#please don't ask me where to watch the less than legal stream it's in the tag if you look

[marley-manson]

Hey, could you please tell me which episodes can I skip in xena? Also, where do u watch it? Like on Netflix or smth or if I can watch it somewhere else since I don't have these apps; totally understandable if those r the only ways!

You can watch it legally on Amazon Prime, I believe, and on Apple TV in Canada, or on your choice of less than legal streaming sites. My personal favourite is this one.

And thank you for asking lol, I was just waiting for an excuse to create an episode guide. I posted it right before answering this ask, it's right here <3

Let me know if you have any followup questions!

[ridiasfangirlings]

So I've seen all the LSW movie now and I have Thoughts and it's been a while since I did any kind of anime review so I just had to type this up.

(Note 1: No, I'm not sharing any links to where to find it. I know there's a less-than-legal link floating around that you can find on Tumblr in the tag if you look around. I actually used Google Chrome and a VPN to rent LSW for 500 yen for two days from the official Bandai Channel site linked here.)

(Note 2: The entire thing has not been subbed yet as far as I know. My knowledge of Japanese is spotty at best especially when it comes to listening rather than reading, but I've read the novel translations and the manga enough that even without subs I have a pretty good idea of what's going on.)

-We open on Fushimi's rainy Scepter 4 induction ceremony that was shown in the trailer. I suddenly remember how in the novel it's mentioned that the raindrops don't hit Munakata because of his King powers and it makes the part in MK where he has Awashima holding an umbrella for him while everyone else gets soaked that much more peak troll.

-There's this weird computer-y thing as Fushimi closes his eyes and I don't know if it quite works for me? This isn't jungle guys, the Blues can just be fancy in the rain, it's cool.

-Fushimi takes the sword and they totally cut out Saru snarking back at Munakata about the whole 'pride and pledge and such isn't really necessary.' I wanted to see Fushimi being a little shit why do you deny me.

-They also cut out Fushimi seeing Yata's hand reaching for the sword, instead we only have Fushimi taking it as he voiceovers the whole 'The first King said take this hand. The second King said take this sword.' The background also gets all computer-y again and it looks a little cheap and weird? This is not the first strange decision this movie will be making.

-Then that weird kid from the sixth movie promo material who looks like he escaped from Handshakers and has pokeballs for eyes says something profound-ish, etc etc TIME FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL BABIES.

-We cut to Yata on the toilet. Not what it sounds like I swear.

-Middle school Misaki so cute and dissatisfied as he hides in the bathroom. He spots something in the next stall and climbs up to look, like Romeo ascending Juliet's toilet balcony or somesuch.

-Fushimi is also on the toilet. Also not what it sounds like.

-Flirting ensues, with Yata being cute and enthusiastic and Fushimi playing hard to get by yelling at him to go away. Ah, young love.

-Yata mentions his phone has been getting weird messages due to jungle. That's called spam, Yata-chan, and you're probably too young to be reading anything that has a lot of xs in the subject line.

-Triumphant video game music plays as Fushimi's voice gets all excited and he lets Yata come over to watch him, which is when we see poor baby has a bruise from being beaten up by upperclassmen. (I'd say that's what happens without Yata there to save him but he probably ended up getting beaten less in the movie than the novel precisely because of that XD)

-They've known each other for like two minutes and already Yata wants to beat people up to defend Fushimi's honor.

-Fushimi proceeds to beat his opponent in jcube while Yata yells about how amazing it is and we get that 'this guy is scary...but amazing' moment, aka the actual exact moment where Yata falls totally in love.

-Fushimi's triumphant smile gives me life.

-Cue Yata walking to school. We don't really get any exact passage of time indications here but I like to assume this was at least a few days later – Fushimi's still a bit standoffish but Yata has clearly already officially adopted him as New Best Friend.

-Yata gets Aya's letter in his locker and proceeds to show us all that yes, he can get even cuter than he already was.

-He goes running after Fushimi and there's this weird slo-mo thing for a moment? I feel like if we're going for that there should be like romantic music playing or something.

-Other students stare at them, wondering if these two are really going continue to be this gay in public. (Spoiler alert: yes. Yes they are.)

-And then Aya tackle-hugs Yata. I really like her voice, it sounds super cutesy in just the right affected way, and even the big anime eyes work well for her character (since I get the impression from the novel she's supposed to look young). Also that 'Mi-sa-ki-pyuun!' is so cute.

-'You know what would be completely gratuitous?' 'What?' 'If instead of Aya wearing pumpkin pants like she explicitly says she is in the novel, we put in a middle schooler pantyshot.' 'Great idea!' -Gora, probably.

-Yata hides behind Fushimi because he too has had enough of this fanservice.

-Yata tries to use Fushimi as his totally heterosexual excuse to get away from the scary girl and Aya's voice becomes noticeably less high pitched and cutesy as she talks to Fushimi. I think they did a good job with showing the shift in the way she talks to Fushimi versus how she speaks to Yata.

-Aya tells Yata about the jungle mission and then shows him all the hateful messages she received. Yata looks away and we see his own phone, with the mean chat messages his 'friends' exchanged about him. The former Yata team still sucks and are not even worthy of showing up in this movie.

-Yata adorably clings to Fushimi and have I mentioned he is adorable because I'm dying here.

-So our trio heads out to summon the airship. Aya shows Yata the program she created to decode jungle's hints and Fushimi noticeably sighs and walks away when Yata calls it 'cool.' Someone's jealous~

-Aya's mom calls and Yata takes the opportunity to go talk with Fushimi. This part is really abbreviated from the novel, with Fushimi only confirming that Aya's his cousin before Aya breaks in to ask Yata to talk to her mom, so we don't get any of the family talk between them. I get that there was no way the movie could fit everything in but I think it's an unfortunate loss that will pretty much continue throughout the movie – Yata's backstory gets really shafted here, continuing the trend of LSW tending to be more about Fushimi than about both Fushimi and Yata as it should be.

-Yata's face as he starts his girl impersonation, I can't. Fukujun's female voice sounds like an old woman, Aya is cracking up and so am I, this is beautiful.

-And Fushimi laughs. I think I like how the manga did this one better, in the movie it seems more like mocking laughter than real happy laughter that I think it's supposed to be, and it felt more like he was trying to suppress it. Basically even though Aya's like 'Fushimi's laughing?' I don't get the impression that this is supposed to be a rare event, which I think the novel was intending and which for me the manga managed to convey.

-They spot the airship in the distance and Fushimi starts recalculating the position as Yata stares in awe and Aya gets annoyed. No smiley face like in the novel though, alas.

-Fushimi's ready to give up on chasing the airship but of course Yata's fired up now, and the bicycle built for three kicks off in hot pursuit. Yata strains to peddle even though you know Aya and Fushimi combined probably weigh like barely anything.

-Of course they still can't catch up and we get that 'If we'd gotten on...would anything change?' I feel like the visuals let this moment down a little – the manga was more dynamic here – but Mamoru Miyano's voice acting almost makes up for it, with just a slight undercurrent of longing underneath the tone.

-'A different world?' Yes Yata, you would have seen a different world where an immortal man has an airship complete with its own Real Doll or whatever that thing Colorless was dancing with in S1 was. Maybe it's better they missed the airship.

