#then came the Old Light's rage and it took her children away

[mebis-art-dump]

Sleeping God, to see thee as thou once existed, with land and dream and devotion, We would give our mind…

[imsandra]

Red to Gold

Pairing: Eris x female reader

Summary: From the fire of the past are born the flames of a new beginning.

Warning: Mentions of torture, whipping, violence, death (nothing in too much detail), Beron. Let me know if anything happens. Word count: 1183

Notes:The idea came out of nowhere, I hope you like it. Leave your comments on what you think, suggestions, everything is welcome as long as it is with the motivation to teach and with respect.

English is not my native language, so I apologize for any spelling and grammar problems.

Original story, I wrote it myself. Please do not copy or plagiarize my story.

I appreciate the comments, reblogs and likes I receive.

Happy reading!

Master list

The sun would rise again over them.

That was what his mother always said whenever his father did atrocious things to her. His father wasn’t known for being the best; his tyranny was his strength and worth at that time, but it never led him to victory. So when Eris became the new High Lord after killing his own father, his dreams were plagued with nightmares of his past, but he always remembered his mother's words.

“The sun will rise again over us,” the Lady of Autumn would whisper to her children.

“How do you know?” Eris would always ask.

“Because one day, you'll feel that all the bad will go away, and the good will settle deep in your soul, healing the broken parts,” she said as she kissed his forehead.

“Mama, do you feel it?” he whispered. He had always been curious with her, only with her.

His mother took longer than usual to respond. She clung to her little son and answered:

“Yes, I feel it every day,” she finally said.

The little redhead, deep down, knew it was a lie. He knew his father tortured her. She thought that at 8 years old, he wouldn’t be aware of the atrocious things his own father could do. But Eris was always aware, and although he sometimes tried to defend her, which cost him several whippings, he knew his father would never show mercy to a child. So, Eris would have no mercy for him. Never.

When his brothers came into the world, he tried to protect them from Beron's torture, especially his younger brother, Lucien. The only one of his brothers with whom he formed a close bond. The only one he could save from his father's poison.

Lucien and Eris were united by their shared love for their mother. Eris tried to give him a peaceful childhood: he tried to play with him, teach him to read and write, teach him to defend himself. He didn’t care about the consequences that followed. He would do that and more for him and for his mother.

He promised himself: the sun would rise again over them.

A couple of years after becoming the High Lord of the Autumn Court, he found his mate; he found his sun. Y/N was his sun during his dark nights when the storm raged through his body. It was she, with her light, who made him shine like a diamond. His life improved with her, and his mother couldn’t be happier for him, and he couldn’t be happier with her, because he could finally live a free life.

He could never blame her for wanting freedom. Everyone deserved that. Freedom.

Now, while lying on the couch in his home with his little redhead asleep on his chest, he knew his mother was never wrong.

All the bad was going away, and the good was binding to his soul, mending his broken parts.

His little girl stirred on his chest. He gently stroked her back, with tenderness, with love, with the affection that only his mother had taught him, what it meant to be both father and mother at the same time. He swore that the moment his daughter, Emberlyn, was born, he would do whatever it took to give her a childhood full of joy and peace, everything he didn’t have. He would give it to his children.

Emberlyn was his little sun, his passionate little warrior, and even though she was now 5 years old, she was still his little baby. The little redhead claimed to be a little adult, but the fact that she was now lying on her father, her head buried in his neck, showed she was still a baby.

If those thoughts came to light, Emby would get a bit upset and tell her father to have a small sword battle until one of them won. That's why she was his little warrior.

Who would’ve thought his girl was such a fan of swords?

The scent of his mate filled the room; she had entered through the door that connected to the garden. Emby had been helping her mother in the garden they had built together before ending up in her father's arms, fast asleep.

“I love you,” Eris told his wife.

His wife only smiled radiantly before approaching him. When she reached him, she leaned in to kiss him; their lips met gently. A kiss full of so much love, soft as a feather. Both parted, breathless; if it were up to them, they would stay like that for eternity. But they had to breathe at some point.

“I love you more, dear husband,” Y/N whispered near his lips.

Eris made space for her so she could lie down with them. His wife slid onto the couch and nestled into the arm her beloved husband offered her. Y/N rested her head on his shoulder and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his rich scent.

“Maybe we should have another,” Eris said quickly.

“Another what?” the woman responded.

“Another baby,” he said with a smile.

Y/N only laughed and pulled her face out from Eris' neck. She looked at him with a smile; she would never tire of seeing his face, the shape of his nose, his kissable lips, his beautiful freckles adorning his cheeks. Eris locked his gaze with hers, and countless moments flashed through his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was building such a wonderful life as a husband, father, and High Lord of his court.

“I’ll give you all the children you want, my love,” she said with a giggle. She kissed his jaw and buried her face back in her beloved's neck.

The redhead just chuckled, causing his daughter to stir. Emby just wriggled around; she seemed to be a heavy sleeper, just like her mother.

The High Lord of the Autumn Court was more than happy. And though sometimes that happiness was clouded by horrible moments from his past, it was his present that brought him back. His doubts about not being a good father were answered in the moments he shared with his baby. She loved him and reminded him that he was raising her in the best way possible.

He would build that legacy worthy of being told in future generations.

The sun would rise again over them.

*divider by @tsunami-of-tears , thank you.

I red you!

[theladyofbloodshed]

Chapter 26 - You're The Closest To Heaven I'll Ever Be

‘I don’t want to be here,’ Nesta hissed as Azriel settled her onto the ground.

The waist high grasses and its wild flowers had been trimmed down to the ankles and night had swept into Illyria leaving a star-flecked sky above their heads.

‘Where would you rather be?’ He gestured at the vast expanse of wilderness behind them, voice taut with barely contained rage. ‘Back there? The House of Wind? Where, Nesta?’

His chest rose and fell rapidly reminding her of a cat that readied itself to lash out. She wrapped her arms around herself.

This was not the Azriel she knew. He was a spymaster. Calm and collected. Unruffled. Yet Nesta had made him run out of the patience that seemed never-ending. Guilt swelled in her chest. There were only so many times people could take being pushed away. She ran the risk of losing him – and that scared her more than she wanted to admit.

At the same moment that she took a hesitant step forward, Azriel’s expression softened. ‘It’s colder here than Dawn, even in spring. Take a hot drink with my mother.’

Peace had been brokered unexpectedly. She allowed his fingers to slip down her back as he guided her towards the front of the cabin. The lights were still on in the windows downstairs so it was not too late, she expected.

Rovena opened the door, her hair unbound and flowing freely to her waist. Whatever she read in their expressions had her opening her arms to receive both of them. They were pulled into a shared embrace so all three bodies knocked together.

‘It’s so nice to see you both. I was thinking of you earlier.’

‘Are you a seer?’

Azriel’s mother smiled as she led her into the house, leaving her son to close the door. ‘No, just a mother who misses her son. I hoped he would bring you to see me soon.’

There was something about the closeness of her body – the softness of it – that had Nesta sinking deeper. Rovena stroked a hand against her hair which had been roughened by her impromptu sleep. ‘Have you eaten? Let’s find something for you.’

Nesta nodded, trying to push away tears. She had always known the sort of mother that she would be and that was the opposite of her own. She’d give her child love and comfort, praise and celebrate the smallest milestones, and never ever use them. But Nesta hadn’t realised how badly she needed that mother for herself too. Even if Rovena had been in the middle of another task, tending to Nesta’s needs had pulsed to the forefront.

They ate sticky layered pastries that seeped with honey and were drizzled with nuts on the top over a pot of strong, black tea. Rovena had insisted upon wrapping a blanket around Nesta’s shoulders then tugging off her shoes and lifting her feet up onto the couch.

‘A bad day for both of you?’

‘How did you guess?’

Rovena gave a smile of understanding as she turned back to her knitting. ‘Azriel only comes home when he feels guilty that he’s been away so long or if he needs a break from everything. Today, it’s a mixture of the two.’

‘I will tell him to visit more often.’

‘With you?’

Nesta swallowed. They were only two words, but there was a heavy question loaded within. Rovena knew they were mates. Knew the significance of their situation.

She focused on the cup in her hands, examining the pattern etched into the pottery. What was there to kick out and complain over? Azriel was a good male. He was patient and kind with a dry humour that she wished she saw more often. There was nothing wrong with him. None of her dissatisfaction came from him. It was the lack of choice. The life that she’d been forced into. And if she could turn back time – then what? She would still be mortal and he would still bond to her. His heart would still point to her. He’d have the agony of watching her grow old and die while he remained young. What life would she have had? There would be a mortal husband at her side who expected many children and little else from her.

‘It’s so hard,’ she whispered. ‘I keep wanting to go home but I don’t think I’ve ever had a real home.’

Rovena paused from her knitting. ‘I am biased,’ she said, touching a hand to her chest, ‘because he is the most wonderful thing in my life. My son is not like the others. He will be walking loops around this house, bullying himself for whatever has occurred today. He will never think to fly when it’s in an Illyrian’s nature to do so. Legend says Ramiel could fly before he could walk. Azriel’s early years were not good. Not kind.’ She was quiet for a while as if waiting for a spark of recognition from Nesta that she knew his upbringing. Azriel was often a closed book. She knew little of his past. ‘Azriel carries the weight heavily. He won’t ever put it down.’

‘He hasn’t done anything wrong,’ explained Nesta. ‘He is the best part of my days.’

‘Have you told him that?’

No. To lay her feelings bare that way left them open to be hurt. It wasn’t fair to offer him hope when she didn’t know whether she’d have the bond severed at the Blood Moon.

‘I am not trying to influence you in anyway, Nesta. You have had too many choices taken away from you. My son has also suffered greatly in his life. He is not a daemati; he cannot read your thoughts. He will only know what you tell him.’

For a while, Nesta lay there with her eyes closed. She was unashamed to do it. Rovena had abandoned her knitting entirely and stroked a hand against her hair. It was tempting to accept the bond so she could see Rovena whenever she wished. She wanted a mother so badly.

Azriel entered with damp hair from the drizzle that had started. He gave a nod of satisfaction at the sight of them relaxing together.

‘I will go to bed,’ announced Rovena. Nesta stood to embrace her. She didn’t want it to end.  Rovena squeezed her tightly. ‘Come and visit soon, please. I want to know you better.’

‘You don’t.’

She stroked Nesta’s cheek. ‘I do. I really do, Nesta.’

Left alone with Azriel, Nesta wanted to bury her head beneath the blanket that she’d discarded on the couch rather than have this discussion. She didn’t even know why he’d brought her here. Maybe to chastise her about speaking to his precious Rhysand that way.

She folded her arms again, bracing herself for whatever storm he’d bring.

‘Who was Clare? Your friend. Who was she?’

His words were not laced with interrogation. They were tender, like a healer examining a wound.

‘My only friend,’ she rasped. ‘With money. Without it. Clare was-’

Nesta pressed her hands against her face.

Says the woman who gave an innocent girl’s name in her stead for Amarantha to butcher as well.

Whatever ending that Clare had found, it had not been good. If Beron Vanserra had not brought her up, Nesta would have been none the wiser. Clare would always be a ghost that trailed her, demanding that Nesta did not forget her. Now that she knew the truth of it, it made nothing easier. The closure brought no healing.

‘I never asked Rhys directly about those years. We do what we must to protect others. More and more, I’m learning that there were no limits to who he’d hurt to protect us in Velaris.’ Azriel forced out a bitter laugh. ‘My fault. A spymaster should know better than to pull at loose threads that a High Lord tries to cut away.’

Nesta did not understand his cryptic words.

‘Maybe we should sever the bond.’

Air caught in her lungs.

‘What?’

‘I’ve heard things. Whispers from that time beneath the mountain. I didn’t want to believe them. I heard her name – Clare – heard that he’d given a fake mortal name to Amarantha. Not that she was real. That her family had suffered too.’

Nesta did not dare to interrupt him.

