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chernabogs · 11 months ago

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I made this post yesterday which @/hanafubukki and @/rayroseu and I kind offfff got inspired to actually write something LMAO

Labours Gained

Inc: Malleus, groundskeeper, nanny, briefly Maleficia WC: 2.2k Warnings: None, except swearing Summary: Consequences for your actions come in many forms. For some, it's a time out. For others, it's mucking around in mud all day.

Eirnan was a man who has endured many challenges in his life. Over 600 years of employment as head groundskeeper at Black Scale Palace meant he had faced wyrms, blight, drought, tenebrae boars which had torn up the root vegetables, and the odd employee who nicked a few carrots for their own personal use. He had served during Queen Maleficia’s first reign, and then the wars, and now her second reign. He knew which plots of land were most fertile for which plants, he knew of companion flowers and the medicinal benefits of the herbs, and his mind was an almanac of its own right.

Eirnan was a learned man… until it came to the matter of child-care. He never knew how to act around children, nor did he have any interest in interacting with them to begin with.

But now it’s a beautiful cloudy day in Black Scale Palace, and there is a very, very miserable boy standing before him.

He’s poorly dressed for the occasion—fine garments in the fields are a recipe for disaster—and the eight o’clock hour shows residual glossiness in those green eyes. His arms are crossed firmly over his chest and his lower lip is jutted out in a pout.

Crown Prince Malleus is a temperamental boy—everyone in Black Scale knows this. His latest explosion of emotion regarding an off-handed comment a tutor said (it was a jest! the man had cried while diving for cover behind trees to avoid furious lightning bolts) had resulted in a complete annihilation of the palace gardens. Eirnan had spent much of yesterday repairing the damage while mumbling about how ‘some things truly are genetic’ under his breath.

Then he had received a missive. A missive, which led them to this moment, in which he stands before the prince with his own arms crossed over his chest and his own equally unimpressed expression on his face. At a glance, one would think the two are related with how mirrored these looks are.

Eirnan pulls out a pocket watch and raises an eyebrow. “On time today, hm?”

“I was told not to be late,” Malleus bites back, attitude in his tone as he glares up at the groundskeeper. He doesn’t want to be here. Eirnan doesn’t want him here either. It’s Queen Maleficia who has shoved them together like two children in a time out.

Eirnan can’t help but wonder if he may have slighted her in the past and this is her round of revenge.

“Right, well, you’re on time but you’re certainly not dressed right.” His gaze skims over the boy's proper attire before raising to look at his nanny instead. The woman ducks her head and focuses intently on the book she holds, making it obvious that no aid will be given. This earns a scoff from Eirnan as he reaches up to rub the back of his neck.

What exactly can he make the prince do? Queen Maleficia made it clear that a lesson was to be learned today for his actions. Malleus was barred from using any magic, and the nanny was here to ensure that this was followed through. The prince knew no loyalty or secrets were kept by his staff—a sad reality for a seven year old to face.

“It isn’t like I just have clothes to get dirty lying about.” Malleus retorts again while continuing to glare up at him. There is little to no remorse present—just sheer grouchiness. “I don’t usually muck in mud.”

“Well, you’re mucking in it today.” Eirnan can’t help but have his own bite in his words as he turns and treks towards the nearby gardening shed. Malleus stands rooted in his spot for a moment before following, having to run a little to keep up with the older man's long strides.

The inside of the shed contains the extra attire that the staff wear when working the fields in the on-season. Although the prince is significantly smaller than many of Eirnan’s employees, he does manage to scrounge up some pants, a top, and gloves for the boy to wear.

The shoes are a lost cause. There are no boots that can fit the boy without making him goose walk around the field.

“Put these on then, either over your clothes or not, and then meet me back outside.” He tosses the fabric into the prince’s arms, making the boy stumble back with an oof! of surprise. Malleus looks down at the clothing before his lip curls in disgust. Eirnan does his best to stifle the satisfaction he feels about that as he steps out of the shed and slams the door shut.

It’s a beautiful cloudy day in Black Scale Palace, and this is going to be a long ordeal.

_____________________________________________________________

Twenty minutes of protest later finds Eirnan and Malleus standing before a re-soiled plot of garden near the edges of the palace. The boy's act of destruction yesterday had uprooted a majority of the roses that had been planted there, but a few bushes still remained standing—albeit charred and drooping from the assault. Near their feet are bundles of rose plants that Eirnan had been soaking in the greenhouse overnight in preparation for what was to come today.

The nanny had followed them to this area and is watching with interest from her position on a nearby bench. Malleus looks significantly less intrigued. His gloves are lying discarded on the grass along with his shovel and there’s a distinct air of boredom about him.

“So, what we’re going to do is use our shovels to dig up some holes, ‘bout 18 inches deep, 18 inches wide, yes? Then I need you to mix compost in there—”

“Compost?” Malleus’ head snaps to look up at Eirnan wide-eyed. “But I read that compost has—”

“Shit. Yes, there’s shit in there. Do you still want to fight about putting on those gloves?” Eirnan leans against his own shovel as he looks down at the young boy. Malleus’ brow furrows and his lower lip trembles before he’s grabbing the gloves and shoving them on his hands. He looks ready to cry or throw another tantrum. Eirnan tenses in case that does happen, the memories of the tutor running through the gardens yesterday still fresh in his mind. If Malleus’ does snap, that means he’ll be out here tomorrow, too.

Tough lesson.

“Anyway, mix the compost, and then we need to loosen the roots and put them in the mound. Keep the bud union—that’s the little knob there.” He pauses to squat down and point at the bud on the root. Malleus leans down to look at it as well before Eirnan continues. “About 1 to 2 inches below the ground. Briar Valley has a colder climate, so if we keep it up, it’ll kill the plant.”

“If a plant can’t survive the weather, should we really be planting it?” Malleus’ question is fair. Most of the time, one wouldn’t try to grow plants that can’t acclimate well.

“They can survive, they just need a little help. Princess Meleanor herself was an enormous admirer of roses—it’s her notes of how to plant them that we’re following right now.” Eirnan clears his throat before re-focusing on his explanation. He misses the flicker of interest in the prince’s gaze at the mention of his mother’s name. “As I said, keep it below ground. Then we refill the hole ‘bout three quarters with soil and pat it down. Water it a little, let it soak, and then water it again.”

“There are too many steps.” Malleus grabs at the shovel with an apprehensive glance at the dirt. “Can’t we use a little magic? We don’t need to use it for all of the steps, but one or two? I can just make all the holes appear—”

“No magic. Her highness’ strict orders. Unless you want Queen Maleficia to come out here and watch you herself, which I’m sure is the last thing you want, I’d advise listening to instructions.” Eirnan grabs at his own shovel before tapping it on the back of the prince’s heels, making the boy step forward. “Hop to it, then. This will take up a good part of your morning.”

___________________________________________________________

The first few plantings are painful. The boy doesn’t dig deep enough, and then he digs too deep, and then he buries the plant too deep, and then he doesn’t bother burying it at all. The process reminds Eirnan why he never had any children himself as he carefully explains and fixes all of the prince’s errors. Despite his complaints, the boy actually does listen to his advice, and soon the two fall into a quiet pattern of dig-plant-water.

The compost part is still met with many vocalized protests, though, and Eirnan soon does relent to doing that himself.

“How long does it take to grow?”

Malleus’ question disrupts the silence they had fallen into, causing Eirnan to pause and lean on his shovel again. “Three or so years for these ones. The one’s that are still rooted are fully mature, but I’m not too sure they’ll be blooming this year. The buds got damaged.”

Malleus, who has been sitting cross legged on the dirt with a bundle of rose plants in his hand, stares at the bushes for a moment while his thumb plays with the stems. “Did my mother plant those ones?”

“Before she left, yes. She used to plant new ones at least once every few years. When she got her own palace, she had an entire garden there as well.” Eirnan digs another hole as he speaks. He had been in service long enough to see Meleanor weaned off of Queen Maleficia. The girl had sat where Malleus sits now, and their near identical likeness strikes Eirnan as unnerving, as though he’s been projected into the past and is witnessing those spring days once more.

He clears his throat. “They’ll recover. Roses are hardy plants. Strike ‘em down, and they’ll get back twice as strong.”

“Are you sure?” Malleus looks up at the groundskeeper, his green eyes squinting against the light. Eirnan doesn’t look back as he keeps digging.

“Mhm.”

At the affirmation, the prince returns to planting, now with significantly less attitude than before. He’s almost enjoying the rhythm after a while. Despite his status, in the end the boy is still a boy, and it’s hard to keep a child from loving messing around in dirt.

It’s when the nanny clears her throat and brings over a basket of food that the two finally take a break from their labours to sit in the nearby grass. Eirnan rarely gets to appreciate the fine foods served to the nobles, so he’s indulging himself heartily in the miniature sandwiches that are present when Malleus begins to speak again.

“How long have you been doing this?”

Eirnan pauses, ham sandwich halfway to his mouth. “647 this spring.”

“647 years?” The boy's voice is incredulous as he looks at him. “You’re old.”

“And you’re a baby.” Eirnan grumbles back as he wraps a few of the sandwiches in a napkin.

His comment causes another flash of annoyance to cross the prince’s face. “I’m not! Grandma says I’m very mature for my age!”

“Did she say that to you before yesterday, or after?” He challenges back. Malleus’ cheeks flush as he grabs at a sandwich and takes a bite. After a few more, the scowl on his face softens before he continues his questioning.

“Why do you do this? The manual work? It’s easier with magic.”

“Keeps my stress down.” Eirnan chuckles. The nanny gives a sound that might be mistaken as a laugh, which is quickly covered by a cough while she begins packing the extra food. He mourns the finger sandwiches being lost to the basket. “There’s always something to do for these gardens, and when you’re planting, you can let your mind just fall quiet. Watching something that you worked hard to grow get appreciated by others is a rewarding feeling. Magic takes away from that. The instant gratification fades faster than the long-term that labour brings.”

Malleus falls quiet again as he finishes his sandwich. He then fiddles with his gloves, which are still too big for his small hands. He has dirt on his cheek and his chin that he seems entirely unaware of. Eirnan offers him a napkin to wipe it off, albeit gruffly.

“It isn’t bad.” Malleus finally mumbles when he accepts the napkin and hastily wipes his face.

“What, using magic?”

“No, planting.” Then Malleus looks up quickly with another furrow in his brow. “Except the compost. The compost is bad.”

“It’s shit.” Eirnan shrugs his shoulders and ignores the sharp look the nanny gives him. Malleus’ lips do twitch slightly into a smirk.

“It’s shit.” The boy repeats, causing the nanny to say his name in a scolding tone, which finally does draw a laugh from the prince. “How many more do we need to plant?”

“Three, maybe four. Shouldn’t take long.” Eirnan rises with a grunt and brushes a few spare crumbs off of his pants. The prince is quick to scramble to his feet as well. He seems oddly reinvigorated as he pulls his gloves on and grabs his shovel. He then cranes his head back to look up at the taller man with a spark of challenge in his gaze as that cheeky smirk continues to play on his lips.

“Let’s hop to it then, shall we?”

Eirnan snorts in amusement as the two return to the dirt patch, both unaware of the figure watching from the windows of the palace above, a pleased smile present on her lips.

#malleus draconia #twst #twst fanfiction #i didnt know if it was ok to tag directly so i just did a lil slash #i always feel awk tagging ppl LMAOOO #anyway this was super fun i love writing the 'exhausted adult and devious child' dynamic #i feel like malleus was just a cheeky lil guy growing up yk

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bokettochild · 11 months ago

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Febuwhump Day 5 - Rope Burn

Well this took forever! I actualy finished last ight but then I wasn't sure if I hated it or not, so I had to sleep on it. If you see any typos, no you do not.

Wordcount: 9,300

Rating: Teen

Summary: After Twilight reveals some information about his past, Four tries to use it as a learning opportunity for all of them. It does not go as expected.

“There is no way a military leader was that incompetent.”

Wild pauses in his story, much to Wind’s frustration, because he really did want to hear the end of it, which he’s about to say, only the vet’s voice raises, a smirk touching the other’s face as he settles down at the fire with the rest of them after coming back from doing rounds. “Sounds about right to me.”

“Too competent,” Warriors challenges, dropping his head to thoroughly tousle his hair, “half my men couldn’t do that.” That’s fair, Wind decides, he remembers the captain’s men as all being somewhat... stupid.

The champion stares at them, openly astounded. “How,” he begins, glancing between the vet and captain “are your kingdoms still standing? If the leaders of your defenses are less capable than Master I-killed-myself-on-accident-with-my-own-power Kohga?”

“Spoilers!” That’s how the story ends? Wild had only just begun to get to the part where he fought Kohga, but now the ending has been well and truly ruined! Although, it seems they’re getting derailed, so it’s quite likely he won’t even get to hear said ending, considering the champion is too busy looking between captain and veteran for answers.

The vet just snorts, unknowing of what he’s missed, and of Wind’s ire, and simply crossing his legs and focusing on the fire. “Where do you think I got the title of veteran? I don’t just sit on my fanny all day, champ.”

When the champion’s eyes turn to Warriors, the captain just shakes his head. “I have no clue.” It‘s more sigh than anything, as though the captain’s long since given up hopes for competency among his people. “I’d say Impa, but even she can’t hold the country together by herself, so I’m assuming it’s pure dumb luck.”

Across camp, Sky, who’d been the first one to say anything after the champion’s insane story, stares. “You’re saying I brought down the knights of Skyloft just so they could devolve into idiotic half-competent protectors of the country and leave kids to be the ones to save the world?” It’s harsh, but it’s fair as well, although not everyone seems to think so. Wind can’t say anything on the matter though because the closest to military groups they have in his world are pirates, and pirates don’t exactly serve the people.

The group as a whole gives each other considering looks, although Legend and Warriors are too busy talking with their eyes- Legend raising a brow and Warriors sighing, rolling his own eyes and earning a smirk in answer- to really care about what everyone else thinks. He thinks Legend asked a question, but how either of them can read each other that well, considering how rarely they even interact, he’s not sure.

“The knights in my era are half-competent,” Four assures, “easily manipulated by magic, but they’re just people, so I can’t really blame them. They’re good at their work though.”

“Lucky,” Legend scoffs.

Time also seems confident in the soldiers of his era, but Twilight adds that his own are cowards and pathetic, so it seems they’re split. Wind, Wild, and Hyrule can’t add anything, due to the lack of military forces in their eras, the soldier is in agreement with their farm boys on the idiocy of his own people, and only their first two and the old man seem to have any faith whatsoever in those set to guard their era. He wonders if maybe there was a decline, after one of them, that led to the army of Hyrule falling, but he doesn’t ask, since it’s unlikely they can say for sure anyway.

“How often do you interact with knights though?” Sky challenges, glancing between them. Most haven’t been around them often, but those who’ve got only ill to say all scoff, almost simultaneously, which startles them as much as it does the rest of the group.

“I live with them,” the captain starts slowly, glancing between Twilight and Legend with a curious half-smile as though he’s actively trying to figure out what on earth could tie them to the people whom they so frequently scorn. “Spent the last five or six years in the army.”

The vet’s a bit more hesitant with his answer, staring between them warily, guarded. “My sister is a knight commander, and our family has ties with the army, so I end up around them a lot more than I’d like, even when they aren’t actively hunting me down.” And Wind wants to stop the conversation there and ask about the fact that Legend apparently has a family and also a reason for the army to be up his ass about something, but he doesn’t get a chance because once more, someone else speaks first.

“I grew up on a military base,” Twilight snorts, “trust me, soldiers are as dumb as rocks.”

And well, Legend having a family isn’t that crazy in comparison to that.

Warriors starts, staring at the rancher, blinking slowly as though still trying to process the words of the other. “I’m sorry- you what?”

“I thought you grew up in Ordon?” Wild questions, turning to his mentor, confusion on clear display.

Yeah, Wind has a feeling that Wild’s story is well and truly over now, but he supposes it’s worth it. Learning something about their rancher is, he supposes, better than hearing the rest of the story the cook had already spoiled the ending too, especially as the limit of their knowledge about the rancher at this point is that he’s from Ordon, used to work as a ranch hand, and is descended from Time and Malon somehow. The fact that he’s a hero goes without saying, but the ranch hand nearly never shares anything about himself, even though he seems to love talking about his hometown and all the people in it, to the point where some of them feel they know the village and its residents already, despite still not having been there yet.

Yet, the rancher is grinning as he leans back, the sprig of hylian rice between his teeth bouncing some as he flashes a wolfish grin at them. “Well, yeah, sort of.”

“Sort of?” Time nudges his pup, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Their leader isn’t keen on them being cryptic with him, even though he frequently does so himself. The hypocrite. “Explain.”

