#then a huge celebration is held since the baby survived and all those rules go away

[shipping-all-ships]

I’m wondering if I’ll need a “pureblood culture” for my fic because aside from the rules and rituals for babies, nothing else is really mentioned except in passing.

[merkissescanhealyou]

About

Edited on 12/3/2019; partial credit to sharp-eyes-sharper-teeth for the blood ritual idea.

Name:  Marius

Age:  35

Sex:  Agender/Intersex (prefers male pronouns)

Height:  5'8.5"

Weight:  183 lbs.

Blood type:  ???

Species:  Merfolk

Sexual preference:  Polyam homosexual

Birthday:  July 18th, xxxx (He doesn’t know what day he was born)

Voice claim:  Mitch Grassi

-Background-

Marius was born somewhere in the Pacific ocean to strict parents. He grew up with the idea that humans are dangerous and to never go near them. His parents, Cyreus and Talia, forbade him from wandering too far from the reef and expected him to follow each and every one of their rules. They wanted to shape him into the mer they wanted, fit the mold to their standards, but Marius was rebellious and wanted nothing to do with them. Unbeknownst to him, they arranged a marriage for him when he was just an infant. So he grew up without the knowledge of this traditional duty.

He was quite different from his brethren. He was born with the gift to heal with a kiss. Mers with powers such as this are revered as valuable and a great asset to their clans and communities. His parents wanted him to become a healer for the mers of his clan, but Marius wanted no part in that. If anything, the sea creatures treated him better than his own parents. He thought, maybe he could heal the wildlife instead.

By age 19, Marius was fed up of his parents and the society of which he was brought into. He kept to himself and avoided other merfolks, for fear of attachment when he planned to move away. He did, however, rescue a baby octopus from the looming predators in his reef. The poor thing was frightened and injured, and he sheltered it and nursed it back to health. He tried to release the little fellow, but he refused to go. So, he chose a name from a book he once found while collecting trinkets from a sunken ship, and kept him; he was named Aristotle.

His 20th birthday soon arrived and instead of receiving a warm celebration from his family, he was given the news of his arranged marriage, and his expectations of his parents. Marius, however, refused to marry. In fact, he was terrified of marriage. Mer marriages weren’t like humans’. When mers are married, it is the joining of two (or more, depending on the arrangement) families, and those in matrimony are subject to a blood ritual, to ensure the guarantee offspring. Lots of offspring. To strengthen their numbers and multiply. Said mers are bound to each other, and they cannot leave the relationship, or the effects of the ritual that bound them will physically torture them. Marius could not bear to go through it. The day of his ritual, he fought with his parents. Cyreus raised his voice, which his son mirrored back to him, but he slapped his own child across the face. That sparked an attack from Marius, and he sprang upon his father, attempting to strangle the life out of him. Talia tore him off of Cyreus by biting his shoulder. It worked because the mer reeled backwards. All that was exchanged between them was a threat. Marius threatened to kill them if they tried to find him. He was not sorry for what he did, and he didn’t care what his spouse would say. He swam far away from his reef, and never looked back. That was the last time his parents ever saw him.

It had been many, many years later since his escape from his prison. He survived on his own, with Aristotle at his side. They’ve hunted together and protected each other from the dangers of the ocean. One instance, Marius was being hunted by a shark and he had to fight the beast tooth and nail to live. He managed to kill the predator, but with great taxation. He never had any troubles with sharks, but this one encounter was enough to frighten him and avoid them at all costs.

He found out that he had a knack for healing animals, not merfolk. The whole time, he thought of himself as a failure when in actuality, his calling was to heal marine life. From his studies and travels, he has healed and saved many creatures big and small. A patient of his led him to the discovery of humans, and Marius was enraged that they attempted to harm wildlife. He became obsessed with studying humans from afar, and learning that not only do they intentionally harm wildlife, they do it unintentionally too. He hated the humans in the huge boats with the nets, hated the ones with the big spears that took down whales, hated the ones who maimed sharks and turtles, hated the ones that drilled and spilled black, toxic sludge into the ocean, hated the ones that kidnapped wildlife and never returned them to their home. He observed them from a distance, and no matter how far away he was, he could feel their greedy hands around his neck to yank him from the sea.

As the years passed, Aristotle’s lifespan was coming to an end, the normal life expectancy for an octopus. Marius was aware of it and he dreaded the day he had to say goodbye. Sooner or later, it happened. He woke up one morning to find his little friend snuggled up in his arms, but paler than the moon. He checked for signs of life, a standard procedure nowadays, but found none. The shock hit him like a wave against a jetty. He cried and cried, and held his friend close for hours until it was time to lay him to rest. He dug deep in the ocean floor and buried him, marking his grave with a heavy rock and kissed it before swimming away.

Marius wanders the ocean, in search of knowledge and marine life who need his held. He has had close calls with humans and predators. One day, he drifted into the bay of a busy fishing town. He watched the boats go in and out of the harbor and he felt nothing. That is, until a human had captivated his eye. It was tall, lanky human with yellow glass over the eyes, and a peculiar shape on the head. He kinda looked….grumpy. Something was on his left hand, an accessory he had never seen before. And this human was covered in cloth! So much cloth! He didn’t understand why, for merfolk don’t wear cloth. But he was so…handsome. Marius was smitten with the human, and it brought him such confusion because he was supposed to hate and fear them. But this one? He doesn’t hunt marine life, he doesn’t drill into the seabeds, he doesn’t do anything like that. He was so enraptured by him that he started to follow him whenever he could see him from the water. His heart pounded in his chest, his cheeks were tickled pink, and his eyes sparkled when he saw him. But he knew he could never be with him. Merfolk and humans are not supposed to be together. All he could do was pine for him.

-Anatomy-

The merfolk have evolved to include both male and female reproductive organs to reproduce. The male reproductive organs are internal, but when aroused, it pokes through protective folds and becomes erect. Outwardly, they all appear to be female because of placement of the male organ. It is slightly above the middle of the hips, and is hidden beneath the skin. The female reproductive organ appears on the underside of the tail, marked by a slit. Breeding had become difficult and scarce among the merfolk, therefore making it necessary to find a way to reproduce. Merfolk are genderless, but they are intelligent enough to choose if they want to identify with a gender. There are two types of species of merfolk:  masculine and feminine. For example, some feminine merfolk prefer to have she/her pronouns, some prefer they/them, and some prefer he/him; the same with masculine merfolk. The only difference between them is their appearance and physical attributes. The feminine ones have more breast tissue and are usually shorter in length, but those are the only two differences. Because of these differences, they are classified into two types, otherwise they are basically the same. They cannot reproduce on their own, they need to mate with another merperson. Either type can carry offspring.

They have two sets of lungs, one for water-breathing and one for air-breathing, both in the chest cavity. They are half the size of human lungs for the sake of space for both pairs. The gills are located on the sides of the neck, in three slits. It is not known by many merfolks that they also have a pair of legs. When the tail is dried entirely, it splits into two legs and the scales and fins disappear. When they are wet with a foreign substance other than their own bodily fluids, the legs will pull together and merge into a tail fin, and the tail will remain unless it is dried again. The reproductive organs remain in their places, but only the female organ changes in appearance when the merperson has legs. It takes the shape of a human female’s vulva instead of a slit on the underside of a fish tail.

-Personality-

Marius is a kind, gentle soul that has seen the harsh reality of mother nature. He tends to root for the underdog, or the weak species. He can be found lurking around the reefs, looking for sick or injured animals and fish to help. He’s not the type to start fights, but he can and will defend himself when he needs to. He comes across as timid, but curious. He wants to learn about the many mysteries the ocean has to offer, but he can sense danger and knows when to retreat. He doesn’t have much of a temper and doesn’t come off as intimidating. When angered, he tries to hide it but he’s not very good at hiding emotions. If he feels threatened, like any cornered animal, he will strike or attack. In the past, he has had two encounters where a predator backed him against an inescapable area, and he killed to save himself. He has never “snapped” and killed for the thrill of it or out of anger.

[misspiony]

Snow is not the only thing that happens in Willingden

She woke up earlier than everyone else, something that had happened frequently ever since her return to Willingden end of last summer. She did not sleep well anymore. She was often disturbed but nightmares, or worse had the loveliest happy dreams only to wake up to a reality which did not seem far from a nightmare.

Her beloved papa had warned her before she went to Sanditon for the summer, as the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Parker and she had replayed their conversation in her head countless times, wishing she had taken his advice more seriously.

"Now, these seaside resorts can be odd places. No-one quite knows who anyone else is, where they come from and what they're up to."

"That sounds stimulating."

"Yes, well, I suppose it is. But the normal rules of conduct tend to be relaxed and sometimes altogether flouted."