‘Rhys hurt Feyre. Night after night.’ Azriel shook his head. ‘I told myself that Rhys wouldn’t do that. That’s his mate. He loves her. Those whispers were tainted – but now I know them to be true. Neither will speak of those days and I thought it was because they suffered too much. It’s because they don’t want us to know what happened between them. Did Feyre truly forgive his actions or is there no limit that can be crossed due to the bond? The bond will always pull them together, will always make them forgive and forget.’ His hazel eyes scorched her as he met her gaze. ‘What if I’m like that?’

‘You won’t be like that,’ she vowed.

Azriel shook his head. ‘I saw you. The meeting. Saw how scared you were when I… Eris.’

‘You think I’m afraid of you? Azriel, I had never seen anything like that before – but I’m not scared of you. Eris was out of line. And knowing that you’d damn all the consequences to protect somebody you care about, it matters to me.’

Her hand reached for his. She sensed his instinct to draw it away, to shield it from her view, but still she reached for him, practically pleading with her eyes to not reject her this way. His fingers slid over her skin.

'It scares me,’ Azriel admitted, turning Nesta’s hand over to trace the lines of her palm. ‘I’ve been at Rhys’ side for over five hundred years but I was so ready to jump to your side. If you had said the word, I’d have avenged your pain.’

Nesta did not have to think so deeply to understand his meaning. He’d have been at her side no matter what. That's what mates did for each other.

‘Cass knew,’ he continued. ‘He saw my hand go to Truth-Teller then called your name. It made you pause - and me.’

‘Is that fear too much?’

‘No,’ he promised, voice ardent. ‘It just scares me because I don’t think there’s a limit for me either of what I’d do for you.’

Those words hung heavy between them. It hadn’t been anger that had made Azriel fly her here at all, she realised. It had been such sorrow and shame for his actions in the meeting, his fear that he’d pushed her away. His black hair was falling into his eyes as he kept his head tilted downwards. It was a face that Nesta could gaze upon for days at a time without ever growing weary.

‘I want to try.’

Azriel glanced sidelong at her. ‘What does it mean? You want to try. What does it mean?’

Maybe like her, Azriel needed those declarations. It was scary and overwhelming to put it into words. Scarier still to put it into practise. But he was worth it, wasn’t he? Worth exposing her fears and stepping into the light for.

‘I’m not ready for everybody to know – not yet. You are not a secret. I’m not ashamed of you,’ she managed to stutter out. ‘Don’t think for a moment that I am. It’s just-’

‘You are a private person.’

‘Yes,’ she said, glad he understood. ‘We can try to be… together. In private. I don’t know how fae courtship rituals play out.’

‘Can I kiss you?’

The words shot out of him suddenly as if they could no longer be contained.

‘Can you kiss me?’ She echoed, breathing heavily. ‘Can you kiss me?’

Azriel waited. He’d only take as much as she offered.

‘Yes.’

The shadow singer moved closer, tilting his head and pressing his lips to hers. It was a scorching undoing. His hand settled on her side, the other cradling her face to lift it where he wanted it. Nesta breathed in the scent of chilled mist and pine from his skin. He was so gentle with her. When he brushed his tongue against the seam of her lips, she parted them, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

He pulled back slightly, lips brushing her own as he said, ‘Are you alright?’

‘Yes.’

His nose touched hers, rubbing it softly before kissing her gently once more. ‘You’re frozen.’

Nesta swallowed, well aware that she had been afraid to move a single inch. Her hands were clenched at her sides and her back was poker-straight.

‘I haven’t had a lot of experience.’ By that, Nesta meant the sum total of her kisses was at two. A playful sweep of the lips by Clare, after which they’d dissolved into giggles, and a horrible experience where Tomas Mandray had been too forceful and rough that resulted in her crunching her forehead against his nose.

Azriel drew back, blinking a couple of times as he connected the dots. Realisation dawned on him. ‘Oh.’

‘Oh?’

His hand smoothed her hair against her head. ‘I hadn’t considered that aspect. Not entirely. Young and mortal. Unwed.’

‘It’s bad?’

‘No. Everything is at your pace.’

Nesta felt greedy to even ask it. ‘Can we kiss again?’

‘We can kiss until every star in the sky fades if that is what you wish.’

***

A kiss from Nesta Archeron was better than anything Azriel could dream of. He wished he could bottle this moment to savour for later. He had to be careful with her. Instinct demanded that he be rough to take what was his. Years of one-night lovers meant he had perfected every skill to leave them dreaming of him after he left, but the more tender moments – the intimacy – was something he’d always struggled with.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

It blared in his ears. Nesta would not pull away. She would not run from him once she saw what he was inside. Mates understood.

Her years were few, experience non-existent. Azriel could not fuck this up. She meant far too much to lose.

What was a spymaster, if not patient?

When he ended their kiss, Azriel was hollow afterwards like Nesta had taken her heart with her.

‘Shall I take you back to Dawn?’

Nesta weighed up her options. It had her brows furrowing. ‘I can’t. Not yet. I can’t see them. Can’t we go in the morning – spin a lie that I was too uneasy in a new place?’

He touched her hair once then was amazed she allowed such a thing. ‘The Town House then. It’s not too late. Perhaps Elain is still awake.’

He extended his ruined hand to her. It was a declaration that he wanted to try too. Azriel would be as he was, scarred hands and all. It made him vulnerable, which he hated – but for Nesta he would try.

‘Can we stay here?’

Illyria? Did she mean it?

Azriel caught the bob of her throat, her nerves rising at the suggestion.

‘Do you have a bedroom here?’

He had to pause and force himself to breathe before he passed out. Nesta wanted to stay in Illyria. With him. In the same bed.

Silently, he flexed his fingers to signal to Nesta to take them then he led her through the living room, into the kitchen, past the pantry and into the small bedroom at the end of the house.

‘It’s down here so I don’t wake my mother when I come and go.’

‘Do you come and go often?’

There was no teasing on her lovely face, no realisation of the innuendo that she’d walked into. Yes, all of Azriel’s previous dalliances could be described as coming and going. He never spent the night with a lover. It was too much, too intimate. He never wanted the awkward dance in the morning, the lies that they’d see each other again. Once people realised who he was – what he was – they never wanted another moment with him. But that wasn’t what Nesta meant. She was too innocent to realise.

‘I come here more than the others think I do. Less than my mother wants me to,’ he replied vaguely. Those sorts of answers wouldn’t fly. They weren’t fair on her. ‘She’d have me here every night if she could to make up on a lost childhood together. The others think I’m out in pleasure houses or with lovers or spying and I let them believe what they want.’

‘But really you come home to your mother.’   

He gave a guilty grin. ‘She’s a good cook.’

The room was not particularly large because most of his possessions remained in Velaris. One day, Azriel would tell Nesta the truth of his childhood – how it made him the way he was. Illyria was like a boot stepping on his throat, but this small pocket of paradise that his mother had cultivated was the one place he could breathe without hiding parts of himself. One day, he’d tell her everything. Azriel searched through the wide oak dresser for softer clothes for bed. Although Nesta was tall for a female, her frame was slight. Any bottoms he had would slip off of her. For her, he found a tunic gifted from Helion when they visited the Day Court years earlier. It was a garish gold, but it was the only thing he had that would reach Nesta’s knees.

‘You? Gold?’

‘Helion,’ he replied, as if that said it all.

‘What is wrong with him?’

Azriel paused from searching for his own clothes. There was nothing wrong with Helion except for his over-zealous affection. Everybody liked him. He won friends with smiles. Rhys had needed to tell Azriel to stop spying on him and the court when nothing insidious was ever found about him. ‘What do you mean?’

‘When he wasn’t staring at me like I was his next meal, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Eris’ mother.’

He shrugged one shoulder and began stripping for bed.

‘Come on,’ Nesta said, voice tinged with something like amazement. ‘You must know what I mean.’

Azriel turned and caught a glimpse of Nesta’s bare back as she changed facing the wall. Shadows jumped up in front of his face, blocking her – much to his dismay.

‘I don’t know what you mean, Nesta.’

‘Doesn’t he look like…' She stopped short. 'You don’t know? You haven’t ever noticed?’

Who was the spymaster – him or her? Nesta refused to elaborate on her cryptic words, instead she insisted that he forgot she ever said anything.

He heard the creak of the bed as she eased herself into it. It was large to accommodate the sprawl of his wings comfortably, but Azriel was determined to find a way to be close with her. I want to try, she’d said. If only she knew that Azriel had never done this before either. He had never climbed into bed with a female and only wanted to sleep beside her.

It was easier in the dark. After the lamp was extinguished, he moved closer to Nesta. When she didn’t object to his arms eclipsing her body, he took it as a good sign.

‘What will we tell the others?’

‘I’ll handle it,’ he reassured her. They were his nosy family to deal with.

Near his feet, Azriel could feel the press of his shadows as they curled up like a dog at the bottom of the bed. His mother’s room was upstairs at the other side of the house and Nesta was in his arms. There was nothing more he could ask for in life. This was what he had been waiting for. Every year that passed where his heart ached with loneliness had been leading up to this. And it was all worth it.

‘Will you kiss me again?’

His eyes shot open. Who was he to resist such a request?

Feeling bolder in the dark, Nesta’s arms twined around his neck as they kissed. Each one was special. One more than he ever thought to have. The press of her lips to his stoked a fire in his belly. This slow, smouldering undoing was the best thing to happen to him.

They moved on the bed with Nesta tugging him down to her like her restraint had snapped. His chest pressed to hers, the softness of her breasts beneath him was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Her heart sung to his. Each soft murmur from Nesta had his cock hardening. It pressed against her, solid and unyielding. Did she know what she did to him? He rolled his hips once, testing. The rub of his cock against her thigh had Nesta giving up of a breathy moan.

A shadow stung him on the neck in warning not to get too carried away. It didn’t need to all happen tonight. Nesta wanted to try with him; they had time.

Azriel eased back onto his side, his weight resting upon an elbow. He kissed her forehead gently. ‘Goodnight Nesta.’

She lay on her back, panting for a moment.

‘What? That’s it? You’ll just kiss me like that and say goodnight?’

Azriel chuckled. ‘What else do you want?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know what I can have.’

He brought her hand to her lips then kissed the knuckles. ‘Anything.’

With her sudden burst of bravery spent, Azriel took the lead. When he rolled back on top of her, Nesta gave an answering moan of satisfaction. Her tongue sought his, more desperate than their earlier kisses. His hand went to her breast, squeezing it softly until he felt her nipple harden beneath. There was so much of her that Azriel wanted to touch, to taste. He had to be patient – even if it was the hardest fucking thing he’d ever done. His cock ached. Each whimper from Nesta had it throbbing in response. One day, she’d have her mouth around it. One day, he’d take her hard and fast with it. Tonight, he’d be patient.

‘Will you touch me?’

His hand skated down her body. As his fingers brushed her stomach, Nesta inhaled a fluttery breath. He touched her sex over the cloth.

‘Here?’

Nesta’s hips rose up in response, but Azriel needed confirmation.

‘Say it.’

‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘Touch me.’

He found her wet and ready. The slick heat of her cunt was a summons too difficult to ignore. He traced a finger through her folds, parting them gently. All the while, he kept kissing her. Nesta’s moans were muffled by his lips. Each circle of his thumb against her clit had her writhing beneath him. Had she touched herself before, he wondered. Did she know the ways to make her body tremble and shake? Azriel pressed himself against her again, so that his cock rubbed against her thigh to give it a slight release. The cloth of his trousers was driving him mad. The need to taste her, to plunge his cock deep inside her cunt was bellowing in his mind.

Patient. He had to be patient.

It would hurt her to press his fingers inside despite his desperation to feel her tight walls clenching around them.

They had time. She wanted to try. He didn’t need to rush in and take it all tonight.

Azriel kept on kissing his mate, savouring the wetness that seeped from her with every kiss. His thumb worked in small circles until her body went taut. With a more forceful hand, Azriel guided Nesta over the edge – and kept on kissing her as she jerked and moaned beneath him, wringing out every last drop of her pleasure.

