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mordoriscalling · 2 years ago

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Assurance and Authority (3/25)

Post-BOTFA Persuasion Au: Bilbo returns to the Shire after the Quest, having rejected Thorin’s proposal of marriage. For years after, he struggles with regret. When he and Thorin meet again, he knows better than to hope.

Chapter 3 also available on AO3

(Ch 1) (Ch 2)

After Master Baggins struck a friendship with the two married metalsmiths, the dwarves became frequent guests at Bag End. Both Seis and Umí enjoyed travel and journeyed from the Blue Mountains to Bree and back at least once a year, selling their wares as they went. Each time they travelled, they made sure to pass through Hobbiton and visit Bag End and its master, who was always delighted to host them. Bilbo found a lot of joy in the company of the dwarrow couple: they were a straightforward type of people, with a ready kindness that came from good and simple hearts, and the way their behaviour towards one another reminded him of his parents never failed to warm his heart.

And so so it came to pass that for the five years following their first stay at Bag End, Seis and Umí visited rather frequently. During that time, their friendship with Bilbo blossomed, until they told him all about their families and life stories. They had a daughter and a son, whose name was Jûnis. (How their daughter was called, they would not say, for a dwarrowdam’s name was a secret well-guarded by all of her race and could only be revealed by the dame herself). Their son was a swordsmith, who had moved to Erebor in search of work and more prosperous life, as well as following love, for he was courting a lady in waiting of the King’s sister.

"He’s all lost to her," Seis said about his son once. "He didn’t want to be parted from her for a day. When it was announced that the Princess would be moving to Erebor, and so would be her court, Jûnis was up on his feet getting ready to follow her. We tried to tell him to wait, to go to Erebor once it was certain there would be work and accommodation for him there, but he wouldn’t listen. He has his heart set on her and nothing can get through to him. It’s a really good thing that she accepted him."

"Give our boy some credit!" Umí replied. "He’s a charmer, and the courting gifts he’s given her are benefiting a lady in waiting. She’s not too good for him!”

"Aye, he’s a bright one, our Jûnis. He’s going to go far in Erebor.”

"That he is. Did you know, Bilbo, that our son is already working as an apprentice of the master swordsmith? He’s definitely going to be the head of the metalsmiths guild one day!’

Bilbo, although he did not understand the significance of being a head of a guild, nodded and expressed admiration for their son’s accomplishments. There was no falseness in his sentiment, for the warmth with which Jûnis’s parents spoke of him made Bilbo care for him as well. Indeed, as years passed, Bilbo came to care for the whole family as one would care for very dear friends. Seis and Umí seemed to reciprocate Bilbo’s fondness: they always sought Bilbo out during their trips to Bree, which they began making twice as frequently as they had used to before meeting Bilbo, and even invited Bilbo to visit them and their daughter in their home in Ered Luin.

Therefore, it came as an immense shock to Bilbo that, the year he agreed with Seis and Umí to join them when they returned to the Blue Mountains after their usual trip to Bree, the couple did not appear in the Shire. They did not come in spring as they had promised, and although Bilbo tried to search for them and even went to Bree, they were nowhere to be found. He asked other dwarves about them but received no information, and the letters he sent went without reply.

Around the time of summer solstice, Bilbo ceased his efforts to discover what had happened, and his worry gradually shifted into gloomy acceptance. He did not know what had become of his friends but he begrudgingly began coming to terms with the fact that he either might never learn the truth or he would not like it once he did.

And so, in the seventh year after Bilbo’s return from his adventure, two odd things happened: the first one was that he had no dwarven guests (for it had become so usual for him to host dwarves that the whole Hobbiton regarded their absence as more peculiar than their presence). The second odd incident was that, a fortnight after the summer solstice, a very tall fellow dressed in grey robes appeared at Bag End’s green door.

That day was a hot one and Bilbo spent it hiding from the burning sun in his study, going through some paperwork related to his tenants. Due to the weather, he truly did not expect any guests, and when the doorbell to his smial rang, he thought his ears were playing tricks on him. After the doorbell rang again, however, Bilbo rushed to the door, expecting Seis and Umí.

Seeing Gandalf the Grey instead surprised Bilbo very much, but the sight of the wizard was far from an unwelcome one. Bilbo smiled brightly as he beheld Mithrandir and the two embraced warmly.

"How are you, my friend?” Gandalf said after releasing Bilbo from his arms. Taking a good look at the hobbit, he added, "I’m glad to see you’re in good health. Why, you haven’t aged a day!”

Bilbo laughed. "I’m well, Gandalf, I’m well. Now, come in! Would you like something to eat or drink? I’ve made some lemonade, it's very refreshing in this heat.”

"Lemonade would be wonderful, thank you,” the wizard replied as he entered Bag End, being careful not to bump his head into any chandeliers or doorframes.

While Bilbo set the kitchen table and prepared something for Gandalf to have with the lemonade, the wizard took a seat and regarded the hobbit closely. The experience he’d gathered throughout a great many years of his life, as well as his wizardry abilities, granted him the gift of seeing much more than others could. Thus, Gandalf quickly noticed that his hobbit friend was not as well as he claimed.

"Are you certain nothing ails you?” the wizard asked once Bilbo prepared their quick meal and sat across from him. "Nothing at all?”

Bilbo did not answer for a long time, appearing to be torn about something. "I’m fine,” he said reluctantly, at last. "It’s nothing serious, I suppose.”

"And yet, your demeanour is clouded. Has something happened?”

In response, Bilbo told him of his friendship with Seis and Umí, and how they had disappeared without a word. Gandalf expressed sympathy and reassured that the hobbit that he should certainly receive an explanation in due time, which did not lift Bilbo’s spirits particularly well.

"Oh, but enough about me!" Bilbo said then, pouring Gandalf more lemonade. "Tell me, how are you? Have you come to the Shire to meddle? I hope there’s no new adventure that you want to take me on.”

The wizard chuckled. "I’ve simply come to visit you to see how you’re doing, old friend. The end of your adventure was not the happiest for you and I’ve been concerned. So has been Lord Elrond, in fact.”

"Lord Elrond?” Bilbo almost gaped with surprise.

"Yes. I’m headed from Rivendell, as it happens. When I was there, Lord Elrond asked after you. He was worried that your last time in his home changed your perception of it. He wanted me to assure you that you’re as welcome as always to stay there.”

An expression of deep sadness marred Bilbo’s face. “I wish I would want to go. I wish I could say I love Rivendell as it should be loved, but...”

The wizard sighed. “It is because you associate Imladris with the sorrow you felt while staying there, but healing from some wounds, my dear Bilbo, begins by poking at them. You should give Rivendell another chance. It is a place of healing, after all. If you wished, I could take you there myself.”

Bilbo shook his head. Even recalling Rivendell brought him too much pain, for it it had been there that Bilbo first truly understood how very deeply his affections for Thorin ran. The realisation had come to him when he had been on his way to the Shire back from his adventure. One evening throughout his stay in the Last Homely House, he had taken a walk among Rivendell’s beautiful gardens and saw a firefly. The sight of the glowing little insect reminded Bilbo of how a year prior in Rivendell, he shared his first intimate conversation with Thorin about their childhoods and fireflies.

It had been in Rivendell when they first had begun growing close, and it had been in Rivendell when Bilbo had first felt in full how dearly to his heart he held all memories of Thorin and, indeed, just how very dear Thorin was to him, for his feelings for the dwarf were nothing short of deepest, truest, all-encompassing love. Finally, it had been in Rivendell that Bilbo had come to the conclusion that he had made the greatest mistake of his life to have left Thorin behind.

And so, although Bilbo had fallen in love with the Last Homely House when he had laid his eyes upon it for the first time, now he could not love it. The thought of going to a place filled with such painful memories filled him only with resentment.

It was most fortunate, then, that nearing the end of Gandalf’s few day-long visit, a letter came, from Primula Baggins. She had written to Bilbo to ask him to come to Tuckborough on the behalf of herself, her husband Drogo and their little son Frodo, as well as many Tooks. She had stated that his being there would be most welcome, as Frodo kept asking to see him, Drogo dearly wished ‘to have someone around who would understand his Baggins ways’, while young Tooks wanted to hear all about his adventures again. Having his presence so desired, Bilbo did not dare refuse and replied to Primula that he would set out to Tuckborough as soon as his current guest left, which gave him a much-needed excuse to decline Gandalf’s offer.

“I must say I’m surprised to see you so keen on staying elsewhere than Bag End,” the wizard said when Bilbo told him of his plans to visit Tuckborough. “You have always been so attached to this smial.”

Bilbo shrugged his shoulders. “I am attached to it. It’s just that my feet like to wander after my adventure, and I haven’t seen these cousins in a while.”

To that, Gandalf gave a hum, not entirely believing.

On the eve of Gandalf’s departure, Bilbo sat on the bench in Bag End’s front garden together with the wizard. The two enjoyed a quiet smoke, watching the Sun set over the rolling, green hills of Hobbiton. Bilbo was in an especially pensive mood that evening; the wizard’s words about Rivendell had given him many things ponder about.

"Gandalf," he said just before the Sun hid below the horizon, “I think… well. The thing is… I don’t blame you, as it was myself who took your words as guidance, but I’m now thinking that in spite of how Durin’s folk would surely disapprove of our relationship and how uncertain it was whether Thorin would heal in body and mind, I… I should’ve been happy, had I accepted him.”

After the Battle of the Five Armies, the three heirs of Durin were dangerously wounded. They had not died on the battlefield, as Bilbo had managed to protect them from the ones who had wanted to kill them, but their condition still was very severe. Gandalf ensured, using his magic, that the King and the Princes would live. Once he did that, he met an anxious Bilbo, who waited outside of the King’s tent. The wizard told Bilbo that he had stabilised the physical condition of the three dwarves, but he cautioned that it was not certain that they should make full physical recovery.

Hearing that, Bilbo inquired about the state of King Thorin’s mind as well, as dragon sickness had overtaken it before the Battle. In response, Gandalf said that he was not sure whether Thorin was completely free of the sickness and it might happen that he could succumb to it once again in the future.

Having found this, when Bilbo saw Thorin right after and had the dwarf ask him to marry him, the hobbit thought that the proposal was a result of some convoluted reasoning, produced by Thorin’s body and mind affected by severe injuries and lingering sickness. Believing the dwarf not to be thinking clearly, Bilbo rejected the proposal. Thorin did not take the refusal well and the two of them parted in bitterness, with Bilbo leaving for the Shire accompanied by Gandalf the very next day.

Gandalf did not know about this situation, as Bilbo made no mention of it, until Bilbo sunk into quiet despair in Rivendell. Now learning that the hobbit still suffered heartache visibly pained him, his gaze brimming with sorrow.

“Nothing good ever comes from dwelling on the past, Bilbo,” the wizard said gently. “What passed is gone, and what lies ahead can never be known for sure. The present is all we have. Do not waste it on regret. You must try to forgive yourself for your choice, or else the weight you put on your own shoulders shall crush you.”

Although Gandalf spoke words of wisdom, Bilbo found it exceedingly hard to accept them; the present he had faded terribly in comparison to the present he could have had. With nothing in Bilbo’s current life to truly compensate for the choice he had made, and with his love for Thorin unchanged, Bilbo felt the pain of regret just as acutely despite the passing of years and, for the life of him, he could not find a way to reconcile with his own choices.

Regret made Bilbo’s heart ache especially strongly in the instances when others around him became blessed with what he deeply and secretly wished for but had lost the chance to have. In this respect, going to Tuckborough only worsened his heartache; once there, he witnessed an example of a joyous engagement, which he reckoned he could have known for himself.

Asphodel Brandybuck, an older sister of Primula’s, had accepted Rufus Burrows’s proposal of marriage just before Bilbo came to Tuckborough. And so, on the evening of Bilbo’s arrival, an engagement party was thrown, during which Bilbo was stuck listening to congratulations and excited wedding planning; Asphel’s joy and upcoming wedding was the only thing she and many of her family could talk about. All throughout the party, Bilbo could not help but imagine what it would be like to prepare and await a wedding of his own. Though he tried his best not to show his low spirits and only share Asphodel’s happiness, the whole ordeal was starting to get challenging to withstand. Just when he was about to excuse himself from the party, Bilbo was saved from his misery by his aunt Mirabella.

Mirabella Brandybuck nee Took, a sister of Belladonna’s, was of course overjoyed to see the second of her three daughters find a match. Her youngest, Primula, married first, quickly after reaching maturity, but Mirabella wished to see all three of her girls settle, although her oldest daughter Amaranth had already aged out of typical marrying age. At Asphodel’s engagement party, Mirabella sat and chatted with Bilbo a great deal - for she was very fond of “Bella’s boy”, as she called him - and debated with him about what flowers should be used to decorate the aisle, until she abruptly stopped.

"Oh, but Bilbo!" she cried. "Why am I even speaking of this to you? All this wedding and marriage business must be terribly boring to you; you have never been interested in these things!"

"Well," Bilbo said, "I’ve never been interested in that, yes."

In Mirabella’s advanced age of ninety-four, neither her eyes nor her mind were as razor-sharp as they had used to be. Thus, she did not notice her nephew’s deceit, only patted Bilbo’s hand good-naturedly and they moved on to talk about how Bag End’s garden grew.

Indeed, during the whole party, Bilbo thought he hid his foul mood well enough for no one to notice.

#myfic #bagginshield #bilbo x thorin #persuasion au

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sokka-with-his-hair-down · 4 years ago

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Cabin Leader Zukka AU

Credit to @im-a-sokka-for-you, @waywarddork, @king-bumi-for-president, @sokkaseboyhair, and @crying-at-ikea for helping out with this monstrosity of a post!! Stupid Squad™ ily ❤️

This is long af but I promise it’s worth it 🥺🥺

Sokka and Zuko are rival cabin leaders at a summer camp

The camp has sort of a 4-elements theme because I say so

Eight Cabins. Two Water-Themed, two Fire Themed, two Earth-Themed, and Two Air-Themed.

Sokka leads the Southern Water Cabin. Yue the Northern. Aang leads one of the Air Cabins, and Suki leads an Earth Cabin. Zuko and Ty Lee lead the Fire Cabins. (Ty Lee shamelessly flirts with the assistant camp director, Mai...)

Sokka and Zuko’s cabins, along with all the other cabins, are competing in the yearly camp competition. There are different challenges, like water balloon fights (water), mud runs (earth), zip lining (air), and s’more roasting (fire).

Zuko’s cabin wins most years, and Sokka’s like “not this year. This year WE take the trophy” and he’s got his heart set on it.

Sokka thinks Zuko’s obnoxious. He sees him as hot-headed and snippy and arrogant. And he’s almost militaristic with his cabin kids. (And yet they love him. Even more annoying.)

Sokka wants to be the ✨fun cabin✨, he usually does, but he starts pushing harder to advance to the next round of the competition and win.

Sokka and Zuko have multiple confrontations. They’re snarky and sarcastic “good luck out there😈” kind of things (which Sokka HATES)

The two cabins pull pranks on each other all the time. Very Parent-Trap-esque. Sokka and Zuko plan a lot of them, but that doesn’t stop the kids from doing a few on their own (I imagine some very lovable OC campers).

Sokka wakes up with a shaving-cream beard more than once.

Zuko wakes up wearing makeup once...

Then, as the story unfolds with whatever subplots a writer may put in, Sokka catches more and more glimpses of Zuko acting more human... and hey... Zuko’s sort of sweet when he’s like that...

No. This is a competition. Zuko bad. Winning good.

Sokka confides in Aang and Yue one night after a staff meeting.

“You don’t understand, guys! He’s—he’s infuriating! He’s good at everything, and the kids all like him, and I know I’m supposed to hate the guy but I don’t anymore! And I don’t know why! And part of me feels like he deserves to win every damn time even thought it’s ridiculous that he does-”

“Sokka.”

Aang looks at him almost sympathetically. Sokka tilts his head in confusion.

“Have you considered that maybe you just have a little crush on him?”

“WHAT?!”

“...”

“Oh. Shit.”

Anyway Sokka has a bit of an awakening and is like “OH NO I LIKE ZUKO I’M SUPPOSED TO HATE ZUKO.”

After panicking about that for way too long, Sokka winds up telling Suki about this revelation and Suki is like:

“Well... I don’t know if I should be telling you this, but I think Zuko’s had a crush on you for years.”

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

Suki sort of awkwardly admits that she’s picked up on it. She and Zuko are friends (something Sokka could never fathom why but he left it be) and she tells Sokka how Zuko talks about him... an absurd amount. And how Zuko, on more than one occasion, has accidentally called Sokka cute.

(i.e “just because he’s Mr. Cute and Friendly doesn’t mean he can walk around like he owns the place!” “You think he’s cute?” “What? Uh-”)

Leading up to the final face off where Zuko and Sokka’s cabins will compete against each other, Sokka leaves his campers with Suki for a few minutes and approaches Zuko’s cabin one night and asks to speak with him. Alone.

There’s a unanimous “oooooooooooh!” from the campers.

The two step outside, and Sokka’s freaking out, but he’s gonna do it anyway.

He’s really awkward about it and keeps beating around the bush.

“Just get to the point, Sokka!!”

“Um. Do you like me?”

That. Was not what he meant to say.

In all honesty, Sokka meant to say that he likes Zuko, and THEN ask him if he liked him back, but he panicked, give the guy a break.

Zuko’s face goes completely blank.

“Wait, what?”

Sokka, now suddenly convinced he and Suki were wrong, chickens out and bolts, Zuko calling after him. (He can’t chase him because he can’t leave his campers unattended.)

Sokka freaks out silently as he leads his campers back to his cabin for the night.

He doesn’t get much sleep.

Day of the big competition. The campers are getting ready for the final showdown. Zuko’s team is a few points ahead of Sokka’s, but not ahead by many.

Sokka avoids Zuko all morning. Aang, Yue, and Suki are worried about him but he brushes it off, saying it’s no biggie (it is).

Right before the first challenge he overhears one of his campers talking to someone from Zuko’s cabin. The kid from the opposing cabin says ��Zuko was in a bad mood last night. He didn’t wanna tell us why, though.”

Oh no. It’s worse than he thought. Zuko is angry at sokka. More than usual.

The games begin. Both teams tally up points after each round of whatever they’re doing (three-legged race, canoeing, etc).

The final score is kept secret—the camp director (accompanied by Mai<3) says the final score will be announced that night at the campfire.

Sokka makes sure he doesn’t run into any scar-faced boys on the way to his cabin. Or at dinner. Or on his way to the campfire.

Everyone is gathered around outside, fire blazing, hot-cocoa and s’mores present. Sokka doesn’t even care about winning anymore. In fact, he hopes Zuko wins, so he doesnt get any more angry.

But

The Southern Water Cabin wins.

Sokka’s campers jump up and scream with excitement. And though he isn’t feeling quite himself, he still offers hugs and high fives and congratulates them all on their hard work.

Then, suddenly, while kids are mingling and cheering, Sokka feels a tap on his shoulder and spins around.

Zuko.

“Hi.”

Sokka can’t find words to say. He just stares. Is... is Zuko gonna yell at him?

“Good job.” Zuko’s holding out his hand for Sokka to shake. Sokka does so, hesitantly.

“Uh... thanks.”

After a moment too long, they end the handshake. There’s a beat of awkward silence and Sokka’s heart is racing.

“Look,” Sokka begins. “About last night. I-”

“Don’t. Me first.” Zuko looks really uncomfortable, but he still keeps talking. “You were right.”

“Huh?”

“I like you. I have liked you, I mean. For a long time. Like, three years.”

Sokka’s dumbfounded. “I thought you hated me.”

Zuko sort of nervously admits that he’s not very good with people (and that he takes great enjoyment in riling people up). And he apologizes like:

“Sorry I was a dick. Me being a fucking gay idiot who can’t ask people out doesn’t excuse me being mean. So I’m sorry.”

Sokka’s sort of touched by all of this. Zuko apologized for being an ass and he has a crush on Sokka?

Sokka figures he should apologize too, since he was pretty much just as mean to Zuko as Zuko was to him. “I’m sorry, too.”

Eventually, the stilted conversation gets sort of quiet and even more awkward, and Sokka realizes he still hasn’t confessed. And, well, better late than never.

“I like you, too.”

“Huh?”

“I like you. As in. Like. I have a crush. On you. So there.”

Zuko has no idea how to react, but eventually a giant grin makes its way into his face and it looks beautiful in the firelight and he just sort of goes:

“Um... do you wanna get coffee or tea with me? Or something? Now?”

“You mean the shitty camp coffee and tea?” Sokka quips.

“Hot Cocoa it is.”

They walk up to the kitchen building and hang out at the counter and actually get to know each other for the first time in years. And Sokka thinks that becoming a cabin leader is the best decision he’s ever made.

(They may or may not have kissed sometime during the rest of their stay. A couple of times. A lot of times. Okay, they made out in the pantry a ton, but that’s nobody’s business but theirs.)

If anyone wants to write this, lemme know!! And again thank you Stupid Squad™ <3 @chaoticidiott @appa-bottom-jeans @soft-zuko you’re also Stupid Squad™ so this is your child as well now. Enjoy.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #sokka #zukka #avatar #atla headcanons #atla hc #atla hcs #zukka hc #zukka hcs #zukka headcanon #zukka headcanons #aang #suki #yue #mai #ty lee #zukka cabin leader au

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earnestly-endlessly · 3 years ago

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Hi! Do you have any Cherik Army AUs? I've managed to find just 3.

Hi Anon, thanks for the ask. I found some good Army AUs, though some might not quite fall into the category of 'Army AU'. There are, surprisingly, few Army AUs that I have found, whereas there are several military and war AUs, but those don't necessarily involve an army. I did include a variety that involve an army in one way or another, though some fit the bill better than others. I hope you find some that you enjoy!!

Cherik Army AU

I Want to Guard Your Dreams And Visions – luninosity

Summary: I was reading Barbara Hambly’s Abigail Adams mystery novels, and then Erik/Charles American Revolutionary War AU happened. Little snippet in which they share a tent, drink coffee, and provide support to each other.

The Eggnog Riot – Sophia_Bee

Summary: 1826. The American Military Academy in West Point. The day after Christmas. Cadet Erik Lehnsherr wakes up naked with a certain cadet Xavier sprawled across his chest. He can only blame the eggnog.

No Man’s Land – ikeracity

Summary: It's 1914 in Ypres, Belgium. British soldier Charles Xavier has been in the trenches for four months of endless artillery fire, bone-deep cold, and constant fear of the enemy. But on Christmas Eve, the gunfire falls silent, and they climb out of their trenches for a Christmas truce. Charles, of course, meets Erik, the German soldier across the way.

My Land’s Only Borders Lie Around My Heart – pseudoneems

Summary: WW1 Christmas truce of 1914. Opposing soldiers Erik and Charles meet.

Le soldat – Iggyassou

Summary: Erik is in the trenches, trying to survive the war so that he can go back to Charles, his young lover waiting for him back at home.

Names – Squeegee

Summary: In the summer of 1917, British soldier Charles Xavier finds himself taking cover in a shell crater.

Not sure if the 'graphic' tag applies or not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Quell a storm with pen and ink – patroclux

Summary: Charles had spared his life. That was not something he could easily repay.

They wrote letters to each other for two years, until Charles was pulled out of the war from a sudden illness and Erik remained to fight for a cause he didn't believe in. One that ultimately had no effect; one that stole away four years of his life.

Traumatized and persecuted, Erik applied for a post at Janus, a lighthouse in the middle of the Irish Sea. He thought being alone would do him good.

Despite the letters and despite the love, Erik didn't expect Charles to find him.

Hier steh ich an den Marken meiner Tage – MonstrousRegiment

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a spy in the SS, and his British liaison is strategist Charles Xavier. Their relationship from the moment they meet to a year after the end of the war.

Theme and Variations: War – ninemoons42

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a musical prodigy and a man destined for great things and great stages. But his life is shattered by a terrible accident that leaves him blind and trying to find his way back to his life, his music, and his place in the world.

Then he meets Charles Xavier, an agent of Section 8 of the Military Intelligence Directorate of Providence, and he finds himself listening in to clandestine radio transmissions and clicking Morse code, and these sounds are part and parcel of a war that can only take place in the shadows and the hidden places of history.

