#the weeping monk x you

[everlastingdreams]

The Weeping Monk x Fem!Reader : Forged Of Fire Chapter 5

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Story Summary: Raised under the tiranny of your own family, and forced to steal to earn your keep, you struggle to survive. Born from a Fey mother, and a Manblood father who wanted only sons, you are forced to hide your Fey side. When you are ordered to steal from Father Carden by your half-brother, Cassian, your life spirals out of control and you find yourself at the mercy of the Weeping Monk. The life you knew changes drastically when Cassian betrays you in the cruelest of ways. A trade is made, a promise is broken, and a debt must be paid.

Chapter Title: The Fall Of Embers

Notes: !!!!!!PLEASE NOTE, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SUICIDE ATTEMPT!!!!!

Warnings: Angst. Hurt. Trauma bonding. Intrafamily violence. Depression. !!!!Self-harm!!!. !!!Suicidal thoughts!!!. Violence. Torture. Gore. Pining. Trauma. Self-Flagellation. Manipulation. Strong Language. Blood. Misogyny. PTSD. Spicy and smut parts. Slight redemption arc. Lima/Stockholm syndrom-ish. Childhood trauma.

Other warnings: Jealousy. Forbidden Love. Romance. Slow-burn Found Familly-ish. Comfort. Fluff. !SMUT and SPICE!

Word count of this fic: +250K

Chapter:  5/47

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!!!!!!PLEASE NOTE, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SUICIDE ATTEMPT!!!!!

You were in that tent alone for hours, dozing off into sleep when the sun no longer sneaked into the tent. Even when the Monk finally entered his tent late at night, your eyes felt too heavy to look. By the time you opened them, time had clearly past. He was sleeping on his cot. You were glad to have avoided conversation after that encounter earlier. This was no place for you, one hell had traded itself for another. The paladins who had brought you back there had used a rope of poor quality to bind you to the pole, it even smelled rotten. You continued to move the rope against the wood, just as you had done during those hours alone. Finally the last strand of the rope broke and set you free, you sat still for a while, debating on where to go from here. Carefully you got up from the ground and moved towards the sleeping Monk, his hand was resting on the swords he had put down beside him, taking those would surely wake him. So you decided to steal one of the small daggers still resting at his waist. A cold sweat formed on your back during the moment it took to steal the dagger, but you had a lethal weapon in your hand as a reward. Then his hand shot out and grabbed your sleeve, you stumbled back and his hold faltered, he was on his feet fast. You cowered away, he stood between you and the exit. He didn’t even reach for his swords yet, like he was certain he could overpower you without them, it filled you with dread.

“Don’t come any closer!” you warned, pointing at him with the dagger.

His brow arched arrogantly, that dagger was no match for him and you both knew it.

You turned the blade and pointed it at your own heart. “Let me leave.”

His eyes dropped to the dagger, then snapped back up to your face. “I cannot let you leave. Hand over the dagger.”

Despair crashed into you, consuming what little hope that had kept you going. The Monk had gotten closer. The dagger felt like the only thing keeping your thoughts together. You had moved the blade before doubt could set in again.

He had never moved so fast before. His hand was partly on yours, stopping the dagger from going into your chest, when he felt resistance his other came to wrap around the blade. It cut into his palm slightly.

“Stop!” he ordered, standing behind you, arms around to be able to push the dagger forward and away with his strength.

His order gave no resolution, you only grew angrier, desperate…

His breath touched the side of your head, his voice much gentler than it had been. “Stop.”

The tears you had kept contained broke free, your struggle lessened, your voice cracked, “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

He plucked the dagger from your hands and tossed it far out of reach, still his hold on you remained as he could feel you crumble apart.

“Why?” he quietly asked.

“There is no point to it.” You heaved through the sobs.

The Monk was quiet for a while, he held on, refusing to let you flee from his hold. You had grabbed hold on his sleeve, hating how deep down your soul welcomed the touch even from someone like him.

“Is that what the sellsword wants you to believe?” he asked.

You didn’t answer.

His breath went passed your cheek. “I have seen the fight in you, I saw it again just now. You are not surrendering to the fight, you are searching for a reason to keep fighting.”

“I don’t have a reason.” You tried to control your breathing.

“Then have this as one,��� He took a breath, “You and I may be the only ones left alive of the Ash Folk. I believe your survival means that you are meant for a greater purpose.”

“To serve the Church?” It came out colder.

“Perhaps.” He made you turn to face him. “I know you desire to belong. Manblood, Feyblood, not belonging to either kind but dangling right in the middle. I believe your place could be here.”

You were still calming down and oddly enough the Monk’s presence now helped, those eerie voices in your ears were noticeably softer. Was it because the blood of the Ash Folk ran through him too that you felt a strange connection to him?

“My place isn’t here.” It was a whisper as you shook your head a little.

He breathed out a sigh and finally let go off you, he looked towards the dagger on the ground then at the small cut on his palm. “You could have killed me as I slept…”

It slipped out of your mouth, “I was trying to escape, not slaughter a monk.”

He pointed out the flaw in that, “I would not have been able to stop you if you had.”

“I regret it.” The bold statement fell out of you.

The Monk appeared surprised to hear you say it, a slight smirk formed on his face. “You are not done fighting.”

It was said with a pinch of admiration and it was enough to help find a little hope within yourself.

“How did you free yourself from those ropes?” he asked.

You pointed at them. “Can’t you smell it? They’re rotten.”

Was the arrogance intentional? He did not know. But he did enjoy how innocent you had looked whilst saying it. Perhaps he could toss some wood onto that fire…

“Those ropes were very close to you.” he said, unblinking.

It took only two counts for you to understand the insult in his excuse. And then you did something you never thought you were brave enough for. You gave him a shove, he hadn’t seen it coming and was almost imbalanced for a second. “If I smell, it is because I’ve been bound and unable to bathe!”

He actually chuckled. The Weeping Monk chuckled. With wide eyes you stared at the one who might have purposely riled you up.

Realization hit. “You said that just to anger me…”

“There is still fire in you.” he stated, not even slightly angry for the shove.

You took a step away from him.

“You do not smell, but perhaps bathing will offer you some comfort?” He saw no threat in it.

Was he really asking? By the way he was waiting for an answer, he must have been.

“How?” you asked.

“There is a river near here.” he suggested.

“But…” You stopped.

He tilted his head, “But what?”

You explained the problem. “You want me to bathe in a river, with my hands bound and without dry clothes to change into afterwards.”

The Monk blinked, then cleared his throat. “I believe I can arrange some clothes. As for your hands, I could make an exception.”

You were wary of it, “What sort of exception?”

He set the terms. “The rope stays on as we travel there, once at the river I will remove them long enough for you to bathe.”

“You trust me not to swim off?” you blurted it out.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “I know your scent now. Wherever you would go, it would only be a matter of time before I find you again. And when I do, I would remember the time you broke the trust I gave you tonight.”

It was a warning. This speck of trust must have been hard for him to give. “I agree with your terms.”

He gave a sharp nod. “Go to the pole.”

With some reluctance, you did as asked. And he tied your hands to the pole, not with a rotten rope this time, while you stood.

“Wait here.” He turned to walk out of the tent, then stopped after two steps when realizing what he had said. When he looked over his shoulder he saw the glare send his way.

Your tone was prickly. “Don’t mind me, I’m not going anywhere.”

There was just the faintest hint of a smile on his mouth, but he turned away before you could be sure.

Not much later he returned with clothes, a spare set, trousers and a shirt… they must have anticipated you needing it.

He held them up for you to see. “Change into these fresh clothes after the river.”

You nodded in agreement.

“We go now.” he said.

Bathing in the dark of night with a stranger nearby was a little unnerving to think of. Still, you let him guide you out of that tent and to his horse. Until then it hadn’t crossed your mind that he would be riding there, probably to make sure to be back soon.

“Mount.” He moved you to the saddle.

It was easier said than done with your wrists bound together and while wearing a dress, thankfully the skirt of it was wide and long enough. You clumsily climbed into the saddle then to the spot a little in front of it. The Monk on the other hand hoisted himself up into the saddle effortlessly and took place behind you. You tensed up completely when his arms came around your form to take the reins. For a Monk, he was not so reserved to be close. And as you rode towards the river, you wondered why he would even allow you to bathe at all, it was known that the paladins would rather see Fey-kind burn than help them.

“Are you hoping the sin will wash off of me?” You kept your eyes on the path ahead.

The Monk’s response took a moment to come, “Are you?”

You were a bit defensive. “No. Because I have none.”

There was a huff of air, “You stole from a priest.”

Alright… he may have had a point there…

“You let me keep the ring…” you mumbled through your teeth.

“Because I believed you to be an innocent person who was forced to steal. Not a thief.” he said.

Was he truly so scorned about that? Anger boiled inside of you. “I wasn’t lying when I said that Cassian forced me to steal!”

The Monk kept quiet, it somehow only made you angrier. That silent judgment…

You spat out the words in fury, “You think I’m just some thief, that I chose to live like this! I never had a chance to choose, I was taught to be quiet and obey!”

“Do you fear the sellsword so much?” He didn’t sound condescending.

You were done with this conversation.

“And your father? You spoke of him. He must disapprove of how his son behaves.” he asked.

Your voice was very quiet, “Where do you think Cassian learned it…”

He had to strain his ears to hear it, but he had heard it.

After a brief silence, he asked, “Who is your father?”

“Lord Aldith of Ravenwick.” you answered.

The small rise in his tone was audible, “Lord?”

With a nod you confirmed it. “He rules over the village.”

He was piecing the puzzle of your life together, piece by piece. “When we met, you said that stealing was necessary to ‘earn your meal’, am I correct to assume that your father expects you to steal even though he is wealthy?”

You nodded.

The Monk was prying the truth out of you. “Is your brother given the same treatment?”

“No. He is his son.”

To him it didn’t seem to make sense. “And you are his daughter.”

You sighed a bit. “My father only wanted sons, so he wishes a daughter was never born.”

What the Monk said next was unexpected. “If he did not want to risk having a daughter, he should have abstained.”

Your eyes widened slightly, then you heard the river’s stream nearby.

He halted his horse. “We walk the rest of the way.”

He dismounted first, then gave some aid to get you to the ground as well. You knew the risk that dress posed and refused the help, seeing him from up at you.

“Dismount.” He grew wary, perhaps he thought you were going to ride off.

You hated having to ask. “I will, but you should step back a bit.”

“Why?”

Hated. Really hated. “Because when I dismount, the odds are high this dress will reveal more than I wish to share. I barely prevented it when I mounted.”

It clicked in his mind right away, he cleared his throat and took a step back, looking off to the side until your feet were on the ground.

“I spared you from the sin.” you said dryly. “You’re welcome.”

He ignored it. With one hand he held the reins, with the other the rope that was attached to the one on your wrists. He retrieved the clothes from the saddle bag, handing them to you to carry, then he began to head towards the river.

The moonlight reflected in the river’s stream, the Monk took the clothes from you again and removed the rope from your wrists.

“Do not flee.” He turned you to the river with your elbow.

You didn’t wait for him to tell you to get into the water, you took the opportunity with open arms and were in the river seconds later. The water was just a bit too cold, but it had been a while since you had the chance to bathe like this. For just a little while your mind was distracted from all the bad things around you, even the Monk. You splashed the water up to your face, pouring it over your head to wash your hair. The dress was completely soaked. The Monk made a small bonfire to keep his hands warm. You looked over at him, quietly wondering why he wasn’t getting irritated that you were taking so long. But he kept his attention on the small fire mostly, only looking your way once or twice to see if you hadn’t swam off yet. The fresh clothes laid close to the fire, warming up for you to wear. A shiver had settled into your bones, the temperature of the water was getting the better of you.

The Monk had probably noticed it, because he beckoned for you to get out of the water. “It is time to head back.”

You walked out of the river, letting the water pass through your fingers as long as they could touch it. It wasn’t until you were close to the fire that you noticed how hard he was trying to keep his attention on the grass. The wet fabric of the dress was stuck to your skin, and your face heated up at the realization. The Monk gestured to the clothes just next to the fire, you moved to take them.

Wind went through the fire, pushed the flames in your direction and caused them to lick the skin of your hand. You don’t know what frightened you more, being burned or seeing the flame turn green upon contact. A loud gasp of fright forced it’s way out of you, then everything happened so fast.

The Monk responded immediately, he grabbed you by the arm and brought you to the river, he forced your hand into the water and held it there.“Does it hurt?”

A frown formed on your forehead, it wasn’t hurting… why wasn’t it hurting?… “I don’t… no.”

Maybe he thought it was the shock that dulled the pain, because he didn’t let you pull your hand from the water to inspect it, “How did you do that?”

Had he not seen the same thing you had? “I just wanted to grab the clothes, but then the wind blew the flames to me.”

“That is not what I meant. You changed the flames, I saw it.”

“I didn’t.”

“Do not lie.” his voice got deeper, a warning.

“I’m not lying!” your voice wavered just a little, hating to be called a liar while speaking the truth.

His eyes scanned your face for a moment, then focused on your hand as he pulled it out of the water. He should have looked more surprised to find no burns on your skin, but he truly wasn’t.

The fire that lived in his dreams, causing comfort instead of fear… had come from your hands.

He turned your hand over, inspecting the unscathed skin of your palm.

“I don’t know what that was…” you whispered, fearing the response yet to come.

The Monk let go of your hand and rose to his feet. “Change your clothes. We return now.”

