#my Lady Durham

[artcalledky]

Can’t have free will, If you’ve been influenced Deep Forest And Christine All our times My drunk after barracks drinking Let’s shower after PT Make love before formation 9am I’ll drive For lunch let’s go to What that’s on menu also for the ride back My Christine All out shared times In reciting in my head Harmonies & melodies In the pale moonlight Our words discussed together capturing What are thoughts were Can’t have free will Influenced by deep forest Christine Crystal clear channeling My lady Durham Smoke free Sing are selves across an album No free will We loved in our share times Are days a view Are days a view Are days a view Are days a view Are days a view Are days a view

[theweepingangelofcas]

Eat The Rich, Feed Them to the Cats - Moriarty Bros x Reader

Anyone else in the USA having a crisis? Me too! Let's all maladaptive daydream together that our sweet dear Sherlock boys are with us, on our side.

Title is inspired by a fav nonprofit cat shelter of mine, Wonky Hearts Animal Haven. Please go check them out. They have stories that are truly so heartwarming and uplifting, it's a great distraction.

(No, I do not believe all men are bad. I myself have a male fiance whom I love and trust very much. But the election has left me feeling helpless and scared, as though my rights or my body don't matter. I'm writing this to vent. I respect if your political opinions are different than me, but I ask that you do not attack me in the comments, my dm's, etc)

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

William Moriarty

You two had been together for years now, since you two were teenagers. You've shared everything. Hopes, dreams, ideals... So when he saw someone try to harass you simply because of your gender? That won't do.

"Oi! Pretty broad!"

The random man's words did little to phase you. You didn't even speed up your footsteps. But your dear William stopped in his tracks.

Oh, yes, that's right. No one had ever been stupid enough to cat call you with him around before.

"Y/N..." his gaze had turned to the man, unblinking, "Did you not hear what that man just so crudely yelled at you?"

You shrugged, stopping in your tracks to try and let him catch up to you. He didn't dare move.

"It's nothing, William. Happens all the time to us ladies."

If you didn't know better, you'd say his eye just twitched.

"Is that so? And here I was, thinking it was mostly noblemen who were the rotten part of our society."

He smiled then. Like his mind wasn't 100% alongside you anymore.

His cane left the ground, being weilded in both hands almost like a baseball bat.

Or, more accurately, perhaps he was holding it like a mace.

It was safe to say, no man went within a few dozen meters of you for quite some time after that. After all, you always had your dear William with you now.

Louis Moriarty

Oh, did you think William would be protective?

Ha!

Louis is SO MUCH WORSE

To be completely fair, he was already practically a guard dog for both you and William. You had been engaged to him for a few months, and each passing day he just wanted to spend more time by your side.

This was how he found out how truly awful some men could be.

You two had boarded a train back to Durham, coming back from a lunch date together. You two had managed to score a semi-private spot in the lunch car, meaning that he could hold you without too much fuss from the rest of society. One hand was in yours, the other wrapped around your waist. You had both ordered drinks, his a sophisticated Earl Grey tea, yours a refreshing seltzer water. That was when your waiter came back up to you both.

"Sir, I know this is quite uncouth of me to say, but the gentleman a few seats down won't stop staring at your lady friend there." He gestured to you, specifically your chest, and you seemed to shrink into your seat instantly.

Louis scowled, "Thank you for informing me. You're dismissed, good sir."

The waiter stepped away, and Louis's grip on you got tighter.

"It's fine, darling. You mustn't fret." You tried to comfort him, but his scowl only deepened.

"I will fret." He turned his head, catching eyes with a man a few booths down. He did, indeed, seem to be staring at you. "And I'm going to teach him to respect others, or die trying."

You saw Louis stand, and approach the man in a terrifying calmness. He shook his hand, and gestured for him to follow him.

If you happened to see a person-shaped figure get thrown out of the train that day, no one has to know.

Albert Moriarty

He understands deep, seething rage. He dealt with it much when he was younger. So he understands that the best way to deal with it, is to take care of it yourself.

Normally, women weren't allowed into a prestigious college. But Albert, with his power and wealth, managed to convince the school that having one woman among its ranks wouldn't hurt. Hence, you being halfway through a science and medicine degree. Albert supported you all the way through. Your husband truly was a lovely, understanding man.

"It was fascinating, my love!" Your eyes lit up as you opened your textbook to that day's lesson, "We learned about the chambers of the heart, and all the illnesses and diseases that can correlate to it's health. Isn't that so cool!"

His smile widened at seeing you happy, "It certainly is, my dear. Do go on, teach me more about it."

You nodded, eyes bright, about to keep talking before-

"I'm sure anything is fascinating to a woman. But can she even understand it? Why, she should be at home, not trying to educate herself on something she could never possibly understand."

A man had approached you both. His smug grin was enough to dampen your joy immediately.

Albert blinked, his expression blank, before turning his head back to you, "My dear, would you like my walking stick, or do you want to use your textbook? After all, this fine gentleman seems in need of an anatomy lesson."

Your grin came back, "Your walking stick, please. I'd rather not get my favorite chapter dirty."

The man's eyes flew open as you took the wooden cane from Albert, weilding it more like a weapon than an aid.

"Now," The excitement in your expression was back, "I'll give you an anatomy lesson as I break all of your bones in alphabetical order."

[meadow-dusk]

before International Women's Day was over I wanted to put together a little tribute to my favorite women in music. These ladies' voices have shaped my life and helped me discover the sound of my own!

Cass Elliot | Dusty Springfield | Grace Slick |Janis Joplin | Joni Mitchell | Judith Durham | Judy Collins | Julie Andrews | Karen Carpenter | Mary Hopkin | Petula Clark | Ronnie Spector

[yandere-wishes]

⋆ Anomaly ⋆

❤Summary: Reader is an anomaly. A noblewoman of foreign descent. She doesn't belong here. But oh how she wishes to burn the world down just like William.

❤Author's note: A little something for Ana (@yandere-romanticaa) I hope you enjoy it!!

❤Warnings: Reader is traumatized, Yandere behavior, killing and blood, cryptic. I swear I know how math works…I've just been slaking this summer.

There are equations written over your skin. Complex formulas he's yet to solve. Exponents and variables freckle your body, scattered shards that try to tell him something, whispering the world's secrets every time he kisses your hand. You are an anomaly he thinks. Face full of cracks where the stars seep through. You're a mistake in the universe. A perfect doll misplaced. You are something, William is almost sure of it.

At heart, William is and always will be a mathematician. It just so happens that crime and math follow the same principles. Both require diligence and practice. Carefully throughout plans of how one must approach such a conundrum. One may call it a formula or a modus operandi or anything else as jejune. But in the end, a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.

And yet to Moriarty, you are an equation that refuses to be solved. An enigma he's desperately sought to unravel since your first meeting.

William notices something odd as you stroll down an exquisite exemplar of the golden ratio. Something the lord of crime can't fully place. You're akin to a puzzle missing far too many pieces to properly depict its picture. Maybe it's the setting he ponders as he watches you take careful steps in heeled shoes. Maybe it's the music from the ballroom or the meaningless prattle of the aristocrats that robs your form of all logic. Something is amiss with you and he's frantic to find out what it is.

William introduces himself when you reach the bottom of the staircase. He's never been one to show primary interest in the ladies. Rather he waits in the faint glow of the moonlight until someone approces him. Maybe it's the need to distinguish himself from the other aristocrats, maybe it's the repulsion for their customs and manners that refrains him from ever commencing idle chatter. Yet with you, a girl he's never met before, he finds it fitting to say hello first. To talk, about nothing and everything in the same breath. He mentions his admiration for the staircase in passing. Never expecting you to latch on to the words and morph them into the divine proportion. "My father was a mathematical enthusiast, he's passed that on to me as well." Your words slip into his veins like a narcotic, like the melody of an ancient tune lost to time.

William smiles, easy and bright like the melting rays of the desert sun. "Quite the coincidence, I'm a mathematics professor at Durham University". There's a giggle that bleeds from your rose-tainted lips. Reverberating in the chambers of his heart. "A toast then" you propose "to the lethal magnificence of calculation"

You click your champagne glass against his, as something feral festers within the young nobleman.

It's only days later when he's replaying that night in his head as he sips his afternoon tea. That he realizes your champagne glass was empty that whole time. How strange he pondered, wondering if he'd even seen you touch a single intoxicant all evening.

Four days and three sleepless nights later William finds himself tracing the letters of your name with tender adoration. As if he's engraving prayers upon his bones. He needs to see you again as desperately as he needs to breathe. The letter he writes is aloof, meticulous. Prying on your curiosity, hoping you'll take the bait. One miserable day later Louis delivers a letter bathed in your fragrance. Informing the lord Moriarty of your acceptance of his invitation for tea. William folds the letter with the leniency of a biologist regulating their slides. Tucking it away within his breast pocket.

You wear red when you oblige his invitation. An odd red, one that breaks his perception of the color. It's too vibrant yet too opaque. He's beginning to wonder if everything about you is an irregularity. When he ushers the conversation to your garment you merely laugh and brush it off as having belonged to your mother. There's something wrong with that reply as if the universe weeps at your every word. William watches astonished as if he's been told a secret lost to time.

It becomes a habit, an obsession, an addiction really. Tea thrice a week with the woman who plagues his dreams. He lets his cover slip between sips of tea. Permitting you glances into his dark affairs. There's a moment that breaks the norm. A bizarre instance when you ask him to spare no detail in recounting how a poor tormented man murdered the marquess that raped his wife. William stops the proclean cup mere millimeters from his lips. His voice dies in his throat as his mind races to find an appropriate way to tell a lady such a bloody tale. For a second reality slips away.

Reality has a tendency to slip away unnoticed when he's with you.

You weave William tales of foreign lands that sound like they belong in children's fairytales. You tell him about heroes who've done the impossible and kings whose hearts are as pure as the summer skies.

Something about you reverberates in his subconscious. Oh, how he wishes to engulf you, to pick apart your flesh revealing all those dainty secrets you keep in your pretty little chest.

He asks how you know of such utopic lands. You smile. "Because I once lived there"

One day, as Louis serves black tea with rose petals, you bring up a rather peculiar request. "Permit me to assist you in your quest for equality lord Moriarty." William's beginning to believe he's going mad when he hears you. Albit it may as well be expected. Any sane noble lady would have run away many times over. Yet you remain. Forever poised in your adorned seat. Now more than ever William wishes he knew what you truly are. "I want to help you", you plead. "Allow me to aid you in burning this world down and starting anew". He shouldn't have accepted, he shouldn't have nobbed. He shouldn't have left his seat to trace the side of your face with more love than he knew he possessed.

Sometimes, William wonders if something is haunting you, an apparition nesting within the depths of your heart. He ponders what could drive a brilliant mind such as yours to crave the blood of the rich. You once told him about a heritage disrespected. A legacy buried under sand and water lilies. He's yet to find the true meaning behind those words. Does that make you a threat or an ally? Can either be exalted to a lover?

Moriarty promises you the world. Promise you revenge. He's not sure if he too will burn away in your vendetta. Yet he's willing to take the risk if he can hold you close after every murder case.

"I've tried to kick the habit of strolling around the cemeteries at night. Yet I must admit I rather enjoy this." William smiles at your twisted words as he leads the way. If everything has goes as planned -which is most often the case- then the two of you should be prepared for quite the spectacle. A certain Count - who had shown more interest in you than Moriarty could permit- would be getting knifed by his butler whose life he had ruined. A whole new meaning to the term 'the butler did it'. Quite comedic from William's perspective.