Strib nicht von Mir – ravenoftheninerealms

Summary: A squad of Allied Forces, led by Charles Xavier, liberates the Nazi concentration camp where Erik was being held prisoner.

Cold foxholes, warm hearts – oddegg

Summary: Basically, this is Band of Mutants. A little slice of life in Bastogne.

Photographs and Memories – tirsynni

Summary: When war-battered Erik Lehnsherr met Charles Xavier, the man kneeling in the dirt and whispering to a lost refugee child, Erik feared his days of running from his deviance was done.

Marching Home – Quietbang

Summary: For a prompt on the meme asking for fic dealing with the fact that, in comics canon, Charles served in the Korean war.

War meant something different to this generation, Charles knew.

Crash on the Levy (Down in the Flood) – Quietbang

Summary: “This is much bigger than you think. You're in the middle of a war, and you don't even realize, do you?”

He pauses, and answers his own question.“No, of course you don't. How silly of me."

The Knight and the Dagger – Dow

Summary: A Lieutenant in the Soviet Army, Erik Lensherr had no other goals than to find the man that killed his parents. But when a discovery yields a little boy with wings like an angel, Erik is shocked to realize that he isn’t alone. There are other people like him, both dangerous and alluring.

Lifelong Service – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik thinks he should be the one to teach their recruits hand-to-hand combat; Charles makes a persuasive argument to the contrary.

Footsteps of uprooted lovers – ninemoons42

Summary: Against a turbulent backdrop of artistic, social, and political upheaval, the playwright Charles Xavier and the photographer Erik Lehnsherr find themselves meeting under less-than-polite circumstances, but part rather more amicably than they'd met.

When they find each other again in a Barcelona that is falling inexorably toward war, they find themselves taking up arms, each in his own way, and together they join a struggle for freedom, for love, and for their very lives.

Dear Soldier – Lindstrom, ToriTC198

Summary: "Dear Soldier,

I pray that this package finds you well. The organization gave us a list of odds and ends that you might need, but I thought that a person so far from home might appreciate something more than soap and tube socks."

When Charles' school decides to send care packages to the soldiers fighting in Vietnam, he chooses to also include a letter and a few personal touches. When Staff Sergeant Erik is the recipient of that particular care package it will spur a relationship that will change them both.

Fortunate Son – blueink13

Summary: he days leading up to and during Alex's deployment in Vietnam. Everyone handles it in their own way. Some handle better than others.

You’re Here – Deshonana

Summary: Everyone decides its a good idea not to tell Erik when his boyfriend comes home from the military.

Welcome Home – loveydoveyecstasy

Summary: It's been two years since Charles was deployed to Afghanistan, and Erik can't wait to pick him up at the airport.

When Secrets have Secrets – ximeria

Summary: The arguments that take place in General Xavier's office when General Lehnsherr has a bad day are legendary. Quite frankly, no one really knows what's going on and if the two men have it their way, no one ever will.

Quiet Company – Sophia_Bee

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is always on the move. He's spent the last many years going from war torn country to war torn country telling the stories of the people there through photographs. Then one of his pictures is selected as a winner for the Pulitzer Prize and Erik finds himself stuck in London for longer than he wants. He ends up with an assignment to photograph Charles Xavier, a wealthy philanthropist who is intrigued to find himself working with a Pulitzer-winning war photographer. Erik is far less intrigued by someone he considers privileged and out of touch. Both of their lives are about to change in ways they couldn't imagine.

The City is Ours – RedStockings

Summary: Erik felt his heart racing with excitement, lightened, and for once felt joyful. Charles had looked at him, really looked at him, and there had been something there, a knowing of a kind. As the soldiers laughed amongst each other, and joked each other about who would succeed in marrying the boy, Erik made himself a silent vow. Charles was going to be his, and nothing would keep him from having him. He’d marry him, and he’d save him, and Charles would love him for it.

Not even the war could keep them apart... right?

Sign of the Times – dsrobertson

Summary: Casablanca-ish AU.

Charles Xavier meets Erik Lehnsherr in Paris, 1937. They spend the next two years with one another, stupid in-love, until war comes heavy in September 1939. Erik leaves for Poland and the Resistance movement there, promising to return. Charles is left in Paris, where Nazi jackboots march in, Summer of 1940. He becomes a member of the underground French Resistance, publishing illegal newsletters, leaflets, until news comes through in February 1942: Erik is dead. Charles throws himself into more dangerous work, meeting with Communists, helping derail a German train, and he does too much, goes too far. His friends find him safe passage out of France, out across the Mediterranean, to Morocco, Casablanca. It is here he finds Erik, alive.

The Waste Land – nekosmuse

Summary: The White Queen and her Shadow King sit on their throne, safe behind the psionic shields of the Walled City. The armies of Genosha batter uselessly at the gates, a war locked in stalemate. Magneto, camped in the frozen mud, receives word the Citadel intends to send a telepath to the front lines. The same telepath he met two years ago, who sat across a carved wooden chess set and offered Magneto the first friendly smile in a lifetime. The same telepath who still haunts his dreams.

Winter Comes With a Knife – RedStockings

Summary: It apparently came to no one’s surprise that the war-mage Erik Lehnsherr took up residence in the Dark Keep. I knew he was going to choose my sister, Raven, to be his apprentice so why wouldn’t he let me go? What did he want from me?

My name is Charles Xavier, I can read minds and use magic. I’ve met Kings and Queens, mages and magic users. I’ve travelled through lay-lines and jumped through the Dark Void… but none of that really matters.

I am leading an army into war, I am scared and I never wanted this. I’ve come to realise that what I want, rode into my life when I was still a child. Now he’s out there, ready to charge into battle. Ready to die for me.

Polaris – LastAmericanMermaid

Summary: Charles Xavier is 19 years old, doe-eyed and soft; Erik Lehnsherr is 24 years old, steely-hard and bitter. One is a soldier, the other a refugee. Both are mutants. There will be pain, oh yes.

(An AU in which Charles is a wounded British soldier, Erik is the German hiding in France who nurses him back to health, and the contents of this fic are best read to the soundtrack of Atonement.)

Note: Unfinished

MEDIC! – paladin_danse

Summary: A British airborne medic finds himself alone and afraid behind enemy lines. When he decides to save the life of an S.S. German officer he finds wounded in the snow, he has no idea the choice he has made will alter the course of the war—and their lives—forever.

Note: Sadly unfinished

Suicide is Painlesss – weethreequarter

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr did not become a doctor to pick bullets out of children. Unfortunately the US Army had other ideas.

Stuck in the middle of the Korean War, Erik and his fellow civilian surgeons have to battle not only the war, but also weather, mud, and boredom. And that's without mentioning Major Sebastian Shaw who thinks war is the best thing that's ever happened to him and never should've been allowed to pick up a scalpel, or Colonel William Stryker who may or may not work for the CIA and probably doesn't even know himself.

Throw in new arrival Captain Charles Xavier, and Erik is in for a very interesting war.

Note: Unfinished

A Light That Never Goes Out – R_Cookie

Summary: It was meant to be the war to end all wars; these two men were never supposed to meet. One a German Jew, the other a British surgeon. The odds that their paths should cross were next to none - but War defies the expected. It always has, and always will.

From the beaches of Dunkirk to the treacherous slopes of Monte Cassino - this is their story.

WWII AU.

Note: Unfinished

#cherik #cherik fic recs #fic recs #asks #earnestly answers #army au #military au #war au #long post

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kingprinceleo · 3 years ago

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Hi, I just wanted to say that I am fascinated with your AU. I am looking forward for more story in the future (of if you can, pls dump on me anything you have in mind). I like your Shadow, he's such a grumpy boi :3

Anyway that's all, I'm here for the next content or thought ur gonna put out.

tytytytyty wahhhhHHHHHHHHH so uh uh, extra quick notes n stuff that i didnt fit into the main one?? -Because Shadow is locked away in his castle, he doesnt really know whats fully going on in the city. While his rule is strict, his own guard have used his absence to be full dictator and super police almost everything. He finds out about it post-ghost interaction and thats very swiftly dealt with because he is very angry w/ that. -He had become king at around year 375 and has been ever since. -Tails is the only one in the world who understands Eggmans tech because egg's been gone for so long. -Shadow keeps the chaos and Master Emeralds locked away down in his castle in a place only he can reach, the entire castle has this energy flowing through it. -The Ghost Gang occasionally watches from the afterlife, checking up on what Shadow and Tails are doing, watching shadow is pretty boring though, and sad ]:/

-When Eggman dies he makes the fun discovery that his robots had s o u l s and also went into the afterlife (for that good Metal content)

-Tails has coped entirely normally and hes living his best life -Shadow refuses to go Super -Shadow both tries to distance himself from everything that reminds him of his friends, but also clings onto every last shred of them: He has several monuments and statues dedicated to them throughout the city and in his castle, the ones in the castle have compartments where he can store things. He wont wear his rocket shoes, he wont race, he wont bake, wear any type of jewels. And his crown has a permanent resting spot at Rouges monument. -Tails is trying so hard to help this poor man but also Shadow doesnt want to let him leave. Tails isnt happy with that because he has his own friends and family -Theres a giant strain in Shadow and Tails relationship the more they interact because of his defensiveness and it leads to them fighting a lot. Though Post-Ghost they are on great terms again because Shadow finally starts getting better. (Him improving and going outside again is how he finds out about his corrupt guard force, he gets attacked by them while disguised and pulls a "i am the manager")

-I really like small signifying details, so the clasps on Shadows cape Pre-Ghost are diamond shaped, and Post-Ghost are circular. Also Pre-Ghost, his eyes are typically always at half lid.

-Because Shadow never had any self preservation, a long time ago Sonic gave him a promise ring, a promise to take care of himself. He wears it every day. A friend drew a tiny comic where the ring manifested itself on ghost sonic n i thought that was kinda goofy so i kept it -Shadow's chaos can come in 2 forms depending on his mental health, when he is unstable it becomes way more like electricity, wild and unpredicatble. When hes stable and healthy and in control its like a whispy fire kinda

#sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sth #miles tails prower

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thotinshield · 3 years ago

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Danny’s Bagginshield Fic Recs (2021)

I haven’t done a fic rec in literal years, and I keep meaning to, but then I... don’t. This is a massive list - so I will put it under a read more to save your dashes.

Modern AUs

A Remover of Obstacles by MistakenMagic

"Dis often chided her older brother for being a misanthropist. She did it so often it had become a term of endearment. It was true that Thorin struggled with people; he struggled to form and maintain relationships. Dr. Grey had diagnosed him with this and Thorin hadn’t the heart to tell him this wasn’t a symptom of his PTSD, it was a symptom of his personality. He exercised a sense of apathy with almost everyone he met… But Bilbo was different. Thorin actually found himself wanting to know more about him."

(Note: This fic deals with a lot of mental health stuff, panic attacks, etc, so please please mind the tags.)

By Request by HildyJ

As a musician, Thorin's life can be summed up in tempos. For instance, the concerto he's perfoming on Friday is Allegro - quick and bright, followed by Andantino - slightly slow, and then back to Allegro again.

On the other hand, his relationship with his cute neighbour? Larghissimo - very, very slow.

Stepping Stones by misplacedkisses

It feels like it's fate Thorin's trying to resist, his destiny, his bloodline.

Fresh out of inpatient, Thorin's struck with the urge and maybe it's fate (or therapy) that has him stumbling into a late-night cafe instead. It may be the start of a new life.

Write Me Down Easy by lucyraebrown

Bilbo Baggins, a simple man with a wish for something more than his life teaching high school English, is obsessed with a famous author by the pen-name Oakenshield. Although he knows the future is dim for his chances of finding out about the man behind his favorite book, it's reassuring to know someone has the same thoughts about the world.

Fix-its

I'll Die to Care for You by thehufflepuffhobbit

His gaze landed on Mahal's eyes once more. "You did your best, Thorin." It was tempting to look away; he wanted to deny that with everything he had. It certainly didn't feel as though falling into Gold Sickness and then dying was doing his best. Mahal smirked, as though he knew Thorin's desire to contradict him, and pinched his cheek before walking over to a table. "Aye, I didn't think you would believe me. I'm not lying, it certainly could have gone better. More according to my plan, but I know you really did try."

"Your plan?" He didn't know if he should ask, really. Knowing that his Maker had set a course for him, he didn't want to think about the ways he had done everything wrong. There were too many examples of mistakes in his long life, too many opportunities that he had missed that had probably been planned for him from the beginning.

Or:

Mahal feels like Thorin fucked up his legacy and gives him a do over.

Roses of Iron by Porphyrios

Two years after Bilbo returned from his adventures, he's made his peace with being back in the Shire. He still wonders what might have happened if things were different, but figures all that is behind him now. A mysterious visitor turns out to be someone he never thought he'd see again, and he's shocked by the news he hears.

Beside Myself by bliboboggins

"What are you doing? Just who do you think you are?" Startled, Bilbo turned around slowly. And there, in a familiar patchwork dressing gown, brandishing a fire poker wildly about, was... Bilbo.

i wouldn't have danced like that with any but you by Percyjacksonfan3

Thorin has survived the Battle of the Five Armies but his relationship with Bilbo is uncertain and precarious, especially in the newly reclaimed kingdom of Erebor. With Kíli set to marry Tauriel, and the Dwarves of Erebor still holding prejudice against outside races, Thorin must choose between his nephew's happiness or his own.

Though he believes sending Bilbo back to the Shire is for the good of everyone, he and the rest of Erebor are thrown into turmoil when 5 years later his nephews secretly plot to bring Bilbo back. Coming face-to-face with Bilbo again makes it impossible for Thorin to stay apart from him any longer- but is Bilbo still willing to be with Thorin once more after he broke both of their hearts?

A Matter of Payment by heartshapeddog

"And Thorin rose from the little table, keeping Bilbo’s fingers crushed gently in his own, and went down to his knee before him. Bilbo was struck with the likelihood that no creature greater than a farm-dog had lowered its head before a Hobbit since the birth of Eä until this very moment. He looked down, fascinated, at the crown of Thorin’s head, bare of royal circlet, and felt at once humbled and strong.

“I swear it,” Thorin said, and Bilbo thought of the vows from Elven history, of the type which followed the oathkeeper to the ends of Arda as a deep and binding magic. Then, he took Bilbo’s knuckles up to his lips. The rasp of his beard and his soft mouth were shocking in their immediacy and contrast. Bilbo could not help his racing heart."

Feet that Wander Have Gone by WednesdaysDaughter

“Run away with me.”

Bilbo turns to see who would say such a cowardly thing only to realize it was his own traitorous mouth which has run away with his heart: They’re already down the mountain and past Mirkwood by the time he realizes no one has objected.

“What a delightful solution my dear boy,” says Gandalf who looks to the east where the eagles are skimming the horizon.

Other AUs

between synapses and circuits by MistakenMagic

Different diagnostic results slowly trickled through and Thorin swiped them all to different corners of the screen depending on their relevance and evidence of abnormality. He paused when a particular chart appeared and smiled to himself.

“What?” Bilbo murmured, sounding genuinely worried.

“Your heterochromia,” Thorin explained, meeting Bilbo’s green and blue gaze. “The irregular algorithm that causes it has been running for almost half a century.”

“Most mechatronics offer to fix it for me,” Bilbo said, looking away, seeming suddenly self-conscious.

“Then they’re idiots.”

(Note: I just love MistakenMagic’s works. That’s all. This one is good and she writes angst so so well.)

past one hundred thousand miles (feeling very still) by childishinquiry

Commander Thorin Oakenshield is the leader of the first Mars mission, Project Golden Eagle, with twelve crewmen. Back on Earth, Specialist Bilbo Baggins is their communications specialist. Making history is easy; it's much harder to deal with falling in love with the person on the other end of the signal.

Hallowbit by batherik

As simple pawn shop owner in the human world, Bilbo isn’t all that thrilled to find himself lost in Thorin’s magical undead kingdom. Lured there by an old man dressed in grey, who turned out to be a wizard, Bilbo is charged with doing a job no one wants to do: fetch the King’s head from the corn maze. The King often loses his head when his temper boils over.

In the House of a Skinchanger by Bardic

Thorin and Company have finally reached a safe house after a few crazy weeks on the road. After three days of goblins, orcs, and a massive bear that's chased them into the home of one of Gandalf's acquaintances the Company is quite exhausted and quite tired of surprises. Unfortunately for them, or fortunately there is another staying there.

Master Baggins is not who the Company expected to find, especially when he claims to be one of the only outsiders Durin allowed a title and a rank to. Although that's the least surprising thing about him.

Thorin makes some discoveries and has some observations.

Basically an AU where Bilbo is a skinchanger and the Company meet him at Beorn's on accident.

It Runs In The Family by Imagined

At first, Bilbo is very glad to hear of the new alliance between Erebor and the Shire. He is even more excited when he learns that some of his family members are coming to the Lonely Mountain to discuss the details.

That is, until the dwarves (and Thorin, who is decidedly not and never shall be his) start getting along a little too well with one of his more adventurous cousins, and Bilbo starts doubting about his place.

#bagginshield #fic recs #fic rec list #okay these aren't all my favorite fics but to do that would take days so - take these

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ficsilike-reblogged · 4 years ago

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Glass Swords

Summary: Tovar knew he had bad luck–it came with the curse the witch gave him on his thirteenth birthday. Trapped in a contract by a band of bloodthirsty noblemen who use Tovar for his skill with a sword, he has all but resigned himself to a life of servitude. But then a job shoves him into the path of a princess who almost makes him smile. (Cinderella!AU)

Pairing: Pero Tovar/F!Reader

Warnings: None really. I make an allusion to the events of the movie but you don’t have to have seen it to understand this.

Word Count: 4.8k

(Banner by my darling @starlight-starwrites)

Or you can read on Ao3!

Once upon a time, there was a boy who seemed to have remarkably good luck. He was born to a wealthy, aristocratic family, and being the firstborn and a son guaranteed him a title of his own. His horse always came first in races, his opponents were always making simple mistakes in duels. He always had the keen eye to find a forgotten bit of coin on the ground. His first shot always hit its make when he was hunting.

Yes, Pero Tovar was lucky.

Until his luck soured at the hands of a woods witch.

On his thirteenth birthday, on a hunt with his band of friends and loyal servants, he darted into the forest to call for the hunting dog that had gone after gods-knows-what instead of the fowl they’d been hoping for when they set out. Again and again he called for the hound with no luck.

“Your dog has ruined my garden,” came a sudden voice behind him.

Pero turned to see a woman, old and shrouded in tattered grey robes, emerging from the forest shadows. An answering howl soon followed and a muddied hound bounded up to him, remnants of flowers and trampled vegetables hanging from his panting mouth.

And Pero laughed. What else was he supposed to do?

“For too long I have been held at the whim of your family. They have forgotten the treaty they signed when they came here, building your castle on my land and promising that you would provide. That you would never forget. But you have. And then you laugh when my little source of happiness was trampled by a hound.” Words tumbled from her chapped lips in a language he did not recognize and soon felt as if a bucket of icy river water had been dropped over his head.

“What did you do?” He hissed, feeling himself shake like a scared deer.

“I have made sure the world treats you as it treats me.” Her weathered mouth stretched into a smile he could see beneath the cowl. “But I am not cruel. I only want you to learn a lesson. But your lot seem stubborn so I would not be surprised if it took you the rest of your life.” She stepped forward and pulled a blade from the folds of her robes and Pero took an instinctive step back.

Almost instantly, his heel caught on a root and he tumbled to the moss-covered ground, pain zig-zagging up his spine as he landed.

The witch only laughed and continued forward. She twisted the blade in her hand and she held it out to him. And it was not as if he could say no. Not now. The short sword was clear—like glass. As soon as his hand wrapped around the handle, he felt the cold stone form to his grip, imprinting itself to his touch.

“When you’ve pierced the heart of a princess with your glass sword, then and only then will the curse lift.”

“A-a-a princess?” Pero parroted, feeling his stomach drop.

But the witch was gone and all he had was the glass sword.

His bad luck made itself known when he collided with his sister as they both rounded corners and she tumbled down the stone stairs of their home. Sancha was fine, thankfully but Pero would never forget how the blood pooled around her head or the scream she let out as she fell.

That was his fault. He knew it would only get worse as time progressed. He would not endanger his family. And so, Pero left a short note for his mother and father, telling them that he would return once he’d earned his honor on his own. The note he left for his sister told the truth, apologize for her injuring asking for her forgiveness even though he knew he already had it. Sancha was too pure of heart to ever hold any anger.

He set out. At first, trying to find another witch to counteract the curse. Then, to healers who promised anything and everything for the right price. And then, little by little, his hope faded. For a moment, he did consider driving the short blade through the heart of a princess—any princess—to just be rid of the curse. So he could see his family again. So he could live without worrying about bridges, loose bricks, or roots—or the millions of other things that the witch had made unlucky.

But he couldn’t. And in desperation to stay fed, he took up work as a mercenary. Another unlucky decision. It had led him to far flung lands that would have been an adventure to rival any explorer—he had fought creatures from another world!—but he did not enjoy any of it (aside from a few fleeting moments). And he could kill people who were trying to kill him all the time. Pero was good at it, he found. But it did not necessarily give him much opportunity to even know any princesses or be able to pick them out of a crowd so he could…stab them.

His bad luck continued.

When he failed to return to his employers, a group of nefarious noblemen from some country he didn’t care to remember, with the Black Powder they had requested, there were consequences. And now he was stuck in a contract, unable to leave his ‘employment’ because a bottle of ink had spilled across the contract and blotted out a very telling bit of information. He could not leave unless they were all dead. And if he broke that contract, his life would be forfeit.

He never would have signed—obviously—if he had been able to read that line.

But it was done. He was trapped. His bad luck mostly did not endanger his life—and he was sure the witch made sure of that. It would be no fun if it killed him and he was able to rest in death. The closest he had come to death because of his luck was when an ornamental sword fell from its hold on the wall and nearly took his eye.

One of the noblemen who benefitted from his terrible contract said the scar made him look fearsome. But he said it with a curdled milk smirk that rolled Pero’s stomach. It wasn’t a compliment, he knew.

And now he was called in by his ‘employers’ to settle another job. He vaguely listened—something about needing the little kingdom’s valuable port for some trivial reason and the easiest way to acquire the port was for Pero to kill at least the king and his eldest son so the second-born son could become king. Apparently, the noblemen who were employing him had an agreement with the power hungry prince. Pero was sure there were more details but he did not care to commit them to memory. He knew how to kill and his timeline.

That was all that really mattered.

But first, he needed to scout through the dense forest surrounding the castle to find a way in.

He weaved between trees as he started toward the castle. The outer perimeter walls had been easily climbed without drawing attention and while the surrounding grounds were vast, they were not heavily patrolled. As he continued to close the distance to the dark stone of the castle, Pero started to believe that this might the easiest job his contract had ever permitted him. The one solace he had was still being able to learn languages easily so he was able to learn of this mostly-unattended part of the perimeter wall by listening at the nearest market.

The sound of a horse’s hooves on the drying leaves drew his attention, his head whipping to the side, to one of the few bits of sunlight that slipped through the thick trees overhead.

It was a woman—one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, if he was being truthful—sitting atop a horse. She was smiling up at the birds as they sang in the branches. She was dressed in a simple smock and her horse was unsaddled. She was probably a maid from the castle.

But that did not detract from how his throat tightened as he looked at her. She was, after all, beautiful. It was almost embarrassing how he didn’t even realize she had spotted him until it was too late.

“Hello, sir.” Her voice was kind on his ears and he was instantly wondering if she would speak again.

“Hello, my lady.”

“Are you lost? It is not often I see strangers in the kingswood.” She nudged her horse toward him, uncaring of the danger strangers often present. Or maybe she was unknowing. There was a certain sweetness to her that Pero knew could not be feigned.

“I am hunting, my lady. I hope I did not disturb you.”

She shook her head. “I was not aware the king was having a hunting party today. I hope I did not scare away your prey.”

“No, my lady. I have just lost the rest of our party. Do you work at the castle?”

“Yes.” Her smile seemed to be hiding something but Pero thought little of it, instead focusing on how the light made her eyes sparkle.

“Do they treat you well? I am sure I could put in a good word for you,” he said, knowing his roguish smile was starting to cut across his face. He might have the worst luck but he still knew how to make a pretty woman smile.

