#oc (mentioned): Cedric

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

Only In Death Does Duty End

Author’s note: Zadakael’s debut! He’s going to show up in a couple of different AUs.

Warnings: Fighting, bloodshed, Blood Angel In Black Rage, tracking and hunting of animals, Let me know if I need to add more.

Summary: Zadakael falls in battle on Holy Terra, and awakes on a planet he doesn’t recognize, not realizing he’s on Ancient Terra. Yet. After nearly dying, and waking up he’s starving and thirsting and goes hunting.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams, @sleepyfan-blog

Tagged Again: @kit-williams, @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k

Zadakael had been fighting at the Siege of Terra, fighting the Traitor Legions, when he had felt his beloved Primarch Fall. Had felt the pain, the rage, the heartbreak, the beginning of what would become The Curse of the Blood Angels and their successor chapters, they'd always had the Red Thirst, but the Black Rage started as a parting... gift? Curse? Of their Gene-father to his sons. Zadakael, like many of his brothers who fought alongside their Primarch on Holy Terra it's self-had either buckled to their knees and howled out their grief and rage momentarily before rising to their feet as the First of the Black Rage turned them all into a Frenzy they saw Horus in all enemies that were in front of them.

Their blows becoming stronger, as the please and words of the Arch Traitor are but words on the wind and they'd not heed his treacherous words. Zadakael bellowed out his rage and sorrow as he continued to strike down the Bastard and howled is rage and fury as the tears that flowed down his face blurred his vision momentarily. He cared not for the wounds he received, for his blade will strike with mighty fury that will deal blows that slay more than what he received will ensure that those that caused his beloved Primarch's death will die and have the same amount of mercy extended to his beloved Primarch.

He doesn't really feel it when a lucky blow from an enemy sink through his broken Ceramite armor and pierces his armor. He glares at them with hate filled red eyes, even as his final breaths he tries to do just a bit more damage to the Arch Traitor.

"Die!" He spits out at the Arch traitor as his vision fades to darkness and he welcomes the void of death, and to rejoin his beloved father in the afterlife.

He wakes up with a gasp, and lets out the softest of pained whimpers as tears fall down his face. Somehow, he was alive, even though he'd thought he was dying at the blade of an enemy. A small part of him had been glad of it, that he'd be able to rejoin with his beloved Primarch. But he'd heard a loving murmur from his father who'd said that his Duty had not quite yet ended, and that he'd be needed as one of many in a new duty, a new station, a new planet. He'd wanted to say something as he clung to his most holy father, who'd glowed most beautifully in the light of the afterlife.

With those tears he'd allowed to fall he'd bowed his father and obeyed his Decree and he is still alive. He's not on Terra- these trees that he sees are not ones he recognizes. He continues to stay where he lies as his body knits back together with his enhanced Healing. Focusing on his hearts first, and as his lungs knitted together as well his breathing became easier the healing energy focuses on his worse injuries first. By the Throne he is so very thirsty. He'll need to find something to drink, especially with how much energy he's used in order to heal, and in order to heal fully he'd need more blood.

He grimaces a little, as he slowly gets up, careful of his injuries as he tests how his body is reacting and flexes his fingers and toes, slowly, gingerly moving his arms and legs, noting what sings with pain, and the lack of it. His Ceramite armor is completely fucked, and his Vox is busted, but it's still useable enough to wear as he pulls off his helmet and closes his eyes and takes in a couple of deep breaths, trying to see if he can smell any animals nearby. Opening his eyes as he starts to look around, his keen red eyes alighting on a quadrupedal foot track, and as he carefully tracked the prints, hoof prints, likely some sort of herbivore as he follows the tracks and finds scat and tufts of fur.

He continues to track the herd of quadrupedal herbivores, they have bone protrusions from their heads, antlers of some form. He tracks them, a patient hunter as he scares them, into running and carefully chases after them, the slowest of them he’s going to feast upon. Biding his time until one of the creatures’ collapses, tries to get up and collapses again. He carefully angles his approach and pounces on the creature. He ignores is bleating cries as he drinks from the creature, salty-iron flavor of a carbon-based life form.

He’s so thirsty as he drinks, and drinks and drinks, making sure not to spill a drop of the thirst-quenching life’s blood, easily able to hold the creature that slowly stops thrashing in his arms as he drains it dry of blood. After he’s not entirely filled his belly, but has had enough blood that the Red Thirst is no longer something that is a Need, but a Want that he can ignore he takes one of his long knives and thanks the creature for it’s life’s blood as he starts to prepare the animal, carving the hide carefully from it’s flesh.

He’s not going to waste the flesh, bones, sinew, and hide of the beast that he drank from, as that would be wasteful and the meat, he can cure with a pouch of spices that he’d always carried with him, just in case he needed them. Starting a fire was easy with the wood and brush around him as he cooks the meat and starts to cure the hide with what limited resources he’s got to him. He uses all pieces of the carcass that he can, calculating how long he can use what he can, for his own purposes, and his head snaps up as he hears rustling in the bushes, growls softly but stops as he sees a couple of Scout-aged cousins come stumbling out of the bush and stare at him wide eyed and startled.

“Sit, eat, then talk,” He orders the young ones, one of them isn’t wearing armor for some reason and is wearing strange black and white heraldry that he doesn’t recognize, while the other is clearly wounded from the way he’s limping.

“Th-there are Chaos Marines, nearby sir,” One of them says with a stutter.

“Chaos Marines?” He asks with a frown as he shoves food into their hands.

“Traitors,” The one in Black and white clarifies with a twitchy, low growl in his voice.

“You two, stay here, tend to the fire, eat,” He scowls at that, “I’ll deal with them.”

“Uh- when did you arrive Here?” The one in Black and white asks.

“Several hours ago,” He replies, “Do you know where we are.”

The two scouts look at each other and at him, the other Scout, who’s armored seems very Confused. While the one in Black and White Fidgets, “Can you comm anyone on your Vox, sir?”

“It needs to be repaired first,” He says with a shake of his head.

“Uhm… some of the other older brothers- and cousins of the Loyalist chapters say that there is an alliance between Traitors and Loyalist.” The one in black and white reports, while his expression shows his concern and disbelief.

“… That sounds. Not right.” He says with a frown. “Stay here. I’ll handle the Traitors.”

He heads off in the direction the Scouts came from, starting to hear voices, that are twisted as he readies his weapons. “I Shall bring you death Traitors!”

He snarls at them, sending the mixed group of traitors scattering and swearing at him as he hisses and growls at them, chasing after them with his bolter and blade. The cowards flee before him, not in the direction of the confused young Scouts.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Candy Store

Author's note: this is the next part of Mer-Cedric’s journey in the Celestial Seas AU with his bonded. First. Previous. Celestial Seas Masterlist

tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @i-am-a-dragon34

warnings: food mention, ask me to tag something if I missed it/something bothers you

Summary: Cedric brings you to his favorite candy store in the small seaside town you and he are visiting.

“How much interaction have you had with humans, before me?” You ask, looking up at the large black and white scaled mer as he flew alongside you as you and he made your way into the small seaside town you were planning on spending a couple of weeks to months working in temporarily as you stocked up on more backpacking supplies - that and the weather was going to be taking a turn for the worse in the next few weeks, and you’d rather have a more permanent roof over your head, than the tarp-tent that you used. 

“Uhm…” Cedric responded, fidgeting a little with his hands “Not much? Outside of emergency situations where they needed my help, as a healer.” 

You blink in surprise, having not known that about your aquatic companion until now. It explained why he had all sorts of satchels and bags carefully strapped to his body, and how he’d known how to wrap up your ankle when you’d tripped over a tree root and twisted it badly, a couple of weeks ago. Cedric had also insisted on carrying you for several days, after. So that your ankle could heal properly. You’d thought that he’d been overprotective at the time… But as he apparently did have medical training, you supposed that it did make sense for you to keep off of your feet while you needed ot heal. “Ah. So we tend to be a curious bunch. I’m not sure how much interaction these people have had with mer-astartes, so there’s a good chance that you’re going to attract a lot of curious attention. Most people should leave you well enough alone… And anyone dumb enough to be rude you should be able to scare off with your size.”

Cedric nodded, a soft hum leaving him, as he looked at the small town you and he were approaching “Oh! I’ve been here plenty of times. You don’t need to worry about that. A couple of my older Bruders live here, with their festhaftend, so the mort-er humans here have long gotten used to seeing us visiting from time to time.” 

“What… What’s a fest… Festhafthend?” You ask, stumbling a little over the unknown word. You politely ignore the fact that he’s once again hinted towards the fact that his people may not be mortal. You don’t know much about the supernatural species that also call Earth their home, but you do know that poking your nose into places that it doesn’t belong will get it bitten off. 

“Hmm? Oh! Bonded. It means bonded.” Cedric answers, as if that’s supposed to clarify things. He doesn’t look or sound cagey, or like he’s trying to hide something…

Which is why you ask for further clarification “What do you mean by bonded, Cedric?”

“Hmm? Oh… Sometimes an Astartes will find a being of Holy Terra - I mean Earth - whom they are bonded to. A bond is… A bond can mean different things, depending on a number of factors and I really don’t understand it but. Some brothers become like father to very young bonded, like siblings in other cases. Sometimes they become bonded like married. Other times it is the Astartes who is adopted by a being of Earth in a parental role. Bonds happen to beings of Terra and Astartes of all kinds.” Cedric explains, fidgeting more with his hands “It is. Hard to explain. In part because I have never bonded myself. It is apparently a very singular experience.”

You have so many more questions, but the genuinely perplexed expression on the young Mer’s face causes you to decide that when you get to a cafe with free or cheap wifi, you’re going to spend some of the time that you use charging your phone and external batteries looking up those terms, to see if there is any information on these bonds known on the internet. Not that you’d take everything said on the internet as gospel truth. 

~

“Oh! Come with me, this place is very good! And they give out some of their products for free! Very tasty.” Cedric almost chirped down at you, his bright blue eyes lighting up with a nearly childish glee, after you’d checked into a relatively cheap hotel room for the week. He was waiting for you at the door to your room, practically vibrating with excitement.

You can’t help but chuckle a little at his clear enthusiasm “Sure thing, Cedric.” You had your external charges charging in the room and had a couple of good prospects for seasonal work that paid decently already… Besides if you absolutely had to, you could dip into the saving that you had, but you were pretty sure it wouldn’t come to that. 

You’re surprised when Cedric practically drags you over to a brightly painted candy shop, advertising over a hundred and seventy different kinds of salt water taffy flavors. The scent of freshly made chocolates and cooling caramel hits your tongue, and your mouth begins to water. You swallow back your saliva and walk into the cool front room.

There is an older woman behind the counter, where you can see a half-dozen different flavors of fruit-based gummy candy, sugar crystals shining pleasantly in the light. You can also see a dozen or so buckets of ice cream with their tops off in a chiller counter, the names of the flavors up for sale. There are dozens of different kinds of chocolate and chocolate-dipped things. On one wall of the candy shop are different flavors of honey. 

The bulk of the shop, however, is devoted to the many different flavors of taffy, each kind in clear plastic containers that reach floor to ceiling. There is a prize wheel near the payment counter that catches your attention. The older woman calls out cheerfully “Hello young Cedric! How are you today?”

“I’m good, Irene! I’ve brought a friend in to see the delicious sweets you have for sale.” He answers with a bright grin “I have aloe ointment and wound-healing bandages for trade. Oh! I also have some of those pain-reliever ointments for trade as well.”

“Oh who’s this friend? A new-... Oh! A human-shaped friend. I see.” Irene hummed, a warm smile appearing on her sun-weathered face. “Are you going to introduce them to Arnault and Roland later? I’m sure that they’d very much like to meet this new friend of yours.” There is a lilting, almost teasing note in her voice “I was wondering when you’d get a bonded.”

“I would like to introduce you to Roland and Arnault, but you are not my bonded. At least I don’t think you are?” Cedric huffed, his ear fins flicking rapidly as they turn a rosy color. He explains that you’d helped him calm down when a thunderstorm had badly startled him, and in exchange for your selfless help, he’d offered to travel with you for a time.

“I see… Well it was very kind of you to help him, dear. Not many would approach a visibly anxious Astartes, especially one they’ve never met before. That was quite brave and kind of you.” Irene murmured, a gentle expression appearing on her face as she reaches over the counter to gently pat Cedric on the elbow. “Do you know what you’d like to try for free this time, Cedric?”

“Mm-hmm! I want to try the chocolate bon-bon filled with lemon creme, please.” Cedric answered, carefully reading off the label, squinting a little at it.

“The dark chocolate, or the milk chocolate? Also the inside is going to taste both tart and creamy.” Irene responded, smiling a little brighter.

“I know! Miss Angela gave me a small slice of lemon meringue pie the other day. It was. Really intense! But very good.” Cedric answered cheerfully. 

“Alright, then. I just wanted to give you a little warning, since I know that Mer-Astartes have a more enhanced sense of taste than we humans do.” Irene hummed, handing over the chocolate he’d asked. “And for you, dear?” She asks, looking to you.

“I think I’ll try the orange gummy fruit slice please.” You answer, as all of them look good, but gummy candy can have an off-putting texture, and you’d rather know for sure before having to pay for any of them.

“Here you go. One orange fruit slice for you.” The older human answered with a kindly smile on her face. “Now, I believe it’s time for you both to spin the prize wheel! One spin per visit, and you get what it says on the slice of the wheel it lands on. The grand prize being a free quarter pound of any kind of candy you’d like.”

Cedric has already finished his piece of chocolate and eagerly glides over to the prize wheel. He grabs hold of it with two fingers and with the barest flick of hs wrist, sends it spinning and spinning, the steady tap-tap-tapping sound of the marker against the spokes of the prize wheel pleasant to listen to.

It eventually slows down and stops just one to the right of the quarter-pound of free candy, giving Cedric four free honey sticks of flavor or flavors of his choice. He immediately heads over to the small jars holding the sticks of honey to choose and you give the wheel a spin.

The wheel spins for less time, even though you do give it a good heave. You’re also able to get the quarter pound of free candy - which amounts to twenty pieces of taffy, among other options. 

You very much enjoy picking out the twenty different flavors of taffy that sound delicious to you, before going over to the ice cream section of the store. The day has gotten nearly unbearably warm, and an ice cream cone sounds delightful to you. Cedric joins you at the payment counter and carefully pulls out two small, tightly sealed jars and slides them over to Irene, who picks them up and nods “Thank you, dears. Enjoy your purchases!”

You blink, having grabbed out your wallet to pay “Are… Are you sure?”

“Oh yes. Cedric’s pain-relieving cream works wonders for my arthritis. This is payment enough. Go on and enjoy the late-summer sunshine! It’s a beautiful day out.” Irene murmurs, gently but firmly refusing your money with a shake of her head.

“Alright, if you say so…” You blink in surprise but nod.

You happily start to eat your ice cream as you wander out onto the wooden boardwalk, Cedric at your side, taking in the sights of the small seaside town.

[articskele]

Silly Cedric fun facts :3

He tends to add little questions at the ends of sentences, for lack of a better word? Like "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

His favorite MLP ponies are Rarity and Octavia!

His favorite Animal Crossing villager is Tia!

He likes foxes!

Salt and vinegar chip enjoyer

There's a magpie that likes to sit in the window and watch whatever he's doing. He named it Parable ouo

Mad that watermelon flavored stuff tastes nothing like watermelons >:C

His favorite soda is Dr Pepper

Drags his feet and sighs the most overdramatic sighhhh when there's a task he doesn't wanna do

Awkwardly steps around puddles and mud and refuses to touch anything dirty- Sometimes he wears these dainty little white gloves and everything

HE WOULD DO THIS

He really likes this himbo from a shitty obscure dating sim that he and Mel decided to play one day

Cedric the type of rapscallion to go "Don't mind if I do" before taking a cookie

[quartztwst]

waitt Azul doesn't like rielle? I'm sry I'm not on Jp but PLZZ tell mee I always thought he was neutral

I THINK HE HATED RIELLE he said he was cringe or smth???

I KNOW HE MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT RIELLE AND I THINK AZUL HAS AN ICK FOR HIM HE WAS LIKE “ew rielle i think he should die” or smth idk i REMEMBER IT OR WAS THAT MADE UP IN MY MEMORY WTF

I LOOKED AND I SWEAR THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT AZULBEING A HATER AND I DONT SEE ANYTHING

DID I MAKE IT UP IN MY HEAD AM I DELSUIONAL?? AM I CRAZY??? IM SO CRAZY FOR AZUL I STARTED MAKING SHIT UP IN MY HEAD.

im insane im gone what the fuck i swear

I SWEAR

anyways about my rielle teehee bc fuck azul whatever

Rielle (MY VERSION)

Second year (17)

Dude sometimes is dumb as fuck

Geninuely did not pay attention to Azul until they both went up to the surface

But he did think Azul was cool so he thinks they’re friends but Azul thinks he’s fucking cringe

the reason he didn’t even think about azul is because ermmm he’s a royal and was taught not to talk to POOR POEPLEE (azul is not poor)

but you get what i was saying

he’s the youngest and he’s mostly left behind so he spends his time alone and quiet

UNTIL HE DISCOVERED THAT HUMANS FUCKING EXIST AND WAS LIKE “yo, dad, i wanna go to the surface”

and his dad was like “what but the surface is kinda wack no”

and then he asked the TWST equalivent of Sebastian (CRAB ONE NOT THE DEMON) and RAN AWAY??? TO THE SURFACE. HE LIKE

HE LITERALLY LEFT HOME TO GO TO SCHOOL ON THE SURFACE (no contract needed)

he met azul again during the boot camp thing and wanted to make friends for the first time and was met with “ew die” from azul

he’s very curious about land and land dweller culture so he’s always trying to try everything before his dad figures out where he is at.

he’s late to class everyday bc he’s too busy researching and trying something out

his guardian basically sebastian

accidentally made meth once

his grades are actually pretty good. he’s everywhere but he also studies the night before the test and somehow gets 91%

created an essay under 7 hours and got a decent score

gets his ass scolded by Cedric (cinderella twst oc) and Sebastian bc he keeps doing that

tries to get Neige into his antics

Asked Neige to go sky-diving with him and they literally both went (Neige had fun, Rielle was screaming)

Rielle hates heights but wants to overcome them

made a contract with azul that lost his voice for the first half of the school year before leona dusted it and he gained his voice back (<- i might change this)

[starrgirlella]

Lurking for love? More like lurking for LORE

Hi everyone! Just two days ago, I made some interesting discoveries about LFL by just digging around the website

I'm not sure if anyone else found this out so that's why I'm going to be sharing what I found because it's very interesting

This post is going to be pretty long lol and full of my rambling. If you're interested, please take a read! Do note that English isn't my first language so I may express myself a bit weird 😭

Also IK the screenshots are pretty shitty but I'm lazy oops

To start, I have a habit of checking the sinistershrike website along with the LFL itch.io game page. Why? Well I just like looking if there are any new updates (and its my hyperfixtation so I'm constantly looking for new content)-

And I noticed that on the sinistershrike website there was a new update which some of you may or may not saw.

In summary, the game is getting custom music, prounouns are getting removed so MC is going to be gender neutral and getting called only by their name and most interesting of all: a new main character is getting added, and they're going to be dateable!

Pretty interesting, right? I immediately got curious on who that character might be since they're going to cause drama and more mysteries.

But wait! I'm still not done, hehe

Afterwards, I was just randomly looking at Jacob Alden pics thru google. Again, why? Well, I don't know either lol. It's just a habit that I do when I'm bored and sometimes when I'm lucky, I come across new things.

And this time I was lucky!

So I scrolled down to the end of the results and I saw this post which caught my eye:

What's so interesting about it? Well the fact that the creators website is linked to it. Curious, I clicked on the link and was suprised at what I saw.

(Mind you I still dont know if I'm an idiot just finding this out or not...)

Basically, it's a site containing all info about Jacob! I got really excited when I saw it bc I LOVE learning all the facts about my favourite characters and finding new official content!

When I finished looking through it I noticed two things:

1. The website adress (is that what it's called? Im sorry english isn't my first language)

So when you look at the website adress you can notice how it's linked (basically an extension) to the creators webiste which is: sinistershrike.neocities.org

The thing is; you can't open Jacobs page on the creators site. Like yes, there is a tab which says CHARACTERS but if you click on it you'll get nothing but a scary looking Jacob. Which means to get to this page you have to type the adress in yourself.

So I'm assuming the creator is purposefully hiding this Jacob page (maybe because he wants to finish pages for all characters and more)

And here's the link if you want to take a look for yourself:

https://sinistershrike.neocities.org/character/jacob

2. At the end of the page, you have links to other characters made by the creator.

Not just lurking for love, but other ocs made by him!

Though, if you click on them, you'll get nothing. Maybe they're still being made? I'm not sure.

Now, when you look at the characters for LFL, it's very interesting because we now have info on Sarah's last name AND... an unknown character? Noah Vega.

At first, I was stunned. Who could this character be? Then I went back to the creators website and remembered the mention of a new character, can you see where I'm going?

Noah Vega must be the new character! He was never mentioned before; neither in the game nor in the creators deleted blogs.

And pretty quickly I found proof which helped my theory (I SOUND SO DUMB OMG)

Now going back to the website adress thing.

So I concluded that the Jacob website is hidden from the main website for an reason, hence you can only acess it by finding it yourself. I decided to mess around with the website adress a bit, to see if I could find any more extensions/links.

I started by putting different names in the adress. I tried out: Austin, Sarah, Cedric and Alfred but they didn't lead or anything.

BUT

The only name which lead to an extension was Noah. And holy shit-

I'm finding it hard to express how shocked I was at this discovery

This is a pretty big lore drop imo! So his website shows a pinboard with various notes.

And with these notes we can conclude two things:

1. He has an gambling addiction

2. He is investigating Jacob

He definitely an detective trying to solve an old murder case involved with Jacob. Hence why the mention that the new character will add more drama and mystery to the game.

The three murdered highschoolers must be his old friends mentioned in the game: Steve, Monty and Kenny. Which he claims that they haven't talked since highschool. In reality, they were murdered by him for reasons that are unknown for now.

The website link:

https://sinistershrike.neocities.org/character/noah

And that's about it! I had fun digging around finding this new info and writing this post. I hope to see more of interesting secrets like this in the future because it's fun finding them!

I hope this post was of interest to you :)

[viperbunnies]

crichurs i love them all so much

Awww omg Memphis’s nickname as a clownfish suits her so well (especially when you correlate it to her gender identity because clownfishes are known for transitioning sexes) There’s even the black and white ones that looks so much like her hair! also help Cedric’s hair looking like an isopod 😭 Yeah… I can see what Floyd means by that.

I relate to Yuu and Cedric’s pet peeve so much 😭 Sorry but my social battery drains easily, like I love interacting with ppl irl but after an hour I just go radio silent because my brain is shutting off. Love to see that Yuu’s opinion on Memohis changed though 🥺 They’re both such a cute duo together.

Loved seeing what their fave and least fave foods are 👀 I get the texture part for the tomato hshsh for memphis, she’s so real for that. Also help Ernst liking gravy sauce 😭, definitely see someone walking on him just chugging down a gravy boat /silly and Cedric 💔 I am so sorry my brethren has a weird texture for you 🥔

OC ASK GAME LETS GOO (hopefully I'm not too late help)

1. Name/Nicknames 👁👁 (Rook and Floyd's nickname specifically, but if Leona is also applicable...)

12. Pet peeves

13. Food!

(/nf! Feel free to answer the ones you feel more comfortable in answering :> Also would love to hear for all of your ocs if you'd love to yap 👀)

YOURE NOT TOO LATE!! NO ONE ASKING ME THIS EITHER LMAO😭😭🙏❤️ i will be adding another oc that is an old one of mine but im reworking on him, i hope you dont mind!!

1. Names/Nicknames

1. Yuu Kurokawa - Yuu-kun(Cater), Shrimpy(Floyd), Trickster(Rook), Herbivore(Leona)

Literally basic prefect combo😭 I give yuu additional cater nickname since jack gets the -kun privileges from cater and i dont think yuu goes that well with -chan either LOL. Also about the shrimp since yuu look nothing like an actual shrimp, i give that floyd is talking about Snowball Shrimp instead

2. Memphis Nicholson - Memphi-chan(Cater), Clownfish(Floyd), Monsieur Director(Rook)

Memphis' club is film research club as a backstage worker, so it would be normal for her to work with Vil and got mentioned when talking with Rook. Thus the name director, though she dont like getting called director much. Also she got described as small and bubbly like a clownfish from Floyd

3. Ernst Lauritsen - Moon jellyfish(Floyd), Monsieur Carefree(Rook)

Jellyfish is taken by Silver and this is even pointed out by Floyd himself, and for Floyd Ernst is more like a moon jelly. Carefree is just his personality that he wouldnt care about everything ever at the point it kind of concerning. But even at the surface level you could tell hes carefree

4. Cedric Aldrich - Isopod(Floyd), Monsieur Melody(Rook)

"His hair reminds me of an isopod" -floyd

He is a music guy and practiced those since young esp the ones in the violin family,, i think rook overheard the performance and then now hes related to music by default

I sketched a little to help you picture him, yes this is old oc that i prob reworked like all of his stuff i cant even remember his old name so i just ball through everything rn😔

I dont think anyone is that important to have Leona setting nicknames for them LMAO,,

12. Pet peeves

Yuu - people with too much energy(changed)

Memphis - disrespect

Ernst - serious people/situations

Cedric - not prepare anything in advance

People who accidentally commit the crime:

🦋-whole of memphis existence in ramshackle pisses yuu off before they know eachother deeper and now on good terms

🐼-ex friends

🪼-riddle, azul sometimes, cedric is seen as too serious to him

🎻-himself, ernst, maybe more people

13. Food

Yuu -

Most favorite: anything with raw fish(sashimi, sushi, etc)

Least favorite: garlic, coriander

I removed spring onions because he can eat but rather not, not as much hatred as garlic and coriander, he loves sashimi most

Memphis -

Most favorite: lemon meringue tart

Least favorite: tomato

She just love very specifically lemon meringue tart, tomato have very weird texture and flavor and it creeps her out

Ernst -

Most favorite: gravy sauce

Least favorite: cheese

Cheese feels plain weird to him like the flavor it gives and gravy sauce is just "addicting" according to him

Cedric -

Most favorite: shrimp

Least favorite: potato

He hates potato texture so much he would give it to ernst in their childhood days, also he likes shrimp texture. This guy is a texture guy

Thank you so much tato for the ask😭🙏 i love how you engage a lot with my stuff i appreciate it and hope you enjoy!! Thank you!!

[r0-boat]

Instinct

Male! Dragon! OC x AFAB!gn!reader

Feat: Yandere OC Silas

Cw: possessive behavior, yandere character, mentions of murder, mentions of blood, animalistic behavior, biting, claiming bite.

NSFW

Thank you @devotion-disorder for this lovely art piece I'm so glad I commissioned you!!

You smell good.

So good.

Your Skin;

So Soft to the touch,

smooth and unblemished,

just begging for a mate to pin you down and sink his fangs into. Your mere presence was tempting.

Silas knew full well that as the months got warmer and the snow melted, more primal desires started to call to him. An animalistic need that demanded satisfaction. However, a Duke dub Cedric from a neighboring kingdom invited him to a ball and offered he could not refuse even if he wanted to. The Duke was kind enough to Grant him a plus-one, and now, standing before you in an outfit that the maids and tailor specifically prepared for you, how the woven silk fabric hugged every part of your body, oh, how he wishes he could forget that stupid party and rip your outfit in two and ravish you right here in this carriage.

His hungry eyes did not go unnoticed by you. Even now, as elegant and princely as he looked, Silas looked like a caged, starving animal. His eyes were only on you the entire night, even as other more elegant women wine and flaunted their bodies to get his attention, only to clutch their pearls in frustration when the prince only had eyes for you.

Silently stalking behind you like your shadow glaring down upon you like a premium steak on his plate ready to devour you.

But Silas held back his urges for the sake of his reputation, as all Noble eyes were on him. He stopped following you around like a lost puppy and began mingling with Sir Cedric. Talks of trade business gossip from other kingdoms were a much-needed but small distraction from the burning in his core, but now and then, he would sneak a little glances at you. His pupils waning into slits as he watched the other attendants stare at you with the same hungry eyes he had been.

Veins rush with adrenaline when one of the Nobles who had been eyeing you gets the courage to approach you.

The conversation becomes background noise as he tries to concentrate on what that man is saying to you, glaring daggers at the noble, making you smile and chuckle. The dragon in him hissed and snarled, becoming more and more restless. To it, you are an unclaimed potential mate being pursued by a rival.

