#kenna childs

[somos-deseos]

𝄞 Kenna Childs | Oceans

[sideblogdotjpeg]

listening to this song and it vibed to me like duck team and i went to look up the english translation and YES IT IS LIKE DUCK TEAM. anyway. the sillies on karaoke + game night

[lostandbackagain]

this is one of my favorite theses in the inkworld each way it plays out is so!!

elinor's dad valued his books over her and her sisters to the point she internalizes it and becomes the same kind of hermit he was, before and after the folcharts come back into her life. basta was groomed into believing he was inherently unlovable except by capricorn so he'd do anything to keep that small remaining amount of love. brianna realizes if dustfinger wasn't dead then he had to have abandoned her, so the next person to give her their full attention? she'll throw away every other relationship she has for them, the same way she was thrown away. the verbal abuse violante endured as a kid (and currently, because 19 is still a kid) influenced the kind of mother she is and she doesn't even realize until it's almost too late that she's done to jacopo what the adder did to her! and I've already talked about the physical abuse from farid's birth family influencing how he forms severely anxious relationships.

and none of these are just character padding! all of these characters influence the plot so heavily by becoming traumatized and by working through it and I don't have any idea how she pulled it off

[kenna-is-reading-stuff]

The struggles of women that were portrayed in this series were fascinating and also incredibly infuriating (which I’m sure was the point). I spent to whole series cursing out the priest lol.

[marshmallow-biscuit-blog]

lol f u my au I choose who has babies :3 🖕

[hawkbutt]

I just really love writing the Buckley siblings I wrote a very heartfelt chapter 10 for my hockey AU fic, and I just love these two.

[minamotoz]

do NOT talk to me i just remembered how tragic of a character kc guthrie is

[bananabumbleb33]

Spotify wrapped numbers let's gooood! 3, 5, and 27

3; One of These Nights by The Eagles

5; Just What I Needed by The Cars

27; Brian Wilson by Barenaked Ladies

[khruschevshoe]

Preston Ezekiel Lithwick III

The death of a bachelor

Seems so fitting for

Happily ever after

How could I ask for more?

A lifetime of laughter

At the expense of the death of a bachelor

-Panic! At the Disco, Death of a Bachelor

Luis brought out a certain maturity from Preston. Preston was softer, kinder, more willing to slow down the pace and indulge in the sedate luxuries in life.

Preston and Luis were lucky—love brought out the best in Preston.

...

Preston couldn't stop smiling. Not the crooked, charming grins that he used on women and politicians alike—full-faced, toothy smiles more genuine than any I'd ever seen from him.

-Kenna Jenkins, Burn the House Down

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

I think western media has relied on non-human races as shorthand for oppressed groups so much that audiences have been primed to look for that instead of actual imperialist ideology.

One of the criticisms I've repeated about the Dragon Prince is how the writers take the Aesthetics of fantasy imperialism/indigenous people and just switch them without bothering to change anything about their ideology or historical context.

Kenna on TikTok was right when she said that a franchise where the oppressor and oppressed were all the same species makes a better racism allegory.

The fact that the Four Nations were all human added to the themes of imperialism and genocide in ATLA. While on the opposite side of the coin, the Xadians all being different species undermines it.

You can say Fire Nation people were a bunch of imperialists without going into bioessentialism. You CAN'T say humans are a bunch of warmongering monsters without sounding like an eco fascist.

The Sunfire elves textually being the most fantasy racist group is fine because they're elves, therefore oppressed, and the white writers made them superficially based on African-French speakers.

Meanwhile Katolis is "obviously" a Fantasy European Imperialist nation and therefore the oppressor. Never mind that it's had a black, now mixed, ruling family for a thousand years. Or that it's citizens aren't just white.

I remember seeing a post comparing the taboo against Black Magic to Xtian fundamentalism. At first I thought that was a bit much but no. Season six revealed that TDP has a canonical Hierarchy of Beings so that guy was absolutely right.

In Xtian fundamentalism doing something good the "wrong" way is the same as doing something bad.

Save a kingdom from starving? Well you had to kill a rock monster so obviously the right thing to do was let hundreds of thousands of people starve to death. (I've had weirdos go onto my posts and literally say this.)

Break the chains preventing you from saving the people you love? Well it hurt you so the right thing to do was let your friends and loved ones drown I guess.

Your son is dying? Better protect some old man's sense of moral purity than save a child.

All of these actions are not considered bad because they had a negative effect. They're considered bad because they go against the dominant power's desired order.

They're inherently bad because "humans" are inherently bad. Because human ways are not as pure as a direct connection to an Arcanum.

Note: this^ is imperialist ideology.

The idea that a group of people fighting for their survival justifies ethnic cleansing and mass murder is imperialist ideology.

The idea that the scary, blasphemous practices of a people you don't understand makes them dangerous, and therefore justifies you "defending yourself", is imperialist ideology.

The Liberal focus on "cycles of violence" and "both sides are at fault". Instead of on reparations for the people they killed and the homes they destroyed is imperialist ideology.

But Katolis has a pseudo-medieval aesthetic and the elves do not.

I was so angry at the scene where Sol Regem burns Katolis because THIS is the poor helpless dragons the humans "colonized"!? This living air bomber is the "victim" of the big, bad humans? One Archdragon can destroy an entire city single handedly and you expect me to believe the elves and dragons ethnic cleansing of humanity was REASONABLE!?

No. We are past any doubt or rationalization. What Sol Regem did to Katolis was just a small glimpse of what the elves and dragons did during the Human Exile. Just a small glimpse into how imperialist powers treat those that they cannot exploit.

And then demonize them for daring to oppose/question/subvert the imperialist's god(s) given superiority.