And it worked because she demurely averted her eyes before biting her lip for a moment. “They treat me much better than they should,” she said with a shake of her head. “But I thank you for the offer.” She cleared her throat before looking at him again. “I can fetch you a bit of water or ale from the kitchens, if you would like? You must be parched.”

“No, no, my lady. But you are kind to offer.”

The sound of someone calling out in the distance had her turning her head with a frown. “I’ve lost track of the hour. I must go.”

And then her dark horse was setting off, galloping between the black-barked trees, and disappearing from sight before he could even ask for her name.

Pero did not find a way into the castle that day. He could have, but he didn’t. His employers allowed him another day of scouting in the woods and he happily took advantage of it and hoped his curse would subside just for a day, or even a few hours, so he might happen upon the maid again.

And his silent plea was heard as he found her at the base of a large tree, a well-worn book settled on her lap.

“Hello again,” she said as she spotted him.

“Hello, my lady.”

She patted the bit of grass beside her and Pero wavered for a moment before taking the offered seat. “Hunting again today?”

“No. I must confess that I was hoping to see you.”

Her answering giggle had something squeezing in the deep recesses of his chest. “Well, you have found me.” She closed the book carefully and turned to face him a little more. “What is your name? I have tried to guess it but I do not think any name I might have conjured would suit you.”

He could have told her his true name. It was not as if she would be able to stop him in his quest. But he knew to never think he could outsmart his curse. “I am Tovar.” And then he quickly added his title that he had not used in decades: “Marquess Tovar.” As if that would somehow make his lie about hunting with the royals more believable.

She gave him her name in return and then started to gently, simply pull him into conversation about anything and everything—from the animals he was unfamiliar with in the forest, to learning how the she grew up inside the castle and still got lost in its twisting, turning halls and rooms.

He knew he should be committing the hints she was giving to him about the castle’s layout to memory but didn’t want to. He only want to continue to hear her speak. She would ask him questions too, about how he was finding her homeland and if he still “did not require a bit of drink to slake his thirst from the kitchens.”

She was…sunlight. And such a sharp contrast to the darkness of the kingdom she resided in with its masses of dark stone, fog, and black wood trees. She did not deserve such darkness. Sunlight. She should have been bathed in sunlight, in warmth, in all things light and lovely. Not here. Not in the dark and cold. Even if it was her home—even if she called it home with a tilt of her beautiful lips.

“Tell me, Tovar. Are you coming to the Masque tomorrow night? I would like to see you again.”

“There is a Masque tomorrow?”

She nodded with another smile and stood, brushing the moss and dirt from her little dress and apron. “The King is celebrating his birthday and his daughter has finally returned from her time abroad.”

“A princess?”

She laughed and held out a hand toward him, helping him to his feet. “Yes. I thought the king would have told you about her when you were hunting.”

“I’ve only heard of his sons,” he said, not entirely lying.

“Either way, will you come to the Masque tomorrow?” She looked so hopeful, so happy. He could not tell her no. And it was with a soft kiss to his cheek that she bid him goodbye and he was left in the dark of the forest, watching her disappear again.

A Royal Masque. And a princess. Perhaps his luck was turning on its own.

This would provide the perfect opportunity for him—kill the princess and be able to dance with the woman whose lips pleasantly burned his skin.

It had been easy to procure an invitation to the Masque. It had been harder to find an outfit that would not gain him unwanted attention. The shops were nearly all too busy or too empty but he did eventually find a decent enough ensemble and matching mask without emptying his coffers too much. His employers had been pleased to know he had found a way into the castle without too much fanfare and seemed to approve of his plan to carry out their plot at the masque. (And if another royal died that night, who would think that it was not part of a larger plan instead of a desperate man trying to break a curse?)

Pero handed over his invitation to the major-domo standing in front of the black and gold doors and was finally ushered inside—even after a few of the knights eyed the short sword sheathed at his hip. The halls were filled with more shining dark stone and gilded suits of armor from centuries past. Paintings and tapestries were hung along the walls, depicting the kingdom’s fabled rise to power. Blooms of white flowers were littered about, a sharp contrast to the darkness that seemed to permeate each corner of this little kingdom.

No couples had already to the floor to dance yet but he did spot a few practicing an almost-familiar set of measured steps away from onlookers. The raised dais filled with a few ornately carved chairs—thrones, he supposed—was empty. His targets were not here yet.

But perhaps she was.

He scanned the crowd but did not spot her—even with everyone wearing masks, he was sure he would recognize her from leagues away.

Music suddenly blared, announcing the arrival of someone important. He turned with the rest of the crowd and listened as the royals were announced. There was the youngest son, the next, and then the eldest. The king was escorted by his daughter, but the answering applause and cheer drowned out her name and Pero could only crane his neck too much to try and get a look before he started to look suspicious.

The first official song was called and the heir apparent took the dance with his betrothed before other couples were allowed to join them on the gleaming wooden floor.

Pero continued to scan the crowd, briefly touching the small vials he’d hidden within his doublet, and found the servant in charge of bringing goblets of wine to the king without much trouble.

It was easy.

But then a woman dressed in fine clothes of the kingdom’s sigil was striding toward him, uncaring of the masses of people bowing and curtseying in her wake and she only slowed to a stop when she was right in front of him. This must be the princess. A mask of gold covered most of her features but her eyes sparkled in such a way that Pero could have sworn he had seen them before. They were alight with recognition and mischief.

“Dance with me,” she whispered.

“Your highness, I-”

The princess tilted her mask up and…

And that was when he realized, the girl from the forest and the princess…were the same person.

His fleeting moment of happiness had actually been another stroke of bad luck. How cruel.

She looked just as beautiful in her finery and jewels as she did in the smock she had donned in the forest. Her grip was gentle as she carefully started to lead him in the dance and didn’t laugh when he stumbled over her gilded shoes. Eventually, thankfully, he righted himself and was able to properly dance with her, letting the music guide his steps with her gentle corrections whenever he missed one or two.

“You’re a princess,” he said, hating the moment they left his lips.

“I am. Very astute of you, Tovar.” She laughed and stepped back from him as the song ended with a flourish and clapped for the minstrels. But then she turned back to him “Come with me,” she murmured, just low enough for him to hear. The princess didn’t wait for his answer and grasped his hands, quickly leading him through the crowd, some of whom tried to stop them, asking for his name, for a moment of the princess’ time, on and on it went. But she did not falter. Her grip did not loosen.

Not until they were out of the humid air of the ballroom and in the beautiful, cooled night air did she finally stop. Her smile was still wide and his face hurt as he felt himself trying to, unconsciously, mirror her expression. His face was not used to the movement. “What are you up to, princess?”

“I have something to show you.” She squeezed his hands once. “Do you have somewhere else you’d rather be? I don’t mean to steal you away if you have someone else waiting for you.”

Pero shook his head. “No. No, princess. I am happy to know you want my time as much as I desire yours.”

She bit her lip with a soft giggle. “Well, I do hope you like it.” She stepped back to link her arm through his, and continued to guide him down the shining palace steps and into the lush, green gardens. It was as easy for her to pull little bits of information from him as she tossed her golden mask into a bush without a care.

“Tell me of your homeland.”

“It is beautiful, your highness. Filled with sunlight and…” he drifted off, finally allowing himself to think of his home and family for the first time in years. “I miss it very much.”

She was quiet as he thought and did not seem to mind as he came back to himself—a familiar, gentle smile on her lips as she looked at him. “You do not strike me as a man who would leave someone or someplace you love so fiercely without cause. What pushed you to do so, if I may be so bold?”

“Bad luck,” he answered simply. “But tell me, why were you in the forest? Not once, but twice and without an escort or lady’s maid.”

Her face twisted into a pout for a moment. “I must admit that I do not care for every bit of royal life. It can all be so…tedious.”

“So, you snuck away?”

She nodded. “Donned my maid’s dress and took my horse from the stables while the hand was busy tending to my brother’s mare. It took hours for them to even notice I’d missed luncheon.”

“Did you not just return from abroad? I would have assumed that they would scarcely let you out of their sights.”

She shook her head with a laugh as they slowed to a stop in front of rusted gate she opened and waved him through. A secret garden greeted them, filled with all the color that the rest of the kingdom seemed to lack. Even in the moonlight, he could see the vibrant yellow, pink, red, and orange hues of the flowers that were growing haphazardly and unkempt by practiced hands. It reminded him, achingly, of the gardens his mother and Sancha would tend to on their own at home. They had always liked the free-roaming blooms over the careful structure of the manicured grounds.

“They like having me close, true. But underfoot is nothing but annoyance for everyone involved.”

“What is this place?” He asked, letting her pull him onto a simply carved bench in the center of the garden.

She turned to him with another smile—she seemed so fond of smiling. “This was my mother’s secret place. Free from the confines of my father’s kingdom and his advisor’s disapproving eyes. She would bring me here when I was little and teach me the names of all the flowers and how to care for them.”

It did not take long for Tovar to recognize the hurt in her tone.

He wondered if she heard it in his voice when he spoke of home. Of his beautiful family in Spain. Perhaps that was why he rarely spoke of them. But he wanted to tell her. Wanted to tell her everything. So, he tried. He told her of the gardens his mother grew and refused to let their servants touch. Told her of how the fields around his home smelled sweet in the spring. Told her of all the colors he had seen on his adventures—even if he had to omit some bits of information to not reveal his true profession. And she listened keenly, asking questions and always seeming to think whatever he had said was interesting. In turn, she told him of her brief time in her mother’s ancestral kingdom, learning all she could and feeling torn when she knew she had to return to her home kingdom.

He was hardly aware of time passing, or how close they had grown on the bench until he heard a crier announcing the time—it was nearing midnight. He turned at the sudden noise and his hand slid across the bench—and quickly earned himself a handful of thorns to the webbing between his fingers. He hissed but hurriedly stopped himself as her gentle, soft hands cradled his and started to remove the thorns one by one. “Bad luck indeed,” she said, teasing. “I had trimmed those blooms back.”

Bad luck.

The sword at his hip grew heavier.

He could do it. He could run the blade through her chest and pierce her heart and be done with this wretched curse. But her eyes were shining in the moonlight and she smiled at him and he…couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

Seeming to sense his distress, her smile faded. “Tovar? What ails you?” She reached out toward him and the moment her soft hand touched his cheek…he fled.

Decades of running toward dangers left him in an instant and he ran like a coward. Out of the garden, through the crowded ballroom where people shouted for him to stop, and out into the courtyard.

He fled. He ran until his legs gave out.

And it was only then that he noticed his sword was missing.

Hiding in the woods was not the most comfortable of living quarters but it was not the worst he had used since he had run from home.

He would not face his employers’ wrath. Another job left unfinished would cost him his head, he knew it. To survive, he hunted and forged, only moving into the outskirts of the market when he truly needed to buy something—like healing herbs for when he cut open his arm on a low hanging branch, or new boots after his toe caught on a sharp stone and tore the sole clean off.

Perhaps it was his need to survive and not be noticed, but it took Pero weeks to realize that the kingdom was in a tizzy.

The King had nearly been murdered as the masque and his second son was implicated in the plot. A band of foreign nobles had been arrested and their heads now sat on spikes outside the castle.

But that was not all.

Apparently, the princess had been scouring the kingdom looking for the man she had danced with at the masque—who had left behind a very peculiar short sword; its handle seeming to fit only one man’s hand.

It felt silly to let himself hope.

Could he? Should he let her find him? The curse still loomed. He would not subject her to the danger that seemed to follow him. He could not-

“There you are.”

Apparently he had been ruminating too long and had not noticed the small band of people approaching him at the edge of the market. The princess—and he was loathed to admit that he had momentarily let himself refer to her as His Princess—was standing in front of him with her familiar, beautiful smile on her lips and his sword in her hand. She turned it over, holding the hilt toward him as he hastily bowed.

“This is yours, yes?”

He nodded and reached out for it, feeling the familiar hand fit into his hand like it had for decades. But soon a gentle warmth bloomed up his hand until he could feel it burrowing in his chest. Something had changed.

When the king learned of Tovar’s true identity, he was able to grant his daughter’s wish of allowing their betrothal. A son of duke of a wealthy kingdom was a worthy match—and the king liked to make his daughter smile, too, even if it was at the side of a foreign duke who came into palace looking slovenly.

But Pero was still nervous. Even if he no longer tripped on stairs, bricks did not fall and nearly crush his skull, animals did not dart in front of his feet. He wanted to be sure—after all, he had not delivered a heart to the woods witch.

But, on the eve of their wedding, as Pero paced in his ornate and comfortable bedchamber, a sudden blast of cold air had him turning. In front of him stood a familiar woman. Her robes were still tattered but she was…glowing. Near ethereal. The woods witch had come again.

“I could feel your worries from leagues away, little duke.” Her smile was all teeth and he knew to keep quiet. “While I would have preferred the actual heart of that beautiful princess, the curse has been lifted. That little glass sword led her heart to you. You are free. I promise you that.”

“I am sorry,” Pero said, feeling the words rush out as he looked at her. “I am so sorry, my lady.”

“I know,” she hummed before she glanced around the room. “She will like Spain more, little duke. I promise you that.”

Before Pero could ask for specifics, the witch was gone in another gust of cold wind.

Pero watched his wife’s smile grow broader and broader as their carriage drew closer to his castle.

The sun was shining. The air was sweet with the scent of springtime flowers and green grasses. It was filled with the colors he had promised her that night in the garden.

His family greeted them warmly and his sweet mother and sister cried in joy at finally having him back home while his father did look quiet near tears, too. Pero just watched it all with a smile on his face, so large and persistent it hurt his face.

“It is beautiful here,” she whispered to him that night in their bedchamber. “But, of course, I would expect nothing more from the land who gave me you.”

Pero kissed her, smiling against her mouth.

His glass sword was forgotten on their bedside table.

He had all he needed, all the good luck in the world, right here in his arms.

And they lived happily ever after.

The end.

A/N: please let me know what you think!

#pero tovar x reader #pero tovar imagine #the great wall #pero tovar

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we-are-inevitable · 4 years ago

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royalty au:

jack has lived in a poor little agricultural village for his entire life, or as long as he can remember

about a week and a half before his eighteenth birthday, he decides to go on a spontaneous trip to the kingdom (which is about a day's trip away on horseback)

he takes his 'brothers', race and crutchie, with him

once at the kingdom its very. easy to tell that they don't really belong

not bc they look different- their clothes are just moderately less flashy and colorful than everyone else's, because medda takes care of her boys- but more because they're just so in awe by everything

they spend a while exploring the city and, well. jack is a hunter right ?? he's a REALLY good hunter. he's been hunting since he was like ,, eight, with some of the older guys from the village

so, obviously, jack knows when he's being followed. and jack knows that the tall boy with blue eyes has tailed them through the market, the backstreets, and even to the outskirts.

SO, while race and crutchie eat their lunch, jack excuses himself and confronts the boy

"why are you following me?"

"you look just like him..."

"what? who?"

"the king."

obviously the boy is none other than davey jacobs!

when they meet,, davey kind of recognizes jack because the jacobs family has worked for the royal family since before davey and sarah were born

they've always been treated well, much better than their social status dictates- technically the royal family shouldn't even interact with them, but even les has had long conversations with the king and queen before. not even about anything important! just about his day or the book he's reading.

the Kelly family is just,, very caring and diplomatic. they care about their people, and care about the people who work for them.

but, unfortunately, they come up short on extending that hospitality to the poorer citizens of the kingdom.

anyway, like. david grew up with the prince. Johnathan "Jack" Kelly, the kingdom's golden boy, who was captured at the age of about 5 in a failed attempt to assasinate the royal family.

there was probably a lot of traumatic experiences that accompanied that so jack probably like. doesn't even remember the kingdom/palace, which is why when david sees him and tries talking to him jack is definitely confused, even if david looks... familiar.

(all of these are copied from a rant i did on discord the other day, but i figured they're pretty relevant!)

#newsies #jack kelly #davey jacobs #david jacobs #newsies musical #newsies live #livesies #92sies #royalty au #toursies #newsies broadway #javid #javey #jac txt.

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thelittlequeerpumpkinwitch · 3 years ago

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So I've been thinking about mushroom boys for awhile, and so like ... Lost Forest Princes AU.

The Forest has existed since time immemorial. ( i am sure it has many, many much cooler names, but it is one am and whatever part of my brain handles naming things is asleep. ) It's somewhere between a place, a being, and a dream - living and breathing and thrumming with magic, malleable and ever shifting, and yet it's boarders are strictly defined.

The Forest is home to a wide variety of beings and creatures; some in long settled ancestral homes, some wanderers enticed to settle in a land that protects them, some entirely unique to the Forest itself.

They say that any human who enters the Forest will never return, destined to suffer a fate worse than death, and that is only ... partially true. The Forest protects its Children, and its Children protect the forest; anyone who enters with ill intent will be swiftly dealt with. The Forest is also near un-navigable without some level of magic or magic awareness, and many humans who wander in are simply lost to the elements. There are also those who earn the Forests affection, and are accepted into it. These sort rarely choose to leave of their own will, content to spend the rest of their days there. It is possible to pass through unscathed, however, if you keep your wits about you and are kind to the Forest and the inhabitants, without being taken by their charms.

One such Chosen was a man by the name of Romulus. After losing his wife and daughter during childbirth, he grows despondent, and enters the Forest to spend the rest of his days in solitude. Only, there isn't really any solitude in the Forest, because the Forest itself is always with you. He comes to love the Forest and it's people, and decides to dedicate the rest of his life to caring for them, and he becomes a Favorite of the Forest.

Time moves differently in the Forest, and weeks become years in the blink of an eye. Romulus becomes steeped in the magic of the Forest, in its very lifeblood. He realizes he could live forever, if he wants to. He thinks of his wife and their child, waiting for him beyond life, and realizes he doesn't want to. The Forest grieves his choice, but it won't deny him his wish. And he promises he won't leave it alone, nor unguarded. The Forest yearns for another like him; for an heir, a prince.

Romulus takes his time preparing for his departure. He doesn't want to leave his family too suddenly, and he wants to bring his heir into a place that is ready to care for him. He gifts his favorite apple tree to a glimmering young snake, and in turn he's gifted a silver dragon's egg that's never hatched - hibernating, but not quite gone. It awakens in his hands and a clumsy toddler, all claws and scales and wings too large, tumbles out, eager to scramble about at his heels. A prince out to have a loyal companion, and a dragon makes a wonderful friend. He names her Rhea.

When the day finally comes, they treat it as a celebration of life and not a time for mourning, as Romulus has asked them too. Everyone is a bit surprised when two infants emerge from the tree fruit they were growing in, but it's a lovely surprise. Two Princes of the Forest to be celebrated, two darling children to love. Romulus uses his own life to forge the bond between the Princes and their Forest, and his body is buried beneath the tree.

The denizens of the Forest argue for days about what to name the boys, whether they even need names at all, until finally the serpent leaves his apple tree, coils around the Princes and their Dragon, and declares their names to be Roman and Remus in a tone that leaves little room for argument.

For awhile, there is only joy in the Forest. The children grow, beloved and adored by all, and soon the sound of bell like laughter and tiny feet become a constant music. It doesn't last.

There's a human village just beyond the edge of the Forest. They've lived there in peace for generations, but that too doesn't last. The children stray too close to the edge of the Forest, and spot a bright eyed, curly haired human child. Lured in by their curiosity, they wander over to make friends - and are soon snatched up by the adults minding the child. Only Rhea escapes, racing back into the Forest to cry for help, but it comes too late. Beyond the grasp of the Forest, the humans flee, taking the precious Princes with them.

The Forest is shaken to it's very core. Overwhelmed with grief and rage, it bursts past its borders and curls itself around the village, choking the light and the life from it - but the Princes aren't there, and so it pushes itself farther and farther, growing larger and more volatile each day as it searches for its stolen children.

The Forest and all within it mourn, wishing for the say their Princes return to them. And one day, they do.

Notes: Yeah Janus is the serpent, and the human boy is Patton. Virgil is another denizen of the Forest, absolutely a spider boy because I love that shit. Logan is most likely a young sorcerer/researcher who will enter the Forest with Patton to search for Roman & Remus, who have disappeared into the Forest. Rhea is my version of the Dragon Witch, Romulus is indeed a reference to King Creativity. The twins are capable of altering the Forest's landscape because of their connection to it, though they aren't initially aware of that, leading to a scenario like mushroom summoning and bouncing.

Will expand on this later for sure.

#sanders sides #ts lost forest princes au #dez rambles #creativitwins

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twinkleallnight · 4 years ago

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Marshmallow

(Part -15) Denouement

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Word count: 1974

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Teen/ PG

Warning: None.

A/N: An AU with Drake’s POV, showcasing his life as a commoner at the royal palace. Catch up here

I meet Hana couple of times after the drunk incident but ignore all signs. We never speak of what happened that night. May be, because I don’t want to acknowledge the obvious feelings blooming between us and she is too embarrassed about her state that night.

*******

Finally, the day arises when the country is full of cheerful sounds and bright colours. The palace is being decorated with expensive flowers and exquisite tapestries. Tapestries that depict the valour and courage of the Rhys dynasty.

I stand with Liam in front of a blank wall in anticipation. A life-size portrait is raised up by the palace staff and I see Liam’s chest swell up with pride as his head is held high looking into the eyes of his ancestor King Fabian in the image.

“Your favourite person.” I look at him knowingly.

“My idol. When I wear the crown today, I want to be just and true to my people like him.”

I clasp his shoulder. “You will be the most compassionate king Cordonia has seen.”

“I hope.” Liam beams. “Would you like to come with me to the study? I plan to brush up my speech and then head for the lunch.”

“You go ahead. I think I will see you at the ball. Call me if you need me around.”

“May I know where are you headed to?”

“I have to be at the boutique for a trial.” I say sheepishly.

Liam’s eyes widen, “You are going to dress up?”

I grin, “It’s my best friend’s coronation ball.”

He cocks his head searching in my eyes. “Or is it Hana?”

“I won’t deny.” I reply bashfully.

Liam nods his head with a smile. “I like the new Drake.”

“It’s the same old me.”

“Well, that we will see in the evening.” Liam chortles. “See you at the ball.” He waves and walks away.

I make a beeline to the boutique and coyly enter in. Hana had assured me that no one will be there around at this hour of the day.

“Hana...”, I call out in a tense voice.

She sways down smiling at me from the back of the room and holds my hand. “I am so glad you agreed. You are going to love this.” She pushes me to the trial rooms in excitement. “Go on. Try it.”

When I walk out dressed in a grey suit, she lets out a gasp and scurries to me. Her arms wrap around my neck making me chuckle. She gives me a quick hug and steps back admiring. “Wait here. I want to show you something.”

She brings out another garment bag. She flips the bag to reveal a silver grey gown. “ I found something matching with your suit to wear.” She giggles. I shake my head smiling in disbelief.

“What? You find it funny?” she pouts, a bit disheartened.

“Absolutely not!” I raise her chin with my curled finger. “Look at me. I was the commoner who never showed interest in any of these pompous affairs. But with you around I feel like a different person. I want to try it all. It’s not funny. It’s just that I am beaming at the new me.”

Her eyes brighten up again. “I am so excited for tonight.”

“ I can see that. Me too.”

“Okay, now you need to leave. I have some more last minute things to finish.”

“You sure don’t need my help anywhere.”

“No. Thank you.”

She pushes me out of the boutique giggling in enthusiasm.

I have a quiet lunch and retire to my quarters till evening.

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

Later in the evening:

The palace shines in all its glory with strings of lights twinkling around its edges. The nobles arrive in their luxury vehicles one after another draped in choicest of designer wears, waving out to the cameras flashing at the entrance. The media is covering the country’s most important event in decades, alerting their representatives to capture who’s who of the royal court.

I calmly observe the rush, as usual, from my favourite spot, the bar. Liam joins me soon.

“Hana has a great taste.”

“What?” I look at him quizzically.

He raises his eyebrows in praise and waves his hand at me. “The suit looks good on you. She chose well.”

“Chose well? You mean the suit or me?”

He laughs out. “She has improved your sense of humour too. You are no longer the grumpy one.”

“I was never grumpy except in Riley’s dictionary.”

Just then, Max sprints towards Liam, “Hey Li, have you seen the grumpy guy around?”

I turn to him, “Very funny, Beaumont.”

