#kingdoms ruled by people who can draw out the powers of gems

[jonestherobotdog]

a long time ago I found an incredible story. the prince of the tigereye kingdom was captured by the king of the emerald kingdom. the tigereye prince did not know how to harness the power of his gems and is taught by his captor-turned friend after an assassination attempt

I cant remember. I want to read it again. I know the author was selling the story as a physical book, but I was too young to buy one.

I'm not sure if they changed the characters but it had started as a markiplier jacksepticeye fanfiction that grew into its own world.

I wish I could find it again.

[arachnixe]

Small Minded

They say there are powers—unfathomable and unnamed—buried deep within the earth. Boons and banes and spirits and seductions call to the ambitious, but I've never known of someone actually finding one until now.

What does one say to a dark sorceress on the cusp of her victory?

My knight, so loyal and brave, wheezes and gasps for breath within his broken armor. Our roguish friend, normally so quick witted and talkative, lies silent and unmoving in a pool of blood. I don't have the strength left to heal either of them.

"Let it sink in, Princess. I've won."

She has. I bow my head in defeat.

"The Godsblood is mine."

It hovers within her reach, an unshaped carmine gem formed of the crystallized blood of whatever forgotten god was buried here. The sickly sweet scent of its power, like rotting fruit, fills the air.

"With it, I shall wield ultimate power."

Yes, the power to remake the world according to her whim, to raise mountains from the sea or to sink cities into the abyss at her pleasure, perhaps even to rewrite the laws of space and time if she desires.

"At last, I will depose your father and rule all of Rutennia in his place!"

I jerk my head upright and stare at her in disbelief. "What?"

The sorceress Velle grins like an idiot. "You heard me, Princess. Your whole kingdom will be mine."

My face must betray my feelings, judging by the way her confidence falters at my reaction. "You've claimed a power like this, and all you can think to do with it is take over this kingdom?"

"Your father—"

"Yes. I know." I wave off her explanation, disinterested. "He didn't see your worth, you wanted to show us all, I get it, but if all you wanted to do was rule Rutennia, you could have just courted me and then poisoned my father!" I scrub at my face in frustration and suppress a scream. "What small-minded ambitions!"

That throws her off balance. "Small minded? I won! I'm getting everything I want!"

"And what you want," I retort, "is a single grain of sand on a beach." I ball my hands into fists and stalk toward her, outraged that my friends died for so little. "You are a cat who stole a siege engine to catch the mouse that once eluded you. You wouldn't even know what to do with the kingdom once you had it."

Velle barks an indignant laugh. "As if the king does!" She casts a hand toward me, magically halting my approach. "No, he has others handle all the administrative duties so he can simply bask in the worship of his subjects!"

"And when the people don't worship you?" I ask through gritted teeth, "because trade with Melland and Istow has completely halted without their kings' cousin sitting our throne?"

"I'LL MAKE THEM!" She makes a tugging motion in the air, yanking me forward to shout the words in my face. "With the Godsblood I can make my subjects dance like puppets at my command! They will all kneel before my throne."

This close to the gem, the scent fills my senses. It leaves me feeling lightheaded, giddy, almost delirious, even. It draws an inappropriate giggle out of me before I can retort. "Build a doll out of cloth and sticks. Make it kneel. Put worshipful words in its mouth. It will mean just as much. Personally, I got tired of playing with dolls at age eight."

Her face reddens. "You think you can trick me into giving up my goals? You think you can convince me this power is worthless?"

"Worthless?" I cackle. "The power of a dead god, worthless? No, only the things you imagine doing with it are worthless. You want to know what you should do with all that power? I'll tell you."

She leans forward, obviously curious.

"Istow's ports give it mastery of the sea and trade we need," I explain, as if to a child, "but we don't need them if we bring the sea to us. Flood their plains, drown their whole nation if you'd like, but take that bargaining chip away."

Some dim, distant part of me says I shouldn't give her ideas, but every inhale of the intoxicating aroma of Godsblood fills my mind with visions of what that power can do. Why can't she see it as clearly as I do?

"Melland," I continue, "is weak but well defended by the terrain. Pull the mountains down onto their capital, swallow their impregnable fortress in a new chasm, and their resources become ours."

Velle's eyes light up with understanding. "Yes, yes, you're right!"

No, no, no, even I'm still thinking too small. Like a petty warlord with a mere weapon. But this is no weapon, it's the power of a god. I take a deep breath and focus. I need to be thinking like a god.

"No, why set our sights on conquering our neighbors," I muse aloud, "when there's a whole world out there to reshape? We don't need what they have. It's not a zero sum game anymore."

Judging by her face, I've lost Velle again, but I don't care. My thoughts race. With every breath I take, my vision crystallizes.

She doesn't need to understand. I don't speak for her to hear; I speak because I must. "A perfect world, answering only to me. Every river, every pebble, the mountains and the seas, the very stars in the sky, all mine…"

"No." The sorceress shakes her head and tightens her grip on the magical restraints holding me in place. "The Godsblood is mine. I found it. I got here first. You lost."

She sounds so petulant, so small. Velle doesn't understand power, not really. She's merely a spurned court magician who deluded herself into thinking she was more, not someone with the will to rule.

And this is no inert stone. The heart's blood of a god demands to be wielded. It demands the will to wield it.

It was mine the moment I decided it was mine.

Without transition, the stone is already in my hand. A twitch of a thought tears Velle's restraints to pieces, no more than a cobweb caught on a boot.

She's screaming, shouting something, flinging spells my way, but my attention falls instead upon the crumpled figures of my dear companions.

With a thought, I am no longer next to her. I stand beside my knight, seeing him inside and out. His body is a trifle to mend, and like wiping dust from a windowsill, I smooth away the injuries. With little effort, I scan the thoughts within his mind, and… oh, what useful secrets lurking within! Many ways to control this one if he chooses to resist me.

My thief is dead. I refuse to abide that for the only one I recall who could consistently make me laugh, and a god deserves a jester even more than a king, right? All it takes is a touch to reignite the spark of life and bid the soul return to its body; funny, I always imagined resurrection to be a more difficult process.

Last of all, my sorceress. I don't need to read her thoughts to recognize her profound denial of the reality of this situation. She flings chaotic bolts of fire and lightning and ice at me, howling threats and curses that mean very little.

If I want her as my high priestess, I should impress her more.

We stand in the middle of a great empty ribcage, and yes, I think a god-bone crown would suit me. Brittle ribs bend like supple grasses, shrink and weave themselves into an ornate crown to rest on my head. I crush the Godsblood gem in my fist and direct the shards to implant themselves in pleasing patterns within the bone.

Velle ceases her assault. I watch her delusions melt away upon witnessing me destroy the gem. The light of understanding dawns within her mind that my power is entirely mine, never to be stolen. A god-bone collar snakes around her neck as gently as a princess's gloved hand, and I can taste her complete surrender.

The whole world also aches for my touch, but it will have to wait just a little longer for my design to perfect it. There are many more boons and banes buried within this graveyard world, and I'll need every last one if I wish to extend my reach beyond even the stars.

And my first three worshippers still need training.

[quartzhearted]

an exploratory kiss, testing the waters between them.

[ AU?? not AU??? who knows ]

ha-HA! i MEANT to wait on this one because my mind's eye knew we would c*i am beaten repeatedly with a squeaky hammer*

[ AU: emblem!lambert ]

morion had always been a staunch believer in his own strength. emblems are a sacred item not just in brodia but throughout elyos's entirety, this he knows; despite that, he assumed that, for him specifically, donning an emblem ring would be the same as giving a dragon a giant flaming meteor tome or something. it's wholly unnecessary!

...such was his thought process before he'd met the one inside the forgotten ring, of course.

lambert, he'd said his name was---the king of a cold kingdom, long since past his rule as he was at that time. he'd known of the continent of fodlan, implying a tie to the emblem of the academy, but the two's timelines had never crossed.

it was interesting to learn about him and the kingdom of faerghus from which he hailed. showing him around brodia had taught morion that the similarities were vast, which made an easy segue into a deeper connection forged by weapon fascination, mineralogy, and the fur market. he was taught how to handle snowstorms better, how to use blizzards to one's advantage, and how not to rig a plumbing system ( the lattermost point having morion howl with laughter so hard that saphir had smacked him for waking her ). dragons, lambert was funny.

and he was a beast, battle-wise. where morion wielded the axe and the sword, lambert completed the circle with his lance. the two together were indestructible; any man who dared to draw close was shredded by the weapon superiority of a king and his emblem.

...yes, his emblem. morion did like the sound of that. but did lambert appreciate having claim laid to him without his knowledge?

one evening, when the battles had subsided and the castle interior was aglow only with the light of candles, morion calls to the small ring on his right index finger.

" ...lambert? can i talk to ya? "

blue flames erupt from the gem set in the middle, but morion does not flinch; he knows these embers will never burn him nor even run hot. the light blossoms into a figure with sturdy armor that rivals the king's own, and a deep blue cape unfurls from behind a collar of fur. golden hair suspends in the air as though underwater, and it is finally then that the fire reveals a chisel-cut face with war-scarred yet gentle eyes.

lambert, emblem of the holy lion king ( as dubbed by morion ), floats at attention. it makes morion hesitant.

" hey there, " morion starts, though his voice quickly dies as he reconsiders what he's trying to say. is now the time for casualties? perhaps not. " er...

" look, lambert, i've been thinkin'. " hand draws behind neck as he looks off, somewhat bashfully. " y'know, before i'd met you, i was all against usin' emblems for myself. i thought that my strength would carry me as far as i needed, and an emblem would just be overkill.

" but after havin' you around, helping me in all those battles... i figured somethin' out. " his eyes flick back to lambert's, trying to ignore the burning focus in those ethereal blue irises. " it's not just about the power. it's about the person, too. and i've... i've gotten... attached, i guess you could say. "

he isn't sure if lambert even cares. or does he? it's never easy to read people, but emblems even less so; they've lived lives far longer than morion could ever dream of. what has lambert seen, and how does he feel under morion's command? does he respect him? does he care for him the way morion does for lambert? does he, does he, does he...

but morion's thoughts are interrupted when lambert pulls nearer. there's a glow on his face that morion thinks isn't just because of the emblem flame, and as hands smooth over his shoulders and playfully grip his chin...

...morion's much more than fairly sure he understands.

" i... hope i'm not imposin', " morion says next, voice lowered to just above a whisper, " but if it's alright with ya...

" ...i'd really like to kiss ya. "

morion feels as though it shouldn't be possible to kiss an emblem, but if the very real feeling of lambert's gauntlets on his skin is anything to go by, he probably doesn't know as much as he thinks he does about emblems. lambert inches close and so does he; their lips meet, and morion immediately feels as though he's in a dream.

blue tinders swirl through his vision and yet lambert is always perfectly clear. he feels whiskers tickle the bottom of his lip and, when lambert tilts his head, morion decides he'll just roll with whatever comes next. eyes close and emblem-bearing hand brushes against lambert's cheek,

and emblem and wielder...

...well, let us just say they achieve A+ rank, shall we?

[hmshermitcraft]

When False, Pearl, and Gem visited a distant kingdom, False and Pearl did not expect the folks who live there to talk a tale about a "Daughter of Evil" from long ago. A Young Lady of Evil who ruled with an iron first and acted as a tyrannical dictator of the kingdom but was only the age of 15 when she was executed for all of her crimes and whose rule only lasted for 8 years of her short life. Was that what Pearl and False was surprised about? No, it's that the Daughter of Evil is described to look exactly like Gem except younger, there were even drawings and photos of the Daughter of Evil and she looked exactly like the old photos Gem once shown to them of her when she was younger Suspiciously enough, Gem seemed really skittish and nervous about this trip. Gem was wearing clothes that'd obscure her the most and make her practically unrecognizable to someone who just took a passing glance at her It wasn't Gem's fault if anyone ever found out they'd probably hate her and turn her in. It wasn't her fault that the people forced her into ruling when she was only a child! It wasn't her fault that whoever ruled would be cursed to be envious, greedy, and a monster.. It wasn't her fault that Fwhip- Her brother- Her poor twin- her servant took her place in the execution.. It wasn't... Oh god.. Why did she let him do that..? It should've been her, yet, she let Fwhip take her place.. To be executed for all of her crimes. Not his own... She isn't mad at the people, she deserved it.. Why does Pearl and False even like her..

She knows she's grown so much since then. Her upbringing was so heavy with power - fighting for it at whatever cost. She didn't know any better. But, that can never change what she did.

She makes sure to visit 'her' grave. It's nothing significant, and she's surprised it's not been vandalised. The location is tucked away, somewhere most people won't think to look. She has no flowers, so all she can do is bow her head at the unmarked stone. She thinks it hurts more, to see her brother buried in an unmarked grave, than to see him buried under her name. He deserves more than this.

False and Pearl stand with her. They can tell this is something deeply important to Gem, even if they don't understand. They ask Gem about it once they've left the kingdom. Gem considers it, the lie ready on her tongue. Instead, she tells the truth.

She doesn't downplay any of what she did. She was an awful, awful person. She won't hide that or pretend she wasn't. She understands if Pearl and False want to leave her. She'd leave her.

The two squeeze her hands. The Gem of the past isn't the one standing in front of them. The one they fell in love with. They can see how much she regrets her past, and how much she's still trying to grow. It doesn't stop the hurt, for them as well. But... The past is the past. All Gem can do now is improve. Make amends. And she already has been.

[quibbs126]

So like I’m thinking more about that Cookie Run/Undertale au and how the world here works? Haven’t fleshed things out but I had some ideas

So I’m thinking that both humans and monsters are Cookies here, it’s just that the ones banished underground are from the Ancient Kingdom/Kingdoms. I’m thinking that other Cookies disagreed with the Ancients or feared their power, so they took action and the war broke out, and it ended the Ancients and their people getting locked away. Think a country like the Creme Republic, where while I’ve only started Day 3 of Chapter 1, I’m pretty sure they aren’t particularly fond of the Ancients and want their power for their own kingdom

So I suppose any character native to one of the kingdoms the Ancients rule is fair game for who shows up in the Underground

So I’m not sure if the Ancients all made their own kingdoms originally or if it was just one, (I’d say one big one to justify the presumed variety in Underground Cookies) but regardless when they and their people are driven down, they have one singular kingdom, and while Pure Vanilla and Dark Cacao took the main leadership roles, the other three still have important roles in the kingdom

The Human Souls would be replaced with the Soul Jams, though to be honest I’m not sure how that’d work. Like I’m not sure if there are only 5 Soul Jams in the world and the Ancients just so happen to have four of them (maybe the Soul Jams draw the Cookies who have them to their original wielders?), or if Soul Jam now comes from the actual souls of Cookies and it’s just like the human souls in the original game. Though I’m also not sure how that’d work, since there’d have to be a difference between the underground Cookies and the new ones for the conflict to make sense. But regardless, they need all five Soul Jams as that’s the only thing strong enough to break their magical barrier

Alphys’s experiments with Souls are now replaced with White Lily trying to create artificial Soul Jam so they can escape, and that’s where the Strawberry Jam Sword comes in, or at least the gem, which through her experiments gets the soul of Dark Choco in it. However the gem had a mind of its own and either chose not to work, couldn’t work because it hadn’t fully become conscious yet, or it disappeared (I forget what happened with Flowey and why he’s not part of the experiments anymore, I think it was the last one, so I guess let’s go with that)

I think that was it, but I just wanted to share

[nastybuckybarnes]

Of Kings and Beasts  -  Ten

Pairing: King!Bucky X Princess!Reader X King!Steve

Summary: Born a bastard of the King of Orlen, you’re thrust to the West to marry the Kings. However, the greeting you get is anything but warm, and your life with the King is far from enjoyable. He knows it isn’t your fault his husband is gone, but that fact alone won’t prevent him from taking it out on you.

