#princess aelin galathynius | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

leiawritesstories · 1 month ago

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Part 1: Velaris

Co-Written with @mariaofdoranelle

Of Hearts and Heists Masterlist

Read on AO3

Word count: 5.8k

Warnings: swearing, grumpy Rowan, icky paparazzi, blink and you miss it angsty hints oops

A/N: @mariaofdoranelle and i are so excited about this story!!! we're also kind of busy lol so this might be very randomly updated, but we're still so excited to share it with you!!

Enjoy!!

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Four Months Earlier

Aelin blinked awake at the soft tap on her shoulder, brushing the bleariness from her eyes. She touched a button on the side of her headphones, turning off the noise-canceling feature, and moved one of the cups off of her ear, looking inquisitively up at the uniformed flight attendant standing politely beside her reclined seat.

“We are preparing for descent, Ms. Galathynius,” the lady said softly. “I’ll need to bring your seat upright. Would you like to stay here or move into another part of the cabin?”

“I can move, thank you.” Swinging her sleepy legs over the side of the makeshift bed, she got up, picked up her small bag and the media report her publicist left while Aelin was asleep, then moved to the other half of the private plane’s cabin. Comfortable beige leather chairs sat in clusters of four around a few tables, and she crossed over to the one where a dark-haired man around her own age was sprawled in one of the chairs, snoring softly.

He didn’t budge when she sat down opposite him, propped her chin on her hands, and stared directly into his closed eyes. Time to work, then.

She flipped open the folder that held Elide’s report. On the first page, she’d left a Post-it note with the reminder that Aelin would meet her new bodyguard. She didn’t know anything about him, except he was highly recommended and flew from Wendlyn to temporarily replace Chaol while he was on paternity leave.

Post-it aside, Aelin knew what was inside Elide’s media report even before she opened it: a reminder of the next season of her show among a whole bunch of speculation about her love life. She wasn’t masochistic enough to Google herself and see what was being said about her, hence why her publicist always curated a sum up of what was currently being said about her, with a few headlines and hit tweets so she could have an idea of potential subjects for the next round of interviews.

And this week’s media report? Just a big are-they-or-aren’t-they.

Because if producers invite Aelin and Dorian to co-star together, it’s obviously because they’re in a romantic relationship, it wouldn’t have to do with both of them being hard-working stars who have chemistry on screen, get along with each other and the rest of the crew off-screen, and also happen to not arrive late or throw tantrums on set.

It was another several minutes before he stirred, and Aelin prepared for it, putting her work off to stare at him with crazy eyes as he pushed the silk sleep mask off of his eyes—to her delight, he gave a little shriek.

“Holy shit, Aelin!”

She snickered. “Morning, princess. Have a good beauty sleep?”

Dorian Havilliard pushed his hair away from his face with a sniff. “Since you’re clearly so invested in my well-being, yes. I did.”

“Aww, Dor, you know how easy it is to scare you.” She caught the pencil he threw at her head. “You would have been scared when you woke up anyway, since we’ll be halfway around the world.”

“That doesn’t scare me.” He settled his headphones around his neck. “We’ve both been in this game too long to be freaked out by a little time change, right?”

“Right.” Aelin turned her attention to the notes on her phone. “Are we ready for tonight?” Her publicist had left her a lengthy list of instructions for that night’s launch of the teaser trailer for the new season of “Queen of Glass,” the hit Netflix series that Aelin and Dorian starred in.

Dorian grumbled under his breath. “I guess. Wish we didn’t have to jump straight into press, but that’s just how it worked out this time.” Normally, when going to an event for their current project, they would arrive at their first stop and have a day or two to settle in, adjust to the time change, and prepare for the upcoming interviews, but their last few weeks of filming had gone later than expected, and they hadn’t been able to leave until the day before the trailer launch.

“I know, you wanted to be able to see the sights—the landmarks, the river, the art, the men.” Aelin laughed at the guilty flush that crept up Dorian’s face. “It’s okay, you know—I have a thing for Velarian men too, I’d never judge you for it.”

He smirked. “We can leave that to dear old Dad.”

She barked out a sharp laugh. “It’s too bad he won’t be at this event, because you could give him all the heart attacks.”

“About that…”

Aelin arched one eyebrow. “Why do I sense that you’re about to ask me for one of your big favors again, Dor?”

“I have a big favor to ask,” Dorian crooned, right on cue, snickering.

She sighed in pretend reluctance. “What is it?”

“Weshouldpretendtobedating.” The words spilled out of him in a single, breathless rush. He took a big gulp of breath and tried again, his fingers tapping erratically on the top of the table. “We should pretend to be dating when we give interviews.”

“Dor, sweetheart…” Her confusion grew. “Why the hell are you saying that?”

“I have a whole entire explanation that I should’ve given first, but of fuckin’ course I had to go and spill the conclusion.” He took a long drink from his water bottle. “You know how much of an asshole my dad gets when he’s stressed out during campaigns.”

Aelin nodded. “Oh, I’m very aware of Asshat-in-Chief Havilliard.”

Actually, his dad was an asshole every day of every year and managed to get worse around the elections, but Dorian was so used to the toxicity and verbal abuse that he saw it as ‘normal’.

Dorian snickered. “Well, before we left on this trip, he decided to grant me the immense favor of a two-minute phone call, and he told me quite bluntly that if I ‘do anything to screw over his campaign,’ he’d go the extra mile to ‘unscrew it’—that was a direct quote, by the way, and you know…”

“I do,” Aelin said, softening now. Havilliard Sr. was the perfect example of how dangerous it could be to hand that much power in the hands of a jackass like him. The possibilities of what he could do to his son were endless—publicly cut him off, forbid him from seeing his mother and little brother, even sink his career with a few phone calls to high-profile executives from his golf club—and the worst thing, he had no qualms about dangling this over his own son’s head when convenient. “Sounds just like the kind of shit he would say,” Aelin agreed. “What do you need?”

“The next thing he told me—as if it wasn’t already clear—was that if I’m too indiscreet, he’ll consider that me screwing over his campaign. So, I just need to keep him off my ass, get one hell of a solid alibi, you know? And I didn’t have any good ideas until I told Lys about Dad’s phone call.” He took another deep breath. “I’m not trying to shift the blame here—”

“You definitely are, but I’ll ignore it,” Aelin teased. “Go on.”

“Lys suggested that we pretend to be dating for this press tour, potentially starting as early as this event. If we’re seen in a ‘relationship,’ then all the paparazzi and tabloids will assume that we’ve been hiding it for a while, and they’ll go fucking insane trying to dig up all the little hints. They’ll get so consumed with our fake love story that they won’t pay any attention to the stuff we don’t want them to see. Plus, it will get even more engagement for the season premiere.”

