#how i escaped kingdom hearts as a young lad i will never know

[playinhooky]

I feel so Kingdom Hearts pilled rn, I just saw somebody OC in like a swashbuckler's coat with a ton of belts and I was like "Ah, a Kingdom Hearts, yes, where is their keyblade?"

[ninapi]

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*＊✿❀ Bewitched ❀✿＊*

Premise: Prince Keisuke was known to be a troublesome lad, often bringing problems to the queen herself. In an attempt to tame the wild prince, the queen calls for a powerful witch to aid him with his cause, hoping to put an end to this quest sooner. What she didn't count on was love being what he needed most.

Word Count: 3442

Note: Previous Chapter here

Chapter 2: Magical Kitty Rendezvous

How do you assimilate the fact that someone you considered your own brother wanted to kill you?

Kazutora had a very troubled mind and fear can operate in many ways. The fear of loss, the fear of rejection, can really mess someone up.

But even if he did indeed try to kill him, the memories of all the good times they had together wouldn’t go anywhere. 

Did he change?

Was it their fault?

It was certainly concerning to a new level.

But the worse outcome of this incident, at least for Baji Keisuke was the fact that he made his mother cry.

Nothing really happened to him, he was in perfect conditions, not even a scratch on his nose. Not the same can be said of those who crossed his path that morning though. But even then, his mother wailed for hours on the fact that she almost lost her son due to this stupid quest of his.

Friendships are important, of course. But not more than your own life. And his life wasn’t just a life, he was the future king, not someone that can be easily replaced.

The fact that he had to hear you apologize to the queen and even get a slap to your beautiful face from her was also a low blow for the prince.

You had done nothing wrong, you even saved his life and helped capture his friend alive. But you did leave his side and that could end up in a fatality according to his mother.

“I’m not a child that needs babysitting mother. I understand your concern, I know you can’t just find another king for this damn kingdom. But this girl saved my life, if you ever touch her again you can forget you ever had a son…” and with this, he left the throne room and hid in his chambers.

This didn’t go according to plan. It went awful even.

Hanma Shuji managed to escape and that dark wizard seemingly very powerful would not take long to find another army of zombies to attack them, even if all his loyal men are now in his dungeons being detoxed from all the harmful spells they went through.

He had to do something, needed more information about this dark magic wielder, Kazutora would for sure know more, but he refuses to talk and it’s all just so frustrating to the young prince.

They managed to knock down Valhalla at least, there was a good side to this battle of sorts, but the downs were greater in number.

Keisuke wasn’t one to dwell in the past and submit himself to depressive thoughts, but with a day like this, it was just impossible not to want to curl on your bed and try to forget about everything.

Not even Chifuyu was allowed in his chamber, yet he remained outside just in case he was needed at some point, like the good friend and dutiful knight he is.

The queen was forced to admit you did a good job at the end, you did save her son and didn’t even let him out of your bubble until he was safe inside his own castle. Not a scratch on his face, only a broken heart. And that, was not your fault.

So there wasn’t really a reason to get your head for. Though she was still very much surprised of the tone her son used to defend you, she’s never seen him like this, it wasn’t just plain anger or pride as it usually is, she could see hurt in his eyes, he was hurting at the thought of his own mother hurting you, he was even willing to leave her side if she was to even think of touching you ever again, and she didn’t know how to feel about that.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

You’ve been staying in the castle for a week now, unable to return to your cottage in the forest as any time now Kisaki could return and you were the only one able to stop said man.

The castle is a wonderful place, not just big and luxurious, but everyone working in it was lovely to be around. Your chambers were an absolute divinity, your bed as comfortable and big as it could ever be. Even a full wardrobe filled with appropriate gowns for a lady living in the castle to your absolute disposition. It was a beautiful place, but your favorite place was their gardens. They had a greenhouse full of herbs and rare plants and you’ve been visiting it ever since. 

Today, however, your loyal companion has gone missing, disrupting your routine. 

Every witch has a black cat, those are the rules. 

While they don’t really do much in terms of boosting magic or helping with a witch’s line of work, one can be very lonely when following this path, and as your only friend while growing up, yours was very special.

“Chifuyu, have you seen a black kitty around?” Chifuyu was polishing his sword by the pond, as Ryusei had the prince’s watch turn.

“A black kitty? Why would there be a cat in the castle, my lady?” 

“Oh well, he’s mine actually…I haven’t seen him since this morning and it’s starting to worry me…” pets were forbidden in the castle, but you must not be aware of that.

“I haven’t seen him, but I promise I’ll look around while I do my rounds and get him for you, my lady.” as charming as always, Chifuyu tended to leave a smile on your face, not even the disappearance of your mischievous feline friend being able to wipe it from your face.

In all truth, everyone in the castle loved to have you around, your were so kind, not to mention beautiful…the entire royal guard and even the army guys were all nice and sweet to you, even the scarier looking ones like Shiba Taiju. But Chifuyu was by far your favorite and it wasn’t entirely a secret.

“Thank you, you’re a life saver. Let me know if I can do anything for you!” at your comment, a hint of pink glazed his handsome features and he just nodded at your remark, you were so delightful in his eyes, but you were also the only woman who gets across his king.

“It’s my job, think nothing of it!” with a little wave, he left for his rounds and you continued on your own search of the little troublemaker.

While you were walking along the long halls of the castle, a hint of a fluffy black tail caught your eye, and it was going into that one place he shouldn’t of go to for anything in this world. 

The prince’s room.

With a soft knock to his door, the door opened up slightly, startling you. Peeking just a bit from the crack of the door, you caught sight of something beautiful and something you were clearly not expecting.

The prince was laying on his bed, your cat on top of his chest seemingly about to take a comfortable nap. 

“Merlin! What do you think you are doing? Come here right this instant!” you whisper-yelled at the cat who opened one an eye to glare at you, just to close it once more right after, ignoring your request.

“Come on in and close the door…jeez…people can’t even sleep in this place anymore…” 

Doing as instructed, you stepped into his chambers, trying not to wake up Ryusei who was very much asleep outside the prince’s doors. ��Excuse me, my prince. It was not my intention to wake you up…”

“So who’s Merlin? Your boyfriend or something?” he scoffed, rolling on his side and taking the cat along for some cuddling.

“Um, no, your highness. The cat you’re holding. His name is Merlin, he’s my companion.”

“Don’t speak nonsense, his name is Peke J and he’s my friend.” that made you giggle, he really liked to hear your cute laughter, though this was the first time he caused it and not Chifuyu or Draken…it made him feel something, even if he didn’t fully understand what that something was.

“He’s your friend, my prince? You do have many of those already, why would you be in need of my furry companion?” 

He motioned for you to sit on the lounge chair next to his bed as he stared at the window, “He doesn’t ask questions, and is very warm…”

He was right, those were two of your favorite attributes of your dear friend. “He is also very fluffy.” This made him smile, you weren’t asking questions either, nor coaxing him to come out of his chambers like everybody else, you were different, and that was what he liked about you the most.

“He is indeed…” there was a comfortable silence in the room, none of you had the need to say anything else, yet the company of the other was very much welcomed.

The little devil however, had very different plans. He started by pawing at Keisuke’s face, he was clearly bored and trying to get someone to play with him, but cats are just that, and one can’t blame them for it. One of his claws ended up scratching the prince’s cheek, earning a horrified gasp out of you. “Merlin!”

“Peke J…” the prince corrected.

“Peke J, what did I say about scratching people!” The smile on the prince’s face was so bashful and blinding as you took his side without arguing. His canines were showing, his eyes fully closed as his face scrunched up with glee. Even if his face had just been hurt by the fierce creature, he was having the best time in a long a while.

“My prince…your face is bleeding…” without thinking much of your own actions, you sat on his bed, your hand closing in to his face.

“It’s just a scratch, I won’t die from this…” 

“You might not die from it, but that doesn’t make what he did right. Let me take care of it, please your highness..” Baji Keisuke was blushing, that had never happened before, not like this at least. Your face was so close, he could count your eyelashes if he wanted to, your hand emitted an enticing warmth and all he wanted was for you to close the distance already, so he just nodded.

“Thank you, my prince.” a soft light came out of the palm of your hand as you placed it over his cheek, the little scratch disappearing almost instantly. He felt no pain or discomfort whatsoever, on the contrary, he felt a warmth in his chest, and that was something new.

“So you really can do magic, huh? That bubble thing you put me in was quite impressive…” he didn’t want to think of that day anymore, but he also didn’t want you to end the conversation and leave, and that’s all he could come up with.

“I sure can, your highness. I apologize if it was a little uncomfortable, I tried my best to make it soft and weather proofed with the little time I had to act.” the smirk on his face meant troubles, but in all truth, you liked seeing it back on his face, he didn’t look as gloomy as before.

“So it wasn’t my imagination then, I could feel this little comforting breeze…I thought I was loosing my mind…” his chuckles were like music to your ears, Peke J seeming to like them as well as he was now jumping all over the place, playing with his new friend.

“It wasn’t, my prince. It’s all I could do to try to alleviate the painful moment you were going through, even if it was just a little.” and it did, he remembers feeling safe, like if he was inside his mother’s womb, warm yet comfortable, a place nobody could hurt him in.

“Sometimes I wish you could just put me in that bubble and just leave me there forever…But that wouldn’t be cool for a king, right…?” you could hear the sadness and uncertainty in his words, it was heartbreaking not being able to do much for someone who needs it.

“Well I don’t know about it being cool or not, but if you ever need my bubbles, all you need to do is ask.” your smile was so pure, so sincere, this feeling of safety and warmth was a constant thing when you were around, it was definitely strange, but he wanted more of it.

“Can you show me some more magic? I’ve always want to do some myself, but you have to be born with the powers to do so and I was born king, not wizard…”

“That’s not entirely true, my prince…I’ve been working in something that might be of your interest, it’s still in a trial period, but it worked with Merl- I mean Peke J…” 

“Oh yeah? What’s it about?” the excitement in his eyes was like one of a child in Christmas Day, he loved feeling this way, it was like he could really be himself when he was around you, he didn’t have to be the cool tough guy everyone admired, or the future king, he was just fifteen-year-old Baji Keisuke, nothing more.

This got you going, you could nerd around all you wanted about magic, nobody ever let you do that, so you were as excited as he was, “Well, its about channeling my magic to someone who doesn’t have any, and use their thoughts and feelings to create something new. It’s like being able to see how their magic would work if they had any!” 

Keisuke’s eyes were sparkling, that was such an awesome idea and to think it just came out of you probably a day you were just bored playing with your cat, you were indeed an interesting girl like no other he’s ever met. “That sounds super cool! What did Peke J’s looked like?”

“Since he’s a cat, I thought his magic display would be very small since the spell relies on feelings, but that day, it was raining you see, it was a full on storm…” Keisuke was fully immersed in your storytelling, biting onto his nails wanting to hear more of it, “and can you believe it stopped raining?” both of you burst out laughing together, “He really hates water...”

“He does…but not only that, the weather turned to this perfect spring afternoon, the sun warm and shining above, and for what…?” 

“He just wanted to nap, didn’t he?” you just nodded, giggling, causing him to continue laughing as well.

This was so much fun, he had never had so much fun by just talking to someone. “Would you like to try it, my prince? I’m not sure if it’ll work but I can assure you it’s not dangerous.”

He was intrigued, what would his even look like. “Ok but can you show me yours first? I’ve seen you do magic but sounds like this is a bit different?”

“Yes, it is. It’s like showing your true self. Let me show you. It consists of clearing your mind and just feel. My magic will manifest and make it visible.” he nodded with excitement, sitting now on his knees, a little restless waiting for your display.

He was drawn to how beautiful you looked with your eyes closed, he couldn’t really hear anything at all anymore, not even the servants running around outside in the corridors, it was just you and him now, and he loved every second of it. 

Then a pinkish mist started to mingle in the air and colorful glittery butterflies started appearing everywhere, one in particular landing on his nose.

“Wow, so this is what your magic truly looks like, huh? It’s very fitting…” your eyes opened to a wonderful sight, he was smiling so purely again, like a little boy enjoying your display to the max. 

“How so, my prince?”

“Well it feels warm and smells sweet. It’s also very beautiful…” his words made you blush, yet he didn’t even do it on purpose, he was speaking from the heart, completely immersed in the magical experience.

“Would you like to see yours now, your highness?” he just nodded, waddling over to you, “Do I just like close my eyes then?” 

“Yes, my prince. If you excuse me, I must be closer so my magic can flow through you.” he waited for you patiently, not refusing the implications of your words, yet not fully expecting what was about to happen.

You pressed your forehead on his, closing your eyes while holding both of his hands in yours. “You can close your eyes now, my prince.” He couldn’t stop looking at you though, you were so, so close that he could feel your breath on his cheeks, and it was doing things to his head. “O-oh, yeah, sorry.” clearing his throat, he closed his eyes, doing his best to clear his mind.

He could feel your magic flow through his veins, just like before, he felt warm inside, yet this time was a little different. Even if he wasn’t thinking about anything, just the feeling of your hands around his were making his heart hammer against his ribs, and it manifested once you both opened your eyes.

Contrary to what you thought it would happen, your magic was still lingering, it intertwined with his, which was exactly what he was feeling in that moment, unity, happiness, love…

Tiny forest animals made out of blue fog came to your feet, transforming his chambers into a magical fairy tale like landscape, it was truly beautiful what your magic combined could create.

“This is not just me…it’s…us…” he was smiling at the little fog animals, crouching down to pet them, this was fantastic, your magic was truly something amazing, a safe and happy environment, a place he could forget reality and it’s awful consequences in.

“I wonder what went wrong, it should be showing only your feelings…”

“Well…it’s probably my fault then, this really shows my feelings…you were in them after all…” his pouty embarrassed expression was the cutest and sweetest thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life. He was truly precious, not at all close to that tough persona he likes to portrait.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying my little experiment, my prince. It’s truly refreshing seeing you like this.”

His smile was sincere, even when the fog animals were temporary and were dissipating quickly, he felt a satisfying sense of happiness within him. “You’re like medicine…”

“My prince?” his words were as enigmatic as always…causing you to tilt your head to the side slightly confused.

“I feel so much better when you’re around…wether is your bubbles or your animals, even your smile…just makes me forget all the crap that’s going on in my life…” was he confessing or something? It caught you off guard but it also filled your heart with warmth.

“It’s an honor, your majesty. I’ll be here whenever you need of my services.”

“I don’t need your services, you idiot…I need you…” he turned around so you couldn’t see his face contort in embarrassment nor the incredibly invasive blush covering his face.

“Then let me rephrase that…I’ll be here whenever you need me, my prince.” this made him smile, Peke J jumping on his head and curling on its top. “Can he stay with me for the night…?”

“Of course, my prince.”

“Also… can you…stop calling me that? I know I’m your prince, your king and all that, but above all I’m just Keisuke…you don’t need to call me by my titles when it’s just the two of us around…” even if he was talking to you, his eyes were on the cat as he looked himself in his mirror, unable to look at you in the eyes.

“Anything for you, my prin-…I mean…Keisuke….” 

There it was again…that smile…that beautiful smile that could take anyone’s breath away. And it was just for you.

“Good night, (Y/N).”

“Good night, Keisuke.” 

And so, the prince and the witch stopped being just that, something more beyond words growing within both as time went by.

But not everything was all love and sparkles…a few floors down in the dungeons, a dark aura could be felt infiltrating them from the sewers...

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Masterlist Next Chapter

[lordleonster]

His jaw cricks as she grazes her hand over it, eras suddenly moving his bones to dust. He does not think another glass would ease the years that had crept up on him, just by the sheer mention of Travant's name, but he would be remiss to look away from a history that no longer was his. So much had happened since he was put to unrest in Aed, but his anger still persisted. What was another glass to do for his daughter? His daughter. Not Travant's.

And despite her lineage, she lives. It could not just be fortune, that got her and her brother this far. In the clutches of a dark world, fortune is as feeble as an unloved soul. So they must have had something else: an acuity or fortitude to surpass even their predecessors. From the news, it seemed like all who came from his era had passed. Outside of the young, scrapping lad who had been entrusted to Leif as his knight.

For a brief second his hand floats towards her own, only to freeze in place. "Do you find it analogous? My life, Sigurd's life… Altena's? How could you say something like that? My father and Lord Byron didn't kill a set of parents just keep us under custody." He stiffly puts his hand at rest, on hers. "I can't imagine myself a vessel to any other. And though I wielded the Gae Bolg, I've never thought myself defined by it."

He doesn't understand it any other way. Why would Travant have kept her alive, if not to use her?

And was he supposed to be thankful?

His wife slides away like a haze, making quick to pluck a journal from her desk and taking her swing back into his orbit. He isn't sure why, but the brief silence made it hard for him to comprehend the weight of her words. A vessel? To what end? Travant's name escapes her lips again, dropping off like a stone into water. So he was dead too, was it? It felt right, though it paraded like a lie. If he was dead today, he would be alive tomorrow.

Hyenas like him didn't make it easy. Slowly, ever slowly, her words finally reach him, picking at scars and cracks until the stress of living gave way to flesh and his ever beating heart. Hope. That much was what he was blessed to be alive for. If Travant was dead and their family had united Thracia, wasn't that his ideal ending for his kingdom? Gently he flips through the book, squinting to make up and down of his son's chronicles. A joke bubbles forward, despite himself.

"Ha! Leif's so to-the-point... The boy really doesn't waste even a drop of ink on unnecessary details... He could care to crack a joke to his lonesome once in a while."

"..." He smiles, trying to let her know he was wiser than he was dull. "Eth... I can only thank you for trying to make my revival bearable. I know how much it means to you for all of us to be happy together..." He leaned in, one hand keeping Leif's final page open, the other hand to rest in the shell of hers. His oyster, his home. "And I don't know whose more equipped to do so, because I really... really... am pleased."

With a smart, sharp smile that only Ethlyn would recognize, he whispers. "It's okay, you know. You don't need to seek my approval or cheer me up. And you're the last person I'd want to share superficial pleasantries with." Within the small space between him, his dark brown gaze clicks with hers. "Is this the whole picture? What did it cost to get here?"

She can feel her heart shatter as she watches his demeanor change from easy going and relaxed to the tensest she can ever recall seeing him. She knew, of course, that this would break him. But how could she, in good conscience, keep such things from him? He would find out on his own soon enough and she would much rather he hear the news from the one he loves and trusts. He deserves to find out in their private space from his wife.

Still, she aches with him, as if finding out for the first time herself. It had been their son who told her, who explained the consequences of her own actions. She thinks it might have gone down easier if Quan had been there with her. If she had someone to lean on for support. She is Leif's mother. She cannot ask him to hold her up when she should have been there doing just that for him.

"I can get another glass..." Ethlyn reaches up and touches lightly along her husband's jaw, willing him to relax. It's a futile hope, she knows that. With everything she has just presented to him, he deserves to be able to take the entire bottle and toss it against the stone wall. She has had two years to reflect, to simmer, to let her anger subside.

A vessel for a holy weapon. Ethlyn reaches up behind Quan's back and traces between his shoulder blades where she knows his brand lies. Where their daughter's brand lies as well. "Isn't that what you were? What my brother was? A vessel?" She'd always envied Sigurd for it. For his connection to Crusader Baldr and his ability to defend their home as a knight.

She rises, crosses the room to her modest desk and retrieves the journal Leif had given to her for her birthday. It feels a bit invasive to offer it up like this but she knows Quan will treasure every word written as much as she has. He'll smile as he runs his finger over the words their son has written and burst with pride to read of his accomplishments in his own words. She takes her seat next to him again and reverently places the book in front of him.

"Travant is dead. Our Leif, he chronicled everything for me. I could tell you the details myself but I thought you might prefer to read them. This book is his whole life, Quan. I don't want to spoil too much but, they did it. Our kids. They are uniting the peninsula just like you always dreamed."

[lovextriangle]

Imagine Kili after the Battle of the Five Armies

The battle was over. Yet, that didn’t mean much to Kili now, not when the price for such victory was too costly. He knew this was what everyone had hoped for, to beat the dragon, to reclaim their home no matter who stood in there way. Be it man, elf, or orc. At some point in time all had tried to stop them, events led to sides switching and the good prevailed against evil once more in Middle Earth. But losing them was never part of the plan.

The tears swelled up in his eyes as he thought back to his uncle, lying back on the frozen lake. He didn’t want to think about how the color of the ice had looked like Thorin’s eyes, so glazed over, no longer there. But the tears started to fall when he thought of his brother. Fili, his dearest brother, who had been ambushed by Azog. It was antagonizing to remember how the blade had been shoved through his twin’s chest. Kili clenched his fingers into his palms, Fili’s lifeless body being thrown to the bottom of the icy ridge.

Thorin had been the one to get revenge from Azog, which left Kili to the rest of the bottom-feeders. Pure rage was what had pushed him through, after it was all said and done he collapsed and was almost thought dead himself. Covered in blood of his and others. Death was too sweet of an escape from the reality Kili had to face now. A world where his family was ripped apart and thrown away and he had to fill in the place that was meant for others.

You knew of all these troubles that Kili was facing, that Kili was thinking of daily. Even three years after the Battle of the Five Armies, the funerals, and his enunciation as King Under the Mountain. That mountain being Erebor of course, the mountain that the company, and especially his Uncle had worked so hard to gain back. You had a feeling Kili still didn’t feel like it was his place or his right, he was a very young king for dwarf standards. His beard still peach fuzz and lack of growing.

It had been your duty ever since Kili was declared king to be his auditor. Almost like an advisor but for more personal, non-kingdom related issues. You were a great listener from an early age. All else that was needed was a soft tone, and kind eyes. Both of which you seemed blessed with. Today’s talk had been sudden as it was right after a council meeting with some of Kili’s old company members. Most had joined in high ranks, rightfully earned by their contribution to their journey and loyalty.

You sat across from the king, legs crossed underneath your dress. You sat upright and waiting for him to begin, but you had a feeling this session would be an intense one. So instead of keeping silent, you said, “Usually we stick to the planned schedule your Highness,” the upcoming meeting had been just two days later. “but you called for me sooner, may I ask why?” You had an idea as to why, but the process would only be helpful to Kili if he himself understood why he choose to seek you sooner.

“I couldn’t wait til then.” His words were clipped and on the other side of short table sat Kili. His hands holding the armrest on either side. He looked strained, nearly holding himself together. “What happened today?” Your tone was soft and soothing, trying to calm his nerves. What usually worked only had Kili flinching back, cringing at the thought of what put his mind into such unrest. “I thought I could get through the meeting..” his dark brown eyes were glued to the wall behind you. “but knowing them, things wouldn’t be over unless they were mentioned.”

Balin had called the meeting to a close, the diplomatic talk subsided into more friendly converse. Kili was happy to just sit and listen in on his old friends conversations, thinking more about what meal he would have. That is until he heard, “ah I still remember as if it were yesterday. Thorin herding us together, wee lads Kili and Fili…”

It only took their names for Kili to go into a shock of memories. What would have been happiness was replaced by loneliness and misery, a pain so heart-wrenching took over his lungs, as if he had been punched several times in the gut. He staggered to his feet, wanting to hear no more. “Kil- your Majesty?” Oin was just as startled from the abrupt motion from his left. “Are you alri-“

“Leave me be.” Kili bellowed and he shut his eyes tight, not wanting to see any of their pained faces. Knowing all of them would see him as weak, what they could get over was something he couldn’t bare to think about. Kili turned for the door, exiting the room and immediately his guards were by his side. “Tell y/n to meet me immediately.” No mention of the place was needed, his close guards knew where the both of you met regularly.

None of this needed to be stated for you to understand what Kili had meant by them or they. This hadn’t been the first time nor would it be the last, some things never healed. But you had hope for the healing, because no matter the severity time could mend the broken.

“I see their faces, cold and undead more often when their names are spoken aloud.” Thorin and Fili would have such a disdainful gaze, both staring from the ground which they were sprawled upon. Staring Kili down, eyes that said, “You didn’t save us” or “You should’ve joined us” it made chills run through the brown haired dwarf. He rubbed his thumbs against his temple, trying to ease the headache and make the images go away.

At times like these, words were hard to say. What could you say to someone who couldn’t stand to here the name of their own beloved uncle or twin because of such a tragedy. They were brutally killed by evil creatures who tortured for fun. They were killed for wanting their homeland back. They had been killed and it wasn’t Kili’s fault. But he felt the blame, and part of him didn’t want to exist in a world without his close kin.

The silence was thick and though it was your job to listen, you knew in this moment something needed to be said. “My king, no one but yourself blames you for the tragedy,” you continued on trying your best to maintain eye contact, “They risked their lives just like you did yours, and dare I say, they would be upmost proud to see how far you have come and how far you have carried your people.” Kili’s eyes met yours finally moving away from the wall. He felt heavy, in his chest, and his vision started to blur. He grieved his loss, the tears streaming down his face. He missed his brother so much, missed the guidance that Thorin gave. He longed so much to turn back time, to stick by his brothers side, to do so much differently.

