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bcofl0ve · 2 years

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Invisible String (Part 3)

(part 3/9)

ship: austin butler x fem!reader

summary: a summer fling when you were working on the set of the shannara chronicles turned your life upside down with a positive pregnancy test after austin returned to the united states. a pregnancy test, and a daughter that you never told him about. until the elvis biopic found him back in your orbit and forced you to face the music.

chapter summary: you take austin up on dinner, discuss some things you haven’t yet, feel like you’re finally starting to get a handle on the whole situation- and hope it stays that way. (spoiler: good luck.)

word count: 2,600

authors note: yes i know the shannara chronicles was filmed in new zealand but this is my au and i can do what i want so we’re pretending it was filmed in queensland. covid also doesn’t exist in this story, because i said so, hence the filming schedule being one of my own making.

i live for comments and love talking about my writing, pls feel free to pop me an anon anytime!

xxx

August 25th, 2015

“You didn’t fall in the toilet, did you?”

You heard Leah running up the stairs from the other side of the bathroom door but couldn’t make your own feet move from where they were planted on the rug in front of the sink. Your eyes were equally glued to the white stick in your clammy hands, the two pink lines seeming to stare right back at you.

“Y/N?”

Leah knocked on the door and you went to reply until you realized that if you said anything the waterworks would start, a lump forming in your throat. Unfortunately though, Leah was your best friend and she could sense something was wrong.

Opening the door a crack, she turned her head away.

“I’m gonna come in, you have a few seconds to shove me out if you really need to,” She said as she opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. Meeting your eyes, she took in your expression before following your gaze to the pregnancy test.

“Oh shit.”

You gave a wet laugh to that, at the absurdity of it all, but real tears followed. Leah grabbed you into a hug and rubbed your back as you sobbed, still clutching the test. She pulled away after a minute, wiping your face with a scrap of toilet paper and cupping your cheeks.

“Listen to me," She started, looking at you assertively. "This is not the end of the world, okay?"

You couldn't bring yourself to give even a small nod, let alone believe that for a second.

---

May 30th, 2020

It must’ve been fifteen minutes since you pulled into Austin’s driveway, but actually getting yourself out of the car was another ordeal entirely. You drummed your fingers on the steering wheel, half tempted to pull back out and make some bullshit excuse about Cora being sick. Except Cora wasn’t sick, she was more than happy to spend the night with your mom. Your mother who had practically shoved you out the door when you told her where you were going, a twinkle in her eyes as she gave you a one over.

“You look beautiful honey, and I know Austin-”

“It’s not a date.”

You cut her off, arms crossed over your body. You had dressed a degree nicer than you normally did, but only because of how nice you were sure Austin’s place was in comparison to yours.

And it was by a long shot, at least as far as you could tell from the outside.

Removing your hands from the steering wheel, you took a small breath in and out before pushing open the car door and making the walk to his front porch. You rang the doorbell, smoothing over your dress with your hands as you waited.

A few seconds passed, you heard some shuffling from the other side and the door was swinging open, Austin giving you a one over similar to the one your mother had. Relief washed over you at the sight of him somewhat dressed up too, wearing a dark blue button up rolled back at the elbows with khakis. His shirt was the exact same color as your dress, something you seemed to notice at the same time.

“Great minds think alike” He said with a light laugh as he let you in. He looked like he wanted to add something to that but didn’t, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip as he led you into the dining room. There were two wine glasses on the table, accompanied by a pasta dish that was a degree fancier than what you’d been expecting, garnish, ornate plates and all.

“You really went all out,” You remarked quietly, seeing a hint of blush in his cheeks as you sat down across from him.

“Been a while since I had an excuse to.”

Vanessa you realized as you picked up your glass, your mind wandering to what your mother or Leah would think if they saw all this after your insistence that it wasn’t a date. Just a friendly dinner between two people who shared a child but until a month ago hadn’t seen each other in five years.

The conversation was lighthearted as you started eating. Something you sensed was going to change when Austin put his fork down, his expression more concentrated than it had been just a few seconds prior.

“Can I ask you something personal?”

Your stomach dropped, but you nodded, trying to hold eye contact as you crossed and recrossed your ankles under the table.

“You mentioned taking the Elvis job because of the pay,” He started, looking off to the side. “And I guess I was just thinking, you could’ve been set for life if you played your cards differently. Ran to the tabloids or something, I don’t know. Maybe wouldn’t have gotten you much in 2015, but around when Elvis casting came out last year,”

He had been moving his hands around as he talked and stopped, bringing one to rest under his chin, a finger across his top lip.

“If you’re comfortable answerin’, I’m just curious why you didn’t do any of that?”

Your eyes fell away to your hands in your lap.

“Cora’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” You started, taking a breath and looking back up at Austin. “But I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant. I had nightmares about waking up to reporters at my door, being seen as someone who fooled around with a celebrity and baby trapped him.”

Austin opened his mouth to protest and you kept talking before he could say anything.

“I know that’s not what happened, but it’s what people would think. And keeping you completely in the dark wasn’t right, I know that too. But I wasn’t going to make you find out from TMZ either.”

There was a moment of silence between you before Austin nodded, picking his fork back up as he spoke. “You’re a good person Y/N, I mean that." He said gently, and you were inclined to believe him.

The rest of the evening was less intense than that conversation, maybe because you’d gotten it out of the way. You talked about work, about Elvis- the movie and the man himself. And when Austin was walking you back out to your car a little part of you didn’t want to leave him.

“Cora’s at my mom’s place on the coastline, and she wanted me to tell you you’re more than welcome when I come pick her up tomorrow.” You started before you got into the driver’s seat. “She owns the property, so it’s a private beach. Not to mention I think she’d chase off any paparazzi herself if it did become an issue.”

He laughed at that, reaching forward to touch your arm just above your elbow. “You tell both of ‘em I’ll be there, alright?”

He stayed in the driveway as you pulled out, the both of you giving a little wave before you drove off. It was nice, you thought, to feel an emotion about the whole situation other than abject terror. Even if you weren’t quite sure what to label this new feeling.

---

May 31st, 2020

You were off for the afternoon a couple hours before Austin was and had offered to just meet him at your mom's house, but he'd insisted on coming to pick you up once he wrapped for the day. An insistence that came as a surprise given that didn’t know if him taking you around in his car was too big of a risk recognition wise.

When you climbed into the passenger seat you noticed something in the back that hadn’t been there when he drove you to the hospital. A pink child’s car seat.

“Ordered it online a couple days ago,” He supplied before you could ask about it yourself. “Thought driving y’all home tonight might be a good time to try it out.”

Something about the gesture made your heart rise in your throat as you put your seatbelt on- the permanency of it, you realized. All while trying to swallow down your emotions as Austin started making small talk with questions about your mom.

He seemed nervous when you reached the house, something your mother paid no mind to when she swung open the front door and pulled him into a hug before she so much as greeted you.

“Oh my goodness,” She exclaimed as she pulled back, running a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry if that was too much, but ever since Y/N mentioned that you two were talking again I’ve been begging her to bring you around, “

Austin to his credit handled your over-excited mother perfectly, shaking her hand and complimenting the house as she let you two inside.

“Cora honey, look who’s here,” She called out down the hallway and the four year old came running face, lighting up when she rounded the corner.

“You b’ought Austin!” Cora squealed in your general direction, barrelling over and bear hugging his legs. Your mom, from where you could see her out of the corner of your eye, had both hands over her heart watching the two of them.

“So I’m chopped liver to everyone then.” You joked and she laughed, giving you a side hug with a whisper of “You’ll have to tell me about your not-date,” as she ushered the three of you towards the back door that led to the beach.

Cora didn't unglue herself from Austin’s side until a few neighbor kids came over to play and she was content to run off with them, leaving you two to your own devices in lounge chairs under an umbrella. You fell into light conversation, sipping on drinks your mom had brought out, and for the first time since everything had blown up you didn’t feel the urge to get up and bolt in the other direction.

The two of you were quickly finding that you had a lot to catch up on even outside of a certain four year old, Austin in the middle of a story about his sister when Cora came barreling back up the shore.

Shaking the sand out of her hair, she came to a stop in front of him.

“Are you my daddy? Cuz they were askin’ me” She started, talking so fast you could barley understand her and pointing at her friends playing in the sand. “But I t’ought people gotted their daddies when they were babies.”

Austin leaned forward but not before looking back at you, a question in his eyes. Giving him a little nod, you grateful that he seemed content to take over this one himself. Weirdly enough too- you weren't nervous at all about what he was going to say.

You trusted him. That was new.

“I am sweetie, but I didn’t know ya when you were a tiny baby because I was working all the way in America. And I didn’t even know I had a little girl named Cora until I came back here last month and saw your mama again.”

“Okay!”

And with that Cora was running back to the other kids, no follow up questions to the explanation he’d given. There was something to be said for the adaptability of kids, you thought, and Austin made a quip about it himself as he relaxed back into his chair.

Lifting his drink, he motioned for you to do the same.

“To Cora Jean," Austin said tenderly and you echoed him, clinking your glass with his. "To Cora Jean."

---

Cora was just as excited about riding home in Austin’s car as you thought she’d be, climbing up into the carseat and giggling as he helped her get buckled in.

“We can go on so many ‘ventures in here,” She said and you smiled listening to him assure her that they’d go on so many adventures before he closed the back door and got into the driver's seat.

She fell asleep about halfway home, the glimpses you caught of Austin looking at her sleeping in the rearview mirror bringing back the feeling from the night before. The one you weren’t sure what to call.

Love.

“So I was thinking,” Austin said, looking at you out of the corner of his eye as he drove. “That it’s probably time for me to loop Baz and my manager in on everything.”

You knew it was coming, and that it was necessary. But it didn’t stop your stomach from knotting up.

“Okay." You replied softly, looking out the window as he pulled to a red light. “But I’d appreciate time to look for another job, if Baz doesn’t think us working together is a good idea then,”

“Hey,” He cut you off, laying a hand over yours on the center console. He stopped short of intertwining your fingers, and you realized you wouldn’t have minded all that much if he did. “I’m not gonna let that happen, okay? Baz is a good guy.”

You nodded, and expected Austin to move his hand when the light turned green. But he didn’t, keeping it there until he pulled to a stop at your building. You’d wound up on the front side this time, but it was late enough that the neighbors were all in for the night.

Unbuckling and twisting in your seat, you were unsurprised to see that Cora was still asleep. Reaching forward, you gently shook her awake by the foot.

“We’re home sleepyhead,” You whispered and she stirred, rubbing her eyes with a tired smile. When you got out and opened the passenger side door to get her she looked past you at Austin, reaching out with grabby hands.

“I want daddy to carry me.”

After appearing to freeze up for a second he slid past you and unbuckled her, picking her up with a soft “Come here baby girl,”

You could hear the emotion in his voice at the title she'd given him just then, for the first time. Cora dropped her head to his shoulder, with a tired protest muffled by a yawn about how she was not a baby, she was four.

“Always gonna be my baby.” He responded, looking at her tenderly as he kissed her forehead.

You were starting to feel overcome with emotion yourself, and before you could give it much thought you were stepping a little closer. He lifted his head when you put a hand on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by Cora, looking into your eyes before his gaze slipped down to your lips.

“Austin,” You started softly, but then chill that ran up your spine didn’t feel like butterflies.

Something felt wrong.

Turning, you saw two men with cameras at the mouth of your driveway and your heart stopped. The shuttering you heard before you could fully process what was going on was paired with one of the men shouting.

“Mr. Butler! When were you planning on telling the world about your child?”

Austin damn near threw Cora into your arms as he told you to go inside, stalking off towards the photographers as you rushed in the other direction.

“Papping a kid, really?!” You heard him yell, “You so much as think about coming near my family again I’ll knock your goddamn teeth out.”

Whatever he said next you didn’t hear as you slammed the front door behind you, holding onto Cora and trembling as you tried to get the blinds down.

xxx

tag list (tags don’t always work, i do my best!): @chernayawidow @theinvisiblecapricorn @aalishiftsts @mavericksicybabe @cryingabtab @kittenlittle24 @invisiblee-smokee @mrs-munson-quinn @cevans-winchester @kikilovesdankmemess @oh-austin @chrissie-soula @starcatchxr @butlervol66 @thedeviltohisangell @redhoods-gf @gabrielajimenez @stlover288 @alqvarde @loudwombatmugkid @austinbrainrot @ab4eva @m0ndayagain @marlowmodee @kingbouji3 @gardenavenue @yeonimiii @eliseinmemphisis @blurredcolourour @tiddieshakeshownu @fallininlovewithurlove @briannaisanxious @amiets2 @alqvarde @karamelcoveredolicity

#invisible string by bcofl0ve #austin butler x reader #austin butler #austin butler fanfic #austin butler headcanons #austin butler imagine #austin butler imagines #austin butler fic

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thanflowers · 2 years

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@highaevr: “It’s like I can feel it trying to get inside my head.” ↳ shannara prompts / accepting!

