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your-1up-girl · 3 years ago

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Once Upon A Dream (Hera x Ventus)

Uhhh....okay so this wasn't supposed to post until the 31st but I must have gotten the queue wrong soooooo. Have an early gift.! I dedicate this fic to the very lovely and absolutely gorgeous @sammilimyy! Why do you ask? Because it’s her birthday (I'm early sorry)!!! I was so inspired by your royal/fantasy AU with Hera and Ven that I just had to write a fanfic for it. Now this is basically inspired by a certain movie from a certain company that shall not be named out of fear they will take this down, but if you know the song then you know the movie. I hope you like it Sam (and I hope that I got it on time for your b-day) have a happy and wonderful birthday!

Word Count: 4339

Pairing: Hera (OC)/Ventus (Kingdom Heart)

Warnings: Nothing but pure fluff! I hope you have a good Dentist Sammi, cuz this thing is gonna give you cavities!!!

It was happening again. This dream she found herself in was coming to her with much more frequency now. Always in this dream, Hera would find herself wandering through a forest where the birds graced her ears with beautiful melodies and the way the light filtered through the trees was practically angelic. In this dream, she would always wear a tea-length dress so it would not drag against the soft grass and dirty the pristine fabric. Said dress was adorn in mute yellow skirt and bodice with pale pink trimming and a bow in the back. It flowed with grace as Hera continued barefoot down the unmade path. A path she has taken several times before.

At this point she would reach a clearing where the trees created a canopy of sorts and the brush and wildflowers bloomed and grew with no outside interference. Standing in the middle of this clearing was a figure. It always looked like the spirit of a young boy. Someone who Hera would guess was about her age but taller than her. He had spiky hair and clothes that looked different from that of what she had seen in the nearby villages of the kingdom. As he turned to face her, she could see the phantom of a smile on his face but never his actual features. Soft music would fill the air as they approached each other and they began to dance. The soft whips of his fingers held her waist as they twilered and glided across the grass. They could never speak to each other but they could laugh. And Hera thought his laugh was better than any orchestra in the world.

Despite never speaking to this boy and only sharing these dances, Hera had fallen for this mysterious stranger. It was a dream, but in her heart, it all felt completely real. This boy was out there. At this point, after they had their dance, the music would end and Hera would wake up to the knocks of her Lady in Waiting telling her to start the day; but this time was different. For just a brief moment, when Hera looked up and faced the spirit, she could see him. It was still in a ghost like form but his features were there and she took it all into memory. The bangs across his forehead, the goofy yet loving smile he wore, and most importantly the shadowy blue eyes that looked back at her. He had never appeared tangible to her once during these late night rendezvous but after seeing him in this apparariton form, Hera knew. She was completely in love.

Hera woke with a start in her bed. The sudden movement had scared her Meow Wow Polly and her friend Naminé who was drawing the curtains to let light enter the room.

“Your Grace, you’re awake.” The Lady in Waiting spoke once the initial shock faded. “I knocked on the door to wake you, but you didn’t respond. Then, when I came in, you had the most peaceful smile on your face that I didn’t want to wake you just yet.”

Hera held her heart as Naminé spoke, remembering the dream once more. “Did you have another dream about him?” Naminé sat on the bed next to the princess as Polly let out a small whine and cuddled back into her owner.

“Yes, I did. We danced like we always do. But this time,” Hera paused as her smile became more giddy, “This time I saw him, Naminé.”

Naminé wore a similar smile at this development, “Really! That’s wonderful Princess. What did he look like?” Hera adjusted herself on the bed so Naminé could begin taking her hair out of the braids she wore to bed.

“Well, he still looked like a ghost of sorts but his facial features were there and not just a blank face. He had the most beautiful blue eyes, Naminé.” A love-struck sigh left Hera’s lips, “It was like looking into the night sky itself.”

“You are absolutely smitten with this boy. Do you think he’s real?”

“Why else would he appear to me in this dream? And remember, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen him.” Hera got out of bed and walked out onto the balcony. She leaned on the stone railing and gazed out into the horizon; her nightdress flowing in the early morning breeze. A sigh of doubt escaped her, “Naminé?”

Her Lady approached, “Yes Princess?”

“Answer me honestly, please. Do you think that boy is out there? Am I foolish to think that he could exist?”

Naminé’s eyes softened at her friend's sudden realization that this could all just be a dream. She held Hera close and spoke, “I think that in a world where magic exists and mythical creatures are a prominent part of our lives, having recurring dreams about a mysterious boy is calm by comparison.” This made Hera laugh, “I think he’s out there my Princess. If this truly is love that you feel, then you will both find your way to one another.”

After that, the day continued on as normal. Naminé helped Hera get dressed for the morning. Hera went to her lessons with Eraqus, the king. His lessons involved looking after the kingdom when she eventually came to rule. She had Keyblade training with Young Master Riku, Naminé would always remain close by during these lessons as the Lady in Waiting was very smitten with the Keyblade Master. And on this particular day, she ended her training with Master Aqua. The sworn protector of the Princess, Aqua specialized in magic and was well versed in wielding a Keyblade. She would teach Hera about combining magic into her basic attacks. However, Aqua took notice that Hera was not as focused as usual.

“Is there something bothering you Hera?”

“Huh? No Master Aqua, what makes you say that?” Their keyblades dissipated into the air signalling that they were done for the evening.

“It’s just that you haven’t been as focused as you should be during your lessons. And it’s not just with me, the King has noticed you’ve been more aloof with your teachings. Merlin has taken notice as well and so has Riku.” Hera hung her head in shame, should she tell Aqua about the dreams and the young boy? No, surely she would think the Princess crazy for looking into something like dreams. And falling in love with an apparition whom you don’t even know the name of would get her a lecture from the King. Hera couldn’t come up with a response quick enough but Aqua took the silence as something different. “You seem so worn out. Maybe you haven’t been getting enough sleep?”