The rancher chuckles, a nervous little thing, but obediently pulls himself up, resting his weight over his knees as he looks around the fire at all of them, eyes glinting slightly. “Well, y’see, I a’tually grew up in a citadel on the edge of Hyrule.”

Warriors jaw drops so fast. “Holy Hylia you’re a military brat.”

He can’t help it; he bursts into laughter. Yes, objectively, it’s funny to see Warriors so shocked, but from an outsider's perspective it is so, so much funnier because he’s met Warriors parents and sisters, and he’s seen for himself the proof that the captain is anything but the sissy city boy Twilight likes to accuse him of being. No, the captain was born in Hebra, so far out from cities that he thought Kakariko was huge. Meanwhile, it turns out their “country boy” actually grew up in a military base? Not the country? It turns out Twilight is the military brat and Warriors was the hill-billy? How the turn tables have turned!

The rest of the heroes stare at him, confused, but the captain just rolls blue eyes, pinching the tip of his ear to make him shut up. “Ignore him.”

Twilight’s dark gaze flicks between them, but apparently, he determines to listen to the captain for once. “Right, so, my dad was a’tually a knight from some family o’ knights or summat, an’ my mom comes from desert folk, so I grew up on the border studyin’ with other knights’ kids to take on our fathers’ duties ’n protect Hyrule one day.”

The stares are very, very evident by now, although Legend’s in particular is strangely intense, studying the other with his mouth half open like he’s got a question about the rancher’s words.

Broad shoulders shrug, a bit awkward as the rancher grins at them. “My friends growin’ up were dumber’n rocks, an’ every knight I’ve met since is the same, so yeah. Knights ‘re stupid.”

“Just a question,” and it seems the vet decided to actually ask whatever’s in his head, “but your knight family, they Hyrulian Knights?”

“Yeah?”

The vet nods, slowly, lips pursed like he’s sucking on a lemon. “Oh.”

“Why?”

A shake of pink hair, eyes turning back to the fire. “Same hat is all.”

“You too?”

“Born and raised, but never followed. Your folks drag you to Snowpeak every winter too?”

The rancher shakes his head. “Naw, yeti’s took the place over some time ago. I’d heard it used to be ours though, never thought much of it though. You’ve been?”

“Yeah.”

“Hold up,” Watrriors interrupts the, frankly unexpected, moment between their rancher and vet to stare between both of them “You’re both military brats, you both hate soldiers, and you both neglected to say anything until freaking now? Also, Hyrulian Knights? You’re talking about the fabled family that sealed back Ganon here, right? Produced the Savior of Labrynna, may or may not be the family of the Hero of Time?” That has their old man looking up, startled, for a moment. It’s only a moment though, because that one wide eye promptly shoots down to Twilight and then, as though on second thought, Legend too, Time’s stare growing ever more startled and shaken, ears twitching like they used too when he was particularly confused or trying to work something out in his head.

Legend snorts. “Yes.”

“Heads up,” Hyrule chuckles, “Legend is the Hero of Labrynna, so keep your hero worship at a minimum there, Wars.”

He thinks that the captain’s face flickers through all five stages of grief for a moment there before the man gets up and simply...walks away, leaving Hyrule rocking in his seat from laughter and Sky looking thoroughly befuddled. “Is he okay?”

“Big hero worship,” Wind says, like the snitch he is. He’s no traitor in most senses, but if he can give Warriors a little grief, tease him a bit, he will. He’s fine with sharing some of the things he’d learned under the care of the other. “Apparently he views that guy like I did with Time, wanted to be like him and everything.”

Rather than flush or falter, Legend’s lemon-sucking face gets even more pronounced. “Why?”

“Because apparently the stories all say you were such an inspiring leader to Labrynna’s army that soldiers and generals emulated both your tactics and speeches for decades after Ganon’s defeat.” It’s amazing to watch the vet’s entire world-view shatter at the words, the man apparently not sure if he should look off towards their captain who’s flopped on his bedroll to contemplate his whole life all over again or down at the ground to contemplate his own. Like the problem child he usually chooses not to be, Wind decides to make it worse. “His Hyrule considers you the greatest knight that ever lived.”

Ringed hands bury in pink hair, violet eyes blowing wide as the other hunches over, mind clearly blown. Beside the vet, Twilight gently (and by gently, Wind means very cautiously) claps his brother’s back, his own face a bit tense.

Wind is loving watching this. This is better than listening to Wild explain his exploits against the Yiga! Although, he’s also curious. “Did you really grow up in a citadel, Twi?”

“Yeah,” a brief nod, dark eyes lingering on their malfunctioning veteran, “I only traveled up Ordon way around your age, when the citadel fell.”

Okay, not touching that bomb. “What was it like?”

His question earns a grin. “What you’d expect, I s’pose. We were monsters as kids, an’ I s’pose growin’ up military gave us a twisted view of the world. Or, rather, of what was normal any’ays.”

“Like how?” Sky, who grew up in a knight’s academy and seems entirely normal by what standards Wind has, asks.

“Our main games usually centered around pretendin’ to be knights an’ capturin’ each other or doin’ what we saw our dads doin’ most of the time.”

“Like?” Time prods again.

Twilight grins, and then falters, looking suddenly alarmed as he glances over the rest of them. “Okay, in hindsight, it was messed up.”

Now he really wants to know. “What did you do?”

The others all stare; those who aren’t, like Warriors and Legend, currently questioning their existence. Their concern is steadily growing the more Twilight falters and flushes, and Wind is now very much dying to know what sort of shenanigans the rancher used to get up to as a kid. Whatever it was, it can’t be worse than what Time used to put him through during the war, although the idea of their sweet and warm rancher being related to the gremlin he remembers from back then is now not so insane a concept anymore.

“Alright,” The (apparently not from Ordon) Ordonian starts at last, and Wind’s not sure if the rancher is aware that he’s moved his hand up to be toying with the vet’s hair now, a nervous sort of stroking, but the vet hasn’t snapped at him for it yet, although maybe that’s because he’s just too lost in his own head to notice, “don’t judge.”

“I will reserve my judgement,” Four answers, slowly, “but no promises.”

“I grew up on the edge of the desert, an’ most of what our folks did was hunt Gerudo thieves an’ protect traders in an’ outta the desert.” Which makes sense, but he feels like Twilight’s getting at something less than what his parents did for a living. “Nowadays, my hairs a fair bit darker, but it was purdy red back then an’ the other kids kind of figured it meant that when we played, I had to be the evil Gerudo thief, since, y’know, red hair.”

Ah, racism in children, now Wind sees it. Not what he was hoping for but he’s not sure what he was expecting.

“So,” Twilight clears his throat awkwardly, “when we played, I’d be the bad guy an’ they’d chase me down and ‘capture’ me. In hindsight, it probably was less play an’ more bullyin’ since I wasn’t too well liked at first an’ they weren’t very nice about it.”

“But?” Sky asks, maybe too hopefully.

“But,” the rancher accepts, because apparently there's something good in this after all, or at least something that makes the man smile, “part of the ‘game’ involved them tryin’ to tie me up. Unfortunately for them, I got mighty good at escapin’ bein’ tied up. I think I must’ve impressed ‘em, because they started makin’ a game of if I could escape various crazy things, an’ sometimes would ask me to help ‘em tie each other up so they could try a hand at it too.” Sharp teeth glint in a fond smile. “Got a reputation for bein’ slippery as a snake and sly as a fox, an’ t’others all started treatin’ me like some sorta genius. We became friends awful fast after.”

An awkward silence settles over camp after that, the rancher’s words sinking in and the rest of them processing what was said. Surprisingly, it’s Legend who breaks it, lifting his head from his own hands, apparently having decided to shelf whatever feelings he’s having, but also apparently missing the hand still tangled in his hair. “So, in other words, you earned the respect of your bullies and made their bullying into what sounds like a perfectly normal childhood game.”

“What sort of a childhood did you have again?” Sky deadpans. “Didn’t you start adventuring at like, eight?”

“And?” The vet returns, looking actually, genuinely confused as to what that has to do with anything.

Their chosen hero sighs, shaking his head, apparently already giving up on trying to explain the flaw in the vet’s logic. Honestly, Wind can’t see it, whatever it is, but he’s getting the impression that kids on Skyloft and kids in Hyrule have very, very different experiences.

It’s about a week later that someone brings it up again, and surprisingly, it’s Four.

They’re sitting around the main room of the smithy’s house, keeping warm after spending the last day out in the middle of a strange mix of fog and rain while hunting monsters. The smithy’s parents have been very welcoming towards their guests, and all of them are savoring the chance to fully relax for the first time in a good while. Well, most of them, Legend and Hyrule don’t seem particularly capable of fully relaxing, so Four’s mother has roped them into helping her in the little garden out back, which seems to be quite to the vet’s tastes and, while foreign to Hyrule, a new experience the traveler doesn't seem keen on passing up.

That leaves the rest of them free in the otherwise empty house, left to their own devices while the smithy’s father attends to his work at the castle. Twilight is trying (and failing) to teach Warriors how to play chess, and Wind and Wild are busy playing with Four’s cat, Tongs, when the smithy suddenly walks into the room again after coming downstairs and addresses the rancher. “Do you think you could still escape being tied up?”

Time, who was sitting on the couch, looking halfway towards dozing off, suddenly starts awake again and stares, as do the rest of them.

“Pardon?” The rancher asks, sighing in defeat as Warriors knocks all the pieces off the chess board with an agitated scowl, signifying his disinterest in continuing to try and learn the “stupid” game.

“The game you mentioned,” Four reminds them, crossing the room to perch on the couch arm closest to the rancher, although why he doesn’t just sit on the couch, Wind’s not sure. “You said your friends were really impressed by your ability to escape all the time. Do you think you could still do that?”

Twilight shrugs, scooping up the fallen chess pieces to put back in their box, all while Warriors glares at one of the rooks like it’s personally offended him. Wind wasn’t watching close enough to know if it had or not. “I mean, I might, haven’t tried in a while. Why?”

The smithy kicks his feet, well off the floor, and frowns, a thoughtful frown like he’s slowly piecing his words together. “I was curious. I’ve never been good at that sort of thing, and I wanted to know if you’d be willing to show us so I could get better.”

“And why do you need to get better at escaping being tied up?” The captain interjects, tossing the white rook into the box with a twitch of a frown.

“So sure you want to ask that?” Sky snorts, moseying in from the kitchen where Four’s mother had given them free access to make tea and grab food. The face the captain makes at him is scandalized but their chosen hero just slurps his tea, staring over the rim of his cup with raised brows.

Wind doesn’t get the joke. He’s not sure if he wants to.

Four huffs, slightly red in the cheeks, but presses on. “During my adventure, I made...some mistakes. It resulted in my capture, and I couldn’t exactly escape. I don’t want that to happen again.” It’s a simple enough answer, glazing over anything and everything other than the smithy getting captured, but it still raises questions, although not the ones the smithy was likely trying to avoid.

“I thought you were a knight?” Warriors picks up the queen piece, not dropping it yet but not staring at it either, instead focusing his narrowed eyes on their smithy. “All soldiers are trained on what to do in the case of capture, torture, and questioning. Did you not recieve that training?”

It’s Twilight’s turn to shift about to stare at the captain. “How would they train that sort of thing?”

The captain’s face screws up, “Am I the only one who was taught this? Sky,” the man drops the queen and it goes rolling across the table, “did you or did you not receive-”

“No,” the chosen hero doesn’t even wait for the other to finish. “Who on earth would even interrogate us? Skyloftian knights fight monsters, not men.” A long sip follows the words before Sky frowns and turns to look down at the seated soldier. “Do they seriously teach you about torture?”

“Yes?” Warriors glances around, but all of them look back at him with confusion. “All common soldiers learn this? You have to in order to progress through the ranks?”

“Not ringing a bell,” Time deadpans, staring at the captain with both eyes.

Warriors blinks, like the idea that his experience with knighthood not being universal is, in fact, a surprise to him. Wind can’t blame him though, considering based off of what he knows about the other, Warriors had gone through most of his experiences beside dozens of other young men, including his own childhood friends, in order to reach the rank he was at before the war started and he’d been suddenly promoted to captain.

“Well,” Four shifts, crossing his legs, “that’s a can of worms to be addressed later, but back to my question: Twilight, can you teach me escape tricks?”

“Correction,” Time sits up and turns around, eyes lingering on the captain a moment more before turning on his pup, “Twilight, Warriors, would both of you two be willing to help the rest of us learn escape methods and-” a vague hand motion is made at the soldier, “-whatever sort of training you received that all the rest of the knights here haven’t.”

The request seems to make the captain extremely uncomfortable and Wind doesn't miss the way royal blue eyes dart to him, hesitant. “Not the torture part.”

“What does that entail?” Sky asks, stare sharp and heavy in ways the man usually never is.

“Doesn’t matter,” Warriors is already moving to stand, leaving Twilight to clean up the rest of their game by himself. “I’m not teaching that to kids.”

“I am not a child!” It feels like the thousandth time he’s said that, but the look in the captain’s eyes.... yeah, he’ll let the man have this one. He's not sure he wants to see what it is that Warriors is trying to protect them from, especially after he saw everything that happened to the man during the war.

They have to recruit Legend and Hyrule from the garden, which Four does, and in the meantime Wind produces a length of rope for them to use for the exercise. The captain and Twilight are speaking in hushed whispers in the corner when Four returns with the others, and Legend shoots them a curious look as he heads over to where Wind is uncoiling all the rope he had in his bag.

“What’s going on?”

“Training exercise.” He answers, handing off the rope to the vet, who starts slightly at the contact but then helps him in re-coiling the loose chord.

“Why is the captain so tense?”

Those words make him look up, staring for a moment. Twilight seems perfectly at ease, but their soldier’s shoulders are tense, jaw set in a way he usually only has during a battle or shortly after one. Even the captain’s hands are still; devoid of their typical tremor, and if that’s not a sign to make him worry, he’s not sure what is. That said, he’s a bit surprised Legend had picked up on that. “I think he’s got bad memories of doing this before, he was pretty firm with Time about what he was and wasn’t willing to teach us.”

“Which is?”

“What to do if you’re captured or otherwise held against your will,” Time seems to materialize out of nowhere to answer the question, making Legend start slightly and scowl at the man. “Apparently most knights are trained to handle it, and I think you boys could benefit from having that knowledge too.”

“Yeah,” Legend snips, “because the shadow is totally gonna tie us to a chair and demand to know all our secrets.”

The conversation in the corner breaks off, Warriors running both hands through his hair in an agitated way while Twilight moves over to join the rest of them. “Maybe not, but the shadow ain’t the only threat out there, vet. You know that.”

The point is conceded, and the rest of them move in close, following their rancher’s example and watching as the man settles down into a kitchen chair Four had provided for their use. Twilight is not the one to start though, instead \turning his own attention, and thus the others do as well, towards the captain, who’s looking a little less like his normal self. It takes a moment, but Wind finally decides it’s the mess the man’s hair is in, that and the way all his emotions seem to have been wiped away cleanly as he stalks towards where the rancher is sitting.

“Twilight has agreed to show you all how to handle this, meanwhile, as I have the training, I will be instructing.” His breathing is off. “In some cases- most actually, the likelihood of being captured and watched by a large group is rare. Most of you don’t look like a major threat and few of you have a rank worth exploiting by your enemies, so your chances of being captured and tortured are low. The chances of questioning is also low, although possible, but considering how well you all keep your own secrets, I don’t think I have to teach you how to keep your mouths shut.” There’s the slightest quirk of a smile at that, and a few smile back.

Wind doesn’t. Wind is too busy watching the way too-steady hands reach out to take the rope Legend is still holding.

“I don’t need to teach you all how to watch the enemy, or how to be cautious, sneaky, how to move about without being seen- you know these things already.” The rope snaps in what he knows is a purposeful motion by the soldier to unsettle them, and that, if anything, is assurance that Warriors is still in there, and not entirely overwhelmed. Come to think of it, he may even be purposefully throwing them off with his behavior and appearance in order to better convey what it’s like to be held captive by a stranger. The thought actually makes him start and stare, watching closely. The hand thing can’t be faked, so maybe there’s some truth to the terrifying mask the captain is pulling; cold, harsh, calculating and seeking a reaction, but he genuinely hopes most of it really is just put on. “But how do you escape binds of different kinds? How do you quickly turn the tables to take yourself from prisoner to captor?” A twist of the hands and Warriors has made knot dangerously close to a noose. “Let’s try that, shall we?”

