#i give you my word as an angel

[ineffableaddiction]

The Guardian, The Dauntless

Angel Name: Aziraphale, Principality, Supreme Archangel

Human Names: AZ Fell, Mr Fell, Dr McFell, Brother Francis, Mr Cortese

Since before space and time as we know it existed, Aziraphale has been trying to protect others. Whether warning other angels against what he thought might get them into trouble, giving a weapon to humans cast out into the wilderness, trying to save souls or averting the apocalypse, he will do what he believes is right.

Even if it means putting himself in a dangerous situation, Aziraphale has a moral compass that guides him, and sometimes risks himself rather than go against his personal beliefs.

A natural risk taker, he can sometimes come across as brave and other times as foolish, but to overlook his intelligence puts others at a disadvantage. In the pursuit of knowledge, Aziraphale is willing to alter his viewpoints if he learns new information that has the potential to help others.

When his former boss shows up unexpectedly, Aziraphale is worried that Gabriel doesn’t have anyone to help him, even though he was the person who tried to permanently destroy Aziraphale with hellfire. When he finds someone in need, no matter who they are, he wants to help, no matter the cost to himself.

Aziraphale honestly believed he would be thrown into hell for saving Job’s children, yet chose to do it anyway. It was what he thought was right and remained steadfast in his convictions.

He is compassionate

He will risk anything if he thinks it’s for the right reasons

He wants to protect all life on Earth

Will adjust his views and grow as an angel/human-shaped being as he learns new things

[gentlebeard]

If I could hold you for a minute, Darling, I’d go through it again

For @edsbacktattoo & @stedesearring 💕 Show: Our Flag Means Death - Season 1 & 2 Music: Francesca by Hozier YouTube

[yoichichi]

DONT KNOW WHY IM FEELING SAPPY BUT IF YOU SEE THIS I LOVE YOU!! ​CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT NO MATTER HOW SMALL!!

[kaeyachi]

Kaeya had always been an efficient and hard-working individual (he had to be to support Diluc in the background as his brother rose thru the ranks after all).

He has so much free time because he completes all his work way ahead of schedule. And if he still has enough time, he adds more to the workload in secret.

And once all of that was done and over with, he makes time for everyone. He has to. He feels as if every moment has to be given to someone else.

No one knows how he does it. No one has to know.

Every mission has a dozen strategies in line, and every battle plan is made with efficiency in mind. His perfect record will not be tarnished. He can't risk it (even if it baffles others that he would willingly activate a ruin guard just to prevent a failed mission. Jean disagrees with his methods, but Kaeya can say that the results say otherwise)

He needs to be quick.

Efficient.

Perfect.

And so he comes and goes like the wind.

Kaeya values time because he knew every second counted. He can't just stand there as if he were frozen. Time could run out in an instant.

Kaeya had only been late once his entire life.

He'd rather he never be late ever again.

It took one day of being of being imperfect for everything to fall apart. On that tragic day...had he gotten there on time... then maybe...

.

.

.

" Come on, let's get moving, traveler. We're not frozen in place after all. " Kaeya teasingly says. He stiffles a giggle at the traveler's exhasperated sigh.

"Yeah yeah, we've heard enough of you calling us a slacker. Can't you be a bit more patient?" Paimon whines at him.

Kaeya snorts, but acquiesces, hiding the shaking of his hands at the thought of being idle.

He imagines hearing a clock ticking.

Kaeya knows that that is his own problem. He tries his hardest to relax as he waits for the traveler to finish whatever they're making on the alchemy table because, seriously, it is supposed to be a relaxing day. There's nothing major going on, and his schedule is once again empty as intended. What's the hurry?

Kaeya taps his foot on the ground as he waits. He wishes he could take his own damn advice when he tells others to relax.

[oceans-beloved]

Meme dump yayyy🥳✨️

(off to make more now muhahaha >:3)

[becca-e-barnes]

I've been writing my dissertation like that gif of the cat frantically slamming a keyboard (you know the one) but it's got me thinking about professor Bucky and how he might incentivise you to get your work done for his class 😏

"You're not getting an extension. Don't even think about e-mailing me for one." The hardest part of dating your lecturer isn't actually the sneaking around; it's that he's a hell of a lot tougher on you than the rest of the class.

"But Bucky I-" You begin but he cuts you off and you know by the look on his face that there's no point pressing it.

"No. You're more than capable and you've got plenty of time to get it done. You don't need an extension, you need to apply yourself."

God, he's annoying. You know you can do it, you never said you couldn't. You just don't want to. There's a massive difference.