“Don’t I know that,” Aelin muttered. She tapped her nails thoughtfully on the edge of the table, thinking over Dorian’s proposal. “I want to ask for time to think about it, but…Lys is right. Damn, it’s like she knows things about this.”

Dorian chuckled. “Almost like it’s her job, right?”

“Who would’ve guessed?” Aelin laughed. “It’s a hell of an idea, Dor. Do you think we can actually pull it off?”

“My beloved Elentiya,” Dorian intoned, quoting his lines from the season they had just finished filming. “My heart and soul are yours.”

“You’re such a drama queen,” she teased. “Okay. We just have a lot to plan and discuss, but… I’ll do it.”

While she hated to indirectly support Dorian’s dad, she’d do just about anything to protect her friend.

“Thank you,” he said with a soft, grateful look—completely serious for once—and reached over to squeeze her hands.

The plane touched down as they spoke, the slight jolt of the landing causing the luggage in the overhead compartments to rattle softly. The pilot’s voice crackled to life over the speaker a moment later. “Welcome to Velaris! The local time is 14:25. We will likely be taxiing for ten to fifteen minutes, so please sit comfortably until we’ve reached our gate at the private flight terminal.”

“Looks like we’ll have a few hours before the trailer launch,” Aelin remarked, glancing at her smart watch.

“At least enough time to prepare while we sit in hair and makeup,” Dorian said, somewhat cynically.

She wiggled her brows at him. “We both know your favorite part of being a famous film star is getting your hair done every day, you little diva.”

“Guilty as charged.” He combed his fingers through his dark waves.

The plane finally pulled into a gate and stopped, its engines rumbling down to silence as the jet bridge connected to the plane’s doors. Aelin stood up, stretching her arms above her head and wincing a little at the stiffness in her hips from eleven hours on a plane. Even the comfort of the private jet didn’t relieve the physical strain of such long travel days.

She fished out her pair of sunglasses from her purse, but before she could descend the jet’s stairs, her assistant Manon was already talking to a man on the floor.

A man? Aelin wasn’t sure. He was the size of a French-door refrigerator, and he was probably strong enough to lift one, too. Pale blond hair, sunglasses, black ink peeking out his collar and sleeves contrasting with that Wendlyn tan.

“Darling, is our relationship open?” Dorian slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose to get a better look.

”Why?” she said in a teasing tone. “Last one to ride the bodyguard is a rotten egg?”

Manon, who was standing on the jet bridge, had her back to them, but she turned to give them one of her scary glares. Dorian immediately straightened, and it was only then that Aelin realized that they were both blocking the airplane door to gawk at the bodyguard.

Both hurried to descend the stairs, but Aelin went directly to her assistant—and new bodyguard—while Dorian went to Lys, probably to tell his publicist about their conversation.

The bodyguard took off his sunglasses, exposing a set of pine-green eyes. Gods, he just kept getting more attractive.

She was in such deep shit.

“Aelin,” Manon said crisply when she was within reach. “I want you to meet the personal security officer that’ll work with us while Chaol’s out.”

He gave nothing but a curt nod, his face a blank mask.

“I’m Aelin,” she offered.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Galathynius.”

“Do you have a name, or should I just snap my fingers at you?” She couldn’t resist a teasing grin, or the analytical up-and-down stare, watching as his jaw clenched.

“Whitethorn. Rowan Whitethorn.”

Rowan Whitethorn—stern, blazing green eyes, muscles for days, and tattoos that made her wonder how far they went. They curled down to the fingertips of his right hand and up part of his neck, only highlighting his…god, he was hot. An annoyed scowl crossed his stupidly handsome face. So far, his personality was the only unattractive thing about him, and his grumpy ass would stick out like a sore thumb among her team’s friendly environment.

”We treat each other on a first-name basis on my team, are you okay with this?”

He nodded. “Of course, ma’am.”

His automatic, almost robotic reply brought a slow smirk to her lips. “Let’s practice, then. Call me Aelin.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, barely concealing his irritation, and kept strong eye contact as he said, “Very well, Aelin.”

“And I’m Dorian,” the annoying pain in her ass she called a best friend and co-star cut in.

Aelin sighed. “He’s—“

”The boyfriend,” he interrupted again, this time sliding his hands around her waist. “A very possessive one, too.”

“Dorian,” Aelin sighed. “We agreed not to tell people yet!”

The incorrigible man shrugged. “I think it’s best that our security team knows, right?” She rolled her eyes. He continued, “Though I do think it’s a big insult that you don’t think I can protect you myself—I was killing zombies at 16, for Mala’s sake.”

“You and I both know the zombies were CGI-ed, Dori.”

Rowan huffed under his breath. “If the two of you are done, we have a schedule to keep. We need to get to the car.”

The private terminal was mostly quiet, but years of being in the spotlight made her extra attuned to the amount of possible eyes that could be watching. Dorian fell into step beside her as they walked through the terminal, exiting into bright summer sunlight. A black SUV with tinted windows waited beside the curb, and as they came out of the terminal, a man in dark gray pants and a long-sleeved gray shirt, dark shades covering his eyes and a clear coil of wire trailing from the earpiece in his left ear, stepped out of the car and opened the side door. Like most of the security personnel Aelin had met in her years of having a security detail, he was fairly nondescript—averagely tall and physically fit with closely cropped brown hair and a bland, forgettable face.

She left her suitcase for the guard to put into the back of the car and climbed in with Dorian, exhaling deeply at the comfort of the plush seats. “Damn, I could fall asleep so fast.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Seated in one of the seats opposite Aelin and Dorian’s row, Elide handed Aelin a steaming paper cup. “We have shit to talk about, Ae.” The petite woman had been Aelin’s publicist for five years and her close friend since childhood, and she was fearsome in front of the press.

“You are the best,” Aelin breathed, taking a sip of the double espresso in the cup.

Elide’s lips twitched into a little smile. “We’ll see how you feel about that when I’m done telling you about tonight’s event.” She glanced down at her tablet. “Dorian texted me earlier that he’d talked to you about the strategy?”

“You mean Lys’s brilliant, crackpot scheme to break the internet?”

Next to Elide, Lysandra raised one perfectly threaded eyebrow. “Lady, I know you didn’t just insult my brilliance.”

“I would never,” Aelin crooned innocently.

Dorian snorted. “You would.”

“Traitor.” She poked him in the ribs.

Lys clapped her hands. “Class is now in session. Pay attention, you two.” She and Elide shared a look. “So, Dorian told both of us that he talked to you, Aelin. Have you made up your mind about the dating plan?”

“Yes.” Aelin sipped her espresso. “I’m in.”

“Good.” Lysandra tapped something on her tablet. “We don’t think you should jump straight into it tonight, mostly because the timing isn’t great and we don’t expect you to be able to pull off a fake hard launch after traveling for most of the day. So here’s what we were thinking: when you make your red carpet appearance, just act normal. Be the two best friends that everyone knows you are.”

