#maevie knight

[whousestypewriters]

Kaden Hayes - 18 - (kade, kadey, k, hayes, asshole) popular, rich, sporty ~ the king ~ "As long as you think I look good, sweetheart."

pt 2 of the intro to my new ocs!!

[gnocchibabie]

The Realm's Tragedy

Chapter 3 - Wooden Dragons

aemond targaryen x fem!targaryen!oc

previous chapter --- masterlist --- ao3

Summary: Maevys Targaryen is born into a kingdom overshadowed by calamity. With her mother Aemma Arryn gone, King Viserys consumed by grief, and Princess Rhaenyra adrift in sorrow, young Maevys finds herself at the heart of a fractured family. As she emerges from the shadows of tragedy, she must navigate the delicate balance between the remnants of a broken lineage and the impending storm of a new era.

As the dragons dance, the princess must learn to accept an unforgiving truth: All Must Choose.

Wordcount: 3.5k

116 AC – King’s Landing

The floor of King Viserys I Targaryen’s chambers had become a mess of wooden toys and sprawling little children. The chamber, normally a sanctuary of solemnity and regal decorum, had transformed into a lively playground.

His offspring had been sequestered to the confines of the chamber for the time being, free to play as long as they did not touch their father’s beloved replica of King’s Landing. This miniature kingdom, a marvel of intricate craftsmanship, stood on a pedestal away from the bustling chaos, guarded by the vigilant eyes of several of Alicent Hightower’s handmaidens.

Maevys Targaryen sat at the center of the chamber, next to her younger brother Aegon. Encircling the children were about a dozen wooden figurines carved in the shape of elephants, knights, wolves, princesses, and stags. The sibling’s favored toys however, were the little wooden dragons, painted in vivid red and golden and green hues. 

Helaena Targaryen, the youngest of the trio, sat just outside the circle of play, her violet eyes twinkling with quiet curiosity. She gently caressed a dragon figurine she had claimed as her own, watching the make-believe of her brother and sister unfold before her.

Maevys’ scrawny hands gripped the carving of a pale, almost colorless dragon, waving the toy around in the air wildly. The dragon’s paint, though simple, seemed to come alive with her imagination.

“Whoosh Aegon! Woooooossshhh.” The little girl mimicked the sound of rushing air as she swept the dragon down over the line of knights that her brother had so carefully set up.

“Ahhhhh!” Aegon wailed dramatically as he knocked over his squad of little knights, seemingly toppled by the gust of wind that his sister’s dragon unleashed. 

“You’ll pay for that!” The little prince retorted, taking a golden toy dragon into his hand. Helaena’s giggles floated through the air, mingling with the imaginary roars and fire-breathing sounds as the two dragons clashed in an aerial battle. The room was filled with the symphony of their laughter, their voices blending into a melody of childhood joy and competition.

“Dracarys!” Maevys bellowed, her Valyrian pronunciation still rough but filled with the authority of a battle commander. Her voice rang out with such intensity that it startled the lady servants, who exchanged amused glances.

“It’s over Aegon, you’re dead now.” Her voice a mix of playful pride and unwavering certainty, signaling the end of their play battle and crowning herself as the triumphant victor.

The boy prince looked up to his older sister, eyes wet with tears and lower lip protruding in a pout, “No! You always win!” The beginnings of a tantrum began to bubble within the toddler, threatening to spill over and consume the entire room.

A handmaiden swiftly intervened, dabbing away Aegon’s tears as Maevys fiddled with her dragon. She was about to call her brother a “crybaby” when a knock echoed at the chamber door.

The woman left the three siblings once more to investigate the interruption. Aegon appeared calmer, only sniffling now as he looked to his sisters with wide purple eyes.

Maevys finally gave in, knowing she would earn herself a scolding if she did not make-up with her brother. “...M’sorry Aegon…” she mumbled, offering the little boy her toy dragon.

Aegon’s eyes lit up at that, hastily taking the dragon from her little hand. 

Around them, Alicent’s ladies began to speak amongst themselves, seemingly abuzz by whatever the reason had been for the knock upon the door.

One of them, returning from her errand, gathered the children with gentle urgency. “Let’s go, children,” she said, lifting Helaena into her arms with practiced ease. “It’s time to meet your new brother.”

Aegon was on his feet in an instant, his previous discontentment replaced with eager enthusiasm. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” the prince exclaimed, dragging another servant by the hand as she insisted he slow down and wait for his sisters. The prince had been brimming with excitement ever since Alicent told her children they would soon have another little brother or sister. Aegon himself had made it known to anyone who would listen that he was hoping for a brother. He seemed to have his fill of sisters with Helaena, Maevys, and rare appearances from Rhaenyra.

Maevys rose to her feet, secretly pocketing the pale dragon that Aegon had discarded in his excitement. Growing impatient, her brother took one of her hand’s into his remaining free one and pulled her along to the door.

“Come on Mae!” he whined.

The little princess herself would be satisfied with either outcome of a younger brother or sister, so long as they would play with her. Aegon, her favored playmate, was not only imaginative but also unafraid to engage in rough-and-tumble games—something the other children at court were often discouraged from doing. Unbeknownst to Maevys, this was because the lords and ladies had gone out of their way to instruct the children to do so. 

Now at 4 years old, Maevys was still a wisp of a child. Smaller than others her age, thinner even more so. The girl was known to be prone to bouts of the illness that followed her into this world, latching onto her as she was pulled from her mother. On several occasions, Maevys had been racing around the winding halls of the Red Keep with Aegon when she would feel a fluttering of her rapid heart. She would stop behind her brother, gasping for breath as her surroundings started to blur. 

Other times, the princess would stroll through the castle gardens or the Godswood with her elder sister Rhaenyra, begging her to share stories that ranged from her days as a young princess to moments high in the sky atop Syrax. In the midst of reveling in her sister's memories, Maevys would feel a great wave of fatigue wash over her like heavy rainfall. Rhaenyra could feel Maevys slipping away from her then, and would look down to see the little girl crouched to the ground below, as though walking another step was too great a task. She would carry her sister back to her room, tucking her into bed and ordering her to rest. Oftentimes, Maevys could not even muster the strength to protest, and would drift off into a sleep filled with dreams where she could run and climb and play for as long as she pleased.

“Hurry!” Aegon exclaimed as the parade of Targaryen children, accompanied by their servants, descended down the corridor, with Aegon excitedly leading the charge. 

“Prince Aegon, slow down!” A particularly weary looking handmaiden chided. 

Her pleas did not slow the boy, who rounded a corner and flew down the flight of stairs leading to his mother’s chambers. Before anyone had the chance to stop him – or even keep up with him – Aegon threw open the door. 

“Mummy!” the prince proclaimed, announcing their arrival. 

Maevys followed behind, her excitement tempered by a quiet anticipation. Helaena, nestled securely in the arms of her attendant, looked around with wide, curious eyes.

Alicent Hightower lay in bed, a thin sheen of sweat gracing her forehead. Clad in a thin night shift and robe, her auburn hair was neatly woven into a loose braid. Maevys looked at the woman and noticed she looked quite exhausted, though she did not fully understand why. 

Viserys was perched next to his wife, his gaze tender as he looked at the swath of cloth nestled in her arms. He looked up a moment to acknowledge Aegon, and then his eyes finally landed on Maevys, a smile breaking across his face. 

Upon hearing a small cry, the princess’s attention was redirected to the swath of cloth that was nestled into the Queen’s arms. 

Was that it? The baby?