At his side, Legend tenses, eyes fixed on the captain as the man wraps the noose quickly around one of Twilight’s wrists, the rancher allowing himself to be manipulated as needed for the time being while Warriors twists and pulls and ties the rope this way and that. It's genuinely impressive, the kinds of knots and the effort put into them, far more than most enemies are likely to bother using, but the man still uses them, calling their attention to the different kinds and showing how some give way with a tug and others tighten, informing them that feeling the sort of knot used can be a huge step in escaping it, as it provides clues on how to manipulate your bindings to your own will.

Once the captain is finished, Twilight’s wrists and ankles are both quite effectively restrained, the rancher sitting quietly as he allows the rest of them to look over the bonds and Warriors to explain further about why certain knots are used and which ones to be on the lookout for. They are allowed to touch, encouraged even, to see how the rope feels, because- as the captain instructs them, clipped and cold- the likelihood of being granted sight is very low indeed when held captive.

“Everyone got all that?” At their nods, Warriors turns to Twilight. “Go nuts.”

Watching Twilight escape is very nearly as interesting as watching him get tied up. The rancher doesn’t explain nearly anything at all, focusing instead on getting out, but Warriors fills the blanks, pointing out that shifting, tugging and rolling your limbs can help loosen most bonds, even if it does tend to tighten the knots. “You don’t want to untie each knot, just get out of them. Most escapes need to be quick so as to actually be able to get out, but some circumstances give you time enough to pick over the knots later if you need the rope for something else. Getting a read on your situation at all times is crucial, but you have to rely on your own judgement much of the time in order to know what skills to employ and what to set aside.”

By the time the man is done speaking, Twilight is springing up out of the chair and making a grab at the captain. Almost without breathing, Warriors catches the other in a headlock. It's like watching a snake strike, one moment it looks like Twilight has him, and the next, the rancher is doubled over with their captain’s arms around his neck.

“Good try.”

Twi grins. “Woudla had’ja if I’d had time to slip my feet free.”

“Or if I’d been paying less attention,” the captain smiles, but it’s cold, thin, and very much not like their brother. The man’s hands let loose the other, leaving Twilight free to tug loose his feet while he turns back to the rest of them. “A key point is to watch for opening at all times. If your enemy turns their back or drops their guard, they give you a chance to over-power, injure, or kill them.” It’s said too coldly, too clinically, as though Warriors isn’t even talking about a life at all. He's beginning to see why the man spoke about this sort of training like he did; Warriors will be dumbing it down for them, making it something they can process, but with soldiers, commanders who didn’t give a shit about the innocence of their students, he can only imagine how this sort of thing would have been, especially paired with the knowledge that Warriors had also withstood training for torture and interrogation, so the mental strain would have been far worse then.

Honestly, maybe it’s not an act. Maybe Warriors is just used to shutting his emotions off when it comes to issues like this.

“Any questions?”

“Yeah,” it’s a new voice, one he doesn't know yet, which speaks, and it has all the heroes turning about abruptly at the sound of it, except the captain, who seems unsurprised, unlike them, to see Four’s father standing in the doorway “What on earth is going on here?”

As though of one mind, they all turn on the smithy.

“Training?”

“What kind?” The man leans in the door, one brow raised. He doesn’t look upset, maybe bemused, but Wind still feels Legend draw up stiff beside him.

“Escape training, sir,” Warriors clips, stepping forwards to address the man, “your son tells me he hasn't had a chance to undergo such training previously.”

“No.” It’s a very loaded word, “he hasn’t.” Guarded, wary, maybe even pained. Wind’s not sure, but he supposes maybe Four’s father doesn’t like the idea of his son undergoing whatever this training entails.

The captain doesn’t let the other knight’s tone bother him though. “All due respect sir, he requested that the Hero of Twilight and I instruct him, and the rest, in order that he might have some knowledge of what to do in the case of capture, sir.” Oh, Warriors is falling into soldier mode for real now. Shit.

Sir Smith notices too, apparently, face softening some as he looks at the younger soldier. “As ease, captain.”

Warriors does not relax in the slightest.

“Well,” their smithy’s father turns to look over them and the room in general, “I suppose it’s good knowledge to have, and about time you had it. Is there anything I can do to assist?”

The offer is accepted eagerly by their smithy, and while Warriors still looks somewhat tense, Wind’s quite sure it’s the nature of the training and not the man offering to help with it. No, the captain and this world’s army commander had got on like a housefire last night, and he knows Warriors likes the man. It’s fine, his brother is just uncomfortable and thus falling into familiar patterns and behaviors in order to not betray that. Given time after, and Warriors will slowly drop those and return to his normal self once he’s ready. He’ll be okay.

“Escapin’ is like pretty boy said,” Twilight tells them, standing up again now that he’s free, “it’s a matter of gettin’ the ropes loose enough t’slip out. Amateurs tend to go too loose, an’ they keep it quick an’ easy. ‘pparently soldiers cover all the bases though.” The last part is added with a snort and a light nudge at their captain.

Time nods, slowly. “Four minutes and seventeen seconds. Quite impressive, pup.”

The words have the rancher beaming.

“Right,” Warriors plows ahead, ignoring the moment and looking over each of them. “Legend, you said you’d been trained, how about you show the rest how a smaller individual can handle this?”

The vet glares at the implications but doesn’t say anything. It’s fact that most of them aren’t nearly as big as Twilight and, considering few of them possess his brute strength either, having a few examples will probably give them more to work off of in the long run. Still, there’s something wary about the way the vet approaches the chair, hands already fisted as he stands in front of it, rather than deliberately sitting as the rancher had done.

“Commander,” Warriors turns over to Four’s father (he’s introduced himself as Leon, right?) and motions to the vet. “I believe you have more experience than I.”

The elder soldier nods, in one motion both conveying respect and also submitting himself to the command of the younger soldier for the time being, which Wind thinks is very grand of him considering it’s the older man’s own house they’re in, and his son they’re teaching. Then again though, Four had said that his dad is the sort of person who isn’t afraid to let a younger person take the lead if they know what they’re doing.

He wonders how Four knows that to be able to say it so confidently. What on earth does he get up to on his own?

A question for later, he guesses. Right now, it’s time to pay attention, because even if he hopes to grow as big as Twilight, Legend and he are pretty close in size now, so this will be more useful for him than watching the rancher.

Unlike Twilight, Legend doesn’t go easily, making Leon actually have to fight against him in order to continue. That, apparently, it is good though, as Warriors makes it a teaching point, “Generally speaking,” one large hand catches the vet’s dominant one, “you don’t want to let the enemy tie you down in the first place. Honor is all well and good, but when it comes to surviving, no one’s blaming you for fighting dirty.” Something Legend is notorious for. “Watch how the vet handles this, then we’ll discuss after. Sir Leon-” that is the right name then, great! “-will probably approach it differently than I do as well, so be aware that all captors are not the same.”

And the smithy’s father definitely doesn’t handle things the way Warriors did, nor does Legend. Where Twilight had let Warriors shift and move him as needed, Legend fights, and where Warriors had given little vocal cues to his “prisoner” and guided his motions carefully, well aware that a wrong move from the rancher at close proximity could do damage, Leon isn’t nearly as careful, instead grabbing, holding, and forcing the vet’s arms behind his back before slinging a rope around them with all the speed of a sailor in a storm. Also, unlike Warriors, Leon doesn’t use a variety of knots, rather keeping it quick and tight.

“He’s got thin wrists, so a tighter bind is needed. Some tie it tight enough to harm, but that’s not the goal here. Know it happens though.” The elder soldier tells them, yanking back on the vet who makes to push away. He doesn’t try to force the vet into the chair, instead catching the younger by the collar while his free hand works, hissing, “stay still, you wriggly thing!”

Wind’s not sure what exactly about the situation is wrong, but he swears he hears the vet’s breath catch, stutter, and then with a truly terrific show of strength, Legend rips himself free of the man’s hold, kicking back against the knight and propelling himself forwards hard enough that his collar slips free from the man’s hands and the vet can stumble very quickly away. Rather than stage an “attack” though, the hero just spins about, and the whole room freezes.

Legend’s stance is too tightly wound, breath too sharp, too harsh, but most obvious is the utter and complete terror shining in blown out violet eyes.

“Shit,” Warriors is moving before any of them have a clue what to do, and all aggression, put on though it was, immediately disappears from Leon’s own stance as both knights recognize what Wind himself has as well. He doesn't know how, and he doesn’t know why, but something about the situation has acted as enough to trigger the vet into some sort of panic, and what to them is a training exercise, has become, to his mind, very, very real.

“Lad-” Leon’s motion towards the vet earns a start back, one that is made even worse when Four jumps up from where he’d been watching. Wind can’t imagine why the sight of Four, of all of the people in the room, would make Legend stumble so far back that he falls flat on his ass, but it happens. It happens and none of them, especially the smithy, miss it.

“Vet?” They’re all worried, and several of them step forwards, reaching out, ready to help, wanting to help, only for both Hyrule and Wild to grab those closest to them and pull them back, something Wind does himself, catching ahold of the smithy. The last thing the vet needs is people crowding in and leaving him no space to breathe. Being surrounded when you’re vulnerable is bad, very bad, and if watching out for Mask and watching the captain taught him anything, it’s that letting an experienced adult handle it and keeping everyone else away is the best course of action.

“Is he-” again, Leon’s voice is cut off, this time though by a strangled sound from the vet.

“Leon,” and it’s the first time that the soldier’s voice has dropped titles to use anything else, “leave.”

“Excuse me?” Four hisses, but that also seems to have a very negative effect, one that has the captain turning, slowly, voice low and soft but cold enough to freeze.

“You too, smithy.”

Whatever is about to be said in return is cut off by Leon hefting his son over his shoulder and quickly leaving the room, although both he and Four look after the others even as they exit the door. If the situation were any different, Wind thinks he might have laughed at Four’s easy acceptance of being carried like a potato sack by his father, but right now dealing with the vet takes precedence. Luckily for all at hand, even if Warriors isn’t the most qualified to run a training simulation, there’s no one better at handing panic attacks.

Despite being downed, Legend’s still managed to shift enough that the ropes Leon was working to be decently tight have been mostly ripped off, although they’ve left a nasty burn across the hero’s skin, one that’s bleeding slightly in the worst areas along the inside of his wrists. No one stops him freeing himself though, and while the performance is definitely over, there’s also a part of all of them that notes how quickly Legend pulls himself free, the sailor even hears Time whisper a soft “two minutes, fourteen seconds” to himself, slightly awed.

“Hey,” Warriors’ voice has lost every amount of edge, ice, or stiffness as he settles down in front of their felled brother, now as full of warmth as if he’s back on the field, talking Mask out of his own head after the younger hero’s namesake was put away again. “You with me?”

Ragged breathing would indicate that no, Legend is not. He’s very much not, just staring after the door where Four and his father had disappeared, eyes still wide and breath too shallow.

The captain reaches out; slow, deliberate motions, easy to track as he reaches for the other hero. “You’re okay, alright? You’re safe. We were training, but it’s over. There is no threat here.”

The vet flinches away from the hand, inches from his arm, back slamming against a cabinet and making whatever’s inside clatter loudly, which just sees to further unsettled the shaken hero, who jumps at the sound, whipping his head around to look back, only to flick unseeing eyes back towards the captain.

Warriors doesn’t so much as falter, using his lifted hand to slowly push shaggy hair out of where it’d been over his eyes for the last while, messy and just slightly wavy at the ends, like he’s not had time to straighten it in a while. “Hey, it’s me. It’s Warriors, you in there, Link?”

Violet eyes flicker across the older man’s face, and this time, when Warriors reaches out, Legend doesn’t start away again, although he watches the hand reaching for him like it’ll produce a knife at any second. Luckily for all, the captain’s not capable of that sort of a trick, and all his hand does is catch one of Legend’s own, not by the wrist as Leon had done, but gently catching fingers in his own and guiding them towards himself, pulling the vet’s hand to settle over his chest, eyes locking with the other’s as he breathes a long, purposeful, breath.

Just like Mask used to, Legend mimics the action, although his own breath catches some. It doesn’t stop the captain from trying again though, and slowly, steadily, Legend’s breathing evens out again, clarity returning to his eyes like stars coming out at dusk.

“There you are,” their brother breathes, soft and warm and gentle and everything that eases tension and doesn’t spark it further, “keep breathing, you’re okay.”

Just because he says it though, doesn't mean it works, because the next breath that escapes their brother sounds more like a strangled sob.

Warriors doesn’t so much as falter. “You’re okay. It’s alright,” the hand that lifts is flinched back from, so the captain drops it again, resting it only over the hand still pressed to his own chest. “Keep breathing- there we go. You’re okay, you’re safe.”

The dart of dark eyes to the door betrays that Legend doesn’t believe him for a moment, but the vet shudders only a bit, focusing on Warriors again as he pulls away from the cabinets, although not so much to be closer to the captain as to not longer be shrinking away. It’s a sign of some recognition though, which is far better than nothing, and apparently a cue for the soldier to find out what is going on.

“That escalated a bit quick, wanna tell me what went wrong?”

Legend opens his mouth to answer, but a hitching breath is all that comes out, face twisting and screwing up again enough to warn that a repeat is very much in the cards.

Warriors counters quickly. “Was it the ropes? Too tight? Too many people?” He keeps the questions far enough apart to give time for a signal one way or another, but Legend doesn't do much more than force shaking breathes out as his hands reach to tangle in his wild hair. His hat fell off in the scuffle, and currently lies at Time’s feet. “Was Leon too-”

The strangled sound at the man’s name cuts Warriors off, and recognition shines in blue eyes.

“Leon.” Warriors repeats.

Legend’s eyes squeeze closed; face pinched up and shattered.

The soldier sighs. “Can I touch you?”

“No.” The fact that it’s verbalized is a huge step, and Wind sighs a breath of relief.

Warriors, likewise, accepts the boundary, shifting back a bit to grant their vet more space, but not so much as to seem like he’s leaving. “Okay, this is related to Leon. Was it how he handled you?”

Nothing.

“Was it something one of us said?”

A hitch in the vet’s breath, the captain opens his mouth to try again, to press, but Legend answers aloud again this time, voice a wreck. “I- he-” a desperate gasp for air as ringed fingers tug at messy hair, “he’s sounds-”

No doubt recognizing Mask’s same struggle with words in the other, Warriors offers his own, soft and quiet, but not yet a whisper. “Did he sound like someone you know?”

A nod. A fervent, desperate, nod as violet eyes squeeze shut again. “Sorry...”

Hearing the vet apologize has never sounded like such an awful thing. He hates it.

The captain clearly does too, but he says nothing to that effect, although the brief flick of his ears and flash of his eyes says it for him. “It’s not your fault. It happens to the best of us.”

A scoff. Yeah, Legend’s still in there.

Warriors presses on. “No really, it does. It sucks, but it happens.”

Dark eyes peek open, fixing on the captain.

“Yes, even with me.” The smile there is pained, strained, but real, despite all, and the flick down of the vet’s eyes to still outheld hands prompts the captain to reach out once more. “Would you like me to touch now?”

There’s a pause, nothing said, and nothing done, just a stillness as Legend considers the offer. He’s wary about touch even on good days, but usually only when it’s expressly offered or pointed out. When no one says anything, it’s usually met with acceptance as long as it’s not demeaning in any way.

As though catching onto a similar train of thought, Warriors changes his offer. “I could lend you my scarf?”

A glare. Okay, rude, it’s not that demeaning! Wind likes the scarf! Mask adored the scarf! Enough to throw fits when it wasn't his turn with it! Legend doesn’t have to want it, but there’s no need to make faces like that! It earns a laugh from their captain though, eyes creasing the way they rarely do, and only when he really means it, hand falling to rest gently on the foot of the other. Legend doesn’t shake him off, just stares, then lifts his gaze back up to search the captain’s face again.

Warriors meets it, smile fading back to the sad one again.

The vet’s gaze drops, arms falling to wrap around himself rather than digging his fingers into his scalp. “He looks-” a breath, harsh and strained, angry as it whishes between clenched teeth, brows drawing low with inward turned frustration, “the- our-”

“He looks like someone you know?” At yet another, hesitant, nod, Warriors presses further. “Someone who hurt you? Maybe someone you used to trust?”

A sigh. A slow nod before the vet’s head drops to rest against his raised knees. He's still shaking.

It’s clear as day that Warriors wants nothing more than to wrap an arm around their brother, pull hm close and assure, but he doesn’t. No, the captain respects the established boundary and doesn’t move any closer, hand just resting on one ankle as he crouches in front of their brother. “I get that.” his voice is softer now, bittersweet, “it sucks, I know. There's someone you trust and then you can’t trust them anymore, and it’s hard, especially when you meet someone who reminds you of them.”