You couldn’t stop yourself from getting up from your chair, crossing the couple of feet between the two of you, and kneeling down in front of your king. With a few more thoughts running through your head, if it was proper or the right thing to do, you pushed all things to the side you decided to stand and embrace him. Your arms easily wrapping around him in a comforting hug, to which he immediately leaned in, wanting the comfort you offered. This only made you want to do more, to ease his pain somehow, as your hands went up from his back to his neck, going into his hair. Combing through it with your fingers, one hand going back down to rub his back.

You both stayed like that for awhile. Kili’s tears had stopped after some time but still no one moved. In fact Kili moved closer, his face burying into your chest not wanting to leave. This was unprofessional but at the same time, you didn’t mind one bit. If this helped Kili in any way, especially with overcoming his strifes, then you would give him all the comfort and hugs he needed. Because even though he was going through such grief, he was a true King, and the best dwarf for the job in your opinion.

He deserved all the happiness in the world.

[hypermanga]

Of braids and jealousy (Thorin Oakenshield x reader)

Requested by: @queenofmankind​

Request: Can I request a jealous Thorin Oakenshield please when he saw that the reader  has allowed Kili to braid her hair because in the dwarves custom that is a display of intimacy & possession but the reader don’t know that because she’s human?  

Word count: 1469

It was a particularly hot summer day as the Company of Thorin Oakenshield made its way to Erebor to retrieve the ancient dwarven kingdom from the claws of a northern dragon.

This would be something understandable if you were from Middle Earth, but this wasn't the way you wanted to spend your spring break: you'd been cleaning your dorm when you'd come across an old dusty book at the bottom of one of your cupboards. You recognized it as your aunt Talulah's birthday gift, which she had given you while she said: "Every book holds an adventure in it, just dare to enter it fully". As you'd turned the first page you had felt the world around you disappear as a black hole sucked you into the book.

Just your luck, you'd landed in a tree near what you would soon learn was called 'The Shire' , surprising the Company. It took you a while to reason to them and explain why you were wearing the clothes you wore, but thanks to Gandalf's gift of speech, you'd managed to land yourself a place in the group.

Since then you'd faced many dangers, noone your age may believe if told so. Not that everything was bad; the Company was a fun little group, and everyone had been really welcoming of you.

What you didn't count on is becoming emotionally attached to the dwarves, especially to the leader. Sure, he was much older than you, but he carried himself with a mixture of pride and nostalgia that drew you to him. More often than not you would drift off thinking what it would be like to become his queen, thoughts that you quickly shoved aside every time you noticed them because that was something proper for a fifteen-year-old full of foolish dreams. 

Yet, who would have told your fifteen-year-old self that you would get sucked into a book?  

~~~~

"Kili, could you help me with something?" The young dwarf had left the sausage he was cooking, sighing sadly as his brother stole it from him, and made his way to you "Tell me, and it shall be done" He crossed his arms proudly, making you chuckle "It's just, it's so hot in he-Don't you dare pull me an 'it's because I'm here' crap" At that he closed his mouth, earning a full laugh "I see that everyone had braids, and I was wondering if you could braid my hair to feel better, I fear I'm going to cut my hair with one of your swords if I don't do something about this" You had grabbed the ends of your hair, making puppy eyes to Kili, who got behind you and started to work. After a couple of minutes, your hair was tied in a beautiful braid, which surely would help you through the hot summery nights "Do women from your world not know how to do braids?" "Most of them do, but I was never interested in doing so"Shrugging, you stood up when Bilbo, Balin and Thorin returned from deciphering the map "Well, how did it go?" You asked the older dwarf, who grimaced "We need to reach the mountain before Durin's day, which is the end of summer" "Is it near?" "Far too near, we must-" Thorin's voice came to a halt once his eyes landed on you "We leave at morning" He cut his intervention short as he made his way past you "Did I do something?" You asked nobody in particular, as everyone busied themselves with packing.

You casted a glance at the Company's leader. He had been wearing a stern expression since Rivendell, probably because establishing relationships with elves wasn't something the dwarves enjoyed very much as you'd learned. That wasn't anything new, but he also had been actively avoiding you "Don't worry (Y/N), he's just wary of you as he is of me. We don't belong in here" Bilbo shrugged, not preoccupying himself of what Thorin thought of him.

But that was what worried you: you were lost in a world you thought was fictionary and in the middle of a quest which you needn't be part of, yet you had fought vigorously to save the Company from the trolls and were prepared for anything, and so this display of behaviour surprised you negatively.

As per our favourite dwarf king, he spent day and night thinking what he'd done wrong: everyone in the Company except for you and Bilbo picked up his display of affection, such as protecting you in case something happened as well as being caring despite his lack of trust to anyone outside his kin. 

And still, Kili had won your heart. Perhaps it was a matter of age, as he wasn't one for pulling pranks or being 'fun', not with the task he carried on his hands. 

Now, as he couldn't retract himself from his words or feelings, he opted for focusing on his mission and hope that you wouldn't be affectionate with Kili in front of him, and hoped his feelings for you would leave. 

~~~~~~

One night, you decided you had enough.

"Thorin, may  I have a word with you? Privately" He just nodded reluctantly, guiding you just after the treeline "Okay, so what's wrong with you and me?" Your tone surprised him, not expecting you to be so straightforward with your question. Nevertheless, he didn't bulge "Nothing" "C'mon, if I have to stay all night for you to spit it out I'm going to, is not my first sleepless night after all" You crossed your arms as you supported yourself with a nearby tree "I said nothing" 

It was going to be a long night.

"So...Who wants to bet in which one gets down from his high horse?" "Lad, I think I will pass in this one...The lass has some if she goes toe to toe with Thorin" Dwalin smirked, lowkey hoping this would help his friend spill how he felt about you.  

"...I fought to save your life!" Another string of shouts broke the silent night, as the Company tossed coins between themselves as the fight went on "So what! Nobody asked you to do so!" "I did because I wanted to, don't you understand? I'm in a world where everything is foreign to me...And you had been really friendly with me, what happened?" 

Thorin couldn't bear to look at your eyes, his guilt too strong to prevent him from doing it "Who braided your hair?" That question completely threw you off "Wait-" Your tone stopped being pointed, yet your features remained like so "All this is because of the damn braid?" "Aye, because this dumbass right here didn't put his crap together to ask you out before Kili did" Dwalin came to view, tired of the back and forth  "Kili did not ask me out!" "Then why did you let him braid your hair?!" Thorin pointed out your braid "Wow...Let me get this straight. Correct me if I'm wrong, but by letting Kili braid my hair I'm automatically 'dating' him?" 

The two dwarves nodded as Dwalin calmed Thorin down from his outburst "First of all, what the heck is this? I only let him braid my hair because it was hot and don't know how to braid it myself; Second, this proofs tradition can lead to some serious misunderstandings; Third, Thorin were you going to ask me out?" Your face was red, from anger or embarrassment, only god knows "Aye, he was" Dwalin answered for the king, who looked just as baffled as you were "Is that true, Thorin?" "Didn't I tell you-" "I want to hear it from his lips, Dwalin" You interrupted the gruff dwarf, who just crossed his arms in exasperation "Thorin, I suggest you do so, nobody is going to be as stubborn as this lass...Or will put up with your pride" Thorin snickered at that, swallowing his pride "If you will still take me, an old man who becomes a dwarfling when musting up the courage to ask a pretty lass out-" You smiled, a tired but victorious one "Come here, you big oaf" You opened your arms, a gasp escaping your lips when Thorin lifted you "I'll leave you to it" Dwalin muttered, but you were in your own little world, with the background noise of groans and cheers -depending on their bets- of the Company's members.

Sure, there was a lot of communication and long hours of knowing eachother further -given your cultural backgrounds- to make it work, but not like every day you get to have a dwarf king as your boyfriend, right?

MASTERLIST

REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

[meltedhorror]

Please tell us what we could've had with Brave

I'm so curious and can't find anything for some reason

I was gonna answer this way earlier I'm so sorry anon BUT let me tell you now!! Long post ahead

WHAT BRAVE COULD'VE BEEN, AN ESSAY BY MEEEEE

okok so I will admit I've watched tons of videos on the subject and I can send them to anyone who wants

ANYHOW

The fact that this movie went through tons of rewrites probably comes as a surprise to no one. I don't remember exactly how many, but there was a good few rewrites throughout basically the whole movie, hence why some parts don't really go along with others.

So what could've Brave (2012) have been?

Lets start with the good part of the movie, or the only good part. The beginning.

We're introduced to Merida; A young rebel held to ridiculous standards by her parents, a young girl with a wild and free heart and that part of her is clearly endorsed by her father the king, but not so much by her mother the queen.

This is shown by the fact that her dad gives her a classic longbow (English horseback type may I add as an archer myself!), but with rules set in place by her mother (Shown through the oh so classic scene "No bows on the table. But MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM-")

Throughout the start of the movie we learn a few key facts; Though the king is the one supposedly making the decisions, it is the queen who is actually getting things done and the true ruler around here.

But here, let me give you a few examples of this!

She is very clearly respected in a regard that her husband is not.

In this scene a fight breaks out, which her husband joins if I don't remember wrong when he was supposed to stop it. He's more or less just one of the lads so to say, where as the queen? She has RESPECT. The fighting crowd clears as she decisively walks up to her husband and the other clan leaders to quite literally grab them by the ears. They look at her in a way that tells you that this is a woman you do not disrespect, because she means business.

There's also several times where she has to tell the king to do/say certain things that he as a king should know to do himself. She's like a puppeteer but in a nice way.

There's another scene that we'll get to in a second, just bear with me here!

The queen represents a more conservative ideology, the system that tries to push us into little perfect neat boxes.

She may be the voice of reason and the more or less true ruler of their kingdom, but she also represents what Merida fights so hard to escape.

Elinor is always depicted as very proper, from the way she speaks to the way she carries herself. Where the king, the triplets and Merida can act a bit of however they want without a care in the world, the queen always carries herself as... Well, royalty. As both a monarch and a woman she HAS to fit this specific box of how to act, walk and talk, and this is very cleverly shown throughout and DOES to the movies credit carry through to the bad parts later on.

EVEN IN THE PROMO ART THIS SHINES TRHOUGH

She's proper - Standing straight and neat, acting her best and like she should as a woman in her position.

So of COURSE Merida clashes hard with this idea of how you should live, and this shows and is the REAL struggle in the beginning of the movie.

This brings us to the proposal scene.

In this scene each of the clans bring their sons to marry Merida, the princess. This is where shit hits the wall.

Elinor pushes desperately for Merida to fit into this neat little box that she herself has had to live within for probably most of her life now that Merida is becoming a grown woman and, in turn, a queen.

Now she has to act this specific way and dress in a way, all these things absolutely NOT in character for Merida. So she acts out in small ways, tries to be her own person but her mother does not let her. Merida is to become a queen, and a queen does not act the way Merida has up until this point.

This does NOT fly for our protagonist however. She does NOT want to get married. She and the king also laugh at the guys wanting to marry her together, quickly shot down by the queen. Mind you this is ENTIRELY the queens decision and this HAS to be done.

So when she hears the clans have to compete for her hand? AND she gets to pick what they have to compete in? A devilish plan is born and she sees a new chance at freedom!

She picks archery with the plan to compete for her own hand and rebel against her mother. She is NOT gonna fit into this tiny neat box and she is gonna show it.

The day comes, Merida and the king make fun of the boys and get a scolding look from the queen which immediately shuts them up. Again a show of how much power and respect she really has, where just a simple look is enough to discourage bad behavior.

Final competitor Merida walks up to the archery line. Shit hits the fan like you wouldn't believe.

You stop and put down that bow or so help me. The king is concerned but finds it funny at first, but not the queen.

Elinor. Panics.

She is powerless as she rushes up while still trying to keep composure. She is the queen, she has to stay proper. Always stay in role.

The crowd watches on horrified, they know what is going to happen. Merida is ice cold as she walks up, tearing the all to tight dress holding her back and hits the X on target after target. She is breaking free, no, she is CLAWING her way out of this life forced upon her by a mother unwilling to understand or even compromise.

She stops and in a quick breath focuses, the queens threatening aura looming closer yet closer with each heartbeat. The final nail in the coffin. She releases the arrow and in stone cold perfection splits the final arrow down the middle, landing a final victorious X.

She turns around and faces her mother.

A seething rage for different reasons.

Cut.

The next scene they are fighting, ending with Elinor throwing Meridas beloved bow in the fire, completely destroying it, and Merida cutting a beautifully handcrafted textile in half.

They've both destroyed something important to one another. They are even.

Elinor expresses deep regret after throwing Meridas bow into the fire, trying desperately to recover it from the flames but is too late and the intricate weapon is already too far gone to even hope to restore.

AND NOW THE MOVIE TAKES A FUCKING NOSEDIVE

Throw everything we've just built up out of the window baby because none of this is relevant anymore! Mom becomes bear and we are thrown out on an all too familiar "LETS GO ON AN ADVENTURE TOGETHER WOOOOO ROADTRIP LETS FIND FRIENDSHIP ON THIS ROADTRIP :D"

Literally if you want to watch a movie with bears and a roadtrip like scenario go and watch Brother Bear, it's way fucking better than the trash they shat out for this movie.

Merida """accidentally""" curses Elinor to become a bear, and the only way to make her not a bear is to give back and fix something important and close to her heart.

They fix the fabric, the thing her mom made that Merida cut in half that occurred during the fight. But Meridas bow? Never fucking mentioned again. Not even an apology.

They never bring up ANY of the things mentioned here again in the movie. They never apologize to Merida. Merida is the one who has to change in the end ANYWAYS and Elinor never has to apologize for any of the things she did.

It's seriously so fucking upsetting to me what we lost here, and what we'll never have. We could've had an amazing movie about empowerment, about breaking free of rules already set for us because of the way we were born and about learning to change. But instead we got absolute vomit.

Anyway sorry for the incredibly long post, and fuck Disney <3 If you're gonna watch their movies pirate them, don't give them a single fucking dime. I'll never forgive them for the Frozen Elsa lookin ass dragon in the new movie.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

What do you think Grima and Eomer are most scared of? Apart from being left alone with each other, of course :) I think Eomer is terrified of spiders - he has to ask Eowyn to remove them. Grima's fears are probably grander and more philosophical e.g. non-existence, failure, imperfection. But I bet he's terrified of weird stuff as well - exposed knees, clowns, steep stairs...

Oooooooh I love this question!! (granted I love any and all questions about these two)

[Oh god this got so long, I’m sorry but also not sorry.]

So I mean, it would depend what kind of fear we’re talking about. 

In terms of day-to-day fears/things that spook you or creep you out. I think Eomer has a REAL problem with house (mead hall?) centipedes. 

‘Too many legs, Grima. They have too many legs. I did not sign up for this.’ 

Once. when Eomer was like 10, he woke up with a house centipede on his chest and he’s never recovered. 

Grima just shoos the critter outside. Eowyn lectures her brother about their importance in the grand ecosystem. Eomer doesn’t care. 

Like when Eomer sees a house centipede all the hair on his body stands on end and he feels that cold wash of terror. I mean, if he had to, he could deal with it himself. But he’d be internally screaming the entire time. Stoic externally, of course. He is a brave rider of Rohan! But inside? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

-

I think Grima gets creeped out by uncanny valley things. Mostly dolls. I think he assumes 90% of all dolls are cursed. One time his niece left her doll behind and Grima had to lock it in a box and hide it in a storage room and he was still a little convinced that it was going to escape and murder them all. Chucky style. 

Eomer: I want to get my sister a doll for the baby she and Faramir are about to have. How about this one? 

Grima: W h y would you traumatize a baby like that Eomer? Are you a monster? 

Eomer: This .... this is a cute doll. It’s not going to haunt them. 

Grima: You don’t know that for certain. Look at those beady eyes. Always watching. 

Eomer: Ghosts and draugr are fine but not dolls?

Grima: My undead brother might be a pain in the arse but at least I know what to expect from him. Mostly his trying to eat people. But it’s within the bounds of reason. That fucking doll on the other hand? Who knows what it thinks in the dark hours of the night. Who knows what secrets it holds in its heart. 

Eomer: . . .I think I’ll just get the kid a stuffed animal horse. 

Grima: Much better. 

I also think Grima gets easily spooked by flying insects. Like once he ascertains that the sudden movement within his line of vision isn’t going to hurt him, he’s fine. But his initial reaction is to get up and leave very quickly and let Eomer deal with it. Grima has a strong association between sudden movements and getting punched. Reasonable, really. 

Shared thing? I think Eomer and Grima both find teeth to be really creepy. 

Eowyn: They’re just bones in your mouth. It’s fine. 

Grima: MOUTH BONES??? DON’T CALL THEM THAT. 

Eowyn: Mouth! Bones! Mouth! Bones!

Eomer: I hate all of this. 

Eowyn: Mouth bonessssss! 

Eomer shows up in Osgiliath, hasn’t seen Eowyn in like two years, she gives him a hug and whispers ‘mouth bones’ into his ear just to freak him out. Because they’re loving and caring siblings like that. 

Eowyn: My daughter is just starting to get her mouth bones in.

Grima: I refuse to engage with this.

Faramir: Babe, why are you like this??

Eomer: I brought this doll for her. 

Eowyn: That is so cursed, I’m surprised Grima let you buy it. 

Eomer: I don’t know, I think it’s kind of cute. 

Eowyn: hmmmm yeah well you’re sleeping with that thing over there so I don’t know that your judgement can be trusted. 

Grima: h e y.

Faramir: What kind of family did I marry into??

/

Now, for deeper fears. 

Eomer is the one who has a deep seated fear of failure. Of not living up to the expectations set on him from a very young age. Both as son of Eomund, who is like local hero 101, and as nephew to the king. Being orphaned at a young age, I suspect he had a lot of pressure placed on him to Be the Man in the Family. To Take Care Of Everyone etc.  

And it’s hard being the son of someone who has a bit of a legend around them when they’re alive, let alone when they’re dead and so they become an impossible standard to live up to. 

This isn’t to say Eomer is a stick in the mud and doesn’t get up to mischief. This is the man who drops sick burns for a living and can be described as “compulsively truculent”. Like, Eomer at 18 was absolutely a bit of a mad lad. But, there was always this fear and anxiety hanging over him of having to live up to great expectations - most of which he’s placed on himself but he’s not aware of that. 

Later, I’ve always headcanon-ed that he does a bit of that daft thing of comparing himself to Aragorn and is like “I’m not living up to the story book legend who rules the neighbouring kingdom” and despairs. 

Eowyn: You’re doing fine. And really, Boromir and Arwen run 80% of everything. Aragorn disappears into the mountains at any given moment. 

Eomer: But what if I’m somehow failing everything at all times? Have you thought about that? That I’m failing our parents and ruining our father’s legacy and destroying our uncle’s trust in me??

Eowyn: .  . . yeah that’s not happening. You’re fine. 

Eomer: BUT AM I???

Eowyn awkwardly pats his hand, ‘You’re fine.’ Eomer despairs. 

Grima: Can’t do worse than me. 

Eowyn: Yeah! You can’t do worse than Grima. 

Eomer: That bar is so low it’s underground. 

Additional to this, I think Eomer is scared of letting things go - like giving up control in situations. Because he’s got it into his head that so long as he is in control he can keep everyone safe and no one will die (i.e. his sister). And he’s terrified of things heading down the Road of Chaos. 

Which like, Eomer, good luck with that. You live in Middle Earth and Grima’s still around being the agent of chaos that he is. 

Grima: I’ve had a thought. 

Eomer: Oh no. Put it back where you found it. 

Grima: Too late, I’ve told Eothain and he thinks it’s great. 

Eomer: Gods preserve me. 

Eothain: Ok but hear us out -- 

-

For Grima - he’s got a long of weird, existential fears. The World Ending being the biggest of them. He’s got a bit of a nihilistic, hopeless streak in him that can get quite philosophical in terms of dread. 

But for more personal, grounded fears, I think the main one is that he’s terrified of being seen. Of being vulnerable. Because if people see him/know him, surely they’ll hate him and leave him and that would hurt so, so much. Therefore, if he’s mean to everyone, including himself, then people can’t hurt him because he’s already doing their work for them to himself. 

Yet, he’s also afraid of being alone and so desperately wants to love and be loved but doesn’t know how to go about making that happen in a healthy, normal manner. So he self-sabotages. Tells himself things like, “I was not a lovable child, and I’d grown into a deeply unlovable adult. Draw a picture of my soul and it’d be a scribble with fangs.” - Gillian Flynn 

This just creates a fucked up freeze/thaw cycle of “I want to fit in and belong somewhere, but if people know me they’ll see what an ugly thing I am, better that they don’t know me, so let me shut them out/be mean to them etc., no one cares for me because I am unworthy of it, this hurts a lot, and I think fitting in and belonging would probably stop it hurting, but if people know me they’ll see what an ugly thing I am, better they don’t ... so on and so forth.” 

So yeah. His deep seated fears of being vulnerable + being along make for some twisted thinking and lots of self-sabotaging. 

Grima; What is emotional vulnerability?? Never heard of it. 

Theoden: You could give it a try, you know. 

Grima: No. I refuse. 

Grima does that thing that Carrie Fisher talks about: “Of all the violence I have known in my life, I have not known violence like the way I talk to myself.” 

/

Thank you so much for the ask! This was an absolute blast to answer. I loved every minute of it. 

I love all Grima and Eomer questions. 

<3 <3 

[luniellar]

The Union: Chapter One - Sebastian Stan X Chris Evans X Reader

Summary: This fictional story takes place between the three kingdoms that hold great power in the untouchable lands located in Europe. Despite the modern developments in the other countries, these three kingdoms, Callisto, Europa and Io, exist hidden from the rest of the world and embrace the cultural customs shared for centuries from the early human civilizations.

You are the daughter of the Europa Kingdom led by your father, King Jovian. This year you reached the fruitful age of 21, meaning that it’s finally time to fulfill your duty as the princess of Kingdom Europa. The arranged marriage between Kingdom Europa and Kingdom Callisto has been something that your father planned for a long time to finally bring peace between the three kingdoms. Whether you like it or not, you are the key piece to it all. King Stan of Callisto is who you will be sharing the honor of the arranged marriage. He is known by all as a man of savage fighting nature and very few words. You know there is no hope wishing for the passionate love your father and mother shared, but will you be able to bring peace to this land to fulfill your father’s last wishes?  

Link: Prologue | 1 | 

Warnings: Inappropriate languages & minor heated scenes 

Word Count: 2.6K

The dining table was filled to the brim with the fancy reception feast. High level nobles and knights sat around the table as they dug into the feast as if they had been starving for weeks. You and King Stan sat at the head of the table and your father sat by your right hand talking to the other noble men. When you glanced over by the King’s side, there was a handsome male with golden brown hair that reminded you of the warm autumn’s sun. He looked much too young to be the King’s father.

The Callisto’s family tree has been hidden under the table for a while after King Stan took over the land. One rumor said that his father died during one of the many battles, but no one ever heard about his mother. Some said that she passed away when he was young and others spoke of an illegitimate birth. You glanced over at the brown hair smiling lad by the King again. 

Hm…

“How bold,” the King’s velvet voice spoke calmly, startling you. “The queen dares to look at other mates in front of her king already.”

Your face turned red as you quickly darted your eyes from the blonde male and back to your plate. The food was untouched and starting to get cold.

He chuckled, sending shivers down your cold skin. “I can introduce you. He’s a close friend and my right-hand man, Duke Christopher Evans.”

You glanced up and made eye contact with the clear, crystal blue orbs that belonged to Duke Evans. He made a pleasant, genuine smile that lit up his entire face and tipped his head towards your direction.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Euro- I mean Queen Callisto.”

You smiled back despite the awkwardness you felt when he spoke your new name. Any small amount of appetite you had left over was lost.

“The pleasure is mine, Duke Evans.”

“Please, call me Chris.”

You were taken back from the friendly nature of the Duke and didn’t know what to reply.

“Oh, uh-”

Before you could finish your sentence the king interrupted. “Aren’t you going to eat at all, my queen?”

You reached out for the brass fork beside the porcelain plate and stabbed a piece of salad through it. You felt the King and the Dukes’ eyes on you as you quietly chewed and placed the fork back down.

“The food must not be to your liking.” The King said out loud causing your father, who was engaged in another heated discussion with one of the nobles, to turn his head.

“My daughter loves all the food prepared at our castle, King Stan.” He replied disapprovingly. Your father took pride in the exceptional quality of food prepared in the Castle Europa kitchen. He even made sure to hand pick each and every staff member who was assigned to the kitchen.

“My apologies, King Jovian. I didn’t mean any harm in my comment. My queen looked like she was having a hard time finishing her meal.” King Stan replied with respect.

