#give me autumn or winter please i beg

[ansitru]

If summer has no haters, I'm dead.

[lanitalay]

When a High Lord is powerless.

summary: Eris x human reader, reader is sick, Eris is freaking out.

a/n: since i'm just getting over a sickness I wrote this to feel better about myself. enjoy

Warnings: none

wordcount: 1.1k

Eris pulled at his hair, helpless at the scene before him.

You were sick. The night before you told him it was a “common cold.” 

“It’s a human thing I guess, since you ethereal fae don’t ever get the sniffles.” 

He had never been around anyone ill. Fae got injured. Accelerated healing made it so only deadly blows would do any real harm. But it was never anything invisible that would wound, it was magic, blades, fire. Yesterday you had been perfect. Eris listed the things he saw you do in his mind: breakfast, ride through the groves, read, play a game of chess… all the usual things that kept you busy. 

“High Lord, I beg, don’t touch the High Lady. She has a very high fever and we must lower her temperature.” The words were a blow to his gut. A contradiction to the very instincts that urged him forward, closer to you. 

“High Lord, please.” The healer looked at him with wide eyes. He could not find malice in them, only worry to match his own. “What can I do?” 

The healer sighed and wiped her brow. “If you could find ice, it would help the fever.” 

He nodded, exiting the room at once. In all his years his magic, his fire had never been the cause of his self loathing. It was the fire that kept him going in the dark days when Beron was alive. The same fire that kept you warm in the cold Autumn nights when you first arrived was now aggravating the monster that ravaged your body. 

He winnowed to the border with Winter as soon as he stepped out of your chambers. Scooping chunks of ice and snow and praying to whatever gods might hear him that it would be enough. That they might spare you. 

Would a god implore him in a bargain? Your health for his magic. If it would bring you harm when you needed help he would be rid of it entirely. Or perhaps his immortality. There’s no him without you, not anymore. He might trade his lifespan for a human one. You’ve said that you have sixty years if you’re lucky. That would be enough… what god might- “Oh thank the Cauldron you found some! The ice in the kitchens ran out.” The healer yanks the bag from him and begins to coat your body in the frigid substance. You moan, discomfort rousing you from sleep. 

“Eris… where is he-”

“I’m right here, love.” Your hand reaches for his, but the healers instructions were clear. Heat would worsen your condition and he was a walking furnace. “I’m right here, the healers say the cold will help with the fever.”

“I don’t- I don’t like this Eris, I’m cold. Hold me, please…” He can’t stand it. The paleness of your skin, the heaviness in your eyes and the dark circles beneath. Your teeth are chattering. He steps closer. “High Lord! She is merely uncomfortable, the ice is helping. Please try to remain calm.”

He fumes. “Then make her comfortable! She’s your High Lady! If harm comes her way I will not hesitate-”

“Don’t yell, my darling. I’m alright… just a bit cold is all.” Your voice is barely a whisper as it slaps him across the face.

“I apologize, I’m worried about my mate.”

The healer huffs in acknowledgement and returns to her ministrations. “It’s just a cold Eris, I’ll be fine by tomorrow. Back in the Human Lands my mother would make me broth and I’d be back to normal.” 

“What kind of broth?” 

Then he was in the kitchen. No cooks were on duty in the middle of the night so he followed a recipe from a book, which he ignored a soon as he foud a medicinal journal. He boiled anything he could find with healing properties to make an unappetizing broth but at the very least it would help your body fight. 

“This smells terrible.”

“Humor me.” You gag as you get another whiff but manage to down a few sips. The lukewarm liquid soothes your throat so, against your tastebuds screaming otherwise, you sigh in relief. “Is that better?” 

You nod and give him a quarter of a smile. 

“Is there nothing else I can do?” 

“You can brush my hair.” Eris looks towards the healer for her approval. “So long as you only touch her with a brush, it should be fine, High Lord.”

He  massages your scalp with the soft bristles of the brush andthen proceeds to rid your hair of the tangles being in bed had caused. If he was being honest, it looked like a bird’s nest. He’s as gentle as he can, and a loud snore makes his heart jump to his throat. You’d fallen asleep again. 

“Her fever is better, I will return by sunrise to check again. If anything happens please do not hesitate to call, High Lord.” 

“Thank you, Willa.” She nods and pats him on the shoulder. “She’ll be fine, my Lord.”

It’s morning when Eris wakes up in the chair beside your bed. A sneeze that startled both of you was his good morning. “I need a handkerchief.” You request while covering your nose and mouth with your hands. Eris digs into his pocket and gives you his. “Don’t look at me while do this, sweetheart.”

“Why not?” 

You roll your eyes and just urge him to “look away!” He does and what follows in a wet, squelching sound he cannot imagine is coming from the beautiful creature on the bed. “All done,” you say in a defeated tone. The energy you had gathered from sleep had been wiped out by a sneeze and a blow of the nose. 

“How are you feeling?” It takes you a while to reply as you cuddle up closer to the pillows substituting Eris’ body. “A bit better, I suppose.” 

“You said you’d be back to normal today.” What if you had taken a turn for the worse? Had the fever been too much?

“It’s not an exact science, my love. But my throat doesn’t hurt anymore, so I am better.” 

  “You’ll be the death of me I swear.” You reach your hand out to his. He hesitates. 

“I don’t have a fever anymore, hold my hand.” He has no power agaisnt his mate and has been craving your touch for hours. Your hand is icy in his, but its just as soft as he remembers it. “See, I’m right here, not going anywhere yet.” 

Yet. Because you had your days numbered, illness or not. He would never be ready to part. Never wants to face eternity with out you. So he reaches out to the gods again, hoping at least one would take up his bargain.

[florencemtrash]

Flame, Shadow, Beast : Prologue

Azriel x Reader x Eris

Summary: Years after Eris frees you from his father’s prison, you’ve managed to find a new love, new friends, and build a life for yourself in Autumn. But when a certain Shadowsinger stumbles upon your home, dragging in painful memories of betrayal and longing, you’ll have to face the things you left in the past and make choices about the future you want.

Warnings: Death and mentions of torture

Comment below or message me if you'd like to be added to the taglist. Also, check out my masterlist if you would like to read my other works.

Flame, Shadow, Beast: Masterlist

Another body dropped down from the sliver of cave light that cracked through the darkness. You were like a creature of the deep sea, formless and blind after ages spent under the immense weight of the ocean above you.

But you didn’t have the luxury of being dead along the ocean floor.

No, you were pitifully still alive.

The body hit the ground a dozen feet away from you with a familiar wet crack followed by a wretched moan.

You stood up on shaky feet, one hand pressed against the stone wall to your left as you let the sound of the poor fae lead you forward. It was a male’s voice, low-pitched and gruff in their cries of pain. With the faint light available you could make out the rich scarlet tones of his hair mingling with the blood that ran through the arteries of the floor like a river through a canyon. 

“No. No… please.” The voice moaned out. 

Pity sang through your chest, a painful but reassuring reminder that you had managed to hold onto scraps of your humanity with tooth and nail. You could only imagine what stories they told of the beast beneath the mountain. The beast that killed the ones who would dare defy the High Lord of Autumn, drinking power from their veins before casting their bodies deep into the stone that traced the borders of Autumn and Winter.

The male tried to scramble away from you. His legs were broken, dragging along the floor as he heaved himself forward.

“Stop moving.” You said, your voice hoarse from lack of use.

The shuffling increased.

“I said stop.”

You finally reached him, feeling your foot press up against his and the heat of his breath warming your legs. He had managed to sit upright, one hand brandishing a rock in warning. 

You poured honey and softness into your voice, trying to calm him down.

“I won’t cause you pain. I promise.”

You reached out blindly, searching in the darkness until your fingers closed around his forearm. He weakly pulled away from you, but at the instant that you began to absorb his pain his shoulders slumped forward, all the fight within him leaving his body with a relieved exhale.

“What-what are you doing?” His words were slurred and wet. Blood trickled out the corner of his mouth.

“I’m taking your pain.” You said quietly.

Every word spoken at these depths sounded too loud to your ears, echoing off the silent stone. You winced as his pain became yours, shoving it into a deep corner of your heart where you stored all memories of this evil place.

“It’s one of my talents, if you can call it that.” 

The Autumn soldier who’d tried so hard to run away was suddenly melting into your touch, begging you to give him some reprieve. You traced the burned skin of his back with a light touch, erasing the pain like the sea could sweep away footsteps.

“You’re one of Eris’s men, aren’t you?” You asked, although you were certain you already knew the answer, “Beron sends a lot of them down here.” 

He nodded, leaning his head against your shoulder. You reached up and combed back blood-matted hair. It was short and blunt beneath your fingertips - cut with a brutal hand. The first thing Beron did was cut the hair of prisoners, robbing them of their appearance and some small measure of their beauty.

“I am.” He said.

“And how long did he hurt you for?”

The male winced, “Seven months.” His heartbeat had begun to slow in his chest now that the pain was gone.

That’s good. You thought quietly to yourself. The last male had been a prisoner for over two years. 

“I’m sorry.” You murmured, feeling his soul begin to slip away as you drained him of his pain and then his power. It was the only thing that had kept you alive all this time. That and the promise you’d made yourself that if you ever looked upon the High Lord’s face again it would be with a sword against his throat.

“Tell my High Lord…” It took him a long while to gather his strength. He swallowed thickly, “Tell Eris I never betrayed him… If you can.” 

“I will.” You promised, feeling your chest clench painfully at his display of loyalty. 

“What are you?” The male breathed out and his body went slack. 

You buried your face in your hands and began to sob.

A prisoner just like you. A soldier who was too loyal for their own good.

Next Chapter ->

______________

Author's Note: I always have a difficult time deciding if I'd want to be with Azriel or Eris from the ACOTAR universe. Neither character gets much screentime in the books leaving it to us readers to interpret them to our heart's content.

Around Autumn time, I especially find myself leaning towards Eris and evaluating the flaws and hypocrisy of the Inner Circle/Night Court. This angst-filled, multi-chapter fanfiction was a product of my fantasies about the characters this last month.

I've already written most of it and I am now just in the editing phase, so this project of mine will be updating every week on Wednesday evenings.

I hope you enjoy! As always, feel free to message me or comment on posts. I'm trying to be better about interacting with users on tumblr because you all seem like really cool people and I've enjoyed reading people's blogposts and fanfiction works.

Love,

Florence B.

Taglist: @nightless @mmb-09 @thesnugglingduck

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

D23: Frozen: What to expect | Discussion

D23 is just a week away, coming next weekend and we're expected to get a lot of Disney content! But will Frozen be a part of it? I believe so, yes. Frozen has two films coming out, Frozen 3 and 4 and also has a series coming out called Frozen: Winter Festival based on the leaked dolls so it's a must that Disney feeds us new Frozen content!

Please note that I'll just be guessing at what they could announce at the panel. Nothing's confirmed yet. These are my thoughts and opinions based on the evidence we have. What kind of Frozen content could we be expecting exactly? Let me break it down.

Frozen 3 and 4

With the announcement of Frozen 4 earlier this year with Frozen 3 already in the works, it's likely Disney will give us the full release date for Frozen 3 and 4. So far we know Frozen 3 will be released in 2026. Given the previous two films release dates, the third and fourth installment will also most likely be in November. Earlier this year (or was it last year?...) a few release date slots were leaked and one of them was 27 November 2026. Same for Frozen 4, except the date was 24 November 2027, a year after Frozen 3 like i expected given it's a two set film. So we assume Frozen 3 and 4 will have those as its release date but that has not been confirmed as of yet but it should do during the D23 expo.

Series

A few months back, we were all surprised by the leaks of brand new Frozen dolls with will be available on 15th September (A day before my birthday!). The shorts are set to release this fall. What's so special about dolls? Well it's also the information that comes with it. The info can be found in the link above but it states that the dolls, with new outfits, are part of Frozen: Winter Festival. We all thought at the time that this was a short like Frozen Fever, Olaf's Frozen Adventure and Once Upon a Snowman. But later on with another set of dolls, in the same outfit but included Olaf, the Nokk and a carriage. The description of the set reveals Frozen: Winter Festival is a short-form series. Short-form series are series with episodes under 20 - 30 minutes.

This is one of the doll packs in a box:

The box is what I want to draw attention too because it includes the recent new Elsa render/ still and a new logo design for Frozen. The title is the same but what it's in, the diamond shape with a detail pattern on the sides. The box has a blue purplish pink colour on it and the background seems to be of the woods we see in the first film. It can't be the Enchanted forest because it doesn't have a lake, and this is not the dark sea because that's part of the beach. Some of you might be like what's the big deal but for some it might feel a sense of nostalgia because this aesthetic of the box is similar to Frozen's aesthetic. Frozen 2 had the autumn leaf and a lot of things felt different. Change was the element of the movie anyways. But this short could be a mix of Frozen and Olaf's Frozen Adventure which I'm super excited for!

With this series set to make the beginning of Winter we expect a similar vibe to Olaf's Frozen Adventure with the holidays theme. Here are the descriptions for Elsa and Anna's dolls:

What we'll see in the short, based on the dolls and their description:

• The main Frozen gang will host an inaugural (mark the begging of winter) Winter Festival to celebrate Arendelle, family and friends

• Some familiar faces

• Two new looks for Elsa and Anna: A ball gown and a festival attire

• The Nokk will take part in the event

I also just realised Elsa's birthday is on the Winter Solstice, December 21st aka the beginning of Winter! So I would love to see Elsa's birthday addressed in the series! We have Anna's birthday and now we could have Elsa's birthday! And it's a double celebration because we should have Elsa's birthday and definitely the Winter Festival.

At the expo, we should have an update about this short-form series and get a full release date. A trailer and first look with a poster is possible too if it's set to come this fall, which is just around the corner. And also the cast reveal and story synopsis.

The series will be animated like the movies and shorts. Short-form series usually, as far as I know, air in TV but I'm not sure if this will air in TV or go straight onto Disney plus.

Any other new Frozen content?

Other than the movies, Frozen 3 and 4 and the short-form series, Frozen: Winter Festival, nothing else has been leaked or confirmed at this point with regards to the franchise so I can't say what else to expect. The team are good at revealing unexpected surprises with Frozen 3's announcement than Frozen 4's and then we have doll leaks revealing an upcoming short-form series (could be accidentally on purpose) so who knows what else is in store for us. (Though I know not many of you will want to expect or have high hopes which is fair)

The series is probably there to keep us fed until we have the big meal (Frozen 3 and 4) in two years. After the series is over, we'll probably have to wait til Frozen 3 and 4 for another big Frozen content. Announcements like casting could be released in 2025, next year and trailers we'll get in 2026 if it follows the same pattern as the previous two films. But then again you never know. We never expected the series so who knows, Disney could surprise us at any time.

And that's all I believe will be announced Frozen wise as far as we know. Anything else they've got planned will also be announced unless they're saving it for a later event. If you guys are expect anything else to be announced in D23, let me know!

[neptuneiris]

Hi!! I love all your modern aemond fics and no one writes him like you do but I’ve read all your stuff more than once and need new recs 😭 would you consider making a list of all your favourite modern aemond fics/authors? Would highly appreciate 🫶🏻🫶🏻

hello love! thank you so much for your very kind words, it means a lot to me that you like my writing so much🥺❤ and well, it's hard to make that list since I haven't found modern aemond fics lately, even you probably already read the same fics as me, but it doesn't hurt to re-read those too😊

curiosity by @aemxnd

i love this one shot, I always come back to it because absolutely everything is so good👌

teacher's pet by @sapphire-writes

this modern and professor aemond got me in my knees! the plot and the smut is incredible!

just a word by @onesapphireeye

I can't even explain what I feel reading this one shot, the angst and smut here is a delight😭

a little game by @endless-ineffabilities

another masterpiece, I loved it!

valentine's day by @vhagarlovebot

it has slight angst but it's so good, I loved reading this!

his property by @aegonification

there's no way you haven't read this, but if you haven't, what are you waiting for? girl this made me get down on my knees, this daddy aemond made me beg him for more😭👌

after the closing shift by @marthawrites

this author writes amazingly and this one shot…. uff, I don't even have words, just read it please🙏

"be quiet" by @youraverageaemondsimp

there's no way you didn't read this either, but you have to re-read it, give it the support it deserves, it's just amazing, fluffy and with the smut we deserve!

de facto by @humanpurposes

no words, simply amazing. I always love to read it, I can't get enough of it🙌

unhealthy addiction by @myfandomprompts and you were always with me

this girl here has really good fics and THIS ONE SHOT just confirms how well she writes, i love it! i also added a series by her that is not modern aemond but totally worth reading, it's amazing, i swear you won't regret it!

summer's end, autumn's beginning by @marthawrites

another one shot from this writer that had me completely captivated and in love, simply amazing👌

the winter formal by @valleyof-goldenlilies

this one its just SO COOL! and the smutt👀👌

baby said by @mydemimonde

SO HOT AND SO GOOD!

after hours by @sepherinaspoppies

this one had me all red and hot🥵

a fine line by @officialaemondtargaryen

this series has me biting my nails, I'm so excited to see what happens next! if you haven't read it, please read it and also give it lots of support that it deserves it!

growing on you by @huramuna

this broke me and gave me back my emotional stability at the same moment, incredible writing👌

rumble and sway by @targaryen-dynasty

SO HOT, SO HOT AND SO FUCKING GOOD!

one more night by @eraenaa

omg I don't even know what to say about this one shot, I loved it

hearts and handcuffs by @aemonds-fire-writes

this was definitely so good, I loved reading it all,

late night visitor by @valeskafics

omg this one shot-GIRL!