“Come here children, come meet your brother.” The King ushered the siblings over with a wave of the hand. 

Aegon, who didn’t need to be told twice, came running over to his mother’s bed. The little boy pushed himself atop the plush covers, crawling up next to Alicent.

“Careful, Aegon,” the Queen's voice was gentle, though tinged with fatigue. “Be gentle. This is Aemond.”

Helaena was placed beside Aegon, her violet eyes peering down with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. The sight of the tiny, sleeping babe seemed to capture the imagination of the two older siblings, who stared in silent awe.

“Aemond,” his brother echoed in a whisper, testing out the name for himself. 

Maevys stayed rooted in her spot across the room, unsure if she was truly welcomed into the intimate moment. Aegon and Helaena were her brother and sister, but Alicent was not her mother.

The princess was only a girl of four, but she understood well enough that her true mother was gone – dead. She’d heard it in wistful whispers from her father, when he would tuck her into bed some nights and thinking she was asleep, whisper to a woman called, “Aemma.” When she wandered into her elder sister’s room, seeking solace from boredom, she would ask about this elusive woman. Rhaenyra’s eyes would momentarily cloud over, then clear as she spun tales of their mother’s gentle nature, a woman the princess had never known.

It was hard – being a motherless daughter. 

“Come here, my girl.” The voice of her father roused Maevys from her position, small footsteps echoing off of the stone floor until she stopped at the foot of the bed. 

Alicent looked over the girl with a surprising softness. Maevys had always been cautious around the Queen. Perceptive as she was, it was not lost on the child how rooms would grow chillier when Alicent and Rhaenyra found themselves in each other’s company. She wondered whether or not this attitude may extend to her, though it did little to separate her from Alicent’s children. 

“It’s alright. Say hello, Maevys.” The Queen assured the child.

The princess bounded over to her father, who took her into his arms, granting her a better view of her new brother.

Peering down into the bundle of blankets, Maevys saw what looked to be a small pink doll, eyes closed and snuggled into the cloth. A light covering of white fluff graced the doll’s head. 

“He looks..squishy. And funny.” Maevys said – it was all she could make of the babe.

Viserys chuckled at her discernment, “I’m afraid all babes look strange, my dear, when they are first born. Though soon, he will grow big enough to play with you. And Aegon and Helaena.” He added the last two names as though they were an afterthought. 

Helaena clumsily climbed over her older brother, eager to get a closer look at the tiny, wrinkled bundle that had everyone’s attention. Aegon held onto his little sister as she leaned into their mother, the babe still in her arms. Helaena reached out and gave a small poke to the babe’s cheek before anyone had the chance to stop her.

“Helaena!” Aegon giggled, amused by his sister’s unabashed curiosity.

“Gentle, Helaena.” Alicent reminded her daughter. She observed as Aemond’s face scrunched up in surprise at the unexpected prod. The baby’s violet eyes blinked open, meeting Helaena’s gaze with a curious stare.

Helaena beamed at her little brother, her excitement barely contained.

“Is that Aemond’s egg?” Aegon outstretched a pointed finger to the hearth on the opposite side of the chamber. Nestled amongst the blazing coals lay a large dragon egg, covered in iridescent pale orange scales. Faint flickering flames danced across the surface of the egg beautifully, reflecting in the eyes of the Targaryen children. 

Maevys could not help but be mesmerized at the sight. Maybe if she looked hard enough, she would be able to see under the hard outer shell and glimpse the little dragon cocooned inside, waiting to be awakened. 

She felt her throat tighten at the thought and decided to push the nasty feeling away.

“Yes…” Viserys replied, rather cautiously. Aegon had been given a cradle egg, though it never hatched. Helaena had fallen to the same fate. And well, Maevys…she was never given an egg to begin with. And although Maevys’ siblings were as dragonless as her, they were afforded one thing she was not:

A chance to claim one in the future. 

There were several riderless dragons, and countless unlaid eggs, waiting for Aegon and Helaena. But for his second born daughter, Viserys had forbidden her from ever claiming a dragon, insisting that she would always be too sick, frail, weak, delicate, and unwell, among other innumerable things, to ever dream of riding one. It was a decision that led the girl to shed enough tears over the years to fill Blackwater Bay.

Maevys felt small, almost weightless in his arms. He could practically feel her heartbeat against him, thumping away far too quickly. 

A few more moments of shared wonderment over Aemond Targaryen persisted, with mother and children looking at the little one in quiet awe. But Maevys only watched the babe’s cradle now, picturing how the egg would look when placed inside.

A knock echoed through the room to disturb the peace, with a knight soon entering to deliver a curt announcement. “Princess Rhaenyra, Your Grace.” With a brief nod, the man exited, leaving the heir to the Iron Throne to step into the room.

Maevys' face brightened at the sight of her sister, but her joy was fleeting as she remembered the presence of the woman seated beside her.

Alicent however, seemed largely indifferent to the interruption, perhaps too exhausted to care. 

“Father – Queen Alicent,” Rhaenyra gave a strained acknowledgement, “You summoned me? I heard the babe arrived.” She looked over at the bundle of cloth curiously. 

“Yes, healthy and with ease.” Alicent assured through tight lips.

Maevys shifted around awkwardly in her father’s grasp.

“Well, come closer, Rhaenyra. Meet Aemond!” Viserys called, moving to meet his daughter halfway and guiding her to the bed. 

The elder princess leaned over Alicent, casting her gaze on the newborn. The sight of the peaceful, sleeping babe slightly eased the furrow in her brow. 

“A boy,” Rhaenyra breathed, an unknown expression to Maevys hidden in her features.

“Aemond.” Viserys recounted the babe’s name to his daughter.

She politely nodded. “Congratulations, Father. Alicent.” 

“And…how are you feeling?” Her sister continued, addressing the Queen now.

“Oh – I am fine. Tired but…I am well. Thank you.” Alicent, seemingly taken aback by the sincere inquiry, stumbled to get her words out.

Rhaenyra nodded, “I am glad to hear it,” turning to her father, her gaze fell on Maevys, “I’ll take Maevys now, Father. We should leave you all to enjoy some privacy with little Aemond.”

“B-but, I want to play with Aemond!” Maevys protested.

“Yeah!” Aegon piped up from beside his mother.

Rhaenyra offered a small smile, “There will be time for that yet. Let’s let Queen Alicent rest now.” 

Maevys looked to her father with wide eyes, but found no argument from him. She took another fleeting look at her new brother, warm and peaceful in his mother’s lap. The king deposited his youngest daughter onto the floor, leaving her to reluctantly come to Rhaenyra’s side. 

The pouting princess waved goodbye to her siblings. A look of reserved appreciation came over Alicent’s face, “Thank you…Rhaenyra.” Her voice was soft.

Rhaenyra stiffly nodded and began her exit, Maevys following closely behind. 

“Daughter,” Viserys called from behind them. Rhaenyra and Maevys both turned, unsure which of them he was referring to.

“I should like to meet with you this evening. We must begin discussing the particulars of your betrothal.” The man’s tone was measured, as it was not a question, but an order.

Alicent stiffened minutely at the exchange, focusing her attention to her newborn once more.

With another strained nod, Rhaenyra quickly took her leave with Maevys bringing up the rear.

Once out in the hallway, the two were closely followed by Ser Harwin Strong, Rhaenyra’s newly named shield. Maevys found his presence comforting enough, as did her sister, though she missed the constant shadow of Ser Criston Cole. The knight had shown her kindness, as she thought he had with Rhaenyra. When she tried to inquire about Cole’s sudden absence, Rhaenyra simply told her sister, “He now has responsibilities elsewhere.”