Warnings: Angst, Injuries, Fluff, Language, Violence, 

Word Count: 2K

A/n: Okay y’all THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR 10K FOLLOWERS IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MCUH OMG Anyway ahem here is part 10 and I hope you enjoy! We’re gonna have a more intense part coming next but until then, enjoy!

THIS SERIES CONTAINS SMUT AND DARK THEMES THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME AUDIENCES!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Series Masterlist

“We make for Asgard.”

~*~

“You look lovely. The colours of Asgard suit you well,” Thor says, his eyes raking over your figure from behind.

Adorning your body is a soft linen gown, the colour of cream. It is cut low in the front, a style Thor assured you is common in his kingdom, and has many different folds and layers to it, making it flow with every step you take.

The fabric itself is lightweight, and the straps lie thinly on your shoulders. The waistline is decorated with gleaming golden gems and is cinched rather tightly.

Over your shoulders is a dark red cape, the same colour as Thor’s.

Your hair is tied up away from your face intricately and elegantly, and a dainty diamond necklace rests around your neck.

You turn to face him, a deep feeling of unease settling in your stomach.

“What is to happen now?” You wonder aloud, eyes fluttering past his face and around the chambers that he’s deemed to be yours for the time being.

“Now we wait. The kings should be here soon, and then we will inform them of the letter you received. I promise you’ll be safe here, Petal.” He cups your cheeks and you swallow hard, nervous about the change in his attitude towards you.

“Thor?” You ask softly, taking a half-step backward in an attempt at removing yourself from his grip.

He surges forward, one hand dropping from your face to wrap around your waist as his lips crash against yours in a fierce and dominating kiss.

Your heart races in your chest and you shove against his face, trying to force him away from you.

Helplessness fills you as you realize that you’ll never be able to overpower him, and dread settles in your gut as he pushes you back until you’re pressed against the wall.

Your muffled cries for help, for him to stop, fall on deaf ears as his lips continue their assault against yours, prying yours open to give his tongue access to your mouth.

Thinking quick, you grip his bottom lip and bite down as hard as you can, drawing blood and successfully making him pull away from you.

He jumps back, one hand coming up to his mouth while you scramble back and away from him, chest heaving and eyes full of betrayal.

His jaw clenches and he takes a step towards you, only to stop when the doors to your chambers burst open.

“(Y/n)!” A familiar voice calls, two men rushing into the room and searching for you.

The tension in the room is palpable and the two Kings pick up on it instantly, their guards raising as they see the way you’re cowering from the blond King before you.

“Are we interrupting something?” Steve asks, his voice ringing with authority.

“No,” you say quickly, regaining your composure and squaring your shoulders as the words of the Valkyrie ring in your ears.

“Thor was just taking his leave,” you say pointedly, staring the King down for a long moment until he nods, bows then spins on his heel and leaves without a word.

You take a deep breath, power and fear chasing each other through your veins while your heart races in your chest.

“(Y/n), are you alright?” Steve asks softly, taking a step towards you and reaching for your hand. You yank it back towards your body, levelling him with a glare.

“If my purpose was solely to bear children, then why are you here if I failed?” The blond glances over at his husband, unsure of how he should address this.

“It is obviously not a secret. I have been threatened even since my departure, and the truth has been brought to my attention. So I ask again, why are you here?” James takes a careful step towards you, and then another, and another until he is standing just directly in front of you.

You keep your shoulders squared and your head held high, refusing to back down.

“(Y/n), there are things we must tell you... things we have not been completely honest about... things that involve our union, and our actions towards you. Will you allow us time to be honest with you?” You swallow hard but nod, wanting nothing more than the truth after all this time in the dark.

James takes your hand delicately in both of his and ushers you to the bed, sitting down beside you while Steve sits on your other side.

The brunet speaks first.

“We were told... by our council that we needed to find a wife. When they heard of our plans to join the two kingdoms of the North and wed each other... they tried to find any way to stop it. But upon seeing our power they relented until they realized that our reign would end if we did not have a queen.

“They gave us a timeframe to find a queen. One that could give us heirs and continue the lineage of both of us. We were presented with many women but you... you stood out from the many faces we saw.”

You frown, brows drawn together tightly as you ponder this.

“My purpose... right from the beginning was nothing more than what you had told me. What you said was true. What I was told is nothing but the truth,” you whisper to James, fighting back the tears that prick at your eyes.

Steve shakes his head, leaning closer to engage in the conversation. “No. Your purpose was... is to be our wife. A queen to our people and the mother of our children. You are meant to rule alongside us, not be behind or beneath us. You are our equal, although we have not treated you as such.”

You sniffle, shaking your head as if trying to shake your feelings away.

“Why have you treated me the way that you have? Why? What have I done to deserve such hostility?”

The two exchange long glances before James sighs and takes your hand, leading it to the thin scar at the base of his skull.

“Someone has operated on me. Altered me in a way that makes me hostile towards you and Steven. We do not know who, but we know that they are close enough to be near me without raising suspicion. I will never be able to apologize enough for my actions. I have hurt you far more than I ever could have imagined myself capable of. But with the help of doctor Banner, we were hoping to have more clues as to who is responsible for this. However, he is still in quite an unstable condition.”

You swallow hard, this new information having you beyond overwhelmed.

“Who would conspire against you in such a way? Who would have such hatred in their heart for the two of you that they would take it out on me?” The two kings sigh, their hearts heavy and their eyes filled with sadness.

“We do not know. But one thing is certain: we will not rest until we figure out who it is and until they are brought to justice.”

~*~

The two Kings settle in the guest chambers for the night, having insisted that you get your own space and that you are welcome to join them if you feel so inclined.

Your mind is still in shambles, thoughts scattered and emotions all over the continent as you prepare for bed.

A knock on your door pulls you from your thoughts and you softly call for them to enter, your guard raising in an instant.

“How may I help you, Your Majesty?” You ask, jaw clenched tightly.

Thor takes a deep breath then lets it out, pacing slowly around your chambers.

“I stepped very far out of line, (Y/n). I let my emotions get the better of me and I was foolish. I apologize sincerely for my actions.” You watch him with furrowed brows, not sure if you should trust him.

“You have... entranced me. Bewitched me. Your husbands have not treated you fairly and, even in the short time that I've known you, I can tell that you are a woman deserving of the world. And if the world cannot be given to you then you deserve everything in it. And yet here you are, cowering from your own kingdom because they failed to protect you.” You want to interrupt. To tell him that he is not aware of the extent of the trauma that the Kings themselves have faced, but you hold your tongue instead.

“I can only hope that one day you will be able to forgive what has transpired today. For I value your company and your companionship and I would be devastated to lose it in any way. However, I will not blame you if you were to push me away. I was out of line and I allowed myself to be weak in a moment when I should have been strong. You needn’t give me an answer tonight, but I am offering my sincerest apologies. While you are here the Palace is yours. Anything you require will be brought to you promptly.”

He’s quiet for a moment before clearing his throat, his eyes on the ground.

“I bid thee goodnight, and I hope pleasant dreams find you tonight.” He turns to leave and you sigh, shaking your head.

“Thor, wait.” He does, turning back to look at you with those soft blue eyes of his.

“I appreciate and accept your apology. I do not look at you any differently because of what transpired, and I am grateful that you came to explain it. I appreciate your friendship and I am glad to have found solace in you, and it would be a shame to squander it over something so trivial.” He smiles, relief and happiness plain as day on his face.

“Good. Thank you for your understanding, (Y/n). Goodnight.” He leaves without another word and you put your head in your hands, beyond confused and frustrated with the feelings stirring inside of you.

You would be lying if you said that the Asgardian King wasn’t attractive. And he has been a friend in times when you’ve otherwise had none.

Shaking the intrusive thoughts out of your head, you exit your chambers and pad softly down the hall, stopping in front of the chambers that have been set aside for your husbands.

You knock twice, butterflies finding a home in your belly as you wait for one of them to allow you entrance.

The door gets pulled open and James stands in front of you, the formal look on his face dropping to give way to a soft smile.

“May I join the two of you tonight?” You ask quietly, looking between him and Steve. The blond looks on eagerly from his spot on the bed, nodding his head quickly.

“Of course, My love.” You bow your head in thanks and enter the room, oblivious to the eyes following your every move from a dark corner of the hallway.

The door shuts behind you but you continue to the bed, crawling on next to Steve while James extinguishes the lanterns lighting the room.

Steve makes room for you in the centre of the bed, pushing the blankets aside to allow you to get comfortable. James climbs on behind you, waiting until you’re settled to get comfortable himself.

Neither of the Kings touch you. No, they stay a respectable distance away.

“I am not so angry that I will not allow my husbands to embrace me,” you say softly, eyes closed as the events of the day catch up to you.

You’re then being held on either side by strong arms and right then and there, in that very moment, you feel the safest you have ever felt in your life.

[blossom-hwa]

Danger: Crown |2| - JUYEON

Pairing: Juyeon x gender neutral!reader

Genre: fluff, angst, fantasy, royalty!au

Triggers: death, semi-graphic depictions of blood

Word Count: 4.3k

Lesson 7: allies can be found in unlikely places.

Previous: Onyx >> Crown: Part 1 | Part 2 >> Next: Stalemate

TBZ Masterlist | Danger | Kingdom

[ Taglist will be reblogged! Send a dm or an ask to be added! ]

Younghoon isn’t lying. The pull of magic only grows stronger as he leads them through winding tunnels, never once braving a reveal on the surface. As wary as Juyeon feels of the Ivory king, he has to admire the sharp ease with which he traverses the underground. Even after so many years in his own palace, he still sometimes needs a guide. Like when he first left.

When they stop, the tug of the stone is so powerful that Juyeon physically has to root himself in place as Younghoon turns around to speak. “There will be two guards in this hallway,” he says lowly. “Somin has them there at all times to watch over the crown jewels. Be ready.”

Juyeon nods, impatient. “Fine.”

“One more thing.” Younghoon doesn’t budge. “Haknyeon leaves now.”

“No.” Juyeon grits his teeth. “Absolutely –”

“I’m unarmed,” Younghoon snaps. “Even if I had a weapon, I’m far less skilled than you at swordplay and you could pin me down in less than a second. And if I remember correctly, you have a mage on your side, and Kevin is a very good shot with a knife.” He fixes Juyeon with his gaze. “If we are caught somehow, Haknyeon cannot be part of this. I can talk my way out of trouble and I have status as king. Somin still needs me, however much she may hate it. But she doesn’t need him nearly as much. He is preferable, but any other citizen could take his place if he... disappeared.”

Which means, if Somin finds Haknyeon with them, he’s dead. Juyeon swallows.

Younghoon’s eyes turn pleading, though a fire burns in them that Juyeon knows he can’t douse. “Haknyeon leaves now.”

He doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like having to put his trust in a king he barely knows, doesn’t like having to let Haknyeon go and lose half of the leverage he has over Younghoon.

But Younghoon only has concern for his friend. There are no secret messages passing between them, no subtle eye contact or hand movements that Juyeon can decipher. Younghoon’s eyes remain fixed on Juyeon’s. He doesn’t move.

Juyeon nods sharply, turning to Kevin. “Let him go.”

The knife leaves Haknyeon’s neck. He steps forward, almost, but a warning gaze from Younghoon stops him. The servant swallows, looking supremely unhappy with this, but starts backing away in a soft swish of robes. Then he turns around, but only to hand Kevin his lantern. “You’ll need this more than I will,” he says before disappearing into the darkness.

Younghoon’s already pushing open the door by the time Juyeon turns back, peering out for any sign of life. “Two guards,” he whispers. “Take them by surprise.”

Juyeon slips into the hall and lunges.

The guards are too late. They shout, which makes Juyeon wince – great, now people might hear them – but with a clanging of metal and several well-placed hits on the head between him and Kevin, the guards fall to the floor. Jacob nudges them with his feet when he passes by. They don’t stir.

“Hurry,” Younghoon hisses, running down the hall. “People are going to come soon.”

He’s right. As Juyeon sprints after the king, he hears voices beginning to grow in volume. Several cries have just sounded when Younghoon comes to a stop in front of an unassuming wall. “Here.”

Juyeon almost rips Changmin’s insignia off his neck with one hand as he shifts the other over the wall, looking for a groove, a panel, anything to signal a door hidden in the stone. It isn’t exactly the same as the store of jewels at home, but a piece of the wall finally gives way under his touch, producing a small keyhole. He shoves the insignia inside and twists.

For one heart stopping second, nothing happens. Juyeon’s hands are slick with sweat as he grips the tiny gold symbol between his fingers, hoping, praying –

A click sounds. The wall shifts open.

Jacob stumbles inside, followed by Kevin and Younghoon. Juyeon takes one moment to pull the insignia out of the lock before slipping into a room full of gold and gems sparkling in the light of the lamp in Kevin’s hand.

The wall slides shut, cutting off the shouts in the hall behind them. Juyeon gasps for breath, trembling fingers returning the insignia to its rightful place around his neck as he surveys the glittering walls.

His breath catches in his throat.

There, in the middle of the room, stands a glass case. A silver crown, curiously empty of jewels, shines in its depths, lantern light glinting off the metal to illuminate the black stone lying next to it.

That’s his gem.

And that’s his crown.

Jacob places his hands on the case, closing his eyes as they roam over the glass. “Ten spells,” he says.

Younghoon nods. “One for each of her mages.”

Juyeon clenches his jaw. “Can you break them?”

“Yes.” Jacob opens his eyes. “But I need time. Every spell I break will only make the mages aware that someone is tampering. And…” He swallows. “Some will require my fire.”

A stone drops in Juyeon’s stomach. A mage’s fire is sacred. It’s up to Jacob whether or not he can use it – Juyeon doesn’t know enough about magic to make that decision – but if Jacob rules it as desecration…

Kevin steps forward, placing a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Do what you think is right,” he murmurs.

“And hurry about it,” Younghoon adds, eyebrows furrowed. “They’re coming.”

The urge to snap at the king grows, but he’s right. They’ll be secure in here as long as Somin doesn’t come running with her key, but who knows when that’ll happen? Shouts were sounding when they entered the room – someone will sound the alarm soon if they haven’t already.

Jacob closes his eyes. Takes a breath. Opens them.

He looks at Juyeon and nods sharply. “Give me as much time as you can.”

Juyeon allows a grim smile to cross his face as he unsheathes his sword. “Of course.”

. . . . .

If dousing a fire is like cutting threads, breaking a spell is like snapping branches in half. There’s a delicacy to it, knowing where to place pressure so the wood will split most easily, but a large part of it is brute force as well, much more than when he was choking the life out of Mage Jung’s flame.

Sweat rolls into Jacob’s eyes as the first spell breaks, then the second, and then the third. They were the easiest, the simplest. They required none of his fire.

Heat bubbles beneath his skin as he focuses on the next. His hands weave patterns along the glass case, grabbing tendrils of invisible magic that shimmer slightly in the air, infusing them with the energy that flows out of his veins. A fourth snap, then a fifth.

