#listen this is the woman who tried planning out a whole entire wedding iN ADVANCE

[lcveblind]

HEADCANON. There's no doubt that Edeline is, as a princess, very aware of those who may be interested in her. She's not oblivious—-not at all. She's quite astute as one of royal blood would need to be to rule well, for disaster would have long since fallen upon her and her subjects if she wasn't. This applies well into her reading how others feel about her, including those who may hold romantic interest.

But while others may be loud and freely state their requited feelings, she is more... subtle with her responses. She's a firm believer that love between two people can go unsaid, and seen fully within one's actions and between the lines of words exchanged.

( Though, that isn't to say she would have any qualms directly speaking of her love—-far from it. However, her lover best be prepared by then, for the princess does not hold back when showing her love. )

[bellisperennis0]

Thunder

Word Count: 2,458

Warnings: Language

A/N: Thank you for reading and enjoy! ❤️ Feel free to send ideas/request on what you would like to read. GIF Credit to Owner.

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

The tension was thick between you two. What was supposed to be a night of romance and enjoyment of each other’s company, ended up turning into a night of a raging war between the two.

Entering your home, you kick off your heels, throwing your purse down on the bench next to the front door. Bishop slamming the door behind you as you stormed off towards the bedroom. Walking up the stairs you could feel him following behind you. Reaching the bedroom, you slam the door in Bishop’s face, making sure to lock it.

“Y/N, let me in!” Bishop growled on the other side, pounding on the door.

Ignoring him, you move to his side of the room and began digging through his dresser. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a wife beater, heading towards the bed you grab his pillow and head back towards the door, unlocking it. Before Bishop had any time to react, you throw the items at him, letting him know, “Blankets are in the linen closet,” slamming the door in his face again.

He mumbles something unintelligible in Spanish before you heard his footsteps fade down the stairs.

Once you crawled into bed, you hoped sleep would easily overtake you, but of course that didn’t happen. Lying there awake, all you could think about was how this night went from amazing to straight horrendous.

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

You and Bishop hadn’t seen much of each other in the past few weeks, everything going on with the MC taking his full attention. Now that things with the MC seemed to have settled down some, Bishop wanted to spoil you and take you out for a Romantic dinner. Make up for being away on your Wedding Anniversary. He had been so busy and stressed out with everything going on within the MC, with the Cartel and now with the involvement of the Rebels, you were excited to have your Husband all to yourself, even if it was only for one night.

But of course, something just had to get in the way of your happiness. You had just sat down at the restaurant, when Amanda, a woman who tried everything in her power to tear you and Bishop apart, turned out to be your waitress. Amanda used to be one of Vicki’s girls back in the day, and one Bishop used to frequent, before you and him began dating. She wasn’t thrilled once Bishop’s attention switched from her over to you and did just about everything to try to tear you two apart. She obviously remembered Bishop, and began flirting with him as if you weren’t sitting right there.

Bishop, being the guy he was, saw her flirting as just being friendly and harmless. He never believed you back then when you would tell him that she was trying relentlessly to get him back in her grasp. After you and Bishop gotten together, he never gave into her, simply telling you you were over exaggerating. So when you told him tonight that it was happening again, he obviously didn’t believe you. Throughout the night she would sweep her hand over his arm, making sure she was constantly touching his shoulder or arm every time she would stop by to check on how things were, pushing her fake boobs up so high they almost pop out of her top, bending over so Bishop would get a nice look down her shirt. She was nothing but a slut back then, and it seemed she still hadn’t left that occupation.

She chatted with Bishop, “catching up” as she called it, completely ignoring your presence.

So to say you were beyond fuming when the Bitch decided to sit down with you two during your dinner, while she was on her break, was an understatement. What was supposed to be a romantic night between you and Bishop, with you possible bringing up the possibility of starting a family, turned out to be a Bishop and Amanda catch up in life night while you sat quietly, fuming, completely ignored by the two. You didn’t know who you hated in that moment more, Amanda or your Husband?

As you two left the restaurant, you stormed ahead of Bishop, slamming the car door as you got in. Bishop was caught off guard at your silent outburst, taking a moment, before joining you in the car and heading home. It wasn’t until fifteen minutes down the road, when Bishop finally asked you what was wrong.

You continued to give him the silent treatment the whole way home, ignoring his pleading to tell him what was wrong. Once he pulled into your driveway, he finally asked again.

“Sweetheart, please tell me what is wrong? What did I do?” he asked, turning to you and touching your arm, which was crossed across your chest.

“Nothing is wrong, Obispo.” You snap, not bothering to look at him.

“It doesn’t sound like its nothing. You can tell me anything, Querida.” He said.

“Why should I tell you? So you can go back to the restaurant and gossip with fucking Amanda? It seems like you two became really close buddies again tonight. You completely ignored me, Obispo. I had to sit and listen to you two gossip like old ladies while I ate in silence.” You snapped at him.

Bishop heaved a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Please, Y/N. Do not tell me you still think Amanda is out to steal me from you again. We went through this. Why bring it up again?” he growled.

You swiveled your head towards Bishop in anger, glaring holes into the side of his head.

“I think I have every fucking right to think that way Obispo. She sat there and flirted with you right in front of me! And all you fucking did was bask in it, not once stopping her advances.” You exploded.

“Querida, you are being ridiculous,” he said narrowing his eyes at you.

“Are you fucking serious right now? Did you just hear the god damn words that came out your mouth just now? Excuse me, but this was supposed to be our night. Our Anniversary night at that. We didn’t go out so you and that god damn tramp could become best friends; meanwhile, your wife just sits there! You’re a complete asshole!” you yelled.

“How am I the asshole? You could have joined in on the conversation anytime! You didn’t have to sit there and sulk like a fucking baby the entire time,” he said, annoyance seeping through his voice.

You gasped, lifting your hand and swiping it across his face with a sharp smack. His hurtful words echoed in your head as he stared at you with shocked eyes. Not once in your entire relationship have either of you raised hands to each other, but you couldn’t stop the hateful words that followed that slap.

“You know, I wanted to talk to you about possible starting a family, but that didn’t go as planned. But since I’m a fucking baby, I guess you got your fill on taking care of one. Don’t worry, Obsipso, I’ll go have a baby somewhere else so you and Amanda can live happily ever after.”

You watched as your words did their damage, but couldn’t find it in you to even care. His words hurt, so it only seemed right that yours did as well.

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

You didn’t know when you feel asleep, but the nightmares crept into your mind as soon as you lost consciousness. Nightmares of Amanda and Bishop haunted your mind, etching themselves into your brain.

As you sat up straight in bed, you let your fingers hover over the sheets on Bishop’s side, only to find his side empty. The argument you had in your driveway hours before flooded your mind as a bright light in the sky illuminated the dark room, revealing the emptiness. A few second later, a deep rumble sounded through the night.

You froze for a second until the sky quieted. You hated thunderstorms. You never had a reason to hate them, you just did. Every time a storm would roll through, you would wake up and not be able to go back to sleep, unless Bishop comforted you.

You debated for a minute if you should leave the room to search for him. You didn’t want to be the first to give in and apologize because you still felt like it wasn’t your fault. But as the night lit up again and the thunder echoed the night sky, you knew you wouldn’t be going back to sleep without Bishop’s embrace.

You crept out of bed and headed for the bedroom door, unlocking it and creeping down the stairs. You looked for Bishop on the couch, but when you didn’t see him there, you headed towards the guest bedroom. The door was closed and for a second you feared it was locked. With a twist of the handle, you found it unlocked. You opened the door and quietly peered in.

Bishop was tangled in sheets, sprawled out on the bed. The night lit up again, allowing you to see his gorgeous face. Shutting the door behind you as it thundered again, making you slightly jump. Bishop didn’t even stir, his quiet snores still filling the room.

Tip toeing over to the side of the huge bed, you reached out and shook his shoulder slightly.

“Bishop,” you whispered softly. He didn’t budge, so you shook him again, a little harder this time.

Finally he groaned, throwing his hand over his eyes and turning towards you. He opened his eyes, looking up towards you through hooded lids.

“Y/N, what do you want? Its,” he looked towards the digital clock on the night stand. “three in the morning. Whatever other reason you wanted to tell me how much of an asshole I am, it can wait till morning.” With that he rolled back over.

You stood there hurt by his rejection. You suddenly hated yourself for saying all those things to him, he didn’t deserve those words said to him. You were ready to turn and leave the room, rejection that you deserved washing over you, until the night sky lit up again. The thunder that followed was louder than before, managing to shake the house in its noise.

Without thinking about it, you ignored Bishop’s rejection and jumped into the bed, a whimper escaping your lips. You curled into Bishop’s back as the tears came down your face. You couldn’t stop them as you buried your face into his back, breathing in his scent, trying to allow it to calm you.

You can feel Bishop stiffen at your touch, rolling over to face you as he wraps his arms around you. Burying your face into his chest, willing the tears to stop. He didn’t say anything as he stroked your hair and wiped the tears away. With each crash of thunder, he held you tighter and kissed your forehead, completely forgetting about your fight from earlier.

It was about twenty minutes later that the weather seemed to calm down a little. The tears finally stopped, but you kept your face buried in Bishop’s chest as he continued stroking up and down your back.

“Y/N?” Bishop asked quietly into the darkness.

You were tempted to just stay quiet and have him believe you had fallen asleep, so you could stay in his embrace just a little bit longer. But you knew you had to face the music sooner or later.

“Yeah?” you asked timidly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

At that, your head snapped up to look at him. What was he sorry for? You were the one who blew up on him. You were the one to slap him.

“Don’t, please. You didn’t do anything wrong. If one of us should be sorry, it should be me. I was the one that slapped you.” You said, meeting his brown eyes.

“I deserved it. I was being an asshole. It was our night and I ruined it by ignoring you the entire time. I’m so sorry.”

“It still didn’t give me a right to lay hands on you,” you said, your guilt consuming you.

“No, if anything it knocked some fucking sense into me. I was stupid to not believe my wife. It wasn’t until tonight, when I was lying in bed by myself, did I realize what you tried to tell me all those years ago was true. I sat there and allowed Amanda to sit down with us, on our night. I’m truly disgusted with myself now,” he said avoiding your eyes.

