#ghost x sky

[skylovesducks]

Through the Fog

The fog lay heavy between the containers, dense swathes that swallowed every movement and turned the area into a silent labyrinth. The only sound was the distant dripping of water, interrupted by the faint crunch of their boots on wet steel ground. Ghost led the way, barely more than a shadow in the gray, while Sky stayed close behind him, her M4 firmly in her grip.

“Stay close,” murmured Ghost over the radio, his voice calm and cutting clear through the fog.

“Understood,” Sky replied softly, nodding, even though he couldn’t see her.

The containers loomed like massive, faceless walls, dark and menacing. At each corner, Ghost slowed his pace, his shoulders tense, his weapon ready. He peeked around the next bend, his head briefly moving past the rusted edge of a container. Sky halted and secured the other direction, her eyes sharp and her breath misting in the cool air.

Then her gaze caught something above them – a small surveillance camera, barely visible in the fog, only its steady red blinking light giving it away. Sky froze for a moment, her heartbeat quickening.

Ghost,” she whispered into the radio. “Camera.”

Ghost’s head turned to her immediately. His gaze followed hers, then he carefully moved forward. “Ignore it. Don’t stop.” His voice was calm, almost offhand, but Sky could hear the subtle urgency underneath.

She swallowed and forced herself to shake off the unpleasant feeling of being watched. Don’t stop. Ghost moved swiftly ahead, his form almost one with the fog, and Sky followed.

The red light of the camera blinked steadily as the two figures disappeared silently between the containers, swallowed once more by the fog.

[zhelin-thames]

Danny Brings the Justice League to the Ghost Zone

Clockwork: “Why did you bring them here, Daniel?”

Danny: “I didn’t bring them. They followed me through a portal like lost ducks.”

John Constantine: “In my defense, I thought you were being possessed again.”

Danny: “I was LITERALLY holding a Dunkin’ bag and floating. That’s just me. That’s Tuesday.”

Batman: “This place violates every law of physics and at least four zoning bylaws.”

Fright Knight (materializing from the floor): “You violate my patience.”

Wonder Woman: “This realm... it’s alive.”

Danny: “Yeah, her name is Realmia. She likes boba and cosmic storms.”

Realmia (the actual Realms, vaguely embodied): blows a ghostly kiss and short-circuits three Bat-gadgets

Flash: “Can we talk about how the sky just blinked at me?”

Superman: “The sky has teeth.”

Danny (casually): “Yeah, don’t worry, they only bite time travelers.”

[The sky above them yawns open like a black hole with glittery teeth.]

Flash (Barry Allen): “...Wait.”

Danny: “Yeah?”

Flash:“I am a time traveler.”

Danny: “OH. That explains why the clouds keep growling at you.”

The Clouds: growl louder

Clockwork, sipping tea with visible amusement: “They’re merely curious. You're like a chew toy made of paradoxes.”

Flash (panicking): “I CAN FIX THIS. I CAN FIX—”

Danny: “No, Barry, this is not a ‘run really fast and mess up the timeline’ moment.”

Flash: “EVERY moment is that moment!”

Batman: “Allen, do not run. You will trigger a Realm storm.”

Flash: “What’s a Realm storm?”

The sky above them screams. Loudly. In Morse code.

Danny: “...Oh. That means ‘hi’ and ‘bite.’ It’s kinda both.”

Clockwork, sipping tea with a thousand-yard stare: “It’s been a long week.”

[deadsetobsessions]

Danny no longer has a haunt. So… he decides to find another one. And while he technically has a whole world (other dimensions aren’t an option because he’s going to stay near where Jazz’s grave is, damn it) there’s only a couple of other places with enough ambient ectoplasm to sustain him. Nanda Parbat, Tokyo, and Gotham.

Nanda Parbat had a weird old musty immortal that kept trying to summon him and exchange power for the ability to “take a worthy body and rain as much destruction” as he’d like. As if Danny would need a body to bring the world to its knees.

Tokyo… it’s too far from Jazz’s grave. He could ask Wulf or even open his own portal but when Danny tried it out, Tokyo was too peaceful. Obviously there’s crime, but nothing… nothing big like Danny’s used to.

Danny ends up picking Gotham, even if the sewer zombies and the weird group of rich fruit loops with an adoption problem creeps him out. So, he destroys the portal, packs up his parents’ house and sells it, and hauls ass to the cesspool calling his name. His family’s stuff is stored respectfully in a vault located on the deepest parts of his personal haunt in the Infinite Realms.

And honestly, he’s doing better. Sure, he’s got a shitty apartment near another revenant’s almost-haunt and he feels like he’s drowning all of the time, but Danny isn’t in danger of turning into Dan, he’s catching up on royal paperwork, and he’s got like a job as a barista. In his own coffee shop that paid for using his parent’s money (who, despite their hazardous everything, made a crap ton of money off of their more normal inventions).

Gotham’s got some pretty interesting local gangs, most of which respected the sanctity of Danny’s cafe. Sure, they tried blowing it up and tried extorting money from him in the form of “protection costs” but after three months of failure, they gave up.

(Really, the local gangs gave up when they saw him take three shotgun shells to the chest and continued to work.) (They didn’t know it never hit him. Intangibility is extremely useful.)

