the same kingdom as Edmund. He’ll find you too quickly. 

You find a barn where you decide to spend the night. Carefully, you lay down in the hay and grass, making yourself comfortable. You shiver at the cold air and hug yourself to keep yourself warm. It takes an hour until you finally fall asleep. 

Drunken male voices wake you up a while later. 

“Oh, look at this”, one slurs. “A woman. Let’s have some fun.”

You freeze and reach for the dagger Edmund’s given you, ready to go to attack. 

“What’s a pretty lady doing here?” another one asks, sounding just as drunk. He hiccups. “Did we get a blessing? Oh, we’re so lucky.”

You hurry up from your hiding place and try to make a run for it, but the two men grab you. 

“Don’t leave yet”, they purr drunkenly. “We’re not done yet.”

You breathe out in stress and give the men deadly glares. Something clears up in their dull eyes. 

“Holy shit, it’s the queen!” one of them gasps. 

They’ll have to let you go now, you think. 

“We’re really lucky then”, the other one says. 

You sigh and squeeze your eyes shut. Quickly, you kick the man in front of you and stab the one behind you with your dagger, leaving it behind. The two of them grunt and fall down on the dirty floor. You run for your life out of the barn and into the dark village. The men run behind you and you know that you have to get away before they find you again. You duck into someone’s backyard and hide behind a bush. The two men run past you. You gulp. Is this how things will be from now on? You sniffle and hide your face in your cloak’s sleeve. 

“Why are you crying?” a tiny voice asks. 

You look up and see a little boy hugging a teddy bear. He’s standing in front of you. You hadn’t seen him, he blends into the night air. 

“I’m scared” you whisper and force a smile. “Do you live here?”

The boy nods.

“I’m sorry for trespassing. I needed to hide from those bad men who followed me.”

“Are you really the queen?”

“Yes.”

“Why aren’t you in the castle?”

You wipe your tears carefully. 

“I’m playing hide and seek with the king”, you whisper. “I can’t let him find me or he’ll win.”

“I can help you!”

You smile slightly and caress the little boy’s cheek. 

“I can’t let you get involved”, you sniffle. “The king is a sore loser, he’ll be mad if someone helps me. He’ll think I’m cheating.”

In more ways than one. 

“I’m not a sore loser!” the boy smiles. 

“That’s good”, you say. “Edmund could learn from you.”

“I want to be king one day!”

“I think you should be one. You seem like a smart king.”

“Leon, who are you talking to?” a female voice asks from the back door. “You should be sleeping!”

“Mom, mom! The queen is here!”

“Leon, don’t lie-”

You stand up and the woman gasps. She’s wearing a brown, cheap dress with her head in a messy bun. 

“Y-Your majesty!” she stutters and bows. “Leon, go inside.”

The little boy runs past his mother and leaves you with his mother. The woman hurries over to you. 

“Your majesty, why are you here?” she asks. “Are you alright?”

“I’m … I’m hiding”, you whisper. “I have to get away from here.”

“Do you need anything? Can I get you something? Are you hungry?”

You can feel your stomach rumble slightly and nod shyly. The woman smiles and nods at the back door. 

“Come here, I’ll get you something to eat.”

You follow the woman into the little house and into an even smaller kitchen. She walks over to the stove and starts to prepare something that smells like childhood. In a few minutes she places a bowl of hot porridge on the table in front of you. You take a spoonful.

“I apologize if it’s bad”, she says nervously. “I know that you’re used to high class dishes.”

“No, I like it. It reminds me of my mothers cooking. I miss that.”

Leon runs over to the table. You pet his hair with a smile. The woman sends him to bed. 

“Why are you up?” you ask the mother. “It’s late …”

“I know”, she sighs sadly. “But I get so worried when my husband is out and about. I can’t go to sleep before he’s home. It seems to disrupt Leon too. He insists on staying up with me, but I’d rather not have him see his father’s state.”

“How old is he?”

“Four.”

“He’s adorable.”

“My queen, can you tell me why you’re out hiding? Has something happened?” She shakes her head. “Forgive me for asking. I shouldn’t.”

“It’s okay. It’s just … some things. All you need to know is that I have to get away from here.”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know, I’m not sure yet. Away from here. I can’t go to my parents either. I don’t know where I should go. But I’ll figure it out. In time.”

“Stay here for the night. We’ll figure something out tomorrow.”

“Thank you, you’re too kind.”

Despite the woman’s kindness, you have a hard time falling asleep. What will Edmund think when he wakes up? What will he do?

The bed feels oddly cold for the both of you to be here. He feels around after you, but can’t feel another body. Quickly, he opens his eyes and looks around. Where are you?

“Y/N?” he asks. “Where are you?”

No answer. He gets up from the bed quicker than a cat getting scared. 

“Y/N, answer me!” he says, growing nervous. “Don’t hide!”

When he doesn’t get an answer again, he freezes. You haven’t escaped, have you? He’d like to think that you know better. Edmund barges up from his bed and out into the mighty corridors. He shouts at the guards to collect the knights and prepare his horse. He’ll find you. And if you refuse to show, or if someone is hiding you … they'll feel his wrath. His plan will make sure you never dare to go against him like this ever again. 

With no trace and no idea where you could be hiding, they decide to do the most practical thing in this situation. They ride into the village, gaining all of the people's attention.The king stops his horse right by his secretary’s and looks over the crowd that has gathered to see what has made the king come down to them. You’re none of the spectators. The king’s secretary holds up a piece of paper and a megaphone-looking thing in front of his face to make sure that everyone will hear him. 

“Tonight, the queen ran away from the castle!” the secretary says loudly. “We suspect that she is hiding among you somewhere and that one of you is shielding her. If you don’t give her back in an hour, we will burn this village to the ground in our hunt for his wife. Now the king would like to say a few words.”

He backs away, letting Edmund take the spotlight.

"Y/N, you better come out!" Edmund shouts with a gaze running among the crowd. “Don't be stupid and sacrifice so many innocent lives just because you are afraid! You don't have to be afraid, my queen! I will never hurt you! You can trust me! We belong together and it’s about time you accept that!” He turns to his secretary and lowers his voice. “I’m going to kill the one hiding her from me.”

You can’t hear him, you have no idea of what he’s planning. You’re sleeping soundly in the bed you’ve gotten. When you wake up, it’s too late.

“Wait, what’s going on?” you ask as you see people run past the window.

You can see a layer of thick, black smoke covering the sky. A flame is spreading among the houses. 

“We have to leave!” the woman shouts and picks up Leon in her arms. “Your majesty, come with us, we’ll shield you!”

You follow her out into the chaos. People are screaming and crying and running for their lives. You get pushed left to right as the big crowd flees. Heat is hitting you in the face in an uncomfortable manner. It’s hard to breathe. 

“Knights!” Leon gasps in awe. “And the king!”

You freeze and turn around, seeing the royal horses. You can glimpse Edward on his white lady. Without a second doubt, you move closer into the overpacked crowd. You look around, seeing the two men from yesterday. 

“There’s the whore!” they shout. 

You look at the little boy in his mothers arms and gulp. 

“I have to go”, you say quickly to them and caress Leon’s head. “I’ll find you later. Now you have to hurry!”

“Are you sure, your majesty?” the mother asks. 

You nod and give them a push in the other direction. “Hurry!”

They leave. You start to run in another direction before the men can catch up to you. You run into a less packed alleyway. They corner you against a burning wall.

“You fucking bitch”, one of them hisses and presses your dagger against your neck. “You don’t shove your knife into me and think you can get away with it! I don’t care who the fuck you are, I’ll make sure you never dare to try to do this again!”

“This fire is your fault, you fucking bitch”, the other growls. “You’ve ruined our entire livelihood! You’re so fucking selfish.”

You kick the man in front of you between his legs and run. The other man trips over his friend, giving you a bit of an advantage. You end up on an empty street. You stop when you see the white horse a few meters in front of you. You want to run, but the mere sight of him makes you paralyzed.

“W-What have you done?” you gasp. “Look around!”

“I had to get you to show yourself one way or another”, he says calmly. “No one told me where you were. I gave them an hour to give you to me or I’d burn down their little village.” He shrugs. “Yet they didn’t … so all of this are the consequences of trying to hide you from me. It’s not my fault the peasants disobeyed me.”

Tears start to run down your cheeks. Is all of this your fault? If only you had known about his idiotic idea, you could have stopped it. 

Edmund jumps down from his horse and opens his arms. 

“Come here, my love”, he says softly. “You have nowhere to run. Why don’t you just do yourself a favor and return to me?  You can’t hide from me in the end. Be a good girl, alright?”

“I’m scared, Edmund”, you admit through your sobs. You’re not sure what you’re more afraid of — him or the men following you.

“I know, my love, I know.” He gulps. “Come into my arms. I’ll protect you. I’ll make sure that everything will be okay, alright?”

You hesitate. It’s so tempting to run into his arms and let him take control again. These have been a couple of terrifying hours and you don’t want them to continue. You want a roof over your head again and the safety of having your necessities met again. Staying out on the street won’t be safe.

“It won’t matter where you go, I’ll always find you”, Edmund continues. “Your righteous place is with me. You have to understand that. We married — you belong to me by law. You can’t just run away from me like this. Come here, my queen, let me hold you.”

An immense exhaustion creeps into your body. You’ve been in survival mode for hours by now, your fight is over, you can’t win against Edmund. You look around. If you stay here any longer, you’ll start to burn and people will get even more hurt. All of this is your fault. Everyone will blame you for this. You won’t be safe here. All you want is to relax and have someone else take care of everything … but Edmund’s not a good person. If you go back, he’ll punish you. But maybe that’s better than having an entire village after you, wanting you dead for burning down their houses? You look over to Edmund, at his soft, loving eyes. You run over to him, into his strong arms. He wraps his arms around you tightly and you sob into his shoulder. If everyone hates you for the fire … you know that he will still be on your side. He’ll always be by your side.

“Don’t cry, my love, it hurts me so”, he whispers into your ear and holds you tightly. “Everything will be okay now.” He pulls back, cups your cheeks frantically and gives your lips a desperate kiss. He presses his own against yours, moving faster than you can keep up with. “Fuck, I always feel like a drunken man when I’m with you.”

Speaking of drunken men, your fan club is back. You look over your shoulder with a small whimper. However, you’re not as scared anymore. Not when you have the king’s strong arms wrapped around you. Edmund notices something. 

“Y/N, why do they have your dagger?” he asks suspiciously as his grip on you tightens. 

You press yourself close to him without thinking and he clenches his jaw before tightening his arms around you in a protective manner. 

“Don’t worry, my dear”, he says coldly. “I’ll kill them for touching you.”

He pulls out his sword as his knights ride over. 

“Make sure Y/N doesn’t leave”, he says and gives you to the closest knight. “I’m going to take care of these men.”

Edmund runs after the two men with his sword raised. The knight who holds you helps you up on Edmund’s horse. 

“Your majesty”, he says. “We need to move out of here before the fire traps us. I’ll lead your horse.”

You hug the white horse’s neck as the knights lead you through the destroyed village, out of the danger zone. You can’t watch it. 

Edmund’s soon back. The two men are in chains and led by some knights. Edmund holds your dagger in his hands before placing it together with his sword. 

“Are you hurt, my love?” he asks worriedly and stands by the horse. “You have a mark on your throat. Did they try to hurt you?”

You nod slowly. Edmund turns to the two men with his own fire burning in his eyes. 

“How fucking dare you think that you could touch my wife?!” he growls and slaps one of them as hard as he can. “You fucking left a mark on my wife!”

He spits at their feet before walking back to his horse and jumps up in front of you. He forces your hands to hug his waist. You rest your cheek on his back to hide your crying face. Edmund caresses your intertwined hands over his stomach and rides over to his knights.

“Don’t cry, my dear”, he whispers softly over his shoulder. “You’re safe now.” He turns to his knights and his voice goes cold. “I got what I came for. Let’s go back.”

“What about the village, your majesty?” a knight asks. 

“Pour some water on it.”

Without saying anything more, the king rides away. He holds one of his hands over yours to comfort your sobs. He lifts one of your hands to his lips and gives it kisses. 

“You’ve must been so scared among all of those horrible, horrible people”, he says over his shoulder. “Don’t worry though, Y/N, you’re never going out into the real world again. Never again, you hear me?”

