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ascendantking · 9 months ago

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;; The Royal Roast

Pairing: Jaron/Tobias, Amarinda of Bultain/Imogen Words: 1045 Chapter: 1/? Summary: A modern college au set in a coffee shop between two rival universities. While the Carthyan Patriots and the Avenian Dragons clash, a quiet courtship begins between Tobias, an overworked med student, and Jaron, a young entrepreneur with a penchant for trouble.

Baggy eyes and a hunched back marked the man who came in every morning like clockwork, stealing a table hidden away in the recesses of the cafe–barely lit by the only window that wasn’t taking it upon itself to blind the patrons at this hour. His order was always the same: a coffee with way too many shots of espresso, a cream cheese bagel, and, if he was feeling daring, an eclair that they had to assume he took with him to whatever classes were breaking his back because he definitely didn’t touch it when he was here.

The red eye staff had their bets placed on if he actually ate it after it had, inevitably, been squished in his bag or if he only ordered it to prove to himself that he could order something else. Most of them were leaning towards the latter, of course, with the way he stumbled through his words whenever he did decide to vary it.

But Jaron had thrown his hat in the ring on another, more far-fetched idea–one Imogen and Roden hadn’t cared for much at all. He was of the notion that since he had happened to be the only one to convince him to try something different then it was only logical to assume that he liked him.

Continue reading below or on AO3! ( Link on blog. )

Right. That’s what this was. Imogen couldn’t let this fantasy go on any longer as she rolled her eyes. “Or you make him nervous.”

“Because he likes me,” Jaron insisted as he emphasized his teasing with a smolder.

”Or, get this,” she said, smiling as she shook her hands in front of herself, her grin immediately falling, “he may not like being put on the spot.”

Jaron laughed, stacking the cups off to the side. “I dunno, I think you’re just jealous that–” Imogen cocked her hip, putting her hand on her side, snorting herself. “Sure. If that’s the rabbit you want to chase today, just make sure it doesn’t get in the way of your job. Why don’t you help organize the back once you’re done there?”

“You don’t want my pretty face up front today?”

Imogen tilted her head at him, fluttering her eyelashes innocently. “Are you asking me if I want customers today?” She paused, putting a finger on her lip. “Hm.” She let a moment pass as if her question held any of the significance that warranted such a lengthy pause. “You know, Jaron,” she said, nodding slowly, “you should be up front. Give the door your best smile.”

He snorted, waving her off. “It’s like you have no faith in me.”

“Is it that obvious?” Imogen asked with a grin. She nudged him as she passed. “Just make sure you’re ready to go. We open in five.”

Jaron rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. It can’t be any worse than yesterday, can it?”

Imogen stopped abruptly. Her eyes flicked back to him with faux seriousness. “Do you like testing god?”

“When it suits me,” he said with a wink. Imogen took in a breath, shaking her head as she finished cleaning off one of the machines on the back wall. Jaron leaned down on the counter, crossing his legs behind him as he watched the streets slowly come to life, cars lazily drifting by as the street lights went off one by one, each one taking a bow as the morning sun took its rightful place on stage.

“Do you think he’ll be here today?” he asked barely above a whisper.

Imogen looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. “I’m beginning to think you’re the one that likes him. Careful, wouldn’t want people thinking you can catch feelings.” She held her nose as if the concept itself stunk before snickering to herself.

Jaron snorted, looking back out towards the door, a slight tinge of red on his face. Sure, maybe he wanted to get to know the guy, but that was all it was. He let out a sigh, pushing himself up off the counter to flip the sign to Open. He wasn’t one to pine over someone, he thought to himself as he peeked his head out to look down the sidewalk. No sign of him–oh, no, he meant anyone yet, yeah.

He closed the door again, brushing off his hands before he cracked them in front of himself. “Time to get down to business,” Jaron said to no one in particular as he hopped the counter.

Just because he had noticed that Tobias had come in almost every day for the past two weeks since he started working these early shifts meant nothing. He had a unique look to him! Wiry and tall, with perceptively kind eyes, as if he could read someone like a book but without even a crease or dog-ear on the pages as he went through their life story. It seemed silly now, Jaron realized, comparing him to an old librarian type when Jaron was the one attempting to judge a book by a cover himself.