[stone-stars]

i think it's really. this episode demonstrates perfectly why naddpod music works. like. a friend for life has consistently been duck team reaffirming their friendship, and here it is again. a bastard no more is sol and albin saying goodbye at the end of the ezry arc, and here it comes back for them affirming that they want to be in each other's lives forever. on the prow is duck team reflecting together as they fly up to the mothership-- sol's 'i kinda always hoped that my destiny would bring me here, but i'm not sure i fully understood what that meant until now' and them talking about how this (as disguises) is probably the only way the mothership uniforms would feel like they fit-- and here it's sol weaving the displacer scarf into everyone's gear so that they could all be protected. a fairy remembers, the song for callie's initial pledge to the wild, as she makes it anew. the twinkling lights of galaderon was the first night the bubble went down, duck team seeing the stars for the first time since living in ezry, and now it's them putting the stars back in the sky. hexbuds was literally duck team's first moment of 'oh my god we achieved something' when the knight captain in ezry assumed they were c-class knights, and now it's kenna (a knight) coming to recruit them for an elite mission.

and on a meta level. bittersweet sixteen (beverly coming of age in the feywild) now for kenna's coming of age. a miracle child ("somebody who felt they could never have a child is holding their child") for callie soothing marigold and telling her about all their allies. torn apart (moonshine ripping open the rift to the feywild) for calder taking on the feywild's magic and saving it. oh, melora! (the boobs use the elements to heal the living wood, burning it, tilling the earth, bringing the water back, making things grow) for the serpents healing the feywild. a tale's end for our goodbye.

the frog, the frost giant, and the fairy. their songs from ezry. (for calder and sol, the songs from their intros)-- for each of their epilogues. showing just how far they've come

[lostandbackagain]

"that character would NOT have kids" okay well when her girlfriend says she's gonna make her a mother it's kind of out of my hands

[heytherecentaurs]

Sol Bufo grew up as a homeless child. He went hungry, cold and scared for years, abandoned with nothing and in constant danger in the derelict water park. But he maintained his optimism and joy. He remained loving and kind, and didn’t allow his past to harden his heart. His actions as an adult are about caring for people. He makes Albin dinner, he knits things for friends to keep them warm, he reaches out to Kenna to make sure she knows she’s now part of their crew. He learned that his chance to leave the water park was a chance to help everyone around him. He can fight of course, but he equally values the domestic skills that were out of his reach as a child.

[nix-nihili]

for the ask game: Link your three favorite fics right NOW!!! 🫵🤭

hello sarah, I literally don't remember what ask game this is from LMAO!! okay i don't know if these are my all time favs but here are some fics that have been living in my head rent-free (dbda edition!!) in no particular order:

don't go sharing your devotions (lay all your love on me) by @hephanna

In their attempts to rescue Niko from the Astral Plane, Edwin, Charles, and Crystal accidentally summon a second Charles Rowland from another universe. Charles never gave much thought to whether he'd get along with an alternate universe version of himself. Technically, he should, this Charles was just like him: funny, clever, kind - a dead boy detective. Except, this second version of Charles doesn't seem to know how to keep his bloody hands to himself, and off of Edwin.

this fic just. is insanity in the best way possible. I am thoroughly in love with it and have never been normal ever since I read it

for my soul he made an offer (and to dust again i fell) by @aletterinthenameofsanity

Monty gets up on the interview stage and it doesn’t matter what the other tributes have to say, because Monty tells Caesar Flickerman that the boy he fell in love with is the very Mentor trying to save him from the Arena. It’s a dangerous move, but it just might save Monty’s life in the Arena and his body post-Arena. It might just keep him out of the same deal that Esther made for Edwin. A familiar hand touches Edwin’s wrist backstage. Charles’ hands gently pry Edwin’s fingernails away from the bloody crescents they are carving into his palms. “It was the only way I could protect him,” Edwin says, trying to plead with Charles to understand, because Edwin has to do anything he can to protect just one of his tributes. Charles gives him a small, sympathetic smile. “You could’ve told me.” But Edwin twists his wrist slightly so that Charles isn’t touching him, because he knows where this is going even if Charles does not. He knows whose life lays on the line if this plan fails, and it’s not just Monty’s. (Years ago, the President made Edwin kneel and told him that Charles’ life was forfeit if Edwin ever disobeyed. And he won't risk that, even if it means breaking both of their hearts.)

kenna's victor au my beloved. this fic and every other one in the series has my whole heart. it is so well written and excellent and amazing and I very clearly remember how I felt during and after reading the first chapter and then every chapter since then. also met kenna through this so like. added bonus hehe

gig officially gigged by @laiqualaurelote

“This band is all I have,” Edwin says. “I am not about to sully that with…with feelings.” Picked the wrong band for that, Crystal thinks fatalistically.

A punk drummer, a classically-trained virtuoso guitarist, a kawaii metal bassist and a disgraced child pop star form a band. Musical chaos ensues. Rock band AU Updated with a prequel, in which Edwin plays Welcome To The Black Parade on a train station piano for a complete stranger, starts a band and falls in love (not necessarily in that order).

oh god this fic. this fic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never fallen in love with a fic quicker I think. human/modern au of allll time. rotating this one forever. just so so sooo well done.

and special shoutout to the ghost of the past that you live in by @tumblerislovetumblerislife bc I adore this fic wholeheartedly <3

[bloodycassian]

FILTH!! - Reader x bat boys. rhysand x cassian x azriel x reader18+ NSFW! !!!NSFW!!

go to the ******** for just the dirty stuff.

Reader is a sex worker, threesome/foursome, DP, light bondage, ‘toys’ aka shadow play?? 

Need warred with fear in the pit of your stomach. The scent of males blowing through your open window was cut off sharply as soon as you’d woken in your heat, but the smell still lingered. It was a choking thing, torturing and setting your pussy dripping with every step through your apartment. You went around, lighting candles, fanning yourself to ease the discomfort the summer air brought into your home. 

You’d woken early, while the sun was setting before your shift. The pleasure house would be one worker short tonight, it seemed. Your fingers trailed to your waistband, then lower. Palming your mound of sensitive flesh. Even through the clothes, you could feel the extra warmth your body radiated there. Your mind worked slowly through the haze of hormones. On one hand, you could make an absolute killing tonight at the brothel, but on the other lurked danger. 

In Adrata, sex work was embraced just as any other court tradition was. Not only did it make the city calmer, but it kept the population of the court steady if an Alpha and Omega found mates in each other. It was an economic business. And you worked at one of the busiest of them. 

Deep in the coastal row of homes and food shops was the small, unnoticeable building where you worked. Some nights were filled with the stench of fish and the sea, but most were full of the spicy tang of Alpha sex, along with a salty breeze coming in from the ocean. 

Tonight -and until your cycle ended- could make rent three times over. The only downside to the idea was potentially finding a mate. Since your last partner had decided that their royal duties were more important than being with you any longer, you’d felt scorned. Aliksos had been a spoiled, royal asshole the moment you’d met them, and so had their parents. You blamed yourself, really. Thinking that the child of court advisors would want to spend the rest of their lives with you was quite frankly, out of touch. 

