#peace rune / peace tale AU

[fae-sodapop]

Man I hate it when my chicken gets freezer burnt. :/

Text -

Img 1: "it's so cold..."

Img 2: "He's so cold"

Img 3: "* you're lucky, you know? At least they never made you kill my/our/your family. At least you weren't the cause of your own world ending... Or maybe you were, Kris?"

[theboinkus]

I Drew Fanart Of @fae-sodapop ‘s Version Of Frisk In Their Undertale Au!! I don’t Know a much Abt Aus And Stuff So If There’s Any Etiquitte I Should Follow Please Let Me Know!

(Side Note: In Their Au They Use ASL/ Any Sign Language And I Don’t Know Any ASL But I Do Know Some BSL So Ta Daaa! I Drew Them Saying Their Name :] )

[draco-dormiens]

FOR ALL THAT IS RIGHT AND JUST - Chp. 1

auror!draco x auror!fem!slytherin reader / post-war au

a/n: sorry about my inconsistent ass. i'm hoping you enjoy this first chapter after i changed it a little, makes better sense for the story to come. sit back and relax cos this is nearly 4000 words bby ♡

warnings: talk of the war, people missing/kidnapping, strong language, mutual pining

wc: 3984

tags: @yeolsbubbles @send-me-styles @shinytalent

tag list open!!

masterlist

Ministry Mayhem

London, 1st May 2007

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, as the sun rose and began to cast it's orangey glow through the gaps in the bedroom curtains, the first ring of an alarm blared a rather unwelcome sound throughout the quietness of the small London flat that you called home. Sleepily, you peel your eyes open to read the time; 6:15am. With a soft grunt, you reach out to slam the snooze button with all the strength you could muster. A typical day, no less, was awaiting you at the Auror office of the British Ministry of Magic, and it was about to wait a little longer, too.

Besides, it wasn't as if anything was in dire need of solving. For the last ten years, the wizarding world had come to know a peace that had long escaped it. The fear and uncertainty that comes with nasty rumours, shadowy figures and the whispers of war was long over now. Harry Potter had fought and won against the most fearsome Dark Wizard in all of history, and now he was keeping the peace as Head of the Auror Office. Although, it wasn't all that exciting nowadays. The more gripping cases ranged from bewitched broomsticks to Oblivating Muggles in the wrong place at the wrong time. It certainly wasn't taking a whole team of Aurors to clear the workload, with most officers getting fidgety and frustrated. It was as if they wanted something to happen; in your eyes, you'd rather be Oblivating an elderly woman who saw a young boy riding a broomstick over London than some raging lunatic.

The clock blares again. Another tap of the snooze button. For a moment, you thought you'd heard knocking at your window. No, you think, I'm just tired. Five more minutes and I'll get up.

It wasn't your first choice, becoming an Auror. During your school years as a young Slytherin, you were certain it was Ancient Runes that you would pursue. That was long before the brewing storm started to reach its boiling point, clouding up any chance you had of finishing school. The prospect of war had reached civilians, and along with it a great fear of the unknown. It was perilous to venture outside of your home; your parents had been cautious to send you back for sixth year. The rumours were terrible. Frightening, even, especially when it was becoming clearer that most of them were true. Even the ones in your own family. A vivid memory of your father arguing in hushed whispers with your uncle one night over Christmas break, had solidified a fear that had been nagging your parents for a long while.

"You can't," your father said, almost spitting the words as you pressed your ear to the door, "don't go to him. Don't give your life away for something so ludicrous."

Your friends began whispering amongst themselves. Troublesome tales of someone you had known your whole life had started circulating around the school. A hard pill to swallow, but one you had to force down eventually.

"My parents said he's right," Pansy had muttered one night in the common room, the glow of the fire just lighting up her face, "I'm starting to think that following him is the better way to go."

"Have you seen Draco lately? He looks dreadful. His attitude is somehow worse." Daphne whispered, and then gulped, "you don't think... surely not, right? He's only our age."

"Dunno, heard his father was a follower during the first war," Blaise then added, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, "I wouldn't hold your breath. I think he's one of them."

You stir in your sleep as if an unpleasant dream had began to plague your slumber. The clock blares its final warning, and with it, a series of sharp, jarring taps at your window that only grow in volume the longer you lay there. Groggily, you get up, slamming the alarm clock as you make your way to the impatient visitor. As you pull back the curtain, you see a familiar owl perched on the window sill with a letter secured in its beak. You open the window and gently take it from it's grip, and with a mighty swoosh of its wings, it soars off over the city. Ripping open the letter, you hadn't bothered to notice the wax seal of the Auror office, and begin to read:

Get down to the office as soon as you can. Sending this to everyone. It's serious.

From the handwriting you can tell who the sender is. Though still half asleep, you understand the urgency and begin rushing to get dressed. As you button the last hole on your blouse, readying yourself to enter the Ministry through the Floo network, you hear a knock at your door. Grumbling about who it could be and marching across the living room, you swing it open to be met with your, quite literal, partner in crime.

"Draco." You say simply, a smile ghosting your lips. He beams back, his attire as pristine as if he just walked out of the store. His white hair not an inch out of place, his black suit and white button down completely creaseless, and a glimmering Auror badge on his jacket to top it all off. He flashes a pearly white smile, leaning against the door frame with that same old cocky demeanour. Draco appears in some of your earliest memories as a child, and even now in work, he was a significant part of your everyday life. Growing up as children of wealthy pureblood families, it was a regular practice to mingle with those of your kind. Even though his personality was an acquired taste, despite your differing views and childish bickering, he was still both a thorn in your side and a priceless friend.

Friend. For as long as you can remember.

"Morning, take it you got Potters note?" He said, sauntering in to your apartment like it was his own, "reckon he's being a bit dramatic, don't you? Probably just dropped a biscuit in his brew."

"I doubt he'd send an owl all over London for a biscuit, Draco," you call back, hurrying to get the rest of your things together before leaving, "I think something is genuinely wrong, and I'm a little worried if I'm honest. We haven't had anything major in... well, forever."

"You know, if you'd told me in like, fifth year, that one day I'd be clambering out of bed before seven in the morning for Potter, I'd probably have pitched myself off the highest turret." Draco said dramatically, just after accusing Harry of being equally as ridiculous.

"Stop moaning and get in the fireplace," you said as if it were something normal people say on a regular basis, "we need to get down there and find out what's happening."

Draco, still mumbling, clambers into your fireplace and waits for you to squeeze in next to him. Much smaller than his own, he's bent doubly to get in, and ushers you to get the Floo powder before his back gives in. His moaning is only met with a rather stern look from yourself. You take a handful of Floo powder from the little bag sitting on the hearth, and take Draco's hand in yours. With a chant, you fling the powder down at your feet, and with a puff of green smoke, you both disappear, leaving the small flat empty and silent.

In the blink of an eye, you're no longer standing in your living room, but instead in the shiny, emerald tiled entrance to the Ministry. Draco dusts himself down, tutting at the slight specs of soot on his jacket, not noticing how you've become stiff with shock.

"Bloody Floo network," he mumbles to himself, coming to stand beside you, "how are you spotless? It's always me that gets-"

He stops his rambling when his eyes follow your line of vision to see the hoard of people just up ahead, swarming the foyer like ants, an incoherent jumble of noises filling the air from cries to shouts. All extremely well dressed and rather wealthy looking, you both got the impression that these people were not average witches and wizards: they were, in fact, much like yourselves - from old, pureblood money.

"What in Merlin's name is all of this?" You mutter, mostly to yourself, as your feet start to carry you towards the mess, Draco following behind. In the midst of all the chaos, is Delphina Sallow, the lady that usually operates the front desk of the Auror office. Delphina was a tall, slender woman with very dark hair and pale blue eyes, which were a striking contrast to her rather ghostly complexion. A nervous sort of woman, she was struggling immensely in a heated conversation with a man you recognised as Mr Selwyn, whose son was in your year at Hogwarts. Much larger than back then, with his pointer finger jabbing the air furiously, he seems to be, at best, enraged.

"This is a travesty, young lady!" He bellows at Delphina, who has resorted to using her clipboard for protection against the wave of saliva, "my son has been taken, taken I tell you, right from under our noses! Sleeping soundly he was; I can see him sitting there during third supper, not a care in the world, enjoying his fourth lamb chop like the innocent boy he is. I demand justice, young lady, or so help me I'll sue the entire Auror office for all it's bloody well worth."

"P-please, sir, I'm only the receptionist, I-I don't have any authority to help you-"

"No authority?" Mr Selwyn shouts with such force, his large moustache almost flies off of his round, purple face, "I do not care for your position, young lady, get me someone who can find my son or I'll be in the right mind to get you fired. I know people in high places, you know!"

"Excuse me," you interrupt as you reach them, Delphina's face washing over with absolute relief, "can I ask what's going on here? Miss Sallow is not an officer, sir. If you have concerns, please take them up with someone clearly wearing a badge."

You point abruptly to the shining Auror badge on your jacket. Mr Selwyn scoffs irritably.

"Well, miss badge, I demand you find my son. At once." He rounds on you, his large, bulbous belly almost touching you before he can get any closer. Draco appears almost instantly, standing just in front of you, the most condescending smile curling at his lips, trying and failing to hide the clear desire to swing a fist into Mr Selwyns beetroot coloured face.

"If you get any closer, sir, I may have to resort to unsavoury means. All in the name of law, you understand." Draco stood completely straight, towering over the stumpy Mr Selwyn, to which the angered man grunted something under his breath before waddling off to his next victim.

"Thank you," Delphina sighs, dabbing the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief, "he's not the only one I've dealt with this morning. So many reports of missing persons, all within the last few hours or so. I-it's my day off, I'm only here on Mr Potter's orders."

"As are we, Miss Sallow," Draco smiles at Delphina, to which she blushes furiously, "I think you should head back up. Tell Potter we're here, would you?"

As if the Minister himself had instructed her, she scurries off to the lifts.

"Honestly, you could tell Del to jump off a cliff." You scoff lightheartedly, turning back to see a rather smug looking Draco, as he simply fixes his tie and winks down at you.

"It's the charm, darling. Don't say it doesn't affect you, too."

Before he can bask in your flustered reaction, off in the distance, amongst more distraught civilians, you spot Cerberus Langarm, fellow Auror, rushing through the crowds of people with a look of pure determination on his face. You tug on Draco's arm, inciting him to follow you, as you battle through to chase Cerberus. Amid the madness, you hear a mixture of complaints and angry voices from the hoard of people. As you close in on Cerberus, you call out to him, causing him to halt and turn at the sound of your voice.

"I take it you both got letters, then?" Cerberus says as you reach him, "didn't know what we'd be walking into, but this is something else. Somehow, I don't think it's about a bewitched broomstick this time."

Cerberus Langarm was a tall, well built man with sun-kissed, olive skin and dark, shaved hair. He kept a very neatly trimmed moustache, and under his left eye was a deep scar that covered most of his cheek. He was a man dedicated to his duty, and other aspects of his life came second to it, which Draco often made a joke about. Cerberus was a well accomplished man of the law, and highly respected amongst his fellow officers and higher ups.

Sometimes, you wondered if Draco was a little jealous of Cerberus and his undeniable ability to walk into a room and make it sing for him.

"Delphina said something about missing person reports," you being to explain as the three of you make for the lifts, "and I have noticed something; most of these people, they look like a certain group of wizards. Don't you think?"

"You mean rich, pompous purebloods who have nothing better to do than flash their money and complain about Muggles?" Cerberus said, "yeah, they seem the sort. All I know is that Potter better have an explanation for all of this."

The lifts were especially busy; people were squashed like sardines in a can, garnering irritable tuts and mumblings amongst the staff trying to reach their destinations. The three of you manage to squeeze into a lift heading for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; whispers of the going's on in the foyer filled the usually awkward silence, as the relatively short journey felt like an eternity.

Once the lift had landed at the correct floor, the three of you took no time in squeezing out of the overflowing space and into the open air. For what felt like a moment of relief, was soon overtaken by the mayhem that you were presented with. The department was practically torn apart; papers everywhere, frantic officers pacing back and forth between rooms, folded notes in the shape of paper airplanes zoomed up and down the hallway, narrowly missing your head when one bolted for the lift doors, making it just in time before they slammed shut.

"Salazar's mother," Cerberus muttered, looking back at yourself and Draco whose eyes were transfixed by the sight, "we better find Potter."

Meanwhile, inside Harry's office, stood Harry and Auror Penelope Fawley, assessing the multitude of reports from that morning. They could hear the muffled sound of panic outside, the office workers were working relentlessly to try and get some sort of order in the place. Piles of letters sat upon Harry's desk, as the two of them read aloud the contents of the reports.

"During the night we heard strange ongoings in the neighbours backyard, sounds of magic and a man's voice," says Penelope outloud, "my husband got out of bed and lit up the room with his wand, before trekking down the stairs to peer out of the kitchen window. He thinks he saw two people appartating from the neighbours garden, but his eyesight is not what it used to be. Then, at around 5:30am, we received a knock on the door. It was Mrs Selwyn. Her son was missing."

Penelope, a fair-haired, pretty woman with dark blue eyes and black rimmed glasses, ran her perfectly manicured finger across the parchment as she read. Harry, now pacing up and down the office with his chin in his hand, listened carefully to what Penelope was reading aloud. She places down the parchment and picks up another letter, tearing it open and unfolding the note inside. Penelope clears her throat and begins reading once more:

"I received an owl from my sister a few days ago. She was worried that someone had been outside her house during the night, but couldn't seem to undo the Colloportus charm her husband casts on all the doors when he works nights. She has young children, and they live in a relatively secluded place." Penelope read, and then perched against the desk, "I owled back immediately, but didn't seem to receive a reply. Then around 6:00am this morning, her husband, Blaise Zabini, showed up at our door. My sister, Daphne Zabini, was missing from her bed when he returned home from work. The children were still sound asleep and seemingly untouched."

Harry comes to a halt at the window overlooking Muggle London below. With a great sigh, he rubs his tired eyes that had been awake since the early hours of the morning. As he turns to speak to Penelope, they both hear heavy, hurried footsteps beyond the door, and within a few seconds, you burst in, all guns blazing, Cerberus and Draco in hot pursuit.

"I do hope you have an explantation, Harry," you pant slightly, "what on earth is happening? Missing witches and wizards - and what was Delphina doing in foyer; she was getting practically spat at by Mr Selwyn, and not to mention the hoard of people downstairs, and the office-"

"Thank you, officer Y/L/N, I'm well aware of the situation both outside my door and in the foyer. In fact, I've been well aware of it since three this morning, so, if you’d be so kind as to ask one question at a time, I'd really appreciate it." said Harry, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Draco stifles a laugh behind you.

"Potter," Cerberus advances forward with urgency, "any kind of light you can shed."

Harry composes himself, and then walks over to his desk, pushing forward what looked like a collection of personal files from the Ministry of Magic Archives; somewhere that a person would need all kinds of permissions to enter. It contained many records - such as historical records, every single published issue of The Daily Prophet, various magical projects and, most importantly, personal files of every witch or wizard that comes into magic across the country.  Draco, his interest now peaked, gently brushes past you with a hand at the small of your back, his eyebrows knitted together in a very curious expression. He begins shuffling through them, his features relaxing into more concern than curiosity when he realises each and every one of them have a big, red stamp across the front that read: Missing.

"These," he breathes, looking up at Harry, who's expression was more exhaustion than anything else, "these are all purebloods... I know half of 'em. Nott, for one. Scrawny devil."

"They all look the sort in the foyer, too," adds Cerberus, "lots of old money and questionable bloodlines down there. Odd coincidence?"

"Not likely," pipes up Penelope, who lifts herself elegantly off the edge of the desk, "every single one of these witches and wizards have gone missing during the last few hours. All of them, and without a single trace. No signs of break ins, no signs of struggle or injury at the locations they went missing from. It's a fair assumption to say they have been kidnapped - and not by some amature."

"So you're saying that a whole bunch of wizards from pure bloodlines have just miraculously been taken from their beds in the night. For what reason, exactly?" Draco raises an eyebrow at Penelope. She doesn't look too impressed by his questioning of her theory.

"Malfoy," Harry said, not with his usual air of authority, however, it was far more pleading, "Penelope has a point. Let me give the bigger picture," Harry slumps down onto his office chair with a heaving sigh, before tucking himself under the desk and resting his elbows on the surface, hands intertwined, "I was called in by the Minister at three o'clock this morning. That's when the first report came in about a missing person. Not long after that, they started coming in troves. One after the other, we couldn't keep up. Hence why I owled," he took a pause, "Penelope was first here, and with her help, we retrieved the personal reports to further investigate the missing persons. We made the connection of their blood status quite quick, and have since then been trying to theorise as to why it only seems to be witches and wizards of a certain blood status."

"I'd say that was quite obvious," said Cerberus, who was a rather serious and right-to-the-point kind of officer, "someone out there has a grudge against them, surprisingly," he said with an air of sarcasm, "but it can't just be one person that has done all of this; there must be some sort of group or organisation. No one, even with magic, can be in all of those places at once."

Penelope suddenly gasped, and everyone looked around at her.

"What about Hogwarts? They need informing immediately. The amount of students, and faculty, that could be in danger tomorrow," she said with the utmost seriousness, "I can go, Harry. I can fly to Hogsmeade, they won't know a thing unless-"

"Thank you, Penelope, but I have already considered Hogwarts," Harry cut her off gently, and her shoulders slumped in relief, "in fact, I need to speak to Y/L/N and Malfoy. Langarm and Fawely - you go down into the foyer and tell the public to go home and rest. There's nothing more we can do right now without some more information."

The other two left, leaving Harry, Draco and yourself alone in his messy office. Once the door had been shut softly, he ushers you both to take a seat in front of him. You both do so, as Harry relaxes a little in his plush office chair, relishing of the quietness for a moment. 

"As you may already be aware, it's the tenth year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts tomorrow and a memorial service is being held at the school," Harry begins to explain, "myself and Ron were invited by McGonagall as guests to represent the Ministry, and well, for other obvious reasons," he waves a dismissive hand, "however, with all this, I think it best we stay here. I'd much rather be there to support McGonagall, but I feel it's necessary that I'm accessible. So, instead, I'm sending you too to keep watch."

"Me?" Draco exclaims. Harry raises his eyebrows at the sudden outburst, "I hardly doubt they'd want me there, Potter. Can you imagine their faces?"