Silas feels his claws threatening to rip out of his gloves. He clutches his fist with images of the noble's blood painting the walls of the ballroom, Imagining the taste of his flesh on his tongue. He quickly storms out as the Duke is still talking to him.

You look over to see Silas approaching the both of you.

Eyes burning with fury, be prepared yourself for a gruesome site only for it to never come.

" Excuse me, gentlemen, my apologies for interrupting your conversation, but I believe I asked this lovely person to dance with me."

Silas said politely, eyes still burned with a jealous rage that you were all too familiar with. A small, gentle smile on his face, Which only made him more unsettling. And his hand ever so gently stroking your hip, has he pulled you closer to him.

The man, a kind soul, really, took the hint. If he were to stay within your presence any longer than he'd had, this Prince would make him disappear.

"Ah, Sorry, Your Highness, I hadn't realized they were taken already."

Yes, taken… They are mine

A shiver goes down your spine when your eyes meet his, giving off a slight draconic glow of violet piercing into your very soul.

As you danced with him, his hold around you was tight, and his touch was borderline sensual as he caressed your parts in ways along with notice. You flushed, knowing that you couldn't do anything while Silas was feeling your body in public. Even as you try to look away, he moves his head to keep your eyes on him.

"Don't look away from me." He whispered a husky, demanding tone, his thumb gently pressing against your bottom lip as he forced your head back to him. His thumbs wipes across your bottom lip. His fang sinks into his, Imagining the taste of your lips upon his

"Eyes on me, dear."

With the last of his self-control, he lasted from the dance the carriage ride home, letting out a low-throated purr, seeing your small body sat pretty in his lap, his large veiny hand underneath your clothes grasping at your bare thigh. He stayed eerily quiet even as you tried to talk to him. He'd only give one-word answers or hums, his mind thinking of only one thing. His gaze focused on your unblemished neck, shoulders, and collarbone. You feel his hand squeeze your plush thigh, fingers dipping dangerously close to your core. Silas's breath tickles your neck, gently pressing kisses up until he nibbles on your ear. Finally, he whispers.

" As soon as we get out of this carriage, you are coming into my bed tonight. Do you understand?" He smiles as he sees you nod obediently.

When the carriage finally does stop as at his Castle, he immediately has you in his arms, carrying you like a bride, to his chambers, throwing you onto his large bed, going back to the door to lock it.

When you sit up, you see him breathing heavily, his face flushed red, looking back at you with that familiar, hungry look. Silas slowly begins to peel off his clothing one by one as he makes his way closer to the bed to you.

"Do you know what you do to me?" A growl rips from his throat, now half naked, his fingers playing with his belt.

" all night, as I suffer, you sit pretty looking up at others with those big doe eyes.

He creeps closer, hands pressing against the mattress as he leans into your face.

" walking around and then gorgeous outfit men drooling over you like panting dogs. Unaware of who has already claimed you.

He caresses your cheek before his hand slides down, grabbing the collar of your outfit. Pulling you downward, your forehead rested against his.

"Strip."

Claws dug into the fabric. If this weren't off in five seconds, it would be torn off your body.

He watched you slowly shimming out of your outfit. With each delicious amount of skin exposed, he touched and caressed.

Your thighs, your hips, your stomach, your chest. The Prince couldn't keep his hands off you. He could barely hold back when he pressed you into the mattress, a hand secured firmly around your throat.

Fingers trail down your stomach, slipping beneath your undergarments. Thick fingers press. Play with your core. Pressing gently at your tight entrance, fondling your walls, listening to the sweet sounds of your insides as he stirs them. He releases your neck, caressing your cheek as he leans down to taste your lips. His breath shakes as he goes down for another. His tongue is sliding into your mouth as he deepens the kiss, his fingers tangling in your hair pulling you deeper. He presses his entire naked body against you. You could feel how hard he was straining his pants.

"I want you."

His voice shakes in desperation

"I want to be the only man you look at.

"I want to claim you as mine, to make it so everyone knows who you belong to."

His hand slips to his belt, undoing it, while remaining eye contact.

" I need to be inside you,"

He keeps looking at your core, licking his lips.

" But first, it has been a while since I've tasted you. Let me make you feel good."

Grabbing your ass, he lifts your lower half with ease. He lets out a feral growl as he goes down onto your core, eating you like a starved beast. His eager tongue tastes all of you because he puts his whole mouth on your little body. Lewd noises of his lips slurping your wetness fill the room, which only turns him on more, his feral growls turning into whimpering moans, grinding his hips against nothing in particular. You clenched the bed sheets, wailing and trembling, your body trying its best to squirm away from the intense pleasure only for him to hold you tighter.

You were not getting away from him.

Silas needed to make you cum to taste your essence on his tongue. He needed to feel that satisfaction of knowing that no other man could make you feel the way he feels.

His eyes rolled back when your hand tangled in his hair, pulling on his long jet locks as you braced yourself for your own orgasm. He holds his mouth in place, drinking every last drop of you. Finally, finishing his meal, he drops you like a rag doll, wiping his mouth with his hand before licking his fingers. He was no longer a man at that point, with only one thing on his mind: he flips you over, a firm hand on the back of your neck, pressing you down. He slipped his cock out of his pants, his big hand manhandling your ass open. Your entrance is wet enough with the saliva, cum, and juices, even with his vast draconic cock. He forced himself inside with one motion, mounting you like an animal. You felt his breath already against your ear as he put his hand around your throat. His pace was rough and relentless, grinding his hips with each thrust, trying to drill as deep as he could.

"Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! All mine!"

He repeats like a mantra. You can feel the tip of his dick pressing against the sweet spot inside you, making you clench around his thick rigid shaft feeling every monstrous and inhuman ridge on his dragon cock. His cock felt hot, threatening to burn you out from the inside. You cum again on his cock. Silas is lost and in pleasure, mercilessly fucking you through your orgasm. He removes his hand from your throat, snaking it till around your mouth, muffling your sweet screams when you feel his teeth sink into your neck, his sharp, beastly fangs piercing, breaking your skin as the taste of your blood feels his mouth; he explodes inside you, his whole body is shaking the sheer pleasure making tears well up in his eyes. His hips still as he grinds every last drop deep inside you, claiming you for himself, claiming you in the most primal way any man can. You go limp into his arms, and he catches you, supporting your entire body in his arms. Silas, in a daze licking the new wound on the back of your neck, gently suckling the red liquid from the new mark; his cock throbbed deep inside you, still hard, and his body still felt hot.

"I need more."

[breadbrobin]

the bet

part three

cedric diggory x reader — harry potter

[fem!best friend reader]

summary: for once, losing a bet might be a good thing.

warnings: kissing, quite a lot of swearing, betting/gambling, mentions of underage drinking, minor suggestive content, GOD they’re so in love it’s stupid, i think i’m a comedian (i’m not), switched from an x oc story so might have a few mistakes oops, mediocre writing (again i wrote this years ago and this is the worst part i think)

word count: 1.7k

(let’s not talk ab how long it took me to put this up and instead i’ll tell you about how i went away with my friends and may or may not have completely forgotten about this lil series oopssss anyways this is the last part and it’s my favourite i love it so muchhhh enjoy 😘)

part one

part two

——————————————

The Rainy Days

Neither you or Cedric had brought up what he’d said that night, but it hung in the air between you, stagnant and stiff, leaving awkwardness to rest in the growing distance.

It was odd, you realised. One moment, you were closer than ever before, hugging for a second too long, soft touches as hands brushed, then the next, you were sitting at opposite ends of a metaphorical couch, shooting furtive glances at each other when you thought the other wasn’t looking.

It was confusing, and you were conflicted.

You almost wanted to bring it up. You knew he remembered, that much was clear. It was obvious in the subtlest of looks, the gentlest of touches, the softest of smiles. But sometimes, it would leap to the forefront of his mind and, cheeks red, eyes downcast, he would retreat into himself.

And so, neither you or Cedric brought it up.

No matter how much you may have wanted to.

The days passed in almost comfortable normalcy.

There were no trips to the lake or the town, just sitting and enjoying each other’s company.

You and Cordelia taught him how to play Last Card on a thundery Tuesday, all pouting out the window at the storm.

“I hate thunder,” Cedric shuddered. “It’s the worst to play Quidditch in too.”

“I don’t think it’s safe to play in thunder,” you huffed, collecting the cards after he won again. “I mean, lightning strikes the highest object, right? And look what happened to Harry last season.”

“Yeah, that was horrible,” he cringed, taking the cards from her and shuffling them. “Although that was the Dementors too.”

You pulled a face. “Still not an excuse. It really isn’t safe.”

Cordelia looked between you in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You remember Quidditch, right?” Cedric asked. “On the broomsticks.”

She nodded slowly. “Did you know that witches riding broomsticks used to be a euphemism for riding the devil’s—”

“—Oh-kay, that’s enough cards for today!” You cut in. “Cords, why don’t you go grab a board game, yeah?”

“Okay!” she chirped, dancing off upstairs.

You breathed a sigh of relief and slumped in your chair.

Cedric shot you an amused look.

“Shut up,” you muttered.

When you saw a person running towards your house without an umbrella in the pouring rain, you assumed they were an idiot.

Then the figure got closer and you realised that it was your idiot.

“God, Cedric, you dipshit,” you whispered, dropping the knife you was using to butter your toast on the bench and running to the door, grabbing a towel from a clean pile on the way.

You opened the door just as he reached the front steps, having to grip onto the handle tight so that the wind didn’t rip it from its hinges.

“What are you doing?” you asked over the downpour, letting him inside and handing him the towel.

“I swear it didn’t start raining until I was halfway here.” His teeth were chattering. “Gotta love English weather.”

You shook your head in defeat. “Shut up and go take a hot shower. I’ll bring you something to wear.”

He didn’t even move to object, shuffling towards the bathroom instantly.

You left a bundle of warm clothes outside the door and sat on the couch with your toast to wait.

Thankfully, you weren’t alone with your thoughts for very long.

Cedric padded into the room with his hair wet and messy and in a hoodie and sweatpants that he’d left at your house a few weeks before. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

“Are you okay?” you handed him a blanket and a piece of warm toast as he sat down next to you.

He nodded. He looked significantly less cold than before. “Merlin, the last time I was this cold was when you pushed me into the Black Lake.”

“I didn’t push you, you slipped.”

“Yeah, right,” he huddled closer to you, making her tense up briefly. The last time you were this close on the couch…

“Hey, Y/N…” he said quietly after a few beats.

“Hm?”

“About that night—”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to—”

“No, I think we should—”

“Cedric,” you said firmly. “Don’t worry about it. We were drunk. It’s okay.”

He paused, studying you like he was committing all of your features to memory. You knew you were doing that for him. “Okay.”

You sat in silence, watching the rain stream down the window.

The Confession

You had a confession to make.

First, to yourself: you liked Cedric—No. You were in love with Cedric.

It was the way he said your name like it was made of porcelain, fragile, delicate. It was the way your bodies fit perfectly together when you hugged, your bodies and hands made for holding each other. It was the way he looked at you, that night and every day since; like you’d hung the moon and the stars in the sky. It was the way he made you feel safe.

Was that so difficult?

Yes, a nagging voice in the back of your mind muttered. You’re going to be twenty galleons more broke because of your stupid feelings.

Maybe, you countered it. But I don’t even care anymore.

Your next confession would be to Cedric. That was slightly more difficult.

It wasn’t like you didn’t have the opportunity; you were almost always at each other’s houses. It was more to do with the issue of you being too scared. You shied away from admitting it every time you thought you were ready, pushing your feelings down and down until they were compressed under a pile of anxiety.

So, the confession was going well. Really well.

You stole another glance at him across the room, peering over your book to find him already staring at you. You withheld a squeak and looked back down, sinking lower into your end of the couch.

“Alright, what is it?” he asked, slipping a bookmark between the pages and setting his book on the end table.

“What is what?” You didn’t take her eyes off your book, pretending to read with your eyes locked on one phrase: ‘I love you.’

Is it that easy? You asked yourself. I just say it?

Cedric leaned forward and pushed your book down. “Well, either that page is very interesting or you suddenly can’t read, because you haven’t turned the page in about twenty minutes.”

“I’m absorbing it properly,” you lifted it back up but he pushed it down again.

“Absorbing it, huh?”

“Yup.”

“Well, my other thought was that you were so distracted staring at me every five seconds that you forgot to actually read.”

You dropped your book, struggling to catch it and sending it careening onto the floor. Your eyes were wide as you stared at him. “No.”

He was smiling, that soft, almost smug smile that you’d fallen in love with. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Uh-huh, because from here, it looked like you were staring at me.”

You sat up straight. “Really? How odd.”

“Hmm…” he smiled a bit brighter. God, you wanted to kiss him. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

You breathed an inaudible sigh of relief as he leaned back.

“Shame, because I was actually quite flattered.”

“Oh, I bet you were,” you scoffed.

He leaned back into the couch, opening his book agonisingly slow.

You stared at him, legs crossed and brows furrowed. Your head was swirling with thoughts, all repeating, Cedric, Cedric, Cedric. You’d never wanted to kiss someone so bad, to just hold someone. You’d never, ever in your life, wanted to lose a bet.

His grey eyes flickered up to you once, then twice, then again. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, what the fuck,” you muttered, pushing yourself forward and pressing your lips to his.

He dropped his book, the hardback thudding dully on the floor right next to yours, but neither of you cared. His hands found their place on your waist as you leaned over him, one arm supporting you on the wall behind him, the other entangled in his brown hair.

Butterflies danced in your stomach, your heart racing wildly as your lips melded together. It was like they were made to kiss each other; the way they fit so perfectly, the curve of your cheek and the straight line of his nose. All of your swirling thoughts subsided, leaving only one: Cedric.

God, you never wanted to stop kissing him. He was like sugar; tantalising, sweet, addictive.

He pulled away first, thumb digging subtly into your hip, lips parted and gasping for air. “Y/N…”

“I’m sorry,” you breathed, unable to find your voice. “But I couldn’t wait another—”

He kissed you again, more passionate; noses knocking, hearts pounding, hair standing on end. You wondered how you got so lucky. God, you were lucky.

This kiss was more intense, all those weeks of pent up emotion, released in that moment.

You never wanted it to end.

But, as your lungs gasped for air and your head began to swim, you pulled away. He chased your lips, pressing a final, sweet kiss to them, before resting his head back again.

“Never apologise for that,” he breathed. “Never.”

“Got it,” you whispered, eyes tracing a pattern in his faint freckles. “Fuck, you’re amazing.”

“Amazing at kissing?” he tilted his head.

“Just amazing in general.” You kissed him again. And if you stayed on that couch all afternoon? Well that was no one’s business but your own.

The Pay-Up

You had twenty galleons ready the second you set foot on the Hogwarts Train only a few weeks later. Cedric was holding your free hand as you wove past loitering students and nervous first years until you found Lizzie and Camila.

“Hey, Morgan, Cedric,” Lizzie raised her eyebrow at you.

Camila saw your connected hands and started prodding her arm.

“Hey, guys,” you smiled brightly. “Just paying up.”

You tossed Lizzie the bag of galleons and turned to Camila. “Sorry, I made the first move.”

“Liar,” she pointed at you. “Cedric, please tell me she’s lying.”

“Nope,” he let your hand go and wrapped it around your waist instead. “She kissed me first.”

Camila groaned, digging through her bag. “Fuck.”

As Lizzie danced in victory and Camila complained about you finding your balls, you had to admit, you had never been happier to lose a bet.

cedric taglist:

@sunburnhurts

[midnight-in-town]

Let's talk about the "Fenian brotherhood" theory !! :D

Firstly, in case you don't know about it, please go read the theory that our!Ciel's birth name might be Fenian/Fionn/Finnian by @azuresins. It is incredibly relevant to what I'm about to explain next !

TBH, I don't really care about discovering our!Ciel's birth name. However, I truly enjoy this theory and I think it makes a lot of sense, because I absolutely agree with the idea of Vincent supporting (secretly or not) Irish independence, turning him into a political enemy of Queen Victoria...

...which could be very much why he ended up dead.

This theory comes from a private convo with my friend, @dorkshadows and I'll sum up their thoughts (and some of mine) below the cut !

First of all, while we think Claudia, Vincent's predecessor, may have been a personal enemy of Victoria because of whatever happened when Albert died in 1861, Vincent strikes us more as a political enemy precisely because of Brown's comment in ch108.

After all, if our!Ciel, who just managed to thwart their plans of getting the sulin gas, is "more like his father everyday", then it makes sense that Vincent "got in the way" of some of Victoria & JB's war/political plans too. >_>

Now, about the Fenian Cycle book: it was an important symbol for Irish independence and the Fenian Brotherhood that started in the 19th century before it got dissolved in 1880. To quote Wikipedia:

"The Fenian Brotherhood traced their origins back to 1790s, in the rebellion, seeking an end to British rule in Ireland initially for self-government and then the establishment of an Irish Republic. The rebellion was suppressed, but the principles of the United Irishmen were to have a powerful influence on the course of Irish history."

But how would Vincent even get involved with it and why?

In the theory that OC's name is Fenian/Finnian, @azuresins mentioned that maybe it's all related to Cedric K. Ros having Celtic origins. Since we do have one sketch by Yana of one twin bringing the Fenian Cycle book to the Undertaker (the most likely candidate for Cedric K. Ros)...

...it might indeed be a partial answer.

There is another possibility though, entirely thought by @dorkshadows, which is that Rachel (and Ann) might have been of Irish origins too.

After all, a common stereotype for Irish people in many stories is red hair and it's hard to forget that it was a very distinctive characteristic of Ann, Rachel's sister !

In fact, one of their first interactions is Vincent telling Ann to be proud of that hair, which we were told she inherited from her dad, the twins' maternal grandfather.

So Vincent might have not just been talking about Ann's hair color in that scene, but more specifically about her taking more pride in her Irish origins. Obviously though, Dalles/Durless aren't very Irish names, but it is possible that their original family name got anglicized into a more traditionally English name.

In any case, Vincent met Rachel and Ann after already knowing their father :

So it's possible that Vincent was, as the Watchdog, investigating Lord Durless as a nobleman with Irish lineage and possible ally of the Fenian Brotherhood. After all, to quote this article, "the Fenians in England and the British Empire were a major threat to political stability". Then Vincent met and fell in love with Rachel, thus deciding to support the Brotherhood instead.

I'd add that Vincent supporting such a cause simply makes sense, considering that the Phantomhive family, too, might have been burdened by the Watchdog's duty generations ago, because of their "different" lineage (full theory here). On top of that, if you add the possibility that Cedric/UT also was of Celtic origins (many decades or centuries ago) and that Vincent knew Claudia's death was Victoria's fault, it only makes sense that he'd eventually politically antagonize the Queen (both for his parents' sake and for Rachel's).

@dorkshadows also pointed out that, to this day, we don't know if the twins' maternal grandfather is alive or dead in canon : he was important enough to be mentioned in Red's flashback but has been missing from the narrative ever since. Timeline-wise, he could be dead, especially since we never saw him in the Blue Memory arc (our!Ciel's flasback), but we never know with Yana (look at Claudia being hinted in panels ever since the circus arc and probably being incredibly relevant), so it's worth keeping in mind.

Then, moving on to ch132 we know that, when the twins were born, Rachel is the one who named them.

Coincidentally (read: it's probably not a coincidence xD), ch132 had the cover with Vincent reading the Fenian Cycle book to the twins and it's also the chapter in which Vicar Rathbone casually says that one twin/both twins (it's deliberately ambiguous in Japanese) have a name that is "rare for England" :

Many fans, myself included, thought that "Ciel" was the name being discussed there, but maybe they were actually talking about our!Ciel's celtic birth name ! To quote @azuresins, in that case that'd basically mean that, in that scene above, "Vincent said to an ENGLISH PRIEST [...] that people of Celtic origin deserved freedom, and to be treated better and that it probably was soon to come".

No wonder that Vicar Rathbone would immediately change the topic lmao ! xD

Vicar Rathbone be like

It is also very meaningful that Rachel decided to give the "Fionn/Fenian/Finnian" name to our!Ciel ("the spare"), as if to emphasize that he was free to make his own path in life, as the second son, unburdened by earldom. Choosing such a meaningful name might even be a parallel to Vincent's own situation with Frances as his spare, since both also have names with a meaning relating to victory and freedom.

Another important detail, as @azuresins already explained here, is that Fenian Cycle is also a tale of revenge and that our!Ciel parallels Fionn big deal, making it all even more relevant. And maybe Yana left other hints in her artworks too...

Finally, historically the Fenian Brotherhood officially got dissolved around 1880 (the twins were 5 years old), but it's always possible that, in Kuroverse, Vincent managed to make it thrive secretly as the Watchdog. The Fenian Brotherhood caused several incidents, including after 1880 (they assassinated a British Chief Secretary in 1882), so it wouldn't be impossible that the Queen eventually found out that Vincent didn't properly take care of them, because he was supporting them.

And when she found out? Well, she branded Vincent a political enemy and we know the rest (the household was massacred in 1885 and the killer most likely received help from real!Ciel, more details in the real!Ciel mastermind theory hehe).

The idea that Vincent ultimately became a political enemy of Victoria because he fell in love with Rachel makes their death...

...even more emotional to me, since Rachel probably died trying to protect Vincent. T_T

TL;DR that's the Fenian Brotherhood theory: because they supported an Irish rebellious group that wanted freedom, Vincent & Rachel were branded political enemies of Victoria and she & JB plotted their deaths, which led in happenstance to the RCMT.

(friendly reminder that the twins are 7, when Vincent asked Dee to look after them should he die)

I hope it was clear ! Thanks for reading. :))

[sweetmariihs2]

⊹₊୨୧ ⁺₊☾⊹ Cedric and Aurora's universe dynamic (the full lore) — a canon x oc ramble of mine ;

⊹.✩₊˚.☾⁺₊🔮 ⊹₊୨୧ ⁺₊.✩° ₊♡ ˚🪄⊹.✩₊˚.☾⁺₊ ⊹୨୧ ⁺₊🍒 ⊹.✩ ₊♡ ˚ ⊹

Tw: sexual intimacy mentioned, family abuse, self-loathing thoughts, and by the way the characters have around like a 15 years age gap so be aware of that.

I have like, so many fictional worlds in my head that were only made for myself, but I know them so in-depth, that I wish I could share them to someone else like some kind of work like a book, or a series, or videos, but I just can't, because it's only in my head. It's like when you write a book and try to convey the feeling of that story through moodboards and songs to try to make your readers understand the movie that going through your mind when you were writing the story. With the exception that I don't want to write a full story on this, because it would be too long and with no actual start, middle or end. It doesn't have the structure that a story would have, and I don't have time (or enough motivation) to write. I made this post with informatiom about Aurora and her story, intending to turn it into an instagram post, but I want to speak more about the characters and some stuff has changed since that post. Still, I consider it a significant part of my character's story so I'll add it here. The aesthetics and songs still match her the same.

First of all, I have whole playlists for them and their "story". It's not exactly about the characters (it is, actually), but the feeling that comes from their story I have in my mind is different from the feeling that comes from Sofia The First. I feel like Sofia The First is much more like a Disney princess cartoon, with ballgowns, castles and princess life, you know what I mean. While Cedric's and Aurora's story feels much more like... blue hour, you know? The Last Unicorn. The Secret of Moonacre. Feels like dark fantasy, a little. It's very quiet, calm, if it had a color, it would be defined by darker and pastel tones of purple and blue. They also gave off the intimate and slow pace of the story that I think that doesn't match very much with Sofia The First. It's almost like a spin off for a more mature public, because the characters overall are less "characters from a children's show" and more like something that would be part of those 90s slow movies. Like Girl Interrupted maybe? With the exception that they're not in a mental hospital, of course...

By the way, I found it relevant to mention that months after I had already created Aurora, I discovered a music artist called "Bambi Baker" and got honestly shocked at how much she visually resembled the image I had of Aurora in my head. She's beautiful and I do like some of her songs. Aurora's name, on the other way, came from one of my favorite singers, Aurora Aksnes. But they don't have anything in common, the singer Aurora and the character Aurora.

This is a link to my Cedric folder on Pinterest (I'm the person who posted most of his icons there so it's all saved here), and there is a subfolder called "Aurora", which is specifically focused on her and the story I made for them. This is the vibe I'm talking about.

The quotes in the folders are also relevant to the characters and their story. Aurora's ones specially because Cedric's folder is more neutral (cuz in the actual Sofia The First universe Aurora does not exist and Cedric is not in love)

I also recently posted a video that I recorded in august 2024, painting one of the arts I made of them. I also incorporated their aesthetics in the video using stickers, pinterest images, and my Cedric and Aurora folders. Also the songs playing in the video are actual songs from their playlist. (Gosh I wish I could add cute dividers, stickers and aesthetics to this post the same way I can do in this video, but the 10 image per post limit doesn't let me to)

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ Their playlist:

The songs in their playlist actually have lyrics that talk about them, most of the time. It makes me upset that they probably won't be appreciated like this by other people becuse the work that Cedric and Aurora together come from simply does not exist out of my mind. But I have a list of songs that I listen to when I'm writing about them, thinking of them or drawing their moments together (which is the best way I found to express the characters and share what I have of them in my head). Most of the songs that remind me of them are calm, slow and sweet, with some exceptions. I don't exactly have a playlist exclusively for them, their songs are mixed with some other writing songs on spotify, some other songs that I feel like would be part of their playlist are unreleased (Lana Del Rey's unreleased songs) and thus are not on spotify, and I need to hear them separately in my phone's storage. So it's better if I wrote their names down. I don't think that anyone will actually hear these but why not.

Piero Piccioni - Violino + Amore Mio Aiutame - Version 3 (two versions of the same song)

Nino Rota - Love Theme (from Romeo and Juliet)

Vangelis - La Petite Fille de La Mer

The Electric Prunes - Onie

Alice Phoebe Lou - Lover // Over The Moon

Lila Ravelle - Cherub

Lana Del Rey - Buddy's Rendezvous

Lana Del Rey - Oh Say Can You See

Lana Del Rey - For K Part 2

Lana Del Rey - Pawn Shop Blues

Lana Del Rey - Raise Me Up

Mazzy Star - Quiet, The Winter Harbor

Aspidistrafly - Countless White Moons

Aspidistrafly - Landscape With A Fairy

Christian Henson - Maria's Room

Christian Henson - I'm Glad That You're Back

Takatsugu Muramatsu - When I Held A Doll

Alice Phoebe Lou - Open My Door

Alice Phoebe Lou - Witches

Liana Flores - Nightvisions

Mitski - Me And My Husband

Black Box Recorder - Child Psychology

Leith Ross - Like We'll Never Have Sex

Almost the whole soundtrack album of the movie "When Marnie Was There" by Takatsugu Muramatsu

I wrote everything in this post in my own order, I decided to add everything that came to my mind, so I didn't organized the actual events in the story in order, just told about the characters until it culminated in me telling about their story and about the end of it. I will try to, not to divide this post in topics and titles, but help the readers to identify what will they be reading about in each part of the post through small summaries that would work like how actual titles work. Like this, for example:

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹The characters's routines, lives and environments:

They spend most of the time inside Cedric's tower, and I see the tower as a very silent place due to the height and distance from the ground and from the rest of the castle. I also think it's very cold and windy, due to the wind that travels through that height. It is all made of stone and the floors and walls get cold in a way that Cedric tells Aurora to always walk with shoes on, because he doesn't want her to catch a cold. During daytime, the inside of the tower is dark and the only source of light comes from the windows and the candles in the room, or from the magic they practice. In the night it gets much colder and the moonlight travels between the curtains to illuminate the inside of the tower. Cedric's (and now also Aurora's) room is in a mezzanine at the very top and highest spot of the tower, just some meters below the ceiling, in a way that the spiral staircase travels through all the floors with Cedric's bookshelves to finish at the start of their room. Their room doesn't have a door. The fact that it's a mezzanine divides the platform in a half-circle shape, leaving room for them to look down and see eachother in case someone's at the workshop. At the same time, the tower seems a bit larger than the actual tower in Sofia The First, but not enough to get alarmingly different, only the room inside (the whole inside of the tower, workshop and everything) is a little bigger, giving more space to move around. Other than that, everything is the same.