Shit. Wind knows he shouldn’t, knows both he and Time know better, but neither can help it as they turn their focus on the captain, wary and watching. That is never a good subject to talk about, but the fact that Warriors is the one broaching it for the first time in forever is frankly shocking.

“You too?” Legend’s trying to pass off a tired smile of his own, but it just looks like he’s trying not to cry.

The captain nods, lifting his hand (definitely noticing how Legend’s breath catches at the loss of contact) and instead turning to lean his own back against the china cabinet, settling in beside their shaken brother, eyes falling closed in what’s both an open sign of trust, but also an obvious bid to ignore the sharp stares of both his boys on him. “Yeah, me too. It sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Sounds just like him,” Legend says, the first full sentence since he’d gone down, and Wind doesn't miss the way the other hero leans a bit closer into the captain’s space, although he doesn't touch him. “Looks like ‘im too.”

Blue eyes open again, turning past all their curious and worried ones to watch the vet, warm and gentle, that same look that he’d turn on Mask, and Wind doesn't doubt it was turned on him too, when Warriors thought they weren't looking.

The vet shudders, steeling himself up again, walls visibly reconstructing before their eyes. “He used to visit, when I was small. I saw him like a grandfather-” and they crumble again, the vet blinking violently, voice small. “He has granddaughters my age.”

“What happened?” Wind doesn’t mean to let the words slip, but they do.

Legend’s head hits the cabinet doors. “Corrupted.”

The captain nods. He knows. Wind knows that he knows. “I’m sorry.”

“He sounded just like him.”

“I know,” it’s a hysterical sort of laughter that escapes the older hero this time, “trust me, I get it. Every time I hear an Ordon accent, any time someone suggests playing chess,” the captain’s eyes roll upwards, and Wind’s kind of shocked when he realizes there’s tears there. “It sucks. Gods it sucks, but you live with it. I wish I could say it gets better, but I’m not there yet.”

Pink hair drops, settling against faintly shaking shoulders. “You were close?”

Suddenly the moment before them feels too private to witness anymore. Suddenly, being there feels wrong, hearing Legend ask things that everyone at home in Warriors’ world knows better than to speak of. He doesn't know why Warriors answers, maybe out of guilt for pulling the vet into the exercise, maybe out of a need to set an example or assure, maybe out of his own sort of desperation, but an answer is given.

“Yeah. Grew up together. He teased me for my accent, I teased him for his. We ran our mothers to worry and our commanders to madness. I hauled his ass out of prison, he watched mine on the field. Heck,” a smile, bittersweet as the captain settles a cheek in rosy hair, “we went through our trailing- kinda like what I was trying to show the others- we did that together too.” A soft scoff, not a sob, but close, “I think he’s the only reason I made it through training t’all. Would’ve gone mad wit’out ‘im.”

“What happened?” Twilight dares speak up, and Wind doesn’t miss the way the man’s thick accent is held in check, nearly gone altogether. So, Twi did hear the comment about Ordon.

The captain sighs, lifting his head and staring out at the rest of them, eyes fixing on the rancher last of all. “Ganon. As with most things.”

Twilight winces.

Warriors chuckles. “Some days it’s like he never left though. He’s still on my ass, still callin’ me ‘pretty boy and tryin’ to get a rise outta me.” Wind doesn’t miss how Twilight’s face crumbles when he realizes blue eyes are still fixed on his. The captain doesn’t either, smile twitching alive again. “It’s nice, sometimes, like seeing what he’d be like if nothing happened. Other days, it’s difficult, and it makes it hard to get through the day.”

“How do you handle us?” Legend breathes, half scoff and half awe, eyes trying for a smile again and doing much better. It’s not happy, but it’s kind.

The captain doesn’t miss it. “Hylia only knows,” he teases, knocking his shoulder against the one still pressed against it, and then, more serious, “I draw back if I need. Sure, Twilight reminds me of him a lot, some days, but then he does something Gassun would never, or does something so stupid only a hero would do it, and then I remember again and I’m fine.”

“Really?” The Stare of Disappointment was definitely something Time learned from the captain, so Wind can’t fathom why the man tries to use it on their brother, but here he is, doing just that. “You expect us to believe that?”

“Have faith in me,” Warriors snorts, “I don’t wander around in my own head all day. If I did, you’d’ve burned the world down already!”

It sort of ends like that. Warriors redirecting their attention and Legend rolling his eyes at their antics, slowly uncurling again until Four’s mother comes back inside and requests access to her kitchen again. They scatter after, Warriors throwing an arm around the vet and guiding him upstairs so they can have a talk, Time going off in search of the smithy and his father, Wild joining in dinner preparations, and the rest of them cleaning up their mess before leaving.

Hyrule still has questions for Twilight about escaping, but Sky heads upstairs after the others, worry creasing his brow in ways it rarely does, but Wind stays behind, scooping up Tongs to keep him company in the wake of his brothers all leaving. Even so, he makes a note to ask the others how they are later.

Of course, later, Twilight also asks about what Warriors said, and the captain, to the shock of both his charges, explains himself. Thinking back, it’s no wonder Warriors sees a resemblance; Twilight may have spent his last few years in Ordon, but the military haircut is still very present, a mirror of the captain's own and quite similar to said captain's old friend. Granted, Twilight is darker, hair redder and eyes bright blue, but the accent is the same, rough manner so similar, and the nicknames definitely finish the picture. He doesn’t like the implications of that, not for either of the two, but Twilight walks out of the conversation only looking someone thoughtful, rather than upset, and Warriors seems normal enough, although still quiet for the rest of their time in the smithy’s Hyrule.

Collectively, they agree to abandon the escape training. If they want tips, they’ll go to Twilight, but the emotional toll taken on both the vet and the captain isn’t worth it to any of them. Not a second time. Not when they all regret the first one.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #febuwhump #febuwhump2024 #lu wind #lu legend #lu warriors #lu twilight #lu wild #lu four #lu sky #lu hyrule #lu time #four's dad #good golly it went on forever!#the boys are't letting me keep ANYTHING brief this month #vengeance for not finishing previous months I guess

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gx-gameon · 9 months ago

Text

When Yugi and Jaden met.

Start - Next

Yugi started going to college to be a game designer. The school was in a different town, but it was close enough to commute by train.

One day after classes Yugi was walking around in the local park. When he sees a little boy sitting at a table alone. He has a duel monsters deck with him but no one to play with. There are other kids around but they are giving the little boy a wide berth, some of the children refuse to look at him while others are glaring at the little boy. The child seems so lonely.

And Yugi hates it. He doesn’t know what’s going on but he knows bullying when he sees it. So he marches over and asks if the kid would like to play against him. The little boy was looking down when Yugi approached. All he hears is someone asking to duel him, he’s ecstatic! Someone finally wants to play with him. He looks up so excited, only to come face to face with the king of games himself, Yugi Mouto. The boy almost falls out of his chair.

The boy is in shock and hasn’t responded yet, so Yugi asks again. By this point the other people in the park are starting to gather. Duelist of all ages are gathering around them, because Yugi is offering to duel a random kid. And for a second Yugi starts to doubt if this was the right decision but then the little boy screams yes! And the whole crowds attention turns to the boy and almost as one they take a step back. Yugi notices and has to wonder what is going on. But his attention is quickly back on the boy as he introduces himself. “I’m Jaden Yuki!” And the little boy is all smiles.

The two play their duel. Even though Jaden is young he duels quite well, but he’s no where near Yugi’s level. Yugi goes easy on the kid but still wins in a landslide. He can see the crowd go tense with his victory. A pause, and when nothing happened beside Jaden’s excited babbling about how amazing Yugi is, the crowd seemed to relax as one. Again Yugi has to wonder who this child is.

A brave kid asks Yugi to duel them next and Yugi agrees moving from Jaden table but he keeps an eye on the boy. While plenty of people via for Yugi’s attention he can see that Jaden’s been abandoned again. He beats this child much faster, not truly giving them his attention. When the duel is over he starts to head back to Jaden, when an older kid blocks him. Whispering about how Jaden is dangerous.

But Yugi looks over the kid at Jaden. This little boy who looks so lonely but still bravely smiles. And he remembers being that kid. He also remember someone else, who was ‘dangerous’ with duel monster card. Someone with shadow magic who just need friends and guidance to find his way. Atem had been so lost in the beginning. Looking at Jaden though he can’t sense anything dangerous about the boy.

So Yugi ignores the warning and goes back over and plays another duel with Jaden. The boy’s so happy. They play round after round with Yugi giving Jaden pointers as the go. The crowd dispersed after realizing that Yugi wasn’t going to duel anyone else. After a while Yugi had to go, Jaden stood up and gave him a big hug before he left, thank Yugi for dueling with him as no one else would.

Yugi heads home that night playing the interaction over in his head. He has so many questions about why people avoid Jaden.

A few days later he’s walking through the park again and sees the same scenario. Once again he spends the afternoon with Jaden. Looking over the kids stack and helping him make strategies with his cards.

Over the weeks the two keep meeting and Yugi is starting to adore this kid with a wide smile and a loud voice. But he never sees Jaden’s parents and the boy never talks about them, and it’s setting off alarm bells in Yugi’s mind. Until one day he offers to walk Jaden home. He feels like he should introduce himself to the boy’s parents, maybe see if he can find out why people avoid the kid so much. He’s shocked to find out Jade resides at an orphanage. Even more so to see how the people at the orphanage sneer at the boy.

He leaves Jaden to go home that night and can’t stop thinking about the kid. He hated leaving him there. He watched as all of Jaden’s joy seemed to leave him as he walked in. As the kid he’d come to adore, faded in front of his eyes. And he left him there. Yugi can’t sleep. So he goes to his grandpa, and tells him everything. Solomon looks at his grandson, who has always had to big of a heart and asks why he wants to do.

And it’s in this moment Yugi realizes what he wants. He wants Jaden out of the orphanage. He wants Jaden to be surrounded by people who won’t sneer at him in hatred or cower from him in fear. He doesn’t know the whole story, but he knows Jaden is a good kid. He deserves a home, he deserves to be loved. His kid deserves so much more!

And oh… his kid.

And it’s this moment that he realizes that at some point in the past to months he stoped thinking of Jaden as the kid and started thinking of him as his kid. How he planed time in his day to go see Jaden. How he made it his priority to make sure Jaden was happy. How just being around the kid made his day better. It had been so hard without Atem, but then Jaden came into his life and suddenly things were brighter.

It’s a world changing answer but he’s never made an easy decision. “I want to adopt him.”

#jaden yuki #judai yuki #yugi moto #yugi mutou #yugioh gx #dad yugi #yugioh

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husk-not-whiskers · 10 months ago

Text

Day 7…. Closing up shop.

The party is over. Only few remain. The show has come to close. All things come to an end.

Husk looks across the hotel, it’s late. He’ll be going to sleep soon. But one more round of drinks is always fun.

♥️♠️♦️♣️ 🂱 ╰ ─┉─¡! • !¡─┉─ ╯ 🂱 ♣️♦️♠️♥️

Wow. First of all. Thank you. Thank you all so much. I love and appreciate every single one of you. I’m tearing up even writing this. Well… typing… I fucking love you all so much. I may not know you. You may only be an anon I’ve talked to once. But I think about you. I think about you all so much. I’m going to miss you. I REALLY REALLY am

None of you understand just how much this means to me. That’s why I need to take a break. I love you. I really really really do. I want you to understand I’m not leaving because I hate you, it’s the opposite. I love you all too much. I need to focus on my health and life. I’ve got some serious stuff coming up and I need to focus on it. I plan on coming back in April. But I don’t know. Life really loves to fuck me over. You can still send asks, I’ll read them. I’ll love and cherish them. I may even answer a few of them before April, but I won’t be here like I am now. I’m going to sign out of this blog so I can’t get to it. Well atleast make it a bit more difficult. I won’t really be online all that much. But if you need me, shoot me a dm on main. A month doesn’t seem that long… but on the internet, a lot sure can happen.

“Let's say goodbye with a smile, dear

Just for a while dear we must part

Don't let this parting upset you

I'll not forget you, sweetheart”

Sappy thank you’s under cut

Let’s start with the guy who started it all. @.heybabeshru the one who got me to even make this blog in the first place. Who runs the @bad-boy-lover nifty blog! None of this would’ve happened without you. Without your kind words and encouragement I wouldn’t have made all these wonderful new friends. I’m truly grateful I got to cross paths with you.

And Ivory. Who runs the @alastor-radiodemon blog. There’s so much to say! I mean you and Rat were the first to interact with me. Make me feel welcome and a part of this whole thing. The way you write Alastor is so raw and real in this way I just can’t describe. You genuinely feel like the characters you write. I’m so glad I met you. I’m so glad I get to call you my friend.

@hazbinhoteloc-ninlil you are one of the bravest and kindest people I know. Without you, I doubt I would’ve been able to even call ivory my friend. Your mind is delightfully intriguing. The plots and stories you are able to come up with are truly magical.

To everyone in the discord, thank you.

@angeldust-real wow! Where to start? I just love your portrayal of angel so much. I’m at a loss for words. Seeing you in my notifications always puts a smile on my face

@dohdahradioanon man I mean, fuck I’m hooked on whatever you’ve got going on. Your character is so mysterious. Gyah I just love it so much

@mielles-lounge this whole event wouldn’tve happened with out you. I don’t know you all that well. But it’s been a pleasure

@ifyouthinkyouregettingaway I haven’t known you very long, but fuck. I love your Vox so much. And I’d love to continue role playing with you when I come back.

@redislonely I mean, what is there to say. I don’t know you all too well, but you’re certainly someone I can’t wait to get to know better.

And to all of you. I love you dearly. If you ever need me, DMs are open. And I’d love to discuss plots for when I come back. This is also an excuse to tell you all how much I love you

#hazbin hotel husk rp #role play #ask blog #mod green rambles

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zapreportsblog · 1 year ago

Note

❝Not a people person❞- I love the mention of Garrett of having a furry fetish. I thought that was very funny.

Garrett x Teacher Reader

Where the reader is a Pre-k teacher. She stands at 5ft 6 in. She has long red hair that goes to her waist that she keeps in a braid most of the time. She has tan skin with hints of freckles. She wears circle frame glasses.

It's around Christmas time when Garrett goes to visit the reader in her classroom as she is decorating her room for the holiday party. He helps her decorate and she invites him the party. During the party she sees her students reacting with Garrett and having fun with the present he has brought for the students.

Feel free to add or change anything

❝christmas fun❞

✭ pairing : garrett x reader

✭ fandom : twilight

✭ summary : it’s around Christmas time when garrett decides to pay his mate a visit at her job, but behold she’s decorating her classroom to make it look more like the holiday that was coming up, Christmas!

✭ authors note : I like how you allow me to change things up or add things if necessary cause girl/boy/ nonbinary individual, it was hard asf finding someone who matches your description of the reader 😭 hell I’m listening to Christmas music as I write this

✭ twilight masterlist 2

(Y/N) was a dedicated pre-K teacher with a heart as warm as her long, fiery-red hair. Her braid swung gracefully as she moved about the empty classroom, setting the stage for a magical Christmas wonderland. Her rounded-framed glasses rested on her freckled nose as she meticulously arranged 3D statues of trees, turning her classroom into a winter forest.

At 5 feet 6 inches tall, she may have seemed petite, but her energy and creativity were boundless. The children had gone home hours ago, but (Y/N) remained, determined to create a holiday atmosphere that would captivate her young students when they returned.

As she sprinkled fake snow on the ground, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of their delighted faces when they saw the transformation. Every year, she went all out to make the holiday season extra special for her little ones.

Meanwhile, in a world beyond the realm of pre-K classrooms, a figure approached the school with an air of grace and mystery. Garrett, her boyfriend and a Norman vampire, had grown curious when (Y/N) hadn't come home at her usual time. His deep-set eyes held an eternal agelessness as he stood at the school's entrance, wondering where his mate could be.

With his impeccable timing, Garrett entered the classroom just as (Y/N) was wrestling with a particularly stubborn Christmas tree. He smiled as he watched her, the glow of her dedication making her all the more enchanting.

"Need some help there?" Garrett's voice was smooth and soothing, a contrast to the chaos of the half-assembled tree.

(Y/N) jumped, her heart leaping in surprise as she turned to see her vampire boyfriend. "Garrett!" she exclaimed, a mix of relief and delight washing over her. "You scared me!"

He chuckled, moving closer to her. "I couldn't help but wonder why you hadn't come home yet. And now, I see you're creating a winter wonderland here."

She blushed, a slight tinge of pink dancing on her freckled cheeks. "I wanted to surprise the kids when they come back. Make it feel like a magical forest. But this tree seems to have a mind of its own."