He pulls his copy of the required reading out of his bag, setting it on the desk beside your laptop and it takes everything in you not to bury your head in your hands.

"There. I've helped you enough." He nods towards the textbook but when you don't move, he flicks through the pages with a sigh, leaving it open at the chapter you know you should start with.

You sit there for another few seconds in a foul mood, mentally preparing yourself to sit here for the next few hours.

"How about I help you? I get the impression you need an incentive." He knows you too well, there's nothing more motivating than a little treat. "You have 12,000 words to write. For every 1,000 you write this week, I'll give you an orgasm."

Maybe you should complain about his assignments more often.

"Deal." Hell, if you'd known this was coming, you'd have started ages ago.

"Good girl." He laughs, amused at the rate at which your fingers begin to dance over the keyboard.

Getting started isn't too hard. You type out a quick plan of your chapters, dropping in the sources you know you'll need before starting your introduction and with your focus on your work, you hardly notice Bucky sinking to his knees under the desk.

You feel his warm, open mouthed kisses trailing up your thighs under your skirt and his soft groans drag your attention away from the laptop.

"Don't stop working." He insists, licking your sex through your cotton underwear, letting you enjoy the delicious friction on your cunt. "You're almost at the first thousand and it reads well so far." You feel his hot breath against the now wet cotton while one of your hands falls to tug his hair.

"If you stop typing, I stop licking." He threatens, pulling your panties to the side, gliding his tongue against your skin and groaning at the taste of your arousal.

You have just over 200 words until you reach your first thousand and it should be so easy but it becomes even harder when he sinks two fingers into you and you're able to hear how wet you are already.

His lips engulf your clit, sucking gently while flicking his tongue in vertical strokes in time with his fingers curling inside you. "Such a smart girl. I'm so proud of you." He hums before giving you a few broad strokes with a flat tongue.

He knows what his praise does to you and with your thighs clamped around his head, you fly your way through a few hundred more words. He chuckles when you proudly announce you reached a thousand but you don't stop typing at the same frantic pace.

"Sweetheart, if you want to get all 12,000 done this evening, I'll sit here as long as it takes." He smiles against your skin before giving you everything he knows you need. His tongue flicks quickly over your clit and his fingertips rub against the soft, spongy spot inside you and in no time you're gushing against his face, gripping his hair and riding your high out on his waiting tongue.

[i-like-books-and-women]

Okay so my newest brain worm is kinda based around how after Zach comes out to Jon and Angel and they're like "omg bro thank you for telling us we love you" pretty much instantly Angel looks back between Zach and Ruben once or twice and is like "Shut the fuck up you're dating" and they're like "I mean like we haven't really talked about that but like-" and Angel essentially goes "Ooh friends with benefits? Based." And I kinda forgot how perceptive he is at times so I think it'd be really funny if he just straight up missed a lot of subtext but can clock any romantic/sexual developments/activities in any of them pretty much instantly. If Jon started dating someone he knew the next time he saw him without being told. He knew Zach and Ruben were gonna get engaged before it had even happened and sent them a congratulations text like the day after despite not being told, not seeing them in person for a hot second, and the fact that they didn't live together anymore.

[meloartist]

Yeah, I also want to see 2 season, especially Destiny and my favorite Delirium, but I'm also curius who will play Remiel and Duma.

[i think this ask was pre-s2 announcement bc 2022 but YEAH]

i'm a HUUUUUUUUUGE duma stan you dont even KNOW

[lotrmusical]

My high school did a yearly poetry recitation contest (Poetry Out Loud), so Oh Boy do I know some poems. My favorites are Ozymandias and "the world is about to end and my grandparents are in love," by Kara Jackson. Also in 8th grade we had a Poe unit and had a class contest to make the best music video of the Raven, so I still know a good chunk of that.

i hadn't heard of the kara jackson one! just read through it and enjoyed it, particularly these lines > 'grandma returns to her love like a hymn, marks it with a color. // when the world ends will it suck the earth of all its love? /will i go taking somebody’s hand, / my skin becoming their skin?'

[cyberdragoninfinity]

I totally agree with your points about Primo and bees, because they do make a lot of sense and are more canonically accurate to him (although I personally have to confess i like the idea of him liking bees just because I like bees-)

I think however one point that could argue in favour of him at least having an interest in bees is the fact that he outright describes how bees dance, if I recall correctly. Literally no one just remembers while riding a motorbike in a life or death scenario which formation bees make when dancing, and also there's the fact that he knows bees dance. He's an android from a post apocalyptic world; just why does he knows about bees, specifically bees, of all things? Considering the state of that world, bees shouldn't exist.