When Cedric lived alone, he slept in a canopy bed with white curtains and only had his bedside table and a closet. When Aurora moved in, he used a spell to duplicate his furniture for her to have somewhere to sleep and stay, too. Their beds are apart from eachother (not facing eachother, just separated, a bit next to eachother but not too much), and their furniture is in a mirrowed position, but the room is circular, which is just a small bit similar to the Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses bedroom. Aurora decorated her side of the room with flower vases, flower garlands on her canopy, hanging stars here and there. When she got better with spells, she was able to conjure her own dressing table to store her romance books, her makeup, ribbons and little trinkets. The belongings she brought from her home to Cedric's workshop in the suitcase she carried were placed as part of the room (some clothes, dresses, books, almost half of the things she had now). Most of them stay stored but some are on top of her dresser or bedside table. Cedric's side of the room is a lot more simple, with only some spell books and candles, and a lamp.

Their routine is very simple, and they spend most of their time inside the tower. Cedric always wakes up first, gets dressed and goes to the workshop to work in some potions for the king, because King Roland comissions specific potions according to the kingdom's demands, like healing potions. He lets Aurora sleep a bit more because she's not a royal sorcerer like him, thus she is not there to work and doesn't need to do a full time job like his. She wakes up around one or two hours later than him, Cedric wakes up at six and she wakes up at eight. As soon as she Aurora gets up, she gets ready and go downstairs to meet Cedric at the workshop and to help him in whatever he needs. Aurora is not only an apprentice, she also helps him sometimes in making potions, and Cedric takes advantage of his work to teach her some lessons in practice. Everyday Aurora does the same "routine spells" for around 30 minutes to prepare her wand, like warming up, before learning actual new and more advanced spells. She is there to study but occasionally she helps him cleaning the workshop, organizing his books and ingredients, brewing a potion or bringing something to his hands, stuff like that. They need to help eachother and keep the place organized (like a couple who own an apartment).

Most of Cedric's work inside the workshop is making potions commissioned by the king, and he also studies his own spells to keep himself "in shape" and always learn new things, or refresh old spells in his memory. Of course sometimes people appear at his door asking for stuff and he comes out of the workshop but basically that's it. He also plans the lessons he will give to Aurora and monitors her performance closely. Cedric teaches her practical lessons and tutoring classes where she listens to him about magical theory, watches Cedric perform spells, and practices them. He also teaches what not to do and why. Usually Cedric lets her practice her spells in a table while he works in the other one, keeps giving her tips and correcting her posture, tone of voice when pronouncing spells, so Cedric keeps tutoring her even when he's busy at work. They tend to be more professional during the day and more romantic during the night due to old habits.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ How they dedicate their night time to eachother and how much this habit matters to them and their story/relationship:

In the past, when something started to blossom between them, Cedric and Aurora agreed to make a rule: In the daytime they were professional, in the nighttime they didn't needed to be, to put some order in there. Because of this, now they don't really have that rule anymore, but they are used to being more intimate after work. At first they tried to ignore their feelings during the day, but now they are fine with that, they're just casually less clingy. At first they were very strict about what was allowed and what was not, and Aurora found little ways here and there to bend the rules a bit. Now their rules are far less strict, but they still tend to follow their old habits. Like, for example, they can kiss or flirt in some moments during the day at the workshop but they will have actual romantic time at night since it's their resting time.

In my mind I have this very peaceful idea of Enchancia at night, with blue lighting, moonlight, the busy corridors of the castle all empty and dark, only illuminated by candles and the moon. From Cedric's tower it's possible to look at Enchancia's domain and see everything from up there, including the castle, the gardens, the mountains and rivers, the light that comes from the village or the lamps and candles in the castle, and in the night everything gets more silent and cozy. Once I made a moodboard of what I think that would feel like staying in Enchancia at night, it really conveys what's in my mind, after all I made it inspired by Cedric and Aurora's story at the time, I even added one of the songs from their playlist.

The night wind makes the sorcerer tower get a lot colder and the silence of the night makes it feel more private and peaceful compared to daytime, where they need to live under certains expectations and pressures that only come from their daily routines. At night they feel a lot more free to be themselves and enjoy eachothers presence. During the day there is a lot of work involved, how people perceive them and act towards them, like for example in Cedric's case when he interacts with people and remembers that he is "the Cedric from Enchancia who is the royal sorcerer and who is also weird and a bungler to everyone", while at night he is just what he knows of himself, vulnerable and honest, with no one to watch or judge.

They can love eachother more freely at night, be able to talk and show affection, like kissing, hugging, sleeping in eachother's beds and talking until sleep. When they're dressed in night clothes like Aurora wears her white nightgowns and Cedric wears his blue striped pajamas. It's often at night where they speak the most about their feelings, about their love but also about eachother's insecurities, traumas, it's how they talk about boundaries, about eachother's traumatic past (the only thing that Cedrid didn't told Aurora yet it's about his evil schemes, because he knows what she would think of him if he ever told her, and dares to keep it hidden until the moment they finally happen just like how he did with Sofia, because he is afraid of losing her, but let's go back to this later). They talk to eachother about everything they don't say in public or during the day. Imagine their insecurities... they talk to eachother about that, they whisper about that. And hold eachother's hands, get comfortable in eachother's warmth under the covers, share some kisses here and there.

It's during night when they get much more intimate too, in a lot of senses. I mean, the night provides them a lot of intimacy and privacy, when someone say these words people tend to think that we're talking in a sexual sense, but not only that, I mean actual intimacy and privacy, emotional stuff, the hability to be themselves next to eachother, like I mentioned earlier. But since we touched on the subject, sexual intimacy is really important for their relationship as well, and it's also during night when most of the stuff happen. At first things were a lot more unusual, they were more strict with their rule of "roles at day, couple at night", and everything they were trying was very new and thrilling, but now they're far more comfortable around eachother, clearly like when people start dating and the first months are more thrilling but the next ones are more comfortable and used to eachother's presence, not less loving. I think people tend to talk less about their character's sexual lives, I mean, sometimes they're only mentioned when it's intended to actually sexualize them, or they just aren't mentioned because it's not relevant to the story, but in this case is very relevant to the story. I mean, what would be of this couple if it wasn't for their intimate moments? Intimacy is very important for them, it's one of their main ways of showing affection and emotionally connecting with eachother besides talking and being vulnerable, I can't ignore this part of the story because it's crucial.

I can't even quite put into words how much this showing of affection means to them, it's not something like the stuff you see in media, is something much more passionate, personal and visceral, like, a true, true way of showing intimacy and connection. They usually do their stuff only in the dark and in the middle of the night when there's no noise or anyone awake, and I feel like, that very dreamy, blue hour, moonlight vibe fits perfectly with them and with the moments they're like this. I feel like there isn't a way of talking about a sexual subject without it being unfortunately sexualized by people, if you know what I mean, but if there's someone who certainly are professionals in avoiding that, are Cedric and Aurora. It's like their intimate moments aren't just intimate, they're the most sincere ways of showing eachother their souls, hearts, insecurities, pains. They forget about the whole world when they're in that dark tower, under the moonlight that comes from the windows, in their canopy beds and in eachother's presence. They don't even need to do anything sexual to feel a deep sense of connection, it's like their room is a box where they keep all their feelings inside, and then they have a small amount of time every night to be in it and forget about their troubles until the sun rises again and they have to go back to their lives. I'm not only talking about sexual intimacy here. Should I make another Barbie And The 12 Dancing Princesses reference again? Maybe it's not a good moment for that...

At first they were much more emotional and impulsive because it was new and definitely dangerous but not too many time later it just became their thing. When they confessed their feelings to eachother, that was the first thing they did because they were very impulsive and were dealing with a lot of frustration for weeks straight. This happened like, a month after Aurora lived at Cedric's tower, and they promised they wouldn't talk about it again, but that didn't worked, of course. They made the "studying at day, lovers at night" rule but sometimes they broke the rule because Aurora is that much of a troublemaker and Cedric has an awful self-discipline, even though he was the one who made the rule in the first place. For like, around three to four months, they were very crazy, reckless and impulsive towards eachother in talks about intimacy, because none of them had that kind of thing before in their lives, so it was new and thrilling. Cedric never had a pretty and amazing girl so into him before (in fact he never had anything before tbh) and Aurora never had the guy of her dreams that's so similar to the ones from her books and that comes directly from her wildest fantasies (she also never tried anything before) so they were a bit too much. But that urgency slowly faded into passion and into a long-term healthy relationship, and now they're a couple who are very intimate with eachother and also happen to be eachother's best friends.

I'm writing many of these paragraphs with no order in particular so since I'm going so deep into their relationship, I'm gonna start introducing the story by parts (since the beginning, that means, Aurora's past) and then pick up the conversation about their dynamic again after you guys know better of the events that brought them to this moment.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ Aurora's past as a baker's daughter in a village and her arrival at the castle:

I had already spoken about that in the past but I changed some details about this part of the story, Aurora's past is quite upsetting. She came from a commoner family in a small village from a distant kingdom, one that was far from it's castle and thus kinda forgotten by everyone (I gave it a name but it's not very important and I don't remember it anymore). In this village, Aurora was being raised by her family in their house that was connected to their bakery. This was their income. She had a mother, father, and older siblings, Aurora being the youngest in the family. Some of her sisters became wives, and her brothers also had their own wives and everything, but she neved liked the idea of being a wife, even though her family pressed her to it. Her family is very traditional but she isn't, probably the books that she read growing up (that came from other kingdoms, other places, writers from out of that closed-minded village, telling true romantic stories) and the watching of older girls marrying and living unhappy lives as sad wives made her notice that this wasn't exactly something she wanted for herself. Her family tried to raise her into it but she fortunately refused, and got into trouble for that. Her relationship with her parents (and siblings) is very damaged, but it's not her fault. Her "weirdness" make her family and other villagers see her as an outcast and she was known by that back then. The weird baker's daughter.

Once when Aurora was a child, a traveling wizard came to her village and performed magic shows for the children in the street, and from then on Aurora fell in love with magic. Some time later, as a young teenager, she found a dusty magic book lost in the village's library and the librarian gave it to her, having in mind that no one cared about this book. She also found a magic wand along with the book, that went unnoticed by the librarian. That's when Aurora started practicing spells by herself, but without guidance and previous training the spells obviously went wrong. The wand being old and damaged didn't quite helped her but back then Aurora didn't know that. The spells worked only when they wanted to work... only 20% of the time. Because of that, Aurora failed a lot, and in front of other people. She tried to organize her family's bakery but then ended up destroying half of the baked goods. She tried to bake bread faster and set the kitchen on fire in the same way that she burned the entire batch. Her parents had never supported Aurora's choices anyway, but this passion for magic was also extremely rejected by them: she was a disgrace for their family. Her hair was brown, Aurora was born brunette like her whole family was, but she tried a hair spell once and her hair got permanently white. She was shouted for it and cried due to her mistake for days. Everyone in the village knew how much of a failure she was, how ashamed her family was of her, and how now she carried her mistake on her head, to make her look even more weird and ridiculous to other people. Her white hair really stood out because there weren't any magical beings around their village often. Also, just for context, some of her clothes were actual clothes that she bought/owned/got from her family and village, and since her mother taught her how to sew and embroider (for marriage and gender role reasons), Aurora used that sewing knowledge just to make her own clothes.

She was known by everyone as really pretty since she was very young, but after her teenage years, villagers said that she wasted herself. There certainly were expectations that a pretty girl only served to being a good wife in the future, but Aurora was doing the exact opposite of that. The prejudice that other villagers had towards Aurora is unfair, because she is very kind to people and is a constant attendant at the bakery, who treats all the customers very well. Took scoldings from her father all the time, but still kept working at the bakery kitchen/counter and treating everyone kindly.

Her comfort were always her books. Romance books, for that matter. She loved to read and the librarian gave her tons of books because of that. In these stories, the characters were all open minded, respectful, kind. They didn't needed to be under the pressure of their families all the time, and even when they were, soon they were freed of it, or found comfort in eachother. The open-minded writers that came from far, open-minded kingdoms wrote open-minded characters, showing Aurora relationships and people far more respectful and comfortable to be around than the ones she met everyday. She loved to daydream about those romance stories, and the male characters from these books shaped her taste in men, too. She started reading these books when she was a tween (she certainly shouldn't be, by the way, but she did) and she was part of a girl group of friends that shared the books and everyone spoke about their crushes and favorite stories, like a neighborhood friendship. Due to the traditional (and sexist) culture of the village, her friends gradually got married and became adults, and housewives, losing the joy they had in reading books together and laughing with each other (living a life they didn't wanted, but were obligated to live). Aurora was the only one that lasted without changing. She feels sorry for them but despite those girls living unhappy, they see it as something they were destined to do, thus they think that Aurora acts like a child. A very weird girl who has not yet taken on the responsibilities of her life. They're not friends with her anymore — she doesn't have any.

As I mentioned, her relationship with her parents is quite bad. She was always beautiful and kind, people loved her for it, but once Aurora started rejecting tradition, her family started to reject her back. Aurora noticed the harmful patters in their traditions and refused to accept them, or to keep quiet about them, and then their relationship started to deteriorate. Her father had always been very stern, but he personally holds a grudge against her because, once again, she is "the failure of their family". For him, Aurora ruins everything, Aurora is annoying, Aurora is ungrateful, Aurora only brings shame, she does everything wrong, she looks and acts weird, she reads those weird books and daydreams about magic, etc, etc, etc. Her whole family is not very fond of her, but her father is mean. He shouts at her. He startles her. He calls her names. He takes things from her hands. He treats her like a nuisance. And he does all of this in front of other people, customers. There is a lot of sexism in her family and in her village, and she's certainly a target. Her mom is a victim of their culture, but then she became part of it, agreeing about Aurora having to accept her role and about her always making mistakes.

Her father wanted her to get married, to be free of her, but Aurora didn't want to. Besides, a marriage could generate a business deal and financial benefits for her family, but she doesn't cooperate for obvious reasons. Some guys tried to ask for her hand, but it never worked out, because there were times where Aurora rejected some guys, and other times she did everything she could to make the guy regret it and cancel the deal. It wasn't funny, it was really bad actually, because she knows that these guys only care for her looks and wish to prey over her appearance, make her clean their house and take care of children, and this makes her deeply uncomfortable.

She wants to be a sorceress, be a witch, travel through kingdoms, meet other people, other places, live in a castle helping a king or a queen. She heard about the royal sorcerer role and it sounded amazing, a dream come true. Aurora thought about her spells and tried to understand what was wrong, and finally understood that without help she would never learn anything. Without guidance, she would never be a sorceress. Then she made an important decision: There was nothing in her hometown worth staying for. The idea went around in her mind for a few months, long months, and Aurora began to prepare to leave. She started telling people that she was leaving, that she would travel far away to study magic, and of course, her family discouraged her, but she insisted on continuing. Aurora already didn't had many things, so she packed her books, clothes and other belongings into a few suitcases that she could carry, bought a flying broomstick from a traveling salesman (it was very difficult to find one, but she did!) and in the end she said goodbye to her family to begin her journey in search of a royal sorcerer who could teach her about magic. She decided to go after royal sorcerers because there is a guarantee that they are disciplined, experienced, stay in castles (where she can find housing) and because it is the job she would most like to have in the world. It would also teach her how it is to live their life, to prepare her for what was to come. It was the best and safest choice.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ How Cedric and Aurora met:

I had said before that she left home and began her journey at 18, but I no longer agree with that. I think she went in her own time, some years older by the way, when she was in the start to mid of her twenties (I thought before that she might have traveled for years, but this is a very long time, it's too much, so it's better if she started her journey a bit older and traveled a lot less). She also didn't traveled for so many time, just for some months now. Aurora visited several castles and asked permission from several kings to stay in their castles and learn from their royal sorcerers, but she didn't stay in any of them for long. Sometimes the kings themselves rejected her, sometimes the sorcerers rejected her, sometimes she realized she wasn't welcome and left. There's a small chance that Aurora knows most of the people in the Order of the Wand lmao. Maybe she tried to be Greylock's student but it didn't work out and she left. Honestly, Aurora was starting to lose hope when she arrived in Enchancia and told King Roland about her situation. She wanted to stay and study magic, to become a royal sorcerer, and asked if his royal sorcerer could offer her magic lessons. Roland thought about the answer. He figured that Cedric could learn a little about responsibility and practice his own spells more by teaching an apprentice (a current apprentice, differently from Sofia, who very ocasionally showed up there). Plus, he would be less lonely in the tower with a companion, maybe he would look less depressed and fed up, and Roland really wanted to help Aurora. In the end, the king decided that it was a good decision, and without even telling Cedric first, he asked Baileywick to take Aurora to the sorcerer's tower. She was very excited to meet Cedric.

Aurora arrived at Cedric's tower at around January 10th (I choose this day based on the period I entered the Cedric fandom). 10 days after Cedric's 38th birthday. (The pilot movie of STF: Once Upon A Princess came out in december 2012, the series released january 2013, so I like to think that Aurora "arrived" at the castle around the middle of the first season, after the Cedric's Apprentice episode and some others. When Sofia arrived, it was december, and Cedric was 37. His birthday is said to be at the start of january and most of the fandom headcanon that it's january 1st, so he turned 38 and then met Aurora.)

Cedric was in the middle of brewing a potion when he was interrupted by an unfortunate visit from Baileywick and a strange girl at the worst possible time. Of course the potion was ruined. Baileywick told him that this was his new apprentice, that it was one of King Roland's orders and she would live there from now on. Cedric didn't even had time to speak up and understand things better (to rage and complain actually) before Baileywick left and Aurora had to explain her situation by herself, and the more she spoke, the more Cedric got infuriated. Suddenly, now the antisocial and grumpy Cedric had a random girl living in his tower who he had to teach as if he were a school teacher, as if Sofia weren't already enough. There would be no more privacy, he would not spend all day alone with Wormwood, he could no longer talk about his evil plans out loud, much less plan them, and he would not even get extra pay for it, all because of the damn annoying King Roland again. When Aurora arrived at the tower Cedric was very rude and stern with her, and a while later he went to Roland's throne room to discuss his decision. Cedric said he was not consulted before this decision, said he did not want to share the tower with a girl he did not know, said he was not a teacher. Roland explained himself by saying that he thought it was the best decision because of... Cedric's declining performance, and that it would be good for both of them. Besides, Sofia said that Cedric had been a great teacher for her, and Aurora needed help. She had traveled far and wide looking for a tutor, and Roland said he believed Cedric could do it. So, reluctantly, Cedric returned to his tower and his unfortunate apprentice. He would have liked to, but there was no debate with the king (We are talking about season one Cedric, by the way). But still, King Roland said he took Cedric's suggestions into consideration and would think about the case, being answered with a very bothered "thank you".

Aurora overheard his conversation with the king but decided to ignore how that made her upset and tried her best to prove to Cedric that she was worthy of learning, that she was useful, and could be helpful. She was very polite to him and treated him as if he were a celebrity, always with kindness, attention, interest and plain obedience (definitely a result of his reaction towards her, but she was naturally drawn to and impressed by royal sorcerers, or any kind of sorcerer). Cedric, on the other hand, treated her like he treated Sofia at the beginning of STF, rudely, grumpy and doing the bare minimum since King Roland forced him to. Aurora didn't had a magical amulet or anything that could convince Cedric to treat her kindly, so he was quite transparent about complaining of her staying, not being directly rude to her, but sending indirect comments like "If you didn't liked the room, save your complaints to the king because I sure did, and guess what? I wasn't heard. I have a better idea, don't do that, he probably won't help you with anything, if you think the room is bad then leave. I'm sure other castles will have better ones." And she would politely answer with "No, sir, the room is really good to me. Thank you." And Cedric would say "Whatever."

He went to his room and duplicated his furniture for her because it was easier that way. He gave her a tour of the tower and told her not to touch anything. And in the end, he gave her something random to study so that she would let him work in peace. Gave her any book, taught any easy spell, did the bare minimum so that she would stop watching him, muttering to Wormwood about how much the girl's presence bothered him. Aurora was not dumb, and she picked up his behavior, but didn't said anything at first; she thought that he might be just in a bad mood. But eventually, in the next few days, she considered that maybe this wasn't her place after all, maybe Cedric wasn't the one she was looking for, and considered leaving. She cried once because of his rudeness.

That's what Cedric does, if people push him away, he will push people away back and hide in his dark tower pretending he is not upset, and that this was his choice (but it wasn't, he just pretends that it is, and then turned bitter as the years went on). "I don't fit well in a ball? Well, I don't want to go to the ball either. I don't even like social events. I'll just stay in my tower... again... while everyone is at the ballroom having fun...". He tends to push people away without giving them the chance to dissapoint him, to avoid trauma, and eventually started being mean to people who never intended to be mean to him anyway. This happened between him and Aurora. Thankfully she was patient enough to wait and know him first (to be honest she needed to stay so that she could study, but this was just one of the reasons since she could have left if she wanted to).

Living together and following Cedric's routine, he had to go to the village to look for and buy some ingredients, and on the way they talked a lot. To get to know each other, mainly. He didn't want to bring her but he had no choice. Cedric was still reluctant about her presence but answered her questions, and Aurora talked about her life too. She shared that she always wanted to learn magic, but always failed and was judged by the people of the village as weird and a bungler, and realized that without a tutor she would never learn anything. All she wanted most was to learn magic, and her eyes lit up when she talked about it or saw Cedric perform any minor spell. Cedric then sympathized with the girl and realized that he was being too harsh... reluctantly. Maybe he could be more kind towards her. He stopped with his rude comments and started to be more patient with her.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ How their romance blossomed and how their relationship developed after some months (and fun facts to take into consideration):

Over time, Cedric began to realize that Aurora was actually quite nice. In the end, Cedric liked seeing the pride on her face when her spells worked, and it made him feel rewarded in a way (He likes teaching, he just hasn't realized it yet). When Roland called Cedric's presence and said he considered Cedric's suggestions about sending the girl away, Cedric surprisingly refused (And Roland felt a sense of accomplishment because of that). Little by little her presence became pleasant and Cedric was getting used to having a happier company, even though Wormwood was still there, Aurora brought joy to the tower and the days seemed less gloomy. (Wormwood wasn't the healthiest of friends, he usually made Cedric worse, but Cedric didn't realized. Having new company, a more positive one, certanly had positive reactions). A feeling of affection for each other began to spark between the two. Cedric had always noticed that Aurora was beautiful, it wasn't hard to notice, but now it seemed like it was getting to him. She was kind, sweet and polite to him, she was beautiful, she had a strong admiration for Cedric, she was perfect in every detail and was similar to him in so many ways, as if she understood him deeply. Cedric then began to notice that he was nurturing a great affection for her. That the touch of her hand on his fingers left him tense and speechless, that the sight of her in the dresses she wore every morning gave him a pang in his chest, that her delicate and attentive eyes watching him explain and perform spells were making him awkward and flustered. On the other hand, Aurora found him charming, he resembled the characters in the books she read, he was careful and patient with her, talented and performed magic. He understood her struggles because he was also mistreated in the castle. There was a bond and a pull between them that could not be accurately described in words, they cared for each other so much and wanted each other so badly, they simply had a tension that was impossible to ignore and it was becoming agonizing to do so, but they kept pushing it forward.

One night Aurora couldn't sleep alone because of her poor adaptation to the dark and cold tower and had to go to Cedric's bed to ask for company. They were getting quite used to eachother and creating a bond, so it wasn't that sudden. He simply couldn't say no, and so after a while of talking in the silence of the tower they shared an "accidental" kiss. After Cedric realized the mess he had made, he asked for forgiveness and the two agreed to never speak of it again, and so the next day continued normally, one day after the other nurturing feelings for each other but doing nothing about it. The biggest problem were their roles. Cedric feared that he could get into trouble with King Roland, he feared that this could affect his role as a royal sorcerer, making him even more of a disgrace to his family and anyone else in the kingdom who knew him by name, he feared ruining his reputation, and besides, Aurora would be a huge obstacle to his evil plans, because not only would her presence hinder him from planning, but he also wouldn't be able to execute them with her by his side and he wouldn't want to disappoint her. Everything was now going, and could go, terribly wrong. How could he take over the kingdom with an apprentice and a possible lover under his wing? Impossible.

Aurora was afraid of being kicked out by Roland if someone found out about them and she needed to stay there, both because she wanted to stay in Enchancia (perfect place with kind people and Cedric by her side) and she needed to study (for her future). She was specially scared for Cedric too, that could lose his job and stain his reputation. So they both kept ignoring their feelings for a 'long time'... (a month). Eventually, after a long work day, Cedric and Aurora were alone in the silence of the night once again, Cedric was working until late and Aurora was in her nightgown telling him "good night", saying she was going upstairs to their room, and Cedric, overwhelmed by all his thoughts and feelings that were being all pushed back and pressed together into a rain cloud through a whole month, couldn't hold back anymore. He had to get up from his desk, had to tell her about his feelings, about how much her presence was affecting him and taking over all of his thoughts, and that this was consuming him from inside. Aurora couldn't hold back and did the same, telling him that she couldn't bare looking at him knowing that he couldn't be hers. It was all too much to take and they were too emotional to fight the urges. Cedric just said "You know what? Forget it. Tomorrow we can pretend that nothing happened. I need to deal with this today" and they kissed really, really passionately. After that, they spent more than half the night awake doing some stuff they had never tried with anyone, ever.

In the following weeks, or months, Cedric and Aurora kept being reckless and doing stuff that they shouldn't. That's when they made the "studying at day, lovers by night" rule, but this only kept them from talking about it out loud. Aurora would often find ways to bend the rule by subtly flirting during the day and teasing Cedric until the night fell (or until he gave in, and this could be at anytime, sometimes to get some kisses and affection, sometimes more), Aurora often got on his nerves, but he couldn't stay mad at her for long. She would "unintentionaly" touch her hand on his, stare at his lips while he explained something, touched her leg on his while they're sat, there were times where she was even bolder in her "subtle" teasing, and worse times where she subtly teased him in public, in a way that people won't notice. Cedric felt like he was spoiling her too much by letting her get away with everything all the time, but deep down he didn't felt exactly mad at her for that, and she always found a way not to let him.

(I don't know why the quality of the image got so bad. These are screenshots of my stories/highlights from Instagram. In the tumblr app there is a 10 image limit so I can't show these drawings separately, I have to put them all in the same image.)

Wormwood was getting pretty sick and tired of Aurora's presence in the workshop and Cedric knew it. He wasn't being exactly subtle around it, refusing to help Aurora, refusing to touch her, to land on Cedric while she was around, once Aurora tried to made friends with Wormwood and he tried to peck her, or better saying, he did. Cedric pushed him out of the workshop for the whole day after that, like he did in the When You Wish Upon A Well episode, and took care of Aurora instead. Wormwood hated Aurora, not only because of jealousy, but because she was distracting Cedric from their goal of taking over the kingdom. The better and healthier Cedric was, the farther was the dethroning of King Roland. One night, when Aurora was away, maybe in their room, Cedric sat with Wormwood by the window and spoke to him about how rudely he was treating Aurora. Even though Wormwood couldn't talk yet, he could show signs of his opinion, and Cedric could guess what he meant sometimes. Wormwood tried to make Cedric feel bad for what he was having with Aurora, trying to convince him that he was being too selfish and reckless (Cedric was only asking stuff like "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, am I?" And Wormwood answered with different intonations of caws, meaning different things). "I just... like her too much. I can't help but think of how would she feel after finding out the truth. I mean, can you blame me? No one sees me like that, like I'm worthy something. No one except for Princess Sofia and Aurora, but Aurora is... a different case. She just pulls my heartstrings too much and... makes me doubt things. I can't choose between her and the kingdom. Besides, I'm definitely going to affect her studies and her dreams. Should I leave her for her own good?" "Caw caw (absolutely)" "No, I won't. I can't do that. Maybe I should wait until she's graduated from this magic tutoring thing and take over the kingdom after some years." "Caw caw! (ARE YOU CRAZY??! NO!!)" "I know! I know I can't waste all that time! I don't know what to do. You think I'm making a bad decision, Wormy?" "Caw caw (yes)" "I know... this is awful..."

In the first weeks and months, they were still new to eachother and were getting used to their presence. They had tons of adventures in the first half of the year. I remember I planned them taking a walk through the castle gardens and subtly flirting for a long time someday in the first months; at that time Cedric still felt flustered and, at the admission of Aurora of her romantic type, he got all nervous because he matched a bit too much (she was flirting with him, but it was true though). There was also a day where they were walking through the castle and Aurora imitated Cedric's accent, running from him and making him run after her until he got tired. When he said something to her, she would imitate again and run even more. Aurora also brought him to the kitchen to bake a chocolate cake for him, and he loved it (she grew up in a bakery, so...). They had tea in the castle gardens and spent evenings at the castle's library. They had picnics in the village sometimes next to a pond and the forest, and had to sneak some kisses here and there. All the time acting like they're just walking by or studying together, but as soon as they're alone Aurora starts to subtly flirt until it culminantes in risky kisses.