Your father cleared his throat which he did often when he disapproved of something. Ignoring the King’s comment, he turned to you. “Daughter, are you alright? Should I ask them to bring you something you would like to eat instead? What would you like?”

You smiled politely and shook your head. “No father, I appreciate your thoughts. My body is just exhausted from the long day, I’m looking forward to resting soon.”

King Stan’s smiling face and amused tone attracted the attention of the few sitting near us. “My queen, I didn’t know you were so eager to share beds.”

You glared up at him and saw a few unfamiliar eyes in your direction who caught his words. Your father’s pale fist around his steak knife caught your eyes. At this rate, there was only going to be one King standing after this dinner and King Stan was the one with a perfect track record. You looked over at Duke Evans who hung his head in shame at his friend’s embarrassing behavior. This dinner was already over.

You stood up from your seat and every pair of eyes around the room looked up including King Stan’s. “Please excuse me while I check on the preparations for my leave. Enjoy your dinner and thank you for coming.”

Whispers drowned behind you as you navigated yourself out of the dining hall. You walked over to the grand lobby and saw the helpers organize the boxes of your belongings for the move to Castle Callisto. You stood in the lobby and your chest felt heavy again.

“It looks like they are almost finished,” the velvet voice echoed behind her.

The tears teased around your eyes and you bit down on your lips hard to the point the taste of iron lingered around your mouth. You were going to make sure the King never saw your tears today. You were the Queen now. The last thing you needed him to think was that you were just another female body he could push around like a lifeless puppet.

He stopped next to you and your shoulder was touching his hard biceps through his commander uniform. You nodded in response without turning to look at him. “I am excited to see the beautiful Castle Callisto, King Stan. I should head back to say farewell to my Father.”

As you were about to head back, his strong grip grabbed your left wrist. His warm touch felt like needles against your cold skin.

“I’ll be waiting outside in the jet. Don’t make me wait too long.”

You wanted to rip your wrists out of his grip and shout profanities for asking you to cut your farewell to your own father short. You let out a soft exhale as you moved your free hand to move his warm hand. Despite the grip, it was fairly easy to move. Your hand felt tiny holding his large, masculine hand.

“Yes, I’ll be quick, my King.”

✧✧✧

You begged your father to continue the dinner instead of coming to say farewell. You knew that your goal of staying tear free this wedding was going to be ruined if you had to formally say goodbye. He then went on cursing about how he was going to kill that boy, but you had to quickly talk him out of that idea.

You looked at the massive Callisto Kingdom private jet that lit up the dark forest surroundings. A loud sigh escaped your lips as you looked behind the great Castle Europa. So many memories that made you into the woman you are today existed in this land. Biting your lips again, you closed your eyes to remember the air, soul, and people this land meant to you.

It was time to say goodbye.

“Goodbye Europa.”

✧✧✧

The jet trip was a little over two hours. Despite the empty seat next to the King, you sat in the row behind him. Surprisingly, he didn’t request you to sit next to him. Across from you was Duke Evans who fell asleep in the plush seat the moment the jet took off.

You stared out at the window the entire ride without a word. You couldn’t tell if the King also fell asleep, but you assumed he did since he also didn’t move a bit for the entire span of the ride like Duke Evans.

When the flight attendants came out from their space at the front of the jet, they announced that we landed in Callisto. You felt anxiety in your heart increase as you got up from your seat. As you were making your way to the aisle, a hot hand gently touched your arm. Unlike the prickly needle sensation from before, the touch was different, it was soft and caring.

The King quickly took off his jacket. In one motion, he wrapped your tiny frame inside the velvet material. You were still wearing your reception gown that was a toned down version of your white crystal wedding gown. It was sleeveless and made out of thin material. You didn’t realize how cold you were until the warmth encompassed your shoulders, arms, and bare back.

“It’s much colder in Callisto,” he said as continued down the aisle towards the exit.

“Thank you,” you managed to get out as you felt his warmth soothe your anxious feelings.

You followed the King and the Duke out of the jet. Like Europa, the landing field was located in the forest for privacy. When you got out, you couldn’t see anything but a large black SUV vehicle that was parked further out.

“Queen Callisto,” Duke Evans said as your feet touched the Callisto land. “Welcome to Callisto. I’ll be driving you and Sebastian back to the Castle.”

✧✧✧

Everything was a blur from the car ride to Castle. King Stan didn’t speak a word. You only captured a quick dark view of the castle as the car circled around through a private entrance and went underground. After what felt like five minutes in the tunnel, the car reached an empty parking garage.

Once the car parked, King Stan got out first and came over to your side to open the door. Half surprised that he still had manners after today, you hesitantly stepped out and looked around the space in curiosity.

“This is the private parking garage that gives you direct access to the King’s Suite.” Duke Evans spoke as if he could read your mind.

You knew that Castle Europa had similar security systems in place, but you never witnessed one in person.

Duke Evans led the way and you followed him and King Stan towards a glass door that led to the elevator. There was only one button that Duke Evans pressed and the elevator doors opened wide.

King Stan stepped inside and you followed. Duke Evans smiled as he waved back to us. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Queen Callisto and Seb. Have a good night.” Then the elevator doors closed.

✧✧✧

Each of the three kingdom’s castles had their own special charm. Castle Europa was unique from the others because it maintained the tradition and legacy of the old castle. They did make modern upgrades like jet landing sites and other security features, but the castle still maintained most of the original state. On the contrary, Castle Io was redesigned from the ground up with the latest security and highest quality materials. You never visited, but your father always made disappointed remarks about how the Io King was eager to tear down centuries of history for an iron fortress full of “useless” technological updates.

When the elevator dinged, the doors opened to a contemporary designed hallway. Black granite floors and gold accents in the wallpaper reminded you of what the penthouse floor of the royal hotel suite would look like. Dim circle warm lights lit the hallway as you quietly followed the King. As you shared the car and elevator ride before and now this hallway, you noticed a unique scent that lingered from him. He had a warm and spicy scent that was a mixture of rum, tobacco, and vanilla.

After a short walk down the hallway, the King stopped at the grandiose tar black wooden doors. There were elegant brass knobs as the handle. He biometrically scanned his hand on a glass panel next to the doors and there was a soft click signaling the doors were unlocked.

“We will make sure to add your biometrics tomorrow for access to my chambers.”

His intoxicating and addicting scent rushed towards you as he opened the doors. Unlike the modern and contemporary design of the hallway outside, most of his room still resembled the King’s chambers that was passed on for centuries. The dark stained wooden floors were covered in ornate deep purple carpets. The same deep purple color saturated the walls and the gold accents looked as if it was etched into the damask pattern like it was some precious fabric. The room was dimly lit with crystal chandeliers around the room.

His overly large four poster bed was stretched out in the middle of the room against the back wall. The rich gold and purple fabric hung from the bed frames.

His velvety whisper from the wedding ceremony played in your mind.

“I will be looking forward to tonight, my queen.”

You glanced around to the king who was starting to remove his formal wedding attire. He expertly removed his commander uniform and dropped it on the purple velvet couch. The numerous amount of medals on his uniform made a soft thud as it landed.

“Aren’t you going to undress?” He asked nonchalantly as he walked to the bathroom.

You froze in place not sure of what to do. You wanted to wash up and go to sleep after a long day like today, but you had no idea where your change of clothes were. Most importantly, the wedding night tradition was just as important as the wedding.

You were going to lose your virginity tonight.

You took off the king’s velvet jacket and placed it on the same couch he dropped his uniform. Unsure of what to do next, you started to make your way to the bathroom. Your heart was racing in your chest as you got closer.

At the same time, the King stepped out of the bathroom and your eyes widened in embarrassment. He was shirtless and was only wearing his black suit pants hanging from his hips. You had never seen a shirtless man before. Well, that wasn’t completely true, you studied Greek and Rome art enough to know what it looked like, but you never saw a live one in person. The only references you had was the Statue of David, but his body was so much more than that. His entire body was covered in muscle and each muscle was tight and hard. There were some faint scars around his body that you could catch in the dim light, but it was still a chiseled, marble perfection.

“Are you done staring?” He asked with an amused voice and you felt your face heat up.

“Oh- um-” You quickly diverted your glance to the carpet as you brought up your hands to the side of your face in embarrassment. “I’m sorry- I- I- didn’t mean to stare.”

You heard his footsteps move closer to you until you saw his shoes across from your feet. His hands moved over yours as he brought your face up to meet his. Your eyes searched for his familiar jade orbs and your heart was beating louder against your chest.

His rough lips collided with yours as he kissed you softly, biting at lips. The feeling caused little butterflies in your stomach as you reciprocated the kiss back tasting his lips with your tongue. His warm aroma saturated the air around you. When he felt your tongue, he immediately responded by erasing the space between your bodies and pushing his tongue into your needy mouth. His warm body felt comfortable against your body. He explored your mouth like he did at the wedding, but this time taking the measures to feel and learn every inch. You kissed him back, entering a piece of you into his unfamiliar and enticing territory.

By the time you both pulled away, you were both gasping for air. His forehead gently touched yours as your hands fell from your face. His right hand grabbed your left hand as he brought it up to his lips. He gently kissed your hand and held it in his. The warmth quickly traveled around your body like an infection.

“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath. “You have no idea how long I waited for you.”

---

Note: This chapter was getting too long and I had to cut it here. Next up is their first bed night, I promise. Thank you for the likes and comments on the prologue. Please share any feedback with me! Thank you for reading!

[killiansprincss]

Never Forget You Ch.13

Season 6A Canon Divergence.

Emma is happy. Finally happy with her parents, son and boyfriend. But this happiness is taken away from her when the Evil Queen curses her and turns her into a toddler.

Heartbroken and angry, Killian and Henry run away to Neverland to wait for Emma to break her curse. But when she does break it and comes looking for them 25 years later, she soon realises this Neverland is very different now it is no longer under Pans rule.

Will she be able to save Henry and Killian in time, or will this new ruler of Neverland keep them hostage forever?

Also on AO3

Chapter 13 of my Neverland fic is up :))) please go check it out if you’re a lover of CS and especially angst. This fic is about halfway through and it’s my baby so give it some love!

________

“Tonight.” Henry tells his mother after her constant pestering.

“What?” Emma asks, “What happens tonight?”

“The Lost Ones. They still come to the Island at night in a dream state.Killian and I help them, or at least he used to. Don’t give up on Killian just yet, show him you’re not leaving. True Loves Kiss or something might wake him up.”

Emma smiles at her son's enthusiasm, “I don’t think True Love's Kiss will work, he isn't under a curse, but you’re right I do need to show him that I am going to stick around. I was so afraid of losing him until he showed me he wasn’t going anywhere, so now it’s time to return the favor.”

And so Henry tells his mother all about the Lost Ones of this New Neverland, how they come from all the realms, magical and non magical, Pan's shadow no longer steals them from their beds, it’s how it was before Pan, lost kids travel to Neverland and they think they're dreaming. The magic from Morpheus allows them to travel in their dream state and Henry likes to help as many of them as he can, if he never sees them again he believes it's for the best, that they aren’t lost anymore.