[maenchkin]

-“Warm Memories”

how johnny met y/n

(side series to “pink tulips”)

-𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭🌷

Johnny was only 9 when he met her. Stranded out on the street because his parents wouldn’t allow him in the house. It was only by chance that a 13-year-old girl was heading home from her friend’s house when she saw a small, weak-looking boy sitting on a curb, shivering from the cold autumn breeze. He was only wearing an old button-up shirt and a pair of worn-out pants; no fit for the frigid December front that was coming in.

Carefully, Y/n walked up towards him, and set her hand lightly on his shoulder. The boy jumped and effectively brushed her hand off of him.

“D-don’t you touch me! I’m fine, I don’t n-need yer’ help!” he yelped, his head sinking further in between his legs, as if he thought he would disapear.

“Please, it’s cold. If you come with me I can help you,” Y/n begged,

The boy didn’t respond, simply pretending Y/n didn’t exist. He’s met people before who’s tried to “help” him, but were only trying to get him sent off to a boy’s home.

Y/n didn’t know what to do, but she knew she had to help him. She carefully slipped off her thick winter coat, exposing her bare arms to the chilly tempratures; and pulled it around the boy.

He lifted his head towards her, the jacket was warm due to Y/n’s body heat, and it warmed him up some. 

“My name’s Y/n, what’s yours?” she carefully lifted up his hands and held them in an attempt to warm them up, though she was cold herself.

The boy stared at her, seemingly in shock of the warm spreading not only in his back and hands, but the strange warm starting to fil his chest. Why was this pretty lady genuinely trying to help him?

“J-johnny,” he shivered out,

“Johnny, what a lovely name. Do you happen to like soup?”

“S-soup?”

“Yeah, we have some leftover at my house if you want some. It’ll warm you right up,” she told him, her voice coated in a sweet honey, drawing Johnny towards her.

He was unsure, and Y/n could tell in his eyes. So she stood up slowly, still holding his hands. By instinct, and not wanting to lose her touch, he stood up with her. And followed her all the way to her house.

When they entered, Y/n could only welcome the warm. Her arms were numb from the exposure to the chilled weather, but could only imagine how cold Johnny was.

She dropped his hands and walked him to sit on their couch, deciding it would be best to keep her coat on him.

“Stay here ok? I’ll warm up the soup and you’ll be feeling better in no time,” she assured, waiting for him to nod towards her. When Johnny gently bobbed his head towards her, she headed off to the kitchen. The boy heard her opening cabinets in the distance. To fill his time, he peered around at his surroundings. Warm yellow lighting coated the various framed pictures on the wall. He assumed most of which were of family. In the corner, a basket of homemade quilts and blankets, next to it, an old sowing machine, clearly well loved.

The buzzing of the stove broke him from his trance, Y/n poured the cold soup into the pot before heading into the living room. “My mother is out of town for a few days, so it’s just us,” she said gently. Y/n sat next to Johnny and held his hands in hers, comforting him. “You can sleep on the couch tonight, if you would like. Or you can take my bed if you would prefer that,”

Johnny knew better than to steal a girls’ bed, so he told her he would take the couch. 

The two spent a few minutes to getting to know eachother. Soon, the air was filled with the smell of chicken and veggies. Johnny’s stomach grumbled in anticipation. His parents had been failing to give him real food for the past few days, his only source of food was the almost empty sleeve of bread in the cabinets.

“I warmed up a lot, I hope that’s ok. I’m absolutely starving,” She giggled. Johnny's stomach rumbled loudly. “Sounds like you are too,”. Johnny nodded eagerly, practically drooling from just the smell alone.

The two got up and headed to the kitchen. Y/n grabbed a large spoon and two bowls, she stirred the soup around and poured it into the bowls till they were almost overflowing.

“Heh, sorry about that. I kinda spaced a little bit,” Y/n said,

“That’s ok..Y/n,” Johnny smiled, uttering his words carefully.

“I assumed you wouldn’t complain too much,” she joked, which earned a small laugh from the boy.

They took their bowls to the couch, Y/n set her bowl on the coffee table before heading over to the fireplace to get a fire going. 

Johnny hesitated before trying his soup, soon afterwards, he realized how delicious the meal was. He couldn’t help himself before scarffing it down like a starved man. Which, he was.

The fire was steady and sure, Y/n was confident it would carry on just fine now. She turned around to see Johnny’s bowl empty on the table. “Wow. I didn’t think it was that good,” she joked. 

“I’m sorry,” Johnny said, guilt setting in. “Oh it’s ok Johnny. We have plenty more if you want some,” she smiled. 

Y/n took his bowl and returned with it full. She knew Johnny wasn’t gonna ask for it himself. She sat down next to him and indulged in the dish herself, Johnny joining her with his second portion. The two set their bowls on the table, Y/n had flipped on the television to the cartoon channel. Consumed by Mickey Mouse, she didn’t notice Johnny had dozed off, not until she felt a weight on her shoulder. Looking down, she realized he had fallen asleep, wrapped in the blanket that had been draped on the couch, replacing her jacket which was now on the floor. Quietly she got up and tucked him in with another warm quilt from the basket in the corner. Afterward, she flipped off the TV and headed to her own bedroom.

-

Y/n woke up bright and early, the sun just barely over the horizon. Her mother always made it a habit to have breakfast together every morning.

Carefully walking up the stairs, she saw Johnny sleeping gently on the couch. Y/n was glad to see him look so peaceful.

She waltzed into the kitchen and gathered ingredients for pancakes. Her mother had a killer recipe that she adored. Of course, she hoped Johnny would like it too.

When Y/n finished the batter she heated up the pan and flipped on a record. She fixed a cup of tea after getting the first pancake cooking. Y/n made sure to go quickly, ensuring food would be ready for Johnny to eat once he woke up. But she also realized quickly that she had too much food for just the two of them.

Y/n mulled it over. Of course, she could just refrigerate them, but she didn't want to be eating pancakes for the next few days.

Then, almost like a cartoon, an idea sprung upon her. She ran to the phone in the hallway, and pressed a familiar code into the keypad. The other side picked up quickly.

"Hey Darry, you busy?"

-

Johnny slowly opened his eyes, smelling the wonderful scent of cooking food in the air. He sat up, looking around. He heard footsteps in the kitchen and sizzling sounds accompanying them.

'Food?' he thought to himself. Johnny got off the couch and peeked around the corner, to find Y/n flipping over a beautifully golden pancake. He thought she wouldn't notice him, but his stomach betrayed him, rumbling loudly. Y/n turned around and smiled at him.

"Mornin' Johnnycake! I'm almost done with breakfast if you wanna sit at the table." Y/n said, motioning to the dining table next to him.

Johnny obeyed her, sitting obediently in the seat closest to him. He watched Y/n finish cooking the last pancake and realized how large the stack she had created was.

Y/n carefully brought the plate of pancakes to the table, where they sat beautifully in front of Johnny.

"Ok, I know it's a lot," Y/n laughed softly, slightly embarrassed, "But I have some people coming over to help us out," Y/n finished. "I hope that's ok with you Johnny," she added, watching his expression.

While Johnny was a little nervous about meeting new people, he wasn't gonna object to what Y/n did. She let him sleep in her house and eat her food for god sake! To Johnny, she was basically an angel sent from heaven.

The two heard a knock at the door. "Ah! That's them," Y/n said, rushing over to the door. Johnny leaned back to see the door. "Thanks for coming on such short notice you guys," she said. Johnny saw a boy that looked to be about her age, behind him were two younger boys. Brothers of the older boy, he assumed.

"No problem, Y/n. I was just about to cook up some breakfast, so you saved me from that duty," the boy her age said laughing. Johnny watched her lean down to talk to the younger boys. "Soda, Pony, I have someone I want you to meet," she smiled, looking back at Johnny.

The three followed Y/n into the dining area. "Darry, Soda, Pony, this is Johnny Cade. Johnny this is Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy Curtis," she smiled, setting her hand on his shoulder to lend some form of comfort. Johnny shyly waved back. Soda walked right up to him and shook his hand. "Hiya Johnny," he said, "You one'a Y/n's buddies?" he asked. Johnny looked at Y/n quickly for confirmation. Y/n smiled warmly and nodded, so Johnny looked back at Soda and quietly said 'yes'.

The group all sat down and piled up their pancakes. As Y/n assumed, the Curtis's housed any leftovers, which she was happy about. Soda and Pony got along with Johnny great, though he was still a little shy. Darry sat next to Y/n and mostly talked to her, aside from the occasional scolding he did to one of his brothers if they were getting too rowdy.

-

The group moved outside since the younger boys needed to get out some energy. Y/n found an old football Darry had left in the garage at one point, so the three youngest were wrestling over it in her yard. Darry and her sat on the porch watching them.

Darry turned to her, "When did you meet Johnny?" he asked. Y/n smiled, "You're gonna laugh," she said, looking back at him. Darry smiled back at her, "Just tell me," he pleaded.

Y/n sighed, "Ok, so you know how I was at Mindy's last night?" she asked. Darry nodded, remembering the two of them working on some essay together. "So I was walking home and I just came across him. The poor kid was half frozen, and I knew there was at least something I could do," she explained, "So I brought him home and let him sleep on the couch.".

Darry hummed, "I mean, it would've been what your mother would've wanted you to do," he said. Y/n nodded in agreement. "I just feel so bad for him. I mean what parent leaves their kid outside in the middle of November?" she asked rhetorically. "The parents around these parts do," Darry responded, "'Pretty sure he lives down the street from us. Poor kid gets screamed at about every night. You know he's probably getting a whoopin' along with it too,".

Y/n's hands went up to grasp the necklace she was wearing, rolling it between her fingers. She stared at Johnny, who was tossing the ball towards Soda. She could feel a knot in her throat that she tried swallowing down. "I just can't stand that," Y/n finally said, looking up at Darry. Darry's eyes softened, looking at the look on her face.

"You helped him Y/n." he said, "Yeah maybe that kid doesn't have a good home life, but you showed him an act of kindness he ain't used to seeing,". Y/n's eyes widened. "You gave that kid some hope. I can tell that means the world to 'em." Darry finished, looking back at his brothers and Johnny.

"Darry, you got such a way with words sometimes," she said, smiling widely. Y/n leaned towards him, briefly resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, but you better not go tellin' everybody that," Darry responded, leaning his head on top of hers.

Johnny looked back at Darry and Y/n, smiling wider than he had probably ever in his whole life. He finally felt welcome somewhere. To Johnny, Y/n was the most special girl he had ever met.

-

[khuzena]

Seasons.

Itoshi Rin, Michael Kaiser x g/n!reader

Summary: Like how flowers bloom in spring, how flowers bask in the warmth of summer's embrace, their petals fall in autumn and their essence crumbles in winter. Their heart does too, though it still beats for you <3

Warning: Angst, breakup, cheating, drifting apart, hurt just hurt. No fluff, we don't do that weak sh here (kinda but nothing lasts forever).

A/n: life update. Been gone for MONTHS, sorry for no update :(. i fell in love, fell out of love but took me months to get over and now i came back ^^ tho I'll post a full update if any of you still remember me and want to know everrrrything that went on these months i was inactive:>

Listening to: MR. LOVERMAN

Michael Kaiser

I've shattered now, I'm spilling out

Upon this linoleum ground.

The memory still ingrained in the crevices of his heart like a fresh wound.

He remembers it like it was just yesterday.

It was spring when he met you.

His headphones blaring music so loud the world went silent around him as he walked without a care in the world. There you were, some nobody transferee with a dream, three books hugged to your chest as you bumped into him.

"A-ah! Sorry!" The books fell to the ground, kneeling as you tried to grab all your pens that fell too.

Kaiser sips his tea in his balcony, The cacophonic mantra of sorrys of that sunny afternoon still ringing in his ears.

When he also knelt down to your level to help you carry them, he shrugged it off and apologised back.

Your gazes locked, it was new, so exciting. Yet It felt so dangerous.

Then, he swept you off your feet on the summer beach.

There were three things that caught his eyes that day: the endless sea, the ice cream that melted on the sand and you.

"Pfft you— you wasted your ice cream!" That sweet laugh of you still haunting him in his dreams everyday. It was June when he told you -he was lonely- it would be fun if you tagged along in his trip to the seaside.

The soft sand touching your skin and his, as he inched closer to your face. His heart raced, faster than he's ever felt before.

Your lips touching, he expected it would feel like fireworks exploding in new years but no— it felt like home. He was no longer just a man, he was a lover (too).

The sun set and till autumn, every kiss, every hug was straight out of the movie.

It was just the two of you; his eyes never leaving yours, a kiss on his neck or two, maybe even the trickling sweat from his forehead.

Either way, it felt just right.

Autumn, he was tired.

Though he could not leave you, not when he was your loverman.

Not like this.

He may have loved you, but he loved feeling loved more.

A little too much— that he found himself in the arms of another woman.

"It isn't what it seems like, mein liebe please." His fingers gripping your wrist hard, begging you to stay.

How could you? Why would you?

He smelled too much like that other woman.

From a noble, rich, revered professional athlete now turned into an idiotic, dishevelled, weak man. Begging for forgiveness, he got on his knees and sang your name like a prayer but it was no use.

You were no god, it was not your obligation to forgive nor give salvation to those who've sinned.

You couldn't look him in the eye. All your love for him fell in a blink of an eye. Not all of it though.

"I'm sorry, I know you won't forgive me. But please, don't leave me tonight."

It was true when all your love wasn't gone for him, maybe you were selfish too.

That night, you indulged in this sin too. You were a sinner too, maybe even more than him.

You've sinned against yourself, your own morals for your pleasure.

It was Winter when you left.

The morning after that loveless night, he shed his tears in his dreams— he didn't want you to see.

Though you've seen through him.

It was natural to feel hatred, contempt and confusion because of his act of betrayal.

But you didn't.

You cupped his face gently, tracing your thumb over his tear-stained pretty face. He cried again; not in his dreams but in your embrace.

His heart broke more at the sight of you looking at him with such pity.

You've packed your things that day. As you opened the door you were greeted with first, the taxi cab then the gust of strong snow carried off by the wind.

"I guess this is it."

"Yeah"

A man with an ego of god, staring at you with eyes of a believer, still hoping, praying you realise that you can't live without him and run to his arms and stay.

But you didn't.

And you looked back to him one more time, the cold has already frozen your tears.

Then, silence.

'Shit, shit, shit' the thought raced in his head as kept pacing around in the living room.

Though he knows it's for the best. He's a selfish, self-centred, arrogant man.

Though if there's one thing: he loves being loved more than he loves you.

But when you left, he realised he loved you more that he let you go.

He was no longer a loverman, just a man.

Itoshi Rin

The ways in which you say my name, Have me wishin' I were gone

They ways that you say my name, have me runnin' on and on

Not too much, not too little.

How'd he describe his past relationship with you.

It was just right.

Where did it go wrong?

Was it when he stopped saying your name sweetly?

Or was it when you stopped cheering for him in his game?

It wasn't that, he still doesn't know why you both fell apart.

Though as cold as he is, he's as gentle as a flower on the inside.

When you started your midterms, he had a bouquet; the largest in the store possible.

He plopped it on your desk as he saw you tirelessly study your notes. Sighing, he made you some tea to calm your nerves.

"Rinnie, you didn't have to do this," Groggily said as you examined the bouquet to your left, "You didn't have to get me this…"

"But you deserve it."

A flush creeped in your cheeks when he blurted it out with no hesitation, did this loverboy love you to the moon and back this much? Oh how'd you tease him for this a billion times.

The bouquet was still as fresh as when you got them— it was already summer but he took good care of it.

His eyes watching your every move; the clicking sound of your pen, your frown as you tried to absorb the lesson and your oh so pretty eyes.

He could never get enough of this, he's wanted to see this sight every day, every night for the rest of his life.

Maybe marriage would do? But like all stories, not all are fairy tales.

Everyday until autumn he'd take you to a cafe you both liked. It was quiet and it smelled like coffee— the perfect combination.

Like all flowers do, the petals started to fall from the vase.