At that, Hera’s head shot up, “Yes! Yes Master Aqua, that’s exactly it!” The sudden change in demeanor startled the blue haired Master from her train of thought. “I’m just so tired as of late Master Aqua. I think it would be best if I went off to bed now even. I had my dinner sometime before training so I’m not hungry.” Aqua blinked a few times. Hera seemed...excited to go to bed? It was an odd development in her attitude for sure but it seemed to be an improvement to what it was before so Aqua let it slide for now.

“Of course Your Grace, I’ll send for Naminé to meet you in your chambers to assist you for the night. Sweet dreams Princess Hera.” It was hard for the young girl to contain her excitement and Aqua could have sworn she heard a whispered, They will be as Hera passed.

Naminé carefully brushed Hera’s hair in the large bed of the royal chambers. Both girls wore their nightgowns and were discussing the events of the day. Polly sat comfortably in Hera’s lap, listening just as intently as if she were to join the conversation at any moment.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you were paying extra attention to Master Riku’s lessons today.” Hera jested with her best friend; a smirk proudly displayed on her face.

“At least one of us was.”

“Hey! Naminé!” The Princess turned to push the blonde girl as they both laughed in the empty, fire lit room. “He likes you, you know.”

“Oh please, I’m just a maid, he wouldn't like me.”

Hera thought about this for a moment as Naminé worked an intricate updo into the Princess's hair for the night. She could tell her friend was discouraged by this separation of class so she tried to lighten the mood, “If he rejects you, I’ll have him beheaded.” Naminé nearly choked on her own saliva and snorted out a laugh. Having accomplished her mission in making her friend laugh, Hera joined as well.

“As kind as that is, please Hera, don’t kill anyone on my behalf.” Naminé was grateful for the joke and Hera enjoyed the lack of formalities with her best friend. The conversation continued in this matter but before Naminé got up for the night, Hera asked her a question.

“You want me to draw you a picture?”

“Yes, please, if it’s not too much to ask?” Naminé, not wanting to refuse her friend or the Princess, took a piece of parchment from the desk, some graphite, and a flat board to give her some stability and joined Hera back on the bed.

“Alright Hera, what is your request?”

“I want you to draw the boy from my dreams.” Big, pleading blue eyes met confused blue ones as Naminé took in what Hera asked.

“I-Your Grace-Hera, you know that I don’t know what he looks like, yes?”

“Oh, I know. That’s why, you’re going to sit next to me and I’m going to watch you draw as I describe him to you.” Hera grabbed the pillow next to her and made room for her friend and tapped the spot. A small smile adorned the Lady’s face as she made herself comfortable and ready for the long night ahead of her.

~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in the outskirts of the Kingdom, some yards away from the borders, a young farm boy sat upon the roof of his home looking at the horizon as the sky changed from warm tones to cool blues and the stars greeted him for the night. He came to look out into the sky when he needed to clear his head. And after having a busy day of training, fram work, and running errands, Ventus was in need of a small break. Not to mention that this moment alone gave him some time to think about the spirit girl he saw in his dreams. At first, Ventus just blew it off. Strange dreams happen all the time, take ‘em with a grain of salt. But then, she kept coming back, the same girl, in the same forest, with the same dress, and the same beautiful smile. God that smile. It was barely noticeable with the form that she took in his dreams but Ven was in love with it nonetheless.

He chuckled to himself. There I go again, Terra would have a fit if he could hear me. Falling in love with a forest spirit just because she danced with you in a recurring dream was ridiculous. Right? Ventus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, groaning when he had to pick more sticks out from when he fell herding the animals earlier. That girl made sleeping more exciting yet also somewhat frightening. Why did he see her all the time? Was she some sort of nymph? Was she even real? Would she love him back? And, why did he feel such disappointment if the answer was no? He didn’t even know this girl, and yet? Ventus put his hand over where his heart would be and gripped that part of his shirt. This girl had his heart and he didn’t know what to do about it.

“Ven? Ventus? Where are you?” Terra stepped out of the house to call for the young boy. It made Ven laugh just a bit. No matter how many times Ventus escaped to this spot, Terra never thought to check there. “Come on Ven, you’ll never get to be a royal guard if you don’t get a good night’s sleep!”

“And you will never be a detective if you don’t think to check in the obvious spots for the suspect.” Terra turned to see that Ventus was in fact, on the roof. They both shared a laugh and Ven made his way down. “If you keep yelling then you’ll wake the Tama Sheep and the Electricorn.” They both made it back inside the house and Ventus sat with a warm tea Terra had made. The young blond sat and stared at the tea with a look that was both focused and unfocused all at once.

“Hey Terra, do you believe in love at first sight?”

The brunette sat across from the boy and pondered the question, “I think it’s possible. I think that if someone really is the one then you’ll just know.”

“Hmm.”

“You thinking about your dreams again?”

“Yeah. It’s always with the same girl. She comes to that forest, doesn’t say a single thing to me, just laughs, and we dance. They’re getting more frequent and-” Ventus paused a small smile creeping onto his face.

“And?” With raised eyebrows, Terra waited for a response.

“And...I saw her face.” Ven couldn’t hide the smile or blush at this point and Terra’s eyes widened, not expecting that to be his response. “It was all ghosty and weird like the rest of her but I could see her eyes and the way they had so much life to them. I saw her and I just fell for her, Terra. Even more than I already am in love with her.”

“Does she look like anyone you know? Maybe it’s someone from the marketplace?”

“No, her clothes look different from that of the marketplace or even from the nearby towns. I could be wrong but they kinda look like a type of nobility.”

“Wow, look at you; dreaming about a Duchess.” It never crossed either of their minds as they drank the tea that the mysterious girl could have been a princess. Terra listened more to Ven’s recounting of dreams as it got a bit later. An hour had passed and the tea was all gone and both boys sat at the table trying to figure out what to do about the spirit girl.

“I think you should go talk to a woman who goes by Fairy Godmother. No one knows her real name but she is really good at figuring out people’s dreams. She lives on the far side of Traverse Town near the kingdom borders.” Ven listened closely. “If anyone can help you out, it’s her.” It was discussed that Ventus would take one of the Yoggy Rams and travel there tomorrow morning.