So the idea of finding someone who could see themselves living with you like Aliksos had been was… repulsive. They hadn’t been your mate, but any form of relationship right now sounded outlandish. 

The lace in your hands glittered in your soft faelight. It’d been a gift from them, one that made up for a massive fight over the dishes not being done. 

What better way to get rid of it than having some greedy alpha pay you too much to rip it off? 

Smiling, you dressed yourself and pulled a long coat over your skimpy clothes before heading out the door. 

+

The brothel wasn’t too far away, thankfully. The bouncers, Marcis and Kalus - two omega males with skin like seal coats - parted the way, and guided you to the back rooms where you could prepare for your night. “You’ve just made us the busiest guardsmen in all Adrata.” Marcis chided when you began removing your coat. It was a thin thing, reaching to your mid calves. More of a slip really, meant to cover your scent while you walked to work. 

“You’re welcome.” You smiled. “I’m your job security, don’t be so upset.” 

“I’ve already got Kenna’s approval to set a house limit, so don't make any promises to anyone.” Kenna was the owner and manager of the house, her rules were strict and well known throughout the city. Her fury and blood oaths were even more renowned. You were proud to have her accept you into her space, and grateful that her rule protected you from smaller, less accepting pleasure houses that would demand half rate pay for you renting their space. 

While sex work was allowed in Adrata, it didn’t mean that the crown didn’t take it’s own share of coin. Pleasure houses had to be approved by the council before opening, and any significant amount of work done without paying the high lord’s tithe could result in trouble in a royal cell. 

Plus, you didn’t have to search for clientele if you had a space. 

The alphas would find you, if they really needed it. 

Like the one that now paid you triple to use your feet on his cock. He finished quickly, at least. 

The next customer was actually a set of three. Normally, two was your limit. Having too many alphas in one room could get dangerous quickly, and where was the fun in that? But the third of this group had requested only to watch. With the amount of gold marks they were bringing in, you had expected them to demand a private show at their place of choosing, but you were pleasantly surprised when the largest of the three strolled in with a full cup of mead in hand, obviously ready to stay a while.

His chin length curls were pulled back in the front, revealing rounded ears that led you to glance at his wings. An Illyrian in Adrata wasn’t unheard of, but in your years of living in the city, he’d been the only one you’d actually seen. 

Aside from the other one that stepped through the door behind him, his hair shorter but just as curly and dark. Immediately the room was flooded with their alpha scent. One of them was already aroused, the sharp scent of sweat mixing together to compliment each other. They could have been related, if it weren’t for their face shapes. While both breathtakingly gorgeous, they had a air of danger to them. You wrote it off as your instincts warning you of two alphas, but there was something else there, too.

They shared the same hooded, hazel eyes and full bottom lips, but where the long haired one had high cheekbones and wide features, the other Illyrian was more sharp looking. Dangerously androgynist, almost. If it weren’t for his obvious male build you could have mistaken his blatantly pretty features for a female. 

Then, the third pushed the two forward and shut the door behind him, cutting off the sounds of heavy breathing and rousing music. 

He looked strangely familiar, like you knew him from a distant memory. His dark skin tone was the same as the others, but his ears were pointed, eyes violet and wild. He raised a tattooed hand, showing a satchel of gold waiting for you. He inhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering as he took in your heated scent. 

The room darkened slightly, the faelight quivering closer to the ceiling. The other two males parted for the last, allowing him to speak for them. 

“Sweet Omega…” He took your hand in one of his and set the satchel into it. “I’ve heard good things about you.” Something flashed into your mind, something that you didn’t recall. It was like imagining a book, or looking at someone else’s painting. It was too jarring of a memory to even understand what it was of. 

You stepped backwards, paling slightly. Realization struck you the moment your mind was allowed to see again. This wasn’t just anyone willing to pay this much for your services. These three were the Royals of the Night court. Your head went dizzy.

Rhysand, you finally remembered his name. Rhysand, The undisputed most powerful high lord in all of Prythian stood before you. Aside him were his allies, and males you thought he only shared a surface level connection with. The Trinity. You’d heard stories of them, distantly in your travels but you’d not understood how striking they would be in person. “I hope your cunt does not disappoint.” His voice was a purr, like honey ready to stick to whatever it touched. 

“I think Az is ready for any cunt, Rhys.” The long haired one said, wrapping an arm around the other. Azriel. That made him Cassian, the prince of bastards. You’d heard most of him in your youth, learning that even the most lowborn could achieve greatness. 

Azriel, the shadowsinger palmed himself through his tight trousers. His jaw was set, and he looked at you through his lashes. A male ready to pounce. 

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet, Cassian.” You emphasized his name, hoping that it would get their attention. you knew just who they were now. The power was equal, in this room. They could follow the rules or get the Hel out. 

Cassian chomped his teeth together playfully, making a loud clack that had a tremble running up your spine. He had no idea what he’d just started. You would devour him in an instant if he were alone. Your insides burned at the action though,, igniting from the knowledge that not just one of them, but all three of them wanted you. Three powerful, rich Illyrians that ruled an entire court by themselves. 

Financially, and status wise you couldn’t say no. 

Many palaces had their own pleasure rooms for royals to use whenever they needed entertainment. These positions usually garnered not only incredibly wealth, but also power in their court. 

“I’m surprised a high lord doesn’t have his own Omega to tote around everywhere. Unless he uses you two-” You were cut off by Cassian’s booming laugh. Rhysand’s grin was toothy and amused. Azriel’s devilish smirk was knowing and heated. 

“They aren’t used in that sense…” Rhysand stepped forward, his shoes disappearing from his feet. He circled around you, while the others grew closer. Cassian was the first to begin unbuttoning his shirt, taking a steadying breath and reveling in your scent. Azriel remained still, observing every twitch, every tiny movement you made. Your eyes followed the cascade of shadows coming from him, noting the long arms that extended from the edge of the blackness surrounding him.

************

Your breathing hitched when Rhysand’s voice dropped to a whisper, right by your ear. “But you can use them as you wish, tonight.” Your heart was surely audible to them at this point. You turned to face him, and were immediately caught in a warm kiss that shattered any remaining restraint you had against this. 

You curled to the high lord, body melding to his when his hands went to your waist. His tongue darted over your lower lip, testing, teasing. You groaned against him, and caught his loose shirt in your hands, ripping it off,  the buttons pattering against the floor. 