"I'm not sending you as guests, Malfoy," Harry reiterates, "I'm sending you as Ministry officials. You won't need to do anything drastic. I just want you to keep an eye on things. I'll send other officers too, as we might need to change protocol slightly to ease McGonagall's mind. Merlin knows she'll panic when she receives the owl I'm going to send."

"You can count on us, Harry." You say with utter confidence, "If anything happens, I'll inform you immediately. My owl is rather good at finding me in a tight situation."

"Thank you," he smiles kindly, Draco now completely silent, "now, you'll need to take the train to Hogwarts with the guests of the ceremony. I'd feel much better if you were on that train. I can't have eyes everywhere, so be my eyes. Got it?"

With a very sure nod, you rise from your seat, pulling an extremely quiet Draco up with you by the arm. You could tell he was bothered about returning to the school, even after all this time, but you had every bit of confidence in him. Even if he had none in himself.

disclaimer: i do not own harry potter or any of the characters or storyline associated with it.

[shellyseashell]

PRINCESS ELAINE PENDRAGON OF CAMELOT

universe: descendants

name & meaning: elaine is the name of various arthurian characters, but she’s not based off any of them, or any other arthurian character, because this is descendants, and the existence of artie already ignores arthurian lore. so i do what i want.

age & birthday: she doesn’t know her exact birthday, but she assigned herself July 17, and she’s probably 15-16 (same age as ben)

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: haven’t figured it out yet, but she’s not straight

height: 5’7

face claim: mackenzie foy

powers & species: she’s a fay, and her powers include: teleportation, shapeshifting, spells/runes, and seeing.

mbti: enfp, the campaigner

background: she was born to two fay from avalon, but didn’t grow up there. when she four, when near the border of camelot and auradon (camelot is not part of auradon, because i refuse to believe every fairy tale land is part of it), her parents were killed by anti-magic extremists. she was later rescued by merlin who was in the area for narrative reasons, i guess, who then took her back to caerleon (where arthur holds court). originally, she was going to be sent to avalon to live and train her magic, but in that time she grew attached to arthur, and arthur grew attached to her, so she was adopted instead. however, she’s not the heir — artie, who i renamed loholt, is, because he’s related to arthur by blood, and was already born when she was adopted.

when she was 14, she was sent to auradon as a sort of peace offering? basically, if she apprentices under fairy godmother, and does well, camelot will be left alone. this is not the first, or last, time they have done this.

residence: caerleon or avalon

affiliation: camelot and the round table

weapons & fighting style: uses a sword, and also her magic

hobbies: reading, sword fighting, riding

disney song i associate with them: let me make you proud from tangled the series

miscellaneous:

- wears only tunics and trousers, mostly to spite auradon, who are far more modern than camelot

- i’m still figuring out how i want to work arthuriana into descendants so things are subject to change

- talks a lot, and talks quickly

- holds herself with a lot of confidence, but is actually anxious all the time

- she has nightmares that double as prophetic visions, and they’re often very distressing. she has no idea how to control them, so she usually just doesn’t sleep.

- technically her roommate is jordan, but jordan lives in her lamp, so she has the room to herself. in one of my aus, she rooms with claudine.

- committing treason against auradon is on her bucket list

- her and maddy would be besties if they met

- her current best friend is her cousin, gawain. i’m still figuring out how to disney-ify him, so all i’ll say is they never get away with anything ever.

- struggles to manage her temper, especially in auradon, but she does her best

- i’m not sure if this actually fits in with auradon, but given my other headcanons for how they work, i think it fits. to keep her in line, fairy godmother makes her wear iron when she gets too defiant, or is failing her lessons. which is yknow, deadly for fay. audrey and jane figured out how to remove it for her, so as long as fg never finds out, she’s fine.

- fairy godmother also tries to train her to do magic she literally cannot do, because they’re too different types of fay

- she tries to present herself as being perfect, as being less than perfect could mean war. she is failing. miserably.

- very, very competitive

- had a hard time controlling her magic growing up, but now only struggles with her visions

- she idolizes her father, which leads to a lot disappointment, and is the root of some of her perfectionism

- really likes birds, except for archimedes. she thinks he’s annoying.

[links-crosses-multiverse]

More info About my Zelda AU

Story Overview

In the land of Hyrule, a new evil threatens the delicate balance of nature. The malevolent sorcerer Barukan, with his dragon horns and wings, seeks to corrupt the elemental spirits that maintain harmony in the world. Standing in his way is the courageous warrior Creaty, a hero with a lion’s tail and a heart as strong as his sword. Alongside him is Queen Ruby, whose mystical cloud-like tail symbolizes her connection to the skies and her power to seal away darkness. Together, they must restore the balance of the Elements of Nature and save Hyrule from destruction.

Characters

Creaty(Link):

The hero of this tale, Creaty is a warrior chosen by the elements themselves. With his lion's tail and agile strength, he wields the Elemental Sword, a legendary weapon infused with the powers of fire, water, earth, and air. Each element grants him unique abilities to combat the forces of darkness. His courage and unwavering sense of justice make him the perfect protector of Hyrule.

Ruby(Zelda):

The wise and powerful Queen of Hyrule, Ruby is descended from a long line of rulers who have guarded the sacred realm. Her tail, resembling a gentle cloud, hints at her innate connection to the heavens. With her ability to summon protective barriers and cast sealing spells, she is the only one capable of locking Barukan away. However, the seal requires the combined strength of all the elemental spirits, which have been scattered and corrupted.

Barukan(Ganon):

Once a guardian of balance, Barukan was corrupted by his lust for power. Now a twisted sorcerer with dragon horns and wings, he seeks to dominate Hyrule by controlling the elements. His dark magic has turned the elemental spirits into ferocious monsters, spreading chaos across the land. His ultimate goal is to harness the power of the elements to reshape the world in his image.

Locations

Zephyris Isle:

A majestic sky island suspended above Hyrule, home to the Temple of the Elements, where the purest elemental forces reside. The island is said to be the birthplace of the elements themselves, and it serves as the connection point between Hyrule and the skies. It is also the last defense against the corruption of Barukan, and Creaty must protect it at all costs.

Hyrule Surface:

The familiar landscape of Hyrule, filled with rolling hills, vast forests, and bustling towns. However, the land is now plagued by Barukan’s dark influence. Each elemental region has fallen under corruption, and Creaty must journey across the surface to restore peace.

The Demon Realm:

A dark, twisted dimension filled with shadowy creatures and volcanic landscapes, this is Barukan’s true home. The Demon Realm can only be accessed through hidden portals scattered across Hyrule’s surface and Zephyris Isle. This nightmarish realm is where Barukan’s power is at its strongest, and it is here that Creaty will face his greatest challenge.

Barukan's Weapon: The Dark Spear

Barukan wields the Shadowrend Spear, a fearsome weapon forged in the depths of the Demon Realm. This spear is as sinister as its master, crafted from obsidian-black metal and adorned with glowing crimson runes that pulse with dark energy. The shaft of the spear is twisted and jagged, giving it an almost serpentine appearance, while the blade itself is long, double-edged, and serrated, resembling a dragon's fang. The spear's tip is razor-sharp, designed to pierce through both armor and magic barriers.

The Dark Spear is imbued with Barukan's corrupting magic, allowing him to summon shadowy tendrils that can entangle and drain the life force of his enemies. He can also launch dark energy blasts from the spear, capable of corrupting and weakening the elemental forces it touches. The spear serves as a conduit for his dark powers, making him a formidable adversary in both melee and ranged combat.

Ruby's Weapon: The Golden Azure Bow

Ruby, Queen of Hyrule, uses the Celestial Bow, a majestic weapon that reflects her regal and divine nature. This bow is crafted from a unique golden alloy that glows faintly with a mystical light. Intricate azure blue engravings run along its limbs, depicting ancient symbols of the four elements—fire, water, earth, and air—signifying her role as the guardian of balance.

The Celestial Bow is capable of shooting arrows infused with elemental energy, depending on Ruby’s will. She can summon arrows of flame that explode on impact, arrows of water that can pierce through even the strongest defenses, arrows of earth that cause tremors upon hitting the ground, and arrows of wind that travel with incredible speed and accuracy. The bow’s string, made of a material resembling pure light, requires no physical arrows, as it materializes them with each pull.

In addition to its elemental capabilities, the Celestial Bow can shoot beams of purifying light, capable of dispelling dark magic and protecting allies from harm. When Ruby channels her sealing magic through the bow, she can use it to bind and immobilize even the most powerful of foes.

Creaty's Weapon: The Elemental Sword

Creaty’s weapon, the Elemental Sword, is a legendary blade infused with the essence of Hyrule’s natural forces. The sword's hilt is wrapped in dark blue leather, with a guard shaped like intertwining vines and flames, representing the unity of all elements. The blade itself is a masterful work of craftsmanship, shimmering with a crystalline sheen that changes color depending on the elemental power it channels.

Fire Form:

The blade glows a brilliant red-orange, crackling with flames that can incinerate enemies and melt obstacles. In this form, Creaty can unleash fiery slashes and project waves of intense heat.

Water Form:

The sword turns a serene aqua blue, its surface rippling like water. This form grants Creaty the ability to summon torrents of water to extinguish flames, create protective barriers, or slice through enemies with liquid precision.

Earth Form:

The blade becomes a deep emerald green, with a texture like polished stone. In this state, it allows Creaty to summon rocks from the ground, create shockwaves, and even temporarily petrify his foes.

Air Form:

The sword shifts to a light sky blue, surrounded by a faint, whirling breeze. This form enhances Creaty’s agility, enabling him to unleash powerful gusts of wind to knock back enemies or dash swiftly through the air.

At full power, the Elemental Sword can combine all four elements, allowing Creaty to perform the ultimate move: Elemental Cataclysm, where a single strike unleashes a devastating burst of fire, water, earth, and wind, overwhelming any foe caught in its path. This weapon, a gift from the elemental spirits themselves, is the key to restoring balance and defeating Barukan.

Plot

Chapter 1: Corruption Begins

Barukan, long imprisoned within the Demon Realm by an ancient seal, has found a way to spread his influence through hidden portals on the Hyrule Surface. His goal is to corrupt the elemental spirits that reside on Zephyris Isle, causing the elements of fire, water, earth, and air to fall into disarray, which would eventually break the seal and allow him to invade the Hyrule Surface fully.

Creaty, a young warrior with a lion’s tail, is called by Queen Ruby to fight back against this growing darkness. He is entrusted with the Elemental Sword, a legendary blade that can channel the powers of the elements. Ruby tells him of the corruption spreading across Hyrule and reveals that the only way to stop Barukan is to purify the elemental spirits and stop the corruption from reaching Zephyris Isle.

Chapter 2: The Journey to Zephyris Isle

Creaty embarks on his quest, traveling across the four elemental regions of the Hyrule Surface. In each region, he must confront a corrupted elemental spirit—once protectors of nature, now monstrous versions of themselves under Barukan’s control.

In the Flame Canyons, Creaty faces the Inferno Phoenix, the Fire Spirit corrupted by Barukan’s dark flames.

In the Ocean Depths, he encounters the Tidal Leviathan, the Water Spirit, whose anger creates devastating floods.

Deep in the Gale Forests, the Air Spirit, the Storm Wyvern, creates tornadoes that tear the land apart.

Finally, in the Stone Ravines, the Earth Spirit, the Titan of Tremors, has been twisted into a golem of destruction.

With each victory, Creaty purifies the spirits, restoring balance and gaining new elemental abilities. He learns that the elemental power is strongest on Zephyris Isle, the last line of defense against Barukan.

However, as Creaty prepares to ascend to Zephyris Isle, Barukan opens a portal, launching an assault on the sky island itself. Creaty must use his powers to reach the island before it’s too late.

Chapter 3: Battle for Zephyris Isle

On Zephyris Isle, Barukan’s corruption has begun to spread, infecting the Temple of the Elements. Creaty faces waves of Barukan’s demonic minions as he ascends the floating island’s sacred mountain, finally reaching the temple’s core.

Here, Barukan appears, using the corrupted elements against Creaty. A fierce battle ensues as Creaty must use his elemental powers in perfect harmony to defeat Barukan. Ruby arrives, using her divine powers to assist, creating barriers and sealing dark portals as they fight.

Barukan retreats through a final portal to the Demon Realm, but not before shattering the elemental balance of Zephyris Isle. With the sky island in danger of falling, Creaty and Ruby must act quickly.

Chapter 4: The Demon Realm Showdown

[C]Determined to end Barukan’s threat once and for all, Creaty enters the Demon Realm, the twisted and chaotic home of the dark sorcerer. There, Barukan has gathered his full strength, planning to merge the Demon Realm with Hyrule. Creaty navigates the dangerous, fiery landscapes filled with Barukan’s minions.

In a climactic battle in Barukan’s lair, Creaty faces off against the sorcerer in his true demonic form—an enormous, dragon-like creature with dark magic seeping from his wings. With the power of the elements and Ruby’s sealing magic, Creaty delivers the final blow, channeling the purified elemental powers through his sword.

As Barukan is weakened, Ruby performs the ultimate sealing spell, locking Barukan away in the depths of the Demon Realm forever.

Epilogue: A New Dawn

With Barukan defeated, the elements return to harmony, and Zephyris Isle is restored to its rightful place above Hyrule. Creaty is hailed as a hero across the land, and Ruby uses her powers to strengthen the barriers between the realms, ensuring that no dark force can break through again. The bond between Hyrule and the elements has never been stronger.

This was the legend of Zelda ElementsofNature. Ruby, Creaty and the Elements of Nature is passed down through the ages, a story of courage, unity, and the power of the natural world to overcome even the darkest forces.

First Part

[awellboiledicicle]

[heavy sigh]

Just realized Diallos is also Felix’s type.

Which means i instantly went “ok so Rogier/Felix/Diallos, yes”

Brain is just making Felix have three weed smoking boyfriends. Sure, the plot for the au was going to make the Roundtable Hold crew basically a single diplomatic group to negotiate with Morgott re: not killing every tarnished he sees, but like. He doesn’t need to collect people like pokemon to make this happen. Brain why.

I blame the fact that Felix’s attitude about it would be just. “I can [probably] financially support Diallos and Rogier. Morgott is a literal king. I think he’ll be fine.” Yes, he would be the one being blackmailed for having multiple families and just laugh about it bc all his partners know about the others, they just like their space.

Returning to the point though, like. The main problem with Felix liking Diallos too is that the man would never leave the goddamn hold alone enough to progress his storyline. I could have his story progress and just do the [spiderman point] meme with Felix infiltrating Volcano Manor like “hold up” “I can explain--” “The explanation better be ‘i am here to back you up’ and not ‘killing tarnished for a man with the word blasphemy in his name’, Diallos.” “... I’ve not killed anyone.” A frown. “Unlike some of us.” “If I don’t do this, we don’t get access to Lyndell!” “Convenient, then, that you get to do as you will!” “I’m hardly stopping you from doing as you please.” A scowl. “Not like you actually do anything.” “How dare you! The tale of House--” “Hoslow is told in blood, i know. Everyone else’s blood, you mean.” Cue Diallos looking properly pissed off and pushing past Felix to grab an envelope off the table in the drawing room and leaving. Then cut to him having grabbed the letter ordering the death of Juno. Naturally, he can’t do it and wanders to Jarburg. Felix likely wouldn’t do it either, but would be fine with hiding Juno in the Roundtable Hold until he got an audience with Rykard.

Meanwhile i assume to make that work i’ll have to have had Morgott set an impossible task for Felix and the Hold to meet before Margit will let this little ‘diplomatic meeting’ thing to happen. Very “I don’t believe you’re peaceful, nor do i believe that you’re as strong as you say. Bring me the Rune of Praetor Rykard and then you may speak to a diplomat. Maybe.” Which hinges on handing over an unrestored rune shard, which would make mmm no one in the hold happy without the legwork already in place for it to work. But it WOULD gain them an uneasy alliance of sorts with Lyndell, making moving around far easier. Would certainly make oh idk KNOWING ANYTHING about the lands between easier. You know, the land people want to rule. And one would assume that the King of Lyndell being chill with you would be a thing you’d like as Elden Lord.

Idk its late at night and i’m brainstorming

[mkstrigidae]

Current WIPs and Fic Concepts

I promised I would do this yesterday, and then I forgot!!! (I was very sleep deprived). Anyways, here are a bunch of the WIP premises that I have in my 'unfinished drafts' folder. Most have at least a few pages written for them, but I love them all! ☺️💕

- A Santa Clarita Diet AU (Jonsa) Takes place in sunny southern California, where a shitty dinner at a mediocre restaurant turns into a huge problem for Jon and Sansa when Sansa's heart stops beating. Although she seems fine, Jon is flabbergasted several days later as he watches his wife- who alphabetizes their pantry and refuses to let anyone wear shoes in the house- rip the throat out of one of the sleazy new partners at their law firm, eating half of him before anyone processes what's going on. Hilarity ensues as Sansa's inhibitions and filter disappear, Arya ropes an extremely confused Gendry into helping figure out what the hell is going on just because he moderates the zombie forum on reddit, and Jon tries to deal with the fact that the woman he loves more than anything is now a humanitarian. He really could use a drink. (This one is actually mostly complete, but i need to refine a few things- i really love it. It's as gory and irreverent as the show, so viewer discretion advised, but it's a BLAST to write).

- A Thor/MCU AU (Jonsa, Steve Rogers/Sansa)- Asgardian prince Aegon is banished to Midgard after one too many arrogant decisions, and is promptly hit by a van containing Dr. Sansa Stark, Dr. Barristan Selmy, and Margaery Tyrell- two astrophysicists studying wormholes and Sansa's best friend and pseudo-intern. Marg yells at him, he yells back, Sansa tases him, and Barristan didn't sign up for the kind of heavy lifting that getting a 200+ pound slab of muscle into the back of a van takes. And then Aegon's younger brother, Jon, shows up, in the middle of an identity crisis because, apparently, he's adopted. He wasn't intending to stay, but he's rather drawn to Dr. Stark and her brilliance, and against her better judgement, she starts to trust him, and maybe even like him. This story is in about three parts so far- the first is based on 'Thor' and the second on 'The Avengers' and are fully Jonsa, and the third started as a family bonding story between the Stark kids and Tony (Ned and Tony are second cousins, and Ned was really supportive of Tony in rehab without expecting anything in return), and accidentally turned into a Steve Rogers/Sansa Stark story, which is a pairing i am HERE for. A lot of this one is written, but it needs some fill in before publishing, although it's one of my favorites that i've written to go back and actually read.

