#i still don't trust the old lady

[blueteller]

Cale meets Balance

God of Death: Cale, God of Balance wants to meet you Cale: How about no God of Balance:

[clover-the-awesomest]

Oh...

OH.

Kay great thanks for hurting me-

when big mama and donnie talked off-screen during the egg saga, this is what happened.

[ part two ] [ gemini au ]

[ilydeku]

izuku loves to talk about you during interviews

- anything and every topic it will ALWAYS be about you

- the question won't even be remotely related to you and still izukus answer will revolve around "y/n, my wife!!" <3

- oh, the glint in his eyes, the peaking smile when he speaks about you, lover boyyy

- the media knows he LOVE LOVES you, they think it's funny for this big, confident, mighty hero to be reduced to sap when it comes to you

- it's like his whole personality is HIS WIFE

- the journalists lowkey get so SICK of him for this, they don't want to invite him anymore 😭

- but they kinda have to, due to to his status as #1

"Good evening everyone and welcome Hero Talk! Tonight we'll be staring someone you all know and love, single handedly the greatest hero of all time, Deku! Alright, Deku how are you tonight?"

"Feeling pretty good! This is one of my wife's favorite shows, so I'm even more grateful to be here. And how are you?"

"Oh, same old. Really, just living. Now, we wanted to ask you some fun questions. Let's start with this one. Why did you want to become a hero?"

"Wow, haha! That really brings be back to my youth. When I was kid, my biggest influence was All Might, and he miraculously became my mentor. He was a good hero, and a good man. I wanted to be just like him: fearless, persevering, saving people with I smile. I would beg my mom everyday to watch this video on the computer of him saving a bunch a people. I was really swayed by All Might. I wanted to become a hero to make an impact in the world. I wanted to save people with a smile too."

"That sounds really endearing, Deku. I remember All Might's reign. He wasn't number one on the top charts all those years for nothing. So, did you ever think you'd be standing as Japan's top hero?"

"Well, it was never really my goal to become number one. That was Kacchan's- Dynamight's. My dream was, like I said, to become a hero and save others. But I have to say, it really is a blessing. I'd like to thank my Mom, All Might, my friends, and especially my wife for who I've become. My Mom has really done a lot for me growing up: protecting, encourage, and just always caring for me. All Might has kinda been that father figure for me when my Dad was away. My friends have shown me what it's like to work together and really be part of a heart. And my wife? Haha...I can't thank her enough for all the times she's been right by my side, even before we were together. Nothing I can say or do will ever be enough to express how much she means to me."

"Mm. Quite the supportive group. Your wife sounds like quite the lady!"

"She is. She's wonderful."

"Moving on to the next question, do you use social media often?"

"Occasionally, yes?? My wife uses it regularly, posting about us when we go out and stuff. It's mostly for her family to see how she's doing. She handles most of my official accounts. She says it's to be more appealing to the public, and I guess to show that there's more to heroes on the inside?? I'm not really sure, but I trust her process. Although, I'd rather be appealing to her alone."

"The public will always interested in a hero's private life! Now, Deku, what is your ideal setting of relaxation?"

"My wife doesn't like places that are too crowded or noisy, so maybe a cozy day at the beach?- but early in the morning or in the evening when the crowds calm down. Maybe a movie theatre, but days after the movie is released so it's just us together. Actually, a lazy day at home together is great too! Cooking meals and watching a movie on the couch? Really, any place is relaxing if my wife is with me."

(am i questioning Deku's wife or Deku!?) "How scenic! Those sound very fitting for you!! How about any restaurants?"

"Not really. My wife really knows how to cook, it's amazing! I love her home-cooked meals, so there's no way I'd go out of my way to a restaurant. But if my wife is feeling it, I'll be sure to make reservations."

"(sigh)"

"(smiling warmly)"

[rhaenyra-storms]

STOPP your drabble of cregan was adorable, we need more stories of him!! i would like to request something for cregan, where the reader is his lady wife and is introduced to jacaerys for the first time!! it’s up to you whether they have children of their own or it’s just rickon (cregan’s child from his first marriage), i like to think lady stark!reader would become eager to talk to jacaerys and his dragon!!

thank you so much!! i literally love writing for him omg. and i would definitely freak out too if i was able to see a dragon!! :,)

it got a lot longer than expected, but i hope you enjoy!!

pairing: cregan stark x wife!reader warnings: cregan is a little overprotective, that's it, just fluff words: 1.7k

You didn't want to believe it at first.

Cregan was sitting in the Great Hall of Winterfell when the news arrived. A few scouts had spotted a dragon flying north at a rapid pace and tensions were high in the castle.

Winterfell was far away from King's Landing, as was the coronation of the new King Aegon, but the Starks and the North were still sworn to the Targaryens. You and your husband had already suspected that sooner or later, you would be dragged into their mess as well.

Judging from the little time you had spent at court in the South, you knew the Targaryen family was a horrible mess. When King Viserys made the decision to name Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne, you knew it would be catastrophic as soon as the old King would pass.

"Do we know who the dragon belongs to?" Your husband's deep voice pulled you out of your thoughts. Cregan always asked the right questions, to the right people, but this time... everyone seemed a little clueless.

You placed a hand on your husband's arm, giving it a little squeeze. "They will not attack alone and without an army. They don't have reason to," you said in a quiet voice, just for him to hear. Cregan gave you a soft smile as he looked over at you, but his eyes were filled with concern.

While an attack was highly unlikely, he couldn't really exclude it entirely and that was already enough reason for him to worry. He wanted to keep you safe and all the people in Winterfell.

"We should still proceed with caution," your husband answered, his hand finding yours and giving it a small squeeze in return. He then pushed himself out of the chair, towering next to you, before he addressed the rest of the people in the room. "We will welcome the dragon rider into our home. With caution. I do not want to start a war with the crown, not when we have more important things to worry about."

Cregan knew the next winter would not be far and he needed to make sure his people were well-prepared and his men were strong. You had always admired your husband for his composure and his natural talent for ruling.

Two hours later, you welcomed the oldest son of Rhaenyra Targaryen into your home. Your husband had talked to him alone at first, using the Godswood as a sight of common ground and when a servant informed you that he wished for you to join them for dinner, you knew their conversation had probably been a positive one.

"Lady Stark," Jacaerys nodded his head at you as soon as you entered the Great Hall. He was a pretty man, his black curls a mesmerising sight. However, you couldn't deny that all the rumours you had heard about his father might be true then. He didn't have the signature Targaryen white hair and from the few times you had met Lord Harwin Strong, he seemed to resemble him quite clearly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my Prince," you greeted him with a smile. Jace gently placed a kiss upon your knuckles.

"The pleasure is all mine, m'lady."

Cregan watched Jace closely as you two introduced yourselves to each other, but after their short conversation he felt like he could trust Jacaerys. He had been kind enough not to threaten him with his dragon. Said creature was now waiting outside the Winterfell gates and he was sure the people of the castle couldn't take their eyes off it. The Lord of Winterfell himself could only describe the creature as mesmerising and a sight to behold. And he knew that his wife would probably love to meet a dragon.

The dinner went by quite fast and the conversations were lighthearted despite the general situation of the realm. Jacaerys didn't mean to only talk about the conflict between his mother and Aegon, but he knew that he had a chance to win Cregan Stark over for their cause. And winning over his wife as well in a way would be beneficial too.

"Have you ever seen a dragon, my lady?" Jace asked you after he placed his cup of wine back on the table. You could feel your husband smile next to you. He was very aware of the fact that you had always been fascinated by those creatures. Their freedom to fly, their strength and their sheer power. Dragons were pure magic in your eyes.

"Unfortunately not, my Prince," you answered, leaning back in your chair a little. Jace had mentioned "Vermax" throughout the conversation and you knew the dragon was waiting outside the gates. Its roars were hard to miss throughout the day.

"But I would love to. One day."

"Then today might be the day. If you wish to, of course," Jace gave you another polite nod and an inviting smile. The prospect of meeting a dragon had you ecstatic in seconds, but you knew your husband would suspect danger in this situation. He was more than right for that.

"I would love to accompany you two then." Cregan sounded determined, but still polite. A subtle sign for Jace to understand that he was good-willed, but still cautious.

The support of the North was vital to Rhaenyra's cause, so Jacaerys really didn't intend to mess it up.

"Vermax is a kind dragon. As long as you mean no harm." Jace waited for your husband to push his chair back and stand up first. You followed right after, hooking your arm with Cregan's as you made your way outside.

The sight before you was stunning.

It was already dark outside, but the dragon could hardly be missed. His olive green scales appeared almost black in the dark and your husband grabbed a torch from a guard as you approached.

"Relax, Vermax", Jacaerys spoke in Valyrian, making you raise your eyebrows for a moment. You wished you would have paid more when your family's maester had tried to teach you a few simple words in Valyrian.

"They're our friends."

Vermax' eyes turned into slits for a moment, studying both you and Cregan. The dragon was probably evaluating if you were a threat despite his rider's kind words.

"I've seen more outgoing dragons than Vermax, but he's a gentle one at heart," Jace explained.

It was fascinating to hear about dragons having different personalities and being a little more like humans in a way. Some were impulsive, others were shy. As a child, you had always wished for a dragon as a pet.

"It's... He's wonderful," you whispered, feeling your husband's arm wrap protectively around your waist. Cregan would rather throw himself in front of the dragon's teeth than watch anything happen to you.

"I know. Do you want to touch him?" Jace asked, his voice soft and inviting. "Only if you want to, of course. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable in any way."

Excitement bubbled in your stomach. You could feel the heat rush to your face. All your childhood dreams seemed so close now – meeting a dragon, touching a dragon and pretending for just a moment that you could be a dragonrider too.

Cregan's grip around you tightened, a small reminder of how all of this could backfire. A cold wind blew by and you took a deep breath.

"I will be fine," you assured your husband, taking the time to plant a kiss to his cheek. A small attempt to calm him, but you knew that he would always be worried for your safety. The Lord of Winterfell only knew you were safe when you were in his arms, sleeping safe and sound.

Slowly, you made your way over to the dragon. It seemed to smell your anxiety and retreated for a moment. Jace put up his hand, a sign for Vermax to calm down – to relax. There was nothing bad that would happen.

You gave the dragon time, your heart beating wildly in your chest as you couldn't take your eyes off the creature in front of you. It still seemed wary, but after a few short moments, the dragon eventually bowed down a little, lowering itself to the ground. It was a silent invitation for you to come closer.

But you still wanted to get reassurance from Prince Jacaerys who quickly gave you a nod and beckoned you closer.

It felt like your heart was about to jump out of your chest when the dragon sniffed your hand.

Your husband was on the edge of his nerves behind you. His hand was already positioned at his sword, as if he would stand a chance against a dragon. "Careful, my love," he mumbled. He was feeling increasingly uneasy as he watched you and he let out a small gasp when you eventually laid your hand on the dragon's head.

Vermax closed his eyes slowly after he had eyed you enough. You weren't a threat. Not to him and not to Jace.

The dragon's skin was warm and hard, rough against the soft palm of your hand. "Seven hells..." you mumbled, watching in fascination as Vermax continued to relax.

Jace placed his hand on the dragon's wing for a moment, stroking it softly. "I told you he is a kind one. I would offer you a ride, but I think your husband might fall over dead if I do." It was a small jest, but it made you laugh softly.

You turned your head a little, spotting the Lord of Winterfell as he was tensing up more and more behind you. He forced a smile to his lips, trying to look more relaxed than he was. Cregan wanted you to fulfil your dreams, but he needed to keep you safe as well.

However, seeing you as happy as this, as your hand laid upon the dragon's nose, he couldn't help himself but smile a little more genuinely. His hand remained at his sword, but his shoulders relaxed nonetheless.

Seeing the joy in your eyes as Jace told you more about Vermax and the dragon seemed to be content with your presence, Cregan couldn't help but think about how many more days he wanted to spend like this. Seeing you happy was the biggest light in his world.

He'd do anything to see that beautiful smile. Over and over.

[dearhargrove]

summary Seeing him that first time, you never could have imagined what life had in store for you.

(short fluffy one shot of their first meeting and then the night after he took her virginity while they're dating, based on a request)

word count 1309

You don't think you'll ever forget meeting him for the first time. How could you, with the impression he left?

—

You're at a fancy restaurant for a work celebration. The ambiance is dark and rich, the people sitting at the tables have that same vibe. Except one group of guys. The one you had noticed as soon as you stepped into this place.

They're sitting in the far back in one of the more private booths, however still in the middle and with a good overview of the whole area.

If you had to guess, the eldest of the three is the father and the twenty something year old guys are his sons. However your attention is drawn to the one sitting on the far right, looking almost on edge as he quietly listens to the other two talk. His muscles are visible through his suit, coffee brown curls tucked behind his ears and there's a necklace that shouldn't fit but just does.

There's something wilder, more strong to him than his two companions. His eyes are strikingly blue, eyebrows pulled into an annoyed frown as he sips his wine. Among that you also note that while the other two have ordered big steaks with barely any sides, he has a salad.

You distractedly continue picking at your dish, stabbing the fork into one of the ingredients for long enough that your colleague looks at you in concern, making you fluster and smile awkwardly.

She grins in amusement and turns to follow your line of sight, looking back to you with an expression that clearly translates into what you've been thinking too ever since first noticing the man; wow.

He's just so – manly. And yet there's still an elegance to him.

You let a strategic few minutes tick by before you look back at the mouthwatering man, only to look right into blue eyes.

You almost flinch, getting flustered immediately and smiling tightly – apologetically? – before hurriedly taking a bite of your dinner to pretend to be minding your own business.

Luckily, no one seems to have noticed your mishap and with a few well timed deep breaths your heartbeat returns to normal and your palms stop sweating.

Nevertheless, you excuse yourself to the ladies room and grab your clutch, not even pretending to know where the hell the toilet even is. You worm your way through the tables to where you guess the restrooms should be, only to almost run into a server coming out of that door who shoots you a confused but kind smile.

“Restrooms are on the other side, dove.”

You tense up, slowly turn around and — oh. It's him. And, dammit, he's even more beautiful up close. He carries a nice scent to him, but not a typical perfume, more of a natural breeze. It's nice, you note. “I noticed... I've never been here before, so–”

He smiles gently and you relax, reciprocating a light but bashful smile. “Don't worry about it. Come on, I'll show you?” he offers. "Oh, I wouldn't want to keep you from your dinner…”

He shakes his head, gives you a calculating look and then softens up a tiny bit, “Trust me, I'm grateful for any excuse to step back from there.” That surprises you a bit but it's none of your business, so you ignore it. You step closer to him and he starts leading the way, obviously walking slower so you could keep up in your heels.

And there's another thing you notice; instead of having to squeeze by the people and servers they part before him like the red sea. The people scoot closer to their tables, the servers bow their heads the tiniest bit and the other customers just smile tightly.

Just who is he? you wonder.

You're more intrigued than before now, momentarily pushing the thoughts aside when you stop in front of two doors; the men's and the ladies room.

“I suppose you'll find your way back to your table?” he kindly but slightly playfully comments. You grin in a mix of embarrassment and amusement, “Sure I will. Thank you, though.”

He shrugs in dismissal, then after a short awkward moment shoots you another smile and leaves.

You take a moment in the – luxurious – bathroom to freshen up, reapply perfume and deodorant, check your phone and do your business. You feel better when you walk back out, already expecting the onslaught of questions from your colleague who had noticed your staring and the man just to then see him lead you through the restaurant.

After paying for your meal (which legitimately made you wince when seeing the actual price because the menu did not have the prices listed) and dodging the questions of your curious coworker, you leave with a small group from your office, engaging in small talk.

You don't even see him when you walk out the door, focused on the story your coworker was telling, but you definitely hear him.

“That's a nice perfume.” His voice is soft but steady, slightly raspy too. You wouldn't mind hearing it more often, you decide.

You halt in your steps and turn around, surprised when you see his cheeky grin. He stops holding the door open, his own jacket slung over his arm and steps the last step down to stand right next to you.

“Thank you–?”

“Sergei.” He introduces himself, nodding his head. “–Sergei.” You repeat with a small smile. He stills for a moment and then blinks, swallowing and nodding. “May I ask the name of this lovely lady?”

You chuckle, slowly continuing your ascend of the stairway, “You may.” And while he asks and you answer with your name he holds out his arm, letting you loop your hand to hold onto his arm for balance.

—

And that's how you ended up here. In his bed, naked except some panties and his way too big t-shirt with his arm snug around your waist and his nose in your hair as he sleeps.

The sun is just rising, the orange and pink hues lighting up the place, forming beautiful shadows and tricks of light.

You turn your head to look at him and take in his beautiful face, bathed in the sunlight. His eyes are still closed, his breathing even and for once his face is relaxed instead of scrunched up from another fight with his father or an upcoming hunt.

However, he also seems to have gotten an extra sense tuned in to you ever since you started dating, so at your stare his eyes open and the blue irises focus on you. It makes you snort a bit and flick the tip of his nose, then turn back to keep watching the sunrise.

