#mystery sisters of Rohan

[celeluwhenfics]

Part 3: Why not include the mystery sisters in my WIP pHORSEuasion?

The first reason is that too much female wisdom, observation, and authority would cut Anne and Wentworth's story of longing, hesitation and brooding very short.

“Now about this sweet young lady you keep staring at but refuse to speak to. Oh yes, you think you are being subtle. Dear nephew, I must certainly have misheard, so tell me again, you are holding a grudge against her for WHAT? And this has been going on FOR HOW LONG? Go to her and apologize RIGHT THIS MINUTE, or I will not hear a single more whine about how you cannot find a good wife.” He goes. They talk. They kiss. The End.

The second reason is that alternatively, three nosy, flawed, selfish and misguided Austenian aunts (think a Mrs Bennet, a Miss Bates and a Lady Catherine de Burgh, or the trio of aunts of Mansfield Park) would be extremely interesting characters to add to the cast. However, that would force me to add about 30 chapters and 100k more words to the fic, and deviate quite far from the Persuasion canon.

As a side note, in Persuasion we have two interesting mature female figures in Mrs Croft and Mrs Russell. (I’m not counting Mrs Musgrove because she’s not very invested in the main characters.) I have been thinking of why they didn’t see what was going on between Anne and Frederick.

Mrs Russell is probably too focused on the case of Mr William Elliott and is quick (and willing) to believe the lie that Anne is over her Captain.

However Mrs Croft could probably have smelled quite soon that something was happening between Anne and her brother. We can put it on the account of her commendable discretion and the fact that she did not witness many key interactions, but realistically she could have ended their hesitation. She would probably have done so (gently) if their standstill had persisted any longer. (In pHORSEuasion, Éowyn will be filling part of Mrs Croft’s role.)

But let’s keep in mind that although Mrs Croft is older, she’s from the same generation as them. I don’t believe that an aunt (let alone three aunts) could have helped herself from being extra nosy and give unsolicited advice in this situation, especially considering the familial, social and NATIONAL pressure that Éomer was under to marry and assure the continuation of the House of Éorl.

Therefore, adding aunts to a Persuasion plot would mean having to jump through a lot of hoops to avoid having them derail the story or cut it short! And it’s enough of a headache already as it is… But I admit that I thought about it a lot, and it would have been fun.

@from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras @emmanuellececchi

Tomorrow in part 4, my ACTUAL answer to the question: what is my headcanon for the three unnamed sisters of Théoden?!?!

Here’s one for thoughts now, later or never, depending on how you feel about it…

Got any headcanons or opinions about the 3 sisters of Théoden who weren’t Théodwyn??? What they were like, where they were during the events that we’re all familiar with, what their relationship with Théoden was like, etc.? It’s bonkers to me that we know they exist and that he preferred Théodwyn to the other sisters but that’s. literally. it!

Omg what a good question! Thank you for leading my thoughts in that direction. There is SO MUCH to unpack there, and even more to imagine, because as you said Tolkien left us a lot of room there (euphemism of the month). I will allow myself to add Morwen Steelsheen to this reflection, because I think it makes sense to link her to her daughters, and similar questions arise around her character.

But I’m a scientist, so let’s think about this rationally and stay organized. I will answer in four parts (I’m not sorry about it)

1. What the canon actually says 2. What are the possibilities, what must be ruled out and why 3. Why I will NOT be going there with my current WIP pHORSEuasion 4. Freeform headcanons I still have on this matter!

Part 1: Deep dive in the canon

Most of what we know about Thengel’s family comes from a couple paragraphs in Appendix A. I have laid out this information in a timeline, with the following assumptions, which can be contested, but that’s what I chose to work from: -Only one child is born per year -There are no twins in the family -The first child of a couple is born at earliest one year after their wedding -Ages given assume a birthday on January 1st. If the actual birthday happens after the event in the calendar year, the character would technically be one year “younger”

2905: Thengel born in Rohan 2922: Morwen born in Gondor 2943: Thengel (age 38) and Morwen (age 21) marry in Gondor Between 2944 and 2947: First daughter born in Gondor 2948: Théoden born in Gondor Between 2949 and 2953: Second daughter born in Gondor 2953: Thengel (age 48) becomes king of Rohan Between 2953 and 2962: Third daughter born in Rohan 2963: Théodwyn is born in Rohan. She is described as “a child of his (Thengel's) age” (Thengel is then 58 and Morwen is 41). 2977 or before: Théoden (age 29 or less) and Elfhild (age unknown) marry in Rohan 2978: Théodred born in Rohan. Elfhild (age unknown) dies 2980: Thengel (age 75) dies. Théoden (age 32) becomes king of Rohan 2989: Théodwyn (age 26) and Éomund (age unknown) marry in Rohan 2991: Éomer born in Rohan 2995: Éowyn born in Rohan 3002: Éomund (age unknown) and Théodwyn (age 39) die. Éomer is then 11 and Éowyn is 7 3017: Éomer becomes Third Marshal (age 26) 3019: Théodred (age 41) and Théoden (age 71) die. Éomer (age 28) becomes king of Rohan. Éowyn (age 24) and Faramir (age 36) marry in Rohan 3020 or later: Elboron, son of Éowyn and Faramir, born in Gondor. 3021: Éomer (age 30) and Lothiriel (age 22) marry Early Fourth Age: Elfwine, son of Lothiriel and Éomer, born in Rohan. Fourth Age 63: Éomer (age 91) dies Fourth Age 82: Faramir (age 120) dies

Therefore, we have at the start of the War of the Ring, let’s say in January 3019: Definitely alive: -Théoden -Théodred -Éomer -Éowyn

Possibly alive (no canonical death): -Morwen (age 97, but she is of Dunedain descent, so a long life is possible) -Her three eldest daughters, with ages between 75 (if the eldest was born right after their parents' wedding, in 2944) and 57 (if the third daughter was born right before Théodwyn, in 2962)

A few extra notes on the canon

One thing that I had not fully realized before, is that Théodred is born and Elfhild dies when Théoden is not yet king. Therefore: -Thengel technically met Théodred (he was 2 years old when his grandfather died) -Elfhild, although Théoden's wife, was never queen of Rohan -When Lothiriel becomes queen, Rohan has not had a queen since Morwen, 41 years earlier, at the death of Thengel in 2980 -Théodwyn was only 15, or going on 15, at that time. (I know that I have read somewhere the headcanon that she cared for Théodred from his birth, which is valid and possible, however in my opinion her age makes it doubtful that she would have been the main carer and parental figure.) -Théoden ascends to the throne whilst bearing not only the immediate grief of his father, but also the relatively recent (2 years) loss of his wife.

Of Théodwyn, we know that she was “the fairest” and “her brother loved her dearly”. After her husband was killed, she “took sick and died to the great grief of the king”. Théoden then “took [her children] into his house, calling them son and daughter”.

And we learn a little about Morwen when Éowyn is described: “Éowyn was slender and tall, with a grace and pride that came to her out of the South from Morwen of Lossarnach, whom the Rohirrim had called Steelsheen.” (I must say that I am questioning this past perfect “had called”. It sounds like Morwen is not there anymore, otherwise past simple “called” would have been used. But then, it is hard to pinpoint when in time the narrator is placing themselves in this passage. If referring to Éowyn’s early adult life, it would be a clue in the direction that Morwen is not alive anymore by the War of the Ring, or at least that she is not in Rohan anymore. If referring to an undefined point at the moment of writing in the Fourth Age, it means nothing at all. But we’re now at the level of microscopic details from the text!)

Part 2/4 coming eventually in a reblog!

[nan-hawthorne]

Pearl O'Day - Nan Hawthorne

I'm just here to make sure my children don't do anything stupid...im talking about you, boys

@zarahawthorne-calligaris - Oldest granddaughter, strong woman, i heard Xander call her "Girl boss" before. whatever that meant

@theonlyskyehawthorne - Other granddaughter, has a bit of a problem when it comes to men, tried killing the poor new girl. I have no words.

@xanderlovesscones - My youngest, but most less-hit-on-the-head, if you know what i mean. Totally not my favourite great grandson

@the-eldest-yehawthorne - My eldest great grandson, most mature, respectful and loving. He's married to quite a decent girl. I'm happy for him.

@therealgraysonhawthorne - Second eldest grandson, (great grandson) he means well. But the poor boy needs a good whack in the head so that he won't overwork himself. I've heard he found himself a girl. Finally.

@jameson-hawthorne - sigh, Second youngest grandson. Most hit in the head, crazy, stupid, reckless. But I'm happy that he found himself a girl who will set him right.

@the-hawthorne-heiress - The poor, smart girl who unfortunately inherited all of that horrible man's money. Jameson's girlfriend.

@gothic-cupcakemaster - Nash's newly wed wife. Her baking skills are quite impressive. I need to see how she bakes an apple pie. She's always makes those darn cupcakes.

@motherfaxingmax - Xander's girl. And the new girl's good friend. She matches Xander's energy. But talks a lot. I don't mind.

@lyracattalinakane - Gray's supposed new girlfriend. i haven't met her yet. Though I've heard whispers that she has quite some character. I hope she can talk some sense into Grayson's stubborn brain. I would really like to meet her.

@omg1g1 - Skye's ex husband's daughter. Also Grayson's sister. She also has quite some energy. But she has a lot of determination. I just pray that she doesn't get too caught up in boys.

@savannah-graysonx - Gigi's sister. Also Skye's ex husband's daughter. She is stubborn. Like Grayson. Supposedly kissed some mysterious man in the games. What is up with girls and these dark and mysterious men? I don't get it.

@rebeccalaughlinsblog - The Laughlin's daughter. Many people just remember her as Emily Laughlin's sister. But that girl is really something. I actually need to catch up with her and see how she is doing.

@theaaacalligaris - Rebecca's girlfriend, Zara's step-daughter. I have never really spoken to her. So I don't really know her. I hope she is good for Rebecca.

@evelaughlin - horrible, horrible girl. Instead of knocking some sense into poor Gray, she knocked him out emotionally. Apparently she looks like Emily. I do not ever want to meet her. And she better not want to meet me.

@leelee-ortega - Tobias's old Lawyer and Avery's current one. She also dated Nash. Poor girl is still broken from the break up. Can you believe that they were engaged when they broke up? oh dear, God bless her poor soul.

@rohan-his-lordships-successor - Savannah-girls weird boy. I don't know him. People say he's strong and cocky. A little like my poor Jameson. I also heard Jamie let the bastard break his ribs. That man will have a lot to explain if we ever meet. I hope he is good for the girl.

@acaciagrayson - the mother of the two Grayson girls. Don’t know much about her. She seems nice

@gimmechocolatenow - The whole families emotional support. Loves treats and poker or bingo

@john-oren - the new girls bodyguard. oh he- …*sigh* Pearl. No Gossip.

[the-hawthorne-heiress]

AVERY KYLIE GRAMBS

hawthorne heiress. philanthropist. world changer.

(actually just a average girl who somehow got her life messed up by a dead man)

@jameson-hawthorne : my boy. he is everything. believes he has to prove his worth because his shitty grandpa said he was ordinary. please don't risk your life. love you xoxo

@gothic-cupcakemaster : sunshine goth girl. my lovely sister. deserves the world. stress bakes a lot. love you lots.

@the-eldest-yehawthorne : most sensible and nice hawthorne. my sister's fiancé and like my brother. heavy accent. wears cowboy hats 24/7.

@therealgraysonhawthorne : has every kind of issue you name it. major daddy issues. even more grandfather issues. cannot admit he's not okay. believes he has to be perfect. take a break please.

@xander-hawthorne-is-the-best : my bhff (best hawthorne friend forever). blows up everything. mostly has one eyebrow.

@lyracattalinakane : the new mystery girl who called grayson and now everyone ships them. looking forward to knowing you!

@omg1g1 : grayson's half sister but more like xander. i think we'd get along very well. chaotic. cool.

@savannahgrayson : gigi's (older) twin and grayson's half sister but she's girl-grayson, intimidating, cares about her sister (+grayson)

@motherfaxingmax : my best friend. never swears. chaotic as fox.

@theaaacalligaris : was a bit wary of her at first but she's nice now. except the time she made me dress up as em*ly. her fashion advice>>>

@rebeccalaughlinsblog : the best laughlin imo. nice and sweet. thea's love.