You lean on a withering oak tree, hidden by London's thick fog. William stands by your side, the personification of a grim reaper. You watch the play begin, the cobblestone stage illuminated by the blood-red moon. The confrontation, the knife being thrust into the rich vermin's heart. Again and Again and Again. The butler screams into the bloodstained night. His words quelled by his sobs and screams of agony from his dying tormentor. You only catch half of his reasoning, half of his allegations. And yet that is more than enough to comprehend his motive. You sympathize with the poor man, one whose scars mirror your own.

William's scarlet gaze befalls you, as the performance nears its end.

You pick at your nails in a manner that William finds a little too adorable.

You are an anomaly masquerading as a human. Depression lays heavy over your bones as stardust gathers in the corners of your eyes.

You pray to the creator of the moon, pray for a place long since destroyed.

"I've yet to find someone who truly understands me," you say as the two of you begin the journey back to the Moriarty estate.

"Then we share the same burden, my lady," William says, stopping in his tracks.

He lays a firm hand on your shoulder pulling you backwards into his embrace. Somewhere in the distance, three crows consecrate you with their blessings. Willian's hands rest heavy on your sides. He holds you like a little boy holds his father's arithmatic books. Full of care, full of wonder. "What are you" he whispers into your ear. Leaving a playfully hard bite to the shell. His lips trace yours like one traces a treasure map. Trying to unearth all the riches of the world. "My anomaly" he mutters before he finally commits.

When Moriarty kisses you the whole world melts away.

There's an intriguing lightheadedness that follows. As if the stars themselves have exploded within you. You wonder if basking in his presence will mend your tattered heart.

"My precious little anomaly"

Tag list: @elvyshiarieko @himerurun @latolover @aru-nightmare @guidingstarsstuff @myfancollections

[celticcrossanon]

Hello Celta, Long time no see. I hope all is well.

I’m writing to bring you some juicy gossip from 1. Bookworm2 on YouTube, 2. a jailing of a sugar, and 3. lady C will be unmasking ugly after all and 4. Meghan regrets telling kids she’s the most bullied.

Bookworm does have some far reaching long term contacts at the palace and elsewhere in the US., truly people in the know. When you publish my ask I will attach her latest video. Allegedly Archwell, is rumoured to be under investigation by the Feds and IRS. There’s the matter of the missing millions from Archwell, and failure to declare it. BUT BUT BUT there’s also the matter of the Harkles, Meghan in particular uttering death threats across state lines, as part of an FBI cyber bullying investigation. This latter charge relates to the extreme bullying and harassment Catherine underwent during her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Catherine allegedly received some really nasty death threats while she was secluded from the public, at the height of the ‘Wheres Kate’ psychodrama online. Remember William went to visit M15 and it was publicized everywhere?? Two card readers, Mad World Tarot included, did a reading that showed the 3 of pentacles card, involvement through a third party. I wonder if they were able to trace the financial angle ie payment from Archwell. Or one of the third party, ie the death threat poster, probably squealed about his motivation and bosses. MWT saw William’s energy behind this. They truly thought online threats were untraceable. Consequences people consequences.

Avid Gardener and Trevor Coult on YouTube has the woman accused of trying to bomb Buckingham Palace brought up on charges against them. She made the threat on Twitter brazenly and openly. She’s also issued death threats to Avid and her husband and had bullied Trevor out of his charity job and home. She’s been named in the press as Diane Durham, 62, and she’s an immense sugar. Stupid woman pleaded not guilty after first admitting everything. It moves on to the high court for sentencing. I think the police are concurrently investigating the YouTube harassment claims. She stands to lose her house to Trevor in damages. I have no sympathy. Consequences people consequences.

On a related topic Lady C will most likely take go fund me to court because of the illegal reopening of her money raising drive for Mr thomas Markle Snr. She alleges that someone with connections had go fund me reopen the fundraiser after it was closed as per her contract with them, and called the newspaper to accuse her of fraud, all within the space of a few days. First she threatened the newspaper with a lawsuit if they ran the story, and then she threatened go fund me after they tried to brush her off, by telling her they couldn’t identify the member of staff of go fund me due to privacy reasons. She’s not having it AT ALL. And will see them in court. She strongly hints that she suspects Meghan and Harry are behind it, again through third parties. They want to damage her reputation and get her off YouTube. I think they mistakenly identified Lady C as a pushover. Don’t they anything about her life? lol. Consequences people consequences.

There’s also a threat by the UK bullied staff to be released from their NDAs to speak on camera about Meghan’s Bullying Report buried by the Queen. This, after she went to some girls charity last week. and claimed to be the most bullied person in the world. I bet she’s regretting that now. Consequences people consequences.

They both must be sweating bullets. No wonder Harry is nowhere to be seen. I hear a rumour he’s either in Australia to harass his father, or he’s in the UK hoping to be named counsellor of State while dear old pop is away. Harry is so dumb, all he cares about are the perks of the BRF and never about the consequences of his actions. He’s thicker than a brick.

There you go. It’s quite a lot, and I hope sooner rather than later they face justice in some form or another.

Hi AnonymousRetired,

All is very well with me, thank you for asking.

Thank you as well for sending in such a lot of lovely gossip. It looks like things are starting to move against the Harkles. Like you, I hope that all the perpetrators face justice, and sooner rather than later.

Videos referred to in the gossip (I hope these are the right ones): Note: I still need the ones from Lady C

Bookworm 2

Avid Gardener

Trevor Coult MC

Mad World Tarot

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

The Lord of Dunholm

Note: this is just a silly little fic, obviously the legal details are off, but who cares.

Warnings: none.

pairing: SKMD!Sihtric x modern cop!you (f)

summary: you were called in to check out a situation at Durham castle.

wordcount: 7,9k

Masterlist

You were a rookie cop, desperate to prove yourself to your peers and to eventually earn a promotion. You knew you were doing a good job, but you were often forced to take those jobs that the experienced cops didn't like or simply felt too good for. One of those jobs was dealing with so called nutcases; people who often were innocent as they were usually simply confused because of their own mind, which wasn't their fault at all. They were a slight pain to deal with but someone had to do it, and today wouldn't be any different. You sat in your police car early afternoon when your radio sounded, and you heard the voice of one of your colleagues.

'There is an, ehhhh… caucasian male swinging an… axe and a sword outside of Durham castle. He has shoulder length hair, wavy and dark, he seems well built and he's wearing a brown… eh, fur cloak. Apparently his eyes are two different colours, one brown and one blue. He also has a large scar on his forehead and a smaller scar on his right cheek. You, eh, you really can't miss him, over.'

You stared at your radio, you knew this was a task for you as it sounded like once again someone had lost their mind, but since it was at a big public castle you thought it was a joke-

'This is not a joke and he is not part of the castle, over.'

You made a face at the radio and started your car, driving over to the castle to see what the fuss was all about. As you pulled up to the castle's parking lot you were greeted by frightened people who ran for their lives, on what was supposed to be a fun day out for them. It was complete madness and some of the panicked fathers pointed you in the direction of the axe and sword swinging "lunatic". You parked your car and then you saw him, exactly as he was described over the radio, not a word had been lied. You watched the rather handsome man shout angrily at the people who hid behind the glass windows of the ticket office, and then the castle's security guard ran up to your car. You were startled when the security guard banged on your car window as you were staring at the angry man near the entrance, and you rolled your window down enough to hear the guard speak.

'Thank god, you're here,' the guard panted, 'this guy has been here for half an hour already, claiming he's the Lord of Dunholm or something and he wants his land back.'

'What?' you scoffed, 'his land back? You're serious?'

'I swear I'm not making it up. He somehow got inside the castle and I found him when he was grabbing that axe and the sword off the wall. I managed to get him outside, you know, for the safety of the guests, but that's when he really lost his mind because he wasn't allowed back inside anymore. This guy is insane. I'm… I'm out of here,' the guard said, and he followed the other people that ran far away from the castle, leaving you baffled and rather confused.

You took a deep breath and got out of your car, then walked over to the "Lord", hand on your taser as you slowly approached him. You managed to sneak around him without being noticed while he had his back turned towards the entrance, looking wild and confused at the people who filmed him with their cellphones. This wasn't your first rodeo with a violent person, but something made you a nervous wreck out of nowhere as you got a better look at him, and you tried your best to keep your voice from trembling.

'Sir!' you shouted, earning his attention, and he turned around to look at you with rage in his eyes, 'l-lower your weapons, sir,' you demanded, although not very convincing. 

'I demand entrance!' the man grunted as he raised his axe.

'Lower your weapons!' you demanded again.

'I shall do no such thing, lady! I merely want access to my home, I do not wish to fight. Now stand aside!' the Lord yelled at you, but you didn't budge.

'Sir, lower-'

'I said stand aside!' he shouted again, heated.

'Sir, if you take one more step I have to taser you,' you warned him.

'What?'

'I will have to taser you, sir! What is your name?'

'Sihtric Kjartansson!' he snarled.

'Sihtric Kjartansson?' you frowned, that was the oddest name you had ever heard in this day and age.

'Son of Kjartan the Cruel, who used to rule here. I helped kill him a while ago and this place is mine now! So let me in or I swear I will ram this gate!'

'Okay, eh,' you cleared your throat, not really sure what to do with this man, 'S-Sihtric-'

'That's Lord Sihtric!' he hissed as he stalked towards you.

You took a few steps back when the threatening man neared you, and you ordered him to drop his weapons once again, but he didn't listen.

'Sihtric, I will tase you if you take another step closer! I mean it!'

You stared at him as he ignored your last warning, and you grabbed your taser. You pointed it towards the angry and lost looking man as he came closer, and with shaking hands you pressed the button, releasing the probes. You watched the probes attach to the wild man's clothing and sparks were flying, but the man didn't freeze and fall due to the shocks he received. In fact, nothing seemed to happen, he only seemed to stop walking to look down at the probes and the several sparks that were created.

'Holy shit,' you gasped as you stared at Sihtric, who was still standing and you both stared at the useless pulses from your taser.

You wondered how much drugs this guy had taken to be completely oblivious to the shocks your weapon created, and you watched Sihtric with your jaw dropped as he threw down his sword to yank the probes off his cloak, and he threw them on the ground while they were still giving off shocks. You slightly panicked as Sihtric stepped closer, still holding his axe which he was about to raise as he got within an arm's reach from you. But then he suddenly stopped and froze, he clenched his jaw while a strangled moan sounded in his throat as his left eye twitched. You stared at him with big eyes and then realised he had stepped onto the probes with his boots, which were old and worn and apparently not thick enough to withhold the pulses of your taser, and he collapsed to his knees. He fell forward as your taser gave one last shock, which caused a few more sparks to fly, and then everything became silent.

With the help of some backup you had managed to get Sihtric handcuffed and in the back of your car. He was still rather dazed from receiving the taser stun and you could tell he was not pleased as you saw he was glaring at you from the backseat whenever you looked in your mirror. He didn't speak at all, but you could tell he became more confused and frightened the more he became clear headed again, and you wondered why he looked so spooked. 

At the station you struggled to get him out of your car. You had opened the door for him but Sihtric simply refused to get out, unless he got to speak to your king. You said you couldn't possibly arrange that, but that he could speak with your superior. Sihtric refused your offer and said, 'I will not set foot out of this carriage, lady.' You once again had to ask for some help from your colleagues, who were rather amused at your catch of the day. 

When you finally had Sihtric in a holding cell, you grabbed a chair and sat across from him, as it was now your job to figure out who this guy was and what he wanted, but it turned out to be more complicated than you expected. You had searched him for any form of ID, but he had nothing on him except for a small sachet with silver coins in it, which had no value to you unless you planned on opening a medieval coin museum. After searching him you also understood why the taser didn't work when you first fired it, as he was wearing leather armour underneath his fur cloak, which raised even more questions.

'So, Sihtric,' you said, 'tell me what happened today, hm? Why were you swinging your weapons at the castle?'

'Because it is my land,' Sihtric hissed.