“I forgive you. It’s not your fault you dazzle people without realizing the effect you have on them,” you say, a small smile gracing your lips.

He looked up at you, his own smile gracing his face.

“There’s only one girl that has ever touched my heart, and she’s lying here in my arms, were she belongs.” He said, pulling you closer.

You smiled and buried yourself further into his chest.

“I love you, Obsipo.” You whispered

“I love you to, Querida.” He whispered back

“For better or for worse” you said, remembering your vows you took on your wedding day.

“For better or for worse” he repeated.

It was silent between you two for a while. You were on the edge of sleep when Bishop’s voice broke through your sleepy haze.

“Did you really mean it, about having children?” he asked as he swallowed nervously.

You looked up at him, your eyes piercing into his, your heart pounding.

“Yeah, but only of this is something you want as well. I just figured since things seemed to calm down and we are stable, we could focus on having children. I mean, we’ve been married for a while and –“

Bishop cut off your rambling with a searing kiss. After a second, he pulled away smiling down at you.

“Querida, I would love to have children with you. I’ve been ready for years. I was just waiting for whenever you were ready. I wanted you to be one hundred percent certain this was something you wanted. I’m ready to start a family as soon as possible. A little girl with her mother’s beauty,” he said, stroking your hair.

“Or a little boy with his father’s charm and brown eyes,” you said, tugging his hair softly.

He chuckled softly.

“Just tell me when, love, and I’ll gladly contribute to the baby making,” he said with a smug smirk.

You blushed, feeling warmth wash over you.

“Would it be too soon to start tonight?” you asked, biting your lower lip nervously.

Before you could get an answer, Bishop’s lips were on yours, rolling you two over as he hovers over you. At this rate, you would have babies here in no time.

-xx

[shabre-legacy]

A Pirate Wife for Me Chapter One: What Must Be Done

Four Days Left

Corso stared at his hands as he sat on the rough bench outside the farmhouse. He didn’t know how to do this. How was he supposed to explain this situation to Vesha? He was supposed to marry her in 4 months. They’d made all the arrangements and announcements. How did he explain that he had to marry someone else? That the situation was worse than most were being told, nearly awful as was feared. How did he explain that without hurting her? He loved her. Or at least he thought he did. There hadn’t been a lot of romance in his life so far. But he was pretty sure that he loved her. Enough to sacrifice so that she’d be safe, her family would be safe, so that she didn’t have to do this. He could do that. 

The bench tilted a bit as Vesha settled onto it, her hand coming down to rest on his shoulder. “What’s going on? Papa said you needed to talk and sounded pretty broken up? Is it your family? Did something happen? Was there another attack? I didn’t hear about another raid.”

 She was chattering, she always chattered, usually it was fine, but he couldn’t deal with it today. Not with everything going on. 

“Vesh, Vesh, I need you to stop talking and just listen. Please.”

She shut her mouth instantly, staring at him, He never told her to be quiet. Usually he just followed along with whatever she said, so that she would be happy. 

He reached over and took her hand, trying to look at her, but failing. “I’ve been sitting here, trying to think of how to explain this. It’s a real mess. And I’m so sorry, I never wanted to hurt you. But this, everything, it’s so far beyond our control.”

Vesh was just staring at him silently still. He didn’t know what to make of that. 

“I tried, you know I tried. I was out there with my blasters every time the seps hit. I tried. It’s just not enough. Me and the folks met with the council. It’s bad Vesh. Worse then….” He just shook his head. They were adults. Old enough to understand the situations, but they were young, he was just 19, Vesh 18. They should have been finishing wedding plans, he should have started on their house by now. They should be moving to their future. 

“They’re going to kill us, Vesh. We don’t have the fortifications or the resources to hold out, not with how frequent the raids are. If we don’t do something, most of us won’t make it to the next planting season, let alone the harvest. The Ronto’s will last us awhile, but eventually we’ll run out of feed for them if we can’t get out to take care of the fields.”

“I know, that’s why we asked those karking pirates for help. But Papa said they wouldn’t help.”

He sighed, this was going to be the hard part. “Not for free, they won’t. That’s why I had to meet with the council. Apparently, they said that they only protect their own. But the council made a deal. Got the pirates to treat the village and all our farms as one family. Apparently they’re run by one family, so make a pact between ‘Families’ and they’ll treat attacks on us like attacks on them and help protect us.”

“What are you saying Corso, What kind of pact do they want? We aren’t rich. We don’t have a lot of money, even if the whole village pooled all their money together.” 

“They don’t want money.”

“Then what do they want?”

“They want someone to marry the daughter of the family.”

“WHAT!?”

“Apparently, the pirates want a marriage between us and them. They have a woman about our age and that’s their condition.”

“That’s insane! Even for Ord, that’s crazy! I mean they’re pirates. Why would we bother? Who’d even agree to a deal like that?”

He couldn’t say anything. He’d always been better with a blaster in his hands than talking with Vesha. He was better with blasters then almost anything. 

“Corso...Did you agree to this?”

He sighed “I’m so sorry, Vesha, but it’s the only thing that anyone can think of that might actually save us.”

“Are you Karking kidding me! Four months before our wedding and you up and decide you want someone else instead!”

“I don’t want someone else! I want you to live! There are only 2 of us who aren’t already married in the age range that they’re finding acceptable. It’s you or it’s me, and Vesha, I know you. You wouldn’t do well among the pirates. They’re too rough. I can’t put you through that. I can’t make you deal with that, with marrying her, or losing your family. And I can’t bear to lose mine either. This is the only way. The only way that our families live, that you get to go on and live your life.” 

She stood up and stared down at him. “If you want to make excuses, make them. But don’t lie to me. You’re just bailing because you can. You’ve humiliated me. I thought I knew who you were, but this… Choosing some pirate scum over me. I never would have expected this from you.”

“I’m trying to keep you alive, Vesha, to keep everyone alive.”

She ignored him. Walking into the house and slamming the door. The finality of it broke something and he buried his head in his hands. This is what he hadn’t wanted. He’d hurt her. He knew it would, but had hoped she’d understand. This was the only way to save everyone… To save anyone and they were the only two options. If he did this himself, she didn’t have to. That didn’t make it any easier.

 Luckily, however her family felt about him, they didn’t bother him. Perhaps her father had an understanding of how hard this was. He didn’t bother Corso, no confrontation for hurting Vesha. He’d expected that, but it never happened. It took a few hours before he felt steady enough to leave. 

He could leave, but he didn’t feel up to going back to the farm. Not yet. His parents had called the family together, they were going to explain the situation while Corso went to explain it to Vesha. They had three days. Tomorrow his parents would meet with the council and the pirates and formalize the agreement. There’d be documents for him to sign after. Two days after that, he’d be married off, at least he’d be able to help protect his home. That would be a good thing. It would provide plenty of reasons to stay away while he got to know the woman he’d be married to. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go.

His hands seemed to have a mind of their own, guiding the old rickety speeder into town, rather than back to the farm to face his entire family and all their questions. He parked it near the edge of town and started wandering. No destination, no goal, just walking out his thoughts. He thought about heading to the Cantina for a few drinks, but his mama would likely kill him for that. She’d always made him promise he’d never drink his emotions away. She’d lost a few uncles and cousins to that and didn’t want her sons following that path.  Time passed without him even being aware of it. At some point though, he noticed someone watching him. 

The woman was leaning against a nearby building. She wasn’t a local, he’d never seen her which meant she had to be part of those karking pirates. Mirialan, if he wasn’t mistaken; going by the dark green skin and tattoos across her face and arms; white hair cut short and messy. Short sleeves, fingerless gloves, blasters on both hips and a belt full of what he was fairly certain were dets and grenades. She looked wild and dangerous and… strangely fascinating. 

                                                      Tama

Five Days Left

Tama leaned forward and stared at the two pictures her aunt placed in front of her.

 “Charlie says that these are the only two in the area who are close to your age and not married.” 

She picked them up and leaned back reclining on the couch in her mother’s quarters and looked at them. Her mother and her three aunts filled the rest of the room. Their personalities taking up the space of more people then they personally did. 

“Does he have an idea on which of these two these dustball farmers are going to go with?”

She wasn’t sure this was the best idea. Sure, having access to more farms and properties would be useful for moving cargo. And having legit businesses would make hiding profits from both republic and imperial customs officials, and other government agents, easier. It would help as they moved in on other areas of the underworld and started their fleet in on conquering the whole damn thing. Still though, an arranged marriage made her squeamish. She wouldn’t have considered it, but as the unofficial princess of the unofficial queen of the fleet, she was the first of the cousins to be approached, and she was promised her own ship. She’d have to get it herself; but when she did, the family would let her keep it. She loved her aunties and adored her mother, but she wanted more independence than they were willing to give her. 

The freedom, the opportunities, the good of the fleet and advancement of the plans she’d helped draw out details for, she could marry one of these two for that. Plus if she didn’t like them, she could always give them a room on the other side of the ship and scare them into staying there, or just dump them back with their family, or just ‘lose’ them on a raid. It wouldn’t be hard. Farmers like this were always easily intimidated. 

Her aunt Ilma answered her question “Charlie thinks that based on the local culture, either the village itself will settle on the man there, name of Corso, or this Corso will volunteer himself so that the girl, Vesha, doesn’t have to.” 

“So rural backwards so-called “chivalry” is still a thing on this rock. That’s just great.”

She tossed the pictures on the table. The more she thought about this, the more she disliked it. But she’d agreed and told her mother her terms. They’d make those happen. “I’m going to get a drink, or a few drinks. Just…” She stood and sighed. “Just let me know when arrangements are made, or if they give you any fuss about my terms. I’ll handle it.” 

Her mother came up and gave her a hug, before letting her leave. They’d already been through this over and over again. Sorting out the details and drawing up the contracts, preparing their offer for the oh so desperate farmers of this part of Ord Mantell. They were going with a two-phase approach. First the group they would negotiate with would agree to be treated as a single family and have an arranged marriage to bring them into her fleet’s ‘family’. It would give them the protection they wanted. Then after they agreed and selected the individual they wanted, then her aunts would present her terms. It would be their last chance to back out. After that, everything would be signed and sealed. 