You looked up at him a little lost but did as he asked. He watched closely when you reached for the clothes on the ground again to change into them, expecting to see it happen again. But you were far more cautious now, the fact that you hadn’t burned your hand yet didn’t mean that it couldn’t happen. The Monk was still looking, as if he was trying to decipher you.

“Could you… uhm…” You lost the courage to ask him to turn around.

He seemed to snap out of his thoughts and gave a shallow nod when he understood what you were asking, he turned around and faced away. You changed rapidly into the dry warm clothes, the trousers fitted well but the shirt was a little too big, you took some of the excess fabric on the side and made a knot in it.

“I’m done.” you informed him.

He turned around and came closer to bind your wrists with the ropes again. He hadn’t asked any more questions about what had happened just moments ago, you didn’t know if you had to be relieved or worried. What would happen if they began to see you as a threat? What if he knew that you heard whispers in your ears almost daily?

The Monk made you mount his horse again and got into the saddle right after as well. The silence between you felt suffocating, you had so many questions running through your head. Why had those flames changed upon touching you? Why hadn’t they burned you? Why was he so quiet?… The answers would have to wait, because he was determined to get back to the paladin camp in as little time as possible and he spurred the horse on to canter.

  ~~~♡~~~♡~~~♤~~~♡~~~♡~~~

Back at the paladin camp he told you to be quiet and not say a word until back in the tent. And the moment you set foot in the tent with him, the questions he must have prepared were fired at you.

He was tying you back to that pole by the waist. “Have you ever seen that kind of fire before?”

You shook your head, sitting on the ground again. “No. And I’ve never put my hands into fire by accident before either.”

“Do you know what it is?” He stood in front of you now, hands folded behind his back and the same look of intrigue in his eyes still.

You shook your head again. “Do you?”

He was of the Ash Folk, there was a possibility he knew more of them than you did.

“I do.” he said. “It is called ‘Fey Fire’.”

“But… what does it mean?” You hoped to learn what it was that had happened.

The Monk was quiet for a moment. “Fey Fire has not been seen in centuries, it is thought to be extinct. It is fire born of magic.”

You knew exactly what happened to those with magic when the paladins found out, you didn’t want to be cleansed in some horrible way. “I have no magic.”

The fear in your voice was clear to hear.

“You must have.” He stepped closer and knelt down to your height, you flinched a little.

You shook your head, denying what he believed to be true. “Please… I never used any magic. I wouldn’t even know how.”

His voice was more gentle now, “I believe you. Do not fear. I believe Father will be pleased to learn of this.”

You frowned at him. “Pleased?”

He gave a small nod. “Yes. Your abilities are a valuable asset to us.”

“I am not your asset.” You didn’t want to hear it.

“Your conscience is stopping you from seeing what must be done.” The Monk said. “Those Fey you defended when we met, refused to do the same for you. They left you to die at my hands, and I spared you.”

Were you supposed to be grateful that he hadn’t murdered you that day? “At least I still have a conscience.”

He stood up from the ground, jaw tense. He went over to his cot and plucked a small book from it which he put right into your hands.

“What is this?” you asked.

“The scriptures.” he answered. “They may offer you the answers you seek.”

Another attempt to corrupt you, your brow arched high, “Do these help you?”

He didn’t answer and went to his cot again, taking seat after removing his cloak and putting his swords down on it.

You put the book down in your lap and looked over at him. “I wasn’t raised with any religion. My brother mocked whoever spoke of a divine power.”

And your father would never have allowed another to influence you instead of him…

“The sellsword…” he spoke under his breath, sighing. “I do have a personal dislike for your brother. He threatened my horse. No one has done so before and lived.”

“He traded me for his life, will you uphold that agreement?” You wondered, because the Monk sounded like he hated Cassian.

“Father will uphold the agreement.” he said, then added casually, “But I made no such trade with him.”

Your frowned at him. “But-”

The Monk explained himself. “He traded with Father. You, in exchange for clemency for his past sins. However, should he commit new ones, which I am certain he will, I will not be obligated to offer him clemency.”

“Cassian just bought himself time…”

“Yes.”

You looked down at the book in your lap.

He noticed. “You may keep it.”

“Don’t you need it?” You weren’t interested in the scriptures.

The Monk, laid down on the cot, swords neatly beside him. “They are in my head.”

“You memorized them?” you asked.

He shut his eyes. “If you read something enough, it tends to happen.”

The blatant attempt to convert you to a follower of the Church didn’t sit well with you at all. “Is that what Father Carden did all those years ago, give you this book and hope you would believe in what it said?”

He took in a deep breath, having heard the sneer to the faith. “You would do well to rest now. Dawn is not far off anymore.”

You rolled your eyes, he couldn’t see it anyway. But you followed his advice and tried to get some sleep before that chance would be taken from you again.

  ~~~♡~~~♡~~~♧~~~♡~~~♡~~~

At dawn, the Monk was summoned by Father Carden. He knew others would have noticed him leave the camp with you at night and reported this to Father.

“How is the Fey girl?” Father asked him.

He knew Father was not asking about your health.

“She is conflicted.” The Monk told him truthfully.

Father was glad to hear it, this opened up opportunities. “That means there is doubt in her. Use it to show her that our path is the only one to salvation, my son. Has she been given the scriptures?”

He gave a nod. “Yes, Father.”

Then the Monk gave him a brief explanation why he had taken you out of the camp last night. To earn your trust and convince you of the benefits to joining them.

“Fey Fire…” Father breathed in quiet shock. “Are you sure?”

He could see the interest in his mentor’s eyes. “Yes, Father.”

The priest placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do what is necessary to gain her trust, show her why her place is here. Become her redeemer.”

The Monk gave a nod.

Father was asking to let an attachment form that would benefit the mission. If this was what was necessary to make Father believe in him again, then this needed to be done.

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[lancedoncrimsonwings]

Oh no help he's hot

Why is this look so damn slutty though like fUCK

Sir I can see your entire boob

... We are all ok with this especially Lancelot

[ask-forbidden-peach]

Peach pit - Oc X Wukong fanfic

Warning: Brief mention of kidnapping. Brief mention of breeding. No nsfw

——-

Ài was in her garden, softly holding some baskets of peaches as she walked through the garden, she happily waved at the passing monkeys who bowed. She smiled only to feel a certain breeze.

“Ah. Ah. Peaches. Nothing heavy. Remember?”

A Cheeky voice came as Wukong jumped from his cloud, taking her basket from her hands.

“Dear. It's fine. It is not that heavy.” She said as she rubbed her round belly.

Ài was about 5 months pregnant, her belly was round and her feet were a bit swollen but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Honestly the pregnancy was a surprise. Wukong was joking about being able to breed her but here they were. Honestly she remembered when she first found out. How she gotten nauseous and sweaty. She went to see a doctor from the monkey clan and well…we already know. Honestly the way everyone reacted when she told was priceless.

Her father? Overjoyed and weeped tears of pure joy and pride as he hugged his daughter

Xiù? Immediately started to cuddle her stomach and lay on her softly, holding her like an egg in a nest

Yìng? Weep and quickly have her sit down. She later learned he ‘accidentally’ hit Wukong in the head with a shovel

Wukong? Laugh at first until he realized she was serious. Then…he immediately grabbed her and cuddled her stomach

It was so nice to see that Wukong had a good reaction to the news. She worried if he didn’t want kids with her. They never really talked about it. They joked about it but still.

“Hey peaches. Here you go.” Wukong voice came, interrupting her thoughts as he held out some sliced peaches to her.

“Thank you Sun.” She was softly as she took the peach slices and ate them.

Well she will enjoy meeting this little peach pit in her.

Wukong smiled but seemed to saddened. “Ài…do you think I would be the best father to our cub?” He asked her softly, rubbing his neck a bit.

“Wukong? Of course you will. Why do you ask that?” Ài asked, looking surprised as she finished her slices, looking surprised and confused.

“It just…I ain’t really the best guy there is. The amount of trouble I caused, my selfish behavior, my well…tendencies.” Wukong chuckled nervously as he remembered some of his not so good moments.

“Wukong love.” Ài said as she softly leaned his head in her chest, holding his head softly. “You aren’t the best person that is for sure. You changed, you learned. You remember every single one of your monkeys names, their birthday. You are basically everyone father or grandfather. You cherish your monkeys so much that you actually planned to go to war on heaven for burning it and killing half of your subjects.” She said softly as she rubbed his ears, hearing him purr.

“You also cared for the monk and your brothers on the journey for the scriptures even when you got kicked out, angry or had that headache spell on you activated. You still saved them and made sure they were safe. You even rejected the title of the victorious fighting Buddha just to stay with your monkeys.” She said as she scratched his chin and felt him thump his tail softly on her leg.

She smiled as she kissed his head. “Remembered when you saved me from that demon when he kidnapped me? We weren’t even mates and you still came to save me, letting your hand burn from removing the talisman that bonded my powers and you…held me as I cried.” Ài voice seemed to waver a bit at the memory, the dread and terror coming back temporarily before she pushed it aside.

“You aren’t perfect but you are a gold heart monkey. You may be made of stone but under that is gold that shines through the cracks at time.” She said as gently made him look up at her. “You will be the best father for our cub. The best. You will cherish our cub. You will be the best father cause you will love, protect and guide this cub in life.” Ài said softly.

Wukong burnt ginger fur turned a bit red due to the blush as he nuzzled in her, purring a bit as he cradled her stomach. “Thank you Ài.” He said softly as he rubbed her stomach.

“Thank you Wukong.” She said softly as she kissed his head, holding him closer as the baby kicked, making Wukong nuzzle in her more.

The king and queen smiled, softly content in there growing family as the peach pits grew in the queen.

[jplupine]

⛓In the Wolf's Den: Chapter 13⛓

Pairing: The Weeping Monk x Devin [Nonbinary Fey OC] Word Count: ~4.2k WARNINGS: 18+ Minors/Ageless get blocked, Exophilia, Feral Behavior, Size Difference, Heat, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Marking, Getting Caught, Creampie Note: Terms such as pussy/cock/dick/etc. get used. If that makes you uncomfortable, you might want to skip this fic.

Summary: Devin makes it to the Fey safe haven only to realize they had lost track of time. Thankfully, Devin now has the help they need.

You can also read it on AO3!

Masterlist | Chapter 13:

  It hit a day after docking. I had woken up with a fever and locked the door to my room. I sealed the windows the best I could and kept the room dark.

  Even though I knew this was coming from all the tell-tale signs, I had hoped to have a few extra days to prepare. I wasn't ready in the slightest. I had no stored food nor water in here, and going to the market would be too big of a gamble.

  What the fuck was I supposed to do now? Starve? I couldn't.

  Maybe if I wished hard enough, Lancelot would hopefully notice my absence and bring me food. However, I could only imagine what he must be dealing with right now since he was among all of the Fey while being known as the Weeping Monk. I had wanted to help him, but I couldn't do much of anything right now.

  The gods must have wanted to rub my horrible predicament in my face when there was a knock at my door. I groaned while burying my face into the pillow. Maybe if I pretended I wasn't here, they'd leave me alone.

  "I know you're in there. I can hear you." Lancelot's voice came from the other side of the door, and my heart raced. My ears went flat against my skull as I bit my bottom lip in an attempt to muffle how I whimpered. I was torn on what to do.

  Should I unlock the door and let him in, or keep him out?

  "Devin?" He sounded uncertain and concerned. Had he heard my quiet whimper, too? Fuck, I should've known better. If he could hear the howling from the Wolf Folk village all the way in my cave, no wonder he could hear me now even as I was trying to be quiet. "Devin, are you okay?"

  I buried my face deeper in the pillow. Maybe he'd think I was still asleep if I didn't make any other noise.

  My ears twitched when I heard metallic clicking. I quickly looked up when the door was swung open. Lancelot stood there and froze as soon as his eyes landed on me.

  His gaze slowly wandered over my naked body laying across the bed. Lancelot's pupils widened, and he swallowed after breathing in. He closed the door behind himself before clearing his throat and putting his hands on his hips.

  "Sorry. I, uh, thought you were hurt."

  "Did you just pick that lock?"

  "Again, I thought you were hurt." Lancelot shifted on his feet as he glanced at the closed windows. "I-I can leave if you-"

  "No." I cut him off while sitting up. His scent was driving me wild, and since he was already here, I might as well accept the opportunity presented. "Stay. Please."

  Lancelot's eyes fell to my bare chest, seeing how much it had swollen due to my hormones. His brows slowly knit together before realization dawned on his face.

  "Before you ask, the answer is yes. Heats cause Wolf Folk breasts to enlarge. Pregnancy moreso. Did you really never notice?"

  "I, uh, I assumed my memory must've been mistaken when I saw you were....smaller than our first encounter." Lancelot swallowed again. "Are you sure you want me to stay? You're in heat."

  "Either you stay, or I remain locked in this room, miserable and alone. Please, help me." I said while spreading my legs. Lancelot saw how wet I was, and his breath shook.

  He kicked off his shoes and quickly loosened the strings of his jerkin to get it off. Belts for weapons clattered to the floor as he crossed the room. Lancelot was naked by the time he reached the edge of the bed, and he pushed me to lay down.

  His lips were on mine as I pulled his hair free of the leather strip. His rough palms were on my skin, and I leaned into his touch. My body was aching for him as a fire burned beneath my skin.