“You can’t let it in, Thea. You have to fight.” Elspeth felt a swell of panic at the thought of her sister being overwhelmed by whatever’s been stalking Hawkins. She took Elethea’s hands in her own without thinking. Instantly, the light representing Thea in Elspeth’s mind flared brightly, and all Elspeth thought of was warmth and light. Something to fill in the cracks where the darkness creeps in. “Just like this.” Protecting herself was one of the first things Elspeth learned how to do; she could only hope her protection would extend to her sister as well.

#replies.#highaevr #.02; highaevr #v; as the world falls down. ( st )#i know you sent this inb4 we merged stranger things aus #but it was screaming to me that it belongs there so here we are

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shadowdianne · 3 years

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Fic writer review [Or a fic writer tag game if you prefer]

I was tagged by @naralanis and I can already see her grin all the way from where I am xd Thank you, dear, for the tag, let’s see what are my answers, shall we.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

*bursts out laughing* Adding both pseuds I have… 535 according to the account info but by counting them all I’m reaching 541 so I’m guessing it’s counting some drafts I need to re-find.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

I seriously hated you for this one xd I was going to do it by hand by I decided one-third there that I value my mental stability a little bit more xd according to the stats page back at a03 that number would be 1257884. It may be wrong. I think there should be a few more numbers up there but the majority of my works are one-shots so *shrugs* There’s also the fact that counting my ao3 things only is shaving off like half of it Xd Anyway, can we laugh at the fact that I’m a pain in the ass and that I’ve written a lot? More than I should have, that’s for sure

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

Trick question because I haven’t crossposted everything I wrote back in ffnet and I actually erased some fics from my account back there so the numbers are a little blurry there.

When I had the entirety of my work posted both in ffnet and a03 I had written for: Twilight (Bella/Alice) Glee (Faberry and there were a couple Pezberry and I don’t fucking remember the pairing name for Santana and Quinn), Harry Potter (Hermione/Ginny, Hermione/Narcissa, Hermione/Bellatrix) OUAT (SwanQueen and several oneshots focusing on the mad hatter and the blue fairy solely back at ffnet that were written in Spanish and never translated), I actually had a veeeery old au prompt of Frozen (Elsanna in where I wrote them as non sibilings), Rizzoli and Isles (Rizzles), Dishonored 2 (Emily Kaldwin/Alexi Mayhew), Lara Croft and Wonder Woman, Supergirl (SuperCorp/Supercat) I had a 100 one -or maybe two??- (Clexa), The Shannara Chronicles (Amberle/Eretreia [Or Princess Rover], Rwby [Blake Belladona/Yang], The Worst Witch (Hecate Hardbroom and Pippa Pentangle), The Half of it, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Madam Satan/Zelda Spellman) and… I think that’s it(?) I may be forgetting some but probably nothing important if I’m not remembering it lol.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Ah, we are going to go there, uh? Xd My works are not the kudos and comment getting type Xd So I was quite surprised when I went to check this.

1: Cracked it I wrote this one back in 2017, it was a prompt done by an anon: Lena is nerding with one of her projects at home, mumbling mostly to herself because she’s stuck and Kara casually mentions how to solve the problem like it’s nothing. I really had some fun with this. It was back when some us, SQeeners were fully doing the jump between OUAT and SuperGirl (I mean, there had already been some crossover as for fandom is related but this when the girls were actually getting their conjoined voice within the fandom)

2: Dateless I honestly needed to check what this one was about but I think I can see why this one shot has the amount of kudos it has. It’s a short and sweet idea and responds to the Teachers Au that went SO well with SQ. Everyone thinks they hate each other and try to set them up with other people whilst they, in truth, are dating. I don’t remember if I wrote them as married rather than dating but despite being from 2017 as well is one cheeky enough to be cool Xd I probably would edit some lines now *shudders*

3: After you I truly didn’t expect this one to be top 3. Makes me think of a lot of things, if I’m being honest Xd. After you was a one shot written almost feverishly as an answer to the fabulous drawings that Sejic did of both Lara Croft and Wonder Woman back at 2018 or something. It’s just Lara and Diana being himbos but not at all with each other.

4: How about… How about is one I remember perfectly, it was my answer to the ending of the Half of it film. I had SOME thoughts about it, let’s just stop there Xd I really liked the film itself but I think and I thought at the time that my response to wishing for a final scene at the very end of the credits responds to me being in a different personal moment than the characters. I really wanted to explore my feelings about it and so I wrote about them finding each other again after some time passes. It was also something I wrote after quite the hiatus so I took it as something I could write about without focusing too much on the why.

5: Come to me

Ahh, SuperCorp Xd I remember this one actually. A friend of mine and I were talking about descriptions, and she mentioned quite off-handedly how she wanted a fic in where Kara’s back was described. I complied… more or less.

Fun tidbit, despite the big volume of my work is obviously set in ouat there’s only 1 SQ fic there as you can see, the others are either SuperCorp or the random one shots I created for Wonderwoman/Lara Croft and The half of it. *sighs in deep thought* I’m also not going to look too much into how almost all of the fics were posted and written back in 2017. Nope, not at all.

*Small voice screaming you peaked in 2017 and everything else is garbage jumps back and forth*

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I tend to always respond, yup. I truly value comments. I might have gone for spells of time in where I didn’t have the mental capacity to check in old fics because I truly didn’t know what to answer but I treasure every single comment and you all who comment know that I can start to ramble in the answers xd -sorry about that- I really really REALLY love interaction.

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending:

Ok, Nara, come on, this one is a catch for me. I’ve written angst in far too many fics to remember the angstiest one :P I have the most recent one, though, that is the easy one to think about: Goodbye.Written for @delirious-comfort. I’m just going to say “Kisses with their last dying breath” as an idea of what awaits inside but I’ve written about death and loss and angst quite a lot. There were some I wrote back to SQ with Regina needing to kill Emma during the Dark Swan arc that, to this day, I still love and some others in where Regina is the one that dies, again and again, trapped by magic while Emma watches. I have the loss in mental destruction form and… I REALLY like my angst y’know xd

7. Do you write crossovers?

Not counting Lara and Wonder Woman not really! I think it comes from the fact that I loooove worldbuilding as a whole and some pairings would require all my focus into making the world perfect which in turn would make me self conscious on the OOCness of it all.

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

*snorts* I’ve received hate due to the pairing I’ve written about, how I’ve written about it, the amount I’ve written, how slow or quick I can be, the usage of some tropes, the lack of usage of those same tropes… Let’s just go with: yuuuup.

9. Do you write smut?

I’ve written smut, yeah! But I can already see the pointed looks of some so let’s elaborate Xd I write smut when asked and sometimes when not asked but there’s a part of me I like to call a terrible tease that prefers writing the beginning of a scene, taunt it, focus on what happens before the sex scene per se as I find it more enjoyable to write. The process of escalation is always the best for me to see what can I do it by using both dialogue and descriptors tbh, so I tend to tease more than show.

9. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

A few weeks ago I’d have said: Maybe(?) But trying to follow the trail of some other fics that had been stolen from some friends -I think it was me trying to find more about the page that stole something from your Nara!- I found some pages in where my fics had been reposted. In some it was stated that the person posting the fic wasn’t the author but I had never been contacted in order to see if I’d say yes to such a thing and in some others the page was locked up but I could still see someone was pretending to be the author. I did the thing and got some of those down.

Pointed note: Ask me if you want to post or translate or anything. I will look into you and answer you if you seem honest about the thing. But despite every joke and self-deprecating comment those 500 and then some fics represent MY time so very kindly I say fuck off to those who wish to steal from me and if I catch you… you don’t really want to see me angry, trust me.

10. Ever had a fic translated?

I’ve given permission to some, yeah, but never heard it back from them so I’m guessing it didn’t stick.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I’ve written series alongside other authors as @stregaomega for example. And some others that are unpublished -looking at you @carsonnieve - I’ve also done collabs… but fics co-written in the sense of two authors same chapters I don’t have anything posted I’m afraid :P

13. All-time favourite ship?

*snorts*, I guess the obvious answer is SQ uh? And I do think they were the ones that allowed me to read and write SO much. The one I feel more strongly about, however, is Bering and Wells from Warehouse 13.

14. WIP you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

All of them counts as a valid answer? But if I only could finish one that would be Arcadia. With A forgotten Promise second and the one I did as an Assassins Creed AU third. (I don’t remember the name so there’s no link, sorry xd)

15. Writing strengths?

Uhhhh, you REALLY want me to say that? I don’t fucking know!! To me everything I write is garbage. I always try to go for the feelings so I guess. Dunno xd I’ve been told I’m good at worldbuilding and to be honest is what I enjoy the most.

16. Writing weaknesses?

Everything Xd Pacing? What I hate the most sometimes is dialogue, I would count it as a weakness but I’m always far too focused on description rather than dialogue. I don’t think it’s a bad thing per se but it’s something that I don’t do as much.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I’m conflicted. Always. Majorly because I think that having bilingual characters in fanfiction is portrayed and expected in a way that I don’t feel it’s honest with how bilingual people -us- talk. So if I go by what I know I do I think it’s not what readers hope to see when it comes to that and if I go for how canonically is hoped to be found I don’t think it’s logical. But that’s me and my overthinking Xd If I have the option I like to do it.

18. First fandom you ever wrote for?

Belice! Or Bella/Alice. Worst first fic ever but oh, well, I’m always saying that :P

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

Uhh… Don’t make me do this XD Agh, I don’t know. I’ve always been very vocal about Metallic Ink because I let myself enjoy the process of creating a magic system almost out of zero and that was fun. Despite hating some of the writing process and that I’d do it differently now I think I’m going to stick with that answer. Or anything that had any steampunk-based undertone. To be honest I like more thinking of concepts, I had one in where Emma was a thief and it involved the robbery of a ring that was Regina’s one way ticket to freedom I then later repurposed that I adored thinking about so let’s go with…. Yeah, I love having the option of changing things up a little and focus on how characters would fit in different aesthetics for this one Xd

Annnd… these are four pages, gods. I’m just going to tag @waknatious @carsonnieve @stregaomega here and see what they do- Enjoy the questionnaire ladies :P

#taggie thingie #this was a monster

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gunkreads · 3 years

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I finished A Wizard of Earthsea last night, which is a book that’s been... kind of on my list? for quite a while now. I’d heard of the books, as any semi-researched fantasy reader has, but I never really got around to trying them. They always sat in the same realm as the Shannara books, where I knew they were genre-shaping fantasy to some extent, but i was afraid they wouldn’t be my speed. I still wouldn’t say it’s DIRECTLY up my alley, but i would definitely post it in the “wow i get why people love this” column.

I’m a sucker for name-based magic--I think it’s a wonderful catch-all way to have your wizards be able to magick themselves along their adventures--and LeGuin, I think, treads the perfect line of exposition on that front. You don’t know enough about naming magic that you can see the cracks in it (and neither do the characters), but you absolutely know enough that when something new comes up, it feels right.

For a 3rd-person quasi-omniscient perspective (I don’t know what it’s called specifically, but that narrative style where the narrator is omniscient, but chooses not to comment on everything), the characters are remarkably well-developed in terms of their feel. I’ve found that less in-the-mix narration tends to lose some character quality, but this book really didn’t to me; I felt like every character was speaking to the narrator personally, and they all rounded out pretty solidly. There’s also a great amount of faith placed in the reader to round out the characters themselves, which is probably a contentious choice for many people. There’s a very fine line where this is conveyed properly, and that line is in a different spot for everyone. Some people prefer a bit more direct fleshing-out of characters and some prefer a more indirect approach, but luckily LeGuin’s choices lined right up with my personal preference.

The world is also just. It’s interesting. I found myself WANTING to read about how this little bumfuck town operated and HOW they ended up out here. Unfortunately, almost everything you see in this first book is a little fishing village or major fishing town, but even still, there’s the right amount of variation and twist to each place that I could distinguish between two ports. As an island boy myself, I really liked the base premise of a world that operates alongside the ocean, with survival being impossible if you don’t accept the ocean to some extent. The Ninety Isles sound like heaven. Minus the dragons, of course.

Reading the afterword in my specific edition, it’s very interesting how LeGuin basically says “I could’ve done better, but the times were the times”. She discusses how at the time, it was actually DIFFICULT for her to get cover art of Ged being copper-skinned, because Fantasy Men Are White. I don’t know much about the history of fantasy as a genre, and really i’m pretty new to it because i’m fairly selective about what kinds of stories i like, but I was unsurprised by LeGuin’s explanation of how so many “official” depictions of Ged were “lily-white”, to use her words. Personally, I never really assign actual physical features to characters in books--they’re more a collection of ideas than a tangible shape--so it doesn’t come up often, but when I was trying to picture scenes from this book I found myself putting in a little bit of extra effort to remind myself Ged was brown, so I understand the challenge she faced with that. She also laments her lack of women with agency, which I also understand, but her justification is that she needed a certain degree of conventionality to sell the book in the first place. Can’t really fault her for that, I think, in 1967. Having a dark-skinned protagonist and his black best friend was probably a bit of a challenge in itself, and there are only so many bars you can raise at a time before a publisher starts to mitigate risk.

