#the bandit queen's bride

[queen-of-the-weenies]

The Bandit Queen's Bride: The Marketplace (Part 2)

See, I promised :)

Also link to part 1

~~~

Jin stood from her spot on the cushion, making a mental note to buy a better one for the old man. Last thing she needed was him hurting his hip and whinging for days about how the cushion was to blame. He deserved better than that. The gold bits felt hot in her hand, begging to be spent, but she held herself in check. Patience, Jin… Patience…

Her eye caught on a flash of something shiny, drawing her attention across the market square. There, nearly drowned out by the crushing mass of bodies shuffling by, stood a woman with her auburn hair contained in a net of woven gold threads and diamonds, lending a sparkle to every minute movement of her head. It was the dazzling flash that had drawn Jin’s eye, but that was hardly the thing that rooted her in place.

No, what stopped her dead was that, as she peered over the sea of bodies milling about in a lazy shuffle, the woman looked back at her, and their eyes locked.

Maybe it was the heat from standing in the sun. Maybe it was the claustrophobic press of the crowd before her. Maybe it was the headache born from days of stress and hunger and sleeplessness. Whatever the reason, Jin found herself struck dumb by the eye contact. It lasted just a second--less than a second, truthfully.

But it was long enough.

She was barely aware of “Blessed fuckin’ stars” leaving her lips in a breathless tone. If she’d still had her wits about her, the Bandit Queen would have been mortified that her interest was so obvious. At least the only of her bandits who witnessed the lapse of composure was Gallum. Entranced, she began wading through the crowd toward the woman, who’d already turned away to examine the wares of the stall where she stood.

~

“See anything you like, miss?”

The merchant inquired with a hopeful voice, but the words bounced around in her head without fully processing. Mella stared blankly at the table, trying to appear interested despite having no idea what she was looking at. Her thoughts were racing, already replaying the split-second eye contact she’d made with the gorgeous stranger across the way. The woman’s hair was matted and dirty, the blonde edging closer to brown in color, and her clothes were quite shabby… But her eyes… The gaze she met was dark and wild, like an animal that wasn’t quite tame. Just thinking about those eyes sent a little shiver down her spine in spite of the heat.

The merchant cleared his through, the polite sound barely audible over the noise of the marketplace, but it succeeded in drawing her attention back to the present. Embarrassed by her own behavior, Mella plucked up the first thing she saw on the table, presenting it to the merchant. If she made a purchase, surely he wouldn’t care that she hadn’t said a word for nearly a minute.

“This, if you please.”

As the words left her lips, Mella cursed herself. She didn’t have her purse with her! Freidrech had insisted that she didn’t need it. Why would she, when he could buy whatever she wanted? Of course, that was before she slipped away, leaving him to argue with the manager of the restaurant where they’d eaten lunch. He was probably still there, the insipid boar.

“Ah, excellent choice, miss! This is my finest piece among a selection of fine pieces! The price is twelve gold bits, but for the pretty lady, a mere six bits is all I ask.”

Mella stared at the man, then at her hand. In her grasp was a necklace made of woven gold, and at the center hung a pendant in the shape of a scallop shell. The pendant was carved from some kind of glittering stone, catching the bright sunlight as it turned this way and that on the chain. Six gold bits was barely a fair price for something like this; she highly doubted he initially planned to sell it for twelve, given the competent craftsmanship and simplistic design. Not that it mattered. Mella had no money.

Just as she began to put it down, mouth opening to sheepishly explain that she had no money, an arm reached past her to drop six bits on the counter.

“She’ll have it.”

Mella shivered as the husky female voice brushed against her senses. Whoever had spoken stood right behind her, reaching around her to pay the merchant. The merchant was thanking the mystery woman while simultaneously tucking the bits into a lockbox. The arm retracted partly, the slender-fingered hand resting on Mella’s bicep. Heat approached the side of her head, and the same voice whispered in her ear,

“Beautiful girls deserve beautiful things… And you are by far the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life.”

~

Jin was in full maiden-wooing mode, forgetting about her promise to buy Gallum some cider, forgetting that they needed to scrape together as much money as possible, forgetting that she needed to not get tangled up in whatever political machinations a woman like this one would undoubtedly be involved with. The woman was only a bit shorter than her, so the Bandit Queen could whisper in her ear without bending at all, and she was rewarded with a tiny shiver in response. Had she not been touching the woman’s arm, she never would have known she reacted at all.

The woman turned her head just enough to see Jin from the corner of her beautiful blue eye. The town was big enough to have a few lesser noble families residing there during the summer months; the redhead beauty was dressed in the fine clothes and jewels of a noble daughter. Maybe Jin would be getting lucky in more ways than one today.

“Excuse me, miss, but you’re in my personal space. Did no one teach you that it’s impolite to lay hands on a stranger?”

Jin relinquished her contact on the woman’s arm and took half a step back, nearly bumping into someone walking by. The redhead turned to look fully at her, lifting a hand to shade her eyes from the sun. White silk glove, long enough to tuck under the mid-forearm length of her dress sleeve, which was edged with lace. Oh yes, this woman was definitely a noble…

“Pardon me, miss. Didn’t mean to offend.”

The woman scoffed. “Perhaps, but offense was taken nonetheless. That being said… Perhaps we shall call it even, seeing as you’ve already purchased me a gift.”

Jin felt a grin spread over her lips. The woman’s words were delivered with a sharp voice, but the way she was avoiding eye contact belied how flustered she really was. She was not the first woman to react with polite hostility to the Bandit Queen’s advances; she would probably fall just as hard and easily as the others.

“Please, dear lady, allow me to make up for my indiscretion with another gesture. Let me to buy you a drink to quench your thirst. The sun is hot today, and a beauty like you should be kept cool in the shade.”

The woman seemed to consider the offer. Her lips parted slightly, and Jin’s gaze fell to them, admiring the shape of them… Imagining what it would be like to kiss them… To hear the desperate gasps and cries for mercy that the Bandit Queen would wring out while her own lips trailed down the soft curve of her neck and shoulder…

“There you are, my lady! You vanished while I was distracted.”

The sound of a man’s voice shattered the daydream filling Jin’s head. The redhead stepped quickly away, then around her to be greeted by a man with a handsome face and a suit of such bright white silk that he was blinding in the sunlight. This was a man who demanded attention with his very presence, and Jin hated him immediately.

~

I’m going to lose my mind, Mella thought to herself. The strange woman was so close, grinning at her as if she found the entire situation amusing. At first, Mella had been too sidetracked by her bold demeanor to notice anything else… But the sound of Freidrech’s voice cut through the fog in her mind. She stepped past the woman to intercept him, hoping to distract him from noticing how close a total stranger had been to her just seconds ago.

“Freidrech, it’s about time you stopped fussing over the lunch bill and joined me. I was beginning to think you’d gone and forgotten about me.”

Freidrech huffed and took her hand, lifting it to press his lips against the silk-gloved fingers. “Nonsense, my lady,” he said with a slight smile. “You leave too great an impression to ever be forgotten.”

His gaze slid past Mella’s face to look past her, and for a second, she worried that he would pick another pointless, petty fight with someone he saw as beneath him. But he did not. He released her hand, chin lifting and his arm offered out for her to hold onto.

“Come, my lady. We have an appointment to keep with Lord and Lady Volet. It would be a shame to disappoint them.”

She reached out, sliding a hand around his arm, and allowed herself to be pulled away from the market stall. She knew that looking back was a terrible idea--surely the stranger had taken the hint and moved on to the next pretty woman to flirt with.

Still, as Freidrech blathered on about how important it was to impress Lord Volet, Mella found herself glancing over her shoulder… And meeting the gaze of her approacher, just as dark and strange as the first glance, watching her intently as the distance between them grew. In her other hand, hastily tucked into the pocket of her dress, she clutched the scallop shell necklace tightly.

[aikoiya]

LoZ: Wild - The Bandit King's Bride

Warnings: Rape/noncon, then dubcon, Stockholm syndrome, & tragic ending.

Also, something important I think should be put forth here. Link & Lara are Monozygotic twins. See, there'd been a copying glitch in the formation of a male zygote making it XXY. So, when the zygotic split took place, it resulted in a male twin with XY & a female twin with XX.

This makes them one of very, very few examples of identical twins of the opposite sex at birth. Evidently, it's a one in 1,000 chance, but then again, what were the odds of them being the legendary hero reborn?

---

We start off in a pre-Calamity BotW setting, only there is no Calamity.

It’s Ganondorf & he has an army of monsters, the Yiga, & the Gerudo all following him. He was raised by the twinrova in a wasteland beyond the Gerudo Desert. It’s a lot like the Pride Lands during Scar’s reign.

As per the theory of Centennial Kings & TotK, this Ganondorf is the 4th Ganondorf since Demise's… demise.

Link is born with a twin sister named Lara (it’s Linkle, I just don’t like the name used in Hyrule Warriors). Meanwhile, Sidon & Mipha hatched at the same time, too. Riju hasn't been born yet, but will be Urbosa’s daughter & Yunobo is Daruk’s son. Revali & Teba are not related, but they are friends & rivals who agreed to face each other on the battlefield to settle who is the best Rito Warrior. Tulin is also way too young to be in the tournament.

Like in OoT, Ganon is attempting to take over all Hyrule by military means.

Lara & Link are basically evenly matched, but in different sets. Link is more skilled with a sword & like most men, is physically stronger with his upper body & faster with longer limbs, more muscle, & more stamina, while Lara is better with bows & magic & is more agile, flexible, dexterous, with greater strength in her lower body, especially her core, & has a far quicker reaction time with a much higher pain tolerance. This doesn’t mean that she isn’t skilled with a sword, too, though.

Her magic is also more based on old-school, mystical magic rather than the magic through a scientific lense sort of magic that the Sheikah seem to have taken to recently.

---

Anyway, there is no war at the beginning or Calamity & Ganon starts off as the King of the Gerudo as always. It’s only later that they divide. Hyrule is giving Ganon the benefit of the doubt as he is literally only the 4th Evil King Ganon, thus no one realizes that there's a pattern yet & the fact of the matter is that each Ganondorf was 2-10,000 years apart. So little memory was left of those times.

Obviously, they shouldn’t trust him, but what can you do?

The Gerudo were cursed millions of years ago to only ever have a single male every 100 years, the Centennial Kings of the Desert. You see, the Gerudo of the time had invaded Hyrule & put the kingdoms under siege. The Hylians of the time prayed to the trifurcated goddesses to save them. In response, the goddesses placed a curse on the Gerudo, killing off every male, including the king, thereby cutting their armies in half & cutting the head off the serpent per se, thus giving Hyrule the edge they needed to regroup & win.

However, there was a prophecy given to the Gerudo by their Goddess of the Sand, saying that if a Centennial King were to take a Hylian or Sheikah Heroine blessed by the 3 Goddesses as his bride, that she could bare him Voe, thus breaking the curse on the Gerudo forever. The prophecy calls her the Bride of Kings & compares her to a Gerudo Vai in Hyrulean skin; a true warrior & a worthy queen. The strongest woman in either Hyrule or the Gerudo Desert.

As such, there is a lot of pressure on Ganon to find that bride & make her his queen. However, despite having a real & important goal for the legitimate sake of his people, he’s also still the Evil King & wishes to rule Hyrule. (Though we have no effing idea why beyond spite, greed, & the combined influences of his adopted mothers & Demise's hatred.)

Anyway, there is a tournament going on to determine the greatest warrior in all of Hyrule. Anyone can join, Hylian, human, Sheikah, Zora, Goron, Gerudo, Rito, Yeti, male or female. (The Yeti are considered Hyruleans here too, not having gone extinct, & have their own society up in Hebra with the Rito & Hebra humans. There are also still humans living in Hyrule. Most of which residing in farming or ranching towns.) Ganon sends in his greatest warrior, Urbosa, as does every other race, thinking that this would be the perfect way to flush out his fabled bride (if she even existed). This includes all of the original champions of the game from before the Calamity & some of the new ones that you meet through the gameplay. Sidon & Mipha both participate. So does Daruk, Revali, & Teba. However, Yunobo doesn't do so. He chose not to because he was too timid. Though he is up in the stands cheering his dad on & so is Teba's family.

Impa opted out, choosing to instead protect the King & Princess just in case.

In the end, it all comes down to Link & Lara. It doesn’t matter who wins, because it’d end the same either way.

Ganon had indeed been looking for the Bride of Kings, but hadn’t expected to find the little Hylian girl quite so charming & is surprised when she takes down Urbosa in single combat.

Then, in the final, Link & Lara's mark of the Triforce shine upon their hands, revealing themselves to be the reincarnation of the Hero, his soul, evidently, split between them.

Ganon is initially shocked, then maliciously thrilled by this discovery & decides to make her his, knowing her to be the Bride. He'd never thought that his Bride would end up being the actual Hero of Hyrule, or one of them at least, but it had a delightful irony to it.

After making his decision, Ganon spends the week after the tournament studying his target. Gathering information on her before sending his Yiga minions after her.

This arc takes up about 2-7 years’ time.

Ganon has a special collar & shackles, 2 sets, made that can tell when Lara tries to escape & makes her stop moving when she does. The collar renders her incapable of speech so she can’t cast spells, so she has to use sign language to communicate. She knows how to because her brother is selectively mute & only talks to her, their mom, dad, grandpa, & little sister.

With a one word command, a glowing, purple chain of magic will appear between Lara's shackled hands, forcing them to remain only a few inches apart. A longer version of the command will cause the ones shackling her feet to mirror this reaction at the same time. With another command, a glowing, purple chain will appear, attached to her collar with the other end in Ganon's big, meaty hand.

Ganon rapes her. He then taunted her as he used her body for his own pleasure, relishing in her silent screams, saying that even if she managed to escape or she or her pathetic brother beat him, at least he'd die knowing that no pathetic little Hylian, human, or Sheikah would be able to satisfy her or even compare to him. He laughed when her reaction was to bite down viciously on his arm as hard as she could. The feisty little hellcat even drew blood, but to her own dismay, the rough play only stoked the large man’s libido. (Him raping her is very evil. Keep in mind that this is NOT something to fetishize. I'm going through this to show how traumatizing it is for Lara. Keep that in mind.)

Ganon was determined to mold her to his girth & forever leave an impact on her. He rutted her hard, fast, & uncaringly, his manhood slick with her blood, making the passage easier, but no less tight.

Despite this, he was initially reluctant to actually marry her as the Gerudo are extremely monogamous people & despise infidelity bitterly. Plus, by Gerudo customs, marriage would make them equals & mark him as belonging to her as much as she belonged to him now. This would obviously require him giving up a measure of power & he didn't like that.

At this point, he’s made his move on the rest of Hyrule & half of the Gerudo under his command rebel with Urbosa as their leader.

The first year Lara was at Ganon’s Keep, she was forced to walk around wearing Gerudo-style harem Va'màziah (concubine) clothes. It was all tiny & sheer & easy to push aside so that Ganon could take her at any time. Though no one else was allowed to touch her in such a way, Ganon reveled in having the subjects in his keep watch them, because he knew it humiliated the little Hylian Vai. How the burning hatred in her eyes stoked his fire. However, by halfway through that year, he had decided that the benefits of marrying her outweighed the downsides.

Personality-wise, Lara is feisty & independent. She is thought to have one half of the soul of the hero &, with it, one half of the Triforce of Courage. Her brother has the other half. Though, physically weaker than her brother, she still bore the innate strength typical of Hyrule’s Legendary Hero as evident from the many bruises & deep, red scratches she left on the Bandit King’s body whenever she got the chance. So, it wasn’t that she wasn’t strong, but more that Ganon was simply stronger & that her greatest strength lay in the use of weapons & magic.

Ganondorf actually quite liked that she could leave a mark on him with her bare hands. It was more than any of his other conquests could claim. Even other Gerudo had trouble accomplishing this.

As things progress, he finds that he enjoys her body’s comforts more than that of his harem & more frequently begins choosing her to warm his bed over them.

It becomes very obvious, very quickly that Ganon’s harem takes a great disliking to Lara & makes such clear. Many had wanted to become his queen themselves, having not quite believed that he'd actually find the Bride, & chose to show their discomfort by bullying her, planning assassinations, or sometimes even outright attacking her.

Luckily, Lara was a skilled alchemist (Robbie, Purah, & Zelda all being friends of hers) & was familiar with many different types of toxins, having long invented a type of nail polish that changed color when it made contact with poison, so whenever they had something slipped into her food or drink, she almost always immediately recognized it by either scent, taste, or the color of her nails & was quickly able to make an antidote.

Whenever one of Ganon’s harem attacked his prized concubine, he’d have Lara & the perpetrator fight in single combat. Much to his own pleasure & satisfaction, his caged bird always won. However, she had an aversion for taking life when she didn’t think it was necessary. So, he often had the loser beheaded for her troubles.

This obviously traumatized the little Hylian, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t about to let people think they could disrespect him by disrespecting her.

Later, once they became married, his wedding gift to her was to round up all members of his harem & discontinue their services to him. Meaning that they were no longer his concubines. Doing such was Gerudo custom due to their partner exclusivity. However, as to how he does so is up to the writer.

He can just fire them, knowing that his new wife wasn't fond of unnecessary bloodshed. He can have them killed silently by Yiga. Or he can offer up their lives to his new wife as a wedding present to do with whatever she wishes. Possibly make them her new handmaids. Hell, maybe he literally gifts her their severed heads if you wanna go super dark.

I'm actually thinking of making one of them Lara's friend though.

---

Anyway, the entire time that Lara is at the keep, Link is trying to find & save his sister. It’s an all-out war with the Hyruleans choosing the strongest champions from the games as the commanders for their armies. Link can’t get to Lara for a good long time because due to the reveal of him being the Hero, he has been made into the Princess' personal bodyguard (though, this fact has been kept secret) & has to free the other races from the chokeholds that Ganon has them in through subterfuge much like the previous Ganons had a tendency to.

Rhoam is currently leading the Hylian army & sent Zelda, Link, & Impa to retrieve the Master Sword & try to find a way to unlock Zelda's sealing powers much like in BotW. She had already been trying to beforehand, but in a much more lax manner as the Calamity didn't exist here, with the Tournament being sort of a break for her, but now the stress has really amped up.

At this time, Zelda is traveling with Link in disguise (I'm thinking the reintroduction of Sheik) to the other areas, including the 3 Sacred Springs, because if Ganon doesn’t know where she is, he can’t kill her.

Ganon’s goal is to take over Hyrule Castle, kill the king, Zelda, & Link, & have Lara bare his heirs. He’s done trying to steal the Triforce, because something inside him is telling him it'd be pointless, that it’s too much trouble & not worth the effort. He was determined to use cunning & military might to vanquish his foes instead.

During this time, Ganon has Lara keep up her training because if there was anything he learned from being raised in a race of all women, it was that he hated weak, useless women & greatly respected strong ones.

She’s also tried to escape several times with worsening punishments.

Over time, Stockholm Syndrome starts to set in (the literal definition of it, not the media’s idea of it) despite how he keeps taking her into his bed, but she fights it every step of the way.

At the same time, Lima Syndrome also begins to take effect. He finds that he enjoys watching her fight his minions, train, & work on her potions & inventions. As time passes, he begins to develop a slight, yandere-esk obsession with her. As it develops, Ganon realizes that he doesn’t like other people seeing her in a sexual manner & slowly has her begin to wear clothes more fitting of one in her position & stops taking her in front of others.

As he gets more possessive, he begins joining her more often, having her sit next to him or even in his lap during meetings, & playing strategy games with her.

It took him a while to learn her sign language, but once he did, he found that he quite enjoyed her personality. She was witty & sarcastic with a quick mind & a biting temper.

When Lara confronts him about it, asking why he cared, he cups her cheek with his massive hand, stares into her eyes with an unreadable look & tells her that she was his & only his. That he would no longer subject her to such humiliation so long as she submits to him as her king. He then bent down & kissed her full on the mouth.

It was in that moment that be decided that he didn't just want to own her body. He wanted her heart as well. The next day, he declared that they would wed & that she would be his queen.

In his own way, Ganon does begin to care about Lara & shows moments of tenderness & very real affection for her. Less & less does he refer to her as his Làbanï (my toy) or Surmúta (slut) & begins calling her Yàvài'làra (little heroine) & after marrying her, Vaynï (my wife) or Vai'àttanï (my queen).