"But if I'm with Mr and Mrs Parker, nothing bad can happen, can it?"

" Just be careful. That's all."

"Careful of what, Papa?"

"Everything."

She had brushed his words off, determined to experience everything. In the end she had experienced more than she bargained for, and perhaps exactly what her father had intended to warn her of. She had not expected to return home with a broken heart, but she had.

Silently she got out of the bed she shared with her sister, wrapped a blanket around herself and started tiptoeing out of the room, but stopped in her tracks when she glanced out the window.

Snow.

During the night everything had been covered in snow. She went closer to the window and sat down in the deep window sill, blanket still wrapped around her thin frame. She was always feeling so cold these days. She knew she had lost weight during the autumn and maybe looked thinner than was becoming but she could not help it. Her appetite was lost, she had left it behind in Sanditon just like her heart. Whenever she looked herself in the mirror, she was surprised by the woman who stared back at her, how changed she was from the girl that spirited had set off to Sanditon. She had sworn she would survive the heartbreak Sidney Parker had caused her and she would if only just, but she was not happy, and it took its toll on her physically too. Her brown eyes were now like huge sad orbs in her pale face, with dark circles underneath and even if she forced her lips into a smile it never quite reached the eyes. People who did not know her actually considered her more beautiful than ever because she looked much like the ideal beauty of the time, but those who knew her well missed the spark in her eyes and mourned because they realised something within her had been lost, perhaps irretrievably.

Now she sat still watching the snowflakes fall from the dark December sky. The layer of snow on the ground was still quite thin but if snow kept falling at this pace snow would be deep this evening. The moon reflected on it and made it shine bright white and sparkle lime diamonds. She had always preferred summer, to run free in the fields of Willingden and feel the sun on her face but now the snow seemed to reflect the cold inside her so perfectly and she felt a strange calm watching it. She wished that snow could fall on her just like it did on the ground and buildings, smoothing out all edges, covering anything that was dirty and dark with fresh white. What would she not give to start over with a clean slate like that, Sidney Parker erased?

When she first returned home, she had held on to the memories of him, determined never to forget him, but over time she had come to realise exactly how hurtful and draining it was to love a man who never would be hers and tried to put him from his mind, only to find that she could not. She was his, body and soul no matter if he was not here and never would be.

She had received letters from Mary, Georgiana and at one occasion even Esther Babington. During the first months she had read them greedily as soon as they arrived, but then the pain became unbearable and she had put them away in a box without opening them. It hurt too much to hear that Sidney's wedding plans with Eliza Campion were progressing and the wedding was expected to take place in the spring, that Georgiana had changed her mind about her guardian lately as he had turned into an understanding and caring such. Even the news that Esther was happy with Babington and expecting a baby hurt, because Charlotte knew that the man she had hoped to share that with was out of her reach – even if he perhaps still loved her too.

She did not notice when she started crying and was surprised when a warm droplet fell on her hand and she realised her cheeks were already wet with streaming tears. She was so tired of wondering how fate could be so cruel to let two persons find each other and fall in love, only to be ripped apart by circumstances. Of course she could not be sure that the depth of his feelings had been the same as hers, but he had so nearly told her when he bid her farewell that day on the cliff top, when he said; 'I don't love her you know'.

Then she had stopped him and told him he must not speak hat way. Afterwards she desperately wished she had let him speak, that she only once had got to hear the words come over his lips. If he was to give his life to Eliza Campion, Charlotte wished that she at least had those words to hang on to for the remainder of hers.

"What are you doing?" Alison asked sleepily from the bed.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep. I got stuck here watching the snow." "It's snowing?"

"Yes, come and look. It's so beautiful."

She wiped away her tears, hoping Alison would not notice. She hated how weak she was and would rather not show it even to her sister.

Alison padded over to the window and sat down beside her.

"You have been crying."

It was not even a question, Alison knew her too well and there was no point denying.

"Yes, you know why."

"Is it not possible to forget him?"

"I wish it was, but it's like he lives in me. He changed me, what I want, what I need. I feel like I'm only half when I'm not with him. To forget him I would have to forget myself. Does it make sense?" "It does not, but I'm not sure if true love ever does. Not in the novels I read anyway, and it feels like you could be the heroine in any of them." Charlotte snorted.

"I feel far from a heroine, sitting here sniffling wrapped in a blanket." "Oh, but you are! You are kind and beautiful and brave, your heart has undeservedly been broken. If this was a book, this would not be the end and I'm sure it isn't for you either. You will recover from this, you will be happy again Charlotte."

"Thank you. I hope so." She sighed. "Anyway, it is Christmas Eve today, so we had better get ready to help mother prepare for tomorrow."

The Heywoods kept servants, but they were a large household and tomorrow there would be guests joining them for Christmas dinner and everyone's assistance was needed to get ready for the lavish feast.

"I'm so looking forward to wearing my new dress", Alison smiled.

"Me too", Charlotte confessed. "Even with a broken heart a new dress brings some joy."

Truth was that Mrs. Heywood had said to Mr. Heywood that he had to allow Charlotte a new dress for Christmas as everything she owned hang too loosely on her body and then he should allow Alison one too, because Charlotte would never go to the dress-fittings alone. As it was, the girls had spent quite a few hours with the seamstress, selecting models and fabrics and trying out the dresses. The fabrics they had cosen were heavier than the muslin they preferred in summer and instead of white which was their favourite then, Alison had opted for a blue fabric and Charlotte a red. They were quite excited to wear them for the first time during the Christmas celebration.

Besides helping to get everything ready in the household this day, they girls had another task. In the afternoon on Christmas Eve, they and the eldest of their brothers, Simon and Matthew, had a tradition to visit all the households on the estate and gift them a basket of groceries. As the snow continued to fall heavily, they put on warm clothes and brought out the sled. Even with the sled to transport them, it took them a few hours to get around because there was some distance between the houses and once they got there, the grateful recipients asked them to stay for a while and they always did out of courtesy and because they enjoyed it. Despite the cold, Charlotte felt happier and warmer inside as the day went along. She had such a good laugh with her siblings, giving gifts to people who needed them caused her to feel a sense of satisfaction and she loved the snow that kept falling. It made her hair damp, her cheeks frost bitten and rosy but somehow it also made her feel lighter at heart. Perhaps this would be a good Christmas despite all.

By the time they arrived back to their own house dusk was already upon them, but that did not stop Simon from throwing a snow ball on Charlotte, who was quick to return it and soon there was a full-fledged snow fight just like when they were children. A quarter of an hour later, they were all lying panting and laughing in the slow. Alison had started making snow angels and the others followed her example.

"I have missed this", Simon said.

"What? Snow fight? Playing?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, both, but most of all I have missed you laughing Charlotte. I'm glad to know you still can."

She was just about to answer when their mother opened the door to the house and peeked out from inside.

"There you are. Hurry inside all of you, we have a guest."

The siblings looked at each other. An unknown guest? Who might that be, who had travelled here in the snow? If it had been one of the locals their mother would for sure have said who it was. They hurried to bring the sled into the stable and now noticed an unfamiliar horse standing there, an impressive black mare. Curiously they entered the house and discarded their wet coats and hats before they entered the parlour. Charlotte thought to herself that they hardly looked very presentable but there was not much to be done about that as mama had instructed them not to delay.

The minute she entered the room she stopped in her tracks and her heart skipped a beat. By the mantelpiece, a man was standing with his back turned towards them, but she would recognize him anywhere. Unless her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Here they are finally", her father said when the four of them nearly stumbled into the room eager to find out who the guest was.

The man turned around and she locked eyes with Sidney Parker. Her family was there, but all she saw from that moment was him. She knew she looked a mess with wet curls and skirts damp and dirty, but nothing in the look of his eyes indicated that he even noticed that. There was a warm golden glimmer to them that did not only come from reflecting the fire and she felt how her frozen body slowly warmed under his gaze. What was he doing here in Willingden? What reason did he, who was to marry another, have to come here to her family home? Had he simply been surprised by the snow on his way to or from London and taken shelter in the first place that came to his mind?

She did not know, but what she did know as soon as she set eyes on him was that she loved him no less than when they last had said goodbye.

"Miss Heywood." His voice was the same soft timbre it had been before. Not the cold, harsh voice it had been in the beginning of their acquaintance but the one at had changed into when they grew close.

"Mr. Parker. What a surprise. What brings you to Willingden?"

"Not a too unpleasant surprise, I hope?" he said, and she heard the sudden insecurity in his voice.

"No, not unpleasant at all. Just… unexpected."

"Yes, well, er…"

"Were you surprised by the snow on your way to London perhaps?"

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"No, I set out to visit Willingden for a matter of urgency."