I know this reads like a review, but I’m not qualified for that sort of thing. I can say that if you followed me for Wheel of Time and you haven’t checked out Earthsea, you absolutely should. It’s not what I’d call a similar story or world, but it has this kind of ethereal high-fantasy vibe that I find so appealing. Imagine Lord of the Rings without the pedantry in terms of tone.

And best for last: I want to just note LeGuin’s take on conflict. There’s no war, no militarism, no major good-vs-evil struggle in this book. It’s about a man (boy by modern standards) going out to right a wrong and finish what he started. This was FANTASTIC because it allows the story to be a proper adventure without losing any stakes. Here’s the premise, spoiler free: Ged has to chase down his shadow to keep it from hurting the world, but he’s scared to because if he loses the shadow will take him and be able to wield his own vast power. This means he gets to go through different places in times of both crisis and peace, which makes the world feel... not so bleak as other fantasies might offer. People are living on and will continue to live on. Ged’s quest has stakes for the world at large, but the world is far too big to be shaken to its core by one person, wizard or not. It’s such a refreshing take on “antagonism” and it really kept me hooked in. Books where no person has any safe haven in the world are just so sad to me and I can’t really handle the stress of knowing that no one can live a calm life. Earthsea isn’t like that at all.

So basically give it a shot, the book’s like 200ish pages long and reads REALLY fast.

#earthsea #long post

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krisingtons · 3 years

Note

7 & 29? For the book ask game 📚

Books ask game!

7. a book you did not finish

I have to share this one because it cracks me up so much. I made it through around 80% of Sword of Shannara and then finally gave up right at the climactic moment. I wanted to like it so much! It's a classic, rated so well! But it just did not do it for me.

29. your favorite YA novel

Here's a little secret about me, Anon: I actually really enjoy YA. So it's a little difficult for me to choose. There are two that always come to mind for me, though.

For a classic, I love Lirael, which is the second book in the Abhorsen series.

For something more recent, I also really loved Strange the Dreamer. The second book is good, too, but this one is so beautiful.

#ask games #books

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not-so-mundane-after-all · 4 years

Text

Apparently Tumblr has a 100 links per post limit so not every fic will be linked here.

What you'll find here:

DC Titans (66 works)

His Dark Materials (8 works)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (2 works)

The CW Arrowverse (1 work)

Star Wars (1 work)

Harry Potter (1 work)

Riverdale (1 work)

The Shannara Chronicles (1 work)

And please check out my Redbubble shop for some amazing merch with my art!!!

Sebastian Sanger was a… complicated person to crack.

The Holy or The Broken Hallelujah - Graysonfam, fluff and angst, part of DC Titans Naughty or Nice 2022 Collection

The Grayson Family decides to drop by Clay's new house while on their way back from Metropolis. Things take a surprising turn when Uncle Clay offers to take them down a sweet memory lane.

Never Really Over - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, angst/hurt/comfort, post 4x04

She looks exhausted.

That's the first thing that catches Dick's eye when Bernard opens the door to the safe room and Rachel steps outside. [...] She turns around briefly, waving a hand at Sebastian who gives her a shy smile from the inside of the room and waves back, before she nods in thanks to Bernard and lets him seal the room shut again.

Bernard leaves them in a hurry to give them privacy and the silence starts stretching in the hall as the seconds pass.

Rachel seems like she doesn't quite want to step away from the door. Like something is keeping her there.

Someone.

Queen of The Night, Princess of Darkness - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson/Kory Anders, angst/hurt/comfort/AU

After making an impulsive decision to follow the vampire prince Dick Grayson on his late-night walk through Gotham City, vampire huntress Kory Anders makes a surprising and interesting discovery that shakes up her view on her target and the world she lives in.

-----

Inspired by and set in If You're Evil, I'll Forgive You, a Dickkory vampire AU written by my girls, ambeauty (Ceselle1024) and escapism-through-imagination (here_to_escape)

The Power of a Memory - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, angst, hurt/comfort, season 4 speculation/slight AU

When Rachel lost her powers, he offered his help immediately upon hearing the news. Said he had theories - and resources - and, if they are willing to let him, he'd like to test them out.

All in all, he seemed like a nice guy.

And yet, there's something about him that doesn't let Dick leave Rachel alone with him.

Partition - Dickkory, fluff and smut

After a boring night at a fancy charity gala in San Jose, Dick and Kory have some fun on their way back home. Things get... nasty, so...

Driver roll up the partition please.

It's Alright, Just Wait And See, Your String Of Lights Is Still Bright To Me - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, angst, comfort, pilot episode AU

Every time he keeps wondering why he even cares. These noble goals surely weren't what pushed him to wear this suit and take this mantle in the first place. No, it was that burning desire for revenge. That grief he didn't know how to deal with [...] That overwhelming rage he needed to let out somehow. [...]

But then he comes back to his apartment. He sees a slice of pizza left for him on the counter in the kitchen, a book abandoned on the couch. He sees a brand new drawing attached to the pinboard and soft yellow light filtering into the dark space of the living room from behind the bedroom door.

And he knows why.

[...]

It's like a switch has been flipped the second he steps through the threshold. He's no vengeance here, no rage or fear. He's the opposite of those things now, the other end of the spectrum.

For her, he has to be.

------

Pilot episode AU. What if Dick had met Rachel a lot sooner than when the story starts?

I Like Shiny Things - But I'd Marry You With Paper Rings - Dickkory, Graysonfam, fluff and humor

Dick and Kory are heading out for their first official date as a couple. Both are nervous as hell. Their kids are helping them prepare and providing a much-needed emotional support. Not that they have their own agenda in the whole thing or anything...

Hey, Angel - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, Dickkory, fluff and angst, multichapter, part 2 of So Close, Worlds Apart series

"Hey, Angel.

Is it weird? Calling you that? I know you wouldn’t call yourself that, you wouldn’t even think of it. But here I am, sitting on my bed in this giant palace taken straight out of a fantasy book and that worn-out leather bag you always carried with you ever since we’ve met, now filled with a bunch of my stuff, is the first thing that made me smile, like really made me smile in five days. And not for the first time (and certainly not the last) I’m thinking - Angel. You’ve been my guardian angel since day one and you’re still doing your job even when I’m thousands of miles away from you. Talk about dedication."

----

While spending her time learning and training on Themyscira, Rachel feels homesick and longs to talk to her favorite person. She can't call him or text him, but Dick still provides her with a way to share her thoughts with him - all she needs is a sketchbook, a pencil and a few written down words.

He was counting the days - she is writing letters.

Counting Down The Days (Until I'm Whole Again) - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, Dickkory, fluff and angst, multichapter, part 1 of So Close, Worlds Apart series

After Donna dies and Rachel goes away, Dick starts counting down the days until he sees them again and tries to live as if a piece of his heart isn't missing. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes... not so much.

Pre-game Meal - Dickkory, fluff, humor and heavy smut, one-shot

"Are you sure you don't have, let's say… five… ten more minutes?" She asks innocently as she gets closer, barely able to contain a smirk.

Dick instinctively moves closer as well, drawn to her orbit, feeling the temperature in the room rise up. "What do you have in mind?" He all but growls, his voice laced with heat.

Kory meets his heated gaze with a fire of her own, her lower lip caught between her teeth as her hand rests palm flat on his chest.

"Oh nothing, just…" She smooths over his shirt, effectively sending sparks over his skin underneath before her fingers wrap around his tie and she yanks him closer to herself. The second their bodies slam into each other and Kory angles herself so every inch of her is pressed against him, Dick knows he's a gone man - and she knows it too, because there's no way in hell she can't feel how hard he is already.

Her smile is nothing short of devilish when she holds him by his tie like he's on a tight leash. A very short leash. "I'm just going to make sure you're thinking of me while you're with her."

___

s03e08 AU. Kitchen scene rewrite.

Tellin' You The Way I Like It, How I Want It - Dickkory, fluff and heavy smut, one-shot

“So this is it?” Dick grunts out through gritted teeth, holding onto the armrests so hard his knuckles bleached. “You’re going to tease the living shit out of me but not let me get a taste? Out of spite?”

Kory graces him with a triumphant laugh. “You do not keep the Queen waiting, darling. But the Queen can keep you waiting as long as she pleases.”

_____

Dick's latest trip to Gotham lasted a bit longer than it was supposed to. His girlfriend welcomes him home in a very special way.

A Reason To Smile - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, dluff and angst and humor, one-shot

Rachel walks into the room and drops on his bed. "And you're… working out? At this hour?"

"Old habit." Dick says as he shakes the shirt out. "Training helps me take my mind off things."

"Hm." Rachel bites at her lower lip, seems to be considering something, weighing her options before she looks back at him and asks, "Can you teach me?"

Now he's the one raising a brow at her, frozen in the middle of getting dressed. "Teach you? Teach you what?"

"Yeah, you know… Self-defense for example."

-----

Neither of them can sleep. But together they find a way to chase away their troubles with some learning, some talking and a little bit of laughter. Set during 1x02.

Can't Fight The Moonlight - Dickkory, Graysonfam, DK smut, humor, angst, fluff, one-shot

After finally deciding to solidify their family, Dick and Kory started trying for a baby, but the process turned out to be surprisingly challenging. Tonight their evening plans had to be put on hold because The Church of Blood arrived in San Francisco and Titans had an important job to do.

And Titans job needs to be prioritized, right? Even when the party's boring as hell, your target is nowhere to be seen and the love of your life looks way too good in that fancy outfit they're wearing tonight.

Right.

Ready, Set, Don't Go - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, Dickkory, fluff, angst, comfort, one-shot

Every time he looks at her he feels like he's seeing double. He sees this confident woman, happy and carefree, right on the edge of adulthood and then he sees a girl he'd met in Detroit, with mascara smudged from tears creating shadows under her eyes, terrified but stubborn as hell. And he's struggling to merge the two versions together, the images clash, the new is overtaking the old, change settles and becomes permanent.

And this change is the thing that brings dread into his bones.

-----

How do you deal with your kid growing up? Simple. When you're Dick Grayson - you don't.

Post season 3. During the roadtrip.

Come To Your Senses (Baby, Come Back Alive) - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, fluff, angst, comfort, one-shot

After the purple rain stops and dust settles back over Gotham, the team reunites at Wayne Manor. But Rachel can't quite settle into the peace and quiet of the aftermath of their battles when she's pleauged by images of a dead body lying on wet pavement and blood sinking into the ground. She can't get rid of her grief, she can't push it down anymore, not even when the one she's grieving for is standing right in front of her.

A missing scene from season 3 finale.

If There's a Heaven (I Know The Angels Gotta Be Listening) - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, fluff, light angst and comfort, one-shot

During her time on Themysicra, Rachel took a trip to the Underworld to find Donna's soul and guide it back to the land of the living. But she found someone else instead and now it's time for her to share the tale of that unforgettable experience. After all, she never thought she would get the chance to meet John and Mary Grayson.

Wicked Game - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, Dickkory, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, DK smut, AU multi-chapter, a collaboration with @wonderbatwayne

Everybody plays a game. Every move counts, anyone, can be a player. Some play dirty, some play nice, everybody's got eyes on the main prize.

In a world of deception, money, and power, where women are forced to dance with the devil in the name of survival, where men need to break their oaths to do the right thing, Dick Grayson is on a mission to win. A man with a plan, with a goal and a target. Trigon Azarath needs to be eliminated by any means necessary. He's been playing a very long and calculated game, and it has to stop now.

But what happens when a little ballerina with raven hair and a guarded heart, a girl who shouldn't even exist for all he knows, spins the table on him like the pirouettes she does on stage? When a woman with green eyes and a bloody past sets his world ablaze instead of being just a step on the road to victory? Will sticking to the rules be worth the outcome?

It's a wicked game to play, indeed.

When I'm Dead And Gone, Will They Sing About Me? - Graysonfam, Dickkory, angst and hurt/comfort, one-shot, s3 finale fix-it

He should have known better than to push his luck. He should have seen the warning signs, listened to the pleading and begging of those around him who did see them from a mile away. There was a way to predict this, to prevent this from happening. This outcome was there right in front of him all the time, a trap at the finish line masqueraded as a grand prize and he simply refused to look through the veil of illusion.

So when the bullet hits his neck, time runs out.

-------

Season 3 fix it/3x12 & 3x13 rewrite. An introspection into Dick's mind during his death, reunions he didn't get but should have, him getting his shit together.