His hand moves under the shirt you're wearing to spread out along your skin, calloused hands gentle. “Been awake for long, baby?” The question is soft with a hint of concern and his voice is still husky from sleep.

“Just woke up,” you yawn and stretch a little, he uses the chance and puts his palm in the middle of your torso, tugging you back into his chest. He doesn't say anything further as he tucks into the crook of your neck and grumbles appreciatively when he smells nothing but your natural scent.

Since he told you about his powers you had started to wear less perfume around him (at least when it's just the two of you), as his sensitive sense of smell easily got irritated by the artificial cologne.

It's not long before his nosing turns into nibbling and you can already feel the next few bite marks form, probably meticulously placed to not cover the hickeys he'd left last night.

“Sergei—” he interrupts your upcoming complaint with a grunt and swiftly rolls on top of you, leaned on his forearms as he looks at you like you're his prey. You feel dwarfed under him, his huge biceps and broad shoulders covering you entirely.

At your perplexed expression he chuckles and softly kisses your forehead, “Can't hold back when I remember you're all mine.”

[pholla-jm]

Heir

IMAGINE: HEIR ~ SUKUNA X WIFE!READER GENRE: FLUFF cw: sukuna is a bit ooc. fem!reader. not proof read. set in the heian era. true form sukuna. ***************

If someone were to tell Sukuna that in some years that he would have a wife, he would laugh at them… and then kill them. 

But here he was, thinking about how his beautiful wife looked with a small bump on her tummy. It’s all he could think about really. Ever since he found out his wife is pregnant, his view of the world changed. 

Sure, he still thinks that humans were lowly disgusting vile, but the world seemed like a better place with you and his future child in it. 

His every day activities seemed a little less fun now, and all he thought about was getting back home to his wife. 

After a day full of people worshiping him and some killing, he made his way back to his castle. Where his wife should be patiently waiting for him. 

******** 

“What do you think you’re doing?” You hear the deep voice of your husband call out causing you to jump a little. 

He had found you in a different room. It was bare at first, but you were starting to add things to the room. 

You were working on a traditional crib for the baby, having different silks laid out in front of you to choose. 

It was a bit early to start getting ready for the baby, but you were too excited.

You turn to look at him. He towered over you, with his four arms crossed as he looked at you with a disappointed look. 

“I just want to make sure that the baby’s room is going to be perfect.” You say turning back to the silks. 

Sukuna hums, sitting down next to you while observing the objects in front of you. 

“How long have you been doing this?” You shrug, “not that long.” 

“You could always have the servants do this, you know? You shouldn’t be working so hard.” 

“Yeah, I know. I just feel like if I do this myself, it feels more special.” 

Sukuna breathes out a happy breath, leaning his chin on one of his fists. He knew that you would make a great mother. Someone that is nurturing, and he knows that his future son will be loved and taken care of. 

“Still, you should be taking care of yourself. It’s important that you and our son are completely healthy.” 

You perk up hearing the word ‘son’. “Son? It’s a bit too early to know the gender.” 

Sukuna just smirks, eyeing you up and down. “Trust me, I know it’s going to be a boy.” You laugh, “oh yeah? How so?”

He points at your belly, “It’s lower. A low stomach means it’s going to be a boy.” 

Your eyes widen and you look away from him in disbelief. “Where did you even hear that? I didn’t know you believed in old wives tales anyway.” 

“It’s not an old wives tale if it’s the current talk.” “The current talk? What, are you gossiping with the local ladies now?” You laugh at the idea of Sukuna gossiping causing him to frown. “Whatever woman. What they say is true.” “Okay, we’ll see.” 

"I don't want you working on this room by yourself anymore. I have to be here to help you, okay?" You nod your head, a bit happy that Sukuna came up with a quick compromise. "Sound good to me. You can do all the heavy lifting."

Sukuna nods, then points at one of the silks that are laid out in front of you. It was a darker colored one, something that you knew he would like. “This one. It’ll be great for our son.” 

You decide not to comment on the son thing again. With a smile, you pick it out and put it to the side.

Pushing your hands on the ground, you start to get up from the ground. “What are you doing?” “I have to use the bathroom.” You say. However, Sukuna gets up faster than you. He gently picks you up, carrying you bridal style. “I can walk by myself.” You tell him with a small smile. 

You appreciate that Sukuna doted on you like this, but you don’t know how long you would be able to babied like this. 

“When I’m around, you’re not doing a single thing. You understand?” 

With a content sigh, you relax in his arms. Head resting on his shoulder, hearing the faint sound of his heartbeat.

“Yes, my beloved, I understand.”

[nymphea0]

Kurkans Mate.

The Beast And The Bunny.

Yan! Ishakan x Reader

Part 2.

.

.

.

Manhwa :약탈혼 / predatory marriage

/ 약탈혼 (완전판)

: Adult Manhwa (18+)

Author/Illustrations : Saha / Hera(Art)

Word Count : 2.34K Word.

Hello.. Neva again here, I hope you are well and happy and have a nice days

might have some bad grammars, correct me if there are any mistakes in the words in the story I wrote. Anyways i hope you all enjoys my story,love much.- Neva🦋🦋.

- Kurkans Mate Pt.1

.

.

.

.

It's been about 3 months since you lived with Esmera, you helped Esmera not only because she saved you, Esmera was also willing to take you in.

Your activities are very ordinary, not much different from how you spend your days in Antra village, looking for herbs and mushrooms and planting vegetables, and collecting firewood.

It's been 3 months since you last met an exotic-skinned man who was injured in this forest.

You sometimes think is this a good choice to save this man? Indirectly you also reveal your identity to the foreign man through your blood healing.

And from the bottom of your heart, you feel a very bad feeling, but you don't know what causes that worry.

.

.

.

Ishakan, a man from the Kurkans tribe, has an extraordinarily handsome appearance and abilities that are above average humans.

The Kurkans have no shame and are openly hostile to anyone they don't like, the Kurkans will kidnap those they consider to be their partners. Either by force or not.

The Kurkans tribe, is a tribe with the blood of the beast. Animal blood. For some of the continent's inhabitants, the Kurkans are barbarians.

However, on some continents, the Kurkans are also used as slaves, either sexually or just as guards. But slaves are still slaves.

Ishakan is one of the slaves of the nobles, freed by a princess from the kingdom of Estia, Princess Leah Von Estia.

.

.

At night in a brothel, Leah walks in wearing a robe and wig to cover her real hair, which is white as the moon.

Walking slowly towards a man with an athletic body covered in a black robe.

"So you are my bed partner?" The voice that sounded quite rough, it can be seen that this is the voice of a noble lady.

Ishakan who saw the princess, could only grin and guide the princess into the room that had been prepared.

Closing the door, then with one push Ishakan pushed Leah against the wall, causing her wig to fall off, her face flushed red when she saw how handsome Ishakan was.

"Why would a princess go to this dirty side of town?" Grinning slightly at Leah, with a voice that sounded seductive, Ishakan asked.

Leah gave explanation after explanation to Ishakan. Leah had no hope of living anymore, with the fact that her family sold her to a nobleman who was as old as her father, Leah could not accept her virginity being given to that nobleman!

Chastity is the highest honor in the kingdom of Estia, because it concerns the dignity and self-esteem of the family, especially a royal family, so Leah has a mission before she gets married, she will embarrass her family by removing her chastity.

Ishakan looked at Leah with a difficult look, on the one hand he didn't want to take Leah's chastity, and on the other hand he also couldn't let his savior suffer, even though Ishakan was sure Leah didn't remember him, because the incident was so long ago.

.

. .

Morning finally, the experts took Leah's purity, Ishakan negotiated with Leah, he would help Leah, although at first Leah really didn't trust Ishakan especially when she found out Ishakan was a kukrans!, a barbarian with animal blood.

A delegation took place between the Estia kingdom and the Kurkan kingdom, where this delegation included peace and an end to war as well as looting and slavery.

.

.

It has been about 3 months since Ishakan has worked as a Kurkan king, the case of the gyipsey that sold drug and sorcery and the case of the attempted release of the Estia queen who turned out to be a dark witch or as the sorceress

And it has been 3 months since he last saw his wild rabbit, you.

Ishakan still remembers the taste and smell of you and your blood. So much that Ishakan is looking for and exploring about your blood, a blood that can heal wounds!

The Antrabeth tribe, Ishakan only knows as a mythical tribe that is said to be a tribe that fights nature because their blood can heal every kind of wound and disease, as well as long life, a tribe that is loved by nature.

However, all of his efforts to find traces of the Antrabeth tribe were in vain, once the world was shocked by the appearance of soldiers carrying blood and a head with blue hair, the Antrabeth tribe became extinct.

The witches, kings and nobles, tried to drink the blood of the Antrabeth tribe, instead of getting long life and healing from the illnesses they experienced, they actually experienced very terrible conditions!

Their skin blistered with bumps all over their bodies that moved, until a nature witch discovered that the blood of the Antrabeth tribe would not work.

if the owner of the blood does not give consent to the blood that is drunk. Those who drink, take and kill the Antabeth tribe, the child of nature by force, they will experience the curse of 1001 nights, a curse where they will not die but also not live.

.

.

Closing the book entitled History of the Child of Nature, Antrabeth.

Ishakan sighed, grinning slightly, something inside him screamed very loudly since he met you, his animal instinct, the kurkans instinct.

If the Antrabeth tribe is extinct, then you are the only one left, Ishakan can't help but claim you, make you his mate!

'Tok'

'Tok'

'Tok'

Genin, Ishakan's aide who doubles as his right hand, entered the room while carrying several rolls of old parchment.

"Your Majesty, here are some carefully selected candidates for the kurkans queen."

Genin handed the scroll to Ishakan.

Ishakan just nodded and opened the scroll, several names of princesses and noble ladies were visible, one of them was Princess Leah Von Estia.

"Take it away, I have found my mate" with his deep voice Ishakan said while grinning.

Ishakan stood up slowly then looked at the genin and said.

"Prepare my horse, I will pick up my wild rabbit" laughed softly as he left his king's room.

Leaving the Genin who stared at Ishakan with goosebumps, every time Ishakan laughed there were only 2 conditions, 1 Ishakan was in a bad mood where usually Ishakan would return to the palace in a state of blood from his victims, and the second condition Ishakan was in a good mood, where every object of his pleasure would definitely end between happiness or... death.

Genin, who never believed in the god of the kurkans in her entire life, prayed to the old gods for the poor creature who managed to catch the attention of Ishakan, the strongest king of the kurkans in the history of the previous kings of the kurkans.

.

.

.

Ishakan with his stallion as dark as night moved almost more than 5 hours to the place where his wild rabbits were. Normally if he rode a horse he would need 12 days to get here, but because of his animal instincts which also led to his horse, what was originally 12 days, became 5 hours, strange but it's the kurkans we're talking about.

Ishakan with his sharp memory and navigation from your scent, of course he could easily find the forest where you live.

The same forest where Ishakan was injured and resting.

Looking around the forest, Ishakan with his golden eyes like an animal shone brightly as soon as he found the forest he was looking for in front of his eyes, Ishakan could feel the circulation of illusion magic around this forest.

Smirking softly, Ishakan then got off his horse, walking slowly but full of unstoppable enthusiasm, Ishakan entered the dark forest, as soon as Ishakan entered a thick fog covered the forest.

.

.

You, are helping Esmera make gingerbread cookies, and various other cookies.

You are currently not in the disguise of the 1 drop potion for your hair and eyes.

Esmera saw you who was right across the kitchen table could only stare in awe. Your bright blue hair shone brightly at night caused by the reflection of the moonlight, which was as bright and blue as the sky or aquamarine crystal.

But it wasn't just your hair that fascinated her, but your eyes were also very enchanting, as if your eyes were sky stars, a mixture of purple, blue, yellow and gray and there were small white spots around your eyes, like beautiful sky stars.

Sighing softly, Esmera continued to mold gingerbread cookies, while asking you who looked so enthusiastic about decorating gingerbread cookies.

"So excited, huh? Have you never baked before?"

You who were so excited decorating the gingerbread that now looked like a person but in a small and bald version, looked at Esmera and shook your head slowly.

"My family doesn't have much money, so every week we can only bake bread that lasts for at least 1 week.".

In Esmera's eyes you are like a very small, cute and weak kitten! A kitten that needs to be protected and kept safe from the cruelty of this world.

Before Esmera could speak again, the door of the hut was forcibly broken down by someone who broke in!

Esmera was as fast as lightning even though Esmera was old, Esmera was still a nature witch. Esmera placed you behind her, with a silver dagger in her hand.

Esmera's heart screamed in panic!, how could she not feel the ringing of her illusion magic when someone entered the forest?!. There were only 2 answers, one could be that this person had a low life force so that her illusion magic considered something harmless, and the second was a kurkans, kurkans are strong, more stronger the kurkans, more useless a magic is!, but how could kurkans be here? The desert oasis of the kurkans tribe takes at least 12 days to get here

Both you and Esmera look in horror at the entrance to the kitchen.

The sound of heavy footsteps can be heard getting closer to the kitchen.

You of course hold a kitchen knife in your hand.

.

.

Ishakan walks through each forest carefully, until he stops and sits sweetly on a tree trunk, looking towards the hut, Ishakan can see an open window, looking around the room, it must be the kitchen.

Grinning softly until he sees you taking a tray of cookies, your hair that he thought was brown, turns out to be as blue as the sky?!, oh by the old gods of the kurkans, Ishakan wants to come to you, claim you as his!.

You are so beautiful, so fragile and weak, so perfect for him!, his life partner!, his mate!.

With one kick, Ishakan came down from the towering tree, walking towards the door of his wild rabbit hut.

With one kick, Ishakan entered the house whose door had now been destroyed and fell to the floor miserably due to his powerful kick.

Walking slowly until he entered the kitchen, looking towards the corner of the room, where Ishakan was sure the old woman in front of you was a natural witch, because only natural witches used bone necklaces.

.

.

Esmera stared in horror at the figure not far in front of her, tall, with a black leather robe, and a long-handled sword, and a smell that reflected an animal, kurkans!

With a sharp voice full of alert Esmera asked.

"Who are you?!, what do you want from our little hut?!"

Instead of an answer, a laugh! That deep and rich voice was what laughed at them.

You who were behind Esmera were increasingly panicking in your heart, afraid and thinking that this person was an enemy soldier who was still looking for you!!

"Calm down woman, I'm only here to take what is mine, my mate"

That deep voice that sounded very arrogant... have you heard it before! That exotic skinned foreign man with golden eyes like an animal?!.

"You?!"

Loudly and pointing a knife at the figure you pointed at him with full courage.

Esmera looked at you confused, wondering if you knew this figure.

Ishakan he laughed, seeing you in the corner of the room, very small like a rabbit or kitten that was growling at him, oh.. his partner was so cute and fragile. So soft and weak, really in need of protection.

Ishakan gently opened the hood of his robe, revealing his handsome face, decorated with a wide grin showing a row of neat and clean teeth and some of his fangs.

"You remember me right? I came here to take what is mine"

Esmera, she immediately knew what this figure meant!

"Listen Kurkans! You can't take her as your mate! This child is mine, I found her first!"

Emsera ran while carrying a silver dagger in her hand towards this stranger.

But what Esmera fought was a kurkans, of course Emsera was immediately defeated with just one flick of the sword handle that Ishakan didn't even open!

Esmera fell unconscious on the floor.

You who saw Esmera, the figure of the witch and your savior was already on the floor, in a state of fainting caused by the stranger you saved.

You froze stiffly, not realizing that the stranger you saved was already in front of you!

Your chin was raised, your galaxy eyes met the eyes with the golden irises of the animal.

The stranger spoke in his deep voice.

"Don't we know each other, my wild rabbit?"

Chuckling softly while stroking your face and your bright blue hair, a stark contrast to his brown hair, so smooth like silk.

The man brought his mouth close to your ear, whispering in his deep voice.

"I am Ishakan, Ishakan Kurkans, Your life partner. Your mate."

You stared at this man named Ishakan in horror as he stared at you with eyes full of love, passion and animalism.

His grin was the last thing you saw before darkness descended upon you.

.

.

.

*Source Image : Pinterest

©️Nymphea0 2024 ,OG story, Project Dark Manhwa Character Series.

Tag list; @snowflakes666 @nerdygoateepeanut @blurryperrtymoonlight @luminethebest @scenicelixir @n4muqr @cannyyyyy @athena-roy @sirenetheblogger

Please dont steal my work, or use without my permissions, Always be good people Dear. Much love, Neva🦋🦋.

[teddybeartoji]

neighbor!toji finds you sitting in front of your apartment door late at night as he's coming home and at first, he's really not planning on saying anything. he still doesn't know you, he hasn't talked to you – the most you've gotten is a look and a nod whenever you happen to take the elevator with him or when you just bump into him on your way out. and he really isn't the type to make small talk but with your knees pulled to your chest and your head rested on top of your hands, you look miserable and toji finds it very hard to ignore you.

he keeps stealing glances at your curled up figure as he searches for the keys in his pocket and it's only when he's got the door open, he swallows the weird lump in his throat.