Anyway, what's your take on why Primo just happens to know about bees? i mean one possibility is that he deliberately studied things to compare lester to

That's a good question! Definitely worth examining. Primo does indeed bring up this concept of bees dancing in the sub, and though he doesn't describe the specific formation, he does shares the fact about how they do it to indicate to each other where to find things (though irl it's pollen actually, not honey lol)

To me though, I think Primo having this knowledge is less out of a driven interest in bees themselves, and moreso an interest in what the bees represent to him. Primo is... a not a terribly subtle person, and he is Very Vocal about his interest (fixation, almost) in determinism and destiny. Bees are a social animal, just like humans, and to him the bees' dance is all but the beautiful instinct of a small and insignificant creature, an act they perform not out of free will but out of inevitability--just like the inevitability he believes befalls humanity in their eternal Synchro-driven self destruction.

imo with him knowing this bit of Bee Knowledge, he doesn't actually care about the bee part--he cares about the dancing. I really like his Duel Links taunt that ties into this, actually, I think it's a great little flicker of insight on this topic.

god LOOK at that fucked up toothy grin!!!! what you lookin crazy for!!!! he says it in such a gnarly mean snarly way too. And it's clear here he is Not talking about the "bees dancing to show each other where to find food" tidbit he shares in show, he could not care LESS about that part right now; he's comparing his opponent's implied struggling to the predetermined helpless act of an amusing little insect. Because that's the part he's most interested in. There's no way you can win this, destiny's already determined that. All you can do is repeat your own mistakes, Do the same dance over and over.

So why's he got this bee knowledge in the first place? Personally, I think it's probably something he's tripped over in his own pursuits of examining humanity's inevitabilities (and trying to figure out how to circumvent them and save the world) He's an android, it's not super farfetched to think that he could have just downloaded a swatch of topics related to potentially predetermined instincts of social animals into his synthetic brain, and then later gave pause to bees in particular while mid-working on the Diablo and having a Commanded By External Forces "swarm" of his own. Or, considering that. ah. well. Z-one is quick to compare those he deems insignificant to insects ( 8,) ), Primo might have picked that up as learned behavior and was already inclined to pick bees as his preferred metaphor for unimportant cogs in the destiny's great machine.

Hell, maybe even Z-one himself is the one who preprogrammed the knowledge of creatures great and small into Primo's robo-brain. 5D's is very nebulous about just how long the Emperors have been around, but I'm very firmly in the camp of "a long fucking time, and they have probably been through several time loops and alternate timelines and rebuildings," so i think there's been ample opportunity for Primo to make contact with that knowledge one way or another, not necessarily because he actively sought it out. The post apocalypse Iliaster crawled out of may have been devoid of much life at all, let alone bees, but these guys very literally have all the time in the world to become acquainted with past ecology. (also Z-one is a NERD!!!! i KNOW he would have been preserving knowledge of things like animals. something something the repressed unspoken hope that things will get better, etc. etc.)

anyway, tl;dr I think Primo's more interested in what bees and their little dance symbolize in the grand scheme of what Iliaster is working towards than in the bugaboos themselves, and I think a combination of his active efforts building a particularly bee swarm-like robot army, his own personal belief system, and also the fact he's an android himself (with no doubt an inclination towards gathering data relevant to his God's command) just made him more inclined to pick up some Fun Bee Trivia and keep it fresh in his mind. 🐝

[hauntingblue]

BACK TO ONE PIECE LETSGOOOOO

[callmegaith]

"the hurt runs deeper than they're willing to show you... Beneath the resilient veneer, a touch of fragility. They need comfort"

[angelsanctuarys]

what did you think about Perfume Of The Timeless!!

I personally liked it, I think it gives a small hint of what the whole album is going to be without making it super obvious. Which is the point of a single, to just give a taste, a nudge.

Also, mark my words, the song is not going to be the 1st of the list, there's going to be at least 1 behind it that will connect to those initial drums.

Sidenote but oh joy of joys on that 5:30 mark where finally we make a return to a much missed element that I was weeping for: letting emppu going berserk and bring those gorgeous heavy riffs back to life with enough force to revive the dead!

[dontforgetoctober3rd]

Life Eternal

This is an HOTD fanfic based off *another* fanfic, Second Sons by @avengingangelfanfic

The order I highly recommend reading in is Second Sons first (might take you a while, as it clocks in at well over 500K words!) and then reading my drabble prologue here:

Lastly, you can proceed with the story in THIS post!

Disclaimer: The events in this fic are NOT canon to the canon events of AvengingAngel's story! It was just an idea bouncing around and I asked for permission, which was graciously given, to put it in words. Gif credits are in the gifs themselves, except for the still image of King Edward, which is a screengrab from TLK.