But he just couldn’t help it! Tobias carried himself like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders–like if he stopped for one minute, it would all collapse in a messy heap at his feet. Jaron sighed, furrowing his brows as he leaned against the counter again. It wasn’t fair for a man to carry the world alone–what a lonely thing that was, the heaviness of a responsibility only one man knows. If only he could do something to help–then maybe Tobias’ face might not wrinkle up as much as it did in the few moments Jaron saw of him a day. Jaron stood back, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh–maybe he’d get him that eclair for free today. Sure, it wasn’t much, but sometimes even little things could make a big deal, even if they seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

A nervous energy ate at him as he rocked back and forth on his heels. God, he hoped he came in today–maybe they could say more than just the usual pleasantries, maybe he could even get a how’s the weather out there started.

A guy could dream, couldn’t he?

#the false prince #the false prince fanfic #the ascendance series #the ascendance trilogy #writing #my writing #the runaway king #the shadow throne #jaron artolius eckbert iii #tobias #imogen #;; the royal roast #{ more characters are coming!! }#taron

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socksracoon10 · 2 years ago

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𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐀𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫? 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘹 𝘍!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 Warnings: Fluff, a bit of angst? Author’s Note: This movie may not be the best, but hey it’s Taron Egerton and we shall write for our King Taron Egerton. That is all I have to say 😌. All mistakes are mine!

John had told him before the plan. He had it memorized within his mind for the past few days. Hop over the ledge, get past the wagons with bread, sneak past the ever-lazy guards, climb up the stone bricks and right into the side room where the guest room was. Simple. He knew he could handle it. He’d done something like this at least a million times, none of this was new. Then why was he so worried about it?

He tossed and turned a few more times in his stiff bed, well... a bed would be an overstatement. It was a wooden plank in the back of a wagon that John had situated for him to stay until dawn. “Get some good rest, this will be quite the extraneous task, considering the Lady of the Manor is within those walls,” John instructed him. Robin had nodded his head, paying no mind to the warning. He hadn’t heard much about the Lady, other than that she was a stubborn mule that often bit the hand that fed it. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and she was ruthless just like her father. He was very well aware of the fight she had started in the town square for her own selfish benefit of gaining a few extra gold coins at the expense of the men fighting for their life over a petty cause. John had seen the Lady escape that day, right after she had shoved a man down the stairs nearby, so much so that he was rendered blind due to the bruises on his head. She was part of the scum, she was part of the problem, John had spewed into Robin’s ears. Once again, the archer just nodded his head and listened, carefully. He didn’t want to give an opinion so soon of a Lady. Perhaps there were extra circumstances that he needed to skepticize; at least that’s what he had told himself when he had seen Marian with the Sheriff.

Robin shut his eyes, tightly, turning around once again in an effort to shake the image of his past lover with someone else. It wasn’t working at all. He sighed, opening his eyes to face the stars above him. Each star twinkled and danced around, just like the reflections off of the coins he stole, each with it’s own tale. He chuckled, softly, to himself as he tried his best to remember the last escapade he did. He almost lost his arm; it was such a close call. Luckily, John was there to yank him out of sight from the guards, or else he would’ve been finished. He let out a yawn, momentarily covering it with the back of his hand before his eyes slowly drooped, before ultimately closing as he let sleep take over him. The breeze that cooled him down flew over to where the Lady sat, right outside her window. She frowned, looking at the town from her high angle and realized how pitiful everyone was. However, they couldn’t be more in a state of misery as she was; always locked away inside her room. She scoffed, leaning out the window to take a glance at where the guards were. They were always stationed in the worst possible places, but as she did so, she noticed someone’s feet sticking out of the wagon where only half of it was visible to her naked eyes.

Taking this as a new responsibility, she grabbed a couple of her dresses and descended down the side, using the stone bricks as her ladder with the help of her dresses that was currently anchored to her bed. When she finally landed down onto the ground, she scurried past a few guards and made sure not to disrupt the horses in the stables as she jumped over the ledge. No one in her family would ever use those horses in the first place, but ever since that puny Robin Hood had managed to create a ruckus around the town, all the important individuals were forced to house a few guards in their houses in exchange for protection. She thought it was quite disgusting at first, because she had convinced her family that protecting one’s self did not have to be done through guards who were clearly lusting after her. The Sheriff, however, paid no mind to her requests and she scowled, storming off to her room then for an hour of reflection.