At this point of the relationship he was too busy to care about getting you flowers, or tending to your needs as he had his to attend to.

But, the relationship was happy… right?

He was oblivious, too naive to notice what was going on.

Though you were there, you wanted to fix things.

You'd bring him tiny trinkets from your work trips, a yummy cake from a nearby bakery or maybe some pair of cleats he was eyeing (though most of the time he already had bought it right after you gifted him one.)

The relationship was getting boring.

It was going nowhere.

Though none of you wanted to go anywhere.

Even though he'd hold you in a tight embrace, it felt cold. Was it the weather? Or was it just him?

The 'I love you's that'd slip from his lips often, stopped. There were no more random compliments or cute nicknames.

An occasional gift or two, though he was an idiot, he gives and gives and doesn't know how to take.

When winter came he was no longer begging you to warm up with him near the chimney or near the Christmas tree.

It was winter, his heart turned cold.

"Lets break up"

Adamancy dripped from his tone, he was serious about it.

"Why?"

Why?

"Because… I don't see this relationship going anywhere."

Your heart shattering into a million pieces, you wanted to punch his stupid face. How could he say that nonchalantly?

Though, it was true.

It wasn't going anywhere.

He knew it was for the better; he loved you too much to trap you in such a boring, loveless relationship.

Maybe one day, it will be spring all over again.

But your hand is holding another man's (or woman's).

He passed by another flower shop, he thinks he should buy you another bouquet again.

Notes: I wrote this at 12 am (it's 2 am now). I apologise for any grammatical mistakes :(( super tired and i have an unfinished sci assignment. I dont wanana live anymoreee. Idk if any of u still remember me tho LOLOLOL.

If u do i'm sorry if i dropped some underwhelming work as a return to the bllk tumblr fandom ehe (no kinktober just heart wrenching angstober ^^)

Written by @khuzena. Likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated. ♡

[cerberuscomms]

𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐒𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌 𝟗𝟑 –– 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌.

below are lyrics from the artist halsey, from her albums room 93, badlands, and hopeless fountain kingdom. feel free to change pronouns to fit the ask better! tw for s*xual innuendos/situations/content, drug references, and mental health issues. if you could please give the post a like / reblog, that'd be great! it helps to spread the resource around. this was also made without using a traditional bullet list format to help out mobile users who have been having a hard time copying/pasting from them!

&. ❛ flashing those eyes like highway signs. ❜

& .❛ light one up and hand it over. ❜

& . ❛ i promised myself i wouldn't let you complete me. ❜

& . ❛ i didn't mean to fall in love tonight. ❜

& . ❛ you're looking like you fell in love tonight. ❜

& . ❛ can we pretend that we're in love? ❜

& . ❛ feel like we've been falling down like these autumn leaves. ❜

& . ❛ don't let winter come, don't let our hearts freeze. ❜

& . ❛  would you bleed for me? lick it off my lips like you needed me? ❜

& . ❛  i bet you kiss your knuckles right before they touch my cheek. ❜  

& . ❛ would you lie for me? cross your sorry heart and die for me? ❜

& . ❛ i wouldn't leave you if you let me. ❜

& . ❛ now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it. ❜

& . ❛ already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it. ❜

& . ❛  there's an old man sitting on the throne that's saying i should probably keep my pretty mouth shut. ❜

& . ❛ if you want to break these walls down, you're gonna get bruised. ❜

& . ❛ my demons are begging me to open up my mouth. ❜

& . ❛ i sold my soul to a three piece, and he told me i was holy. ❜

& . ❛ what kind of dough have you been spending? ❜

& . ❛ what kind of bubblegum have you been blowing lately? ❜

& . ❛ all we do is think about the feelings that we hide. ❜

& . ❛ all we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign. ❜

& . ❛ sick and full of pride. ❜

& . ❛ california never felt like home to me until i had you on the open road and now we're singing. ❜

& . ❛ would it really kill you if we kissed? ❜

& . ❛ i remember the fear in your eyes. ❜

& . ❛ could you imagine the taste of your lips if we never tried to kiss on the drive to queens? ❜

& . ❛ because i remember the weight of your ribs if you lied between my hips in the backseat. ❜

& . ❛ you're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope. ❜

& . ❛ you're dripping like a saturated sunrise. ❜

& . ❛ i know i've only felt religion when i lied with you. ❜

& . ❛ everybody wants to know if we fucked on the bathroom sink. ❜

& . ❛ how your hands felt in my hair, if we were high on amphetamines. ❜

& . ❛ we chain smoked until three. ❜

& . ❛ you gripped my hips so mean. ❜

& . ❛ they know you walk like you're a god –– they can't believe i made you weak. ❜

& . ❛ when his hair falls in his face and his hands so cold they shake. ❜

& . ❛ his lips like tangerine and his color coded speak. ❜

& . ❛ i'm such a fool for sacrifice. ❜

& . ❛ every single time make a compromise. ❜

& . ❛ i was pure as a river but now i think i'm possessed. ❜

& . ❛ you put a fever inside me and i've been cold since you left. ❜

& . ❛ you've got your mistakes in a bed back home. ❜

& . ❛ you've got a fire inside but your heart's so cold. ❜

& . ❛ i've done some things that i can't speak. ❜

& . ❛ i try to wash you away but you just won't leave. ❜

& . ❛ i came here so you'd come for me. ❜

& . ❛ i'm begging you to keep on haunting me. ❜

& . ❛ do people whisper about you on the train like me? ❜

& . ❛ you shouldn't waste your pretty face like me. ❜

& . ❛ you can't wake up; this is not a dream. ❜

& . ❛ i think there's a flaw in my code. ❜

& . ❛ these voices won't leave me alone. ❜

& . ❛ i sat alone in bed 'til the morning; i'm crying: 'they're coming for me'. ❜

& . ❛ i tried to hold these secrets inside me. ❜

& . ❛ i can't help this awful energy. ❜

& . ❛ i couldn't stand the person inside me; i turned all the mirrors around. ❜

& . ❛ i'm meaner than my demons. ❜

& . ❛ drowning the thoughts out with the sounds. ❜

& . ❛ don't get cut on my edges. ❜

& . ❛ my tongue is a weapon ❜

& . ❛ if you want to go to heaven you should fuck me tonight. ❜

& . ❛ i find myself alone at night unless i'm having sex. ❜

& . ❛ he can make me golden if i just show some respect. ❜

& . ❛ if i keep my eyes closed he looks just like you. ❜

& . ❛ can you hear my heartbeat fuckin' kicking? ❜

& . ❛ you call me 'sweet thing'. ❜

& . ❛ this is heaven in hiding. ❜

& . ❛ when you start to look at me, a physical fatality. ❜

& . ❛ i can tell you mean it 'cause you're shaking. ❜

& . ❛ as soon as you meet me, you'll wish that you never did. ❜

& . ❛ i got a problem with parties 'cause it's loud in my brain. ❜

& . ❛ i want you to love me now or never. ❜

& . ❛ i can sometimes treat the people that i love like jewelry. ❜

& . ❛ i can't believe that anybody ever really starts to fall in love with me. ❜

& . ❛ i run away when things are good. ❜

& . ❛ i never really understood the way you laid your eyes on me in ways that no one ever could. ❜

& . ❛ so it seems i broke your heart; my ignorance has struck again. ❜

& . ❛ someone will love you, but someone isn't me. ❜

& . ❛ i gave you the messiest head. ❜

& . ❛ i think you make me a maniac. ❜

& . ❛ i'm thinking, 'damn if these walls could talk'. ❜

& . ❛ i'm about halfway through a cabernet. ❜

& . ❛ told my new roommate not to let you in, but you're so damn good with a bobby pin. ❜

& . ❛ now you're going to play me like a violin, hitting these notes. ❜

& . ❛ i told him i never really liked his friends. ❜

& . ❛ i always make the same mistakes because i'm bad at love. ❜

& . ❛ i never got the chance to make her mine because she fell in love with little thin white lines. ❜

& . ❛ we're not lovers, we're just strangers with the same damn hunger. ❜

& . ❛ i woke up to another mess in the living room, broken bottles all around my feet. ❜

& . ❛ they talk and drink and laugh about things and fall in love in my backyard. ❜

& . ❛ i'm faded away; you know i used to be on fire. ❜

& . ❛ i'm standing in the ashes of who i used to be. ❜

& . ❛ i flew too close to the sun that's setting in the east. ❜

& . ❛ now i'm melting from my wings. ❜

& . ❛ it's my own anxiety that makes the conversation hard. ❜

& . ❛ i still let everyone down when i change in size. ❜

& . ❛ i went tumbling down trying to reach your high. ❜

& . ❛ i scream too loud if i speak my mind. ❜

& . ❛ you said i'm too much to handle. ❜

[promiscuouspomegranate]

hihi!! sorry if you already have requests or if you’re busy!

could you write a story about a poor fem reader who meets a rich noble? probably not something modern but not too ancient. idc if it’s the stereotypical “omg an injured sexy prince on the side of the road!! let me bring him back to my cottage and feed him stone soup because i am so sickly and poor!!”

thank you !! 🩵🩵🩵

Aching Autumn

Fem reader • Prince Thatcher

TWs: Abduction, Mentions of starvation, Poor living conditions, Reader gets death threats, Thatcher is rude, Violence, + Reader gets her fingers dirty.

(This is my first request I’m literally foaming at the mouth cackling crying sobbing and so HAPPY!! THANK TAHK YOU!! I worked on this a bit and I think it turned out well. If you have ivory skin or locks of gold.. my bad 💔 Feel free to let me know if you wanted anything else. Sorry if it isn’t that good… this is my first time writing in a while 😭)

Although the seasons changed, it seemed the conditions I lived in were stagnant, from the cruel, cold winters that frosted my lips and gnawed at my fingers to sweet spring days that warmed my heart and soothed my soul. It seemed I was destined to live a life of poverty and hunger. After all, what could the bastard daughter of a drunkard wanton accomplish other than lamenting on the town streets of what could have been?

On this particular autumn evening, there was an ache in my heart; no words of comfort or looks of pity could soothe, for I saw the man who was supposed to be my father holding a child with golden hair and ivory skin–something I never had. I tried to elevate myself above the town gossip, but when I heard his name, I knew I had to see it with my own eyes. I needed to see my replacement. He smiled at the child, and I could feel bitter tears streaming down my ragged face.

“My father… You are supposed to be mine. Not that stupid angelic creature who you hold so dearly,” I bit my thumb and stared into the window, “You horrible man! You are my father!”

My father glanced out the window, and I felt my heart shatter when his face contorted into pure disgust. I emptily stared at him and pressed my hand against the glass. That child of his and some refined lady had stolen my leisurely life. I gently knocked on the glass and begged to be let inside. The baby began to sob, and the curtains were drawn. The front door opened, and I was violently dragged into the streets by my father.

“I told her to keep you away from me,” He furiously whispered and tightly grabbed my arm, “You are not welcome near my home. You are no child of mine.”

“But I am! I came from you and will always be a part of you, please,” I cried and pleaded with him, “If I were given an opportunity to clean myself up and become a member of society, I swear I could–”

Before I could finish my sentence, I was thrown into the road and kicked in the stomach.

“You will have to seek your opportunities elsewhere,” My father stepped back and glared, “Perhaps you could sell yourself the way your mother does. You’ll gather enough money to raise a regret of your own.”

He abandoned me, the same way he did when I was nine, slowly and cruelly. Savoring every moment of my cries for him to stay with me and ignoring my presence like I was the wind blowing on his back.

“Horrible man,” I muttered to myself when he was gone once more, “I hope the child dies in his arms and he can feel half the misery that I know.”

I brushed the excess dirt off my dress and readjusted my crimson scarf. I ambled through the town and arrived at the front of my dilapidated building. I decided I had encountered sorrow once too many today and went to the woods bordering my home.

“What I would give, if I had anything of value, to soar in the sky with the doves,” I squinted as they fluttered by, “How lovely.”

The mourning doves called out to each other and perched on pine branches. They hid themselves from me, and I strolled deeper into the woods. I ignored posted signs and warnings to the common people to stay out of the Queen’s forest. I hardly believed it was her land; she had never stepped in the forest. What right did she have to claim what she couldn’t see?

“I suppose it must be nice to claim things as you please,” I felt myself slip into my fantasy of grandeur and smiled, “I would claim the whole world if I were Queen.”

I pretended that the trees curtseyed and bowed as I strolled by. I straightened my posture and pretended the birds were my people. I politely waved and smiled like a queen would–delightfully and regally.

“Oh, I suppose these flowers are for me? Why, thank you, little girl,” I went down and picked what I assumed were wildflowers from the forest floor, “They will look lovely in my crystal vase by the stained glass window. The sunshine yellows would make a lovely spring gown.”

I hummed to myself and stooped down to pick more flowers. I carefully selected each one, though each flower seemed perfectly grown. I selected each by how strong the fragrance was; the more robust the scent, the more I could sell them for in the town.

“I wonder what kind of flower these are? I haven’t seen anything as beautiful growing in the forest before,” I murmured and put one in my hair, “I’ll gather one to replant in front of home.”

I had only begun to uproot the flower when I heard the galloping of stallions and the blasting sound of brass horns. I paid no attention; usually, the royalty stuck to a particular path to hunt the Queen’s favorite animals–ruby red cardinals, acorn brown deer freckled with pearly dots, and soot black bears. I heard the bloodhounds howling as the galloping began to fade into the ambiance of the forest.

I finished uprooting the flower and placed it with the others. I felt something lick my hand and gasped. I saw a bloodhound lazily resting beside me, panting and stupidly staring at me. It licked my hand again, and I pulled my hand away from the dog.

“Stay back,” I demanded but looked nervous, “I’ll.. well, I don’t exactly know what I would do to you.”

I cautiously reached my hand out and placed it on the dog’s head. I began to stroke behind its ears gently and smiled.

“I suppose you’re not that scary,” I mumbled and looked for a tag, “It appears the Queen hasn’t claimed you. Perhaps I will make you my own.”

I took my scarf off and wrapped it around the dog’s neck. I felt joy when it stared at me and rested its head on my lap.

“Such a beautiful thing, aren’t you? You can be my dog since the hunters are so careless,” I squeezed it and sighed, “Yet, I fear you don’t understand a thing I am saying. You probably will run from me the second you see your owner.”

The dog began to howl, and I felt alarmed as the galloping returned. I tried my best to soothe the dog into silence, but it persisted upon howling. I turned around and saw stallions charging toward me. I scooped the dog up, grabbed a flower or two, and sprinted through the woods. I heard men shouting after me, demanding I stop in the name of the Queen. I felt terrified and ran to the frantic beat of my heart.

Yet, no matter how fast I was to run, the horses would always defeat me. I was cornered by nobility and froze in fear. The other bloodhounds were growling at me, and I set mine on the forest floor.

“What an odd combination of bird and tiger. The cowardice of a bird to take flight and the boldness of a tiger to try and outrun horses and your fate,” A man wearing a green cloak frowned upon me–he seemed repulsed by my sight, “Speak, peasant. Make your last words something interesting.”

Promptly, he aimed his rifle at me, and I began to sob in fear.

“Brother, put your rifle down. The woman is clearly lost; why else would she be in these woods? Pity the poor thing and don’t frighten her,” A man wearing a brown cloak intervened–his eyes seemed gentle and welcoming.

“Einarr, could you spare your false sympathies? Not only has she racked up enough crime to be a prisoner in hell as well as Earth, but she also trampled through mother’s flower garden,” He scoffed and put his rifle aside, “It’s either I put her out of her misery now, or mother decides to stroll through the forest and sees her garden missing flowers then makes the whole country suffer her wrath.”

“Thatcher, you seem to forget about our mother’s kind nature. How, if a flower or two went missing, she would smile and think of the beautiful creature that wandered into her garden and was able to appreciate beauty,” Einarr dismounted his horse and clutched its reigns.

“Beautiful creature? I’ve seen more beauty in war than I have her ragged face,” Thatcher dismounted his horse and approached Einarr, “I am assuming this is your attempt at humoring me, so I spare her.”

The two seem more occupied with arguing than dealing with me. I wiped my tears away and fell to the floor. I could feel their eyes burning into my skin as I weakly opened my mouth.

“Forgive my insolence, Your Majesties. I never meant to cause such trouble and ruin your hunt. It is true I wandered into the forest and got lost along the way,” I prayed nothing would ruin my lie, “It tattered my dress and face; I find myself quite weary. I never will step foot in the woods again if it means you so graciously spare my life.”

I heard chuckling from one of the princes and poked my head up. I saw Thatcher terribly trying to mask his amusement as Einarr glared at him.