He blew across her skin when Nesta had finished to cool the heat burning there then he held her close. She snuggled against him, satisfied and spent. Pride swelled in his chest knowing he was the first male to bring her that release – and hopefully the only male that would ever get to touch her that way.

When her breathing slowed to a heavy rhythm, Azriel lay his head beside hers and closed his eyes, content and happy for the first time in a long time.  

The dawn brought showers with it to Illyria. The soft pattering of rain against the glass woke them both. They did not speak of what had occurred last night although he felt Nesta’s eyes on him often as he dressed. He hoped it wasn’t regret.

With his mother still sleeping, Azriel wrote a note to explain that they’d departed. Nesta had to write at the bottom that they’d return again soon which had him smiling and drawing her to him to kiss again.

‘Are you ready to continue the meeting?’

‘Not really, but we must do these things,’ she replied, nodding once.

It was dry in the Dawn Court. The hazy sun was touching the land with its golden fingers.

Cassian jumped up from the couch when they exited the bedroom. ‘Thank fuck. They’ve all gone to breakfast. I said you two had gotten up early and gone for a walk. Where have you been? I went to get my things to sleep on the couch and you were gone. Both of you.’

‘We were busy,’ replied Azriel flatly.

‘Doing what?’

‘None of your business,’ Nesta snapped, eyes flaring in warning at him.

To anybody else, it might have been effective. To Cassian, it was the equivalent of waving a red flag at a bull. He would make it his business to know.

On their hurried walk down to breakfast, Cassian kept trying to catch his eye, fishing for information. Azriel played dumb. Acted as though he couldn’t see the inquisitive looks his brother was casting his way even though Cassian had covered for them. He'd lied and said that they'd both slept on couches so Nesta could have the room. He'd owe him for that.

Each court had assembled at their own table for breakfast with the exception of Spring and Autumn who had not returned. Helion was at their table, an arm draped around the back of Feyre’s chair to annoy Rhys. Their conversation halted as they arrived. Azriel pulled out a chair for Nesta then tucked her in before taking up the one beside her so that Cassian could not.

Mor leaned forwards, her blonde hair tossed over one shoulder. ‘Gone for a walk? Either Thesan needs better guards or somebody is lying.’

An accusation that Azriel didn’t like laced Mor’s tone. Was it jealousy that he could detect? She’d gone to bed with Helion – but she had the audacity to be jealous that Azriel hadn’t waited outside of her door all night.

‘We were in Illyria,’ Nesta replied swiftly, helping herself to a jug of milk to pour a glass.

That wasn't part of their plan.

Rhys choked on his scrambled eggs at the other end of the table. ‘You took Nesta to Windhaven?’

Azriel glanced to Nesta, waiting to see if he should lead or her. Her wrist snapped downwards, opening a serviette with a practised gesture before spreading it across her lap.

‘No. I was upset. He took me to spend time with his mother. Can you pass the toast, Feyre?’

‘You took her to your mother?’

The room went suddenly quiet at Mor’s raised voice.

Nesta buttered her toast with more aggression than was warranted. ‘Do you have an issue with that, Morrigan?’

If this ferocious, possessive side of Nesta was what happened each time Azriel gave her an orgasm, she was having them five times a day. He quite liked it.

Mor looked to him. She seemed betrayed. Like Azriel had no right to take somebody to his own mother’s home.

‘You never take anybody there. Not even me.’

‘My mother wanted to meet Nesta,’ he said, shrugging off the looks of the others around the table.

‘I didn’t want to be here,’ added Nesta. ‘It seemed like a good time to go. Would you like toast, Azriel?’

They eventually slipped back into their conversation although Mor’s eyes kept darting between them like there was a secret she wasn’t privy to, but needed to know. He felt Cassian’s boot kick him in the shin then his brother was wiggling his brows up and down. Azriel ignored it all. Last night had been the best night of his life and all that mattered to him was that Nesta was happy. They’d face today’s meeting – face whatever the hell was coming next. As long as Nesta wanted to try with him, they would face anything.  

[villainsimpqueen]

Barren Land Na'vi Lore Dump #1.

The Barren Land Na'vi were created by me when i wrote my fic "The Barren Lands" right after Avatar way of water came out.

Fun fact is that this fic caused many others to be inspired to create their own fanclans.

Some fanclans you should definitely check out would be @nin3kyuu Mountain Na'vi and soon Sea Na'vi. And @choclodox Night Na'vi.

Now to the L o r e .

Drop #1

Barren Lands Legends/Protectors. 

Eliana

Eliana would be there very first

'Daughter of the sun' 

Because she existed when the lands weren't desert. 

I was thinking about it being more jungle/wetlands like swampy or marshes until a piece of the sun (meteor) crashed and caused such a large reaction to their land it caused dust & sand storms blocking out the sun and killing the plants. surrounding all in darkness of the storms, many couldn't see, but she was one of the few who could, & she started gathering as many as she could to try to travel out of the storms. With new land changes came new predators that could spot them and lure them to death. 

She kept those she led from being lured away from pretty light displays as they were lies with sharp claws and beaks. 

Barren lands na'vi get their snake like patterns from her generation, as it once was a way to blend into the marshy jungle, now evolved to blend into sands. 

And the start of the possum genes evolution as many had starved to death due to the food sources dying. 

 she is the daughter of the sun

The protector of  Apxa of the srane sands- Golden sands 

The four stars around her are her children

"Once the Apxa of the Srane sands, was covered in darkness, the sun had dyed in the sky, our people could not see and where dying from thirst and hunger for they could not find food or water, Eliana was blessed with eyes of the sun, she lead our people through the darkness to food and water, until a new sun grew, She raised her children to bring light in ones darkness and to take away light from those who only bring darkness, when she died her and her children were blessed to be amongst eywa and help guide eywa's children of the barren lands.."’

Lytta, 

Lytta would be last. 

daughter of rage 

the red sands.

she would exist when the low mountain range started forming and the sands turned red. 

She was trying to raise a family in the landscape but she lost her mate and some children due to banished na'vi in desperation to survive and take whatever they could, The others she was losing to heat exhaustion as the land was getting hotter and hotter Between the banished and the climate change she started to go crazy and thus in desperation to protect her last surviving child she starting attacking and killing any that was not native to the land. Because it was so hot and temps kept rising, to keep herself and her child from collapsing in heat she would cut their hair bald. Which was seen as soulless because the Na’vi are so spiritually connected to their hair. 

All her attempts to keep her last child alive went in vain as a tribe of banished na'vi had attacked her and them to take the hunt she had killed to provide. 

When they took her child she let out a sound of pure anger and in time the heat burst from the sands and hit red liquid started to form. She had believed that this was the blood of her slain children and all the other natives that must've perished due to the banished and exiled na'vi. 

She had attacked the group killing all but one and told them to flee and find as many banished they could and tell them to leave the lands for if she found them, she would stain the sands red with their blood as they had done to so many of her children and others. 

She would not allow another unworthy and invasive banish make it deeper into the lands. 

This had caused many banish leave, more so to take chances to find other places to live or risk being caught from their old clans. 

And once they had mostly all  disappeared it was only then Lytta saw the red liquid stop and it cooled, leaving large (yet not so large) cool red rock structures. 

which became the low range mountains and she too let her rage settle and cool,as she knew only those worthy would be able to pass deeper. 

The sand was now red, a warning to those who were not worthy of the lands to flee or their blood would darken the sand.

(rich iron from the volcanic vents explosions and the high temperatures stained the sands.) 

This is more so where the larger ears like fennec foxes traits started to form and the more aggressive behavior traits started to form. As The need to listen for rivals sneaking up on you grew stronger and the need to be more able to defend yourself and offspring grew more. As the strong survived and the weak perished. 

Daughter of rage, The three that are with her are her children, She will guide you and protect the Nga whenua onepu toto- Red sands

"'Her home lands used to be golden,but long time ago Banished na'vi came onto our lands, they did not know our way of living and they tried to take the sands that were close to their banished homes, after losing her second born child, and mate, she lost herself from eywa and stained the lands sand with the blood of the banished, protecting ewyas children of the barren lands, She had lost all three of her children and her mate to the banished na'vi but our people where protected. Now banished na'vi do not last long on our lands if they come into our home with ill intentions to our people. "’

Tama whakaae, 

Tama  I think would be the second. 

As many clans at the time would  believe that there was no species or living in the desserts, and they deemed that place to be perfect to send the banished & exiles (basically to their deaths) and he was banished because he was fooling around with another clans leaders daughter (rivals( in secret and had mated to her which got then   caught, The daughters parents refused their mating, and wanted him punished or they would bring war to his clan. 

His clans leaders didn't want war nor did they have the warriors for it so they banished him to the deserts where he would die out there and never be able to connect to ewya again. 

Before he was chased out he stole a seed from his lands spirit tree as a way to "rebel"  about not being able to connect to the mother. (In desperation to have some sort of connection to the mother) He fled into the deserts, which he would find Na'vi there living, feral and brutal. He would also find other banished perished in the sand or withering away. 

He would make peace offerings to the native Na'vi  (golden sands) and learn to survive in which he taught other banished to survive, as they kept traveling they found the canyons with its blue clay, they followed them and found the blue sands, he would take the blue clay from the canyons and trunk from a young spiked plant and carry it deep into the blue sands and  combine the seed to that plant and bury it with the clay into the blue sands and grew the thorn tree, allowing those who had followed him, banished and golden sands to be able to connect back to Way over time.

This is where some of the barren lands navi have some clan structure and spiritual structure. While no longer as strong as others in full form clans and more broken and scattered practices that were twisted and turned to better suit the land.  

Accepted son, He will guide your through Whenua one puru, land of blue sands, and is the protector of the barren lands spirit tree

There are his two children around him.

"'He was a banished na'vi, He came to our home seeking shelter, He passed Lyttas tests and was allowed through Eliana's lands, She guided him through her lands, to sands that were dull of life where no one could find him, He then planted a seed from his home lands and tended to it every day until it grew the spiked spirit tree, connecting our home and people to great mother eywa. To praise him, she blessed his sands to be as blue as his skin, so that he and his children may never be seen from the sands, He and his children protected and moved the tree so now the spiked tree moves on its own, He and his children will guide you to the tree, if they deem you worthy to Lytta and Eliana lands.”

Their constellation used by Barren lands na'vi to travel between the three sand biomes that makes up the entire Barren Lands.

And a rough map, which i will later redo.

Between the seperation of each sand biome are low range mountains, between the golden sands and Red sands, and cayons between the golden sands and blue sands.

The golden sands are the largest section of the barren lands.

Lore Dump 2

[voparwave69]

Personal, writing, tw for violence

I raised your children as soon as you decided I was old enough,

And you showed me that bodies can bleed from more than scraped knees.

A child held your face in his hands,

And I held that which you killed in mine.

My peers passed me by with their educations and after school events,

As I sat with you in your own filth and talked you through that which pained you.

I showed you life would be better on the other side of his thirst for blood,

And you showed me the feeling of rage so pure your body seizes control from your mind.

As you slept, I got children ready for school and saw them off to the bus,

And as I slept, I had nightmares of my own head turning inside out and ripping apart.

I looked to you for comfort,

And you punched me in my skull.

You ran away, chasing the thrill of being admired,

And I stayed behind, as the soil I took root in was salted once more.

I called for you, despite your pestilence,

And you humiliated me for refusing to strike the children I raised beneath you.

I made grand plans to rescue you and to fix your deep running cracks,

You begged me for the relief, knowing that you would only slice me into pieces should I try and glue you back together.

I comforted you as you plotted your own escape, calling me from the confines of whatever shelter you could find from the streets you had fallen into,

And after 5 long years of your absence, all you could manage was a half hearted gesture of affection you and I both know was false.

And yet I still talked you through your endless betrayals at the hands of the man who seemed to have eaten your own heart and mind,

And yet you still turned your back to me with each of his intoxicated calls.

And yet I still tried to get along as my rage grew,

And yet you still tormented me at the hands of entitlement to blessings you didn't deserve.

