#And in horse-years she is 35

[videovamptramp]

i’m right over here, why can’t you see me? (2)

// when ellie’s reaction to you and abby hooking up isn’t quite what you expected, she leads you right into abby’s open arms. //

[warnings: jealousy, pining, angst, slight arguing, angry!ellie, illusions to one-sided feelings, simp!abby, fuckgirl!ellie, sexual implications]

xxxxxxxxx

this is pt.2 (pt.1 can be found here)

abby was always taught to be the bigger person. her father consistently reminded her that no matter how people treat her, she should always be the bigger person. that’s most of the reason why she’s so reserved and non-confrontational. when she first started university, she knew she didn’t quite fit in. unlike a vast majority of students around here, she wasn’t here for the “college” experience. she was just here to play soccer and get her degree in engineering. she also noticed you from the first day of freshman year, but she was way too shy to say hi to you. abby’s never really been good at flirting or starting conversation with new people. she often feels too awkward, or too intimidated to say anything.

manny took a liking to her right away; the school got his rooming situation mixed up, and that’s how he ended up being abby’s roommate. it was strange at first for her; she was wary about having a guy as a roommate. but she quickly learned manny was a cool guy. he was funny, and hung up pictures of him and his dad right away. abby could relate, as she was very close to her dad as well.

manny slowly seemed to get abby out of her shell, and would invite her to various functions and parties. but he quickly learned if it didn’t have anything to do with soccer, abby wasn’t really interested. even the girls who threw themselves at the dark haired blonde, would get shot down without abby even realizing she was rejecting them. you were ironically the first person abby found herself interested in. hell, after the party yesterday, abby was almost certain she was enthralled by you.

after walking you back to your dorm, you gave abby your number and hugged her tightly. abby walked all the way back to her shared room with a dorky grin on her face. she could still smell your girly perfume, and all she could think about was your pretty smile. a part of her wondered if you’d cave and call ellie, but when you texted her after she had gotten out of the shower, she knew you didn’t.

y/n (1:34 a.m): i can’t wait to see how she reacts tomorrow, thanks for helping me haha

y/n (1:35 a.m): and thank you for keeping me company tonight, i really liked getting to know you abby 🖤

the smile that tugged at her lips after reading your message was nearly unrecognizable. as she walked out of the bathroom with her eyes and thumbs on her phone screen, manny raises a brow in slight suspicion at the peculiar sight.

abby (1:42 a.m): i really liked getting to know you too, i hope we can get to know each other better :) i was serious about teaching you how to ride a horse lol

“that’s a face i’ve never seen before.” manny states observingly, causing abby to look away from her phone, over at her roommate who was flashing her an intrigued smile. a blush coats her freckled covered cheeks as she thinks about you and your smile. “you remember that girl from my women’s history class? y/n?” abby reminds her best friend, who throws his head back and lets out a bark of a laugh. “abby you jugadora (player)! i knew you’d get laid eventually.” he taunts causing the jock to roll her eyes. “i didn’t ‘get laid’, gross ass. i finally said more than five words to her. i got her number too.” abby smirks, and mischief glints in manny’s eyes. “so nora dragging you to that party was a good thing then?” he half taunts and abby’s phone chimes, signaling that you’ve texted her again; her face gets hot, and manny chuckles.

y/n (1:44 a.m): i’ll be waiting for you to set something up when we’re not tipsy then ;)

abby (1:46a.m): i don’t think you’ll be waiting for very long <3 goodnigjt y/n, sleep tight

y/n (1:47 a.m): goodnight abby 🖤

when you wake up the next morning, your head is throbbing, and thoughts of last night begin to flood your mind. suddenly you remember all about abby’s plan to make ellie jealous. you reach over for your phone and see you have a string of missed calls, and five texts from ellie. your heart thumps as you open the text thread with the brunette.

ellie (2:20 a.m): you home??

ellie (6:34 a.m): why didn’t you call me last night?

ellie (6:35 a.m): did you make it back to your room safely??

ellie (9:35 a.m): you going to class today?

ellie (11:47 a.m) did you really hookup with anderson last night? it’s all that nora chick and her friend are talking about rn.

your cheeks heat up as you read the last message; word certainly seems to move fast around here. before you can even think about a response to ellie’s various messages, your gaze wanders to the time. your eyes widen as you gasp, realizing you slept nearly half the day away; it was already 2:30 p.m and nobody except for abby knew you were alive. you scurry off your bed, and just as your about to grab your clothes and stuff to shower, dina comes barging into your shared dorm. “dude, is it true!? did you hookup with the captain of the soccer team last night!?” dina sounds excited, and your cheeks turn a dark shade of pink, causing her to gasp.