Henry also tells the story of why Killian no longer helps the Lost ones.

~~~

Killian didn’t know how long he had been back in Neverland. It had been a while, but he wasn’t sure if that meant weeks or years.

Morpheus, god of dreams allowed sleeping children to travel to Neverland who felt lost or lonely. Being in Neverland they could do whatever they wanted, eat cake for hours without feeling sick, and even fly. It made Killian happy that Neverland was being used to bring joy to kids without Pans evil tricks.

There was one little boy who he took a liking to and wanted to help. Eli Brewer. He was a young lad of maybe 10, short, dark hair, dark skin, and the lost look in his eyes that was all too familiar.

“So I can really do whatever I want here?” Eli asks, still amazed at what this island can offer.

“Yes lad, what you want, wish for it and it’ll appear.” Killian says crouching down to his level.

Eli closes his eyes. “I wish. I wish for the chocolate cake I stole from the bakery for me and Hugo that one time,”

Killians heart aches. He remembers Liam doing something similar for them once.

Eli’s eyes light up when he opens them to find a slice of chocolate cake in his hands.

“Where do you come from lad?” He asks, wanting to know how best he can help him.

With chocolate smeared round his face, he replies, “I come from the kingdom of Mirimois, it’s just a half a mile away from Longbourne. It’s just my little brother and me, our mother died years ago and our father ran away. I have to look after Hugo, we’ve been sleeping in between barrels at the nearby ports. I’m hoping someone will give me a job so that we can receive shelter and food.”

Killian was all too familiar with this situation. He and Liam would sleep by the docks after their father left, nobody would say anything, the sailors and pirates would leave them to sleep for a night, maybe even offer a blanket. Then in the morning they would be gone and on the hunt for another place to sleep.

“Well enjoy the festivities Neverland has to offer tonight, and if you wish to return tomorrow you may.”

Eli did enjoy what Neverland had to offer. And he came back, night after night, for weeks. And it was night after night that Killian took a liking to him, and wanted to make a change.

“Lad I’ve been thinking about your situation. You come from Longbourn, correct?”

Eli looks up from his cake he’s eating. “Yeah why?”

“There’s a kingdom nearby Thiroris. The king there is a kind man.” Killian did not like royalty, a habit of his pirate days. But in the missing year he came to know the Prince of a kingdom, who spent most of his time in the tavern where Killian and his crew drank. He was a good prince, and cared for the orphans in his kingdoms, and he learnt during his time in Storybrooke that his father had died and he was now King.

“I’ve heard of that kingdom. Our mother was from there.” Eli tells him with an excited smile.

“If you and your younger brother were to ask for refuge at his palace, I’m sure he would help you and give you a place to sleep and food to eat as magnificent as this chocolate cake.” Killian smiles at the lad, he reminds him so much of Liam. No boy his age should have to find work or worry about a safe place to sleep.

“You think?” Eli asks with the brightest smile on his face.

Killian just nods and allows him to enjoy his, hopefully, last night in Neverland.

Eli doesn’t return to Neverland that night, or the might after that. Killian takes that as a good sign. Eli never steps foot in Neverland again.

But it wasn’t a happy ending.

Some time later though a little boy the image of Eli yet younger appears in Neverland.

“My name is Hugo, my brother Eli and I were on our own for a while. Then he told me that if we go to this other kingdom a nice king would help us. But there were guards with arrows, and my brother got hit. He said he was in a better place, that he was going to see our mama. But now I’m all alone.” He explained and suddenly it made sense why Eli hadn’t returned to Neverland. He’d been caught in the crossfire of an arrow not meant for children. And now Hugo was a lost boy, he’d lost his brother like Killian had lost his, just at such a harsher age.

Killian now related to Hugo, he knew what he was dealing with, losing his brother and being all alone. Obviously this 7 year old boy couldn’t become a pirate or run away like he had done, but he could give him advice on how to deal with losing a brother.

He could have done those things. But he had ruined this poor boy’s life by giving his brother advice that got him killed. Instead, he stayed out of his way, didn’t give him advice and just was there to let them know the rules of Neverland and it’s dreamworld.

Many lost kids came and went and he didn’t really notice when Hugo stopped visiting.

_______

Emma can hear the cries of the Lost Ones. It’s what she heard the first night she was back here, and her very first night in Neverland 30 years ago.

When she was younger (orphan timeline) she wished she could escape to Neverland and be like the Lost Boys. That was before she knew the Disney Movie was nothing like the real story. She wanted to escape, be somewhere where it didn’t matter if she didn’t have parents or a family who loved her.

But then when she was 28, she had found her family. Granted she didn’t believe she had at first, but in her defence, who would believe a 10 year old saying he lived in a town with fairytale characters?  And then it was a long and rocky road until they felt like a family. And then the Evil Queen pressed a reset button and she had the chance to grow up feeling loved and never felt alone. She was grateful in some ways, but now she was conflicted, was she still a lost girl, an orphan who found her family at 28, or was she the girl that grew up with her family who loved her.

So when Henry told her about the lost kids, and that he tries to help them, her heart cried out. She wished she had someone to help her, keep her on the right track in life. Don’t give up hope. There is a family out there for you, whether biologically related to you or not. When she came to Storybrooke the first time, and thought Henry’s stories were well stories, she had found family, Mary Margaret was the first friend she had in a long time and she became her family, the way she invited her into her home and the way they defended each other when Regina framed or tried to undermine them.

She had learnt that family wasn’t always blood, it was those who cared about you. That’s what she would tell the lost ones, that finding someone who cares about you, is all you need.

“Mom! There you are!” Henry whispers shouts when he sees her at the clearing to the lost ones where he told her to wait. The lost ones clearing used to be Pans camp, so it was strange being back there and helping lost kids this time.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? What about Cecelia?” Emma asks, worried about when she eventually runs into the fairy.”

“Don’t worry, she’s never there throughout the night, she was here an hour ago to prepare the pixie dust, then tomorrow morning she’ll collect any dust left over.” Henry explains, calming her nerves, they still hadn’t decided how they were going to defeat her.

Emma and Henry walk into the clearing, and it looks pretty much the same as Pans camp did, with large trees and bushes surrounding the perimeter, and logs all around that serve as benches. The hammocks and beds were gone though, seeing as the lost ones no longer stayed longer than throughout the night. In the centre was a fountain that contained golden pixie dust that was glowing. There were a couple kids scattered around, one blonde haired boy was flying and giggling, another small girl was grinning as she was eating her ice cream, and a couple others were talking to one another on the logs.

Henry goes over to a boy with dark hair sitting by one of the trees, and gives her a look that says ‘go for it.’

She looks around at the kids, some are having the time of their life flying around or eating cake and ice cream. Others look, well, lonely. She sees a little girl around 9 with dark hair in two braids, she’s pretty tiny, short and very thin, maybe she’s not been eating well wherever she’s from. That lonely lost girl look on her face that’s all too familiar.

“Hey there, what’s your name?” Emma says as she approaches the little girl.

She looks up at Emma, not sure whether to trust her, “hi,”

Smart girl, not giving away too much information to someone you don’t know. Emma did this a lot when she was caught shoplifting as a teen. She sits down beside her. She could do this, she could help a lost girl,

“You know I was a lost girl once too.” Emma says staring ahead instead of saying it to her face.

The little girl looks up at her. “I’ve not seen you here before.”

Observant. Another trait of a lost girl, always looking at the details. “You’re right. I’m Emma. I was a lost girl once, and now I’m here to help.”

The little girl studies Emma for a few moments before saying. “I’m Elena.”

“It’s nice to meet you Elena.” Emma smiles at her.

____

If there’s one thing Killian had to bet on seeing tonight, it would not have been Emma with the Lost Ones. He walked into the clearing a little later than usual, and saw Henry talking with the same kids he had been talking to for a while, but saw blonde hair in the corner of his eyes.

No. It couldn’t be.

He looked over and saw Emma Swan talking to one of the lost girls. It really was her. This must be one of Henry’s ploys. Emma notices him and gives him a smile and a wave before returning to her conversation with a lost girl.

This woman doesn’t give up. She was a bloody marvel.

He watched her with the lost girl. He didn’t know the girl's name, she was pretty quiet and even Henry had trouble getting through to her.

So he sits on the log by the tree like he does every night and welcomes old and new lost ones.

“Welcome to Neverland. Morpheus has decided you’re a lost one, and has graced you with the chance to visit this place in your dream state. So enjoy Neverland. We have magic, you can fly, you can wish for anything to eat, go crazy,”

Killian says this speech to new lost ones almost every night and it gets tiring, especially now he knows he’s been saying it for 25 years. The first few years he was happy and upbeat, but now he said it in much more of a monotonous voice.

He keeps stealing glances at Emma throughout the night. And he was pretty sure she was doing that same. The lass she was with was looking more and more animated as the night progressed. She had a knack for this, that much was clear.

He wanted to go back with her. More than anything, but did he deserve to? And why does she still want him? Why bother with him at all? She should just take Henry and leave. She had lived her life again the way she was meant to, as a daughter that never doubted her parents loved her. After all that, why would she go back to a pirate who was abandoned as a child and lost everyone he loved?

The end of the night draws in, and the lost ones leave Neverland one by one. The girl Emma was talking to ended up being the last to leave. He nods to Henry when the night is up, avoiding Emma’s ever present stare.

“Killian wait.” He hears Emma voice as he walks outside the clearing on his way back to his ship.

He turns around to face her, “Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Emma rolls her eyes at him. “Don’t play dumb with me okay. I showed up here tonight to prove I’m not going anywhere without you.”

Killian just scoffs. “I already told you Swan, forget about me. Take your boy and leave.”

“I don’t want that okay? Are you not listening? I don’t want that.” Emma practically screams at him.

“And what do you not understand about the fact that you’re better off without me?” Killian shouts back.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Emma asks her blood practically boiling. Why would he say that?

He studied her for a moment, noticing the veins popping out of her forehead now she’s angry. “You don’t want me. You grew up with your perfect princess life, with a family and town full of people that love you. You never doubted that your parents loved you. You probably have a long line of princes and noblemen that want your heart. You don’t want a broken lost pirate. For 25 years I have been in this god awful place waiting for a woman who had forgotten me and I had no idea if you would even be here after 25 years.”

Emma scoffs, “yeah you’re right. I never doubted my parents' love for me, and I dated a few guys and I really liked them while we were together. And you’re right there are probably a lot more guys that want to be with me, I am a princess like you say. But guess what? We are not in the Enchanted Forest, I’m no princess, I’m free to choose my own life and my own boyfriends. And you know what else? None of them are you, Killian. It’s you I want. Even when I was cursed, I never forgot about you, I always used to see you in my dreams, I didn’t know who you were but. But I didn’t forget about you.”

“You dreamt about me?” Killain asks, not quite sure what to make of this revelation.

Emma nods. “It started when I was a teenager, maybe 16, 17. I kept seeing dark hair, blue eyes, your blue eyes, I didn’t know who you were but I knew you were important, a soulmate dream or something. Then as I got older, I started seeing visions, memories of our time together, like how I kissed you here in Neverland, and then saying goodbye to you in the Underworld.” Tears begin to roll from her eyes as she remembers that horrific goodbye. “Have you just forgotten everything we went through, the Underworld and everything, surely you don’t think I don’t love you anymore?”

“You still love me? Your feelings really haven’t changed?” Killain asks, still in disbelief that she could still love him.

“Of course I still love you!” Emma says with tears in her eyes. She takes the chain from under her shirt showing him the ring he gave her all those years ago. “I still have your brother's ring you gave me back in Camelot. I put it back on the moment I woke up. Because I love you Killian. And I’m not scared to say the words anymore! Killain Jones I love you so much. I don’t care what has happened, you still loved me when I went dark, so whatever this place has done to you, I don’t care. You’re still the same man I fell in love with. What’s stopping you from coming home?”

Emma steps forward and takes his hook and hand in hers. Killian backs away shaking his head. “I can’t do this, I’m sorry. Emma, my heart has been broken many times over my life. When my father abandoned Liam and I, Liam looked after me, he did everything, he was always there. And then all of a sudden he was gone, and I was never going to see him again, my big brother, gone just like that. It broke me, I didn’t know how I was going to go on, but something inside me was telling me to keep going. And a few years later I met Milah, and all at once she was patching the hole Liam had left. Years pass by and I feel almost whole again, and then the crocodile had killed her, and again my heart was broken. 300 years pass of feeling like this and I meet you.”

He takes a deep breath before continuing, composing himself. “You were so unlike any woman I’d met, my usual tricks didn’t work, you were feisty and independent, and so strong. You pushed me away but something inside me told me to keep pushing.” Emma can’t help but smile at this, it was true, she pushed him away for so long but after a short while, she didn’t want to push him away anymore.

“And eventually you felt as I did. You had fixed my broken heart piece by piece, and I let myself envision a future for the first time. And then you were cursed. We spent day and night researching, finding a way to bring you back, but when I was told there was no use, that I would have to watch you grow up and not know who I was, not know that you loved me, all the pieces you filled had shattered once more.”

“You’re saying I broke your heart because of my curse?” Emma asks.

“Aye.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Emma tells him.

“You’re glad to hear my heart was broken?” He asks, having a feeling what she was going to say next.

“If it can be broken,” she says, taking a step closer, she can feel his heartbeat, she can hear his breath hitch. “It means it still works.”

And they’re both suddenly transported back to Storybrooke after the missing year when he said those exact words as Killian tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “You know I’ve heard that before.” Emma pushed him away all those years ago because she was so afraid of letting him in, but there was nothing to be afraid of.

Emma's eyes light up as she smiles at his words, “oh yeah?”

And then Killian puts his arms around her waist and pulls her in close to him and captures her lips. It’s perfect. It’s needed, it’s the first kiss they’ve shared in 25 years and it feels so good. Killian moans into the kiss, he feels stupid for thinking she wouldn’t love him, Neverland plays on your strongest emotions, but kissing her here, in Neverland, the place she first kissed him which made him realise he was falling for her, was incredible.

He breaks the kiss for a moment just to say, “I love you so much.”

And Emma wraps his legs around his waist as he moves them so she's backed up against the nearest tree. He kisses her lips, and then moves onto her neck, placing hot wet kisses all down the side of her neck leaving Emma breathless as she roams her hands in his hair remembering what he felt like after 25 long years.

“Stop. Stop.” Emma says breathlessly as she pulls away from the kiss.

“Swan if you dare say that was a one time thing I will take you down to the Underworld myself.” Killian says causing Emma to practically snort.

“No, no it’s not that!” She says through her laugh, “My family will be expecting me back. Believe me, I want to continue this more than anything, but they want me to report on what I saw and what our plan is.”

“You really think we can get off this Island?” He asks.

“We? You’re coming with us?” Emma asks grinning from ear to ear.

Killian nods. “Aye love, I’m sorry I was a fool, it’s going to take some time to be the man you fell in love with again, but I’m-“

Emma cuts him off with a final kiss, “hey, stop. You’re still the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I get that this place is hard and your heart is still broken, but come home and we can fix it together.”

“I'll tell Henry and we can all meet at his treehouse later on to discuss our plan.” He says giving her a quick kiss before heading back in the direction of his ship.

____

Emma feels relieved, Killian was coming home. They were in this together. She couldn’t stop smiling as she walked back to where her family was.

This night was incredible. Elena, the lost girl she was talking to trusted her enough to talk, and she hoped she had made a difference. Her mothee was a princess, but she felt lost most of the time, she was always working and her father was sick. She was an only child and wasn’t allowed out of the palace much. Her baby brother was also the apple of her parents eyes, he was only a toddler but he seemed to get a lot more attention. Emma understood this, when she got back from New York and her mother was pregnant, sometimes she felt they were looking at her to break the curse, rather than spend time with their daughter. And with her new life, as a child she did feel like her parents spent a lot more time with Neal than her, but as she grew up she realised this wasn’t the case. She could already see that a couple more days talking to her and she wouldn’t find herself in Neverland again.

She hears scuffling behind her.

“Killian? Henry?” She calls out to the noise.

Instead appears a beautiful woman with dark skin, a purple dress and iridescent purple wings to match. A fairy.

“Cecelia?” Emma assumes, fearing the worst.

The fairy smiles. “Ah, so you know of me. Well, I presume you’re Emma. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble, I just want to get my son and boyfriend and leave this Island. I won’t come back.” Emma says backing away from the fairy slowly, she knew this fairy was nothing like the Blue Fairy back in Storybrooke, and also nothing like Tinkerbell who was on their side. No, this fairy was the enemy.

Cecelia’s wings flutter as she levitates in the air. “Well see that’s the problem. The two people you want to recuse I need here on this Island, so I’m sorry you are going to have to leave my home without them.”

“And if I don’t?” Emma asks, standing her ground, she needed to show she wasn’t afraid.

The fairy did not like this. She flutters towards Emma and says in a sweet tone, “Then I will kill you and your precious family.” and then turns small and flies away

[yewfallen]

a collection of drabbles under the cut about febail and his different potential fathers from various timelines. goes a lil into tiny hcs for each in varying ways. i only went for predestined fathers as well as some popular choices because i don't have the steam to go for every single possibility LMAO as intriguing as some of the unexplored ones can be.

[ALEC]

Febail remembers very little about his father and mother, but when he tries his hardest to recall his youngest days from before Patty had been born, he notices how the scenery always seems to change each time. At times, the world is blanketed in white and lovers huddle close for warmth. A man he presumes to be his father sneaks a little dollop of snow onto his little cheek, telling him to see the world and brave it, li'l guy. His father has a way of making the most mundane things sound so fantastical, like this world was a wonderful thing to wake up to each day.

And one day, his father would never wake up to meet tomorrow ever again.

But before that, the change from castle to castle, battlefield to battlefield, and country to country seems to suit him and his lady love just fine. Two souls, roaming the world with their son in tow, daring to find treasures and loving people alike.

Their son will grow to be the type to fall too easily in love just like his father before him. Their son will grow to be fearless too, just as if the ghost of his father had taught him that no enemy could find a weakness in him.

Their son will grow to barely know either of them once the flames of Belhalla claim them both, and it will be up to a family friend to drop him and his newborn sister off at an orphanage in Conote, none the wiser.

___

[FINN]

Febail had known the snows of Silesse and the fires of Belhalla long before he had known the man that was his father.

After the fallout of Sigurd's army, Brigid had taken her son east towards the Munster Region, traveling only at night. In hindsight, it was to escape any watchful eyes, but as young as he was, he was none the wiser. When he had asked his mother where they were going, she would tell him it was to see his old man, and that was all he needed to know to be excited.

Leonster was a pretty place where flowers bloomed for as far as the eye could see and the weather was always temperate. There was never a day where there was not enough food to eat, and neither was there a day where his mother went by unloved. Soon enough, that love manifested into another child.

However, beauty is fleeting, and the day after Febail's younger sister was born, the dream-like state of that year in Leonster fades away in a blink of an eye. They hadn't even said goodbye to his father, coming into his life and receding just as quickly as the ocean's waves.

By the time Febail meets his father again, he can't remember him at all and his father can't recognize him in turn. They walk past one another like strangers, a son grown up to live on his own and a father grown to realize the things he loves will all leave him before he is ready to let go.

___

[MIDIR]

When Febail tries to remember his parents, it's always his mother that comes to mind first. She was striking and bold from what he can recall. From where he sat as a little baby, it was always her that he was pointed to look at, like she was someone whose presence was something to bask in every time she walked into the room.

When Patty prompts him to say what he remembers of their mother, the first thing Febail can think to say was that she is beautiful. Her memories of her visage are nothing more than a haze, least of all the kind of thing a boy can rely on to say one way or another on the topic, and yet he knows it.

She's beautiful, a voice had murmured from behind him often. He had heard it so often, it had become something like a mantra for the man who had said it to him. His father had held him, taking the role of his constant caregiver but he had lined himself in shadow always. Every day was a day lived in disbelief, one that framed  his mother as something holy, something somehow untouchable, and the only thing worth looking at until Febail realized he hardly knew a thing about his father at all.

The only thing he did know in the end was that his father revered his mother in some sort of way, and it had stuck with him long after any memories of what the man looked or sounded like had long since turned murky.

___

[DEW]

A youthful man takes his infant son to the market one day. The shopkeepers joke around, not believing the little scrap of a thief they had known would really grow up to get a child of his own even as the thief himself claims the bundle as his, and he brags to the world of his courageous and badass wife, to which the pawnbroker and blacksmith both roll their eyes and simply give a good-natured laugh.

The thief takes his son to the market many more times after that, teaching him the ins-and-outs of every shop in every town and later how to haggle and find a good deal just about anywhere he goes. The vendors rib him, asking if it isn't a bit too early to teach a young thing like that all this stuff, to which the thief replies, “It's the early bird that gets the worm!”

When Febail grows up, that little saying sticks in him, and he makes it a habit to go to the markets early, browsing the merchandise and expertly talking down even the coldest of merchants to let him get his wares for cheap. Every gold coin counts when you've got a whole house of mouths to feed, and the less he can spend on himself, the more he can send back to the little ones in Conote waiting for him, he thinks.

The blacksmith looks at Febail, at first unwilling, but when he sees the boy's green eyes that speak of an upbeat day in a bleak, cold world as theirs, the blacksmith remembers that thief from two decades ago and finds it in him to melt his heart, even if it is at the cost of his own pockets.

He wonders where that thief went, and where his little lad went with him.

___

[JAMKE]

Today, Verdane has a new prince.

Lady Edain of Yngvi sits next to her sister who's in bed with her newborn son, exhausted for the effort of pushing him out it looks. Jamke knows not at first whether to disturb the sisters until the two invite him in, to which he pardons himself and comes in on unsure footsteps still.

The reality of everything hasn't come to sink in quite yet. Seeing this, Brigid rolls her eyes and beckons him even closer — closer — closer — and that's when she tells that husband of hers to hold their son in his arms and make everything feel real already. Her sister laughs watching the two of them before nodding and gently encouraging Jamke to take Febail from Brigid's arms, being the final push the man needs to nod and go along with it as awkward as he might be about the whole thing.

That's his son in his arms. That's another life in Verdane's royal family, a bloodline not destined to end with him after all. The weight of this baby feels all the more heavy with that knowledge, and even after a few minutes have passed with the young Febail in his hold, he still doesn't know what to say or how to react, gaping and gawking at his child like he's not even his.

Congratulations are given all around, carrying through the rest of the day as the various people in Sigurd's army come to visit the couple, and there's a few light-hearted jokes at how stoic Verdane's older prince is being, but Jamke takes that matter more to heart.

Why does he not know how to react? Brigid's going to get worried, but Jamke passes through that day further, still reacting to it like it's not his and her day to revel in.

It's not until later when they need to change Febail that he spots Ulir's brand faintly glowing on the baby's back, and Jamke's stony face breaks, erupting into a silent stream of tears.

For as long as Verdane has existed, it has been known as the land of savages by the other Jugdrali powers. Any peace his kingdom has ever been able to find has been recent but peace does not necessarily mean respect. After all, the moment their treaty had been broken, the Grannvalians and the rest of Jugdral had all been too quick to proclaim their disdain upon them again, voicing what they had merely kept quiet about all these years. Verdane would never be seen as their equal, devoid of the divine blessings they had all been given via their Crusader founders.

This would have been the truth forevermore, but when Jamke spots Febail's brand, he realizes that this truth has now shattered. With his son, he can see a happier future for his beloved fatherland and at last, Jamke finds he can express what exactly he feels about this new chapter in his life.

___

[CHULAINN]

It has been some time since the arena's most prized gladiator had left his days of coliseum hopping, trailing after a stronger fighter than him. He still remembers that day fresh in his mind as if it had happened just yesterday. Lord Sigurd's sword moved both gracefully and mightily, blade seemingly an extension of him and his ideals. Chulainn lived each day looking to die and his sword carried the weight of that baggage with it; meanwhile, Sigurd lived brighter than that, living to make a new life, and the way he fought was breathtaking. When Chulainn tasted defeat, he realized he really did want to live but not just any life.

He saw Sigurd's way and decided he wanted a piece of that too. His life hadn't been the same since.

The ride since has been a hell of one, and each bout and battle was another test for Chulainn's will to live. Did he want to see tomorrow? Did he see the future as having a place for him? Just what did he live for exactly?

Though he had joined Sir Sigurd's company to find out, he can't say he's answered any of these questions just yet. He's lived, he's loved, and one day, he's gained a son to call his own.

He asks Brigid what their son's name is, to which she answers Febail. Febail, he repeats, marveling at the sound of it before he says it again and again.

Brigid laughs, wondering what's got into him all of a sudden. It's just a name, after all.

But to Chulainn, it's more than a name. It's the thing to cement that their life together is real, and now he knows what to say when someone asks him what he lives for.

He's found his answer, he discovers, and his life finally feels complete.

And now he has something to lose.

[idjitlili]

Thorin x Modern!reader

Summary: imagine being annoying and singing the bilbo baggins ballad to wind up Thorin.

Word count:2125

You had been travelling with company for many months now, since you dropped from the sky onto a troll. It hurt like a smashing your back into the taps of a fancy bath. Then you were almost eaten by that troll, until Gandalf had saved you and the small dudes by smashing a rock in half.

Gandalf had allowed you to join the Journey despite Thorins total dislike of the idea.This face scrunched up in anger as he began to talk “I will not be responsible for her safety nor Bilbos.” You giggles at Bilbos name you knew exactly where you were and what you were going to do on the journey. Thorin turned to you and glared, you just stuck your hands up on surrender.

“Very well ,Thorin but you will not cause harm to my burglar or this women.” Gandalf spoke to the dwarves king.

Over the course of these months Thorin ignores you as much as he could even after bilbo saved him, he still avoided you at all costs. You thought he thought you were annoying. Kili and fili would annoy their uncle to get attention from him so that was exactly what you were going to do.

Now you all were escaping Thranduils kingdom in barrels down a river,thanks to Bilbo. The water soaked your shirt with y/m/r(movie reference) upon it, and denim shorts. Since the elves had stripped you from everything else, despite the dwarves anger. Not going to lie this barrel ride thing was very fun. From what you gathered so far Thorin wasn’t the type of person for jolly songs, and you knew of a song that was just that. You had previously had your arms in the arm , like on a rollercoaster, so you began shouting lyrics while doing so.

“In the Middle of the Earth, in the land of Shire

Lives a brave little hobbit whom we all admire

With his long, wooden pipe

Fuzzy, wooly toes

He lives in a hobbit-hole and everybody knows him”

Bilbo looks at you confused, aswell as legolas , he wonders what the fuck she doing she’s gonna get stabbed. Kili has already been shot and you all had already passed through the gate. You were trying to annoy Thorin yes but to lighten the mood distract kili from his pain.

“Bilbo (Bilbo!), Bilbo Baggins

He's only three feet tall

Bilbo (Bilbo!), Bilbo Baggins

The bravest little hobbit of 'em all!”

You aren’t really singing you just shouting the lyrics, Thorin keeps glancing at you with glares you smirk at him, you are sure that kili is going to join in singing soon enough.

“Now, hobbits are peace-loving folks, you know

They're never in a hurry and they take things slow

They don't like to travel away from home

They just like to eat and be left alone!”

“But one day Bilbo was asked to go

On a big adventure to the caves below

To help some dwarves get back their gold

That was stolen by a dragon in the days of old.”

You duck in the barrel as arrow flew passed you.

“Well he fought with the goblins!

