#tagging all these folks will be the death of me

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Snippet Saturday

Thank you to both @hobbitwrangler and @celeluwhenfics for the tags! I really enjoyed seeing your excerpts! I’ve been in a bit of a dark mood (sigh) and that’s influenced what I’ve been noodling on. Sorry for that! So all I’ve got to share at the moment is poor young Háma’s reaction to going to battle for the first time and finding out all the unpleasant things about war and killing that they never tell you when you first sign up…

CW for discussions of death among soldiers and civilians

**********

He cried after that first battle, hiding alone in a darkened corner of a stable and wracked by huge, shaking sobs that both embarrassed and reassured him, proof that the day’s bloody brutality had exposed his naive ignorance but not taken his humanity. He wondered whether that humanity could endure even one more such pitiless trial or if it would break him, changing the very essence of who he was. He wondered if he was already broken in ways that he couldn’t yet understand, ways that would be revealed to him only later in the long dark of a sleepless night or the cold grip of a relived memory. He wept for the man he had been and for the man he had wanted to be, someone who might now be a stranger to him forever.

He may have quit that very day had an older soldier not stumbled upon him and his tears, pulling him to his feet and tossing him a small scrap of cloth to dry his face. We have all felt what you’re feeling, the soldier said. Anyone who is untroubled by taking lives should never be trusted with a sword. The soldier walked him over to a nearby field where neat rows of villagers were laid out to await burial — old men holding canes, young mothers in bright dresses, a few girls and boys with the usual childhood skinned knees or elbows alongside mortal injuries — all caught unaware by the enemy before the forces of Rohan arrived to drive them back. Remember that you have killed so that people like this might live, the soldier said, and he left Háma to keep watch among the corpses, to contemplate death anew.

**********

A lot of folks have been tagged already, but how about @erathene or @cilil if either of you have something you’d like to share! (Or anyone else who wants to put something out there, please consider yourself tagged by me!)

[grapehyasynth]

young royals fic rec, 40/?

i’m (slowly) working my way through the wilmon tag on ao3 and thought that as i go i might shout out some fics i enjoy along the way! i’ve tagged authors where i knew their tumblr url, but please feel free to tag folks or dm me if you know ones i’ve missed!

see all my rec lists here

1. Hopes and Dreams by @iwouldnevergetintofanfic - "You are going to have to think about your future, and write a letter to your future selves." So what did Wille and Simon actually write for their Swedish assignment in s3e4?

2. another dose by stargazers - Simon likes Wille at night, but he might like him even better in the morning. (or: night owl Simon and early bird Wille take turns wrecking each other)

3. Small-town boy in a big arcade by @shouldntbearevolution - After everything, Simon finally breaks down.

4. Where We Left Off by @gulliblelemon - Simon meets Wilhelm by accident in the wake of Erik's sudden death. This story follows their lives through the years, and through more of their accidental and on-purpose meetings, as their lives change and they cross paths again and again.

5. Close, Closer by @skibasyndrome - He shakes his head slightly, drops his forehead against Simon’s collarbone, takes a deep, deliberate breath.“ Give me a moment,” he says and Simon, sweet Simon, who is right here and oh so gorgeously close, cards his fingers through Wilhelm’s hair, gently presses into the muscles of his shoulders, kisses the top of his head.

6. @hillerskaconfession by @piebingo - An instagram confession account at Hillerska might not be as anonymous as one thinks.

7. All This Talk is Bruising Me by @unfortunate17 - A S1 canon divergence fic where Simon is not visible in the tape and August uses it as he originally intended - to force Wille onto the table.

[bridgeportbritt]

Margaret Royal History Museum | Hallow Slough, SimDonia | 1 Day Until the Wedding

Admiring her work

Glass clinks and conversations wine down

Grayson: Hi, everyone. I hope you're all having a good time. Some of you may not know this, but Olivia and I actually spoke for the first time here at this museum, so it's pretty special to us. And it's even more special since we're here with you. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for being here. It means so much to Olivia and me to be able to celebrate this moment with all of you.

Grayson: Thank you to my Simerica family for flying all the way out here, even a week before to support us and make Liv feel welcome in our gigantic fam. Thank you to our wedding party for standing by our side on the big day. And of course, thank you to our parents. We couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for letting us have some say in your wedding (looks at Bria).

Bria: It's our wedding, sweetheart!

Laughter

Grayson chuckles: Thanks, mom. Anyway, enjoy! Thank you again!

Olivia: Wonderful speech, my love. Excuse me, while I go to the ladies' room.

Later

Esther: Marissa, have you seen, Olivia?

Marissa: Hmm... actually last time I saw her, she was headed to the restroom. That was about 10 minutes ago.

Esther: Thank you. I'll go check on her.

Donovan: Hi, sweetheart...

[saccharineomens]

In b4 Jiji comes in and blows up in popularity, I'm a Jiji/Okarun/Momo OT3 stan 🙏

[iamfuckingsorry]

"Do you know where we are going next?" I asked ART.

Y'know what, I think maybe I don't need any more Murderbot books. I think maybe ending things here is fucking perfect and as much as I love Wells's writing I'm genuinely not sure it can get better for me.

Like, so much of the books are about MB learning how to be a person, about becoming okay with being a complete individual with everything it entails. The first thing it does once it's actually allowed to decide on its own is it runs away from it all (admittedly to go on a mission to confirm some things about its past, because it genuinely just wants to be *good*). It shoves all its emotions away as much as it's able to. Then shit happens, and it makes its first friends, makes decisions based on these friendships, goes through a lot of emotionally intense situations...

And we get to this point here. MB having zero doubts about going with ART says a lot about its relationship with ART, but it also says a lot about its relationship with its humans - it knows that wherever it goes, when it comes back, the humans will still be there. Its humans actively acknowledge its struggles with being a now-free SecUnit and MB is willing to entertain the discussions to an extent and share information about its deeply personal experiences. Hell, System Collapse ends with MB admitting it might be somewhat broken, but that's okay as long as it can keep doing its job, and agreeing to basically do counselling - this is the guy what would rewatch its favourite TV show again and again in order to avoid acknowledging it even had Emotions a couple books back.

Reading this, I know that MB will be okay. It has hopes and goals and genuinely believes in itself and it has an amazing support system that its willing to lean on for the first time in its life. I'm convinced it'll go on to do great things with ART. And that's really the only thing I need to know.