“you did! holy shit, y/n… i didn’t think you had it in you.” she comments, sounding a bit impressed. “what? you didn’t think i had enough rizz to pull abby anderson?” you question half jokingly, causing the raven haired girl to laugh loudly. “oh no, i’m well aware you can pull whoever you want, i just didn’t think you’d move on from ellie so fast! i didn’t even come home last night, i spent the night listening to ellie rant about you and abby hunky anderson.” dina teases you mercilessly, doing nothing to ease the way your face is burning.

the raven haired girls eyes then widen, shining with pure amusement. “did you two do it in here? on your bed!?” she cackles before whistling, “who are you?” dina asks half jokingly as she begins to walk over to her side of the room, reaching for her biology textbook. “you’re leaving again?” you ask out loud, and dina nods, turning her head and flashing you a roguish smile. “yup, i’m studying with jesse till five.” she admits, and you raise your brows, offering her a disbelieving expression. “studying or fucking?” you ask her, poking fun at the slightly taller girl. she rolls her eyes, but looks away from you in order to keep you from seeing the way her face changes in color. “unlike you, i am considerate of jesse’s roommate. we wait until he’s at work.” dina’s response causes you to laugh, shaking your head in amusement.

“whatever. i’m going to shower, and change into pajamas. maybe i’ll make myself a cup soup and watch reruns of buffy all evening.” you tell her, and dina snorts. “maybe you could call anderson to join you. i’m sure she’ll be up for round two.” dina’s voice is sardonic but dripping with lightheartedness. “who says we didn’t already have round two?” you inquire challengingly, causing dina to gasp as she reaches for a pillow on her bed, tossing it right at you. you laugh loudly, as you make your way towards the door with your pajamas and toothbrush in hands. right as you open the door to rush out, you come face to face with ellie who had been debating with herself on whether to knock or not.

her eyebrows meet her hairline as she sees you, your mascara from last night a mess, and your hairs a mess. there’s a wave of hot, red anger that surges throughout the brunette as she realizes you’ve been so busy with abby anderson, you haven’t been able to answer any of her messages, or even been able to wash your face. her eyes flicker over to your bed that’s a mess, and suddenly unwanted images of abby fucking you on your bed flood her mind.

“it’s nice to see you’re alive.” ellie grumbles a bit dramatically as she pushes her way into the room, causing dina to turn around and look at you. “you knew i was okay. i was with abby.” you respond, and the mere mention of the other girl seems to set ellie off. “no i didn’t know that y/n! i don’t know a fucking thing about abby! she could’ve been a weirdo who only wanted to take advantage of you—” you cut ellie off before she can say something stupid, “but she wasn’t! abby and i are both two consenting adults who hooked up, just like everyone else around here!” you snap a bit harshly, and the words feel like a slap to the face for ellie. “so the rumors are true? you and anderson hooked up last night?” ellie’s voice sounds hurt, and you can’t even recognize the expression that’s etched onto her features.