You nod against his shoulder. You’re not sure that the people would even want you back into their village after this. 

He stops the horse out on the castle’s front yard and helps you down by your waist. Some maids run out to meet you and Edmund hesitates giving you to them. 

“Give her a bath”, he demands. “I can only imagine all the fleas and bacterias she has gotten. She smells like smoke. When she’s done, take her into our chamber and make sure she stays there. I’ll talk to her later.”

He gives you to the maids who pull you inside the castle and gives you the hottest bath you’ve ever encountered. You’re sure your skin is melting off. They dress you in the finest of silk and lead you to your shared chamber. You sit down in the bed, waiting for Edmund to come back. He enters the room thirty minutes later.

“I’m not going to let you off the hook”, he says and pulls up his sleeves. 

“I won’t run away again, Edmund, I promise”, you whine in fear. “Please-”

“Shh, darling, I don’t think you have the right to shout at me. Not after the hell you’ve put me through. You should be happy that I don’t behead you together with the two dogs who thought they could touch what's mine!” He runs his veiny hand through his dark hair. “I’m going to give you two punishments. One, watch the beheading-”

“I refuse-”

“Shut up, Y/N. Two, you are going to spend three days in the tower with me.”

The tower is like the dungeons just without the rats and prisoners. You gulps.

“You’re going to learn how much of the things you have here is thanks to me, my love”, Edmund says. “Every piece of clothing you own, every day you spend under my roof, every bite of food you get … is thanks to me. When I’m not there, you have nothing and you get chased by disgusting men like those two in the dungeons. After our little vacation to the tower, you’ll understand. Get up, we have a beheading to watch.”

He pulls you with him to the balcony with a cramping hold. The two men are put on display out on the castle’s front yard and they’re facing you. Edmund stands beside you like a stone. 

“Please don’t!” one of the men shouts in desperation. “Please, we’re sorry!”

“Sorry, my ass”, you mutter. 

Edmund chuckles and kisses your temple. 

“Your majesty, please, you met my son!” one of them shouts. “Leon!”

You frown, feelings suddenly shifting. Leon …

“Please, don’t deprive him of a father!”

“Edmund …”, you whisper sadly. 

“He was going to deprive me of a wife”, Edmund answers coldly. “He’s going to die.”

“But he has a son, Edmund! I know he’s an asshole, but-”

“Do you want him to set an example for his son, hm? Do you want him to treat his wife the way he treated you?”

You think of the nice lady who helped you and her adorable little son. You’ve given them enough problems. If you let this man go back to them … 

“You’re right”, you whisper firmly. “Kill them.”

“That’s my girl.”

Edmund shouts for the guards to end the men's pathetic lives. You watch with hate in your eyes. Leon and his mother will never hurt again and they’ll not be able to harass any more girls in the village. 

“Now we don’t have to worry about them anymore, my dear”, Edmund says when the corpses get pulled off the ground. “Let’s go to the tower now.”

“So you can indoctrinate me?” you mutter sarcastically. 

“Exactly.”

He pulls you by the arm with him through the castle’s mighty corridors. He walks behind you up the spiral stone stairs to the tower’s little room. If you stop or slow down, he gives you a small push. 

“Move those little legs for me, pretty”, he encourages you. “We’re not there yet.”

“But there’s so many stairs”, you complain.

“You ran all the way down to the village with those legs, you can walk a couple of stairs.”

You reach the rounded room in what feels like an hour. You sink down into a sitting position on the old, wooden floor. Edmund chuckles at you. 

“You need to grow some muscles, my dear”, he says and then frowns. “Or don’t. The weaker you are, the less I have to worry about you running away again.”

You look around in the room, noticing that it’s completely empty. 

“As you can see”, Edmund says and closes the wooden plugs over the window. “There is nothing here. If you want to be comfortable and not sit on the floor, you’ll have to sit in my lap. If you want food, you’ll have to ask me so I can get it for you and if you’re cold, you’ll have to cuddle up to me. Any questions?”

You’re about to give him a sassy remark, but hold back. It won’t end well for you if you do. 

“Good girl”, Edmund smirks and sneaks his arms around your waist. “Now let’s enjoy each other's company, hm?”

This will be the death of you.

[riordanness]

cardigan — [e.pevensie]

wordcount: 1.5K

warnings: not technically x reader as ‘reader’ is named Belle

requested: no

“She won’t stop staring.”

“Then stop looking.”

Belle has to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the ridiculous Telmarine soldiers. They’re both clearly terrified of their mission, and are both riddled with anxiety about the entire thing. Which is hilarious.

“You could just let me go,” she says nonchalantly. “Save yourself the risk of aggravating the woods’ spirits.”

The Telmarine facing her gives her a glare. His grip on the sword across his lap tightens.

Belle decides to shut up.

“Here will do,” the other soldier says, the oars in his hands slowing. “Let's just dump her and get it over with.”

The soldiers get to their feet unsteadily. The boat rocks, and Belle wonders what would happen if she tried to tip all three of them into the water. But before she can come up with a good way to execute that plan, the Telmarine snatches her up, grabbing her roughly by the arm.

“Drop them!” An unfamiliar female voice rings out, and stories of ghosts in the woods run through Belle’s mind. She half turns, and just has time to see four figures on the shore before she’s dropped, literally, into the cold water.

Bubbles surround Belle, and she’s disoriented instantly. Her bound wrists make it impossible to swim, so she sinks, struggling furiously to get loose. Her dress is heavy and sticking to her legs. Her chest is tightening, and black is crawling at the edges of her vision.

Then, something pulls at her, arms slide around her waist, and she is yanked out of the water. Belle gasps, practically drinking the air.

She’s pulled to shore, and laid down on the sand. Something cuts the ropes from her hands. She coughs for a second, getting her bearings back. Drowning was a very awful experience. Belle did not recommend it at all.

“Are you alright?” A girl’s voice asks her, a different one from before, younger.

Belle reacts, twisting as she rises, her dagger, which was previously concealed in her skirts, at the young girl’s throat within seconds.

Shouting erupts from behind them, and Belle glanced to see three others, two boys and an older girl, all with weapons at the ready. The girl has an arrow aimed at Belle’s heart, and both boys have their swords raised.

“Drop it,” the older boy tells her, and his voice is hard and commanding, like he’s used to giving orders.

The girl at Belle’s side doesn’t look particularly scared. “It’s okay,” she promises. “We’re friends.”

Belle narrows her eyes. “How would I know that?”

“Well,” the older girl says, “we did just save your life.”

“Actually, that was me.” It’s the younger boy this time. Belle focuses on him. He has dark hair that’s slightly curly and wet. He looks about her age, and his clothes are wet too. “Don’t worry,” he says to Belle. “We are friends. We won’t hurt you. Just please let Lucy go?”

Belle takes a step back from Lucy, still watching them all carefully. “Fine. Thanks for saving me. Bye.” She turns, but doesn’t even make it three steps before the older boy calls after her.

“Wait!”

She sighs, and looks at them.

“We don’t even know your name.” The older girl has her bow away now, but her eyes look plenty vicious enough for Belle. She doesn’t trust them; any of them.

“I’m Belle,” she says flatly. “Now can I go?”

“Why were they trying to drown you?” Lucy looks up at Belle, and her childlike innocence warms Belle’s heart. She has pretty eyes, too, Belle thinks, full of bravery and fearlessness and determination.

“Because I ran away from the castle where I was, well, a servant of sorts. Because I’m on the side of the true king. And because Miraz is a tyrant,” Belle says.

“Whoa Miraz?” the older boy asks.

Belle raises an eyebrow. “Where have you been living lately? Under a rock? He’s the sort of King? Of Narnia?”

“Narnia?” Lucy gasps. “So it is Narnia!”

Belle frowns. “Uh. Yes. This is Narnia. I’m confused.”

The four all exchange looks. “We’ll tell you,” the older girl tells Belle. “But you have to tell us your story first.”

Belle shrugs. “Whatever.”

Soon enough, the five of them are seated around a campfire. The sun is going down, and Belle’s still-wet dress is chilling her to the core. She doesn’t say anything about it, though.

“So,” she starts, accepting a toasted apple from Lucy. “I’m a handmaid in Miraz’s palace. He’s the brother of the king, but he’s basically put himself in the role of king ever since King Caspian the Ninth died. His son, Caspian the Tenth, should be king, but Miraz doesn’t want that. He wants the throne to himself, you see. Anyways, I’m on the side of Caspian and the old Narnians, so I helped him escape a few nights ago. Miraz’s wife had a baby boy, so he wants to kill Caspian and make himself the king, now that he has an heir.”

Belle takes a bite of the apple, and it’s surprisingly good. “I was going to be executed because they somehow found out I helped Caspian.”

“Yikes,” the younger boy says, throwing his apple core into the flames. “Cool story.”

The older girl is watching Belle. “So what’s your plan now?” she asks.

Belle shrugs. “Go into the woods. Find Caspian and help him to get his throne back, I guess. We were always really close at the palace, since I grew up there and we’re not too far apart in age.”

The emotions in her voice must have been more obvious than she thought, because Lucy shuffles over to sit beside her, their shoulders touching. Belle gives the girl a soft smile, before she glanced up at the other three.

“So?” she says. “What’s your story?”

The older two exchange a glance. “We’re the kings and queens of old,” the older boy says. “I’m High King Peter, the Magnificent.”

Belle isn’t even that shocked. She’s kind of guessed it by now, even though it was impossible. “You know you guys should be about 1200 years old now, right?”

The younger boy chuckles. “I’m Edmund.”

Belle nods her head at him. “I figured. And you must be Queen Susan?” She glances at the older girl. Susan smiles gently.

“Just Susan is fine.”

Belle salutes. “Whatever you say, Just Susan.”

Edmund laughs again, but tries to hide it with a cough.

Belle stands, shaking her heavy skirts as best she can. It’s an awful material, still holding most of the water from earlier in its skirts. She lets out an angry sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy asks.

“Oh, it’s my dress,” Belle sighs, sitting back down. “They didn’t let me change for the execution and I was doing heavy cleaning this morning. It’s a really terrible dress to wear while it’s wet.”

Lucy looks at Edmund. “Do we still have our school things?” she asked excitedly.

Edmund nods, slowly at first but then he seems to get the idea. “I’ll get them.” He hurries over to the rowboat, which now has a small pile of their things next to it. He brings back over a white shirt and black pants, as well as a strange black skirt.

“Here,” he hands them to Belle. “Sorry—they’re mostly boy’s things but you look about my size and Susan ruined her shirt earlier. But there’s my shirt and pants and Su’s skirt if you'd rather that.”

Belle offers him a smile. “Thank you, King Edmund.”

“No need to call me King,” he says back, as he lays himself back onto the sand. His black hair is messy and reflects the fire’s flickering light.

“I’m just going to go get changed in the tree line,” Belle tells the group. “If I ain’t back in five, panic.”

The others grin as she heads off, the clothes bundled in her arms. Behind a tree, she pulls her dress off over her head, depositing it in a bush. She then peels off her petticoats and corset, leaving only her thin under-bodice and under-shorts on. Belle then tried on Edmund’s shirt, which fits surprisingly well. It’s an odd kind of shirt though, a lot stiffer than ones she’s used to mending. She buttons it up, rolling the sleeves up to her elbows and leaving the top two buttons undone. Now that she isn’t wet, it’s a pretty warm night.

Belle decides to wear the skirt, as she is shorter than Edmund and doesn’t want to wear his pants if they’ll be too long. They’d just be a tripping hazard. She instead pulls on Susan’s skirt, buttoning it up on the side. It’s also very strange, but comfortable, and very freeing and easy to move in. It stops just above her knee. Belle runs her hands through her hair, which has long since come undone and is tangled and knotted due to the water.

Feeling somewhat presentable, Belle scoops up the clothes from the ground and heads back to the fire.

Edmund’s eyes are on her at once, and she isn’t sure if the heat in her cheeks is from him or the fire.

“Oh—“ Edmund stutters a little. “That… you look good in those.”

Belle smiles, a little triumphant. “They’re quite comfortable. Thank you, Edmund.”

“Anytime,” he replies softly. “Anytime.”

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Extremely disappointed by how disgracefully small amount of Henry Winter fanfics there are. What happened to being nothing in our souls if not obsessive?

[the-great-empress]

Kings & Queens of Narnia

Once a king or queen of Narnia, a king or queen forever.