[lpsotd]

important announcement part 2: electric boogaloo

greetings tumblr! i haven't made an original post in (i believe) over a month, and i actually didn't plan on making an announcement about my absence at all, for no real reason honestly, i just didn't want to. however, i think i'm correct to assume there's at least a handful of people who have been my curious about my absence, or perhaps wondering why they've noticed a lack of daily littlest pet shops on their dashboard.

this post is going to be long, personal, and serious. i'm going to be talking about myself, my life at the moment, and what i'm going to be doing moving forward.

you can read everything under the cut. i'm providing trigger warnings for suicide and familial death. the first half of this post is where the warnings apply, the other half is about what i'll be doing with this blog and also relates to my internet presence in general.

the latter half of the month of september was extremely taxing on my mental health, the main reason for my mental decline is not something i'm going to touch on here, as it's too personal and there's no reason for me to air out my private business on tumblr.com of all places. all you need to know is that during late september, i was at my worst. i had been trying to push through and continue my life as normal despite the constant turmoil i was in, and i never had the motivation to do anything with myself besides taking a shower, and even then i was rather neglectful of my hygiene. i had plenty of support from those close to me. my mom in particular did her absolute best to make sure i was comfortable and felt loved and cared for, and i did feel that way. however, at this point in my life i was a ticking time bomb and i don't think any one person would've been able to cut any cords to put a stop to the timer.

on september 26th at around 1:45pm, i made an attempt on my life. i'm not sure what it was about that day in particular, but it was then that i decided i didn't want to deal with anything anymore. fortunately for me, i was stupid enough to post what was essentially a suicide note to my main tumblr blog, which friends of mine took notice of. this, of course, worried people and one of my friends called the police to my house. long story short, i spent a day in the hospital and was sent to a psychiatric hospital the following afternoon.

i was in the psychiatric hospital for little less than a week, and if i were to detail my experience here it would make this post at least 3x longer than i intend it to be. (and i do plan on dedicating a large post to it someday) in short, it was an eye-opening experience and i left with a better view on myself as a person. i was discharged on october 3rd and i'm currently in therapy and looking for other methods to help myself.

the doctor at the psychiatric hospital diagnosed me with adjustment disorder with depressed mood, although i'm made to believe i have borderline personality disorder as i get unhealthily attached to people and my entire mood depends on how they interact with me. due to this belief, i'm hesitant to get too close to people because i don't want to risk becoming emotionally attached/dependent on one (1) sole person and my entire mental wellbeing collapsing due to something like us parting ways. so at this moment i'm not sure if i'll ever be able to pursue a romantic relationship.

for the week i've been home, i've been trying to readjust to normal life again after becoming used to the static routine present in the psychiatric hospital. i've found myself becoming easily irritated and overwhelmed by even the slightest bit of noise in my home because the hospital was always so quiet and calm. i'm unsure if this irritability will go away as i become re-accustomed to the semi-chaotic nature of my home.

on top of all of this, my grandfather passed away yesterday and, as of writing this, i'm in a state of emotional numbness and i've somewhat disassociated from the situation. as it stands currently, life doesn't feel too real and i'm uncertain of how i'm going to deal with this when my emotions finally come to the surface.

that's it for the depressing portion of this post. everything from here will be pertaining to the state of this blog, what i'm going to be doing with it, and also my presence on other social medias among other things.

for the past three or so months i haven't felt very compelled to post to this blog. when i went on hiatus a while ago, i thought time away from this blog would reignite my passion for it and i'd be able to come back and do things like i used to. and while that was the case for a while, i quickly lost interest again and sometime in mid-late july i let my queued posts do everything and i barely posted or reblogged anything aside from gofundmes.

while littlest pet shop is still one of my special interests, i'm no longer as fixated on it as i was when i first started this blog. i once debated turning this blog into a catchall for my toy interest and no longer posting daily lps, however that idea no longer appeals to me and i think i'm going to be calling it quits for this blog.

i'm not happy about this decision, but i no longer get joy from logging on and posting to this blog anymore.

i find it foolish to delete this blog and never use it again, though. i still have over eight thousand followers and i believe i should use that to share and bring awareness to donation posts. so this blog will not be going anywhere.

if you want to follow me elsewhere, my main blog is @joplinspiderz and my art blog is @mushyspiderz. i'm trying to put more focus on my presence in art spaces, as i want to get attention for my art and earn money doing things like commissions, as i'm looking for other sources of income so that i can pay for things i need and can stop feeling like a freeloader in my mother's house (that is half of a joke. but i do really want to help my mom with her bills and such as well as my personal things.)

i also have an instagram, threads, and twitter where i will be posting my art as well. the audience i want for my art is people in my age range (18 and older) as i tend to draw things and characters that are suggestive/sexual in nature. all three socials are currently bare (that will change, of course.) the handle for my instagram/threads is joplinspiderz and my twitter is mushyspiderz.

the person i have been portraying on this blog has been a somewhat sanitized version of who i actually am, as i wanted to create a safe and comfortable space for those who age regress because i noticed a good chunk of the people interacting with my posts were age regressers. i'm 18 years old and i enjoy consuming media that is sexual in nature as well as horror movies. i like to include sexual themes in my artwork and my writing as well. you will not find anything outright pornographic on my socials, however sometime in the future when/if i'm able to, i would like to create a patreon where i post nsfw locked behind a paywall (profiting off of horny fools sounds like so much fun /silly)

i sincerely thank everyone who followed this silly little blog of mine and interacted with me. the littlest pet shop community is one of the best fandoms i've been apart of, everyone i've met and spoken to has been so kind. running this blog was also the reason i encountered two people who i consider to be some of my closest and best friends. if i didn't create this blog i'm not sure if i would've met them.

i've always felt joy when opening my inbox here and seeing messages from people who say things like littlest pet shop was a part of their childhood, and that my blog brought them back to their childhood and made them happy. i'm so very glad i was able to give people a sense of joy and nostalgia. running this blog has been a big part of me getting over being seen as "weird" or "cringe" by societal standards. i embrace being seen as "cringe" and i have my rare lps on full display in my bedroom.

again, i thank everyone who followed me here, and if you wish to support me you can follow any of my social medias where i will be posting my artwork. i will be logging on here every so often to boost palestinian gofundmes and donation posts, and i encourage everyone who comes across those to share as well.

that's all for now, farewell. 🩷

[doomdoomofdoom]

god fucking damn you mike flanagan and your profound horror series making me feel things about life and love

[ratinayellowbandana]

there exists … an imodna playlist that I’ve been carefully curating since 2022 with genre-consistent, thematically-appropriate songs with hyperspecific lyrics and every time I listen to it I froth at the mouth a little bit. it’s in chronological order. it starts with laudna, then imogen, then their meeting and getting on the road and I know I made it but ahhhh

edit: here's a link. it's a constant wip

[god-of-this-new-blog]

““Latin,” both of their advisors had offered in the first weeks of spring term, “would be an undeniable boon.” L had put up a fight about altering his schedule. Light had yielded gracefully to the request. Light was one for yielding gracefully when he understood it was required of him.

There was one Latin class taught on campus, one room in which it was taught, one table around which the students gathered, and one seat—a necessary buffer—between the two young men.”

— Summa Cum Laude by God_of_this_new_blog

[smashwolfen]

Poor robot dad must have had a short circuit when all this went down like geez XD

[thewanderingmask]

obligatory scott and scar posting

[helloiamacashier]

It's a travesty that I can't reblog gifsets of books.

[yourthirdparent]

call me pretty by elliotly is sooooo it's such a jasico song. it's so themcore. logically speaking it'd be from nico but i am dedicated to making everything about jason so it's from jason's pov.

[nehswritesstuffs]

Baratie: Home to Chefs, Strays, and the Occasional Sword Goblin - Part 4

My apologies on this taking so damn long--a lot has gone down in the not-quite-month it’s taken to update. Some good, some bad, but hey... here’s some more cute af dopamine hits for ya.

