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avirael · 6 months ago

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It had been around a week since they had found refuge at Camp Dragonhead, when Rael woke especially early one morning. They usually got out of bed early enough to watch the sun rise with no problem whatsoever but this particular morning they rose with an uneasy feeling.

Before they left their room Rael glimpsed out of the window, where big white snowflakes were wildly dancing in front of a dark cloudy sky. It would be difficult to get A‘viloh out of bed today, Rael thought as they put on their boots which they had placed next to the door the evening before. It was then that they noticed the carefully folded piece of paper someone had pushed through the small gap between the door and the dark wooden floorboards.

With a confused expression on their face they picked it up and unfolded it to see a small and very familiar handwriting. Instantly that uneasy feeling flared up again. Quickly Rael read the short letter and found their worst fears confirmed.

Dear Rael,

I am sorry to leave you like this but I know that you would have tried to stop me. I am aware that this plan is madness but I simply cannot go on with this uncertainty any longer. I am returning to Ul’dah to find out what happened to our friends. I know it is dangerous but I ran and hid from the consequences of my actions for long enough to know that I will not find peace this way. Don’t come looking for me and please keep Tataru and Alphinaud safe.

Forgive me. If you can.

Your friend,

A’viloh

„This idiot!“, Rael growled as they threw another glimpse out of the window and then hurriedly left their room. Without knocking they tore open the the door across the corridor but found A’viloh’s room empty. As fast as they could they ran down the stairs, ignoring the greetings of the few people who were also up early and threw open the door leading to the yard. The blizzard they had already seen from the window felt a lot stronger and colder up close and to Rael’s frustration not a single footstep was to be seen in front of the house. No traces where he would have gone. The evidence long destroyed by the storm. How long was he already out there? And what had he been thinking at all to go out alone in a weather like this??

Whispering another string of profanities Rael stepped outside and ran across the yard. With one strong push they threw open the heavy double doors that led to the commander’s office. They hadn’t even reached the desk on the opposite side of the room yet when they urgently addressed the Elezen sitting behind it. „Lord Haurchefant!“

Surprised the man looked up from the paperwork’s on his desk and smiled at Rael.

„Please, I told you to drop the formalities. How may I help you.“

„We have a problem!“, Rael continued and the worried tone in their voice was enough to make Haurchefant’s smile turn into a more serious expression. „What happened?“

„A’viloh!“, Rael exclaimed in frustration as if that one word was explanation enough and waved around the piece of paper they still clasped tightly in their hand. „He ran away! To find our friends it seems, but all he’s gonna accomplish is get himself killed. I don’t need to be from around here to know that someone without experience is going to freeze to death all alone in that storm out there! And even if he miraculously makes it to Ul’dah, Ilberd and the other traitors will without doubt be waiting for him and he doesn’t stand a chance against all of them alone.“

„Breathe, my friend.“, the Elezen said and gestured for Rael to calm down. For a moment he looked out of the window in thought and nodded. „Unfortunately you are right. With this weather it is very dangerous out there…“

That information didn’t do much to calm Rael down. „How can we find him in that blizzard? I don’t know when he left or how far he got. I fear he—„

„Say no more.“, Haurchefant interrupted them. Without further hesitation he stood up and walked toward the door, grabbing a thick woollen coat from a coat rack beside the door. „I will find A’viloh and bring him back. You stay here where you are safe. No! No argument, please. I’ll be faster without you.“

Nonetheless Rael followed him out to the yard where he shouted for one of the guards to immediately bring his chocobo.

Rael tried to convince him that they would cover more ground if they both went searching for A‘viloh but Haurchefant pointed out that Rael would most likely get lost too and that he didn’t like to have to search for them both out in this storm. Reluctantly Rael promised to wait for him at Camp Dragonhead and watched him check his gear, get on his chocobo and vanish into the storm with worry written all over their face.

***

The snowflakes and the ice-cold wind felt like sharp little blades on his face. He cursed this storm for not the first time today and he also cursed himself as well.

What had he been thinking?

Not much honestly.

There hadn’t been a storm when he had sneaked out long before anybody else was awake. The whole night he hadn’t slept, once again thinking and wondering. Back then this part of his plan had seemed to him the easy part. He had more wondered about how he would cross Gridanian territory and make it into Ul’dah unrecognised than what else could happen on his way there when at first only a few big snowflakes had begun to slowly fall from the sky. In his determination he had barely taken notice of them, only when the clouds got darker and darker, the snow more and more and finally the wind picked up, howling and biting, he had realised that he hadn’t planned for something like this to happen. He had already walked quite a bit of distance and the Observatorium couldn’t be that far anymore. Maybe he could hide there until the storm died down. So he continued onwards. But with every minute passing he saw less and less of where he was going and soon he realised that he had no clue anymore where he was at all or in which direction he needed to walk. And with every passing moment it only seemed to get colder.

So now there he was, blindly stumbling through the snow, hoping that a settlement, a house, a fire, anything would show up before his eyes. But instead he couldn’t even tell anymore where the white ground beneath his feet ended and where the sky with it’s veil of wind and snow begun. He had no idea what to do.

For a moment he contemplated to scream for help, but who would hear him out here with this howling wind? He tried anyway and found that he barely made a sound, his voice only a distant whispering even to his own ears. Oh, I’m going to die here, he thought, no one will ever find me. That thought made him shiver even more violently than he already did and hot burning tears started to gather in the corners of his eyes. They were long frozen on his cheeks before they could reach his chin.

Nonetheless he took off his gloves, tried to wipe the weird sensation away but his face and hands only felt cold and numb. Instead he lowered his fingers to his lips, tried to warm them with his breath but even breathing felt more and more painful and exhausting by now, let alone putting one feet in front of the other.

Finally he tripped. There hadn’t even been a stone or a branch, just his frozen clumsy feet that felt so heavy. Without much of a sound he fell into the deep cold snow. Absently he tried to blink the snow out of his eyes, not that he would have seen much anyway. At first he weakly tried to push himself back up but his whole body felt so horribly heavy and tired. Oh yes, he was tired, so very tired. Maybe he just needed to rest for a moment. It all didn’t really seem that bad anymore now that he lay here in the soft white snow. It felt strangely warm really. For a moment he even thought he heard a voice calling out his name. Saw a silhouette between the dancing snowflakes. A hand stretched out towards him.

With a peaceful smile on his face his eyelids drooped and his mind faded to darkness.

***

How long was he gone now?, Rael wondered as they paced about the room, around the big table with all the maps, back and forth between the roaring fireplace and the window facing south.

For the third time now they pulled up their collar and stepped out into the empty frozen courtyard. Everyone at Camp Dragonhead who wasn’t on guard duty had been clever enough to seek shelter from the storm indoors and as Rael worriedly looked towards the gate, it‘s silhouette barely visible against the myriad of snowflakes, they wondered if Haurchefant’s decision to leave in search for A’viloh on his own had been a good one. Maybe something had happened to him.

Should they follow him?

No, they would get lost without a doubt…

Should they alarm the whole camp about their commander’s absence?

But what should the soldiers do about this?

Helplessly Rael raised their face to the sky but all there was were dark storm clouds and more questions they couldn’t answer. There was nothing to guide them, to tell them what to do. No gods, no teacher, no whispers, no vision. Nothing at all. Rael, who always knew what to do or at least had an educated guess about what might prove helpful, never felt that useless before.

Almost violently they pressed their eyes shut and tried to summon up the answers they needed by sheer force of will. A lonely figure at which the wind tore mercilessly. Determined but also futile. Forcing any sign to reveal itself to them had never worked before and neither did it now. There simply was nothing they could do.

Why haven’t I seen this coming?

Eyes still closed they started to shiver, fighting against the burning sensation building behind their eyelids. Their mouth twitched no matter how tightly they pressed their lips shut. Instead they breathed through their nose, heavy shaky breaths which turned to white clouds in the air.

Then a horn blared above. Rael flinched and realised that a guard on the fortification wall had given a signal. They didn’t know what it meant and still Rael fixed their eyes on the barely visible gateway, hoping, praying to whatever was willing to listen. Please, let them be safe.

At first Rael feared they were imagining it but then clearly something moved between the sea of snowflakes. A dark form, something - no, someone was coming closer. Rael almost stopped breathing. Once they realised it was truly Haurchefant on his chocobo, they almost fell to their knees in relief.

Only as Haurchefant carefully climbed off of his chocobo, Rael saw that he wasn’t wearing his coat anymore. Instead he had held it in place bundled up on the saddle in front of him, to make sure it didn’t fall down and also keeping it close to himself for warmth. As he lifted that small bundle into his arms and slowly stepped towards them Rael couldn’t stifle a sob any longer and desperately ran towards him.

A’vi!

Wrapped in the way too large piece of clothing was the small Miqo’te, entirely motionless. His skin so pale and cold. Frantically Rael searched for a sign of life - a sound, a movement, a pulse - but there was none. He looked like a dead thing and that fact smashed Rael’s heart to a million little pieces.

It had been too late. They had lost him.

***

Darkness. Endless and suffocating.

A moment ago he thought there had been light.

There had been snow too.

No…

Dark angry water. Hissing like the wind.

A thunderstorm. Or a blizzard.

But there had been sun too, right? Once. Warm pleasant sunlight. Hot bright sand.

Yes, it had been warm. But why was he feeling so cold then?

Why had the sun left him all alone in this cold, cold darkness?

Suddenly he heard a voice calling his name.

It sounded so far away and then suddenly so close. So worried.

He couldn’t quite remember if he knew it but it felt friendly. It felt warm and welcoming.

It felt safe. He could rest now.

***

When Haurchefant had arrived back at Camp Dragonhead cradling poor A‘viloh in his arms, the Miqo’te had no noticeable breathing or pulse at all. He had looked like a corpse and Rael had already feared he was dead. Nonetheless Haurchefant had hurriedly brought him indoors. Loudly he had yelled orders left and right and suddenly the whole camp was in turmoil. In fact it was still early morning and it only had been this sudden unexpected ruckus that had awoken Tataru and Alphinaud as footsteps and loud voices rushed past their bedrooms. They watched puzzled as the servants quickly brought lots of blankets as well as warm dry clothes to replace A’viloh’s frozen ones and also wood for the fireplace and warming pans for his bed.

Immediately Rael had begun to work. For a few terrifying moments they had sat there in silent focus trying to find a sign of life from A‘viloh. Heartbeat, breathing, aether. Nothing… nothing… nothing… then: a shy heartbeat after all. So slow, so weak, easy to miss. But it was still there and Rael refused to let it vanish! They never had to heal a patient with hypothermia before and only could guess what to do exactly. It wasn’t a open wound they could close or a poison they could extract. Instead all they could do was use their magic to steady his heartbeat and help slowly warm his body up.

Both, Tataru and Alphinaud, stood there by the door speechlessly staring in shock, not knowing or understanding what had happened. They saw Rael’s face and didn’t dare to ask either. Not until Haurchefant reappeared. The servants had urged him to change into dry, warmer clothes too and now he returned pressing warm drinks into the helpless spectators hands and shooing them off, back to their rooms, against quiet protest.

“Please, the healer will arrive any moment now. There is nothing you can do in the meantime. I promise I have you informed at once if anything changes.“

Bleakly Rael noticed that his choice of words didn’t specify if this would be a change for better or for worse. A few moments later the healer, torn from his sleep on Haurchefant’s demand, arrived but he also left rather quickly again.

Rael had only let this ishgardian doctor close to A’viloh because they had hoped that maybe he knew better how to help him than they did considering he needed to have more experience with cases like this. But the Elezen hadn’t done much at all and only claimed that the poor Miqo’te’s life now lay in Halone’s hands. Rael had sharply laughed at this statement but it had really sounded more like a menacing bark. Why did this sharlatan bother to come here at all? Once again they had to do everything by themself if they wanted it done properly.

Just to make sure, they tried every kind of healing magic they could think of hoping that maybe some of it would help, even the ancient spells his mother and the oracle had taught them. When no immediate response was visible - had they really expected one? - they kept on monitoring A’viloh’s heartbeat as well as his still very thin aether and supported both as good as they could using their own.

For hours they sat there silently working their magic, carefully trying to ration their own power reserves as long as possible. They were almost exhausted, almost out of aether themself. Their fingers were shaking and their eyelids felt heavy. It wasn’t healthy and they knew they couldn’t do this much longer.

But at least it seemed to work. For a short happy moment they thought everything would be fine again.

Then the fever hit.

***

The darkness scared him.

It was cold and wet and inescapable.

The wind turned to howls of wild animals and these again soon to laughs and mockery.

Their hungry fangs and claws reached for him in the darkness. Trying to pull him down.

He tried to run but he wasn’t moving at all.

He tried to shake off the claws digging into his skin but their grip was too strong.

He tried to scream but couldn’t make a sound.

Then with a sudden jolt he was falling. A long horrible fall through infinite darkness.

When he finally hit the ground he was in the cold, freezing snow again.

Just that it didn’t feel cold at all anymore. But soft and warm.

There was that voice again, calling his name.

An unfamiliar voice.

No, that wasn’t true. He knew this voice.

It was the only voice he ever wanted to remember.

If he ever realised he forgot this sound, the pain would destroy him.

Between the veil of snow there was a hand reaching out for him. A worried face.

Arms holding him tight. Keeping him warm.

So familiar eyes of molten gold.

A loving smile.

His favourite thing in the world.

Oh! Now he remembered!

He understood. At last, no miracle to save him.

Finally…

…

Laqa.

***

„Laqa…“

Shocked Rael looked up from the hand they carefully held between their own.

Haurchefant couldn’t know the meaning of this feverish mumbling but Rael did and it terrified them, the panic plainly visible on their face.

„The healer warned us that the fever might make him hallucinate...“ the elezen offered in an attempt to console them.

„I know that!“, Rael snapped harshly.

It wasn’t fair but they had no nerve to hear things that were plainly visible. After the fever had appeared Haurchefant had called for the ishgardian doctor again. At least this time he had offered a potion that was supposed to lower A’viloh’s fever. So far it hadn’t shown any effect though. But that wasn’t Haurchefant’s fault.

„I am sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you…“

The Elezen shook his head. „I know, my friend. You’re tired. Don’t you think it would be better to rest for a while?“

„No, I’m fine. I will stay.“ It did sound hollow even to them.

„You know, you did everything you could, right?“, Haurchefant asked while putting a hand on Rael’s shoulder and Rael hated how it almost sounded like they had lost this fight already.

„I know… Would you mind leaving me alone for a while?“ Hopefully that hadn’t sounded rude again.

He hesitated, then he nodded slowly. „No more magic though, alright? I don’t want you to collapse too.“

Rael just shrugged. It wasn’t the answer Haurchefant had wanted but he left anyway. With a heavy sigh they returned their gaze to A’viloh’s pale face as he mumbled something unintelligible.

Oh, why hadn’t they noticed he was planning something? Where had they gone wrong?

Probably when A’viloh’s smile had fooled them into thinking that he was alright. As if a few nice words and some hot chocolate could fix everything that was wrong. Rael had wanted to believe it but should have known better. No matter how much they had told themself that he was stronger now, braver, healthier… mostly he seemed fine and then suddenly tiny things could still throw him off course. It was a tricky thing for Rael to assess how A‘viloh would react sometimes. Like a broken mug that had been kitted. There were bits and pieces that were still alright or had healed fairly good, the damage almost invisible, and then there were the spots were all that kept the ragged shards together was too much glue, unevenly filling the wounds. Ugly and weak, easily broken apart again. On his really bad days Rael still feared that there were some small pieces of him irrevocably lost, never to be found again, sunken to the bottom of the sea and impossible to replace.

Barely audible, like a knife to Rael’s heart, the poor fever-dreaming Miqo’te whispered, „I‘ve missed you so much, Laqa.“

„No!“, Rael yelled almost angrily and threw themself at A’viloh’s chest protectively. „You can’t have him yet!“

It was ridiculous! Who were they even talking to? Instead they turned their pleading gaze to the Miqo’te’s feverish face.