Summary: Set 44 years after the initial events of Second Sons, Daemon Targaryen, son of Aemond and Lyanna, struggles to find his way due to his parents' fame. Who will he go to first in order to solve this problem?

Faceclaims: Daemon (Aemond as portrayed by Ewan Mitchell, except without the missing eye and his hair in a single ponytail)

Royce Baratheon (King Edward from The Last Kingdom, as portrayed by Timothy Innes)

Alphonse Baratheon (Osferth from The Last Kingdom, as portrayed by Ewan Mitchell)

King Jacaerys (Aragorn as portrayed by Viggo Mortensen)

Aegon II and Helaena (Tom Glynn-Carney and Phia Saban, but just imagine them way older!)

Word Count: 4400

Rating: T (mentions of death, mentions of violence)

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

In the first 25 years of the reign of Rhaenyra, the People’s Queen, Westeros enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity.  Save for the usual disputes between great houses over old wounds, the staving off of pirates who got too bold every couple of years, and the hard winter of 140 AC,those first 25 years were considered the Golden Age of the Seven Kingdoms.

It seemed once the new queen made short work of the extremist Faith Militant and the Flameborn in House Targaryen were revealed, no other major enemy desired a dance with the dragons who sat the Iron Throne.

Such a difference to the tragic years shortly following the birth of Prince Aemond and Princess Lyanna’s 7th child, Daemon.  Before the terrible times of turmoil, let us tell of this last instance of happiness for The Dragon Blade and his Princess of Hearts.  

The much beloved son came after 6 equally loved daughters: Catelyn, the eldest and born in the midst of the Crown’s battle against the Faith Militant, Laena, second and named for her grandsire’s second wife and Queen Baela’s mother, Alicent,their third, named for her father’s mother and who grew to share Prince Aemond’s love of books, Alyssa came fourth, named for her great-grandmother, followed by a fifth daughter, Daenys, who together with Alyssa stuck to her elder sister Alicent like a shadow.  A sixth child, seemingly the last (for it was 7 years after the birth of Daenys that this occurred and following this birth, it would be ten years before Princess Lyanna’s womb would quicken again, everyone of the mind that she was going through her change of no longer being fertile) turned out to be another daughter, whose name was decided upon to be Rhaenys. 

“By your leave,  we have decided to name her Rhaenys.” Prince Aemond had famously told The Queen Who Never Was, upon his arrival at Driftmark.  He had taken up the habit of flying upon Vhagar to announce the births of his children to the lords and ladies of various houses. 

So it was when Princess Lyanna brought forth a son.  While she stayed in King’s Landing with the King Consort and Queen positively preening with pride over their latest grandson, Prince Aemond flew to the great houses his daughters had married into: Caswell (for Laena), Umber (Daenys), and lastly Baratheon (his eldest, Catelyn, had married Lord Royce).  Two of his daughters, Alicent and Alyssa, had married Aegon II’s sons, Maelor and Valerion, respectively. They resided in the red keep with the rest of the family, seeing to the celebrations.  King’s Landing was full of joy, its citizens celebrating yet another dragon born.

No one could predict the absolute horror that was to come, the calamity that would begin with the murder of her grace Queen Rhaenyra and her Lord Hand and husband, King Consort Daemon, in the city of Braavos.  

No ravens came but a messenger on a ship arrived with a barebones crew to deliver the horrible news.  Braavos would have been burned to the ground by command of the newly made King Jacaerys, had his fury not been assuaged by the Dragon Blade.

Prince Aemond, having been made Hand of The King in the war council immediately following the news, felt the matter stank of outside forces plotting against Braavos.  The city and its holdings  had always been friendly with the crown, had sent much needed aid during the hard winter, always paid tariffs when in Westeros’ ports instead of covertly trying to weasel out of them and all the sea lords had immediately condemned the murder.  What’s more, Caraxes and Syrax had not attacked the city.  The two dragons instead flew to Mereen and began setting that city aflame before being fended off by canons, spears and all manner of debris being flung at them with catapults.  They did not immediately return to Dragonstone or King’s Landing, only appearing later at the deciding battle of the upcoming conflict.  It was not long after the war council that the White Worm came to King Jacaery’s court with the information she had been tasked to uncover the moment messenger’s had informed House Targaryen of the killings.

So the ravens flew from the Red Keep all over Westeros: Rhaenyra, Queen of The Seven Kingdoms, and her husband Daemon, King Consort, were dead by orders of Khal Drogo, self-styled king of Slaver’s Bay.  Khal Drogo was determined to be the Stallion Who Mounts The World, and only House Targaryen had any hope of standing against his mighty army of giants, wizards and slaves.