So then, I used my own blood to light the beginning of the end.

As the flames consumed your name and things, it was the beginning of the end.

The nightmares you had must have been like the ones that plagued my childhood, because you ran,

And yet you still returned to me, nothing learned, and it was the beginning of the end.

I found glass in my mouth instead of food while an innocent man lost his life,

And I showed you how to set up the beginning of an end.

I showed you in secrecy how to tie the ropes,

And you secured them in place,

We tread up the hill with them dragging her behind,

And you watched on as an enormous black tornado I know you were thankful to not be in destroyed everything she had built.

As we took shelter from the debris, you watched as the winds lacerated her skin just as she had let yours,

And you still desired to hold her close, as though you thought it would make her into the whole she never was.

I thought that destroying that which had destroyed you would make you whole again, but like her, you never were,

And you took away month after month after month from me, as though again I were your child.

As I watched time slip by from the prison you had maintained around me,

I had enough,

I tore my way out of your flimsy cell,

And I went to the same hill you climbed with me,

I watched the tornado rear its hood,

I showed you the path to it and warned you not to tread it,

But I knew you would,

And you marched along it with determined viciousness,

And you plowed through the winds that made your own skin crawl,

And you sat yourself upon the hill to show me you could.

I already knew you could.

I already knew you would.

And just as I knew it would slay that which came before you,

I know I am your executioner too.

[thegodthief]

Dreamt I fucked up a demon summoning so bad that my naive ass was instantly possessed. It gloated for two whole seconds at how easy it was to take me over before it realized why.

"Damn, girl, what the fuck is wrong with you? What the fuck is wrong with your body? Why are you like this? No, this is not how you're gonna go out."

It blew out the candles and snuffed the incense. It opened a window to the first stop and grabbed my purse and keys. It went through my exit routines by letting the body's memory take action.

"Did you know you're hungry? Starving, even. Have you been ignoring it for so long that you forgot what being hungry is like? Well, the body remembers."

It drove through a fast food drive thru and got a meal that was sufficient for having a little bit of everything. But along the way, other spirits showed up to challenge the demon.

"Nah! Mine! All mine until I let her go! Where the fuck were you when she was falling? Where were your trumpets and your swords and your holy blinding light when she was collapsing into the pit? Where were you when she begged for help but had nothing to give? You call me unclean when it was your hands that let her fall!"

They threatened to snatch the demon and it taunted them back. "Sure. Take me, right here. I'm only driving through a school zone. I'm sure the parents of these children will understand why it was more important to rescue what you threw away than it is for me to drive under the speed limit and to stop at crosswalks."

They pestered the demon like flies at a picnic even after the demon got home and laid out the food. "I was going to leave you here, but I don't trust them to let you eat." They unwrapped the burger and shook out the fries onto a plate.

They ate some fries. "A little burnt, but I get the appeal."

They took a bite of the burger. "Oh, that's some real nice sensory feedback. Just tear into that, will ya!"

They had a drink of the lemonade. "I ordered what your body was used to getting and made it feel good. It likes lemonade over soda, remember this."

The other spirits attempted to force the demon to leave. They clouded the air and filled it with buzzing noises.

"Fine! FINE! I'm going! Fuck! Why didn't any of you be so jealous for her before? You only want to cover her now because someone else, some thing else, is giving a shit!"

They shoved several fries in my mouth, just enough to have something to chew on, and left my body in peace. I blinked, and came to my senses. Somehow, the taste of the fries had changed between what I remembered the demon tasting and what I was tasting. It disappointed me.

"Old fries. No wonder it tasted off."

I looked at the spread of food. "When did... Did I? Oh shit, the candles!"

I ran to the circle only to see the candles had been blown out. "When?"

In response, my stomach growled. I figured I'll sort things out after lunch. I went back to the kitchen and finished the meal. After I finished, I remembered why I had a summoning circle. I was going to summon a spirit to...

To...

I couldn't remember after all.

I went back to the circle and examined a candle. I must have been successful because the candles are missing an hour's worth of wax. Most of the incense had been burned down, but the remainder had been deliberately doused.

Someone had been here.

I don't remember doing this.

I stepped into the circle and a heavy presence slammed on my head and shoulders, forcing me to my knees.

I spared you this time because there is nothing I can do to you that is more painful than what you are doing to yourself. Do not summon me again unless you are prepared to fight for what you want. Do not summon me again unless you know what you want, or I will bring you what you need, and I will not be kind about it again.

A gust of wind blew in the closed room and knocked all the candles over. The wind, and the presence, ceased. In the stillness that followed, I was left with the memory of what the demon did. It fed me.

It cared for me.

It raged at those that should have been looking out for me but didn't.

The dream ended with me sitting in the middle of a broken circle, finally remembering why I had summoned the demon in the first place, and having conflicted feelings about being rescued by the very thing that was supposed to destroy me, and being left to die by those things that were supposed to help me.

[shadowqueenjude]

Coriolanus Snow completes another kill; takes place after TBOSAS.

Coriolanus held his child in his arms, trying to quell the sorrow of his heart. The baby possessed light blue eyes and blonde ringlets that tempted you to twirl them around your finger. It was too early to tell now, but it seemed as if the boy had inherited none of his mother’s traits. Good.

If you had told Coriolanus a decade ago that he’d be president of Panem and married to Livia Cardew, he would’ve been shocked, but not because of the former. Sure, he had been poverty-ridden, but he was intelligent, and that scholarship would’ve catapulted him to University as one of the finest prospects of the Academy. His family was an old name in the Capitol; would it really be so shocking for him to become President? They’d been calling him future president at home since he was around 10. No, the shock was that he’d stoop so low as to marry that…vile old hag. Entitled egotistical sadistic bitch. God, he abhorred her. He had determined that marrying her would assure that his spouse would never be able to affect him, never be able to make him lose control like…she had.

He couldn’t even think her name in his mind, desiring to forget her, but her lovely visage came to his mind anyway.

Breathe. Breathe.

Coryo willed the image to fade. Willed himself to forget that fateful day in the woods and return to the present. Unfortunately, Coriolanus had made one serious miscalculation: marrying someone you thoroughly despised meant you would constantly be…annoyed. He preferred the annoyance to the intensity of his previous relationship, but he’d rather not feel anything at all. Marriage and children were good for his image, but now he knew marriage was a curse. Relationships were a mistake. One should strive to be content on one’s own and not seek solace in others; they’ll only destroy you.

He could not even bring himself to bed her without bringing another woman’s image to his mind (though he still refused to speak her name), for he knew if his mind felt he were having sex with Livia Cardew, his very bones would wither with disgust. As soon as she came down with child, Coriolanus had stopped all intimate relations, leaving her to wander about and stay far, far away from him. Unfortunately, even the idea of her existence irritated him to no end. When he saw bills indicating she had spent his money, his mind filled with rage, remember those days he was starving, nary a cent to his name, and that horrid bimbo had laughed at his orphaned state. What a hypocrite; she hadn’t even hesitated to marry him when he’d proposed.

He hadn’t bothered with courting her; he hadn’t even bought a ring. A couple of years out of University, he’d simply asked her point blank to marry him.

“We were well-suited for each other. Two families of noble blood united as o-“ He hadn’t even finished his sentence when she had began squealing. “Yes! Yes yes yes! I can’t wait to go tell momma!” She had leapt into his arms, and it took all of Coriolanus’s willpower not to cringe away from her, to lightly pat her back and act overjoyed to be getting married.

How could one person be so disgusting? Coriolanus was starting to think that maybe the cannibal would’ve been a more suitable choice for a bride. Well, too late. She’d already given him a child. She had served her purpose. She could now serve a greater purpose by making him look sympathetic and more loved by the Capitol. He went to his cabinet and pulled out the familiar substance. Poison: simple but effective. He had advised her to use it in the Hunger Games and he had not wavered since. Why fix what isn’t broken? Smiling, he poured wine into two glasses, putting the poison in one while also adding a little bit to his own cup. However, he kept the antidote on him. Oh, he couldn’t contain his joy that he’d soon be rid of Livia at last. The woman, of course, liked to think that everything was about her, so Coriolanus obliged her, flattering her sensibilities. “Why are you so excited, Coryo?” The twisted psychopath asked brightly, scarfing down garlic bread like an animal. Had she no decorum? Even with not a penny to his name, Coriolanus had carried himself with grace. And that name…

That name is not for you. Only family can call me that. Like Grandma’am and Tigris. And Lucy Gray.

Her name in his thoughts was like a punch to the gut. He tried to keep the memories from flooding him, but they came all the same, haunting him one after another-

A practiced smile formed on his face. “Just overjoyed to see my beautiful wife.” Lie lie lie. He was never happy to see her. And her twisted, pointed little face would never be beautiful. Not like hers.

Coriolanus handed her the heavily poisoned glass of wine, controlling the wild glee from showing in his face. Livia was a greedy drinker; she’d likely consume it all in one gulp and die very quickly. Coriolanus primly took a small sip of his, wincing at the poison. He looked over at Livia. Sure enough, she had fallen to the ground, convulsing. Coriolanus stepped around the glass shards, bending over his wife. “What do you think, wife? Am I still that orphaned loser from that playground?” Her mouth began to foam, and she could not form words, only stare at him in wide eyed horror. Coryo spat in her face. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare bestow the same fate as me upon my child.” He pulled out the antidote and took a small swig. “He’ll have me to look after him.” He got on his knees and let his lips hover just above hers as he crooned, “Snow lands on top.”

Then her heart stopped beating. His 12th kill. Once he was sure she was dead, he cried for help. “HELP! SOMEBODY HELP HERE!” His own lips had swelled up from the small amount of poison he’d consumed, so no one would dare suspect him. He was the President, anyhow. His word was law. The Peacekeepers rushed into the room. Coriolanus knew the routine. “President, are you alright?” Coriolanus nodded, channeling the agonized husband. “Not me-help my wife-help her-please-“

Some might call him a monster, but Livia had tormented him practically since birth, and her parents had been perfectly happy to sit on their money while countless others starved. She deserved this. If Coriolanus said it, it was correct. He was the President, which meant one thing: he was judge, jury, and executioner. Even his son was silent through it all, happily sleeping in his crib. As if he too knew that he was better off without the pathetic excuse for a woman that birthed him. He would make the perfect heir to his legacy. To continue their tradition.

Snow lands on top.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Perfect Paradise Ch.21 And Don't Tell Me You're Sorry 'Cause You're Not. Baby, When I Know You're Only Sorry You Got Caught

S: "The truth will set you free."

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

The nightmares began that night.

Visions of aborted timelines plagued Adrien's dreams and ripped sleep from his eyes. The very world ending and the only hope of salvation going back to prevent it from ever happening.

His nightmares were so strong that they grazed against the sleeping minds of his children. Who woke screaming about shattered moons and a brilliant, terrible light unmaking everything.

They were a bit old to sleep all together like they did during a bad storm. But Emma didn't care and Hugo gave only token protest. They slept in his arms while Louis used Adrien's stomach as a pillow.

"Papa?"

"Yes, Hugo?"

"Where's Maman?"

Adrien hoped Hugo couldn't hear how his heart accelerated. "She... She had some things to take care of."

"Hm," Hugo's head sank back down as he drifted off to sleep.

Adrien didn't sleep. Knowing that the nightmare would return if he closed his eyes and drag his children with him. So he stayed awake through the night.

Trying not to think about what these visions of futures past could mean.

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

Marinette had been crying.

She was never very good at hiding her feelings from him. It was figuring out why that usually gave Adrien trouble. Though in this case the cause of her red eyes was rather obvious.

"I..." Marinette took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

It shouldn't hit him so hard to hear those words. But still Adrien's stomach clenched. Limbs tensing as he resisted the instinct to comfort his wife.

"I'm so, so sorry I didn't-" She took another breath. "-Didn't tell you."

It'd be so easy to just walk up to her and put his arms around Marinette.

"I thought I-I was protecting you. From what your father did."