Till The Stars Burn Out - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, angst and hurt/comfort, one-shot

The feeling in his chest grows stronger and urges him to do something; slowly, Dick walks up to her, his hand instantly reaching to the small of her back, palm resting gently between her shoulder blades. "Okay, what's with the tears?" he asks softly, leaning in to catch sight of her face. "Rach?"

She turns away from him, clearly not wanting him to see her tears. But he did, he saw the wet trails marking her cheeks, gleaming silver in the moonlight. Trying to remain patient, even though worry is eating at him from the inside, he waits, counting down seconds passing in silence.

"I can't keep acting like nothing happened, Dick," Rachel says finally, shaking her head. "I can't do it."

-------

While the team is camping by the lake in the woods on their way back to San Francisco, Rachel struggles with the events of the past few days that took place in Gotham. A very necessary conversation. Post season 3.

Press Play - Dickkory, Graysonfam, fluff and humor, DK smut, one-shot

"Look," she sighs, running a hand through her thick curls. Her heartbeat is breaking all speed limits in this city combined, but she needs to get this thing off her chest, otherwise it will suffocate her. "I know we've decided to put pause on… whatever was going on between us, but it's becoming pretty clear we're having a problem sticking to that decision."

His voice is a low rumble coming from his chest, his warm breath brushing her cheek when he speaks, "So what do you suggest we should do about it, Princess?"

Post season 3. Dick and Kory had caught themselves slipping way too many times since coming back to San Francisco. It's time they talked this out before they combust.

There's Just This Waiting Game And I Don't Know How To Play - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Kory Anders and Rachel Roth, Dickkory, Graysonfam, angst and hurt/comfort, one-shot

"How… How is Rachel doing?"

Dick takes a deep breath, "To be honest, I don't know." He admits with a beating heart. "We can't really tell and it scares me. Physically everything seems to be fine, she's just resting, but… The power she holds can be too much sometimes. One of the reasons she went to Themyscira was to learn ways to control it, ways I'm not able to teach her. And bringing Donna back… it's the biggest thing she's ever done. She had never used that much power before and it nearly killed her. We patched her up but we can't help her regain her strength back, we can only sit and wait."

And he's already sick of waiting. He's tired, he's scared, he's not sure how much more he can take.

Season 3 AU (mostly 3x09). Rachel arrives in Gotham a little bit differently.

It's Like The Ground Beneath You Suddenly Gives Way - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, angst and hurt/comfort, one-shot

It's nothing new, her sneaking into Dick's bed at night, she can still hear his voice in her head as clear as it was yesterday, telling her she can always come to him if she needs to. And now it feels like she needs it more than ever before.

The nightmares came back and Rachel isn't strong enough to face them alone. They were different this time, but the ones she had experienced before pale in comparison.

Missing scene from season 3 finale

Lone Ranger, Please Come Home - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Dickkory, Graysonfam, angst and comfort, extended scene, one-shot

"Where are you going?"

Dick slows his step, then turns back to her, "I'm gonna go find him."

"You lost a lot of blood, you need to take it easy."

He throws a glance at his wound, calculating his chances. He's got worse in the past, the white lines of scars on his shoulder a proof of that. A bullet wound is nothing. "I'm alright."

Throwing her one last hard look he whips around and heads for the exit, his t-shirt wrapped around his hand. He needs to get going, he already wasted enough time for-

"What would I tell Rachel?"

3x06 scene rewrite

If You Come After Family, We Show No Mercy - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, angst, hurt/comfort, protectiveness, one-shot

"How is that little witch girl, by the way?"

Dick's hands go still, a jagged edge of the can almost digging into his finger. He stares at Crane, hoping his mask doesn't break. His hands grip the can tighter as a way to stop them from trembling. Outside he is a statue, silent and impenetrable, but inside the clouds are already gathering, ready to unleash the storm of a century. If this psychopath says even one more word...

Crane seems to see through that facade, for the corner of his mouth twitches slightly as it rises with satisfaction. "What was her name? Ah, right… Rachel."

3x04 AU.

Reignition - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, Dickkory, angst & hurt/comfort, multichapter, part 3 of The White Raven series

The only way forward is back.

Dick is stuck in a coma because of the power that's surging through his veins - the power that rightfully belongs to his daughter. The mysterious white raven from his dreams takes him on a journey to reignite Rachel's spark - and learn a bit about her and himself in the process.

While he's trying to figure out his way back, his family is trying to deal with the aftermath and take care of him as well as they can, hoping against hope they'll find a way to wake him up.

The White Raven Part 3 - a sequel to Purification and Sacrifice.

Throw Me To The Wolves and I Will Return Leading The Pack - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, fluff & light angst, one-shot

Dick just stays where he was, pressing a hand to his bruised ribs, not able to tear his eyes off the mysterious new arrival, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

Because he'd recognize those strings of black energy anywhere. Same as the chipped off black nail polish and that little ring with a small blue stone on her right hand that shines and glimmers when she reaches to her hood.

Based on the shots from the season 3 trailer.

Not the Last but One of Many - Dickkory, Graysonfam, angst & hurt/comfort, one-shot, Part 9 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

He can't think of it as their last kiss, because it isn't. It can't be. It's only one of many they have ahead of them - a whole lifetime they will spend together because he is not losing her today.

Kory is the only one who can finish Blackfire and put an end to this. But there's no way Dick is gonna let her turn this into a goodbye.

Tumblr Prompt.

Kisses | 10. goodbye kisses and 27. desperate kisses

Good Men and Women NOT Doing Nothing - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth and Garfield Logan, hurt/comfort & fluff, one-shot, Part 8 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

There's something different about Gar when he walks into the kitchen one morning and the reason behind it is deeper than Dick initially thought.

Tumblr prompt.

Touching | 12. pushing a strand of hair behind their ear

Reach For My Hand, Let My Voice Guide You Through The Darkness - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, angst & hurt/comfort, one-shot, Part 7 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

The space around him was pitch black. He couldn't see a thing, not even the outline of his fingers when he carefully lifted his hand in front of his face. It was time to figure out how he got here.

But that's the thing - he didn't remember much, the only thing his memory could reach was the feeling of the ground shaking beneath his feet and his own voice, hoarse and croaky, shouting at Rachel to run.

Oh God.

What happened to Rachel?

Tumblr prompt.

Touching | 28. feeling for each other in the dark

Can't Stop The Feeling - Garfield Logan and Conner Kent, friendship, humor & fluff, one-shot, Part 6 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

Conner has no clue about dancing. So Gar tries to teach him.

Tumblr prompt.

Hand-holding | 5. Platonic hand-holding

It's Good To Be Home - Graysonfam, fluff and humor, one-shot, Part 5 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

The Wayne Manor was truly breathtaking.

Rachel heard a few stories about the place from Dick and from Donna, she even got to sneak a glance at it through their memories but actually seeing it with her own eyes was a whole different experience.

The car slowed down rounding the fountain and her heartbeat sped up in her chest.

They were here.

Set in season 3.

Tumblr prompt.

Hugs | 13. Group hugs, Core Four

Heaven Is a Place on Earth - Dickkory, Graysonfam, fluff ans hurt comfort, one-shot, Part 4 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

Stargazing was really relaxing and helped with her shattered nerves but Kory knew deep down she needed something more.

Tumblr prompt.

Hand-holding | 43. raising the other’s hand to their lips to kiss it softly

Safe Haven - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, angst and hurt/comfort, one-shot, Part 3 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts

"The answer is simple, Grayson. Five years ago in this very place you took what's mine away from me. Now I'm taking what's yours."

2x07 AU

Tumblr prompt.

Touching | 8. shielding the other one with their body

Locked Myself In a Cage and Threw Away The Key (But Your Gentle Hands Had Set Me Free) - Dick Grayson and Garfield Logan, fluff and hurt/comfort, one-shot, Part 2 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts, also posted on Tumblr

It wasn't really the sight that made him feel this way, or the pain of the cut. It was the touch of the warm liquid creating a puddle inside his palm. The bitter smell of metal that hit his nostrils. The Tiger inside of him came awake, letting out a restless growl and started clawing at the walls of its cage, demanding to be set free.

Hand-holding | 33. bandaging the other’s hand and not quite letting go

Come On, Come On, Don't Leave Me Like This - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, fluff and hurt/comfort, one-shot

It wasn't Donna who pushed Dawn out of the way of the falling electric pole.

It was Dick.

2x13 'Nightwing' AU

Us Birds Gotta Stick Together - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, fluff and hurt/comfort, one-shot, Part 1 of Physical Affection - Tumblr Prompts [list], also posted on Tumblr

First he heard the scratch of steel breaking, then a loud thud and a cry of pain that turned his blood into ice.

Rachel.

Touching | 23. Carrying the other one in their arms.

Home Is Where The Heart Is - Core Four, fluff and hurt/comfort, one-shot

After a hard, emotional night, Kory wonders on what her new family means to her and how her life turned out to be the exact oposite of what she expected of it.

A Diamond Without Grinding And Pressure Is Just a Coal Stone - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson and Garfield Logan, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, angst and hurt/comfort, 2x03 AU

Something happened during that training session. Dick didn't see it, but he heard what Jason threw right in Rachel's face. And that was enough for him to put everything else aside and get to the bottom of this.

The Graysonfam List of Headcanons and Analysis - Graysonfam, fluff and hurt/comfort, also posted on Tumblr

A looong ass list of my headcanons, mixed with an analysis of some scenes, looking into the motives and behavior of the characters. It's in more or less chronological order and divides into groups: season 1 (+2x01), the time jump, season 2, season 3 hopes/predictions and future.

How can shopping be educational? - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, fluff and hurt/comfort, one-shot

Dick is trying to be a responsible parental figure, tho he has no clue how to achieve that. But adjusting to a new life can be difficult. And he's seriously running out of ideas.

Set during season 2 time jump.

Sacrifice - Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, Core Four, multi chapter, Part 2 of The White Raven

Five months after overcoming a supernatural desease that almost took Rachel's life, the Titans prepare for spending Christmas at the Wayne Manor. But just when everything seems to be going perfect, an unusual creature starts haunting Dick, bringing him new wave of nightmares about losing his daughter. Are those dreams just simple dreams or maybe they mean something more? Should he do something about it? Will he let them alter other important decisions he's planning to make this year?

Sequel to "Purification"

Look At How My Tears Ricochet - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, Team as Family; angst/hurt/comfort, 2x09 fix-it

What really should have happened when Dick told the team the truth about Jericho.

a.k.a. the hypocrisy of the OG Titans on full display and Core Four (mostly Rachel, but still) showing them what Family REALLY means.

Fireplace Insomnia - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, fluff, oneshot

First night at the Wayne Manor Rachel can't sleep. Turns out she's not the only one.

Timeless Love - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, multi chapter

Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences.

Comfort Hoodie - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, fluff and angst, emotional hurt/comfort

When Dick gets recruited for a top secret Justice League mission he has to leave for a while. It shouldn't be a problem at all, but for Rachel missing him is a lot harder than it should be.

It's Been a Year (And I Still Love You) - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, angst & hurt/comfort, rated T because of heavy topics.

On the first anniversary of Melissa Roth's death Dick and Rachel go on a trip to Traverse City, Rachel's hometown. She gets the chance to deal with her unresolved grief while Dick has an opportunity to learn more about her childhood and life before their paths crossed.

Touch Worth More Than Words - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, missing scene from 2x13

"A familiar wave of protectiveness washed over him. Maybe at first he wanted to be left alone but now that she was here, he didn't want her to go. He was willing to put his aching body and grieving heart on hold because she was the one who needed care right now. She needed him, that's why she came here, even if she wasn't going to admit it. She needed him before too, but he wasn't there, too caught up in his own past and present to notice. And he sure as hell wasn't going to make the same mistake ever again."

From One to Ten, You're My Eleven -Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, fluff/hurt/comfort oneshot

Around 2 weeks after moving in the Tower, Rachel gets her period. Things are meant to be awkward when you're living with three guys... But thankfully one of them grew up with Donna Troy, so he knows what to do.

One Call Away - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy; 2x09/10 AU

"Hey, Dick. I know we're not exactly on chatty terms, but Rachel went AWOL, before our flight to Chicago, so… I'm still in the city. I figure she'll turn up when she runs out of cash, but…I'm really starting to get worried. Just call me back, okay?"

What if timing was a little bit different and Dick got this call BEFORE the incident at the airport? Titans 2x09/10 AU.

Where Angels Fear To Tread - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth; fluff/angst oneshot

After falling from a collapsing building, Dick comes out without a scratch, but from Rachel's perspective, it looked like a certain death. Now it's up to him to make sure she doesn't fall apart thinking she had lost him forever.