He’s overheating. Too much magic. Jacob doesn’t need to see the red tint of his skin to feel the uncomfortable warmth beginning to spread through his body, especially not when Kevin hisses just from standing a little too close.

But he’s only halfway through. And as much as his head feels like it’s about to split in half with how much magic his hands have directed into the shimmering spells surrounding the crown, he can’t give up. Not now, not when they’re so damn close.

The sixth spell snaps. Jacob’s throat grows raw with blistering heat. It burns his insides now, painful warmth crawling through his veins with the magic that bursts from his hands. Only unlike the magic, the heat has no way to escape.

Seven. Even with the roaring of blood in his ears, Jacob dimly hears loud yelling outside the room. Eyes blurred with sweat take in Juyeon standing in front of the wall, sword at the ready.

Give me as much time as you can.

There isn’t much left.

His skin might actually be smoking. He can’t tell. Jacob draws on the dredges of magic hidden deep within his blood, sends it flowing out of the tips of his fingers. The eighth spell bends under his onslaught.

But it doesn’t break.

A stone drops in Jacob’s stomach. He’s reached his breaking point. There’s only one way he can complete this job and it means using his fire.

Anxiety wraps around Jacob’s arms, freezing them in place even though no more magic flows.

A mage’s flame is sacred, the rawest form of power they hold. It is the most powerful and most dangerous form of magic possible, which is why there are strict rules regarding its usage. One of the first things a mage in training learns is how to control it.

Control isn’t a problem for Jacob. That came almost as easily as breathing.

Letting it go, however…

He takes a deep, shuddering breath. Air warm with the heat of his magic blisters his throat further and he chokes, almost falling against the glass. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Younghoon look over with concern, but he can’t register it.

Another breath comes in, slightly cooler this time. Jacob steadies himself on shaky feet. He’s only ever let go of his flame once in a situation that wasn’t meant for practice. He can do it, he knows. But is it a desecration of his magic? Will using his fire in this one instance upset the balance of the Board further?

Will he prove himself the same as his former teacher and current traitor to the orders, High Mage Jung?

A loud yell pierces Jacob’s ears, barely muffled by the wall. His head snaps up as Juyeon stiffens by the wall, hand clenched around his sword. Next to him, Kevin readies a blade.

No time.

Jacob closes his eyes. High Mage Jung proved he was unworthy of magic when he used his flame to aid Somin’s agenda. Jacob is not the same. He has used his magic time and time again only to maintain the balance.

Releasing his flame will be no different.

Taking a breath, Jacob unclenches a fist, one he didn’t even know he’d made. He calls on the stirrings in his heart, warmth and pain and power. Even more heat begins to fill his veins.

Slowly, slowly, a tendril of orange fire wisps out of his palm. It curls around a section of the tenuous spell wrapped around the glass case.

Sweat dripping into his eyes, Jacob snaps his fist closed.

The spell breaks.

A tiny, tiny smile makes its way onto Jacob’s lips.

Two more to go.

. . . . .

When a ragged gasp cuts through the uncomfortably warm air, Juyeon’s attention turns from the wall where the door is hidden. Either Jacob has managed to break through all ten spells or he’s failed and they’re all about to be trampled under the feet of Somin’s soldiers.

He whips around just in time to see Jacob shove himself against the crown’s case with the last strength in his limbs. Glass shatters on the ground.

Juyeon lunges, catching the mage before he drops onto a bed of glass shards. They poke through his clothes and Juyeon grits his teeth as a few cut into his flesh, but he manages to lift Jacob up slightly, hands burning against the mage’s skin before he deposits him on empty ground, groaning.

Glass crunches under Kevin’s feet as he scoops up the fallen crown and the onyx jewel. They glitter in the sputtering light of the lantern as he places them in Juyeon’s hands, metal and stone cool against his burning skin.

Disbelief fills Juyeon’s throat as he stares down at the two objects. They’ve done it. They have all the stones and the crown. They have everything they need to put the Juyeon’s crown back together, but it doesn’t feel real.

Queens. They’ve somehow done it. Now they just need to get out.

Easier said than done.

“Jacob.” Juyeon kneels next to the prone mage, whose eyes have just begun to flutter open from when they lay closed before. “Jacob, can you shift us out of here?”

Jacob sits up with a pained grunt and wiggles his fingers slightly. His face is still flushed red with magic overuse, and Juyeon isn’t surprised when his hand falls and he shakes his head. “Can’t get us far,” he croaks. “Not enough magic. Just…” He swallows. “Just have enough to disappear the crown and stone for now. I’ll get them back later.”

Wordlessly, Juyeon hands over the jewels. As Jacob spins them into nothing, he tries to think of other options. There are no tunnels in this room, no way to escape unnoticed. If they leave, a group of guards stands ready outside to cut them all down. There’s no option other than to wait for Jacob to recover enough to shift them out, but that requires time.

Time they might not have, if Somin comes rushing in with her own key.

“Use me as a hostage.”

Juyeon turns to Younghoon, eyebrows furrowed. “What –”

“Use me as a hostage,” he repeats. “If you say that you’ll kill me the second anyone tries anything, they won’t have a choice but to let you go. Soldiers won’t risk hurting their king.” His jaw clenches. “You know that.”

He does. He knows it very well. Knights are loyal to their kingdom – it’s part of their training and an aspect that the orders evaluate when deciding to ordain a new soldier. But –

“What if Somin comes?”

The ghost of a dispassionate smirk flits across Younghoon’s face. “She needs me more than she likes to pretend,” he says. “If you play your pieces right, she won’t do anything, either.”

It might work. It just might work. If they can get to the tunnel, if enough of Jacob’s magic has returned to shift them away (or, at the very least, he has the strength to run), they might be able to make it out. Juyeon turns to the mage, who’s being forced into drinking water by a belligerently caring Kevin. “Jacob, can you stand? How long will it take your magic to return?”

Some of the red flush has faded from Jacob’s face, which is promising. When Kevin helps him up, he still leans most of his weight on his cousin, but he looks marginally better as he steps carefully around shattered glass. “Give or take some minutes,” he rasps. “I’m not sure.”

Not the answer Juyeon would like, but he doesn’t have a lot of options left. It’ll have to be enough.

Wordlessly, Kevin hands over a knife. Juyeon twirls it around in his fingers, raising an eyebrow at Younghoon. “All right then.” He grabs the king, placing the blade under his chin. “Let’s go, hostage.”

. . . . .

Juyeon fends off exactly one soldier after Kevin slides the door open. They’re extraordinarily well-trained, he muses, staring into the throng. Not a single one moves a muscle once it becomes clear their king is at Juyeon’s mercy.

“I have your king,” he says coldly. His voice doesn’t betray the shake of his fingers as he keeps the knife pressed against Younghoon’s neck. “If one of you so much as touches any of us, I will have him killed.”

One of them, obviously the woman in charge, grits her teeth. For a moment, she stares back at Juyeon, ivory uniform a contrast to his black clothes stained with blood. Will he have to fight?

Then she lowers her sword. Steps aside.

Juyeon walks forward in the silence, knife clenched between white knuckles. Two sets of footsteps and soft gasps for breath reassure him that Kevin and Jacob aren’t far behind. Younghoon walks carefully, slowly, as Juyeon’s arm pins him to his side.

They make it to the end of the hall. Juyeon turns, heading for the tunnel.

And comes face to face with the woman he’d hoped to leave behind at the sword fighting arena.

Feral anger flashes in Somin’s eyes, even as her lips curve into a sweet smile. “So nice to see you here, Juyeon.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Juyeon replies, unconsciously pressing the blade a little further into Younghoon’s neck. “Would you be so kind as to let us pass?”

A sliver of sharp metal glints in Somin’s hand, twisting and twirling between deft fingers. “I’m afraid my answer is no.” She grins. “Though perhaps you’d be so kind as to stay still while I kill you on my palace floors.”

Juyeon scoffs. “Your palace floors,” he mocks. “You say that as if you didn’t order your family killed and aren’t controlling every person around you with someone they love.”

“Finders keepers,” Somin sings, stepping closer. “I fought my way to the throne and the Board ordained me. You, on the other hand…” Her gaze shifts to the side, eyes turning sharp and flinty. “You aren’t king just yet, are you?”

“Maybe not.” Juyeon allows a barbed smile to spread across his face, infusing it with every bit of loathing he’s ever felt for Somin. “But you won’t have your own king much longer if you don’t step aside.”

She sneers. “Why do I need a king? Can’t a queen rule on her own, with or without a useless king by her side?” She leans forward, white skirts swishing ominously against the ground. “If you hadn’t noticed, I am creating a new country, one united across the Board. Who says I need a king in this new world, hm?”

“You destroyed any chance at unity when you stole my crown,” Juyeon snarls. “My people will remember your actions, regardless of whether or not I live.”

Somin waves an infuriating hand. “What does that matter when I will crush them where they stand?” She steps forward again. “And speaking of the crown…” Her smile disappears, replaced with barely-repressed fury. “Where is it?”

A real spark of satisfaction races up Juyeon’s spine. His own grin isn’t faked anymore. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“You will tell me,” she snarls, raising her knife. “You will tell me, or you can say goodbye to your life right here and now.”

“Touch me and Younghoon gets it too.” Juyeon tightens his grasp on the king, who doesn’t even so much as twitch a muscle. He has to admire his ability to remain calm. “I thought you were smart enough to know this?”

“What part of I don’t need a king do you not understand –”

Younghoon’s voice cuts through Somin’s tirade. “Liar.”

The hallway falls silent. Even Somin stops speaking.

“Liar,” he repeats, an ease in his one word that belies the knife pressed under his chin. “You need me, Somin. You know you do.”

“Oh, really?” Somin laughs, wild, nearly hysterical. “Really, Younghoon? You want to tell me that I need you when you are about as useless as a fly stuck on the wall?”

“This fly on the wall is half the reason your popularity among the common pawns hasn’t fallen to the negatives,” Younghoon snaps. “If you didn’t need me at all, why would you threaten me with Haknyeon? Why would you even bother to make a pretense of keeping me under control if you truly had no use for me?” His smile turns sharp, grim. “You need a king, whether you like it or not. Not simply because you are a queen and it is tradition. You need me because you are an unpopular queen who cannot inspire loyalty among her own people. I dare say that Juyeon’s sister might not need a king by her side, but of course, you are no Jisoo.” He smiles. “You are not your sibling, either.”

Juyeon almost wants to clap. He settles for loosening his grip on Younghoon’s arm. Behind him, he hears Kevin whispering a very low “wow” under his breath.

Somin snarls, an ugly flush rising in her cheeks. “If you don’t stop speaking right now, I will –”

“What will you do?” Younghoon interrupts. “Kill him? Haknyeon?”

Dead silence reigns.

“You won’t.” A sharp smile flashes on Younghoon’s face. “Kill him and you lose your only leverage over me. Kill him and you have no other way to control me. There is no one left that I love, not friends, not family. Choosing a citizen at random for execution would lower your popularity even more, and most of them would not believe it if you told them it was under my orders. They know me better and like me better.” An empty smirk crosses his lips. “I believe we are at a stalemate, Your Majesty.”

There’s no warning before the knife goes flying through the air. Only the raising of Somin’s hand, a flash of silver, Juyeon’s eyes widening as it whips past him and towards his friends –

A clang of metal sounds, and Somin’s blade falls to the floor. Juyeon looks back just slightly to see Kevin holding a knife of his own, a trickle of blood running down his hand. “You’ll have to be faster than that,” he says, the curve of his lips mimicking the blade between his fingers.

Somin’s chest heaves. Juyeon smiles. “So will you let us pass?” he asks sweetly, ingraining his words with as much artificial sugar as he can muster. “Your Most Excellent Majesty?”

Silence. A low sound of feral anger.

Then she steps aside.

. . . . .

It takes long, too long to walk down the two halls left to get to the tunnel Younghoon took them through the first time. Especially with Somin’s eyes following every step they take.

But they finally descend into darkness, Juyeon removing the knife from Younghoon’s neck to slam the door shut behind them.

Shouts immediately sound as soon as the tunnel descends into darkness. Footsteps pound outside and Juyeon holds tight to the handle, keeping it shut as Jacob shakily crafts a new door in thin air. Five heart-stopping seconds pass before it’s finished and even then it doesn’t look too stable, parts of the wood frame flickering in and out of existence, but finally Kevin’s holding the door open for Jacob and they’re both stepping to the other side.

“Go,” Younghoon says, taking the handle from Juyeon even as the door begins to shake with the force of those pounding on it. “You need to leave.”

Juyeon nods, stepping towards the door still set in air. Then he turns back. “You could come with us.”

A flash of hope flits across Younghoon’s face, but it leaves as soon as it appears. “No.” He shakes his head. “I would only be a hindrance. I can’t fight very well, and I have no magic. Besides, I have people to protect here. Haknyeon. My kingdom. At least with my status, I can try to minimize some of the damage Somin causes.”

If Juyeon was in the same position as Younghoon, he’d probably do the same. It doesn’t stop him from wanting to take the Ivory king with them, though, if only to have another person safely out of Somin’s clutches. But he nods. “You’re a good king, Younghoon.”

Younghoon smiles. “I hope to say the same thing to you soon, Juyeon, when you are no longer a prince.” His expression turns grim. “Now go. Don’t waste any more time.”

Juyeon steps through the open door with relief and terror shuddering through his veins. The door shimmers into nothing the second he topples onto green grass barely visible in the early morning light.

“Queens,” he mutters, rolling over to face the sky. “Queens.”

Kevin groans next to him. “You can say that again.”

A small swish sounds in the air, and then something tumbles to the ground with a clang. Juyeon sits up, barely in time to catch the crown and onyx stone before they roll past him.

Jacob pulls himself half up. His skin still radiates heat, even this long after he finished breaking the spells, but his eyes look clearer than when they left. “We did it.” He coughs. “We have everything.”

They do. They have the crown and all five stones, four sewn into Jacob’s cloak, the last in Juyeon’s hand. After months of no sleep, pain, death, and endless running, they have everything they need to put Juyeon’s crown back together.

He can barely believe it.

“Do you have the energy to fuse the gems back?” Kevin asks, looking at Jacob with concern obvious even in the dark.

The mage shakes his head, coughing again. “Not now,” he replies. “I need… we need to get somewhere we can rest. Putting the jewels back might require more magic than I even have. There’s a reason Somin had to get the most powerful mages on her side to dismantle it.”

“That’s fine,” Juyeon says. “As long as you can shift us back, Taemin and Sunmi and some of the other mages will be able to help us. We’ll take short trips so you aren’t too drained, Jacob.” He smiles, really smiles. “We have a bit more time, now.”

Jacob returns the smile, sitting up with Kevin’s help. “We do,” he says, the sparkle in his eyes radiating real joy for the first time since he found them back in the woods so many months ago. “We do.”

For a moment, they all sit in silence, sleepily resting under the early morning light. Then Kevin stirs. “We should move,” he reminds them, smile disappearing slightly. “Put as much distance between us and the palace before we actually take a rest.”

“Right.” Jacob stands shakily, hands poised to form a new door. “Where to?”

“As far as you think your magic can hold,” Juyeon says. “We’ll take it from there.”

A door appears, shimmering white on the bed of grass. The pristine handle looks out of place in his bloody, grimy hands, fingers stained red and black, but the sight doesn’t bring Juyeon as much revulsion as it might have before. Because this time, the door doesn’t signal another leg of the journey. It doesn’t represent escape, doesn’t mean they’re running away.