When they met eachother, both of them had no experience with anyone, in romantic aspects and sexual aspects. Cedric had spent his school years being an outcast and bullied, he was seen as weird and people mocked him, and he didn't wanted to stay with these people anyway, so he wasn't obsessed with trying romantic stuff. He had his crushes in certain girls (or boys) but Cedric was considered weird so he didn't even tried to confess or show interest to them. Maybe he did kissed someone at some moment? But when out of high school, he spent his days in his father's tower as an assistant until the day he was ready to become a royal sorcerer (around 22 years old) when King Roland also became King. Since then he stays in his tower most of the time and people still view him as weird and unwelcoming, so he didn't had sexual or romantic experiences, and he gave up and didn't cared about having. Aurora had suitors in the village (suitors and perverts, all different types) who were interested in her and proposed/harassed/disrespected her, but her situation is like Belle's (from Beauty And The Beast), she is considered weird and these guys are only interested in her beauty, but they are interested in pruning her interests and her individuality. Aurora never kissed, never dated anyone, and never had her first time, just like Cedric (maybe he kissed, I'm not sure). I will go back to this subject later in the post.

Once they decided to take a day off and spend their day in the village. This was a very special day for Aurora!! They only planned to hang out a bit and maybe make a picnic, but when walking through the village they passed next to a seamstress shop and Aurora saw the most perfect dress she could ever think of. It was white, sparkly, and the light reflected on the fabric, giving it magical, almost holographic rainbow colors, very subtly. It had big sleeves and a lot of fabric, looked like it came out of a dream. It looked similar to Sarah's dress from Labyrinth or Aurora's dress in the music video of Temporary High, I have some references saved in my Pinterest Aurora board. Aurora got defenitely absolutely in love with the dress and since she always speaks her mind, she started to rant about how beautiful was this dress, with her hands on the showcase glass and everything. After praising the dress and showing her admiration for it, Aurora thought twice about her words and remembered that her parents could never afford something like this, and now that she was on her own, she couldn't afford to buy it with her money either. It was expensive, the price was right in front of the dress, and it costed a lot, which would be around 1000 US dollars, just so you can get an idea. She didn't even considered ever owning the dress, the idea hadn't even crossed her mind, but when Cedric looked at her, so in love with the dress but thinking she would never get it due to her financial condition, he made a bold decision and said that he would buy the dress for her.

Aurora got very surprised by this, and after telling Cedric he didn't needed to because it was very expensive, he reassured her that he wanted to buy her the dress, and that he could afford it with the royal salary he receives from the king, even if it was a bit expensive. Aurora started to cry because no one had ever treated her so well, not even her family, and she was never able to have that kind of thing; ball gowns, living in a castle, having a good, stable life in a calm place, with people that give her communication and care instead of just scolding. Aurora then hugged him tightly and thanked him, getting his robe wet from tears, but Cedric just chuckled and said to enter the seamstress shop now. When they came in and spoke to a gentle lady in the balcony, the owner of the store, she told them that the dress had actual magic in it to give it that glowy and sparkly color, and Cedric could actually tell it was true due to his experience with magic. The seamstress took the dress off the mannequin and gave it to Aurora, telling her to try it, and she ran to the fitting room. When she came out, wearing the dress, Cedric felt like it was made for her. She looked so beautiful and so happy. He paid the seamstress, this was one of the only times he would spend his money on something else than himself, but it was worth it. Maybe Aurora and Sofia were softening his heart too much? Probably, but to see that huge smile in her face, it was worth it. he had to diffuse some of the seamstress's comments by telling her that Aurora was just her apprentice, and he had to listen to her talk about how Aurora would be a heartbreaker in that dress at the ball, rolling his eyes a little in jealousy. She wore that dress to a ball a few weeks later, and the only heart she wanted to touch was his.

Their version of the sun/moon trend (who's the sun and who's the moon of the relationship) is actually moon and stars. Because Cedric is the moon and Aurora is his stars. People tend to see the starts as less than the moon but the starts are everywhere around it, and keeping it company. What would be of the moon if it didn't had the stars around it? Lonely in the darkness of the sky?

They sometimes go to eachother's bed, they both do it, for comfort, for affection, sometimes just not to sleep alone. When with Cedric, Aurora always sleeps close to his chest, but if Cedric is upset and is having a bad self-esteem crisis or had a bad day she'll hold him instead and let him cry. Cedric doesn't like to cry in front of her because it makes him feel stupid (due to trauma, right Goodwyn?), but Aurora's soothing voice does not let him hold back and convinces him to let the tears out, until he's sobbing and hiding his face in her hair. Differently from what Cedric thinks, she is not threatened by his crying and will kiss the tears away if he let her;

Aurora is afraid of small critters like lizards, frogs and certain bugs, while Cedric is used to/and was raised touching them, alive, or in dead parts to use in potions. He laughs a bit and tells her that they're harmless but Aurora is afraid of them anyway, so he takes them into his hands and frees them outside the tower. He knows that Aurora is terrified of them so he won't push her to touch/approach or make fun of her, despite finding her reactions a bit amusing. Cedric tells her that she will need to get used to touching that stuff to make certain spells and be a sorceress, but Aurora says that she doesn't care. Cedric rolls his eyes with a smile, taking a mental note that they'll have to work through that. She refuses to touch them so Cedric gave her tweezers to still be able to make potions.

There was a time when Aurora was bedsick and Cedric had to take care of her, give her medicine, and convince her to eat something healthier than just pastries and baking goods. He gave her a soup and some health potions, which she didn't liked much, but at least she got better. The royal doctor making questions was really uncomfortable though, he questioned if Aurora had any chance of being pregnant, and Cedric and Aurora eyed eachother. It was a nightmare. They had to say that Aurora had a boyfriend... somewhere.... in the world, idk... but turns out it was just a cold and the doctor was asking standard questions.

I also like to imagine how they would be like if they went together to Merroway Cove with the royal family in their floating castle. Aurora had never went to the beach or seen the sea so she has tons of fun. She is very playful, so she would play around, play games with the royal children, make sand castles, take a sea bath, and call Cedric all the time. Cedric doesn't like the sun, doesn't like the sand, doesn't like the sticky sea water, he's very introverted and doesn't enjoy being around Roland or the royal family, so he would try to stay inside the floating castle. There are some moments where he would get out though, and would sit in a shadow while watching Aurora have fun. He would rather not go, but... Aurora would convince him to have fun with her, and he would take some time to finally roll the hem of his pants and wet his feet in the water. She would like to, but she wouldn't throw water at him or push him because it's disrespectful to his boundaries; "I want to push you on the water so badly", "don't you dare", "alright hihihihi". Cedric would try not to stare too much at her from where he's sitting.

Aurora is friends with some castle maids and cooks, and also with Gwen, Chef Andre's daughter. Sofia is also friends with her, and Baileywick also knows her and her bubbly personality quite well, calling her "Miss Aurora". Amber and James are not so close to Aurora, but they see her as nice too, and Roland and Miranda, well... they see her as nice but she's one of the dozens of castle residents so they don't pay much attention to her, despite aknowledging her existence.

In this story I apply my personal headcanon that Cedric is bisexual. He discovered it when he was a teenager at Hexley Hall, feeling attracted to boys and masculine traits in some situations during school, and since then he prefers to hide it and pretend he doesn't know, but he does know. He felt wrong for many years, and preferred to stay true to only the side of him that liked girls, so as not to step out of line and embarrass his parents/himself even more. He has this feeling internalized and wouldn't even tell the truth to Aurora herself if she hadn't discovered it on her own. How she discovered it I still don't know, but I think she had doubts for a while. Finally, when she found out, she welcomed Cedric very well and accepted him with an ease that honestly surprised him a lot. He asked her if she didn't think it was strange, if she felt less interested in him, if she felt he was a liar or seemed stupid, and she denied it, saying she didn't care. If he wanted to be with her, it's because he likes her. She also educated him on the term "bisexual", but Cedric was hesitant to admit it for some time. He also asked her if she could keep it a secret for now, until he felt comfortable in coming out, and Aurora agreed.

Aurora had the habit to read tons of books, her favorite ones were romance and drama (if she existed today she would love reading fanfiction), and her absolute favorite book is called Field Of Violets. The book is purple, and the cover of the book is wrapped in a worn light violet fabric, with a violet embroidered on the oval frame in the center of the cover, with the title and information also embroidered. The book appears to be of good quality and much read and used before it reached her hands, but it must have belonged to someone of high income due to its quality and because it ended up thrown away in an old and decaying library of a small village forgotten by the kings, surrounded by forests and mountains. The story is about Rosella, the daughter of a wealthy baron who needs to adjust to her studies before marrying Prince Caspian by family contracts, which leads her father to hire a very known and experienced tutor to recover her from her years spent at home instead of at school. "However, Rosella did not expect to fall for the cold charm of her tutor August before being handed over to the firstborn to the throne" (pretend I just read this very dramatically and with a very cliché tone). The story itself happens almost entirely inside the baron's huge mansion and Rosella and August have a enmity between eachother due to August being very harsh and firm with Rosella, because she reminded him of his deceased wife and Rosella's presence made him vulnerable. After tons of discussions and twists and turns, alarmed by the romance that gradually developed, August's possible departure and Rosella's imminent marriage to Prince Caspian, by the end of the story everything is resolved and Rosella and August live happily ever after. Rosella has brown/ginger hair and uses long rococo floral pink/white dresses while August has long tied black hair, with glasses, a lock of white hair, is usually wearing a grey vest and smokes, has a british accent, a hawk nose, and tired facial features. Turns out that he's a gentleman but very rough in the edges (how cliché). It's very cliché on purpose and we can get that Aurora definitely has a type, because August is her favorite fictional crush. When she moved to Enchancia, Aurora brought this book with her, and convinced Cedric to spend some quality time at night reading the book together.

Cedric is not a fan of cheesy romance books, specially with spicy scenes, he honestly gets a bit surprised and shocked by the fact that Aurora reads that kind of stuff. Again, people have such a sweet view of Aurora that they don't consider that she has her own preferences, even Cedric himself judges her without noticing sometimes. One day, while he was studying spells and Aurora was reading next to him, before discovering that she liked reading that kind of thing, he asked what was so funny about the book that made her smile so much, and Aurora tried to brush it aside and say that it was nothing. Cedric's curiosity about her suspicious behavior and the small frustration that Aurora didn't want to tell him made him insist on seeing it, so he picked up the book and came across the most explicit scene he had ever seen written in a book. He got shocked, he got surprised, for a second he felt even uncomfortable with the knowledge that she could be reading that kind of stuff, but Aurora argued "I can't read it but I can do it with you? I don't get it", and he... well, he shut up. Months later Aurora convinced Cedric to read Field Of Violets with her and he, despite finding the story cheesy and a bit too explicit for his liking, got very invested in the story. He teased Aurora about August and she giggled. She read his character description and gave emphasis to some features, like the nose, facial lines, gray hair and british accent, giggling and blushing like a fangirl, and Cedric answered with "I feel represented" and "no wonder why you like me so much... you really like that stuff?", Aurora nodded, biting her lips and smiling. The hard part for Cedric were the spicy scenes, where he felt flustered because Aurora had absolutely no shame in reading that stuff out loud.

Around the end of the first year, Aurora traveled to a wizard camp for some time and when Cedric felt alone he would borrow her romance books to read. He would hardly admit it, though, but she found out anyway because her books were out of their usual order, questioned him, and Cedric admitted the truth. Aurora missed him too but told about Cedric to all the girls in her cabin instead, with absolutely no worries about their secrecy. They're from far kingdoms, ok? She returned to Enchancia near the end of the year, and on New Year's Eve and she and Cedric went to the New Year's ball that was held at midnight. She also brought him blue bellflowers, a small moon sculpture with a star as decoration because it reminded her of him, and a bow tie like his, but white, for his birthday. On the first day of the following year, at lunchtime, she also surprised Cedric with a birthday party, attended by the royal family, castle servants and Cedric's family, where they met Aurora for the first time, but she was introduced only as Cedric's apprentice. Winifred loved her. Aurora planned everything with letters and requests to the king and with the help of Sofia and Baileywick. Cedric cried because he hadn't had a birthday party in years. This was his 39th birthday.

Aurora's birthday is at the end of september so before traveling they also made a small party for her in the castle gardens. It was purple-themed, and had tons of flowers, and cakes. It had towels on the grass like a picnic but also tables and tea. It was very simple, but she didn't often got parties like this, so for her it was amazing.

Cedric is not jealous of Aurora and values ​​her freedom to come and go, but he doesn't like it when guys hit on her assuming she's single, or when they treat her like an object in uncomfortable situations, like harassment, obviously. In the matter of harassment, it's obvious: he steps in and defends Aurora, putting himself between her and the person, and asking the person to leave. In more serious cases, if the person insists, he will say he's the royal sorcerer and point the magic wand, again asking the person to leave, more aggressively. Usually this is enough. In moments when guys are polite and approach her with ulterior motives, interested, Cedric obviously doesn't feel comfortable. The situation is more delicate because he can't say out loud that he and Aurora are a couple and that she's not alone, so he's usually rude to the guy, getting grumpy about him and his presence. Usually the guys understand that Cedric is an overprotective tutor and prefer not to have any problems with the royal sorcerer, but Aurora also needs to say that she is not interested so that they will truly leave her alone. There are times when they try to talk to her in private, when she is away from Cedric, precisely so that they do not have any problems with him, but she continues to make it clear that she is not interested, saying that she is not his type, that she needs to finish her studies first, and saying that Cedric is just being careful with her. In private, Cedric feels uncomfortable competing with men who are usually a decade younger than him, he feels out of place, and thinks that the right thing would be for Aurora to be with one of them, but he cannot help it. She wants him, and he will protect her and respect her choice.

Aurora has many opinions about gender norms and roles, misogyny, sexism, and can talk for hours about it. Cedric is a lonely man who doesn't spend much time with women, or anyone else for that matter, but he listens and agrees. He doesn't really know much about the subject, but when he hears her talk and explains her frustrations to him, he agrees. She usually talks while she's studying/practicing and he listens while he's working. She talks about everything while he's working, Cedric usually listens. He talks more during his lessons, or when they have free time to go for a walk, or at meals, or at night when they're spending time together. She talks a lot more than he does. Aurora complains about the expectations people have of her because she is a woman, they expect her to be a housewife, be delicate, quiet, and have children. She doesn't want to have children or spend all day cleaning the house. She asks what Cedric thinks about this (with him busy at his desk, listening to everything like a podcast) and he answers "I think you should do what you feel like doing, right?" and Aurora answers "Right?! I'm glad you think so too. Yeah, I should." She is happy to know that he doesn't think like the people from her old village, and again confirms that people from other places outside her village are more open-minded. She mentally thanks for having managed to get out of there. It's not like Cedric constantly informs himself about this subject, or thinks much about it because of his lonely life and for being a man, but listening to Aurora, he agrees.

Aurora says whatever comes to mind and doesn't care about filtering her words. When she lived in the village, she tried to avoid saying everything that came to mind because of judgment, but because she is comfortable with Cedric, she talks to him about everything. She says funny things, she says serious things, and she can even disconcert him, talking about sexual matters without much concern or saying morbid things without thinking about it too deeply. He may feel embarrassed or even worried, but he knows that it is her way of acting, and because she is comfortable in talking to him. He is sometimes surprised at how much Aurora knows about social issues, has strong opinions on certain subjects, and says things that are more intelligent than he could say himself. She may seem sweet and because of her appearance people tend to judge her as too innocent or stupid, but she is certainly very intelligent and knows how to make a speech about many things that Cedric has no idea about in his 40 years of life. Or have never thought about. She can talk about pretty clothing, reading habits and then start phylosophical about how nothing really matters but everything, about death, about many things.

I have never spoke about this publicly but Aurora is autistic, she just doesn't know it yet. Loud noises hurt her ears (which is different from people shouting at her - this is because of trauma), she's not really good at social cues, Aurora doesn't always understands sarcasm, she also has trouble with some foods and gets overwhelmed in certain circunstances and experiences shutdowns or meltdowns not so frequently. Her comfort foods are baked goods because she always baked and ate them back at her family's bakery since she was a child. She loves everything cherry. Cherry fruit, cherry cake, cherry sweets, cherry syrup, cherry liquor.

There is a very funny (and a bit unfortunate) story about an evening where she got cherry liquor from her friends at the castle kitchen an hid it from Cedric because she knew he wouldn't like it (he doesn't mind about Aurora drinking small amounts, but full bottles? Absolutely no), turns out that she wanted to read her favorite novels in her room while drinking cherry-flavored liquor, but ended up being irresponsible and drinking a little too much (as expected). She got extremely drunk in a level of not being able to get up. Cedric, still working at the workshop, heard some laughs and some noises coming from their room and went upstairs to find Aurora completely wasted. She even smelled like alcohol and tried to hid the bottle from him in fear of getting in trouble but it didn't worked. He got seriously worried and tried to talk to her about how irresponsible she was being; but then noticed she was too wasted to understand. Cedric got that she was irresponsible, yes, but knew how fragile she was at the moment and knew that she needed help right now, so as a good mentor (and lover, by the way) he helped her by giving her a cold bath to sober her up, dress her in her nightgown and put her to bed. Of course he did everything in a bad mood, and he was angry with her irresponsibility, but it was very difficult to stay angry for long when he saw her unable to walk and talking nonsense. He realized that, even though she had ignored the warnings he gave her about being more responsible, and lied about her condition thinking he wouldn't notice... he loved Aurora too much and saw her naivety in doing this, thinking it wouldn't go wrong for her too (and she was young, never got drunk before, and young people do stupid stuff sometimes, Cedric himself had done many mistakes). She ended up talking nonsense about how she wanted to marry him and live with him forever. That night Cedric had to stay with her until she fell asleep. The next day, of course, she had to listen to a very long scolding... this all happened in the first year.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ The characters's physical aspects and self-care habits:

I was wondering if this topic was really necessary but I decided that it is, since it's information about the characters, and every information about them is valid in this post.

Cedric himself it's his own character in Sofia The First but I apply some small headcanons on him, like for example his height, that's 1,85 cm, or 6'1" feet, but because he always has bad posture, Cedric appears to be around 1,80 cm, which would be around 5'9" feet. Aurora on the other way is shorter, her height is 1,60 cm or 5'3" feet, which means that her forehead usually reaches his mouth, at most. The fact that Cedric wears shoes with heels do not help at all, but Aurora also does wears Mary Jane shoes with heels, so their heights usually match when they're with or without shoes. Cedric gets taller when he fixes his posture and Aurora gets shyyy

Their skin color is slightly different too. Of course, both of them are white, but Aurora is pale with pink undertones, and Cedric is white with grey/beige undertones. At the start of Sofia The First, Cedric is very pale because of his unhealthy habits, mental health, he was literally sick, but later on in the show his color got warmer and he looked healthier, so his skin color is just a little bit darker than Aurora's, since she's healthy and is pale like that naturally.

His hands feel rougher and more calloused than hers, though. Cedric spent tons of years handling potion ingredients and experimenting with magic that his hands (specially palms and under his fingers) got a bit damaged with time, but not too much. His hand is not much different from the hand of another man his age, like Roland's, it's natural that his skin will feel a bit rougher, but Roland's hands are softer than Cedric's because he doesn't do manual labor (which is one of the things that turn hands rougher, even though it's not Cedric's case) nor does he handle dangerous chemicals and potions (which is Cedric's case). Aurora's hands on the other way are very soft and they're a bit smaller than his, so when they touch they can feel the difference. I have this headcanon based on how Cedric's hands look in his concept art, very calloused and wrinkled, but in the actual show they look perfectly soft, so I imagine the texture can't be seen from far away, it's mostly kept on the inside of the hand, and it's not much of a visible amount, just a small difference in feel. He tells Aurora to try to get used to wearing gloves when possible... but sometimes some ingredients must be handled with fingers and there's not much they can do.

Aurora has natural medium nails and she takes care of them constantly. Cedric's nails are a bit bigger than what it's traditionally seen on men, but "long" nails (for women they would be considered short) are a culture among sorcerers and he files them like this.

Aurora takes great care of herself and likes to dress up. She likes to wear and apply makeup, she likes to match clothes, she likes to take care of her hair, put on perfume, use accessories, and do her hair. By the way, because her hair is wavy, it shrinks and seems shorter; when her hair is dry it reaches halfway down her back, when it's wet it reaches her waist. She has a routine for combing and washing her hair properly, she likes to use lipstick and powder on her face, sometimes she uses glitter (which is not called glitter in Enchancia, but we won't talk about it much because they live in a fantasy world that seems to take place in another time), she takes care of her nails, braids her hair, and wears ribbons. As I mentioned before, her mother taught her to sew because it is a common habit expected among women and future wives, but she uses this knowledge to sew details on her own clothes and embroider her own things. Cedric thinks that this self-care she takes reminds him a little of Cordelia, and he recognizes that it is her preference. He can't understand and wouldn't do the same to himself, but he doesn't need to understand to respect it, after all, she wants to feel beautiful and he thinks it's adorable to see her taking care of herself and putting on makeup. He also thinks she looks beautiful with makeup. A true angel on earth. Even when Aurora is not wearing full makeup she's using cherry lipbalm and puts some powder in her face. She smells like her sweet and flowery perfume, smells like soap and the products she uses in her hair, and sometimes smells like cherry. She tastes like cherry because of the lipbalm. ////

Cedric does his basic hygiene, brushes his hair, files his nails, trims the beard that he never lets grow and that's all. He is very careful never to grow a beard, he hates it, doesn't look good and feels weird to him Cedric's hair doesn't just have gray bangs, he has a small bit of gray hair mixed with his black hair because of age, health and stress, but not enough to be very noticeable from afar, just from up close. He smells like washed clothes, books, sometimes smells like herbs because of potion ingredients.

Aurora loves his haircut, his gray bangs, the graying hair mixed with the black, his eyebags, smile lines, the touch and look of his calloused hands, the long nose, and when he blushes, she likes to touch his face and hair and has affective tact memory. Cedric likes her "silvery wavy hair", as he describes, when it's spread over the pillows, he likes her reddened cherry lips, and her sweet scent, he likes how her hands are so soft when touching him and he likes the feeling of her soft skin in his hands, when touching her hands, or her body.

Cedric is a born sorcerer. A bit of theory from the Sofia The First fandom: There is a theory in Sofia The First about the sorcerer characters. The Mystic Isles are a group of isles that are the source of the whole magic of the everrealm (the Sofia The First world), and each isle is populated with a different species of magical creatures, and ironicly there is an isle which all of it's residents are sorcerer background characters that always appear in sorcerer populated places like Cordelia's birthday, Mystic Meadows, Hexley Hall and others. So it seems like there is a sorcerers isle, and it's existence implies that sorcerers are magical creatures, not just simple humans. Besides, Cedric does simple magic using only his hands multiple times in the show, while characters like Sofia have the need of using a wand. This would explain why certain sorcerers and wizards are so old in this universe, like Merlin. A common headcanon that appeared is that Cedric is not only a human, but a sorcerer human, which means that magic runs in his blood and he is a magical being himself, just like the rest of his family and the long line of royal sorcerers that he belongs to. Another common headcanon is the long lifespan, so that means Cedric lives more than Aurora, and this is a source of worry for both. Aurora can only perform magic with the help of a wand. This is a source of worry for both.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ About their intimacy:

TW! sexual content mentioned ahead! This part can be skipped.

I am unsure if I should include explicit and sexual paragraphs (a whole topic) so I'll just leave it for you guys to decide what's best. I don't know if it would be too explicit, but I have tons of opinions on this subject. In a way I would like to include it because it's part of the story and they're also details of the characters (this post is supposed to include every single detail, right?). On the other way I fear it will be too explicit and also very unserious to some people. Something I also don't get is why a story would be treated less or more seriously if sexual details are included. I question tons of social norms because I'm autistic and for me it doesn't make sense the way people tend to change how their view certain things different because there is sexual subjects in it, like, for example, other people or characters in stories. But at the same time I wouldn't like people to view these paragraphs as something erotic, just as mere aspects of the characters. So many doubts surrounding this.

Both characters had no sexual or romantic experiences before knowing eachother.

Cedric is considered a late bloomer, because he had his first times when he was 38 years old. Honestly, he didn't cared much about this aspect of his life, but sometimes he got a bit upset about it, for being an adult who stayed virgin for so long, watching people of his age around him dating, marrying, having children, while he's a bachelor who stays in his tower with his raven and dozens of potions and spellbooks. It's not like he wasn't interested in having a romance, it's just that he was conformed that he didn't had tried his first times and he didn't minded about it. If someone showed up, he might consider. If no one did, then he would focus on his own stuff, but deep inside he always felt a bit of a sense of rejection from people, not only in talks about magic, or socially, but also romantically. He didn't came out as bisexual so for people he didn't liked men, and women were not interested in the weird, grumpy, "old" sorcerer who stayed in his tower, looking weird, talking weird, and overall looking like someone who people do not like to approach. So no, Cedric has never dated anyone, never hooked up with anyone, never held hands or slept with someone, and he doesn't care about it. Or at least pretends not to. This was until the moment Aurora showed up.

Aurora had suitors her age and men of random, weird ages were interested in her. Not only in marrying her, but with pervert intentions, and she rejected all of them. It's not like there were many since she was considered weird but they were still there because she was young and pretty, like Belle from Beauty And The Beast, but considered a bit more odd. She rejected tons and tons of them and then left to study. Her only experience with romantic or sexual subjects were the books. Not only romance books, but she also had an anatomy book and studied to understand about all this. Then, in the romance books, she read different stories, situations, places, and learnt a lot of stuff from there. She learnt how to apply that stuff to real life situations, what should be done or what shouldn't, how people interact, how people do (Cedric also understands anatomy but he is not a romance book reader so his knowledge comes from life (sometimes Aurora tries bold stuff that he never had any idea that she could know about)). The anatomy books were used to explain the functioning of it all and the romance books taught how to act in situations like these, and she read many, many, many romance books. The books also gave her many ideas that were bold enough to scare a sailor. This was until the moment Cedric showed up.

When they met and Aurora started living at his tower, day after day, he was doing his best to resist Aurora's subtle flirtations, her breathtaking beauty, her closeness, her delicacy and sweetness, it was very difficult when he couldn't stop looking at her when she was around. Not only that, he liked her as a person, and thought she was absolutely beautiful, he would unintentionally catch himself staring at her and thinking things he shouldn't be thinking about her. He hated that. Aurora, on the other hand, would do her subtle flirting and see him getting all flustered, trying to pretend not to notice and not to care, and she really liked that. She would also stare at him and observe his appearance, and think about things without any shame, unlike him who would think and try to resist. Most of the time she would do things on purpose just so he would look, like climbing one of those ladders in the tower wearing a skirt, leaning over to clean a table, touching her foot on his leg under the table "without realizing", busy with a potion or a book, idly reading a book while eating cherries out of the stem, seeing Cedric stealing glances here and there.

Their first time happened in one night, after a long day, with Cedric busy in his lab with some books and work, Wormwood was out, and Aurora appeared in a nightgown, wishing him goodnight. It wasn't exactly an indecent nightgown, but it had straps and the length was above the knee, kind of transparent, like a very thin layer of fabric that was suitable enough to call a nightgown but certainly not appropriate to wear around others, or him, for that matter. Aurora's extra subtle affection for him didn't go unnoticed, on the contrary, it was almost driving Cedric crazy for having to avoid her so much. That's when Aurora asked why he was like this, acting strange (she knew exactly why), and Cedric resisted, saying it was nothing, that he was fine, that he was working and would go to bed later. Aurora was still there, she insisted in staying there, in that silence, looking at him from the stairs, wanting some more answer from him, after asking simple questions and hearing equally simple answers. Cedric was trying to ignore her to make her leave. Because just having her standing next to him, or walking around the workshop wearing that dress, was enough to make Cedric break out in a cold sweat and tell himself not to look. The silence in the tower was unbearable, and she wouldn't go back to her room, she insisted not to, but then eventully she said goodnight and started to go upstairs to the room.