It seemed that King Jacaerys, who history would come to know as Jacaerys the Defender, would have his mettle as a ruler first tested by this tyrant.  A funeral was held for his late mother and stepfather, the much loved Queen and King, their bodies having been delivered personally by a council of sealords from Braavos.

The funeral procession was a most heart wrenching sight.  Flowers were tossed as the bodies passed by.  The smallfolk wept and wailed.  Even the guards had visible streams of tears flowing from their faces.

Saddest of all was the procession of the new King and Queen’s family.  King Jacaerys and Queen Baela steadily walked by, their bodies rigid and faces like stone.  Crown Prince Aemon followed, tear tracks clear on his face, his eyes full of fire and looking determined for revenge.  The Lord and Lady of Driftmark, Lucerys and Rhaena Velaryon, came after, followed by Aegon II holding steady Princess Helaena, all their children following.

Prince Aemond and Princess Lyanna had fallen behind with Lord Rick Tully, they struggled with him to comfort and raise up Lady Alicent Tully, who had collapsed on the path and was screaming with intense sorrow.  The people of King’s Landing could only watch in sadness as Aemond, Lyanna and Rick took to kneeling on the ground, attempting to get a hysterical Alicent to stand and walk. Her words were heard by all nearby.

“Don’t make me do it!  Please, gods, don’t make me do it!! I cannot I cannot do it please do not make me-”

—-------

Daemon Targaryen closed the history book.  It was looking to be yet another disappointment in what he was searching for, as was every book and scroll that talked of his late parents.  He had read so many that by now he could predict how the maesters, septas and scholars would choose to portray his mother and father: in every way except as people.  Rubbing his temples and standing to search for another book in the library, he contemplated his next move.

It was always the same.  They were devoted to each other, moved and operated almost as one unit, songs were written of them, their words and actions immortalized on paper and stone, and yet…they felt like strangers to him.  He had lost them in the last battle of the war against Khal Drogo, when he was but a year old and King Jacaerys had afterwards issued a rather strange decree: no one was to talk to him of his parents until he came of age.

When he was a small boy, he did not see the reasoning for such a thing, but soon learned.  Prince Aemond and Princess Lyanna were akin to mythical deities for the people of King’s Landing and all throughout the seven kingdoms, second in popularity only to the People’s Queen herself, Rhaenyra.  King Jacaerys did not want Daemon to grow up under the pressure of living up to them.  Though they were all aware of the decree, it didn’t stop little comments constantly peppered into Daemon’s interactions with the smallfolk.

In his growing years, he didn't understand them. As a teenager, it got infuriating.  Daily, as he walked about the city, he was always told he was his father reborn.  Many would add that he may be his father in looks but his heart was all his mother’s.  His own wants, his own ambitions, his own words even, were continually dismissed as people would try to prod him into acting like his parents, people he never knew. His cousin, the King, suddenly did not seem so unwise with his decree.  Had it been obeyed fully, Daemon guessed he could have grown up not feeling so inadequate.  He used to hate it at first, resent it, this constant shadow of his parents ever looming over him everywhere he went.

Now, a couple of weeks past his 19th nameday, he finally felt a desire to know them as a son should.  His sisters, far older than he, were not much help.  Daenys and Laena lived away from the Red Keep, their own holds to rule along with their husbands and own families to look after.  Alicent was always busy either with her namesake library or their grandsire Daemon’s university, Alyssa ever at her side.  Rhaenys had married into House Stark some years ago, far too remote to regularly converse with even by raven. 

Catelyn Baratheon and her husband Lord Royce were the ones he was closest to, despite them having approximately 30 some years on him, their eldest son Alphonse his dearest friend.  Ravens to and from Storm’s End were common, visits on dragonback frequent.  Daemon’s brilliant white dragon, Parthurnaax, enjoyed flying to Storm’s End to cavort with Caraxes, his grandsire’s old mount, who had been claimed by Alphonse. 

 Daemon shared a special bond with his slightly older nephew: save for the signature Baratheon brown hair, Alphonse had Aemond Targeryen’s face as well.

He understood the impossible comparisons to some degree but his parents insisted he shared only a face with his grandsire yet even they could not help but admit the truth when he had asked: though Alphonse had a softer version of the late Dragon Blade’s face, it was his son Daemon who had grown to be the very mirror of him (save for not having a missing eye himself).  

Alphonse and his uncle were quite close, as close as brothers would be, the result of having been fostered in King’s Landing until he came of age himself.  Alphonse had often found himself reassuring his uncle after a particularly bad day.  