Juyeon turns the handle, smiling a smile so wide it almost hurts.

It’s time to go home.

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 prayer for everything to go right for once)

[tipsycad147]

Choosing a rune set: A beginner's guide

by Michelle Gruben

Thinking about taking up the runes? Mastery of the runes can take many years, but it is not difficult for a beginner to learn the basics. (Much as young children can quickly learn their ABCs.) The first learning tool you’ll need is a rune set of your own, to begin familiarizing yourself with this ancient system of knowledge.

First, some background: Runes are archaic European letters used in magick and divination. The best-known runic alphabet is the Elder Futhark, which contains 24 symbols.There are other rune systems, such as the Younger Futhark, Northumbrian runes, and Witches' runes. But most of the time, when people talk about reading runes, they are referring to the Elder Futhark, which fell out of use as an alphabet around the 8th century AD.

Each rune has a threefold meaning: A phonetic sound (as a letter of the alphabet), a mundane object or action that it stands for, and a mystical or abstract significance. Rune-casting—or reading the runes—is a way to activate intuition and gather information about the past, present and future. Runic symbols have powerfully condensed meaning. Sometimes, a single letter says something that paragraphs cannot.

Make or buy?

Making your own set of rune stones or tiles is an excellent way to begin to learn the runic symbols. Painting or carving the runes can be a kind of meditation, and help to infuse your new rune set with your energy. Depending on your level of craftiness and the tools/materials available to you, making your first rune set can be a great option that lets you express your creativity.

On the other hand, there are many beautiful rune sets for sale—many made with materials and techniques that would not be practical to replicate at home. Investing in a pre-made rune set that calls to you can be an equally good beginning to your runic studies.

Usually, rune sets for sale at metaphysical stores include the 24 Elder Futhark runes. Most also have one blank (or “wyrd”) rune that acts as a wild card. A drawstring bag or box and a set of basic instructions may also come with your runes. However, don’t feel that you have to use any of these items just because they were sold as a set. Rune-reading practices vary greatly, and eventually you will settle on a method that works for you.

Making your own runes

If you go the route of making your own Elder Futhark runes, you will need 24 roughly equal-sized objects that will become your rune tiles. (25 if you wish to include a blank rune.) Your backyard or local craft store probably has something that can be made into runes. (Be sure to practice good magickal etiquette if you take something from nature.) Wooden nickels, tree branch slices, earthen clay, and even glass aquarium gems all make serviceable homemade runes.

Obviously, some materials are more durable than others. I made my first set of runes with flat rocks gathered from a streambed. I didn’t realize that they were made out of fragile sedimentary rock. They flaked and crumbled to pieces after several weeks of being dry. Uncured wood will split, and painted symbols will chip off when the runes tumble together in a bag. It may take some trial and error to make a rune set that can endure being carried around and used in readings. Wood-burning, clear-coating, kiln-firing and engraving are all crafting techniques that will help your handmade runes stand up to wear and tear.

Materials

Rune sets can be made from a staggering variety of materials: Glass, bone, antler, wood, gemstone, ceramic, metals, and common stones. What you choose mainly depends on your preferences and budget. What feels most magickal to you?

Bone runes are made from cleaned animal bones, which are then painted or engraved with the runic symbols. (I’ll admit that bone items personally skeeve me out, but many Witches who work closely with the animal kingdom love them.)  If you collect bones, or know someone who does, you can create your own set from the bones of a special animal. Commercial bone runes are usually made from water buffalo bone—a byproduct of meat and dairy farming in Asia.

Antler runes are made from cross-sections of deer antlers. Antlers are fast-growing bones, and their magickal properties are similar to bone. Antler runes would be a marvelous choice for a rune-reader who connects with Stag energy. (Both bone and antler runes look like puppy treats to dogs—so keep your prized rune set away from Fido.)

Wood runes can be made from nearly any type of wood. You may wish to choose one of the folkloric magickal woods for your rune set (Oak, Ash, Elder), or some other wood with a personal significance. Wood runes may be painted, engraved, woodburned—or a combination of these methods. A sealant or varnish gives the wood a lovely sheen and helps protect the symbols, but many rune-readers prefer to keep it all natural with a light coating of oil or beeswax.

Stone runes are made with precious gems, semi-precious stones, or even ordinary pebbles. Some Norse Pagans I know insist that wood and bone are the only proper materials for rune tiles. Rune stones, they say, are a modern, New Age invention.

Even so, gemstone rune sets—which combine the metaphysical lore of crystals with the runic alphabet—are probably the most popular type of rune set among Wiccans and Pagans. Gemstone runes are pleasingly heavy when cast, and undeniably beautiful to work with. You can choose your gemstone rune set based on the magickal properties of the stone—Amethyst for intuition, Jasper for courage, Hematite for protection, etc.

Ceramic runes include rune tiles made from air-dried, oven-baked, or kiln-fired clay. (The latter is the most durable.) They are popular with DIY-ers, and those who connect especially with the element of Earth. One of my favorite artisans makes rune sets from fragments of pottery that have washed ashore in her coastal town—they are unique and colorful runes of Earth and sea!

Glass runes and pewter runes are specialty items that are hard to find. Though these materials are made by humans, they are perfectly appropriate for magickal work if they appeal to you.

Are there any materials that should not be made into runes? I’m a magickal pragmatist. I’m into what works, and I don’t have much regard for sacred cows. But. As a magickal pragmatist, it’s perfectly fair to point out that the runes work best when treated with the utmost respect and dignity. Odin, it is told, hung on the World Tree for nine days and nine nights in order to receive the secret of the runes. It just seems wrong to look up the symbols on Pinterest and start carving them onto Styrofoam.

You can argue, I suppose, that since the runes are a sacred alphabet, they sanctify everything they touch. And yet, I have an instinctive revulsion toward runes made from paper, wood composites, and plastics (polymer clay included).

The runic symbols are worthy of great reverence—but there are no absolutes when it comes to selecting rune tiles. I recently broke my own rules and added a set of inexpensive resin runes to my store. I wouldn’t want a lack of money to prevent anyone from studying the runes. Even a basic set of runes can become a powerful tool in the hands of a serious seeker.

Size and Shape

All settled about the material? It’s time to spare a bit of thought on the size of your runes. Runes, especially gemstone runes, may be as small as a half-inch—too small to be practical for most readers. Basically, you want the rune set to be easy to read, and to feel comfortable in your hands. If you’re going to be reading for others, or in low light, go a bit larger. Even big runes are really travel-sized!

Rune tiles vary in size and shape, even within the same set. If you use the “blind draw” method of rune-reading (putting your hand in the bag and feeling around), it becomes more important for the runes to be a fairly uniform size.

One final consideration is the shape of the runes: Flat, round, symmetrical? Round-ish runes are fine for drawing from the bag. But if you want to lay your runes out in lines or grids, tile-shaped is the way to go.

Some rune readers—but not all—read “reversed” runes. Reversals give a different meaning when a rune lands face-down, or upside-down. If your rune tiles are very round and/or symmetrical, it will be more difficult to tell when a rune comes up reversed. Some runes (like Isa and Gebo) look the same whether they're upright or inverted. If getting the reversed meaning is important to you, get an asymmetrical set and memorize the orientation.

Choosing your first rune set can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Pick a set you're drawn to, learn the symbols, and begin using the power of the runes to transform your life and magick!

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/choosing-a-rune-set

[witcher-ot3]

More Character Designs: (Im)Perfect Strangers

@void--punk​ introduced me to https://www.heroforge.com/ and I... may have gone a little crazy. But hey, figure someone might care and I like sharing things.

Scoia’tael

Iorveth is the Commander of the Scoia’tael and is best known for uniting the disparate Scoia’tael units and leading them to Vergen’s aid to achieve victory during the Siege of Vergen. While many would easily believe that the elven commander would sooner die than stand alongside humanity in peace, Iorveth swore his service to Saskia of the Free Pontar Valley eagerly and has dedicatedly served at her side ever since.

Ciaran served as Iorveth’s second in command for many years, but when the Scoia’tael Commander swore allegiance to Saskia of the Free Pontar Valley, Ciaran decided to lead a group of disgruntled Scoia’tael to form an elf (and a single dwarf)-only city. 

Maeral is one of the most respected commanders to ever serve in the Scoia’tael. As the lead strike force, Maeral’s elite all-woman unit faces the highest odds of death. And yet, since Maeral’s unit rose to prominence, their death rate has been extraordinarily low.

Kythaela is best known for her bright and peppy demeanor. It takes a great deal to dampen her spirits and she has often been known to smash through human guards with a laugh. Kythaela considers her biggest pride to be her inclusion in the elite woman-only strike force in the Scoia’tael.

Rinn is the best spy in the Scoia’tael, and no one is entirely certain how she manages to get where she does. However, no one can deny, she gets results. She is the only spy to ever manage to follow the Blue Stripes Commander Vernon Roche without getting caught. This duty just so happened to lead to her meeting the most incredible woman she’d ever seen: Priestess Adda of the Temple of Melitele.  It has been theorized that only those with superhuman senses can tell when Rinn enters a room. 

Imadia is old, even for an elf. She remembers a time before humanity drove the Aen Seidhe to resort to guerilla warfare to survive. At heart, Imadia believes that life should be bright and happy - and she lives this out in her work as a healer and her loud fashion choices. 

Sylvar is a fierce warrior, despite the burn scars covering the majority of his body that limits his range of motion. He has fought for the Scoia’tael since the day a human mob burned down the house he and his mother lived in. Only the advanced abilities of elven healing saved his life, though unfortunately his mother was not so fortunate. 

Taredd is considered the best tracker in the Scoia’tael. He reads the ground as easily as he reads a battlefield - which is to say, if you are attempting to outrun the Scoia’tael, you better hope you don’t have him on your tail. Taredd is also exceptionally short for an elf, measuring no more than 4 feet tall.

Blue Stripes

Vernon Roche commands Temeria’s elite Blue Stripes special forces unit. Tasked with hunting down the nonhuman terrorists known as the Scoia’tael, he has proven himself an effective commander as the one special forces leader in the North that the Scoia’tael Commander Iorveth has never managed to defeat. If one looks closely, they might spot something around his throat that indicates there’s more to this Temerian loyalist than meets the eye.

Ves is the first woman to ever serve in the Temerian Army. As second in command of the elite Blue Stripes unit, Ves eagerly proves that any woman can fight as hard as a man. According to Ves, the best thing a woman can do is cut down an elf or kill a Nilfgaardian. 

Other (Im)Perfect Strangers Characters

Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a monster hunter created by mutating a human child. For several years, Geralt of Rivia was considered dead, but he reappeared recently in the Court of King Foltest of Temeria. It is rumored that the Witcher and the Court Mage are involved.

Triss Merigold is best known for her work as a political advisor to various Northern Kingdoms throughout the past several centuries. Most recently, she has served as Court Mage for King Foltest of Temeria and Queen Saskia of the Free Pontar Valley. Triss is not the most powerful mage, but long, long practice means that while the power she draws may be small, it is steady and longlasting. As a mage, Triss has always found the nature easy to call upon and indeed, if one is so unfortunate as to piss her off, they will discover just how eager the natural world is to answer her call. Fortunately, Triss’s passion is in healing and politics, not in warfare.

Saskia the Dragonslayer - who also happens to be a dragon - rules the Free Pontar Valley. While she is a fierce warrior, Saskia believes in offering a hand to those in need. It is said that dragons have hoards. If so, one might expect that Saskia hoards gold or gems. And indeed, the mines of Vergen produce these things. But the truth is, Saskia’s hoards her people, and a dragon does not suffer harm to their hoard.

Adda’s life started as a horror story - cursed into a striga before she was even born, she spent the first 8 years of her life living as a monster. Geralt of Rivia was able to lift the curse, but even so, some monstrous attributes remain. She’s rather come to like them though - especially when it meant that she could sense the elven spy that followed her Uncle around. Adda trained as a healer at the Temple of Melitele, but sadly politics interfered with her dream and Adda was forced to marry King Radovid of Redania, from whom she determinedly hides her more monstrous traits.

Luka is the librarian for the grand library in Vergen. She has dedicatedly cared for the books and scrolls for centuries and intends to spend many more doing the same.

Set Way In The Future

Anais is practiced at both melee and ranged fighting and her weapon of choice is anything that can be swung hard enough to ruin someone’s day. She loves fighting and glories in it, just like her mentors taught her.

Boussy is a lover, not a fighter. But, on the strangely common occasion that a flock of baby birds needs rescuing, his aim is good enough that he can fight off whatever is hunting them. He also lost his right arm at some point, but he’s pretty happy with his magic prosthetic. 

[tolkien-fics]

The Sleeping Princess

Word count: 1,801

Trigger warning: Mention of blood, violence

Pairing: Ecthelion x Human! Reader

 Plot: Based on the fairy-tale Sleeping Beauty. Y/n is a mortal princess in a far land south west of Middle Earth, cursed from birth to fall into a death-like sleep. 

Year YT. Long ago, before the Fellowship was formed, there was a kingdom in the South West of Middle Earth. This kingdom was ruled fairly by the King and Queen, who made sure to provide for their people. The Kingdom was known for their riches, possessing precious gems they would trade with Dwarves and Elves. The people of the kingdom were happy, and praised their royal family. 

After a five year reign, the King and Queen wished for a child. Not out of needing an heir, but out of love. However, they never received the gift they desperately wished for. It took three years of wishing before they finally got their little joy: Princess Y/n was born.

Overjoyed, the King and Queen instantly set out of inviting the entire kingdom to the celebration feast.

"Over here!" One servant called to the other as they decorated the Hall with cloths of all color, the cooks displayed their feast on a long table, the minstrels practicing their music. The joy of the castle could be felt from miles away. But there was an evil mage who lived in the forest just out of kingdom grounds, watching the events unfolding from her reflective pond. Laced with magic so she could spy on the kingdom's people.

"So, they think they can get away with not inviting me to the little brat's party? They won't get away with this!" She growled, cooking up a plan in her mind. Everyone had gathered in the palace to welcome the newborn into the world. The people were laughing, drinking and eating. All paused when the King stood to make a speech.

"Dear friends, we thank you for attending the celebration this day. We have wished for a child for so long, and now she is finally here. We cannot be more grateful than we already are. Now without further-ado-" There was a slam as the hall doors burst open, the guards scrambling to unsheathe their swords at the surprise visitor.

"I suppose I am not considered one of your friends, your majesty?" The mage spat bitterly, brows furrowed and hands placed on her hips. She was a simple mage, dressed in rags. Those who never heard of her would have mistaken her for being homeless, but to the kingdom folk she was a powerful witch, one not to be crossed.

"Oh Lithia! You're-!" The Queen was shocked, eyes wide and a hand placed on her chest.

"Alive? Of course I am! Though you would know that if you bothered to check in." The mage replied, hand waving dismissively in the air.

"We apologize, Lithia." The King started. "You haven't appeared for years! We merely thought you had left, or died! We did not mean to cause offense."

Lithia scoffed. "Enough! Let's see the new princess." The mage quickly moved to the basin in which you laid, wrapped in delicate silk. Lithia quickly picked you up, keeping you at arms length. 

"That's it! Put her down this instant!" The King commanded. "Guards!"