When she had approached the wagon more closely, she noticed the bow and arrow sitting upright, above the sleeping man. She couldn’t make out his face as he had turned over to the side, his face covered in the position that he was currently sleeping in. She huffed out loud, hands on her hips as she decided that whoever this man was, he’d have to leave soon. Sleeping on her family’s land was the last thing she needed. She moved to the side of the wagon and grabbed the bow to see who’s it belonged to and much to either her dismay or astonishment, her fingers had brushed past the carved initials of R and H. It was Robin Hood. She gasped, slightly, a hand flying to her mouth as she made her way back around to face the sleeping man. He had moved in his position, now facing the sky again with an arm propped underneath his head. His lips were slightly parted, his chest rising and then falling as his eyes flickered at times underneath his closed eyelids. The Robin Hood was sleeping in a wagon right outside her manor.

My, my, my, she thought to herself, isn’t this truly something?

She could easily call the guards over and capture him. Yes, she should do that and as she placed the bow back and stepped back from the wagon, a thought came flying to her head. A man as skilled and mischievous as him, wouldn’t be sleeping here in plain sight like a fool. He couldn’t possibly be that idiot, now could he? No. Perhaps... perhaps he was purposely sleeping here so she would’ve seen him. Because he’d have wanted her attention. She proudly smiled, lifting her chin up at the thought. She knew she quite beautiful, but this was fueling her ego on a completely different level.

Ah, so if games is what he was to play... then she would gladly play along.

She clasped her hands together at the thought. He would come into the manor, tomorrow, hopefully and she would catch him by surprise. Once she’d have her fun with him, she could then use him for her plan. She began to make her way back, clearly giddy at her own idea of fooling the one man she was sworn to hate...

Robin had groaned in the early morning, stretching his arms and legs a bit as he stood straight up. He was startled, however, by the sight of John in front of him with his head shaking in disappointment.

“Could’ve slept with the maids inside, no one would have ever seen you...” John scoffed. “Really?” Robin asked, tilting his head.

“No, you fool, I was jesting. Now, come, you have much work to do. I shall be waiting outside of these walls with the wagon. You know what to do... do it well,” John stated, patting his back. Robin grumbled, standing up and grabbing his belongings before secretly making his way to the side wall. He looked up, noticing the stone bricks that stuck out in certain places, almost as if someone used them regularly to climb along. He had raised his eyebrow, staring at those bricks for a while before grabbing one and hoisting himself up. Well, whatever was up there, he’d have to be extremely careful.

When he hoisted himself over the window’s edge, he groaned as his gut hit the edge as he tumbled inwards. He stood up, immediately, and looked around the room to make sure no one saw that. He shook his head, stifling a small yawn as he scanned the room before him. The tossed bed covers, the messy dresses laid out on a table and some jewelry displayed out on the nightstand. Ah, so there was a guest in this room. Perfect, he cursed under his breath before stashing the jewels into his bag.

With that, he exited the room, quietly and creeped over to the stairs at the end that led to the cellar downstairs. From what he had inquired, the Lord of the Manor had decided to shift all their personal belongings to a place that wasn’t easily accessible to commoners. Lucky for Robin, he had managed to find a blacksmith that created a similar key to the cellar room. This was too easy, he thought to himself, but then again... after all the fighting he had to previously, this would be a vacation of sorts.

He had slipped the key in, turning it to the right before entering the cellar. God, it was dark in here and as he grabbed a torch hanging beside him, he heard a voice in front of him, “Well, well, well, if it’s Robin of Locksley.” His head snapped towards the direction of the voice, moving the torch closer before it illuminated the face of (Y/N). She had a frown on her, chin upwards as she faced him. The corner of his lips slowly curved upwards at the sight of her, and he didn’t fail to notice the way her eyes had faltered down to glimpse at his bow before climbing right back up to his set of green eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be tucked into your bed by now?” He teased, cocking his head to the side as he did so. Her frown deepened, hands balled into fists as she took a step towards him,

“Shouldn’t you be rotting in prison, Locksley?” She snapped and his jaw dropped for a moment before a cheeky grin formed on his face.