Maevys quietly observed her older sister as she struggled to keep in step with her pace. Rhaenyra seemed to be making a beeline for her chambers, and Maevys intended to weasel her way into them as well, now deprived of her prior company.

She had heard the word “betrothal” tossed around by their father often as of late, and every mention of the term produced a lingering frown from Rhaenyra.

“Nyra?” the little girl asked aloud. Her voice seemed to rouse Rhaenyra from her thoughts.

“Oh - yes, sweet girl?” The princess looked down to her sister.

“What is…betrothal?” She asked cautiously, tripping over her pronunciation of the unfamiliar word. 

Rhaenyra pursed her lips. Ser Harwin cleared his throat from behind the two.

The three of them had finally reached the elder princess’ room before she spoke again. “Come inside Mae,” Rhaenyra held her door open as Maevys ran inside under her arm, grateful for the invitation. The little girl made herself comfortable at a table just inside the chamber, rummaging through one of the pockets of her dress to fish out the toy dragon she had taken.

Rhaenyra nodded to her knight, “Thank you, Ser Harwin.”

“Princess,” Harwin Strong replied gruffly, taking his leave.

The door shut behind Rhaenyra as Maevys trotted her wooden dragon across the length of the table. Her sister took the seat opposite of her, watching the little girl play with the toy, a faint smile gracing her face in the privacy of the room.

“You are quite fond of that dragon, sister. That little gray one.” 

Maevys looked up, meeting her sister’s gaze. She absentmindedly hummed in agreement, continuing with her game, “I don’t have a real one…so I like playing with this one.” A hint of restrained sadness intertwined in the child’s words.

Rhaenyra frowned again. She couldn’t even argue with the girl – what she said rang true. It was a slight that gnawed at Maevys constantly. Her little sister would often ask to accompany Rhaenyra to the dragonpit, just to glimpse Syrax. 

The elder princess decided to turn to other matters. “Do you remember Laenor – our cousin? He is the son of aunt Rhaenys.” 

Maevys had met the young man once, though the memories of children were fickle. “I think so…” she trailed off, waving her dragon in the air.

Rhaenyra sucked in a breath of air, “I am to marry Laenor. That is what a betrothal is. It is what father speaks of.”

The little girl dropped her raised arm, “Oh.” 

A funny feeling settled in her stomach. “So…you will leave?”

Rhaenyra’s head shot up, “What? Of course not.” She could not contain her chuckle, amused by her little sister’s concern over something she would never dream of doing to her.

She got up from her seat and planted herself next to Maevys, sitting the girl in her lap. “I would never leave you, understand?”

The little girl nodded, disregarding her toys and looking into her sister’s face. 

“Though Laenor will be living here soon enough,” Rhaenyra ran a hand through her sister’s unruly hair, “After we are to wed.”

Maevys nodded and sat there a moment, mulling over her words. “Are you…happy?” She dared to ask. The princess thought marriage was to be a joyful thing, from what little her Septa had told her of it, but Rhaenyra did not seem pleased at all by the mere mention of it.

The elder girl felt a few tears threaten to slip from her sister’s innocent question. She should be happy – yes. That is what marriage was supposed to be. Yet, reality was far more complicated.

“I think…one day I will be.” Rhaenyra told her sister, choosing honesty over pretense. Maevys looked up at her sister, her young eyes reflecting confusion and concern, “Will Laenor be good to you?”

Rhaenyra smiled, a bittersweet expression. “He will be kind, I have no doubt.”

The little girl’s face brightened a little at the reassurance, and she hugged her sister tightly. “I don’t want you to be sad.”

“I’m not very sad, Mae,” Rhaenyra assured her, holding her sister close. “Change is a constant in this world. Yet, come what may, we will always have each other.”

Maevys nodded, feeling a little better, though not fully grasping the weight of her sister’s words. She picked up her wooden dragon again, feeling its weight in her small hand.

“What did you think of Aemond?” She asked Rhaenyra, wishing to move on to a lighter topic. 

The elder girl exhaled a weary sigh. “I think…we now have another little brother.” It was a lackluster answer, though Rhaenyra could not fully articulate her feelings to the small girl. It was a strange and unsettling thing, to watch your father have children by another woman. Especially a woman who was your own age. Maevys seemed to embrace and love their new siblings with ease, a grace that Rhaenyra found elusive.

And in that, she envied the little girl for it:

Uncomplicated affection.

-

A/N: Apologies for the wait, i found this kind of challenging to write in all honesty. I wanted this chapter to focus on mae's relationships with her extremely dysfunctional family, how she perceives it from the eyes of a child, what changes have happened since she was born, and to explore her condition a lil bit more. next chapter will be another larger time skip, which i am looking forward to getting into. but no promises for how soon that will be out! …sorry hehe….

As always, thank you for reading and supporting <3

Tags: @marialikescherries @3-decades-strong

[bugs-bugs-bugs-bugs]

Hey beia *hands her over to quirrel*

Quirrel holds the pillbug child. Maevy has a mental breakdown

[wavi-goat]

shaped like a friend....

[dcamu-batmanlover]

OC #1

Buckle up. I don’t want to add too much because when I write a story I don’t want to spoil things. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO DC. PICTURES BELONG TO PINTEREST OR GOOGLE OR MARVEL. 

Name: Maevis Serephina Murphy  

Parents: Hades (yes, God of the Underworld), Sarah Murphy (a witch)

“Adoptive dad”/ mentor: Merlin (The wizard) 

Powers: Astral Projection, Materialization, Necromancy, Telekinesis, Darkness Teleportation/ shadow manipulation, dimensional travel, portal manipulation, witchcraft, To make this list shorter she also shares similar powers to Hades, her mom and Merlin. NOT IMMORTAL. She is similar to Wanda from marvel. 

Alias’s: Protector of Magic and Tempest. 

Background: Hades wanted to raise her to become queen of the underworld though he didn’t know much about raising children. Her mother didn’t want her to grow up in the underworld but she couldn't take care of her so she left her with Merlin. He raised her to be the protector of Light and Dark magic. She lived a good chunk of her life around the mid 12th century so when she came to the present she was a bit clueless. 

Pets: Wolf named Shadow and a Raven named Parris. (”half” human like Maleficent’s Raven) and naturally a black cat named Andover. 

Wardrobe: 

-She is very fashionable. Contrary to popular belief witches don’t just wear black though it is one of her favorite colors. 

-LOVES corsets. Not for shape wear but merely because she looks great in them.

-She’s a witch, obviously she has a big black hat. 

-A lot of lace and floral patterns and fancy dresses and coats. She dresses expensive. (Hades is literally the god of wealth and riches)  

-Still has a good chunk of medieval looking clothes.  

-Greek clothes too. 

Life in the 12th century/ Medieval times: 

- lived with Merlin in a cottage in the woods near Camelot.

-They eventually moved and lived in a semi big, dark castle. I assume you know what a medieval castle looks like. 

-Traveled a lot with Merlin to learn about magic and prophesies. They often traveled to different time periods hence why she’s living in the 21st century and not immortal. 

- Knew and grew up near Jason Blood and the Knights of the Round table. Was present around the time he was bound to Etrigan by Merlin. 

Life in the 21st century. 

-Was kinda lost when she first arrived

-Learned very quickly that the media didn’t portray witches in a good light and learned concealed herself. 