Cedric was troubled. He didn't understood why she did this to him, if this was on purpose, and needed an answer. His head was racing, and his feelings for her were too much to control. He needed to say everything he was holding in. So when Aurora started to leave, Cedric snapped, calling Aurora back again and telling her to wait. Aurora waited, and Cedric asked her to come to him, and she did. He questioned her if this was on purpose, if she was teasing him and exchanging glances or he was just seeing too much. He asked her to stop it, because his feelings were being unbearable to deal with and that they would be in big trouble if they gave in to this. He was thinking of her every day and night, every time, he needed her, and if she didn't liked him back and did all this things for fun it was better if she just stopped. Aurora was honest and said that she had been liking him too, but was unsure if she should tell him so waited for an answer. They stared at eachother. Things got out of control and in the blink of an eye they were kissing. Not just kissing, they were making out. They went all the way with grabbing, touching, doing the stuff they were too afraid to do before. Aurora was celebrating mentally, while Cedric was in a mix of fear, nervousness, and he was suppressing his thoughts of uncertainty and worry about what would happen later, because now they had already crossed the line and there was no turning back, so he just did whatever came to mind. He's anxious and nervous, and lacks self control, of course this would happen. Seconds later they were in his bed. He was trembling and was very inexperienced at the time, so tried to be careful, but not much. In the other day they agreed in not talking about any of what happened and pretend it was just a crazy dream, but of course that didn't work for long. I already spoke about the day and night rule, Aurora breaks the rule all the time.

Recently I saw someone saying that Aurora and Cedric are a very sweet and innocent couple, and that speaking about their intimacy in the post would "stain" that image of them, thus it wouldn't be a good decision. What made me giggle is the fact that Cedric and Aurora are actually the opposite of that view, they're like two rabbits. I said what I said, not sorry.

Since we are in the intimacy topic I'm going all the way!!! Aurora teases Cedric all the time. After they started hooking up and Cedric created the day and night rule she always found a way to break the rule. She would innocently place her legs over his lap while she's reading and he's working, moving them around to catch his attention. Not "would", she did, actually. She brushes his shin with her shoe, catching his attention. She sits on his lap, she kisses his face, she makes subtle references to events in the previous nighte, she's something in between Cedric's best dream and worst nightmare. Aurora's drive is super high, maybe because she's younger than him and has more energy to spend on that stuff, but she is always trying to get his attention and give him ideas, sometimes in the worst moments. It's not uncommon for her to try to tease him in the middle of the day to get Cedric to break the rule. She whispers bold flirtations and ideas she would want to try out and Cedric blushes and shouts "Aurora! Stop! I'm working". It's not like he doesn't like it, he's just not used to it, and there's the rule and the risks... If he didn't actually liked it, Aurora wouldn't do it. If her teases are good enough sometimes he gives in. After some months the day and night rule started to dissapear, but they tend not to be too romantic during the day anyway, because of work and everything. But Aurora still teases him and still convinces him to stop the work just a little tiny bit to spend some time with her. You know what I mean. They usually do their stuff at night more often than during the day.

Cedric is usually more self-conscious and stays with pieces of clothing on. Aurora too does that but she doesn't mind taking it off. She usually stays in that short nightgown, but she likes to undress because his eyes go everywhere on her body and he gets so flustered. When I spoke about how he likes to feel her soft skin in his hands, I meant he likes to touch her almost in a reverent way, looking at her like she's an angel on earth, the most beautiful woman that ever existed. He likes everything in her, everything, many people would consider her too skinny but for him she is perfect exactly like that. And he does feel very attracted by her, of course we can't leave this out. Cedric, well... Cedric is also very skinny, but he thinks he looks weird. Aurora disagrees and sometimes is able to convince him to take those pieces of clothing off because she likes to see him too.

About places it's anywhere in the tower. Table, floor, wall, bed, workshop and bedroom. Usually they wouldn't risk to do that out of the tower, Aurora is crazy but Cedric is very cautious with that so no. They do stuff in different ways too, Cedric is more vanilla than her, surprisingly (or not). He enjoys simple stuff, but Aurora always likes to try new things, so he agrees, but both the old simple ways and the different new ways are very appreciated. Cedric started inexperienced in both knowledge and practice but Aurora had a bit of knowledge to compensate. They learnt together how to please the other and how to do certain things. Cedric has his own clumsy way of doing stuff but he now knows what Aurora's preferences are and he does what she likes to please her, and she does the same, but more confidently. It's just their way of acting. Cedric always liked the stuff that Aurora did to him, but he wasn't very experienced at the beginning in pleasing her, he had to learn. Now he's great. Aurora sometimes praises him because Cedric now knows a lot more than he did when they met and he gets all flustered. He loves praises. 🫶 but he is clumsy and she finds it cute. And she likes to grab his bangs.

Their contraception are magic spells because it works okay? You think Cedric is that reckless? Of course not.

Their boundaries: no hitting, no grabbing harshly, no calling anyone names or cursing, no hurting on purpose like hickey or bites unless someone explicitly asks. Not doing stuff without the other agreeing, always asking first. Aurora's specific boundary is that she does not want to be looked like an object, but Cedric absolutely agrees with that and follows that rule very strictly. Not doing stuff out of the tower and being too risky.

trimmed w seven inches BYE i'm sorry. is there a way to make the text look smaller?? No?? Sorry guys i needed to, pretend you never heard this from me this wasn't me it were the voices

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ Their inevitable (or not) bad end (Aurora's departure):

Cedric has his own life and Aurora has to go after hers. He could never be able to hold her back from that, but it pains him deeply that they had to fall in love in such an unlucky context. Their social differences and different paths seems to push them farther and farther away from eachother, like if they were never supposed to be together, and Cedric... kinda agrees. He and his bad adjectives don't deserve Aurora and he thinks it's unfair to keep a beautiful and unique girl like her under his wings forever. Cedric believes she deserves to go after her stuff and get better things in her life instead of rotting inside a dark tower with a boring and tired (almost middle-aged, since he's 3 years before turning 40) adult like him. He looks at her and she's so full of light and dreams that he can't bring himself to insist her to stay. It's not fair with her. She's a free spirit, while he can't even leave his cold and dark tower without getting tired. They live their romance knowing that they're doomed to part ways and Cedric hopes that she'll find all the happiness she's searching for, in a good castle, with good staying, with people who admire her talents, and loving a young guy who can provide more to her than Cedric can.

Aurora came to study and will leave after she's done. This will take around four years, maybe. She came to Enchancia already planning to stay temporarily and leave to get a job and to go after her own dreams and responsabilities as a royal sorceress in a different kingdom. Her relationship with Cedric is fated to be damned due to the nature and context of it.

First of all, their lifespans are something that bothers them. Aurora will die earlier and this worries Cedric, because he can't bear the idea of spending a life with her and having to watch her die earlier, and for him it is another reason of why the world doesn't want them together.

Aurora on the other way has never been happier by his side and can't imagine wanting someone other than Cedric. He's the perfect one for her, he is exactly what she likes, and she cares for him deeply. Aurora can travel by herself and live on her own, without depending on him, but the worst part is how much she'll miss him. She sees Cedric as her other half, the missing part of her that she's being dreaming with for so long, since when she started to read and fall in love with the stories and characters she's seen in her books, since that moment she already wanted Cedric, and he can't understand that, cause he thinks she's naive. In an "I love every single thing about you" and "You don't know what you're saying" way. Having to leave him... it's painful but Aurora can't really understand how painful it will be yet. She knows it will be painful but it's like... the penny hasn't dropped, you know? Like her usual demeanor, Aurora cannot predict long-term things, such as the consequences of certain actions for example, like eating too much candy without thinking of getting sick later. Cedric is absolutely heartbroken by their sad reality and Aurora is sad but... she lives the moment without thinking of tomorrow, like it will never end. She knows it will end but her brain can't wrap around the idea that she won't see Cedric anymore, that this is temporary, and Cedric thinks this is extremely painful to watch because she is just unaware of their current situation. She is aware, but it's never worried, and while this is good, it breaks Cedric's heart to crumbles.

And if you think it can't be worse, their romance is a secret they should never have indulged in, and after it ends they will have to act like it never existed. They will have to publicly hug eachother, stare into eachother's eyes, say goodbye without even a kiss, like if they don't mean nothing more than tutor and apprentice to eachother. They will have to spend the previous night enjoying the last bits they'll have of eachother's presence and affection, to finish things up and say goodbye. In the next morning Aurora will part with all her stuff, some of the castle staff will be there to watch, and all Cedric will be able to do hug, look into her eyes and show pride as a tutor who finished his work with her. Only that. As he comes to terms with the end of their story and accepts that now is the time for Aurora to be free from him, grow up and live her own life. With her own history and her own social circle, including romantic, with a future lover who could be "so much more" than Cedric ever was to her. Without even... their romance being mentioned again. This will affect both of their routines because they are used to each other's presence (Especially Cedric who hasn't lived alone in his cold tower for over four years, or even Aurora who won't have his presence and support when she needs help) and both will have to live pretending that whay they lived together never happened, or was never important. Even though that when said goodbye they were still dating and still in love.

— "Dear, I want you to be happy, live your dreams, trust in yourself, position yourself against people that put you down, have a great life, and fall in love again with someone that will take very good care of you."

— "I will never fall in love again if it's not you."

— "Don't do this to me..." (Saying goodbye to you is painful enough.)

Cedric looks at her sometimes, in the night, and thinks "I would do everything to have this forever".

Once they were cuddling and showing affection, then mid-cuddling Aurora mentioned she wish she would never leave him. Cedric was completely paralyzed and worried by this statement. He argued, telling her that this was not an option and that she could not throw her future away because of him. She seemed to not take it very seriously and laughed, reassuring him that she was being sincere, and would like to stay with him longer, in Enchancia, as it would be a good life. Cedric could not bear to hear her say such things and began to get irritated with her insistence on not seeing reality; he stated that she would leave and that would be that. There was a small conflict between them, as Aurora felt rejected, and Cedric's mention of her not having any idea of ​​what she was saying made her feel like he was treating her like other people do: seeing her immaturely. Cedric got calmer, reassured her, and said that there was no debate about that: she came there to study, and she would finish studying, then leave and go pursue her dreams. This comes from his own low self esteem and his wish for her to find something better in the future, instead of "rotting in an old, dark tower with a man as awful as him". But he wouldn't dare to say it that easily, cause he knows she won't see it like he does, since she's "naive and has a view of him that's better than the reality" and will only get heartbroken after she finds out that he's planning to take over the kingdom. He's not capable of telling her the truth and breaking her heart.

Aurora's staying went from after the episode Cedric's Apprentice to after the end of the last season of Sofia The First, so it took four years. She went through all those moments in STF (even the Day Of The Sorcerers episode, which was an actual chaos, but the episode events remain and there are no big changes to it except for Aurora's presence and her discovery of the truth. Aurora was by Sofia's side all the time and went back to the castle with her, too. She got heartbroken, but Cedric ended up telling her his point of view, and he cried... a lot. She had a conversation with him in the dungeon and Cedric felt so, so bad for seeing Aurora crying so much and being so heartbroken because of him (maybe I could make a drawing of this?). She was absolutely in pieces and questioning why would he do that, why did he do that to her, lied to her for so many time. She said she could've helped him instead of doing all that if he hat let her know. She also suffered because now he was a locked up criminal and traitor so basically ruined everything. After he saved the kingdom from Grimtrix and got everyone's forgiveness, Cedric had to work a lot to regain Aurora's trust like he did to Roland and had to communicate with her a lot too.). All the events that happened in STF happened the same exact way except that Aurora was included as a background character this time.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ Their problems, power imbalance, maturity difference, bad personal traits and how they work through that:

Both characters have their advantages and flaws.

Their relationship, of course, have problems. Their power imbalance was definitely an obstacle. Being Aurora's mentor makes Cedric the responsible one and he's responsible for her well-being. Despite that, he's much older than Aurora. Cedric is 37, while Aurora is 24, they have a 13 years difference. What bothers them the most is their power positions and ages, Cedric is technically superior to her position, being her mentor and an actual royal sorcerer who's teaching her and letting her stay in his tower. Cedric is more mature, he lived more than she did, he's an adult while she's a young adult, he already has a stable life, has his own job, own place, own money, and his own frown and bad mood that with how unhealthy his routine is. Aurora still has to get her life together and search for her own things herself, and Cedric helps as much as he can, not letting their relationship affect her apprenticeship and being very responsible in talks of teaching and making sure that she's learning. He's a very good teacher by the way, he is patient, despite being a bit stern, and tells her to try again and again until she mastered the spell. It's the sorcerer's secret!

Obviously, it would be unrealistic if they had an age difference but no actual difficulties that come from that problem to work around, and their personalities are different as themselves. Cedric is older, his past experiences made him a bit tired of his life, you guys probably know that he's been bullied since he was like, seven, and everyone sees him as a stupid weird sorcerer that can't do anything right, except for Aurora and Sofia. Cedric is an adult who's tired of adult life, and expectations, and he's quite lonely and introverted, he's quieter, can have bad mood when bothered (not by Aurora, of course), and despite having his own mental health problems, to make matters worse, his sleep routine is bad, doesn't exercises, and well... despite eating quite okay, can skip meals or skip sleep hours due to work (or just the need to not show up in public - he would rather not eat if that means he'll have to show up in front of the castle staff when he's feeling down about himself). He also has a quite low self-esteem due to his past, and thinks of himself as not very attractive, weird looking, someone people (or women) wouldn't want to approach (we'll get into that later too), Cedric's main trait is that he's tired, but he's caring and patient.

Aurora, on the other way, is very lively and excited. She wants to live adventures, wants to have fun, wants to drag Cedric into fun situations like balls and walks, she lives for the fun. She wants to learn magic but sometimes has difficulty repeating the same spells tons of times and staying still while listening to Cedric's teachings, she wants the classes to be fun so some stuff tend to bore her, while Cedric tells her that often there are some boring stuff that can't be skipped. This is where they tend to conflict a bit, in some parts, because Cedric wants to be responsible with her while Aurora is a bit reckless and tend to not understand what is discipline or obligations: stuff like eating healthy food, sleeping well, or studying boring subjects that she'll have to master before doing actual spells. Cedric is aware that they have a relationship but at the same time he wants to keep them as equal, he can't be negligent, so he uses his own knowledge and maturity to work through their problems and have dialogues with Aurora. Their difference is there, that's undeniable, the important part is how they use it for good, how responsible and aware they are of it, and how they face their obstacles together. Their maturities clash sometimes, but with dialogue they are able to end the conflicts and understand eachother's thoughts, making it a flaw that they can work with.

I wrote about this in this post.

So, for example, most of their conflicts happen in situations like these: Cedric took a responsible decision for her best, despite seeming bad to Aurora, and in private he'll show vulnerability by saying: "I'm sorry dear, I am doing my best to take care of you." (I am trying to balance our relationship with your studies meaning that I can't neglect you) and Aurora will angrily answer "I don't want you to take care of me." (I am not a child and I don't want you to decide what's best for me like other people expect you to). Even though that most of the time Cedric is taking the best and most down to earth decision while Aurora can't see it because she's seeing his actions through immaturity glasses. She thinks he's treating her as a child, when he's trying the best he can to balance the responsability he feels for her with their romantic relationship without being disrespectful or authoritative. He knows that Aurora can be reckless so she takes decisions without thinking too much, and he can see how that stuff won't work out (he has himself as an example), so he tries to keep her from taking those bad decisions and she says "stop telling me what to do". If things escalate too much he'll let her take the bad decision, and Cedric is the one who will take care of her later, so the disadvangages of the situation will also reach him anyway. He has a talk with her about the situation and Aurora will say sorry, understanding what he meant.

Cedric didn't found it fair to demand obedience and respect like a stern tutor because he didn't treated like a simple apprentice either. So they had conversations about this and found it better to see eachother in the same level of importance, authority, and keep mutual respect — no "you should respect me because I'm your tutor" discourse. Like a couple, they both would have conversations and decide stuff as a duo, if something bothered them they would try to express that via dialogue. This is the way they learnt how to work around that said power imbalance. Unfortunately they can't change the way people perceive them, but it's probably better if they don't, since the idea of ​​them being a couple wouldn't cross anyone's minds and that would guarantee their secret a little better, despite being... depressing. But they treat echother as equal and that's what matters. Honestly, it pains both of them that they can never come out.

I think that what happens the most is Aurora living in Cedric's shadow. This happens a lot because she's always with him, being his assistant and his apprentice, and people often refer to her as "Cedric's apprentice" when they don't know her name... even when they do, in fact. They know they're not talking about Princess Sofia, because when they're talking about Sofia they know her by name and title. When people want to ask something about Aurora, they ask Cedric, and not Aurora. The way people perceive her is something that bothers Aurora, but it is the way it is, since neither Aurora nor Cedric can do anything about it. People have a very innocent idea of ​​her, they see her as the sweet young apprentice who assists Cedric, and this bothers her because even though she is an adult, they perceive/treat her like that and indirectly end up making her relationship with Cedric seem even more uncomfortable if they came out. She is capable of making her own decisions, she has a happy and sweet personality but that does not mean that she is stupid or innocent, it does not mean that she cannot have strong opinions, take bad decisions, or have sex with someone she likes. Cedric does his best in including her in conversations and treating her like an adult in front of people so that they'll understand, but some people around them seem to not notice and see them as narrative tropes (young cute apprentice with old, stern sorcerer Cedric)

Their relationship doesn't really surround the teacher x student trope, most of the characters in this trope are written in a very disgusting manner and the trope itself has school grade implications, pedo tendencies, cheating husbands, lots of manipulation and old guys taking advantage of young girls, for me it falls in the context of pr0ships. I watched many video essays about that, and I don't like that kind of story, neither support it. But before someone asks, Aurora and Cedric ARE NOT in the common teacher x student trope. Aurora is Cedric's apprentice, yes, but I have a list of arguments about why it's not one of these stories: first of all, Aurora's apprenticeship is not like a common student and a teacher, Cedric teaches her, sure, but she is more like a sorcerer's assistant, and she is his only apprentice (besides Sofia very occasionally) meaning that there is no way she can bribe him into anything. The second argument it's that her training does not revolve around grades, she can't buy anything from Cedric, he wouldn't let her do it, wouldn't accept it, and would shut her down immediately. Her tutoring is 100% based on how her skills improve, and only when Cedric sees that she's ready for the next lessons he'll give her more advanced spells. If she's not ready, it doesn't matter how much affection they show behind closed doors, he won't move on to the next spells and absolutely will not graduate her knowing that she is not ready. Aurora may be young and they do have an age difference, but she's in her mid twenties, does not look like a child, and they both do their best to be responsible and learn how to work with their imbalance, which are all clear differences to student x teacher romances; Cedric is specially patient and understanding, while Aurora is specially kind and respectful, so they both try to make things work. Their personalities match with eachother so their relationship is not challenging, except when their maturities clash, but they eventually communicate and learn how to work things out, specially Cedric, who is more calm, mature and prepared to do this.

You can't read real people's minds but I can read my characters and I know how they're written and how they feel: Cedric has no bad intentions with Aurora. He doesn't want to exploit her, abuse her, manipulate her or anything like this. All he wants is for her best, even when she doesn't think so, like when he didn't let her drink a full bottle of liquor or eat only sweets for lunch because she would feel weak later. The intimacy they have is a showing of affection between them and they don't want anything from eachother besides love.

Aurora may think otherwise when she's feeling down, but once Cedric discovers how she's feeling in that night, he will absolutely reassure her that he does not want anything from her that she may feel obligated to do. Her view of self worth sometimes gets damaged by her own thoughts and past trauma but Cedric helps her through it, the same way she does to him. Their relationship is purely and genuinely made out of love and care for eachother.

Cedric will be like "Wait, Aurora, what is that? Why are you acting like this? Look at me. What are you doing?" and she will start sobbing and muttering "I'm sorry, I don't want you to stay angry with me (about something that happened earlier), I'm just... doing my best. Don't be upset, please." and Cedric will establish limits "No, no, no, no, stop that, that's not how we work things out. I don't want you to do that, we solve our problems by talking. Don't do that, dear. I don't want you to. Come here, let's talk, shall we?"

I don't like how some character's bad traits are only harmful to themselves, like if the characters were like only victims somehow, and never perpetuators. For example, a character having mental health issues and hurting only themselves in the process, but never acting stubborn, never being rude, never being angry. I think that's very valid, for sure, but most people have bad traits that aren't only the glamourized ones, characters can be rude, they can be mean, they can take bad decisions, like real people. And I think this makes the charaters more realistic. Into that same line of thought, I also believe that every single person in a relationship must have topics they don't agree with eachother about, couples and friends fight sometimes, no one is perfect all the time, and the important part is to say sorry or try to find an agreement about that certain situation, try to find a way out of that situation. So, due to that, I added some flaws and disagreements in Cedric's and Aurora's relationship, to make it more believable and realistic. Because none of these characters are perfect, they can get into conflicts sometimes, and the important part is to find a way out and a resolution to these problems.

For example, Cedric taught Aurora some spells and she surprisingly watched him as if he knew everything, which contrasted with the way most people treated him, and that's good. Of course, this thought comforted him and made him feel more confident, but at the same time, he knew that Aurora didn't know him completely and didn't had any other sorcerer as a role model, meaning that while she admired him, she didn't know how "stupid" he could be (in his view). It made him feel sorry for her innocence to a certain extent, because he feels like Aurora deserves someone much better than him... in every way, for all the things he could do for her. And so he always tries to do the best he can.

Cedric is insecure and you know that, but sometimes he looks at Aurora and thinks that she deserves someone better than him. Someone more vivid and full of energy like her, someone younger and that doesn't have all the problems, questions, insecurities and impediments like he has. Someone who's not "a boring one who's too introverted and tired to get out all the time like she wants to, a weirdo who hides in a dark tower and stares at prople, an old, worn out and ugly guy that never had a prime moment in his life, who's planning on destroying the place she had loved most in her entire life, lying behind her back, ruining all the good image that she has of him" and all the other bad adjectives that he sees himself having. He came to terms with all these adjectives and is used to his life being "bad" as it is, he thinks he's ugly and he is used to that, but when he looks at Aurora he does his best to take care of her, cuz he sees her as out of his league. He doesn't deserve her but he does his best to treat her the way she deserves: with utmost care.

Once when Cedric and Aurora started secretly dating, at the first quarter of the year, King Roland asked Cedric to perform a magic show for him and a few other kings at an event in the castle, and as usual, Cedric was very nervous. He practiced, worked hard, planned his performances, and trained Aurora to be his assistant. A few days later on the night of the performance, Cedric became very nervous and Aurora, being a novice and making mistakes, embarrassed him and ruined his performance in front of the kings. Cedric cared a lot about what those kings would think of him and did everything he could to make it work, but Aurora ruined the performance (partly his fault), and his self-esteem issues affected the situation. He was very nervous before, and afterwards, when they left the hall and went outside the castle, Cedric contained his anger while hearing Aurora's apologies until he exploded and threw everything at her. He said he shouldn't have done that show with her, he said she wasn't ready and he knew it, he said she embarrassed him in front of people, and he wasn't surprised by that, because she gets distracted by other things all the time and would rather be idle than practice her magic enough (she trains enough, but he was angry). It turned out that Aurora's breaking point was when he angrily said he didn't understand how someone who was so good at so many things could be so bad with a wand (and his sentence was open to several interpretations with that). Cedric only realized what he said when the words left his mouth, and immediately tried to apologize, but Aurora was already crying and ran to the garden, saying she wanted to be alone and away from him. Obviously that wasn't true, and after a long chase by Cedric running after her, Aurora fell to the ground, crying. Cedric knelt down next to her, panting because he's awful at running, and hugged her, saying sorry for all the things he did and said to her. Aurora tried to refuse his ask for forgiveness and escape his hug, but she honestly still liked him so much that she ached for his regret, and hugged him back, in sobs and disappointment. Cedric thought about what he did and understood that his low self esteem clouded his judgement and his own problems made him take it out on her. He shouldn't have put her in that situation, she was an apprentice and was not prepared, maybe his tutoring was bad, maybe part of this was his fault. It was not her fault. Cedric said sorry to her and promised he would never let his own issues affect his treatment towards her. She forgave him, and Cedric made up for her in the following days, saying sorry through actions too. Aurora also has her moments of doing stupid things and they can work through that together.

Cedric has a lot of self-esteem issues, as you probably already know. He sees himself as ugly, too skinny, too wrinkled, he feels like he looks tired with those eyebags, his nose is too big, he has bad posture, his hair is stained from his mistakes, he feels weak, tired and old compared to Aurora, who is so beautiful and bright like a star. And he doesn't understand how he means everything to Aurora, because for him, he's not even half of what she thinks of him. Aurora, on the other hand, thinks she is weird and clumsy, she thinks that if she manages to be incompetent enough Cedric will yell at her, tell her she is a disaster, that her interests are ridiculous, that she dresses badly and... that she is nothing more than a pretty face. This is her biggest fear, Cedric "finding out" that she's actually worthless. And so is his. They are like two sides of the same coin.

Now let's touch on a very sensitive subject, which is how Aurora demeans herself because of what her family taught her. Unlike Cedric, Aurora feels that people don't see value in who she is or what she likes, but rather in the fact that she can be helpful. She tries to make up for her "lack of qualities" by doing favors, so for example, to make up for Cedric reading a book she likes with her, she will try to organize his shelves. If he gave her quality time, or a gift, she feels like she owes him tasks, favors. She may end up crying if she breaks one of his potions, even if Cedric says it's okay. Aurora will apologize for hours and clean up the mess if necessary, saying that she doesn't want to be a bother to him. Aurora is afraid that if he finds out how much of a bungler she is, he will get rid of her quickly, and she loves him so much and wants to learn magic from him, so she does everything she can to prevent that from happening.

Both of them feel like they're less than how their partner perceives them. Cedric knows that Aurora loves and admires him, but he feels like she only thinks that because she didn't had the chance to notice how he actually is, and the same goes to Aurora. Cedric doesn't feel like he's worthy at all, he thinks that he's ugly and an idiot, who lies to her about the taking over the kingdom thing, so he tries to compensate with being caring and patient with her (which are things he naturally does to Aurora, without having to pretend just to have her attention. Cedric genuinely cares for her and hopes that this is enough to convince her not to leave him behind, even though deep down he feels like it's not, and that she will eventually find out the truth... he just hopes it's not soon and enjoy every single moment spent by her side). Aurora on the other way is too stuck to the opinion that her parents had of her, so she thinks that she's stupid and annoying, but is pretty and polite enough to make Cedric think that she's worth something. They spoke to eachother about how they feel about this, and everytime one of them talks down about themselves, the other one immediately denies it to be true. Cedric reassures Aurora that she's sweet, pretty, smart, and that he loves her just the way she is. Aurora reassures Cedric that he is indeed wise in magic, he is smart, he is attractive, he's caring, and that he is everything she ever dreamt of having in her life. They just need to learn a bit better of how to stop putting themselves down. They try not to, but of course, bad habits are hard to kill.

Cedric tries to make up for everything that's wrong with him, while Aurora knows that she's pretty and tries to use that beauty to compensate for every other trait she has and that she thinks that it's flawed.

Aurora's toxic traits is that she's childish and can throw "tantrums" sometimes. She has a strong temper and sometimes acts like a stubborn child who can't hear a "no", and it's irresponsible with her actions. She gets angry over things that for Cedric may be childish but for her are important, and acts impulsively. Their way of dealing with it: Cedric has mature conversations with her and shows more emotional responsibility to Aurora to bring her to her senses. He often uses a stern tone to guide her into being more responsible and taking accountability for her actions. If her target is specifically him, if she is angry at him for not letting her do something irresponsible, Cedric makes her aware of it. And she embarassingly says sorry, feeling guilty for being cruel to him in the first place.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ Different Endings to the story:

I considered some different endings for them.

There is the King Cedric ending, where Cedric succeeds in becoming king and taking over Enchancia at the end of Day Of The Sorcerers. As Aurora was unaware of his plans to betray the kingdom until he put the plan into action, it came as a shock to her. The entire royal family had been frozen in stone by Cedric and he was now a dictator in Enchancia, threatening all those who opposed his rule, and claiming that he deserved to have all this, to be treated like a true king. Aurora was heartbroken, but Cedric tried to tell her that he would take care of her, that she could be protected by him as his queen or even his princess if ruling was a bit too much, and made it clear to everyone that no one would lay a finger on Aurora, or they would suffer the consequences. Cedric was not mean to her, but the things he did were truly bad, and Aurora no longer recognized him, nor the kingdom. Even though she was pampered with dresses and jewelry and was offered larger rooms, royal belongings, and a life of luxury, this was not what she wanted and she was unhappy with Cedric. She agreed with the part of the population that rebelled against him and considered him a tyrant, but she did not have the courage to tell Cedric this, out of fear. She gradually refused his affections and presence, to the point where she packed her things and fled without a trace. Cedric was also dethroned and executed, with the involvement of his own subjects and other kingdoms. Not a happy ending.