“I didn’t think someone like you could fire back instantly like that, I see this hellhole has a lot to offer to you too!” He cried out, beginning to walk away. She latched onto his arm, pulling him onto her,

“A honorable man like you shouldn’t leave a Lady just like that, perhaps I can accompany you,” She offered and he raised an eyebrow in response; she was planning something, he could see it in her eyes. Well, he had been working tirelessly just days prior, he could at least have some fun with her. If worst comes to worst, he could simply just take her with him at the end. He sighed, deep in thought at the consequences that could follow as she remained impatient, her eyes darting out the door in case any of the maids or guards would appear.

“Quit thinking so much, you’re here for the jewels aren’t you?” She hissed,

“Listen, I’m trying to work out some things in the hopes that you won’t betray me,” He seethed, pushing her hand off his shoulder as he marched out the door. With her trailing behind, he sometimes peered over his shoulder to make sure she wouldn’t do anything outrageous, especially in such a small space of a hallway. The steps to the cellar downstairs were spotted at the end of the hallway and he made haste, before she had stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Lady, I suggest you move to the side, we can make it all quicker. Besides you’re the one that offered-”

“I didn’t offer anything, you fool, I asked if you were here for the jewels, that was all. Now, I’ll give you a deal-”

“I don’t have time for deals,” Robin replied, looking around to make sure the coast was still clear. He turned back to face her, clearly agitated,

“Well, then your companion waiting outside my manor’s walls will have to remain single then. I know why you’ve come here, you can’t fool me.”

“I think everyone at this point knows why I come to someone’s house or property, it’s for their jewels.”

“Haha! You’re lying right through your teeth, I know why you’re here. You’re here for me,” She huffed, crossing her arms with a proud smile on her face. Robin, on the other hand, had completely lost her, not understanding a word that flowed out of her mouth.

“I’ve... I’ve what?” He questioned, still trying to process what she said.

“Oh come now! Don’t be so dull, sleeping so openly like that where only I could spot you last night? You... You were trying to get my attention, were you not?”

He blinked, before a grin slowly formed on his lips. She couldn’t have been more of an idiot than she was now.

“Aw, you’ve caught me, Lady,” He cooed, “you are truly an intelligent being, seeing right through my deceptions.” He had to stifle a laugh as she seemed so proud of herself. He instantly knew he could use this as leverage to get what he wanted and this was perfect. “Surely, you would allow me your secret admirer to... well, take just a few coins to help the poor?”

“Perhaps, but I would like something out of it.”

“You want your own coins back?”

“No, you idiot,” She rolled her eyes, “A token of your love if you will, would be most appropriate. You are so desperate after all,” She exclaimed and as much as Robin wanted to protest, he had heard footsteps from across the hallway. He inhaled, sharply, promising to offer her something very precious before grabbing onto her arm and descending into the cellar. Without even his asking, she had gone out of the way to show him the secret corridor in which her family’s fortune was placed. He had held out a bag to her and she had started openly stuffing the bag with whatever she could grab onto. It was quite strange, the whole sight of it.

“Lady (Y/N), your work is exceptional,” A voice called out from behind and Robin groaned, turning around to face her father whose hands were clasped behind his back. The archer scanned the room for any more individuals, deciding whether this would be an easy fight or not. Without any warning, a knife had come across his throat and he peered slightly to see (Y/N) with a smirk on her face,

“It’s a shame, love,” He cried out, “I really thought we had something there.”

“Father, take the bag with you and go upstairs, I can finish him.” She instructed and as her father forcefully grabbed the bag from her hands, Robin managed to find a way to break free from her grasp, knock the knife out of her hands and launch it onto her father’s head. The sound of metal crushing bone echoed into the room and when Robin had turned back to face his traitor, he realized his arrows were missing.

“You looking for this, Locksley?” She called out, standing a few feet away from him.

“Give it back, and there shall no longer be any more deaths. I’m warning you right now.”

“I asked for a token of your love, perhaps you could give me at least one of your arrows to keep?”

“Your father has just died, you show no remorse at all whatsoever and then you have the audacity of acting in such a manner? Are you insane?” Robin questioned, his brows furrowed together as he stepped closer to her.

“You’re here for the jewels, I’m here for you,” She responded and Robin, once again, was at a loss for words.

“What is your obsession with me? I don’t think I could ever trust someone who almost got me killed and once again, I will emphasize this, you show no remorse for your dead father!”