By the third year, he even begins to ask for her advice in regards to ruling his kingdom & by the fifth, he chooses to delegate some of his responsibilities to her, having learned that she has a mind for such things.

Ganondorf has since removed the shackles on her wrists & ankles, but not the collar.

He finds her very intelligent & interesting & her feisty personality is very cute to him. He learns early on that she is a skilled archer, bowyer, infuser, alchemist, & combat mage that was able to craft & bespell a bow using the wood of a magical tree & runemantic sigils that would imbue regular arrows with elemental properties with one word commands that would let her channel her magic into them. This allowed her to reduce the amount of different types of arrows she needed to pack in her quiver, which also reduced how much money she'd have to spend.

It was like something described in the old legends. Such magicks had been lost for thousands of years. (Of course, arrows made specifically with certain elements in mind were noticeably more powerful, but the versatility of the bow itself & fewer resources used, more than made up for it.)

Had even learned to revive an old recipe for bombs that would work underwater & had proceeded to create arrows with both them & regular bombs. It was actually quite brilliant. She, however, had yet to figure out a spell that simulated the effect of bombs so later she could do the same thing because tying live bombs to arrows tended to weigh the arrow down & she was forced to take aim quickly or bear the brunt of the explosion herself. She'd already infused her bow to be less affected by water resistance & thus useful even underwater.

It was revolutionary in the art of war & he wondered if that old fool Rhoam had recognized her great talent & had equipped his forces with such an invention! If he hadn't, then woe be he & his military ineptitude, because Ganondorf would be sure to have one of his thieves sneak into her workshop & copy the recipes for his little heroine's spellcaster bows, water bombs, & water bomb arrows. He suspected that they'd be especially effective against the Zora.

Lara was making for a wonderful queen & he made sure to inform her of such whenever pertinent. Though, it only seemed to incense the little Hylian further.

Ganon & Lara’s instructors very quickly noticed that she was more of a long-distance fighter, so they decided to train her more in close-ranged combat in case one of Ganon’s many enemies tried to assassinate her. They soon realized that she was quicker & more agile than her brother & had a particular talent for dual-wielding daggers or scimitars much like Riju in TotK. Teaching her the Gerudo style of swordfighting, she quickly became a dervish of dancing blades on the battlefield. She seemed to have a particular affinity for Moonlight Scimitars.

Ganondorf greatly enjoyed watching her take so quickly to the Gerudo style.

He was also very enamored & possessive of her in a way that wasn't healthy. His feelings, despite their genuineness, didn't stop Ganon from taking her over & over again at his leisure. As such, Lara was very bitter.

While Lara is locked away, she utilizes the alchemical lab that Ganon lets her use (under strict supervision) to try & invent a potion that can keep someone heavily hydrated even in the desert.

A regular old, basic Chilly Elixir may keep you cool, but it doesn't necessarily prolong hydration. However, it could be effective as the base for a more advanced & complex potion than the basic ones her brother usually makes just using a camping pot. (Those are all Link really knows how to do. He was always more of a chef than an alchemist, the glutton. Meanwhile, Lara is a damn good cook & a true foodie, but she had nothing on her brother's raw appetite. (That boy ate rocks!!) While they were both exceptional cooks, she just seemed to have a natural inclination towards it that her brother didn't. Not that he ever complained. To Link, it just meant that he got to eat his sister's cooking.)

If she started with a base of White Chu Jelly for the stock (chu jelly is good for making potion bases because they generally have a low melting point that reduces them to a liquid consistency so there's no need to use water & dilute the effect) in a bowl with a teardrop-cut Opal. Put in the bones of a Chillfin Trout, then heat & stir the jelly clockwise until the jelly loses cohesion & is reduced to a liquid, then turn down the heat to a simmer. She could then slowly add the fat from an Octorock, heated so it just begins to loosen. Then infuse with Hydromelon juice & heat to a boil. Cut a Lizalfos Tail into chunks then add & stir counter clockwise. Crush Summerwing Butterfly wings & Sand Cicada legs into a paste, dump into Cauldron & then stir clockwise. Continue stirring until the brew emits an icy, mist-like steam. Next remove the bones & drain into bottles. Yields 3.

It takes a LOT of skill & study to be able to make potions with more than one effect, but this one should allow someone to survive both the scorching heat of the desert days & the frigid chill of the desert nights while staying hydrated & making it just that little bit easier to travel on sand.

If it worked, she could find some way to get the Desert Travel Potion recipe to Link, who might be able to get it to the Zora so they can march through the desert. The Rito could manage with just Chilly Potions as they are built for frigid cold & could survive desert nights, but the Zora needed this.

They'd need all the help they could get.

—

While by this point, Lara hadn't begun to love him, but his change in attitude was doing weird things to her head. So, she'd begun to enjoy it more despite herself. (Because trauma does really weird things to one's head.)

At some point, Ganon meets Sidon in battle & learns through observation that the prince has a thing for Lara. Ganon then proceeds to taunt him with the woman’s skills in bed & how often he took her, enraging not only the Zora prince, but also Link when the giant shark-man informed him of what’d been said.

Like in the game, the 2 sets of twins have known each other for a long time. Mipha & Sidon watched the hero twins grow up & a few years after the hero twins reached maturity, Link & Mipha started up a relationship, but it later ended amiably. During that time, Sidon had developed a crush on Lara, but said nothing to try & salvage their friendship. It wasn’t until after Link & Mipha broke up & kept being friends that Sidon realized that even if things went badly, he & Lara would be able to remain friends. He just hadn’t made his move before she was taken. (None of them seemed to realize that by getting together, Link had essentially been groomed by Mipha even though that was never her intention.)

Sidon hates that he won’t be able to go with Link & storm Ganon's Keep because in order to get there, you have to cross the desert & it would be impossible to cross with his life.

Then, Lara's new recipe was secreted to the Zora's Domain & he couldn't help but admire her even more. She & her brother were both truly amazing!

As a result, later, when Hyrule & her allies marched toward the wastes, the Zora were with them, fueled by Lara’s Desert Travel Potion.

On the way there, they met one half of the Gerudo army, lead by Urbosa, who joined them in their champaign against Ganondorf.

—

Backtracking a bit, it isn't long before Lara becomes pregnant & Ganon seemed to become slightly enamored with touching her stomach upon learning of her state. He became noticeably gentler with the woman, always careful not to hurt her too badly. Upon his first child’s birth, a dōro (son) to everyone’s great delight, it became evident that he would genuinely love his children. The newborn voe was named Asïm by Lara, classifying him as a protector. Ganondorf became more tender, often watching contentedly as his vay & dōro interacted with each other.

Not long after his son was born, the first non-royal male Gerudo was also born in Gerudo Town & there was great celebration, for the curse was broken. And it lasted a full week.

When his next children were born, twins both boys, Ganon was estatic.

---

I'm thinking that, at some point, upon realizing that the Hero was on his way, Ganon decides to do something drastic as he had become dangerously possessive of his wife & refused to let her go.

Thus, he had his mothers help him to place a curse upon his & his wife's souls using the black magic they were known for. One that would draw Lara to him & him to her whenever they were reborn or even simply alive at the same time & of age to wed.

The spell would bind their souls together for eternity as far as he knew.

His sweet bride would surely despise him forever if she knew what had powered this spell... (I shall leave it on that fairly ominous note...)

—

Anyway, Link & Sidon defeat Ganon & seal him away.

By the time Link gets there & saves his sister, however, she’d already had 3 children, 2 of which being twins, & was heavily pregnant with a fourth. This final one being the first female.

This would be the end of this chapter of the story.

—

We cut back in to Lara dropping off her children with Link & Zelda. It's been at least 5 years since the war with Ganondorf & she was still recovering mentally.

She & Sidon had been getting serious & he'd accepted her kids as readily as he'd accepted Link & herself.

She knew that the prince was getting scrutiny from the elders of his people to end his relationship with the Hylian Heroine & marry a Zora woman to continue the royal line.

Here, Sidon is the eldest twin, thus making him crown prince of the Zora &, as such, he had a lot of expectations placed on him.

This lead to Lara trying to research a solution. Any solution. Which came to bear in the form of an ancient legend of another country where certain masks could transform one's body.

So, she left her precious babies with Link & his girlfriend, the Princess Zelda, before setting out.

She eventually manages to find Termina, at which point, the events of Majora's Mask takes place with her at the center, where she discovers a talent for music magic & playing instruments in-general. See, I'm going off this being the Adult Timeline, meaning Time Link was sent back in time, vanishing from this timeline, thus this Termina wasn't saved.

Moving on, this is the basic premise of the second chapter. And, let me tell you, when she obtains the Zora Mask, she is very conflicted. On the one hand, she has the solution to her & Sidon's problem. On the other hand, this poor Zora literally died, leaving Mikau to deal with the pressures of taking care of his & Lulu's eggs without the aid of his real sister, Rana! (Rana plays a violin made of fishbone.)

Here, Mikau comes with you to aide you in saving the ocean.

(Being a Goron was weird though because there were no female Gorons because they didn't reproduce via sex, thus making them all asexual & without genitals.)

If nothing else, if it worked like she hoped, she & Sidon would be able to have children which would satisfy his duties & allow King Dorephan some peace of mind.

Anyway, at the end of which, she takes the transformation masks with her back home.

—

The 3rd chapter opens up with Lara returning to Hyrule only to find that the Upheaval has taken place, both Link & Zelda are missing, the palace is in the fucking sky, & the other races of Hyrule are being beset once more.

Panicking, she immediately makes a b-line for the nearest settlement, skipping all other things, to try & learn what happened to her family only to learn that they too were missing.

Somewhere along the way, she meets up with her brother, who she demands tell her where her kids are.

Just to learn that they'd simply disappeared from the Royal Safehouse, which was where they'd been left when Link & Zelda went to investigate the Gloom, & that, apparently, there was another big bad, though he doesn't know his name yet.

Her world narrowed to a point.

Anyways, the twins set out to save Hyrule, Zelda, & Lara's babies. Lara making frequent use of the masks she'd obtained over her previous adventure.

(Interesting thing, the Depths are inhabited by Mogma, who have been besieged by the Gloom, which they call Miasma, for 10,000 years & had slowly gotten worse over time, with it getting even worse much more quickly recently.)

Then, the mounting horror that filled both heroes as they learned of this new Ganondorf. The denial that rose from them, insisting that the name was likely just a cultural thing. Traditional. Only for Lara to see his face & realize that they bore the same face & the same wicked eyes.

The panick.

---

When they got to Zora's Domain & met Yona, who introduced herself as Sidon's fiancée, both twins went quiet with shock. (Mipha is helping Yona with the infirmary. The simpathy in her eyes had been evident.)

Lara was initially angry until she remembered that Sidon was a prince & that this marriage had likely been in the works for longer than she'd been alive.

All that work trying to find a solution to their relationship, for nothing.

Lara had always been the rational sort despite her temper &, as a knight, she had been trained to know her place &, despite what the Gerudo legends said, it wasn't beside a king. (Link got a pass to be with Zelda because he actually did shit last time, which made him a real hero.)

For the record, immediately upon seeing Lara, Sidon embraces her & breaks it to her gently. Promising that this arrangement had come up out of the blue while she was gone. It'd been planned since they were children, but he'd only just learned about it himself. That he'd fought against it, but had been unable to change his father's mind. As the crown prince, he had a duty to his people.

And because Lara knew Sidon to be the sort to take responsibility for his wrongs, she believed him, though she brushed aside her sadness & didn't mention the Zora Mask she'd gotten.

The former pair's interactions afterwards were… awkward…

Lara would watch Yona's interactions with Sidon, it was obvious that there was very real affection for each other present. Not only that, but the Zora woman was very regal & proper & the worst part was, Yona was nothing but sweet & cordial to her despite most likely knowing by this point the relationship that Lara had with her fiancé, so she didn't even have an excuse to be angry with her.

These things only further cemented Lara's decision to just… get out of their way.

Yona would make a better queen anyway. Lara was damaged goods & technically still married as Ganon wasn't truly dead, so why would Sidon ever choose her? The fact that their relationship had been so widely accepted for as long as it was, was already a miracle.

She was just a little peasant girl from nowhere Hateno Village in West Necluda who somehow managed to become a knight. And despite having the Soul of the Hero, she didn't even have her own sealing weapon because, evidently, not even the goddess had forseen her existence. What did she have to offer?

Lara never said so, but the Hylian Heroine's sense of self-worth had been damaged greatly by her encounter with Ganondorf.

Though, upside, she had new ingredients to experiment with in her alchemy…

Splash Fruit would absolutely improve her Desert Travel Potion…

Not to mention all the stuff she could learn from her brother's new hand!

Though, the only one she could figure out how to replicate was the Fuse Weapon one. Which, just that was amazing! (Though, she soon learned that arrows just coated with an elemental ingredient wasn't as effective as when she specifically infused an arrow with elemental magic using her spellcaster bow. Though, it turned out that mixing the 2 methods made for an even more potent arrow that was just as potent as using a specifically designed elemental arrow.)

When they go talk to Dorephan, he looks at her with sorrow & apologizes for the decision he'd been forced to make. She's just silent...

Anyway, once they finish with the 4 phenomenon & go to Hyrule Castle, this new Ganon taunts Link & Lara, saying that he knew that Lara was the Bride & that she was his by right. It was like the Ganondorf who first kidnapped & raped her was back with none of the (admittedly minute) character growth he went through in the end.

The Demon King then said that he looked forward to getting to know the little Vai that her children told him about. At which point, Lara's blood turns to ice in her veins. It was like her entire world had just decided "fuck Lara in particular," because it was just one awful thing after another lately.

Then, the 4 Sages appear & fight off the asshole.

At the end of it, Sidon comes up to her, having noticed her distress & panic, to which she breaks down, weeping that this new Ganondorf had taken her babies & she had no idea where they were.

That this wasn't the same Ganondorf who'd kidnapped her the first time. At least he, she knew, loved those children, but this new person, she had no idea what he'd do to them!

The dread in Sidon's heart at the danger that the children were in. The very ones he'd always hoped in his heart that he'd one day be able to call his own. It was crippling. At the heartache of the woman before him, the woman he loved, but couldn't have.

He wished with everything in his soul that he could take her & her children back to the Domain & protect them from everything that could do them harm…

But he couldn't… The best he could do was be there for her now… As a very dear friend & nothing more…

He embraced her, hiding her from everyone else's view.

Never in his entire life had Sidon hated someone so much as this new Ganondorf… Not even the other one. At least he'd cared for Lara & their offspring in his own twisted, villainous way...

This new Ganondorf would pay…

—

I'm not sure where things would go from here, but at the end of the TotK arc, Link is down an arm altogether instead of having his old one restored & Zelda, instead of returning to full Hylian, ends up something like a draconid (half-dragon) with Light Dragon features. And that's just how she looks now.

And… Sidara will not happen. I'm sorry, but sometimes tragedy just happens.

Lara settles down in Lurelin Village & becomes something of a doctor there.

I'm thinking of having Lara later have an affair with Sidon (at which point, Lara reveals the mask she'd gotten for them), which results in bastard fries (Zora babies). 7 at once to be exact. (Lulu had a lot of them suckers!)

The unique mixing of Termina's old saltwater Zora with Hyrule's new freshwater Zora results in euryhaline Zora able to survive in both the ocean & rivers. Their appearance ends up resembling that of the Twilight Princess Zora, though with more color variation. Their main color remains that sort of silvery blue shade of the old Zora, but with accent colors much like the new Zora. However, they do seem to retain the new Zoran sizes.

A bit like this in style. Not my art. Though, with more variety of colors for the accents.

These Zora later make a settlement on Eventide Island & create a new Domain called Koholint, which will be the smallest island of the Koholina Archipelago.

Later, Lurelinites & a small faction of Rito move there & adapt to the climate, becoming more water birds. They come to be known as Coastal Rito.

Anyway, Lara dies of old age while her & Sidon's fries are still young. (Zora lifespans, dude.)

And those children are brought by Lara's eldest Gerudo son, Asïm, now grown & the Gerudo King, not to mention married to Riju with children of their own, to Sidon who is blindsided by the fact that Lara was dead, but before that had given him hatchlings. They hadn't seen each other since… that night… Not only had it been too painful... but he'd also learned that by knowing her as a child & then being with her later, he'd essentially groomed her. The shame... he couldn't see her again now knowing what he did.

He'd since passed a law that prevented Hylians & Sheikah below the age of 18 from being allowed into the Domain. Sidon never wanted such a thing to happen again.

Anyway, while these hatchlings were spawned out of wedlock, he refused to let himself be pressured into sending them away or not acknowledging them as his! Hadn't he given up enough for the sake of his duties!? What about his duties as a father?!

Of course, he cared for Yona & had even grown to love her, but he'd also never be able to forget Lara either. She had been his beloved despite the moral bankruptcy of that fact, but he couldn't change that.

To think that the Hylian Heroine had never found someone else to love as he'd hoped & prayed would happen. That she'd died alone without someone to cherish her as she'd wanted & deserved to be… It was the greatest injustice he'd ever known & it absolutely broke his heart!

For years Sidon mourned her & made sure to tell his & Lara's fries everything he could about their mother & uncle. The heroes that they'd been.

Lara eventually became a figure in Zora & Gerudo legend known for being the central figure in an epic tragic love story known as the Weeping Queen.

Sidon did eventually spawn with Yona legitimate fries & let it be said that Yona raised Lara's hatchlings as if they were her own. However, due to being illegitimate, they were not eligible for the Zora throne.

This is why they eventually made a new Domain on & around Eventide Island. While their architecture resembles Zora's Domain, with the commercial district being on the island itself & the residences being underwater, the designs resembles more the inside of the Face Dungeon from the new Link's Awakening remake. With some definite influence from Lurelin.

I might make a new prompt going over Ganondorf coming back & searching for Lara, whether his wife or the newest incarnation of her.

I definitely want a scene where he finds Lara's grave & mourns her in his own way.

LoZ My Fanfic Masterlist

[diddgery]

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Capreya. Renowned for its military strength and abundance of precious metals, Capreya was a prosperous kingdom, and nobody prospered more than King Astor. A selfish and power-hungry ruler, King Astor extorted the people of his kingdom to increase his wealth, and flexed his military might so that the neighboring countries would capitulate to his trade demands.

King Astor's son, Prince ██████, was raised to follow in his footsteps, but could never quite live up to his expectations. Despite his best efforts, the prince was weak-willed and fearful. King Astor restricted the prince's freedoms and forced her to study the art of warfare so that one day, she could lead the kingdom just as her father did.

But the prince resented her father. She resented her mother, and the very concept of royalty. When she would be paraded around to the various towns and cities of Capreya, she would see the injustices wrought upon the people. She saw them begging in the streets, she saw them going home empty-handed and hungry, she saw them being forced to enlist in the military because there was no other choice for them. And she hated it. She hated that this was the world she was born into, that this was the world she was meant to inherit. She hated that her parents had the power to change things, and yet continued to enforce this system. It disgusted her.

As the prince grew older, her discomfort with the world turned inward. She began to resent her own body for changing in ways she never wanted. She hated looking in the mirror and seeing someone who looked like her father. Sometimes she wished she had been born a girl instead. But when she tried voicing these concerns to her handmaid, the king and queen found out, and the prince was swiftly admonished and punished for having such awful thoughts. Because why would a prince ever want to be anything but a prince?

When the prince came of age, her parents hosted a grand ball to celebrate. The prince was forced to wear formal armor that she hated, and was shown off to the public as if she were one of her father's possessions (and in a way, she was). Young noble women close in age to the prince were paraded in front of her, and her parents pressured her to choose one to wed. When the prince admitted she had no interest in any of these would-be brides, her father became extremely angry and yelled at her in front of everyone, calling her an embarrassment and a disgrace to the royal family.