With a flourish of elegance that only a vampire could possess, Garrett effortlessly maneuvered the tree into place. "Well then, let's make this forest even more magical, shall we?"

Together, they decorated the Christmas tree, hung 3D snowflakes from the ceiling, and wove strands of twinkling lights around the room. Garrett's supernatural speed and precision were the perfect complement to (Y/N)'s artistic vision.

As they worked side by side, the classroom transformed before their eyes into a dazzling winter wonderland. And in that moment, amid the laughter, love, and holiday magic, (Y/N) knew that this Christmas would be truly special, thanks to the unexpected help of her vampire mate, Garrett.

With the classroom now transformed into a winter wonderland, (Y/N) and Garrett stepped out into the empty school corridor. The soft glow of the Christmas lights they had hung still twinkled behind them.

As they walked, Garrett seemed lost in thought for a moment before he turned to (Y/N) with a suggestion. "You know, (Y/N), since you've put so much effort into making this classroom look amazing for the kids, why don't we drop by for their holiday party tomorrow? I'd love to see their faces light up when they see this magical wonderland."

(Y/N) looked at Garrett, her heart touched by his thoughtfulness. "Garrett, you don't have to do that. I know how uncomfortable you can be around large groups of people."

He nodded, acknowledging her concern. "I do have my moments, but for you, I'm willing to make an exception. Besides, I want to be there for you. I want to see the joy you bring to these kids' lives."

Tears of gratitude welled up in (Y/N)'s eyes as she realized just how much Garrett cared for her. "You truly are something special, you know that?"

He smiled warmly, his centuries-old eyes filled with affection. "And you, my dear, are the most special person in my life. So, will you let me accompany you to the party tomorrow?"

(Y/N) couldn't resist the genuine warmth and sincerity in his request. "Of course, Garrett. I'd be honored to have you by my side. Tomorrow, we'll share this magic with the kids together."

They continued down the corridor, hand in hand, their hearts intertwined in the spirit of the season. Garrett's willingness to step out of his comfort zone for her was the most precious gift she could have asked for this Christmas, and (Y/N) couldn't wait to share the joy of the holiday party with him and her young students.

In the wee hours of the morning, as (Y/N) slept peacefully, her classroom ready to welcome her young students to their Christmas wonderland, Garrett sat in the dimly lit living room of their home.

With his thoughts running wild with creativity, Garrett reached for his phone and dialed a number he hadn't used in a long time. It rang several times before a familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

"Benjamin," Garrett began, his voice low, "it's been too long. I need to ask a favor of you."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a sigh. "Garrett? Is that you? "

"Yes and I do apologize for calling so late," Garrett replied, his tone earnest. "But I need to see you, Benjamin. It's important. Can you make time to meet me tomorrow? I'll explain everything then."

Benjamin hesitated for a moment, clearly wondering why his lifetime friend wanted to see him, but then he seemed to realize that Garrett would never ask a request of him if he knew that request would be harmful. “Alright, Garrett. I trust you. Tomorrow it is. Just let me know when and where."

A sense of relief washed over Garrett as he replied, "Thank you, Benjamin. I'll be in touch with the details soon. It's good to know I can count on you."

With that, they ended the call, and Garrett sat in the quiet of the early morning, his mind racing with thoughts.”

The next day dawned crisp and clear, with excitement in the air as (Y/N) stood in her transformed classroom. Her young students had finished their limited morning lessons, and now, in the afternoon, the classroom had come alive with the sound of music, laughter, and the joyful chatter of children.

Party hats adorned tiny heads, and colorful decorations added a festive touch to the room. Parents had come to help supervise the holiday celebration, and they couldn't help but admire the magical winter wonderland that (Y/N) had created.

As the children danced to the music and devoured their snacks, (Y/N) couldn't help but smile, her heart warmed by their happiness. She was busy handing out small gifts to her little ones when she noticed two figures standing at the doorway, their presence shrouded in an air of mystery.

Her eyes widened with surprise and delight as she recognized Garrett and his friend Benjamin. But something was different about them today. They both wore contacts that hid their distinctive red eyes, a necessary precaution to blend in with the human crowd.

"Garrett! Benjamin!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine joy. She approached them, a bit puzzled by their unexpected visit. "What brings you here today?"

Garrett wore a mischievous grin as he held a large sack in his hand. "We thought we'd drop by a bit early and join in the festivities," he said, his tone light. "But before I explain further, allow me to properly introduce my friend, Benjamin."

Benjamin extended a hand with a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, (Y/N). Garrett has told me so much about you."

(Y/N) shook Benjamin's hand, feeling a sense of ease in his presence. "Likewise, Benjamin. It's wonderful to finally meet one of Garrett's friends."

Garrett, unable to contain his excitement, motioned to the sack he was carrying. "Now love, I can see your eyes on the sack here but don’t worry bout this sack, we just brought a little surprise for the children. Now why don’t we join the fun?"

Curiosity piqued, (Y/N) nodded, intrigued by the mysterious surprise. "Of course, you're more than welcome. The children will be thrilled to have you join in."

As Garrett and Benjamin stepped further into the classroom, the children's eyes widened with wonder at their unexpected guests. (Y/N) couldn't help but wonder what lay inside that sack and why Garrett had gone to such lengths to create this surprise.

“Alrighty children, gather round we have some special visitors.” (Y/n) says instantly attracting the children’s attention onto her.

“Hello there boys and girls, and parents alike. My name is elf garrett and this here is elf Benjamin. Would you ladies and gents be ever so kind to follow us to your classroom rug?” Garrett bows playful at the end.

The children gathered eagerly on the classroom rug, their eyes wide with anticipation, as Garrett and Benjamin prepared to share their special surprise. The room was filled with a chorus of excited whispers as they settled into a circle.

Garrett cleared his throat and smiled down at the eager faces before him. "Alright, everyone, settle down," he called out in his most jovial tone. "My friend elf Benjamin and I have a little something to share with you today."

The children's attention was fully captured, and they sat with rapt attention, waiting for the surprise to unfold.

Garrett began, "You see, Benjamin and I are Santa's special helpers."

A small hand shot up. "But why aren't you tiny little elves like in the stories?"

Benjamin chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Ah, that's a great question! You see, we used a bit of Christmas magic to grow big so we could blend in with all of you."

Another child couldn't contain their excitement. "Did Santa send you on a super cool mission?"

Garrett beamed at the question. "Yes, he did! In fact, he saw how good all of you have been, so he asked me and Elf Benjamin here to bring you all some special gifts."

The children's eyes widened in delight, and the room buzzed with excitement as Garrett reached into the sack and began handing out gifts to each child. Their grins grew wider as they tore open their presents, discovering small treasures inside.

Once everyone had received their gifts, Benjamin leaned in, his eyes filled with mischief. "Now, it's time to guess what my job for Santa is."

The children's imaginations ran wild, and they began shouting out their guesses.

"You make toys!"

"You wrap presents!"

"You feed the reindeer!"

Benjamin laughed, shaking his head. "Those are all great guesses, but I'm actually the snow elf."

The children exchanged puzzled glances. "The snow elf? What does a snow elf do?"

With a twinkle in his eye, Benjamin explained, "I make it snow for everyone around the world. That's how we get all the beautiful snow on Christmas Day."

Excitement filled the room as the children's faces lit up. "Can you make it snow? Please, we want to see!"

Benjamin looked at Garrett, who nodded in approval. With a sly smile, Benjamin raised his hand, and suddenly, flakes of snow began to drift down from the ceiling. Gasps of astonishment filled the room as the children reached out to catch the magical snowflakes.

Garrett and (Y/N) shared a knowing look. They had seen Benjamin's elemental powers before, but the wonder and joy in the children's faces made it feel like Christmas morning itself.

As the snow continued to fall, laughter filled the classroom, and the children danced and played in the enchanting snowstorm created by the snow elf. It was a moment of pure magic, a memory they would carry with them for years to come, and a testament to the power of the holiday spirit.

#x reader #x reader one shot #x reader oneshot #twilight imagine #twilight imagines #twilight x reader #twilight masterlist #twilight scenario #garrett imagine #garrett x you #garrett twilight #garrett x reader #garrett x y/n #twilight benjamin #benjamin imagines #benjamin imagine #twilight x you #twilight x y/n

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evaslytherpuff · 8 months ago

Text

Desperate For Sanctuary

Ominis Gaunt x F!OC

Friends to lovers, Yandere OC

18+ MDNI!!!

Characters are 18+ in this fic!!!

Tag list: @myrachondria @hotcinnam0nspicy @moongurl95 @localravenclaw I appreciate that you all support this story and the characters, this fanfic is very dear to me! Thank you for reading!🥹💙

CW: Slightly intense duel, Sexual tension (if you squint), Longing, Abusive and manipulative parents, Trauma induced illness, Obsessive behavior, Stalking, Slight Somnophilia, Mentions of character deaths

If any of the above warnings may trigger you, PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING!

Chapter 4

Vivian’s POV

Vivian unfortunately didn't have double potions that day but she did get to see Ominis again in DADA and she was excited to see him. They were actually going to spend time together which made her feel giddy. He came to her for help. He could have asked anyone but he sought her out and she thought it was the sweetest thing. When she built up the courage to ask him for his time, the blush that blessed his cheeks made her heart pound against her chest. She understood that they just met but Ominis was truly enchanting. She looked forward to getting to know him alone without anyone else's opinions of him.

Professor Hecat made her way to the middle of the classroom and demanded that all the students stand as she magically moved the tables and chairs to the sides of the massive classroom.

"Today, we shall pair you all up in some friendly duels. I want to see how far you all have come over the years. I hope I have taught you well, if not, hmm we shall see how it goes." She chuckled lightly as she summoned the dueling platform from the floor. The class cheered as Professor Hecat made her rounds, eyeing the students up, making sure she had the pairs set in her mind.

"First up, Mr.Clopton and Mr.Prewett. Let's see what you've got." The Professor grinned as the two boys made their way to the platform and took their dueling positions. "On my count. Three, two, one! Begin!"

The light in the room seemed to change, highlighting the boys as Leander cast the first spell, knocking Everett off balance. Everett surprisingly didn't back down and cast an even stronger spell at Leander who easily blocked it. Vivian watched excitedly as the duel commenced but her eye's kept wandering over to Ominis who stood on the other side of the room. He held his wand out in front of him and smiled as he took in the two students dueling. She wondered what he saw with his wand. Did it send a visual to him? Could he fully see while he held it? The whole situation was fascinating to her.

She turned her attention back to the heated battle on the stage as Everett cast a powerful depulso in Leander's direction, knocking him clear off the platform. The class was in an uproar as Everett bowed to the students and crossed over to Leander, helping him up.

"Good one, Clopton." The red haired boy coughed as he took the Ravenclaws hand and stood up.

Next it was Natsai and Poppy. The two girls fought at an even level but Natsai seemed slightly more skilled than Poppy, although the petite Hufflepuff was extremely feisty, casting spells with a quiet confidence. Natty was very good at chaining her spells, sending one after the other to disorient Poppy but the young girl knew how to defend herself. Poppy's protective spells kept her shielded from Natty's onslaught. Unfortunately for her Natty finished with a Levioso, raising Poppy off the platform then Glacias, freezing Poppy in midair. She finished with a few basic casts until Poppy fell to the floor, the ice shattering around her. Poppy stood up quickly, dusting off her uniform as Natty jumped down from the dueling stage, the girls shook hands and laughed loudly as they returned to the sides of the classroom.

Then, surprisingly, it was Ominis and Vivian's turn. She hesitated when she heard who she was paired up with as she crossed to the platform but nearly tripped over her own feet as Ominis casually removed his robe and hung it up on a nearby training dummy then rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. She thought he was handsome before, but now, he was breathtaking. She had to shake her head a little as she walked up the stairs and stood on her end of the platform.

"Take your positions." Professor Hecat spoke from the sidelines.

"Don't go easy on me, understand." Ominis said calmly as he took his dueling stance.

"I wasn't planning on it Monsieur. Gaunt." She blushed as she took her stance as well, a smirk gracing his beautiful face.

"On my count. One, two, three!" Their Professor shouted.

Vivian was the first to cast without hesitation, snapping her wand in Ominis direction, he blocked her attack with ease. What surprised her was how quickly he was able to cast. Before his Protego shield even fell, he cast Confringo through the haze, damaging her with the fiery spell. She didn't go down easily though and swiftly cast right back. Eventually it became a back and forth between the two, a heated dance of who will win and who wouldn't. The way that Ominis would cast was like a snake, poised and ready to strike, his wand hand snapping forward with venomous fury. He was powerful and it sent chills up her spine to watch him perform with such precision and grace. She couldn't be distracted, if she let him get to her, she would easily lose.

Ominis chained his spells perfectly but Vivian was prepared, matching his strength and protecting herself from his rapid attacks. This man was determined though as he seemed to lose himself in the heat of battle. She noticed the tense look on his face as if his mind drifted while he was dueling. What was he thinking about, she wondered.

He somehow grew closer, pushing her further to the edge of the platform, she could barely move from his advance. He lifted her from the ground and she was completely unprepared. He then cast depulso followed by a swift descendo, forcing her arse to the ground. The shockwave that vibrated through her entire body knocked the air from her lungs and made her see stars. The class gasped in shock but started to clap hesitantly as Vivian slowly rose from the ground, still unsteady on her feet.

"Damn, Ominis, this was supposed to be a practice duel. You kind of lost it up there!" Leander snapped as he crossed to Vivian. "Are you alright?" He asked kindly. Ominis swiftly jumped from the platform and crossed over to her, hesitating to come closer, a look of horror on his pale face.

"I'm so sorry, Vivian. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me. Are you okay? I didn't mean to take it too far!" He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"Guys, I'm fine." She said as she brushed dirt from her uniform. "Wow, Ominis. Your skills are exceptional! I think that was the longest and most intense duel I have ever had. It was thrilling and a privilege to duel with such an excellent duelist like you." She held out her hand to him but he seemed terrified to take it. Eventually he clasped his delicate fingers around hers and shook gently.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked softly before letting her hand go.

"I'm fine, Ominis. Really. You won fair and square. It was actually a lot of fun." She giggled as Leander nodded and patted Ominis' shoulder before he walked back to the rest of the students. Ominis still looked like he could vomit at any minute as Professor Hecat crossed over to them.

"That was a very impressive duel. One of the best I've ever seen. Well done Mr. Gaunt. Ms. Beausoleil, you did a wonderful job, they taught you well at Beauxbatons." The witch smiled warmly before walking away to announce the next pair of duelists.

"Thank you, Professor Hecat." Vivian beamed but Ominis appeared to be on the verge of a panic attack. Vivian stood by his side and grabbed his hand gently and was relieved that he didn't pull away.

"Ominis, Je vais bien. Je te le promets. I'm fine, I promise you that I'm fine." She said soothingly as she rubbed his knuckles softly. He closed his eyes and tried his best to take slow and even breaths.

"Are you sure, Vivian? I'd be devastated if I actually harmed you." He sighed and ran his free hand through his blond locks.

"I am unharmed, Ominis," She said kindly. "Besides, I've got enough back there to soften the blow of a fall." She laughed and his face turned beet red when he realized she was talking about her behind. He blinked rapidly in her direction and was rendered speechless so she decided to change the subject.

"You are quite the duelist. Where did you learn to do all of that?" His face dropped while the blush drained from his cheeks and she immediately knew she messed up.

"It's not something I really like talking about. I come from a very twisted and horrible family. I despise my name with a passion and l am not proud to be a Gaunt. Where did you learn to duel? I could tell that your knowledge goes beyond what our schools have taught us." He said softly.

"My mom and dad. They were very skilled and made sure I knew how to defend myself. I appreciate you noticing." She blushed.

"Our duel was pretty thrilling wasn't it? That was the most exciting thing I've felt in a while." He said as Imelda won against Adalaide.

"It was pretty amazing." She said as she stared up at him, a ray of sunlight shone through the glass window, highlighting his beautiful face. She swallowed hard when his blue eyes landed on her and he smiled gently.

"I'd happily duel you again. Maybe this time I'll win." She giggled.

"Maybe." He continued to smile then cleared his throat, realizing they were still holding hands. He hesitated for a moment but pulled his fingers from hers and returned his attention back to the class.

She came to school to focus, to pass with flying colors and move forward with her life, but Ominis was proving to be a wonderful distraction.

Ominis' POV

For the rest of his classes, all Ominis could think about was what Vivian had said in DADA. He could barely focus as her words kept replaying in his mind. "Besides, I've got enough back there to soften the blow of a fall." Now all he could do was think about her arse. He was shocked but also found it refreshing that she could easily talk about her body like that. She just blurted it out like it was nothing, as if she was talking to one of the girls in her dorm, not to a guy who couldn't stop thinking about her since she walked through the doors of the Great Hall.