- A Star Wars AU (Jonsa) where Sansa and Arya are Alderaanian princesses who are off planet when Alderaan is destroyed- Sansa as a senator and Arya as a pilot, both working for the rebellion, and jon is a smuggler who does not know how all of these people got on his ship and why two princesses are sassing him. His copilot, Tormund (yes he's a wookie), thinks it is hilarious. I started this one just the other day, and it's already thirty pages long, most of them involving Sansa and Arya sassing people. Dany is a leader in the rebellion, Roose Bolton is the emperor, and Barbrey Dustin is a disgruntled former jedi trying to live in peace on a remote planet until another Stark crashes into her life and harangues her into teaching again.

- A witches/magic AU (Jonsa) where the Starks run an apothecary and spellcasting supplies shop. Jon had been completely in the dark about magic before his mother confessed to being born into a family of witches. He finds himself traveling to her hometown, trying to understand her world more clearly, and what it means for him. On the way, he develops something of a crush on the red-headed shop clerk who brews the best headache potions in town. Featuring lots of magical shenanigans, this is one of my favorites in the folder :)

- A 24 hour diner AU (Jonsa) where Jon is a local mob boss, and Sansa works the late shift at Seaworth's diner to buy textbooks for the PhD she's working on in botany. Sansa's running from memories, and Jon has a soft spot for the red-headed waitress who always remembers how he likes his coffee.

- An East of the Sun, West of the Moon AU!!! (Jonsa) This is one of my fav fairy tales, and of course i couldn't resist Jon as a direwolf striking a deal with the starks!

- A Roomates AU (Jonsa)- Arya, Jon, Tormund, and Sam have been renting the same house together off Winterfell's campus for years- but when Sam moves in with his girlfriend, they need one more person on the lease. Sansa, about to relocate to Winterfell for grad school, finds out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her and that her housing plans have fallen through, all on the same day. Needless to say, she's a bit upset when she calls Arya to relay the news. There's a simple solution here, if Arya and Tormund can stop teasing Jon about his crush for five minutes. (any excuse to write tormund and arya roasting jon, tbh).

- A Fae AU (Jonsa)- When Sansa, a baker living in the city, washes her face in an enchanted spring on a camping trip, she gains the sight as a result. Suddenly able to see the fae underworld all around her is disorienting and terrifying. Sansa tries to conceal it- afraid of what might happen if the fae around her know that she can see them- but slips up, and catches the attention of Jon Snow- one of the lords of the unseelie court.

- A nuclear winter wasteland AU (Jonsa)- (?? I don't even know how to describe this premise, haha) where the Starks are living and running the Free Winterfell settlement in Siberia after a worldwide nuclear meltdown. Before the fallout, Sansa was one of the world's preeminent researchers in plant genetics and pathology, and works at the settlement to create newer, disease and radiation resistant crops to distribute for free to other settlements, aiming to break up the monopoly that Lannister Corp has on the market. Jon is a scavenger, searching throughout Siberia for his sister Rhae who disappeared several years previously. When he runs across Arya Starkovna, helping her fight off another band of radiation ravaged scavengers is just instinct- he doesn't think twice about it. In thanks, she brings him to the Winterfell settlement, where her brother Robb offers Jon sanctuary and resources, in exchange for serving as a bodyguard for Sansa when she travels to other settlements. Sansa is not particularly thrilled by this arrangement, but given that multiple parties seem to want her dead, she doesn't have much of a choice but to accept his company.

- A reincarnation AU (Jonsa)- of sorts. Robb is an archaeologist who finds a strange set of runes at a site up north, and immediately calls in Jon Snow- a historian and expert in said ancient language, as well as an old university friend of Robb's. When he arrives though, Robb shows him their most valuable finds- two mysterious ice blocks, with what appear to be perfectly preserved bodies from over a thousand years ago. No one could ever have imagined that either of them were still alive, but when the ice melts, revealing two very alive girls, the entire crew is instantly buried in NDAs, and given an assignment from the Westerosi government to figure out what the hell was going on. Sansa and Arya wake up, extremely confused about the world they live in, trying to adapt and mourning all that they've lost, even as the people around them wear familiar faces.

- Soulmates AU (Jonsa)- (Yes, another one, I love this dumb trope) Trauma surgeon and medical resident Sansa Stark is having a very bad day, and ends up meeting her soulmate during what she thinks is a mugging gone wrong. Fortunately, he’s not the one mugging her, just an intervening bystander, but she ends up slightly shot nonetheless. Sansa’s fretting about bleeding on the upholstery in his car, but Jon is a bit more worried about her injuries than the blood stains. He’s a bit confused when she threatens him if he takes her to a specific hospital, nearly has a nervous breakdown when she insists on doing her own triage, and is very charmed when she insists on ice cream after taking pain meds at the hospital. On Sansa’s part, she’s a little less concerned about being shot, and a bit more concerned about whatever weird first impression she’s making to her soulmate while high as a kite on pain pills. (this one just needs some tweaking to be postable- I'm not sure if it's going to be a oneshot or a series, but i love what I have already)

- A Demon/Archivist AU (Jonsa)- where Sansa works in the university's historical archives in Oldtown, and is learning to restore old texts with her fellow student and friend, Alleras (Trans Sarella is an amazing concept). When Joffrey Baratheon shows up with a pile of old books from his family's library to donate, Sansa is eager to get away from his sleaze, and accidentally takes one of the books home with her in her rush to leave. Unbeknownst to her, it's more than it appears, and when she leaves it open overnight, she accidentally summons forth Jon- an ancient, powerful, and extremely annoyed demon who is under a curse, and now hers to command. As Jon and Sansa try to get used to this new normal, the Lannisters (unaware that Joffrey had donated the tome) try desperately to find the book and it's owner, wanting Jon's power for themselves, and putting Sansa in considerable danger unless she can figure out how to break Jon's curse. Fortunately, she's a pretty good researcher, even if Jon is initially a bit of a grump. (This is based on a total wish-fulfillment mary-sue type premise for something I wrote when I was thirteen, and I revisited it and wanted to see what it would look like if i took it very seriously, and i am really enjoying it so far. It's a love letter to the terrible, heartfelt writing i was doing in middle school that created the foundations for my writing today, and so much fun).

The one that I am MOST excited about though:

- A Pacific Rim AU!!!! (Ned/Cat, Gendrya, Braime, Sansa/Jon Umber)-Twins Sansa and Robb Stark have always been completely in tune with each other, and when your parents are Jaeger pilots and your mother invented the neural handshake, what option is there but the Jaeger academy? Sansa studies to be an engineer, but ends up copiloting the Jaeger 'Winter Wolf' with her twin brother, after they lose Ned Stark to cancer. When Robb is ripped out of the conn-pod and killed by a kaiju while he's still connected to Sansa, she barely manages to kill the creature before stumbling back to shore, traumatized, grieving, and swearing that she'll never pilot again.

Unfortunately, the Kaiju don't stop just because Sansa does, and when the end of the world is imminent, Marshall Catelyn Stark orders both her daughter and former pilot Jaime Lannister (who lost his twin and copilot, Cersei, several years previously) back to Hong Kong for one final stand. Forced to face both her demons and an irate Arya, furious that Sansa had abandoned the rest of them after Robb's death, Sansa and Arya have to figure out how to pilot Winter Wolf together before the apocalypse comes for them all.

Featuring Marshall Catelyn Stark (commander of the Hong Kong Shatterdome, inventor of the neural handshake, former Jaeger pilot, and BAMF), Sansa x Jon Umber (Yes i know it's a rare pair but i've always kind of loved the idea of them, even though we know so little about him), Kaiju parts dealer and smuggler Petyr Baelish, bickering kaiju biologist Dany and theoretical mathematician Jon Snow, LOCCENT officer Theon, lots of snark, lots of angst and heartfelt conversations, and a weird friendship between snarky-grieving-asshole Jaime Lannister and kind-quiet-grieving Sansa Stark, who are the only two people in the world who know what it's like to lose a copilot and a twin in the drift.

Thanks for reading guys!! There are more, but some of them I just don't know how to explain quite yet, haha. I'd love to hear what you guys think about these!

[musicallisto]

˚ ༘✶ — 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 (nia ellarious & f!reader)

@emmacata requested: Nia Ellarious + “wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything, and everybody believed in you?”

summary: “My name was Nia Ellarious, the youngest Priestess of the Light in the history of Morella, disciple of Scholar Vash at Whitetower. I defeated Duke Erthax, Duchess Xenia, the Dreadlord and its Shadow Court with my companions, and brought peace upon the Realm of Light. Not once did I falter, though often I feared. Everything I wrote in my diary was truthful.”

author notes: I made this one a little longer & formatted it as a regular one-shot in honor of Blades Appreciation Week. I’m always late to these kinds of events but I really wanted to do something special for this one, and Emma’s request was the perfect excuse - also I love Nia so much. this is kind of a... paranormal!AU? ghost!AU? Tom-Riddle-diary!AU? idk I just think these types of plots are so cool. used she/her pronouns for the reader, and it’s almost totally platonic

word count: 2.5k

warnings: kind of bittersweet...?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐒 lived many lives before the one that brought it before her — it’s worn and its leather cracked and torn at the spine, pages yellowed by time and trial. Heavy in her hand, but more peculiar than any other item she has seen on the Whitetower flea market, it seems as though it refuses to open in the vulgar light of day.

“How much for the book?”

“That piece of junk?” the busy owner of the stand scoffs. “It’s been here forever. No one wants to buy a book they can’t open. Five copper at best.”

Such a small price for an age-old mystery — a bargain. Unhesitatingly, she hands him the coins, and although the sun is still high in the sky, she heads home, the journal emitting a curious heat in the crook of her palm. Nothing today will catch her interest quite like the book; she has seen enough.

And still, she hasn’t seen anything yet.

𝐒𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆: forcing it open with brute strength, palpating all the cover for a hidden mechanism, caressing its weathered spine as though she was taming a beast, even resorted to solutions she dares not admit without her cheeks reddening; asking it please and telling it sweet words, proclaiming made-up incantations and swearing on everything that’s ever been holy that she is worthy.

Stubborn, it doesn’t bulge; and like a moth to the flame, she keeps coming back to this airtight world.

“By the Light!” she lets out a frustrated cry after her twenty-sixth attempt bears as little fruit as the others. “Fine, stupid book, keep your secrets!”

And just like that, the journal exhales ever-so-slightly, like it’s been holding a breath for millennia and only now can rest. The shift in the candlelight by the book is unmistakable; the air is charged with an electric and formidable apprehension that all departs from and converges back to the book. Magic?

The Light?

No. The Light is but a children’s tale from times past, a centuries-old superstition that belongs to the same imaginary pantheon as the Shadow Court and other bedtime stories she’d hear long ago.

Carefully, she sits on her chair and opens the book with the softest of pressures.

Pages and pages spread before her, ink fresh as new and still bearing its original scent, of myrtle and forest winds, all in a language she has never seen before. It’s runes and runes as far as the eye can see, and as she turns the pages, she loses herself to the hundreds, no, thousands of symbols, practically impossible to differentiate to her lay eye, that tell her all their secrets in a forgotten script. She remains high-spirited still; she’s gone farther than anyone has ever gone before with the secret journal.

“By the Light?” she asks tentatively, hoping the runes will bow to her will if she invokes their master. “Uh... by the Light, please, turn into a language I can read?”

The pages remain unstirred. Of course  — the Light does not exist, and never has. Buried forms of magic do not stem back to life from ancient artifacts. She’ll have to roll up her sleeves and translate it all the old-fashioned way.

She grabs a pencil, adjusts the light, and proceeds with her reading.

As she turns the pages, some of the pieces to figure out the puzzle of the book appear a little clearer to her. Sometimes, leafing through a few scribbled notes, she stumbles upon a careful sketch, a map of what she recognizes as Morella, drawn with the utmost care and precision. She identifies the capital and its proud dungeons, the circled dot around what she supposes means Whitetower, and a dotted path emerging from the Deadwood; she finds the drawing of a winged cat on the following page, a haughty frown on its feline face and excited little notes all around it; but there are few schemes to help her, and soon the writing comes to an abrupt stop, with dozens of pages left to fill. She gathers all the clues she’s collected with excitement, and starts jotting down her notes; the vaguely bird-shaped letter must stand for E with how often it appears, and the wave must be a vowel, and...

Absorbed in her transcription, flicking back and forth through the pages, she almost doesn’t notice the sentence that just appeared in the corner of a page, most definitely not in her handwriting.

“Who were you?”

It’s perfectly legible, the handwriting neat and diligent, clearly from a hand that’s long exercised in calligraphy; and unmistakably the same hand that drew the runes, and the map, and the cat, and wrote a life’s worth of inexpressible adventures a thousand years ago.

She pauses, eyes wide, breath shut, pen hovering above the page as if her every movement were spied on from another time. She blinks, hard, twice, then brings the candle closer to the inscription, almost close enough to set the paper on fire. It’s undeniable; the diary has spoken to her like an intruder, its voice that of a tidy and polite poet, and it must think her awfully rude, to conquer its pages without giving a name.

So she writes hers down, right underneath the new words.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I was just curious. Did you write all of this?” she quickly adds with a trembling hand, not nearly as neat as her mysterious interlocutor, and as ridiculous as it may sound, she truly expects an answer from this derelict diary.

It’s not long in coming, black letters slowly fading into view on the crinkled page.

“I did. I lived all of this. It was all true.”

“Who were you?” she asks the burning question as soon as the answer appears completely, unskeptical of the strange turn of phrase she used.

She waits. She fears the other might have been offended by the direct question, or that she may have been talking to herself, merely a hallucination, all this time.

But the answer does come, long and wistful.

“My name was Nia Ellarious, the youngest Priestess of the Light in the history of Morella, disciple of Scholar Vash at Whitetower. I defeated Duke Erthax, Duchess Xenia, and the Dreadlord and its Shadow Court with my companions, and brought peace upon the Realm of Light. Not once did I falter, though often I feared. Everything I wrote in this diary was truthful.”

But a question still tickles the back of her mind, and it isn’t entirely her incomprehension at all those foreign and forgotten names. Carefully, she insists.

“Who are you?” and she underlines the are twice.

The answer is the longest to come in all their otherworldly conversation.

“Pardon, but I did not understand what you meant.”

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘 is spent reading all she can on the Light, on the Shadow Court and its bloodthirst, and on the dark ages in the history of Morella that it shields from prying eyes. She borrows all she can from the Whitetower library, and her pressing questions cause more than one raised eyebrow among the librarians. Insanely enough, no one she interrogates, none of the scholars nor the students nor the elite writers and historians and professors she hails in the capital have ever heard of this Dreadlord and even less of a Nia and a ragtag group of adventurers. She dares not mention the Light to them, lest they think her madder than she may be already; but she returns to the flea market and tracks down the merchant she bought the diary from; gone without a trace.

Defeated, she slumps on her chair in front of the diary, exactly as she had left it the night before. She eyes it for a few instants, its incomprehensible tales calling to her like an indescribable glow...

No one in the whole of Whitetower remembers anything of the Shadow Court, and the prowess Nia accomplished. No one, except a spirit, a voice in between the pages.

“Could you tell me more about what you did?”

She answers almost immediately.

“From what point did you want to know?”

“From the beginning? There’s so little I know.”

Her answers come in parcels, little by little, one by one, easier to follow, and to recall.

“I was to depart with my master, Scholar Vash, on a journey to the Temple of Ellara, way down South, near Riverbend...”

Nia writes, or speaks, the difference is minimal, and she reads, all night long, and well into the morning, that soon washes the world anew.

“𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 about your companions, Nia. They seemed like quite the memorable bunch...”

“Oh, they were. Rambunctious Mal, who taught me card tricks and whose ribald songs I tried not to remember... Imtura, who sung too, her Orcish sailor songs, and grabbed Mal by the shoulder — a most hilarious sight, for she was much taller than him and lifted him off the ground. Tyril of the noble house Starfury, who pretended he did not sing but hummed melancholic tunes of his childhood when we were the only ones awake in the moonlight. Kade, sweet but sharp-tongued Kade, who sung and wrote the most, to our glory and our feasts, and never to our defeats. And Earis, who did not sing with her voice, but with her eyes, those of a leader, a friend, and a lover.”

“Which of these was the cat?”

The diary vibrates softly, maybe a breeze blowing through an open window, or a little laugh like a distant carillon in the wind...

“Threep was a Nesper, not a cat. An honest difference.”

A few spots of black ink dot the page for a few instants without a word covering the page. It’s a sign Nia is mulling over her words, perhaps invoking a memory even more distant than the others. Respectfully, she lets her think until the last words of the day mark the page.

“The life of a Priestess was most silent and lonely. What I loved them most for were their voices and songs.”

“𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 inside a body that bore all resemblance to mine, but did not belong to me anymore. I would have felt light-headed if I had had a head; I would have felt nausea if I had had a stomach. But all I had — all I was — was an impossible sense of dread and doom. I had faced corrupted elves and malign foes and monsters in the Deadwood, but I had never felt the sheer terror of being a vessel to great evil — hurting and killing with my own two hands, abandoned by the Light.”

She swallows hard. The temperature of the room seems to have dropped drastically; a chill washes over her body. She can feel the weight of a thousand-year-old threat, somber and suffocating, looming over her skin, in the dark of her room.

“How did you save yourself? How did you kill him?”

“I listened to them. All of them. They were begging me to keep fighting. To not relinquish a single fraction of my mind to the corruption of the Shadow. To trust in the Light and brandish it like a sword. And when I couldn’t trust in myself anymore, I knew I could lean on their voices, strong and unwavering.”

“You are the bravest person I’ve ever met, Nia.” (Then, remembering the priestess’ blockage to present times, she crosses out are and replaces it with a were.)

“I was emboldened by those around me. I could not take any credit for it.”

“But that’s exactly why they were brave too. They were made brave; by you.”

Is it specks of humidity that discretely stain the paper, or dots of melted wax from the flickering candle? Are they droplets from her world, or Nia’s?

“Nia, I want to ask you one more question.”