'Your land? Why do you believe it is your land?' you asked, confused yet mildly entertained.

'I fought for it, it is my land. I own it.'

You stared at Sihtric and exhaled sharply, realising you weren't going to get a clear answer on your first question.

'Tell me where are you from?'

'Dunholm.'

'Dunholm?'

'Yes, lady. I am the Lord of Dunholm.'

'Do you mean… Durham?' you furrowed your brow as you looked at him.

'What?'

'You are from Durham?'

'I am from Dunholm, lady,' Sihtric said, agitated, and he tugged the handcuffs you had chained to the table, 'release me. Release me at once or there will be consequences!'

'I'm… afraid I can't do that. Where did you get your weapons?'

'I bought them.'

'Where?'

'In Bebbanburg.'

'Bebban-,' you stopped and shook your head, once again confused, 'you mean Bamburgh?'

'I said Bebbanburg, lady,' Sihtric hissed again and leaned over the table, like a predator eyeing up his prey, 'do you not understand me? I have bought them but found them placed up on a wall inside the castle. I do not know how they got there, but I retrieved them.'

'And how did you get inside the castle?'

'I live there. I simply stepped through a door and suddenly… suddenly everything was the same but also very different. And then I saw my weapons, which I took, and then some man began to tell me I could not touch my weapons. I told him to make the square but instead he forced me outside,' Sihtric sighed, 'and then they would not grant me entry again.'

You weren't sure what to say. You indeed did not quite understand him, but you couldn't tell him that, he could use that to his advantage and you really didn't want to screw up the possible case you had in your hands.

'Okay, I'm going to need some prints,' you said and reached for his hands.

You were startled when Sihtric suddenly flinched and yanked his hands away from yours, hurting his wrists in the process due to the handcuffs, and when you looked into his eyes you felt your heart break. You suddenly realised that this man was not fooling around and you believed he was not lying. You could read people, it was your main talent, and Sihtric's mismatched eyes spoke the truth. He was terrified but didn't show it on his face, and he felt utterly lost and confused, you could tell, but he would never confess that to you or anyone else.

'It's okay,' you said, calmly, 'I'm not… I won't hurt you. I promise.'

Sihtric looked at you with his big eyes, which were completely fixated on you as you got up and moved your chair next to his. You could tell he was hesitant to believe you, so you tried to explain to him what you were going to do.

'I need to take your hands and press your fingers onto this ink pad, okay? And then I will press your fingers on this piece of paper,' you said and pointed towards the tools on the table.

You waited for Sihtric to take in your words, and when he slowly nodded for you to go ahead, you reached out for his hand again. This time he didn't pull away, as you approached him slowly, and he allowed you to take his hand and press each of his tattooed fingers onto the ink pad and then on the paper. You carefully collected his prints, and you felt your cheeks heat up slightly as a strange sensation rushed through your stomach each time you touched him. And Sihtric didn't seem to mind your gentle touch either, as he just stared at you with wide eyes while you both felt the air become thick inside the holding cell. You sat back after you had collected all his prints and cleared your throat, breaking the tension that lingered.

'I, eh, I will run these now. I will be back in a moment.'

You were quick to get up, and as you waited for his results to come up and expose who Sihtric really was and where he came from, your mind kept wandering off to his pretty duo-coloured eyes, the feeling of his rough hands and the sound of his warm, smooth voice. You were intrigued by him, but as he was somewhat of a problem right now, your problem to be more specific, you cursed yourself for thinking he was incredibly handsome.

'It's always the weirdos,' you sighed as you remembered your poor track record of ex-boyfriends.

You were abruptly pulled from your thoughts when the results came in, and you were confused when the screen showed you that zero matches had been found.

'Surely this guy has a record already,' you muttered and ran his prints again.

You scoffed when the results were negative again, and you grabbed a DNA swab kit on your way back to the unknown man you had tasered about an hour ago. You also brought Sihtric a plastic cup of water, as you noticed his lips were rather chapped when you sat close to him so you figured he could use some fresh water. You placed the cup in front of him, and Sihtric carefully inspected the white plastic while you prepared your DNA kit. And just as you looked up and wanted to explain how you were going to swab his DNA, you saw how Sihtric leaned in and reached for the plastic cup. When his face was almost close enough to take a sip, he grabbed the cup firmly as if it was a jug of ale, and a shocked gasp left his mouth when the cup crushed under the pressure of his grip, and the water splashed in his face, his hair and over his cloak. He looked surprised and stared at you while the water dripped down his face, and he only blinked when you desperately tried to hold your laugh. You quickly got him some tissues and helped him dry his face, his hair and his cloak while he was still handcuffed to the table.

'Thank you,' Sihtric mumbled shyly when you sat back again, 'it seems I am not aware of my own strength.'

'That must be it,' you chuckled and fought a grin.

He was the most peculiar man, and a charming one too, but it seemed he was also not the brightest, which amused you greatly.

'Anyway,' you said and moved closer to him again, 'the fingerprints were no success, so I'll have to take a DNA sample.'

'A what?' Sihtric leaned back quickly when you held up the swab stick, and he looked at the stick as if it was something foreign, 'where does that go, woman?' he asked mortified, 'what does it do?'

'I will take a sample from the inside of your cheek. It doesn't hurt, I promise.'

Sihtric gave you a confused look, and you didn't know how else to explain it to him.

'You… you just need to open your mouth for me,' you said.

'By the gods, lady,' Sihtric scoffed, 'those words have never been spoken to me before by a woman.'

'Excuse me?'

'I usually tell a lady to open their m-'

'Okay!' you quickly interrupted, 'I think we are speaking of two different things here. Just, Christ,' you groaned, 'open your mouth, please.'

Sihtric gave you a sudden cheeky grin, and he politely obeyed. Your own mouth went dry and your heart was beating with such force you heard it in your ears as you gently held his chin while you took a sample. Sihtric made a face when you were done, and he awkwardly pressed his tongue in his cheek and then licked his lips repeatedly at the odd feeling the swab stick had left him. You thanked him and hoped he didn't see your flushed face before you quickly left the room again to run his sample. 

When moments later you once again received zero results, you turned to your boss for help. You explained to him the situation and told him everything that had happened. You couldn't confirm who Sihtric was, nor where he was from or where he lived, all you knew was that he hadn't actually threatened to kill people and he hadn't harmed anyone. He just seemed… not from this time. After quite some time of discussion about what to do next, you were told you had to let Sihtric go as you couldn't charge him. Sihtric was about to be a free man again, but he just couldn't have his weapons back and he had to come back within a week to show his passport and a proof of residence.

'Will you be okay out there?' you asked while you uncuffed him, 'where will you go?'

Sihtric shrugged lightly and told you he didn't know yet, which didn't sit well with you. Regardless of your gut feeling, you released the insanely handsome "Lord" and guided him out of the police station. You watched him as he crossed the street, completely ignoring the traffic light as he continued to walk, and you held your breath when he almost got hit by a car, after which you heard him shout to the shocked driver to make the square. Whatever that meant.

Hours later when your shift was over you drove home. On your way back you passed Durham castle, and you couldn't believe your eyes when you saw Sihtric sitting almost completely in the dark, under a tree, near the closed castle entrance. You stopped your car and slowly approached him by foot while his eyes were glued to the castle.

'Sihtric?'

He jumped and looked up, his eyes telling you he felt caught.

'Lady,' he said and cleared his throat.

'What are you doing here?'

'Nothing,' Sihtric replied, a little too quick for it to be innocent.

'Sihtric,' you chuckled and looked at the castle entrance, 'surely you weren't planning on climbing the walls, were you?'

'No, I'd need a ladder for that,' Sihtric grumbled and shook his head.

You stared at each other and then both broke into soft laughter. You looked at him and his body language, and when adding it up to everything that had happened that day as well as the way he spoke and dressed, you couldn't help but feel that he had never lied to you about anything he had told you. And slowly your laugh made place for a saddened, concerned look.

'This really is your land, isn't it?'

Sihric gave you a sad nod, 'It is, yet I don't truly recognise it. Nor the people who live here now. It is the same but also… not. And I don't understand it.'

'I don't understand it either,' you gave him a compassionate look, 'but, Sihtric, you can't stay here. Soon the temperature will be below zero.'

'But this is my home, lady. I have no other place to go.'

You looked around the empty parking lot and sighed. Your next move went against everything you've learned and believed, but you couldn't just leave him like that. You hesitantly told him to get in the car, which he initially did not want to do because he thought you were going to handcuff him again. When you finally convinced him, after several long minutes, you drove him to the nearest hotel and walked up to the welcome desk.

'I would like to book one room for this man for a few nights,' you told the hotel employee.

Everything seemed fine for a moment. Sihtric was just gazing around the place while you filled in the form for his stay, but you froze when you saw that the person who paid for the stay was held responsible for the state of the room. You weren't going to stay there with him, in one room, but you also worried about leaving him alone now that everything would come down on you. He carried no more weapons but you still had no idea what he was capable of, and having to pay for a trashed hotel room was not something you wanted to do in your free weekend. And since the payment was in your name, if he would do something worse than just trash the room and perhaps harm someone, it could even cost you your job. You apologised to the hotel employee and told her that maybe it was better if he resided somewhere else, and you left. Sihtric didn't quite understand what was going on when you pulled him back to your car, but he got in regardless.

'What is this carriage?' he eventually asked as you drove him to your house.

'This is a car.'

'Car?'

'Yes.'

Sihtric looked at you but didn't say anything anymore, and then he just stared out of the window. When you finally walked him to the front door of your house, you stopped and turned to him before you opened the door.

'Look, you can stay in my house for a day or two, but there will be some rules. Don't forget that I can arrest you again if you do something weird or try anything with me, you got that?'

Sihtric nodded, not truly understanding you but he somehow had gotten to like your presence and you in general. Once inside you were greeted by your dog, Thor, an Alaskan Malamute, and Sihtric took several steps back when the dog approached out of nowhere. Sihtric watched how you knelt down and hugged your beloved pet, and he had to admit he was fascinated by the size of the animal.

'Impressive beast,' he said.

'Thank you,' you chuckled, 'he's my best friend, really.'

'How much, woman?'

'Excuse me?'

'How much for the dog?'

'Eh, he's… he's not for sale.'

'But I offer silver. I offer you twenty pieces of silver.'

'Sihtric,' you chuckled and got back up, 'he's not for sale. You can't buy him.'

'Very well,' Sihtric sniffed, 'how much for you, lady?'

'I beg your pardon?'

'I am a man,' Sihtric shrugged, 'and I have needs.'

You scoffed and your mouth fell open at the audacity of him.

'You're a pig,' you said, disgusted, 'and you should be ashamed of yourself!'

Sihtric had been rather baffled at your insult, but he had forgotten about it all when he laid down on your couch after he had stripped himself down to his breeches. You had thrown him a blanket and told him to go sleep, you'd figure things out in the morning, and you also told him he was not allowed to get into your bedroom. You had left the door slightly open, knowing your dog was sleeping right outside of your room and if the strange man on your couch would try to harm you, Thor would not hesitate to attack. And with that thought you eventually fell asleep.

It was about ten in the morning when you woke up the next day, and when you slowly opened your eyes and blinked you were frightened when you found Sihtric staring at you as he sat crouched down next to your bed. A terrified shriek left your mouth and you both jumped up while Sihtric also yelped at your reaction.

'What the fuck are you doing?!' you screamed.

'I am sorry, lady!' Sihtric yelled as he had backed himself up against your book cabinet, knocking over a few titles.

'What is wrong with you!' you huffed and quickly covered yourself up with your blankets.

'I am sorry!' he said again, 'but a strange kind of sound woke me up a while ago already. I don't know where it came from.'