When she laughed in Herbology it sounded like music to his ears. What was she laughing about? Who made her laugh out loud so joyfully? He slowly turned in his stool until he was facing her energy.

As long as he held his wand in his hand, this is what he was able to "see." Everything in this world gives off energy, in waves, sparks, hazes, auras, glows, etc. With the help of his wand, he could easily read a person's energy. Poppy always seemed to glow, very vibrant and warm. Natty gave off sparks, great energy and headstrong. His brothers were hazy like smog. Their energy felt heavy and toxic, smothering even. Then there was Vivian. Her energy was entirely different from everyone else's. He didn't know why though. Was it because he was attracted to her? Vivian wasn't just energy, she appeared like the entire galaxy laid out before him. It was the most mesmerizing thing he ever saw and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She was giggling and joking with Imelda and a small part of him felt a little...jealous? He wanted to be the one who made her laugh, the guy she made jokes with, the one she could talk to all day. Was it wrong or weird to be attracted to someone so fast? He sort of felt like a creep for having these thoughts about her but he also couldn't seem to help it.

"Are you alright, Ominis?" Professor Garlick appeared next to him and startled him out of his conflicted mind, making him jump, his tentacula plant gurgling loudly.

"Yes Professor. I'm okay." He said softly, embarrassed to be caught not paying attention.

"Just making sure. You're doing very well by the way. Your tentacula is adjusting to its new soil with ease. Keep up the good work." Professor Garlick said sweetly before she walked away to check on another student.

Ominis finished up his assignment and tucked his notebook into his satchel. His attention eventually returned to Vivian. He was a whirlwind of emotions and it was giving him a migraine. He sighed heavily as Professor Garlick dismissed the class and Vivian left the greenhouse with Imelda. He would be meeting her after his Charms class and he didn't know if he was anticipating it or regretting his decision to ask for her help.

His anxiety was in full swing as his final class finished and he made his way to the clock tower. His heart was pounding so loud he could hear every beat echoing in his ears. There she stood, leaning against the entryway to the courtyard, her energy emitting stars and clouded colors around her silhouette. He approached her slowly while mustering a small smile. Her energy shifted entirely as she pushed off from the wall.

"Ominis, you look pale. Are you sure you're alright?" She placed the back of her hand against his forehead and he raised a brow at her concern.

"I still think I hurt you during our duel." He said as he lowered his head, he could feel her staring through him, examining him.

"I'm a tough girl, Ominis. There is a lot about me that you don't know. I can take a few hits and keep on going. If you had hurt me, trust me, I would have been honest and told you. Come here." She pulled him in and hugged him and his eyes grew wide. He was able to feel her again, to hold her in his arms, it made him feel excellent. He sighed in content as she rested her head on his chest. Stuff like this would usually annoy him or make him feel embarrassed but with Vivian it was different, he felt like the world fell away, she felt so right in his embrace. She cleared her throat as she pulled away from him and he had to stifle a whimper at the loss of her body pressed to his.

"Are you ready to brew some potions?" She asked excitedly as she led him out into the courtyard.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He shrugged as he followed behind her.

"No need to panic, I'm here with you, I'll guide you through it." She reassured him as she sat down in the corner of the stony yard, yanking him down with her. He sat beside her as she began to pull out all the ingredients they needed for the potions.

"We aren't doing this in the potions room?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Nope. I ran it by Professor Sharp and he said it would be fine as long as we are careful. I want to do this to help you and he understood that." She said confidently as she started to get to work.

"He was okay with this?" Ominis was shocked.

"It helps that I'm a good and trustworthy student." She giggled. "I've only been here all of two days but he knows how seriously I take my potions. I'm going to help in any way I can, okay, I know what it feels like to not sleep." She said sadly. He hesitated but decided to ask her anyway.

"What keeps you awake at night?" He wondered as she handed him a ladle.

"Memories of my mom and dad. The night she was killed. The day I found my father had died in his sleep. It all haunts me. When I had to leave Marseille and move in with my Grandmother. She's a sweet woman, le meilleur en fait, but her house doesn't feel like home to me. She's the best, you would like her." She said confidently.

"I would like her? What is she like?" He asked as he helped her stir the potion a few times.

"I may be judging but, you seem like the type of guy that likes a nurturing soul, my mamie is kind and caring. She's always looking out for others. I love her dearly." He liked how she sounded so happy when talking about her Grandmother. He didn't really get the chance to know his, either of them, they were dead before he was born. From what he read and heard about them though, it was probably better this way. His father's parents were worse than him and he's a horrific man. His mother's family was rumored to be sick and twisted and this was obviously passed on to her, a woman who was as vicious as she was beautiful.

"She sounds great, Vivian." He said with a sincere smile. He noticed her energy changed for just a moment then faded back to its original colors. He wondered what that meant. It was aggravating that he couldn't decipher one color from another. He's been blind since the day he was born so he didn't know which color was which. Sebastian would try his best to describe things to him but he had no idea what a blue sky was. A green tree was a mystery to him, red flowers just sounded like a pretty plant in his opinion. It was frustrating how people thought he could tell colors apart when he truly couldn't. He turned his head to take in the stars and swirls her form emanated. What color was her hair? He could tell it was tied up on top of her head. Was she pale like moonlight or sun kissed with glowing radiance? What color were her eyes or her lips? He was so curious and desperately wanted to know. His blindness never really bothered him before, he had grown used to it, but now he wanted to see her so badly it pained him.

"This potion batch is almost done, would you like to brew some more? I have enough ingredients for another cauldron full." She asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Another batch would be lovely please." He gave her a genuine smile and her atmosphere shifted again and this time it stayed that way and his heart began to race. Was she...blushing?

"Alright, let's get started." She chuckled.

They continued to make potions all through the evening and Ominis even walked her back to their common room. This time, he chose to cross the threshold with her. It had been ages since he slept in his dorm but for some reason, he wanted to feel closer to her.

"Good night, Ominis. I hope our potions help you sleep well tonight." She gently hugged him before retreating to the girl's dormitory. He smiled to himself as he sat down on one of the couches near the fireplace. His satchel was filled with the Dreamless Sleep potions they brewed together and he was beyond thankful for them. He had enough to last him for about a week and she even promised to help him brew more if he needed them. He knew that he would so he told her it was definitely going to happen and her energy seemed to bloom and grow more vibrant. He took that as her excitement and it made him happy to bask in the feelings she radiated.

He reluctantly trudged up to the boy's dormitory, crossing the iron bridge, until he stood in front of the door. He could hear voices inside but it only sounded like two people. He opened the door and the voices abruptly stopped.

"Holy shit! You're in our dorm, Gaunt?" Nigel's voice sounded from his bed.

"I thought I'd sleep in here tonight." Ominis shrugged.

"Good luck with that, your bed has been collecting cobwebs since you haven't slept in it." Keith chimed in.

Ominis simply cast a quick cleaning charm with a roll of his eyes and his bed was as good as new.

"This isn't about the new Slytherin is it?" Nigel asked from across the room.

"No, where I was sleeping has become uncomfortable." Ominis quickly changed into his pajamas and flopped down on his freshly cleaned bed.

"Man, I'd love some alone time with her. She's gorgeous." Keith sighed and Ominis suddenly became agitated, clutching his wand tightly before setting it down on the bedside table.

"You mean Vivian?" Ominis asked, trying to remain calm. He didn't know her enough, she wasn't his girlfriend, he had no right to be jealous. Yet he was.

"Hell yeah, I understand you're blind and I'm not sure how you feel about that, but if only you could see her." Nigel chuckled.

"She's honestly the prettiest Slytherin I've ever seen. I can't get over her eyes and lips." Keith groaned and laid back on his bed. Ominis wanted to punch both of them but he restrained himself.

"It would be nice to see her, the way you two describe her, she sounds beautiful." Ominis said as he clenched his fists and laid down on his own bed and pulled the covers over his body.

"She is, Keith is over here talking about her lips, ha! It's her hips and breasts I can't stop thinking about." Nigel laughed and high fived Keith before crossing to his bed to sit on it.

"Have some decency, Nigel. Don't be a pig!" Ominis snapped, a little too aggressively.

"Woah, calm down, Ominis! She doesn't even seem to be into anyone else but you anyway." Keith snapped.

"What the hell are you talking about, Keith? It's only been a few days." Ominis fired back.

"From the moment she arrived here, she's been hanging out with you." Nigel interjected.

"Well, one, she's my potions partner. Two, she helped me brew a few potions to help me sleep, she was assisting me since my potions are awful. We are just friends, that's all." Ominis shook his head.

"So does this mean I can ask her on a date?" Keith asked with way too much enthusiasm.

"Don't ask me, it's up to Vivian. I can't speak for her." Ominis sighed heavily as he rolled over to pull a potion out of his bag.

"Hey! What if I want to ask her?" Nigel snapped.

"Yeah right!" Ominis and Keith said in unison.

Ominis had to fight back the urge to laugh, although the situation was funny, he was annoyed with both of them at the moment. Nigel was considered very handsome according to other students but his flaw was his awful personality. He was always a jerk and a bully to others and that made him unattractive. Ominis couldn't lie, he was worried about Keith. The girls always gossip about him and how good looking he is. He also had a more approachable personality compared to Nigel. Would Vivian say yes to him if he asked her out? Was it wrong for Ominis to hope she turned him down? His stomach was in knots and all he wanted to do was sleep so he could block out the two Slytherin boys.

Erebus Gaunt's POV

Erebus sat on the armchair in the corner of his bedroom as shouting continued to echo from down the hall. He sighed heavily and set his letters down on a nearby table and stood up to leave his room to see what all the commotion was. He shut his door behind him as his father's voice rang out from Marvolo's room. As Erebus crept closer, he could clearly make out his father's words, and he was livid.

"What the fuck is going on with my son!" His father shouted at an unseen being in Marvolo's bedroom.

"S-sir, l've told you, l'm not entirely sure. We've examined him and he seems to be perfectly healthy. I-I have never come across this type of situation in my line of work." Another man's voice stuttered in fear.

"Why is his hair turning white?" Hadeon growled.

"I have only heard rumors of this happening and supposedly it hasn't been scientifically proven but, this could be trauma induced Canities Subita, the sudden whitening of the hair. Has Marvolo experienced anything that could have been…permanently damaging?" The doctor asked nervously.

Their father sighed. "He lost his fiancée on their wedding day. Just this past February. She died in his arms." Their father said quietly.

"Goodness! I am so sorry for your loss, young man." The doctor genuinely sounded like he cared, unlike their father, who announced the situation like he was talking about the weather. Marvolo was completely silent as Erebus stood outside the open door and eavesdropped.

"Can he be fixed? I need him to be perfectly healthy in order to work. Will this affect his ability to perform well at his job?" Hadeon asked sternly.

"Fortunately for him, no. This may just affect his appearance since he's otherwise healthy. Nothing wrong with his body, heart, or brain, and his blood work is normal. Marvolo is in great shape, his hair may just-gradually turn white. If he can work through the trauma, it's possible it could return to the normal midnight black color he's used to." Erebus could literally hear the scowl that was probably plastered on his fathers face.

"Your positivity sickens me but I'm glad he's technically fine and able to work. You may leave now, Doctor." The authority in his dad's voice clearly spooked the poor man and he quickly left the room, almost colliding with Erebus on his way out. Erebus moved to stand in the doorway and cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Pardon my intrusion, Father. Do you have the roster for tonight's deliveries?" Erebus asked, gaining his father's attention.

"I do. I'll get it for you as soon as I can. I'll be in my office. There are some things I need to attend to first." Hadeon said as he limped over to leave the room. Erebus moved out of his way and entered the bedroom to sit on the edge of Marvolo's bed.

"What's going on with you, Marvolo?" Erebus asked, his deep voice breaking the awkward silence in the room.

"Marie Antoinette Syndrome apparently." Marvolo responded softly as he gazed at his reflection in his mirror. His golden eyes were blank and showed absolutely no reaction to his diagnosis.

"This is about Lucia, isn't it?" Erebus watched as his brother ran his fingers through his long hair. A pure white streak stood out against the rest of his dark waves.

"It's always about Lucia. Every time I close my eyes, I relive losing her all over again, she's gone. There's nothing I can do about that." Marvolo swallowed hard with a clenched jaw.

"I know how you feel. The girl I love is gone too." Erebus sighed and Marvolo whirled around to stare daggers into his brother.

"The girl you love is not gone, she's just out of your reach! She is not dead lying in a fucking cemetery, Erebus!" Marvolo roared, his chest heaving as he finally showed some form of emotion.

"You're right. Unfortunately Vivian would never have me now after all that I have done to her. I don't even know where she is." Erebus said as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"You're a hunter. Track her down if you care for her so much." Marvolo snapped.

"I will...in my free time. If I ever get any." He grumbled as his brother rolled his eyes.

"When we hunt, we also do some digging. You'll find her again." Marvolo shrugged and made it sound like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"I would have to force her to be mine. She won't do it willingly, not after we killed her mother." Erebus scoffed and shook his head, a strand of hair tumbling from his slicked back look. He fixed the stray curl with a groan as Marvolo moved to stand in front of him.

"I'm the one who killed her mother, not you. I used the killing curse. Somehow Vivian managed to get away from you that night, which is still a mystery, but you will see her again. We'll make sure of it. If you have to force her to be with you and love you, so be it. I'm honestly tired of hearing you "trying" to get over her. The last one you bought home sounded like she was being murdered." Marvolo chuckled wickedly.

"She claimed that she could handle being fucked and clearly she could not. It was a very frustrating night. I used a memory charm and sent her on her way." Erebus sighed.

"Better than killing her like you have to some of the others." His brother said with a smirk.

"Those girls were accidents. I only ever killed one willingly because she was standing over me with a knife!" Erebus scowled.

"Doesn't really matter to me anyway. I sleep around too and murder just because. Anything to try and fill the void Lucia left behind, so in some ways, I understand why you do it. You don't have to get over Vivian though, I'll help you find her." Marvolo said as he crossed to his bedroom door. Erebus stood to leave the room with his brother, staring at Marvolo with a puzzled expression.

"Why would you help me?" He said and crossed his big arms over his chest.

"Because I owe you for being the one who killed Vivian's mom." Marvolo said nonchalantly as their father called for them from down the hall.

"Time to work. Let's see what he has for us.” Erebus smirked.

The brothers crossed the threshold to their father’s office. Even though it was the middle of the day, his space was shrouded in darkness and looming shadows. His golden gaze bore into his sons as he sat in his high back chair and frowned. They both took a seat in the armchairs that were situated in front of Hadeon's desk. The old man sighed and pulled out his roster from a locked drawer.

"The deliveries will go as planned, Erebus. Here is the list of muggles and their buyers. I expect each one to be completed swiftly and without any issues. Now, onto a slightly bigger problem. There has been a wizard by the name of Fletcher, that is trying to stir up an uprising, claiming that he can gain enough power to bring me down. Here's the thing—the fucker is a coward—hiding behind a group of witches and wizards he has working for him. I need you both to spy on, track down, and torture his little posé until you can find his true whereabouts. Once you have done that, bring him to me alive. I want to be the one to finish the job. Understand?" Hadeon asked them sternly.

"Understood Father." The brothers said in unison.

"I heard that a few of his lackeys have been spotted hanging around Hogsmeade. Start there, see what you can find out. You're dismissed. I know the both of you will get this job done. Do not disappoint me." Hadeon said with a clenched jaw.

Erebus noticed that their father had been behaving differently. He always walked with a limp due to his deformity of having one leg that was longer than the other but now it seemed like their father was in constant pain. He would try to hide his winces and hissed in breaths but Erebus was overly observant. He could tell that something was wrong. Inbreeding may have affected his father’s body but the man was still an imposing threat. No one should underestimate him. Since his father was trying his best to cover it up, he wouldn't ask him what was going on, he knew the old man would be furious if someone noticed that anything was off.

Marvolo stood to leave when suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door. Their mother poked her blonde head into the room with a small smile.

"Just coming up to let you boys know that lunch is ready." She said softly before opening the door all the way.

"Thank you, Darling. We'll be down in a minute." Hadeon responded as he stood from his desk and limped over to his wife to kiss her forehead. Marvolo was right behind him as they exited into the hallway. Erebus stood to leave but his mother walked into the office and closed the door.

"May I have a word?" She asked with that same small smile that never truly reached her mismatched eyes, another result of inbreeding on her side of the family.

"You closed the door. So apparently you can, Mother." Erebus sighed as Lorelei stood in front of him.