No answer. Nia never forgets to answer; she’s listening. Attentive and quiet, as she imagines she must have been when they were all gathered around a campfire, listening to one of Mal’s cock-and-bull stories, or Imtura’s raids on unsuspecting ships.

She takes a deep breath. The quill subtly shakes between her fingers.

“After what you’ve seen, all that you’ve lived through, all that you’ve suffered... you could confidently say the world was a terrifying place, right? Scary and malevolent?”

“I could have said that, yes.”

“I know you don’t understand the concept of ‘today’ or ‘present’, but... it still is. The world is still scary and bleak and dark today, and everyone has forgotten about the Light.”

“It was already a dying force when I prayed to it every night. I could feel its weakening heartbeat slipping from my fingers like a wounded creature...”

“And yet you’ve always spoken with grace, poise, humanity, compassion, and kindness. With love. You believe in love. Even after all of this, even after Scholar Vash and the Deadwood and Duke Erthax and the Dreadlord, you believe in love, and in humanity, and in betterment. How?”

“What else was there to do? I couldn’t stop believing. It’s all I’d ever had. It’s all that’s ever made humans better. Love, compassion, and faith in one another. In a greater power.”

“But Nia... wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything, and everybody believed in you? When you lived peacefully in Whitetower with your master and felt magic at the tip of your fingertips? When the world was still pure and untouched? When you hadn’t been betrayed and corrupted from the inside by greed and envy?”

She takes a look outside the window. The rhythm of the bustling city slows down as an ochre evening settles on the capital, and all the merchants and soldiers head back to their homes. To think, one thousand years ago, Nia walked the same streets every day, her heart full of love and understanding — the same streets low-lives and scoundrels, and criminals and murderers, and selfish and evil men walked every day, on their way to destroy the fragile balance of things... And to think Nia would have still believed in goodness and in the Light had she seen them strew their grime on the streets...

Lost in her thoughts, she almost forgets the answer she’s awaiting.

“It was comfortable, but not beautiful. I found true beauty when I found my family. If no one believed in me when I ran away from the Church, then they believed in me; and if I believed in nothing, then I believed in them.”

Somewhere, in another realm, another dimension, another space and time, a sudden realization blossoms in Nia’s mind, softly but all at once. Very slowly, Nia’s invisible hand strikes out the last few words she wrote.

“And to this day, I am sure of it, I still believe in them.”

tagging; @softeninglooks​ @fives-cup-of-coffee​ (all my writing) ; @lxncelot​ (playchoices) ; @missameliep​ @bladesappreciationweek​

[hysterialevi]

Hjarta | Chapter 3

Fanfic summary: In an AU where Eivor was adopted by Randvi’s family instead, he ends up falling in love with the man his sister has been promised to despite the arranged marriage between their clans.

Point of view: third-person

Pairing: Sigurd Styrbjornson x Male Eivor

This story is also on AO3 | Previous chapter | Next chapter

THAT EVENING

BJORNHEIMR, THE LONGHOUSE

“...It took me a whole month to track Geirmund to that fortress.” Ulfar said he continued his story, nursing a cup of mead in his hand. He was currently sitting across from Eivor at one of the tables in the longhouse, and entrancing him with a tale from his past.

His voice carried a comforting roughness in the serene bass of its tone, and even though the ambience of the feast around them was full of jovial conversation, Eivor found a unique tranquility in the intonation of Ulfar’s speech, similar to when he heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

“Did you go inside the fortress?” Eivor asked, taking a sip of his own mead.

Ulfar nodded. “Against my better judgement, yes. It was a foolish decision, though, if I’m being truthful. I was alone on that island with nothing but an axe, and the frozen wind had seeped so deep into my skin that I could hardly feel a thing. But I refused to let Geirmund escape a second time. So, I snuck into the fortress and prepared myself to kill him for good. What caught me off guard though, was how empty it was on the inside.”

The younger man shrugged. “What happened to all his men?”

Ulfar chuckled. “I asked myself the same thing. I went in there expecting an army of warriors to come charging at me, and yet, I came upon no more than the dead remains of a battlefield, littered with the bodies of Geirmund’s people.”

“Someone already killed them?”

“Indeed, but I did not know who. And back then, I didn’t care to find out. The only thing that concerned me was putting an end to Geirmund’s life. So, I carried on with my quest and searched for the little rat. He was nowhere to be found inside the fortress, but I ended up finding a trail that led outside of its walls, and towards a nearby waterfall. The footsteps he left behind all looked cluttered and erratic, almost as if he had been running from something.”

Eivor found himself intrigued. “Did you ever find him?”

A twinkle sparkled in Ulfar’s eye. “I did. After what felt like ages of searching, I finally located Geirmund at the peak of the waterfall, surrounded by nothing but ice and snow. He was sitting on his knees and quivering in the wind, staring at me with a pair of eyes that nearly bulged out of their sockets. His tongue hung lifelessly from the pits of his mouth, and a large gash separated the flesh on his throat, causing blood to dribble down the front of his clothes.”

Ulfar leaned forward in his seat, smirking at the look on Eivor’s face. “Holding him in place... was a woman unlike any I’d ever seen. She stood behind Geirmund like a giant in human form, and carried a ferocious-looking weapon in her grip. Her gaze was wild with the rush of a fresh kill, and her teeth were bared like the fangs of a wolf. She took one glance at me, and then hurled Geirmund off the edge without saying a word.” Ulfar’s lips stretched into a smile. “...That was the moment I fell in love with Linnea.”

The young man chuckled. “Wait, a woman slits a man’s throat and throws him off a waterfall... and you fall in love with her?”

Ulfar shrugged. “You wouldn’t? I suppose I’ve always had a strange taste in women. It turned out for the best though. Linnea and I were wed two years later, and I finally found true peace with the world. She tempered the fury that burned inside me, but also kept it alive. She was my guide in a storm that never seemed to fade away.”

Eivor fidgeted with the straps on one of his bracers, recalling some of his childhood memories. “I don’t remember that much about Linnea. She died when I was still so young.”

A wave of nostalgia washed over the older man. “Linnea loved you. She didn’t get the chance to know you that well, but... she knew the pain of losing her parents too. In fact, she was one of the people who encouraged Arngeir to take you in.” Ulfar let out a sorrowful sigh, turning away from Eivor. “All she wanted was to ensure that you had a better life than her. I just wish she could’ve watched you grow up.”

“How did she die anyway?” Eivor asked. “What happened to her?”

Ulfar gestured loosely at the scene around them. “...The same thing that happens to most people these days. Kjotve. He cornered her in the sea whilst she was out on a raid, and slew her in the end.”

Eivor frowned out of sympathy. “...I’m sorry.”

The other man shook his head. “Don’t be. Linnea may have departed from this realm, but she now awaits me in Valhalla, roaming the afterlife of a warrior at the Allfather’s side. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

“And do you still miss her? Even after all this time?”

“Of course. Though, I must admit, it’s becoming harder and harder for me to remember what she was like as a person. As the years have gone by, I fear that Linnea has become no more than a memory to me. I’ve... almost forgotten how I used to interact with her. How we used to talk. If you were to put me in front of her at this very moment, I’m not sure I would know what to say.”

Ulfar cleared his throat and decided to flip the subject to Eivor, clearly feeling somewhat mournful at the mention of his wife. 

“And what about you, Eivor?” He questioned. “Have you found someone you love?”

“You mean in the same way you love Linnea? No, not yet.”

“Well, you’re still young. You still have plenty of time. And even if you don’t find someone, there’s more to do in life anyway. All that matters is that you do it with honor.”

Ulfar finished the rest of his drink, allowing the alcohol to sheathe him in warmth. “Ah, but this old man has bored you with enough of his tales for one night. Go on and enjoy the feast, little cub. We can always talk later. I’d like to be alone for now.”

Eivor nodded and stood up from the table, taking his cup of mead with him. “I understand. I think I’ll go get some fresh air for the moment. We’ll speak another time. Until then, skål.”

The other man raised his drink. “Skål, Eivor.”

Leaving Ulfar to his thoughts, the blond viking swiftly removed himself from the old warrior’s company and returned to the bustling activity of the feast, immediately finding himself in the midst of jubilant merrymaking.

All around him, Eivor saw people from both the Raven and Bear Clans singing cheerfully as the mead soothed their sea-weary bones, allowing their minds to break free from their restraints for one night.

A symphony of laughter could be heard bouncing off the wooden confines of the longhouse as their celebrations drifted off into the evening, and sitting amongst all the wondrous chaos at the front of the hall, Eivor spotted Arngeir conversing with Styrbjorn, accompanied by Thora and Randvi.

Something that seemed odd to Eivor however, was the fact that Styrbjorn’s son was nowhere to be found. He assumed that Sigurd would’ve been spending the entire day wandering around with his new betrothed, but the man had made himself scarce.

He was probably bored of circling political discussions all day long, especially considering that there was a wedding coming up in the next two weeks. And the fact that Randvi was here by herself led Eivor to believe that she might’ve felt the same way. 

Well, he supposed he couldn’t blame her.

Making his way out of the longhouse, Eivor rounded a corner at the end of the hall and stepped through an ornate archway, only to come to a screeching halt when he suddenly rammed into someone.

The mead in his cup went spilling over the rim due to the impact and splashed everywhere onto the person’s clothes, causing both of them to let out a surprised grunt. Eivor’s tankard went tumbling to the ground shortly after the bump, and once the pandemonium finally settled, Eivor found himself standing there in silence, sheepishly trying to utter out an apology.

“Shit...!” Eivor cursed, waving his hand dry. “F-Forgive me. I’m a clumsy fool. I didn’t see you--”

The young man paused abruptly, astonished by the person he had just run into.

“--there.”

Standing on the opposite side of the archway, Eivor saw a tall man dressed in an opulent gambeson gazing down at the mess that now stained his clothes, attempting to dry himself off. His long hair stood out from the blackness of the night with a distinct shade of red, and his eyes practically pierced through the shadows due to their glacial tint.

His forehead was decorated with a uniquely-shaped rune resembling the image of a tree, and on his back, Eivor spotted an impressive longsword resting proudly in its sheathe.

It was a fierce-looking weapon that he would’ve loved to wield himself someday, but for the moment, Eivor was simply praying that the man wouldn’t use it.

Pinching his shirt, the stranger pulled the soaked fabric away from his skin and gave Eivor a neutral expression, surprisingly unbothered by the incident.

“Have no fear, my friend.” He replied with a sincere smile. “They are only clothes.”

Eivor felt the sudden need to ask for his name, admittedly not recognizing him. “Are you new here? Your face doesn’t seem familiar.”

The man nodded. “I’m from the Raven Clan.”

“Ah, I see.” Eivor said in understanding. He reached a hand out. “Well, my name is Eivor. I’m from the Bear Clan. I promise, not everyone’s as clumsy as me.”

The stranger displayed a hint of hesitation, almost as if he didn’t want to share his identity.

“...Gunnar.” He finally responded, shaking Eivor’s hand in a firm grip.

“It’s good to meet you, Gunnar. Again, I apologize for the mess.”

Gunnar waved a pardoning hand. “No need to worry. I can always replace them.”

Eivor shrugged. “Well, I still feel like I should repay you somehow. Is there anything I could help you with?”

The other man thought for a moment, stroking his beard in silence.

“Well, if you insist on repaying me... perhaps, there is something you could do. What say you to a walk around the village?”

The reply took Eivor by surprise. “A... walk?”

“I know it may sound like an odd request,” Gunnar conceded, “but I fear that I haven’t been able to see as much of Bjornheimr as I’d like. I was originally on my way back to the feast after a few minutes outside, but I think I’d like to spend more time in the nature of this place. Care to join me?”

Although a tad confused by Gunnar’s unique proposition, Eivor had to admit that he was intrigued. He was definitely in need of some fresh air himself after being trapped in the longhouse for a couple hours, and he couldn’t deny that his heart skipped a few beats at the sight of his new friend.

Maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

“Alright, Gunnar.” Eivor agreed. “I’ll walk with you.”

The man beamed gladly, beckoning his companion to follow him through the archway. 

“Wonderful. Where shall we go?”