You tried to understand him and it took you a few seconds to realise he was woken up by your phone, as you had set an alarm for eight and had forgotten your phone on the table next to the couch. You then apologised and explained what had woken him up, and although he didn't fully understand it, he left it at that.

'But why on earth are you in my room, Sihtric?!' you yelled when you remembered you were still in your bedroom.

'Well, I was just admiring your beauty as I couldn't sleep, my lady,' he said with a sly smile.

'Oh,' you mumbled and blushed, feeling bad for having shouted at him while also still feeling slightly freaked out. But you couldn't deny you felt flattered too, as he was possibly the most handsome man you had ever seen, despite the fact that he smelled like mud and grass, and you said he should take a wash, to which he agreed.

'Also,' Sihtric said before he left your room, 'it seems that the beast has destroyed my boots in the night. I require a new pair.'

You had managed to gather some decent clothes for Sihtric because, luckily, your next door neighbour had some shoes in his size he could borrow until you'd get him new ones today, and he also had some black sweatpants to spare, as well as a grey hoodie. After Sihtric got dressed you took his hand and pulled him to the mirror, where he stared at himself and his messy hair. At first he looked concerned, but then he grinned.

'Not bad,' he chuckled and turned to give you a wink.

You shyly agreed, and then he suddenly took your hand and pulled you flush against his body. He wrapped his arms around you while he looked at both your reflection in the mirror.

'Hey,' you chuckled, 'what… what are you doing?'

'That's us, right?'

'Yes,' you said and looked at the mirror too.

You saw Sihtric's eyes light up as he took in the sight of you in his arms.

'We look good together,' he smiled shyly, 'marry me?'

'What?' your eyes grew wide.

'Marry me? You can be my lady. We'll be the Lord and Lady of Dunholm.'

'Eh,' you laughed and felt yourself blush heavily, 'that's… a bit unusual and fast, isn't it?'

You looked up at him, and before you knew it Sihtric had cupped your cheeks and pulled you in for a firm kiss. You froze at the sudden feeling of his chapped lips onto your smooth ones, but when he didn't pull away you eagerly grabbed onto his borrowed hoodie and kissed him back. And barely even having recovered from kissing the handsome stranger, he already threw another question at you which you weren't prepared for.

'Will you stay with me?'

'What?' you paused and shook your head, 'Sihtric… I-'

'Please?' he asked, a spark of hope flickered in his eyes as he held you tight again while he stared into your eyes.

And instead of replying with words, something seemed to take over and you pulled him in for another kiss. And it seemed that ever since that moment Sihtric couldn't keep his hands off you anymore.

Sihtric clung onto your hand as you walked down the busy shopping street. Segways and electric scooters zoomed past you, to which Sihtric looked spooked and confused, and he jumped each time a car honked or a phone rang nearby.

'I don't understand,' he said, bewildered, 'there is so much noise. Why is there so much noise? And where are the horses? Why is no one riding horses?'

'Horses?' you laughed, 'horses haven't been used for transport like that for ages.'

'Ages?' Sihtric scoffed, 'lady, it has only been one day.'

You weren't sure how to respond, so you just squeezed his hand in the hope of giving him some comfort. You still didn't quite understand how he had ended up here, but that he somehow came from a different time than you was the one thing you were sure about. You continued your walk, hands locked together tightly, when suddenly you approached a market that had been set up for the weekend.

'Ah!' Sihtric smiled when he finally seemed to recognise something, 'a market!'

You strolled between the stalls, looking at the fruits, vegetables, clothing and some second hand items. Sihtric's eye caught a stall that sold shiny jewellery, and it was almost as if he had turned into a magpie. He couldn't be torn away from the stall and you looked around for a moment, while he continued to hold your hand as his eyes darted over the countless silver and golden rings.

'The town's office is around the corner,' you said and looked back at Sihtric, 'we should go there and request your passport before we get you new boots.'

Sihtric simply nodded and followed your lead, away from the market and around the corner. And there he suddenly stopped you and pulled you in, one arm around your waist while he held up a silver ring to you.

'For my lady,' he smiled with pride and a loving smile.

'W-what?' you gasped while Sihtric took your hand and placed the ring around your ring finger, 'I- wait,' you scoffed, 'where did you get this from?'

Sihtric didn't reply, he simply smiled and leaned in to kiss your cheek. You felt yourself weakened at his sweet smile and gesture, that it took you a moment to figure out he had stolen the ring from the market when you had looked away for only a few seconds.

'Sihtric!' you hissed, 'did you steal this?!' you asked and stared at him, but he once again didn't respond. 'Sihtric, you can't do that. I'm a cop… you…you can't… do this,' you swallowed hard when you stared into his eyes, getting lost in them.

'Okay,' Sihtric mumbled and shrugged.

And then he pulled you in for a kiss that made you forget and care less that he had stolen that ring just a moment ago.

It was quite the hassle to make Sihtric a registered citizen of Durham and to request a passport, but somehow it had all worked out and his passport would be ready by the end of next week. The employee thought Sihtric was an interesting and charming man, with an old soul. But she also thought he was quite strange though. Sihtric had proudly told the employee that you two were getting married soon, which you wanted to argue against but it turned out to benefit his situation, so you played along. It turned out to be awfully easy for you to pretend to be a loving partner, and it seemed that Sihtric also had no problem with it, and he kept his hands on you at all times.

After his passport was requested you finally went to get Sihtric new shoes. You felt bad that your dog had destroyed his medieval boots in the night, so you were more than willing to buy him a new pair. Well, you had to buy them for him anyway as he had no money on him, except for the little sachet with silver coins that he carried in the pocket of his sweatpants. In the shoe store it became clear once again that Sihtric was a peculiar man, as he was overwhelmed by the amount of shoes he saw and he thought they all looked quite weird, he clearly still had to get used to modern shoes. He ended up liking a pair of horrible cowboy boots, and it took you a lot of persuading to change his mind and look for some simple ankle boots. He reluctantly went with you as you pulled his hand, creating a distance between him and the cowboy boot section, to the modern looking boots,and eventually he picked out a pair of black boots to try on.

'And?' you asked, hopeful.

'They are of fine quality,' he said as he checked them out in the mirror.

'They are,' you agreed, 'and they look good on you too.'

Sihtric smiled and reached into his pocket, 'How much silver?'

'What? Oh, Sihtric,' you shook your head and laughed, 'you can't pay with that silver of yours.'

'Why not?' he asked, offended, 'I earned it. Perhaps stole some of it,' he shrugged, 'but it is of value.'

'Not here-'

'It is of value, lady. I am a wealthy man.'

You sighed and looked around the store, trying to think of a way to make him believe his silver was indeed valuable, while he stared at you intensely.

'You're right,' you smiled, 'why don't you hand me the silver, and I will pay for you?'

'Hand you my silver? You are not yet my wife,' Sihtric scoffed, 'are you after my silver only? Because I have dealt with a-'

'No, no,' you said quickly, 'I, eh, sometimes they give ladies a discount here,' you lied.

Sihtric frowned and thought about your answer, then looked almost impressed and handed you the sachet. 'Very well,' he smiled.

You grabbed the silver and told Sihtric to stay back for a moment. At the checkout you emptied the sachet in your purse and you paid for his shoes with your credit card. You walked back to him with "his" purchase, and he was shocked that the shoes had cost him all of his silver.

'Yeah,' you sighed as you walked back to your car, hand in hand, 'the economy these days is really something.'

'Economy?'

'Yeah, it's… you know what? It's better if you don't know about it,' you smiled and kissed his cheek, after which Sihtric easily dropped the brand new topic to him.

On the drive back from the city to your home you passed the castle again, and just like the first time you passed it you noticed Sihtric stared at the castle with a saddened look, and then looked down at his feet while he fidgeted with his rings, which he had already when you found him, so you were sure those weren't stolen. At least, not stolen from the market.

'Hey, maybe we can visit the castle tomorrow?' you suggested.

'Do you think they'll let me in?'

'If you behave, yes.'

You gave him a cheeky smile, which brought a smile to Sihtric's face too, and he reached for your hand.

'Yeah,' he said softly, and kissed your hand, 'I'd like to go there tomorrow with you.'

Back home, Sihtric came up behind you while you were cooking dinner, and he snuck his arms around your waist, resting his chin upon your shoulder.

'What are you brewing, my lady?'

'I am cooking pasta,' you said, feeling yourself blush again at his closeness. 

For a stranger you were already awfully attached to him. You fought the butterflies in your stomach with no luck, as you melted at the sound of his voice and the feeling of his lips grazing your ear as he spoke.

'Pasta? What is pasta?'

'It's, eh… a surprise,' you turned around and smiled at him, 'I think you will like it.'

Sihtric looked curiously at you and then back at the pan.

'Okay,' he chuckled, 'I trust you.'

'You… do?'

'Mhm,' he hummed and pulled you into his chest, 'you're staying with me, right?'

'Right,' you said after a few seconds, hiding your smile as you pressed your face into his hoodie and enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms around you. And Sihtric was happy to have trusted you, because he thought that the pasta you had made him was the best food he had ever tasted in his life, and he said he'd want it for breakfast too, and lunch as well.

When it was time to go to bed you told Sihtric to hide his shoes in the hallway so the beast wouldn't destroy them again. Sihtric did as you told him and he went to lay on the couch, just like the night before. You looked at him as he pulled the blanket over his clothed body, and you suddenly felt bad for him. He was clearly still rather lost and confused, but he seemed to feel at ease when he was close to you, and you couldn't deny that you felt at ease with him too and wanted to keep him close all the same.

'Why don't you… I mean,' you stammered, 'you could- we could maybe s-share my bed?'

You didn't have to repeat yourself, as Sihtric was quick to jump up from the couch. He was rather fast to make his way into your bedroom where he took off his sweatpants, followed by his hoodie, and you gaped at his physique now that you saw it for the first time.

'My lord,' you mumbled at the sight of his muscular body, and you quickly climbed in bed next to him, hiding the blush on your cheeks.

Sihtric hadn't heard you as he was getting comfortable in your bed, and he seemed rather amazed at the soft mattress and sheets, but especially the pillows. He looked overjoyed while he explored the feeling of the fabrics and eventually laid down with a grateful smile on his face, then he turned to you. You were too shy to turn and face him, so you just stared up at your boring ceiling, completely frozen next to him. After a few long minutes of feeling just his eyes on you, Sihtric slowly brought his hand up to your face and began to trace your skin gently and slowly with his fingertips. You felt yourself blush even more, and your heart skipped a few beats while your core began to heat up quickly as he continued to explore your neck and shoulders with his fingers too.

'My lady,' he whispered and pulled you closer with one swift move.

He kissed your cheek and gently took your chin, forcing you to look at him, and then he softly nuzzled your nose and kissed your lips. You weakened at his touch and warmth, and succumbed to him within seconds when he slid his tongue in your mouth as he slowly and passionately kissed you. Soon you felt his warm, rough hands move up under your night dress, which he then took it off. Without any words spoken you pulled him back in and kissed him with a hunger you had never felt before. Your hands moved up into his loose, wavy hair, and Sihtric smoothly rolled you over on your back and positioned himself on top of you, between your parted legs.

'I don't even really know you,' you giggled, completely smitten.

'But you will,' Sihtric whispered, just as smitten as you.

The next morning you woke up with Sihtric next to you, comfortably sleeping as he had one arm wrapped around you and his legs tangled with yours. You couldn't believe you had been intimate with a man who was actually a complete stranger, but everything just felt right for some reason. And at least you weren't a full idiot and you had done everything safely, which was another thing Sihtric had to get used to, but he hadn't complained.

You fixed some breakfast while Sihtric got dressed in his new clothes, and soon you found yourself at the entrance of Durham castle, where it all had all begun for you two. Sihtric had braided his hair today and, as he was not wearing his armour, he did look like a different man than the one who had swung his sword and axe while he demanded entrance just two days ago. The security guard stared at Sihtric as you walked past him, but luckily he didn't say anything and you quickly hooked your elbow with Sihtric's, making your way inside the castle.