-Another cut straight to Yata in front of Fushimi's house. Again this makes sense to cut everything before it to streamline things, but I'm sad to lose Aya's comments on Fushimi's family and the mention of him being home when the house got robbed.

-Precious sick baby Saru coughing as he works on what is clearly meant to be Yata's watch. Someone's already got a crush.

-We get the whole 'Yata taking care of sick Fushimi' part and I love everything this scene chooses to be, Fushimi is just so precious and confused as to why Yata's there taking care of him. Also huge props to Mamoru Miyano because the voice acting in this scene is adorable, every little 'Yataaa' makes my heart go doki doki.

-The last time Yata goes back to check on him and Fushimi is sitting up and looking so shocked and amazed because Yata came when he called and he's being loved and taken care of and no one has ever done that before someone hold me my heart can't take this.

-Yata makes Fushimi food and then falls asleep and it's all so wonderful and sweet gosh I hope a raging asshole doesn't show up to ruin it all.

-'Who are you?' One raging asshole, right on time.

-Niki's voice...isn't really what I was expecting? It's a bit deep in a way that I'm not sure works for me... I mean, he does sound like he needs to be punched in the face so that's spot on. As far as Nikis go though I think I give stage play Niki the edge as far as how I imagined him sounding.

-Niki threatens to stuff a mantis in Yata's mouth and we hear the sounds of poor sick baby Fushimi stumbling his way through the giant house as fast as he can go, likely falling over things and breathing hard and just terrified because he needs to get Yata away from his asshole trash king father now.

-And Fushimi absolutely screams at Niki to shut up and it's beautiful and painful and this entire scene just makes me want to kidnap him and save him from his terrible dad.

-Niki's laugh is just kinda there too, like anime!Niki doesn't quite manage that distinctive 'gyahaha' that stage play Niki did so well.

-Fushimi outside with Yata and again the voice acting is so good, that desperate little 'Yata!' and then the hesitant, stumbling attempts at thanking Yata when Fushimi's never thanked anyone before. My heart.

-Yata says he'll see Fushimi at school and Fushimi smiles and I just...precious baby. Must protect.

-Of course this beauty couldn't last forever and Fushimi's face falls as he has to go back inside to face the piece of unburnable trash sitting on the stairs. This is the one place Niki's voice 100% worked for me – that 'Saruhiko! Asoboze~' was just chilling.

-And we begin part two, with Yata and Fushimi hanging out on the street where they'll shortly meet Mikoto. Yata mom gets cheated out of not just a name but a cameo animated appearance too, why this Gora.

-They use a mix of old and new animation for this part – Yata drinking and then throwing the drink is clearly the exact animation from S1 but Mikoto catching it has been newly animated. That's probably for the best – the bigger eyes work well enough with Fushimi and Yata, since they're supposed to be kids, but there would be a pretty obvious difference between the old and new styles with Mikoto. (I think Mikoto looking back at them might be from S1 though...honestly this just makes me miss the S1 animation style again.)

-Cut to Fushimi getting yelled at for having his phone out in class. Fushimi of course gives no fucks and walks right out, and Yata runs after him while their teacher is completely done with this level of gay.

-I don't really like how those last two scenes went flow-wise, it feels kinda abrupt? The scene with Sarumi meeting Homra continues to feel shoved in and awkwardly out of place even in its own movie, and having nothing to really indicate the passing of time between Yata visiting Fushimi at his home to the two of them on the street and then back to class makes things feel choppy to me here. I assume they rearranged things from the novel for time reasons but it definitely feels shuffled around.

-Yata asks if Fushimi's going home and says he'll go too, and Fushimi has this little '...sorry' moment that's adorable, especially when Yata proceeds to put a hand on his shoulder and smiles and I think this movie is as in love with Yata as Fushimi is, every scene of him smiling is so bright.

-Yata mentions that they're third years already, finally giving some indication of how time moves in this movie thank you Yata.

-Fushimi pulls up jungle, showing Yata pictures that jungle's managed to take of various Homra members as part of a mission. I'm just concerned that someone is stalking Kusanagi.

-They discuss the rumors of the 'Red Monster' as images of Mikoto looking scary cross the screen. My favorite part of this is when they show Mikoto and the Homra members in silhouette with glowing red eyes looking all ominous, except one of the silhouettes is clearly Totsuka and I'm pretty sure the worst he's gonna do to you guys is ask if you want to help him with a hobby.

-We also get a close up of glowing eyes Fujishima. Did someone kick a dog in his presence, or...?

-Yata proposes to Fushimi talks about how they should get a place together and we get a quick flash of Niki looking like an asshole, which is his specialty. 'You don't need a home like that.'

-Yata says their place should have a helicopter pad and suddenly we're in Yata vision with an adorable cartoony plane rising up from a hidden door and just when you thought Yata couldn't be cuter.

-...Followed by Fushimi vision which is basically a mad science lab featuring human-like organisms in glowing pods. The chuunibyou is strong.

-The two of them walk off discussing plans and being in love as Aya stares down from the window, wondering why she's even in this movie again.

-Back to the Fushimi House of Shitty Parents, with Kisa making her cameo. Her character design is just way too....soft, I think, for my tastes. I feel like the manga did the better job of portraying a beautiful but cold and professional woman. Also she's got a hedgehog on her shoulder (or it's some kind of fluffy necklace thing, idk, it's weird why is it there why isn't she in her party dress like she should be).

-Her voice feels a little too pleasant for me too, though it does shift slightly colder when she gets off the phone and starts talking to Fushimi.

-Also while on the one hand the front of the house being wide and empty fits, since we know they don't keep anything valuable where people can see, the background here feels a bit...off? Like at one point we see these huge open doorways behind Fushimi and Kisa and it looks like they live in a fucking museum or something, like there's 'rich person's house' and 'no one actually has a house that looks like this.'

-Kisa tells Fushimi his dad is in the hospital and leaves, her cameo appearance over for the day. She still got more screentime than Yata's mom.

-Fushimi thinks about Niki's illness and then smiles and laughs, as we all should.

-Back to school, and Aya is pissed at Fushimi only being in 45th place in exams and that he isn't competing with her, because once again Fushimi gives no fucks he's moving in with his boyfriend and doesn't need no education.

-Aya mentions getting into Tsubakigahara high school and Fushimi cleans his glasses, reminding me that I wish we'd gotten to see Aya in her glasses animated.

-'Have you ever listened to me with your eyes sparkling and saying 'amazing'?' And Fushimi walks right past her because he doesn't want a rival, he wants someone who will look at him as he is and think that he's worth something, that he's amazing from the point of view beyond just what society expects.

-And Aya scores a direct hit with her backpack! Throwing things at people must run in the Fushimi family.

-Fushimi says he doesn't hate Aya and for a moment she stares at him with romance in her eyes....and then he kicks her backpack right back in her face. Such a smooth talker. At least they resisted the urge to put in another pantyshot there.

-Cut to the Sarumi Apartment of Love. The quick pan up the building makes it feel like they should be on the top floor even though we know from the novel it's a first floor apartment. Also the building looks a bit too fancy for me, considering their apartment's supposed to be cheap and purchased via an underworld-type realtor.

-Yata shows off his skateboard tricks and Fushimi is not interested. He's just playing hard to get again.