First chapter on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Prior chapter on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

As the kids all get on without a hitch, their adults acknowledge that there’s a lot more to this than they’d like to admit, not as though that’d change anything. [4590 words]

“So, you honestly had no idea he even existed until he showed up on the Baratie?” Usopp mused. He took a sip of his tea and glanced over at the kids, who were playing nearby. It was well after dinner and he and Zoro were getting the entire story from Sanji and Zeff up in their private residence while the kids were finally occupied after an afternoon and evening of being too attentive for Adult Talk.

“I mean, I won’t doubt it’s my sister’s kid,” Sanji scowled, “but I’m wondering how in the hell this even happened.”

“She slept with someone and didn’t think before or after until it was too late,” Zoro shrugged. Sanji backhanded his shoulder and scoffed.

“It’s not like my sister to not think and calculate out everything to at least five different eventualities,” he scolded. “She must have known Asido was a possibility from the start—before she even took the father to bed—and if he’s here, that means she wanted him… wanted to protect him…”

“What bothers me is that I thought your sperm donor was a medical field nutbag—wouldn’t he have discovered what was going on?” Zeff scoffed.

“Judge knows how to rape a woman until she’s pregnant, then what to do to change the Lineage Factor of her unborn children,” Sanji grimaced. “If it weren’t for the former, it wouldn’t surprise me if the bastard thinks a baby pops out of a woman’s navel and that she pisses from her vagina. My brothers are right up there with him, considering they wouldn’t know what a G-spot is if their unemotional lives depended on it.”

“Only if ‘G’ stands for ‘genocide’,” Usopp cringed. None of the other adults refuted that and he wasn’t entirely certain if it made him feel better or worse. “The offer to sic my wife on them still stands.”

“It’d pay to watch that,” Zoro chortled. “She’d tear them apart in thirty seconds, and that’s as a doctor and not as a hormonal mess. There’d be nothing left for Chopper.”

“…or Kureha, or Law, or Marco, or…”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Sanji scoffed. He looked over at the kids again—the twins were now perched on the taller kids’ shoulders and slap-fighting—and felt a chill run down his spine. “Asido being here changes a lot of shit, doesn’t it?”

“Possibly,” Usopp shrugged. “Kids do have a way of shifting peoples’ priorities. Being a dad is weird as hell, but it’s rewarding when you boil it all down.”

“Usopp, you’re a dad—I’m just the kid’s uncle.”

“Then why’s he with you and not him, eh?” Zeff and Zoro both wisely pretended to take long droughts from their drinks, avoiding being dragged in. “If you had asked me when we first met if in less than ten years we’d be here now—the crew of the Pirate King—then I would have agreed. Had you asked if in the same amount of time I was going to be married to the gal of my dreams, waiting on Kid Number Four, putting aside being the Dread Captain Usopp for making sure that hair gets braided properly and skinned knees and hurt fingers get kisses as well as bandages? I would have laughed in your face, impressed by your lies!” He watched Sanji’s face fall as the blond seemed to go inwards towards his own thoughts. “Hey, Sanji, being a dad is great, even if it ends up being for a short while. At least you have one of the best babysitters in the East here now.”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask about that,” Zoro scowled. “You mean to tell me that you’re kicking me out? Already? Merry doesn’t have down her katas yet.”

“That’s part of what my wife wants to avoid,” Usopp deadpanned.

“Your wife can say that to my face.”

“You two are both fucking idiots,” Sanji groaned. He pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping that the oncoming headache wasn’t going to be a nasty one.

“Dad…?!” The four men all looked at Merry, who was standing rather still on the other side of the room despite the slap-fight that was still going on above her. “Why does Asido talk funny?”

“No I don’t!” Asido insisted. “You’re all the ones who talk funny!”

“You all talk funny,” Zoro shouted back at the child, not giving Usopp a chance to respond. “You all sound like a bunch of babies!”

“Asshole!” Merry shouted, sticking out her tongue. Zoro laughed, Sanji and Zeff stared, while Usopp immediately snapped into full-form.

“Merry! What did Mom say about grown-up words?!”

“Mom’s not here!”

“Yeah, and she’s still going to find out, and you want to know who’s going to get into trouble? Me! Not Uncle Sanji and his staff, not Mister Zeff, not the moron who taught you that word, but me! I don’t want to get into trouble!”

Merry pouted for a moment, then turned to Asido. “Just so you know: Dad’s a chicken-shit.”

“Merry!”

“It’s true!”

“That doesn’t mean you can always say it!” Usopp let his head fall to the table, where he wallowed in a mire of depression. “My own daughter… betraying me the first chance she gets…”

“At least they all get on,” Zeff mentioned. “When is Kaya due? We can have a sleepover for Asido and the girls, I think, to keep them from getting underfoot.”

“In about four months,” Usopp admitted. “Chopper already told me he was stopping by here first, then coming over to Syrup to stay until the baby’s born like he did with the others.” He paused and lifted his head so he could properly look at Sanji. “How long do you think you’ll have him here?”

“We aren’t talking about that yet,” Sanji said. He glanced over at Zoro, who seemed to be taking the statement in stride. “I think we can renegotiate once the geezer’s closer to being cleared by Chopper.”

“Fine by me,” the swordsman shrugged. “I’m not a fancy tutor, but I think I can keep him occupied.”

“How, I’ll never know,” Sanji deadpanned.

“Hey, don’t knock it,” Usopp said. “When I said he’s great with the girls, I meant it a hundred percent. You don’t have to worry about a thing. The lack of worry is probably part of why Kaya’s pregnant again, to be honest.”

“I think I like you better when you’re lying out your ass,” Zeff quipped. Sanji couldn’t help but snicker, while Zoro saw one of the twins yawn, taking that as his cue.

“Alright you gremlins—time to get ready for bed,” he said as he stood up. Montie and Lea both climbed down from their respective perches and bounced over to Zoro with their arms up. He snatched them both, one in each arm, before glancing over at Asido. “Lead the way, kid; you know where your room is.”

Asido looked at Sanji for permission and got a silent nod. “Y-Yeah. Okay.” He took Merry by the hand and led them out into the corridor. The door clicked shut and Usopp let out a sigh of relief.

“Let me help you clean up,” the long-nosed man said. Sanji tried to swat his hand away from the dishes, but he resisted, successfully able to grab the plates and carted them down after the chef as he brought the rest of the dishes on a tray into the kitchen. There was only a couple of the junior-level chefs left finishing the cleaning, though with their temporary boss there and looking rather irritated, they decided it was time to take their break.

“I did this all the time with the crew; I think I can handle it now,” Sanji said wearily. Usopp simply shook his head and grabbed a towel.

“Uh-huh—I’ll dry.”

“Fine.”

The pair worked in silence for a while, washing and drying in tandem, before Sanji let out a loud, long sigh.

“What the fuck is happening?” he asked, his voice betraying his weariness. “This is ridiculous.”

“Not as much as you’d might think,” Usopp shrugged. He accepted a rinsed plate and wiped it dry, placing it in the stack. “I… I know you and Zoro didn’t part on the best of terms, but…”

“…you should have told me.”