There's also the ending where they're separated, with Aurora moving on with her life in the other kingdom and falling in love with another guy, dating, getting married, and sending letters to Cedric as if he were just a tutor that she holds dearly, and thanking him for his affection and the lessons she's learned over the past few years. Yes, even after loving him for so long. She moves on with her life as Cedric asked, and also walks her down the aisle, at Aurora's request. Even though it's what Cedric asked for, it's not what he wanted, and he's deeply unhappy, but he tells her that he wants her to be happy. Aurora goes a bit out of character here, since her type is Cedric and the connection she has with him is too strong for her to want to move on with anyone else, so let's just consider this a really bad nightmare that Cedric had.

The true ending is the one where Aurora goes to her new castle and Cedric stays in Enchancia. Some months before Aurora's leaving, and a little before she actually finished her studies, Cedric helped her to write and send letters to some other kingdoms to prevent her from travelling everywhere alone in search for a castle that would be interested in hiring her as a royal sorceress. In a process that took months to fully happen, Aurora was choosen by a castle, got ready, packed her stuff, and in a monday morning took her breakfast and had a small farewell at the front garden with some employees and friends. She said goodbye to each one of them, Cedric handed her the same suitcase she had used when she arrived at the castle, now full of her old belongings and new ones she had acquired over the years, (because he helped her to carry her stuff through the castle halls) and hugged her tightly. She also had another suitcase now, to carry a few more things. But they said goodbye, unable to stop crying, and Cedric told her he was very proud of how much she had evolved. He thanked her for everything he had experienced with her in these past years and everything he had learned from her as well. He wished her all the best and asked her to send him letters about how her life in the new castle was going. Unable to said goodbye with a kiss, they showed all their last acts of affection in the last few days, especially last night and the last kisses and hugs that morning. Their true goodbye to their romance was in the tower, when Cedric and Aurora went up to the tower after breakfast to get her luggage, and said what they wanted without filters, showed kisses and hugs without fear, then took a deep breath and pulled themselves together to go to the public and watch Aurora's departure in the front garden. Aurora got in her flying broom and parted with the luggage tied to it, waving goodbye.

Her new castle was nice and she met new and nice people (don't ask me what kingdom it was). The royalty was nice, the employees were also nice, her bedroom and workplace was also good. She was a bit clumsy at the start but was very polite and did most of the spells right. They were patient for knowing that it was her first job. There were people her age and she made friends, including even some guys, and even politely rejected a love confession because... they weren't Cedric. She was still in love even though she wasn't seeing him anymore. Of course they are able to exchange letters but it's not the same thing, and letters take time to arrive. In the new castle Aurora is hired as a royal sorceress and she does her job quite well there. She meets new people, makes new friends and even people who might be potential lovers but she can't feel interested by any guys when she's still in love with Cedric. In their exchange of letters, she wrote him about what happened weekly, and he did the same. They exchange pressed flowers, feathers, buttons and other objects.

In one of her letters Aurora sent to Cedric, she said: "[...]...One of the boys recently confessed his love for me, but I politely rejected him. None of the guys around here look interesting when the only one I can think about is you. You're always in my mind, every day, every hour, I wish you were here with me to hold me tight and be my support like you always did. I love you so much, Cedric. And I miss you so much." She is always affectionate and loving with him, and Cedric honestly wish she wasn't so that their separation could be easier to take, on his part. It hurts to read that and not be able to have her by his side again, it would be better if she treated him just as a friend, but he can't bring himself to ask her not to, since he also loves her the same and misses to have her by his side just as much as she does. It hurts not to have her affection and presence every day, so when he has that small glimpse of her in his now once again lonely life... it feels good, but painful, very painful.

Cedric wrote back: "[...]...I miss you very much too, my dear. But I must encourage you to live your life and move forward, without worrying about me. I am fine in Enchancia, and I want to see you doing well in your new kingdom. Don't be afraid to explore new things, live, have fun, fall in love with any boy you want, my happiness is knowing that you are well. Forget about me, I am already a turned page in your book, go ahead and write the next ones, I will be here to support and encouraje you. You are young and many experiences await you, I don't want my absence to hold you back from living. I will love receiving your letters and knowing the adventures you will experience in the future. I love you too, and I wish you the best, my dear Aurora." Aurora obviously didn't obeyed him because she never does, and her next letters were still affectionate the same. She's very stubborn.

Cedric's life was almost just as lonely as it was when Aurora wasn't present in his life. Of course now he was friends with Sofia, but his dark tower was once again empty (that is, in talks of company). Now he had neither Wormwood nor Aurora, this caused him to go out more and visit other places in the castle to satisfy his need for company and social interaction, but Cedric always returned to the tower because he is an introvert and needs time alone. The silence there bothers him every day, and Aurora's cheerful presence is sorely missed. Both of them feel lonely living alone in their rooms because they used to share their routine with someone else, but things really got bad for Cedric. I have no doubt that Aurora invited her girl friends to "sleepovers" in her room/workshop sometimes, to have someone present by her side, and she certainly told them about Cedric too (he would deeply disapprove that for many reasons but he doesn't need to know). But Cedric didn't have sleepovers, he went to his tower to work and fulfill the king's demands for a few hours, then he would go out into the castle to socialize. He went out to take random walks, randomly offer to help to people with spells or anything. At one point he vented about how lonely he felt now that Aurora was gone, even though he cut the romantic part in it. Sleeping alone at night was really bad. They also really missed the affection and, of course, the intimacy. They both were absolutely lovesick.

Aurora couldn't take it no more. She asked to be sent back to Enchancia, and despite Cedric disapproving this notion for a long time, she wrote letters to him saying that she had already finished her studies, had already become a sorceress of a castle, had already fulfilled her dream and that she was now free to choose what she wanted for her future from then on, and what she wants is to stay in Enchancia with him. Cedric wanted to deny it, he tried to deny it, but he couldn't pretend to himself that this wasn't good news. Cedric sent a letter to Aurora, saying that he didn't want to be the reason for holding her back from the things she wanted, he finally opened up and admitted that he had always been afraid of holding her back from her potential, and still was. But Aurora wrote back, saying that she was sure of what she wanted, and her goals had already been achieved, now her goal was to return home to Enchancia. And after much resistance on Cedric's part and much uncertainty about whether this would be a good thing, he accepted that he did in fact miss Aurora too, and having her by his side again and forever would be the best thing of all. So yes, Cedric finally gave up his stubbornness and agreed to Aurora's return to Enchancia. There were conversations between Cedric and King Roland and letters sent by Aurora from her kingdom to both of them, communicating about her desire to return, and after some time dealing with documents and with the king's authorization, Aurora was accepted back, this time as a royal sorceress. Both she and Cedric would be two sorcerers of Enchancia. Aurora spoke to the royalty of the kingdom where she was now located, telling them about her desire to return to Enchancia and King Roland's permission. She also communicated that she needed to return home to the people she loved. So the royalty did not refuse her request, understanding her reason for wanting to leave. Aurora said goodbye to her colleagues in that castle, packed her bags and returned to Enchancia. She also sent a last letter to Cedric in the meantime.

Aurora left her previous castle in her flying broom and came back to Enchancia, being greeted by people (close friends, few, but enough) waiting for her arrival in front of the castle, and Cedric walking around trying to control his nervousness. They haven't seen eachother for aproximately two years. When Aurora arrived, she dropped her broom and bags on the floor and ran to Cedric, hugging him very tightly. He cried first, and more, by the way. His first words were "I missed you so much" and "You look beautiful. You haven't changed at all."

Aurora returned to her previous room (Cedric's room) (with some new things she had gotten in the other kingdom now), and a few weeks passed with both of them getting used to each other's presence again. They didn't kiss in front of others, only when they were alone in the tower, like before. There was also a conversation about getting back together, the answer didn't take long to be yes, and for a while (a few weeks) it was a secret. Now Cedric and Aurora both did their current work together and as the demand was enough for Cedric alone before, now being divided between two people, it left them with more free time, being able to go out more, go for walks, spend more time together without worrying so much about the amount of tasks. It was wonderful.

There was one small issue that bothered them, though. Not a small one, a big one. Now that they were both living together, working together, and with Aurora having finished her studies, they both started talking about whether now would be a good time to come out in public. They were both apprehensive about the past few years, and they were afraid of what Roland would think of it, but after a few days of deciding, they went together to the throne room to talk to Roland. Of course, logically they wouldn't need his approval to be together, but since they were two servants of the castle, in addition to their history of studying together, they needed to confirm with Roland whether they were free to be together in his castle, and make him aware of it.

Now a few years later, after Cedric's redemption and the strengthening of his friendship with Roland, she spoke to Roland not only as a king, but as a friend as well. They went to the throne room and told him the truth, that they had been enjoying each other since Aurora started living in the castle. Roland was afraid, but Aurora intervened and told him that she was not vulnerable even back then, that she was old enough to make those decisions and the way people saw her as lesser did not affect her ability to do so, that Cedric had always been respectful and never wanted to interfere with her studies and departure to another castle to achieve her goals, he did not want to harm her future, and so he was responsible with her. But now she had done everything she wanted for her future, and now Aurora wanted to stay with Cedric, in Enchancia. Not as an apprentice, having to deal with the secret and with Cedric's worries about keeping her there or with the fact that she would leave. She wanted to stay with him as a lover and with an equal position. No more obstacles, difficulties, or reasons to go our separate ways.

Roland was apprehensive at first, but after hearing Aurora's story and seeing the looks on their faces, Cedric's apprehensive but the clear mutual affection between them, he reconsidered and understood. He and Miranda had both suffered resentment when they first got together, and even though it didn't affect their choice, it wasn't easy to deal with it in the early years. Roland also knew how lonely Cedric was, he had been bitter for many years, and spent his days alone — now apparently lamenting and mourning the distance he had from his loved one for years — and Roland didn't want to be the one to deprive them of that happiness. Miranda also had a hand in that decision. Cedric and Aurora looked so vulnerable from that point that he saw them from the throne, almost reminding him of the day Cedric begged for his forgiveness on the ground after betraying the kingdom, a few years ago. So Roland saw no reason to refuse their request, he could see that the two of them were responsible enough, that they needed this permission, that his childhood friend also needed a happy ending and a new beginning like Roland himself had gained, so he gave them his blessing and permission to stay together in the castle. Aurora couldn't contain her joy and jumped on Cedric, giggling loudly and hugging him tight, kissing his cheek a little too much, and Cedric, despite a bit embarassed, hugged her back and thanked Roland for his blessing. Roland said the only condition was that they be happy... and that they not show so much public affection in front of him, but Miranda nudged him and said they didn't need to worry about that.

Leaving the throne room, Aurora couldn't stop showing her joy in the corridors, holding Cedric's hand in public, leaning on him on purpose, laughing. Sometimes some castle employees would pass by and Aurora would say "We're together!" "We're dating now!" raising their held hands. Cedric would laugh and pull her hand down, nervous, desperate, whispering aggressively "Aurora, stop!! Not yet! Stop doing this, please. I beg you. I can't take it." and she'd chuckle and do it again with the next person that passed, sometimes saying she stopped, before doing it again. It didn't take long for people to know they were together, because now they held hands (or had Aurora holding his arm), Aurora could kiss his cheek, they could have picnics or romantic teas together, and they were free to say out loud that they were together, yes. Eventually the view that others had of them as mentor and apprentice faded and they were finally seen as a couple of royal sorcerers. Cedric's family also found out about it, and Aurora sent letters to her family, not expecting to be mailed back. Not long after, perhaps by the end of the same year, Cedric proposed to Aurora, they got married and they lived happily ever after in Enchancia.

⊹₊୨୧⁺₊☾⊹ Final Considerations:

I started creating this story back in january 2024, when I entered the Cedric/Sofia The First fandom. Aurora had been on my mind since that period, and at first she was a silly self-insert I made just to have fun and create fun scenarios, but she became her own thing overtime, and now she's a character. Just drawings or short posts here and there cannot convey the whole story I have in my mind to other people, and I feel like it's a story that's worth telling, after so many time working on it and creating so much around it. It will never be a movie, or a cartoon, or a comic, or a fanfiction, because so many things happened and I am not willing to write it. But at least sharing it is a good thing, because it deserves to be told and remembered.

It not only has a story, it has it's own characters with their own personalities and conflicts, the characters have designs, moodboards, playlists, and they're almost like people by now. They have their own scents I defined in my head (Cedric smells like books, herbs and clean clothes, Aurora smells like her cherry chapstick and soap), they have their own heights, their own preferences for clothing, food and pastimes, the texture of their hands feel different because Aurora's hands are very soft while Cedric's are rougher and calloused due to chemicals and magic (almost like his concept art ones), Aurora's skin has pink undertones and Cedric's has gray undertones, their have their own sleeping clothes, formal outfits, their haircuts are very defined. Aurora humms and sings when she's focused, Cedric stays working and secretly scheming his evil plans until late at night to the moment when he crawls over the staircase to simply fall into bed exhausted, with headaches and back pain, next to Aurora, being received by her affection and tender care. In the days where they feel like trash they have eachother. Cedric have so many physical traits of tiredness and age due to his stress and bad habits for years, like dark eyebags and smile lines, while Aurora's skin is much softer, still she thinks he's beautiful. They have so many layers, so many traits and habits.

You can find other posts about them and specifically Aurora because she's my creation in the tag "#aurora the apprentice" in my blog. Everytime I mention the couple, this tag is in it. I don't have a title/name for them together though. I accept suggestions.

For those who read until this moment here is a speedrun of every Cedric and Aurora drawing I ever made until today (april 9 2025):

Follow me on Instagram and Youtube to see my art. I usually post Cedric x Aurora art on Instagram so if you'd like to see more of them stay tuned there.

I will probably come back to this post to edit stuff in it in the future, or add more paragraphs, but this is the main post about Aurora and Cedric where I write all the information that there is to know about them in my head.

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[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

What is this?

Past =-= Next

Author's note: Next part of Catuis's story in Husbandry. Thanks to @sleepyfan-blog for letting me borrow Cedric and Ash'val.

Summary: Catius is sent on errands and spots a Dangerous Person.

Warnings: let me know if I need to add anything.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams

Tagged: @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k

Catius was humming to himself, it had been a few months since they'd found Jophiel and had taken him to the Imperial Fist and Salamander Base to get properly patched up. Of course, convincing a skittish, panicky, wounded, and paranoid Jophiel to go to a base filled with Elder Cousins that are First Born that he doesn't know was not easy, also being stalked by a Night Lord had been… not fun.

He was glad that they'd called Elder Apothecary Hura to deal with the fellow Chaos Marine, even though Cedric had to owe Hura a favor for the aid. Hura had called in the favor by requesting Cedric to help him with an incredibly skittish Loyalist Thousand Sons First Born who'd been found in the desert by some of his fellow Chaos Marines and was not… reacting well to being in a Chaos Marine Base.

He'd called Imhoden a 'skittish little cousin'. He knows that Black Templars have a dim view of 'warp witches' but as Cedric was of a gentle temperament and younger, it would help, or so they hoped, calm Imhoden down from his Psyker Paranoia. Cedric has yet to come back from the Chaos Base, but they are in regular contact with him, so he's fine.

And, they do have code words and phrases that they use to ensure that he's still fine, and if he needs back up Catius and the others will go to their brother-cousin's aid, Alliance be damned. For some reason Salamander Captain Ash'val has been keeping a closer eye on him, Claude, Ramiel, and Jophiel since Cedric had 'willingly' gone to help Hura with a particularly tricky patient.

He's finished up the work he's been assigned and heads to who's been assigned to order him about today and reports what he's done and requests another duty task. He's happy to work and is ordered to go and get some supplies from the base line human's town for some items that are easier to buy then to make from scratch themselves.

He nods and is given some local currency and a list and heads to the local town to get the supplies. As well as have a walk about to see who's where in town. There was a rumor that one of the feral war bands of Black Templars was going to be heading into, or would be near the town and they wanted to try and keep an eye on them. Black Templars tended to be rather… temperamental types.

Also, their reactions to a Bond are… not ideal. They are usually not Human Killers. As he's gathering the items he looks to where he spots the feral war band of Black Templars and freezes when he hears a voice that he recognizes. His hearts sinking to his chest as he shuffles to a location that's deeper in the shadows of the building as he mentally swears and carefully peaks around the building.

He feels like a rabbit caught in a trap. Ramiel's told them… some of the things that his so-called Mentor did to him. Has heard the bastard's voice over Vox during some of the rare times that Ramiel was able to try and talk to him, before… before they arrived on Ancient Terra.

Captain Petras is on Ancient Terra- and he's part of one of the less human friendly Black Templar war bands. Oh, this is not good. He's one of the more Infamous Primaris Killers, and he's here. Fuck. Chaplains tended to hold a lot of sway among their battle brothers due to their rank and position within the chapter. Oh, this is not good at all. Suddenly there is a voice in his HUD display and he makes a startled noise.

"-ius, come in Catius," The voice- he recognizes and relaxes a little, it's Captain Ash'val, "Catius sit rep- your vitals are going nuts, what's the situation?"

"Sir," Catius croaks, takes in a breath and then starts again, "One of… of the Primaris Killers is on Ancient Terra."

"…Primaris … what?" Ash'val says.

Catius shivers at the tone of the the Dragon's voice. "What do you mean Primaris Killer? A Chaos or Renegade First Born Astartes?"

"No," Catius says, "He's a Loyalist. Chaos and Renegade Space Marines killing us is understandable, we try to kill them. No- Primaris Killer is a title for Loyalist First Borns who decided that Primaris Marines are abominations to be purged and killed."

There is a silence on the other end of the vox-line and Catius feels like he's said or revealed something that perhaps, Cedric and the other's hadn't told Ash'val or the other First born cousins at the base. Why? He's not sure, but he's got a sinking feeling that he's said something he shouldn't have.

"Catius, get back to base," Ash'val orders, "give me a description and name of this… 'loyalist'."

"… Ramiel didn't tell you? or Cedric?" Catius says, really wishing he could keep his big mouth shut, "This particular Primaris Killer murdered Ramiel. In front of Cedric. And he's a Chaplain."

There is another loud, eternity filled, but actually quite short pause from Ash'val. "He's a what."

Catius winces, there are many reasons why allied Chaplains are… a source of… anxiety for Cedric and Ramiel, and to a lesser extent the rest of them. While Catius had been 'lucky' to not have to deal with many first born before arriving on Ancient Terra, most of the other's had and it hadn't been… the best for them at times.

"My estimated time of arrival is five minutes sir," Catius reports, "I was only able to get half of the requested supplies.

"Someone else will finish getting the supplies, your safety is more important at the moment." Ash'val replies.

Catius blinks and tilts his head, not that Ash'val can see that at the moment, "I don't think he spotted me sir."

"Does he know you are friendly with Ramiel and Cedric?" Ash'val asked pointedly.

"Yes sir." Catius replied.

"And do you want him to know you are here? And possibly them to?" Ash'val asks.

"No Sir!" Catius says with wide horrified eyes, "no!"

[sleepyfan-blog]

Talking to Older Brothers

This is the next part in Cedric’s adventures in the Astartes Husbandry AU, and specifically the Introducing New Primaris Black Templars arc. For other adventures click here and here. First. Previous. Next.  Thank you very much to @kit-williams for allowing me to borrow her ocs Roland and Arnault and @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan for allowing me to borrow her OC Ramiel

Tagged:  @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @i-am-a-dragon34

Warnings: mentions of petras, death threats, if there is anything else I need to tag, please tell me!

Summary: After leaving the base, Cedric goes to talk to Roland, then later Arnault.

Cedric only enters the bakery once he’s certain that he isn’t being followed. There is, as he’s expected, a long line of eager mortals inspecting the delicious foods for sale. He deliberately takes in a deep breath through his nose, the mouth-wateringly delicious scents of the lovingly hand-crafted pastries and other baked goods a welcome distraction from the ugly feelings still eating away at his hearts like the most wicked of poisons. He lets out the breath he’d taken slowly, through his mouth, before inhaling through his nose again.

He does this several times, eyes closed as he lets the chatter of mortals wash over him. He’s not listening to any one conversation in particular, but allowing the sounds to help ground him. Cedric opens his eyes as he hears the careful, distinctive footsteps of Roland walking up to him. He’s not surprised that the mortal shop-helper already went off to go get Roland, as he is an Astartes, though a familiar face in this particular bakery. 

“Are you here for baked goods, Cedric? Or have you come to talk to me about something?” Roland asks, looking him over carefully, a considering frown on his face.

“... I need to speak with you, privately. But I did bring money to buy some of the delicious bread.” Cedric answered earnestly. Pallas and Olivar were healed to the point where they were being slowly introduced to baseline foods. There were few things better than the baked goods made by Roland’s Bonded in Cedric’s opinion, and he hoped to get them both a treat…

If he survives the punishment for attacking Chief Apothecary Melinth, he hopes to give them the bread himself. Otherwise, he’s sure that Ramiel will share the bread with them for him. Cedric’s superiors in the base have been distressingly lenient with him so far, but he’s quite certain that has come to an end. But that was a problem for Later Cedric to deal with. 

“Follow me, then, to the back. Do you mind helping me knead the dough? I had to run an errand this morning and we are a bit behind on some of the larger orders that came in while I was away.” Roland asked, gesturing for Cedric to follow him into the back of the bakery. 

“I’d be happy to help.” Cedric answered earnestly. He smiles cheerfully as he sees you working diligently on some kind of fruit filling for the carefully arranged trays of tart-shells, waiting to be filled and finished cooking. “Hallo!” He calls out to you.

“Good afternoon, Cedric. It’s good to see you again. You’ve been pretty busy these past couple of months. New apothecary training?” You ask, giving him a small smile.

Cedric stills for a moment, face solemn “I wish it were something like that. I do apologize for being so absent recently. Things have been… Tumultuous, as of late. It’s what I wanted to talk to Roland about… Arnault as well, though I plan on talking to him later today.”  He goes over to the sink, washing his hand properly before heading over to the kneading table, grabbing one of the balls of dough and starting to work it in his hands. 

Roland washes his hands as well, and joins him in kneading the bread. He asks “What has been going on up at the base?”

Cedric focused on the way the bread dough felt in his hands as he pushed, pulled and folded it for a couple of seconds before answering, making sure not to put too much strength into manipulating the dough, or else it would tear. The repetitive motions and the care with which he needed to manipulate the bread, while also using some of his strength to get the dough to cooperate properly helped him stay calm as he explained, briefly glancing at you before switching over to Gothic “Over the past couple of months, there have been four new arrivals from M42. All four of them have been Primaris Black Templars. All of them badly injured. Two of them died, despite every effort to get them to a point of stability.” 

Cedric felt the bread tear in his hands and his eyes stung. The young apothecary huffed in frustration, shaking his head as he kneaded the dough back together, suppressing a growl of frustration, willing himself to find the calm that he’d very nearly achieved. 

“It’s unusual for an Astartes to die on Terra.” Roland remarked, also in Gothic, so as to not worry you. “Do you know what they plan on doing with the bodies?”

Cedric scowled “It does not matter what they want to do with the bodies up at the base - and I know what the chief apothecary wants to do with them. But since they are Black Templars and I am the highest ranking Apothecary of their chapter that any of them can get ahold of, I get to decide what happens to them. The organs that were salvageable have already been taken-” Damn it, he tore the bread dough again. A frustrated grunt leaves him as he mashes the torn pieces of dough back together, scowling fiercely “-and I intend on having Malachai and Lestras cremated. I will be speaking with local mortals who have facilities to properly burn their bodies, and intend on having their remains burned by the end of the week. Ramiel is getting the necessary supplies for the Rites of Remembrance, and I do have a holy place in mind for the Rites to be performed.”

Cedric put down the thoroughly kneaded dough ball into a loaf-pan, so that it could prove again and then be cooked. He reached for a second dough ball, his hands squeezing into the soft, giving substance. 

“Is this holy place off-base?” Roland asked perceptively as he set the dough ball he’d been working on in its own tin and grabbed another.

“Ja. There is a beautiful baseline church nearby, with stained-glass windows and a bell that rings beautifully when it is rung. One of the Sisters who tends to the spiritual needs of the mortals is bonded to an Astartes.” Cedric explained. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that he should be fully truthful about this particular Cousin, to avoid any potential… Problems “A pre-heresy Word Bearer Chaplain by the name of Lykus. We’ve spoken a couple of times.”

“And here I thought you tried to avoid every chaplain who wasn’t Ramiel for mysterious reasons.” Roland murmured, a teasing smile on his face “I have seen him around, occasionally. He seems a decent sort, and from well before the Fall of his legion.”

“Ramiel and I plan on holding the Rites of Remembrance in that church as soon as he has everything he needs. The two other Primaris Black Templars would be attending as well, though they’ll need assistance to get to the church, as their wounds are extensive and some of them limit their mobility. I was… We were wondering if you wished to attend.” Cedric explained, this new ball of dough tearing in his hands as he asked. The young apothecary wordlessly grumbles in frustration, rolling the two halves back together between his hands before going back to kneading the dough. He can’t quite look at Roland as he waits for the other’s answer.

“I would be honored to attend the Rites of Remembrance, and to meet the newly arrived Brothers as well.” Roland murmured, his voice warm.

Cedric risked peeking over at Roland. Stilling for a moment as he saw the gentle smile on the older Templar’s face. He swallowed hard, grateful beyond words for his response. “I… Thank you. If… If you wished for your bonded to attend, should she wish to, she would be… She would be welcome.”

Roland’s eyes softened a little and he set down the dough ball he’d been kneading, turning to fully face Cedric. He reached out slowly and pulled Cedric in close, hugging him tightly. “I would be honored to attend, and if you would be more comfortable with this event being Astartes only mein bakerin would understand.”

Some of the poisonous wrath in his hearts faded, as his older Brother hugged him. Cedric was careful to put down the dough in his hands so he didn’t accidentally mash it into Roland’s back as he hugged the other back. If he hid his face in the other’s shoulder for a moment or two as even more tears fell from his treacherous eyes…

Well, Roland was kind enough not to mention it, only hugging him tighter still. “Losing brothers is never easy, and grieving for them isn’t a sin, nor is it a sign of weakness.”

“... There is much to do, before I can grieve them. But I will, once they are resting, and my injured Brothers are healed.” Cedric answered quietly, slowly letting go of Roland and turning back to the ask of kneading dough. 

“... Grief does not wait patiently for one to have the time for it.” Roland warned Cedric “If you try to ignore your grief, it will try und consume you from the inside out. Terra is… Terra is a safer place to process these kinds of emotions, difficult though it is.”

“I will keep that in mind, Bruder Roland.” Cedric half-grumbled, though he did accept the older Templar’s word of warning for what it was. “... I need to tell Arnault of the upcoming Rites of Remembrance as well. I sought you out first as the bakery is closer to the base.”

Roland hummed in acknowledgement before asking “Is there anything else that you want to tell me?”

Cedric hesitated for a moment before shaking his head “Not right now, but thank you for listening.” He slowly let go of one of his older brother and started kneading a dough ball, letting out his frustrations on the soon-to-be loaves of bread.

Roland watched him for a long moment before returning to kneading as well “Alright. But if there is something that weighs on your hearts, or you are struggling with something ,you know you can always come to me, and I will help as best as I can.”

Cedric nodded, shifting a little from foot to foot “I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Roland.”

“All is well.” The older Templar responded with a small smile.

Cedric kneaded bread until he felt somewhere close to calm, before washing his hands and saying goodbye to both Roland and his bonded. He was fairly sure that Arnault and his bonded were at home, at this time of day, and planned on stopping by, to see if they’d talk. 

~

The young apothecary made his way over to where Arnault and Angela lived, pausing for a moment when his astartes-sized phone began ringing in his pocket. He paused, stepping to one side of the sidewalk so as to not block foot traffic before pulling the device out of his pocket. The name and number identified the caller as Captain Ash’val.

Cedric silently weighed the pros and cons of answering this phone call as it continued to ring in his hands. On one hand, this could be important, he might being recalled to base because a medical emergency was either happening or inbound and they needed all hands on deck. One of his injured brothers could be reacting poorly to being tended to by firstborn Apothecaries, or had taken a turn for the worse. On the other hand he had snapped at the other in anger, and he had a physical altercation with the chief apothecary of the base… The consequences of that, he knew he was going to be facing shortly after returning to said base. 

Cedric continued to stare at the phone in his hand, paralyzed by indecision. Should he put the phone back into his pocket, pretend that it was on silent, or that he just hadn’t heard it, distracted by the sights and sounds of Gannet Point? Should he face whatever trial this was sure to be now? What should he d-

“Cedric?” Miss Angela called out from behind him, causing the young Black Templar to startle and fumble with his phone. Despite his best efforts, it fell to the ground with a deafening and decidedly bad sounding smack as it  landed screen-first onto the edge of the sidewalk near the road. 