By early morning light, Ventus did just that. It was a long ride but not too tedious. Around mid-afternoon Ventus arrived at Traverse Town and began asking for this Fairy Godmother. Some people lead him to the back of the town where, in the middle of a water well, there was a house that was similar to that of a doll’s but less childish. Ventus carefully walked over the rocks with his Yoggy Ram to the front door and gave it a pensive knock. He waited no more than a minute when a kind looking older woman answered the door. She smiled at him like she was his grandson and enveloped him into a hug.

“Oh hello young man, it’s good to see you. Please, please, come in. Let your Ram drink from the water around my house. I don’t mind. I just prepared some warm milk if you would like some.” Fairy Godmother brought him into the quaint living room and he lifted the milk to his lips taking a sip. It tasted faintly of vanilla and hazelnut; it made Ventus smile. “So,” Fairy Godmother sat across from him in her own plush chair, “How can I help you dear.”

“My friend told me that you could help me with my dreams?”

She lightly laughed and placed her tea cup down, “Yes, he is correct; dreams tend to be my specialty. Tell me everything my dear.” Ventus did just that. From the smiles, to the laughs, and all the joy he felt in between. When he finished, he sat anxiously for the answer. “Hmm, this sounds like a very special girl.”

“She is Fairy Godmother.”

“But you have never seen her before?”

He hung his head, “No I haven’t Fairy Godmother.”

“And yet you’re in love with her.” There was no malice in this question and she asked knowing exactly what his answer would be.

Ventus sighed, the milk long finished as he searched for his answer, “I-Fairy Godmother, I know it sounds crazy to love someone you have never met but, my heart tells me that she is someone who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t have much to give. I am a stable boy who is training for a guard position and doesn't have much control of his Keyblade yet and I can be kinda naive but I love her. More than anything.”

The Fairy Godmother smiled at his answer; it had exceeded her expectations. “That’s even better than what I had expected you to say.” She stood up and went to a bookshelf and handed him a map. A map of the kingdom more specifically. “You see this area?” She pointed to an unnamed forest that was about halfway to the castle and his ranch. “There is no name on the map but people call it The Somnium Forest. It’s a magical forest where people go when they need help in their lives. They say that it feels like time stops when you enter and no one leaves the forest unsatisfied. The inside of the forest, they say, never looks the same for one person.” She held Ventus’ hands in hers, “Tomorrow young man, I want you to go to the Somnium and walk around for a bit. I’m sure it will help you with your dreams.”

Ventus wasn’t sure how a forest would help, but he was willing to try. He gave the Fairy Godmother one last hug and left with his Yoggy Ram.

Returning to the castle once more. Hera walked around the grounds with more disdain than usual. Why? She didn’t dream about the boy. His picture was carefully placed in her tea-length dress pocket (courtesy of a very late drawing session with Naminé) but having the paper wasn’t the same as seeing him in her dreams. It had only been a day and yet it was enough to put her in an upsetting mood. It was to the point that she didn’t want to hang around the castle anymore. That was how she found her way to the library asking Merlin for his map of the kingdom.

“Any place you want to go, in particular Young Hera?” He asked with his usual chipper tone.

“No, just want to explore, get out for a bit.” Hera held her head in her left hand as her right hand grazed over the different locations of the map, pointer finger out. She could go to the castle town? No, that was far too close to home. She could go to the outskirts and explore the hills that acted as the land border on the west side? No, if she was gone for too long Aqua would have a fit. Her eyes noticed a forest and that peaked her interest. “Merlin, what’s this place?”

He adjusted his glasses, “Ah! You mean The Somnium Forest? It’s a place where dreams come true as they say.” He takes a sip of his tea, “People go in there and not one person leaves upset. Forest is magical.”

“A magical forest?” Hera could use some more magic in her life. And even if it wasn’t, having the comfort of a forest setting could give her some semblance of her dream. “Thank you for your help Merlin, could I trouble you to watch Polly while I’m gone?”

“Oh it would be no trouble at all Princess! I love the little thing after all. Come along Polly, let’s see what potions I can make to help Aerith in the garden.” The Meow Wow and the Wizard walked in tandem as Hera packed the map and made her way to the stables. As much as she wanted to leave with no one’s notice, the brunette unfortunately ran into Aqua.

“Oh Princess Hera, why are you heading to the stables?”

“I just wanted to take my Pegaslick and explore for a bit. I’m not sure when I will be back so can you tell Naminé that she has the rest of the day off? Maybe tell her to have some sweets with Master Riku.”

“Princess, by yourself? Are you sure you don’t want me to join you? I could quickly-”

“No, Master Aqua, I’m fine.” Hera didn’t feel good about brushing her Master and protector off but she needed to go to this forest. It was calling her the same way her dreams did.

She got to the stables and had the royal stable boy Prompto helped ready her Pegaslick. “The reins are all good, Your Grace, enjoy your ride.”

Hera took off after a quick thank you and without a second thought. It was difficult to ride while holding the map but after an hour, Somnium Forest greeted her. She got off the Pegaslick and decided to walk the remainder, her companion close to her side.

Upon entering, the Princess did feel different. There was a strong happiness that washed over her. The fresh smell filled her nose and the grass seemed so soft that she took off her riding boots, hanging them on the saddle and continued barefoot. Eventually, Hera found herself walking deeper into the trees but she couldn’t find it in herself to worry about getting lost. A part of her knew that she wasn’t. In fact, the way the trees and flowers created a path. And the light through the trees. Her dress flowing in the soft breeze and the birds. It all made her stop to pinch herself.

“This has to be a dream.” A whisper that she barely heard left her lips but the muzzle of her Pegaslick acted as a reasurace that this was all real. With a new found fervor, Hera kept going.

On the other hand, Ventus was having the same feeling of déjà vu; only he bounded into the forest with reckless abandon. All these trees, flowers, and rocks he rode past were familiar to him. And as he approached a clearing, he knew this was the moment of truth.