He battled a troll!

He riddled with Gollum!

A magic THING He stole!

He was chased by wolves!

Lost in the forest!

Escaped in a barrel from the elf-king's halls!” You purposely changed ring to thing , so no one knew his secret you just smiled at Bilbo who had his mouth wide open, knowing you knew he had found a ring.

“Bilbo (Bilbo!), Bilbo Baggins

The bravest little hobbit of 'em all!” Kili and fili joined in at the second Bilbo, Bofur laughed the three of you, Bilbo smiled.

“Now he's back in his hole in the land of Shire

That brave little hobbit whom we all admire

Just a-sittin' on a treasure of silver and gold

A-puffin' on his pipe in his hobbit-hole!”

By the time you had finished you all had outrun or out swam , you all got the barrels drenched in water, clothes sagging from it.

“Y/n , is that a song from where you are from?” Bilbo had questioned you looking up at you , standing on the bank of the shore , you nodded at the hobbit. Before anyone could say anything else , Thorin marched over to you , grabbing you by the shoulder to turn you to him.

“What WERE you doing?” He screamed at you with anger. Damn this felt like the perfect line , he just spoon fed you more motive.

“ what arrr you doing?!” You frowned at Thorin , who clenched his fists harder.

“No,I SAID what were you doing?”

“What’re you doing?” You smirked , as Thorin scoffed at you about to shout at you, but then Bilbo clenched on your hand pulling you away. You looked back at Thorin who was still scowling at you, you gave him that smiling face Nicolas cage does.

That didn’t continue much longer , as Bard arrived, “damn bro he looks better in person.” You whispered Bilbo who just just nudged you’re leg to be quiet.

“When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs

Every morning to help me get large

And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs

So I'm roughly the size of a barge.” You spoke quietly down into the water recalling beauty and the beast. You had a huge crush on Gaston, but stupid Thorin bad made you achieve a bigger on on him.

“I’m so sorry miss y/n, but bomburs the only one the same size as a barge.” Bofur smirked to you , you giggled “it’s just a song from my home, sir.” You looked towards the dwarf with the hat.

“You will have to sing it for us miss y/n, your Songs are most enjoyable.” He smiled at you placing a hand on your shoulder.

“I can’t sing, hence why shouted the last song.” This made bofur laugh, but didn’t say anything , but bard told the dwarves to get in the barrels to hide. “Mister Bard , I have too long of a torso to hide in them.” Bard looked at your appearance , frowning you looked very different to anyone you had met. He wraps his coat around your shoulders.

“We shall act if we are courting as you need to wear my coat to hide your strange clothing.” He smiles lightly at you.

“Yes sir.” You did an army salute, he chucked at your weird gesture. Thorin didn’t like this idea or the way you looked at Bard.

Bard had been stopped from going into lake town from that greasy skank Alfred, eventually Bard had convinced him but that wasn’t going to stop him eyeing you up.

You glared at him , grabbing onto Bards arm, who realised what was happening wrapped his arm around you pulling you into his side. Alfrid was soon to look away embarrassed, he was clearly afraid of bard. Soon you passed and was able to let go of bard and soon the dwarves were out of the barrels. While bard and you headed to his house with his son , Bain. “Thank you bard for helping us.” You had told bard he sent you a smile.

You entered the house house to be greeted by his two daughters ,sigrid and Tilda. Their mouths gap in shock, at you wearing their fathers coat. You pull it off , putting on the peg. “Isn’t see a little young father?” Sigrid has questioned her father, you were only two years older than her.

“Uh.. I am not courting your father.” You replied with a blush on your cheeks from embarrassment. “Why are there dwarves coming out of our toilet da?” Sigrid had questioned, after the embarrassing in counter. “Will they bring us luck?” Tilda spoke up in excitement. Bilbo walked into the room wet and cold, as bards daughters gave you and the other blankets. You wrapped it around your cold form, “how was your trip Bilbo?” You smirked.

He sent you a glare “oh lovely , you know I had a nice swim.” You giggled.Thorin glared at you , from the fire place.

***

Yo u had told Thorin it was a trap , saving fili and kilis life, now Thorin fought Azog on the ice. Once Azog was distracted Thorin has threw that brick like weapon to Azog causing him to caught it. Thorin stood off the ice , making Azog fall but before he fell in the water you had popped out plunging the sword into Azog a back into his heart.

Your sword had became stuck, you pull at it with all your might, but you can’t get it free. Before you know it you are in the freezing water, trying keep ahold on the ice.

“Y/n?!” Thorin screamed running , towards you, but you cannot hold on to the cold ice any longer. “T-tho” before you can finish his name you lose grasp on the ice, plunging into the icy water. Your whole body is covered as your fingers lose sight of dryness , before the water takes over.

For moments that felt like hours you were surrounded, in death, before someone had grabbed onto your hand pulling you out of the water with ease. Yet you still only saw darkness until the you began coughing up water to breath. You lay on the cold ice spitting up the water on your side. “Y/n?” Someone’s voices echoed, through your blocked ears. You couldn’t see clear everything was blurry, you couldn’t make out details.

Large hands pull you into their bodies , wrapping fur around you soaking body. Bloody hell you were still wearing shorts and a t-shirt. “Yes?” You had whispered before closing your eyes, the person had stood up carrying you bridal style , becoming sonic running.

The next time you woke up you were in a bed , covered with furs and a very warm body laying at your side. The body is strong and muscular his arm wrapped tightly around your waist. The furs tickle your bare arms. You eyes shot open like a fridge by a hungry obese man. (That guy egg dude from sonic) You look to your side to see Thorin in deep slumber , his face surprisingly peaceful, as great contrast to his brooding face. “DAMN BRO did I finally get laid?” You shout loudly causing Thorin to jolt.

He sits up in the bed, you were in the covers yet he lay onto of them, without his shoes just a tunic and pants. “Y/n,you are awake.” He spoke groggly,removing his arm from you quickly when noticing it’s position. “I’m so sorry y/n” damn he never apologised except to Bilbo. “It’s okay I didn’t mind.” You smiled slyly at him.

“Thank you.” He had spoke sincerely, you sat up in the bed, joints cracking, looking around the room, this wasn’t your room Thorin had given you... it was his room.

“For what?” You questioned , you did nothing but almost dying. “For saving my family y/n . For that I also must apologise for treating you so poorly. I hope you can forgive me.” Thorin was also sitting up next to you clutching your now warm hand holding it gently.

“It’s all good Thorin. Not going to lie to you, I did annoy you to get a reaction out of you.” You smirk at the dwarves king. He chuckled at him “yes I was fully aware, kili and fili do the same thing.”

“That’s where I got the idea.” You giggledz

“Of course you did.” You sigh , In satisfaction you had never had a proper conversation with Thorin.

“God dude you didn’t even speak to me , and when you did you were angry. Yet still a dwarf , you captured my heart.” You spoke lowly , not really thinking about your words.

“I did?” You gasp , Thorin looks at you in shock, you eyes burn in embarrassment, you nod slowly and nervously. Before you know it , Thorin had grasped your cheeks pressing his lips to yours briefly before pulling away.

“As you have captured mine. God I saw those looks you gave that barge man.” He strokes his thumb on your cheek softly.

“What can I say he is a very handsome man.” You giggle at your own words.

Before you know it the door is open and Bilbo is skipping in “Oh my you have changed Thorin.” You both snap you’re heads to Bilbo.

“You did nawtttt God damnit Dildo Gaggins,”

[schrijverr]

Tragically Ever After

A Fairytale based on the first verse and chorus of Fairytale by Alexander Rybak. About a young man in a cafe, who has something interesting to say about the book he is reading.

On AO3.

Ships: OMC x OFC

Warnings: none, tell me if I missed any!!

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

The boy is quiet with brown hair hiding his eyes and blue glasses blocking his gaze. He is softly sipping his tea while reading a book in the corner of the room.

A girl at the bar works up the courage to go and talk to him as she has wished to do for many days, but has not dared before now. She has made the mistake of telling her extroverted friend about the boy at the cafe and she knows that if she does not make a move, her friend will come with her and do it for her.

So, she smiles at the boy and asks if she can sit at his table. The boy smiles in turn and tells her it is fine, before he turns back to the pages in his book.

She sits there for a few awkward moments, unsure of how to start a conversation with the boy that has captivated her. In the end she asks: “Is the book any good?”

He looks up and gives her a look that mystifies her in all it seemed to know and a sadness aching deep that is buried as quickly as it came.

“Yeah, it’s a fairytale, but retold in an interesting way,” he answers after a moment. “I like the original better, but it is an interesting escape back.”

“How so?” the girl asks, glad she has managed to start a conversation that interests the boy enough to keep looking up from his book and at her.

“It reminds me of someone,” the boy answers, looking out the window again with that sadness she has seen flashing in his eyes.

All thoughts of romance leave her and she is intrigued by what has happened to this unassuming boy that has left him so sad. She once again asks the boy a question, this time inquiring who it reminds him off.

He cleans his glasses, before he starts: “Years ago, when I was younger, I kinda liked a girl I knew. She was mine and we were sweethearts. That was then, but then it’s true.”

~

Once upon a time, there was a knight.

It was quite a typical knight with a white big horse and brown curls framing his dashing face. He had been on a great many of quests and had gained a reputation, despite his young age.

So when the court invited him to the yearly feast, it wasn’t unusual news. Though the ladies of the court thought it quite newsworthy since many stories of his great bravery did the rounds by the embroidering ladies in the castle.

He arrived with much fanfare and a public he graciously greeted, bowing deeply to the king that had invited him, thanking him for his kindness.

The king was a big and imposing man, despite his old age. He had one daughter and no wife, since she had passed many years ago. With the passing of his wife, the king has devoted his life to his daughters good fortune, so the welfare of the kingdom was a great priority, ensuring the princess would not inherit a war-torn kingdom.

When the aging king had heard of the knight with accomplishments beyond what most could dream, he had not hesitated inviting him. He hoped to offer the promising lad a job on his daughters guard and that he would stay to protect her life.

So it came to be that at the feast the knight was offered the position.

It was mere luck on the kings part that the knight had been looking for a new place that could keep his belly full and that the princess was a beauty that had moved something in the knight’s heart. And the knight accepted the offer gratefully.

Before long, the knight had made himself a well-known feature at the royal castle. He flirted with the ladies, yet was always respectful; just as he could be reckless to the point of danger, while always keeping his princess safe; as well as always being friendly, while never letting anyone overstay their welcome.

The king was glad with the knight at his court and the boy climbed ranks until he was the princess’ personal guard, which delighted both parties. Since the knight and the princess had befriended one another, often finding oneself in the others company.

The princess did not have many friends, since most were rivals to be feared or lords to keep at their side. However, the knight – while being paid to be there – went beyond for her and always lent an ear to listen to her strives. He was her companion and she trusted him with her life as well as her soul.

They had neither looked at romance, since both knew that was beyond proper with their friend, while being unthinkable with anyone except the other.

So time passed with the knight being the princess’ chosen knight at every tournament and dance partner at royal feasts.

Many rumors went around, but none spoke a word of the bond shared between the knight and his princess, to whom he had devoted his life as subject, protector and friend.

Nor did anyone speak of the fact that the princess had not yet chosen a suitor to wed, while the king was rapidly aging and there was no king for the throne that would soon be empty. Most knew the unspoken truth that the queen-to-be was waiting for a worthy king, a knightly king.

Soon the day came that the knight went above his birthright.

When the princess had wanted to ride her horse through the forest, her faithful knight rode with her, down hidden pathways and over murmuring rivers. They went far and wide, wind in their hair, smiles on their faces.

However, good things such as these were not meant to last and the princess was taken by a dragon seeking a prize, worthy of a princess, as ransom.

The knight would not allow such a thing and fought against the dragon. He tried to take its flight and fight of its flames, he braved the claws big as spears, sharp as knives and risked his own head against the teeth that would put every sword to shame.

It was for naught in the end, as the princess was taken away to its lair.

Heartbroken and determined, the knight send word to the court of what had happened as he set out after the dragon to reclaim his princess for the kingdom where she belonged.

Days he fought with the dragon. High and low they went in stunts of daring that would amaze the combination of every knight that had ever been. Sword clattered against hard scales and hairs singed under the heat of a dragon’s breath.

The princess screamed and wept for the knight and his life that hung in the balance for hers. She knew why the knight would risk it all for her, since she would do the same for him. But she could not escape to aid her knight and could only cry as her sweetheart danced with death, hoping he would go free.

Yet, despite every expectation, the knight was victorious, falling over in exhaust next to the slain dragon as the king’s forces finally managed to arrive to come to his aid.

The princess was freed and the knight was brought back to the castle where the princess held watch over his sickbed, hoping it would not become the one of his death.

After many sunrises and watchful nights, the knight opened his eyes and croaked for a glass of water after his eyes had made out the blurry outline of the princess and his heart knew she was safe once more.

When he had been nursed to health completely, the king held a celebration in his honor for the service he had provided for his kingdom. There on the day of the feast, the king asked the knight what he would want as a thanks for saving his daughter.

In front of the interested crowd, the knight spoke the unspoken truth that had haunted the halls of the castle for many years. He asked for the princess’ hand in marriage, telling the king that he hoped that he had proved himself worthy of such a gift.

The king might be old, but he had not been blind and he had seen the romance that could not be acted on, grow under his eyes. He smiled upon the knight he had invited into his home so many years ago and had seen grow up like a son, before giving them his blessings.

The knight became a husband and turned into the king, who would gladly walk next to his queen for the years to come. Always making sure she was safe and their kingdom well cared for.

However, hatred has a way of festering in the most secret of places and the dragon had not been friendless. So even if it took years, decades, the beautiful beast of terror that had been slain by the king, was avenged and the lovers were torn apart once more…

~

The girl listens with rapid attention as the boy tells her about the fairytale in his book, though she is unsure why this relates to him.

When he is done with his tale with a mysterious ending, she asks him: “What happened that you relate to this story so deeply?”

“I’m in love with a fairytale, even though it hurts ‘cause I don’t care if I loose my mind,” he answers with a sad, slightly manic chuckle, “I’m already cursed.”

She looks between the book and the boy in confusion as she says: “I do not think I follow. How are you cursed?”

The boy looks at the book, then instead of answering he tells her: “It is interesting that in all their grim-dark retellings of my story, these authors never once thought to tear me from the world where I belonged and the people that loved me.”

~~

A/N:

This was such a fun writing exercise! I really liked playing with this writing style and I hope I did it justice :D

[bluebrine]

it’s still... odd to me that other people had such different experiences growing up with this series than i did. i had such a personal relationship with it... seeing others talk about the sequels, what they liked and disliked for the series- and it’s like, really? we had very different childhoods (...story of my life, ha).

in my elementary school, our library only had one of the books- Dealing With Dragons (the one with this delightfully cheesy cover by Tim Hildebrandt lol).

(also, please note, there is no indication here that this is the first book of a series. just..... keep that in mind.)

haha, what if 🤭 ..... i was beautiful princess, and you were a dangerously charming dragon 😜 ..... and we were both girls? 😳💦 

good god, little me LIVED for this book. i checked it out & reread it over and over again- the librarian must have got sick of me at some point but i didn’t care lol. i stayed up too late reading it with a flashlight under the covers, i read it during class beneath the desk (i was not... particularly stealthy. they kinda just let me think i was getting away with it lmao).

i know every young kid likes books with fantasy and magic to make their boring lives less lame, but the way i buried myself in this one was... 100% pure escapism. (pour one out for all the weird kids who had no friends outside of books, am i right ladies?) 

the story has a theme of just..... running away from it all, cause everyone else apparently knows so much more about what’s Right for you- what interests are Right for you, what clothes are Right for you, what boys are Right for you, everything! everything was chosen for you, no dystopian YA lit required! 

(CAN YOU POSSIBLY GUESS WHERE THIS IS GOING?)

i didn’t know what the concept of a lesbian was or why no one else thought it was weird that you couldn’t have interests that were Not Like Other People (the Right People), but that’s what this book meant to me. the entire core of the story was showing kids that you could pick your own hobbies, your own home, your own family & friends and it wasn’t up to the Right People to decide that for you.

fuck ‘em!!! run off to the mountains! live in exciting domestic bliss with a giant, well-read, protective dragon lady who can breathe fire and loves to eat your cherries jubilee every night (ABSOLUTELY NO METAPHORS HERE NO SIR)! back home your family is freaking out (but kinda relieved)- cause this is crazy, dragons are dangerous and ruin the women they steal away (where have i heard this before?), but also your family doesn’t... really miss you. they don’t actually want you back- as you were, anyway. once the prince sweeps you off your feet and away from the dragon’s evil clutches and properly marries you, oh sure, then you’re welcome back with open arms! (but that will never happen.)

fuck ‘em!!!!! make cool friends with other misfits and live a life full of adventure with the family you found along the way! there’s witches who live in eccentric homes with 50 cats, there’s neighborly old dragon grandpas who love chocolate pudding, there’s other girls who don’t think you’re weird and like to hang out and read magic books in the library too! you can make friends and be happy! it IS possible!

and that meant so much to me as a kid. i never fit in (i wonder why), i never seemed to like the Right stuff (I WONDER WHY), and for the things i did care about, i went about it wrong- according to the Right People, who didn’t much care about what i thought at all.

...anyway Dealing With Dragons is an allegory about the power of lesbian escapism & independence and i love it very much. i still love it, over a decade later. it’s a fun, captivating, whimsical little tale that means more than childhood nostalgia to me. i spent hours daydreaming about the story in elementary school, content with the characters and setting in a way that just... settled something in me. 

but then i read the other books.

because there were... OTHER BOOKS!? WHAT??? (again, i never knew it wasn’t a stand-alone story lol).

when i got to middle school and had a whole new library to consume, i naturally looked for my fav type of books- those with cool fantasy ladies with swords and dragons on the front (that’s a genre, right?). and, lo and behold, there were more parts to my favorite story!!! lads, i lost my goddamn mind. there were THREE MORE? WHAT??? utter batshittery. how had they kept this from me? i had to read them immediately. 

what would the stories be about? i saw Cimorene on the covers, sword-wielding and pants-wearing (’fuck yes’, said little me). what adventures would she get up to with Kazul, now that she was king of dragons? what would life in their new home be like? the new libraries and treasuries and kitchens would be massive- what secrets would they discover? what was living in dragon society like, now that they sat at the top together? what new recipes would Cimorene cook with her friend??? (that one was very important to me lol).

i checked out all of ‘em at once, and channeled deep into the obsessive focus that only a truly lonely middle school girl can attain. I was SO EXCITED for this. 

-- and got my heart ground to dust under Patricia C. Wrede’s heel.

...because, see, i hadn’t known there was an Enchanted Forest Chronicles. i hadn’t thought about what that actually meant. it, as inevitably as the tides, meant the incoming of the one thing that made me truly hate reading sometimes- romance. cause these books weren’t about Cimorene and her friends or Kazul at all. they were about a sudden love interest and the child Cimorene had with him cause of course that’s what fucking happened. what else was i expecting? what else could stories possibly be about? i read through all of the books, feeling a little more like somebody shot my dog with each chapter, and could only feel sick when she got married & pregnant at the end. i was 11 years old and i knew something was wrong but not why.

(aaand looking back now, was that baby’s first taste of queerbaiting? does it count if you do it to yourself?? ah, youth. i don’t let myself get my hopes up anymore.)

for a very long time, i hated the idea of love (...quite the oxymoron, that one). cause it always, always meant that the people i cared about changed in ways that i didn’t understand at all. what, some boy you’ve never met before shows up, and suddenly your important quest and friends and family are... an after thought? why? don’t you care about them? don’t you love them too? why does this always happen? why is there always a boy and love and babies and nothing else? (why, why, why indeed? and yes, i was one of those kids who got fucking mean when their friends started only looking at boys, how’d you know?)

anyways. i hated it. i couldn’t possibly have articulated why back then, but it always made me so mad, despite the fact that the words on the page were telling me that this was the best thing that could ever happen in life. that just made it worse, cause why am i getting so upset over this? it’s a good thing, objectively- they’re in love. they’re happy. why is it making me feel so fucking angry instead?

this series doesn’t really... deserve any of the repressed vitriol it made me feel, though. Cimorene’s love interest that appeared in book two, Mendanbar, is actually a pretty cool guy! he has an innate, natural connection to his magic forest kingdom. he’s sick of fairy-tale tropes, he has a sweet anti-wizard sword, he’s very kind and brave- and i fucking hated his guts (...lmao, sorry dude).

there’s nothing actually wrong with this series’s romances. the couples care about each other and support each other well. i’m glad for all the kids who got to see some happy romances, i truly am. but god, that wasn’t for me, and it probably wasn’t for the other lonely kids who picked up a book about running away from what the Right People wanted for them either. 

for a series about rejecting what society tells you is the Right thing to want, the characters just... end up wanting that exact same thing anyway. oh, the thought of marrying a man and spending your life with him, baring him heirs until you die, sounds unappealing? so distressing, in fact, you’d literally rather get eaten by dragons? WELL DON’T WORRY, this one particular guy is actually good! of course you’ll fall in love with him! you’ll want to be pregnant forever with his horrible frogspawn! you’ll be happy! 

...what do you mean this is what you were running away from?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

i spent... an inordinate amount of time as a child reading Dealing With Dragons. while i cannot possibly blame the author for my individual experience with their work, which WAS written as a series (the finale was written first, actually! way back in 1985), the fact remains that my interactions with them were... soured. 

in a way that was out of the author’s hands, really, but i just don’t know how to think about this series without that bittersweet hurt in my chest. i cried like, twice, writing this stupid, rambling essay thing, and i don’t actually know how to look past that. i suppose the tried-and-true method of just... rereading the first book and pretending everything’s fine always works lol.

i own a few different versions of these books. there’s a full set i was gifted later in middle school -the nice glossy ones, with Peter De Seve’s lovely cover art! -which i have never once reread. they’re in immaculate shape, really.

i also own an absolutely, completely beat-to-shit paperback copy of the same version i must have read a hundred times as a kid. its cover is creased and peeling, there’s a bunch of weird stains and rips and dogears, and i adore it. i picked it up this year at a used book place, and every time i look at it i can see some small, desperate kid who doesn’t even know they’re lonely but still curls up around that book again and again. 

[marvelhead17]

The Tale of Eossimar (Original Female Character x Bofur Fic)

Prologue

Word Count: 5k

Warnings to cover the whole fic: Fake relationships, half-blood children, mild violence, fight scenes, male/male relationships, Dwarf gender concepts, battle of five armies fix-it, pre-battle of five armies, near death incidents, talking to dead people, mentions of paradise/heaven.

The eldest of the boys perched his little sister onto his lap, the thick woollen blanket draping over his shoulders and providing an extra layer of warmth from the brisk winter just outside closed doors, his younger brother was pressed close to his side, and sharing the blanket by curling the remains over his brother’s smaller frame. The girl tightly gripped the blanket to her chest as she stared in awe at their aunt sitting on a chair before them, and they hung onto every word she uttered, despite having heard the tale a hundred times over, the way it was told never ceased to stop their enjoyment of it.

Her hands gestured in the air as she leaned forward to recount the legend of Erebor, the silver flecks that adorned her short brunette hair shimmering in the firelight; it was the Erebor she knew of before the great destruction that had fallen upon The Lonely Mountain.

“It was a great land ruled by Thrór, the King of the Dwarves, nearly a century ago, and their riches came from the mountain in which they dwelled– glistening streams of gold travelled down the walls inside of the great mountain, and the deeper the dwarf miners travelled within it, the more valuable and precious the gems and jewels were to be found. And as more gold was mined over the years, the dwarves continued their path further down, into the very heart of the mountain, where only the most dedicated, fearless and strongest miners would dare to search-” she paused to see if the children were paying attention.

The young girl rested her chin on her palms as she hung onto the words, enthralled by the tale although knowing it by heart already, the boys were listening intently and nodding ever so slightly as to encourage their aunt to carry on.

“Until, one day… a large precious stone that blazed a pure white light was discovered by a dreadfully worn-out dwarf, and Thrór had eagerly claimed it as a sign of his right to rule over Erebor, the Arkenstone as all know it to be called in this age, the very heart of the mountain.” She let the information sink in,

“And soon after that, is when the dragon-sickness began to stir from inside the King; he soon began to grow suspicious of those who worked the chambers containing the vast wealth, believing that he had thieves amongst him. He became wary, and constantly appeared to be watching over his shoulders for a traitor; it transformed the King into someone the Dwarven people no longer recognised…”

She lowered her voice to that no louder than a harsh whispering, ensuring that the children leaned forward to hear her words clearly; “Not long after, word travelled across Middle-Earth of the countless treasures inside Erebor, to the ears of one of the Great Dragons of the North, Smaug the Terrible, as he was so aptly named. And that fiend laid waste to the City of Dale, the bustling trade centre inhabited by Men, before he continued his onslaught onto Erebor just north of the city.

“And the beast’s only desire was to claim the gold that lay inside the mountain, he blew enormous flames that singed everything in their path, engulfing delicate silks and turning them into worthless ash, the tall stone buildings that had stood for over two centuries crumbled and crashed from the unbearable heat-” Standing from her seat, she spoke quicker and louder, “The people of Dale grabbed only the essentials as they fled their homes lived in by the generations before them, mothers clutched to their children, while fathers and sons guided them to the docks so that they could make a safe escape, the city was in panic – save for one man.” She kneeled down to them, raising one digit on her hand to emphasise the significance of one being facing a great dragon, the youngest boy sucked in a deep breath in anticipation.

She sprung to her feet, “His name was Girion, the Lord of Dale… and he’d found purchase on one of the watchtowers of the city, he planted himself firmly as he readied the mounted Dwarven wind-lance. And then, he loaded a specially made black arrow into place, forged strong enough to pierce the tough hides of dragon-kind, and those few arrows that the Lord possessed were the very last of their kind, as their makers had long since passed, their method of forging taken with them to their graves.”

“And what did Lord Girion do next?” the younger boy asked and she smiled.

“Lord Girion fired the first arrow right at the beast and it flicked off of the dragon’s scaly skin like a smooth rock over calm water… unable to leave a mark on Smaug- the second followed suit and successfully hit the monster under his left wing, exposing a tiny patch of soft flesh for a final blow that would surely have taken him down-

“However, before the third and final arrow was even lifted by the brave Lord, the dragon had taken his chance to strike his enormous tale and destroy the building from underneath Girion’s feet swiftly. Leaving no hope for the City, only ruins,” she seated herself back into the chair with a shake of her head, her disappointment evident.

“And what of the Dwarves, Auntie?” the little girl turned to her with wide eyes, “Were they injured?”

She nodded solemnly and patted her lap gently, the girl clambered from her elder brother’s lap and moved to sit on her aunt’s, her arms wrapping around the girl carefully.

“Aye, many of the Dwarves were injured lass, mostly during the panic that the attack had caused; and plenty had barely escaped with their lives; my father, yer grandfather, being among the few to escape with his life,” she told her, the girl nodded, staring down at her hands and twining them together in discomfort.

“And what of the King, Thrór, what came of him?” asked the boy.

“We know exactly what happened to the King, we’ve but heard the tale a hundred times over,” the eldest elbowed his brother in his side and rolled his eyes to meet the ceiling, “Thrór had to be dragged out by his grandson, Thorin, with much effort, and the next in line Thráin, Thrór’s son, followed them closely behind as they watched their birth home being taken from them and their people.”

“That’s right Lumlin,” she nodded, “And can ye tell us what happened after, Maethríen?” she turned her head to the girl and smiled.