“Let them talk.  Saying a thing does not make it so.  You are Daemon Targaryen, not Aemond the Dragon Blade.” Alphonse would say.

Catelyn, while never having an in depth discussion with Daemon about her own father and mother, as per King Jacaery’s decree, insisted that the stories told by the people and the histories written by maesters and septas would never come close to doing justice to the memory of Aemond and Lyanna.  Royce, who had also known them well, agreed.  Three years past, on Daemon’s 16th nameday, they both offered to sit and talk of them with him. 

Still in the throes of his frustrations of not being considered his own person, he had angrily refused with all the vehemence of a 16 year old determined they were the only one in the world feeling such anger.  Daemon had even refused to answer Catelyn’s ravens for a few months after.  Alphonse had tried to make peace with them but was unsuccessful until communications were initiated by Daemon himself again.

Now, at 19, it was Daemon who broached the subject once more.  One week since he had sent a raven and still no answer.  No matter.  There were periods of time when Catelyn took up to two weeks to respond, duties as Lady of Storm’s End keeping her busy.  Daemon was happy to wait, now that he was sure of what he wanted. 

—-------

Daemon did not have to wait long.  2 weeks after sending a raven, he was summoned by his cousin.

“His Grace, King Jacaerys, invites you to break your fast with him and Prince Aegon the Elder, my prince.” Ser Arryk informed him one morning, as he was just leaving his chambers.  Daemon knew it was not an invitation.  His presence was required.  Ever since his spat with Catelyn, despite having reconciled, he felt that the King remained short with him and it was best not to antagonize him by refusing an order.

He made his way to the vast family common balcony on a far end of the keep.  It offered the most expansive, amazing view of the city.  When he got there, Helaena was also present, she and Aegon milling about the smaller table full of food and transferring morsels to their own plates before seating themselves at the bigger table.  King Jacaerys, already seated at the head of it, laughed at something Aegon said.  Servants stood by the door but the atmosphere was relaxed.  So it was to be an informal meal…

“Cousin. Uncle.  Aunt.  A lovely morning, is it not?” he called out as he entered.  They all turned and he saw it, the look everyone always gave.  Like they thought for a moment that Aemond Targaryen stood before them until reality set in.  It was hard not to think that way for them, he supposed.  Daemon had grown his hair long as Targaryen men traditionally did but still snuck in a bit of defiance: instead of the half ponytail favored by his father in all paintings he saw of him, he kept his tresses tied back in a single, low ponytail.  

“Daemon.” Jacaerys said. “Come, I have a task for you.”  He motioned for him to sit in the chair across from Aegon and Helaena, who both smiled and nodded at his presence.

Daemon sat, taking a glass of wine offered by Helaena.  He faced the King.  “What is it?”

“Alphonse tells me Storm’s End has need of a dragon.  Him and your sister Catelyn are due in Braavos for a diplomatic trip on behalf of the Crown.  Lord Baratheon would appreciate your presence until they return.”  Jacaerys bit a piece of lamb off his fork as he finished speaking.

Daemon was confused for a moment.  “Did a raven come?  I wrote to Catelyn weeks ago and have not received a response.”

Aegon chuckled a bit.  “That is because Alphonse wrote to us on her behalf, since Catelyn was momentarily away with Royce, dealing with some border dispute.  Apparently they gave him leave to read their correspondence and when they got back they didn’t feel sending another raven was necessary…”

“It was the right decision, in the end.” Jacaerys put in. “Catelyn hasn’t the time right now to really give you the discussion of your parents that you deserve.  This trip is important.”  At this, Daemon snapped to attention. 

“I’m sorry, nephew. “ Helaena apologized.  “ We visited them on dragonback the other day.  Everyone is aware now, that you are ready to know the truth.” she said simply, as was often her way.  Daemon felt his cheeks burn.  Everyone?  Everyone knew his business?!  Catelyn would pay for this.  Alphonse too!

“You should leave as soon as possible.  Catelyn and Alphonse will take flight as soon as they see Parthurnaax in the skies.” Jacaerys continued.  “The groups causing trouble in their lands have been quelled and Lord Baratheon has more than enough men to keep it that way, but the presence of a dragon will ensure things remain peaceful.” 

Daemon said nothing, staring at his plate.  Helaena began talking, attempting to snuff out the tension brewing.  “Lord Baratheon loved your parents well, Daemon.  I’m sure he would be happy to talk about them with you until Catelyn returns.”  Still, Daemon said nothing.  Jacaerys took notice and put his fork and cup of wine down, looking to him.