They stared at each other on either side of the clearing. Both shook with excitement but neither moved out of fear of breaking this perfect scene. Ventus had to get off his Yoggy Ram but his eyes never once left hers. Carefully, they approached and once they met in the middle?

“You-are you-?” Hera couldn’t speak. So overwhelmed with joy that he stood before her as a flesh and blood person and not just some apparition. Rather she took out her drawing from the dress pocket and held it up. “It is you.”

Ventus held her face and she leaned into his touch. He wiped a tear that fell from her eye and nodded his head. “The boy from the dreams? Yes, that’s me.” Hera dropped the picture and hugged him. Her arms around his middle and his holding her head into his chest.

“I thought you weren’t real. I thought the universe was playing a horrible trick on me.”

“I promise I’m real. My name is Ventus, and I have wanted this moment ever since that first dream we had.” The dropped drawing was retrieved and put back into her pocket.

“Ventus,” What a beautiful name, “I am Hera. Your voice is so wonderful! I’m so glad to finally hear it!”

“The Princess? I’m so stupid for not recognizing you sooner. I must say Hera,” Ven brushed her hair behind her ears, “The dreams don’t do you justice. I didn’t think there could be a blue more clear than the sky, yet your eyes puts it to shame.” Hera blushed and smiled, wiping some tears from her cheeks. “There is just one thing missing to make our dream a reality.” Hera tilted her head. What more could they want? “There may not be music but, may I have this dance?”

He was right, no music played in this forest, but Hera happily accepted his hand as they moved across the grass. The laughter sounded even better than any of the nights they shared.

Off behind the trees, Aqua watched with the purest expression. Against her better judgement, she followed the young Princess to see if she was alright. Once she saw Hera with this young boy she knew everything was fine.

“So, you followed her I’m assuming?” Aqua looked and saw Terra approach as he went to the spot next to her.

“Yes, and I take it that he is yours?”

“Yeah, less ‘mine’. I’m more of his friend slash guardian.” They watched the kids dance and laugh and converse in the clearing. Terra broke their silence again, “Ventus, he’s training to be a royal guard.”

“Is he now?” Aqua smiled as she knew where this conversation was headed.

“Yes, I’m just a stable boy like him but I did undergo some training as well. I teach him everything and he is a very fast learner. I don’t want to overstep my boundaries but, perhaps the Princess could use another personal guard?”

Aqua laughed and didn't take her eyes off of the lovely couple as, "Yes, I'm sure Her Majesty would love that."

#I hope I did your baby justice Sammi #I feel like the ending was kinda a let down but I hope you like it Sam!#I took what you said about Ven being inspired by Link and kinda added to that.#The only Link I know is from Twilight Princess so that is my inspiration. :)#but this was so much fun to write #as you can tell #I love fantasy/royal aus #and I am Hera's aunt so I thought this was fitting #Plus i wanted to do something nice for your birthday since you drew something for me #I'm just glad I wrote it on time #Hera x Ventus #kingdom hearts #ocs #original character #not my oc #my writing #OUaD #enjoy

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louiseleblancdiggory · 4 years ago

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Once Upon a December

Chapter 5: Alive or Dead. Who Knows?

A/N: OHMYGOD I finally posted!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m so happy I’m done with this, it had been plaguing my mind for the past week and now I can sleep well knowing I finished! I’ll try to be quicker with chapter 6. If you want to be tagged or if I forgot you, please send me an ask instead of a comment! Also let me know if you liked it!! Enjoy

Masterlist

Chapter 4 // Chapter 6

Lin felt more than saw Rowan tensing behind her.

She knew some about Lyria and Rowan’s past, and Lyria’s voice was so full of despair at that moment that it was a wonder he hadn’t just gone up to her. If it wasn’t for the arm he kept tightly around her body, maybe Lin would have.

“Please.” She pleaded again as Lin turned quickly to Rowan, catching a flash of his silver hair, and she felt a sharp pain in her brain again.

Just like it had happened in her bedroom moments ago, she felt as if she was being transported to another room. She remembered a woman— a different woman— pleading like Lyria was. She remembered looking down and seeing a torn child’s dress. She remembered turning back quickly and seeing that same flash of silver hair.

The room was the same one she had seen in the mirror, but this time she wasn’t sitting on a pretty vanity. Instead, she was hiding somewhere near the opposite walls of the bedroom. She could feel a slightly bigger hand holding her wrist, but all she could focus was the pretty and small woman standing in the middle of the room, begging for mercy.

Lin wanted to go to her, wanted to help her, but the hand on her wrist was unrelenting.

“Please, leave her alone.” The woman implored, and Lin had the distinction of knowing that voice.

She felt lips that were and weren’t her own forming a single word.

Marion.

The woman’s name had been Marion.

“Fuck.” Rowan whispered, dragging her out of whatever the hell that had been. He turned her in his arms, tilting her head back. “Your nose is bleeding.”

She raised a shaken hand to wipe it away the moment they heard a loud thud coming from where Lyria and the other man were. Both Lin and Rowan turned to where Lyria had been. The men formed a circle around her fallen body, and she raised her head, holding the side of her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, shining in the moonlight and against the slap mark, but the rest of her expression showed nothing more than anger and defiance.

“I hope you and your queen burn.” Lyria’s voice held so much hate that when Rowan tensed against her, Lin didn’t know if it was from slight fear or surprise.

The men— most likely Cairn, Cain, Perrignton and one more she couldn’t recognize— remained silent, as if considering what to do with the fallen woman in front of them. They were dangerously near the back door, and Lin was almost trembling from the need to rush to help Lyria. But even with Rowan by her side, they were grossly outnumbered and this could cause the queen’s men to react briskly.

“Fenrys is in this room too.” Rowan bent his head to murmur against Lin’s ear. She didn’t tear her gaze from Lyria, but her attention shifted to Rowan’s words. If Lyria could get up and help, maybe they could fix this. “I need you to go back to the second to last wagon. They keep some coal and explosives there. Scream fire. When they shift their attention, Fen can grab Lyria and we get the hell out of here.”