“Oh, is it really you Drakey!” He gropes over and cups my face, his voice, a note higher and melodramatic. “You gave away your denims for a suit? That must be so painful. Are you alright?” He places the back of his hand on my forehead, trying to test my temperature.

“Cut it out Max.” I shrug away his hands as I notice Liam stifling a laugh.

Hana and Riley join the gang and they get busy with the chit chat. I notice Hana stealing glances at me but her eyes have a worried look. Something seems to be amiss that I cannot place my finger upon. After sometime she excuses herself and I find her exiting the main doors. I follow her towards the lawn.

There under the silver of moon, Hana shimmers in her silver gown, standing alone, deep in her thoughts. I step closer to her and wrap my arm around her shoulder.

She turns around to face me and suddenly hugs me tightly. “What’s wrong?” I ask her softly.

She doesn’t utter a word but pulls out an envelope from her clutch and hands it over to me. I don’t understand the foreign language written in it but definitely know that whatever it is, it has upset her. Her voice is almost a whisper when she says, “It’s over. I have to leave.” Still looking down into the letter.

I hold her at her elbows and tug, “Leave? Why?”

She raises her head and I see her eyes are welled up with tears. “It’s a letter from my parents. They say if I am not Liam’s choice tonight, which they know well, I should be moving back to Shangai tomorrow.”

I feel like someone has sucked out the breath from me, as I stand speechless in front of her.

‘Is this how it ends? No. Is this how I want it to end?’ It’s a split-second decision I make in a trice. I embrace her tightly. I hear her gasp with my unexpected move. Her hands lightly resting on my arms, letter still held in one.

I cup her face and look into my favourite honey almond eyes. “Hana…” I gather some more courage to say things I intend to. “I don’t know what happens tomorrow. But I want you to know that you are the most amazing person I have ever met. You are epitome of perfection yet you ignore the imperfections people around you have. Hell, you turn those short comings into a silver lining. You do things for the people you care. It’s impossible to stay away from you once someone gets to know you. I don’t know if I even deserve to be with you. But I want tell you this, that I… I love you. And I won’t let this end here. It’s not over. Not yet.”

She tries to open her mouth to say something but before that I lower my mouth on hers and capture the warmth of her lips. My fingers, cupping her face, feel the wetness of her tears rolling down her cheeks. I roll my thumb to wipe them away without breaking the kiss.

********

“How do you think it goes from here?” Riley questions in general.

“I don’t have any idea.” I rub my hands over my eyes.

I had requested Liam for an urgent word regarding Hana’s plans, in turn he called Riley and now we are all seated with him in his study.

“Can’t you stay?” Riley asks Hana.

“No.” Hana speaks softly, looking into a hollow.

“Why?”

“This is how it was supposed to be. My parents wanted me to be in Cordonia so that I find a suitable match in some noble house. With the social season coming to an end tonight, they don’t want me to stay any longer without purpose.”

“Damn it!” I curse in frustration.

“So, we really can’t do anything?” Riley looks at Liam for an answer.

“Not immediately. We will have to wait.” Liam says brooding.

“How long?” Riley seems to be more restless.

“Until I take over the office as the king of Cordonia.” He pauses, “And I can’t directly pass the first orders for Lee family at Shanghai when there must be many pressing issues Cordonia is dealing with. So we will have no option but to be patient.”

There is a knock at the door. Bastein peeps in to remind, “I am sorry to interrupt but we are running against time, sir. The king has asked for your presence in the main hall.”

Liam gets up looking at the watch. “I am afraid, we will have to curtail this meeting. Drake, I will see what I can do. I will update you.” He pats my back and then addresses Hana.

“Hana, trust me, we will find out a solution. I am sorry that you have to go through this.”

She gives a forced smile. “Thank you.”

Riley hugs her in reassurance and they both walk out of the study. I keep looking blankly at her retrieving figure. Bastein clears his throat to pull me back from my thoughts. “I… I…”

Bastein walks to me. He places his hand on my back. “Son, you are dealing with the nobles here. Don’t jump into action too soon. Take one step at a time. Things will fall in place if all goes well. Tomorrow, the king will be the one who is your best friend. As much as I know the boy, he will always have your back.” I nod in agreement.

“Have faith and some hope. This too shall pass.”

“Thank you, Bas.” I compose myself and stride down the hall with him.

The coronation ceremony is conducted smoothly. Watching Liam bearing a crown is a moment of pride. Minutes later, the announcement for the queen is made and against all odds he declares his love, lady Riley, as his future queen. They exchange rings and pose to the paparazzi as an officially engaged couple.

My eyes are stuck at the grand clock, each passing second ticking in my ear. My heart is racing against time. I scan through the crowd once again. Hana stands on the other end of the hall with other suitors. Our eyes pierce into each other hers throwing away sadness and mine hoping against hope.

“You know if Liam can get true love, against all odds, you too deserve to be with the one you love.” I snap at the voice that spoke behind me.

“Leo? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Couldn’t have missed my baby brother’s coronation ceremony.” He shrugs. We meet each other with a hug.

“So, you and Hana, huh?” he asks inquisitively.

“Didn’t you just come back to Cordonia? How do you know?”

He looks across my shoulder at someone. “She knows, so I know.” He raises his glass wine in someone’s direction.

I turn around to see whom he is pointing to. My jaw drops when I check the lady walking towards us. She stops besides Leo and he places a soft kiss on her cheek. Their arms wind around each other’s waist.

“You…and…Livy?” I falter, astonished at the sudden turn of events.

Tags: @ao719 @annekebbphotography @anjanettexcordonia @bebepac @charlotteg234 @choicesficwriterscreations @cordonia-gothqueen @drakewalker04 @eadanga @gkittylove99 @glaimtruelovealways @krsnlove @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @jessiembruno @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @khoicesbyk @shewillreadyou @lisha1valecha @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @no-one-u-knoww @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @secretaryunpaid @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @txemrn @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @sfb123 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09

@hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @jessiembruno @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @khoicesbyk @shewillreadyou @lisha1valecha @lovablegr @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @jessiembruno @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kat-tia801 @kingliam2019 @khoicesbyk @shewillreadyou @lisha1valecha @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @no-one-u-knoww @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @secretaryunpaid @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @txemrn @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @sfb123 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09 nny @mrswalkers-blog @mom2000aggie @no-one-u-knoww @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @secretaryunpaid @sirbeepsalot @speedyoperarascalparty @shanzay44 @texaskitten30 @txemrn @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @sfb123 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @aestheticartsx @yourmajesty09

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gh0stfacesho3 · 5 years ago

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could i get a medieval AU where Mirio Togata is a highly respected knight who falls in love with a poor and neglected prostitute who was forced to become a sex worker to care of her 2 younger brothers? you can decide how they meet and put whatever details. Also pls add smut at the end!^^

Ouuuuuuu wow I love this ☺️ thank you so much for this I love the variety of characters I’m getting !!! Also I made Eri the princess that Mirio protects for this plot bc it just makes sense.

Shining Armor

Pairing: Mirio Togata x (F)Reader

Warnings: +18, smut, praise kink

Word Count: +5.7k words

Mirio stood closely to the princess, watching guard as she looked at a street market, amazed by all the crystals and rocks that were on the table.

“Sir Mirio, may I get this one?” The young Princess asked as she tugged at Mirio’s finger, pointing to a crystal necklace. He turned his attention to her and smiled.

“Of course, Princess! You can have anything you’d like, and I told you that you can just call me Mirio.” The knight chuckled as he pulled some gold coins from his satchel.

“The Princess can take it free of charge!” The old women said, handing the necklace to Eri who refused it.

“She won’t take it unless it’s paid for.” Mirio smiled, handing her extra coins. “For your generousity, I’ll pay you extra.” The blond smiled, taking the necklace and placing it around Eri’s neck. She did a spin and smiled, making the old lady tear up.

“I’m so glad we have such a beautiful and cheerful princess in our kingdom now.” Another old witch popped in, holding a staff to keep herself up.

Mirio nodded, remembering the day he helped save her. That is exactly how he became so respected, being he risked his life to save this princess from a very evil dragon king. This kingdom was accepting of all nature and races. You could be a witch, troll, giant, dwarf, half human and half of anything else and you’d still be excepted with open arms into the Ultra Kingdom. So, when Mirio was almost killed by the dragon king, he was able to strike the last blow, pushing his sword through the eye of the dragon king. Thanks to all the witches in Ultra, he was able to be saved and have all his injuries healed for the most part. Being his injuries were very sever, they took Mirio off the front lines and now have him as the sole protector of the new princess.

“Mirio!! Look, they have sweets!” Eri said, dragging Mirio towards another booth. It’s been about three month’s since he saved Eri, and it always made him tear up to see her so happy now.

“Sir Knight Mirio! Please take these pastries! You’ve fought so hard for us and protect our sunshine! We don’t know what we would do without you and Princess Eri.” The baker said kneeling down, holding a basket for him.

“Why than-” Mirio started to take the basket but was stopped by Eri. She put a stack of gold coins on the table before nodding with a smile.

“I wanted snacks anyways!” The young one said with a smile before skipping off. He grabbed the basket and thanked the man before quickly going after Eri. Mirio noticed she was playing around with two boys close to her age.

“Hi! I’m Knight Axel Y/L/N! I shall protect you princess!” The youngest of the two boys yelled, holding out a stick to the air. Mirio watched with a grin as the three made a scene in the street.

“Not for long! I am an evil knight from the All for One Kingdom! I will take the princess for my kingdom!” The oldest yelled as he held a stick that had blue paint on it. This was one of the knight’s named Dabi from the All for One Kingdom which was known for their harsh ways but after the attack to the dragon king, they’ve been a lot more friendly to Ultra Kingdom. Also, recently a new rule was added where to not talk about what happened with her. Eri loved playing with kids but some kids would re-create the scene saying they were the dragon king but it sparked such bad memories for her that it’s a rule for them to not speak of it.

“Knight Axel! Protect me from that nasty knight!” Eri yelled as she stuck her tongue out at the boy. The two boys stared fighting with their sword’s and Mirio was very shocked to see that they both fought very well with their fake swords. Mirio walked over to the two and clapped when he saw the youngest push the oldest to the ground and held his fake sword to his throat.

“Very good form you two!” Mirio said with a smiled, making the two boys stand to attention before they bowed. Eri quickly found her way back to Mirio’s side, sneaking around in the basket’s of goodies before handing them to the boys who smiled brightly.

“There you are! Hey! You two didn’t steal these did you?” You asked as you walked over to your younger brothers.

“No! Princess gave them to us!” Axel said as he held it tight to his chest.

“Princess?”You asked as you looked at the little girl. You quickly knelt down and bowed your head.

“I’m sorry if these knuckle heads I call my brothers bothered you, Princess.” You apologized with a smile and a chuckle. She shook her head and smiled back.

“Nope! We were just playing. Can we play more often please please please!!” Eri begged Mirio, tugging on his arm, making his armor clink and rattle.

“If that is okay with you miss?” He asked, making you look up at him. Once you made eye contact you almost gasped being it was Knight Mirio. You’ve heard of his adventures but what’s more commonly talked about with females is his looks. God, where the rumors true. You bowed your head again before getting up and holding your thin cloak over your body.

“I don’t know. I’d love for them to but I wouldn’t want the Princess to get dirty or see where we live. We aren’t well off.” You spoke to him once you stood up, careful for Eri not to hear.

“Eri doesn’t judge! She just want’s play mates.” Mirio giggled before his eyes met yours. “If its a privacy reason, they can always come to the castle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her bond so well with any other kids.” He said looking at the three who were playing again.

“I truly appreciate that offer, but they don’t have any other clothes besides their sleep wear, and my work won’t let me travel with them to the castle. We live on the outskirts.” You shamefully admitted. The outskirts of Ultra Kingdom was were low poverty homes were, if homes is what you could call them. The outskirts had a lot of crime in the area. Mirio could see the pain in your eyes and the stress was weighing on you. No one has ever told Eri about the outskirts since the King believed a princess shouldn’t know about such things being she went through so much already. Mirio knew that if Eri knew, she’d run the castle broke trying to help everyone

“I’m sorry, we must get going.” You quickly turned to leave but were stopped to see the three kids in front of you.

“Can we play longer, ma’am?” The princess asked with pleading eyes.

“I’m so sorry princess, but we have to leave.” You apologized, quickly grabbing your brother’s hands and starting to walk off.

“Wait!” Eri yelled before running over to you. You stopped when she pulled on your cloak. Her action caused it to slip off, exposing your very low cut red dress that was accentuated with a black corset that pushed up your bust. There were gasps heard and murmurs about what they have just seen.

“Is she a-” “She must be-” “Outskirts?” “Prostitute?” “Whore-” Could be picked out of the crowd. You quickly pulled your cloak back on, flustered at what just happened. Most women wore neutral color but never colors like red or black.

“I’m sorry about you’re cloak! But I want you to have this so it’ll give me a reason to see you all again!” Eri smiled, completely un-phased by what happened. Your eyes welled with tears as you held the crystal necklace. You slipped it over your head before you nodded and ran off.

“Let’s go princess.” Mirio said as he picked her up, watching your form get smaller and smaller in the distance.

“What’s a whore?” Eri asked as Mirio walked.

“I’ll explain later, just rest.” Mirio hushes, holding Eri close to him as she slowly fell asleep as he walked.

“So she’s a prostitute. That’s why she’s scared of her little brothers playing with Eri. She doesn’t want them to talk about her or the outskirts with Eri while she is gone.” Mirio talked to himself in his chambers as he removed his knight armor.

“Come on, eat up.” You huffed as you fed your younger brothers some bread and very watered down soup.

“But it’s so bland.” Axel whined as he still ate.

“Shut up! Y/n works hard for this!” The oldest fussed, making you scowl at him but smiled because he knew just how hard you work.

“Adrian, mouth.” You huffed before walking over to the table to join them.

Adrain was about 11 so he kinda knew everything being you had to grow up quick if you lived in the outskirts. He was also your shoulder to cry on when you got stressed. You always apologized because no child should have to deal with this. Axel was 8 and you were 26. Your mother had you very young because she was also a prostitute but it was a meet up that went wrong. She then had another child with her first husband 15 years later when she turned 31. Then with her second husband she had her third child at 34. She died last year by taking her own life. You knew it would happen one day but never so soon but you were also surprised she held out that long after everything. You assumed it was also due to the sickness she had around the time.

“Alright Adrian, I’m going to work. Take care of our little brother okay. And remember if I don’t come back or if someone else tries to come here, you know where to go.” You told him, earning a nod from the boy. You looked at Axel to see him asleep on the cot with a wool blanket over him.

Mirio got dressed into some darker clothing along with a dark green cloak. Eri was protected by two other guards at night so Mirio could rest. However, tonight he was on a search, a search for you. He headed out, saying he was just going for a late night walk.

He hopped on top his horse before riding off down to the outskirts. He stopped about a mile out and tied his horse to a pole. Mirio walked into the outskirts and kept his head down, knowing he’d attract a lot of attention if he was seen. The blonde looked around a few dark allies before he finally found someone who looked like you. He walked over to what he thought was you and tapped your shoulder.

“You looking for a fun night boy?” The woman said but when she turned around, it was a goblin woman who just had similar hair like you.

“Oh- sorry, wrong person.” Mirio mumbled before walking down another ally.

“Look, I said I won’t do it! I do business only at the customer’s house, not mine so buzz of!” You huffed as a scraggly old man kept grabbing at your exposed skin, making you walk a little faster to get to the cabin where a lot of prostitutes go to escape creepy men.

Mirio could hear you familiar voice and quickly followed it before seeing the situation. He walked over to the man and quickly grabbed his wrist that was reaching for your ass.

“She said buzz off, now why don’t you listen to her, hm?” Mirio asked, only exposing his sarcastic smile, making the man buck up.

“Who do you think you are, son?!” The old man yelled, making Mirio move his cloak to expose his sword that hung from his belt. “Well, looks like I’ve made a mistake. My bad sir.” The man wobbled away, cursing at the ground.

“Thank you but I don’t need protection from another cre-” You were cut off when he exposed his face to you with a big smile.

“Hey, I never caught your name.” Mirio smiled but you only turned away and started to walk to the cabin.

“I don’t do friendships. Get out of here before you get robbed.” You said with a huff.

“I’m here on business!” He made up, walking in front of you. He held a stack of gold coins. “How long will this get me?”

“One hour. Let’s go. Keep your head down.” You snatched the coins and put them in small black satchel you had connected to your dress. This amount would actually get someone about three hours. You didn’t even want to take it being he is royal and your not but you knew he’d just be persistent. The two of you got to a private room and you began to take off your corset.

“AHh! NO no, I just wanna talk to you!” Mirio said, blushing brightly as he covered his face.

“Talk? Fine, make it quick I guess. And its y/n” You said as you continued to take off your corset anyways. Mirio removed his sword and place it against the wall.

“What are you doing?” He asked as you sat on the bed in just your dress.

“Getting comfortable, what do you think?” You asked with a small chuckle at how soft Mirio looked. “So what did you want to talk about?” You asked as you admired his built body that sat cross-legged on the bed.

“I want you to know that Eri really wants to play with you brothers. We wouldn’t mind housing you and your siblings.” Mirio started but you cut him off quickly.

“I don’t want your charity. I understand you’re trying to be nice and all, but it isn’t fair to all the other women working like me. Why should I get housing while they still struggle?” You questioned, pulling at a small thread on your red dress.

“Well-…” Damn, Mirio was stuck because you did have a point. He needed a way to make this seem fair. “What if we did it like we had a big play date with the kingdom and whoever Eri likes to play with the most gets to spend a week at the castle. So that way its just a way for you too take a break and have your siblings live like royalty.” Mirio explained with a bright smile.

“If we win.” You said as you fiddled with the necklace Eri gave you. “But fine, as long as its putting us on the same level and don’t be biased!” You warned before getting up and dressed back into your corset.

“Why are you getting dressed? We still have about 40 minutes left.” Mirio said standing up

“Help me with this please.” You said before answering his question. “I also have to work and you need to get back to the kingdom to rest and bring together this big idea. No need for me to waste your time Sir Knight Mirio.” You explained as he gently pulled on the strings to tighten your corset. “Ngh-harder. Pull the strings harder.” You huffed as the corset was tight around your chest but the way you asked kinda sounded lewd, making Mirio slightly aroused. He quickly pulled the strings tight and tied them before grabbing his sword and walking out.

You were slightly confused at how quiet he got but just shrugged it off before walking out the cabin slightly after.

After a few days, all you could hear was the buzz about a big play date with the princess. It ended up being more like a whole festival and your two younger brothers could not stop talking about it.

“Pleaseeee!! Please big sis! I promise I’ll never complain about the food again!” Axel begged making you chuckle.

“Well, I just might have to bring you then.” You joked as you picked him up on your back, having him hold on tight as you made some lunches for tomorrow, wrapping some bread and meat in some paper leaves. You cut some fruit up and poured lemon juice on it with sugar. You were glad to have these things due to the Knight visiting you every day and providing you with some money even though you tried to deny his offer.

“You aren’t going to work tonight y/n?” Adrien asked as it was past 10 at night. You shook your head and smiled.

“Tomorrow is a big day for you two and I have to make sure you are ready in time.” You placed Axel in his cot, covering him with the wool blanket before you kissed his forehead. You sat at the table, cutting some fabric and sewing it together. You stayed up most of the night, making two shirts for your brothers. You were able to buy some pants for them and the shoes they had were still knew. You woke up to Adrien moving some pans to the stove.

“Hey, what you doing?” You asked as you turned around to see him cooking some eggs.

“A very shy man in nice clothes was knocking at the door to give these to us, he might still be there.” Adrien said as if it was nothing making you run out to see the royal clothing slightly fade to the distance. You shook your head before you returned inside.

“That shy man was Knight Amajiki. He fought alongside Knight Mirio.”You said in a calm voice, waiting for his reaction and what you got was not what you expected. He face palmed himself and looked down.

“How could I forget, Axel will never leave me alone about this once he finds out.” He said before he continued to make breakfast. You laughed before you went get the youngest.

The three of you all got ready in your new clothes and you wore your mother’s plain white dress and blue corset that had a matching cloak. The three of you began your journey to the kingdom, picking up a ride or two from a few people. You walked with your basket held at your elbow, holding Axel’s hand as Aidren held onto your cloak.

You smiled brightly as you walked to the castle, waiting at the gate before being let in. You saw a lot of children and got slightly discouraged at all the kids playing in the grass. What if Eri find’s someone else to play with and likes them more. That would crush your brother’s spirits to pieces but before you could realize it, they were off playing with a bunch of other kids. You noticed there was an area for people to place their things so you placed your basket and shoes in a crate, locking it before taking the key and placing it around your neck, being it was on a string.

“Hey, you didn’t think you’d be playing without me did you?” You asked as you ran up to your younger brothers. You got a lot of weird looks from other mothers but you didn’t care being you were having fun. The grass was so soft against your feet and you finally felt like a kid for once, even though you were 24. Eri was finally spotted but you didn’t want the boys to rush in, being it would overwhelm her. So you just decided to mess around and pretend to be in danger.

“Knight Axel! Please help me!” You cried out, holding back your smile as much as you could.

“Don’t try it! I am the evil ice witch and will freeze her!” A random girl said as he blew small snow from his palm. It was a little witch and training which made you smile.

“Not if we have anything to do with it” Adrien declaired, holding up a wooden sword that the castle provided. You played for a long time before Eri finally found the three of y’all. You smiled as she hugged you tightly before running to Axeln and Adrien. You stood up and started to walk away before you bumped into a tall figure.

“Oh I’m so sor-sorry.” You said before you saw it was Mirio. His looks always surprised you, especially that smile. “Hello, Sir Knight Mirio.” You curtsied, bowing slightly as well.

“Miss Y/n, pleasure to see you here.” Mirio said as he bowed back. “Now, I think Eri want’s us to play.” Mirio said as he walked over to Eri, pulling you behind him, making you laugh softly.

“Let’s battle! Me and you! If I win, I get to protect Princess Eri!” Adrien said, pointing his wooden sword at Axel. Eri smiled before she pulled out her own wooden sword.

“Who said I can’t protect myself?” Eri asked, making Axel’s eyes light up.

“Can we fight?” Axel asked Mirio, making sure it was okay and nodded.

“Why don’t me and you battle?” You asked Mirio and he chuckled.

“Okay, I’ll go easy on you.” He said wielding a wooden sword as you held one too. The two of you bowed and made sure you had enough room and wouldn’t hurt anyone else. The two of you started to fight and Mirio was quite shocked at your strength and form.

“There is a lot you don’t know about me.” You spoke, as your blocked his sword from swinging down on you. “I always wanted to be a knight when I was young.” You pushed forward, making Mirio back up and take this more seriously. With the two of you so enticed with each other, you hadn’t notice all the kids watching. You were smiling brightly, before you quickly spun around, grabbing Mirio’s outstretched hand, pulling it close to you.

“You’re quite strong, maybe you should live in the castle.” Mirio said with a wink before he hooked his free arm around your waist, spinning you and placing his sword to your throat but was blocked by your own sword. You hooked your leg behind his and kicked it out, but before you knew it, you were spun back around and you fell on top of Mirio. You quickly got up, pointing your sword at his throat before he laughed loudly. You couldn’t help but join him as you laid down next to him, panting softly.

“Wow, it’s nice to be a kid again.” You mumbled, rubbing the beads of sweat from your forehead. Then there was a loud rupture of clapping and cheering from the kids, especially Eri who also defeated Axel. She ran up to you and pulled you up.

“Girls can fight too!” She said with a bright smile, making you laugh before you looked over at Mirio who was watching you. You blushed lightly before averting his gaze. “Hey, the necklace I gave you is glowing!” She said with bright eyes, holding it in her hand. The rose crystal now shined a bright pink, making you cock your head in confusion.

“That’s a love crystal.” The small witch from early spoke, pointing to it as it slowly dimmed. “When you look at someone you love, or feel love from someone, it glows.” She explained, making you blush more.

“Hm, must be because I care and love the princess.” You played off, poking Eri’s tummy, making her giggle.

“It only glows for intimate love.” She shrugged, “But I could be wrong, I’m still learning.” She hopped away and then you were helped to your feet by Mirio.

“That was really fun, and now it’s time for Eri to pick her favorite people to play with.” He explained before walking away with Eri. You and your brothers went eat, talking about all the fun they had.