-One day she could sense something bad and it turned out to be demons. That is how she both saved and met John Constantine. He helped catch her up to speed. 

-Moved to Louisiana and worked as a fortune teller as a way to hide in plain sight. 

Things about her: 

-Rambles a lot about random things because she didn’t get a lot of attention as a child. 

-Had a few rebellious years and was a bit of a brat and a problem child. For good reason.

-Loves the show Bewitched because she feels that accurately represents witches. 

-She constantly corrects people about her powers and facts about witches. Is quick to defend herself.   “You’re stereotyping.” “No I don’t fly on a broomstick.” *Flash spills water on her and starts getting worked up* “You know I’m not going to start melting right?”

 -Is a Swiftie 

-Likes Rock n Roll

-Still celebrates Christmas and has a love hate relationship with Halloween. 

-Advocates for people. 

-Is not sensitive but naturally gets upset when people talk bad about her, underestimate her, or are unnecessarily scared of her.   

-She’s sarcastic, funny, actually very sweet and kind, holds a lot inside, has demons (literally)

-Kind of keeps to herself. She wants to be accepted but won’t change herself for anyone. Is still insecure about the way people see her. 

-She can speak Greek, Atlantian, Spanish, Italian, Russian, etc. (long story short, she is multilingual) 

-She has a beautiful singing voice. It’s almost “enchanting.”

Magical Objects: She has Merlin’s staff and wand, Spell books, potions, cauldron, etc.�� 

Adaptions: (How she would look if she was a real character) (Again you can imagine her in really anyway I’m kinda using the pics as a loose reference mostly for the clothes.)

Superhero suit: (When she decides to choose one suit after she joins the Justice League) (Is not the same but it resembles Scarlet Witch so I am using those pics as reference.)

 Intro: In the DCAMU she would be introduced in the movie Justice League: Dark. This version of the universe is different and happens a little differently. Some events of the story may be out of order or alter but I will try to keep most of the accuracy. 

[diddlesanddoodles]

DEAD WALLS RISE - CH 4

YES.

His hand glided along the cold and damp stone wall and he took small measured steps. Though the ground so far had been smooth and without any obstacles, Jae did not want to bump into something and fall over and hurt himself. That would just make this day all the better, spitting out his own teeth on top of already being hopelessly lost.

The days were beginning to blend together into one long never ending fever dream. Four months of living in Vhasshal. Spending his mornings with the new Matron, a young lady giant named Lolly, as she tried to get him to learn table etiquette when all he wanted was to eat his breakfast in peace. His afternoons were spent with Warren. He’d been teaching Jae how to play chess and it irked him how easily the King always seemed to win. Jae was convinced that if he could see the board from that high up he would have a better stratagem and would have no problem winning a game. But so far, the closest he’d gotten was cornering Warren’s King, only to have a rook sweep his knight away.

But when he wasn’t doing any of those things, he was in his room. Bored out of his mind. Warren seemed overly eager to win over Jae’s affections and had practically smothered him with gifts and toys and clothes. But after a while, it became so very tedious playing by yourself. He’d been playing with a ball made of leather and stuffed with wool, kicking it idly against the wall with increasing ferocity as the boredom began to transition into annoyance and then anger. With one furious kick, he sent the ball slamming into wall where the seem popped and tufts of wool fluff spilled out.

Walking over to collect his now ruined toy, Jae paused and felt a sickening jolt of alarm. There was a straight line crack in the wall near one of the decorative plaques along the floor. He had kicked the ball hard, yes...but enough to crack stone?

He left his ball where it lay and went to run a hand down the length of the crack, marveling at it. But he pulled his hand back when, from within it, he felt a cool breeze. It wasn’t a crack.

It was a door.

That had been three hours ago and even though he had enough foresight to bring a candle, the sad little flame had died after only a half hour of exploring and effectively casting Jae into absolute darkness. His exciting new venture was all of a sudden a potential death trap. His hand glided along the cold and damp stone wall as he took small and carefully measured steps, trying to keep the rising panic from overwhelming him.

The tunnels twisted off from one another and branched out into other corridors, but Jae decided to just keep moving ahead in a straight line. Or as straight a line as he could manage. At some point, the panic got its claws into him. Swells of tears pooled in his eyes, dripping down his cheeks. He sat himself down against the wall, balling himself up and cried.

He was lost. He was never going to be found. Not this time.

And then he felt the light gust of breeze across his hand. A breeze. A breeze! That must mean there was a door! He scrambled to his feet and began to walk again towards where he felt the air coming from. Rounding a shallow bend, he saw it. The thin outline of a door. He could feel the air against his face.

So relieved by the sight of an exit, Jae did not see the stairs that lead up to the door itself and he fell, smacking his knee painfully against the stone. “Augh...” he rubbed his bruised kneecap and then scurried up the remainder of the stairs. He pressed his hands the stone door and with every fiber of being being, pushed.

It gave way easily and he fell forward, tumbling blindly into the room beyond and landing hard on his knees. He cried out in pain, wincing from both the fall and the bright light of the room. After hours inside a dark tunnel, the room’s lit interior was near blinding and he blinked around blearily at the vague shapes. Behind him, he heard the door he had just come through shut.

From further into the room, he heard shuffling and muffled voices. And then a sudden angry voice boomed, “Who’s there?”

It was not a voice Jae recognized and he backed away from it in a literal blind panic. Still blinking to adjust his eyes to the bright room, he reached out to try and find the door. He much preferred a dark tunnel over an angry giant. But as his hands blindly scrambled for the door, trying to find the seem, his fingers only met the smooth stone wall. He caught a sob in his throat as the sound of loud footfalls echoed, coming ever closer towards him.

“I said who is there?” growled the voice. “Show yourself, now.” A pause and the he added with a vicious sneer, “If you will not come out of your own volition, I shall make you. And a warning: I don’t quite feel so generous this morning...”

Looking around through the slowly dissipating sheen of light, Jae could just make out what looked to be a small chest of drawers off to one corner and in a last ditch effort, he ran for the shadowed space beneath it.  

“What in the...Ah! There, you are you little scoundrel!”

Jae slid under the bottom, crawling madly for the back corner and as far from the open end as he could manage. The giant’s boots stomped just yards from Jae as he pushed himself into the back corner, staring with wild frightened eyes. Far above him, the giant cursed. And then the chest of drawers moved. It was pulled away and Jae was revealed to the open world once more, the dark looming shadow of his hunter above him, leering down with narrowed angry eyes and an ominous rumble. “Not very smart, are you?”

Jae curled into himself and even from behind his shut eyes, he could see the shadow of the giant’s body looming over him and he gave a pathetic mewl of fear as he waited for the giant to end him. His mother’s face flashed in his mind and his stomach roiled. He even thought of Warren...  

“Wait. What is…?” said the giant, quietly, almost to himself. The ire of his tone dropped like a lead weight through water. “Oh no...oh my.” There was a long silence before the giant spoke again; his voice much quieter and more gentle than before, sounding nearly like a completely different person. “Dear me...where ever did you come from, little one?”

Jae felt the heat of the giant’s hand and his eyes opened just a little to see both large palms reaching in towards him. He cried out in fear, kicking out and covering his head. “I’m sorry! Please don’t eat me, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you!”

The hands hesitated and pulled back marginally and a large face eased down into Jae’s line of sight. But the giant’s eyes were round and guilt ridden and the color of honey. “No, no, no. No, little one. No. I am not going to hurt you at all,” he said and then snorted, the ends of his mouth pulling down with a distasteful frown. “Least of all eat you. Gods above, banish that terrible little thought.”