"Am I not allowed to give the princess my blessing?" Lithia questioned, not waiting for your parents response before beginning:

"Dear little princess, this is my blessing to you. Upon coming of age you will fall into a deep sleep, one that you will not wake from. Not even the powerful magic in the world will save you!"

Lithia cackled, roughly thrusting you into your mother's arms. She left the hall, the door slamming shut behind her. Everyone began to whisper among themselves, your mother began to cry sorrowfully. "Our daughter, our poor daughter." She sobbed while holding you close.

"Perhaps I can help." A voice spoke from the far side of the table. Instantly, the King and Queen looked up, hope in their eyes.

The voice belonged to a young elf maiden, one of the few that resided in the kingdom. She too knew magic, pure magic of good. 

"Oh, can you please help our daughter?" The queen asked, teary eyed as she clung to you.

"I cannot reverse the magic, your majesty." The elleth spoke. "But I can change the outcome. The princess will indeed fall into a deep sleep, but she will wake up. The mage forget the mention the greatest magic known. Love. The princess' one love will break the curse."

"Oh thank you!" The Queen expressed her gratitude. "You have given her the gift of life, another chance! I can only hope that it will be enough."

It had been twenty years since that day. You grew to be a fair princess, admired by all. Your beauty was breath-taking, and your heart was good to match.

"What a beautiful day it is." You mused as you strolled through the royal gardens, kneeling down to admire the small daises, picking some to make a flower crown. Your gentle hands weaved the stems together, humming a soft tune as you did.

You were soon distracted by a vibrant butterfly, fluttering past you and ahead.

"Such beauty." You admired, standing to follow the creature and abandoning the flower crown. You wished the catch another glimpse of the butterfly, jogging through the garden to catch up.

"Strange. I have not seen this part of the garden before." You thought aloud, seeing a whole flower bed of red roses. They were vibrant and alive with color, compared to some of the dying flowers you had seen.

"They smell good, too!" The lovely scent wafted to your nose from the light breeze that blew past. You reached a hand to pick one, a thorn breaking the skin of your finger and drawing blood. The red liquid dripped down your finger, droplets staining the luscious grass.

Looking at the blood, you began to feel faint. Your surroundings started to spin, making you feel unbalanced.

"I don't feel good." Was the last thing you spoke before your body hit the ground. The King and Queen were heartbroken as your body was delivered to your chambers and placed on your bed.

"How could we have overlooked the roses?" The Queen sobbed, covering her face with her hands. The King stiffled his own tears, "All we can do now is wait, my queen. Wait for her one true love, as the elleth predicted."

As their cries sounded, the kingdom was slowly pausing, the residents turning into stone for as long as it would take for their princess to awake.

Days turned into months, and months to years. The story of princess Y/n had spread far and wide, elves and men attempted to rescue you but none succeeded. Until one day, a handsome elf lord had arrived from Gondolin. Ecthelion of the fountain had heard of your story from his kin, and even though nobody had rescued you, he hoped he would be the one.

"What makes you think you will succeed?" He was told, but he shook their words off. He just knew.

He rode for exactly thirty days before reaching the kingdom. From the outside, it had lost it's charm it once had: the trees rotting, a musty, damp stench overtook the once glorious smells of baking, flowers and perfumes. As Ecthelion rode through the streets, he noticed that all life stopped. Everyone had become statues, paused at the moment they were working, buying, and chatting. Ecthelion shrugged his shoulders, trying to escape the terrible feeling that overcome him. It was a sort of uneasiness, he guessed. Despite this, he looked towards his elvish sword, knowing he was capable of protecting himself if necessary.

The elf lord gazed upon the castle as he arrived at the half open gates. He got off his steed, stroking the soft mane before arming himself with his sword, walking through the grounds. The corners were littered with cobwebs, the guards looking more like ornamental statues than the people they were. Ecthelion felt sadness at his surroundings: He had heard stories that the kingdom was once vibrant and joyous, a truly happy place to live. But now it had lost it's spark.

"Get him!" A terrible cry reached his ears. Instantly, the elf drew his sword, deflecting the attacks that came from a small group of orcs. Now, he didn't hear about this. They must have inhabited the place during it's time of silence. Ecthelion hit, stabbed, kicked and beheaded the orcs coming at him. His skin was damp with sweat, blood dripping from his nose after receiving a punch. He beheaded the last orc with a fierce yell, panting for breath.

Now on his guard, he made his way down corridors, hallways and up a flight of spiral stairs. When he reached the top, there was a single door at the end of the short corridor. He couldn't hear anything, no orc growls or sounds of footsteps. 

Ecthelion opened the door warily and entered, his breath taken away at the sight. He was in your chambers, and saw your figure laying on the bed, hands clasped together. You looked dead, but he saw you still had color in your cheeks. Though it was faint, he knew you was still alive somehow.

"You are beautiful." He whispered as he came to your bedside, his hand covering yours. He rubbed his thumb along your hand, feeling the coldness of your skin.

"I pray to Eru that you will wake up, and greet me with your glorious presence." Ecthelion bent down and pressed his lips to yours in a gentle, loving kiss. His eyes re-opened to see yours twitch, then open slowly.

"Oh dear. I must have fallen asleep." You spoke in a hoarse voice. "Please don't think of me as rude, sir. Who are you?"

Ecthelion smiled, helping you to sit up. "I have come to release you of your curse, princess. I heard of your story and knew in my heart I had to come. My name is Ecthelion, Lord of the Fountain."

The King smiled, as he too had awoken. Along with the rest of the kingdom. 

"You have saved us, Lord Ecthelion! However can we thank you?"

The elf lord smiled, eyes on you once more. "I wish to ask for your blessing to court your daughter, and one day make her my wife. For her beauty shines brighter than the stars." 

You was taken aback, a blush dusting your cheeks. You smiled gently, covering his hands with your own. "Oh Lord Ecthelion, my beauty could never compare to your own."

The King chuckled, "You may, indeed! You have deemed yourself brave and worthy enough to court my daughter. For saving us, we will forever be thankful." Ecthelion gazed into your eyes once more, full of love and kindness. He bent down to kiss you once more, making a promise to himself that he would always be there for you, no matter what.

[hvitserkmarcosource]

The Arrangement

Chapter Eight - Lioness

Warnings: Angst in the beginning, Fluff at the end (Warnings will be updated with each chapter, so make sure you read them!)

Chapter Eight Summary: Hvitserk makes a life changing promise.

Word count: 2,314

Thank you for all of your love and support 🥰

Chapter Seven

Chapter Nine - Coming Soon

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The castle lay like an old man on the hill, the sunlight shone on his, once beautiful, cracked face. Moss clung in the shade of the ancient walls like a scraggly beard. The once proud turrets had crumbled in places giving the impression of battle worn armour. The only part of the castle that was well kept are his doors, still the richest of reds, like a fresh wound seeping blood.

Hvitserk laughs from behind you “Now I understand the red cloak”

You smile and turn to look at him. “It was my Mother’s favorite, Father honored her by making it the Kingdom's color.”

“That is romantic” he observes “What is your favorite?”

You shake your head “I’m not sure, no one has ever asked me”

His arms wrap around you “Then I will keep asking until you choose one”

Your heart starts to race and a pink tint graces your cheeks. Hvitserk can be quite charming when he wants to be. And in this moment you decide that he will inevitably be the death of you.

As the boat draws near your fathers men draw their bows and swords, no doubt thinking you a threat. Until one of them spots you and yells for the rest to let the boat pass.

“Remind me the next time we raid England to wear red-“

You playfully nudge his shoulder, cutting off his sentence.

“What?!” He says in self defense “they just let us through, it’s so much easier than fighting in the water and much less wet.”

“But now you have me, there is no need to raid England when it is half yours. Why would you steal from your own Kingdom?” The question was rhetorical, but you can tell it made him think. Marrying the princess must not have sunken in yet.

If something were to ever happen to your father Hvitserk would be made King and you Queen, your children would be the heirs of this great Kingdom. Your bloodline would rule for a lifetime and never have to raid or plunder another place ever again. War will be over between Scandanivia and England, there will finally be peace.

“The King awaits you Princess, he is in the throne room.” A knight you do not recognize reaches out his hand and helps you off of the boat. “The Pagans will have to remain outside of the walls. Per the King’s wishes”

Hvitserk begins to follow you off of the boat, but the Knight stops him “All of the Pagans must remain outside of the walls.”

You scoff “This is my future husband, Prince Hvitserk, he will not wait outside.”

The Knight looks at you and says timidly “M’lady the King gave strict orders. Only you are allowed inside of the Castle.”

Hvitserk begins to reach for his sword but you stop him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I will speak to my father, he is a difficult man but he will listen to me… you won’t have to wait for long.”

Hvitserk groans in frustration “I don’t like you going in there by yourself”

You smile “This is my home, I will be alright. Please don’t start a war while I’m gone.”

He nods “If you aren’t back by nightfall I will come in after you.”

An ounce of bravery floods through your veins and you do something you wouldn’t normally do, standing on your tiptoes you lean in and kiss his cheek ”It's a deal. I will see you soon.”

When you pull away there is a smirk on his face and you blush, perhaps you’ve made a tiny mistake…

................................................

The king stumbled from his throne and collapsed in front of you, gripping the bottom of your cloak so tight it felt as if it might tear in two. He was a wreck, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. The crown on top of his head tilted and unpolished. No one was allowed in the room with you, not even his counsel. The two of you were alone and now you understand why. Your father didn’t want anyone to see him fall apart.

You kneel with him and take his hand in yours, for the first time you realize just how old he truly is. Frail. “What is it father? Why are you feeling so much sorrow?”

He sniffles and looks up at you “I’ve lost it… all the gold, the stones, your mother's rubies. All of it is gone!”

Your heart drops and you begin to panic “What do you mean you lost it? How could you lose that much, we need it for our people” you drop his hands forcefully and stand up. After everything he’s put you through and he just loses it? You can’t believe it.

He sobs harder “My child we must find a solution-“

“This was the solution! I was the solution! Or do you not remember selling me to the highest bidder!?”

He does not say anything at your outburst, so you continue.

“Do you have any idea what I've had to go through?! What I’ve done! All because you were greedy and selfish! Now you’re telling me you’ve lost it, how? HOW DO YOU LOSE ALL OF THAT!?”

Your father looks up at you, tears in his eyes, and mouth agape.

“Explain yourself father before I walk out of this castle and tell Hvitserk what is happening, I am sure King Ivar would not like that you’ve lost all of his gold so quickly.” You seethe. Disgusted at the man before you and his stupidity.

He clears his throat and stands, taking a deep breath before he says “A dragon egg”

You can’t believe your ears, how could anyone believe what he just said. “A dragon egg?” you repeat

“A man came to me and offered three of them for a price. At first I thought him mad, and then I saw them. My girl, they were giant and colorful. The colors of precious stones, but even more beautiful.. I held them in my arms and could not stop thinking about them. I was hypnotized.”

Scoffing, you sit down on his throne and gesture for him to continue. Your mind so full of worry you aren’t sure if your legs or voice will continue to support you.

“I gave him everything… all of it, every cent, gem, and stone. I needed those dragons- we needed them, the kingdom-“

“WHAT THE KINGDOM NEEDS IS A RULER WHO DOESN'T SPEND THEIR GOLD ON FAIRY TALES!!” You take a deep breath, trying desperately to calm down. He’s still your father after all. “What the Kingdom needs is protection from people like Ivar Lothbrok and now you’ve taken that away from them. You’ve striped them of any security. How could you do that, when they have supported you through everything?”

He looks at you, confusion scanning his face. And then you’ve realized you’ve made a mistake. You spoke about Ivar.

“I may belong to Hvitserk but Ivar is ruthless. He does not care about his brother or me and will come for our Kingdom the first chance he gets. You’ve just given him a reason to come sooner.”

“There is no reason to start a war with me, Ivar and I got along quite well when we were discussing you.”

you laugh “Yes, Ivar was kind to me as well in the beginning. But it was only a show, believe me when I tell you all the stories about Ivar Lothbrok are true.”

A chill runs through the air, goose flesh creeps up on your arms, and the hair at the back of your neck stands on end. Suddenly you feel like you’re being watched. “I will speak with Hvitserk, he is smart and knows his brother best. If he does not have a solution I fear no one will… I have one more question, father.”

He nods “Yes of course, what is it you want to know?”

“What happened to the dragon eggs?”

Once more he hangs his head “It was all a lie. An egg shattered one day, it had fallen and hit the floor. I was expecting to find a body but nothing was inside. It was completely empty. The other two were the same.”

You walk away without saying another word to your father. Feeling betrayed and angry. Angry that he could be so foolish to believe in such things as dragons. Betrayed that he spent all the gold Ivar had given him in return for you… Sick that now your father will have no means to pay an army when Ivar comes for him.

................................................

When the castle begins to fill with Vikings you start to feel uneasy. You are comfortable with Hvitserk but you don’t know these men, more importantly you don’t know their motives for wanting to come along. If what Hvitserk said is true, all of these men could be doing Ivar‘s bidding. They could be scoping out the castle for Ivar, seeing if the information you gave him was the truth.

All of a sudden you get the urge to run, run away from all of this, leave everything behind and start new. Some place where no one knows who you are and can’t force you to betray anyone. A place that is beautiful and not in the midst of war.

Somewhere far away from Vikings and Kings, gold and greed. A place that hasn’t been touched by the foul hands of power hungry men and their ambitions.

But does a place like that really exist? Or is it just another fairytale?

A hand grabs yours and you wonder if the man it belongs to also shares you dreams of a better place. Or is he just like all the rest? Would you grow old with him and watch in silence as he destroys Kingdoms and tears apart families, like your mother watched your father do so many years ago? Would you become numb to all of his crimes?

You hope not.

You hope he shares your need to make this Kingdom a better place. You hope he grows old and happy with you and your children. You hope to tell your grandchildren about the Viking who married a Princess and together they made England a place of sanctuary and peace.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Hvitserk pulls you closer and whispers in your ear “What is wrong Princess? You are awfully quiet.”

You sigh and look up at him. “I was only thinking”

He chuckles “Then I am sorry for the interruption, it looked like a wonderful thought.”

“It was, but do not apologize. I find when I talk to you my thoughts only get happier.”

He smiles “I hope you always feel that way.”

You look away from him then, searching the room for your father. When you find him he is face down in a mug of ale, screaming and carrying on like he didn’t just condemn his entire Kingdom to death.

Pointing at your father you whisper to Hvitserk “Do you see my father? He has lost everything, he has destroyed this Kingdom and the people in it. And he celebrates like nothing is wrong, that is because he doesn’t care. So long as he weasels his way into another deal with Ivar, as long as it is favorable to him. Painting my father as the hero, he will be happy. So long as he still has power and that power has the possibility to grow he will be happy. No matter who it crushes in its path…”

You look at Hvitserk then and say aloud “I will always feel happiness when I think of you, for as long as I have breath in my lungs, you will always make me smile. But you must promise me something.”

He nods

“Do not become like him, do not forget about peace and honor. Do not toss aside our people for gold. Please treat them with kindness and help those who are in desperate need. Help me make this a better place.”

He takes your hand and brings it to his lips, kissing your knuckles gently. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wedding band. “This ring is very special to me, much like the necklace you wore on our first meeting. I do not take my promises lightly, I want you to know that, and I swear on this ring and my arm ring to never be like that man.” He places the ring on your finger and continues “I promise to love and honor you, and your wishes. I promise to protect your people as well as my own and do so with dignity and selflessness. I promise to always make your thoughts of me be filled with laughter and joy. I promise to help you fulfill your dreams for your Kingdom… But most importantly, I promise to be your husband, the father of your children, and the man you wish me to be for as long as you wish me to be. For every passing moment I spend with you I realize I am falling more in love and I do not want to waste more time in not telling you.”