“You would have called it off.”

“I think I’d be within my rights.”

“What happened to having no room to be picky?”

Silence permeated the kitchen eerily.

“Listen: he told me what went down between the two of you.” More silence. “I don’t care about that—never have and never will—but you have to suck it up and move past it. What happens if Luffy comes back next week? Will the both of you still be able to function like you should?”

“If Luffy comes back next week, I’m going to have to tell him I have a kid now.”

“Luffy would kidnap you both if he thought it was the best solution.” Usopp finished the stack of dishes and placed them in the cupboard. “Maybe getting Asido was meant to be… you know… a way to get the two of you to find common ground again.”

“We won’t find common ground,” Sanji muttered. “We will, to a point, but then it will be the same old shit. Bringing your dad would have honestly been a better option.”

“Well, if anything he’ll at least be good for the kid,” Usopp shrugged. “I’m sure of that much.”

“…and why’s that?”

“If he’s good enough to handle my daughters, then he can handle your nephew. Give it a bit, alright? If he’s not working out by the time the girls come back for the sleepover, then we’ll take him back to Syrup to help with the baby.”

“Fine.” He heard the door open and the two junior chefs return from their break. “We’ll talk more about this in the morning.”

“If you say so,” Usopp shrugged. The pair went upstairs, arriving on their floor just as Zoro was quietly closing the door to Asido’s room. “They go down okay?”

“Like a dream.” The swordsman then looked at Sanji, his expression implacable. “Which room is mine again?”

“That one,” he said, pointing at the one directly next to Asido’s. “I’ll label it, if you need me to.”

“Fuck off.” Zoro disappeared behind the door, leaving Usopp to shake his head.

“Just… consider what I said,” the sniper tutted. He went into his room; now Sanji was alone. He pressed his ear to Asido’s door, hearing faint whispers. Opening it a crack, he listened to Asido and Merry think they were talking quietly.

“So it’s just you and Uncle Sanji?” Merry asked.

“Well, and my mom, but she’s not here.”

“Why?”

“I dunno.”

“What about your dad?”

“I think he’s dead—Mom doesn’t talk about him, and Uncle Sanji and Grandpa Zeff haven’t said anything.”

“…dead like Uncle Luffy…?”

“I thought you said Uncle Luffy was just missing.”

“The grown-ups all say he’s missing, but I don’t know. I feel like ‘missing’ is something that people say when they don’t want to tell the truth.” There was a small pause, where Montie let out a loud snore. “Maybe, that’s what we can do when we’re grown-ups.”

“What…?”

“Find out what happened to Uncle Luffy, of course! We can sail the seas like my dad and our aunts and uncles did! See new places and meet new people! And then, we can find Uncle Luffy! Maybe we can even find your dad!”

“What if Uncle Luffy comes back on his own? What if we can’t find anything?”

“We won’t know until we try!”

Sanji’s heart ached as he exhaled heavily and opened the door. The two children gasped and tried to hide under the blankets, though they didn’t fool him. “I thought I heard voices.” He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as the kids both smiled while pretending to sleep. “I guess no one in here needs goodnight kisses?”

“I do!” Asido insisted, immediately bolting upwards.

“I didn’t know you gave goodnight kisses!” Merry gasped at the same time.

“Then both of you lay down nice and try to get some sleep, hmm…?” Both children complied and Sanji gave them each a kiss on the forehead. “Better?”

“Uh-huh,” they both murmured.

“Now go to sleep, little ones,” he said gently. They both closed their eyes and he watched them for a few more minutes, all four children in the bed asleep by the time he walked out the door. It took all the energy he had to drag himself into his room and change into pajamas before flopping down on his bed in defeat.

How was he going to survive this?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

In his dream, Zoro knew he was drowning.

He was nineteen again, having just challenged Mihawk and lost. After falling into the ocean, all he did was sink deeper, and deeper, and deeper. He looked to his left and saw that Wado Ichimonji had floated out of his hand. It was blurry, the white scabbard and hilt moving farther away.

‘I failed.’

The faint sound of splashing water reached his ears and before he realized it, he was being tugged upwards, towards the surface. Blond hair became an underwater halo, still hiding a piercing eye bluer than both the sea and sky. He didn���t register the fact that it had been two entirely different people hauling him up when these events had been real—in fact, for all he knew…

Waking up, Zoro found that he was not, in fact, nineteen again and drowning. He was still at the Baratie, but in a soft and comfortable bed. A toddler fell off his chest and into his lap as he sat up, giggling all the way.

“Lea, we’ve been through this,” he groaned. “No sitting on Zoro-oji while he’s sleeping.”

“It’s morning!” the girl stated, as though that absolved her.

“Uh-huh. And where’s your sisters? Your dad?”

“I dunno!”

“Well, let’s find them, alright?”

“Okay!”

The girl waited until the green-haired man swung his legs out of bed before she held up her hand, ready to go exploring. She pulled him along directly into the corridor, where there was not a soul to be seen. Something vaguely tickled the back of his brain about the kids being on the end of the corridor, so they started heading in that direction, only for Usopp to scare the bloody hell out of him as a door wildly swung open next to him.

“There you are!” he gasped, relieved. He scooped his daughter up and gave his crewmate a tired look. “I’m gonna miss the help corralling them, that’s for sure.”

“You’re the one who pimped me out to Curls,” Zoro reminded him.

He followed Usopp into the kids’ room to find that it was not a pleasant picture. Although Merry was attempting to instruct Asido in how to braid her hair, both children still in their pajamas and calm, it was Montie who decided that she was not going to wear clothes that day, and was running completely starkers around the room. Lea wiggled free from Usopp’s grasp and landed on the floor with a thud, and joined her twin in her reign of terror.

“Remember this when Kaya says something about how it’s good Merry’s no longer doing katas,” Zoro grumbled. He snatched the naked, wriggling toddler mid-stride, eventually holding her aloft by the ankles as he searched one-handed through their overnight bag. “You’re wearing clothes today, you little gremlin, whether you like it or not.”

“Zoro-oji mean!”

“Zoro-oji knows from experience that you need to wear clothes, or you’ll freeze and then die and then nothing will ever get done.” He then wrestled her into some clothes, which was admittedly not as difficult as it could have been, holding her up by the armpits once he was done. She was in a little dress, yet her hair was a giant mass of waves as she kicked her feet in desperation. “Are we doing a braid today?”

“I want all braids! Like Daddy!”

“Not until you learn how to sit still, young lady,” Usopp chided. He was already running a brush through Lea’s hair, the girl sitting calmly as her father sat crosslegged on the floor with her in his lap. “How are you two doing over there? Merry? Asido?”

“He’s not very good,” Merry said plainly. Asido’s face turned red.

“I don’t have long hair to do this with!” he defended. “Mom doesn’t have long hair either!”

“Your mom’s hair also is more like Montie’s than like Merry’s, so it behaves different in braids,” Zoro said idly. He held Montie in place with his legs and he brushed through her hair, smoothing it out before quickly putting it into a plait down her back. Once the ribbon was tied, she broke free, leaving the swordsman to beckon the eldest children over. “Come on—let a pro show you how it’s done.”