They normally wouldn’t bother with this much paperwork. In their world, your word meant everything. If you said something would happen, it was on your reputation and it was reputation that was the legal binding of the underworld. Paperwork and signed contracts, much less so. But it’d give the idiots on this karking dirtball some sense that they weren’t going to be screwed over. Which to be fair, they weren’t planning on. What good would getting working farms to hide their stuff between acquisition and auction, if there were no workers to work the farms. The crews certainly weren’t going to. 

It’d only be about a week probably. She’d wait until the decision was made by the village and then go and meet the guy. Best to get an idea on how she was going to handle him and cut off the dead weight early. After all, she was never one to let anything tie her down. 

                                                     Corso 

The woman noticed that he noticed her, pushed off the wall and sauntered towards him. That was the only way to describe it. Swaying hips and a confident swagger. If he’d been in a better mood, he’d likely have been entirely drawn in. 

“Hey there, handsome.” Her voice, rolling with an edge of mischief and recklessness that made him certain that this was a dangerous woman. Was this the Pirate he was supposed to marry or just another one of the rabble? 13 ships, that’s what he’d heard they had; 4 big ones and 9 smaller, more mobile ones. He wasn’t sure what kinds exactly, blasters and vibroblades were more his thing. With that many ships, they were bound to have more than a few scum hanging around. 

“Can I help you?” He asked. He wasn’t in any mood to deal with anyone after the day he’d had. 

“Only if you know where I can find the strongest drinks in town. Thought about that Cantina” At that she gestured over her shoulder at the town's only cantina. “But it don’t look like it's got much more than weak ass swill.” 

“Seeing as that’s the only cantina in town, I’d say that’s the only place with any drinks.”

“That’ll have to do then, they’ll have to order in decent stock. You nerfherders ain’t got much on this dirtball.” 

Did this woman really have nothing better to do than to insult his home? He’d never hit a lady, but he was starting to feel like it. “It’s Rontos, not Nerfs ‘round here, and we’re farmers not galactic scum. We actually have things to do other than drinking.”

She started laughing, actually laughing, he’d expected… Well, he hadn’t known what to expect, speaking with a pirate, but it wasn’t laughing. “So one of you actually has half a spine after all. Good.” She moved a step closer, her voice dropping ever so slightly back into the same tone she’d begun the conversation with. “What’s your name, handsome?” 

“Corso Riggs.” It wasn’t worth lying. He never liked to lie anyways, and it wasn’t like the pirates wouldn’t know who he was in a few days anyways. 

She stepped closer,  bumping his shoulder as she passed and turning to look at him as she walked backwards up the street towards where a group of what appeared to be more pirates were approaching. “Well, Corso Riggs, appreciate the tip, toughen up that spine though. You’re lucky to have one, you’ll need it.”

What did that mean? “Wait… I never caught your name. Who are you?” 

She laughed at him again. “You’re right, you didn’t.” She spun around and stalked off to the pirates, same swagger in her step, his eyes glued to her as she walked to the pirates, paused to say something then continued on. It took a couple of minutes before he could process enough to move out of the way of the crowd heading to overwhelm the cantina. Whoever she had been, he was pretty sure he didn’t like her. 

Three Days Left

Corso sat at the table between his parents staring at the documents in front of him. His parents had insisted that he had the right to be part of the final negotiations and so he’d come to the meeting. The pirates had not done the same. He had gotten to meet his future aunt in-laws, they were an intimidating bunch. The leader of the pirates, they kept referring to her as “Commodore”, hadn’t been there. It had taken several hours to finalize the paperwork and he wasn’t fully happy with it, but his parents and the council assured him it was likely the best they were going to get. Honestly though, he didn’t need them to tell him that; he knew. At least he wouldn’t have to put in all the extra work to build a new house, and he’d get to see space again. That’d be nice. He’d loved traveling and seeing different planets during his time with the Peace Brigade. It was a silver lining to their insistence that he move aboard the ship with his new wife instead of her moving onto his farm, where he could stay close and help his family, could keep them and Vesha safe. He’d objected, he was doing this to protect his family, how could he do that if he wasn’t there? There’d been statements of non-negotiable, and that his farm would have extra protection. He’d caved eventually.

They were the desperate ones, the ones who needed this to work. The pirates had more flexibility, they could walk away whenever they wanted. He couldn’t. At the end though, they’d managed to reach agreement on every point and all there was left for him to do was to sign everything. The biggest hassle had surprisingly been getting the three Captains that had been sent to actually write the changes and agreements into the documents rather than having them as a verbal agreement. He couldn’t decide if it was a way to try and get away with not fulfilling their side of the arrangement or if they just didn’t believe in written contracts. Not that even those were worth anything unless both sides upheld them. But it made his parents feel better, or at least his mother. 

He sighed and picked up the pen and after closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he signed his life away. A few quick strokes of the stylus across flimsi and it was done. There’d be festivities in a few days, but he already belonged to the pirates. 

He stared down at his hands as the documents were gathered and handed over to the pirates and they prepared to leave. 

“One last thing”

 He looked up to see one of the pirates, Captain Ilma, if he wasn’t mistaken, had remained at the table and was looking directly at him, the other two stood behind her. 

“We’ll return these to the Commodore and her daughter for their signatures. Our people will be in touch to return your copies and finalize the plans for the ceremony by the end of the day. Don’t worry about that.

She placed an additional piece of Flimsi on the table with an ominous clack of nails on wood and slid it over to him. “Corso, in case no one has bothered to inform you, you will be marrying Tama Riczu, the Commodore’s only daughter and heir to command of the whole fleet. Lots of responsibility there, we expect you to meet your obligations. We’d hate to have to pull our support from the village because you failed to perform.”

With that, Captain Ilma stood and the three of them walked out of the room leaving him staring in mild shock. These karking pirates. They just kept getting more difficult.

He picked up the flimsi from the table and looked down at the holo. There was the mirialan pirate he’d met the day before, but she wasn’t alone in the picture. There was another Mirialan girl, two identical Twi’lek girls, A Nautaluan, and a blue-skinned girl with red eyes; he wasn’t familiar with the species. The six women appeared about the same age and were crowded around the controls of starship, the imperial sigil on the panel and their lack of uniforms indicating it was likely a ship they’d either raided or stolen. There weren’t any names, but given context he could assume that his bride to be “Tama” was among these women and the others, likely her close friends. He tucked the holo into a pocket and as he walked out, he couldn’t help a small part of him that hoped it was the white-haired pirate from before. At least he’d met her, and there was something… just something about her. He didn’t like her, but still… Maybe she’d be the one he was stuck with. 

                                                    Tama

Tama collapsed onto her bunk and stared up at the ceiling. Having a private room was great, especially on nights like tonight where she was thinking too much. She’d prepared everything, got her mother to add her terms to their agreement, signed the final documents and had them sent off, even had a plan for taking her own ship. They’d leave the day after the wedding. She’d wanted one of the nice Republic command ships, but there weren’t any fitting the right circumstances. She’d have to settle with a smaller Imperial ship. But that was ok, it’d be the start of her own fleet. One that would quickly outnumber the fleet as it currently stood. 

She wasn’t quite as apprehensive now that she’d had a chance to talk to the guy. He’d seemed upset, but had still managed to stand up to her, a tiny bit, but it was enough for her to know he wasn’t completely useless. She might eventually be able to tolerate the guy. If nothing else, she had to admire the jawline. He was certainly pretty. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from flirting just a bit when she’d gone out to find him.

She wasn’t sure how quick he’d take to pirate life, but he’d learn. Just like the crew would learn to follow the rules for going to the cantina in town. They didn’t like them, they didn’t have to follow them in any other Cantina on Ord Mantell or anywhere else. They would follow them here. She was putting up with a lot in order to get what she wanted. She wasn’t going to allow the ruffians of the fleet to lose it for her. 

She reached over and grabbed her datapad, starting some music through the room. Before she could really settle in though, the door burst open and a pile of her girls burst in. Dhytie, a pretty, green Nautaluan jumped onto the bed next to her, “Time to go Tama”

She sat up on her elbows looking at her best friends “Where are we supposed to be going”?”

Her cousin, Cani, a tall purple Twi’lek laughed and started pulling her up. “You’re getting married, whether you like the guy or not, means you get your own ship.” 

Cani’s twin Konis threw her jacket at her face “Your own ship and a wedding, it’s an excuse to get drunk and cause some trouble, so get your ass up.”

Kihisa, a lively Chiss woman, who’d been in the doorway with Niyu leaned forward “We already got the ship ready and we got a plan on where to hit. Lucn is covering for us with the Commodore. We’re getting away from this rock for a few hours.”

These were her favorite people in the galaxy. They always had the best ideas. Trouble and drinks were an irresistible combination. She grabbed her jacket and her friends and they rushed out to one of the small ships her mother kept aboard. Niyu already had her holocomm and credit chit and tossed them to her as they left her quarters. They passed her last cousin Lucn on their way. He simply smiled and waved at them as Niyu and Konis pulled her down the hall, clearly in the know about what the plan was. She didn’t need to know the plan with them. Not tonight anyways, she’d planned enough, tonight she was going to celebrate with the girls she’d grown up with. The rest of the crew would be at the festivities. Tonight was for the 6 of them. Well, starting tonight. Technically, she had 60 hours until her mother would need her back. It was time to see how much mischief they could cause. They could probably even push further if they wanted to. She’d always had a nose for trouble. Tonight they were seeking it out for fun.

[stellaluna33]

The Phone Call

A preview of what’s coming next in my Gilmore fic The Long And Winding Road, as a phone conversation between Jess and Luke. (You now know more than Rory will in the next chapter... No one knows this except Jess and Luke... and you.)

"Hello?"

"Hey, Luke."

"Jess.  How's it going?"

"Oh, you know.  Just fine.  You still in Nantucket?"

"Yeah.  Rory and Richie came with, as you probably know.  But we also have a, let's say, 'surprise' visitor up here today."

"Reeeeally.  Who's that?"

"Oh, none other than the great Logan Huntzberger himself, who finally deigned to see his son because he could pass it off as a polite visit to a family friend while he was 'in the area.'"

"Jeez.  He still hasn't told anyone, has he?"

"Apparently not.  Claims he's 'waiting for the right moment,' or some kinda bullsh**."