The prince left the ball ashamed and distraught, and upon returning to her room she decided she couldn't live like this anymore. She began packing in secret and hatched a plan to escape the castle and leave this miserable country for good. Shortly before her planned leave date she happened to overhear her father in a meeting, and was shocked to discover King Astor was actively working to destabilize a neighboring country with the end goal of taking full control of its natural resources and subjugating its people. The prince was horrified, and decided that she needed to do what she could to stop her father's plot before it could come to fruition.

The day came of her escape, and she fled the castle with only a few personal belongings and her sword. She disguised herself as a commoner- and a woman- and over the course of weeks made her way to the border. But by the time she arrived, she was exhausted and weak, which made her the prime target for a group of bandits. She did her best to fight back, but they had the numbers advantage. Then, three brave townspeople from the town closest to the border stepped in to help her. They didn't recognize her as the prince- all they saw was a girl who needed their help. When she was asked her name, the prince looked out towards a field of nearby flowers, and gave her answer.

"Daffodil."

[rhaegarblackfire]

A bride for the King in the North by Alex_Stark (me on Ao3)

Chapter 2. Sneak peek.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hunting.” “And did you have to follow me?” retorted Jon, to which she puffed, snapping back, “You should thank me. If it wasn’t for my intervention you would have been dead. This makes it twice.” “Twice?” “Yes. I saved you from the poison too.” And as the words were leaving her mouth, Jon was left speechless. “When I was in King’s Landing, I often rode out through the Kingswood. Of course, never alone, but I think those lands are far more safe than the one in the south. where thugs roam around quite freely.” “You are wrong,” Jon said, approaching her. “There are always parties of wildings sneaking past the walls and attacking and pillaging those lands. Not to mention that there are also bandits. Just like in the south. You are a Queen now. Your life is more worthy than ever.” She tilted her head, looking at him as if surprised by his words, before returning her attention on the rushing waters. “I’m not queen yet. Not until I will marry your grandfather.”

Read here...

[bridgyrose]

Would you mind doing something based on this by wuyi1551

(@wuyi1551 looks like I have another request from your wonderful art! Hopefully I did this well for you)

“Why wouldnt you want to leave your money to me?” Cinder asked as she took another sip from her wine. “If we were to get married, that would be the best way to make sure your wealth is used, right?” 

Raven gently swirled the wine around in her glass and smirked a bit as she sat the wine glass down. “Yes, but remember, if I were to get married to you, it would be for the benefits we’d get as a couple, not because I love you. And besides, if I were to give you a cent of anything I had, then I’d have to make sure my daughter and the rest of her family would get something too. While it would be amusing to write a will where no one gets anything, I… I still have my own shortcomings I need to make up for and giving my money away to charity will help clear things up.” 

“So this would be a marriage of opportunity and not love?” 

“Oh, I still love you, but this world isnt meant for those who wish to be single.” 

Cinder rolled her eyes. “Just like this world isnt for those who are weak? I know exactly how you’ve amassed the fortune you have and it wont take long for someone to realize that everything you have was taken from those you deem as weak. Giving it away will only open you up to that kind of investigation, even if you’re dead. Do you really want that kind of legacy to be left behind about you? You’ve taken strides to remove yourself from that old Bandit Queen title you had, do you really want to bring it back?” 

“But for all this talk of love, are you sure its me that you love and not the benefits of being with me?” Raven sliced into the chicken on her plate, her eyes locked on Cinder. “You never once have told me you love me, and now that we’re thinking hypothetically of marriage, you only seem to be concerned about my money and not about your love for me. So tell me, Cinder, do you love me?” 

“You know exactly why we’re getting married,” Cinder said as she clutched her burned arm, reeling at the remembrance of why it was scarred. “Mother feels like I’m the only “daughter” she has that she can consider expendable. That putting giving me to you will be the only way she’ll be able to keep her influence going in Mistral while her other daughters are married off to suitors in Atlas. Suitors of their choosing.” 

“Then lets spend the rest of our night enjoying ourselves and then we can go our separate ways.” 

Cinder looked up at Raven with a small smile as she lifted her wine glass and gently pressed it against Raven’s. She took another sip from her wine as the lights around her started to spin and her eyes started to feel droopy. Her cheeks felt warm to the touch, which didnt surprise her much as she checked the wine bottle, realizing it was the third one the duo had gone through. And before she knew it, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. 

Morning came rough for her as she groaned and woke up, stiff and sore from the night before. She sat up and paused when she couldnt move her arms from infront of her, the feeling of silk gloves over her hands and arms causing her to panic as she groggily got up. She nearly slipped off the bed as she stood up, only to be stopped by Raven’s hand. 

“Please dont move around too much, you’ll ruin your dress.” 

Cinder glared at Raven, her eyes glancing down at the white wedding dress she wore. “What do you think you’re doing?!” 

“Taking you as a bride,” Raven answered with a grin. “I *am* still a bandit queen and I take what I like. And while I still dont like your intentions, I like you. So, I’m going to take you.” 

“You cant just take me! Mother will be expecting a marriage contract-” 

“And you already signed one.” Raven grinned and pulled out a piece of paper tucked away in her cleavage. “And as far as anyone is concerned it was your idea.” 

Cinder’s eyes widened as she read the contract in front of her, stating that she would give up any claim to Raven’s money and be solely hers. “I-I didnt sign this!” 

“Not yet, but you will,” Raven said as she folded the paper up again. “You have two choices in front of you: be mine and give up any thoughts of being anything but mine, or I can let you go back to Atlas to your mother and let you take whatever punishment she’ll give you for letting me go.” 

Cinder glared and tried to snap at Raven, only to feel her teeth sink into a cloth that Raven held out in front of her. She tried to pull away until Raven pulled her back and tied it behind Cinder’s hend, gagging her. 

“That’s not how a bride-to-be should act. And since we both know that you’ll never go back to your mother, there really isnt much of a choice, is there?” 

Cinder quit fighting as she watched Raven tie a lead to the ropes around her wrists, all hope starting to fade as she was pulled along. Today would mark her first day as Raven Branwen’s wife, a decision that was no longer hers to make.

[starry-night-rose]

I’ve been brainstorming for the Fairytale Au and now I have some lore for the different fairytales! Hope you guys enjoy!

Beauty and the Beast - Malleus x Ellis

Long ago, there lived a handsome prince. Although he had everything his heart desired, power unparalleled, he grew selfish, unkind, and utterly lonely. One night, an old beggar woman came, seeking shelter from the mighty storm outside. All the old beggar woman could offer to pay with was a single rose. Despite his wanting for a friend, he was repulsed by her and turned her away. She then revealed herself as the beautiful enchantress Victoria and cursed the prince. He would now be cursed to become a hideous beast, slowly but surely. Along with his trusted servants to become household objects. The rose she had offered had become an enchanted rose. If the Prince could learn to love another and earn their love in turn before the last petal of the rose fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he was doomed to become a beast forever. Years passed and all hope was seemingly lost, for who could ever learn to love a beast.

Ellis was just a girl, living in a provincial town that didn’t quite understand her. Spending hours reading books that took her to far off places and away from her little town. It was a peaceful existence until her friends Ace & Deuce suddenly went missing on their journey with Ellis chasing after them. She found herself at a long forgotten castle. She found her friends there but also ran into the master of the castle. Wanting to set her friends free, Ellis traded places with them. But there might be something there that wasn’t there before within the Prince’s heart.

The Princess Bride - Silver x Ivy

A young maiden lives on a farm along with her farmhand. He always complies with her wishes, responding with “As you wish.” Over time, the two fall in love and wish to marry. The farmhand must go away on a ship to make a fortune for the two of them but is presumably lost at sea. Ivy is forcibly arranged into a marriage with the Prince of the kingdom. In her sorrow, she is kidnapped by a team of bandits but saved by a mysterious masked man.

The Snow Queen - Deuce x Astrid

Two childhood friends who have been through everything together. As they grew up, blossoming feelings arose. However, Deuce has a mirror shard find its way into his eye and heart, causing him to becoming unkind and aggressive, only finding solace in the snowflakes that fall from the sky. One night, Deuce is taken away by the mysterious Snow Queen. Astrid swears to find her one true love and sets off to find him.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb:

Former friends and former flames reunite on a mayhem-spike quest in this cozy romantasy perfect for readers of Legends & Lattes and lovers of Shrek.

“This delightful novel has the best The Princess Bride vibes.” —Jodi Picoult

TEN YEARS AGO, THEY SAVED THE REALM. IT RUINED THEIR LIVES.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.

But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . . . and a reunion for the ages—with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her ex-love (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell. And if reuniting with former friends and lovers wasn’t perilous enough, dark forces from their past have also returned.

Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen will face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past—rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.

This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?

Review:

What happens to heroes after the quest is finished? What happens when a group of friends loses one of them, and now ten years later are dealing with the aftermath of their grief, romances, and friendship. Two set of ex lovers, a road trip, and facing off against a new evil.... maybe a new quest can help mend the pains of the old one. Ten years ago, four people, four best friends, went on a quest to save the realm... but in doing so ruined their own lives when their leader dies. now ten years later there is Beatrice (freshly divorced and dealing with her hatred for Clare), Clare, a handsome ex bandit who has been nursing a crush on Beatrice for ten years.... and despite hating her for what she did he can't seem to let her go, especially now that she is divorced and free, and finally there is Elowen, a recluse who has run away from her ex-love ( a cunning assassin named Vandra). When their leader and best friend died, all of them separated... and have not been in touch for over ten years but when they are all asked to attend the Queen's wedding they all have to face one another again.... and when the Queen's fiancee is kidnapped they'll have to go on one last quest, but it could either break them apart further or finally heal them all. This was definitely a book for fans of second chance romances and DND adventures. It just kind of fell flat for me personally and I wasn't all that invested in the characters and their romances. The characters just felt like they were missing something and that they could have benefitted from a bit more personality. Overall it just didn't fit with me but I do think it would be a fun read for others.

Release Date: October 29,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[six-magnitude-girl]

The Black Swan

Tags: Bandits AU, love at first fuck, painful sex, slight dubcon, implied noncon (not Mikasa), mostly smut, misunderstandings, loss of virginity, suicide, suicidal thoughts, child abuse, kidnapping, catching feelings, no beta I die in this hill, sleep is for the week, this is the result of that persistent feeling of exhaustion and not doing enough at the same time

A/N: This is for @eremikaauweeks! Day 2, Tier 3: Bandits AU (with a little bit of Tier 1: The Princess Bride)

Mikasa Ackerman is supposed to get married in a couple of hours. 

She's on her way to the church when someone hits her on the back of her head. 

Oddly enough, relief is what she felt before losing consciousness. She won't have to marry the prince after all. 

When she gained consciousness, she found herself trapped inside a wooden trunk. Her layers of petticoat managed to serve as a cushion so she managed to get herself comfortable. 

Mikasa didn't know how they managed to stuff her and her enormous wedding dress inside a box but she was impressed. 

Judging how the box she is currently in is rocking back and forth, she figured she was currently being transported to who knows where. 

She closed her eyes and wondered if her life was the training for this moment. 

Duke Kevan Ackerman went on a voyage to an island in the East where he met Akemi Azumabito. 

They fell in love and Mikasa was the product of that. 

It turns out, Kevan is already married to someone in Eldia. 

Being betrayed and lied to is one thing but living in disgrace is a tad bit too far for any lady to bear for the rest of her life so she killed herself. 

Kevan went home to Eldia and made his wife raise his bastard alongside his legitimate children. 

It was Akemi's last wish to have Kevan bring Mikasa with him to Eldia for a better life. Riddled with guilt, he obliged. (That or he was scared of being cursed by a bunch of Hizurans).  

It went as well as anyone could have expected. 

Maybe Mikasa was just as crazy but she was thankful that, unlike her mother, her place was clear from the start. 

The relationship she formed with her stepmother and stepsisters is more reliable than what she has with her father. 

Unlike her father who alternates between favoring her and closing one eye to the treatment that she got, Mikasa found that she could always count on her stepmother and stepsisters to sabotage her in any way they could. That is comforting in a way. 

It got a bit too overboard when she caught the eye of the charming prince…  

It was like a real-life fairytale to everyone but all Mikasa could see is a lifetime of more suffering for her. A slave changing one master to another master albeit with a grander title and prettier clothes. 

Everyone sees Mikasa as the happiest and luckiest lady in the world for being loved by a prince despite her questionable birth. Their story is known as the 'greatest love story'.  

Rather than a love story, it's all about a delusional little prince who has a weakness for damsels. He even managed to insult her by describing her as a 'delicate little bird' and that is impressive in itself as she's been called a lot of names. 

The prince clothed her, gave her gifts, and even appointed and demanded some ladies to be friends with her. All that thought on what color of jewel would suit her but failing to realize that he's fighting a losing battle and nothing could change what she is. 

So when the prince announced their upcoming wedding without even consulting Mikasa, she didn't fight or say anything. Like always, she listened and went along with whatever the prince wanted. 

Kevan looked at Mikasa with stars in his eyes as if her upcoming marriage to the prince was a justification for his deceit. 

The ones she paid attention to are the queen, the queen dowager, and her stepmother. She couldn't discount the jealousy of the prince's admirers and her stepsisters too. 

It's ironic how her enemies are the ones that hold the key to her freedom but she's not going to complain. She makes do with what she has. 

In the darkness, it's hard to take track of time. Her arms are numb with how tight they tied her hands at her back. 

To distract herself from the pain, she tried to listen to what was going on outside. 

"Move her to another carriage and make haste to the mountains of Shiganshina."

Shiganshina? It's a lawless borderland that's occupied and ruled by bandits. Anyone who passed by was intercepted, robbed, and killed. It doesn't matter if you are a convoy, merchant, or a traveler. 

"Once you are done with her, be sure to throw her back naked at the royal capital for everyone to see." 

Mikasa doesn't recognize the lady's voice who's giving the orders. 

The men laughed but answered in the affirmative. 

Raped and passed around? She thought she was only going to get killed but the people who ordered this wanted her broken and humiliated. 

"I also want her face marred beyond repair. Is that understood?" 

They continued to talk some more and actually set off multiple decoys. 

If Mikasa could whistle, she would. How thorough. It's almost too good of a plan to be pulled off by her stepmother; the royals must have helped. 

Should she kill herself by biting her tongue? 

The rugged mountain road is rough and it momentarily distracts Mikasa from her plans. She gritted her teeth and resisted making any noises. 

Mikasa's cold and thirsty. She wonders if death is like this. If it is, she wished her box could at least be big enough for her to stretch her legs. 

She closed her eyes again and thought there would be no difference whether she opened or closed her eyes since it was all darkness anyways. 

***

"I won't ask again. What were you all planning?"

The new men from their ranks that Floch brought in are animals. 

A fraction of the truth was all Eren needed. He's disgusted and that is saying something considering he's their leader.  

"We're going to present her to you." one of the men sensing Eren's mood quickly amended. 

"Then what about her?" The woman giving the order took a step back at Eren's attention. 

"She now knows where our base is."  

"I-I'm just here to make sure you go through the end of your deal." the woman chimed in, trying but failing to sound authoritative. 

"I just took your plaything didn't I?" Eren gestured at the trunk presented in front of him. 

"Take her as a replacement." 

The men didn't need more encouragement than that. 

Floch sidled up to Eren as they watched the three tear at their employer. 

"After they are done, I want them disposed of. Make it painful." Floch knew he screwed up so he got to kill and bury his messes. 

"What about the… lady… afterwards?" 

"Didn't you hear about the plan?" Eren asked sarcastically, "gouge her eyes out, cut her tongue, hands and feet then throw her naked at the royal capital." Floch paled at having to do such a thing but nodded. Eren's giving him a lesson. 

Satisfied, Eren carried the trunk to his room. 

Eren felt dirty just thinking about what happened earlier so he took a bath. 

After fastening his robe, he stared at the trunk in the middle of his room.

Eren opens it and sees a black-haired lady in a fetal position. She's wearing a fluffy wedding dress with a translucent veil attached to her head. 

"I know you are awake, open your eyes." 

Gray eyes blinked several times to adjust to the sudden light and turned her head to look at him. He's staring back at her, mostly surprised by how subdued she is. 

Realizing that they can't exactly talk properly with her still in the box, he carried her out and laid her in his bed. 

Truth be told, Eren doesn't know what to do with her. She didn't do anything wrong but she already saw his face and their base.

He expected resistance, screaming, begging, and crying but she was calm this whole time. It made things difficult. 

She's the one tied up, laying on his bed, staring up at him but he's the one who's unnerved. 

He sat her up and lifted her white veil to get a proper look at her. 

Looking at her, he could understand why she inspires so much envy. 

"Aren't you going to beg?" 

"For what?" even her voice sounded pleasant to the ears. 

Eren didn't answer as he doesn't know what he wants her to do. 

"Are you married?" 

"No."

"Turn around."

She's obedient and cooperative, that made him feel better with his decision to untie her. 

"Thank you." 

There's a moment of silence again. 

"Do you have any lovers?" 

"No." she nodded as if satisfied with his answer. 

It's normal to have questions if you get kidnapped but those aren't the type of questions you ask. "Why are you asking?" 

"You can't let me go and you don't want to kill me either," her hopeful gaze that she was right with her assumption pulls at his heartstrings, "so the obvious solution is to make me your wife."   

It was Eren's turn to stare.  

"Did I read the situation wrong? ...Will I be passed around after you are done with me after all?" 

"No!" He denied vehemently. What kind of thought process does this lady have? 

The lady looked thankful and gave him a shy smile! Why is she looking at him like that? Eren doesn't understand! Is this lady mad? 

"What's your name?" that question snapped him out of his thoughts. 

They almost had him. He clenched his fists. 

He's got to give them credit for being creative. His eyes narrowed at the lady in front of him. 

How nice of them to send a top-class whore to seduce and spy on him.  If that's the case, there's no need to hesitate. 

"On your knees." is all he said. 

Confused, she hesitated but did as he said and kneeled on the bed, looking as innocent as ever in her white dress. 

That agitated him more than ever, so he grabbed her by the arm, "On the floor." 

"Suck it." He smirked seeing her eyes widen because of his stiffening erection in her face. 

Eren grabbed a handful of her hair to push her face into his crotch, forcing his tip into her lips to keep things moving when she still wasn't doing anything. He knows he's big but she's overreacting. 

"If I feel your teeth I will knock every one out," he grabbed her jaw to force her mouth open. 

"I… I don't know." she finally said, unable to look at him. 

Eren gave her a hard look, "Open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue," She did and he knew she felt self conscious. He was tempted to humiliate her but he's bewitched by her pleading eyes. 

She must have always used her angel face to get away with not having to service her patrons this way. 

Playfully smacking her cheek with his hardness, he didn't give her any time to hesitate and entered her mouth. 

She has her hands on her lap, fisting her dress for support as she struggles to accommodate each of his thrusts that gets deeper and deeper. 

Doing all the work somehow made it better for him. 

The twitching in her mouth must have surprised her because she attempted to move away but he used her hair as leverage to hold her in place as he fucked her face. 

To her credit, after a while, she tried moving her tongue around and the feeling of his cock stroking back and forth across her tongue was heavenly. 

He stopped. It felt good. Too good and he could no longer wait. He wanted to taste her. He let her finish coughing and panting on the floor. 