Sihtric looked stunned the entire time you walked through the old passages and the courtyard. He somehow knew every room and hallway, which told you he truly hadn't been lying these past few days. And as you held hands he told you more about his life. He told you about his slave mother and his father, Kjartan the Cruel, as well as stories about his half brother, Sven, and the horrors those two men had brought upon others.

'Is that why you helped kill your father?' you asked, cautiously.

'Yes,' Sihtric said curtly.

'Did it bring you peace?'

'Not quite as I had hoped,' he confessed, 'but it does not matter.'

You walked further and ended up looking at a large painting of a family tree. You saw all the names Sihtric had mentioned, and eventually you spotted his name, which left you breathless. You took a closer look at the painting while Sihtric took a few steps back to look around the great hall you stood in.

'I'll be damned,' you whispered as you read the information plaque next to the painting, which told you everything Sihtric had just told you, but less detailed.

You turned to look at Sihtric and saw he had his jaw clenched while his eyes had teared up.

'Hey,' you whispered and wrapped your arms around him, 'what's wrong?'

'I… my life,' Sihtric swallowed hard as he looked around, 'my life is… gone. As is my home, it seems, and everyone I ever knew,' he sniffled, 'and I don't understand it. I walked through that door,' he said and pointed towards the door you had just walked through, 'and I just ended up here… lost.'

'I wish I could explain it to you,' you said and fought your own tears, 'but I truly don't understand it either. Strange things happen, that is true, but I have never heard of anything like this, like what happened to you. And I am sorry, Sihtric.'

'Will you stay with me?' he asked again as he held you tightly wrapped in his arms.

'I will,' you promised, 'if you stay with me.'

'Of course,' Sihtric smiled weakly and wiped a tear, then cupped your cheeks and kissed your lips.

First it was just a peck, but then it turned into a longer kiss, and only moments later you were passionately making out in some hidden chamber Sihtric knew of. His hands roamed all over your body while you unzipped his black jacket, but then it dawned on you that you were in public, even though no one could see you in the seemingly secret room.

'Wait, wait,' you tried to catch your breath, 'we- we can't do this, not here, not in public.'

'I have often humped in public,' Sihtric chuckled and shoved his hands under your shirt and brought his lips to your neck.

'No, no,' you desperately tried to be the stronger person, 'it's not… it's not allowed. We can get a-arrested. We can't… we can't fuc- hump in public.'

'We can,' Sihtric almost growled as he smiled and pushed you up against the cold wall.

'No,' you giggled, 'Sihtric, we really can't.'

'Then where?' he asked, impatiently.

'Well, eh, at home I guess, my home I mean, but-'

'Then we shall go.'

About two hours after your visit to the castle you laid in your bed with Sihtric, both completely naked while the bed sheets covered your bare skin. You mindlessly played with the pendant around his neck while you looked at him. Sihtric smiled at you, his cheeks still rosy from the intense love making that had occurred not too long ago, like yours.

'Would you… go back if you could?' you hesitantly asked after a moment.

'In time?' Sihtric said, 'I'm not sure. I don't know how I could go back, and even if I found a way, I don't know how much time has passed there. I don't know if I would go back to where I came from and if everything would still be the same,' he paused for a moment, then asked, 'do you want me to go?'

'No,' you whispered as you played with his hair, 'I don't want you to go, not at all. But I just wonder if you can adjust here.'

'Maybe,' he shrugged lightly and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, then held your chin, 'if I have you with me, then yes, I think I could adjust. But it will take time. Everything is strange and new and… scary.'

'I can't imagine,' you said and cuddled up to him, 'just know you are safe here. No more battles for you to fight here, and no one who wants to hurt you.'

Sihtric hummed softly and smiled.

'Lady,' he whispered, to which you looked up at him, 'I was serious the other day. I wish to marry you.'

'Sihtric,' you chuckled and bit down on your lip, 'how about we first get you that passport next week and then find you a job?'

2 months later.

Sihtric smiled as he walked up to your car. He had just finished his first day at the job you had landed him at the castle. You had told the staff that Sihtric was a descendant of Kjartan the Cruel and that knew all about the castle and its history, which is why he would be perfect to give tours. After a few days of consideration, the castle's management agreed to give Sihtric a chance, under the condition that he would work the first week for free, to make up for his behaviour the first time he had set foot on the land which had led to the castle having to close for the rest of that day.

Sihtric hopped in the car and immediately leaned in to give you the sloppiest kiss you had ever received, as if you had been separated for months, while it had only been about seven hours.

'Hey,' you chuckled.

'Hey,' Sihtric smiled and kissed you again, 'I missed you.'

'I missed you too,' you said, 'how was work?'

'Great,' he said with a beaming smile, 'they want me to give the tours in armour tomorrow.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, they just don't want me near the weapons,' he sighed.

'I can see why,' you snorted, to which Sihtric gave you a death stare, but he then also chuckled as he remembered how he had endangered the visitors upon his arrival that first time.

'Anyway,' Sihtric said as he put on his seatbelt, 'how was your day, sweetling?'

'It was fine,' you said as you drove off the parking lot, 'no one swung with a sword today,' you taunted.

Sihtric laughed and knew it was better to not take the bait.

'Hey,' he then said, 'I've been thinking.'

'About what, love?'

'We should get married at the castle,' Sihtric said and took your hand, 'where we belong, together, as Lord and Lady.'

taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylasthegrim @andakth @succnfuccubus @willowbrookesblog @lady-targaryens-world @skyofficialxx @elle4404 @alexagirlie @sweetxime @solango @gemini-mama @cheyennep3107 @little-diable @jennifer0305 @drwstarkeyy @mrsarnasdelicious @verenahx @urmomsgirlfriend1 @foxyanon @djarinsgirl27 @sigtryggrswifey @liandav @diiickbrainn @sihtricsafin @lexwolfhale @dixie-elocin @m-a-s-h-k-a

[whatjanewore]

Love and Literature from the Olympic Opening Ceremonies

I got so excited when I saw the costuming in this segment! It reminded me of a very specific and thrilling fashion moment in the spring of 1991 when I found this awesome L-O-V-E shirt in a boutique in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Then, a few months later on the way home to the U.S., we stopped in Amsterdam and I discovered that bold bright 60's wow fashion had landed and everyone's muse was Lady Miss Kier! And I did really feel that groove in my heart! I bought the colorful leggings and black patent daisy buckle belt you see in the picture and wore it on the plane. I'm so happy I still have this photo. I was about to turn 24, and between the LOVE shirt and the Amsterdam experience, it really was a fashion rebirth for me.

Photos by King on July 30 at H20, Durham NC

2024 outfit:

Cap: Bandolino, from a shoe store in San Francisco, 2009?

Earrings: H&M long ago

Shirt: boutique in Freetown, Sierra Leone 1991

Skirt: blackmilkclothing.com, Poshmark

Leggings: resale shop in Sacramento, 2012

Booties: 9west.com a few years ago

[fancyfeathers]

@luckycharm1 asked a question

Hello! I’m pretty bad when it comes to tumblr etiquette since i do not understand how it completely works, but I hope its alright to send you this 😭 Regarding your previous post I wonder what would happen if the intelligent daughter ended up escaping and not get caught for a while. Like what would her plan be and how in the end would have William found her (or have trouble finding her since she probably would come up with a better escape plan than moriarty brothers darlings lol) I also just wanted to thank you for writing these stories bc this definitely brought back my Moriarty the patriot obsession 😭🩷

Ah you are so sweet, thank you! It is completely alright, I adore questions like this because it gets the gears in my head turning ❤️💕

This little girl knows enough about her parents history that she knows exactly what to do. During her walks through town, she had seen a house that leaves their bicycles against the side of their house and while she knows stealing is wrong but she doesn’t have much of a choice because if she sneaks on the train her father could easily have someone like Sebastian or James meet her at the station in London and that is exactly where she needs to go.

On bike it would take her at least three days, maybe four, to get to London. Traveling through the countryside it is harder for anyone to find her especially when they don’t know what she is trying to do. Luckily she does not have to steal anymore than she already has because she has memorized a book about edible plants, sure it does not taste good to the little girl, but it is what she has to do. Sleeping is the hardest bit, laying on the earth and using her coat as a blanket while she just wants to be with her mother and sister, but she can’t see them, not now anyway.

When she arrives in London, she immediately asks for directions from a stranger, which gets a weird look from the man but answers anyway. She is off once again, making her way through the London streets, avoiding any place she thinks anyone she knows may be. She props her stolen bicycle against the building and walks ups the stairs leading to the door and knocks, and a surprised blonde man answers, he was clearly startled by the sight of this child.

“M-may I help you, young lady? Are you lost?”

“No sir, this is the right address, correct?”

She hold a piece of paper up to the man for him to see. The man’s eyes widen with surprise even more so that this child was here.

“Y-yes, this is the right address.”

“Wonderful, judging by your expression you must be Dr. Watson.”

“Yes, I am and you must be the most intelligent child I have met.”

The little girl giggles at the compliment as the doctor handed the piece of paper back to her.

“Thank you, I wish I could stay to chat but I am afraid I do not really have time. Is Mr. Sherlock Holmes here?”

“Yes, um… please come inside.”

The doctor leads her upstairs to the flat and has to interrupt a conversation between Miss Hudson and the detective. Soon enough the residents of Baker Street find themselves sitting down with this little girl, having a conversation on the level of adults. She explains how she got there, biking all the way from Durham and then the question of why comes from the doctor and before the little girl can answer, Sherlock does.

“Because she wants to be my assistant, but why she wants to is the question.”

“Because my father is the Lord of Crime. I received my father’s intelligence but have the face of my mother, and I know she does not want to be with him and I want to figure out a way out for her… I-I won’t tell you my father’s identity if you don’t want to know, but please I want to help her.”

There is a shocked silence from around the table, except from the detective as he listens to her explanation. No one knows what to do, Miss Hudson would not have the heart to send her back to her family and neither would to two gentlemen, but surely they cannot expect this child to handle dangerous work that Sherlock deals with-

“Alright, seems like I have a new assistant.”

It would not take long for her father to find out where she is after that, living at Baker Street with the three adults. She put him in a stalemate, if he goes to claim custody of her, he will be exposed but he cannot let her continue down this road…

What to do?

[transthadymacdermot]

image in the middle my art, all others except for that of the belfast 14th july celebrations from pinterest

WIP Reintro: Red and Riotous Light

Status: seven morbillionth draft

Genre: historical fiction, gothic horror

Content warnings: gore, death, cannibalism, place & time typical bigotry, &c

The year is 1796 and the island of Ireland, once considered peaceable, is awash with sedition. In Belfast, the arrival of a mysterious Englishwoman whose defection to the French makes her a target of both curiosity and suspicion brings with her tidings of a prospective deal between a local United Irish cell and the French government: guns, and ammunition, sold at a premium price, delivered by a French ship. The only problem? The ship is arriving at the opposite side of the country, and these would-be insurgents need it where they are -- and the French said nothing about transport. Additionally, the committee seems to have had a suspicious number of brushes with authority lately. More than they used to. Hopefully someone isn't getting cold feet...

Meanwhile, in the isolated townland of Áth Síomóin, the arrival of a hapless new schoolmaster sparks the powder-keg the two sides of the area's sectarian divide have long been sitting on and leads, inadvertently, to the death of a Catholic of some consequence -- and, crucially, does not lead to the punishment of his killer. The resulting crackdown on Defender activity, facilitated by the arrival of another English visitor, is to be expected at first. However, as the situation deteriorates, it becomes clear that local agrarian resistance leaders have neither intent nor indeed means to capitulate, and all sides begin to adopt increasingly extreme measures in an attempt to win the seemingly endless feud. And there's also something off about some of the local children -- hearing voices, saying funny things. It can't be good for them, after all. All this bloodshed.