He kneaded you, stroked his large hands over the expanse of your body, reveling in every inch of of you. Then, Cassian was behind you. His warmth unmistakable as he unclasped your top. Not exactly the fierce way you were expecting an Alpha to handle such a stringy thing, but his hands replaced the spot where the covering had been. Rhysand stepped back, to your dismay. He watched as Cassian palmed your breasts, rolling each of your nipples between his thick fingers. You let out a cry, hands scrambling back to grab on to him, to return the favor… 

Your back arched against him, and you ground down against the length you could feel bulging against his trousers. The heat that flooded you before was nothing in comparison to the gush of wetness that seeped you now. Rhysand resigned himself to the chair in the corner, and with a wave of his hand he was fully naked. Power shuddered through the room, making goosebumps line your flesh. He watched as Cassian used you, and began stroking himself at the sight. 

Cassian’s hand drifted from one of your breasts to your inner thigh, then slowly moved over your mound, cupping your pussy lightly. He hummed in approval, and bit softly at your ear. “Nice and wet for us..” He muttered. A sigh escaped you, hips desperately attempting to rock into his hand, needing the friction. Needing something to pay attention to your aching cunt. “What do you think Az?” 

He turned you slowly, feet shuffling to face the door, and the other two. Fully on display for both the dark haired males. Azriel palmed himself through a pair of tight shorts, the rest of his body bare. His muscles flexed, and he gave himself a pump once you faced him. You squirmed into Cassians hand again, breathy pants coming from your lips. Having two of them watch you was… intoxicating. Your body felt like a wire about to snap, ready to break and bend for these males. 

“Take off the panties and we’ll be able to tell better.” The shadowsinger’s raspy voice had you quickly obeying, Cassian stepping back while you eagerly tugged the soaked panties down and kicked them towards Azriel. Cassian’s low curse made a shiver run over your body as you stood back up, reveling in the feeling of being free - being open and ready for whatever male to use you. 

Azriel’s eyes appraised you slowly, then darted to Cassian. Some kind of silent communication was had, and Cassian was pulling you backwards, with him on to the bed. You fell into his lap, but he quickly adjusted you. Spreading your legs over the tops of his thighs and lining his cock up with your dripping slit. You gasped at the heat of his length pressing over your pussy lips, and groaned further when he thrust over you, coating his cock in your juices. Azriel approached, his eyes locked on to Cassian’s hardness stroking over you. 

“Nice and wet indeed.” He hummed, stroking himself as he watched. A bead of precome appeared at his tip, and he drew it down over his shaft, lubricating himself. One of his hands braced on your knee, stroking in time with Cassian’s thrusts. His hands were colder than Cassian’s, and with his presence he brought a curtain of darkness that had you forgetting about Rhysand in the corner. 

Azriel leaned down in a swoop, and caught your mouth with his. His tongue tangled with yours, teeth biting into your lower lip when you groaned. His fingers tangled in your hair, and you thought he’d rip you from Cassian’s grasp and take you for himself… but he only tugged your face closer. Crushing your lips to his as Cassian’s thrusts slowed. They became more intent, pushing against your clit at the end of every stroke.

You arched and bucked against Cassian, trying to get him to stop teasing you. You wanted him. You wanted them both. 

“Impatient are we?” you could hear the smirk on Cassian’s mouth and wished very much that you could sink your teeth into him at the moment. But you only had Azriel’s lips, so you thrust your hips down when Cassian lifted you, earning a hiss from him when his cock delved into your entrance. “Fuck-” He growled, and Azriel pulled away, watching Cassian take a moment with the head of his cock inside you. 

“Give the girl what she wants.” Rhys’s voice was smooth, but his cheeks flushed. Azriel tipped his head and  went to his knees before you, and you felt Cassian’s cock surge. You cried out, he slipped futher inside. Azriel’s tongue lapped over your clit suddenly, and your walls clenched around Cassian’s girth. The shadowsinger hummed, satisfied with his work as his saliva coated Cassian.  Inch by stretching inch he filled you, easily one of the most satisfying cocks you’d had. Thick and proud, he worked his way inside you until you swore you’d been stretched to your limit.

Fully seated, Cassian palmed your breasts again, allowing you a moment to feel everything. The way his full cock throbbed inside you, how Azriel’s tongue played over your clit lightly, so you wouldn’t come right then and there, Rhysand’s watching gaze. Your heart hammered as you wiggled against him, desperately wanting - needing more. “Gonna fill that greedy cunt of yours.” He muttered, pulling out and sliding you back down his shaft with ease. 

Azriel pulled away, letting Cassian fuck you in earnest while he watched. His hands played lightly over his cock, and you wondered just how much pleasure he was getting out of it until you saw the edges of shadow moving… the long arms of them curled tightly around him, one darker area circling around his thigh, then…. Gods- Over his cock, stroking in time with his hand. “Such a good Omega- so needy of a good cock-” Cassian muttered obscenities' while you watched Azriel’s shadows fondle him. His eyes never left your body, until he noticed you staring at the trail of shadow. 

“Like what you see?” He let his hand drop to your knees again, and you desperately wished he were fucking you as well. Though his hand had left, the shadow still worked his length, curling different ways occasionally while keeping rhythm. But watching how the tentacle like shadow stroked him was… incredibly hot. 

“You… control them?” You panted Cassian’s pace slowing as you spoke. 

“I can.” He confirmed, and Cassian unexpectedly pulled himself from your wetness, earning a protest from you. “You’re going to make me come, I’m here to enjoy you.” He said. You didn’t doubt his words, but the loss of his magnificent cock was something to mourn. The tip of him slotted against your ass, and you gasped. “Oh… you like that?” His cock twitched and you nodded. You’d taken ass play at times, but it wasn’t a regular occurrence for you. You definitely wouldn’t be able to take his girth. “Az has the best cock for it, if youre-”

“Yes.” You groaned, needing something to fill your aching pussy. Cassian grinned, and helped you flip over to face him. He caught you in a kiss much softer than Azriel’s and pushed his head back into your folds, staying put while Azriel got on to the bed. There was a coolness trailing up your leg, then around the back of your knee and thigh, where it pulled apart your legs slightly more. The force of it was surprising, as if you’d been pulled by an eager male. It circled over your pussy slowly, playing around where you and Cassian were connected, making you slide further onto his shaft. You both groaned into each other’s mouths, the snaking tendril circling and circling until Cassian broke away to force Azriel forward. 