He wasn't fond of his mom and it was clear for anyone to see. Their relationship was very strained ever since the witch gave him the scar over his left eye, leaving his face marred and his iris resembling that of a snake. Erebus had overheard a conversation he shouldn't have and she punished him for it at the age of twelve. Not only was she mentally and physically abusive, she also picked favorites out of her boys, which is probably why she stopped him to talk.

"I overheard that you boys will be taking a trip to Hogsmeade. I have a favor to ask. Could you check on your brother? I just want to make sure Ominis is alright." She clasped her hands together in front of her body and sighed heavily.

Of course, it all circled back to Ominis, her golden child that she spoiled rotten. Erebus couldn't stand his little brother and he did not hesitate to show his disdain for the young man. Not because his mother seemed to baby and favor the blind boy but because of her parental smothering turning Ominis into a whining coward. Erebus did believe that his brother had potential, if he wasn't so terrified and repulsed by the dark arts.

"Why even bother, Mother? It's clear that he wants nothing to do with us. You worry about him too much." Erebus sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Erebus, he is still your brother and my son, nothing will change that. You may hate him but try to see things in my perspective. I'm a mother who is concerned about her child." She tried her best to sound like she cared but it came across as just being nosy.

"Concerned? Where was your concern when Father tortured us throughout our lives? When we were forced to fight one another to see who came out on top? The best of your children. Where was your fucking concern when you mangled my face? You claim that you care but I do not believe it! It doesn't matter anyway, he refuses to speak to any of us. He took his share of the money and left! Let him go, Mother." Erebus said through gritted teeth.

"Our treatment of you boys made you stronger. We prepared you for a world that is not kind, Erebus. You are not weak like Ominis, he is so naive to what is really out there. He can not handle the harshness of the world the way you and Marvolo can. You don't have to write to him or even approach him. I'm hoping that you may just...see him. He used to go to Honeydukes quite often. Perhaps you'll run into him there." She looked at him with hope in her eyes and it made him feel sick.

"Fine. Don't look so hopeful, Mother. I may not even come across him."

"If you don't, then it wasn't meant to be. I do have a question for you though. Do you still have feelings for that girl you were looking for?" She took a step closer and tilted her head at him.

"That girl's name is Vivian. Yes, I still have feelings for her. That hasn't changed. I stopped pursuing her after Marvolo killed her mother. I won't lie. I'd love to find her but...she doesn't want me. She won't have me." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Erebus, you usually take what you want. Why is this girl suddenly different?" His mother placed her hands on her hips and shook her head at him.

"She was the first girl that didn't see me as a monster. Not until I took things too far and ruined her life. I took her for granted and destroyed our relationship. I take what I want? I took her sense of security, I took her family, I took her trust in me and twisted it into something it wasn't. All of this happened and yet...I still long for her, I still dream of her, I will always love her." He felt his anger and frustration building as he clenched his hands into fists.

"If you somehow find out how your brother is doing, I may pull some strings with the Ministry and see if l can find some information on Vivian. Would you want that?" His mother asked.

"More than anything. I have her letters, I read them repeatedly, they make me realize how badly I ruined things. I know this is mainly to find out how Ominis is but...why would you help me? You haven't before. First Marvolo, now you, what is going on?" He scowled.

"I didn't know your brother offered his help. As for me, maybe it might make up for the scar I gave you and everything I've put you through. I'm not the best mother. I know that. I do want my boys to be happy though, believe it or not." She said and it almost sounded sincere.

"I'll see what I can do about Ominis." He sighed with a shrug.

"I'll see what I can find out about your girl." His mother slightly smirked. "Let's go have lunch." She moved to open the door again and Erebus let her leave the room first.

After a bland and abysmal meal with his family, Erebus retreated back to the armchair in front of the fireplace in his room. He released a long and drawn out sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose as he picked up the letters on his end table once more. He caressed the broken wax seal with his thumb before pulling the parchment out of the textured envelope. Inside was one of his letters from Vivian. The letters started out simple and almost hesitant. She just wanted to take part in her mother's pen pal program. It was meant to reach out and try to help troubled youth and he sure was troubled. She was very kind and chatty, she had no idea what she was walking into. He hated that he had lied to her, he even gave her a fake name, but he had to so she wouldn't learn too much about him. When he slowly started to divulge and open up to her, she accepted him, she believed that everyone deserves a second chance.

Then things got more intense, her kind words and open heart made him grow more attached to her, he couldn't help but fall for her. Letter after letter, his desire for this sweet young woman intensified. He started to get a little flirty, which she quickly refused and that only frustrated him. It wasn't enough to be her pen pal, it wasn't enough to just be friends with her, he needed and wanted more from her. He needed her to love him. He was persistent in his letters which eventually scared her off. She just wanted to be friends and he wasn't having that, he wasn't satisfied with just that.

She had trusted him too much in the beginning. She was even foolish enough to give him her address, he had given the address of a man who was dead, one of his targets actually. The letters couldn't be traced back to him, but he could find her and find her he did. He started stalking her, following her wherever she went, except when she was safely inside school. He scared her when he first approached her, Showing up outside of Beauxbatons one weekend. He tried his best to be sweet but she had her guard up. He just wanted to see her, be near her, possibly even hold her if she would let him. She did not. Even worse, she told him about her boyfriend, someone he had to get rid of quickly. The exchange lasted for only a moment but she wasn't happy to see him.

He found her so-called lover and made sure the prick knew his place, which was as far away from Vivian as possible. The guy clearly got the message because he broke up with her the next day. Vivian had sent him another letter accusing him of having something to do with her breakup but he denied it claiming that he hadn't gone back to the school since his first visit. She didn't believe him and blatantly demanded that he leave her alone and stop writing to her.

He was not going to allow that. He kept writing to her, even though she ignored him, until one night when she couldn't turn him away. It was days after her birthday and he was on a hunt near Paris that went horribly wrong. He ended up badly injured and found himself outside of her house. He threw rocks up at her window, as best as he could, until she snuck outside to let him in. She was furious that he had the nerve to show up there but quickly caved and changed her mind when she saw the condition he was in. They crept up to her room so they wouldn't wake her parents and Vivian did everything she could to help heal and treat his wounds. There was an awkward silence between the two of them but he couldn't take his eyes off of her while she worked. She didn't ask questions and took pity on him that night, even allowing him to stay until dawn. She offered him a place to sleep on the couch in her bedroom while she took her bed.

He knew he took things way too far that night by ignoring her wishes and giving into his twisted urges. He waited until she was sound asleep, curled up on her bed, nestled in her blankets before he crawled onto the bed with her well after two in the morning. He pulled her in as close as he possibly could but they didn't quite fit. He loved that she had generous curves to hold and caress but she was still so small compared to him. He was well over six feet tall and all hard muscle. Vivian was barely five foot five and his frame completely swallowed hers.

That night should have ended so differently but instead it ended in disaster. He remembered how his hands leisurely roamed her body as she slept beside him. How soft her skin was under his fingertips, the supple flesh of her breasts being kneaded by his hands, her scent washing over him as he trailed his lips from her neck down to her shoulder. He did his best to wrap his arms around her without waking her so he could press his body against hers. She stirred and groaned but didn't wake up, which he was thankful for. He could have easily spelled her, the Imperius curse was very tempting, but he didn't want Vivian to be mindless. He needed her to feel as deeply as he did. To experience every detail, every sensation, each second of every moment—she was his craving. He tried to deny it, he wanted to fight it, but he couldn't help himself when it came to her. He slowly began to thrust his hips against her arse and stifled a moan that was on the verge of escaping his lips. He was losing himself as he ground his pelvis against her backside, wishing that he was buried in her tight heat. He kissed her neck and explored her body, lifting her nightdress up to expose her underwear. He was just about to slip his hand inside the waistband of her knickers when she abruptly woke up and screamed. He tried to calm her down but it was too late, she felt betrayed. Her little fists pounded into him and he could hear her parents storming down the hall towards her room so he fled, escaping out the window as Vivian cried on her bed.

The final nail in the coffin was when he decided to just...take her. He knew she didn't love him but maybe she could learn to, especially if it was the only choice she had. He showed up one night during a hunt. He figured, if he could chase after and catch muggles, he could do the same with Vivian. He lost it and snapped, his obsession getting the better of him. Marvolo was with him that night and all hell broke loose. He wasn't expecting Vivian to put up as much of a fight as she did. He completely underestimated her and her magical ability. She fought back and her mother ran out of the house to save her daughter. Erebus nor his brother were thinking clearly that night. Vivian's mother screamed for her to run and Vivian obeyed, fleeing from him. Amidst all the chaos, Marvolo cast the killing curse, murdering her mother in the dead of night. Erebus was too slow to stop him and by the time he turned around to seek out Vivian, she was gone.

After that horrific night, Erebus never saw her again. He laid low for weeks and when he had the opportunity to return to her home, the place was cleared out and she was nowhere to be found. He didn't know if she had any other family besides her parents that she could live with or if the Ministry was protecting her after her mother's death. Was he a fool to hope to see her again? He didn't know, but he hated the idea of just giving up. No, he would surprisingly listen to Marvolo, he would find her again and this time she'll be his... he'll make sure of it.

A/N: Before you attack me for killing my beloved Lucia, DO NOT WORRY, I am working on an alternate storyline where she is indeed alive and well. Her death was an important part of this story and is the reason Marvolo descends into madness. It unfortunately had to happen. It's all going to get intense from here.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fandom #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #ominis gaunt #ominis gaunt x oc #ominis x oc #hogwarts legacy oc #vivian beausoleil #erebus gaunt #marvolo gaunt #lucia carrow #the gaunt family #slytherin #yandere oc #male yandere #yandere #ai art

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coal15 · 1 year ago

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I know I'm being super extra about promoting this Good Omens fic, but I'M JUST SO FUCKING PROUD OF IT! I mean, I don't dislike any of my published fic otherwise I wouldn't have published it--but it's like I have a more sentimental attachment to this one. It reminds me of back in the day when I was writing Protected (queliot/the magicians fix-it fic). I have so many feelings about that one. Anyhow, here's yet another sample from All Roads Lead Back because apparently I've turned into that obnoxious mama who needs to show everyone A MILLION PICTURES of their new baby. I apologize. But also, no I don't.

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Crowley had spent the entire drive back to London swearing to himself (and the Bentley) that he would just find a decent flat, settle in, and get on with the unavoidable task of getting over Aziraphale. But now here he is. Stood on a street corner glaring at the signage above the bookshop door, resenting every letter as if they also betrayed him. Vicious vowels and conniving consonants.

“Come onnnnnn you git,” he mutters to himself. “Just get back in the car and drive away.”

After a few moments’ waffling he does take his own advice, but no matter which street he turns down they all land him back at the bookshop. Like that whole magic-y business with the Buddy Holly records.

Is this seriously happening?

Over and over again he tries. On the final effort he drives a full hundred miles out of London before making any full turns. Finally, he attempts a sharp left.

“And HERE WE ARE AGAIN!” He screams, furious as the Bentley emerges onto the street outside the bookshop. “WHY WON’T YOU LET ME LEAVE?!?” He parallel parks and sits motionless, grumbling various complaints and obscenities under his breath. A well and truly pissed off Demon.

Is it the Bentley not letting me leave or is it the shop pulling me back? He wonders. And either way, WHY? It takes a full forty three minutes for him to calm down and accept the situation, but as soon as he does something strange happens. A feeling of optimism creeps in on tiptoe. He tries to swat it away, but it’s a stubborn bugger. Gets all the way under his skin and clings tight.

“Six thousand years. Hell of a long time.” he muses. “And he and I always . . . we’ve always . . .”

While Crowley sits blathering away to an entirely disinterested vehicle, Muriel is sat in the shop just finishing a book about a boy who never wants to grow up. He only wants to remain happy and innocent forever. They find it a charming tale. Now, no one would claim Muriel to be among sharpest of tools in Heaven’s shed, but they are the nicest. A darling little thing with good intention, but very little grasp on the ins and outs of, well . . . anything.

“Were you meant to return?” They yelp, startled when Crowley comes bursting through the door easy as you please. “I thought I was meant to mind the shop alone, was I supposed to have a room prepared in case you came back?”

“No and no.” Crowley grunts, shuffling and struggling to see around the large potted plant he’s carrying. He hefts it up on the nearest available counter space, then spins on his heel to face Muriel. “Been driving all over this stupid little island for weeks, intended to use the time to get my head right, but d’y’know what I did instead? Went round visiting all the spots where Aziraphalel and I spent time together and making myself incredibly sad. But then-” he exits the shop to fetch another plant from the car and upon return continues the narration exactly where he left off. “-I realised that in six thousand years no matter how bad our falling out-and we’ve had our share-neither of us has ever abandoned the other for terribly long, even when we absolutely intended to. Which means,” he plunks himself down in a chair and swings his feet up on the nearby desk with a confident grin, “this whole quasi-divorce situation isn’t nearly as bad as it seems, is it? A waiting game, that’s all it is. Plain and simple. Aziraphale may be an idealist but he’s not stupid. At some point he will have to admit Heaven was never intended to function the way he wants to believe it was, all holy and righteous.”

“It-it wasn’t?”

“Nope.” Crowley shakes his head. “Anyhow, next step is he tries to deny it, then fails, then gets upset, then comes to his senses and comes back to me-to earth.” He quickly tacks on in a vain effort to disguise how badly he longs for the Angel’s return. “And he’ll come dashing right back here to this bookshop straight away.”

“Will he?” Muriel finds Crowley's certainty fascinating.

“Of course. And I fully intend to be here to make him do the ‘I Was Wrong’ dance the instant he does. Actually, I think I might make him do it over and over again for several days.” He gazes into the middle distance, visualising the absurd scene. “Yes. Decision made. He gives me several days of the dance on a loop or else I’ll ignore him completely.”

“I suppose that is one way to go about getting an apology. But, um, is there a particular reason you think Aziraphale will return to this bookshop? ” They cast their eyes around the room. “With all the lovely places on earth, what makes you so sure he wants to be here?

A cheeky grin slides onto the Demon’s lips. “I have . . . faith.”

Muriel’s eyebrows furrow. “Faith?”

“Yes, faith.” Crowley hops out of the chair and goes in search of a nice bottle of wine with which to toast his evolving outlook on things. “Blind faith for the first time ever, because in the long run he and I are incapable of letting eachother down. Always have been. Ha! Yes, here we are!” He exclaims upon finding a bottle of Old Vine Mourvedre stashed on a shelf beneath a dusty countertop. “You ever had wine, Muriel? Care to join me for a glass?”

Muriel squirms and shifts on their feet, the very image of timidity. “Oh, well I, I suppose so,” they giggle, stepping forward to accept a glass. “I like trying new things.”

“Good on you!” Crowley cheers. “Anyhow, even if it takes a century or five, or twelve, my ridiculous Angel-and he’s being especially ridiculous right now-will come back. And as for how I know it’s here he’ll return to? Simple. Emotional attachment. He likes ease, cosiness, and familiar things. Loves every book in this place, loves me whether he wants to admit it or not, and not only does this place have all the books, it’s the last place he and I were together.”

“Ah.” Muriel nods. “I see.”

Crowley grins and draws a deep, soothing breath. “All I have to do is be patient, stay put, and wait for the inevitable.” He takes a generous swig of wine straight from the bottle before pouring himself a proper glass. “I might need to keep a gentle buzz going in the meantime so all the waiting around doesn’t annoy me too much.” He downs the glass and pours another. “But it is a price I am willing to pay.” This second glass he holds aloft to clink against Muriel’s. “You, you clink it Muriel, it’s called toast. Clink the glass. Clink-here, like this.” He gently taps his glass against the befuddled Angel’s.

“Oh yes, I see,” they smile, then smash their glass against Crowley’s, shattering both to bits.

“We’ll work on it.” Crowley assures, carefully brushing wine and shards of glass off his hands. This is going to be like training a puppy, isn’t it? Never particularly wanted a puppy, but here we are.

#aziracrow #ineffeble husbands #good omens #michael sheen #david tennant #Don't mind me #I'm just being a thirsty showoff-y fic writer

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sej2020 · 2 years ago

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Nightmares

‘No…No!’

You gasped throwing yourself up, clutching your scar, sweat covering your body, your breathing coming out in gasps.

Another nightmare, the ever since it happened, Voldemort returning, you had been plagued by the man…. Monster’s return. Watching Diggory killed, over and over again. You might have been able to have escaped, returning the boys body to his father, as well as the treacherous rat. Turning him into the minister before you promptly collapsed had been a small price to pay considering everything of that year, having a free Sirius truly helped.

But still the nightmares came.

Since Sirius’s freedom and subsequent compensation, you had spent your summer with both Sirius and Remus Lupin. Despite being locked up in the house, you actually had fun this summer. Once you had moved on from the grief that is. Remus had helped you with your homework, getting it done during the first few days which left you to spend more time learning pranks from Sirius.