The two four-year-olds scrambled over to Zoro and Merry plopped herself directly in his lap, with Asido relinquishing the brush. Zoro then undid the bits of braid that the boy already did, his larger hands working quick to untangle the strands. Asido watched intently, making their adult chuckle.

“You’re very interested in this for someone who never has to do it,” he noted, voice gentle. Asido shrugged.

“It’s… different.”

“It is.” He glanced over at Usopp, who had an eyebrow raised. “Is that the only reason?”

“No—we heard you and the other adults talking about how we’re cousins now, and we’re gonna have a sleepover,” the boy said. “That means Merry would come over again, and then I can help her get ready, ‘cause she says her hair’s hard to do by herself.”

“It’s worse when your hands are little, yeah, but it’s not bad. I’ll still be here to help, so you won’t have to worry.”

“Zoro-oji’s almost as good as Mom and Dad!” Merry beamed.

“Only because I helped your dad so much when we were sailing together, right Usopp?” The other adult in the room shuddered as he put Lea’s hair in small puffs.

“Sanji and Robin were the best—you tugged too much.”

“Got all my practice in on you so now I’m excellent,” Zoro bragged.

“Yeah, yeah; you and your sausage-fingers.”

“Fuck off.” Usopp shot Zoro a glare and he chuckled. “You’re just trying to take advantage of the facts I’m still half asleep and swordless.”

“Maybe I should be glad I’m dumping you—be Sanji’s problem now.”

“You make me sound like an unwanted animal.” Merry and Asido both giggled. “See if I babysit for you again.”

“Uh-huh—one look at their pouts and you’re eating your words.”

Zoro did not respond to that, instead continuing to untangle Merry’s hair and divide it in half so he could give her twin braids. Once her hair was in place, he patted the top of her head and she gave him a hug before getting her clothes out of their bag. With hair done, Usopp and Zoro both grabbed a twin and left the older two to finish getting ready, each hauling their respective small child to Zeff’s room, where the elderly chef was already reading the paper as he sat at the table.

“There goes my peace and quiet,” he grumbled. He watched as they both sat the toddlers on their booster-seat-aided chairs, hoping they would stay still. “Sure you want to give the moss up?”

“If I come back with Zoro, after leaving while promising I was dropping Zoro off, I might not be allowed back into the house,” Usopp deadpanned. He accepted part of the newspaper and gave a warning glare to Lea, who was threatening to slide out of her chair. Once the girl straightened, he looked at the photo that dominated the page: Reiju and her new husband. “You want to know who’s probably having a field day with this?”

“I give up.”

“No idea.”

“Shakky.” Zoro stared emptily at him and he sighed. “You know? Ray’s wife? Bar owner? On Sabaody? The Queen of Information? You know she had Sanji figured out with one look.”

“That viper wouldn’t know good intel if it bit her on the tit,” Zeff bristled, fluffing out his portion of the paper in a huff. Usopp and Zoro both looked at him in shock.

“Do we even want to know?” Usopp cringed.

“Do we even want to know what?” They all looked over towards the door and thank fuck it was Sanji with breakfast. Merry and Asido ran in after him, rushing to their seats before the blond set the serving tray down.

“Zeff knows Shakky and doesn’t like that he does,” Zoro clarified. Sanji stared at his foster father and cringed.

“Okay, I really don’t want to know,” the blond shivered. He started doling out breakfasts—Thousand Sunny lion-face pancakes for the kids and the adults getting scrambled eggs mixed with all manner of cheese, veggies, and bacon, with a side of potatoes. He caught the photo on Usopp’s page of the paper before the other man folded it inwards and passed it back to Zeff. “Related to that, I take it?”

“Related to what?” Asido asked. “Who is Shakky? And Ray?”

“Dad says they’re kinda like Uncle Luffy’s grandparents, but I’ve never met Uncle Luffy, so I’ve never asked him,” Merry said.

“Who is Uncle Luffy anyhow? All I know is that he’s not here, but you talk like he should be.”

“Uncle Luffy is our captain,” Zoro stated. The other adults were quiet, letting Zoro take the lead. “Uncle Sanji, Uncle Usopp, and I all sailed with him and the rest of the crew well before you were born. He has a habit of disappearing.”

“When was the last time someone saw him?”

“At Uncle Usopp and Aunt Kaya’s wedding, before Merry was born.” He shoveled some food in his mouth and chewed, thinking. “That’s actually the last time we saw a lot of people.”

“Don’t remind me—I’m still getting grief from the villagers,” Usopp sighed.

“No one likes Granpappy,” Merry whispered loudly to Asido.

“Merry,” her father warned. “Be nice.”

“It’s true!”

“True isn’t always nice.”

“…but it’s true…”

“No talking about Granpappy at the table, alright?” Usopp knew it was more of an order, not a suggestion, but he also had to be firm with her. “We actually want you to be allowed back for that sleepover, and you won’t be if you don’t behave.”

“Fine,” the girl sighed dramatically before popping a bit of fruit into her mouth. Zeff tried not to laugh as he drank some of his coffee, giving Usopp a knowing look.

“Your eldest has got some spirit—reminds me of the eggplant when he was little,” he chuckled. “Watch out for that one.”

“That sounds like something I did not want to hear,” Usopp deadpanned. “Come on girls, hurry up or you won’t get to play some more before we head out.”

At that, all four children began to eat quickly, rushing out soon as their plates were cleared. Their adults all seemed to let out a collective sigh of not only relief, but of dread as well.

“You sure you want them back?” Usopp wondered. “There’s no shame in backing out.”

“A kid needs friends his own age or they’ll end up like this maladjusted shit,” Zeff said, gesturing at Sanji.

“I’m picking your fucking care home this afternoon, old man.”

“Considering how you’re handling this crisis, I’m willing to hedge my bets.”

Usopp and Zoro both avoided laughing as the two chefs continued sniping at one another, knowing that any amount of vitriol that passed between them was leagues weaker than whatever the fuck it was that kept them together. If there were any two that expressed their familial love with such levels of sarcasm and spite, it was Sanji and Zeff, and it wasn’t like the other two were going to point any of it out.

The rest of breakfast passed as such—it wasn’t as though things were going to change any time soon.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Merry was adamant that she didn’t want to leave her new cousin and super-best-friend. She was so adamant, in fact, that she decided to lay down on the back deck of the Baratie, refusing to move as her father loaded her sisters into their ship. Asido crouched down next to her, poking her shoulder, while Zoro and Sanji were helping secure the twins and pack their bentos, respectively.

“Been a while since she’s thrown a fit like that,” Zoro noted. He made sure that Montie’s backpack leash was securely fastened to the mast and let the toddler go, the child bouncing excitedly at the prospect of going home to see her mother. “Does the sprout do things like that?”

“Honestly? I haven’t had him long enough to know for sure.” Sanji watched the scene play out, wondering what his heart would do if his nephew were ever the one in Merry’s position. “I sure hope I don’t fuck this up.”

“Relax,” Usopp assured. “The kid’s in great hands. By the time the girls come back, you’ll have the hang of this, won’t he Zoro?”