The shadowsinger leaned over your back, and smiled as Cassian lurched upward and caught his lips. They kissed for a moment, and it was like watching fire meet desolate cold. Where Cassian was heated, yearning for more - needing Azriel’s touch - Azriel was fog and mist, evasive and teasing around Cassian’s needs. 

The shadow around you and Cassian tightened, then slithered away - going up to your waiting ass. Azriel’s hand was there too, slowly working you in tandem with the shadow pet that he kept. You wondered just how often he’d done this, if it was reserved for anything special or if it was every time. Because he seemed very.. Very good at it.

The pressure and sense of fullness swept through you, and Cassian’s head went back as your walls squeezed around him again. “So fucking tight-” He gritted out, and bucked into you for a few strokes before Azriel’s thighs were pressing to the backs of yours. Cassian grinned and pulled his cock free of you, his hand going to wrap around both his and Azriels, rubbing them together. Sharing your slick. 

“You’re torturing her.” Rhys bit out with a crooked smile, devilishly toying with himself in the corner. 

You tugged at Cassian’s hair, pulling his eyes back to you. “I can’t help but agree with him.” You breathed. The warrior took a moment, looking into your eyes - “Are you sure…” He nodded behind you, towards Azriel. Fed up and needy, you reached between you, took his cock and aimed it for your entrance, sliding down on Cassian in one fluid stroke. His toes cracked and popped, the breath leaving him a moment while he tried his damnedst not to come undone right then and there. 

Azriel’s cock brushed against your backside, a silent request. You arched your back, parting yourself for him. Your slick was heavy enough that he slid in with ease, slowly. Allowing you to adjust to him. You thought you’d burst. Your senses were unfocused, and you laid face to sheet, allowing the two to have their way with you. Rhysand’s grin slowly morphed into something more hungry, while he watched you watch him. He put on more of a show, stroking and pulling at the same pace of the other two. 

He must have had a bit of precome leak from his tip, because he tapped at it and brought it to his lips, swiping the saltiness from his finger. That got your attention. The two slowly thrusting into you groaned in unison. You pushed yourself up slightly, breasts going into Cassian’s face, where he licked and nipped at your flesh. “Get over here.” You ordered to the high lord. Your voice was surprisingly deep, rough with the dryness from so much moaning. 

He cocked his head to the side, as if wondering if he should grant you your demand. He was the high lord, after all. But he was here, in a brothel that you were presently one of the highest earners. “And that must be for good reason.” The presence in your head whispered. You weren’t quiet sure if it was your own thought or…. You glared at him, guessing that he’d heard every thought that had gone through your head. 

He finally rose, and brought his sculpted form to the side of the bed. His cock pulsed, dripping another bead of precome now that he saw what a mess his friends were making of you. The feeling of fullness was making you ache, making you yearn for the release that you’d been on the edge of since Azriel began working you. 

“Your pleasure is unimaginable. I enjoy it.” Rhysand leaned down and kissed you briefly, then stood and stroked his cock in front of your lips. You took him your mouth greedily, finally somewhat sated with being completely fully. Pleasuring all three of them. 

Azriel was still moving slowly, in and out of you while Cassian kept a faster pace that rubbed through your inner walls, pressing into Azriel. Feeling both of them inside you, pushing and pulling, especially when Azriel pulled your arms behind you and held you steady while you sucked Rhysand’s velvety length… it was enough.

You didn’t fall into the shaking pleasure of orgasm as much as you were pushed into it, unable to control how your body shuddered and wrapped around the males. It pushed you over the edge and sent you moaning loudly, unchecked around the high lord. He pulled out of your mouth, and you bit into Cassian’s shoulder instead. Trying to drown out the scream that was building inside you. As your orgasm washed over your body. 

Your walls squeezed both the males still inside you, and Cassian grunted, his breathy pants becoming labored as he pulled out, his come spurting over your ass. His body still thrusted upward, rubbing against the side of Azriel’s cock still inside you. Wave after wave of pleasure eroded your thought, the only thing still in your mind the feeling of Azrie’s perfect cock inside you, and the cool shadow that now circled your pussy, priming you for another orgasm. 

You didn’t notice that Rhysand had made his release as well, until you attempted to return to him and noticed he was wiping his stomach, circling the lines of his abs. Cassian recovered quickly, and brought his hands to your arms, just below your shoulders. He held you up with ease, his eyes daring you to complain at the change of angle. 

Azriel grunted in approval, and a cool tentacle of shadow curled it’s way around your body, wrapping around your waist and going to your throat, the end of it whispering beside your ear. “I’m going to make a mess of you.” It was distinctly Azriel’s voice, but echoed and other worldly. “I’m going to fuck you until you scream. Until you put a bruise on Cassian’s chest that stays for the next week.” His hands then gripped your hips, and he pulled you back, your ass slapping against his hips. “Bite him, claw at him. Whatever you need, he can take it.” He started fucking you quickly, his hips snapping over and over, pounding you down but his shadows and Cassian were  there to hold you up.

Another cool shadow came around, this one felt larger. It went to the folds of your spent pussy, nudging at your entrance. Mother above- You thought, but angled yourself slightly towards it. Azriel seemed to understand, and pushed it inwards. If Cassian had been full… this was perfection. “Good girl. Such a good girl.” The shadow voice whispered.

It molded to you, filling every inch of your insides with it’s cool presence. It entered you and stayed a moment, allowing you to adjust to it. Perhaps it was adjusting to you as well. Then, a pulsing feeling ran through it. It started slowly, so subtle you thought it may have been nothing. But as Azriel fucked you, it grew more prominent. Your eyes went wide as it brushed over your g-spot with pressure that almost had you coming again. 

Your eyes met Cassian’s and his grin told you that he knew exactly what was going on.

Another shadow began circling your clit again, and you thought you may never be sick of this. For Cauldron’s sake you should be paying them for this. Azriel grunted and a hand slapped over your cheek, stinging in a sweet way. The pulsing grew more and more, like a drum beat building to a final crescendo. “You’re going to come on me. All of me.” With those final, echoing words, the shadow inside of you set off on a punishing pace. The pressure built to more than just full. You gasped, heart hammering, hands attempting to reach or hold on to anything to anchor you. Your thighs quivered, and the shadow circling your clit sped up. It was too much. So much. With a cry that sounded like breaking, you came again.

Normally, the first orgasm was the most intense. The best in a round of them. But this was an ungodly mixture of so many different stimulation points… you felt as if you were seizing and unable to stop. You went breathless and silent for a few moments, body shaking around Azriel. Around all of him, just as he’d said. 