A tear falls from your eye but for the first time in a long time it is not out of sadness. It’s out of love.

“Will you promise to love me Princess? A savage, worthless Viking that does not deserve anyone, let alone a woman like you.”

You nod and let a sob escape, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into an embrace “You are worthy. I do promise, I promise to always love you and stand by your side.”

He rests his head in the crook of your neck and lets out a breath. Saying the three words you never thought you’d hear him say “I love you”

Tag list: @alexhogh7137 @ivarthebloodyking @sfyri @curlyhairedhoseok @mavalenovaninagavi @lol-haha-joke @joebob15274 @itsharleyalb @motherofkattegat @kaitieskidmore1

[crashingmeteorz]

the original residents of the secret airbender city of mùchéng

continued from here.

so i imagine that 20 or so airbenders make it to mùchéng. more than half of them are 12 or younger, so a lot of the journey to the north mountains and the subsequent settlement is spent comforting the cries of young children. it’s tough, for the adults, however, because not all of them even are adults.

the youngest non-12-year-old is the patient and gentle madhur, who is 15. the nuns used to say they were born floating about like dandelions, because that’s how soft and loving they were as a child. madhur gets along beautifully with the younger kids, but unfortunately gets shouldered with a lot of undue responsibility because of this. some of the other teenagers try and point this out and help them, but the adults are far too busy trying to figure out how to keep their culture alive, which, you know, fair. madhur has an extreme sweet tooth, which the children relate to, of course.

next is the 17-year-old headstrong anila, who never quite felt like she fit in among the other airbenders. interested in material things like jewelery and pretty clothes, anila often dreamt of leaving her culture behind, and began traveling as soon as she was able. however, she was home when the fire nation attacked, and managed to smuggle out a couple of kids, meeting up with the group later. now that her people are gone, anila deals with survivor’s guilt, feeling she doesn’t deserve to be the one carrying on the air nomads traditions since she shunned them. however, it’s her appreciation for and understanding of earth kingdom societal norms that ultimately helps them survive, and she is one of the first to raise a family with an earth kingdom man, although not until her late 20s. she also helps with the kids, and can be stricter, but sings lovely lullabies to them at night.

kavi is 19 years old, and is a nervous wreck. he doesn’t even know how he survived the invasion, much less with the young monk boy he’d been mentoring on his back, but hey, it happened. he means well and loves his people, but he’s terrified to leave mùchéng, and thus spends most of his time learning to construct homes and pathways in the mountains with the materials they’ve gathered, so that he can be of some use. quiet children flock to him, as he is very good at understanding their fear and anxiety, soothing them with stories of their people.

ishani is a 25-year old airbender woman who invented a move at 16, gaining her arrows that way, and is very confident in her abilities. sticking to a strict moral code and somehow feeling she is personally responsible for the reestablishment of the air nomads, ishani often stresses herself out with the weight of her responsibilities. she and anila butt heads often, but as time goes by they become very good friends, learning from each other and appreciating each other’s stances. ishani helps anila to appreciate her culture more, and anila helps ishani to loosen up.

simran is a 33-year-old non-bending monk who left behind his great love at the temple, and feels guilt for mourning her more personally than anyone else. the genocide leaves him in a crippling depression, and for years he lives in a gray, empty world, despite his fellow nomads’ best efforts to help simran. however, as time goes by, he finds new love in their small city growing into something more.

reva and jamyang are a lovely wlw couple in their mid-40s. a very powerful pair of benders who happily cared for the air bison, they were devastated when their noble steed, jaya, died in one of sozin’s traps, affording them time to escape. they tell the children the stories of the air bison and how they were the first airbenders. reva, the more adventurous of the two, eventually tames some of the animals on the mountain so that the children may learn the joys of caring for another life. jamyang, meanwhile, the more creative, paints beautiful murals depicting different aspects of airbending culture: their animals, their foods, their most famous benders, avatar yangchen, all of it. reva and jamyang are basically everyone’s moms.

danish is in his early 60s and is very strict. he spends most of his time trying to figure out how to communicate in secret with the outside world, and let the other air nomads know that they’re alive and safe in a compound. though not harsh with children, they simply are not his cup of tea. however, being a fan of oral tradition, when asked, he will gladly go on long tangents about his journeys between the air temples atop his lovely bison dorji.

lina is a non-bender nun in her mid-to-late 60s who, like danish, is very strict, but in the opposite sense. she and danish bicker like an old married couple, danish insisting they reach out to their brethren, and lina insisting they do not do that, and instead focus solely on their new life here. lina studies earth kingdom culture intensely, wanting them all to blend in should anyone ever find their city. lina will often play story-telling games with the children, which are actually ways of getting them to memorize important details about the earth kingdom.

finally, the 80-year-old lhamo, a compassionate and wise woman who passes away a few years after mùchéng finally begins to look like a home. she guides these air nomads into the new age, offering advice and a shoulder to cry on at all times. because of her frailty, the adults are always insisting various degrees of “don’t bother her”, but lhamo seeks out company and somehow always knows what’s bothering you. she finally passes when a storm blows through mùchéng, threatening to tear the little wooden city apart, and lhamo practically controls the storm, bending the wind away from them with the help of the other benders.

so these are my mùchéng founders! i’ve been thinking about them for a long time, and am pretty happy with how they turned out. let me know what you think! also, huge shoutout to @zarakem for always supporting this headcanon. it meant a lot to see your consistent support 😊 if anyone would like to know the meaning behind the airbender names, they’re below the cut!

madhur: a masculine and feminine hindi name simply meaning “sweet”, with the scripts मधुर. this felt appropriate, especially with madhur’s personality being very sweet, and their love of sweet treats.

anila: the feminine version of the hindi name “anil”, which means “air, wind”. it’s spelled with the scripts अनिला. i liked this name for anila, because it would have been just another way she felt trapped in her culture. eventually she lives up to her name, incorporating both her culture and her personal choices into her lifestyle.

kavi: a masculine hindi name meaing “ wise man, sage, poet” with the scripts कवि. kavi is very wise, but often gets ignored because of his shyness and anxiety. his storytelling prowess is what draws the children to him, which is why i chose this name.

ishani: a feminine hindi name meaning “ruling, possessing”, with the scripts इशानी. ishani is a pillar of leadership for the survivng nomads, and has always been a leader-type. however, her name felt kind of like a pre-determined destiny, and caused her to at first be bossy in her youth. she quickly sheds this trait.

simran: a masculine and feminine hindi name meaning “recollection”, with the scripts सिमरन. simran makes it his mission to memorialize his lost love, and the other airbenders as well. he becomes a living memory, in a way.

reva:  a feminine hindi name meaning “one that moves”, with the scripts रेवा. reva is adventurous and constantly learning new things, and perfectly fits her name. 

jamyang: a masculine and feminine tibetan name meaning “gentle song” with the scripts འཇམ་དབྱངས. being a storyteller, jamyang’s voice often feels like a gentle song. she’s also a very kind and loving soul, befitting her name.

danish: a masculine urdu name meaning “knowledge, learning” with the scripts  دانش. danish is a knowledge-seeker, and wishes to find the other airbenders. he devotes most of his life to studying texts and traditions.

lina: a feminine hindi name meaning “absorbed, united”, with the scripts लीना. lina’s whole goal is for the surviving air nomads to blend in with the earth kingdom and mesh their two cultures, so this felt like a fitting name.

lhamo: a feminine and masculine tibetan name meaning “goddess”, with the scripts ལྷ་མོ. lhamo is the fearless and graceful elder of these surviving nomads. she felt like no less than a goddess to me. 

jaya: a feminine and masculine hindi name meaning “victory”, with the scripts  जय. a brave and devoted air bison, jaya sacrifices herself, true, but her beloved airbenders escape. she considers this a victory.

dorji: a feminine and masculine tibetan name meaning “diamond”, with the scripts རྡོ་རྗེ. danish is kind of pretentious and considered his air bison to be a beautiful gem of an animal, mostly because she belonged to him. he misses his diamond dearly.

[inky-duchess]

Hi! Can you tell us a bit about the kingdoms of your story? It's just that i have started reading your posts about the OCs and the kingdoms and I can't wait to know more about them 💕

Kingdom #1: The four islands are the most beautiful in the sea with white sand beaches, tall palm trees, blue-green seas and endless blue skies. Its people are considered the most strikingly beautiful and the land is abundant with shellfish and fruits and sugar cane. The people do not cut down trees to build their houses, but weave grasses and bamboo to create their huts which stand on the strands of each isle. Turquoise and turtle shell are top trading items in the region as well as the famous distilled liqueurs there. The islands have been used as a safe cache for many pirates and cheap traders. Its complacent people have been conquered more than once and have taken it on the cheek each time. They simply bide their time and wait for their enemies to weaken and leave or wait for them to sue for a peace. The islands have been invaded so often that different customs have interwoven with their own.

Kingdom #2: Chivalry and honour are the main attractions of the land. No man can doubt the honour of the kingdom's famous knights or her lords. The kingdom is a sea faring one as well as an agricultural one, the preferred port of many of the merchants from around the world. Its famously large and gentle bay is guarded by the world's longest bridge which spans many miles. The kingdom is nearly always bathed in summer heat and on the seasonal rains, the weather is still warm enough to walk about without one's cloak. The cities of the kingdom are well fortified, being a kingdom born in war and conquest even if the wars are contained in the tourney lists.

Kingdom #3: The kingdom was the greatest power of the time. No other land could build so high or weave such fine cloth or have such a large and skilled army. The kingdom is often cited as the world's first attempt of empire. Glory and power was this kingdom's main trade. Its nobles were the finest and most learned. Its trade the richest. Its palaces the largest. But as many empires do, time crumbled it to a shadow of what it was. As times changed, the land remained trapped in its own past glories, rarely moving on from the memories of the past.

Kingdom #4: Never was there a land as fruitful and fertile as here. The orchards yielded thousands of kinds of fruits, the ground gave bushels of every grain imaginable. The seas gave the people an abundance of fish and the hills and forests offered the finest game. No land was more blessed by the gods but they people do not believe in the gods, only a single goddess of the green, of summer and kindness. The kingdom has always been nicknamed as the "Bread Basket of the World" for so much food can be grown and harvested that it is sold to lands suffering famine or bad times. The kingdom was populous and along with that reason and its fine produce, could have fielded an army that might have dwarfed any forces raised by enemies. But war and violence is not the way of these people.

Kingdom #5: "The land of the dragons is one of fire. The scape is pitted with volcanoes and geysers, that spew molten fire and ash, creating the shiny black stone which is the main export of the land. As rich as the kingdom is, no invader would dare raid it, for fire and dragons in flight are the greatest defense for the land."

Kingdom # 6: "Though rainy and muddy, the land is among the most fertile and beautiful. Lush and green, the land has yielded the best horses. The people are among the best riders in the world. The kingdom is the largest and most populated. It is jested that they would have conquered the world had they not been so interested in horses."

Kingdom #7: "Old and Ancient is the island of warriors. Surrounded by the sea on all sides, the island is jagged and dry and it is said that its people are too. A theocracy, the island is ruled by two kings: the hereditary monarch and the elected voice of their strange god. War flows in the veins of every man and woman, for service to the land and crown in war is the highest honour there could be."

Kingdom #8: This kingdom is a land of colour. Its dyes are famous throughout the world and though its mines yield no diamonds they were ripe with rubies, topaz, emeralds and garnets. The beloved "child" or two mighty empires, the kingdom has since out grown its colonizers and masters and become a great trading power of its own. As the second smallest of the kingdoms, it often suffers hardships for its gems and its weaknesses. Though rich in gems and jewels, the land's trade is minor. Instead of paying off their crippling debts with coin, they offer jewels which many debtors take any way and then look for more repayments

Kingdom #9: The kingdom was the richest of all. From the reaches of all the oceans and tops of the highest mountains, it is storied. It is well known for its fine art, massive wealth, rich wine and ... its treacherous nobility, who are said to have more poison than blood in their veins. No kingdom can match it in trade, for it is the capital of merchants who spill glorious tribute on the canals and docks of the cities. Artists crowd the canals, looking for patrons or drawing for coppers. Musicians are on every corner. The men of the kingdom are prized if they can fight well, ride better and are courtly toward all. Their education is the finest in the world. The women of the realm are less expected upon and the custom of seclusion is heavily enforced. The canals are the very veins of the realm, used just as much as roads. In the day, the cities are baking in the sun, bustling with trade and music but at night, when the moon rules, the sounds of water and lute song can be heard.

Kingdom #10: The kingdom is the coldest region on the continent. Ringed by mountains, it is also the safest. The snow and ice is oft referred to as the knife that cut many natives but also shields them from invasion. The mountains that have protected them have also sustained them, offering up torrents of jewels and precious gems. Its noble inhabitants are the height in terms of glamour and wealth. The palaces of the royal family and nobility are well storied and known. Its people are considered one of the best read and cool. The humour of the kingdom is said to have frozen with its land and rivers. The kingdom is famous for its extravagance where even the poorest wretch can afford to keep themselves from the poverty suffered by others in the same rank in neighbouring lands.

Kingdom #11: The land is treacherous as her people. Its seas are the roughest in the world, its long coastline ragged and full of coves where many a ship can be smashed onto rocks. Pirates are also famous in these waters, just as responsible for the high mortality rate of the ships that fall into the dangerous squalls that befall here. Its forests and roads are laced with outlaws as well, merciless thieves who prey on travellers. The people are rumoured to be thieves and traitors, every man a pirate or outlaw or cheat and every woman a wanton or thief. In truth, these are stories embellished by frightened foreigners. The ways of raiding are the main sport of the people and a summertime event. The women of the land are just as hard as the men, seen as warriors and respected advisers. As immoral as these natives seem, they are deeply religious. Other histories state that a warrior once broke a ten year peace because another man disrespected the sea goddess by befouling one of the sacred streams.

Kingdom #12: "The sun and sands are the two weapons this land wields well. The land is almost entirely desert save for a crescent of fertile land which yields the only crops. The history of the land is well known, written upon the great sandstone palaces and bazaars with blood. Their armies are fierce and their pride legendary."

Kingdom #13: .... well, you'll have to read it to know.

[leonthecardboardunicorn]

The Oracle Prince, Chapter 6

Pairing: Viggo/Liz

Summary: We’ve found the gems of the Dragonkin, but now Hawkeye has their eye on the treasures of the noble families. The Foundation Day royal ball seems like the perfect time. Luckily, we have the help of the crown prince- Viggo?!

First: Chapter 1

Previous: Chapter 5

Over the next few days, we continued looking through the royal archives, searching for families affiliated with wind and water. To my surprise, a familiar name kept coming up again and again.

"Who knew that the royal family would be so gifted with water magic?" I asked. "It looks like it goes back as far as I can tell."

Viggo looked over my shoulder. He was so close that it sent my heart racing. "My grandfather was said to be particularly gifted at it."

I tried to compose myself. "I-is that where you got your mist magic from?" I asked. Viggo nodded.

"Dad was said to have been able to use something similar. Doesn't use it much now though."