May their wisdom guide us until the stars fall.

[mags0142]

Nobody’s Son, Nobody’s Daughter

Hello my loves, I started working on a little bit of an Edmund fic. Although I am trying to develop something of my own the Narnia franchise is definitely a source material.

It’s an Edmund x Reader fic for now with a few original characters.

Tags : major character death (his siblings), smut, mentions of suicide (no further development on that though)

Please let me know what you think :) enjoy!

——————

Grief is a goodbye from love. It is the final gift we receive when we have wholeheartedly and honestly loved and were loved. It is the flag we wave around that screams “look at me, I was loved. I loved, I still love” and so we must carry our grief with pride and hold it high for it is proof of the sincere emotions we felt for one another which transcend life and death. We should cherish the grief and welcome it into our arms like we once welcomed our loved ones for it is their gift goodbye. And yet we run from it. We run from it until it finds us.

Edmund was currently running from it. Or rather towards it, seeing as he was trying to eliminate the source that caused it.

The men that had taken the lives of Edmunds most precious beings, his beloved siblings.

When Edmund heard of his sibling’s death he had long been aware of it. A wave of pain had overcome him. He had felt as if he had lost part of his soul and in a way he very much did. The boy who had burged into his chamber was carrying a message his heart had already received. Moreover he knew that their death was most unfair considering he was the only one deserving of being killed. they had been good people through and through their entire lives, they had been true to themselves and their morals.

Edmund couldn’t say the same for himself. He had betrayed them and risked their lives for his foolish desires. He was the only one deserving of being killed. He knew in his heart that he had betrayed them once again by not dying instead, by being spared of this terrible faith, by not being with them when they spoke their last words.

He felt himself a traitor of the highest degree.

His first thought had been to take his own life. To join his siblings and apologise to them. But he realised this would be the weak way out. If he wanted redemption he would have to suffer for it. He could only redeem himself and avenge the people closest to his heart if he lived through the pain.

And if he killed whoever took their lives. His siblings had been noble people, they rarely resorted to killing, even in times of war. Edmund wasn’t as pure. His soul would be tarnished anyway, there was no need to hold back now, not when his heart was aching and his lungs were burning and the image of their tortured faces haunted his thoughts.

He walked through the now empty castle. It was as if all life had left it, for Edmund it did. The kingdom was relieved in a way because they had still one monarch left. They had lost their compassionate and loyal queens and their brave king but they still had someone left, even if it was their least favourite one. Edmund had known that the popularity of his siblings surpassed his own by a landslide, but now was not the time to focus on his image amongst the people he ruled, not for him anyway. In a way he felt he had also betrayed his people by being the only one left, they didn’t deserve to lose their rulers the way they did. He knew taking over their responsibilities would be a difficult task but one he was willing to take on.

The king gathered his best swordsmen and ordered his smiths to forge the best weapons they possibly could.

“They’ll be long gone by the time we arrive, your Majesty, they most likely left right after .. after the .. the incident” Althea tried to suggest. Edmund turned to his advisor and studied his face. He had a look of worry in his eyes mixed with a hint of pity. Edmund frowned at the idea that Althea was pitying him. “Perhaps they have, but their elaborate scheme couldn’t have been orchestrated by a far, they must have had a base somewhere near the temple. If anything it should give us a clue to where they are headed next.”.

With that Edmund got up and moved towards the door “We leave at dawn, I suppose you’ll be joining us?” he turned slightly to Althea but only enough to catch a glimpse of him in the corner of his eye. “Of course your highness.” Althea replied softly, bowing to his King. “Good, thank you for your help Althea, I appreciate your support” Edmund replied quickly and left the room to disappear into his chamber.

It was late at night, he knew that he should be in bed right now but how could he ? How could he rest knowing his sibling's killer was still out there? How could he ever rest again knowing he had failed to protect the only people ever dear to him. Ever since the murder Edmund had been consumed by this disgusting, rotting guilt. It had infested him as soon as the life left their bodies and was now consuming every part of him. It ran through his veins and blackened his heart, draining it of love and replacing it with grief. It crawled up his body. Higher and higher until it reached his eyes and blurred his vision. He saw nothing but injustice and evil no matter where he looked. His own reflection disgusted him by far the most. How dare his cheeks be rosy with life and his chest beat with every breath of air he took.

He slowly undressed in the dim candle light and mindlessly put on his sleeping gown. He could have washed his face but there was no use in doing so for him. On one hand he was far too exhausted and occupied by other things to care for himself. On the other hand, probably unbeknownst to him, he refused to take care of himself as a form of punishment. He didn’t deserve to be taken care of, not even by himself when he hadn’t taken care of them. His physical appearance was to be as soiled as his soul. Everyone looking at him should know that he was a filthy traitor. He would run around dirty for the rest of his life if it meant repenting even a fraction of the sin he committed.

Through all his self inflicted pain and unavoidable grief he made an attempt to be rational and laid down in bed.

His sword, which used to belong to his older brother initially, and his armour were waiting by the foot of his bed, ready to be worn and used for revenge.

Edmund laid in his bed tossing and turning trying to shake off all these memories and thoughts of guilt. Even once he fell asleep he was moaning and twitching uneasily in his sleep.

Althea pressed his ear to the wall of his chamber that shared a wall with the King’s room. He listened intently to all the sounds Edmund made regardless if they were conscious or not. Secretly he hoped that Edmund would call out to him. Not as a King looking for his advisor while making rational decisions, but as a friend, perhaps a lover, looking for a shoulder to cry on, searching for a safe space to be vulnerable in. He was grateful to be so close to Edmund throughout all this time, but even with his held back discrete demeanour he could not deny that he was secretly lusting for the King. He had breached Edmund's privacy many times. Sneaking into his Chamber during bath time just to catch a glimpse of his beautiful porcelain skin, glistening in the water of the bath. He would relish in the sight of Edmunds dark hair clinging to his forehead and he counted the freckles on his lovely rosy cheeks.

Althea would take himself in hand and imagine those strong arms grabbing him and pushing him against the nearest wall. He imagined those plush lips hungrily devouring his and these hard abs to press against his slender frame. He would come thinking of deep brown eyes, pale skin, strong muscles and a large cock inside of him.

Afterwards he would feel soiled yet satisfied, he would retreat into his Chamber and go on as normal while Edmund was none the wiser.

A dirty part of him was glad they died. It made him the one closest to Edmund and gave him an opportunity to develop their relationship. He was aware that his desires were selfish but he wished so dearly that in his desperation and pain Edmund would turn to Althea in search of love. And Althea would give it to him willingly. He was ready to give up his body and soul for even the slightest touch of the King.

Edmund was aware of Althea's sexuality, in fact he was an active defender of Althea in front of everyone who thought to criticise who Althea chose to love. However he wasn't aware that Althea only really cared for one, Edmund himself. Edmund had never even suspected it, perhaps it was a lack of self-esteem or perhaps he thought their deep-rooted relationship was based on strictly platonic feelings. Either way the king never entertained the idea of being Althea’s object of desire.

Althea had no intention of correcting him. As much as Althea longed for his touch and craved his affection he would not dare risk their good bond. Even if it left him heartbroken he would rather moan into his pillow in the dead of night then potentially lose his king forever.

[ouro-bones]

◇ THE PROPHET ◇

I'm on a fucking roll in terms of making Art heres Gayward I mean Hayward

Bonus ig

[missameliep]

Second Chances - Chapter Twenty Five: It starts with a kiss

Book: Desire and Decorum – Modern AU 

Pairings: Prince Hamid x Elizabeth (OC); Briar Daly x Edmund Marlcaster

Characters: Elizabeth Foredale (OC); Prince Hamid; Briar Daly; Edmund Marlcaster.

Rating: M (see trigger warnings in the notes bellow)

Word count: ~8k

Summary: After the drinking games at Edgewater, before sunrise, someone will reveal their feelings; and fortunately those suffering with a hungover, won't need to deal with it alone.

A/N: 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except OC. Turkish words are translated in the notes in the end.

Trigger warnings: mentions of past drinking and drug consumption. Reader discretion advised.

This is my submission to @choicesprompts ' Flufftober 2024 Choices - prompts 1 (First Kiss)

September, 2018 – London – Friday night – six weeks before the weekend at Edgewater 

Slumped onto one of the large armchairs settled in the middle of the game room, Edmund used one controller to adjust the lights, a softer blueish hue surrounded them, and the other to select an option, starting the gameplay and its characteristic music blasted. 

Elizabeth sighed and asked, “Are you sure you’re not going? It’ll be fun.” 

“I avoided Theresa’s boring soirée at the Holloways and am finally free to enjoy a quiet night leading an assassin through Ancient Egypt, so unless a raging fire erupts, I’m not leaving this house.” 

“It's Friday night, Ed! I can’t believe you’d rather play video games instead of going out with us… Didn’t you say you and Annabelle were friends?” 

“I’ve said she was Harry’s friend, and we share a few common interests, but pubs crawl or whatever you folks will be doing is not one of them. Could you please move a bit to the left? You’re blocking the screen...” 

Crossing her arms, she huffed and stepped aside.  

“You complained you’re a twenty-four-year-old that lives a seventy-year-old man’s life and yet I’m inviting you to a night out with fun people and you’d rather stay home…” she shook her head slowly at him. 

“Not tonight, Eliza! Maybe next week I can go out and pretend to be young. But give me a few days’ notice to prepare myself...” 

A light tap on the doorframe and Elizabeth’s face darted to the brunette standing with a wide smile framed by flamming red lips.  

“Lizzy, I hope I’m not interrupting… but Annabelle and Luke texted they’re already there.” 

“I was just saying goodbye to my stepbrother. I don’t think you’ve met, have you?” 

The man sighed, before pausing the game. His gaze slowly moved from the screen and when he turned around to face the friend by the door his jaw almost dropped to the floor. The sight of the woman in black skinny trousers and a burgundy blouse waving at him with the most beautiful smile he has ever seen stole his breath away. 

“Hi, Edmund!”  

“Hi. Hello. You... Ah... Hi,” he mumbled, unable to control the increasing racing of his heart. Is this what a heart attack feels like? he wondered, while brushing his clammy hands against his trousers. 

Conscious of the impact she caused, Briar huffed a quiet laugh and shifted to address her friend. 

“Nice to meet you, Edmund,” she said while shaking his hand. “I hope we meet again.” 

“I am going with you!” he blurted out. 

“You are?” Elizabeth’s head whipped in his direction, and she stared in disbelief as he turned off the game and put the controller down at the coffee table. 

“I just need to go to my room,” he said rising from the armchair and brushing past them, “Five minutes. I’ll meet you by the door.” 

Briar’s eyes followed the man almost running down the hallway, and she giggled. 

“Does it run in the family?” 

With a puzzled look, Elizabeth’s eyes darted to the same direction Briar was staring and she caught a glimpse of Edmund sprinting down the hall, “What does?”  

“Being cute and a dork?”  

October 28th, 2018 – Edgewater – Sometime after the drinking game 

It’s hard to tell when Edmund realized it was not the best idea for an engaged man to go knock on the door of a woman who is not his fiancée. It's even worse to do so in the middle of the night while slightly drunk.

He should’ve taken a cold shower to get rid of the idea that wormed its way into his mind, overshadowing every other thought concocted by his brain.

But he didn’t.

Anyways, he hates cold showers.

Staggering out of his room didn’t clear his mind or brought the realization of how bad that idea was. Crossing the few meters that separated his room from Briar’s door didn’t do it for him either. Not even when he tapped lightly with his knuckles, praying she was already sleeping and wouldn’t hear it - however, even then, his heart was clutching at the hope she would. So that was not that enlightenment moment either.

When the door slightly cracked open to allow visual confirmation of the night visitor, Edmund took a deep steadying breath, but it did little to stop his hands from shaking.

A moment later, Briar leaned against the doorframe smiling at him with such warmth that it was impossible not to think she cherished him. Maybe the only woman who ever did. And that was the moment he realised it was either the most brilliant move or his worst idea ever. Still, he once more was torn between the options. 

Playing with a long lock of her hair, her gaze lingered on his face, and she asked with a smile, “Trouble sleeping?” 

“I need to talk. To get this out of my chest. Can I come in?” 

Masking her surprise with another smile, she nodded and moved to the side, no questions asked. 