Eivor stepped in front of him, taking the lead. “Follow me. There’s a place I can show you. It’s not too far away from the longhouse. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m right behind you.”

~~~~~~~~~~

A LITTLE LATER

Sauntering through the snow-smothered paths of Bjornheimr, Eivor accompanied Gunnar as the two of them strolled leisurely under the clear night sky, steadily distancing themselves from the boisterous sounds of carousing that bled out of the longhouse.

At the moment, there was no one else occupying the frozen roads that twisted their way throughout the town, and the only other creatures that seemed to be roaming around were a handful of hares and birds, scuttling away back to their homes.

It would’ve seemed lonely to Eivor on any other given day, but with Gunnar there to provide him some company, the man felt a celestial grip of solace holding gently onto his heart.

Eivor couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, but something about his new friend seemed to put his mind at peace. A soothing aura clung onto Gunnar with every step he took, and a sense of nobility radiated from his naturally tall stature. He gazed at the auroras shimmering above them as if he had traversed the very lights himself, and despite the silence, his mere presence alone was enough to send Eivor’s head bursting with a multitude of thoughts.

Just who exactly was this man?

“May I ask you a question?” Gunnar suddenly said, pulling Eivor back to reality.

The younger man nodded, his boots crunching in the snow as they walked. “Go ahead. What’s on your mind?”

“You said your name was Eivor,” his friend recalled. “You wouldn’t happen to be Arngeir’s son, would you?”

Eivor smirked. “Ah, so he’s told you about me already. I hope he left all the bad parts out.”

Gunnar chuckled. “He uttered nothing but the highest of praises whenever your name was mentioned, I assure you. Why else do you think I asked you to join me?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “Though, I must admit, you look different than I expected. There’s quite a contrast between you and your siblings.”

“I wasn’t born into the family like my sisters,” Eivor explained. “Arngeir adopted me when I was nine winters old. My parents...” his voice sank a bit, “...had just been killed when he took me in. By Kjotve.”

Gunnar sighed in empathy. “...Ah. I see. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Eivor was quiet in response, leading the other man to feel a pang of guilt clutching him in the chest.

“I’m sorry,” Gunnar quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to pry. I... I should’ve known better than to bring it up.”

“No, no, it’s alright.” Eivor reassured. “It’s just... strange to talk about, I suppose. I love my new family with all my heart, but... part of me wonders what would’ve happened if my parents were still here. How my life would be. It’s a question that’s hounded me for years.”

Gunnar allowed himself to open up a bit. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m also familiar with the loss of a parent.”

The younger man lifted a brow. “You are?”

“I’m afraid so. My mother succumbed to a battle wound when I was only a child. I don’t remember much of her, but I still think of her often. Sometimes, I find myself sharing the same thoughts as you.”

Eivor’s tone softened in heartache. “Then you understand.”

“Indeed,” Gunnar replied. “Many people told me that my mother was in a better place after she left this realm, but... I don’t know. Surely, the best place a mother could be is at her child’s side?”

“I’d say you’re right,” Eivor agreed. “My father gave up the chance to enter Valhalla in order to save me.”

“Then it just proves that nothing can surpass that type of love. I suppose we should be grateful.” Gunnar paused for a second, breaking out of his melancholic state. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean for this conversation to take such a grim turn. My father says I’m too forward with my thoughts sometimes.”

Eivor scoffed in amusement. “Please, be as forward as you’d like. We could use more of that nowadays. Nothing irritates me more than running around in semantic circles with someone, but I digress. We’ve reached the place I wanted to show you. Come on. It’s just up here.”

Leading Gunnar up a hill, Eivor guided his friend to the same peak where he’d been relaxing earlier that day, eager to see his reaction to the view that sat in front of it. The sun wasn’t there to illuminate all the corners of its beauty much to Eivor’s dismay, but he still wished for his companion to take in the sight.

“Here we are,” Eivor said, coming to a halt at the top of the hill. “What do you think?”

Gunnar froze in his tracks, absolutely amazed by the remarkable view.

Stretching out for miles in front of him, Gunnar saw nothing but a sea of Northern Lights gently gliding along the edge of the sky, kissing its divine darkness with a mystical green glow. Hints of magenta sat delicately atop their beams like a crown fashioned by the gods, and the colors elegantly danced with each other like waves in an ocean. 

Countless stars could be seen dotting the vast void hanging above them, and lying calmly just underneath the horizon, a plethora of waves softly caressed the saltwater tides, brushing against the shore in a rhythmic motion that seemed to hypnotize the nature around it.

It wasn’t quite as striking as when the sun’s light managed to hit its surface during the day, but Gunnar felt a transcendent sense of awe blooming his chest nonetheless. Something about the way the mountains were formed seemed to draw him closer to the sky, and for a brief moment, part of him even forgot he was still standing in Bjornheimr.

“It’s... beautiful.” He whispered in astonishment. “I’ve never seen such a clear view of the fjords before. Not even in Fornburg.”

Eivor took a seat on the bench and stretched his legs out, allowing himself to relax as he marveled at the sight in front of him.

“It’s definitely something to behold. I spend most of my mornings up here. I’ll usually come here to meditate, or to pray, or to think. It helps clear the mind. I only wish you could see it during the day.”

Gunnar sat down beside the other man, tilting his head up towards the sky.

“I can understand why you come here so often. The solitude on this hill -- it provides a feeling of peace that I’ve not experienced in ages. I wish we had more places like this back home.”

Eivor turned to his friend. “Things are stressful over in Fornburg, I take it?”

Gunnar sighed. “Very much so. Especially with Kjotve’s fortress standing so close to our shores. We have many capable warriors looking after the village while we’re gone, but... I still question our king’s decision to leave it unattended during such a dire time.”

A sudden thought crossed Eivor’s mind. “Hey, Gunnar. You’ve asked me a lot of questions so far, but do you mind if I ask you one?”

“Go ahead.”

The younger man took a second to think about how to phrase his next sentence. “...What can you tell me about your prince?”

The question seemed to catch Gunnar by surprise. “Our prince? You mean Sigurd?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard a few things about him already, but I’d like to know more. He’s going to marry my sister in two weeks, after all. I’m curious to hear what kind of a man he is.”

Gunnar struggled to think of an answer, unsure of what to say. “Well... people say he’s a great warrior.”

Eivor shook his head in disappointment. “Ah... that’s what they say about everyone these days. It means nothing to me anymore. I want to know what Sigurd’s like as a person; as a husband. Do you think he’ll treat my sister right? And with respect?”

Gunnar let out a deep breath, finally deciding to abandon the pretense he had been holding up.

“You wish to hear the truth? The truth is... Sigurd is human like everyone else. His father describes him as a ruthless warrior driven by an undying ambition, but I fear that he likes to embellish his tales sometimes.”

That piqued Eivor’s interest. “And the other people in your clan? What do they say about him?”

“Some people say he’s charismatic. Others say he’s serious, or sad, or angry.” Gunnar hung his head low in a humble manner, forming his own opinion. “...I believe he’s all four.”

“Do you consider him to be a man of honor?”

The older man paused, attempting to conceal the same hesitation he showed back in the longhouse.

“...I do. Sigurd’s judgement may not always be the best, but I’ve never known him to be a man who indulges in the suffering of others. He’s a man with many flaws, and...” Gunnar gazed downwards at his hands, fidgeting with them in timidness, “...and I just hope that others can see he does have a good heart. Even if he doesn’t know how to show it.”

Eivor took on a more serious tone, latching onto the honesty in Gunnar’s voice. “And Randvi? Do you think he’ll do right by her?”

“Yes,” he answered sincerely. “I know he held some reservations when the king first told him of this marriage, but I believe Sigurd will do everything he can to keep your sister safe. He understands the necessity of this alliance. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.”

The younger man found a hint of relief in that statement and finally decided to let go of the subject, allowing himself to be free of his worries for a minute. Part of him suspected that Gunnar was simply telling him what he wanted to hear, but there was an undeniable sort of candor hiding in his speech that Eivor felt naturally compelled to believe him.

Though, he couldn’t deny that he found it rather strange how Gunnar’s mood shifted so suddenly. It was only a few moments ago that the man was parading around like a king in a crowd of peasants, and yet... all it took was one mention of Sigurd’s name to shatter that facade entirely. He now carried himself like a man being tried before God, and stared at the ground in a despondent fashion.

It only made Eivor wonder who Sigurd was to Gunnar.

“Sigurd?” A third voice called through the darkness, causing Eivor and Gunnar to jolt their heads towards the source. “Sigurd! Are you there?”

Trudging his way up the hill, an unfamiliar man abruptly emerged from the shadows and came trekking through the snow, approaching Gunnar as he tried to speak through labored breathing.

“Sigurd!” He greeted upon seeing the man. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Your father requests your presence back at the longhouse. There’s something he wishes to speak with you about.”

Sigurd exchanged a brief glance with Eivor at the sound of his true name before quickly turning away from him, clearly unhappy that his friend had just exposed his real identity.

“Thank you, Dag.” He replied solemnly. “I’ll go see him right away.”

Dag offered no more than a formal nod in response before hurriedly taking his leave from the scene and backtracking towards the longhouse, eager to return to the warmth of the feast.

Meanwhile, Sigurd remained seated beside his new friend as the younger man came to a sudden realization, finally understanding why their talk had caused “Gunnar’s” demeanor to switch so drastically.

“...You’re Sigurd?” Eivor asked, his expression blank with shock.

The prince sighed quietly in remorse, linking his hands together out of anxiety.

“I apologize, Eivor. I did not mean to be deceptive, but... it’s difficult to get a genuine reaction from people when they know you’re a prince.” He shifted in his seat slightly. “In truth, Gunnar is the blacksmith of my clan. I only hid behind his name because I wished to take a break from all the political discourse for a moment. I hope I haven’t tarnished your impression of me.”

Eivor shook his head, resting a hand on his knee. “No, not at all. It must be a tiring endeavor, having to constantly pry the honesty out of people’s fake smiles. I think I can understand, being the son of a jarl myself.”

Sigurd smiled brightly, relieved that he hadn’t ruined the other man’s opinion of him. “It gladdens me to hear it. Not everyone is so willing to lend their ear as you are, Eivor. I... I enjoyed having this conversation with you.”

The prince rose to his feet, finally ready to return to his royal duties.

“Well, I suppose I should see my father before he sends out a search party. Thank you for spending the evening with me.” A bashful tint kissed the surface of Sigurd’s cheeks. “I’d... love to see you again. If you’re alright with it, that is.”

Eivor stood up from the bench, chuckling at his friend’s shyness. “I’d like that too. And I promise, I won’t spill my drink all over you again.”

The older man smirked. “Can’t wait to see my father’s reaction when I return to him soaked in mead. He’ll probably be mortified. Not exactly a good way for a prince to present himself, you see.”

Eivor shrugged humorously. “On the contrary, I’d say it’s the best.”

Sigurd laughed heartedly at that. “Well, let’s just hope he shares your point of view. I don’t fancy bearing the brunt of his wrath today. In the meantime, though...” he softened his voice, admittedly wishing he could stay a bit longer, “take care of yourself, Eivor. It was a pleasure getting to speak with you.”

The man mirrored his affection. “You too, Sigurd. I hope I get the chance to see you again soon.”

“Don’t hesitate to approach me if you do. I’d love to spend more time with you. Until then...” he shifted awkwardly in place, almost as if he had to restrain himself from giving Eivor a hug, “...farewell, my friend. And may the Allfather watch over you. These are dangerous times for all of us.”

Turning on his heel, Sigurd reluctantly parted ways with Eivor and slipped off into the night, vanishing behind the thick layers of darkness surrounding them. He had no more than a few scattered torches to fend off the shadows that threatened to encompass the path, and his limbs were somewhat stiff from having been in the cold for so long.

Despite his rather uncomfortable situation however, Sigurd left Eivor’s company feeling more fulfilled than he had for the entire day. Something about the man’s spirit seemed to harmonize with him unlike anything else, and it honestly frightened him somewhat how easily he opened up to the man.

It wasn’t normal for Sigurd to pour out the contents of his heart to a complete stranger within minutes of meeting them, and yet, part of him felt as if he had already known Eivor for his entire life. There was an indescribable force binding them together, and it only seemed to strain more the further Sigurd distanced himself from his friend.

As for Eivor, the man couldn’t help but wonder if this was the “chaos” Ingrida foretold. Initially, he assumed that no harm could come of this wedding considering the motive behind its arrangement, but now... he understood what the seeress meant. 

The war she spoke of would not originate from within the marriage, but rather from outside it. It wouldn’t be forged in the fires of bloodshed or in the heat of battle, but rather in the defiance of the Nornir’s plans.

It would start with a spark, and spread until it couldn’t be contained.

“Dammit...” Eivor muttered with a sigh, pacing around the hill. He wanted nothing more than to pursue a friendship with Sigurd, but the pragmatic side of him knew it would end in mayhem. 

Sigurd had already been promised to Randvi. He would soon be a married man. He couldn’t afford to have Eivor distracting him from the sidelines, or tempting him with something so problematic. 

It would clash directly with all the plans Styrbjorn and Arngeir had in mind for their people. They had a war to focus on with Kjotve’s men, and couldn’t bear the risk of brewing even more conflict between their clans.

But even then... Eivor knew what he felt, and he knew it would be pointless to fight against it. He had seen for himself how this kind of force could shake the very earth beneath their feet, and he assumed it would only be a matter of time until it triumphed.

Still, Eivor had no intentions of speeding along the process. He had a responsibility to carry out for his people, and right now, their safety was depending on the sanctity of this marriage. He would have to do his best to stifle the affection in his heart, and keep things on their course.

It was what the gods intended, he presumed, and the last thing he wanted was to interfere. 

[writing-the-end]

LoL Chapter 10- Danes

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU belongs to @theguardiansofredland )

Welcome to Danes, the valley of the Guild of Asklepion. The healers are under attack, and call upon the help of the hermits- legal or not, they’re the last hope to help a massacred guild. 

__________________________________________

Down in the peaceful valley, tucked in the quiet hills of central Lairyon, a fire raged and roared. Flames burn like dragon tongues, lashing across the wooden stables and grass covered roofs, marigold petals curling and wilting from the sheer heat of the destruction. 

“Are we too late to help the Asklepions?” Ren whimpers, red light mirroring off his tinted sunglasses. His tail tucks between his legs, ears folding back as an ifrit squabbles across the verdant grass plains. The stout monster leaves a trail of fire in its wake, black husked form like smoke rising from the angry fire. 

A shrill cry, and a loud crack makes the entire guild jump. From the flames, a massive branch whacks the fire monster. Enough strength to send the husked remains of the ifrit crashing into the strong base of an oak tree. The husk falls apart upon impact, like a snowball struck against a hard surface. 

From behind the branch wielding wizard, a kipling stumbles over his feet and opens his arms wide. Water sprays across the fire, dousing the flame. Smoke roils free, masking the damage to its fullest extent. At least, what’s visible to the hermits on the hill. But they can see that the fire is only the latest damage dealt to the healing guild’s peaceful complex, Danes. A quiet monastery for recovery and recuperation needs it’s own bones fixed. 

The woman with the tree branch, white dress fluttering in the wind as a white flag, locks eyes with the hermits. Even from such a distance, the hermits can see her anger cross the healer’s face and her weapon rise up. The kipling grabs her arm, pulling it down and pointing at the group. False leans on her claymore. “Should we maybe go down there and not stare?” 

Through the plain of wildflowers and grasses, the hermits arrive at the smoldering remains of the retreat. “Who are you and why are you here?” The woman with the branch growls, raising the weapon above her springy black hair. “Are you the ones who keep sending these shadow monsters?” 

“Well that’s rude.” Etho grumbles, crossing his arms. Those aren’t shadow monsters. Shadow monsters are pretty chill, in his opinion. 

“No, no it’s not us.” TFC steps back, alarmed by the amount of harm the healing mage did to that ifrit. For a guild that pledges an oath to heal, she definitely did a lot of damage to the husk. 

“These are the people Galena sent the message to.” The Kipling waves to the group. “That little boat I had to send all the way to the ocean?” 

“A little late, but better late than never. I’m Iris, come on, we need to get inside before another patrol notices us.” Iris tosses her branch to the side. 

“I’m Micha, I’m so glad you got our letter.” He offers the first smile the hermits have had since they arrived, something lacking in such a once peaceful and tranquil place. 

“What happened here?” Grian questions, fluttering over the other hermits to talk. He feels like he should be in on this- he is the guild’s only healer. 

“It was our second attack today. Lucky for us, the only real trouble was that ifrit.” Micha responds, running a hand over the charred wood of a collapsed building. The grassy green roof has fallen to the side, slanting upwards like a sudden hill. It was burnt, but not in any way that would have knocked it over. 

“Nothing about this is lucky.” Iris growls. “We’ve been attacked for the past week by irrational, strong, ash grey monsters. They destroyed our infirmary, ruined the gardens and healing runes. And worse of all, we had to break our oath. We’re healers, not fighters.” 

“Well, lucky for you, we’re a jack-of-all-trades kind of guild.” TFC hums, stooping low and picking up the remains of a runestone, the carved mark shattered but a curve and a line visible. 

“How did your guildmaster know about us?” Grian questions, looking more to Micha than Iris. He knows when to push boundaries, and when someone is best left alone. Something he’s learned the hard way. 

Micha shrugs. “I’m not sure, but Galena wanted only you...who are you people?” Micha tilts his head, wavy blue hair cascading off his shoulders. 

“We’re the Order of Hermits!” Grian cheers, proud of his guild, his family. 

But Doc knows that doesn’t answer Micha’s question. “We’ve faced these husks before. I don’t know how your guildmaster learned of us, but we can handle this kind of threat.” 

“You’ve seen this before?” Iris turns, suddenly intrigued by the group. “How? Why? Did they attack your complex as well?” 

The entire guild goes quiet, looking at any other place than the woman before them. Eyes falling on the burned and broken buildings, weapons and corpses scattered about. Flakes of husks still swirl among the ash and charred homes. Cleo growls, the silence killing her all over again. “We were contracted by Magistrate Dolios, to investigate a town that was having issues. When we went there, we found the entire place was dead of life, like all color and energy was sucked from the ground.” 

Iris tilts her head back. “That’s definitely not what’s happening here. Apart from the burnt buildings, everything here is still green and alive.” 

“You haven’t seen a creepy, adamantine crystal that sucks life up and attacks with spooky black mist?” Joe scribbles notes in his journal, the feather tip of his quill wiggling back and forth at his furious writing. Iris draws a perturbed stare at the poet wizard, and that’s all the answer he needs. 

“But there were people there. Or, what remains of what we can only call husks of people. Ashen, grey and flaky. Like that ifrit. They attacked us for no reason.” Cleo adds, catching Iris back on their story. 

“So...how’d you stop them?” Micha questions, motioning for them to continue to follow towards the guild hall. 

“We...didn’t really.” Cub rubs his neck, biting his lip. “We were outmatched, we didn’t know what to do at the time. I portaled them away, and we escaped.” 

“You survived, that’s what matters.” Micha soothes, brushing the white toga he wears, reminding himself and the disgruntled Iris of their position as healers. “What did magistrate Dolios do when you told him what you saw?” 

“Nothing. He sent us away, and did nothing. He didn’t even pay us.” Iskall hisses. “What a mega douche.” 

“That’s an understatement.” A shaken, elderly voice rises above Micha and the creaking noise of their guild halls opening. “At least you answered my plea for help.” 

The guild turns, peering into the dark halls. Across the overturned chairs and broken chandeliers, past the tables turned hospital beds. But the guildmaster is regal, even in her worst hours. Wisened eyes and a kind, wrinkled face is framed by silver hair. The old woman rises from her chair, her movement surprisingly agile despite her age. Fingers curl around her staff, the gemstone at the peak glowing as she moves. TFC recognizes the crystal as labradorite- an enchanted staff. Clever. 