  It was hard to believe a year had already passed from the first time I had met Lancelot. It was wilder to think about what all had happened in just that time.

  Lancelot kissed along my jaw and down my neck. There was a possessive growl when his tongue curled over my throat, and I leaned my head back for him. I loved the way his mouth felt on my skin as he nipped and left hickeys in his wake.

  He ground his hips against mine, letting me feel how hard he was before his face went lower. He licked from the base of my throat to my jaw, and electricity danced across my skin.

  "I love you." I panted as one of his hands slid down my stomach.

  "I love you, too." His breath was hot against my skin. "Embrace me so that I may feel heavenly bliss once more, my sweet shepherd." Lancelot whispered near my ear. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I pulled him closer before moaning from his fingers sliding over my clit.

  My fingers slid into his long hair as he pushed his fingers inside. I moaned when they curled, and Lancelot smirked while looking down at me.

  "Oh, how the angels sing through your lips." His tone was nearly a purr as he praised me in his blasphemous way. "Such sweet music." Lancelot made me moan again as my back arched off the bed.

  "Stop teasing me." I panted, and Lancelot kissed my cheek. He pulled his fingers free before lining up his cock.

  "'I am my beloved's," He groaned from thrusting in, and I moaned. "'and my beloved is mine.'" Lancelot had such a gentle tone as his forehead rested against mine. He took in a slow breath through his nose before rocking his hips back. "Mine." He growled while snapping his hips into me.

  Lancelot placed one of his large hands on my collarbone as his fingers rested around the base of my throat. He looked down at me with such predatorial eyes. His long hair fell over his shoulders as he kept thrusting and had me pinned against the bed.

  My toes curled as I moaned and dug my claws into the blanket.

  "Fuck~! Lance- Oh, fuck! Right there! Right ther- Aaahh~!" My back arched as my head lolled back. My heat had been chipping away at him, and he was finally crumbling and falling into rut as he thrust with such feral need.

  Lancelot bared his teeth while growling, and the state he was in only turned me on more. The rumbling from his chest had me shivering in delight. He grabbed the back of my knees to push my legs toward my chest.

  The new position allowed him to go deeper, and I cried out as my toes splayed. His balls smacked against my ass with each thrust, and I could feel the pressure rising. The old wood of the bed was creaking in protest from his lack of delicacy.

  However, Lancelot's heavy thrusting lost rhythm, and I growled out of frustration.

  He huffed before dropping my legs around his hips. He slid his arms under my back before picking me up with such ease. We were chest to chest while locking eyes.

  "Gods, you are beautiful." I whispered while cupping his face in my hands.

  "Such praise from your lips."

  "You think me beautiful as well?" The corners of my mouth curled upward.

  "Utterly divine." Lancelot panted before dropping me a few inches to have his cock buried to the hilt inside me. I moaned as my eyes closed, and he grabbed my ass in a firm grip to lift me up. "Are you still haunted by me?" His voice was low, and I looked at him.

  "Whenever you are away from me. The ghost of your touch finds me even in my dreams."

  "You still dream of me?"

  "Often, mo chroí." I managed to say before moaning. Lancelot slightly tilted his head to the side.

  "Mo chroí?"

  "My heart." Hearing what it meant, Lancelot smiled. He kissed me and groaned while holding me closer to his chest. He snapped his hips as his tongue slid into my mouth.

  I could do little more than hold on to him as he fucked me. I could feel the pressure building again, and I moaned into the kiss. Lancelot's blunt nails dug into my skin, making me softly growl.

  He responded in kind without stopping. He was keeping the same wild pace, and it was pushing me closer to the edge. Our breathing was coming so heavily as saliva stretched between our bottom lips.

  There was something so erotically satisfying about seeing Lancelot with flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips. Listening to him grunt and groan had my thighs squeezing his sides. I swallowed and panted before moaning again.

  Lancelot slipped one of his hands between us, and my claws dug into his skin from his thumb rubbing my clit. Biting my bottom lip, I was turned into a moaning and whimpering mess in his arms. My ears were flat against my skull as I was so fucking close to falling apart.

  He knew I was about to cum if he kept up what he was doing, and he picked up the pace because he himself was nearing the edge. Lancelot held me firmly while slamming his cock into me. I cried out when he bit me, and his low growl was the last straw for me as he rubbed my clit.

  My orgasm left me shaking and moaning that I barely noticed how Lancelot's teeth were drawing blood. He groaned into my skin, and cum was dripping onto the bed.

  There was a moment where only the sound of our heavy breathing could be heard in the room. Calm washed over me, and I rested my head on his shoulder. Lancelot wrapped his arms around me and hummed while burying his face into my neck.

  "I'm so hungry." I mumbled, and he chuckled.

  "How about I fetch you something, then?" Lancelot suggested.

  "That would be lovely." I was smiling while playing with his hair.

  We both jolted when the door suddenly slammed open. The man standing there was tall and looked thoroughly pissed. He had a staff with a sword strapped to his hip, but he didn't attack us with either as he instead balked.

  The anger in his eyes turned into shock as he looked at us. Lancelot slowly grabbed the pillow to cover as much of our naked bodies as possible before clearing his throat.

  "I guess I forgot to lock the door back." He whispered.

  "Oh." The tall man seemed at a loss for words. "Oh." His eyebrows raised high on his forehead. "I.... We need to talk." He looked right at Lancelot.

  "Can it not wait?" I asked, and the awkward tension in the air grew thicker. The man glanced at Lancelot's clothes scattered across the floor before grabbing the doorknob.

  "Get dressed." He ordered, and the door was shut.

  "....I think that was Merlin." Lancelot muttered and swallowed.

  "If it is....good news."

  "How is that good news?" He looked at me with furrowed brows.

  "He just caught you in bed with a Fey. That proves you're not the same as before."

  "That's your takeaway from this?"

  "Lancelot, I'm in heat. All I can really think about right now is fucking you until this bed is but kindling." My tone was low, and his gaze dropped to my mouth. He licked his lips hungrily as he slowly leaned in closer.

  However, he quickly pulled away while shaking his head.

  "Don't look at me like that." He dropped me on the bed before getting up and snatching his trousers from the floor. "He looked angry, and I need to think clearly."

  "Good luck."

  "Devin." He had a firm tone, and I rolled onto my side.

  "I'm serious. You're covered in my scent now." He heavily sighed when he realized it was true. So, even when he left the room, he'd still be able to smell me and my heat on himself.

  Lancelot continued getting dressed before picking up the leather strip for his hair. He pulled it up in a quick bun that looked like a mess as he rushed toward the door to not make Merlin wait any longer.

  I sighed while stretching out my legs. Curling up with the pillow, I laid there until Lancelot's return.

  I woke up to a plate of food being held in front of my face. I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep. Sitting up, I took the plate and began to devour the fruit and poultry.

  "Merlin's anger runs deep." Lancelot stated as he was crouched next to the bed.

  "....Will you be okay?" I paused while looking at him.

  "I will be. His anger is not directed at me, per se. I think Percival talked to him."

  "What makes you think that?"

  "He knew things he should not." Lancelot moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "I think he's also grieving."

  "We've lost many to the Red Paladins. That's no surprise." I ate some more of the chicken. "If he is not angry with you as you say, what did he want?"

  "Plans. Tactics." Lancelot rested his elbows on his knees. "With my absence and Father Carden's death, their progress has greatly slowed. I still remember the maps and planned routes, and word will be sent to the Fey villages most at risk."

  "There's something else you're not telling me." I said while tearing apart some bread. He looked at me and rubbed his hand over his jaw.

  "Well, he, uh," Lancelot cleared his throat. "He wanted to address our 'situation'."

  "Situation?" I chuckled, and he averted his gaze while looking embarrassed.

  "You're clearly Fey, Devin. He wouldn't ignore catching us in bed together."

  "And what did you tell him?" I set the plate to the side. "Did you try to save your Christian dignity by claiming I seduced you? I would understand if you had." Crawling closer to him, I saw that he was blushing.

  "I didn't."

  "Then? How did you explain yourself?"

  "I....said that we are lovers." He looked at me, and our faces were only inches apart. "I may struggle with myself and how I feel, but I am learning. I refused to stand by and let you be taken by Odhran. I will not disavow you now to Merlin."

  "That we are lovers...." I muttered while smiling.

  "Should I not have said that?"

  "Does it look as if I am upset with that?"

  "You look happy."

  "I am." My tail swayed, and Lancelot began to smile.

  "You love me that much?"

  "Having you declare to someone else that I am your beloved warms my heart, and if you so much as wish it, I will do the same. I love you deeply, Lancelot." Placing my fingers under his chin, I turned his face more in my direction to kiss him.

  "It's so different." He whispered.

  "What is?"

  "Every time you say you love me, I can feel it."

  "Shall I say it more?"

  "Say it as much as you please."

  "If I do, I may never shut up." Lancelot chuckled at my words, and I climbed onto his lap. "Did you remember to lock the door this time?"

  "I did."

  "Then it's safe to assume you don't plan on leaving soon?"

  "How could I with you in such a needy state?" He settled his hands on my hips as I opened the front of his trousers. "The entire time I was gone, I was eager to return. You plagued my thoughts."

  "Did I now?" My tone sounded nearly like a purr as I reached into his trousers to find his cock. His breath faltered as his grip on me tightened.

  "Devin...."

  "What is it, mo chroí?"

  "I want you to know, I will do everything within my power to hold my promise to you."

  "I would hope so. I've come a far way on your word, Lancelot." I kissed him again, and he suddenly stood. He gently placed my feet on the floor before pulling his clothes off. When he grabbed me to pull me closer, he spun me around to have my back against him.

  "You smell so damn good." Lancelot rested his cheek against my temple, and his scruffy jaw was rough against my skin. His hands ran up my sides before he squeezed my chest. My tail lifted as my ass pressed against him, and a whimper came from the back of my throat. "Memories cannot compare to truly having you in my arms, my love." He whispered while pinching my nipples.

  My breath faltered as my ears flattened.

  "That's right. I still remember every way you told me to touch you. I could never forget what made you cry out in such beautiful ways.... What made you writhe beneath me." His tone dropped as he squeezed again. My thighs pressed together as I was leaning into his touch.

  "Then what are you waiting for?"

  "I like to hear how you whimper for me." He pinched my nipples to make me whine before his rough palms went down my torso. His hands slid between my legs and forced them apart. Lancelot breathed in through his nose and growled.

  His fingers went over my pussy to gather up slick. Raising his hand, he spread his fingers to show the clear fluid stretching between his digits.

  "Hmm.... Shall I stop here?"

  "No! Keep touching me."

  "Why should I?" He was taunting me now while barely holding out himself.

  "I want you." I panted, and Lancelot grabbed me as his lips brushed over my cheek.

  "What was that?"

  "I want you."

  "Have some bloody manners." He pulled my hair to make my head lean back. His teeth scraped over my neck, and he nipped.

  "Please."

  "That's more like it." Lancelot used his hold on my hair to push me toward the bed until I had to kneel on the edge. He grabbed the back of my neck to push me down with my ass in the air. His other hand slid over my hip to move me into position.

  When his hand lowered to grab my ass, my tail lifted out of the way. Lancelot's breath was deeper, and I felt his cock pressing against my core and using my slick to ease his way in. Feeling myself stretching to accommodate his length, I groaned. His grip on the back of my neck tightened while pushing my cheek further into the rumpled blanket.

  When his hips were flush against me, he grabbed my hip again. Lancelot softly sighed with relief before slowly pulling out a few inches only to thrust back in. My heat left me so aroused that there was a wet slap from his balls smacking against me over and over again.

  Lancelot groaned over me, and I dug my claws into the blanket. Feeling his fingers squeezing my hip and scruff as he thrust in deep made my head spin. Listening to his grunts and heavy breaths, I clenched when he moaned, and his hips bucked.

  His rut soon had him pistoning his cock in and out of my pussy, seeking that high as the bed rocked. Lancelot put more weight behind the hand on the back of my neck, ensuring that I would remain in the position he put me in. It gave him perfect access, hitting every spot that made me cry out and my toes to splay.

  My ears were turned back as I moaned and felt drool trickling down my cheek. Each thrust made my body jolt, the flesh of my ass jiggling from every impact of his hips slamming into me. Lancelot was panting and groaning, losing himself to the pleasure.

  He placed one foot on the edge of the bed to lean over me more as if he were mounting. It drove my instincts wild as I cried out and arched my back. My tail swayed while still off to the side.

  Gods, it was so hard to have a coherent thought with how good it felt. Lancelot pushed me further onto the bed to climb on behind me before fully mounting and biting my shoulder.

  His arms wrapped around me, one hand going between my thighs to find my clit. My entire body shuddered when his fingers rubbed against the throbbing bud. Lancelot grunted into my skin while holding me to his chest as he fucked me.

  His rut was no doubt filling his mind with thoughts of breeding. Lancelot's hand not between my thighs ran up my stomach and over my nipples, squeezing one of the swollen mounds as I bared my fangs. His touch sent sparks dancing across my skin, and he pinched my nipple to make me squirm beneath him.

  Lancelot had me at his mercy trapped beneath him, left with no choice but to feel his body surrounding mine. My senses were drowning in him as I whimpered and moaned. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw his eyes dark and full of hunger as he was watching me. His hair swayed from his thrusting, and he opened his mouth with his face so close to mine.

  He licked my cheek, a show of affection before nipping my ear closest to him. I couldn't take it anymore with all of the sensations colliding like a spring storm. My moan was nearly a roar as I was cumming around his cock with my claws tearing through the blanket.