“Yes, Auntie!” she leaped off of her aunt’s lap and mimicked the stance she had seen her aunt do earlier, “Debris rained down from the heavens around the Dwarves, all the while they tried to reach safety in the expanse of empty lands that lay ahead,” she proudly announced as she perched herself back onto her older brother’s lap.

“That’s right,” she nodded, “And Lorin?”

“Fire consumed the lands that once thrived in people and wealth, happier days. That’s what ugmil ‘adad used to say, according to amal,” the younger boy added, eager to be a part of the story telling.

“Aye, and he of all Dwarves would know, as that was where he was born,” the children bowed their heads for a silent moment, never having met their grandfather but having grown fond of him through memories shared by their aunt.

“Auntie, can I tell the rest of the tale, please?” Lorin begged, she nodded and waited for him to continue speaking. “With their home now lost to them, the Dwarves set out into the wilderness to return to the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria, but the cunning orcs had beaten them to it!” he jumped up from his seated position and raised a fist in the air, shaking it about, “And the worst of the lot was there, Azog the Defiler, he swore that he would end the line of Durin-”

“Ooh- I do not care for this part,” Maethríen squirmed in her brother’s lap, burying her face into his chest as protective arms encircled her and stroked her back tenderly.

“Mae, please,” Lorin whined at his sister, he cleared his throat and shuffled his shoulders, continuing, “The foul thing started his reign of terror by killing Thrór, beheading him and raising his head as a claim to victory; and instead of running away in horror, Thorin mustered all of his courage and his might and wielded his weapon to face the Orc leader,” he took a quick breath, “Azog was powerful yes; however, Thorin was resourceful and quick on his feet, when disarmed of his shield he grabbed for an oak branch he’d found on the ground, and fought with great heart, earning him his name… Oakenshield,”

Lumlin at this point had gently nudged his sister from his lap and set her aside, she pouted but watched as her elder brother stood to his feet, “Thorin Oakenshield swung his sword and cut Azog the Defiler’s left arm clean in half, he was blindsided and dragged away by his army of orcs… presumed to have died from his fatal wounds,”

“Aye lads, and since that fateful day Thorin Oakenshield had the grave task of becoming King to the surviving dwarves, as his father Thráin had become mad from grief and disappeared without a trace,” they remained in silent awe, “Thorin became a great king at a terribly young age, and for the next few months he led his people across Middle Earth, finding and making do with places for them to live, eventually settling in Ered Luin for temporary dwelling, at least that is what they had thought. And so, for the next sixty years Thorin strived to work hard for his people and sought work from Men,”

The children settled down in their original positions on the floor and waited patiently for their aunt to finish recalling the endeavours that Thorin went on to do for his people, and how he would never forget the day that Smaug had changed their lives for the worst. Never forgiven and never forgotten.

“Auntie, is there more news of the travelling Company?” Lumlin asked, shifting to sit more upright in full attention.

“Aye dear,” she nodded, delighted to hear that he wants to know more.

“I told you Lorin,” Lumlin pushed the shoulder of his brother playfully, whose response was merely sticking out of his tongue and crossing his arms. “You owe me five gold coins,” he held out his hand expectantly.

“Alright Lumlin, I’ll give you your five coins tomorrow, I haven’t got anything on me just yet-”

“Brothers, please! We came here to listen to Auntie tell us more stories and you’re spoiling it!” Maethríen threw her hands in the air with a huff of annoyance; they stared at her in surprise before bowing their heads down guiltily.

“Sorry Auntie,” they apologised in unison.

“Thank ye laddies,” she nodded appreciatively.

“So tell us Auntie, what is the latest word?” Lorin asked, resting his head on his palms, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked up to his aunt.

“Let me see… I did tell ye of the first whisperings that told of dwarves entering the Shire, the dwellings belonging to Hobbits, specifically to a home in Bag End?” she asked, though already knowing the answer.

“Yes, that’s correct Auntie,” Lorin nodded.

“And I did tell ye about Thorin Oakenshield, along with his company of twelve dwarves, also accompanied by an unexpected fourteenth member, a Hobbit from the very same Bag End?”

“Yes, Auntie,” Maethríen piped up, nodding her head.

“What about the trolls who attempted to roast the dwarves for a feast?”

“Yes Auntie,” Lumlin nodded.

“And, I did tell ye about the rumours of the Dwarven Company, and Hobbit, dining among the Elves in Rivendell, and causing a little ruckus?”

“Yes Auntie,” they said together in an annoyed tone.

“Auntie, can you please continue the story?” Lumlin sighed as he stared at her.

“Alright, alright Lumlin, just ensuring the details were clear to yer minds still, yer Auntie is getting old ye see?” she winked and laughed, earning a giggle from her niece. “Now, have I told ye about what happens after Rivendell?”

“No Auntie!” Lorin sat up, leaning forward to now listen more carefully.

“I see, then that is where I shall continue,” she smiled, “Well, the word is that the dwarves continued onward from the lushness and safety amongst the Elves in Rivendell, to continue their perilous journey along the Misty Mountains, where they faced rough storms, and where they nearly fell to their deaths as Stone-Giants fought to win territories,”

“Stone-Giants? But Auntie, those are just myths told to scare dwarflings from straying whilst walking mountain passes,” Lumlin shook his head in disbelief.

“Aye, that’s what I thought to be true as well dear, but Middle-Earth has ears and eyes everywhere, so there is nothing untruthful with the words that I am sharing with ye on this night,”

“Remarkable,” Lorin whispered in awe.

“There is more,” she waited as they edged closer once again, “They managed to find safety within the caves of the mountain, and as they rested they did not know that they were soon going to be facing hideous Goblins, like moths to a flame, an alluring idea to sleep without watching over their shoulders during the night, and it had clouded their better judgement,”

“Did the Goblins capture them?” Maethríen gasped.

“Aye, and they too nearly took the lives of the dwarves,” they stared at her with widened eyes, “Thankfully Gandalf the Grey, the wizard who had been the one to arrange the company for the journey to begin with, came to their aid and saved them from the awful Goblin King,”

“But then, are the Orcs with their pack of Wargs still hunting down Thorin and the company during this time?” Lumlin asked worriedly.

“Aye, they are,” she nodded, “Both exhausted and terrified, the dwarves had reached the outside of the caves to a slowly setting sun, and the Goblins dared not follow lest they wished to die from the sunlight touching their skin,” her face became serious as she spoke her next words.

“However, their peace did not last very long, as the Wargs had caught on to their scent and led the Orcs straight to them, the dwarves and poor Hobbit so far away from home clung to dangling trees on a cliff’s edge, fearing that this is where their journey, and their lives were to end…”

“They cannot have met their ends!” Lorin practically yelled, his excitement becoming hard to contain, “Not Thorin Oakenshield, he is a fighter, a warrior, a King amongst Dwarves,” he insisted with wide eyes, his jaw slacking slightly.

“Yer absolutely right Lorin, and the King indeed fought hard against Azog once more, and he almost perished, had it not been for the wit and bravery of one Bilbo Baggins…”

“But Auntie, aren’t Hobbits much smaller than Dwarves?” Lorin asked

“Aye dear, as I said, he is a very brave hobbit to take on an orc,” Lorin nodded in amazement, “He wasn’t strong, but he distracted the Orcs long enough for The Company to escape, and I do absolutely believe that Gandalf had something to do with that, as they were rescued by The Giant Eagles of Legend,”

“They rode with The Giant Eagles?”

“Aye, they were carried to safety further away; Thorin was on the brink of death by the time they had reached the flat peak,”

“But surely Gandalf wouldn’t let the King die, right Auntie?” Lumlin asked in concern.

“Certainly not,” she assured them, “He used a touch of his magic to bring Thorin’s soul back from the heavens to Middle-Earth…”

“And then what happened Auntie?” Maethríen asked.

“And then-” she jumped up unexpectedly, making them all startle in their seats, “The lot of ye had to go to bed!”

“Ah, no!” Lorin groaned.

“Aye, ye young ones need yer rest if ye ever want to be strong warriors someday,” she nodded sternly.

“So that’s all?” Lumlin asked, “They made it to a mountain top, where are they now? Surely there must be more!”

“That’s all I know laddie, now off to bed, the lot of ye.” She chased them out and laughed, standing at the doorway to her small home as she watched them run off to their home just across the way from hers.

A familiar face stood just outside the entrance with a shaking head, and she looked to them with a raised brow, “What?”

“You know I don’t appreciate you exciting them before their bedtime,” the woman crossed her arms and sighed. “And when are you going to give up this silly dream of yours?”

“I’ll hold onto it till I take my very last breath if I must,” she said very seriously. “And if it matters at all to ye, it was also our father’s dream,”

“Well, I wish you wouldn’t put ideas in their heads, they’ve been unruly these past months. Besides, Father is long gone, you need to wake up and realise that he’s never coming back.”

She narrowed her eyes, “It’s not my fault that they crave adventure Lúthrien, I too grow tired of seeing these walls that protect us, and they’re still young; ye can’t blame their curiosities on me,”

“Alright, alright you’ve made your point.” The woman sighed, shifting in her stance, “Can I still ask for you to watch them tomorrow? That is, unless you wish to do your duties yourself, they are yours after all-”

“I’ll watch over them, don’t ye fret,”

Lúthrien nodded and spoke in her preferred tongue, Elvish, “{Thank you, goodnight sister},”

“{Goodnight, sister},” she nodded and closed her door quietly; she sighed to herself as she entered her bedroom.

Perhaps I should visit Lake-Town soon, I’m sure they miss me there. She thought to herself as she changed swiftly into her sleepwear and climbed into bed.

She stared at the stars that twinkled in the blackness, wondering if any news of the company would come soon. After minutes or hours she did not know, but sleep overcame her followed by a dreamless night.

Dawn broke through the window and alerted the start of the new day; she rolled from her bed and changed from her sleepwear, before washing her face hurriedly with some cold water to waken her for the day ahead.

As she exited her room she was assaulted by a pair of arms circling around her waist, she laughed and grabbed around the figure to lift her niece into her arms, and placed her against her hip with ease.

“What’s this, a Goblin attacking me from below?” she nuzzled her head against her niece’s. “Ye caught me off guard lass,”

“Auntie you’re so strong,” the girl giggled in surprise.

“Of course, ye have to be when ye’re a warrior,” she grinned and scanned the room briefly, “Where are those pesky brothers of yers?”

“Hey- we’re not pesky!” Lorin whined from just behind her front door, he stuck his head out and revealed his hiding spot, crossing his arms with a wooden practice sword in hand and pouting slightly.

“Well that’s one of ye,” Nari nodded. “Where’s yer brother?” she asked and the boy shrugged. “Don’t play with me now, I know ye know,” she rolled her eyes as he denied yet again, and ambled towards the front door with Maethríen still on her hip.

“Aha!” Lumlin jumped from the left where she couldn’t see, he startled Nari momentarily, but she still managed to grab a hold of his wooden sword with her free hand. “Ugh no, Auntie!” he tried to tug it back but she had a firm grip on it. “Lorin this is all your fault! You were supposed to distract her- not get caught out immediately!”

Nari let go of the mock weapon and he stumbled backwards and regained his footing, neatening his clothing as he glared at his younger brother, she lowered her niece to the ground once again.

“Now, now lads, ye can only blame yerselves for what happened,” she chided, “But ye also seem to forget that yer Auntie is unstoppable,” she brushed Lorin’s hair wildly and he swatted her hand away.

“Auntie will always beat you, silly boys,” Maethríen stuck her tongue out at her brothers, as she rested her hands on her hips, impersonating her mother.

“As soon as Mother allows us to train with Auntie, then we’ll get better,” Lorin said determinedly.

“You mean if Mother allows us to train with Auntie,” Lumlin sighed, “We should be grateful that she thinks these are just toys and not for practice,” he gestured to his battered wooden sword.

Nari felt her stomach grumble and she looked at them, “Have ye all eaten breakfast then?” they all nodded, “Well maybe I can get ye something else while we’re there, I’m starving,”

“We’re going to the market?” Maethríen asked, Nari nodded, “Oh maybe we can say hello to atarwhile we’re there! He’s always busy,”

“That’s because he’s working Mae,” Lumlin shook his head, “How else will he feed us?”

“Come on, it’s a beautiful day and we can’t be standing about doing nothing about it,” Nari gathered them and walked behind them as they quickened their pace.

A few of the stall owners that had noticed them gave their usual greetings, while others busied themselves marketing off their products with other villagers, and Nari found herself drawn to a stand selling freshly baked breads. The smell nearly made her mouth water, and she happily purchased her favourite bread, the stall owner smiled and then stiffened as his eyes caught something behind her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s that lad of yers again,” he told her, “’suppose he didn’t expect to see ye here,

“Thank ye, keep well,” she closed his hands around the money and looked around the marketplace in search of the children, and spotted them standing at their father’s stall.

She walked on, barely glimpsing at the dwarf that seemed to be staring holes into her head, and tore some of the fresh bread off to eat. By the time she reached the stall she had finished it and wiped her hands together, before briefly brushing away any rogue crumbs from her clothing.

“Morning Nikolas,”

“Ah there you are Nari,” he smiled, “I thought these rascals were with you today,” he bent over and kissed his daughter on her head, making her giggle, “Are you keeping well?” he asked, looking up at Nari.

“Aye, thank ye, and yerself?”

“Yes,” he stood up, catching sight of the dwarf from earlier, “I suppose you haven’t spoken to him today?”

“Not yet, I’ll get round to it once I’m done with yer little menaces,” she said and he nodded.

He leaned forward, “Lúthrien said she’s helping yer mother today, and they’ll be indoors all day. Make of that what you will,” he winked and she smirked.

“Thank ye, come on children,” they walked on, after waving their goodbyes, and she looked down at her niece, “So what do ye want to do, mm?” she brushed the girl’s hair.

“What if we want to do something Auntie?” Lorin asked.

“We’re always doing what you want,” Maethríen pouted and then perked up, “I want to go see the animals!”

“Of all things, you have to choose the smelliest?” Lumlin wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“If that’s what Mae wants that’s what we’re doing lads, I don’t want to hear any complaints,” Nari scolded, “Besides, I heard that the sow has given birth just a few days ago,”

Maethríen gasped, “So they’ve got little piglets? They’re so cute, and pink!” she squealed.

“You’re a piglet,” Lorin rolled his eyes, “You even squeal like one,”

“Hey,” Nari tugged his ear quickly.

“Ow!” he wriggled and she let go.

“That’s not how ye talk to yer sister, apologise,”

“Sorry for calling you a piglet, Mae,” he spoke quietly, barely making any eye contact as his foot brushed across the floor.

“Now, is that how we apologise?” she asked, crossing her arms and looking down at him.

“No Auntie,” he cleared his throat and spoke louder, “I’m sorry for calling you a piglet Mae,” he gazed down at his sister and she grinned at him.

“I forgive you Lorin,”

“See? Look how easy that was. Now…” she paused, a grin spreading on her own face, “I’ll race ye to the farm, last one there is a rotten troll!” she ran on as she finished her sentence, and the children yelled out in surprise, immediately giving chase to try and catch up with their Auntie. She beat them and they stood panting for a few minutes to catch their breath.

“That wasn’t fair Auntie,” Lumlin said, “You didn’t give us any chance to prepare for that,”

“You’re only upset because you’re the troll now,” Lorin teased, a cheeky grin spreading across his face as his older brother glowered at him.

“Well next time we’ll make a more formal race, how about that?” Nari asked and he agreed, “Good, then I’ll have witnesses to prove that I’m faster than the lot of ye,”

“Ooh- I can hear the piglets!” Maethríen shrieked, “Just over there!” she climbed onto the first beam of the wooden fence, pointing in the direction of excited squeals inside the barn. “Auntie, can I go see them? Please?”

“If Haga says it’s alright,” the girl ran around to enter the main barn, “Just try not to get your dress dirty!” she called as the girl disappeared from sight, and she resigned, looking to her nephews.

“So who’s telling her that we get our breakfast sausages from the pigs?” Lorin asked, hanging on the fence.

“Nobody,” Nari said sternly, “Ye know very well that that would upset her, that’s cruel Lorin,”

He rolled his eyes, “She’ll get over it, I had to,” he leaned over the fence to pet the calf that had wandered over to them. “It’s a wonder that animals can be cute, but also tasty,”

“It’s when you start talking that way, that makes me wonder if you’re really my brother sometimes,” Lumlin shook his head at his brother, scratching the calf’s chin gently, it closed its eyes and leaned forward. “Besides, it’s not a lump of meat; it’s a living, breathing creature, just like you or me,”

“I’m glad one of ye is taking to heart what I say,” Nari sighed and looked down at the calf, its big brown eyes stared blankly at her and it gave a little moo, she gave it a soft pat on the snout and it licked her hand. “Ye are quite cute, ye know,”

“There ye are!” a familiar voice spoke and she smiled as she turned to see her brother.

“Callon,” she greeted.

“I heard ye have the children for the day, and wanted to join ye,” Callon smiled as the boys acknowledged him, and surveyed the area, “Where’s Mae?”

“Torturing the piglets,” Lorin answered, “I do hope she doesn’t try to bring one of them home,”

“We’ve already got a family pig,” Lumlin shoved his brotherly lightly on the shoulder.

“I am not a pig!” he shoved his brother back harder.

“Hey, don’t push me!” he jumped off the fence and used both hands to push his brother off as well, and soon enough they were having a shoving match with each other, that was getting more aggressive as it progressed.

“Boys,” Callon shook his head and they stopped bickering.

“He started it,” Lorin muttered.

“I don’t care, I’m finishing it,” he glanced to the sky in silent prayer, before looking between the two clearly bored and irritated boys. “Tell ye what, why don’t we go see if old Haga has his little gallery set up then?”

“Now that sounds like an idea,” Nari agreed.

“I bet you can’t even hit down one can,” Lumlin looked at his brother as they ran off to the barn.

She was about to follow when Callon stopped her with a gentle hand on the shoulder, “I saw Cáleb lurking around, has he bothered ye today?” he asked quietly.

“Not yet, but I’ll speak to him when the day is over,”

He moved his hand away, “I think that’s fair enough,”

“Ye’d think after this many years he’d learnt his lesson,” she started to walk on when a shadow flew over her head, she instinctively stretched out her arm and the owl landed gently on it. “I didn’t expect to see ye for a few more days at least,” she gently rubbed its head and it nuzzled against her.

“Maybe they’re closer than we expected?” he asked as she frowned at the owl.

“Perhaps,” she retrieved a few pellets from her pouch and fed it to the owl, “That’s for being such a clever girl,” the owl made a content clicking and walking onto her shoulder, nuzzling under her ear and settling down, “Do ye have any word for me girl?”

As the owl squeaked and clicked into Nari’s ear, her eyes widened as she looked at her brother, then it cosied up comfortably against her head.

“What is it, bad news?” Callon asked.

“They’ve just made their way into Mirkwood,”

“On their own… Isn’t the forest growing ill there?”

“It is,” she thought for a moment and her eyes lit up.

“Nari, I know that look in yer eyes, what are ye thinking?”

“I have to go after them,”

“Nari-”

“Callon, there’s a fair chance that they’ll get lost there, besides, what if the Elves capture them? Then our chances of returning home will be gone, King Thranduil will not take lightly to them being there,”

“Alright,” he sighed, “Do what ye must, but for Durin’s sake be careful,” he pulled her in for a hug, forcing the owl to move away with a surprised chirp, and fly above them. “I’ll keep an eye on the three of them,”

“Thank ye,” they let go of each other before pressing their foreheads together, “I’ll be back soon, promise,”

“Stay safe,” he said as she walked away, he watched as her owl flew just above her, before she started running and disappeared out of sight.

The few moments of silence were disturbed, “Uncle? Where’s Auntie?” Maethríen asked from behind him, he looked down at her and smiled, kneeling down.

“Auntie will be back soon,” He looked at the path she had vanished along, “She’s just gone on an adventure.”

___________________________________________________________

>> Chapter Index << >> Next Chapter (1) <<

[suchalonelysunflower]

A Dance Of Thorns (c.h)

Where The Roses Bloom - Chapter 4

Pairing: Stable Lad! Calum Hood x Princess! Reader

Summary: Welcome to the masquerade to celebrate Your Royal Highness engagement. How many surprises can one night hold?

Warnings: Angst, Drama and Smut. Language, mentions of alcohol and abuse. Some grammatical mistakes (English is not my first language, I’m sorry!)

Word Count: 12.3 k

Author’s note: by far the longest chapter I’ve written but anything for the drama ✨ I would love to hear your thoughts on this 🥰 Remember that Reblogs, Feedback, Comments and Likes are very important! You have no idea how much they help me 💕 Hope you like it and Happy Reading 🦋🌻✨

My materialist // wanna be part of my tag list?

Series Materialist || prologue || chapter one || chapter two || chapter three || chapter five || chapter six || chapter seven || epilogue

A month has gone by since the first time you saw King Luke Hemmings and you found out that you are supposed to marry him in less than a few weeks. And ever since that moment, you have invested every little free time you have into trying to stop that from happening.

You spent your afternoons sitting down at the library, reading book after book that might contain some kind of information to let you escape that awful deal. But every book you read said the same thing “A King’s promise may never be broken by law”

Still, that didn’t stop you.

Calum was also helping in every way he could. In the afternoons on his free days, he would go to the public library in town, searching for anything that could help your situation. He would spend hours reading about foreign laws that could give you at least some kind of leverage. He would ask around, hoping some kind of gossip might help you win something against your father, but until now all your tries gave little to no satisfaction.

At night, Calum would climb the castle’s walls to your window. It was the only way you could spend some time together and share hushed conversations since your father forbade you to go out without a proper companion.

He would lay with you in your bed, curled up together as he told you stories about faraway lands his father once told him, all in attempts to distract your mind from the reality you were facing every time the sun came out. He would kiss you goodnight as you fell asleep in his arms, letting the beat of his heart work as the symphony of your dreams. You would whisper “I love you’s” in the darkest of the room, letting them get lost in the stars as they shined down on you.

Every night you would go to sleep with Calum around your arms, but when the sun came up all traces of him disappeared with the moon. Well, everything but the white rose he left on your dresser along with the promise of keep fighting for you, no matter how long it took.

And with the sun it came the charade. You acted as the most obedient daughter you could ever think of. You attended your lessons, you didn’t speak out of place and obliged to every activity that surrounded the wedding, whether it was about flowers, food, decorations… things you couldn’t care less about since you were determined no to marry the King.

King Luke was not a bad person, on the contrary, he was one of the few people you could have a conversation with besides Sir Michael. Many afternoons they would accompany you in the library, never commenting about the books you chose to read as they sat in silence one in front of the other, immersed in their reading or their hushed conversations.

You learned to find a friend in Luke, someone that could have at least the same amount of trust you once had with your brother. He would make you laugh and he’d tell you everything you wanted to know about him, it was so easy and somewhat comforting to know that you were not as alone as you felt. But that did not mean that he had your full trust.

After Ashton took your father’s side in this dilemma, leaving you alone in a marriage you wanted no part of, you lost every ounce of trust you once held in your heart. And even though Ashton did try to make it better, to apologize for the way he treated you; you did not let him go near you. Every time you found yourself alone with him, you ignored his every move, and if you were in the company of others you didn’t even dignify him with a glance. You knew you might be a little harsh on him, and all of this hurt you as well, more than you would care to admit. But if your father learned about you and Calum… who else could’ve told him if not your brother?

Out of all the people who could betray you, you never expected Ashton to be one of them and you let him know that, no matter how much you needed your brother with you. If he declared your death with this marriage before you were sent away, then he’d be dead to you as well.

You were not going to give up, not even with the ceremony breathing on the back of your neck. There must be a way where you could break this engagement, something that could give you your freedom again.

The ceremony was scheduled one day before your twenty-first birthday, one day before you gained your independence as a royal as the law said it, one day before you could refuse the King’s requests with total liberty. Your father had planned this well, you must admit at least that. But if there was a way where you could delay the wedding… somehow make it past your birthday without getting married, then you would be able to get away.

But that task was more difficult than you have anticipated since your father was in charge of your schedule, everything was going smoothly and at perfect timing. There was nothing that you could do to delay the event.

“I need you to hold your breath for me, Your Highness”

For example right now, as the seamstresses adjusted the corset of your white dress to your body, your mind was reciting the laws again, trying to find some plothole that could be beneficial for you.

The grip you had in the chair tightened as they tied the corset on your back, helping you get into the skirt afterward. You didn’t say a word as the seamstresses chattered among them. You ignored the comments regarding your future marriage, or how beautiful your children will look if they look just like the King, or how lucky you were to be marrying into a rich kingdom.

“You will look beautiful on your wedding day, Your Highness,” The oldest lady said with a dreamy sigh “Your lover will not know what hit him”

“But my love will not be the one waiting at the end of the altar” You wanted to say, to scream at them for keeping up with the lie. You didn’t love Luke, you could never love him the way you love Calum. But Calum was not your fiance, he was just a secret.

You kept the tears at bay as you let them work over your dress, not daring to breathe too loud so you wouldn’t call their attention. They didn’t know that you were dying in the middle of a sea of white fabric and soft silk.

“There,” The young lady exclaimed as she finished the last touch of your veil, placing it carefully on your head “Oh, Your Highness. You look like a dream”

A dream trapped in a nightmare indeed.

You observed your reflection in the nearest window. You didn’t look like a child anymore; no, in front of you was the reflection of a woman, of a bride about to be sent to the slaughter of her liberty. A clockwork tragedy waiting to happen.

The white contrasted with your skin and hair, making you glow with the candlelight. It made you look more mature, more like a royal than you ever felt before. It was a beautiful work, but none of this ever felt right.

“You look just like your mother” The words of the older lady took your breath away. The memory of your mother’s face was already fading in your mind, you remember she was beautiful, but you couldn’t make the color of her eyes or the sound of her voice anymore.

“She would be so proud of you, Your Highness”

Would she? Would she have wanted this for you? If she were here, would she care or would she take your father’s side? Oh, what would you give to listen to one last piece of advice from her. To feel her embrace one more time, for her to tell you that everything would be okay.

You haven’t really felt the absence of your mother hit you as hard as of now because maybe with your mother here you wouldn’t feel so scared.

“Oh, don’t cry, princess” You didn’t even notice the tears running down your face until the lady pointed out “This is a happy occasion! There needn’t be any tears”

Only if she knew…

You accepted the silk handkerchief and dried your tears without saying anything, letting them help you out of your wedding gown as you tried on another one.

This was a black dress with roses embroidered along with the skirt and neckline. It was lighter than the wedding dress but the fabric was more delicate. The somber aspect of the dress, along with its sophistication, made you think of it as a better choice for your wedding day.

“Your father was very kind to host a party to celebrate your engagement, Your Highness. This is a perfect dress for the occasion”

You knew by now that none of your father’s actions could be considered kind. He organized this masquerade ball for his own benefit.

The King of RoseWood invited representatives of all the neighboring kingdoms and alliances that Ashton helped build, to the castle for a magical night of dancing and fun. But you knew he just wanted to parade the match you and Luke made in front of the world.

He wanted to show power, the kind of which someone would look at him and say “This is a man that demands respect” When in reality all he did was abuse his power and intimidate the ones closest to him.

The masquerade served as a punishment rather than a delight. He would put you under the spotlight and expect you to smile while he knows you’re dying on the inside. He will parade you around the room with the story of a good and lovable daughter, the little Princess that’s living the dream of a magical life in the arms of the man you love all thanks to the father whom she loved with all her heart.

He knew that this was all bullshit, and he rejoiced in the fact that you hated every single minute of it.

“The dress is absolutely stunning, Your Highness” Continued the older lady “What a lovely idea you had when deciding to use one of your mother’s old gowns and make it new again”

You gave her a small smile. It was a lovely idea, but not for the reasons they might think. This dress represented much more than just your mother and your wish of having her close in a moment like this. It represented going against your father in ways that only he could understand; it represented your heritage, how you didn’t forget who truly loved you and taught you how to be strong; it represented the image of the rebellion you set upon yourself, a sign that screamed “I will not stop even if you try”

It represented you.

“There is only one detail missing…” The young lady walked over to the dresser only to grab something delicate in her hands before presenting it to you: The mask.

Soft and made out of silk and with golden broderies across the eyes, the mask hid half of your face perfectly. If not for the tiara you must wear on your head, nobody would’ve been able to recognize who you were.

How ironic was it that in the night where you should be the center of attention, you wanted nothing more than to disappear.

*

The night was clear, all the stars and constellations were visible from where you were standing in front of your window. Your hands were touching the soft stones of the window frame as you tried to count your breaths.

You couldn’t help but look for him in the gardens, hoping you could see him waiting for you under your window, asking you to come to the tree where your meetings were held before everything went wrong. It’s only been a couple of days but you missed him, and with the way, he consumes all your thoughts it was almost impossible not to.