“Please...” Jae whimpered, shaking terribly. There was a sigh from above him and the giant’s hands returned, cupping him into gloved palms and Jae cried out a high pitched cry of alarm. He unfurled to put a hand against each large thumb as though keeping them apart so they would not crush him. Although should the giant wish to crush him, Jae’s meager strength was inconsequential. The ground pulled away as the giant stood back up, bringing the shivering human to his chest.  

“Now, now. You’re fine, little one,” said the giant, his voice soft and gentle. “You’re not in trouble. I am terribly sorry for scaring you like that. I mistook you for a...well. It doesn’t matter what I thought you were.”

Still shaking, Jae slowly raised his face to see the large face staring down at him. A gloved finger swept in deftly wiped the tears from his cheek.  

“There now. That’s better, isn’t it?” the giant said, turning into the room and stepping up to a table. His eyes left Jae to something on the table and with a relieved smile, he said, “Come out Barnaby, it’s safe. False alarm.”

From behind a stack of books, a human stepped out and Jae stared. He had not seen another human in months. The man was older and gray haired, frail looking, but with large intelligent eyes. He was dressed in an ill-fitting tunic and clutched a small book under one arm.  

“My goodness,” said the man with a smile, but looked shaken. “That was a lot of excitement for so early in the day. What ever was it, Maevis?”

“Not a what,” the giant chuckled as he lowered his hands down and laid them flat, a clear invitation for Jae to disembark. Which he did with alacrity. “But a who.”

The human man, Barnaby, stared open mouthed at Jae and blinked at him. “My dear boy...where ever did you come from?” Stepping up to Jae, Barnaby put a hand on his shoulder and bent down to peer into the his face. Jae’s mind was racing as he looked back at the man, a flood of emotions and feelings he had kept keep inside himself abruptly burst and the tears returned. He lunged at Barnaby, wrapping his arms around the older man’s neck and began to sob. Thin arms wrapped around Jae’s back, rubbing up and down.

“Oh,” Barnaby said in bafflement. “Come now, son. No need to be scared. You’re perfectly safe.”

“I did not mean to frighten the poor thing,” the giant added, sounding distressed. “Gods above, what a mess I’ve made of this...”

“Don’t be silly, it was an honest mistake,” replied the man and then to Jae said, “Maevis didn’t mean to scare you, my lad. He was just trying to protect me. I promise, you are safe.”

Barnaby carefully unlatched Jae’s hands from around his neck, putting a wrinkled hand to his face and patting his. He then stood, slipping Jae’s hand into his. “Come with me. Have a sit.”

Standing, Barnaby steered Jae over to a human sized table and Jae stared at it and the table, those feelings bubbling up again. It had been so long since he last sat in a real chair at a real table. There was one proper chair and off to the side was a stool. Barnaby planted Jae down into the chair and went to grab the stool, bringing it over and setting into it.  

“Now, how about you tell us your name, son?” Barnaby said, expression open and curious. He had kind eyes, but there were dark circles under them. As though he had not slept very well. The same sort of circles Jae saw on himself most mornings.

The nightmares were ever present and sleep was becoming more of an illusive thing.

“...J-jae,” he mumbled, running his sleeve across his face and nose. His hands were still shaking.  

“Jae?” Barnaby asked, rearing back in surprise. “Why, you’re King Warren’s little ward!”

He nodded, not quite understanding why he was so surprised. What other boy would be mad enough to be running around the castle? The giant had kept his distance from the table, but was watching them with rapt attention. “My goodness, I didn’t realize his ward was so young! I suppose that explains things a bit. But how in the world did you get in here? Those stairs are quite the climb, even for me.”

Jae swallowed thickly and sniffed. “I...I used the tunnel.”

“Tunnel?” Barnaby and Maevis echoed.

“But I got lost,” he said, laying his arms on the table and resting his head onto them. “And then my candle went out and it was too dark to see anything and the door over there was the first one I found. I didn’t mean to bother you none...I promise.”

“Do not worry, little one. You’re no bother at all,” The giant went back over towards the wall near where he’d caught Jae, examining the space near the floor. Looking back towards the table, he asked, “You say there is a door to these tunnels over here?”

Jae nodded. “Uh-huh.”

The giant hummed to himself, rubbing his chin. “Curious. And I am assuming you mean to say these tunnels are...human sized?”

He nodded again. “Uh-huh.”

“Well,” Barnaby said with some surprise. “How do you like that for a mystery, Maevis?”

“Not exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to unravel the mysteries of the world,” the giant – Maevis – said with a laugh. “But conveniently located, I must admit. How long were you in there, Jae?”

“A long time,” Jae said. “Like...a really long time. I thought I would be in there forever!”

“Well, then you must starving,” Barnaby said, walking over to a jar sitting near the end of the table among jars of paints and used brushes. He lifted the lid off and inside, Jae spotted round hard biscuits. Familiar in their shape and for their slightly yellow tinge and small black flecks. Barnaby held the open jar out to Jae. “Gone on. Have a few, my boy.”

Jae tentatively reached inside and claimed one of the biscuits. Barnaby hummed and then placed two more in front of Jae before putting the lid back on and setting it back down. Jae bite into the treat and the soft tender crumb broke apart and melted in his mouth. It was delicious and within moments, Jae was starting in on the second biscuit.

“They may not taste the same as you might remember, but I don’t claim to be a baker and admittedly, we did not use a proper oven to bake them. Rather, I was feeling nostalgic one day did not feel it appropriate to pester Farris or his lads into baking anything. Those boys are busy enough without adding my silly whims to it. So we built a small oven as an experiment. It was working for quite well for a while and I managed a few good bakes. But then it all caught fire.”

Jae laughed and shook his head. “They’re good!”

Barnaby grinned. “I am glad you approve, young master Jae. It’s my mother’s old recipe. Proper Silvaaran poppy seed biscuits. I used powdered lemon peel as it’s dreadfully expensive to import fresh citrus this time of year.”

“Well, if we are breaking out the biscuits,” Maevis said cheerfully as he made his way to a door near the back of the room. “Then I shall go make us some tea.”

“Oh, that would be lovely,” Barnaby said and turned to Jae. “How do you like your tea, Jae?”

Jae’s mouth was full of his third biscuits and to the man’s question he shrugged. “I don’t drink tea...”

“What?” Barnaby asked, looking scandalized. “You don’t drink teat? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Jae chewed and swallowed. “Mama never let me. She always made me drink milk because she said if I didn’t I would end up with crooked bones like Uncle Anderson.”

“Well, I commend her efforts,” he replied. “But if this should be your first tea experience, there is none better.”

“He is exaggerating,” Maevis called back from inside the room where he had disappeared.

“He’s being modest. I’ve been an avid tea drinker since I was thirteen,” Barnaby said. “And I cannot remember a cup nearly so enjoyable as those Maevis brews. And for many years I drank the same tea served to King Haeral!”

Jae blinked at Barnaby. “Really?”

The older human paused, as though recalling something and his eyes grew sad.

“...did you know the King?” Jae asked.

Barnaby nodded. “I did. For...a very long time. I was his archivist.”  

“What’s an archivist?”

“I recorded and kept accounts of the happenings of court. Important events, not so important events. So that years from now, our descendants could look upon my words and understand our history.”

“How come you’re here?” Jae asked. “Did you have to run? When they attacked?”

Barnaby hesitated and then said, “No. I was not there when the capitol was attacked. I...well, to be frank my boy...I was a prisoner.”