“I.. Uhm. Hello miss Angela!” Cedric managed out, attempting to smile down at the meek baseline human before he quickly knelt and scooped up his now broken phone. Dorn damn it all, today was not at all going the way he’d hoped it would. “I was hoping to speak to you and Arnault, if you are not busy…”

Some of the tension that Miss Angela had been keeping in her shoulders relaxed a little and she responded with “Of course I’d be happy to talk to you. Arnault as well. He got a call from Captain Ash’val not too long ago, actually. He said that something happened at the base and you stormed off, and that no one’s been able to get into contact with you for several hours, since. Arnault, love, Cedric’s over here!” That last sentence she half-shouted.

Arnault materialized out of nowhere, clearly having somehow acquired a teleportation array and the ability to use it effectively. “There you are! Come, we will talk in our home. I’ve heard what Ash’val and Melinth said what happened. I want to hear your side of it. Where have you been?”

Cedric fidgeted feeling guilty for worrying the older Black Templar “I left the base and knew I was being followed, so I shook off the person tailing me and went to the bakery that Roland and his bonded run together and talked to Roland for a while while kneading bread, to help calm down. It… it worked more or less.”

Arnault heaved a sigh at that, shaking his head a little “I am glad that you decided to find a safe way to vent your fury though why did you feel the need to shake off whoever was trying to catch u to you from the base?”

“Because I knew whoever was following me wasn’t one of my fellow Primaris Brothers and I… Don’t know how well I would have reacted to interacting with a fairborn marine who wasn’t a Black Templar in the fury I was in.”

Arnault hummed, nodding a little in understanding “Ja, I get that.”

“The door’s open, love! Once you two are ready to come inside.” Angela called out from the front door of her home before entering.

“Inside, now.” Arnault ordered Cedric, pointing at the door, a stern expression on his face.

“Yes sir.” Cedric responded, obediently doing as he was told as the older Black Templar followed closely behind him.

~

“Do either of you want something to drink?” Angela asked from the kitchen as Cedric and Arnault entered the cozy home. 

“Uhm… Some tea would be nice, if you don’t mind, Miss Angela.” Cedric answered after Arnault stared at him silently for several seconds.

“I’ll have a cup of tea as well, mein Engel.” Arnault called out with a small smile on his face. It faded and he addressed Cedric tersely “You, sit. Couch.”

Cedric barely managed to suppress the instinctual flinch the flat tones and sharp orders from an older brother instinctually provoked. “Yes sir.” he carefully took off his shoes first, putting them in the shoe bin before heading to the aforementioned couch, sitting on the edge of it, anxious. He couldn’t even look at Arnault at all, much less in the eye as he waited for the other to do or say something.

A short but very audible sigh left Arnault as the Emperor’s Champion made his way over to where Cedric was sitting, joining him on the couch. “What I was told by Chief Apothecary Melinth was that he asked you about irregularities that he found in the geneseeds implanted in Malachai and Lestras. In the ensuing argument, you escalated things violently before storming out of the base. Care to explain what happened?”

“Did… Did Apothecary Melinth say why I became violent?” Cedric asked, doing his best to keep his temper in check. Apparently the bread kneading hadn’t been as effective as he’d hoped it would be, as the fury was once more surging to the surface. 

“He did not deign to go into specifics, and I was more focused on finding you before you picked a fight with some renegades or chaos bastards, or were found by them and they needled you into causing a much messier problem. What happened?” Arnault asked. He sounded… Worried? And non-judgmental.

Cedric risked looking directly at Arnault, trying to gauge the other’s emotional state. He looked mildly worried, but otherwise calm.  “He accused me of lying about my origins, and the origins of the other Primaris Marines. That instead of being created by the Mechanicum, we are a group of Bile’s abominations in the shape of Space Marines, meant to infiltrate loyal chapters and weaken them from within.”

“He what?” Arnault growled, a thunderous frown appearing on his face. 

Before the older Templar could say anything else, Angela walked into the living room, carrying three mugs of tea and a couple of plates of fruit and crackers. “Here you go, love, Cedric. I also grabbed a little snack, in case either of you were hungry. Do you want me to stay for this conversation? Or is this something private between brothers?” 

Cedric looked over at Arnault, unsure what the other’s decision about that was going to be. Much of this conversation probably wouldn’t make sense to her, even if they did speak in one of the local languages that she did know, rather than in rapid-fire Gothic. 

Arnault sighed “This conversation is going to be one that won’t make much sense to those who are not Astartes, mein Engel, and there are some things that have been verboten to explain, even to our bonded. I adore having you near me whenever possible, but this is an astartes-only conversation.  I hope you understand.”

“I don’t understand the subject matter, but I will let you talk to your younger brother privately. I’ll be in my sewing room, if you need or want my help or presence.” Angela murmured, a small smile on her face as she walked over and gave Arnault a kiss on the lips before walking off.

“I will always want you near me, unless there is something dangerous going on. Then I will want you to be as safe as possible. Danke schon for understanding, liebling.” Arnault murmured, kissing her back, a loving and affectionate smile on his face. 

Angela nodded and left the room, with Arnault’s gaze lingering on her as she left. Once the sounds of her quiet footsteps could not longer be easily heard, the older Black Templar refocused on the conversation “Is that when you got violent? The presumption that he made that you und your Primaris Brothers were not who you said you were, but infiltrators and saboteurs?”

“No, though I will admit to yelling at him for how incorrect an assumption that was. I became physically violent after he repeatedly crowded into my physical space and attempted to grab me while I was trapped against one of the walls of his office.” Cedric paused for a moment, a slight shiver running down his back at the sheer panic and fury that had been running through him at the time. He continued to confess to Arnault “He tried to either grab or strike me and I responded by ducking his hands and kicking his bad knee out from under him. After that the physical fight continued until I could get to the door to his office and leave. I almost physically bumped into captain Ash’val as I fled the base… And I think I snapped at him, and my words to him were uncalled for and rude. After that I made sure to lose whoever was tracking me from the base and went to go speak to Roland… Though I didn’t tell him about the fight I got into.”

“What did you talk to Roland about?” Arnault prompted, his voice measured and calm.

“There have been four more Primaris who’ve arrived in the past couple of months, all of them fellow Black Templars… And all four of them were badly injured. Two of them are in the medical ward, recovering and going through physical therapy for some of their injuries. The other two…” His voice cracked and broke for a couple of moments. Cedric allowed himself a moment to get his words back before answering, voice quieter and shaking “The other two died. The last one we had a bit of forewarning about his condition and where he was going to appear, because of a vision Jophiel received. Despite all of Chief Apothecary Melinth’s skills, he was unable to save Malachai. Less than twenty-four hours later, both Malachai and Lestras were on surgical tables again, this time led by Melinth and six other high to mid ranking apothecaries of Loyalist, Renegade and Chaos leanings, to study the differences between Firstborn and Primaris Marines.”

Cedric paused for a moment “The newly dead brothers, in addition to the new living ones were what I spoke to Roland about. Along with the fact that Ramiel and I intend to have their Rites of Remembrance held soon, ideally by the end of the week. There is a church in town with beautiful stained-glass windows we intend on holding the Rites there. I have spoken to the Astartes who works there. He’s.” Cedric pauses for a moment, looking over at Arnault “A pre-heresy World Bearer Chaplain, with a bonded who is a Sister. Is… Is that going to be a problem?”

“... Do you know if he is corrupted at all?” Arnault asked, a small frown appearing on his face.

“I’ve talked to him a couple of times and he earnestly believes in the divinity of the god emperor. The fall of his legion distresses him greatly, from what little he’s spoken to me about it.” Cedric reported earnestly. “He shows no signs of corruption, to my knowledge.” Cedric also dutifully informs Arnault the name of the church and it’s address, in case the other wants to look at the church and speak to the chaplain himself first. “Oh! One last thing, if you wish and if she wishes, you may bring your bonded to the Rites of Remembrance.”

“You mentioned that all four of these new Bruders were found injured - Ramiel was also badly injured, upon being found here on Holy Terra as well. Do you know how they got those injuries?” Arnault asked, leaning a little towards Cedric as he asked, a very focused look on his face.

Cedric stilled. How much of the truth should he tell in this moment, without asking his brothers first? And he only had suspicions about who inflicted the wounds on Malachai and Lestras, as he hadn’t been able to ask them before they died. But Pallius and Olivar had both confirmed that they’d been badly beaten by Petras in M42 before awakening in M3 on Holy Terra. “As far as I know, they were injured in M42 and were brought by whatever force is behind this to holy Terra, in this time.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Cedric. Do you know how they got so badly injured?” Arnault reiterated, his eyes narrowing a little as he spoke.

“I can’t say for sure how Malachai and Lestras ended up with injuries that they had.” though he had his suspicions, especially with Malachai’s injuries. They were, unfortunately, very familiar to Cedric. “But I do know that they’d gotten those injuries during the course of their service to the god emperor.” 

Arnault’s eyes narrowed a little further “Cedric… Ash’val showed me pictures of some of the wounds that were inflicted on your brothers - including Ramiel. I know what it looks like when someone has been attacked by Lightning Claws. All of them were attacked by an Astartes. None of them had defensive wounds, which means they did not fight back and you knew where all their injuries were, including internal ones.”

Fuck! What should he do? Cedric… Cedric did trust Arnault, he really did. But this wasn’t just his decision to make… Though, technically as the only Black Templar Apothecary tending to the injured Black Templars in the base it kind of was, in a legal sense. “... They were punished. The sins they allegedly committed vary by Brother, but the one that had them ultimately killed was one that they could not change, nor help.”

“Explain. Now.” Arnault ordered, his face a twisted into a thunderous scowl.

“I told you earlier that the Primaris rollout nearly broke the Chapter. Part of the reason why is because some Black Templars were killing Primaris Marines. A percentage of these murdered Primaris marines were the chosen apprentices of other Firstborn Marines who did not take kindly to their proteges being murdered. It was very nearly a full-on civil war within the chapter, and it…” Cedric swallowed hard, unable to look at Arnault directly as he continued to explain. He had a desire to curl up into as small of a ball as his large frame would allow, but managed to  It only stopped after the High Marshal gathered the full fleet together for a meeting and informed everyone that we Primaris marines were here to stay, and that we were not heretical abominations. If anyone wished to disagree with that, they could fight him for leadership over the chapter. None of his challengers survived the ritual duels, including the marine who was responsible for the deaths of all five of my fellow Primaris Black Templars.”

“Are any of the Black Templars who killed younger brothers currently here on Ancient Terra?” Arnault asked, his voice hard and growly. 

Fuck!

“We… We don’t know for certain.” Cedric answered truthfully… Sort of. Petras was on Holy Terra, but none of them had managed to work up the courage to confront the Chaplain directly, to find out when exactly the chaplain was from. Petras was well over four hundred years old, when he had been felled by High Marshal Helbreicht after all, and had spent well over two hundred years as an honorable and well-regarded chaplain of the Black Templars. 

“Explain to me, what you mean by that. In detail, Cedric.” Arnault growled, still scowling at Cedric.

The younger Black Templar tried very hard not to start obviously panicking. Cedric wasn’t sure how to explain in a way that wouldn’t potentially cause Arnault to fly into a rage. “I… Uhm.. Ah…” He grabbed the cool mug of tea that had been created for him and took a sip from it very slowly, trying desperately to figure out how to word things. Before he could come up with something to tell Roland, there was a strong knock on the door. “You should probably answer the door, Brother Roland.” Cedric timidly suggested, hiding behind the mug of tea as best as he could manage. 

Arnault grumbled under his breath as he stomped over to the front door. “Ja, what do you -oh Hello Roland. Bitte, come in. Cedric and I are having a chat, and you are welcome to join.”

“Danke, I’d be happy to chat with my bruders. Hallo Cedric!” Roland calls out, sounding relatively cheerful.

Oh no. Cedric is starting to feel a little cornered. He surreptitiously pulls out his phone - the screen is indeed shattered, but it does light up when he presses the correct button and checks his text messages. He’s got several missed phone calls from Captain Ash’val. The two of them are walking back to the living room he’s sitting in. Come on, escape from this conversation! His phone began ringing, it was Ramiel. God emperor bless you!i “Hey Rami, what’s going on?”

“Mattias is being brought to the clinic for treatment by his warband. He’s been  badly beaten and half-stripped out of his armor. He’s alive for now, but he’s in bad shape. I really think that it would help if you were at there to help him stay calm while he gets patched up.” Ramiel informed him, voice low and worried.

“Fuck! But he-he was fine when he arrived on Ancient Terra a couple of months ago. He-he didn’t somehow go back to M42 and come back again, did he?” Cedric asked, alarm shooting through him as he got up to his feet. “He was… He was brought to Holy Terra before he… Before he was…”

“I know that he was uninjured when he first came to Ancient Terra. According to the Crusade leader, they were meeting with a different crusade, this one lead by a chaplain captain. The chaplain wanted to talk to him privately. After their conversation he left with his crusade and Mattias didn’t. It took them an hour to find him, and he’s badly hurt.”

“That bastard’s doing it again. Fuck!” Cedric swore “I’ll be at the clinic as soon as I can. Stay safe, and be smart Rami.”

“You too, Cedric!’ Ramiel answered before ending the call. 

Unfortunately for Cedric, before he could try and leave Arnault’s house, he had to get through both Arnault and Roland, who were staring at him with intensity. 

“Hey, so I need to go. I hate to cut this conversation short, but -” Cedric started.

“We overheard your little talk with Ramiel. You will explain to us right now who this bastard harming Primaris Marines is. We have been patient, waiting for you to talk to us. We aren’t waiting anymore.” Arnault growled, lunging forward and grabbing Cedric by the back of the neck.

“Roland… Help!” Cedric called out plaintively, trying to wiggle his way to freedom.

“Nein, you will answer our questions. Who is causing this harm? Now is not to be silent, like mortal martyrs. Let us help you.” Roland answered, staring at Cedric impassively.

“I don’t know for certain which chaplain it was!” Cedric protested, wriggling more, trying to escape.

“You have your suspicions. Talk, little brother. Now!” Arnault half-snarled at him.

“Chaplain Mephisteil Petras! He was the one who killed at least a dozen primaris marines, including his own Apprentice, Ramiel! He’s here on Holy Terra. We don’t know for sure if he’s from the time he was running around beating Primaris Marines to death, but he’s beaten firstborn Marines to the point that their crusade leaders have sent them to the clinic for treatment twice to my knowledge.” Cedric blurted out, a scowl on his face “Will you let me go now? I need to help keep another brother from dying to firstborn machinations and tempers.”

"I am going to kill him." Arnault responded. His voice was steady and calm, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"We. We are going to kill him." Roland corrected Arnault, shaking his head a little.

"Uhm... We don't know for certain that it was Petras who beat up Mattias..." Cedric pointed out, anxiously.

"True, but this sort of behavior is not something that just goes away." Arnault rumbled "And he was the one who organized the exile of myself and Roland because of our bonds." And because of his writing sins, but Arnault wasn't going to go into that.

“Danke, for finally telling us, Cedric. We will accompany you to the clinic.” Roland murmured as Arnault set him down on his feet. 

“Ja. Let’s go.” The Emperor’s Champion rumbled, a deep-set scowl on his face as the three of them sprinted out of the cozy home and off to the Astartes-run clinic.

[a-court-of-fics-and-errors]

A Court of Fire & Masks

Eris Vanserra x OC

Chapter 4

Summary Penelope enters the glamorous yet treacherous world of Autumn Court life, where appearances are everything, and even the slightest misstep could ruin her families reputation. As the youngest daughter of a noble family, she's expected to smile, nod, and blend in - just like her older sister. But when Penelope's curiosity about inter-court politics leads to a forbidden mention of unrest, she quickly realizes she may not have the weaponry for the brutal battle of social court, especially when she runs up against heir to the court, Eris Vanserra.

Content Warnings:

Emotional manipulation

Verbal and emotional abuse

Power imbalances

Anxiety and panic

Mentions of sexism & misogyny

Dark themes of cruelty

Word Count: 6,802

The sound of laughter filled the sunlit drawing room, a melody of high-pitched giggles and soft conversations drifted through the open windows out onto the lawn of the manor. The scent of fresh flowers, no doubt plucked from the garden that morning by Prudence, lingered in the air, while Pearl and Prita bickered over their embroidery patterns.

Penelope sat by the window, her eyes skimming over the rolling hills of the orchard, though her thoughts were far from the fields she cast her gaze upon. She could hear Persimmon’s voice drifting across the room, offering some carefully measured advice to Persephone, no double about court etiquette as Persephone perched upon the dress stand, two seamstresses remeasuring the same skirt once more.

Persephone — only two years younger than Penelope would be introduced to court at the beginning of next season, and was already being well informed of the interworking of court politics. She nodded along, though the mischievous glint in her eyes made it clear she was already planning to do the opposite of whatever Persimmon advised. “Honestly, Sim,” Persephone sighed, turning slightly on her stand to give the seamstress more access to the panel she was adjusting, “I don’t think it’s that important to laugh at every one of Lord Cedric’s jokes. I’m sure he knows they’re terrible.”

“Whether they’re terrible or not is beside the point,” Persimmon replied smoothly, her posture as straight as ever as she perched on the edge of the wingback chair. “Court is about diplomacy, even in the smallest moments. A well-placed laugh or smile can make all the difference in whether someone sees you as an ally or an opponent.”

Penelope’s lips twitched as she listened. Persimmon had always been the epitome of grace and control, perfectly groomed for the role of a lady in court, even though her own marriage prospects had been slow to materialize. Persephone, on the other hand, was less inclined to follow the rules, often pushing boundaries and prodding at traditions that had been long instilled in them.

“I’m not going to marry someone just because they have a sense of humor,” Persephone muttered, casting a quick glance at Penelope. “What do you think, Pen? Would you marry someone boring if they had a good title?”

Penelope blinked, finally brought back into consciousness by the question. “I supposed that depends on how boring,” she replied lightly, though her normal recurrent unease remained. The weight of Aiden’s unspoken proposal lingered at the back of her mind like a persistent shadow. She hadn’t told anyone about it, not even Persimmon.

Persephone grinned. “Exactly. I think I’ll take my chances on excitement.”

"Excitement fades," Persimmon said, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "What lasts is stability."

Persephone rolled her eyes, the gesture exaggerated enough for Persimmon to notice. With a sharp scoff, Persimmon stood and gave her younger sister a playful whack on the thigh with a rolled-up magazine she had been perusing.

“Well, it’s certainly quite unladylike to roll your eyes when someone is giving you advice on how to compose yourself.”

Persephone let out a loud, unbridled laugh, one so free it could only belong to someone untouched by the full weight of court politics. "Stop being such an old crone, Sim. You know frowning will only give you wrinkles," she teased, flashing a wicked grin.

Persimmon, never one to lose her composure, lifted her chin slightly. “Just see how it works out for you when you're labeled brutish in front of the lords and ladies. We'll see who has the last laugh."

The seamstress let out an audible sigh, clearly frustrated as she lost her place while Persephone dodged her sister’s swats. She began re-threading her needle as Persephone stepped down from the pedestal, abandoning the fitting. “Honestly, do you have so little faith in me, Sim? I think I know how to compose myself in court."

Persimmon crossed her arms, her stance one of amused authority. "I'm just thankful to the Mother we have a few more months to train you out of those nasty habits."

Persephone scoffed, tossing a hand in Penelope's direction, where she sat quietly by the window. "Please, Penelope can be just as boorish and still get a proposal."

Penelope's head snapped up, her brows furrowing as her heart skipped a beat. “What?"

"Boorish is uncalled for,” Persimmon interjected, her tone slightly scolding, but Penelope was already too focused to care.

“What proposal?” Penelope demanded, her voice sharper, her pulse quickening as she stared at her sisters. She could feel her fingers curling into the fabric of her gown, tension tightening across her shoulders.

Both Persimmon and Persephone exchanged confused glances, the mood in the room shifting in an instant. Persephone spoke first, her tone light but filled with underlying implications. "Well," she said coyly, "it's no secret that Lord Aiden has his sights set on you."

Penelope felt a flush creep up her cheeks as she flicked a nervous gaze between her sisters, feeling a mix of embarrassment and anger wash over her.

"I-" Penelope faltered, her breath catching. "There's no proposal," she insisted, though the words felt forced and defensive. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and she could feel heat creeping up her cheeks. "Nothing has been said-" The room fell silent as all five sisters locked eyes with Penelope. She shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny and nervously cleared her throat before continuing. "It's just...there's nothing formal yet. No reason to get my hopes up for something that isn't happening."

Persimmon furrowed her brow and took a tentative step towards Penelope. "Isn't happening?" she questioned. "Pen, you must be blind if you can't see the way he hangs about you. Not to mention his increased interest in father's business ventures, it’s clear he’s preparing for a family merger." The weight of Persimmon's words settled heavily on Penelope's shoulders.

With each word from Persimmon's mouth, Penelope felt herself growing smaller until the world around her seemed too big and suffocating. "I know that," she finally admitted. "But I don't want to get my hopes up," she quickly added, trying to deflect their attention away from the truth.

Persimmon gave her a reassuring smile, crossing the room to place her hands on Penelope's shoulders. "Believe me, the attraction from males is not subtle. He has his sights set on you," she said firmly.

Penelope forced a smile, even though there was no genuine joy or reassurance behind it.

Persephone’s eyes flicked toward the open window, her lips curling into a knowing smirk. “Speaking of Lord Aiden,” she said, her voice teasing, “Penelope, it seems your knight in shining armor is coming down the drive.”

The room erupted into a flurry of excited giggles as all five of Penelope's sisters bounded toward the window, their skirts brushing against one another as they crowded for a better view. Penelope, however, remained frozen in place, her heart sinking deep into her stomach, though she tried in vain to will it back to her chest. She could hear the distant sound of hooves on the gravel drive, steady and rhythmic, before they came to a halt. A dull thud of boots followed, and the next thing she knew, Prudence was leaning out of the window, her arm waving enthusiastically.

“Lord Aiden!” Prudence called out, her voice brimming with youthful excitement.

Persimmon gave a sharp whack to Prudence’s arm, a disapproving scowl forming on her otherwise composed face. But the reprimand was short-lived, as Lord Aiden's cheerful voice drifted up from below, rich and melodic.

“Good afternoon, Lady Prudence!” he called, his tone as warm as ever.

From her position, Penelope could see her other sisters squeezing into the window beside Prudence, their faces alight with joy. Aiden greeted them all in turn, his voice unmistakably fond.

“Lady Persimmon, Lady Persephone, Lady Pearl,” he said, each name rolling off his tongue with ease.

Prita, young and innocent, allowed her curiosity to cut through the polite greetings. “Are you here to see father, or Penelope?” she called, her small voice carrying an air of playful boldness.

Another round of giggles rippled through the huddled group as they leaned out of the window, waiting for Aiden’s response. His laughter followed swiftly, warm and unbothered.

“I’m here to see your father,” Aiden replied, humor coloring his tone, “but if Penelope is in, I’d love to see her as well!”

Penelope didn’t need to glance toward the window to know what followed. She could feel the sudden shift in the room, the weight of her sisters' expectant gazes turning towards her. The smiles on their faces practically shimmered with delight, their amusement palpable. But instead of joining in their mirth, Penelope remained rooted to her spot, her pulse quickening, her feet unwilling to move.

As Aiden’s boots crunched over the gravel below, the clamor of her sisters racing to the door filled the room. They were already tittering excitedly, their voices overlapping as they darted down the hallway, eager to greet him. And still, Penelope stood, a statue amidst the chaos, hoping—irrationally, desperately—that if she didn’t move, she might become invisible. That somehow, if she stayed perfectly still, she could avoid the weight of the moment pressing down on her.

Persimmon was the last one to the door, suddenly seeming aware of Penelope’s lack of movement. “Pen,” she said, her voice light and teasing, “Come down! You don’t want to keep Lord Aiden waiting.”

Penelope snapped out of her daze, forcing a smile onto her face that felt anything but genuine. “Of course,” she replied, though the words felt as heavy as the knot in her stomach.

As she trailed slowly down the hallway of the drawing room, her hands brushing against the smooth banister, she could already hear the lively clamor of her younger sisters echoing through the house. They were practically stumbling over themselves as they raced toward the grand entrance hall, eager to greet Lord Aiden. The familiar chime of the doorbell rang out, followed by excited whispers and the tapping of shoes as her sisters nearly collided in their eagerness to reach the door first.

From her vantage point on the balcony that overlooked the foyer, Penelope could see her mother sweeping into view, her posture straight and commanding as Prita almost crashed into the folds of her gown. Lady Estelle gave the young girl a sharp look of disapproval, eyes narrowing as she turned to face the gaggle of giggling girls who had barely managed to keep from tumbling down the stairs in their excitement.

“Really, girls, you must compose yourselves,” their mother scolded, her tone firm, and laced with disappointment.

At once, all five of them snapped to attention, their shoulders straightening as though they had been given marching orders by a commanding officer. Persimmon, Persephone, Prudence, Pearl, and Prita each adopted a more ladylike posture, their flushed faces still brimming with enthusiasm despite the reprimand. They stood, watching in anticipation as their mother opened the large oak doors with a practiced grace.

A radiant smile spread across Lady Estelle’s face as she greeted their guest. “Ah, Lord Aiden, what a pleasant surprise!”

If it had been remotely appropriate, Penelope would have turned and fled back to her room. But instead, she stood frozen at the top of the stairs, her heart pounding as she peered down at her sisters, who practically buzzed with excitement..

Aiden’s voice drifted up the staircase, warm and unmistakably cheerful. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Lady Estelle.”

“Oh, of course not,” her mother replied, her tone practically beaming.

Aiden chuckled lightly, his eyes glancing at the group of eager girls assembled before him. “I’ve actually come to call on Lord Elian. I was hoping to discuss the orchards—our recent arrangements have overlapped, and I thought we could go over a few things.”

“Of course, please come in, Lord Aiden,” Lady Estelle said, stepping back with a gracious sweep of her hand to invite him inside. The smile on her face never wavered as she welcomed him in.

Penelope watched as Aiden stepped over the threshold, his blonde hair slightly tousled from his ride, the faint sheen of sweat on his brow catching the light. He offered a polite nod to each of the sisters, wiping his forehead with the back of his sleeve. But despite the pleasantness in his voice, there was a fleeting moment—just a flicker—of disappointment on his face, as though he was searching for something or someone.

From her place at the top of the stairs, Penelope’s grip tightened on the balcony railing, her knuckles turning white. She wasn’t ready for this. Not for the weight of her family’s expectations, not for the forced smiles and well-rehearsed pleasantries that were bound to follow.

Lady Estelle’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she moved closer to Aiden. “My husband is just in his study. I’ll fetch him for you.” She offered him a warm smile before disappearing down the hallway, her steps light but purposeful.

Prita, eager to be helpful, stepped forward from the carefully formed line of sisters. Her small voice rang out, innocent but confident. “Can I take your jacket for you, Lord Aiden?”

Aiden’s smile softened at the young girl’s offer. “That’s very kind of you, Lady Prita,” he said, slipping off his riding jacket and handing it to her. The fabric practically engulfed her small frame, the jacket looking more like a blanket draped over her arms as she struggled to hold it up. She gave a polite curtsy before scurrying off to put it away.

Persimmon, ever the image of grace and propriety, took a step forward, her hands clasped demurely in front of her. “Lord Aiden, what a delight it is to have you here today.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Aiden replied, his tone warm and genuine. “Though I do hope I’m not intruding on your father’s work.”

“Nonsense,” Persimmon said with a wave of her hand. “Father is always happy to discuss the orchards. He never tires of it.”

Aiden chuckled, though his gaze drifted around the room, clearly looking for something—or someone. His smile remained polite, but there was a searching quality to his expression, a quiet restlessness just beneath the surface.

Sensing his subtle curiosity, Persimmon’s eyes darted briefly to the top of the staircase, where she knew Penelope was still standing. “Oh,” she said, raising her voice just enough to carry, “Penelope is just upstairs. I’m sure she’ll be down any minute now!”

All eyes turned toward Penelope, who felt her stomach drop. She could feel their expectant gazes even without looking directly at them. Forcing herself to move, she took a hesitant step forward, her heart pounding as her mother’s words from earlier echoed in her mind. Compose yourself.

She began her descent down the grand staircase, each step slow and deliberate, as if the weight of the moment was pressing down on her shoulders with every inch she moved. The false smile she had plastered on earlier stayed fixed in place, but inside, her emotions churned like a storm ready to break.