"Bastard."

"You're tellin' me.  But why'd you call?  You don't usually call this time of day."

"Yeah.  Well, I, uh… I got some news today."

"Oh yeah?  What's that?"

"So, I don't know if you remember me talking about that writer's residency program in Argentina last year?"

"Oh yeah, weren't you thinking about applying for that?"

"Yeah.  I did apply for it, actually.  There was a pretty long waiting list, though."

"Oh, I see.  So, d'you hear something about that?"

"Yeah.  Today, actually.  I, uh… I got in."

"Jess, that is fantastic news!  Good for you.  That's a really great opportunity for you."

"Yeah.  Yeah, it is.  I, uh… just… I'm not sure if I wanna take it."

"What?!!  Jess, you can't be serious!  You've been wanting to do something like this for God knows how long!  And now you've got this opportunity and you're just going to let it pass you by?"

"I don't know, it's just… I don't know if it's a good time for me to be leaving the country right now."

"What, you got something goin' on at work?"

"No...  No, it's not that, it's…  I don't know."

"Well?  What is it?  What's stopping you?"

"I just… part of me thinks that I should be here, right now.  In case… you know, in case a... friend might need me."

"In case a friend might-  Oh jeez. Jess.  Tell me you're not talking about Rory."

Jess took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily through his nose.

"Are you serious?!  Jess!  You told me you were over that!  Long over, if I remember it correctly."

"Yeah, well, I was over it!  At least, I thought I was…"

"Oh, Jess."

"I know!  I know.  I'm pathetic.  I swore I would never end up like you, and yet here I am."

"Hey!  Things didn't turn out so bad for me in the end, you know."

"I know.  You're right.  I'm worse.  I already had my chance with Rory, and I screwed it up so badly that she wishes our entire relationship had never happened."

"Jess, you were just a kid. I'm sure that's not true."

"Oh no?  Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that's exactly the way she remembers it."

"Ah jeez.  She put that in that book she's writing?"

"Yup."

"And you've been reading over it, right?"

"Yup."

"Well, sh**.  I'm sorry, Jess."

"Yeah, well, it is what it is, and it's my own damned fault, so I don't really have the right to be put out about it."

"Well, ok, but… that being the case, don't you think it's time to let this go?"

"Past time.  But that's the worst part… I've tried.  G-d, I've tried.  And I thought I was mostly ok with it, you know?  There's been occasional relapses of… regret or… moments when I've wished things could've turned out differently, but… I haven't been hoping for anything.  I've been trying to move on.  I've had relationships."

"You only went on, like, two dates with that last girl, what was her name?"

"Sylvia?"

"Yes, Sylvia!  But two dates, Jess!  You give up that quickly and you call that trying?"

"That's what I'm getting to, though.  This year has been… different.  It wasn't so bad when I only saw her for a few minutes every couple years or so, but between the wedding and the book and everything that's been going on with her lately, Rory and I have been talking all the time, and I just… I still like her more than any other woman I've ever met, Luke.  And I told myself that she hasn't wanted me for over a decade now.  She made her feelings abundantly clear, and I have offered myself up like an idiot over and over and over again, just on the off chance that she might have changed her mind, and she has turned me down every single time.  I mean, how many times does she need to say it before I get a clue?  'No means no,' right?  I'm done.  I'm not doing that again.  So, I guess we're friends now.  She really likes me as a friend, she says, so I'll be her friend and be grateful I get to spend time with her at all.  And I'm doing my best to be ok with that.  So I finally asked Sylvia out, and it was nice.  She's beautiful and interesting, and maybe it coulda gone somewhere… but then you had to go and tell Rory about it.  And she got weird, man.  She called me up, and she was comparing me to Mr. Darcy, and-"

"Am I supposed to know who the hell that is?"

"Are you serious?  You've lived with Lorelai for, what, ten years now, and she hasn't tied you down and made you watch all six f***ing hours of that BBC monstrosity?  Pride and Prejudice?  Jane Austen?  Lorelai going on and on about Colin Firth emerging from a lake in a wet shirt and breeches?  Ring any bells?"

"Ah, maybe.  I think I fell asleep about five minutes in."

"Of course you did.  Well, all you need to know is that he's the romantic hero of the story, but he's a complete ass for like, two thirds of the book, which is obviously where the resemblance lies.  So she's on a roll with that, and hey, I deserve it, but then she throws in the fact that he changes and fixes everything and the heroine can't help falling in love with him in the end.  And what the hell am I supposed to do with that?  Because last I knew, we were talking about me, and that would imply that… I don't know.  All I know is that she got all flustered and started grilling me about my date with Sylvia, that you told her about, thanks so much, and then she starts going on about how she hopes I'll be very happy and how I deserve to be happy and I deserve to be with 'someone who has her life together.'  And then she started crying and frickin' hung up on me!"

"Huh."

"Yeah!  So, that whole thing kinda threw me, and all of a sudden, I'm not so sure where I stand anymore.  I mean, am I crazy?  Is that a normal reaction to hearing that a friend is seeing someone?"

"I don't know, Jess.  It's weird, I'll give you that… but who knows, with pregnant women…"

"Well, yeah, there's that, too… But I went out with Sylvia again, because I was trying, you know?  I owed it to myself and to her to give it an honest shot, but… I couldn't… I couldn't stop thinking about that phone call, Luke.  I couldn't stop thinking about her.  Because what if this was finally, finally a chance after all these years, and could I really just let that slip away?  Could I start a relationship with someone else, knowing that I might be throwing away a shot with Rory?  And I've been saying that there wasn't any chemistry with Sylvia and me, but the truth is, I know that's all on me.  It was awkward because of me, because I was distracted and I was distant and I wasn't sure I wanted to be there.  And Sylvia deserves better than that.  It was better to end it before anybody got hurt."

"Ah, jeez, Jess."

"It's true.  I'll go ahead and say it:  I sabotaged my own attempt at having a happy relationship because I'm still hung up on my highschool girlfriend.  And there it is.  I'm such a pathetic loser."

"You're not a loser, Jess.  You've come a long way.  But she's got a baby now."

"I know that.  And even if she has changed her mind about me, the timing is so bad...  She needs me to be a friend she can depend on right now.  The last thing she needs is the stress of fending off yet more unwanted advances from her crazy ex-boyfriend who can't take no for an answer.  And I can't go there again, I just can't.  So, I'm stuck in this no-man's-land."

"So how is all this stopping you from going to Argentina?  Maybe a few months away from all this would be good for you."

"Maybe… maybe.  But I just… I broke her trust before by leaving.  I made a lot of mistakes, but that?  That was the one she couldn't forgive me for.  And I want to be there for her, I want her to know that she can count on me now, that if she needs me, I am there.  But I can't do that if I'm halfway across the world.  I'd be of no more use to her than Logan is, and I… God help me, I want her to think of me as someone who can give her something that he can't.  And if I go, I can't do that.  And I have this feeling that if I go now, that'll be it for her.  The end.  Three strikes, I'm out.  For good this time."

"Were you planning on leaving without telling her?"

"Well, no, of course I wasn't..."

"'Cause I think that was a big part of the problem last time…"

"Yeah.  I get that.  But what if she doesn't see it that way?"

"Jess, all I can say is maybe you should talk to Rory about it.  See how she feels about it."

"I guess I'll have to."

"For my part, I think you should go.  And she won't be alone, Jess.  She's got Lorelai, and me, and Lane..."

"You're right.  Who'm I kidding?  She doesn't need me anyway."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"Yeah, well, it's probably true anyway.  But it's good to know that she's got you looking out for her.  I'd need you to promise me that, if I'm gonna even consider this."

"You got it."

"Well… thanks for listening.  I guess I'd better go.  I'm gonna call Rory, like you said."

"I think that'd be a good idea."

"Yeah.  Well, talk to you later, Uncle Luke."

"Later, kid.  You… you take care of yourself, alright?"

"I always do.  But thanks."

Thank you for reading. Please, PLEASE share any comments or ask any questions you’re wondering about!  I crave your opinion. What do you think of this?  My muse is in desperate need of encouragement so I can finish writing Chapter 9 sooner rather than later!

[elopez7228]

Scenic Route 19/47

Life is too short to waste wallowing in tears. Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774 

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

***

Rey traveled south through Yellowstone for another two hours, admiring the beauty of the landscape around her: Sprawling rivers, steep slopes, verdant forests, and picturesque vistas blooming with yellow and red...

At 45 miles an hour, the speed limit was perfect for behind-the-wheel contemplation. The road was busy, no doubt filled with Americans who took maximal advantage of the national holiday by asking for a few more days off around the same time. The traffic was dense and she was obligated to slow down.

The road she had chosen took her far north from the southern entrance of the park, depositing her in Hunt Thumb Geyser Basin, where she was to join the circular loop that traversed the diameter of the park. It was time to take a break.

No one forgot their first geyser when they visited Yellowstone.

It was easy for frequent visitors and campers to forget such majesty when the park had so many of them. But for Rey, it was a first, and she lacked the words to express her sheer wonder at the sight.

Translucent streams of boiling water pooled in massive basins and flowed into the lakes below, creating a soft, steamy mist that glided over sedimentary rock and bubbled gently over the muddy banks. It was fascinating to watch. Finn would have loved to see it, she thought with no small amount of chagrin. Hadn’t they planned their entire honeymoon around Yellowstone?

Consulting her phone, she realized that it would be late enough in the morning to be able to call home.

“Hello, Rey,” Her heart felt too tight for her chest.

It was Poe who answered on the first ring. She was still furious she had to listen to the voice of the man who had ruined her once peaceful life. Still, she made an effort to keep the venom out of her voice. “Oh, yes, hello. How is he? Any news?”

“Nothing new, he’s the same as last night. They hooked him up to a ventilator. Rey, if—if you could see what they did to him,” she could hear Poe’s voice braking. “I have photos, evidence for the police, but I don’t know if...if you would even want to see them?”

Rey hesitated. Should she see them? Should she look upon the face she kissed a thousand times to find it broken and disfigured? She chewed on her lip. It was time to stop running from her problems.