Jae sat up a little more in his chair. “A...prisoner? Here?”

“Yes.”

“And they let you go?”

“When King Warren assumed the throne he gave us all a choice.  That is to say, he gave all of us who had been kept prisoner a choice. We could leave or stay.” He shrugged. “I chose to stay.”

“How come? If he was gonna let you leave?”

With a sad smile, Barnaby looked away. “Many reasons. But to be honest...I had no where to go. I am not a young man. And my skills were sharpened in the field of academia and such knowledge does not lend itself well to surviving out in the wilds. Nor could I offer any boon to a group who would have me. I would be a burden.” He sighed. “So when given the choice, I asked His Majesty if he would permit me to become his archivist. And that is what I had been doing for these passed months. And keeping Maevis company of course. It hasn’t been easy and there are many who have not been very supportive of me being here. That was why Maevis reacted the way he did. He feared you might have come to harm me.”

“Oh,” Jae said. “I guess...I’m kind of like you. I don’t have anywhere else to go either.”

Before Barnaby could answer, Maevis walked up to the table and carefully eased down a tray with a large tea pot and three large cups. Jae starred at it, wondering if the giant intended to serve them a trough’s worth of tea each.

“Now, this is important, Jae,” said Maevis as he unstacked the cups one by one onto the table. “How one likes their tea is a path to self discovery and despite what many will tell you, it will change as you grow older.”

“Papa put whiskey in his,” Jae said and Barnaby snorted.

Maevis frowned and cleared his throat. “I don’t think we’ll be putting any liquor in yours. I already know of one man who prefers a little tea in his whiskey.”

“You mean Keral? I don’t think he drinks tea,” Jae replied as Maevis began to pour the prepared tea into the cups. “He drinks all of Warren’s wine though.”

“Oh, so you’ve met already?” Maevis chuckled.  

Jae nodded. “Uh-huh. And Farris.”

He didn’t miss the way Maevis’s hand hesitated and his eyes flickering to Barnaby. Beside him Barnaby asked, “How did you come to meet Farris?”

“My first night here. Captain Baynor tried to get him to cook me.”

Maevis’s hand shook as he set the tea pot back down onto the try and he stared out into space. His face was hard as slate, eyes sharp and cold, and the same vicious voice from before came back. “...they should have hung that wretched cur. I would gladly crush his neck if I could...”

Barnaby was on his feet and next to the giant’s side in an instant. He put a hand upon Maevis’s arm and spoke calmly to him. “Calm my friend. Calm. He doesn’t deserve the energy you would waste upon thinking of him. Your greatest revenge is to be everything he wished to destroy.”

Maevis stared down at the tea tray for a long time and slowly, the anger drained away and his breathing became more even. He reached over to Barnaby, draping his large hand across the human’s shoulders. “Thank you, my friend. Thank you.”

“Not at all. Now! Let us have some tea. If there was ever a better way to wash away a bad taste in one’s mouth, it’s a good cuppa.”

“Yes,” Maevis replied, though it sounded forced, but after a moment he seemed to be back to his normal self.

“You’re both really good friends huh?” Jae asked and Maevis smiled at him.

“I would be lost without Barnaby,” he said. “A pity it should have taken that wretched war for us to have met. But I suppose if I were to be looking for a silver lining, it would be meeting him.”

“Agreed,” Barnaby said. “The arcane scholars I had any dealings with were never near as thoughtful or passionate about their work as Maevis here. To be frank, they were all great prudes. Should I have not been employed by the royal house, I daresay they would have gladly ignored me all together. Though I do not understand the underlying mechanics of magic, Maevis’s theoretical work is fascinating.”

Jae blinked and looked up at the giant. “...magic?”

“Why yes,” he said with a small grin. “I am a magician.”

Jae’s eyes lite up. “Really? You can do magic? Like the mages?”

“Well, not quite like a mage. I was not born gifted. I studied it from books,” he said and gestured around him to the walls. “Many many books.”

He had not had much of a chance to actually take in the room itself and following Maevis’s gesture, Jae  looked all around him in awe. The room was round and very very tall. The ceiling was dizzingly high up and every available space of wall was occupied by book shelves. Some were still being built and other sections were awaiting a final coat of paint. The shelves that were finished were stuffed to the brim with books and tomes and rolls of parchment.

“Whoa...” Jae breathed as he stared and then looked to Maevis with a sheepish sort of excitement. “Could I see some? Magic, I mean.”

“Well, why don’t you drink your tea first,” Maevis replied, setting one of the enormous cup next to Jae. The boy gave the giant a look and with an innocent looking smile, Maevis asked, “Problem?”

Jae did not reply, only looked to the tea cup and back at him. His dubious expression enough to convey his meaning.

“Oh! Dear me, I forgot,” Maevis replied with that knowing smile and took back the cup. He held it in his open palm and stared at it with a great measure of concentration and just as Jae was about to ask him what he was doing...the cup began to shrink. Jae jumped up from his chair and ran to Barnaby, peeking out from behind him as the cup shrank further until it was the perfect size for a human.

Barnaby lifted his arm and peeked down at Jae, laughing. “It’s all right, my boy!”

“H-how...how did you do that?” Jae asked, slowly easing himself out from behind Barnaby.

Maevis shrugged and sat his hand down, palm carefully cradling the now small cup. “Magic.”

Jae rushed over excitedly to collect the cup, but hesitated as though belatedly recalling the cup was sitting in the palm of a giant and to retrieve it, he would nearly have to climb into his hand. Looking up into Maevis’s face, Jae saw nothing but a pleasant and patient smile. “Go on then.”

Carefully, Jae propped his knee onto the edge of his hand and leaned forward to grab the cup by the small round handle and took extra care not to spill it as he pulled back. As Maevis pulled his hand away and took up another one of the cups, it too began to shrink. Jae watched, enraptured by the sight, even as he brought the cup up to his mouth and took a small sip. A sweet mellow flavor hit his tongue and he swallowed. He took another sip and another. Just as Barnaby was collecting his own cup, he looked to Maevis and said with a large smile, “It’s really good!”  

“Thank you, my boy. I’m very happy it’s to your liking,” Maevis said. “There is also milk and sugar if you wish. Next time you visit us I shall know how to prepare your cup.”

Jae nodded readily in agreement, going back to his seat at the table. He decided that he liked Barnaby and Maevis. They didn’t talk down to him or make him feel foolish. And it was nice being able to sit at a normal table again and talk to another human. As Barnaby offered him another poppy seed biscuit, Jae decided that there would definitely be a next time.     

[dragonageconfessions]

Confession:  knight errant is out and my entire dash is nuts about it but I can't get into it. the comics just remind me of the fact that I cannot stand bioware's canon worldstate. I don't know why we can't just have anders, kieran, and loghain be alive and well and have alistair rule jointly with anora. . . that way the most people can be happy imo. i hope that the events in the comics affect the games tho. i'd like to see maevis as a companion in da4 or yavana be some kind of bonus boss. make me care gdi

[whousestypewriters]

Maevie Knight - 18 - (mae, mae mae, vi, knight, princess) quiet, smart, closed off,  ~ the artist ~ "You clean up surprisingly well... for an asshole."

introducing my new oc's! cause im bored guys hehe also look at me posting abt my wips on my writing blog

[bugs-bugs-bugs-bugs]

Deep sea Deepnest mers!

[wavi-goat]

Orang soda Maevy?

Infection insanity....