Adrien's fingernails dug into his palms as he looked away. Forcing himself not to wipe at the growing moisture in her eyes. "You let me think he was a hero, Marinette. A hero," Adrien's voice broke.

Marinette sobbed before she could swallow it down. "I know. I'm... sorry. I just wanted you to be happy. To be free of... all of this!"

His Lady looked so small then. Like they were teenagers all over again. Young, foolish, scared.

"I messed up!" Marinette wiped at her eyes.

"I can't tell you."

"I know I did!"

"It's too dangerous for us to know each other's identities."

"I should've trusted you!"

"I didn't think it mattered that Luka knew."

"I'll be better!"

"Felix always looks like he knows something you don't."

"I promise!"

"I promise."

"I promise."

Adrien forced himself to look Marinette in the eye. Opened his mouth and said the first honest thing that came into his head:

"I want a divorce."

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

Adrien still remembered when he told his kids that Maman and Papa would no longer be living together. The confusion and disbelief in their eyes. Especially Louis.

He remembered the akuma fluttering towards his son's room. Remembered crushing it's fragile body to dust. The rage as he summoned a Cataclysm untransformed for the first time.

"You think you can go after my son!?"

Adrien wasn't sure what happened in that moment but he felt the power of Destruction travel through the psychic connection the akuma had with its master. Hawkmoth's attacks stopped for a whole week.

But they were far more vicious after that. The imbalance fueling her corruptive magic. Making it stronger and her bolder.

It would still be a year before they'd manage to stop her. A year to relearn how to work together with someone that used to be Adrien's other half. Learn how to fight beside someone he no longer trusted.

And they almost failed.

Almost.

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

...

...

...

It was another year before Adrien was confident enough in his plan to execute it.

Felix threw back his head, downed another glass and slammed it back onto the small table between them. Then poured himself another. Cheeks red from the amount of alcohol in his system. "I gave her the best years of my life and this is how she repays me?"

Adrien made a noncommittal hum. He was rather surprised Kagami waited so long. Then again, Adrien didn't give her more than cryptic warnings. Felix took another long drink and Adrien poured his own into a nearby potted plant.

"Here," Felix refilled Adrien's glass. "Marriage is a fucking lie."

"True enough," Adrien watched Felix carefully. He wasn't prone to clumsiness while drunk but that wasn't what Adrien was looking for.

"Y'know, cousin... you're the only one who's ever cared about me."

Adrien smiled. "I've always cared about you Felix." Shame you can't say the same.

Felix raised his glass for a toast. "Good riddance to ungrateful bitches."

Adrien's teeth clenched but he raised his glass. "To cutting out toxic relationships."

Felix laughed. "Yeah. That." And down it went. Felix's shoulders sagged as his arms went limp. Glass rolling onto the expensive carpet of his sitting room.

"... Felix?"

His cousin sagged into the cozy armchair.

Slowly, Adrien stood and leaned over Felix's sleeping face. Carefully he moved the tie covering the brooch. The Peacock Miraculous.

A chill ran down Adrien's spine as he took the Miraculous off Felix and put it in his breast pocket. There was a flash of blue light as Duusu entered her Miraculous from wherever she was sleeping.

He glanced at Felix but the sleeping potion Adrien put in his drink held.

A hand patted the Peacock Miraculous through the fabric of his suit. It's insignificant weight like a boulder on his chest.

The thought of saying some clever quip crossed his mind but Adrien had places to be. Felix would know soon enough who took the Peacock.

Closing the door to Felix's penthouse behind him Adrien transformed. And Chat Noir raced across the night sky.

...

...

...

Adrien straightened his hair. Using gel to keep it even. He carefully applied makeup to slightly alter his complexion. Taking off his glasses Adrien put in contacts that added a slight tint to the irises. He put on his freshly pressed, custom tailored suit. Cut to make him appear slimmer on camera.

As they had grown older Adrien had gotten tanner and broader. They no longer looked identical without effort. But that never seemed to stop Felix so why should it stop Adrien?

He sat in front of the webcam just in time.

"Don't be bemused it's just the news! Today we have a very special guest. The one and only Felix Graham de Vanily, Argos!"

Adrien nodded seriously at the camera.

"Despite being one of the few Parisian heroes with a public identity catching you for an interview is much harder than that of your masked teammates. What made you decide to agree this time?"

"I have something to confess to the people of Paris."

Nadja's face shifted as she realized this wouldn't be the lighthearted hero interview she was expecting. "Go on."

"I... have lied to you. The Red Moon wasn't the only crime I committed against your city." Adrien's fists clenched out of view of the camera. His words bringing back memories he'd rather forget.

"Because... I was the one that gave Monarch the Miraculous."

Gasps of shock and outrage rolled across the live audience. Nadja's face paled as she interlaced her fingers. Knuckles white to keep from shaking.

"I knew his identity and I traded the other Miraculous for the Peacock."

The audience was shouting now. Some rising to their feet.

Nadja swallowed the anger that also rose up in her. "Who was he?" she demanded. "Who was Monarch!?"

Adrien stared unblinkingly at her accusing glare.

"G- A- ."

Adrien cut the feed as he felt the Veil riling like a stormy sea. He took a breath. Then sprinted for the bathroom. Wiping off the makeup, using hot water to dissolve the gel and taking out the contacts.

In a flash he was out of there and at a decent hotel across town. Where he'd been for the past several hours as host. Nino was waiting for him on one of the balconies.

Before he could say anything Nino's arms were around Adrien's shoulders. He squeezed tightly then let go all too soon. "C'mon, they'll be asking for you."

It wasn't hard to summon the tears of betrayal that his guests expected of him. Adrien felt that all too keenly. No one protested when he excused himself. Hardly anyone asked after him.

It was a show. A grand revenge after years of being the butt of the joke. And Adrien reveled in it. Yes he did. It was every bit the terrible truth he hoped for.

So long waiting for the perfect moment. For a weakness to exploit. Adrien was almost surprised how easy it was. Then again Felix always thought he was the smartest man in the room.

His only regret was not being there to see the look on Felix's face... At least, it used to be.

[spookychick78]

Final Girl

Don’t Fear The Reaper

Michael Myers X AFAB!Reader

Warnings: Violence/Gore, Death

Word Count: 1,539

She concealed the knife the best she could as she raced towards her house. It was such a freeing feeling, suddenly having no fear of him whatsoever. She relished in the feeling of her heart practically beating out of her chest as she neared the home. Perhaps she'd completely lost her mind, but she no longer cared. Her nightmare was finally going to end. She had almost forgotten it was Halloween, the children rushing past in their costumes reminded her. At least she wouldn't have to explain the blood if it got messy.

She slowed down as she saw the house come into view. That old familiar dread tried to find its way to her, but she did her best to refuse it. She could see him through the window of their room. For a moment, she watched. He looked to be watching TV. She felt a pit in her stomach as he smiled, it was something she had once loved about him. He had one of the best smiles she'd ever seen, his skin would crease at the side of his lips, not quite dimples but close enough to give him that charming appearance. She felt herself softening. That old weak feeling began to return. She turned the doorknob and made her way up the stairs. She took her time walking down the hallway, the light from their cracked door illuminated the old floors. She wondered if she would be able to find the courage to do it. It was the only thing she had thought about for days. After all, he might as well have done it to her and more than once. He had killed her in so many ways over and over again. But still she felt hesitant. Perhaps she wasn't so far gone yet.

The hallway came to an end. It had always seemed so long, but it seemed to have shrunk, she thought to herself. She was right outside the door. She felt her breath hitch as she gently pushed it open. He wasn't in there. She walked in, almost relieved for a moment until her eyes fell on their bed. The bloodstained sheets were still on it. She felt all that pain rush back to her, she saw herself screaming, the blood covering her mind like a blanket.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and his breath on her ear, "I left that for you to clean up."

His voice felt like nails down her back and her hand clenched the knife. No more.

She quickly pushed the blade backwards with force, hitting him in his thigh. He pushed her away, but she held on tightly to the handle, making sure to pull the knife out as she lurched forward. She shakily brought the blood soaked blade into her view, wide eyed. She was in a trance, marveling at its now bright red gleam, her strength rushing back to her in waves. She felt no guilt, no shame. She felt alive.

"You bitch!" He yelled through gritted teeth.

Just as she turned, he was barreling towards her. His hand went for her weapon, but she fought him. She used all the strength she could muster, he was no easy match. She had never fought back before and her inexperience was apparent as she tried to pry his hand off of her unsuccessfully. She resorted to her legs, kicking him off as hard as she could. He hit the ground with a thud, his head slammed against their dresser, momentarily disorienting him. She hovered over him and raised the knife as she moved closer. He started to laugh as he glared at her from under his brows, only fueling her fire further.

"You don't have it in you," he said, almost encouraging her.

She plunged the knife down with all her might, aimed at his heart ready to take his as he had taken hers. Before she could meet her target she was thrown back against the wall with a large hand wrapped around her throat. The force caused her to drop the blade and with free hands she tried desperately to free herself. Her eyes met Michael’s underneath his pale mask and she knew there was no winning.

"Michael, let me go," she said, her words laced with venom.

She could see the rage mingled with pain in his eyes and she didn't understand. She could see this was hurting him. It was buried deep within his gaze, but there was something there he was hiding. She didn't have time to figure it out, it would have to wait. She wasn't going to let go of what she came here for.

"Let me go," she repeated.

"No."

It was just barely above a whisper, but he had spoken.

"What the fuck!" She heard her husband say from the corner of the room.

As she and Michael turned their attention towards him they realized he had grabbed the knife. He rushed over and plunged it into her stalker's neck. She felt her heart sink.

He stumbled for a moment, releasing her from his grip. (Y/n) screamed as she went to hold him, but before she could she saw his hand grab hold of the knife. His eyes stayed burning into hers as he pulled it out of himself, not even flinching. Her eyes widened as he turned around, his attention now fully focused on him.

Her husband was just ask shocked, if not more than she was. She finally did get to see true fear in his eyes as he looked up at the Shape. He held his hands up, but they offered little protection. Michael's rage was inevitable, a force to be reckoned with. So many years watching him embody everything he hated about this world led him to this moment. For the first time in so long he knew he'd be satisfied.

His knife found him over and over again, each plunge going further than the one before. She watched in utter horror. His screams filled the air, finding a permanent place to live in her mind as they echoed. His blood trickled towards her through a narrow crack in the floorboards. It made its way just underneath her and began to pool there. His end was brutal and cold, just as he had lived his life. The Shape showed no mercy.

His stabs became less calculated as he realized the monster had long been dead. His screams no longer filled the room, just the sound of his own heavy masked breath lingered. He plunged his blade in one final time, as he took in the image lying beneath him. He was gone. He admired his work.

After a moment he wanted to look at her, but he couldn't. He wasn't sure what to expect. She had wanted this, but would seeing him for who he really was make her fear him? He wouldn't be surprised. The grim reality of what had just transpired began to fill the little room like a dense fog. He pulled the blade out of the corpse and stood up. He let his head hang as her horrified gaze fell upon him.

She didn't move. She couldn't. She could still hear the screams in her mind and she couldn't decide whether she liked it or not. The thought that she enjoyed it frightened her. She wasn't afraid of Michael, she was afraid of herself. He finally lifted his masked face, her eyes waited to meet his. For once, silence wasn't something he wished for.

He hesitantly moved towards her. She watched him carefully as she tried to figure out what she was feeling. She was angry he had taken her place, she was meant to kill him, not Michael. At the same time, he had saved her in so many ways. He stood close to her, not touching but she could feel he wanted to, he just didn't have the capability to act upon his desires. She leaned her head back as he towered over her, his eyes were closed under the mask as if perhaps he was too ashamed to look at her.

Her mind let her body take control for a moment. Her toes lifted her up so her lips were just barely brushing the lips of his mask. He flinched a bit and turned his head away, unsure if this was something he himself could allow. She paused, half expecting him to react violently, instead he slowly turned his face back towards her. His eyes were open, she could see he was afraid. Gentle as ever, she pressed her lips to the mask.