„Please, A‘vi! Tell him that he has to wait a little longer… please… he would want you to live your life first, wouldn’t he?“

Of course A'viloh didn’t answer.

Desperately Rael buried their face in the Miqo’te’s shirt and started to sob. „Please don’t die. I cannot do this without you…“

***

The sea washed around his feet, then retreated again with a slight pull.

He couldn’t care less.

Everything he cared about was right here with him.

Arms as warm and comforting as the late afternoon sunlight wrapped tightly around him.

With his eyes closed, his head rested between Laqa’s shoulder and neck, he felt safe and at peace. He felt at home.

When had he last felt that way?

It didn’t matter anymore.

He would never have to let go of him again.

Vi…

this so familiar voice whispered as he pressed a kiss into his hair.

Slowly Laqa loosened his embrace and instead cupped A’viloh’s face gently with both of his hands.

It is time, Vi…

For a moment they just looked at each other, smiling, before their lips met halfway for a long kiss.

Finally Laqa pulled back a little and immediately A’viloh missed him again.

This hadn’t been enough. It would never be.

With a smile on his face Laqa rested his forehead against A’viloh’s.

You have to go now.

***

For days A‘viloh wandered between sleep and death, two things that sometimes looked horribly similar like only siblings could.

The fever had ebbed away and risen again but never completely left him alone.

Neither had Rael.

Day and night they had remained by A’viloh’s bedside, refusing to leave unless it was really necessary.

Alphinaud had brought food and water for them both and sometimes even Tataru had joined them for breakfast or for dinner. Every now and then Lord Haurchefant had brought tea as well. All of them had tried to cheer Rael up and also tried to convince them to get some rest. Both very unsuccessfully. Although they appreciated the effort.

When they were alone Rael talked to A’viloh. They felt a little crazy for this because they didn’t know if A‘vi was hearing any of this at all but still… they sat down on the bed beside him, held his hand in theirs and told him everything they had ever wanted to tell him.

How much they admired him for the person he was, despite everything. How much they had enjoyed traveling with him and also how much of the world they still hoped to show him. All the places Rael had visited on their journey and thought A‘vi would love. They told him how much they wished they could show him Golmore. They sang him the lullabies their mother used to sing for them and told him everything about their home and also about themself. About all the qualities they lacked and he possessed. About his kindness and how he so easily won over the hearts of everyone he met. About how Rael finally understood what it felt like to be as terrified as him. The fear and the guilt. How sorry they were for not seeing that he hadn’t been okay.

The thought that maybe against all of their efforts A'viloh simply didnt want to wake up again almost made them cry once more. In the end Rael lay there beside him with their head rested on A‘viloh’s chest. His heartbeat the only solace for their sorrow, a lullaby for their troubled mind, their tired eyelids almost closed.

„Wake up, A‘vi… Please. Just say something…“, they whispered a final plea.

Apart from the crackle of the fireplace and the wind rattling at the window the room was silent.

Almost asleep suddenly a quiet raspy sound startled them.

„…Rael?“

In surprise the viera shot up and indeed saw tired green eyes slowly squinting at them.

„What are you doing here?“, A‘viloh‘s voice asked hoarsely.

„A‘vi!“, Rael exclaimed in disbelieve and realised how stupid this must look. Hurriedly they jumped up, pretending to get him some water to hide how embarrassed they were. „How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Here! You should drink something! I‘ll go and ask for some soup too, you really need to -“

A’viloh chuckled and made them stop. Confused Rael turned around and looked at him cheekily grinning.

„What?“, they blurted out awkwardly.

The Miqo'te shook his head. „Nothing… Soup would be great, I think I am starving… and also thank you for worrying about me.“

„You are such an idiot, you know that?“, Rael asked while crossing their arms in front of their chest and staring at him in the best imitation of anger they could pull off.

A’viloh just laughed. This time Rael was wary to trust it.

Oh, they would give him quite a lecture! It was a good thing he couldn’t run off in his condition. But first they would get some food.

#ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv writing #ff14 screenshots #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv gpose #gpose #Aviloh Tia #Rael Hyskaris #the title is the name of a song because I was uncreative and I will use every possibility to show you her songs #I will put the link in the comments in case anyone cares #I edited the pictures because the in-game weather was so underwhelming…#They call it SNOWSTORM and there are like 5 tiny snowflakes???#not much rambling this time because I honestly dont know what possessed me to write 4200 words...#I considered cutting this in half but I didnt want to leave you with a mean cliffhanger #And you wouldnt have believed me that I was going to kill off A'vi anyway right?#RIGHT?!#A good chunk of the second half was never planned like this...#then I looked at some of my favourite screenshots and decided to add the last bit from A'vi's PoV #This is for you! I know you are reading this and I know you miss Laqa: So here he is like you always imagined A'vi would dream about him!#<3 #And the last bit with Rael made me struggle because i wasnt sure how in-character this would be for them.#They got attached to this silly little miqo more than they care to admit haha...#I like to think that while Rael doesnt like hugs and stuff like that in general they got a little used to it with A'vi...#They also know that it comforts him so...#Can you imagine A'vi's confusion waking up with that grumpy bun cuddled up to him? :D #He messed up and he knows that so he doesnt tease Rael about being flustered xD #And how can Rael be angry with him if they are just so happy he woke up!

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sonicblueartist · 8 months ago

Note

What about a one-shot or just a suggestive story where Shadow takes advantage of y/n?

A/n: I'm probably gonna get all the fans' attention with this one huh? I normally don't write anyone but Tails but I am making an expection for some reason today. Have a good read I guess! Idk why I write what I write today XD Sorry for the long wait.

I left you guys in a cliffhanger. hah! idk if I would continue tho

Masterlist

Pairings: Shadow x Reader

They/them // She/her // He/him // Other

Summery; Eggman made a new weapon out of Shadow. Let's see what it is

Warnings: smut, lemon, suggestive themes, blood, marking, biting, tearing flesh, attempted rape

Word Count: 1371

Btw does anyone want to be in the tag list?

As your eyes flickered over him in fear, you were instantly struck by the sharp and scary aura emanating from his breathtaking violet eyes. Shadow stood before you, his chest heaving rapidly as if he had just completed a long and demanding marathon. His fur was damp, drenched in sweat, and his claws peeked out menacingly from his gloves. His fangs were visible, adding to the unnerving sight that confronted you. But what puzzled you most was the absence of any evidentiary explanation for his condition, except for one haunting phrase that echoed in your mind.

"What do you think is the most natural instinct of an animal, the most wild and scary one?" Eggman's voice resonated in your head, reminding you of his words moments ago. "Their bloodlust? Hunger to stay alive? Maybe. But there is something else that is much *more* dangerous and entertaining. 'The will to do anything to death for their mate.' "

The memory of Eggman's sinister revelation half an hour ago flooded your mind. You hadn't expected this game of catch to turn into something so disturbing. Though you had managed to catch your breath, your heart still raced uncontrollably, struggling to make sense of the unsettling situation unfolding before you.

Your eyes widened in fear as Shadow took deliberate steps toward you, raising the possibility of him falling victim to Eggman's trap, turning against his friends. A sense of terror gripped you, leaving you feeling trapped with no way to escape. Desperately, you scanned your surroundings, searching for an exit, but found nothing. You found yourself backed into a dead end.

"And to mate, of course." Your throat tightened as you heard Eggman's words reverberating in your mind. The realization struck you like a bolt of lightning—Shadow was hungry, thirsty for you. Eggman's twisted plans had successfully turned him, and now the true extent of Shadow' instincts became clear. No, this couldn't be true. Shadow wouldn't do this to you, would he? The shocking dishonor of Eggman's manipulation left you bewildered, unable to fathom the torment inflicted upon your friends.

"C-come on, Shadow. This isn't you," you started nervously, your voice shaking. "We both know that you don't wanna do this. Behave yourself! Think logically, like you always do! We're still in Eggman's base. He's playing with you, with your mind, your instincts! You are the ultimate life form, damn it! You can't just succumb to Eggman like that! There are Badniks running around, and if they find us, we're finished-"

Your plea was interrupted as Shadow forcefully pinned both his hands beside your head, a whimper left your lips in fear. A deep snarl escaping his lips as you attempted to slide away. Trapped between him and the wall, you realized the extent of his transformation. No longer the loyal companion you once knew, he approached you with predatory purpose, garnered by one sole instinct—breeding. You were left with a terrifying decision. Would you become the first to fall at his hands before the Badniks got to you?

After examining his prey's frightened face for a while, Shadow slowly lowered himself, his nose skimming along your neck. His actions mirrored those of a true animal, inhaling your scent as his salivating mouth revealed his primal desire for your presence. The sensation of his warm breath against your skin sent shivers down your spine, intensifying the horrifying nature of the situation.

Attempting to muster the strength to push him away, you fought against his grip, but his strength surpassed anything you could have imagined. Like an iron vice, his grasp held firm, rendering your efforts fruitless. In spite of the predicament you found yourself in, you couldn't help but be mesmerized by Shadow' well-built form, his muscles flexing in the most hypnotic manner.

You quickly shook away such distracting thoughts, forcing yourself to concentrate on finding a way out of this nightmare. Every fiber of your being screamed for escape as Shadow began to suckle at your neck and shoulder, exhaling his hot breath in sporadic bursts. The sounds he made only served to further ignite the blazing heat that reddened your face, flooding you with a mix of desire and terror.

Suppressing a moan, you desperately struggled to redirect your focus, your mind racing for an escape plan. Yet, how could you concentrate on anything other than the overpowering dominance Shadow exhibited? Pressed against the wall by his scorching body, each breath and moan he emitted only served to remind you of the pleasure he was experiencing.

Amidst his sloppy kisses and teasing nibbles, you fought fiercely against the sensations threatening to consume you, trying to maintain your composure. However, as Shadow momentarily eased the pressure of his body against yours, he replaced it with his leg pressed against your groin, effectively preventing any escape. The mix of pain and pleasure elicited a whine from your lips, pushing Shadow to suckle at your shoulder with renewed vigor.

Finally, he got bored and withdrew from his sloppy territory. The room grew suffocatingly silent as he moved his fangs along your throat, gently biting a few places, feeling your heartbeat increasing. He licked his lips and shifted his attention to your other shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses and sucking hungrily, leaving little marks. But it seemed like that wasn't enough for him anymore; he growled, as if yearning for something more primal.

With his fingers deeply entwined in your hair, he pulled, causing you to gasp, displaying your neck like a plate of meal to him. Without warning, he sank his teeth into your shoulder, his fangs piercing through your skin. Tears slipped from your eyes as you cried out in pain. He let your arms go and held you tightly from your waist, as you gripped his back for support. You closed your eyes, gritting your teeth, and unwillingly scratched his back in pain. It felt as though his teeth were digging deeper into your shoulder, testing your limits.

Shadow let out a pleasured sigh through his nose, not yet satisfied. He continued biting harder than before, his eyes closed as he let out an animalistic growl. The realization that he could break your neck in half if he wanted sent a shiver through your spine. He sucked your blood with such thirst leaving you weak as you sobbed silently, drinking and swallowing it all as if he hadn't had a drop in weeks.

Before things grew any wilder, he pulled back, a string of blood and saliva still connecting the two of you. Panting for air, he tried to lick all the blood flowing from his mouth with his tongue, his breath hot against your face. Your blood flowed from your shoulder to your chest.

Satisfied with the mark he left on you, Shadow now went for your lips. Gripping your form, he forced his lips onto yours, connecting them. You hesitated, not wanting to taste the disgusting blend of your blood and his saliva. He pulled your hair once again, and when you whimpered in pain, he immediately seized the opportunity and engaged in a fierce kiss, taking your breath away.

Your heart raced as his hand wandered across your body in a manner both unnerving and inquisitive. He marked his territory, staking claim to every inch of your being. Your mind battled to comprehend the situation, as your body responded to his predatory touch.

Fighting the rising panic, you summoned your inner strength you managed to wrap your arms around his shoulders in a desperate attempt to distract him. As your lips collided in a feverish kiss, you hoped to manipulate the situation to your advantage.

To your surprise, he welcomed your advances. He tilted his head, letting out a low, carnal moan. Sensing that this could be your one chance to regain control, you decided to play along. You pushed aside your feelings of self-disgust and harnessed your newfound determination.

As you passionately kissed, your mind churned, searching for an escape plan. With each stolen moment, you became acutely aware of his animalistic nature, his primal desires, and his desperate need to assert dominance. Yet, instead of submitting to the imminent danger, an idea began to form in your mind.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic characters #allenwrites #sonic #shadow x reader #shadow #shadow the ultimate lifeform #shadow the hedgehog #sonic x reader #sonic the hedgehog x reader #shadow the hedghog fanart #shadow the hedgehog x reader

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redbullgirly · 9 months ago

Text

HI BARBIE! HI KEN! [part 2, LH44 smau]

Lewis Hamilton x reader

Masterlist & Hi Barbie! Hi Ken! [part 1, LH44 smau]

Summary: Lewis and his "real life Barbie" girlfriend, Y/N Y/L/N, are enjoying each others company during winter break. February brings unexpected drama when the seven-time World Champion decides to leave his team... though is that the only surprise waiting for the fans?

Warnings: Little cliffhanger at the end, but don't worry, I plan on making part 3 soon enough :).

Author's Note: This is continuation of the Lewis x barbie!fashion!icon!reader request, hope you'll all like it. This time there wasn't so much of "barbie content", but I'm sure you won't mind. I honestly love this series, plus there are still many photos for me to use, so stay tuned and let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! :)

lewishamilton posted on instagram

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tagged: yourusername and fencer

lewishamilton Happy holidays from our little trip to mountains 🏔

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user1 I swear to God this is the first time I see Lewis in snow

user2 ikr? like can he even sky? isn't it dangerous for him as an f1 driver??😭

yourusername merry christmas everybody, love u!!🎄🫶

liked by the author

user3 Very happy and merry Christmas to you too Y/N🥰

user4 yeah yeah... but where's the usual christmas post y/n?!

user5 that's what I wanna know user5 😥

user6 She always posts the hot pics with their tree... and this year nothing ☹️

yourusername omg sry guys, i didn't think you'd care sm! i was actually sick on the christmas eve and didn't feel like celebrating 🙈💖

user4 ohhh that's totally okay y/n!!!!

user7 Thanks for replying, hope you'll get better soon!❤️‍🩹

charles_leclerc I see you're copying my training now😉

user8 lol charles just try not to fall on your face on ski

user9 no but can you imagine if we got Charles & Lewis training together in the mountains 😩

user10 It wouldn't even have to be in the mountains... I'd actually prefer them training somewhere hot so they don't have to wear shirts🤭

user9 i love your way of thinking girly

user11 King 👑

roscoelovescoco Mom's and dad's playing's in's the snow's ❄️

liked by the author and yourusername

user12 they left you home alone Roscoe?

roscoelovescoco Of course's not's... my auntie's watched's me's ☺️

user13 This is so adorable🥹🥹

user14 y'all don't understand how much I love their little family

user15 😘🖤✌️💯🌟

user16 y/n's ski suit looks so cool

fencer Good times man!

liked by the author and yourusername

user17 You are my God, Lewis Hamilton❤️

mercedesamgf1 Enjoy your holidays and don't break anything please!⛷🤍

yourusername trying!! 😊🌨

user18 lmfao

user19 Imagine if their best driver broke a leg or smth💀

user20 as a Lewis fan that'd be the last straw of my depression xd

user21 It's enough they couldn't build him a decent car last two years 🥲

user21 you & y/n are the best couple ever!🥰❤️

user22 Why's Lewis in red tho?