“I know a way out of here,” She began, completely ignoring his comments as she pointed to a pathway. It would lead right to Little John, as he was still waiting outside, growing more anxious as time passed on. As she tossed him all but one of his arrows, Robin forcefully grabbed her arm,

“What are you hiding from me? Was this your plan all along? Using me as bait to get rid of your father?” He whispered,

“Locksley, there are many things that wouldn’t make sense even if I told you. You have your own secrets, and I have my own. Do not think I am on your side, I am simply doing what I must do for my own happiness. Now come, grab your bag, add a few more of the jewels and then follow me-”

“How can I trust you?” Robin asked, making way to stuff more items into the flimsy fabric, he turned over to face her, kneeling onto the ground. When she remained silent, he laughed to himself and stood up,

“Every man for himself, then I suppose.”

“I suppose so.”

“Little John wouldn’t be very fond of the idea of bringing you along.”

“B-But wouldn’t you like that?” She asked, almost begging him to take her along with him.

He thought about it, thought about it very deeply. If he had shown up with the woman to his partner, there would be many questions. Based on her stupidity at certain moments, it would be hard to even convince John that she was worth it. But he also knew what it felt like to be stuck in one position and have no means of ever gaining hope. He sighed, meeting her eyes once again,

“You shall stay here until I come back,” He ordered and she gasped out loud,

“What!?! I go out of my way to show you to the cellar and kill my father and this is your idea of repaying me? How cruel of a man could you be? You arrogant scum! I shall call the guards at once and-” He clasped onto her mouth, silencing her as his other hand held onto the back of her neck,

“I know you are speaking out of anger, because I also know you wouldn’t dare expose me to the guards. You’re seeking for a new life, I understand that. However, I cannot trust you at the moment as much as I want to. Don’t get me wrong, your services to me as of today are plentiful, but it isn’t enough for me to fully trust you. You have my respect however.” He explained and she glowered at him,

“Your respect means nothing to me,” She mumbled under the palm of his hand. He let go of her, stepping back as he briefly looked onto the single arrow in her hand,

“Keep that safe with you, I shall return one day for it.”

“What if you’re lying?” She asked, “What if you never come back?”

Before he could even form a proper answer to her questions, he had heard the sound of the guards above, their steps growing louder and louder. He had to make haste, he needed to return back and distribute the wealth.

“Then you shall keep the arrow as a token of my love,” He replied, softly before running down the pathway and climbing up the bricks into the fresh open air. Lady (Y/N) stood there, the arrow still tightly wound in her hand as she faced the guards. She would have to place the blame on him, anyway, for her own safety. If he had not returned within a month’s time, she would personally see to it that his body be hung along the multiple prisoners in the town square. Yes, that would do.

“You surely took your time,” John grumbled as he and Robin both rode off. The latter remained silent, not wishing to speak further about what had happened in the manor. It was the last thing that he had expected and it pained him more than he would’ve liked to admit. He would have to go back. One day. But he didn’t know when...

The arrow had been confiscated by the guards that day and Lady (Y/N) had forced herself to remain hopeful. However, as the days passed on, they turned into weeks. And weeks turned into months. By the end, she had lost all hope but she couldn’t bring herself to enact revenge on him because no matter what she did, she was still going to end up all alone, stuck in the same grey manor.

One fortunate day, she had gone into the market to collect some bread as her pantry had been emptied by the guards one night. As she was passing an alley with her basket of bread, she noticed an arrow attach itself right next to her, startling her slightly until her eyes fixated on a small green handkerchief. A token of love and gratitude, she assumed and she looked up to see the source of the arrow.

“Well, love, where’s the arrow?” Robin asked, jokingly, climbing down from the heap of carts before finally landing right in front of her.

“They took it away,” She whispered, a surge of anger rising in her as she wanted to smack his soul right out but upon seeing him, all she could do was hug him tightly, unsure of her feelings towards him. His hands softly trailed down her hair, before he leaned into her hair,

“Though I haven’t fully fulfilled my promise to you, it shall be known that I have come back for you. I could never leave you, no matter how many horrid things people have said about you and your abhorrent manners,” She pulled back, lightly smacking his arm as he laughed in response. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, before continuing, “but now that you’re here, I suppose you would very much like something fun to do. So, tell me love, when shall we retrieve my arrow from those nasty guards?”

She smiled in response, “What about now?”

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