“Nephew-”Aegon began, trying to diffuse the situation but Daemon cut in.

“All this blustering is unnecessary, Your Grace.” he said, the last two words laced with venom.  “Be direct with me: you are not sending me to assist Storm’s End.  Lord Baratheon needs help fending off raiders like my dragon needs help killing the sheep for his meals.” 

The servants tensed, Aegon and Helaena remained silent.  Jacaerys was now fuming but his voice remained calm.  “Cousin...what reason would I have to not be direct with you?” he asked in a silky, irritated voice.  He stared unflinchingly at Daemon, who stared back but seemed to second guess his decision to lash out.  He may be family, but Jacaerys was still King of all Westeros.  If Daemon were anyone else, he would surely be sleeping in the dungeons tonight for daring to speak in such a way in the King’s presence.

“I am not a child anymore.” Daemon said.  

“The fact has not escaped my notice, despite you currently having the attitude of one.” Jacaerys said.  “Come now, there's no need to be angry.  I am not using any pretext to send you off.  Your long awaited talk of your parents is merely a pleasant addition to your mission. Think of this as more a favor to me” his voice softening, Jacaerys continued. “I may be King but Vermax and I cannot be everywhere at once.  It would soothe my mind to know my coast remains under protection of a dragon.”

Quick as it had come, Daemon’s anger dissipated at the caring tone in his cousin’s voice.  Helaena reached out to hold his hand as Aegon spoke up.  

“We will certainly be happy to talk of your parents further with you when you come back.” Aegon said with a smile.  “No more sidestepping the subject, nephew.  You deserve to know them fully as we did and to love them as we all still do.”

Feeling he would cry if he spoke, Daemon merely nodded stiffly at them all and started to eat.  Jacaerys began to speak of the weather with Aegon and Helaena as if it were the most riveting topic, all of them pointedly ignoring Daemon’s silence.  He would speak to them again when he felt ready.

—-------

Of all days for Storm’s End to have clear skies and a shining sun, Lord Royce Baratheon thought it auspicious that it would be today.  His brother-in-law, Daemon, had arrived a few hours ago.  Royce happily greeted him in the courtyard despite the reserved demeanor that initially met him.  

“Brother, it is good to see you.” Daemon seemed jittery and restless.  Royce tactfully led him to his library and had refreshments brought.  It was best to just get on with it, Daemon had waited long enough.

“How are Catelyn and Alphonse?” Daemon asked, hands clasped behind his back as he paced the library, ignoring the lemon cakes and tea brought.  

Royce smiled, his hands clasped to his stomach.  “They are the same.” He took a lemon cake and nibbled at it.  “Catelyn infuriating with her winning of bets against me, her own lord husband.  Alphonse insists we arrange his marriage because talking to any maiden causes him to break out in a cold sweat and so making a match himself would be impossible, according to him.”

“He had gotten better at that, last I saw him.” Daemon chuckled.

“Has he?  I have yet to see such a thing.”

“Perhaps it is just the fact that he cannot do it under your eye?  He says you scare him.  Not in a way that you would mean him harm, but just the way you carry yourself.  As if you could achieve the greatest things in history.”

“I would hardly say talking to a maiden is one of the greatest things in history but your sister might become cross with me if she heard me giving voice to such an opinion.” Royce joked.  

Daemon laughed and the older man looked on fondly.  He was so like his father in appearance, but he laughed like his mother…

“Well…I think everyone in all of Westeros by now knows why I am here…” Daemon began.  “I don't even know how to begin to…I just…I know nothing of them, really.  All those histories, their great achievements, they tell me nothing.  Of mother and father.  I don’t even know what to ask!”

Royce sighed. 

“You do not have to confine yourself to only ask of pivotal moments, you know.  You can ask me anything of them, however mundane you may think it to be.”

“Truly?  You would not think me wasting your time?”

“Not at all.  I've been waiting for us to have this conversation with much anticipation, actually.”

“Anything?” Daemon asked again, still not quite believing he would finally get to know what his mother and father were truly like.

“Anything, brother.  If you wish to know what jokes would cause your mother to roll her eyes, I will tell you.  If you desire to know what the most frequent source of your father’s irritations was, I will spare no detail.  Ask away.”

“Well…” Daemon began, looking out a window. “...I actually wish to start with knowing  what you thought of them?  When you met them.  How they make you feel?  How did they treat you?  You were just a boy, after all.”

Royce examined the painted ceiling as he began talking.  “I was so… terrified when my mother, gods rest her soul, brought my sisters and I to King’s Landing.”