"y'wanna come inside?" his voice is raspy, tired, but it does the job of luring you out of your little bubble.

there's a moment of silence.

toji isn't stupid, he knows the dangers of the world and it doesn't take him long to realize how strange his offer might sound. his eye twitches out of sheer embarrassment as he averts his gaze, rough fingers fidgeting with the keys in his hand.

"that would be really nice actually, yeah."

there's no suspicion in your tone, nothing that would indicate that you're thinking what he's thinking. toji's mossy green eyes meet yours and he's met with a look he knows all too well.

exhausted.

"just so i can charge my phone?" you're already trying to apologize for yourself. to tell him that you'll only stay for as long as you need, afraid that you're bothering him.

but he just gives you a hum, patiently waiting for you to push yourself off the ground. for a moment, you stand next to him in front of the door, waiting for him to step inside first but when he gestures to go in before him, you don't argue with him. your hushed 'thank you' doesn't go unheard.

his apartment is tidy. probably even more so than your own. it looks surprisingly cozy – the light isn't a big, bright one but a dimmed down one instead and the sight of his big couch makes you let out a soft sigh. from the corner of his eye, toji observes you. he hasn't had anybody over in a long time and now here you are.

he tells you to take off your shoes and to take a seat while he goes to look for a charger, giving you the perfect opportunity to take a better look around the place – dvd's, old magazines and newspapers, a few movie posters and one singular plant. it's not a lot but it still feels like a good home.

at the sound of his voice, you snap out of your thoughts. your fingers brush against one another as you take the charger from him with another 'thank you'. a

"you're not going to kill me or anything though, right?"

...

for a man his size and his age, he feels a bit small under your gaze. you're blunt more than anything and he's just a little caught off-guard by your question.

"no."

"that's good."

you break the eye-contact to look for a place to plug in the charger and he feels relieved. "you feel safe."

you say it like it's nothing.

"i wouldn't've accepted the offer from anyone else, i think. well, maybe from the lady across the hall but then again, she'd just scold me for being up so late and i'm way too tired for that."

the words slip from your lips as if they're light as air while toji needs a second to really hear you, to know that he isn't making you uncomfortable. that in your eyes, he isn't scary or threatening in any shape or form. perhaps you're just naive for putting your trust into a stranger like this but toji still can't help but feel a little warm inside.

he doesn't say anything and you don't mind his silence. you do thank him a third time and let your lips curl into a proper smile when he almost unintentionally raises his brow at you – like it's weird that you're doing that.

he ends up bringing you a glass of water before joining you on the couch, both of your eyes set on the tv screen and the show that plays on it as you eakt for your phone to come alive again.

it doesn't feel wrong to just be with him like this.

it's right enough for you to let your exhaustion sneak up on you. your eyelids grow heavy without you even realizing it and then you're already dozing off on your neighbor's couch.

your quiet snores are so unfamiliar, the mere idea of somebody being able to fall asleep in his presence so surreal that he's left sitting there dumbfoundedly. regardless, he reaches for a blanket before throwing it over your body ever so carefully and turns down the volume of the tv as to not disturb you.

a stranger, a neighbor. somebody, who makes him feel a bit more alive. a silly comment, a blunt reply. a smile and a thank you.

a push to keep on going.

[jweekgoji]

Hello. Can a Resquest, TFO! Yandere Sentinel prime x Femme cybertronian reader who is his conjux

Yandere!Sentinel Prime/Femme!Reader. (hcs. NSFW!)

haven't done requests for a long time so better do it now until my inspiration is gone haha

tw: spoilers for Transformers One; yandere Sentinel Prime, mentions of punishment, stalking, manipulation, controlling behavior, hints on grooming; NSFW at the end.

Yan!Sentinel has no interest in someone who is bold, bossy or demanding like him. At first, it might amuse him when you put up a fight and show your disrespect to him but it quickly gets boring. Even if, somehow, he chose a darling who liked to fight him, his patience would run thin. He literally killed so many bots just to feel like he's in power. Plus, he's looking for his conjunx, not another bodyguard or a troublemaker. He already had enough of them in Iacon.

Yan!Sentinel has a type. imo his perfect type would be someone young, inexperienced and naive. Sentinel is careful and he wants everything to go the way HE wants...and yandere Sentinel just ×100 this need of being in control. He might pick his conjunx from the low rankings, of course, after looking through thousands of bots' profiles until he finds you, a hardworking little femme who was created not so long ago, probably a big fan of him too! Isn't it perfect?

Yan!Sentinel can go even further and be the one you first see in this world. This way, he could teach you everything you should and should not know. You just can't not to trust him, considering how charming and sweet he is to you.

Yan!Sentinel might have trouble with choosing. Should he let his conjunx keep their t-cog? Should he keep it away? Sentinel really wants his darling to be betterthan other bots because you're his conjunx endura, but at the same time he never thinks of you as his equal. 

It might sound cruel at first, but he does love you, in his own way, of course. He adores you, he takes care of you, and he even makes sure you won't get in trouble, but if you think about it, is it genuine love you get or are you just some sort of pet?

Yan!Sentinel is controlling. When he's busy or not around, leaving you all alone, I believe that he will probably have Airachnid looking after his conjunx. He at least considers her good enough to keep her optics on his personal things, so the big, scary spider lady is 24/7 around you if he tells her to do that.

↑ You might try to talk to her once, when it's only you two alone in Sentinel's berthroom since it's well...a little awkward being in silence, only for her multiple optics to track your every move. What Airachnid knows = what Sentinel knows, so don't try to hide anything from her.

Yan!Sentinel has an ego as big as his TFA variant. don't think he would ever beg for something, but... please send him your pictures or videos! when he's busy on some important, serious mission, still searching for Matrix of Leadership, he really, really needs something to cool off his systems after a one particular stressful meeting! His joints are aching for some reason...

Yan!Sentinel loves giving you punishments. Though, he always keeps them “light”. The old-fashioned spanking, where you're bent over his lap or your chassis against his desk, is his favorite. That's the best way for him to teach you a lesson, though he never finishes up to the number he gives you. At first, he would be “That's just 20 spanks! Come on, don't you want to prove what a good girl you are for me?”and after a minute or two of your sobs and whines, he just pauses in the middle of it, only to pull you on his lap and force you down on his spike. He's not very patient himself. ( ͡°з ͡°)

Yan!Sentinel who just loves keeping his servos around you. Whether it's just around your waist, keeping you next to him, while he talks with some bot, or holding your behind, tightening his hold just so you won't try to pull away from him. Touching is everything for him, mainly because he just has to deal with a lot of stress. You're just cute enough to make him not snap at someone, despite how hard he tries to keep his persona.

Yan!Sentinel doesn't like to beg, but when he needs something, he will find a way for you to do this. It is hard to tell him no. I mean, why would you? You're either stupid or have no spark at all! He might say the most ridiculous things to thousands of bots in front of him, and no one would dare criticize Sentinel because they all love him. That's why you should too.

“What—what is it, love? You don't love me anymore, hm? I didn't do enough for you?” Sentinel muses, his optics focused on your face, feigning innocence. “Well, that's a shame. I guess I'm not worthy of you.”

Guilt keeps eating you from the inside. Guilty, guilty, guilty bot you are. So ungrateful. But you can't help but think how ridiculous it sounds. Guilty of what? For having your own boundaries? For telling him no for once? You don't really want that, but still...he works so hard for you, for both of you and all of Iacon. What he wants from you is easy, isn't it? That's not so hard. If you just lean back against his chassis, optics lowered to the ground, you eventually might feel less shame for trying to tell him no at first. A satisfied smile plastered on his face, that works so well every single time it's getting funny.

You sigh softly, letting his servo wander between your thighs. It's difficult not to writhe and whine on top of his lap when he finally pushes his fingers inside you, stretching you with just two digits. Your optics flickering up at him in hopes of meeting his blue ones, just to ask a little more, more attention, please—sssh! Not when he's busy with a big bot job. Just keep your voice down, you don't want to interrupt him, right? If you keep staying like this, he might finish faster with all his plans to give you what you need. 🤫

Yan!Sentinel enjoys it when you depend on him. He basically changed your entire life and is the only one who's protecting you from big bad quintessons, while you can rest in your shared berthroom, not a single thought in your innocent processor! That's why he knows that you might get a little lonely without him. After all, why wouldn't you? When he pleases you so, so well, you just can't help but want more. Greedy you! Can't wait a day without him? Sigh. Your conjunx is kind enough to soothe your needs. He definitely left some “toys” for you, made in blue-and-golden colors...what a coincidence!

↑ With how much of an icon he is in the city, there's a big variety of merch made of him.

[azrielbrainrot]

Such a Perfect Place To Start

Pairing: Azriel x Healer!Reader

Description: Something happens that has you questioning the nature of your relationship with the shadowsinger.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3911

Notes: When I started writing this I didn't think it was going to lead to that. Hope you like it!

Healer!Reader Masterlist

When you were called to the House of Wind so urgently by the High Lady herself you were expecting a more pressing matter, a life or death situation like you're used to, not exactly a library full of books. You don't know how long you've been sitting in this chair but you couldn't feel your butt anymore, no matter how many different positions you tried to sit in. You were used to doing some research while studying new healing techniques or herbs but these millenia old books on magical symbols were a little different.

There had been some attacks across the Night Court, including in the mountains surrounding Velaris, with some pretty disturbing details. After being killed, the victims' eyes had been removed and a symbol had been carved into their chests. All the symbols were different and, at this time, their meaning was still unknown. Unfortunately, none of the victims had survived either so there weren't any witnesses and, even after Azriel's thorough investigations, there was no evidence left behind by the culprits. It was as if no one had even been there.

You had heard some rumors about this before getting called in. Gossip spread around fast in Velaris and, even with the Inner Circle's efforts to keep panic to a minimum, people had found out about some of the details. The area around Velaris is relatively safe so to have multiple killings in a short time and in such gruesome ways was causing a bit of a fearful atmosphere to fall upon the city of dreamers. The increase in security wasn't easily missed either.

After being summoned to the River House, Feyre and Rhysand had briefed you on everything they knew and asked you for your help, seeing as they could only trust a few select people. Since there were no other clues left behind besides the symbols, the High Lord decided that, for now, everyone should focus on finding their meaning, so he sent his most trusted people to his private library to look through every book that might help.

You had obviously felt incredibly honored and happy that they trusted you this much. You've been getting closer to the inner circle after your talk with Azriel a few months ago, and sometimes still feared your friendships were a bit one sided.

As honored as you felt that they trusted you, though, you had spent days searching through old books just to come up empty. It was more tiring than a week at a war healing tent. Not to mention having to do so by Amren's side. You had no personal problems with the newly turned high fae but she still scared you profusely. Your power gave you a sense of people's aura and hers had always felt unsettling at best, even after getting turned.

At least, you weren't alone with her, everyone in the Inner Circle and some of the Valkyries had shown up at the library to help at some point. There was no way of knowing who could be behind these attacks and, from what you gathered, these fae had been moving across the court too easily, meaning they could be from the night court or even Velaris, so you couldn't involve the priestesses in the library.

The sky was already completely dark outside, making way for the millions of stars to shine in the sky. The atmosphere was a little too quiet for this time of night, usually there would still be fae walking around the city, in and out of bars and theaters. Amren had already left. The ancient one had tucked a book under her arm and walked out without much of a goodbye, leaving you with Feyre and Azriel in the library.

“I think it's time to stop for the day,” your High Lady's voice cut through the silence suddenly, “Rhys just finished at the office too.” Sometimes you envied how convenient the daematis abilities were. As her eyes glaze over and a smirk threatens to play at her lips, you know her mate is giving her a good reason to go home.

“I'll stay a bit longer,” you hold your finger over the passage you were reading, these old books had tiny fonts and you'd already lost yourself in enough of them to know better now, “I have to go to the clinic tomorrow so I wanted to at least finish this book.” There were only about half a dozen pages left of it so, even if your body was screaming at you to go to bed, you wanted to get this done first.

“Alright,” the High Lady adds her last book to the pile and looks at you one more time, “Don't stay too long. We need you to be focused at the clinic.” Her eyes shift to the shadowsinger and narrow slightly, her tone a little sterner, “You too, Az. Get some sleep.”

The spymaster nods dutifully at his friend's warning and she seems content enough with the response or in enough hurry to meet her mate, as she gives you both one last smile and turns to the door, saying one last goodbye over her shoulder.

Azriel stayed with you, even though his book had just started and there was no way he would finish it tonight. You were torn between thinking it was because he didn't trust you in the House by yourself, as the ever protective spymaster, and just writing it off as his willingness to help his court even at the risk of his own health and comfort, you don't even wanna think how many sleepless nights the spymaster has spent working lately.

You shake off your thoughts and keep reading the boring book. The sooner you finish the sooner you can go to sleep. Even your healing abilities can't do much to fight the headache you were feeling after spending the whole day reading symbols and their uses in dark magic, some of the rituals described were also making your stomach queasy.

Just as you're about to finish the last page, you hear a soft groan coming from Azriel and can't help but look up at him. His head was thrown back, showing off the column of his neck. His eyes were closed tight like he was fighting the same headache as you. With his wings stretched as far as they could go, it looked like they were taking up most of the private library, not that it was a small room by any means.

The spymaster looked exhausted. He's been spending his days meeting up with his spies and informants all around Prythian, trying to find any information on the attackers and investigating any strange movement in the court. At night, he comes home and joins you in the library to help with research, sometimes even staying up later than everyone else. You know he will do the same thing tomorrow and the day after, until you find any relevant clues and catch the killers.

Azriel takes these things more personally than maybe even the High Lord and Lady. His job as spymaster is finding any threats to the court after all, preferably before they happen. You know he must feel like he's failing his court and you wish you could show him that he's doing more than enough, that it's not his fault. Under the tough exterior and immense power, Azriel has an extremely kind soul, you've felt it. He'd make the impossible happen if it meant he could protect his court, his family, even if it cost him his own life.

“You should go to sleep,” you can't help but worry for him, “You were out all day before you came here. You must be really tired.”

You wonder how long it's been since he's had a good night of sleep. Even before this situation, it was no secret that the shadowsinger was a bit of an insomniac. You had given him a few sleeping tonics before in hopes of helping him have at least a few moments of peace.

“I'll wait for you,” he tells you, meeting your eyes. You can see the fatigue swirling around in his unguarded gaze, it seems you had been right to assume he hasn't been sleeping. “You're almost done.”

You look back down at your book and wonder how he's been keeping track of what you've been doing while reading his own book. Still, if finishing this means Azriel can go to sleep, you'll do it as fast as you can. Reading through the last page intently to make sure nothing escapes you.

Just as you're about to finish you make a silent request to the House, and two steaming cups of tea appear in front of each of you. Passionflower tea to lessen his stress and help with sleep, you've given it to him before and he told you it helped so you hope it does the trick once again.

Since you're focused on the book, you miss the way his eyes finally stray from your form to look down at the tea now sitting in front of him. You also miss the smile on his face when he reaches for it and the way his shadows let him know you were the one who asked for it, gushing about how you took care of their master.

“Do you still not trust me, Spymaster?” You close the book and put it into the ever growing pile. Stretching a bit before taking your tea into your hands and blowing on it gently.

“I trust you with my life, sweetheart.” The seriousness in his statement makes you pause with the cup halfway to your lips for a moment. You didn't need the Morrigan's gift to know he was telling the truth. The nickname takes a little longer to register but as soon as it does color rushes to your cheeks.

“Then why wait for me?” You hadn't actually thought he didn't trust you in the library but you still weren't sure why he had stayed behind after Feyre left.

“Wanted to keep you company until you finished,” he shrugged. His voice is a little gravely with sleep which is a big problem for the butterflies already fluttering in your stomach. “We've been spending a lot of time together but we've barely talked.”

He wants to talk to you. You can't help the smile or the giddy feeling washing over you. He's tired but he chose to stay up a little longer to do something as trivial as talking to you.

“What did you want to talk about then?” The way he's picking at the painted decorations in his teacup makes you think he might be feeling a little nervous but you're not sure why.

“Anything you want,” he answered a little too fast. Maybe it's the low lights in the room but you swear there's some color dusting his cheeks.

“It's hard to pick a topic like that,” you say before biting your lip slightly. For some reason you suddenly feel a little pressure to come up with a good topic, not wanting to disappoint or bore him. “Lately, all I can think about is this,” you run your finger over one of the books' spines, “It's hard to focus on anything else after spending hours in here.”

“If you feel like this is too much you can tell me. I'll talk to Rhys and he'll send you back to the clinic,” he frowns. His shadows reach a little towards you, as if wanting to comfort you. You didn't mean to worry him.