“But if you want to stay a little closer together, maybe stay side by side for all the photos and have multiple hugs, that wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Elide added. “The idea is that you give the press a subtle hint of what’s going to happen. Make them start to wonder if there’s anything more than friendship between the leading actors. That way, when you do launch your fake relationship, they’ll sprint back to the photos from tonight and put them up everywhere as proof that everyone missed.”

Dorian nodded slowly. “I know I say this about once a day, but you are truly a genius, Lysandra.”

“I know.” The publicist smirked. “Any questions?”

“When do you want us to do the big reveal?” Aelin asked.

Elide shrugged. “We can talk about it after the event tonight. You have a couple of free days after the trailer launch, so I was thinking that when you two go out exploring the city, you could make a point of holding hands or whatever so that people can catch those moments and start freaking out over your relationship.”

“That sounds like you’re going to stage some photos,” Aelin commented.

“Maybe I am.” Elide winked. “You should be expecting it by now, Ae.”

“I really should,” Aelin chuckled.

Dorian tilted his head to the side. “Hypothetically, what if we dropped a big hint during the screening of the trailer?”

Lys narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean by ‘big hint,’ Dor?”

He shrugged. “I dunno, like a kiss?”

“What part of not today did you not understand?” Lysandra sighed, but she noticed that Dorian was holding back laughter. “Are you…did you do that just to play me?”

“Maybe.” He snickered.

“You’re a little shit,” she laughed. “I swear, one of these days I’m going to drop you, and you’ll be running around in circles trying to figure things out.”

He shot her an angelic smile. “Lys darling, you’re the best publicist in the world.”

“I know.”

The car slowed to a stop at the back entrance of a five-story sandstone building, its walls broken with elegant arches of sparkling glass and columned balconies that were often the site of romantic photoshoots. The River Mansion, a two-century-old hotel that had been remodeled to modernize its facilities while preserving its historic architecture, was possibly one of the most beautiful buildings in Velaris. Aelin had stayed there twice before, and each time, she had loved it.

Their gray-clad security guard opened the door, and the four of them climbed out of the car, Aelin falling into step next to Dorian with the two publicists and Manon in front of them as they walked in the back entrance of the hotel. Rowan was a couple of steps ahead, and he held the door open for them like a gentleman, even though he was a grump. Inside, her feet practically sank into the plush blue carpet, but she barely had time to admire the tasteful art adorning the walls as Lys and Elide led them up to their rooms.

In Aelin’s room, a small army of stylists had already set up shop, and she barely had time to have a proper bath before being whisked into a chair. Elide ran through her whole list of instructions for what to expect at the event as Aelin’s makeup artist and hair stylist worked their magic, transforming her from travel-tired to glowing. The puffiness under her eyes vanished beneath a layer of expertly applied concealer, and a sharp wing of black eyeliner flicked out from the corner of each eye.

“You’re a wonder, Rin.” Aelin checked her reflection in the mirror. “I’ll never know how you do this kind of magic.”

“It’s called makeup,” Asterin Blackbeak laughed. She’d been Aelin’s makeup artist for just over a year, and she was magical with an eyeshadow palette.

“Ruin my fun, why don’t you?” Aelin winked at Asterin. She got up from the chair and went over to get dressed, returning once her form-fitting red silk gown was laced up her back, the slit up one leg allowing her freedom to move in the fitted skirts. Her stylist took the wide rollers out of her hair, letting it tumble down her back in a spill of glamorous waves.

“You guys are the best,” she gushed to her team, blowing them air kisses so Asterin didn’t scream at her for messing up her makeup.

Elide tapped one stiletto heel on the floor. “We’ve got to go, Ae.”

With a final wave to her team, Aelin followed Elide out the door and down the hallway to the elevator. They rode down to the lobby, and the steel doors smoothly opened to reveal the usual handful of paparazzi that followed anywhere the Queen of Action Movies went. Aelin smothered a grimace and ducked her lead like she’d been trained to do, dodging as many camera flashes as possible as Elide led her towards the private side door. She caught a relieved breath as they exited.

“You’re late,” Rowan muttered as she climbed into the car, its windows darkly tinted for privacy. “According to the schedule, we should have left ten minutes ago.”

She shot him a glare. “One of the things you need to understand about providing security for a film actress, Rowan, is that we rarely keep to a predetermined schedule.”

“Too busy taking fucking pictures,” he grumbled.

“Too busy avoiding cameras, not that you would know.” She yanked the door shut, silently fuming at the audacity of that man. It was hard to tell if he didn’t have previous experience with celebrities, or if he was just an ass.

It was too bad his ridiculous attractiveness didn’t match his behavior, because if it did, Mala knows the things she’d do to him.

The screening of the trailer and the endless stream of red carpet photos went by in a blur of camera flashes and a pasted-on smile, and by the time she had a minute to breathe, Aelin was walking into Rita’s, a club that she and many of her actor peers liked, arm in arm with Dorian. They entered through a side door, a private entrance that led directly into the lounge space, allowing them to avoid most of the greedy paparazzi.

Inside, the floor was already full of people in their best “Queen of Glass”-inspired costumes, with the only exception the black-clad security personnel who stood at intervals around the perimeter of the lounge. Aelin herself wore a dress inspired by one of her costumes from the first season of the show—a form-fitting black minidress with a dragon embroidered in gold thread climbing up the back, its jaw opened wide and its tail curling around one hip. She wore gold jewelry to complement the dress, and her lipstick was flame red and smudge-proof.

“Looking stunning as always,” Dorian said, appearing out of nowhere with a drink in each hand. He wore a white shirt with cobalt-blue embroidery and black leather pants, the shirt open to reveal half his chest, and a fake knife was tucked into his belt.

She grinned at him. “Thanks, Dor.” Accepting one of the drinks, she took a sip. “Shit, that’s delicious!”

“Fenrys is bartending.”

“Makes sense.” She winked at him. “So you’ll be spending as much time as possible at the bar, right?”

“Shut up.” His face flushed pink, and he elbowed her in the side.

She laughed, poking him affectionately in the ribs. “You know I won’t tell a soul about your little crush on the bartender.”

“Two hours.” Rowan’s curt voice cut through Aelin’s good mood.

She scoffed. “Lighten up, Whitethorn. Rita’s is secure, as you can tell from the guards everywhere, and I’m not some teenager who snuck out of Mommy and Daddy’s house. I’ll let you know when I want to leave.”

He scowled, and she silently cursed her panties for dampening at the sight. “You can’t be hungover at tomorrow’s events, Aelin.” He glanced at Dorian, who had a drink in each hand. “Neither of you can.”

“Good thing I don’t plan on drinking more than this, then.” She tugged Dorian into the crowd, leaving Rowan behind.