His breath was no longer controlled, in fact he couldn't seem to catch it. Everything in his mind fought him, but he let his eyes close, choosing to ignore his internal battle for once. Her touch was guarded by the cold rubber between them, but he let himself imagine what she felt like. He remembered that soft feeling on his fingertips just hours ago. She pressed a little firmer when she felt him relax ever so slightly under her touch, before she pulled away. Her own feelings began to frighten her.

When he opened his eyes she was gone.

[apollo-gate]

Here are all three. Titles with summary and Ro information. I’ll edit the summaries and make separate intro post as soon as possible.

The Revenge Pact

All your life you were the outcast hell you were so disliked that your family sold you to the Emperor. You soon found friends with the chosen heroes of the coming war. You were enlisted as nothing but fought and bleed and saved the Prince and Princess. (A part of you regrets it.) You and the Princess became close friends. But you never would have seen it coming. The betrayal they all did. You took the fall for the Prince's crimes. Yes, you were a weapon but not the monster they said. Only after your execution do you get to know the whole truth and the chance to kill the Man who executed you. But you are reborn as something else.

Princess Yuliana- F-

Age- 600

Yuliana Sarcyne you were friends or so you thought. She was the light you needed when the darkness threatened to take over. Yuliana hated the crown more than anything so why betray you. Why hurt you when she would rather bleed than see you hurt.

Cynthia Vasati - F-

Age-399

One of the most ruthless assassins to exist. And your the one who trained her and helped survived. Cynthia being one of the few dark elf’s alive and half vampire she should have died. But you saved her from that fire and protected her till your last breath.

Leonora Silver -Trans F-

Age- 20

Nora the second daughter to the Silver family. Her family and yours have been enemies since the kingdom spilt after the gold wars. Instead Nora needs help yours. She did summon you after all. And seeing her go through the same injustices you did brings a need to protect her.

Atarr Kostas-NB-

Age-maybe 24 (in reality 676)

They should be dead. You remember how you killed them. But them being the tricksters champion comes with some perks after all. Atarr seems overjoyed with your new life yet they keep their mouth shut when you ask.

Foxes Retribution

Two rival clans at war. The Jeong Clan and the Myeong Clan. They have always been in a stalemate. You are on the side of Jeong Clan or better known as Jeng Corp. You are Fox the family "Fixer". You're the person the Boss calls and you do what she asks. Or what the board members ask. To the world, you are Jeng Corp Face. You do owe the Boss for many things. And she owes you big time after that incident.

(The Mc will have a son. He will be about 6 when the story starts.)

The Mc age 23. They will also have a Family name as well. But this won't comes into play till later on.

Romance Options

Jeng Ha-Eun (The Boss)- F-

Age 38

Eun is the CEO of Jeng Corp. She had to claw her way to get her position. Eun wanted to have a simple life but the death of her children open a new world to her. You both met at your lowest. She offered you a job and a place to stay. You took the chance and it's changed your life ever since.

Kim Ri - F-

Age 26

Ri is someone you want to forget about. After all your best friend who confessed they loved you one day and the next pointed a gun at you. You don't know why she did it but you don't know if you can ever understand her reason.

The Idols Mark

Your group Infinity Soul took the music industry by storm. You were the lead vocalist and rapper despite being the second youngest. Everything was going great. But a scandal broke out and took it all away. The moment you saw what the scandal said about you. You never felt so much rage. No one came to your defense in your time of need. Your friends and colleagues left you to dry. But like everything you bottled it up. You did one last preference and left the group. You finished school but an old acquaintance reached out and asked you to help a new group she thinks you can help.

(The Mc is gender locked as female. The Mc is 15 in flashbacks and 22 when the story starts.)

Park Mi-sun - F-

Age 28

Sun as you called her was your protector and the sister you could always count on. Till you couldn't anymore. Sun is the leader of Infinity Soul. She became more cold and callous after your departure from the company.

Lee Yuri- F -

Age 26

Yuri your Ex. The reason why your life went to hell. The group you should be with. She took away everything you wanted and smiled like it didn't matter. Yuri took over your roles and it appears the fans love her more than they ever did you.

Hyun Soo-ah

Age 23

Soo or Luna as her stage name. She is one of the 4 trainees you are helping before their official debut. Luna seems to want your input in everything as it may be her debut but it’s also your comeback as well.

Diana Winter- F-

Age 24

Diana the American in a world she doesn't understand but she doesn't need to understand when she just focuses on the job and her little sister who seems to be your biggest fan. She also happens to be your ex friend from high school. You want to reconnect but she seems reluctant.

[altairtalisman]

Lena's Bio

"Death has rejected me, but its cold embrace... I shall forever be cloaked in it."

More details on Lena is under the cut

Name: Alena "Lena" Rybka

Age: 614

Height: 166.5 cm

Birthday: 1 Trieme 1408 (Ilkulei)

Orientation: Cisgender Bisexual Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Frostull (formerly human)

Country of Birth: Lyuharrno

Likes: Summer, children (non-romantic), all potato dishes, all fish dishes (especially gravlax, surströmming, and hákarl), alcohol, kompot

Dislikes: Winter, beetroots, being photographed

Hobbies: Dice making, cooking, reading, chess

Personality: Tends to be tired and pessimistic, though underneath all that hides a meticulous hard worker and an extremely warm heart that is as soft as a burnt marshmallow. Regardless whether she's in a good mood or not, she'll forever be an introvert at heart

Style: Long simple skirts in dull cool colours paired with tall boots to cover her legs as well as long-sleeved black blouses with mandarin collars and patterned cuffs. Always wears a Hirdiellese carnival mask to hide her face whenever she's around others except around those she's extremely close to. Also wears a blue plaid scarf and greyish-blue gloves trimmed with furs to cover up the remaining exposed skin

Status: Alive

Abilities: Able to freely control and create ice as well as summon wintry weather, also unaffected by freezing temperatures. Is also able to freely freeze any liquids she comes into contact with

Background: When Alena was 21, she met the love of her life in a bookstore and married him three years later, giving birth to a healthy daughter a year afterwards. They lived together in bliss near the wintry forests of Lyuharrno, away from civilisation but never too far. However one day in Primna 1436, when Alena went out to buy groceries, her house was caught in an avalanche which killed her family and left her as the only survivor

Initially, Alena tried her best to cope with the grief of suddenly losing her family by going about her days prior to meeting her husband. She was proven unable to do so as she realised that almost everything that she did reminded her of her late husband and daughter, yet she still persisted as she believed that time healed all wounds and she too, would be able to move on if she tried hard enough

Her efforts steadily took a toll on her mental state, which was further worsened by crippling loneliness as she was unable to get used to life without her family. Eventually, she found it increasingly difficult to get out of bed and thoughts about how it would be nice if she could melt away akin to snow in spring visited her frequently

At 32 years old, Alena came to the conclusion that since she could no longer return to life before her family, she might as well join her family and continue her blissful life with them. She decided that she would join them in the same way that they had left, and visited Lyuharrno's coldest region in the hopes of freezing to death

To ensure that she would die as quickly as possible in the freezing weather, she stripped off her clothing and submerged herself in a nearby lake before resurfacing and lying on the snow, aware that her survival instincts might kick in should she try to drown herself

As she drifted off to sleep in the raging blizzard, she dreamt of her husband and daughter calling out to her with outstretched hands. Just as she reached out to them, she was blinded by light that could only be described as supernatural. When she woke up, she was distraught to discover bleak white surrounding her as well as Aiden staring down at her with a relieved expression on their face

Realising that the celestial had prevented her from reuniting with her family, she yelled at them to get lost and broke off a nearby icicle with the intent to stab herself to death. Aiden prevented her from doing so and mumbled an apology for Alena wouldn't be able to fulfil that wish anymore

Unable to comprehend Aiden's words, she stormed back home with the intent of committing suicide another day. When she arrived back home and glanced at a mirror, she discovered that her physical appearance had slightly changed. In shock, she accidentally summoned numerous icicles at directed it at the mirror, shattering it

Aiden, who had followed her home, explained that in their attempt to save her from death, they had accidentally caused Alena's existence to become non-human and given their past experience with Ilias, it was likely that the Lyuharrnese would live forever. Alena, devastated by the celestial's words, attempted to kill them by freezing Aiden to death as well as spearing them with numerous ice spikes. They all failed, and Aiden revealed their existence as a celestial, which meant that they couldn't die

As Alena still believed that she could die, she tried all sorts of ways to do so, which included burning herself alive, hanging herself, and decapitation. All of her attempts failed, with the last method surprising Aiden as they noticed the water in the air freezing around her neck, repairing it. The celestial then concluded that Alena has become an ice elemental, which enraged her as she hated the cold

After spending almost a century by her side, Aiden left Alena on the condition that they exchange letters. Internally scoffing at the celestial's condition given that they don’t remain in one place, she half-heartedly agreed with the intent to not follow up on her promise. Several months later, she received an unwanted visit from Aiden, thus learning the hard way that she needed to follow up on her promise if she was to keep Aiden at bay

In 1543, Brianna had gotten lost during her holiday in Lyuharrno and eventually stumbled across Alena's residence. Initially, she chased the dullahan away but relented shortly after. It was then revealed that Alena used to be human, yet did not fit the descriptions of former human species such as vampires. After Alena explained how she came to be, all the while expressing her desire to join her family in the afterlife, Brianna decided to stay and figure out what Alena really was, all while trying to convince her to not commit suicide

After a few months, they discovered that Alena's existence was similar to the Asanokian yuki-onnas. Alena then mentioned that there were others similar to her, but they were considered alive in contrast to the yuki-onnas. Brianna felt iffy to classify the Lyuharrnese as a yuki-onna, and decided to conduct more research on the number of beings whose existence were similar to yuki-onnas but did not fit their typical description

Eventually, the dullahan discovered that there were a sizeable portion of beings that were similar to Alena. Brianna decided to coin a new term encompassing all beings that were similar to Alena in that retrospect, with the latter remarking that it was almost comical that someone who was not 'one of them' was the one trying to label their existence

The dullahan, taking Alena's half-hearted remark under serious consideration, decided to gather the opinions of others before coning a term that accurately described them. Eventually, the term 'frostull' surfaced and quickly gained popularity amongst the beings. Brianna and a few others spread the word about the existence of frostulls, even approaching the Fourteenth Dullahan, who was compiling information on Ratein to create a handy traveller's guide, to add the existence of frostulls into yon guide

Afterwards, Brianna decided to return to Balwirk while getting Alena to agree to exchanging letters. The latter simply nodded, having learnt the hard way with Aiden. With Brianna gone, Alena slowly realised that while she had not completely moved on from her family's deaths, she was perfectly content with her current existence, forgotten by everyone except the harsh winter

Alena then continued to live in relative peace, initially struggling to pick up from where she left off centuries ago. A letter she had received from Hana informing her of Brianna's passing in the Balwirkian War prompted her to double her efforts in managing her apparent depression, though Alena did not understand why the dullahan's death motivated her so. Eventually, she managed to resume a life almost similar to the one she had prior to her marriage and made the decision to make and sell dice for a living in order to force herself to actually get out of bed every day and to leave the house

A day before her 415th birthday, Alena chanced upon an unconscious Adríana sold in the Lyuharrnese market. Deciding to cook herself a feast to celebrate not being checked on by Aiden for a long time as well as her birthday, she bought the mermaid and brought her back home. She was shocked to discover that the mermaid was actually not dead as the mermaid woke up shortly after she washed the knives she would be using to slice her open

Adríana introduced herself and cheerfully declared that since Alena had bought her, she technically belonged to the Lyuharrnese and therefore, would live with her. Stunned by the mermaid's candidness, Alena had trouble explaining that she had bought her with the intent to turn her into a celebratory feast that also served to be her birthday meal and blankly agreed to Adríana's ludicrous declaration

Once she had processed her thoughts, Alena wanted to toss the mermaid back to the sea but was informed that Adríana would always return, partially because she had fallen for Alena at first sight and partially because she would most definitely be killed by Frigans if caught in Frigan-ruled waters

Unable to get rid of the mermaid, Alena surrendered to her fate and began living with Adríana. She soon discovered that life with the mermaid wasn't as bad as she had expected, even similar to the life she had with her late husband and daughter...