Purification - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Graysonfam, multi chapter, Part 1 of The White Raven

When Rachel slowly falls ill, it's up to Dick and the team to figure out a way to save her. But when things are getting worse instead of getting better and the Titans fall short on ways to help, will they be able to find a solution, before this her mysterious condition gets better of her?

Happy Father's Day - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, fluff, one-shot

Dick celebrates his first Father's Day... Without even knowing it.

Someday We'll Find Each Other (Posted only on Tumblr) - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, unused wip

Dick time travels to the year 2005 and has a surprise encounted with a four-months old Rachel

Meet Me In The Afterglow - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Season 2 Fix-It AU, Songfic based on a song "Afterglow" by Taylor Swift

"Hey, It's all me, in my head, I'm the one who burned us down, But it's not what I meant, I'm sorry that I hurt you, I don't wanna do, I don't wanna do this to you, I don't wanna lose, I don't wanna lose this with you, I need to say, hey, It's all me, just don't go... Meet me in the afterglow"

The battle was over, the enemy was dead. But what remained was a broken family and Dick was left to pick up the pieces.

My Heart Holds You When My Arms Cannot - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, multi-chapter covering the entire series, with added missing and extended scenes

When the boy from the circus she had only seen in her dreams before turns out to be a real person, Rachel slowly starts to learn that people linked by destiny will always find each other and there is no accidental meetings between kindred spirits. Dick Grayson is the man who saved her life, but over time he becomes so much more than that - a protector, a friend, a mentor and a teacher. And, to her biggest surprise - a father.

Careful What You Wish For - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, coda s02e12 "Faux Hawk", missing scene

After his escape from prison, Dick (maybe not-so-accidentally) stumbles upon the last two people he expected to see.

Peripeteia - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, set after season 2

After months of waiting it’s finally time to bring Donna back. Or try to, at least. The pressure starts to settle on Rachel, causing her to lose faith in herself. But who's better to help her than the one person who believes in her the most? Dick leaves for an emotional journey to reunite with the two people who mean the most to him.

First Man - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Songfic based on the song "First Man" by Camila Cabello.

"You were the first man that really loved me" Rachel is growing up and Dick can't do anything to stop it.

It's All Us Now - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Season 2 Finale Fix-It AU

It's not until a small, pale, trembling hand - the same one that rested on his bicep just a moment ago - comes into his view and rests over Donna's heart, that everything starts to make sense. Because that hand is glowing, the soft purple light reflecting off the material of their suits, and when Dick lifts his gaze, he sees Rachel kneeling right beside them, with furrowed brow and eyes shut in concentration.

Fall On Me With All Your Light - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, coda s02e13 "Nightwing" + post season 2

Watching the plane take off is like sending a piece of his soul away. His heart grieves for his best friend and fills with worry for the one person who brought the meaning back to his life. He will need to learn how to live without them, for a while at least, but thankfully, the people who stand beside will help him get through it.

Dick struggles to say goodbye to the two people he loves the most, but thankfully those goodbyes aren't forever.

You Are The Best Thing That's Ever Been Mine - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, multi-chapter, set after season 1

A story about how meeting a strange kid one night in Detroit set Dick Grayson on a path to become something he never thought he would be - a father. A story about love stronger than blood.

Stand By Me - Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, two-shot, ch1 post s02e04 "Aqualad", ch2 post s02e13 "Nightwing"

After the death of their teammate and a childhood friend, Dick and Donna find comfort in each other thanks to a song from their past.

Something That Makes Saying Goodbye So Hard - Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, coda s02e04 "Aqualad", extended scene

Me and you? No goodbyes. Because goodbyes are too hard for her, Dick knows that all too well. But when Donna tries to sneak out of the Tower late at night, to spare herself the pain, he's there. Because he can't let her just leave like that.

Just The Way You Are - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, post s02e02 "Rose"

"Okay, Rachel. This is getting out of hand - we need to tell Dick." Gar spoke from his place on her bed as Rachel studied her reflection in her mirror. There was another set of claw marks on her back, right over the previous one that hasn't fully healed yet. And the new one was bigger, the cuts were deeper, more painful and bleeding.

I Don't Need The World When I Have You - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, set after season 1

Rachel has a nightmare and Dick is there to comfort her, simple as that.

Piece By Piece - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, songfic based on ans inspired by the song "Piece By Piece" by Kelly Clarkson

"Piece by piece, he restored my faith that a man can be kind, and a father should be great." A story about Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth and their road to becoming a family.

I Will Always Need You - Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, set after season 1

Dick almost lost Rachel one time too many. All of that because his own mistakes. The events of the past 24 hours made him realize he never wants to lose this kid again.

One Word - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, series finale rewrite

"Wait!"

One word.

All it takes is one simple world to alter the course of her life forever.

Will freezes with his hand in the air, fingers ready to pinch the edges of the window together and close it. His eyes are blown open as he stares at her from the other side of it, confusion mixing with heartbreak.

"Lyra?" He whispers her name, his deep voice cracks and stumbles on the letters.

Lyra's heart is a wild horse in her chest.

"Just… wait."

-----------

Series ending rewrite. Lyra makes a decision that goes against everything she's been told. But her love for Will is worth it all.

'Cause We Survived The Great War - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, post 3x02

"Will."

Her voice. So small, so weak and yet the loudest sound around him. He hadn't heard her saying his name in so long he was almost afraid he'd forget how it sounds on her lips but the second it left her mouth, it brought the same sense of warmth into his bones it always did. Will never could find a proper name for that feeling, always struggled to identify it but now that she was here, finally with him after so many days apart, he knew what it was instantly.

It felt like coming home.

---

Post s03e02. After they escape Marisa's clutches and The Magisterium's bullets, Will and Lyra finally allow themselves to feel relief and reunite properly.

You And Me For Evermore - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, post canon AU

Lyra spends New Year's Eve in Will's World.

Not for the first time and not for the last time, Lyra had realized Will's world was… loud. But as overwhelming as this loud world was with its blinding lights, strange habits and fast-paced lifestyle, Lyra couldn't help but see beauty in it too.

Contains mentions of both show and books spoilers.

We're Lucky We Found Each Other - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, Lyra Belacqua and Lee Scoresby, season 2 finale fix-it AU

Lyra brings more resistance against Marisa and Serafina gets to Lee on time. Things go a little bit (or a lot) differently.

Season 2 Finale fix-it AU

Nothing Else Matters - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, romantic friendship, fluff and hurt/comfort, extended scene + post season 2 AU

At that moment, his task, this whole war, all of that ceased to matter. Only Lyra mattered. He's going to find her or he will die trying. He decided right then and there that he would find her and save her, and he would never let anyone tear them apart again.

The More That You Say, The Less I Know - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, romantic friendship, pre-relationship, fluff and hurt/comfort, extended and alternate scenes

The events of episode 2x06 "Malice" told from Lyra's perspective, with some... changes and adjustments

Promise - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, romantic friendship, pre-relationship, fluff and hurt/comfort, extended and alternate scenes

Set during 2x05, "The Scholar". The aftermath of the heist scene.

Eyes Up - Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry, romantic fluff, pre-relationship, romantic friendship

Set after 2x04. The next day Will and Lyra come back to The Tower of The Angels to look for a way to treat Will's wound. They find a bunch of other stuff instead and share a rather special moment.

A Miracle - Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Avengers: Endgame Fix-It

She wakes up in the shallow water...

The One Thing I Thought I Could Never Be - Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Avengers: Endgame Fix-It

Tony knew that was it for him. It was his finish line and he made peace with it.

So how the hell was he still alive, he had no idea.

Home - SUPERGIRL, Kara Danvers & Clark Kent, Elseworlds AU, written pre-crossover, also posted on Tumblr

She looked at him and saw pride in his eyes. She hoped he could see how proud of him she was. They've had a lot of ups and downs, together and seperately, but they came back stronger from all of it... On a peacefull night in Smallville, Kara and Clark look back at their relationship, what it meant for them back then, and what it means for them right now.

Welcome Back, My Friend - Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, post Original Trilogy

She felt it when it happened. A sudden change in the Force. It was like high pressured air filled her lungs in an instant and she could finally breathe again. The weight she has been wearing on her shoulders for 20 years was gone in a second and she felt a sense of peace in her heart.

Let Me Help You - Harry Potter & Hermione Granger, Deathly Hallows Part 1, extended dance scene

Anakin Skywalker died in peace. In light.

You Are a Troy To My Garbriella (only posted on Tumblr - Betty Cooper/Archie Andrews, set during season 2. Inspired by songs from High School Musical Movies

Harry's protective instincts kick in as he sees Hermione being so hurt and sad. So he decides to do something about it.

An Useperatable Duo (only posted on Tumblr) - Amberlee & Ander Ellesidil.

It’s Betty’s 17th birthday and the gang gets together to watch old videos from her childhood. One video in particular gets everyones attention...

Amberle didn’t become a tree. Instead she saved the Ellcrys without sacrificing herself. So it starts when the battle is over, Amberle, Allanon and Will and in the Sanctuary and Ander comes there. (Shitty summary but it was one of the very first things I've ever posted so bare with me. That's why it's on the bottom of this list)

#fanfiction masterlist #masterpost #dc titans #dcu titans #marvel #mcu #clintasha #arrowverse #supergirl #harry potter #riverdale #the shannara chronicles

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textpostslovesfandoms · 7 years

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The Shannara Chronicles vs Text Posts Part 1/??

#the shannara chronicles #shannara #allanon #bandon #eritrea #wil ohmsford #aaww at least you're pretty #amberle elessedil #princess amberle #princess amberle elessedil #shannaraedit #shannara crack #text post #text post meme #textpostslovesfandoms

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captzexx · 4 years

Note

Do you use narrative text differently between muses, or does your writing stay the same style for everybody?

I try to be different though some times they all blend. The good news is that most of all my characters are related so it works juuuust fine! HAHAHA..ha...ha..no it doesn’t it’s lazy and repetitive.

But I do try to pick a different genre for each of them to personify.

Eld ( @eldridgecandell ) is all about monster hunting and leans into more pulpy writing like Howard and Lovecraft. Zexx ( @zexxcandell )is more swashbuckling and sword/sorcery with a heavy hint of noir, cause who doesn’t like fantasy detectives! Ops ( @opliscadumere ) is my scary otherworldly that I am desperately trying to crack because I’m scared of doing disservice to a female character that deserves a good story. And my mass group ( @gatesofthetroupe ) is my wish to build kind of a legacy group of characters and cover all the alt-aholism that fills me. Kind of like Terry Brooks Shannara series with each generation finding themselves in a quest.

I kind of tried with Fenrag ( @fenrag-sonofsevlaz ) to be a samurai story like the manga Vagabond or Lone Wolf minus the cub or Zatoichi.

I try to find a new voice to match the character. Lots of people follow each of them, what do you think?

@unabashedrebel

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unforth · 4 years

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1 and 15 for the behind the scenes asks? :)

1: What was the first fandlm and/or pairing I wrote for? As a child and teenager, without having a concept of what fanfiction was, I wrote for My Little Ponies (age 7), Terry Brooks' Shannara setting, David Eddings' Elenium and Belgariad settings, Piers Anthony's Xanth setting, Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles, and Star Trek - mostly self-inserts.

The first piece of fanfiction I wrote knowing what fanfic was, I was 18 and it was a short crack crossover shipping Aya from the anime Weiss Kruz with Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. It's posted on AO3.

15: which fic would I want made into a movie? None. Please my original fic. I want an Adalwin movie. I want Sean Bean all battle scarred and miserable in love with hottest, tallest Russian model who can act that the producers can find, yes please and thank you.

(Send me writer asks!)

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bleedingout4you · 6 years

Text

Through Time and Fading Memory - Part 4

Gif Credit: anderdidnotdeservethis

This is a the fourth chapter to a h/c fic for Allanon. You can also read it here on AO3.

Fandom: The Shannara Chronicles (TV show), Pairing: Allanon x Pyria, Rating: Mature

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Summary: Allanon faces off with his long time enemy, the Warlock Lord, knowing in his heart that he won’t survive this stand off. Memories of his past come unbidden into his mind. He can’t help but remember the many times that he’s stood against evil, but he also remembers the times he spent with the woman that he loved.

In This Chapter: Allanon finally wakes to find himself gravely injured and the druid table broken beyond repair, but in the company of a elvin woman he knew from the past. Pyria realizes their supplies are running out, and Allanon isn't getting any better. Unknown to them a curious woman is seeking the source of a magical disturbance and an ancient evil has been awakened.

Present Time

Pain… a dull ache that slowly became sharper as Allanon attempted to open his eyes. He could feel the warm trickle of blood running down over his face. He couldn’t be sure how much damage he’d received after being crushed against the wall.