That tight-strung asshole was going to ruin her fucking life.

Sensing her grouchiness, Dorian tugged her towards the side of the room. “Want to go do the photo booth?” He gave her his best big puppy eyes. “Lys and Elide said we should, but also, it would be fun.”

“Why are you right?” she sighed, shaking the tension from her limbs. “I’m sorry, Dor, talking to that asshat is taking all of my patience.”

“Too bad he’s so damn hot,” Dorian added, wiggling his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. “I would’ve climbed him like a tree until he opened that stupid mouth of his and started poking his nose in my schedule.”

He’s been part of the team for less than a day. What did he know about Aelin’s drinking and partying habits? Or Dorian’s, for that matter.

“Fair.” He led her through the crowd, stopping every other minute to talk to some of the guests, that brilliant smile of his flashing as he posed for casual photos. She grinned right along with him, throwing herself into the joy that meeting her fans always brought her, and they eventually joined the line for the photo booth.

Rowan cleared his throat beside them, and there went Aelin’s blood pressure again. He folded his arms across his chest, glaring at her and Dorian. “You two decided it’s a good idea to go inside an unrestricted booth where I can’t see you?”

“It’s only closed off by a curtain, and it’s inside a secure location. Plus, your guard dogs probably sniffed it down already.” She glared back at him.

He refused to move. “It’s not approved, princess.”

“Oh, for the gods’ sake.” Dorian brushed past Rowan, tugging Aelin with him into the photo booth. “It’ll take a minute, and you can stand outside with your stopwatch if it makes you less angsty.” He winked at the stoic, brooding man and pulled the curtain shut.

Aelin huffed as she sat down on the small plastic bench. “Thanks. I don’t know why he’s being so ridiculous; I’ve only known him for eight hours.” She watched as Dorian tapped on the screen opposite them, picking a random handful of poses, and laughed when he flopped down next to her and threw his arm around her shoulders. “What happened to platonic co-stars?”

He snickered, grinning big at the camera as it flashed. “Hey, we’ve got to make it look good for all the big bad cameras, right?”

“Damn right!” She jumped into his lap, giggling, as the camera flashed a second time, and they scrambled into two more poses, a tangle of hilarity, until the camera counted down for the last time and he took her face in his hands and plopped a dramatic kiss on her lips as the bright flash exploded in the small booth.

Dorian positioned his hands just the way she liked it, without covering her face for the camera. Knowing how messy things could get off-set, it relieved her that he was thinking about how the kissing picture would look rather than the picture itself. Aelin would be lying if she said every stage kiss with Dorian had been this mechanic, but the short-lived crush she had on him at the initial stages of their first movie together quickly faded away when she realized she was into the character, not the actor.

And this? Right now, kissing Dorian was work, one piece of the narrative that belongs to Aelin’s favorite and longest-lasting character—her public persona.

Of course, Rowan chose that moment to shove his head through the curtain.

“Time’s—ah, fuck.” He jerked backwards as suddenly as he’d broken into the booth and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh, time’s up.”

“I think that’s the most un-grumpy I’ve seen him so far,” Dorian whispered into Aelin’s ear, making her snort a laugh and smack him in the shoulder as she collected the two printed photo strips.

“You’re a little shit,” she chuckled. She pushed aside the curtain and stepped out of the booth, immediately sidling up to Rowan’s side with a wide, innocent smile on her face. “Sorry to scandalize you, big guy.”

He mumbled something inaudible under his breath. “I’ve seen worse, princess.”

Aelin turned to leave, but she didn’t sense him following her, so something critical must’ve happened. She half-turned, raising an eyebrow at his parted lips and a look so intense it inflamed her skin with his poorly-concealed irritation. “Something the matter?”

“What are you wearing?” For the first time that night, he got a proper look at her dress in all its glory, and of course it wasn’t of his liking.

Aelin spinned like an overly excited girl about her dress just to annoy him. “One of my favorite designers made it—do you know the label Maison Sellene? She’s incredible, and she got the dragon design from one of the set designers’ sketches.”

Rowan’s eyes burned like dragonfire. “It suits you, princess.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Stop calling me that. I told you, my team is on a first-name basis with each other.”

“Fine, Aelin.” Oh gods, his pronunciation of her name made her shiver. Dorian came back with drinks, and of course he glared at the one she took. “I thought you weren’t drinking?”

Locking her eyes on his, she took a long sip of it. “It’s nonalcoholic.” He looked skeptical, so she pushed the glass to his lips. “If you don’t believe me, Rowan, try it for yourself.”

He accepted the drink as if she had poisoned it before handing it to him, sniffed it and squinted his eyes at her, trying to decide if the juice and soda water smell was real or just a deceit for his nose. “Fine,” Rowan said as he handed it back to her, the short word sounding awfully close to a grunt.

She huffed an impatient sigh and once again turned to leave, heading towards the cluster of women gesturing wildly for her to come dance with them. But she’d barely gone more than a few steps when Dorian hooked his arm through hers and pulled her to the dance floor with him, and she laughed as she looped her arms around his neck. “Are you trying to give Lys high blood pressure?”

“I would never,” he snickered, winking widely. “Just thought this would be fun.”

“We’ll see how you feel about that when someone posts a photo of us dancing this close on their Instagram story and the whole internet goes insane.”

“My kind of fun.” He dipped her backwards, and when he pulled her up, both of them giggling, he swept her into his and planted a stage kiss on her lips.

Just in time for multiple phone cameras to click.

She chuckled and pushed him away playfully. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom, ok? It’ll only take me a few minutes.” She wove her way across the room, only stopping a few times to chat with people, and she sighed with relief when she noticed that there wasn’t a line outside the ladies’ bathroom.

Once again, an arm banded around her waist.

This time, though, that arm hauled her to the side, and the door of the janitor’s closet slammed shut behind Aelin as the man all but yanked her into the small, empty, slightly dusty space.

She was firing Rowan so hard today.

Aelin slapped his hand out of her mouth and spun around before he could react, quickly hitting his groin with her knee. The man groaned, and she used the little time she had to grab a spray bottle—for temporary blindness if necessary—and turn on the feeble light to see who her assaulter was.

Imagine Aelin’s surprise when she found out that her attacker was Mr. Safety himself.

Still bent due to the damage to his crotch, Rowan wheezed. “Where did you learn these moves, princess?”

Arms folded across her chest, she shot him a glare. “What the hell, Whitethorn? You almost gave me a heart attack! What’re you doing?!”

Rowan’s hand curled loosely in front of his groin, as if anticipating another blow. “I got an alert that there’s an unauthorized person in the room, and my first priority is keeping you safe from potential threats.”

“What about Dorian?” She snapped. “Is he in less danger than me because he’s a man or something?”

