royac

[royac]

the prophecy

"hand on the throttle, thought I caught lightning in a bottle, oh, but it's gone again."

Charles wrung his hands together, frowning at the all too familiar sensation. It had been... a while, since someone had brought him such a feeling. A lightness that had been missing from his life, since... well.

William.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Honestly, he hadn't thought of William in such a long time. Xavier had told him that it was normal to mourn, but that he couldn't let himself mourn forever. HA! Easier said than done!

He got up and walked toward his cupboard, reaching for the bottle, but stopping just short as fingertips brushed against the glass. A sour taste filled his mouth as he was hit with an unwanted memory, one of him and William dancing around the kitchen, room aglow from the refrigerator light, and a bottle in William's hands.

Moving his hand back, he instead placed it on his chest and sighed. Yes, he was feeling horrible, but was it worth fucking up his sobriety?

...Probably not. He would certainly regret it in the morning, if nothing else.

"Damn it."

It had been a year since William left, and the gaping wound in his chest felt as fresh as ever. He wasn't sure if it would ever get easier. How do you go from your first friend, first real love, first... everything? To this? This feeling as though he were a crumpling piece of paper burning to ashes in a fire.

He certainly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Hell, even what they had was seemingly a lightening in a bottle moment. The feelings he developed for his childhood friend hit him hard and suddenly, like waves crashing over his hometown, and learning that William had always felt that way?

Charles had somehow found his way back to his bedroom and he fell onto his bed with a soft 'poof' as he melted into his covers. His hands found his hair again, though, this time, when his fingers intertwined with his hair, he pulled hard. His being itched with desire to drown out the thoughts, but he'd been sober for a year. A damn year! And he wasn't about to let a ghost ruin that!

"Fuck you, Will. Fuck you for doing this to me."

He'd been chasing that lightening in a bottle feeling since he left. Men, women, it didn't matter, he just wanted to feel something again. Everyone said he'd been softer, kinder, gentler, with William, and fuck it if it'd felt like he took twenty-steps back when he left. He hadn't even had the decency to tell him to his face!

He just left a fucking note!

"I don't want you to get hurt," was the last thing Charles read before he smashed the paper within his hands, then ripping it to pieces. Charles knew what he'd been getting into when he started dating a fucking werewolf.

Well, no, not really, but he knew that he was willing. He was more than willing to do anything if it meant staying with William.

"Gooood, you're so pathetic," he said aloud, blinking back the acid rain that was leaking into his ears. Why was he like this? He had had such a fun time tonight. When Xavier wanted to hook Charles up with someone, Charles felt knots in his stomach at the thought, but Xavier had promised that they had "so much in common!"

And, well, shit. They did!

He hadn't laughed so hard in a year!

So why was he crying?

Deep down, he knew. He was afraid of fucking this one up, too. Again, he knew that, realistically, there was nothing that could have been done about him and William. Nothing he would have said would have changed the other man's mind. Clearly, seeing as he skipped town like an asshole outlaw without giving Charles the choice.

But fuck it if it didn't make him feel broken.

As he lay there, ruminating in his thoughts, a flash in the darkness alerted him to notification. Wiping his eyes, he propped himself onto one elbow and reached for his phone.

Noah. He smiled in spite of his rotten mood.

'Hey, Chip! Just wanted to reach out again and let ya know that I had a blast tn :) If you're up to iiiiit I'd really like to see ya again tmrw after you get off work, lmk!'

His smile grew wider. He turned the screen off for a moment, placing his phone against his chest as he plopped back down onto his back. Chip. What a silly nickname. Something different.

Maybe this would be different.

"Please, I've been on my knees, Change the prophecy, Don't want money, Just want someone who wants my company."

#frostverse

[royac]

But my sleep is just full of nightmares and flashbacks.

#queue looks up grinning like a devil

[royac]

reassemble

"I toss, turn beneath the waves A silent victim of the depths Cast aside I'm scrambling to catch my... I can't find my way out as I'm descending My path remains unclear as the water overtakes me"

When something hit the back of his head, he looked back with a smile, a ball of snow hidden inside of his cloak.

"William... you're gonna have to better than that, my love." Their smile grew sinister as they quickly spun around and threw a ball of their own toward the hiding spot he knew his husband had been hiding. When he heard the man laughing, he knew he'd got him.

"Char, come on, you didn't even -" his voice was cut off as a large pile of snow fell on top of him, causing him to grunt as he fell. Charles hadn't been aiming for Will - he was hoping to knock the snow above their house down. He laughed as he walked over, grinning from ear to ear. As William dug himself out of the snow, a pair of green eyes met Charles'. While they were laughing, William was not.

"Oh, my love, don't pout," he kneeled down and put his hands against William's face, gaze softening, and said, "You're getting better each time."

"Yeah, but you always beat me. Can't you let me win for once? As your husband I think I deserve to win one time!" William spoke in a monotone, eyebrows furrowed, but his frustrated expression gave way to laugher as Charles helped him stand.

"If I let you win, then it won't be as satisfactory when you actually win. Come on," they brushed the snow out of his hair, "you can't trick a changeling. Especially not me. I know you too well."

"You do always keep me on my toes... don't worry, I'll figure something out..." William brushed the rest of the snow off of himself and looked up at the sky, squinting, "Well, that's a plan yet to be made. We should head home. It's supposed to be a full moon tonight..." Charles joined the man in looking at the sky.

"You certainly are correct. Come, let's get you home before someone gets hurt." He turned and smiled once more, grasping William's hand and leading him forward. Though... as he walked, he realized how quiet it was. Was that right? It was winter, yes, but surely they would have still heard the birds that chose to weather the snow.

Hmm.

In that moment, Charles' life changed forever.

Bells rang through the air and Charles felt the blood drain from their face. He and William spared a brief moment to look at each other before they both started running.

"Char, we have to get back to the house. We have to fight. Dammit, why haven't I still figured out how to pick when I'm a fucking wolf? That'd be a lot more useful now than -" Charles felt his arm get yanked back as William stopped running. The change in momentum caused him to lose his footing and fall into the snow. They quickly spun around to see what caused William to stop running and his breath hitched in his throat.

William looked down at Charles for just a moment before his hands moved toward his chest, a dark puddle of blood seeping from underneath his shirt... mixed with something else. Looking back at Charles, William opened his mouth, only for a thick black liquid to fall out. He dropped to his knees. Charles scrambled to his feet and ran back to William.

"WILLIAM!" The scream that left their mouth was otherworldly as the changeling ran to their husband. What happened? What just happened? When he got to William, the man had fallen over in the snow, gasping and wheezing.

"Oh my Gods, no, no, no, no," Shaking hands pulled William up as Charles looked side to side, searching for the attacker as explosions and screams could be heard in the distance. Their eyes frantically searched as they pulled William behind a stone fence, but there was nothing in front of them that they could see. It was as if something had struck William from a great distance.

Once they were behind the stone fence, Charles ripped William's cloak away, tearing through the layers of winter clothing before he could see his chest. As the final layer of fabric was shed, Charles gasped weakly when he saw William's chest. He had never seen anything like it. Black and blue veins darted out from the wound as that same thick, black liquid fell out of it. What is this? Was this werewolf blood? In the last 5 years, Charles had never seen William bleed - it didn't occur to him that it could possibly be an affect of Khamus' magic.

"C...Ch," William attempted to speak, but moaned in pain before he could finish. Charles wrapped the other man in his arms, heart racing. He took his own cloak off, a dark green robe with gold stitching, and attempted to apply pressure to the wound to stop it from... bleeding?

The liquid didn't stop.

"Char... oh no," William muttered, eyes fluttering, "It hurts," he moaned.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, oh Gods, I don't know what to do," they peeked around the stone wall to see if they could see any of the fortress guards - surely a cleric could help? A paladin? Charles began trembling as he realized how helpless he was. Neither him nor William had health potions. Why would they? They never left the fortress. They never fought anyone.

"Please, please, please, no, please, you can't leave me, I need you," Charles' face crumbled as their hot tears stung their cold cheeks. William lifted a hand to Charles' cheek.

"I..." he coughed again, gurling on the black liquid, as Charles held him. "lo...ve..." His hand suddenly dropped as his body fell limp.

"...William? Will?" Charles looked into William's vivid green eyes, which had already started to dull. The liquid slowed, but continued pouring out of his mouth and the wound on his chest.

The changeling screamed.

They weren't sure how long they had stayed there, cradling William, but they realized that voices were getting closer. Blinking away the tears, they looked over the stone fence again as a group of citizens ran past them, screaming.

"It's Frankesh! He's back! Run!"

...Frankesh?

Moving away from the wall, back to William's body, Charles buried his face into his chest and sobbed. And screamed. They felt so powerless. Despair melted into vicious anger the longer they sat there. Looking toward the sky, Charles began to pray. To what, he wasn't sure of, but he knew that he couldn't just sit here and die. William wouldn't want that - he'd never forgive him.

"Please, I will do whatever task you command of me. I beg of you, I can't stay this weak. I can't stay powerless. I can't die. I have to kill them." His fingers grasped William's cloak and he leaned forward, placing his head against William's chest.

"I need - I will have retribution. Please."

"Sana termara en' templa amin mela lle ama handasse Ascarerea."

The shock caused him to recoil from William, gasping. Where had that come from? Was that William? They turned to look at William's face, but it lay motionless as ash from the surrounding fires settled onto his lifeless frame.

"Yala onna tira ten' rashwe! amin nauva auta yeste'."

There it was again. Charles' felt their heart racing as they looked around, trying to pinpoint where the noise had come from before they realized... it was in their head. Something was speaking to them. They looked up.

"I will do whatever task you command of me. Grant me the power to avenge him." His voice was but a whisper as he spoke, a sick, twisted feeling rising in his stomach.

"Atost en' entula orme malia ten' yulna elea i'dolen cormamin lindua ele lle."

Charles had never heard this language before. He wasn't sure what the being was saying, but he felt compelled to answer.

"Yes."

#dndverse

[royac]

Take this guilt, I'm sure you'll never grasp it.

Charles felt as if time itself wasn't real.

"First, I'm gonna kill your friend. Then, I'm coming after you."

The crackling energy flew from their fingertips as they growled, "First, we're gonna kill you. Then, we're gonna kill your friends. Eldritch Blast!" His heart pounded within his chest as he watched as the green lightening ball struck the bandit captain's head, exploding moments after impact. He felt a particular satisfaction with this death. How fucking dare he try to kill Warren? Twice?

They shuddered at the memory, placing the knife in their hand down. Charles had been in the middle of working on something, mementos, for his new party members. Quartzara, Scott, Warren, and Zendresi had all accepted his invitation to stay at his house. He only had three rooms, so it was tight, but he didn't want to leave them out to dry, especially since it seemed like they truly all had each others backs.

He put his hand to his chest, uncomfortable at the sensation. It had been a long time since he'd met anyone he considered a true ally, let alone a friend, and suddenly he felt as if he had three. Of course he respected Scott, Elwyn, and Rhicca, they were proving to be pretty good battle partners, but they hadn't really had a chance to get to know the others as they had with the previous three.

Charles looked down at the knife in his hands and sighed. What was he doing? Getting attached? It had been what, a month? At the most since he'd met these people? He couldn't tell whether he thought he was pathetic or not.

Placing the carving down and running a hand through their hair, they sat back in their chair, staring down at the small fire they'd lit in the fireplace. He had never really had friends. Not until William. Maybe that was why he felt uncomfortable with the sensation in his chest and the panic he felt when he saw Warren on the floor, blood gurgling out of his mouth as he was stabbed not once, but twice by that asshole.

...Maybe he was scared of getting attached and having someone ripped out of his life again. He put his knife next to his carving on the table and then put his head in his hands, sighing.

"Charles, what are you doing..." His fingers grasped the gold ring on their left finger. "Will, I don't know what to do," he mused aloud.

"I'm not... I've never been good with people. Not really - I can lie myself out of almost any situation, persuade someone into thinking I'm their best friend, but I don't know what to do with people I actually might care about. I wish you were here. You would know what to do," he stopped, raising his head and staring back into the fire before continuing, "I guess I just miss you." After a few moments of silence, he reached back toward the knife and carving and began crafting again.

A week had past since the party's last fight and they had claimed their reward from Lord Varian. Charles had also finished creating his mementos for Quartzara, Warren, and Zendressi. He crafted another worm for Quartzara (He really had no idea why the worm carving came to life... again...) but it seemed happy to crawl into Quartzara's hand.

For Warren, he'd made a small potion bottle that had his family crest on it: a butterfly. He didn't tell the man that. He'd just said, "This is from my hometown." He wanted someone else to have a part of his history, even if they themselves weren't aware of it.

Lastly, he'd carved a slug-like creature for Zendresi, modeling it after the figures his father used to make for him. Again, he wanted to share his family's memory in someway... even if he wasn't ready to share information regarding his past. He knew he enjoyed their presence, but he still felt too guarded to share anything other than that his family had died.

#dndverse

[royac]

#frostverse #owwwww

[royac]

Louise Glück, from Vita Nova: “The Burning Heart”

#queue looks up grinning like a devil

[royac]

I went on with my life - even without you. And yet I still think of you and wish that we had kept our promise.

— r.r.

#im going crazy #frostverse #moodboard

[royac]

#frostverse #moodboard

[royac]

- I Guess the Old You is a Ghost (#589: June 25, 2014)

#frostverse #moodboard

[royac]

I love it when there's a couple but then there's a third guy who's also there and he's part of it but not like romantically he's just a part of the couple but like....platonically

#frostverse #moodboard

[royac]

— Trista Mateer ,“I Still Forget We’re Not Even Friends”

#dndverse #fb verse #moodboard #frostverse

[royac]

#dndverse #moodboard #fbverse

[royac]

— January 23, 1922 / Franz Kafka diaries

#moodboard

[royac]

do you feel like a young god?

Charles gasped for breath as he felt the energy crackle through his body. It was familiar - Mortis must have also been using some sort of Eldritch magic. It took everything he had not to topple over immediately. This Necromancer was proving to be a one of the mightiest foes they had fought thus far.

"What the fuck?" Charles hadn't registered their own speech as they watched as the skeletons Mortis' had brought back turn into ash and dust, and Mortis' wounds appeared to heal.

"Fuck, man." He had moved behind partial cover after Mortis' last attack, but would quickly find that to be useless as Mortis sent another blast of energy toward the changeling. Gasping, again, as he felt his body burn up, he knew that he wouldn't manage to hold on to consciousness.

Brief panic set in as stars danced in his eyes and he felt the world under his feet stir. He couldn't maintain his mask while he was unconscious! They hadn't had long to think about the consequences of his new party seeing their true form before their vision melted away and they crashed to the floor.

As Charles lost consciousness, the party watched in shock and horror as his features began to melt away, steam billowing off his body as his tanned skin slowly turned into a gray, almost translucent color. For those who had seen Charles as his mask, they may have determined that the four appendages sticking out from this gray figure may have been arms and legs, but not to a passerby.

As the steam began dissipating, those who were knowledgeable may have determined that what was now in place of Charles was a changeling, but it was uncertain whether anyone in the party had heard of a changeling before.

Charles opened his eyes and knew he had been transported, once again, to an unknown destination. He couldn't see.

"What?" When they spoke, it had been in their true voice, void of emotion, gender, or any other identifiers. Ha. He must be in some sort of limbo. Not even in death could he be reunited with his loved ones, with Will -

Before they were able to finish the thought, that same familiar ache pounded in their chest. Unease flowed throughout his body as he desperately turned their head, seeking the source of the discomfort, but it was in vain as he was surrounded by complete blackness.

From the center of his vision, Charles felt a booming voice ring out, "Do not fail me again." Before he could muster the courage for a response, he felt his consciousness being pulled back to the land of the living.

When he opened his eyes, he was staring into the face of Elwyn. Startled, he got back to his feet and felt a chill spread throughout his body as he realized that he was still in his true form. He felt an itch in the back of his mind as he recalled the sword he had picked up, and the abilities it held: chameleon's whisper. In that moment, a familiar figure began to materialize in front of the party. He knew that when he spoke, his voice would still be that of his true voice, but he would figure out what to do about... this situation later.

"Thank you for helping me," the voice that left his mouth was devoid of emotion as he spoke toward Elwyn. Within seconds of thanking her, a blast of energy crossed their paths and hit Elwyn in the chest. Seeing that two of his companions had been downed, he attempted to attack Mortis once more.

"ELDRITCH BLAST."

Mortis laughed off his attack as the electricity shot through the undead's body. Unnerved, Charles decided he needed to assist his party in other ways, as he saw that Scott had a determined look on his face from across the battlefield. Nodding in finality, Charles used one of his healing potions on Zendressi, stabilizing him. He figured that it would be a good move to help the healer. That, and he knew that Zendressi would have his back, and he would work on healing Elwyn.

As Charles stabilized his party members, a loud cackle rang out through the ruined streets. Mortis warned the party that they were foolish and his God would return - and that everyone would fall to Kahmus.

The party followed Gunther back to the square, where Lord Varian was waiting for them with a speech. Charles felt his cheeks burn as the townspeople hailed the party - apparently, killing Mortis had killed the zombies that had invaded the town. He hadn't been used to this sort of attention for years.

When they returned to the square, they listened as Lord Varian called them to action once more. He and the rest of the party were in agreement - they would head out once they had had a chance to rest and heal their wounds. Before they split up to to rest, Charles approached Zendressi. After the battle, Charles had reverted back into his preferred persona, and when he spoke to the other man, their voice had returned to "normal."

"Thank you," he murmured, "for having my back out there." Again, he reached into his pocket and procured a small black pebble, handing it to him. Smiling, he turned away.

'Perhaps now,' he thought, 20 years later, 'things could change.'

#dndverse

[royac]

hurricane

As the party had begun making their way into the darkness below, illuminated only by the skylight they had descended from, Charles began to think about the last time he had been in a group. Sure, the Adventurer's Guild often had them going out in groups of multiples for their protection, but they rarely spoke to each other. Already these individuals had begun asking him questions. What was their angle? What did they hope to gain from this? Not only that, but why must they all have him climb into such a small space?

Social situations often made him uncomfortable. He had never been the most outgoing, though William had brought out a different side of him. Now that he was gone, Charles had retreated back into a younger version of himself, one that felt more isolated. He knew that he could be charismatic when he needed to be, but honestly? It was getting harder and harder to not taste the bitterness of the past every time he opened his mouth.

Charles had been brought out of their thoughts by the faint glow growing brighter. It appeared that Zendressi had been right. They had been one of the last few people to enter the basement, and as they looked around, they realized that this must have been a supply barrack of some sort. Already the group had begun looking around, seemingly eager to gather some health potions and scrolls.

Although, that wasn't the only thing of interest in the room. Zendressi, Rhicca, and Scott had attempted to lift a shortsword that had been left in the middle of the room. The blade... was tentacle-like, moving around as if it were alive. Charles felt uneasy as he watched Scott and Rhicca attempt to lift it, only for it to glow red. They looked somewhat confused - had they heard something? He wasn't sure.

When he heard a voice ask if anyone else wanted to try to lift it, he thought, why not? He tentatively reached down toward the hilt. As he lifted it into the air, those who had previously lifted the sword heard a voice say, "the first of seven has been found," and Charles immediately fell backward.

As his vision returned to him, he realized that he was no longer in New Valoria... He... wasn't sure where he was. They were standing on a forest road. They squinted, attempting to make some sense of what they were seeing. It... was... two dead horses? And goblins?

It appeared that there was a battle of some sort occurring as the goblins gleefully fought against... tieflings? Suddenly, Charles realized that there was someone else there. The man was too far away for them to discern any definitive features, but he appeared taller than them, with porcelain skin and long, blonde hair. He raised a bow that seemed as tall as himself and fired an arrow toward a tree, causing it to explode.

Charles felt his back ache. He immediately recognized the voices around him and knew that wherever he had journeyed to, he had returned. Standing, confused, he sheathed the new sword. It hummed with a familiar energy. Elwyn approached him and asked if he was okay and said that he had fallen. Charles nodded, but didn't say much else.

At that moment, Gunther told the party that they needed to move on, as there were still threats in the city. Before climbing back out of the room, Charles couldn't help but stuff a few scraps of food into his pockets.

The party made their way toward the next area, and Charles realized that Zendressi had asked him a question.

"So... what was that? Did you see anything?"

Had he seen anything. Charles pursed his lips for a moment before answering, "I saw... a road in a forest." Quartzara looked like she thought he would have more to say, but he didn't trust these newcomers. Yes, he appreciated that Quartzara had helped him in the last battle, but he was equally as guarded, especially in such a large party.

"Ah, Quartzara, wait." He reached into his robe and pulled out a black pouch with red spots. From the pouch, he lifted a small pink worm and handed it to the Genasi. It gleefully slithered onto her.

"Thank you for having my back in the last battle. I appreciate it." While he might not have wanted to share the additional information from his dream, he did want her to know that he recognized that she could have easily ran away when they had been attacked together.

As the party continued following Gunther, Scott began retelling the history of Elisia, one of the 8 divines. Charles smiled as Scott mentioned that she was married to "Rufus," the king of the Gods. It was at this time that Rhicca decided to intervene and explain the actual backstory behind Elisia. Charles knew that there wasn't much time to waste, as the creatures they were fighting were relentless in their ways, but as long as they continued walking toward their destination, he figured it wouldn't hurt to hear a story.

She began explaining the great battle in the Age of Gods, in which all Gods were united against a singular foe. It was at this time that Charles began to feel uneasy. Whenever Rhicca mentioned the great enemy, shrouded in mystery as it's name and appearance were unknown, Charles felt a heaviness in his heart. He paused momentarily, staggering behind the group. His hand reached for his chest, grasping at the dark green fabric that enveloped him. For a moment, it felt almost impossible to breathe. As quick as the sensation had come it had passed, and Charles was left confused. Looking around at the group, it seemed that nobody had noticed his actions, so he continued walking with them.

"What..." he thought, "was that..."

#dndverse

[royac]

provincialives:

Ah, that’s a shame. I understand, though. Was bound to happen at some point or another… I just always thought it’d be when you found out about Marles Lampton, your almost identical, but unquestionably and infinitely better long lost twin, who I spend the majority of my time with. Thought the betrayal would be what did us in… but I’ll take this instead.

When they’re needed most… so you’re the guy who’s gonna blackmail me when I least expect it. Should have known you’d never let me live down a perfect politician’s life. 

Yeah… I know, man. And if we’re being real, you know the stunts you’ve always pulled have made for some of the best moments of my life. No doubt you’ll laugh me into a heart attack when we’re in the old folks home and all. 

Marles? Marles. Mar...les. You couldn’t even be creative with the name? Again, I’m truly... wait, there’s a word for this... the younger kids have been saying it lately... what was it? SHOOK! That’s it! I’m shook, Xav. You’ve shaken me to my very core.

..Wow, it honestly killed me inside to say that. I’ll let the children stick with that phrase.

It’ll keep you relatable, obviously! Who wouldn’t love a charming young politician with nothing to hide? Haha! Ah, I’m just joking of course, sport.

I’m glad! Hopefully I can continue to provide you a source of entertainment, though, I’d be terribly upset if I were your true downfall. Imagine it... Xavier Miles, murdered by Charles Hampton.. in a stunning revelation, it appears as if Charles had Xavier laugh to death!

...Hopefully they wouldn’t execute me. I’m too beautiful to die in such an ugly way.

#just like w olive and lydia #i think charles probably mentioned it when he was high or drunk tbhm #but otherwise he probbbbabbbabably wouldnt because he wouldnt want to worry xav too much or something #xavier #charles is SO FkiN DRamATic #frostverse

[royac]

provincialives:

Charlie, of course you’re not more intimidating than a magical fire lizard. You wouldn’t hurt a fly! In fact, you’d charm it until it became your best friend.

Responsibilities? Never heard of them. Sound creepy, though. Florence is great… but you’re right about Portland being more exciting. I don’t know about the night scene, but wow if they don’t have that beautiful art museum. 

Lydia, oh my God. You’e not wrong about my charm, though. It’s one of my best features.

Oh, love, trust me, you’re so very lucky you don’t have to deal with them. It’s always this and that, it’s quite exhausting. Oh, yes, the art museum! Maybe a trip between you and I is in order. I've been trying to take up hobbies other than drinking and partying for the sake of being a better boyfriend and son, and I’ve been quite interested in art. Say, don’t you paint? Why don’t you show me how it’s done sometime? 

#lydia #he's actually a very drained person #he wants to be better #he rly does #but he's just... charles #u kno #i have so many feelings about my son #frostverse