[wavi-goat]

My secondary persona originated from a vessel creator (and heavy redesign after that) but I don’t have an OC past that. I still want to give Nubs a hug. (Also do you have any suggestions on creating one?)

They’d love to give you a hug!

I don’t really have many suggestions for creating an OC, but I can tell you how I came up with Nubs (even though it’s a little weird) and Maevy (my wheel bug nymph OC)!

One afternoon, I just thought “Hey, I should make a vessel OC!” and didn’t do anything about it until I was half asleep and thinking about goats... I thought a vessel with little stubby goat horns would be cute, but when I drew them out the next day, I thought the design looked weird and ended up enlarging and rounding out the lil horn nubs (haha) and Nubs was born! As for Nubs’ love for digging and dirt, my dog happens to love both of those things and I thought a vessel who loves digging would be cute!

On the other hand, Maevy was created when I asked my friend to send me pictures of cool bugs and I would try to draw them in the Hollow Knight style. I ended up really liking what I came up with when drawing a wheel bug nymph, and after a couple of design tweaks, Maevy was created!

I hope this helps, although I’m not the best person to go to for OC help >w

[diddlesanddoodles]

Dumpling ch. 18

Maevis busied himself for the next hour by returning the books to their proper homes while Barnaby gathered Jae and Nenani over to one side of the table. Under a green cloak, was an old wooden trunk. The wood was worn and dark with age. The metal was unpolished, but strong. With difficulty and a bit of help from Jae, Barnaby lifted away the lid to reveal the treasure inside.

Books. Human sized and bound in black leather.

He ran his finger along the spines of the top layer, scouring the gilded letters.

“A small miracle these survived,” he said. “But I believe the one I want is...ah, yes this one. My boy, would you mind to clear some room here? Those paint pots are dried so no worry about them spilling.”

Jae obediently made room on the small work table as the older man pulled one book out slowly and with great care before placing it open upon the table. He gestured for Nenani to come look. She had a little learning of letters, but had not been very studious and the years of disuse after her parent’s deaths had left her reading comprehension sorely lacking. “I’m not very good with letters.”

“Oh, well we will have to sort that out in the future. But for now, I will read them to you. These pages list the names of men who were all apart of the Thorn Guard. Listed by family. This page here is where the Family Daelg begins. And as you can see...” he flipped through several pages. “...there are many of them. Your forefathers were all in the guard for many many year. One of the oldest serving families. Protecting the King and kin.”

“Papa guarded the King? Really?” She drew up an image of her father in her mind and had no diffuculties reconciling with image. In her eyes, her father had always held all the qualities of a knight from stories he read her. Brave, selfless, and loyal. It warmed her heart to know she had been right, but it fueled her need to know more.

“No, he was not high enough in rank to be so close to the King himself. Your grandfather would have, yes. Often. In fact I do believe that was his last official post. But here, look.”

The archivist ran his finger along bottom of the page. “This your father’s entry. Hayron. Born to Hayier Daelg by his wife Maudre on the fourth of September in ninth year of King Haeral’s rule. Your Uncle, Halden was born little over a year later in the winter.”

There was not much more about her father or uncle in the book and very little revealed itself in the other tomes. But Barnaby was gracious enough to tell her stories her remembered about them when he was still the archivist for Silvaara. However, she was able to get a better picture of her Grandfather, Hayier. As captain of the Thorn guard, his name repeatably popped up throughout the pages.

“They use to call him Old Ironwood, because he was so straight and unyielding,” he told her. “He was a  fierce fighter, your grandfather.”

“You should come to open call and see Rheil break in the new recruits,” Jae suggested. “It’s in a few days, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“Seeing as she’s got Thorn Guard blood,” Jae grinned at Nenani and poked her with his elbow. “Maybe she’ll pick up a few things.”

Barnaby looked as though he were about to protest, but was cut off by Maevis. “Oh dear. My friends, we may have a problem.”

The three humans looked to see the magician standing near one of the windows with a small stack of books in his arms, one arm still holding one out as he was slipping it into an empty spot on the shelf. He was looking down at something below.

“What’s wrong?” Jae asked.

“Just now, I noticed Hev leave the west side corridor.”

Jae’s face fell. “Oh….oh, that’s bad.”

Nenanmi turned to Jae and asked, “Why is that bad?”

He sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair before giving her a sympathetic glance. “Because that means he’s coming back from the kitchens.”

Nenani felt her insides turn as understanding settled in. “Maybe he was just getting a snack?”

Barnaby placed a hand on Nenani’s shoulders. “I am afraid my dear that the proverbial cat, as they say, is out of the bag.”

“So that means...” She trailed off with a groan.

“Yep,” Jae replied. “Farris knows you lost your marker.”

………………………

They had left the library, saying their goodbyes to Maevis and Barnaby, and made the slow trek back through the tunnels towards the kitchens. Jae tried to reassure her that they could still potentially come upon the marker somewhere along the tunnels in a fortuitous turn of luck. Grateful as she was for his continued optimism, she knew without giving it concrete consideration that it would be a fruitless venture. It was gone forever. Plain and simple. And she felt sure that facing Farris was a much better direction to take. How could she ever explain to Jae or to anyone what she had seen? How could she ever find her way back, even if she wanted to prove that she had not been making the whole thing up?  

The moment they stepped into the dark, she had expected to hear the voices again, to feel dizzy, or to feel anything beyond the norm. But it was as it had been before. Just a tunnel illuminated by Maevis’s orbs. Nothing strange about it. As they moved along the path, she kept a close eye on the light, worried that any second they were disappear and the heat-less flames would come back, beckoning them both towards the catacombs. But they did not.  She decided in that moment that it had never happened and she never needed to waste another thought on what lay deep inside the walls of Vhasshal.  

Jae sensed her anxiety and gave her a cheeky smirk.

“If he’s that mad, you could always stay here in the tunnels with me,” he offered. But his grin faded when he received no reply. “It’ll be OK, y’know. I promise. Farris will yell for a while and maybe make you sweep the kitchen by yourself or something like that. Make a tiny broom for you or something.”

“Yeah,” she replied lowly as they rounded the last corner and could see the door to the kitchen. A faint string of light outlining its shape in the dark. “Maybe.”

Drawing nearer, they could hear Farris hollering nearly twenty feet from the door.

“Oh,” Jae said with a frown. “He’s pissed, alright.”

Nenani grimaced and groaned, not looking forwards to what was to come. She hoped she wouldn’t go deaf. As they approached the tunnel door, Farris’s words became that much more audible. “...COULD YA BE THAT STUPID?! ONE SIMPLE THING!”

“Well, old Hev did mention the request came from Keral,” Yale’s voice, much softer and muffled by the stone, replied. His words were barely heard. “Wouldn’t be shocked if he’s also the reason why.”

Jae glanced over his shoulder and motioned for Nenani to stand behind him and then slowly eased the door open a few inches. It was quite heavy, however and despite his best efforts to make a quite and inconspicuous entry, the hinges creaked. A high pitched shriek of old and oil thirsty metal.  

“I COULDN’T GIVE A..” Farris’s voice abruptly cut off at the sound and Jae froze, eyes wide and mouth grimacing. They both stood silently behind the ajar door, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps the two giants would continue on speaking and not notice anything. However, when Farris’s voice struck up again, it had lost almost all of its previous volume and was replaced by an irritated snark. “Well? Ya just gonna skulk behind the fucking door or ya what?”