“He’s as pissy as the geezer, so something tells me he’ll be fine,” the green-haired man replied. Sanji threw him an irritated glare and he laughed. “Hey, it’s why I’m here, right? In case shit goes down?”

“You wish.” Sanji then glanced towards the two children remaining on the deck and sighed. “I’ll get her.” He hopped onto the deck and walked over to the four-year-olds, his nephew looking up at him in concern.

“Is she okay?”

“She will be; now up you go.” Sanji tried to pick the girl up, but she resisted. “Whoa, whoa, whoa… you’re acting like I want to throw you overboard in a storm.”

“I wanna stay with Asido,” Merry pouted. “It’s fun having someone my size around.”

“You’ll be back to play before you realize it,” Sanji reminded her. She whimpered as she clung to Asido, giving him a tight hug. The boy did not really know how to respond and looked to his uncle for guidance. After watching the man nod, Asido hugged back, which seemed to placate Merry. “Now come on; time to go.”

“Okay…” Merry walked hand-in-hand with Asido as the three went over to the ship. Now on the deck, Zoro hefted her up and passed her to Usopp, who balanced her on his hip.

“Promise you’ll behave?” Zoro asked. Merry nodded with a sniffle. “Good girl.”

“Have a bunch of fun stories for our sleepover!” Asido insisted. Sanji picked him up and placed him on his shoulders, putting the children at nearly eye-level. The kids both reached for each other, locking their pinkies in a promise.

“I will if you will!” Merry replied. Usopp then pulled her back and placed her down on the deck.

“Time to go back to Mom. Go ahead and wave bye while I’m busy, okay?”

Taking her job seriously, Merry watched as her father let the sail unfurl and began to pull out of the dock. She waved as they sailed away, with Sanji, Asido, and Zoro doing the same from their spot. Once the small ship was out of sight, the two men looked at one another and frowned.

“Let’s get this over with, I guess,” Sanji scowled. Zoro flipped him the middle finger—yeah, just like old times.

[acourtofquestions]

Kingdom of Ash Chapter 66

Chapter; Highlights, etc. (you know the drill😂)

Aelin awoke to the scent of pine and snow, and knew she was home.

Not in Terrasen, not yet, but in the sense she would always be home, if Rowan was with her.

His steady breaths filled her right ear, the sound of the well and truly asleep, and the arm he'd draped across her middle was a solid, warm weight. Silvery light glazed the ancient stones of the ceiling.

Morning—or a cloudy day. The halls beyond the room offered shards of sound that she sorted through, piece by piece, as if she were assembling a broken mirror that might reveal the world beyond

Apparently, it had been three days since the battle. And the rest of the khagan's army, led by Prince Kashin, his third-eldest son, had arrived.

It was that tidbit that had her rising fully to consciousness, a hand sliding to Rowan's arm.

A caress of a touch, just to see how deeply the rejuvenating sleep held him. Three days, they'd slept here, unaware of the world. A dangerous, vulnerable time for any magic-wielder, when their bodies demanded a deep sleep to recover from expending so much power.

That was another sliver she'd picked up: Gavriel sat outside their door. In mountain lion form. People drew quiet when they approached, not realizing that as soon as they passed him, their whispers of That strange, terrifying cat could be detected by Fae ears.

Aelin ran a finger over the seam of Rowan's sleeve, feeling the corded muscle beneath. Clear her head, her body felt clear. Like the first icy breath inhaled on a winter's morning.

During the days they'd slept, no nightmare had shaken her awake, hunted her. A small, merciful reprieve.

Aelin swallowed, her throat dry. What had been real, what Maeve had tried to plant in her mind-did it matter, whether the pain had been true or imagined?

She had gotten out, gotten away from Maeve and Cairn. Facing the broken bits inside her would come later.

For now, it was enough to have this clarity back. Even though releasing her power, expending that mighty blow here, had not been her plan.

Aelin slid her gaze toward Rowan, his harsh face softened into handsomeness by sleep. And clean—the gore that had splattered them both was gone. Someone must have washed it away while they slept.

As if he sensed her attention, or just felt the lingering hand on his arm, Rowan's eyes cracked open. He scanned her from head to toe, deemed everything all right, and met her stare.

"Show-off," he muttered.

Aelin patted his arm. "You put on a pretty fancy display yourself, Prince."

He smiled, his tattoo crinkling. "Will that display be the last of your surprises, or are there more coming?"

She debated it-telling him, revealing it.

Maybe.

Rowan sat up, the blanket sliding from him.

Is this the sort of surprise that will end with my heart stopping dead in my chest?

She snorted, propping her head with a fist as she traced idle marks over the scratchy blanket.

"I sent a letter-when we were at that port in Wendlyn."

Rowan nodded. "To Aedion."

"To Aedion," she said, quietly enough that Gavriel couldn't hear from his spot outside the door. "And to your uncle. And to Essar." Rowan's brows rose. "Saying what?" She hummed to herself. "Saying that I was indeed imprisoned by Maeve, and that while 1 was her captive, she laid out some rather nefarious plans."

Her mate went still. "With what goal in mind?"

Aelin sat up, and picked at her nails.

"Convincing them to disband her army. Start a revolt in Doranelle. Kick Maeve off the throne. You know, small things."

Rowan just looked at her. Then scrubbed at his face. "You think a letter could do that?"

"It was strongly worded." He gaped a bit. "What sort of nefarious plans did you mention?"

"Desire to conquer the world, her complete lack of interest in sparing Fae lives in a war, her interest in Valg things." She swallowed. "I might have mentioned that she's possibly Valg."

Rowan started. Aelin shrugged. "It was a lucky guess. The best lies are always mixed with truth."

"Suggesting Maeve is Valg is a fairly outlandish lie, even for you. Even if it turned out to be true."

She waved a hand. "We'll see if anything comes of it."

"If it works, if they somehow revolt and the army turns against her..." He shook his head, laughing softly. "It'd be a boon in this war."

"I scheme and lie so grandly, and that's all the credit I get?"

Rowan flicked her nose. "You'll get credit if her army doesn't show up. Until then, we prepare as if they are. Which is highly likely." At her frown, he said, "Essar doesn't wield much power, and my uncle doesn't take many risks. Not like Enda and Sellene. For them to overthrow Maeve ... it would be monumental. If they even survived it."

Her stomach churned. "It's their choice, what they do. I only laid out the facts." Carefully worded facts and half guesses. An absolute gamble, if she was being honest.

Rowan smirked. "And other than attempting to overthrow Maeve's throne? Any other surprises I should know about?"

Her smile faded as she lay back down, Rowan doing the same beside her. "There are no more." At his raised brows, she added, "I swear it on my throne. There are no more left."

The amusement in his eyes guttered. "I don't know whether to be relieved."

"Everything I know, you know. All the cards are on the table now."

With the various armies that had gathered, with the Lock, with all of it.

"Do you think you could do it again?" he asked. "Draw up that much power?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. It required being ... contained. With the irons."

A shadow darkened his face, and he rolled onto his side, propping up his head. "I've never seen anything like it."

"You never will again." It was the truth.

"If the cost of that much power is what you endured, then I'll be glad not to."