“That could make them panic and throw Lyria out.” Lin murmured back, but there was no bite or anger to her words. His plan wasn’t bad, it just had too much room for error.

Better than nothing, she supposed.

“You have a better idea?”

“What do we do after? It’s not like they’re just going to give up because we helped her.”

“You have a better idea?” His voice came out harsh, and Lin held her tongue to keep a nasty reply in. This wasn’t the moment for their bantering, even though Lin knew she would bring that up later.

“Very well, Mr. Whitethorn.” She said, taking a small step back. She hadn’t realized how close they had stood, and was thankful for the absolute darkness in their part of the wagon as a soft pink colored her cheeks. She wasn’t used to proximity, to being close to anyone. Sometimes Lys, but that was more of a sisterly embrace— soft and welcoming. Rowan was… imposing. Too intriguing and unreadable at the same time for her liking.

Lin tried her best to keep to the shadows as she tried to exit the room. She could already see the door handle when she made the mistake of looking back. She eyed the alcove where she had been with Rowan, his figure completely hidden. The other one by its side, where she guessed Fenrys was, was just as dark. With her heart strained, she looked at Lyria and the three man.

She turned back to the handle when it hit her, almost making her shake.

Three?

She took in a sharp intake of breath when she felt fingers grabbing her hair, and she immediately knew it wasn’t Rowan. The two times he had grabbed her, it was not with pain as his purpose. Whoever this was, Lin had no doubt he wasn’t like Whitethorn.

The realization didn’t help her at all, the panic rising in her chest as she felt her whole body being pulled back violently. Lin didn’t remember if she had cried out before or after she hit the floor, the fourth man— the one she hadn’t recognized— standing above of her. He stood in front of her, one leg on each side of her body. Despite the fear clawing up her whole soul, Lin hoped neither Rowan nor Fenrys would do something stupid. Hoped they would use the distraction to get Lyria, to help Lyria.

“Who do we have here?” The man’s voice was like a caress, Adarlanian accent mixing beautifully with the Terrasenian one. Lin tried to focus on his face, tried to distinguish any of his features, but her vision was swaying due to the pain and the darkness only made it harder.

“A fucking asshole, if I have judged you correct.” Lin groaned, trying to clear her mind. He was in a compromised position— she wasn’t wearing those big skirts, meaning that she could get a leg through his front, put her other one in the back of his knee and make him fall.

Or a kick in the balls, if she didn’t want to get fancy.

Despite the fact that his face was hidden, Lin knew he was smiling. She saw the silhouette of his head looking up, back at the other three who were terrorizing Lyria. “Any of you know our unexpected guest?”

Lin tried to turn her head slightly, tried to see if Lyria was still ok. The brunette was staring right back at her, fear and anger mixing together. Lin knew the feeling very well. Lin stared at Lyria, hoping she would understand even without words. Silently and almost imperceptibly, Lyria started crawling little by little away from the door as Cain, Cairn and Perrington had their attention on the fourth man. Lin then looked up, realizing that Cairn was also watching her. He gave her a disgusting grin before looking at her assailant. “She was talking to Dunes earlier, Mr. C. The two of them were acting as if friends.”

“Hum, interesting.” The man mused, bending down on Lin. A new sense of panic took over her body, and she felt tears in the back of her eyes. Part of her wanted to start trashing, but the other part was terrified that if she did that, the situation would just get worse for her and Ly.

Some situations forced people to chose between the bad and the terrible, and although Lin hated it, she remained still— body completely tense and one breath away from snapping. Just a few more seconds and maybe Lyria would have crawled away enough to have a fighting chance instead of being thrown out.

“Are you also a traitor then, sweetheart?” He muttered, one hand going down her face.

“Wouldn’t it be boring if I told you that so soon into our interactions, darling?” Lin grunted through clenched teeth, nausea rolling in her stomach.

The guy chuckled, standing up again. Lin released her breath, looking at where Rowan was still hiding. She prayed to the gods a second time in the past ten years that he was staring at her. That, like Lyria, he would understand what she was about to do.

The man in front of her opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t get the words out as Lin attacked.

She bent one leg against the back of his knee, bringing her other leg to his front. She half wrapped it around his waist, pulling him backwards as her bent leg pushed him forward. As she had planned, he immediately lost his balance, letting out a yelp as he fell.

But instead of falling to the back as she had wished, Mr. C fell right on top of her. His weight was crushing her down, forcing the breath out of her lungs. Lin’s head started swaying again, vision blurring. He raised himself on his elbows, looking down on her with so much rage that his brown eyes shone.

Her legs and arms were constricted by his body on top of her, so Lin did the only thing she could think of in the moment.

She threw her head forward with as much force as she could. She could feel the blood running down her forehead, and she didn’t know if it was from an injury she caused on herself or the man’s newly broken nose. Behind them, grunting noises and shouts started ringing out, indicating that Fenrys and Rowan— and maybe even Lyria— were trying to deal with Cairn, Cain and Perrignton.

Lin focused back, readying herself to do the same again, hopefully knocking him out, when the man’s body simply disappeared.

Lin closed her eyes forcefully, blinking to get rid of the black dots swimming on her vision. When she could focus again, she realized that the man hadn’t magically disappeared. It had been Rowan.

Rowan pulled the guy back with so much force that he didn’t even get up.

“He was mine, fucker.” Lin grunted when Rowan kneeled by her side.

Despite the darkness, Lin could see him grinning slightly. “Pardon, next time shout dibs.”

She snorted, but any lightheartedness was destroyed by Lyria’s shriek. Lin and Rowan immediately turned their heads to where Lyria and Fenrys were standing, their backs against each other’s. Cain was holding the left side of his face, blood leaking through his fingers. Lyria was holding a small knife with her shaken hand while the other was gripping Fenrys’s pinky and ringer finger. He had one gun pointed at Cairn, but Perrignton had one pointed at Lyria.