"So you were not planning on going somewhere else?"

"No, my destiny… er… my destination was Willingden."

"And we are very pleased to have you here, Mr. Parker. Charlotte, please show some manners and introduce your brothers and sisters", Mrs. Heywood interrupted, reminding Charlotte they were not alone.

Like in a daze she introduced him to her family whilst frantically trying to figure out why he was here. She would have expected her father to be reserved but he seemed terribly cheerful, as did everyone else. Only she and Sidney were tense and nervous.

After an unbearable eternity of polite small talk, Mr. Heywood got to his feet.

"Dinner will be served in half an hour and of course we will arrange a room for you for the night Mr. Parker because you can travel nowhere in this snow." Sidney glanced at her with an expression which was hard to interpret, and Charlotte's heart rate doubled in speed. He would spend the night under their roof. Her heart did not calm down when her father continued.

"Now, Mr. Parker has requested if he could have a few minutes with Charlotte alone, so if all of you could please…" he gestured with his hands towards the door, ushering everyone but Charlotte and Sidney out of the room. All except her mother looked surprised but obediently moved out of the room. Mama sent her a conspiratorial glance, but she could not make out what was about to transpire. It all seemed surreal. Not only had Sidney Parker come to Willingden, he had asked her father permission to be alone with her and he had agreed.

When the door closed and they found themselves alone, they just stared at each other in silence for a few intense moments. With the others gone she allowed herself to drink him in and noticed with a sting of pain that he too had changed over the last months. It was easy to be fooled by his broad shoulders but looking more closely she saw that he also had become thinner. His handsome face looked a bit haggard and he had the same dark circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept well in a long time either. He did not like a man who was happily engaged. Now he gave her a weak smile, but she got the impression he was very, very nervous. She hoped he had not come only to say he needed to see her once more before he got married. She was not sure how she would survive that heartbreak yet another time.

She was startled when he suddenly got to his feet, but he simply moved from his chair to come and sit beside her, and she felt a heat run through her body which she knew did not come from the fireplace. She could almost not breathe when he took her cold hands in his and laced their fingers.

"Miss Heywood… Charlotte…" he began, like he had once before on a balcony. "Dearest, loveliest, Charlotte… I don't dare to call you mine when you are not."

She bit her lip to prevent a sob of pain to slip out. It must be so, he had simply come to see her once more before his wedding.

"Why are you here?" she interrupted. "Please don't tell me you have come to tell me goodbye once more, like you did on the cliffs. That time I thought you had changed your mind… I don't think I could take the same pain once again."

She saw his eyes glaze, acknowledging her pain and remembering his own.

"Indeed, that is not why I have come, but I'm not sure if your feelings remain unchanged. If you want anything to do with me. I would never presume… but I have to ask."

"I don't understand. Are you not engaged anymore?"

"I am not… but I hope to be."

For the second time today she felt a tear land on her hand and realised this time it was Sidney's. He smoothed it away with his thumb and looked up in her face again. He took a deep breath before he continued talking.

"I have come here with the sole purpose to ask you if you would do me the honour of becoming my wife."

As he spoke, he slid down on the floor, to stand on his knees still holding her hands and without breaking eye contact.

She gasped.

"But what has changed? Why are you not engaged? What about Sanditon?"

"She released me from the engagement. She did not enjoy being engaged to a man who was withering away because his heart belonged to another, who did not like to join her in her social circles and was not affectionate. I tried to keep my part of the bargain, but it was never good enough because it was not true. In the end she told me she had fallen in love with someone who showed her mote attention and wanted to break our engagement. She wants to remain an investor in Sanditon because she thinks it will pay back ten-fold in the long run so Tom is safe anyway. When I left London the scandal was already out, that she had left me a second time and nearly everyone thinks me heartbroken by the same lady twice."

Charlotte remained silent, listening carefully and trying to take in that this was really happening.

"What they don't know is that the worst pain afflicted to me when it comes to love, was never caused by Eliza, but by myself when I walked away from you. I despise myself for the pain I had to cause you and can only hope you can forgive me. There has not been a day, a minute when I have not missed you. I'm only half without you."

There it was, the same words she had said to Alison this morning. They were two halves of a whole. He felt the same as she did. Her heart was beating out of her chest.

He brought their laced hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles, looking into her eyes.

"I'm already yours Charlotte. Will you be mine?"

Now tears were streaming down Charlotte's cheeks again, but this time they were tears of happiness.

"Of course I will… I mean I have been all this time. I could not put you from my mind either. I love you."

"So it is a yes?" he smiled, almost disbelieving.

"Yes, yes, yes."

He cupped her face between his hands and wiped away her tears with the pad of his thumbs. She did the same, felt his warm skin under her fingers, the slight rasp from his emerging stubble. He leaned his forehead to hers and she could feel his breath fanning on her face.

"I have thought of our one kiss about a thousand times. Am I allowed to kiss you now?"

"My father might throw you out, but as far as I'm concerned… yes."

"He gave his permission for me to ask for your hand. He said he was not sure I deserved it after what I made you go through, but on the other hand he though I looked like I too had been quite miserable, and he knew you would never forgive him if he turned me down. That gave me some hope. Coming here, I thought you might resent me, but I had to try anyway. Had to let you know how I feel."

"I could never think ill of you. You hurt me, but I understood why you did it and admired that you saved Tom."

"He saved me once…he is my brother. I had too…"

"I know and I don't hold it against you. Dearest, loveliest Sidney…" she smiled calling him by his Christian name for the first time and he smiled in return.

For a moment, their smiling lips hovered close to one another before they gently closed the gap and kissed. Their first kiss had been wonderful but there was a different depth to this second one, coming from that neither of them had thought they would ever be allowed to kiss again. They did not break apart until there was a knock on the door.

Mr. Heywood poked his head inside and quickly took in the young couple's radiant expressions and flushing cheeks.

"So, Mr. Parker, judging by the way you are holding my daughter's hands and her sparkling eyes, am I right to assume we have something to celebrate and that you will stay for Christmas?"

Sidney laughed and Charlotte felt a laughter bubbling up inside herself too, together with an intense feeling of happiness.

"Indeed have something to celebrate and I would very much like to stay as your guest over Christmas, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I'm glad it all went well", Mr. Heywood mused. "It is a snow storm outside now so you wouldn't have been able to go anywhere, so it could have been a bloody awkward business if she turned you down. I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled. Congratulations!"

He embraced his daughter and patted Sidney on the back, before they went to share the news with the rest of the family before they died of curiosity.

Snow kept falling outside, white, sparkling, cold, covering everything, so what previous was hard became soft and smooth. Indoors, shared words of love and perhaps also the touch of lips, had had the same softening effect on Charlotte and her husband to be. She could not sleep that night either but for completely different and all the lovelier reasons than the night before.

[thequeenofcronuts]

Uncertainties - A Royal Romance AU Story Chapter 1 Brothers and Sisters

AU Summary - Career life is busy for a group of six friends when they meet a captivating woman with a beautiful soul. New friendships are forged and new romances revealed. All the while hearts are torn and closets are cleared of skeletons. True love always wins in the end, right?

AU Warnings - This AU Stand Alone will include the following 18+ subjects: Language, NS*W, Verbal Abuse, and Abortion. If ANY of these subjects will cause pain or hardship in reading, please skip reading Uncertainties. That being said, each chapter will include its own specific warnings.

AU Uncertainties Pairings and Characters: Pairings and Characters: Drake x Riley /  Liam x Riley  /  Liam x Olivia  / Drake x Olivia / Maxwell x Savannah, including Hana, and Madeleine; plus OCs

*** All characters from the Choices Book: The Royal Romance are owned by Pixelberry Studios (Any other characters are the product of my brain…I probably should apologize now. 🙃😉)

Series Tags: @client-327 @dcbbw

————

Chapter 1 Summary - Meet the six friends…plus one more.

Chapter 1 Warnings - None

Chapter 1 Word Count: 2,700-ish

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The Present

The private VIP suite of all private VIP suites in the Silicon Valley was most certainly at Club Peacock, owned by one Maxwell Beaumont. The ultimate of exclusive settings was constantly booked by the rich and famous, tycoons of various industries, the giants of the technological world, and an unlikely group of six, far from famous, friends. The last Saturday of every month Hana, Olivia, Savannah, Drake, Liam, and Maxwell took over the massive suite which held all the bells and whistles.

The three girls and three guys met in college when the ladies’ Sorority held a joint party with the guys’ Fraternity in celebration of surviving rushing their Freshman year. The University of South California grads were a family always putting each other before any blood relatives, and kept their promise to live in close proximity of each other after school. With the exclusion of Maxwell, well because he was Maxwell, the others used their talents to work in various children related industries. They were an excellent fit for six very different, but perfectly matched, friends.