“Hellllooooo everybodddyyyy!!” Sir Yamada yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “It’s time for Eri to pick who will stay at the castle for a week! Now if you don’t get picked, don’t be discouraged, we will probably have many more to come!”

“I had fun with you all and wish I could pick you all, but those aren’t the rules. I, by myself pick who I want to stay in the castle for a week. And I chose who made me smile the most. But not only did this person make me smile, they made my best friend smile and laugh more than he already does and thats Miss Y/n and her two younger brothers!” Eri yelled out, making you cough softly on the bread you were still eating.

You looked up on the stage and saw Mirio smiling, and saw Eri waving you three up there. A few kids were cheering, saying you need protect Eri since Mirio lost to you. Some kids were crying while others just smiled, knowing they might get it next time.

It was the third day in the castle and you just plopped onto your king sized bed, sighing loudly.

“Hey, finally got your brother’s to bed?�� Mirio asked as he stood there in loose clothing, much different from his armor or royal attire.

“Yes! I feel like they never run out of energy and I’m so sore.” You patted the area next to you and Mirio walked over and laid down next to you, watching the heavy door close on its own.

“I’m really glad you got to spend this time here.” Mirio smiled lightly, making you look over at him and smile. Your necklace glowed through your shirt, making you grab it and sit up.

“Yeah… uhm, wellll, I’m going to take a bath to help with my muscles. Can you show me how that large tub works again?” You asked with a small blush before you grabbed some clothes that were provided by the castle. Mirio nodded and walked over to the deep tub that was in your chambers, turning the handle, allowing water to pour out before he put a stopper in the drain.

“That’s pretty much it, do you need anything else?” He asked as you kept your eyes on the floor. He nodded before he walked out and you started to pull of your dress shirt, struggling lightly from your sore muscles. “Oh hey-…I’m so sorry, I should have knocked. I just remembered you needed a towel.” Mirio blushed as you pulled your shirt back down.

“Oh it’s okay…uhm, can you help? If not can you get someone to help me remove my clothes?” You asked as you blushed lightly, making your crystal glow again. He nodded and closed the bathroom’s wooden door before walking behind you.

“Arm’s up.” He spoke softly, lifting your shirt to expose your skin. While Mirio was taken away by your body, he remained calm being you were in a place of need. He pulled down your skirt, allowing you to step out of it, making your face light up. You’ve done similar things countless times but right now, it feels like your first time.

“I’m going to remove your bra and underwear for you if that’s okay?” He asked, making sure he had consent from you before he continued. You nodded, allowing him to remove your clothes and once that was done, he helped you into the bath.

“Wait-…could you stay?” You asked just as he was about to leave, making him pause and turn around.

“Any particular reason or just want a friend?” He asked with a smile while he sat on a stool next to the tub.

“I just think I’ll need some help getting out.” You mumbled,holding your necklace in your hand to keep Mirio from seeing it’s bright pink tint. You knew you could probably get out and dressed on your own but you had to admit, you did like Mirio’s company.

“Oh yeah, I should’ve thought of that.” He chuckled, stretching his arms in the air as he watched you run your hands through your soapy hair. Mirio walked close to your head and started to help rinse out your hair. “We meant it when we said you’d get treated like royalty.”

“Thank you Sir Mirio.” You smiled and relaxed into his touch, making him blush softly before going back to the task at hand. Maybe this stone was right, maybe you did love him but there is no way he’d feel the same so you should just shut out those feelings. “Ow! What the-?” You let go of the necklace that shocked your hand and chest.

“That a love crystal you got, deny the feelings you have and it shocks you.” Mirio chimed in, breaking your train of thought. “You don’t have to worry, I’m sure whoever you’re thinking of feels the same way.” He smiled brightly. After awhile, he helped you out the tub and got you dressed in a loose night gown.

“Thank you for helping me, Sir Mirio.” You blushed lightly as you walked over to you bed and sat down, watching Mirio clean up the bathroom. Mirio walked over to you and smiled before he bent down and kissed your lips, making your necklace glow.

“I’m sorry, but I just had to know this crystal glowed for me.” Mirio blushes before he stood back up straight but you pulled him back down to you.

“I guess my secret is out.” You smiled before reconnecting your lips.

You pulled Mirio closer to you, having him crawl on top and pin you down. His lips were soft but you could feel the small scars he had from it being repeatedly busted from fighting or training. He pulled you on top as he sat up so you can straddle his lap, allowing his hands to travel your foreign body. Mirio’s hands were so gentle when he traced them down you sides, or when they rested behind your neck while he ran his fingers down your spine with his other hand. You tracked your finger down his jaw, pulling away to see his flushed face and red lips.

“You’re cute when you are all red.” You smirked, making the blonde blush even brighter.

“Thank you, y/n.” Mirio mumbled, making you reconnect your lips as you felt down his chest before slipping your hand up his shirt, feeling the defined muscles and small scars from battles. You tugged at his shirt so he could pull it off but he pushed you on your back before he did so.

“Let me take care of you, you are in pain.” He smiled before he lifted your gown up and over your body. You smiled back softly before shutting your eyes in pleasure when you felt his lips kiss down your exposed body.

“Mirio, have you ever done this before?” You asked with a blush as his lips perfectly danced along your skin, getting lower and lower making you catch butterflies.

“Once or twice, why?” He teased with a grin, sucking at your skin on your thighs, leaving hickies behind as he got closer to your clothed core, making your body tremble and arousal pool in your underwear.

“I’ve done this hundreds of times and no one has ever made me feel this good just by kissing me.” You propped yourself up to see him looking up at you with a proud grin.

“Well, I did say I would take care of you.” Mirio kissed your wet core before he pulled off your underwear, making you sigh in relief. He licked up your sopping wet core, making you moan out softly. “You’re so beautiful. Your voice sounds like an angel.” Mirio mumbled, making you blush at his praise. Usually when you had sex, you got degraded mainly because you were a prostitute and they were ashamed so they took it out on you so when you were praised by Mirio, it just fueled your arousal. He connected his mouth with your core, running his tongue down you before sucking on your sensitive clit.

“Am I being good?” You moaned out, arching your back softly. You needed to hear that you were being good and Mirio understood that after you asked him.

“No, you’re being the best.” the blonde smiled before he continued his meal, pushing you closer to the edge with each lick, kiss, or suck while he’d tell you how good you taste and how well you behaved.

“Sir Mirio, I’m close,” you grabbed at the sheets, waiting to feel the familiar knot build and break but he removed himself from your core, licking his lips before he leaned down to kiss you. Your hands tangled themselves in his golden hair, desperate to feel him close to you. You were so lost in the kiss you hadn’t noticed Mirio line himself up with your core.

“Are you ready?” Mirio asked once he pulled away from your lips, allowing you to nod quickly.

“Please, I need you.” You whined out, allowing Mirio to push his hard member into your aching heat. You huffed, pulling Mirio in for another sloppy kiss before you kissed down his neck as he thrust into you.

Mirio groaned softly with a small smile, noticing the necklace glow brightly as it hung next to your head. You kissed along his neck before finding a sensitive spot, making him moan softly before he picked up his pace while you attacked his sweet spot. Mirio held your hips down with one hand while the other rubbed your swollen clit. You bit your lips to suppress your moans, gripping his back tight as your nails dug into his flesh.

“Let me hear those sweet moans, beautiful.” Mirio requested, making you follow his command as you were now a moaning mess.

“Sir...I’m gonna c-...cum.” You blushed brightly as you clung to him for dear life but he only picked up his pace.

“Go ahead, you deserve it.” And with those sweet words, your climax came crashing down, sending you into complete euphoria. Your body trembled as your high took over before you notice Mirio pull out to see his cum spill out over your stomache.

“I’m so sorry.” Mirio blushed, letting his head fall on your shoulder in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry,...” You panted as you came down from your high. You whined when Mirio got up and walked away but was pleased to see him with a rag to clean you up. Once cleaned, the two of you laid down in the dark except for the bright necklace that still glowed a pink tone.

“Stay here in the castle with me.” Mirio said, looking down at your tired form. You don’t know whether it was the exhaustion or euphoric bliss you were in but you nodded without hesitation, before slipping off into sleep.

A/n:

I hope you alll liked it :) I had a lot of fun writing this but it took me forever 😅 mainly bc I procrastinate.

#my hero acadamy #fluff #bnha x reader #writing #reading #headcanon #mirio x reader #mirio smut #bnha mirio #bnha #mha #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #bnha fantasy au #mirio togata

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maandags · 4 years ago

Note

Can you please do hcs for Keith atla au where he is a earthbender and falls for a run away Royal female firebender reader?

Keith has always been very protective. be it of his family, friends, or his home; as a true and tried earthbender he feels like he has a duty of protection to his people

this, of course, is merely a long winded way of saying he does not particularly like the fire nation.

Let Alone firebenders.

Let Alone Royal firebenders.

but you’re not an idiot, either.

you ran away for a reason, after all, didn’t you? you knew the horrors of what your father -- the Firelord -- is currently doing to the people of the Earth Kingdom in particular

and you wanted no part in it

in fact, you were on a journey to Ba Sing Se, where you’d hopefully find someone willing to listen who’d accept your help

you’d been keeping tabs. you knew about your father’s plans, knew who at the council table he trusted most and whose ideas he was most likely to follow, and you knew the way his advisors thought

the decision to actually run away really had only followed after. an impulsive decision when you found you just couldn’t stand it anymore. you just had to go

so you kind of... did

you know you’re looked for everywhere

but once you got a change of clothes and cut your hair you knew people would have a hard time recognising you – especially since you never really got outside much, so not many people know what you actually look like, and it’s easy to hide your identity

so, naturally, when you stumble across Keith’s hometown on your way to Ba Sing Se, he’s suspicious, but just because he’s suspicious of everyone

doesn’t know you’re fire nation, let alone that you’re a firebender

however – he’s rude, harsh, nagging, and his brother Shiro pulls you aside one day and tells you that he usually doesn’t act like this, and he has no idea what’s gotten into him

you brush it off, laughing. “I’m an outsider, and we’re at war; I don’t blame him for being suspicious.”

but it does bother you a bit

because yeah, you understand, but, like – you haven’t done anything to warrant this kind of treatment, you don’t think

and because you’ve never been particularly shy, you confront him about it

“what exactly is your problem with me?”

Keith, who had been practicing his bending, scowls. “I don’t have a problem with you.”

you scoff, leaning against a rock. “your attitude towards me strongly suggests otherwise.”

Keith crosses his arms. “why do you care, anyway? it’s not like you’re settling in here or anything. you’ll be gone soon enough, right?” thwack, against the ground. a pillar shoots up beside you, barely scraping against your skin. you merely glare back at him.

“maybe I’ll stay. just to fuck with you.”

Keith rolls his eyes, but for the first time you see him smile. just a little bit.

after that, your interactions with Keith go a lot smoother.

you didn’t intend to stay as long as you ended up doing, and you know it’s dangerous – your father is still looking for you, after all

you know staying this long is probably a bad idea, and yet you do it anyway

you try not to think too much about the reason why, though you know why, of course.

you spend your days with him, practically – help around his family’s farm, run errands, et caetera

playful strangers grow into friends – and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about being more than that

but the longer you stay, the more restless you become.

half of you feels like you’re wasting time, like you should have been in Ba Sing Se by now; who knows what you’ve missed

the other half is screaming, fuck the war, fuck it all, you could just stay here and keep using this fake name and this fake identity and pretend everything is all right and maybe you’ll get to be happy for a while before you die

but that’s not you. that’s not who you are as a person.

why did you run from the palace? your family? to live the rest of your life out in hiding in a small Earth Kingdom town, pretending the world isn’t on fire?

you’re going to have to leave eventually. not only just to get to Ba Sing Se quicker, but also to protect Keith

he has no idea!! poor boy has No Clue you could decimate him where he stands, because let’s face it; he’s a powerful earthbender, but you’ve been training since you were four with the very best teachers, sparring against opponents that would push you to your very limits, beating you down only for you to build yourself back up stronger than ever

it’s a harsh way of learning, and you wish you didn’t. but your skills are honed and it would be nothing but ignorant to deny them

and so, when the raid happens, part of you isn’t even surprised.

Keith jolts, eyes stormy. “Fire nation soldiers.”

you curse to yourself, gritting your teeth. “damn it.”

“stay home, Y/N. don’t hide. find money – that’s what they’re here for, anyway –”

you shake your head. “no, it’s not.”

Keith blinks, just as the loudest of the soldiers shouts, “we know you’re here, Y/N! Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

these aren’t ordinary soldiers. too chaotic, too energetic. bountyhunters. just as dangerous, just as deadly.

you clench your jaw, turning back to Keith. his eyes are brewing with confusion, and you run a hand through your hair, smiling sadly. “I’m sorry, Keith. I should have known about this.” you did, a voice says. you did, and you still stayed.

“Y/N–” a fake name, the name you’ve been using on your journey; fake, fake, fake – “what are you talking about?”

“YOUR HIGHNESS! ARE YOU GOING TO LET THIS WHOLE TOWN BURN? WE WILL FIND YOU. IT WILL BE IN VAIN.” there are explosions, screaming, fire – flames, licking at the sides of buildings, crawling high into the sky…

you cast one last look at Keith. his confusion has morphed into anger. betrayal. you understand; of course you do.

it still hurts.

“I’m sorry.” you won’t even have time to grab your stuff. “keep them safe.”

he doesn’t respond, and you don’t give him time to respond as you tear across the street, letting your own fire free for the first time in weeks. a couple short, controlled bursts, aimed at the biggest and baddest hunter of them all – they don’t hurt him that much, but you hadn’t counted on that. you just needed to get their attention, which you did.

in passing, you put out fires where you can, the technique one you’ve perfected over the years, to the point where you barely need to slow down as you race past burning houses, taking the flames with you as you run

and you steal a mount, and you just keep going and keep going, knowing they’ll come after you – burning a village is fun, but you’re the big prize, after all – and you hear them, and you keep going, keep going, keep going

eventually you lose them.

you spend that night in the forest, and you cry, scold yourself for being an idiot, cry some more.

it won’t help. it won’t change anything. they all probably hate you by now, even though you tried to minimise the damage. you could have prevented it, if only you hadn’t been so selfish

well. you smile bitterly. once a spoiled royal brat, always a spoiled royal brat.

the next morning, you set off once more.

half a year later, the war is over.

you got to Ba Sing Se in time. after some trouble, managed to get an audience with the King, and after even more trouble convinced him you truly were on his side; though you think he only really started to believe you when you almost got killed carrying out an intel collection mission to protect your partner.

(no more deaths on your conscience.)

the victory doesn’t feel as exhilarating as it should, even though (you’re not going to lie) it does feel pretty good

images of your past mistakes flash before your eyes. so many more lives you could have saved, with one choice only…

“Your Highness? the parade is waiting.”

ah, yes. the parade.

“I’ll be right there.”

“the Earth King was very adamant on your presence.”

“just a moment.”

gathering your thoughts, preparing to fully become Y/N for the first time in a year. no more fighting, no more death. no more hiding.

the Earth King’s speech is moving. you let him speak on purpose, not wanting to take away from the Earth Kingdom victory. you’d expected more backlash from his announcement that he’ll be working to establish a solid relationship with the Fire Nation, which is currently under your rule (a role you assumed out of necessity, not desire for power), but the reactions seem to be fairly positive

the day floats by – or rather, you float through it. when, at the end of the day, you start making preparations to return to your own Nation, to start ruling as Firelord from its throne, a familiar voice calls your name, you freeze

“Y/N, eh?”

leaning against the wall stands Keith, looking only mildly impressed

you put on your most hautain expression. “that’s Firelord Y/N to you, boy.”

he looks at you, conflict in his eyes, and you look at him, wondering if you crossed the line –

but then he laughs, the sound like music to your ears, and something bursts in your chest as you join in.

“you seem to have made quite the impression.”

“indeed, it would seem that way.”

his arms feel like home, in the best way possible. you sit side by side, catching up – you try to explain why you did what you did in the biggest possible lines, but you don’t know whether your point is getting across.

if someone were to look out of their window right now, they would see the Firelord and some random man sitting with their backs against stone walls, shoulders pressed together, talking like equals.

you finally work up the courage to ask the question that’s been playing in your mind for months. “are you angry at me? for staying?”

he sighs. “I was. right after you left. I felt used and lied to and betrayed. but I understand why you did it.” he smiles, nudges you with his elbow. “and, well. you ended the war, didn’t you? so it was worth it, in the end.”

you lean your head back, close your eyes. “how many people got hurt because of me?”

“there were some injuries, but none fatal. and you put out a majority of the fires before they could do too much damage.” you crack open an eye in surprise, and Keith laughs. “yeah, I saw that. you’re a powerful bender, Y/N.”

“so are you.”

“you fooled me for weeks.” you wince, but he doesn’t sound angry. when you sneak a sideways look at him, he’s staring right back at you.

“I’m sorry.”

“it’s okay.”

“is it, though?” the guilt that you’d managed to suppress for a while now comes back in full force, and you rub the bridge of your nose.

“at the moment, maybe not.” he shifts, and his fingers ghost over yours – you could swear they linger. “but I think you’ve made up for it.”

your mount is getting restless, and you pat his flank. “I know this is probably the worst reunion ever, but I really should get going. I have a whole Nation to rule.”

Keith’s eyes twinkle in the way you’ve since learned to adore. “you know what? I think you should stay.”

#why do i have no self control #request #vld request #keith x reader #LIFE WOULD BE SO MUCH EASIER IF I COULD JUST WRITE SHORT THINGS

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moscnios · 4 years ago

Text

NOBODY BUT YOU ━ﾞ

⁺◟ CHARACTERS . . . kujo jotaro fem!reader kujo jolyne ‘ holly

⁺◟ GENRE . . . au fluff oneshot

⁺◟ SYNOPSIS . . . ( y/n ) is the princess of ( k/n ) and her family wishes for her to marry an honorable prince from another kingdom in order to form an alliance through marriage. but ( y/n ) has eyes for one man and one man only. her butler, jotaro, who shares a mutual love.

⁺◟ TRIGGER WARNINGS . . . mentions of blood ‘ wounds ‘ violence internalized misogyny ‘ bad parents ‘ killing ( but no one dies ) ‘ weapons

⁺◟ WORD COUNT . . . 4.4k.

⁺◟ COMMENTARY . . . probably a little ooc jotaro for this one because he’s actually pretty kind in this one lol. i hope it’s not too much though. i was told to write a oneshot, instead i felt like i wrote a plot for a short story. this now my second longest fic. there’s just something about jotaro that makes me wanna act up when i write about them. ( f/n ) ‘ father’s name ‘ ( m/n ) ‘ mother’s name ‘ ( k/n ) ‘ kingdom’s name ‘ ( h/n ) ‘ horse’s name

“Jojo, you do not have to hide, I know you’re there.”

A woman spoke up, as she sat on the edge of her bed looking out toward the wide window a few feet from her bed, closed, boarded up from the outside at the discretion of her own mother. Through the cracks, sunlight peered into the room alongside the other much smaller windows on the same stone wall.

She stretched, a sigh leaving her lips followed by a yawn. She looked over her shoulder looking her now wide-open door, there in the door frame stood a man with the height of just about two meters with his back turned to her.

The young woman giggled, “Are you shy, Jojo? Or...do you just do not like my appearance?”

“I am not shy nor do I dislike your appearance, princess. You are just underdressed and it would be appreciated if you were to cover yourself before I can attend to you,” The man answered, his voice was rough and a little mean sounding but she knew he meant no harm by it.

That name. Princess. Her title.

“Jojo, you know you don’t have to call me Princess, right? I mean, we’re friends, right? And I am the same age as you. You can just call me by my name,” She added, standing up from her glamorous bed and walking over to put on a silk robe that was gifted to her from a friend of her mother.

The man hummed, “I do know that...( y/n ) but out of respect for both you and your family, I have to refrain from referring to you so improperly and I must address you by your title.”

Princess ( y/n ), first and only daughter of ( f/n ) ( l/n ) and ( m/n ) ( l/n ) of the lovely kingdom of ( k/n ). A kingdom that prides itself on all of its resources natural and human. And it would one day be all ( y/n )’s one day in the near future.

As she was the only child her mother could bear, she cursed from the beginning of her life to take the throne when she would become an adult, as her mother did not bear a son.

It would all be hers...alongside a man, she would probably be forced to marry from another kingdom to form some type of alliance to share a throne she didn’t want in the first place.

She was a young princess, a bit curvy around the edges with the attention of many suitors from her own kingdom and those from afar. Men near and far would do just about anything to even catch a glimpse from her. Who could blame them? She was young, attractive, strong, could defend herself, independent, and very rebellious against her parents and everything her kingdom stood for.

Her rebellious behavior and independent attitude were not what ( k/n ) stood for and she knew that which made it all the better. She prided herself in not being like the princesses before herself. She didn’t want to be like her mother, she didn’t want to be like her ancestors. She wanted to be much more than that.

She wanted to be free of her duties and to live a quiet life outside of the kingdom. Away from the stress. Away from the suitors who wanted nothing more than to marry her, turn her into a powerless walking baby carriage, and strip her of her independence and strength by force, if necessary.

( y/n ) had learned from a young age to not trust the men around her, for that very same reason. Not even her own father, who wanted to marry her off years ago to ensure the kingdom would survive another 100 years and he would get grandchildren.

She had been failed by people she had trusted and was starting to lose hope that there was really anyone out there who she could trust.

And that’s when she met him. The man who stood at her door frame with his back facing her. The man who always made her heart flutter no matter what he did.

Jotaro.

A descendant of the Joestar bloodline, the direct descendant of the great and gentle soul Jonathan Joestar who fought against evil to avenge his father’s tragic death, dying himself before it was all done. Grandson of the cocky bastard whose legendary battle stories traveled across the world, Joseph Joestar.

Despite his bloodline, Jotaro had seemed to be the opposite of both his grandfather and his great-great-grandfather. He was, at first, delinquent. His name was known across the kingdom fairly quickly for a young man.

It all had started after a misunderstanding. A man had swung at him first and he simply defended himself, beating the man almost to death without even batting an eyelash. The incident quickly became known across the kingdom.

He would get into much more trouble after that but nothing that brought the king’s attention to him, that was of course before ( y/n ) had suddenly became involved.

The young princess had left the castle without her guards when she was supposed to be asleep. She had wandered into a pub on the outskirts of the kingdom in disguise, where she danced on top of a table until one of the few customers at the pub had tried to grab at her.

As the unknown man grabbed her wrist with one hand, with the other he pulled out a small dagger that was clearly homemade as the blade looked a bit uneven, but it sure was sharp as it pierced through the skin on her neck and drew blood.

The rest was a blur to her, the next thing she remembered was waking up in someone else’s bed, being looked after by a fair-headed woman with emerald eyes with a gentle smile. She learned her name, Holly.

Before she could explain, her son walked in, Jotaro. He had explained what happened and why she was here, as it slowly started to come back to her. When she returned back the castle, there she saw a huge search for not only her but a search for Jotaro as well.

Before she could find him and warn him, he was already found and arrested. There she ran, she ran home to the castle and that’s when she saw a sight that still haunts her dreams to this day.

Jotaro in a guillotine with both of her parents eagerly watching the scene before them. She let out a terrible shriek, gathering everyone’s attention before she ran through the crowd that was slowly forming to watch Jotaro’s execution. As she laid her head under the blade, crying, “DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL! LEAVE HIM BE! THIS MAN SAVED MY LIFE! YOU KILL HIM, YOU KILL ME! YOU’LL KILL THE FUTURE OF THIS KINGDOM AS WELL!”

He, along with everyone else, was surprised by her actions. The princess of ( k/n ) had laid her head down on the guillotine in order to save a commoner.

The crowd began to murmur, rumors began to spread. The execution was called off and Jotaro was set free...or at least he thought. While the crowd settled down, ( m/n ) had offered him anything he had wanted in order to keep him out of the picture, knowing he would ruin ( y/n ) precious image in the other kingdoms.

He declined her offer, saying those words that ( y/n ) would never forget, as it was the first moment she had ever felt her heart race for someone. It was like she knew she had loved him.

“I don’t want your money, your jewels...I don’t want anything you can give. What you can do is listen to your daughter, Queen ( m/n ). It doesn’t seem like you don’t do a lot of that. Take care, Princess ( y/n ).”