  Lancelot groaned and fucked me through it. My body clenching around him became too much, and his cock was twitching while pumping me full of cum. His hips gradually began to slow as he panted and grunted in my ear.

  I was trying to catch my breath, and he rested his head on my shoulder with his body slowly relaxing. He eventually pulled out, his softening cock covered in a mix of bodily fluids that were also leaking down my thighs. Lancelot nuzzled my cheek and jaw to help ease me back down from the high.

  My legs felt weak, and when I eased them outward to lay down on my stomach, I felt the ache in my lower back. Lancelot began to leave sweet kisses over my shoulders and upper back, including where he'd bitten me.

  "You're so beautiful." Lancelot whispered. Scoffing, I wiped the drool from my face.

  "I'm a mess."

  "You can be both at once." I could hear the smile in his voice as his lips brushed over my skin. "You are entrancing." Lancelot placed a hand on my lower back and slowly moved it upward. "The way you move and your muscles flex.... The way you sound. Your eyes." He kissed my temple. "Beautiful."

  I propped myself up on my elbows as my tail softly wagged, giving away just how much I enjoyed his praise.

  "Even the way your pretty lips part and shape your voice." Lancelot's fingers caressed my lips. "You are a work of art, my love."

  "You certainly have a way with words." I smiled, and he kissed my cheek.

  "I only speak the truth." Lancelot then laid down beside me and brushed his knuckles over my cheek. His eyes were so gentle as he looked at me, far from that cold stare that could bore through me.

  "You truly don't find me scary? Monstrous?"

  "....No. I understand what you meant by your nature." He gently tapped my chin with his knuckle while looking at my mouth. I playfully nipped his finger, and he smirked. "Your fangs and claws are just a part of you, meant to aid in your survival. I have yet to see you turn these on another out of pure malice." His gaze was focused on my fangs gently around his finger. "Sometimes I find myself even thinking they're a bit....adorable. It's a bit strange."

  "It's not strange." I said after letting go. "Admiration, love, understanding; these can all make you see things differently." Holding his hand and opening it, I kissed his palm. "I no longer see you as I did before, either."

  "....How do you see me now, Devin?" Lancelot hesitantly questioned as if he were afraid of the answer.

  "My mate." I softly smiled and tilted my head. "You confessed your love for me in many ways, Lancelot, including under the light of a full moon. I reciprocated."

  "And that makes us mates?"

  "Do you not want us to be? You were calling me your lover not too long ago-"

  "No, I want to be your mate."

  "Good. I would have bit you if you said you didn't." Lancelot chuckled, his smile making me feel so light and for a warmth to bloom in my chest. "I'm going to enjoy having you around for my entire heat instead of just a few days."

  "You are an insatiable wolf."

  "Tell me you don't think you will enjoy it, too." I challenged while resting my chin on his chest. Lancelot's smile turned sultry before he leaned in to kiss me without saying a word.

  Having his rut triggered by my heat made me not doubt that he would be fine. Lancelot wasn't human, and given what happened during my last heat, I would not be left wanting in any way.

[window-view-orion]

Identifying the Legendary Spirits

From the Kayla X "Legendary Spirits" blind box figure collection:

This figure's name is "Blizzard".

She's the rare of the set, so I don't own her. But she's an obvious one! Clearly she's a Yuki onna, a Japanese yokai.

OR IS SHE

Unbeknownst to me, the idiot trying to figure out who all these figures are on my own, and naively believing the product description that claimed these spirits come from "all over the world" - there is actual documentation on who each and every one of them is, and surprise! they're all Chinese.

A few days ago while doing more research into this set, I found a 'Kikagoods Collections' youtube channel, and a video where a pair of hands and an AI voice open the full set of these Legendary Spirits, and there, in the pinned comment - a link to three blog posts on Kikagoods.com

Did you know Kikagoods has a blog section? Because I didn't! Do you know how many of these eight figures I identified correctly? Four! Well, three. Well, two and two halves.

First, the unambiguously correct.

'Forgotten', with her conspicuous bowl of soup, lantern walking stick, and spider lilies in her hair, is indeed the Chinese goddess Meng Po, who stands at Naihe bridge in the afterlife, giving her soup to the dead to drink so they forget their past life and can be reincarnated.

'Bleeding', with her red bridal gown and veil, dowry box, and rakshasa bird companions, is in fact the rakshasa who disguised herself as a bride and blinded a bride and groom on their wedding night, before escaping into the night.

Secondly, the half correct.

'Painted' is not the yokai ungaikyo, because yokai are in fact, not Chinese. But I did mention in that post the Chinese folktale of the Painted Skin, the demon who wore the painted skin suit of a beautiful woman in order to get close to a man and enter his home, ultimately being defeated by a Taoist priest. This is the true identity of Painted, who is using a bronze mirror to put the finishing touches on her lovely painted skin, and the wound on the back of her head is the seam of her suit. So I knew the inspiration, but didn't identify her correctly.

'Fatality' is indeed a nine-tailed fox spirit, but her inspiration was a little more specific. I did find the story that inspired her, but I didn't mention it in the post, so I'll only count myself as being half right about her. She is specifically the nine-tailed fox who possessed the concubine Su Daji of King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang Dynasty. The fox spirit who possessed Daji was instrumental in the story of Zhou's tyrannical reign and eventual deposing, this story being notably adapted into the 16th century Ming Dynasty novel Fengshen Yanyi.

Thirdly, the incorrect.

'Mirage', the pearl-holding, weeping mermaid figure, is not a generic representation of mermaid's tears. She is in fact a Chinese mermaid, or jiaoren, who fell in love with a Buddhist monk, Bai Gongzi, though they ultimately could not be together because of the fundamental differences between them. The jiaoren's tears become pearls. This story is from a collection of folktales, Soushen Ji. Without the clue that all of these spirits are Chinese, there was no real chance for me to find this specifically, as I can't even find a full version of it online, just summaries.

'Withered' is playing a pipa like I thought, but she was the only one I fully gave up on finding. Turns out she is based on Yang Yuhuan, or Yang Guifei, or Consort Yang, the favorite concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and one of the 'four beauties of ancient China'. Despite being loved by the Emperor, during an insurrection which forced him to flee from his palace, Yang was used as a scapegoat for the rebellion, and was forced to commit suicide at age 37. Her story was a partial inspiration for the Tale of Genji! I'm so glad to finally know who she is.

'Revenge' cannot be an onryo as I stated because, again, onryo are Japanese. She is in fact the White Bone Demon from Journey to the West! Like so many demons in that story she wants to make Tripitaka into a snack, so she disguises herself as a young girl, then an old woman, then an old man to try to get close, but gets killed by Sun Wukong each time, though this results in his temporary banishment from the group because the disguises were very good and it looked like the Monkey King kept killing random people just coming up for a chat. I've been meaning to get around to reading my copy of Journey to the West for ages, though I'm at least somewhat familiar with the highlights from some of Overly Sarcastic Productions videos on it, as well as some reading in college. I'm very pleased to know her identity, it makes me like her even more!

'Requite' is in fact a cat spirit, good job to me for figuring that out. She's not a thief of any kind, which I was hung up on, and she's not just a generic cat demon either. She is specifically a reference to one moment from the amazing history of the rise of Emperor Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China. When Wu Zetian got the former Empress as well as the Emperor's previous favorite concubine demoted, then executed, the once-favored Consort Xiao Shufei cursed her before her death, declaring that she would be reborn as a cat, and Wu Zetian as a mouse, and Xiao would scratch her to death. If you're not familiar with her, Xiran Jay Zhao has two incredible videos on Wu Zetian's life and rise to the position of Emperor which I highly recommend.

And that's everyone...isn't it?

Lastly, the one they forgot.

'Blizzard' is not covered by those three blog posts. But with some new confidence from all this new information and some more googling, I believe I have her. Not a yuki onna, not Japanese, but instead I believe this figure to be the Chinese goddess of snow, Tengliu. She's a pretty obscure goddess, with some places calling her the wife of the wind god Fengbo, and that the snowflake is a symbol of hers. That would explain the jade snowflake on Blizzard's belt!

Aaaand that's it! All eight (nine) of the Legendary Spirits figures identified. I wanted to do all this for me, but if you're a fan of these figures and wanted to know who they are, I hope this was helpful for you too.

Sources below the cut:

[captainbucky-yt]

"You're Not What I Was Looking For"

-- The Weeping Monk x OC (fem)

Chapter 68: to love so fierce [ ao3 ]

Chapter Summary: Ari and Lancelot make the most of their final night before war.

Content Warning: Smut/explicit/mature content. MINORS DNI. M/F nudity. Minor praise kink. Minor sub/dom. Vaginal fingering/penetration. Hand jobs. Oral M/F receiving. Edging. Unprotected M/F intercourse (wrap it before you tap it, guys)

Taglist: @trenko-heart @nike90 @moonlightaura03 (let me know if you want to be added/removed)

Exert:

Lancelot dragged the roughness of his beard along her jaw, leaving a burning trail in his wake.

“Turn around," he instructed.

The depth in his voice had want and need flaring through Ari’s body. 

Lancelot’s grip moved to either side of her hips as Ari turned herself around and pressed her shoulder blades to his chest, arching her body into his wandering touch. His fingers slid deftly over her hips, across her stomach, and then tugged upon the half undone binding over her chest. She breathed out in relief as the cloth fell away.

He kissed her shoulder, then her neck. Dipping his fingers down between her legs and branding her with the first curl of his index.

“Ohhh—” Ari buckled with a whimper at Lancelot’s delicate touch on her mound, feeling the hard press of his length against her rear. She’d forgotten all about the golden crown braided into her hair until it nudged against his collarbone, too lost in Lancelot parting her folds to reach up and work the braids apart. She pushed her hips back, delighting in the grunt she earned from him.

Across her body, Lancelot wrapped his forearm and hugged her tight. She held on while his fingertips massaged between her legs, and stars began to creep in to the darkness of her shut eyes.

“Nobody touches you like this—” Lancelot said with a warning as harsh as velvet in her ear, rubbing his cock up against her ass— “but me, remember?”

Ari chuckled lowly despite herself, remembering how much his tongue had boldly ran away from him the last time they fucked. “You don’t need to tell me twice.”

[throped]

The Weeping Queen // Weeping Monk x OC // Chapter 3

This place isn’t so bad. I’ve made friends but also some twats who love to annoy different people. Nimue is going to wield the Sword of Power; I just know it. But other than that stuff, I know everything from how to shoot someone directly in the eye to all the knowledge one could possibly hold. Although I’m a human, every adult in the village accepted me, I was given to them by The Hidden. Apparently I was a gift. I’m a lot older now, 21. I still reminisce about my old world, Earth. I hope that all of this will pay off. The hours and hours I struggled to grasp the knowledge and the hours and hours I sat with the healer because I couldn’t mount a horse back then. Now that I mentioned it, Lenore gave me a horse, he was swift and not to mention a gorgeous grey with black hooves. He is wonderful. I still remember the first day I met him, I was 14, it was exactly a year after I had arrived. I had been walking near around my hut when Nimue arrived, pulling on the horse’s reins as she tried to pull the horse towards me.

“This is a horse mother asked me to give you. She said you deserved it after all the work you’ve been doing,” Nimue spoke as she heaved harder to try and pull him towards me. But to Nimue’s disdain, the horse just wouldn’t move. I just laughed at Nimue’s angered face as she kept on trying to pull on the reins. I carefully made my way to the horse as to not startle him. I told Nimue to give me the reins and to my surprise, the horse licked my left pocket of my long black coat. I got confused until I reached inside and found a little baby carrot in it. I chuckled and handed it to the horse who gobbled it up in mere seconds. Then I pulled on the reins once more and he moved to my desired place. He would listen to all of my commands. I ended up naming the him Raven. He was intelligent for sure, and I was stunned when he always found his way back to me after running around in the woods.        

***

Squirrel came running into the gate as I and Nimue stood talking about her wanting to escape this village. I knew that they didn’t treat her right. Everyone called her a witch when she was just like them but had her share of scars. “Look what I have!” Squirrel jumped. “Where’d you get that from Squirrel, you’re not meant to be stealing!” I scolded him. I shook my head and motioned him to try it if he wanted, I couldn’t care less, as long as he didn’t get hurt. He took a sip and made an awfully good acting face, “little too much,” Squirrel said. I laughed it off as some person came walking and called Nimue a witch. “Piss off you old hag!” Squirrel shouted back. He sure had the guts. I muttered a small, ‘I need to go find Raven,” and smiled.

“There you are, boy,” you called out to Raven, he neighed in response, or just naturally? I don’t know. Well, I sat there feeding him his favourite apples, green apples. He loved green apples and that caused me to like them too. They are sour but they taste amazing. Just as I was about to get another piece to eat myself, Nimue came out of no where with Pym following her behind. “I was chosen by the Hidden,” Nimue mumbled, “and I’m leaving for good, I’m going to board the ship that sails in Gramaire, I never wanted to be chosen anyway,” she added. I suddenly stood up, “Nimue wait-.”

“No Dae, you cannot stop me, I’m going either way,” she said. Pym and I looked at each other. “It’s not that you idiot, we’re coming with you,” I stated. Nimue smiled and quickly packed her things. She’s always wanted to leave this place. I knew that the boat in Gramaire had already left a week ago and wasn’t going to come back for another 6 months but I knew I couldn’t convince Nimue since she would say I’m lying to keep her here. The least I can do is be there when she’s disappointed that the boat has left already.