user23 sus 🤨

user24 some of you are truly bored and delusional��

user25 He probably has it so Y/N can see him on the slope and watches over him tbh

user26 idk where the narrative of lewis being bad at skying came from but i love it 😭

twitter

yourusername posted on instagram stories

seen by lewishamilton, haileybieber, danielricciardo, emmawatson and 562,983 others

lewishamilton replied to your story: Love you so much baby!❤️

yourusername love u too!!!💞

lewishamilton You are my brave girl, aren't you?

lewishamilton It's great you share your experience with others Y/N and trust me when I say I'll always be there for you 🫶🏾🫶🏾

yourusername awww lew, i know and i'll be always so grateful for it 🥰

lewishamilton Anything for my Barbie yourusername reacted with ❤️ to this message

user1 replied to your story: You and Lewis are just soooo cute omg

alexandrasaintmleux replied to your story: forever y/n!!🤍🌺

yourusername ofc!!!

yourusername you're probably the only reason i hope the negotiations w ferrari will work out 🙈🤭

alexandrasaintmleux oh yeah, it'd be great to have you in the garage next year 💕

yourusername yeah, let's see what happens in few weeks!

user2 replied to your story: so prettyyyyyy i wanna be u

user3 replied to your story: THE IT GIRL

landonorris replied to your story: The question isn't if you'll be at every gp but if you'll come to McLaren hospitality for one of them😏

yourusername pretty sure mercedes wouldn't be happy about that 🫣

landonorris Oh c'mmon Y/NNNN

landonorris You promised me like ten years ago you'd come

yourusername you were a literal baby ten years ago lando...

landonorris But a cute baby who deserves to have you in McLaren hospitality!!!

yourusername okay okay, i'll come for a visit this year 😽

landonorris ONE HAMILTON DOWN TWO TO GO💪

yourusername what?? 😭

landonorris I decided my life goal is to get you, Roscoe and Lewis to be my fans 😁😁

landonorris Lewis can wait till retirement ofc 😁😁

yourusername idk if i hate you or love you mr. worldwide

landonorris 🤷😙

user4 replied to your story: Mommy and daddy fr

user5 replied to your story: 😍

user6 replied to your story: Hope you'll heal soon if you're still sick!!!

yourusername posted on instagram

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tagged: lewishamilton and roscoelovescoco

yourusername my job is beach 🦀🐬🐚🪸☀️ (btw how many emojis is too much??)

view all 4,068 comments

lewishamilton Isn't that supposed to be Ken's line darling?

yourusername theoretically... but i think i look better on the beach, don't you? 🤭🤷‍♀️

lewishamilton Well of course, your fashion taste when it comes to bikini is hard to beat ✨🫶🏾

yourusername damn are you saying i look hot in that bikini mr. hamilton? ☺️💞

lewishamilton It's Sir actually

yourusername oh shut up lew, i knew you're gonna bring it up 😭

landonorris I just witnessed Lewis openly flirting through instagram comments... the world won't ever be the same. I need to bleach my eyes 😓

yourusername yeah u should learn from my bf lando norizz

landonorris Heyyy this is online bullying, someone stop it

yourusername 😘😘

landonorris 🫤

user1 i have no idea what just happened but i loved every second of it

user2 It looks like when Lewis finally interacts with someone on instagram, it can get WILD

user3 not y/n using lando norizz 💀

user4 she's one of us now

user5 BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW SWEET Y/N & LEWIS ARE PLS?!!🥹

user6 Y/N living her best life and I'm here for it

francisca.cgomes enjoy!🌴

liked by the author

yourusername thx kika, you too!!💓

user7 On my knees for you🛐🛐🛐

roscoelovescoco The fruit's on's the plane's was yummy's 😋🥗

yourusername i definitely agree, let's thank dad for spoiling us!💖

lewishamilton My favourites deserve only the best 😉

user8 AWWWW so cute

user9 I'll never understand why rich people torture their pets like this... c'mmon, why would you give fruit to a dog? He needs meat and dog food. 🙄😤

user10 tf user9 you clearly don't know them at all if you think they're torturing Roscoe... this dog has better life than most of us lol xd

yourusername i'd just like to make it clear to everyone that me and lewis take the best care of our dog we possibly can, give him the food he wants and needs and love him dearly. it feels very offending for someone who doesn't see into our private life to assume we're "torturing" roscoe. you'll be blocked user9 and goodbye

liked by lewishamilton

user11 You know you fucked up when queen Y/N herself writes smth like this to you 🫢

user12 tell them girl!!! you & lew are literally the best parents to roscoe ever!!!❣️

user13 🔥😍

user14 THE BODY GIVING

kellypiquet Wow, the dress is so beautiful!💝

yourusername aww kelly thank you sm! definitely have to see each other soon 💕🫶

kellypiquet Can't wait for the girls talk!

user15 omg imagine listening to y/n y/l/n and kelly piquet casually having girls talk w each other 😫😫

user16 The tea has to be hot between the wags

user17 OMG, gorgeous as always 💖

user18 this couple has me in a chokehold

user19 RIGHT?! why is nobody talking about the 4th pic

user20 They're so hot fr 🥵

user21 and cute too🥺

user22 Love you Y/N 💋

lewishamilton posted on instagram

liked by nicolashamilton, naomischiff, tomholland2013, landonorris and 1,983,022 others

tagged: yourusername

lewishamilton It's always important to focus on happy memories and remember the good moments with your loved ones. Couldn't ask for better people around me 🤞🏾💫

view all 11,239 comments

user1 funny how he talks about positivity and then in the first picture he's holding middle fingers up lmfao XD

user2 Maybe he took Daniel's F.E.A. rule to his heart🤣

user3 what's that???

user2 Fuck 'em all

yourusername so lucky to have you around me lew! 🥰💗

liked by the author

user4 stoppp I love her

user5 I wanna have what they have😩

charles_leclerc 🤞💫

user6 Ariana what are you doing here?!

user7 Beautiful 🙌❤️

user8 ohhh lew w his dad it's so cute

user9 His dad and Y/N in the same post... we are getting fed rn

neymarjr Amen brother!🙏❤️

liked by the author

user10 I love their their friendship

user11 it's so unreal how the world is small and my fav football player is friends with my fav driver🤭

user12 THE MAN

user13 the second pic is adorable 🥹🥹

user14 I'm jealous but I don't know if I wanna be him or her

user15 honestly i wanna be the third person in their relationship... imagine dating y/n y/l/n & lewis hamilton all at once😩

user16 OMG REAL

user17 boyfriend lewis is my favorite 🫡

1st February 2024

yourusername posted on instagram

liked by scuderiaferrari, lewishamilton, maxfewtrell, t22felton and 3,340,276 others

yourusername guess it's time to change colours ❤️🍓🌹🏎

view all 29,650 comments

scuderiaferrari Welcome to the team, Y/N!❤️‍🔥🏎

user1 you'll make our fav wag depressed next year lol

user2 Ferrari made a master move here 👏

user3 welcome y/nnnnn 🥰

user4 I'm still shocked

user5 me too sis😭

user6 We all are 😃

user7 🔥🔥

user8 when the gf is posting about it, we know it's not just a joke anymore😥

user9 FORZA FERRARI

user10 omg me & y/n y/l/n will be fans of the same team!!!!

user11 literally the only good thing about this

alexandrasaintmleux red looks gorgeous on you 💋💋

yourusername on both of us babe 💋💋

user12 BESTIES

user11 okay this is another good thing about the whole lewis situation xd

user13 Y/N and Alex will be so iconic next year 🙇‍♀️

user14 literally life goals to be like them😍

user15 So excited for this🤩 favorite driver and favorite team and favorite wag🤝

user16 idc about ferrari, but y/n in red slays

user17 omg yessss she's so hot in that dress🥵

charles_leclerc And now you can't make fun of me and my therapist 😘

liked by the author

user18 LOL

user19 not him admitting he goes to therapy bc of ferrari💀

user20 What about Carlos?? You said you come as a package 😡😪

user21 so true user20 it's so disrespectful towards carlos

user22 Guys calm down, this is their job and it's known for brutal driver switches. You'll have to deal with it, it's not personal business 🤷‍♂️

user23 yeah i don't think they're such good friends anyway... it was all for pr and marketing lmao

user24 I agree that it's just a sport, but pls don't do this to my charlos heart... their friendship HAS to be real😓

user25 Always support u and your boyfriend😉😉😉🙌🙌🙌

user26 Carlos deserved so much more!

user27 yes but she can't do anything about it girl, she's literally just dating Lewis 😐

user28 "Everybody is a Ferrari fan. Even if they say they're not, they are Ferrari fans." Vettel❤️

user29 i did not think it was real

user30 I need Lewis to comment something about this other than his statement pls 😭

user31 yeah i had high hopes bc he always comments and interacts w y/n's posts...

user32 Guess not this time😒

user33 Y/N unleashing more waves of chaos

user34 and we love our barbie for that 🤭

messages between Y/N and Lewis

THE END

Author's Note: Thank you for reading this! I'll appreciate likes, reblogs, comments, follow and any other way of support. Also, I started my taglist, so if you want to be added or removed, let me know! That way you!ll be first to know that another smau or story came out :). Sorry for the cliffhanger at the end, but don't worry, I plan on making another part. Have a great day!

Taglist: @namgification @bloodyymaryyy

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inkspottie · 9 days ago

Text

I am working on the next chapter but it’s becoming longer than expected because I don’t want to leave you guys on a cliffhanger xD

Forgive me on how slow the updates are. I’m doing my best

#spottie speaks #but good news!!#I got a job!!#yippee!#I start on the 12th

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drama-glob · 5 months ago

Text

SPOILERS FOR "THE FULL MOON!!!!"

Well, the thing we all knew was going to happen happened. ;_; ;_; ;_;

I had a feeling the episode would start with the duet we were shown earlier this month and it's so funny as well as entertaining, but the heartfelt longing we get from Stolas definitely encapsulates what we were waiting for. ;_;

I had a suspicion too that this would be when we saw the cherubs and DHORK agents team up, so I'm glad to see that weird combo (which will likely happen again ;) ). My, how the cherubs have fallen into sin with Collin being the only one to still have a conscience and not be consumed with vengeance. :/ Poor Collin. It'll be interesting to see what could happen if the DHORK agents actually get the portal to fully work because they sure have a lot of weapons and manpower now; maybe we'll see them again in "Mastermind" since we didn't see Blitz meet the DHORK agents again like we saw in the trailer. :/

I do appreciate that the cherubs wind up in Lust because if there was any ring that was going to expose them to so much that they consider vile and sinful (beside Pride ;) ), it was going to be Lust. ;) XD I laughed so hard at them thinking all the sex stuff was for torturing humans. XD XD XD The thing that definitely made me so happy though was we got to see Fizz and Blitz hanging out as friends again, with them even fist-bumping (that was sooo cute) and Fizz helping Blitz find some new toys for him and Stolas. ^_^<3<3<3

It doesn't surprise me that the cherubs were dumb enough to wait to attack Blitz instead of just doing it when they had the chance; plus, they were indeed not very covert as Moxxie pointed out. ;) I thought the fight was cool and showed that even with high-tech weapons, IMP are indeed the professionals. ;) Hopefully the cherubs don't help DHORK get actual angelic materials since before they were banished from Heaven they could summon their crossbows, but who knows if they still can. :/ I do find it funny that Agent One likes to wear a Loona furry suit, but hey, if it makes him happy. :)

That ending though was so tense and angst-filled as we hear Blitz spiral and beg to keep the book, only to then be confused as to why Stolas is giving him an Asmodean crystal, and the whole time you can see the tinge of sadness in Stolas even when he's smiling because he knows there's a chance he'll be rejected, but he just wants Blitz to be free. ;_; ;_; ;_; My heart broke at Blitz dismissing Stolas's feelings for him as some kind of role-play because although Blitz's belief that no one could possibly love him is why he can be so dismissive, it's just so sad to know Stolas has been giving Blitz signs that he cares about him but that it seems like they've been ignored/don't matter. My heart then broken again into tiny splinters at Stolas crying over Blitz's harsh words towards him because damn that was brutal to hear Blitz say such things that he can't take back and ones that felt cruel. ;_; ;_; ;_; It ending with Blitz trying to apologize only to be teleported out of the palace so as to show Stolas removing him from his life/he doesn't want to talk with Blitz right now is certainly a way to leave a cliffhanger, and now we're left waiting to see how they do broken up. ;_; ;_; ;_;

Here's hoping Blitz and Stolas make some progress in "Apology Tour."

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shesjustanothergeek · 9 months ago

Text

His Love

|Aegon II Targaryen x Fem!Reader|

Part Thirty-Two

Masterlist of Series

Summary: Being a bastard born in the slums of Flea Bottom was all you were known for. Not the streak of white you had in your dark hair, the violet ring around your pupils, or how your sharp tongue and skills with the blade resembled your father, Daemon Targaryen. You were just a bastard, nothing more, but to him, to Aegon Targaryen, you were everything. You were his love.

Author’s Note: 8.6k words, and here we are! Sorry for leaving you on that cliffhanger. xD This chapter is extra long because our dear reader’s life hangs in the balance. Will she survive? Who knows? (I do) You’ll have to find out! Thank you so much for reading! (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

Chapter Warnings: brief discussions of assault, Aegon losing his marbles, pseudoscience (watch me act like I know anything about medical stuff.)

The beaches of Dragonstone were home to you. The brimstone wafting into your nose and the salt clinging to your skin felt pacifying, like finally engulfing you into your bed sheets after a particularly irritating day. Digging your heels into the sand and furrowing your thick brows, you concentrated as your father spoke.

"When you are at your lowest, stand back up, and spit in the face of your enemy. They will not take pity when they see your weakness. They will kill you. Do not let them get the chance."

You strode towards him with unwavering confidence, a surge of excitement coursing through your body. Without a hint of hesitation, you tightened your grip on the practice sword as he charged towards you. With ease, you deftly parried his blow. You could have easily overwhelmed him with the sheer force of your attacks, but you held back, not wanting to expend too much energy too soon. Then, you remembered a tactic your father had taught you just the day before and decided to put it into practice. It was a bold move, but you were fearless.

Despite having yet to master the finesse of a pressure glide, you executed it precisely, causing your blade to slide across his with a high-pitched screech.

Daemon took two steps back, surprised that you still had the energy to make a move. He smirked at your ambition, seeing a bit of himself in you. He thrust his blade forward to an undefended side, but you narrowly avoided it by dodging, the blade narrowly missing the metal of your breastplate by a hair's breadth.

Your father was unrelenting in his exercises, slicing, parrying, slashing, and countering every action you took until sweat dripped onto your brow and neck. This was the ritual—a song and dance that your father was the master of and you, the student. Risks were meant to be taken in training, leaps of blind faith, hoping whichever move you decided would be your opponent's last. The uncertainty made victory all the more sweet.

Daemon was on the attack, aggressively charging forward each time you advanced. Any moment you got the upper hand, he would effectively charge beat and break your stance into something new. You pulled out every defensive measure you could recall: avoidance, beat parry, counter parry, ducking, anything you could think of. You were exhausted from the prior hours of stamina and strength training, still feeling the heavy bags of sand on your shoulders.

Soon, your shields began to crumble. Your arms trembled with exertion, sweat stinging your eyes, as Daemon pressed your sword and opened you for a line of attack. He swung his blade into your left side, the force of it punching the wind from your lungs as you attempted to right yourself in the sand. Your father took your unguarded body to his advantage as he raised his arm, bringing the pommel of his practice sword onto your temple with an ear-ringing thud.

***

The prince found himself pacing in his rooms while waiting for your return. Aegon wanted to give you the time and distance he believed you desired, but guilt still weighed on his soul like a shroud, his last moments with you replaying in his mind's eye. He fretted to the bottom of his cup and repeated the act until his pitcher of Arbor Red was empty.