“That's not what I meant,” you start, “I want to help. I've just never dealt with anything like this. I've been to war but this… killing innocent fae in such a disturbing way is different.”

“I understand,” he nods, “If you need anything you can tell me. Even if you just want to talk.”

“Alright.” Azriel has a way of talking that leaves you not knowing how to respond sometimes. He's so sincere in what he says that you almost feel like any response would fall short. “You too. If you need help with anything I'm always here for you.”

He gives you a single nod before hiding what looked like a bashful smile behind his tea. You finish your teas like this, enjoying each other's company in the quiet of the night.

You can't hold back a yawn when you set your teacup down. As much as you'd love to stay up talking to Azriel all night, your body is about ready to crash on you.

“We should go to sleep,” he says as he stands up, making the teacups disappear. “You have to be at the clinic early.”

“You're right,” you agree with a sigh, standing up to follow him to the door. You've only been going to the clinic twice a week ever since Feyre asked for your help with this case so you know you'll have a long day ahead of you. “Will you fly me down tomorrow?”

“Of course,” he tells you as he opens the door for you, “What kind of male would I be if I let our favorite healer walk down the thousands of steps by herself?”

“Favorite? I'll tell Madja you said that,” you point your finger at him playfully.

“Second favorite then,” he takes it back with a wink, making you laugh. The smile lingers on your face all the way to the guest room you're staying in and it only deepens when you realize he walked you all the way to your door.

You turn and look up at him expectantly. It looks like he wants to tell you something with the way he's searching your face and his shadows pool at both of your feet. If you didn't know any better you'd think they wanted to crawl up your legs. You've found that they can give some of Azriel's emotions away sometimes, when he doesn't have a grip on them at least.

Your body doesn't react when he bends down slowly, pausing for a brief moment before kissing your cheek softly, murmuring a good night against your skin. It doesn't react after either, when he pulls back to watch your reaction. In fact, it's not until he walks over to his door and lets out a small chuckle, that you finally move and almost crash into the room, fumbling with the doorknob and slamming the door behind you.

As you lean your back against the door, you put your hand over your chest and stare wide eyed at the window across the room. You almost thought you were imagining things. He can probably hear your heart beating all the way in his room across the hall, you wouldn't be surprised if everyone in Velaris could hear with how loud it's beating. You let yourself slide against the door until you're crouching.

You hadn't expected him to kiss you. You know Azriel isn't one for a lot of physical touch. You've only gotten a hug out of him once, during the war after an attack on the healer's tent. He had thought you were dead then, after watching so many die he'd just been glad to see someone he knows still breathing. Actually, you might have been the one to hug him first. You had never been so close to death and were scared out of your mind. It was your first war after all.

You and Azriel had been getting closer over the months, closer than you were with the rest of Inner Circle. Even before your talk that night, he's always been friendly to you, but the shadowsinger was kind to all the healers - to everyone that wasn't his enemy really - so you never thought much of it. But this felt different. Tonight felt different.

You hadn't fully admitted it to yourself yet but the more time you spent with the shadowsinger the more your crush evolved. What had once been a silly crush based on appearance and his kind nature had quickly turned into palpable feelings. You liked him. A lot.

However, acknowledging this could destroy the friendship you had built with him for the past few months, maybe with the rest of his family as well. That's what you thought before at least. You assumed Azriel would never have feelings for you. The idea seemed so preposterous it never even crossed your mind, but now you're not so sure.

Maybe it seemed like you were exaggerating to think this after a little kiss, on the cheek no less, but this kiss made you think back on the last months you've spent with Azriel. He's been insisting on flying you up and down the stairs every time he's around, usually this task would be left to Cassian, who loved showing off his wings to you.

He's been going to the clinic more often too, stocking up on anything he can think of when he's never done that in the century you've been working in Velaris. Azriel was always one to not think much of his own health, it bothered you to no end. He also came to you with every injury. Usually when a member of the Inner Circle was hurt, Madja was the one who was called. You'd only accompany her if she needed assistance or go in her place if she wasn't able to go herself. Of course over the years they'd come to use you more and more, which is why you didn't even think of it, but looking back now… You don't know what to think anymore.

Getting up with a sigh, you make your way to your closet to change. Your thoughts consume you while you get ready for bed but your tiring day catches up to you as soon as your head hits the pillow. However, this doesn't spare you from dreaming of a certain shadowsinger.

You take longer to wake up than usual, making you hurry through your morning routine. Your body isn't used to the schedule you've been putting it through lately, and it's starting to show. But because of this, it isn't until you go to open the door to the guest room that you remember Azriel is going to fly you down to the clinic. And the incident that had you spiraling before going to sleep.

Deciding walking down the steps by yourself isn't a viable option, you go to find him and pray to the Mother things aren't too awkward between you. It had just been a little kiss on the cheek and your lack of reaction could totally be blamed on the long day, your brain was just having trouble catching up, that's all. It had been a completely normal exchange between friends, not that you're blushing just thinking about it or anything. You could just pretend it didn't happen.

As you make your way to the front door, the shadows dancing around in the hallway catch your eye instantly. You've seen them do this before, when Azriel doesn't need them and they don't want to brave the light, they just linger around the room in curious little wisps. You can't help the smile as they gravitate slowly towards you.

Right after they notice you, their master appears through the door. One of them must have warned him of your arrival, they're so cute sometimes you forget they're spies. Of course they'd tell on you.

“Good morning,” he greets. Azriel may be a shadowsinger but he looks breathtaking in the morning light. His skin glows beautifully and his eyes look a little lighter, it makes him look younger. Gods, how can he be so beautiful?

He looks a little relieved to see you. Maybe he thought you'd escape by yourself or ask someone else to fly you to the clinic to avoid him. It makes you feel a little bad that you had him worried but it's his own fault for playing with your heart like that.

“Good morning,” you smile, walking up to him. “Are you ready?”

“I was just waiting for you,” he says as he extends a hand for you to take. This has the nerves already lingering inside your body make themselves more noticeable. You almost forgot flying you down means he'll have to carry you. It had taken a while for you to get used to not only the flying but also the way he had to hold you - funny how you never had this problem with Cassian.

You take his hand and try not to move too much or gasp as he picks you up off the floor like you weigh nothing. He immediately starts walking to the edge of the stairs, holding you close to his chest.

“Hold onto me,” he breathes into your ear, extending his wings and getting ready to take flight. You do as he says and wrap your arms tighter around his neck, praying he can't feel your heart beat inside your chest.

You'll never get over how stunning Velaris looks from above or how the wind passes around you as you soar through the clouds. It's a real shame that you weren't born with wings. You understand why Illyrians are so protective of them, after knowing what this feels like, it's hard to imagine never being able to do it again.

“You know I won't drop you.” You look away from the landscape and meet his gaze. He can probably feel how tense you are but you can't tell him it has nothing to do with the height or any fear of him letting you fall.

“I know,” you assure. “What would you do without your favorite healer?” He lets out a small laugh in response and your body finally relaxes.

The flight doesn't take long, and, before you know it, he's landing right outside your clinic. He helps you get down and even holds onto you a little longer, giving you a once over to make sure you're steady on your feet.

An idea passes through your mind and you bite your lip, wondering if you'd truly lost it. You take a quick look around before you lose your nerve. It was still early enough that the streets were almost deserted, no one should see you.

Turning back to the shadowsinger, you hesitate again when you notice him watching you, probably wondering what you were up to. If you read the situation wrong this could make things very awkward for the two of you.

Deciding not to let your anxiety reign your life, you grab his shoulder gently so you can pull him a little closer to your height. Standing on your tiptoes to clear the rest of your height difference. You hold onto his cheek and place a soft kiss on the other side of his face, murmuring a “thank you”.

You step back again and look up at him, still slightly bent from where you pulled him to you and looking at your face with wide eyes. You're not sure if you've ever seen the feared spymaster so caught off guard before. There was a small smile playing at his lips though, so you assume you hadn't completely misread the situation. You can't help but form a grin of your own and turn around to go inside the clinic, leaving him behind just as he did to you last night. Your heart soaring higher than you had just been.

[kaledya]

Info's about Serenity:

Q/A's

(old posts about her.)

info: Alastor raises Serenity as his own daughter for 12 years and teaches her everything he knows. Since Serenity has really good singing talent and is a fun humorist, Alastor thinks she will be a good radio host when she grows up.

And these 12 years are really good for both of them. In the first years of adopting Serenity, Alastor helps Serenity overcome the traumas she experienced in her childhood, and Serenity eventually turns into an energetic and radiant child, instead of a quiet, afraid child who cannot trust anyone. +Serenity never learns anything about Alastor's identity as the killer until Alastor dies.

Alastor hides it as best he can because he never wants to involve her in this, he wants Serenity to live a good life) +Alastor still dies in 1933 /Serenity is 17 years old then When Alastor died and went to hell. He thinks that if hell is real Serenity will definitely go to heaven (Alastor had raised Serenity before his death to be a good-hearted lady, despite her wild spirit and a bit of sarcastic humor).

But of course, things don't go as Alastor expected. After learning the truth behind the death of Alastor (a murderer who kills bad people or other murderer), Serenity decides to follow his path but waits to graduate from Medical School and have enough experience before taking action

As the years pass, Serenity continues in her own way what Alastor started, until she dies saving a child in a fight with the many enemies she has made. (died 1955) she was 39 y.o at that time And at the end of all these years, she goes to hell and becomes known as the 'demon of luck'.

her fighting style. and some of her features.

Overlord Serenity:

Her Clan's leader:

Some doodles for her:

she is Bi:

and her human form:

Serenity's biological parents, even though I don't like them, I felt like I had to design them because they are an important part of Serenity's story

her angelic form (I did for swap AU) and Genderswap Serenity:

Serenity and Husk were once business partners. aka Luck Demon and Gambling Demon

[mistymisfit]

it's my birthday today so here's a short Jason x Reader drabble!

warnings: just pure fluff ! + A bit suggestive at the end, but nothing happens (rare no angst)

wc: 1k

Jason's broken into your apartment again, it's pretty much a routine at this point. Though he wouldn't call it breaking in if he was your boyfriend who had keys to your place but couldn't walk through the door like a normal human being. He disarmed and set up again every security measure he installed himself to keep you safe. Took his time to check that you locked everything too, all while you slept peacefully in your room. And just when he was sure everything was up and running and you'd be safe he made his way to the bedroom.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw you. You looked so cute sleeping on your side, taking all the covers and your hair a mess. He just felt an overwhelming need to kiss you senseles, so he left the bouquet of flowers on your nightstand. He rapidly removed his mask to leave it on his bedside table, sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He made quick work of unlacing his boots and kicking them off so he could hop on the bed with you.

"Baby," He whispered, pulling down the sheets and lifting your shirt so he could kiss your hips. His kisses trailed up on your side until you hummed and shifted in your sleep, now lying on your back, unaware of the presence of your boyfriend.

He whispered your name before he started kissing your stomach. By the time his kisses had gone up to your neck, he started to wonder just how deep you were sleeping.

"Jay?" You finally wake up, barely aware of anything but the figure above you.

"What if it was an intruder?" He teases."You're a pretty deep sleeper, ma"

"Who else would it be? you got me living in the bat cave with how tight the security is. " Even half asleep, you had a quick wit. It made him chuckle and kiss your cheek.

"Happy Birthday, baby"

It made you check the time on your phone, 5 am. Only him would come back from his vigilante activities and wake you up at 5 am on your birthday. Lucky you had the day off so you could sleep in a little more. In the process of grabbing your phone to check the time you noticed the flowers, your favorite ones, and impossible to get this time of the year.

"Those are for me?"

"Not really, some old lady gave them to me so I could ask her niece out," He joked, gaining a swift slap from the back of your hand to his bicep. It did nothing but make him laugh, and you realized just then that he still was in his red hood gear. Even when you've told him a million times not to get in the bed wearing it. "'Course they are, the best for my favorite birthday girl "

"Take your clothes off," You demanded, the sleep still in your mind made you not realize how that sounded. He opened his mouth to make some snarky comment, so you cut him off before he begins "You know what I mean"

He chuckled again, kissing the tip of your nose before getting up to undress. You rubbed your eyes as you sat on the bed, then took the flowers to get a closer look. It was a beautiful bouquet, a mix of colors and flowers that matched your favorites, so unlike your basic red roses. It showed how much he knew you, how sweet of a boyfriend he could be.

"Where did you even get these?" You asked, smelling them. You noticed how fresh they were, how bright the colors were. They didn't look like a usual purchase from a Gotham flower shop, much less this late-or early.

"Ah,I was hoping you wouldn't ask that." He sighed as you watched him toss his shirt somewhere on the floor. He tried crawling back on the bed and kissing you to distract you, but you knew better than that.

"I don't trust the pockets of that," You complained, talking about his cargo pants, moving your head to the side so his lips fall on your cheek. "and careful with the flowers "

"Yes ma'am," He replied in a solemn tone, just to mock you. Then, as you watched him strip to his underwear, holding the huge bouquet like a baby, it hit you.

"Jason Peter Todd, did you get these from Poison Ivy?"

Jason freezed, of course he did. His reaction gave you all the answers you needed. You were ready to hit him with the very same flowers. How could he put himself in so much danger for such a ridiculous thing?

"In my defense,"He began, and you were already having none of it. He was lucky he made it out in one piece. "She said you're the best hostage she ever had, and she's a romantic deep down"

"Jason," You sighed. The way you said his name had him smiling again, knowing all too well, he was about to be forgiven.

"And before you kill me, " He sat down next to you, a hand resting on your thigh. "I've got the whole day planned for ya', ma"

You left the flowers on your nightstand again, and turned your face to see him before asking;"Did she make the bouquet?"

"I'm appalled, 'course not." He gasped offended, "I had a vision"

"Really?" You smiled, straddling him.

He nodded, smirking and putting his hands on a familiar place on your waist. His lips and your finally met in a kiss that's more smiles than actual kissing. He knew he was lucky to have you and that he had to treat you right, there was no other option for him. If you asked for the moon and stars he'd find the way to give them to you. Jason was sure he could face whatever fate threw his way as long as he had you on his side. But he couldn't find the words to tell you that and settled for the next best thing; kissing you desperately.

"Shouldn't we put those on water?" He questioned, out of breath.

"Later, I've gotta fuck my handsome boyfriend " And with that you had him melting under your hands, the mighty and scary Red Hood reduced to a blushing mess by his favorite birthday girl.

a/n: If I feel inspired, I'll write about how reader knows Poison Ivy, but until then, happy birthday to me 🥳. Btw if this has any mistakes, ignore them. My sister is holding my laptop hostage and I'm back in my hometown.

[french-goodbye]

please never fall in love again

pairing: steve harrington x reader

summary: dating steve harrington is hard, especially when girls keep hitting on him.

notes: i wrote this a while ago but eventually forgot about it in the midst of all my wips lol. title from the song please never fall in love again by ollie mn.

you stare at the back of your boyfriend's head with narrowed eyes and your chin resting on your hands, an anger you know you shouldn't be feeling boiling beneath the surface of your skin. he, of course is none the wiser, as he is to most things, just chatting with eddie completely carefree by the bar.

you love steve harrigton, you really do. you think you fell in love with him on your first date and never really fell out of it. you've already planned your whole life with him, from getting married and having kids to growing old with him and sitting side by side on a wrap around porch. he's sweet, kind, he's great with kids and it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes and great in bed.

his biggest flaw, however, is not exactly his fault. the worst thing about dating steve harrigton is the amount of women who hit on him on a daily basis. whether it's old ladies at the grocery store telling him he looks like their dead husbands or bored soccer moms looking for a little thrill or, the worst of all, the girls your age who slip him their phone number in old receipts over the counter at family video. these women are always there, like blood sniffing sharks, somehow finding a way to make a suggestive comment or a flirty joke.

most of the time, it doesn't really bother you even when it does happen in front of you. steve's the kind of guy who'd never cheat on you, simply because of who he is and how obsessed with you he is. sometimes, however, they can get a little too close and personal and you can't help but wish steve was a little less attractive. just a little.

and it's not that you don't trust him either, he's always quick and firm to shut them down when it happens. it's that they're the ones you don't trust, the girls with big permed blonde hair and fake tans and bright pink lipstick who look at you disdainfully when they realize you're together because they can barely take their eyes off of him for long enough to notice you're standing right next to him.

you're out at a bar celebrating jonathan's birthday when it happens this time, steve and eddie having offered to get everyone another round, the two of them leaning against the bar talking while they wait when a girl from the booth in the corner approaches them. she's clearly a little bit more than tipsy and obviously focused on steve as she talks to them, avidly taking him in and resting her hand on his forearm. he doesn't even blink, just smoothly leans away from her and tells her something that makes her leave as fast as she arrived.

you can barely hear nancy as she complains about her male coworkers on her summer job, as you heatedly stare at his stupidly nice hair and broad shoulders as your boyfriend laughs at something eddie said, hand scratching his neck. you're still watching him with scrunched eyebrows and a sour expression when you feel robin poking your cheek, making you look at her and gently slap her hand away.