@leelee-ortega : my lawyer. covering up illegal shit is normal for her. didn't listen to her advice alas.

@theonlyskyehawthorne : we have the hate-hate relationship.

@zarahawthorne-calligaris : skye's sister. there was smth between her and oren. cool and collected

@nan-hawthorne : tobias hawthorne's mother-in-law but scarier than him, a still living legend.

@evelaughlin : we share the same dad (unfortunately). almost traumatized gray and jamie. still won't let them live in peace. turned out to be the traitor.

@mattias-slater : eve's bodyguard. in love with gigi (?).

@rohan-his-lordships-successor : the factotum of tdm.

main blog is @sxturn-to-mxrs

[jameson-hawthorne]

the jameson hawthorne at your service....

@the-hawthorne-heiress -> avery. my mystery girl and heiress <3

@xanderlovesscones -> xander. my partner in crime(s mostly against gray) fair warning though - he doesn't share his scones

@therealgraysonhawthorne -> gray. my very overly serious brother who needs to loosen up once in a while. btw im better than him - don't let his words fool you

@the-eldest-yehawthorne -> nash. has an obsession with cowboy hats also in love with libby

@gothic-cupcakemaster -> libby. heiress's sister (she makes the best cupcakes i swear)

@lyracattalinakane -> lyra? phone girl? grays got a weird obsession with her and im loving it. its so good to see someone put grayson's knickers in a twist.

@motherfaxingmax -> max. heiress's bestie.

@omg1g1 -> gigi. grays sister i have a secret stash of coffee for her around here somewhere @savannah-graysonx -> sav. (i don't think she likes it when i call her that.) grays other sister. (half if you wanna be technical.)

@theonlyskyehawthorne -> my mother.

@nan-hawthorne -> nan. she's very good at whacking people.

@zarahawthorne-calligaris -> my aunt. she's pretty cool (don't get on her bad side.)

@theaaacalligaris -> thea. bex's girl. really sweet.......

@evelaughlin -> eve. ew get tf away from me.

@mattias-slater -> eve's body guard but i see him look at gigi more times than he lets on...

@its-bradydaniels -> i dont trust you-

@nan-hawthorne -> nan hawthorne

@knoxlandry -> should still be in the game

@rohan-his-lordships-successor -> fucker.

[asgardianhobbit98]

Of Kings, Crowns and Love (Thorin Spring Forge 2024 Entry)

accompanying art piece by @koyunsoncizeri here!! 😭🩷🩷🩷 it's gorgeous!

Summary: Thorin hears of Rohan’s king’s death, and how his son, moving back home from Gondor, is about to be crowned the new king of Rohan. Normally, Dwarves keep themselves out of the business of men. But something is stirring in the North, something dark and evil that seems to be connected to Gundabad and the fell lands of the East... and having some extra allies is not bad (as he’s learned on his quest to retake Erebor). 

The King under the Mountain officially invites himself to the crowning of King Thengel, where he meets not just Thengel and a mysterious man called Thorongil, but also the new king’s sisters. Falling head over heels for the oldest of the two sisters, Thorin finds himself no longer on just a political mission, but also one of love. 

Fandom: The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings

Pairing: Thorin Oakenshield / original female character

Tags: everybody lives AU, Dragon Sickness, PTSD, First Love, Courting, First Kiss, Romance, Love Letters, Baking

Word Count: around 9157

Notes: I want to thank the lovely moderators from @thorinsspringforge for this event and the support they offered us all! This was so much fun :3

I also want to give a HUGE shoutout to my artist @koyunsoncizeri who created something so so beautiful (please go check out their art piece for this fic and reblog and give it love!!), which helped inspire me to keep writing when I struggled!! Their talent and kindness knows no bounds! Thank you love 🩷

AO3 link to the TSF24 collection

AO3 link to my entry but you can also read the full thing in this post

Tag list: @fizzyxcustard @middleearthpixie @glassgulls @evenstaredits @knittastically @heilith @lathalea @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @nowandthane

Part 1: The Coronation, Interrupted

Flower petals moved through the air like a gorgeous spring rain. Puddles of colours lay on the floor already. The people must have picked clean huge fields of flowers just for this very occasion, the newly ascended King thought to himself as he stared out over the sea of colours and smiles.  

They would do such a thing too, for him. For today was a joyous and important day in the Kingdom of Rohan. Their wayward and lost prince, Thengel, had returned to take over the crown since his father’s passing. There were, in other words, not just one thing to celebrate, but two.

The crown, heavier than it looked both with burden and physical weight, rested atop his long, golden hair whilst he smiled at unknown faces that saw not him, but his father; who clapped not for him, but for their own relief at no longer being without king; who were happy not for his return, but for their own leadership not disappearing with the life of their previous king.

The colours, the beautiful sight of the petals, was all loathsome to Thengel. He had had a nice life in Gondor. Why, oh why, did his father have to die so soon? He’d hoped to die in some battle before him. But here he was, forced to take the crown because his annoying brothers had skipped town the second they heard their father was on his deathbed.

No one wanted this bloody crown, heavy as it was in so many ways… No one but potentially the faces smiling back at him now. He knew no one. He trusted even fewer people.

Aside from… Morwen. His beautiful wife, stood next to him bearing an equally as heavy crown. Yet, she seemed to carry it with ease. Her beauty, her love, her kindness… They, Thengel thought to himself, were going to be what ruled Rohan. And Morwen, his dear beloved darling, would do it too, even if she would rather spend her time with their children: Theoden and Theodis.

Just as they were going to sit down and start the feast and be one step closer to ending this dreadful day, the large doors to the hall opened. A wind gushed through the place, forcing the petals to blow away from the feasts, some falling into the large beacons of fire to shrivel into ash…

A silence fell over the hall, every gaze turned toward the doors now wide open...

Dwarves.

Uninvited Dwarves. Six of them too!

Slowly, the leader, the one and only Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain, slayer of Smaug the Terrible, and defeater of Azog the Defiler, moved through the hall and up toward the thrones. He avoided all gazes sent his way, walking with intent, determined steps, and with a look on his face that was anything but kind, at least in the eyes of the humans.

“I thought Dwarves were meant to have longer beards-“ With a quick, reprimanding tug at her nephew’s shirt, Maerwyn silenced Theoden’s whispers which were far too loud to be called whispers in all honesty. She stood together with her niece and nephew to the side of the thrones, watching everything play out from the sidelines, yet with equal curiosity as Morwen and Thengel.

Maerwyn, sister to Thengel and born with the same beauty and blonde hair, had been in Gondor with her brother almost her entire life. She mourned her father quite little, having never known him. Thengel was more her father than anyone else.

Thorongil, their mutual, closest friend, stood to her side too, looking amused by Theoden’s words. As a friend and not Theoden’s family, the ranger didn’t have to reprimand the child. So he winked at Theoden, rendering Maerwyn reprimand useless, of course.

Theodis, at an age now that her mischievous brother embarrassed her as she wanted to be as graceful and grown up as her mother, glared at Theoden.  

Once the six Dwarves reached the front, they each took a bow, staying down on one knee.

“We come to pay our respects to the new King of Rohan,” Thorin spoke. He, crownless as he was (and rumor had it he never wore his crown either), had a face everyone knew. He did not have to introduce himself. And he apparently wasn’t going to either.

Maerwyn glanced to Thorongil. As the older (though he didn’t look it) and wiser out of the two, she wanted to see what his reaction was to Thorin’s own invite to the occasion. He looked suspicious, but mainly surprised. Indeed, the ranger was right to be surprised. The Dwarves, as good of an ally as they could be, weren’t known to so openly approach Men for any sort of diplomatic meeting. This… well, this was certainly a surprise.

As Thorin raised his head to speak, his gaze flickered over to Maerwyn for a split second and she felt her heart do a somersault. No one had told her that the great Thorin Oakenshield was so… handsome.

“We come bearing gifts to rekindle a friendship between their people.” The Dwarves stood, upon which two younger Dwarves and one much older rounded Thorin to bow in front of the king and queen, presenting three boxes each. “Myrr from the people of Esgaroth. An embroidered Rohirrim symbol on a tapestry from the merchants of Erebor. As well as a divine set of new bracers and a dagger from the Dwarven smithies of Erebor. You could wish for no finer equipment, I can assure you,” Thorin spoke.

Morwen smiled and graciously bowed to accept the gifts.

Thengel, however… “So you have come to rekindle something ancient, indeed.” It sounded for a second as if this was his way of dismissing the Dwarves and denying a rekindling of allyship. But then: “Welcome.” And with that, Thengel sat down, with Morwen in tow, and the people in Edoras Hall continued to cheer.

The feast was grand. Tables laced with meat, mead, cakes and everything one could have hoped for had been prepared by servants for days before this, and it all looked as perfect as they’d hoped it would turn out to be. Before long, the lutes from bards filled the Golden Hall’s entire air with joyous music. People sung, danced, drank and ate to their heart’s content. It was a merry occasion once more.

The Dwarves stayed in their corner. All apart for Thorin’s nephews, who had found their way into the crowd of Men to sing and dance alongside them with ease. They’d found Theoden and Theodis, and had danced with the little children for a while before Morwen had sent them to bed. Now they were merrymaking with the adults instead.

The older Dwarves seemed less inclined to mingle or mix with the strangers. And it showed in their way of glaring and mumbling to each other each time someone had the ‘audacity’ of glancing their way or coming a little too close to their corner.

Thengel, watching his people’s merrymaking from the sidelines with a cup of untouched mead in his hand, found it only making him distrust these Dwarves’ intentions more.

“You look troubled, my friend.” Thorongil had appeared by Thengel’s side. “As new King, you should not have those frown lines on your face just yet. Leave that for your first duties.” A joke. But Thengel was far from a joking mood.

“They want something…” he muttered quietly. His gloves squeaked as he closed one hand into a fist. “I just know it. It’s just like those nobles in Gondor, Thorongil. They want things from me because I have power.”

Thorongil didn’t react at first, simply listening to the grumbling of his old friend. “Did I want something from you?”

Thengel scoffed. “No, but you are different.”

“Perhaps they are different too?”

Thengel narrowed his eyes at them, especially Thorin Oakenshield. Maybe he didn’t don his crown, but a crown he had. A whole kingdom that looked up to him and marvelled at his power. What could he possibly want from Rohan? Nothing good… It couldn’t be anything good…

Part 2: The Feast

Moving through the crowd, Maerwyn approached the Dwarves standing in their corner of the room. Her hands cupped a chalice of red wine, but it was not the reason for her seamless movement through the crowd. They parted for her, bowing respectfully. She was now no longer the daughter of the King. She was the sister of the King. Yet, that was not the reason for people to part for her so quickly and respectfully. Her importance to the kingdom had not changed. But rather, she, herself, was put on a pedestal by all who saw her, it seemed.

This, Thorin noticed as he caught sight of the woman approaching them. Her green eyes flickered between the vessel in her hands, and him, letting Thorin know her intent. Curious, he’d watched her, long since forgetting about the conversation at hand between his fellow Dwarves. Dwalin and Ori seemed oblivious to it. Balin was not, watching Thorin and Maerwyn’s looks to each other with curious dismay.

“It’s not worth it, Thorin-“ Maerwyn had interrupted a conversation as she approached, blinking innocently at Dwalin with an unsaid apology, to which the Dwarf only glared.

There was a moment in which Dwalin wanted to push forward and place himself in front of Thorin protectively, but Thorin was quick to stop that with a single hand gesture. Instead, he stepped forward to greet Maerwyn with a bow.

Maerwyn couldn’t tell whether Thorin had done so to be kind to the sister of the King Thorin clearly wanted something from, or whether Thorin truly had meant his kind greeting.

Approaching guests was unlike her. She stayed in the background, sister to great men, daughter to Kings, doomed to be of a gender that was given little space or power in the Kingdoms of Men. Yet here she was, approaching guests of the King, her brother, without a care in the world. Confidence bloomed through her body, driven on only by the pure infatuation with this one Dwarf’s attractive face, curious whether the Dwarf’s heart might be as attractive too.

“My lady..?” Thorin asked politely.

“Maerwyn,” she replied. “King Thengel’s sister.” She curtsied politely before offering the cup she was cradling in her hands.

Thorin looked confused. She smiled. He smiled. “It is an offer of kinship and generosity to share wine from the same cup.”

“And who else has drunk from this?” Thorin asked curiously, though his voice held a little edge to it.