“Ah! For an ill-bred lady of low rank, she manages the audacity to ask favors from us? Say, do you think you’re more nobility than we are to make such demands? I will fetch your golden crown and scepter, and Einarr will–”

“That is enough, brother. Clearly, she is more worthy of a crown than you are. Such gentleness and kindness despite the cruelty of her circumstance,” Einarr approached me and kneeled to my level, “What is your name? I must know, or I fear I will go mad.”

“Y / N,” I sputtered out and felt breathless, “I am no lady, your majesty. I am only a bastard daughter who managed to lose herself to the perplexities of the woods.

“Einarr, you should be more careful around the animal. She might be rabid and contaminate you with the unforgiving disease of poverty,” Thatcher followed behind Einarr and shoved him aside, “Besides, shouldn’t the heir of the kingdom be at a diplomatic meeting?”

“I suppose you are right about something, Thatcher,” Einarr mounted his horse again and stared at me, “Farewell, Lady Y / N.”

Einarr rode away, and the dogs followed behind him, except for the one I called my own. It was lying beside me, and Thatcher seemed unamused.

“Eris, do not lay with her. Come, girl,” He demanded and crossed his arms, “I said come!”

Eris seemed content lying beside me, to Thatcher’s dismay. He noticed the scarf wrapped around her neck and glared at me.

“You... You were going to steal my dog, weren’t you? You wretched woman,” He clenched his fists and pulled me up, “How dare you steal so much from your providers?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty! I thought the dog was unclaimed and–”

“Silence! Einarr may be foolish enough to entertain your words, but I will have none of it,” He tightly gripped my arm and frowned at me, “Not even death will be enough to punish your crimes. You deserve to be tortured among the criminals of your dastardly rank.”

I felt my lip quiver as his auburn eyes searched into the darkest corners of my heart.

“Yet, even the most painful torture is not fit for you. No, I will choose your suffering myself,” He led me to his horse and forced me to mount it, “I will decide your fate, Y / N.”

He hopped up, wrapped his arms around me, and tightly gripped the reigns. I felt my heart pound as he rode away from the forest.

“Are.. are you going to kill me? Please, just put me out of my misery now,” I begged and felt nauseated.

“I am going to give you a fate worse than death,” He whispered in my ear, “Your fate is intertwined with mine now. Enjoy the scenery of the forest, for I fear this is the last time you’ll see it up close.”

[antiquatedplumbobs]

~an excerpt from Violet Sewell's private journal~

Autumn 1910

I am almost dead on my feet with how weary I am, but it is a good weariness: the exhaustion that follows a day well spent and promises a satisfying night's sleep.

Today the Brindleton Grange held it's annual harvest festival. It is nowhere near as large as the New Simland State Fair, which while impressive in size and scope, leaves me drained physically and emotionally. We haven't ventured back since the boys were little and I learned just how difficult a journey of that length with young ones is. I like the more intimate feel of the harvest festival, celebrating the season with people we know and care about.

I was up late last night making biscuits for the luncheon and finishing my entry for the pie contest. I made my mother's buttermilk pumpkin pie, which never leaves a slice uneaten at home, but was yet again unable to unseat Anna Greenfield's spiced blueberry and bayberry pie from the first place position, I shall have to accept my second place ribbon with grace and decorum. The competition is really only for good fun and I was the first to beg a slice from Anna after the judging, that pie is stupendous and she only makes it once in the fall. Despite my very polite inquiries she refuses to part with the recipe.

However, the Sewell Family did not leave the festivities without a blue ribbon, Willy's pumpkin got top marks for size and appearance. He can be rather bashful about things like this, he's not prone to fits of ego or bragging, but I could tell he was quite pleased. And he doesn't really need to do his own bragging, since Hamish spent the whole afternoon telling everyone. The pumpkin competition might be a bit less friendly than that of the pies, menfolk being the way they are...

It was a bumper crop for apples this year and the children set up a game of bobbing for apples. I never played it as a child and I'm not sure I missed out, the girls got positively drenched playing at it. Elsie worst of all, though she did win several rounds so I suppose she got something for her efforts, even if it is only the respect of her peers. It does seem a bit unladylike to me, and I did give her a bit of a scolding for getting her dress wet, but I am so happy for her to have all the friends she does at this age, girlhood is no time to be lonely.

There were many fun activities for the children like pumpkin carving and even a hay maze. Charlie particularly enjoyed that distraction I could barely drag him out when it was time to go. I think that he and his little friends may have decided it was their castle and he was a knight charged with protecting it, but it's a bit hard to understand him on account of him being only three.

It was a jolly afternoon to celebrate what's left of autumn, there is a definite chill to the air this evening and I can almost smell the frost on the wind. The shutters are closed tight against the chill most nights now; I suppose I must accept that winter is hiding just around the corner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

next / previous / first

[thewhumpcaretaker]

✦ 𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐈𝐕: 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 ✦

Sources: One | Two | Three

Event Host: @wickblr

Summary: After faking his death at the duel, John has gone into hiding deep in the desert to preserve his peace. Sofia Al-Azwar begs him to come back to the everyday world...and confesses her love. This is my first time writing John x Sofia! I hope it seems like them...

CW: Kissing, and that's about it. It's just angst and fluff.

The air is perfectly still, and dry with oncoming winter. But here, it’s always dry. It’s the richness of burning wood that truly makes the moment feel like autumn.

Night is making its way down in a blue-black gradient, the lowering of a ceiling rather than a sky. There’s nothing but sand for so many miles. And everything has already happened. What future is there? The space feels eternal. An epilogue.

“John. How long will you wander alone out here?” Sofia’s fingers weave deeper into his hair. His head is in her lap, both of them staring into the campfire, and she’s just…petting him. He needs touch so badly, after some seven hundred lonely nights. It’s been two years now, since he faked his death. And Sofia is the only one who knows where he is.

He doesn’t answer for so long that she thinks he’s fallen asleep. Then, “Long as I live.”

In front of her crossed legs, Dog whimpers and licks John’s forehead. Then he moves off to curl up with Lerna and Orthus, the three of them forming a cozy, tangled pile on the other side of the flames.

Sofia shakes her head, even though John’s not looking at her. “You fought so hard to survive. Why don’t you fight the same way to get back to a normal life?”

“It’ll all just happen again. I’m tired, Sofia.” He sounds that way. His voice is even rougher than usual.

“Dog’s tired. He’s tired of getting sand in his paws every time we visit you. Come back to the hotel with me.” She knows it’s futile. They’ve had the conversation dozens of times. But every time, she says it anyway.

“Give it up.”

“You know I’m too stubborn for that. It’s how I survived: being too stubborn to give up on myself. You deserve the same persistence. Hell, you were so persistent for…well, for Helen’s sake.” What did she almost say there? For the sake of his friends? For her sake? She knows that’s not why. Sofia frowns deeply. “She wouldn’t want to see you living like this. It’s no way to honor her memory.”

That strikes a nerve. His voice has a little more edge to it this time. “She wanted me free. Out here I’m free.”

He’s pissing her off by this point. Her hand stops moving over his hair for a second. Let him feel the weight of what he’s doing. “You’re alone, John. I'm surprised you haven't lost your mind out here. This is solitary confinement. It's torture. Stop it.”

His answer is the same as ever. “Yeah. I’ll think about it.” As if he already knows his answer. But unconsciously, he curls closer against her body, hugging her knees.

The silence reigns again. Sofia leans down over his body, embracing his whole torso to give him as much contact as possible in the little time they have before she’s back in the world of struggling against the High Table, of day-to-day life. He should be there too. Anything, anything to reach him… “People love you. Living people.” It’s a second before she realizes what she’s said.

But he knows. Of course he knows. “…I love you too.” John shifts onto his back, where he can reach up and hold her in kind and god, it almost breaks her. She feels like she’s holding his body back from a motionless river, the waterless, unforgiving current of the dunes. A stagnation, instead of motion, but he could sink and drown in it just the same as water. She won’t let that happen to him. Let his life be a life, not just a haunted survival. Please…

His breath against her lips is proof that his head is still above the waves. And then they’re breathing into each other, biting at each other’s lips, stubble and teeth and refusal to let go, his hand tangled in her hair now too. They get primal so quickly, they understand each other’s vicious energy and bring it out of one another. Fists on each other’s backs, pulling each other closer. Sofia topples over, and now they’re laying side by side. She pulls his head back for a second by the hair, staring fiercely into his eyes. “It’s too dusty for sex out here. Come home with me and we’ll fuck on a nice plush rug in front of the fire.”

He just laughs, and kisses her again. Goddammit. Well. At least that wasn’t a no. Sofia settles against him, staring up at the stars and allowing herself the recklessness of hope.

Night has fallen entirely. The sun is dead beyond the black horizon. But a light still glows: the flicker of her campfire. It will come to him in a cycle of months instead of days, but it will always come back. There’s still light at the end of the world.

[shadowhandss60]

I saw your plea for fanfic ideas and immediately hit the ask button.

I beg of you please give us manorian and the thirteen but like happy. This fandom deprives me of happy thirteen content.

Tried for happy and cute while trying to remain true to the characters 🙂

(I liked this, now I wanna do more happy moments with Manorian and the Thirteen)

***

"Neat trick." Asterin said, lying back on her bedroll. She had an arm tucked behind her head as she stared at Dorian.

He was sitting upright, one arm propped on his bent knee while the other swirled in the air, passing various elements around the fire he had created before them.

"I think it would be more interesting were he to set something or someone on fire," Vesta called from the opposite side, staring a little too long at the king before her.

"Yeah, you.” Sorrel grumbled from her place to the left of Asterin, facedown on her bedroll.

A few of the thirteen laughed at that and Vesta flashed a vulgar gesture towards Sorrel, which the third could not see but returned all the same.

Dorian chuckled under his breath, eyes unfocused as he searched for something, or someone, beyond the circle.

Asterin had noted Manon and Dorian's inclination to save space beside one another when it came time for rest early on in their journey, though she never mentioned it to either of them.

He sent a flame careening around the group and Asterin tracked the glow in the rest of the thirteen’s eyes as they followed it.

The king’s gaze shifted back to the forest before his sapphire eyes landed on the fire again.

"How does it work?" Briar, of all people, called out beside Vesta.

She had been sitting crossed-legged with her arms folded, scowling at the king for darkness knew how long. It was a good sign, considering she usually outright glared at outsiders.

"I just will it." Dorian shrugged. "Sounds foolish when I say it, but it's really my only explanation. I tend to think of some of the elements as seasons at times; it helps me focus when I'm training."

The ball of ice circling the group began to grow until it burst into a whisp of fine flakes that scattered in the breeze, though none hit them.

Imogen raised her hand from her bedroll to try and caress them but said nothing, turning her head to face the king from her place beside Sorrel.

"Ice and snow for winter."

"Your personal favorite," Vesta noted gesturing with the blade she had begun sharpening.

Dorian shrugged. "Yes, you could say that."

A few others sat up, not awoken as none had been sleeping, all waiting for their Wingleader to return, but rather intrigued.

Asterin then heard a sound like a waterfall and looked up to see the dome surrounding the camp where water seemed to trickle down around them, reaching far enough to cover their group of wyverns.

"Water for spring." Dorian continued.

The rain began to stream heavier down the sides of the dome, then as he brought his hand down to stop the downpour, the fire before them roared.

The shield surrounding the camp seemed to thicken as if to keep the blazing light hidden from any watchful eyes.

"Fire for summer."

Asterin looked to him then, his eyes blazing gold when reflected in the firelight.

There was a pause as the flames ceased and Dorian must have been reaching out with his magic as both he, Asterin, and the rest of the thirteen turned their heads to the sound of approaching footsteps.

Manon Blackbeak made her way through the foliage, her hair near luminous in the moon and firelight. Asterin could hear Dorian swallow.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes as Manon's gaze met the king next to her.

"And for Autumn, princeling?" Her cousin's voice rang out as she made her way forward, her mask of annoyance unwavering, though Asterin knew her enough to note the curiosity brimming under the surface.

Asterin turned to Dorian and he kept his eyes focused on Manon, cocking his head slightly, and the wind around them began to roar.

The fire and those on their bedrolls remained untouched, but Asterin could hear the whistle in her ears as if she were soaring through the skies on the back of Narene.

She glanced back to Manon as she strode towards the fire and saw her cousin's hair a whipping mass around her face as she scowled.

Thea snorted and Vesta chuckled under her breath, catching a glare from Manon that had her quieting.

"Wind." The king smirked, resting back on his hands as he surveyed Manon, now standing above him in the space he had unconsciously left for her.

There was a smile playing on his lips that nearly made Asterin grin in return.

She was wary of him when they first met; they all were, but his respect for Manon was evident in how he spoke to her.

Though he challenged her, it was never in a way that made her second's hackles rise. If anything, she found it a grand source of entertainment.

Faline and Fallon had questioned as to why Manon had not killed him yet.

With the way he sometimes spoke so freely with her, it was a wonder he wasn't asking for it, but the demon-twins likely didn't mean it as a genuine question because they could all see the spark of lust and intrigue in Manon's gaze whenever he had a smartass remark or outright questioned her.

Like she wasn't a battle-forged weapon he should fear.

They had all seen him with the collar, seen the monsters that lay underneath the skin, wearing beautiful faces as masks to hide a thirst for violence that even repulsed them.

They knew that he had likely seen nightmares far worse than what surrounded him in this circle, so Asterin found it fitting that he would be the one to pique the Wing Leader's interest.

None had ever spoken to her like that, not even Asterin until recently; she couldn't help but smile at the softness Manon tried to hide when she saw the king.

It reminded her of that cabin, of her hunter, of a life she may not lead but one that Manon may yet experience.

Manon reached down and shoved Dorian's shoulder harder than was necessary as she tugged her bedroll from her shoulder.

"Very cute." She deadpanned.

Kaya grinned from across the fire beside Vesta, and Manon's head shot up as if she could sense it.

"Something funny?"

The witch's grin broadened, but she shook her head, the king speaking in her sted.

"Sarcasm suits you," Dorian said beside her. "Even with that delivery."

Manon stiffened, but she could see her cousin fighting a smile from her place beside her.

"Oh?" She continued to spread the stiff roll of leather. "And what delivery may that be, princeling."

It seemed as though everyone was sitting up now; they had all grown accustomed to the teasing and flirting amongst the two monarchs.

Asterin sometimes grew tired of it as Manon's cousin, but she couldn't deny that the sight of Manon frustrated, in more ways than one, wasn't entertaining.

"Like you'd like to kill me in my sleep tonight."

A few snickers rang around the fire, "Keep talking and I just might."

The king shrugged and laid down again, one arm bent behind his head. Manon sat, still facing the fire.

"I'd like to see you try."

Manon faced him then and though Asterin couldn't see her, she could feel the violence dripping from her posture, mixed with-

"Gross." Sorrel called out beside her.

Manon snapped her head towards her third. “What?" She hissed.

"Oh, you know what…I can't wait until you two can get some privacy and leave us out of this." Thea called.

A few of the other witches began chuckling, and even Asterin couldn't hide her snort of laughter.

Manon's eyes seemed to blaze as she stared down her cousin.

Asterin didn't try to hide her smile. "Don't blame me. You're the one that brought us this particular brand of entertainment."

There were full-on laughs around the fire now and it looked as though Manon was five seconds away from shoving someone into the flames.

"Entertainment, am I?" Dorian purred from the other side of Manon and she sucked in a sharp hiss of breath.

"Yes, and a glorified guard. That is all."

Dorian's eyes glimmered with mischief, but all he said was, "Hmmm." As he again faced the sky, twirled a small vortex of ice, and sent it around the fire.

Suddenly, a small thud from the opposite side of where their Wyverns were, brought them all bolt upright; Manon and the rest of the thirteen stood while Dorian crouched, hands flexed and looking as though they were dipped in ice.

They settled when they saw Abraxos staring from the other side of the shield Dorian had out, looking as annoyed as she had ever seen.

“You can leave but I have to open it to get back in.” Dorian grinned sheepishly towards the wyvern, as if he could understand such things. "Sorry."

Manon scoffed and walked towards her mount.

"You're insufferable." She called out as she strode towards him but her hand stroked his face affectionately, scratching at a scar behind his left eye that had him nearly kicking like a dog.

The beast opened his maw, and a heap of wet, saliva-covered, yellow flowers rolled off his tongue like some kind of offering and Manon jumped to the side.

"What-"

She was cut off by Thea and Kaya bursting into laughter, followed by Vesta and even the green-eyed demon twins.

If looks could kill, they would have all fallen prey to the glare thrown at them by her cousin.

Still, as Dorian, Sorrel, and Asterin joined in the fray of laughter, Manon's glare subsided into the slightest grin that had the rest of the witches grinning or continuing in their laughter.

A short grunt sounded from Abraxos and Manon turned to face him again as he closed his eyes and seemed to be nuzzled by an invisible force, his chin lifting as if Manon were still scratching at him though her hands were at her side.

They all turned to Dorian, where he now lay on his bedroll, eyes wholly trained on Manon as if 13 deadly witches did not surround him.