"why are you poking me?"

"why are you staring at steve like he kicked your puppy?" she asks, frowning, looking back and forth between the two of you like a tennis match.

"i'm not" she gives you a flat look with raised brows. "fine," you huff. "why do women always hit on him? we can't take him anywhere"

"no idea, you tell me"

"urgh" you groan, throwing your arms around her and resting your head on her shoulder. "god, i hate men"

"amen sister" you hang onto her for a second as she takes a noisy sip of her empty drink through her straw and taps your back sympathetically a few times before gently pushing you away as steve and eddie walk back to your table, drinks in hands and still chatting distractedly.

she softly claps her hands, enthusiastically and telling you a quiet "yay" as she turns back to nancy and jonathan, as the two argue wether or not their coworkers are sexist (they totally are).

you're still laughing at robin's drunken antics when steve comes to your side again and sets your new drink on the table in front of you, resting his hand on your lower back. you let him but when he leans over you to press a kiss to your hair, you promptly dodge away from him and out of his reach. from the corner of your eye, you can see how he frowns at that and silently watches you for a second as you pretend to listen to what nancy says.

his hand on your lower back climbs all the way up to the back of your neck so he turn your head his away, forcing you to look at his big brown eyes staring at you like you just kicked his puppy and you almost feel guilty. almost.

"what's wrong?" he asks.

you shrug, "nothing's wrong."

"are you mad at me or something?"

"no" you slowly shake your head in negative, shrugging.

"gimme a kiss then" he rests one of his hands on your face tilting your head his way while the other on your neck guides your face to his. you lean in and press a quick kiss to his cheek and look away, accidentally making eye contact with the girl who just hit on him. she's watching the two of you, quickly looking away when she notices she was caught staring.

"you saw that, huh" he tells you, hands settling on your waist instead so he can look at you.

"hard not to" you huff, picking invisible lint from your pants.

"then you know nothing happened"

"of course i know that, i trust you" you complain as you roll your eyes and gesticulate to show your frustration "but i-it just makes so insanely angry when they touch you like that, like they have any right to-" you stop your ranting mid sentence when you realize the look on his face. "what? why are you looking at me like that?"

"nothing" he clears his throat and looks down to uselessly smooth non existing wrinkles on your top. you watch him though narrowed eyes and gasp when it hits you, making him look at you again. "what?"

"you like it when i'm jealous" you accuse, lightly poking his chest.

"no, i don't"

"yes, you do. i can't believe i never noticed it before" you huff an incredulous laugh, remembering all the times girls hit on him in front of you and he said nothing but affirmations of how much he's in love with you and how he could never want somebody else, acting more attentive and affectionate than usual later, pressing you against his body and kissing kissing kissing you until he was the only thing on your mind.

"okay, it's not what you're thinking" he replies running a hand through his hair nervously.

"what am i thinking, harrington?" you ask, lifting one eyebrow as a smirk makes it's way to your lips.

"it's not an ego thing" you laugh softly at him, letting your fingers run soothingly through the hair at the nape of his neck, finally giving into the temptation to get your hands on him. "it's just- i like knowing how much you want me just for yourself, how much you care about me."

you stare at him for a moment, taking in his sincere brown eyes and his fluffy hair, feeling impossibly endeared by the boy in front of you. he fidgets under your stare, so you smooth your hands down his shoulders, feeling the muscles underneath his shirt.

"well, i do care... a lot" you tell him, pretending to be coy and batting your eyelashes at him. "but it's not like i blame her"

"what?" he looks at you blankly, confused.

"i mean, look at you" you pull him closer and then closer still, still smirking. "those nice brown eyes, the pretty hair, those shoulders... nevermind how much of a charmer you are. damn harrington, no wonder women keep throwing themselves at you."

"babe" he groans embarrassedly, "they're not throwing themselves-" he dramatically drops his forehead on your shoulder making you laugh at his discomfort, letting brown strands of hair slip through your fingers as you comfortingly pet his hair and he squeezes your waist in reprimand.

"it's true!"

he pulls you closer by the grip he has on your waist and burrows his face in the crook of your neck in lieu of an answer. you let him have it even though you would like to see his face and the way his blush is probably spreading from his cheek to his neck and rest your chin into his shoulder as you hug him.

"but one of these days i'll have to step in and defend your honor"

"please don't" he pulls away and cups your neck, thumbs brushing your cheek and staring at you disapprovingly, his eyelashes touching at the corners, the hint of a smile still on his face.

"i don't know, maybe i'll have to challenge them to a duel to the death" you disagree and look at him from under your eyelashes. he gives you an affectionate look that'd make you nauseous were it not directed at you and presses a long lingering kiss to your lips.

"shut up" he whispers against your lips. you gladly do, at least until eddie and robin start throwing balled up paper napkins at your head. it's worth it though.

[thebestsetter]

Thinking about Rin Itoshi with a partner who's an oldest sibling.

Well, he didn't even know you had a little sibling at first, since that topic never popped up in your conversations (actually, he probably avoided the topic family altogether). It just happened to slip up during an outing at the mall. You both just passed through a shop you knew your sibling liked, which made you remember their birthday was coming up. So, you grasped the opportunity to buy their gift beforehand to prevent you from forgetting it like you did last year and making your family member mad (again).

"Rinnie, let's stop here!"

"Huh? Why? I don't remember you mentioning you liked this shop before"

"It's not for me silly! It's for my lil sibling!"

"....you have a younger sibling?"

"Yeah!"

"And you buy them gifts?"

"...you don't buy your sibling presents?" (Of course, you didn't know about what happened between him and Sae and their strained relationship at the time)

"...no"

He looked really uncomfortable, so you just left it at that. You knew he would tell you eventually when he finally felt like he trusted you enough.

After that, Rin actually got pretty curious about you and your sibling. How was your relationship with eachother? Do you treat them well? (he knows you do, but the trauma he got when Sae left still haunts him to this day) Do they treat you well? (He hopes they do, because he won't take it lightly if they don't). Sadly, he couldn't go to their birthday becsuse he was playing abroad, but you gushed about the party while in call with him, talking about how "Your little baby was growing too fast" and how "You weren't ready for that". So, that answered (a part of) his questions: your relationship was just great. Amazing, even. And that only made him more curious and more anxious to meet them.

The opportunity to actually meet your sibling presents itself in an unsuspected night. It was one of Rin's rare day offs, which you both usually spend cuddling in the couch, eating tons of chocolate (actually it was you eating chocolate and him watching, because he had to follow a strict diet. More for you, I guess!) and watching some horrible horror movies that had such bad script, acting and special effects that they looked more like comedy movies.

You were finishing the popcorn when you heard the doorbell ringing. Since your hands were full, you asked Rin to open the door.

"Rinrin, sweetheart, could you please open the door? I'm busy with the popcorn right now!"

Without saying a word, Rin got up from the couch (where he was picking the movie for the night) and went straight to the door, wondering who could it be. Maybe you ordered take out. Maybe it was that sweet old lady that lived next door offering brownies again. Maybe a scout selling cookies. It could also be--

Oh.

He was NOT expecting this.

"...I think you got the wrong house" The striker said after opening the door and finding a teenager, probably not a lot younger that him (5 years at most). They were crying badly, with snot running down their nose and looking absolutely devastated.

"So, who is it--" you said, blissfully unaware that someone was having a breakdown at your front door. However, when you finally got to the door and saw who was there, you quickly put your hands over your mouth, muttering your sibling's name with a worried "Oh dear! What happened?" following right after.

You quickly ushered your sibling inside, told them to sit at the couch and went into the kitchen to make them some tea to help them calm down, not knowing Rin was right behind you ever since you closed the door, wondering "Who the hell is this person?", but not quite knowing how to ask.

"You're probably wondering who they are". There you were. Always knowing what he wants without him even needing to utter a word. That was probably one of the reasons your relationship worked so well, Rin thought.

"Yeah"

"They're my little sibling, the one I went to that birthday party last month"

"...ah."

"I don't know why they're crying tho. I hope I can figure it out."

"I'm sure you can"

"C'mon, let's go to couch. They're waiting there" You said, holding the tea in your hands. But, before you both got out at the kitchen, you stopped and turned to him with a smile "Actually, could you please grab some napkins at the bathroom stall? I'm sure I'll need some"

"Sure, no problem"

Then, you both parted ways. While Rin was searching for the damn napkins that Itoshi was sure were actually straight up hiding from him, only your sibling's sniffs and your soothing words filled the house. He gradually heard the crying disappearing though, so you must have done a very good job at comforting your family member.

Rin must have spent a long time searching for the napkins, because at the time he finally got to the living room, he could no longer hear sniffs or hushed whispers.

"Honey? I found the napkins." He said while getting closer to the couch.

When he did get to where you were, he understood why he wasn't hearing anything anymore. No wonder the sniffs disappeared: you and your sibling were both sleeping, with their head in your lap and your hand in their hair, as though you were passing your hand through their locks to soothe the pain they were feeling. You both had calm expressions on your faces (well, as calm as a face of a person who probably spent more than 1 hour crying could be) and the cup of tea sat empty in the table beside the armchair.

"Oh."

Rin looked at the scene in front of him with a sad sparkle in his eyes, wondering how his life would be if Sae was a sibling like you in the past: a caring brother, that wouldn't call him lukewarm and wouldn't say he makes him wanna vomit.

Shaking this thoughts out of his mind since they were going to make him more harm than good and it was no use thinking about Sae now, Rin grabbed the blanket you both use during movie nights and threw it over you and your sibling, looking at the scene one last time before heading towards your shared bedroom, your movie night long forgotten. He wasn't sad though, because what happened today made him be sure of something:

You were the perfect match for him, and he would be damned if he let you go.

A/n: Did this based on me and my little brother's relationship. His birthday was yesterday, so I got creative. A great idea, not so great execution. Wish I could've done a better job on my Rin debut fic, sorry Rin 😔

Masterlist

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

broken trust. [part 2] l Joel Miller

Summary:  you used to be very close, but he broke your heart, now your paths have crossed again

Warnings:  angst, swearing, mentions of sex, Ellie appears

 A/N: I was very happy with how you received the first part of this story. I hope you'll stay with me a little longer and see where it leads us. a few people mentioned tagging - @vickie5446 @dreamtofus 🖤 This part is rather nothing interesting, but I hope you won't waste too much time.

[PART 1]

It was strange to have you by his side again. Although the entire drive to Jackson was silent, Joel felt as if someone had put a gun barrel to his head. Dusk fell rather quickly, the warm evening air filling the car as you cracked the window open.

The patrol you met didn't cause you any trouble and you got to Jackson when the city was lit up by streetlights.

The car parked in front of a building marked as a medical clinic.

"Go home." Joel muttered as Ellie started walking with you towards the front door.

"I don't want to. I'm going with you." The girl was outraged.

"No need. Go."

Ellie snorted, but adjusted her backpack on her shoulder, muttered a quiet "Bye" in your direction and headed down the main street of Jackson.

He was hoping you would say something, but all he heard was the clinic door opening and he saw you disappear inside. 

Joel never liked doctors. Every visit reminded him of uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room, nervous nurses and doctors who treated everyone with contempt. And that whole strange smell.

The place was neat and clean though, and the doctor, an older man with a slightly nervous disposition, was quite pleasant and didn't take up much of the others' time.

"Y/N!" he smiled happily seeing you in the doorway "I'm very happy to see you. Is everything okay?"

"Hi, Doc. I brought you a patient, but I don't think you'll have much work with him." You replied, smiling at the sight of the friendly face.

"Mr. Miller? What happened to you?" the doctor showed Joel to a chair and helped him take off his jacket. "It doesn't look bad. We'll manage, Mr. Miller."

The doctor carefully disinfected his wound and put in a few stitches. Joel saw out of the corner of his eye how you were walking lazily around the office looking at old anatomy posters and joking with Doc. 

Thousands of questions were spinning in his head and he didn't know who he should ask them to, because he knew that he had no right to ask them to you after all this time.

"What about you, young lady?" Doc washed his hands under the tap in the corner of the room and looked at you "How did everything heal?"

"Good, I guess. The scar is healing nicely." you replied and rolled your eyes seeing as Doc gestured for you to come over "No need, really."

Joel frowned and looked up at you. Maybe he shouldn't have done this, but he felt a strange pang in his heart. You were hurt.

Although Doc was covering you, he saw you lift your shirt, showing the doctor your side.

"Mhm. It looks really good." the doctor mumbled "But you have to be careful, okay? And...What is this?"

Now Joel could see clearly, your back was clearly bruised and you hissed when Doc touched the spot.

"The ribs are intact, that's good. When did this happen?"

"Today. But it's my fault. I got distracted."

"Mhm." the man nodded "You need to rest, Y/N. I know I can't force you to do anything, but please, get a good night's sleep and eat something."

"Yes, sir." you smiled "Can I go now?"

You left the clinic and only outside, when Joel spoke to you, did you realize that he had followed you.

"Y/N." Your name still sounded the same on his lips "Do you wanna talk?"

You zipped up your jacket to protect yourself from the cold and looked at Joel. He hadn't changed that much since you last saw him. He might have been more tired, but he was still the same man you'd woken up and fallen asleep next to so many times.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about." You replied, shoving your hands into your pockets "It's good to see you. I'm glad you're alive."

"Today's thanks to you."

"Yeah, take this as a favor for old times. Listen, I'd like to take a shower and lie down, I think I'll go now."

The man nodded. You turned around and started walking away, but after a few steps you stopped and looked at him again. He didn't move even a single step.

"Joel? I'm really glad you found Tommy. And that you're both alive."

The next gloomy days passed, but your enthusiasm didn’t decrease. Joel saw your notes, you calculated everything you needed to come to an agreement with Howard and his friend. Getting out of QZ was your little obsession. You practically didn’t talk about anything else.

And Joel felt worse and worse. He had the impression that a noose was tightening around his neck, which was getting tighter with each passing day.

The first blow came after more than a week. He was in town exchanging food stamps when your fingers tightened on his arm.

"What happened?" he asked, seeing the mixture of different emotions on your face. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing is okay." you mumbled. "We're in deep shit."

Joel looked around uncertainly. The street wasn’t a good place for such conversations. He grabbed your hand and led you home. But he already knew - it had begun.

You didn't say a word the whole way, and when you entered the apartment you just threw off your bag and jacket, sat on the couch and hid your face in your hands.

"Baby?"

You let out a groan of a person who is resigned and angry at the same time. You were filled with emotions and thoughts to the very limits, you needed a moment to yourself. However, after a few minutes he heard your voice.

"He sold it. He sold it, Joel." Your hands slid off your face and Joel saw your glassy eyes "That fucking car, is gone."

A snort escaped your lips, a mixture of laughter and mockery. Joel felt himself sinking deeper and deeper inside.

"I met Howard, he said it was over. I wanted to know more, but he told me to leave it..." you continued, staring blankly at your hands "Leave it! How... How am I supposed to leave it?!"

He approached and sat on the coffee table right in front of you, taking your hands in his. Seeing you like this was just sad.

"I should kill him." You muttered angrily. "I should do it."

"You know you can't. They'll catch you and it'll be even worse."

"I don't fucking care, Joel." Your hands slipped out of his. "He took away our chance. We were supposed to get out of here…"

"I know, I know, babe."

Finally, tears escaped from under your eyelids. It was one of the saddest sights for Joel. You were always so strong, you were on his side and he trusted you like no one else. But in that moment, your faith and hope for a better tomorrow shattered into a thousand pieces.

He allowed you to despair. And it lasted for several days. Joel often saw your red eyes, rarely heard your voice, and was also sure that you barely slept at night.

He wasn't ready for something like this, but he was sure you could handle it. You were tough, you'd get over it and soon everything would be back to normal.

He breathed a sigh of relief when one night he felt your arms wrap around his waist, you snuggled into his back, saying a quiet "I'm sorry."

But Joel knew it wasn't you who should be apologizing.

Tommy finished his coffee and looked at his brother. When he showed up at his house that morning, he seemed really down. At first, Tommy thought he was talking about his failed fling with Ellie. He had heard about it and was really glad that you were the one who found him and the kid.

"So you know Y/N?" he asked.

Joel nodded.

"From Boston?"

Another nod.

"Hmm, you don't seem happy to see her. Am I wrong?"

Joel's long fingers twirled the coffee cup around, he winced slightly.

"That's not it." he finally spoke up. "We have..."

"A story. I get it." Tommy stretched in his chair. "She's been here for a long time. Maybe two winters, I think. She's really helpful. She found and brought Doc here, that helped us. She brought some equipment to the clinic. That helped Maria give birth."

"Yeah, she's good at finding things. And people."

The sound of footsteps upstairs and the babbling of a baby distracted them for a moment. Life went on as usual in this house, and while Joel was always welcome, he knew he had to take care of his own life.

"Talk to her," Tommy finally said, as if reading his brother's mind. "It couldn't have been that bad, could it?"