Aelin ran a hand down the powerful muscles of his thigh, fingers snagging in the rip of fabric just above his knee. "I didn't feel you get this wound through the mating bond," she said, grazing the thick ridge of the new scar. A trophy from the battle. She made herself meet his piercing stare. Did Maeve somehow break that part of it? That part of us?

"No," he breathed, and stroked the hair from her brow. "I've realized that the bond only conveys the pain of the gravest wounds."

She touched the spot on his shoulder where Asterin Blackbeak's arrow had pierced him all those months ago. The moment she'd known what he was to her.

"It was why I didn't know what was happening to you on the beach," Rowan said roughly. Because the whipping, brutal and unbearable as it had been, hadn't brought her to the brink of death. Only into an iron coffin.

She scowled. "If you're about to tell me that you feel guilty for it—"

"We both have things to grapple with—about what happened these months."

A glance at him, and she knew he was well aware of what still clouded her soul.

And because he was the only person who saw everything she was and did not walk away from it, Aelin said, "I wanted that fire to be for Maeve."

"I know." Such simple words, and yet it meant everything-that understanding.

"I wanted it to make things ... better." She loosed a long breath. "To wipe it all away." Every memory and nightmare and lie.

"It will take a while, Aelin. To face it, work through it."

"I don't have a while."

His jaw tensed. "That remains to be seen." She didn't bother arguing. Not as she admitted, "I want it to be over."

He went wholly still, but granted her the space to think, to speak.

"I want it to be over and done with," she said hoarsely. "This war, the gods and the Wyrdgate and the Lock. All of it." She rubbed her temples, pushing past the weight, the lingering stain that no fire might cleanse. "I want to go to Terrasen, to fight, and then I want it to be over."

She'd wanted it to be over since she'd learned the true cost of forging the Lock anew.

Had wanted it to be over with each of Cairn's lashes on the beach in Eyllwe. And all he'd done to her afterward. Whatever it might bring about, however it might end, she wanted it to be over.

She didn't know who and what it made her.

Rowan remained silent for a long moment before he said, "Then we will make sure the khagan's host goes north. Then we will return to Terrasen and crush Erawan's armies." He brought her hands to his mouth for a swift kiss.

"And then, after all that, we'll see about this damned Lock." Uncompromising will filled his every breath, the air around them.

She let it be enough for both of them.

Tucked away his words, his vow, all those promises between them and extended her palm in the air between them.

She summoned the magic-the drop of water her mother's bloodline had given her.

Mab's bloodline.

A tiny ball of water took form in her hand. Over the calluses she'd so carefully rebuilt.

She let the gentle, cooling power trickle over her. Let it smooth the jagged bits inside herself and sing them to sleep. Her mother's gift.

You do not yield.

When the Lock took everything, would it claim this part as well? This most precious part of her power? She tucked away those thoughts, too.

Concentrating, gritting her teeth, Aelin commanded the ball of water to rotate in her palm.

A wobble was all she got in answer.

She snorted. "Faerie Queen of the West indeed."

Rowan huffed a quiet laugh. "Keep practicing. In a thousand years, you might actually be able to do something with it."

She whacked his arm, the droplet of water soaking into the sleeve of his shirt. "It's a wonder I learned anything from you with that sort of encouragement." She shook the wetness from her hand. Right into his face.

Rowan nipped at her nose. "I do keep a tally, Princess. Of all the horrible things that come out of your mouth."

Her toes curled, and she dragged her fingers through his hair, luxuriating in the silken strands. "How shall I pay for this one?"

On the other side of the door, she could have sworn that cat-soft feet quickly padded away.

People gawked in the halls, some whispering as they passed.

The queen and her consort. Where do you think they've been these past few days?

I heard they went into the mountains and brought the wild men back with them.

I heard they've been weaving spells around the city, to protect it against Morath.

Rowan was still smirking when Aelin emerged from the communal ladies' bathing room.

"See?" She fell into step beside him as they aimed not for their room and ravishment, but for the hallway where food had been laid out.

"You're starting to like the notoriety."

Rowan arched a brow. "You think that everywhere I've gone for the past three hundred years, whispers haven't followed me?" She rolled her eyes, but he chuckled. "This is far better than Cold-hearted bastard or I heard he killed someone with a table leg."

"You did kill someone with a table leg." Rowan's smirk grew.

"And you are a cold-hearted bastard," she threw in.

Rowan snorted. "I never said those whispers were lies."

Aelin looped her arm through his. "I'm going to start a rumor about you, then. Something truly grotesque."

He groaned. "I dread the thought of what you might come up with."

She adopted a harsh whisper as they passed a group of human soldiers. "You flew back onto the battlefield to peck out the eyes of our enemies?" Her gasp echoed off the rock. "And ate those eyes?"

One of the soldiers tripped, the others whipping their heads to them. Rowan pinched her shoulder. "Thank you for that."

She inclined her head. "You're very welcome."

Aelin kept smiling as they found food and ate a quick lunch-it was midday, they'd learned-sitting side by side in a dusty, half-forgotten stairwell. Much like the days they'd spent in Mistward, knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen while listening to Emrys's stories.

Though unlike those months this spring, when Aelin set down her plate between her feet, she slid her arms around Rowan's neck and his mouth instantly met hers.

No, it was certainly not at all like their time at Mistward as she crawled into Rowan's lap, not entirely caring that anyone might stride up or down the stairs, and kissed him silly.

They halted, breathless and wild-eyed, before she could decide that it really wouldn't be a bad idea…

… If Aelin was being honest with herself, she was still debating hauling him into the nearest closet when they set off to find their companions at last. One glance at Rowan's glazed eyes and she knew he was debating the same.

Yet even the desire heating her blood cooled when they entered the ancient study near the top of the keep and beheld the gathered group. Fenrys and Gavriel were already there, Chaol with them, no sign of Elide or Lorcan.

But Chaol's father, unfortunately, was present. And glowered as they entered the meeting that seemed well under way. Aelin gave him a mocking smile and sauntered up to the large desk.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood with Nesryn, Sartaq, and Hasar, handsome and brimming with a sort of impatient energy. His brown eyes were welcoming, his smile easy.

She liked him immediately.

"My brother," Hasar said, waving a hand without looking up from the map. "Kashin." The prince sketched a graceful bow.

Aelin offered one back, Rowan doing the same. "An honor," Aelin said. "Thank you for coming."

"You can actually thank my father for that. And Yrene," said Kashin, his use of their language as flawless as his siblings'.

Indeed, Aelin had much to thank the healer for.

Nesryn's sharp eyes scanned Aelin from head to toe. "You're feeling all right?"

"Just needed to rest." Aelin jerked her chin at Rowan. "He requires frequent naps in his old age."

Sartaq coughed, keeping his head down as he continued studying the map.

Fenrys, however, laughed. "Back to your good spirits, I see."

Aelin smirked at Chaol's straight-backed father. "We'll see how long it lasts."

The man said nothing.

Rowan motioned to the desk and asked the royals, "Have you decided-where you shall march now?"

Such a casual, calm question. As if the fate of Terrasen did not rest upon it.

Hasar opened her mouth, but Sartaq cut her off. "North. We shall indeed go north with you. If only to repay you for saving our army-our people."