“Yeah. Send them to me, I want to see what you’ve been through. I’m sorry I’m not there in person—“

“You have nothing to be sorry for, you did nothing wrong.” Poe interrupted her, “and you have the right to be angry too...about what happened, I’m...I’m sorry about that.”

“Oh, really? You’re sorry?”

“Yeah, I never wanted it to end up like this. What you guys had, it was so—“

“Oh, spare me your act, Poe. Would you dare tell me that if you could go back you wouldn’t do it all over again?”

Poe was silent. Rey listened to his unsteady breathing on the other side.  There was no good answer to this question. If he admitted regretting his decision to become Finn’s beau, then he wasn’t truly in love. But if he didn’t regret breaking Rey's marriage, then she was entitled hate him.

“That’s what I thought.” Rey snapped, her voice frigid. “You're not sorry in the least...so you'll excuse me if I don’t feel like having this conversation right now.”

"I understand.” Poe replied.

There was no need to elaborate. Her wounds were still fresh.

She took a deep breath. In the name of Finn's health, she would put aside her injured pride.

“What do the doctors say?  Will he recover?”

“Cranial trauma. Fractured ribs that punctured his lung. Bruises everywhere... he has a broken nose, a split lip, and a black eye. I couldn’t count all the bruises.”

Rey felt tears burning under her eyelids.  She wiped them with the back of her hand. “Bloody monstrous. And you, how are you holding up?”

"Yeah, I also have a broken rib and I took some hits, but it's nothing. They really got him.”

"But why?” She cried, “why were they hell-bent on Finn?”

Poe let out a sigh of impatience through the speaker. Finally, he snapped. “Well what do you think, Rey?  Because he’s black! He’s black and gay, and he was beaten half to death for it. Those skinheads screamed at him to go back where he came from, and that they were going to bust his homo ass, and they really beat him up. Him, not me.”

Poe took a breath, his voice breaking into a sob, but he didn’t give Rey time to respond. “I didn’t know how to protect him. I took shots at them but...I didn’t know...I didn’t know what else to do, I’m sorry.”

With her hand on her mouth to keep her terrified emotions at bay, Rey listened to what seemed to a living nightmare. Poe sighed mournfully in the distance.

She could not find the words; her mind suddenly seemed empty. How this could have happened in this day and age was beyond her. “But...but Finn is English, he was born in Devon, and his parents too!”

“Grow up, Rey, come out of the clouds.” Poe replied wearily. “Time to let go of the Care Bears.”

His last sentence was so laden with exhaustion and bitterness that it brought her back to the present. “I'll call you back tomorrow.  If there’s news in the meantime, call me, promise?” She managed to articulate.

“Promise. Anyway, try to enjoy your vacation. Life is too short to waste wallowing in tears. I’ll watch over him.”

It took several minutes for her to recover from that conversation. In a few sentences, in a few words, Poe had certainly upset her, but had also exposed himself. She had prepared for a confrontation, for the opportunity to shower Poe with insults, to make him pay for her sorrow, to make him carry the cross for inflicting such misery on all three of them...but he had been brimming with sincerity, and (though she hated to admit it) was more affected by this whole thing than she was.

She blew her nose and dried her tears. What would she have wanted instead? To marry a man who did not love her, not like that at least, and then find herself stuck in an unhappy marriage where all three of them would have been miserable?  

So what if she already paid the for the catering and the decor and all the bells and whistles? Finn was between life and death and he didn’t know that she had forgiven him. Unlike the wedding, that was truly priceless.

She would talk to Poe about it tomorrow.  It was time to make nice with each other.

Rummaging in her bag, she found an old envelope and a tiny pencil. She hastily scribbled the words on the back of it before putting it in the glove box.

Life is too short to waste wallowing in tears.

That would be her motto now. And she was going to start right away.

Heart pounding, she wrote a text to Ben.

Hello Ben, I left for Yellowstone. I needed a change of pace, I won’t be at the concert tonight. What are your upcoming dates? Rey

Her phone lit up a few seconds later, but not with the response she was expecting. Her eyes widened in horror. With trembling hands, she opened the attachments that had just been sent to her by Poe. It was Finn's photographs. He was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to complicated machinery with tubes and wires. His right eye was huge, swollen and purpling. Below the bandages that covered his chest and shoulders, his skin bore a myriad of scars and bruises. Rey locked the phone, finding the photos unbearable.  Finn wasn’t even thirty and he was going to die. Life is too short to waste, Poe’s advice rang in her ears.

She forced herself to breathe deeply.  She would deal with it tomorrow.

Heart heavy, Rey spent a few minutes playing fetch with BB8, and the little dog's enthusiasm consoled her for a while. She was giving the dog a drink when she received an answer from Ben.

Montana: Gardiner 7th, Bozeman 10th, Helena 13th, Missoula 15th. Idaho: Grangeville, Boise. Oregon...Will I see you again?

She hesitated. Gardiner was just north of Yellowstone, which meant she could spend two days sightseeing. It was plausible. The band’s tour then continued further north than her route allowed.  Could she make a detour? The real question was, did she want to?

She hastily typed her response:

We’ll see. I would hate to be predictable. xoxo

There was something about Ben Solo that she couldn’t pin down. She had been shocked by the intensity of his advances, he was almost too sure of himself, too dashing. But she was even more surprised at herself, at how quickly she’d yielded to his desires.

She needed to wait it out. She would give him a second chance, why not? But this time, she would be the one calling the shots. And right now, she had other concerns. Finn (her ex-fiancé-but-nevertheless-best-friend) was fighting for his life, BB8 needed to get home safely, she had to deal with dangers on the road (hello, blonde who tried to rob her), she still needed to find Leia Skywalker, and most importantly, she had to explore the majesty of the most beautiful national park ever.

Stretching, she nibbled on a forgotten cookie at the bottom of the package.  Then, having exhausted the short list of distractions at her disposal, she decided to take the Falcon west, down the road leading to the famous Old Faithful. For as long as anyone could remember, the geyser sprang into action precisely every ninety minutes, reaching a height of over 50 feet. She would also be able to take advantage of the nearby visitor center to plan out her visit.

Rey eased the car forward, about to exit the parking, when a sudden noise made her jump. She turned to find someone tapping at her windshield. There stood a short Asian woman with thick-rimmed spectacles framing her beady almond-shaped eyes. Her hair was gathered up in a scarf and the rest of her outfit seemed like it was composed of mismatched clothes bought from the various markets of Kathmandu. Perplexed, Rey turned the crank to lower her window.

“Hello?” She said cautiously, “can I help you?”

“Hello young lady, would you mind hitching me a ride?  I'm walking this way.”

“Hitchhiking?” Rey marveled. “But I dunno if...how far are you going?”

“To Alaska! “ The woman laughed, and Rey wondered if she was serious. “Darling, I will go as far as you take me.”

Rey grimaced. “But I’m not going terribly far...I was going to stop at Old Faithful, it's only 18 miles away from here.”

“It will always be thirty kilometers traveled without effort. Okay with you?  My name is Maz.”

Rey paused.  She had routinely been warned against hitchhikers, and had heard dozens of terrifying stories about assaults and robberies.  But then again, the only people she had spoken to since her arrival in the United States were Ben Solo and his gang—No, that wasn’t true, she had also met Rose and Leia Skywalker, before everything went sideways.

But this little woman seemed harmless, with her harem pants and tin jewelry. It wouldn’t cost Rey much to drive her 18 miles.

“I’m Rey,” she nodded, “get in.”

At a surprisingly quick pace, old Maz walked around the Millenium Falcon and opened the door on the passenger side.  She settled in the seat yet her legs were so short that they barely touched the ground.  She was carrying a backpack as worn as it was dirty, which she slipped on the floor between her legs.

"Do you want to put that in the boot, or erm—the trunk?” Rey suggested. “There’s plenty of space.”

“Oh no, it’s no bother,” smiled Maz. “For 18 miles it's not worth it.”

Rey did not insist and began driving again, cautiously making her way through tourist-friendly areas full of cars of all sizes, and motorhomes as big as buses.

“It's pretty, your accent,” Maz remarked casually. “You’re English?”

"Yes, from London," Rey replied politely.

“You are on vacation, I assume?”

“On my honeymoon.”

Maz looked behind her, as if to look for the missing husband in the back seat. She found no one but BB8, who looked back at her with her head held high and her tongue hanging out. Rey felt her discomfort and abruptly put an end to her silent questions.

“I’m on my honeymoon alone...it's complicated.  The marriage was annulled.” She provided.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," the little woman said gently, rushing to change the subject. “You plan to travel far, like that, all alone?”

“Not to Alaska, hopefully.”

Maz laughed, and Rey relaxed a little.  She went on: "I'm going to California, through Montana and Idaho.  I wanted to see forests, all the open spaces. Everything is so much bigger than what I’m used to...And what a lot you? Are you really going to Alaska?”

“Yes, and hitchhiking too. At my age, I have all the time I can spare! Not like young people who are always in a hurry...”

"I don’t know if I'm in a hurry," Rey mused.  “But sometimes I feel like I’m in another world. Like a galaxy far, far away.”

“Isn’t it normal for a ray to have her head in the clouds?” Maz smiled.

Rey pouted. “You're the second person to make that joke this morning .”

All her life, she had been subject to jokes and expressions involving rays of sunshine, clouds, rainbows...and it was rather charming, in general.  But Poe's words, although based on a half-stupid pun, had hurt her.  He was right: she had to go back down to earth, to reality. And since she was out here making good resolutions, she ought to try not to be the victim of her own emotions and to act according to her reason rather than her impulses.

Here’s to big resolutions.

[otome-reviews]

My Wedding and 7 Rings: Asahi Route Review [SPOILERS]

Once upon a time, I naively thought that Eisuke’s route in Kissed by the Baddest Bidder was the worst I’d ever have the misfortune of reading. Well, my friends. I’m delighted (?) to inform you that we have a new winner, in the the form of Asahi and his blood pressure-raising route.

Let’s start from the top, shall we? MC works for Sanno Corp, a conglomerate run by an affable CEO (aka her unknown/secret grandfather), who passes away. In his final days, he arranges for MC’s future “happiness” on her behalf, by setting up a Marriage Program for MC to pick a husband and future CEO among six up-and-coming male employees (no women allowed??). Instead of, you know, giving MC leadership training while he was alive so she could try being CEO herself like a proper loving grandfather, or something...