He merely smiled and she continued to stare back long enough that Vesta cleared her throat

"Darkness save us. Could you too not grope eachother in front of us."

Manon snarled at that, "No one was groping, watch it."

Vesta snorted and laid back again, settling with her feet stretching towards the fire, raising her hand and flicking it in the air.

"I don't know what he does with those weird ghost hands of his."

"No, but you'd like too-" Imogen sing-songed but was cut off with a grunt, likely from an elbow to the ribs.

Manon scowled, giving Abraxos one last pat on his snout before he sauntered back to nuzzle Asterin's mount, nudging a soaked flower towards her.

She smiles at the gesture and turned back to her cousin, noting the slight flush on her cheeks but deciding not to comment.

"Whoever isn't sleeping in the next 10 minutes is training the princeling tomorrow."

Edda spoke at that, "So, say I'm awake in eleven, I get to spar with him?"

Dorian groaned and rolled towards Manon, speaking in a loud whisper. “Gods help me, make it 30 minutes, please. She’ll be out in 20, and you won’t like me missing teeth.”

Asterin could hear the smile in Manon's voice but her tone was final for all.

"Sleep."

****

Asterin woke at dawn; the sounds around them were muted due to the shield Dorian could somehow keep as he slept though he had his magic reaching beyond, should someone approach.

She sat up on her bedroll, careful not to rouse the others.

Stretching, she smiled to herself as she saw Manon and the king facing each other, though Manon rarely slept on her side, their fingers nearly brushing as they seemed to reach towards each other like reflections in a mirror.

[whumpsday]

Whumpdreaming: A Whump Playlist

hope you all enjoy this little playlist i made! i tried not to reuse songs from my Kane & Jim character playlists, since i already used a lot of whumpy songs on that (especially the kane playlist lol). you can give those a listen too if you wanna!

Listen Here ▶️

Bonus song here ▶️ (it's not on spotify)

CW: various songs on this playlist contain references to torture, death, and sexual assault. nothing graphic, but it is there.

Whumpmas in July Day 11: What songs/playlists are perfect for whumpy daydreaming?

tracklist and selected lyrics under the read-more

01. The Dismemberment Song - Blue Kid

So don't you squirm, don't you fret I'm not gonna hurt you... yet I just feel the need to be getting A little of you, a lot of blood-letting I know the sensation you're probably dreading But cutting you up will be so refreshing for me

02. God Help Me - Emilie Autumn

God help me Believe me, this wasn't what I wanted But no, I can't leave, he's got me Won't you shine in my direction and help me? Won't you lend me your protection and help me?

03. The Horror of Our Love - Ludo

I'm a killer Cold and wrathful, silent sleeper I've been inside your bedroom I've murdered half the town Left you love notes on their headstones I'll fill the graveyards, until I have you

04. Mother Mother - The Veronicas

I'm hungry, I'm dirty I'm losing my mind Everything's fine I'm freezing, I'm starving I'm bleeding to death Everything's fine

05. Shoot Him Down - Alice Francis

I want to choke him Want to maltreat him I want to squeeze him And break his neck, neck, neck, neck

06. Choke - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THE FOUND ME

Stop, drop And drag me into place And lock the fire escapes I'll break your pretty face

07. Animal Skin - Bryan Dunn

I know where you're vulnerable Wild things can't get comfortable Quiver and shake, quiver and shake Oh no, oh no, oh no! You were being kicked about Backed up, teeth and claws are out Covered in blood, covered in blood Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow

08. I Can't Decide - Scissor Sisters

I can't decide Whether you should live or die Oh, you'll probably go to heaven Please don't hang your head and cry

09. Shalott - Emilie Autumn

She says, "How long can I live this way Is there someone I can pay to let me go 'Cause I'm half sick of shadows I want to see the sky Everyone else can watch as the sun goes down So why can't I?"

10. Tomcat Disposables - Will Wood

Little heart racing and praying, "Something, keep me safe" I think it saw my face Okay, one hungry day Is nothing come what may But then winter came inside for three nights Left me grinding my teeth between my walls And gripping my dreams tight

11. Gay Pirates - Cosmo Jarvis

And they put glass on my sandals So my feet would bleed all day And they forced me to wear them Or they said they'd make you pay

12. Little Pistol - Mother Mother

Under the skin, against the skull They put a little chip so that they know it all I think I might be scared Of the world and the way it makes you feel afraid

13. Inside You - Newton Schottelkotte, Karim Kronfli, The Blasting Company

I’ll have you begging for my mercy Loud enough for all to hear And at last I’ll finally take you by surprise As I hold you close and in the throes of passion’s piercing cries I’ll see the light inside you As it leaves your eyes

@whumpmasinjuly

[headfulloflettuce]

The Human Who Fooled All of Prythian

19. Memento

The snow crunched underneath Ophelia’s boots as she made her way over to the public events center.

Did I really look like I lacked confidence that much?

Ophelia sighed.

I shouldn't blame her for being concerned, she’s not exactly wrong after all.

Ophelia didn’t want to admit how much she had grown used to that sort of treatment over the years. How she had learned to laugh it off, or ignore it. 

Pull yourself together!

Ophelia slapped her cheeks gently, startling a couple winter fae walking near her.

You are better than this.

She stepped inside the large building, shaking snow off her clothes at the front door, her expression determined.

Cosette had done so much to make this perfumery a success. I am not going to be a silent bystander benefitting from her actions.

Ophelia approached the front desk, behind which sat a slender fae male with a chilly expression.

“Hello.” Ophelia smiled, “I am here to request a table for the Winter Solstice fair.”

The fae looked up at her, gesturing to a sitting area, “Please wait to be called.” 

Ophelia nodded apologetically, taking a seat in the rows of chairs where various faes, primarily males, were already sitting. After ten minutes of waiting and watching people get called up, Ophelia began getting bored staring at the wall and ceiling, falling into an old habit of hers; listening to nearby conversations.

A habit that kept me alive in Autumn Court.

“Is all the paperwork in place?”

“It is, just relax.”

“What’s the weather like?”

“Cold.”

“It’s always cold.”

Unfortunately, no drama.

Ophelia’s attention was drawn back to the front of the room when a familiar face was called up the counter; the silver haired perfumer they visited during their trips to the street that will not be named.

“I am here to request a table at the Winter Solstice fair.” the perfumer leaned on the counter, a cool expression on his face.

The fae behind the counter scrunched his nose in displeasure, practically thrusting the pass into the man’s hands, waving him off. The perfumer noticed her stare, his cold expression breaking into a small smirk, winking as he left, the paper held tightly in his hand.

“Next.”

Finally.

“Hello sir, I am here to request a table for the Winter Solstice fair.” she tried again.

“For what business or artisan?”

“For a perfumery called Serene Fragrances.” Ophelia leaned back and forth on her feet, waiting as the fae looked through a thick book.

The male clicked his tongue, “Unfortunately I cannot give you a spot as all of them have been taken.” the man drawled, “Next!”

Ophelia sputtered, “What do you mean taken? You just gave that fae a table!”

“Yeah, so?” the male rolled his eyes.

Ophelia stared at him, “Did he take the last spot?”

“No.”

“Okay, so then why-”

 “We aren’t allowed to give out tables to untrustable businesses. You might not earn us any money.” the man leaned in slightly, “Besides, that gentleman has ties with High Fae, you think I can tell him no?”

Ophelia’s fingers dug into the counter.

This little shit. You wanna play that game? Let’s go.

“Serene Fragrances is a trustable business.”

The fae’s face twisted into a scowl, “So I am just supposed to take your word for it? You and your group are new and therefore inexperienced. Besides, most responsible business owners order a spot in advance.” he chuckled, “They don’t beg for handouts at the last minute.”

He had a point.

“We didn’t exist until only several months ago, surely there must be something?”

“Well I guess you’ll just have to wait until next year, miss.” the fae smirked haughtily, “Unless of course you can provide evidence of your success, which I dou-”

Ophelia slammed a sales document onto the counter.

This is why I came prepared.

“Our results so far. We have reasonable prices and our profits are competitive with established businesses within the same vein of produce.”

The male fae stared at the numbers before him, his jaw dropping slightly.

“In fact, many shops in the perfumery district have experienced drops in sales within recent months.”

“Even so, they produce high end products!”

“Products that don’t sell as well as ours!” Ophelia didn’t relent.

“I am simply trying to ensure this event is successful as a loyal Winter Court citize-”

“You can ensure its success by selecting the option that will clearly bring in more revenue, since supporting a growing business is clearly not enough reason for you.” she argued.

“That’s not what I meant…” The fae tensed, an awkward expression on his face, “I just…”

“Just what?” Ophelia narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.

The Winter fae’s cool features didn’t change much, but it was obvious he was starting to break under Ophelia’s persistence.

“Really miss, I wish I could help you but I just simply don’t have a table to give you.” he practically wept.

“Surely you must, the fair stretches for several streets and plazas! It even includes the main square!” Ophelia was slightly surprised.

“The Winter Solstice is a big deal around here, miss.” the fae rubbed his neck awkwardly, “People book spaces months in advance…”

Wow…it’s really as serious as the Autumn Equinox then. Yet how was the white haired guy able to get a table so easily?! Was it really enough to just be friends with some High Fae?

Ophelia felt slightly guilty for underestimating the Winter Solstice’s importance.

“Baha! What did you expect of a foreigner?” a voice interrupted the two.

Ophelia’s fingers left dents in the counter, making the Winter fae let out a small squeak.

“You…” she turned to face the fae who interrupted them, her blood boiling as she recognized him.

The damn fae who broke our stand!

“Me!” he retorted, “I mean, I thought you Autumn fae were at least a little smarter than that, but it seems you’re worse than Spring scum.”

Ophelia restrained the urge to deck the man in the face.

A physical brawl wouldn’t help. Besides, my fight wasn’t with him.

“Yes, it does seem I underestimated the Winter Solstice’s fair.” she acknowledged.

Although considering all the preparations businesses have been doing in recent weeks I shouldn’t have been too surprised. 

“Boo hoo, guess the new perfumery won’t be able to participate ”

Seriously…it was like watching a toddler yell nonsensically.

“Really?” Ophelia gave the male before her a look, “You’d give fae like them a table and not us?”

“They filed for it a year in advance…” the man had the decency to look apologetically.

Some of the other faes waiting were now watching the scene intently. Not surprising, as it probably beat staring at the gray walls of this boring building.

“Haha, seriously! Did you really expect to waltz in here all high and mighty and get a table just because you asked?” the oversized toddler throwing a temper tantrum taunted, “You little babies didn’t even exist a year ago! Why don’t you go back to your so-called perfumery and sell your knockoffs.”

Even the receptionist was cringing at this point.

“Yeah yet these ‘little babies’ have managed to outsell you in just two months with their ‘knockoffs’.” Ophelia snapped, making the perfumer turn red.

“You…You-”

“Now.” Ophelia turned back to the male before her, “Since you’re clearly willing to take on charity cases, I am sure you can spare us some space.”

“Space?” the slender fae tilted his head.

“Yes, space.”

Let’s try a different approach.

“I understand you cannot give us an official table, but what about a designated location?”

“Those are determined by tables, miss.” the fae sighed.

“Are you seriously telling me there is no several feet of empty space on the edge of this entire fair?”

Glancing at the still fuming fae, the receptionist’s lips twisted into a sly smile, “Well, perhaps we could come to some sort of agreement.” he deflected, rummaging through the papers before him, “We do technically have some space at the edge of one of the less desired streets.”

Good enough.

“Perfe-”

“But it sure would be challenging to squeeze you guys in.” The fae looked at her.

Ah, there it is.

Ophelia had prepared for this as well. 

Let’s see, the regular splitting of profits were 25%-75% with the vendor keeping the majority.

“The event center will take 35% of our profits.” Ophelia offered.

“Hmm, I think this deal is worth at least 40%.”

This prick, first he acts like we’re nothing then switches his tune and tries to extort us for money!

“36.”

“39.”

“37.”

“38.”

“Deal.” Ophelia agreed, sensing the fae’s growing annoyance at her attempts to bargain.

I don’t think I’ll get him to go much lower than that, and I am not about to lose this opportunity.

The male nodded, pulling out a form and writing down the adjusted payment distribution.

“You! You! This is against norms! Against everything we hold dear!” The toddler attempted to regain the duo’s attention with no success.

The only thing held dear in this building was money.

Ophelia smiled proudly as the receptionist handed over a form.

“Thank you for your time.”

The male nodded, waving her off, “Next!”

She practically skipped to the inn, her sparkling aura spooking off some of the passerbyers. Ophelia rolled her eyes internally. 

I and Cosette really cannot pass for natives. Guess it’s our luck that the outskirts towns had past relations with Autumn, so my presence here isn’t that insane.

Ophelia though couldn’t help but worry about Cosette’s current backup lie regarding her origins.

‘Some village in a forest.’

Most simply assumed they came from the same place, but if fae began asking they would need to start providing answers. Good answers.

No one was going to believe in the existence of a town that can’t be found on most maps and for which Cosette can’t even say the general location of. Perhaps I should look over the map of Prythian and pick out a small town from the faerie realms.

Ophelia passed by several stores that hung up modified schedules for the upcoming Solstice week, notifying customers that they would be closed for the holiday itself.

It was a good thing I secured us a table. Most fae would be at the central plazas and streets enjoying the fair, no one would be trying to visit regular stores and risk missing out on the festivities. Even if we were on the side, it was still better than nothing.

She exhaled. They were making good progress on Theo’s debt, but they still hadn’t reached the necessary goal.

Seriously, that girl’s kindness will be the death of her.

Ophelia couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Cosette.

Wonder what she was doing right now? Probably working as always.

Ophelia sped up her walk, determined to get back and show her friend what she had accomplished.

I’ll show Cosette she doesn’t need to worry about me. That I am not a burden.

Ophelia made it back to the inn quickly before it got too dark, greeting Blanche and Fermin who were beginning to serve dinner.

“Where is Cosette?” Ophelia asked, sneaking a piece of bread off a table.

“She’s upstairs. Holed up as always.” Blanche carefully set down a soup bowl before a faerie couple, “Can you bring her down? It’s time for dinner.”

“On it ma’am!”

“Cosette, I am home!” Ophelia swung the door open to the room they were still staying at in the inn.

Cosette looked up from her spot at the desk near the window.

“Hi! Did you do the thing you needed to?”

Ophelia approached Cosette’s alchemy set up carefully, “Yeah I did. What are you working on?”

Her friend kept insisting it was chemistry, but it seemed simpler to just call it alchemy.

“The masking scent.”

“Ah.” Ophelia pulled up a chair and sat next to Cosette, “Any progress?”

“Let’s find out.” Cosette added the last drop of a mixture Ophelia had seen her working on the past few weeks.

Ophelia leaned in curiously.

“It’s the essence and scent of the xeranthemum flower.” Cosette explained, swirling the solution, “With some additional natural undertones to spice up the flavor.”

“Why xeranthemum?”

“It represents eternity.” the human turned to face Ophelia, “I was thinking if a fae’s defining characteristic was immortality, one of the materials that represents such a trait has got to work. We’ve already gone through iris, cyclamen and amaranth.”

And countless others.

Ophelia still remembered some of the less successful scents, their presence haunting her nose.

“Alright, here goes nothing.” Cosette spritzed herself with the perfume, looking to Ophelia for a reaction.

The fae closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, letting the pleasant scent wash over her.

The mixture of magnolias with the xeranthemum’s sweetness- Wait.

Ophelia opened her eyes.

It was gone.

She stared at Cosette with wide eyes.

Cosette grinned.

“It’s gone.”

“It worked?”

“I-...yes. I mean, I can still tell it’s you, like the magnolia scent isn’t gone, although dampened, but your scent of mortality it’s…covered. I can’t smell it anymore. It’s this new…neutral scent? Almost a combination of the aforementioned smells?”

“Yes!” Cosette jumped from happiness, “I did it! I did it!!”

Ophelia was still sitting there in slight shock, “How? How is that even possible?”

It’s not that I didn’t believe she would succeed, but seeing it done is completely different from theories.

“Thanks to chemistry!” Cosette smiled, her face flushed from all her jumping, “Though to be honest I am not one hundred percent sure how it worked in this case. I only achieved the neutral scent through trial and error. It would be good if we could run some more tests but I am not sure how we would do that here…Either way, I hope that the masking scent works better than the fragrances I’ve been using up to this point since the latter only adds, while the first option actively works with the existing scent to create something neutral.” she rambled.

Ophelia had to admit she was a bit freaked out. One minute she could smell a human before her, the next the creature standing before her could pass for a fae.

Nonetheless, Ophelia smiled.

“I am proud of you.”