Daemon sat on a chair, arms on the sides of it, listening intently.  Royce stayed standing, slowly walking around the library, idly brushing the spines of books as he talked.

“All each of us had ever known was the cruelty of my father.  He had the power, so he had the right to treat us as lesser, as he so insisted upon telling us at every opportunity.  As soon as he was not in the vicinity, mother would contradict his word, try to build us up after father would tear us down.  ‘Cruelty is not the way.  None of you deserve this wretched treatment, you deserve kindness and love and happiness.’”

Daemon’s eyes began to mist over but he said nothing and let Royce continue.

“You can imagine my fear when mother dragged us to the Red Keep.  Words mean very little when what you actually witness is something different.  Save for our  mother, kindness and love did not exist to us, especially not from those with power.  Our father was a mere lord and he treated us as if we were scum so in my mind, the Targaryens, the rulers of the seven kingdoms and higher up in authority than him, would far outstrip his cruelty to my sisters and I.  I had heard stories of this new Princess of Hearts, but I thought them the same as fairy tales: made up fantasies.  For no Targaryen could possibly be so kind!  Oh, and your father, the Dragon Blade.  Well, I was in awe of tales about him but if I ever met him in person I would never have expected him to be anything other than deadly and vicious.  He was like Balerion The Black Dread to me. ”

Daemon did not look away as Royce turned to face him.

  “I did not believe it when Rhaenys, She Who Might Have Been Queen, vowed we would not be imprisoned.  Daeron and Joffrey, despite their friendship with me when my family arrived, insisted we would be treated fairly and still I did not believe. They were not the ones in power, our very fate in their hands.  The Dragon Blade had my father thrown to the dungeons for being rude with his words, so I prepared myself to be screamed at and possibly beaten when we were brought before the Queen…when your grandsire ordered everyone out, Rhaenys pulling us back so mother could talk to him alone…I thought it was over for us.”

Royce smiled sadly, continuing his story. 

“I wanted to cry when everything turned out for the better, when the Hand promised we would not suffer for my father’s sins.  I wanted to crawl up into mother’s arms, to praise her for being the bravest woman in the whole world for facing King Consort Daemon Targaryen himself… but we were in court and it would not have been proper, of course.” He laughed lightly, brightening the mood and Daemon smiled, keeping his silence so Royce could keep talking.

“It just…as soon as I saw there was nothing to fear from Daemon or the Queen, I felt like I wanted to know everything about them, these silver-haired dragonriders! Quite sure father would have beaten me to within an inch of my life if I had dared to ask him if he had magic.  Lyanna must have had patience to spare, with all the impertinent questions my sisters asked of her family and bloodline.  Her not simply boxing their ears and sending them off to their chambers as my father would often do was a miracle, to be honest.”

Daemon laughed at this along with Royce.  Hearing him speak of these things, it was as if he were there himself, watching it all unfold.  

“Oh gods, if your over protective mother had known how clumsy Cassandra was, holding Catelyn would have been out of the question.  It's a good thing babies and pottery bear no resemblance to each other or my wife would have ended up on the ground as soon as Lyanna had handed her off.”  Daemon was crying with laughter now, Royce smiled with glee, allowing him to catch his breath before going on with his recollection of things. 

“And when your father appeared!  It was very jarring to see what, to me, seemed like a deadly creature sidle up to your beautiful mother and gently give her a kiss. She did not fear him whatsoever! I was in shock, I think.  I expected him to ignore me since ,compared to everyone else present, I thought myself of no consequence.  He actually squatted down to talk to me.  Me!  A lad of a mere 5 years.  This man who even the guards at home spoke of in fear,  who had my father imprisoned just for talking!”

Daemon leaned back in the chair, listening intently.  Hearing all this, he felt as if he were meeting his father and mother for the first time.  He felt Royce’s joy and enthusiasm.  

“Being around them, your parents… it just felt safe.  I didn't sense any hooks later to be reeled in for favors from their kindness, like with other lords and ladies…there was no barrier of formality. I didn't feel like my nerves would snap if I made a mistake with court decorum.  I did not feel stupid and worthless.  They did not paint us with the same brush the rest did due to my father’s actions.  I felt I could be myself.  It was quite freeing, let me tell you.”

As Royce continued to talk, servants replenished the food and drink.  Daemon continued to listen well into the night, happy to finally get to know his mother and father.

CHAPTER 2

[pocima]

Whatever genre this is called, inject it.

[butchlifeguard]

very specific thing i hate on here is when people say stuff like "you hate religion and want to wipe out cultures because you think every religion is christianity 😒" like it wouldnt also be fucking asinine if they wanted to wipe out all christianity