All he wanted to do was close his eyes and let the pain consume him, but he knew he wasn’t done here yet. He winced at the pain that flared up in his side when he tried to move. For a moment, he thought he’d opened his eyes and saw the familiar, worn Druid cave. Everything seemed so familiar. “Pyria……” He whispered under his breath, almost expecting her to run to his side……

Many Years Ago

Pyria stood at the entrance of the cave basking in the sunlight for a few moments. She was trying to maintain her sense of sanity, but she could feel herself slipping. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since they had ended up in this cave. It felt like a lifetime, but she knew it had only been slightly over two days.

They were running dangerously low on food and she wasn’t sure how long she could survive off the land before she would have to venture out further in search of help. She glanced over her shoulder at Allanon. He was her true worry in this. His fever hadn’t broken yet and the wound on his shoulder was still a frightful red. She’d observed that the blackish tinted skin had slowly started spreading outward and it frightened her. If she couldn’t stop it, it could kill him.

She crossed her arms and bit her lower lip. She’d spent the past hours running down to the river and back up to the cave. Only once had she heard any signs of life, and her hopes of it being her brother were dashed. It had been a pair of humans that were walking up the worn trail with large packs on their backs. The last thing she needed to do was tangle with humans, so few of them were hospitable to elves.

Pyria walked back to Allanon and sat beside him, watching him sleep. She supposed that she should be happy that she was able to get him to drink. She’d managed to mash up some herbs and plants she found and cook them into a broth, slipping it in with his water, so at least he had something in his stomach. But how long could someone really live like this?

She rubbed her face with her hands and thought about the man she’d spent time with in the library. She could recall his stern expression and the rare smiles that would escape, making her heart flutter. She had wished he would smile more back then. Now, she wouldn’t mind if he started lecturing her or calling her princess again, she just wanted him to wake up. Resting the back of her hand on his cheek, she still felt the same feverish heat as before.

He shifted beneath her touch and made a muffled sound that she couldn’t tell if it was words, or maybe just another groan. “Allanon? Allanon, can you hear me?” She sighed in disappointment as there appeared to be no change.

She’d been putting off changing all of his bandages, but with the feverish sweating, it had become necessary. She started with the easiest one first, gently unwrapping the bandages covering his forehead. She set to work cleaning the wound and bandaging it up again. She’d been fairly attentive to the burns throughout the day, since if the damaged skin was allowed to harden too much, any movement would cause the skin to crack open, but a quick trip over with the salve once again never hurt.

Her hands worked over his skin as she carefully rubbed the salve in. Moving him about was more difficult than before. His whole body would twitch at times and sometimes it felt like he was reacting to her touch and waking up, but it was just the fever state causing him to move around. She spread the salve down his arm and he shifted again, trying to move his arm away from her, a soft whimper escaping his lips. “Please try to hold still.” She sighed, wiping her forehead clear of her own sweat with the back of her hand.

Finally, she reached the two injuries she wasn’t fond of. One was impossible to get to at this angle and the other was just in a bad place. She glanced worriedly up at Allanon, hoping that he wouldn’t wake up for this bit. She carefully pulled the cloak up over his backside and held it in place just below his hip. She quickly set to work patching up the torn skin on the inside of his hip in a clumsy way as she struggled to hold the cloak in place at the same time.

She then dipped her fingers back into the salve and started applying it to his lower back, down over the burns on his hip and right on over his backside. She tried not to think about how firm his rump felt beneath her hand and told herself to just hurry up.

Pyria realized that she might have errored treating the burns first. Her salve had made his skin both slippery and sticky at the same time. She needed to roll him onto his stomach to treat his leg, and she almost lost her grip a few times. By the time she got him on his stomach, she was frustrated and a little exhausted.

Her hands were shaking as she unwrapped his leg. She could tell that he’d managed to pull on the stitching and wondered if what she’d been able to do with his leg had really been enough. The gash was jagged and deep, and it wasn’t as simple of a fix as she’d hoped. She wiped away the fresh blood and cleaned it up as best as she could.

She tied the bandage back on, making sure it wasn’t too tight, bracing herself for what was to come. She needed to roll him back over onto his side, and that was going to prove difficult. She rested one hand on his hip and the other on his side and pulled backward. Her hands slipped about halfway there and the cloak that was covering him slipped off. She scrambled to catch the cloak and hold it in place. He rocked forward and she heaved him back onto his left side. He released a long groaning sound and she winced, figuring she must have hurt him.

She moved to adjust his legs to keep the injured one free of pressure, but the moment she released the cloak it slipped down again. “Stop it.” She grumbled at the piece of fabric, trying to pull it back up. She realized that when she’d rolled him forward that the cloak had become tucked under his hip, giving her far too little cloak left to cover him up again.

Pyria choked back several words that she wanted to use and rocked him back a little further, tugging at the cloak, trying to free it. She almost had it when he over balanced back in her direction. She quickly put her hand on his ass to catch him from rolling back too far.

Allanon’s whole body shuddered and he shifted considerably. She hesitated before doing anything else and glanced up hoping he wouldn’t try to adjust himself. She saw him flex his burned hand and wince, then those beautiful brown eyes blinked open with another sigh of pain.

Her first reaction to call his name failed when she realized the state she was in. One hand holding a cloak stretched tautly over his front and another hand planted squarely on his ass. She found herself frozen in place, hoping that perhaps he would drift off again if she didn’t do anything else to upset him.

Allanon wasn’t sure what he was aware of first. The searing pain in his shoulder or the stabbing pain in his ribs. Perhaps it was the feeling that he was on a boat, being rocked about, tossed to and fro on the waves. He’d breathed in dirt earlier, which had tickled his nose and caused him to be aware of the thumping headache that he had.

He kind of wished he could just drift off again into a blissful state of sleep. He attempted to move his arm and it felt stiff, as if it were made of wood, so he curled his hand into a fist just to reassure himself that it was still working. He winced as the skin stretched tight, feeling the tingling pain that accompanied burns caused by magic.

Opening his eyes, he winced a little at the sight of the light filtering into the cave. He didn’t know where he was at first and part of him didn’t understand why he wasn’t on the table. He struggled to keep his eyes open, even the simple act of breathing brought on a fresh wave of pain. He could just make out the Druid table through his blurred vision and saw it arched up in the center where the crack ran through it.

The memory of what had happened crashed down on him. He gasped for air again as he struggled to look around for the shadow he’d battled. He pushed his left arm under him, lifting himself barely up off the ground. He suddenly felt her presence, and glanced down at the girl kneeling behind him.

The movement made his head swim and she turned into multiple figures before melting back into one person. Her hair was in a sloppy ponytail and many strands had broken free, her mouth hung slightly open as if she was in shock, or perhaps worried. He narrowed his eyes trying to keep her in focus. He knew her. “Pyria?”

She looked like he’d slapped her across the face. Her mouth opened wider as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

He felt himself start shivering again. He looked down at himself and saw the burns spiraling down his body, and then he slowly became aware that he was completely exposed from the back, a spot of warmth on his right cheek. His eyes slowly drifted from her face to where her hand was placed. “What…..what are you doing?”

“N….not what you think I’m doing.” Pyria’s words were shaky and she tugged fiercely at the cloak, almost knocking him onto his back. The cloak broke free and she tossed it over the top of him, so it at least covered him from the waist down.

Allanon felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. It was an emotion that he wasn’t used to feeling. Sure, he’d been alone so long that social awkwardness was something that he stumbled into a lot, but it never bothered him like this. He reached down, grabbing the cloak, holding it over himself. He tried to scoot away from her, but the effort made his vision go foggy and he slumped back down onto his back, gasping for air as the pain of his back touching the ground hit him.

“Hey, hey.” Pyria moved next to him. “You need to roll onto your side.” She told him. “Your back is badly burned.”

Allanon heaved himself to his side and felt the blanket slipping off to one side again. He reached for it, but Pyria was faster. She tucked the blanket up around his shoulders and all he could do was shiver. He looked back up at the woman that was fussing with the edges of the blanket. So much about her reminded him of that young girl in the library, yet she’d aged into something different, something more. Her hands moved with experience and her eyes were no longer as soft, there was steel behind them.

She moved to the fire that had dwindled and started building it up again. She looked back over her shoulder at him and he quickly looked away, feeling a blush cross over his face. “I’m surprised you actually recognized me after all these years. Unlike you, I aged.”

Allanon propped himself up on his left elbow again wincing at the stabbing pain in his ribs and the deep ache in his leg. He found himself short of breath again, a groan escaping his lips as he tried to adjust himself better.

“Careful, you have a severe cut on the back of your thigh.” Pyria informed him, tossing her hair out of her face. “Which was what I was treating when you came to.” She was quick to add in that last part.

He knew he was badly hurt and he could see the salve covering his burns, but he also knew that meant she’d probably seen him completely naked more than once. His face felt like it was on fire, and he couldn’t tell if it was because he was feverish or mortified.

“Are you alright?” Pyria lifted an eyebrow as she watched him. “You seem more flushed than usual.” She leaned forward to brush her hand over his cheek and he reflexively flinched back from her. She pulled her hand back, looking a little hurt. She cleared her throat and picked up a bowl. “Since you’re awake you should eat something.”

Food was the last thing on Allanon’s mind. He pushed himself up into a half sitting position and she was at his side in a flash. “What are you doing!” She demanded. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I’m just…… just sitting up.” Allanon felt strangely uncomfortable with her being so close to him when the only thing that covered him was a cloak, yet oddly enough there was some comfort in not being alone. “What is wrong with my shoulder?”

“I think it’s infected.” Pyria admitted quietly. “I’ve tried to treat it but it keeps getting worse.”

He closed his eyes and remembered the feel of the steel blade sliding through his shoulder. He swayed a little and her hands slipped about his shoulders. “Please lay down again. I’ll adjust the makeshift pillow so that you can sit up more if you would like.”

Allanon felt some of his discomfort melt away with her gentle touch, her hands felt cool against his heated skin and he relaxed a little. “The sword was cursed.” He told her as she carefully pushed him back down and adjusted the pile of clothes beneath him so he was somewhat propped up.

“Cursed? What does that mean?” Pyria looked down at him, worry in her eyes.

“Dark magic sometimes…..” He gasped as the pain of the injuries rocked his body. Pyria blurred into multiples of herself. “Poisoned.” He drew in a ragged breath trying to balance himself again, he was burning, but he still felt so cold. He began to shiver again and it rattled him to his core.

Pyria picked up a bowl of warm soup and moved next to him. “Please try to drink this, it should help. What can we do about the poison? How do I cure it?”

Allanon looked past her, his eyes resting on the cracked table. The truth was that he wasn’t sure what to do with an injury inflicted by dark magic without the Druid sleep.

She followed his gaze and sighed. “Oh.” She moved the bowl closer to his lips. “You still need to eat, Allanon.”

Allanon made the attempt to drink a bit of the soup. He moved his right hand up to balance the bowl, wincing at the pain in his burned fingers. The warmth felt good in his stomach and he took another sip. That was a mistake. His stomach cramped up and he pushed the bowl away.

“Can’t you do more?” Pyria asked worriedly.

“No.” Allanon was certain that he couldn’t, he slumped back down and noticed that he’d rested his head on her lap. It was startlingly inappropriate, but his head felt so heavy he wasn’t sure if he could move again. “How long…… how long have we been here?”

“A couple days.” Pyria answered him. It was enough to exhaust a lot of their main supplies. She’d dug through his pack in hopes that he had more rations, and she’d found a few books that weren’t helpful and bag of strangely colored stones.

He could feel the burning sensation in his shoulder spreading out over his body and threatening to drown him. He struggled against falling asleep. “Thank you.” He voice came out shaky and quieter than he intended.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Pyria brushed her hand through his hair, gently pulling it back from his forehead. He felt her place a cool, damp cloth against the side of his cheek. “I trained myself as a healer so that I could help people in need. I didn’t think that would include you at the time.”

He closed his eyes relaxing even more under her touch. He recalled the last time he’d seen her and the look of hurt in her eyes when he’d tried to leave without saying goodbye. “Pyria, I…I’m….” He forced his eyes open again and struggled to take a breath. “Are you……” He couldn’t seem to make sense of words anymore. He tried to build a sentence in his mind, but everything seemed backwards. Darkness closed in on his vision as he fought to stay awake. He could hear Pyria calling his name, but it sounded like a distant echo. He released a long sigh and gave into the burning pain, slipping back into unconsciousness.

“Allanon? Allanon!” Pyria resisted the urge to shake his shoulder. She looked up at the ceiling of the cave trying to tell herself that his falling asleep was natural, but she couldn’t help but feel a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She looked back down at him, looking over the part of his face that she could see. His eyes were closed again, but she could see the muscles in his face twitch every now and then. She knew he must be in so much pain. He hadn’t said that he was, but she had seen it on his face and hear it in the small gasps of pain.

She poured some more water onto the towel and carefully touched the back of her hand to his cheek again. His fever was getting worse. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, he couldn’t go on much longer like this. The fever needed to break, but as long as the cut on his shoulder became worse it would persist.