“I’m decent now, Jojo. You can turn around,” ( y/n ) added, leaning against one of the nightstands, folding her arms across her chest.

He looked around her room, “It is awfully late for you to be just waking up, your highness. Where are your maids?”

She sighed, “I sent them away. I didn’t want to get out of bed today. I told them I have come down with something and I do not wish to get them sick. Getting those old women to leave me alone is such a pain in my sides. They kept insisting until I had to literally push them out of the room and shut the door. I can’t catch a break around here I guess.”

“Well, you are meeting another suitor today, your highness,” He pointed out, his eyes had traveled down to his feet. Just saying those words made him sick. He hated when young woman had to meet suitors. Every prince that had walked through those doors didn’t want a companion to spend the rest of their days with, they wanted a woman they could return to whenever they wanted. He knew boys his age, they didn’t want marriage and they damn sure didn’t deserve the woman standing before him in a silk robe.

When she asked him to be her butler, he declined. He didn’t want to work for the very kingdom he didn’t want to be apart of and wanted him either dead or behind bars in a dungeon. But she didn’t give up and she had bothered him for weeks on end, begging him to be her personal butler and he would not have to answer to any of the kingdom staff and he could live on castle grounds with his mother if he pleased.

Growing tired of her begging, he finally accepted under the condition that his mother would not be treated like a maid, which ( y/n ) accepted as she had grown fond of Holly.

After spending more time with her, he realized his true feelings. The way his heart raced and how hard it was to hide even the slightest blush when she called him by his nickname, Jojo. How she trusted him even more than she trusted the castle staff who she had grown up knowing. How her soft hands would graced his own.

He had accepted that he was in love with her almost a year ago before her mother began to truly force courtship down ( y/n )’s throat in order to take the throne. She didn’t take it laying down, which was another thing he loved about her. Her rebellion toward her family and the traditional way of things.

“Oh, that’s right. Some wealthy prince where to buy his way into a marriage he doesn’t plan on putting effort into. I’ll pass,” She joked, making Jotaro give her a small smile.

“Did the cold Jotaro just...smile?”

“Shut up.”

“I’m just messing with you, Jojo. So what should we do today instead of meeting my suitor? I was thinking we make a break for it with ( h/n ) and run out of ( k/n )’s gates at full speed. They’ll never be able to catch us!”

He raised an eyebrow, “Are you crazy? You’ll get me killed. Your mother already has a bounty on my head and is ready to kill me off at any moment. We are not to leave ( k/n ), especially not together. There are already rumors still floating through the kingdom about the two of us.”

Her face fell. The rumors, she almost forgot about those. The rumors of them being in a relationship. The rumors of him corrupting her and taking her innocence. While they hurt his image, they had pretty much tainted hers.

She would pretend they wouldn’t hurt, but they did, they always did. He knew that and he offered to disappear but she never wanted him to leave her or she would truly never trust anyone.

Jotaro let out a sigh, walking over to her, putting a finger on her chin to make her look up at him. It sent chills down her spine, looking at him like this with those blue-green eyes of his. He was even more gorgeous up close.

“Do not be sad, your highness. A rose bath will make you feel nice. I’ll fix your bath. While you bathe, I will clean your room. And then after, I will escort you to the main hall where your parents are waiting for you. ”

She nodded, “Thank you, Jojo.”

“No problem.”

He did just as he told, fixing her bath, pouring hot water into her wooden bathtub, filling it with rose red and pink rose petals before heading to her room where he “cleaned” as she bathed and relaxed. She was pretty much a clean woman already, there was much to clean besides some dusty spots. His eyes kept darting to the boarded-up window.

‘They truly do wish to lock her away like she is some animal, huh?’

The door to the room opened to reveal a familiar-looking woman, who wore a scowl on her face. ( y/n )’s handmaiden, “You should not be in here alone with Princess ( y/n ). You know the rules, Kujo. Should we relay them to you once more?”

He rolled his eyes, “I do not need your rules. You shouldn’t assume the worst of your princess now, should you?”

“Who are you to threaten me?!”

“You said my name, you know who I am. Princess ( y/n ) is currently in the bath and is getting ready to―”

The handmaiden blinked, “DID YOU SEE HER INDECENT?!”

“You are awfully protective for someone who jumps to conclusions.”

“Isabel, enough!” ( y/n )’s firm voice sounded through the room. The two looked over toward the bathroom door to see the young princess wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her body tightly, covering all it needed to, “Jojo has done nothing and has been always been nice and expected my boundaries, unlike the suitors you, mother and father try to marry me off to. He did not see me indecent and nothing has happened. Please do not assume the worst of him. He is only doing the job I asked him too.”

With a regretful look on her face, she turned to him. Their eyes locked, “You may leave now, Jojo. I should get ready for my suitor.” She turned to Isabel, “You too. I wish to dress myself this evening.”

The two bowed, going toward the door. Isabel had walked out, leaving the two young adults for a moment. She gave him a little smile, “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re planning something...aren’t you?”

“You know me so well. Wear the cutest suit you can find at home. I’ll be looking forward to it.” She gave him a wink. He did as he always did, pretended not to care and just walk off...before...he stopped, “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

“No problem. It was wrong of her to accuse you like that.”

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight, Princess? And your dress really compliments you in all of the right ways.”

Silence.

“Princess? Princess ( y/n )?”

The young princess rapidly blinked, turning to the young man standing to her side dressed in an outlandish suit that was crafted to his tastes. She shook her head, “My apologies, my head seems to be somewhere else at the moment. Could you repeat what you said?”

The young prince cleared his throat, gesturing toward her dress, “I said that you look absolutely beautiful tonight. Your dress truly compliments you in all of the right ways.”

( y/n ) looked down to the blush-colored dress she wore, one she pretty much squeezed herself, the tight corset crushing her sides only added to the extreme discomfort she felt along with being with him, the newest suitor.

Prince Andrew from a neighboring kingdom known for their crops. A man on the shorter side with ginger hair and pretty bad achy across his face. He was probably the least interesting of the many suitors who had asked for her hand in marriage so it was easy for her to get lost in her thoughts. All he talked about was how gorgeous she was and how an alliance between their two kingdoms would be amazing.

He lost her after hello. Besides she was too busy thinking about the man who occupied her heart. His smile, his eyes, his charm.

( y/n ) gave the young ginger prince a small smile, patting him on the back as a friend, “Prince Andrew, you must forgive me but I want to be honest with you because I see something in you that I never saw in any of my other suitors.”

“A possible alliance and marriage?” His eyes sparkled.

“Heavens no. Don’t get me wrong, you’re a sweet, smart, and talented man and I know any woman would be happy to be your queen, but I’m not one of them. We could be really good friends, but I don’t see a future marriage between us. We can still have an alliance, just not one through marriage,” She explained.

His head fell just below his shoulders and a sad expression printed on his face. She rubbed his back gently, “Prince Andrew, please do not sad.”

“There is a man who holds to key to your heart already, isn’t there?”

She stayed silent, letting out a sigh.

“The man...who holds your heart, is he a commoner?”

“He is.”

“That is why you do not wish to meet suitors. Your heart belongs to a commoner. I see. Does...does he love you too?”

She shrugged her shoulders, “I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

“The commoner that you adore, is he Jotaro Kujo of the Joestar bloodline?”

“How did you...”

“We know all, Princess ( y/n ). When you threw yourself under a guillotine for him, talk began to spread not only through your kingdom but through all of the kingdoms. It is why your parents are ready to marry you off so fast. So you don’t end up marrying him and mixing your precious bloodline with that of the shameful Joestar bloodline. Why do you think he has yet to show up despite being your personal butler?”

“You know something I don’t know. Prince Andrew, I demand you to tell me! WHY HAS HE NOT SHOWN UP?!”

She grabbed the ginger by his collar, her hands shaking in fear of the unknown. Andrew let out a shaky sigh, “We were told Jotaro would be taken care of. He had two options. He could either let you go and leave as nothing happened or...”

“They’ll kill him. Andrew where do they plan to kill him?!”

“I’m not sure. I saw soldiers marching to the east gate.”

“That’s not far! Thank you so much, Andrew!” She released the ginger’s collar, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush a deep shade of red.

She ran in the way of the east gate, praying that she would make it in time. Her dress starting to rip and shred in the tree branches and bushes, while it began to blackened from dust and dirt. During her run, she lost both her shoes and most of the bodice of her dress which was probably stuck on a stray tree branch. Cuts and scratches covered her arms and collarbones, but none of the stings got to her. The adrenaline in her body being the reason.

In her vision, she could see it. East gate. She could see a few torches and horses. As she got closer, running now through the grass she saw two soldiers, fully armed with swords in a hand the reigns of their horse in the other.

On the ground, in front of the soldiers there, he was in a now tattered suit, Jotaro.

“No...”

“We are giving you the chance to live and leave Princess ( y/n ) so she can be happy. Don’t you want her to be happy?” One of the soldiers spoke.

Jotaro whipped the corner of his mouth, glaring at the soldier, “Of course I want her to be happy but why would she happy among you liars and corrupted people. I’m not leaving this shitty kingdom without her. If you’re going to kill me then kill me. My mother will still be around to watch over ( y/n ) for me until we meet again in the afterlife because I know that she can protect herself from here on out and she’ll never let a man walk all over her ever again whether I walk out of here alive or not. And because I never got to say it allowed to her, I want to say it now so I do not die with regrets. I have come to the terms with it. I love her. I love ( y/n ).”

His confession made her heart race, as tears formed in her eyes. He did love her back. She made herself now, stepping out of the tall grass, Jotaro seeing the tattered blush-colored dress first and then her face, “ ( y/n )! What are you doing here?! Why aren’t you at the ball?!”

The young princess walked to his side, kneeling next to him, taking his hand into hers, “I said it once and I’ll say it again no matter how many times it takes. You kill him, you kill me! I wish for the same brutal death that he gets because I love him too!”

Jotaro looked to the young princess with a shocked look. She shared his feelings.

“And if I’m not marrying him then I do not wish to marry at all! Now take your sword and finish us! Do your worst!”

“WOAH! MOM DID THAT?! SHE’S SO COOL!”

Jotaro let out a little chuckle watching his now seven-year-old daughter jump and down in glee, repeating ( y/n )’s iconic phrase that she had become known for through her ongoing reign as queen of ( k/n ).

Of course, she went on to reign as queen to become queen after marrying the love of her life. It was a long road to get to that point, it was an even longer road to get her parents to let her marry him. It took a lot convincing on both sides but by some miracle one day the former king and queen caved in and said yes, as they saw that Jotaro had made ( y/n ) the strong woman she was today.

Not long after their marriage, ( y/n ) and Jotaro had become queen and king of ( k/n ). And on the day of their coronation, ( y/n ) discovered she was indeed pregnant.

Nine months later, the sweet baby girl was born.

Jolyne.

She was Jotaro’s pride and joy. ( y/n ) had already predicted that Jotaro would love her more than anything, as she watched him hold her the day she was born for hours, barely even speaking to her. Watching his eyes spark as he looked down at his daughter, it warmed her heart.

“Princess, I don’t see why you’re so excited to hear that part. I’ve told you the story of how your mother and I began dating many times.”

The black and green haired girl sat down on her bed, and folded her arms across her chest, “It’s still really cool! She took you in and made you a king.”

“That’s not―”

“That’s exactly right, Jojo,” A sweet voice chimed from behind the father-daughter duo. The two looked toward the door with the same look on their face. It was easy to tell they were related.

“MOMMY!” Jolyne climbed out of her bed, running to her mother, hugging her tightly. ( y/n ) smiled, hugging her daughter back tightly, “How is the Princess of ( k/n )?”

“Great! Just listening to Dad tell the story about how you two started dating. I want to be like you when I grow up.”

She patted her daughter’s head, “And you will be one day when you become queen. You’ll be even better than me. But it is time for the little princess to fall asleep and go to dreamland while Daddy and Mommy retire to our own chambers.”

As if it was on cue, Jolyne let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes. She slowly let go of her mother, returning back to her bed to allowing Jotaro to tuck her in tightly.

“Tomorrow, we will go to the stables and ride horses.”

“Yay!”

“Good night, Jolyne.”

“Good night, princess.”

“Good night, Mommy and Daddy.”

Jotaro kissed the top of Jolyne’s head, standing up from her bedside, blowing out the candle next to her bed, and walking out of the room with his wife. He closed the door gently, slowly inching away from it before sweeping ( y/n ) off of her feet, the woman let out a small yelp.

“J-J-Jotaro!”

“Does this bring back memories?”

( y/n ) giggled, wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck, “Of course it does. It was actually this very hallway that you picked me up and carried me down. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the night you “tainted” me forever, as my mother says.”

“All I did was kiss you.”

“J-J-Jotaro!”

“Yes, Princess ( y/n )?”

The man chuckled lowly, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, catching her off guard. He slowly pulled away, a dark blush formed on her cheeks as she stared at him with surprised eyes. “D-D-Do you just go around kissing girls like that?”

“Only girls named ( y/n ) ( l/n ),” He answered.

“Never took you for a romantic. You were cold and quiet. You barely even spoke to me back when first began meeting,” She pointed out.

His blue-green eyes looked into her ( e/c ) ones, “But you saved me. I’ve always been the one saving others and you saved me. You were the first person to risk your own life to save mine. Just like you, I didn’t trust many. And you walked into my life and I saved you, I expected it to end there but then they tried to kill me but you almost threw your life away for me. YOU, the Princess of ( k/n ), almost threw her life away for me, a commoner. Something changed in me that day. For a while, I didn’t know if it was good or not. But now that I have in my arms like this, I know it’s a good thing, Princess ( y/n ).”

“There you go with the title again, ruining the moment. You'll never learn huh?"

"I'll call you by your name when you marry me."

"That will be pretty soon."

⁺◟ BACK TO NAVIGATION . . .

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earnestly-endlessly · 4 years ago

Note

Hey! I hope I'm not bothering you, I just found your blog and I love it sm, and I saw you sometimes do cherik fic recs. Do you have any Canon divergence aus/fix it, preferably after Cuba, that are 30k or longer and have a happy ending? If not thats okay! You don't have to answer this. Have a wonderful day!

Hi anon, thank you so much. I’m happy you both like my blog and my recs. You are certainly not bothering me, and feel free to send me an ask any time. I have plenty of recommendations for you. Some of them diverge a bit from your request because I couldn’t help but recommend them as well. I will put a note on those who diverge from your request. As always, I only recommend fics I have personally read and enjoyed and I sincerely you love them too.

-Canon divergence aus/fix it, post Cuba, 30k or longer, with a happy ending cherik fic recs-

Not Half As Blinding- keire_ke

Summary: Cuban beach AU. Charles discovers that death does, in fact, solve everything.

Lay down beside me (so still and so soft) – C-Gracewood

Summary: A different take on the events of the film.

Rumor Has It – blueink3

Summary: "Did I hear the doorbell earlier?"

"Yeah, but I'd steer clear if I were you. It seemed a little tense. I don't know what's going on, but there's a kid out there who looks freakily like the prof."

Nearly six months after Cuba, Charles' life is turned upside down for the second time. Though he's slowly learning to adapt to the first, he's not sure he can handle the second. Luckily for him, there are a few people out there more than willing to help.

Forward Momentum – AsYouWish

Summary: Six months after Cuba, Charles and Erik find themselves thrown fifty years into the future, where they meet their older selves, the Avengers, and a world that's very different from their own. Faced with the pieces of their broken relationship, an unparalleled adversary, and dealing with Tony Stark on a daily basis, Charles and Erik do their best to adapt while trying to find a way back home -- and to each other.

When an Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Optimist – ToriTC198

Summary: "You are always trying to save me, Charles." Erik mused aloud. "Ever since you dove into the ocean and dragged me out. Did it ever occur to you that I might not be worth saving?"

A genuine smile broke out on Charles' face as he brightly answered, "No, my friend, not once. I have every confidence you are well worth saving. But, I never truly believed I could save you. You are not the sort of man who someone saves. The choice to be a better man has always been yours to make and I hold no illusions that I can make that decision for you. I simply have faith that one day you will save yourself. I only hope I am still at your side to witness it."

What if Erik and Charles had been able to find a middle ground in the end?

Take the First Option – ShowMeAHero

Summary: When Erik becomes unbalanced, Emma presents him with three options: go back to Charles for three months and learn to deal with whatever he has going have going on, lose his Brotherhood, or let Emma control his mind.

He really only has one choice.

Virtue to Which We Aspire – varlovian

Summary: Nine months after Cuba, Charles is found by Erik's Brotherhood in the smoldering ruins of an abandoned CIA base, exhausted but alive. As the only known survivor of the CIA's vendetta against mutants, recovering Charles' memory of the incident—which he admits to having forgotten—just became paramount.

But the harder they push, the closer Charles gets to breaking point. When he finally cracks, the X-Men and the Brotherhood will learn the truth, but it comes with a price...

Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed.

Some minds, once broken, will never be the same again.

The Waking of the Red King – rustingroses

Summary: When Charles' heavy injuries on the Cuban beach conspire to leave him in a coma and living in fantasy of his own making, Erik, the man who once threatened to divide the mutant cause, finds himself desperately trying to hold everything together. First of the Red King trilogy.

Wake Up and Smell the Pancakes – Ayra Sei Ethari

Summary: In one universe, Erik left Charles. In another, he stayed. So what happens when the two Eriks get switched? "At first, Erik thinks he's dreaming. Then he realizes that this is Charles. Who is not paralyzed. And kissing him.

Rage and Serenity – MagickMaker, TheFangedGoblin

Summary: After Charles is shot on the beach, he is rushed to the hospital and paralysis is prevented. Ridden with guilt, Erik finds that he cannot leave him. He helps him heal, and eventually, Charles learns to trust him again. But when they set out to rescue Emma from the CIA and accept her onto their team, tensions rise. Will love keep Erik and Charles together despite their differences?

No Yesterdays on the Road – pocky_slash

Summary: It's been two months since Cuba and things are settling down for Charles, Erik, and the beginnings of their mutant school. Right up until Charles disappears, that is. Faced with the possibility that a bitter Emma Frost has kidnapped Charles, Erik is forced to team up with Moira to hunt down the remainder of the Hellfire Club. From there, they hope to locate Frost and retrieve Charles, without killing each other along the way.

(Or: Erik and Moira Drive Across the Country and Talk About Their Feelings.)

What Can We Do Without You? – SwoopSwoop

Summary: Charles and the boys were holding onto a secret more dear to them than their own lives when Charles disappears into the night; Erik is betrayed and finds himself returning to Westchester in the hopes that the government was just trying to trick him. All the while the boys are stuck in the middle, left guarding the secret from the man they are most afraid of finding out who is weaselling his way back into their lives alarmingly easily.

Note: Includes Mpreg, but don’t let that discourage you from reading it because it’s a really great fix-it.

Survival Instinct – Lindstorm

Summary: It’s been months since Charles pulled Erik out of the ocean, and Erik is beginning to wonder how many more times he can choose Charles, and still keep his vow to kill Shaw. Cooperating with the CIA is straining Erik’s patience. When a fact-gathering mission goes wrong and Charles is kidnapped, Erik is left trying to hold their mutant band together while Raven and the rest of them fall apart. No one can foresee how the mutant Charles meets in captivity will challenge all his assumptions about his own power, and twist Charles’ telepathy out of his control. In the race to stop Shaw's nuclear ambitions from coming to fruition, Charles makes a crucial misstep. Erik’s decision between Shaw and Charles takes on unexpected ramifications when [spoiler deleted].

Needles (Series) – Skull_Bearer

Summary: AU where everyone's born Dominant or Submissive

Once a Dominant and Submissive pair is born, they are linked to each other, no matter how far apart they are. This link doesn't actually tell the Dom or the Sub each other's thoughts, but it does allow them to know how the other's doing and serves as a reassurance that there's someone meant for them out there.

Another one of the reasons that Erik hates Shaw so badly is because Shaw managed to break Erik's link to his Sub. Now Erik doesn't even know if his Sub's alive because breaking a link like that can kill a Submissive.

Meanwhile, Charles hates himself for not yet having telepathy strong enough to contact and help his Dom, especially after feeling the pain his Dom was forced to go through. He truly believes that his Dominant is dead. Hopes it, some nights when he remembers how his Dom was forced to suffer. It's better than to think of his Dom still being forced to bear that pain.

And then Charles pulls Erik from the water

Time to Grow – zarah5

Summary: In which you'll find chess dates which aren't dates (or maybe Charles is wrong about that). -- Based on First Class, this turns (slightly) AU during the beach scene.

Note: This fic is less than 30k words but it’s such a fandom classic and just a great read if you love your fix-its.

Faults for Fixing – beren

Summary: Charles sees the events of the missile crisis and subsequent weeks when he uses Cerebro to touch the mind of a mutant with the power to see the near future. When he wakes up he is determined that he will not allow them to happen and he will not lose the people he loves.

Note: A bit less than 30k words long but another great read.

It’s like one of us woke up – kaydeefalls

Summary: "You came here for me," Charles said, meeting Shaw's gaze levelly. "So let's not waste any more time."

Canon!AU in which Charles and Erik do find Shaw in Russia.

Note: XMFC fix it, but the events in Cuba don’t happen.

Afterlife – Anna (arctic_grey)

Summary: A year after Washington, Erik wakes up in excruciating pain as sudden awareness washes over him: Charles is dead. Erik has to adjust to yet another future: no extinction, just a world without Charles. But the death of his former friend leaves Erik weak and his powers drained. His quest for answers leads him back to Westchester, where Erik has to face his past with Charles and put together the puzzle pieces of what happened to the man he once cared for.

The Burdens We Long to Carry – arcapelago (arcanewinter)

Summary: When mutant-supporter and ally President Kennedy is assassinated and all pro-mutant progress is dismantled, Charles is no longer so confident that he's on the right side, and extends his hand to Erik after a year of animosity. They settle tentatively into their old partnership, but not everything is the same as it was--and not everything can be. When Hank develops a metal frame to move the lower half of Charles' body for him if he wants it, Erik offers the use of his mind and his ability in order to make it work. Both find out what they're willing to do for each other, and neither knows if it'll be enough to keep them together.

Other Futures Than These – midrashic

Summary: In which Cuba doesn't break them apart, but that doesn't mean that their futures are tied together. (Except that it does.)

A Days of Future Past AU where only one person can defeat the Sentinels and save the future: the man whose imprisonment and torture created them, and Charles Xavier's ex.

The Winter of Banked Fires – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles Xavier has returned from the dead -- but is lost within his own mind. Rogue has cast aside her own power and doesn't know where she fits in the world any longer. The production of synthetic Cure means mutantkind itself is newly at risk. And Magneto, turned human against his will, is in despair until the day he feels a familiar consciousness tugging at his own --

Set after X-3 (with much desperate fix-it applied), during XMFC, and every time in between.

#cherik #cherik fic recs #asks #earnestly answers #for some reason Tumblr refuses to post my entire answer #feel free to ask me whenever you want anon #I really love making these lists

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heyyyharry · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 5: Wolves

(from ‘The Conman and the Maid’ Series)

…in which Harry thinks dealing with hungry wolves might be easier than dealing with an angry girl.

Word count: 10.7k 🔥

Warning: SMUT (but y’all already know), lots of fluff (if that’s what you’re afraid of) and angst (?).

AU: princess!y/n, conman!harry, prisoner!harry.

Series description: Y/N is a princess and Harry is a prisoner in her castle. With his help, she escapes from her arranged marriage in search of a happy ending, if there is one.

Wattpad link (original character: Reyna as Y/N)

A/N: Let me know what you think about this chapter and what you expect for the next one! For those who asked me how many chapters there would be in total, I honestly don’t know lmao. I just plan the story as I write and it has changed a lot from the first outline. But I will see your reactions and comments and decide if there should be a second book✌️ Enjoy!

Y/N used to fear the woods. She had heard many creepy tales about it as a child and there was nothing worse than a little girl’s imagination. As she grew up, however, she learned that there were worse fears than imaginary monsters. Real monsters were the ones you saw every day in human forms, and so she always felt safer when she was alone.