Without a word, he hoisted her on her feet. 

It's like unwrapping a gift. He nibbled her nape as he unlace or unbuttoned layers upon layers of her wedding garb. 

When he felt her leaning against his touch, he bit her neck and felt her stiffening. 

Eventually, he lost patience and decided to just cut her out of her dress with his knife. 

As soon as she turned around to face him, he pushed her into the bed and mauled her. 

Straddling her down, she tried holding him for support but he flipped her to have her lie on her belly to stop her from touching him. 

He covered her body with his when he lay on top of her. He felt her shiver as he breathed directly into her ear. 

Snaking his hands around her torso, he grabbed and squeezed her breast. 

Liking the fullness that he feels in his hands. He smacked her bottom for being sinfully beautiful. Satisfaction welled him when he felt her nipples hardening against his palms.

It seemed like she didn't get the hint earlier and reached for him again, caressing his neck so he put one hand on her neck to push her face down the mattress, his second one holding her wrist and turning it behind her back. 

She finally stayed still with her face down after a few seconds of holding her down like that.

Spreading her legs, he placed himself in between them to penetrate her. 

He can already feel his eyes rolling back with just the tip inside her. 

It was warm and tight inside her. He felt her stiffened and he caressed her back to soothe her. He couldn't help but close his eyes, feeling her insides pushing and fighting against him. 

Eren grinned at the surge of wetness that he felt trickling down her legs. He takes her by her waist and pounded on her. 

With the type of life he's living, he's had his fair share of women but no one was as quiet as she is. He felt her breathing heavily but there was just no noise apart from her lubrication with each of his thrusts. 

He stroked her buttocks and moved them back and forth faster, plunging into her deeper but there was still nothing. 

Did she pass out? 

In the surprise turn of events, she has more fight in her than anyone realizes. 

When he tried to flip her, she bent her body towards him but was determined to bury her face in the pillow. 

When he saw her bloodied thighs, he quickly found out why. 

If Eren was a better man, he would have stopped right then and there. If he's a better man, he would leave this poor lady alone and find some actual whore to finish. Unfortunately, he's not. He always gets what he wants and he wants her.

Gentle butterfly kisses are made to the base of her spine up to her nape before completely eclipsing her body with his. His arm supports his weight to not crush her.  

He stimulates her body by giving nips on her shoulder, neck, and ear. 

Reaching down, he gently rubbed her clitoris which made her squirm, and attempted to close her legs. 

"Shhh… this won't hurt. I promise." he felt her pause before ultimately adjusting herself to give him more access. 

She eventually faced sideways and saw her covering her mouth. 

When he felt her pressing herself on his fingers, he knew it was time. 

"Can I see you?" 

She obliged by laying on her back.

Eren lay on his side next to her. She still won't meet his eyes but atleast they are making progress. 

He continued rubbing her clitoris while he sucked on her chest. 

Slipping his hand under her head, he lifts her and kisses her. He gently caressed her face and kissed her tear tracks away. 

Both are hyper-aware of his cock pressing hotly against her backside seemingly trying to find its way inside her. 

He positioned himself on top of her, pushing his tip experimentally to see how she reacts. 

She doesn't seem to be in much pain but it bothered him that she had her arms placed firmly at her side. 

After letting the tip sit in for a few seconds, he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles, "I'll be gentle." He placed her arms around him while burying himself deeper into her. 

She quickly covered her mouth when breathy moans came out of her when he started going faster. 

"Does it hurt?" he smirked, knowing full well what the answer was. He held her hand so she wouldn't be able to cover her mouth.

Meeting his eyes, she shook her head and held on to him for dear life. 

With her full participation, he had his way with her until the morning. 

It wasn't surprising for him as his sexual appetite has always been like that but she pleasantly surprised him with her ability to keep up. 

Eren still wants to go on but restrains himself seeing the dazed expression on her face and how her legs hadn't stopped twitching since the second round. 

Their bodies are sated and are tangled up in sheets. 

He's stroking her hair and hasn't taken his eyes off of her. "What's your name?" 

"Mikasa" she answered and when she turned to look at him, he leaned down to kiss her. 

"Your husband's name is Eren." 

[lineycantdance]

Jang Man Wol and Go Chung Myung as Eros and Psyche

In this meta, I will be illustrating how the storyline in the 2019 tvN K-drama Hotel Del Luna between its protagonist Jang Man Wol and second male lead Go Chung Myung follows the Aarne-Thompson-Uther folktale type 425: Search for the Lost Husband, while also containing elements of ATU-400: The Quest for the Lost Bride. In particular, I will be pointing out parallels to famous versions of these tales from Greek mythology: ATU-425: Eros and Psyche, and ATU-400: Orpheus and Eurydice. I am by no means an expert on this topic, so feel free to share where you disagree with me and point out any mistakes.

Before I go on, be advised: the following post will include mentions of violence, capital punishment, suicide, and all of the darker elements that were present in the historical subplot of Hotel Del Luna.

Part 1: Jang Man Wol and Go Chung Myung as Eros and Psyche

The myth of Eros and Psyche is said to be the prototypical version of the Beauty and the Beast story. Other tales classified under ATU-425 feature an Animal Bridegroom. After a taboo is broken, the animal husband flees from the bride, and she must complete a series of tasks or embark on a long journey to reunite with her lost husband.

A Mission Gone Awry:

The original version of Eros and Psyche comes from Apuleius’ Metamorphoses as a story within a story. The tale begins with the youngest and most beautiful daughter of a king and queen, Psyche, attracting so many admirers that people have started worshipping her instead of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love. The jealous Aphrodite sends her son Eros (Cupid) to make Psyche fall in love with a hideous and wretched creature. However, rather than carrying out his mother’s bidding, Eros mistakenly pricks himself with his own arrow and consequently falls deeply in love with Psyche upon the sight of her sleeping form. In other words, the script gets flipped on Eros who is wounded by his own weapon.

[Cupid Finding Psyche by Edward Burne-Jones]

Man Wol and Chung Myung’s first meeting bears a few similarities. After Jang Man Wol’s gang of bandits attacks Princess Song Hwa’s caravan, royal guard captain Go Chung Myung chases her down, intent on capturing the gang leader. However, instead of successfully carrying out this mission, Chung Myung becomes mesmerized by Man Wol’s beauty. Man Wol knocks him unconscious while he is distracted and takes him hostage. He is both held captive and captivated by her. Princess Song Hwa, the one who sent Chung Myung, will be playing the part of the jealous Aphrodite in this story.

In both stories, our heroine poses a threat to a royal/divine mother figure who takes this as a personal affront. A young man under her authority is sent to condemn the heroine to a dark fate. The hero fails to carry out this mission and ends up falling in love with the heroine instead.

Man Wol appears as if asleep à la Sleeping Beauty.

She flips the script on this lovestruck fool.

 The Mythical Snake-Husband:

Eros, the god of desire, is feared even by Zeus, for a shot from his arrow fills his victims with uncontrollable infatuation often resulting in infidelity and adultery. He is sometimes described as a serpent who flies on black wings. It is meant to be understood that, in a way, Eros is exactly the kind of monster that Aphrodite wished Psyche to wed.

In other fairy tales classified under ATU-425, the bridegroom is a young man, often a prince, who has been transformed into a monster, animal, beast, etc. He may take the appearance of a bull, pig, bear, snail, etc., but most often he appears as a snake or a bird such as in the Mexican fairy tale El Pájaro Verde, or the Italian fairy tale The Enchanted Snake.

Most obviously, Chung Myung takes the form of an animal when his soul is eventually transformed into a firefly. But, unlike the heroes in Animal Bridegroom stories, Chung Myung begins his story as just a regular man, not a beast or monster. That being said, when his character is first introduced in the show (and to Man Wol), we see him as a fearsome warrior and formidable swordsman. As Man Wol’s captive, he flirts with her in an attempt to convince her to let him go. At first, it is unclear whether he is simply trying to pull a fast one on her, and for a moment it seems like he is going to leave her for dead when she gets caught in quicksand. His initial shiftiness as well as his lethal capabilities make him, metaphorically-speaking, akin to a snake.

The Beautiful Lonely Heroine:

Psyche, the youngest and most beautiful of three princesses, is plagued by solitude. She despises her own beauty for making her singularly lonely. Even though she is widely adored, no one wants to approach her. She resents her virginity as it represents her loneliness and longing for romantic companionship.

It’s worth mentioning that in other Lost Husband stories, the heroine is often depicted as a paragon of idealized femininity: young, beautiful, unquestioningly obedient to her father, kind, gentle, self-sacrificial beyond reason. Compare that to her older sisters who are portrayed as vapid, jealous, and vain, the latter primarily for “turning up their noses” and refusing to marry an animal bridegroom unlike their younger sister who is inexplicably totally cool with it. These polarized depictions of femininity, while regressive and devoid of nuance, are commonplace in fairy tales, and the lack of depth could even be considered a defining genre convention (see Max Lüthi's criteria for märchen in The European Folktale: Form and Nature, particularly "depthlessness").

Although the fierce thief Man Wol doesn’t fit this model of idealized feminine heroine, she does have some things in common with her fair-maiden counterparts. She, too, suffers from loneliness, and, as a transient bandit, she is emotionally isolated. Apart from her foster brother Yeon Woo, she doesn’t allow others to get close to her.

In the first flashback shown of her past, she says that she envies trees because they don’t have to wander around. She laments that “it must be nice to just put down roots and settle down.” 

Man Wol’s conversation with Yeon Woo in front of the great oak tree reveals that she longs for stability and a way to live past her youth, neither of which her nomadic life as a bandit can provide her. When Yeon Woo offers to build Man Wol a house out of the wood from the giant tree, she teasingly turns him down. Considering the great oak tree symbolizes Man Wol’s desire for longevity, that Yeon Woo specifically promises to cut it down demonstrates the impossibility of their situation. His words to Man Wol in this scene about transferring his extra years to her are poignantly prophetic:

Yeon Woo: We all grow old. You should think about putting down roots. I can’t let you live under a tarp when you’ve become an old lady.

Man Wol: I could be captured and killed at any moment. That’s my life. I don’t even expect to live until I’m old.

Yeon Woo: But you can. The fortune teller said that I’ll live a long life, just like this tree. I’m expected to live 100 years, so I’ll give you my extra years.

Man Wol: If you do that, you’ll die.

Yeon Woo: You’re right. It’s okay, though. I don’t mind dying for you, so you can have it all.

Not only does this scene foreshadow Yeon Woo’s heart-wrenching sacrifice on Man Wol’s behalf, but it also indicates that, under Man Wol’s current circumstances, a life must be “cut short,” be it the tree’s or Yeon Woo’s, in order to secure the longevity and stability she desires. 

Whereas Psyche expressly wishes to find love, especially after her two older sisters are both married and she cannot find a husband, Man Wol's desires do not necessarily require love to achieve. However, “settling down” and “putting down roots” are conventionally achieved via marriage.

Merging of the Wedding and Funeral Rites, A Leap of Faith:

After consulting the Oracle of Apollo who tells them their daughter is to marry a hideous monster, Psyche’s parents assume this is a sure death sentence. In funeral attire, Psyche is taken to the edge of a cliff to be carried by the west wind Zephyr to Eros’s palace. She bravely accepts her fated marriage, takes the plunge, and encounters her mythical bridegroom in an enchanted palace in the forest. In blurring the lines between the wedding and funeral rites, death and love are depicted as intertwined.

[Psyche’s Wedding by Edward Burne-Jones]

The most prominent moment when a wedding and funeral are merged in Man Wol’s backstory is during her deadly confrontation with Chung Myung in the royal bridal chamber. But more on that later. Sticking to this pair’s first meeting, a moment occurs that could be interpreted as her taking a leap of faith. Man Wol chooses to release her captive Chung Myung in hopes that he will save her from being swallowed by quicksand. In tossing him her sword so that he can cut himself free, she places her life in his hands. Chung Myung in turn, rather than escaping when he has the chance, saves his captor from the brink of death.

The Heroine Grows Affectionate toward her Nighttime Visitor:

Psyche is well provided for in Eros’s enchanted palace, but he only comes to visit her at night when it is dark and she can’t see him. Initially, Psyche is hesitant about the intimacy they share at night, but eventually she grows to enjoy those moments.

In other Animal Bridegroom stories, the groom takes off his animal skin/feathers in the heroine’s bedroom and reveals himself to be a handsome youth by night. The heroine grows fond of him and the private conversations they share together, but he must disappear with the rising sun.

Chung Myung meets Man Wol at the moonlit lake to share wine. At first, she is annoyed that he has disrupted her solitude, but he tells her that the view of the lake has gotten better since he arrived because she is no longer alone. Then, he says that in the future whenever she drinks there by herself, she will be waiting for him to show up like he did that night. These words prove true, as Man Wol evidently grows to crave Chung Myung’s company so much that she is willing to sneak into the Princess’s castle at the risk of her own life just to see him.

Due to the forbidden nature of their relationship, Man Wol and Chung Myung’s trysts must occur under the cover of darkness.

The Bride and Groom are Married in a Symbolic Union:

With their marriage consummated and a bond forming between them, Eros and Psyche are no longer married only in name. At this point, they are referred to as husband and wife, not just the bride and groom of a sham marriage.

While marital and botched proposal imagery are evoked at several points throughout Man Wol and Chung Myung’s love story (which I will discuss further down below), I would pinpoint the moment they become symbolically married as when they are seated together in front of the fire, and he signs her name with her finger on the surface of a rock. This is the scene in which their bond is cemented, quite literally, in stone, and their feelings for each other are made clear.

A Voice of Doubt Leads the Wife to Act Against Her Husband’s Wishes:

When Psyche’s sisters visit her in her luxurious palace, they sow doubt in her about the true form of her husband. They make her believe that her husband is truly dangerous and convince her to look upon Eros’s true form and kill him if he really is a monster.

In many Animal Bridegroom stories, the jealous sisters or an overprotective father may directly harm the husband, believing him to be devouring the bride at night. In other variants, the heroine asks about her husband’s origin, shares his secret identity with others, or looks upon his true form when he specifically forbade it. This constitutes breaking a taboo and/or a betrayal of the husband’s trust.

For Man Wol, the voice of doubt about her relationship with Chung Myung comes from inside herself rather than from an outside source. After Man Wol tells Chung Myung that she and her clan of bandits are leaving to join the rebellion, he offers to risk his life and run away with her. But she declines and breaks things off with him.

In this impersonal statement of rejection, Man Wol alludes to the external obstacles that stand in between this couple’s happiness: her clan joining the rebellion against the kingdom that Chung Myung serves, their difference in class and standing in the law, the imminent war that stands between their peoples, etc. Although these obstacles are great, they seem to be just excuses for what is really holding Man Wol back—the internal obstacles within herself.

Needing to have relied on herself alone for so many years, Man Wol is fiercely independent and unaccustomed to letting others in. Her doubts, perhaps self-doubts, and hesitancy in commitment are the real reasons for this “break-up,” not the meddling of pesky relatives as in other Animal Bridegroom tales. In fact, the character you would expect to play the role of an overprotective or jealous family member, Yeon Woo, is quite supportive of Man Wol’s relationship with Chung Myung, and even encourages her to follow her heart when he senses she might not come back from bidding Chung Myung a final farewell.

Yeon Woo (joining Man Wol at the foot of the giant tree): Everyone’s ready. When should we leave?

Man Wol (gazing at the jug with her symbol tied to the tree): He was here. He’s probably there now. Let me go see him one last time.

Yeon Woo (catching Man Wol’s wrists to hold her back): Man Wol-ah. Will you come back?

Man Wol: Yes. Of course, I’ll be back.

Yeon Woo (dropping Man Wol’s wrists, he gives a sheepish smile): You don’t need to come back. I’ll be fine either way, so do as you wish.

Breaking the Taboo, a Betrayal of Trust:

Psyche listens to her sisters who tell her to approach her husband with a lamp to see his true identity and a dagger to kill him if he truly is a monster. When Psyche follows through with this plan and sees Eros’s true form exposed, this constitutes a betrayal of his trust. In other Animal Bridegroom stories, the wife does the one thing her husband specifically forbids her from doing which is often sharing his secret with a nosy family member. At this point, he assumes his animal/beast form and flees his bride.

[From Favorite Greek Myths illustrated by Troy Howell]

This may seem counterintuitive, as Chung Myung is the one who ends up outright betraying Man Wol, but when Man Wol allows her fears and doubts to take hold of her and forsakes her love, this can be considered “breaking the taboo.” Her rejection of Chung Myung and of her true feelings leads to a series of events that results in Chung Myung’s “beastly” form being revealed—that is, his capacity for betrayal, deception, and acting in his own self-interest at the expense of those around him—i.e. the metaphorical qualities of a snake. This might sound like a circular line of thinking (it is), but I am framing this sequence of events in this way for the purpose of reading the story as a Search for the Lost Husband tale rather than a Quest of the Lost Bride tale in which the roles are reversed. On that note…

Part 2: Search for the Lost Husband or Quest for the Lost Bride?

(a.k.a. an aside in which I ramble on)

In a Search for the Lost Husband story, a betrayal such as Chung Myung’s on the part of the mythical husband would constitute a role reversal, and thus would be incredibly rare. However, a husband’s betrayal is commonplace in Quest for the Lost Bride stories. So, you might be asking yourself, other than switching the gender roles, how are ATU-425: Search for the Lost Husband and ATU-400: Quest for the Lost Bride stories different? Well, the biggest difference is in the story’s conclusion. A Search for the Lost Husband story usually has a happy ending with the couple reuniting, while the husband’s Quest for his mythical wife is usually unsuccessful. There are a few reasons for this, which I will get into later, but for now, all you need to know is that, in general, a betrayal by the mythical husband usually results in tragedy whereas a betrayal by the mythical wife usually ends with her successfully recovering her lost husband.

Because the love story between Man Wol and Chung Myung is ill-fated, in my interpretation, it follows the tragic Quest for the Lost Bride route. It includes hallmarks of tragedy such as a permanent separation of the mythical couple (as seen by Man Wol turning her back on Chung Myung on the bridge to the afterlife) and the husband wallowing away in grief and despair for the remainder of his days (as seen by Chung Myung remaining as a firefly for 1300 years only to cross the bridge by himself). However, as I hope to demonstrate in this meta, Man Wol and Chung Myung’s story also contains enough elements distinct to Search for the Lost Husband stories that, in my opinion, it could have gone either way, either ending with permanent tragedy for the pair, or happily with a love that transcended death. The show-writers were probably well aware of this, as the show itself seems to toy with the idea of Koo Chan Sung, the first male lead, being the reincarnation of Go Chung Myung, but eventually this is revealed to be a misdirection.

In addition to containing many unmistakable elements of ATU-425, Man Wol and Chung Myung’s story already sees many elements reversed anyway. It is Chung Myung, the hero, who is associated with royalty/nobility, not the maiden Man Wol. She is the one who is an outlaw and is shown to be quite ruthless, fierce, and scary, like the villainous Eros.

A critical aspect of the Eros and Psyche myth is that both Eros and Psyche must undergo joint journeys toward individuation. As a result, their journeys can naturally be thought of as parallel if not interchangeable. In this way, having Man Wol and Chung Myung move back and forth between the positions of Eros and Psyche, or “lost spouse” and “searching spouse,” does not actually contradict the story structure of the Eros and Psyche myth. Furthermore, often a husband’s failed quest for his lost bride serves as a prelude to a switch to the feminine perspective in which the wife’s search for her lost husband is successful.

We know that for as long as Chung Myung had remained with Man Wol as a firefly, she, too, had spent all those years waiting for him to arrive at her hotel. Given that the pair was mutually waiting for the other for over 1300 years and with a curse of her own for Man Wol to overcome, when Man Wol finally says Chung Myung’s name and he reappears before her, it seemed like all the ingredients were there for a successful recovery of the lost animal husband and the mythical couple reuniting in love and joy. This is also the moment when the flower petals of the Moon Tree finally fall, indicating that Man Wol’s punishment has come to an end. Despite this, the show still sticks to the unhappy Quest for the Lost Bride trajectory for this pair.