Anyways, MC is conned into signing a contract agreeing to the Marriage Program, while being told it’s paperwork for the company’s MVP award, by the shady interim CEO. Long story short, if she fails to find a husband before a year is up, the company will be forced to dissolve without a CEO, and she’ll be forced to pay everyone’s severance pay. So... I don’t know what the rules and regulations surrounding contracts are in Japan, but I can’t imagine that this'd hold up in court? There was a whole auditorium’s worth of people who could testify that MC was pressured into signing, after all. And according to Google, severance pay isn’t required in Japan if a company can’t continue its business due to “unavoidable circumstances” -- such as, say, an asshat ex-CEO who set up a terrible program for his granddaughter instead of getting to know her like a normal person?!

Anyways, because there is something seriously wrong with MC, she picks Asahi, aka very obviously the rudest of the bunch, to be her first marriage candidate during a month-long trial period. Asahi is a rich, privileged, and entitled douchebag who doesn’t understand poor/middle class people. He thinks he’s God’s gift to womankind because he’s handsome. And although MC is the one who holds all the cards as, you know, the person who picks the next CEO, he doesn’t hesitate to order MC around constantly (“Don’t do anything without my say-so!”), insults her, and regularly compares her to a pet dog. Ugh.

Oh, and he tries to have nonconsensual sex with her. TWICE. His rationale, after MC manages to ward him off? “This is the first time a girl has rejected my advances!” ...That doesn’t excuse shit, you asshole. And to top it all off, unlike other characters under the douchey alpha male trope who stop insulting MC halfway through, Asahi doesn’t really ever quit (“Plain IS your specialty.” - Episode 10 out of 13).

( ^this would’ve been a lovely CG if it were consensual >( )

All that alone is already enough to make me hate Asahi, and his route, quite passionately. But it gets worse. Throughout the entire story, Asahi forces MC to help him with a project to revitalize a Japanese village by bringing European luxury brands into the village and turning it into a tourist destination (weird, but sure, let’s roll with it). MC is Asahi’s assistant, but in reality, she is the only reason why the project even manages to succeed:

When Asahi rudely rejects a petition containing the villagers’ concerns about the project, MC is the one who listens to their complaints. And then Asahi gets PISSED at her for acting independently, and rips up the petition (!!) (“You’ll understand someday. Money and power are all that matter”). Douche doesn’t even begin to cover it. Psychopath?!

After a deal with a French CEO falls through due to Asahi’s evil half-brother’s meddling, MC and Asahi encounter a lost crying kid. MC wants to help the kid, Asahi wants to get the police to deal with it and call it a day. He’s super rude about it. But surprise surprise, said kid turns out to be the French CEO’s son, and that is the only reason why the Frenchman even gives Sanno Corp a chance. Without MC’s kindness, the project would’ve failed. Utterly. Because Asahi is an incompetent little shit.

The townspeople are upset over traditions being thrown out the window, and because MC’s the only person who ever listened to their concerns, she’s the one who comes up with the idea of embracing these old traditions even as they introduce new Western elements to the town’s stores, and mixing old with new. There is no way entitled little rich kid Asahi would’ve been able to come up with this on his own.

So what happens at the end of the route, you ask? Surely MC gets rewarded professionally for her excellent people skills and business acumen? HAH...don’t make me laugh. Here’s what happens:

MC writes an excellent project proposal as a last ditch effort, which Asahi utterly ignores because he went off to do his own thing regarding the deal. He praises MC, but who gives a shit? Words are cheap. I want actual, tangible, career success for MC.

The Frenchman announces, in a news conference, that he’ll be making a deal with Sanno Corp, and demands to work, more specifically, with his good friend Asahi. Um, excuse me, but WTF?!?!? Who was the one who helped his kid, again? Who was the one who came up with the proposal in the first place? Way to devalue a woman’s work and let another man get all the credit, dude! This makes me so mad asdfhqkjdhqfqdjfsh

Most annoyingly, Asahi presumably gets to be the next CEO, since MC obviously chooses him. Despite the fact that he’s so bad with people it’s unfathomable how he even got to where he was before he met MC...

This whole saga, with MC’s efforts and kindness being brushed aside/unrecognized, and the useless Asahi reaping the rewards of all of MC’s hard work, really really boiled my blood. As a working woman with ambitions, the whole work subplot represents many of my greatest fears regarding sexism in the professional workplace. It was, in a way, even more infuriating than Asahi’s romantic shittiness, because despite being ridiculous and unrealistic, everything still felt allll too fucking real.

After my extended rant regarding Eisuke a while back, several people pointed out that Eisuke’s character evolution over the course of many stories is what makes him truly great. I’m a little dubious, to be very honest, but I can respect that. But as for Asahi? IMHO this little dipshit doesn’t deserve future character evolution. He’s already used MC for professional success! He doesn’t get to just waltz in and reap the rewards of “becoming a better man” due to MC’s hard work and effort. What does MC even get out of this whole deal?? A good, rich man who loves her!? Yeah, no thanks. She could’ve gotten that from one of the many other less douchey love interests, probably without all this wasted emotional labor.

At the end of the day, Asahi and his route embodies several tropes/fantasies that I understand are very popular (and maybe even more popular in Japan, I wouldn’t know), and I can’t blame Voltage for catering to their audience (and even, perhaps, to you, the reader). He’s rich, he’s an “alpha male,” yadda yadda...I get it. But it’s definitely not a trope for me, and even less so given that whole crappy work thing. So. To reiterate, this has been the single most infuriating route I’ve had the displeasure of reading, to date. And because I strongly believe Asahi does not deserve to improve at the cost of MC’s suffering and sacrifice, I have no plans to give any of his sequels a chance. >(

(If this review actually made you want to check out Asahi’s route, my apologies - the free promotion has long since ended. But you can still enjoy (?) the story on Voltage’s Love365 app using coins!)

Choice quotes: “Aren’t you going to say, ‘I’m leaving for work, master’ on your way out?” “I’m leaving for work... you naked fathead!” “If you’re waiting for the day I take orders from you, 100 years won’t be enough.”

Personality: 1/10 Asahi is a rude asshole who lacks empathy and doesn’t know his damn place. He is such a rich douchebag stereotype.

Appearance: 8/10. Unfortunately.

MC: 6/10. I liked MC’s sass and work ethic, but she has terrible taste in men and is way too happy about the tiny breadcrumbs of kindness Asahi occasionally throws at her.

Plot/Payoff: 0/10. Horrifying for a working woman. >(

Personal enjoyment: 0/10. No

Masterlist

[kieraembers]

Valyrian Steel Chapter 22  Sansa Arryn

I hit a block with this, but after the absolute clusterf*ck from this season I’ve decided to update this. Anger is a great motivator for writing fanfics.  This chapter focuses on the Stark sisters, it’s not sugarplums and rainbows, but it’s definitely not as antagonistic as dumb and dumbers portrayal. 

available here

Sansa woke early in the morning before the sun started peeking over the horizon. Harry was sleeping soundly next to her, his hand over her still flat stomach. Sansa smiled as she gently removed his hand to slip out of bed. A howl sounded far off and Sansa listened happily, Harry had complained about the noise before, but she felt happy hearing them. Arya had promised Sansa a pup if Nymeria ever whelped a litter, it was very kind of her.

Arya spent most of her time with Daenerys, or training Jon and Prince Aegon on dragon taming, always with Ser Gendry following close behind. At night she and Rickon would ride out on the backs of their wolves for a hunt and eat in the Brotherhood tent with the Lady Stone-heart.

Sansa shuddered remembering the scarred grey face and haunting eyes of the woman who was once her mother. She screamed when the corpse reached for her, while Rickon hugged her tight and looked at Sansa as if she had done something wrong. She refused to go in that tent again after that night. That thing wasn’t her beautiful noble mother who brushed her hair every night. Rickon couldn’t see that, he was three when he last saw her, but she was his mother. Arya didn’t care, she said it was just a piece of mother and that was enough for her.

Harry had sent word to Lady Waynwood and Lord Baelish to call the banners and march the men North. He wanted to send her back to the Vale but Sansa refused, she wanted to stay as far away from Baelish as possible. She was not far along and this camp was the safest place for her and her growing family. When the maesters told her that she was pregnant she had felt joy, joy and dread. Petyr would soon make his move. Harry just lifted her in the air with a great laugh kissing her in front of the entire camp. He’d gotten roaring drunk and was found the next morning naked and dozing off in front of the wierwood. She had scolded him for risking the frostbite and sickness, Harry just kissed her and told her to warm him up. He was utterly foolish but she went along with his request laughing. Arya told them several days later that Nymeria heard two heart beats not one, Harry had strutted around camp like a proud peacock yelling “twins, my wife is having twins!” every few paces. Sansa had hoped he would keep the pregnancy quiet, she did not want to disappoint everyone.

The sun started to peek through an opening in the tent and Sansa dressed quickly. Arya would be leaving today to go to the Twins with Willas, Jon and Tyrion. When Sansa met Willas she was surprised, the dreams she had of him and High Garden were so long ago. He was handsome, not so handsome as Harry or Aegon, but still handsome with kinds eyes and a soft smile. Mya said that he paled next to the rest but Sansa disagreed. When tensions and tempers ran high he maintained a cool calm and used his intellect and manners to quiet the room. He was everything Margaery said he would be, but Sansa was more than happy with Harry. Willas politely spoke to her of Margaery and Loras, beyond that he made no advances farther than a polite kiss on her hand.

Once Sansa was dressed she made her way to the wierwood Arya liked to sleep by. Nymeria was with her and for a moment Sansa felt jealous, she missed Lady, but there was nothing to be done about it. Nymeria propped her head up and yawned, there was blood on her muzzle. Arya sat up and tilted her head with Nymeria in question. Sansa had to smile, Arya and Nymeria had been separated by an ocean for years but they still moved in sync with each other.

“I was hoping we could spend some time together before you leave.”

Arya sat up and tossed a twig into the flames motioning for Sansa to join her by the campfire she had built.

“Have you decided to listen to Ser Gendry?” Sansa asked gently.