Ask to be +/- from the taglist + main characters under the cut

William Hughes Rearden - an extremely driven and neurotic member of the Belfast United Irishmen hellbent on getting French arms for his men. he/him

Lady Maria Whittaker - an English reformer who defected to the French; Rearden's close friend. Her mission is to arm the UI and she doesn't care what she has to do to accomplish it. she/her; first name pronounced "mariah"

Seamus "Seamy" Breen - a small, unhappy Irish Catholic boy who, after he witnesses the death of a schoolmate, develops the ability to speak to the dead. he/him; nickname pronounced "shaymie"

Eoin O'Donnell - a womanising Defender leader in Áth Síomóin who has decided that he will also be taking and using some of these French arms, actually. he/him; first name pronounced "owen"

Sarah Connolly - a nihilistic Catholic peasant woman trapped in an unhappy relationship with an abusive boyfriend, who knows much more than she lets on. she/her

Edward "Lazarus" McClure - the loyalist owner of a rural inn who has lately betrayed his principles for a Catholic boyfriend who he seems disturbingly devoted to. he/him

Elizabeth "Eliza" Durham - the heiress to the fortune of an Anglo-Irish landowning family who runs her family's estate like it's the navy and suffers little dissent. she/her

Anthony Franklin - an actor, committed abolitionist, philosophy enthusiast, and London Corresponding Society delegate originally from the West Indies. he/him

Charles Nathaniel Maurice Irving-Hamilton, Lord Drenning - a foppish English soldier brought over by Eliza to help quell agrarian disturbances. Really really bad at his job. he/him

Eleanor "Ellie" Gage - a waif of uncertain background who lives with the Presbyterian minister in a neighbouring townland and works unofficially for the local regiment. she/her

[commonguttersnipe]

Spam & Sensibility- A Jane Austen x Monty Python

Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good humour, must be in want of a social life. That couldn’t be truer for the male denizens of Wainscoting in the shire of Durham, whose anguished hearts longed for companionship. The Python Gentlemen's Club’s obsession with intimacy was partly to secure a fortune, but mainly because they couldn’t stand each other’s presence. All handsome yet slightly deranged, the village’s women were told to stay far away from the loonies, for their sake and their family name, though most ignored their parents’ warnings as a man with good humour is an irresistible one. They occupied a singular abode, a once-neglected cottage, pleasantly hidden among the large oaks, with each of the six gentlemen ardently aspiring to the honourable state of matrimony…

It was a damp, early morning when Miss Constanza, with a spirit decidedly out of sorts, did raise her skirts and vacate her domicile, vowing in her heart never to return. Behind her trailed a figure tall and shadowy, whose visage bore the marks of both vexation and a resigned acceptance of her determined departure.

He pursued her with a fervour, as she retreated to the desolate moors, his sable coat fluttering dramatically in the brisk wind. The heaths, imbued with an icy chill and shrouded in a cloak of mist, afforded no difficulty in discerning her figure, clad as she was in a gown of a most delicate duck-egg blue, its hem besmirched and saturated by the unrelenting embrace of the yielding mud.

"Constanza, my dearest! Pray, what is the occasion for your early departure, and in such a flurry?" The man inquired, his chest heaving. Constanza, with a graceful twirl, found her golden tresses unravelling in the playful breeze.

"I must implore you, Mr. Cleese, to remove yourself entirely from my sight henceforth!" She then emitted a sound not unlike that of a distressed rodent. Mr. Cleese appeared as though he had been unceremoniously struck by a kipper.

"Pray tell, why dost thou inflict such anguish upon me? We, dear lady, are the very toast of society!"

Constanza uttered a laugh tinged with bitterness. "If we are indeed the toast, then verily, we are but charred remnants!"

She, with a swift elevation of her skirts, resumed her promenade, whilst Mr. Cleese, with an air of ardent pursuit, lamented, "Am I not possessed of height? Of comeliness? Of a wit most intelligent?"

Constanza, pausing in her stride, turned on her heel with a decisive stamp, exclaiming, "You are excessively contrary, sir! And not merely rude, but patently unfeeling!"

"Only when it provokes mirth," he responded.

Constanza secured her straw bonnet firmly beneath her chin, declaring with an air of resolute disdain, "I cannot bring myself to entertain an attachment for one so disagreeable. You should seek a woman of more unpleasant disposition to wed." With a heavy heart, she inhaled deeply, allowing a sorrowful sigh to escape her lips. "You have utterly banished merriment from my existence, Mr Cleese; I find myself at a loss for laughter."

Utterly miserable, she turned from him. Mr. Cleese, paralyzed by the tears that ran down his pallid cheeks, did not pursue her retreat.

~

The remaining gentlemen of The Python Club had taken their seats for the morning repast, which comprised of a single egg, a modest slice of ham, and a rather generous portion of opium.

Master Chapman sat at the head of the table, his delicate fingers idly toying with his eyepatch, while he indulged in the voluptuous embrace of tobacco smoke. He was possessed of a most peculiar habit, frequently emitting inaudible murmurs as he indulged in his reflections. His soft lips, perpetually wrapped around the pipe, bore an expression that verged upon a melancholy smirk.

Beside him occupied Mr. Idle, a most foolish man, whose ardour for the pleasures of the flesh was overtaken only by his fervent affection for the pursuit of money.

Upon the very table sat the American Mr. Gilliam, still lingering in a reverie brought about by his recent sojourn in Paris. His hair bore the unkempt wildness of an artist, while his eyes, it must be said, appeared to only seek out lewdness.

The amicable Mr. Jones made his entrance into the dining room, accompanied by his esteemed friend, the Reverend Palin. The former possessed a cherubic figure and handsome features, his pleasing Welsh lilt complementing his somewhat self-satisfied smile; while the latter, of a slightly taller stature, exhibited gentle brown eyes and lips perpetually moist, often revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his pink tongue, which seemed to implore to be tasted.

They took their seats at the table and commenced the delightful task of breaking open their egg yolks. The gentlemen's voices meandered in a pleasing murmur, for this morning, like so many others, promised little to distinguish it from the commonplace... until, rather abruptly, Mr. Cleese entered the chamber, his elongated visage marred by a most alarming scowl.

“Pray, might there be any among us inclined to patronize a brothel?” He inquired, his smile tinged with an air of displeasure. Mr. Chapman, with great eagerness, raised his hand… then swiftly withdrew it upon seeing the rather disapproving looks of his fellow gentlemen.

“What brought this on?” enquired the Reverend Palin, his cheeks betraying a rosy hue at the very utterance of a brothel.

Mr. Cleese, with a shake of his head, clearly terrified of being overtaken by tears once more, confessed with a sigh, "I do yearn for the companionship of a lady—a true paragon of womanhood. One who is not only endowed with beauty and kindness, but makes one's hours pleasurable."

Mr. Idle emitted a hearty laugh. "Pray, do we not all wish to partake in such folly?"

Silence.

Mr. Jones, in a tone scarcely more than a whisper, expressed, "Today marks the occasion of the Summer ball at the girls' finishing school. Indeed, all the young ladies have now reached the age of maturity..."

Mr Gilliam piped up “Pray, may I inquire if they are all of the tender age of one-and-twenty?”

Mr Jones nodded.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

Tonight was the night they would find a wife.

[scotianostra]

Coldingham Priory was founded on 21st June 1098.

Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predecessor King Edgar of Scotland had granted the land of Coldingham to the Church of Durham in 1098 so he gets the official credit for founding it and a church was constructed by him and presented in 1100.

The first prior of Coldingham is on record by the year 1147, although it is likely that the foundation was much earlier. The earlier Columban Abbey founded by St. Æbbe sometime circa 640 AD. Although the monastery was largely destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1648, there are still extant remains of the priory. The choir of which forms the present parish church of Coldingham, and is serviced by the Church of Scotland. The model shows how extensive the abbey was in Medieval times, although for me it lacks the grandiose that the border abbeys at Dryburgh, Melrose and Kelso have.

Having said that I the reconstruction doesn’t do it justice, as you can see in the ruinous 18th century drawing they have not incorporated the tower in the model, a shocking omission in my opinion.

The choir is a substantial rectangular building with a fine interior, now used as the parish church. The nave was a massive building with aisles and filled much of what is now the graveyard but is mostly gone, and there was a large tower, rising to 90 foot over the crossing. Some of the domestic buildings are very ruinous but have been cleared and landscaped, and carved fragments and gravestones are on display as well as a transept arch.

As with all the border towns an abbeys it had a turbulent history, the priory was sacked in 1216, 1419 and 1542 by the English, besieged by the Scots in 1544, then attacked again by the English. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed here in 1566. An ‘abbey place’ is mentioned in 1621, presumably a residence in the priory, but much of the building was damaged by Cromwell’s forces in 1648 (or 1650) after a two-day siege with cannon. The large central tower collapsed in the middle of the 18th century.

The lands of the priory had gone to the Homes after the Reformation, then to the Stewarts, then later to the Homes again, while the choir of the priory was (and is) used as the parish church (Priory Church).

The grand tower collapsed in 1770, apparently revealing the cadaver of a lady who had been sealed up in the walls, and the remains of the church were renovated in the 1850s and 1950s. There are many interesting memorials in the extensive graveyard and pleasant walks around the scenic village. There is a fine beach at Coldingham Bay.

I don't think you get the sheer scale of the Priory until you see something like Andrew Sparatts mock up gif of how it could have looked, as in the animation.

There’s a great timeline of the abbey here

https://www.coldinghamparish.co.uk/.../COLDINGHAM-PRIORY...

[juniaships]

*sits in chair and looks at the camera* So you made an OC for a childhood show...

I've been back on my nostalgia shit and now i made a self insert for - of all things - tommy the choo choo. She's for both it and Shining Time Station, since i tend to mix the 2 together in my headcanons.

So the story is I planned on visiting my sister in Durham but end up boarding the wrong train to shining time valley. While staying there I met its cast, including a certain magical blond. This may after TATMR, or could be different events from the canon. But I start to fall in love with the cozy town and its history. That and Im the only other adult besides stacey and Burnett who can see the conductors. Eventually i do visit my sister but come back to visit as kuch as I can. Finally i decided to quit my job and move in at the local motel to work in bookkeeping.

After I help stop PT Boomer and his gang from stealing Lady, and further adventures, I end up joining Shining Time full time as a conductor/guardian.

Now I have several designs: one of them is green and Im called the Green conductor, as a refernce to the line "green for glory" and the cut song "Girl in Green." I want to form something of a trip with the conductor cousins (blue) and stacey (red).

Other outfit is a maroon-pink get up inspired by Lady. I also carry a sword because im the brawler. Yes I do like figthing. No i do not need to see a therapist. And since I have a connection to Lady I want to stick to a victorian theme, like by day i dress up to talk to visitors about the history of the valley and Lady's creation. Third outfit is a mix of the two.

[crashdavis]

Ron what are your top 10 favorites movies ever made

This is not a definitive list I love too many movies too much but here is a sampling:

1. Head - self explantory

2. Bull Durham - the greatest baseball movie ever made. even if you don't know anything about baseball you will love this movie. it will lovingly teach you all you need to know which is that baseball is sex and sex is baseball. Susan Surandon and Kevin Kostner mildly kinky sex with heavy saxophone. Wear garters to pitch better. The beauty of the minor leagues.

3. Benny and Joon - this movie is just... delightful. It knows exactly when to take itself seriously and when to be whimsical. Being something of a Joon myself I formed an emotional connection to these characters at a young age when I originally saw this story as a wonderful musical premiere that unfortunately never went anywhere. I still mourn those songs. Benny Joon and Sam are adorable and the conflict makes sense and I like everybody in this movie. Ugh. So perfect and sweet.