This particular Saturday night Liam and Drake are sipping on a whiskey which is the type dreams are made of while sunken back in one of the specially commissioned Italian leather sofas, while Maxwell and Savannah were heating up the dance door. Hana was sitting with Olivia in oversized chairs with their drinks chatting up a storm. Olivia was leaning in to share her phone screen with her friend when Maxwell smoothly dances his way over to their corner. He shakes his head as he saw Olivia’s screen. “Ladies, what is the only rule the six of us follow in my club?” Maxwell still moving to the groove of the music while Olivia rolls her eyes and answers flatly, “ ‘The one rule of Club Peacock is no one talks about anything outside of Club Peacock.’ You know Maxwell, that is a sad, pathetic, and ridiculous attempt at a “Fight Club” reference.” Hana pipes in, “Maxwell, I kinda have to admit that you quote that movie way too often while this isn't even a secret club.” Maxwell, unfazed, does a spin and faces back to the ladies. “Don't make me have to kick you two out.” He gives a playful look. “Now nix the work talk and dance, or you’re outta here. That's an order from your club owner.” With a huff Olivia puts her phone in her purse and hits the dance floor with Hana.

Sunday morning finds the friends sleeping in pullout beds located throughout the suite. A collective groan fills the room as the “VIP Party - After Morning” staff, a staff Maxwell created for the club’s VIPs of VIPs, turn on the low lights while bringing in water and aspirin. Everyone pops their aspirin and raises their glass as Maxwell toasts, “Until our next Saturday night partaaayyy!” They barely clink their glasses to avoid unnecessary, painful noise and pick up their belongings as they head to their respective homes to crash. Hoping that the less than twenty-fours they have will be enough to get them through Monday.

***

Monday morning Liam steps out of the elevator and meets his assistant who is at the ready with coffee, a bagel, and Liam’s in office tablet opened to related industry news, and Liam’s daily calendar app. Liam grabs the items with a thank you entering the study portion of his office. His office, which occupies the entire top floor of the building, includes a full ensuite accessible through a set of massive modern double doors which are located behind the desk and to the left of a fully windowed wall. To the right of the windowed wall is a door that leads to his private conference room containing every technology needed for meetings, as well as bar to entertain for any occasion. The decor throughout the top floor is modern with touches of nods to the 1950’s ideas of the future, which have been lost to history. Certainly an office fit for a CEO of a multimillion dollar technology company.

As Liam sips his coffee and snacks on his bagel he reads the daily report from the company’s Head of Patent and Technological Security Department. The department gathers any potential breaches from other companies on the exclusive intellectual properties of Innovative Toy Box; the company Liam has built from the ground up. Today there is no information reported of concern and turns his attention to the articles of interest his assistant has lined up. Looking over his meetings for the day he sees his one o’clock and visibly cringes.

***

Besides the building’s security team, Drake is the first one into the office, as always, regardless of his hatred towards early mornings. A hatred which still runs strongly through his veins since college, or ever really. He never had an eight a.m. class while in school, and he avoided nine a.m. classes whenever possible. Yet, here he is behind his desk at six a.m. opening his large thermos of strong black coffee as he begins to look over his staff’s previous day reports. He sifts through looking for any possible intellectual or copyright infringement threats and finds only a few small items, but no real potential problems. Had there been any the conclusion of his report would recommend those that needed to be brought to the legal department. 

He writes up his report with his final recommendations and attaches it to his daily email to the CEO. He then gets ready to assist his staff identify information they should spend their day researching while he sits back taking a huge gulp of his coffee. The job is a great one and he enjoys it immensely. Drake has always felt the best when he is doing something that makes a difference, and working for his best friend to protect what Liam has built is an honor. Drake smirks as he can hear Liam's exasperated voice in his head, “You don't work for me Drake, you work with me to keep this company strong.” Drake sighs, I just wish I didn't have to be here at “0’dark thirty” every day.

***

Not too terribly far away Savannah heads to the College Preparatory Academy she works at, stopping for two coffees on they way, and soon finds herself in the Teachers Lounge for the daily morning staff meeting. As she makes her way to sit with the other kindergarten teachers she quickly sets the second coffee at the head table. Seven a.m. on the dot Olivia walks in and grabs the cup of coffee looking over the room as her eyes stop on Savannah for just a brief second as her thanks for the morning caffeine. She opens the staff meeting with announcements of new upcoming events, reminders of school policies which she feels her teachers are neglecting, and ends with the reminder that the quarterly Parent Night is next Friday.

With a fierce look and voice conveying a subtle threatening tone, she reminds them that every employee reflects on the kindergarten through high school level College Prep Academy, as well as on herself, the Head of School. She will not tolerate anything less than perfection on parent night as these nights are one of the main reasons the most prestigious parents in the Valley send their children to Scarlet College Preparatory Academy. Olivia dismisses the group to go about their day, and Savannah makes her way to her classroom. She loves her friend, but sometimes she feels the Head of School is defending a fortress. Savannah chuckles to herself as she sees some of the sweetest faces come running to hug her and start their day.

***

Hana glides into her studio Monday morning with tea and fresh fruit for her small group of designers. She started Petits Dessins Doux with just herself and a sketchbook designing and creating pieces of specialty couture clothing for babies and toddlers. Soon her brand was being discovered by eager clients much faster than she had originally anticipated, and before she could fully comprehend it she needed to employ a staff of designers. It was a difficult task as they each had to have Hana's same level of passion and talent, but in the end she created one of the best teams in the industry.

It wasn't long until her company partnered with exclusive small boutiques in her little area of the sprawling Silicon Valley. Small chain stores also contacted her, but Hana refused to compromise quality for volume so she declined the offers and the company stayed small. She wanted her business at just the right size to reach her goals while keeping herself grounded.

While her designers handle the business with the boutiques, Hana takes on the projects for high profile clients, as well as projects for friends. Currently she is working with Olivia creating new uniforms for the Prep Academy, and she is also working on Savannah’s wedding gown. Most recently Hana learned that Petits Dessins Doux is nominated for one of the most prestigious fashion awards in their area of California, The Ruby Award. Hana is deeply honored as fellow local members of the industry nominated the company for the award in the small businesses category: “Excellence in Ingenuity and Quality”.

***

The six friends did have one more college alum who was not, thank god, in their tight-nit group. Unfortunately, they had no way to shake her off no matter how much they desperately wanted to. She wasn't in any Sorority back in college believing they were a ridiculous waste of, well, everything. Even to this day she thinks Olivia, Hanna, and Savannah were idiots for rushing. In addition she absolutely cannot stand all the brotherly, sisterly feels the six friends share just because of their days playing beer pong at drunken parties. Yet, here is she, not going away anytime soon, much to everyone's chagrin.

————————

The Past

The lamentable story behind this woeful business arrangement was due to the fact that Liam, originally being from New York, had infuriated his father by choosing the University of South California over his father’s alma-mater, Cornell University. Liam's father, Charles, had built a very lucrative Securities Lending Business and expected his son to take over.

The man was on quiet a few boards and in groups of financial support for Cornell with his college best friend whose only daughter also attended USC. She was determined to work in the successful area of Silicon Valley and as Liam's company grew he needed a Public Relations Director. Liam had been “asked” by his father to hire his college best friend’s daughter, and  “asked” meant Charles had already promised her the position without talking to Liam.

Madeleine wasn't at the company very long before Liam realized he couldn't stand her. Her voice made his skin crawl, and any time he had to talk to her he knew what being trapped in hell must feel like. Much to his dismay, and that of all the employees she came in contact with, she did her job. Even if she hadn't he would never be able to fire her as long as his father was around.

————————

The Present

It's exactly one p.m. and Liam's assistant knocks on his study’s door, but the gentleman can't even announce Liam's one o’clock meeting has arrived when he hears her shrill voice and heavy foot steeps fill the study. She pushes the assistant out of her way and walks directly to one of the chairs on the opposite side of Liam's desk and with a look of expectation, slams herself down. Liam looks over the woman’s shoulder and gives his assistant an apologetic look while the gentleman quickly exits closing the door. A few moments later Liam begins to speak. “Good afternoon Madeleine. Please won't you come in and take a seat. Oh, I’m sorry I missed that you already have.” Madeleine rolls her eyes and exasperatedly begins despite his sarcastic comment, “Liam, I don't time for that attitude as I am swamped. You won't let me get rid of your incompetent employees and let me hire an acceptable staff. I need staff that have any sort of clue how to do there jobs.” Liam dramatically leans back in his chair and places his hands on the back of his head resting them there. “Oh yes Madeleine, you're incredibly busy while I have tons of free time to just relax at this desk all day playing app games on my phone.” He chortles at the vexed look rapidly coming over her face and radiating from her body.