Arya frowned. “Possibly, I don’t want to admit it but that idiot was right. I’ve turned into Tywin or Cersei. But if that’s what I have to do to keep everyone safe I’ll do it.”

Sansa grasped her sisters’ hands. “Listen to him. You do not need to kill everyone. Daenerys already agreed to revoke their lands and titles, all you have to do is get the hostages out.”

“And kill anyone who had something to do with the Red Wedding.” She said back coldly.

“Arya, you don’t have to keep killing. You’re family is back.” Sansa tried to cajole her sister but Arya shrugged her off and stood.

“Blood for blood, I won’t wipe them out entirely, but I will kill Walder Frey and any son who took part.” She said angrily and stomped away. Sansa sighed and rose to return to her tent. Arya needed to cool down, and then they could speak calmly.

Harry was awake a dressing, he reached over and kissed her deeply before letting go with a smile. “What shall we do today?”

“We need to figure out what to do with Lord Baelish with the others.”Sansa said stepping away from him so that he might take the situation seriously. Harry sighed and sat down holding her gaze.

“You should have told the Lords of the Vale how your aunt truly died.”

“If I told them now it would sound like a falsehood, they would turn against me and accuse me of being complicit. Lysa was mad and she would have killed me, Petyr did what he had to.”

“What about what Lysa said, about the tears and the letter?” Harry asked

“I don’t want to condemn him on the ravings of a madwoman. It would be best is Daenerys appointed him to a position across the narrow sea.” Sansa said as she mulled over the situation.

Harry groaned. “Or we could just have him killed, gods know your sister would be happy enough to do it.”

Sansa rubbed her hands together with worry, she wanted to avoid violence, especially if it meant Arya descending further into her violent tendencies.“Arya’s done enough, we can’t just use her when it’s convenient. She’s not an assassin anymore, she’s a lady.”

“I think she would argue with you on that point.” Harry said as he reached for her and pulled her into his lap. He kissed the nape of her neck and held her tight. He wasn’t trying to lay with her only comfort her and Sansa leaned into the kiss.

“We should discuss this with Daenerys and Tyrion, get an outside opinion.” Harry said as trailed kisses along her neck while Sansa nodded in agreement. She kissed him back and let him run his hands up towards her chest. She would have lay with him if it were not for someone calling for them from outside. Harry leaned his head back and groaned while Sansa laughed and kissed his nose. They both straightened their clothes and allowed their visitor in.

Mya strolled in and shot them both a mirthful grin. “Did I interrupt something?” She asked with a suggestive wink that made Sansa blush and Harry laugh. Mya served herself some wine and made herself at home.

“Rickon wants to take his new brother-in-law on a hunt. Lanna is walking about with Arya and the Queen, they invited us to join. Don’t leave me alone with these people.”

Sansa smiled, Mya actually enjoyed the company of all those people she just knew that Sansa wanted to spend more time with her sister. “Of course. Will you be wearing that?” Sansa said motioning to Mya’s leathers.

Mya let out a groan and Sansa was reminded of her sister, “We will be walking with the Queen and the future Lady of the Rock.” Sansa said with an inclination of her head.

“Only because Arya is wearing one, the Queen insisted and she always listens.” Sansa felt a twinge of jealousy at how close Daenerys was to Arya, they were always whispering in each other’s ears and laughing at some private joke. Mya strolled out and called back loudly behind her. “It will give you and your husband time to fuck again.”

Sansa blushed furiously while Harry rolled on the ground laughing as they heard the men of the camp cheer lustily. Sansa stepped out, ignoring the men, and scooped up some ice that she threw at her ridiculous husband who cried out when some of the ice ran down his shirt. He got up and gave Sansa a dangerous look that made her flee outside while he followed closely behind. She screamed when he tossed snow at her head and kicked some in his direction. Harry caught up with her quickly dragging her down to the snow laughing. He kissed and tickled her while she shoved snow on his head screaming in delight. They stopped when Nymeria and Ghost landed on them lapping up the snow from their faces. Rickon and Shaggy-dog landed on them with a war cry from her brother who tossed a large snowball at Harry while Jon looked on laughing beside Arya, Lanna, Aegon and the Queen. Lanna dragged Arya into the fray and Mya joined in, possibly with the intent to ruin her dress. Jon tossed a snowball at Aegon’s face and Danerys laughed. Daenerys bent over to try and make a snowball but it fell apart in her hands and she glared at the snow as if she were about to command it to hold its shape. Jon showed her how to make a snowball while Arya shoved snow down the shirt of their future king who was cursing and laughing.

Harry held Sansa close and whispered battle plans in her ear and Sansa felt giddy, she had not played since Winterfell and for a moment she felt her family was whole. Arya appeared with a bucket filled with snow and dumped it on their heads before running towards Jon with a wicked laugh. Sansa saw the happy wild girl that she had grown up with and felt joy. Beneath the murderous intent and the assassin training her sister was still there. Underneath the rage there was still a chance for her to live a happy life. Sansa noticed Gendry and Willas watching from the sidelines with a small smile and was grateful for his presence. Gendry had brought Arya back from the brink and even if her sister didn’t know it, he was a good influence. Mya invited them to join but they both shook their head, Willas pointed towards his leg and Gendry simply walked away. The tussle in the snow stopped when Lanna sneezed and Arya fretted over her. The two were close and Sansa felt jealous, Arya and Lanna had known each other for years in Braavos, they acted like sisters. Arya hustled Lanna away and the rest dispersed still smiling.

Sansa and Harry went back into their tent to change out of their wet clothes. Harry used the opportunity to “warm” her up with some quick and sweet love making. They changed quickly and he ran out to join Rickon and Jon on their hunt kissing her on his way out.

Sansa joined the queen and her company by the wierwood, they were laughing at a rowdy joke Mya was making. Mya was wearing a blue velvet dress Sansa had made for her a year ago when she was still Alayne Stone. She looked very pretty and Lanna was braiding her short hair into a cute bun. Arya was wearing a white dress with grey direwolves embroidered along the shoulders, a gift from the Queen no doubt. Daenerys was braiding her hair and Sansa wanted to nudge the Queen aside and take her place with her sister. Instead she curtsied gracefully and sat on a cloak that had been laid out for her. Missandei was bundled up in furs and sat close to the fire, it never snowed in Naath.

“We’re discussing embarrassing sex stories, do you have any to add?” Lanna asked with a playful wink. Sansa stiffened while the other ladies waited.

“I’m happy to say Harrold hasn’t given me cause to add to this conversation.” Sansa said politely.

“What about you Arya?” Mya said taking the attention off Sansa.

Arya thought for a moment and Sansa was horrified that her sister had given up her maidenhead. “I had a job where a man liked young girls, showed up like a gift wrapped present. gelded him before I killed him.”

Lanna slapped Arya on the shoulder, “That isn’t the kind of story that we wanted.”

“It’s the only kind I have, I still have my maidenhead.” She added looking at Sansa who sighed with relief.

“Well get to it, gods know Gendry would be more than happy to help.” Lanna teased while Arya blushed furiously.

“Shut up stupid, like I’d ever waste my time with that kind of crap!”

Mya and Lanna laughed at her reaction while Daenerys had the good grace to cover her smile with her sleeve. Arya stood and Sansa feared that she would stomp away again when Danerys asked her to sit again. Arya pouted and sat angrily obeying her queen.

Sansa watched closely as Daenerys calmed Arya and continued to twist and braid her hair to the side weaving blue ribbons as she went along. “Have you decided on a name?” Daenerys asked Sansa kindly.

“If they’re boys Eddard and Robert. If they are girls Catelyn and Lyarra.” Sansa said happily as she ignored the envious feelings she held towards the queen.

“Good names,” Arya said as she brushed Nymeria’s fur.

“I was hoping to speak to the Queen about an issue I’m having. It’s slightly personal.” Sansa said looking towards the other women present.

“I trust Missandei and Arya with everything, Lanna will learn about whatever we speak of from either Arya or her father, and I think you trust Mya.” Daenerys said, the other women kept to their seats and Sansa fidgeted.

“It concerns Lord Baelish.” Sansa started hesitantly.

“Father hates him, he says that Baelish framed him for the attempted assassination of your brother.” Lanna said to Arya who suddenly focused on the conversation. Sansa did not know about the assassination attempt and listened closely as Lanna spoke of a Valyrian steel dagger that had found its way into the would-be assassin’s hands after Tyrion lost it in a bet to Petyr. Sansa felt a huge wave of dread and Nymeria licked her fingers in an attempt to comfort her.

“That wasn’t all, he killed my aunt Lysa. She was trying to kill me and she was raving about tears for Jon Arryn and letters for mother.” Sansa went into depth about the ravings of Lysa and her past relationship with Petyr. She also told them of her suspicions, Petyr’s plans to kill Harry and marry her placing himself in control of the Vale, the North and possibly the Riverlands. Arya’s expression darkened with each passing word.

“The tears of Lys would have killed Jon Arryn, in an older victim it would appear like a simple stomach bug and fever took them. Obviously Lysa wrote a letter to mother to throw suspicion towards the Lannisters. Petyr orchestrated the war of the Five Kings to bring three great houses to their knees under his power, vengeance for humiliating him and keeping him from our mother. He dies.”

“Arya he saved me.” Sansa pleaded, hoping to draw her sister back from the darkness.

“So did the Hound, saved you from the mob and me from the Freys, yet I left him to his long and painful death.” Arya said with a cold look in her eyes that sent chills down Sansa’s spine. “We fought side by side, but I didn’t forget Mycah. He begged me for a quick death and I left him to suffer.” Sansa felt as if an icy cold grip had taken hold of her heart. Arya glared at her with all the rage and anger she had after the butcher-boy died. Her sister was all cold fury and it scared Sansa almost as much as the corpse that had her mothers face.

“We have to deal with the hostage situation in the Twins and I need you to rally your house. You can have your vengeance after the situation in the North is dealt with.” Daenerys said finishing Arya’s braid. “Then you can kill him, or we can have a public execution so that the world knows what he has done. Whichever you prefer.”

“So long as I swing the sword.” Arya said in agreement. The cold rage left her eyes and there was nothing there but chilling apathy.

“Your brother’s cute, but broody. Do you mind if I play with him?” Lanna asked drawing the conversation away and lightening the expression on Arya’s face to playful outrage. “Stupid! He’s not a toy.”