That was their thing, wasn’t it? Heart to heart conversations in the middle of the night... Only this time, he would also see her face while talking... and maybe he would find the answers he wishes. 

The man zigzagged until his knee bumped in the bed, and he slumped on the mattress. Giggling, she closed the door.

“You’re sloshed, Eddie!” her giggles fanned his face when she sat on the bed beside him and helped him sit up.   

“I’m certainly not. How dare you imply – No, I’m utterly sloshed. I can’t even pretend I’m not.” He let out a heartfelt laughter, and she used a hand to cover his mouth and shush him.  

His clear blue eyes crinkled with a smile. The gentle touch of her hand and the proximity of their bodies made his heart race. It was a shame this blurriness prevented him from seeing her eyes more clearly and the natural form of her lips without any lipstick. But he could tell he loved them nonetheless.

“Quiet or you’ll wake everyone up,” she hissed, but there was no edge on her voice, while her hand slowly retreated. “What do you want to talk about?” 

“You’re beautiful,” he sighed, and a tentative hand reached out to rest on Briar’s cheek, who didn’t flinch. “The most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Even more, when I’m sober, because I can really see you... You’re a bit blurred now... and I can’t see your eyes... and I adore your eyes… they are so… so… intense… and warm... and kind... But my mind already knows you’re beautiful. Inside too. Not your insides... insides... like your guts... but your mind and your heart –” He stopped talking when she failed to stifle her giggles.  

“You’re laughing at me!” he mumbled, and pulled his hand away. 

Trying to stifle her giggles, she tried to remedy the situation, placing her hand on his bouncing knee when his uneasiness drove him to the edge of the mattress. She wasn’t certain if she wanted him to stay, but she didn’t want him to leave yet.

“Was that the urgent matter you needed to ‘get out of your chest’?” she questioned with a soft voice, matching the proximity shared. His attention immediately returned to her, and a timid smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. 

“No, but your beauty is too distracting…” There was a lilt of laughter in his tone, and his fingers combed his ash blonde hair back and rested at the nape of his neck.  

“I won’t apologise for that,” she huffed a laugh, and her cheeks were noticeable darker from blushing because of his words, and this alone almost sobered him up.  

Edmund leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and his breath carried the scent of mint flavoured toothpaste mixed with a hint of liquor – more than a hint, actually.  

She suspected the liquor fuelled this unexpected audacity, considering how shy and restrained he was during their ride this afternoon; however, if asked, he would say this was all about her, her presence was intoxicating, and his self-control reached its limit tonight. 

Her breath hitched when his hand touched her cheek this time. Closing her eyes, she revelled on the feather light touch of his thumb caressing her velvety skin, following a path towards her mouth. When he traced the curves of her lips, it quietened everything else but her thunderous heartbeats. 

Her tongue was emptied, no flirty or funny words ready to fly away... In fact, every brain cell was screaming for her to shut up and kiss him; and his were probably doing the same, considering the way his hooded eyes fixed on her mouth when he leaned even closer. Without any warning, he bowed until his lips were a hair’s breadth away from hers. Their gazes locked for a second that lasted an eternity, a silent dialogue between their yearnings.  

The pull of her luscious lips became so irresistible.  

Waiting for permission, his lips ghosted hers and they were so close he could almost taste her exhales. 

Briar said nothing, licked her lips and closed the gap.

At first, his lips touched hers delicately, then more insistently when his hand slid to the back of her neck and brought their faces closer. It was awkward for a few seconds, too much tension, noses bumping and eyes wide open staring at the other; until her hands cradled his cheeks and gently tilted his head to adjust his position.  

This was enough to make it more and more enjoyable. Her lips glided over his, and when she captured his lower lip between hers, he let out a barely audible gasp. And she made a mental note about his reaction.  

More confident, one of his hands caressed her knee while the fingers on the one nestled on the nape of her neck delved into her hair, eliciting goosebumps and she let out a sigh.

The moment he parted his lips, allowing their tongues to meet for the first time, it felt as if the sole purposes of their lips and tongues were to kiss one another.  

When she pulled away to try and catch her breath, his lips followed hers, and she smiled to herself satisfied, both hands cradling his face.  

Meanwhile, Edmund’s entire body tingled, and there was a pleasant warmth enveloping him, as if being swaddled by a duvet someone else warmed just for you.

Looking at her, his brain buzzed with a swarm of thoughts. Did he drink too much or was there really something different about kissing Briar? A spark. An energy. A connection. 

“Did you feel it too? Tell me I’m not bloody crazy…” he asked, leaning his forehead to touch hers. 

“I’m not a psychiatrist, Eddie… but I think you lost your mind. I definitely did, too.” 

With a huff, his head tilted back, and before another loud laughter escaped his mouth, she covered it with her hand. This time, he grabbed it and kissed her palm gently, and her eyes fluttered close. 

“We’re both too sloshed for this...” 

“I can’t… I can’t think of anything else. Only you, Briar.” 

Hearing those words was bittersweet. It was exactly what she hoped for, but not like this. Not a drunk confession. And especially not after spending time with Theresa and knowing she’s oblivious to their flirting and growing affection. And now they’re kissing while she sleeps! 

“You shouldn’t say things like that...” she chided, “Your fiancée is asleep somewhere... over there...” Her free hand pointed randomly at the wall beside them, and he grimaced.  

“This has nothing to do with her… let’s pretend for a moment I’m not engaged.”  

Frowning, she pulled her hand from his grasp.  

“What a nasty thing to say!”  

“Briar,” Edmund called her name, his voice softer and more slurred, but she didn’t look back at him and pushed his chest. “I told you, Theresa and I… that is not real… she doesn’t love me either… she loves… loved… somebody else… not me… but you and I… I –”  

“Is she aware of how you feel? Because the engagement seems pretty real to her! She showed me pictures of bloody wedding dresses!” 

Edmund’s hand rubbed his face, and he exhaled loudly.  

“If you’re here for a one nightstand, just... own it! Don’t sweet talk me...” 

“Briar, I think – not think, I know… I fell for you.” 

Slack jawed, she gaped, and it took her a few breaths to find the words again. “Eddie… You shouldn’t say that either. You do have a fiancée and you’re sloshed… I know you’ll regret everything tomorrow... and leave me heartbroken.” 

“Never. You got me head over heels… I’m yours.” 

Briar’s face tilted upwards, and she stared at the ceiling for a long moment and let out a loud frustrated exhale. If cupid was a real thing, she would murder hers slowly and painfully. 

“Why are you doing this to me?” she muttered under her breath. 

“Is it Woods?” 

“Arthur?” Her head whipped to look at him. “What does Arthur have to do with this mess?” 

“Do you love him?” 

“I-” she paused and pressed her lips together. “I could... eventually... but not when... because of this..." Her finger pointed back and forward at them. 

There was too much satisfaction in hearing those words, and he let out a relieved sigh. 

“You feel it too?” he asked, and his voice was barely above a whisper. 

“What if I do? Does it change anything?” 

Edmund tentatively touched her face and guided her eyes to look back at him. “It changes all!”

“How?” she asked, but immediately changed her mind and waved her hands. “Please, don’t tell me... or... I’ll believe you.” 

“Believe me.” 

He pulled her in for another kiss, and all the fight left her when his tongue swirled with hers. He was already leaning to push her down on the mattress, but she pushed him back.

“No more kissing.” Out of breath, Briar placed a hand on his chest to put some distance between them and held her head high. “Talk. Tell me what you’ll do. I won’t be anyone's playtoy.”

Edmund obediently complied. It felt invigorating to make plans for his own future without consulting with his mother first, and especially plans that included Briar. They talked some more and kissed one last time before sleep claimed their eyes sometime before dawn.

Briar's face was the last thing he saw before his eyes fluttered close, and he thought that was heavenly.

A persistent buzzing noise invaded Elizabeth’s dreamless sleep, almost like the sounds of cicadas in scorching summer nights demanding the world’s attention to their performance. Answering the compelling call, her eyes fluttered open, but it was the same as if they didn’t. Surrounded by darkness, the coldness kissing her feet that escaped from underneath the duvet reminded her it wasn’t summer. She immediately pulled it, rubbing the cold feet against the mattress.  

While her body reluctantly woke up and her brain regained consciousness, she was confronted by confusion and immense discomfort all at once, reminders of the insane amount of alcohol she ingested last night.  

Her head ached as if samba percussionists were beating repeatedly their instruments out of cadence to punish her. The parchedness in her mouth seemed like she had wandered the desert for days. Trying to alleviate it, her lips parted, but her mouth had dried out and it was difficult to swallow and get rid of the disgusting taste sitting on her tongue.  

The buzzing sound echoed again, attacking her ears, and she realized it was probably the mobile vibrating with incoming messages over the nightstand. Even though she wondered what time it was, the identity of the caller or texter and their reasons to be trying to reach her in what she assumed was the middle of the night didn’t pique her interest at all, if anything it riled her up for disturbing her rest. Mustering the strength to reach the nightstand to turn off the phone, she tried to roll over, but something blocked her path and restrained her motion. Not something, but someone. 

In the dark she couldn’t rely on her sight, but her other senses worked perfectly, collecting information of quiet sounds of breathing behind her, the light pressure of a body against her back, and the arm she finally noticed dangling over her waist underneath the covers. And lastly, the fragrance that reached her nostrils was unmistakable. 

“Hamid?” her voice sounded hoarse in the quiet room, almost unrecognisable.  

The body stirred, and he hummed his response. His warm breath fanned her neck, and if she wasn’t so overwhelmed, she would have enjoyed it. 

Why are you in my bed, dude? The question died in her tongue, but not the surprise stirred by his presence. 

“Do you need to go to the toilette again?” his sleepy voice reached her ears.  

Again? When did I even go to the toilet?  

Her mind raced, trying to cling to any memory that could explain Hamid sleeping on her bed. But she found none. Maybe she should take the hint, get up, go to the toilet, wash her face, and drink some water. And definitely get some aspirins before her head explodes, and something for the burning stomach and nausea too. And maybe if she feels better, she will remember. 

“I’m thirsty,” she said fighting the dryness of her mouth. 

His arm retreated, and his hand lightly brushed the skin of her abdomen, and soon was gone, but not the goosebumps on its wakening.   

“The glass is empty, but if you give me a minute, I’ll get you some more…”  

“Don’t worry. I’ll get up…” she said without moving to get off the bed right away.  

His weight shifted in the mattress. Hamid rubbed his eyes and stretched his arm aimlessly until his fingers reached the switch in the wall. The room was flooded by bright light.  

“Turn it off, please!” she squealed scrunching her eyelids. Her hands flew to her eyes, mostly because of the bright lights, and only partially because of the brief sight of his bare torso. “Why are you shirtless? Are you naked?” 

“Don’t you remember?”  

“I-I don’t…” 

“Allah Allah, I thought that was memorable...” 

The pacing of the tiny percussionists inside her brain grew even faster and stronger, and her heart joined the rhythm.  

“What are you talking about?” she dared ask with a strangled voice. 

“The re-enactment of the projectile vomit scene from the Exorcist,” he said very slowly, and realization dawned on her. 

“Oh, my god! I puked? On you?”  

“Fortunately, you had asked me to take you to the toilette, and my t-shirt was the target and not my face.” 

“I puked on you?” she repeated, shocked by the idea. 

What the flying fudge cracker! That's a whole new level of stupidity, isn’t it? Why did I drink this much? 

“I’m so sorry!” she mumbled, hiding her face in her hands. “That’s so gross… I-I… Sorry.”  

She wanted to run away and hide forever, but her body was so tensed it froze. 

“Hey,” he said softly, but she didn’t uncover her eyes. After calling her name, his hand reached one of hers, which she reluctantly let him grab – she couldn’t understand why on earth he was anywhere near her.

“It’s okay, Liz. You did nothing wrong.” 

“I’m pretty sure that’s untrue... I’m mortified... What else do I have to apologise for?” 

“Don’t worry, aside from the vomiting and being horny and handsy, drunk Liz makes delightful company...”

The joke did little to lessen her embarrassment. How can he be so chill about it? 

“What do you mean by ‘handsy’?” 

“You tried to kiss me and grab my butt.” 

“What? I would never!” she protested, knowing well enough that she prefers his sculpted torso and arms to his bottom, even though it has a nice round shape... And she's clearly still a bit horny. 

“You also took ‘no’ for an answer, which was remarkably respectful.” 