Maerwyn blushed. “Me.”  

Spurred on by this answer, it seemed, Thorin reached out and took a long sip, lips lingering on the cup as his eyes found hers… with intent. She watched with wide eyes, her blush gone but not because she was not feeling something. Rather, she was too surprised by the Dwarf’s obvious meaning to allow herself to feel anything-  

Then before she could say or do anything else, Thengel’s hand suddenly touched her shoulder.

She was silently goaded to leave, and so she did, her head lowered but a smile playing on her lips.

“You seem happy.” Thorongil said as he walked with her through the crowd.

Surprised he had approached her, Maerwyn nodded her head in agreement. “I’ve never met a man with such reputation.”

“Yes, reputation,” Thorongil said with a little glint to his eyes. “I am sure his reputation was what just motivated you to act.”

She blushed.

“Be careful, my lady,” Thorongil added quickly. “He is a man who has seen much, been through even more, and whose heart is darker than it seems.”

“I see darkness,” Maerwyn was quick to say, as if defending her own choices. Though, she knew, that one needn’t defend one’s choices to Thorongil. He was kinder than most: a man who had seen much and been through more. A man who, perhaps, could understand Thorin better than most. “But I don’t only see darkness. He can get out of it.”

“Few can.”

“Indeed.” Maerwyn put the cup down and gave Thorongil a pointed look. “Sometimes, with a little help, a person can do surprisingly much.”

Thorongil bowed his head. “Just be careful. You’ve only just met.”

Thengel watched Maerwyn and Thorongil walk away for a little bit before turning his gaze to Thorin. “Few dare come uninvited to a Coronation of an unallied King.”

“Yet here I am,” Thorin replied.

“Here you are…” Thengel said, pretending to ignore the three Dwarves behind Thorin tensing up, ready to step in and help. “Might we speak in private? Outside, perhaps, on the balcony?” Before Thorin could even respond, Thengel was already leading the way through the crowds. With a look back at Balin, Dwalin and Ori, Thorin offered a disgruntled look at Thengel’s behaviour, before following the new King.

The balcony was positioned to offer a view of the vast fields that made up Rohan. Hills upon hills of green grass that had sickened into a beige colour now that autumn was here.

Far, far away, the outlines of mountains surrounded them. Helm’s Deep, Thorin recalled from his studies, was somewhere there. Among many Rohirrim dark secrets one needed to pass to get to the lands of Gondor the quickest.

Thorin had to admit that the vast openness of the lands of Men made him uncomfortable. Sometimes, Thorin thought to himself, when he stepped out of Erebor, he thought the Sky would fall down on him, or that he himself would float up toward it. It was strange not to have anything above his head.

So whilst he could understand how this was a beautiful view, he didn’t quite share in admiring it the way Thengel was.

Though, something told Thorin that Thengel was merely biding his time so he could gather his thoughts and speak his mind without… offending Thorin too much. A bitterness surrounded Thengel. No man should be too overjoyed by a crown burdening their shoulders, or they would become bad kings, but this much bitterness revealed more anger than a king should have.

“You come here… uninvited,” Thengel began, repeating what he’d said earlier but with agitation in his voice. Thorin joined the man by the railing of the balcony, eyes only just managing to peak over at the view. He tried to stare at it to keep his mind at peace, to try and listen rather than see what Thengel was feeling. To anyone who might catch a glimpse of them, it didn’t look like there was any tension between the two. But oh… there was. “And you demand things of me.”

“Demand?” Thorin asked, astounded and surprised. “I merely wish for a fellowship between our people.”

“Fellowship… Wish…” Thengel grunted under his breath. “People always want things from me. It is never a courtesy call.”

“The burden of a king-“

“The burden of Thengel,” he was quick to interrupt and correct, glancing down to the Dwarf beside him. Thorin raised his chin, eyes curious, and also slightly annoyed at being cut off. “No man ever simply speaks to me. I was and will always be my father’s youngest son, destined to bring news to him of lords and ladies who did good deeds and who would like, very much, to be invited to his court. I escaped to Gondor to try and find peace. Yet it was only worse.”

Thorin understood his meaning. “And now you are back here.”

“And with only more people demanding things from me.”

“I demand nothing,” Thorin tried to reassure him. “I merely wish-“

“Wishing is the lordly way of demanding, is it not?” Thengel muttered. He turned to face Thorin, eyes crueller than they had need to be in this situation. But his trauma spoke for itself, taking control over Thengel in this moment. And quite honestly, out of everyone to understand that, Thorin would be highest on the list. His past did not come without its fair share of trauma. To remain King under the Mountain meant dealing with the Dragon Sickness that never quite faded, a constant vicarious battle between reality and his own demise. Yet, he couldn’t say anything to help Thengel.

Because Thorin’s belief was that there was no one who could help Thorin but Thorin himself. And therefore, there was no one who could help Thengel but Thengel.

“I will think on it.” Thengel interrupted what had turned into a really long silence where both Kings had stared into each other’s eyes. “But I guarantee nothing.”

Then, with a sigh, Thengel waved his hand and offered Thorin and his company a place to stay whilst they recuperated, and to enjoy the feasts and blah blah… The man was done with niceties. He was no fit for a king, but there also was no sight of any of his brothers. No one, it seemed, wanted the crown.

As Thengel left Thorin’s side, Thorin thought hard on Thengel’s words. A troubled man, indeed. But not without cause. If only Thorin had the communication skills to offer his sympathies, but he had a feeling nothing would come of it but two stubborn men butting heads. He wished, for a split second, that his dear friend Bilbo might be there by his side to do the talking for him. Alas, he was enjoying a peaceful life in the Shire, away from politics and kings.

Good.

The Hobbit deserved as much.

“He is troubled, he means no harm.” The voice surprised Thorin, who turned and watched that curious ranger who seemed to be in the shadows during this feast, yet stand beside Thengel on his throne, approach him instead on the balcony. Hands behind his back, rugged black clothes and cape hiding a toned body, Thorongil remained a mystery to Thorin.

“And who are you?” Thorin asked, his voice a little too pointed to call it a kind question.

“Thorongil is the name people seem to use.”

“Yet it is not your name?” Thorin asked with a furrow brow of annoyance. It was a normal question to ask. Why not answer it?

Thorongil stayed quiet, an amused look appearing on his face. He pretended to watch the view as well. Men really were fascinated by these green open hills, weren’t they? Thorin doubted they’d offer his halls the same admiration, as cruel as that sounded.

“How do you know Thengel?” Thorin asked instead.

“We met in Gondor. We fought together during battles at the borders of Mordor.” Thorin’s spine shivered at the mention of that foul place. “We became friends, I suppose. I never asked much of him.”

There was something in his words that made Thorin tilt his head.

“It seems to be the way to his heart,” Thorongil added. He glanced down at Thorin with a pointed look.

“You mean to tell me I should simply not ask anything of him? Have no purpose for being here? And what, leave without an allyship?”

“Your purpose would be to welcome a new king to your neighbouring realm.” Thorongil gave Thorin a pointed look. “Support will take you a long way, Thorin Oakenshield. I suggest, for now…” Thorongil turned to glance over his shoulder. When Thorin did, he’d only caught sight of Maerwyn’s dress flowing as she rushed away. “For now, you simply enjoy the company.” With a knowing look, Thorongil left Thorin alone.

Men were confusing. Worse than Elves, it seemed.

These were going to be some long days spent in their company.

Part 3: Early Mornings, Baking and Courting – All Somehow Wrapped in One

The festivities died down a long time ago. Yet, Thorin could only hear noise. Noise from his own mind.

He tossed and turned in his bed, far too big for a Dwarf to begin with. He felt like he was being swallowed by some deep dark hole that would drown him in screams and anguish and growls and pain and dragons and gold-

Thorin sat up with a sigh, rubbing the thoughts and the gold away from his eyeballs.

Sleep would not come to him that night.

With a cold sweat shining on his skin in the faint glow of candles, Thorin stood and put on some clothes that would render him anything but royal looking. Dark robes and a large hood to pull over his head. He meant to walk the halls until morning. To occupy his body and get rid of the restlessness that persisted in his bones whilst his mind surged with dark thoughts.

Fili, his blessed nephew who seemed to always have a third eye for his uncle’s moods, awoke in his drunken sleep. He and Kili had enjoyed last night’s festivities to the fullest.

Groggily, Fili turned and glanced at Thorin. “Uncle…?”

“Go back to sleep, Fili.” How Fili could sleep with Dwalin and Kili snoring as much as they were, Thorin had no idea. But the vast amount of mead Fili had had most likely offered some help.

“Are you alright?” Fili pushed.

“I am just fine. I simply want to go for a walk.”

He didn’t convince his nephew. That much was obvious. But Fili gave in and put his head back down onto his pillow. He fell back asleep instantly. Most likely, Fili wouldn’t even remember this conversation come morning.

Heading out, Thorin wandered the halls, as he had planned. His mind was still clouded, dark, and he truly had no idea where his feet brought him. He found halls that were riddled with cobwebs, unused. He found basements and servant quarters and large libraries. A crypt, too.

But he didn’t explore any of the areas. He simply… wandered.

Until suddenly, he collided with something soft. In his half asleep state of panic and anxiety, Thorin had not noticed someone roaming the shadows, much like him, dressed in dark clothes, much like him, and collided with the figure upon both taking the same turn.

“I apologise- My lady?”

Her hood had fallen back as she’d stumbled against someone. Shocked, Maerwyn stared down at Thorin. “Oh! My Lord!” Her cheeks blushed. Pale skin tinted with emotions she was not used to. “I humbly apologise…” She curtsied.

Thorin smiled. “Please, I should be the one apologising. I was not looking where I was going. I was a fool for not seeing your beauty a mile away.”

Shocked by his words, her beautiful green, almost yellow eyes flickered hither and tither for a moment as she tried to compose herself. “I… I thank you for your kind words, my lord. But I must ask… what are you doing out of bed at this ungodly hour?”

A chuckle arose from Thorin’s chest. Oh… that felt nice. It had been quite some time since someone earnestly made him chuckle. “I might ask the same of you.”

She blushed again.

He liked seeing that blush.

“I was on my way…” She interrupted herself. Her eyes betrayed her as it was obvious she suddenly got an idea. “Might I ask you to accompany me, my lord? If I may be so presumptuous, but I feel you might gain quite a lot from this…”

That was mysterious.

Thorin always thought that he had had quite enough of adventures for a lifetime. He’d dealt with dragons twice too many times in his life; he’d travelled Middle-earth in search of a home far too much… Though, he never quite tired of visiting the Shire.

But Thorin had little else to do that night, and wanted nothing more but to bask in this lady’s beauty for a little longer. So he nodded and gestured for her to lead the way to this mysterious thing that would help Thorin.

Edoras Hall was built atop a hill, with a view over not just the surrounding Rohirrim fields, but also a view of the town itself. It was perhaps in no way the same beauty as Gondor, with its vast history and great, white walls; but it was, to Thorin, the most beautiful sight in the world. At least right now. He was biased though, as the town presented itself to him as a backdrop to lady Maerwyn. Anything would be as beautiful as Erebor’s halls to him when lady Maerwyn was present.

Her golden hair braided to the side escaped her large, black hood which was cast over her head to prevent people seeing her leave. Why the secrecy, Thorin had no idea. But he found it elicited some sort of youthful rebellion inside of him that only further made lady Maerwyn enticing.

He was unaware that, already, his mind was distracted away from the worries of trying to create a friendship with the kingdom of Rohan, and the dark nightmares that plagued him.

Down the steps they hurried, into the sleeping town with shadows cast over their faces. The sun was beginning to wake, and although there were already a couple of people awake, Thorin felt himself escape himself. As if a freedom permeated his surroundings, hidden as he was. As if for once he wasn’t King Thorin, or Thorin Oakenshield, but someone Thorin had missed being a great deal; a younger, less known Thorin who could stand beside his father and grandfather and not be noticed too much – who could wander the merchant stalls in Erebor with his friends without anyone treating him differently.

And as they approached a little house in the middle of town, and lady Maerwyn removed her hood to glance back at Thorin, eyes making sure he had kept up with her fast pace, Thorin felt that although he was no one with a special title at the moment, hidden as he was, Maerwyn still found him special.