It was different with Harry. She had enjoyed his company more than any other, and the trip had been pleasant until he ruined it with a stupid kiss. Her mother had always talked about how magical the first kiss would be if it was given to the right person. “No matter how clumsy, simple, or crazy it is, nothing else would ever compare. And even if you’ve never been kissed before, you’d just know you would never experience something like this again with anyone else.”

Y/N kept replaying those words inside her head when she ran from the house. She could not believe she had lost her first kiss to someone who didn’t even want it. And the worst part was, she had felt exactly how her mother had described.

No, don’t be stupid, she told herself, you barely know this man. He’s still hung up on someone else, possibly the true love of his life. So don’t even think about it.

The howling of the wolves in the distance pulled Y/N out of her thoughts. She slowed her horse, feeling the darkness drawing closer and gradually engulfing the two of them. She and Thunder had gone pretty far from the village and she had no idea where they were now. The silvery moon was obscured by the full branches above and she had to squint in order to see the path they were on.

“I think we’ve gone far enough, boy,” Y/N told Thunder as they stopped to navigate. “If we die today, it’s Harry Styles’ fault.”

Thunder pawed the ground as if to agree and Y/N pulled the reins, turning the gelding around. She’d only run into the woods to be alone and maybe give Harry a good scare. She hoped he felt guilty about what he’d done. Being hurt by someone he loved was not an excuse to hurt someone else who cared about him.

She kicked her horse and followed the same path back to the village, head filled with many different scenarios for when she saw Harry again, what she would say or do to him. Maybe she shouldn’t say or do anything at all. Maybe a silent treatment was exactly what he deserved.

Satisfied with the thought, she raced faster. She could finally see the lights in Stefan’s house, thinking she would get there in no time. But all of a sudden, Thunder reared and neighed loudly. The princess was thrown right off his back. Her body hit the snow. She groaned in pain and struggled to sit up, but the first thing she saw was a big white wolf jumping right at her. She screamed. The beast howled and collapsed right on top of the princess as an arrow went straight into its head.

“Peach!”

“Harry!”

Stefan arrived on Lighting with Harry and shot down another one so Harry could get off and help Y/N. She pushed the animal’s body off her just in time another wolf jumped in. Thunder killed it with a hard kick in the throat, rearing and neighing aggressively to scare off the rest of the pack and protect his rider.

Y/N’s head was still spinning. Somehow she managed to draw out her sword and take down another wolf before Harry grabbed her by the arm and helped her get on Lightning’s back.

“What are you doing?!” she screamed when he let go. Stefan held her tightly as she attempted to jump off while Harry told them to go without him.

“Wait, stop! Stop! We cannot leave Harry!”

Her screaming was pointless. Neither of the men cared about what she said as Stefan kicked Lightning and rode off like the wind.

“Harry will be fine! Lightning is injured, we cannot risk it!”

He sounded so sure that she wanted to believe him. She had to believe him. She looked back over her shoulder, eyes filled with tears and kept telling herself, Harry will be fine. Harry will be fine. Harry will be fine…

Harry watched them go and quickly mounted the black horse. Thunder took a giant leap to free them from the wolves, but one was fast enough to catch up with them. It bounced at Harry. His blade went straight for its head, right as its sharp claws dug into his arm. Its body fell onto the snow, and Thunder kept prancing across the open field, back to the village.

Harry’s arm was covered in blood when he got back to the house, and he immediately went to the stable to rinse his fresh wound. The pain made him want to cry, but it was better to clean it than have it infected. Before going in, he tore a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his arm. He didn’t want to let Y/N know he was hurt.

To his disappointment, she didn’t seem very concerned when he entered. She and Stefan were sitting by the fireplace. The room was too peaceful compared to the chaotic scene earlier.

Harry took a long moment to watch them from the door. The physical pain was nothing now that he’d seen Y/N shaking in Stefan’s arms. He knew she might not want to hear his apology; still, he owed her one. He just didn’t know where to begin.

“Were you hurt?” Stefan looked up at him.

“No,” he lied and quickly hid his wounded arm behind his back.

Stefan only gave a nod before turning back to Y/N. “You’re okay now,” he whispered. “I got you.”

She let go of a shaky breath, holding Harry’s gaze for no more than a second before looking away. “Can you get the cloak in my satchel for me? I’m cold.”

Harry assumed she was talking to him, so he walked over to the table and took her leather satchel. As he pulled out the cloak, something else fell out, causing them to freeze altogether. Y/N and Harry blanched as Stefan widened his eyes at the shiny object now lying on the floor.

“Is that...a crown?” He swallowed, gawking at his friend and then Y/N, but neither could give him a response. He let go of the girl and bent down to pick it up. After taking one long look at it to make sure it was real, he shot Harry a glare. “What have you done?”

“That was--”

“Mine,” Harry interrupted Y/N and ignored the look on her face as he told Stefan, “I stole it from Willem’s castle.”

“What?!” Stefan’s mouth fell open. “You fucking stole a king’s crown?!”

“It belongs to the princess, actually,” Y/N mumbled, eyes on Harry, who was studying Stefan’s expression to decide if he should go on.

“I stole from them and they had me locked up,” he said. “I was going to be executed but Peach helped me escape and in return, I promised to take her back to Theros.”

“Does it mean Willem’s men are after you two?!”

Harry replied with a nod. That was clearly not the answer Stefan was hoping for.

“We’re so sorry we didn’t tell you sooner,” Y/N said as the colours drained out of Stefan’s face. “But we’ll leave tomorrow. We won’t trouble you anymore.”

“You can’t. Lightning needs at least two more days to heal,” Stefan said, looking at Y/N and then Harry. “Don’t worry. I won’t abandon you two.”

“Thank you, brother. I owe you this once.” Harry smiled. He put the crown back into the satchel and handed Y/N her cloak, but it seemed like she didn’t need it anymore.

She wrapped both arms around Stefan’s neck, mumbling “thank you” as he chuckled and hugged her back tightly. Harry stood there awkwardly. He felt like he was interrupting their moment, so he left the cloak on a chair and quietly left. He didn’t think they noticed that he was gone, and he tried not to be upset, but he was. He was bitter, too.

He went back to the stable to check on Thunder and Lightning. He didn’t really have to though. They were doing much better than him, and at least they had each other. He was alone. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about what could’ve been if he hadn’t kissed her. He could’ve lost her tonight. He felt so fucking stupid.

After a moment of self-reflection, Harry returned to the house and stayed outside until the cold became unbearable and he had to come back in, only to find Y/N and Stefan cuddling on the mattress on the floor. They were fast asleep. Watching them triggered something in him, though he wasn’t sure what it was, it wasn’t something he was supposed to feel. So he tried to shut it down by pretending he was fine and decided to go to sleep.

He came to lie down on his side next to Y/N. He lay still while staring at her face, mostly her lips, where his lips had been, and then recalled the feelings he’d been dying to shake off.

By the time his eyelids grew heavy, he had memorised every feature on her lovely face. The rhythm of her breathing eased his mind, slowly and easily sending him to sleep.

Harry was so exhausted he slept until noon. When he woke up, Y/N and Stefan were gone. Stefan had left him some food on the table but he didn’t bother to touch it. He wasn’t hungry. He was worried.

He wasn’t a team player, but suddenly he hated how they had excluded him from whatever they were doing at the moment. Neither had bothered to wake him up so he could join them, even though he had literally saved their arses last night in the woods.

Not knowing what else to do or where else to go, he sat at the door and waited for them like a sad puppy. A few hours later, Stefan returned with a cart full of wood.

“Sleep well?” he asked, but Harry didn’t bother to answer.

“Where’s Peach?”

“I don’t know.” Stefan gave a shrug. “She was here when I left the house.”

“What?!” Harry was about to run when Stefan held him back by the arm.

“Don’t worry. She left her stuff here so she probably went for a walk or something.”

Harry gave a nod as his brows furrowed but he actually felt relieved.

“I’ll be staying with my cousin tonight,” Stefan said as Harry helped him unload the cart. “She’s pregnant and she needs someone to look after her and the baby while her husband is away.”

“Oh, it’s all right. Peach and I will be fine on our own,” Harry said.

“My cousin owned an alehouse,” Stefan added. “Rain said she had never been to one so I’m going to take her there. You could come with us if you want.”

Harry stopped as soon as he heard. ‘You could come with us if you want’? Since when did they become an ‘us’ and he became someone who just ‘came along’?

Inside, he was fuming, but he covered it up with a smile and said, “I’d love to come,” and didn’t forget to add, “just so you know, Peach cannot drink.”

“We’ll make sure she won’t.” Stefan smiled, completely ignorant of Harry’s attitude. “Watch the cart for me.”

“Okay,” Harry said as he ran his hands over his face.

As Stefan carried some wood inside, Harry took the chance to pull up his sleeve to check the wound. It didn’t look any better, especially in the daylight. The blood had dried but it was redder and aching more than last night. He didn’t know how long it would take for such a wound to heal, but he might not be able to hide it until then.

“How’s your wound?”

“Fuck, Stefan! You scared me!” Harry gasped as he tucked down his sleeve but it was no use as Stefan had already seen it.

Stefan arched an eyebrow at nodded his head toward Harry’s arm. “It looks bad. I’ll get you some herbs to put on it and it’ll heal faster.”

“Thank you.”

“I think if Peach knew—”

“It’s Rain for you.” Harry picked up his sword and strapped it to his waist, glaring at the poor fellow who had to correct himself.

“Sorry. Rain.” He smiled. “If Rain knew you got wounded, she wouldn’t be mad at you anymore.”

“No.” Harry shook his head as he put up a finger. “If you tell her, I would literally kick your arse.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want her to think I’m this...this weak bastard who cannot protect her,” Harry blurted as his eyes fell to the floor and his cheeks turned pink. It wasn’t like him to admit something like this aloud, but Stefan only chuckled.

“From what I saw last night, she doesn’t need anyone’s protection.”

“That’s what she wants you to think,” Harry said and turned to head for the stable.

Stefan quickly followed. “What were you two fighting about anyway? It seemed serious.”

“It’s none of your business.” Harry rolled his eyes.

Stefan didn’t give up. He rushed forward to stand in front of Harry and both men stopped before reaching the stable doors.

“I’m going to court her.”

“What?” Harry scoffed. “No, you’re not.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

“Neither was I.”

Confused and a little bit offended, Stefan followed Harry as he kept on walking. He didn’t wait for Stefan to ask and just continued, “I don’t think Peach is interested in romantic bullshit at the moment, brother. She’s going to Theros with me to reunite with her uncle. That’s where her heart’s at.”

“I can give her a good life here,” Stefan insisted. “It’s not safe for her in Theros nor Isolde. I’ll take good care of her.”

“You barely know her.”

“And you do?”

“Better than you ever will.” Harry exhaled sharply as he walked into the stable, towards Lightning’s stall.

The horse neighed happily when she saw him. Risking their lives for the same girl had really helped them bond, even though they didn’t receive the same treatment for it. Harry supposed Y/N had come to check on Lightning earlier that morning, but she didn’t even want to look him in the eye or bother to ask him if he’d been hurt too. Though he believed he deserved that, he was heavy-hearted still.

“She’ll have a family, Harry,” Stefan spoke after Harry had stopped giving him attention.

Without looking at him, Harry lowered his voice, “she has a family in Theros. She’ll be happy there.”

“What if her uncle is dead? Have you thought of that?”

The question froze Harry to the spot. He stopped petting Lightning and looked over his shoulder to meet Stefan’s worrying eyes.

“She hasn’t met him in so many years. He could’ve died in the war like my whole family, Harry. She’d be risking her life for nothing.”

Harry’s eyes fell to the ground. He was quiet for a moment and then squeezed his eyes shut.

“I said no,” he said. “A marriage doesn’t always bring a woman comfort and happiness. Peach grew up in Willem’s court so she knows that better than anyone.”

“Just because it didn’t work out between you and Kenny it doesn’t mean it’d be the same for everyone else.”

Stefan’s face went pallid as soon as he realised what he’d just said. He expected Harry to draw out his sword and stab him right in the guts. But surprisingly, Harry didn’t say a word. He already knew him being against Stefan courting Y/N had nothing to do with Kenny. And maybe it had never been about Kenny...

“Hey.”

The soft voice pulled their attention back to the entrance. Y/N stood there with her eyes wide, but she didn’t look at Harry for more than a second before turning back to their friend. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

“Where were you, Peach?” Harry asked, but she completely ignored him.

“Is it far from here?” she asked Stefan, who awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he saw the irritation on Harry’s face.

“No, we can go on foot,” he said and repeated the same question, “where were you?”

“I went to the market.” She smiled. “Everyone was so nice to me even though they don’t know me. I wish I could stay here forever.”

When Y/N walked out, Stefan hurriedly followed. He was grinning from ear to ear but Harry couldn’t even move his lips. What did she mean by that? Would she even consider staying here with Stefan if he asked? After all, family and love were two things she’d been searching for, and she could have both if she stayed.

He exchanged looks with Lightning who seemed to understand the situation he was in. She snorted and shook her head, making him chuckle.

“This is not about me. This is about Peach reuniting with her uncle,” he told the horse and rolled his eyes when she turned away. Maybe even she could tell he was just lying to himself.

“Are these people friends? What are they laughing about?”

“They’re drunk, genius,” Harry scoffed, making Y/N glare at him.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you’d never gone to a place like this.” Stefan chuckled as he took them to an empty table in the corner.

Harry rolled his eyes, pushing his way through the crowded room as he followed Stefan and got annoyed by almost everything he saw. He had always loved this kind of atmosphere, but he wasn’t in the mood to have fun tonight, not when Y/N wasn’t talking to him, and Stefan could pop the ‘big question’ any minute.

Why did he even care though? It would save him so much trouble if she agreed to stay here? He would make it home faster on his own, and once he’d crossed the South’s border, he’d be safe. Willem had no authority in Theros and, therefore, had no right to arrest him. That would be the perfect picture, and yet, one big puzzle piece was still missing.

He looked at the girl -- the burden he’d been wanting to get rid of since they met outside his cell. Now given a chance, why did he hesitate? If he’d been so sure it was simply lust that drove him to kiss her, then how should he explain this -- the way his heart started racing and him forgetting to breathe whenever their eyes met?

He had felt something similar with Kenny, but definitely not the same, never as intense. And suddenly he feared that he might never get to feel it again if they ever parted.

“I’m getting an ale.” He quickly got up. “You two want some?”

“I’ll have one, please,” Stefan happily said.

“Is it good?” Y/N asked Stefan, her eyes went round, making him laugh.

“It is. Do you want to try? Bet you’d love it.”

“Oh, then I’ll have one as well!”

Harry scrunched up his nose as he looked at her. “Peach, you cannot drink.”

“You know what?” She smiled at Stefan and stood up instantly. “I’ll get it myself.”

As Y/N made her way towards the bar, Harry and Stefan exchanged looks with each other. Stefan was rather confused whereas Harry was frustrated. He combed his fingers through his hair and flopped back down onto his chair.

“You should go after her,” he told Stefan, not even looking at him. “You want to court her, right? The least you could do is keep an eye on her.”

“Right!” Stefan plastered a smile on his face and patted Harry on the back. “Thanks, brother. I’ll be right back.”

Harry was finally left alone at the table to regret the things he’d just said. He should’ve come with her, and now Stefan was going to have a chance to shoot his shot.

“Fuck, I don’t care,” he murmured and crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting like a little boy.

“Hey, handsome.” As a shadow towered over him, he looked up and wasn’t too surprised to see a familiar face.

“Hey,” he said in an indifferent tone, thinking the girl would take it as a sign to leave him alone. But she didn’t. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, resting her chin on her knuckles as she studied his hardened expression.

“Where’s Stefan?” she asked.

“Don’t know,” he answered, sounding rather bored, but she wasn’t offended.

“When did you get back?”

He stayed quiet this time. Honestly, he didn’t even remember her name. He had only met her once when he was here the last time. Stefan had said she was the most attractive girl in the village and he must admit it was true. Still, he’d turned her down for he’d been loyal to Kenny back then. Now? He didn’t really know...

“I’m so sorry about your girl.”

This time, she’d got his full attention. He turned to see her arrogant smirk and released a slight laugh. “Did Stefan tell you?”

“He couldn’t help it,” she said in a seductive tone while circling the back of his hand with her finger. “I have my ways with men.”

“Not all men.”

“Wanna bet?”

He could. After all, he was single now. He could take her to the back, bend her over and fucked her good. He hadn’t been with anyone in so long, so a night with this girl didn’t sound like a bad idea. But after thinking for a second or two, he said, “how about we talk for a bit?”

“Talking isn’t my thing,” she said, “but whatever pleases you, love. We’ve got all night.”

She kissed him on the cheek, got up and told him she’d be back with some ales. This is good, he thought, I’m going to have a great night, and nothing can stop me from having fun. But then his eyes travelled across the room to where Stefan and Y/N were, and suddenly it didn’t feel as good anymore.

The girl returned with drinks for both of them. They talked about random things and he had to beat around the bush whenever she came close to asking him questions about Kenny or his family. He had never been comfortable talking about them to someone he barely knew. Y/N had been an exception. He didn’t understand why, but it was always different with her.

“Who was the girl that came here with you?”

“A friend,” he said, wanting to turn around to check on Y/N and Stefan, but the voice inside his head told him not to.

“She’s really pretty,” said the girl, who was slightly tipsy now. “Is Stefan courting her?”

“No. Does it look like it to you?”

“Well, yeah? Why are you so offended?” She laughed and poked his dimple with her finger. “Are you jealous, handsome?”

“Not.”

“You soooo are.”

“Whatever.” He snorted, rolling his eyes. “I’m not having a debate with a drunk lady.”

“I’m not drunk. She is drunk.”

“Huh?”

The girl gave a shrug and Harry snapped his head to where her finger was pointing at. Stefan and Y/N were laughing loudly with a bunch of middle-aged men. Her face was bright red and Harry had seen her blush too often to mistake her being drunk for her usual shyness.

“I fucking told him not to let her drink!” He slammed his hand on the table, making the girl flinch. He was sure she commented something on his reaction, but he didn’t hear it as his jaw dropped and his eyes popped out.

Y/N was listening to Stefan’s story when one of the men took advantage of her distraction and groped her breast. She instantly snatched his wrist, bending his arm backwards until he started shouting in pain.

“I’ll finish your ale then!” said the girl as Harry got up, but he couldn’t care to reply. He swiftly made his way to Y/N before something worse happened like he knew it would.

“Touch me again and I’d break your arm!”

“This little bitch!”

Y/N caught the man’s other wrist before he could slap her, and before anyone could react, she thrust her knee right into his crotch and he collapsed onto the floor, grunting while holding his balls. Another fat guy stepped up but Harry was fast enough to take his hunting knife and put it to his throat.

“You lay a finger on the lady and I’ll slaughter you and your friends like pigs, ya hear me?” he murmured into the man’s ear, pressing the blade harder until he begged him to stop.

“Ay!” shouted the big lady behind the counter, “no fighting in my house! Take it outside!”

“I’m sorry, Harry—”

“It’s okay, Stefan.” Harry sighed as he shoved the man out of the way. He was angry at Stefan for being careless but he knew it wasn’t entirely his fault.

“You stay here with your cousin,” he told Stefan. “I’ll take Peach back to your house.”

“What are you doing?” the princess cried out when Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. “No! I’m having fun! Stop making me go! I don’t want—”

She let out a high-pitched scream when he picked her up and tossed her on his shoulder.

“Let. Me. Go!” She hit him with each word but he was unfazed.

“There’s nothing to see here, folks! Enjoy your ale!” he told everyone, carrying her on his shoulder and heading for the entrance.

Once they had left, the big lady, who was Stefan’s cousin, turned to him and said, “give them another month into marriage and they’ll eat each other alive.”

“What is wrong with you?!”

Y/N shoved Harry away as soon as he put her down on the bed. He sat down on the edge of it, eyebrows knitted together as he looked at her.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked. “You knew you couldn’t drink and still—”

“I was fine!”

“You caused a scene! We’re supposed to lay low!”

“A man touched me without my consent and it was my fault?!”

“No, it’s not,” he breathed, reaching out to touch her knee, but she turned her back to him. “Peach…”

“Leave me alone.”

“You know I didn’t mean that. That man clearly deserved it,” he said and placed his hand on the mattress right beside her. “I just...I just didn’t want you to get hurt. If anyone knew why we’re here—”

“I know, okay?” She slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder, holding his gaze. He didn’t know what he should expect her to say, but he was surprised when she told him, “I just wanted to feel like a normal person for once.”

And that was when it hit him. He was wrong. She hadn’t done those things to pay him back for stealing her first kiss. She just wanted to feel ‘normal’.

He wouldn’t understand what it was like to spend his childhood within high walls, but he knew it wasn’t pleasant. She had never got to do the things he and Stefan and the people in that alehouse had been doing their whole life. And now he felt like shit for thinking everything was about him.

He wanted to tell her there was no such thing called ‘normal’ in this world, and there was nothing wrong with her, but he stayed silent and gave a nod before moving his hand back to his knee.

“Can you get Stefan for me?” she asked.

He didn’t know why that question made him sad, but he managed to keep a straight face. “Stefan’s not coming home tonight. He’s staying with his cousin.”

“Oh…”

“I can stay here with you.”

“I don’t want you here,” she blurted, her forehead creased. “In fact, I don’t think I want to go back to Theros with you.”

“Peach—”

“I’ve thought about it. Either I stay here or I go alone. We can’t be around each other anymore.”

“You’re saying this because you’re drunk.”

“No, I’m saying this because you fucking used me!”

Harry’s mouth clamped shut as his eyes shifted to his lap. He already could have guessed that was how she’d been feeling since last night, but to hear her say it aloud really made him feel worse.

“You kissed me because you needed to get over another girl,” Y/N said, her voice was taut. “You stole my first kiss and called it a mistake, so you’re just as bad as the other men. Maybe Stefan is the same too. I don’t know him that well and I’m too afraid to find out.”

“Are you falling for him?” The question escaped Harry’s lips before he could hold it back. He looked up and saw her eyes widened at him.

“Why does it matter?” she asked. “So what if I am?”

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t fall for him...please.”

Harry pressed his lips together, taking a moment to rearrange his thoughts but they were all over the place, and if he opened his mouth, he might say something stupid again.

“Why? What’s wrong with Stefan?” This time, her voice was low and unhurried. She was cautious, which made him mad, for she should never be cautious around him.

“No, he’s a nice guy. There’s nothing wrong with him,” he finally uttered as his eyes fell to the floor.

Y/N shifted and tilted her head to look at his face. “Then why?”

“Because…” Harry breathed. He had no idea what was in the ale, but he couldn’t seem to stop blurting out everything that was on his mind. “Because I don’t want you to.”

As she stared at him with the biggest frown on her face, he guessed it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“You don’t want me, and you don’t want me to want someone else,” she said, her forehead puckered. “Why are you so selfish?”

“You’re drunk. We’ll talk when you’re sober.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m not! Don’t believe me?”

Quickly, she got off the bed and picked up their swords from the table. He watched in confusion as she placed them on the floor to make a straight line and stood up, spread her arms and started walking on them.

“Can a drunk person do this?” she asked, walking back and forth about four times without losing her balance. “Watch. Can a drunk person do this?”

Harry let out a suppressed chuckled which stopped her in her tracks.

“Oh, you think this is funny?”

“Peach.”

“Stop it.” She shrugged her arm away as he attempted to grab her elbow. “I don’t like that name. You’re not allowed to call me that anymore.”

“All right. Would you prefer sweet Peach or grouchy Peach, because you could be both?”

She opened her mouth but was unable to utter a word as he closed the distance between them and cupped her face.

“If you don’t want to, don’t do it,” she warned him as he leaned in. He hesitated as if to think before running his thumb across her bottom lip.

“I want to,” he said. “Do you...do you want me to?”

She was blushing harder than before, not knowing what the right answer should be, but eventually, she gave in to temptation. She granted him permission with a nod, and he wasted no time to press his mouth against hers.

Their second kiss started off slow and became more eager as he ran his hands up her back and she had her fingers tightened in his hair. They moved backwards until he plopped back down on the edge of the bed. He held her hips as she straddled his waist, hands at the nape of his neck. Her body tensed when he put his tongue into her mouth, and he had to pull back and ask, “was that all right?”

She nodded, licking her lip. “Sorry...I’ve never—”

“It’s okay. You’re doing great.” He beamed and kissed her again.