Typically in a Quest for the Lost Bride tale, the husband's betrayal is due to his fear, arrogance, or lack of faith in/faithfulness to his wife. These attributes are then harshly punished by the story’s tragic end for him. Although perhaps fear factored into Chung Myung’s decision to betray Man Wol, and arguably heedlessness into him getting caught in the first place, his reasoning for the betrayal, rather than highlighting a fatal flaw in his character, paints him as a victim of circumstance more than anything else. He was backed into a corner by the princess and coerced into betraying Man Wol against his own wishes while making a bargain for her life to be spared. It would seem that this betrayal was not about saving his own neck (he told Yeon Woo he was planning on paying for his sins with his life afterward), but rather saving as many innocents as possible (his relatives in the castle and the Gaori villagers).

As punishment for his misdeeds, Chung Myung dies by Man Wol’s sword and remains as a firefly, unseen to her for 1300 years, both of which were fates he elected for himself. Yet, after he finally has the chance to explain his side of the story to Man Wol, and she is able to make peace with what happened and let go of her grudges, for some reason the narrative isn’t through punishing him. Man Wol abandons him on the bridge to the afterlife, and the pair is separated forever after. The remorseful Chung Myung’s ultimate fate is characterized by eternal punishment and heartache for offenses that were deliberately portrayed by the narrative in a sympathetic light. This eternal punishment, in my opinion, comes off as exceedingly harsh, especially in contrast to other characters like Man Wol and Princess Song Hwa who had the blood of many on their hands, yet were both given happy endings in which they were able to find love again.

Part 3: Chung Myung and Man Wol as Eros and Psyche (cont.)

As much as a part of me relishes in the tragedy and melodrama of the storyline the show gave us with Man Wol and Chung Myung, my biggest qualm about its ending is that it retroactively suggests that Man Wol’s decision to forsake her love with Chung Myung was the right one? She alluded to the worldly barriers that stood between them when she told Chung Myung they could never be together. She spoke those words out of cynicism and guardedness, and she was at her least authentic to herself and her true desires when she said them. And yet, the narrative ultimately proves them correct? After a millennium had swept away the conditions that had made their love precarious and impossible in the first place, Man Wol still ended up being right: their love was not meant to be; it was never meant to be. (╥_╥)

The Husband’s True Form is Revealed, the Wife’s Love for him Deepens:

Psyche approaches her sleeping husband armed with flame and steel, prepared to kill him. When she discovers that he is the beautiful god Eros, she accidentally pricks herself with one of his arrows and falls even more in love with him. In other Animal Bridegroom stories, the wounded husband flees, and the distraught wife loves him so much that she is willing to walk to the ends of the earth, often until holes have been worn into the soles of iron shoes, to find him.

For Man Wol, there are two scenes in which she approaches Chung Myung equipped to kill him. The first plays the wife’s-love-deepening trope straight whereas the second directly subverts it.

In the first, Man Wol is hiding in a shed as a runaway slave. When someone enters the shed, she jumps out from her hiding place and blindly attacks the intruder with her dagger, unaware that it is Chung Myung. It is only when he catches her wrist mid-swing that she stops and sees his true identity. Her eyes quiver in recognition. The framing of this sequence—the use of slow motion, the soft music, the pair’s heavy breathing and parted lips, the symmetry of their silhouettes—indicate that this moment is especially significant; we are watching the moment when they fall for each other.

Afterward, Chung Myung protects Man Wol by telling the soldiers who are looking for her to search elsewhere. This is followed up by a scene of Chung Myung bandaging Man Wol’s wound, clear visual language for the care and tenderness between them.

The second time Man Wol is prepared to kill Chung Myung is, of course, in the royal bridal chamber. There, she intends to destroy him, particularly the “monstrous” part of him that is loyal and wedded to the princess. She wields her sword (steel), then burns the palace to the ground (with flame).

At this point in the story, Chung Myung’s loyalties had already been put to the test after he found himself at a crossroads when confronted by Princess Song Hwa. Seeing Chung Myung’s “true colors” revealed, Man Wol, rather than growing in love, grows in deep hatred of him.

A Harsh Light Exposes What Lies in the Darkness, The Snake Recoils:

The light from Psyche’s lamp reveals her husband’s true form. She becomes so startled that, in addition to pricking herself with one of Eros’s arrows, she spills hot oil from her lamp onto him. The wounded Eros recoils and retreats to the protection of his mother, Aphrodite.

Psyche had, quite literally, been kept in the dark about the identity of her invisible husband. When she casts his true form into the light, this can be read allegorically as her leaving a childlike state of ignorance behind and gaining a sense of consciousness. This new knowledge and awareness, although initially leading to pain and heartache, is ultimately necessary for Psyche—who represents the human soul—to individuate and enter true adulthood. Eros represents Psyche’s Shadow, her repressed desires that she fears to claim. When Psyche wields the knife and lamp, she strips back her own illusions and refuses to continue living in the dark. Psyche’s pursuit of Eros—the Soul’s pursuit of Desire—elevates her from her mortal status. The product of this union is a daughter named “Joy.”

One notable parallel to Man Wol and Chung Myung’s story is that Chung Myung, under the threat of never seeing Man Wol again, leaves the signal to meet at the lake where he awaits her with what appears to be a token of betrothal.

He is exposed in the sense that he sets up this meeting in broad daylight for a change, as well as in that Princess Song Hwa arrives first to expose him as a colluder with the rebellion and a traitor to his country. Under duress, he retreats to the side of Princess Song Hwa who corresponds to Aphrodite.

However, I think the comparison becomes much more interesting if we think of Man Wol as the snake-like Eros and Chung Myung as the light-bearing Psyche. Chung Myung—the man who was transformed into a firefly and whose name (hanja: 清明; pinyin: qīngmíng) translates to “Pure and Bright”—is the light that reveals Man Wol’s true self. He draws out her capacity to be warm-hearted despite her cynicism. Man Wol (hanja: 满月) is the “Full Moon” whose glow is only a reflection of the light cast upon it (from the Sun. Yes, I’m invoking Yin and Yang here). Man Wol cannot hide her true self from Chung Myung because he sees through the front she puts up and the walls she has built around her. She shows discomfort with this vulnerability such as after Chung Myung surmises that she came to see him in the castle because she had missed him while drinking alone.

When Chung Myung offers to run away with Man Wol, his light shines too brightly, and she recoils from him. But we know she is acting against her true desires as seen by her tearful look as she watches him leave and by her impetuousness to see him one more time. The break-up scene between Man Wol and Chung Myung presents a moment in which Man Wol must confront the desires that she has been desperately trying to conceal from herself but outwardly manifest in the form of Chung Myung.

In forsaking her love, Man Wol acts in fear of her desires. On the other hand, this break-up can simultaneously be viewed as an act of Man Wol’s agency to make decisions about her own life. She is well within her rights to end this relationship as it had always been incredibly risky, even scandalous, for both involved. Chung Myung had been looking the other way and, at times, actively helping out a gang of criminals. Man Wol had been placing her trust in someone whose job it was to arrest and capture people like her. Her reasons for joining the rebellion—it’s better than living as a thief, getting caught, and dying young—see her taking steps toward achieving the stability and longevity that she wished for. It’s just that she couldn’t conceive of a way to achieve these things while keeping Chung Myung at her side (when arguably this may have been possible). I also think that Man Wol truly thought that putting her feelings aside and breaking things off between her and Chung Myung was the safest decision for the two of them. In a cruel twist of irony, however, this indirectly leads to the catastrophic series of events that occurred in the fallout of their relationship that the break-up was intended to prevent.

In my opinion, Man Wol’s character arc on the show, in addition to resolving her deep grudges and healing from her past, should have involved her learning not to run away from her desires and integrating her Shadow/animus.

The Wounded Husband Flees and is Confined, the Heroine is Tormented:

The injured Eros is looked after by his mother Aphrodite who confines him in her house for far longer than he wishes or is necessary for him to recover. As Psyche continues to seek her lost husband, the furious Aphrodite drags her by the hair and has her whipped and tortured by her lackeys Sadness and Sorrow.

In other versions of ATU-425, the fleeing husband becomes fatally ill or is about to be married off to another bride, often a monster or ogress who, like Aphrodite, holds him against his will. Symbolically, these two fates are the same as the prince’s illness is akin to being wedded to Death. Typically at this point, the heroine arrives just in time to cure her lost husband or rescue him from a loveless marriage.

After Man Wol’s rejection, Chung Myung returns, against his wishes, to the side of Princess Song Hwa. When Man Wol rides to the lake seeking him, she encounters Song Hwa instead who gleefully has her arrested while mocking her as the cause of her people’s demise. 

As a quick aside, Princess Song Hwa is wearing a completely different robe when she confronts Man Wol from the one she wore when confronting Chung Myung at the lake which could indicate that a significant amount of time passed between these two occurrences. They may have even taken place on different days, meaning Man Wol arrived much too late.

Chung Myung is forced to marry Song Hwa even though his heart still belongs to Man Wol. Our heroine Man Wol arrives on the night of the wedding to kill him rather than to rescue her mythical husband from his marriage to the Death-bride.

The Heroine Undergoes an Arduous Journey to Reunite with her Lost Husband:

In order to see Eros again, Psyche must complete four seemingly impossible tasks given to her by the angry Aphrodite (in other tales it’s usually three impossible tasks, but Aphrodite is extra mean and gives Psyche a fourth). Eros’s hand is present in the assistance she receives for each task—in the ants, river spirits, eagle, and tower that come to her aid. The completion of these tasks credits Psyche for her bravery and persistence, and therefore she is presented as worthy of her divine husband. The details in other ATU-425 stories vary widely but are largely unimportant. Typically, the heroine will have to travel a great distance, collect magical items, and accept supernatural aid in order to recover her lost husband.

After the deadly night of the royal wedding, both Man Wol and Chung Myung have long journeys ahead of them to atone in some way for the sins they committed in their lives. Man Wol becomes cursed as the owner of the Guest House of the Moon and receives assistance in the form of Koo Chan Sung who himself receives guidance at pivotal moments from Chung Myung’s ghostly insect form. 

This struck me as similar to how Eros is present in the small insects—ants—who help Psyche complete the first task of sorting out the grains. Chung Myung’s unwavering persistence in remaining at Man Wol’s side as a firefly is shown to have impressed Mago and even the Grim Reaper.

A “seemingly impossible” task needs to be accomplished for both Man Wol and Chung Myung’s curses to be lifted: the Moon Tree must bloom and wither flowers—meaning Man Wol’s heart must soften—for time to flow for her once again; for Chung Myung to regain his human form and appear before Man Wol she must utter his name, a feat rendered seemingly impossible due to Man Wol’s deep-seated resentment.

A Trip to a Realm only Accessible to the Dead, Another Way:

When Psyche is successful in completing three impossible tasks, Aphrodite makes one final attempt to get rid of her. Psyche must descend to the Underworld and bring back a piece of Queen Persephone’s beauty in a box to be delivered to Aphrodite. At first, Psyche believes that the only way to reach the Underworld is to die, so she prepares to fling herself from a tower. But Eros speaks to Psyche through the tower, instructing her on another way to enter the Underworld. He gives her highly specific instructions as well as coins for the boat ride across the river Styx. She must not deviate from these instructions lest she remain trapped in the Underworld forever.

Wanting absolution for all the lives she took, Man Wol journeys to the end of the road in search of the mythical Guest House of the Moon where the souls of the dead gather and are consoled. As the afterlife in this story leads to reincarnation and new life, it does not correspond to the Underworld; the Guest House of the Moon is more of an equivalent as it is a mythical, if temporary, abode for the souls of the dead. When Mago tells Man Wol that only the dead can go there, Man Wol draws her sword to her own neck, saying she is willing to take her own life just to get there.

Mago tells Man Wol that it is foolish to think she can compensate for her sins with her life this way. Man Wol becomes tied to the Moon Tree instead, caught between life and death and cursed to serve as the innkeeper of the Guest House.

Just like Man Wol, Chung Myung believes the only way he can pay for the debt of his wrongdoings is with his own life. It is the voice of Yeon Woo that stops Chung Myung from doing this and insists there is another way for him to pay for his sins—he must live on as a traitor to ensure that Man Wol survives.

Traps and Risks in the Underworld:

Several traps lie in Psyche’s way as she journeys to Hades, chiefly if she opens the casket containing Persephone’s beauty out of curiosity she will never return from the Underworld.

The biggest trap set for Man Wol is the possibility of her giving into her anger and resentment, becoming an evil, spiteful ghost and vanishing forever. This would mean she would never leave the Underworld of the Guest House or move onto the afterlife to be reborn.

Chung Myung, who is also stuck in this Underworld as Man Wol’s first guest, also faces a great risk there. Over the 1300 years, his soul has become weary and his light has faded. With little energy left, he may vanish before reaching the bridge to the afterlife.

Facing Temptation, Return from Death’s Clutches:

Psyche carefully follows all of Eros’s instructions and manages to escape the Underworld. Thinking she has succeeded, Psyche wishes to take some of Persephone’s beauty for herself to please her husband. But what’s in the box is the Sleep of Death, and she falls down lifeless. Eros, who has healed and can no longer bear Psyche’s absence, breaks free from his prison and wipes the sleep from her eyes.

[Psyche Opening the Golden Box by John William Waterhouse]

In other versions of ATU-425, the prince is on the brink of death or about to marry another woman when his wife finds and rescues him. To save the lost husband, the heroine must perform a task that only she can do, or use a blood sacrifice to cure his affliction. In this way, she is uniquely able to save him from a literal/spiritual/metaphorical death. 

Chung Myung’s marriage to a false bride is interrupted by Man Wol who infiltrates the castle intending to kill him. In some cases, such as with a snake-husband, a violent means is necessary to break the curse. With a snake, death or burning of the snake’s skin are typically the only ways for the snake-husband to be transformed back into his true self. Since Chung Myung has taken on the metaphorical qualities of a snake, it could be argued that only by dying and the subsequent burning of his body can he regain his humanity. Thus, Man Wol’s decisions to slay Song Hwa, the Death-bride, run Chung Myung through, and burn down the castle, while ruthless, are not, by themselves, mythically inconsistent with the ATU-425 folktale type.

1300 years later, Man Wol knows that her encounter with Chung Myung is inevitable, and she must face her temptation to give into her anger, destroy his soul, and vanish forever. However, after hearing his side of the story and learning of the promise he made to Yeon Woo, Man Wol’s anger dissipates. She is seemingly able to forgive Chung Myung, or at least let go of her resentments toward him.

The one final task that Man Wol is assigned by Mago is one that only she can accomplish: she must see Chung Myung off and accompany him on the bridge to the afterlife, thus saving him from vanishing forever i.e. spiritual death.

Recognition Motif:

After the heroine rescues her lost husband, typically there is a moment when the prince finally recognizes the heroine after their long separation and declares her his one true wife. The lost husband may not recognize the searching wife until she performs the one task that only she can do or until she shows the lost husband a gift she once received from him.

Apotheosis, Sacred Marriage, Happily Ever After:

A moment of recognition on Man Wol’s part occurs when Chung Myung’s ghost, while in possession of Chan Sung’s body, caresses Man Wol in a hauntingly familiar way. Later, she realizes that the firefly is Chung Myung who has been with her all along. She says his name, and he appears before her. A moment of recognition on the part of would-be prince Chung Myung happened much earlier in the bridal chamber when he said he wished to welcome Man Wol as a beautiful bride (his true bride).

Eros and Psyche have a proper wedding that is blessed and attended by all the deities. She eats ambrosia which makes her immortal so that the pair can be united for eternity as equals. Psyche, now a deity in her own right, gives birth to a daughter named Hedone or “Joy.”

Man Wol and Chung Myung walk down the bridge to the afterlife together, but stop midway. There, on the edge of eternity, Chung Myung offers Man Wol his hand in symbolic union one last time. He pleads with his eyes for her to join him and move on together, but she turns her back on him, departing from the mythic structure and leaving him to cross into oblivion by his lonesome. This is how their story ends.

Part 4: More Parallels and Discussion

The Husband is Rebuked by the Cruel One who Sent Him:

When Aphrodite learns that Eros fell in love with her enemy Psyche rather than dooming her to fall in love with a loathsome monster, she rebukes him as a failure. Aphrodite sees Psyche as a direct threat and is fearful of being usurped by her.

When Song Hwa finds out that Chung Myung has fallen in love with an enemy and has been in league with Man Wol’s gang of bandits instead of quashing them, she chastises him as a traitor to his country, then blackmails him into doing her bidding and rounding up the thieves. Song Hwa and her father view Man Wol and her thieves as an existential threat to their kingdom. Like Aphrodite, Song Hwa is afraid that she will be usurped by Man Wol in two ways: first, she is afraid of a resurgent Goguryeo overthrowing her kingdom; second, she views Man Wol as a romantic rival for Chung Myung’s affections.

The Beauty Repeatedly Rejects the Beast’s Marriage Proposals:

As there is strong overlap between Beauty and the Beast type stories and Animal Bridegroom stories, ATU-425 stories can be read in those terms. Just as how Eros was the one who was pricked by his own arrow at the sight of Psyche, the Beast is the one who falls in love with the Beauty first, whereas the Beauty only starts to fall in love with him as she sees past his veneer and looks into the man who is inside. The couple’s momentary bliss, however, cannot last, as the Beast is not ready to let go of his brutish exterior. When he clings to his literal or metaphorical beast-form, the Beauty must reject him. (Think Jane fleeing Rochester after his bigamy is discovered in Jane Eyre.) It is only after he makes some kind of self-sacrifice on her behalf, often involving a literal/metaphorical death and rebirth, that the Beauty finally professes her love to him. Often this declaration of love is all it takes to heal him from the brink of death.

Man Wol rejects Chung Myung’s “marriage proposals” on three separate occasions. First is when he offers to run away with her when she is about to leave to join the rebellion.

This botched proposal is prolonged; Man Wol initially rejects Chung Myung, but when he leaves the signal to meet at the lake, two details imply that, had she arrived on time, Man Wol may have changed her mind: 1) As mentioned previously, Yeon Woo seems to doubt that Man Wol will return from bidding Chung Myung a final adieu, and 2) while wallowing in self-loathing and speaking to a past version of herself, modern-day Man Wol says that she would have been happy to have received the metal brooch Chung Myung intended as a gift for her. Regardless of whether Man Wol would have changed her mind or not, Chung Myung’s attempts to risk his life and elope with Man Wol fail, and we see how things go horribly awry when the princess arrives at the lake to confront Chung Myung before Man Wol can reach him.

Man Wol rejects an overt insinuation of a marriage rite during her confrontation with Chung Myung in the chamber where the royal marriage was supposed to be consummated. He invokes the image of them as the true bridal couple by referring to Man Wol as “a beautiful bride” whom he missed and wished to caress. She is not receptive to this and reasserts her blade against his neck.

The last time Man Wol rejects Chung Myung’s hand in a metaphorical marriage is on the bridge to the afterlife.

The first of these botched proposals happens due to Man Wol’s hesitancy, fears, and doubts, as well as Song Hwa’s interference.

The second rejection in the bridal chamber is the most mythically consistent because Chung Myung is already wedded to a death threefold—1) Song Hwa as the Death-bride, 2) the imminent physical death promised to him by Man Wol, and 3) the spiritual death of living as a traitor to himself and his desires. Also, while Chung Myung’s undying love for Man Wol is on full display in this scene, at this point, he can be interpreted as still clinging to his snake-form since he continues to provide Man Wol with no explanation for his actions.

In choosing Chan Sung over Chung Myung, Man Wol only accomplishes one of these things. She turns her back on her painful past, closing that chapter in her life. But her choice does not lead to lasting joy, at least not in that lifetime, as shortly thereafter she must depart for the afterlife herself and leave Chan Sung behind. Furthermore, Man Wol’s love with Chan Sung makes no statements about an older versus newer way of doing things because Chan Sung is from Man Wol’s present. Chan Sung represents a fresh start for Man Wol unfettered by her personal past, but he does not necessarily represent a rejection of the precepts of the past more broadly.

As for the last, after 1300 years Chung Myung has finally gone through his transformation and is restored from a firefly back into a man. Man Wol rejects him on the bridge, not because he is still part-Beast, but because she has fallen in love with someone else—a departure from this story structure. This is the point at which the mythical couple, now more worthy of each other after their trials and tribulations, is typically joined in an alchemical union which gives birth to “joy” along with freedom from the pains of the past and the older generation’s way of doing things.