The servants readied him for bed, sponging the areas where sweat accumulated throughout the day, and even then, his sanity did not ease. Aegon had not slept alone since before he could recollect; wherever he rested was occupied with a whore, and now you. It felt empty without a body. Cold on an even colder winter night as he curled into himself.

Anxiety kept him wakeful as the candles across the Red Keep were snuffed, servants finishing their late-night tasks without the disturbance of the Court. Aegon wished you would come to him eventually, that he would rouse to you, sliding underneath his luxurious woolen sheets and wrapping your arms around him, falling asleep in your soothing embrace. But he did not.

It was the hour of the wolf, and you still did not venture into his chambers.

The idea that you willingly chose isolation crossed his mind more than once, discouraging him to near tears. You may have desired seclusion, but he did not, so he departed his rooms, exiting through the passage he used many times at this hour, save there was no wish for fulfillment this time. He only wanted to know if you were all right. He would sleep on the floor if you did not want his presence in bed. He would move across the room if you did not want him so near.

Aegon would take whatever you gave, even if they were mere crumbs.

The prince finally arrived at your quarters and unlocked the painting behind which he had hidden. As he entered, his violet eyes immediately went to your bed but found no sleeping lump under the blankets. The candles had burnt down to the wick, adding to his confusion. His countenance showed a pout as he continued walking further into the room.

Perhaps you were in the Godswood? It was not uncommon to uncover you nestled within the roots of the Heart Tree, head resting against the blanched bark. But it was much too cold for that. Frost dusted the windows and sparkled on the grass. If you were out there, you would undoubtedly catch your death.

As he got closer, he noticed two glasses and a flagon of wine on your dining table and was taken aback. He couldn't help but wonder who you were sharing a drink with. Suddenly, he stumbled over an object and nearly lost his balance. Seeing a boot carelessly discarded on the ground irritated him, and he couldn't help but wonder where the other one was. It was highly unusual to see your belongings scattered about like this, especially given your maids' reputation for being so diligent.

Blood drained from the prince's face at what he saw mere steps away from your carelessly jettisoned boot. At first, it was your stockings, wrinkled and tossed aside with your small clothes, a sinking feeling in his gut. Then, your foot, blanched and lethargic, your legs barren of any coverings, and a puddle of liquid glistening around you on the stone floor.

His heart plunged, terror rising in its place as he rushed over to you, a pile of vomit and red saliva next to your crown. Aegon did not know what to do, panic and illogical thinking racing in his mind as he gathered your listless frame in his arms. He brushed the black strands of hair stuck to the dried cruor on your cheeks, roaring a feral howl of agony.

This couldn't be. This couldn't be. You were dead. You were dead, he shrieked.

No guard came rushing in to answer his cries, his sobs of injustice as he brought your forehead to his. Aegon never felt so helpless, so worthless, as he held you in his arms. The one he loved, the only person who loved him, now lifeless.

Was this divine punishment? Had his sins against the Seven finally caught up to him in the form of a dead loved one? It was what he deserved, yes, but not you. You were innocent and good. You cared for others even when they did not merit it. You instructed him to be a better man, husband, brother, and father. It should be Aegon who lay with a gaunt, emotionless expression, eyes shut to the world around him.

But then, he felt it. It was but a feather caress of your breath on his cheek. Weak, a whisper against his skin, but still there, Aegon released his hold and placed you carefully on the floor, your head lulling loosely to the side. It was as if the Heavens opened up, an angel taking pity on the poor leech and answering his silent prayers.

The prince ran faster than ever into the Keep halls, screaming for help—for someone, whether a servant or a lord, to hear his cries and save his beloved.

A guard rounded the corner, responding to his pleas, the footsteps of several others following distantly behind as Aegon babbled nonsensically to save his love's life. He did not care if they thought him mad. You were dying, clinging onto the string of life with barely a finger.

The knight quickly ran to Maester Orwyle first, alerting the slumbering man that a royal family member lay barely respiring on their chamber floor. Then, to the Lord Commander of The Kingsguard, Ser Harrold, as they hastily went to the Tower of the Hand.

They awoke Lord Hightower, who begrudgingly answered the door, aghast at the news, mind already reeling at the future. He hurriedly dressed himself into his day clothes, not overlooking to place the pin of the Hand on his left breast. Otto was genuinely alarmed at the notion that someone attempted to murder the princess, not because he worried for your safety but what the threat to your life would bring.

Rhaenyra's wrath was not a care; it was Daemon's. You were Lady Flea Bottom, yet he treated you as the favorite. Any lord or lady would learn that fact simply from how he looked at you. What gnawed at the back of his senses as he went to his daughter's room was what would happen should your father find out.

Otto Hightower was sure he would be dismissed from his position as the King's hand. Despite having carefully planned and strategized for decades, everything he had worked for would be in vain due to the death of a bastard. However, as a proud and stubborn man, Otto would not let this obstacle ruin his plans.

The Queen followed her father to your chambers, her nightgown replaced with an elegant emerald green and gold dress. Alicent nipped her fingers as she tasted the metallic tang of her essence, but she did not stop.

“We must keep this within these walls," Otto declared, his pace brisk as he gestured to Ser Harrold.

The Lord Commander abruptly broke out of his distressed musings. His forehead creased with anxiety as he glared at the Hand. "My Lord," he objected firmly, "the King and his family have an absolute right to know what has transpired here. It is my duty, and I have solemnly sworn an oath."

"You have a duty to follow the word of the King. When he is not present, you will obey my commands," Otto stated firmly, dismissing any notion of objection to his plan.

"I, too, am afraid of what will become of my husband's health should he learn of the news. The girl's father will surely complicate more things should he arrive," the Queen interjected, simmering the knight's dissent.

Truthfully, Alicent wilted at what Daemon might do to Otto once he arrived. He already had much disdain for him and was frightened at the thought that he might sentence her father to death. The Queen could recall the stories of the Rogue Prince in the Stepstones, the bloodstained, traitorous acts he committed, wearing their bones as a crown. She would not give him the benefit of the doubt. And Rhaenyra, her friend from long ago, the woman who ordered Alicent's son to be sharply questioned after her child stole his eye, would allow her uncle to do as he saw fit.

The Hand, his daughter, and the Commander of the Kingsguard entered the hall to your quarters, seeing a small gathering of servants spying on the scene. Ser Harrold ordered them away and to keep their mouth shut before anyone could instruct him to, threatening that their pay would be cut and that they would spend a sennight in the Black Cells should they refuse to listen.

The three of them pushed their way past the guards that surrounded a wailing Prince Aegon, screaming and weeping with you in his arms as the Maester attempted to examine you.

Alicent released a gasp of horror, her father groaned in disgust, and Ser Harrold muttered a 'Gods be good' under his breath. Your body was inanimate in Aegon's embrace, a mix of vomit and blood in your hair and flesh, his lips pressing into your temple as your arms hung limply at your sides.

To all others, you appeared to be dead, and the Queen wondered for a moment if her son had gone frantic with grief and convinced himself of your consciousness. Still, Maester Orwyle nodded, assuring everyone around him that you were alive, although barely.

"Her drink was spiked with poison," Aegon declared, his words thick with anguish. Orwyle glimpsed at him, perplexed about how he could be so confident, keeping steady fingers on your pulse point. "The table! The wine!" he stammered, pointing at them in distress.

Everyone turned in time to see what he said, two goblets filled with the princess's favorite Essosi wine resting on the oak table. The Maester quickly went to both drinks, observing and smelling each one to see if it could give him any indication as to what could be afflicting you. The second one he sniffed appeared as normal as the other, but the faint stench of nose urine, one people knew well in the castle, slightly wafted from it. Orwyle deeply sighed as he turned, a grim facade and gaze distraught as he spoke to the Hand.

"I fear there is nothing we can do but pray," he conveyed solemnly, Aegon's bleary vision directed to him. "At most, all I can do is give her charcoal to help absorb the poison, but I cannot guarantee the Princess will recover."

"Then fetch it!" the prince screeched at the Maester, his voice broken.

Orwyle stared at the Hand and the Queen, seeking permission from both, but each hesitated, glancing at one another as they weighed the outcomes in their mind.

"What is it?" Alicent finally questioned, her brown orbs never leaving the discarded shoes and small clothes on the floor.

"Poison Hemlock," Orwyle answered with a lowered head, "there is no antidote."

Aegon wept at the revelation, burying your face into his heart as his tears dampened the collar of his tunic. Otto's acquiescing nod was accompanied by a firm command to the Maester to fetch whatever was required to assist you. You needed to survive, as was also the Queen's wish. The Blacks would be at a significant disadvantage with one less dragon rider, but they understood Daemon would undoubtedly return with a vengeance regardless of the outcome.

It wounded Alicent to see Aegon so mournful, crying the same fat tears he did as a babe. She went to comfort him; after all, he was her son, but Aegon roughly shoved her away, bringing your listless figure closer to him.

"Stay away from her!" he sneered, lifting you in his arms and taking you to the bed. "This is your fault. You wanted her gone, and now you seem to have granted your wish."

Alicent's lips thinned, and she inhaled with muted disagreement as she ordered the rest of the guards and Ser Harrold out, swearing them to secrecy. "You know this is not what I wanted," she proclaimed, her voice pointed and somber. The consequences of this far outweigh any benefit."

Otto glanced at his daughter, a grey, golden brown eyebrow raised. He felt proud of Alicent for taking the initiative to eliminate you. However, he wished she had included him; perhaps this spectacle could have been avoided.

Aegon scoffed, reeling around to face his mother with heated regard. "You speak of her as if she is nothing but an object. You were the one who summoned her here!" he argued willfully. "To prevent the shame that I bring wherever I set foot! You are a wretched woman, mother."

A smack of skin-on-skin contact rang through your chambers, silencing everyone until they could only hear your inaudible, ragged breathing. Aegon touched his cheek where his mother struck him, noiseless outrage written on his face as he stared at her, seething.

He was used to this. This was the mother he knew, the woman who raised him with the rod to be who he was today.

"You continue to disappoint me even when there is nothing left." Alicent shook her head, her loose auburn curls swaying at her waist. "You are not the son I bore."

He had heard this line before, and it had previously caused his amethyst eyes to well with tears, but now, they only hardened him with a scathing acrimony.

"I am what you made me," he snarled, ordering Ser Harrold to enter the room as he dragged a cushioned chair to your bedside.

Alicent had no rebuttal, a rapid of insults and pleas all begging to be said aloud, but she could not move her quivering mouth. She crossed her arms as Maester Orwyle entered moments later, her chestnut orbs trained at her slippered feet. The Queen decided there was no more use in convincing Aegon of his mistakes. Her son was too far gone, sick with the illness of your inamorata. The Queen clenched her jaw, her plump lips pouting as she turned to leave, ignoring the condescending stare of her father.

Ser Criston was waiting for her when she left your chambers, striding alongside the Queen as she encircled her arms around her torso. Alicent knew who was behind this. She had seen this play out successfully before.

She did not desire Ser Harwin and his father to perish in a fire. She only wished for Rhaenyra to learn that she could not flaunt around the realm, siring bastards without consequence.

Alicent should have learned this would be the outcome. Larys was a vindictive and wicked man. His words were like an ill-made balm to a wound, soothing the compromised area only to wake the following morning with it infected and oozing with pus.

Alicent was fatigued of continuously being a piece on the board, the men in her life moving her as they pleased. The first man, her father, who was meant to care for and protect her from the world's vices, used his young daughter as a political pawn, placing her within the King's chambers under the guise of comfort. He only thought of furthering his lineage, unconcerned about how he affected those he used. Otto and Larys were the same—ambitious men who exploited others to their advantage.

As the Queen reached her door, nails picking at the dead skin of her lip, she turned to her sworn protector. They shared a long look of understanding, the Dornish man tilting his head and lowering his brown eyes. He left Alicent wordlessly, the only sound being the clank of his armor as he went to fetch the Master of Whispers.

Alicent refused to be an object wielded by men any longer. She would take her life within her own hands. In the end, she was all she had.

***

Aegon had migrated from beside your bed to in it, his arm draped across your weak frame, head resting in the crook of your neck. He would only leave your side to allow the Maester to tend to you. Orwyle stared at him blankly each time he saw the prince clinging to you but did not order him to move, for it was not his place.

Aegon assisted the maids when summoned, attached with tears in their sights. He washed the gore from your hair, blood, and saliva from your cheeks but chose to respect the older servant's request to leave the intimate areas for them. He went to protest, of course, but thought better of it, keeping the modesty of your relationship in mind. He chose the nightgown you dressed in, observing how the two women lifted your limp form, limbs moving like the ragdoll Jaehaera played with.

The younger maid gathered your feather pillows, her freckled face red with barely withheld tears as she propped them under you. The elder went to your dressing vanity, retrieving a silver brush and comb as she made her way over to your unconscious body.

Aegon oversaw her remove the pins hidden within your midnight hair, pulling the strands out of the ratted style until they hung loosely over your shoulders and onto the sheets. He realized then that he had rarely seen you with your hair free, having either styled it in tight braids that stuck to your head or pulled it partially up to keep it away from your face. Aegon wished you wore it like this more often. He couldn't help himself when he hooked an ink-like strand onto his digit, watching it drag like silk across his knuckle.

He motioned wordlessly to the older servant to give him the brush. The woman gazed skeptically but passed it nonetheless as Aegon moved behind you, resting his back against the mountain of pillows, raking the bristles through your snarled hair.

You were his little princess, though you loathed the name. He would ensure you were cared for till your last breath, and even then, he would still be at your side.

The two maids looked at Aegon with confusion, as if puzzle pieces were slowly falling into place in their minds. They finally understood why you were so arcane about the marks on your neck and bruises on your hips that Fiora and Jeyne noticed while bathing you. Although they knew you must have been involved with some lord or knight, they never suspected it would be a prince. It became clear to them why you had chosen to keep it a secret, even though you were so transparent about everything else.

Jeyne never liked Prince Aegon, especially after the drunken assault he committed on Dyana. She praised the Mother that the Queen walked in before he could fully traumatize the girl, and she was unsure if you would've continued your affairs if you had. Jeyne believed you made a terrible choice in lovers—first, Ser Dalton Greyjoy and now Prince Aegon. Prince Aemond, despite his hot temper and lack of forgiveness, would never defile a young girl. But as she and her companion observed Aegon gingerly brush the knots in your hair, concentrating on not tugging harshly, she thought that perhaps he was different now.

Jeyne recalled when the prince was a child, how he screamed and wept until the Queen gave him affection and then, as he became older, turned the longing into dangerous afflictions. Perhaps, after years of internal torment, Aegon found someone who would desire him as much as he did them.

No one was truly evil, just as no one was wholly good. Aegon was no different.

"What are your names?" the prince asked, unwavering in his movements. "You've cared for the Princess since the day she arrived, and I've yet to know them."

Fiora glanced at Jeyne wearily, searching for guidance with reddened eyes swollen from tears. She nodded to the girl, who was never without a smile and placed a calloused hand on her lower back.

"Fi-Fiora," the young maid answered with snivels. Her throat became thick again as she looked at you and gave a stiff curtsy.

"And I am Jeyne," the eldest followed willfully. Her chin remained high even as Fiora hiccuped beside her, ignoring the itch in her nose. "We also had Dyana, for a while, but her skills were better spent caring for the little prince and princess."

Aegon's gaze flickered up to Jeyne's, and she saw the recognition in his violet eyes. She wanted to clarify to the prince that she knew about his dishonorable actions against your former maid. Jeyne understood that you would be furious if you found out, and she was not afraid to speak up. The prince swallowed and quickly looked back at your shiny hair, knowing that Jeyne was not one to be silenced.

"I see," he despondently replied. His brows raised in displeasure as he continued to dote on you, ensuring no hair was unmanageable. "When in service to the royal family, loyalty is paramount. It is not only your job to ensure they have whatever they need, whether it is certain teas, oils, dresses, or food, but you also must protect them. Yet, you failed to do so."