He’d never felt that way before. Accepted for who he was. Even Dwalin, his closest companion, could not see him without his titles. And although that was not a problem in and of itself, Thorin felt… warm. Nice. When seen as just him for a moment.

Taking off his hood as they entered the house, Thorin found himself, to his surprise, in a little bakery. The sweet scent of freshly baked goods and bread was already all around them. Bakers were amongst the first to wake in most towns. Here it was no different.

However, Thorin found that the owners looked a little more stressed than bakers usually did. Still, as they saw lady Maerwyn, they took the time to pause and smile in a greeting.

“Oh how I’m glad you’re here, my lady.”

My lady. So they knew who she was. Thorin was a little dismayed that his anonymity might go away- “And who is this with you?” Oh!

Maerwyn gestured toward Thorin, and to Thorin’s surprise, she answered for him: “This is a dear friend of mine. He wished to help.”

“I’ve never had a Dwarf in my shop,” the owner, flour all over their apron in her hair, said. “Sorry, that’s a strange remark to make. Please! I need all the help I can get.”

Maerwyn smiled and led Thorin toward the back of the shop. Washing her hands in a little basin, she got straight to work. This woman knew what she was doing. Baking bread was no difficulty for her. Thorin found this curious.

But he didn’t comment on it just yet. Instead, he was focused on his own work because…

He might be a skilled blacksmith. He might be a skilled warrior. And on the road, he was not a stranger to hunting with a bow and making some good meat stews. But… baking was not something he’d done much of. Bread was not something Dwarves never ate, of course, but… it just wasn’t something he’d baked himself before.

And so as he awkwardly tried to mimic what Maerwyn was doing, he found his dough lacked… Well, it lacked everything. It wasn’t really a dough. More of a piece of slime.

And much to his dismay, he caught Maerwyn glancing at his work and giggle.

“It’s alright. Here… just add some more flour.” Thorin watched her, finding his gaze locked on her instead of what she was saying and showing. Her teachings went over his head, blinded as he was by… well, everything about her.

So once she glanced at him with expecting eyes, clearly waiting for him to try once more but with the addition of all she’d just taught him, Thorin stumbled once more and created, again, a slime.

She chuckled. And blushed, clearly aware what had just transpired. “How about you just knead the dough? Your strength will do you good here.”

He did not miss her eyes subconsciously glancing at his arms, the muscles which hid beneath his tunic.

And oh was he suddenly extremely motivated to show her that, yes, he did have strength.

He kneaded the doughs so keenly and with such motivation that he most likely looked a fool. Yet, Maerwyn smiled at him and only encouraged and praised his work.

Before long, another person entered the shop: that ranger who was always lurking around Thengel. Thorin’s heart sunk a bit, not because Thorongil would ruin anything, but because Thorin had enjoyed having Maerwyn’s complete attention.

And why was he always around where Maerwyn was?

Jealousy.

Thorin was quick to realise that what he felt was jealousy. Truly, it was unbecoming of him. This lady next to her, arm sometimes brushing up against his, sending shivers down his spine, awakened sides of Thorin that had laid dormant for so long whilst he had done nothing but try and survive. For decades, his life was all about the Dwarves under his charge. His people’s redemption. His people’s survival. His own throne’s return. Now, suddenly, he cared about kneading dough and a lady’s arm brushing up against his.

It was… a welcoming change of pace.

And he did not want it to be disturbed.

“My lady,” Thorongil greeted. Maerwyn smiled and greeted him back… “Sire,” he greeted Thorin.

And then, to Thorin’s surprise, Thorongil took off his rings, washed his hands, and began helping the both of them too.

A comfortable silence fell over them all, and Maerwyn’s little smiles and blushes toward Thorin never stopped. Thorin found it curious, and his mind suddenly realised that he had no idea why he was making bread.

“My lady, my good sir, might I ask of you… why we are helping the local bakery?” Thorin asked as kindly as he could. He’d learned from his nephews that sometimes he was a little too… gruff. Grumpy was actually the word Kili had used, but he hadn’t liked that. Grumpy was what one called someone old. And Thorin surely wasn’t old yet?

Maerwyn giggled when Thorongil blinked in surprise. “You’ve not told him?”

“I fear I quite forgot,” Maerwyn chuckled. “My brother wished for all the people to have freshly baked bread come morning, as a token of his gratitude and as a celebration for their new king. But I’m afraid my brother has always lived the life of a nobleman, even in Gondor or out on the road, so he didn’t quite realise how much work this would be on the bakers. Thorongil and I decided we’d help out. But working with one’s hands can have quite a therapeutic effect, and when I saw the look in your eyes, my lord, I thought I’d bring you here too.” Maerwyn, a bit of flour on her cheek, glanced at Thorin with sheepish, almost worried eyes.

Had she gone too far?

Thorin smiled. No, she had not. Perhaps he might have reacted differently in another circumstance. Perhaps he’d even reacted differently had it been anyone but Maerwyn who had said these words to him. But Maerwyn with her beauty was a welcomed person to dig deeper into Thorin.

And as a matter of fact, Thorin was a little surprised that she’d seen through him so well. He’d not even realised himself that during these hours, Thorin had not once thought of Erebor or its riches. He felt lighter. Lighter than he’d done since he’d taken on the burden of being King despite the Dragon Sickness in his heart. It felt… nice.

She felt nice. Too nice, for him. He didn’t deserve that after all he’d done. Yet, here she was, put on his path to offer her empathy.

He didn’t want to let her go.

“I thank you, my lady,” Thorin replied.

The Dwarf King caught a look between Maerwyn and Thorongil. A conversation Thorin had not been privy to seemed to suddenly come to an end. Thorongil bowed his head in defeat at her, and Maerwyn looked a little prideful. Thorin adored that look on her face. It made her glow. She should be proud all the time, Thorin thought. Someone should make her feel like a queen. He would, if only to see that look again.

The bakers had bowed and thanked the three of them so much that it had taken them five minutes just to leave the bakery. Once outside, all three of them put their hoods back on and walked back to Edoras Halls in peaceful anonymity.

By now, the morning sun was shining down on the town, and people had awoken. The bakery’s freshly baked bread was a scent that prevailed in the entire town. And when Thorin glanced back before beginning to ascend up toward the halls, he noticed young boys and girls, given a pretty penny to help out, deliver loaves wrapped in cloth to the people.

It was a good day for the townspeople. And, truthfully, Thorin found a newfound respect for the king. Despite Thengel’s demons speaking for him, causing distrust toward Thorin, a kind and well-meaning person was revealed to him through this very ordeal. No king would have thought of spreading food to his people as their first order. Most kings would have thought of themselves.

Thorongil walked ahead, offering Thorin and Maerwyn some privacy. Whether this was intentional or not was not difficult to read. Thorongil had offered a knowing look to Maerwyn before suddenly picking up his own pace.

“I hope you feel better, my lord,” Maerwyn said, breaking the silence between her and Thorin. “You looked so forlorn when we bumped into each other earlier. I wanted nothing but to help you.”

“Few would feel that way,” Thorin admitted.

“Why? You deserve help.”

Thorin grew quiet.

“You speak not very highly of yourself.” The walk up those steps toward the hall made Maerwyn slightly out of breath, yet as she walked beside him, skirts in her hand to keep from tripping, she took deep enough breaths to speak to Thorin clearly. She wanted him to listen. To hear. “You saved your people. You gave them a new home. You defeated a dragon.”

“There are details no one speaks of,” Thorin intervened.

Both paused as they reached the top, turning to face each other. Thorongil disappeared inside ahead of them.

“What details?” she boldly asked.

“I am not myself.”

“We all have darkness.”

“You should not grow comfortable around me. I have days I am no person. There are days I have to lock myself in my room as greed and desire are all I feel. There is, and always will be, a curse on the wealth of that Mountain. And my family, my bloodline, is its prey.”

Maerwyn’s brow furrowed in worry. Not disgust. Not fear. But worry. Worry for him and his wellbeing. Thorin almost wanted to wave it off and tell her to stop being naïve, as he did with Dis, Fili and Kili.

But it wasn’t naivety, and Thorin could see that much.

She meant it.

“Then I will endeavour to find more ways to help you.”

More?

“This was for me?” Thorin asked, gesturing back in the direction of the bakery.

“The baking was for the people. But letting you help was for you, yes. There should be more things that could aid you. I will figure it out. I promise.”

“You have no reason to promise anything to me.”

“And yet I am promising,” she persisted, smiling. “The stubbornness of Dwarves is true, it seems. Yet, the stubbornness of women is equally as true.” She stepped closer, as if wanting to reach out, but her confidence failed her.

Thorin had wished she’d done what she’d wanted.

“You have some flour on your cheek.”

Because it would have meant her touch his cheek.

“So do you, my lady.”

And it would have meant he’d been able to touch her too.

Thorin and lady Maerwyn did not have many more moments where they could speak in private. So they made their own time to do so.

Somehow, without saying a single word about it, both had found a routine in going to that very corner where they’d bumped into each other each early morning, for a stroll around the halls and some peaceful conversation.

Sometimes, Maerwyn came with some new ideas to distract Thorin from the darkness inside him. She presented painting to him, though he really did not want to even try his hands on that. He was a blacksmith. Painting was too delicate for him.

She also presented writing to him. He did try his hands on that and so one fateful morning…

“I have tried my hand on writing something.”

Surprised that Thorin had done this, not because she did not believe in his artistic abilities, but because she was truthfully not sure he wanted to help himself, Maerwyn had paused in their walk to turn to him. “Have you?”

She wore a nightgown underneath a thick, large cardigan. And she looked as heavenly as always, to Thorin.

With a nod, he assured her that he had indeed done some writing, before presenting a note from the inside of his coat. “I would like you to read it and let me know what you think.”

“I am no writer,” she was quick to say, shying away from the note.

“You do not need to be to see what can be improved upon,” Thorin reassured her.

Slowly, she took the note from him and opened it to reveal his writing. “I adore your writing style,” she praised him immediately. Thorin smiled and watched her. Maerwyn had this peculiar way of finding the positives in everything. The beauty. The good. The kind. And then she would also voice it, whether in praise or to alert someone to what they were good at. It was quite a beautiful thing, and perhaps it looked like nothing out of the ordinary to most – why a little praise was just kindness, and many had kindness! But to Thorin… when paired with her beautiful lips speaking the praise… it was perfection.

Those very words were what Thorin had written in that note of his. Those very words were what lady Maerwyn were reading right now, her green eyes dancing over the words with a speed that spoke of a well-read mind…

And then she blushed and shifted on her feet, not out of uncomfortableness, much to Thorin’s relief, but… joy.

“Are… Do you mean these kind words?” she asked him quietly. “Do you really find me…” She trailed off, blushing.

“I find you beautiful, yes,” Thorin said quietly, but confidently.

She brought the note to her chest, pressing it close to her heart to show her appreciation. A smile graced her lips.

And then both simply continued their walk. But they walked closer to each other…

And their morning walks turned into their own private courting.

Part 4: The Battle of Love (and Alliance)

“Good morning.” With a curtsey and a smile, Maerwyn, dressed in a green dress that flowed in seamless gentle waves from her waist down to the stone floor, joined her family at the breakfast table. Guests were offered breakfast in their rooms, so these moments were the only ones they had between just themselves.

Theoden and Theodis sat whispering to each other about their day’s plans, clearly looking mischievous. Something told Maerwyn that they were going to spend the day following Fili and Kili again. The two younger Dwarves had turned into the children’s favourite guests quite quickly. And Maerwyn was pretty sure Theodis had a little crush on Kili, which was adorable.

As they caught Maerwyn’s curious gaze, both began to giggle maniacally until their mother told them off. Thengel sat in pure silence, not even having acknowledged his sister’s presence.

Queen Morwen kept sending worried glances to her husband, but kept her head held high and pretended in front of the servants that nothing was wrong.

But Maerwyn was not like the Queen. Silence and patience were not her virtues. So, she reached a hand over to Thengel’s arm, dressed in a silk shirt. “Brother, what is wrong?”

A servant shifted between them, forcing Maerwyn to lean back again, missing the agitated clench of Thengel’s jaw. As more tea was poured into Thengel’s cup, Maerwyn pleasantly busied herself with buttering a piece of bread. A smile graced her lips suddenly, remembering her Dwarf King now each time she saw bread.

“That,” Thengel said. The servant had left, and Maerwyn turned her gaze to her brother again to find him staring at her with a less than pleasant look in his eyes. He was almost scolding her. “That is my issue.”