The Rogues, on the other hand, just gave Danny flashbacks. Their gimmicks are different, sure, but after years of Box Ghost, Skuller, Lunch Lady, etc., Danny’s more than done with costumed villains. They don’t bother him either. Some of the reason is probably due to Harley and Ivy, who had walked into the cafe and (because they were bruised and scratched up from a fight) triggered Danny’s mother hen tendencies. They were promptly fed and watered and caffeinated and their hyenas were also similarly taken care of. They declared the cafe under their protection and that was that.

Red Hood stops by, and begins to interrogate him. But when Danny met his… helmet eyes? The crime lord paused, paid for his coffee, and sat in a corner table of the cafe for the rest of the day.

And he kept coming back?

But Danny figures it’s because Hood was a revenant and people who had come close to death tends to feel more comfortable around him.

(Considering this is Gotham where people almost die every other day? Yeah, he’s pretty much friends with everyone. Or at least, less likely to get shot.)

(Hood does stay because of the King’s presence and the Pit calming itself, but also Danny’s hot and he’s got a sleeper build and Hood definitely did not imagine himself in the place of the heavy box he saw Danny lift effortlessly onto a table. No.)

But of course, the peace couldn’t last forever. But by then, Danny was so antsy, he welcomed the trouble with open arms.

It starts with a clown. Danny knows who he is. He knows who Danny is.

So, Danny has no idea why the clown thought it would be a good idea to aggravate the owner of Gotham’s official neutral grounds. See, Clovkwork? Danny’s learned how to gauge his own political importance!

“HAHAHAHAHA! COME OUT, DANNY-BOY! LET ME TELL YOU A JOKE!”

Danny comes out and grabs a chair, and with a flat expression, says, “you’re not funny and I hate clowns.”

And then he swings and slams the chair into the Joker’s face. Over and over again until Danny’s sure the clown won’t get back up. The thing about Gotham’s outdoor chairs is that they’re mad out of steel and are bolted down to the ground to prevent undedicated thieves (dedicated thieves can and will steal the bolted down steel chairs). The Joker’s hired muscle just watched this scrawny twenty-something year old yank the steel chair and take some of the fucking ground and the bolts with it and beat the fuck out of their boss who is the literal Joker.

They surrender on the spot and is taken to jail. Danny just smiles at the officers who come by and since he’s got pretty privilege and they don’t want to mess with the guy who, again, owns one of Gotham’s official neutral ground and also beat up Joker without breaking a sweat, the officers just lets him go with a warning.

And then the bats comes, and wow, Danny’s playing mentor to a formally dead person again!

But before that, the Red Hood asks for an autograph on the Gotham Gazette article with a picture of a tired Danny standing over Joker’s prone body. Then Hood stammers through asking Danny out (which Danny said yes to because he’s tired, not blind, and Hood is built like a brick house and HOT).

Batman interrogates him. Danny, who can tell that this man needs therapy and is Sad TM, tells Bats that Danny’s died before and that’s why he’s like this. He also calls Batman a furry, but like in a nice way. And then he kicks Batman out with a coffee and a file on Nanda Parbat.

Now, Danny’s got a date to prepare for and he realizes that maybe this is what Jazz wanted for him- to be happy and mostly safe and happy. (Or, happier, he thinks. It’s been a long time since he’s been truly happy, but this might be a good start)

[shotmrmiller]

those few first initial thrusts at the beginning, the ones where the guy gives that sigh of almost relief as his hands tighten around you, fingers dimpling your skin, eyes glued to where you two meet absolutely lost in the sauce makes my head spin because simon savors nothing. not the smokes he puffs down to the filter in less than a minute, the energy drinks he guzzles down more than he does water, not even the damn food. if he could just swallow it whole without risking death he would but you (and your pussy)???

like the guys sitting around a safe house waiting for dawn to break to exfil and they're just talking about what they miss about home the most. they all say generic stuff, miss their beds, pets, family, whatever so when it's simon's turn they all assume it's food because he's talking about a specific little burger joint that, in their opinion, sounds like a hovel, but no one's ever thought simon has sane taste but then when kyle asks him what does he like off the menu the most his eyebrows furrow and he looks almost repulsed.

because he is.

"the food's bloody terrible. couldn't make me eat there even if it was the last place on earth."

no, he explains, my bird makes up for it. best damn pussy he's ever ate.

[azulhood]

Jazz is wandering Gotham with Danny after their parents visited the city for a convention but left them behind in the excitement of one of their ghost traps going off on the other side of the country.

The hotel they were staying at kicked them out not caring if they had a place to stay or not, only caring that the source of money had left.

Jazz couldn't show how scared she actually was, not when Danny was looking at her with complete faith that she could somehow fix this.

How he managed to keep that faith after a day of jumping at shadows like they held enemies and vending machine food for lunch was a mystery.

She's tired, she's stressed, and she needs an adult.

Like an actual adult and not her much loved but very scatterbrained parents, Vlad did not count either.

Nightwing: *falls from great heights into nearby dumpster* ...ow.

Jazz: ...You'll do.