Fiora released a throaty sob, unable to stifle her shame and agony with the palm of her hand. Jeyne bristled as she fisted the hem of her crimson skirt, quelling the snarky comments she wanted to spew.

Loyalty? What did the whore prince, who had his cock in every working woman and man in Flea Bottom, know about loyalty?

"Tis an honor to serve my lady," Jeyne bowed her head in reverence toward your expressionless facade, trying to appear impartial to his words. “I would gladly put myself in her place, die if need be, so long as the Princess was safe and well."

Her words were weighty, more sincere than the vows one took at the altar as she held her gaze firm. Aegon flicked his sullen face toward the two maids, letting them stew in the silence to see if they would waiver. When neither did, he sighed deeply through his nose, pulling the front of your dark strands behind your back as he ran his fingers through them.

"Good," the prince shook, nuzzling his nose into the rose-scented locks. "You will help me find who did this. I know the servants see everything and hear everything. The walls have ears and eyes, and you will be mine."

Fiora bobbed fiercely without a second thought, wiping away the snot that accumulated above her pink lips as Jeyne stiffly tilted her head in acquiescence. "For the Princess."

"For the Princess," Aegon repeated as he dismissed the two women.

***

Lord Larys Strong sat within the Queen's chambers, his chin resting atop his fist on the firefly of his cane as the candlelight flickered across his pale skin. The scene reminded him of a memory from long ago when the curse of Harrenhall had taken away his brother and father.

He knew why he was brought here.

Alicent scratched at her chest weakly, needing an outlet to channel her horror. Her blunt nails created red welts on the delicate skin. She did not know where to start, terrified of the mousey man who sat before her. Her instructions were explicit to Lord Larys; there was no way for him to misconstrue them. The Queen wanted you to return to your family.

"What are children but a weakness?" inquired the Lord, interrupting the young Queen's thoughts. "You may think you've cheated the darkness of its victory, but it will always persist in some form or another."

Alicent remembered these words. They haunted her every time she saw Larys, watched him stroll through the halls with discerning calm, yet she knew of the atrocities those hands committed.

"But for them you will surrender what you should not. You may know the right thing to do, but love stays the hand. Love is a downfall," the Lord swallowed, shifting his body to where the Queen stood, staring his cold and piercing eyes into her watery ones. "I said that to you once after the death of my brother and father. I do not believe you heeded my words."

"She's dying," Alicent declared, her voice wavering. "You've passed judgment once more on things you had no right to. Now, my son sits in anguish next to a girl who might not make it through the night."

Larys tilted his head to the side, wetting his lips as the Queen threatened to burst with anxiety. "My Queen made a wish," he stated with the quirk of his unruly brow, "who am I to leave it unfulfilled?"

"I," the Queen hiccuped, words stuck in her throat as she gestured to herself. "I did not wish for this. I wanted her sent back to her family."

Larys hummed, tightening his lips into a displeased yet proud line. "And so I have."

Alicent could no longer bear the sight of him, arms swiftly hugging at her sides as tears of disgust that lined her lashes began to fall. It was directed at the man before her and herself. She should've anticipated that Larys would twist her intentions to fit his agenda as he had done before, but a part of her who desired to have a connection, a true sense of trust with another person, hoped that he would not.

Despite being at the heart of Westeros's most densely populated city and in a high position of power, the Queen's life was lonely. She had no friends, no companions she felt would not betray her trust. The ladies at Court provided superficial conversations with no genuine sincerity, happy to say whatever Alicent wanted to hear that would benefit them the most.

Despite her father's betrayal, she refused to be a victim. Otto was a malicious man, but she was his cherished daughter, his only daughter. She owed him nothing for elevating Alicent to the highest position of power that a woman could ever attain.

Women were sold into marriages of lesser importance with husbands who took them by force and beat them bloody. She should be grateful.

"You have gone too far," the Queen stated, finally finding the will to speak again. "What you did to her," she turned, hand clutching her neck, her voice unable to say his atrocities out loud, "was most heinous. You defiled the princess while she was incapacitated."

Larys sighed, using his sturdy cane for support as he stood, body hunched and icy stare boring into the disheveled Queen. "As you've said, your grace, she is a bastard, too arrogant and undeserving of her place here at Court. She was born in sin. 'Tis only fitting she shall die in sin."

Alicent gasped demurely, appalled with his callousness, delicate fingers covering her raw lips as briny tears damped her cheeks. She was religious, finding comfort in the divine from a gray world filled with suffering. All beings deserve life, and Larys' complete disregard for it repulsed her. He looked down on those who endured remarkably through their love, seeing them as ignorant and impuissant compared to his genius of apathy.

And now, a young girl lay with labored breathing, assaulted and permanently scarred should she survive—another victim in the line of his detached ideology.

The Strong Lord bowed, parting with 'your grace' for his improper farewell. Alicent's wet lashes fluttered with regret, panting as she struggled to regain composure. She swallowed a lump in her throat, guilt weighing heavily over her head as she leaned on her writing table for support and stifled her wet sobs with the back of her hand.

***

If one entered your chambers, they would not be met with the usual smell of roses and lavender; instead, it would be that of a sick house—the type of scent that carried wherever those infected with illness went.

Smoke hung in the air. Different incense was placed throughout your apartments, herbs at various points to ward off spirits that ailed the soul. Maester Orwyle had created a workshop in your bedroom, tonics, salves, tinctures, and ingredients scattered throughout the different tables. Aegon stood over him impatiently, playing with his fingers as he watched the Maester create a concoction with a bag of gray dust and some thick paste.

"What is that?" the prince questioned, unable to keep the bubbling anxiety at bay.

Orwyle hummed, acknowledging that he heard Aegon as he concentrated on measuring water and slowly pouring it into the mixture. "It is a paste that will draw out the toxins. It is made of charcoal and clay," he answered, stirring the mixture in a small bowl. I must ensure I do not add too much of one ingredient, for it could diminish the efficacy."

The prince grunted. The science behind the Maester's actions was beyond him, but he trusted the man and his judgment. He would try anything. Aegon would offer up his blood if it meant you would survive.

Once Maester Orwyle finished the mixture, he took a brush, walked over to your unconscious form, and mumbled a prayer under his breath. He removed the blankets, the cold air causing your nipples to involuntarily pebble underneath the fabric of your nightdress, pulling the hem up to reveal your stomach. Aegon quickly moved the sheets to cover your modesty, uncomfortable with the notion that another man, Maester or not, would see you in your small clothes.

The Maester began to paint the charcoal and clay onto your abdomen, all the way to under the crease of your breasts. When he finished, he recited another prayer, asking Aegon to join him in hands over your fighting body.

"We pray to you, Father, Mother, Maiden, Smith, and Crone, to take pity on this innocent sinner. She has no control over the vices of men, and we pray to you to ask for the forgiveness of her sins so that she may live another day."

Aegon mirrored Orwyle, clasping his sweaty palms together as he bowed his head, eyes trained on the rise and fall of your chest.

He was never a devoted follower of the Faith, forced by Alicent tooth and nail to attend service when he was older. One of Aegon's first memories was in the Sept of Baelor, him not nearly reaching the height of his mother's waist yet as she knelt, lighting a candle to pray. He remembered watching his mother's lips move in noiseless reverence; her dark brows knitted together as he copied her, sitting on his knees, his forehead just reaching the top of the altar.

Aegon asked her then what she was praying for, his voice soft and violet eyes wide as the scent of frankincense drifted in the dim chamber. He understood now why his mother hesitated in telling him. He was too young to comprehend the troubles of adulthood, but she placated her curious tot with words and hopes for the future. That one day, she and his older sister could finally make amends and be companions once more.

"Protect your daughter as she fights this atrocity against her soul, bring the man responsible to your divine justice, and guide this lost girl into your light," Orwyle recited, brown skin laced with nervous sweat. "And to the Stranger, may you spare her one moment more from eternal sleep."

They ended the prayer with a solemn nod, the Maester pacing toward his table of supplies to make another concoction. Aegon still knelt at the side of your bed, fists clasped until his knuckles turned white as the paste on your stomach dried and hardened.

He believed there would be more time for you and him together, that you would grow old by each other's side and share the woes of life hand in hand. His existence felt like a great tragedy told of in storybooks—the kind where the hero goes through the trials of loss, pain, valor, and internal conflict only to have the love he was trying to save die in the end. It felt like Aegon's two decades of suffering were for nothing; his trials were for naught.

The prince understood, with a sullen look, that his grandfather and mother wanted you gone. He knew his grandfather would go to lengths to ensure his schemes went unobstructed, but Otto was the type of man to go about things much more delicately. The Hand played the long game, maneuvering pieces of the board without one realizing to get what he desired. Aegon did not feel he was behind this, for this was much too gauche for his proper standards.

However, his mother posed an uncertainty in his mind. She greatly desired that you leave King's Landing, and the prince was unsure how much she truly wished you gone. He did know, just as he knew the sun would rise on the morrow, that Alicent was involved in this somehow.

"My prince," Orwyle said tentatively, holding a rag and the same bowl of charcoal and clay in his wrinkled palm. "I must remove the paste from her abdomen."

Aegon nodded in understanding, peeling himself from your side, though he did not stray far. He would privately speak to his mother about this but not go to her. The Queen would have to come to him. Despite Ser Harrold stationed outside your doors, he was on edge. Aegon was frightened at the notion of the assailant returning to finish his duty and trusted no one but himself to watch over you.

Maester Orwyle turned to the prince, holding the ashy mucilage in the bowl with a brush. "This must be applied every thirty minutes or until it hardens and cracks," he explained, the necklace of the Seven Pointed Star glinting in the candlelight.

Aegon tilted his head, eyeing the bowl's contents in agreement, as he took it from his hand. "Thank you, Maester."

Orwyle sighed, gaze lowered as it flickered over to you, lips in a grim line. He felt helpless, knowing there was something more he could do, but the risks involved outweighed the benefits in his mind. There was still a chance your body could fight off the poison. Not many survived the effects of Poison Hemlock, and those who did were left with permanent symptoms, which often left them wishing for their death.

"Your grace, I feel I must tell you, not as a servant of the Crown, but as a man, a human with a living and beating heart." Aegon eyed the Maester wearily, painting your stomach gray. He inhaled deeply through his nose, bracing himself for the prince's impending reaction.

"What I am doing with her now are only superficial treatments. She needs to get rid of the poison from the inside out, but I am afraid by doing so, bile might fill her chest, from which there is no escape."

Aegon swallowed audibly, finding his mouth had become impossibly dry. "What is it?"

The Maester tucked his lips into a thin line, wringing his book-worn digits. "We will place a metal funnel with a tube of thick leather into her throat and pour a water mixture of charcoal into her stomach. It will induce vomiting, but if the princess's muscles are paralyzed, it will go into her lungs and she will suffocate."

Aegon stared at Orwyle, terror-stricken at the idea of the barbaric tactic, and ceased his actions. Shoving a tube down your throat to force vomit was pure barbarism. Indeed, a tactic of torture was used within the Black Cells to force prisoners to confess. He would not subject you to such a thing. It would not be what you desired.

"There is a chance it won't travel there, and she will survive, but I must warn you, those living with the after-effects of Poison Hemlock sometimes wish they did not," Orwyle stated in forewarning, mahogany eyes anywhere but the prince.

"Are you suggesting we just continue to pray to invisible Gods in hopes that she survives?" Aegon barked, rising from his hunched place at your side to his full height.

"No, my prince. I shall do whatever I can to ensure her survival. You'll need to inform her family of what has happened here." Aegon's stare was intense, his face firm and filled with barely hidden rage. "The Hand has ordered all ravens titled for Dragonstone barred. Gold Cloaks are placed within the rookery in the Keep, and I am unable to inform them."

The prince huffed. Of course, his grandfather would do something like this. He would not put it past his mother either that she was complicit in it. They knew what havoc it would wreak on their schemes, the ones they tried so hard to convince Aegon of since he could read. The Rogue Prince and possibly the heir to the Iron Throne arriving in the Red Keep would indeed prevent them from placing Aegon on the throne when his father passed. He did not care.

To hell with his mother and grandfather. To hell with the plans they made without Aegon's consent. To hell with the future. If you did not survive this, he would not be willing to live a life.

The prince did not thank Maester Orwyle for his knowledge, too far gone within his rage to extend the courtesy for the man who had done so much to save his love as he exited with a bow, going to his quarters for much-needed rest.

***

Aegon tended to you with the precision of a Maester, applying the charcoal remedy and wiping away your sweat as he mulled over his subsequent decisions. He trusted only his unassuming sister-wife to aid him in his efforts. When your sworn shield came to relieve Ser Harrold and urged Aegon to rest, he vehemently refused. The prince hurled a barrage of insults at the knight that had Helaena covering her ears. Her lilac eyes burned with intensity as she watched over your listless body, attempting to lose herself in her thoughts.

He shrieked with the fury of an enraged bull, belting to Ser Arryk that he would have his head, that he would geld the man and impale him on the same battlements that rested the crowns and bodies of traitors. Aegon's actions were nothing short of deranged. He would lash out at anyone who even glanced in their direction, accusing them of contributing to the decay of the life he dreamed with you.

During Aegon's bout of madness, he accused Ser Arryk of conspiring to murder his lover. He claimed the knight let the assailant inside because he could not bear his envy towards his love. Arryk was appalled by this, for he felt nothing but revulsion at your coupling.

The knight denied having any part in harming the princess, desperately beseeching a manic Aegon that he was not at his post when it occurred. He realized the error of his words when the prince became eerily silent, staring at Arryk with a heaving chest and dark eyes.

It was a moment before Aegon yowled, a brief eery quiet that seemed to halt time as he lurched forward with bared teeth and scratching nails, beating the Kingsguard senselessly. Only at the screech of a frightened Helaena did Ser Harrold intervene, prying a howling Aegon off Ser Arryk, who could not defend himself due to the prince's status.

The Commander of the Kingsguard scolded Arryk for not being at his post and failing to perform his duty, turning to Aegon and asking him what punishment for his crime would please him.

"He is to be stripped of his armor and taken to the Black Cells," the prince seethed, "where he will await his sentence until the princess wakes. 'Tis her right to decide what level of treatment this cowardice deserves, though I fear she will be kinder than me."

Harrold confidently nodded to the prince, knowing this was one of Aegon's most merciful decisions. With a deafening sound, he swiftly ripped off Ser Arryk's white cape, causing Helaena's body to shudder. The Commander forcefully yanked the ties to Arryk's armor, leaving the knight with no choice but to accept his shame.

He broke the vows he had kept steadfastly for years. Within a matter of hours, Arryk was an oathbreaker and an unwitting accomplice to your murder. He felt the unseen eyes of the Gods upon him, bearing witness to his failures and sins with curled lips. The knight was lucky that Ser Harrold took pity on him and did not parade him to the other members of the Kingsguard.

The Commander felt that the embarrassment of having a lecher wastrel prince attack Arryk in front of Princess Helaena was enough, so he continued to throw piece after piece of silver armor onto the stone floor, the metal ringing out with each drop.

Helaena could not stand the rhythmic clanging, each noise vibrating her bones as she observed your breath, attempting to dissociate inchest'shest's hypnotizing rise and fall. She thought of bringing the twins to see you. They greatly missed you, and Jaehaerys began questioning where you had been the past weeks.

Helaena was no fool. She felt it in the marrow of her bones that you and her brother made amends. The heaviness that lurked about in her mind had lifted, and her womb began to feel the effects of growing life. Foreign movements within her gut became more frequent, causing Helaena to have a hand pressed to her stomach nearly every moment, absentmindedly stroking it whenever her eyes fogged and her ears whispered words she couldn't understand.

She felt drawn to the table littered with medicinal supplies, violet orbs flicking over the different bottles and salves. She stopped at a bowl with ash-colored paint, dipping her fingertips into its contents and rubbing it with her thumb. It had no smell and was cool to the touch, liquid smooth as she curiously eyed the mixture dripping onto her wrist. Helaena felt the urge to gather more, scooping her digits down to the second knuckle in the gray paste as she turned to your bed.