“You spoke with the Council as well?” Xisuma tilts his head. She doesn’t look like she can walk from her bed to the bathroom without help, much less all the way to Milliara. 

“When these ‘husk’ attacks all started, we were hundreds strong.” Galena motions her staff to the expansive guild hall. “The Asklepions are masters of healing, many of us hailing from the great schools of Edenswell. As you can see now, there is hardly more than a dozen of us left, and no amount of pandering or begging can get the council to aid us.” 

“They wouldn’t help a healing guild?” Grian frowns, pouting with his arms crossed.

“They wouldn’t help a legal guild?” Doc raises his eyebrows.

“You guys aren’t legal?!” Iris squawks, shushed by Micha. She’s left to grumble, stalking off into the dredges of the guild hall. 

“I first went to the council. Magistrate Dolios turned down my request, the bastard.” Her thin lips curl, pleased to say such a dirty word. “I went to the Council guilds, each and every one of them. The same answer. There was only one person who could help us, one person above even the Council.” 

“King Sor.” Stress whispers. 

“Smart girl. Most don’t remember a time when the crown had a say in the nation’s dealings. Not since Dolios rose to power.” Galena nods her head slowly. “I went to King Sor, begged for him to help.” 

“And he said no as well?” Etho takes an educated guess, seeing the disaster the Asklepions are in now. 

“He said yes. Such a kind young man, a good king. Only wants the best for his people. King Sor expressed concern, fear for us. He wanted to help.” 

“So why didn’t he?” TFC tilts his head. The king could have easily sent the entire arcane guard to put an end to all of this.

“When the young king expressed his concern about these husk attacks, the entire throne room was swarmed with the Arcane guard- not the royal guard. They ushered King Sor from the hall, and promptly arrested his advisor, Tristea.” Galena closes her eyes, breath shaking across wrinkles. “I have never seen such fear in a person’s eyes than what I saw in Sormena’s eyes, I swear I saw his hair turn a mix of blue, purple, and copper.” 

The hermits share furrowed, concerned expressions mirrored across all their faces. Mumbo and Stress glance at each other, mouthing the name of their king. Who they both remember when he was just a prince. They both attended his coronation, what felt like a whole different life ago. Sor was always concerned about others, but he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. This Sor Gelana speaks of is nothing like the one they knew. 

“So you’ve been fighting the husks all on your own? No arcane guards? Just…” Doc motions around at the destroyed guild hall. The last bastion to the dozen or so healing mages that remained. “Just a bunch of peaceful healers with no offensive magic?” 

“You’d be surprised how clever we healers can get when backed into a corner.” Iris growls. “We may not like it, but we’ve been able to hold our own, at least the best we can. My magic can set bones- but it can also break them.” She clenches her fist, causing Keralis to jump back. He swears he can hear the sound of a bone snapping, but no one cries out in pain. 

“But even then, we aren’t enough on our own.” Micha shakes his head. “That’s why we need you. Do you think you can help?” 

TFC looks around, at the dark hall. A hall that once was filled with life, with white robed healers mingling among patients and fellow guildmembers, sharing their meals in the warm glow of torches on the ancient wood tables that stretched down the hall. Now, the torches are out and the seats are empty, tables for food now makeshift hospital beds and barricades against the doors. This place is nothing like Gildara. If anything, it’s worse. There was no sign of struggle in Gildara, only a lack of life. But here, he can see the life fading, burnt and broken. And with each healer, each guildmember that dies, they take a bit with it. Filling the land with death. 

Whatever these husks are, whatever kind of dark magic they’re from, it steals life, and leaves only death. “We-” 

The door behind the hermits slams open, heavy oak bouncing off the aged wood walls. A lithe man is gasping for breath, blood coating his white alb and ash clinging to the hem. Half of the healers jump into action, drawing their circles and weapons. Every single hermit brandishes their own magic, waiting to see if the man is a husk or human. 

He lifts his head, revealing deep brown eyes and a feverish face. “They’re back. On the Western rise. More than I’ve ever seen.”

[alittlebitweird4]

Heart of a Monster (Fraxus Fantasy AU) - FT Reverse Bang 2020

I am so excited to show off my piece for the Fairy Tail Reverse Bang hosted by @ftguildevents ! This was my first time participating in something like this and I had a blast! My fanfiction is based on fanart created by the amazingly talented @fairiesherefairiesthere which you can check out here. I have been wanting to write something like this but didn’t know where to start but their piece and ideas gave me the inspiration that I needed. I am really proud of how it came out (although there are other things I would have added in if I had the time). Regardless, I hope y’all enjoy this. Thanks so much to my fabulous beta reader @onyxbaku (Twitter) who, among other things, helped me get Laxus to sound more Laxus-y.

Synopsis:

Freed is a peaceful spirit living on the outskirts of the kingdom of Magnolia. Frightened by this mystical being and misunderstanding his intentions, the humans gather a mob to vanquish the spirit. After a difficult battle, the humans successfully capture the spirit’s heart; however, instead of killing him, this act transforms the once kind spirit into a horrible monster. The king sends his strongest knight, Laxus to finish the job. But Laxus ends up growing closer to Freed than he expected.

Genres: fanfiction, AU, fantasy, BL

You can read the story on Wattpad, AO3, or under the cut. Enjoy and remember to check out all the other amazing entries for this event~

Prologue~

Once upon a time, a spirit was said to be lurking on the outskirts of the kingdom of Magnolia. The humans, frightened by this foreign presence, plead to their king for protection. When the king brushed aside their fears, they decided to take matters into their own hands. A group of villagers headed up the mountain with the intention of capturing the spirit’s heart as a trophy and as a warning to other paranormal entities. 

“Freed! They’re coming!” Evergreen shouted, pointing at the mob ascending the mountain - a pulsing mass of fire and anger approaching the castle.

“My babies and I can take care of them,” Bickslow announced, raising up the wooden dolls which contained the souls he controlled.

“Hold your attacks,” Freed replied calmly.

With a loud bang, the door came down and the humans flooded into the castle. Freed remained seated, Bickslow and Evergreen on either side of him ready to spring into action if needed.

“Monsters!” a man yelled, stepping forward from the group with a sword in his hand.

“Rude,” Evergreen muttered, earning a glare from Freed.

“This is your chance to get far away from here and never bother us again. Otherwise…” the man said, raising his sword, “we’ll take matters into our own hands.”

“Yeah! Tell them, Trevor!” The villagers cheered the man on.

“We have no quarrel with your people. We do not wish to fight you,” Freed replied.

“What? I do!” Bickslow retaliated, his babies chanting “Fight! Fight!” as they floated around him.

The crowd gasped. One young man, in horrified disbelief, said, “It’s true! A soul-stealing demon!”

“Bickslow!” Freed reprimanded. Bickslow replied with a nervous laugh, realizing that he had made the situation worse.

“A-and I hear the woman is a witch!” the young man continued.

“Witch?” Evergreen gasped. “Who’s going around calling me a witch?! I’m clearly a beautiful fairy!”

“That leader must be really terrifying to be able to give orders to a demon and a witch.”

“I’m not a witch!”

“Then let’s cut off the head of the snake!” The first man, Trevor, cheered. He charged into battle with the rest of the mob quickly following suit.

Freed sighed. “Please, we do not want to hurt you. We only wish to continue on with our lives here in peace.” He was drowned out by the commotion. The mob was on them in full force and Evergreen and Bickslow were beginning to fight back. “Evergreen, Bickslow, do not kill or maim anyone. Do only what you must to survive. Don’t let them turn us into monst-” his words were cut short by a dagger plunging into his chest. He looked down to see the same terrified young man from earlier.

“Take its heart as a prize, Michael!” someone called to the boy. The young human reached into Freed’s chest and pulled out his heart. He held up his prize hesitantly to the rest of the mob, who cheered violently. Bickslow and Evergreen screamed and tried to run to Freed through the mob.

Thunder rumbled. The castle shook. Instead of dying, Freed began to transform. He let out a guttural scream as he grew in size and sprouted giant horns. The hole where his heart had been glowed, the pulsing light mimicking the lost heartbeat.

“Freed!” Evergreen finally reached her friend; however, the greeting she received was not friendly by any means. The newly transformed Freed reached out and mercilessly plucked the fairy’s wings. As Evergreen screeched in pain, she was covered in glowing purple runes. When the glowing subsided, she was gone.

The mob looked around in terror. “Up there!” someone shouted, pointing at a window. Evergreen was trapped in the stained glass, her magic separated from her and secured in a second window.

“Freed… what did you do?” Bickslow’s horrified shock quickly turned into anger and he charged. Freed picked each of the flying dolls out of the air. “My babies!” Before Bickslow could transfer the souls or do anything else to fight back, he too was covered in those glowing purple runes. On the wall facing Evergreen’s windows, Bickslow and his babies occupied two more.

The humans fled the castle as quickly as they could, trampling over each other in panic. Some of them were captured by the monster. Those who made it out ran back home without a look back at the castle. Their mission was a success, but had an unexpected outcome. Instead of dying, the spirit was transformed into a terrible monster. 

The young man who had wrenched the spirit's heart from his chest went to the king for help. He described truthfully what had happened and what he had done, not sparing any gruesome details of the ensuing transformation and violence.

The king instructed his subject to bury the heart and to not spread his story. The monarch's worst fears were coming true and he wished to sweep everything under the rug as quickly as possible. So, to fix the mess, he decided to call in the local magical knight to quickly dispose of the demon.

1~

Laxus smiled smugly, quite satisfied with himself. He had just come from a meeting during which the king begged for his help. There was just something about having royalty bow down to him instead of the other way around. He supposed it was just another perk of being the resident magical knight. 

After preparing some supplies, he set out from the small town in the direction of the ominous castle whose occupant had been making the locals uneasy. The closer he got, the more he could feel the darkness emanating from the place. Heh. I'm gonna show this demon who's boss, Laxus thought with a smirk. The prospect of putting a horrible monster in its place got his blood pumping with excitement and confidence.

Standing in front of the castle door, he took a deep breath. Then, he stormed in with a flash of lightning. Subtlety was never his strong suit. However, as soon as he passed the threshold, he found himself caught in a trap of glowing purple runes. He writhed in pain, feeling as if his very life force was being drained by the runes. He soon found out that it wasn’t his life force, but rather his magic that was being ripped from him. His eyes followed a beam of bright light from his body to the stained glass windows lining the room. He watched in horror as the pattern on one of the windows became that of lighting bolts - Laxus’ magic. It appeared that several other magical abilities, and even a couple of people, had been trapped here as well. On one side, a woman looked down at him in anguish from her stained glass prison. Next to her was a pattern of wings, which Laxus guessed had once belonged to her. Opposite the woman was a man in a helmet. Laxus wondered if this man had been another knight sent in to do this job; however, he quickly dismissed the thought as nothing else about the man suggested knighthood. Beside the helmet-wearing man was a window panel containing some sort of wooden creatures.

What happened here? Laxus wondered in disgusted horror as the last of his power was drained from him. He could hear heavy footsteps descending the stairs and coming towards him. His head was spinning and he was in pain but he managed to make out the sight of a towering figure with large horns and a gaping hole in its chest. The demon smiled sickly at his new prey. The glistening fangs and cold eyes were the last things Laxus saw before everything went black.

2~

When Laxus finally came to, those horrible images he had witnessed came flooding back to him. Drowning in nightmares, he gasped for air. After a few desperate breaths, he finally calmed down enough to take in his surroundings. He noticed a square of runes on the ground around him. He reached out his arm and the runes came shooting up, forming a glowing cage and singeing his hand upon contact. “Shit, that actually hurt!” he complained.

A deep, slow chuckle sounded in response to his pain. Laxus looked up to see the same demon he had glimpsed earlier. The creature was sitting on a throne and wearing an expression like that of a cat playing with a mouse.

Laxus swallowed his fear and stood up, locking eyes with the creature before him. “Demon! I have been sent here by my king to vanquish you once and for all,” his voice resonated clearly and loudly through the castle.

“Is that so? And how is that going for you?” The creature retorted with a smirk. “You have no magic and can’t leave that square. You will be my plaything until you rot or until I grow bored of you.” His voice was gravelly and distorted. Whatever this creature was he did not look or sound human. Laxus recalled some of the old wives’ tales he’d heard about people who’d had their souls stolen and wondered if this was what they turned into.

Laxus’ eye twitched slightly with anger at being belittled by the demon. “I’ll find a way out,” he declared with cool arrogance, though he knew deep down that the odds were not in his favour. “And when I do, watch out. I’m going to make sure that you never terrorize any humans again.”

The demon chuckled at Laxus’ baseless optimism, a horrible sound that somehow resembled that of breaking glass. “Whatever you say… hero,” the last word was dripping with so much venom that Laxus shuddered involuntarily.

Growing bored of Laxus, the demon turned and left up the staircase. Long green hair and a cape adorned with stars flowed behind him. Laxus could imagine children wishing upon stars at night only for this demon to pluck those stars out of the sky and wear those shattered dreams.

“Hey! Come back here!” Laxus called into the empty space where the demon had been. He was alone, with only the terrified faces frozen in the stained glass to keep him company.

3~

The following morning, Laxus woke from a shallow and restless sleep on the cold hard floor of the castle. He was startled by the sight of the demon looming over him, studying him.

“Are you finally gonna let me out of here so we can settle this like men?” Laxus asked.

“You don’t see me as a man. Only as a monster,” the demon’s distorted voice made Laxus feel sick. He couldn’t argue with that statement. The demon retreated back to his throne from which he observed his prey.

“So… who are they?” Laxus asked, gesturing to the stained glass, trying to make conversation. “Those are real people in there, right?”

“I think… I think they were my... friends?” The word “friends” was the last thing that Laxus had expected to hear and sounded especially wrong coming out of the demon’s mouth.

“Some friend you are,” Laxus muttered.

“What was that?”

“If that’s how you treat your friends, I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me,” the knight said sarcastically, his cocky optimism returning.

The light emanating from the hole in the demon’s chest grew brighter and pulsed rapidly. “You know nothing,” he said angrily.

“So what did your ‘friends’ call you?” Laxus asked flippantly, ignoring the creature’s growing anger. “You must have a name, right?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Huh? Then what do people call you?”

“No one is calling me anything now,” he gestured to the stained glass. After a pause he added, “I think I had a name at some point. I can’t remember it now though and it is not important,” as he spoke, his tone grew angrier.

“It really bothers you doesn’t it?”

“Do not mock me, human.”

“Geez, don’t be so sensitive. I wasn’t-” The demon waved his hand and the runes glowed, causing Laxus to fall asleep mid sentence.

4~

Even after several days, Laxus still was not accustomed to waking up on the castle floor. “Why haven’t you just killed me by now?” Laxus asked, his voice coarse and weak from lack of food and water.

“I… don’t know.”

“All you ever say is ‘I don’t know.’ What the fuck do you know, then?” Ignoring the demon’s angry growls he continued, “Wait a minute… you can’t kill me. That’s the only reason that makes sense. You can’t kill me, can you?” The demon’s silence confirmed Laxus’ suspicions. “So why not, then? You have me trapped here, starving to death, because you’re too weak to kill me yourself? Is that it?”

“I told you I DON’T KNOW,” the demon roared, the light in his chest pulsing angrily.

“What, you got amnesia? Did you hit your oversized head?”

"I… didn't fight back,” he spoke slowly.

Laxus raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“When the humans came… I… didn’t fight back,” he sounded confused as if even he himself couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t fight back against attackers.

"Bull. Shit," Laxus taunted, angering the demon further. "I saw the guys who confronted you. Given the shape they were in you can't honestly tell me you were a gracious host."

The creature thought for a moment but it seemed as though he couldn’t fully remember or understand what had transpired on that day. “What does it matter?” He asked angrily. He paused and sighed before asking, “Did I kill any of them?”

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t know.”

Laxus sighed, then thought for a moment. The people who had come running back from the castle had been injured but not fatally, and those unlucky few who had been captured eventually found their way back as well. “No. I think everyone managed to survive.”

“Why didn’t I kill them?”

“Why the hell are you asking me?”

The demon slumped in his throne and took a deep breath. “I… don’t know who I am. When the humans came… they changed me.”

“What do you mean changed?”

“What happened exactly is foggy. I don’t even know when it happened, though I can guess based on your arrival and… the visions.”

“Visions?”

“Pieces of that day. They’ve been coming back to me in fragments. Those two,” he gestured to the figures in the stained glass, “they stood by me. I told them not to fight. I don’t know why I did that,” he spoke as though he was trying to recount someone else’s memories. “One of the humans - a young man - he charged at me. I felt a wave of anger and then… nothing. The next thing I remember is seeing humans fleeing back towards the kingdom.”

“So you conveniently don’t remember any of the things that you did. The things that put dozens of people in the hospital.Your story is that humans stormed into your castle and attacked you and your ‘friends’ unprovoked. One young guy came at you, a towering demon, and busted you up so bad you blacked out. And then they all decided to run away?”

“I know how it sounds but that is the truth. I don’t care if you don’t believe me. Your opinion does not matter.”

“Well if you really believed that you wouldn’t be keeping me around for these meaningless conversations,” Laxus muttered.

After a pause, the demon added, “I don’t think I was always… like this. That boy… he took something from me.”

“Oh so the big bad humans stole from you too?”

The demon, lost in thought and grappling with his hazy memories, ignored Laxus’ snide remark. He hesitantly brought a hand up to the hole in his chest. “There was something here,” he said in a faraway voice.

“Your heart?” Laxus asked, puzzled.

“Heart?”

“Ya know the organ in a person’s chest that pumps blood through their body? The thing people associate with kindness and… love.”

“Love? What is that?”

“You don’t know what love is?”

The demon shook his head.

“Well I guess it’s like… a feeling,” Laxus blushed. He wasn’t easily flustered but then again he had never before found himself having to explain love to a demon. “Like you would do anything for someone because… they mean the world to you and make you feel… whole.”

The demon touched the hole where his heart had presumably once been.

5~

“Hey! Restore my magic,” Laxus demanded boldly.

The demon chuckled. “Why do you suppose I do that?”

“If you don’t, then I’ll have a harder time marching into that town and getting your heart back,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“You would do that?”

“Of course. They had no right to take it from you in the first place.”

“But if I give you back your power, then there’s nothing to guarantee that you will return. What is stopping you from leaving here and never coming back? Or coming back with an army to kill me?” Freed asked, skeptically.

“I’m a man of my word.”

“You gave your word to your king that you would kill me.”

“No, I gave him my word that I would take care of the problem. I get your heart back and you stop being all monster-y, right?”

“I think so.”

“Eh, good enough,” Laxus shrugged, smiling slightly. Noticing that the demon still had reservations he added, “Trust me.”

The demon sighed. Suddenly, Laxus’ skin crawled with purple runes.

“What the hell?” Laxus exclaimed. Though he shortly began feeling reinvigorated. He saw the lightning pattern disappearing from the stained glass and felt the familiar tingle of electricity sparking in his veins.

“Your magic has been returned to you,” the demon said, eyeing Laxus warily.

“Oh yeah I feel stronger now! Time to go get that heart,” Laxus declared. “I wish I knew what to call you.”

“I think my name was… Freed.”

“Okay, then. See you soon, Freed.”

“See you soon…”

“Laxus. Laxus Dreyar.”

6~

“I demand an audience with the king!” Laxus easily pushed through the palace guards.

“Oh, Laxus! You’re back! Does that mean the mission was a success? Is that horrid monster finally dead?” The king asked hopefully.

“He’s only a monster because you people made him one!”

“Preposterous! I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Yeah right,” Laxus scoffed. “That’s the reason you just sent me, right? You wanted it done quickly and quietly.”

“I don’t like your tone, Laxus. You should show respect to your king.”

“Ha! Then you should be a king worthy of respect.”