We set out on our horses. Well, Nimue didn’t have a horse, so she borrowed one from the stables and Pym sat along with her. I took Raven of course, couldn’t leave that horse behind even for a second. As we galloped through the path, Pym kept asking Nimue questions on how we’ll survive. “Do we even have money?” Pym asked. “I have 20 silver, Pym. That’ll be enough to last us a week if we’re lucky,” Nimue replied. I sat on Raven for hours and hours and I probably fell asleep at one point, but I knew Raven wouldn’t drop me. When we finally reached Gramaire, I tied Raven to a stand nearby as well as the other horse Pym and Nimue picked up and ran up to Pym and Nimue who were already at the dock. Nimue asked a guy near us, “Do you know when the ship is mean to arrive?”

“It already left. The next one is going to come six months later,” he said. I knew it. She was sad. “Well, guess I’ll get to keep you for six more months,” Pym tried to lighten the mood. Nimue sighed and motioned for us to follow her back to the horses. I felt bad for Nimue, everyone insulted her and called her a witch when she wasn’t. Just because she’s more connected to this world doesn’t mean you shame her! It’s unfair. I cant even imagine the pain Nimue has to go through.

As we were walking back, Nimue suddenly stopped for a second and looked towards this man preforming a song. He appeared to look towards Nimue too and I was certain Pym saw it too. I didn’t have time for distractions though. I had sword fighting with some of the locals in a day, so I had to go back to prepare. I thought Nimue would just come back after hearing about the boat, but I was wrong. Seems like she’s found someone she’s interested in, so I’ll let her be. She deserves this. While Nimue was staring at the performer, I took a step towards Pym as my cloak followed behind me. “Pym, I trust you to take care of Nimue, it turns out that since we’re not leaving, I have sword fighting in the span of 14 hours. And I need you to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” I said, concerned whether I’d make it or not. “You’re leaving?” Pym asked. “Yes, I see that Nimue has found someone that she may like, I can see it in her eyes. But I have to attend, or the sword fight will be an automatic defeat if I don’t go. And you know that I’ve never lost a sword fight, Pym,” I said. “Okay, I’ll be here for Nimue. But Dae, seriously, travel safe, red paladins could be anywhere,” Pym said. “You think those dimwits can kill me? I’m here to kill them, Pym,” I stated with full confidence. “I know, I know, but just, be safe. Alright?” She said. “Yes, yes Pym, I’ll be fine,” I replied. I waved her a goodbye and wandered off to Raven.

“Hello Raven, Pym and Nimue aren’t coming so it’s just me and you back,” I smiled as if he knew what I was saying. I placed the saddle more securely on Raven’s back and mounted him. I then rode out of Gramaire’s gates and into the woods. It was cloudy and gloomy today, but I could see traces of the sun trying to shine through the clouds. “I hope Nimue and Pym are safe,” I spoke under my breath. I kept riding on the trail until I found myself at the entrance of the woods, I’ve been here for 8 years so I surely know my way around this place. It was part of my studying in the 8 years I’ve stayed here.

I then realised that Red Paladins were attacking other Fey villages and killing them. I hated the red Paladins, I promised myself that if I’d ever see one, they would be dead before they even knew what hit them. But of course, I feel bad for them too, they think we’re monsters. Wait no, they think the Fey are monsters. “You’re a human Dae, you can and never will be Fey,” I said to myself, sighing. I just need to find a way out of this fantasy world, but I fear it will be too late if I stay here too long. I fear that I will make attachments to others just like I’ve done with Nimue and Pym. I kept on riding into the woods until I saw a little clearing where Raven and I rested for the night. I set up a small fire, as to not catch much attention from Paladins because I know that they may be somewhere near here. My fight with locals is going to be fine and honestly, I didn’t need to practise but I was exhausted today. I really didn’t have a proper reason to leave Nimue and Pym in Gramaire, but I couldn’t help feeling like I needed to sleep. Just as my thoughts dimed down a little, my back resting on Raven gave up and I finally fell asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I post everyday now! I'm not sure if people are gonna read this but who cares, I'm still gonna post.

[aceofwhump]

Finally a trailer for Outlander! I'm so excited to get my babies Roger and Bree back, yassss! I missed them. Can't believe there's only one more season after this one :(. P.S unrelated but did Cursed ever get renewed? X

Yes!!!!! And oh my god the trailer gave me chills! It looks so good!! I'm very excited for this new season. Even more so since I haven't read Echo in the Bone all the way through yet so I'm not 100% sure what's gonna happen. I'm excited!

And yay Roger and Bree!!!! I've missed them too!!! And the glimpses of them in the trailer were great!! Roger looks so good with the short hair and beard. Look at them!!!

I am sad there was nothing for Fergus and Marsali in the trailer so I worry we won't see much of them at all this season.

Sadly Cursed did get cancelled and I'm still mourning it. I'm so pissed it got cancelled. I miss it so much. I am posting my Weeping Monk & Gawain fic that starts at the end of the season if you're interested. You can find it here

[thrillofhope]

First Lines

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway ❤️

I was tagged by @iamstartraveller776 and @myrsinemezzo

Galadriel rushes into the restaurant, cheeks pink from the cold and the lingering rage of finding out her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—is married. [On the Twelfth Night, or, Epiphany: How Galadriel Seduced a Priest and Discovered the True Meaning of Christmas; Galadriel x Halbrand; Rings of Power]

Halbrand steps away from the grill, the heat of the kitchen causing sweat to form at his hairline. [Half of My Heart; Galadriel x Halbrand; Rings of Power]

He creeps from the void, drawn to the land made in his likeness. [The Lesser of Two Evils; Galadriel x Sauron; Rings of Power]

“There is no such future,” she denies vehemently. [The Music of the Night; Galadriel x Sauron; Rings of Power]

She had come to convince him. [To Follow the Light; Galadriel x Sauron; Rings of Power]

The door opens. [No Light, No Light; Galadriel x Halbrand; Rings of Power]

“Let me find her, Father,” the Weeping Monk volunteers, thrilled at the challenge, at the opportunity it would present. [In Pursuit; Nimue x the Weeping Monk/Lancelot; Cursed]

They had been traveling for what felt like days. [Accursed Salvation; Nimue x the Weeping Monk/Lancelot; Cursed]

“Perhaps here you can find some peace, Galadriel.” [No One's Here to Sleep {coming soon}; Galadriel x Sauron; Rings of Power]

Finrod Felagund was two thousand three hundred and eighty one years old on the day his body was found split open and strewn before the apothecary’s doorstep. [When the Day Met the Night {coming soon-ish}; Galadriel x Halbrand; Rings of Power]

If you see this and you write fic, drop your first lines!

[beginning-writer]

Cursed X Epic musical

Something that makes sense in my head, but it's also too sad and accurate so i want to share with other people.

I was scrolling through my For You on Tik Tok and a video of a song from the Ithaca saga that wasn't released yet appeared. The song was Penelope's reunion with Odysseus, the last song of the whole musical. And then my Lancewain ass beats me with a: "This is totally Lancelot in every way."

Just listen. (Vídeo belongs to @_kodybread on tik tok)

This is clearly a Weeping Monk having a crisis and questioning his worth, and Gawain is there trying to assure him that despite everything he has value and is worthy of being loved, while hugging him with the greatest amount of force he can without hurting him because Lancelot does not have good mental health and despite the problems, physical contact is important to him when he is in crisis.

Lancelot is clearly crying in Gawain's lap, curled up in a shaking ball in his arms and lap, and questioning every little act of affection he and Squirrel show him cause he is an 'bloody and empty monster'. And then he releases the damned excerpt (obviously adapted from the song's lyrics):

"How could you fall in love whit me, again? If you know all i've done. The things i can not change... How could you love all the same? I know that you've been waiting... Waiting for love..."

And Gawain just hugs him tighter and lists all the reasons he loves him, and every reason he fell in love with Lancelot, the infamous Weeping Monk.

My heart is bleeding so it is my duty to make anyone who reads this post bleed too.

@lancedoncrimsonwings

[everlastingdreams]

Weeping Monk x Reader : The Patience Of A Heart    Chapter 6

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Story Summary: After fire claimed the lives of your family, the monastery of your Uncle Carden becomes your new home. As the niece of a priest you are expected to behave prim and proper, but not even the watchful eyes of the Weeping Monk can see all. An ancient magic returns to life when love and duty begin to blur.

Chapter Title: The Many Faces Of Evil

Notes: Nearly done proofreading the other chapters. Pfew.

Warnings: There's a list of warnings for this story: Murder. Violence. Death. Angst. Sexism. Strong Language. Trauma. Childhood trauma. Survivor's guilt. Mentions of child maltreatment. Threat of Sexual assault. PTSD. Misogyny, Self-flagellation. Gore.

Other warnings: Jealousy. Forbidden Love. Romance. Pining. Smut. Spicy content. Little Slow-burn.

Word count of this fic: +110K

Chapter:  6 / lol Gonna keep the chapter count a secret until the end.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next time you saw the Monk was in the dinning hall that evening.

The soup in front of your nose was slowly getting colder, uncle Carden’s violent response was far from forgotten.

And the fluttering sensation in your stomach had chased away all hunger.

Intense blue orbs were stealing glances at you from across the room, you could feel it…

Taken a sip of water did nothing to calm the nerves that had taken hold, it had never felt like this after a kiss before… not this strong.

Could it even be called such?

Perhaps it was best not to speak of it, what if all it brought was more heartache and the end of a friendship?

Brother Albert, who sat beside you, had no problem drinking his soup, the slurping mixed with those of the other paladins.

You twirled the spoon in your bowl of soup, making it at least look like you were busy with it.

Father Carden took notice and loudly questioned “Dear y/n, I see you have not tasted the soup. Are you ill?”

You barely made eye-contact, feeling stares aimed at you “No, uncle.”

The priest waited for an explanation and saw you stubbornly ignore him “Wh-”

You were quicker “I think I’ll just retreat to my chamber for the night.”

He must have sensed that you were still just as bitter and angry as he was about what happened earlier “Very well.”

It was perhaps petty, but when you moved your chair back, you let the feet of the chair drag sharply over the tile floor.

If they could stand the sound of slurping, they could stand the sharp pitch of the chair too.

The Monk’s hand hid the smirk that was present on his face.

Father would not appreciate the response to your attitude.

Someone was behaving feisty today…

There was a very quick moment of eye-contact between you and the Monk when you loudly put the chair back under the table.

You looked so smug…

He looked quite entertained.

With your head held high, you walked to the door “Goodnight, Brothers?”

It set off a choir of their responses to it, some of the paladins earned a glare from your uncle when they sounded a bit too eager to wish you a good night.

The Monk bit his tongue until you walked past him to the door, he did not lift his eyes from the table and tried to sound almost bored “Rest well, Lady y/n.”

You gave a shallow nod in response and left the room without saying a word to your uncle.

But you did not retreat to your room right away as you had claimed, instead you went outside.

Even though any trips outside the monastery were currently forbidden, a small walk around the building was permitted. With the slap the Monk had received in your stead in mind, you did your best to not agitate uncle Carden further.

With your fingertips dragging along the wall, you continued the walk and enjoyed the seeing the sun going down.

You’d reached the back of the monastery, it didn’t take long to reach another corner but footsteps behind you alerted you to another person’s presence.

A smile grew “Did my uncle order you to keep an eye on me here too?”

It was when the answer did not come that you realized something wasn’t right…

A look over your shoulder confirmed your fear…this was not the Monk but a stranger armed with a sword.

His hand was quick to muffle the scream for help you emitted.

With your nails, you clawed at your assailant’s face. The Fey markings of the Sky Folk rose to the surface of his skin in return.

Fey?

His grasp on you wasn’t strong enough and you broke free.

“HELP!” You screamed and tried to flee, but he grabbed your wrist painfully hard.

“Avo, come help!” The man called for the reinforcement and when he pulled at your wrist, the bangle slipped from it. The silver cut into your skin before it dropped to the grass.

The bastard was trying his best to keep your mouth covered.

You struggled and fought until something struck the side of your head.

After that, all went dark.

“Dammit, Avo! Where were you? That almost went wrong!” Finch quietly snapped at his accomplice.

“I’m sorry, I was getting the wagon closer.” He gave the poor explanation.

Finch ordered the younger one to help drag you off to the wagon “We did it. We’ve got that red priest’s niece. He’ll pay fine coin for her.”

The younger one simple followed the agreed upon plan “And when he does, we’ll let her go?”

Finch brushed it off “We’ll see.”

 ━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

 The absence of Father’s niece came to light when a paladin had went to bring a message and found your room abandoned.

The news reached the Monk first, who had believed you must have been somewhere else in the monastery.

But when he caught the Fey scent nearby, he suspected foul play.

Father was alerted and so were his red brothers.

The search began outside the monastery.

Tracks… three sets of them…

And minutes later, he found the bangle he had gifted you.

Fresh dried blood stained the inside of it, it must have been yours.

He brought it up to his nose when no one saw, detecting the faint scent of the Sky Folk.

The Monk hid the bangle in his pocket and was still kneeling on the grass when Father stopped next to him.

“Found anything?” Father demanded to know.

He pointed at the flattened grass “Tracks. And the scent of Fey kind.”

The priest was not happy to hear it “You believe Fey have taken her?”