“Thank you.” Cosette said, “I suspect this perfume wouldn't actually work for every human. The xeranthemum most likely has a particular reaction with my natural scent, creating the neutral smell you can then perceive. Hmm, I wonder if this would also vary by fae then.”

“Although that’s possible, I doubt it.” Ophelia shook her head, “Just don’t go banging on Beron’s or Eris’s front door and you should be good. Those two have much stronger noses out of the whole Autumn crowd.”

Cosette nodded, her expression still worried.

“Hey, I have more good news for you.” Ophelia said, wanting to cheer up her friend.

“Oh? Does this have something to do with me having to go home alone?” Cosette put her hands on her hips.

“Mayhaps.” Ophelia did a dramatic twirl, revealing the paper she received at the public events office, “Guess who secured us a table at the Winter Solstice fair?”

Cosette’s eyes widened, “No way…”

“Yes way!”

Cosette tackled her friend into a hug, “Oh my Go-Mother Ophelia, you’re amazing!”

Look who’s talking.

“How did you even manage to do this with the event right around the corner?”

“Oh it was nothing.” Ophelia blushed. 

“Look how humble.” Cosette poked her cheek.

“Learned from the most humble person I know.” Ophelia poked back.

“We’ll need to tell Blanche though since she invited us to celebrate that day.” Cosette said.

“We should first congratulate Blanche for not having to deal with your stinky self anymore.” Ophelia gently bumped into her, taking Cosette’s hand and leading her downstairs.

“Hey!” Cosette tried to pinch Ophelia but the older woman kept her at a distance using her arm.

“There you two are, I was wondering if you would come down for dinner at all.” Blanche waved the two women over, taking her seat next to Forrest and Fermin. 

Cosette and Ophelia sat with the trio.

“This soup is amazing, Miss Blanche.” Ophelia had to stop herself from chugging the hot food, eating instead with proper manners.

“Thank you, and please, just Blanche. My tongue will fall off correcting you.” Blanche corrected, putting carrots onto Fermin’s plate.

The child proceeded to glare at them as if they were a bed bug.

“Guess what Blanche? Ophelia managed to snag us a spot at the Winter Solstice fair!”

“Oh my! That’s amazing!” Blanche congratulated them with Forrest nodding approvingly.

“Will you not come to the celebration then?” Fermin asked, Blanche taking the opportunity to stick a carrot inside his mouth.

“We will, but later in the evening.” Ophelia looked apologetically at Blanche, “We are sorry about this.”

“No worries, the Winter Solstice celebration lasts all night so you’ll only be arriving fashionably late.”

“Yeah by like five hours.” Fermin muttered.

“Young fae if you keep giving us attitude I’ll send you to bed before 12 on the Winter Solstice.” Blanche’s threat made Fermin quiet down and eat his carrots peacefully.

She woke up to the sounds of sobs and frantic scrambling for the third time this week.

“Cosette?” Ophelia quickly sat up, looking around groggily, finding her huddled in the corner. Ophelia carefully got up, crouching down to Cosette’s level, making sure to keep her movements slow and her hands to herself. The first time this had happened she tried to hug Cosette, which only resulted in a complete breakdown.

“Cosette, can you hear me?””

Cosette’s eyes frantically searched the room for evidence of whatever she saw in her nightmare.

“Beron…Beron h-he sent Aurelius into the kitchens…he’ll set the whole place on fire again. I…I don’t want to burn.” Cosette rambled frantically, shaking her head, “Isabella locked the door…I-I…” Cosette gasped for air.

“Cosette-”

“The smoke…there’s so much smoke.”

“You aren’t there anymore Cosette, you’re in Winter Court.” Ophelia kept her distance, trying to get Cosette’s attention.

I need to get her to focus on me.

“Winter Court…?” The human made eye contact with Ophelia.

“Yes, Winter Court. Not Autumn. We escaped Autumn, do you remember? We rode horses? I had to lead your steed because you didn’t know how to ride it properly. “ Ophelia's voice was soft as she inched towards Cosette.

“But Eris…Eris is going to be mad.”

“Eris isn’t here.” 

“He’ll yell at Isabella again.”

Ophelia paused, surprised that Eris would yell at a fae involved in such a crime. 

He'd yell at a fae for hurting a human?

“Isabella, not you.”

“But then Isabella will be angry at us. She’ll hurt them!”

“Who’s them?”

“Them.”

“The humans you work with?”

Cosette nodded.

“I couldn’t save her from Isabella.”

“Who?” Ophelia was now right in front of Cosette.

“Lucy.”

“Did Isabella hurt her?”

“She didn’t kill her, she just left her there.” Cosette sniffled, “I tried so hard, but the fire…and everything, it was too much…”

“You can’t save everyone Cosette.”

Cosette hugged herself, rubbing her arms..

“Are you hurt?” Ophelia decided to play along. She hated whenever she couldn’t immediately pull Cosette out of this state.

It hurt too much watching her suffer.

Cosette nodded.

“Let me see.” Ophelia waited patiently for Cosette to let her look at her arm. Ophelia pulled up the sleeve of Cosette’s nightgown to reveal burn scars.

“See, no burns. No fire.”

Cosette nodded, relaxing slightly.

Ophelia waited, watching her friend as she slowly came back to the present moment.

“Ophelia…” Cosette stumbled into the fae’s outstretched arms, sobbing.

“It’s okay, I am here.” Ophelia held Cosette close, “You’re safe now Cosette. Everything is okay.” She gently led Cosette back to the bed, helping her in and pulling her close under the blanket.

Cosette eventually quieted, falling asleep in Ophelia’s arms as the fae hummed.

Despite my hatred for her, I still sing her songs.

Ophelia tightened her embrace around Cosette, making the human squirm.

Breathe Ophelia, that woman cannot reach you here.

The fae took a deep breath, her own fears and nightmares weighing on her. 

Stop it Ophelia, you need to be strong for Cosette, you can’t be busy thinking about that sorry excuse of a fae right now. Not now or ever again.

Ophelia relaxed her hold on the human, looking at her peaceful face.

“I’ve got you.” she whispered into the night.

“Alright gang! Ophelia has good news!” Cosette clapped her hands, getting the elder’s and Theo’s attention.

“We’re going to have a table at the Winter Solstice fair!” Ophelia exclaimed.

“Wait, seriously?” Theo’s face lit up, “Me and father had tried to get a table whenever the celebrations took place and we were rejected every time.”

“Well, we don’t have a table but we have a spot.” Ophelia clarified.

“Ha! That’s no big deal.” the elder shrugged, “You didn’t even get a table”

Ophelia wanted to call this man countless Autumn Court insults, but refrained.

“I actually think that’s not a bad thing.” Cosette pipped in, sensing the tension.

“How so?” the old fae grunted.

“Well, if we just had a regular table like everyone else we wouldn’t stick out. We have an opportunity to make an impression this way so I was thinking we should go back to our roots.” she turned to Theo, “Do you think you can modify the stand you made for us to be a bit larger? Or create an additional stand to house more perfumes?”

“Oh can I?” Theo’s blue eyes burned with passion, “Prepare to be blown away!” He quickly disappeared into the back room to begin his scheming.

“Is the existing stand not enough?” the elder rolled his eyes.

“No, no it’s wonderful!” Cosette tried to mediate, “It’s just that we won’t be right next to the store during the fair, so we’ll need more storage space.”

The older fae couldn't come up with a counter argument, so he just huffed and followed his son.

Cosette smiled at Ophelia once the two were left alone, “Ready to open up shop?”

“Always.”

I just hope that man won’t discourage Theo. He can really get to him when he tries to.

Ophelia opened up the perfumery, checking that everything was properly stocked on the shelves, deciding to dust a bit while customers were yet to arrive. As she worked, Ophelia glanced at Cosette who sat at the counter, pouring over some papers. 

At least she bounces back from the nightmares quickly.

The front door opened to reveal a group of fae females, chatting happily amongst themselves.

“Welcome to Serene Fragrances, please let me know if you have any questions.” Ophelia greeted them.

“My friend here is visiting from out of town, could you show her the scents you have?” one of the women spoke up, gesturing to another fae.

“Of course. We currently have vanilla, cinnamon and mahogany teakwood .” Ophelia led the group over to a table where test bottles were displayed.

“Wow, the cinnamon is so gentle, I would have thought it would be more aggressive.”

“Our perfumer works magic.” Ophelia said, glancing at Cosette who was still deep in thought at the front counter.

She should really start using that office of hers. Makes it easier to lie and say she’s not here in case a customer gets rowdy when demanding to see her.

“She really does! Cousin, I think I will get this one.”

“Perfect.” the other fae nodded at Ophelia who led them over to the counter.

“Oh, will you be at the fair?”

“Yes, we will be.” Ophelia confirmed, packaging the bottle for the lady, and taking the payment.

“We’ll make sure to come by.” The group left with more customers arriving soon after. Despite the fact that there were only three scents, the novelty of the perfume’s quality kept bringing people back, especially those who were visiting from outside the capital.

Ophelia had never felt this good working. It was so different from Autumn Court where every ten minutes orders were being yelled at her, the only reprieve being near the Lady of Autumn. Yet now directions and decisions were made calmly. Everything had order and for the first time Ophelia felt in control.

“I have been thinking about it, we should make some sort of announcement that we’ll be at the fair, or spread the news some other way.” Cosette said. With the store temporarily empty of customers Ophelia was taking a break at the counter.

“Me and Theo can make some posters and hang them up at the bulletin boards throughout the streets.” Ophelia offered.

“Good idea…I also think it’s time we make a fourth scent.” Cosette pushed a couple papers towards Ophelia for her to look at, “It can be a special release during the Winter fair.”

Ophelia picked up the papers, looking over Cosette’s ideas, “That’s a good idea, I’ll make sure to include that in the posters. We should also start notifying any customers that stop by that we’re going to be at the fair.”

Cosette nodded, “I wrote down some ideas for scents. I am currently leaning towards a jasmine or goldenberry scent. I want to keep the scent more warm and sweet for the occasion.”

“I think jasmine would be harder to find right now due to the lack of imports from Spring. You’d have an easier time acquiring goldenberries.”

Cosette nodded, taking note of her advice.

“Do you think you’ll ever do more earthy or natural scents?”

“I am experimenting with them right now, but they won’t be ready to be mass produced in time for the fair.”

“Hmm, I’ll keep the new perfume a mystery just in case you decide to change it up. Plus, the air of mystery will help bring in more people!”

“Sounds perfect.” Cosette put the papers neatly away, as the doorbell rang and Amelio stepped inside.

“Miss Cosette, how are you?”

“I am well sir Amelio, how about you?”

“Not too bad.” he chuckled, “Busy with the solstice right around the corner, but otherwise life is good.”

“I am happy to hear it.” Cosette led the man away to her office, leaving Ophelia by hearse.

I hope he likes the scents she made.

Ophelia paced the ground floor nervously, checking on the perfume bottles, or sweeping the floor. She assisted any customers that came in with the same happy smile, but the back of her mind was worried.

This was Cosette’s first custom order - it had to go well. If it didn’t…

Ophelia didn’t want to think about that.

“Thank you so much for all your work.”

“Of course, I am glad you found a scent that you like.”

“I just hope my wife likes it, haha.”

“I am sure you know her tastes well.”

Ophelia perked up from her spot by the counter, casually glancing at Cosette and Amelio as she led him out of the perfumery.

The two women made eye contact.

“Well?” Ophelia asked nervously.

“He loved the citrus themed one.” Cosette couldn’t contain her smile as Ophelia punched the air in celebration.

“How much did he pay you?”

Cosette smiled, handing Ophelia an envelope.

Dang it’s heavy.

“A very, very decent sum.”

“You can definitely say that.” Ophelia nodded appreciatively at the money inside, “Is this enough to cover Theo’s debt?”

“Not yet, but we’re really close.”

Ophelia did the mental math, “We would need about 340 more gold. Do you think we can do it?”

“I don’t want to jinx it.” Cosette confessed, “By the way, have you thought of what you want to get Blanche and her family for the solstice?”

“Hmm, I have but I can’t come up with anything. You?”

“I am not sure either…”

“Any ideas for Theo and his father?”

“I have something planned for them though it’s not a gift in the traditional sense.” Cosette had a small glint in her eyes.

“Should I be worried?”

“Not yet.”

Ophelia shook her head, restocking some of the shelves, “We should head out once the perfumery closes to buy gifts.”

“We should. Better to get them now since we’ll be busy in the upcoming weeks.”

“Why is purchasing affordable gifts so hard?” Cosette complained, her voice slightly muffled by the rows of bookshelves separating her from Ophelia, “At this rate I’ll find gifts for myself rather than other people.”

“I don’t know.” Ophelia sighed, a bit frustrated. They had spent the past several hours looking through various stores, unable to find anything suitable for their friends.

Though she had finally found something for Cosette, she simply hadn’t bought it yet.

“I really don’t know what I am going to get Blanche.” Cosette sighed, eyeing the book in front of her, “I considered getting her a cookbook but that just sounds like a jab. Like ‘hey ma’am your cooking sucks so much you should read a book.'”

“I think you’re overthinking this.” Ophelia patted Cosette's back supportingly, “Well, shall we move on then?”

“Good idea.”

The two fae stepped outside into the cold again, with Ophelia purchasing a book of fairy tales for Fermin.

“That’s actually a very smart gift idea.” Cosette muttered, eyeing the book, “Fermin does seem to have a fascination with fantastical heroes and warriors.”

“I know.” Ophelia said smugly.

“I think I am going to try and get some of those goldenberries.” Cosette said, shivering slightly from the cold.

No matter how much we bundle you up you’re still cold.

“Ah, alright. I’ll keep looking at stores here. What about meeting up back here in about an hour?”

“See you then.” Cosette walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

With the Solstice around the corner, fae were trying to get their last minute shopping in before everything sold out.

Once she was sure Cosette was gone, Ophelia ran back into the bookstore to grab the text she had been looking at; ‘Fae Courts and Customs: A Comprehensive Guide’.

There was only so much I could help with when it came to questions regarding other fae courts. Sure I might be somewhat of an expert on Autumn Court and the important surrounding areas, but I for the life of me would not be able to explain to Cosette the details surrounding Day Court’s philosophies on work and pleasure, or Dawn’s specific protocols for treating patients and healing rituals. Cosette would need all the help she could get to maintain her lie, and this was a step in the right direction.

Purchasing the book Ophelia rejoined the fray outside, walking along the street.

Now, what would make Blanche and Forrest happy?

Ophelia furrowed her eyebrows.

Cosette was right, finding gifts for people was hard. Let’s try to approach this logically; Blanche cooks a lot, so perhaps I should look for a gift that could help her with cooking? What kitchen utensil could she possibly lack? Then there was Forrest who managed an inn. He was kind but didn’t speak much about his hobbies.

Now that Ophelia thought about it, it seemed like he didn’t seem to care for much besides the inn and his family. Deep in thought she wandered into a textiles and cloth shop, looking at the various fabrics organized by color and pattern. 

Perhaps she could get them new linens? Or napkins for the dinning room area?

“Hello miss, do you need any help?” a woman approached her, smiling.

“Oh, I am just browsing.”

“Perhaps you’d be interested in taking a look at some of our Autumn Court fabrics?”

“Autumn Court?”

“Indeed, they came in just a few days ago, please try them, they’re quite soft.”

Ophelia followed the employee to the back of the store where the new fabrics were being displayed. Gingham, scroll and windowpane patterns stared back at her. Ophelia carefully picked up one of the textiles, examining it carefully.

“You said these were from Autumn?”

“Indeed! They’re from the southern farms. Really high quality!”

Well that was a load of bullshit.

Ophelia smiled. These weren’t bad cloths, but they were not made in Autumn. 

Autumn’s fabrics often had a slightly rough texture to it due to the wool used to weave and knit them, while Winter’s were more soft. Winter Court’s sheep were notorious for their thick, yet extremely soft wool.

The female fae left Ophelia alone to look at the display, joining the male behind the counter, the two whispering amongst themselves. Ophelia pretended to be very interested in the products, straining her ears to listen in.

“I can’t believe we were able to secure that much venison.”

“I know right? It’s enough to feed several families.”

Seems like I have found my gift to Blanche and everyone else.

“Wow, I can’t believe you were able to secure such good fabrics.” Ophelia complimented, bringing one over to the counter.

“Oh that’s great! So happy to hear you like them!” the woman giggled, preparing to ring her up.

“Except that these aren’t from Autumn Court.” Ophelia leaned in, a smile still plastered on her face.

“Excuse me?” The fae did a double take, the male beside her getting annoyed.

“Hey, who the hell are you to accuse us like that?” his cold voice didn’t deter Ophelia.

“The quality and texture of this fabric is too soft for the type of sheep that are bred in the southern farms of Autumn. Any fae that works with textiles worth their money will be able to tell you that much.”