With a resigned groan, Jae pushed the door open the remainder of the way. Hesitantly and with an uneasy smile, he stepped through and onto the mantel’s surface. Nenani was on his heals, pressing herself behind him as if to shield her from the sight of the giants. Farris loomed over the pair, a severe scowl plaster upon his face. One hand was clenched at his side while the other was planted firmly on his him.

“Farris, I can explain-” Jae began, but he was completely ignored and without even allowing him to finish, the giant reached out and slammed the door to the tunnel shut. The same hand then turned to grab up the young man and plucked him from the spot where he stood. “WHOA-hey!”

“Yale!” Farris barked while holding Jae out away from his person, never averting his eyes from Nenani. Behind gritted teeth, he hissed, “Find somewhere more fitin’ fer this one to be that ain’t in m’face.”

Yale started, hastily lowering the crock he has been holding onto the table before moving to Farris’s side with alacrity and reaching out for Jae just as Farris’s fingers released their grip. Jae cried out in alarm as he dropped the three feet before landing in Yale’s outreached palms.  

“As ya say, Boss!” Yale replied, giving Jae no time to recover or add his own commentary, and promptly sprinted out the archway and into the courtyard.  

“Saen!” Farris barked, his eyes still not wavering from Nenani. On the other side of the kitchen, Saen was elbows deep in flour. Upon hearing his name, the young giant jumped, sending a small plume of flour up into the air.

“Uh, yeah?” He asked tentatively.

“Leave it be fer th’moment and go see Bart.”

“Aye, will do.” Same as Yale, Saen quickly made his exit through the archway, leaving Farris and Nenani alone. In that moment of silence, she was reminded of just how imposing a figure Farris was and being the focus of his ire was truly a terrifying experience. It was not wholly dissimilar to their first meeting and though she was absolute in her confidence he would not harm her, she could help but shrink away.

“Don’t suppose ya have some shit of a’reason fer not having yer marker, eh?” he began sternly. His voice strained as he struggled to maintain his tone. He waved a hand at her before crossing both arms and staring at her expectantly. “Well then, let’s have it.”

Her tongue felt twice its normal size and all she managed was a few false starts and stutters.

“Yer gonna just gap at me like a fucking lipper or is that all ya got?”

“N-no...” she managed to mumble out quietly.

“Gonna have t’be doin’ better than that, Dumplin,” said the spice master. He opened one palm to reveal a small scrap of leather at the end of which dangled a piece of struck metal. Her new maker. “You remember at all why these are important?”

“So...so other Vhasshalans leave me alone,” she replied, swallowing thickly against the growing tightness in her throat.

“NO!” Farris roared. “ITS SO THEY DONT FUCKIN’ EAT YA!”

Nenani jumped, stumbling back until her shoulders hit the wall and she stared wide eyed up at the giant. Hot tears fell rolled down her cheeks. Farris was red in the face and snarling, his anger open and on show. It was too hard to meet his gaze and she averted her eyes to stare at her feet.

“Thrist aint’ th’only fucker that would try t’gut n’ roast ya if he thought he could get away with it. Are ya soft in the brain t’ave forgotten that?”

“No, I-I just...I’m sorry...” Nenani whimpered.

“And ya’d be even sorrier if...”

“Farris,” said a voice from the archway, cutting his words short. Farris turned to glance over his shoulder, giving Nenani a clear view of the doorway. Captain Rheil, dressed in his red boiled leather armor stood under the entryway, and wearing a somber and serious expression. “Forgive my interruption, but I need to speak with you.”

“Can’t ya see I’m busy?” Farris growled in annoyance, but the gray haired giant’s steel gaze never wavered.

“Believe me, you will want to make time for this,” he replied. “This matter concerns the humans.”

Farris turned fully face Rheil, head tilted in interest. “Alright, on with ya then. What other trouble have these wee brats managed?”

“Nothing like that,” the captain replied, taking Farris’s affirmative response as invitation to enter, and he stepped into the kitchen proper. “This matter involves all the humans on castle grounds, I am afriad. There have been several troubling reports.”

“Reports? What reports?”

“You’re familiar with Queen Rosanna’s personal guard, Creag, correct?” Rheil asked. When Farris grunted an affirmation, he continued. “I’ve also been fielding complaints about him since the Ibronian procession arrived last month. Harassing wait staff and some of my men for the most part, but he has also made several threats against both Sawyer and Connar. There has been a sharp uptake in his behavior and the Ibronian has been outright violent since the wedding, but today both Maevis and Keral came to me about him explicitly trying to kill Jae near the Royal apartments. Your ward was reportedly with him at the time of the incident.”

Though she could not see his face, Nenani watched the muscles of Faris’s back pull taught and his fits ball up.

“That fish nosed fuck tried t’murder two children right under the King nose?” Farris’s demanded. It was a tone Nenani had not heard him use and it felt much more dangerous than his normal level of anger. A deep, guttural growl with real vehemence behind it. He fixed the captain with a razor edged glare. “Rheil, yer lot better be doin’ somethin’ ‘bout this fucker. ‘Cause I can’t be promisin’ ya that me and my boys won’t.”

The captain seemed to have anticipated this reaction and held up a placating hand. “My men are escorting him to an audience with the King as we speak and I have plenty of witnesses to attest to the event. My main mission in coming to you was to let you know to keep a short leash on the lil’un for a while. Keep her down here and out of sight while things are taken care of upstairs.”

“Aye.”

“And since the brat’s already down here as well, that makes my task all the simpler. The King requests the same of Jae. Don’t allow him to squirrel away some place of his own choosing. The King has ordered him to remain down here and under your supervision until his Majesty comes to collect him in person.”

Farris cursed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “Gods piss on it all. It’s fuckin’ Baynor all over again.”

“Luckily for us, the Ibronian does not posses nearly the political currency as my predecessor,” Rheil replied. “However, the Queen has an ample supply and my observations have been that she is heavily reliant on him.”

“Ya expectin’ any trouble?”

“No,” Rheil replied. “Nothing so bad as when Baynor was ousted. But I would rather be prepared in any case and his Majesty was very clear. Jae is to remain here.”

For a long moment, no one said anything and Nenani wondered if she had been forgotten entirely.

“Aye,” Farris said finally and nodded. “They’ll be watched well and good.”

Rheil hummed in approval and tilted his head to the side to look passed Farris to fix Nenani with a warm smile. “Haven’t see ya in a good long while, lass. Hope that walking boulder didn’t hurt ya none.”

Nenani shook her head. “No. He wasn’t really going after me.”

“So I’ve been told,” Rheil said. “Jae does seemed to have been th’ main target, but I have no doubt he’d have just as well treated ya to the same had he caught ya. Keral mentioned he found ya wanderin’ ‘round by yerself. Lost in the halls without yer marker.”

There was a teasing nature to Rheil’s words.

“S’that how ya lost it then, eh?” Farris asked, pinning her with one green eye.

She shrugged meekly. “I don’t remember it falling off. I had it and then I didn’t. I was running a lot.”

Farris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, before turning to her and walking up to the mantel. He held her new marker aloft between two fingers and as she reached out to take it, he told her firmly, “Best be learnin’ to take better care of it, Dumplin’. ‘Cause if yer ever needin’ another anytime in the next ten years, I’ll be tying one end of a short lead to ya and th’ other to a lipper barrel and ya can live in the yard.”

She stared and then nodded fervently before quickly clipped the leather around her neck. The metal was almost hot from being clenched in Farris’s fist for so long, but there was a measure of comfort with the now familiar weight being back along her collar bone. She peeked up at the kitchen master, cautiously optimistic.

“So...does this mean I’m not in trouble anymore?”