He sits up right as he figures that's enough torture, for now at least. “Make all the little jokes you want, Liam, but you can never fire me.” She smirks maliciously while he stares right into her eyes. “Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what happens to businesses in this industry. Now, why are we having this meeting? Please enlighten me as, per usual, you scheduled a meeting with no subject or goal mentioned.” Madeleine slams a massive report on his desk clearly in agitation while tossing him a look of disbelief. “Are you really not thinking about the time of year it is? You're hopeless! How does this company continue to exist day after day?! The deadline for the company to choose the cause to support for this fiscal year is almost here. I’m sure the board of directors would just love for the company to completely miss the largest philanthropy move of the year. Not to mention the financial implications.” Liam folds his arms over his chest trying to keep an even tone.

“Madeleine, we give to worthy causes consistently all the time, and while I know this is our largest contribution of the year I will not just pick a cause because of your pressure. I am fully aware of the financial benefits the company receives, and as I’ve mentioned probably over a thousand times, that isn't, and never will be, a factor in my choice. I choose a charity because I believe in it after completing my due diligence. Also, I am completely aware that the upcoming deadline is so we have enough time to plan the company’s gala for the charity chosen. Finally, while I ‘appreciate’ your concern, understand that when I do decide, I will have the proper departments work with the company’s gala committee. All issues and events that require press statements, invitations, etc will be sent to the Public Relations Department as your department is the one it handles those types of items. Though I thank you for this informative meeting.” Madeleine sits fuming with her arms crossed while Liam looks over emails. “Good day, Madeleine.” She stands and mutters under her breath while slamming the study's door behind her, which is currently the most beautiful sound in Liam's ears. He drops Madeleine's novel size stack of information in the recycling bin and finishes out his day.

That evening Drake heads over to Liam’s penthouse for after work drinks. Pinching the bridge of his nose Liam relates the entire conversation to Drake that he had with the ever present poisoned thorn permanently located in everyone's side. Sipping their second glass of whiskey Drakes asks if Liam wants to look up charities now figuring two people searching will make it faster than one. Liam mulls over his friends offer, but he really just wants to relax after his day. Except it's not like he has a ton of extra time at the office and he is not sure when he will see the out of office “extra helpful” side of Drake again anytime soon, so he decides it's best to take Drake up on this offer.

Hours later Drake finally has a group to show Liam that seems to be perfect for Liam's personal and professional desires in an organization to partner with. Liam loves the idea and jots down the name and number of the charity’s Philanthropy Director so his assistant can call tomorrow and set up a meeting. He sticks the piece of paper with Riley Brooks’ work number in his messenger bag as Drake leaves and Liam heads to bed.

[leigh-kelly]

70: “This is why I fell in love with you.” NY verse pretty please!!

A continuation of this.

When they get back to school after spring break, Santana is glad that she feels more like herself again. She knows that signing up for the housing lottery with Brittany is a huge thing, but she’s just going with it, and trying not to let it eat her alive. She’s in love, she’s young, and she thinks that after a whole lifetime of avoiding making mistakes, she’s willing to try, even if it could end up being disastrous. 

With spring break behind her, Santana begins to prep for finals. She’s already studying like crazy with Brittany, trying to make sure she passes her world religions final, and on top of that, she has stacks of books on her desk, figuring out her research papers, and trying to avoid going completely crazy at the thought of writing upwards of fifty pages in the last weeks of the semester. 

On top of all of that, Santana reads on Tumblr that there’s going to be a lesbian fan convention in New York. Being in Ohio, and being...mostly antisocial, she never actually thought that she’d want to go to something like that. But now that she’s in New York, the idea kind of thrills her, and she wonders if she can muster up the courage to go. Even more than that, she wonders if should could ever possibly convince Brittany to go with her. She’s not really into the whole multishipping thing that a lot of the other girls are into, but she knows that some of the people who read her Rizzoli and Isles lesbian subtext blog are going to be there, and really, if she’s being honest with herself, she wants to go.

“Hey babes.” Brittany meets her after class one afternoon, and Santana still kind of can’t get used to her calling her by that pet name. It’s not babe, or baby, it feels...special, and she loves it. “How was hell?”

“Not so bad.” Santana laughs, glad that Brittany knows how much she hates her Twentieth Century American Lit class that’s basically all men, all the time. “But I swear, all this guy wants to do is talk about Hemingway. One day, I’m going to raise my hand and just start listing off American women writers...”

“You should, it would probably knock the guy’s socks off.”

“I’m not sure if it would be in a good way or a bad way though...and I still need his grade.”

“Please, like you’re not totally going to ace it.”

“Not chancing it. How was your class, anyway.”

“Super mathy. So, good.”

“Good.” Santana smiles. “So, uh, I wanted to ask you something kind of weird.”

“Okay...” Brittany trails off, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, to the frustration of everyone walking behind them. 

“It’s not serious.” Santana tugs at her hand, making her walk again. “There’s just like...this kind of lame, like, lesbian thingy this weekend. A, um, fandom convention I guess.”

“Cool! Do we get to dress up?”

“Wait, seriously? You’re reacting that positive without me even telling you what it’s about?”

“Well you obviously want to go. I mean, maybe you want to go alone, and if so, live it up! But if you wanted me to go with you, I’d be totally down. Isles is the blonde one, right?”

“Yeah...um, wow, okay, I totally didn’t expect you to react so enthusiastically. But yeah, I’d really like if you came with me. I’m kind of freaked by the whole idea of even going to something like this, so, I think I’d feel better if you were there.”

“Please, these are your people.” Brittany grins. “You’ll probably be famous there, or something. Think anyone’ll recognize me from your Tumblr?”

“I mean, if anyone there actually reads my blog, of course they will. I post about you more often now than I post about the girls.”

“A great honor, of course. I love that you want to go. I mean, this is why I fell in love with you. You’re like, this awesome nerd, and I’m obsessed with it.”

“Jeeze, I still don’t know how I got lucky enough to find you.”

“The magic that is Washington Square Park. And obviously I’m luckier. But important question, do I get to carry a fake gun to get the bad guys with?”

“Maura’s a medical examiner, Britt. Sorry, but you don’t get a gun.”

“Do you?”

“Obviously.”

“Well, then that’s probably the sexiest thing I’ll ever see.”

For the rest of the week, Santana doubles down to get her work done before the weekend. On Saturday morning, Brittany goes back to her room to get dressed, and Santana puts her Boston Police Department shirt on under her blazer, and straps her gun belt to her waist. She’s never done cosplay before, but the idea of doing it with Brittany for something like this has has all kind of excited. When Brittany comes back in a red dress with a lab coat over it, Santana smiles so wide. It’s not just about how hot she looks, but about the fact that she’s really getting into this with her. The whole thing means more than she can even say, and she kisses her, careful not to smear her red lipstick.

They go uptown to the venue where the event is being held, and Santana kind of just takes it all in. It’s a lot, being around so many other people, and even if they’re her people, like Brittany said, she’s shy. It’s one thing being really into something on the internet, but it’s another to be into it in person. She’s a little embarrassed, and a little trepidatious, but she holds fast to Brittany’s hand, and Brittany urges her to talk to people. This is her thing, after all, and she knows that Brittany just wants to have a good time. 

Brittany flags someone down to snap a picture of the two of them together, and immediately after Santana posts it on her blog—hashtag best girlfriend ever—she gets a whole flood of responses. As it turns out, people have actually started shipping her and Brittany together after Santana’s incessant posting about her, and the idea that they’re dressed up as Maura and Jane has her followers a buzz. It’s really sweet, and Santana just hopes Brittany knows what this means to her.

They spend the day there, and Santana meets some of the girls who have been following her since she was fourteen years old and writing really, really bad fan fiction—including the ones who survived that high school cheerleading captain AU—and she introduces Brittany to all of them. Maybe it’s lame, but she kind of feels like a mini celebrity, and when they finally leave to go back to their dorm, it’s almost a let down. It’s hard for Santana to be who she is in the real world, and this was an opportunity for that. It was amazing, and she honestly can’t thank Brittany enough for being part of it with her.

“I know you were probably bored to tears today, Britt, but...it meant so much to me that you came.”

“I wasn’t bored at all, babes. I know I’m like, super clueless about what actually happens on that show, but I also know it helped you when you were struggling, and I think it’s really cool you got to do something like that.”

“It was awesome. I mean, I couldn’t have cared less about anything else that went on there, but the Rizzles stuff was neat, and I liked that I got to meet all those people who only existed behind Tumblr usernames.”