Her bodyguard opened his mouth to retort, then closed it. “He…has his own security team…”

Aelin raised a brow. “And you’re in contact with his team? Keeping track of him? Because there’s a potential threat, or so you say.” Every single word was deeply sarcastic.

“Of course.” Rowan pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed her the screen. Several notifications were stacked up on the screen, notifications of a potential unauthorized guest in the room and brief updates about Aelin’s and Dorian’s safety.

Some of her irritation faded away. “Fine. You might have given me at least a tiny bit of warning before you grabbed me, though.”

His jaw clenched. “There’s not always going to be time for me to warn you, princess. The least you could do is understand that.”

The maleness of that statement, the entitlement of his tone brought her irritation right back. “Remind me again who is employing whom? Your responsibility is my safety, as you’ve said a thousand times. Well, that includes you giving me notice so I don’t think I’m being fucking kidnapped!” Her voice cracked on the final word.

And damn him, he noticed the crack in her demeanor.

His stance relaxed, and concern crossed his face. “Did that happen before, Aelin?”

Aelin’s throat felt too tight as she swallowed scattered flashbacks from a lifetime ago. As always, she forced them all back into their locked box.

“Didn’t you read my file, Whitethorn?” Aelin knew she was being harsh, but it was a necessary measure. “You should know the answer already.”

Both of them knew that file back to back, and she knew his question went beyond that. Rowan gave her a wary look, reading her deflection far too well, but the last thing she needed was his overprotective ass deciding she was fragile.

His phone pinged, saving her from any response he might have made. He glanced at the screen and sighed softly. “There wasn’t a threat, just someone who forgot their invitation. You can go back out.”

“About time,” she mumbled. Before he could say anything, do anything else, she pushed open the door and went back to the party, her heels snapping angrily on the floor. He stayed a good distance behind her, trailing her back to the party, and faded into the edge of the crowd, but she felt his eyes on her.

She shook off the weight of his gaze, plastering a gleaming smile back onto her face. She was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, the Queen of Action Movies.