Compare this to a reunion with Chung Myung that would have transcended time, death, clan, class, war, ill-fate, heartache, misunderstanding, resentment, and all the other seemingly insurmountable obstacles, both manmade and metaphysical, that stood in the way of this couple’s happiness. A happy ending for this couple would signify that love is more powerful than any obstacle, that true love finds a way even when there seems to be none, and that a love that is forbidden in its time is only considered taboo due to the small-mindedness of people.

On the Bridal Chamber Scene:

I just wanted to elaborate more on how this scene merges the wedding and funeral rites. Man Wol attempts to kill Chung Myung here, but when she hesitates, he takes his fate into his own hands and sacrifices himself by running himself through. Apart from this literal self-sacrifice, Chung Myung also puts his own wants and needs aside in favor of Man Wol’s by saving Chan Sung on the tunnel to the afterlife and facilitating his reunion with Man Wol.

The final duel between Man Wol and Chung Myung takes place in the room where a marriage was supposed to be consummated. After killing Song Hwa, Man Wol disguises herself in Song Hwa’s bridal garments, clearly playing upon the idea of a false and true bride. Song Hwa’s bridal gown is rightfully hers, but in terms of her marriage to Chung Myung, she is only dressing the part. Meanwhile, Man Wol’s appearance in these bridal robes is false—it’s a ruse—but at heart she is Chung Myung’s true bride.

I find the decision to don the bridal attire on Man Wol’s part fascinating. Even if it wasn’t her intention, it’s as though she’s claiming her rightful place as Chung Myung’s intended bride. She even goes to the trouble of unveiling herself in the same way that Song Hwa did when she expected to be greeted by Chung Myung. 

Even if on a conscious level, Man Wol only wore the bridal garb in order to catch Chung Myung off guard or to vindictively shove in his face what they could have been, her “disguise,” on some level, reveals her true aspect. Man Wol may, in a literal sense, be merely occupying Song Hwa’s place in the royal bedchamber, but in this same act, she is refusing to let Song Hwa supplant her at Chung Myung’s side. Ultimately, Man Wol’s effort to catch Chung Myung off guard backfires because he uses it to garner her sympathy and demonstrate that he still loves her.

Furthermore, after Chung Myung breathes his last, Man Wol is left feeling shocked, hollow, and empty. It might have been easy to miss, but she appears to mourn his death. She even sheds tears for him, and perhaps, for herself and what she’s become.

This isn’t the triumphant face of someone who just enacted her long-awaited revenge over an enemy; this isn’t even the face of relief over not having to kill someone she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to kill. This is the face of mourning.

I might be wrong about this, but the music that plays over their final exchange of words is reminscent of Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem. This dirgeful piece of music is part of a funeral mass setting. Additionally, this piece of music is associated with the following sculpture by Antonio Canova.

[Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss]

This famous sculpture depicts the moment when Eros revives Psyche from the Sleep of Death. 

Was the choice to evoke this particular piece of music composed for funerals and associated with the Eros and Psyche myth over the bridal room scene simply a coincidence? Honestly maybe, I might be reaching with this connection ahaha.

Beethoven’s famous Moonlight Sonata then starts playing as Chung Myung’s hand reaches to hold the back of Man Wol’s head. This song also notably has the somber character of a funeral march. These same notes are played during the opening sequence of the show as Man Wol travels with the coffin containing the trinkets of her deceased friends in search of the Guest House of the Moon, which is a kind of funeral procession.

Healing the Wounded Masculine:

The heroine’s ability to save her lost husband from a dark or deathly fate is a testament to her power and the strength of her love. This can be read as a literalization of the point in Murdock’s Heroine’s Journey at which the wounded masculine is healed then subsequently integrated with the feminine in a “sacred marriage” that transcends the masculine-feminine duality.

Man Wol already acts to heal Chung Myung by letting go of her resentments toward him and accompanying him on the bridge to the afterlife. She saves him from an eternal spiritual death in the form of vanishing, thus healing the outer wounded masculine (Chung Myung). Man Wol’s self-loathing could constitute her inner masculine that needs healing as well. It can be inferred from the scene in Episode 14 in which Man Wol talks to a past version of herself that she blamed herself for the death of her people and believed that she was foolish to have ever fallen in love with Chung Myung. The curse that she creates for Chan Sung when she suspects he is Chung Myung’s reincarnation takes the form of a shadow-version of herself.

This deep bitterness that Man Wol harbors for her past self is presumably destroyed along with the metal ornament when it is dissolved by her tears at the end of her long-awaited meeting with Chung Myung—note how this differs from the recognition motif in which the heroine shows her mythical husband a gift he had once given her, and then he recognizes her as his one true bride. In this way, the shadow-version of Man Wol, her wounded masculine, is resolved by coming to accept that Chung Myung truly loved her and wasn’t playing her for a fool the whole time. This point would have been spelled out further if Man Wol accepted and returned Chung Myung’s love—if both the outer and inner halves were integrated in a “marriage.”

A Refusal to Live in the Dark:

Psyche’s refusal to live in a state of childlike ignorance/dependence is what launches her out of a state of unconscious and onto her journey. Eros likewise spends much of the story under the thumb of his overbearing mother, and he, too, must undergo a journey toward individuation. Eros and Psyche’s stories complement each other, and they must overcome similar flaws in temperament.

Man Wol launches herself into consciousness by choosing to join the rebellion. No longer satisfied with a life doomed to be cut short, she rejects her life as a thief and takes steps to achieve longevity past her youth. For Chung Myung, refusing to continue living a lie means pursuing his love even unto death, defecting, and quitting serving a princess and despotic kingdom to which he holds no strong affinity. It means following his heart and returning to the land of his forefathers (recall that Chung Myung mentions that his family originally hails from Goguryeo and jokingly says that he and Man Wol could be kin—hence, his term of endearment for her is “nui” or sister).

Both must be courageous to extricate themselves from the false families they have built for themselves, even if it initially leads to pain. For these risks, they should be rewarded with a joyous reunion. Instead, their story ends in infinite separation which, in the language of a Search for the Lost Husband story, means that one of the two is still being punished.

Different Taboos Yield Different Endings:

Earlier, I alluded to the fact that ATU-425: Search for the Lost Husband tales more often end happily while their ATU-400: Quest for the Lost Bride counterparts usually end in tragedy. One explanation for this can be found in Barbara Fass Leavy’s observation that taboos imposed on mythical husbands and mythical wives are different. For this part, I’ll borrow the words of Tumblr user @allgirlsareprincesses from her post about The Death of Love and the Lonely Soul in TROS:

In her book on swan maiden tales, author Barbara Fass Leavy points out that the taboos imposed on mythical husbands are different than those imposed on mythical wives. Men, for example, are most often prohibited from abusing their fairy brides, while women are prohibited from looking upon their fairy husbands or knowing their true identity. Leavy states: “In general, taboos imposed on the wife in Cupid and Psyche tales are often intended to keep her in her place, to prevent her from achieving some autonomy by knowing who her husband is, seeing him, or being able to disclose his identity to others.”

As these taboos are reflective of a patriarchal context, the difference in these taboos suggests an inherent imbalance in the relationship between husband and wife. Men are instructed not to abuse their power, whereas women are advised not to challenge their husbands’ authority or demand a more equal relationship. However, what is subversive about these fairy tales is that, despite breaking these taboos and challenging male authority, the women in these stories ultimately defy death. They are able to recover their lost husbands and are even elevated to royal/divine status for their courage and tenacity, thus entering into more equal marriages with their husbands.

In Man Wol and Chung Myung’s relationship, there is a clear power imbalance. As a bandit, Man Wol is on the wrong side of the law, and as a lowly migrant, she lives on the margins of her kingdom in a constant state of instability and upheaval. Meanwhile, Chung Myung, while originally of a humble migrant background, rose through the ranks to captain an arm of the kingdom’s military. He is the one in a position of power, power which he initially wields to protect Man Wol but is soon twisted against him. And yes, while Man Wol herself is the leader of her clan, her authority’s legitimacy pales in comparison to Chung Myung’s when he is favored by the princess and aligned with the royal crown.

This power imbalance is leveled on the night of the royal wedding. Chung Myung’s power is stripped from him in death as he is transformed into a pitiful firefly. Man Wol, a woman on the run, is on her way to a kind of death that awaits her as the owner of the Guest House of the Moon. Frozen in time, Man Wol becomes ageless. Unlike the immortality that is granted to Psyche which unites her to Eros as equals, Man Wol’s immortality is an everlasting punishment. Still, as owner of the Guest House of the Moon, Man Wol gains some special abilities which are showcased throughout the course of the show. She is able to influence the fate of Chan Sung’s father who appears to her on the verge of death and is able to magically protect Chan Sung at several points.

When Man Wol finally says Chung Myung’s name, he briefly appears to her as he did in his life as man without armor. It is during this long-awaited encounter that the petals of the Moon Tree fall, indicating that Man Wol has regained her mortality and must serve as the owner of the Guest House no longer. Afterward, Chung Myung is transformed back into a firefly, and he is not strong enough to make it to the bridge to the afterlife on his own. He is at the mercy of Man Wol who, after letting go of her ill-will toward him, agrees to accompany him to the afterlife. On the bridge crossing the Samdo river, Chung Myung appears as a man once more. He reaches his hand out to Man Wol and offers her the option to move onto the afterlife together, united in death on equal footing at last.

Part 5: Chung Myung and Man Wol as Orpheus and Eurydice

I’ll try to keep this section brief since this post is already way too long as it is. As mentioned previously, when the gender roles in a Search for the Lost Husband story are reversed, the tale more often than not ends in tragedy. So, since the love story between Jang Man Wol and Go Chung Myung is a tragic one, it can fairly easily be read as a Quest for the Lost Bride-type story. The famous version of this story in Greek mythology is the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. While it bears some similarities to the Eros and Psyche story, including a treacherous trip to the Underworld, Orpheus and Eurydice centers a masculine perspective as opposed to a feminine one. 

In the Greek myth, the union between Orpheus and Eurydice is doomed from the outset. Hymen, the god of marriage never blesses their wedding. In other Lost Bride tales, the powers that be may forbid the union (due to caste, clan, parent’s wishes, etc.) so the marriage must take place in secret.

After being bitten by a venomous snake, Eurydice dies and descends to the Underworld. In other Lost Bride stories, a separation between the husband and wife pair occurs when the wife dies during childbirth or after a betrayal on the part of the husband at which point the bride retreats back into her animal/swan form. With the bride lost or trapped in the Underworld, the husband must begin his quest.

The devastated Orpheus wallows and roams the earth, playing mournful songs on his lyre. Our hero descends to the Underworld and appeals to Hades and Persephone to return Eurydice to him. They agree but tell him that Eurydice must walk behind him on their way out of the Underworld. Orpheus is warned that he must not look back at her or else she will remain as a shade in Hades forever.

The hero swears he will obey whatever condition is put upon him, but he ultimately fails. Orpheus gives into the temptation and looks back to see if Eurydice has lost her footing. This “look back” is the equivalent of the breaking of the taboo from Lost Husband stories; it signifies a loss of faith or an inability to resist the lure of power or another lover.

Unlike the Search for the Lost Husband which rewards its heroine for her persistence with passionate love, the Quest for the Lost Bride contains harsh punishment for the failures of its hero. Orpheus loses Eurydice forever, and upon returning from the Underworld, he is torn to pieces by followers of Dionysus. His head floats down a river to the island of Lesbos to always sing sorrowful songs.

Another version of the Lost Bride story that I would like to highlight is from perhaps the most famous ballet of all time, Swan Lake. The ballet is about a princess named Odette who has been cursed by an evil sorcerer to remain a swan by day and a maid by night. The curse over Odette can only be broken if someone who has never loved before swears to love her forever. When the young Prince Siegfried, who has just come of age, stumbles upon the enchanted lake where Odette resides, the pair falls in love. Siegfried invites Odette to the ball his mother is holding the following evening in which he is supposed to select his bride.

At the royal ball, Von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer who cast the spell on Odette, arrives in disguise along with his daughter Odile who has been transformed to look like Odette. Thus, Prince Siegfried unknowingly pledges his troth to the villainous Odile rather than his true love Odette. Odette, who arrives just in time to witness this, retreats back to the titular swan lake, doomed to remain a swan forever on account of Siegfried’s betrayal.

Despite these Lost Bride/Swan Maiden stories ending in tragedy, variations exist that end on a happy note. In some versions of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus descends to the Underworld for good and is reunited with Eurydice, to spend eternity together, hand-in-hand. Similarly, some versions of Swan Lake end with a double suicide that vanquishes evil, breaks Rothbart’s curse over the other swan-maidens, and results in an apotheosis for Odette and Siegfried who are eternally united in death.

Although different productions of Swan Lake contain vastly different endings, the original ends in tragedy. In versions with a tragic end, Prince Siegfried is killed in his final struggle with Rothbart, or Odette permanently becomes a swan while the grief-stricken Siegfried remains alone at the story’s conclusion.

The apotheosis from American Ballet Theatre’s 2005 TV version of Swan Lake.

So, how do these stories relate to Man Wol and Chung Myung’s? Well, first, it’s clear from even the very first minutes of Hotel del Luna that Man Wol’s love with Chung Myung is bound to end poorly because the show opens with Man Wol being doomed to keep the Guest House of the Moon as a punishment for killing numerous people. The mystery that unfolds throughout the course of the show is exactly what drove her to kill so many, and the answers we’re given about Man Wol’s past are all tied to Go Chung Myung.

The inciting event that takes the place of the wife’s tragic death or husband’s infidelity is Chung Myung’s betrayal of Man Wol. Like Prince Siegfried, Chung Myung fails to pledge his troth to his true love and instead pledges his loyalties to the false-bride Song Hwa.

It is after this betrayal that Man Wol returns to her ‘enchanted’ form, that is, in contrast to the true self that the ‘prince’ Chung Myung had drawn out of her, Man Wol resumes her inauthentic aspect as ruthless bandit. After slaying the false-bride along with countless others, Man Wol becomes trapped in the Underworld (the Guest House), and her treacherous lover joins her shortly thereafter.

Chung Myung’s persistence in remaining at Man Wol’s side as well as Man Wol’s refusal to budge after all those years appeal to Mago, the ruler of this Underworld, and cause her to create the conditions that bring Koo Chan Sung to the hotel. It is Chan Sung’s entrance into Man Wol’s life that leads to her confronting her past and her eventual reunion with Chung Myung.

However, the power imbalance that we saw in Search for the Lost Husband tales is not entirely absent in their Quest for the Lost Bride counterparts. When Lost Bride tales are retold from a particular masculine perspective, the happy ending often predicates upon the husband successfully subjugating his wife rather than a marriage of two lovers as equals.

When Man Wol reunites with Go Chung Myung, he appears to her in his humble attire without his armor and says few words, accepting her decision to let go of her resentments toward him while she insists that it's time for him "move on" to the afterlife. Man Wol forgives Chung Myung, but she doesn't welcome him back with open arms, and subsequently declines his invitation to move on together. Chung Myung takes a more passive role in these interactions, so I don't really get the vibe that a happy ending between him and Man Wol would have predicated on him subjugating or dominating Man Wol. Man Wol is able to let go of her grudge toward Chung Myung, but they were ultimately unable to rekindle their love.

Alright, it's high time to wrap this up. On a closing note, I would like to say this is just one lens through which this story can be analyzed. My analysis focused on the historical subplot of Hotel Del Luna which is only one of its many concurrent storylines. You can easily read the overarching love story between Man Wol and Chan Sung as a gender-swapped Beauty and The Beast story with Man Wol as the cold and conceited "Beast" who holds Chan Sung's father hostage in episode 1 only to spare his life in exchange for his son's servitude, the Moon Tree as an analogue to the magical rose, and the Hotel del Luna serving as the Beast's enchanted palace.

I hope you enjoyed this long-winded meta, and if you made it this far, thanks for reading <3

[archduchessofnowhere]

While Goyon was thus embroiling French policy at Rome, a few miles to the south on the Tyrrhenian coast the Bourbon Francis II and his eighteen-year-old bride, Maria Sophia Amalia, were making their last stand at Gaeta. The imminence of the fall of still another royal throne to the Sardinian bandits, as the Empress [Eugénie] now regarded them, enraged her fully as much as the plight of the Pope. Their case was the more appealing because of the spirit and pluck of the young Queen. A Wittelsbach, younger sister of Elizabeth of Austria, she was, like the Austrian Empress, of exquisite loveliness. During the siege she would ride up to the batteries, indifferent to the shells falling about her, to encourage the gunners and to comfort the wounded. The thought of so much beauty in distress — for her conduct was well broadcast in the Legitimist press throughout Europe — had the power to exact sympathy from the most hardened anti-royalist. To the Empress it was emotional dynamite. Eugénie herself had been known to say that if France were in danger she would be the first to mount her horse and rally the troops. Maria Sophia’s heroism exactly suited Eugénie’s romantic conceptions of queenly conduct. As in the case of Louise of Parma, the Empress took the young Queen’s cause as her own and began begging the Emperor to send the French fleet to the aid of the besieged royal couple.

Napoleon himself as early as September 26, on his return from Algeria, had already conceived of the idea of sending a naval force to Gaeta as part of his formal, public opposition to the invasion of southern Italy. Perhaps he had in mind the reports of Legitimist agitation and believed the presence of his fleet would be a fitting gesture to placate clerical opinion. On October 13 the French government announced that Rear Admiral de Tinan would proceed to Gaeta to forestall a Sardinian attack by sea.

How much the Empress had to do with this decision is conjectural. Whatever the truth of the matter, the British and Italian diplomats attributed this “politique de sentiment” to her “inspiration” and blamed her for the creation of a maddening situation. The French fleet did not interfere with the siege operations on land but it did hold at bay the Sardinian fleet on the sea and made possible the revictualling of the beleaguered town. The move, inconsistent with the rest of French policy, seemingly irrational, was infuriating to Cavour.

Yet after all, even if the Empress had brought to pass this demonstration of sympathy for Francis and his wife, she had not accomplished much. Admiral Tinan was told that the policy of the French government had not changed. He was to station his fleet offshore only to assure the Bourbon King a dignified means of escape, and he should try to persuade him to capitulate. The outcome of the siege was never in doubt. As Gramont remarked, the French gesture had been rather like dangling a rope always out of reach in front of a drowning man.

(...) The winter saw a resumption of her futile efforts to save Francis II and the commencement of a long correspondence with Maria Sophia. The Queen initiated the exchange on January 4 in order to express her gratitude to the Empress for the “generous interest” that she had taken in her plight. “In the situation where I find myself there is nothing more consoling than the sympathy of friends as highly placed as you ; your approbation is the sweetest encouragement possible to strengthen the convictions of my heart,” wrote the wife of a Bourbon to the wife of a Bonaparte.

Despite the fact that on January 19 the Emperor suddenly withdrew his fleet and permitted Sardinian operations on both sea and land, the Empress resolved to reassure Maria Sophia of her unaltered good will. Her letter, apparently shown to many ladies in the court, made a sensation. The Sardinian charge d’affaires reported to Cavour that everyone was quoting one sentence in particular: “I like to proclaim it, Madam; you can be assured of all my admiration, of all my sympathy, and furthermore, you have right and justice on your side.”

Brave words, but they availed nothing. Within less than a month after the withdrawal of Tinan’s squadron came the capitulation. Francis and Maria Sophia escaped on a French ship kept in readiness for this purpose in Naples and fled to Rome and to the protection of the Pope. But for years the Empress clung tenaciously to the hope of a Bourbon restoration in Naples. In October, 1861, she told the papal nuncio: “... you can not doubt all the sympathy I felt for that great and noble misfortune. Well, I hope, I ardently desire that Her Majesty [Maria Sophia] will recover the crown of Naples.” In 1863 the resurrection of an independent Bourbon kingdom was to become an integral part of her master plan for French reorganization of the map of Europe, to be accomplished with the help of Austria.

Barker, Nancy Nichols (1967). Distaff diplomacy: the Empress Eugénie and the foreign policy of the Second Empire

[queen-of-the-weenies]

The Bandit Queen's Bride: The Marketplace (Part 1)

Part 2 coming soon, I promise