“Yeah, I cant imagine what that felt like. I mean, I can barely even turn on a computer, let alone make a whole bunch of friends on there. But it’s like, this whole cool world, and you’re a part of it.”

“I don’t even understand how you can be so amazing.” Santana rests her head on Brittany’s shoulder as they walk down Fifth Avenue. “I figured if I ever met anyone who actually wanted to be with me, I’d keep this part of me a complete secret, but here you are, dressed as Maura Isles.”

“What can I say? I’m kind of an amazing girlfriend.”

“Tell me, Britt, is there any weird kind of stuff like this that you would want to do? Any secret life I don’t know about?”

“I don’t think so.” Brittany shakes her head. “The only thing I really want to go is see a show at the New York City Ballet. I’ve dreamed of it...pretty much my entire life.”

“Wait, you haven’t gone yet? I sort of just figured it would have been the first thing you did when you got here.”

“I was so stressed out when I first got here, trying to like, cope with being away from home, dealing with learning to eat new food, and not fail my classes. It just sort of slipped my mind. But seeing you so happy doing something you couldn’t do back in Ohio reminded me of how much I wanted to do that.”

“Can I take you for your birthday?”

“That’s too expensive, Santana. I can’t let you do that.”

“I have Christmas money saved up from my parents.” Santana protests. “I’ve been trying to figure out what I could even get you for your birthday, and I’ve been at a total loss. Let me do that for you. I’d surprise you, but I don’t want to like, buy tickets and then have you make some other big plans that day.”“Do you really think I’m making big birthday plans that don’t include you?”“I don’t know, don’t you want to go to a bar or something?”

“Why would I want to go to a bar when you don’t have a fake ID, and have no desire to go?”

“I don’t know, because it’s not my birthday? If you wanted to do that, I’d go to that guy you know on Canal Street and get one, you know.”

“That’s really sweet, Santana, but I’m not trying to corrupt you. You like to play by the rules, and what am I going to do at a bar that I couldn’t do with you somewhere else?”

“Drink? Dance?”

“Okay, fair.” Brittany concedes. “But I’d much rather do anything else if it meant you were having a good time too.”

“I guess. I just want your birthday to be special.”

“If you’re serious about the ballet thing, that would make it really special. If not, I’m also totally fond of eating sushi in my underwear and watching Imagine Me and You.”

“That’s pretty much our every Saturday night.” Santana shakes her head laughing. “As long as you’ll let me, I’m going to make your birthday special.”

“Then guess what? It’s in your hands now.”

[little-narnian-notes]

Endlessly

Request: Hello there! Could I have a (Narnia) Edmund x Wife where he returns from a trip and his wife if there to greet him back, they hug and lots of kisses xD then she tells him she's pregnant and Ed gets super excited then worries he won't be a good Father.. you can time skip to when the baby is born if you'd like :D (boy? girl? twins? Idc your choice!) Thanks in advance . . .

(P.s make sure that they don't know it's twins until the birth so they are a surprise until they are born and Edmund gets super happy and cute when he finds out!)

To say you were nervous was an understatement. Edmund and his siblings had gone to Calormen to strength foreign relations with the rulers there. Prince Rabadash was not a particularly agreeable person, much less alright with maintaining an alliance with Narnian.

Mr. Tumnus was still here in the castle at Cair Paravel. That was lucky, as he was one of your closest friends. The Pevensies tended to take a small guard for each King and Queen, but the fawn had chosen to remain behind this time around.

“Remind me again why you’re not at Calormen,” you yawned. You had spent all day dozing and sewing. Tumnus didn’t care much for either past-time; he gravitated towards action. Currently, however, he was preparing a lot of lotion, hand soap, and tea leaves to sell at the next monthly Market Day in Narnia.

“Because you’re pregnant,” he said wryly. “Besides . . . King Edmund doesn’t know. No one knows but Lucy. I’d rather you not lose the child.”

You pouted a bit. “Still. You always - ”

Tumnus cut you off before you could finish. “Baby, Y/N. You won’t take any ladies in waiting to help you, and you do happen to need help in staying healthy and stable. Not all women survive the birthing process.”

“Don’t remind me,” you muttered, wincing. It was not something you’d been looking forward to. But could you really be blamed? Of course you wanted children. Ever since you’d married Edmund, you’d wanted a few small humans. It had caused a bit of conflict between the two of you. He still carried guilt over what happened with the White Witch . . . he had fears he would be an incompetent father or wouldn’t be taken seriously if you ever announced being pregnant. “Do you think Ed will be okay with it?”

“With what?” Tumnus wasn’t looking at you; he was busy sorting tea leaves into pouches. He tied the pouches together when filled and carefully marked on them what kind of tea was in it.

“With me being pregnant, Tumnus.” You were crocheting baby boots. It would be a cute way to tell Ed you were going to give birth to a son or daughter. “He freezes up at just the idea of being a father.” You didn’t have to explain why. Mr. Tumnus understand your unsaid reason.

Tumnus looked up. Startled, he said, “Of course he will. Look, just because - well, you never did see him when he was younger. I know the White Witch had a less then desirable effect on him. But King Edmund did change. For the better. I don’t think it’s being a parent that scares him. It’s messing up. It’s seeing his child turn out the same way he did at twelve and them never redeeming themselves. But that’s not going to happen.” Tumnus paused, lips pursed. “Well, maybe that’s not why. It’s only a guess at any real insecurities he has concerning Jadis. If I were your husband, that would be my chief insecurity - history repeating itself with the next generation.”

You shrugged half-heartedly. “You’ll have to be there when I tell him, Tumnus. I’m not quite sure he’ll want to have a panic attack in front of me.”

The conversation changed to other topics, though your mind was still somewhat stuck on your husband’s reaction. You were a natural optimist; by normal standards a baby was a big deal. In your case, it was even bigger. Peter might have been the eldest Pevensie, but he had not taken a Queen. Susan was decidedly disinterested in marrying at the moment. Lucy was, according to them, too young to think about marriage or childbearing. They did seem determined to give her as much of a childhood as they could.

However, it meant that your son or daughter would be the first royal baby in Narnia. The line of succession was about to start with your son or daughter.

“What’s this small boot for?” Edmund asked. He held the knitted gray-blue boot up in front of you. The Kings and Queens had arrived back in Narnia a week ago. This was the first morning you’d gotten to have any time alone with your husband.

You forced an air of casualness into your voice. Hoped it didn’t show you were nervous. “Well, I just thought our child might need something to wear when she’s born,” you answered serenely, puttering around your shared room. The two of you had finished breakfast. Edmund was dressed casually and back in bed, holding a book on his lap. You were putting the breakfast plates and unfinished food back on the tray they’d come in.

Edmund snorted, then spewed out the rest of his drink a moment later. “What?” he said, sitting up straight. He looked at you with wild eyes. “You’re pregnant, Y/N? With a child?”

“Well, technically it’s our child.” You looked at him, back straight, trying to gauge his reaction.

Ed’s full lips quirked into a small smile. “You’re serious? We’re going to be parents?” The sunlight was still watery, hitting his dark hair in a way that highlighted it, turning it to a more chocolate color.

You nodded. Your fingers were nervous, knuckles white. The tray hid the fact that you were clutching the edge of the table rather hard. “Of course I’m serious, Edmund.”

Edmund moved off the bed and practically bounded over to you, smiling and a little more alive then he’d seemed recently. His fingers found their way around your face, into your hair, and then he was kissing you like he was desperate for air.

Love squeezed around and into your heart like a fist.  

“You don’t think this maybe a bit excessive?” You quietly asked Lucy. There was a huge celebration being planned around the fact that you were with child.

Lucy just shook her head. “Of course not! Y/N, you might be from our world, but - we’re not there anymore. We’re in Narnia now.” She held your hand tightly for a minute. “You’ll have to get used to it. We’re all royal now. This is what happens when a prince or princess is about to be born.”

Of course, to you, this still felt so . . . uncharacteristic. You’d been pulled into Narnia during 2015. Between being the president of your sorority, an actress in the theater department at your college, and having three thousand listeners to the weekly radio show you hosted, the spotlight wasn’t exactly something new to you.

All those combined, though, had been on an incredibly small scale compared to being a Queen. There weren’t some three thousand ears listening to you every week or two hundred people watching you three times a semester. Suddenly there was a council of twenty important Narnians to contend with and a country with a population of some twenty-thousand to rule over. The change was jarring, and now there was a stupidly big celebration to worry about.

There was so much at the celebration. Food, entertainers, musicians, little games to play . . . when there wasn’t a ball being put on or foreign guests to host, things were far more normal.