She let an exasperated huff through her mouth and pressed her hands against her face. “I can’t have this conversation now...” 

“We can revisit it some other time, I’ll gladly share the details.” 

“How about never?” 

Smiling, he sat straighter and lighted the lamp on the nightstand. His eyes, cleared of sleep, stared directly at hers, “Drinking like that is unusual to you, I understand. And you don’t have to feel embarrassed about what happened.” 

“That’s impossible...” she sighed and looked at him, wondering what else she has said and done. “Just to clarify, you’re not naked…” 

“No, I’m not. And I’d never cross that line. You were drunk and asked me to stay, and I did. To keep you company. That’s all.” 

Relief washed over her, and she smiled. “Thanks. For not… you know… and for sticking around.”  

“Don’t mention it. Someone had to hold your hair up, prevent you from dancing and falling on your magnificent bottoms, and bumping your head on the furniture.”  

“Oh, God! It did happen then!” Hamid nodded. “Is that why my head hurts?” Her fingers raked her hair, searching for any sign of a bump.  

“I’m pretty sure that’s the alcohol.” 

“What time is it?” 

He picked his mobile in the nightstand. “7:45.” Stealing a sideway glance at her worried face, his finger caressed the back of her hand, and he asked softly, “Are you sure you don’t want me to get you something to drink? Annabelle brought a bottle of isotonic drink. And I can get you something to eat…”  

“I – No, I’m fine now. Even thinking about food makes me sick… I’ll go to the... you know… and you... go back to sleep. Excuse me.” 

Hamid let go of her hand, and Elizabeth rolled to the opposite side of the bed, moving away from him, and not looking back even when she felt his stare. She swung her legs touching the carpet and noticed both her socks were gone. Her feet were heavy, just like the rest of her body, and she dragged them on her way to the en-suite. The touch of the frigid floor against the soles of her feet, caused her to shiver, and she mentally cursed not putting on the slippers. 

Closing the door, she barely had the time to turn on the light before her legs started giving away underneath her. Pressing her hands against the cool marble of the sink to support her weight, she avoided stumbling or collapsing to the floor. Performing every little task took too much energy, and she almost gave up on washing her face, but the invigorating cold water gave her the necessary boost to continue. By the time she took the toothbrush to her mouth, she needed to sit down. Flopping down into the wooden bench near the bathtub, she noticed Hamid’s white t-shirt soaked-wet dangling over the rim of the tub, and two pairs of socks hanging on the faucet.  

Suddenly, a panicked Hamid kneeling on the floor in front of her, begging her to keep her eyes open flashed before her eyes; was it a memory or her imagination? 

Her hand barely moved to brush her teeth, and her heavy eyelids were impossible to keep open with all the light around her. She would close them for one second, maybe two.  

The sound of the toothbrush falling and hitting the floor didn’t wake her up, but she couldn’t ignore the soft but persistent rapping on the door. 

“Liz,” Hamid asked softly, “are you alright?” 

Her hand rubbed the foam from her lips and chin, and she picked up the toothbrush from the floor. “I’m fine,” she replied getting up, and the movement made her dizzy. Slowly moving back to the sink, she heard him speaking again.  

“You��ve been in there for a very long time…” 

“I’m brushing my teeth.” 

She washed her mouth, took another gulp of tap water, and tied her hair in a high bun.

When she opened the door, Hamid was standing there, leaning against the doorframe with a worried look. It surprised her that he didn’t go back to sleep or to his own room. 

“How are you, really?” he asked, carefully speaking in a low tone that wouldn’t be uncomfortable considering the aftereffects of the alcohol.  

“I brushed my teeth, but my mouth still tastes like a smelly old brolly –” 

Hamid chuckled and it eased the frown of his brows. “That’s very specific. How do you even know what it tastes like?” 

“My mind does,” she sighed. “My head hurts. My stomach is on fire, and I could drink a bucket of water. And mostly I’m feeling incredibly dumb for drinking this much again...” And puking on you. 

“For now, we can take care of the head and stomach.” 

Walking past her, Hamid crouched and opened a door of the cabinet under the sink. With familiarity, he produced a white box with a red cross painted at the top from the first shelf and took a bottle of antacids and another of aspirins, both were placed on the sink in front of her.  

With a grimace she drank the liquid as instructed and the pill sat bitterly on her tongue while she waited for him to come back with the bottle of Gatorade.

Watching her swig half of the content of the bottle without stopping to breath, an amused smile parted his lips. 

“And for the dumbness –” 

“You’ll keep mocking me endlessly and not let me forget it...” her tongue was quicker and sharper than his ever would, and she huffed in frustration, letting her shoulders slump. 

“Why would I do that?” he asked softly, brows knitted together while trying to meet her gaze. 

She pursed her lips and said nothing in return. Shame taking over, her eyes focused on anything else but his face.  

“A word from you and I’ll never speak about tonight. A joke is not worth it, if it causes you pain. You can expect nothing but understanding from me. Like I said before, I truly believe you deserve kindness, hayatım[1], and not more criticism.”  

Her eyes flicked from her folded hands to his eyes, his expression changing from one of concern to a more relaxed one while he reminisced about the night before.  

“Last night, you have laughed, joked and been the most open around a group of people since I met you. You looked happy, truly happy. Relaxed. And that wasn’t just the alcohol. You were in a safe place and let your guard down. I agree drinking this much isn’t good for you... But why shaming yourself? Why not learning from it instead? You can’t change anything that happened, but you can make different choices in the future, if you desire, no? And if you don’t, I’ll hold your hair up again.” 

There was so much empathy in his tone that if she wasn’t so dehydrated, her eyes would be watering. She mouthed a soundless thank you and he inched closer. 

Standing behind her, he gently squeezed her shoulders, and they looked at each other’s reflections in the mirror.  

Instead of the pink plaid PJs, she was sporting a long sleeved green one with no buttons, and she wondered if Hamid was the one who changed it.  

As if reading her mind, he said softly, “Annabelle changed your clothes, after we cleaned you up.” 

“I must thank her later.” 

That was the first time she truly looked at herself.  

The reflection looking back at her was pale, her usual tan had completely vanished these past months; smudged eyeliner and dark stains of mascara accentuated the dark circles under her reddened eyes, which seemed smaller due to the puffy eyelids. She looked spent. The entangled hair had been pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head, and a few shorter curls had escaped the imposed restraint, sticking out close to her ears and neck. All in all, she was a complete mess while Hamid looked unfairly handsome with slightly flattened bed hair, the shadow of a beard and a big smile that caused the corners of his eyes to wrinkle; somehow, despite the vomiting, and deprivation of sleep she imposed him, there was so much adoration in his eyes that even in her current state was impossible to miss. 

“Hamid, can I ask you a question?” 

“Of course.” 

“Why are you here?” 

“Why are we all here, Liz? Isn’t that the fundamental Philosophical question?” 

“Silly,” she chided, and his chuckle was so very close to her ear when he leaned forward that raised all the hair in her body and fogged her brain for a while.

“You know what I mean! You could be sleeping tight in your bed right now... instead, you spent the night taking care of my dumb drunk arse... when you had no obligation to.” 

“I like your cute dumb drunk arse...” He winked, and she rolled her eyes. 

“I’m serious.” 

“So am I! I’m a fan.”

Chuckling, Hamid hugged her from behind, his arms wrapped around her waist, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. “Someone needed to hold your hair, and let’s say I know what it feels to be so utterly sloshed and not having anyone to look after me.” 

“You do?”  

He hummed. His breath fanned the bare skin of her neck.  

“But I won’t bother you with such an inane story. Let’s get you to bed.” 

“I wouldn’t mind listening to it...”  

His lips twitched, possibly surprised by the request, and he looked at her reflection in the mirror for a long moment, the way she hid a yawn against a palm, but still tried to keep her eyes focused on him. 

“Maybe some other time...” he replied while gently turning her around, but keeping her in the circle of his embrace, “You look about ready to fall asleep in my arms... not that I’d ever complain about that….” He winked at her, very flirty, in that Hamid-like fashion that makes her knees weak, and even though it wasn't far from the truth, she recognized the diversion right there in his words.

“I like a good bedtime story...” she said softly, tilting her face up to meet his gaze over her shoulder, “And your voice...” She might’ve learned a thing or two about charming someone with him.

“Then how could I not humour you?”

Smiling, Hamid helped her sit on the bed and pulled the covers over her legs, and she remained sitting, looking expectantly.

In the dimly lit room, Hamid sat in front of her, legs crossed, took a deep breath and broke the silence.

“I only got really sloshed a handful of times... My sisters took care of me, helped me hide it from my parents... But one time, it happened during a trip with friends... We went to Amsterdam for the weekend to celebrate my 19th birthday. Most of my memories are fogged... You must have seen what happens to six lads with loads of cash partying at Amsterdam...” 

“I actually never been there...” 

“Haven’t you? I must take you there. It's lovely in the spring.” 

His fingers reached her hand, and his thumb was very distractingly caressing the back of her hand, following the paths of green veins till her wrist and back. Another distraction, she realized. Caressing the back of his hand with her free hand in return, she asked, “What happened to you?” 

He hummed, and she suspected he was carefully choosing the words to continue. 

“Everything went brilliant until the night before our flight... We went clubbing and met these girls, very friendly, seniors at uni, gorgeous… and had us wrapped around their fingers.” He chuckled. “We followed them like puppies to another club and to another... By the time we got to the third one, I was so wasted, I could barely stand on my own, but I didn’t want to admit it and go back to the hotel... So, my friend Lewis stayed with me, but while he was away hitting on one of the girls or whatever… I don’t know… I guess I accepted a pill that was definitely not aspirin…” 

“Someone drugged you?” her voice shrieked, piercing her own brain, and she looked at his face over her shoulder, and he clicked his tongue. 

“Nobody was sober at that point, and I probably said I was cool with it...” Hamid paused at her concerned expression and tried to explain, “The day before, I tried space cake and smoked a little hashishe... anyway... It was a harmless experience. We laughed for hours sitting at the grass...” 

“But you were already drunk! You couldn’t consent!” Elizabeth snapped, head racing with all the legal issues this story poses. This was the sort of thing she worried about whenever going our to clubs and parties and one of the reasons she was vigilant with her and her friends’ drinks, and to hear something like that happened to Hamid not in theory made her chest tight, even though he sounded so nonchalant about it.

Hamid’s shoulders raised almost to his ears, and he let out a deep breath; the smile faltered a little and his expression transformed entirely.

Was he regretting telling me?

“Sorry,” she said, shaking her head, “I’m doing it again...” 

“It’s alright.” He intertwined his fingers with hers. “Maybe I should stop, so you can sleep.” 

She shook her head, widening her eyes to fight the sleep.

“I woke up at the hospital. Someone had found me lying on a bench at Oosterpark and called emergency. I had no documents, no coat, and no shoes... It was winter. My clothes were drenched from the rain…” 

“Wow... that's... you could have died...” Elizabeth pointed out the obvious, and instantly regretted it.

“Trust me, I know. The doctor gave me a long and detailed speech about hypothermia. And drugs. And unprotected sex, even though I don’t remember even kissing anybody… They poked me with needles, ran tests and gave me some pills just in case…”  

“Dude…” Elizabeth muttered but stopped before any of the concerns bubbling in her brain escaped again.  

He looked expectantly, but she didn’t know what to say. Taking a deep breath, she struggled to shut down that voice in her mind whispering judgmental and useless advice about something that happenend to him years ago, and listened to her heart. Pushing the covers aside, she moved on the bed and sat on the balls of her feet right in front of him.

“I – I’m sorry this happened to you,” she said softly and genuinely, and his expression eased when no chiding came out of her mouth.  

“I’m not,” he said, and the smile was back on his face. “Almost dying in such a stupid way had positive outcomes.” 

She gaped. “How can you see a bright side in this story, Hamid?” 

“There is always a silver lining,” he said with a familiar cheerful tone, but still soft enough not to bring her discomfort. “First, I realized I didn’t like drinking that much or getting hungover… I dance better, and my jokes are funnier when I’m sober. And from that day on, I’m an advocate of remembering the things I do and not losing my passport. So, I decided not to drink. Unless it is raki with babam and dedem[2]. Second, I don’t know if I’ll live a short or long life; but I can choose how to live my best life, with no regrets, appreciating the beauties, welcoming the joys... and obviously, adrenaline rushing through my veins fuels me!” He looked pointedly at her, and she remembered the incident with the horse. 