Fuck.

Lin nudged Rowan’s arm, and he spared her one more glance before standing up and carefully walking up to them, raising his own gun at Perrignton.

Lin’s heart was beating wildly, her headache and blurry vision making everything worse. She tried getting up, legs weak under her, hands sweating and shaking. She noticed the blood dripping down her chin, either from her earlier nosebleed or the new injury on her forehead. Lin slumped against the wall when she finally got up, breathing in and out a few times before daring to take a step. The wagon was eerily quiet, each person pointing their guns or knives at each other.

This was going to end terribly, Lin knew.

She had to help however, in whatever way she could. Because she was in her nightgown, she couldn’t have brought her daggers with her, and guns were too expensive for her to ever consider buying one. Even empty handed, Lin straightened her back and started walking in Rowan’s direction. She could see if he had a spare weapon, a knife maybe, anything that would give her some advantage.

Before she could even reach them, she felt a hand on her shoulder violently turning her around. Immediately, Lin felt a fist connecting with the right side of her face, and she coughed some blood while looking up. Apparently Rowan hadn’t completely knocked Mr. C out if he was up and ready to give her a beating so fast. She straightened again, raising her fists limply. Her head was pounding, and not in the way it had been minutes ago while she walked to the last wagon on the train.That pounding had been different, more complex than this simple and agonizing pain.

Lin curled her lips at the brown-eyed man, her upper lip stinging.

“Fucking bitch.” He spat.

“My six foot five friend over there knocked you out, not me.” Lin said, forcing a sarcastic smile on her lips. Her face was throbbing, and she probably had a split lip and would get a huge bruise on her right side. “Why don’t you deal with him?”

“Tell your friends to lower their guns.” He almost growled, taking a step on her direction.

“Tell your friends to lower theirs.” She stared right at him. Now that they were standing in the middle of the wagon, the moonlight filtering through the back door allowed her to study his features. He had a soft tan skin, brown hair to match with his brown eyes. Powerfully built, average in height. Absolutely normal, the type of person Lin would never guess was someone dangerous. They remained in silence, the group behind them still closer to the door and barely breathing.

Lin had to think fast, especially because the chance of someone else taking a midnight stroll to the last wagons was almost none. They would have no help, and no one would hear anything either. Behind them there was no other wagon, in front was a storage room with coal and explosives according to Rowan.

An idea— stupid and absolutely reckless— sparkled inside her mind.

She took a small step forward, forcing her head to clear out. She needed all her attention for this, and so much could go wrong that the addition of a headache would only worsen things. Despite trying to remain calm, her heart was galloping, the sound deafening against her ears. She was about to put her life, as well as her other three companions, in danger. She couldn’t care less for the queen’s men.

“Very well.” Lin suddenly said, and although they had their backs to each other, Lin knew Rowan was paying attention to her words. Lyria and Fenrys too, she supposed. “Ro, the gun.”

Lin had to admit, Rowan Whitethorn was a fucking prick, yes, but a godsdamned smart prick.

And absolutely reckless if he was just going on board with whatever Lin was coming up with.

Lin moved at the same time Rowan’s gunshot sounded out. She had hoped he would understand what she meant when she called him Ro— something only the cadre did as far as she was concerned. She barely called him Rowan, and so by calling him Ro he understood that he was supposed to do the absolute contrary of what she had implied.

The man in front of her was shocked by Rowan’s reaction for a second, and Lin used it wisely. She elbowed him on the throat, her fist connecting with his nose as he doubled over. It had been broken when she hit her head against his, so hopefully the pain would be unbearable right now.

Lin didn’t dare to turn around to see how Rowan, Fenrys and Lyria were doing. Eventual gunshots sounded, but there was no indication of a body falling against the ground. Grunts, shouts and curses filled the wagon as Lin grabbed her assailant by the hair and kneed him in the throat again. He felt to the ground, hands gripping his neck as he coughed uncontrollably.

Lin ran to the connecting door, body screaming in pain as she threw it open and rushed to the other wagon.

It was lighter than the other one, windows all around illuminating the piles of coal. There were sheets covering some boxes, and Lin started frantically looking through them.

She found some matchboxes, holding one strongly in her hand as she looked for the last thing she needed. She almost cried in relief when she found a small box with three explosives.

“Oh, thank the fucking gods.” Lin sighed, getting up again. Her steps were unbalanced, both by her bodily soreness and hazy mind. She had to stop for a second, fearing going back to the last wagon. She was to cross the train connection again, and she hadn’t even worried about that when adrenaline was rushing through her veins. But now that it was fading, Lin was very much aware of the gap between the doors, the fast moving train and her inability to even walk straight. She looked forward, vision swaying but not blurry.

Lin held the door’s threshold, taking a big step. Maybe she would start being religious, based on the amount of prayers she sent to the gods in those five seconds that she needed to enter the last wagon again.

She half ran, half limped in Rowan’s direction. He had lost his gun, as had Perrington, and now both were just rolling on the ground, the punches they were throwing reverberating through the room. Lyria still had a grip on her knife, her back against the wall but hand raised to make sure Cain wouldn’t take one more step. Like Rowan, Fenrys and Cairn were brawling, Fenrys’s face sprayed with blood, his knuckles bleeding.

Lin looked around the room, looking for…

She sighed, holding the matches and explosives strongly. “Can’t you fucking stay down?”

Mr. C chuckled, taking a limping step towards her. It didn’t take one second before he tried to connect his fist with her face again, but this time Lin actually managed to dodge. Her clenched left fist hit him in the stomach at the same time he elbowed her right wrist.

The pain shot through her arm and hand, forcing her to drop the matches and explosive. The matches remained still, but the explosive rolled until the back of the wagon, almost falling through the back door.

Shit shit shit shit

She took her mind away from the fact that her only plan was in the back of the room now, focusing on blocking the blows the man in front of her wasted no time delivering.