Allanon was violently shivering again, and he started to groan in between his shallow breaths. His brows knitted together and she could see all the pain on his face that he’d been trying so hard to hide while he was awake.

“Shh, shh.” She hummed under her breath and ran her hand through his hair. She knew that right now she couldn’t do anything more for him medically, but she refused to leave his side. If he was truly going to die, she didn’t want him to die alone. “No, don’t you dare think like that.” She reprimanded herself.

Allanon shifted beneath her touch, relaxing into the steady motion of her hand. His body was still racked with shivers, but he seemed to be somewhat eased by her touch.

Pyria started humming a childhood song that she’d heard Ashala sing to her son. She couldn’t be sure if he could even hear it, but it broke the stillness of the room. She felt his left hand brush against her hand that was resting by her side. She gently wrapped her fingers around his, and was almost surprised when his hand closed around hers. She wondered what he would think if he was awake enough to know he was holding her hand. She froze in mid hum at the sound of a branch breaking just outside the cave.

She listened, holding her breath and straining her ears to pick up some form of sound. The sound of falling footsteps was faint, but she could hear them getting closer. She didn’t want to leave Allanon, but what if the cloaked man was coming back.

Pyria instinctively leaned down and planted a kiss on his cheek, surprising herself. She told herself that it was simply a comforting gesture and that there was nothing more behind it. “I’ll be right back.” She carefully moved away from him, making sure he was comfortable and sprang to her feet. She grabbed her sword and moved toward the cave entrance. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against the Warlock Lord if it truly was him, but she knew she would die trying to save Allanon.

Elena walked along the Crest hiking trail. She hadn’t been out hiking for many years, and she was beginning to remember just how much she loved it. Being surrounded by nature and free of the noise of the city was refreshing. She adjusted her backpack, which carried various home remedies and crystals to ward off evil spirits. She couldn’t be sure whether the source of the magic had been good or evil.

She’d been hiking all afternoon and she was beginning to feel a little hungry. She was considering if she should find a spot to sit down and eat her packed sandwich, when her phone rang. Looking down at the screen, she saw that it was her little brother.

She smiled fondly with a light sigh. “On lunch break?” She answered, tossing her silver hair out of her face. “Do you not have anything better to do than to call your sister?”

“I’m just checking in.” He laughed on the other side of the phone. “Our weekly phone conversation, remember?”

“Yes of course.” Elena and her brother had agreed to a weekly call after he’d moved a city away. Since she’d been living on her own after her husband had passed eight years ago, she’d always looked forward to the call. “I just figured that you wouldn’t call this week since you’ve already done so.”

“Doesn’t change anything.” Thomas sounded like he was reciting a contract. “Extenuating circumstances don’t interfere with our weekly session.” The two laughed together and there was a moment of silence. “Are you out of breath?”

She realized that he could hear her panting through the line. “Ah, yes. I decided it was time for some exercise, so I’m hiking.” She chewed her lower lip wondering if her brother would guess what she was up to.

“Let me guess. You went to the State Park.” Thomas sounded more tired than annoyed. “Elena, you could have waited for me.”

“I’m sorry Thomas, but I don’t need a babysitter. I am your older sister after all.” She paused mid step in the center of the path. She could almost feel the traces of magic lingering in the air. “And I couldn’t wait that long.” Her voice was distracted and her brother picked up on that.

“What do you see? Where are you?”

“Leaving the Crest trail.” Elena moved off the trail, her heart pounding in excitement. She hadn’t felt this excited in many years. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area and she spotted strange boot prints and a small path worn through the grass.

She looked up ahead of her and spotted the entrance to a cave. “I think I found the source!” She moved forward, struggling to catch her breath. She could feel her knees protesting and knew that she would regret this much action tomorrow.

“Elena, you need to be careful.” Thomas warned her, his voice was filled with worry, but he need not fret so much. She could be careful.

She approached the cave entrance, and when she was only a few feet away, a woman leapt from the cave, with a battle cry and a sword pointed at her chest. Elena released a scream of surprise and the phone flipped from her fingers and into the dirt.

“Wait!” Elena lifted her hands into the air above her head. She wanted to say something along the lines of ‘don’t kill me!’, but she found herself unable to put more words together. The woman across from her seemed to be in an equal state of shock. Her hazel eyes were wide in surprise and confusion. She must have been expecting someone, but it certainly wasn’t Elena.

The two of them seemed to be locked in some sort of stare down, both sizing each other up. She looked at the sword pointed at her heart. The steel blade was glinting in the sun and it looked sharp. The clothing the woman choose to wear was just as confusing. They seemed modern, but there was a layer of light armor over everything, and the way it was fashioned was oddly vintage looking.

“You should go.” The strange woman took a step toward her, letting the tip of her sword brush against Elena’s shirt. “Leave this place and don’t come back.”

Her voice was stern and commanding. Despite the messy ponytail, Elena believed that this woman was used to giving orders and being listened to. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” She watched as the woman’s eyes narrowed at her refusal. “I believe that I’ve been drawn here by magic.”

The woman looked more agitated and slightly caught off guard. “Whatever you believe, you must leave. Now.” A strand of her long brown hair blew across her face and she quickly tucked it behind a pointed ear.

Elena stared at the pointed ear in surprise, and began to consider the possibility that the woman before her wasn’t human.

The woman noticed her look and sighed. “Yes, I’m an elf. I take it we don’t frequent these woods.” She gestured to the path Elena had come up. “You can take your prejudice with you.”

“Are you really an elf?” Elena questioned her. “Fascinating.”

“Fascinating?” The woman glared at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Elves are not thought to exist, and I would have my misgivings if it weren’t for the surge of magic I felt earlier.” Her gray-blue eyes searched the face of the younger woman. “Tell me, were you the source of the magic?”

The woman looked back at her, the confusion growing in her expression. She glanced to her right as if trying to recall something, and then back to Elena. “What year is it?”

“2036.” Elena answered her. She watched as a look of surprise washed over the woman’s face, and to her relief the sword lowered.

“Elena!” The phone crackled from the dirt. “I will call the police if you don’t answer me!”

“Do you mind?” Elena pointed to the phone, and the woman seemed nervous but shook her head. She bent over and picked up the phone placing it to her ear slowly. “Thomas.”

“What happened!?”

“No need to shout.” Elena spoke calmly. “I wasn’t watching where I was going and bumped into another hiker.” She felt bad about lying to her brother. They were so close that there were virtually no secrets between them. There was silence on the other line. “Look I’m going to turn back, my knees are bothering me. I’ll text you when I get home?”

“Alright. Be careful.”

“I will.” She hung up and tucked the phone into her pocket. The elf had slumped against the cave wall, looking more lost than anything else. “My name is Elena.” She extended a hand to the elf. “I’m sorry for startling you.”

“Pyria Elle……” She stopped and slipped the sword into her belt. “It’s Pyria.” She took her hand, giving her a firm handshake. “It would appear that I’ve somehow come back in time.”

“Back in time.” Elena wondered what had happened in the world that reset them back to using swords, but in the very least the clothing choices made sense. “Do you know how you managed this?”

“No.” Pyria looked exhausted. “I didn’t cause the magic that you felt earlier.” She looked back into the cave. “He did.”

Elena moved to enter the cave and caught Pyria tensing up out of the corner of her eye. “May I go inside?” She asked her, not wanting to end up at the sharp end of a blade again.

Pyria was watching her with an intense gaze. It was clear that she didn’t fully trust her, but she also seemed fairly desperate. She finally consented with a nod and led her into the cave.

The feeling of powerful magic sent goosebumps up and down Elena’s arms. She could sometimes feel the tingle of magic in the tips of her fingers when she handled rare crystals, but never this powerful. She brushed her hand over the cracked table in awe. “What is this place?”

“It’s a Druid cave.” Pyria answered, watching her expression closely.

She moved past the table and caught sight of a man on the floor. She could feel powerful magic radiating off of him, but it was tainted with a strain of something dark that made her want to recoil away. She slipped her backpack off her shoulders and dropped to her knees beside the man.

She spotted the strange lines carved into his skin along his head and neck where the bandages didn’t cover him. She’d never seen markings like this before, but somehow they almost felt familiar to her. “Who is he?”

Pyria sat down across from her and took his hand between her own. “He is a Druid.” She answered quietly.

Elena could feel the dark energy swirling up from him, and could almost see it in the air as if it was smoke. “He’s been touched by dark magic.” She unzipped her backpack and began sorting through her cures. She pulled out a plain looking purple crystal and some herbs.

“What are you doing?” Pyria clung to the man’s hand. “How did you know?”

“Sometimes I feel the presence of magic.” Elena told her. “Hand me that bowl.” Pyria handed her the bowl that was sitting next to the fire pit. “I’ve never felt anything this strongly before.” She explained, as she dropped the crystal and herbs into the bowl. She fished a round rock from her pack that had symbols carved into it, and used it to crush everthing up together.

She poured some water from her water bottle into the bowl and the liquid turned a light gray. “I need to apply this to the affected area.” She could see the surprise on the elf’s face.

“There’s a horrible gash on his right shoulder that doesn’t appear to be a normal wound.” Pyria looked both hopeful and skeptical at the same time.

She pulled the cloak down over his shoulder, and carefully untied the bandages.

“Be careful.” Pyria didn’t seem to be comfortable with her touching the Druid, but something had to be done.

Elena pulled back the bandages and looked over the dark injury. She’d never seen the effects dark magic could have on someone and it wasn’t something that she hoped to see again. She slowly applied the liquid to his wound and though the water was cold, steam curled up at the contact.

Every muscle in the Druid’s body tensed at once, he cried out and Pyria clung to his hand with a look of desperation. “What did you do!”

“It’s burning out the negative energy.” Elena told her firmly. She balanced herself just behind his shoulder so that she could prevent him from tossing himself back. His whole body was shaking in agony, and a fresh stream of blood started flowing from the wound. The blood was a dark, blackish color.

She heard Pyria gasp and looked up from her work. The walls were glowing with a bright orange, red light. She could see the patterns of runes running up and down the walls that she hadn’t seen earlier. She wondered if she’d truly stepped into another world when she’d entered the cave, and as much as she wanted to just become lost in the moment, she knew she had to finish the work set before her. “Give me a rag.”

Pyria quickly snatched up a rag and handed it to her.

She gently wiped up the blackish blood and cleaned the wound. As she worked, the Druid slowly began to relax as the dark color started to recede from the skin around the wound. She worked until the black colored blood was gone and the wound returned to a normal light pink coloring. “Would you hand me some bandages?”

“How did you do that?” Pyria asked as she fumbled about with the bandages, managing to hand her some.

Elena slowly began wrapping his shoulder and offered her a small smile. “I work in magical cures.” She answered her.

“Are you a type of Druid yourself?” Pyria asked her. “I didn’t think Druids existed in these times, but you seem to understand magic.”

“No, no.” Elena shook her head. “I’m not a Druid, and I don’t completely understand magic. But I understand the influence that magic can have and how certain things react together, but I wouldn’t call that an understanding of magic.” She finished binding his shoulder and looked at the burns that ran down his right arm. “These were not caused by flames.”

“We didn’t come here alone.” Pyria confessed. “There was another man with us. He caused the injuries you see here.” She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know where he went to now. The burns are much worse on his back."

Elena could sense that the other man in question was dangerous, and staying here was a bad idea. “I should assess his other injuries.” She didn’t wait for permission as she quickly removed the cloak that Pyria had covered him with, pulling it down to his waist. The Druid was well built and she could see more runes flowing down over his shoulders and back. She drew her fingers over the intricate patterns taking it all in, wondering how far down they went. No wonder the elf seemed so protective of him. He was very easy on the eyes despite the burns that covered his skin.

Pyria could feel Allanon’s grip on her hand loosening. He still held on to her, but it wasn’t like before, when she’d thought that the very bones in her hand were going to be crushed. She watched as Elena looked over his back and felt a bit agitated by the way she was clearly admiring how his runes flowed down the back of his body. It was a stupid feeling really. Why should she care?

“You created a salve for these?” Elena looked up at Pyria with a hint of admiration in her soft eyes.

“Yes, I did.” Pyria felt a rush of pride, but kept it contained. She was proud of what she had done for Allanon, but at the end of the day she couldn’t cure the infection and without this human he might have died. That thought alone was making her upset. She should be feeling grateful, but for one reason or another that wasn’t the emotion stirring up inside of her. “There’s also a really bad cut on his leg…”

Before she could explain more, the rest of the cloak was already off, Elena had taken the edge of the cloak and swept it off him completely, exposing him once again.

Pyria quickly looked at the side of the cave wall, breathing in a sharp breath. She slowly dared a look out the corner of her eye and saw that Elena was smiling to herself in an amused way as she started looking over the leg injury.