“What?” Maerwyn asked, her smile gone. It seemed to calm Thengel down.

Thengel did not elaborate on his words, he only quietly seethed in his seat as he said: “I will not agree on a partnership with the Kingdom of Erebor.”

“What?” Maerwyn asked once more, this time astounded at what she was hearing. “But brother-“

“They are here for their own purposes. I am not blind to the reports of darkness up in the north. Things are stirring. Changing. And I know they are here for our support. I will not sacrifice my own men for the sake of Dwarves.”

Maerwyn stared at Thengel in shock. “What has their race got to do with this?”

“They can bury themselves deeper into the mountains if they wish.”

“That-“ Maerwyn took a deep breath. Her brother was a kind and honourable man. Truly. But he was so, so broken and so unsure of himself… She’d hoped Thorongil’s presence would lessen that, but Thorongil was not here right now. “I don’t understand, my lord. There are also Men in danger in the city-“

“And you know this how?”

“I have spoken to the Dwarves.”

“You have spoken to one Dwarf, you mean.”

Maerwyn grew quiet. “I don’t understand your point.”

“You are my sister. You should be on my side. This is a political game. Everything is. No one wants anything from us unless it has something to do with what they can gain from it. Don’t you see? He does not want you. He wants soldiers. Protection.” At this point, Thengel had leaned in closer to hiss the words straight into Maerwyn’s face. “He does not care for you, only for his own skin. He is using you, Maerwyn.”

Promptly, Maerwyn stood up. The chair scraped behind her loudly. Servants paused and stared at her. Theoden and his sister watched her in surprise. Morwen looked sympathetic, but she stayed silent. And that hurt Maerwyn.

“I will not have someone tell me what is and what is not true in my own relationships,” Maerwyn said as curtly as she could, her voice barely above a whisper as she desperately tried to keep her emotions at bay. She’d not noticed how her hands had fisted parts of her skirts in desperation. “Especially not my brother. And not my king. You have it all wrong. You are too blinded by your own self-centred view on life to see how your hurt is hurting others. Not everyone wants something from you. And not everyone will use me to get to you.”

She turned to walk away.

“You will not talk to him ever again!” Thengel ordered angrily, his own chair scraping behind him as he stood but Maerwyn didn’t turn to show she’d heard him.

Tears flooded down her cheeks as she walked with her head held high, as far away from her brother as she could...

Her hands still clutching the skirts, Maerwyn found Thorin waiting for her in their usual spot later that day. A walk before lunch, around the small but still lavish garden that existed on the top of that hill, overlooking the Rohirrim fields like most views.

Yet, as Thorin bowed his head to greet her with a smile gracing his lips, he found she did not return a smile. In fact, she did not even pause her stride. She stared straight at him, well aware that he was there, but seemed to have arrived with a purpose and a determination that was not going to stop her.

It was part of what Thorin admired about her but-

He was not prepared for what was to come.

She strode over to him with such confidence and sad purpose he found no words. Nor did he find words as she leaned down and kissed him straight on the lips. Her fingers, which had clutched so tightly to her skirts earlier, held onto the sides of his face with a desperation yet gentleness that he’d never thought he’d feel before. Her touch seemed to activate some desperation hidden deep within himself, and he kissed her with a passion he’d never have used for their first kiss otherwise. It was on the brink of inappropriate.

But just as soon as they’d kissed, it was all over again as she recoiled in surprise at her own actions and stared at him with wide eyes.

“My lady?” Thorin asked, genuinely a little worried what might have prompted this.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered out aghast, before turning and rushing off.

It felt wrong to run after her, something in the way she’d looked at him told him so. So Thorin stayed put, trying his best to think of some reason for why this had occurred even if his mind was more on the kiss itself than anything else.

It was not until later in the evening, when Thorin sought Maerwyn out in her own chambers after not seeing her at any event during the day, that Thorin found out what was going on.

He knocked on her door and was let in by a maid who excused herself instantly, most likely on orders by Maerwyn. Said lady was sat in her windowsill, forlornly staring out over the Rohirrim fields and mountains. Curiously, her chambers were in the direction of Erebor, north.

“I apologise for this improper action, my lady, but when you did not attend lunch nor dinner, I worried for your wellbeing,” Thorin said, staying a courteous half a room away from her.

She at first didn’t react, nor did she turn her head to acknowledge that he was there.

She truly looked… sad.

“My brother is not going to agree to an alliance between our kingdoms,” she uttered monotonously.

Thorin sighed. “I know. He told me so earlier.”

Maerwyn turned to glance at him now, surprised at first, then even more sad than she’d looked earlier. Clearly, she’d hoped something she’d done might have changed his mind. “I am sorry. I think I am to blame.”

Now it was Thorin’s turn to look surprised. He crossed the room to reach her, gingerly taking her hand in his. “And why would that be?”

“I let myself get carried away. Thengel believes everyone is out to get him. Now he extends this anxiousness toward me.” She moved her hand away from Thorin’s. “He believes you are using me. I am sorry.”

Thorin soured a bit and grabbed her hand once more. “Then that is his issue and burden to bear. My original reason for being here is no more. I am here now, for you.”

A little smile graced her lips, but she didn’t dare to fully smile just yet. “But what of the darkness you spoke of?”

“Whatever is brewing in the North in those foul lands will brew no matter if we have extra support or not.”

“You might need us-“

“We will find some other way to beat it.” Before Maerwyn could try and say something anxious again, Thorin shook his head, “We will find some other way.”

She gave in and glanced down at their hands, letting her fingers intertwine with his. Two different people, two completely different sets of fingers, yet it felt so natural and perfect to hold onto him.

“I still am sorry.”

“None of this is your fault,” Thorin reassured. “Yet, you look sad not just because of this. Why did this hit you so hard, amrâlimê?”

“I wanted to help you…”

“You did.” Thorin smiled.

“And I’ve been trying to help my brother. But he is… If I cannot help, there is no purpose to me-“

“Do not say that,” Thorin was quick to interject. “My love, your purpose in life cannot be others. I appreciate what you have done and continue to do. But if you do not value yourself as highly as you value those that you help, you are going to go down a dark path.” He was quiet a moment, watching Maerwyn take the words in. “Disregard the King’s need for help. What is it you need right now to feel good?”

She squeezed his hand, staring deep within his eyes.

Thorin did not have to hear her words to know what she needed for herself, and from him to help her. With a smile, Thorin nodded his head. “Then come with me back to Erebor.”

…

Two Days Later.

…

Thorin kneeled in front of King Thengel. His nephews did the same a step behind him, whilst Balin, Dwalin and Ori were standing with their heads bowed. A public declaration of gratitude for the visit was occurring, and as King Thengel spoke his pre-practised speech, Thorin only half listened.

The tension that was in the hall was not just from everyone being fully aware that Thengel was going to publicly declare his denial to help Erebor and the people of Dale.

There was also tension because Thorin and Maerwyn would declare their own decision…

Secretly, Maerwyn’s maids were smuggling her luggage out through a back door and down to the horses and ponies. It was not like Thengel would or could force Maerwyn to stay. She was but a sister, so to speak, to the king and there were no laws granting him that privilege over her. However, Thengel might grow angry and Maerwyn’s kind heart would feel conflicted leaving on such notice. She and Thorin had already discussed it. It would be better to have the opportunity to simply leave whilst he was yelling at them rather than be forced to walk back and grab her belongings, giving Thengel time to use sympathy to make Maerwyn stay with him.

It sounded awful. Neither Thorin or Maerwyn wanted to talk like that about Thengel, truthfully, but his hurt and his trauma was evident in his actions. And they would be stronger than his love for his sister.

As silence fell over the hall, Thengel’s speech done, Thorin and his nephews stood back up again. The two kings bowed their heads at each other.

Then… “As for the proposed friendship between our peoples…” Thengel cleared his throat. Beside him, Morwen encouraged her husband with a smile. On the other side, Thorongil was peacefully watching.

Perhaps those two peoples’ reactions should have prepared both Maerwyn and Thorin for what was to come. But they were so adamant that they had all the information that they fell blind to what was happening right before their eyes.  

“I publicly declare that the Kingdom of Rohan is now an ally of the Dwarves of Erebor and the Men of Esgaroth!”

A silence followed his words. Until he smiled and laughed at everyone’s shocked reactions, and people suddenly cheered and roared. Lords and ladies clapped their hands in ecstasy, because an allyship was always good.

And Thorin… Well, whilst his nephews elbowed him in the side with happy looks on their faces, Thorin still was not quite sure this was real.

Not until Thengel approached and offered his hand to Thorin.

Slowly, Thorin shook it, and the two kings nodded their heads at each other.

“What changed your mind?”

“People told me to weigh the consequences. I’d not only lose an ally, I’d also lose family.” He smirked. “You thought I wasn’t aware of your and Maerwyn’s plans? I am King of these halls. I hear everything.” He sighed, letting go of the handshake. “I am trying something new, King Thorin. I hope you can prove to me that this something new will not end up as bad as I think it will.”

Thorin bowed his head. That was a promise he could keep. “Thank you, my lord.”

Thorin glanced to the side where Maerwyn stood, stunned and with her hands over her mouth in shock still. But she looked happy. And so he smiled at her, along with Thengel who had turned to check what Thorin was looking at…

Hand in hand, Thorin and Maerwyn led the entourage of Dwarves down the steps from Edoras Hall. The towns people had gathered to clap and wave the guests and their new allies off. Most looked shocked at the sight of their lady Maerwyn going with the Dwarves. But it was a silent message to all that Thengel’s sister had found her home.

Before either of them took the reins of their horses from the two stable boys standing at the end of the steps, Maerywn and Thorin turned to each other and kissed in front of all. A gentle kiss to publicly declare the truth.

Behind them, Theodis was waving at Kili with a blush on her own cheeks. Kili played along and sent an air kiss her way.

With people cheering them on now, Maerwyn and Thorin turned to Edoras Hall standing proud on the hill, and waved one last time at King Thengel, Queen Morwen, their children and Thorongil.

Helping Maerwyn up on her horse, Thorin took the reins from the stable boy to his own pony, but paused to glance back to this Thorongil one last time, curiosity in his eyes.

But he found Thorongil was suddenly gone, nowhere to be seen. As if his goal had been accomplished and he’d left the scene to keep doing whatever a ranger did…

Shaking his head at that, for some reason thinking that this was not the last time Thorin would meet Thorongil, Thorin climbed up onto his pony. He reached out for Maerwyn’s hand and rode with her beside him down the town of Edoras. Maerwyn glanced back once to wave goodbye to her family. A big smile was on her lips.

“Will you miss them?” Thorin asked her.

“I don’t think so. I have all the family I need right here.” She leaned over to press a kiss to Thorin’s lips…

comment cheat code:

❤️ - I loved it! 💛- Please write more for this pairing/fandom!! 💙- HOW DARE YOU?? /lh 🤍- don't reply to my comment, please (I'm shy/anxious/don't want to talk today/don't like the feeling of being acknowledged when reading on AO3) 🤎- showing support for this / extra kudos 💚- twas okay 🖤- meh... have read better

[riddles-n-games]

Hello wonderful people. Today is a new day, we get our third POV and we'll already have half of the six cards revealed. Based on where we're going in the unexpected direction, I can assume that maybe Slate could be a POV or at least a major character. Phone Girl is still high up in the cards for me as a POV unless JLB wants to shroud her in mystery for a while before revealing her. But I also can't just leave out Savannah even though she's most certainly not going to be a POV because we already have her twin.

Now, the only thing is that even though this is a spin-off, you can't tell me that JLB has written off our ogs majorly already. First, because Gray is still involved at large in the game and his sister could be in trouble again. Secondly, with the Alice Hawthorne reveal at the end of TBH and that being a direct tie to the Hawthorne brothers, that means we still have another unfinished Hawthorne storyline. This could once again bring one of them to the forefront, maybe Nash or Xander since a lot of people have been wanting to see them in action after being disappointed by TBH. The only problem is that I could see this backfiring on JLB because now she's involving more character POVs. With so many plots going this way and that, I can't help asking how she's going to do that and resolve it in three books. One thing was Avery's story which was much more straightforward and it always kept coming back to the Hawthornes one way or another but here, we have so many unfamiliar characters with backstories we don't know yet such as Rohan and Slate.