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“I’ll let myself out. If you’re not gonna give me answers then you’re just in my way.”

Laxus stormed out of the castle, fuming. His quest wasn’t going as smoothly as expected. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure.

“Michael.”

The boy jumped and attempted to avoid Laxus’ gaze.

“Michael… you were there, right? At the demon castle? Tell me what happened that day.” Remembering the anguished look on Freed’s face, he grew more desperate. “Please,”  he added sincerely.

Michael was shocked at the desperation in Laxus’ voice. “Well…” he began, “one of the men from the village said he was gathering a mob to take care of a spirit living on the outskirts of the kingdom. Spirits make a lot of people anxious and the king wasn’t doing anything about it. So a group of us went to the old castle where the spirit has been seen. I honestly didn’t actually expect to see anyone… but the spirit was there with his two friends. The spirit didn’t want to fight. I… I think I messed up, Laxus.”

“What did you do, Michael?”

“I took the spirit’s heart,” his voice was trembling and barely audible. He swallowed hard then continued with his story. “I made everything worse. He didn’t die. He… changed. He got bigger and scarier and… so much angrier. He even attacked his own friends.” Tears started to form in the boy’s eyes.

Hearing Freed’s story confirmed renewed Laxus’ motivation. “Where is his heart?”

“The king told me to bury it. I’m not even supposed to be telling anyone this story. Wait… you’re not-”

“Working for the king? I’m supposed to be. But I went to the castle and saw what became of that spirit. He’s in pain, Michael. I won’t turn you in to the king. I just want to fix this mess. So… where did you bury the heart?”

“I didn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to just cover up the mess I made and pretend it never happened.” Michael disappeared into his home and came back out shortly clutching a wooden box. He looked around nervously, checking for anyone who might be watching, before handing the box to Laxus.

“Thank you, Michael.”

Michael nodded. As Laxus was turning to leave, the younger man added, “Please… tell him I’m sorry.”

“Will do.”

7~

The king must have expected Laxus would retrieve Freed’s heart. The royal army surrounded the kingdom’s border, blocking Laxus’ path to Freed.

“How could you side with a monster, Laxus?” One of the knights implored.

“How could you?” Laxus retorted. “Your king is a liar. The only monster out there was created by the people of this kingdom. Get out of my way so I can fix this mess.”

“Stand down, Laxus,” the head knight warned, brandishing his sword. It made Laxus laugh.

“You really think you can stop me? I can crush you all like mere ants under my boot.”

On their leader’s command, the army charged at Laxus. Laxus retaliated with lightning. A sword caught him in the arm, but it didn’t slow him down. On the contrary, it angered him and drove him to fight harder. “This is for Freed,” he said, knocking down the knights in his way with a bolt of lightning.

Laxus broke through the barricade and ran on autopilot to the castle, clutching the wooden box tightly to his chest.

8~

Laxus crashed through the door, panting after having run all the way up the mountain.

“You came back,” Freed marveled.

“Of course… I did,” Laxus said, still trying to catch his breath. He held up the box triumphantly. However, the smug look on his face quickly disappeared. “Shit. Someone’s coming. They must have followed me.”

“Who followed you?”

Freed’s question was answered by the royal army bursting through the door of the castle.

“They did,” Laxus answered. He tucked the box away in his coat and prepared to fight.

Seeing that Laxus was outnumbered, Freed made a decision. The stained glass glowed brightly and two people came out of it. The two looked at Freed, then at the army. Though disoriented, they did not hesitate to back up Laxus in defending their old friend.

“Laxus,” one of the knights began, “if you’re going to defend monsters then you will be vanquished like one!”

“Oh we are not the monsters here!” The woman from the stained glass argued.

Laxus took her words to heart. She was right. He took the box out of his coat and called to Freed, “Heads up!”

The box hurtled towards him and he caught it. He opened it hesitantly and his heart, as if pulled by an imaginary force, flew to his chest where it belonged. With a flash of light, Freed changed back into his original form.

Though smaller and admittedly less intimidating, he walked confidently up to the fight. “I am not a monster, and so I will give you one more chance to back down from this ridiculous fight,” he said calmly to the army. The two figures from the stained glass looked at each other and nodded before falling into line behind him. Freed held out his hand to Laxus. Laxus hesitated before grasping it and joining his new friends. “Now,” Freed began, addressing the troops, “would you really like to charge against four powerful magical beings who just want to continue living their lives unbothered, or can we handle this like adults?”

One by one, the soldiers began to lower their swords and mutter apologies for disturbing the spirit and his friends. “Good choice,” Freed replied. “Now go back to your kingdom. Tell your people that we mean them no harm. And tell your king that we will not be so forgiving next time something like this happens.”

The soldiers filed out quickly with frantic gasps of “yes, sir!”

Once they had all gone, Freed sighed and turned to his friends. “I’m so sorry!”

9~

“I’m so sorry for the way I treated all three of you. Though I’ll admit I do not fully remember all of it. Without my heart… I just felt so… empty. And I lashed out. I apologize deeply.”

“It’s okay, Freed, we know that wasn’t really you,” the woman reassured him, patting his arm.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it!” The helmeted man chimed in. Wooden dolls floated behind him repeating his words.

“Thank you, Evergreen. Thank you, Bickslow.” Freed looked pleadingly up at Laxus. Now that Freed was back to his normal appearance, Laxus was the taller of the two.

“Yeah. It wasn’t your fault,” Laxus replied gruffly, fighting back a blush.

“Thank you, Laxus,” Freed replied, relieved. “Now. What will you do? I’m afraid you probably won’t be welcomed back into your kingdom.”

“Yeah I guess not. I don’t think I’d want to go back anyway after what they did.”

“Well… there are plenty of rooms here,” Freed stated. “You’re welcome to stay if you want.”

“Really?”

“After all the trouble I caused, the least I can offer you is shelter and protection. I promise you can actually have a proper room this time, not just a rune cage in the foyer.”

“Heh, well that sounds like a pretty good deal, then.”

Freed reached out his hand and Laxus shook it, sealing the deal.

10~

Laxus took some time to explore the castle before finally venturing into his own room.

“Laxus?” Freed stepped in from the hallway and approached the man hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to say thank you for sticking up for me like that and for getting my heart back. I know you sacrificed a lot even though I did nothing to deserve your kindness.”

Laxus was shocked by Freed’s honesty and sincerity. “It was nothing,” he declared with a shrug. “Besides, you’re a lot nicer with your heart than without so it is a win-win for everyone, right?”

“Heh I guess so,” Freed blushed. “Still, it means a lot to me. I feel like my words are not enough to express my gratitude.” He pondered this for a moment and then moved closer to Laxus. He quickly placed a kiss on the other man’s lips.

Laxus was stunned, but only for a moment. He quickly recovered from the shock and wrapped an arm around Freed’s slender waist, pulling him closer to kiss him deeply. They stood there, entwined in each other's arms, in a well-deserved escape from the chaos they had experienced that week.

[fae-sodapop]

I'm so very new to Tumblr & I'm very embarrassed to post my art here. My drawing tablet has been broken for a months now, all my art will be traditional until I can fix it.

Random drawings from my 2 AUs.

- Underswap! MARIGOLD (1-2)

- Peace RUNE/ Peace Tale (3-6)

KFC will always use They/Them, please don't misgender them.

Please spare me Tumblr.

[whumpcentral]

Legolas Whump Rec List

Tada!! After months of nearly no activity I am here with the rec list that nobody asked for! 

If anyone is still into Lord of the Rings stuff and enjoys Legolas whump then I’m your gal! I learned how to use the internet at age 12 for the express purpose of reading Legolas whump fanfic and I have never turned back. Under the cut you’ll find a mix of old and new fics that I think are worth a read and review, both for the whump and because they’re just plain good

Also note: all these fics are Gen, and contain violence only to the approximate level that is shown in the LOTR books and movies unless otherwise noted

Less than 5k

I Am Hunter -The Yuggster

Characters: OC, Legolas, Aragorn

Words: 4,353

Summary: “I am Draug. I am Hunter. And tonight I repay my debt.” 

Review:   A lovely outsider-POV vignette, and one of my very favorite fics. I used to have a printed copy of it in case I wanted to read it at a time I couldn’t access the internet. Outsider POV is my favorite sub-genre of whump, and this piece allows you to get to know the narrator, and see the Legolas’ struggle through their eyes

Breaking of the Dam - ScribeofArda

Characters: Fellowship post-TTT, Legolas and Aragorn-centric

Words: 3,909

Summary: “A what-if oneshot: In the scene in RotK where Pippin held the palantir, what if Legolas had grabbed it out of his hands instead of Aragorn? Hurt/comfort and some light angst, as well as a good heaping of Aragorn and Legolas friendship and bromance. I just can't get enough of it.”

Review: The summary pretty much says it all. The h/c in this fic is amazing, and ScribeofArda is one of my all-time favorite LOTR fic authors

Concerning Barrels, Potatoes, and an Unusual Setting for a Heart to Heart - Sarah-K1

Characters: Aragorn, Legolas

Words: 2,871

Summary: “Legolas finds trouble, and Aragorn finds Legolas.”

Review: Definitely more comfort and friendship than hurt. This fluffy little fic has stuck in my memory for years, and I just had to rec it

Simple Comforts - Muse10

Characters: Bilbo, Legolas, Gandalf

Words: 2,279

Summary: “77 years before the War of the Ring, an unlikely friendship is formed between an injured elf and a hobbit after the Battle of Five Armies.”

Review: Another feel-good, comfort-heavy fic

Not Only by Blood Are Brothers Made -  sheraiah

Characters: Legolas, Gimli, Original Characters

Words: 4,538

Summary:  “As he watches over an injured Legolas, Gimli reflects on his friendship with the elf.”

Review: A lovely little hurty-comforty study of the relationship between Legolas and Gimli. Many Legolas whump fics have Aragorn as the caretaker which is all fine and good, but I’m always so excited to find a good one with Gimli in the caretaker role. This fic lets the soft side of a usually gruff character shine a little

5k-10k

By Example - Periphery

Characters: Legolas, Aragorn, Original Characters

Words: 5,936

Summary: “An ordinary girl gets a glimpse into an extraordinary friendship. Three guesses whose.”

Review: Another great fic that I’ve come back to read again and again and again

Lost & Found - iiiionly

Characters: Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Gandalf

Words: 7,622

Summary: “Legolas has no idea he's lost, though neither Aragorn, nor Gimli, can find him. Just needed to indulge in a little superfluous elf whumping of my own.”

Review: I can never get enough of whumpy Helm’s Deep AUs and this one is my favorite

-and it was done - neoinean

Characters: Aragorn, Legolas

Words:  8,429

Summary: “Detailing a simple rescue mission that, for once, goes off without a hitch.”

Warnings: The violence is quite graphic and personal in this one, I’m not sure if it’s worse than LOTR but the way it’s written feels more realistic and less like fantasy violence to me

Review: The whump is very detailed (hence the warning) which I like. I also really like the writing style of the fic, it’s unique and has a nice rhythm. The whole story has a gritty, realistic tone which I also appreciate

More than 10k

Trial By Separation -  Veilfire Runes

Characters: Legolas, Frodo

Words: 20,173

Summary: “ Despite the bitter snowstorms of Caradhras, the Fellowship decides to continue their attempt on the perilous mountain path. But when the weather turns foul again, Frodo and Legolas are separated from the Company. The two must quickly learn to work together in order to survive the perils of the mountain and rejoin the Fellowship, or else risk the Quest failing altogether.”

Review: A slightly whumpier AU of the Caradhras pass. Includes lots of Legolas and Frodo bonding and I really enjoyed the characterization of both of them in this fic

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony - ScribeofArda

Characters: Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Aragorn, Glorfindel

Words: 29,894

Summary: “ 'The shadows seemed to pause together for a few moments. Any words were lost in the wind and the rain, if there were words in the first place anyway. In the next moment the shadows disappeared, and the wind and rain took their places once more.' AU, if Legolas was with Aragorn at the Prancing Pony in Bree.”

Review: Whump-wise, there’s some good hurting and comforting. On the non-whump side of things, I appreciate the way this fic emphasizes Legolas’ experience as a soldier, and how that gives him a different perspective than his companions

Walking Wounded - Mirrordance

Characters: Legolas, Aragorn, Thranduil, Gimli, Boromir, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo

Words: 24,552

Summary:  “ Danger does not stop for grief or injury. For Legolas, there is no rest, respite, or relief on the seemingly endless road between Moria and Lothlorien. He, with the Fellowship he has sworn to serve, has no choice but to move forward, hurting and heartbroken.”

Review: An excellent slight AU character study of an injured Legolas. It’s a long fic and whumpy throughout the whole thing. If you’re excited about the character study aspect, I recommend reading the afterword for even more insight. Mirrordance is another one of my favorite LOTR fic authors

The World is Changed - Mirrordance

Characters: Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf, and many others

Words: 41,053

Summary:  “ Rebuilding a war-ravaged world begins immediately after victory at the Black Gates. Heroes and soldiers become Kings, Princes and administrators as they build families, societies and legacies in a changed, more peaceful world. A collection of Post-ROTK one-shots starting with "Triage" where, before all the work begins, Legolas first has to look after himself and find his friends.”

Review: This is one of the newest fics I have recced, and it’s recently been completed! I haven’t actually finished reading this one yet, but so far it’s excellent. It’s packed with whump and angst, and provides some great insight into the characters and their relationships after the Battle at the Black Gates

More than 100k

The River - Indigo Bunting

Characters: Fellowship 9

Words: 143,512

Summary: “The Fellowship must cross a river before it can enter the land of Hollin. When disaster strikes, Sam and Legolas find themselves trapped between the river, a party of malicious strangers, and each other. A story about friendship and sacrifice.”

Review: An extremely well-written and whumpy adventure novel with plenty of early-fellowship bonding. A lot of LOTR fics contain the same cliches, and most of the time I don’t take issue with that, but this is a break from some of the overused LOTR fanon. One of the qualms I have with many LOTR fics is that they forget how strong elves are compared to humans, and the feats they can achieve. This fic does not pass over this at all. Never fear, despite his fortitude Legolas is still whumped! I also appreciate how every character is really a character in this fic. Many times I find that the characters who are the focus of a fic are the only people in the story with any depth, and the other characters are written more like props in the background. Even with a group of so many characters, Indigo Bunting does them justice. A thrilling read, I cannot recommend it enough.

The Mellon Chronicles - Cassia and Siobhan

Characters: Legolas, Aragorn, Thranduil, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, and more

Words: 1,364,199

Summary: The Chronicles are a series of fics, starting with stories of Legolas’ and Aragorn’s childhoods, and then eventually how the two meet and become friends and the misadventures they have together.

Warnings: 

A couple of the stories contain non-con elements, I’m not sure how severe as I skipped those parts, but there are warnings within the AO3 system on those specific fics.

It may go without saying on a whump blog, but there is particularly large amount of graphic violence and torture in these fics which will also be listed on the individual fics in the AO3 system

Some of them also deal with abuse of a minor and injury to a minor (if you’ve followed me for I while you might know I don’t normally read or rec any whump involving children but since I’m reccing the whole series, I’ll just include this as a warning) 

If these things are not ok for you, I still recommend the series as there are a lot of fluffy fics where none of these warnings apply!

Review: This one goes almost without saying as most LOTR fic readers of the 00s era will have read them. The series in it’s entirety is truly an epic. It’s packed with angst, hurt/comfort, and bromance goodness. These were some of the first whumpy fics I read when I was a kid, and I’ve included them partly for the nostalgia value. They aren’t just about the whump, but they have enough physical and emotional pain for me to include on this list with confidence. They definitely read like fanfiction written in that earlier time, with all the now-overdone tropes you would expect. But the love, care and passion for the characters and universe truly stand up to time, and these tales are absolutely still worth a read. Since the original site is no longer functional, the link above leads to a reposting of the chronicles, with individual descriptions for each fic.

[afterthelastreset]

Krisei Zodiac Event Pisces Week

Pisces Zodiac Sign Info Gotten From:

https://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/zodiac-signs/pisces/

“Pisces are very friendly, so they often find themselves in a company of very different people. Pisces are selfless, they are always willing to help others, without hoping to get anything back.

Pisces is a Water sign and as such this zodiac sign is characterized by empathy and expressed emotional capacity.”

💧Pisces Week

(This the entire element Is water Im going to base the element off that with the au Ocean rune or just water scenes, since in the rules were aloud to do stuff based off the element of the Zodiac sign.)

Day 1:  

The beach. A wonderful place to go on a hot day for anyone with plenty to do and see and so much activities for anyone even if you weren't a swimming person. Building sandcastles. Getting a tan. Going swimming. Just relaxing with a good book or painting the scenery. Volleyball. Collecting seashells. Snorkling or diving and seeing all the cool fish and underwater life. There was also the occasional fisherman and someone doing watersports like surfing, water skying, jet boats, a whole lot of fun on the beautiful waves and deep blue sea- Or if you were the pair of friends in question, you'd be sitting at a picnic table under the shade and snacking on the food you got. Milkshakes ain't got NOTHIN' on the heat here now, except maybe the chocolate ones they served. Chocolate milkshakes was always the best in his opinion as he happily ate and watched all the other people running around and doing whatever they wanted to do on this smoldering hot day, it was too hot for him though sadly. Fur and all but the scenery was really pretty, even more so now that it was sunny and not cloudy like it had been recently. So of course he'd drag his friend out of the house and into the glorious great outdoors!!......Buuut they were a little busy looking at a little piece of drift wood they had found while walking In the hot sun before being dragged to the giant umbrellaed picnic tables of the beach resort. They'd been doing that for quite a while actually.

"Kris?" The human hummed not looking up at the other one across from them. "What are you doing there?"

Instead of looking up from their lap they just shrugged. "Carving somthin'."

he frowned. he knew Kris wasn't a big fan of being in public, but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind for the two of them to do when he dragged the brown haired human out of the house. SO hhe smiled politely and asked. "Really? Whatcha carving now?"

"You'll see. Almost done," they mumbled still not looking up from their position and Ralsei just groaned and sat down into his seat.

he sighed and went back to his coco milkshake then. Watching as people still walked by and once and a while looked up just to see Kris still carving something with their carving knife and keeping it out of sight of the other until they suddenly brought it up and finally held it out to him. And in their hands was a small little carved out fish. he smiled and took the small gift from them and looked at the neatly carved little goldfish he was just handed. If it wasn't obviously made of wood then she would've sworn it was a real goldfish. They always had a nack for this thing and found Kris giving a small smile back, Ralsei couldn't help but stand up to go hug his friend.

"This is beautiful Kris! Thank you!"

"Your welcome."

Day 2:

*This takes place in the Au OceanFellrune since I wanted to try exploring this au more*

Well this certainly was a pickle wasn't it. Imagine just going for a swim with your best friend and enjoying a nice day at the beach to just relax, simple right? Yeah- Nope. A storm had blown in unexpectedly and swept through the sea just a few hours after they arrived. All he wanted was to just relax around on his floaty, not be swept out to the middle of the gigantic lake with no way back..Well, he could swim but those waves didn't look so promising against his mediocre swimming skills, at least if he stayed on the floaty he could stay afloat and not worry about sinking.

But now he had another problem...The sky was starting to get darker by the minute and he wasn't too sure which direction was the way back to shore anymore. It was kinda hard to tell with the waves being so tall and him getting tossed back and forth like a ragdoll on a beach ball wasn't the best feeling in the world, and he was starting to feel like puking. Man....he was starting to get tired of this-

"HELP!! ANYONE?!" Don't ask why he thought it was a good idea to start shouting for a friend who couldn't help him, might've been just a reflex or a hope but it would soon lead to more bad than good...Or would it? "HELP?! HEL-"

A wave chose that exact moment to rear it's ugly head and crash down over the poor human's body, the wind was knocked outta him like a rock slammed into her. Immediately air bubbles surrounded his form as he unceremoniously screamed from the hurtful impact, darkness surrounded his form as the stormy waves above continued to rattle about like some sort of punisher. It was surprisingly....calm in the dark black surrounding him. Almost like the night. Completely silent. A peaceful way to go if she didn't want to die.