[starogeorgina]

𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲

Pairing: Aegon ii Targaryen x reader

Warnings: Swearing

1.05

You and Aegon stand side by side at the stables, watching as Ghost and Sunfyre fly together over the castle grounds; at times their bodies look joined together as they swirl in circles so closely, the gold and ivory blending together beautifully.

“Perhaps they can be our children.”

Aegon scoffs, “The queen wants a grandchild from your womb, not one with scales.”

Your wedding would be held in a week, and Alicent was nothing but persistent that you give Aegon an heir immediately, specifically a male heir, which terrifies you. What exactly would happen if you had a girl? It’s not as if you could choose what gender the babe would be. You didn’t like feeling this type of pressure, and neither did Aegon; he was becoming moody and drinking more than normal.

He observes your cream saddle being cleaned by a stable boy and groans. “How come you don’t need to attend your lessons today, but I do?”

“Because I got permission. Besides, you really need to practice High Valyrian.”

Aegon rolls his eyes. “I know the basics.”

“Our dragons deserve better than basic.“

Sunfyre was the only breathing creature Aegon truly loved; being with his golden dragon was the only time he looked at peace, content even. Even the dragon keepers were mesmerised by how close their bond was.

“And it might be fun; we could speak in a room full of people without them knowing what we are saying.”

“Like badmouthing the guests at our own wedding?” He jests.

“Exactly,” you laugh.

You step up onto the gate so that you can look into the pen. You had always been interested in horses, but it was only recently that you were permitted to go out riding outside the castle walls with a member of the king's guard accompanying you. Your grip suddenly tightens on the gate when you feel it start to move.

Aegon laughs; he was shaking the gate. “Don’t tell me you got a fright.”

“I didn't,” you notice the staff in the stables glancing over. “Aegon behave."

“I have been thus far,” he grins.

“Prince Aegon,” Ser Criston makes his presence known. “Best be going before you’re late to your lessons.”

Letting go of the gate, Aegon mumbles something under his breath, then sulks as he walks away. Ser Criston raises his brows, and you jump off the gate. The knight tries to keep his face straight, but it’s clear he found it funny when a small smile creeps onto his face.

The knight places his arms behind his back. “Time to go, princess.”

—

“Is something wrong, princess?”

“No…”

Usually you enjoy horseback riding, but something Aegon said stuck inside your head and was distracting you. It hadn’t taken long to reach the grounds where tourneys were held; you were surprised to see decorations in preparation for a large celebration had already begun. You watch as three young men struggle to move a large sculpture that’s in the shape of a house Targaryen symbol.

Ser Criston moves so he is in your line of view. “Princess, is it your betrothal that’s troubling you?”

“No, Aegon has been... well, Aegon.”

“You’ve been unusually quiet lately,” he says softly.

“Has it ever occurred to you, Ser Criston, that if a girl is young enough that she needs permission to leave her lessons, that she’s too young to have child? Because it has to me.”

He sighs, “To the left, I wish to show you something.”

“What is it?”

He doesn’t reply. You watch for a few seconds as his dark horse takes him further towards the forest. When the knight and his horse become much smaller than your own, you decide it’s time to start following him.

—

“Just like this?”

“Bend your elbow a little lower.”

A wide smile spreads across your face when the stone you toss towards the lake skims over the water instead of sinking. Instead of going the normal route, the knight took you down to a small lake you'd never known existed. It was a warm day, but the light breeze was enough to keep you comfortable.

When you first saw the knight tethering smooth stones, you doubted this would be enjoyable, but you were wrong. “I must admit this is rather fun.”

“My father taught me to skim stones when I was a boy.”

“Do you miss him?”

“Yes, my mother died when I was young, and it was just the two of us until I became a foot soldier.” He fidgets with the stone in his hand before skimming it over the water. “It can be difficult with fathers; I’ve seen many men regret how they’ve treated their children once they've grown old.”

“I doubt King Viserys will lose much sleep over it. We haven’t spoken since Driftmark.”

There’s a rustle in the bushes close by, but when you look over, a baby deer appears. Its dark doe eyes stare at you until a larger deer comes up behind it, probably its mother. The two of them scurry off quickly to find isolation away from humans.

“I wasn’t at court long before Queen Aemma died, but from what I remember she had a soft face, and she was known to be kind.”

“I’m scared I’ll end up like her,” you admit. “I could fall pregnant quickly after marrying Aegon and die in the birthing bed within the year like she did.”

Ser Criston picks up another stone to throw. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t believe Prince Aegon would make the same decision King Viserys did.”

—

You storm into the king's royal apartments, anger radiating through you so violently that your body shakes. King Viserys notices you and smiles, “Ahh, there’s my daughter.”

“Is it true?”

Otto Hightower and the maester share a look. Your father turns and nods at them, and they both hurry to leave, the few servants in the room doing the same.

Your father looks defeated already. “Is that true?”

“How my mother died. You said it was my fault, but it wasn’t.”

“Do not test me, daughter,” he says harshly. “I will not have my late wife’s name brought up in some childish way.“

You couldn't contain your tears as you struggled to speak. “How could you do this to me?” You choke out between sobs. “Both you and Rhaenyra let me believe my mother died giving birth to me, but she didn’t. She gave birth to me naturally, and then Baelon got stuck, and you chose to let the maesters cut her open so you could have a son.”