~~~

“Tch… I hate the weather here. The buildings in town block the wind from the bay, so it’ll just smell like sweaty fish.”

“Speak for yourself, Merr. The heat makes women swoon, and I quite like it. Easier to woo 'em if they're already weak in the knees.”

“Are you sure it’s not the vile stink of your unwashed ass that makes ‘em swoon?”

“Shut up!”

Jin didn’t bother resisting the urge to roll her eyes. The lads were going to bicker the whole way into town, she could feel it. Already Gelvin and Merr had stopped walking to continue arguing about whose smell was worse. Jin thought they both smelled equally terrible… Then again, chances are that she didn’t smell much better. It’d been a couple weeks since her last proper bath--wiping her body down with damp rags could only do so much.

“M’queen, should we… I’unno, stop them, or something?”

The Bandit Queen glanced sideways at tiny little Miski, then spun on her heel mid-step to begin walking backwards, allowing her to focus on the arguing men. They seemed oblivious to being left behind by the others. She considered leaving them there aside the road… But then she’d never hear the end of it from Gallum, and her head already ached too much today to deal with the grumpy old man scolding her like a child. Plus Miski was giving her that doe-eyed, pleading look… The one she hated… The one that always worked.

With a heavy, perhaps exaggerated sigh, Jin changed the direction of her steps, heading back down the road. The argument had already shifted away from arguing about body odor; they had started fighting over who’d been with the most women. Unable to resist, the queen threw her arm around Merr’s shoulders, nearly knocking the scrawny man over.

“You louts ain’t ever gonna’ top the number of women I’ve had. No point in comparin’ numbers if you’re always out of first place. Now stop laggin’ behind or I’ll string you both to Tore’s saddle and send him running.”

Both men had the sense to look contrite. Merr grumbled a halfhearted “Yes m’queen,” then he stumbled away after being pushed toward Miski. Gelvin needed no such shoving--not that she could have moved him if she tried. Where Merr was lanky and close to her own height, Gelvin was practically a mountain of a man. She could shove her whole weight against him, and he might not even notice. Still, the Bandit Queen had no need for force. He was already following Merr down the road.

~

They made it to town without further delay. The lads might have begun to argue again, but Miski was an expert at distraction. Every time they got heated, she chirped about how excited she was to be surrounded by strangers again, her fingers itching to slip into new pockets and relieve them of their burdensome gold. She was especially adept at distracting Merr, using his particular affection for her to great effect. By the time they reached the port town, Merr had already agreed to obtain a pretty ring and some candies for Miski.

Jin lagged behind a bit once citizens began filling the space around them. The others already knew the plan: Miski would look around, taking note of any soldiers and possible targets; Gelvin would investigate temporary job prospects on the dock; and Merr would poke around the town inns, gathering any interesting gossip that might be useful. As for the Bandit Queen… She headed right to the market square to meet up with Gallum.

~

The sweltering heat was at its worst in the market. Bodies crowded together in the bright summer sun, sweat and spices and fish and salty ocean air mingled together with the ceaseless din of merchants shouting their wares while customers chattered and bargained. Gallum was glad for the meager relief of shade cast by his stall canopy. He was so old that even sitting hurt his joints, and all he wanted to do was watch life pass him by. A nice, cool glass of cider to wet his weathered lips wouldn’t hurt…

He spotted Jin long before she was close enough to reach him. She cut too imposing a figure to be hidden amidst the common rabble. Her long strides were cut short by the press of bodies, leaving her visibly irritated by the time she plopped down to sit beside him on the threadbare cushion. Gallum offered her half of a tiny red apple, but she pushed it back toward him.

“Nah, you eat it. S’got your gross mouth all over it already, I bet.”

With a chuckle, he took a bite, then used the apple-bearing hand to gesture at the crowd.

“Busy mornin’. Already sold out all them apples we appropriated, and I got a gentleman comin’ back later to buy that necklace Mitski lifted from that farmer’s wife last week.”