Her movements were otherworldly as she carried herself across the mattress on her knees, hand positioned so as not to spill a drop. Helaena uncovered your body from the sheets and lifted the hem of your nightdress to the middle of your breasts. She straddled your thighs as she began to apply the ashy mucilage. Aegon's movements were delicate as a skilled painter, ensuring each space was covered evenly, but Helaena's were possessed, puppeteered, her arms jerking as she rubbed her palms across your abdomen.

"Hand turns loom; spools of green, spools of black. Dragons of flesh weaving dragons of thread," she mumbled, smearing the paste down your torso. Helaena's words were not hers, as if something had taken control, her mind not within her body. "Beneath the boards, rats bite. The drink of fools; a sacrifice of her blood, peace reborn in flames."

Aegon abruptly turned to his sister, face etched with concerned annoyance at diverting his attention away from the humiliation of Ser Arryk. His sister was hunched in her turquoise dress, which seemed nearly splintering as her spine stretched the seams with her movements. Helaena's thoughts were incoherent, mumbles of words only she comprehended as Aegon nervously watched her smear the prescribed charcoal and clay on your stomach.

He barked for Ser Harrold to take your sworn shield to the dungeons, concern for his sister at the forefront of Aegon's mind. He approached Helaena like a frightened deer, as if she would flee into the depths of the dense green forest, never to be seen again. As the prince came closer, he noticed she was no longer applying the mucilage, her tiny, lithe fingers drawing symbols above your womb, flesh peeking between the gray. They looked familiar to Aegon, like something he saw within the misty years of a childhood he could never recall as Helaena's body swayed.

The intensity of her actions churned fear in his gut, and he worried that she was reverting to one of her states. Aegon tentatively placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and stole Helaena from her trance. She flew into a fit of rage, eyes wide, snatching his wrist with her dirtied hands as she glared into his startled eyes.

"The poison takes root in her womb, bringing peace with fire and blood," she declared, a fierce glint within her vision.

Aegon stared in bewilderment, his nostrils flaring as he fought Helaena's ironclad grip before she was again brought within her body. She recoiled into her dreamy-eyed self and released her brother, sighing as she slumped over your body.

Aegon wet his pink lips to speak, voice raw and sore from his fist of screaming, but Helaena ceased his struggle, gazed trained on the symbols painted onto your skin.

"She will grow old in love with you. I shall not," she plainly expressed, no hint of sadness in her tone. He went to protest, but his sister silenced him once more. "We never desired to marry one another and only created children out of duty. Your union to her will be of love, and the children will love her as if she bore them from her blood." Her words were wistful, never looking at her brother to see his reactions as if she already knew.

"Helaena," he interjected, reaching out to seek comfort you could not give, but she brushed him away.

"The dragon has three heads." Helaena pulled your nightgown to cover your bosom. "Aegon spent ten nights with Rhaenys for every one he spent with Visenya," his sister stated, leaning up your body to gingerly stroke the frame of your face. Her brother glared at the cryptic statement, unsure of what she meant, unexpecting the sudden history lesson of his namesake. "But you will spend every night with her."

"Helaena, I love you. You are my sister," Aegon protested as if he was being attacked by an unseen predator and needed to defend himself.

"Precisely," she responded with a faint smirk of her thin, peony lips, kissing your cheek before she nuzzled herself into the curve of your warm side.

Aegon stared at his sister in confusion, unable to discern what she was saying as he sat in the chair beside your bed. It was all too much to process at once, his mind exhausted and thoughts a maelstrom. He could not find the ability to digest all that had happened in the early morning hours. Now, it was midday, and he suddenly realized he had not slept. The empty spot beside you looked inviting, but he refused to impede on you and Helaena's space.

Observing the two of you brought a suffocating wave of guilt he had never felt before. Aegon fucked whores and spent countless nights away from his wife and felt not a shred of remorse for his actions, yet observing his sister lay next to the woman he loved pushed all the consequences he buried deep within, now festering in his soul.

Helaena was too precious to be tied to a man such as him, too good for the world she was born into, and at the realization, Aegon's nose began to burn.

"Brother, won't you come lay with us?" she asked lightly, her words slightly muffled against your skin.

The prince did not protest. He was too tired and too weak to fight anymore as he slotted himself on the other side of you, arm snaking its way across your chest. He felt at peace. All Aegon had wanted was to sleep beside the one he loved, and now that he did, he was finally at peace, intertwining her fingers with his as they locked in an understanding embrace over your slowly rising breasts.

His eyes trailed from their connected fists, gazing at the symbols that now cracked with your breaths. Aegon wracked his already mushed head for the meaning, the answer scratching at his mind when suddenly his sister's rambles finally made sense, connecting the words to the drawings.

They were not illegible scribbles of a distressed woman but were the glyphs of his ancestor's near-extinct language, a tongue only the privileged few spoke.

The word 'peace' was inscribed into the gray paste on your womb in High Valyrian, the strokes and slopes Helaena made on your skin near perfect, and at that actualization, Aegon could finally rest.

Masterlist of Series

Fun Fact: Hemlock is a broad term for various plants closely associated with each other, and they are an invasive species in North America. One plant within the family is called fool’s parsley because its leaves resemble those of the herb. You can eat a plant that looks close to the poisonous ones called Queen Anne’s Lace, and you can eat it. I wouldn’t recommend it because it’s nearly identical to the bad stuff.

P.S. Are we excited to have the return of a certain zaddy in the coming chapters?

Tagged Peeps: @zeennnnnnn, @malfoytargaryen, @targaryencore, @justasmallbean, @omgsuperstarg, @sommornyte, @silverslive, @prettykinkysoul, @legolas017, @iiamthehybrid, @dd122004dd, @ladybug0095, @millies0bsimp, @kalfild, @sheislonelyalways, @tempt-ress, @minttea07, @trikigirl271, @esposadomd, @prettywhenicry4, @justarandomflowerchildofthenight, @partypoison00, @please-buckme, @pastelorangeskies, @existential-echo, @priyajoyy, @candy12110, @w3ird11, @ruhjkie, @somemydayy, @zillahvathek, @heavenly1927, @hjgdhghoe, @im-sidney, @aurorathi, @marihoneywk, @xitsemm, @justbelljust, @qardasngan

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yuseirra · 2 months ago

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Onk Chapter 159 review~

(a small comic for starters :) either way, Ai will still kick his butt)

yes, I had been spoiled; yes, and I actually like it, as much as it leaves at a cliffhanger and leaves you in confusion(why is this comic always like this) The way it ends is indeed, quite shocking, isn't it? But I think I understand where it's coming from.

I honestly won't have a clue on just what this story is going to be unless it's not going to be like what I write here; If that's so, then I'll just sit back and just.. let the story run along after this~ I'm pretty confident, for now though!!

The development in this current episode aligns with the interpretation I initially had back when I hopped onto the series, right after 153-154. It feels like I've been reset XD

It's pretty good, right? It's entertaining and well done. There is no need to fuss whether "Kamiki is evil!!" or "He's the final boss!", at least not right now, that'd be determined in the following eps. but for now, I think I have an idea of what it's trying to convey.

He DOES look super evil in that last panel (I keep staring at it for how ridiculous he looks)but let's look into the things that are being discussed for now-

Judging by the reaction he has, Kamiki never stopped loving Ai. The reaction in chapter 154 and the current one can coexist as emotional responses.

But it seems that after Ai died, Kamiki did a lot.

It actually matches really well with the interpretation I made after reading chapter 154 for the first time! I mean this comic I drew. I thought I might have went a bit overboard with it for awhile, for Kamiki's actions after that chapter felt milder than that, but now that 159 is out, it... seems pretty similar.

Sometimes, the first answer you pick on a test is the correct one, right? I laughed...perhaps I should trust my initial feelings about things more...they may tend to be the most accurate.

He has this, "I'm already beyond hope now, I can't be saved" vibe to him. And I saw this coming all along, I kept wondering just what is it that he'd have done. It's been pretty vague except for that case with Yura, right? (To be honest, the one death that bothers me a lot is Gorou's. Did Nino and Ryosuke kill him?? Why did Gorou die?? I really hope Kamiki wasn't involved with that case because that leads to really weird sorts of conclusions... killing the doc that helped deliver his own children;;; I hope it's just Ryosuke and Nino that's played a part there)

Judging by how he reacts to Aqua, he does have paternal love, and Kamiki’s attitude towards his children is consistently kind and gentle. His way of speech is...I've been sent the leaks in another language right..; I can tell. He speaks in a really.. kind and gentle way. Even in that last panel as well. He's so tender with his way of speaking when he talks towards his kids, so much like the lyrics of Mephisto (how the song is like as it ends) I feel like he is, or at least used to be, a sweet person. Talking to his fully grown son like that.

It seems like he genuinely wants to watch his daughter's performance. I feel Kamiki cherishes and cares for Aqua and Ruby. As for whether he would go so far as to harm the children to save Ai... I think the chances of that are low. Ai’s judgment seems correct, and if Kamiki had married Ai and lived with her, he would have been a kind and gentle father to their children.

At the same time, though, he thinks it's too late to save himself now. The attitude he has feels like self-mockery or despair. He's a bit out of vigor, in my opinion(aside from that last panel).

The key is figuring out what exactly the "lies" he told was.

Judging by Aqua's reaction, Kamiki’s involvement in Ai’s death should be minimal. If it weren’t, there should be some anger connected to the mention of Ai’s name as Aqua brought it up. For example, "Ai trusted you until the end, she wanted you to help you, but you made her die!" Because it's very natural, right? If Kamiki killed the very person who wanted to help him, it's natural to bring that up as you mention the "help".

But that’s not the case. Instead, Aqua's reaction is something like, "I’m supposed to help you, as Ai said, but you’ve been telling this 'ugly lie for your own sake' so I can’t."

I think that, to evoke this kind of response, Kamiki must have done a lot after Ai’s death, thinking he was doing it for her, but deep down, he knew it was a lie he told himself all along, and Aqua is calling him out on it.

It doesn’t seem like Kamiki killed someone with the thought that "no one can outshine Ai" (that would be really stupid;;), but rather, that he made sacrifices because he wanted to save Ai or bring her back to life. In that case, what Aqua is saying here translates to: "Hey, would Ai have wanted that? That was a crazy thing you did for your own sake and pleasure, thinking 'Ai would want to live' or 'Ai would want to reunite with the kids in any way possible.' You know that's NOT what she has ever wanted, but you lied to yourself convincing it would all be okay as long as it came true. That makes you an ugly liar."

If Kamiki did kill someone, Aqua really should report him to the police instead of meeting one-on-one. Report him, for crying out loud! Why doesn't he do that in 155 and why doesn't he try to do it now, either? He just walks up to him and starts a conversation. Didn't he figure things out with Akane earlier? Can't they just turn those pieces of evidence they found to the police if they have them?

So... that's why I’m not sure if what Kamiki did actually involved killing someone... Maybe Aqua didn’t report it or he can't because there wasn’t enough evidence? Yura is dead, that's a fact, but well, we know now for sure that Kamiki did not play a part in Ryosuke's death(who cares about him but yeah), and if he isn't the one who's killed Gorou (the one who did it is Ryosuke and Nino is his acquaintance so I think there's low chance?;) Maybe he didn't kill Yura either. He says it's his fault but at this point, I don't think he's the one that's responsible for Ai's death. There is a reason I'm saying this, stay with me for a while, okay? But he's still done something that Aqua deems as a "selfish lie".. I just don't know how severe this guy can get and what he's done but I guess he's done some terrible things...

Moving on, I don't think this character would hurt Ruby or Aqua or anyone else at this point. (Although... who knows; if he feels like he has nothing to lose, he might...) It seems like he intended to end his life to offer as the final tribute, and Aqua came to stop him. (Like, Aqua came to him to "save him" on Ai''s behalf. He didn't say he's come to "punish him" for his misdeeds... so I think it's safe to say Aqua's come to save his butt) It might tie into the supernatural elements that pop up occasionally, like when Kamiki mentioned the "gods" in chapter 147 or talked about no longer needing to offer "sacrifices." There were many intriguing and important things mentioned in that chapter.

It seems like Kamiki thinks he’s done wrong, but he can’t stop himself from continuing on the path he was, so he wants his children to kill him or get revenge on him.

Nino is truly crazy... It's unhealthy to be fixated like that on just one single person... I don’t want to think too deeply about it because it’s not something I want to empathize with. I don’t wish to feel any pity. If I were to analyze it deeply, I could, but this is the kind of dark human psyche I don’t want to delve into because it takes energy and I don't feel it's that worth it. It's already been displayed so well in this chapter, and it's creepy and perfect as it is so I don't think it needs further explanation, she's just as I pictured her to be and even.. damp and scarier in eerily realistic ways.

If I were Ai, I’d grab Nino by the collar and ask, "Nino-chan, Why are you doing this to me? Why are you like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?" what the heck...poor Ai. it's too much. She's scary.

Ryosuke is out of his mind, and what has Ichigo been doing all this time if he knew something?... Perhaps he needed solid evidence and wished to catch her when she took action? But...; I really wish Ichigo did better when Ai was still alive if he knew what was going about with Nino and Ryosuke and Ai......

So, was Kamiki the one who made Ryosuke and Nino "that way"...(as in, hopelessly insane about Ai)?

No, that's not how it's going to go.

Looking at his past, there’s no big reason or motive for Kamiki to have done something like that and I don't think he could have coerced them to feel that way about Ai, they brought it upon themselves; (Honestly, I'm curious, what’s the connection between him and Nino and Ryosuke? At this point, I feel like they did not have any particular connection before Ai's death, at this point)

Kamiki clearly recognizes that Ai is just a normal girl who has cruel and selfish sides (this is a strong difference from Nino and Ryosuke). I'm not sure when he formed that idea, but he is at least aware of that, as he's doing whatever he's been doing.

That means, if Kamiki decided to take some extreme actions "for Ai", it wouldn’t have been because of some superficial motive like wanting Ai to be perfect or the best idol(Ryosuke and Nino's actions fall here) . Instead, it would have stemmed from a more practical desire, like wanting Ai to come back or get closer to her. For Kamiki, Ai isn’t a fantasy; she’s real. She’s a person he loves. That’s why the song Mephisto and Fatal suits him. Kamiki doesn’t need Ai to be an invincible idol; he just wants the person he loves to be alive.

So, tying it into the theme of this manga, I come to the conclusion that:

It wasn’t a single person like Kamiki who made Ryosuke and Nino the way they are, but rather, the public’s expectations of Ai.

This connects to the story explored in the movie arc, where people expected Ai to be the invincible idol, leading her to lie and conceal her weak self completely.

If my interpretation is correct... this is where the story is heading.

From the start, there was no such thing as an evil mastermind or anything like that. What happened to Ai was always the result of a fan’s twisted desire for their idol to be flawless, and the public's expectation of idols reinforcing such a behavior.

In reality, it’s Ryousuke and Nino who are insane, but the culture or fervor that creates such crazy people isn’t entirely absent in this world. That seems to be the point being made.

I mentioned this in a previous post: (it's paraphrased and condensed)

"But more than that, I think the main focus of this work and the message it's trying to give is: "Even celebrities are just people in the end"... Ultimately, that's it."

This is... probably it.

If you look at it that way, Kamiki is someone who was separated from the person he loved due to such malice (if Ai and Kamiki weren’t celebrities, they would have stayed together after having the kids and lived happily... What made Kamiki’s life miserable, and brought Ai to believe it'd hurt him less if she broke up with him was the dark side of the entertainment industry. After all, the pain he went through in his entertainment career was too much, and even afterward, they couldn’t reunite despite their feelings for each other because Ai was too successful as an idol. I think that’s why they couldn’t be together). In that sense, Kamiki is almost like the biggest victim of the entertainment industry in the story because not only did he suffer from it all his life, he ultimately lost the very person he loved because of it. Ai was an idol, so there was social pressure and expectations that she shouldn’t have kids or a boyfriend. That’s why they couldn’t stay together...