“Who told you this?”

Ser Criston was the only one who told you the truth—the whole truth—that queen Aemma was butchered while conscious. You weren’t going to get the knight into trouble by admitting it was him.

“Is that all you care about? What do other people think? What about me?” You may have sounded selfish, but he needed to know what this guilt has done to you. “I’ve blamed myself; I thought I killed her, and not once did you tell me otherwise.”

When he says nothing, you shake your head and go to leave, but hesitantly, the king calls after you. “Rhaenyra never knew; I didn’t want her knowing the truth.”

Your heart hammers in your chest. Learning that he cared more about what your sister thought than you was nothing new.

“Your mother used to laugh because the moment it was announced she was with child, Rhaenyra declared that she was to have a sister; she wanted to name you Visenya, but Aemma disagreed. They went back and forth many times.”

“I’ve always loved my sister, and yet she’s always looked at me and saw the monster that took her mother from her.”

“No, that’s not true,” his eyes start to glisten. “If Aemma had lived, she would have doted on you; she would have cherished and loved you.”

“Perhaps you would have as well, if she had lived.”

—

Curled up in your bed clutching onto one of your pillows, you continue to sob and only open your eyes when there’s a knock at your door. A few seconds later, it’s opened by your lady-in-waiting, who was sitting with you previously.

“Who is it, Flora?”

“Prince Aegon.”

You think about moving but decide it’s too much energy and remain in the same position. You weren’t upset anymore; all of your sadness had turned to anger hours ago, but you had nowhere for that feeling to go.

Flora lets him in, and soon Aegon spots you. He rolls his eyes and sighs, “I could hear you crying from down the hall.”

You say nothing. Aegon comes over and sits somewhat awkwardly next to you on the bed, lifting the pillow your head is resting on and placing it onto his lap. When he feels you relax into his touch, Aegon starts gently brushing your hair with his fingers, which, in contrast to his wild, unkempt hair, was soft and smooth.

After a few moments, you finally speak, “My septa told me true strength lies in silence.”

“The blood of the dragon runs deep, and I fear it is a burden to feel things so deeply.”

Intrigued, you tilt your head to face him. “Do you feel things deeply?”

“No, but I don’t like seeing you distressed. It reminds me of when Sunfyre hurt his wing.”

“Oh.”

He makes a tsk sound, “Viserys is a fool.”

“He is the king.”

“And the king is a cunt. There are no victors for those who want his approval or attention.” Aegon leans down till his lips are ghosting your ear, “The way to stop hurting is by not letting anyone in.”

“That sounds awfully lonely.”

He shrugs, sitting upright and straightening his shoulders. Perhaps Aegon was right, but you liked the thought that one day he would let you in.

[weepingtalecowboy]

Fanfic prompt: wind has the ability to see ghosts right

What if the ghosts were using him to tell people things they are incapable of saying anymore and want to move on or whatever

But it is just all the chain's ghosts telling him cryptic threats and wind relaying them word for word in the worst possible times

Like it is just time sleeping together with Malon having a good restful sleep

When he wakes up walks into the bathroom and then he just sees a something written on his face

“He told me he wants his face back or there will be consequences”

And then he freaks out badly because that sounds familiar

Time didn’t even have the time to understand what just happened to him and if it was a weird hallucination but that man was having the anxiety of his life

Or

Legend finding a note in his bag (he freaks out how someone even managed to put one in there despite the protective charms)

And it just says “It wasn’t your fault that he (never) woke up”

(Marin and legend's Uncle)

And it just gives him horrible anxiety

Or

Wild finding a note on his slate that says “you won’t survive as long as you continue like this”

(Mipha was just particularly annoyed at him that day)

Wild took it as a threat

Or

four got a single word

“Shadow”

Then decided that he is probably cursed

And it just wouldn’t stop because wind is just doing what the ghosts want

The escalation happens when he either slips up and gets caught or if Twilight figures him out because he also can see ghosts

[carpenterswife]

ALL MY GHOSTS; series masterlist

PAIRING: Beau Arlen x Fem Reader

SERIES SUMMARY: You’re a deputy working for the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Department in Helena; a good one at that. Since Beau’s arrival, you befriended the Texan, who eventually became the town’s new permanent sheriff. With a growing friendship, blooming feelings, a ton of inside jokes, and way too much fun on the job, it seems like everything is going right for you. But, you’re running from your past, and it seems to be catching up fast.

SERIES WARNINGS: 18+ only, murder, abduction, domestic abuse, stalking, obsessive behaviour, violence, trauma, dark content, angst, age gap relationship, abortion, alcoholism, smut.

WORD COUNT [SO FAR]: 22,696

CHAPTERS . . .

PART I.

PART II.

PART III.

PART IV.

PART V.

PART VI.

PART VII.

PART VIII.

PART IX.

banners in use by @cafekitsune

[s3rrrpentine]

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[toshidou]

don't mind me, i'll just be sat here crying into my hands about girl dad!simon "ghost" riley who would do absolutely anything for his daughters.

girl dad!simon who watches with a fond smile as his children fail to mask their giggles from underneath the sofa, their little legs sticking out very obviously from their "hiding place" but acting as though they're nowhere to be found.

girl dad!simon who lets them apply the black smudging around his eyes, praising them with how gentle they're being, and only huffing out a laugh when he feels his youngest smear charcoal fingerprints down his cheeks.

girl dad!simon who always has time to play with his girls, going along with whatever game their imaginative minds conjure with not a single complaint. over the years, you've walking in on simon as a horse, a robot, a fairy godmother (you will never get the imagine of simon with one of your elasticated waist dresses on out of your head, the material fighting for its life to stay in one piece as simon merely stares at you, silently pleading you to not take any photos), there is nothing he won't do to make them happy.

girl dad!simon who never once hesitates to scoop them into his arms at the first sign of tears, battled scared and inked hands holding his daughter so carefully, though she was made of porcelain, rough fingers gently swiping across ruddy cheeks, "you're okay, sweetpea, it's just a little scrape, yeah? my brave girl can handle a tiny scratch like that no problem, ain't that right?"

girl dad!simon who has a photo of you and your daughters tucked safely in his pocket at all times, all his favourite people on one small piece of paper he keeps safe over his heart whenever he has to leave, making sure it never leaves his mind that 'this is who he's fighting for, this is who he's working so hard to get back to'

girl dad!simon who try as he might, always tears up when he finally arrives back, and hears his little worlds sprinting at him as fast as their stubby legs can carry them, screeching cries of "daddy, daddy, daddy's home!" echoing through the walls of his home, arms wide as he crouches on the floor and feels their small but mighty weight crash into him, finally whole, finally complete, watery eyes meeting yours where you lean against the wall, similarly emotional.

"welcome home, si."

finally, home.

[lefty-draws02]

window snuggles💞

i miss lumity so much🥲

[fourstarsoutofnine]

The Chain as songs I’ve been listening to lately on repeat

Time: From Eden by Hozier

Twilight: Lachryma by Ghost

Wars: Suburban Legends by Taylor Swift

Four: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys by Taylor Swift

Wild: Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron

Wind: Fearless by Taylor Swift

Sky: Gloria by The Lumineers

Legend: Win Win by Set It Off (ft. Scene Queen)

Hyrule: Northern Attitude by Noah Kahan (ft. Hozier)

[emilnikos]

im going insane

[cupidsncheerios]

Ooohh, ok but how does Viktor end up in the  morgue anyway?? Is he ill in this au? Or was it an explosion/lab accident? Oof, if the later Jayce was probably there when it happened a felt Viktor die in his arms.

Also… ghost!Sky got me thinking that she’s been haunting the academy science building for years after dying in her own ‘lab accident’ after school hours. But due to her lack of family it was never fully investigated and swept under the rug.

So when she sees her dear Viktor die in a similar way, she would do everything in her ghostly power to take him back to his body and jump start him.

viktor definitely is ill in this au, but it’s a modern au so he’d have better health than he does in canon cuz like. i guarantee you at least one doctor in piltover suggested bloodletting and modern medicine is at least better than that, but my goal with everything is to make it as funny and silly as possible, so:

viktor died by accident while trying to repair jayce’s ghost vacuum. logically, he probably shouldn’t have, since it’s literally just a vacuum, but sky’s soul leaving him and trying to get back inside was such a sudden shock to the senses that he just had a heart attack and died instantly.

yes jayce was there, yes he did spend the entire half hour before the ambulance arrived sobbing profusely while trying to do cpr, yes he did apologize to viktor’s corpse for breaking his ribs, yes he is scarred for life even after viktor revives

as for ghost sky, my first thought for her death was a scooby doo style ‘found-out-the-owner-of-a-supposedly-real-ghost-manor-was-totally-faking-it-and-got-murdered-to-hide-the-secret’ death, but that’s mostly because it’s funny and i’m not sure to what degree they’d be scientists in this au? like, obviously they do science at least a little, but i haven’t decided if it’s a hobby or a day job yet. if i do decide they’re scientists though, yeah, sky ABSOLUTELY died in a lab accident.

as for reviving him, i was thinking it’d be an empathy thing? like, when sky died, viktor was WRECKED and was really struggling to mourn, especially since she was his only zaunite friend in piltover and losing her really meant he was alone, and jayce comforted viktor through it and helped to get revenge by proving the ghosts were fake and getting her murderer arrested, so when viktor died and she had to see jayce go through the same things vik did, she thought “well, if jayce was a ghost he would probably sell his soul to revive me if it meant viktor wouldn’t suffer, so i guess i’ll do him a favour.”

(follow-up to this post)

[starry-bi-sky]

changeling danny has his wretched little claws in me so here's some AU fey lore

Okay so, i've got a lot of ideas for the Fey Lore in this au. But to start out what may become a sling of posts: a simplified set up of the Infinite Realms. I think I mentioned it before in a reblog of the original changeling danny post, but the fey wilds exist in the IR. In most fanon I see the same scale as the rest of the realms, however i have a different idea for it.

In simplified terms, the fey wilds and the ghost zone are two different things. They both exist in the Infinite Realms, however, they exist on different planes of existence. In simplified terms, there are three separate planes in the Infinite Realms.

The Long Far: Highest realm in the infinite realms. Home to most, if not all, the Ancients. Beings that reside in The Long Far are eldritch abominations, gods, personifications of concepts, and other celestial-type beings. The only way to access the Long Far is through the Starflare Currents in the Feywilds. Which are a nebula of stars that work similar to the ocean currents in Finding Nemo. They are a rapid vortex full of stars that pass over the feywilds that can be seen at night. In order to reach the Long Far, one must fly up to the Current and latch onto one of the stars rapidly flying past. And then they must stay on the star until the currents begin to ascend rapidly upwards. This is harder than it sounds. Ever been indoor surfing? Where you lie on your stomach on a small board and try not to get flung off? Exact same concept. It’s basically the world’s most terrifying escalator to the gods.

The Fey Wilds: The Fey Wilds isn't exactly strictly home to the Fey, however for convenience sake I'm calling it the Fey Wilds. This is the home to fey and other folklore and mythological creatures that may not want to reside in the Ghost Zone. There are no Fey in the GZ. It's not that they hate being down there, but. well.. they hate being down there. They think the place is ugly. The Fey Wilds has ever shifting, expanding amount of biomes. These biomes range from massive redwood forests, to swamps, to essentially Pandora from Avatar. The place can look almost entirely human one moment, and then like a different planet the next. Fey and other inhabitants know how to navigate this easily -- but ghosts? Not so much. There are currently two known ways to reach the Fey Wilds from the Ghost Zone and vice versa: Lake Portals, and Cave Tunnels. Which I will expand upon in a moment.

Ghost Zone: Exactly how it sounds! The Ghost Zone is, well, the ghost zone! It's essentially the same as canon. Same looks, same everything. This is the home of mortal souls and the occasional mythological creature or two, as well as weaker concept spirits. By that I mean like, ecto-octopi. Concept spirits can manifest in both the GZ and Feywilds. Ghosts tend to stick inside the Ghost Zone and avoid venturing into the Fey Wilds because, well, they're still mortal souls. They're gonna get jumped by a fey looking for a new decoration or a new pet/servant/whatever. Best to honestly avoid the fey wilds as a whole.

Now, I just mentioned that there were two known ways to reach the Fey Wilds from the Ghost Zone: lake portals and cave tunnels. I made goofy little visual aides which I will attach below, and then I will explain how they work.

I'll start with the Lake Portals. They are, well, as the name suggests lake portals. Not every lake in the fey wild is a portal to the ghost zone, and vice versa. They're rather uncommon to find in both planes, but it's not like they're hard to recognize.

In the Fey Wilds, lake portals will have a sheen over the water like an oil spill. But instead of the regular rainbow-y colors, it will instead have the ghost zone's colors swirling in it; green and purple. The water will have that sickly green tint to it, and have a slight glow. The plant life surrounding the water are not typically what you'd find in the Fey Wilds, but might in the Ghost Zone. They look different from the regular noxious swamp bogs in the wilds, so its easy to tell that they're lake portals.

In the Ghost Zone, the lake portals will instead be shimmery and blue like a tropical ocean. And just like how there are GZ plants in the fey wilds surrounding the water, there's fey wild plants on the island where the lake is.

How these portals work is rather simple. You dive in and begin swimming down. It's a long swim down, but that's all you gotta do. It will get dark, as there are no plant life in these portals, and no aquatic life either.

It starts getting complicated when you reach what I like to call the border. The border is as the name implies; its a border between the planes. In the lakes it's not physical, however you will feel when you've reached the border and crossed it. Intense vertigo washes over you as your sense of gravity begins to shift and flip; up is becoming down, down is becoming up.

Your goal at this point is to try and push through that vertigo and discomfort and make it to the other side of the border, without getting flipped upside down and swimming back to the surface you came from. This is harder than it sounds as you become dizzy underwater, and since there's no light anywhere, you will try and instinctively seek it out and follow it. You're down too deep to know where that light is.

Once you've reached the other end of the border successfully, your gravity will have flipped without you needing to do anything. You are now swimming up to the surface, and once you do, boom! You're in the ghost zone! Lake Portals are faster to use than tunnels, but very disorientating.

Now cave tunnels are longer, but simpler. Essentially some caves have tunnels that lead into the ghost zone, similar to how in greek mythology there are random entrances to the underworld in the mortal world. I haven't exactly figured out what the tell is for when you're in a tunnel leading to the Ghost Zone, but I know that when it's the other way around it's rather easy -- as you start to climb up.

It's a less complicated explanation: essentially you are descending into the ghost zone through this tunnel. You are on your way down like Orpheus in search of his wife, or like Heracles doing his twelve labors. It can get claustrophobic and of course there is the border.

Unlike experiencing a shift in gravity, you're instead hit with the intense vertigo and an intrinsic fear to turn around. It's an instinctual response to your surroundings changing on a molecular level, and your body in response is telling you to Flee. Basically, you've taken a rip of the Cave Gasses and you feel like you're losing your mind. Once you exit the border its smooth sailing.

Sometimes you get unlucky and there's a Pit Drop and you're suddenly Alice in Wonderlanding your way down to the Ghost Zone. But hey! At least you're not swimming.

those are currently the only two ways i've come up with for traveling between the GZ and Fey Wilds. But all in all, it's meant to be very disorientating stuff; vertigo and nausea-inducing, with just a dash of Existentially Terrifying. Traveling between planes usually is.

[starogeorgina]

𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐲

Paring: Aegon ii Targaryen x reader

Warnings: Swearing, incest

1.06

“𝘐𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦.”

𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳-𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥'𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘢𝘺.

𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦’𝘴 𝘦𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘸 ��𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺.

𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘴, “𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵?”

“𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥.”

“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺.”

𝘈𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥.”

—

“I’m beginning to regret showing you this place, princess.”

Glancing over your shoulder, you see Criston Cole marching down the small grassy hill that surrounds the lake with an unimpressed look on his face.

“I like it here; it’s peaceful.” You turn back to face the still water and skim another stone. With your back to him, it’s hard to know how close the knight is until you hear the light sound of his armoured legs touching; you let out a sigh, “I came here straight after dragon riding.”

“Without telling anyone.” He lets out a loud exhale, “I know you have been unhappy as of late, princess, but you cannot be so reckless; anything could have happened to you.”

“Like what?”

Irked by your playful tone, Criston's voice is more authoritative than normal. “Don’t jest, or do it again. You must always tell me where you are going so I can keep you safe.” He waits a beat before talking again. “Does your fleeing have anything to do with the prince’s going dragon riding at the same time?”

“Yes, Aeg… He no longer wants to be my friend. He only spends time with me when we need to—“ you cut yourself off before finishing the sentence. “I saw him in the dragon pit this morning, and he ignored me.”

Clasping his hands behind his back, the knight gives you a sympathetic smile, “Aegon is a fool, as is every male his age.”

There was no malice in Criston’s words; he had practically raised your brother and knew him better than most, but the knight was wrong about this. This wasn’t an age phase that would pass; Aegon no longer liked you.

A wave of dizziness hits you out of nowhere, causing you to stumble slightly. Criston grabs hold of your arm. “that’s it; we are going back to the castle.”

“I’m fine, Ser Criston; it’s my own fault for dragon riding on an empty stomach.”

He starts to usher you towards where your horse is grazing, “I’ll have food sent to your room as soon as we return, princess—”

—

Avoiding eye contact with the maester, you lock your gaze on the ugly tapestry that was gifted to you by someone in Hightower's house as a wedding present. A castle made out of various shades of green, it looks like a building plagued by overgrown weeds, but not wanting to offend anyone, you allowed it to be hung in your bedchamber.

“Have you been ill otherwise, princess?” Maester Mellos asks.

“Well, I had stomach cramps for a few days and vomited, and I felt rather warm.”

Alicent shakes her head, “why didn’t you tell anyone? Your fainting episode while out horse riding with Ser Criston could have been avoided if you had.”

“Your shield says you’ve had a loss of appetite,” Mellos says, his words sounding a lot less harsh than the queen's. “Do you have any aching limbs? Or suffered from a headache recently?”

“A minor headache, but after sleeping, it went away on its own. I felt fine when I left the castle this morning.”

“Hm,” the maester looks at the queen. “I suspect it’s been a fleeting illness, your grace, and that the princess will recover from today perfectly fine.”

“Thank you, maester Mellos.” Standing from the chair, you smooth out your skirts. “If there is nothing else, I’m going to pray.”

“Perhaps you better change your gown first,” Alicent says.

The hemline of your ivory dress was damp with mud, and there were the odd dots of dirt scattered across you. Clearing your throat, you nod, “Yes, your grace.”

—

The castle’s cellar has quickly become a sanctuary; it was quiet, and the flickering candles underneath Balerion's skull were oddly peaceful to stare at. It was unusual, but you often went there to pray rather than at the sept, which is how Aegon found you. Kneeling in front of the pedestal with your hands clasped together.

“Praying to the seven in front of a dragon?”

“How do you know it’s the seven? I could have been honouring our Valyrian roots.” You stand up and wipe the loose dirt from the light blue fabric of your dress. Trying not to sound too hopeful, you ask, “is it a coincidence we are both here, or did you come to see me?”

You wait for a response, but he remains silent.

Just as you turn to leave, Aegon grips your hand. “Were you planning on telling me?”

Snatching your hand back, you glare at him. Aegon’s grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt, but one of his many rings grazed the surface of your skin. “Tell you what?”

“That baby! I arrived at the queen's quarters to see her and my grandsire celebrating the unborn child I’ve fathered. I know you are displeased by our marriage, but you could have had the decency to tell me!”

“I’m not…” your mouth goes dry. “I suggest you sober up before more lies spill from your mouth.”

His dry lips part slightly, “I’m not lying.”

“Yes, you are!”

“I’m—”

You shove him in the chest, “stop lying!”

Aegon looks angrier than you’ve ever seen him. His jaw was clenched, and the breaths he took through his nose were loud, as if he was trying to suppress his own anger. You flinch slightly when he suddenly raises his clenched fists, but relax into his touch when Aegon gently cups your cheek, caressing the back of your neck. “What would I gain from lying about such a thing?”