“Cain!” The man shouted as he tried to hit Lin’s side with a right hook. He jerked his head to the connecting door, and through the corner of her eye Lin saw Cain leaving Lyria alone and rushing to the other wagon.

Lyria ran in Fenrys’s direction, slicing Cairn’s arm open as it was raised to punch Fenrys in the face.

Lin’s attention remained on them for a second too long. A second that caused her to receiver a smack against the throat, her guts constricting and allowing no oxygen in. She blinked the tears away, mouth open to get as much air as she could. She couldn’t stop, not now. She had to get him down, had to get to the fucking explosive.

“Perrington! Cairn!” Mr. C shouted, blocking a kick Lin tried to connect to his side.

They— Lin, Rowan, Lyria and Fenrys— were too busy fighting to realize what was happening. Cairn let go of Fenrys only to push Lyria so forcefully that her back and head slammed against the wall. Fenrys was immediately there, holding her in his arms. Turning his back to Cairn was a stupid move, but Lin knew that Fenrys’s complete attention was focused on the brunette in his arms.

Perrignton elbowed Rowan’s face, and Lin almost cringed at the sound of his silver head against the floor. There was some blood contrasting against the silver, and Lin’s stomach rolled. Just like Cain, Perrignton and Cairn ran to the other wagon.

“No.” Lin breathed.

At that, Mr. C smiled and kneed her in the stomach. Lin fell to her knees as she watched him follow his companions. “It’s a shame you must die. You seem interesting enough.”

Mr. C strolled to the other wagon, whistling. Lin grounded her teeth and got up, following him. He was already reaching the door that would take him back to the rooms compartments when Lin finally managed to leave the last wagon and enter the storage one. Regardless of the distance between them, Lin saw him smiling as he lit a single match.

And let said match drop on coal and the sheets she had thrown around. Almost immediately everything started catching on fire, and Lin didn’t know if she should focus on the flames or on the man slamming the door after him as he left.

“Did he just set fire to the train?” Lyria said from behind her. Lin looked back, seeing the brunette resting against Fenrys’s side on the other side of the train gap. Her eyes were wide, body trembling. “He’s going to kill everyone. He just fucking set fire to the train.”

As if her words had caused it, Lin had to hold herself against the threshold to not fall forward into the flames or backward into the gap. If she had fallen in the gap, it would take seconds for her to fall over the train and… well, die. The train had been completely shook, and Lin understood what had happened seconds later.

She stepped on the gap, cranking her neck to look to the front of the train. Her stomach rolled at her position, but she kept looking until her suspicions were confirmed.

“He detached the last two wagons from the front of the train.” She breathed, the flames now consuming the front wagon making her sweat. “Oh, gods.”

She only noticed how bad the fire had become when the flames licked her fingers. The hand she had against the threshold, holding her up so she wouldn’t fall off the train, felt as if it was burning. And so, stupidly, Lin let go of her grip with a pained shriek.

She only realized her mistake when she felt as if she was starting to fall.

Fucking gods, she was going to die in the most idiotic manner possible.

Lin closed her eyes, praying that dying wasn’t that painful when she felt a big and warm hand against her arm. She was pulled into the back wagon, hitting a man’s chest. His arms wrapped around her, and Lin wasn’t sure who was shaking more. When she looked up, Rowan was staring at her with both disbelief and anger. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“If you saved me to be a pain in the ass, you can just throw me back out.” Lin hissed, trying to cross her arms even if Rowan’s chest was pressed against hers. She was in the brink of death, but arguing with Rowan gave her some normalcy.

“Not to interrupt this beautiful moment between the future couple,” Fenrys said. “But can we take care of the imminent death first?”

“Fuck.” Rowan cursed, taking a few steps in the back wagon. Despite not being attached to the train, they were going extremely fast and this would kill them in the first curve.

That is, if the fire didn’t do so first.

Lyria had entered one alcove, coming back with a small hammer and pickax. Rowan immediately picked them up from her, jumping in the gap and starting to use the hammer to detach the pin holding the two wagons together. He barely did the second motion when the hammer broke, forcing him to use the pickax. “Come on! There’s gotta be something better than this in there!”

Fenrys and Lyria entered the other alcove, looking for a stronger tool. Lin, on the other hand, went straight for the explosives near the back door. She ran to Rowan, grabbing the matchbox as she went back. She lit the explosive, handing it to Rowan when the pickax also broke.

He stared at it for a second before shrugging, brows furrowed. “That will work.” He said, putting it in a hole in the gap. He jumped back to the wagon, rushing Lin to the furthest place from the connecting door. They crouched there, Fenrys and Lyria running to their direction and doing the same behind them.

“What the fuck do they teach you in those orphanages?” Rowan turned to Lin, incredulous.

Lin was about to answer when the loud sound reverberated, indicating that it had exploded. They raised their heads, watching as the wagon on fire disconnected from theirs.

Lin sighed in relief, even though they still had one problem to worry about.

“How the fuck are we going to stop?” Lyria asked, resting again against Fenrys. She closed her eyes, and Lin thought that she probably had hit her head pretty bad when Cairn threw her against the wall. Fenrys sat down with her, his arm around her shoulder.

Rowan stared at them for a second before turning away. He went directly to a chain pile resting on the ground. He grabbed it by one of the hooks, leaving it near the back door as he stepped out.

Lin shouted after him, running to the back door as well. She saw Rowan holding himself up by one arm, extending the other one. “Fenrys, give me the chain!” He shouted, and Lin immediately grabbed it and handed it to him. He raised his eyes to her, nose scrunching. “Not you.”

“Fenrys is busy.”

“I don’t trust you near train doors anymore.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just take the fucking chain, asshole!”

Rowan sighed, but he grabbed it. Lin saw him lowering himself, his head inches away from the tracks. He lopped the chain on the under part of the train, pulling it to make sure it was completely attached.

Some small parts of the underside of the train fell, going straight to Rowan’s face. Out of instinct, Lin reached forward, grabbing Rowan’s hand and pulling him inside.