You’d been here in Narnia for a year and a half and still weren’t used to how excessive things could get. Maybe it was because generations separated you and the Pevensies. Hadn’t they grown up around one of the two World Wars? They’d gone from having little to being Kings and Queens. Maybe it was the security of them thinking they would always have access to things like health care (such as it was in a magical country), food and a nice home.

Maybe that’s my problem, you thought to yourself. I know how all this is going to end; I know that Edmund, Lucy, Susan, and Peter won’t be here forever and they think they will be. I wonder if that’s why I can’t accept the way things are right now. Ignorance might have actually been bliss in a situation like this. The happiness and fixation on being a parent with Ed had worn off some now that you’d told him. Reality had crept back in. You wondered - how much time did the five of you have left in Narnia?

How much time would you have with your child?

That night, when Edmund fell asleep after a heated couple hours with you, you slipped out of the spacious room. You had put on a simple black dress, thin cloak, and shoes, and wandered down to Tumnus’s quarters.

Worry kept gnawing at you about your child and you wanted to talk to him. It wasn’t terribly late - it must have been around midnight - but it was late enough that you felt guilty when you knocked at his door.

“Queen Y/N,” Tumnus said, voice tired. It was lacking any annoyance, though. “ Come in. Is there something I can do for you?”

You nodded, feeling guilt twist around in your stomach for delaying him his sleep even more. You slipped inside and looked at Tumnus. His hair was messy but his sheets on the bed were still clean. Maybe he hadn’t been sleeping. He must have been busy doing something else if he’d not gone to bed after the celebration.

“Listen, Tumnus . . . if something ever happened to me, or Edmund - and everybody else, you’d look after our child, wouldn’t you?” You didn’t know how to properly phrase your request, but bluntly and plainly usually did the trick around friends.

The faun looked startled. “Of course I would, Y/N. You know I feel for you like I would a sister.”

You nodded, smiled wearily. Exhaustion was hitting you hard and quick, sooner then you’d anticipated. “Thank you, Tumnus. It’s all I wanted to ask of you.”

During the next weeks, you largely forced yourself to forget your worries about the future. There wasn’t much of a point in stressing out about what would happen if you didn’t spend your whole life with your child. After all, the way you saw it, things might actually be different.

Technically, I shouldn’t even be here, you thought to yourself one morning. You were perched in a chair on the balcony attached to the room you and Ed shared. A warm, soft pink shawl was around your shoulders. The air was cool, your tea was warm. The colors were more radiant then you remembered them being; you could hear laughing chatter from the ground below. There should really only be four kings and queens of Narnia, not five. But I was allowed here anyway, though for what purpose . . . well, it doesn’t matter. Maybe it just means none of us will be forced to leave Narnia. We won’t abandon her. Aslan must have decided to not force the Pevensies back to England . . . things will actually work out. And you smiled.

Maybe it wasn’t set in stone, and maybe it wasn’t certain. But you had seen the brilliant white clouds sailing across the sky, and one of them looked like a contented, magnanimous lion. So you were taking that as a good sign.

Edmund came out to join you. “Do you feel ready to face more wretched disputes about goats and opening up woodland roads?” His hands swooped around you, pulling you in for a tight hug, even though he was still standing up.

You laughed. “Never. They’re terrible. I don’t know how we’ll manage.”

“Well . . .” Edmund looked at you seriously, as he helped you stand up. His dark eyes looked more alive then usual.

“Edmund,” you groaned, swatting away at his hand. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about antagonizing any of the council lords again.”

He chuckled. “I would never do such a thing.” But he didn’t lose his grin. It made you wonder exactly what little prank he had planned and how many feathers you would have to smooth over after laughing privately.

“Raising this child is going to be a walk in the park. At least he won’t disrupt council meetings once a month,” you grumbled. It was in good-nature, though, and Ed knew it.

[annieintheaair]

How do we cope with change?

How do we cope with life when everything is changing around us?

For the last few years, I’ve witnessed friends (and Facebook/Instagram friends) get married and begin having kids. I’ve battled life as a third wheel. Unless you’ve ever been a third wheel, you probably just don’t get it. I try to be open and honest with my friends but there’s a fine line between doing that and hurting their feelings. How do you tell your friends that you like their boyfriend/fiancé/husband but don’t want to hang out with them, too? At least not all the time. And more importantly, how do you tell your friends that you love them and you’re happy for them when they’re becoming parents but you just don’t want to be the friend hanging out with the married couple and their baby?

Earlier today, it hit me... I’m a few months away from closing in on my 30th year. I will be 31 in June! I know that life isn’t all about MY plans, but God’s plans. If you asked me years ago what my life would be like at this point, I would have painted you an entirely different picture. As I told my co-workers today, I am so glad that I didn’t get married in my early 20s because it would have been a HUGE mistake. When I look back, yeah, I went through a lot of pain and heartache but in the long-run, I think God saved me from much more than that.

Yesterday, I had to work three flights. We did a Tucson turn and then had a bunch of sit time before heading to Indianapolis. After the Tucson turn, I decided to sit and drink some tea and eat a salad in a relatively quiet spot before heading over to my next gate. While I waited for the OK to get on my next flight, my friend texted me some big news. Do you ever struggle to just be 100% happy for people? In that moment, I sat there and my eyes welled with tears. I held it back. When I finally got down the jetbridge, I was facing the plane waiting to get onboard when my crew behind me started talking to me about something. I was hardly paying attention. I turned around and they immediately saw the look on my face and asked if everything was ok. As per usual, I told them everything was fine but they knew it wasn’t and told me so, “No it’s not... Annie, what’s wrong?” They asked me if it was happy tears and I said, “Yes, I’m so happy for her but I’m so sad for me!”

Before I began writing tonight, I quickly Googled and came across an article about 7 things that you should NOT apologize for! The first thing on the list? Your feelings. It made me realize that I need to stop backtracking and telling people that I’m sorry I reacted certain ways because of how I felt at the time. Your feelings are real and they’re valid. No one will ever understand fully what you’re going through except YOU. No one knows the ways you’ve been hurt or how you’ve been so discouraged by dating. No one really gets what it’s like to be almost 31 and single and have zero kids unless they have been there themselves. I don’t expect everyone to understand.

Another thing on the list? Needing “me time”. Today, I totally ditched my plans and took a nap on my couch with my dogs. And you know what? Although I was a little sad to miss out on plans, I really needed time with my dogs at home. Sometimes, deep down, we know what we need and don’t realize it right away.

After missing out on my plans today, I tried to reschedule for this evening and was completely ignored. Sure, no one knows what you’re going through and how badly you could use a friend at the current moment but I’m going to throw this out there-- if your friend reaches out to you wanting to make plans, if you’re free, make those plans or at least RESPOND. Being ignored today found me on my couch on a Saturday night drinking margaritas (national margarita day) and eating tacos alone with my dogs.

I don’t think I’ve ever addressed this on my blog because I don’t really talk a whole lot about my life before becoming a flight attendant but when I was in high school, I had a small group of friends that would come over for game night. For me, it was my best memory of high school. When I was in college, right before Christmas one year, I found out that one of my friends from game night had gone missing. He had been out for a run and they found his car but not him. Unfortunately, eventually, they found his body in a river and ruled it as a suicide. I had always remembered him as such a happy person. I didn’t understand how someone like him could leave this earth the way that he did. To this day, I’m still not certain that he committed suicide but if he had, I have so many questions. Looking back, I wish I had kept in touch better. I wish I had reached out to him to check in and I wish I could have been there for him if he needed me. I never saw any signs but he made me realize that we should always keep tabs on our friends to make sure they’re ok. We should always check-in to see if they need us.

I’ve read about kids in middle school and high school near where I live now and how they committed suicide and it makes me so sad that no one was there to support them and be their friend. I understand this all more now since college.

A few years after my friend passed away, I was diagnosed with depression. After being on medication for a few months, for years, I was able to stay off of medication and survive. However, about a year and a half ago, I had to go back onto anti-depressants because of my work injury. I don’t think that anyone should ever be ashamed to admit that because it means that they’re getting the help that they need. Sometimes, when I admit to people that I battle depression, they’re surprised because my medication works so well that often times, I’m immune to the sadness of life. While I don’t have suicidal thoughts like my friend might have had, I definitely have a better understanding of what he might have gone through years ago.

Circling back, people don’t really recognize what you’re going through unless they’ve been through it themselves. Have they been single among a sea of coupled-up friends? Have they been the single girl when everyone else is married with kids? While I don’t know the things they go through, I do know the things that I go through. I know sometimes it’s hard to step into the shoes of other people but regardless, we need to recognize each other's feelings.

I can be sorry for being insensitive sometimes but I will never apologize for how I feel. I’ll never apologize for being a 30-year-old childless single woman who wants to surround myself with others in the same life-stage.