Once the order arrived things had changed, the house becoming more tense. Mostly because Sirius and Mrs Weasley kept bumping heads. You see Mrs Weasley didn’t exactly approve of you being in the order meetings, but Sirius was being insistent on the matter stating strongly that you had every right knowing what was going on as it pertained to your safety.

As your breathing got calmer you decided to make yourself a cup of tea. Slipping on your dressing gown and slippers, you crept down the stairs to the kitchen. Slipping in, you failed to notice the figure sat at the kitchen table nursing his own cup and studying some large tome on the table in front of him.

‘Y/N, what are you doing up?’ asked Remus as you softly shut the door making you jump.

‘Oh, er, hi Uncle Remus, sorry I just couldn’t sleep, so thought I would have some tea’ you said jumping slightly when the man spoke.

‘You had a nightmare again didn’t you?’ guessed Remus pushing to his feet to pour you a cup.

‘Yeah’ you sighed bowing your head.

‘Here’ smiled Remus holding up the fresh cup he had poured.

Smiling gratefully you walked round to the kitchen counter, taking the cup and clutching it in your hands.

‘Thank you’ you said.

‘No problem’ chuckled Remus.

‘What are you reading?’ you asked, taking a sip of tea.

‘Anything I can find on cursed scars, you’ve been having so many nightmares recently and I wanted to see if I could find anything that would help’ shrugged Remus, wondering back to his seat, you following as settling next to the man.

‘You don’t have to do that’ you said softly, touched by the man’s gesture.

‘Of course I do, someone has to be the sensible one, I can’t see Sirius reading can you’ said Remus smiling as you giggled.

‘I suppose not, I forget you’re the sensible one’ you grinned.

‘I have you know I’m capable of teaching you some pranks too’ sniffed Remus causing you to fall back laughing.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ said Remus as the laughter died from your face all too quickly.

‘I do… but I don’t’ you said a tear rolling down your cheek without you realising it.

‘Come here’ said Remus, swishing his wand having the two cups of tea float, and the single chair by the large fireplace enlarge to fit you both.

Both of you settled down, Remus encouraging you to curl up against him, before summoning a blanket to cover you both. When settled, the cups carefully settled into your hands, it was things like this that made you love magic.

‘In your own time’ said Remus, wrapping his arm around you.

‘There’s nothing to say…. I watch it over and over again, his taunting, the flash of green, Cedric dead on the floor, each time I’m always further and further away….. if my scar was t hurting so bad, I could have done something’ you said staring into the fire.

‘Listen sweetheart, there was nothing that could have prepared you for that, but you did good, you fought and survived, getting not only Cedric back to his family, but also Wormtail back and giving Sirius his freedom…. I’m so proud of you for that’ said Remus kissing your head.

‘So why do I keep dreaming about it?’ you asked.

‘Because you’re not yet over your grief…. In time you will understand just how to move on, but right now it’s so fresh for you, give it time ok’ said Remus softly.

‘Ok’ you yawned placing your head on the man’s shoulder.

Feeling another kiss pressed to the top of your head, you slowly fell back to sleep. This time nightmare free, in the arms of your surrogate uncle.

#remus x you #remus lupin x reader potter #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin

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anewnewcrest · 2 years ago

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From Lily Graham's Simstagram

After waiting for so long, our great day has finally come. I am Mrs Baker Graham and I couldn't be more excited! I was so worried that the weather would ruin everything, but our wedding day dawned bright and unseasonably warm, and I was so relieved. As you can see, our venue was an outdoor venue, and rain really would've put a damper on the mood! But everything went so well, and truly, it was everything I could've ever hoped for and dreamed of. The best day of my life, just like I had imagined it since I was a little girl dreaming of white wedding dresses!

My dad walked me down the aisle in my dress (made modest by a little alteration that still preserved the simple lines and overall style) and seeing Baker look towards me, tears in his eyes because he was so moved, was such a wonderful moment. My dad then gave me away, and Pastor David Johnson gave a wonderful sermon on how wives should submit to their husbands and husbands should love their wives the way the Watcher loves his flock.

Of course, things could not go off without a hitch - impossible during an event that involved so many little children and toddlers. My baby brother Adair did what he does best, and created chaos. He took off his pants during the most important part of the sermon and then streaked down the aisle, and everyone jumped up to catch the little tyke! But boys will be boys, right? And honestly, it made all of us laugh so much, it was a sweet addition to the service! Children are the Watcher's greatest blessing, after all!

In no time at all, it was time for our vows, and I vowed to submit to my husband - as a good, Watcher-honoring wife should - while Baker promised to love, cherish, and protect. It's such a comfort knowing that a strong, level-headed man as Baker will be making the decisions and calling the shots in our marriage, and I don't have to worry about big decisions! And then... our first kiss. Our first kiss ever, as we'd both been saving ourselves for the one the Watcher has for us, and it truly was such a wonderful, magical moment that I don't have words to describe it. And waiting made everything so much better!

We'll spend our wedding night at a hotel nearby, then say goodbye to our families in the morning and leave for our honeymoon in Tartosa. I can't wait!

THE MILLER FAMILY TREE

THE GRAHAM FAMILY TREE

(And so the happy couple has finally made it to the altar! This was a really fun ride to write, but I'm really glad that after a little storyline round-up, things will settle into a more predictable rhythm again!)

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sapphireprincesire · 2 years ago

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Maybe I’m The Problem

Aemond x Fem!OC

Part One

Warnings: again none really? Talk of fem!body going through puberty a tiny bit? Betrothal?? Panic attack? The next chapter is going to have SA/noncon though so I do apologise

Summary: your parents throw a tourney and the Prince is there but alas, something always ruins the mood

At the age of ten and four, Keynna’s father Lord Brandeth Flint of the Flint Fingers insisted heavily on throwing Keynna’s younger twin brothers; Robert and Aeron, a big celebration for their tenth name day. At the time this puzzled Keynna- no one else got such a huge celebration for their tenth name day- nor were so many Lords from across the land invited. Keynna did not understand why her Lady mother, Suesane, was making a huge fuss either. She tried her best not to dwell or feel bitter. Why did they get such special treatment? All she had gotten celebration wise on her tenth name day was a new dress and a small feast. It wasn’t until her mother had spoken to her as she braided her long, dark brown hair out of her face, that she truly began to understand what the fuss was about.

“Maybe we can find you a suitor. Many noble Lords are gathering to participate in the tourney today.”

Keynna said nothing. She knew of her duties, she knew it was coming, she just hadn’t anticipated it happening so soon.

She remembered feeling truly beautiful the day of the tourney. It was the first time in years she had felt that way. She had always been insecure of her height- sticking out amongst girls her own age, which she never would have truly minded if she had inherited her mothers widened hips. She’d gotten the height, why not the femininity that came with it? Most of the time she felt boyish. Her breasts had started to bud a year before but it seemed they did not want to fully bloom, along with her hips. She supposed that was one of the main reasons why she felt beautiful that day. Her lovely Mother; who was all hip and lip, all smiles and grace- had bought her a silken grey dress, with an inbuilt corset that had magically made it seem she had a woman’s curve.

Keynna remembers brushing her fingers repeatedly over the silken fabric, smoothing down any imperfections and staring at herself in the vanity. For the first time she looked like a Lady. She’d felt so happy when little Reyanna- only six years old- ran into her chambers, daisies clutched in her little hands, Orwen tottering in behind her, babbling to himself. They had joked and laughed as they carefully placed each tiny flower into different parts of Keynna’s perfectly constructed braid. Kissing her younger siblings, she gave their hands a squeeze and lead them out to the wooden stands that hosted the tourney. She remembered wondering whether it was safe to have this many people on something made of wood- wouldn’t it collapse? She remembered her lovely mother telling her to show her beautiful smile as they clambered up the rickety steps to the box they would watch the games from. She remembered as she rounded the bench to get to her seat, almost tumbling over the wooden bannister into the muddy tourney grounds due to the boy sat down in front of her.

It was him.

Her heart hammered.

“Hello Keynna. The North isn’t as cold as I’d thought it to be.” He was staring straight at her, his one lilac eye relaxed.

She’d heard of the terrible incident that had happened to the Prince but hadn’t seen him for four years so had never got the chance to see how much truth was in the rumours. They said that the scar had left his face deformed and ugly. They were wrong.

Keynna’s eyes scanned his features. They had changed. Before, his childlike features were soft and rounded, they were starting to become slightly harsher and she was sure that he would make a handsome man one day. The leather patch he wore over his scar made him look a bit silly, she admitted to herself, like a pirate. Keynna looked around the wooden box her family was seated in, she’d thought this was just for them. She spotted the Kings Hand sat next to her Lord Father, and the two kings guard stood against the back wall.

“My lord, I didn’t know you were coming. It’s a pleasure to see you.” The words tumbled from her heavy lips. They seemed rushed. “Is it just you and the Hand?”

“Would you have preferred it if more of us came?” A smile ghosted his lips.

Keynna’s eyebrows knitted together, “No. No! I was just curious, I didn’t mean offence Your Grace.” She turned her head to feign interest in the tourney grounds, trying to hide the blush creeping up her face. She could feel Aemonds heavy gaze still trained on her. Wondering what he was thinking, she could not resist turning her head ever so slightly to the left to glimpse his expression.

It was cheery. Surprisingly. It confused Keynna. She’d heard the rumours of how the quiet Prince’s mood had been deeply affected by the terrible accident, she didn’t blame him of course. Anyone would be sour after such a traumatic experience. So to see this young, striking Prince smiling at her, just an unimportant Lady of a noble house, it just did not make sense to Keynna. Especially since her early presumptions of him were that he was sad.

“It has been a while since I last saw you my Lady, how have you been?”

“Fine…Good. I have been good. Not much to report to be quite frank with you.” Keynna huffed in response, trying to keep the pleasantries going. She did not understanding the ever so slight floating feeling she was experiencing for the first time in her life. But she wanted it to continue. “Do you enjoy tourneys, my Prince?”

As Keynna stared into his pale features, she noticed the apple in his throat bob up and down, as if he had made a nervous gulp. How strange.

“Not entirely, but as long as I am in good company I cannot complain.” His smile stretched over his face, causing the pink scar to curve even more. Keynna did her best to not stare at it. She supposed it was probably awfully wounding for him to be ogled.

“Well, I hope I do not disappoint in that case Your Grace.” Keynna beamed.

“Aemond.”

“Pardon?”

“Call me Aemond, please.”

“Aemond.”

Something flickered in the young Prince’s eyes ever so briefly. Before Keynna could put her finger on what it was, and before she could study it further, it was gone.

Throughout the tourney, the young pair barely paid any attention to the string of violent jousts in front of them. Instead trying their best to distract each other and make jokes about the nobles around them, although doing so quietly behind their hands and whispered into one another’s ears.

Hours later, Lady Suesane called Keynna to come and sit with her for a moment, insisting she won’t be long with their chat. As Keynna stared into her mothers violet eyes- the same shade she had inherited herself- she wondered what was so pressing her mother felt herself important enough to interrupt a Prince. As she fussed over neatening Keynna’s long braid, pinching her cheeks and applying a lavender oil to her lips, Keynna was truly confused. Maybe she wanted her to be well presented for the Prince? It was a bit late for that, they’d been speaking for hours!

Keynna found her seat again next to Aemond and folded her hands in her lap. Aemond gave her a reassuring smile and they both turned to the muddy, hoof marked grounds in front of them. Keynna couldn’t wait for this affair to be over, she remembered the feeling of hunger creeping over her as the last two men were announced into the arena. It was the last fight of the day.

Her confusion mounted as a tall man- well she supposed he was a man- with red hair and the whispers of a moustache galloped over to the stand she was seated in and halted directly in-front of her and the Prince. The latter stiffened, straightening his posture and looking down his nose, a grimace forming on his soft lips.

“It would give me such immense pleasure if the lovely Lady Flint would bestow her favour upon me, so I can be blessed to win this gruesome joust in her honour!” His nasal voice came out pompous, smug, even. His grin was wide and toothy as he raised his lance towards the wooden bannister.

An unsettling, awkward quiet settled in the box and Keynna only realised he was addressing her when Jevan gave her a nudge from her right. She jumped in surprise and scooped the long forgotten floral wreath from the floor and unsteadily stood. Leaning over the bannister and embarrassingly aware that her cleavage was on show, she placed the favour onto his lance. It slid down excruciatingly slow, getting snagged on the splinters and grooves in the wood, but once it was near enough to his head, the young man gave it a kiss and galloped away. His stallion, almost matching the colour of the soppy mud, blended in as Keynna watched him leave, tears gathering in her violet eyes.

It was all adding up now. She could not believe how blind she had been. The tourney had not been for her brothers’ name day. No. That was a sham, a mask. Her parents obviously needed something from this man’s family. She felt betrayed, used.

Her hands were shaking. Is this who her mother and father intended for her? Is this why her mother had been fussing? He was older than her, she would have guessed nearly twenty. Her heart seemed to be beating at a ridiculous pace. It’s not that she thought him ugly- no Keynna supposed he was quite handsome. And at least he was tall. That didn’t stop the bile from rising in her throat.

She realised she had not moved from her standing position. The joust was moments from beginning. She could hear someone faintly calling her name. She could not stop herself, her feet were moving before she could register what was happening, and Keynna fled the box, almost flattening a serving girl in her hurry down the rickety steps.

The calls of concern behind her did not slow her pace, in fact she barely heard them.

She ran.

She ran and ran until she found herself in the one place that naturally calmed her. Of course she would come here.

The giant heart tree in the Godswood unsettled most southron visitors but it always softened the thundering in Keynna’s chest. She remembered the feeling as she sank to her knees, as if her family were stood around her, jeering, twisted. Throwing ropes around her shaking body, pulling tight, restricting her. She was just a child, please just a few more years. At least she’d gotten one wish.

“Are you alright, Keynna? Shall I fetch a maester?” His voice came out rushed, worried. A welcoming thrill shot down her spine. It soothed her blisteringly hot skin. Spinning around on her knees and falling onto her backside, she looked up at the white haired Prince, his freckled face furrowed, “You don’t look well, let me get some water-”

“No! Aemond. I am fine, I just,” Keynna drew a steadying breath, “I am just overwhelmed. I think that ginger man is my suitor. It took me by surprise is all.”

Not for the first time, and definitely not the last either, Aemond studied Keynna. He was looking down at her, but not in the way he had looked at the red haired man. He was not judging her- he was pitying her. She hated that. “I am fine, honestly, I was just being silly! It is my duty to-”

“You don’t want him as a suitor.” He had stated it, rather than questioned.

Keynna shrugged, scrunching her nose, “I do not know him. We could be a good match. I suppose only time will tell. It’s just- I fear maybe I am too young.” She paused, remembering she was attempting to come across as nonchalant, as if it did not bother her. His piercing glare shot through her mask.

“He lost”

“What?”

“He lost. Your favour didn’t work. Or perhaps it did but the God’s intervened.” Aemond teared his eyes away from her face, glancing around the sacred woods.

A giggle escaped her lips before she could stifle it. Aemond whipped his head round, startled by the unexpected sound. Keynna thrust herself off the twig strewn ground and brushed her hands off against themselves, inspecting her dress, relieved to find there were no stains.

She walked over to a large, smooth rock next the heart tree, it’s bleeding eyes staring out, all seeing. Sitting herself down, she patted the empty spot next to her and it was not long before her and Aemond were sitting comfortably on the rock, asking each other questions. A thrill bolted through Keynna as she heard Aemond was not yet betrothed. She knew it was a silly feeling but it made her happy nonetheless. They stayed there in the safety of the trees, being watched by the Gods, until night started to creep over the treetops and they were forced to head towards the main hall where the feast was being held, to face reality.

Keynna was surprised no one had come to find either of them. She thanked the God’s they hadn’t. No one had ever taken such an interest in her. In everything about her. What she enjoyed, what she hated, what made her laugh, her favourite colour, her hopes and dreams. He hung onto every word. And she returned the favour, clinging to everything he said, ensuring she remembered every last detail, searing it all into her brain so she could never forget.

She was dreading the moment she would have to watch him leave her, breaking the momentary bliss they had.

They wandered to the feast, arms interlinked, chatting away about Kingslanding and Dragons, blissfully unaware of the hush that had fallen on the hall as they took their seat at the top table. They did not notice the scowl that crossed Otto Hightowers face. They did not even notice Keynna’s suitor whispering harshly into Brandeth Flints ear. All either of them cared about was learning every last detail about one another.

#house of the dragon aemond #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen #aemond x oc #aemond one eye #aemond fic

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