Kamiki, having his life destroyed by the dark side of the entertainment industry, and upon he lost the one person he loved, Ai, ended up doing a lot of things in desperation to bring her back and see her again. That’s what's going on about in the songs Fatal and Mephisto.

We haven’t seen exactly what he's been doing in the story, but I think the songs fill that narrative. "The gathering of light"... "finding things to fill in what's missing"...

Kamiki just wants to see Ai again. He wants to see her, but he doesn’t think Ai would love him or want to meet him, so he wished for her to come back to life, and when that didn’t work, he tried to get closer to her himself.

His true feelings were that he loved Ai sincerely and only had eyes for her.

But if what he did involve needing someone else’s life to achieve that goal (and the songs do suggest that...), that’s terrifying. Lol

Ai wanted Kamiki to be saved... If there really is a sliver of chance of such things to be a possibility, what he's done should not be that extreme. Kamiki does seem to think he's beyond saving, though.

I made an analysis earlier that he may be lying to appear as evil as he can be to persuade Aqua into believing he should just die there, and that he isn't worth saving... this was before I saw the actual images, but that could be the case too. if he's really planning to give himself away as a sacrifice of some sort or die to bring Ai back/reach her, then I guess it'd make sense for him to appear as menacing and horrible as possible so that his boy wouldn't have to care about him. He IS a liar and he IS a genius actor. He wants to do something for Ai, and I think that still stands. He said he'd do it in 155 - if that means it takes his life to do so, he'd still, definitely go through with it.

We’ll probably find out what he did all along within the next 10 chapters. I also think that the manga now needs to address the stars and the gods;; The idea that Ai became a star was mentioned directly, and Tsukuyomi was also brought up. The stars were beautifully shining during the B-Komachi concert, right? It feels like Ai is giving her blessing. If my guesses about this series is correct, Kamiki should mention stuff along the lines of the supernatural when talking about his motives. I think Kamiki tried to bring Ai back to life. If he hadn’t had that hope, I feel he would have followed Ai long ago. He doesn’t seem particularly attached to his own life. That means there must have been something that gave him that sort of hope. The songs imply something like it. It's made Kamiki believe Ai could come back to life...

I wonder if Kamiki can be saved. The fact that Aqua even brought the idea of helping the guy may mean there still might be a chance. Otherwise, Aqua would just throw him in jail; there’d be no point in talking to him like this, even if it's Ai's wish. Impossible things are still impossible.

But it’s true that Kamiki really fell apart after Ai died. Whether he’s just a pitiful guy or a victim who became a perpetrator (the latter seems more likely...sadly), we’ll have to wait and see.

To be continued, I guess.

That character’s life was truly miserable, but if he ruined other people’s lives, then he should still be punished for that.

Still, In the end, it seems like everything will turn out as Ai wanted, so I’m looking forward to seeing how much Aqua can fulfill Ai’s wishes.

It was a good chapter! :)

Come to think of it, in my analysis of Ai (this was written wayy back in June, when ch 152 was fresh) , I wrote something like this:

Ai didn't want to get back together with her ex because she wanted to continue being an idol. She couldn't have a public relationship. But I think she wanted to show her kids to him because she gained a little bit of courage while raising them. That she could show her real self. When you look at a Ai, you can infer she has a lot welled up. They had always hidden themselves, and now they have "secrets" that are not just their own, living, that grow with time. She's always had vicious circle that led to self-hatred from all the lies she'd been creating, which led to anger and stress…and it was this close to being let out through the movie. Maybe that's why Aqua believes making movies is for her. It's to fulfill her desire to be freed from the lies.

This might have hit the mark. The reason it has to be a movie is because of this… if it was only Kamiki, he could have just been shown the video Ai left, but-

Aqua’s “revenge” has to be fulfilled through a movie because Ai’s situation was caused by the public’s perception of her.

If people had accepted the real Ai as a person, twisted individuals like Ryosuke wouldn’t have appeared, and Ai wouldn’t have had to lie to the person she so dearly wanted to love. If… If only Ai had survived, I think Kamiki could have reunited with her after the movie was released. Because people would have understood and accepted their circumstances. Ai would never have had to die because she had children - for being imperfect and human, as she is.

This is not a story about a psychopathic murderer getting back at his ex-girlfriend or just one crazy fan attacking their idol, it's tackling a much bigger theme than that.

So no, this isn't going to be about Kamiki being the crazy mastermind, quite the contrary. He's the one who's lost his beloved due to a societal belief that idols have to be perfect and flawless. He's the one who desperately wants to get her back after having lost her.

When I think about it, it’s really heartbreaking. Ai and Kamiki could have been happy, for sure. They really could have had it weren't it for this, I feel.

The public isn’t always so cold, so I think Ai might have wanted to take that risk…

++ Oh, wow… Aqua showed up wearing the exact outfit from the Mephisto video!

Then, if my thoughts are correct, the next chapter, or at least within a few chapters, should reveal more about the Fatal/Mephisto storyline in the series. Those songs aren’t Aqua’s, they’re Kamiki’s.

+++ Didn't mention but Kamiki looks even younger than Aqua in that last panel, he looks kinda adorable in a very freaky way. Ai didn't mention his looks for nothing.. he still has it over the age of thirty...

yeah, I'll believe in him for just a little longer. I really hope the next chapter continues where it left off and just TELL US what he's been up to for once. This chapter is 159 so I guess it'd be the last ep of a volume, Yeah, that'd definitely make people wish to buy the next copy

but I really want answers at this point, stop the taunts.

If Mephisto and Fatal ain't the story of this guy then tbh, nothing would make sense to me about this guy nor the story. Aside from the fact that it matches his characteristics and lores in a perfect sense, it's just a really strong hunch I get. The moment I first heard Fatal, I knew it had to be it. I can't explain how it happens but I just know what it's supposed to imply. So there!

Till next week!

#oshi no ko #oshi no theories #oshi no ko spoilers #hikaai #hikaru kamiki #ai hoshino #spoilers #doodle

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kiwinatorwaffles · 10 months ago

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I found This is About a Stuffed Bird bc of you and its one of my favorite fics ever. Do you by chance have more suggestions?

hermitcraft/mcyt fic recs? :0 let's go!!

i get a lot of my fic recs from other friends since i don't really go out and search on my own all too much for this fandom. but there are lots of great works out here! i will be listing out some of my favorites :3 mostly hc but a couple general mcyt ones that i think are an excellent read no matter what. all of the fics i'm listing will be genfic without ships!

also i just realized a lot of my bookmarks are grian-centric which is funny i guess because i am admittedly quite picky about content of my other favorites and grian just tends to have the most content in the fanbase. hope that'll be alright

(i hope some of my friends and mutuals don't mind me tagging them for their works)

hermitcraft longfics:

the last days of the free angel of carrows by @theminecraftbee - loved stuffed bird? here's another great longfic by second! this one is about joe and cleo in an urban fantasy mystery setting. again, second writes our beloved hermits into an captivating au!

leaping and hopping on a moonshadow by @lunarblazes - a fantasy au by luna my beloved! pearl suddenly gains magical powers and goes on a quest to find her long-lost friend grian who might know what's happening to her. she meets a lot of familiar faces along the way!

Recall by @redwinterroses - hey, i was the artist for this one! :D mumbo goes missing, so grian and scar search for him. they find that grumbot has been up to some... things along the way. the fic isn't finished but i think the chapters red put out is worth a read if you don't mind leaving off on a cliffhanger because it really is super interesting

dramaturgy by wormcity - a universe where gem and pearl join in a season 7 that was never finished. mumbo became the mayor, but the turf war went so very wrong afterwards. admittedly i have not finished reading this yet because ummm short on time xD but it's super interesting with a lot of layers of drama(turgy hahaha)!

hermitcraft short fics/oneshots:

for trying. by @autistic-evil-xisuma - a stuffed bird universe oneshot of x and xisuma during their lab days. great if you want to be sad over the doomed brothers again :D

the wheels on the bus by sparxwrites - a hilarious post-s8 oneshot about grian being a little shit towards the watchers. one of the first fics i've read from this fandom and i still love it

a body is an object by ruffboi - grian is a mimic, and pearl's arrival in s8 shakes him up. she hasn't seen him in a while and is quite upset to learn that the grian she knew died a long time ago. a great read for familial connections and conflict of friendships!

Goatman and the Rift by TheDepressedCanary - doc's eldritch powers start acting up when the rift appears. what shenanigans will ensue?

other mcyt fics/crossovers:

late at night, when the stars don't look quite right by @lunarblazes - an excellent empires s1 and hermitcraft crossover longfic, where grian lands into the server and is discovered by pearl! very great worldbuilding and relationships, i especially love the dynamic between gri and pearl and pearl and gem :D

every new discovery is just a reminder by amaranthinecanicular - grian begins pulling alternate versions of the hermits from the life series into the server. he does save a lot of them, but at what cost? it does end on a cliffhanger but this is genuinely one of the most captivating oneshots i've ever read... argghhh

The Fair and the Brave and the Good by @slashmagpie - an afterlife smp longfic centered around the shelby, scott, and sausage. i have never watched afterlife smp before in my LIFE and this is still one of my favorite pieces of literature ever. the characters and worldbuilding is impeccable and perfect if you like something dark with themes of hope and renewal.

Two Can Keep a Secret (If One of Them is Red) by anonymous secretmcblog - a 3L oneshot! ren suspects grian has stockholm syndrome with his pact to stay with scar, but his expectations are wrong. a truly excellent read and one of them first fics i've read! i still go back to reread it from time to time

dog at the door by fluffy_papaya & iamsolarflare - a longfic where doc and ren take a trip on a van on their way to s8. ren, however, is not quite himself, and doc has to learn to befriend the red king.

devil town is colder in the summertime by @bananasofthorns - a oneshot from a 100hsmp/life series d&d au! team BEST ventures into a cursed evil fucked up forest. uh oh.

Interview with the Aftermath by @ranchersrevenge (wanderlasts) - the last life contestants are invited for an interview. the responses vary greatly.

stars, smoke, and stolen car keys by wormcity - a 100hsmp modern au oneshot where grian, scar, and joel go on a hike. it doesn't go quite as they expected.

the beehive state by amaranthinecanicular - a dsmp oneshot after wilbur moves to utah. tommy visits him, and the two reconnect. i have to say i stopped following dsmp a long time ago but this fic made me BAWL. i don't even think you need to know any of the characters that well to really enjoy just how amazing the writing itself is

Can't Go Back (This Time) by @duckmumbo (musicaltvbooks) - soup group goes end raiding and accientally finds themselves in afterlife smp. nothing goes wrong, surely! also admittedly i havent finished reading this either but roy i swear i will. this is a great read nevertheless and the soup group dynamic is impeccable!

TommyInnit's unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii - on the train of dsmp fics, this is the superhero au longfic that inspired my own hc superhero au, vdhau. it's a lot of funny shenanigans with tommy and his friends. the fic does take a dark turn at the end, but that can be skipped entirely (as said by eneli herself) if you just want the wholesome aspects.

if you don't mind a little self promo, here are some of my fics!

it takes two to play (the game of mutual secrecy) - the aforementioned hermitcraft hero au. this installment is centered around xisuma and evil x as brothers resolving their issues through hero work and solving the mystery of welsknight's disappearance :D there are other works that are set in the same universe if you're interested for more!

how to form the ultimate besties dynamic: an unreliable tutorial by hypnotizd - a oneshot! hypno is a warlock who goes treasure hunting under the sea. he meets a guardian who later becomes his unlikely friend.

smoke and mirrors, the hunt perseveres - grian's arrival in empires s2 unwittingly brings the watchers' suspicions with him. cue jimmy freaking out and a lot of shenanigans.

ballad of etho’s lab - my newest installment! a oneshot about etho's storied life as the redstone god.

i'm also currently working on the sequel to the game of mutual secrecy and a new (well not exactly new since i made concept art for it) au called private detective gem tasey! these will likely be released sometime late january or february. have fun with these fic recs! i haven't been reading as much lately but i hope ill be able to find more if anyone else asks in the future. cheers!

edit: the fics are out! here they are!

hiding in plain sight (the meaning of trust) - sequel to the hermitcraft hero au! it follows an escaped lab rat trying to acquaint themselves with human society while avoiding suspicion and making friends with familiar faces from tgms ;D

private detective gem tasey: a rotten mystery in london - a hermitcraft detective au where gem gets hired for a case that spirals completely into drama and politics!

#birdhouse inquiries #why am i hereagain tag #writing #hermitcraft #mcyt

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hxhhasmysoul · 4 months ago

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JJK manga Chapter 264 Spoilers

I have so many thoughts about the new chapter. I wish Hana got to do more, but I’m glad that she’s back in the fight. She should’ve been there from the start but I was worried she won’t be in it at all, so…

But the main thing. Yuuji finally has a non blank expression, something he hasn’t shown for most of the fight. I hope we will finally see into Yuuji’s head.The fascinating thing for me is how in his domain Yuuji managed to not only change his own form but also Sukuna’s.

The first time Sukuna open’s his domain in the anime, he changes outfits to his kimono from Yuuji’s uniform. But it doesn’t happen in the manga. I’m not sure whether Gege just asked the anime creators to change that bit, or did Mappa just changed shit.

And this is an important detail. Everything in JJK is about maintaining the shape of the soul. Yuuji’s soul has always been the strongest in JJK, but Sukuna’s seemed to be the second strongest.

If his changing outfits during that first domain expansion was a purposeful change by Gege, it would make sense because the domain expansion is the innate domain where the soul is expanding into the world. So inside the domain Sukuna would have his kimono, like he has when he sits on the skull throne.

I don’t think anyone else in their domain expansion managed to change how the opponent looked, but Yuuji has changed Sukuna’s appearance. Sukuna is back inside Yuuji’s soul, and inside that soul he looks like Yuuji. It’s even more interesting that Yuuji forced his own outfit onto Sukuna. Previously Sukuna could maintain his own individuality through his appearance, distance himself from Yuuji, despite Yuuji’s face being forced onto him. Yuuji did leave Sukuna his tattoos and his extra eyes, or Sukuna has enough strength to keep this much of his individuality inside of Yuuji’s soul.

It all speaks to how weakened Sukuna’s soul is, he took so many blows to it but Yuuji is 悠 (yuu) composed and eternal. His soul has been attacked so many times and it persists strong.

I might be wrong, but I think the guaranteed hit that Gojou talked about was already landed, it was to the soul. And Sukuna’s soul was shaped to Yuuji’s liking.

It also makes me think that Yuuji might want to take Sukuna back inside himself, or maybe he already did.

But he wants that not only because he wants to save Megumi which he does. He’s smiling here to Sukuna, he made Sukuna look like his twin. Yuuji is very lonely but if he has Sukuna inside him he’s never alone. I don’t know if Yuuji knows that Sukuna is his uncle, but he might feel some connection. If he dies with Sukuna inside him, he will not be dying alone. I think Sukuna jumping to Megumi hurt Yuuji because he was left behind again. No people in his life seem permanent. Maybe Sukuna being trapped in him felt permanent.

This cliffhanger is going to live rent free in my head until it’s resolved XD.

Also a part of me hopes that Yuuji is going to absorb Sukuna into himself, like he did with his siblings. So that Sukuna could live in him but on Yuuji’s terms.

#jjk spoilers #jjk leaks #jjk 246 #jjk manga spoilers #jjk 264 spoilers #my ramblings #so many feelings

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nickelanddamned · 3 months ago

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Hey, thanks for tagging me in the WIP list meme! Tell me about "Full Vulcan Spock" please? That sounds fascinating!