Azriel’s thrusts became erratic and his nails dug into your hips, and you were ready for him.  The shadow at your ear retreated, and Cassian was there to lower you to his chest. Your hands trembled as you lay there, cunt soaked with your slick, body heaving with breath as you finally came down from the ecstasy. 

The shadows were gone, and Azriel pulled out slowly once he’d gone down in size. Then, he was there with a towel from Rhysand. They cleaned you up together, Rhysnad summoning a plate of hot towels from somewhere. He dabbed your cheeks with one, grinning the whole time. 

Once you’d garnered enough strength to hold yourself up, you were able to ask “What are you smiling about?”

He scoffed a laugh, and moved to wipe at Cassian’s forehead. “You had a thought…” He shook his head, “Do I get my gold marks back?”

+

[grandwretch]

chronicle their return

(hi, this is the fic i wrote as a gift for @stone-stars as a part of the Naddpod Holiday Exchange!)

The nightmares had kept her up for the most of the night. 

It was odd, really. Callie had expected that she'd be past the nightmares, now. They had won, after all. Alexandrite was gone for good, and all Duck Team had to do now was free the Feywild from the cruelties of a monarchy. There should be only happy dreams left. Apparently, Callie's brain hadn't gotten the memo, because all she had dreamt of since coming to the Feywild was her mother. Not the intelligent, aloofly loving mother she'd come to know as an adult. No, that would be too pleasant. Instead, Callie dreamt of her mother as she'd seen her as a child, in turns absent and terrifying. Cyra was in the worst of them, too; Some nights she was on her mother's side and some Callie was forced to watch her sister crumple under her mother's iron will. 

Last night had been the worst so far. Callie had dreamt of her mother's excution so many times now that it hardly phased her, but this time Cyra was the one on the stage. Watching her sister go through the same motions as her mother was as strange as it was horrifying. There was no way that strong, passionate Cyra would accept her fate so willingly. The nightmare continued in spite of logic, however, and Callie watched as her mother's glassy dead eyes stared out of her sister's face. 

It was no surprise that Callie was in something of a mood this morning. 

Kenna had noticed almost immediately, and had been doing her utmost to cheer Callie up. It was sweet, and had almost worked; It was no secret that Callie strove to have with Kenna the relationship that she and Cyra never had. Now, though, Kenna's eagerness to please only made Callie's fears grow stronger. 

Thinking about her family for too long always did this to her, though now it was for a very different reason. Originally, Callie had assumed that the problem layed with her, and that it was that instrinsic fault that left her distant from everyone she had ever loved. Now, however, Callie was sure that the fault left with love itself. Love was a wonderful thing, of course, but it tended not to last very long. There were more lasting things, like duty and respect. Those she could rely on. 

She had loved her mother and her sister, after all. Her mother had loved her. None of that had helped them. Even Aryox, one of the most powerful beings in the world, had gotten separated from Melora and Telaine, never to be reunited. So, no, Callie did not believe in the power of love as much as she had before. 

Knowing that they were at the end of their journey only made her nervous. She loved Kenna, and she loved Sol and Calder. She knew they loved her, too. But when this was all over, what would happen to them? Kenna would go back to Irondeep, and though Callie would hopefully have her older sister back, she would lose a little one. She knew that Cyra would want to stay in the Feywild, and it was what Callie wanted for herself, as well. Someone had to make sure the Wild took hold properly, that no one tried to take advantage of the power vacuum destroying the crowns would cause. Sol and Calder had other dreams, though. She wouldn't be able to keep them, either. 

It was useless to be upset about it, Callie knew that. Very rarely did adventuring parties stay together. Even those that loved each other. Even families. Just look at Hardwon. He had left Moonshine and Beverly for so long, and it had taken so much cajoling to get him to go home-- 

"Alright, that's enough," Calder said, setting down his whetstone and sword. "What's wrong?" 

They were sat around the fire, taking a moment to digest their breakfast. Calder had been sharpening his sword while Sol and Kenna did the washing up, and Callie had... Well, Callie had been staring into the flame and sighing morosely. That was probably why Calder was asking questions, now. 

Callie straightened her back and gave her best leading lady smile. "Oh, it's nothing, Calder. Really. I'm just being..." She waved her hand vaguely. "I'm being a bit silly, is all." 

Calder looked for a moment as if he might let it go, but Sol hopped to his side, wide eyes looking at Callie over the fire. Sol was much less likely to let something lie out of respect; He was like a dog with a bone, sometimes. A frog with a fly. Whatever. 

"No, come on, Callie," he said, voice too loud and encouraging for the early hour. "You can tell us." 

Callie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, deliberating. "I suppose I was just..." She paused again, taking a deep breath to draw the courage to push past the embarassment. "Thinking about what happens to us after all of this is over." 

"What?" Sol replied, blinking big wet eyes at her.

"I mean... we win?" Calder said, face wrinkling with confusion. Bits of ice flaked off his brow, melting before it hit the forest floor. "We break the crowns. You restore the Wilds and get your mom back." 

"Well, yes, hopefully," Callie agreed, then tilted her head, floppy witch's hat slouching. "But I mean, you know, us. As a collective." 

"Oh," Kenna said softly. She hadn't looked up from the bags, but Callie could see her growing pale. 

"I still don't follow," Calder said, voice like cracking ice, soft and deadly. 

"Well, it's just-- I've begun to think of us as a family, of a sort. But I've never had a family that stuck together very well, and-- It all sort of feels like this has an expiration date, doesn't it?" 

Calder looked immediately stricken, jaw lax as if Callie had just slapped him across the face. Sol and Kenna, though, did not look surprised at all. Callie could see them share a look of understanding out of the corner of her eye, and somehow that hurt even more. 

Still, she rushed to soothe the look on Calder's face, which was rapidly becoming sadder the longer she let the statement hang in the air. His eyes were currently so big and round that she was sure if he cried right now they might fall out of his head entirely. "Oh, I-- I'm sorry, Calder. I know you love your family. I'm not trying to replace them, or guilt you into staying, or anything like that. I mean, I'll have Cyra back, soon, so I'll be alright." The words were forming so quickly in Callie's head that she barely had time to think about them before they were pouring out of her mouth. It was only after she heard them spoken out loud that she realized how they sounded and, wincing, Callie turned to Sol and Kenna. Words even more jumbled, she continued, "Probably. Oh, and Sol! Kenna! I wasn't trying to say that real families are better or anything, of course, I just--" 

Kenna stood and trudged to Callie's side, taking one her hands between Kenna's little ones. Even through the gloves, Callie could feel the strength in them. "It's alright, Miss Petrichor," Kenna said softly, though her gaze didn't meet Callie's. "I think of you all as part of my family, too." 