“uh, jesse’s waiting for me, so i’ll let you guys talk.” dina declares a bit awkwardly, she can feel the tension in the room, but she decides to stay out of it and walk away. before she walks out, the raven haired girl flashes you a look of reassurance. when she shuts the door behind her, you and ellie are left alone. you shake your head, “why do you sound so angry about it? you hookup with girls all the time!” you counterpoint, and ellie shakes her head. “but i never ditch you to do it!” she hisses, while you respond with an eye roll. “yes you do! ellie, you ditched me last night for angela! you do it at every party with different girls, but the one time i do it, it’s a problem?” you ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

“i was worried about you! i don’t care about your meaningless, shitty hookup with anderson.” ellie spits rudely, and you let out an angry laugh of disbelief. “shitty? why do you think i was asleep all day? it was amazing.” you nearly grimace as you realize you sound like you’re trying too hard to convince ellie. “besides, abby already asked me on a date. she wants to go horseback riding.” you lie right through your teeth, and ellie lets out a chuckle. “yeah? that sounds like complete bullshit.” she calls you on your bluff, and you raise a brow, “what sounds like bullshit? that someone could actually want something more than a hookup with me?” you ask challengingly, causing ellie’s annoyed expression to falter. “no, y/n, that’s not what i meant…” she trails off, her voice lowering slightly.

“then what did you mean? because to me it sounds like you think all abby or anyone could ever want me for is a hookup.” you reply dryly, but ellie can detect the slight hurt in your tone. she shakes her head again, “no that isn’t— it’s not you! it’s abby! girls like her aren’t actually interested in dating anyone. i mean, half the cheerleading team said she sleeps with girls and never talks to them again!” ellie points out, and you furrow your eyebrows. “since when do you listen to rumors?” you demand, making her run her fingers through her hair in frustration. “you can’t seriously be thinking about going out with her, are you?”

her question causes you to frown, “yes i am. and unless you can give me an actual reason on why i shouldn’t, then we have nothing left to fight about.” your voice is strangely stern, and something in ellie’s stomach drops because of it. “i’m going to go shower… just like was before you barged in here.” you know you sound meaner than usual, but you can’t help it. ellie was supposed to be showing you how sexy she was when she was jealous, not what a jerk she was. you didn’t even mean to lie about your date with abby; it had just slipped out. ellie had a way of pushing your buttons, and in a way you knew the more you talked about abby, the more you were pushing hers. you walk out of your room, shutting the door behind you and leaving ellie alone. she can’t help but glance over at the messy, undid bed that was taunting her. ellie hates thinking about you and abby together, but she still can’t figure out why. dina was right, the brunette might just be the most oblivious person on the planet.

you’re not as upset after getting clean. a warm shower and a fresh set of pajamas always makes you feel better. when you get back to your room, ellie is no longer there, but there's a twinge of guilt that runs through your veins. you push it as far away from your thoughts as you can. you know you shouldn't feel bad; after all, ellie has been raving about how "pretty" and "hot" angela is for the last four weeks! you shouldn't feel the slightest bit guilty for making her jealous with abby.

as your mind thinks about the honey blonde girl, a small, inevitable smile makes it's way onto your lips. though the smile falls fast when you realize you're going to have to ask abby to help you again. this time it was your own doing; you angrily lied to ellie and told her you had a date with abby. in a way it made you feel a bit pathetic, faking a date. the cruel voice in your head was telling you that ellie was right; you couldn't get a date with someone like abby... not an actual date at least. but ellie didn't really know that. as far as she knew, you were going to be riding off into the sunset with abby after your date.

ellie doesn’t text you throughout the rest of the evening or night. a part of you feels a bit bad for lying to her, but the other part of you knows you only did it because she was acting stupid. the next morning you wake up and get ready for your classes; feeling way better than you did yesterday. abby sees you walking to your second class, which happens to be women’s history with her. she can’t stop herself from approaching you, regardless of the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

“y/n.” she greets you with that soft accent, that causes an unfamiliar warmth to course throughout your body. “abigail.” you respond back, unable to contain the smile on your face. “how did things go with williams yesterday?” she asks curiously, and your smile falls at the mention of your best friend. “not good? was my plan a bust?” she questions cautiously, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. you sigh, “i don’t know. i mean, she was really mad yesterday when she came to my room. she heard people saying we hooked up, and she said all you wanted was to hookup and never talk to me again…” you trail off, and abby opens her mouth to disagree, but you go on before she can get a word out.

“i kinda got really mad when she said that and i might’ve lied to her about us having a date.” you blush in pure embarrassment, and abby lets out a laugh. “oh jeez, i don’t even wanna picture how angry she got when you told her that.” abby’s voice is light, yet there’s a slight seriousness in her tone; she remembers the way ellie was glaring at her the other night. you shake your head, a small frown etching itself onto your face. abby can’t figure out how you look so pretty all the time; even when you’re upset. “yeah she was pretty mad… but who cares? she’s just acting like a jerk! i mean, to be jealous is one thing but she doesn’t have to be an asshole about it. she’s supposed to be my best friend. realistically she’s supposed to be happy for me.” you mutter, causing the blonde to raise her brows in amusement.

“she’s your best friend who’s in love with you. the more time you spend with me, the angrier she’s gonna get.” abby points out with a slight mumble, and you sigh, “if ellie is as in love with me as you and dina say she is, then she would’ve said something yesterday. but she didn’t. i honestly think ellie just isn’t into me like that.” you sound genuinely sad as you come to terms with this, and the dismal expression on your face causes something to tug at abby’s heartstrings. she doesn’t like seeing you sad.

“she’s just stubborn. she needs more of a push. i mean you said she got upset when you told her we have a date.” abby tries, as you both stand outside of the classroom, continuing the conversation. “yeah, but she’s ellie, she literally has anger issues. maybe she was just mad that i promised to call, and i didn’t.” you explain, and abby shrugs. “then lets go on a date. let’s see how ellie reacts to it.” the taller girl throws the idea out there, causing you to freeze. you look at her, “you wanna take me on a “date”, just so i can see how ellie reacts?” your voice has suspicion laced throughout it, as abby nods. “why do you wanna help me so badly?” you interrogate slightly, obviously not trusting the blonde.

she laughs at the way your eyes are narrowed, and she can’t help but find every expression of yours absolutely adorable. “because i like you. you’re the coolest person i’ve met around here aside from nora and manny. i’ll help you get the girl if that’s what you want. i’m a great wingman.” she winks at you, and you roll your eyes playfully, that genuine smile that causes abby’s heart to palpitate returns. “you’re also a very sweet person.” you add onto her boast; this causes the back of her neck to heat up, as she looks down at her boots and smiles. you wrap your arms around her and hug her tightly, just like you did the other night.

and just like the first time you hugged her, abby’s mind begins to race as the smell of your perfume takes over her senses. she hugs you back, and when you pull away you have this mischievous grin on your face. “i guess we’ve officially got a date then, anderson.” you half joke, as you lead abby into the classroom. abby’s sure her face is as red as a tomato, and she’s much too busy thinking about how soft you are and how good you smell to think of a good response. instead, all abby can do is follow you like a puppy to your seat. she sits down next to you, and throughout the entire class, she doesn’t pay attention once.

after the class ends she realizes she hasn’t taken a single note, and has no idea what the assignment topic for tonight is. every thought she seemed to have, circled back to you. the worst of it was, you were probably thinking about ellie while she was thinking about you nonstop.

after class, she groans to herself as she realizes she has no idea what the assignment topic for tonight is. she was too busy stealing glances at you, and thinking about your “date”.

“god, what the hell did i get myself into?”

abby thinks to herself as she walks into her shared dorm. she throws herself onto her bed, her thoughts never leaving you.

meanwhile ellie slams the door behind her as she storms into her room. she can’t help but feel more upset than ever. she saw you and abby walking to class today, and it caused an ugly green wave of jealousy to wash over her. for a moment she actually wanted to go up to abby and punch her right in front of you, though ellie knew you’d never forgive her for that. but ellie also couldn’t just sit around and watch you fall for abby fucking anderson.

suddenly, she pauses in the middle of pacing as an idea hits her; like a lightbulb lighting up over her head. ellie knows what she has to do; she’s going to ruin your date with abby, and she has a million different ideas on how to do it.