“Not with disregard to my safety,” he let out the words with a chuckle, holding her hands in his. “And, when my time comes, hopefully it won’t be blacked out drunk in a park bench...”

She held his hands tighter, as if possible to shield him from such a fate with sheer will. 

“I hope your learning process included finding a better group of friends,” she mumbled, and he chuckled.  

“Don’t be so hard, güzelim[3]. They are good people. At the time, we were too young and sheltered… mortality was not part of our vocabulary.”  

How incredible it must be to be so careless and not have this sort of concern!  

That was never the case for her.  

Death and sickness have been her companions in life for so long that her identity is linked to those grim subjects. In the past five years, no decision in her life has been made without considering either of them. Letting out a long and loud sigh, she pondered how different they were in so many more ways than she first assumed.  

“Gosh, if it were me… I’d…” she trailed off, and he jumped in to complete her sentence, “You wouldn’t leave me alone.” 

Lowering her gaze, but unable to control the blush that bloomed in her cheeks, she admitted he was right and that she wouldn’t leave him alone. 

“However,” she added, “I was going to say that if I were you, I’d never want to see those people again! How could they leave you like that? What sort of friend does that?” Her indignation transpired in her tone and disgusted face. 

“I don’t blame them. It wasn’t their responsibility to take care of me... I’m responsible for my choices, good or bad.”  

Meeting his eyes, there was no shame in them, on the contrary, Hamid’s countenance expressed relief. Noticing the attentive gaze studying him, he smiled. 

“I never spoke about any of this; not even to my sisters.” 

“Why not?” 

“They would gang up on me, obviously… and everything turned out alright. My friend Burak found my coat at the club, my passport and mobile were in the pocket... A happy ending.” 

She watched his face and the wide and bright smile directed at her. 

“You didn’t need to tell me either, so, why did you?” 

“There’s a simple explanation for that,” he said, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “In case you haven’t noticed, you are very special to me, Elizabeth Foredale, and I want you to know me. The real me. Isn’t this what people do? To get to know each other?” 

Even in the low light, his eyes were shining. His gaze could be described with many words, none of which was a synonym for friendly.

Touched by his words and without giving herself time to change her mind, Elizabeth’s hand cradled his jaw, and her lips touched his dimpled cheek in a gentle but lingering kiss.

After a fraction of a second to overcome the surprise, Hamid revelled on it, letting his eyes flutter closed to fully appreciate the gentleness of her touch, and his lips stretched into a wide grin.

It was nothing like the fleeting air kisses they often share. 

Before she considered ending the kiss, his hand covered hers, keeping it in place.

The alchool had drained her body, but right now every nerve was suddenly alight by his presence, by the warm touch of his hand on top of hers.

His eyes fluttered open to meet hers in a sidelong glance. They knew. They had crossed the line. They were no longer in friends’ territory. And, for the first time, she let herself want more, ignoring the boundary she herself tried to place between them.

She got greedy. 

When her lips slowly but steadily glided over the roughness of the slight growth of beard of his unshaved face to the turned corner of his smile, Hamid let out a soft exhale through his nose. The warmth of the air travelled over the skin of her hand and wrist inflaming her entirely, and her heartbeats sped up.

Taking a deep breath, her lungs were filled with Hamid's fancy perfume. It was intoxicating in an unexpected way: it quietened the entire world. Actually it quietened her mind. For once, her brain was entirely focused on this moment and all the overwhelming feelings Hamid stirred on her.

Any hesitancy slipped away at the sight of his tongue moistening his lips. And that was the last thing her eyes registered. Her brain could no longer focus on anything that was not Hamid's lips smoothly moving over hers.

His lips were very soft, incredibly so against her own. They brushed against hers for a brief quiet moment, but it was enough to irradiate a heat, an electricity throughtout her body. It was like a dam breaking, and she was flooded with so much want. The second time her lips brushed against his, she was certain this wasn't like any kiss she had before.

She pulled away enough to gaze into his eyes, the corners crinkled by an adoringly smile; even such a diminute distance seemed unbearable to Hamid, and his hand cupped her cheek to close the distance between their mouths almost entirely.

The tip of his long curved nose brushed against the tip of hers, and she could hear the smile in his voice when he said her name in awe, even with her eyes closed. His thumb brushed her lips, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

In her mind, Elizabeth envisioned more than once where and when their first kiss could happen. It always envolved a perfect romantic scenario, careful planning, fancy dinners and Hamid probably literally sweeping her off her feet. However, the reality was unplanned, and her brain might have short-circuited at some point... There's not even a carefully selected soundtrack playing in the background, just the sounds of their breathing and the pitter-patter of rain.

Yet, nothing could be more perfect than the way his lips welcomed hers. Her fantasies couldn’t compete with the reality of the tenderness of every gesture of his, the pressure of his lips, the light touch of his tongue over her lower lip, or the hand cupping her cheek so very gently.

When Elizabeth pulled back, his nose nuzzled her jaw and down her neck, and she gasped. The sound pleased Hamid, who hummed against her jaw and captured her lips one last time.

Her eyes met his briefly, but she quickly lowered her face, overcame by embarrassment and doubts of what to do or say.

The backs of his fingers caressed her cheek, and he whispered, “I could kiss you forever, Liz.”  

When her eyes raised to meet his, Hamid was already staring at her. His gaze could be described with many words, none amongst them was a synonym for friendly, and she rolled her lips inside her mouth.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” 

She shook her head, and took a deep calming breath.

“You make me feel many things,” -- happy, giddy, confused, excited... and several other she'd be mortified to admit even to herself... -- “’Uncomfortable’ is not one of them.” 

His lips split into the widest grin she’s ever seen, before he swallowed and asked in a low and husky voice, “Care to tell me how I make you feel now?”  

“Right now?” Her lips rolled inside her mouth, and she focused on the feeling of being in his arms earlier. Except for her dear father, she can’t remember feeling safer around a man nor willing to spend a lifetime in an embrace. “Happy. Safe.” 

“I am glad you do. I want you to trust me.” 

She met his stare again, and he was flashing a broad unabashed smile. They didn’t move an inch, staring into each other's eyes. Was she even breathing? She couldn’t be certain she was. 

“Aren’t you curious about how you make me feel?”  

His question startled her. Of course, she wanted to know that, but how could she speak over the thunderous beating of her heart and risking dozens of butterflies flying away if she opened her mouth, like in the Brazilian soap operas with magical realism she used to watch with her mother as a kid. She pursed her lips and nodded, which was enough for him to carry on. 

“You also make me feel many emotions, Liz. The most frequent is happiness. A complete, perfect and unwavering bliss whenever I am around you. And even when we’re not together… My days are more vibrant since you are in my life…” 

“Even after tonight?”  

“Why would tonight change anything?” 

“Aren’t you even a little upset? Tired?” 

“Tired?” He clicked his tongue. Leaning impossibly closer, he whispered into her ear, “Inşallah[4], someday you’ll see how long I can keep going without any sleep...” When Elizabeth shivered, the pleased smirk in his lips indicated that was the intended effect, and he rubbed his hands against her arms. “However, you, my dear, seriously need to rest.” 

“Actually, father wanted to have breakfast with me and after brunch I promised to go with Annabelle and Briar to this spa at Moorfield and –” 

“As much as I believe you to be an overachiever, you need to rest, Liz,” he cut off the flood of words. “Besides, the last Annabelle checked on you was around 4am... So, trust me on this, go back to bed, we won’t see any of them before lunch. And message your father, tell him you have a minor headache and will be staying in your room until you feel better…”  

Elizabeth listened to his reasoning and bit one thumbnail. Judging by the way she looked, no amount of coffee would keep her functional long enough to perform any social activity. Finally, she gave in to the irresistible call of the bed.  

Hamid went to the en-suite, while she typed the message to her father, ignoring the stinging feeling in her stomach, that could be guilty from skipping breakfast with him or due to the hole the alcohol probably burnt there. But Hamid was right, it was past the time to prioritize her needs, even if it meant disappointing others. 

After texting her friends, she was about to go through the several notifications in the screen, when the en-suite door opened and closed. Hamid’s silhouette strolling toward the soft light of the bedroom was all broad shoulders and strong arms. Over the screen of the mobile, her gaze fixed at him, admiring his confident swagger towards her.  

The blue light from the screen denounced her attempt of appreciating the sight inconspicuously, and Hamid grinned at the attention but for once chose to say nothing about it. 

When he turned around to settle the medicines and a glass of water over the nightstand, Elizabeth admired his taut muscles, and noticed the dimples on his lower back right above the waist band of his jeans. Her fingers craved to map every inch of his uncovered skin, and the thought alone sent a flow of heat all over her body. She forced her eyes back to the screen and turned the airplane mode on before putting the mobile away.  

Leaning forward, he touched the side of her face gently and kissed the top of her head. 

“I think you’re all set,” he whispered against her hair, “I’ll let you sleep now.” 

“You’re leaving?” her tone didn’t conceal the surprise and disappointment. 

“Don’t you want me to go?” 

“I-I wouldn’t mind… If you wanted to... stay... it’s a big bed…” She fidgeted with the hem of the shirt, without raising her gaze to meet his, and couldn't find the right words to speak, and stuttered the ones she found, even if they didn't make sense, “It doesn’t... mean that we... anything... I guess... but you don’t have to go. If you don’t want to.” 

“I understand," he said, smiling to himself. "If I stay, do we get to cuddle like before?” 

She swallowed and couldn’t prevent the smile from curling her lips whem she nodded.  

Without another word, he sat on the bed.

She moved aside to give him space, and went under the covers, lying on her back. The fragrance of his perfume on the pillows was inebriating.

When the mattress shifted with his weight, she took a deep breath. The lights were dimmed to their softest glow and a moment later, Hamid was lying beside her on his back, stirring the flutter of thousands of butterflies in her stomach. 

He stretched one arm, adjusted the pillow over it, and, with a nod of his head, invited her to rest her head.

Elizabeth obliged, moving closer and let her head rest in the pillow. Hamid's arm encircled her waist, he kissed her temple and whispered in her ear, “Sleep tight, Liz!”

Her answer was an almost inaudible “You too, Hamid.”

In Hamid's embrace, Morpheus visited Elizabeth unsurprisingly fast, not giving her any time for second guessing her decisions.  

A familiar melody invaded his dreamless sleep and Edmund stirred in the bed, failing to recognize his whereabouts.  

The mattress shifted when the woman sleeping beside him turned around, facing the other way. Flashes from their conversation and kisses invaded his mind, but were soon chased away by the persistent melody getting louder.

His hand patted his pants first, and then the space between them until he found the mobile that slipped from his pocket.  

It was dark and he could barely open his sleepy eyes, but he would recognize the caller’s picture anywhere.  

His gaze flicked to the black hair sprawled over the duvet, and he jumped out of the bed, instinctively shying away from the incriminating scene. Moving closer to the wall, he coughed twice, clearing his throat, before accepting the call, and prayed for silence. 

“Hello, mother,” he spoke in the lowest but clearest tone possible trying not to wake the woman in bed. 

“Let me talk to Theresa,” the woman barked the order, forgetting any rule of politeness – not that she reserved that kind of curtesy to her eldest son, especially not after he became the only one. 

“She’s currently not...” Edmund stuttered and considered what to answer. “We’re not together... at the moment. I was sleeping.” 

“She’s not with you!” The woman muttered something under her breath he could only assume were not compliments about his fiancée’s competence to follow orders. “Find her. And have her call me. Immediately.” 

“Alright, mother. I’ll let her know you –” 

Before he could finish the sentence, the call ended.  

The conscience of where he was standing and with whom and the possibility of a scandal was enough to force out of his body any sleep. A last longingly gaze focused on the woman sleeping before he cautiously sneaked out of the bedroom. This was just the beginning.

Notes:

[1] Hayatım – Turkish – term of endearment that means “my life” or “my dear or darling” in this context. 

[2] Babam and dedem – Turkish – father and grandfather. 

[3] Güzelim – Turkish – mean “my beautiful”. 