She wouldn’t let her bodyguard distract her.

~~~

TAGS: lmk if you want to be added or removed! maria and i are combining taglists for this fic so you can let her know too :)

@live-the-fangirl-life

@superspiritfestival

@thegreyj

@wordsafterhours

@elentiyawhitethorn

@mariaofdoranelle

@rowanaelinn

@house-of-galathynius

@tomtenadia

@julemmaes

@swankii-art-teacher

@charlizeed

@booknerdproblems

@earthtolinds

@goddess-aelin

@sweet-but-stormy

@clea-nightingale

@autumnbabylon

@llyncooljones

@silentquartz

@renxzs

@anarchiii

@fauna-flora11

@cynthiesjmxazrielslover

@mysterylilycheeta

#my writing #leia and maria write stories #of hearts and heists #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #dorian havilliard #manon blackbeak #elide lochan #lysandra ennar #rowaelin #eventually rowaelin eheheh #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfic #throne of glass au #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin au

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insufferableprotagonistpoll · 9 months ago

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Round 2

Propaganda why Marinette Dupain-Cheng is insufferable:

She easily gets away with bad, stalkerish behavior, it always feels like she can ‘do no wrong’ unless the show wants us to pity her, and the show writers want us to think she is a quirky and socially awkward girl when throughout the series we see her be friends with basically everyone in Paris with many connections to high up places.

I get she has social anxiety but the way she goes about stalking Adrien is kind of the worst like she even has creep shots of him hanging in her room? That’s weird. I think Adrien’s going through enough without having to deal with the main character being his stalker lol. I know they’re (spoilers) at this point but in the beginning it was so sus

In the newest season, Marinette hides the fact that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s dad. This leads to the bastard getting a statue and honored as a hero after his death. Adrien now never gets to know the fact that his abusive and neglectful father was the one trying to kill him and is instead proud of him.

Her crush on Adrien is like a black hole for her character. Things she’s done because of it:

1) stolen property

2) ruined dates

3) humiliated other characters

4) has a chart of Adrien’s daily schedule for the next year in her room (this is stalking)

5) broke into his room and sniffed his pillow (also a crime)

6) sniffed, took the hair from, and tried to kiss what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien

7) convinced her parents to let her go to China. Why? Not because she wants to connect with her mother’s heritage, not even because she’s a budding fashion designer and Shanghai is considered a fashion hotspot. It’s because Adrien was there.

I started the show, watched one episode, and never tried again. I simply do not vibe with her.

shes annoyinng anf shes a stalker

I love fanon miraculous but by god she has got to stop obsessively stalking her crush and generally making a ton of other terrible decisions. I’d submit Adrien too but he’s more of a deuteragonist

More propaganda

Anti propaganda

Propaganda why Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is insufferable:

Your basic Mary Sue. Styled as the incredibly cool best-assassin in the land at only 18, she nevertheless is constantly snuck up upon, distracted by pretty boys, and possesses not an ounce of wit. In a competition between murderers and thieves to win a place as the King's Champion, she sees a bag of chocolates on her bed that she didn't put there and immediately starts eating it and gushing about how much she adores chocolate - nevermind that they just had a trial involving poison, which several of her competitors are adept at. She's always right, and other characters exist just to tell her how awesome and beautiful and wonderful she is. And then she turns out to be a super special magical fey princess!

I generally don't believe that a Mary Sue is a bad thing, but the only thing I remember about this book was how she had been in prison for years but was super young but was also still the most super-specialest assassin. And she kept reading when she should have been training or sleeping. Like, girl, this is not final exams where you can stay up all night and then roll into class in your pajamas and still squeak out a C. It's supposed to be life and death. Her character traits didn't make her relatable, they made her a moron

Heir to a kingdom plus turquoise eyes plus best assassin in the world plus protagonist centered morality

Anti propaganda

#marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #mlb marinette #mlb #aelin galathynius #celaena sardothien #throne of glass #aelin ashryver galathynius #insufferable protagonist poll #insufferable protagonist tournament #tournament poll

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wvsteria · 2 months ago

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so this is is my starter/plotting call. obvs gonna be mostly dropping everything from pre event so trying to wrap up whatever plots need to be done now or at least hc them out in dms. anything post event will be transitioning from this event so most threads are just getting dropped.

if you'd like to plot in general give this a like if you want starters please only three per mun and three per muse. you must provide muse name or it will not be added to the list and if you go over i'll only grab the first three so please pay attention to what's being requested. i'm welcome to out of fandom plots so pls request if you want, however i may dm for plotting!

this call is separated into who is completely still unaware, people who went from their canon lives to medieval times, and people who know that dc flipped to medieval times randomly. as always i'm up for chaos plots as normal, though i mostly would like to explore this fantasy era with most muses in tact by the end.

people completely unaware, thinks modern medieval is their home

aro volturi | twilight | 3500+/40 | he/they | occupation: vampire/noble

plots: knights that guard him, other members of his court, other royals, an arranged marriage (he's already married so this wouldn't be an endgame plot), since it's fantasy world he's aware he's a vampire, so people he feeds on and people who may know his secret

(2/3) starters: kim possible (spy, anna), sulpicia (maig)

claire hargreeves | the umbrella academy | 20 | she/they | baker

plots: other people that bake with her, regulars at her shop, other merchants

(2/3) starters: klaus hargreeves (britt), martha hatter (baker, risa)

dain aetos | fourth wing | 22 | he/they | knight

plots: other knights, nobles that he guards, some friends.

(2/3) starters: achilles (sunny), lucy (noble, maria)

juniper andromeda | crescent city | 26 | she/they | dancer

plots: idk what this world's version of it is, but she still is a performer for entertainment, people that attend her shows, other artists.

(3/3) starters: alice (artist, anna), jisoo (musician, maria), lee harker (bard, kirie)

lan sizhui | the untamed | 20 | he/they | tax collector

plots: he's a good responsible boi in every setting so sorry but he needs ur money it's for the government, he follows rules for the most part here but like also tries to help people out where he can, other families he's known forever

(2/3) starters: tahiri (tax collector, dee), felicia hardy (jeweler, maria)

princess nehemia ytger | throne of glass | 24 | she/they | noble

plots: knights that guard her, other members of her court, other royals, an arranged marriage (could be midgame or endgame based on chem)

(2/3) starters: aelin galathynius (noble, mario), hunt athalar (cheshire)

paige matthews | charmed | 27 | she/her | whitelighter/witch/innkeeper

plots: people that stay at her inn, other inn owners for her to have friendly competition, employees at her inn, she likes to open the inn for anyone in need so even if you can't pay she'll let you stay, i'm letting her know about her powers in this fantasy setting so a charge she has to watch over as a 'guardian angel' so to speak, someone sus of her powers of course bcs she's a witch

(3/3) starters: sophie sheridan (innkeeper, atlas), hongjo (guest, maria), madoka kaname (sunny)

rosalie hale | twilight | 100+ | she/her | vampire/midwife

plots: people she's helped give birth, other physicians she can work alongside, families she helps afterwards with the babies, she does a lot idk, also bcs of fantasy world she knows she's a vampire but she keeps it hidden and only feeds on animals

(3/3) starters: aequa (june), emmett cullen (mario), alice cullen (swan)

sidney prescott | scream | 20 | she/her | thespian

plots: other actors in their shows, people that attend her shows, other artists.

(2/3) starters: alison (thespian, maria), randy meeks (jodie)

soren palpatine | star wars | 28 | he/they | plague doctor

plots: people who've been sick or get sick that he takes care of, other doctor's physicians

(2/3) starters: sella palpatine (maig), alice hart (z)

will solace | percy | 20 | he/they | plague doctor

plots: people who've been sick or get sick that he takes care of, other doctor's physicians, someone that notices his power of healing, possible witchcraft accusation

(2/3) starters: nico di angelo (sunny), astrid (knight, cassie)

people who don't notice the dc change

brinna javik | star wars | 23 | they/she | monster hunter

plots: other monster hunters, people who are protectors of the monsters, friends

(3/3) starters: kriya dura (kasey), zhao yunlan (ollie), mu qing (monster hunting, june)

cassandra dimitrescu | resident evil 8 | 23 | she/her | harlot

plots: other harlots pls for friends, other morally gray/bad peeps, people they can lure in for a meal pls and thanks, some other supernaturals

(2/3) starters: erica (harlots, dee), bash de poitiers (druid, sammy)

clarisse la rue | percy jackson | 26 | she/they | bailiff

plots: people she's put in jail, criminals she goes after, other ppl in the security line of work