“But he blushes so prettily whenever I flirt.” Lanna said with a laugh and the conversation flowed again.

)O(

Harrold came back later that day helping Jon carry a large boar, the wolves hopped around them but Shaggy-dog kept them in line. Harry had a few snow fox pelts tied to his belt and handed the pelts to one of his men to salt and tan. He promised the pelts to sansa for a future cloak and kissed her check. They went back to their tent and Sansa told him about her conversation with the queen.

“Your sister agreed to handle the situation. Don’t worry about it anymore. The maester said to avoid stress, twins can strain your body.” Harry said when Sansa updated him on the situation. “I’ll tell Waynwood and Royce to keep an eye on him and monitor his correspondence. He’ll be arrested for the attempt on your brother’s life and plotting the murder of Jon Arryn. I don’t want you to think about it anymore.” Harry said sitting her down next to him. Sansa nervously wrung her hangs and he stopped her by laying her down and holding her.

“We are not moving from this spot until you calm down.” He said forcefully

“We have to, Arya and Jon will be leaving soon. I have to see them off.” Sansa tried to wriggle away but he held firm.

“Then calm down.” He said as he tightened his grip.

“She’s a lady, my little sister, she shouldn’t be killing anyone.” Sansa relaxed into his embrace and held his hand.

“Your sister is about as much a lady as I am. She looks pretty in a dress, a skill I can’t claim, but she has killed more men than I have. You don’t need to protect her.”

“I never did, not even when we were girls. I tried to get her to be more lady like. To help her with her studies.” Sansa said tears pricking at her eyes. “We’re too different, I can’t reach her.”

“She loves you, she wouldn’t have threatened me if she didn’t” Sansa looked up at him and Harry smiled. “First night she showed up, when I was naked by the wierwood she held a dagger to my manhood and told me that if I ever hurt you that no one would find my body, only my manhood lying in a puddle of blood. I was so drunk and afraid I almost pissed myself. Especially since her damn wolf was there watching me like I was her next meal. No one would do that for someone that they don’t love.”

Sansa laughed into his chest and Harry admonished her. “Honestly you Starks have terrible senses of humor, does danger towards my manhood really amuse you so much.” Sansa continued to laugh with relief, her sister was not completely lost to her.

Harry had some tea brought for Sansa and made her finish it before going with her to see her brother and sister off. He walked with her towards the end of the camp and saw Arya storm out of the stables with Nymeria and a horse in tow. Gendry walked out a few moments afterwards with his own horse. He saw Sansa and bowed.

“Lord and Lady Arryn.”

“Ser Gendry,” Sansa greeted him and he continued on his way. “Wonder what that was about,” Sansa said as she watched Arya avoid contact with him.

“Assassin or no your sister is still a girl.” Harrold said with a smile. “She might not acknowledge it, but she is aware of him.”

“It would be a good match if he becomes the lord of the Stormlands.” Sansa said pensively and Harrold laughed.

“Leave them be love, best not to meddle with those two.” Harry kissed her nose and nudged her towards the departing party. Tyrion called out to her and she joined the Lannisters.

“Sweet Sansa, look at what my lovely daughter made for my departure.” Tyrion said as he displayed his red scarf and cap. Lanna, who was normally confident and flirtatious, blushed shyly at her fathers’ compliments. Tyrion pulled the cap over his ears and wound the long scarf about his neck.

“I told you I would make you another one.” Lanna said tugging on the scarf. “I’ve gotten better at knitting and this thing is too long. You’ll get it caught in a branch and hang yourself.”

Sansa giggle while Harry laughed at that last comment. Tyrion waved away her concerns. “Nonsense, I wouldn’t trade your first gift for all the gold in Lannisport.”

The lady Tysha bent over and adjusted Tyrion’s scarf so that it was not dragging behind him. Sansa smiled, Tyrion deserved to be loved and she was happy for him.

“Stay safe Lord Lannister.” Sansa said with a graceful bow. Tyrion smilled at her and kissed her hand. “You too sweet Sansa. Baelish will not abandon his plans just because you are not within reach. Arya wants to ride to the Vale afterwards and deal with him, I may be inclined to join her.” He whispered.

Sansa and Harry continued on their path to where Arya and Jon were. They had separated from the main host so their wolves would not bother the rest of the mounts. Daenerys and Aegon were with them, along with Willas Tyrell who greeted them amicably. He was sitting on the ground sketching Ghost. Harry went to greet Jon while Sansa approached Willas.

“I did not know you drew.” She said as she looked down at his sketch of Ghost.

“Not often, I find that I have less time for it, but I couldn’t resist.” He said motioning towards the direwolves.

“I’d never seen a dire wolf before, exceptional breed with a variety in coat colors. The illustrations in the bestiary at High Garden do them no justice. There are plenty of illustrations of dragons, I even made a few of my own. But not enough of the wolves. And the wierwoods are a good subject for drawing, each face is unique.” Willas said in an excited animated voice that Sansa had not heard before.

“Your sister told me that you enjoy breeding animals.”

“Very much so. It’s fascinating how changeable hounds are after only a few generations. The variations along make them the most moldable species. I believe that they are descendants of wolves. When you look at how different each breed is you wonder at how so much change happened over such a short amount of time. Direwolves on the other hands don’t seem to breed with normal wolves even if they hunt together. Nymeria led a large pack and never whelped a litter. Ghost is a fascinating specimen, I have never seen a mute wolf or hound, let alone an albino. Was your wolf….” Willas trailed off and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry my lady. I forget myself. Often times my brothers tell me that I ramble worse than any maester.”

Sansa smiled at him. “No offense given Lord Tyrell. Lady was a gentle creature, although she did not grow into adulthood. She had coloring lighter than Nymerias and yellow eyes. Lady was the smallest of the litter and the gentlest. She never bit anyone and did not like to play fight like the others. Arya promised me a pup if Nymeria ever whelped. ” Sansa said watching the other wolves tussle.

“It almost gives credence to the old saying the kennel master told me. When you bond with a hound they become a reflection of you. Perhaps it’s the same for your wolves. They do seem similar to their owners.”

“We aren’t their owners”, Sansa gently corrected him. “We are their pack.”

Willas stared at her for a moment with a strange expression. Sansa was about to ask him what was wrong when Harry called her over. She excused herself and Willas thanked her for the company.

“What did Willas want?” Harry asked looking over at the other man still sketching.

“To ask me about Lady, he wanted to add his drawings of the direwolves to his bestiary.”

“Ah,” Harry said with a relieved smile.

“Were you jealous.” Sansa smiled wickedly and he laughed.

“Hardly, he’s a cripple with more interest in scrolls than women.” He said with a scoff.

Sansa frowned at him, “Don’t be unkind, it’s unworthy of you.”

“He is a cripple and a scholar. It was not an insult, just a statement of fact.” Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders. Sansa sighed and went to her sister who was speaking to Rickon.

“I want to go! They need to pay and I should be the one to bury my axe in Walder Freys head!” Rickon demanded. Arya stood firm and looked him in the eyes. “It’s my kill to make, I was there when it happened. You can kill the Boltons or the Whitehills.

Rickon stomped his foot “I want to kill the Freys!”

“Mother says you are to stay.” Arya said tilting her head up and holding her ground. “She’s coming with me. Will you deny her? It was her throat they cut. I think it should be her decision.”

Rickon kicked the ground in front of him petulantly until Arya placed her hand on his shoulder. “I know, believe me I know the rage. I promise you we will have vengeance, I’ll even bring you a gift.”

“No, a gift for the gods.” Rickon said suddenly calm. “Tribute for success.”

Arya had a cold look in her eyes and nodded. “A gift for the gods”

Sansa suddenly felt a chill and looked behind her. Lady Stone Heart had arrived with the brotherhood. She was veiled but Sansa still felt her gaze. She clutched Harry’s arm in fear and he held her tight. Arya noticed and shot Sansa a glare before going over to the lady. She spoke excitedly to the Lady with Rickon and Sansa looked away.

“Don’t be afraid.” Jon said “She’s no danger to you.”

“Just to my mother’s memory.” Sansa said bitterly.

Jon smiled sadly at her, “She is not long for this world. She returned with a purpose, once Frey and Bolton pay she will have no reason to exist here. Let Arya enjoy her while she can.”

Sansa looked at her brother who had saddled his horse. “I thought you were staying?”

“I want to see this through, make sure Arya doesn’t go over the edge.” Jon said looking at his sister. “Gendry isn’t enough, the Lady isn’t enough, I hope I am.”

Sansa clutched Jon’s hand and looked him in the eyes, “Thank you, she needs us. I look at her sometimes and I do not recognize the woman she has become.”

Jon patted her hand and nodded, “I will do what I can, but you know Arya has always done things her own way. Father was the only one who could change her mind when it was set.”

“It’s not nice to speak about someone when their backs are turned.” Arya said from behind them.

Sansa turned and tried to apologize but Arya held her hand up. “I’m not some feral monster, I know what I’m doing and just because it doesn’t fit with what you want for me doesn’t make me wrong. I kill people, deal with it.” Arya mounted her horse and rode off. The horn sounded and Arya rode ahead of the party to address the men.

“The Freys will pay for what they have done to our men, for breaking guest rights. The Old Gods will not forgive their sins and neither will I. Whatever happens at the Twins I want you all to remember that you are my men, my father’s men, Stark men. I hold you to a higher standard than all others, you will not run amok and dishonor the North. If I find out that any of you have killed a child or taken an unwilling woman I will personally geld you and feed your manhood to Nymeria and the Old Gods.”

The men fell silent as Arya glared at them.

“Do your house and land honor, you are men of the North, blood of the first men. Do not dishonor my father’s memory or my brother’s. Now move!” Arya urged her horse forward and the men followed.

Jon hugged her goodbye and rode off, the Lady Stoneheart waved goodbye and Sansa tentatively waved back. The Lady rode away and Rickon followed atop Shaggy-dog. Sansa waited for him to return but that did not happen until the sun had set.

“She promised me his heart and head.” Rickon said smiling when he returned. “It will be tribute for the Old Gods.”

Sansa smiled nervously and let him hug her. What had become of her family?