The Monk feared it was indeed so “Yes.”

The command came “Find her! And slaughter anyone who has partaken in this!”

It was not necessary to ask, he was already thinking of it “Yes. Father.”

All of a sudden a child approached the monastery, the young boy was stopped by a paladin. A letter was given to the paladin by the boy.

Father Carden had seen it happen and called out to the paladin “What is it?”

The paladin took a quick look at the parchment “A letter Father! It is about Lady y/n!”

He had risen to his feet quickly, but he was still forced to wait until Father had read the letter before the parchment was angrily tossed into his hands.

After reading the vile letter, he swore to find and kill whoever was responsible for this.

 ━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

 You had regained consciousness when they had dragged you into a cave and feared the worst.

With bound hands, the one who had attacked you first had purposely made you trip and fall to the ground.

Torches in the stone lighted the place, it looked like they had been living here for a while.

There was another man, young looking with hair so light it was more white than golden, who looked at you almost apologetically.

The other was far from remorseful, he brushed a hand through his raven hair which betrayed his vanity “Now we wait for an answer.”

Avo thought back to the moment they’d first spoken to the child “You think that boy will come back to us, Finch?”

Finch had forced a Manblood child to deliver the letter with his demands to the priest, he had threatened the child until the boy had bursted into tears.

The situation had seemingly no impact on him, his calm demeanor was unsettling to behold “He’d better. I know where his home is.”

A coldblooded criminal if you’d ever seen one… the other merely an accomplice.

Their attention fell on you again and you demanded answers “Why have you done this? Why am I here?”

Finch’s slender fingers touched your cheek and he found enjoyment in how you recoiled from it “Be still, girl.”

The other chimed in “Your dear old uncle is going to give us what we want if he wants to get you back.”

Finch gave a shallow nod while continuously trying to touch your shoulder or face “You must be worth something to that old bastard. Even if it is just to save his honor, he’ll do what we ask or lose his niece at the hands of the enemy.”

If his demands included stopping the mission, this man would be very disappointed soon “My uncle will not stop what he is doing.”

He cared little for your information “Oh, I know. But we will certainly get the coin we asked.”

Avo tried to keep you calm “It isn’t personal, Miss.”

Finch disagreed on that “It isn’t personal?” he pointed at you rudely “It is personal, Avo! This bitch is Father Carden’s kin! The blood of the Fey is on her hands too!”

You defended yourself against the accusation “I’ve never hurt a Fey!”

The defiance was met by the back of Finch’s hand striking you across the face.

The shock of it was fast to silence you.

Finch lowered himself in front of you “Listen, Manblood. Your uncle has burned our homes and murdered our people. If you weren’t worth something alive, I’d set you aflame right now and leave your burned corpse at Carden’s doorstep. Count your blessings for these final hours, they’ll be over soon.”

He stood abruptly, turning to Avo “Once our demands are met, we’ll return her.”

The younger one inquired innocently “Alive?”

Finch mocked him for thinking it “I didn’t say that.”

Avo sounded uncertain “We would kill her?”

Finch tilted his head and stared at you “Maybe I’ll keep her.” he gripped your chin, forcing you to look at him “Or maybe I’ll send her back after all. With a Fey child growing in her, I bet the priest would go mad.”

The implied threat made it difficult to stay calm.

The younger one quietly uttered his believe “He’d cast her out.”

Finch let go off your chin “Good. Then she’ll know how it feels like.” he snapped his fingers “Stand up, Manblood.”

Your legs were shaking when you rose to your feet, feeling the bruises from the fall.

Avo tried “Finch-”

Finch paid him no mind “Shut it, Avo.”

He came to stand behind you and when his arms moved to your front you felt like shrinking.

The cords of your cloak were untied and he removed it, tossing it across the space.

This felt like he was out to humiliate you.

Right away you crossed your arms over your chest and hugged yourself “Leave me alone.”

He tsked you arrogantly, tapping on the sword at his side to remind you why cooperation was wiser “Don’t be cold. Maybe if you show me that you can be sweet to a Fey, I might change my mind on killing you after this.”

From the corner of your eyes, you saw that Avo was not moving, only watching the bastard bother you.

When no response came, Finch put a hand on your back and let it glide lower.

You kept your composure as good as one could, a plan formed inside your mind.

“Good girl. See that Avo? I think she can play nice if she wants to.” He praised, looking over at Avo who still did not agree with the situation.

Finch circled around to face you and was gentler than expected when cupping your face “No wonder that the Weeping Monk is always near when you are. The priest knew how valuable you would be in the hands of his enemies, of course he ordered his mutt to keep guard.”

But you, you were more aggressive than he expected in response to his words.

Your hands were bound but your knee was free to jerk up and hit him in the groin.

A curse escaped him as he buckled over in pain.

With a simple push, you made him fall into Avo who had gotten closer to help his accomplice.

With the two of them busy, you bolted out of there.

The tunnels of the cave were sometimes narrow and terribly dark, it was a miracle you choose the right ones to find the exit.

A wagon stood outside, the horse’s reins were tied to a tree. Releasing those reins would take too much time, you had to run before they caught up with you.

And so began your aimless escape into the forest.

Dammit, it was cold at night and you could barely see, the moon was mostly hidden behind the clouds.

The sound of their voices was reaching you as they began their chase.

Arriving at a small river stream, you were forced to find away around it or follow it.

Time was not your friend and following it was the option chosen.

In your hurry, you did not spot the animal trap on the ground and the moment you stepped on the hidden rope, it went off.

The rope caught you by the ankle and pulled your leg from under you, you hit the ground hard, leg dangling from the branch of a tree.

Shit.

It had been meant for an animal to be caught with, luckily it wasn’t build to pull you higher.

Still it proved a pain to untie the knot in the rope, the bound hands only made it worse.

The rustling of leaves alerted to the presence of others.

Finch mocked you right away “Well, well, looks like you got yourself into some trouble.” he knelt down beside you while Avo approached the scene “You haven’t been very nice to me. If you weren’t worth coin, I’d leave you for the wolves.”

You were stuck sitting on the ground “I’d prefer them over your company!”

The short laugh that escaped the youngest only made Finch glare back at him.

Finch drew his sword, swung and cut through the rope close to your ankle.

It had nearly cut you…

Roughly he pulled you from the ground “Get up! We aren’t done with you, Manblood.”

You were shoved into Avo’s hands by him, who kept a firm hold but not as rough as his comrade.

Not much later, you were back in that cave. Finch had bound your ankles together too before he left you alone with Avo to see if that child had returned to their meeting place yet.

Avo used his sword to sharpen a branch to pass the time.

Minutes passed before you dared to try and reason with him “Your friend is making a grave mistake. My uncle knows no mercy, if he knows that you have taken me, they will burn you for it.”

His attention did not lift from the steel “That priest won’t spare us either way. When we have the coin, we can leave these lands.”

The fact that he was calmer made you more confident “Please, you’re friend will kill me. I never believed that the Fey were evil and I don’t believe you to be either. Let me go, I will not tell anyone what has happened.”

Avo turned his attention to you “You don’t believe me to be evil?”

You shook your head.

His eyes dropped to the sword again “You’re wrong. Ever since the war began, I have killed to survive, I have killed for coin. There is evil to be found all around us, remember that. And if Finch kills you, I’ll stand beside him still.”

The hope that he was a better person went and left you, the only difference between them was the patience the younger one showed.

Finch returned looking displeased while informing the younger one “No sign of the boy.”

Avo began to worry “Surely the priest will pay for her?”

It came out like he had already thought it through “He will. Or she’ll pay for wasting our time. We wait ‘till tomorrow at noon, then we’ll decide.”

Like a scorned child, Finch walked up to you while you were sitting and pushed you over.

You landed on your side “Bastard!”

For a second it looked like he wanted to hit you again, instead he knelt down and pulled you upright by the rope at your wrists “You had your chance to play nice, remain quiet. Do as you’re told.”

You spat in his face and saw him recoil.

He immediately stood up and wiped his face clean, bitterly exclaiming “So be it.”

Finch reached down to grab you but this time Avo let his disapproval be known “Enough, Finch. She’s not worth the hassle.”

It halted him, after a second of thought he agreed and let you be “I’m going to get some sleep. Keep watch, Avo.”

Avo simply gave a nod, growing visibly agitated with this behavior.

And still he refused to help…

  It had not been your intention to fall asleep, you just wanted to shut your eyes for a moment. And still you had gone into a shallow slumber.

The dream you had was strange, you had dreamed of incomprehensible whispers…

It was odd.

Where your sleep had been peaceful, your awakening was not.

One moment you were sleeping on the ground, the next the ropes at your ankles were cut loose and you were pulled roughly to your feet.

When you blinked to focus your eyes, you thought it had all been a nightmare.

The Monk stood not far away, sword drawn.

It was the fresh blood staining the steel that made you aware that all of it had been real, it took another second to understand why he wasn’t coming closer.

The cold steel of a knife was against your throat.

Finch held you in his grasp, using you as a shield between himself and the Monk “Come any closer and you’ll be returning a corpse to the priest.”

It slipped from the Monk “Yes. Yours.”

Your abductor was not amused by it in the slightest “I hope you have brought the coin I asked for. By the looks of that sword, I take it that you have made me the sole recipient of the payment?”

He had lured the man out of the cave before dealing with him, now there was only one left and this bastard did not look shocked to learn that his accomplice was dead.

His voice dropped significantly “There will be no payment, the Church does not negotiate with the enemy.”

Finch made you lean more against him by moving the knife closer, his breath was so close to your ear that you wanted to squirm away from it “Unfortunately, I do not either. I am walking out of here with her, if you try to stop me I’ll cut her throat.”

This scum was behaving far too familiar with you and he hated the sight of it, hated to see how desperate you were to get away from it.

The Monk locked eyes with you, discreetly he let his gaze flick to the stone wall where the torch was.

Oh?

Finch moved a step back with you, his back facing the wall while his attention remained fixed on the Monk.

It dawned on you that the Monk was moving the way that he was with a purpose, it was a form of manipulating the direction that Finch was moving in.

Soon Finch had nearly gotten past him completely, then the Monk locked eyes with you again and gave a quick nod.

It was the signal for you to step back into Finch’s chest, it forced him back and the flame of the torch on the wall spread to his vest, the flames rose to his face almost instantly.

You were pulled to safety not a blink of an eye later by the Monk, he moved you to get behind him.

He was vigilant until he saw the flames overtake the bastard.

To him this was nothing new, but you did not want to hear the screams or see the result.

You pulled at the Monk’s sleeve “Lancelot…”

He would have stayed and watched the bastard burn.

Instead he found himself cutting the rope loose that bound your wrists. Then he took your hand in his and leaded you out of the place.

On your way out, you had to step over the body of Avo who had met his end by the Monk’s sword “You found me…”

It had not been easy, he had to ask the child who had brought the letter where they were to meet with your abductors again. The boy had not been there on the meeting spot, but he was. He had followed the man, who now burned, to the cave.

He wrapped an arm around you, placing a hand on your shoulder to keep you walking beside him, concern filled him “Are you alright?”

You nodded but could see him scan your features.

Dawn was still to come, but even in the dark he could see a bruise forming on your cheek “They hit you.”

The hidden fury in his voice was undeniable and maybe he could even feel how much you were shivering “He did.”

He was quiet for a couple of steps while leading you to Goliath “Did anything else happen?”

The sight of that man acting indecent with you was gnawing at him. They had been alone with you for hours…

You were halted by him and he inspected you for any other visible injuries.

The bruise was visible, he took the liberty of touching your neck to inspect it. Next were your hands, the cut the bangle had caused had long since stopped bleeding.

“May I?” He inquired and let his fingers touch your sleeve.

After nodding, he moved your sleeves up one at a time, finding numerous bruises.

Some were clearly caused by a rough grasp, others perhaps a fall?

It surprised even yourself to see the amount of fresh bruising “The one who threatened to kill me was rough. I tried to escape not long ago, I fell after my ankle got stuck in an animal trap and they caught me again.”

That pulled his eyes up to yours again, having heard of such traps “If it was one of those traps I know of, you are lucky to still have your foot.”

Well, the force of it had caused a nasty fall “It does hurt.”

Without thinking, you bent and reached down to move your dress up a little to inspect your ankle.

He did a sharp inhale of air, not knowing where to look.

Then came your question “Does it look bruised? Maybe it’s broken.”

He could not see if it was if he kept looking at the trees…

And you sounded quite worried about it…

When he knelt down, you were taken aback by it.

Not once did he touch your bare lower leg, he did reach with the tips of his fingers but waited until you turned your foot yourself “It does not look broken. I can see the marks the rope left, I would expect it to show a bruise tomorrow. Does it burn?”

You pointed at the spot that burned “A bit, yes. Here.”

Cautiously his fingers touched the spot on your calf, the rope must have given a firm pull.

Was it swollen?

Concern made him bolder, he was trying to feel if there was swelling.

Your hand landed on his shoulder for balance “Uhm…Lancelot.”

Immediately he removed his hand from you and rose from the ground, having heard the pitch in your voice.

The apology was stammered “I am sorry. Forgive me, Lady y/n. It was not my intention to-”

You interrupted him “It’s alright. You did nothing wrong, I asked to look. I just…” there was a pause “…did not expect for you to be brave enough, usually you’re more reserved.”

Again he folded his hands behind his back to hide the fidgeting.