It was when he turned and found two pink eyes and a mouth full of teeth staring at him did he scream again.

You know....It's really troubling trying to find some peace somewhere where there's not a lot available just swimming around, so imagine his luck when he stumbled across a seemingly dumb person just floating about in the middle of his territory. Kinda dumb being all the way out here in the middle of the dam storm, but who was he to judge. A human's a human. A quick wave was able to knock whoever the person was over and into the water where he waited. He grumbled just thinking about it... But that thought soon vanished after seeing her face.

UGH- He hated puny fighters. This one wasn't worth the trouble...Not enough courage on her. He also didn't appreciate the bubbles shoved in his face when she screamed again and started kicking up towards the surface. His face scrunched up in annoyance. Did everyone always have to be so rude when they see a gigantic aquatic goat monster looking at them? Oh well. At least he got to do the scaring part he always liked.

Ounce he made it back up through the swaying surface, coughing and spitting out out hislungs, a dark shadow loomed out from under him. In a split second the shadow had bust through the waves with ease. Water splashed over him, almost sending him down under the water again.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU FOOOOOL!!!" His raspy voice boomed over the noise of the waves and wind. "Those who enter my territory are doomed to DIE! Wha- H-HEY!" He flinched back when he yelped and instinctively grabbed onto him to keep from being drowned down by a wave. "HEY! Do you have a death wish! Those who ever as much as touch me are bound to- HEY! STOP DROWNING WHEN IM TRYING TO THREATEN YOU!!"

With a blub sound another wave sent him under. He groaned. Did his enemies ALWAYS have to make things more difficult like this? He stuck his hand back under the waves and a moment later he pulled the shivering, sputtering human back out of the bobbing water. he coughed and spat out some of the salt water, heaving and looking up at him.

".....*sigh* You know what? Screw this. My voice isn't worth some drowned human."

He began turning in the opposite direction and making swimming through the waves look like a breeze. he gave him a confused. "Where-....W-Where are we g-g-going?"

"Im dumping you on the shore. You're not worth the trouble of straining my voice."

Day 3:

IT WAS HOT!!

A lot hotter than what he was really used to, and to be perfectly honest, he didn't enjoy having the burning feeling in his lungs, or the amount of ssweat running down his body, or the heat baring down on himself. What was wrong with enjoying a nice inside inside and relaxing? Maybe cuddled up together in a nice air conditioned room, watching the live action of Romeo and Juliet? That was a beautiful tale is he did say so himself. But Noooo- he just had to go running today of all days on the beach. When the sun was fricking making it almost 80 DEGREES!! He stopped and heaved his lungs out, hands on his knees and gasping for breath like a fish out of water. Soft foosteps  rang out behind him and soon someone stopped next to him. It took a few moments but he eventually looked up into the smiling face of human.

"W-What art you..*wheeze* smiling at?!"

He laughed. "Ralsei, when was the last time you even took a relaxing jog?"

"KRIS?! Running on the beach with fur is too much. C-can’t we just go swimming instead?)

He laughed again and very easily stood on one foot and stretched the other out into a ballet pose. "Ralsei, exercise never hurt anyone. I know I enjoy it.~''

''THAT'S BECAUSE YOU’RE BUILT FOR THIS!! W-With NO fur!! I-I feel horrible! Why did I bake and eat so many cakes!?”

"Oh don't be so cranky." He rolled his eye not paying him any attention. "We still have half a mile before we can start back."

He heard his lover groan behind him and he chuckled again, well the sooner they finished the sooner they could go back. It was just then he heard wheezing sounds behind him and he turned around....and blinked. His boyfriend was no where to be seen. Until he looked down that is and saw a puddle of exhausted ghost monster on the sand.

"RALSEI!!"

Day 4:

*merman Kris braces legs and goes on land to ask Ralsei a question*

The screams of children swarm about the place as he stood outside the building. He never did like the thought of screaming little munchkins running around him, or their dirty little hands grabbing onto him, or sneezing on him-; He shuddered just thinking about the germs. Funny coming from someone who's eaten raw fish, but he was free to not like what he wanted. But, he was here for a different reason. Not for the kids-

"ACK-"

One of the small buggers crashed into his legs while running around. The little girl shook her head before squealing in delight and getting up to run after another child. Playing tag he presumed. 

"Kris?"

He jumped and whirled around into the curious face of the very person he wanted to see...And who he sometimes got mad with. No he didn't like it when he held his hand. Or when he gently kissed him. Or when he smiled and hugged him- He hissed at himself which made him frown and raise a brow.

"Um. Are you ok?"

"NO!...Yes! Im fine. Im fine!"

His crooked smile didn't seem to faze him more and only resulted in more confusion. This wasn't going as he planned was it? Nope! He could see it in his eyes as he looked him up and down. It was pretty rare to see Kris on dry land, with legs, he seemed to despise legs and preferred to sticking to his underwater domain. ….So why was he here in the first place?

"Ok....Um. What're you doing here? I thought you hated land."

"I do!....I- Uh-" His face flushed a light pink, and he mentally cursed himself for stuttering. "I-....C-Came to see you."

"Really?" He nodded and he became a litle redder. Of course, he giggled at the cute sight as soon as it happened and he groaned. Did he always have to respond with his cute little giggles or when- HOLY CRAP! he grabbed his hand! His eyes shined like little gems up at him, and he actually gulped. "That's so nice of you. Did you want something?"

This was it. This was the moment he came for. So of course he opened his mouth-....And a high pitched squeak came out. They froze. A look of abosolute horror coming over his face. he however went wide eyes and gasped. ….Oh no. Not this. He didn't like where this was going- he squealed in glees and immediately grabbed his face.

"THAT WAS SO CUTE!! YOU SOUND JUST LIKE A BABY!!"

His face blew up a bright red and he sputtered. "I-IM NOT A CHILD!!" he cooed and booped his nose. "S-Stop! I didn't come t-t-to be treated like a child!"

he hummed. "Then what did you come here for?"

"I want a date Ralsei! I h-hate it when...you...….." His eyes widened. " D*MMIT!! Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" he faked innocently batted his eyelashes and giggled once he drowned in the red sea of blush. He was always so easy to fluster like this. So, it was perfectly natural to place a small kiss on his cheek. The result was weird drowning fish noises and him reaching up to try and fail to limply pull his face away from him. he giggled that cursed cute smile. "I'm really honored you came all this way to see me and I'd love to go out with you."

His mouth dropped. "R-Really?!"

he nodded. "But I have to finish work first. Is that ok?";

He nodded silently and he patted his cheek before letting go. A couple children came up to him and wisked him away into a game he didn't understand and he didn't move. Just stand there red faced and silently watching after him...…..He gulped heavily and slowly leaned back up into standing position.

He needed to get better control of his expressions.

Day 5:

*more merman Kris*

What had made him come to this? What lunatic controlling fate made the grand decision of making him fall for such a small weak little thing like him? He would probably never know, but the way he was giggling and holding his very red face right now in his soft little hands. He could always turn around, swim away, and never look back-....but he mustve put some kind of spell on him as he continued to gush at him.;

"I could eat you right know." He gave a small growl, showing on his fangs to give his point. "Know one would know and you always risk yourself by coming you know.''

he smiled. "You won't do that."

His brow raised. "How can you be so sure?"

he smiled wider. "Because your face tells a lot more than you think."

D*M IT ALL TO NEXT HELL!! He cursed himself for being like this, for being so weak and vulnerable around someone who wasn't even a threat to him. What would happen if some danger did come along?! NO! He didn't like the way he looked at him with those big beautiful eyes, or the way he was so patient with his stupid arse, or the way he was always squishing his cheeks in his soft paws and calling him cute- NOPE! NOT AT ALL!! And he definitely didn't spend last night laying awake thinking about how cute and soft he was! Nope! And he definitely didn't hit his head trying to catch him a fish she loved just to see him smile at him-

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

…...Ok. Maybe- But that's a very small maybe.

Day 6:

*even more merman Kris* 

"S-Stop it."

"Why? You're acting like a child."

"Because I don't like physical contact. And I'd like to see you prove me wrong.'' He made a move to pry his hands from his face but that idea was scraped when he felt something small on his face.

OH SWEET MOTHER OF HECK-!! WAS THIS GOATvSERIOUSLY-?! he gave a small kiss on his cheek which he froze at, immediately his face broke out into a watermelon red. His hands were shoved in front of his face as to hide his embarrassment.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH- STOP THAT!!"

She just giggled and gave him another small kiss. More muffled screams followed, before the flustered screaming merman turned around and jumped from the doc red faced still holding his face as Ralsei giggled and waved good bye.

“Bye, Kris. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Day 7:

*ralsei helping Kris with his fear of water*

He shouldn't. He couldn't......HE CAN'T!!

"I can't do this."

The human whimpered out as his red eyes gazed over the body of water that was in front of him. Already he could feel his body sweat and legs wobbling as he stared at it. A small black hand grabbed his making him flinch and look at the smaller demon next to him.

Ralsei blinked his pink eyes at him and smiled. "Oh, come on. It'll be ok." To prove his point, he stepped into the kiddy pool still holding his hand. "See? It's safe and sound."

He shook his head. "I-I don't think t-t-this is a good idea, Ralsei." He gulped down the lump in his throat. "I-I think it would be m-much better if I-I watched..through a window."

Ralsei still didn’t back down as he pulled Kris forwards more and yanked him a bit forwards enough for the human to yelp and freeze when the water came up to his ankles and shuddered at the cool feeling around his feet but managed to smile for Ralsei sake. Making the goat monster smile back. 

“See? I told you it’d be alright”

@krisei-world

[honeymoonjin]

Chapter Fourteen

Summary: When you hear that your recently deceased grandmother left you her property in her will, at first you think that a dinky old cottage in the middle of nowhere isn’t going to mean much for you. But after spending a night there, you discover something far more valuable than the house itself: a hidden door that leads to another time, the same place but over 200 years in the past. In the late 18th Century, there is a king who will die before his 21st birthday unless you can save him. Will you help him, even if it means leaving your own life behind?

Genre: time travel, royalty AU, mystery. || Word count: 1.7k

A/N: all is revealed. tell me if you guessed the twists ;)))

---

“You.” Your voice is wobbly from crying, but the sharp edge of hate is undeniable. You run the back of your hand across your face to wipe away the tears and snot and glare at the man tied to the rickety wooden chair. He looks at you blankly. “You did this to me. This is your fault.”

You stare incredulously as Yoongi shifts slightly, putting himself between you and the healer. He holds his hands out to you in a peace-keeping gesture. “Y/n, calm down. You’re not in your right mind.”

“Not in my-? Of course I’m not in my right mind, Yoongi!” You push yourself up off the floor and move around so Jin is back in your line of sight. “Why did you do it? All of this. Why?”

Jin huffs, hums around the gag, and shrugs his shoulders.

You sniff away the last of your tears and glare at Yoongi. “Take it off.”

“Y/n…”

You narrow your eyes. In the back of your mind you know it’s not helpful to act this way, but the burning pit of rage inside you is the only thing keeping you from falling apart completely. “This man has taken everything from me, Yoongi. Indirectly or not. Let me speak to him.”

After Yoongi does as commanded, albeit with a heavy sigh, Jin coughs and works his jaw, glancing up at you with morose eyes. “Y/n, you must understand I had nothing to do with your situation. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I can assure you; this isn’t all my fault.”

You shake your head firmly. “The jig is up, Jin. You saw me come from that doorway. You’re a traveler, like me. Not from this time. I already know about your grand plan to steal the throne for yourself. Create a portal to the past like some kind of supervillain.”

He frowns in confusion. “What do you-? I didn’t create the portal. I was sent here by the witch. This is all her doing.”

You roll your eyes. “Oh, so now there’s a-”

“Y/n,” Yoongi cuts off harshly, turning around to face Jin, grabbing the front of his tunic to bring his face closer. “The witch. What did she look like? What did she tell you to do?”

Jin’s hand jerks against the ropes like he was about to raise it, then goes lax and sighs. “My girlfriend,” he admits with a sigh. “That witch. She was obsessed with royalty; said her and I could rule the province together if it wasn’t for the line going to someone else. That portal was created by her. I was meant to go back, kill the King, and return to a better timeline in our present day.” His eyes dart to you. “Did she send you too? She’s fucking crazy, don’t listen to anything she’s told you.”

You knit your brows. “No, I’m not… from your time, I… When you left, she didn’t,” you swallow, feeling bile rise in your throat. “She didn’t keep this house, did she?”

He shrugs as much as he can within his restraints. “Of course, she did. She told me she had to protect the portal.” He shudders. “Has she had the baby yet?”

“Oh God,” Yoongi murmurs low in his throat, “you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Your hand is clapped over your mouth and you sink to the floor, staring in bewilderment at the man tied up in front of you. “Wh- Grandma always said it was a sperm donor. I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“Grandma? No, this was a young lady. She owns the house. I’m sorry; who are you exactly?”

You shake your head numbly, and Yoongi rubs the back of his neck, straightening up. “That’s Y/n, from the year 2019. She’s your granddaughter.”

Your voice is light, on the verge of failing you completely. “Grandma wanted you to kill the King? She…” You sigh, thinking back to all the times you had curled up on the carpet in front of her rocking chair as she told you that knights in shining armor didn’t exist, that you couldn’t rely on a man to save you. “She was waiting for you, I think. All those years. She raised mom alone. She helped raise me.”

“Your mom? So it was a baby girl then?” Jin’s eyes soften and he blinks away tears that gather.

Ignoring this, Yoongi steps in, dragging over a stool to sit in front of Jin. “There’s one thing I still don’t understand. You admit your purpose here was to kill the King, and you’ve taken several attempts on his life. Surely if you’re his doctor you could easily kill him. Why don’t you?”

Jin ducks his head, and you see his lips tremble. “That kid is like family to me. I was a stranger and he showed me nothing but kindness. At the start, I told myself I’d wait until he was eighteen. I couldn’t kill a child. But then I realized I couldn’t kill him at all.”

Yoongi frowns. “Then why the attempts? Why not just live out your life as a healer?”

Jin sighs in a great shudder. “This whole time,” he confesses throatily, “this whole time I’ve been terrified she’s going to come back through to finish him off herself. I suppose I grew particularly suspicious of you, Yoongi, since this was the house I snuck out of when I arrived. And when I heard that you had brought a stranger to meet the King…” Jin turns his watery gaze to you, glancing under his eyelashes with an apologetic look on his face. “I thought perhaps you were her friend or something. I figured if I made it look like I was trying, then you wouldn’t go for him yourself. Honestly, I don’t even know what my plan was. I freaked out. I can’t lose him.”

Your eyes widen even further as the healer starts sobbing, shoulders shaking under the ropes that bind him to the chair. “Yoongi, untie him.”

“What?”

You glance up. “He can stay here, and I can go home. The portal only needs one transfer, right?”

“No,” Jin cuts in immediately, “I need to go back.”

Both you and Yoongi stare at him in confusion. Yoongi scoots forward on his stool. “Why? You said it yourself; King Jeon is like family to you-”

“And back there is my real family,” Jin insists. “I need to go back and raise my daughter, hopefully protect her from that witch’s influence. My… my daughter deserves better than to be raised by a crazy person. I can go back, make sure she’s put away where she can’t harm anybody. Please, Yoongi, Y/n. Let me go back to my daughter.”

Yoongi simply shrugs. “It’s up to Y/n.”

Once the two men shift their attention over to you, you squeeze your eyes shut and bury your face in your hands. Fuck. You had an out. You could go back to your love, Jimin, rip up that note and pretend like you had never left. You could spare him that misery.

But then… being raised by your grandma ruined your mom. She was too headstrong, too rational, too focused in the real world. At the time you had hated her for it. You had always preferred your grandmother’s magical tales and secrets to reality, but now you can see just how miserable your mother must have been. And the chance to have a strong parent in her life? To have a new chance?

You swallow hard and look back up at Jin. “Take care of mom. I… I hope you get to live happily there.”

Yoongi nods solemnly and reaches out to untie Jin’s bonds, freeing the man. You stand up yourself as he does, and the first this Jin does once he’s free is to rush over, enveloping you in a tight hug.

His fingers bunch up in the fabric of your shirt and he exhales unsteadily. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers, planting his chin on the crown of your head, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for her. Or for you. It’s been an honor to meet you, and I hope I live long enough to meet you again when I get back.”

A sob is ripped from your throat and your arms come up to hug him back. “I hope so too. My mom’s gonna love you, you know? So much.”

Any other occasion would see you cracking a grin at the way he squeezes himself through the gap, barely large enough for his shoulders to fit, but instead you just stare in a glum silence, biting your lip harshly to prevent any tears.

Once the door shuts behind him, Yoongi lets out a deep exhale. “It’s over now,” he states tiredly, “let’s close this for good.”

For such an impressive feat of magic and science, the portal closes without much fanfare. Yoongi recites a few lines as he scratches a symbol into the door. You press your hand over the carved symbol, a vaguely circular rune that’s made up of broad strokes. After reciting an incantation, you’re instructed to try the doorknob. It doesn’t open, doesn’t even twist.

Upon closer inspection, you can see the material of the door begin to shift, morph. The cracks between the door and it’s hinge are slowly closing up, and the definition in the grain melts away. “It’ll be gone by nightfall,” Yoongi explains, the two of you lapsing into an exhausted silence.

“Well,” he says eventually, “that was a lot to take in. How are you holding up?”

“Don’t,” you warn haltingly, “not just yet. I can’t-” you break off as your voice threatens to break. “Do you have something to help me sleep? Preferably for a very long time?”

Yoongi’s eyes are swimming with sympathy as he gives you a sad smile. “Of course. You did the right thing, Y/n. As hard as that probably is to hear right now. Get some rest.”

---

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[nildespirandum]

The Frost Queen - A Loki Fairy Tale AU - chapter three is up!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19701373/chapters/46977448

When delegations from the other Realms came to offer their respects to the AllFather on the hundredth anniversary of his ascension to the throne Loki had stood with Thor at the side of their father’s throne and helped greet them.  

Elves both light and dark, dwarves as well, creatures from the farther stars, mortals, Vanir, fae, and darklings all approached in solemnity, bearing gifts and words of friendship.  Through the long day and into the evening the line of dignitaries entered the throne room, walked the golden floor, and afterward joined the assembled populace who enjoyed the pleasures of the King’s mead hall.

Finally, very late, it seemed that the last group, Khrynniri from an ancient ocean planet, had been presented.  Loki’s legs and feet ached, and apart from a brief snack when even their father had to take a break, he had not eaten all day and was ravenous.  Thor slapped his shoulder, “I could eat an entire -”

At the far end of the hall the great doors, carved with protective runes, opened again.  

Another delegation.

Their herald struck his staff three times upon the ground.  “Odin, King of Asgard, All-Father of the Aesir, Guardian of the Nine, Wanderer, One-eye, Raven Speaker.  Farbauti, Queen of the Jotnar, Cruel Striker, Who Hunts With Fire, Widow of Laufey, sends greetings and envoys.  May they approach?”

Odin stood quickly, his cloak thrown away, Gungnir in his hand.  “You say Laufey’s widow? Since when has the Jotunn King died?”

The group of Frost Giants, dressed in their traditional garb, moved halfway through the hall and stopped.  The herald, an elderly giant whose skin was more grey than blue, spoke again. “Our great king passed unto the ice this season past.  He never fully recovered from the grievous wounds suffered in the war, though even weakened he was the mightiest amongst us. Our queen wishes to ensure the peace shall remain in place, now that our king has fallen.  Her young are but babes in arms.”

The King turned to look at Frigga, and Loki, thrilled and nervous at the sight of the monstrous giants in the palace did not understand the look that passed between them.  He did understand why Frigga placed a quelling hand on Thor’s shoulder to keep her oldest son from speaking.

With a nod, Odin motioned for the Jotunns to approach.

@lynnesm  @jilldsumner