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ace-malarky · 10 months ago

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Golden Years

It's a writing share Thursday I have decided so have some of the Feral family and Llinos being a Whole Badass bc I wanted to explore some Fun lineage powers

The building was a burnt-out husk, but Tamhas could imagine what it might have looked like in its heyday.

He almost remembered it, actually.

“This feels familiar, doesn’t it?” Tadg asked, echoing Tamhas’ thought.

“Like a memory,” Tamhas agreed. “But I don’t…” He stiffened, ears twitching as he heard something.

Tadg stopped a second later, tilting his head towards the old building.

There was someone in there.

They exchanged a glance and tightened their respective grips on their weapons.

“Hello?” Tadg called out.

“Ah, boys, you came!” Tilde stepped out through what once would have been the building’s main doors. “How delightful.”

“Where is she?” Tamhas asked. “Where’s Llinos?”

The human smiled. “All in good time, boys. Let me show you around first. It has been a long time since you stepped foot in here, isn’t it?” She looked back up at the ruin.

Tamhas looked up at the structure, taking in the skeletal remains of the upper floors, the roof beyond them gone. It would have been grand, once.

“This is our home?” Tadg asked. “I remember… burning. Maybe.” He glanced at Tamhas.

Tamhas shrugged. They followed Tilde inside the burnt walls.

“That was a nasty business. All in search of a legend.”

“What do you know of it?” Tamhas trailed behind Tadg, keeping a careful distance from Tilde.

The walls were scorched black and bare, and the ceiling was broken through in places, letting the stars shine through. There was nothing left but ash. Either everything had burnt or been stolen.

“All in good time,” Tilde repeated. She led them without pausing through the corridors towards the back of the building. Of the mansion.

There was a door that had not burned. It wasn’t even marked.

Tilde knocked at it, and the door swung open. She turned to the twins and beckoned them to enter first.

“Is Llinos in there?” Tamhas asked. He sniffed at the air, but all he could smell was ash, somehow. Still, after all these years.

“All your questions will be answered,” Tilde replied. “But please, enter.”

Tamhas fought to keep his ears from going back. His tail twitched against his legs.

“Don’t keep him waiting.”

He pressed up against Tadg’s side.

The room beyond the door was large, opening up far more than either of them expected. There weren’t any windows, and the ceiling was intact. There were paintings along the walls, of people both human and fox-bonded. Some of them looked familiar, in that they shared features with each other. With Tamhas and Llinos and Tadg, more so the ones that were simply human. Tamhas saw his eyes, saw Llinos’ courtesy smile, saw Tadg’s grin.

The floor was polished wood, and a rug had been pushed to the side to reveal an inset block of white marble. Beyond it was a desk, and against the desk leant a cloaked figure.

“My, you’ve certainly grown since I last saw you. Such is the passage of time, I suppose.”

“Who are you?” Tamhas asked.

“And where’s Llinos?” Tadg scanned the room, leaning as if to see around the figure.

“I remember this place in its golden years,” the figure said, ignoring their questions. “Or – well, I remember the stories of it. They were failing already when I was young, and when you two were boys – well.” He shrugged, spreading his gloved hands wide. “But you can help me restore all that. I just need one thing from you.”

Tadg pulled free his short sword. “Where is our sister?”

He laughed. “You know, I have no idea. I really thought she’d be here by now!” He stood up. “I hope she hasn’t been too badly waylaid. Otherwise, this really isn’t the family reunion I had thought it might be.”

“What are you talking about? The rest of our family’s… dead.”

“Open the vault, boys.” The figure touched a foot to the marble. “One of you should be able to. Then we’ll see about that claim of yours.”

Tamhas stared at his foot. It was more of a paw, really, covered in white fur. “You’re – like us?”

“Open the vault, boys.”

Tamhas let out a strangled yelp as Tilde grabbed his arm, twisting it back and pulling him off-kilter before he could do anything.

Tadg whirled to face her, short sword raised, but she had a dagger at Tamhas’ throat.

“Do as he says,” Tilde says, her voice silky in Tamhas’ ear.

“Alright, alright!” Tadg set his sword on the ground, crouching to examine the slab of stone.

There were no markings on it.

Tadg pressed a hand to it, trying to find a seam. Nothing. “I… I don’t know how.”

“How many tails have you?” The figure stalked forward.

“What? Just the one.” Tadg looked up at him.

The figure was wearing a mask under the hood of his cloak, but his eyes glittered faintly red through it.

“Useless.” He kicked Tadg in the side, the force sending him tumbling across the floor until he fetched up against the wall. “You.” He pointed at Tamhas. “Open it.”

Tilde let go of him.

“Tadg–” Tamhas started towards his brother.

“The vault first.” The figure latched his hand about Tamhas’ wrist.

He was smaller, but as Tamhas took another look at Tadg – he was still conscious, trying to push himself up to sitting, hand at his ribs – the figure forcibly yanked him onto the marble.

“Fine!” Tamhas dropped to his knees.

He pressed both hands into the stone. There was nothing to it. It was a block of stone, nothing more. Barely even an edge where the wood stopped around it.

“Come on,” Tamhas hissed at it.

“Step away from my brother.” Her voice was a hoarse snarl, something animal and furious in it.

Tilde gasped behind him.

“Well, well, well… you finally made it.”

Tamhas chanced a glance over his shoulder.