"Then it's entirely possible that the royal family had the gem of water? I mean, it would make sense they'd keep one for themselves." Caesar sighed. "They must have a million jewels to look through though.."

Viggo sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Finding them wouldn't be the difficult part. The treasures of the royal family are kept in a vault, hidden away in a city. But they're all under such heavy guard that even I wouldn't be able to get to them."

I noticed Luca had been silent, staring off into space. "Not all of them.."

By the time we left the library, it was late enough that few souls would be up. Only Viggo, Luca, and I were left.

"Come on," Viggo said, "I'll walk you back to your room."

"Thank you."

Luca stopped him. "Actually, Viggo, I wanted to ask you something. About the gem of water."

Viggo sighed. "I already told you, all of the treasures of the royal family are under lock and key-"

"I know. All except one." Luca smirked. He brushed back his hair, revealing his earring- the treasure of Princess Aulelia.

Viggo went as pale as a ghost. "That was- How did you..?"

"I am Aulelia's son." He paused, then he smiled. "My name is Luciano Ordeous Gedonelune. Long ago, I was hidden away from the royal family, to save my own life- and then hidden away at the academy. The only token I had left of her was this earring."

"You are-" Viggo's eyes widened, at a loss for words.

Luca laughed, relishing finally being able to tell the truth, even if it was just to one. "How funny would it be if I was the one who had the gem? Not the pampered prince within his castle walls, but the son who was cast aside?"

Viggo's expression turned cold, his voice like ice. "So what do you want then?" he asked. "Do you think you'll come in here, tell my dad who you are, and become the new heir? Be beloved by the family, by the kingdom?"

"You can have it, if you want." Viggo smiled, but there was no warmth. "My title, my power, and all the crap that comes with it. You have no idea what it's like! They'd eat you up alive!"

"Oh, really? It looks so easy when you do it." He lunged towards Viggo, grabbing his collar. "You always do whatever you want, cause there's no consequences for you! What I'd give to live in this cozy palace, with your cozy guards, and the family that I never had! I never even had a chance!"

Viggo laughed. "That's rich. You coast by without a care in the world.  Not a responsibility to your name. Free to use people as you like. You're no better than the rest of them."

"Guys, guys!" I ran between them, pulling them apart. "Please stop this, you shouldn't be fighting like this!"

Viggo turned away, brushing past Luca. "I'm out of here."

"Viggo, wait!"

I caught up to him in the gardens. I thought he'd be in a rage or he'd be fuming. But he didn't look angry at all. He just looked.. exhausted, quietly staring up at the moon.

I approached him cautiously. "Viggo?"

He didn't look up at me. "Who'd have thought," he murmured, "all of this time, there was another royal out there, living freely at the academy. No guardians to drag him around, no nobles to come after him. I can't figure out why he'd want to give that all up."

"Luca is.." I sat down beside him, fumbling with my words. "I know he seems carefree, but he hasn't always had it easy. He's had to go through a lot too."

"Figures. If he's Aulelia's son, must be a story there."

"Viggo," I asked carefully, "how much did you know about your aunt?"

He looked off in thought, then sighed. "Not much; she died before I was born. Dad would sometimes tell stories about her, but.. even he didn't seem to know that much about her."

"Huh? How is that possible if they were siblings?"

"They were raised under separate roofs, with different guardians. To 'protect the heirs'." He sighed. "If I had had a sibling, we would have been raised the same way. Even as adults, she was sent away one day- and never came back."

My heart dropped. "I can't imagine living like that.."

"It's the tradition of the royal family. That's way Dad had me raised the same way. Nothing I could do to change it. Or any of the other rules. Between the constant rules and constant visions, my life's always been chosen for me."

My heart broke for him. "Have you ever.. thought about what it would be like if you weren't a prince?"

He was quiet for a moment. "..I guess I came close to it at the academy. Nobody knew who I was. For the first time, I wasn't a prince." He smiled. "I was just a punk getting into trouble."

"That must have been a relief for you."

"It was." His eyes darkened. "But then the Oxfords decided to reveal my identity. Even got Dad to agree. Said it was time. Then there was nowhere I could hide. They all feared me or wanted to use me again. The academy became a prison."

'The academy became a prison..' Seems like I'd heard those words from someone else before. "You know, I think you and Luca are more alike than either of you think."

"What?"

“You're both stubborn. You're both smart when you want to be. You're both troublemakers- goodness knows you've both ended up in the detention chamber enough." I didn't miss the slight smile at that. "And you're both trying to escape.

“There may be some things you can't change. You can't change that you're a prince, and I don't know if you can change your father. But.. you have a chance to form a bond with perhaps the one person in the world who can understand what you're going through. That is something that you can change, if you want to.”

"Something I can change?" I wondered what I heard in his voice.

"Your Highness." The familiar voice broke through my thoughts.

"Headmaster? What are you doing here?"

"I had some business to attend to with the king," Schuyler said coolly. "He asked me to come get you, Your Highness; he has something to ask you."

"..Right." He sighed as he got up. "I'll talk to you later, Liz-"

"Wait." He turned back. It hadn't felt like my place to explain Luca's story, but here was the one person who could. "Ask Schuyler about what you learned tonight. Have him tell you everything. He can explain things better than I can."

Viggo was quiet for a moment, and then he nodded. "..Fine."

By the time we met the next morning, the whole castle with buzzing with news of the next festivities.

A royal tournament. Anyone of noble blood would be invited to participate- and it was said the winner would receive a fantastic prize.

Once again, Luca waited until the others were gone, until it was just the three of us left lingering in the hall.

"A tournament sounds like a lot of fun," Luca said. "I bet everyone's waiting for a chance to fight the famous oracle prince." He grinned." Maybe I'll join. After all, they said anyone of noble blood could participate."

"Why wait?" I saw Viggo draw out his pipe. "We could go to the tournament hall and have a fight right now."

Luca didn't hesitate. "Sounds like fun. Show me the way."

"Viggo!"

Viggo smirked. "Don't worry. This might be the best way to settle things. Get all the aggression out, you know?"

They were both determined to do this. "..Fine. But if this starts getting too bad, I'm going to break it up. No matter what, all right?"

“Follow me.”

Viggo led us down a strange path. “Where are we? I've never been down here before.”

“A secret path to the tournament hall,” Viggo said without looking over his shoulder. “Only the royals and the ones they trust most know about it.”

“How kind of you,” Luca muttered.

My heart was in my throat as we entered the tournament hall. Right then, it seemed barren, but I could see how it would be grand in the light of day.

Viggo and Luca took their places on the opposite sides of the stage, each drawing their wands. I could see certainty in their eyes.

I settled into my seat, pulling Shu close to my chest.

'Please, let everything be all right..'

Viggo nodded. "Your move."

"Flau!" Luca chanted his spell, flames pouring out of his wand.

"Watch out!"

Viggo spun his pipe, releasing a barrier of mist. With a swing, his fist knocked into Luca, but Luca quickly blocked it.

"Not bad."

"I've heard about your tricks. I'm tougher than that." He smiled as he raised his wand. "Let's see how you handle this. Globus!"

The battle seemed to drag on, as they traded blow after blow. No matter how many hits they took, they both got to their feet again, refusing to give up.

"Pugnus Tempestus!" Luca nimbly dodged Viggo's fist of mist- only for Viggo's actual fist to crash into his face, sending him to the ground.

Luca struggled to his knees. "Urgh.. You really are as strong as they say."

"You're not so bad yourself. Come on." To my surprise, Viggo offered his hand, helping Luca to his feet. Luca accepted it. "..That would have been a perfect time to strike."

"Like I would do that." Luca laughed a little. "..I do feel a little better."

I let out a sigh of relief as I watched them, like a pressure had been lifted from my chest. It was like all their tension had been released in their fight.

"The Headmaster told me what you went through. About the tower and all." Luca nodded. "Sounds like you had it rough."

Luca looked away. "..I got my freedom. Eventually."

Seeing that their fight was over, I finally came over to the two of them. "I'm glad to see you're all right."

"Told you. Needed to get it out of our systems." I sighed.

Finally, Luca asked, "..Are you really going to participate in the tournament? Seems awfully compliant of you."

"Someone told me that I needed to bide my time until the time was right." My heart warmed as I heard his words. His voice was firm. "And I think you could help me find it. I could use someone good at gathering information. Someone unknown to the enemy."

Luca nodded. "Well, that's what I'm good at. I'll do what you need."

Viggo smirked. "Just one thing left to do."

My heart caught in my throat as Felix held out his hands over Luca's earring, his horns starting to glow.

'This is it. If this is the gem of water, that'll make four gems.'

But when the light faded, Felix shook his head. "This has a strong presence, but it's not the gem of water."

Luca sighed as he took the earring back. "Figures."

"Where did you get it, anyway?" Felix asked.

"It's an artifact of the royal family." Luca caught himself. "There's a reason that I have it, of course-"

“..I don't really care." Felix turned away. "Call me if you find anything else."

"Cheer up," Viggo said. "Just because it's not the gem doesn't make it less important. Or you any less of a royal."

"Thank you."

My heart warmed as I watched the two of them. After all that fear, it looked like things were going to get better for the two of them.

But we were still left looking for the gems. Although we would soon find one was closer than we thought..

Elias: Well, that was not the way that I expected Luca's secret to come out.

Klaus: You knew?

Elias: Oh, yeah, I've known for quite a while. There was an incident with sneaking into the Tower of Sorrow.. Oh, whoops.

Klaus: What?! Why was I not informed of this?

Elias: Well, you were very busy at the time! Or maybe you weren't around yet? For some reason, I can't remember.

Klaus: We'll talk about this later. But for now.. Next time, Stars.

[skyumoon]

A Strange Book

I blame @linkeduniverse-incorrect for putting the idea in my head

-----

Hyrule? An odd name, it's not everyday you here a group of heavily armed men call one of them the name of the beloved kingdom. Who has the audacity to name their child the name of the kingdom? He didn't even look the part, he was short,skinny, and by far the less muscular of the bunch, yes he had a pretty face but the child looked even more muscular than him!

The villagers looked at the boy as he was trading with a merchant.

“Hello boy, what would you like from my market?” a merchant the villagers are weary of, the merchant that sells actual tomes that most of them can't use. Like more powerful tomes, example:neró katastrofí, an ancient tome that can only be used by its chosen master

“How about that one?” hyrule pointed to a tome decorated in silvers and golds, with blue gems sprinkling around it. But what always caught a regular person was the giant blue gem in the middle. But what caught hyrules attention was the drawing he kind of felt when he looked at it, like an aura, kind of like when you pick up or come near the master sword.

‘That old book? What you name boy? You seem interesting”

“Uh...hyrule..and what the book about?”

“I can't even open it! But ill tell you this, the guy that gave it to me told that I have to give it its chosen master, none of the villagers in this old town could open it. Would you like to try?” the man looked sincere, as if he wanted to get the book away from him

“Sure!”

The man handed hyrule the book, it was pretty and felt right in his hands, he opened the book like it was any other. The man gaped at him

“Say boy, you can have it for free. Now run along” he smiled 

Hyrule nodded with a sunny smile and ran to the group who was waiting near a fountain

“What took you so long? Decided to sleep at an inn while we were waiting?” legend said

“Hey what's that fancy book you got there?” wind asked with pure innocence

“This? I don't know, the old man selling books asked me to open it and he just gave it to me, why don't you try?” hyrule laughed silently, they were probably going to able to open it because they are practically the same

Wind took it and attempted to open it but failed, he passed it to legend but yet even he was unable to open it. It went around the links but none of them opened it. Hyrule gave a confused stare as he opened the book with ease. The group just kind of accepted it, hey, sometimes one person in the group can do something better than the rest. Hyrule shrugged it off, it wasn't a big deal.

“Did we get everything?” time checked

“Yeah” twilight responded while checking off everything on their list

What they didn't notice was the people lurking in the shadows

“We’ve found him”

-0-0-0-0-0-

it was far from warm when it was night when they're outside, the one thing keeping them  warm was the two fires wild set up in the middle of the camp. it was colder than usual since they were near the Hebra mountains. wind and four were munching on a pile of wild berries, the golden trio were talking about where they were headed next, warriors, legend, and hyrule were checking out the strange book hyrule had collected. Warriors picked it up and studied it

“It's ...pretty but strange to say the least. I wonder why hyrule’s the only one who can open it” warriors once again tried to open it

“Oh leave it, stop trying to open it, it's probably like the master sword where it chooses its master. And it just so happens to be hyrule, and only hyrule”

“But it's strange, we all have the triforce of courage, we all have the hero's spirit, we all fought evil with the master sword in hand or other magic sword, but why am I the only one who can open this fancy book?” hyrule sighed, this was going nowhere.

So hyrule but it in his bag, and laid down on his bedroll, But he couldn't help but wonder, what was the book meant for? Why is he the only one who can open it why did the man gave it to him for free? Why did he feel like he was meant to have it? Thoughts attacked his mind mercilessly. The campfires were kept on fire to secure warmth, as the links huddled together in their bedrolls they all fell asleep easily. But hyrule didn't, no no no. he was awake all night. He watched as four, twi, and wind switched watches. But hyrule was awake through it all.

it wasn't only his mindless thoughts that were keeping him awake, he felt a dark magic aura coming from the shadows. Something bad was going to happen, usually when monsters like wizzrobes or bokoblins with magic weapons had the faintest dark magic aura with the stench of whatever magic they are using, like bokoblins with fire arrows. That horrible burnt stench when they come near? Disgusting, terrible, gag worthy. It was like normal burning paper but so it was tagged along the bokoblins making it smell like a garbage land mine. With shit and corpses and- ew.

It wasn't long before the sun rose and time woke up to wake up everyone along with four.

“Man, time can you help me with sky?” four asked, time was helping twi get up.

“Uh yeah sure” hyrule got up by himself, he looked fine, just a bit more drowsy than when someone normally wakes up, of course he hid it easily so the others wouldn't find out, but when they started to hit the road it was like the dark aura became stronger, it wanted to make him puke at how horrible it became. He was obviously uncomfortable, but luckily they made it to rito village in time, it was night time by the time they arrived, the others admired divine beast vah medoh as it perched above the village, the links smiled at the rito as they welcomed them with open arms.

The inn was small but manageable they all managed to sleep in a bed, some of them had to share a bed but they didn't mind, there were much worse thing they had to be concerned about. But hyrule couldn't sleep again, so he got up and walked around the village, of course no one was awake besides the guards. Hyrule wondered about the book again. He took out of his bag and headed to the lake, it was quite the steep and he did get a few bruises but nothing he couldn't handle. The gem in the middle of the book seemed to glow when it was near the water

Hyrule flipped the book open and read, aloud. The book was of a spell book of sorts. 

*hold your hand out, and chant the spells whom who chooses which, beware this book may be great but those who lust for its power will go to extreme lengths to get whom who opened my book*

Strange. Hyrule chanted some gibberish words and suddenly a pike of ice emerged from the water, hyrule stumbled back and reread the book, it was a tome of sorts. He read it all throughout the night, he eventually walked to the store of rito village to grab something to eat, the owner was nice and gave him an apple pie saying something along the lines of

“Young kids need to grow!” 