(2/3) starters: azula (jodie), rosamund (pickpocket, cassie)

dominic toretto | fast & furious | 45 | he/him | carpenter/thief

plots: people he's done work for, rich people he can steal from, prob a 'wet nurse' or babysitter for the son (10 y/o), other labor workers

(2/3) starters: satine kryze (alex), jo laughlin (sammy)

jacen solo | star wars | 27 | he/him | noble/knight

plots: other knights, nobles that he guards, some friends, members of the family organa court since he's technically a noble

(2/3) starters: allana solo (kasey), tenel ka djo (mario)

jackson kenner | the originals | 30 | he/they | stableman

plots: other farmers/stablemen, people that come by to ride the horses

(2/3) starters: sion palpatine (alex), jester (innkeeper, cassie)

josette saltzman | legacies | 18 | she/they | herbalist

plots: other merchants or pharmacist like people, other witches she does magic with in hiding, people suspicious of her power, customer's that she's healed

(3/3) starters: lizzie saltzman (dee), ithan holstrom (cheshire), caroline forbes (swan)

kiara carrera | outer banks | 22 | she/her | merchant - sells fisherman items

plots: other merchants, fisherman or people that buy her items, other troublemakers in the town

(2/3) starters: chiaki nanami (messenger, anna), luca pagro (fisherman, britt)

manon benoit | the originals | 20 | she/they | bard

plots: she's new here but she's decided she will be singing and writing songs, catch her at your local tavern, pls tip her nicely, someone who helps her find a place to stay/roommate, other artists

(2/3) starters: lilo pelekai (barmaid, anna), bella swan (artist, kirie)

mason bishop | the vampire diaries | 20 | he/they | witch/mason

plots: other laborers, people he's helped build houses or things for, buddy is also a witch and is trying to avoid being caught and killed so some ppl who are sus of him

(2/3) starters: lizzie saltzman (dee), will graham (carpenter, kirie)

mouse honrada | pretty little liars: original sin | 18 | she/they | messenger

plots: people she delivers to daily, friends she's made along her route, she travels a lot, people her age to have fun with

(1/3) starters: aria montgomery (messenger, dee)

myri tiure | star wars | 25 | she/they | still a crime boss' daughter

plots: other thieves and morally bad people to mess around with

(2/3) starters: jabba hutt (dee), rotta (z)

natasha romanoff | marvel | 36 | she/her | mercenary

plots: nat uses her abilities for good so though she's a mercenary she's picky about what jobs she pulls, people in the similar line of work

(2/3) starters: yelena belova ( swan), bucky barnes (mario)

nathalie | crescent city | 24 | she/they | bailiff

plots: people she's put in jail, criminals she goes after, other ppl in the security line of work

(2/3) starters:stiles stilinkski (sheriff, risa), zed necrodopolis (britt)

queen padmé amidala | star wars | 27 | she/her | noble

plots: knights that guard her even though she doesn't want to be guarded, other members of her court, other royals

(3/3) starters: anakin skywalker (jodie), lola fleming narcisse (lady in waiting, sammy), mary stuart (swan)

princess samara palpatine | star wars | 24 | she/they | noble

plots: knights that guard her even though she doesn't want to be guarded, other members of her court, other royals that probably think she's crazy because they don't act like a royal fr, other derelicts she can cause trouble with

(2/3) starters: bean (nobles, anna), kaya dura (knight, maig)

sgaeyl | fourth wing | 30 | they/she | dragon tamer

plots: first off, they're pissed they arrived here and they aren't a dragon when there are clearly dragons around, instead they'll just be working closely with them to help them escape the monster hunters or smth, other supernaturals they find out about and keep their secret from the townsfolk

(2/3) starters: andarna (l), dean winchester (britt)

syala eren | star wars | 35 | she/they | tavern owner

plots: people that attend her tavern, all are welcome here especially supernaturals just try not to make a ruckus and alert the ppl

(2/3) starters: hayley marshall (l), zoro (sunny)

tara carpenter | scream | 19 | she/her | waitress

plots: any regulars at the shop she waits at, other worker friends

(2/3) starters: amber freeman (waitress, risa), deena johnson (sunny)

people who notice dc change

kol mikaelson | vampire diaries/the originals | 1000+ | he/they | noble

plots: other nobles he can freak out, members of the mikaelson court, people he keeps around so he can snack on, other supernatural friends

(3/3) starters: hope mikaelson (swan), chelsea (supernatural, cap), klaus mikaelson (mario)

mia winters | resident evil 8 | 36 | she/they | housewife

plots: neighbors, friends that she supposedly made this whole time, people she can freak out to about the time change

(2/3) starters: eveline (kaesy), rose winters (maig)

spencer hastings | pretty little liars | 26 | she/they | diplomat

plots: other nobles and people that they speak with to bring together different lands, neighbors, friends that she supposedly made this whole time, people she can freak out to about the time change

(3/3) starters: prince henry (knight, britt), hanna marin (swan), astrid (cap)

#hw: plot call

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acourtofquestions · 2 months ago

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And if he found her, if he freed her …

Rowan did not let himself think beyond that. To the other truth that they would face, the other burden.

Tell Rowan that I'm sorry I lied. But tell him it was all borrowed time anyway. Even before today, I knew it was all just borrowed time, but I still wish we'd had more of it.

He refused to accept that. Would never accept that she would be the ultimate cost to end this, to save their world

Rowan scanned the blanket of stars overhead.

While all other constellations had wheeled past, the Lord of the North remained, the immortal star between his antlers pointing the way home. To Terrasen.

Tell him he has to fight. He must save Terrasen, and remember the vows he made to me.

Time was not on their side, not with Maeve, not with the war unleashing itself back on their own continent. But he had no intention of returning without her, parting request or no, regardless of the oaths he'd sworn upon marrying her to guard and rule Terrasen.

And tell him thank you-for walking that dark path with me back to the light.

It had been his honor. From the very beginning, it had been his honor, the greatest of his immortal life.

An immortal life they would share together somehow. He'd allow no other alternative.

Rowan silently swore it to the stars. He could have sworn the Lord of the North flickered in response.

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rainingriversofyou · 9 months ago

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Nehemia x Celaena

“I name you Elentiya." She kissed the assassin's brow. "I give you this name to use with honour, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, 'Spirit That Could Not Be Broken.”

—Throne Of Glass

Artist: diabolical_victorian_cat

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lorebeth · 6 months ago

Note

Hey! Could you write a Blade x princess reader?

A princess like Aelin Galathynius from throne of glass. She’s a badass who used to be an assassin once and who wields fire power.

HIII I am so sorry this is so late I’ve been sick for 3 months and I literally lost all sense of reality for a while. BUT I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to keep the fire powers or not so I kept it as friendly as I could for any type of power! I hope that I wrote the reader well because if I’m being completely serious I had to search up Aelin Galathynius and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED!!! i was actually considering getting the novels so you’re literally a life saver! ANYWAYS I HOPE I MADE THIS WORTHWHILE AND THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST LOVELY!!

Blade x Princess! Reader

TW: Romantic (but can be read as platonic - just skip or ignore the dream part), kind of emotionally constipated reader..? War, blood, probably something incorrect in there lmao…

Sword fighting came to you easily. Your powerful strikes are full of precision and poise, your stance is always perfect and agile as well as your sharp mind. Your reaction time in battle was excellent and you were extremely proud of yourself.

You had to learn your cutthroat style from a young age, it’s a kill or be killed world and the only way to protect yourself was to become the predator, the top of the food chain. You also need extremely tentative wording and persuasive language to get information, as well as a keen eye for what is beneath the surface of every turmoil or hidden threat in one’s words.

This is your last mission. With a certain childhood friend at your back supporting you all throughout your younger and teen years, you know very well this could be the last you see of him.

But he wasn’t an idiot, you both understood that much.

As you both crouched and huddled under the cover of a bush - your bag of magical artifacts attached to your right thigh - you couldn’t help but realise how easy this was. It was extremely suspicious and you had to ask your companion for advice.

“You know what I’m going to say to you.” you whispered.

He chuckled, his rich laugh contrasting with his disheveled and dirty clothing. As much as the throne was your birthright, he also deserved luxuries you both could only dream of outside of a world of stealing. His hair was tied up in a high ponytail and your family’s medallion was attached as a brooch on his right chest strap. His trousers hung low and were stained with mud, his boots carrying a dagger in them. He turned to face you, golden eyes stalking your figure, you didn’t want to meet his yet.

“I think we should use our distraction.” his voice hoarse and unused. You both ran out of water preparing magical components at the base of the city and nearly two days staking out the perfect time to strike. The Rebels were planted in the lower and abandoned parts, ready for the signal.