It took a lot of courage for him to bring his hand between them and touch her breast. After what had happened tonight, he wasn’t sure if it was okay, but when she reacted with a moan, he went ahead and squeezed it gently, brushing his thumb over her nipple as it went hard under her poet shirt.

He was already sweating, as if there was a fire starting from the pit of his stomach and spreading across his entire body. He could blame it on all those months he’d been alone, but he was well aware that this was something he’d never felt before. When he touched Kenny like this for the first time, it had been sweet and tender, but this felt like all the best emotions converged at once and exploded like fireworks inside his chest.

“Harry…” Y/N tossed her head back as he started kissing her neck. Their skin was hot and slick. The fire painted the whole room red and orange, but he could see her whole face and her chest flush as if she’d spent a whole day in the sun.

When he moaned into her throat and bucked his hips, he didn’t even realise he was doing it. She had to place a hand on his chest to stop him.

“What’s wrong?” He freaked out, his eyelids fluttered as he brushed her hair out of her face. “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, her chest rising and falling against his as she sucked in a breath and pointed between them. It was only then that he noticed the bulge in his pants firmly pressing up against her centre.

“Fuck…” he cursed, resting his forehead on her chest. He could feel her body stiffen and knew this had freaked her out quite a bit. He was well aware that he was massive, and she had never experienced this with a man before.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

He cleared his throat, trying not to laugh so she wouldn’t feel bad for her innocence.

“A little, but it’s a good thing.” She still seemed confused, so he elaborated, “it only gets like this because...because I...um...because I want...”

Normally he wasn’t afraid to talk dirty to a girl who was literally sitting on his dick, but this one had never kissed anyone beside him, and he didn’t want to scare her by being too straightforward.

“Because you want me?”

The way she said those words while batting her long lashes made his cock bloat and twitch in his pants. Fuck, he wanted her. He wanted her so bad. He already imagined tearing off her clothes and fucking into her, but he knew he couldn’t have her that way. She was a virgin and they couldn’t go further than this.

“I’m sorry, love,” he said, taking her hips and shifting her away from his cock. Both of them were still blushing and catching their breath. “We can stop. It’s okay.”

“What if I don’t want to stop?” She bit her bottom lip, staring attentively at his mouth. “What if...what if I want you, too?”

Harry was tongue-tied. He felt like he couldn’t move a single muscle in his body so he honestly didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t expect her to be so bold, and he assumed it was the ale that had turned her into this.

What the fuck did they put into that thing?!

“What are you doing?” He caught her hands as she reached for his belt.

“I want to make you feel good,” she said quietly. He was still in shock to hear her say that, but she didn’t wait for him to speak and went on, “I’ve never done this before but--but they taught me how so I want to try.”

“Who taught you?”

Seeing the surprised look on his face, she gave a lopsided grin and nibbled on her bottom lip. “The ladies in the castle.”

“Fuck, they teach women this stuff?” He held her arms as they both dissolved into laughter.

She arched her neck for him to mouth at her throat. Her fingers were in his hair, her eyes were closed but she kept on talking, “they said every lady must know how to please her man, but I’ve never taken those lessons seriously so I might be awful at it.”

‘Her man.’ The words made him shudder, in a good way, and he didn’t know how to feel about that.

“But what were you learning that stuff for?” he asked, disgusted by the first thought that popped up in his head, “don’t tell me you have to please that bastard Egon--”

“Eww, God, no!” She snorted, shaking her head fast. “For when I’m married. If my husband is happy, then I’m happy, right?”

“You don’t have to be married to be happy,” he said.

“It depends on who you’re marrying.” She smiled.

Harry said nothing else as he caressed her cheeks. He thought about what Stefan had said earlier in the stable and felt a lump in his throat as he imagined attending their wedding one day. It was unlikely that she would say yes, but he didn’t know for sure.

“What is it?” Her voice brought him back to reality.

“Nothing,” he said, bringing their foreheads together and meeting her lips. He kissed her harder with more passion as if he feared he could never do it again, and only stopped when she reached for his belt again.

She was disappointed when he pulled her hands away and brought them to his lips. He looked up and gave her a grin. “You have no idea how much I want you. But I can’t make you do this.”

“Can we still kiss though?” she asked shyly. “I like kissing you. It feels good.”

“I like kissing you, too.” He nudged her jaw with his nose and put his lips against her throat. “Does this feel good?”

“Hmm.” She urgently nodded. “Harry…I’m so wet.”

“Fuck.” He buried his face into her neck, one hand squeezing her arse, the other resting below her ear. “Say it again.”

“I’m so wet, Harry, please...”

“Why are you wet?”

“You know why,” she whimpered, holding his shoulders tighter.

Harry flipped them over to get on top while she was lying on her back. Before she could speak, he asked, “do you trust me?”

She answered with a nod and he pushed his lips to hers again. She put both hands on her chest as he removed her skirt and tugged down her underwear. “Tell me if it’s too much.”

When she nodded again, he kept his eyes steady on hers and lowered his lips to kiss the skin under her belly button. Her first instinct was to grab his hair as her stomach tightened and she chewed on the corner of her lip. He held one of her hands and waited until she finally loosened her grip on his hair to move further down, draping her knee over his shoulder.

He put one palm flat against her stomach and dragged it down, allowing his middle finger to graze across her slit slightly. She gasped, her eyes rolled back in pleasure. Harry watched her expression tighten as he slipped his middle finger into her and she gripped his hand, her other hand still in his hair. His fingers curled so he could push in deeper.

“How did you get this wet?” he breathed.

Y/N was panting, her lips sucked into her mouth and he smirked before sliding his tongue slowly against her, never breaking eye contact as he tasted her for the first time. She smelled so sweet, like everything he’d fantasized about and even more, and now that he’d had a taste, he didn’t know he could ever stop.

She fisted his hair tighter and breathed through an open mouth as he closed his lips around her clit and sucked before slipping in a second finger. He closed his eyes, letting himself get lost in his actions. He fucked her with his fingers while working his tongue enthusiastically, slurping up her wetness. She tilted her head and arched her back, calling out his name.

His mouth froze as she flexed around his fingers. He cursed against her clit, his warm breath tickling her wet core and nearly sending her over the edge. He knew she was close when she started squirming and bucking her hips against his face.

“Harry!”

Her thighs clamped around his head as she cried out, lifting her back off the mattress. She held fistfuls of his long locks while he rode it out with her, emptying her before pushing himself up between her legs and crashing his lips against hers. When she moaned against his tongue, he knew she could taste herself on his lips, and the thought had him going crazy.

“How are you feeling?” he asked with a tender smile.

“I’m so embarrassed.” She laughed and covered her face, but he quickly removed her hand so he could kiss the tip of her nose.

“Why are you embarrassed, love?”

“I was loud.”

The way her nose crinkled made his heart flutter.

“Well, I loved how loud you were.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he said, brushing his lips against hers until she started smiling again.

They lay face to face for a long moment, until the comfortable silence became overwhelmed and Y/N was the first to speak.

“Why did you come to Isolde?”

If another person had asked that question, Harry would’ve refused to answer, but since it was her, he spent a second thinking.

“My family was poor, very poor. My mother was sick, and we didn’t have enough money to get her a good doctor. I tried working as a blacksmith like my father, but it didn’t really help us, so I had to find a faster but riskier way to get money. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I’m good at it. I flirted with the ladies and stole their jewellery, fed the men’s egos for their shiny coins. I ended up getting a bad reputation back home so I had to leave Theros and go somewhere nobody knew who I was, where I could do what I do best. I wanted to return as a rich man and help my family.”

“That’s very sweet.” Y/N’s face lit up with a smile as she brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Don’t worry. With all the gold I’ve stolen, you’ll be the richest in your village when you get back.”

“Wow, look at us. Two sexy thieves,” he joked and they laughed together.

He really wanted to tell her he didn’t want her gold. She could keep everything she’d stolen once they’d arrived in Theros. He just wanted to take her home so she could reunite with her uncle, and maybe keep her around, if she let him.

He wasn’t sure about it. It was too soon to say anything, but all he knew was that he was happy at the moment, and he didn’t want it to be over just yet.

“What?” She lifted one eyebrow when his eyes bored into her.

“No, I’m just--” He snorted. “I’m just thinking of your face when you—”

“Stop it!” She cackled and swatted his arm, making him hiss and wince in pain.

“Are you okay?!” She hurriedly sat up as he did.

“It’s fine.”

“Let me see.”

“No,” Harry protested, but she’d already taken his hand and pulled up his sleeve. Her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw his swollen wound. And Harry knew there was nothing he could say now that would convince her he hadn’t got it from last night.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“It’s nothing.”

“How could you say that?! Look at it!”

“I am. It’s fine.” He chuckled but his eyes stayed on her. He thought her reaction was funny and adorable at the same time, but he wasn’t going to say it as she might hit him again.

“What were you thinking?” Y/N grumbled. Harry said nothing as he pressed his mouth gently to her frown, trying to distract her but it didn’t work. “I was so fucking scared last night! You could have died! I knew at least you’d get hurt.”

“I thought it was heroic.” He popped his dimples, amused by how much it annoyed her. “Come on, Rain. Don’t be mad.”

“What did you call me?”

“Rain.” He gave a toothy grin. “You don’t like being called Peach, right?”

“Well...I changed my mind.” She crossed her arms and stuck up her nose, making him chuckle as he took her hand and kissed it once.

“Forgive me, Lady Peach.”

She rolled her eyes, smirking and scooting closer to take a better look at his wound.

“I wanted to ask if you were all right last night, but I was too proud to let you know I was worried,” she whispered and looked up into his eyes, “I thought you might not make it back and I was so scared.”

“I was scared too,” he admitted.

He guessed she might assume he was talking about being eaten by the wolves. But maybe it was for the best if she didn’t know he was scared of losing her.

When Y/N woke up the next morning, she was alone in bed. She wondered where Harry had gone, but then she heard his voice outside talking to someone and decided to go see who it was.

She stepped out into the sun, eyes squinted as she leaned against the door and saw him chatting with two girls outside the stable.

“Hey.”

“Stefan!” She flinched and turned around as Stefan gave a smile and apologised for scaring her.

“When did you get back?”

“Not so long before you woke up,” he said. “How are you feeling? Did you and Harry make up already?”

“Um...yeah…” The princess shyly tucked a strand behind her ear as she stuttered, “you could...you could say that.”

“Good. It felt weird that you two didn’t talk to each other,” Stefan said, but Y/N didn’t pay attention to reply.

“Who are they?” She furrowed her eyebrows, pointing to the girls Harry was talking to.

“Oh, those girls? They work for my cousin.”

“At the alehouse?”

“Yeah.” Stefan shrugged. “After Harry had left with you, they kept gushing about how ‘sexy’ he was when he threatened those men. I’m not surprised they came to see him first thing in the morning.”

“They both think he’s...sexy?” She tilted her head, pouting a little as she watched the three of them laugh together. It was obvious that those girls wanted Harry, and Y/N had never felt jealous until now.

“Harry gets that a lot from the ladies,” Stefan said. “He’s been with many women, but Kenny was the only one he’d ever loved. Poor Harry. He must be devastated.”

Y/N crossed her arms over her chest and grounded her jaw. “So...he’d never cared about the other girls he’d been with?”

“Of course not. But I’m sure they didn’t mind.” Stefan scoffed as he lifted his shoulders. “It’s probably different where you’re from, but it’s normal for most of us to lust after someone and not want to commit to that person. Harry can always separate romantic feelings from sexual pleasure, and Kenny was the only woman he’d slept with and had feelings for.”

“Oh...” Y/N muttered, feeling her heart gradually shrinking.

She used to think sex was something special between two people and only men like Egon would treat it as insignificant. Now that she knew most people were like that, it hurt more than she was willing to admit. She couldn’t risk falling for someone who might not ever feel the same. She had never tried, but she knew she couldn’t separate love from lust. With her life at risk, she didn’t want to deal with another heartbreak.

Nervously, she waited for the girls to kiss Harry goodbye to approach him. His smile grew twice as big the moment he saw her.

“Good morning!” he said happily. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, did you?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah. I woke up before sunrise but I didn’t want to wake ya.”

Y/N pressed her lips together as Harry took a deep breath. He waited for her to speak, but she didn’t, so he reached out to touch her hair, and she reacted quickly by stepping back, leaving him dumbfounded.

“Let’s talk about last night.”

His face fell instantly. “Oh, shit! I’m so sorry if--”

“No, no, don’t be.” She gave a timid smile. “I enjoyed it.”

Though he was smiling back, she could tell he was impatiently waiting for what came after, so she took a deep breath and went straight to the point. “I think we should both agree that it shouldn’t happen again.”

Harry blinked fast, he didn’t know what to say. It must have been as awkward for him as it was for her, so she was reluctant to go on.

“Yeah, it’s--” Y/N inhaled while fidgeting with her own fingers. “I know that people tend to separate romantic feelings from sexual feelings, but...I don’t think I can. And I--” She paused suddenly, looking up and meeting his worrying eyes. It was crazy how she could take some time to acknowledge how handsome he was, but she had to keep herself together and remember what was right for her. It was certainly not him.

“I don’t want to fall in love with you.”

Harry was taken aback, and so was Y/N herself. She didn’t think she could say it aloud, but now that she had, she didn’t regret it. She hid her trembling hands behind her back and continued, “this could get complicated if we took it any further, so maybe we should stay friends, because I really enjoy having you around.”

Harry pursed his lips as his forehead puckered. She didn’t know what was going through his mind right now, but the look he was giving her was so intense she could hear her heart beating in her ears.

“Okay,” he said at last, “let’s stay friends.”

He took it better than she’d expected. And for some reason, she was relieved and irritated at the same time.

Harry seemed to notice the way she kept chewing on her lip, so he joked, “did you mean you could fall in love with me?”

“Just take it as a compliment,” she said and gave his shoulder a nudge.

The corners of his mouth quirked up as he kept staring at her.

“What?” She chuckled.

“Can we still kiss?”

The question left her speechless, but she managed to keep her composure and cleared her throat. “No. But we can cuddle, like last night.”

“That works for me,” he said, flashing her a grin.

When silence had taken over, Y/N was so glad Stefan decided to interrupt. He came up to them with some flowers, and before Harry or Y/N could ask him what they were for, he gave them to her.

“I went to the woods this morning and got you these.”

“Oh my, these are beautiful!” Y/N sighed happily and clutched them with both hands. “Thank you, Stefan. I love them.”

Harry watched Y/N admire those flowers and felt his stomach tighten. Something didn’t feel right, especially when he saw how happy Stefan was with this little achievement. Although he’d agreed with her that they should only be friends, he hated to see Stefan showing her affection and her liking it.

Last night had been the happiest he’d been in a long time. And even though they had been tipsy and so unable to control themselves, he didn’t regret the things they had done. If they took it further, however, things might get complicated. He couldn’t do complicated. So this is for the best, he told himself.

But still, he couldn’t help but wonder if she remembered what he’d said about not wanting her to fall for Stefan. He assumed she didn’t, and it bothered him more than it should.

“Where are my flowers?” Harry jokingly asked Stefan. He hoped humour would cover up the fact that he was in a bad mood, and somehow it worked as Y/N took a flower and put it behind his ear.

“Here you go,” she said, smiling. “So pretty.”

The way she bit her lip and gently fixed his hair made his heart flutter and he didn’t even realise he was grinning like a fool. He watched her walk back to the house, thinking to himself, maybe this could work. Maybe they could be friends.

The wound on Lightning’s leg had healed and it was time for them to continue their journey to the South. They woke up at dawn the next day to prepare the horses and gather their things.

Stefan offered to take them to the next village, for he also had to go there to deliver wood and pick up a few other things. Y/N expected that they would spend the night at a friend’s house or at least in an inn, but Stefan told her straight away that they would stay in a brothel.

The princess had never thought one day she would have to visit a brothel. But consider the fact that she had lost her first kiss and let the same man who’d kissed her eat her out, anything could happen at this point.

“But is there no other option?” Y/N asked as she rode Thunder side by side with Harry.

Stefan rode his cart ahead of them as he turned his head and told the girl, “trust me, Willem’s men won’t be looking for you in a brothel.”

“Why?”

“Why would a maid go to a brothel?” Stefan scoffed.

“Peach would,” Harry joked and Y/N immediately kicked his leg as he broke into laughter.

They travelled for an entire day without stopping and managed to get there before sunset. They left their horses outside and followed Stefan into the two-storey house which looked decent on the outside, but dark and filthy on the inside.

Y/N walked close to Harry, hugging his arm and burying her nose into his coat. The foul smell of the place made her want to throw up, and she wondered how some men could spend every night at a place like this instead of home with their wives.

“How am I going to get laid if you keep holding me like this, Peach?” Harry joked, smirking as Y/N punched his shoulder and shoved him away. She knew a joke was just a joke, but the thought of him with one of those women, or anyone other women for that matter, made her skin crawl.

She walked faster to catch up with Stefan. He headed to the long counter where sat a big lady whose breasts were so large and clothes were so tight, Y/N wondered how she could even breathe. This woman must be the madam.

“Russo! Styles!”

“Wait, she knows you two?”

“Of course I know them, dear,” the madam told Y/N while sizing her up. “Are you one of my new girls?”

“She’s my friend. Her name is Rain,” Stefan said. “Rain, this is Leslie, the owner of the place.”

“Nice to meet you.” Y/N gave a small smile, but Leslie was too busy eyeing her up and down to return a smile.

“Oh, well. If you change your mind, Rain, we’d be glad to welcome you to our family,” Leslie said, making Harry snort and Y/N smacked him again.

“Is this your first time in a whorehouse, love?”

Y/N nodded, already blushing.

“Aww, look at that puppy dog face.” Leslie puckered up her thick lips and pressed her palms against her chest. “I like this girl. She’s so shy.”

“Not always,” Harry said, causing Y/N to shoot him a glare and he quickly locked his lips with an invisible key and tossed it over his shoulder.

“These boys used to come here all the time. They basically lived here for a while when they were fifteen, sixteen.” As Leslie proudly patted the men on the back, they both groaned and begged her to stop, but she didn’t. “Well, not here here. I used to own a brothel in Theros but I had to move away because of the war. It was bad for business. I’m telling ya, men would rather kill then pay to get fucked and I feel sorry for them.”

Leslie rolled her eyes and leaned forward, her breasts nearly spilling out of her tiny corset. “Thank God, my boy Russo still visits me once in a while. Styles, on the other hand, chose the boring life and stayed loyal to one girl. What was her name again? Candy?”

“Kenny.”

“Whatever.” She gave Stefan a wave. “Can you imagine? Sticking your dick in one hole for the rest of your life? Yuck.”

Seeing how frightened Y/N was, Harry stepped closer to her.

“Leslie is actually very nice,” he whispered into her ear while stroking her back.

But then Stefan spoke, “Harry and Kenny are not together anymore.”

“Stefan!” Harry cried out. “You need to stop telling everyone about my business!”

Despite Harry’s reaction, Leslie was overjoyed. She clapped her hands and shook her fists in excitement. “Perfect! There’s no heartbreak a threesome cannot solve! I’ll get you two best whores for tonight!”

“Actually, I--”

“Gerta! May!” Leslie shouted to the back and two beautiful women rushed out to meet their new potential customer.

“That’s very kind of you but I’m not here for this,” Harry said as the girls pulled him away from Y/N, running their hands all over his body.

Y/N freaked out when one of them pushed Harry onto a chair and straddled his waist as the other got down on her knees by his side to kiss his neck.

“Woah, woah, ladies!” he hissed when the girls removed his belt. The memories from two nights ago flashed before Y/N’s eyes and she turned away, fuming with jealousy.

“What about you two?” Leslie asked, switching her fingers back and forth between Y/N and Stefan. “I’m not sure if any of my girls is into ladies but--”

“No, no, no, we just want to rent two rooms for tonight,” Stefan said, giving Y/N a small smile as she seemed a bit terrified.

“No whore, just room?” Leslie asked.

“No whore, just room,” Stefan confirmed, laughing nervously.

“Well, we only have one room so--”

“We’ll take it,” Y/N said and snatched the key from Leslie’s hand before she could put it on the counter. “Thank you. And just to be clear, Harry is paying for those girls. We have nothing to do with that.”

“Oh...okay.” Leslie widened her eyes as she lifted her shoulders in a half shrug and got up from her chair. “Come on, sweets, I’ll show you the room.”

It was late, almost past midnight, and they still hadn’t heard from Harry.

“Rain, go to sleep,” Stefan said as he propped up on his elbow and found Y/N sitting on the bed, eyes fixed on the door.

The room was rather small and there was just enough space on the bed for one so he’d given that spot to her. She felt bad that he had to sleep on the floor while she got the bed and didn’t even want to use it. But it wasn’t her fault, it was Harry’s. It was all his fault for making her wait.

“What’s taking him so long?” she asked while fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

Stefan lay back down, closing his eyes again. “Can’t you blame him though? He hadn’t slept with a woman in so long. Now he’s got two.”

“Well, I think he won’t spend the night with them,” Y/N said, but there was no response, and five seconds later she heard Stefan snoring softly.

She hugged her knees to her chest, still watching the door. Her eyelids felt heavier and heavier, and just before she was about to drift off, she heard footsteps ascending in the hallway.

That must be Harry, she thought and quickly climbed off the bed and lay down on the floor next to Stefan. She snuggled up to his side and pretended to sleep. Though she knew it was childish and stupid, and if Harry found out, she’d be so ashamed, she just had to know how he would react to her falling asleep with Stefan. She wanted him to be jealous, just like she had been.

She stilled as the handle shook gently and the door finally creaked open. Harry stepped in. She closed her eyes before he noticed that she was awake and heard the door shut and his footsteps stop right beside her.

She tried to steady her breathing, but her heart was pounding as she didn’t know what he was going to do. Surprisingly, Harry bent down and picked her up. She kept pretending to sleep as he carried her in his arms to the bed and gently laid her down on her side. She thought he would leave her there and sleep on the floor with Stefan. But then he lay down behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest.

“I know you’re awake,” he suddenly spoke.

Y/N froze at once. Though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he was smirking with his eyes closed. And dear God, she had never been more embarrassed.

She took a moment to calm down and finally broke her silence, “you smell like those girls. Did they let you use their perfume?”

Harry responded with a quiet laugh. Why was he laughing? Was it because she sounded bitter? Did he think she was stupid? A thousand questions popped up in her head in that one split second before he answered, “that’s why I need to cuddle you, so I could smell like you.”

She could feel a smile in his voice and she tried to keep her composure by biting her bottom lip.

“I didn’t sleep with them,” he added. “I was drinking with Leslie.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, it’s not like you were waiting for me to come and cuddle you or anything.”

“I wasn’t!” Y/N’s mouth fell agape as Harry released a low chuckle.

“Whatever you say.” He sighed, holding her tighter. “Go to sleep, Peach.”

While his chest was rising and falling steadily against her back, Y/N could feel his heart beating in sync with her own. She bit her lip to hold back a grin and turned her head slightly to look at his face, their lips were just an inch apart. She almost betrayed her own words and asked him to kiss her again.

“Good night,” she murmured.

Harry peeked with one eye, his dimples popped as he saw her face. “Good night, love.”

In her dream that night, Y/N saw her and Harry sitting in front of the fireplace, surrounded by complete darkness, no ceiling or walls or even a floor. It looked like they were just floating, and yet she felt warm and safe with his arm around her shoulders and him reassuring her that it would be all right.

When he kissed her, it felt so real, as if it was real. She didn’t know it was a dream until she couldn’t feel his lips nor his touch anymore.

“Harry?” she asked, pulling back to look at his face as it suddenly twisted, fear darkened his eyes.

“Wake up, Peach,” he said, his voice echoing. “Wake up! They’ve found us.”

“Who?”

“They’ve found us. They’re here.”

Her eyes shot open, and the first things she saw were the dark grey ceiling and Harry’s face looking the same as it had been in her dream.

“They’re here, Peach. We have to leave.”

“Who’s here?” she asked when he pulled her up and hurriedly gathered their things.

“Willem’s men. They’re searching every room for us.”

Y/N blanched at her father’s name and suddenly someone banged on the door. She and Harry froze, holding their breath as the banging got louder and more violent.

“Open the door! Prince Egon’s order!”

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