But he was not coming tonight, your father made sure that the help was not invited to the party since it was such an important event to make it “common”, so your meeting will have to wait until tomorrow.

Still, you imagined how it would be like if he were to attend the ball. You dreamt about his smile, how his eyes would shine once he spotted you standing there at the top of the stairs as he waited for you at the end of it. You wondered if he would like the dress and you wished you could show it to him.

You sighed as you imagined his hand taking yours, guiding you to the middle of the ballroom, and starting dancing with you as if nobody were watching. It’s been so long since your last dance with him and you couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of his clumsy feet stepping over yours in an attempt to teach you how to dance for your first ball.

Calum was always like that, caring and selfless until he couldn’t give anymore. That is one of the many things why you loved him, why you would never stop loving him.

But now you were forced to pretend to love someone else in front of strangers and people who didn’t care about you enough to notice how much you were hurting. The glamour of the night might hide it, but you know that there was only one person who you would much rather spend the night with; the only person who would not be there tonight.

“Y/N?” A voice called from outside your room, waking up from your dreams as you heard them knocking softly on the door “Are you ready to go?”

You pushed yourself from the window with a deep sigh, grabbing the mask that was laying on top of the bed before walking towards the door and opening it with an emotionless expression.

There, Ashton was waiting for you, pacing the hall until he heard the wooden door open. His whole body froze as his lips parted for a second when he took your appearance.

“You-” He said, choking up a little bit as he shook his head for a moment, thinking he might’ve seen a ghost “You look just like her…”

You were not expecting that comment. You knew the dress would affect your father, but you didn’t imagine it would have that kind of effect on Ashton.

But now, as he stood in front of you with wide, watering eyes and the faintest hint of a smile, you realized that you might not be the only one who misses your mother.

Ashton knew her longer, he used to spend every single moment with her along with you when you were nothing more than a child. When she died, you didn’t quite grasp the concept of death, but Ashton was the one who took it way harder. But, as a prince, he was not allowed to break down as any other normal kid would do when they lose a parent who was dear to them. No, he had to maintain his image and at the same time took it upon himself to raise you as your mother would.

He was the only loving family you’ve ever known. But he was also the only person who had ever broken your heart.

You looked at him with a sense of pity and understanding.

“I wanted to feel her with me tonight” You told him, these being the first words you exchanged with Ashton in a long time.

You noticed this also affected him. His eyebrows raised slightly and he took one step towards you, still bargaining with your feelings towards him.

Ashton took your hand in his, covering it completely as he softly spoke.

“You are her spitting image, Y/N/N. She has always been with you and lived through you. Everything you do reminds me of her and I promise you she would be proud of the beautiful, brave woman you’ve become”

His words struck you more than they probably should have. Ashton was never the one who spoke freely about your mother, not since you stopped needing him as much. He always kept that part to himself unless you asked.

He thought so highly of your mother and now he was comparing her to you. For some reason, this served as no comfort, but rather it angered you. Not because you didn’t think your mother was a horrible person, but because you thought that maybe if they - your father and Ashton - loved you as much as they loved her, you wouldn’t have to be in this position.

“The only difference is that mother’s family did not sell her for marriage,” You said bitterly, pulling your hand from Ashton’s grip as you saw hurt flash through his eyes.

“Y/N-“

“She loved our father, Ashton” You cried “For some reason she loved him and she married for love. Why can’t you let me do the same? Why can’t you help me and let me be happy? Am I to be trapped forever in a loveless marriage just because of the greed of this kingdom's leaders? I don’t even know what alliances we are keeping! In what world is it fair that I have to sacrifice my spirit just to please your egos?”

“You know it’s not like that-“

“For you, maybe! But you know exactly what father is doing and why he is doing it and you are taking his side! Ashton, you are just as guilty as he is” Your truth was spilling out of your mouth with nothing but desperation.

You wanted your brother to know how you were feeling, how much you were willing to fight for your freedom. For weeks you’ve been holding these words out of pride and pettiness, but you cannot go a day longer without letting him know just how much this is affecting you.

“I can’t trust you, Ash, and I can’t pretend that we are going to be okay after all of this no matter what happens in the end. You broke my heart, and I don’t think you understand to what extent”

Ashton stood in front of you with his head low “You hate me”

“I’m disappointed” You admitted, knowing you will have a hard time trying to hate your brother.

“Y/N, I’m just trying to do what’s best for the kingdom. What’s best for you!” He excused “You will be safe in the Vail, you’ll be a Queen and I know King Luke will treat you right. You have to understand that this is hard for me, too. But I can’t be here to protect you-“

“Protect me?” You interrupted him “Protect me from what?” He stayed quiet “Ashton?”

“Your Highnesses?” A guard called from the end of the hall “The King awaits”

*

“Announcing Prince Ashton Irwin, Heir to the Throne of RoseWood, and Princess Y/N Irwin, Future Queen of the Vail”

Wilsburg’s voice ran across the ballroom accompanied with two stumps of his scepter, calling everyone’s attention as you and Ashton descended the staircase together, claiming your rightful titles as everyone’s heads turned around to see you.

You kept your head high with every step you gave. All eyes were on you but you were not able to recognize anyone as their faces were covered with masks of every form, color, texture, and shape.

When you reached the end of the staircase, you and Ashton walked together to the center of the room where your father was standing with a winning smile plastered on his face. You were never prone to violence, but the feeling of wanting to punch your father in the face and erase that smile grew every minute.

You stood in front of your father and his court and gave him a courtesy in sign of respect. Your father’s eyes met yours once you stood straight again, and you couldn’t deny the feeling of pride that overwhelmed you when you saw the pure disgust in them as he took a glance at what you were wearing, knowing that this time he couldn’t do anything about it.

“My children,” He said with fake tenderness as he opened his arms in welcome.

It was so easy for him to fool the people who surrounded him, making everyone believe he was a good, caring, and loving father. But you could see clearly through his mask, no matter how much he tried to hide it - this time literally as his masks covered most of his face - he will never look at you with an ounce of love.

“King Luke Hemmings from the Vail and his loyal advisor, Sir Michael Clifford from Chesthire” Wilsburg announced, saving you from your father’s stare as the attention shifted back to the staircase where Luke and Michael were.

They walked next to each other, his movements identical as they elegantly descended into the party. They were both wearing the shades of blue that represented their Kingdom, each of them with matching masks that made them look regal, undoubtedly showcasing their royal status and importance.

Luke spotted your little broken family in the middle of the room, smiling a little bit and nodding towards you as he and Michael approached you with ease while the guests made way for them.

“Your Majesty” Luke bowed to your father, but his attention did not linger on him as much because soon his eyes were on you.

You noticed how blue his eyes looked under the mask, his blond curls falling perfectly to his shoulders and making him look like an actual angel.

“Princess,” He said, bowing just enough to capture your hand in his and bringing it to his lips, softly kissing your knuckles.

“Your Majesty,” You greeted him with courtesy, thankful that at least you’ll have some friendly faces in the crowd. “Sir Clifford. I must say you look very elegant today,”

You caught a glimpse of blush under the young guard’s mask, his green eyes sparkled at the compliment. His outfit was not as elegant as Luke’s, but his hair was pushed back in a short ponytail at the ends of his neck making him look like a prince.

“One can only try, Your Highness” He answered with a dashing smile “But, surely, no beauty compares to you, Princess. People should envy your exterior as well as your kind heart. My King is a lucky man” He said, looking back at Luke who was already smiling at him.

King Richard cleared his throat loudly, making the three of you turn your attention to him. His jaw was tight as he showed a smile to the other monarch.

“Now that the guest of honor has arrived,” Your father said with a loud, authority tone “Let the festivity begin!”

The small orchestra that worked under your father’s orders started to play lovely symphonies the minute those words came out of their King’s mouth. The other guests soon resumed their previous chatter and quickly got lost in the celebratory atmosphere, some grabbing drinks while others started dancing along with the soft melodies.

You stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, fidgeting with your fingers as you watched how your father called Ashton’s attention and took him aside for a talk. Your eyes roamed across the room, feeling out of place as you caught glimpses of people passing by, not knowing anyone as they proceeded to ignore you.

You thought about how this will be your life from now on. How you will end up alone in some party you don’t feel comfortable in just to please the aesthetics of how a royal should be. People will not be interested in you, only your title, and they will judge you, envy you, hate you, and take advantage of you for it. You will not be Y/N anymore, you won’t have the chance to. You will be a Queen and that’s all people will want to know as you will be pushed away into someone’s shadow.

“Not much of a social butterfly, I see” You heard Luke comment next to you, leaning over to your side so he could whisper in your ear.

You gave him a small smile, “I was never really fond of parties,” You admitted quietly “Which is ironic, given that I always wanted to attend these kinds of gathering when I was a child”

Luke laughed softly, “I believe that is because you don’t know how to properly have fun at a party” He chuckled once he saw your confused gaze “Michael, have you seen Lady Thompson today?”

Michael, who was standing in front of you, smiled as his gaze followed Luke’s “I cannot believe she came here after the scandal”

“The scandal?” You asked, trying to see whom they were talking about.

“Oh, yes. Haven’t you heard?” Luke asked casually “Her poodle caught a case of hair eating fleas, and once they left the poor dog bald, they went for the main of hair Lady Thompson used to brag about”

Yours parted your lips in shock, but Michael continued “Not only that, but I heard she’s telling everyone how her hair grew back in just a few hours by putting some kind of magical mud she found near the river end”

Finally, your gaze fell into the person they were discussing and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“That’s not Lady Thompson, her name is Lady Judith from the Mountains of Chaversty” Your eyes fell back on Luke and Michael, who were trying to suppress a laugh “You are mocking me…”

“Not at all, Princess,” Luke said with a chuckle “We are just teaching you how to have fun”

“When we were kids, we used to sneak into the palace’s parties and hide under tables watching people pass and creating narratives about their lives” Michael explained “We started with a simple sentence, and then we created the most outrageous stories from them. The one who could come up with the craziest storyline would win”

“And somehow, I always ended up losing,” Luke smiled as Michael shrugged.

“It’s not my fault that you lack creativity,”

You smiled fondly at their teasing banter. You were amazed at how titles were forgotten when they were just talking to one another, it seemed so simple to them to call each other by their name as if they were normal people. And seeing that, somehow, made you feel less alone.

They taught you how to play in between their anecdotes and inside jokes, but you didn’t feel left out as you remember Luke’s words about Michael and how much he means to him. It was their little thing, their little moment in time that they could share with none other than each other, and still were kind enough to share some of that with you.

You spend a few hours playing the game and laughing along with them as they found you a worthy opponent with how many crazy stories you could pull out of your mind in an instant. One of the rules was that you couldn’t tell real names nor real gossips about those people to keep their integrity and the innocence of the game, so all your thoughts and outraged comments were taken lightly with fun. You even won a couple of times.

From time to time, people came to congratulate you and Luke on your engagement. You were glad to know that they could never notice how uncomfortable you looked thanks to the mask, but you were one hundred percent sure that he and Michael noticed how your posture changed and how you tensed at the mention of the wedding. Luckily, they brushed it off and carried on like it was nothing.

Sometime later, Luke went to grab some drinks for you and him, leaving you alone with Michael who quickly started a conversation with you about sword fighting and training.

You were too immersed in the conversation that you didn’t notice a person standing behind you until they cleared their throat.

“Pardon me, Your Highness,” You heard someone say. The familiarity of that voice sent shivers down your body and made your throat dry the second you heard it.

You turned around in a fast movement that made the skirt of your dress appear like it was floating above the floor. Your breath got caught up in your chest as you were suddenly hyper-aware of every inhale and exhale your body made the moment your eyes met his.

There he was, hiding under a white mask that matched his white and gold suit that once belonged to his father. There he was, standing in front of you and hiding in plain sight as his brown eyes were set on yours, taking you in as he let out a sigh in amazement.

“Calum…” You wanted to call him by his name out loud, to jump into his arms as you let the tears that were gathering in your eyes fall free from the happiness you were feeling at that moment. The kind of happiness only he could bring with such ease; the kind of happiness that you longed to experience all your life as long as he was next to you.

But you couldn't say that, you couldn’t blow his cover like that. If they found out he sneaked into the party, they would surely put him in the dungeon for god knows how long. He took a lot of risks coming here, and one word from you might throw that all away.

Instead, Calum noticed your hesitant shock, so he smiled softly as he said.

“Will you give me the greatest honor and pleasure of sharing one dance with me, Your Highness?”

You wanted to answer immediately, but according to the protocols a woman always needs their partner's permission to dance with a stranger. But Luke was not your real partner and Calum was not a stranger. You could feel your heart wanting to jump out of your chest from how strongly it was beating, but you couldn't identify if it was beating out of excitement or fear.

You looked over to Michael who was already staring at you with a curious gaze. He could easily see the unsaid pleading inside your eyes as you fought with the need to take this stranger’s hands in yours. The green-eyed man looked over between the two of you and was able to connect the dots in an instant.

Then, he simply smiled understandingly as he said “Just another secret between us, Princess” Looking at you like the way he did the morning you eavesdropped on your father’s conversation with Luke.

You let out a breath of relief as you nodded, silently thanking him as you watched him walk away just a little bit to give you and Calum enough privacy.

When you turned back to Calum, he looked as relieved as you felt, kindly offering his hand to you.

“May I take this dance, my rose?”

“You may”

Calum took your hand in his, kissing your knuckles as he softly guided you to the middle of the dance floor where several other couples were waiting for the next piece to start.

He placed a hand to your waist, stocking his fingers slowly over the fabric and bringing you closer to him as he held your hand with his other one. You blushed as you placed your free hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly to encourage him.

You both understood how recklessly dangerous this was; to be dancing in front of everyone as your fiance stood somewhere in the room, probably wondering where you were, and with your father and brother at such a close distance. But neither of you cared when your eyes met again through the masks.

You didn’t care about the risks as long as you were holding each other like this; when you finally felt free inside the cage.

A sweet melody filled the air, but you were too focused on Calum to even listen. You only realized the dance has started when you felt his fingers grace your waist tightly as he spun you around with delicacy, taking the lead as you followed his steps with care.

Memories of your first dance together flooded your mind and you couldn’t help but smile. You were only children back then, now it seems like another life.

“You learned how to dance…” You said fondly in a hushed tone, a blush covering your cheeks as you heard him softly chuckle at your comment.

“I had to. I didn’t want to embarrass myself the next time we’d dance”

“You knew there would’ve been the next time back then?”

“I always hoped I’d get to dance with you again after that night” He admitted, his eyes never leaving yours “You are the only one who I’d like to dance with all my life”

His feet moved carefully around your dress, following the other couples as they spun and changed places with their partners placing their hands together between their two bodies. A classical dance made for lovers, for one must never leave their partner’s eyes as they spin and turn just to fall back into their arms again.

It was slow at first, building its tempo as more instruments were added to the melody, making it enchanting, haunting as they took over the room with an admirable strength that only a feeling of utter power could describe as beautiful. It was supposed to represent passion and how it can dominate you, slowly and then all at once before you even realize it was there.

“You look absolutely beautiful, my rose,” He said once his hand was placed to your lower back, pulling you closer to him as you let your hand wander just inches from the back of his neck. “You always knew how to put flowers to shame, but tonight you look just as radiant as the moon itself”

“Calum…”

“Shh,” He whispered, “Let me tell you my truth while I still can, my love. For if this is one of the last times I shall see you, let me relish on how beautiful you are. Let me tell you all the compliments in the world and see me fall short since no compliment could ever be enough to capture just how enchanting you are”

You tugged on the hand that was holding yours.

“Why do I feel like you’re saying goodbye?”

“I’m not” Calum answered quickly “That’s the last thing I’ll ever do. But seeing you tonight just reminded me that I don’t tell you how much you mean to me. And I promise you that when we get out of this situation, I promise that I’ll tell you every day of my life”

“When,” You thought “Not if, but when. It’s just a matter of time”

To know that Calum hasn’t given up on you, on your love, meant the world to you. Most of the time you felt like you were battling alone as if no one was listening. But he was right there with you, even if you couldn’t see him or be with him all the time. He still hasn’t given up on you.

You felt it right there; the love. He was risking everything for you, to see you and be with you in the night where you’re supposed to celebrate your engagement. He broke every rule for a moment with you, knowing that you would do the same for him.

The music kept going, the crescendo was at its peak. Calum grabbed you with both his hands on your waist and picked you up as he turned around, placing you back on the ground to your initial position of one of your hands intertwined while the other rested on his shoulder and your lower back.

You giggled like children as he put you down, pretending the world didn’t exist as you swayed to the music. Tonight, you were a young couple enjoying their first dance together and loving every minute of it. Nothing else mattered.

You didn’t feel the stares of the guests or Ashton’s careful gaze as he tried to decipher who you were dancing with. You didn’t hear the whispers or notice how Luke hid his smile in his drink as he handed the other to Michael who looked at you in complicity. You didn’t see where your father has run off to, but you didn’t care.

You were in love. You were dancing with the love of your life; letting him guide your steps carefully as the crescendo started to go down and his grip on you tightened, not wanting to let go of this moment.

“I love you” Calum whispered just loud enough for you to hear.

You smiled like the sun “You are risking a lot by saying that here”

He shook his head “And I’ll risk even more if I have to. I cannot go a day without telling you I love you, my rose. Even if they throw me in the dungeon, I’ll find my way to you”

“Don’t say things like that,” You warned him as the melody started to fade “I’ll be damned if I lose you, Calum. This was reckless enough from both of our parts”

“And yet, you’re still dancing with me” He smiled as his movements started to slow down “My love for you is as reckless as it is endless, Y/N, and if I have to risk myself a thousand times; if I have to die a thousand times to love you freely then so be it. All of that will be worth it as long as you say it back”

You stare at him with tears in your eyes as the song reaches its end.

“I love you”

Calum stopped completely, letting go of his grip on your back but still holding your hand on his.

“And just like that, everything is worth it,” He said, placing a kiss on the back of your hand.

You smiled at him, chuckling through the unshed tears as you pondered in disbelief at just how lucky you are to love him and be loved by him.

“I’ll see you soon,” He said with a bow of his head.

“Aren’t you going to stay?” You knew you sounded a little desperate, but he just got here and, even though it was a little selfish on your part, you wanted him here just a little bit longer if possible.

Calum smiled “Only with the promise of another dance, my rose”

You nodded gracefully as Calum bowed once again before you watched him disappear into the crowd.

Your smile was still evident in your face as you gathered yourself and started to back up into the crowd, maybe try to find Luke to keep appearances until Calum asks for another dance.

“What a promising young man. Isn’t he, Y/N?”

The blood in your veins froze when you heard your father’s voice from behind you. You stood still, hoping you misheard him or mistaken him for another person that was passing by.

“Say, do we know him by any chance?” King Richard said with a mocking interest that made you want to run away right in that instant to find Calum and ask him to hide somewhere.

Instead, you turned around, and as calmly as you could, you answered:

“I’m afraid not, father. He didn’t tell me his name before nor after our dance”

“Didn’t I tell you never to talk to strangers, little Princess?”

He stood in front of you with a wicked smirk, not really waiting for an answer as he puffed his chest, showcasing the Kingdom’s shiny emblem on his fancy attire.

Your father lived for the adoration and fear of his subjects; he relished in your fear towards him for many years now, watching with delight as you submit to him out of fear or hope for any kind of attention he could show you. He adored the power he had over you, on how easy it was just to mess with your life as you’d allowed him to. And now, as you looked into his eyes you could see the fun he was having watching you tremble under his gaze, fearing that he might’ve discovered you.

The King looked you up and down and smirked as he announced “I believe it’s time for a father and daughter dance!”

The people who were gathering around the two of you started clapping and cheering as your father looked at you with a pleased gaze. You watched as the couples who were getting ready for the next dance suddenly left and were now standing to the side, anxiously waiting for the Princess and the King to have a sentimental moment.

From the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of Ashton who was making his way to the center of the room, pushing people as he tried to get to you; on the opposite end of the room, Luke drifted his gaze between you and Michael with a hint of worry in his eyes. Calum was nowhere to be found as your eyes searched for him in the crowd and you couldn’t help but feel scared for him.

King Richard ran out of patience. He grabbed your hand in what seemed a delicate touch, but only you could feel how his nails dug in the skin of your hand, forcefully pulling you to the dancefloor.

You felt disgusted as his hand gripped your waist, snapping his fingers to the musicians with his other hand before gripping your wrist and holding it high.

When the music started, he moved you around the dancefloor in stiff circles; there was no delicacy, no softness in his touch as he dragged you at the rhythm of one of the sweetest melodies you’ve heard.

“That dress does not belong to you” Your father whispered in between a smile. A tone of warning lacing his every word.

You felt the buckle of your knees weakened your step, but you didn’t dare move your eyes from his.

Too long you’ve been under his domain, living in fear of his next move whenever you were left alone with him. The bruises healed but the scars remain as your memory recalled the moments where he would get so mad at you just for being there, how he hated you just for looking like her.

All the pain, self-doubt, hatred, and fear he put you through… all the times you let him win because you didn’t think it could ever become worse… it all came crashing down into a feeling of anger and resentment that only served to give you strength for your next words.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, father” You defied him with fake ignorance “This is my dress. My mother left it for me. Don’t you like it?”

King Richard locked his jaw, his eyes spitting fire as you held his stare without moving an inch as you danced through the room.

“I know what you’re doing, Y/N,” He said with a wicked smile “And you won’t win. You can’t”

He laughed maliciously as he saw the shocked look in your eyes.

“Did you really think I wasn’t going to find out what you were doing in the library this past few weeks?”

Your heart stopped at the statement, feeling weak as he got you figured it out. But how? How could he know unless someone told him? Someone who knew what you were looking for…

The color drained from your face as you stuttered “I-I don’t know what-”

“Don’t play stupid, you insolent child” His grip on your wrist tightened, hurting you in front of everyone without raising any suspicion “I have eyes everywhere, ears in every wall of this goddamned castle and you think you can outsmart me by hiding in the library and looking through the books of laws? But you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, correct?” He asked, smiling as he saw how you frowned at the truth “And I’ll make sure you never will. My plans will not be ruined by a weak little girl”

“Plans?” You asked suddenly, realizing that he overshared something he might’ve not supposed to say “What are you-?” You started, before everything became clear, remembering Ashton’s words from a few hours prior “The wedding, the alliance… That’s all just a trick, isn’t it? You need something from them, from Luke…”

You smiled to yourself as you saw your father speechless for the first time.

“You need me,” You stated as a matter of factly “And you know that I won’t ever help you voluntarily, that’s why you are forcing everyone to do this. You know I can stop you, you know there is a way to stop all of this and you’re afraid…”

His fingers dug into your skin with force, leaving red marks that will become bruises, but you didn’t even flinch.

“You don’t want to play games with me, child” King Richard said, all niceties dropped from his face “I am the King!”

“And I’m not scared of you!” You smiled with sufficiency “Look around, father. You want to play? Let's do it. Hurt me in front of all these people, let them see how their monarch loves his daughter. You cannot hurt me here”

A sense of pride came over you as you finally stood up for yourself to your father. You finally saw a flash of fear pass by his eyes as he scanned the room and saw all the eyes on him.

“I will stop you”

But then, the King smiled like the devil.

“I’d like to see you try. Stop the music!” He suddenly yelled, making all the guests flinch at the sound of his voice.

Your movements came to a stop, but the grip he had on your hand just became tighter and tighter, crushing your bones as you tried to get rid of his touch.

“My daughter, Princess Y/N, just had the most wonderful idea!” He announced to the crowd as you looked at him in shock while he smiled “She told me she cannot wait to be married, just like any other lady” He joked, making the guest laugh at you.

Your father cupped your face by the chin, applying pressure on it so you wouldn’t be able to say a word as he exclaimed:

“And who am I to deny anything to my beautiful, beautiful little princess? The wedding ceremony will take place in two days! And you are all more than invited!”

The crowd cheered and clapped as you felt sick to your stomach. Two days?! How are you going to stop everything in only two days?

You released yourself from your father’s grip, tears clouding your eyes as you saw the winning smirk on his face.

“I warned you not to play games, little rose”

You stood in horror as you watched your father disappear into the crowd, accepting congratulations on your behalf and laughing with the other guest at your “eagerness” of getting married already.

“Y/N?” You heard Ashton said and he placed a hand on your shoulder “Are you-?”

You felt your breathing start to pick up, short and fast exhales came with almost no intake of air to your lungs. You were getting dizzy, disoriented as you analyzed the situation.

It was so fast… too fast. It all happened too fast.

“Y/N-” Ashton tried again, but you shook yourself from his touch.

“For fuck’s sake leave me alone!” You half-whispered, half yelled as you picked up your skirt and ran away from the ballroom.

The sound of your heels clicking on the floor was drowned by the sound of your breathless sobbing as you desperately looked for a way out of the castle.

You couldn’t stay here anymore. You needed to find Calum, see if he’s okay, and just leave. But with every step you took your worry grew stronger as thoughts of Calum hurt flashed through your head.

“Rose,” He said. Your father called you rose. He knew. He knew! And you couldn’t find Calum.

“Y/N!” A voice called from behind you, the sound of their heels coming closer as you tried to get away from there “Y/N, wait!”

You were almost at the door leading to the gardens, just a few steps from freedom when you felt a hand grip your arm, making you stop.

Luke stood there in front of you, almost breathless as his eyes filled with worry when he saw your tear-filled eyes and your trembling lip trying its hardest to suppress a cry.

Without thinking it twice, the young King pulled you into a hug. You were shocked at first but eventually, you relaxed in his arms as he let you cry onto his chest, hearing muffled apologies in between sobs.

“It’s okay,” He said softly, looking to his side to find Michael catching up with them at a distance “It’s okay”

“No!” You cried “No, it’s not! Luke I-” You stopped as the words of your father filled your brain “I have eyes everywhere, ears in every wall…”

You grabbed onto Luke’s hand and guided him outside the palace, looking over your shoulder in case someone tried to approach you.

“Tell Michael to stay at the entrance,” You told him.

Luke nodded as he signaled Michael to stay where he was, letting you take him away to the entrance of the woods where you were somewhat hidden from the palace while still being able to see it from where you were standing.

“What is going on?” Luke asked calmly “Why are we hiding? Why did you tell your father you wanted to marry this soon? I-”

“I didn’t do it! You have to believe me in this, Luke. Please” You begged “He is trying to hurt me, to hurt you! I didn’t want any of this to happen, please believe me that I had no idea that would happen”