[4] Inşallah – In Turkish, the word inşallah or inşaallah means "If God wishes and grants" 

[starrysnowdrop]

Recreation of Edmund Leighton’s “The Accolade” (1901)

Send ⚜️ to see them doing or wearing something associated with knights or chivalry. - @reikatsukihana @ascendedhypothesis @ladyofvoss

Inspired by @otherworldseekers’ beautifully recreated vintage portraits

[arrows-unofficial-ocs]

for the plot bunny ask game: the chronicles of narnia!

name: joseph david mallon

age: 20 in 1949

sexuality: heterosexual

job: student, studying history

love interest: susan pevensie

brief summary: joseph mallon had gone to london for university, the first in his family to do so. he’d struggled to make that choice but eventually, he’d agreed to take the scholarship. a poor catholic kid from dublin couldn’t pass up that opportunity. it was there he met susan pevensie, the girl with the sadness in her eyes. joseph found that she was one of the most beautiful women that he’d ever seen. nothing about her made sense until that night in 1949. susan called him in tears and he learned that her whole family, brothers and sister and parents and cousin, had been killed in a train accident. joseph learned of narnia that night, and while he’d never quite been sure what to make of it, he followed susan’s lead with it. and maybe there was some scandal in their eventual marriage, what with joseph being catholic and susan being an anglican protestant, but what did that matter?

faceclaim: ruiari o’connor

send me a fandom and i’ll create a plot bunny for it

[raging-violets]

Caged Nightingale | Chronicles of Narnia | Chapter 02 - Read on FFN or AO3

Authored by: Rhuben

Rated: T

FULL SUMMARY: [REWRITE] Readjusting to his “old life”, Edmund finds himself drawn back into a Narnia he doesn’t recognize. A Narnia filled with ruin and loss. Much like himself. Feeling like he betrayed his beloved lands for a second time, and haunted by memories of the White Witch, Edmund will do everything he can to extinguish his lingering doubts of his royal title.

Witnessing the effects of war on her father, Issi has dreamt of a life of healing. Following the honeyed voice only she hears - the spirit that leads her straight into becoming a Telmarine prisoner of war – Issi promises to nurture Narnia (whatever that was) the best way she knew how, but found herself rebuilding a King desperate for some sanctuary, all the while fighting off the growing urge to do him and his family harm.

-

Excerpt:

Peter had been the first to stop talking about it. He had more important things to worry about, as he had reminded them. Being in touch with their mom. Learning what he could from the professor. If they were to get back to Narnia, he would say, then it would happen when it happened. Still, Edmund could see his frustration in the way he rolled back his shoulders when he was spoken to by teachers, held deep in his eyes when people tried to withhold information from him. Could hear it in the way he wondered why Edmund and Lucy couldn't just "do what they were told" without complaining. Susan had soon followed Peter's example. She was more patient with Edmund and Lucy, and how often she found them in the room with the wardrobe. And how often she would usher them out. She grew out of the more childish games Lucy wanted to play. Quickly, yet gently, stopped discussions on what they "would be doing in Narnia right now" as they had already lived a full live there, and didn't need to dwell on it anymore. After a while, Lucy knew not to bring it up. Yet, Edmund could still find her on occasion, just sitting in the room with the wardrobe, looking up at the big heavy door. Watching. Waiting. Hoping. Would smile a secret smile as a memory came to her. How patient she was with everyone that deemed her to be a little girl with her head up in the clouds. She had never lost faith. It was almost annoying. They were told they wouldn't be away home for long. They were told they would be able to return to Narnia. He had been told he could be made a king, and all he had to do was bring his brother and sisters to Jadis. It had been a year.

Shout out to @purpleyearning​ for the fic cover!

Tag List: @foxesandmagic @witchofinterest @arrthurpendragon @andromedalestrange​ @darknightfrombeyond​ @ocappreciationtag​

[darkbluekies]

I read your Edmund shot where he proposed to her and I was thinking about the part where he threatened us. What if we asked him if he had laid with a woman before and that dictated our answer. Like if he had laid with a woman before we would choose death but if he hadn’t then sure.

Alternative ending

Yandere!king x fem reader

Summary: you don't accept the kings propsal

Warnings: death, guns, blood, talking about sleeping with women, blood, massacre, threat, obsession

THE FULL ORIGINAL ONESHOT

Spinoff

“Marry me, my lady”, he says. “I don’t want to live another day without you. Be mine. Please. I’ve gotten rid of all the competition. I will never look at anyone else besides you. I got rid of them all.”

You can’t find any words. Your brain has stopped working completely. Not a single sound leaves your mouth when you open it.

“If you don’t say ‘I do’, you will be shot”, the king says warningly, dark eyes looking directly at hers. “If I can’t have you, no one can. It’s you and I or no one.”

“Y-Your majesty”, you sob. “Please … please don’t …”

“Say it.”

“I-I … I can’t …”

“Y/N, tell me you’ll be my queen, tell me that you’ll stay with me forever … or end up like all the others.” He caresses your wet cheek and you flinch away from his hands. They may not have physical blood on them, but you know that they’re covered. “Don’t be a stupid girl now, darling. You know you don’t want to die. Accept the ring. Accept my love.”

You give the pile of bodies a gaze. That is not how you want to end up. But the king has gone insane … you can’t accept that either. You know what they say around the kingdom. He sleeps with any lady he's come across. You'd rather die than marry that kind of man.

“Y/N …”, the king says. “I’m losing patience.”

"I-I don't want to marry a ladies man …"

He's taken back by your sudden requirement.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"E-Everyone says that you've slept with a load of women … h-have you?"

The king gulps and shakes his head. It wouldn't matter if he lied, right? The women he's been to bed with is in the pile, and you'll never have to worry about them. Ever.

But you can see right through it.

"You're lying …"

"But, darling, they don't mean anything!" He gestures towards the messy dance floor. "They're all lying there! You're the only one I want!"

"I don't want to marry you then …"

He goes white with realization. "Y-You're really going to choose death?"

You nod as tears run down your cheeks. The king shakes his head. He can't.

"Please kill me …", you whisper.

"Don't be stupid."

You turn to the guards and hold up your hands, surrendering.

"Don't!" the king exclaims.

He runs over to one of the guards and grabs his weapon. With burning eyes, he walks back to you.

"If anyone's going to do it, it's going to be me", he says, now sounding determined but his hands are shaking. "One last chance to change your mind."

You shake your head. The king nods, gulping.

“I’m sorry, my love”, he says.

He seems to have trouble firing off. His finger rests over the trigger and for a second, you think that he’s going to have mercy on you, but then he fires off. He breathes out shakily and watches how your body falls to the floor. What has he done?

“Y-Y/N …”

He bends down and holds your dead body in his arms as he sobs. Why couldn’t you just have accepted him? He would have kept you safe and never let anything bad happen to you! His past doesn’t matter!

The king makes sure that you get the most beautiful funeral anyone in the kingdom has ever gotten. He visits your grave everyday to tell you what he’s done and what’s going on in his life. He promises you never to marry anyone else than you. He’s going to die alone, die by your side.

[greenandsorrow]

IMPORTANT FOR MY TSH MULTI CHAP!!!!!

'What once was.' -> Henry Winter x OC

I've been rereading the book to help me pace the fic. I've been spending time drafting. Also, Rita (the oc) has become her own person and less of a self insert, which I like. But, I need your opinion on something!!!

Tartt has left some room for interpretation on Henry and Camilla's relationship. I just want to decide what I'll do with it in my fic.

Also, I'll post an irrelevant Henry smut before the first chapter of this.

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT YOUR OPINION IN THE COMMENTS. I'll love to hear it❣️

Tag list; @futurecorps3 @gxdsmonsters @waterisnotreal0 @breathingstarlight @anonymousewrites @sunlightempire @f4iriypng @yourlocalloser-core @riddledarkness @lady-darknessa

[justtwotired]

Guys I’m free for the coming few days and I am incredibly boreeed, please give me some recs so I can write instead of endlessly scrolling on TikTok

I write for these fandoms:

Harry Potter Golden trio era and marauders era

Narnia

Ninjago

SSO

Lord of the rings/the hobbit

Stranger things

The dragon prince

Wednesday

Sam and Colby / Johnnie Guilbert

Arcane

Willow (Kit Tanthalos and Jade Claymore)

The rookie

Carmen Sandiego

Atla

That was about it, I’ll basically write anything so just lemme know ;)

(No smut tho, not really comfortable with that.)

[pevensiethejust]

I'm Lloyd (he/him, UK, 24) and I've been RPing on and off Tumblr for a few years.

When I was more active on Tumblr I role-played exclusively as Edmund Pevensive from Narnia, but recently I wanted to branch out to include some Harry Potter Role Playing, mainly Draco Malfoy & Sebastian Sallow - but I'm also keen to dive back into Edmund too.

I've found it hard to reach out and ask people if they want to role-play with me, all I ask is that you are:

literate/novella, love a good plot, and natural chemistry and are 21+.

I'm down for OCs, Multi and crossovers. I'm a big Narnia & Harry Potter / Hogwarts Legacy nerd so I'm definitely up for just a random chat about our role-play, gifs, music and other things.

Message me here or on Discord (I prefer role-playing on Discord- so much quicker ): lloydpevensiethejust

[mags0142]

Nobody’s Son, Nobody’s Daughter

Part V

Hello my loves, here’s the fifth part of my little fem reader x edmund fanfic.

I hope you’ll enjoy!!

Word coun: slightly above 3,6k

——————————————————

After his pleasing bath Edmund eventually went to bed and tried to push away any remaining thoughts of their visitor. And soon enough he fell asleep, much easier than usual these days.

Althea on the other hand was distraught, hurt, furious. Not only was this Y/N genuinely useful for their investigation, Edmund, his Edmund was starting to fancy her,

However, Althea had to stop himself from continuing further with these thoughts. After all, he knew very well that Edmund was not attracted to men. Even if he wanted to, and knowing Edmund's kind heart he would if he knew, he could not love Althea the way he wanted to be loved.

The King was grateful that he had gotten a good night's rest for the first time since the death of his siblings. In a way however it made him feel guilty. This felt like he was beginning to move on and it felt wrong to do so. It had only been a couple of months at this point.

When the message had reached him he thought the pain would never subside and in a way he was happy about that. Edmund felt responsible for their death, he thought it to be a just punishment to be carrying the hurt until the day he died himself. It was only right, especially because the hurt was supposed to weigh as much as the love he felt for them, infinite. He didn't want the hurt to end because it was a reminder of the love he still felt for Peter, Susan and Lucy. He feared that if the pain was subsiding so would the love, the memories and everything else. Edmund was now the only person in the entire world to know about England, their homeland, their upbringing, their mother and their father. He felt left alone with all this knowledge of a past life that had been wiped from all the records. He felt lost, like a child in a busy market whose parents had wandered off, who was surrounded by tall, scary lookong adults who walked past him.

He stood up and went over to his dresser, pulling out the flashlight he had brought with him to Narnia. The batteries had died ages ago but to him it was still a reminder of the lives they used to live. Of technology, development, the war and their world, their home.

With his siblings' death died not only his family but also his entire past. Edmund loved Narnia and he was proud to rule over this wonderful land, however he did miss England sometimes. He missed the friends he had back there, the convenience of technology, trains and flushing toilets. Susan had tried to introduce the Narnians to the concept of plumbing and trains but they had no interest in learning about all that. Sometimes this all felt like a very strange dream. He didn't admit it to anybody but ever since they had passed Edmund wondered if the wardrobe they first stepped through was still somewhere out there. He wondered if death travelled between worlds or if his siblings would still be alive and well somewhere in England.

In times like these he mostly missed his father. When Edmund was still a boy his father could help him navigate the difficult moments, he would take his hands and lead the way, hug him tightly and give him courage and some good advice. But now Edmund was alone, he felt utterly alone in the universe and he was grieving not only their lives but also his own. Aside from the difficult task of suddenly ruling over an entire kingdom on his own he now also felt responsible to keep their memories alive. No one who was here with him had known him as a child, no one knew even just his parent's names. Despite being so well liked and established in Narnia he couldn't help but feel like a stranger. Like a tumor which had developed here and needed to be killed off. As if he didn't belong here. Narnia was never meant to be left to one single ruler. Their entire rise to power was based on the circumstance of them being siblings. It was rooted in their deep understanding of each other and the ways in which they complemented each other. Being alone felt wrong, it felt lonely. Edmund was torn between embarking on a desperate search for them or staying here to hold down the ship, praying that this was all just a huge misunderstanding and he would hear their voices coming up the stairs in their old house in England one more time.