Llinos had bonded since the last time he’d seen her. Her fur was more of a russet than her hair had been, her throat creamy white against the battered brown of her leather armour. Her armour was scarred and smeared with blood, but she was standing steady. Her ears were flattened back, her teeth bared in a snarl, and she had an arrow trained on the cloaked man’s chest.

“I mean it. Step away.”

Kaua and Jasper stepped into the room around her. Jasper went straight to Tadg, while Kaua stayed near Llinos, eyes on Tilde.

The figure put his food down on Tamhas’ hand, pinning him there. “Or what, Llinos?” He applied pressure and Tamhas hissed out a curse, wrapping his other hand about his ankle. “You’re hardly going to kill–”

Llinos shifted her hand minutely and fired. “Get fucked.”

He stumbled back, not quite reaching the desk before he fell to the ground.

Kaua charged to meet Tilde before she could turn on Tamhas, sweeping up her sword in a vicious attack.

“Tamhas?” Llinos took another arrow from the quiver strapped to her leg. “You alright?”

Tamhas flexed his hand. “Yes. But Tadg–” He twisted to look over at his twin.

Jasper had him sitting upright, carefully feeling for injuries. Tadg gave Tamhas a thumbs up, even as he winced.

Llinos stalked forward.

Tamhas got to his feet, falling in beside her. “They said they had you, that if we didn’t come out here, they’d hurt you.”

The figure was struggling, one hand on the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. “You missed,” he said.

“I never miss,” Llinos pushed back his hood, pulling off his mask.

He was another fox feral, mostly white with black ears and black markings around his eyes, which were dark blue with an encroaching red rim. There were fainter black markings across his head, disappearing under the collar of his cloak.

“Uncle Domhnall?” Llinos froze.

“Hello, niece.” He smiled. “How nice to see you again.”

“We have – I thought everyone else was dead? They all died?” Tamhas looked at Llinos.

“I thought so too.” She threw his mask away. “What the fuck.”

“The family was fading, you wouldn’t understand. The power, the influence they used to have–”

“So you burnt them all?” Llinos placed a foot on his stomach, keeping him on the floor.

“I was trying to get into the vault.”

“It’s locked to us for a reason,” Llinos snarled.

Tamhas felt his fur reacting like static. It felt like there was a thunderstorm coming, but there were just Llinos beside him.

As he watched, her single tail unfurled. Eight more formed like crackling spectres.

“Llinos?”

“You can open it!” Domhnall said, his eyes wide. “Bring back the golden years for us, Llinos!”

The light in the room went.

Kaua swore.

Llinos was lined with lightning, her spectral tails like a banner behind her. She leant down to place a hand on the arrow sticking out of Domhnall’s shoulder.

Tamhas reached out to her, unsure what he could even do to stop her. Unsure if he very much wanted to.

“Those years are gone, uncle. They’re in the ground with the rest of our family.”

A spark ran down the arrow. Domhnall cried out and went limp.

Llinos’ spectral tails vanished, and they were left in darkness.

“Fuck that was hot,” Kaua muttered.

Tadg snorted and then hissed at the pain.

“You really had to take out the light,” Jasper said, sighing.

“Bite me, catboy, you have night vision.”

“I don’t,” Kaua said. “I don’t think our friend here does, either.”

There was a groan from Tilde.

“He’s not… dead, is he?” Tamhas asked.

Fire flared up from the edge of the room as Jasper lit a torch.

Domhnall was lying limp at their feet.

“No, he’ll be fine.” Llinos checked his pulse. “He’ll just be out for a while, that’s all.”

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” said Tadg as Jasper helped him over.

“God, you’re all still taller, this is ridiculous.”

“I told you there wasn’t any height difference.” Jasper laughed at her.

Tamhas stepped around to stand on Tadg’s other side, putting some space between himself and Llinos.

“What about this one?” Kaua asked.

Tilde was on her knees in front of Kaua, sporting a swelling bruise about one eye and clutching at her wrist.

“She was the one that’s been in contact with us. She said you were in danger,” Tamhas said.

“Probably been spying on us for a while.”

Jasper frowned at her, tilting his head almost as if trying to remember her.

“Oh, she’ll have some answers for us as well then.” Llinos smiled, all teeth and hard eyes.

“Fuck I’m going to marry you some day.”

“You still haven’t?”

Jasper groaned. “I’m trying.”

“Try harder.” Tadg elbowed him and smirked.

“Do you know what he meant by the golden years?” Tamhas asked. He tried not to stare at the space where Llinos’ spectral tails had been.

Llinos shrugged. “Old and rich family. It’s always better for them in the Old Days. Before anyone alive remembers.”

Tamhas looked down at the stone. “We’re not opening that, are we?”

Llinos snorted. “I wouldn’t know how. Probably best left locked.”

“Come on.” Kaua hefted the unconscious woman. “You can take him.”

Tamhas glanced at Tadg, who was only slightly leaning on Jasper, and stooped to pick up their… their uncle. Llinos ducked under his other arm and offered Tamhas a slight smile.

Tamhas glanced back once at the vault. Yeah. Probably better not.

#writing pieces #mercenary mages #mist worlds #Llinos ferch Rhydderch #Tamhas ap Liram #Tadg ap Saril #Jasper sa Adrassa #Feral Mage #kaua burai #I did very much write a follow up piece to this in which Llinos does give in to curiosity #but that's for. some other time. idk #anyway yeah! writing!#This was mostly to explore the twins but I can't resist some Funky Magics #and then having to build in the world building to make it plausible lmao #possibly one of my favourite prompts of the last year I think #(... assuming I wrote it last year idk)

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