Aelin tried not to look too relieved.

"Gratitude aside," Hasar said, not sounding very grateful at all, "Kashin's scouts have confirmed that Terrasen is where Morath is concentrating its efforts. So it is there that we shall go."

Aelin wished she had not eaten such a large lunch. "How bad is it?"

Nesryn shook her head, answering for Prince Kashin, "The details were murky. All we know is that hordes were spotted marching northward, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake."

Aelin kept her fists at her sides, avoiding the urge to rub at her face.

Chaol's father said, "I hope that power of yours can be summoned again."

Aelin let an ember of that power smolder in her eyes. "Thank you for the armor," she crooned.

"Consider it an early coronation gift," the Lord of Anielle countered with a mocking smile.

Sartaq cleared his throat. "If you and your companions are recovered, then we'll press northward as soon as we are able." No objections from Hasar at that.

"And march along the mountains?" Rowan asked, scanning the map. Aelin traced the route they'd follow. "We'd have to pass directly before the Ferian Gap. We'll barely clear the other end of this lake before we're in another battle."

"So we draw them out," Hasar said. "Trick them into emptying whatever forces wait in the Gap, then sneak up on them from behind."

"Adarlan controls the entire Avery," Chaol said, drawing an invisible line inland from Rifthold. "To pass north, we have to cross that river anyway. In picking the Gap as our battleground, we'll avoid the mess that would come with fighting in the midst of Oakwald. The ruks, at least, would be able to provide aerial coverage. Not so with the trees."

Rowan nodded. "We'd need to march the majority of the host up into the mountains, then—to come at the Gap from where they'd least expect it. It's rough terrain, though. We'll need to pick our route carefully."

Chaol's father grumbled. Aelin lifted her brows, but his son answered, "I sent out emissaries the day after the battle-into the Fangs. To contact the wild men who live there, if they might know of secret ways through the mountains to the Gap."

Ancient enemies of this city. "And?"

"They do. But at a cost."

"One that shall not be paid," the Lord of Anielle snapped.

"Let me guess: territory," Aelin said.

Chaol nodded. Hence the tension in this room.

She tapped a toot as she surveyed the Lord of Anielle. "And you won't give one sliver of land to them?"

He just glared.

"Apparently not," Fenrys muttered

Aelin shrugged, and turned to Chaol. "Well, it's settled, then."

"What is settled?" his father ground out.

Aelin ignored him, and winked at her friend. "You're the Hand to the King of Adarlan. You outrank him. You're authorized to act on Dorian's behalf." She gestured to the map. "The land might be a part of Anielle, but it belongs to Adarlan. Go ahead and barter it."

His father started. "You—"

"We are going north," Aelin said. "You will not stand in our way." She again let some of her fire kindle in her eyes, set the gold in them burning. "I halted that wave. Consider this alliance with the wild men a way to repay the favor."

"That wave destroyed half my city," the man snarled.

Fenrys let out a low, disbelieving laugh. Rowan snarled softly.

Chaol growled at his father, "You're bastard."

"Watch your tongue, boy."

Aelin nodded sympathetically to Chaol. "I see why you left."

Chaol, to his credit, winced and returned to the map. "If we can get past the Ferian Gap, then we continue northward."

Past Endovier. That path would take them right past Endovier. Aelin's stomach tightened. Rowan's hand grazed her own.

"We have to decide soon," Sartaq declared.

"Right now, we sit between the Ferian Gap and Morath. It would be very easy for Erawan to send hosts to crush us between them."

Hasar turned to Chaol. "Is Yrene anywhere near done?"

He leaned an elbow against the arm of his wheeled chair. "Even with the few survivors, there are too many of them. We'd be here weeks."

"How many injured?" Rowan asked.

Chaol shook his head. "Not injured." His jaw tightened. "Valg."

Aelin frowned. "Yrene's healing the Valg?"

Hasar grinned. "In a manner of speaking."

Aelin waved her off. "Can I see?"

They found Yrene not in the keep, but in a tent on the remnants of the battlefield, leaning over a human man thrashing upon a cot. The man had been restrained to anchors in the floor at his wrists and ankles.

Aelin took one look at those chains and had to swallow.

Rowan laid a hand on her lower back, and Fenrys stepped closer to her side.

Yrene paused, her hands wreathed in white light. Borte, sword out, lingered nearby.

"Is something wrong?" Yrene asked, the glow in her hands fading. The man sagged, going boneless as the healer's assault on the demon inside him halted.

Chaol steered his chair closer to her, the wheels equipped for rougher terrain. "Aelin and her companions want a demonstration. If you're up for it."

Yrene smoothed back the hair that had escaped her braid. "It's not really anything that you can see. What happens is beneath the skin—mind to mind."

"You go up against Valg demons directly," Fenrys said with no small amount of awe.

"They're hateful, cowardly wretches." Yrene crossed her arms and scowled at the man tied to the cot. "Utterly pathetic," she spat toward him—the demon inside him.

The man hissed. Yrene only smiled. The man—the demon-whimpered.

Aelin blinked, unsure whether to laugh or fall to her knees. "Show me. Do whatever it is you do, but show me."

Borte said, "It's not very exciting with them tied down, is it?"

Sartaq threw her an exasperated glare. As if this were a conversation they'd already had many times. "You can be on mucking duty, if you'd prefer."

Borte rolled her eyes, but turned to Aelin, looking her over with a frankness that Aelin could only appreciate. "Any other missions for me?"

Aelin grinned. "Not yet. Soon, perhaps." Borte grinned right back. "Please. Please spare me from the tedium of this."

"And you believe them?" Fenrys asked.

Hasar patted the hilt of her fine sword. "Our interrogators are skilled at retrieving the truth."

Aelin ignored the roiling in her stomach.

"So you free them," Gavriel said, silent for minutes now, "and then torture them?"

"This is war," Hasar said simply. "We leave them able to function. But we will not risk sparing their lives only to find a new army at our backs."

"Some willingly joined Erawan," Chaol said quietly. "Some willingly took the ring. Yrene can tell, when she's in there, who wanted it or not. She doesn't bother to save those who gladly knelt. So most of those she does save were either fools or taken forcibly."

"Some want to fight for us," Sartaq said.

"Those who pass our vetting process are allowed to begin training with the foot soldiers. Not many of them, but a few." Fine. Fine, and fine.

Yrene gasped, her light flaring bright enough that Aelin squinted.

Yrene slumped back, Chaol shooting out an arm to brace her. The healer only took a perch on the arm of his chair, a hand on her heaving chest.

Aelin gave her a moment to catch her breath. To manage such a feat was remarkable. To do it while pregnant ... Aelin shook her head in wonder.

Yrene said to no one in particular, "That demon didn't want to go."

"But it's gone now?" Aelin asked

Yene pointed to the man on the cot, now opening his eyes. Brown, not black, gazed upward.

"Thank you," was all the man said, his voice raw.

And human. Utterly human.

[hexastitchimera]

Genuine observation, no sass and no disrespect, but being someone who is chronically OFFline & an active volunteer/activist for over a decade, and seeing what people say is "crucial discourse" online is... Quite the trip, honestly.