He fell on top of her, panting hard. Lin was panting just as hard, and when she looked up at him, he was staring down on her. She looked at him a second too long before shoving him away.

“Get off of me!”

“I’m trying!” He grunted, sitting down. They both looked outside the back of the wagon, seeing the broken pieces of the train spiked against the wooden trails.

“And to think that could’ve been you.” She mused as they got up.

“If we live through this,” Rowan was saying as Lin turned her back and looked at Lyria’s direction to check on the girl. “Remind me to thank you.”

Lin snorted, kneeling again to push the other side of the chain off of the train. Rowan did the same, and they silently watched as the chain uncurled and uncurled until the anchor at the end of it caught in one of the wooden trails. The thing must have been so old that it completely broke, metal and wood disconnecting from the ground. Lin heard Lyria screaming, as well as Fenrys’s curses.

The wagon spun to the side, tilting slightly. Rowan put his arms around Lin’s body— one covering her back and the other one her head. She burrowed her face on his chest, closing her eyes as the wagon shook violently.

Shook, and shook and shook.

But each time slower.

It must have been the most stressful minute in Lin’s life, and when the wagon finally came to a full stop, she could almost cry of relief.

She kept her head against Rowan’s chest, too exhausted and pained to even move. The adrenaline in her body had ended, and now everything seemed heavy.

“I should have told the six of you to fuck off a week ago.” Lin complained.

She felt Rowan’s chest trembling with small laughter. “Yeah, you should have.”

They remained in silence for a while, each taking their time to recompose themselves.

“You can do it now.” Lin said, sitting up. She looked at Rowan, realizing his furrowed brows.

“Do what?”

“Thank me. You said if we survived you’d thank me.” She crossed her arms, looking around before letting her gaze fall back at him. They were in the middle of fucking nowhere, trees and more trees extending for miles. “So thank me. Also notice that I am incredible.”

Rowan’s jaw fell slightly, but he quickly recovered himself and rolled his eyes. “Thank you for being a decent human being, Ace.”

Lin was going to smile, was going to reply with a snarky comment when she saw two figures coming from the forest. They were all dressed in black from head to toe, impossible to recognize. They walked cautiously in the wagon’s direction, looking around to see if there was anyone else other than the four people inside.

When they both raised their guns, Lin simply sighed, raising her hands. “Here we fucking go again.”

————————

Aedion Ashryver was not a happy person.

He wasn’t unhappy, he just wasn’t happy either. Maybe somewhere in the middle.

In his opinion, happiness was a conjunction of many aspects. One of them was hope, and Aedion had lost that ten years ago when his kingdom was conquered and his cousin murdered.

Aelin had been his best friend, his confident. Despite the age difference, they had been inseparable and Aedion was closer to her than he was to anyone else. They were like brother and sister, always together. Losing Aelin had broken something so fundamental inside of him that he didn’t believe he could ever be truly happy again.

Until he met Lysandra.

Not in the way that Lysandra would substitute Aelin, or in the sense that they would fall madly in love and she would bring the light back to his life. No, Lysandra had changed everything because she possessed the most important information he could ever wish for.

Aelin was alive.

His little cousin, the person he swore to protect had been alive these ten years, living in a piss poor orphanage while he acted brooding in a beautiful palace in Banjali. The day he discovered it, when Lysandra had a photo of Aelin to prove what she was saying, Aedion had vomited his guts out. Vomited as he imagined his eight year old cousin alone, thrown in an orphanage and treated like shit. Vomited as he imagined what she must have gone through, what she had to learn in order to survive. He vomited because for every miserable day in her life that she managed to survive, he had been an ungrateful brat.

Mourning, anger and embarrassment clawed their way into his mind and heart, and Aedion couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t stop wishing he had done something. He had taken too long, but he wouldn’t sit around and do nothing no more.

Aedion Ashryver was going to get his cousin back, and they would make up for the lost time.

He might normally have been an arrogant prick, but even he knew when to ask for help.

And Lysandra was the only person who actually knew Aelin. Knew her ways, her thinking, her tells and how she operated. If Aedion had any chance of finding his cousin in all Erilea, he would need the girl who had become Aelin’s sister during the past ten years. Convincing her hadn’t been that hard; Lys was as eager to find Aelin again as Aedion was. So, the following day when Aedion went back to that terrible bar and paid for Yrene and Lys’s debts, Lysandra didn’t hesitated in agreeing to help him.

Now, a week later, he was sitting in a small office, starring at the two men in front of him. Lysandra and Irene were standing behind him, both of them quiet. Aedion couldn’t let Yrene remain in that terrible place, so he offered her the same thing he had offered Lysandra: help me find my cousin. Yrene had immediately accepted, shocked to discover that the lost princess of Terrasen wasn’t that lost anymore.

“We need a guide.” Aedion said, shrugging. “You’re a famous detective, have travelled all around Erilea. You know people, and you know places. So, tell me, why wouldn’t I want you helping me?”

“It will be expensive.” The one sitting down said, his voice calm and cool. The man standing behind of him hand’t opened his mouth since they had come in, but he eyed Aedion, Irene and Lysandra suspiciously.

“Money is not a problem, I can assure.” Lysandra said for the umpteenth time. Aedion almost turned and thanked her for stepping in. If he had to say those words again, he might attack the man on the other side of the table. “We will pay you half now, half when we find her.”

“And who are we looking for, exactly?”

“Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.” Lys said, as Aedion was resting against the back of his chair. “We have concrete proof she is alive and well, but we do not know where.”

The man sitting down crossed his hands on top of the table, launching forward. He eyed Aedion, and then Yrene and then Lysandra with infinite and new interest. And when Dorian Havilliard smiled, Aedion knew he had gotten what he wanted.

“I never say no to an adventure, milady. And finding the lost princess sounds like a pretty good one for me.”

Aedion smiled at Lysandra, seeing her heart shaped face smiling back at her. She winked at him with her right almond shaped eye, and Aedion’s grin widened further.

This was going to be interesting and, when he got his cousin back, all of this would be happy.

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