It was bad.

All your fears came back in the blink of an eye. When you saw Joel after so long, you felt like you were seeing a ghost. You managed to hide all the memories associated with him and the emotions that accompanied them very well somewhere in the back of your head.

Now, however, they scattered around your mind and didn't give you peace. Neither coffee nor a long shower helped. After a sleepless night, you felt like a living corpse, and your back was giving you painful symptoms.

But you couldn't stay in your apartment, you had to do something. So you went outside with the intention of taking what you managed to get during your last trip, to the clinic. Imagine your surprise when you saw a familiar figure next to your car.

"Ellie? What are you doing here?"

"Hi. I came to see you. I didn't know where you lived so I came here." The girl smiled.

"Shouldn't you be at school or something?"

"Day off."

"Yeah, sure." You shook your head smiling. "I don't want to interfere. Joel probably doesn't know where you are, right?"

Ellie shuffled her shoe before answering.

"He's not my father, I can do whatever I want." She replied rebelliously.

You pulled two boxes out of the trunk and put them on the ground. The girl looked at you as if she was expecting what she might hear.

"He may not be your father, but he's the one who cares about you and can keep you safe."

"Did he give it to you too?"

You bit your lip, wondering how to answer. But you knew that only an honest answer would satisfy Ellie.

"Yeah, he did."

"So what happened?"

"These are matters for adults." You replied, but you winked at her.

That assured her that she wasn't entering dangerous territory and you wouldn't be telling her to go back to school or Joel.

"Do you need help?" she pointed to the boxes.

"Come on. At least you'll be doing something useful."

Everything was slowly getting back to normal, and that brought Joel relief. The car and Howard issue was closed, you didn't talk about it and focused on what was around you.

You might have gone out of the QZ walls a little more often, but Joel treated it more as a compensation for you. He even liked it, even though he was constantly looking over his shoulder and keeping an eye on you.

That was all he could give you, a few stolen moments outside the gray world you lived in. And you tried to take as much of it as you could.

You worked at QZ, and in your free time, together with Joel, you would sneak outside. Then you would go back to your shared apartment, make love at night, or just lie on the couch reading some old books. Sometimes you would get carried away by fantasy, like when Joel tried to convince you that he used to be a really good dancer. So you would dance cuddled in the living room while he hummed some melody that only he knew in your ear. It was soothing. His hand gently moving over your back, his voice quiet and calm. This was the life you created for yourselves.

But the end came as suddenly as an avalanche.

"Babe, are you here?"

He threw his jacket on the armchair and looked around the apartment looking for your trace. The place was quiet, but he finally saw you coming out of the bedroom.

"It took me longer today, but I got something extra. Have you eaten anything? I managed to get some fresh bread, I know how much you love it."

You didn't answer. You stood leaning against the door frame and watched him with your arms folded across your chest. A cold shiver ran down his spine. 

You knew. He could feel it.

"What did I do to you, Joel?"

Your voice was almost dead, calm and so resigned.

"Sweetie..." he began uncertainly, but he didn't know what to say.

"What did I do to you, Joel?" you repeated the question just as calmly as before. "What did I do to deserve all this?"

He walked up to you and took your face in his large, warm hands. He wanted you to snuggle into them, like always, but your body was completely unmoved.

"I met Howard's friend today. We started talking. I asked if there was a chance for a battery or a reasonably functional car." The words flowed from your lips. "He laughed. He asked... He asked me why I bothered him when my boyfriend would show up soon and give him much more to sell it to someone else. Joel..."

You said his name as if you were begging him to tell you that it wasn't true, that this was all some stupid joke. But he couldn't, you could see it in his eyes.

"How dare you, Joel? How dare you?"

Why did you have to be so calm? That was the worst part of it all. You seemed as cold and unapproachable to him as ever.

"I did it for your own good." He finally replied. "For your safety. Listen, there's nothing there. You're safe here. And you're alive."

"Who gave you the right to decide for me?" you pulled away from him in disgust.

"I care about you!"

"You care about me?!" you scoffed "First you told me beautiful stories about how we'd get out of here, and then you took it all away from me! You watched me cry, you watched how devastated I was... Fuck, you must have really enjoyed it!"

"Don't say that! You know perfectly well that I... You know that you're important to me."

You never named what was between you two. It was good, so there was no need. Besides, you knew perfectly well that Joel wasn't the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. 

His feelings were described by words like "Be careful", "Don't go there alone", "I'll go first" or "I've got your back". Or in the way he touched or looked at you. But now you were looking at a man you weren't sure you knew.

"Listen. Baby..."

"Don't call me that. That's bullshit!"

Your eyes filled with tears. A chasm appeared between you that couldn't be bridged.

"I wanted this for us." You whispered with difficulty. "I wanted us to leave this place behind. I know it's dangerous there, I know it would be hard, but we would be there together. I wanted you to find Tommy. I would go with you to the end of the world if you only asked..."

"I'm so sorry. You don't even know how much I regretted it. But I couldn't let anything happen to you, you know that."

You nodded and wiped your tear-soaked cheek with your hand.

"Yeah, I know."

Joel approached you and his hand brushed your cheek. He wanted to take you in his arms so much, to feel your warmth. He knew he would never be able to atone for what he had done. But the most important thing was for you to be safe and sound, with him.

For a brief moment he thought that everything would still work out. Joel didn't know how wrong he was.

You were already one foot out the door.

[PART 3]

☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

[ficsilike-reblogged]

Beware Calm Waters

Summary: Aegon isn't favored by anyone in his life. And then you came along. Or the five times you picked Aegon, the one time you couldn't, and the one time he picked you. Pairing: Aegon II Targaryen/F!Reader (No Y/N) Warnings: Canon typical violence, canon typical misoginy Word Count: 10.1k A/N: No Civil War AU! This is Aegon's side story from my recent(ish) Aemond Series, As High As Honour. I don't think you need to read that to understand this. My hate of several Ironborn Houses came out in this. Sorry. Reader is slightly unhinged. My bad. Aegon is different from his show and book counterpart, ie not a rapist or a drunk, etc. Enjoy!

You loved the sea. You did. The way it smelt, the way it unceasingly battered against the shore, the way it held its secrets in the dark. All of it. Except the way it turned your stomach whenever you were aboard a ship.

And that was truly a pity because you were Ironborn.

It was laughable that you could trace your father’s bloodline back to the original Farwynd who first landed on this island and dubbed it Lonely Light and you couldn’t stomach the simple rocking of a ship for more than a few moments. But perhaps you took after your mother in that regard. She was not Ironborn—and that was something those who dwelt on Great Wyk often reminded you of. Another reason why the other Ironborn thought House Farwynd queer.

But to you it was just…your family. Your father, Sylas, was stoic in a way only Ironborn men are known to be but he delighted in his children and loved his wife, never straying. Your younger brother, Roryn, dreamed of finally taking the ship he and your father built by hand out into the Sunset Sea to add to House Farwynd’s fortune in an adventure of his own—but he had no will to pillage or take salt wives. Roryn was also the proud wielder of House Farwynd’s Valyrian Steel weapon, a falx named Dark Water. Your father had gifted it to him for his one-and-ten nameday while he had taken the Valyrian steel tipped spears your mother had given him as a wedding day present as his own weapon. And your mother, the Lady Senerra, was never fond of the harsh clothing and cruelty the Iron Islands often mistook for strength.

“Your father promised that when he brought me here I would suffer no longer the whims of lesser men,” she would say to you whenever you asked of their courtship. “And he has kept his promise. And I shall promise you the same.”

So, no. House Farwynd of Lonely Point did not keep every custom of the Iron Islands and you all were ostracized for it. The eight days’ sail from Great Wyk to Lonely Light probably kept most other houses from trying to take your lands, but House Farwynd was wealthy and that gained your family at least a small bit of favor, you supposed. That was probably why Dalton Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, had summoned House Farwynd to Pyke under the thinly made guise of duty.

“The old king Viserys is demanding closer ties to our fair isles.” Dalton’s dark eyes were alight with something you did not want to name. The young lord of the Iron Islands had always unnerved you; smile too sharp, eyes too hard. You did not trust him and you knew your father did not either. “I have no sons or daughters of my own and my other men have need of their children. From what I can tell, your children do nothing of importance on your tiny island.”

Your mother set a hand on your father’s arm, stopping his fist from curling. “House Farwynd has our own honor and duty.”

Dalton’s smirk widened. “I’m sure. But I still want one of your spawn sent before I have to deal with another raven from them.”

Your father was quiet but you saw the rhythmic clenching of his jaw, he was chewing over what he wanted to say. This was dangerous. The only time your father had nearly took up arms was when one of Dalton’s brothers had smacked your mother’s ass. His family was his life, even the sea came second. And now his liege lord was demanding one of his children be pulled from under his protection.

You stepped forward, mind made up. “I’ll go.”

Your mother hissed your name as your father set his rough hand on your shoulder. “My girl-”

“Roryn cannot set sail from the Red Keep. He is meant for the sea. I will go.” If you didn’t, you knew your family’s blood would be washed into the sea before the sun rose. Dalton had killed people for defying him and you would not see your family slaughtered for something you could do.

The Greyjoy clapped as he barked a laugh. “Presumptuous little thing. If you were my daughter, I’d have your tongue-”

“She isn’t your daughter,” your father spoke, low and dark. “And it seems you leave me no choice. My daughter will go.”

As the moon rose over the sea and you tried to stave off another bout of seasickness, your mother swept into your rooms aboard your father’s ship, dark eyes shining with tears. “What have you done, my sweet?”

You dared to look at her, opening your eyes for just a moment. “I will be fine.”

The small featherbed fell beneath her weight as she sat at your side. Her warm hands framed your face and the rolling of your stomach subsided. She leaned forward to press her forehead to yours and you pulled in a lungful of her mint and rose perfume. “Many paths are before you. I cannot see…” She paused. “You are my little girl.”

“I will always be your little girl, mama,” you whispered in return, but her words had your mind whorling.

She pressed a hard kiss to your forehead and whispered something in her mother tongue.

“I love you, too.”

You readied for your adventure in a bit of a haze, saying goodbye to your family and friends with tears in your eyes and your heart in your throat. Had you made the right decision? Would this truly be the best course of action for your family?

“Don’t be afraid. You are a Farwynd. We are adventurers. We are Ironborn. We are of Shadow. We are not afraid.”

You tried to repeat your brother’s encouraging words as you settled into your fine apartments within the Red Keep. There had been a bit of pageantry with your arrival, your family’s smaller ship bracketed by two larger ones with Greyjoy sigils blazoned on their sails. You met King Viserys and Queen Alicent first—the King seemed pleased that the someone from the Iron Islands was sent but his Hand, whom you immediately respected, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, was not impressed when she read the missive Dalton had sent with your arrival, explaining that you would be the Iron Islands’ envoy, ward to the Iron Throne, with his blessing.

“He thinks quite highly of himself, does he not?” She said with a perfectly arched brow.

You tried not to giggle, but a few might have escaped anyway. Either way, both Viserys and Rhaenys seemed pleased with the large trunk of gold and jewels House Farwynd had sent alongside you, as payment for your care while as a ward to the Crown.

But you did not like how the maids in the Red Keep wrinkled their noses when they opened the trunk your mother had packed with things she had wanted to take with you, for protection, my sweet. The only thing keeping you from screaming at them was the stark reminder that you would soon be alone here. Lashing out would not gain you any favor. So, you swallowed your anger and soon realized that it was easier to be angry than to be scared…which is what you were. Alone. For the first time in your life, you were truly alone. In a land foreign to you despite supposedly being ruled by the man sitting on the ridiculous, pointed chair.

Your mother once accompanied you on a tour on what she called the mainland and what the Ironborn called the Green lands. You visited Banefort, Crag, and Castamere in the Westerlands. While it took some time for the houses and villagers to warm to you (and after your stomach settled from the voyage), you enjoyed seeing the sights, learning how different the Westerlands were from your small isle, and the highlight of your trip had been when you stopped on Fair Isle and had been wrapped up in the celebrations of one of Lord Farman’s son’s namedays.

So you weren’t entirely green when it came to the culture of the rest of Westeros. But this was King’s Landing. This was the Red Keep. Even when your father’s guards and mother’s handmaidens stayed for a fortnight to help you settle, you felt like little more than a mummer, playing the part of a lady. But you knew they wanted and needed to return to Lonely Light. This was not their home either and you had a duty to fulfill, adventure to have…a life to live.

But still, you stood on dock and watched their longboat disappear on the horizon with tears stinging your eyes.

“My lady,” one of the handmaidens assigned to you started in a soft voice, “we should return to the keep.”

You pushed out a slow breath and nodded, pressing a hand to your stomach as if that would settle your emotions. “Yes, of course. Please lead the way.”

Yes, you were scared even if this had been your decision. You twisted and pulled at the emotion, trying to temper it as you slowly settled into a routine. Trying to see if anyone else was scared gave you an odd bit of comfort. You would even wager that while the Greyjoy had selected your family out of opportunity to spite your wealthy but unliked House, he answered House Targaryen’s raven because he was scared.

Scared of their dragons.

That fear would not last forever, not with his ego and growing savagery. But for now, you could delight in his exposed fear instead of your own. And you were largely alone as the royal children had taken a tour of the Reach, spending time with their mother’s (or step-grandmother’s…honestly the family tree was confusing) family in Oldtown. Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent were busy with Small Council duties or continuously going out into the city to slowly sway the smallfolk into adoring the Crown Princess with gifts of charity and an open ear to hear their troubles. They were kind to you, but you knew not to bother them unless absolutely necessary. By the end of your first moon in the Red Keep, you were little more than yet another tapestry to be hung on a wall. Something to be collected. A way for King Viserys to believe he had a united kingdom.

Ridiculous.

Being ignored for most of the day left you privy to some whispers. Alicent and Rhaenyra’s friendship and its demise after the former’s marriage to King Viserys had been the topic of quite a few. The following reconciliation had been the topic of even more. What mattered most to you was that they seemed at peace now. You would want to keep it that way.

Eventually, you were called to the Red Keep’s front steps with the older royals, and told to greet the royal children as they arrived. You resisted the urge to wipe your sweaty palms against your gown and stood straight as your mother taught you as the carriage slowly ambled its way closer. These would be the people you spent most of your time with, hopefully. You wanted to make a good impression. You wanted to make friends. You…didn’t want to be so alone anymore.

The carriage stopped and you tried to memorize which name went with which face as they were announced.

Prince Jacaerys with the perfect bow.

Prince Lucerys with the rounded cheek blush.

Prince Aegon with the sneer.

Prince Daeron with the open smile.

Princess Helaena with the worried brow.

Prince Aemond with the stern look.

And Princess Jeyne, Rhaenyra’s youngest, with the musical giggle.

You curtsied as you were introduced to each of them and you pretended not to hear Aegon as he muttered, “we shall have to hide the gold with her here, won’t we?” into his cup of wine as he walked by you. It was then, always liking a challenge, that you swore you would get Aegon to be your friend.

As you turned to follow them inside, Helaena appeared at your side, bright purple eyes wide as she stared at you. “You need not worry about the golden one. He shall be a rock and wave.”

And then she smiled and turned away again.

Despite not knowing what she had meant, you found yourself smiling.

1

A new routine was established and you were more or less grouped together with the royal children for most of the day. While you did little more than observe their lessons, you did learn more about the history of Valyria at their side. It was an interesting way to spend your time but it was at least better than your solitude.

Little Daeron was sweet. Jacaerys and Lucerys were kind to you, too.

Helaena was by far your favorite. You didn’t mind going with her to the gardens or the woods to help her catch bugs, readily ruining the hems of your fine gowns in muck and grass if it made her smile. She hadn’t spoken any other strange words as she did that first day, but you doubted she had much control of it.

Your mother had told you about people like Helaena. She called them Oracles. The Valyrians called them Dreamers, like Daenys. You thought that it suited Helaena. Dreamer. It didn’t seem that any of her family knew what to make of her and her quiet truths. You weren’t sure if they even knew what she was saying. And, to be fair, you hadn’t quite pieced together what she had told you, but you were sure it would make sense soon. Things like that always did. Helaena seemed a little removed from court, too, so you made sure to spend time with her, as much as she wanted.

Aemond was full of sullen silences and studious glances. He took his lessons seriously—all of them. From the histories of Westeros and Valyria to his time in the training grounds with Ser Criston; all of it was handled with a single determination to learn everything and excel at it. He even asked you questions about the Iron Islands outside of the lessons. You answered, always happy to talk about your home. Targaryens were truly a different breed.

You surmised you could slip away from the lessons you did not need, taking time for you to pull that hidden satchel your mother packed for you from the bottom of your wardrobe and just…breathe for a moment. But it was for naught. The third time you escaped the Valyrian lessons, you received a sharp knock at your chamber doors.

A stern looking handmaiden was waiting on the other side, fingers pressed together so tightly the pads were turning white. “My lady, the queen has requested you take your Valyrian lessons with the children.”