-Yata and Fushimi plan their attack on the surprise party and are so cute and hopeful and it's depressing knowing this is really the beginning of the end of their sense of invincibility.

-KNUCKLE BUMP!

-Also please note Fushimi's loft is big enough that Yata can like climb right up there with him and there's plenty of room for things like for example making out if the two of them wanted to do such things you know just saying.

-The night of the surprise party. Dewa and Chitose get to make appearances trying to disperse the crowd as Yata waits on top of the roof and Fushimi runs the computers while wearing a cute stripey blanket.

-They discuss the plan as tiny CGI people hang out around Homra. It looks like the bar is being attacked by rogue escapees from a Sims game (new plan: Yata leads them to the nearest pool and Fushimi removes the ladder).

-Fushimi is still wearing a stripey blanket on his head, and he is adorable. Just to make note of the important things.

-Fushimi begins the hacking mission as everyone puts on freaky-ass masks. Did Hisui have a coupon for the local freaky mask shop or something? Was this a wholesale deal?

-The jungle kids start shooting off party poppers. Sensing a threat to his bar counter, Kusanagi finally makes an appearance.

-Fushimi sends out a fake mail to indicate jungle's having server issues and we see Aya in the crowd, which makes you think her presence here is going to be important. Spoiler alert: unlike in the novel, her presence has no payoff and means nothing.

-Yata dons his own freaky mask and skateboards into the fray. His acting is slightly less bad than I expected it to be but Fushimi still facepalms over it.

-Fushimi's terminal sparks green and a tiny avatar appears in the corner. I think I liked the manga interpretation of Hisui's avatar guy better, there he was just a faceless completely unassuming avatar and here it's a little guy in a suit and glasses who looks more distinctive. I do like the way his voice is computerized but still obviously Hisui under it, which gets more pronounced the more he talks.

-At the end when the avatar goes all demony, I think this is another point for the manga which actually looked scary, businessman-avatar looks a bit more on the silly side. Though for Fushimi it was probably creepy either way (also it makes me wonder about Hisui on the other end of that transmission turning his avatar into a scary demon while his parrot eats his hair).

-Fushimi pulls the plug on his computer and then is off and running, yelling Yata's name over and over again, just so desperate to be sure Yata's all right.

-”Saruhiko!” “Misaki!” My heart.

-Yata drags Fushimi into a corner and Fushimi has that 'it's our—my loss' moment before they suddenly get attacked by party poppers again. One hits close to Fushimi's eye but it's just a random hit, which makes me wonder why they bothered even showing Aya before.

-I love Fushimi dragging Yata away here – he sounds just so harried, like here he's lost and he wasn't superior at all, and even worse he's put Misaki in danger and he just has no idea what to do.

-More fireworks come flying at them as Mikoto makes his grand appearance at last, in a giant ball of flame.

-I feel like the blocking of this scene was really weird, it seems like Fushimi and Yata should have been being swarmed by masked people but in order to save animation budget they just had random firecrackers flying around and then all of a sudden Saru's being dragged off by fangirls enemies. I wish it had been a little more frantic.

-Yata running towards Mikoto while yelling at him to save Saruhiko was perfect though, he's just so terrified for Fushimi's sake.

-I really loved the whole scene of Mikoto saving Fushimi, the way Fushimi looks up as the fire rains down and then Totsuka coming up behind him and holding him as lovely music plays, the atmosphere was so lovely (….though it kinda made me suddenly want some TotsuFushi. Just a little).

-Totsuka keeps hugging Fushimi, doing what we all wish we could.

-And we finally get a proper Sarumi hug! If nothing else at least the anime didn't punk out with a leg hug, we got a real hug this time.

-Fushimi and Yata head home in failure. Fushimi clenches his fist and you can see bruises on his fingers, my poor child.

-Back to the hospital where ding dong the dick is dead. The manga only implied that Kisa was a terrible mother who made her middle school age son collect his dead dad's body, the anime nicely confirms it by having her call Fushimi and tell him to do it.

-The manga was a little more abrupt and creepy with this scene, where Fushimi briefly sees Niki sitting up and mocking him. Even dead Niki is punchable.

-Also I like how even dead Niki's hair is perfectly styled. Are those bangs natural or what?

-Fushimi loses it and starts yelling at a corpse. It's almost like making your traumatized and abused middle schooler son retrieve his dad's dead body was a bad idea or something.

-A rubix cube falls from Niki's hand and--

-And--

-H E L P M E

-HE'S SO CUTE

-L O O K A T H I M

-HE HAS A TINY BOWTIE AND LITTLE NERD GLASSES LOOK AT HIS SMOL HANDS I LOVE HIM

-Only a true piece of utter trash could upset such a pure baby

-D I E

-Okay, things that aren't baby Saru, right, there's still movie left.

-Yata and Aya talk in the rain, I'm mostly distracted by how cute Yata looks in a poncho.

-It feels a little depressing that the last we see of Aya is her sobbing in the rain. I don't think the novel's resolution for her was the best either but at least there was something like closure.

-'The first King said take this hand. The second King said take this sword.' Fushimi voiceovers once again as Yata and Fushimi stand side by side in front of Mikoto at Bar Homra. They reach for Mikoto's flaming hands and...roll credits. Wait, roll credits?

-So yeah the entire back half of the novel isn't in the movie, it ends with Sarumi joining Homra. I wonder how this plays to people who haven't read the novel, because to me it very much feels like this is a narrative without an actual ending. I think they tried to make a parallel with the 'take this hand/take this sword' part but without the latter half of the novel the opening scene actually feels somewhat out of place to me, like it has no real relation to the rest of the movie (I almost feel like since they were messing with the novel anyway they should have started the movie with Yata and Fushimi reaching for Mikoto's hand, then backtracking to how we got to this point and finally jumping forward just as Fushimi's hand is about to take Mikoto's and suddenly have him reaching for the sword instead, looking to the side as Yata's phantom hand next to him fades away).

-I think they were in somewhat of a difficult position with LSW because the novel's too long for the movie they were making so some things had to be cut – and to be fair I have no idea how I would get the whole novel into a movie of this length either – but I can't deny it doesn't suffer for losing that back half. LSW is the story of how Yata and Fushimi met and then how they broke apart, and the movie to me feels like it's building towards a resolution that doesn't happen. In that sense starting the movie with the Homra installation rather than S4 might have worked better, restructuring the source material so it's more focused around how the two of them became friends and joined Homra with only the hovering specter of future betrayal at the end.

-Similarly, as far as dropped plot threads go, I liked seeing Aya animated but she feels somewhat... extraneous in the movie as it is. Her presence is mainly necessary for kickstarting the airship plot but as the movie stands that's it, and her arc feels rushed with a lot of pointless moments – having her be at the surprise party, for example, but not having her attack Fushimi and then cutting out the two of them speaking at Niki's funeral and Aya talking about being Fushimi's enemy, all of which ultimately makes her appearance there in the movie be without any real payoff. It also means her final interaction in the movie is with Yata rather than Fushimi, even though her character is more of a foil for Fushimi than Yata and her relationship with him more complex.

-Other things they cut I didn't like: no anthill? Seeing babu Saru with the rubix cube was fine enough and I do think the movie made it pretty clear that Fushimi was being abused, but the anthill is so essential to Fushimi's worldview that I feel losing it downplays some of his trauma a bit. As sad as poor upset Fushimi's face was when Niki destroyed the rubix cube it really doesn't carry the punch that this image does:

-Also this was a weakness in the novel too but once again, Yata gets really shafted by LSW. In the novel he at least has some presence in the first part of the novel but the movie completely removes everything about feeling left out of his family and even the part where he finds out his 'friends' hate him is a lot more downplayed than in the novel. A lot of what we see of Yata feels like it's from Fushimi's view, all those dazzling smiles, and it's wonderful from that perspective but I wish we'd gotten a little more of Yata's inner life here.

-On the good end, I am glad we at least got what we did of animated LSW. Middle school Yata is an utter gem of adorableness and I am so thankful to have him. The voice acting was also really great, Fukujun and Mamo knocked it out of the part (best in show probably goes to Mamo's 'Yataaa' during the scene where he's sick in bed, that was absolutely precious). Niki was complete trash in just the right way and I think the movie did a good job in conveying the dread and fear Fushimi feels towards him. If I had to rank adaptations I would probably put the anime last after the manga and the stage play but it's still a good watch and I'm looking forward to actually being able to, y'know, watch a nice legal stream with subs and then actually be able to buy it on disc some time in the next decade whenever Viz finally stops being jerks and give people who can't go running across the country to random cons on half a week's notice a chance to watch.

[sirisuorionblack]

Counting...

Sirius Black x Reader

Summary - (Y/N) had been waiting for four very painful hours for the return of her boyfriend and he did just for mere minutes but she was determined to get him back.

Warnings - So many tears that u could bathe in and fluff.

(Y/N) sat at the dining table, alone, a coffee that turned cold being left unattended, her foot tapping anxiously and she blankly stared at the mahogany wood though her thoughts ran wild.

It's been four hours, very long four hours since Sirius - her beloved boyfriend - was supposed to be back home by the time from a "mission" but he still hasn't returned just adding fuel to the blazing amount of worry she had been enduring these days. She was a strong woman, Sirius always told her that, he would add it with a chuckle just realising how lucky he was.

Rapid knocks pulled her away from her trance. She gulped, taking out her wand and arming herself as she tentatively walked the door.

Upon unlocking, the door swung open and Sirius - she just knew it was him - smashed his lips against hers, pushing the two of them inside, pinning her to the wall.

He kissed her as though there was no tomorrow, as though he was terrified of something beyond her knowledge. He kissed her hard. A deep intuition in her just rang those bells of alarm. 

(Y/N) pulled away, cupping his face as he heaved deep breaths, his head ducked and his whole body shivering. 

"Hey, hey, Sirius, look at me," she pressed, softly as she tried to get him to look at her for she would read him like an open book once she saw his eyes.

When she did see those grey orbs, a soft gasp tumbled from her lips. There was no such thing as a sparkle in his eyes anymore, it was hollow, empty and filled with tears.

"Sirius, what happened?" She asked, worried beyond any level. A sob racked his body, his hands clawing hers as he tightly held them.

"James," he muttered through his sobs.

"James? What happened to him!?" She asked her eyes widening with fear, "Sirius, what happened!?"

Sirius flinched and tried to regain his breath, "James and Lily - they - that rat - he killed them!" 

He sank to his knees in front of her but she stood there watching him sob uncontrollably as she numbly tried to comprehend the situation vaguely.

Giving up her attempt she too, collapsed before him, collecting him in her arms as he held onto her as if she was his lifetime. Not a single tear strung her eyes rather she blankly stared ahead, holding Sirius tightly in her arms.

It would take her years to accept what had happened, she lost them, she lost her best friends, she lost her almost family but what actually made her feel something was how Sirius felt, he lost the one he called his brother right after he lost his own, the girl he saw growing accustomed to their shenanigans and keeping them on the line was simply gone. He wouldn't hear his laughter anymore, he would see her lovely emerald eyes anymore and all because of the person they considered their best friend.

Rage passed through her though it subsided the moment a beaming Harry's face crossed through her mind.

"Sirius, Harry!" She vaguely exclaimed. 

Sirius' sobs intensified and she waited until he calmed down enough to speak.

"Hag-Hagrid took him and I-I did a foolish thing," Sirius said, not meeting her eyes as he felt his head spin.

Her eyes widened, filled with an excessive amount of worry, "Wha-?" 

She didn't even get to finish the question before the door burst open, a group of Aurors stood at the door, their wands outstretched, glaring at the couple sitting on the ground in each other's much-needed embrace.

"Mr Black," the Auror in the middle, growled as he stepped in. (Y/N) and Sirius scrambled to their feet, (Y/N) before Sirius. 

"Ms (L/N), move over, he is dangerous," A female Auror said softly, outstretching her hand and looking at her as though she was a child about to throw a tantrum. 

"Dangerous?!" (Y/N) scoffed, "Absolute bullshit!"

"Ms (L/N), step aside," Another Auror commanded her.

Sirius slipped his hand into hers, squeezing it, searching for the warmth he was afraid he would be deprived of.

The two Aurors in the front whispered amongst themselves. Suddenly one of them harshly pulled (Y/N) back, dragging Sirius away from her.

"NO!" She yelled as she struggled against the restraints of the Auror holding her back by the arm.

Before her, Sirius struggled to remove his arm from the Auror wanting nothing more than to just rush into her arms and be in her comforting embrace though that seemed like a wild fantasy at that moment. 

Finding (Y/N) too hard to be held back, the Auror muttered a spell under her breath. (Y/N) straightened, her eyes turning blurry. She balanced herself against the wall, shaking her head and blinking her eyes.

"Sirius," she muttered, slipping in and out of consciousness. She no longer was able to stand on her feet. And Sirius watched her, yelling her name over and over again until three Aurors bodily dragged Sirius. 

"(Y/N)!" Sirius yelled as he tried to pry the Aurors' hands at the same time (Y/N) whispered, "Don't go, Sirius," watching as he struggled against them and then, blank.

"(Y/N)," she heard someone call her name, "(Y/N),"

"Moony!? Moony is it you?" She asked, trying to open her eyes.

"Yes, yes, it's me," Remus said, helping her sit up. When Remus had entered Sirius' home after he had received the news, tears staining his cheek, he found the door blast down, not a soul aware of what had happened and what he next saw disturbed him senseless. For a second he was scared into oblivion, for a second he doubted his best friend, for a second he pitied that traitor as he saw (Y/N) laying on the ground motionless.

Remus had rushed to her, racking his brain all the difficult charms and methods he had been taught to wake her up but in the state of panic, he forgot the simplest method of all - just shaking her to wake up.

(Y/N) sat on the floor, her back against the wall, her hand clasped tightly in Remus', she took deep breaths. They sat in silence as the two of them tried to contemplate what had happened. 

"They dragged him, Remus, I don't know even why. They said he was dangerous; Sirius cant be dangerous, he isn't," she muttered, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.

Remus sighed as he sat on the floor, squeezing her hand comfortingly and took a deep breath for what he was about to say, "After he found out about...Peter, he left after him and Sirius seemed to have cornered him, and then the Aurors arrived when almost 12 muggles were killed, and they saw nothing of Peter except for his finger was found. Before they could arrest Sirius there itself he had apparated here,"

By the time Remus finished, (Y/N) had her head leaning against the wall, staring at the photo frame right before her. It was of Sirius and her, making goofy faces and smiling at the camera, it was a week after they graduated.

"Why would Peter do that?" She whispered as she finally looked into his eyes. Remus chuckled sadly, "You know him, very well honestly, he would want to be under those who were more powerful than him, so he joined," Remus gulped, "Voldemort,"

(Y/N)'s lips parted in disbelief, "He was the spy?"

Remus nodded.

"But how did he do it?" 

He sighed, "He was the secret keeper, it seems,"

"What?"

"Yeah,"

(Y/N) slapped a hand against her mouth as tears ran free from her eyes. Remus wrapped his arms around her, allowing his best friend to weep into his arms and he too, unable to hold the tears, let them stream down his eyes.

The morning when Dumbledore came to the household where Remus and (Y/N) sat, silently grieving for their best friends, not a word uttered by them, to inform Sirius has been sentenced to Azkaban for life, (Y/N) didn't feel sadness rather rage, "What!? He's not been given a chance to prove his innocence! You can't throw just him like that into Azkaban forever!" She yelled.

Dumbledore spoke calmly, "Ms. (L/N), please calm down. It's been declared by the Ministry, we cannot do anything about it,"

She took a deep breath and looked at the man pointedly, "Well, professor, if that's it, I don't find a reason for your presence here anymore,"

Dumbledore's blue eyes flashed but he apparated without a word nonetheless.

"What have you gotten in your mind?" Remus asked with a smirk as he looked at her pulling her hair into a bun and taking a deep breath.

"I am gonna prove Sirius' innocence and get my godson back," she said, determinedly as she left to her room leaving Remus sitting on the couch smiling to himself. When you have a determined (Y/N) with you, that's an announcement for the hell that is about to break loose and it could be positive or negative. 

"Coffee," Remus muttered, placing the flask on (Y/N)'s desk as he glanced over the papers and textbooks scattered on her desk, "What are these?"

(Y/N) sighed, placing her pen down and leaning back on her chair, tipping it as Sirius taught her, unconsciously and Remus didn't want to point it out to her, dampening the mood.

"It's so simple, honestly," She said, glancing at the papers and then at him, "I have to get Harry's custody, and if not me Sirius should, it's legally that way too. You can't just place a year old baby in a household of the worst sort of muggles, one that absolutely ignored the fact that she had a sister,"

She took a deep breath, "Now, to Sirius, you cannot arrest someone without any evidence, much less sentence them to prison with no trial permitted. If we just try to get him a trail then everything will fall back to normal,"

"As normal as it could be," Remus said carefully. 

(Y/N) sighed and nodded, "As normal as it could be,"

"What are we gonna do next?" Remus asked.

"Find someone who could help us officially for this,"

"Can't we, I dunno, do it ourselves?"

"I...I don't know,"

"We will give it a shot?"

"Damn right you are,"

Finally after two exhausting days, (Y/N) stood before Barty Crouch, some would say glaring at him, the other a cold fixated stare. She stood briskly, head held high without the minimal amount of shame or fear in that massive room, filled with people.

"Ms (Y/N) (L/N), you are here requesting another trial for Mr Sirius Orion Black." Barty Crouch said, looking at her through his glasses. 

She shook her head, "Demanding for a trial,"

Crouch's nose flared as he without any disagreement corrected his mistake, knowing far too well the capability of (Y/N).

"Now, the best Aurors have seen Mr Black on the spot laughing like a maniac as the street held 13 dead bodies, including his very own friend Mr Peter Pettigrew," Barty Crouch said.

"First of all, 13 dead bodies? When was Peter's body found?" (Y/N) asked, ignoring the whispers and mutters that grew thick in the council, her gaze fixated on the man before her.

"That's right. His body was never found," She said.

"So are you telling the Wizengamot that Mr Pettigrew just magically disappeared from the scene,"

"Oh please, this Wizengamot is for magic!" She stopped to look at the slightly embarrassed face of Crouch and smirked, just look at him in the end, "Besides, he could have apparated for all we know. But that's a matter for another day; all we have at our hands is a trial for a falsely imprisoned man,"

"Ms (L/N), I will be the one directing the Wizengamot today, so please," Crouch glared at her. Someone raised a hand amidst the crowd, Amelia Bones, "Mr Crouch, I think it's best if we allow her to explain her demand. We can vote," she said, looking at the council.

A little more than half of them raised their hands, "Ah, the motion is passed, Mr Crouch, we must let her speak,"

Barty Crouch's lips twitched, "Very well then, please proceed Ms (L/N),"

(Y/N) had a smirk rivalling Sirius himself's. She took a deep breath, this moment would determine her whole life, "I demand a trial for Sirius Black, with respect to the event that happened on the night of Halloween. I am quite blatantly ashamed that the most powerful ministry wouldn't grant a trial for an innocent man," there was a voice of disapproval. 

(Y/N) ignored it and continued, "I find it extremely disturbing that someone just based on his last name could be sent to Azkaban for a crime he allegedly committed. Now, Siri-Mr Black's relation with...James Potter was well known, they were almost brothers and the question here is how was he supposed to betray someone so close to him,'

"It was also known by almost everyone here about how Mr Black was disowned for going against the absurd ideas of his mother at the young age of 16, would that very man commit a crime as such!? And it's quite easy to find the truth here at the Ministry of Magic, a simple Veritaserum would do the job and if that didn't work, a check of memories of muggles at the spot would have shown the truth. And just as you said you have the best Aurors, allow them to seem the truth!"

(Y/N) finished, taking a sip of the water beside her and the council looked rather convinced by her speech. Once again Amelia Bones stood, "A vote again, perhaps, Mr Crouch?" She asked.

The man in question looked absolutely bewildered by how wrong things have been going now that the spotlight to it had been given. He nodded. 

"Great. Those in favour of granting Mr Black his fair trial upon the use of Veritaserum," she said and grinned as almost all the members in the council raised their hands.

(Y/N) beamed as Crouch announced, "Sirius Orion Black will be given his trial on the third of November, here at this very room with Veritaserum brewed by a highly talented Potions Master. Any objection? Very well then, Council dismissed,"

"Moony!" (Y/N) rushed into Remus' arms, tears stinging her eyes, "We did it, Moony! We did it!"

"You got the trial!?" Remus asked, grinning at her after she pulled away.

"Yes!" She chuckled happily.

"You did it!" Remus yelled as he pulled his best friend into a bone-crushing hug, wiping his own tears.

"When is it?" He asked, still beaming.

Her bottom lip quivered, "Third of November,"

Remus' shoulder slumped, Sirius had planned something that would have changed the two of their lives on that day, and it was part of the reason why he got arrested. Remus engulfed her in a warm hug.

"Don't worry, we know he is innocent," Remus reassured (Y/N), him moving to the stands while she stood in the front of the very room she struggled for a trial on November 3.

Minutes later, the Aurors escorted Sirius into the room, he looked glum and hollow. He looked as though he feared human touch anymore, as though all those bad memories within him surfaced. He looked fragile and in that moment (Y/N)'s heart shattered. 