Jin eyed him skeptically as he spoke. He could pinpoint the exact second that her natural cynicism gave way to the more rational acknowledgement that he would never lie to her. Gallum was her oldest supporter, perhaps her oldest friend… Besides, the empty stall shelf was proof enough that everything had been pawned off. He reached under the cushion to withdrawn a small pouch, handing it to the Bandit Queen for inspection. The pouch was stuffed with gold bits, far more than the apples naturally should have been worth. Jin’s smile was sly as she counted a few pieces out of the pouch.

“You never disappoint, Gallum. These dullards’ll never know how much they overpaid.”

She tucked the pouch beneath the cushion again, keeping six bits in her hand.

“I’ll buy ya’ some cider. Stay here and relax. Gelvin’ll come by once he’s done.”

Gallum doubted he’d see the giant lad before the end of the day. Even if he finished his task quick, he’d likely linger at the docks to gamble with sailors. Jin reluctantly stood and stepped out of the shade… Then she froze to the spot. His attention snapped to the queen, then followed her line of sight across the market. From his spot on the ground, he couldn’t see what she saw… But he understood her reaction when she breathed “Blessed fuckin’ stars,” before making her way to the target, face flushed a deep crimson. The Bandit Queen has spotted a pretty girl, and Gallum wouldn’t be seeing her until tomorrow morning.

[aikoiya]

LoZ: TotK - Injustice

Ya'll, there are literally only about 5 Ganondorf x Fem!Reader posts on this site that I've seen at the time of this post & that's an absolute crying shame.

Look at that buff, brickhouse of a man!!

Like, I don't mind at this point what kind of story it is. Make Ganon become good through exposure to her. Or medium dark gray when before he was pitch black morally. Make him remain evil & kidnap her for his own. Have him turn her into a concubine. Make him vicious & cruel with everyone else but soft & gentle with her. Make her a warrior who fights him & he's impressed by her might. Maybe he makes her his queen & the mother to his heirs because of her skill.

I'd prefer if he was made a complex individual & even if he's turned "good," he remains morally dubious at least. But in the end, I just wanna see some damn content!

Those looking for content like me.

Go here: The Bandit King's Bride | Warning: NSFW MDNI

And here: Meeting One's Match | Warning: NSFW MDNI

LoZ My Fanfic Masterlist

[entamewitchlulu]

new ask game

i made a list of all the major projects i have made significant notes/writing/materials about. send me a title and i'll tell you what it's about/something interesting about it

transcript of the list under the cut

Original Stuff

Unicorn Anthology Our Chosen Curses High Witchery The Girl at the Edge of the World Chaotic Symmetry Emblems and Heralds Dreamkeeper Not Where We're Going The Library of Uncountable Mysteries White Fire, Copper Earth Wisp Unicorn Field Guide The Youth

Fanfiction

d i s p e r s i o n Record of the Yokai's Bride Yu-Gi-Oh! RED: Duel Spectrum Something Eternal The Seven Mysteries of [ ] High School Year of the OTP A Mermaid's Heart Arc of Magic City Gods Destiny Factor Dragon x Slayer Dragonriders AU Duskshipping Faerie AU Lancer Yoko AU Arc V Magical Girls AU Arc V Pokemon AU Puppets and Pendulums Retainers Seasons of Raydiance Swaying Mists The Taste of Spring Vampire AU Ocean Kings Sweet Melodies The Final Reaper's Game of Nanami Chiaki whatever souls are made of Katarina Swap Every Thorn has a Rose The World in the Space Between Us the blue moon is beautiful tonight City's Heart Shards of Red Merlin Rewrite Byleth Backstory Maiami Queens Arc V Manga Rewrite Arc V Infinite Essence of Hope King's Soul Forgotten Bonds Universal Constant Invisible Girls My Heart, a Star Not a Place But a Feeling On the Path to Eternity Katacule Next Gen The Other Side of the Coin The True Meaning of Power The Revolution Where Only I Am Missing Earth Heart Tokyo Mew Mew A Votre Gout Tokyo Mew Mew Next Gen Khonsu's Box Yu-Gi-Oh! N Overlap When Aker Walks Again Yu-Gi-Oh! EXO Yu-Gi-Oh! ROM Flower's Blooming Our Stars

Games

Pokemon Glitter and Gleam Liminal Library Lost Mines of Phandelver Lunaria Magical Girl TTRPG Paladins of the Heart Untitled RPGMaker Horror Game Westwend RPG What Lies Within (the RPG) Yu-Gi-Oh! TTRPG Sibruil Homebrew Setting Accidental Harem Protagonist Such Sweet Sorrows

Nuzlockes (for comics or stories??)

Alpha Sapphire LeafGreen Pearl / Platinum Ruby Silver X

Comics

Muse N'Things

Fanfiction I'm Not Sure I'm Still Jazzed About Writing

Pendulumshipping Bandit/Prince AU Crystal Sonatas Demon of the Apocalypse Pendulumshipping Fae/Bard AU The Rose Witch Tatsuya's Ribbon When Wishes Wither The Revolution Where Only I Am Missing Heart in the Cards Jigsaw of the Heart

[films-on-a-plane]

to be watched list (movies)

# (500) Days of Summer (2009) 3 Generations (2015) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) 12 Years a Slave (2013) 13 Going on 30 (2004) 27 Dresses (2008) 48 Hrs. (1982) 50 First Dates (2004) 50/50 (2011)

A A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) A Cinderella Story (2004) A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) A Happening of Monumental Proportions (2017) About Time (2013) Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) Addams Family Values (1993) Adopting Audrey (2021) Aladdin (1992) Alice in Wonderland (1951) Almost Famous (2000) Along Came Polly (2004) Always Be My Maybe (2019) Amazing Grace (2018) American Psycho (2000) And Then We Danced (2019) Anger Management (2003) Another 48 Hrs. (1990) Another Cinderella Story (2008) Aquamarine (2006) Armageddon (1998) Artless (2019) Atonement (2007) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

B Band Aid (2017) Bandits (2001) Barbie (2023) Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) Beauty and the Beast (1991) Beauty and the Beast (2017) Beetlejuice (1988) Before I Fall (2017) Before Sunset (2004) Being John Malkovich (1999) Being the Ricardos (2021) Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) Big Daddy (1999) Big Fish (2003) Big Momma's House (2000) Big Momma's House 2 (2006) Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011) Blind Ambition (2021) Booksmart (2019) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020) Bowfinger (1999) Brain on Fire (2016) Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) Bring It On (2000) Bros (2022) Bruce Almighty (2003) Buena Vista Social Club (1999) But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

C Cadet Kelly (2002) Cake (2014) Can You Keep a Secret (2019) Capernaum (2018) Carol (2015) Casper (1995) Castle in the Sky (1986) Catch Me If You Can (2002) Center Stage (2000) Charlie and the Chocolate Factor (2005) Chocolat (2000) Chuck Berry (2018) Cinderella (1950) Cinderella (2015) Click (2006) Clueless (1995) CODA (2021) Coming to America (1988) Coming to America 2 (2021) Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) Cool Runnings (1993) Coraline (2009) Corpse Bride (2005) Coyote Ugly (2000) Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) Cunningham (2019)

D Dara & Ed's Road to Mandalay (2017) Dead Man Walking (1995) Dear Zoe (2022) Death Becomes Her (1992) D.E.B.S. (2004) Destination Wedding (2018) Die Hard (1988) Die Hard 2 (1990) Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) Disenchanted (2022) Do Revenge (2022) Dream Scenario (2023) Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) Dumb and Dumber (1994) Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

E Easy A (2010) Echo in the Canyon (2018) Edward Scissorhands (1990) Eight Grade (2018) Elf (2003) Ella Enchanted (2004) Emily the Criminal (2022) Enchanted (2007) Enough Said (2013) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Evergreen (2020) Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) Everything Is Copy (2015) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

F Flee (2021) Flight Club (1999) Footloose (1984) Forrest Gump (1994) Frankweenie (2012) Friends with Benefits (2011) Four Good Days (2020) Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

G Generation Um… (2012) Get a Clue (2002) Ghost (1990) Ghostbusters (1984) Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) Girl, Interrupted (1999) Glass Onion (2022) Godzilla (2014) Gone Girl (2014) Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) Grease (1978) Grown Ups (2010) Grown Ups 2 (2013)

H Halloweentown (1998) Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) Happiness for Beginners (2023) Harriet the Spy (1996) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Haunted Mansion (2023) Heat (1995) Heathers (1988) Her (2013) Hocus Pocus (1993) Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) Home Alone (1990) Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) Hope Springs (2012) Horrible Bosses (2011) Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017) How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

I I Care a Lot (2020) I Know What You Need (2023) I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) I Smile Back (2015) I Used to Be Famous (2022) Identity Theft (2013) If I Stay (2014) I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) I'm Totally Fine (2022) Inception (2010) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Inglourious Basterds (2009) Into the Wild (2007) It's Complicated (2009)

J James and the Giant Peach (1996) Jawbreaker (1999) Jennifer's Body (2009) Jojo Rabbit (2019) Joker (2019) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) Juno (2007) Jurassic Park (1993) Jurassic Park III (2001) Jurassic World (2015) Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) Just Go with It (2011)

K Kiki's Delivery (1989) Kimi (2022) King Kong (2005) Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) Knives Out (2019)

L Lady and the Tramp (1955) Lady Bird (2017) Land (2021) Late Bloomers (2023) Legally Blonde (2001) Let Them All Talk (2020) Lethal Weapon (1987) Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) Léon: The Professional (1994) Liar Liar (1997) Life as We Know It (2010) Little Forest (2018) Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Little Women (1994) Little Women (2019) Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Lost in Translation (2003) Lou (2022) Love Actually (2003) Love, Rosie (2014) Luck (2022) Luzzu (2021)

M Maggie (2015) Maleficent (2014) Mamma Mia! (2008) Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) Man on the Moon (1999) Marry Me (2022) Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy (2013) Maybe I Do (2023) Me, Myself & Irene (2000) Mean Girls (2004) Meet the Parents (2000) Meet the Fockers (2004) Megamind (2010) Memento (2000) Mermaids (1990) Metro (1997) Mona Lisa Smile (2003) Monster House (2006) Midnight in Paris (2011) Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) Miss Congeniality (2000) Miss Sloane (2016) Mommy (2014) Monsters, Inc. (2001) Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022) Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Mr. Wrong (1996) Murder Mystery (2019) Murder Mystery 2 (2023) My First Summer (2010) My Girl (1991) My Girl 2 (1994) My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

N Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) Now You See Me 2 (2016) New York Minute (2004) Nanny McPhee (2005) Next Exit (2022) Now You See Me (2013) Not Another Teen Movie (2001) Notting Hill (1999) No Country for Old Men (2007) No Strings Attached (2011) No Sudden Move (2021) Nomadland (2020) Norbit (2007) Not Okay (2022) Now You See Me (2013) Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)

O Ocean's 8 (2018) Ocean's Eleven (2001) On the Basis of Sex (2018) One Day (2011) One Life (2011) One Life (2023) Oppenheimer (2023) Out of Office (2022)

P Paint (2023) Peter Pan (1953) Phoebe in Wonderland Pieces of a Woman (2020) Pippi Longstocking (1969) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Plan B (2021) Ponyi (2008) Poor Things (2023) Pretty in Pink (1986) Pretty Woman (1990) P.S. I Love You (2007) Psycho (1960) Psycho (1998) Pulp Fiction (1994)

Q

R Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Raise Your Voice (2004) Rango (2011) Ratatouille (2007) RED (2010) RED 2 (2013) Red Eye (2005) Remember Me (2010) Ricki and the Flash (2015) Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Robot & Frank (2012) Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) Room (2015)

S Scary Movie (2000) Schindler's List (1993) Shallow Hal (2001) She Said (2022) She's All That (1999) She's the Man (2006) She's the One (1996) Short Term 12 (2012) Shotgun Wedding (2022) Siberia (2018) Sixteen Candles (1984) Sleeping Beauty (1959) Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Sleepover (2004) Sleepy Hollow (1999) Slumberland (2022) Snatch (2000) So Undercover (2012) Something's Gotta Give (2003) Sound City (2013) South of the River (2020) Speak (2004) Speed (1994) Spider-Man (2002) Spirited (2022) Spirited Away (2001) Stand by Me (1986) Steel Magnolias (1989) Stepmom (1998) Suffragette (2015) Summerland (2020) Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Sweet Home Alabama (2002)

T Tangled (2010) Tenet (2020) The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) The Accountant (2016) The Addams Family (1991) he Amazing Spider-Man (2012) The Big Sick (2017) The Breakfast Club (1985) The Connected Universe (2016) The Craft (1996) The Craft: Legacy (2020) The Devil Wears Prada (2006) The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) The Do-Over (2016) The DUFF (2015) The Edge of Seventeen (2016) The Estate (2022) The Fallout (2021) The Family Stone (2005) The Favourite (2018) The First Wives Club (1996) The Florida Project (2017) The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) The Girl on the Train (2016) The Godfather (1972) The Godfather Part II (1974) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) The Half of It (2020) The Hangover (2009) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) The Holiday (2006) The Incredibles (2004) The Last Song (2010) The Lion King (1994) The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) The Lost City (2022) The Lost Daughter (2021) The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) The Lovely Bones (2009) The Mask (1994) The Matrix (1999) The Matrix Reloaded (2003) The Matrix Revolutions (2003) The Matrix Resurrections (2021) The Maze Runner (2014) The Mexican (2001) The Mummy (1999) The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) The Notebook (2004) The Notebooks (2021) The Nutty Professor (1996) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) The Pez Outlaw (2022) The Princess and the Frog (2009) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) The Princess Diaries (2001) The Proposal (2009) The Secret World of Arriety (2010) The Shawshank Redemption (1994) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) The Sound of Music (1965) The Spectacular Now (2013) The Switch (2010) The Virgin Suicides (1999) The Witches of Eastwick (1987) The Woman Who Ran (2020) The Worst Person in the World (2021) Thelma & Louise (1991) There's Something About Mary (1998) Thirteen (2003) Thumbsucker (2005) Ticket to Paradise (2022) To the Bone (2017) Toy Story (1995) Trading Places (1983) Transporter (2002) Transporter 2 (2005) Transporter 3 (2008) Twilight (2008) Tyger Tyger (2019)

U Up (2009) Uptown Girls (2003)

V

W Walk With Me (2021) WALL-E (2008) We're the Millers (2013) What a Girl Wants (2003) What Happens in Vegas (2008) White Chicks (2004) Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) Wild Child (2008)

X

Y Yes Man (2008) Your Sister's Sister (2011)Your Name. (2016) You're Ugly Too (2015) Yours, Mine & Ours (2005) You've Got Mail (1998)

Z Zodi & Tehu, frères du désert (2023)

[bluebluebluebirds]

Guard x Princess

Alvaro had been traveling with his companions for over a month now. He was one of ten elite guards chosen to travel to the neighboring kingdom and fetch the prince’s betrothed. The journey from their capital to the other kingdom had only taken two weeks for the ten alphas. They could move quickly since they didn’t need to rest often and they gathered no crowds. Once they reached the Callian border, they met a huge caravan which had been arranged for the royal omega. 

Three days were spent there getting everything in order before they began the journey back to the Callian capital, this time with twice as many people and three times as much stuff. Alvaro couldn’t help but grumble under his breath every time he had to spend over an hour pitching the elaborate tent for the foreign omega and their ladies in waiting. On top of that there were countless trunks filled with frivolous things which weighed down the horses and made the whole party travel slower. At this rate, it would take them another week and a half to reach the capital to deliver their prince’s bride. The original plan had been to stick to main roads, as they were safer, but after getting swarmed once by peasants, eager to see the future queen, the party had changed route to take small paths through unpopulated forests and planes. This slowed them down further and made the omegas and betas traveling with them complain even more. 

Alvaro had just finished pitching the royal tent again with a few of the others when a scream cut through the air. Immediately all ten alpha guards and a few of the foreign betas were drawing weapons to find the problem. They didn’t have time to act though. In moments the camp was swarmed by a huge group of bandits. Maybe the guards could’ve taken them if they were prepared, but not right now. His mind was moving a mile a minute as he sprung into action. Alvaro raced for a horse, grabbing it by the reins before turning around in a panic. There: the most important person to protect. They were in the arms of some filthy bandit, struggling but unable to do much against such a large alpha. There was so much chaos in the camp that he wondered if the villain even knew who they had captured. Either way, Alvaro rushed in.

He managed to stab the man in the side, causing him to drop the noble. Without any decorum, the Callian guard scooped up the omega and hoisted them onto the horse. Right now they just needed to escape. “Hold on!” He ordered as he began to race the horse deeper into the woods and further away from the slaughter in the camp. 

((Alvaro, alpha, 29. Or, if you’d prefer they go to the capital safely and have a secret romance there, that would also be fun. Just ignore the last two paragraphs. This also does not have to be omegaverse if you want to take that out.))

[thechaoticreader]

Library TBR Tag

Let's start a trend where we post books we've seen at the library and want to borrow! Let's make going to the library cool and aesthetic!

Queer fiction

- The Cure for Drowning by Loghan Paylor - Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane

Horror/Gothic

- A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher - And Then She Fell by Elicia Elliott - Mister Magic by Kiersten White - Camp Demascus by Chuck Tingle - Every Drop Is A Mans Nightmare by Megan Kamalei KaKimoto - Lapvona by Odessa Moshfegh - Hide by Kiersten White

Thriller/Mystery/Suspence

- The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner - The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh - Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto - The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff - Cutting Teeth by Chandler Baker

Fantasy/SciFi/Dystopia

- The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi - The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller

Romance

- The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston - Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn & Shonda Rhimes - The Mutual Friend by Carter Bays

Classics

- Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - Emma by Jane Austen -

Lit Fic & Contemporary

- Holiday Country by inci Atrek - Greek Lessons by Han Kang - The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor - The Absolutes by Molly Dektar

Historical Fiction/Retellings

- A Wild Heavenly Place by Robin Oliveira - Atalanta by Jennifer Saint - The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer