#you had enough strength left to raise the huge ass sword and give it to cloud while full of bullets but you couldnt fucking raise it to

[ashorterurl]

I just finished playing crisis core and what the fucking fuck this is way worse than I remembered

[krabstick32]

Girl Code

Pairing: Giyuu x Reader

Synopsis: Having crushes are hard. Especially when your best friend and the person you like seem to be hitting it off. 

Tags/warnings: very very very light angst, mostly fluff uwu

a/n: first of all, happy new year! school got reaaaal busy, so whew! it’s been a while! not gonna lie, I really missed writing stuff! I got a few days worth of break, so hopefully I get to finish a few backlogged reqs. (I think I only have two left, but to those two, I sincerely apologize for the wait! I’m planning to write them as headcanons to get them out faster, so I hope you don’t mind!)

to @aliaisreal​, thank you so much for requesting and being so patient with me 🥺 i apologize in advance if it’s not very good :(( it’s not my best work, but I hope you still enjoy it and that it’s somehow worth the wait^^

Link to the ask: Request by @aliaisreal​

As the Insect Pillar, and the successor of the Butterfly Estate, Shinobu Kocho was one busy woman. She has a lot of responsibilities on her plate such as slaying demons, concocting medicine, and the like, so it was safe to say that she had no time to babysit anyone but—

“Shinobu!” The door bursts open and one of her… self-appointed responsibilities come prancing right through the threshold. “How about we go out to the village and have some lunch, hmm? My treat!”

Even if her skin felt like it almost flew off in shock, her smile stayed the same as she arranged the papers she intentionally threw around her desk when you came barging through the door. It wasn’t like you immediately coming in shocked her or anything. No, not at all. “Hello to you too, (F/N). Not that I particularly mind, but why so sudden?”

At that, your cheeks turn an adorable shade of red. In your excitement to invite her out to eat, you forgot to greet her first. “Ah, hello. But, back to the topic of lunch!”

Shinobu didn’t really change the topic, but she waved a hand as an indication for you to continue.

“Well, you seem stressed lately. I was hoping to treat you out y’know? And then you could rant and tell me all about it—only if you want to of course, no pressure at all!”

She sighed. For the past few days, Shinobu was starting to get a little frustrated with the current medicine she was trying to make work. On top of that, she needed to handle so many other things, and do missions, check in on patients, cook—well, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it was starting to get on her nerves. 

It was no surprise that you were starting to notice because even if you seemed a little too enthusiastic at times, you were still her best friend and a pillar at that—you wouldn’t be here without being exceptionally skilled and observant. Overenthusiasm aside, she—and everybody else included—knew you meant well. 

“I don’t know,” She hums, excited to see how you’ll react. “Are you done with your portion of the work? You looked a little distracted earlier, what with Tomioka-san—“

With the mention of the water pillar’s name, your sweet closed eyed smile turned sour as you immediately placed your hands on her mouth to stop her from continuing that sentence. “Y-Yeah! Yeah, I’m done! You know I don’t slack off. All the patients are fine and I've stitched up the few whose wounds opened.”

She was just teasing. Shinobu was well aware of your skill and work ethic, and while Shinobu was gifted in medicine, particularly pharmaceuticals, you had an uncanny knack for cutting people apart, and stitching them back up again. You were as skilled with a scalpel as you were with a sword.

“I’m just teasing (F/N)-chan.” The Insect Pillar replied, and couldn’t help but want to push more of your buttons as your face seemed to relax at the thought that she wouldn’t mention a particular someone. “But are you sure you’d rather invite me? I’m sure you’d rather ask Tomio—“

If your face was pink before, you were absolutely glowing right now as you put back your hand on top of her mouth. “Shinobu! You know I...you know I don’t like him like that! Besides, I am positive he likes someone else.”

She shrugs your hands off—which were slightly clammy, ew— as she shows you a devilish smile that has you sweating more. “Lie all you’d like, but I don’t think that’s something someone who ‘doesn’t like him like that’ would say, don’t you think?”

Ah, teasing was fun, but teasing you and tomioka were one of the few pleasures in life she made sure to enjoy.

“...Stop teasing me or I will eat without you.”

“Okay, okay, let’s go to that ramen shop in the village.”

Everyone didn’t give the great Inosuke-sama enough credit!

He was raised by boars, grew up in the wild, and treated the mountains like his home. Insouke may have lacked skill in what society normally taught, like proper etiquette, and reading, but the wild was a great teacher on its own, and taught him things he wouldn’t have learned in the company of other humans.

Spending his entire life out in the wild, Inosuke was able to learn how to heighten his senses, particularly his sense of touch, and how to observe. He may have been clueless in the socially acceptable ways to voice out what he sees, what he feels, but Inosuke is perceptive, and that’s what people normally wouldn’t associate with someone who was as stubborn as a rock, and as brash as a beast.

Inosuke—and Kentaro, Nezuko, and Monitsu for that matter—usually spent their time at the butterfly estate. The three of them—mostly Tontaro, really—helped the girls. Cooking, laundry, cleaning, lifting heavy things, were simple chores that they did, and afterwards, Inosuke would often find himself looking for you and Shinobu.

He always felt this...fuwa-fuwa feeling around the two of you, and he thought both of you were like that Gengoro, his sister, and reluctantly Chuitsu.

There was a day where Shinobu was out on a mission, leaving you partially in charge of the butterfly estate, and spending some time with Inosuke. Personally, you found Inosuke to be interesting due to his origins, and overall, he was fun to be around with. Surprisingly, both of you really complimented each other despite being both huge balls of energy and enthusiasm.

That day, you and him were having a little spar by one of the yards around the estate. To an outsider, it was absolutely funny seeing him, who had a more built body compared to your lithe frame, getting thrown off and beaten to a pulp with a wooden stick. If Shuitzu were here to see the spar, he would be laughing his ass off in that pissy, slightly disgusting high-pitched tone at the many times Inosuke was thrown down. Manchiro would probably observe though, and would probably encourage him that he could beat you one day while helping him with his wounds.

Contrary to popular belief though, Inosuke was well aware he couldn’t beat you, at least not yet. Regardless of the way you looked, he could feel it in his skin that you were a formidable opponent who could easily break his bones if you wanted. Seeing your strength for himself was an opportunity he saw where he could get stronger, even if it did frustrate him a little. Or a lot.

“The great Inosuke demands a rematch! A rematch!”he demands, fussing against the ground as you lower your sword and stand up straight from your last breathing form.

“Ahaha, okay, okay! But I’m feeling a little tired…” you pause and place a hand on your chin with a thoughtful look. In a few seconds, you snap your fingers and turn back to him with a bright smile. “Ah! How about we take a break first? Then you could go back to handing me my butt?”

Inosuke knew you weren’t tired and that technically, you were the one handing him his ass. You weren’t heaving a lung out like he was, or sweating bullets. You were the picture of calm and collected, pristine like untouched snow, without a hair out of place.

Inosuke huffs and pushes himself off the ground. “Fine! Insouke-sama permits it!”

“Wonderful! Wait here.” You chirp and pad back into the butterfly estate, leaving Inosuke to unceremoniously plop back down to the ground.

A few minutes pass, and he feels his skin tingle—someone was here, but they didn’t seem to have any malicious intent. It would have felt different if there was.

He looks up from his spot on the ground and spots the hanhan baori guy, his face looking the same as it did the past few times Inosuke saw it. The odd guy was just passing through the gate when Inosuke pushed himself off the floor, wooden sword pointed between Pochioka’s eyes.

“Hanhan Bao—!”

Before Inosuke would have finished his proclamation to fight, you were back standing at the engawa with a tray of sliced fruit, and bamboo cups filled with cool water. “Inosuke? What’s wro—Giyuu! What brings you here?”

Huh. That was odd.

“(F/N)-san.” Inosuke goes uncharacteristically quiet as his eyes darted between the two of you.

It was completely unmistakable. Hanhan Baori’s mouth moved when you arrived. Inosuke honestly thought Dohioka was a magic statue before this day.

You turn to Inosuke and place the tray in a safe spot. “Here, eat first. I’ll just ask what Giyuu needs, and we can spar right after, ‘kay?”

“‘Kay.”

At his response, you give him a warm smile and pat his head (there was that darned fuwa-fuwa feeling again!). He watches as you and Tapioka move a few meters away, settling underneath the shade of a tree to talk, a bit too far away for him to hear.

He doesn’t think he needs to though, because your body language said it all.

Your face was a little flushed, your smile looked even sweeter. Hanhan baori’s mouth was curling upwards in a smile, and his eyes looked fond. A suspicious combination for someone who he previously thought was a statue up until now. But he digresses. He’s never seen you look so...like this. You smiling wasn’t much of a surprise, but with Pachinko around...it was different, and Tochioka seemed more open to boot. There wasn’t much of a doubt in his mind. There was something between you two. He just couldn’t put a name on it—but there was something. Maybe he should ask Monjiro about it.

He munches on the fruit thoughtfully, watching you smile softly—softer than he’s ever seen—as you seem to answer a question Torioka asked you.

Yep, definitely something up between you and Tomioka.

Maybe he should extend his help. After all, the great Inosuke-sama was the kind ruler of the mountains. Pushing you two along would be a piece of cake.

Shinobu catches you pouting by the window in your joint office. It was adorable, considering how your cheeks were puffed, and your eyebrows were furrowed, but with your personality? Sulking wasn’t like you. “Care to tell me what’s wrong?”

Surprised, you jump and turn to find the Insect Pillar with her ever present smile painted on her face. It seems softer though, kinder. “Huh? No, nothing’s wrong!” You disagree, pushing yourself off the chair and tidying up the papers scattered on your desk.

She watches you with a small knowing smile on her face. “What, didn’t see Tomioka-san today?”

You paused for a moment, imperceptible to any outsider, but to Shinobu, who has spent so much time around you, that momentary lapse in movement was enough of an indicator. “...No.”

Hit the nail right on the head!

“You are a terrible liar (F/N)-chan. I thought the two of you were getting along? Should I go put poison in his tea?”

At her suggestion, you turn back as your skin pales. It was largely concerning how easily Shinobu could do that. “What? No! He did nothing, I swear it!”

“Awfully defensive,” The Insect Pillar snickers, before taking a seat on her chair and turning to you. With you pouting at her, Shinobu is reminded of how fun it was to tease you.

“Shinobu-chan.”

“Teasing.” She raises her hands in a move to placate you. Well, annoying you was fun and all, but she was concerned for you, more so than wanting to piss you off. “Anyway—jokes aside, you know i’m always here for you, right?”

You knew that. She was always willing to listen to your problems, but you couldn’t exactly tell her that you’re trying to distance yourself from Giyuu because he liked her.

Truth be told, you were getting along with Giyuu, so much so that you’ve started to like him as more than a friend. But, you cared for Shinobu and you wanted her to be happy. She and Giyuu made more sense than you and him.

“...Yes.”

“And that I love you like a sister, right?”

Despite all the teasing, you knew Shinobu really cared for you. She may like to push your buttons, but oddly enough, it reminded you of one of your siblings, so you didn’t mind. Just like your relative, you knew they did it because they wanted to distract you from your problems. An odd way of doing it, but they really would have gotten along.

“Yeah.”

“And that I can easily kill a man and hide his body?”

“Shinobu-chan!”

She laughs, the sound very similar to bells, and you can’t help the bitter thought that maybe Giyuu liked someone with a mellow voice like hers. “Kidding! Kidding! Well, kind of on that last one.”

You pout, and she brushes off her statement with a near irresistible bribe. “Alright, how about we go get some food? My treat.”

Awfully tempting. But there was still one more concern in your head.

“No poison?”

“Have more faith in my, (F/N)-chan!” Giggling, Shinobu slides the door open, and beckons you over. “Now, let’s go—I’m sure you’re hungry!”

“You didn’t answer my question!” You say, trailing after her in mild worry, feelings momentarily forgotten as the thought of food replaces it.

It was any other early evening in the butterfly estate when the Water Pillar barged in through the doors, blood dripping from an open wound on his chest, with the oddest expression on his face.

Maybe what should have alarmed the butterfly girls were the deep scratch marks on his chest. Instead, it was the near half-crazed look on his face. Tomioka-san’s face never moved from it’s impassively cold stare, why was now any different?

“Where is she?” He rasps.

Aoi, who was standing at the entrance with Kiyo upon his arrival, was brought out of her shock. “Tomioka-sama, lie down. Kiyo will lead you to a room and I’ll get Shinobu-sama immediately to take care of your wounds.”

“No, where is she? Where’s (F/N)—”

From the end of the hall, you came down to see what all the huff was about. You were taking inventory of the supplies since it was a little slow today, but the ruckus urged you to go out and take a look.

“Giyuu? What’s going on he—ohmygods, Giyuu, are you alright?” Seeing Giyuu pale—well, paler than normal—and bleeding all over the floor was not what you expected though.

“(F/N)...” Seeing her alive and breathing eased Giyuu’s worries, so much so that he sags in relief. He would have dropped down the floor if it weren’t for your quick reflexes.

Lightly, he feels you press a hand to his head, wiping the sweat forming on his brow. 

“Giyuu? Stay with me, we’re going to fix you right up, ‘kay?” There was no doubt in his head that you could. He’s been in much worse really. The blood loss just wasn’t doing him any favors.

Regardless, he shakes his head and just savors you being here, warm and alive.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I thought you were dead.”

“Dead? Who, me? No, silly! I just sprained my ankle, so walking’s a little hard, but i’ll be fine!”

“I thought I was going to lose you...” He was starting to babble. The blood loss was starting to affect him more than he’d thought.

“Lose me? Don’t worry, I’m not going away any time soon.”

“Good…” Giyuu breathes out a sigh of relief. He liked the thought of you living for a long, long time. “I like you a lot.”

With that admission, his head slumps over your shoulder, and his body gets heavier, prompting you to nearly drop him with the weight of his sudden confession and his mass.

Aoi and Kiyo watches, shocked beyond words as your face continuously gets redder and redder. Whether it was from the exertion, or his words, well, everyone knew exactly what was causing you to look like a freshly plucked apple.

“H-Hah?! Wait, Giyuu? Giyuu!”

And that is the sight that greets Shinobu. She was back from a report to Oyakata-sama, so seeing you all red and flustered with a fully grown man who was bleeding all over her floor and who was about to fall over and kill you—with his weight, or with his words, Shinobu could easily guess which—was an especially unusual sight, but unfortunately, not really unexpected. And mildly infuriating.

“Tomioka-san, you total dunce! Get treated first! Ugh, (F/N)-chan, don’t let him fall, he’s losing blood!”

“Ow—“ Giyuu grunts, the bandage being wrapped around his torso a little too tight for his taste.

“Tomioka-san.” Shinobu starts, her hands continuously steady as she wraps the bandages with precision and efficiency around his chest. “I don’t think we’ve had a heart to heart chat about (F/N)-chan, don’t you think?”

After Giyuu’s surprise confession, you and Shinobu were able to drag him to a nearby room. He was passed out cold, and between you two, carrying a fully grown man would still be difficult, even if you’ve both had special pillar training.

He woke up a few minutes after you were done stitching the open gash at his stomach which caused his bloodloss (and slightly embarassing fainting spell). These unfortunate series of events have led him here, painfully being bandaged by none other than Shinobu. It wold have been nice if you were the one doing it, but Shinobu sent you to go look for more bandages with this sickly sweet look in her eyes—which you barely noticed in your worry. The worry was sweet, but now he knows Shinobu’s motives. Interrogstion.

Giyuu could do nothing else but nod, doing his damn best to not flinch, and keep still.

“You see, she really likes you, you know? I’ve never seen (F/N)-chan happier than she is when she’s with you. Honestly, I don’t know why she does, and what she sees in you but I like seeing her happy. You and I both know that she deserves it.”

Giyuu watches her wrap the bandages with practiced ease albeit with a little more force than necessary. Hearing Shinobu talk about you so fondly has him feeling grateful that you had someone who cared so deeply for you, and who was so willing to do anything to keep you happy. Even if the brunt of her attacks did fall on him, he could understand where she was coming from.

“She does,” Giyuu says, surprising Shinobu as she finds the softest, most fondest look she has ever seen on Giyuu’s immovable face. For a moment, Shinobu could see that he cared so much for you—as much, if not more than you cared for him—and she knew that he would never do anything to hurt you.

Unbelievable. She can’t believe he passed her test so easily.

She lets out a heavy sigh, turning back to the task at hand with a saccharine smile ready on her face.

“All that said, If you hurt any part of who I see as my beloved sister, I'll make sure to use my medical expertise to ensure you don’t get a chance to spread your genes—”

The door slides open with a nice loud clack, preventing Giyuu from hearing the rest of Shinobu’s sentence. Just as well too. He doesn’t think he’d want to hear the rest.

“Shinobu-chan! I’ve got more bandages for Giyuu!”

“Ah, thank you, (F/N)-chan!” The Insect Pillar smiles, taking one of the fresh bundles you offered, as you moved to the side of the room, arranging the medical supplies for easier access.

Shinobu leans down, under the guise of tying the gauze, as you flit around the room, spreading sunshine in your trails. None of you mention how you blatantly avoid eye contact with Giyuu. But it’s not like he’s initiating any either.

“I don’t think I need to continue my sentence.” She mumbles under her breath. “Do you understand?”

Giyuu winces as she tucks in another piece of bandage, grumbling in response. “Loud and clear.”

BONUS:

Later that night, Shinobu left the two of you alone in Giyuu’s hospital room to talk it out. It was a little awkward at first, but as the two of you melt the ice, your usual sunny personalty—ironic, as you were the Snow Pillar—takes over. Throughout the course of the evening, you take out his hand with his permission, and have the time of your life holding it. It was a little funny how stiff and unused he was being at hand holding, but you found that to be one of his unexpected charms. And it wasn’t like he was complaining. He actually found it adorable how small your hands were, and how it fit really well against his own.

“So you don’t like Shinobu?” You ask a little shyly, playing with the tips of his fingers.

Against your skin, you feel him shiver in disgust as he looks slighty disgusted by question. “Gods, no, never.”

“So you were serious about liking me? It wasn’t a joke?”

“I don’t think I’d joke about that in my final moments.”

You giggle, feeling a little silly for even questioning it. But really, you don’t think you could be blamed for it. “You have a point.”

The two of you stay in comfortable silence for a while. He watches you trace vague shapes against his palms and he’s never felt so at peace before, than he did at this moment. After a while though, a curious thought strikes him, and he can’t help but want to ask.

“...What made you think that?”

The tips of your ears stain pink before you look away and bring one hand to your cheek. “Well I thought you two liked each other, and it seemed like she suited you much better than I would.”

“I only ever liked you. I thought I was being obvious.”

As blunt as ever.

“Ahaha!” You laughed, getting flustered in spite of the warmth pooling into your chest. “Well, I guess not enough for me.” It’s not as if you were able to notice. You did think he liked Shinobu after all. “By the way, why did you think I was going to die?”

He look up at the ceiling. “One of Tanjirou’s friends...that boar kid told me you couldn’t walk, and that you couldn’t move.”

“Inosuke? Oh, that…that actually makes a lot of—a lot of s-sense!”

Giyuu watches you fondly as you laugh. In your defense, the thought of you spraining your ankle being blown out of proportion by none other than Inosuke was funnier than you ever expected.

“Don’t laugh.” Giyuu pouts. It was the most adorable thing you’ve seen. “By the way he said it, I really thought you weren’t going to live to see another day.”

You breather deeply, giggling a little as you look at him with mirth and happiness dancing in your eyes. “Okay, okay. I’ll explain it to him tomorrow. But I guess I should thank him. If you weren’t nearly half-dead on your feet, neither of us would have confessed.”

“Yeah. I‘ll go with you.”

“Cool! Cool...Um, Giyuu?”

“Yes?”

“Could you maybe… perhaps, say that again?”

“Say what, again?”

“That you like me?”

Giyuu chuckles, giving your hand a light squeeze. “I like you.”

He’d say it a million more times if he gets to see you smile like that again.

“Heehee, I like you too Giyuu!”

a/n: i got a little sick of rereading this so many times, so, apologies for any grammar/spelling mistakes!! i hope ya’ll liked it though uwu

also, are any of you playing genshin impact? man, that game saved my sanity, and at the same time caused more insanity....it’s fun.

if u guys wanna play, feel free to send me your uid’s! i’m at world level 6 so i can go into most worlds :^)

[bluebellhairpin]

No More

Fantasy AU!Levi Ackerman X Fem!Reader

Part One - No Feelin’ - Part Three - No Regrets 

A/N: SO I wrote a piece for a Discord Event and ummm I wrote a part two? instead of anything else I have backed up? In my drafts? And ask box? Oopsie? - Nemo

Summary: A year past, and word from you has been scarce to none. After leaving Levi high and dry last time, he’d been preparing for your return ever since. What he didn’t expect was to see you so suddenly - sitting atop the throne he was supposed to protect. 

Warnings: Violence. Language. Character Death. Blood (I feel I should emphasise this one, it’s... gorey. For me). Mentions of rape. Slight Misogyny. More of my bad poetry. MC says Zeke has a small pp. 

Listening to: ‘MORE’ by K/DA (slowed) - ‘When I go it’s for gold yeah, they cool but I’m cold. I don’t fit in the mold, I’m a rebel.’ 

Series Masterlist

Masterlist 

There was something about the eerie silence that followed your first ‘visit’ that set Levi on edge. 

He remembered how quiet you were as his subordinate. How you stood back and watched when you could, but managed to surprise everyone when you had to get in and get dirty like all those others training to be a knight. He wondered what he could’ve done to change things, to have stopped you from becoming that monster he fought in the throne room. 

He knew there was nothing he could do about that now, but something about those last words you spoke to him - ‘find your advantage’ - they just stuck with him. 

He knew the sword he was given was special. That it had abilities that no human blacksmith could’ve given it. It gave him strength. Immunity. It could heal, rebuild, and it gave him the ability to endure. Yours was not like that.

The people the King put in charge of studying it said it was destructive. That everyone who tried to wield it in the past had suffered nothing but pain, and in trying to control the power it held they’d only succeeded in killing themselves. 

Levi knew that you were not like them. Not before. Not a year ago. He knew, not now either. 

“You’re very diligent in welcoming me back, Little Captain.” 

And how he hated it. 

He was left frozen in shock, watching you as you sat atop the throne - legs crossed, the fingers of one hand tangled in the hair of the old king’s body-less head, while the other held that damn sword. The crimson of his blood matched your tainted skin, dribbling down your arms to match your bright veins, and the color of your dreaded blade. 

It was like the color of corruption was red, and you were so soaked in it that it stained the floor. With that thought he could almost fool himself into thinking it wasn’t the king’s blood at all.

Except for the stench of it. It was like he was punched in the face with the reek.  

“Oh don’t look so surprised,” you said, tutting at him and waving the kings head in his direction, “I thought you would’ve been preparing for my return.” 

“You weren’t supposed to come back.” 

“Oh, but the king was sitting so nicely on his throne just then, I had to.” You said, letting the head drop to the floor. It rolled down the stairs, meeting it’s limp and pale counterpart. “Can you just imagine my joy when he was here to welcome me with a pretty little concubine between his legs. I couldn’t help myself!” 

“You’re insane!” he said, taking his sword in his hand and rushing up the stairs to be met with the tip of your sword at his throat.

“Ah ah,” you said, “You pledged your life to the crown, to serve and protect. I killed the old king, now the crown is mine.” 

He grit his teeth, cursing himself for not noticing. For not being fast enough. Then, and now. 

“Bow. To your new Queen.”

Levi would never admit how easily he obeyed you.

Despite knowing he had the power to over-power you, he didn’t dare use it. 

The old King - Fritz - had not been laid to rest. As far as he knew you had him turned to garden mulch. Him and anyone who decided you weren’t fit to wear the crown. 

He had to say, the rebellion that broke out once your position was made public - from those that wanted you gone, and those who thought that meant they could break the law because you did - was silenced much quicker than he’d seen a rebellion be silenced in his whole life. 

You slaughtered those who stood at the castles gate, pushing those who wanted you gone with a heel to the back of their heads. They who rebelled against you had a choice - die like those who banged on the drawbridge, and have their blood and innards join the muck in the moat, or submit like the knights. 

Then you took to the streets and made those who deserved it pay back what they had taken. If they stole from a market stall, they returned with interest. If they decided to rape, their manhood was taken. If they decided to kill, they paid with their own lives in turn. 

So despite your aloof yet demanding nature, your lack of empathy, and love of - putting it lightly - a hunt, you made peace reign over the kingdom. That was something all the knights could admit.

“She’s kinda hot though.” His eyes snapped over to a newer knight, Flotch, who was muttering to Jean, who was in turn doing a very good job of ignoring him. “You know, if you take away the creepy eyes, and those nasty veins on her arms. I’d tap that.” 

He had to resist from groaning. Of course there’d be people lewding their new ruler - a murderous one no less - and one of such people had to be one of his subordinates. 

“Seriously though, look -”

“- Watch your tongue, young one.” A voice said, and Levi did a doubletake to find you behind Flotch with a clawed hand around his throat. “Diminish me to a piece of flesh like that again and I’ll brand your forehead with a big fat ‘M’.”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” he slurred, his own grip now ghosting over yours.

“‘Misogynist’.” you hissed, tightening your grip on his throat before withdrawing, leaving dripping red marks behind. He stood still for a few short moments, then doubled-over, clutching his neck and letting out garbled noises of pain. 

“Serves him right.” Jean said, stepping past Levi and over Flotch’s legs to follow you as you walked away. 

“Something needs to be done about him.” you mused. 

“I agree. For once.” Levi said, stepping to his side to face you before mumbling an addition, “I bet his ass looks as hairy as an ape.” You barked out a laugh - loud, and as smooth as whiskey.

“That would account for the little monkey he’s hiding in his basement.” you said, leaning down to hush the comment in his ear. Levi could tell that there wasn’t an actual monkey, nor a basement, and a rushed glance down Zeke’s body also told him it wasn’t entirely true, however you had been everything but subtle about anything anymore. 

“Do you want war?” Zeke asked, covered eyes narrowing over at you. You tutted him, reminding Levi about the time you directed such an action at him - taunting with his failure of protecting the old king. 

“Would you go to war over a dick joke?” 

He wouldn’t. That Levi knew. No one was petty or childish enough to go to war with another whole-ass country just because it’s ruler said your dick was small. But Zeke was unpredictable. 

“I’d advise against it, personally.” you said, tapping your nails along the oak table, “It’s so mediocre. If I were to go to war with you I’d do something much more grand.” 

“Like what?” 

You smiled, wide and wicked, and Levi was reminded again of who you were. You’d beheaded the old king like he was just an unneeded piece of paper. You’d painted the castle moat red. Despite the good that was no doubt still there - somewhere - you were still very much evil. 

You were still corrupt. 

You raised a hand, performing a universal signal that meant to wait, and then a man came in. Huffing and sweaty, with eyes wide and broken. 

“Ze- you highne- Sir.” 

“- What?” Zeke asked, turning in his chair. Clearly unimpressed.

“Our capital. They… She attacked it!” Zeke turned back around, now looking much angrier.

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing major.” You said, waving him off as if he were just a child complaining about his socks not matching. “But your place of residence might have a few scorch marks now.” 

Zeke stood abruptly, drawing his sword, and causing a chain reaction. You mirrored him, drawing your own - abhit longer and glowing red in aggression. Levi drew his, as did the other guards, Erwin and Miche. And the two with Zeke drew theirs as well. 

There wasn’t a single person in the room that didn’t have a sword on them, and not even Levi could say he wasn’t on edge. But you? You just laughed, lowering your weapon.

“Okay, this is stupid. Let’s just -” 

“If you call burning my city ‘stupid’, then I’d love to know what you’d call me lathering your streets in your blood.” 

“Oh,” you cooed, “Looks like I struck a nerve. Or maybe you’re on your period?” 

“Quiet!” He yelled, pushing his sword closer to you. “Or do you want me to slice off your tongue.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

He tried. 

And much like anyone else who crossed your path, he was lucky to have just left with his tail between his legs. However, him being Zeke, had to leave behind something to be remembered by. 

This particular time it was in the form of a huge gash, spanning across your shoulder and up your neck. 

Despite your all-powerful nature, the power your sword gave you was not one that could heal. It took what it was given, and it corrupted it. So even if all Zeke gave you was a scratch, the power of your sword meant it took that scratch, and made it into a cut. Oozing blood, and pulsating with a pain that made you wince with every heartbeat. 

You skulked away towards your chambers, a bottle of alcohol in your hand, and closed the door behind you. 

Levi knew that it could very well kill you. That’s what you were warned of. It would give the kingdom a chance to regain a sane ruler. It would be good if you died. 

‘From chaos to healing, is where to gain the sealing; 

Where they be kneeling, you’ll have no feeling.’ 

Those were the words you told him the first time you met. But later, after you started ruling and he became your own personal guard, you told him there was more. There were ruins. Books. A whole civilization even. Those two phrases were just a part of a whole. A whole that you knew. 

‘The one who stops the war, to try and reach the core;

Along the gentle shore, they will gain more.’

There was more to that sword than just corruption, and there was more to his sword than just healing. 

Leaning against the wall outside your room, he took his sword in his hands, watching as the symbols along it’s blade glowed up at him from the interaction. 

He could save you, but would it be worth it? 

[itsmypeach13]

[Read only if you are okay with female &female relationships. Warning because of strong language, fighting scenes. Rating is +18]

[Hello my ravens! ❤️It's been an eternity but please welcome my second chapter of my Soma POV fanfic, things will get messy and entangled full of angst and more angst. I hope you'll like it, I spiced things up with flirty Valka and women fighting🤭 Let me know what you think in the comments any opinion/thought is welcome🥺❤️]

TALES OF THE BEAR-HEART: SOMA

CHAPTER II.

Battling Hearts

The soft crackling sound of fireflames embracing hardwood woke me up tenderly. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Revna sitting by the fire sharpening her dagger, preparing for the battle ahead of us. Her raven-black long hair was braided at the sides and neatly It must have been around dawn, but it was still pitch-black outside. Busy voices surrounded us, swords clinked, horses were running up and down impatiently, some people shouted over to the other with instructions. Valka's magical sleep potion put me so well to sleep, that I was surprised at myself how late I could join onboard the ship towards the brewing sea of bloodshed. I had to pull myself together and that only worked with some ice-cold river water and some excercise.

'Good morning Revna'-I greeted my warrior as I swiftly sat up and put on my stone-hard armor.

'To you as well.'-she wiked at me playfully and lifted up the pair of the iconic hammers fixating them on her sides. ' Now you slept well for sure, how is that you sleep the soundest when battle is so near?-she laughed a little and took a sip of water from the table.

'Valka's hand in that.-I raised my brows slightly. 'Sorry, I didn't plan to start like this Revna. I have to go now and freshen up. Shall we meet at the entrance of the longhouse?'

'You're such a womanizer you know that right?'-she held up her tusk. ' Valka is a fine woman, I am happy for you now. I will meet you there nevertheless.'

'Ha!..You're absolutely misunderstanding, but I have to rush now.'- After this conversation, the fine shilouette of Valka's back flashed through my mind from last night. I quickly stepped into reality once I was out of my hut. The Raven warriors painted their faces with red and white strokes, most of them were saddling the horses.

I hurried to the shores of the river nearby, finally allowing my flaming skin to meet with the freezing waves of water. I gathered some liquid in my palms so that I could splash it onto my face over and over again. It felt like a hit on my cheeks that put me into the right battling spirits, and imagining Randvi's head on the enemy's helped a lot also.

I did some stretching and sprinting in the shores, while sloppy waves embraced the land. I was sharpening my axe and asked for Thor's strength and blessing, when I heard cat-like footsteps from behind approaching me.

'Your blade is already sharp enough, Bear-heart'-said Valka smirking, while she walked up to me.

'I could cut down a village with it yes. I guess it's just my ritual before I actually do it.'

'I bought you some food, here, some died figs with bread and a slice of boar meat from last night.'- she kindly handed over the plate.

'Thank you Valka, the gods bless your kind spirit. This will help me to do my best today. For Ravensthorpe..and Eivor.' While I started eating quickly, we sat by the shore and Valka carried on.'

'Soma, you have to remember, whatever happens today, you can count on me, you know where to find me. I saw into your soul last night and found loneliness there. But you are not so alone.' -she stroked my arm then stood up and disappeared in the crowd of warriors.

I was startled a bit, the last piece of bread almost choked me. Was that a friendly invite to her hut? I mean, private hut? I guess she needs cleaning there if you know what I mean. Who would have thought.

***

When I rode to the longhouse, a massive crowd of warriors have gathered in front of the building. The golden locks of Eivor showed up with that deadly, stern smirk on her face. She was riding a snow-white mare with her armor glistening in the awakening morning sunrays. A huge hunnish bow spread on her broad back and two axes were fixated on her sides, one can never be so sure with just one, right? Randvi followed her closely, rumour has it that she is going in battle after long years spent in the map room. I was curious how she would perform outside these walls. Revna joined me swiftly and we quickly caught up with Eivor and other leaders riding in the front.

As if she sensed my closeness, the wolf-kissed greeted me with a wide smile.

'Morning Soma, I hope you are ready to spill some blood today with me.'

How could she know I was ready to do anything with her, my eyes wandered on those rosy lips talking to me. She looked stunning with freshly dried warpaint framing her ocean eyes.

'I will smash skulls today, as my father taught me'I assured her. ' You don't want to make it a contest, I am the champion in this.'

'We'll see, I will beat your ass.' Eivor uttering those words brought me to the depts of my wildest fantasies for a moment. Holy mother of.. A shiver went through my spine as I actually pictured this. 'Okay, whoever wins this beheading game will pay for the best ale in land for a week.'

'That's a deal, officially.'-Eivor agreed playfully.

As we left Ravensthorpe Randvi joined us to briefly go through our plans , and of course to keep an eye on her drengr.

'Hi Soma..I hope you haven't lacked the care and wealth of Ravensthorpe.'

'Thanks Randvi, I had everything I needed' except for Eivor in my bed last night, but I guess that's the VIP package. It’s good I didn’t say this out loud.

'Good. Now our plans are the following. Eivor and you will hide in the thick bushes of the main road on both sides with our archers. When Birna's army is well inside the trap, Eivor will sign you with her horn, then both of your teams will fire and wipe out as many as you can. I will wait for Eivor's horn and join with a group on horsebacks to push them back towards the hills where their camp is. We'll follow them and burn it down to force them out of mainland.

Cheolbert's army will be only used if necessary. They are stationed on the right side of the forest.'

'Smart plan Randvi, I am sure we can protect our people, which is the most important aim, I feel honoured to be here today and lead this army' -Eivor answered then we positioned our forces in the thick undergrowth of the main road. Some archers even hid high on the old oak trees to have a nice and deadly view on the road. Our eyes met with Eivor and I was once again stunned by those piercing blue eyes, radiating godlike power and trust in me. She made me weak with one stern look, this feeling was brand new for me..Soma trembling like a leaf in the autumn breeze? My eyes wandered lower, on Eivor’s bulging arms holding those big, heavy axes.

Revna positioned herself right beside me like a protective bastian ready to spill blood, her hands firmly gripping the two hammers.

’They will eat my hammer for breakfast.’-she whispered to me, keeping her voice down.

A medium group of soldiers were nearing our forces, all of them on horseback.

They were led by a young woman with blood red hair, riding on a pitch-black horse. Just before Eivor could use her horn to give the sign for us to attack them, the enemy started throwing flaming throving balls into the thick and completely dry undergrowth that caught on fire in no time. They knew exactly where we were hiding, forcing us to be distracted for a second and be stunned by their unexpected moves. Revna quickly brought me back to reality with her loud roar she jumped out of the bushes and ranted at our enemy. As if she were a deadly panther, she pulled a man down from his straddle , threw him on the ground finally smashing his face on both sides with her double hammers. What left off that head was forming an unrecognizable mixture of broken bones and flesh.

I joined her swiftly and shouted at all of my men:'Don't just stare, cut all of the bastards down and burn their flesh!' The archers could perform a swift attack from above before the flames got to the upper branches, then joined us from behind our shield wall Eivor was forming with the Ravens.

I quickly got on my horse and joined at the side of Revna, who was sandwiched between two twin shieldmaidens fighting with swords. Just before the bigger one could plunge her longsword into Revna's spine, I trapped her with my axe, agressively pulled her body to mine from behind holding her still for a moment shouting in her face: 'I will burn your whole village for this.' -then I slit her throat and pushed the body down to the dust. My face became sprayed with fresh blood, and I could see Revna kept herself busy, the other one joined her sister in death.

-Thanks Soma, I am glad you have my back, literally -Revna shouted at me with ave.

-I am never late, you know me.-I winked at her assuringly. -someone betrayed us Revna..we have to find that son of a bitch. -I shouted back while I saw a huge man charging at me with a poisoned axe.

-You will die bitch-his deep growl ecoed in my ears as I prepared for defense. I thought I would end him with my wit instead of my valuable strength, I slipped between his legs and cut right into his balls leaving him a suffering mess falling on his knees, and finally collapsing in the bloody pond forming underneath.

-Not today, bastard.-I stated. While we fought our way a little further with Revna I quickly looked behind my back to see how Eivor was holding up. Then I saw the blood-haired war-chief woman charging on her horse at full speed towards the wolf-kissed, she wanted to end Eivor. Her plan was to cut the head of the snake, I saw her green eyes burning with ambition, fury and wrath, she jumped off of her horse slamming Eivor to the ground. Unfortunately, the charging horse killed several men around Eivor failing to hold the shield wall.

I felt my heart beating in my throat , as both Eivor and that killer bitch disappeared from my sight behind the crowd of clashing soldiers.

-Revna, you have to hold this mess, I will be back!-I gave my clear orders to my right hand , and with that I ran into Eivor’s direction as if there was no tomorrow. Many men tried to stop me on my way, but I cut them all, roaring like a beast, both of my arms were drenched in blood. The inner bear has awoken. I saw Randvi charging on her horse towards the same spot, my worry mirrored in her desperate eyes. She fought like an amazon, a tiger let out of her cage , she was never really tamed behind that map table after all. I must admit she fought fiercely. Her long copper braid was dancing around in circles as she slain anyone who got near her. Unexpectedly, her horse got an arrow in the front leg, causing Randvi to fell foward harshly, she was flying several meters from the saddle. The killer-witch had supporter archers at the top of a nearby rock, they were backing their leader and her evil plans.

I didn't have time to care for Randvi, I slammed into the shield wall to see what was happening with Eivor behind it.

The blood-witch was strangling Eivor with her strong arm, Eivor had deep cuts on her own arms and her side. Fuck.. she really didn't see it coming.. oh that fucking bitch ! Eivor wanted to kick her in the face but her legs were entangled in strong hold by that serpent. She fought differently, wrestled her enemy, held the body in position to slowly end it with deadly cuts. I couldn't let her finish her work..my heart would break in two for an eternity..

I grabbed her hair pulling her upwards, while I watched her cry out from the pain.

-Hey, you blood whore, don't you dare to move or I will cut your pretty head off. Eivor broke free swiftly, but instinctively put her right hand on her ribs. I saw a considerable blood stain growing there, which felt like a punch in my stomach. It seemed I actually got one, as the redhead tried to break away. Just before I could end her, I felt a powerful but blunt hit on my back, an arrow's burning head fought it's way into my flesh. I instantly fell on my knees then I started to crawl on the ground ghasping the dust.

Eivor didn't give a fuck about her serious wound on her side she ran towards that sly whore to avenge this mess. Randvi arrived just in time her huge smash with her shield put the escaping rat onto the ground. The blood-witch was cornered and there was no way out. My sight became blurry and I wanted to vomit from the pain that radiated into my chest and my back.

'Tie this one up quickly, we'll inerrogate her at Ravensthorpe. Randvi instructed two soldiers. -Oh God..Eivor you're bleeding-she mumbled with care as she stepped to the wolf-kissed, her eyes wandered on the huge blood stain. Randvi's bottom lip was craked and bleeding, probably from a huge stroke.

'I am fine Randvi, bring our forces left to safety, we have to retreat, now' Eivor's raspy voice echoed, turning to Randvi. 'I can only thank my life to Soma' Eivor hurried to me while Randvi called a retreat to Ravensthorpe, we could defend the way from the woods but it was clearly a trap. Somebody gave valuable information to the enemy, Birna and Ivarr could attack any moment.Both sides lost countless men, the woods was in flames around us.

'My poor bird..' Eivor whispered calmly, holding me in her arms in a second sitting on her knees on the ground. She turned my body really slowly to spare me from the additional pain, I could have screamed out loud in my despair, but I couldn't show the slightest sign of weakness while she was around me.

'I m have to get this out now' she said apologetically, furrowing her brows.

I couldn't speak as I felt my power leaving me, I was close to fainting, so I just nodded and let myself concentrate on those strong arms being folded around me. This was the closest Eivor ever got to me.. my heart was burning and beating fast both from the trauma I endured and the excitement that was ruling over me inside.

'I will be as quick and gentle as possible'Eivor promised with a light smile.

I held onto her arm and mumbled a few words:'Just do it, please..' I closed my eyes knowing what will come.

Eivor clearly had pratice in this, as she firmly held onto the arrow, turned it slightly in my flesh, then pulled it out with a powerful move.

It felt as if a burning blade was turned inside me ripping out my flesh. The pain was undescribable with words, I cried out, my eyes became blurry with tears.

'Fucking GOD' I shouted.

'The worst is over Soma, I promise. I can thank my life to you, so I am in your debt, I will help you through this and bring you to Valka.' Eivor lifted me up, placed one of my arms around her neck and holding my weight with her arms below my knees. ' 'I got you now -she gently stroked my arm and carried me to her horse, we headed back to Ravensthorpe with our forces left , following Randvi's soldiers.

As we rode along those old oak trees I could feel the sweet scent of Eivor's skin around her collarbone as I laid my head on her broad chest. Small sweatdrops were glistening on her perfect face while her ice-blue eyes stayed focused on the road, I could watch this living statue of perfection all day.

Spring breeze played on my cheeks while I closed my eyes to just feel the bumps and turns of the road.

I couldn't get a peaceful monent as my thoughts caused me an inner turmoil. Where the hell was Revna? Did she join to Randvi and her forces? How am I supposed to fight like this? The hardest part of this battle is still ahead of us..I came here to defend Ravensthorpe, not to behave like a whining child. And who was that blood-haired shieldmaiden?

***

[thekytchensynk]

Ain’t No Picnic (1/9)

I really need to get in the habit if posting things here and at AO3, both, at around the same time, every time. But laaaaaazy. Summary: They were just supposed to head over to the island real quick, just to see what was going on. After all, if pirates were trying to ambush and kill the Straw Hat crew, how could Coby NOT go? And how could Helmeppo let him go alone? It should be simple enough, but nothing can be taken for granted in the New World, and when things go awry, Helmeppo finds himself separated from his captain on an island chain full of pirates who probably won't be too happy to see a Marine if their paths cross.Oh yeah. And one of those pirates is the infamous "Surgeon of Death," Trafalgar Law... Warnings: Occasional strong language Read it on AO3 _________________

Bullets whizzing overhead had become appalling boring at some point.

The thought occurred to Helmeppo as he ducked behind a rock, crouching low below the projectiles. Sure, Marine training had been all chores and jogging and Garp’s fists for a while, but once he’d followed Coby out into the real world, it seemed people were always shooting at them.

“Hang on,” an unfamiliar voice said from the other side of the cavern the fools were currently shooting in. The muted tone of the voice told Helmeppo the words weren’t directed to him, but probably to the rest of the gaggle of pirates on that side of the cave.

The shooting died down, and quiet fell over the cavern. In the void came the sounds of fingers reloading weapons and feet splashing in the thin layer of water on the floor. Helmeppo used his thumb to adjust his grip on the kukri that he hadn’t dropped like an idiot. He wished there were dry clothes to change into, but that was nothing more than a fond daydream at the moment.

“Did we get him?” a higher voice asked. They were trying to speak quietly, but the open space carried every word. 

“Shh,” admonished another. The voices fell quiet. In their place were … footsteps. He heard four sets, but his limited haki gave him the idea that it was more like five. Maybe six. Some of them were pretty good, he had to give them that.

Limited space. Firearms. Outnumbered maybe six or more to … well … 

His eyes slid to the left, hidden by his shades. A lanky man hunkered down behind the same rock formation a few feet away steadfastly ignored him. The guy seemed focused on wringing out his sodden hat. No help there. At least he didn’t seem intent on joining in the attack on the other side either. Good enough, he supposed. 

Helmeppo flashed his kukri above the rock, immediately drawing another volley of gunshots. As the clamorous echoes died down, he scuttled left and vaulted over his cover. His wet clothes tugged at his limbs, but not enough to hamper him.

Eight. It turned out to be eight of them, with several of them fairly closely bunched up. Looked like his haki was just as unreliable as his ears, But Helmeppo couldn’t restrain a small smile, taking in the scene.

Perfect. 

With two quick steps, he planted his lead foot and chopped downward, knife biting deep into the crook of the nearest man’s elbow. The blade slid free cleanly as the gun dropped from his target’s hands. But he didn’t even pause. Two more steps and Helmeppo dropped to a knee in the thin puddle covering the entire floor, slashing upward across the midsection of a second attacker. The move could have disemboweled the guy if he aimed a little lower. As it was, he’d given the man something to worry about. 

The next nearest guy had wisely abandoned his unloaded gun and was in the act of trying to pull his sword, but his sodden leather scabbard seemed to be giving him some trouble. Springing forward from his crouch, Helmeppo reversed the knife and slammed the hilt into the man’s temple. The guy abandoned the attempt to pull his weapon in favor of bringing his hands up, trying to protect his head, but not fast enough. The second strike in the same spot sent him to the ground. 

As the guy crumpled, Helmeppo made as though to strike him a third time, but  switched the weapon blade-first again with a little twirl of his fingers, cutting just above the falling man’s head. Another of the pirates (a larger guy than the rest) was closing in beyond his falling teammate, but threw on the brakes as he saw the knife coming at his head. Letting the momentum of his swing aid him, Helmeppo stepped forward and brought his other hand up in a left hook that sent the man staggering. 

The rest of the crew were a little more spread out. Helmeppo scanned the room at a glance, searching, searching …

There.

He darted to the right, toward another of the pirates, one who had his sword out and ready. The guy looked confident, but after all the hell … er, training Helmeppo had been through, it was almost like the pirate was moving in slow motion. He raised his sword in both hands in preparation to chop downward on Helmeppo’s arms or shoulder. Helmeppo just kept charging … only to pivot to the left at the last second, ducking around the guy’s clumsy strike and using the hatchet-like blade of his knife to bite deep into the guy’s thigh before sliding free. A little more dangerous, but not if the crew got it taken care of quickly.  

He swung into a slide, finally snatching up the knife he’d dropped earlier, when he’d initially been dumped into this gods-forsaken cave. Another gun went off, but he hadn’t stopped moving yet, and the shooter might have been smart enough to save the shot or quick enough to reload, but hadn’t been good enough to actually aim the damn thing appropriately. Helmeppo came up running, pelting around to a woman wielding a cutlass. Her aim was better than the guy who’d tried to chop at him earlier, but he caught the blade in the hook of one knife. Gritting his teeth, he shoved the blade around and upward, using the opening to slam his elbow into the lady’s stomach. Then he was dodging around her, heading toward another of the pirates.

To the left! 

He skidded to a stop as his instincts all went into full warning mode. Pivoting, his crossed knives caught the business end of an oversized cutlass.

“Give it up, Marine,” the equally oversized idiot wielding the sword said -- one Helmeppo had thought he’d already laid out. The side of his face looked red where Helmeppo had punched him a minute ago. The Marine cursed himself briefly. Thinking a guy this huge would be done with a single punch? He wasn't Coby, he had these knives for a reason.

No time to dwell. His opponent didn’t seem terribly skilled, but he was very large and very strong. Helmeppo felt his arms tremble as they fought to oppose the downward pressure of the guy’s sword. But that wasn’t what worried him. 

Standing still, I’m a sitting duck.

Helmeppo angled the knives, redirecting the pressure along the blade of one of his weapons. The cutlass clanged into the stone floor.

A moment later, one of the kukri stabbed deep into the guy’s left shoulder. The guy dropped his weapon to put pressure on the wound, hissing in pain. 

As the man backed off, Helmeoppo took a few steps back toward the rocks from before, then took stock of the field again. Two unharmed, two injured but possibly able to fight, four who’d already lost the will. He flicked the bloodied weapons to either side, sending crimson droplets across the stone floor. Had that been enough? He didn’t really want to continue with this exercise. The pirates were strong and aggressive, but clearly relied on sheer numbers and a few highly skilled members to win most fights. He'd probably be all right, but he was alone, and definitely not at the top of his game. If it dragged on, this could go either way.

One of the two unharmed pirates took a shaking step back, but the other stepped forward, placing herself directly in Helmeppo’s way. “Get out of here and regroup,” the lady shouted. Most of the rest of the pirates hurried to do just that, some helping their downed teammates. Helmeppo watched the scramble, enjoying the ambiguity that his eye shade gave him. Under pretext of getting the stone again at his back, he positioned himself so the one pirate with a backbone stood between himself and the lone exit from this cavern. Let her have her heroic stand, protecting their retreat from the evil marine.

Letting them go might come back to bite him in the ass later, but he didn’t know how many more groups like this might be prowling around. He’d want to save his strength. Besides, he could just feel Coby’s eyes on him.

Wherever he was.

Shaking off that thought, he turned his attention back to his opponent. “You sure you want to do this?” Helmeppo asked, tapping the back of one of the knives casually against his shoulder. 

She narrowed her eyes and just watched him. 

Well, fair enough. 

Their clash was brief but intense. She fought with two knives as well. Hers were smaller, but they flashed with a darting efficiency that for the first time left him feeling like he was chasing in the fight. This lady actually had some skills, certainly more than the rest of that crew. 

But she was clearly used to being able to end a fight early with those quick reflexes. The strain of the fact that he was keeping up with her started to show pretty quickly, as she tried to drive him back and over into a corner. He could see her gritted teeth, the muscles in her neck straining as every inch of her tensed into the fight. 

Garp would say she needed some training. But she certainly showed promise.

After what felt like a while but in reality only took maybe twenty seconds, she began to slow. And a second later, he knocked one of her knives out of her hand. It skidded over behind the rocks where he’d been hiding earlier.

Immediately she hopped back to put space between herself and him, panting, eyes darting between his hands and the rocks. She knew she couldn’t fend off his attack with just one knife. So what are you going to do now? Go get it? Or run?

She made her decision almost immediately. 

Helmeppo didn’t have a particular investment in the fight, so he just watched her sprint for the rocks where her knife -- oh yeah, and the other person -- were. “Uh … hey!” He shouted after her, not really sure which one of them he was warning.

If she thought it was her, she ignored him. Reaching the rocks, she vaulted over and disappeared behind the uneven stones. Helmeppo straightened up, knives at his sides, just watching.

A couple seconds passed. Then a high sound that wasn’t exactly a scream but was certainly in that neighborhood issued from behind the rocks. The woman came leaping back into the open and sprinted for the exit, not sparing a single extra glance for the Marine. Helmeppo watched her go. 

“Figures she recognizes a former Warlord,” he muttered. Then, louder, “I appreciate the help.”

The lanky form unfolded from behind the rocks, his eye-catching clothes making him, to be fair, pretty recognizable. Trafalgar Law was a figure who, until today, Helmeppo had known only through reputation. Like Helmeppo and all the other pirates, his clothes were wet but he managed to look like it didn’t bother him in the least. Helmeppo found himself self-consciously resisting the urge to wring out the ends of his shirt. 

For a long moment, Law stared over at Helmeppo, as though debating whether or not to bother with him -- dark, hard eyes without an inch of pity. But the eyes didn’t bother him so much. It was the aura . He felt it off some of the most powerful marines when things got serious. Almost a physical force that pushed people away, warned them against approaching or staring. Here is danger. Beware, or die. Fleet Admiral Sakazuki seemed incapable of turning it off. 

Law’s wasn’t like the Fleet Admiral’s -- the marine’s aura felt appropriately like a volcano, close to erupting, dangerous, barely contained and likely to hurt anyone in range if unleashed. Law’s felt more like a snake -- intensely focused but restrained. No less deadly, for that.

You’re a Marine, you can’t just back down against a pirate. So Helmeppo didn’t cower, but he watched, keeping still and trying not to look like a threat. If that guy decided to act against him … well, he wasn’t Garp. He wasn’t even Coby. He had no illusions -- he’d try his best, but against the “Surgeon of Death” he didn’t fancy his chances. Hell, the islands of the Grand Line were littered with the bones of Marines who faced down pirates they couldn’t handle. But he couldn’t be a wimp about it. Not anymore. Not if he was going to keep up.

After a few seconds, Law looked away from Helmeppo, up toward the lone tunnel that was letting light into the cavern and started walking. 

The smart thing would be to just let him go. Helmeppo knew that. Ever since the weird water vortex had vomited them out on this lump of land, the only thing remotely connecting them was that (before everything had gone all to hell) they had nominally been fighting on the same side. But the bridge that connected them -- Coby and the Straw-Hat kid -- wasn’t here. So they weren’t allies. 

But … they did presumably both want to get back to the same place. So helping each other out wouldn’t hurt, right?

Helmeppo was feeling decidedly the odd man out. He’d lost his hat when they’d gotten washed to this gods-forsaken island, but every pirate here had probably been at that skirmish, and that any one of them could know what he was. And pirates might fight pirates, but the Marines were the enemy of them all. Which meant this could get seriously dangerous for him.

Damnit, Coby, he thought as he trudged up the tunnel toward the light, why did we have to get involved?

The sunlight as he stepped from inside to outside flared too bright for a moment, even with his shades on. Up ahead, Law stopped as Helmeppo stepped into the open air. “If you’re coming after me,” he said, voice brittle and no-nonsense, “you had better be confident in your ability to beat me.”

“I have no intention of fighting you,” Helmeppo said, taking a deep breath and  at least enjoying the sense of space around him. The cave had felt uncomfortably enclosed. Across from here, he could see a natural alcove made of vines and branches. Was that where they’d come out? Didn’t matter. “I’m not that stupid. But … well…”

“But?” Law’s apparent impatience turned the word into a knife. Hoo boy. Why did he have to be stuck with this guy of all people?

“It feels like two are going to be better than one,” Helmeppo said in his most reasonable tone. “Besides, the sooner we can get back to our compatriots, the sooner we can leave this … whatever this is.”

Another silence stretched between them. Then Law turned his back on him. “Do what you want.” There was such dismissal in the words that Helmeppo bristled, but what could he do about it? So he followed. 

It wasn’t what he wanted to do, but it certainly beat wandering around alone on a strange island or just sitting around like a lump waiting for attack or rescue.

[emersondarling]

Camille Attacks. Again.

Fandom: Mortal Intruments/Shadowhunters

Pairing: Raphael/Simon (Saphael)

Word Count: 1861

Requested: No

Summary: This takes place after the Mortal War and the vampires of Hotel Dumort, Luke's pack, Magnus, and some Shadowhunters have a meeting at Jade Wolf when an attack takes place. Camille is leading it and wants to kill Luke and his pack for killing some of her followers. She takes her rouge vampire followers and portals to the headquarters with the intent of killing the werewolves and claiming her "rightful" place as clan leader.

Notes: Sorry it's long and the ending is trash. I ran out of ideas. :)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The sun was sinking below the horizon, which meant that it was time to go out hunting. Raphael sat comfortably on the couch, reading, with Simon's head on his shoulder. It was peaceful and quiet in the hotel, unusual considering the clan that lived in it was noisy and boisterous. He should've known the silence wouldn't last.

"Raphael," Lily said from behind them. "Luke and the Shadowhunters want to meet at the werewolves' hideout, Jade Wolf, to talk. He said it's casual, but there's a problem."

He sighed inwardly. Just one day without interruptions was all he wanted. But he nodded and told her to get the clan ready to leave. Simon stood up tiredly and stretched.

"I just want to stay here." he groaned.

"Duty calls," Raphael responded, a bit annoyed as well.

He threw on one of Simon's black, oversized lgbtq+ pride hoodies and walked around the hotel yelling in Spanish to get their asses moving.

At last, the clan was ready. Most of them dressed in hoodies and tired.

"Why do we HAVE to go," whined Elliot as he took a sip of his coffee-blood mixture. "It's to early, or well late, for this!"

"Cause we want to show we are allies with them, and we are dependable," reasoned Phoenix.

"You're supposed to be on my side," he groaned back.

"Phoenix is right, Elliot. Besides, we are already going," commented Simon.

"You're the only one they like," Zeke stated.

"Well, they are going to have to like you," Simon started. "You are all my family so they can put up with it. We are leaving, yes?"

At the word family, many vampires smiled. Simon has moved into Dumort after the war and so far had stayed about a year getting used to his new family.

Raphael nodded. "Let's go."

They all walked at mundane speed, not wanting to overuse their energy on speed. When they reached the bar, many werewolves glanced at them. Their eyes lingered on their clothing before hastily looking away.

"Do we look that bad?" asked Elliot jokingly.

Lily shook her head, her magenta hair pulled up in messy bun. "We are usually dressed up, you know? Raphael in his suits and stuff. Now, we probably look like a bunch of college students that have their first class at 8."

Finally they reached the back of the bar, where Luke was leaning against door frame, talking to someone in the room.

"Werewolf," Raphael stated.

Luke turned towards the clan with a surprised look on his face, which he quickly hid.

"Wonderful of you to join us on such late notice. Everyone else is in here."

He gestured to the room that was on his other side. Raphael nodded and moved forwards into the room, his clan at his heels. It was an spacious room with pale beige walls. There were dark brown chairs clustered by the walls and a huge matching table in the center.

He first saw the Shadowhunters. Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Alec, and Jocelyn sitting in the furthest left corner. Then Magnus, who had an arm draped around his boyfriend's shoulder. When they say him, they looked just as surprised as Luke. Even Jace couldn't hide his shock. Magnus just smiled.

Raphael took a seat towards the middle of the wall and let his family spread out beside him. Simon took a seat to Raphael's right with Elliot on the other side of him. Lily sat on Raphael's left with Honor next to her.

Luke has started talking. "My pack had just fought in a large battle yesterday..." He trailed off before sighing and continuing. "against vampires."

When the words had left his lips, the vampires, excluding Raphael and Simon, were on their feet glaring at Luke.

"Are you blaming us?" snarled Lily, eye's ablaze. "I'll let you know-"

Simon cut her off softly. "Lil, I'm sure he's not blaming us. It's a peaceful meeting. Please sit down, hermana."

She looked at Luke once more before sitting down, angry. The other vampires were still tensed but sat also.

"I don't blame you for anything," Luke continued slowly. "There's just something about that group. They knew where we were and who was with us because they planned their numbers and strengths strategically. I was wondering if u happened to know who."

The vampires looked uneasy while Raphael and Simon shared glances. Before anyone could speak up, Magnus suddenly tensed and shot up from his seat.

"There's a portal open," he said.

The Shadowhunters scrambled to their feet, drawing their weapons. Luke strode out to the main bar area and within seconds the pack that was there was beside him.

Luke walked to the door leading to the courtyard, hand on the knob. He glanced back at his pack before opening the door and running through. He stopped in the middle of the courtyard. A couple yards away, a vibrant blue portal shone. The only other lights were the ones scattered around the courtyard.

The Manhattan clan moved to the left of the pack while Magnus and the Shadowhunters stayed behind the downworlders groups, ready to fight.

A familiar figure strutted though the newly open portal. Camille. Behind her, at least 100 more vampires, some carrying weapons, followed her. She raised her right hand, and a beaten up warlock with an obvious lion tail held out his hands. Blinding light shot from them, and a green glowing wall was created behind and around the werewolves and vampires, cutting them off from the Shadowhunters, Magnus, and the outside world. (Basically a big wall around the vampires and werewolves, with enough room to fight)

"Wonderful to see you all again," she laughed, her smile taunting. She clapped slowly. "It's too bad that the werewolves just fought a battle huh, Lucian."

At that, Luke snarled but not liking the odds. He only had half of his pack, and unfortunately Camille was right about them recovering. They couldn't fight without being absolutely slaughtered. The Shadowhunters behind him couldn't help, and Magnus was unsuccessfully trying to break the wall.

"And you," she turned to face Raphael. "Step down. I should be clan leader."

His eyes narrowed. "And let you kill more mundanes? Absolutely not."

She sighed. "Well, I'll deal with you later. I'll just kill the werewolves then we can discuss our...positions."

The blonde haired vampire turned back to Luke, baring her fangs. Before she could attack or order an attack, Simon used his speed to place himself in front of Luke.

"I won't let you," he said bravely.

"Oh poor you," Camille stated boredly. "you'll just be killed also."

When the words had left her lips, the vampires all tensed.

Lily snarled, "Keep your filthy hands off of our fledgling." The clan and nodded in agreement, baring their fangs warningly.

"Who's going to stop me? You?" she asked, smirking. "You have no control over the clan."

"Si, but I do." Raphael's voice rang out, and he made his way casually to Simon's side.

Camille laughed tauntingly. "Why protect them? In the end, it won't matter. Step aside."

"I stand for what I believe. The one time I didn't, I lost my first life." Raphael's gaze was calm, but pure fire raged in his eyes. "I refuse to step aside. You'll have to make me."

"You'll have to make us," added Lily. She walked towards the werewolves to stand besides her leader and the Daylighter. The other vampires spread out protectively in front of Luke's werewolf clan, creating a loose, staggered wall between them and Camille.

Camille's confident smirk turned into a cold snarl.

"You stand with the werewolves after they took everything away from you? You know, it didn't have to end like this." She tilted her head to the side. "You could have just stepped down from your position and let me kill them but no. It always has to end in blood, huh. Well, no matter. I shall be the clan leader, and I will lead the vampires out of the shadows. The legacy you fought so hard to keep is over, Raphael Santiago. So much for being a saint."

With that she waved her hand at the opposing vampires and werewolves. "Kill them all."

Clary screamed out for Simon and Luke while Magnus merely whispered Raphael's name.

Both sides clashed into one mob of blood and snarling. Raphael, Simon, and half the clan shot forward to meet the other side while the other half stood protectively in front of the pack.

Raphael sprinted forward and ducked as a vampire lunged at him, fangs extended. He swiftly drew a dagger and brought it up in an arch. The blade stabbed his stomach. Raphael jerked it up till it reached his heart and the vampire exploded into dust. Another bulkier one advanced in front of him, and he could sense two from behind. He darted forwards, jumping on the one in front of him. He used him as a surface and back flipped over the ones behind him, giving him time to see what weapons they had.

He used his speed to drop down and hurriedly rammed the already bloodied dagger in her heart from behind. The other turned and sliced downwards with a golden sword. He dodged, flipping to the side and kicking her feet from beneath her. Her grip loosened and he grabbed the sword with his other hand and stabbed. All around him the battle raged on. Though they were outnumbered, his clan was quicker and smarter.

A tall boy, who looked around 17, had targeted Simon and threw a punch. Raphael's training kicked in. Simon bolted towards him and locked the vampire's outstretched arm in his own. Simon turned and flipped him over his shoulder. He slammed into multiple enemies before reaching the border and finally collapsing.

He felt small hands grab his shoulders and a cold breath in his neck. Before she could bite him, she was thrown off. Now, he was back to back with Raphael. The clan leader pushed a dagger into his hand.

"Be careful, idiota. Te amo."

Simon nodded back. "Don't get blood on my favorite sweatshirt."

By the time Raphael and Simon bumped into each other again, the battle was winding down. The vampires of Hotel Dumort regrouped while Raphael walked towards the Shadowhunters, the border still glowing. He pressed his hand to the glowing wall. He muttered a soft prayer in Spanish, and the wall glowed brightly before it evaporated into mist. His eyes lifted to meet the Shadowhunters', the pack's, and Magnus's.

"Well, that was interesting."

Simon was grinning. "Did you see that fight?! We looked awesome!"

Raphael rolled his eyes, but stayed silent as Simon excitedly fanboyed. The clan made their way to where Raphael and the others stood. None of them looked to be fatally injured.

Lily sighed. "Well, that solves your problem. Can I leave now?"

Elliot snorted next to her. "Why are you so blunt?"

Lily frowned. "I can be whatever I want."

She stuck her tongue out at him. Raphael turned to Luke and nodded an acknowledgment. He turned on his heel with his family and they headed back.

Edit: Well hopefully that wasn't too bad. I just read it again and i'm not sure what happened to Camille but uhm she's probably dead.

[danurso]

Dimensional friends AU

*RWBY, JNR, oscar, qrow and maria are walking down argus streets*

Ruby: so, how are we supposed to get to atlas now?

Maria: i don’t know, with that old devilish hag blocking the way i think it's going to be pretty hard.

Jaune: i...think i have a plan.

Ruby: really? What is it?

Jaune: i talked with a old friend of mine and he’ll take us there, but it's going to take some time for him to arrive so we should get our weapons checked before this.

Weiss: is this old friend trustworthy?

Jaune: yeah, totally.

Yang: who could guess we would be saved by one of vomit boy’s old friends, i didn’t even knew you have friends before us.

Jaune: ha...ha...very funny, but just like you, i have my past.

Ruby: but you never actually told us right? I mean, you know what happened with me and yang in the past and we all know what the rest got through, but you never actually told about your past.

Jaune: well, my past is not a big deal, so i never had much of a reason to tell you.

Yang: i imagine, you probably spend the days reading comics and watching anime right?

Jaune: *sheepishly* yeah, pretty much.

Blake: so, where can we get our guns checked.

Jaune: i know someone, lets go.

*in the shady part of the town*

Ruby: *nervously* jaune...where are we going?

Jaune: we need to check our weapons right? I know someone who can help us with that. *gets inside a building passing a pair of tall bulky mans and getting into a large store full of weapon parts*

Ruby: *with stars in her eyes* thats a modified muzzle for a vulcan mk.3!? Ohh and this is a stock for a ballistic 1190!? I thought you could only find these in the black market!!

Weiss: *staring at some components* these parts could really be useful, but how can someone sell these pieces legally in such a place.

???: *in a russian accent* that is because they are not legal.

Weiss: *turns to see a really tall and bulky man that seemed more like a wall, he was bald with a long black beard, a scar over his blind left eye and with a robotic left arm* err...g-good afternoon...?

???: what kids are doing in my shop?

Qrow: *sweating profusely* w-wait, i know you, you’re vlad, skullbreaker vlad or colossus vlad, leader of the biggest black market of remnant.

Vlad: *with a shivering scowl* you little man know too much, i hope you not with police, are you?

Qrow: m-me? N-n-no im not.

Vlad: *staring at the group* what about you? You do not look good for business, specially the schnee girl, me have my mens to take you out or me will crack your heads myself *cracking his metal fingers with a deadly look*

RWBY, NR, Qrow, oscar, maria: *sweating profusely*

Jaune: you’re not doing this with your best friend are you?

Vlad: *stares at jaune for a moment* ...jaune?

Jaune: in flesh and bone.

Vlad: *stares for a bit longer before laughing and pulling him into a crushing hug* GHAHAHAHA!! IT HAS BEEN A WHILE!! HOW ARE YOU DOING LITTLE FRIEND!?

Jaune: *breathless* i’ll tell you after you stop crushing my spine.

Vlad: sorry little friend *lets him go* me forgot how fragile you are.

Jaune: yeah, im so fragile that i saved your ass back in budapest.

Vlad: that was after me save you in hong kong.

Jaune: but you forgot that hong kong was after malasia, where i saved you not only once but twice.

Vlad: hahahahaha!! Me will give you victory this time little friend, so, what can this old man do for you?

Jaune: me and my friends need some new weapon parts for our next travel, think you can help us out?

Vlad: sure! Any friend of jaune is my friend too, take anything you want, it is on me this time, a little thanks for your help last time.

Jaune: *sheepishly* i said you don’t need to thank me for that.

Vlad: me insist, thanks to you i can lay back in peace with wife and daughter by the end of day, so it is only natural for me to pay back for favor.

Jaune: right, thanks vlad.

Vlad: *with a huge smile* no problems little friend.

*later on*

Weiss: jaune…

Jaune: yes?

Weiss: what was that?

Jaune: vlad is a old friend i met, we hung out sometimes to do some stuff and he owes me a few favors, nothing much.

Blake: nothing much? Your friend is the leader of the number one black market of remnant, not only that but on our way back you talked with several other dangerous criminals like it was something normal.

Jaune: well...i just got some things on my past that led me to meet them, nothing much.

Ruby: *hugging crescent rose* at least now we got some awesome parts for our weapons.

Weiss: still we-

*BRUMMM*

Ruby: what's going on!?

Oscar: look! *stares at a giant robot leaving the mountain and going directly towards a giant godzilla-like grimm followed by a horde of other grimms*

Yang: thats not good.

Ruby: let's go! We need to help them!

*on the edge of the city*

Qrow: *slices a grimm in half* shit, they’re already invading the city.

Ruby: *staring at the fallen robot and the still up giant grimm* and the big one destroyed the robot, what do we do!?

Yang: we can’t fight that thing, but we can’t evacuate the city in time, anyone have a plan?

Jaune: i do! Give me a second. *takes off his glove slashing his hand drawing some blood from it and reciting what seemed like a chant in a weird language*

Ruby: jaune what are you do-

*ground starts to shake and the skies start to glow brighter before a pillar of black fire comes from the ground and a pillar of white light comes from heaver, both side by side*

Weiss: W-WHAT IS GOING ON!? *the white pillar disappear to reveal a woman with light fair skin, wavy golden hair, cyan blue eyes, clad in white robes and with a pair of white feathery wings*

Yang: w-what the… *staring at the man from the black pillar with pale white skin, red slitted eyes surrounded by black scleras, two black horns, a pair of bat like wings and clad in black robes*

???: you called?

Jaune: schiffer, steph, i know its too sudden but i need your help, these grimms are invading the city and several peoples are getting injured because of it.

Schiffer: *grins looking at the grimms around* sure, it will he fun. *raises his hand summoning a pitch black sword and raising it opening several portals from the ground which released a horde of demonic creatures that attacked the grimms*

Steph: *nods with a gentle smile* i’ll help the injurieds. *raises her hand summoning a white staff and raising it to summon portals from the skies that released human looking creatures with white feathery wings that started to help and heal the civilians.* i will help as well *flies off to the city*

Schiffer: and i’ll join the action *grins flying off towards the grimm and punching the grimm with enough strength to make it fly back several meters*

Jaune: *sighs in relief* i think we’re safe now.

RWBY, NR, Qrow, oscar, maria: *with jaws on the ground* w-what the hell is going on?

*a few minutes later*

Jaune: *sheepishly* sorry to call both of you here so suddenly, i would have warned if i could.

Steph: its okay, we don’t mind.

Schiffer: yeah, and it was kinda fun as well, not too challenging but fun nonetheless.

Jaune: of course it wasn't fun, you sliced that thing in half five seconds after the first punch, what did you expected?

Weiss: CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!?

Jaune: oh right, sorry guys, these are my friends.

Schiffer: *with a small grin* i’m schiffer, the demon prince, nice to meet you jaune’s friends.

Steph: *with a soft smile* and i am steph, the angel princess, it's nice to meet all of you.

Blake: wait wait wait...demon prince and angel princess?

Jaune: yeah, they’re the firstborns of the kings of their respective races, they used to be in war since the beginning of times but things changed recently.

Schiffer: yeah *grips steph’s hand* thanks to jaune i realized that having steph in my life was way more important than the war we were fighting.

Steph: *with a bright smile and a light blush* agreed, i don’t think i can live without schiffer in my life anymore, all that thanks to jaune.

Schiffer: its thanks to him we’re married today, and that our races can now coexist in peace.

Nora: so that means fearless leader stopped a war from the beginning of times by making you two fall in love for eachother?

Steph: basically.

Weiss: wha-bu-an-w-that doesn’t even make sense!

Schiffer: maybe, but you humans are still too young to comprehend the elder races *turns back to jaune* so, is that everything?

Jaune: yeah, thanks for the help, sorry again for disturbing you two.

Steph: don’t worry about that, after everything you did for us this is nothing.

Schiffer: call us if you ever need out help again. *hugs steph’s waist* now if you excuse us, me and my honey have some business to take care off. *grins*

Steph: *blushing slightly* d-darling, you’re too naughty.

Schiffer: ohh, i know i am. *looks back at the group* later everyone. *disappear in a gray pillar of light*

Qrow: ....what the hell just happened?

Ruby: jaune...you have a lot of explaining to do.

Jaune: *staring at his scroll* sure, but we should talk about this later, my friend arrived, we can already go to atlas.

Blake: and where is he? *gets then covered by a shadow and looks up to see a massive ship flying above the city*

Jaune: *deadpaning* a valiant super heavy cruiser? Really?

???: general said it needed to be this one.

RWBY, NR, Qrow, oscar, maria: *turns around to see a tall man clad in green armor and helmet, holding a hi-tech rifle and with the number ‘117’ on the left side of his chest.*

Jaune: really chief? We’re only going to atlas, a small ship would be enough.

Master chief: general insisted that i should bring the cruiser.

Jaune: why? It's just a short travel, there’s no need for that.

Master chief: still, you know how the general is, he has you in high regards since you’re the one who settled the balance and peace between all the races of the universe, it's only natural that he would be carefull with you.

Jaune: *sigh* whatever, as long as we get to atlas i think it's okay, it's good to see you again at least chief.

Master chief: i could say the same thing, now let's go, the ship will leave in twenty minutes.

Jaune: okay, i'm right after you *starts to walk but stops and looks back at the group who is frozen with jaws on the ground* what is it?

Ruby: are these peoples space warriors?

Jaune: more like space soldiers, but basically yes.

Weiss: how do you know them?

Blake: and what does he means with you establishing the peace between all races in the universe?

Jaune: *shrugs* some things just happen and you can’t avoid it.

Yang: *stomping towards him and gripping his shoulders tightly with a deadly look* vomit boy, you’re telling us everything about your past on our way to atlas, okay?

Jaune: *sweating profusely* o-okay…

Yang: *deadly serious* is there any other friend we should know about?

Jaune: i-i don’t think s-

???: *teleports behind jaune* wha-? This isn’t king kai’s planet.

???: i told you you were doing something wrong kakarot.

???: oh, hey jaune, it's been a while.

Jaune: *nervously* h-hey goku, vegeta, could you come back later please, im a bit busy now.

Goku: *stares at a fuming yang emanating a fire aura* t-this ki is just like chichi’s *nervously* we’re leaving, see’ya jaune, good luck. *teleports away*

Jaune: *nervous chuckle* i'm probably going to have to explain that too right?

Yang: you just read my mind.

(Confuse? If so then my job here is done)

[ladyaudentium]

Devil Trigger One Piece FanFiction

Summary:  Escaping my imprisonment had been my only goal, making friends- and perhaps something more- was never something I thought I would ever experience again. But freedom and happiness always come with a price. Mine is watching and waiting, carefully pulling strings from the shadows. (MarcoxOC)

FanFiction.net

A03

Chapter 1: Escape

"You there! Stop!"

My heart leapt into my chest.

"It's no good, RUN!" the blonde man cried, pulling me along by the arm. The special chains around my wrists jangled as we gave up all pretense of stealth and made a break for the exit, my bare feet slapping on the cold metal floor matching pace with my pounding heart.

I dared not look back as the sound of approaching footsteps was only increasing until my heartbeat wasn't the only thing pounding in my ears. Tears began to stream from my eyes, I wouldn't, couldn't go back. Not now, not that I've had a chance for freedom. I couldn't bear the thought of going back into that windowless room and putting on the white restraint jacket once more.

The blond haired blue eyed boy tugged me along urging me to go faster, but my breath was already beginning to get ragged and strained. I was running as fast as I could, but the restraints on my thin wrists sapped my strength.

A tug on the thin, ragged cloak I was wearing momentarily choked me before it was followed by, "I've got it!"

I cried out in fear and distress as the blonde's hold on me was momentarily broken. His bowl cut swirled around his face as he turned back to face my captor. "Duck!" he yelled and before I could do much more than blindly follow instruction, he was levelling a pistol at the one holding me.

My ears rang loudly as the gun fired and I felt my cloak come free before I was once again being pulled along. Before I could stop, I turned to see what had happened to see the horrifying sight of a man lying unmoving in a growing puddle of his own blood. The ones continuing to pursue us barely gave him a downwards glance as they stepped over his body and continued behind us.

Tripping over my own feet, I turned back to face forward as my hope turned to ash, "Kensei, there's no way we're going to make it! Look! The door!"

Sure enough the heavy main doors had begun to shut and the white light at the end of the tunnel began to slowly disappear. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out several round objects and with his teeth pulled the tabs on them causing them to start sparking. "Oh yes we are!" he cried before throwing them as far as he could. There was a brief moment where they bounced off the doors with an innocent 'ting' before there was a huge flash of light and a wave of scalding heat before the bang.

Throwing his free arm around me, the young man used his body to shield me from the blast of the bomb. The screams of the soldiers around us followed almost immediately before I was once again being pulled roughly by the arm. Rubble and stone continued to fall all around us. The light continued to dim as rubble piled up in front of the door, until only a single ray of light shone down through the dust that hung in the air.

The smoke cleared in a great sweep of a staff to reveal the guard Captain between us and freedom. His coat, worn off his shoulders like a cape, billowed in the breeze he'd created. The strong jawline eerily backlit by the light created a sharp outline of his face. The hollows of his deep set eyes and cheeks gave him a skull like appearance and I felt a deep seated cold fear take hold of me. I had nothing but horrible memories of this man.

"You have made a valiant effort, Kensei, but it was all for nothing. This is as far as you go. You will pay for your betrayal with your life." The large man spoke in a deep commanding voice exuding an intimidating air like none I'd ever felt before. "Return Zero-Five to us right now and I will ensure your death is a painless one." the butt of the stave was levelled towards Kensei's face and the last of the smoke cleared to show that we were surrounded by more men in white outfits armed with rifles and swords alike.

I clung fearfully to the blue eyed boy beside me. I didn't want to go back into the hands of these monsters but the thought of Kensei suffering more because of helping me cut deep. Slowly I began to release my grip, if it would save the one person who had shown me any kindness, I should give myself up.

Putting his hands over mine, Kensei gently pulled my hands away from his arm and pushed me slightly away from his body. Confused I stared at him as he grinned comfortingly at me, "Don't worry, I won't be dying here." turning towards the guard captain, Kensei addressed him, "You can't stop what I've done here! This will all end one way or another!" he once more pulled more bombs from his pockets and in one fluid motion lit them all, "Run, Ardyn!" he cried before throwing the explosives behind us.

"I won't let you!" the captain cried before lunging towards us, arm extended to grab me and staff raised to hit my blonde savior. For a moment I was stunned in fear until I heard the gunshot and watched the captain fall to the side.

Kensei's voice rang out true in the aftermath "RUN!" and I didn't question it any further before my legs propelled me forwards, adrenaline pumping through my system, fueling me forwards. The chaos all around seemed to happen in slow motion as men screamed and began to panic from the explosions. Only a few of them seemed to be focused on me as they all began to flee for their lives in all directions, trampling and hindering their still focused colleagues in the process.

"Keep running! Don't look back!" the young man called as I reached the rubble that was all that remained of the front door. Unfortunately, his command caused me to do exactly the opposite and just as i climbed to the top of the pile I glanced over my shoulder to see Kensei lighting more bombs as he pinned the Captain to the ground.

"KENSEI!" I screamed in fear. He couldn't let those go off! He would die!

The young boy looked up at me and smiled genuinely, "Don't worry, Ardyn I won't be dying here."

I opened my mouth to protest, only to be blinded by a flash of light and an explosion that rocked the entire building. The heat seared my face as the blast blew me out into the courtyard. My ears were ringing once again with the intensity of the blast as I tumbled ass over teakettle into the dry grass. Rocks and bits of stone peppered the grounds as well as my unprotected body. Instinctively I curled into a tight ball to try and protect myself.

A moment passed with my face buried in my arms and when I wasn't crushed by any falling debris I allowed myself a careful glance up. My eyes widened in shock when I saw only a bare skeleton of the building that had once caused me so much agony. The once imposing stone fortress was ablaze with flames running all the way up to the very top of the tallest tower.

Guards and white lab coats alike scrambled for their lives and desperately searched for a way to quench the hungry flames. I sat in shock and awe at the awesome sight before me and I felt my eyes begin to burn. How on earth could Kensei have survived that blast? There's no possible way, he was right in the middle of it.

My stomach dropped into my ankles as I leapt to my feet- a mistake that left me feeling dizzy and unable to see clearly for a moment- and desperately searched the courtyard for any sign of him.

There was none. He had given his life for me in that last moment so that I could escape.

A sob wracked its way out of my chest a moment before a skinny man with overly large glasses spotted me, "Do not let Zero-Five escape! Our research needs to be continued!" he screeched in his reedy almost pre-pubescent voice which clashed heavily with his wildly untamed white hair and bent posture that only comes with old age.

Glaring hatefully at him, I turned and without a second thought ran as fast as my legs would carry me out the front gate that was open according to Kensei's plan. I couldn't afford to let myself get caught now and let my friend's sacrifice go to waste.

My heart beat harder than ever before as my lungs pumped air in and out of my body as best they could. The road down the hill was uneven and full of gravel with tiny sharp rocks that I could feel digging into the soft soles of my feet. I could not afford to stop, however as I could hear the clamor of armed guards close on my heels.

The chains sapping my strength were starting to take a heavy toll on my body as my legs began to give way beneath my weight. A particularly bad stumble sent me staggering dangerously close to the edge of the road which was bordered by a steep cliff. I desperately attempted to steer myself away from its unforgiving edge but my legs once again gave out beneath me and with a scream of terror i tumbled over the edge.

Curling into a tight ball I tried to avoid injury as much as I possibly could but the sharp rocks dug into every bit of my body. I landed heavily, the wind knocked from my lungs. Frozen with shock I couldn't do anything more than desperately attempt to draw air into my lungs with very minimal success.

A distance voice cursed, "Shit! It fell down! We'll go down and trap it against the cliff come on!"

"It's a miracle, it's still alive!" called another as they ran off.

A ragged breath finally entered my lungs before I started coughing violently and winced when it pulled on several tender muscles and bones. Rolling over, I clawed my way up onto all fours before I laboriously pushed myself up. I couldn't afford to wait here for them to corner me like they said they would. I needed to escape.

Glancing up I saw my salvation.

A town.

Stumbling into a shuffling, limping run I made my way over to where I knew other people were. Ones that weren't employed under the so called "scientists" who worked up in the newly destroyed lab.

People were milling all about the edge of the houses and shops, watching with horror as the large building atop the mountain burned to ash. A few women noticed me and covered their mouths in shock.

"Help! Please help me." I begged approaching the closest woman, my voice ragged and weak. Her hair was tied in a bun and she had a homely air to her.

Her brown eyes stared at me in horror, "My poor dear, what on earth has happened to you?" she asked me, terrified.

"The Lab blew up and I was finally able to escape, please help me. Don't let those men get me." i pointed to the guards who had finally reached the bottom of the road and were sprinting towards us at full speed. It would only be another moment or two before they reached me.

"Young lady what were you doing up there? And why are you-?"

"She's got a demon in her! Look! She's wearing those special chains!" a man cried from my left and roughly grabbed me by the wrist and held my arms above my head to show the other villagers. I screamed in pain as it stretched my wounded body.

"Please," I choked, "please don't let me be taken back, I promise I won't hurt anybody!" hope was dying in my chest. Would these people really not help me?

"Demon! Go back to hell!" another man from the crowd cried as the guards approached en masse.

Panicked, I began to struggle from the one holding me, desperate to escape. "Let me go!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. I glanced to the woman I'd approached and my heart broke completely to see her glaring at me with the same hatred that the man had spoken with in his voice.

Without warning, the man holding me threw me down at the feet of the guards who were waiting patiently to see what would happen. "Here," the man spat, "keep this under better watch, it put us all in danger. Just look what it did to your base!"

I lay on the ground where I'd been thrown, curled up in a ball trying to hide from the word and hoping against hope that if I curled up small enough that I would just disappear into the ground. The pain from my injuries began to make itself known and I no longer had the strength to attempt to flee, my feet were no doubt bleeding from the treatment I'd put them through just now.

"Yes, it is very dangerous, your assistance in catching it is greatly appreciated. We'll make sure it's locked up nice and tight." rough hands grabbed my arms and shoulders and without a care for my well being, hauled me up onto my feet. "It won't be seeing the daylight again for a very long time after what it pulled today."

I looked up in time to see the one speaking grin cruelly. I recognized him as the guard lieutenant, he was a cruel man who drew great satisfaction from my suffering. More than once he had personally make sure to make every bit of my existence as hellish as possible. No, I would not go quietly. I would not go back. I would rather die than spend one more minute in that hell.

"That wasn't m-!" I was cut off in my defense when he backhanded me across the side of my face.

"You can't afford to let it speak, it talks of nothing but lies." he lied, as the crowd hummed in agreement.

A coppery taste drifted into my mouth and I could tell that the inside of my cheek was bleeding. The last of my resolve melted away after that last hit and I let my weight rest entirely on the two men supporting me. I was caught. That was that. I was going back whether I liked it or not.

Thick silent tears fell down my cheeks and a cut began to sting on my face. So this was it then was it… this is how I would spend the rest of my life. A caged animal.

"I can't sit by and watch this anymore." the click of a pistol cocking caught my attention as my head snapped up, "Let the girl go, now."

This person sounded like a man but with the traditional geisha hairstyle and pink kimono, I was confused. Maybe someone else had spoken? But… whoever this was… was helping me?

"This demon isn't a girl, it just takes the form of one. You've been fooled by its lies." the Lieutenant answered shakily, clearly intimated by the person holding a gun to his head. I stared in awe, I had never seen him scared before.

"People like you disgust me." the mysterious man, pushed the gun against his skin. "Let her go, i won't ask again." the rage was clear in his voice and i felt myself becoming scared and intimidated.

"I would listen to him, boys. Izo isn't one to make idle threats." another male voice spoke up and the ones holding me turned to see another figure in a white suit and a very tall pompadour. He was holding twin blades and stood with a lazy confidence.

A fragile hope began to once again take hold in my heart. I renewed my struggle to get away, planting my feet and thrusting upwards as hard as my weakened limbs would push. For a moment their combined grip weakened and i nearly broke free, but before I could take a step forward, one of them grabbed the collar of my ragged cloak and pulled me back. This time he wrapped his arm around my neck and began to choke me.

"Filthy demon, hold still."

The Lieutenant grit his teeth until a vein popped on his forehead, "How dare you interfere in our business? Don't you know who we're funded by?"

"I think you got bigger problems if you don't know who we are, yoi." a third man called from a rooftop, he wore a purple shirt and had a shock of blonde hair atop his head. Across his chest was emblazoned a blue cross with a half moon curving upwards through the center. I watched in awe as blue flames sprout up around his form.

One moment, I was being choked, the next I had collapsed to the ground as the guards around me forgot about their job in their fear. "W-Whitebeard Pirates!" they cried in terror. At their exclamation, the townspeople similarly scattered in panic. They rushed to homes and any place of refuge they could find. Some screamed mostly indecipherable phrases including more calls of "demons" and "pirates".

I covered my eyes to protect them from the dust and debris being thrown up in their wake. Instinctively I curled into a ball to avoid being stepped on. With the soldiers having retreated several steps behind me, I was now in open area and in definite danger of being trampled.

"I think you boys understand the predicament you're in now, yeah?" the one in the white stated rhetorically.

I think he may have tapped his swords on something, but I was too enamored with the man wreathed in blue flames to pay much attention elsewhere. He was unlike anyone I'd ever seen, whatever let him stay unsinged within those flames was beyond my comprehension.

"So we'll give you a choice, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. But either way the girl will be coming with us." the pink robed (wo)man stated without any room left for argument.

"L-lieutenant, what do we do?" one of the grunts asked, fear clearly evident in his voice.

There was a beat of tense silence as the newly appointed leader weighed his very limited options. I glanced up to see the lieutenant was still on the dangerous end of the pistol pointed to his head, sweat bulleted down his temples. The sound of his teeth grinding was clearly audible even from my position on the ground.

"It's not worthwhile to fight here and die for that… thing, boys."

"But sir-!" cried one of the others.

"DO NOT QUESTION ME, PRIVATE! Our employers wouldn't want to cross Whitebeard. Plus, this isn't a fight we will win. Not against three Commanders." he ground out.

The man in the kimono pulled his gun away with a small, triumphant smirk but he did not step away, nor did he disarm the weapon. I watched with only minimal relief as the troupe of soldiers retreated back up to the ruined lab. Once they were gone, I was left alone with these so called Whitebeard pirates.

The closest one in the pink kimono turned towards me and upon making eye contact my body flew back into a panic. My heart raced and my breath came quick. Scrambling to get on my feet, I turned to crawl away only for my arms to give out beneath me. I desperately kicked my legs to futilely attempt to get to my feet but they were no longer strong enough to support me either. The dirt beneath them started to change to a rusty red as I lacerated my already injured soles.

"It's okay, you're safe now. We won't hurt you, are you alright?" the pick robed one knelt down and extended his hand to me a genuinely kind smile stretching his painted lips.

"I don't want to go back." I whimpered and whipped my head around frantically as the one with the tall hair and white outfit approached me from behind. Once again i struggled to get to my feet but found my limbs were even weaker than before and my arms gave out completely.

"Woah there, careful now." strong hands caught my shoulders just before I hit the unforgiving ground and i glanced up into the widely grinning face of the man in white. Now that he was closer I could see he had a scar tracing the outside of his left eye.

"My name is Izo, what's yours?" the one in pink introduced himself as the man who had been wreathed in the blue flames landed behind him.

Everything in my body had shut down in absolute panic. Speaking was no longer something I was capable of, it was all I could do to not pass out completely. I was completely paralyzed unable to move a muscle while also shaking uncontrollably. My breathing was hard and fast while my heart raced faster than ever before in my ears.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. You're never going to see those men ever again. We're going to take you far away from here alright?" Izo stated gently before glancing at the one behind me and giving him a knowing nod.

"Alright, up we go." the hands under my shoulders slowly pulled me up until i was standing on my own two feet again. Like lightning the sting of my injuries lanced through my body and shocked me out of my panic state.

"Where am i going? Who are you? Why are you…?" I couldn't finish my sentence as my throat closed up with emotion. These people were showing me more kindness in the first few minutes they'd met me than the whole of my time in the lab. Well… with the exception of Kensei… my heart twisted hard at the memory of him.

The arms holding me up disappeared and as my full weight was placed onto my feet. My knees immediately gave way and I started to fall forwards. Adrenaline suddenly spiking, I braced for impact only for the same arms from before to wrap around my middle and once again keep me from collapsing.

Alarm bells were echoing my head but I no longer had the energy to resist. My body had run out of adrenaline to produce for my body and combined with the cuffs around my wrists, I was quickly losing the ability of movement. In a daze of exhaustion I didn't have the ability to resist or help the one currently lifting me up so one of his arms supported my back while the other rested under my knees.

As the group began to walk, my eyes came to rest on the one in the purple shirt, more specifically his tattoo. It must have represented something, probably the symbol of the Whitebeard pirates they claimed to be a part of. Clearly he was very proud of this affiliation if he bore the mark so openly and with such pride. It was such a simple but easily recognizable design. My mind happily wandered as my eyes glazed over and began to drift shut.

"My dear, you're staring…" Izo leaned down and whispered to me and I snapped out of my wandering thoughts with a jolt. I'd been staring? But it was only at the tattoo, was that bad? Maybe I wasn't supposed to look?

"Do you like what you see, girlie?" The one in the purple shirt quipped a grin sliding over his face.

I stared back in horror as I glanced between his face and his tattoo until I realized his tattoo was on his chest. His bare chest. His bare, very chiselled chest.

I felt my face heat up all the way to my ears as I stuttered trying my best to apologise, fearful of what he would do. Had I offended him? Tears began to trail down my cheeks.

Izo 'tsk-ed' in displeasure and smacked Marco across the chest, "Ow, what? She was staring at me."

"She's been obviously treated poorly here Marco, don't be rude. Plus she was probably staring at your tattoo instead, she's likely never seen one before." he hissed between gritted teeth.

"I can give you some pointers on how to talk to women if you're having trouble, bird brain." the one carrying me joked, the mirth clear in his voice. I watched as Marco frowned and rose to the taunt.

"I don't need help talking to women, Thatch!"

The two others burst into laughter at his outburst only moments before flames sprouted around his form once more. Once again I was staring in awe, up close I could even see purples and greens mixed in with the azure tendrils. Most interestingly, they didn't produce any discernible heat and even though they touched Izo's kimono, it did not catch on fire.

"I'm going ahead to warn Pops. Don't want him to be surprised about this." Marco stated, still seemingly irritated with the other two before he jumped into the air and the once formless flames transformed into wings and I watched in absolute rapture as he flew away.

The next little while passed in a blur as I began to relax and start to trust the ones that had come to my rescue. My head became heavy and eventually I had trouble keeping my eyes open. The steady rocking motion of Thatch carrying me, combined with his body heat- I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so warm- was absolute heaven.

At some point we boarded a ship, there was bustling activity and people seemed to be talking in my general direction, but the specifics of their words escaped me. The low rumble in my ear tipped me off to Thatch speaking but I just continued to fall deeper into sleep. Metal clinking together roused me slightly but it didn't keep my attention for long as I drifted back off to dozing…

...until the cuffs dropped from my wrists.

Immediately I was awake and panicking, "NO!" I screamed as I dropped to the hard wood of the deck.

Thatch and Izo staring at me in shock was the last thing I remember before my vision exploded in white.

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 16: The World’s Last Hope, Maybe, Sorta

Part 15

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV, as we begin the second generation in earnest. Unlike in real life, this new generation may actually succeed in making the world a better place, though in fairness that’s partially because the last one left it in such a state there’s nowhere to go but up.

When we signed off, we had just met a pair of idiots and I allowed you to choose between them, because I’m a great guy like that.  You picked Johan, unanimously, for reasons varying from his superior speed growths, to his greater range of movement, to just hating Johalvier’s stupid face. All valid reasons!  So I’ll be picking him up ASAP, to prevent him from accidentally getting his dumb ass killed.  But first, as our turn begins, we have a new arrival to the battlefield…

And she’s blue, so I like her already. 

(A green-haired pegasus knight whose mount is named after Erin’s sister. I wonder who her mom is.)

(Arthur is a little less obvious since weird white hair is pretty common in this game, as Julia reminded us last week, but he’s Taillte and Lewyn’s son.)

Arthur: Er, right. Sorry about that. Say, Fee, I don’t have too far to go. If you want, I can just walk from here.

Fee: Where are you off to, anyway?

Arthur: Oh, just Alster.

Fee: A-Alster?! Geez, you’re dumber than I thought! Alster’s waaaay south of here. There’s an entire sea in the way, for crying out loud! I dunno what you’re thinking, but you haven’t a hope in heck of walking the rest of the way there!

Arthur: Eh, it’s fine. I’m hardly in a hurry.  

Fee: So, er, why do you need to go to Alster?

Arthur: Oh, see, I’ve got a sister I haven’t seen in years who might be there.

(… And yet, not in a hurry.)

Arthur: She and my mom were taken away when I was just a kid. I was sort of left alone in some far corner of Silesse or another.  I just heard a rumor, but at this point even a rumor’s enough if it means I might find her.  

Fee: Huh, really? You know, I know just what that’s like. My big brother’s been missing for ages.

Arthur:  Did you get separated from him as well?

Fee: Oh, no, nothing that bad. We’ve always lived together in Silesse, but awhile back he ran off to try and find our dad.  

Arthur: Your father, huh?

Fee: Yeah, he’s been missing for years. Mom spent the rest of her life waiting for him to come back, but he never did��

Arthur: What happened to her?

(Was the use of ‘the rest of her life’ too subtle for you, Captain Tact?)

Fee: She… she’s dead. Illness…

Arthur: Oh… sorry about that. I shouldn’t have brought it up…

Fee: It’s okay! I mean, you’ve already brought up lots of things that you shouldn’t have.

(I think Fee and I will get along just fine.)

Fee: … Heh, kidding. You’re actually not that bad.

Arthur: Heh heh, thanks. And thanks for giving me a chance and letting me come along with you.

Fee: No problem! So was the sister thing real? Is that actually why you’re travelling?

Arthur: Yeah, it’s real. But what about you? What’s your deal?

Fee: Actually, I kinda want to join that Isaachian rebel army.  

(And I want more flying units, so we’re both in a good place. Welcome to the team, Fee!  Don’t stand too close to Larcei if you don’t want to get coated in the blood of her victims.)  

Fee: When I was little, mom told me stories about the paladin Sigurd and his brave allies, and those have always meant a lot to me. Lately I’ve been hearing about how Sigurd’s son is somewhere in Isaach, raising a revolution. And it all just sort of clicked, y’know? I knew that’s where I need to be, s oI just ran right out of home to try and find him.

Arthur: Wow… that’s pretty great of you. Y’know, I think I’ll help you out here for a while. It’s the least I can do for you putting up with me.

Fee: Okay! Partners it is, then. Good luck out there… partner!

Arthur: Heh! Upbeat as ever, aren’t you?

And with that, we round out our team for the second generation’s first chapter, except for Johan, who isn’t recruited yet and also doesn’t count.  Let’s take a look at what we got.  

First, Julia, the mysterious priestess whose identity could be anyone. She might be a random person from anywhere in the entire world. There’s no way to tell who she is.  It’s a total, unabashed, impossible mystery to sol-

Oh, she has Major Naga and Minor Vala Holy Blood, so she’s Deirdre and Arvis’s kid.  Yeah, honestly, it’s kind of like the developers forgot you can just look at the stat screens to find out a general idea of these character’s parents.  They really try to play up Julia’s identity as a mystery, but there’s literally only one person she could be.  Notice, however, that she doesn’t have Loptyr blood. Now there’s a mystery for ya…

In terms of her utility as a character, meanwhile, Julia is excellent. Blows her mom out of the water, thanks to inheriting Adept and Pursuit from her shitty father and having a generally better base stats and superior growths; in particular, thanks to her two Holy Bloods adding to her already naturally huge Magic growth from Deirdre, she actually comes to a magic growth of 100%.  She will always get a magic point when leveling up, so by the end of the game she will be a goddamn magic cannon. Her weak points will be her Defense and Speed, the former of which is partially offset by the fact she actually has a remarkably high HP growth as well.  

However, none of this matters right now because she starts off without any weapons.  Don’t worry, that will change soon enough.  Oh, and while we’re here…  

Lana: You know, Lord Seliph’s actually really been worrying about you.  

(PLATONICALLY!  He has been PLATONICALLY worrying about his HALF-SISTER.)

Lana: If there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know and I’ll get right on it.  

Julia: Mm. Thank you…

Lana: Oh, and I’ve got a little something for you.

Julia: This is… a Mend staff?

Lana: You can use these, right?

Julia: For me? Thank you, Lana. With this… I know I can help everyone.

Lana: You’re welcome, Julia. Let’s give this our all, together!

D’aaaaaaaaaw. Shame this game was released like twenty years before it was socially acceptable to admit lesbians existed, because I ship Lana/Julia now.  And not just because I want to make absolutely sure the latter cannot ever accidentally marry her brother.

Next up, Fee.  

Like her mom before her, Fee is just generally solid.  Her base stats mark her as a speedster, but her defense, resistance, and strength are all set at 8 when she’s only level 2, so she isn’t fragile or weak by any means; if she follows in Erin’s footsteps and gets lucky on the Defense growths, only archers will ever really be a threat to her. My hope is that by giving her Azel as a dad means she’ll also get a solid Magic growth (+30% from his Minor Vala Blood!) and will become sort of a flying artillery piece wielding all our magic swords to rain death on the enemy from above.  This is kind of experimental, I admit. But on the plus side, even if that doesn’t work out, just ‘a second Erin’ is still plenty fine by me. Erin was cool beans.

And finally, Arthur.  

Hehehehehe…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…                                      

HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…

*deep breath*

Arthur is invincible. He has Forseti and he’s invincible.  I mean his growths and all that shit are great too, he’s essentially Lewyn 2.0 with all the latest upgrade software, but really, that’s the summary. He’s got Forseti, and for the purposes of this map he is invincible. It’s going to be two more chapters before we fight anything that can lay a finger on him while he’s wielding that monster.

This isn’t the only reason I married Lewyn and Taillte. But it certainly is a big one.

Now then. Like a moron, I accidentally moved Lana and Julia too far forward to have them chat with each other. They’re in the range of Johan’s army. So I have the rest of the team form a perimeter while Larcei and Seliph run their butts off to join in.  Arthur starts moving toward the castle to remove the current owner, and Fee moves to the village nearest her starting point to take a swing at the bandit there…

Did you just get hit on a 21% chance? And I was just talking up how good you are! *sigh* End turn. Johan’s army takes their swing at us…

…. That was pathetic!  Only Ulster dodged any of that, and not nearly enough for my tastes considering he almost died anyway.  What happened, kids?! You were rocking last week! Sigh. Okay. Okay. Let’s try and salvage this…

…. Yes, that’s a good start.

FEE! WHAT THE SHIT, LADY?!

Oh, that doesn’t count, Arthur. You’re holding a universal cheat code.

Now, I have the remaining characters form a line that will force Johan’s axe men to take a long, weird path to get to anyone who can’t fight back. With luck this means nobody will get attacked more than once.  Honestly, at this point, I’m mostly afraid Johan will hit someone who can really fight back and get his dumb ass killed; that would be embarrassing to get a reset over someone who technically isn’t even my ally. Larcei is in his range, though… hopefully he will talk to her, rather than try to axe her. End turn…

Oh, and Johalvier’s douches have been moving toward us too, because I can’t have nice things .

Oifey can’t actually one-shot these guys normally. He procced Critical on this one because he’s a killstealing old bastard.

…. Why have you people decided to stop dodging…?

This may… go badly.

… And of course we’re in a situation where I need Oifey to both dodge (it’s only a 30% chance to hit but he hasn’t been performing lately) and not hit back too hard. Fucking grand.

OIFEY YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD, I LOVE YOU.

Now. NOW.  First, Julia heals Oifey and I send him a space up to let Larcei run in.

(No, he’s just an idiot.)

Johan: Larcei… oh Larcei! Your words are as the sweetest birdsong! Your eyes are as the most brilliant stars! Oh, without you at my side, what purpose is there in life? What joy could possibly be?

Larcei: Stop it! How revolting! This is a battlefield! Are you out of your mind?!

Johan: I can deny my heart no longer, Larcei. Believe me when I say I’ve tried! Alas, love is a maddening beast at times…. What else can I do but be at your side? Men, we are joining the liberation army! From this day on, we are men of honor! Fight on in the name of justice, love, and Larcei!

Well. At least he’s enthusiastic.

At this, Johan joins the army and his units all become neutral, friendly to us and hostile to Johalvier’s army.  They’re also all heavily wounded, so they’re mostly just going to die, but at least they’ll take some fire off us for one turn.  

(… Did he, though?)

Johalvier: Bet he’s gone and sided with her army ,too. That weak-willed fool…

(Okay, that he definitely did.)

Johalvier: Hmph… fine by me! Men, attack! Johan’s unit is now the enemy!

And seeing this declaration of war by his brother and rival, Johan runs away to Lana for healing so he doesn’t get totally destroyed.  

End turn!

(I’m actually going for the other one, thanks.)

*sniff* Oh, milord Seliph, you are truly on the path to surpass your father. Seriously. I don’t think he got a level that good in his entire half of the game, and it’s like your third so far in just your first map.  I’ve never seen Seliph get off to a start this strong, and if he keeps it up he’ll be a walking nuclear war when he promotes.  

I’m a little nervous now. What if he’s building me up so he can let me down later?  I’ve been hurt before.

Dannan: Schmidt! Get out there! Take back my castles, now!

Schmidt: Yes, sir! You can depend on me!

(“No way I’m just a one-chapter flunky boss! No way, not ol’ Schmidty!  Schmidt, that’s the name of a Big Bad right there! I bet I’m really Super-Loptyr in disguise!”)

Anyhow, when Johan joined his castle became neutral to us, and Schmidt is gonna go take it.  That’s actually a very good thing, so I’m going to let him do that while we finish off Johalvier’s goons.  

… Or they finish us off. 4% chance to hit and he popped ya one right in the jaw, Larcei? Seriously? You’re lucky I have two healers now.

And of course, what’s life without a little bit of killing your brother?

That’s the end of the interesting; Arthur is still walking toward a village, and Fee takes a distance shot at a bandit with her Bolt Sword but doesn’t kill him.  End turn.

I should be happy that Johan dodged on an 87% chance to be hit, but frankly I’m just more angry at the others now.  

Awesome. With that, there’s only one member of the Sophara army left. First, I have Fee and Arthur clear out the villages they’re near;

And Fee liberates hers.

Neat. Now it’s just a matter of wiping out the last of Johalvier’s soldiers:

And the army begins to move south. There’s one more village to clear out, and we have to be ready to take back Isaach after Schmidt takes it.  

Again: We want this to happen. There are two castles, and we want Isaach.  You want Isaach to fall so you can take it back, or you want to recruit Johalvier so it’s hostile from the start. You do not want to take Sophara. DO NOT.  

I’m not joking.

This is super important.

Pick it up, you losers.  

The team just spends another turn moving south, while Arthur liberates a village.

Isn’t This the Same Guy From the Last Village: Well, those imperial sods won’t stand a chance at all! Every last one of them will be run right out of our great land!

Sure thing. End turn!

*sigh* They all have hand axes, so this is actually going to take them awhile. It’s okay, that gives us time to set up a defensive line. Lester, meanwhile, clears and liberates a village.

Best Girl: I bet we’d all have a much better time with him on the throne if that were true, huh? Here, take this here skill ring. Go on, do your best! We’re all behind you!

Sweet. Bows are one of the more inaccurate weapons in the game, so more skill for Lester is quite welcome. Plus, Fee gets close enough to chat with Seliph finally.

Fee: Call me Fee! I’m from Silesse.

Seliph: Silesse, you say? Are you a pegasus knight, then?

(She’s literally riding a pegasus and holding a sword, man.)

Fee: Er, not just yet. I’m kinda still in training. My mom was one, though! Actually, in the big war years ago, she helped Lord Sigurd out in his army.

Seliph: Is that so? She has my utmost gratitude on my father’s behalf. Now, what brings you here, Fee?

Fee: See, what happened was I was looking for my brother, who ran away ages ago. But then I heard about you, sir, and how you’re taking on the Empire! And I just knew I had to be here too. Can I join your army, sir? Please?

Seliph: Certainly! Thank you. What of your brother, though?

Fee: It’s silly, sir, but I have this feeling we’ll run into him somewhere down the line.

(“Foreshadowing, sir.”)

Not much to show other than that. Arthur starts slooooowly moving toward the rest of the team, and Julia gains her first level from healing.

…. Remember when I said Deirdre wasn’t very good and then she got a bunch of great levels to spite me? I’m kind of scared Julia’s decided to do the opposite as some teenage rebellion against her mom’s legacy.

To the south, the Schmidtmeister finally takes Isaach, and his army starts moving north toward us, which suits me just fine.  I ain’t in no rush, yo. In fact, I’ll just wait a few turns in my fine defensive formation while Arthur runs toward us. Come at us when you’re ready, losers.  

Four turns later, the first of them arrives, alone, and misses.

Fear the wrath of the Schmidtritter.

Now, these guys totally suck with one exception. Schmidt himself is fairly badass, and there’s a reason for that:

BITCH HAS LEX’S BRAVE AXE! Remember when I said the items from people who didn’t pass them on to kids will show up later? Well, it’s later.  I think we can all agree this cannot stand, out of honor to Lex and also I want that axe back.  But, of course, that means killing him with an axe dude. And we only have one of those. So for Johan to not disappoint us, I think we need to soften him up first.  Lester?

(Well, looks like somebody thinks he’s hot Schmidt.)

Hm. Okay performance, and an average level. At least it was better than his first level.  But seriously, man, your dad was beating you out by this point. That’s sad. And I’m not entirely sure Schmidt will die to a single hit from Johan, so I send in another helper to soften him up further.

Not bad! Defense is definitely great for her, and her Luck is pretty abysmal too, so combined I’m not displeased with this showing.  Johan?

…. Oh hey, Johan missed on an 80% chance to hit, and died to the counterattack.

If I hadn’t promised to do a no-death run I would leave his corpse rotting in the sunny plains of Isaach.  Reset.

Luckily this was the start of our turn, so I can screw around the RNG a little by moving people in different orders.  This even has the benefit of changing the levels we gain:

And hey, not terrible. Fee’s is actually unambiguously better, and Lester’s is  about equal.  And I also, because I’m not a total moron, remember to park Dermott near the front lines where his Charisma skill can amp up Johan’s accuracy.  Okay, big guy, care to give it another go?

Much better. The Brave Axe alone turns him from the worst unit in the army to the like, second or third worst. And now, with the enemy exposed and bereft of their leader, His Lordship takes the front lines.

… Okay, I mean, not very dramatic, woulda been cooler if you’d slain your enemy, but you didn’t get hit. I’ll take it. End turn!

Fortunately, Hand Axes are not super accurate.  And in this chokepoint, most of them can’t even reach us. A few errant swings later, we are up to bat again.

You know, it’s kind of telling that they’re all getting levels I would have been perfectly happy to see in their parents, and yet I’m still somehow disappointed. We’ve barely started this generation and I’m already spoiled.

End turn. I suppose. The enemy… erm…

Well, they all go after Oifey, and they cannot hit him.  Note their chance to hit. It’s zero.  So… I’m not sure what’s up there. Let’s… let’s just finish this up.

See? You can do it if you try, Lester! Now, the map is basically over. I basically just hang out awhile, letting Arthur finally catch up for his own talk with Seliph.  

Arthur: The name’s Arthur. I came here from Silesse.

Seliph: Wait, so you are that Arthur fellow? I’ve heard of how you have been aiding us so far. Thank you so much!

(“I heard you defeated two enemies and then spent the rest of the map slowly walking. My deepest gratitude!”)

Arthur: Eh, it was no big deal.

Seliph: You are capable of wielding magic, yes? That’s truly impressive. I’m almost envious!

Arthur: My mother was a talented war-mage…but I’ve still got a lot to learn, myself.  

Seliph: We all do, do we not? So long as we all fight together, though, perhaps we still truly can change our world. After all, that’s what brought us here today.

Arthur: Yeah… you’re right. My power’s at your disposal, sir. I’ll give my all to aid the cause. I’m glad we could finally meet, Lord Seliph.  

And then have Seliph finally run up and re-take Isaach.  

Info Master: Indeed, and ecstatic to see you to boot! Thanks to you, Lord Seliphk we know that at long last, Isaach shall have its freedom!

Seliph: Thank you, sir, but the effort isn’t mine along. I could never have come so far without the support of the common man.  

(If you call them ‘the common man’, you may be a bit of a classist. Maybe try to work on that, Selly.)

Seliph: You’ve all supported me from the beginning. I likely wouldn’t be here if not for you!

Info Master: Fate is a funny thing, isn’t it, sir? Just twenty years ago, our late king had the utmost trust in your grandfather’s wisdom. Then your father came to protect Prince Shanan, and now the prince has guided you to adulthood. Perhaps fate has bound Isaach and Chalphy as one…

Seliph: Isaach is the only home I’ve ever known, and Prince Shanan is like a brother to me.  I pray our friendship lasts the rest of our lives.

Info Master: Lord Seliph, you are the rightful heir to House Belhalla and the throne of Grannvale.  Not a soul alive in Isaach, nor in the rest of the world, can doubt this. We beg of you! Raise the banner of justice high, march on Belhalla, and reclaim your true throne!

(“Well, sort of. I don’t think you actually have the right magic blood. But it’s not like you’re going to run into any waifs who should be doing the job instead!”)

Now. You may be wondering why I was so adamant we take Isaach when there was another castle off to the west we could have been going after.  And the answer is: Julia can now have a conversation with Seliph. Let’s see that.

Seliph: Actually, I have something for you. I found this in Isaach castle.

Julia: What is…?

Seliph: It’s a light magic tome called Nosferatu.  You can wield these, yes?

Julia: Yes… I’m able to use light magic.

Seliph: Excellent! Hopefully you’ll now have an easier time protecting yourself in combat.

Julia: Thank you, Lord Seliph… thank you so much…

And with that, Julia gets a weapon! The only one she will ever need, even! See (and of course the game doesn’t tell you this), which castle you take alters what weapon she gets. If you take Johalvier’s castle, Sophara, you get her Deirdre’s old Aura tome. You might remember Aura as being very powerful, but also very heavy and largely useless.  As for Nosferatu, it isn’t as strong, but it’s considerably lighter and with Julia’s excellent magic and (unlike Deirdre) access to Pursuit for double attacking, she’ll still be doing enough damage to take out most anything she fights.

Oh, and any damage it does to an enemy, she absorbs to heal herself. 

That’s right: the mysterious waif just became a tank.  

Now, all that’s left to do is kill Dannan. And he, like Chagall before him, forgot to bring a ranged weapon to the party. So I take a little time, liberate a village, and wait to feed him to the suddenly unstoppable Julia. Village?

Grim Gritty Girl: Thanks to you lot, Isaach’s free from the Empire at last, but the rest of the world’s still in a very dark place… all across Jugdral, they’re waiting for you to rise up and defeat the Empire! Please, I’m begging you… you’ve gotta make it to Grannvale soon!

Neat. Lana gains a level, too!

Well, not up to her mom’s exacting standards, but she’s already gotten more magic than Ethlyn ever did. I’ll allow it. And now, time for Julia’s first murder and the end of the map.

(Bitch, she’s your princess. The game hasn’t said it yet, but we know she is. Show some respect.)

And in one round of combat, she almost completely destroys him (she did proc Adept, so she hit him three times instead of two), and gains a big-person level. So far, so good. One more turn should do it!

Welcome to the team, Julia. You’re not really one of us until you’ve killed a sentient being.  (I know that Lana hasn’t killed anyone on screen, but we all know what she gets up to at night.) Seliph drops in on Rivough Castle, and we’re all set.

(You can go home, Lewyn. We have your book, and that’s all we need from you.)

Lewyn: Yeah… I only just got back now. Look, Seliph, are you aware that right now, the world’s at a critical turning point?

Seliph: Hm? No… I’m afraid not.  

(Teenagers don’t follow the news, Lewyn.)

Lewyn: It’s been fifteen years since Arvis conquered Jugdral and united it as the Grannvale Empire. Honestly, for awhile at first it wasn’t all that bad. In the empire’s dawn, Emperor Arvis sought to bind his nation using only the strictures of law. It was strict and constraining, but we got a few good years of peace out of it. But obviously he changed his mind. A few years back, as if by magic, the Empire turned into that oppressive force we all know and love today. Even worse… the ancient heretics of the Loptyr Order have arisen from the shadows once more and raised influence across the land. Their murderous rituals have returned with them, and all across Jugdral they abduct children to sacrifice in droves to resurrect their fell god. All attempts to resist are crushed and met with brutal executions or enslavement. It couldn’t be more plain that they seek to return Jugdral to the days of that ancient abomination, the Loptyr Empire.

Seliph: This cannot be happening! I’ve heard rumors saying the same, but… never did I think they could be more than mere rumor…

Lewyn: By the look of it, Isaach hasn’t had it quite as bad as most. Dannan’s two sons, at least, refused to follow through on the child hunts. And of course there’s been people trying to rebel against the Empire left, right, and center, but they were all scattered and disorganized.  Before you, none have ever posed a proper threat. They were all swiftly crushed before they could so much as blink. Jugdral needs a savior. It needs a man to unite behind. And I’m sure that man is you, Seliph. You’re the only one who stands a chance.

Seliph: Hold on a moment! Are you sure of this? A savior would require power that I sorely lack…

Lewyn: Chalk it up to duty, Seliph. You’re the eldest child of Empress Deirdre. That makes you the elder brother to Crown Prince Julius.

(“And the fact that the prince is named Julius should not suggest in any way that Julia is connected to the royal family. Er, you haven’t checked her stat screens, right?”)

Lewyn: You’re the one true heir to Saint Heim. Your destiny is to unite the power of the Crusaders of this era and free the world from evil’s grip.

Seliph: But I...

Lewyn: Trust me, you really do have what it takes. Your true power and potential sleeps within you. That is, the sacred blood of the Crusader Baldur. Once you get your holy blade, Tyrfing, not even the heavens will be able to stand in your way!

Seliph: But I-

Lewyn: Sorry, Seliph, but that’s how the gods will it.

(I hate to take Lewyn’s side on this, Seliph, but if you really didn’t want to free the world, you shouldn’t have let him talk over you so much.)

Lewyn: You’re Sigurd’s son. The son of a man who fate led to a brutal end. The fulfillment of his dying wishes and his final quest falls to you.

(Pretty sure his final wish was to just not be burned to death.)

Lewyn: You can’t afford to doubt yourself now. You understand, Seliph?

Seliph: Y-yes… yes. I do. If this is fate and the will of the gods, then so be it. I will do my duty.

Lewyn: There actually isn’t a single absolute fate, nor is there just one person it all hinges upon.

(THEN WHY’D YOU GO ON ABOUT IT FOR TWENTY MINUTES JUST NOW?!)

Lewyn: As obtuse as that sounds, trust me, one day it’ll make sense.

(LIAR.)

Lewyn: Sigurd left behind so much to help you on your quest.

(“Though not the really good sword.”)

Lewyn: Most importantly, the many friendships he forged in his life. Me, for instance.

(GO AWAY.)

Lewyn: Brave youths from all over are already lining up to join your cause, all guided by Sigurd’s kindness.

Seliph: My father won the love and trust of so many people, from all walks of life. I can only pray that in time I’ll prove worthy of his legacy.

Lewyn: You’ll be fine. Anyway, to business. Our immediate goal is to reach Leonster. The son of Quan, your father’s closest friend, raised his own rebellion only to suffer severe losses. He’s in pretty urgent need of backup. I know you’ve had no time to rest, but we need to get going as soon as possible.

(Wait, weren’t you just there? You… you didn’t help? You ran down, explicitly didn’t help, and then ran back here to make me do it for you? Dick.)

Lewyn: For now, at least, we can leave Isaach in the care of its citizens. Odds are we’ll run into Prince Shanan on our way.

(Wait, I thought Shanan was off in the middle of the Yied Desert…… fuck it’s going to be a sand map, isn’t it. We’re going to a sand map.)

Seliph: Understood!

And that’s that. First map done, and now we’re off to Leonster to meet Quan’s son Leif (you may recall him being mentioned by name a few times back when he was an infant. He’s beefed up somewhat since then, thankfully) for what is definitely going to feel like an eternity.

See you next week in… *sigh* in the Yied Desert. Again. 

Resets: Up to an even 20. Johan’s intro to our army has not been the best.

Part 17

[imagine-loki]

Winter's Hearts

TITLE: Winter’s Hearts CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 29/? AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine being Loki’s old friend/Lover in Asgard, but you left for Earth a long time ago. For all he knows, you might be dead, but you’re still alive and you’ve been working with SHIELD and/or the Avengers. RATING: T (so far) NOTES/WARNINGS: Also on AO3: Click here

    You kept your grip on Thor’s arm, nervous at suddenly being at your wedding. And yet, it was perfect. A surprise wedding kept you from fretting about it for months, plus it was 900 years overdue. You walked with Thor at your side down the aisle. Frigga was waiting for you before the throne. Loki stood in front of her, his back turned to you as tradition demanded. He was forbidden to turn to look at you. You could see the tension in his shoulders even from the other end of the long aisle at the temptation to do it anyway.

    You were even more surprised to see Stark standing next to Loki, in what would be Thor’s place once the pair of you reached the throne. Nat was standing next to Sif as your bridesmaids. It nearly brough tears to your eyes. “The team arrived with Loki this morning,” Thor told you in a whisper. You realized you hadn’t seen them all morning. Tricky friends keeping the secret. They had said they were traveling to spend Christmas with friends and family. “The men drew lots to determine who would stand beside Loki,” he added as you walked and focused on not falling on your face.

    The entire focus of getting up the aisle was not falling flat on your face. Do. Not. Fall. On. Face. Do not fall on face. Donotfallonface. Must not fall on face while wearing wedding dress.

    You saw the wings of the Valkyrie in the crowd, most of them were lining the aisle between the half-way point and the throne. Their wings were in hues of the golds and light browns of the Asgardian hair colors. When you reached the half-way point two of the Valkyrie stepped out to block your path, their dragonfang blades crossed across the aisle. Neither of them spoke, but you knew the tradition.

    Thor dropped your arm. The Valkyrie raised their swords to let him pass and crossed them again to block your way once he had. Thor made his way confidently up to the throne and took his place next to Loki. You were a Valkyrie of Asgard and had to face the conclusion of this trial alone.

    You saw Thor lean to Loki after giving you another glance. “Wait until you see her, Brother,” he teased and you saw the tension ease in Loki’s shoulders at his brother’s joke, the reassurance. You smiled at your silly boys.

    You concentrated for a moment to do it gracefully, and summoned your wings, unfurling them from your back elegantly to the gasp of the crowd. Your jet black wings were a sharp contrast to your pure white dress.

    You summoned your dragonfang blade and stepped forward.

    A third Valkyrie stepped out into the aisle, standing facing you and held her sword pointed at you. You placed your blade against hers. She was the matron, the trainer of all the young Valkyrie and you had known her your entire life. “This union is your choice, Sister?” she asked you, loudly enough that the entire throne room could hear.

    “This union is the deepest desire of my heart,” you gave the reply. She stepped aside and bowed to you as the other Valkyrie, every single one in the crowd, raised her dragonblade sword in solidarity.

    “Proceed with our blessing, Lady Valkyrie, and with our protection,” the matron bid you. You vanished your blade, gripping your bouquet instead, and the matron moved in front of you, while the other two walked on either side as you made your way the rest of the way to the throne, surrounded by your sister Valkyrie as honor guard. You smiled at the raised blades in the crowd, solidarity from all of the Valkyrie in the palace.

    The matron stepped aside at the last row of spectators, the row that included your mother and the rest of your Midgardian friends. Your honor guard turned to face the aisle, letting you pass alone. You took one more step forward and Frigga nodded to Loki, giving him his cue.

    He turned then, elegant in his formal finery, golden horned helmet included. You smiled brightly at him, heard his gasp as he fought to keep his mouth from falling open. You flushed a little at his obvious approval of your looks.

    You took the last few steps to him and Sif took your bouquet so you could take his hands. “Words cannot describe how lovely you are, Kyrie-love,” he whispered as you turned to face him, both of you standing before Frigga, your hands joined in front of you.

    “Ceremonial clothes suit you as well, your highness,” you teased and he grinned at you.

    Frigga smiled at you both warmly. “Traditionally there would be a year and a day betrothal between the official engagement and wedding,” she started, addressing the crowd. “However, this wedding has already been delayed long enough,” there were some chuckles from the crowd, those who knew more of the story. “So we have agreed that the engagement has been fulfilled and now with no further delays:”

    Frigga summoned a golden ribbon out of thin air.

    “Loki, my son, Y/N, Valkyrie of Asgard, the ties that are bound here today greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul’s growth. Do you seek to enter this ceremony?”

    “Yes,” you and Loki both answered at the same time, excitement in your voices. Frigga grinned at your joy.

    “This cord is a symbol of the connection between your two lives. As your hands are bound together by this cord, so too, will your lives be bound together in marriage.” She wrapped the ribbon around the wrists of your joined hands. You couldn’t believe this was actually happening, after all this time it was finally, finally happening.

    “Today you are holding the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, as you promise to love each other forever on your wedding day.

    These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future.

    These are the hands that will passionately love and cherish you through the years and will comfort you like no other.

    These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

    These are the hands that will wipe tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

    These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

    These are the hands that will help you hold your family together as one.

    These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

    And these are the hands that – even when wrinkled and aged – will still be reaching for yours and expressing the same tenderness they do today with just a touch.”

    You squeezed Loki’s hands and he squeezed yours back, both of you grinning with tears of joy dancing in your eyes.

    “Just as your hands are now bound together, so too, are your lives. Because you cannot always be physically joined together, you will each give to the other a wedding ring to symbolize that connection. It will be worn on your hand as a constant reminder of the bond shared between you as a married couple.” Frigga’s golden ribbon vanished and you panicked for one instant about not having a ring until Frigga held out both of her hands, a ring in each. You reached forward and took the ring from the hand closest to you while Loki did the same. You carefully slipped the silver ring on the ring finger of Loki’s left hand. Silver wasn’t one of his colors, so the ring would stick out even more against his usual gold and black. He took your left hand and slipped the slim silver wedding band onto your finger as well.

    “With joy in my heart, I pronounce this binding complete. Prince Loki and Princess Y/N are officially wed this day. My son, you may kiss your bride,” Frigga announced, her voice warm and joyful. You hadn’t forgotten but neglected to appreciate that in marrying Loki, you became a princess. It hadn’t seemed important, and really, nothing changed. Loki bent the scant distance between your lips and kissed you to the roars of the crowd.

    You turned to make your way back down the aisle, your hand in Loki’s, to lead the procession to the wedding feast.

    Every single Valkyrie in attendance stepped into the aisle, one on either side of the aisle and raised their blades above their heads, making an arch for you to walk under. It was tradition for a Valkyrie wedding. You and Loki walked calmly through their arch, grinning like joyful children.

    The last pair of Valkyrie crossed their blades in front of you, blocking your way. They gave Loki a look. He smirked in reply and turned to kiss you. It was the toll to get past the last of the Valkyrie on a Valkyrie’s wedding day. He turned you and bent you backwards, dipping you and kissing you well. He would pay the toll properly. He stood you back on your feet and the Valkyrie raised their swords with grins. However…

    The one on Loki’s side moved quickly and swatted him lightly on the ass with the flat of her blade. “Welcome to the Valkyrie, your highness,” she bid him loudly. You both laughed and proceeded to the wedding feast.

    The feast was huge and would last all night. You and Loki went straight to your table. Thor, his warrior friends, and the Avengers had the next closest table and Frigga and Odin had a small table close as well.

    Thor reached you first and hugged you both. He clapped Loki’s back for his hug and kissed your cheek on yours. “Congratulations!” he bid you loudly. Sif and the Warriors Three congratulated you next. Sif hugged you, the warrior bows bowed over you hand to kiss your knuckles.

    “How did you guys get here? How did Odin approve it?” you asked the team when they approached.

    Nat came over and kissed the air next to your cheek, very careful not to touch your skin. “Congratulations, Kyrie,” she bid you warmly.

    “Father did us a favor and allowed our teammates to come for the wedding,” Thor explained as more congratulations were exchanged.

    “I brought them with me this morning and helped the men find suitable clothing while Mother found a lovely dress for Lady Natasha,” Loki explained. You hadn’t noticed that the team were all wearing Asgardian style clothes. “I then had to spend the rest of the day keeping Stark from destroying all of our technology to study it,” he whined and you laughed. “He wanted to take apart the soulforge,”

    “The healers would have killed him,” you told Loki. Loki inclined his head.

    “So he carefully gave us tours of the palace and kept you from seeing us all day,” Clint explained, looking around the palace still in awe.

    “And before you fret, sleeping arrangements have been made already. Sif, Thor, and the Warriors Three will make sure our friends are taken care of. Sif is already prepared to carry Stark to bed when he gets too drunk,” Loki told you quickly and kissed your cheek at your indignant look. Of course you’d worry about your friends. “Stick to the ale or mead Stark, anything stronger will put you on your ass faster than you’d like to be,” Loki advised.

    You had to greet more well-wishers before you could finally sit and have the feast begin. “Loki, this is amazing,” you told him when you were finally alone. “How-?”

    He smiled at you warmly. “I told you that Mother, Thor, and I have been working on this together. The hardest part was keeping it secret from you, my dear,” he told you. “And making sure every detail was perfect so you wouldn’t fret. I do hope you didn’t mind that it was a surprise?”

    “Not at all, love. It was perfect. Thank you,”

    “Anything for you, my Valkyrie,”

    There was way too much food, even more ale and mead. You danced with Loki to the cheers of everyone as you floated gracefully across the dance floor. You danced with others throughout the night, including Thor, the warrior boys, and even a slightly tipsy Stark, though you had to summon gloves to dance with him. You didn’t mind and he was a better dancer than he wanted to let on.

    Part of the way through the evening, Frigga passed you a chalice of mead to share with Loki, as was tradition. You thanked her and accepted her congratulations and her welcome to the family. When you sat with Loki and drank the mead, Thor made his way over.

    You sighed heavily, knowing what was coming. “Get it over with, Oaf,” you teased him. He laughed and raised Mjolnir high above his head to the cheers of the crowd. He set it carefully on your lap.

    “What’s going on?” Bruce asked the other Avengers in a whisper.

    “Give me nieces and nephews, little sister,” Thor teased you right back, his voice warm and full of mirth.

    “Someday, oaf. Now kindly remove the symbol of your manhood from my lap, before I do it myself, or your brother stabs you,” you grumbled, but goodnaturedly. Loki summoned a dagger, but he wouldn’t stab Thor over this, especially today. You turned to your Avenger friends when Thor did as he was told. “It’s tradition for Mjolnir, or a symbol therein, to be placed in the bride’s lap as a prayer of fertility to Thunderhead. How he became the god of fertility too, I’ll never know,” you teased, sticking your tongue out at Thor.

    “You wound me,” Thor protested.

    “He’s hot, that’s why,” Nat commented dryly. The group turned and stared at her, counting how many drinks she’d had. She shrugged. “What? Everyone was thinking it.” No one dared answer that accusation. She was right, nearly everyone in their right mind thought that, including straight men.

    The dancing and feast would last until dawn. In the middle of the night sometime, Thor whistled loudly and you laughed, knowing what would come next. The party would continue without you and Loki. The crowd roared, cheered, and drank more ale, knowing what was coming. “He brought us for manual labor,” Stark grumbled as their group came over as well as Sif and the Warriors Three. The Avengers hauled Loki up onto their shoulders while he grumbled at the indignity of it. The Warriors Three and Thor lifted you onto theirs. It had to be this arrangement since the mortals couldn’t risk touching your skin. Sif led the procession to the family wing of the palace while you giggled and Loki grumbled that he needed no help finding his chambers.

    “It is tradition, Brother, you know that,” Thor replied when Loki complained too much. They set you down outside of Loki’s suite. Thor opened the door and shoved the two of you inside. “Congratulations!” he bid you one last time before he closed the suit door and he and your friends returned to the party.

    You turned to Loki and somehow your lips were on his without another word, though you didn’t remember moving. “We’re married,” you told him warmly between kisses.

    “Finally,” he replied a moment before his lips had returned to yours. You moved to the bed chamber, your clothes disappearing as you did courtesy of magic. Your lips didn’t move from his as you climbed into the bed to celebrate your wedding night properly. Neither of you noticed turning Jotun during, and you fell asleep in a tangle of blue limbs, black hair, and black feathered wings after a perfect wedding, a perfect day, a perfect night with your Loki.

    “I love you, princess,” he whispered before you fell asleep.

    “And I love you my prince,” 

[khicken121]

Downfall of a Dragon (Overwatch Short-Fic)

Author's Note:

We all know that Hanzo and Genji had a very bloody fight and Hanzo nearly left Genji for dead after that, leading him to become a cyborg. Since we don't know a whole lot about what either of these characters were like before their fight, I decided to put my own spin on it. Honestly, not gonna lie, Hanzo is a little psychotic and Genji is kinda arrogant in this fic, I don't like envisioning these characters like this, but I like to think that this fight changed them both in huge ways (mentally), as hinted at via the shorts, comics, and some in-game dialogue.

Also, after watching the "Dragons" short for the 76th time (pun intended), I studied the fighting styles of Hanzo with his bow and Genji with his katana (longer sword) and wakizashi (shorter sword) since this is a pre-Overwatch/cybernetics time for them. I tried to use the 3 seconds we see Hanzo use the bow like a sword and expand on that as best as I could since he doesn't have his bow yet at this time (or maybe he does, I don't know, the canon for this game is all over the place). I don't know how well this will turn out, but I guess we'll see, won't we?

WARNING! The following story contains violence, gore and major bleeding. The rating will remain T, but don't read if you are sensitive to these things!

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Hanzo had Genji in his sights. He was at too far of a range for his younger brother to sense him, but he had to be stealthy if he was going to fulfil his duty as quickly as possible. He followed Genji into the temple which, quite frankly, was one of the last places he wanted to spill blood on. Perhaps if he was lucky enough, he'd be able to kill him by snapping his neck and finish the task instantly.

He silently climbed up onto the roof of his family temple, waiting for Genji to complete his rituals and offerings to the dragon spirits and then walk out of the door where the grass could absorb blood, should there be any. The wind picked up from a light breeze to a quiet whistling. His hair swayed slightly in front of his face in tune with it. Yet, this wasn't a typical partially windy evening. His stomach tightened with a sickening pain as his dragon stirred restlessly. The same small voice in the depths of his mind was telling him that what he was going to do was just… No.

Hanzo smothered the thought even further back in his brain. He had to do this. For the empire. For the clan.

Genji was no longer one of them. He had disobeyed their father, disrespected the elders, taken advantage of nearly every young woman in the clan. His recklessness would be the downfall of everything their family name stood for. He was given countless chances to redeem himself, and he either didn't see it or outright refused it. That left Hanzo with only one choice.

He had to die.

After patiently waiting on the roof for what seemed to be longer than it actually was, Genji finally exited the temple. He held the offering bowls and incense in his right hand and used his left to release the wakizashi buckled to his lower back from its sheath. He headed for the forest, clearing any and all foliage blocking his path with the two-foot blade.

Hanzo silently made his way down and followed his brother. His footsteps made such little sound that it was silenced by the time it got to Genji's ears. Hanzo stopped in his tracks when Genji did, his right hand gripping the brown and gold hilt of his katana. He didn't want to alert his presence to him just yet. He figured an ambush-style attack would be most efficient to vanquish his disgrace of a little brother from the face of the earth. He was about to find a way to higher ground, but he stopped himself when Genji spoke in an all too calm tone for the given situation.

"I know why you're here," he placed the bowl and tray at the base of a tree he was standing in front of. "I know what the clan thinks of me. I know you feel the same way as they do. Yet..."

Genji purposefully trailed off and turned around to face his enraged brother. Hanzo mentally rolled his eyes. Genji was always one for drama and suspense, and it has been wearing at his nerves for almost twenty years, now.

"I will not lie, I was rather disappointed that you did not defend me," Genji's voice was starting to fill with anger and become amplified in volume. He shifted his hold on the wakizashi into a backhand grip, and his right hand reached for the katana strapped diagonally across his back. He raised it up a few inches, revealing a bright green beam of light emanating from the blade, accompanied by a flowing mist of the same color, showing that Genji was prepared to let his dragon fly and hunt of its own accord at any moment. A flash of the same hue appeared in Genji's deep brown eyes as they seemed filled with determination and fury.

"It will take more than just sneaking to kill me, Hanzo."

The older's patience had finally worn out. He'd put up with Genji's taunting and one-sided teasing for nearly as long as he can remember. He fully drew his own sword and proceeded to lunge towards his brother as he let out a battle cry and swung his katana downwards. Genji deflected the attempted strike with ease and followed it with a swiping motion to Hanzo's neck and a stabbing motion towards his brother's arm. Hanzo dodged both and propelled his blade horizontally through the air in his brother's direction as Genji went for a kick to Hanzo's abdomen.

The sound of metal slicing through flesh echoed in the air for a fraction of a second, only to be followed with a sight and feeling much worse as Genji looked down.

A deep gash had found a home in his lower calf. The fabric of the pant leg around the sliced area was barely hanging on, maybe a few stitches. A thick stream of blood began pouring out of the injury. He had heavily miscalculated the speed of his brother's attack. He glanced at his brother's face, Hanzo's teeth bared in anger and eyes seething with rage. He kept his face from showing any pain or anger, knowing full well it would only make him seem weak.

Thankfully, he had managed to put some distance between himself and his brother as he landed. Genji made a break for the temple, running as fast as he could with his limp.

Hanzo briefly glanced at the dark red liquid trailing down his katana, and a small surge of triumph filled him before following his brother's bloody footprint trail out of the forest.

He ran in pursuit of his brother. Every system in his body was racing with adrenaline. He passed through the courtyard, but his brother was nowhere to be seen. He entered the temple only to find that it was void of any living souls as well.

Hanzo stood in the center of the entrance of the temple. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. The only sound that filled his ears was the wind which practically roared at this point. The tapestry that stood forty meters from the cherry blossom tree was rippling as the wind manipulated it. Hanzo gripped the bloodied sword tighter in his hand, waiting for his dragon to give him insight on where its brother would be.

His eyes opened as he broke out of his self-transcendence and snapped his head upwards as the distinct sound of fabric being torn apart flew threw the air. Hanzo silently made his way to one of the large paper lanterns framing the entrance, where the source of the sound came from. He brought his katana into the ready position over his shoulder and quickly made his way to the other side of it, ready to confront his brother. Genji was still nowhere to be seen.

Genji had the upper hand now. He was always more swift than his older brother, and while his leg may be slowing him down now, he was still much faster than Hanzo.

Hanzo may have been skilled enough to please the empire and his father with his samurai abilities, but anything that Hanzo could do with a blade, Genji was almost always better at it.

Almost.

Hanzo pivoted sharply on his feet, shifting his body position 180 degrees just as Genji attempted to attack him again. He was deeply annoyed at his little brother, but wasn't surprised at his actions: first critiquing Hanzo on how sneaking wouldn't work on him and then trying the same tactic himself. Genji could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

Alright, most of the time.

Genji swished his katana upwards to deflect Hanzo's counter-attack. A high-pitched shing rung in the air as the metal of the long, sharp weapons collided. A few sparks were created as a result, only to vanish as soon as they came into existence. Hanzo forced Genji's blade downwards at a nearly idle rate, but it was clear the younger was struggling under his brother's strength combined with his still-open wound, barely allowing him to stand. It was bandaged now. The dark fabric that was dangling off of his pant leg earlier was now wrapped tightly around his injury. Unfortunately for Genji, it didn't do a whole lot to stop the bleeding since the small patch of ripped material was already past its maximum absorption, and more blood trailed down his ankle and into his shoe as well as onto the temple floor.

The edge of Hanzo's blade was a hair's distance away from Genji's nose. Then the skin was broken, and it went deeper until the edge was touching bone. Genji summoned another bout of strength as he tried to put distance between his brother's sword and his face, but Hanzo's arms wouldn't budge.

Hanzo changed the angle of his katana against Genji's. Now Genji had two equally deadly swords growing nearer to his bloody face once again. The edges of both weapons touched and broke the skin for the second time, but now on both his cheeks and near his eyes. Genji managed to slip out of his position with a hard, painful kick to Hanzo's shoulder. Without hesitating, Genji flourished his sword and maneuvered it through the air as he summoned his dragon and commanded it to charge at his brother.

"Ryujin No Ken O Kurae!"

The tip of his green and silver katana was aimed at his brother and the dragon obeyed his master's silent command. It roared furiously and sprinted at Hanzo with the same angry fire in its eyes that Genji possessed. Hanzo narrowed his expression and tightened his grip on the sweaty hilt of his own sword.

Genji had officially gone rogue. Using the power of his dragon against his own kin was the last thing he would have done when the two of them were allies. Hanzo, however, knew exactly how to respond to this.

"Ryu Ga Waga Teki Wo Kurau!"

He held his katana over his head and directed the edge of it to Genji. Two translucent dragons, both as blue as Sea of Japan at sunrise, materialized out of the blade and glowed brightly. They charged at the incoming green dragon that Genji had summoned and directed it away from Hanzo. He commanded his dragons to lead the green one away from him and back to the younger of the two.

Genji braced himself for the impact of his dragon. He felt his feet scrape against the floor of the temple as he was pushed backwards by the brute force. He grunted as he tried to resist its power, feeling his energy being quickly drained from him. The attack only seeming to grow stronger as it progressed. He dropped to his knees, then collapsed on his side as he huffed in order to regain his breath.

Hanzo marched to his brother's limp body and picked him up by the collar. He drew his arm back, prepared to launch his brother across the room when his brother spoke in a half-taunt.

"You're regretting this, aren't you, brother?"

Hanzo proceeded to throw his brother towards the tapestry which still flailed heavily in the chilling wind. Genji grunted again as his body crashed to the wooden floor a few meters in front of it. He attempted to lift himself up, but was too weak to lift his torso more than five inches. Hanzo swung his weapon down again. Genji was only able to establish a weak block that Hanzo easily broke through, causing him to place another deep cut across Genji's neck and chest. The elder of the two then swished it horizontally, giving Genji a fresh wound spanning down his left arm that would no doubt leave multiple scars, should Hanzo decide to leave him alive. He struck his brother again, this time across his face, starting from his lips and travelling up between his nose and left eye and over his forehead.

Genji dropped to the ground like a ragdoll when Hanzo let him go. He brought a hand to his face to check the amount of blood pouring out of it. Before his fingers even came close to his injuries, he was picked up and thrown across the room. Hanzo picked up his sword and pierced it into Genji's abdomen.

Now it was all too much. Genji screamed at the state pain that consumed him from head to toe. He grabbed hold of the metal sticking out of his body in a fruitless attempt to remove it.

Hanzo took back his sword and practically hissed at his brother as he grabbed him by the neck.

"Get up!"

Genji was thrown against the wall one last time. A small splatter of blood that had soaked through the back of his clothes splattered against the low-hanging tapestry. The air being knocked out of his damaged lungs made him cough furiously and drop to the ground. Small drops of red escaped his mouth and flew to the ground. Hanzo lifted his sword over his head for the final time and brought it down at a speed that nearly rendered his arm a blur. The blade sliced through Genji's entire torso, including his entire right arm. The only thing preventing his body from splitting his body in two was a small patch of flesh on the lower left half of Genji's abdomen.

The horrific action was accompanied with the sickening sound of metal shearing against bone, skin, flesh and blood. Hanzo almost cringed at it. Genji would never know since he had slipped out of consciousness moments before it happened.

Hanzo breathed heavily as he took in what he had just done. He did it. He killed his brother. He had fulfilled his duty.

Only now was he finally realizing how much of a burden this was going to be.

"Guards!" Hanzo called, needing to direct his attention elsewhere for the moment. "Confiscate this man's weapons and take what is left of him and take it far off the premises. He is not worthy of a proper burial."

The three men didn't even question what they were ordered. They probably wouldn't question anything that their leader said for a long while, considering how he was carrying a bloody katana and a mutilated body laid beside him. It took a lot of effort, but the body was off the property in less than a minute. Other workers entered the scene to clean the floor and walls, but left the tapestry alone under Hanzo's command. He stood in the same place the whole time while the temple staff completed their tasks.

Hanzo was still furious at his brother. The whole clan was. Hanzo had obeyed the elders and took care of the liability that had lived among them all. He had done exactly as he was supposed to, for the better of everything that their family name stood for. Still, an unsettling knot brewed in his stomach and grew heavier by the second.

Hanzo briefly scanned the red blotches that stained the corner of the large white tapestry. It had become a new momento from the fight. One that would last for several years to come. He let out another battle cry as he slashed a line in the corner through the red liquid that blended in with the red border of the fabric. Hanzo sheathed his katana for the final time in his life and exited the temple. He didn't know how he would cope with this, but he knew that in time he'd learn how to. He still had much to learn, so what was one more thing?

Nonetheless, he did nothing to stop the small tears from falling.

Author's Note 2:

Thank you for reading my take on the Hanzo vs. Genji fight scene. I tried to stay as close to the canon as possible, so I apologize if anything was off. This will not be a multi-chapter fic. I hope you enjoyed what you read!

*Terrible Tracer impersonation voice* Take care, Loves!

[xxgiganmasterxx]

The Waterfall Marauder

Among the many waterfalls of the European Dead Zone, there are assortments of old weaponry to sell on the black market. The goal here is to get the best weapons, both fallen and guardians usually fight over these spots, mostly guardians win. Keyword, mostly…

A lone human Warlock armed with a normal pulse rifle and a void sidearm walks along the broken road covered in various foliage. This Warlock, in particular, is on a fetch quest for weapon parts by the waterfalls. Tyler would have been with his friends on the Leviathan, but noooo… He had to lose a bet with Cayde-6 and do shitty fetch quests for a week! He soon hears his ghost go near his head and starts to talk to him.

“Devrim contacted me a while ago, he said that there’s a load of caches of weapons nearby the river. He also stated-” Before the ghost could finish, Tyler rudely interrupted it with hesitation.

“That there can be a group of fallen nearby, I know, I know, I did missions like these a few hundred times! I don’t need a fuckin’ reminder, for the god’s sake!” Shouted the fouled mouth human Warlock, a mouth that would match better with a hunter, the ghost rolled its bluish eye.

“Sometimes I wonder why I found your body years ago, Tyler…” Tyler only sighed in response, stretching his shoulder as he walked along the road.

Eventually, he sees the waterfall the ghost talked about, only one Fallen, bizarrely… The lone Eliksni that was digging around the waterfall, was a solitary Marauder of The House of Dusk. From what Tyler sees, the Marauder is searching through the large slabs of scrap on the ground, trying to keep its shock blades from touching the water. The Warlock, instead of shooting the bastard fallen’s head clean off, decided to get closer to the waterfall, hiding behind a brush. Tyler eyes the Eliksni marauder, as it stands up completely looking towards a huge pile of scrap; what the human saw just blew his mind!

From what it seems, the fallen is a female! Aside from the normal marauder attire, with the multi-eyed mask, purple cloak and loincloth, spiky hip and shoulder armor, and arc wrist daggers, she seems to have wide hips and a thin waist, muscular yet narrow arms, and good lord... She looks like she has a pair of breasts, easily the size of her head, if not bigger then that! Thing is that they’re completely exposed, her nipples, bizarrely are the same color as the blue lights of her mask, which seems to have girly eyelashes drawn near the eyeholes. Tyler gulped as he observes the female Eliksni as she crouches down slightly and walks to the metal pile…

“Tyler!” Whisper shouted his ghost, the Warlock jumped in place, causing a ruffling sound in the bush. He couldn’t pay attention to the Marauder if she heard them, he had to scold his little light for disturbing his observation!

“What the hell did you do that for!? I was waiting for the right chance for the marauder to find the weapon chest. You know, to make my life easier!” Yelled the human Warlock as he held the ghost in his tight grip, the blue-eyed light bulb grumbled in response.

“More like perving on it… or her, as we know now… So can we just kill that fallen and get th- It’s gone!” The ghost’s eye shrank as it looks behind Tyler. The Warlock raised an eyebrow under his helmet confused on what it meant. Shortly after he turned around and sees that the female marauder has disappeared like she was not there at all…

Suddenly, he heard his ghost yelp in pain, as it is slashed a crossed the back side. Tyler turned around and sees the marauder has basically taken his ghost out of commission.

“Oh shit!” Tyler yelled as he aimed his pulse rifle at the Marauder’s head, the three round burst misses as she hunches over and swipes at his legs with her shock blade, causing a shocking pain to his legs, a second slash goes across his chest, breaking his shields, he tried to reach for his sidearm as a last-ditch effort, but her secondary arms dispatch the gun with ease, her primary set aimed the shock blades at his neck. The Marauder gave a gleeful growl as secondary arms aim for his heart, Tyler could only focus at the fallen bitch who just knocked out his ghost and disarmed him like he was nothing!

“Haha… Warlock has been defeated, yesss? Poor Warlock…” Hissed the Marauder in human tongue before proceeding to giggle, in her youthful witch like tone. Tyler’s eyes widen.

“Wait, you can talk?” He asked as the blades get closer to his neck.The Marauder woman gave a hiss-like chuckle as she tilts her head at the Warlock, if he could see her mouth, she’d be making a shit-eating grin.

“Of course… Did you think traitorssss’ like Variksss can be the only onesss to talk like guardianss?” The Marauder said as she leans her head and chest forward, her boobs lazily hanging down, nearly touching Tyler’s chest. The Warlock looked down at the Marauder’s wrist blades at his chest, only to see her breasts hanging down; Tyler was both scared and amazed at the marauder.

“Sssssstaring at my breastsss, guardian? Or at my bladesss?” Hissed the Eliksni as she keeps her blades in position. Tyler’s mouth was dry, he looked at the mask of the fallen woman above him, he cleared his throat and answered with a hint of fright.

“U-uuhhh… Bit of both?” He honestly said the marauder growled at the human Warlock. She suddenly retracted her wrist blades from his chest and stood up at a slight angle, sitting near his lap.

“Both... I ssseeee… I’ll make an exchange.” She hissed her swords, while not at his neck, is still pointed at him. Tyler didn’t care, he just wants to live!

“Sure, anything you want!” Shouted the human as his guns were far from reach, the Eliksni gave a satisfied hiss at the warlock. Her light blue eyes gleamed with a bit of naughtiness...

“I, Ma’vo will let you live, if you let me take weapons from the waterfall, glimmer, sssssilver… And lastly, ssexxxx~” The Marauder, now named Ma’vo explained, drawing out the last thing on the list, to increase the tension for the Warlock. Tyler’s eyes widen at the mention of sexual intercourse with a fallen!

“Wait, what!? I-I’m not havin’ sex with a fallen!” He shouted, Ma’vo sneered and pointed at his chest.

“Then you chose death, yesss?” She asked, the shock blade a millimeter away from stabbing through his chest. Tyler gulped as the female Eliksni paused as if she was giving him a second chance… The Warlock mustered all his strength and gave his final answer.

“On second thought… Maybe interspecies fucking doesn’t sound bad after all!” He spoke to Ma’vo. The House of Dusk Marauder giggled a little as she sets her blades on her hips and stood up, reaching one hand out and takes the ghost in her hand as if it was a trophy.

“Glad you changed your mind, warlock… Follow me to the big ssssscrap pile, no one will notice our little action~” She ordered the human, taking her left secondary arm and locks it with his right hand, like a mother leading her children to elementary. Tyler just sighed as he walked along with the slightly taller fallen girl. Oh if only his ghost would have stayed quiet, this mess would not have happened…

After the short little walk the two endured, Ma’vo tossed the warlock on his ass behind the metal heap. Her secondary arms set her shock blades on the scrap along with his ghost, and easily undo her loincloth for Tyler, grinning under her mask.

“Ow, shit why theeee…” Before he could finish he stared at the bottomless Eliksni as, her vagina shared the same color as her nipples, besides that, it was shaped like a human woman’s. Ma’vo giggled as she still kept her hooded cloth and armor on, waving her hips to the left and right, her primary arms going to her own breasts and massages them for the warlock’s viewing pleasure. Her second hands took off the wrist blades and toss them with the shock blades and trails back to her hips, playing with the lips of her pussy.

“Hmm, you enjoy warlock?” Ma’vo asked as she looked down at his pants, a faint bulge appears in front of her multiple eyes. She’ll take that as a yes!

Tyler blushed under his helmet as he instinctively reached for his belt, he caught himself mid-action. He looked away shyly, not answering the Eliksni girl. She giggled at how cute Tyler’s denial is, she went on her knees and sets her secondary arms on his pants while her primary feel the armor on his chest. Ma’vo purrs loudly enough for the Warlock to hear, she quickly undid his belt within a second, tossing it on her blades.

“It’s fine, warlock, I won’t bite~” She softly hissed, pulling his pants down, revealing his underwear, his dick became a little hard as a result. Ma’vo giggles while pulling his undergarments down, letting Tyler’s cock out in the cool air, the warlock grunted as he rests on his elbows.

“Uuhhh…. O-okay then…” Tyler said as he was unsure about Ma’vo giving him a blowjob, with all those tiny but sharp teeth Eliksni usually have. The fallen Marauder giggled as she takes a hold of Tyler’s dick with her right primary hand, slowly stroking him watching his foreskin retract and stretch by the touch of her palm. The human bites his lip as the insect-like alien slowly stroked his cock, hissing happily.

The Eliksni’s second pair of arms held onto the human’s hips. Ma’vo grinned under her mask as she dragged her chest close to his pants, her large tits at the side of Tyler’s dick. The fallen woman still jerked off the Warlock, Tyler gasped quietly as he watched Ma’vo’s breast move like water balloons over her arm. She clicks her mandibles together, taking her hand away from his cock.

Ma’vo takes the claw that was jerking him off and holds Tyler’s wrist, humming at the human. Her masked face looked down at the erect shaft between her large tits. A secondary hand below her wrist holding claw gropes one boob as a primary claw does the same to the other, clasping the boobs together around Tyler’s dick. The Warlock leaned his head back as he groans softly.

“Oh… F-fuck!” He mumbled out as Ma’vo chirped cheerfully, slowly bringing her breasts up and down around his dick, squishing a bit on his pants. The Marauder gave a happy chirp again, and slowly dragged his pants down with her free lower left claw. The Warlock bit his lip under his mask as he felt the cool water flow on his behind. Tyler knew he couldn’t help but take the hand that wasn’t held down by Ma’vo and places it on the side of her face, feeling her curved mask. Ma’vo gave a sly grin in response, rubbing against his hand like a cat. The both of them look back to Ma’vo’s tits; Tyler’s erection firmly wedged between the Eliksni’s rack, beads of precum coated the alien’s cleavage.

“Hmmm~ I sssee you love my breasstssss, yesssss?” Ma’vo asked as she bobbed her arms down in opposite directions. Tyler took his hand off the Eliksni’s face and held onto her hood tight as his pre flowed out more onto Ma’vo’s big assets.

“Y-yeah… Oh-h shit! I’m soooo d-damn close!~” He muttered with series of rapid pants. Ma’vo giggled as she sees the human trying to get up and away from her tits, probably to climax on her mask and chest. She inched away some so Tyler can get on his knees.

The warlock didn’t mind his pants getting wet as he sees Ma’vo hold her tits together with her secondary arms, as the primary claws went behind her head. He stood up on one foot to gain a little height, gripping his penis in his hand and starts to jerk off. Grunts passed his teeth as he becomes close to orgasm. Ma’vo chirped as his penis is pumped in front of her eyes.

“Goooddd~ Cum on my breassstss, warlock!~” Teased the Marauder seductress, jiggling her perky, yet soft titties up and down in a quick session. Tyler gave a thunderous moan as he climaxes at last. Two strings of cum fly out at the same time and land on Ma’vo’s right breast, followed by another at her left. Ma’vo gives a delighted hiss as more of Tyler’s spunk land on her large boobs. The Warlock shot his load in the form of eight strings on each breast, his hand slowed down. Ma’vo looked up at the warlock’s helmet and tilted her head slowly, she is rather impressed by his first orgasm, she turned her head down and observed the hot mess.

Ma’vo giggled at the amount of cum he produced, nearly perfect milk colored lines painted her lavender colored skin and dark purple plating; it might take some time to clean the spunk out of her cloak since it also got cummed on; oh well! The fallen Marauder’s primary claws went to her breasts and spread the semen around her skin, with the assistance of her secondary paws. Tyler felt hot in his helmet, he took whatever strength he had left over and removed his helmet. He blinked a bit with his greenish blue eyes, his peach colored skin flushed red around his cheeks, he dragged a hand through his short dark brown hair. The Eliksni giggled at the man’s appearance, rubbing her light blue nipples some.

“Enjoyed your orgasssm?” Ma’vo asked as she stood up for a bit, only to sit on the scrap pile they’re currently hiding behind; both were still hidden from any view at this point. Tyler looked at Ma’vo and nodded, unable to speak properly for the time being. The Marauder giggled as she spreads her legs apart, showing Tyler her clit once again. The human warlock turned his attention to his sex partner’s light blue vagina, light blue juices flowed out of her slit and spread to her ass cheeks and anus. To be honest, if he didn’t climax on her breasts, he’d fuck the Eliksni on the spot; but his tongue on the other hand…

“I sure as hell did! Say… I want to return the favor~” Tyler muttered as he lowered his lips to Ma’vo’s nether regions. The Marauder slut gave an accepting hiss as she lowered her lower right claw down and spreads the lips of her pussy for him.

“Of courssse, warlock! Taste me, human~” Ordered the fallen, Tyler gave a sly grin as he gave her blue colored pussy a sweet kiss on the clit. Ma’vo gives off a short hum as she feels her pussy being kissed softly, she took her lower left claw behind his head and starts to grope her tits with the primary palms at the same time. Trevor looked up at the Eliksni’s face he gives a sly grin to her before giving her light blue nub a quick flick of the tongue. Ma’vo sighed in a high pitch as her mate’s tongue explores her, suddenly she felt Tyler’s tongue enter her womanhood; she rears her head back and moans somewhat loud.

“Mmmm~ Yesssss~ Th-that!~ That’s th-the ssspaaa~” Ma’vo couldn’t finish her sentence, Tyler’s dexterous tongue overwhelmed her senses. The warlock gave a muffled chuckle as he feels around the Eliksni’s snatch. Ma’vo looks between her breasts and sees his face deep into her womanhood, she found it funny that his nose positioned above her pussy to be pretty cute and funny, humans are weird with those triangular organs. Tyler felt the folds of the Eliksni starts to tighten around his tongue, he knew she was close to orgasm. She starts to buck her hips against his jaw, her juices flowed out quickly; Ma’vo curled up some and kneed her own boobs.

“G-ggaahh! Oh, war-rlo-laaa~ Don’t… D-Don’t sssstop!~” Ma’vo’s eyes rolled up as her hips shuddered around Tyler’s face. The human grins devilishly as he rubs the tip of his tongue around her g-spot, light blue juices coated his chin and slowly flowed down his neck. Ma’vo’s legs start to shake violently as her muscles of her vagina flexed rapidly. Tyler soon felt a rush of juices spill onto his face, light blue fluids flooded from her tunnel. The warlock hummed as he tastes the femcum, it had a sweet, tangy flavor; he couldn’t help but crave for more.

“Aaahhhh~ Mmmmm…” Ma’vo tilted her head down at Tyler and giggles. Her first set of arms went from her breasts and onto the side of the warlock’s head, he gives the marauder’s clit one last lick before lifting his head up to see her mask. The warlock just chuckled before sitting down next to Ma’vo’s left, taking his right hand on his chin and licks her juices off his fingers. Ma’vo giggled and lays on her side to face Tyler, she looked down and sees his erection slowly stand up again.

“You taste… Pretty good~” Tyler softly noted as he reaches down his cock and rubs the tip slowly, Ma’vo gives a confirming click in response. The Eliksni trailed a claw around Tyler’s chest, humming a little tune to him, she couldn’t help but stare at the waiting rod. Her pussy’s muscles relaxed from her last orgasm but just seeing the cock just turns her on so bad!

“Thank you, guardian! It felt pretty good~ Now…” Ma’vo moves up and lays on top of the warlock. She stands up and sits on his lap, a lustful chirp comes from her throat. Tyler gives a sly grin as he places his hands on her thick thighs, even with the spiked armor and leather straps.

“Ssshall we proceed with our mating?~” Questioned the sexy fallen marauder, her slit inches away from the warlock’s cock. Tyler smiled as he gave her ass a quick slap.

“Hell yeah!” The warlock stated his dick flexed towards the Eliksni’s groin, his tip touch her bottom abs. Ma’vo giggled, she took a few male dregs in her lifetime, but the human’s larger than life member could easily be the best dick she had ever! Ma’vo giggles as she raises herself up and looks back at the warlock, her eyes burning with lust.

“Hmmm.. Prepare~” She simply answered, a claw helps align their sexual organs together. Slowly, the tip of the human enters the Eliksni’s vagina, both marauder and warlock give out a sigh of pleasure.

“Oh fuck… D-dammit…” Tyler swore as he feels the folds of the alien go down at a slow pace. Ma’vo clenches one breast with a claw as she stops halfway, she turned her head to her warlock lover and chirps some.

“Hhhaagghh… Oh warlock, pleassse… Pro-oceed…” Ma’vo requested as she takes both secondary arms and plants them both on her thick ass cheeks. Tyler leaned up some and held Ma’vo’s midsection, he slowly thrust his penis inside her. The two shudder at the sexual sensation as Tyler thrust up until his balls bumped into her pussy. He then pulls back, only leaving his glans inside Ma’vo; a transparent light blue fluid sticks onto his foreskin.

“Y-yeessssss~ F-fasssterrr…” Ma’vo begged as she instinctively slams her hips down on top of his own. Tyler shuts his eyes as the speed of his humping increased gradually, his breath quicken as his precum is slathered on her cervix. The Eliksni’s eyes rolled up her head tilted to the sky as she starts to orgasm once again. Tyler shuts his eyes as the light blue folds grip his shaft; he didn’t feel his climax, not yet anyway. The warlock then gets an idea!

“Hey… M-Ma’vo… Get on y-your back…” Requested Tyler as he takes his strength to get Ma’vo off his dick. The Eliksni grumbled, she loved being on top of men! But he was the best mate she had in a long time… She’ll just suck it up and do as he says. The Eliksni took herself off the warlock and sits next to him. Tyler smiles at her as he goes between her legs with his hard cock in the air. Ma’vo being impatient takes a lower claw and gave her mate a quick hand job. Tyler chuckled as he held his dick with the marauder, both hands lead to Ma’vo’s pussy as it slides in perfectly.

“Mmmm~ G-ggaahh… Yessss!” Ma’vo moaned once again as she shuts her eyes and takes both lower claws around Tyler’s waist and holds him tight as he continues humping his lover as if they didn’t change positions. The Eliksni’s cervix is pushed upon by the human, a warm sensation overflowed her body. Her tits bounced uncontrollably without a care as Tyler leans in closer. Ma’vo takes one hand to remove her mask, sets it aside with her blades and shows Tyler her real face.

Tyler stared into the four eyes of the fallen woman, her eyes glowed a light blue, unsurprisingly. Her teeth small and sharp like a shark’s, a pair of mandibles flared apart as she breathes heavily from the sex the two are having. Both warlock and marauder stare each other as they become closer to orgasm; Tyler’s balls slapped against Ma’vo’s ass cheeks. The marauder takes her top arm pair and wraps them around his shoulders; the warlock grinned as he takes a hand and gropes the busty Eliksni, the Marauder gave a sexy yelp as her mate holds a handful of her assets.

“Hnngh! Oh lord… I thi-think I’m gonna caa~ cum soon-n!” Tyler whispered as his face is inches from Ma’vo’s. The Marauder gave a bliss-filled hiss before she leans forward and plants her mouth against the warlock’s lips. Tyler didn’t even flinch, if anything he leaned his face forward as well, trying not to stab himself on her teeth. Ma’vo’s mandibles hugged the human’s cheekbones as their tongues fight for dominance in the warlock’s mouth.

Soon, precum slathered Ma’vo’s insides as both partners stopped their make-out session to shut their eyes hard. Ma’vo starts to scream out her orgasm, her walls tighten around Tyler’s cock in a muscle contracting rhythm. Anyone that was near the waterfall that the couple resides in would only think of it would be a dreg being tortured by the cabal.

“Aaaaggggaaghhh!! Ohhhh~ Mmmmmm! C-cum in me! Fill me!” Ma’vo begged as her legs locked behind Tyler’s ass, all four of her arms held the human tight as the warlock increased his speed, his primal instincts took command as he finally climaxes inside the Eliksni slut.

“Uuugggghhh… Aaaaahhh!!~” Tyler held his head high in the air. Ma’vo shakes her legs intensely as the tip of her mate’s cock entered her womb and unleashed his hot spunk inside her. The marauder’s eyes rolled up and her tongue hangs out; the amount of cum inside her now must be at least the same amount that was on her breasts a while ago, if not more! After a few moments of standing still, the human warlock and fallen marauder looked back at each other, both panting hard from their sex.

“Hmmmm~ Warlock… You are the best mate I ever had in yearssss~~” Ma’vo spoke softly as she licked her mandibles, Tyler grinned and looked down at her lavender colored tits and light blue nipples.

“What can I say? I’m the best there is!” He confidently replied as he leaned towards her face again and locked mouths with each other, only for a few seconds.

The warlock got back on his knees and pulled his dick out, covered in both Ma’vo’s light blue pussy juice and his own white cum. The marauder got on her elbows and she shuddered some after feeling the semen of her lover slowly flow out. With a thud on the scrap hill, Tyler sits next to Ma’vo’s side; his energy is completely spent. Ma’vo gives off a blissful chirp as she gets up and puts her loincloth back on along with her mask. Tyler stretched his arms before taking them back to his groin and take his shaft back in his underwear and pants. The marauder takes her cloak and brings down the cloth over her breasts, which seems it’s trying to get back in the place she once put it in; seems to explain why she was bare-chested in the first place.

The marauder lays on top of the warlock and rubs her head on his shoulder, satisfied with her lovely human mate. The warlock smiled and kisses the top of her head. Tyler hears a whining sound nearby and tilts his head up and sees his ghost went into standby mode next to Ma’vo’s blades. Tyler sighed as he knew his ghost is alright for now…

“Ssssso… Your ghossst is alive, yesss?” Ma’vo questioned as she tilted her head up and rubbed the dark brown hair of the human, Tyler just gave a small smile as her claw trailed around his peach-colored face.

“Seems it is!” He said as he tries to get off the scrap pile and stands on his feet, he reaches for his ghost but the Eliksni was not done with him yet. The marauder stood up as well and points a claw at his chest.

“Now, ssshall I receive my ssssilver and glimmer? You remember the resssst of our deal, yess?” Ma’vo demanded Tyler, complete their little deal with each other. The warlock rolled his eyes and reached around his pockets, wishing he wasn’t paying her like a prostitute.

“Fine, how much do you want?” He asked before the fallen woman snatches a two handful of glimmer and silver with one fell swoop, Tyler felt like he sees a sniper bullet whizzed past him.

“Thessse will be enough!” The human warlock grumbled at the little thief as she triumphantly stole a bunch of his currency off of him! That, and he has to find a new weapon cache around the other waterfalls, just great!

“Could have asked… Sheesh!” Tyler crossed his arms as he reaches out for his ghost and holds it in his hand, his thumb ready to activate it again, if he wanted to.

“Hm, why would a little-fallen marauder like me asssk? Much fun to sssssteal, inssstead!” Mocked the lady Eliksni as she takes her primary arms behind her head and gloats at the guardian!

“But… I loved our encounter, human. I truly do~” She confidently stated as she gets behind Tyler and nuzzles her face against his neck, the warlock couldn’t help but smile at the cute and sexy fallen girl behind him.

“Same thing, Ma’vo~ Maybe we can meet again in different circumstances! By the way, my name’s Tyler!” As Tyler gave Ma’vo his name, the marauder hummed and steps away from her life partner.

“I’ll remember that name, I won’t ussse it, however!” Ma’vo giggled as she reaches for her blades and chirps loud at Tyler so he can catch his belt and helmet.

“Heh, better to be remembered, I guess…” He spoke as he puts his belt back on first and takes his helmet back on, he still kept a good grip on his ghost while doing so. The marauder puts the wrist blades back on her secondary pair of arms and sets her shock blades on her hips again.

“Now, leave me be, warlock~ Or I ssshall dominate you again!” Teased the Eliksni, putting emphasis on dominate, both knowing what she meant! Tyler shrugged and sees the silhouettes of his guns, glad that they remain untouched. The Marauder gave a teasing push against the warlock’s back, Tyler almost fell into the shallow water.

“Alright, alright, I’m going!” He joked, know she’s just toying with him. The warlock walked back to the same spot where he got discovered in the first place and sets his weapons back in their proper places, and he turned to Ma’vo before waving goodbye to her, the Marauder gave a soft smile under her mask and nods, she turns her attention to the large pile of scrap and proceeds to work on the finding any useful weaponry.

Tyler smiled too and heads off to the other waterfalls, maybe if his ghost talked some more with some other female aliens, he’d get laid more often. That silly thought runs through his head as he walks along the road, he’ll activate his ghost when he feels like there would be another fight around the corner. Back to the monotonous fetch quest again!

Ma’vo sees the vanishing shape of the warlock, he places one claw on her belly and rubs it. She looks down and sees two hands with silver and glimmer clenched in them. One hand had the trade-off with the deal, and another as a “Bonus” when she nuzzled against him. She laughed silently to herself, wondering how pissed he must be when he finds out. She brings a large plate of steel up and sees an exotic weapon, a powerful rocket launcher known as the Gjallarhorn. She smirked under her mask as she brings the weapon out from its hiding spot and places it on her back; she soon activates her cloaking and dashes off back to her base. She honestly felt like luck was on her side this day with every positive thing that happened to her! Without a doubt, she’ll meet the guardian again!

[hornyorca]

Hurricane.

Ivar x Crippled!Reader.

This is from the prompt I made: Imagine, while on a raid, Ivar discovers someone else who’s legs are just like his.

Yes, Sigurd is alive, kma, let’s just say this was while they were in England with the huge ass fuck me army.

I don’t know where this is going bye.

. ALSO THIS IS REALLY LONG IM SORRY BUT I GOT REALLY INTO THIS.

Warnings: abuse, sensitive content, slight!suicidal thoughts/words, atheism, abandonment, and probably more stuff but I can’t think of anything right now.

A gentle chirping echoed through the morning, brushing along your ear like the chilling spring breeze, and foggy eyes bore to the rose’ sky as gold began to peak over the roofs of cottages. Eventually, your expression became half-lidded as light poured into bare pupils, and the sound of crow’s calling out-weighed the innocence of morning-doves. But even the birds as black as night could not drown out the piercing shouts of harsh tongues that began to grow ever closer, darkness fluttering in feathers across the horizon, leaving you far behind as they escaped from such a tainted presence — yours or theirs? A soft voice rattled your head in wonder, your neck rolling and popping as you shifted, splinters working their way through the fabric of your dress as your discomfort became greater. Despite it a part of it that hung by a shredded thread, the last part of your dwindling faith asked in apathy to God: have you no sympathy left to give a sinner a second chance? Has the rest of the world worn you so thin?

The brandishing laughs, and the reason you began to see figures trekking through the thick fog should have been reason enough to diminish faith in your soul. That whore, that whore, your mind chanted, causing you more discomfort. But as you twisted in a feeble attempt to gain comfort, something warm raced down the palm of your hand and dangerously played on the tips of your fingers. Crawling in your brain, you heard nothing but the taunting voices that haunted your life, and there was a thump-thump, repeatedly throwing your head back against the thick wood that held your spine taunt. There was still so much inside of you as memories relapsed, the beating of your heart matching the strength of a black smith’s hammer; she had angered the Lord, and you were the punishment upon them, and to the demons, a sacrifice would go.

The spawn would be the perfect offering, would it not?

Curling, your teeth bared in the holy light of the sky, damning it as you began to thrash in your binds, a dry cry ripping through your sore throat. They were coming, they would see you before the deserted area, and your once idol only knew what they would do to you. The pain that coursed through your wrists did nothing to stop you, nor did the tears pouring down your nipped cheeks blind you from seeing them closer, and as the hounds sniffed the air, it was the scent of fresh blood in the melting snow that caught their senses. Your form rippled, shivering as the cold began to slowly set in like your fate, and burly demons surrounding your ascending form, one of them sat upon his throne that was carried by a pure stallion. 

A crow upon a straw roof screeching was the only sound you were still alive, and despite the situation, all the adrenaline began to catch up with you as you laughed and growled, slamming your skull against the post once more. They began to talk among your episode of mania, and the sharp rolls of their tongues made you wonder how anything could be more dangerous in this world. Through a now calmer sense, despite the heaving of your chest and the heated stares you were receiving from each of them, one word made your blood boil as it was spoken with utter disgust: Christian.

You spat as hard as you could, seeming to catch the attention of the conversing group, and especially the man who sat upon his throne who looked like he had suddenly made a very important decision.  “Fuck you,” Whether they could understand you clearly or not, but the malice in your voice and your snarl would surely get a message across. Though, it was not the answer you thought to receive — a flash of metal glinted in flight, and you were forced to stare at your reflection from the corner of your eye, oxygen releasing from your lungs.

The reflection of a devil, but the blade of an axe embedded beside your head would not be the only mirror you would glance in that day.

Despite the stillness that numbed you, and the ocean that became restless in your veins, there was nothing in the shock that wavered on your face, even as a red streak dripped down your temple. There was a round of laughter and cheers, seeming as though they thought you had been put in your place, but the man in his chariot immediately urged his horse closer, the white fur almost glittering as his gaze stripped you to the core. There was something about this demon, one that did not stand in any of the men there, even the ones that copied his eyes. His arms crossed, resting atop the rim of his throne as he leaned over, and it seemed for a moment there was nothing else in existence as you defiantly held the demon’s gaze. “Death stomps your holy ground and snaps at your feet, yet you throw insults and do not plead in fear?”

His English was a surprise, sounding wrong from his accented tongue, but it was oddly comforting to you. Rolling your stiff jaw, you knew there was no chance in fighting for your life, a thing you no longer cared for, so a calm washed over your being and your muscles went lax in your tight binds. “Why should I fear a kinder fate than I have been cursed with?” A part of you hoped this would end soon, this toying game of the hunt, and the next thing that would touch your skin would be a sword piercing through your skull.

The demon spoke, causing several men to act without hesitation. They crowded you, your face curling up in disgust as hands crawled around your body, bracing yourself for anything they were to touch or grab, but you were unprepared for the sudden shift in gravity as your binds were cut. Weight dropped, crushing to your legs and the pain that shot you like an arrow caused you to scream, but there was no crack before you fell to the barren ground. Instinctively you tried to catch yourself, only resulting in sliding, sharp rocks biting at your skin as you steadied. A foreign shout echoed the quiet group and it was then the crowd cheered, celebrating for what you did not know, but they began taking off in separate directions; kicking down doors to empty houses, ripping through food stalls, prying open barrels and boxes. “Where have the rest of you gone?”

A shaky breath escaped your lips, little clouds rolling upwards, but you could not find the strength within to lift your head and properly address the predator that spoke, though, the wondering eyes did not escape. “Ran,” You explained, the dirt spreading across your skin as your upper-half shifted, lips curling back at the spreading sting. Hopefully dead, darkness added, the screech of a raven ringing in your ears louder, the muscle under your eye twitching.

Despite how cold the ground was, the snow that leaked through your dress was almost inviting as it numbed your skin. It slowed your thoughts, your movements, as you raised your head a bit, glancing up through your lashes at the six men who were gathered in front of you like an alter, and flashes of armor and hair shifted behind them. “They left you behind?” A softer voice reached your ears, seeming almost surprised at the thought. 

Snapping up, your eyes met his almost instantly, a beautiful blue like all six of them were a little wide, though this one was famed with golden hair. Though, you remained impassive, peeking your tongue out to race your bottom lip. “Is it in your nature to ask stupid questions?”

Why had they not driven a sword through your heart? An axe through your skull? Ended your pain and suffering ? Perhaps they were going to toy with you first and see what all makes you tick and squirm.. whoever can make you scream the loudest wins?

Far from the reaction you expected, two of them burst out in laughter  — one clutching onto his carriage as the joyous noise escaped him, the other giggling manically, “Only him.” Stated the king, amusement lacing his voice has he came down him high, now relaxing and staring at you in half-lidded wonder.

Fingers twitching, the blonde was no where near amused, his hand nearing his rusted blood-soaked weapon. “Talk like that, you sound like you want to die.” His voice held much promise, one you were expecting him to keep.

“Go ahead,” You offered, immediately rolling on your back, shivering noticeably as the freezing temperature tried to paralyze you. Spreading your arms out, your eyes dropped tight and had you not been such a disgrace, you could of describe yourself as being crucified, but it was only water and your own sweat sticking to you and not blood. Yet.. “I have been left here as an offering, so take it. Let the blood of a whore’s pathetic crippled appease you.”

A dog barked, dove’s coo’d despite the hell that wandered the land and the silence around had never sounded so loud. “What did you just say?”

Fluttering your eyes open, confusion curled on your features as you looked up, selfishly drinking in the tanned sight of the king on his chariot, who was now hanging to look at you. His blue eyes were colder than a winter storm, his jaw taunt, fingers flexing around the rim of his throne. “I told you to kill me.”

“No, not that... “

“You are a crippled?” A small amount of astonishment.

“I want to hear her say it!” The dark one shouted, snapping like a wolf, silencing the man that stood beside him who bore a scar on his forehead. 

A low rumble resonated in your chest as you continued to lay on your back, spread wide for anything. “Yes,” A hiss, disgust seeping in your words and the child inside of you wanted to curl, shielding your soul away from the sneering glances and lashing words. “Taunt me, laugh at me  — say what you will for it no longer bothers me.”

It was then you found little breath in the glimpse of vulnerability that swam in his oceans, the blue almost glittering in the snow as you held his sight. A few foreign words flew through the air and two pairs of hands were grabbing your arms, manhandling you up, your limp legs dangling below you as each arm was slung over a shoulder, and they bought you dangerously close to the devil. “Who are these people?” 

For a moment, there was confusion in your mind until you realized he meant those who tormented you, treated you less than human and showed you what it was like to be a wild animal, and suddenly a strange shyness cloaked your being, an innocence peaking in your soul that you never remembered having. The nipping of the breeze did nothing to help the pink that dusted over your cheeks, and your head dipped, suddenly unable to withstand his gaze. “Everyone,” The heaviness in your voice seemed to be understanding.

Warm fingertips ghosted your chapped lips before your jaw was cupped, head tilted up and for the first time that you could remember, you felt accepted as his calloused thumb stoked the dimple above your chin. “What would you do if you found them?”

Something spilled from you, a heaviness in your eyes and breath bellowed from your mouth, a waterfall of clouds rolling through the air. Never so openly would you share your thoughts with someone, unable to understand what was happening to you. “I would kill them all.” 

That whore, that whore, your mind chanted.

He said nothing with clouded eyes, only jerking his head in the direction behind him and suddenly you were carried to the back of his carriage. Wide eyed, you quivered, not fully processing the things you had just shared, what was happening or what was to come. Sitting you down on the back of the carriage, your legs dangled over and out of curiosity you glanced to the man who was straddling his chair. In that moment, you understood nothing  — not the foreign words that were spoken back and forth and shouted, not even the English words that were spoken...

All you could focus on were the bound legs of the devil on his throne.

[sanjitea]

Dearly Beloved

[ao3]

because onami means dearly beloved. set in grand jipangu.

“Onami-san~” A blond man in blue kimono called the orange-haired woman in front of him. She was just as cute and beautiful as always, he thought. The mere sight of her was enough to make him happy. He smiled at her.

“Don’t call me that.” The woman answered flatly.

“Why not?”

“We are not married.” The woman, presumably to be named Nami replied straightforwardly. She looked at the side, avoiding the man’s gaze.

“I know,” The man said again, with a smile. “But I love you, just to see you and have you by my side.” He was looking at her, admiring her. “We don’t have to be anything. You will always be my dearly beloved,”

She was now turning around, showing her back to him. Was she blushing? That’s so cute, and so he thought. Smiling even wider, and then inhaling from his long pipe- smokes came out in hearts out from there.

“Sanji-kun,” Onami-san said, calling his name. “Let’s get back to work- time is money.”

“Yeees!~” Sanji, the man replied. His mouth was opened in a huge grin as he made his way into the kitchen, leaving Nami shaking her head as she smiled looking at his back.

The chief likes to stop by at their little restaurant, Kazaguruma; the Pinwheel. The man was known as Luffy. From a single gaze, one would never think of Luffy as threatening. However, the chief was strong. And he was the protector of the small town. He had a lot of appetite despite his small build. And on that day, nonetheless, the officer liked to stop by.

“Oi, Onamwi-” Luffy called, his mouth still stuffed full of food. “Cwan I gewt a ahnother helphing?”

Before Nami could response to that, Sanji stepped in- a little bit too close, perhaps. Placing down the meal on the Boss’ table before adding his comment.

“Oi, oi… I am the only one who can call Onami-san by that.”

“Eeeh? Bwut why?”

“Because she is my beloved,” Sanji stated. “You wouldn’t understand how it feels to have love, burning through your heart, and drives you into the heaven~” And with that, his eyes turned into hearts and the man started to spin.

Luffy, however- caught disinterest with the idea and rejected to it. “But I love Onami too!”

Sanji, stopped mid-track in his swooning. “I love her more.”

“But I love Onami a lot!” Luffy pouted. “This is unfair!”

Nami sighed. “Yes, yes… I love you too. Sanji-kun, you can love me by making more money, and Oyabun, it would really make me happy if you are paying up your debts.” And then she said, never did missing a beat of showing competence in her voice- which just makes Sanji -fall in love- more with her.

“Yeeeeeees!~” He replied, as he began to turn around in his place.

“Eeh…” Boss Luffy began to scratch on his face. “Iwillmakeuptothatsomeday.” -Resulting with a glare to his face from so-called Onami-san.

“Oyabun! Luffy!” A voice suddenly called from the outside of the store, together with footsteps that came in such a hurry- breaking their peaceful little moment in The Pinwheel.

The long-nosed man stopped by the front door, catching his breath with his tongue out. The man was Luffy’s job partner- Usopp.

“This-… this is… hohrihbbleh…” He said in between of his pantings.

“What is it Usopp?” Luffy jumped instantly in front of his friend. The situation caught interest for Nami and Sanji too, who perked up from their previous spots and walked towards Usopp as well.

“It is… it is… hhahh….”

“Oi, calm yourself down first,” Sanji offered a cup of water which Usopp took and chugged down quickly- note: too quickly, he ended up choking and coughing up. A small drop of sweat appeared on top of Sanji’s forehead. “Oi… be careful.”

Once he was done calming down, Usopp then said. “It’s Buggy the Clown!”

The sentence received an instant “Oh” from both Sanji and Nami, who got disinterested and turned away right on the spot. Luffy would definitely take care of them in no time, and they knew it. The two decided to return to manage their little restaurant and let the officers handle their job.

Until, they heard the continuation of Usopp’s story, that is.

“…He is taking all the money from the local bank!”

Nami’s ears definitely perked up from that one.

Luffy nodded in determination. “Ok! I am going to kick his a-”

“DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY!” The ever-so-calm Onami was set on fire, scared the other three men on the spot. “We are going to get him! And stop him! Make him return all the money! Sanji-kun, let’s go!”

“Y-yes,” Sanji nodded, still wide-eyed and agaped.

The big-nosed clown, Buggy- was on top of the pile of money on top of a ship. And he was laughing. Just as he did so, our four heroes came into the scene before he could get any further.

“Hey! You!” Nami screamed. “Don’t you dare to go away with the townspeople’s money!” My money.

“Yeah! I am going to kick your ass!” Luffy shouted as well. Meanwhile the two other men were left to row the boat to chase after the clown’s boat.

“Luffy Oyabun! You are not going to get me this time!” Buggy shouted back. “I am going to be the richest man ever, and you can’t stop me!” He pointed at the four, and his underlings followed his order to attack on the officer’s gang.

Luffy was the first to act, running towards Buggy and his group. Since his body was made from rubber, he could reach the other ship easily.

Nami was unshaken. “You can’t get away with what is not yours! You have to return them back! People will run out of business because of your doing!”

As the gap between the boat and the ship closed by, Nami jumped toward Buggy’s ship in order- mainly aiming at the money to retrieve it.

Observed the whole scene, Sanji stood up and went after Nami’s back. “Usopp, take care of the boat. I am going after Onami-san.”

“Eeeeh? So you are just going to leave me alone like this? Sanji!”

Luffy was punching and kicking some of the men as he tried to get closer to Buggy, who was seemingly trying to avoid him as much as possible.

Nami was collecting as much as money she could get, leaving her back opened wide to enemy attacks. One of the men was raising his sword, ready to strike her in one blow- only to get a fierce kick straight to his face instead.

Sanji looked at Nami, smiling gently as he landed. Nami’s face turned into a wide smile in response to that. The two made a run with the moneybags they grabbed from the ship.

Meanwhile, Usopp was rowing. He was rowing and rowing- away from every possible damage. Partly sobbing, because it was raining arrows in the sky. Once he found quite a good cover, he stopped just in place.

Sanji and Nami were running, as there was a rain of arrows following right behind and around them. Making sure to always making her safe from troubles, Nami was running on the front as Sanji watched her back.

“Onami-san! This way, this way!” Sanji pointed to a direction, as he tried his way to cover Nami from any kind of troubles and shield himself all in same time.

However, there was one of the enemies awaited in front of Nami. And before neither Nami nor Sanji could act quickly enough, the man was about to strike her down with one swift move.

A blast came from nowhere, knocking the man out in one blow. Surprised, the two looked to the side. Hidden behind the rock and leaves, Usopp lowered his weapon and screamed at them.

“Sanji! Onami! Hurry up! I’ll hold them off!” He said, giving a hand gesture.

“Thanks, Usopp!”

Luffy was running towards Buggy. Buggy, gained knowledge that his treasures has been taken away, started to run towards Nami.

“You little…!” He shouted off. And by separating his top and lower body, he reached Nami a little faster and brought her into the air along with the moneybags she was taking.

“Onami!”

“Onami-san!”

Buggy then laughed, “You are not getting away from taking my money!”

“They are not your money,” Nami spat back. She struggled on his grip. There was not a slight comfortable of being held by a clown.

“But I am taking it. And I am going to be rich. And then I can continue on my plans.”

“This money belongs to the people.” Nami replied again, glaring into Buggy’s eyes.

“Gyahahahaha! Are you really going to play to be the ‘good guy’ now?”

“I don’t really care what you are doing as long as you are not including my savings in it.”

“What?” Buggy found his mouth wide agape by Nami’s reply.

“Onami-san!” Sanji called from below, signaled her to look at the other side. And she did. The sight of Luffy and Usopp, already preparing on their place for attack could be seen.

When Buggy turned his face to the direction, he realized just how much he was distracted just simply by talking to Nami. He was forgotten all about the Oyabun and his strength. By the second he remembered about his existence, the said man was already preparing an attack by twisting his arms long into the air with his weapon on his hand.

The first thing in Buggy’s head was to run away. And so, he headed a bit to the left. However, a sudden blast from Usopp surprised him and made him stayed still on his spot.

“You are not getting away with everyone’s money,” Luffy said. “And you are not getting away with holding our Onami!”

Onami smiled, knowing that her friends got her back and she would always just be alright. The thought of how much they loved and cared for her was comforting, and forever she knew they would never let her hurt. And so she gave a little wink and sticking a bit of her tongue to Buggy.

“Gomu Gomu no…”

Hearing the cue, Sanji kicked right into Buggy’s crotch that was still on the ground. Screaming, he let out of his grip on Onami’s body. In an instant, Sanji ran. He ran and caught Onami on his hands before she touched the hard surface of the ship floor. Protecting her was his top priority. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.

“…Jutte!”

And with that, Buggy the Clown was defeated by Boss Luffy, once again.

The incident was over, and the money was returned. It was another good day at Grand Jipangu.

“Sanji! Make some food! I am hungry!” Luffy called. “I have some money!” He then gave his reward money to Onami’s hand.

Onami was happy and content. Humming softly, she then said. “Don’t forget, Luffy. You still have to pay for the rest of the debts.”

“Shishishishi! Don’t worry, Onami. I’ll do it.”

Sanji walked out of the kitchen, expecting Luffy’s order. He placed the food on the table for both of the officers and said, “I told you, I am the only one who can call her that.”

Usopp perked up at this, “Eh? Why?”

Onami sighed, but smiled. “It’s ok, Sanji-kun.” She walked towards the boys. “All of you can call me Onami.”

“Onami-san is the best!” Sanji turned into a noodle right after hearing the statement. Meanwhile Luffy grinned and dig in into his food. Onami was just smiling at the sight.

“Eh? I thought all this time your name was Onami.” Usopp spoke out.

Dearly Beloved- that was what that name meant. It was all begun with a little nickname that stuck, and everyone just got around calling her that. It was not bad at all, a name that was mostly restricted to married couples- however she could get used to it. After all, her friends really love her. Onami smiled at the thought of it.

“Just call me Onami,” and so Onami said, as she walked inside to put down the money she received from the Oyabun. “Or I’ll charge you for not calling me that.”

A squealed ‘yes’ came from Sanji, and an unclear one (because he was chewing) came out from Luffy. Meanwhile Usopp’s jaw was dropped onto the table.

“That’s so mean!”

And Onami just giggled at the sight.

o- in front of someone's name means respect, and in some cases it could also used to call someone you dearly beloved in japanese.

i always headcanoned that sanji was the only one who called nami by onami-san in the beginning, and everyone thought nami's name was onami and rolled with it. however, all of them loves nami in the same time too, no?

[p-artsypants]

Aftermath

FF.Net | AO3

My New Years Resolution is to reach 1,000,000 words archived on FF.net. Only 250,000 left to go!

It was the will of the Astrals that the line of Lucis continue. So Noctis wakes up with a sword in his chest. That's just the first in a series of roadblocks keeping him from his happy ending. One-shot

—

When Noctis awoke, he wasn’t quite sure what he had expected. Probably some sort of void, or an ideal world. Certainly not the throne room, still on the throne, still impaled.

His body was weak and his vision was blurry, but no doubt about it, the Sword of the Father was still resting in his sternum. A numbing feeling held him delicately, though, and no pain had yet reached him.

Then, the door to the room opened and he heard Gladio. “Oh Christ…”

Ignis followed. “Bad, hmm? It is no wonder Prompto didn’t want to come in. Must be gruesome.” He sighed. “I suppose we should get to work removing him. We’ll have to find a place in the royal tombs. Perhaps by his father.”

Then, his two friends were close to him, and Noctis could faintly make out their forms.

With all the strength in his body, he raised his hand. “Ignis…Gladio…” He whispered.

“HE’S STILL ALIVE!” Gladio’s voice rocked the room.

“Prompto! He’s alive!” Ignis called back to the atrium.

As the third companion ran into the room, crying out for the King, Noctis rested his outstretched hand on his father’s sword and absorbed it into his chest in a wisp of blue. With nothing to hold him in place, he began to slump forward before Gladio caught him.

“Iggy, what are we going to do? Lestallum is several days away.”

Prompto was at his side, an Elixir in hand. “Here buddy, drink this.”

But before the curative could get anywhere near him, a man’s voice spoke. “He will live.”

The group looked to the hole that was blasted in the wall of the Throne room. There, in gold and black armor stood an abnormally large man. Swords stood against his back, and dual capes blew in the breeze, resembling wings. He watched them omniscient eyes.

Ignis finally spoke the question that everyone was wondering. “Who are you?”

All waited for him to speak, but he merely raised a hand.

Noctis raised into the air, slightly floating above Gladio’s arms. A ring of light formed around his frail body, and the gaping wound in his chest burned with a blue flame. Then, as soon as it began, it was over, and Gladio caught him once again. His eyes closed and he fell back into slumber. Only scarred tissued remained of his fatal blow.

Ignis was first to address the man, “I was under the impression that Noctis…was going to have to perish to heal the Scourge. And with that wound…”

“He was.” The man answered, finally stepping closer. “He knew this when he fell asleep in the crystal. But, it is the will of the Astrals, my will, that he should live. And the line of Lucis continue.”

“Your will?” Gladio asked.

“You asked me who I was, Advisor. I am known by many names, the Draconian, the Bladekeeper, the God of War…”

“Bahamut!” Prompto nearly shouted.

The astral smiled. “That is correct, Gunner.”

The group looked at each other, not knowing how to react to such news.

“In gratitude for stopping Ifrit, and bringing the dawn, we have allowed him to return to his throne. Eos is unstable, as all kingdoms have fallen. The people need a king.”

Ignis nodded heavily, agreeing with the god.

“His life is all we have restored to him. His power, the arms, his strength, those he has lost in sacrifice.”

Gladio was the one who spoke. “He doesn’t need to fight anymore. We’ll protect him.”

Bahamut smiled. “I’m glad you see things my way.” He turned to leave. “One more thing.” He glanced at the crystal shining brightly above the throne. “There is but another gift for the king, which will come in time.”

The group looked at said crystal, and then looked back to Bahamut, only to find him gone.

“That was cool!” Said Prompto. “Had I been thinking, I would have taken his picture.”

“Enough chit chat, let’s get his Royal Pain in the Ass to Lestallum.”