She wanted to just rush into his arms and never let him go, hold him close to her, whisper soothing terms into his ears, for only him to hear.

Sirius glanced around the room, his eyes falling on (Y/N), he felt in the precise second nothing but pride blooming through his chest, she was his brave girl, he wouldn't worry about her, he knew she would survive. If his world hadn't collapsed, he would have called her his fiancee. 

"Mr Sirius Orion Black, after the request of Ms (L/N), you have been granted a chance to prove your innocence. You will be given two drops of the truth potion - Veritaserum, and then Ms Amelia Bones, will question you," Barty Crouch announced.

Sirius was then seated in the middle of the room, his eyes fixed on nothing but (Y/N) who smiled warmly at him and he felt as if there was nothing wrong, it's just another prank he got caught in, just another petty detention, just another pathetic duel with Slytherins, he felt a bloom of comfort spreading from his chest. He allowed a little smile, very minuscule to tug on the corner of his lips.

"You, Sirius Orion Black, son of Walburga and Orion Black?" Amelia Bones questioned the basics, testing the potion.

Sirius snorted, folding his arms before him and slumping on his chair, "Unfortunately,"

"You were a Gryffindor?"

He smirked, "Yes,"

"Well, Mr Black now let me know what happened on Halloween's night?"

Sirius took a sharp intake of breath and sat properly on the chair, "I went see Prongs first to tell about the ring and when I went there the roof of their house was absolutely collapsed and I was afraid what could have happened so I went in and," Sirius' voice broke and tears stung in his eyes just as it did to (Y/N), she never knew these.

"And I-I saw James laying on the floor, his eyes were open but....he wasn't- he wasn't moving and when I checked for his breath," Sirius took a deep breath, "There was nothing,"

Sirius retold what he had seen and done on that day, with pauses for breath and sips of water to calm himself down.

By the end, Amelia Bones was moved to tears so were the rest of the courtroom, especially (Y/N) who often wiped her eyes.

Bones turned to Barty Crouch, silently asking him for the final judgement. 

He took a deep breath, "Very well then, at the end of this trial, based on accounts given by the Accused induced with Veritaserum, I, Bartemius Crouch, hereby declare, Sirius Orion Black innocent!"

Remus and (Y/N) patiently waited for Sirius to change out of his Azkaban clothes and into the one he was wearing that day.

"Love?" Sirius called, tentatively, about four feet away. Tears started to stream down (Y/N)'s eyes as she ran towards him.

She threw herself into his arms, burying her head into his shoulders and chanting his name. Sirius slowly started to rock her, finally, the warmth he had been deprived of seeped into his body, he felt safe and...home.

"Darling, I am here, don't worry, it's going to be OK," He consoled her. The turn of events was almost hilarious for (Y/N), it was supposed to be her saying those words.

She pulled away, cupping his cheeks. There were dark circles under his eyes, his eyes - Oh goodness - they were a dark shade of grey, bad memories and tears clouding them, and he looked pale.

She couldn't hold her to see him anymore so she smashed her lips against his, inviting him for a passionate embrace. Neither of them knew until then that this was what they wanted, to feel the other, a silent reassurance that everything is going to be alright.

Remus watched as the two of his...remaining best friends held each other in a much-needed embrace, he smiled warmly. The surprise that would await the two of them by the other.

"Come on," (Y/N) beckoned inside their, squeezing Sirius' hand and Remus in tow, "Stay here," she said and disappeared inside a room.

Sirius took out the velvet box buried inside his coat pocket and showed it to Remus, who clapped him on the back and nodded encouragingly. 

When (Y/N) returned with a sleeping baby Harry in her arms, beaming, she didn't expect to see Sirius on his one knee, holding a velvet box open, a beautiful diamond ring shining inside.

The two of them gasped simultaneously as Remus watched with proud eyes, feeling like a mother watching her kids grow.

"I dunno what to say," Sirius said, "Everything I prepared flew out of my mind. But just one thing, I need you in my life, I need you for my sanity, I am absolutely nothing without you and you hold my world above, darling, if it wasn't for you it would have collapsed ages ago. Over everything else...I love you, so much that I can't even express it. I-will you, (Y/N) (L/N), marry me?"

(Y/N) nodded rapidly, unable to speak she rushed into his arms, still holding Harry carefully.

They pulled away after a moment and Sirius slipped the ring into her finger and took Harry in his arms, admiring how much he looked like his father.

"I love you, (Y/N)," he said, his arm encircling around her waist.

"I love you too," she muttered, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Remus," Sirius called, glancing behind for his best friend, "Group hug,"

Remus rushed to the three of them. Finally, they felt happy perhaps like tightly woven remainings of one big family.

[let-love-run-red]

Never Shall We Die - 6

This story was inspired by Beskarbabs story Thieves and Beggars

AO3 link

***You were curled in the corner of the captains quarters. He wasn't Kylo, he was the captain. You were waiting for something, anything, to happen as you examined the room. You didn't know him nearly as well as you thought you did, you realized.

In the corner stood a desk, with maps strewn about it. Maps of the seas, you assumed. There was a compass sitting on one of the maps weighing down the bottom corner. At the top corner there was a quill and inkwell, holding the top of the map down. On the left side lay a large and imposing dagger.

On the walls there were more maps, charts of the stars with names of the constellations. There were shelves too, some had figurines, but most had jewelry. Many different forms, actually. There were collars of beads from Africa, bracelets made of gold mined in the Americas, silver necklaces, and more rings than you could count.

You examined a small box filled with rings. There were various designs in the box. Some were thin and elegant, others were wide, some were made of iron, gold, or silver. A select few of the rings had blood stained on the metal. You picked one out of the box, a small gold ring with silver at the edges. There was a small diamond inlaid into the gold. It was beautiful, much prettier than the chunky ring currently sitting on your finger.

You were about to try it on, only out of curiosity, when you heard the door swing open behind you. You dropped the ring, whirling around as Kylo's footsteps crossed the room. He stood in the middle of it, watching you closely.

You walked towards him boldly. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get the words out you slapped him across the cheek. He hardly moved as you glared up at him.

"A pirate?" You hissed. He stood stoic, giving no response to your anger.

"How could you? What happened to you Kylo! You used to be honorable!" You shouted. He said nothing.

"I did not agree to run away with a pirate! Return me to Port Royal this instant and maybe I'll talk my father into letting you live in a cell!" You continued shouting.

"I can't take you back." He said, finally speaking.

"Why not?" You demanded, turning to face him with your arms crossed in front of you. He remained silent. The only indication of his rage was his flared nostrils and clenched jaw.

"Kylo!"

"Because if you come back without harm, you'll be accused of aiding and abetting a pirate! You will be hanged, your father cannot save you. I, will be hanged. Not only for piracy, but for kidnapping the governors daughter. And lets not forget the murder of your beloved husband!" He snapped at you. You covered your mouth in shock as he continued.

"Who by the way, I recognize as dear Commodore Whiteford's son. Thank you for mentioning that information!" He yelled.

"You killed him?" You asked carefully. Until now you had hoped that, despite being a pirate captain, he wasn't a murderer. Kylo sighed, shifting his weight as he looked at you with sorrow.