You rolled your lips into your mouth for a moment, trying to find a tactful way of proceeding before deciding on, “I’m fluent.”

While you hoped that would be the end of it and you’d be able to return to your own endeavors, you were all but hauled in front of the Queen and King and forced to prove your fluency. “My mother is from Essos, Your Grace,”, you said, trying to keep the boredom out of your voice, “I learned High Valyrian alongside the Common Tongue. I would be happy to teach your children the Bastard Valyrian of Qohor if-”

“That won’t be necessary,” King Viserys said, sounding like he was trying not to laugh as his young wife blushed beside him. “You are free to spend that hour as you please.”

And it was with that small rebellion, did you finally draw Aegon to your side.

“How did you get out of our lessons?” He groused.

You smiled. “I’m fluent in Valyrian. It is my mother’s tongue.”

Aegon grumbled something into his wine before plopping down into the seat beside you. “What else do you know?”

And you couldn’t help the smile pushing at your mouth now. “My preference is for the Bastard Valyrian of Qohor.”

“My grandsire says the Qohorik are blood-soaked heretics.” His periwinkle eyes stared at you over the edge of his chalice as if daring you to refute him.

But you had heard worse and while it hurt you to hear the popular misconception of your mother’s homeland, you knew to bite your tongue. “Would you like to learn it?”

“I’m sure you’ve already had your fill of teaching my brother. Aemond seems to tug at your skirts every time he has the chance.”

A laugh escaped your lips before you could even think of quashing it. “Your brother sees no need to learn anything aside from High Valyrian and I assure you he is never tugging at my skirts.” To be true, you had spied him sketching a woman’s face on the edge of his history work when the tutor was answering questions poised by one of the other children. You finally recognized the woman as Lady Arryn when she had come to the Red Keep to meet with Princess Rhaenyra. He was besotted. The way the younger prince stared at her…it was unadulterated devotion. And Lady Arryn seemed completely unaware of it.

Aegon stared at you for another stretched moment. “I have been told I am a terrible student.”

Your smile came again. “Well, I suppose I will be the judge of that, my prince.”

And the prince smiled at you.

2

Despite your best efforts, Aegon did not take to Bastard Valyrian either. But, to be fair, it seemed his dragon preferred the Common Tongue anyway. And while your lessons with Prince Aegon didn’t prove fruitful in the way you had at first intended, you found the friendship you had cultivated with him much more rewarding anyway.

He was the one person in the whole of the capital that you never felt like you were burdening with your presence. He laughed at your ridiculous jokes, he stopped sulking when you told him he’d had enough to drink, and sought you out more than the desperate hangerson that seemed to shadow his every move. To be true, you felt like you were at least friends with the other royal children, but Aegon was your favorite. Helaena was a close second.

And it was because of this that you were standing in the Dragon Pit, staring at two dragons while Helaena and Aegon bickered. “I asked her first!”

“Dreamfyre has been accustomed to having two people on her back. She will be safer with me.”

“I am not going to endanger her,” Aegon pouted. “I would never.”

A soft touch at your elbow had you turning to see Aemond at your side. He was still without a dragon so he had been spared the argument but he did present you with a carefully wrapped present. “Happy nameday,” he murmured, cheeks pink. You unwrapped it quickly and smiled at the new quills and inkwells filled with dark ink swirled with pearl dust. “I know you have been sending ravens to Lonely Light twice a moon. I thought you should have finer supplies.”

“This is an exceptionally kind gift, my prince. I truly thank you for it.” The pink grew darker when you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek in thanks before turning and handing the gift to one of the handmaidens to make sure they were deposited into your chambers without issue. Aemond eventually excused himself from the Pit, not that you could blame him. His lack of dragon was still a sore spot.

“Who would you prefer to ride with?” Helaena asked, pulling you back to their squabble.

You resisted the urge to curl your hands into your skirts, a girlish impulse betraying your nerves. You didn’t want to hurt either of them. But you knew your answer. “Perhaps it would be good to also have Sunfyre become accustomed to having two riders. I would not want to always burden you and Dreamfyre.”

Aegon crowed in victory but Helaena only smiled. With a gentle squeeze to your hand, she let the dragon keepers lead her down toward Dreamfyre’s roost so they could take to the skies.

“Your victory celebrations are unbecoming of someone in your station,” you said, trying to keep a straight face as you turned to Aegon who was still basking in your decision. But you eventually fell into matching giggles.

He babbled about how he would take you around the city twice and then over the Bay and didn’t stop talking even as he reached down to help you climb up into Sunfyre’s fine saddle. The dragon was glorious and golden—you had ‘met’ the dragon a few times but this would be the first time you had ridden one. And it felt right to go with Aegon.

He had become your best friend.

“Hold tight to me,” he said, urging his dragon toward the Pit’s entrance. “I wouldn’t have you falling off and dirtying the streets.”

You cackled and dug your hands into his sides, earning a yelp and shake from him. He hated being tickled. And then…you were flying. The air whipped by your face and you heard Aegon yell out a command to go higher, higher, higher and he turned to smile at you, the sun making his periwinkle eyes shine.

You chanced a look down at the quickly shrinking city and let out another laugh. Surely this was magic. This was…

“I have something for you!” He yelled over the scream of the wind. Aegon let go of one of the reins—only laughing when you screeched about holding onto it—and dug something out of his doublet. He pried one of your hands from around his waist and slipped a delicate bracelet around your wrist. Dark red rubies and vibrant topaz were embedded in blackened steel, the colors of your house, making them look like tiny waves but the clasp was two interlocked dragon claws.

“It is beautiful!” You yelled, quickly grabbing hold of Aegon again.

“Happy Nameday!”

Before you could say anything else, he ordered Sunfyre to fly through the nearest cloud and his laughter overtook your squealing as tried to press yourself further into his back.

3

Your mother once said that all the rage and ruin that your father lacked had found its way to you.

For a long time, you thought it was a curse she had given you. But now, as you stared at the newest envoy from the Iron Islands, you understood that it was a blessing.

A group of men from House Harlaw had arrived only a fortnight ago and you felt something growing and bubbling beneath your skin like an eel every time one of them opened their mouth. They were vile. While King Viserys simply seemed proud of himself for having another Ironborn envoy, you saw how the Harlaw’s sneered at the royal children, taunting them, being cruel.

Every time they called Helaena queer, called Aemond a “half-man,” or said Aegon was “cowing to a trollop” (you assumed they were referencing Rhaenyra but you were not about to waste energy asking for clarification), you felt it grow.

It came to a head when everyone was called to the training grounds. Viserys had the stupid idea that boys knocking each other into the dirt repeatedly would forge a bond. You knew it meant he didn’t truly see you as enough, but surely he couldn’t be that ridiculous to not see how House Harlaw had only accepted his invitation to gorge themselves on his food and take their pick of the royal jewels and gold before making their way through the Narrow Sea to greater ventures. But no one would listen to you, even if you did have the sneaking suspicion that Princess Rhaenys had the same reservations as you did.

“You are not dragons!” Meldred sneered. “You’re sheep!”

The taunts continued and you bit your tongue so hard it bled when Meldred, the heir, said he would make Helaena one of his salt wives. The situation worsened when Aemond was maimed, defending his family’s honor. Aemond then went on to claim a dragon, Vhagar, but of course, Viserys cared little for that fact.

Meldred and his family were raucous in their celebration, filling the halls with their jeers. You knew better than to try to see Aemond. He had shut himself into his rooms after landing his massive dragon atop the Holdfast, blood streaked and cracked his face and neck. He would talk to you when he was ready. You didn’t mind waiting.

But it was Aegon whom you sought out. You knew he had felt each insult Meldred had hurled at him—no matter his sneer and princely bravado, you knew him. You knew he hurt. And you also knew the hidden passageways of the Red Keep and slipped through the dark shadows until you were walking into Aegon’s chambers, as you had done dozens of times before, knowing that courtly propriety would demand otherwise.

“I knew you’d come,” he murmured without turning to face you. Aegon was sitting in one of the overstuffed chaises that he had pulled toward the balcony that overlooked Blackwater Bay.

“I always do.” You settled beside him and stared out toward the horizon, too.

Aegon was quiet for a moment and you waited, as you always did, for him to find what he wanted to say. You never did mind. But your heart clenched when you saw him start to turn one of his rings in circles around his knuckles. It was a habit he had inadvertently started after you had (none too gently) steered him away from wine and ale whenever he had a glimmer of upsetting emotion.

“Is Aemond…” The words trailed off.

“Your mother says she’s having the finest maesters look after him. And I’ve heard murmurs she’s sent a raven to Lady Arryn, too.” You were not sure why Lady Arryn would be needed but perhaps the whispers of her being a witch did hold some water if Alicent sought her out for this.

The prince nodded and continued to turn his ring but the movement stopped quickly as his periwinkle eyes once again settled on you. “You have not gone to see him?”

“I will see him when he calls for me. I’ll not force my way to his side until he is ready. And I wanted to see you, too.”

“I’m not the one who lost an eye,” Aegon muttered, lips pulling tight over his teeth.

Your blood boiled at the reminder, and stayed heated as you saw the broken rage in your dearest friend’s eyes. “What they said, about you, your brothers, and nephews, none of it was true.”

“What?”

“You are not sheep, Aegon. And I’ll not have you believing any vile falsehood that he spewed today.” You needed him to know that it wasn’t true. He was a dragon. Your dragon. “Allowing him and his ilk to have such a hold on you is beneath you.”

Aegon was quiet again before nodding. “You always know what to say.”

“And when do you listen to me, hm?” Knocking your shoulder into his, you were delighted with the smile you coaxed from him. “Aemond will be fine, I am sure of it. And we will be free of the Harlaws soon.”

“Have they said they are leaving soon?”

You reached out and brushed one of his silver curls behind his ear. As you always did, you ignored how your entire chest tightened when he leaned into your palm. “I will make sure they leave with haste.” You knew what you had to do. Just like your mother knew how to stem the blood from a wound and speak to clouds, you knew how to do this.

You slunk back out of Aegon’s chambers and into your own, pulling the blade your brother had given you from beneath your featherbed and sliding it up your sleeve. It fit. Of course it did. This who you were. You set back out into the halls, head held high and steel in your spine. And it only took a handful of steps before another jeer came from the Harlaw’s. “And there is the little Farwynd!”

You turned and saw Meldred saunter into the hall, a few of his cousins on his heels. They blathered something about their spectacle at the training grounds but you didn’t care to listen, only waiting patiently as he moved closer and closer, that same wretched smirk on his face. And, when he was close enough, you moved. The blade glistened as you held it below his belt.

“I’m only going to say this once, so I need you to listen closely. Understand?”

“You wen-”

You pressed the blade closer, feeling as it cut through the leather of his trousers and you delighted in the sharp inhale he took. Yes, he could feel the sharp point of it. He waved a hand at his cousins, keeping them from approaching. “I said, listen to me. You and your family are to leave King’s Landing tonight. Not tomorrow, not a week from now. Tonight. If you do not, I’ll geld you. Do you understand?”

Meldred’s sharp breath smelt of ale and meat and you tried not to recoil as it washed over you. “You cannot command-”

“I am not commanding anything. I’m threatening you. There is a difference, Meldred. I know your family does not do more than kill and fuck, but I am sure you can understand the difference. Leave. Now.” The man’s dark eyes were ablaze with fury and you sank the knife further, feeling more than a little satisfaction when his snarl faded. “If you try to make a move toward me or anyone else in this castle, I will do far more than gelding you. Nod if you understand.”

You watched the tendons grow tight in his jaw before he nodded. Just once.

“Good. Good. You are not as stupid as you look. Now, go. Leave. I’ll be watching.”

And when Aegon asked about the sudden departure of the other Ironborn, you could only smile.

4

Living in the Red Keep had somewhat numbed you to the absurdity of living amongst House Targaryen. Just a few moons ago, a hooded man had asked if you had anything with House Harlaw’s sigil on it and you handed over the small dagger you had taken from their vacated apartments. It was no bother. You would have needed to destroy the seal and it was the least valuable thing you had pilfered anyway. And then when news came a few weeks later that House Harlaw had apparently been entirely eradicated after a certain dagger’s sheath was found beside a murdered Dalton Greyjoy…well, you could only smile. It was not anything of consequence to you. Even as the Iron Islands descended into a bloody civil war, you knew your family and House Farwynd was safe. They were too far away to be targeted and your father had no plans to sail toward danger anyway.

“Your smile is unnerving.”

Your gaze dragged over to Aegon but your smile did not falter. “You like my smile.”

“I do,” he said, cheeks just a touch pink, “but you look mad.”

“That is not a recent development,” Daeron said with a laugh from beside him—Aegon quickly knocked his elbow into his arm with a scowl. He never did like it when anyone else teased you.

“How fares your family?” Alicent said, ignoring her sons’ bickering. “Any news from Lonely Light?”

“My father has told me that most of the violence has settled but he would wager against any long lasting peace for now.”

The corners of Alicent’s mouth pulled down and she quickly turned to discuss that revelation with Rhaenyra and Rhaenys. They would handle it as they saw fit (and Viserys would do little more than hum and haw, as he always did).

The conversation eventually turned to the upcoming festivities for Helaena’s nameday. You suspected Jacaerys and Helaena’s wedding date would be set soon, too. And every word about the upcoming feast and dancing had Helaena shifting more in her seat. You reached across the table and set your hand beside hers, knowing she had to reach out to you, not the other way around.

“I will be at your side for anything you need.”

Helaena’s long fingers moved to settle over yours, tapping a soft beat against your skin. “You will save me then?”

“Of course I will.” Helaena beamed at you for a moment before being pulled away into a conversation with Jeyne and you were happy to focus back on Aegon who set a hand on your leg, a pout pulling at his mouth when you didn’t laugh at a joke you hadn’t heard.

And soon the festivities were in full swing and you were fitted into an outfit the poor seamstress had fretted over for a fortnight. She had been so used to the styles of the capital and House Targaryen that she struggled with your requests. But you, once again longing for your home despite the friendships you had formed here and the years that had passed, missed Lonely Light. You wanted something that would be at home in the familiar shadows of your childhood home. It was a little strange, a little more…you. And it served a dual purpose, despite the seamstress’ confusion.

The music was lively and the crowd more so, probably bolstered by the Arbor Gold and Dornish Reds. That would be your only excuse as to why the princess they had gathered to celebrate was being actively ignored at her own party. You knew her betrothed, Jacaerys, would have been at her side but he had taken ill a few days ago and was currently asleep with a fever. The other royals were doing their best to keep the worst of the courtiers away from Helaena but they could be relentless.

The latest song faded and you hurried your trek through the crowd as you heard one of the jesters call for Helaena to take a turn about the floor.

Before anyone else could step forward, you did. You held out a hand to Helaena and watched as her elusive smile split her mouth. Her soft giggle made you smile, too, as her hand settled into yours.

“You have saved me.”

“I swore to you that I would,” you whispered as you took your position. The crowds behind you started to whisper but you paid no heed to them.

“Is that Lady Farwynd? Wearing trousers?” Someone whispered.

“Yes, I believe so!”

You and Aegon had spent hours in his chambers, learning the steps traditionally taken by men in these dances. He had been a patient if not teasing teacher, but he never gave up when you stepped on his toes or twirled when you were supposed to spin him.

Helaena was a beautiful dancer, light and airy as she moved through the steps and you hoped you hadn’t embarrassed her. Thanking all of your mother’s gods, you didn’t miss a single step and bowed to her as the song finished. She reached out and grabbed your hands, pressing a kiss against your knuckles, before she moved back toward the head table where Alicent waited. She caught your eye over her daughter’s shoulder and smiled at you with a dip of her head.

“That was quite the performance.”

You turned abruptly to see a comely man at your side, a charming smile on his face. Wracking your brain for his name or anything that might help you place him, you were relieved to recognize the sigil, a white weasel. “Lord Varner. Good evening.”

The conversation that followed was pleasant if not a little stilted as he seemed to know more about you than you did about him. But he was amiable, you supposed.

“Would you do me the honor of the next dance, my lady?”

“Apologies, but I did promise Prince Aegon my next dance, my lord.” During your dance lessons, Aegon had made you promise that you would dance with him for the rest of the night after your turn with Helaena. It had been the easiest promise you had ever made.

The man hummed, dark eyes narrowing for just a moment. “I have heard whispers that you are quite close with the prince, no?”

The smile that pushed at your mouth could not be stopped as you nodded. “He is a dear friend.”

And while you hoped that would be the end of it, Varner stepped closer. “A friend. A tricky sort of term, is it not? I must say, my lady, you have played the long game. You are from a wealthy house, but with nothing else to offer the crown.”

By now, your smile had faded and you had begun to unbutton the sides of your trousers and pulled the hidden skirt of your dress free, it was the only thing you could think of to do. Screaming at him and making a fool of yourself was not an option at present. Not when it was Helaena’s nameday. And you did not know why his words hurt you.