—

When Noctis awoke a second time, he was in a small room covered with peeling, dingy wallpaper. An IV was hooked up to his arm and bandages wrapped around his limbs. He glanced around the room, still too weak to move his head. Next to him was an empty chair. Near the foot of the bed, Gladio held a book, and looked like he was engrossed, while Prompto was asleep on his shoulder.

It didn’t take long for Gladio to notice the King staring at him.

“About time, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Water…” Noctis asked, in a gravelly voice.

As Gladio stood, Prompto rolled off his shoulder and woke suddenly. “Hey, what’s the big—oh Noct!”

The weak King barely had time to brace himself before Prompto was on top of him, bawling his eyes out. “I can’t believe it! You’re alive! You’re really here! I thought—oh sorry!” He hopped off of him, resting a warm hand on his shoulder. “I got a little carried away.”

Noctis raised a hand to his in reassurance, to show it was okay.

Gladio returned with a styrofoam cup and a bendy straw. “Let me sit you up.” He flipped a switch on the bed, before the back raised.

He took the cup gratefully and drank. When he spoke again, his voice wasn’t nearly as gravelly. “Where are we?”

“At a hospital in Lestallum.” Stated Gladio.

Prompto continued. “After we found you alive in the Citadel, Bahamut healed your wound where you were impaled, and we brought you here. You’ve been unconscious for about four days.”

“Thank you.” Noctis closed his eyes again, for a moment. “Bahamut healed me?”

“He said something about Eos needing a King.”

Noctis allowed himself to sneer. “Of course.”

“But for the time being,” Ignis spoke from the door, entering, “Eos needs it’s king to rest. The King’s friends can take care of the world for a few weeks.”

Noctis took another sip. “A few weeks, huh?”

“You lost a lot of blood. Not to mention all the damage you took from Ardyn. And…you will probably never get your strength back all the way. We have found that the royal arms we collected have returned to their tombs. Not including your father’s.”

Noctis held his hand out, allowing the weapon to come to his hand. Though, he was not prepared for the weight, and his arm dropped uselessly to the bed. “It’s heavier than I remember.” He said with a smirk.

“It’s okay.” Prompto assured, picking up the weapon and putting it away from the bed.

“Well,” began the King with a smile. “Now I have an excuse to sleep.”

“And no one will fight you over it.” Gladio agreed.

As the week progressed, rumors of the King of Lucis still being alive and in Lestallum grew, and Noctis had daily visitors. It started with Iris and Talcott, two who had known his fate in the first place. Iris had grown into a young woman, and out of her childhood crush on Noctis. Though, when she saw him, she didn’t hesitate to give a delicate kiss to his forehead.

“What was that for?” He asked.

She only smiled at him, with a tear running down her face. “Thank you. I never thought I’d see the sun again.”

He merely reached out and took her hand. “I wasn’t about to fight destiny. An destiny wanted to see the sun again too.”

Talcott came daily, and brought cards to play with. He was the king’s source of land-wise news, as he always had been. The teen recounted things happening all over the continent. Things that weren’t on the news. “Altissa is apparently up an running again. It seems like the daemons never really had any footing over there, since the city is surrounded by water.”

“It was a very brightly lit city, if I remember.” Noctis added.

“The Secretary of Accordo, Camelia Claustra, would be a great person to get into contact with once you are well.” Said Ignis. “I have already written her, and I await her response.”

“Rummy,” said Prompto, cleaning up the discard pile and putting down all the cards in his hand.

“Aww man,” Noctis huffed, throwing down his cards. “Again?”

“I can focus on cards or politics. And I know nothing about politics.”

The King rolled his eyes.

A week passed. Noctis awoke sometime at 10, still drowsy. But a red notebook laid on his lap. Confused, Noctis glanced to the foot of the bed where Umbra laid, curled up and sleeping.

Noctis held the notebook sheepishly, not really wanting to open it, lest the memories return to take him.

His precious Luna.

“Well, are you going to open it?” Gladio spoke.

Noctis almost jumped out of his skin. “When did you get here?”

His friend yawned. “I’ve been here all night. Your dog came in sometime around six am.”

Noctis looked back to the notebook, wild curiosity burning his eyes. Finally, he opened the book and flipped to the latest page.

—

Lunafreya Nox Flueret, Oracle and Princess of Tenebrae, opened her eyes in the ruined throne room of Insomnia. Sunlight filtered in through a huge hole in the wall. She sat upon the throne, which was sadly drenched in blood, much like the dress she died in.

She stood, weak, but still curious. On the ground in front of her, waited a woman in a black dress.

“Gentiana!” Luna spoke, hurrying down the steps to her friend. “Oh Gentiana!”

The woman embraced Luna, holding her warmly, despite the ever coldness in her touch. “Oh dear child. I’m so happy to see you here again.”

“But, where is here? Surely this can’t be the Citadel. Since…” Luna withdrew into herself as she remembered the pierce of Ardyn’s blade and the tears on Noctis’ face.

“It is.” Gentiana spoke gently. “Your King has fulfilled his destiny. The dawn has come and the Scourge has been destroyed.”

Luna furrowed her brow. “I was there, then Noctis passed onto the afterlife. I blessed Ardyn. So how can I be alive?”

“Because we want you to be. It is Bahamut’s wish to see the Lucis line continue, and only the Oracle, you, are the one for him. You’ve been there from the beginning, and we want you there to the end. This is how we show our gratitude.”

Luna hadn’t even realized she started crying until she felt the tear drip off her chin.

“Oh child, why do you cry?”

Luna wiped her face with her hand. “All I wanted…was to be with him one more time. To laugh with him. And now…thank you! Thank you!”

“Don’t thank me yet,” stated Gentiana, gently. “For your King is no longer in Insomnia. His friends have taken him back to Lestallum to be treated for his grievous wounds. But this is his home, and he will return.”

Luna nodded, not minding it. “I waited to see him for twelve years. Only to be ripped away before I could speak to him in person. What’s another few days?”

Gentiana smiled before looking over her clothes. “Let’s see if we can’t find you some clean clothes.”

Luna looked down at her now sticky red dress. “Please.”

Together, they made there way through the remains of the Citadel. Most of it was in good condition, but many of the rooms had been pillaged of their goods.

A few floors away from the throne, Luna opened the door to a spacious room, with black marble floors covered with plush black rugs. The bed and canopy were still in good repair, if only dusty. The dark walls were covered in video game and comic book posters. That’s immediately how she knew the room belonged to her Noctis.

Gentiana wandered over to the bathroom connected to the suite. “There is running water, but it’s only cold.”

“That’ll be fine.” Luna stated, rummaging through Noctis’ closet. Everything was black, such as the Kingdom of Insomnia. But she found a shirt and pair of sweatpants that would probably fit her.

“Are you hungry?” Asked her companion.

“Not much, but I will be.”

“Then we best search out non-perishables. There still seems to be electricity in the city.”

Luna smiled. “You remember when we traveled to start the covenant with Ramuh and Titan?”

“And we made camp in a cave?” Finished Gentiana. “That was unideal.”

“But it was fun. This will be like when Noctis and his friends would stay in a camper. They called it ‘Glamping.’”

“Glamping?”

“Like camping, but glamorously.”

After her bath, Luna dressed in her clean clothes and felt much better. Coming back into the room, she saw Umbra waiting patiently for her. She smiled.

“Should I let Noctis know I’m here?”

“I don’t see the harm in it.”

—

The correspondence between Noctis and Luna had always been short and sweet. But this entry had surprised him, to say the least.

“My dear, sweet Noctis.

I awoke in the Citadel, expecting to find you. Gentiana has stated that you have gone to Lestallum for medical attention. I suppose that makes sense, with what has transpired these last few days. But I have no way to get to you, so I’m afraid I’ll just have to await you here. The Citadel is not in great shape, since the empire razed it. I am scavenging the city for food, as I did when I set out to make the covenants. Do you know a safe place to stay? For now, I think I have found your childhood bedroom. I hope you don’t mind me borrowing some clothes.

Darling, I thank the Six that I can write this to you now. All I ever wanted was to laugh with you again, and that day is still coming. Now, sooner then ever.

I anxiously await your return, My King.

Forever yours,

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.”

As soon as he finished reading the note, Noctis swung his feet over the side of the bed and made to stand.

“Whoa! What do you think you’re doing?!” Gladio pushed him harshly back down.

“We have to go back to Crown City! Luna’s waiting for me!”

“Bullshit, that’s just the pain medication talking.”

“Is not!” Noctis fought against him, weakly.

“Did you forget that she died?! You saw it! We all saw it!”

“And so did I!” Noctis screamed back, his throat protesting it. He took his notebook and put it in Gladio’s hands. “Just read it!”

Full of doubt, the swordsman glanced over the words, his brow furrowing as he read. “Well, I’ll be damned. This must have been what Bahamut meant.”

“What?”

“Oh right, you were passed out. After he healed you, Bahamut promised one more gift for you yet to come, and then looked at the crystal.”

“It was Luna…” he muttered to himself. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” Noctis placed his feet on the ground and made to stand, again.

“Whoa whoa whoa, I didn’t say you could leave.”

Noctis pushed off the bed, his legs weak and trembling. “But I have to go to Luna!”

“I know! But—!” Gladio grit his teeth as a storm grew within him. “Look, just sit for now. Let me get Specs. He’ll know what to do.” And with that, he left, notebook in hand.

But Noctis wasn’t about to sit around and wait. Under Umbra’s watch, the King stood shakily. “Ohh…that doesn’t feel good.” He whimpered. Still, he took a step forward, and then proceeded to fall flat on his face. He grunted.

“What did I say?!” Gladio’s harsh voice came from the door.

Noctis pushed up on his arms as they trembled. The much bigger man yanked him off the floor. And pushed him rather harshly back into bed. “Didn’t you make a big deal about getting to sleep and rest? And now you’re trying to push yourself!?”

Ignis waited patiently on the other side of the room. Once Gladio’s lecture finished, he began. “Gladio read me Luna’s letter. I’ll be sending over Talcott and Iris to Insomnia to check up on her. They’ll be taking the first group of refugees with them to begin restoration of the city. You, however, can’t leave quite yet.” With that, he handed the notebook back to him.

Noctis frowned, taking the book back and setting it on his food tray.

“Simply explain to her the situation. You can’t go anywhere without a physician’s care. And Lestallum doesn’t have any doctor’s to spare.”

Finally, Noctis relented. “Fine. But I need a pen and my wallet.”

Both items were retrieved and Noctis began his reply.

“Dearest Luna,

You have no idea how amazing it is to read your handwriting again after all these years. Your death took an enormous toll on me, and not a day went by that I didn’t think of you.

But unfortunately, I’m not allowed to leave Lestallum quite yet. I’m being held prisoner by my friends and the doctors. But some of my acquaintances will be coming to Crown City to start restoration.

My flat was in a high rise, and might be safe. I know I had a lot of ramen noodles in the kitchen, and those things never expire. I have put my address and taped my keycard to the back of this page.

Please make yourself at home, Luna. I’m sorry I can’t be there to host you properly. But I’ll see you soon, and I’ll keep in contact with Umbra.”

His pen paused, hesitating, but he decided that hesitating was stupid, and wrote honestly.

“I love you.

Forever yours,

King Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

Umbra waited patiently to retrieve the book and once it was secured in his pouch, the dog stood and trotted off.

Prompto, carrying a plate of skewers, entered the room. “I just saw Umbra. What’s up?”

Noctis smiled softly at his best friend. “It’s Luna. She’s alive and waiting for me in Crown City.”

Prompto smiled. “Cool, dude.”

“That’s all you have to say? ‘Cool’?”

“Dude, okay, nothing is surprising anymore. You disappear for ten years, then when you reappear, you have like, the ultimate power. I witnessed all Six Astrals come to earth, two of them fought another, and then I saw you die. Not only that, but you made the sun rise, which hadn’t happened in ten years, and then you were still alive with a giant sword sitting in your chest? For you to tell me that the Oracle, that died ten years ago, isn’t dead either, is actually really predictable, with how things are progressing.”

The other three in the room were quiet as Prompto took a bite from a skewer. “Face it, I’m just not surprised anymore.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Noctis snickered.

Ignis put a hand on his chin, the way he always did when he was deep in thought.

“What’s that look for, Specs?” Asked Noctis.

“I’m wondering what the best way to make an address is. We could always make an announcement in the square, since most everyone is in Lestallum.”

“Do they not have any radio stations anymore?”

“I guess that would work too. I just thought making a public appearance would be the best course of action.”

Prompto spoke, “we can’t set up a mic to the radio station from the square? A public address that’s on the radio.”

“Could be tricky, but I’ll ask around. Our old pal Vyv might know a thing or two.”

“Is he still kicking?” Noctis asked, genuinely surprised.

“Still kicking and asking for my photos.” Said Prompto. “He wrote on you on occasion, saying nothing but good things. I think we can trust him.”

Ignis nodded. “Then I’ll start there. We’ll plan it for a few days from now.”

Noctis moved his feet to dangle on the side of the bed. “Then I need to get my strength up enough to stand at that podium.”

His friends watched him momentarily, before Gladio caved. “Alright, then let’s get to work.” He came around to the other side of the bed and took his hands. “I’m not going to pull you up, I’m just going to keep you from falling. It’s all you, Highness.”

Noctis nodded and let his feet touch the ground.

—

Luna and Gentiana made it to the building Noctis had designated in the notebook. It was a high rise indeed, and the lobby door was unlocked. For the most part the lobby looked okay. Furniture was upturned and dust collected on the surfaces. They took their bags of canned foods and tried the elevator. Electricity was on intermittently over the city, but it appeared this building was one that still had it. They rode the elevator to the top floor and used the keycard to get inside. Nothing was out of place, but dust clung to every surface like snow. Luna turned her nose up. “I will have to dust before I do anything else.”

She opened the window and allowed the night air in. Gentiana already got to work rifling through the cabinets looking for cleaning supplies.

“I’m sure His Majesty will enjoy having a clean place to stay when he arrives.”

Luna smiled, taking the various sheets and blankets out and hanging them over the balcony railing. “I’m sure he’d like a warm hug too.”

“And a kiss?”

Luna paused, blushing. “Do you think I should?”

“He wrote ‘I love you’ in his last letter. I think that’s a pretty big clue. Have you decided what you’re going to write back?”

Umbra looked at her expectantly.

To be honest, his declaration had caught her off guard. Because truly, they hadn’t seen each other since they were kids. And now Noctis was another ten years older, if only in body. The True King and the Oracle. Two sides to the same coin, and star crossed lovers as long as she could remember.

“What do I even say?”

“Do you love the King?”

“Of course I love Noctis…I just…is it weird? I knew him as a child, and then only from the journal. He’s 30 years old now. So much time has passed. What if he’s different in real life?”

Gentiana took the Oracle by her shoulders, holding her gently. “I have watched the Prince growing up. He is never more honest and true then when he is writing you. The last ten years, he was in Stasis, he wouldn’t have changed much.”

“But…I can’t imagine what kind of trauma he’s been through in the last few days.”

Gentiana smiled in her motherly way. “And you haven’t? Darling, clinging to your king will help both of you heal. Don’t push him away over baseless doubts.”

Luna nodded, calming herself down. Then she looked to Umbra.

—

The week was progressing along, as Noctis slowly got back on his feet. Literally.

Whenever he walked, Prompto or Gladio was there to help. They switched between helping him and helping Ignis navigate blindly in the crowded city.

The first day, Noctis walked down the Hospital hallway. Then the next day he went down to the lobby. The day after that, he begged to go outside for a little.

Ignis agreed with the condition that Noctis stay in a wheelchair for the majority, and only walk in short spurts. This was good enough for the King.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Lestallum, and it seemed like everyone wanted to enjoy the sunshine, and all sorts were out and about. The first familiar face they ran into was a pleasant one. Her hair had grayed in the last decade, but her vibrance had not. She still wore her bright red hat.

“Well well, if it isn’t my favorite hunters. I haven’t seen you around in years! Theater business keeping you busy?” Sonia asked, looking directly at Noctis.

The king’s brows furrowed in confusion, before he remembered the last conversation he had with her. Then he burst out laughing.

It was her turn to be confused.

“I’m sorry professor,” he shook his head and held out his hand. “I never formally introduced myself all those years ago.”

“To be honest,” she interrupted. “I never let you. I was just excited to get some frog hunting interns.”

“My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“…Lucis Caelum…you mean to tell me I ordered a Prince around to catch a bunch of frogs?”

“In all fairness, I never do things I don’t want to. Catching those frogs was actually really fun.”

“Well, thank goodness for that.” She laughed. “Oh, the boys at the university will never let me live this down.”

“Sonia, I don’t know if you ever told me what you learned from those frogs.”

She crossed her arms, “what? Have you been under a rock? I’m the one that figured out that the night descended from the photosynthetic organisms caused by the scourge, which was from the meteor. It was published in Meteor Magazine. You know, as my star pupil, I would have expected better from you.”

He shrugged. “Well, hate to break it to you, but I’m the one that wasted your years of research.”

She put her hands on her hips and leaned in closer to examine him. “You’re the reason the scourge is gone?”

“What, you didn’t hear about it?” He teased.

Prompto watched the exchange with a broad smile on his face. He was overjoyed to see his friend so calm and carefree, especially after the fate he nearly endured.

Ignis was talking, “I seem to remember you being on the radio some years ago for your research. Might you be able to get us in contact with the agency?”

“Happy to, but it was Vyv that got me on Talk 95. I can talk to him, if you’d like. You boys did so much for us, I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Wonderful.”

Noctis leaned back to look at Prompto. “I’m kinda tired, can you help me back?”

“Sure thing,” the blond smiled, pushing him along.

When they returned to the room, Umbra laid on the bed, relaxing.

Noctis’ face instantly flushed, remembering what he had said to Luna in his last entry.

“Oooooh someone’s got a message from their girlfriend!” Prompto chirped, delighted.

Anxious, but nervous, Noctis sat on the bed, and crossed his legs. Then he took the notebook from the pouch and flipped through it, flipping through the familiar pages, starting from when they were kids, to teens, and then from the recent days leading up to their almost marriage.

Then he was looking at the new message, and his heart jumped into his throat.

“Dear Noctis,

We found your flat. Its very nice! We found plenty of non-expired canned goods and we should be stocked for weeks. In case you were worried, I have rifled through all of your personal artifacts. I wish you had sent me some of these poems, since they’re quite good.”

Noctis shook his head, almost expecting her to do this.

“I found your collection of comic books. I think I will be entertained until you return, fear not.

Noctis, my ever faithful confidant and friend. My heart belongs to you, and no one else. I love you, and desire nothing more to be with you once again.

Forever and Ever Yours,

Luna.”

Noctis wanted to cry in happiness. And he almost did, feeling his eyes stinging.

“Well, what does it say?”

He swallowed, snapping the notebook closed. He would reply later, and give Umbra some time to relax. “She found my comic book collection.”

“Oh good, another nerd.”

“You’re a nerd.”

The two laughed before silence took over. “Hey Prompto?”

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Can you help me with my address?”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“Photos. I need visual aid.”

“Oh, yeah, I can do that.” He brought his camera up and inserted an old, worn SD card. “What’s the speech going to be about?”

“It’s the story of a boy prince that likes to sleep.”

—

Several days passed before Luna saw Umbra again. By this time, she was acquainted with Iris and Talcott. And she had done what she could in helping with restoration. But now that her powers as Oracle had faded, Luna found herself in the uncomfortable situation of not knowing how to do anything. She was a prisoner of the Empire for most of her life, and dead for the last decade. All she could offer was encouragement and cleaning.

Which she came to find, was all that anyone asked of her.

“Dear Luna,

This time, instead of a letter

I decided to write you a poem.

Please enjoy the comics,

and make yourself at home.

I’ll be on the radio,

so listen on Friday at nine.

Then I’ll be home after,

ready to make you mine.

P.S. I’ll right you a better poem later.

Forever and Ever Yours,

Noctis, King of Poems.”

Luna giggled and went to secure a radio.

—

The night before the speech, Noctis sat by the TV, watching cartoons. He may have been 30 years old, but in mind, he was still 20. And even then, he was immature.

Watching him was his good pal Prompto, who was going through his photos on his laptop.

Ignis walked in, a moment later, a thick binder under his arm.

“Alright Noctis, Gladio and I have prepared a speech for you for tomorrow, please read over it a few times before hand—“

“No need,” the King said quickly. “Prompto and I have it covered.”

“You and Prompto…?” Said the blind man. “I find that hard to believe.”

Noctis held up a binder of his own. The King could be organized when dictated. “It’s only natural that I’d want to write my own speech.”

Ignis crossed his arms, “Nobles rarely write their own addresses.”

“Luna wrote all of hers.”

Prompto giggled, “he’s got you there.”

“Well, Luna is different.”

Noctis crossed his arms, a daring look on his face. “How so?”

Ignis wasn’t about to fall for it though. “She just is.” He said simply. “Well, I would like to hear your speech first. So go ahead.”

“Nah, I want it to be a surprise.”

Gladio entered the room, with food for the group. “Let it be, Iggy. Noct already delivered the hardest speech of his life. Anything else will be a walk in the park.”

The four lapsed into silence as they returned to that night several days ago, before they went to fight against Ardyn. Their last campfire outside Insomnia. Noctis had spoken to them like a brother, showed tears, and admitted that dying wasn’t the hard part, it was saying goodbye to them. Those few words had been powerful, but enough to rouse in them a fighting power.

Ignis sighed, “can you at least hint to me what it’s about?”

“The truth.” Noctis said.

Prompto smiled.

—

At 8:30, Friday night, the citizens of Lestallum began to gather by the look out. The Disc of Cauthess burned in the background, while a podium and screen were erected in plain sight for all to see. Several microphones and cameras were set up and ready to broadcast all the king had to say.

Vyv had put an article in his magazine about the speech, as well as several news stations prepared their audience for the hallowed experience.

But most of the assembled were doubtful that any royalty was still alive.

Since where was he the last ten years? Where was he when they needed him?

Finally, the designated time arrived and a bearded man dressed in Lucis royal clothing made his way down the ramp, and then over to the podium. In one hand he carried a cane, while the other rested on the arm of a huge Swordsman, in regal Kingsglaive attire.

When Noctis reached the podium, he rested the cane underneath, and leaned on it. It would be today that his strength was at it’s lowest.

He took a moment to breath as cameras aimed at him, broadcasting his weary face to all those who had televisions. Confused whispers filled in the awkward air.

Finally, Noctis breathed deep and stood straight. He glanced over the stunned crowd and demanded their attention. All fell silent.

“If you haven’t noticed, dawn has broken.” He began.

An earth shattering cheer took over the crowd. As if his words had confirmed the impossible. They had felt the sunlight for two weeks now, and many felt it too good to be true.

Noctis smiled and waited for them to calm down. “Many of you are probably wondering, ‘how has the miracle happened?’ ‘is this really the end of the scourge?’ or maybe ’who is this crusty old man, and why does he wear the king’s clothes?’ Well, I’ll explain everything, if you have the patience. It’s a long story.” He nodded to Prompto who projected the first picture on the screen. One of the four of them posed in front of the Crow’s Nest. “Ten years and two months ago, my father, King Regis Lucis Caelum, was killed when the Empire invaded the Citadel. At the time, I was on my way to Altissa, to wed the Oracle, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, to secure a treaty between Lucis and Niflheim.”

The king bitterly looked away with a sigh, “unfortunately, none of us had the foresight to see it was a trick.” He breathed deeply to calm himself. “Rumors began to spread that both my bride to be and I had been killed. So, we decided to lay low, as not to attract the attention of the Empire.”

The photos in the background changed as he progressed.

“Many of you may recognize the young boy in the front as a hunter. Others, as a errand boy, and others as a novice fisherman. Though I had my own goals to achieve, I still did whatever I could to help my people.”

He glanced down at his speech, making sure he stayed on track. “At first, after we heard Insomnia had fallen, I didn’t know what to do. My father’s war had suddenly become my own, and I was sorely unprepared for it. But with help from the Marshal, Cor Leonis, we made our next move looking for the royal tombs and collecting the weapons of my forefathers.”

The photos changed from a royal tomb, to a perfect shot of young Noctis absorbing a royal arm. “This allowed me to gather the necessary arms for my armiger, the weapon of choice for the Kings of Lucis.”

Ignis tapped his foot impatiently, fearing Noctis was divulging too much information, but also not willing to interrupt the address.

“The ferry to Altissa was cut off, and so we were stranded between Leide, Duscae, and Cleigne until we could find a way over. We spent many days helping the hunters, sneaking into Imperial Bases, and searching for the tombs before help came from the most unlikely source.”

A picture of Ardyn came up on the screen, from the first time they met. “The High Chancellor Ardyn Izunia of the Empire. We were rightfully suspicious of him from the beginning, but he allowed us to pass through the blockade by the Disc of Cauthess.” He gestured to the fire in the distance behind him.

“Some of you might remember the strange behavior of weather back then, the earth tremors, the sporadic storms…it was because the next phase of my journey had commenced. With the help of Luna, the Oracle, I was going to receive the blessing of the Six, the first of which was Titan, the Astral who held up the Meteor.

“Shortly after, I was blessed by Ramuh, the Storm God. Then, we finally boarded a private boat and made our way over to Altissa to meet with the Oracle.”

Noctis swallowed, this part of the story was going to be hard. He just reminded himself that Luna was waiting for him in Crown City. So he breathed and carried on. “In Altissa, the First Secretary made us aware that the Oracle was planning on beginning the covenant with Leviathan, the goddess of the sea. Which was a treacherous feat in and of itself. My good friends and guards evacuated the city, but not without sacrifice.” The King looked over to Ignis, who bowed his head. “I got Leviathan’s blessing after a long, hard battle. But along the way, I lost my Luna. We barely shared a word before she gave me my father’s ring, and then died beside me.”

He turned the page, taking a second to compose himself. “My father’s ring, the ring of Lucii, along with the Crystal, were the keys to ending the scourge of the daemons. But since the Empire had stolen the Crystal, our next move was to get it back. We boarded a train and made our way to Gralea. On the way, I convened with Shiva, the Goddess of Ice.”

The pictures went blank on the screen, since Prompto was absent from the party at the time.

“The Empire was a ghost town, crawling with only daemons and dilapidated Magitek Soldiers. Not a soul in sight. Only once I reached the upper levels of Zegnautus Keep did I learn the truth of the Scourge.” He hesitated with this truth, but knew it needed to be said. “The daemons that have plagued us all along were our friends and neighbors. Fellow men succumbed to the scourge and transformed into grotesque creatures. I don’t know if I would have believed it, but I saw the Emperor. He had turned into a winged beast that hunted me down in the darkness. I spent several days alone in the Keep, separated from my friends and my only source for sanity.”

Noctis glanced at the crowd, seeing equal looks of shock and awe. It seemed everyone was hanging on to each word he spoke.

“When we finally did reunite, we headed together to find the crystal. A roadblock occurred, and Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto beckoned me on. This was the last time I saw them. When I finally found the Crystal, I begged it for help to rid the world of the scourge. But instead, the Crystal pulled me into it. As I fought against the pull, the High Chancellor Ardyn appeared again. Then more truths came to light.

“He had once been a Prince of Lucis, and did what he could to rid the world of the Scourge, by absorbing it into himself. Within himself, he carried a myriad of daemons and immortal life. With that, I was absorbed into the crystal to gather strength.”

He looked over the crowd, “I tell you this, because I want you to know…I promised Ardyn, on his death, that he wouldn’t be erased from history again. In a way, I pity him. A crown prince doing what he could to help his people, only to be rejected by destiny. His want of revenge was warranted, no matter how much I hate it. I understand it.”

He glanced back at his notes, while a picture of the Crystal still shown on the screen behind him. “I spoke with Bahamut in the Crystal. It was then that I was told of my destiny. I was to fight Ardyn and bring the dawn, but I had to fight him in this world, and the next. So for ten years, I slept, gathering energy, and not knowing what horrible fate became of my home.

“Only two weeks ago, I awoke on Angelgard, the Island to the South of Galdin Quay, and made my way back to Hammerhead in the darkness. There, I reunited with my friends I was separated from in Niflheim ten years prior. Then, together, we returned to Crown City, and fought Ifrit, the Astral of Fire, who had been swallowed by the scourge. Then I faced Ardyn on my own. We fought until he fell, and then I called upon the Kings of Lucis past, and was carried on to the afterlife. There, I dealt the final blow to Ardyn and the Scourge.”

Noctis stepped out from the podium and pulled his shirt open to show his scarred torso. “This was the final blow, that which should have killed me. But by the divine grace of Bahamut, I have been given my life back. The Astrals wish for the line of Lucis to continue.” He braced his arm on the podium to hold him up. “And though I am weak in body, I am strong in spirit, and I will do what it takes to rebuild this nation.” He stood up a little straighter and raised his voice. “The age of the Daemon is over. Now it is time to usher in the age of Prosperity!”

The cheer this time was louder, if at all possible. The city rocked with cries of joy and relief.

Gladio and Ignis rushed up to the podium to relieve the King as he appeared to have his energy spent. Gladio coaxed him into a chair as Ignis took over. “The first caravan of refugees have gone to Crown City to start renovations. From what we saw several days ago, the city can still be saved and many homes may not have even been touched. We recommend if you want to return to travel in groups. We still haven’t ascertained the safety of the roads.”

Noctis tried his best to listen to all that was being said, but his body simply wouldn’t allow it, and he fell asleep in his chair.

—

Luna had gathered her new friends in Noctis’ flat as they attempted to get a satellite signal. More then anything, she wanted to watch Noctis give his speech. When the picture finally came in, she was astounded at how much older her dear friend appeared. He looked so drained, and she wanted nothing more than for him to curl up around her and fall asleep in her arms.

As he explained his journey, tears welled up her eyes. It hurt to listen to his trials and sufferings.

“I got Leviathan’s blessing after a long, hard battle. But along the way, I lost my Luna. We barely shared a word before she gave me my father’s ring, and then died beside me.”

Truly, they never got to speak face to face. But the moment together in the haven was good enough for her. And now soon, she’d see him again. Only a few days more.

The rest of the journey she knew by heart. After she died, she watched over him, helping him cope with the bitter loneliness of loss. Being a light for him in the darkness of Niflheim. She was with him through it all, though it hadn’t really felt like it.

“Are you alright, Luna?” Talcott asked.

“Oh, yes.” She sniffed, wiping under her eye. “Just overwhelmed.”

The camera followed Noctis as he fell into a chair on the stage. Her heart went out to him as she watched him close his eyes and slump. The scar on his chest would forever be burned into her skull, as the image was horrific and only proved how destructive the scourge had been. The mark was similar to the one she bore on her own side.

But that’s all they were, scars. The war was over. Now all that remained was peace. Luna could imagine a future with her king. And so she found the notebook that she had yet to respond to and withdrew into Noctis’ room.

—

The day after the speech, Noctis roused at noon, much to the chagrin of his company. He meandered down the stairs of the Leville on his own, and found a bench in the streets to sit and enjoy the life around him. He would be meeting with Camelia Claustra later in the evening, as she was on her way from Galdin Quay. But for now, he would relax.

As it always was in Lestallum, all manner of folk greeted him as they passed by. Children stopped and looked at him in awe, a brave little girl even hugged him. Many warm handshakes were delivered, and he happily answered any questions anyone asked.

Until finally, dusk was upon him and Ignis ushered him back to the meeting room in the Leville, where Camelia was waiting.

The woman looked as ancient and immovable as ever, but still smiled when shaking his hand. “King Noctis, it’s good to see you alive and well.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Secretary.”

“I watched your speech yesterday. It was quite…insightful. I had no idea what you had gone through since we last spoke in Altissa.”

“It was very rough.”

“I think I would liked to sleep for these last ten years as well.” She joked.

“Well, the sleep wasn’t as great as it sounds. There were…a lot of nightmares.”

She nodded in understanding. “Well, now you’re here and the scourge isn’t. Accordo and Lucis are the only ruling factions left.”

“Madam Secretary,” he interrupted, politely. “I did leave out a tidbit from the address.”

“Oh?”

“Lady Lunafreya, she was returned to me as a gift from the Astrals, she awaits me in Crown City.”

Camelia smiled, pleased with this news. “So Tenebrae also lives.”