PS. Yes, I just found out it's Phone Girl that's the last POV. Love that. At least we have two for the win but Rohan still kind of feels out of place. Also, damn gurl! Those thighs mean business.

[bookaddictedrose]

~~~Rose's Book Diary~~~ The Grandest Game Pt 1

By Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I GOT THE BOOOOKKKK!!!

Pre-reading thoughts here

Prologue: Rohan, 1 year ago

Not sure how I feel about Rohan?

I don't like the Proprietor. He gives Dumbledore vibes (yes I'm a hater)

Chapters 1-3: Lyra

Nooo Lyra 🥺 she's gone through so much 😭

The test taking? I'm taking notes ✍️

So SOMEBODY sent her the letter 🧐 hmm...

Chapter 4: Gigi

Gigi's entrances always remind me of Percy Jackson: no context at all, just a bunch of ADHD chaos.

Katara is the therapy attack cat and we love her.

Everyone has trauma 😭 and Gigi's falling apart

So Savannah's gonna get the ticket...but I'm sure Gigi's gonna get in

Gigi protecting Savannah 🥺

Chapter 5: Rohan

So he got TWO??? damn

Wait did Gigi get her card? Give her a card 🔫

Another gun at the back of your head, another tenner, Rohan

GIGGGIIIIIIII

I'm writing this as I read, so prepare for a lot of crazy and chaos

I would like to see Rohan in "nothing but a lush Turkish cotton robe" 😏

SORRY not sorry

Odette Morales... possibly Alice Hawthorne

Brady Daniels... hurt Gigi? 😡

Knox Landry... no clue at all

The queen 👑 *cue dramatic music*

Chapter 6-8: Lyra

Jamesonnnn :) with a helicopter!

GRAYSONNNN

She still knows his voice 🥹

She thinks he didn't care 😭 tbh he was kinda an asshole to her

Rohan... There is chemistry between him and literally everyone else

Odette has reverse violet sorrengail hair lol

Who chose the Hawthorne Island. Seriously.

Gives caraval. "Explore this foreign place all you want, but return before sundown or you're kicked out of this mysterious, prestigious, invitation-only game."

Jameson watching Grayson watching Lyra. That's all.

The ruins 🙀

Oh my god Grayson literally just popped out of nowhere. Just poof.

THE CLIFFFFF

he knows her voice 🥰

"stay away from the cliffs" ain't no way—

Chapter 9-11: Gigi

So Savannah did come...and is colder than ever.

Hmm, mysterious new person. That gigi finds attractive. What about slate 😭

XANDER

I need to see Xander and Gigi together. They would be the best of friends 💜

So Savannah's competition, too, huh? 🤨

Viking style epics are the best. Let Gigi win, if only for that 😭🙏

Caffeine.

So I'm getting some tension between our beloved sisters...

MANGA...RA. immediately anagraming it.

OMG DID YOU KNOW IF YOU GOOGLE ANAGRAM IT WILL SAY DID YOU MEAN: NAG A RAM

Anagram. The anagram for "mangara" is anagram.

Unless someone erased letters??

I love opera glasses! Opera glasses, wine, ball gowns and violins. 🍷

I like Odette. And ponies.

Sooo Brady and Knox are friends, and they're discussing a dead girl?

I thought em*ly wasn't in the book??

"the world just loves women who try. Unless and until we try too hard. FROM ONE WOMAN WHO TRIED TOO HARD TO ANOTHER" 🥺

This is just a bunch of confused ADHD thoughts, but thanks for staying!

Come back for part two!

[silent-sanctum]

The Part 3 Dilemma

I have one of this random thoughts of mine and it's about one of the complaints about Stardust Crusaders

"I dropped at Part 3 because the plot dragged too long" "The Monster-of-the week trope made it boring"

Personally, I don't mind it (thanks to Jotaro's presence tbh). But I do understand why others feel that way. I feel like the reason Araki decided to stick with that set-up is because for one, it's a shonen series (a.k.a a manga who's targeted for young boys), and two that it's because it's his way of experimenting with a new power system.

So, you can't really blame a guy who wanted to test things out in the beginning rather than to focus on writing a more engaging story, more so when him knowing that the introduction of Stands and their powers was able to bring him the most commercial success.

But from a writer's perspective and someone who watches a lot of shows, I think what made SC such a sludge to get through is this part's lack of subplots.

What do I mean by that? Let me explain:

"A subplot is a narrative thread that is woven through the media to support the elements of the main plot. A subplot can build out the conflict in the main plot or it can be a vehicle for a secondary character's storyline."

Essentially, it's a method of fleshing out the story more by introducing the audience a side story to either tackle a theme that's related to the main plot or develop a character more to better understand their purpose in the story.

Now let's look at Part 3

The central point of this part is that a big bad has returned to wreak havoc on the Joestars and the world and it's the heroes' job is to get rid of him once and for all. It's odyssey-based where we get to see the guys go on this journey and fight the bad guys until they reach the final stage.

But because this part involves just that- the fighting bad guys part- for 40+ episodes, it bores the audience because of how repetitive it's becoming. There's nothing else it has going on for it to keep the audience engaged.

There's a significant lack of subplots to enhance their journey to Egypt.

Compare that to the other parts…

Part 4: A slice-of-life/murder mystery plot that focuses on the stories of its residents (e.g. Koichi's development, Okuyasu's family issues, Yukako's obssesion, Rohan's antics as a mangaka, Josuke's bond with Joseph), before tying them into the main plot in the second half (e.g. Reimi's murder, the involvement of the Stand arrow, focus on Kira's mind as a psychopathic serial killer) Part 5: Got to look into the past of each of Bucciarati's crew: Giorno and Bucciarati's childhood, Mista's pre-Stand user life, Abbachio's past as a cop, Diavolo and Trish's dynamic, Fugo's history with his anger issues. There's also the involvement of the Stand arrow, brief focus on La Squadra's perspective, etc. Part 6: Explores the characters of Ermes (seeking justice for the death of her sister), FF (their path of finding their identity), delving deep into DIO's psyche about "attaining heaven", Weather Report's history with Pucci and Perla, and the estranged bond between Jolyne and Jotaro.

This is Araki improving his craft but when we compare that to Part 3, we can see that P3 only got the "fighting enemies until we reach the boss" plot going on. And that's tedious to get past.

Sure we got one subplot going: Polnareff's quest of avenging the death of his sister.

His purpose of joining the Crusaders in the first place was to find the killer. It's been tackled for more than one episode and in the process, we see him form rapport with the allies he made while still sticking to his mission, allowing the audience to connect to the Frenchman more (even to the point where they start to joke that he's the main protagonist instead of Jotaro)

But what of the rest? What of the development of the other Crusaders?

Kakyoin and his past as a lonely child born with a Stand?

How Avdol met Joseph, and what his motivation was to continue working with the latter?

Maybe a subtle foreshadowing of Joseph's infidelity or how he's doing in New York prior to the quest?

Heck maybe even a background as to why Jotaro turned to delinquency when in the past, he's seen or viewed as a regular happy child who does well and is active in school?

Instead, what we got is Kak's past revealed as a last minute attempt to make us feel sympathy for him as he's dying, Avdol died without much going about him, Joseph is just there to be the secondary Jojo, and 3taro is most of the fandom's worst version of Jotaro because at a surface level, he's seen only as a rude standoffish teenager who does not emote for no reason.

We don't get to connect with the Crusaders as much or as deep because we don't know them outside of "we're here to defeat the big evil" and a bunch of fighting.

tldr: Not enough character development because there's too much of the "beat the bad guys and win"

I don't know. It's just my personal take because usually when I consume media, I tend to get hooked onto the story when there's mini stories that fleshes out the overarching theme.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

[alitgblog]

litg characters I'd cast in romcoms

When Harry Met Sally: Seb as Harry!! Then Genevieve as his ex, Tom as MC's (Sally's) ex, Nicky as Seb's best friend, Elladine as MC's best friend

I actually have this all sorted how this would work out but my post got deleted 😭

Notting Hill: Jin as Hugh Grant's character (forgot his name lol) because in my head he's history nerd so like just imagine him in cozy sweaters okay. He's got that wacky roommate whose name I have also forgotten and naturally if we had to pick from S8, Liam, but I also think Jamal would be a fun pick (make the roommate less wacky and more just fun and wild though). The other version of this is Jake as as the main character with his roommate Tim.

Legally Blonde (and I'm going based off the musical): Literally only here because I know I can cast the lawyers, like clearly Suresh as Warner (and oh lean heavily on the implication that he cheated on MC while they were dating) and Blake or Marisol as Vivienne (I like her being cut throat but still looking for love). I'd really like Hari as Emmett because they have a backstory of working hard for their dream and would have a fun banter with the main character without being overly cheery and also is very competitive when needs to be although may be an underdog, but lowkey could also be anyone that has the very grounded boy next door vibe so like Tyler, Rohan, Jake, James, and Lewie are also good picks imo. The other sorority girls needs to include Chelsea, Thabi, basically any of MC's besties (...minus Amelia). It's hard to think of anyone as Paulette because she's an older character and everyone in the game is pretty young but we can further my Angie x Cora agenda and have it be Angie talking about her lost love and then in comes the hot deliverywoman, Cora. She also has like sage advice vibes when she's in the villa sometimes so I think that works.

She's All That: Gary as the main guy. Eddie as his shitty best friend. I don't know why but this came so quickly to me I'm not sure I'd even have to explain but like Gary gives off cool guy / player vibes but I'd also see him absolutely get into or at least support whatever weird artsy stuff his girlfriend is into and have a character arc and all that.

While You Were Sleeping: the OG "I fell in love with your brother while you were away" story, so clearly Ozzy as Peter, Marshall as the brother, Grace as the girl Ozzy's actually dating

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days: Because I've already said Gary for a different romcom, I'm inclined to have the suave ladies man esque character be Will or Youcef. I also think an evolved Suresh or Finn or Mason or Levi could work. Often I forget about her but I think Lulu would be a fun whatever Kathryn Hahn's character's name is.

A Cinderella Story (the Hilary Duff version): I think the fandom's go to "I don't wanna do what my dad says" character may be Lucas but I want to give Oliver a chance as the sweet lead even though I remember nothing about his backstory in game. MC's best friend can be someone a little dorky and the only person coming to mind right now is Felix.

Ten Things I Hate About You: Again, a reformed Finn could've been so good. Instead, we're going for mysterious and brooding so I think Joyo is a good choice for Patrick. Then to continue the streak of me remembering S7 characters, I think Raf could be a good Cameron because he's got that innocence and silliness that works. Then we need the friend that gives Raf an explanation of how things work and I could see that going to Andy because he's a little silly and dorky but mostly pretty confident (slightly different vibe from the character but that's fine). Other option, Bruno. In the movie, I believe he also ends up with Kat's best friend, who I just remember being very confident and alternative vibes so I think Najuma, Cora, Bella, or Lottie for her. We also need Kat's sister Bianca, and that could be easy and I say it's Amelia, or we could pick a tolerable option like Bea. There's also the guy Bianca initially has a crush on, and dare I say we pick Toby?? Just a character that's full of nothing. Or it could just be someone pretty like Levi or someone rich and an asshole like Miles or Jasper. All I remember about Bianca's bestie is that she backstabs her at the end and since fusebox hates women that could be a number of characters but my pick is Sophie or Erikah.

I could go on forever so I must I choose to stop now before I get carried away 🤣

[mermaidsirennikita]

Any HR with gothic vibes you would recommend?

Yes!

Anne Stuart is known for writing darker, more gothic-y historicals. I've only read A Rose at Midnight so far, but I know her Rohan series is recommended for this a lot. I loved A Rose at Midnight. It's set shortly after the French Revolution (set in England, largely) and the heroine literally begins the book wanting to kill the hero. She does poison him! He just survives lmao. But yeah, the beef is real, it's pretty dark (TW for noncon, dubcon, forced sex work, general Reign of Terror violence) and there's a general sense of violence and mystery and secrets.

Elizabeth Hoyt plays with the Gothic a lot. I'd recommend:

The Raven Prince. Really a sexy Jane Eyre, the heroine is the hero's secretary and ends up putting on a mask and pretending to be a sex worker at a brothel he frequents in order to sleep with him. (To be very fair to her, he was only visiting the brothel because he was avoiding their intense sexual tension.) But yeah, he sweeping around his manor, he's doing the high drama. it's GREAT.

The Leopard Prince. This is more "we're out on the moors, the natural world is here, the are murders and mysterious sheep kilings" Gothic. The heroine inherits an estate and moves there, only to begin an affair with her gruff steward, who's basically on the brink of being framed for murder. It's HOOOOOT.

All of the Dolphin Sex Cult books in Maiden Lane kinda have this vibe, but TW because the cult is heavily involved in pedophilia. The heroes and heroines are trying to stop it. These books consist of:

Duke of Sin. Insane villainous hero, hides in his walls watching the heroine (who's his housekeeper and has been planted in his house in order to steal blackmail material he owns from him) for like... 3-4 months. She doesn't even know he's there. He's truly wild. But he is trying to... avenge his sister... because their father was in the Dolphin Sex Cult? It's complex.

Duke of Pleasure. In this one, the hero is a king's bastard, actively trying to take down the Dolphin Sex Cult. The heroine is a street urchin who's often dressed as a boy in order to stay safe; she's also a vigilante. He recruits her to help him, while also teaching her to pass as a lady. This one involves the infamous "ummmm people are about to catch us, quick suck my dick for cover" and she just doesn't stop when the people go away and swallows.

Duke of Desire. This one is really intense and dark. The hero kidnaps the heroine to prevent her from falling prey to the villains, and forces her to marry him for the same reasons. She's like "I can deal with this, but I want a baby" which he refuses because he has a lot of sexual trauma related to the cult (TW for childhood SA).

The Ghost of St. Giles arc in Maiden Lane is also on that wavelength--it's all about this masked vigilante who skulks the night. Turns out the identity is shared by several different guys!

Thief of Shadows. The Winter Makepeace book. Our hero is a schoolmaster/orphanage master guy, and he runs around as the Ghost, while by day a rich society widow tutors him on how to solicit donations from patrons and do polite society right. Said widow catches on to his game, and they begin this intense passionate secret affair while he's also dealing with Ghost stuff.

Lord of Darkness. The next Ghost is a quiet widower who married again a few years ago in order to save a young woman he barely knew from ruin when she got pregnant out of wedlock and her lover died before they could make it legal. She miscarried right after the wedding, and wants a baby now, so she's back in town wanting to finally consummate the marriage. He agrees, but he's withholding the Secret while they try for a baby.

Duke of Midnight. Georgian Batman with heavy Gothic tones. Our hero is a tortured duke whose parents were killed in front of him, and ever since he's desired REVENGE. The heroine is a lady's companion with a dark past who's trying to regain her former station and free her imprisoned brother, and she catches on to his vigilante activities and is like "mmm you're gonna help me or I'm gonna tell everyone thaaanks".

If you want something on the kinkier side, Sierra Simone's Ivy Leavold trilogy (which must be read in order) is a kinky Jane Eyre, basically, with very Gothic overtones. Sierra looooves the Gothic. It's super hot and really fun.

Scarlett Peckham's The Duke I Tempted has a Gothic "I married a mysterious man and he has secrets I must discover" vibe. Of course, his secret is that he's submissive in bed, but there are other things too! The Earl I Ruined has similar vibes, but less so.

[moonieshinesims]

Generation One - Chapter Twenty Nine

Sim Alpha Sigma inducts their new members, and River finally hears back about the internship, but not in the way that she expects to...! Now she has a bit more to stress about, more so than just joining a family of criminals as an intern.

The Sim Alpha Sigma induction happened a week unfortunately after Cassandra's departure. As president of the sorority, Bella had hand-picked the new inductees herself. Since she and Fig were the only senior members left, they were not allowed to take on anymore littles. Therefore the four new girls were split up between Havarti and River.

Daphne, a dance student, and Hana, a social media influencer and IT student became Havarti's littles. While Elena, a student of sports medicine, and Sigrid, a botany student became River's littles.

The girls spent a few weeks getting to know one another very well.

But about a week before the holidays, River received an email about her application to the Arakawa Family Internship...!

River tried her best to fill Elena in on the internship, what the family pretended it was, despite it being a front for criminal activities, and how she was connected to all of it.

"...Damn, I can't believe you had to deal with a situation like that... And that you survived it too! I'm really impressed!"

"Well, thank you." River blushed, she still felt a little weird talking about it since the whole kidnapping situation hadn't been brought up to someone new in a while.

She looked back to the email and read through it in detail.

"What is it...?" Fig sat up sleepily. Clearly she'd been paying attention, but had been quiet the whole time.

"A representative from the internship wants to meet me this weekend in town to discuss details about the responsibilities of the job... off the table. This seems kinda shady, but I'm really interested!"

"Considering what happened to you before... Shouldn't you be more hesitant to go off in secluded places with strange men?"

"Well, no. I've got you girls to watch after me of course!"

Elena and Fig exchanged glances, "You want us to spy on your meeting?"

"Of course! You're my sisters! You will do it for me, right?"

With a sigh Elena nodded, and Fig flopped back down onto her pillow.

"I guess..."

That weekend River sat at the bar and ordered a drink. Elena, Fig, and Sigrid were off in a corner being discreet. River had exchanged numbers with the mysterious "representative" named Damien.

A couple minutes after their meeting time, River received a text from him.

River made a discreet nod towards the outside at her friends and headed out there to meet with the internship's rep.

"I apologize for being a little late." Damien said as he sat down at the bar. "I got lost trying to find this place, which is funny, because I'm the one that picked it!"

River laughed nervously.

"So anyways, let's get down to business. What exactly do you know about the internship?"

River detailed Damien on all the legal details she knew about Arakawa Masumi and his business internship.

"So where do you think I fit in with all of that...?" Damien smirked. This was clearly a trick question.

River had no idea how to answer, so she stared at him blankly, starting to sweat.

"I'm not actually a real rep from the internship, but I do have a connection to them. Or well, my people do, that is. You see, I work for the National Investigative Team of Criminal Activity, or NITCA for short. I know that you know that the Arakawas are criminals."

"We can guarantee you acceptance into the internship, but you have to agree to gather information for us while you're in Mt. Komorebi in order to be accepted."

River was speechless! She picked up her drink nervously and gulped half of it down.

She technically wanted to spy on the Arakawas for her own gain, but only to find Ichiban again... And potentially gain information on 13G and Rohan's involvement with her previous kidnapping... But to spy for the government? What did this mean for her and Ichiban?

"We've been keeping an eye on you ever since a member of the Arakawa Simkuza family saved you from Joe Goldberg. We have reason to believe he had contacts in a rival gang of the Arakawas. Getting information on both gangs would be very beneficial to national security."

"13G..." River whispered.

"Did you just say 13G? I'm surprised you know about them, they're far more secretive than any of the families in Mt. Komorebi. I suppose it's because their not exactly Simkuza. While the Arakawas are still dangerous, at least you have friendly connections there. 13G on the other hand are really bad news. Either way, we want information on both of them and we want you to do it."

River felt her heart racing. She couldn't believe she had agreed to this!

"I'm really looking forward to this," she reached for Damien's hand and shook it vigorously, "When do we get started with everything?"

"Oh! I'd say we start now." He pulled out an envelope from the briefcase he brought with him and handed it over to River, "Start getting into shape. You leave out for Mt. Komorebi the first week of next year, so you've only got two and a half more months to prepare! The stronger you are, the better. Get yourself a gym membership, get a Simlingo membership and learn some Komorebigo, and I'll get started on your paperwork! You'll hear from me again soon!"

Damien nodded his goodbye to her and left the bar. River was left sitting silently, her mouth hanging open slightly. Elena, Fig, and Sigrid approached once they knew Damien was gone.

"So what happened? Was he legit? What did he say?"

"I... I guess I'll be leaving for Mt. Komorebi at the beginning of the year!"

[zuanza]

When you find your almost-first-comic sketches that your mother has been saving from when you were 13... Rolar - brave young Rohan stallion, Ylantir's younger brother, has a burning desire to fight in battles, in front row

Vogovox - tireless, untamable, unbreakable and joyeous wild stallion, never ridden, the only one who can match Shadowfax's speed

Shadowfax - the fastest horse in the Middle Earth, doesn't let anybody ride him, except for Gandalf, Rohan breed

Castbreeder - kind, gentle, good tempered, ready to risk his life for the herd, which is the reason he was chosen to replace Onyx as the leader

Orra - Castbreeder's favorite daughter, wise, swift, her mother was taken by the Orcs and her only mission is to find her

Kieran - Numenor's brother (I don't know where the drawing of Numenor is...), but they're not alike. Likes to wander alone in the forest, his life motto is: better alone, than in bad company

Gitana - racy mare from Gondor, came to Mirkwood as a foal with her mother

Caxias - Gitana's halfbrother, fruit of his mother Izriel's love for Mirkwood elder Onyx

Izriel - dedicated to finding true love, Onyx is just a temporary lover

Onyx - noble, experienced and strong horse, used to be the leader of the herd, but got replaced by Castbreeder while he was away

Ylantir - noble Rohan mare, young, but with pretty large battle experience

Callestir - fast, curious, messy and playful young stud, one of the rare direct descendants of purebred Gondor battle horses

Athol - calm and obedient stallion, untamed, but not for long, finds humans interesting and it wouldn't be a problem for him to serve them

Sibor - heavy northern horse, largest in the herd, but with a calm temper, even shy sometimes

Kalinka - Sibor's sister, ran away with him during the war, hardworking and strong, but unapproachable and quiet

Chocolat - proud first lady of the Mirkwood herd, caring, sympathetic, like a mother for everybody

Sariel - beautiful mysterious mare, came out of nowhere, hides her past and won't let anybody catch her

Egon - doesn't trust humans, was molested by his former owner, so he ran away and joined the Mirkwood herd

Siómen - strong, hardworking, used to work for dwarves, nothing is hard for him, as long as it's for everybody's benefit

Ionee - feisty young mare, easily scared, fast and elegant, has had a fairly easy life so far.

[rose-of-oz]

I think I remember your Pride & Prejudice ocs?? one of them has Charithra as their fc right? share five facts abt both of them pleaseee -🍂

Ahhhh, thank you so much for asking about my babies the Kaur siblings, Alvita!! Here are some facts about them, as requested. <3

When he’s reading, Rohan can tend to get completely lost in the texts he’s pouring over and the notes he’s taking from them, so much so that he occasionally goes a long time without sleep or forgets to eat. Ananya used to be the one in charge of bringing him food or nudging him away from his reading desk when they both lived at home, but now that he’s married to Elizabeth and seeing Darcy, he has Lizzie to forcibly pull him away from his reading and a lover who will take his hand and urge him to bed as gently as Darcy is capable of being.

Despite his dedication to historical and informational texts, Rohan is also not immune to a good novel every now and again. After Lizzie incorporates some of her own books into the estate’s library, Rohan can sometimes be found curled up in his favorite reading chair with one of her mystery stories in his hands.

He doesn’t have even a semblance of his sister’s green thumb, but Rohan would still sometimes help her tend to the family estate’s garden when they were growing up. He was only really allowed to hand her tools and pull up weeds, since Ananya didn’t trust him at all with the flowers, but he still always loved having sibling time with his baby sister.

In addition to how much he loves to read and make notes on the information he gathers, Rohan also loves to draw - he finds the motions of it and the swoop of the link making lines on the paper incredibly soothing. He’s even decently good at it, though his sketching is nowhere near as neat and good as his handwriting.

After he and his sister get married and begin seeing their lovers in secret, he asks Ananya to make him a bouquet of flowers that he can give to Darcy once a month. Darcy often pretends not to be too affected by the little gifts beyond offering his thanks and appreciation, but Rohan has heard him strictly instructing his staff to take meticulous care of the flowers and keep them alive for as long as possible, so he knows how much the man he loves truly cares about them.

Ananya first realized she liked girls when she was thirteen and her family’s newest scullery maid, a girl close to her own age, called her beautiful after she had been lamenting about how she thought her looks were plain while the other girl was cleaning out the hearth in her room. The compliment had made a bright, bubbly feeling spring up in Ananya’s chest and caused her face to grow hot, and it wasn’t until later, when she was reflecting on why she had reacted that way, that she realized she must have liked that girl the way she was “meant” to like boys.

Her favorite flowers to grow and tend are peonies - she loves everything about them, from the way they look to their scent and how they brighten up any bouquet they’re a part of. She always makes sure to have at least one vase full of them inside Darcy’s estate once she moves in.