Aiden’s eyes finally landed on her as she reached the bottom step, his expression brightening in an instant. “Penelope,” he greeted warmly, offering her a gentle smile, “I was hoping I might see you today.”

Penelope returned the smile, though the effort felt almost painful. “And here I am,” she said softly, hoping her voice didn’t betray the tangled mess of feelings inside her.

“Radiant as ever,” Aiden said, his eyes lingering on her, the compliment smooth and sincere.

At his words, Penelope’s sisters practically vibrated with excitement, their faces glowing as they exchanged delighted glances. It was as though the compliment had been given to all of them, and they could barely contain their enthusiasm.

As Penelope descended the last few steps, Aiden closed the short distance between them. He extended his hand, and though Penelope’s stomach twisted, she placed hers in his. His grip was warm, gentle, and he leaned down to press a soft kiss to the back of her hand. The quiet squeals that followed from her sisters sent a fresh wave of heat to her cheeks.

Before she could utter a word, her mother and father appeared, their footsteps hurried and light as they crossed the foyer.

“Girls, please,” Lady Estelle said, her voice firm but not unkind as she waved her hand towards the crowd of daughters. “Give Lord Aiden some space.”

At once, her sisters stepped back in a perfect synchronized movement, as if rehearsed, leaving Penelope standing beside Aiden, alone in the spotlight. Aiden’s smile remained soft and inviting, his brows raised playfully in reaction to Lady Estelle’s gentle reprimand. He turned slightly, extending his hand to Lord Elian, who approached with a broad, proud grin on his face.

“Lord Elian,” Aiden greeted, clasping his hand in a firm handshake.

Her father’s chest seemed to puff out, his smile widening even further. “Lord Aiden,” he returned warmly. “I wasn’t expecting to see your friendly face today.”

“I hope I haven’t interrupted anything important,” Aiden offered.

“Nonsense!” Her father’s voice rang out, full of energy. “I always appreciate your company. Tell me, what can I do for you?”

Aiden smiled and shook his head lightly, a modest gesture as if not wanting to impose. “I was just passing by and recalled our recent conversation about dividing labor for the harvest this fall. I’ve spoken with my father about it, and he agrees—given the percentage of land ownership—it’s only fair we account for a larger share of harvesters in that area.”

Penelope stood quietly, watching the scene unfold, her heart sinking deeper as she took in the exchange. Her father’s pride was palpable. She had heard the same admiration for Aiden during countless family dinners, her father praising his eagerness to learn the business. Aiden, after all, was everything Lord Elian could have wished for in a son—a driven, respectful young male who was genuinely interested in the estate’s future.

“I’m glad to hear he’s on board,” her father responded, his smile growing wider. “Come, let’s discuss it further in the study. I’ve got an apple brandy that I’ve been saving for just such an occasion.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Aiden said, though his tone remained light, as if he knew the offer would be extended regardless.

“Not at all,” Lady Estelle interjected, stepping beside him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Lord Elian has been going on about that brandy for months. You’d be doing us all a favor by finally giving him a reason to open it.”

Aiden chuckled softly, the sound warm and genuine. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”

Her father let out a hearty laugh, clapping Aiden on the back. “That’s the spirit! Come along, let’s not waste any more time.”

Penelope’s father pressed a gentle hand on Aiden’s back, guiding him toward the study. But just as they began to move, Aiden glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on Penelope.

“Penelope,” he called, his tone light yet.

At the sound of her name, Penelope straightened, her spine stiffening with surprise. She hadn’t expected to be addressed, much less involved in the conversation.

“Why don’t you come with us?” he suggested, his voice still carrying that note of nonchalance, as though the invitation was entirely casual.

Penelope’s pulse quickened. “To the study?” she asked, her voice betraying her shock despite her best efforts to keep her expression neutral.

Aiden smiled, warm and inviting which only deepened the knot of confusion in her stomach. “Why not?” he said, his eyes filled with something almost...hopeful.

Her father chuckled, giving Aiden a light shake on the shoulder. “I’m sure Lord Aiden wouldn’t mind your company,” he added, though it seemed forced.

Penelope’s fingers instinctively clenched at the folds of her gown. She had rarely, if ever, been invited to her father’s study. In truth, she knew very little about her father beyond his role as provider, his distant presence felt more like a fixture than a guiding force in her life. Her mother had always emphasized that her father’s duty was to ensure their wealth and security—that anything more, especially when it came to the emotional and domestic sides of their lives, was to ask too much.

Lord Elian had always been an elusive figure, a shadow at the dining table or an approving nod from the end of the room during large gatherings. He wasn’t cold, but distant, like the sun shining just beyond the clouds, unreachable.

The reality of his role wasn’t unusual in the Autumn Court, where fathers of high rank were often expected to manage estates, businesses, and the finer points of political alliances. Their relationships with daughters, particularly those without sons, were often more formal, almost ceremonial. Still, Penelope had grown up holding him in a certain untouchable regard—almost like a revered statue in a grand hall, admired from afar but never approached too closely.

“I...” She hesitated, glancing at her mother, who lingered near the foyer, observing the exchange with her usual composed smile. Penelope's eyes flitted to her sisters, who stood in curious silence, waiting for her response. The entire moment felt surreal, as though the air itself had grown thicker, heavier, with expectation.

Aiden’s gaze remained steady on hers, warm and patient. “I would enjoy your company, Penelope,” he said, his voice gentle, coaxing.

Penelope swallowed, trying to steady her breath as she offered a slight nod. “Of course,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. But why do I feel like I’m walking into something much larger than myself?

As the two males strode down the hallway, Penelope followed behind. Her mother threw her a hopeful, yet tight smile, and pushed her shoulders back, reminding Penelope to maintain her poise.

Penelope straightened her spin, her lips pressed tightly together as she tried to steady her breath. Her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears, nearly drowning out the sound of her father and Aiden’s light conversation ahead of her. The long, dim hallway leading to her father’s study felt like a tunnel of judgment, lined with portraits of her ancestors whose painted eyes seemed to follow her every step. Their scrutinizing gaze and unsmiling faces made her feel smaller with every passing moment.

A few steps ahead of her, her father’s large hand clapped reassuringly on Aiden’s shoulder, and together they strode toward the wide, heavy door at the end of the hall. They moved easily, lost in conversation, their voices deep and familiar, the kind of camaraderie that he might have shared with a son.

As they reached the door to her father’s study, he swung it open with a casual motion. Sunlight spilled into the room, illuminating the overly large room. The study overlooked endless rows of orchards, the trees standing proudly beneath the golden glow of late afternoon. Maps and charts lined the walls between the tall arched windows — carefully plotted planting rotations, all displaying the intricacies of the estate her father managed with such diligence. At the center of the room sat his desk, an imposing piece of craftsmanship carved from the very apple trees that had first grown on the land. The way it stood — dominant and commanding — made it clear that this room was more than a study. It was a throne room, and her father held court here.

Her father and Aiden shared a hearty laugh, their voices bouncing off the polished wood floors lined with thick intricate carpets. Her father wasted no time, heading directly to the bar cart at the far side of the room, muttering something to himself with a pleased grin on his face. Aiden, on the other hand, moved more slowly, taking his time to settle into one of the deep velvet wingback chairs near the desk, his posture easy and comfortable.

Penelope, however, lingered by the door. Should she sit? Stand? The room felt too heavy, even with the tall ceilings, it was suffocating. She remained rooted in place, a bead of sweat trickling down her spine, and she swallowed, trying to tamp down the creeping sense of anxiety that had rooted in her chest.

With a triumphant gleam in his eye, her father turned back to them, holding two crystal glasses and an old bottle of brandy, its label faded and worn. “Aha!” he declared, his voice thick with satisfaction. He crossed the room, pouring the amber liquid into the two crystal glasses. The scent of the aged liquor filled the room, nauseating to Penelope. Her father handed a glass to Aiden, who accepted it with a nod, swirling it gently.

“To the future!” Lord Elian toasted, raising his glass with pride.

But before Auden could clink his glass in celebration, he turned over his shoulder, his gaze falling warmly on Penelope. “Penelope,” he began, his voice as warm as the sun streaming through the windows, “would you like a glass?”

Penelope blinked, caught off guard. “Oh—” she stammered softly, taking a hesitant step forward. Her father’s gaze lingered, and though he said nothing, the subtle tightening of his features spoke volumes. She swallowed, managing a small smile. “No, that’s alright,” she murmured as she forced a soft, polite, embarrassed smile onto her face.

Aiden, unfazed, flashed and encouraging, almost teasing smile as he sidestepped her father and retrieved a third glass from the bar cart. “Oh, come on Pen, I know you aren’t fond of champagne, but apple brandy?” he said, pouring the rich amber liquid. “It’s different. I think you’ll like the cinnamon flavors.” He turned, handing her the glass, his expression light, kind, free of any agenda.

Penelope hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of her father’s eyes still on her. But Aiden’s face, warm and sincere, devoid of any pretense, coaxed her into accepting the drink. She reached out, her hand trembling just slightly as she took the glass from him, her eyes flickering up to meet his. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Aiden offered her another encouraging smile before turning back to her father who still stood watching them. “If we’re toasting to the future,” Aiden said, “then it only seems right that all members of the future be included.”

Penelope’s father blinked, clearly taken aback by Aiden’s bold inclusion of his daughter, his mouth hanging slightly open. He cast a glance at Penelope who felt herself shrinking even more.

But after a brief pause, her father cleared his throat, and lifted his glass once more, his voice forced but steady. “Of course,” she said finally, his expression resigned but trying to appear jovial. “To the future.”

As the warm amber liquid crossed her lips, it burned her tongue and gums, forcing Penelope to swallow with difficulty. The burn trailed all the way down her throat and into her belly, where it settled alongside the heavy knot that had already formed there. Aiden hissed softly through his teeth, holding the glass away from him as if analyzing it. A chuckle rumbled from deep in his chest. “That’s strong,” he remarked, his tone light and amused.

Lord Elain laughed heartily as he drained the last of his own glass, immediately refilling it. “I would hope so, given it’s been aged for a century!”

A century, and yet it still tastes like poison, Penelope thought bitterly, though she kept her expression polite, hiding her distaste.

Her father gestured to the chair behind Aiden, his tone generous, “Please, sit.”

Aiden turned to Penelope, flashing a smile as he gestured to the seat just behind her, “Ladies first.”

Penelope placed her half-finished brandy glass on her father’s desk, smoothing her gown before seating herself. She felt the weight of her father’s stare settle heavily on her shoulders, and her eyes instinctively dropped to the ground as she tried to hide her discomfort. Aiden took the seat next to her, and her father, leaning back in his oversized chair, folded his hands over his desk, watching them both with a casual yet keen gaze.

For a brief, tense moment, no one spoke. Aiden crossed one leg over the other, swirling the last remnants of brandy in his glass. The silence stretched out as if both males were waiting for the other to speak first, sizing each other up in a subtle battle of wills. Penelope could feel the tension simmering beneath the surface, but neither her father nor Aiden let it show in their demeanor.

Penelope wondered if the quiet would have been more natural if she weren’t in the room. Surely they’d be discussing business by now, she thought. But instead, they sat in this heavy silence, a formality that felt stifling, as though the air was thick with unspoken words she wasn’t privy to.

Finally, Aiden broke the silence, turning his head toward her. “Penelope, what do you know of your family’s business?” he asked, his voice casual.

Penelope blinked in surprise, her eyes widening slightly. “I’m sorry?” she asked, momentarily thrown off balance.

Aiden’s expression remained open and interested, with no trace of an ulterior motive. “How much have you been involved or informed about your father’s business dealings?” he clarified.

Penelope’s eyes flicked to her father, whose stoic expression revealed too little. She swallowed, choosing her words carefully. “As much as my father deemed necessary to tell me,” she replied, unsure whether to lean into the innocent daughter role or pretend that she had been more involved in her father’s affairs than she actually was. She tried to look to her father for the answer, but he gave no indication of what he would prefer her to do. She could feel the tightrope she was walking.

Aiden’s lips quirked into a smile. “I only ask because I think it’s important for the children of such successful business operators to understand the workings of such enterprises.” He turned his gaze back to her father, his tone respectful, yet laced with subtle challenge. “We wouldn’t want all your secrets to live with you.”

Lord Aiden’s smile was friendly, his words held an undercurrent of tension, as though he were testing the waters, pushing at the boundaries of the traditional Autumn Court mindset. Penelope’s throat tightened. He’s challenging him. Aiden’s words seemed to toe the line of respect, yet it was clear that there was more at stake than polite conversation.

Her father, composed, allowed a slow smile to spread across his face, though his eyes gleamed with something harder beneath the surface. “I agree,” he said, leaning more forward, the weight of his chair creaking under him. “Though after being blessed with daughters, I’ve always looked forward to passing my knowledge onto their husbands. You know how females can be,” he chuckled, as if sharing a private joke, confident Aiden would understand.

Aiden’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean by ‘how they can be’?” he asked, his tone measured.

Penelope’s father hesitated for a moment, glancing briefly at her before averting his gaze back to Aiden. “I just mean that females don’t have the same…” he paused, searching for the right words, “entrepreneurial drive, as us males. It’s not in their nature.”

The bile rose in Penelope’s throat, but she swallowed it down, forcing herself to remain silent. Her pulse quickened, the weight of the expectations in the room laying heavily on her chest. She wanted to speak up, to challenge the archaic belief that her father had just so casually laid bare. But she knew better than to step out of line, especially in front of another male that her father was posturing in front of. She was no one’s property but her father’s and challenging him would only make things more complicated.

To her surprise, Aiden chuckled softly, though his posture remained relaxed, his eyes still flickered with some unspoken fire. “I believe you’re selling your daughter a bit short,” he said, his voice kind but pointed. Penelope felt her heart skip.

Aiden continued, turning to face her slightly, “Penelope here has quite the calculating mind. Not to mention a drive and passion I think you’re underestimating.” He glanced back to her father, an edge in his voice as he looked at her. “In fact, I’d wager she could run intellectual circles around the both of us.”

Penelope’s breath caught, and she dared not look up at her father. The room was charged with tension. The two males veiled in polite words. Aiden’s compliment - though genuine - carried with it an undercurrent of defiance, a subtle challenge to her father’s, and many other older males, old-fashioned beliefs.

Her father smiled thinly, though his fingers flexed slightly on the armrest of his chair. “Is that so?” he said, his voice smooth but tight. His gaze locked on Penelope as though she had caused this grand betrayal.

Aiden’s gaze remained steady. “Absolutely. In fact, I think Penelope has the potential to contribute more to her family’s legacy than any husband could.”

Her father’s smirk was reptilian, cold and unfeeling. In all of Penelope’s life, she had never had a personal conversation with him. Never been invited to the rooms where real decisions were made. Her world had always been confined to the drawing rooms and parlors, honing her skills in the pursuit of finding a husband — someone who could take over the estate or elevate her family’s status. She had no mind for business, not because she lacked the intelligence, but because she had never been allowed to develop one. Yet here, in this room, Aiden’s challenge seemed to ignite something deep within her — a simmering anger that bubbled at her father’s casual dismissal, his overt disregard for her capabilities.

Still, there was no world in which she could openly challenge him. Not here. Not now.

Her father guffawed at Aiden’s statement, the booming sound jarring enough to make her jump. “My dear boy,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye, “you are most definitely part of the younger generation.” He laughed again, louder this time. “Ladies are meant for continuing families. Males ensure prosperity.”

Aiden didn’t laugh. In fact, his expression hardened. “I disagree,” he said, his voice firm but measured. “I believe there are plenty of females who could run an estate far better than I could. And I certainly don’t plan to treat my future wife as someone whose only purpose is to bear me children and raise them.”

Penelope’s heart thudded painfully in her chest, a rising tide of frustration and embarrassment swirling inside of her. She wished she could simply disappear — melt into the floor or evaporate into the air. Anything to remove herself from this moment. Her father, however, didn’t seem the least bit fazed by Aiden’s response. He eyed the young lord with mild amusement, a small chuckle escaping him.

“You’re still young,” he said, leaning back in his chair with an air of self-satisfaction. “Once you’re married, you’ll find that involving a wife in business can make everything more complicated. Suddenly, time in bed becomes more of a chore, and you start hearing her nagging voice a little too often.”

Penelope’s stomach churned as her father continued, his words like sharp needles pricking her skin. He had seven daughters — seven — and yet he thought so little of them? Of her? Resentment gnawed at her insides, but she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the floor, biting back the urge to speak. She could feel Aiden’s tension beside her, though he remained composed, listening patiently as her father rambled on about the importance of keeping business and marriage separate.

When her father finally finished his tirade, Aiden spoke with a clam, steady tone. “Lord Elain, I appreciate your advice, and I look forward to seeing what marriage teaches me.” His words were polite, but there was a sharpness beneath them — an edge that only someone like Penelope, who had been observing him so closely, might notice.

Her father seemed satisfied with Aiden’s response, but then his attention shifted back to Penelope. “Penelope,” he said, and she flinched slightly at the sound of her name. “Why don’t you go and attend to your sisters? Lord Aiden and I have much to discuss, and I’m concerned that the whole ordeal might bore you.”

Penelope’s face burned with humiliation, her pulse thrumming in her ears. After everything Aiden had said, after defending her, after implying that she was capable of more than her father gave her credit for — her father still had the nerve to dismiss her, to send her off like a child. She wanted to scream, to argue, but she knew better. The repercussions from her mother would be swift, and she didn’t dare risk it.

“Of course,” she said through gritted teeth, nodding her head and rising from her seat.

As she stood, Aiden rose with her, his eyes softening, a hint of sadness in his expression as though he, too, was disappointed by her departure. “Lady Penelope,” he began, his voice gentle, “if I don’t have a chance to speak with you before I leave, it was a pleasure seeing you today.”

“Likewise,” she responded, though her voice felt hollow. Aiden reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a tender kiss to the back of it. When he released her, Penelope’s gaze dropped to the floor.

She hurried out of the study, the door closing heavily behind her, and as soon as it clicked shut, she felt the weight of the room’s tension leave her shoulders. Yet, the burn of anger and embarrassment still lingered.

Penelope had half-expected her sisters to be huddled outside the study door, eavesdropping as they always did — not for insight into business dealings, but to witness Aiden’s interaction with her. She could already hear their excited whispers, giggling over imagined glances and analyzing every detail as if the outcome of the conversation was already decided. But as she hurried down the long hallway, she realized she was alone. No curious faces pressed to the wall, no giggles trailing behind her.

For once, it seemed no one was watching.

She didn’t bother returning to the drawing room. Instead, she moved swiftly to the foyer, pushing through the grand front door into the early fall air, the tears she’d been fighting for the last ten minutes finally spilling over as she descended the marble steps. She swiped at them with trembling fingers, but her breath came in ragged, uneven gasps. Her chest felt tight, her lungs burning as she tried and failed to hold back the sobs that clawed their way up her throat.

The weight of everything — her father’s dismissal, Aiden’s well-meaning but suffocating affection, her families’ constant expectations — it all pressed down on her until it was unbearable.

The manor faded into the distance as she strode purposefully down the path, her steps carrying her toward the orchards. The trees had always been her sanctuary, her safe place. Even as a child, when everything in the house felt too big, too stifling, she would wander between the rows of apple trees, letting the warmth of the sun on her skin and the hum of the bees lull her into a sense of peace. The orchards were the one place where she could breathe — where no one demanded anything from her.

Now, with the weight of the world bearing down on her, they were the only place she wanted to be. Her feet carried her there without thought.

Her hand pressed against her stomach, trying to steady the tremble in her chest. The familiar scent of ripe apples hung in the air, carried by the gentle autumn breeze, and slowly, with every step she took, the tension began to release. She wiped the last of her tears away, feeling the ache in her lungs start to ease as she ventured deeper into the orchard, where the trees grew close and the world beyond the leaves seemed to disappear.

Here, under the canopy of branches, she could be just Penelope. Not the daughter of Lord Elian, not the future wife of Lord Aiden — just herself.

She stopped near the oldest tree, its bark weathered and worn from decades of bearing fruit. She placed her hand on the trunk, feeling the roughness of it beneath her palm. The steady, unchanging presence of the trees calmed her, as it always had. The bees hummed, the leaves rustled softly in the breeze, and Penelope let her head fall back, her eyes fluttering shut. Out here, away from the study, away from the watchful eyes of everyone in her home and at court, she could almost forget the world beyond the orchard existed.

A Court of Fire and Masks Master List

Tagged: @mrsjna @lilah-asteria @ambivalence-is-me @rcarbo1 @aaliyahmorielle

[articskele]

IM NORMAL ABOUT CHARACTERS IM NORMAL ABOUT MY OCS I. GODDDDD. IM GONNA BE ILL.

SOMETHING SOMETHING CEDRIC VIEWING PEOPLE AS PAWNS AND GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER. AND CHESS BEING A RECURRING THING IN THE MV. AUGHHHH

DOVE AND CEDRIC WERE FRIENDS!!!! THEY WERE BEST FRIENDS THEY'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE CHILDHOOD THEY'VE SEEN EACH OTHER AT THEIR WORST THEY KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE!!!!!!

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THEM. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THEM. YEARS OF TRUST AND MEMORIES BROKEN BY LIES. WARMTH REPLACED WITH WHITE HOT RAGE AND HOLY RETRIBUTION AND A PAIN IN YOUR HEART THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SICK.

CEDRIC LEAVING CLAW MARKS IN EVERYTHING HE LOVES BC HE'S SO FUCKING DESPERATE TO NOT BE ABANDONED. DOVE LEAVING HIM IN THE DUST AND MOVING ON WITH HER LIFE. FUCKKKKKKKKKKKK

Thinking about Self Proclaimed Angel and how it is THE Dove song ever. Go girlie kill!!!

[jugheadtheredhead]

sfw requests r open!!

alright im caving. while not feeling completely up to writing new chapters for anything, i am desperate to write something 😭😭

so x reader, x oc, and pairings requests r now open!! just send me ur asks w whatever u want for the following fandoms/characters

criminal minds

🩷 x reader/oc: i will do any of the characters from the team x reader or x oc but i LOVE writing elle, garcia, and morgan specifically

🩷 pairings: morcia, galvez, spencelle, hotchi, jemily, jelle, jarcia, ellemily, rossi x gideon, gideon x hotch

harry potter/marauders

🩷 x reader/oc: harry, ron, fred, george, lee jordan, hermione, ginny, luna, cedric, angelina johnson, lily evans, marlene, remus, sirius, peter, james, regulus, dorcas, mary, pandora, evan, barty, bellatrix, narcissa, alice, andromeda, and rita

🩷 pairings: ronmione, linny, lee x george, lee x fred, jily, jegulus, jegulily, regulily, pandalily, wolfstar, dorlene, marylene, marylily, quillkiller, nobleflower, and rosekiller

the hunger games

🩷 x reader/oc: finnick, annie, johanna, katniss, peeta, haymitch, cashmere, gloss, enobaria, lucy gray, sejanus, and cinna

🩷 pairings: odesta, johannie, everlark, hayffie, cashbaria, clato, and glarvel

mean girls(2024)

🩷 x reader/oc: regina, damien, janis, cady, gretchen, karen, and aaron

🩷 pairings: rejanis, fetchen, cady x aaron, ms norberry x mr duvall

stranger things

🩷 x reader/oc: max, lucas, dustin, mike, will, el, steve, robin, nancy, eddie, jonathan, argyle, and chrissy

🩷 pairings: lumax, elumax, byler, elmax, steddie, platonic stobin, ronance, hellcheer, buckingham, and jargyle

note: i will not do anything beyond making out and i will do angst and fluff :) if a character/pairing was not mentioned, but u want to request it, feel free to ask anyways and i will respond privately if i dont feel comfortable doing it. i can do head canons or full-on drabbles, u pick! i can also do platonic pairings or x reader/oc

as for introductions, im a chronic flirter with an obsession for reading who is loved by one(@siriusblackwannabe)

for more writing, go to my ao3:

[lov3rsrck]

COWBOY LIKE ME |

Chapter three: Quidditch Chaos

Mattheo Riddle × Hufflepuff!OC

Series trope: Fake Dating

Chapter three summary: Cordelia should’ve known things were going to get awkward when she causes drama and confrontation at the quidditch game.

Warnings: bullying(?)

Author's note: Finally writing another chapter for this! Sorry it's been taking so long, idk if anyones reading this anyways :(

Enjoy reading and feel free to give me helpful criticism :)

Overall masterlist | series masterlist | chapter four (coming soon)

THREE LETTERS. THATS how many Cordelia wrote. She stood in line, waiting to get into the stands as she racked her brain. Who else did she write a letter to?

She knew Mattheo obviously got one, and she had seen Cedric's letter in his hand. But who else did she have a crush on?

The line slowly withered down, merging into small groups of students. She searched them for Hermione, and when she finally laid eyes on her, she laid eyes on someone else, too. Someone who was walking right towards her. That's when she remembered.

Back in second year, Cordelia, like most of the other girls at Hogwarts, had a crush on the one and only Harry Potter. He was the chosen one, who wouldn’t like him?

Of course, Cordelia’s crush ran much deeper than the other girls (all of her crushes did, hence the sappy love letters)

It didn’t last long, but Harry Potter was her first crush, meaning his letter was the oldest and the weirdest out of all of them. If any of those letters should’ve been burned, it would have been that one.

Harry was pushing his way through the other members of his quidditch team, headed straight for cordelia. And she now knew exactly why.

She could not deal with this right now. It was too embarrassing, too weird. Harry had become one of her best friends, not to mention he was basically dating Ginny weasley. So a love letter from second year? Nightmare fuel.

Cordelia made a beeline for the bathroom.

She pushed open the door, breathing out when she found it empty. She went into the first stall she saw, throwing herself down onto the toilet. She took a few deep breaths, holding her head in her hands. How was she going to get out of this? Her last two years at Hogwarts were going to be ruined. Everyones gonna think she's some kind of stalker.

As Cordelia harbored a minor panic attack in the stall, the bathroom door swung open, and she heard a group of girls walk in. her head shot up as one of them entered the stall next to hers. She didn't recognize the voices, so she assumed they were upperclassmen.

“Did you see those letters?” The girl in the stall asked.

Cordelia’s heart stopped. No no, please no.

“What letters?”

“Those love letters…you really haven't heard about them?” The toilet flushed, and she stepped out of the stall.

“That girl,” Cordelia held her breath, trying to be silent as she listened in.

“I think her name was camila? No wait, it's Caroline!”

“You idiot! Her name is Cordelia. That weird girl from hufflepuff.”

Cordelia wanted to flush herself down the toilet. She wanted to sink into it and drown forever. She knew the letter was weird, but she never expected Cedric to spread it around for anyone to see. How many other people have read it?

“Whatever,” Cordelia could practically hear the eye roll in the girl’s voice, and she swallowed the lump in her throat as they talked.

“What was she even trying to do with that letter? Did she think it’d get his attention or something?” There was a collective laughter, and the water from the sink stopped running. The voices soon trailed off as they walked out of the bathroom, the door slamming shut behind them.

Cordelia peaked her head out, and when she noticed that the coast was clear, she exited the stall. It was official, her reputation would be totally ruined. By the next morning, everyone would be talking about her and her dumb letters.

Cordelia pushed open the bathroom door, but when she walked right into someone.

No, not just anyone, it was Harry who she walked into.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, as she choked out his name.

“Can we talk?” He asked. She couldn't find the right words to answer him. She was good friends with Harry, and now she could say goodbye to that.

“Look, Hermione already told me about what happened, im–im not weirded out or anything, i just thought maybe you wanted to talk about it?” He explained.

“You’re not?” He shook his head.

“Look, it was back in second year, I mean, we weren't even friends yet at this point. It didn't mean anything now, I was so young back then.” The two of them began to walk as Cordelia spoke.

“Did you read all of it?” She cringed inside as she thought about what might possibly be written in the letter.

He let out a light laugh, “I stopped after you said that I was the best thing to ever happen at Hogwarts.”

“Oh my god,” Cordelia ran a hand over her face, thoroughly embarrassed by her younger self.

“I wish I could just burn these stupid things.” The comment was more for herself, but Harry heard it nonetheless.

His hand extended out to her, the letter held between his fingers, “here, take it.”

She looked at Harry, stunned.

“Really?”

He nodded. “It’s your letter, you should have it back.”

Cordelia took the letter from Harry’s hand, stuffing it in her pocket, “Thank you.”

“So we’re good?” She asked. Harry nodded again. Cordelia let out a breath of relief, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

overall masterlist | series masterlist | chapter two