(In reference to this post)

*Fans self* THE inexplicifix answered MOI?

Ahem.

Disclaimer that this is more of a get-idea-down-NOW situation than an actual coherent outline. Copy pasting this from another ask:

Okay, so essentially Jim, Spock and co. are on a diplomatic mission with these aliens who are super into conformism and purity and gross shit, and as a gift they decide to (non-consensually) "cure" Spock of his humanity. This isn't very neat, just word salad right now, but I'll paste a snippet:

'Cut to spock waking up. Bones is freaking out cause his blood pressure is way too low, heart rate far too high, core temp practically hypothermic. Spock notices that he feels physically fine, although he seems particularly sensitive to lights, sounds, smell. Etc (can smell the phantom scent of blood beneath sharp, stinging antiseptic) Spock tries to get up, stumbles, catches on railing of biobed and the metal crumples in his hand. He figures everything out and tells mccoy not to worry about the readings. Bone is like wtf do you mean, don;t worry about the readings? The super fucking abnormal readungs? And spock is like, I think youll find, doctor, that my readings are perfectly normal —for a full blooded vulcan. Cliffhanger!

Bones takes readings, genetic testing, they figure out that the alien race reengineered spocks human dna from amanda into vulcan dna. Bones comments on the advanced technology and get science enthusiastic. Spock asks if he;s dismissed, bones releases him to his quarters on leave for the week. he catalogues his physical changes and wonders then why his mind doen;t feel different, his emotions. All his life his human half has been blamed for his emotionality. Now he has no human half, and still emotionality remains'

Uhhh yeah, words not good when type fast XD

Want to see better words? I'm on Ao3!

#nick's fics #tag game #ao3 #star trek tos #spirk #(endgame spirk)

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lynnsenpai · 22 days ago

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MIS ch.6 - The Only Stars Shining that Night

Welcome back, friends (although this is the first time I'm posting MIS on Tumblr specifically, so please don't think too hard about it)! It's been about three months since the last page, but we've finally made it back! Unfortunately the end of the previous chapter was a hell of a cliffhanger to leave off on. But we will finally be making our way back on track.

I would like to make a few important mentions first, though.

The first is that this chapter will contain scenes depicting action and combat. This means, yes, there will be a degree of violence. But for concerned parties, I want to assure that I'm working with PG-13 depictions. Characters will get hurt, but we're not talking gore or anything, and I plan to use blood minimally. If you can handle the violence in the average Marvel movie, for example, you'll probably be okay.

The other thing I want to address is that this does make a number of pages much more experimental for me. I'm using new effects and new poses I've never drawn before and it's proving to be a little bit of a challenge for me, as it is outside my normal skillset. Plus on top of that, a lot of pages are pretty long.

So in hopes that I can avoid falling too far behind, updates will be kept to Wednesdays and Fridays. Following today, there will be no Monday posts for a while. I'm sorry for this and I hope it doesn't make the story move too slowly, but I think this is the best course of action for me.

All that said, I am very excited for this chapter. And I hope you'll enjoy what I've got planned for you all. See you on Wednesday. ^_^ If you're completely new to this, Chapter 6 probably isn't a great place to start. XD The good news is you can find the first five chapters on Comic Fury and Tapas, whichever you prefer.

#MIS #My Impossible Soulmate #Chapter 6 #Chapter Cover #Comic #Webcomc

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starlit-hopes-and-dreams · 17 days ago

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Chapter 28 ~ Without me

Hidden Depths

Previous ~ Masterlist ~ Next

Also on ao3

Genre: Fantasy whump

CW’s: cliffhanger 😅

WC: 2586

Taglist: @dont-touch-my-soup, @kixngiggles

In which we tie up some loose ends

AN: *clears throat* ... I swear I will post next week, no breaks XD

Orla

It wasn’t until she saw Carr without her dagger that Orla realized she’d always carried one.

Orla stood in the doorway to her brother’s room, chewing her lower lip as she watched Carr walk down the hall. If she’d wanted to ask Carr if she was alright, her chance was rapidly passing her by.

The trial was today. Everyone had been tense while they waited for word from a few outlying villages to see if any other charges were to be made against the bandit group. She was glad that it would finally be over, after everything. Hopefully, Carr would be glad too.

Maybe it wasn’t appropriate to wear weapons to a trial? Carr turned the corner, disappearing from view. Orla sighed. She’d just have to wait and see.

A smile crossed her face when she turned and found Resh sitting at the table by the window. It had been a long week, what with the doctor doing daily procedures to treat his infection, but he looked immeasurably better than before. While he was still pale, the gray cast had gone from his skin.

His left arm was supported with a sling, and she thought his bandage looked less bulky than the previous day’s.

“You look good today,” she said, stepping further into the room.

Resh gave her a wry grin, then waved to the overflowing tray in front of him.

She snorted. “I know you need to eat more, but that’s a bit ridiculous.”

He gave her a long-suffering look, so she took pity on him and pulled up a chair.

“Did Carr eat?” she asked, eyeing the abundance of pastries, fruit, sandwiches, casserole, soup… What wasn’t on that tray?

Resh said something she couldn’t catch. She shook her head, and he pinched his thumb and forefinger together.

“A bit? Really?”

He shrugged, his brow furrowing.

“Oh!” Orla said. She stood back up and reached into her dress pocket. “I asked Miss Salma about this a couple days ago.”

The notebook she held out was slim, but the stenciled leather binding was dyed a beautiful dark blue. “She said the leaves are replaceable, so you don’t have to worry about saving them.”

Resh’s hand shook a bit when he took it from her. She was pretty proud of herself when she recognized the words he said in return.

Thank you, La-la.

“Of course,” she said, feeling warm inside as he stroked the cover with his thumb appreciatively. She smoothed the skirts of her pretty pink dress and sat back down. Someone had to eat this food; it would be a shame to waste it.

Resh sighed but set aside the notebook and joined her when she started serving herself. As she ate, she made sure to keep a close eye on her brother. She’d heard the doctor call him malnourished, which she’d had to look up later, and had found it basically meant he hadn’t been eating enough.

So, she’d decided she would make sure he ate enough now, during the times she sat with him. It was good that he’d graduated from the bowls of broth.

It was less good that he was only taking the occasional bite of the food in front of him.

“Are you worried about the trial?” she finally asked.

He raised an eyebrow.

She set her fork aside. “You aren’t eating much. Is it because you’re worried? Or do you feel bad again? I can ask the guard to fetch the doctor–”

He shook his head, then opened the notebook and stared at the pages.

“There’s a pencil on the side,” Orla offered.

He closed the book and flipped it before discovering the compartment on the spine between the binding and the leather. He pulled the pencil from it and started writing.

I’m worried about Carr, the text read when he held it up for her to see.

Carr had been acting strange, Orla thought, chewing on her lip again. She’d thought it was because of her brother’s illness and stress over the trial, but… “Do you think we need to move again?”

She hoped not. This was a really nice town, and Miss Salma and Mister Adan had been so kind to her. She hadn’t heard any whispers about them staying in the manor, and no one was saying bad things about her brother…

Not yet, he wrote. I’ll talk to her after the trial.

Orla nodded. Her brother would know what to say. “Okay. But until then, you still need to eat. Dr. Mathers says you need to if you want to heal.”

Resh wrinkled his nose, trading his notebook for his fork. With a satisfied smile, Orla leaned back in her chair.

~~~

Carr

She felt naked without her blades.

She wished she was naked when the fucking skirt she’d changed into swished around her ankles. It was better than a full dress, but still. Not great.

“You look nice today, Carr,” one of the manor’s servants said in passing.

She plastered a smile on her face and nodded before continuing on.

They wouldn’t get kicked out of this place because of her.

The day’s heat slapped her in the face as she exited the manor and struck out for the far side of the town’s square. Canopies had been erected for protection from the late-summer sun, although it appeared those wouldn’t extend to the crowd that had turned out to witness the bandits’ fates.

Carr had thought only the leaders would be brought to trial today, but instead, it appeared the entire camp had turned out. Their eyes followed her as she walked past, intending to stand with the rest of the townspeople. But when Salma waved her over, she reluctantly changed course.

Now, she had all their eyes on her. Lox and Rowan were standing out front, their hands bound. The fighting members of the camp were arrayed behind them, and her gaze slid away when Demex, who sported a bandage around his head and was standing with the assistance of crutches, stared at her with a burning intensity.

The rest of the camp appeared free of restraint, huddled together within a semicircle of liveried guards.

Carr kept her shoulders back as she climbed the platform to stand with the Head Elder and his wife.

Adan started speaking once she arrived, and she felt a pang of guilt for apparently making them wait on her. She hadn’t realized her presence was required to read out whatever list of crimes had been compiled.

And read them out, Adan did.

The charges sounded pretty damning laid out in a list like that, but Carr supposed a list of her supposed crimes would probably sound worse. The only person these people were accused of killing was their carriage driver, after all.

“Our decision has not been easy to come by,” Adan said at the end of the recitation. “There’s been some debate about whose territory you’ve victimized and who has the right to hold you accountable.”

It was pretty obvious to Carr they would be the ones holding them accountable, so she wasn’t sure what the point of this speech was.

“In the end,” Adan continued, “it was decided that we would conduct the trial alone without input from other Head Elders, although they did contribute to the list of crimes. Now, Lox, you’ve taken responsibility for leading this group of people?”

Lox nodded stiffly.

“And wish to take any punishment allotted the group as your own?”

The bandit leader nodded again, even though Rowan paled beside him. They obviously hadn’t been aware of Lox’s request.

Carr frowned, not liking the implications of such a decision. Adan’s face gave no clues as to how bad a combined punishment might be; if he was imprisoned for the rest of his life, how would that be any better than a death sentence?

“Very well. We’ve taken into account the requests of known victims. One has requested blanket leniency. The others have agreed to follow in their stead, although they mentioned some sort of fine or restriction should be placed on those responsible. Which one of you is Demex?”

There was a moment of hesitation as the camp’s guards conferred among themselves, but Demex shook his head and hobbled forward. Carr stiffened. What the fuck was this?

“You’ve been accused of unwanted advances,” Adan said, “which is a crime we take very seriously here. As such, I cannot loop it into the ones your leader is willing to take accountability for. How do you say?”

Demex paled, and his throat bobbed when he looked Carr’s way. Her breath caught at the look in his eyes; she’d been expecting shock, blame, hatred. Anything but the pure devastation shining in them.

But then he looked away. Shoulders squaring, he raised his chin and opened his mouth–

Oh, fuck no. Woodenly, Carr stepped forward and whispered in Adan’s ear.

He turned, and she almost recoiled at the restrained anger radiating from his body. “Are you certain?”

“Very,” she said through clenched teeth.

A long, tension-filled moment passed before Adan nodded his acceptance. Carr returned to her spot, her whole body trembling.

Adan cleared his throat. “It appears those charges have been dropped.”

Demex swayed, and had to be helped back into place by one of the guards.

Carr closed her eyes as the townspeople whispered among themselves. Probably speculating. She was going to kill him.

“Alright,” Adan said, clapping his hands sharply to restore order. “Taking into account the request for leniency and the… complexity of your community, we’ve decided to make you an offer. We’d like to recognize your camp as a village beholden to Hallin. You’d be given until the end of next spring before being held responsible for tithing. As a recognized village, you would be eligible for trade and so should be able to generate some kind of legitimate income.”

A low murmur emanated from the gathered people. Carr sucked in a surprised breath.

“Restitution will need to be made to those you’ve victimized. As Head Elder over your village, I will make those payments upfront, and you will pay me back over time in addition to the expected tithe. Lox, you will be sentenced to hard labor for a period of no less than five years and no more than ten, depending on your behavior.” Adan’s eyes flicked to Rowan for a moment. “Visitation will be permitted. Do you accept those terms?”

Rowan clung to Lox’s arm as he accepted, their eyes shining. But how could he do anything other than accept? He would’ve been executed in any other scenario, his guards would’ve already been dead in the fighting, and his followers would’ve been disbanded to fend for themselves.

Carr had asked for leniency, and it had been given in spades. Five to ten years? Of labor at that, not even imprisonment. She hoped Lox knew how fucking lucky he was. But she was also glad he wasn’t getting off as easy as the rest, despite how light his sentencing had been.

“Do you find our decision to be fair?” Salma asked, coming up to Carr.

“I do,” she said. “You’ve given those people a chance at an actual life. I don’t think I could’ve asked for better.”

Salma smiled. “I’m glad you think so. They’ll be staying on the outskirts for a few more days, then they’ll be escorted back to their camp. You’d be welcome to visit with whomever in that time, if you wanted.”

She might actually do that. Any encounter with Demex would be awkward as fuck, but there were a few people she’d like to check on.

“Will you look in on Resh and Orla?” she asked Salma, watching as the camp’s people filed out of the square. “I think I’d like to talk to them now, while I’m out.”

“Of course,” Salma said. “Take all the time you need.”

~~~

It was late when she finally made her way back to the manor, the sun just barely clinging to the horizon. It was the longest she’d been away from Resh since they’d arrived, but she’d needed the time to make some arrangements. And to cool her temper.

Orla was eager to talk about the trial, which Salma had apparently filled them in on. A servant brought up supper trays shortly after she arrived, so she sat at the table with Orla and Resh and answered some of her questions. She picked at her food, her stomach feeling queasy with nerves, but forced herself to eat when she noticed their concerned glances.

Her anger simmered the entire time, dimmed but not gone. But Carr waited until Orla was out of the room before turning on Resh. “How dare you?”

He had the nerve to look at her all mystified from where he’d settled back in bed.

“You asked Adan to charge Demex!” she clarified. “When did you even do that? It wasn’t while I was here, when you were talkin’ to Salma.”

His gaze turned wary as he mimed writing.

“Now the whole town knows!” She threw up her hands. “What’s the point of any of this”–she gestured to the skirt she’d forgotten to change out of in her pique–“if you’re just gonna fuckin’ announce that I was fair game in that camp?”

Resh opened his mouth, but she kept speaking over him.

“I encouraged him. I needed him t’ think he was protectin’ me. That I wanted that protection. And he fell for it, hard.”

Can I talk now? Resh asked, looking annoyed.

She huffed but pinched her lips shut.

I. Don’t. Care. He enunciated the full stops very clearly. You would’ve sacrificed your whole self to stay in that camp, but that doesn’t mean a decent man wouldn’t have noticed that you were just tolerating it. And that’s fucking wrong.

Of course he would think like that. His anger deflated her own, and she sighed.

“You’re a good person, Resh.” Carr crossed her arms. “Like, on a level that most people can’t even touch, much less shoot for.”

Resh shook his head.

“Yeah,” Carr said, scowling. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to stop looking for secondary motives after everything you said and did?” She pretended not to see his flinch. “It’s fucking rare for people to say what they mean and do what they say.”

I know, he said morosely. I understand why you don’t trust me, Carr. Might never trust me.

She stared. “I do trust you. I don’t understand you sometimes, but I do trust you.”

Do you? he challenged. What is this, then? He waved at her, and she flushed.

“Just… tryin’ something,” she muttered, smoothing the rumpled waistband of the skirt.

He frowned. And how’s that working out for you?

She sighed again. “It sucks. But… I know you haven’t seen much of this place, but I think it’s gonna be the one, Resh. Adan and Salma are on your level, the town is beautiful, and the people seem decent enough. Everyone loves Orla already, and I can tell she likes it here. You could stay here. Should stay here.”

Her chest felt heavy at the admission, and she squeezed her arms tighter around herself.

Alarm entered Resh’s eyes as he caught the change in the conversation’s tone. He pushed up straighter in the bed, suppressing a wince. And you?

Her vision wavered, and she looked up at the ceiling, unable to meet his eyes. “Maybe… maybe it’s best if I go.”

#hidden depths #original writing #original characters #whump #whump writing #fantasy writing #fantasy whump

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