"Of course I did. How else was I supposed to ensure we could be together? You're legally married, and even in Tortuga they wont wed a married woman to another man." He said. You felt tears streaming down your face as you turned away from him.

"Please understand love, I did this for you." He tried to reason.

"You did this for yourself!" You turned suddenly, pounding your fist against his chest. He let out a small puff of breath but gave no indication your blow affected him.

"You did this because you can't let me go! I should have let you swing from that noose all those years ago!" You shouted as you sobbed, fists resting on his chest. Kylo seemed taken aback by your outburst, before his expression shifted to one of anger.

"I never heard you complain every time I fucked you senseless." He hissed, taking your wrists in one hand. "Every time I made you come on my cock you begged for more. Are you just upset you were fucked by a pirate?" He hissed.

"Upset that you fell in love, with a pirate? This, (y/n), is why I never told you. I was afraid you would think less of me."  He said carefully, still holding your wrists.

"I had hoped you loved me enough to look past it, especially once I risked everything to save you from your father. But I see now that I misjudged your character." He said before releasing your wrists and walking towards the door. He pulled it open, pausing to speak.

"If you wish, we'll drop you off the next time we make port. In three months." He snapped before slamming the door shut behind him. You sank to the ground beside the bed in tears, sickened by the rocking motion of the vessel.

You did love him. You'd always loved him, and always would. But your mind was conflicted. Your heard said it didn't matter, he was still Kylo, but your morals were torn. Pirates were vile, murderous filth. You had been raised to believe that. Yet now that you knew Kylo was a pirate, you still loved him.

Possibly more than you had before.

***

When the sun peeked through the thick curtains over the windows in Kylo's quarters you finally awoke. You had fallen asleep in the wide bed in the corner of the room. It was surprisingly soft, the blankets were warm and you had slept well. The bed smelled like Kylo, like sea salt and spruce wood with a tinge of iron.

He hadn't entered the room that night, you assumed he hadn't slept. Maybe he would later in the day, after he kicked you out of his bed. You climbed from under the covers, swinging your feet over the edge of the bed, tentatively touching the floor with your bare feet.  It was smooth with no trace of splinters. You stood on bare feet, approaching the door and opening it just a crack.

The crew buzzed around the deck of the ship. The sunlight streamed over the wood, giving it a rich chestnut color. You assumed it had been stained darker than the wood actually was. You looked up to the sails, which hung loose in the breezeless sky. You realized now they were not black, as you had thought, but a deep red.

Despite the loose sails, the ship still sliced through the water. Most likely from the rowers in the lower deck. As you looked around a tall pirate with short straw colored hair walked past. A woman, you realized.

"Ren slept with the crew last night?" She asked the shorter redheaded man walking beside her.

"Aye he did. Wonder what that new lass did to him." He muttered. You felt bad for Kylo, sleeping with the crew. You couldn't imagine it had been comfortable.

"Phasma! Hux!" Kylo boomed, "You don't earn your keep on this ship by standing around chatting!" You watched as Kylo descended the stairs next to the door, rounding the handrail/

Your heart leapt in your chest when you saw him, looking more handsome than ever. He was wearing a white cotton shirt with a deep v cut into the chest. His black breeches fit him well, tucked into the tops of his black boots. He had abandoned his wide leather belt with the cutlass and flintlock, leaving just the red sash tied around his midsection. The tails waved at his side as he walked towards the door.

You closed it and locked it quickly. You heard a heavy sigh from Kylo before he knocked gently.

"(Y/n), please." He said softly.

"The daughter of the governor will not mingle with pirates." You shouted through the door. You heard a soft chuckle from Kylo.

"You've done more than mingle love." He said. Your jaw dropped open and you turned to throw the door open.

"Please talk to me." He asked. You walked away from the door, turning your back to him and crossing your arms with your nose turned up. He walked into the room, closing the door softly behind him.

You wandered towards the desk, examining the charts laid out. The symbols made no sense to you, you didn't know how to use the tools laid with the map. You'd never learned.

"Why did you become a pirate?" You asked softly as you ran your fingers over the dried ink on the maps. Kylo let out a sigh.

"My first year on the sea, we were returning to Port Royal. We were ambushed by a pirate crew. When the fight was over, most of the crew I was with had been slaughtered. I was given the choice of being keel-hauled, or joining them."

"Why did they want you?" You asked.

"I was young. I was strong, and skilled with a sword." He explained, approaching you slowly, as though you were a deer he may startle.

"I didn't have a choice." He whispered, placing his hands gently on your biceps. You remembered suddenly the four year gap in his letters. You had dressed in mourning, assuming him dead. You supposed that he was only able to send letters again when he became captain.

"How did you become captain?" You asked. You were afraid of the answer, but you needed to hear him say it to know if you could still love him.

"I killed the old one." He said simply. He crossed around the desk to sit in the chair behind it before examining the charts. You swallowed the lump in your throat.

"You don't get to where I am without spilling blood." He said, shuffling the papers on the desk. You remained silent, processing the information. Not only was he a murderer, he was a mutineer.

"Do you know how to read these?" He asked, looking up at you. His hair fell from behind his ears, the way it did when he looked down at you while making love to you.

"No." You stated sharply.

"Then let me teach you, come sit." He said, scooting the chair back and patting his thigh.

"To turn me into a pirate?"

"To share my world with you."

You made no move to join him and he let out a sigh before pulling himself closer to the desk again. You waited for a beat.

"You're not going to kill me for refusing?" You asked. He let out a chuckle.

"I'd never raise my hand to you. Ever." He said, not bothering to divert attention away from the charts.

You warily approached him once you realized he had no intention of leaving. You looked over his shoulder at the marks he made on the map, the way he used the compass to measure distances, then at the dagger weighing down the side of the map.

A thought crossed your mind, a dark thought. You could kill him with that dagger. You could cut his throat, escape the room. Nobody would know. You could take the pistol you saw on the shelf the night before and shoot anybody who tried to stop you from taking a lifeboat. You couldn't be that far from Port Royal, or any port, for that matter.

"I wouldn't." Kylo said without breaking his staring contest with the map.

"You don't even know what I was thinking." You snapped.

"You were considering slicing my throat open with that dagger." He said flatly.

"I was not."

"It would be more of a curse to you really." He said. He set down the compass, sifting through the stack of papers absentmindedly.

"What does that mean?" You snapped.

"This dagger was on the ship when we commandeered it. The legend says it was used by a woman who killed her lover while sailing the seas. She begged for the gods to bring him back, and Anansi, the trickster god, answered her." Kylo looked up to you, then to the dagger, resting the weight of his head in the palm of his hand.

"He gave the man back, but in the form of a rotting drowned ghost. He haunted her. So she begged Anansi to take him back, but the only way she could be freed was to kill herself with the dagger. She finally did, but she was trapped with him. Anybody who kills with that dagger will be haunted by their spirit until they kill themselves with it." He said unbothered.

"Why do you keep such a dreadful thing?" You asked, taken aback. The dagger suddenly looked more sinister. Kylo picked up the dagger, giving a few test swings before twirling it around in his hand.

"It's a decent paperweight." He said with a grin. You tried to hide your smile.

"I need to take these to the navigation room, at least let me show you the ship you'll be on for the next three months." Kylo asked as he set the dagger down and stood from the chair.