It was the slow blinking that accompanied your sweet smile that kept his gaze in your power.

That sweet smile made your mouth curve so alluringly, his thoughts went back to what had happened in the stables.

He avoided thinking of it too much, believing it had been an impulse you now regretted.

He reached into his pocket and pulled the silver bangle out, of course the blood was wiped off from it “I believe you lost this?”

You saw an opportunity and replied “No. I got bored of it and tossed it.”

It was no use, he saw right through the jest and handed it back to you.

You slipped the bangle on “Back there, you said the Church would not negotiate with the enemy. My uncle would have let me die?”

He did not dare answer that.

It was evasive “Father send me to find you.”

You understood it was difficult for him to speak ill of your uncle “But without the coin, they were going to kill me.”

He hoped his words would ease your mind “Coin or not, I will always come for you. No threat can stop me from doing so.”

It felt good to hear that someone still cared enough to just at least try to save you.

You pretended to question it “Even if my uncle tells you to just let me die in the future?”

Never had you seen a man move his hand so slowly to your arm, cautious fingers curled around it.

That slow nod meant more than any answer he could have verbally given. He would go against orders to keep you safe…

The hand moved to your back, a light push had you walking next to him again.

His palm hovered over your back until it was withdrawn completely again.

You came to a halt beside his horse and looked uncertain.

Without thinking he commented “Forgotten how to ride a horse?”

It earned him quite the look “Were you too distracted by my leg to notice my swollen ankle?”

He chewed his words while looking off into the trees again “If you need help getting up. Ask.”

Sarcasm dripped from your voice “Nah, I’ll just risk breaking my neck.”

When you actually went to mount alone, he was quick to be at your side to scold you for it “If you break your neck, I will lose mine.”

You mimicked his voice quietly.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and held on to your elbow “Come here.”

With a little help, you did manage to crawl up the horse, although it had not been very graceful.

You combed your fingers through the horse’s mane “I’m sorry about that.”

The Monk got up on the horse as well to sit behind you “It is alright.”

You withheld a laugh “I was talking to your horse, Lancelot.”

He did not let it shake him and quipped back “Unfortunately, Goliath cannot share with us his opinion on the dreadful way you just crawled on.”

The mumbled retort came fast “Or his opinion on his dreadful owner.”

A shit-eating grin grew on his face, he should be heading back to the monastery faster but he let Goliath keep a normal walking pace “Pardon?”

You simply looked back at him and arrogantly arched a brow, then proceeded to ignore him to pet Goliath again.

Not a second later, the Monk’s hand was on yours to replace it on the withers of the horse and he let you in on a little secret “He enjoys to be scratched there.”

Following the instruction, you scratched the spot “So that’s the secret?”

He wasn’t even aware that there was a charming smile playing on his lips “That and caring for him for years.”

You looked back at him again, matching the smile with your own “Is that what you intend to do with me too?”

Even though it sounded like it sounded partly sincere, he chose to continue jesting “The scratching or the caring?”

A laugh fell out of you “The caring!”

The Monk kept his composure “Well, when we get back, I will leave you in the stables and come to care for you in the morning like I do with Goliath.”

The cheekiness was greatly amusing “How dare you!”

When he leaned forward, it was to bump his chest into you on purpose “Is that not what you wanted?”

You scoffed, fighting the smile “I wonder what is stopping me from pushing you off this horse and ride off alone.”

There was the smuggest smirk and his voice deepened audibly “I am.”

Without looking back, you replied honest “No. It’s my attachment to you that is saving you.”

It brought him great delight to hear it.

He leaned back, straightening himself in the saddle, still jesting “So… I am?”

It still meant he himself was the reason you weren’t shoving him off the horse.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head “Shut up…”

Together you rode back to the monastery, arriving along with the dawn.

   Taglist:

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Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist of this story.

[lancedoncrimsonwings]

I'm so down bad for Gwayne Hightower yet absolutely cannot allow myself to write a purely Gwayne centric fic until I have at least part one of my Lancewain (Gawain The Green Knight x Lancelot The Weeping Monk) fic that I mayhaps have written him in as an OC... whoops.

You tell me these two wouldn't immediately hate each other.

And Lancelot would probably find that quietly amusing...

[jplupine]

In the Wolf's Den: Chapter 6

Pairing: The Weeping Monk x Devin [Nonbinary Fey OC] Word Count: ~3.7k WARNINGS: 18+ Minors/Ageless get blocked, Exophilia, Feral Behavior, Angst, Religious Trauma, Little Spot of Fluff, Brief Nudity

Summary: A trip to the Wolf Folk village before a hawk brings a letter.

You can also read it on AO3!

Masterlist | Chapter 6:

  After Squirrel had returned with his new stick, Lancelot went straight to brushing down Goliath. He didn't look at anyone but at least acknowledged the boy and told him they would resume training once Goliath had been seen to. Squirrel didn't seem to pick up on the shift of Lancelot's behavior at all.

  When the man had finally stopped crying, he seemed to snap out of whatever state he was in and couldn't look me in the eye anymore. If I could guess at anything, I would assume Lancelot was embarrassed by his actions.

  Squirrel, on the other hand, was excited to hear I would be taking him to the Wolf village tomorrow. He would have to bathe and put on a clean set of clothes first, of course. If anyone caught my scent on him, it would give me away no matter how I disguised myself.

  Once I'd told him some more about the village, he'd run off back outside since Lancelot had finished brushing Goliath. I listened from inside the cave as the man instructed the boy while my mind wandered.

  All he had ended up confessing to me wasn't something I could easily brush off. He had laid bare his truth and his confliction. I didn't even know how to feel about being told I, in many ways, showed more of his God's grace than his own Father Carden.

  Of course, I wasn't showing his God's grace- I did not believe nor ascribe to that religion. However, Lancelot still did, and that was what he felt to be true. And there was some humor to be found in it all as well. I'd been concerned I was too harsh on him, that my crueler choice words would drive him right back to the church, only to learn the opposite to be true.

  That I was leading him out of the darkness.

  I also now understood his reactions to the story of the first Wolf Folk. The she-wolf of that story had her prayers answered and found a new home while Lancelot's prayers were met with silence and his own fear of damnation.

  Rising from the water, I took a breath while pushing my hair out of my face. Birds flew by overhead as there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Hearing the woods and the running water of the river was rather calming.

  Standing there in the river that came up to my hips, I lazily ran my fingers through the cool water. The sun felt wonderful on my skin since it wasn't too hot out. The chill of winter would be coming around the corner, so it was best to relish in this weather while it still lasted.

  My ears flicked back, catching the sound of foliage rustling. The movement was quiet, so I doubted it was a human with how loud they could be in the woods. Looking over my shoulder to check, I stretched out my claws just in case.

  "I brought the change of clothes you asked for. I cannot fathom how you plan to make them fit...." Lancelot trailed off as he stopped in his tracks. He carried a pile of folded clothes with him that he was now gripping so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

  I rose a brow since he'd gone silent, and Lancelot quickly turned his face toward the sky as his face bloomed bright red.

  "I didn't know you were already in the river, I swear." He said rather quickly before spinning on his heel to turn his back on me.

  "You have seen me naked before, Lancelot. There is no need to be bashful now." I chuckled while seeing how red his ears were getting.

  "As I have told you many times, I was not myself then. I-It is sinful to-"

  "Not a woman, remember?"

  "It doesn't matter. One is not supposed to look upon the nude form of another."

  "Unless they are married."

  "Yes. Wait, how do you know that?" His head slightly turned, but he kept facing the woods.

  "Wisdom of the Ravens, remember?"

  "I remember."

  "So you seriously cannot look at me?" I crossed my arms while tilting my head. "Even though you have been balls deep inside of me many times before?"

  "Y-Yes." Lancelot dropped his gaze to the ground as he shifted his weight on his feet. "That is also....very sinful." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Even more sinful, actually." He added, speaking barely over a whisper.

  With his head tilted down, I could see how the back of his neck flushed. The man's face had to be as red as a ripe tomato by now. This was so different from before, and I couldn't help but find it amusing.

  "Then how do you expect to give me those clothes if you cannot even look at me?"

  "Turn around."

  "Turn around?"

  "With your back to me. I will set them down near yours."

  "All right, then." I said but didn't move an inch. I wanted to see how he was going to do this without looking at me since my clothes were piled on the edge of the river right in front of me.

  "Have you turned?"

  "Yeah, yeah. Just set the clothes down." Lancelot hesitated even after I gave him the go-ahead. When he turned, his eyes landed right on me- my chest specifically.

  "Jesus Christ-!" He hissed as he jerked his head back in the direction of the woods. I burst into laughter, finding his reaction utterly ridiculous. I understood my heat made him throw away chastity and modesty, but I didn't have anything he hadn't already seen. "This is not funny."

  "Oh, but it is. You have seen my body both in bed and in your head, but now you avert your gaze like a blushing maiden?"

  "I was raised devout Christian. Nudity is not....commonplace. I also see you lack modesty whether in heat or not."

  "Oh, you see, huh?" I laughed, watching his shoulders rise.

  "You know what I mean, Devin." My ears twitched as my smile fell. Even after calling him Lancelot for this long, he had never said my name in turn.

  Until now.

  A tingle went up my spine as I found myself quite liking how his voice said my name. Swallowing, I briefly glanced away before regaining my composure.

  "Fine. I won't do it again." I said before lowering myself into the water up to my chin. "Okay, I promise you can turn around now without seeing me naked." Lancelot was even more reluctant to turn now, but he eventually did, and my mouth went under the water.

  He really was as red as a tomato. He was also quick to set the clothes down before rushing off back into the woods. Standing back up once he was no longer in view, I grabbed the soap among my belongings.

  Once I was done bathing in the river, I wrung out as much water as possible from my hair and fur. Picking up Lancelot's shirt first, I sniffed at it to make sure my own scent wasn't on it. However, his strongly was. How was it he could smell like this?

  Bringing the garment closer to my face, I deeply inhaled through my nose. I was picking up so many things on the shirt, most of which were just him. It was such a nice scent, though, and my tail began to wag.

  I didn't care this time- It wasn't as if anyone could see it.

  My ears twitched again before swiveling, hearing incoherent whispers in the woods around me. Lowering the shirt, I quickly looked around as I was on high alert. However, when I saw nothing, I realized the whispers came from the Hidden.

  It wasn't often that I heard them. But when I did, it seemed to be at the most random of times. Now included.

  Sighing through my nose, I pulled the shirt over my head before grabbing the trousers. Lancelot had thankfully brought a belt as well that I used to keep the pants on my hips. The clothes were indeed too big for me, but simply rolling up the pant legs fixed the length issue.

  Draping the cloak over my shoulders, I made sure to tie it on tight. I didn't want it to fall off at the worst possible moment. I left my hair down to air dry as I carefully gathered up my things and carried them at arm's length back to the cave.

  Lancelot wasn't there when I returned, and I didn't pay it much mind given what happened earlier. After dropping my clothes on my bed, Squirrel and I left to have time to get to the village and back before nightfall.

  "Do we really have to leave after we get the sword?" Squirrel asked as we were riding together on Goliath.

  "I do plan to get some supplies and food. There's a vendor here that sells the best roasted elk I have ever had." I replied while seeing the village up ahead.

  "How do you even have money if you don't work?"

  "I work." My brows furrowed as I looked at Squirrel. "I've been working this entire time."

  "How? You go nowhere, and no one comes to your cave."

  "Well, my pelts sell mainly in the fall and winter. I provide my own food most of the year to save money, and in the summer and spring, I sell herbs from the woods. Those bundles you saw me prepping to dry- did you think I was keeping all of them?"

  "You have a lot of bottles with dried plants in them. How was I supposed to know?" Squirrel's response made me chuckle. Dismounting from Goliath, I then held up my hand to help the boy down.

  He took my hand before hopping off of the large horse to the ground. Grabbing Goliath's reins, we then walked into the village together. My hood was low to cover my face, and being covered in Lancelot's scent seemed to be working so far.

  The village was alive with chatter and laughter. Children ran around, chasing each other or their toys. Squirrel was lit up with interest as his eyes took in everything around him.

  The last time he had been anywhere full of people like this was Gramaire. However, Gramaire was very different from a Wolf Folk village.

  "Stay out of trouble, and you can explore." I turned Squirrel around to make him face me as I leaned down. Pulling a few coins from my pocket, I held them out for him to take. "No mischief, you hear?"

  "I hear." He grinned while taking the coins.

  "Either wait here when you are done, or I will find you when I am."

  "Okay." Squirrel nodded, and I ruffled his hair before he ran off. I didn't have to worry about his safety- he was a Sky Folk boy, and this was a village of wolves. He stuck out in the crowd, and children here were raised with the aid of the community, meaning no matter where he went in the village, someone would have an eye or ear out for him.

  Not to mention if he got into trouble, he was scrappy and loud. It would be impossible for no one to notice.

  Leading Goliath further into the village, I noticed there were a handful of other Fey present as well. From where I stood, I could see a few Snake Clan and a couple of Tusks. Had some refugees found their way here?

  Walking on, I soon found myself standing outside a familiar home. Taking in a deep breath, I pondered a little longer on whether or not I should turn back now. I already came this far, though.

  Tying Goliath's reins to a post, I pat the horse's neck.

  "Wish me luck, would ya?" I whispered. As if understanding, he nickered. "Thanks." I chuckled before nervously straightening out the oversized shirt as I walked toward the front door.