Now if you had said northern farms, I might have believed you. There sheep from Winter and Autumn can at times interbreed, although it’s not common. It wouldn’t be shocking for Autumn to set up a luxury farm where they tried to create a new subcategory of pretty sheep for noble ladies to fawn over. However, then they wouldn’t sell to a middle class store like this.

The two fae tensed, put off by her confidence.

“Truly, it’s a shame for two business owners such as yourself to lie to customers like this.” Ophelia raised her voice.

“Okay, okay we catch your drift, just lower your voice please!” the male shushed Ophelia, “Now what will it take to shut you up?”

“About the venison…” Ophelia said sweetly.

Ophelia walked out of the store, dragging a large bag of meat pieces that could feed more than seven people, earning side glances from Winter fae around her.

The human and fae eventually reunited at the shopping center’s main entrance.

“Did you find anything?” Cosette asked Ophelia, eyeing the giant bag with slight concern.

“You could say that.” Ophelia smiled, determined to keep the gift a surprise until solstice dinner, “How about you?”

“Well I got my hands on some goldenberries actually, and I figured out what I am going to get Forrest and Blanche.” Cosette held up two bags, one full of the goldenberries and the other full of cedarwood and lavender.

“Are those ingredients for perfumes?”

“Yep, I am going to make Blanche and Forrest custom ones.” 

“Will you have enough time to make them and the new release for the fair?”

“Well, there’s twenty four hours in a day!”

“I don’t like it when you say that.”

It means you won’t get any sleep.

“Have some faith in me, Ophelia! I promise to take care of myself.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Returning to the inn they were greeted with the familiar scene of Blanche rushing around to care for guests and Forrest helping to manage the front desk. Ophelia’s eyes fell on a sulking Fermin in the corner.

Poor kid must be bored out of his mind.

The inn had been busy compared to previous weeks with people arriving to stay in the capital for the upcoming festivities.

Meaning no one available to play with him.

While Cosette went upstairs to their room, Ophelia dragged the bag of meat into the kitchen, following Blanche.

“Blanche! Happy early Winter Solstice!”

“Oh….oh dear.” Blanche stared at the giant bag.

“It’s venison!”

“Venison? How…how did you manage to get so much?” Blanche took the bag from her, staring at the amount.

“I have my ways.” Ophelia winked, “I was thinking we could keep it frozen for the next couple weeks and prepare it once the Winter Solstice arrives.”

“Oh, Ophelia, that would be wonderful.” Blanche smiled.

Your family deserves a feast after all the support you’ve given us.

“I would love to help out in the kitchen if you let me.”

Perhaps I could even make some Autumn themed dishes.

“I would love to have your help.” Blanche said.

The two women stored the venison appropriately, discussing their plans for the party’s dinner.

‘Mother, mother! I have something for you!’ She had been impatiently waiting weeks for the Autumn Solstice. Curse her for being excited, she had worked hard on this gift.

‘Oh, Ophelia please don’t be so loud. Haven’t they taught you how to be quiet back in the palace?’

‘Sorry!’ Ophelia giggled, quickly helping her mother set the table. She had returned home for the holiday, being one of the lucky few given a vacation.

Praise the Lady of Autumn, one of the few kind souls in that wretched place.

‘You really should have stayed behind. They’re holding a ball, perhaps you could have met a nice male there.’

‘If I had stayed they would have had me work in the kitchens.’

‘A shame.’ The elder fae hummed, casually sitting in an armchair.

Ophelia sat down next to her giddily. The turkey, and beef stew were steaming, awaiting their guests.

‘Mother, I have something I want to give you.’

‘Is it evidence of a marriage?’

Ophelia laughed, ‘No, something better!’

The female looked at her skeptically.

Ophelia pulled out a bookmark detailed with pressed leaves and pieces of lace.

‘What is this?’ The woman took the bookmark.

‘It’s a memento!’

The woman raised an eyebrow at her.

‘You know? The one that females give to each other?’

Ophelia’s mother stared at her child with a blank expression.

‘It was in the textbook you had me read? It’s an Autumn Court tradition. Mementos represent shared experiences and memories between two faes, and are meant to commemorate and save those moments in time.’

One of the few things I willingly learned from the mass of knowledge you forced down my throat.

‘The flowers are from the palace forests and gardens. I bought the lace from a boutique in the capital with some of the money that I had saved up. It took a while to collect the perfect leaves, but the palace gardener was very supportive once he found out what they were for!’ Ophelia continued rambling, ‘I know you can’t visit often so I thought this would help remind you of the capital. I am not an amazing poet, but I hope it’s acceptable.’

All the things you love in one place.

Ophelia’s mother carefully tilted the bookmark in her hand, letting the setting sun’s light going through the cottage’s window fall onto it, illuminating the text written in its center.

Like a flower that blooms in Spring,

Your beauty is pristine.

You hold my hand through everything,

A love that’s like a dream.

‘How long have you worked on this.’

‘The past month!’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Yes!’

The fae looked at Ophelia, ‘You wasted a month on this? This?’

‘Oh, I wanted to surprise you-’

‘I send you to the capital and you bring back this?’

‘Mother-’

‘Seriously, did you think I would be impressed by this?’

‘I thought-’

‘No, you did not think, Ophelia. You never use that head of yours.’

‘I just wanted to-’

‘These kinds of things are useless.’ the older fae stood up, walking towards the fireplace, ‘It’s about time you learned that at your age.’

‘No!’ Ophelia tried to grab her, but her mother simply shoved her away, throwing the decorated strip of paper into the flames.

‘I just wanted to show you that I care…’ Ophelia felt tears prick her eyes.

‘If you cared for me or wanted to do something useful for this family you would have gotten married already instead of wasting your time on frivolous activities.’

The fire crackled, burning up the paper as Ophelia tried to get her emotions under control.

‘I love you.’ Ophelia whispered.

Her mother looked at her with disgust.

‘Please, I am sorry.’ Ophelia hated that expression, ‘I am so sorry.’

‘Clean up that face, we have guests coming soon.’ her mother turned away from her, ‘Once you’re back at the palace actually start using your time productively by meeting men. Your youth is not eternal.’

The fire cracked and popped.

‘Yes mother.’

Ophelia stood in the middle of the small dinning room by herself. As the walls closed in, a single question replayed within her mind.

Why don’t you love me?

Ophelia awoke with a start, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Something warm shifted next to her, snuggling closer. She carefully looked over to see Cosette hugging her, fast asleep. Nothing could wake that human up when she overworked herself.

Ophelia took a deep breath, slowly calming her beating heart.

You were fine. That was years ago. More than half a century ago.

Ophelia took another breath, relaxing slightly. The stress of the upcoming festival was starting to get to her.

You cannot worry her with this.

Ophelia closed her eyes, letting the darkness envelop her..

Her love was always just a dream; stop hoping.

Cosette and Ophelia awoke early on the day of the fair. They had spent the last several weeks buried in nonstop preparations, warning customers ahead of time that they would be participating in the fair and that the store would be closed. Apart from the public bulletin boards, Blanche had kindly put up the posters Theo and Ophelia made in her inn.

After grabbing breakfast and rushing out the door, bidding a sleepy Blanche a goodbye, Ophelia and Cosette walked to the perfumery. Many fellow business owners participating in the fair had also gotten a head start on their day, already carrying boxes of various goods onto carts for easier transport.

Theo was already waiting for them inside - much to Ophelia’s shock. A couple months ago this man didn’t even want to scrub the floors, and now he was showing up early, preparing for an important event.

Maybe, just maybe, I judged him too early.

Ophelia was not, however, about to go back on her feelings towards Theo’s father, who was currently complaining about having had to wake up early.

“I began packing the vanilla, cinnamon and teakwood perfumes, but haven’t gotten to the goldenberry one.” Theo gestured towards a set of packed boxes.

“All good.” Cosette smiled, “That’s exactly why we got up early.”

The group began packing the remaining bottles into the boxes.

“So, how exactly will we get these to the fair?” Ophelia asked.

“I designed the new stand to be able to hold some of the boxes inside. We also have a cart that we can pull by hand from our wood working days that we can use. I can begin loading it up since we’re almost done here.”

“Oh, do we finally get to see this amazing stand you’ve been raving about?” Ophelia teased. 

The man kept her in the dark about the whole thing, only checking in with Cosette about its progress.

“I wanted to surprise you.” he smiled, leading them over to a large object covered by a blanket which he dramatically tore off.

“Oh…” Ophelia stared at the stand, cart-like structure. It retained the vanity aesthetic the original stand had but now it was larger, with more places to display perfumes. The top section of the stand had faelights illuminating the display. On the side, Theo had constructed a slight extension that functioned as a register and bookkeeping space designed to make packaging orders easier.

Theo looked at Ophelia nervously, Cosette giving him an encouraging thumbs up.

“It’s beautiful.” Ophelia confessed, making Theo beam from pride. 

“It’s adequate.” the elder muttered. His son instantly deflated, staring at the ground awkwardly.

Ophelia and Cosette exchanged a look.

As Cosette checked that they had packed everything, Ophelia and Theo secured the boxes into the cart. The trio set off to the Winter Solstice’s fair site, dropping the elder off at the inn.

Ophelia was already praying for Blanche’s forgiveness when they returned. 

There’s no way that man wouldn’t cause her trouble, I only hope he keeps it to a minimum.

It was a good thing they had come out early, as the streets were beginning to fill with other business carts and tourists exploring the city by the time they made it to the street where they would be stationed during the fair. 

The street wasn’t anything particularly special, in fact it was probably one of the worse ones, but it was acceptable. The trio stopped at the road’s farthest end, beginning to set up the stand, filling its shelves with perfume bottles, putting the new scent in the center. The cart with additional boxes was placed behind the stand, slightly underneath so it didn’t get in the way. Theo put some snow around the wheels to make sure the stand didn’t roll away.

“Alright, good work team!” Cosette smiled, her eyes full of pride, “Now we just wait for the customers to start coming.”

“Can I take a small walk around to see what people are selling at their booths?” Theo looked at Cosette shyly.

“Of course, but only if you bring back some tea and hot chocolate for us from your trip.”

“On it!” Theo rushed off, glancing from side to side at the booths being set up.

Cosette felt something warm and fuzzy get pushed onto her head.

“Eh?”

“Happy Winter Solstice Cosette.” Ophelia carefully put the hat over Cosette’s ears, making sure to not disturb the cuff earrings.

“Oh! Thank you, you didn’t have to.”

“I did, you’re always freezing.”

“It's not my fault Winter Court is so cold.”

Ophelia laughed, patting Cosette’s head as a couple fae approached.

“Hello!” a female fae rushed over, her eyes sparkling as she took in the stand, “Is that the new perfume you guys talked about?” she pointed at the center of the stand.

“Yes it is.” Cosette said, handing the woman a sample bottle to try.

“Wow, every time I try your perfumes I think you’ve outdone yourself.” the fae complimented, purchasing one bottle.

“Finally! We found you two!” The group of fae that had visited them two weeks ago joined the growing group around the stand also trying the new perfume.

“It’s quite good.”

Ophelia watched with caution the growing line to their stand.

That was a lot of faeries.

Theo returned quickly with the two promised hot drinks soon after leaving for his mini expedition having noticed how crowded the streets had gotten, assuming that Ophelia and Cosette might require assistance with customers. He had made the right call.

The two women were struggling, albeit managing to hold down the fort. Theo quickly began helping with restocking while Ophelia switched to talking and helping people pick out perfumes and Cosette stood by the side table for packaging and processing purchases.

Ophelia was glad Cosette had made extra bottles of the new scent as it was by the far the most popular item to no one’s surprise. 

“I am sorry miss but we have no more bottles of the new scent.” Ophelia tried to calm down the fuming female before her.

“I demand to speak to the perfumer!”

Cosette cringed, about to step in but Ophelia raised her hand signaling for her to stay back.

I’ve got this.

“What do you wish to tell her?”

“I wish to tell her that she should give me a bottle of the goldenberry perfume!”

Ophelia groaned slightly, “She will tell you the same thing as me; that we have no more bottles left.”

“Then she should make more!” 

“Ma’am she can’t just magic perfume into existence.” Ophelia tried to reason with her.

“If you’re not going to buy anything, leave the line.” The fae next in line spoke up, glaring at the woman causing the scene.

“You shut up!” the woman took a step closer to Ophelia, making her tense.

Is she seriously about to start a fight over some perfume?!

“What’s the problem here?” a cold voice interrupted the conversation. A Winter Court guard approached the stand, staring at the enraged woman cooly.

“They won’t sell me the special edition perfume!”

“We can’t sell it to you because we have none left!” Ophelia exclaimed.

The guard nodded, assessing the situation.

“Ma’am, unless you're going to make a purchase please step away from the booth.”

“But-”

“You’re disrupting the peace, please leave before I have to remove you by force.” 

The woman stomped away in a rage, huffing and muttering to herself.

“Thank you for your help.” Ophelia thanked the guard who stepped in.

“No problem miss.” he turned away, resuming his patrol route across the fair.

Praise Winter Court for increasing security during the solstice.

With the night getting very late, and them running lower on all their perfumes, Cosette began counting money, to prepare the funds for the public events office.

Cosette paused her counting, crying out happily “Ophelia!”

“No need to yell, I am right here.” The fae carefully gave the purchased teakwood perfume bottle to a customer turning to Cosette, “What's up?”

“We crossed the 3,500 gold threshold! We can pay off Theo's debt!”

“Wait…. you're serious?” Ophelia couldn’t believe her ears.

“Theo we did it! We reached the goal! You can pay off your debt!”

Theo poked his head from behind the stand, nearly dropping the boxes he had been packing away.

“You're joking.”

“I am not!

Theo smiled, practically crying, “Thank you ….thank you both.…” he looked at Cosette and Ophelia.”

“We did this together.” Cosette hugged Ophelia and Theo, the two of them returning the embrace.

The group made it back to the inn excited, their previous exhaustion replaced by adrenaline.

“We're back!” Cosette called out to Blanche who was carrying hot chocolate to the guests who chose to remain at the inn and her family.

“How was the fair?” Blanche smiled. The woman was out of her traditional inn uniform and in a pretty dark blue dress complete with a corset and a small snowflake hair accessory.

“It was wonderful!” Cosette rambled to Blanche about their success, “We managed to not only clear Theo’s debt but also make a profit!”

“That’s wonderful.” Blanche hugged Cosette, “Congratulations Theo!”

“Thank you Miss Blanche.” Theo couldn’t stop smiling.

“Please, just Blanche.”

Even the elder for once had nothing to say. Ophelia could swear she saw him even wipe away a tear at the news.

“Mama, everyone is here, let’s eat now!” Fermin suddenly appeared from behind a couch, dressed in a dapper dark blue outfit, matching with his mother.

“Aww, you’re such a cute little man.” Ophelia cooed, unable to resist the urge to gush over the adorable child.

“I am not cute! I am handsome!” Fermin’s face flushed red with indignation.

“The most handsome man ever.” Ophelia teased the gremlin before her.

Blanche let the two bringers of chaos squabble playfully as she brought out the food into their personal dining room, Cosette helping her to set the table.

“Is this venison?” Forrest took a seat at the table, glancing at his wife.

“Yes, Ophelia brought it for us. A gift from her to all of us.”

“That is really expensive.” he muttered, casting a glance toward Ophelia.

“That’s what you had in your bag!” Cosette exclaimed.

“What did you think I had?” Ophelia raised an eyebrow, joining them at the table.

“I was honestly half expecting you to have a dead body in there.” Cosette confessed, making Ophelia laugh.

“Ophelia also helped me prepare the food, look at the beautiful cornucopia she baked for us!” Blanche showed off her fellow woman’s accomplishments, as the elder and Theo also took their seats.

“Mama, bring out my present!” Fermin demanded.

Blanche ruffled his hair, adding to the table a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

“I made them.” the child proudly declared, awaiting the group’s praise.

“They look delicious, Fermin.” Cosette tried to take one but Fermin cried out.

“No! You need to eat a meal before the sweets!”

Cosette quickly retracted her hand, “I am sorry!”

“Look at what an amazing example my child is setting for all of you.” Blanche finally joined them at the table, sitting down.

“A true model citizen.” Theo complimented.

“Blanche, you forgot about the Spirit offerings.” Forrest reminded her gently.

“Oh to the Mother I have!” His wife exclaimed, quickly rushing back to the kitchen, returning carrying some shortbread cookies.

“I wanna do it Mama! I wanna!” Blanche rolled her eyes fondly, letting Forrest pick up Fermin to put the cookies into the mantle, as well as one of his own.

“Spirit offerings?” Cosette whispered to Ophelia, not wanting to draw attention to her curiosity, “Is this for the Spirit of Winter?”

“Yeah it is.” Ophelia confirmed, “It's tradition to leave out a Spirit’s favorite food during any major event as a thank you for all the work they do.”