Unmasked Appearance:

[strywoven]

hey , it’s me , back at it again after rewatching an old fave and making an entire verse for it ; i present some notes for kaen , lhore & verona’s new yu yu hakusho verses !

verona :

upper s-class demon , earned herself the title of “she-titan” for own barbaric strength and power.  despite this , she played a rather - shall we say - passive role when it came to seeking control over demon world ; that never interested her , ironically enough , she had her own sect to tend to ( a collective of souls most loyal & indebted to her , specifically , fashioned into what she called a “family” in name alone , based upon oaths sworn in literal blood ) .  as a creature known for fearmongering and warmongering in own time spent in the light , she was often sought out for conflict ( asked for boons , if you will , for resources , insights , power , all of which provided for a hefty price equivalent to that asked ) .  at one point , she even challenged the gods living in the celestial plane ( & might have succeeded , were she not so reckless ) .

in recent ages , verona had turned her sights beyond conquest ; she wanted something that was never had … peace.  and that could not be bartered for in demon world.  as it happens , verona would frequent human world , like some , for a “proper meal” ( human souls , for her , tasted the best ) .  and yet , it stopped one day ; she did not return as intended.  not captured , exactly , but rather found herself spellbound by a particular woman that caught her attention.  it was never the same since.  verona courted the woman , as if human , but was swiftly discovered.  rather than chase her away , lenore offered for her to stay.  one thing led to another … they had a daughter.  they were happy.  verona herself , after a very long existence of bloodshed , was happy.

peace did not last long for lenore and the daughter were murdered by an assassin sent by the celestial plane ( a long-coming repayment for the damages verona caused ) .  in a rage , verona returned to the realm of gods , blinded by her grief.  and though her efforts were valiant , it was not enough to prevent the gods from thwarting her advances and sealing her away for a very , very long time.  until , of course , she is re-awakened and released from her tomb.

lhore :

a rare apparition known as a qilin , lhore - born to her clan as areum - is part of an extremely secluded breed of beast.  similar to the ice apparitions , the qilin have all but entirely separated their realm from the rest of demon world , existing on their own in an airborne archipelago towards the eastern boundaries.  the qilin are private and traditional , preferring to keep to themselves and maintain the sanctity of their territory by disallowing the presence of outsiders ( re: the belief that other demons / apparitions are somehow lesser to them & will stain their realm by entering ) .  areum is the heiress to her clan , thus to the realm ; she is the “golden one” , a rare , once every thousand generations sort of birthing.  sick of being caged and confined , treated like porcelain about to break , areum discarded her bearings , took up her father’s claymore and left the qilin in search of something “more”.  she took on the alias “lhore” in an attempt to hide her identity , though cannot quite conceal her energy nor heritage as well as she likes.  there are rumors the qilin were destroyed in her absence , supposedly making her the last of her kind.

kaen :

the story goes that gods do not necessarily “give birth” to children like other species.  and this godling is no different , supposedly plucked from the bright-burning heart of the celestial plane and made into a living thing ; given a shape , given a name , given a purpose.  “kaen” , whose real name is no longer spoken by own kind , is the child of an ancient , primordial god-king of the celestial plane.  having committed an offense most great , their sire banished them from them realm , quite literally throwing them down into living world and sealing away their godhood as punishment , forcing them to become mortal.

kaen was discovered by a young woman … by almost being struck by her truck somewhere in the middle of the backroads during the night.  although the situation was strange for both of them , this young woman ( who resembled someone kaen once knew ) , invited kaen to live with her.  from then on , kaen lived like any human ; working , going to university , making friends-- all the while the seal on their power began to fade , their strength returning and becoming harder to hide.  kaen still hides their true face from most people and does what they can to subdue their nature and power.  but they know eventually , they will have to go home and leave everything … everyone … behind.

kaen , even in this verse , is considered a "runt" by their own kind's standards ( but possess an immense potential ) ; they are over 200 years-old.

[lynnbeth5172]

Wake ‘em up and keep them perfect

Small Drabble for @fatherforgivethem board for haunting of hill house.

Made a small board myself though it isn’t that good.

—————————————————————————————

The strange dreams were back again, this time of Aegon. He was playing with his video games and she was watching with a small book in hand, an odd feeling came over her and when she looked up from her book. Her son was on the floor, a bottle of pills next to him and his skin a ghostly white.

Alicent opened her eyes immediately and shivered, from both the cold and the dark dream she had. She reminded herself that her son was okay, Aegon was in bed.

To reassure herself, she got out of the bed and. As quiet as a mime, made it to her eldest children’s rooms.

She moved closer to the bed to look at her oldest son, Aegon had looked more like their father than she’d imagine. His sharp features were the exact opposite of what his sister had.

“They’re the elephants eyebrows those two.” Alicent quickly turned around to see where the voice came from, she saw a woman near Helaena’s desk and chair. She looked as if she were from the 30s, with her lips a shade of plum and her hair neatly done up. Her dress was a light shade of red.

She looked beautiful.

The woman turned to leave and looked at Alicent, as if expecting her to come.

“Well come on, don’t be scared.” A smile grace the woman’s face as she said that.

“Who…who are you?” Alicent took a hesitant step near her, is this another dream? Was she still asleep?

The woman stopped when she was near the hallway, she turned to her and let out a small chuckle.

“Nyra…you can call me Nyra.” Nyra moved closer and took Alicent’s arm in hers, walking her to Ali’s small reading room.

“I do quite adore what you did to the place,” Nyra let go of her arm to gracefully move to pick up a book.

“It use to be my dressing room, then of course when I had Joff it was his little nursery room. Luke and Jace shared a room.” Ali was still confused, she had to still be dreaming…or maybe she was losing her mind.

“I’m…I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

“Course you are.” Nyra glanced up from the book that Aemond had read not too long ago.

“I’m a dream, and so are you and so are we,” she must’ve seen Alicent’s confused face as she then let out a laugh and moved closer. Taking Ali’s face.

“I know you’re confused…Ali darling.” She tapped her cheek with her thumb and pulled away before Alicent could process what she did.

“Don’t worry, you’re not as confused or stupid as the girl’s Daemon used to bring home.” Nyra’s smile had faded and a small bit of rage showed on her face before returning to normal.

Nyra sat down and beckoned Alicent to do the same.

Alicent was quiet for a moment before Nyra spoke again.

“Do forgive me for saying but you look just a fright, as if you’ve seen a ghost…you wanna talk about it?” Ali looked up to see Nyra’s concerned face, although it didn’t look quite concerned as it did appear more curious.

“I…I don’t think I do.” She looked back down in her lap.

“It’s your dream, darling.” She then tilted her head to where the library shelf was, Alicent followed her gaze.

Nyra got up and walked to the shelf, she looked as if surprised or remembering something.

“I…Joffrey’s crib was right here, I think…painted little trees on it. Green trees, so he could sleep and dream of the forest.” A nostalgic smile graced the woman’s face, as if remembering the happy memory.

“When he grew he didn’t need it anymore and it just broke me,”

A small feeling of pity filled Alicent as she felt the same way when Daeron was old enough to walk or when Aemond was too big for the crib.

“You try and try to keep them safe, all that someone can do really…but you can’t keep them safe forever.” She sat in front of where Alicent sat and put her hands on the chair’s armrest.

“Sad feeling, losing a child or watching them grow up.” She sighed and touched Ali’s cheek.

“You’d think there’s a feeling worse than that?”

Alicent responded immediately.

“No…I don’t think there ever could be,” then she took in a breath as she remembered the stormy night that Helaena got lost.

“I had the worst dream not too long ago…I lost my sweet girl during the storm, one moment she was there then the next gone.” She swallowed as she tried to forget the fear that clogged her throat when she desperately looked around.

“I had a dream like that…I lost my oldest boy, I dreamed that I was in the woods and I heard a choking noise…I remember I went near mad trying to find the noise but then I did. It was my eldest boy, Jacaerys. He kept gasping for air as if he was dying and when I looked closer I saw a noose around his neck.” She got up again to where the crib was.

“Oh and sweet Luke was there too, he was so small when he was in the tree. Looked as if he were a tiny baby bird looking for its mama…he jumped; I remember still the blood, it oozed out often his head as if it were simply overflowing water and not my little boy’s blood.” Her mouth widened in horror and she looked as if she were going to scream, then before Nyra could scream. Alicent always hated screams, her old boyfriend used to do that a lot. By habit she lifted her fingers to cover her ears, but the scream didn’t come. In fact the only thing she heard Nyra produce was a laugh.

“But that was just a dream, just a bad dream.” She went to where Ali sat and offered her hand to lift her out of the seat. Alicent’s nightdress flowed slightly as she got up to face Nyra.

“The worst dream, a screaming meemie. But then I woke up, and they were safe in their beds.” She turned around to where Nyra stared at and a smile came to Alicent’s face.

They were in Aemond and Daeron’s shared room, Daeron’s poster of horses was above his bed and he held a stuffed animal horse as he slept.

Alicent walked to where Aemond was, his face scrunched up as he moved in his sleep. He was perfect. Daeron was perfect.

“They’re lovely, aren’t they?” Nyra hummed and moved to where Daeron was, moving in to press a light kiss to his head.

“I bet you’d do anything for them, ain’t that so?”

Alicent answered immediately:

“Yes I would, for all of them.” Her love for her children was unconditional, it was the same for her brother, Gywane.

“So what if they were having dreams? Bad ones, positively screaming meemies…worst of the worst.”

Alicent froze, her children had already been saying that they were seeing things, Aegon and Helaena had kept talking about seeing a tall man and a broken neck lady…and Daeron and Aemond kept talking about a girl named Alyssa.

They couldn’t escape the scary imaginations in their dreams.

“I’d…I’d wake them up.”

Nyra looked at her and spoke again;

“I mean a dream so bad, about loss and death…sicknesses that can’t be cured or medicine that you’d take till you pass.”

It felt as if she was taunting her, telling her all the dreams her sweet children could suffer from. Nyra’s face was still a slight bit curious.

“Well…I have a secret, a way to keep ‘em just perfect. Didn’t work with Jace cause he was older but it worked for Joffrey and Luke.” A knowing smile came to her face as she moved closer.

“Care to hear, Ali darling?” Alicent swallowed and nodded before Nyra leaned in close, putting her lips into her ears and whispering something that Alicent would remember and hold close.

“Mom?” Aemond’s voice broke her thoughts and she looked at her young boy who was awake, a look of genuine concern was on his face.

“Momma are you okay?” A smile came to Alicent’s face as she leaned down and kissed her son’s forehead.

“Yes sweetie, In fact I feel…perfect” she grinned as Nyra’s words repeated in her head.

‘Wake them up and keep them just perfect.’

—————————————————————————————-

This was longer than I expected um…thank you so much @fatherforgivethem for letting me write a small story for Alicent.

Also in this version I had Aegon and Helena as twins and as a Neil and Luke, it would make sense for Aegon especially if it’s going with his character.

And yes, Rhaenyra is Poppy in this story.