Without realising Edmund had sunk to the ground and had begun silently sobbing. He clutched the flashlight to his chest struggling to breathe.

"Your Majesty!" Y/N exclaimed as she arrived at his door. The King looked at her as if he had seen all the horrors of the world. "I apologise your Highness, yesterday at the dinner you asked to meet me early this morning to continue our work- I apologise I-" she tried to explain but quickly stopped because the King began calling for something, someone unknown to Y/N through his tears "Dad, dad please ... please come... help me .. dad.." Y/N made a decision then which she knew to be risky but proceeded with anyway. She rushed over to where Edmund lay on the floor and scooped him up, resting his upper body against hers and gently stroking his hair while her other arm held him tight. "It's okay Your Majesty, you are not alone, you are safe, let it out, let it all out." she whispered reassuringly as she held him tightly. She pressed his ear to her chest, hoping the steady sound of her heartbeat would ground him a bit. She sat with him for a long time, holding him as he worked through his tears and called names of people unknown to Y/N. She did her best trying to comfort him and guide him through his pain. It dawned on her that he was not aware who she was at the moment. She felt this anonymity gave her a certain freedom. "Your Majesty, it is all good, you will be fine, I am here ... Edmund, listen to me, I am here. Edmund." his name rolled easily off her tongue. It was foreign to her native language, or any language she knew for that matter but it was a name she liked, it was peculiar but fitted this unique man in her opinion. "Edmund, try to breathe, Edmund." At the sound of his name Edmund slowly calmed down. His feelings hadn't stopped but he was exhausted and he suddenly felt as if the situation had improved somehow. He came to his senses and his vision cleared up. When he realised where he was, in the state he was, with who he was, his eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. "Miss Y/N I am deeply sorry I - I do not know what - I" Y/N felt equally embarrassed and could barely hold back the blush which filled her cheeks "No no no I am sorry Ed- Your Highness. I am sorry if I crossed a line, I never meant to intrude on your privacy like this. You were so very distraught and I was concerned for your safety, I am endlessly sorry." Edmund took a few deep breaths "don't be .. I .. I must admit I lost my composure there and I do appreciate you.. taking care of me."

The two remained this close for quite a while, perhaps longer than necessary. It felt nice to be held like this and even Y/N, through all her efforts to remain professional, had to admit that being this close to such a remarkable man made her feel a bit giddy.

Eventually however, Edmund got up "Y/N, please, after this endeavour, would you please join me for breakfast." he offered and put on a charming smile, extending an elbow to her. Y/N gave him a polite smile and grabbed his elbow "I would be happy to, Your Highness"

Edmund led the two down to the dining hall where a lavish breakfast was already waiting for them.

This time the words came more easily to him. Edmund felt that this involuntary display of vulnerability broke some sort of ice between them and he found himself rather comfortable around Y/N, happy almost.

Althea watched Edmund's sudden change in behaviour and couldn't help but be slightly disappointed. To him it looked like Edmund was trying to seduce her after his newfound pleasure from last night. As if he was simply trying to get her to sleep with him, jeopardising their entire work as a professional team.

After the breakfast Althea practically scolded Edmund "Edmund, please, I understand that you are yearning for.. intimacy , but please satisfy this desire by calling on one of the mistresses, not by serenading our most useful resource in this investigation."

"Excuse me Althea, what in Merlin's name is making you say that!"

"Do you think I don't notice the way you look at Y/N, the way you talk to her. I understand that she is an attractive young woman but don't lose sight of what is important. She is not your toy to play with !"

"Althea! Stop this at once, you know very well I respect women far too much to ever view them as a toy! And I have no intimate intentions with Y/N. I enjoy her company. That is true, I find her to be intelligent, well-educated, pleasant to work with and caring. Yes, she is attractive but we both know I am not one to go around seducing women."

"Caring? ... Whatever, please keep in mind that she is here only for this investigation. She is an employee of the royal court of the Yuvak, even if you two enjoy each other's company her stay here is limited."

Their conversation did lead Edmund to questioning his behaviour towards Y/N. He understood that exploring these feelings was not only dangerous but also in vain, because she was not his to keep.

The following weeks were filled with work and a close collaboration with the Yuvak people. Thanks to Y/N's help a good relationship was established between the two kingdoms and they combined their forces to work against the mysterious men threatening the stability of monarchies. Edmund's excellent military leader skills came in handy and he was able to contribute to the safety measures taken.

Edmund felt like they were making serious progress even though the end of this struggle was still far away. During all this time he tried his best to keep a respectable distance between him and Y/N.

He tried to satisfy his desires and distract himself with other women but his mind always wandered to her no matter who he was with.

Slowly summer was starting to spread its warmth and brightness. This meant their annual Summer's Night ball was approaching. Y/N had heard of it. The two sisters had started this tradition to celebrate the start of the new season, and secretly to find a match for their oldest brother and perhaps themselves. The ball started the official season in the capital and families from all over Narnie came to try and find matches for their children.

"I will bring the seamstress to your room to get you fitted for a dress." Ruth explained cheerfully. "I'm sorry, Ruth please, my current wardrobe is more than satisfying. I do not need a new dress." Y/N tried to shake it off. "But Miss of course you do, attending the Summer's Night ball without a proper dress would be wildly inappropriate."

"The ball? I had no idea I would be attending Ruth, I have not received an invitation." "Yet," added Ruth "You must know, we, the servants, we talk to each other and King Edmund's messenger boy just so happened to catch your name on one of the invitations. Your invitation has been sent out, it just hasn't arrived yet."

"Oh ... in that case I must apologise, you were right then."

While Ruth rushed away to get the seamstress Y/N couldn't help but smile to herself, being invited to a ball by a proper King was certainly exciting and being able to wear a beautiful gown made her even more giddy.

The dress turned out beautiful. It was a proper ball gown and combined with the jewellery she was allowed to borrow for the night Y/N felt like a princess.

Once the ball had started Althea came to her chamber to collect her "Y/N, soon the King will arrive, we should head down."

He had a rather complicated relationship with Y/N, while he did appreciate her help he felt hurt that she got all this attention from Edmund without even trying. However, he also had to face the fact that ultimately this was not her fault. As much as he wanted to blame her he knew better than anybody else that one's feelings were not always obedient.

The ball was breathtakingly beautiful. The decorations, the music, the food, the people, everything was perfect. Y/N's diplomatic heart was filled with joy as she was able to exchange with people from all over Narnia and even beyond that. She enjoyed meeting so many new people and as the night grew darker she became more energetic, dancing with many people, except for one.

The King was dressed in a suit which fit like a second skin, making him look exactly the right amount sophisticated and sexy at the same time. His dark hair was flowing perfectly in the warm breeze of the night and the handsome smile he put on was intoxicating. His face was clean shaven to show off his perfectly chiselled jawline. His broad shoulders were nicely framed by his jacket and the rings he wore highlighted his strong, veiny hands.

Y/N felt a strange fuzzy feeling in her lower abdomen when he entered the hall. With him being the only monarch of Narnia, and unmarried, many royal women made an attempt to get closer to him. Mothers and fathers, eager to marry off their daughters to the best possible man, were flocking around him like vultures surrounding a carcass. He entertained some of them out of politeness but he knew he wasn't interested in any of them. He only had eyes for one woman, who was currently spinning over the dance floor in a dress more beautiful than all the stars in the sky combined. When he looked at her he could no longer resist the feeling of desire that overcame him. He was so full of her he could barely eat that night. The fabric flowed in a way that made it look like she was floating and the colour perfectly matched her skin colour. He recognised the jewellery she was wearing, the sparkling diamonds were part of the royal collection. These pieces didn't initially belong to the Pevensies, they had been passed down from past monarchs. He was so caught up in the way she looked he didn't even wonder who gave her the permission to wear them.

When she eventually left the crowd of people to catch some fresh air the King sneakily followed her.

He found her on the balcony of the grand library, leaning against the railing, looking out into the summer night. She looked so happy, so beautiful so much like Y/N the man couldn't help but approach her. It was as if his mind and reason had given over the control of his body to some primal urge which he had tried to bury unsuccessfully and which was now breaking out of him like the eruption of a volcano.

"Y/N!" he called and she just managed to turn to face him when he cupped her face and pressed his mouth onto hers before she could protest. Perhaps it was the alcohol she had consumed but Y/N saw no issue in leaning into the kiss. She gently pressed her hands on his chest and this time it was her turn to feel his heartbeat. Only he wasn't calm, his heart was beating rapidly and it matched the eagerness of his kiss. She couldn't help but smile. "Your Highness I-" "Please" Edmund panted "call me Edmund, at least for now, at least for tonight."

"Edmund, I .. I don't know what to say." "Don't worry Y/N I already know everything I need for tonight" he whispered and grabbed her waist, kissing her roughly as he carried her to one of the tables and setting her down. It was as if they had given up control to their hidden desires. In the privacy of the darkness with the crowd only being a background noise the two finally let loose. They finally gave in to all the attraction they had been feeling and denying themselves for weeks. If it weren't for the clothing between them their bodies they would have devoured each other whole. Y/N felt how strong and muscular Edmund really was. She let her hands travel over his broad shoulders and down his chest until she could feel his defined abs underneath his shirt. It was intoxicating to be pinned down by such an attractive man. After all, Edmund was head of the royal army, he was the best soldier they had of course he was incredibly fit.

Y/N considered herself a well off woman, she enjoyed the pleasures of education and employment, in many ways she saw herself as equal to most men she encountered. But there was something so arousing about the clear dominance Edmund had right now. The way he was leading the kiss, holding her body in place and shielding her from their surroundings so that all her senses were consumed with Edmund, Edmund, Edmund.

Her mind was blank, all she could feel was the wetness between her legs and subsequently the hardness growing between his. Y/N rarely engaged in intimate activities, it was a side effect of her profession that she had to maintain a certain distance between herself and almost anybody else. But she was more than happy to leave that behind for tonight as she let her hand travel down Edmund's body and into his trousers. When she finally grasped his aching cock Edmund let out a strained moan "Oh fuck Y/N, you have no idea how much I have wanted this, how much I have wanted you, needed you." Y/N ceased the moment of weakness and switched their position. With Edmund being pressed up against the edge of the table she slowly sunk to her knees while opening his trousers. She looked up at Edmund and met his desperate eyes, screaming for relief, panting as he gripped the table. She looked deeply into these dark eyes and she knew right then and there that not even a guillotine could take away the head she was about to give to this man.

With that she dived in, she engulfed his penis and began to suck on it like a starving woman devouring her meal. She used her hands to work over the length she couldn't cover with her mouth. The girth and length of his cock was intoxicating and she found herself enjoying the sensation of her lips being stretched open. She put in all the effort and Edmund's delicious moans and grunts made it more than worth it to her. "Bloddy hell Y/N for fuck's sake keep going- please- I - argh" Edmund struggled to speak, his voice sounded raspy and he seemed out of breath, so instead he grabbed her hair and guided her head up and down his cock. Y/N happily gave it her all and relaxed her throat to take in more of him. She swirled her tongue around his tip as she sucked. Edmund gripped the table so hard he almost broke off a chunk. Y/N blinked away the tears forming in her eyes and looked up at him with the most innocent look she could put on and Edmund almost went feral in that moment. All the feelings he had ignored, the yearning for her touch, it was all catching up to him at lightning speed and he was overwhelmed by pleasure. With her performance and his pent up desire it didn't take long for him to unleash everything he had into her mouth. Like the eager woman she was, Y/N diligently swallowed every last drop and proudly showed off her clean tongue to the man struggling to stand above her. "Y/N I - I have no words, I haven't felt this good since .. I don't even know" he picked her up and kissed her once again.

"Edmund, please, I'm afraid, the guests, they will have noticed your absence by now" Y/N whispered, afraid to speak the words herself.

Reluctantly Edmund stopped kissing her and gently put her down on the table again "as always Y/N, you are correct .. and I will return but please, I beg you, come to my chamber tonight instead of yours, I would hate for this to be our only encounter." he adjusted his clothing and fixed his hair before cupping her cheeks once more. "Please, consider this a pause, not an end." he kissed her sweetly one last time and gave her a wide smile before heading back to the ballroom.

So, Y/N was left alone with her own arousal, she didn't feel neglected though but rather motivated to get what she wanted later. She took her time to adjust everything and hide any evidence of their little meeting before also returning to the ball.