Speaking of Darcy, the two of them are very much sunshine/sunshine protector friends, as unlikely as their friendship is in the first place. Ananya is one of the only people in the world who can get Darcy to genuinely smile (along with his sister and Ananya’s own brother, of course), and his estate gets a whole lot brighter once Ananya moves into it. In return, Darcy remains a steadfast, mostly silent presence behind Ananya during balls and other social gatherings, ready to defend her against any stuffy rich people who would try to take advantage of her sweet nature or make fun of her (not that he doesn’t trust her to take care of herself, but she can be too trusting at times).

Shortly after she and Darcy get married, Ananya gifts Lizzie with a ring folded out of paper and an elegant L written on it, matching one Ananya made for herself with an A on it. They may not be able to ever properly marry each other, Ananya said while giving it to her, but they could keep the rings as a reminder of their love and devotion to each other.

Ananya absolutely loves to kiss the backs of Lizzie’s hands, and will take any opportunity to do so - she likes to joke that doing it makes her a proper gentlemen courting a lady, but really she just finds it a really sweet and noble show of affection, which is exactly what Lizzie deserves.

Again, thank you so much for asking about these two!! I love them so much, and I also love you!! <3

[i-drink-and-i-write-fics]

To Be Written

These are the stories I plan to write this year. Some are requests, some are sequels to stories I’ve written, some are stand alone ideas.

Links to on-going stories in the titles.

Gandalf’s Visitors:

Upcoming - Elrond x Fem!Reader

Summary: Gandalf comes to Imladris with a Company of thirteen Dwarves and a scared-looking Hobbit. Elrond’s wife, the reader, tries to bring peace between the two groups during dinner.

Requested by @middleearthsweetheart​

Just A Moment In Time:

Upcoming - Everett Ross x Black Fem!Reader

Summary: A sequel to Agent or Princess - part two of Royal Agency. Reader and Everett need a vacation. So they leave to see Reader’s family in Wakanda, where Reader has a happy surprise waiting for Everett.

Requested by @tallulahchanel​ (she also did the amazing mood board!)​

Yuletide: 

Upcoming - Sunny x Nix, Quinn x Bren

Summary: Next Part of Welcome To The Badlands Series. Nix has earned a few different nicknames from the other Barons after freeing Lydia from Quinn. But when Gaius Chau needs to be freed from his own sister, her reputation is solidified in the Badlands. And it brings drama to the first party Bren and Nix host at their Barony.

The Queen’s Guard:

Chapter 5 to debut - Jorah Mormont x Myria Storm

Summary:  Myria is a bastard from Storm’s End that has fled for a better life. She lived as a sellsword until the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Tyrell, takes her in to be her personal guard. She travels with Olenna to Dorne where they find out the Dragon Queen, Daenerys Stormborn, is returning to Westeros. Amidst all the chaos Myria eventually meets Dany’s right-hand man, Jorah Mormont, and the two seem to grow close. But when the Targaryen brings war with her - first to the North and then to King’s Landing - Myria must decide where her loyalties lie. To the Realm or her heart.

Kings & Queens:

Chapter 5 to debut - Thorin x Ladien Peredhel (Ladi), Thranduil x Ladi

Summary: Ladien is a half-Elf that became a wanderer when she is unable to fit in her home at the Grey Havens. She’s resting at Rivendell when the Company shows up. Thorin is mistrustful of Elves because of what happened years ago at Erebor, but Gandalf insists on having Ladi join. Just as Thorin begins to warm up to the Peredhel, they are taken captive in Mirkwood. Thranduil here’s that an Elf is traveling with the Dwarves and demands to meet her. And when they do, he is taken aback as she looks almost identical to the wife he lost.

Timeless Warrior:

Chapter 20 to debut - Lord Elrond x Phoenix Garcia

Summary:  Phoenix is a person from our world whose country dissolves into civil war. To even out the playing field, her small group of rebels transform an old 747 into a mechanical dragon - whom only she is crazy enough to fly. After three long years, the war ends with her side winning but costing her much. Including her spouse. As she flies over the country to survey the damage, her dragon mysteriously plummets. She is able to prevent the crash, but travels through a portal in the process. Now stuck in a different - supposedly fictional world - Phoenix must find her way back home. Or decide if this world will have everything she needs to heal from her pain. Including a new love.

Peredhel:

Chapter 4 to debut - Erestor Peredhel x Samantha Johnson

Summary: Sam is a modern world woman that finds herself in Middle Earth with no way home. So she makes the best of her situation and becomes a cook for Rohan before traveling around Middle Earth for a few years to learn more about the food. She returns to Rohan days before a farewell party is being held for Lord Elrond before he parts for Valinor, where she meets Erestor. Who has been debating his own fate.

Prodigy Child:

Upcoming - Tony Stark x GN!Reader

Summary:  Reader is a teacher at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Their powers help protect others when new mutants arrive. Nothing throws them off, they’ve seen it all. Until Tony Stark arrives with his daughter, Morgan. The single father needs help navigating the new phase in their life. Can they help?

Battle of the Billionaires:

Upcoming - Tony Stark x Mya, Bruce Wayne x Mya

Summary:  Mya is an elemental mutant that is over 1,500 years old. She occasionally helps both the X-Men and the Avengers when needed. Her long-time friend and ex, Alfred, contacts her saying Bruce Wayne is forming a team and needs her help. Her other ex and friend, Diana is already on the team and really believes Mya will be a great asset. But things get complicated when Mya wants to involve the Avengers and Bruce and Tony clash heads.

The Hidden Realm:

Upcoming - Lord Elrond x Queen Rhyannon

Summary: King Thranduil has been engaged in a centuries-old feud with the fae realm, Tir Na Nog. The problem is, none of the other elves believe this realm exists. Until Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel visit for a MidSummer festival and run into the Fae Queen herself, Rhyannon. Who happens to be crashing the festival in a bid to declare open war on the elves. Can a peaceful solution be found?

Redemption:

Upcoming - Jaime Lannister x Rhaenys Blackfyre

Summary: Rayn has always lived in the Red Keep, serving where needed and playing with the other children of Kings Landing. Even Jaime Lannister when he and his sister first came when Tywin was made Hand of The King. And as the three grew up, Jaime and Rayn began to grow close. But when Arys became the Mad King, Rayn disappeared from the Capital. So imagine Jaime’s surprise when she shows up decades later…at the side of the new Dragon Queen, Daenerys Stormborn. Was Rayn a servant girl this whole time or does she have a deeper past? And can they move past what Jaime did to the Targaryen reign?

Nature Will Heal:

Upcoming - Everett Ross x Juna Everhart

Summary: Sequel to Let Nature Take Her Course, part 2 of When The World Is Broken. After Juna makes a life-altering choice, the dynamic between her and Everett has reached a new level. But after everything she’s done, can Everett even trust her? And does Juna even want to give it a chance after being alone for thousands of years?

[kattartsblog]

Twin stand users, but they share the same stand

I know, “another set of jjba OCs?”. They’re more like background characters for my other jojo works. If you’ve seen the store in the Ilona Makeover comic duology. I’d like to think they run that little boutique and create fashion for stand users.

BACKSTORY: Velvet and Jean were born in Paris and then moved to Milan when they were kids. Velvet wanted to become a fashion designer while Jean wanted to model the clothes her sister would create. Once they were old enough, they opened up a small shop. It didn’t have many customers at first, that was until they had an interesting commission by a powerful mafia man. While creating these new clothes, both Velvet and Jean were struck by a stand arrow at the same time. After finishing the top, the man demanded it to be smaller. Before anything, a mysterious mannequin appeared and put on the shirt, it then became smaller. To their surprise, this mannequin was their stand. And soon after, buisness was booming.

Lace and Leather’s abilities are pretty tame in comparison to most stands. If their users create clothes on it they can automatically change anything about them. Such as; material, color, size, stitching, and patterns. When there is no clothes on the mannequin, it can phase through your body to gather information that Velvet and Jean can use like; memories, style choices, and measurments. It makes sewing a lot faster. Things it cannot do are; add-ons like charms, buttons, or broaches. Sew itself a new outfit / pick the starting material, and it cannot make jewelry.

(SKETCH COMIC TRANSCRIPTION)

Jean, on the phone with Rohan: Let me get this straight, a pink and black long coat with faux leather? This is for a manga signing next week?! I hope you’re in town before then.

——————————————————————————————————

Velvet to Prosciutto (off screen): Well Signore, what do you think?

Prosciutto: Can you make it tighter and more blue?

Lace and Leather slump over sad, Velvet comforts the stand: Hey, it’s ok L&L. It’s just a quick adjustment.

[thatsthetriick]

(Y/n) as Josuke’s Twin Headcanons

Summary: In a alternative universe where you were the unexpected other half of Josuke. Header photo: My little monster

Being Josuke’s Twin

↷ Even though Josuke is kind and tries to be cool at all time( when no one insults his hair), you and Josuke would still argue constantly, mostly you two would argue about the comb, either you or Josuke would be too lazy to buy a new comb so the both of you only share a singular comb that’s because you care too much of your hair, you unfortunately don’t have a cool and unique hairstyle you just really care about your hair. ↷Never in your life you’ve insulted his hair because you found it pretty cool yourself that he is able to pull off a sick style like that so you tease him in other ways. ↷ Both of you are the same grade but both of you don’t look related at all, you might have features that belong to your father more unlinke Josuke who mostly got his features from his mother, including personality. ↷ When you heard the news that your father was coming you were honestly excited, you just wanted to see your father that’s all and all those stories where your mom said that you had some of his traits made you feel excited and made you feel like you’ll instantly be friends with him. Though you cover this up and make everyone think that you’ll only use your father for his money for some reason. ↷ Your stand is the opposite of Crazy Diamond, if Josuke can fix you can keep breaking things. ↷ You and Josuke are hella cheap and both of you would be so hype if you receive a huge amount of money, and the two of you would probably waste it away immediately. ↷ You don’t obviously hang out with your brother’s little friend gang 24/7, you found four best friends and mostly hang out with them and talk about all sorts of things. ↷ You and Josuke honestly have a normal sibling relationship honestly, constant fights here and there and knowing each other’s boundaries and not passing it (such as stealing each other’s money, or insulting Josuke’s hair :’d) ↷ Unlike Josuke you’d get along with Rohan and read his mangas a lot and you’ll probably side with Rohan whenever the two get into arguments just to make your brother upset, but you don’t mind helping Josuke win a gamble with Rohan ↷ If you passed away Josuke would be hella devastated it would feel like he lost a part of him, he would continue his habits like not knocking to your room to get something just for him to realize you weren’t there anymore. He would be hella pissed as well and would motivate him to find your killer and avenge you. The topic of you would be sensitive with you. ↷ You were a calm person compared to Josuke and didn’t lash out because of hairstyles or anything, but what pisses you off is when someone talks badly about your friends which triggers that Josuke side of you. ↷ Once Joseph arrives in Morioh you’ll probably just watch him sit around or watch TV, hestating to talk to him and would just walk away till there are times where he approaches you and that’s when the two of you talk and you really treasure those moments, you’ve always envied people who had a fatherly bond with their fathers so you really appreciated talking to Joseph ↷ Okuyasu has the hots for you and Josuke would just tell him to stop saying weird things about his sister such as, “Cut it out dude.” ↷ Koichi sticks with you when he can’t find anyone else to hangout, he honestly likes hanging out with you, it’s calming and you two would walk in the more serene parts of Morioh during the day time and he personally likes those moments and would never forget it. Though there is a chance Yukako would be pissed at you for doing this. ↷ Just like Josuke you’re very polite towards Jotaro even though he was your nephew he was still older. ↷ When you and Josuke were younger you two still got severely sick that really worried your mom, Tomoko. She was in the verge of tears since she was worried she would lose you and Josuke, but thanks to that mysterious man with a pompadour you two were saved and till this day you search for him around the world with the help of the SWF(speedwagon foundation) thanks to politely asking Jotaro. You dedicated your adult years finding him and trying to repay him back, who knows if you did. ↷ As an adult though you still visited Josuke from time to time, he was your other half you couldn’t leave him for too long but you still search of the man who saved both of your lives, you would probably so excited to tell Josuke after you’ll find him but basically you’ll be travelling a lot when you become an adult.

Idea by @moodycore, thanks luv <3 Feel free to request!