"You can't spend all that time cooped up in here."

You paused for a moment before agreeing with him. He smiled, gathering a few maps from the desk and crossing the room to open the door for you. You stepped through the door, pausing to wait for him.

"Can we at least stop somewhere and find me some decent clothes?"

***

@sweetth1ng, @starfishfaerie, @little-miss-mischief

[luthienebonyx]

51 + 66, if you'd like, please and thank you

51.  Accidentally Married + 66.  It’s Not You, It’s My Enemies  

Okay, this got long and is in NO WAY a summary. I fail at those. It’s a ficlet, and a dire warning to anyone who gives me the words “accidentally married” and expects me to cover that in two paragraphs.

“It was never you, it was my enemies,” Jaime tries to explain as they gallop away from the ruined castle. “I couldn’t let them know. If they had realised…” what I felt for you… He shakes his head helplessly. There’s no way to explain, particularly when trying to shout above the thunder of the horses’ hooves. They have to leave this place, and now. That’s the most important thing.

And yet, Brienne must have heard, because she smiles brilliantly, like he’s never seen her smile before. It’s enough. He smiles back, and then they both look to the road ahead. They need to put as much space between themselves and Oldstones as they can before nightfall.

They’re still riding hard an hour after they pass into the forest. It’s starting to get dark. They’ll need to find somewhere to stop for the night, a clearing in which to build a fire. The fire will keep them warm on one side as they sleep, even as they freeze on the other side. It would be easier if they shared the warmth of their bodies, as soldiers do on campaign, but the wench will never agree to such a thing, Jaime knows. Not when the snow lies so lightly on the ground, in any event.

He’s about to suggest they turn around and retrace their steps to the break in the trees they passed a mile or so back, when something catches his eye through the brush. Is that a flame? And that beside it… yes, there’s no mistaking it. It’s not the work of nature; that’s the side of a roof.

They ride into the village not long before the sun goes down. Well, village may be stretching things a bit. There’s a couple of cottages, though they’re little better than huts, and a smithy attached to the largest of the dwellings. That’s it. The flame he’d seen through the trees is explained now: he can hear the rhythmic thud of a hammer coming from inside the blacksmith’s workshop.

Jaime glances at the smithy and then exchanges a look with Brienne. She nods slightly. It’s the obvious place to ask for shelter for the night. It will likely snow again before long, and Jaime would rather a roof over his head when that happens. The smithy would be far better than many places they’ve slept in recent times: it has a proper roof, it’s out of the wind, and the dying fire will keep the place warm long after the sun goes down.

The blacksmith must hear the door open, because he puts down his hammer, and turns to greet them, wiping the sweat from his face with the edge of his apron.

“Welcome,” he says. “You’ll be wanting to stay the night, I expect?”

Brienne’s eyebrows rise at this; they’re not used to being welcomed by strangers, never mind invited in without a suspicious look or anything being asked in return.

“Yes, we will,” Jaime says, trying for a charming smile to counter the wench’s sudden look of suspicion. Will she never learn not to show her every thought on her face?

“Well, first things first,” says the blacksmith. “Just a hand on the anvil to begin with, if you wouldn’t mind. The both of you,” he adds, when Brienne hesitates.

Jaime and Brienne exchange another look. What does it matter if he’s slightly eccentric? Jaime asks silently, or at least hopes that his expression conveys enough of his thoughts for her to get the general idea. It’s a roof over our head for the night.

I don't  like this, Brienne replies, just as silently and unmistakably, but she places her hand on the anvil beside his.

“Good, good.” The blacksmith nods. He takes off his apron and hangs it on a hook driven into the wall a safe distance from the fire, before turning back to face them, beaming. “Now then: are you both of marriageable age?”

This time Jaime’s eyebrows shoot up, and he can feel the wench stirring beside him, no doubt about to demand what business that is of the blacksmith’s. “Brienne,” he says softly, warningly. What does it matter if this blacksmith is, well, eccentric? They will be sleeping with their swords within easy reach wherever they spend the night.

“Yes,” Brienne says, sounding like she begrudges even just that single syllable.

“Yes, of course,” Jaime says, when the blacksmith looks to him. It’s impossible to mistake the wench for a girl of less than fifteen years, but even less so does he look like a stripling not yet properly into his first youth.

“And are you free to marry?” the blacksmith asks.

And that’s when Jaime realises. This isn’t just some half-crazy blacksmith asking questions of them just because he can, just because he’s the one who owns the only half-decent shelter around here. This is an anvil wedding! Jaime’s only heard of them in songs, though Tyrion told him once that they’re still practised in the more remote corners of the westerlands, where the whim of some long-ago Lannister kept them legal. All it takes is for two people to declare that they’re of marriageable age and not promised to anyone else. Anyone can perform a marriage like that, or even no one at all. Jaime has no idea why such marriages became the purview of blacksmiths, except that that’s become part of the tradition in the westerlands, too. And only in the westerlands. Everywhere else throughout Westeros, marriages performed in the sight of the Old Gods or the New alone are recognised, and have been ever since whichever High Septon it was brought his influence to bear on some half-forgotten Targaryen king.

“A question first, if I may,” Jaime says. “Have we by chance crossed the border into the westerlands?”

“If you’ve come from the east, aye, you entered the westerlands the moment you crossed the stream away yonder near the eastern edge of the forest. It’s the child of the great Blue Fork river.”

“Ah,” Jaime says. He turns to Brienne. “It appears that we’re not just being offered shelter for the night.”

“Really.” Brienne’s tone is dry as dust.

Jaime clears his throat. “In fact, it appears that we’re currently halfway through a marriage ceremony.”

Brienne blinks. And blinks again. “An anvil marriage?” she asks.

“You’ve heard of them?” Jaime asks, surprised.

“I might have heard mention of them, in a song or two. When I was a girl,” Brienne admits. She looks down at her feet. “I suppose we should…” Her voice trails off.

Jaime wonders what she was going to say. I suppose we should… ask if we can still shelter here the night, without being married first? Go back to the clearing in this forest? Pretend this never happened?*

“We could finish this, if you like,” he suggests. As marriage proposals go, it’s hardly flowery or romantic, or even formal and serious. It’s matter-of-fact and… Well, it’s them.

Brienne looks up. “We could,” she says slowly. “They call it an irregular marriage sometimes, did you know that?”

Jaime didn’t, but, “That sounds about right, wouldn’t you say? For us, I mean?”

And there’s that smile again, on Brienne’s face, only the second time he’s seen it. “Yes,” she says, and Jaime knows she’s not just answering this question.

They turn back to the blacksmith, who appears to have been following their conversation with interest. “If you’re ready to continue?” he asks.

“Yes,” Jaime and Brienne reply in unison, and, “Yes,” again, when the blacksmith asks if they’re both free to marry.

And then they’re married, just like that. 

Jaime looks deep into his wife’s eyes, watches the smile transform her face into something glorious as he stands on his toes to kiss her, and vows to himself that he’ll see that smile on her face again tonight, and all the many nights to come.

~

Note: Yes, based on the whole real anvil marriage or Gretna marriage, where underage English couples, after the law was changed in England - but not Scotland - in 1754, would elope to Scotland to be married by a blacksmith “over the anvil” in an extremely basic traditional secular marriage.