“He will never choose you, my lady. You must know that.”

“I will never ask him to choose me, my lord. He is my friend. And I chose him.”

“And when your family says it is time for you to marry? Should you not think of yourself instead of him?”

“What would-”

“Your beauty has been secreted away in the halls of this castle for ages, my lady. But I still heard whispers of it. Of you.”

“And apparently my House’s wealth, my lord. You seem to know that as well,” you added with a sneer.

A blush stained his cheeks and he glanced away for a moment. “We could be a formidable match. I had hoped-”

“Ah, there you are.” Aegon stepped in front of you, looking every bit the prince you knew him to be in fine clothes with silver and gold jewelry across his neck and fingers. “You owe me a dance, my lady.”

“I also asked her for a dance, my prince.”

And then, to your horror and belated amusement, both men held out a hand for you to take. You looked between Lord Varner and Aegon and easily slipped your hand into Aegon’s without a look back as the prince pulled you further onto the dance floor.

He led you through the steps of the dance and did not part from your side even as one song turned into two, then three, then four.

The fourth was slower, mostly meant for couples or lovers, but you did not mind still spending it in Aegon’s arms.

“You chose me, do you?” Aegon murmured and he held fast when you tried to pull away from him and continued to lead you through the dance. His periwinkle eyes held something you could not name, but it was gone with his next blink and he smiled at you.

“You know I do,” you said, confused at how and why your voice shook.

This was Aegon. This was your truest, dearest friend. Why did he suddenly stir something in your chest with just his smile?

-1

With the decree that the eldest child could inherit titles, regardless of their sex, you still expected your brother to become Lord of Lonely Light after your father passed. After all, you were still Ironborn and the laws of the Crown had little sway on the Iron Islands. But you received not one but three ravens from Lonely Light, each stamped with House Farwynd’s sigil. The first was from your mother, telling you that you could hold the title if you wanted it.

The second was from your father, asking if you wanted to be named heir. It was an honest question with no ill-intent behind it as he reminded you of how much he loved and missed you.

The third was from your brother, relief tilting his handwriting. You knew I never wanted it, dear sister. I cannot sail the world if I must be counting coin on Lonely Light.

Well. That settled that, then. You would be Lady Farwynd when the time came.

The revelation didn’t give you more than a moment’s pause. You hadn’t really given your future a thought other than eventually returning to Lonely Light. And where did that leave you with Aegon? He was your dearest, truest friend and Lonely Light was so far from King’s Landing. But still, Rhaenyra had invited you to stay in the capital for as long as you wanted and soon your presence would have been required anyway. Jacaerys wed Helaena in a lavish ceremony and soon after that, with the pull to go home and the push to stay still gnawing at your mind, Viserys finally died and it would have been rude for you without paying your respects.

You owed that man nothing.

The only good he had done was half heartedly helping create his children but you thought they were more like their mothers anyway. You sat behind Aegon during the prayers and let him tangle his fingers with yours when he reached back for you. If Aegon needed you in this moment, no matter his own conflicting emotions regarding his father, you would not falter. And you would never shun his company. If he sought you out more during Rhaenyra’s coronation celebrations, you would never complain.

He was your Aegon.

He danced with you until your feet hurt and they you sipped wine at his side, hiding away on one of the Red Keep’s many balconies until the sun came up. And as the celebrations continued on, you were one of the very few Ironborn Houses that came to swear fealty to the new queen in person. All others sent ravens with their oaths but you doubted many of them meant them, truthfully. And you doubted that Rhaenyra cared much either.

But with each day that slipped through your fingers, you felt the pull to go back to Lonely Light…and it was strange that you hesitated to call it home. It was only for a moment, but it was a hesitation regardless. You needed to learn how to truly care for your charges and responsibilities.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Aegon asked.

Hot tears stung at your eyes without warning as you turned to look at Aegon, standing in the shadows of the hidden passage. “I don’t want to leave.”

“But you will.” He moved further into your rooms and grasped at your hands with shaking fingers. Without another word, he kissed each of your knuckles and your heart twisted with every brush of his lips. Why? Why now must you feel this? Or was it always waiting, patient for you to understand?

“And I will fly Sunfyre to your island if you are gone too long.” The prince tried to smile as he said it but it did not reach his beautiful eyes and it furthered the ache in your chest.

“I expect nothing less, my prince.” Your smile was no doubt stilted, too.

Aegon’s next breath stuttered against your hands as he still held them up to his mouth. “I’m just Aegon to you. Your Aegon.”

The words were a bell toll in your mind as you sailed away from the Red Keep and you tried to keep your eyes on Aegon as he stood on the shore, watching watching watching until he disappeared entirely. Your stomach still lurched all the way back to Lonely Light and your mother’s perfume and gentle touch still settled it. Your family threw a feast to mark the occasion of your homecoming and you slipped into a routine of shadowing your parents to make sure your island continued to prosper. It was good, fulfilling work.

But still, your heart ached and your dreams never ceased to bring you periwinkle eyes that haunted you when you woke.

“Part of your heart has been left behind in that wretched city,” your mother said, brooking no argument as she claimed the chair beside you as you learned the intricacies of collecting “taxes” from your men.

More tears came; you had tried to hide them since you had come back to Lonely Light. After all, were you not supposed to be here? Your home? “I… I do not know how to heal this wound, mama.”

She simply shook her head and pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. “I have lost so many years of your life to that crown and that iron chair. But you are still my little girl. I know your heart and it brings me the smallest bit of joy to still see you capable of such love.”

And the bell tolled again.

5

When Rhaenyra called on House Farwynd to help defend the Realm against the threat of the renewed Triarchy, you knew you must answer. Your family supported you and your men were all too eager to oblige. While your father might not have been as hungry for bloodshed and violence after marrying your mother, that did not mean the urges of the Ironborn beneath your care were the same. And you must lead them. You knew it. Your father knew it.

To truly be seen as the heir to Lonely Light, you had to do this.

The tears in your mother’s eyes were the only indication of her fear for you. “My girl. My beautiful girl,” she whispered. Deft fingers pulled at the straps of your light armor, tightening it a little more. “I only just had you home again. And now we must be parted again?”

“I will return to you again, Mother. I promise you.”

She nodded and pressed a kiss to your temple, wet cheek pressing against yours. “I know you will. But I…” Her thumb pressed against your cheek and her eyes held secrets she couldn’t divulge. It was something you always expected from her—her gods still burdened and blessed her. “I do not know how you will return.” She then murmured a prayer in her native tongue, asking for blessings, safety, and, strangely enough, happiness for you.

And you repeated the prayer to yourself as you stood beside your father on the bow of your ship, knowing your mother stood on the shores of Lonely Light, doing the same. Your brother was captaining a ship behind you and nearly a hundred more filled the sea beside you. When this was over, your brother asked for leave to take his ship and men east, wanting to explore Qarth and perhaps visit Asshai. He still wanted his adventures and you and your father were happy to oblige him.

But when you arrived at King’s Landing, almost all those thoughts vanished from your mind as Aegon shoved his way through the crowds at the dock to get to you. Ignoring propriety and courtly rules, he wrapped you in a tight hug that had strange tears stinging your eyes as his familiar scent engulfed your senses.

“Aegon,” you whispered. There was nothing else you could think to say.

“You have returned. To me.”

“I-”

“Yes, yes, and to help defend the Crown, that as well. But to me.”

A watery laugh punched out of you as you pulled back, fingers still gripping his shoulders. “Yes, to you.”

And it seemed the gods (or just Rhaenyra) were smiling down on you when you and your fleet were assigned to protect the shores of the Riverlands and Stormlands with Aegon and Daeron flying their dragons overhead. He would be at your side and you at his. For now, you would not be separated again. And while you knew this time together would be different, you still treasured it. Even when the Triarchy came and battered themselves against your ships and dragonfire, you knew you were with Aegon.

Your brother and father were not blind, Any time your men and the dragon riders made camp together, Aegon sought you out.

“You have a dragon shadow,” Roryn said with a smile.

“She has a dragon’s heart,” your father corrected, eyes finding your face over the chipped edge of his tankard.

The seas were calm tonight and you heard your men wondering if that meant the Drowned God was giving you a reprieve from your enemies or if it was a warning of what was to come. But still, you found yourself turning to see Aegon and Sunfyre at the edge of camp, both content with just each other for the moment.

“When you were taken from us, we thought you had been lost to us forever,” your father murmured. The ale sloshed over the side of his tankard as he set it down on the uneven table. “But you are still my daughter, but I think you have changed others.” His roughened fingers slid against your cheek before he stood. “You are salt, sea, and shadow, my girl. Every light needs its shadow.” And then he was standing and dragging your brother up from his seat, too. A question was on the tip of your tongue but it quickly left when Aegon approached the table. He and your father and brother dipped their heads at each other, the smallest bit of respect shown, before he sat beside you. Your stomach twisted pleasantly as you noticed how the firelight made his periwinkle eyes sparkle as the prince smiled at you.

It had taken you nearly a year of being parted for you to understand what you had with Aegon. It wasn’t loud or fiery. It was quiet and slow growing. And you wouldn’t have it any other way. “Is it selfish of me to be thankful for the Triarchy to attack? If I had to wait another moon to see you again, I would have flown Sunfyre to Lonely Light.”

You smiled and it grew when his hand nudged against yours on the table and you took the chance to link your fingers together, roughened palm against roughened palm. “Well, we can be selfish together.”

You and Aegon spoke until the last of your men started to turn toward the tents or their ships to sleep for the night. And it was still not enough time with him. You didn’t think you would ever have enough time with him. And you hope he felt the same way.

But you didn’t have time to seek an answer to your question when a horn blared and ripped you from your dreams of periwinkle eyes. You rushed out of your tent as you tightened the chestplate over your body, feet sinking into the sand. The horn blared again and you saw the foreign boats rushing ashore and shadowed figures hurdling out of them. They had come just before dawn. The bodies of the lookouts were half-submerged in the dying embers of the fires and you barely had time to recognize them before you were taken from your feet, tackled and spitting sand. It scratched your skin and blurred your vision for just a moment before you rolled again and grabbed one of the blades from your boot and thrust it down into the neck of the man who had taken you down. He gurgled in his own blood but you hardly heard it as you sprung to your feet.

Your men were yelling, hurrying to their longboats to take to the seas, culling the stem of invaders. They were yelling for anyone and everyone to follow them. And you knew you should. You were the heir to Lonely Light. You were Ironborn. And-

Daeron’s dragon Tessarion screeched and belched cobalt flames across a horde of men intent on hurting her and her rider before she took to the skies and then you saw Sunfyre struggling against the overwhelming numbers of Triarchy rushing toward him. And Aegon was there.

Your Aegon.

And your decision was made. You could hear Aegon’s screams and your mind cruelly conjured every time he laughed with you, the touch of his hand in yours, the whispered secrets you had given each other.

And it was about to be ripped away from you.

You sprinted toward Aegon, grabbing another weapon from around your waist and threw yourself into the fray with a scream that shredded your throat. Sunfyre’s golden fire rained down on the group but still more came, piling onto the beautiful dragon with glinting knives and screams of their own. Again and again you stabbed and swung and killed, pushing your way through the crowd to get to them. To get to Aegon. And then you were standing in front of him, a blood-covered blade in each hand and your heart roaring in your ears. And Aegon was warm at your back for just a moment before collapsing and you saw red and then gold as Sunfyre roared again. You could taste the other men’s blood on your tongue as it mixed with the greasy ash that swept by you, but still…you could not stop. Not until Aegon was safe.

You knocked away a knife as it aimed for your stomach and then took the man’s head from his shoulders with a roar of your own and then sank into the sand. Blood had soaked you to the bone…but it was done. Turning on your knees, you threw down your weapons and scrambled to drag Aegon into your arms. Sunfyre hissed, his own blood steaming into the purple light of dawn from where the attackers had managed to wound him, and curled his golden tail around you.

“Aegon? Aegon, can you look at me? Open your eyes!” Your bloodied hands patted at his face, his chest, anywhere you could think to touch him that wasn’t wounded. A crimson stain had spread across his stomach, a matching one down his left thigh. And he was…

“You…magnificent woman…” Slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes opened and he smiled at you, blood on his teeth.

Tears quickly blurred your vision but you hurried to blink them away as you stared down at him. “Do not worry. I…I will get a maester. You are going to be…” The tears came again. “We are going to be just fine. You and me.” He had to be. He had to. You just got him back.

Aegon reached up and brushed his fingers against the drying blood on your cheek. “I knew you’d come. My bloody savior. My vicious lady.”

“Did I not tell you?” You asked, almost laughing. “I would always come to you.”

The battle might be won, your men cheering and Tessarion roaring overhead, but you knew, as Aegon looked at you and found the strength to wrap his hand around the back of your neck and gently pull you down so your forehead pressed against his, sticky and warm, something else had changed.

+1

Aegon loved you. He loved you. He had loved you a few moments after you had offered to teach him Bastard Valyrian, picking him above all others. You had wanted him, over and over again. And he wanted you. Loved you.

And you were leaving him again.

The war was over. His family was safe. His sister’s reign was at peace, again. His siblings, niece, and nephews were settling into happy and mostly politically advantageous marriages. (He would still never understand why it took Aemond so long to get married to Lady Arryn but that was a story he could be told later, he assumed.)

But why not him? And why not with you?

You had run to him when the Triarchy had nearly overwhelmed him and Sunfyre. You had killed for him. So why were you leaving again?

Now, Aegon could have a silver tongue when the situation called for it, and often when it didn’t. But why could he not form the words to keep you from leaving again? He could not bear it a second time. Not again. Not when he just had you back. And why did this affliction now of all times? He’d never had trouble speaking with you before.

But still, he wordlessly watched as you and your men milled about the Great Hall, esteemed guests at the festivities celebrating the obliteration of the Triarchy. Aegon’s wounds were still tender but would heal, several maesters had checked and then checked again at the behest of his mother and eldest sister. And you were set to leave at first light tomorrow, back to Lonely Light. Away from him.

You caught his eye over your father’s shoulder and smiled at him, radiant and beautiful. You had been beautiful covered in blood and gore. You had been beautiful when you were in your finest gowns and your oldest sailing leathers. You were beautiful.

And then Aegon was standing and moving through the crowd, ignoring how his side protested and his leg burned with the sudden movement. He had to see you, touch you, let you know that he loved you. He bit back a snarl as someone collided with him but still carried on until he was standing beside you.

Brief but formal introductions had been made ages ago but Aegon was not entirely sure what the older man thought of him. Lord Farwynd was stern and Aegon was only momentarily stunned silent when he turned his gaze toward him. “It took you some time to make your way over here, princeling.”

Aegon’s smile felt a little crooked but it settled when you laughed and knocked your arm into your father’s side. “Father, please.”

He simply nodded his head, the very edges of his lips curling in a ghost of a smile. “I doubt I am the one you came to speak to.” Lord Farwynd pressed a soft kiss to her temple before walking away without really giving Aegon any sort farewell.

You looked like you were about to say something but Aegon couldn’t wait and wrapped both of his hands around one of yours and started to tug you toward one of the balconies. “I must speak with you.”

And you followed without a word but he could feel your gaze pressing into the back of his head and as he hurried to drag you behind the curtain and stone pillar of the nearest one.

“Aegon? What-”

He kissed you.

To be true, that was not what he had intended to do but he could not stop himself when the moonlight hit your eyes and your mouth looked so…perfect.

But you kissed him back.

Your arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him tight. It was a little uncoordinated, but Aegon didn’t care. He could teach you, and he could learn what you liked. You could learn together. And when you smiled against his mouth, Aegon’s entire chest felt like it was near to bursting. His hands framed your face and he pulled you closer, barely letting either of your lungs fill with your next breath, and kissed you kissed you kissed you.

He could kiss you forever.

And he wanted to.

“Marry me,” he murmured against your mouth. “Please, please, marry me. Be my wife and let me be your husband.”

You paused and your fingers moved to brush through the curls at the nape of his neck. He watched with rapt attention as you bit at your lip. “Aegon, Lonely light is so far from the Red Keep. I would-”

“The distance is nothing to a dragon. And I want to be with you. It was always you. It will always be you.” His thumbs smoothed soft circles into your cheeks and your eyes shuttered as you leaned a little into the touch. He should have been doing this for years. Why had he wasted so much time? “I will happily go where you lead. I will follow you everywhere.” He paused. “I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. I want to be your husband. Please, tell me if your heart is the same as mine.”

Your thumb pressed against his bottom lip as your next breath stuttered against his. And then you kissed him, just enough for Aegon to chase your lips, eyes closed, when you pulled back after a few too-short moments. “I love you, too.”

Aegon’s eyes opened and his answering smile almost hurt but he did not care when he pulled you closer, hands bracketing your hips. Just for a moment, he let him think of all the things he would learn about you soon enough…if you accepted his proposal.

The tears in your eyes gave him hope as they sparkled in the low light. “Will you tell your sister and mother or shall I?”

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think!