Luke sighed, placing both his hands on your shoulders to try and calm you down “I believe you”

“You do?”

He nodded with a soft smile.

“Yeah, this is the first time I heard you say my name so I know this is serious,” Luke said “Why is he trying to hurt you?”

You didn’t answer, how could you? You trusted Luke, but did you trust him enough? How in the world would you tell your fiance that you are in love with someone else and that your father wants to punish you for it, that this whole charade of lies was created for dangerous means, and that he might also be in danger?

After a while, Luke asked softly:

“Is it because you love another, don’t you?” You froze, eyes filled with fear as you looked at him “It’s hard to pretend not to love someone when you’re close to them. I could see it while you were dancing with him, because it was him, wasn’t it? The man who owns your heart?”

You lowered your head, eyes filling with tears as you whispered “Luke-”

“It’s okay, love” He reassured, caressing your face and cupping your cheeks so you would look at him “I knew from the start that you belonged to another, and tonight I recognized that look, that complicit smile you only find in those whose life complete yours in a way where you didn’t think it was possible. I have never seen you as happy as you were dancing with him. You truly love him, do you?”

“More than anything” You answered without a doubt.

“And he surely loves you. It was more than obvious from the way he couldn’t stop looking at you throughout the dance. He’s a lucky man, and he knows how to give himself entirely to you. I don’t think I have ever seen a man so in love before”

“You sure know a lot about love, Luke,” You said surprising him “You know just as much as a man who is or has been in love before”

He chuckled lightly “That’s because you’re not the only one with a heart owned by another, Princess”

Luke averted his gaze back to the castle, a nostalgic cloud covering his baby blue eyes.

“Is your love waiting for you at home?” You asked softly, not wanting to intrude.

He chuckled softly before his expression changed from dreamy, to worry, to sad, you pretended you didn’t notice how his eyes became glossy from the tears.

“He’s the only home I’ve ever known…”

Then, you understood. Luke was not looking at the castle; he was looking at the person guarding the entrance, commanded by his King.

Your heart filled with an indescribable joy as you took your hand and placed it on Luke’s cheek, softly wiping a tear that started to roll down.

“I guess we are both stuck in this, huh?” He laughed, looking at you in the way only a strong bond could describe.

“But you don’t have to be,” He said, “Your love, do you know where he is?”

You started to shake your head, but then you remembered something.

“I think I might have an idea”

“Go to him.” Luke encouraged, kissing your knuckles before letting go of your hand “Michael and I will cover this entrance, I’ll tell everyone who asks that we were together talking and walking through the gardens the whole night so no one gets suspicious”

You could almost cry of relief at his words. You jumped into his arms and placed a kiss on his cheek while muttering a small “Thank you” before you started running through the woods, knowing exactly where to go and hoping that he’ll be there.

*

“Calum!” You sighed with relief, finally feeling like you could breathe when you saw him in front of your tree.

You took your chances coming here, not knowing if he was going to be waiting here or if he was somehow captured by your father's orders.

On your way to your secret place, your heart could not stop racing, the countless tragic possibilities flooded your mind as you ran through the woods, not caring if some parts of your dress got ripped because of your careless moving.

But there he was, sitting in one of the roots that were visible from the surface. He was not wearing his mask as he fiddled with it between his fingers until the moment he saw you.

“Y/N!” He breathed, getting up from his improvised seat and running towards you, involving you in a tight embrace. Only then, wrapped in your arms you understood Luke’s words.

Only there you felt truly at home.

“I thought something happened to you” You cried into his chest as you felt his hand soothe you while caressing your back “My father…”

“I know,” He said, placing a small kiss on the top of your head “When he announced the ceremony I could see a couple of guards coming my way, I had no choice but run”

Your whole body shook in terror when he said that. Now you knew your father was planning on hurting Calum now that he knew who he was. Unless he’d always known…

“Hey, hey, hey,” He said when he felt you cry again “It’s okay, my love. I got away, didn’t I?”

“Now, but you know what he’s capable of doing, Cal. You saw what he did at the party! He moved the wedding closer because he knew we’ve been searching for ways to stop it. He knows who you are and if anything- if anything happens to you, I-”

“Nothing is going to happen to me, okay?” Calum stated, pulling you away from him just enough so he could see your face and cup your cheeks with his hands “I will not let anything happen to me or you, I promise. I will be there for you, Y/N, always”

You nodded but still felt a cloud of darkness surrounding you. You trusted Calum more than anyone, but this might be the first promise that he might not fulfill. Your father is a powerful man that reigned by inflicting fear into his people and respect by his equals basing himself with lies.

If he could turn your world upside down with just a couple of words… what would he do to Calum?

“How did you know I was here?” Calum asked, trying to lighten the mood when he noticed you spacing out in sorrow.

You chuckled, lowering your gaze to the floor “I had a hunch”

“Were you followed?”

“No, Luke and Michael stayed to watch the entrance and the surroundings” Calum looked at you puzzled “We can trust them, it’s okay. Luke doesn’t want to marry me either”

“What a fool-”

“He doesn’t want to marry me because, like me, he is in love with someone else,” You said with a smile that quickly disappeared with your next thought “And now we’ll both be trapped in a marriage where we’ll be forced to be away from the ones we truly love”

“Then don’t marry him,” Calum said in a breath.

You rolled your eyes “Is not that easy, Calum. You know that-”

“That a King’s promise may never be broken. But what if the King promised something that can’t be possible?”

His tone was questioning, almost as if he wasn’t sure of what he was saying either and he was just thinking at the top of his head.

“Love, what are you-?”

“What if you couldn’t marry the King because you’re already married?” He asked, more certain this time.

You were about to answer him with another question, trying to understand what he was trying to say. But he continued, trying to explain himself better.

“You know the law commands that no one should remarry while still being married to another partner. What if- what if we get married first? That way-”

“That way the King’s promise will be null” You finished for him “Because the bride he promised is a married woman who cannot go over the law… Calum, that’s genius but how-?”

“I thought about it for a while when I came over the statement that ruled that no law should cancel another”

You looked at him confused, but with a smile showing on your face “And you’re telling me this now?”

He looked nervous.

“I-I didn’t want to put that pressure on you. It is a huge risk, not to mention a lot of responsibility as well, and I didn’t want to pressure you into marrying me if you weren’t sure you wanted that. I thought we could find another way out before the ceremony, so I kept it a secret for some time. I admit I was afraid of how you might react”

You answered him with a tearful chuckle as you jumped into his arms and crashed your lips to his as you caught him by surprise.

It was impossible to deny the happiness you felt as he responded to the kiss as eagerly as you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him.

“If you thought for a second that I would ever say no to that, then you might not know who you’re asking for her hand in marriage,” You said, smiling against his lips, chasing them into another kiss as a complete feeling of euphoria came over you.

Calum smiled, wrapping his arms around the back of your thighs and picking you up as he spun you around, laughing along with you as your giggles could be heard from all around the woods, for you just made him the happiest man on earth.

“If we are going to do this,” He said as he put you down “Let me do this properly”

You felt your eyes filled with happy tears as you watched Calum get down on one knee in front of you. Smiling at you with bright brown eyes that shined like the stars from Orion above.

“Y/N,” He started “My love, my rose. God knows this is not the way I planned this; in my dreams we are sailing away to a new land, traveling the world as we share our dreams and make them come true before our eyes. In my dreams I had a ring to give you, a pretty speech prepared, and a thousand lights to illuminate the way you looked, bringing the start to shame.

But I have no ring, and the words that are coming out of my mouth come straight from my heart. But the moon does shine on you, my love and you’ve never looked so beautiful as you do.

I cannot offer much. I’m no royal nor do I own stacks of land that could be ever worthy of you, my love. I cannot offer you a house, I cannot offer you fancy dresses or expensive jewelry, I cannot give you the kind of life royalty deserves. But I can give you all my love as we made the world our home. Because all I need, Y/N, to live a happy life is for you to be by my side if you let me.

I knew I wanted to marry you since the moment I saw you standing in that pile of dirt when we were nothing more than children venturing in a world filled with adult problems. I knew I loved you then, even before I knew what love is. And, if you let me, it would be my honor to love you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, my rose?”

You tearfully nodded, covering your mouth with your hands as you tried to prevent a sob from getting out.

“Yes,” You said softly before repeating it loudly “Yes!”

In an instant, you threw yourself into Calum’s arms, wrapping your arms around his neck as he held you by your waist, helping you straddle his lap, one leg at each side of his hips, as he pushed your skirt to the sides so you’d be closer and more comfortable.

You wasted no time in pressing your lips against his, letting your hands play with his hair as he rocked your bodies together, deepening the kiss as far as you’d let him.

A little moan escaped your mouth when you felt his tongue press against your bottom lip. Calum took this opportunity to capture every sound you made as you granted him more access, parting your lips slightly and letting him explore more of you as you got drunk with his touch.

“Say it again” He begged, his lips now leaving kisses along your jaw as your fingers tangled and tugged on his hair, making him groan against your skin.

“Yes,” You whispered breathlessly.

You felt your skin on fire every time his lips trailed along your jaw and neck, kissing it gently as you melted against him. It wasn’t something new, you’ve kissed like this before and stopped before it turned into something else, but there was something about tonight.

You didn’t know if it was the proposal, the adrenaline, or the simple need of being together now more than ever since your future is still uncertain. But every single kiss, every sound, every move… it just made you crave it even more.

“Calum…” You breathed, tugging his hair to bring him even closer to you.

He muffled a groan into your neck, letting the smell of your perfume intoxicate him as you moved your hips closer to him, “Love, don’t do that” He whispered, almost begging you to stop as he knocked his forehead with yours “You know that if this goes any further, I might not be able to stop”

You’ve been intimate before, only not like this. It wasn’t uncommon for you to lay next to each other, whether it was on our bed or in the clear spot next to the tree. You would explore your bodies with soft touches and lingering kisses that always felt like the start of something but that never lead to anything other than whispered confessions and soft makeout sessions.

The need was always there, you both felt it before, but this time you had no intention of stopping.

“Then don’t,” You said softly, looking into Calum’s eyes as he raised his eyebrows in shock.

“Y/N…”

“Don’t stop, Calum, please” You whined, moving your hips again to gain some kind of friction between the layers of fabric as you felt how his cock hardened in his pants “I want it. I want you”

Calum stopped your movements altogether, holding your hips with one hand as the other one cupped one side of your face, making you look at him when he asked.

“Y/N, are you sure about this?” His breath was heavy, but his eyes were determined as he gazed into yours “We don’t have to do anything if you’re not one hundred percent-”

You placed your fingers on the top of his lips to silence him.

“I was yours since the day we met.” You whispered, a soft smile illuminating your face “I was yours the day I told you I love you. I was yours when we danced tonight and I’ll be yours forever for the rest of my life. Make me your wife, Calum. Be mine and make me yours again”

Something shifted in Calum’s eyes at the sound of your words as lust settled all over them. He wasted no time in pulling you closer to him, capturing your lips in a much more heated kiss.

It was entirely different from whatever you’ve experienced before with him. This kiss was sloppy, a mixture of tongues and teeth as he bit your bottom lip. The sounds that came from both of you died in your throats as you desperately acted upon your desires.

You pulled apart for one minute as you took the top part of your dress, throwing it god knows where as you tried to untie the knots of your corset. Calum took it upon himself to start kissing your neck again, this time with more freedom to roam across your collarbone. “Let me,” He said softly after a while, letting his hands take over yours as they started to undo the knots one by one.

Once you were free, you felt Calum’s hands cup your breasts, massaging them as you moaned softly, still moving your hips with a more steady and fast rhythm against his groin looking for some sort of release.

“Y/N,” Calum moaned, taking his hands off your breast down to your hips, halting your movements once again “Lay down for me, my love” He whispered, kissing your earlobe as you felt goosebumps all over your body.

Calum took off his suit jacket, laying it on the floor so you’d be more comfortable. You sat back on your elbows as you watched him take off his shirt, leaving him with his chest exposed to you.

Your eyes widened at the sight of him shirtless on top of you. You’ve seen him shirtless before, but the context is different now that you can admire his well-defined abs under the moonlight. You couldn’t resist letting your fingers caress his chest with barely-there touches over his muscles and nipples, making him let out a breathy moan as soon as you did.

But before you could go any further, he grabbed you softly by the wrist.

“Not yet, Princess,” He said, lust laced in every word as he let your hand go to start working on getting you out of that skirt and underwear.

He worked quickly, leaving you completely bare in front of him. You felt his eyes on you and your first instinct was to cover yourself even though shame was the last thing in your mind right now. Despite that initial response, you felt safe with him, the safest you felt in years.

Calum smirked playfully, shaking his head as he grabbed both your hands in his and pinning them over your head “Don’t hide from me, my love” He said, lips hovering over yours but never touching them as he started kissing the spot under your ear, leaving you breathless in a second.

You closed your eyes and let yourself drift in pleasure as you felt Calum’s lips trail down to your breasts, kissing each one of them softly around the pebbled nipples, sucking and biting them as you felt your arousal grow with every new sensation.

Once he felt satisfied with the way you were moaning, he started kissing along your chest and down to your stomach, leaving a trail of fiery kisses until he stopped before reaching your core.

Calum let go of your hands which immediately flew to his hair when he started kissing the inside of your thighs, getting closer but not close enough to where you needed him most.

“Calum,” You moaned, feeling his breath over your entrance.

“Say it again,” He asked, kissing your right leg as his hands wandered over to your ass, lifting you up slightly and bringing you closer to him “Say yes, again”

“Yes.” You said in one breath.

“Again” He demanded softly, kissing you over your mound.

“Yes.”

“Again”

“Yes, oh...”

No sounds came out of your mouth as he placed his lips over your clit, kissing it softly at first before starting to lightly suck on it. You then felt him lick a long stripe up your center, making you shiver each time as he always ended up at your clit, gathering your arousal in his tongue and moaning at the taste, sending glorious vibrations up to your core. He smiles when he feels you tug on his hair with every breathy moaned you let out, letting him know that you were enjoying this as much as he was.

Soon, you felt his fingers trace along your folds up and down, stopping at your entrance a couple of times before he pushed the first finger inside, making you both moan at the feeling.

Then, a finger became two as Calum started to move them inside and out of your tight hole at a fast pace while his lips remained attached to your clit, licking and sucking over it until you reached your first climax of the night.

Calum licked you through your orgasm, lapping on your arousal until he heard you whine thanks to the oversensitivity. Then, he pulled himself up, kissing a trail from your stomach to your lips.

You were seeing stars behind your eyelids as you tasted yourself on his tongue, moaning as you felt his hard, clothed cock brush over your sensitive core.

“Calum,” You whimpered as he pulled away from his lips to let his head fall to your side, kissing your neck with zeal.

“Tell me what you want, my love” He whispered in your ear, making your whole body shiver under him as he kissed your cheeks tenderly “Tell me what you want and I’ll give you the world”

“You, only you”

He smiled, prompting himself onto his elbows to kiss your lips again.

“I’m yours”

It took no time for Calum to get rid of his pants and thrust into you, letting you adjust to the new feeling as he kissed the pain away while he started to thrust slowly into you. His hand cupped your face as he kissed you over and over again until you begged him to speed up the pace, letting the sting of pain become one of pleasure every time Calum moved his hips into you, hitting every spot with ease.

You became one big pile of tangled limbs and shared pleasure, moaning and groaning your feelings of ecstasy as you held each other as close as you could. One hand caressing your sides while you alternated between playing with his hair and dragging your fingers down his back, feeling every muscle work as you wrapped your legs around him, letting him deeper and deeper each time.

You got drunk with the sound of each other’s moans as you reached your climax. Calum swears he’s never heard a more beautiful sound than his name falling from your lips in total bliss as you clenched around his cock, making his thrusts slow down as he came with the taste of your name still on his lips.

"I love you," He said with a smile as wide as the sky, pulling you closer against his naked body "God, how I love you, my rose"

You kissed his lips softly, humming an "I love you" in between a content smile before saying:

"Calum?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Thank you for loving me"

You woke up sometime later, still wrapped around his arms as his jacket covered you both from the cold night. You let out a breath of relief as you realized that the moon was still high up in the sky, meaning that you still had a few hours before having to go back to the castle.

Calum slept peacefully next to you, holding you close as he let his chin rest above your head. You kissed his Adam's apple and softly giggled when he pulled you closer to his chest, you knew that you would always be safely wrapped around his arms and there was no other place you’d rather stay than with him.

It was almost incredible to believe that by tomorrow night you’d finally become husband and wife and that this will be your life forevermore.

No more castles, no more parties, no more dangers nor royalty duties. You will be together, finally be free.

.

.

Tags: @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @mystic-232 @talksoprettyjjx @theshyspy @hoodhoran @flaneurcth @notinthesameguey @bubblegum18 @irwin-fletcher-ash @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @1980holland @wiiildflowerrr @hoplessromantic727 @fivesecondsofonedirection @another-lonely-heart @aabc5sauce @dudethisiswhyyoudonthavefriends @major5sosstan @myloverboyash @nicebasscalum @calumspupils @secretsicanthideanymore @the-ghost-of-ashley @alltimesos @girlwhosimps @wontlastimokwiththat @yeah-and69 @fckingpernico @multistann @averageantichrist @a-darneddarling @tpwkcth @f-mu @kindahumanbutalsoinsane @lemonswizzle

[legolaslovely]

Well Loved Hands

A/N: This was originally written for Fikiweek2020, Idiosyncrasy day, but it strayed too far from this prompt, and I didn’t feel comfortable adding this story to that day/idea. So **please read the warnings** and have some Kíli comforting Fíli. Thank you @dreams-of-wander for beta-ing (Is that what it’s called?) this for me and helping me keep it safe for readers. 

Pairing: Fiki

Rated Mature

**Warnings: self-harm- nail biting (not gratuitous), injury, light gore if that’s a thing, smut, comfort, Post Quest of Erebor, everyone lives, nobody dies!

Summary: Fíli had all the ‘good kinds’ of flaws. "Too kind, too trusting, too generous for his own good." However, they all boiled down to one unhealthy and rather harmful habit. But Kíli never judged, only soothed.

ûrzudel: sun of suns 

When those around him looked at Fíli, it was always with a smile and sparkling eyes of pure admiration. The mothers of Erebor would speak of his enormous heart and how they wished he would take their daughter for his wife. The fathers would puff out their chests and say with absolute certainty that Fíli would be a great king for Erebor. The children would play make believe and fight over who got to play Prince Fíli with his swords and daggers that sliced open fierce orcs in battle. If any dwarf dared to ask about the heir’s flaws, he would be booted out of Erebor faster than he could say, “Gandalf is a troublemaker.”

Those who knew Fíli better, such as those in Thorin’s Company, would roll their eyes at Erebor’s blind and undying love for the young prince. But all the while, they’d never say a bad word about Thorin’s nephew, because Fíli truly was worthy of the adoration he attracted. 

“That lad only has those good kinds of flaws,” Dwalin said.

“He’s too kind-”

“Too trusting-”

“Too generous for his own good!”

Like the humble dwarf he was, Fíli shooed these ‘compliments’ away, ears flaming at the joking insults that were more like glowing praise. 

Kíli took his hand under the table and ran his thumb over the back of Fíli’s fingers. Though Fíli sent a squeeze in return and tilted his head in Kíli’s direction, he wouldn’t look at his little brother. Right now, Fíli was embarrassed, and not just because of the praise from their friends. Little pin pricks of shame poked Fíli’s already scarlet cheeks because he knew I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it.

Kíli scooted closer, ignoring the rolling of his gut, and wished the two of them were alone so he could kiss Fíli well enough and hold him tight enough to make him believe that everything was okay. 

***

Fíli did have all the ‘good kinds’ of flaws. But they all boiled down to one unhealthy and rather harmful habit. He bit his nails. And not in a cute or charming way that someone could ignore or fall in love with. Fíli chewed and pulled and picked at his nails until his finger tips bled. If he was anxious during meetings, stressed throughout the night, or nervous at the dinner table, he was sure to be hiding his hands from curious, condemning eyes. 

But Kíli never judged. Only soothed.

That night he massaged cream into Fíli’s skin, holding back a wince, a gasp, a tsk, as Fíli let out a hiss of pain. 

“I didn’t know I was doing it.”

“I know,” Kíli said.

“I thought I was doing better.”

Kíli dipped another clean, healthy finger in the cool, smooth ointment and rubbed it into Fíli’s short, sharp nails and screaming red skin. 

“You are.”

Kíli couldn’t help but wonder about his brother’s habit. Was this something unique to Fíli, or did this happen to other dwarves? Perhaps humans or hobbits? Kíli had suggested going to a medic again, asking more questions, but the one visit for the cream was enough for Fíli. I can fix this myself, he’d said.

So Kíli kept his secret and helped him heal, though his goal was to stop his brother from harming himself this way. From lashing out against the label of The Golden Prince. And Kíli had his ways.

***

Being the nephew of the king meant Kíli too had to be present at most meetings involving the dwarven realms, though he’d rather be anywhere else. Spending his time working in the forge, training with the army, or even exhausting himself in the dwarfling nurseries seemed much better options than sitting, trapped in the throne or council rooms from dawn to dusk. These preferences were well known by all involved and one would think he’d run from his responsibilities at record-breaking speeds if given the chance. Some conversations, after all, were not for every ear in the council. 

However, his escape meant leaving Fíli alone for an untold number of hours in an unbearably stressful environment. 

So Kíli would stay. He’d wriggle his way to the head of the table, between his uncle and his brother because he wanted to learn, he wanted to be a part of what made the council great. He wanted to be right there if his brother needed him.

Though for most of the day, Fíli didn’t need him. He sat with both hands glued to either arm of his chair, calmly listening to various problems and solutions to the kingdom’s needs. Thorin asked for his opinion on multiple occasions and Fíli was brilliant. He’d learned much from his studies and apprenticing, but he also had intuition that a realm could trust with their lives. Kíli was proud.

Kíli was still proud when Thorin and his brother disagreed. 

“You think that would be a good move for our people?” Thorin yelled across the table, ignoring the awkward fidgeting of the other guests sitting around it. “Have you completely forgotten…”

Kíli stopped listening to his uncle’s growling. Instead, he watched Fíli. Though he didn’t shrink from the harsh words or the harsher voice, his hands did slide into his lap from the arms of the chair. Kíli could just hear his nails clicking over Thorin’s unjust shrieking.

Secretly and sneakily, without drawing the gaze of any of the distracted council members, Kíli ran his fingers down Fíli’s forearm and pulled his hands apart before Fíli could inflict any more damage to his already torn up skin. He held Fíli tight and felt him breathe deeply, as if his head had been yanked above an unforgiving riptide. 

“Uncle,” Fíli interrupted. “I know our kingdom’s history. But I have also done the research and our land has changed since we last ruled it. I am confident that…”

Kíli loosened his grasp, sure that Fíli could handle the rest of the conversation alone, but Fíli held on. He kept their hands comfortably in between them, lacing their fingers together - a small embrace that remained there for the rest of the meeting.

***

Kíli couldn’t always be by Fíli’s side. He had his own duties, his own life, and there were often full days the brothers spent apart. Most of the time, Fíli would catch him stealing a late dinner from the kitchens long after its doors had been closed to servants and others in the mountain. They’d talk over their days and stuff themselves full (to the prep cooks’ morning despair) and somehow find the strength to amble back to their chambers.

Some nights were different. Occasionally, Kíli would slowly turn the knob on their door and curse the loud creak of the hinges as he opened it, hoping such an argument wouldn’t wake his sleeping brother. But as the door slid ajar, candlelight flooded the corridor. Fíli was still awake, drenching his hands in the healing cream the medic had told him not to administer by himself. 

But Kíli wouldn’t admonish, not now. He sat on the bed and took the jar away from Fíli, seamlessly replacing the broken fingers with his own.

“I can do it,” Fíli said.

“I know.”

Without another word, one brother took care of the other. Kíli massaged until the cream had soaked into the skin and disappeared, but even with his tender touch and calming presence, Fíli still sat on the bed like stone. Too proud to be disgraced, too strong to crumble, too old to need his little brother.

Kíli lifted Fíli’s hand and kissed the back of it. His kisses traveled down the wide hand, lingering over stubby, well loved fingers, gracing harsh, abused tips and nails. One kiss was granted to the palm before Kíli lifted the other hand, giving it the same treatment until Fíli let the callused inside caress Kíli’s equally rough cheek.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Not for his pride or his distance, but for failing. Again.

Kíli replaced the lid on the jar and cast it away on the side table before wrapping his arms around Fíli’s shoulders and pulling him down to settle together on the bed. Tonight, Kíli took control of the kiss, converting it from one of apologies and promises to do better into one of acceptance and support and adoration.

He gave caresses of commitment over Fíli’s shoulders and up his bare back under his tunic. Smooth fingertips fondly followed thick curls of soft, golden fur over a heaving chest, down a flat belly and into loose trousers, while hips ground and thrust together - lacking discipline, but coursing with thirst.

Fíli hid his face in Kíli’s neck when Kíli found his erection, throbbing with arousal and defying the ugly burdens of the day. He huffed a curse as a talented thumb circled his head, digging his nose into his lover’s pulse.

“Please, Kíli, I need-”

“I know, ûrzudel.”

With every pull, Kíli pledged it - “I’ve got you, I’ll take care of you, I love you.” He felt Fíli’s tears slip from the corners of his eyes and down his skin - tears of desire, of frustration and desperation, of stress and release, of love and gratefulness for his brother. 

***

Fíli had to be protected and taken care of, yes, but he was not to be coddled. Kíli learned this very early on when he was so scared and so concerned, that he was much too patronizing. Then, Fíli’s bellowing had bounced off the walls of his chambers, and the jar of cream off the stone floor as Fíli threw it far away. There was nothing wrong with him and if there was, he could fix it himself. He didn’t need his baby brother babying him.

The secret, Kíli learned, was to keep his brother’s hands busy.

Kíli would ask him to re-braid his hair. Yes, Fíli had just done it and yes, it looked fine, but there’s something pulling right there and it would bother him all day if it wasn’t fixed. 

Or Kíli would plop on the bed, making it bounce so Fíli lost his page in the book he was reading. With a great, big apologetic smile, he would wriggle between Fíli’s legs and beg his older brother to rub his shoulders because it feels so good or he had a headache or he couldn’t quite reach that itchy spot by himself. Just like that, Fíli would stop reading his book about Ereborean wars and quit chewing on his already very short thumbnail. 

Kíli was clever with his courting gifts. Just because we’re brothers doesn’t mean we’re not courting, which means we ought to exchange courting gifts, right? Right. This led to Fíli walking into his chambers and seeing his desk covered with impeccably wrapped boxes and bow-tied bags. 

Stop staring at me and open it, earned Kíli a few balls of ribbon chucked his way. However, Fíli was soon too astonished to punish his brother any more for his disrespect. Piles of wrapping lay on the ground, but on the desk sat something perfectly combined - a perfect set.

Paints? Oil paints and watercolors and acrylics, along with parchments, books and canvases of all sizes, collections of brushes - anything he’d need. But Kíli’s favorite piece was a blending palette that would ensure this would become a two handed hobby. It was personalized with their initials etched into it and the craftsman assured him that no matter how much paint was glooped onto the ceramic tile, those marks would still be visible. 

Fíli stood, embarrassed and mystified. Then rambling. You went to a craftsman? These must have cost… you didn’t have to do this, having you is enough, but this will sure keep me busy, but you knew that… you knew that.

Fíli thanked him. The night went by with little sleep but no nail biting.

As did many of their future nights together as things got better. Kíli read aloud from Fíli’s books as his brother painted by the window. His artwork that was once shoved away and hidden in old servants’ quarters in the basement, was hung with care and pride on the walls of their chambers. Kíli’s hair was occasionally braided three times a day by a willing lover. The jar of medicated ointment gathered dust on the shelf in the washroom and Fíli learned that even a future king needs his little brother.

Tagging you friends! Thanks for reading! @dreams-of-wander @nerdbirdsworld @marigoldvance