  Knocking, I waited for the door to open. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I hadn't seen my family in a few years and wasn't sure how much had changed or if anything had at all.

  "Hello?" My mother's face was the first one I saw. She glanced at the horse from over my shoulder before looking at me with confusion. "Can I help you?"

  "Can I come in first?" I asked in a soft tone while raising my hood to where only she could see my face. She took in a sharp breath before grabbing me by the shirt and yanking me inside. The door slammed shut, and I had to catch my balance to keep from falling on my face. "Wanna yank a little harder next time, Ma?"

  "What in the world are you doing here, Devin? You know you-"

  "Relax. Not even you recognized me."

  "Because you smell like a-" This time she cut herself off as her burnt orange eyes narrowed at me. She stepped closer, sniffing at me while I pushed the hood off of my head. "You smell like a man and definitely not even a wolf." Her tone sharpened. "Who is it this time, huh?"

  "You make it sound like I'm promiscuous. And it is not what you think. This is just a disguise."

  "From?"

  "A friend." I replied while glancing around. There were some new things like a replaced table and blooming herbs hanging from the ceiling. "Oh, you managed to find some of these this late in the season? And this big?" Delicately touching the pale blue flowers surrounded by greenery, I could feel my mother's gaze cutting through me. "What?"

  "Devin, I have missed you so, but you know it is not safe for you to come here."

  "My family is worth the risk. Where's Pa?"

  "He should be back any minute."

  "Okay, I get your concern, but why am I getting such attitude?" I gestured at my mother while looking at her expression and body language.

  "Because you never wrote."

  "I wasn't sure any of you would want me to." I admitted. "After everything happened, I had no clue where I stood."

  "Oh, Devin." Ma heavily sighed before she pulled me into a warm hug. "You are still a part of this family."

  "Even after the shame I brought? I remember how Pa nearly burst a vein."

  "Yes, even after." Ma pulled away and held me at arm's length. "Your sister is pregnant, by the way."

  "Cara? Pregnant? Shit, since when?" I asked as my eyebrows rose high on my forehead.

  "We found out last month. She'll be due next summer." Ma chuckled.

  "Is she joined too?"

  "Two years ago."

  "Two years?" I had to sit down as I rubbed my forehead. "Fuck. What about Darragh? Ciaran?"

  "Darragh is to be joined this winter, and Ciaran is....Ciaran." Ma softly laughed while taking a seat next to me at the table. "That boy may never settle down."

  "It has only been a few years." I mumbled.

  "A lot can happen in that time, Devin. What of you? Joined? Expecting? Planning?"

  "Nothing of the sort." I waved my hand as my brows furrowed.

  "Still courting, then?" Ma quirked up a brow at me as she glanced down at my clothes again.

  "I told you, these are just from a friend for a disguise. I swear I am not with anyone."

  "At least half my children are growing to be fine adults. I would have preferred better odds."

  "Oh, come off it. I fare well for myself."

  "You smell like a man you swear is not your partner, who is clearly Fey, but I cannot even tell what kind, and you even have the scent of a Sky Folk on you."

  "The two are temporarily in my care. The Sky Folk is a boy with the foulest mouth I have encountered a child having."

  "Fouler than you?" Ma joked, and we both laughed. "So what is it you do now? Are you a healer?"

  "Not really. I have had to use your teachings, though. I still deal in pelts and sell herbs."

  "Then why are the two you insist on being vague about in your care?"

  "I agreed to provide them shelter until they can regroup with their people."

  "The paladins?" Ma gave a knowing look, and I nodded. She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Horrid, those men are. We have been lucky thus far."

  "Do you not worry how long that will last?"

  "It is ever-present in our minds. Nearly everyone in the village has made plans for a quick escape shall the need ever arise." Ma reached across the table to take my hand in hers. "I know you want to ask."

  "....What of Odhran and Liam?"

  "Odhran is still alone." Ma's tone was somber. "His broken heart has taken some time in healing."

  "I did not intend to hurt him so."

  "I know." Ma nodded while rubbing her thumb over my knuckles. "Liam.... Well," She sighed. "he is joined and has a litter." I ran a hand through my hair while sighing.

  "I really was a fool."

  "You cannot blame yourself, child. You do not choose who you love."

  "Yeah, but clearly Odhran would have been the wiser choice. At least he loved me so deeply to still be heartbroken after all this time. And I would still be with my family."

  "The past has happened. You were young and following your heart."

  "Of which I will never do again."

  "Try not to speak too soon." Ma gently squeezed my hand. "The heart can lead to wonderful things."

  "Aileen? Whose horse is that?" Pa's voice called out as the front door opened. He was still looking at Goliath as he stepped inside. When he turned, I saw the confused look on his face before it quickly turned to shock at seeing me.

  "Hi, Pa." And the door slammed shut.

  Storing the bought supplies into Goliath's saddlebags, I made sure nothing was going to fall out. I was glad to have gotten time with my parents even if I missed seeing my siblings. However, Ma and Pa had told me stories well enough about them to help me catch up on what I had missed.

  And now that I had finished getting what I needed, I had to go find Squirrel. Calmly walking with the horse, I didn't want to draw attention to myself nor come off as suspicious. Acting as if I were simply passing through as some others were was enough to keep my identity hidden.

  Lancelot's scent threw other people off so much that they would never guess it was me under the hood. I had known these vendors, grown up with them and around them, but no one could tell who I was. I wasn't too surprised by that since not even my own mother had been able to recognize me.

  I eventually found Squirrel sword fighting with another boy around his age. He looked as if he was having fun and winning while the Wolf Boy was asking where he learned to fight as he did.

  "Squirrel!" I called out to get his attention. "It's time to go." He nodded to me before turning back to the kids he was with to say his goodbyes. They were all waving and bidding him farewell as he ran my way. "Have fun?"

  "Yeah." He had such a bright smile. Storing his wooden sword away in his belt, Squirrel then looked up at me with his hands on his hips. "Now, where is this roasted elk you mentioned before?"

  "Work up an appetite training?" I softly laughed while leading the way to where I remember the vendor being.

  "Wolf kids are a lot faster than I thought they would be."

  "Make any friends?"

  "Maybe."

  "Maybe is not a no."

  "We are getting some for Lancelot, too, right?"

  "Of course. Don't want him to get moody as he does for being left out." I joked.

  "....Either you are really good at hiding how you feel, or you really don't want to stab him anymore." Squirrel's words made me look at him with a twisted expression.

  "What?"

  "Lancelot. You haven't glared at him in a while now. Also, you care about how he feels."

  "I do not-"

  "'Don't want him to get moody as he does'." Squirrel mocked me while waving his hand. Rolling my eyes, I looked ahead of us as I could smell cooking meat.

  "Why do you want me to like him so much?"

  "So that I'm not the only one who does. He could use more people that like him." He answered. "Nimue said that even if you are lost, so long as you have people that care about you, you will find your way home."

  "Those are some wise words."

  "Mm-hm." Squirrel hummed. Reaching the roasted elk vendor, I bought three portions before leaving the village and heading back home.

  Riding in quiet, I contemplated what Squirrel had said. He'd clearly grown more attached to Lancelot. However, I could understand why. Beneath the Weeping Monk was a man worth redeeming. It was a source of my own confliction how Lancelot could be so kind and concerned and yet have the blood of only gods know how many Fey on his hands.

  My ears twitched when I heard the call of a hawk. Looking toward the sky, I had to quickly raise my arm when a bird flew down right at us. The hawk landed on my arm as Squirrel twisted in his seat to look.

  "There's something tied to its leg." He stated before reaching up to untie what was no doubt a letter from the bird's leg. As soon as he had it in his hands, the bird flew off. "It's from Arthur."

  "And?" I rose a brow to encourage him to say more about what he was reading.

  "And I hope you have money for a horse."

  "....What?"

[nemofil]

I HAVE A THING TO WORK ON BUT I, GENUINELY CANNOT STOP THINKING OF THIS

within time, an achievement you get for finishing a hunter run by ascending. (i mean, you don't have much routes besides ascension anyway gdhsdhd)

notice the monk glyph here. i think it's like, dubiously confirmed to mean peace/enlightenment at this point.

the little tail/point thing is something you find in the saint's glyph,

and... i'm not entirely sure what it means. like, why is that there.

perhaps it's... a peaceful passing? hm.

the fact that the survival part of the saint's glyph isn't there could also mean something... let me illustrate

okay, i got a little carried away. i also noticed that the ascension glyph has the X pretty neatly contained inside the circle, while within time has it quite out there. i took this as meaning that the ascension wasn't peaceful at all, the thought of it being a bit of a weight on the soul. and fuck man did i ever tell you that i'm such a massive hunter stan

if you take the karma 5 mural into it, the middle part of the survivor glyph could represent a person, the two other lines being symbolism for defending yourself.

the saint's glyph with that context would be something like, defending yourself peacefully? like, in a non-confrontational way. no fighting back. which makes sense, given what you have to do to earn the achievement in the first place.

in short, within time's glyph could be interpreted as "a woeful soul crossed out for peace" or "a pacifistic soul's regretful passing" and that makes me weep like a little bitch. the point here, the sacrifice/ascension is so, so much heavier than the peace. it feels like a burden, something forced because of an unfortunate development.

now i could be entirely wrong and insane, but it plays really nicely for my headcanons for hunter and that means it's 100% canon and intentional in my eyes :3 /lighthearted

okay bye i need to do Duties... but augh man i love hunter so so much

[violetvapours]

@lokiinmediasideblog Whump is always good. That's amazing Loki inspired you to start writing!

My pattern is 4 Lokis and a Squirrel; in medias res, protagonist usually talking, walking, or dying:

'When do we start?'

- Spellbreaker (Insomniac!Loki x Bedwarmer!Sigyn)

Loki sat slyly surveying the band of freaks assembled in the bizarre airship on which he was held hostage.

- Blood Of A God (Scepter!Loki x Vampire!Sigyn)

Loki returned from Muspelheim over his brother's shoulder, his blood darkening Thor's cape to a deeper shade of crimson.

- Sanguine (King!Loki x Bloodwitch!Sigyn)

Loki prowled the crowded decks of the Statesman, his roving gaze narrowed in search of his wife.

- Queen Takes King (Bratty Sub Loki x Switch Sigyn)

Loki strode the length of the great hall at a leisurely stroll, jaw sharp with a determined smirk as he watched the shockwave that rippled along the rows of noble faces to the two stunned gods crowning the dais.

- Infinite Fidelity (Variant!Loki x Villain!Sigyn)

'- He is not a Paladin, they tried to kill him! He's Fey, his name is Lancelot and he saved me! You have to help him!'

- Altar In Ashes (The Weeping Monk x Fey Healer!OC)

Not sure who'd like to be tagged anymore so open tags to writer moots 💜

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Lol. There IS a pattern! My fics usually start with someone experiencing discomfort, either mental or physical. I also typically use short choppy sentences to begin fics.

Thanks for tagging me @your-dark-thor

I only have 5 fics. Lol. Posted from oldest to newest.

Repeat Offender (dark!Lokius)-First fic I've ever written. It's "ID: L-1130" because I start with a pretend intake form. After the "intake form" it's : "After his brief attempt to elope with the other variant, L-1130 remained uncooperative and provided no information regarding the rogue variant’s whereabouts despite multiple rounds of kicks to the groin, courtesy of the Lady Sif."

Electric Eye (Gen)-"Heimdall closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his ear ducts."

Ambrosia (Lokius (mostly), minor Sylki)-"His thoughts were too noisy. "

Would You Still Love Me, Anyway? (Sylki AU)-"For as long as he could remember, Loki coveted."

Scorchmarks (Gen)-"Loki’s skull throbbed and his eyes felt dry no matter how much he closed them. "

No pressure tags @nostalgia-tblr @queen-of-meows @pennie-dreadful @sylvies-kablooie @bisexual-panic @theneonghosts @tyrannuspitch @violetvapours

[captainbucky-yt]

"You're Not what I Was Looking For"

-- The Weeping Monk x OC (fem)

Chapter 66: queen of all [x]

Chapter Summary: One evening gives Lancelot and Ari a chance to be free. Old secrets come to light.

Content Warning: -/-

Masterlist: [x]

Taglist: @trenko-heart @nike90 @moonlightaura03 (if you want to be added/removed let me know)

Exert:

Kaze eyed Lancelot for every step, all along the corridor as if ensuring that he did not think about coming back.

“How long has that been going on?” Kaze asked after she shut the door with more grace this time. Her voice was softer than Ari had anticipated.

She moved to Henry’s gift draping from the upright partition, trying to avoid the burning gaze of her friend. But she couldn’t. There was nowhere for her to hide from the truth. 

The answer Kaze was looking for wasn't so straightforward. Since their first kiss? Since Lancelot pulled her from the river? Since the first flutter she'd felt in her body when he was around?

“Since before we arrived at the forest.” Her fingertips ghosted over velvety fabric.

“That long?” Kaze gawked.

Ari nodded, turning towards the bed. She sat, tucking one leg up beneath her, not fully able to meet Kaze’s eyes. She wasn’t prepared to be judged for who she loved today— and Kaze was no stranger to making her talk.

Her friend strolled her way across the room, the weight of her examining gaze prickling awareness on Ari’s skin. “I knew that there was something more to your friendship.”

Fiddling with the laces of her boot on the bed, Ari pushed a tired smile, her chin tucking down toward her chest. It seems that even Kaze had not been fooled by their facades.