"Oh, yeah," Sol agreed, beaming at Kenna. "We already decided; It's too late to take it back now." 

Calder's voice still sounded devastated, but his face was set into the determined scowl of battle. "Of course we're your family, Callie."

The rush of words finally stopped, but it didn't make Callie feel any better. Families still split apart all the time; Especially families that Callie tried to be apart of.  "Right. Thank you," she said, mechanically. "I just... I don't want to get left behind again." 

Sol's face creased with despair. "Callie, we would never--" 

"Is that something you're afraid of?" Calder broke through with a cold focus, eyes narrowing. 

Callie hesitated before explaining, her eyes darting away from their little group and out into the dark forests of the Feywild. Her fingers, though, still clung tightly to Kenna's. "There are patterns even in the wild, you know. Observable cycles that can't be broken, like seasons or the way petals grow." Callie sighed, thinking of the pattern of her life, the shape that nature's loom had taken within her. "And I have seen one my entire life that only grows larger with every person I choose to love. You can see it in Aryox and his beloveds, my family, and I am... afraid to see it in us." 

"I get it, Callie, but we're different," Sol said, chin puffing in indignation. "We're not your mother." 

"Right, and I don't think we have much in common with Aryox, either," Calder said, rather audaciously considering how his irritation was quickly covering him in frost. 

"Really?" Callie asked, with a laugh. "Because I can see it all so clearly." 

"Explain it to us, then," Kenna said. "So that we can help." 

"I'm Aryox, obviously. Because I'm the..." Callie bit her lip. "The one who messes up." 

"No, Callie, come on..." Sol's whine of protest was ignored entirely. 

"Cyra was Telaine, and so is Calder," she continued.  

"Explain?" Calder asked, raising one eyebrow. 

Callie listed off the similiarities, raising a finger for every one. "Passionate. Argumentative. Pledges loyalty to dragons way too easily." 

"Alright, fair enough," he said with a shrug. 

Sol wasn't having it. "But I'm not your mom, Callie, and I'm definitely not Melora. Come on! It's me, Sol," he said, gesturing to himself. It was a little strange, likening a frog with a six pack and a scarf to a long lost goddess of neutrality and wilderness, but not to those who actually knew him. Not to Callie. "I don't really do the cold. Or the woods, for that matter." 

"Your new mushroom thing is pretty Melora, actually," Kenna pointed out. "Plus, like, the whole thing with death and the balance of the universe and all that stuff with Swag..." 

"Oh." Sol slumped, crossing his arms with a pout. "Well, I still don't have anything in common with your mom." 

"I used to think of my mom and Aryox as mirror images," Callie admitted. "When I imagined what he must have looked like, he was just like her. A cold and untouchable piece of the past. But now I've met him, briefly, and he reminds me more of myself. Besides, Melora is a part of my past, too; Just a warmer and loving one. Melora would have been the mother of the wild just as Oberon is the father, if she hadn't sacrificed herself." The wild had been pushed out of the Feywild long before Melora had sacrificed herself to save the world, but Callie liked to think it would have, at very least, helped a little with restoring it. Oberon probably would have had an ally, or at the very least, someone else to talk to. 

"I don't know what that has to do with me," Sol grumbled. Calder patted him with a hand so big it spanned Sol's entire back, and Callie managed a small smile as Sol struggled to maintain a pout while also not faceplanting off the log he was sitting on. 

"I sometimes wonder if the reason things never work out is if I'm supposed to be Melora," Callie continued, "or if-- If my mom fits better because of the way she does things, or if that's more Aryox, or--" 

"Miss Petrichor," Kenna began, voice even softer than usual. "I-- I hope it's okay if I ask this, but..." 

"Of course it's alright, Kenna," Callie said, because Cyra was the sort of older sister who would get mad about that kind of thing, which meant Callie wasn't. Couldn't be. "Anything." 

"Why is it so important to know where everything fits?" Kenna's nose wrinkled as she thought. "Isn't the cycle... bad?" 

Callie nodded without real intent, her gaze drifting into the fire as she thought. Kenna was right; The cycle was wrong. Unlike the real cycles of nature, there was no point to the unending heartache and cruelty. Despite what Callie's mother thought, there was nothing about grief and hopelessness that made a hero. Heroes just were, and in peaceful times they did nice things like bake bread and hug children. But the cycle made it so that heroes, willing or otherwise, didn't have a choice. They had a role to play in it, and it would not leave them alone until they either became the villain or lost everything. It had happened to Aryox, it had happened to her mother, and it was going to happen to Callie. 

If that ended, what was Callie supposed to do? Since she had stolen the egg, Callie had accepted her role in the cycle. When Glenn had stolen it from her, she knew what kind of hero she was meant to be. Tragedies needed heroes, too, just as epics and comedies did. It was only recently, when the end of her purpose began approaching, that Callie had begun to doubt her place in the story. Surely this wasn't all it could be, right? Surely it didn't end with her either dead or alone. But if not that, then what? 

  "I don't know what I'm supposed to do without it," Callie admitted. "I don't know who I'm supposed to be." 

"You don't have to be anyone but Callie," Calder said. "Not Aryox, and not Maeve or Summer, either. You're Callie, and we love you." 

"He's right," Sol agreed. "Besides, what's the point of being Peregrine if we don't break a few cycles while we're at it?" Saying that, Sol leapt off his log across the fire, landing in Callie's lap. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her neck. This way, he was a little taller than her, and Callie leaned against him, burying her face in his shoulder. She tried to wrap her free arm around his waist, but it was too far up, and instead she just uselessly cupped his butt. 

They both giggled.

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about family lately," Kenna said, eventually. Sol's grip loosened a bit so he could look down at their sister. "I've decided exactly what it is that makes the best family. Do you want to know what it is?" 

"Tell me," Callie said, already sniffling thinking about Krugan and the warmth she had felt for him back in Ezry. He was the first member of this little family she had collected, and the last one she would lose-- What would he need with a sad, tall daughter when he had his real one back in his arms? 

Kenna sighed, then smiled up at Callie. "The best thing about a family is that even if they leave, they come back." 