“As I traveled to Gralea, we stopped in Tenebrae. The daemons had destroyed the city and not much remains. We will be taking the survivors to Crown City and absolving them to citizens of Insomnia.”

“Wonderful.” Stated the secretary. “And what would you have of Accordo?”

He leaned forward in his seat a bit and glanced over to Ignis. “Well, now I suppose that’s up to you. Accordo was previously part of the Empire, as was Tenebrae. If you would like to join Insomnia instead, we will happily take you, or if you’d prefer to take your independence back, now would be the time. I’m not in the position to understand the state of Accordo these days. But I’m certain you’re better off then we are.”

“We are willing to help Insomnia get back on it’s feet.” She assured. “As we helped you before with Leviathan, so we will help with rebuilding.”

“Thank you, but you didn’t answer my question.”

She smiled. “I think it is a conversation for another time. For now, we will work on rebuilding.”

“That sounds fair.” He smiled.

“Now, as a token of gratitude for ridding the planet of the scourge, I have brought you a gift.”

He held up his hands in protest, “Oh Madam Secretary, I do not need any sort of gift. I did it because I had to.”

“What I am giving to you, I give to you because you are the only person I trust with it.” She beckoned a servant in, who held up a dress bag.

Noctis stood slowly, awe on his face. “Is that…?”

“Lady Lunafreya’s wedding dress. It was safe from Leviathan, and now, now that she’s returned, I think it’s only appropriate that it returns to Insomnia.”

“Thank you, Madam.”

“Camelia is fine, your majesty.”

“Then Noctis is fine too. Thank you, Camelia.”

“You’re most welcome, Noctis.”

—

Noctis returned to his room for a nap. And he dozed lightly. He heard people come and go. Ignis spoke to him, but he didn’t really hear it. Then something jumped on his bed and startled him, before something warm and fuzzy nuzzled against his face.

“Hey Umbra…” He muttered, reaching up to scratch the pup’s chin. Slowly, he sat up, and took the book from it’s pouch.

The newest entry was short, sweet, and to the point.

“Dear Noctis,

I saw you on TV. I like the beard. It suits you. I don’t think you’re a crusty old man.

My love, back then, did you want to marry me? Or were you just doing your duty as Prince? I guess we have the rest of our lives to figure it out.

Forever and Ever Yours,

Luna.”

Instantly, he was awake and standing on his feet. He grabbed his cane and wallet. “I’ll be back in a bit Umbra, I need to get something for Luna.” The dog loyally trotted beside him anyway as they went down to the street. A few blocks away, a jeweler had set up shop. Despite the darkness, business was good. Especially with jewelry that actually had the ability to repel daemons. But that’s not why Noctis had sought the man out.

“Why, if it ain’t the boy Prince? Looking kinda rough, Your Majesty.”

“Nice to see you too, Dino.” Said the King, flatly.

“You come here looking for some work? Cause I got an ore I got to find.”

“Maybe some other time, I actually need you to do something for me. I’ll pay.”

“Now you’re speaking my language. What’ll it be?”

Noctis leaned on the counter, and spoke quietly. “Now, I need to you to keep this a secret. I know your journalist tendencies will kick in and you’ll run to the papers, but as your friend, please don’t mention it.”

“Okay okay, hush hush I get it. Now what is this mysterious project?”

“I need an engagement ring.”

Dino smirked and leaned closer, his face a alive with curiosity. “And who, may I ask, is the luck lady?”

“The Oracle, Lady Lunafreya.”

Dino’s previous good mood disappeared. “Um, Your Majesty…you know that the Lady…is no longer with us right? She died ten years ago…”

“Yes, I know Dino.” He smiled softly. “This is why I asked you to keep this a secret. She’s been resurrected by the Astrals.”

“No kidding!? Well, congratulations Your Majesty! This is great news! And, I’m honored that you’d ask me to do this for you.” He took out a sketchbook and began drawing a design. “What are you thinking? Colors? Jewels?”

Noctis blanched, “well, I don’t know anything about jewels, but blue and white are the color of Tenebrae, and black and gold are the colors of Lucis…if you could somehow mix them together? And don’t make anything too flashy, I know she wouldn’t like that.”

“Right, not too big and gaudy.”

“Right, exactly.” Noctis nodded.

“Well, how about this?” Dino finished his rough sketch and turned it over. “We’ll do a gold band. Then a pear shaped diamond in the middle. Next to the diamond on each side we’ll put a sapphire, and then, outside of that, we’ll do two little onyx jewels.”

“Perfect. I love it. Simple and clean. I knew you’d be able to think of something fast.”

“Fast is my middle name, your kingliness.”

“When can you have done?”

“For you, I’ll have it done in three days.”

Noctis’ eyes widened. “That quick?”

“Hey, it was because you travelled through Costlemark that I was even able to open up shop. I’m one of the best jewelers in the world…well, I’m the only one in Lestallum.” He added as an afterthought. “Besides, I want to thank you for—“

“Let me guess…for ending the scourge?”

“Ah, people already showering you in gratitude?”

Noctis bit his lip. “Yeah. I…just don’t feel like I deserve it. You know? I left my country when they needed me most. And I only did what the Astrals told me to do. It’s not like I made the decision to do this, you know?”

Dino crossed his arms. “I watched your address, Noctis.” He spoke plainly. “You sacrificed a lot for us. You very well could have kept hunting. We all gave you work to stay occupied…but you went to Niflheim. I think it’s okay to accept praise and thanks.”

Noctis sighed softly, “I guess I’m just not used to it. How much do I owe you? And please don’t say it’s free!”

“Oh, I won’t. I can’t afford to.” Dino laughed. “500 gil sound fair?”

“I’ll give you a 1,000, since it’s a rush order.” He took his card out.

The jeweler shrugged, offering the machine. “Well, I’m not going to stop you.”

“There you are!” Prompto called, hysterical. “Ignis freaked out when he got back to the hotel and didn’t see you.”

“He should be used to it, considering he’s blind.” Replied Noctis, finishing his transaction. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

“Well, anyway. What are you doing?”

“Getting Luna a ring.”

Prompto almost lost his mind. He jumped and shouted and cried. “Yes! I knew the wedding would happen! This is the best day ever!”

“Keep your voice down!” Noctis hissed.

“I’m going to go tell Ignis and Gladio! See you later!” He hurried down the street.

“Prompto! Wait!” Noctis cried out in vain.

—

Since returning to the land of the living, Luna found herself saddened with nightmares. Back when she was Oracle, there were days after healing an outbreak of the scourge, she’d have nightmares. She just assumed it was from being so close to the darkness for so long.

But now, these nightmares were vivid and all encompassing. Often, they were through Noctis’ eyes. The horrors he saw in the ruins of Gralea. The decrepit soldiers, the daemons growing like weeds from the darkness.

Even the poisoned, dead face of her brother, begging for death.

On nights like these, she’d awaken and curl closer around his pillow.

—

Insomnia was such an ironic name for his Kingdom. It felt like Noctis could never sleep at night. The nightmares of daemons kept him tossing and turning at each hour. The stasis in the crystal had been one long nightmare in and of itself. But it felt like the trip to the afterlife had only enhanced these illusions. Sometimes, it was hard to tell the difference between wake and sleep. It was only when Prompto would nudge or whack him for shaking their shared hotel bed that he’d finally come out of it.  

—

Another week passed before Umbra returned to Crown City. Between healing and the announcement that the King was still alive, Luna just assumed that Noctis was busy. But Umbra trotted up, looking well rested and loved, and carrying Noctis’ response.

Luna spent a moment scratching behind Umbra’s ears.

Noctis told her he loved her. This wasn’t really news to her either, since they had always written sweet nothings in their journal. But then she had to go and ask about the wedding.

Back when the treaty was drawn up and the engagement was arranged, the notebook had stayed vague. Neither of them wanted to talk about the idea of marriage. They were both content to just talk about seeing each other again for the first time in years. But as royalty, and how fond Regis had been of her, Luna was certain that marriage was inevitable. Maybe he did too, so it hadn’t bothered him.

Talcott was her companion at the moment. The young man was taking a break from clearing rubble on the street. “What a cute doggo! What’s his name?”

“This is Umbra, he’s been my faithful companion for many years. He’s how Noctis and I stayed in contact even when I was being held prisoner by Niflheim.”

“Are you guys still talking like that?”

“Yes. In fact, Umbra as just brought me his reply.”

“Reply to what?”

Luna sat on the couch, while Umbra laid at her feet. “how old were you were you met Noctis?”

“Um, about 7.”

“Then you might remember. We were engaged to be married then. But I hadn’t seen him since I was 12.”

“You were marrying a guy you hadn’t seen since you were a kid?”

“Yes, strange isn’t it?”

“Well, if Prince—er, King Noctis wasn’t the coolest person ever, maybe.”

She laughed. “Well, we tragically were unable to get married…or even have a decent conversation…”

“Right,” said the boy.

“So I asked him, if he really wanted to marry me back then, or if it was just duty.”

Talcott scoffed, “you know, King Noctis has a big heart and loves a lot of people. But, he loves no one more than the Oracle.” He grinned.

With a smile and assurance, Luna finally took the notebook out of the pouch, only to find a little black box attached to it.

“Dearest Luna,

What kind of question is that? Not even death could tear us apart. Being a Prince had a lot of unsavory prices to pay, but marrying you was the greatest thing that ever could have happened to me.

Even ten years late.

I would have proposed in person, but I wanted you to know exactly what I felt as soon as possible. I mean, you can still say no. I just assumed…

The ring was designed by a friend of mine, he gives his regards.

The doctors said I’m good to go, and I’ve been out of the hospital for a few days now. I still have to use a cane, and I can’t run. But we’re just organizing a caravan, and then we’ll be off.

Just a few more days.

Forever and Ever Yours,

Noct.”

“Aww!” Talcott read over her shoulder. “I told you he has a big heart!”

Luna just smiled wildly as she opened the box. A petite, classy ring sat inside. Nothing else would have been right. She slipped the ring on, and it was a perfect fit. Tears started to make their way down her cheeks. “It’s perfect,” she whispered.

She heard Talcott sniff as she glanced at him. “Why are you crying?” She asked.

“I love happy endings!”

—

“Alrighty boys, here she is. My pride and joy!”

Cindy, the world’s most talented auto mechanic, had just delivered her present to Noctis and his friends. The Regalia, or what was left of it, had been recovered from the ruins of Niflheim and restored to it’s shiny glory.

“It took me about five years, but with my good buddy Talcott, we got ‘er up and running.”

“Cindy, this is…this is amazing.” Noctis managed to say. Having the Regalia back felt a little like having a piece of his father returned to him.

“Once Paw-Paw found out that his baby had been abandoned over in the Capital, he was madder then a three legged dog trying to bury a turd on a icy pond! It took a lot of strings and faith, but here she is, ready to go back to Crown City.”

“Thank you Cindy…” Noctis said again, going in for a hug.

“Oh it’s no problem, Prince! Er, King!” She laughed, patting his back.

Prompto nudged his friend. “Hey, so when we get back to Crown City, how’s about letting me borrow the car to take Cindy out? Hmmm?”

Noctis put a loving and caring hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Because I care about Cindy, no. Unless you let her drive.”

Prompto let out a huff that flapped his lips like a horse.

“Alright,” called out Ignis. “Let’s move out.”

A group of eight cars, a bus, and two trucks loaded with supplies followed the Regalia out of Lestallum and back to Crown City.

As the trip progressed, the caravan stopped at previously abandoned Outposts so people to return to their homes and lively hood. After all, the two day drive between the Crown City and Lestallum was now open, and these Outposts would be needed again.

Slowly, Eos was growing.

—

Sometime in the afternoon, Iris and Luna were in the kitchens of the Citadel, cleaning out the old rotten food left behind. Most of it was so old that it didn’t even smell anymore. Luna finished wiping down the inside of the refrigerator and went to wash her hands. “Well, I have definitely lost my appetite.” She laughed.

“You and me both!”

Suddenly, Iris’ phone rang. “Hello?…oh great! We’ll be up in a bit!” She hung up. “Talcott said one of the lookouts just spotted the Regalia leading a caravan into the city!”

“The Regalia?”      

“You know, the royal car?” Iris prodded, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“I’m going to go up and look!” She hurried from the room.

“Wait! Don’t you want to get changed first?!” Iris called after, in vain.

The elevator rose, Luna anxiously tapping her foot as moved. Finally, finally! After all these years, all these sleepless nights, even after death…finally, Noctis would be in her arms.

She raced from the atrium, to the entry hall, and to the courtyard. Finally, she made it to the gate of the Citadel, and waited.

There she could see it, the sleek black car coming into the city. Her legs trembled in excitement as she swayed.

The Regalia continued on while the other cars in the caravan stopped. When it was close enough that she could make out the two figures in the front seats, butterflies stirred in her stomach.

Gladio parked the car, and stepped out, giving her a knowing smirk.

She bit her lip and waved slightly, but couldn’t find the nerve to move.

The swordsman opened up the back door and held an arm out. From behind the door, she saw a foot, then another, and a cane. Then the door closed, and Gladio stepped away.

Nothing stood between them now.

Luna stood only a few paces away, but Noctis could barely believe it. She wore his old black clothes and her hair was in a messy ponytail. But his ring sat on her finger, and she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

“Luna…” he whispered.

“Noctis!” She cried, as she ran to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his went to her waist. Both overwhelmed with emotion, they sank to their knees on the ground, sobbing and hanging on for dear life.

“I never thought I’d see you again…” he whispered, his voice thick with sorrow.

“Don’t you remember what I told you? Look to the light, and know I am there.”

She heard him hum. “Yeah…I still wanted to hold you though.”

She laughed in return, the sound soothing and warm. “All I ever wanted was to laugh with you again.”

He pulled back and looked at her face. The face that hadn’t aged since he saw her last. “I think we’ll do more than that.” He returned. “Gods, you are so beautiful.”

“As are you.” She cupped his cheek, the bristles of his beard tickling her palm.

He leaned into her touch. “Now that I see you here, I have no idea what to say. I’m starstruck.” He chuckled helplessly.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

She held up her hand for him to see. “Yes.”

He smiled so hard his face hurt. “Then it’s a good thing I have your wedding dress in the trunk.”

“You’re the only one I’d wear it for.”

“Oh Luna!” He grabbed her again, his hands wandering over her back and her hair. “Luna.” He left rushed kisses over her face and jaw, and just allowed himself to be overwhelmed by her. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replied just as desperately. “More than I can bare.”

Noctis coaxed her chin up, to meet her eyes, and delicately laid his lips upon hers. It was innocent at first. Their first kiss. But then Luna raised her hands to bury her fingers in his ebony locks, and chills traveled up his spine. He deepened the kiss, getting lost in her embrace.

Finally, he pulled away. “I can’t take it anymore!” He nearly shouted.

“What?” She responded, frozen.

“Ignis! Start the wedding preparations! I can’t bare to be apart from this woman any longer!”

“With pleasure, your highness. And perhaps you might find somewhere else to continue this reunion? Somewhere more private?”

Noctis looked around to the small crowd that had assembled and watched with blushing faces. “Oh.” He stood, and held out a hand to help her stand. He cleared his throat. “Well, it’s official. Crown City will have a queen soon.”

This month was just full of great news.

—

Long after the celebration was had, and work had been divided up among those who were gathered, Noctis and Luna walked, slowly, had in hand back to his flat. He pointed out places of interest on their way, and she pointed out where she had done work earlier.

Finally, when they reached his flat, both collapsed on the couch in exhaustion. They had a long day in their own right. Noctis was sure he’d be tired in the coming days as well.

“You make a fine King,” Luna stated, appraisingly.

“And you a Queen.” He returned.

She hummed, and leaned against his shoulder. “It broke my heart listening to your journey. It had to be so hard.”

He smiled. “Well, it wasn’t all bad.” He went on to talk about the fun things they had done, like riding the chocobos, and the campfires and fishing. She listened and relaxed. At some point, she sat in his lap and laid her head against his collar bone. He kept talking like he hadn’t noticed, and just pulled her closer.

Then she told him about her journey to the covenants and all the shenanigans that she and Gentiana got themselves into.

Had anyone walked passed their room, they would have wondered what in the world had made the Oracle and the King laugh so hard.

“Your voice is so deep now.” She said suddenly.

“Oh?”

“Yes…it’s actually quite alluring.”

“Alluring, hmm?” He whispered in her ear. She shivered. He chuckled. “Luna, can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course, anything.”

“Well, when I was thirteen, and you were seventeen…gosh, I shouldn’t have started this story, it’s so embarrassing.”

“You can’t stop now.” She urged. “Come on.”

He sighed. “I saw you on TV, giving an address as Oracle. I think it wasn’t long after your powers developed, you were taking about going out and healing people.”

“Right, I remember.”

“Anyway, you were wearing this white, sheer dress that showed just a little too much skin…and my pre-teen brain thought ‘I wonder what she’d look like without the dress’ and that was the first boner I got.”

Luna flushed bright red, but laughed loudly without abandon, clinging to him like her life depended on it.

“Well, safe to say you aren’t offended.” He snickered.

“Of course not!” She laughed harder. Then, when she caught her breath, she cupped his cheek again. Adoration pouring from her blue blue eyes. “My Noctis, I’ve had similar thoughts about you, when I saw you on TV as well.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise, before he swooped in to kiss her. “And now we’re here.”

“Together.”

“Forever.” His fingers wove to tangle in her hair, before he laid her down on the couch. They kissed and snuggled and whispered loving words until exhaustion overtook them.

The morning only brought more joy. Because the war was over, and there was nothing but good times ahead.

[mrneighbourlove]

Snake who Smiles: Ch 6. Means to an End

"I believe we finally have enough evidence to convict Zemalocke." Ralnor presented all that he could to the commander. "The assassins we captured, the underground mercenaries, the pirates from Glacier's Forge, not to mention, the poison... we finally were able to trace it back to him." He planted the files right in front of Malik with a huge smirk. "He paid off the vendor not to talk, but you see, it has to be special ordered from the high mountains of Labrynna and THAT, Malik, is where he forgot to cover his tracks. It is only in season a few times a year and he thought no one would ask about such a plant after it has been months out of season."

Malik carefully went over each piece of information that had been gathered. Once he was done he went through it again, and again. He kept quiet for a moment. "It's still not enough."

"What do you mean it's not enough? We have an order, right there, written directly from Zemalocke! That's his signature for the poison!" Ralnor protested. "What else do we need!"

"It's too old. Not to mention it's just a purchase for a plant. He could lawyer up and say it was for a decoration. We would still need to know where he got an alchemist to make the potion."

"There's only a certain few alchemists who could make such a lethal poison." Ralnor rubbed the sides of his head. "Firstly, they would have to have a knowledge of Lorleidian anatomy. Secondly, he would have to know how to distribute it without detection. There's no such alchemist in Hyrule who knows how..." The prince paused, his words trailing off for a moment. "No, Zemalocke wouldn't hire an alchemist... it would be a way to trace it back to him. No, no, this... this is an inside job. Who on Zemalocke's court has a knowledge of chemistry?"

Malik tapped his fingers on his table in contemplation. "Who indeed..." He reads a file on Zemalocke's closest allies. "Give me some time. We will find something Ralnor. We've been putting pressure on Zemalocke. People under pressure get desperate, and those desperate makes fatal mistakes. His end is coming soon."

"I can only hope you're right, Malik. I honestly don't think my brother can take much more of this." Ralnor tried not to let his shoulders slump when thinking of his elder sibling. "Covarog was beside himself for days on end when Zarazu was nearly on her deathbed. I honestly thought nothing could ever shake him, make him look so defeated..." He trailed off, trying his best to shove aside the negative thoughts. "Well... I did receive one little piece of good news."

"Really? Do tell."

"For the first time in nearly three months, the queen was able to use her first spark of magic." Ralnor smiled quietly at how excited Covarog sounded when relaying the news. "She touched her cup of water and it froze solid!"

That's wonderful! I'm glad to finally hear progress! She may be able to walk again soon." Malik beamed at the thought of her well again.

"Perhaps you'll stop by and see her later?" Ralnor suggested as he put the paperwork into the file to place back with his others. "I'm sure she'll be happy for some company at therapy."

~

"For the last time, Doctor Boveir, I still can't feel my left leg."

"Any feeling in the right?"

"Slightly. I can feel you running that pen up and down my foot."

"What about this?"

"If you poke me with that needle, I'm going to kick you."

"I should hope you can get that leg of yours that high."

"Oh shush."

"Look, you're slowly getting feeling back. That's a good sign rather than no feeling at all."

"And the outlook for me walking by myself?"

"Without the help of crutches?"

"How about we start without a wheelchair first?"

"As soon as you build up enough strength, we'll see."

"... can I at least go outside today to enjoy the sunshine?" Zarazu asked in an exasperated tone. "I thought you were going to bite off my head when I took my twins and Zahirog out to the gardens."

"Your twins can get about just fine, you and your little one can't."

"Luimaya or Turagor could have gotten someone if I needed aid."

"... fine, fine. Just for a bit. The sunshine might do your pale complexion some good."

"Hey!" Queen Zarazu protested. "I'm getting better, surely the goodness I don't look as pale as I did."

"Not as pale, I'll give you that. Soon enough, you'll be chocolate again."

"Chocolate?"

"Tis what the king calls your skin."

"Ah... well, he does like to lick it."

"My queen, do I really need to hear such things?"

"Of course you do, I might have triplets if the King has his way with me too much in the bedroom."

"Well, before you even consider anymore children, you have got to be well." Doctor Boveir started to wheel her out to the courtyard. "Besides, my queen... do you really think you ought to have anymore children with Zahirog's entry being so rough on your body?"

"... do you advise against it?"

"Being a father of ten children and your personal doctor, I'd have to advise you to not have anymore. It might be too risky."

"Very well." Zarazu could not hide her disappointment. Lorleidian families were rather large and so were Gerudos.

"Now, let's think of something else. Come, let's get you on these crutches and see how that left leg behaves."

The Queen struggled a bit as she slowly hobbled her way forward, but she was determined to move past this. Doctor Boveir made sure to help her every step of the way. However, they were not alone.

The Garo Master had been watching the Queen and studying the castle for some time. Her weakened state would ensure no escape. The pair heard a deep laugh that echoed through the air. After he was done he jumped down, almost floating in his landing. His golden mask glowed with the suns reflection and the sunken black eyes starred directly at the Queen. "Zarazu Dragmire. Your angel of death awaits." With that two blades just out of his robes, and he walked towards them, fire igniting his weapons.

Zarazu was wondering how the hell someone could have infiltrated the castle with such high security. Whoever this was, she knew he was serious business. Yet another assassin who wanted her dead. The queen was getting ready tired of all this fighting. However, there was that creeping feeling of fear in her chest. She could barely move her legs as it was and her magic was not all the way back at her fingertips.

Before Zarazu could say a word, Doctor Boveir hefted her up into the wheelchair and took off running at full blast back into the castle. He was pushing the queen and yelling for help.

The Garo Master took a deep breath a jumped into the air. He made this almost sonic sound as he jumped up. They would not get away.

"I didn't know you could run so fast at your age!"

"When I'm scared shitless, of course I can run fast."

"But you're a doctor not a warrior!"

"I'm a man who has ten kids, of course I have to learn how to run fast!"

Sliding around a corner, Doctor Boveir was trying to get to the inner part of the castle. If he could just reach Covarog, or someone to help, this situation would turn better. For now, he had to focus on not letting the queen get killed.

That sonic sound returned as the Garo Master simply landed behind Doctor Boveir and cut deeply into his back side, the weight of the blades sinking in deeply. Blood sprayed out and stained the floor.

Doctor Boveir did not scream or yell as the blades made contact, merely gasped in pain as his knees buckled. He lost control of the wheelchair, causing it to topple as he went down to the floor. Zarazu rolled out of it, unhurt for now. Groaning, the queen quickly reacted and started scooting backwards by her hands. Her legs were still too weak to run and she looked for anything to defend herself. Gritting her teeth, she managed to form just a spark of ice around her fingertips, just sharp enough to cut.

"You stay away from me!"

The Garo Master pointed his flaming sword at Zarazu's ice, and the Queen could see that the tips were dripping. "This is your end."

As he raised his blade he heard the sound of an arrow fly and turning barely deflected it with his second blade. Turning to his attacker he saw an older woman in green with blonde sharp hair in locks and a ponytail. Her stance held confidence as she put the bow away, opting to draw a sword. She gave a light smile to her sister in law, brimming with courage, resolve, and hope. "Hey Zarazu, you ok?!"

"I'm fine, Boveir is hurt and he's not moving!" Zarazu told Rinku as she had her back plastered against the wall. Her chest was heaving from the adrenaline. She was trying her best to will her legs to move, but all she could do was shake. "Kick his ass!"

Rinku gives Zarazu a thumbs up before giving the Garo Master her full attention. "Hmm a Garo huh? Been a long, long time since I seen one of you."

"You wish to be a hero? Very well. You die. Then the helpless girl." The Garo Master darted towards Rinku, almost bouncing up and down off the floor. Upon connection Rinku raised the shield she grabbed off the wall, pushing the warrior back. He hopped side to side before trying another strike, aiming for her side. Rinku threw her body around him and, rolling into an upwards strike, slashed him across his back. He gave an yelp, but suddenly recovered quickly, and almost hovering, spun both his swords low like a spinning top, and cut into Rinku's thigh. She gritted her teeth and stepped back. He was damn quick that was for sure.

Zarazu managed to crawl over to Boveir. He was still breathing. It seemed the pain just caught him off guard and he managed to lose consciousness. There was blood pouring off of his back, soaking his clothes and staining the floor. There was little the queen could do to help him. Taking off her coat, she placed pressure on his back. This earned a groan from the doctor. The queen gave a sigh of relief when he opened his eyes.

"Boveir? You going to be all right?"

"Nhhh... he didn't... get my spine..."

Rinku's eyes watched closely as the Garo Master hopped back and forth. He was getting to such speeds that the normal eye couldn't follow. To a seasoned warrior such as herself she knew if she faltered she'd lose sight of him for sure.

Malik came in with Prince Ralnor, quickly moving to the Queen. "Zarazu! Are you alright?!"

"Oh goddesses, if you're hurt again, Covarog's going to go flat out insane!" Ralnor helped Malik get Zarazu to her feet. She was still unsteady but could at least balance her weight against the wall. The second prince then turned his attention to his elder sister.

"Doctor Boveir is the one that needs help." Zarazu winced as the pair move her. "Help Rinku!"

Malik turned to see who she was fighting. All he saw was her standing still, and a purple blur, with embers dancing around.

"What on Earth is she fighting?"

"He called himself an angel of death." Zarazu watched as Ralnor helped Doctor Boveir to his feet as well. The physician was in some discomfort yet still alive. "He's so fast and he wears a gold mask."

"Golden Mask?"

Rinku stayed focus on her opponent, drowning everything else out. One move. It would all come down to that. As time slowed down for her she gripped her sword handle. Then it all came to a daring conclusion as the Garo Master burst forward. Their swords clashed and a tear echoed throughout the hall with the sound of blood splattering the wall.

~

Zemalocke paced the halls with his home back and forth. He had waited patiently for this for so long. Then the moment finally arrived. A man walked towards him. To tell the truth he was worried how credible this was. "Tell me, you have the amulet?"

"You do realize how hard it is to find one of these that will work against such magic from a Lorleidian?" The elderly archaeologist asked him as he carried in the box. "Their kind was considered extinct once and now that they're back, it's hard to find such artifacts that will work against them." Opening the box, he revealed the amulet to Zemalocke. It was not anything overly grand, just an odd looking rock with streaks of glowing purple and green. "You wear it, their magic can't harm you.."

"Even the Queen? And you sure it will work?"

"If she is weak like you say she is, then I doubt you'll have any problem." The old man told Zemalocke with a twitch of his moustache. "However, I would advise that you still don't get too close unless necessary. Lorleidians use magic but still know some brutal combat from what I've read. I don't know too much about this queen you dislike, though if I were you, I'd exercise caution."

"That's not what I goddamned asked! I need to know if this could protect me from the magical abilities from all of those monsters, Covarog and Ganondorf included. I'm paying you a fortune for this."

"Oh quit your huffing, it will protect you. I had some of the magicians around town test it, some of the alchemists, dark magic, light magic, old magic, new magic, and even tried it against one of the Lorleidians." The archaeologist closed the box. "Do you want it or not?"

"Give to me you fool!!!" Zemalocke greedily grabbed the box. "With this Zarazu's life will come to an end!!! God knows that assassin will fail I just know it! NO ONE is good enough, NO ONE CAN COME THROUGH! Everyone is such a disappointment. I just needed time to get this." He had a look of mad glee in his eyes as he put the amulet around his neck.

"Maybe if no one can touch the queen you should take it as a hint." The old man collected his bag and headed in the direction of the door. "While that will protect you from magic, it won't protect you from brute force. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I can handle myself just fine. Now BEGONE!" Zemalocke stormed to see his advisor. "Harry. It's time. Send word to my followers to prepare for their new King to take the throne."

~

Rinku breathed heavy as her sword arm wobbled. The Garo Master stood still as well. However, only one rose. Rinku turned around to see the Garo Master barely support himself with one sword planted into the ground as blood soaked his cloak and he bleed deeply on the carpet.

At Malik's insistence, Ralnor had carried Boveir off to the medical bay while Covarog took Zarazu to safety. It was more important for the King to protect his Queen and children rather than dealing with this assassin. Besides, the king had an inkling that Malik wanted to exact his personal revenge. For once, Covarog did not want to argue. He just wanted this whole ordeal to be over with soon enough. However, luck was not on his side today.

"My king! There's... there's a mob at the gate!"

Rinku kept her distance from the Garo Master. He breathed in ragged pants. "Although my rival....you were spectacular....I shall pardon one piece of wisdom onto you..."

Malik would have to deal with this mob later, but perhaps he could get a confession out of this man first. "Who sent you to kill the Queen?"

The Garo Master looked to Rinku. "It would be normally be dishonorable to give that away. Is that what you wish to know though?"

Rinku nodded. At her answer he threw them a scroll. Looking through Malik felt his heart stop, but for once it was out of joy. A handwritten confession in blood, Zemalocke's order to kill Zarazu. "We got him. We actually got the bastard!"

"Lord Malik!" Tulilad rounded the corner, breathing hard. "We got more trouble coming this way. It seems Zemalocke has finally decided to make his move, the bastard. The mob at the gates is a distraction! There's assassins lose in the castle! We don't know how they got in!"

Rinku gave Tulilad a look and cleared her throat. She gave a quick gesture to the Garo Master.

"Oh... sorry." Tulilad apologized, having not even seen the Garo Master until now. He was so focused on relaying the news to Lord Malik. He stepped to the side for the moment, keeping an eye out for any trouble in the halls.

Meanwhile, Covarog had Zarazu and his children in the safest room in the castle. Ironically enough, it was the old tower where his sister was kept during her pregnancy. It was high away from everything else and the way to it looked to be abandoned. It was merely an illusion and it would do for now.

"Covarog, what are you going to do?" Zarazu asked her husband as he hid the children in the wardrobe. "If they have infiltrated the castle..."

"I'll do whatever necessary to protect you and our children." Covarog told her with a fierce determination. "I'll kill them with my bare hands."

The Garo Master gave a small laugh. "This...is where I leave..."

Malik was about to say something when the Garo Master took out a bomb. "To die without leaving a corpse. That is the way of the Garo."

Rinku's memories flashed back to this. "Shit."

She and Malik ran back as a huge explosion destroyed the floor, wall and every trace of the Garo.

Tulilad was clear out of the way of the bomb as well. Since the Garo Master was no more, the Captain looked at Lord Malik and Rinku.

"Now can we do something about the mob wanting to break in?”

Malik nodded. "Of course. Who is attacking us?"

"Zemalocke and some of his loyal cronies." Tulilad told Malik and Rinku. "They want him to take the throne and get rid of all of Ganondorf's legacy."

Malik had a dark smile form on his lips. At long last. "Apologies in advance towards you two."

"Apologies for what? ... ooohhh..." Tulilad had a moment of realization. "Well... I'll just make sure to keep out of your way then."

"I get to kill Hylians again. I'm going to enjoy cleaning up the trash of your race." Just then a massive explosion was heard, shaking the castle.  Zemalocke was making his final move.