“I see.” Cosette nodded, waiting for everyone to sit down before digging in.

“This is delicious.” Theo complimented.

“I’ve never had traditional Winter Court dumplings.” Ophelia said.

“And I have never had stuffed acorn squash.” Blanche tasted the dish, “It’s quite good. Will you tell me the recipe, Ophelia?”

“Of course, I am glad you like it.” Ophelia kicked her feet slightly.

Fermin happily gobbled up everything on his plate, impatient to get to the deserts.

“Now that we’ve moved on to tea and wine, I think we can begin to exchange gifts.” Blanche clapped her hands together.

“Me, me first!” Fermind waved his arms, earning a pointed look from Blanche, resulting in him adding a small “Please.”

“Here is your gift, Fermin.” Blanche handed her child a small box which he tore into to pull out a pencil set and a sketchbook.

“Since the most important member is getting their gifts first, here you go little man.” Theo handed Fermin another box.

“Not little, but your gift is appreciated.” Fermin opened the box, his eyes widening, “The great Lord of Snowflakes!” 

The child held the wooden figure in his hands, analyzing all the small details, from his sword and long cape.

“Here Fermin.” Cosette handed him a box that the child revealed to contain a plush dragon.

Fermin gasped, “The great Lord of Snowflakes can defeat the bad dragon!”

“Open mine too!” Ophelia handed Fermin her gift.

The kid stared in wonder at the book, opening it to stare at the gorgeous illustrations.

“Mama, can we read this before bed tonight?”

“Of course, if you don’t fall asleep before that point.” Blanche ruffled his hair.

Fermin jumped off his chair, rushing back into the main front area of the inn.

“You guys didn’t have to.” Blanche watched her child happily show some of the remaining guests the gifts he had received.

Cosette shook her head, “How could we not?”

“Yeah!” Ophelia voiced her support.

Children deserved presents.

“Now, for you two.” Cosette pulled out two boxes, pushing them toward Forrest and Blanche respectively.

Forrest carefully opened his, pulling out a perfume bottle labeled as cedarwood, with Blanche’s being lavender.

“I tried my best to tailor them to your preferences, however if there’s something you don’t like please tell me and I will adjust accordingly.”

“Oh Cosette, truly you didn’t have to go through all this effort.”

“You two housed us throughout all this.”

“You paid us money.”

“Would I be lying if I said you gave us a discount half way through?”

Blanche looked a bit sheepish, with Forrest looking away as if he wasn’t a part of the conversation.

“You either will take the perfumes or take the perfumes and let us pay the full price of the room we’ve been staying in.”

Blanche sighed, “I guess we have no choice but to accept your gift.” she smiled, “Thank you Cosette.”

Forrest spritzed some of the perfume on his wrist, nodding approvingly. 

“I-We also prepared a gift for you two.” Theo carefully handed off a large box to Forrest, who opened it.

“Since you run an inn I thought me and my father could make some decorations that matched your aesthetic.”

Ophelia would be willing to bet money no one in this room was buying Theo’s attempt to pass off the elder’s involvement in this project.

Forrest pulled out several wooden boards, each of which had a carved scene of the Winter Court or the nature surrounding it. Inside the box were also some small wooden animals and tree figures.

“Thank you, these will go perfectly over the fireplace.” Forrest said, Blanche leaning over to look at the pieces in detail.

“These are so detailed…” Blanche wore an impressed expression.

“Thank you.” Theo blushed, turning to Ophelia and Cosette, “I have gifts for you two as well.”

Ophelia and Cosette opened the identical long thin boxes to find matching pens, each carved with their own unique design. Ophelia’s had various Autumn details ranging from leaves to pumpkins, while Cosette’s had pretty swirling patterns, accompanied by a perfume bottle

“You two often work on the paperwork side of things, so I thought a pen upgrade might be in order.” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Thank you Theo.” Ophelia spoke before Cosette did, “These pens are gorgeous. I can only imagine how long it must have taken you to make these.”

I definitely misjudged your character.

Cosette hummed in agreement, examining the pen under the fairelights above them.

“You will have to forgive me, as I cannot give you your gift today Theo.” Cosette said.

“Oh, why’s that?” the elder snarked, earning a disapproving look from Blanche and a nervous expression from Theo.

“Because it’s not exactly an object.” Cosette looked at the elder and then at Theo again, “I’ll be able to give you the gift in a couple days.”

“I cannot wait!” Theo beat the elder to the punch, smiling at her.

“Well, since you all got to give your gifts, only fair that we now get to give ours.” Blanche signaled to Forrest who pulled out large boxes from a cabinet in the dining room.

“Look who’s giving gifts when they were just telling us we didn’t have to.” Ophelia gave the female a playful look.

“We are hosting, it’s only right that we give gifts.” Blanche waved Ophelia’s argument away, shoving a small box towards her and Theo. Forrest handed Cosette a large soft bag.

Ophelia opened the box, letting out a small gasp at the hair ornament. It looked a bit like Blanche’s but the snowflake was a different shape.

Blanche walked over to the woman, carefully putting the clip into Ophelia’s hair.

“Just as I thought, it looks perfect on you.”

Ophelia couldn’t help the small blush on her face.

Theo’s eyes sparkled at his gift - a set of carving tools. Cosette unwrapped her bag to reveal a very warm cloak.

“You’re always shivering.” Forrest’s rough voice was soft as he helped straighten out the cloak, “Wear this whenever you go out.”

Cosette nodded appreciatively, “I will, thank you for this.”

The group sat together, chatting happily with Cosette and Ophelia drinking some black berry tea, while the others indulged in the wine bottle Forrest had opened. One of the guests in the front room strummed a lute, a happy medley floated through the air.

Blanche pulled Forrest up from his seat, dancing with him to the sounds of the lute.

“Get me a man who looks at Blanche the way Forrest does.” Ophelia whispered to Cosette.

Fermin had fallen asleep on the couch, holding onto his new gifts. Blanche broke the dance to quickly cover her child with a blanket, rejoining her husband after. Theo’s father drunkenly tried to hum along with the instrument, while Theo looked content simply watching the couple dance.

Ophelia and Cosette toasted each other’s tea cups.

This was nice.

Ophelia and Cosette dragged themselves into their room, kicking off their shoes and collapsing into bed with a small ‘oof’.

“Who knew winter fae had so much energy to party…” Cosette groaned.

Ophelia giggled, slightly drunk from the faerie wine, “All fae have energy to party.”

“Good to know.”

The two lay in silence for a moment.

“Oh, I have a gift for you.” Ophelia pulled herself up.

“Same!” Cosette also sat up, leaning over to the small side table to retrieve her gift.

Ophelia pulled out the history book from her own side table, presenting it to Cosette.

“I saw you staring at it in the bookstore and thought it might be useful in your journey of pretending to be a fae. You’ll probably want to study up on the various fae cultures and their customs.”

I only know so much.

Cosette gasped, taking the book from Ophelia, “You mean to say you’re not a walking encyclopedia?”

Ophelia laughed, “Unfortunately no.”

Although I am probably the next best thing thanks to my mother.

“Thank you Ophelia, it means a lot.” Cosette smiled, “I’ll make sure to ask you any questions if I have any.”

“I’ll do my best to answer.”

“Okay, my turn!” Cosette shifted on the bed, holding something behind her back, “During my ‘stay’ in Autumn Court I experienced…a lot. One of those things was the culture of the palace and some of the practiced customs. I noticed that in the female fae community it was tradition to exchange special gifts with those who are close to them. So, I tried my best to make what they call a memento!” Cosette presented Ophelia with a bookmark decorated with dried, pine needles along the edge, with pieces of book paper and aesthetic parchment layered beneath. Various flower petals placed around or between the needles, surrounded the words written in the center;

In autumn you took flight,

In Winter you chose to land.

To showcase all your might,

No fae could dare withstand.

“I know traditionally autumn leaves should be used, and sometimes even lace, but since it’s meant to commemorate a shared moment between us I thought I would try and capture our time spent in Winter Court. I don't know what I would have done without you here, so…thank you.” Cosette looked at Ophelia nervously.

Ophelia felt tears in her eyes

It wasn’t fair.

“Oh no, did I make it wrong?” Cosette had a worried look on her face, “I was only going off of what I learned from other fae by word of mouth, I should have done more research.”

It wasn’t fair that a random human was kinder than my own parent.

“Ophelia, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Cosette pulled Ophelia into a gentle hug.

It wasn’t fair that the same random human was now apologizing when she did nothing wrong.

“I shouldn’t have assumed you’d want a gift like this.” Cosette felt guilty for not thinking ahead, or anticipating Ophelia’s reaction to a gift that would remind her of home.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair.

Ophelia sobbed, returning Cosette’s hug.

“Thank you.”

“Yes?” Cosette was slightly confused, still holding the fae, gently stroking her hair.

“I just wasn’t expecting you to give me something like this.”

Cosette gently rocked them back and forth, the snow falling outside. Laughter carried through the closed window, celebrations still in full force.

“I am sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Ophelia sniffled, “It's a lovely gift.”

“You don’t have to lie, if you don’t li-”

“I love it.” Ophelia looked into Cosette’s eyes.

Do you think I’ll let go of the only memento I’ve ever received?

“I am sorry, I should have asked.”

“That would have ruined the surprise.” Ophelia gigged, calming down slightly, “I promise you that these are tears of happiness.”

“Alright, I believe you.” Cosette relaxed a bit, snuggling closer to Ophelia. 

The two lay there, watching the frost paint their window with sharp fragments and swirls. 

“Happy Winter Solstice Ophelia.”

“Happy Winter Solstice to you too Cosette.”

Next: Chapter 20 - A Party for Old Friends

Back: Chapter 18 - Family Meeting

Masterlist

Tag list: @rcarbo1

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[readychilledwine]

Long post ahead lovelies!

We hit ✨️100✨️ friends!

Thank you to all of the beautiful humans who've taken the time to interact with my posts, with me, and to follow me.

In celebration- Part 2 of Slow Hands will be posted soon. Here's a little preview of that:

Lyria sighed softly as Azriel's hands ran along her back. He was being so gentle with her, and she appreciated this, even if it was clear he didn't exactly know what he was doing. She moaned as he applied more pressure to a tighter area, causing the male to grin with satisfaction. "Like that, little fox?"

"Just like that," her voice had become breathy, eyes fluttering shut. He was doing the best he could to remember her motions from the week before, copying them as closely as possible.

Azriel was almost desperate to see her fall apart the way he had. He was desperate to repay that favor. He allowed his shadows to begin exploring. Watching as they played in her hair, down her back, over the perfect ass he'd been dreaming about. His goal was set as she moaned again. Lyria was going to cum for him tonight, and he honestly did not care how.

I have a dark Eris piece I am working on, along with other Eris week pieces. I do not want to preview it yet since I am still in what I call my rough write process. I am going to try to get it ready by the time I am posting all of my "Here's to 100" pieces, though!

And, as promised, here's a sneaky-sneak at 5 little pieces I have written. Take a vote below on which one you'd like to see. The top 2 will be posted in celebration of 100+ people taking a shot following me for their entertainment 💜

Option A - Cassian x Illyrian Female OC - (domestic Cassian Fluff) - Cassian, ever the morning person, found himself madly in love and mated to a female who hates the world before her morning coffee

Cassian adored mornings. He loved watching the sun as it began its ascend over the mountains. He loved the crisp chilled air. He loved breakfast. Early morning training. Cassian was an early bird.  His mate, however, adored their nightlife. She was the last to rise out of bed. The last to leave the table at Rita's with Mor. The last to bed. She loved dinners, the stars reflecting on the Sindra. She worshiped the moon, and he, the sun. 

The one thing the two truly shared in common, though, was their love and need for coffee. Cass was approachable before his first cup, chipper even. He glanced over his shoulder where his mate sat, her wings wrapped tight around her. Her hands held her head. Her long dark hair was falling over her shoulders. "Almost done, babe."

"Fuck. Off." His mate? Not so much.

Option B - Lucien Vanserra x Archeron reader - pure smut set during ACOTAR. Takes place the morning after Calanmai. Y/N is set for an interesting morning after breaking Lucien's rules regarding fire night.

"Lucien," I whispered softly. "Please, bed."

He chuckled darkly against me before pulling away enough to speak to me, "Such a picky demanding little human." He tutted me, squeezing my ass tighter in his grip. "After your little slip up last night, you will take what I give you. Shut your mouth like a good little girl, and let me enjoy my early morning treat."

Option C - Rhys x Night Court OC - angst, angst, angst - post UTM - Rhys and Aelia are married and when he arrives home, the first thing he tells his wife is he found his mate. (Very much the opposite of my previous multi part fic)

"You found your mate, Rhys. That's going to change."

His eyes were squeezed shut as he forced her into his chest. "No, it won't. I'll reject the bond." She shook her head softly. Azriel would murder her if she asked this of Rhysand. Azriel had dreamed of finding his mate. He had begged them to think getting married through, but they impulsively had. And Rhys had sworn her in as High Lady. And now they had a son together. A son who was 60 and would understand exactly what all of this meant. 

Option D - Eris Vanserra x Winter Court Reader - Autumn Equinox themed due to having extra Eris Week Pieces - NSFW at all - sex pollen/magic - 4some with 2 Autumn Court Ocs - takes place during an orgy - Reader is a Winter Court Emissary invited to the Autumn Court during their equinox celebration. Little did she know, Eris had other hopes when he brought her here.

"What happens during the hunt?" Eris kissed below your ear, causing a haze to set in as you relaxed and sighed.

"My father will shift into something different and more animalistic. He will go through the forest to find his fawn for the night and bring her here. They begin coupling, and we all will as well. It helps us thank the land for a successful harvest and keeps the population of Autumn higher than other courts."

"So this is a breeding festival?"

"Yes, little moth, it is." You watched as his friend smirked, repositioning the pretty female in his lap so she was straddling him and facing him before kissing her deeply. Eris began to roam his fingers along the neckline of your dress. "And we can just watch them all if you'd like, we can play if you'd like, or I can winnow you to the Forest House and find myself a new little moth. It is all your choice."

Option E - Azriel x Archeron Sister OC - set before they are made by hybern - NSFW - Body Worship, Dom/sub dynamics - ends with angst - Kaylee is the youngest of the Archeron sisters. After her older sister returns home with 3 attractive men, everything changes for her.

Her skin was on fire with every touch of his hand, only to be instantly cooled by his shadows. "So fucking beautiful," Azriel groaned into her neck. "Look at yourself in the mirror and say you're beautiful." 

His hands roamed lower and lower, finger tips leaving goosebumps in their wake as he continued to kiss her neck. "Az-"

"I gave you an order, little one," he bit harshly at her pulse point, soaking in her gasp and moan. "I expect you to follow it."

[galaxy-teaparty]

Sunday, November 3rd

Okay, so here is a thing. I miss blog format a whole freaking lot so I am planning to use tumblr for my personal ramblings. Not a very nice idea, something like dreamwidth would have served this purpose much better, but I just have zero energy to start a new platform. I can't even make myself to remake my carrd or make a strawpage, because my decision fatigued brain crushes overthinking what png should I use to represent my identity.

So here we are.

The first thing in the morning that got me annoyed today is me opening my youtube shorts and seeing all the Christmas preparation videos. Like what in the loving fuck. It's not even close to winter, you have the whole month of November, and I feel like such an ssr beast liking this month. I just generally love both autumn and spring despite them being really exhausting to me.

But what I love about autumn is how different all the three months feel. September is still rather sunny and warm but already colorful. October is spooky and has me fighting for my life because of writober pressure no one but my brains puts over me. And then there is November, gloomy and cold, but also comforting for some reason. I feel like it's a great month to slow down and start slowly reflecting upon the year, doing the end of the year cleaning watch me do almost nothing though and other stuff.

And I wish I could say that seasons are different in different parts of the world, because it's true. But I hate how algorithms push only one single view on that, based on what is more profitable. And of course they want the Christmas purchases to start right now.

Idk what I planned to say with that. I just have to curate stuff I see as you always do. But I guess it's okay to ramble a little bit. There is a certain pressure that if the post is a long one then it's rather be well researched and put together. But sometimes you just want to talk without much goals in mind. Just telling people or the void of the internet how you feel.

There's actually one lengthy post in my drafts about latest mahoyaku event that I want to finish, but also feel pressure. And I keep telling myself that it's in my head and need to stop caring because most people would just look at the wall of text and say "they're not reading all that". Which is always discouraging to me.

This fandom just begs for more meta to be written, there are so many fun discussions to have. And unfortunately being a working adult doesn't give you much time for all the projects you want to do. But at the same time saves you from being way too invested in any potential drama because you're way too busy. Unless you're not making that your priority of course.

Okay but that's it for today. I'll use the tag #nacchi's daily ramblings, though I doubt is going to be daily with my schedule ahaha.

Please stay safe and be kind to yourselves.