“So I’m… going to be a mother?”

He nods.

A fresh wave of tears threatens to spill. “but the maester said I have a stomach illness and that I would be fine.”

“I do believe now that you didn’t know.”

“I don’t understand; how would the queen know this before I do?”

Aegon's cheeks redden slightly; he clears his throat before answering your question while looking uncomfortable. “My mother said your moon blood cycle hasn't been normal; you’ve been getting nosebleeds and have been complaining of a metallic taste.“

“It’s impossible for her to know such things; besides, maester Mellos said

“Mellos? When Aemond told me what happened, I came to your room and saw maester Orwyle feeling your pulse.”

Brows pulling together, you try and put the hazy pieces of what happened together; you could vaguely recall Ser Criston carrying you into the courtyard and calling for help, but that is it until Mellos held vile-smelling herbs underneath your nose. “That still doesn’t explain how your mothers know the other things when I haven’t told anyone aside from Flora, but she’s my friend. She would never betray my trust.”

“She’s a servant.”

“I will speak with Flora on the morrow, but tonight I will speak with the maester. I need to hear for myself if I am really expecting our child.”

A coldness replaces the gentleness in his eyes. “It will never be ours. They will just be another pawn that belongs to my mother and grandsire.”

You feel sick; you didn’t want to believe it, but at court nobody could be trusted. Stepping away from his touch, place your hand across your stomach, “I need to go.”

—

The walk back to your quarters was in silence; you only spoke again when you knew it was safe to do so away from any prying ears.

You sit on the chair closest to the fireplace and finally address the obvious issue, “did you hear my conversation with Aegon?”

The older man cocks his head, “I think it would have been hard for anyone nearby not to. Your voices carry.”

“Nothing has been confirmed to me; perhaps the maester is wrong.”

Criston crouches down so he is eye level with you. “I, for one, am glad to know you are not sick with a serious illness. It’s not often I am frightened, but I was today.”

“I’m frightened now, of pregnancy… and childbirth.”

“What happened to Queen Aemma and those before her is horrible, but not every woman dies in childbirth. Her grace has had four children. I pray that your journey will be as healthy as hers.”

“Do you think Aegon is right? That his family will try and take my child from me?” Your eyes gloss over. “What I’m treated as Rhaenyra was? What if they want my babe parted from me moments after it’s born?” Although you are still upset with Rhaenyra for what happened with Harwin and for not even acknowledging your marriage to Aegon, the memories of how cruelly she was treated after Luke and Joffrey were born are still fresh in your mind.

“I promise, princess, as your protector, I will never let anyone take any child you have away from you.”

—

You swallow the water in your mouth nervously as Aegon suddenly comes through one of the secret doors of your apartment and falls to the floor. He stares at the main door leading in, and when he doesn’t open it, he giggles to himself while standing up. The smell of alcohol on him was strong, and his steps were staggered as he made his way towards your bed.

“What in God’s name are you doing?”

“Why are you whispering?” He asks in a mocking low tone. “We are married, and when your stomach is swollen, it will be a giveaway that we have fucked.”

“Don’t be crude.”

He chuckles, throwing himself down beside you and resting his head on your lap. “I heard the maester confirmed it. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“Shouldn’t you? We must be in the hours of the eel.” Instinctively you start playing with his hair; you expect Aegon to tell you to stop, but he doesn’t. “Although you stink, I’m glad you are here; I’ve missed spending time with you.”

He makes a pfft sound. “You looked miserable at our wedding. That’s why I’ve done my best not to bother you since.”

You remove your hand from Aegon’s messy hair and tilt his chin back so he’s looking up. “Is that what you think? I had a mixture of feelings on that day, none of which were because of you.”

He looks away, “you flatter me.”

“I doubt you will understand, and I may sound stupid, but I was upset because I got ready alone. Rhaenyra and Flora helped me get dressed and did my hair on the day I married Ser Harwin, but before our ceremony I only had handmaidens whose names I didn’t even know. It just wasn’t a nice feeling knowing I should be celebrating but didn’t have anyone to do it with.”

“You don’t sound stupid,” he says quietly.

“I’m sorry if I made you think I was unhappy about our union.”

A few moments of comfortable silence pass; you continue stroking his hair until you feel a damp spot on your nightgown. It takes a moment for you to realise that it is because Aegon is crying. Panic starts to rise inside you, “I didn’t mean to upset—”

“He’s going to take you from me.”

“What? Who?”

Sitting up, his face is only inches away from yours; he slurs, “the babe. You’ll love him more than anyone else, and you’ll forget about me.”

“That’s not how love works. I love ghost because we are bonded; Helaena, as my sister, I will love this babe as a parent, and you because you’re my husband.”

“Do you love me?”

You place a soft and gentle kiss on his lips that still has the taste of wine lingering on them. Somewhat content, Aegon rests his head on your chest, his ear pressed near your heart so he can listen to the rhythm of it beating. He hesitates at first and then places the flat of his hand against your stomach.

“Makes you presume it will be a son? You’ve no way of knowing the sex of the baby.”

“Trust me, I know it’s a boy.”