4. Maurice - E. M. FORSTER. I will always be a room with a view girly but this movie is better sorry. The movie that annoying gay people asking for happy ending would like if they understood the concept of class conflict. So good so wonderful. Alec Scudder you will always be famous.

5. My Cousin Vinny - Italian Americans, Jews, the south, what could go wrong? One of the funniest movies of all time and one of the sexiest movies of all time. Marisa Tomei perhaps I am not a homosexual. Ralph Macchio. Fucking stunning. A film that doesn't need to be as gorgeous as it is but serves and slays at every turn. Thee courtroom comedy.

6. Army of Darkness - I can't watch scary movies luckily this movie isn't scary. I love hot men doing dumb shit, I love king arthur, I love Sam Raimi, I love boiiiiiinnnngggg sound effect. This movie is EPIC. Smart stupid fun.

7. Parting Glances - Steve Buscemi gay AIDS comedy 1986. No one has seen this movie because I don't think it got a wide theatrical release its one of those movies I am lucky to know about because my parents went and saw every independent movie released from 1984-2002 at our local art theater (RIP). This movie is sweet and thoughtful and hysterical. One of my moms favorites one of my favorites. Dump him, fall in love with your best friend.

8. Arsenic and Old Lace - I have to have at least one extremely old thing on here (honorable mention to bringing up baby). This movie is fucking hilllarrrious. Jonathon Brewster and Dr. Herman Einstein are the greatest homoerotic villain duo of all time. Carey Grant for God's sake!!!! A horribly dark comedy about the two sweetest old ladies you ever did meet.

9. The Lost World: Jurassic Park - what if Jurrassic Park starred Dr. Ian Malcolm. Are you stupid? Jurassic Park is a perfect film but this one is My Favorite. The power of gymnastics can ward off a dinosaur.

10. Pacific Rim - the characters in this movie blow all its peers out of the water. Raleigh Becket? Mako Mori???? Stacker Pentecost? Newt Geizler? Helllooooo. Dr. Herman. Gottlieb. What if an action movie was good? I can't believe no one had thought of that until now? Not a kaiju guy sorry. Not a Jaeger guy. Just a freaky little characters guy and boy does this move have them.

Soooo many more: Moonstruck, Raising Arizona, Pride and Prejudice, Lancelot of the Lake, The Sting, Slap Shot, Barefoot in the Park, Excalibur, Re-Animator 1&2, Evil Dead 2, Bill and Ted, To Wong Foo, Repo Man, I could go on forever.... I love the movies.....

[eirinstiva]

Stupidity of passion

New letters from my friend Maurice (chapter 15 and 16). What he can do now he's not at Cambridge? Let's see~

There's drama in the Hall family! Maurice doesn't know what to do now. His mother doesn't know what to do with. The tension is too much for Maurice, he's not ashamed of what he did at Cambridge and he's showing his harsh side.

In the afternoon he had a collapse. He remembered that Clive and he had only been together one day! And they had spent it careering about like fools—instead of in one another’s arms! 

It was too short for them. It was too short for me.

They agreed that they would confine themselves to facts in their letters, and only write when anything was urgent. The emotional strain relaxed, and Maurice, nearer to brain fever than he supposed, had several dreamless nights that healed him. But daily life remained a poor business.

I like the detail that both of them didn't know how to handle the distance. There thought that writing everyday was a must, but in the end it was overwhelming.

Special thanks to the neighbour Dr. Barry for the reality check. And to Kitty that still sees the childish side of her brother.

In chapter 16 Maurice goes to the Durham's home, and he finally can see his lover!

“Maurice! Maurice! you’ve actually come. You’re here. This place’ll never seem the same again, I shall love it at last.” “It’s jolly for me coming,” said Maurice chokily: the sudden rush of joy made his head swim.

They are so in love!!! And they are together again!!! I don't care if it's just a moment, they are in the same room again!!!!

When the ladies retired Clive said, “Maurice, you look sleepy too.” Maurice took the hint, and five minutes afterwards they met again in the study, with all the night to talk into. They lit their pipes. It was the first time they had experienced full tranquillity together, and exquisite words would be spoken. They knew this, yet scarcely wanted to begin.

I really enjoy this little moments of closeness, just spending time together and catching up. I don't know if it's a good idea to leave Cambridge, but at least Clive could have a backup plan.

And their love scene drew out, having the inestimable gain of a new language. No tradition overawed the boys. No convention settled what was poetic, what absurd. They were concerned with a passion that few English minds have admitted, and so created untrammelled. Something of exquisite beauty arose in the mind of each at last, something unforgettable and eternal, but built of the humblest scraps of speech and from the simplest emotions.

“I say, will you kiss me?” asked Maurice, when the sparrows woke in the eaves above them, and far out in the woods the ring-doves began to coo. Clive shook his head, and smiling they parted, having established perfection in their lives, at all events for a time.

What a good way to finish a chapter! I should be sleeping, so see ya!

[jabbage]

What are the top 5 most middle class things that have ever happened to you?

Ooooooh good question... now I'm going to do the most British thing ever and preface it with a short essay providing half my life story, out of a sense of denial.

Both sides of my family are staunchly working class, as far back as I can find records. They were farm labourers and dock workers and hopped in and out of workhouses. My mum worked housekeeping and cleaning jobs, and my Dad managed to snag a white collar job in a factory out of school (because he's really clever).

But then two complications -

My Dad became a clergyman. This meant that we got to live in nice houses owned by the church he worked for, sometimes in quite affluent areas. We didn't have much money, but still.

2. I managed to get into Oxford University with a gazillion bursaries tied to my parent's low income. I then used the bursary money to fund doing a master's degree, and now I work in academia.

So, am I middle class? I'm begrudgingly realising that I might be? Except if I am I feel like middle class people shouldn't be constantly worrying that their now-retired parents can't afford to switch the heating on, or whether they'll ever live in their own home. And it's alienated me from my extended family, who have jumped to the conclusion that I think I'm better than them.

Anyway, the top 5 most middle class things that have ever happened to me.

One

Last year I got invited to an anniversary meal at my Oxford college, called a gaudy. I nearly didn't go because my time at uni was not very happy and I don't remember some of my contemporaries fondly, but then I figured that if I go, next time I read Dorthy L Sayers excellent book "Gaudy Night," I will have better brain-pictures. So, the setting, for your own brain-pictures:

Latin grace was sung before the meal, which comprised of salmon confit, followed by venison, followed by black forest gateau, followed by fruit and chocolates and port.

I was sat next to a nice middle aged man with an OBE. When he asked me "So, what do you do?" I decided not to say the job which *actually* pays my bills, but to reply with my evening job: that I make comics. I felt like this was a fun thing to say in a room full of people who Work In The City etc etc.

Except it turned out that he runs one of the UK's biggest comic arts festivals. He offered me free tickets. He offered to put me in touch with publishers. He offered to introduce me to significant people.

And I was like.... oh. Is this how it happens? Like, you're in an Oxford college and you just RUN INTO a posh bloke who Knows People and that's how you finally get a book deal???

Anyway I went to the festival. They had a panel on a yacht. And talked to people, or rather had people talk over me. So many times they'd ask me a question, and then interrupt before I'd given my answer. And I dislike schmoozing SO MUCH.

So uh, yeah, no book deal ;D YET

Two

One time I was wearing my college scarf while I was walking around Durham, and I ended up meeting a very cute elderly couple who went to the same college forty-five years earlier (well, the husband did, the wife wouldn't have been allowed.) They invited my to a dinner party at their house, which turned out to be a very cute little town-house by the river with five stories.

At the time I was doing my Master's degree, and they became kind of surrogate parents who I could call in on for a free hot meal and good conversation. But it was entirely sparked by "going to the same college at Oxford" which is very ew.

Three

Idk there was just this one time I was coming home on the train from having seen the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of Much Ado About Nothing and I stopped off somewhere to get sushi and I spent the whole time staring at a wall thinking "What have I become?"

Getting tickets to the ballet from a colleague slots into this catagory, I think.

Four

One time I was asked to open a village fete because the local lady of the manor couldn't make it.

Why me? Apparently "local clergyman's daughter" and "went to Oxford" and "draws silly pictures sometimes" was enough to make me a local celebrity.

I got to give a little speech and judge some cakes and everything.

Five

One time I got invited to a dinner party at CS Lewis' house, the Kilns, and I met his lovely secretary Walter Hooper. I remember being shown around and having a deep impulse to check the backs of all the wardrobes.

When I first went in it was through a door that led straight into his bedroom, and I was told that I could take my coat off and just toss it on the bed. No sooner had I done so than my guide mused, "CS Lewis died in that bed."

So I guess I own a coat that has been on the bed where CS Lewis died, is that middle class?!! Idk

[jerzwriter]

All in the Past

AU Mini-Series Part 1 of 3

This started as a request from @angelasscribbles for ONE scene. Three parts later... I decided to make this a follow-up and alternate ending to one of my favorite short, angsty AUs, Unblemished, because we needed more angst. All three parts will be posted today.

Series Summary: Tobias & Casey were friends turned lovers whose different dreams led them to become friends once again. Two years after their painful breakup, Casey has moved on. Tobias is in town to attend his friend and one-time love's wedding, with his new girlfriend on his arm. It's just the wedding of an old friend, or, is it?

Part 1 Summary: Tobias and Meghan leave Boston to attend Casey's wedding in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a little getaway, a happy trip to see his two friends get hitched. But prewedding events lead to unexpected and uninvited emotions coming to the surface. Tobias gets a cold shoulder from Sienna, and their frank conversation leaves more questions than answers.

Book: Open Heart (Post Series)

Characters/Pairings: Casey MacTavish (F!MC) x M!OC, Tobias Carrick x F!OC, Sienna Trinh

Rating: Teen

Words: 2,700

Series Masterlist

Tobias x Casey Masterlist | OH Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Ladies and gentlemen, we have touched down at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where it is 80 degrees, and conditions are bright and sunny. We thank you for flying Transit Airlines and wish you the best with whatever brings you to the area. 

"Sir?" A woman gently nudged Tobias's arm when he didn't reply. "Sir... I'm sorry, but I need to get...."

"Oh, of course," Tobias apologized, jumping from his seat to allow the woman through.

He was usually the first to get off a flight, but today, he found himself lost in his thoughts, and he still hadn't found his way back as he reached into the overhead compartment to grab his bag. All it took was an arm looping around his waist to snap him back into the present. The petite, red-haired beauty's smile lit up the cabin as she held him tight; she was as happy as he was pensive.

"I missed you," she beamed. "You were such a gentleman agreeing to give that mom your seat so she could sit with her child, but I have a warning for you."

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "What’s that?”

“If we’re ever on a flight longer than two hours, you’re prohibited from doing that. I need you near me... deal?”

“I’ll tell you what. If we’re ever on a flight longer than two hours, I’ll spring for first class, so it’s not an issue.”

“Hmmm, I could handle that,” Meghan smiled.