A blush covered Pyria’s face, trying not to look as flustered as she felt. Elena was clearly not bothered at all by completely exposing a stranger, and she seemed to think it was amusing that it disturbed the elf.

The smile slipped from Elena’s face and Pyria felt a twinge of worry deep in the pit of her stomach. “Is everything alright?”

“His leg bled through the bandages.” Elena’s fingers moved quickly, working the bandage free. Pyria watched her work quickly, but carefully. The joints in Elena’s fingers were thicker and beginning to curve, dictating a life of heavy use. The way they curved reminded her of an old elf woman that made jewelry back at home. She felt both homesick and foolish for being so possessive at the same time. She watched as Elena peeled back the bandage and winced at how bloody the wrappings were.

“Can we roll him onto his stomach?” Elena asked her.

“Yes of course.” She helped Elena gently roll Allanon on to his stomach, feeling somewhat relieved that he at least wouldn’t be exposed in front anymore. That feeling disappeared at the sight of the gash on his leg. All the stitching she’d done had completely torn free. “I was worried that might happen.”

Elena chewed on her lower lip surveying the damage. “Pyria, do you have a knife with you?”

“Excuse me, what?” Pyria placed her hand protectively over the hilt of the knife poking out of the top of her boot. Her mind raced as she tried to determine why she’d ask for that. Was she going to cut free the remaining stitches. "I can remove the broken stitching." She offered.

Elena gave her a patient look and Pyria felt like she was being treated like a child. “Fine, you keep hold of the knife, but after you remove the stitches I need you to heat the end. We need to cauterize the wound. It’s our best bet to seal the injury.” The older woman informed her.

Pyria was slightly annoyed by the whole situation. She should be grateful for the help, but instead she was just upset that she didn’t think of this. She told herself that she had never really treated a major injury before, and this woman probably had years of experience, but it didn’t help much. She moved down to Allanon's leg and assisted Elena with removing the stitches.

After the wound was clear of stitching she held the freshly cleaned knife over the fire, waiting for it to heat up. She kept glancing back at Elena and felt yet another flash of annoyance that the woman seemed to have returned to admiring the rune pattern on Allanon’s back while she waited. She found her own eyes wandering back down over his back and to the curve of his ass and quickly looked back down at the knife, hoping that Elena hadn't caught her looking.

It seemed to take a life time before the knife glowed cherry red at the tip, and her fingers felt as if they too were blistering from the heat. “It’s ready.” The woman held her hands out to receive the blade and Pyria hesitated for a moment. She didn’t believe the woman would attempt to kill her. If that was her intention she would have tried something already, but handing her a weapon still made her uncomfortable. “Here.” She sighed and handed the knife to her.

“Hold him down as best as you can, dear.” Elena carefully positioned the knife over his leg. “I have a feeling he won’t be unconscious for long.”

Pyria tried to ignore the term of endearment. She was thirty years old and a royal, no one used such terms with her anymore, but she managed to hold back the comment and simply nod. She moved up to Allanon’s left side and rested her hands on the back of his shoulder. “You’re going to be fine, this will only hurt for a moment.” She tried to reassure him as Elena straddled his legs, lowering the heated knife onto the back of his leg.

Pyria winced at the sound of the steel touching his skin, it hissed loudly and smell the burning flesh filled the air. Almost directly after the contact against his skin, Allanon’s entire body jolted. His dark eyes flew open in surprise, and he gasped attempting to scramble up to his knees.

“Hold him down!” Elena shouted nearly being pitched off the man herself.

Pyria leaned her full weight onto his shoulder, trying to pin the much larger man to the ground. “Calm down, we have to cauterize the wound on your leg!” She shouted, clinging to his shoulder. She wasn’t sure how much he would actually be able to understand. He’d just woken up and she could only imagine the pain he was in. It quickly became clear that just holding down his shoulder wasn't good enough. She pushed herself up onto his back, trying to force his hips back to the ground. Her body pressed down against him as she tried to keep him from moving. She'd been so close to the man, but this was a new level. She tried not to think about how close they were right now.

The air seemed to finally reach his lungs, and he managed something that sounded between a shout and a groan. Pyria reached down and grabbed his hand. “Just hold on to me, alright. Squeeze my hand if it makes you feel better.” She couldn’t stand to see the Druid looking this powerless. He’d always seemed so invincible, but these last few days had shown her that he was anything but.

Allanon looked back into her eyes, his own glistening with fear and tears of pain. He closed his eyes and his hand tightened around hers in a death grip that made her flinch again. He bit down into his lower lip hard enough that blood was soon trickling down his chin.

She really did hate watching him hurt himself. She wanted to tell him that it was alright to scream through the pain, instead of trying to hold it all in. He didn’t need to be strong for them. She held her tongue though, knowing that speaking with him was pointless right now.

“There.” Elena moved off of his legs and picked up a spare piece of cloth dipping it in water and laying it over his leg.

Pyria rubbed her free hand over his shoulder. “She’s done. It’s over.” She told Allanon. “Can I get you anything?” She slipped off his back and glanced down at him with a frown. The clasp on the front of her tunic had dug into his back, rupturing several of the blisters that covered his skin. The guilt about the cut resurfaced again. She kept trying to help him, but somehow she kept hurting him instead.

Allanon’s breathing was still coming rapidly, but he released his lower lip. He tried to take in a shaky breath and opened his eyes again. He looked up at Pyria curiously. “Who is she?”

Allanon could hear Pyria trying to explain who the strange woman was, but he was having problems understanding the words she was saying. Everything was just blurring together in his mind. The pain he was feeling was still extremely intense. He could feel the relief of no longer being burned, but the burn itself brought on a new wave of pain.

He could feel the blood from his bitten lip dripping off his chin and wiped the back of his good hand across his mouth. It caused his weight to be shifted to the support of his right shoulder and he braced himself for a fresh wave of pain. He did feel some pain in the movement, but it wasn’t like the pain he’d been feeling earlier. He realized the burning sensation in his shoulder had dissipated to a dull ache. The feel of a normal injury and not an infected one.

He looked down at his hand that had moved back to clinging to Pyria’s. He hadn’t even noticed he’d reached for her again. He knew he should let go, but just holding her hand was comforting. It almost felt like he was clinging to some sort of life force that kept pulling him back from the edge. He didn’t want to let go.

“…..And Elena managed to stop the infection….” Pyria’s soft voice faded in and out.

“Elena?” Allanon didn’t remember an Elena, but that must be the name of the person Pyria had mentioned earlier. He looked at the ground before him and pushed himself back to his left side, reluctantly letting go of Pyria’s hand to push himself up. The fever that caused his vision to blur had ebbed and he found it easier to move, but not without its share of pain.

“Don’t try to sit up.” A gray haired woman was fussing with some bandages, and he guessed she must be Elena. “Do you want to make all of our hard work for naught?”

Allanon froze as he noticed that this time he was fully exposed. His whole body curled in on itself. The burns on his back screamed from the sharp movement and his leg throbbed with an intense wave of pain, but he curled himself up enough to cover himself with his right hand. His entire face was flushed, and he hoped neither of them knew that his fever had broken.

Pyria respectfully averted her eyes and handed him the balled up cloak. Elena wasn’t so gracious. “Excuse me, young sir.” She crossed her arms giving him a disapproving look. “I said not to move.” She worriedly tried to get a look at his leg.

Allanon pulled away from her, tucking the cloak around his waist. The effort left him short of breath and in a world of pain. He choked down a sound of discomfort and tried not to let the pain show on his face. “I was….”

“Yes, we were aware.” Elena said patiently. “As soon as your wounds were taken care of we were going to cover you again, dear.”

“I’m sorry, Allanon.” Pyria rested her hand on his shoulder just lightly touching him, almost hesitantly as if she was scared he’d pull away.

He didn’t pull back, but he was intensely aware of every piece of skin that touched hers. He blamed it on his current horror. He kept himself mostly upright, not wanting to lie back down or show weakness in front of this strange woman. He tried to reach out to her mentally, but he was too tired to read her thoughts. He could sense the magic inside of her. It was locked deep inside and not very powerful, but it was there.

He looked down at his bandaged shoulder. He couldn’t feel the dark magic anymore and he glanced up at Elena. “Who are you?”

“Just a woman. Now, may I continue bandaging up your leg? It would help if you laid back down on your stomach.” Elena told him softly.

He knew the cloak would have to be pulled up for that and he didn’t want that to happen again, but the position he was half sitting in hurt his leg badly. He slowly lay back down on his stomach, folding his arms below his chin. He could feel her pull up the cloak and closed his eyes trying not to think about how exposed and weak he felt.

Allanon wasn’t the type of person to feel helpless, and he rarely was. In this moment, he felt like he was at the world’s mercy, injured and naked. He tried to fight the self-conscious feeling of embarrassment. He felt a pair of hands on his back and looked over his shoulder.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Pyria blushed brightly. “I was just applying some salve. You damaged your back moving around so quickly.”

“I wasn’t startled.” Allanon lied. The places that her hands touched felt good. The salve was cool on his stinging back. “You can keep going if you like. I don’t mind.” He closed his eyes again as she moved her hands lightly over his skin. The cooling sensation was nice, but paired with the steady movement of her hands, it relaxed him and calmed his pain.

He looked up as the cloak was pulled back down over him. He felt a sudden sharp stinging on his mid-back. He took in a quick breath, his back arching reflexively.

“Sorry, sorry.” Pyria’s voice was riddled with worry. “There’s just a bad spot where I had to hold you down.”

“It’s fine.” Allanon sighed. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, Princess.” He felt her stop moving and waited for the sounds of protest. Instead, his ears rang with the sound of laughter. He wasn’t actually sure if he’d heard her laugh before, but he knew he wanted to hear it again. “I’m surprised you’re not angry.”

“Honestly, I’m just happy you’re awake and talking again.” Pyria sounded happy. He could almost see the smile as she spoke the words. She patted his back and moved away. “There. I think you should stay on your stomach for a little while if that’s comfortable.”

Allanon glanced at her. When he saw her earlier she looked worried and pale, but now he could see that some of the color had returned to her face. The setting sun’s rays where shining in the cave behind her and it made it look as if she was glowing. “Thank you.”

Pyria twisted a strand of hair around her finger and looked down at the cave floor. She cleared her throat and turned to Elena. “You need to thank her too.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Elena had gotten to her feet and was looking toward the cave entrance. “You can thank me once you’re safely at my apartment.”

“A what?” Pyria asked her.

“Where I live. It isn’t safe for you here. If that man returns, your friend will be at risk for greater injury.” Elena reached into her pack and pulled out her sandwich. “I have some food in case you’re hungry.”

Pyria nodded and took the sandwich in her hands. She turned over the odd piece of food in confusion, but smiled up at Elena gratefully. “How are we going to move Allanon?”

Allanon understood the concern. His leg was badly injured. He didn’t know how badly yet, because neither of the women had told him, but if the pain was an indicator he supposed he was grateful that he didn’t break it. “I can walk.”

“You might be able to.” Elena gave him a look filled with pity. “But it won’t be easy. That cut is almost bone deep. We’ll have to move very slowly and you should keep all of your weight off of it if you can.” She slipped her backpack back on. “Either way, you can’t just go on a hike without clothes.”

She turned to Pyria and addressed her. “I’m going home to get him something to wear and fresh supplies. I’ll come back for you tomorrow, and then we can get the two of you home.”

“If you think that it will work, then I’m in.” Pyria nodded firmly. “Will you be alright on your own?”

“I’ll be just fine.” Elena smiled softly. “I’m not fragile you know.” She stepped back from the two of them. “I will be back tomorrow. Until I get back...” She pointed a finger at Allanon. “Don’t move too much. You need to save your energy for tomorrow.”

Brona sat in front of the fire that he’d built up. He’d just drawn healing runes in the sand around him and closed his eyes, tilting his head back. He could feel the steady pulse of earth energy running up from the ground into his body. He could sense the ley lines that ran through the forest. This place was blessed with them.

He smiled to himself as he felt the presence of the dark ley lines, hiding just beneath the glow of the others. He was caught by surprise at how strong the dark magic was when he tapped into its power. His body stiffened as a vision flashed before his eyes.

He was suddenly flying through the woods, following a strange path to a pile of boulders that were covered with moss. No, they weren’t boulders, but some sort of rubble that had to have been a building at some point. A hidden door glowed bright red and swung open.

A pair of recessed, glowing red eyes looked at him out of the darkness. He felt waves of dark magic crashing over him. Release me!

His vision snapped back to the ground in front of the fire that was now dying. His mouth curled up into a smile. When he’d crashed into this world, he’d awoken something, and now it was calling to him. He rose to his feet and looked up at the darkening sky. “So be it, hell beast.” He spoke to the shadows around him. “I will release you, and become your master.”

#Allanon #shannara chronicles #shannara #whump #whump fic #hurt/comfort #@whenimaunicorn #Sorry it took so long to be posted

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