Whatever, it wouldn't affect hyrule in any way, he sat down on the floor as the links began to wake, a good scare one day wouldn't hurt. But hyrule looked like absolute shit, he hadn't slept in 2 days, and maybe a third, but the horrible dark aura just kept getting stronger. It was suffocating, he felt safer near the water, but still felt unsafe. Soon everyone was awake it didn't take long for them to notice for horrible hyrule looked, his body was slumped and shaking, his hands were shaking and grabbing onto each other like there was no tomorrow, his head was down that they couldn't even see his face, legend approached him and lifted his head, hyrules face held a face showing mixed emotions like; sadness, pain, disgust, and fear. 

“What's wrong ‘rule?” 

“N-nothing, we should try to go to hyrule castle, maybe wild’s zelda is there”

“I don't know, she likes to move around but before i left to have an adventure with you guys, she was working to rebuild hyrule castle. So maybe she's there.”

“It's settled, lets go to hyrule castle” time said

The links collected their items and left to hyrule castle, they said goodbye to wilds friends and headed off, hyrule seemed a bit slower than normal, and he was holding the strange book close to his chest, as if something was going to pop out of nowhere. And to his not so surprise, they were.

They immediately grabbed their weapons, they were near a large body of water thankfully. Hyrule memorized a few 'spells' from his book, well. Enough to fight back with it. The ambush was big, very big, almost an army.  

How in the name of hylia were they supposed to fight them off?

----

I still blame you ranger

[xserpentlife]

Stones and Scales - Dragon AU

Requested: no, based off the weekly prompt of the Southside Discord. 

Word count: about 3300

A/N: This prompt was actually last weeks but with moving into college and everything it got kept in my drafts and I didn’t finish it till last night.

To live in the world of Riverdale was something different. Many didn’t know the way the town worked so the only people who lived there were families who have been for generations. See the thing about Riverdale was that it was in the simplest terms, magical. No one could really pinpoint how the town began aside from the stone that sits under the town hall. It is the only piece of the town's history still left after decades of wars and battles between the two sides within the town. The north and southside never got along constant fights between the two their differences making up for a majority of the wars however in one way the sides of the towns were the same; dragons. Most people don’t believe they are real but in Riverdale, they are so much more than real. Dragons are part of every single person in the town.

When your young your stone finds you. In most young loves you grow to love the things your given but in Riverdale, it’s just a bit different. Everyone finds the things they love, the things that connect to them most. In the town of Riverdale everything you love is found by you or somehow brought to you; your stone, your name, your dragon, even your soulmate. You found your stone when you were two walking along a broken path in the depths of the southside. A crack in the road caused you to trip but it wasn’t a crack at all it was the stone sticking up from the ground. You picked up the stone and instantly felt a connection but you didn’t know exactly what. See Riverdale has a few “rules”, or some people like to say ways of living and learning. Parents teach their kids bare minimum, one thing they do teach is the different stones, gems, and crystals that exist. The citizens of Riverdale believe kids should learn as they grow meaning they should learn mostly on their own. Somehow you just understood what the stone meant, knew you could never let it go, you knew you were sugilite.

A few moments later you felt walking behind you only to turn around and spot what you knew to be a dragon. You knew that dragons found their owners, not the other way around. Most people did not get their dragons instantly, some waited weeks, months even years sometimes, but for you it was instant. You knew he was yours immediately, but even though he was yours there was a slight hesitation, I mean it was a dragon, a being that has abilities far beyond would you could ever imagine, and what you felt in that moment couldn’t be described, it was a connection like no other you knew he was yours. Your dragon came close to you grabbing onto your shirt and lifting you up. You pet him as he nuzzled his nose into your hand. He was beautiful. A royal shade of purple fading into black in some spots. His scales shined, not a sparkle, not a shimmer either. He looked mean but his eyes held a softness to you. The colors of his scales showed his stone was sugilite as well. Sugilite is a stone of many properties. It’s main is being its spiritual power to connect you closer to yourself. Another property of Sugilite is its healing powers. Sugilite is mainly known to cure headaches and other pains in the head. See what normal people know to just be a crystal or stone the people of Riverdale believe so much deeper. These stones heal and cure, but to their owners and in the power of the beholder they do so much more. See for you once you learn how to connect deeper to your stone you will actually be able to heal the head injuries of people other than yourself. You were able to heal head injuries such as migraines, concussions, even going as far as healing some small cuts and heal inflammation and pain from other injuries. Sugilite is one of the most powerful stones that is known. For many people, their dragons are equipped with different abilities but for the ones that share their powers, their abilities grow that much stronger when used together.

You hadn’t noticed that when you fell you scraped your leg. The only reason you noticed now was because you looked down and saw the gushing of blood down your leg. You didn’t have control of your abilities yet so there was nothing that you could do. You began to worry seeing as walking with that much blood would have caused you to get hurt more. Your dragon made a noise at you before bringing his paw to your leg and gliding it over. You instantly felt comfort and looked down to see it healed perfectly. This showed you that when you both use your powers together you will be able to heal individuals other than your own. Injuries far beyond the head.

Sweet Pea met his dragon a different way. He was running from the Ghoulies who live on the other side of the southside when he got cornered by many of them. He had nowhere to go. He had found his stones weeks prior a Spectrolite. His abilities learned quickly mainly because he knew them prior. See Sweet Pea was an early bloomer he connected to his powers at a young age and now with the stone, they were very much enhanced. Spectrolite is a stone with many abilities. It allows the beholder to speak and be able to communicate verbally and clearly. Spectrolite protects one's aura from the harm others can cause. It also is stone with powers focused on love, healing, and transformation. One of the very known healing properties of sugilite is it helps to reduce anxiety and panic. Spectrolite is also a stone that promotes the connection of psychic abilities. When Sweet pea was young he felt he was able to read people, connect with things they were feeling. After receiving his stone he began to have dreams about things that would happen to people. Sweet Pea’s mind used to run wild, it still does but his stone gives him a sense of belonging much like he found with the Serpents, it helps him have a sense of calm. Spectrolite helps reduce sensitivity to cold and helps to alleviate the symports and mains from menstrual cycles and PMS not that it matters to Sweet Pea but he always wanted to be helpful so he would always be the person his friend Toni would go to when she was feeling particularly bad. Spectrolites 's biggest to connection to Sweet pea though was the protection quality. Spectrolite is known as one of the most powerful protection minerals in their kingdom.

He searched high and low trying to look for his dragon in the places he felt drawn to. Again though dragons found you it was not the other way around. Sweet Pea was not a patient man so the harder he looked the more he felt like he was never going to get a dragon and he began to be okay with that. Sweet pea didn’t have a normal life. His father died when he was young and his mother was a drug addict. He strayed far away from the ghoulies that his mother was apart of and instead joined the gang known as the Serpents. Sweet Pea never knew family and love until he met his best friend Fangs. Aside from Fangs no one ever loved or supported Sweet pea, so not having his dragon was much like the same feeling to him. He thought he was a goner. No one knew he was visiting his mother's grave on ghoulie territory it was the first time he felt like doing it in years but he had to something was drawing him to it. He couldn't tell anyone or they would have prevented him from going and he couldn’t have that. After his visit he started getting chased that is when he was cornered. He had nowhere to run so he began to fight. But fighting only lasted so long before he was cut with a blade. Cut so deep his leg couldn’t even try to run. But he heard it; the flapping of the wings the roar from the sky his dragon fought off two of the other ghoulies dragons before coming to him and flying him out of the situation. See in a fight in the realm of Riverdale people fight people and dragons fight dragons, usually whichever dragon wins leads to two dragons match-winning as well. Without a dragon you are not protected and if your dragon gets hurt it is very rare you will get out at all, let alone alive. But Sweet Pea was saved and he met his dragon. A dragon with the same abilities as him. See when in scary situations Sweet pea gets anxious like anyone does but when in pain his anxiety heightened his dragon brought him a sense of safety and calmness instantly. He felt the protection radiating off of him. His dragon was a beautiful dark blue and black with hints of golden brown on certain spots of the scales. Sweet Pea soon learned the dragon was a she, and she could be described as matte with no shine at all.

The situation of your meeting was much the same. Years after meeting your dragons, after learning the abilities you now held you met. You were walking along the southside something you did often. Riverdale had been getting antsy lately the northside wanting to take over all of the Southside. But they never dared try but a Northsider named Archibald was getting ideas and he decided to tag a few buildings on the southside. Your turf, your home, and you were not having it. So you pulled him by his collar throwing a few punches while he threw them back. You lived on the southside you knew how to dodge. Northsiders had no morals they would throw punches at everyone and anyone and that is what Archibald was doing. Your dragon began fighting him, but you never would have allowed him to if you knew that Archibald's was hiding up in the sky on a rooftop. See dragons don’t fight and will not if only humans are fighting. But as soon as your dragon went after Archibald all bets were off. Your dragon was taken off guard and got flung into a nearby building as Archibald came up to you with a knife knocking you to the ground, making a cut on your abdomen and his arm to your throat. You didn’t care about yourself getting hurt all you cared about was the cries coming from Sugi your dragon. All you wanted was to protect him but you couldn’t. If anything Archibald's dragon was going to kill Sugi and you couldn’t get away from him no matter how hard you tried.

On the other hand, Sweet pea was working on his bike while playing fetch with Spector. Luckily with the strength his stone brought him he could throw the ball pretty far or it wouldn’t have been much fun for his dragon. He was working when he was hoisted into the air with no warning and thrown on Spectors back by the dragon himself. Sweet Pea and Spector had rules; the number one rule being for Spector to not drag Pea anywhere before Pea knows about it and he never broke the rule after the conversation, that was until now. Spector heard the cries of her mate. Knew that in that instant she needed to go save her soulmate. See dragons had abilities far beyond humans. If their soulmate was in pain they instantly could hear and track where they were even if they had not met yet whereas humans could only do this after they met their soulmates.

You kept fighting to no avail until you hear a loud squeal and the landing of a Dragon. You looked to your right to see a man running up to you and you figured it was one of his friends until he was kicked off of you by the mystery man. As you were on the ground Spector began fighting the other dragons to get him off of Sugi and you were laid on the ground your breath gone from the amount of force Archibald had on you. Soon enough you saw the dragon fling Archibald’s off of Sugi and be thrown into a building. He regained his strength enough to fly to Archibald and save him from the man before flying away in retreat. If his dragon had not flown in and brought him away you felt and knew Archibald would have been dead. But it didn’t matter to you, you were in a panic mode even after he was knocked off of you. Your body curled up fear enveloping you, shaking hyperventilating all of it in the worst moment was happening and it was and there was nothing you could do cause your mind was running away from you. Until you felt a hand on your shoulder. You looked up to see the man.

“I am so sorry I tried reaching you through a connection but it didn’t work I’m sorry it took me so long to get over here to calm you down your safe now. I’m Sweet Pea”

“I’m…” You both looked over after hearing the noise of your dragons, and you watched their scales change. Your purple and black horse changed to her skains of her tail having some brown and the scales of her body also adding blue. And you watched Sweet Pea’s golden brown, blue and black dragon have scales of purple across her head and tail as well as shiny black scales added to her body along with some purple as well. So you finished your sentence instantly knowing the connection you had. “I’m Y/N and that is Sugi, I uh. I guess we are soulmates”

“I guess so. But I need to know first are you okay I don’t know why I can’t read you it’s like my abilities are not working or something” You placed your hand upon his cheek.

“Hey, hey it’s not your fault Sugi and I’s stone is Sugilite, it blocks out psychic abilities”

“I thought I was broken”

“Haha, I’d never let you be broken. By the way, what is your dragon’s name”

“Her name is Spectro, our stone is Spectrolite”

“I’ve never met another person to name their dragon after their stone”

“Well, we share our stone as well, figured it represented her as much as it does me. Well since ya know we are not in a fight with Archibald anymore wanna walk to the park? I like being out in nature it’s comforting in a way. There's a tree down by fox forest”

“Off of the bridge and up the stone path covered by the eucalyptus?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s my path I take with Spectro when we watch the sunset, how do you know about it?”

“Sugi and I watch the sunrise sometimes or we watch the sunset once in a while as well”

“That’s crazy”

“Yeah, I guess it is just kinda meant to be huh” you took his hand as he reached out to you and began walking up the pathway with him. You noticed him limping. So you pulled him to a stop.

“Uhm Sweet Pea, did Archibald hurt you?”

“Oh my leg, no I got it cut into a few years ago, Spectro actually saved me” You both looked up to see your dragons walking snuggled up and following close behind.

“I can fix it”

“Huh? I’ve been to so many healers and it’s just a lost cause honestly not a big deal”

“C’ mere look at me okay?” You whistled for Sugi and he came up behind you pressing his chest to your back. A connection making your powers stronger than ever. You thought about it so hard wanting nothing more than your soulmate to be healed and you felt it. Felt the pain leaving his body like you did for so many others. “Walk Sweet Pea”. He did just that, walking without a limp. The smile on his face told you all.

“It’s the first time I can walk normally in two years Y/N how did you?”

“Sugi has the same stone the healing powers are 2x stronger with us working together and touching. I can heal many things. I have healed concussions, fixed broken bones, even helped alleviate chronic pain and inflammation. But I never healed something like that only fresh wounds didn’t know it was possible”

“That is incredible” He held your face in his palm as he looked at you, he leaned in brushing his lips against your own, and you felt your anxieties and pains melt away, you felt a connection with someone like never before, felt like you were loved and wanted all within seconds. It was an odd feeling. Feeling love and want like that for someone you just meant, but it all felt right. I guess when you meet your soulmate it all just makes sense. When your eyes opened you jumped back seeing Sweet Pea’s hair turn from brown to black and purple. He looked at you wide-eyed. “Uh…”

“What is happening?”

“I guess something they don’t tell you about soulmates?”

“I guess so, sorry about your hair?”

“What do you mean my hair!”

“What is it my hair!”

“Yeah, babe your hair is blue, black and a bit brown, what color is mine!”

“Oh my god, it’s purple and black”

“This is insane”

“I’m sorry I…”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Guess I’m used to it. Also, not many guys would want purple”

“I don’t mind it, represents you. I like that”

“You do?”

“Mhm, do you like yours?”

“I always wanted colored hair, parents would never let me”

“Oh, I’m sorry, you never have to apologize to me ever okay”

“okay”

What you both didn’t know was that only soulmates with the deepest connections would have their hair colors change. Soulmates that were so interconnected upon first meeting that the first kiss would change them dramatically. Sweet Pea and you were so interconnected. It is why your abilities worked so well, it is why you could heal a bone that many healers could not. It is why you felt an instant safety and calmness around him more so than his stone and abilities could ever provide you. It is why you felt comfortable and safe at first touch. It usually took time for things like this, but in your case it was instantaneous. Not many people had the hair as their soulmates stone for that reason. Some people never got their hair to change. You were meant to be, you always have been meant to be.

You had anxiety massive panic that your ……. Sweet pea helped with that his touch an instant calm not because of the soulmate aspect but because of his stone you could tell your dragon felt the same with his. You were the one person sweet pea couldn’t read and that frustrated him to no end. But he knew your powers were important and strong. Sugilite doesn’t allow him to read you because it protects you from psychic powers almost a shield of sorts. It frustrated him because he couldn’t communicate with you through his powers. He couldn’t fight while talking to you in secret you felt the frustration growing. You began helping him by projecting your powers to him. Your powers of healing. Everytime he got slashed or bruise he healed instantly. People who didn’t have a soulmate didn’t know this because no one does until they feel it, but You and Sweet pea knew instantly. You used your abilities and heightened each other. He saved you but you protected him

In a world where you felt you would never find a soulmate, you found yours.