“Good,” he smiled, taking her hand. “Now, let’s get off this plane.”

~~~~~

He couldn’t describe his mood if he tried. Melancholy was too sad;  wistful may be more fitting, though neither truly worked. He was happy, he reminded himself. More importantly, Casey was happy, too. It had been over two years since that cold Boston night when they tearfully said goodbye. Fast friends from the start, they eventually turned into much more. When different goals ended their dreams of “forever,” they were heartbroken and said goodbye, foolishly believing it was where their story ended. People don’t always see the invisible string that binds souls that are meant to be connected, and when Casey’s phone rang three months later, not answering was never a consideration. They started as friends, and perhaps that’s where they were meant to be. That’s what they were now. Friends. Good friends.

“Welcome to the Umstead Hotel,” an overexuberant young woman smiled. “What name is your reservation under?”

“Uh... Carrick. Dr. Tobias Carrick.”

“I have you right here! You’re in town for the MacTavish-Duncan wedding?”

“That’s right,” he nodded.

“Wonderful! The couple is hosting a cocktail reception for their out-of-town guests in the lounge at six.”

“That’s so sweet!” Meghan gushed, taking hold of Tobias’s arm. “We’re going, right?”   

“Of course,” he smiled with some apprehension. “As long as I get in a nap... that early flight wiped me out more than I thought it would.”

“Fine, old man,” Meghan laughed as they entered the elevator, her head firmly on his shoulder.

He was just tired. He told himself. Besides, it was normal to feel emotional when a good friend was married. And Casey was among his best. It all made sense. Perfect sense.  

~~~~~

The evening found him at the bar alone, anxiously twirling his old-fashioned in his hand. They had only been in their room fifteen minutes when Meghan realized she left her shoes in Boston. She was in an Uber on her way to the North Hills Mall in minutes, leaving Tobias to his nap. She promised she’d be back by six, but Tobias knew her well enough to know if shoe shopping was involved... he’d be lucky if she returned by ten.  

He noticed a small group of wedding guests mingling toward the back of the lounge but didn’t recognize any faces. The normally social doctor wasn’t in the mood for small talk, so he stayed put. He didn’t want to come at all, but hurting Casey’s feelings wasn’t something he was willing to do. Now, it looked like she was a no-show for her own party, so he made a decision. He had already waited the requisite twenty minutes; he was finishing this drink and then making a beeline back to his room. But as he raised the glass to his lips, he heard her voice. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, he’d know it anywhere.

“Hello, stranger!”

They were just friends now, nothing more. So why did he feel his heart flutter? His signature smirk was firmly in place before turning to greet her. A natural defense mechanism to keep the butterflies at bay. But when his eyes fell upon her, all pretense disappeared. 

How did she only become more beautiful? Etheral is how he’d describe her. Blonde hair pulled into a whispy updo, with delicate off-white flowers pinned to hold it in place. Her matching silk dress gracefully skimmed over every curve that he knew so well, and her smile. That smile had melted his heart and pulled him out of more bad days than he dared to count. And after all the years he’d known her, after all they had been through, it still rendered him speechless. Noticing his silence was lasting too long, he jumped from his bar stool to embrace her. A brilliant grin hid the war of emotions battling inside him.

“Stranger indeed! I haven’t heard from you in a while, kid. I was beginning to think you rescinded my invitation.”

“As if!” Casey laughed. “It hasn’t been that long. You try managing a busy career, a publishing deadline, and planning a wedding for two hundred of your nearest and dearest. See how much time you’d have to chat.”  

“Casey... do you ever see me in that position?” He asked wryly.

He swore he saw her smile falter, and a bit of her effervescence was gone. But why would it be? She was happy. It must have been one old-fashioned too many.   

“No,” she spoke softly. “I guess I don’t.”

“You look stunning,” he smiled. “How do you plan to outdo this on your big day?”

“Stop,” she said with a playful slap on his arm. “I’m immune to your flattery by now, don’t you know?”

They both laughed nervously as his eyes roamed the room. Still, no sight of Meghan, and someone else was missing, too.

“Where’s Craig? I haven’t heard from him either. I was going to see if we could shoot some hoops before the wedding.”

“He got called into an emergency surgery,” she shrugged. “The glamourous life of doctors. And where is Mandy? You said you were bringing a plus one. I assumed she’d be joining you.”

“Mandy? It’s Meghan,” he chuckled. “Mandy and I broke up some time ago.”  

“Oh, sorry. It’s hard to keep up with you. So, where is your latest and greatest?”

“She had to run to the mall for a few things. But she’ll be back soon.”

“Good,” Casey smiled politely. “I can’t wait to meet her. How long have you two...” She raised her hands, visibly checking herself. Her cheeks red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business...”

“It’s OK,” Tobias laughed, reassuringly touching her elbow, then dropping it when the gesture took both by surprise. “It’s not a state secret. Only a few months... don’t worry... we’re not headed down the alter anytime soon.”

Casey let out a wry laugh, and her words came out more curtly than intended. “I didn’t expect you would be.”

“Yeah,” Tobias muttered, gulping down the remains of his drink. “Walking down aisles isn’t exactly my thing. Is it?”

“Well, it was your excuse for ending things with me,” she replied with her arms crossed. “But you never know. Sometimes people change.”

Casey felt her stomach drop. What if he had changed? Accepting that Tobias was generally opposed to marriage was one thing, but if he ever took that step, she’d have to admit that marriage wasn’t the issue... she was, and that was too painful to imagine. She began to perspire, and was filled with worry. This wasn’t the reaction she should be having when her wedding was just over a day away. Her eyes darted around the room, desperate for a reason to escape.

“Well, I should mingle with the other guest,” she settled on. “Without Craig here, it’s double duty for me. But you and Meghan will be at brunch tomorrow morning, right?”

He hadn’t been aware there was a brunch. And since laying eyes on Casey, attending more wedding events was the last thing he wanted to do, but he detected the hint of pleading in her voice.

“Do you want me there?” he asked softly.

Casey nodded effusively. “I do.”

“Then I’ll be there,” he assured. “We both will.”

~~~~~

Brunch was... awkward. Tobias was sure Casey thought seating them together was a good idea, but she probably didn’t know how long Sienna Trinh could hold a grudge. And with Sienna’s plus one coming down with the flu, Tobias, Meghan, and Sienna made for an awkward trio.

Casey viewed their breakup as mutual, but Siennna saw things differently. Tobias was a stupid man who let his commitment issues ruin a wonderful thing, leaving her friend heartbroken. He hoped more than two years passing and Casey marrying someone else would have changed Sienna’s opinion of him, but all indications said otherwise. Sienna picked at her stack of blueberry pancakes as they all struggled to make small talk. Perhaps they could talk shop?

“So, Meghan, you’re at Edenbrook, too? What department do you work in?”

“I’m a paralegal. I work with the CEO.”

“Oh,” Sienna smiled politely, that didn’t work. After more uncomfortable silence, Meghan made the next attempt.

“I’m really looking forward to the wedding. The venue they selected is just beautiful! I’ve seen it on some wedding shows but never thought I’d get to attend a wedding there.”

Sienna held back a laugh. “I can understand that. I mean... because we live in Boston, and you know... you’re with Tobias.”

Losing patience, Tobias tossed his linen napkin on the table. “And what’s that supposed to mean, Si?”

“Just that you avoid weddings like the plague. I was shocked to hear you were coming.”

“It’s Casey’s wedding,” he smiled tersely. “Do you think I’d miss it?”

“I guess the answer’s no,” Sienna smiled smugly.

“You know, I’m going to run to the ladies' room,” Meghan announced. 

Sienna wiped her lip, “I’ll join you.”

“No,” Meghan insisted. “I need a moment away from this cold war, and if you both care about Casey as much as you profess to, maybe you should work out whatever... this... is before her wedding day. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Tobias and Sienna sat slack-jawed momentarily, then a slight smile formed on his lips. 

“I guess I deserved that,” Sienna stated. “Meghan seems lovely, and no matter my feelings toward you, I shouldn’t have made her uncomfortable. I owe her an apology.”

“Maybe what we owe her is doing what she asked us to do,” he replied. “Sienna... what exactly is your problem with me? I know people can be bitter about their best friend’s exes, but Casey and I are good friends. If we put the past in the past, why can’t you?”

Sienna shut her eyes, warring over how much she should or should not say.

“It’s different,” she started cautiously. “I got to see the extent of the damage after the two of you fell apart. Whose apartment do you think she ended up at that last night in Boston? Who do you think she sat on the phone listening to her cry all night after she moved? I know you were hurting after things ended, but I experienced her pain. You were spared that.”

“Sienna, breakups are painful. You know that! And no, I didn’t see her immediate aftermath because we felt not contacting each other for a while would be for the best. But I was living through my own personal hell. It was hard on both of us.”

“Then why’d you do it? Tobias? All she wanted was a future with you... You’re the one who said it wasn’t possible!”

“We wanted different futures. Hers included a wedding... just like this one... a house in the suburbs, two kids, and a dog. I never wanted that and didn’t want to promise her something I couldn’t guarantee. Don’t you think I had wished I could? I could put you on the phone with my best friend. Kerry would tell you how wrong it was for Casey to want that life more than she wanted me... but you’re both wrong. We made a choice together, and it was painful as fuck. But, Si, it wasn’t my fault.”

“I guess,” Sienna sighed. “It’s just hard to see you both throw something so special, so rare away. It’s two years later and still hard to see.”

“I understand, but... Casey was dating Craig six months later, and she’s marrying him tomorrow. She and I are friends, hell, Craig and I are friends... so why are we even discussing this?”

“Because I’m her best friend... and I know how someone should be acting before they get married... and I still don’t see that in Casey.”

“What... what are you talking about....”

“She’s happy, sure... to a degree... but I’ve seen her when she was truly happy, and this seems like a facsimile.”

“Sienna,” he stalled, “She’s busy planning this weekend and under a lot of stress, but I’ve been around them. She loves Craig.”

“I know she does,” Sienna replied. “But she was in love with you.”

Tobias sat in stunned silence when he noticed Craig mingling with guests across the way. Looking for any excuse to evade the topic, he spat, “There’s Craig, uh... I’ve been looking for him... wanted to see him before the wedding, but he seems a little evasive...”

“Of course he has. Don’t you realize? Tobias, you’re the one who got away. You’re her best friend... other than me... that is. Do you think he needs a reminder before he says his I dos?”  

“I... I thought coming here was the right thing to do... I just wanted to... to be here for them... and to see...”

“To see what?”

“To see she really moved on. To really... let her go.”

“Right,” Sienna smiled. “But you’re over her. I’m glad we talked, T. I think my bitterness toward you is just my overprotectiveness of Casey. I love her. But I can be a bit of a momma bear.”

“No shit!” he said with a half-smile as Sienna narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m trying to make amends. Shut up before I change my mind. Truce?”

“Of course. How could I be mad at you for being protective of Casey.”

“I know,” Sienna smiled, pushing away from the table. “Do me a favor. Just lay low until the wedding. Be there to support her, then go live your life and let Casey move on with hers. We have to trust that she made this decision knowing what’s right for her, and... we should both respect that.”

“I never intended to do anything but.”

“Good.” Sienna looked up and saw Meghan approaching the table. “I owe you an apology and want to thank you. This talk was overdue, and I promise. We’ll be grown-ups from now on.”

“Hey, I was being a grown-up,” Tobias protested.

“Tobias, is this the hill you want to die on?” Sienna snapped back.

“Continue...” he grinned.  

Sienna extended her hand. “It was very nice meeting you.”

“It’s lovely meeting you, too,” Meghan agreed. “Maybe we can get coffee back in Boston?”

“Sure, I’d like that. Tobias, I like her... be good to her.”

Tobias slipped his hand into Meghans and smiled. “That’s my intention. Thanks, Sienna.”

After Sienna walked away, Tobias turned to Meghan and thanked her for forcing them to talk. “You’re pretty special, you know. that?”

“I do,” she smiled sweetly. “But let's go back to our room because now it’s our turn to talk.”

"About?"

"About why we're at this wedding..."

"Meg," Tobias sighed. "We're here to see my friend... my friends... get married. Nothing more."

"Good, then it won't be an issue to have a quick talk about it...right?"

He let out a soft sigh. It was the last thing he wanted, but he knew better than to think Meghan would let it go.

"Right," he stood up, extending his hand to her. "Lead the way."

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @choicesjuly2023challenge - Fairytale