Life is tough but so are YOU! Be honest about your feelings and stop apologizing.

Before I close this out, I’ll tell you that I went on a date last week. I don’t think I ever had a great Valentine’s Day in my entire life. Honestly, the last one I celebrated in 2010, I had the flu and my college boyfriend made shrimp scampi (I like it now but hated it then haha) and made me tiramisu (which he said took THREE days to make) but I couldn’t eat anything and he left me to go hang out with his friends. TEN whole years later, I celebrated Valentine’s Day again. I don’t know where the time went! It was actually a really fun first date. We went to this cool spot called The Vig in Phoenix and then he took me to a taco spot because he remembered that I said I loved tacos. We finished the night at my hotel bar and then said goodbye.

In all honesty, do we find those “limited time” dates to be so much more amazing because the time is limited or is life just that unfair that the people we have fun with are never convenient?

We had a really good time last week and I’ll go far enough to say that in my 30 years, it was the best Valentine’s Day ever. Y’all, after tacos he even said, “Will you be my Valentine?”

Well, anyway, last month marked year 5 in Texas. Where to next? With all of my friends moving forward in life with marriages and babies, I think it’s time for a fresh start. I’ve never been one to sit still or stay in one place for too long. I need change. I thrive on change. I thrive on change by CHOICE but not by force.

When the world is changing around you (without your consent), how do you cope?

xoxo,

Annie

[merkissescanhealyou]

About/Bio

//Basic info for Marius. For details about the ‘mun, see “mun’s info.” Sorry for the wall of text.//

Name:  Marius

Age:  ??? (appears to be anywhere between the age of 45-55)

Sex:  Agender (prefers male pronouns)

Height:  5'8.5"

Weight:  183 lbs.

Blood type:  ???

Species:  Merfolk

Sexual preference:  Pansexual

Birthday:  ???

Voice claim:  Mitch Grassi

-Background-

Marius was born somewhere in the Pacific ocean to strict parents. He grew up with the idea that humans are dangerous and to never go near them. His parents forbid him from wandering too far from the reef and expected him to follow each and every one of their rules. They wanted him to marry a merperson of the alternate kind, and they arranged a marriage for him when he was at the young age of 11, but they were not to be wed until the age of 20. The merperson he was to marry had no interest in him, and neither did he have feelings for them. One day, he planned to leave and never return, to escape his fate and from the clutches of his cold parents.

His parents forced him to take up a medical practice for the merfolks, but he discovered he did not have a knack for it. He was never satisfied with the study and profession, and other merfolk regarded him as “the worse doctor in the pacific.” As the 20th year of his life approached, he became more anxious to leave his place of birth.

By age 19, Marius was fed up of his parents and the society of which he was brought into. He kept to himself and avoided other merfolks, for fear of attachment when he planned to move away. He did, however, rescue a baby octopus from the looming predators in his reef. The poor thing was frightened and injured, and he sheltered it and nursed it back to health. He tried to release the little fellow, but he refused to go. So, he chose a name from a book he once found while collecting trinkets from a sunken ship, and kept him; he was named Aristotle.

His 20th birthday soon arrived and instead of receiving a warm celebration from his family, he was rushed to the Temple of Neptune to meet his soon-to-be spouse. Marius, however, hadn’t planned on marrying that day and took off with his pet octopus. His parents were outraged and embarrassed, both apologizing to the family of his suitor for their child’s behavior. But he was not sorry, and he didn’t care what his spouse would say. He swam far away from his reef, and never looked back. That was the last time his parents ever saw him.

It had been many, many years later since his escape from his prison. He survived on his own, with Aristotle at his side. They’ve hunted together and protected each other from the dangers of the ocean. One instance, Marius was being hunted by a shark and he had to fight the beast tooth and nail to live. He managed to kill the predator, but with great taxation. He never had any troubles with sharks, but this one encounter was enough to frighten him and avoid them at all costs.

He found out that he had a knack for healing animals, not merfolk. The whole time, he thought of himself as a failure when in actuality, his calling was to heal marine life. From his studies and travels, he has healed and saved many creatures big and small. A patient of his led him to the discovery of humans, and Marius was enraged that they attempted to harm wildlife. He became obsessed with studying humans from afar, and learning that not only do they intentionally harm wildlife, they do it unintentionally too. He hated the humans in the huge boats with the nets, hated the ones with the big spears that took down whales, hated the ones who maimed sharks and turtles, hated the ones that drilled and spilled black, toxic sludge into the ocean, hated the ones that kidnapped wildlife and never returned them to their home. He observed them from a distance, and no matter how far away he was, he could feel their greedy hands around his neck to yank him from the sea.

As the years passed, Aristotle’s lifespan was coming to an end, the normal life expectancy for an octopus. Marius was aware of it and he dreaded the day he had to say goodbye. Sooner or later, it happened. He woke up one morning to find his little friend snuggled up in his arms, but paler than the moon. He checked for signs of life, a standard procedure nowadays, but found none. The shock hit him like a wave against a jetty. He cried and cried, and held his friend close for hours until it was time to lay him to rest. He dug deep in the ocean floor and buried him, marking his grave with a heavy rock and kissed it before swimming away.

Marius wanders the ocean, in search of knowledge and marine life who need his held. He has had close calls with humans and predators. One day, he drifted into the bay of a busy fishing town. He watched the boats go in and out of the harbor and he felt nothing. That is, until a human had captivated his eye. It was tall, lanky human with yellow glass over the eyes, and a peculiar shape on the head. He kinda looked….grumpy. Something was on his left hand, an accessory he had never seen before. And this human was covered in cloth! So much cloth! He didn’t understand why, for merfolk don’t wear cloth. But he was so…handsome. Marius was smitten with the human, and it brought him such confusion because he was supposed to hate and fear them. But this one? He doesn’t hunt marine life, he doesn’t drill into the seabeds, he doesn’t do anything like that. He was so enraptured by him that he started to follow him whenever he could see him from the water. His heart pounded in his chest, his cheeks were tickled pink, and his eyes sparkled when he saw him. But he knew he could never be with him. Merfolk and humans are not supposed to be together. All he could do was pine for him.

-Anatomy-

The merfolk have evolved to include both male and female reproductive organs to reproduce. The male reproductive organs are internal, but when aroused, it pokes through protective folds and becomes erect. Outwardly, they all appear to be female because of placement of the male organ. It is slightly above the middle of the hips, and is hidden beneath the skin. The female reproductive organ appears on the underside of the tail, marked by a slit. Breeding had become difficult and scarce among the merfolk, therefore making it necessary to find a way to reproduce. Merfolk are genderless, but they are intelligent enough to choose if they want to identify with a gender. There are two types of species of merfolk:  masculine and feminine. For example, some feminine merfolk prefer to have she/her pronouns, some prefer they/them, and some prefer he/him; the same with masculine merfolk. The only difference between them is their appearance and physical attributes. The feminine ones have more breast tissue and are usually shorter in length, but those are the only two differences. Because of these differences, they are classified into two types, otherwise they are basically the same. They cannot reproduce on their own, they need to mate with another merperson. Either type can carry offspring.

They have two sets of lungs, one for water-breathing and one for air-breathing, both in the chest cavity. They are half the size of human lungs for the sake of space for both pairs. The gills are located on the sides of the neck, in three slits. It is not known by many merfolks that they also have a pair of legs. When the tail is dried entirely, it splits into two legs and the scales and fins disappear. When they are wet with a foreign substance other than their own bodily fluids, the legs will pull together and merge into a tail fin, and the tail will remain unless it is dried again. The reproductive organs remain in their places, but only the female organ changes in appearance when the merperson has legs. It takes the shape of a human female’s vulva instead of a slit on the underside of a fish tail.

-Personality-

Marius is a kind, gentle soul that has seen the harsh reality of mother nature. He tends to root for the underdog, or the weak species. He can be found lurking around the reefs, looking for sick or injured animals and fish to help. He’s not the type to start fights, but he can and will defend himself when he needs to. He comes across as timid, but curious. He wants to learn about the many mysteries the ocean has to offer, but he can sense danger and knows when to retreat. He doesn’t have much of a temper and doesn’t come off as intimidating. When angered, he tries to hide it but he’s not very good at hiding emotions. If he feels threatened, like any cornered animal, he will strike or attack. In the past, he has had two encounters where a predator backed him against an inescapable area, and he killed to save himself. He has never “snapped” and killed for the thrill of it or out of anger.

****************

If you’ve managed to make it to the end of this, congratulations! I thank you for taking the time to read about Marius. When you’re ready, send the message “I hope you know what ambergris is” in the form of an ask or a dm. Hope to hear from you!