Callie finally let herself cry, big sobs into Sol's shoulder. He patted her on the back, making little jokes about loving the extra moisture, and Kenna squeezed her hand. She felt a large hand on her head and pulled back a little, tears still streaming down her face, to find that Calder had come around to sit by her side, too. His arm was propped on her shoulders and his hand rested on her head, nearly swallowing her whole-- And Sol's little hands now sat on his bicep, tapping his fingers merrily. 

"You're right. Of course you are, Kenna, you're always right," Callie said, squeezing her hand. "I guess I'm just moody because I haven't been able to stop thinking about how hard it must have been for him. Aryox, I mean. I would never be able to walk away from you three the way he had to." 

"Fighting against Telaine, you mean?" Calder asked. Havoc's maze had revealed a lot to them, and the fact that the war between giants and dragons had all been a ploy on Aryox's part was among the least shocking of them. Nothing had dulled he pain of Aryox's ending, least of all the knowledge he was only doing it so small folk could flourish. Especially considering that for Telaine, the fight had been entirely real. 

"If it meant losing any of you or Cyra, I can't imagine I'd be all that fussed about saving the world afterwards." Even as Callie said it, she knew it wasn't exactly true; Someone had to finish things, after all. If Sol and Calder turned against her, though, getting out of bed the next day would be the most difficult thing she'd ever done. Callie would try, but mounting an entire war effort against them might just kill her.

"Yeah, I don't know if I'd be able to do it, either," Calder said, his voice barely a sigh. His eyes went foggy with memory. "I could barely make myself fight Gowan, and I was pretty sure we'd both make it out alive." 

"Look, we all saw how I reacted to evil Swag, so, you know." Sol shrugged with a rueful chuckle. "But I think that it might have been a little easier for Aryox because he could see their futures. Sure, he never got to be with them again, but Melora and Telaine were reunited, right? In the Godheart?" 

"You think he saw that?" Callie asked. She hadn't seen it on the wall, exactly, but it would make sense for Aryox to be aware of his friends' part in the war against Thiala. He had seen nearly everything else, after all. 

"He must have, right?" Sol said, echoing her thoughts. "I bet that made it easier, knowing they would find each other again." 

"I can't believe I'm saying this after everything, but a little reassurance would be nice, yeah," Callie admitted. Seeing your own future was never a good idea, and every moment of their adventure thus far had only proven that to them. She had never once been tempted to see the future when it came to their fight against Alexandrite, but when she thought about having the ability to see Sol and Calder's happy futures-- Well, her mother's actions only became more reasonable the longer Callie thought of it. The fact they were Peregrine didnt change anything; Just seeing a future where they were happy and together would soothe the ache in her chest a little. 

"Well, we make our own futures, so I can't promise anything," Sol said, "but what I can promise is that we will always be your family, Callie. No matter how long we're separated, we'll always come back together, even if we have to wait until all of us are dead." 

The morbidity of the statement hung in the air until Kenna snorted, leaning into Callie's side. "You never should have let him ride the mushroom dragon." 

"Hey!" Sol protested, though he was still grinning as he tried to scowl down at Kenna. 

"As morbid as he is, Sol's right. Kenna, too. Family isn't about being together forever. It's about always coming back. Just look at us, Callie. We both went to Ezry on our own, trying to find something to call our own, but here we are." Calder gestured to the majesty of the Feywild and Shard, leaning against the log he had abandoned. "Coming back because we know they need us." 

"Just like..." Kenna stopped mid-sentence to clear her throat, continuing in a whisper, "Just like my dad." 

"Albin and Ma have been inventing whole new kinds of technology just to follow us around the world," Sol said, absolutely beaming as he reminded her of their family back in Ezry. "I gotta admit, I'm looking forward to returning the favor." 

"We're going to get your mom back, Callie," Calder promised. "We're going to get Cyra on our side. One day, you'll be with them both." 

"Hopefully not too soon," Kenna reminded them, ever the realist.

"Oh, yeah, like five hundred years from now," Sol agreed. "But one day." 

"You have two families who love you very much, and will do anything to get back to you. No matter what." 

"I know," Callie said, on the edge of a sob. "I know, I would do the same for any of you." 

"We know you would," Calder said, ruffling her hair.

"I just worry, you know?" She admitted. They were all being so sweet, and Callie hated to keep bringing up her insecurities, but the ice in her heart still stung. The voice in her head still told her that love wasn't enough, that some people just didn't get a happy ending. "Aryox never got to go back to Telaine and Melora. It just.. makes it all too easy to think of myself on the outside like that." 

"Don't forget about Lumi," Kenna said, and with a start Callie remembered how joyous Aryox's face had been when he'd seen the little fox. She looked at Foster, slumbering by the fire, and knew that he'd always be with her. In fact, the only reason he was pretending to sleep now was probably because he trusted the rest of them-- their family --to take care of Callie. 

"She waited all that time for him," Calder said, and his voice held awe in it. "That's enough for anyone, don't you think?" 

"Besides, you think Melora and Telaine aren't still out there somewhere, fighting just as hard to get back to him?" Sol asked with a scoff. "No way! They loved him, just like we love you." 

Callie hugged Sol so hard he ribbited. 

It wasn't that they'd soothed all her fears of the future, exactly. A part of her still dreaded what came after they broke the crowns. What if Cyra wanted nothing to do with her? What if her mother's soul being released only increased how much Callie missed her? What if they split up, Kenna in Irondeep, Sol in Ezry, and Calder in Ice Knife, and they tried to keep in touch, but the letters came less and less until they stopped completely? What if Foster left her when her deal with Oberon was finished. 

But she did breathe a little easier with them pressed around her. If the worst happened, all she would have to do is ask, and they would come back. Even if they hadn't spoken in months. Even if they'd gotten in a fight over something stupid. Sol and Calder would be there as fast as possible, Kenna huffing and puffing in their wake. Deep in Callie's soul, she knew her sister would do the same, bluster and temper included. 

And she would always have her mother. Even far away, Callie could cling to that. 

It was a happy future, if a little bittersweet. That must have been how Aryox felt, too, as he froze all those years ago. Knowing that Melora and Telaine would one day become one, that the smallfolk would be saved over and over again, it must have helped. Callie just hoped they were right, that his friends were just as dedicated to him as Calder and Sol were to her-- 

Because if she couldn't keep her family, then Aryox, at the very least, deserved his.