[megarywrites]

find the word

tagged by @thewriteflame (thank you!) and my words were: ride, rage, reflect, and rest (we all know that "rage" appears in Seafoam alskdja) and I'll tag: @awordchemist @aether-wasteland-s @bebewrites and @muddshadow and your words will be: solemn, sooth, soft, and sow

ride

"I said I missed Malbu. My cat,” Astri added, glancing at me. I nodded and took a bite of my bread, closing my eyes so I could savour the sweet spice of the jam and the lingering warmth of the loaf. “At least you’ll get to see him today?”  My eyes flew open, and all four of us glanced up at the head of the table where Sorma Rimal sat, a half-eaten piece of bread in one hand and one of the rolls of parchment with our waiting assignments in the other. She was intently reading, however, and seemingly not privy to our conversation. Still, Astri leaned in, and we all did as well, her voice lowering to a whisper. “Depends on if I get sent to Fansolis or not.”  “It must be nice. To have family so close,” I said absently, sucking a drop of honey from my thumb.  Three pairs of eyes turned to me, and I glanced between them, my gaze meeting Solera’s for a second or two longer before it dropped back to my plate. Foolish of me, really. To say such a thing when Psari was a mere wagon’s ride away whereas her family lived tucked away in the Giáma Mountains in the heart of Scinra. When she hadn’t seen her own ma for five years compared to the single moons’ cycle that separated Ma and I.

rage

“I would advise that you restrain yourself from lashing out against either Sosta or I,” the Diamo said after he took a few sips of his kappe and set it aside. The Stoli melted into the shadows, blending in with them in their black kaptas. “Another outburst like that would require me to enact a dire punishment, and I doubt you want that. Nor,” he added with a jerk of a nod back to the Droma, “I imagine, would Sosta appreciate me doing such a thing to his new wife.”  “Wife?” he asked, a note of incredulous hilarity to his voice. “I’m not staying married to that old hag.”  Ma immediately grabbed my arm, holding me back from jumping up. I don't know what I would have done to him, but the blind rage that surged up within me would have earned me a dire punishment of my own.  “What’s done is done.” All of our gazes shifted back to the Diamo, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. “You have dragged us down with you in your transgression against the gods,” he said, looking across at Ma. “But now, we must adjust. You and Sosta are bound for life, now, so you both”—he emphasized the word when the Droma sucked his teeth—“need to learn to make the most of it.”

reflect(ion)

Through the mist, the tiniest hints of light started to appear. Here and there, flickering specks of flames from the lanterns lining the shops and homes of Psari. They became more distinct the closer I drew, until the mist thinned as I reached the deserted lane leading through the village. All was quiet, now, of course. The colder nights tended to keep most everyone inside to warm themselves at their hearths.  Glimpses into other lives—of bakers preparing the next day’s wares, of arguments unfolding, of fathers entertaining their young children while mothers prepared the supper—flashed before my eyes as I glanced through the windows of the homes that I passed. Then, further in, the darkened shop windows showed only my fleeting reflection.

rest

We crested the hill, and I looked away from Ma and to the graveyard surrounding the path out of town. The tiny white aspánes blossoms dotted the mounds where the souls of Psari had been laid to rest. My grip on Ma's hand tightened. “Sosta, can we stop?” I asked, my voice slightly strained. His whistling cut off and he turned around before pulling back on the reins.  I was out of the cart before it came to a complete stop, stumbling onto the grass and hurrying along the edge to were Pa’s headstone sat. It was covered with the little bell-shaped flowers, too. Kneeling there before it, I brushed the thin layer of dust from its surface.  “I couldn’t find a way to stay with her, Pa. Can you ever forgive me?”  He, of course, made no answer.

[angrenwen]

"Twice, when groups of Travellers passed the village, the villagers stole a child of theirs to abandon. Those children we returned to their families, when they’d left the village, with a warning. Travellers no long approach this village, though they trade with us still.

A creak pulls me from my musing. The gate is opening.

A girl stumbles out first, all coltish limbs and loose hair. Too old to be a sacrifice, but only barely. Another girl-child sent out in shame to dispose of a babe she should not have born? They’ve tried that three times. Once the girl returned terrified, babbling of trees that attacked her and gibbering monsters in the shadows. The other two, the ones that mourned over their babes, we kept along with the infants, safe in the Forest’s Heart.

But no, this time she’s not the one. She’s followed out by a man dragging a boy,  a fierce little brat of ten or eleven whose arms are tied behind him but who’s still kicking and struggling. The man cuffs him, and then the girl, who’s crying. Begging for her brother, it seems. Sometimes they do. But the man – father or guardian, clearly – shoves her back towards the gate, and she’s pulled in by someone else. The father picks the boy up, and heads into the forest.

I rise and follow him. There are always two watchers, but I sign to the other to stay and keep watch. Sometimes, despite all the stupid weight of tradition, a bereft parent or sibling will creep out to find the sacrifice. If the sister comes, Iris will be less frightening to her than I would be.

The man carries the boy a long way. There’s no path – a path would be foolish, for it would help the children old enough to walk find their way back. All the way, the boy rages at him, though I’m not close enough to catch many words. The man doesn’t bother to answer, though now and then I hear what sounds like a muffled curse. At the fringes of the Dark Wood, where the trees start to change, he stops and shoves the boy against a young tree, winding a rope around both of them to make sure he can’t run. “Now stay here,” he says, loudly enough for me to hear clearly, “and be of some use for the first time in your life.”

The boy screams curses until the man’s footsteps have long faded away. Then he stops and slumps, tears running down his face.

It’s been long enough. The man won’t hear. I drop the spells that make me hard to hear, hard to see, and move towards the boy. It takes some time for him to spot me, in the cloak woven in patterns of forest light and shade, and I’m close when he does, his eyes going wide. “Are you an elf?”

I snort, and bend to start cutting the ropes. “In this forest? Elves don’t live this far north, it’s too cold for them.”

“Then what are you?” he asks, small body tensed and ready to run the moment he’s free.

“I’m Rowan.” I stop, the ropes half cut, and crouch before him. He’s taller than me now, and looking down at me he can see I’m as human as he is, or so I hope. “I was left in the forest, too.”

Hope shows in his face, then, and I see how much of that fierce expression was hidden fear. “You didn’t die?”

“Nobody dies. Not after the first few years.” I put a hand on his small shoulder, and I can feel him trembling. “Listen to me. Every year, this stupid pus-hole of a village abandons a child. And every year, those who came before find them and take them home. A real home, where you won’t be treated like garbage to be thrown away. My parents, the ones who raised me, were abandoned. When I was left in the forest as a newborn, they took me and raised me with their own child.”

Hope fades on the thin face. “They won’t want me. A baby is one thing, but no-one would want a brat like me.”

My heart aches for him. He’s so young, but his small hands are already calloused with labour, his face too thin and his eyes dark with self-doubt. “Many of us were brats just like you,” I tell him, cutting the last of the ropes. “Nobody abandons the good, well-behaved children. It’s the ones who fight back, or aren’t strong, or argue too much, or aren’t quite… right.”

He rubs his wrists, marked by the ropes, but he doesn’t run from me. “I remember last year. It was Bergil. His parents died and no-one wanted him. Is he still alive?”

I nod. “Bergil… curly hair, and a clubfoot? Six years old? He’s well, and happy enough.”

The boy relaxes further. “Then… all right.” He bites his lip. “What about my sister?” he asks in a small voice. “She… she said she’d come and look for me. She promised.”

I rest a hand on his shoulder again. “Iris, my sister, is watching by the gate you came through, and there are other watchers on the other gates. If she comes, she’ll be given a chance to come to the forest’s heart with you.” We don’t do it for parents, aside from those very young girls, but brothers and sisters we sometimes take. The ones who want it.

“Good. I don’t want her to stay without me.” He clenches his small fists. “That’s why Father gave me up, this year. I told him I’d knife him in his sleep if he made Winifred marry that man. I would have, too.”

I believe him, looking down at that fierce face. “Winifred will have her choice, I’ll make sure of that. In the meantime, come with me. You look hungry.”

“I am hungry.” He walks beside me in silence for a while, then looks up at me. “Why don’t you stop them?”

“Stop who?”

“The people who leave the children. Why do you let them keep doing it?”

“We tried. But then the Hermit… he was the first, and is the oldest… said that a vision had told him that they’d start killing the children outright if we kept them out of the forest. We wouldn’t be able to help anymore.”

“Oh.” The boy’s small fists clenched. “I’d find a way.”

“Maybe you will. But you won’t have much time to do it.”

“Why not?”

I smile. It’s a thought that makes most of us smile. “Something is going to happen, in the hundredth year. We don’t know what. But the Hermit says that a terrible punishment will be visited on the village in the hundredth year, and on the souls of all those who did this wicked thing.”

“How far away is that?”

“Nine more years. You’ll get to see it.”

The boy thought that over. “But if they stop before that, it won’t happen?”

“It’s the only thing that can save them.”

“But they won’t?”

“I doubt it.”

“Why don’t you tell them?”

I shrug. “Because they cast us all out to die. Why would we try to save them? Are you going to try?”

He thought about that, and made a face. “Winifred would say I should.”

“Winifred is free to try. But if you want to watch the place burn, or whatever happens to it, we’ve picked out some spots with a good view.”

He laughed suddenly, a spiteful little chuckle. “I’d like to watch.”

Most of us feel that way. We won’t stop Winifred from trying to save the people who’ve profited from murdering their children for a hundred years, but she won’t get much help in the Forest’s Heart. For nearly one hundred years we’ve gathered in the abandoned children of that pox-rotted place, and seen what the systematic murder of children has turned those people into. We have no pity for them.

Iris and I have promised to join the ones who will go, on that Midsummer’s Eve, to take not one child but all of them. They’re not to blame for the wickedness of their elders. This boy and his sister will be old enough to join us, then, and perhaps they’ll want to. And on that last Midsummer’s Day, when there is no child to sacrifice, only empty beds and vacant cradles, we’ll see what the murderers of the village do.

We’ll see if the god or monster they’ve sacrificed all these children to comes to save them from what happens then."

Every year, a superstitious village abandons a human child in a nearby forest in exchange for divine protection. In actuality, an old hermit adopts the children and teaches them to ward off intruders. This year, the hermit’s best apprentice happens to locate and escort the abandoned child.

[ace-angel-judas]

Some Jungbella targeryan au again? I have a feeling they have Alex out of wedlock

Arabella’s legs couldn’t stop shaking as she held the baby in her arms, looking down the small yet chubby child. He was hours old, yet it was obvious who his father was.

Her pregnancy had been a disaster as soon as her father found out. Half castle had been ripped apart, followed by a great deal of sickness from Arabella herself.

Yet this babe looked nothing like herself, with white hair, nose and eyes just like his father.

“Princess, your father and aunt are here to see the babe,”

Her personal maid was shaking, while Arabella simply nodded. The woman left, followed by her father and aunt walking in.

Grace approached first, taking a gentle seat next to the princess. Arabella curled herself around her baby, eyes filling with tears.

“It’s a boy..,” She whispered.

“We don’t care about the gender, my dear,” Grace whispered and cupped her cheek.

Her father, Ayden, stood by the bedside, seething with rage. Arabella couldn’t look at him, because she knew he could see exactly who the baby resembled.

“How was your labour?” Grace asked.

“Fine.., although I think I called the midwife a cunt..,” Arabella whispered, “He came easily..,”

“He does look healthy,” Grace nodded, “His hair is white..,”

Ayden finally spoke, “I’m going to kill that god awful cunt of a nephew-“

“Ayden!” Grace spoke sharply, “Do not threaten my son,”

“As if we didn’t know that he had desires for Belle since they were children,” Ayden growled, “And now he’s made her have his bastard child!”

“We’re married!”

Arabella had to announce it, keeping her son close as she finally looked at her father. Ayden’s purple eyes seemed to glow with anger in the low light, his white hair out of its usual ponytail.

“You what?” He hissed.

“We married in the old ways, on the Isle of Fire...,” Arabella explained softly, “We did the ceremony and took each others blood.., he’s not a bastard,”

With a huff, Ayden stormed from the room with a yell. Arabella couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she looked at her son.

“Is he going to cast us away?” Arabella cried.

“You forget that your father has made the same mistake before,” Grace leaned back, “Although he did not marry,”

“I married Jungkook, I swear to the gods,” Arabella whispered between a sob.

Grace couldn’t help but smirk, “I know my son, Belle, he’s determined and cunning and not stupid enough to risk your reputation like that,”

“Father sent him to the front lines of the war when we returned from the Isle,” Arabella frowned, “He’s not going to let him return unless the war is won,”

Her aunt simply shrugged, “Then I guess Jungkook is going to win this war,”