You’ve been through worse however, this was child’s play compared to the gruesome training you forced upon yourself.

“Mm. Any last words, Blade?” you turned to look into his piercing eyes. They held broken shards of who he used to be, the child with big dreams and the broken promises he was gifted instead.

He grabbed your hand, gently raising the back of your gloved hand to his lips, kissing it. He slowly slid the black scarf over his nose again and squeezed your hand softly once. He would be at your side until the end.

You couldn’t help smile to yourself. Blade was your best friend, always at your beck and call, he knew you were never going to give up on him and he in turn never gave up on you.

Sometimes there’s a dream that almost haunts you at the peacefulness and domesticity it promises. It’s you with Blade in a beautiful bedroom, the light shining in and the wind blowing softly through the soft, pearl-coloured balcony curtains. The room covered in soft greens and faint reds that remind you of beautiful flowers. The silk bedsheet feeling blissful on your back as you stare up at Blade sleeping, his nose scarred and you always end the dream by running your fingers gently over it and kissing his nose, never getting past that scene.

It haunted you and you hated it, but fuck would you do anything for that moment to be reality. As much as you didn’t have time for romance in a fight for the throne, you could only crave it like how a force as powerful and chaotic as fire depends on something vital as oxygen to keep it alive, stronger than ever.

Of course you’d never tell him that though, it’s better for things to be left unsaid; especially in war. You took off yours and his masks, cupping his face gently. You’d never tell him how you felt, but actions always speak louder than words. You stared at him and pressed your lips against his cheek, inches away from his lips. You place his mask back on gently and he does the same for you.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ll follow you to the ends of the world if it means you are happy.”

___________________________

It was a fucking massacre. Blood on the walls, the curtains torn and glass windows shattered. Swords thrown haphazardly into all directions on the floor and half of the city glowing blue and white due to the “distraction” in the lower parts of the city. Whoever thought it was a good idea for Illegal Blue Flame Charms was on something as it wasn’t in the plan. You were trying to take back your city, not destroy it to fucking cinders. But you digress, you need to find the King.

As you stalk through the sinister hallways your boots make crunching sounds on the glass shards. You didn’t bother making your arrival quiet, you didn’t need to because the King already knew you were here, just like you promised.

“Well. I’ll be damned.” A cough erupted from a corner of darkness. The voice hauntingly familiar even through the strain and coughing fit.

He didn’t deserve to get a reply, after slaughtering your parents and exiling their only daughter lucky enough to escape, the promise you made that day would finally come true. You would get your Kingdom back and murder the one who endangered your people, taxed them to nothingness and celebrated the death of two brilliant parents and rulers.

As you raised your hand, you felt the familiar heat and energy in your palm, your fingertips glowing that lovely colour you’ve grown to adore. The blue of the outside fire and destruction was weak compared to the light emitting from your hand, and you landed the final blow. After years of trauma and terror, running away and the fear of being caught… you’ve never felt safer.

___________________________

The citizens - your people - adored you. Obviously, anyone would be better than the Dictator who was their last leader but you were their true heir, the one best fit to take control over the Kingdom again.

The first thing you did after you killed the King was find Blade. He was a skilled swordsman but even he wasn’t untouchable. He was injured and on the brink of passing out when you found him. He knew you had won and immediately fell on his knees to congratulate and bow down to you, a smirk on his face and blood trickling down the left side of his head, making him close his eye to stop it trickling into it. There was a cut on his nose now, that’ll scar for sure.

You had appointed him as your Head Guard and crowned him the highest honours you could bestow upon a man. He might as well have been a King himself.

Standing in your old bedroom, you made your way to the balcony watching over the city. The sun was setting and everything was gorgeous hues of golds and pinks.

The rebuilding of the city was going smoothly and no civilians were critically injured due to the Blue Flame Charms set around the different parts of the city, only the abandoned buildings were gone and could be easily replaced with new homes, markets and trading ports. Taxes that were stupid had been reset and everyone could finally breathe without having to rely on Loan Sharks or crime to live and support their families. Those who had lost their jobs and homes had been invited to the Castle and given jobs to help repair, as well as given food and water for their families. The old were taken to spare rooms and wherever someone could take them in. The Kingdom was working together better than ever before and it was all thanks to you and the rebels.

“What are you thinking about?” The voice of your Head Guard questioned. You turned around and smiled at him. You had changed your clothes and so did he, he was gorgeous with new clothing, better hygiene, nicely combed hair, beautiful brooches on his straps and delicate embroidered roses on his coat. His outfit was composed of blacks, dark greens and the blood reds from his roses.

“You.” He looked unimpressed.

“Sure.” He came to stand beside you on the balcony of your childhood bedroom, staring ahead as you continue to eye him.

“You know I wouldn’t have known what to do if I had lost you.” you whisper, the words holding a deeper meaning. His head turned in your direction, still not making eye contact with you. The sunset was illuminating his face and every scar, blemish and bandage on his face made him even more godly than before.

“Don’t look at me like that.” he turned to stare at you now, his eyes pleading. You smiled at him and laughed.

“A dear friend once told me, ‘I’ll follow you to the ends of the world if it means you are happy.’ I think he was right.” His laugh was pure and he embraced you.

The tears in your eyes stung and you felt all your panic and anxiety over the years slip, even if the trauma would be there forever you felt safe enough to forget about pain and misery in his arms.

“I am forever with you, Y/N. As your Head Guard, your Consultant and most importantly, your friend.” He kissed the top of your head sweetly and you couldn’t help sob happily as you laid in the safest arms of all.

___________________________

(Romantic: if you don’t want romance and only platonic I suggest ending it there. Thanks!)

You approached the man sat on the balcony step, circling your arms around his shoulders and pulling him back into your open arms, him coming into contact with your chest and sighing deeply.

“What’s wrong? Don’t like my hugs?” You teased.

“I hate that you don’t take me seriously.” He stated blandly. You look down at him confused. What’s he on about?

“What are you talking about? If I thought you were a joke you wouldn’t be my Head Guard, or in my arms for that matter.” you offered him a teasing smile and squeezed him a little harder.

“What I mean is you don’t take my advances seriously.” he scoffed.

What.

“Advances? What exactly have you done that was in a ‘courting fashion’?” you might as well have been given a blank piece of paper and sent out to go shopping because what fucking advances has he given you?

He turned around to face you and he had an exasperated expression, going through all 5 stages of grief trying to explain himself to you, “Y’know.. I gave you my last dessert. And I held you last week.” you stared at him blankly.

“You gave me your half-eaten pudding and you pushed me off the street into a muddy puddle because a carriage was driving by. The carriage wasn’t even close to the side walk may I add.” he sighed again and stared ahead, acting like a neglected child.

You laughed and soon your entire body couldn’t stop shaking at how hard you were laughing, Blade was still sulking in your arms and that made you stop momentarily.

“You know, those advances may not be, traditional per say… but it’s the thought that counts. And I might add, I’ve also been wanting you to court me too.” you finished with one of your hands cupping his cheek and the other holding onto his arm.

“I had great advances.” he deadpanned.

With the biggest eye roll you could muster, you leaned in gently, allowing him to have a moment to decide whether he wanted to kiss you too or back out. When he didn’t move you got a little confused, opting to back out.

He slowly inclined his head forward and with a excited smile you leaned in the full way, lips pressing against his. At first you did all the movements and set the pace, letting Blade adapt to the kiss.

His hands snaked around your waist and the wrist of the hand that was cupping his face. He soon felt you pull away from the kiss for air and he took the opportunity to kiss your wrist gently. His eyes piercing yours once again.

“My chosen protector, my closest companion and my heart, will you stay with me forever, until death do us part?” you asked, suddenly feeling all emotions you could possibly think of in that small silence overtaking your senses. You felt nervous but excited and you felt yourself trembling all in one.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” he smiled.

istg I had whooping cough or smth wtf

#honkai star rail #blade x reader #hsr blade #blade honkai #blade hsr #honkai #x reader #x princess reader

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