xxxxxxx

team abby or team ellie? 👀

taglist: @macaroni676 @swxxtbnny @bellaramseyswife @asabovesobelow666 @thatonementallyillsimp @fofinhamarie @p4ison1vy @harrysslutsstuff @jalousiexx @mostlyhornyandsad @clouded-whispers @elliewilliams4ever @forelliesposts @dergy @uraesthete @4rt3m1ss @3bolivia @calderysuh @milfsandtittyenthusiast @fofinhamarie @mikimambo @elliewilliamsgf69 @ariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii01 @ellienbilliearemywives @emst4rr @nabiba @bycoincidencesoflife @jennasoneanonly @lizzygoldenr @bready101 @dinasbigtoe @fairlyang @wingedoafbasketballjudge-blog @halfmooneclipse @defencelessarcher @selfcentered-bitch @vswerve @iwantyoutocryforme @hsangel64 @abbysleftbicepp @gabsssssblog @2dmenlackimperfection @cinematicdilfs @masclover111 @mai5mai @teenagedramaqueenlisa

i’m sorry to everyone it didn’t let me tag, some of your blogs weren’t popping up 😭 merry christmas loves, stay safe - vamp <3

#ellie x y/n #fuck!girl ellie williams #abby anderson x fem reader #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x female reader #the last of us #abby the last of us #abby anderson x y/n #abby anderson x you #ellie williams x reader jealous #jealous ellie williams x reader #abby anderson #ellie williams #abby anderson x fem reader angst #fanfic #fake dating

[cinnamoodles]

the language of flowers — part one, daises

warnings: angst, of course, and bad writing? ooc anthony bc i suck and thats unwarranted <33

word count: 1.8k (wowza)

author’s note: hello! this is my first published fic, so im pretty sure it’s going to be horrible, but i had this idea after reading Sherlock Holmes, so… im excited, i guess? this is part of a series i will publish, but for now... yay! first fic celebration!

read the other parts! — part two, irises | part three, peonies

i don’t consent for my work to be reposted or copied, translated, or transferred to any other platform, or this one, in part or whole.

--------- . . . ---------

i. 1802, bellis perennis. daisies, platonic love

It was a day in which the sun blazed as though it had a fury against all of England, the sweltering heat resulting in most of the country to stay indoors, and perhaps enjoy a cool glass of lemonade. The unforgiving rays of the sun shone glitteringly on the lake, as if to mock those who stayed inside, flamboyantly displaying its beauty.

Anthony Bridgerton was a boy, (or a man, as he liked to proclaim himself, as he was just a year from being eighteen), who did not like to stay inside, especially on a glorious day like this. He liked to forget the matter that it was well over 35 degrees celsius, but in his words, such a beautiful, sunny day should not go to waste.

“Why have you dragged me out here, Mr. Bridgerton?” You groan against the thick coat of your own horse. As the only daughter of a Duke with three sons, you had to dress up prim and proper, much to your chagrin, before going out, especially with a boy, whether it be one of your closest friends or not. You run your hands through your hair—which you've left open, because, in your words, damn society, no single person should be subject to those horrid pins in their hair on a hot summer's day!, before you stormed out of your estate, to head to the stables to find solace in one of your most trusted companions.

He grins, sending a flutter of butterflies amok in your stomach. Deep inside, you knew that there was no way that he would ever even consider you romantically, as you were exactly the age of his brother, Benedict, who, no doubt, was ever the charmer, but Anthony had a special place in your heart. Your first love, (could one even call it love? You would often dismiss it as infatuation, but when he looked at you like that, how could your youthful little heart disregard it?), and most of all, your first friend. “Well,” he starts, “first of all, you can cease the formalities, or I’ll push you off your horse.” He leisurely rides up next to you, smirking. “And there isn’t any harm in calling on my closest friend for a few hours of her time, is there not?”

“Of course not, but you know how my mother hounds me,” you sigh tiredly, rubbing the nape of your neck. “It is almost as if…” reddening, you bite your lip. You knew that your mother was always on a tirade on how you and Anthony would be perfect together, but you know that he did not feel the same way. You sneak in a gaze at his soft dark hair, and his gorgeous, deep brown eyes, always glimmering with mischief of some sort. 

He turned to you, frowning. “As if? She hasn’t got a problem with me, has she?”

Your eyes widen, and you quickly backtrack on your words. “No! No, of course she hasn’t got a problem with you, she’s just a bit… spirited, that’s all. Just very spirited and a woman very worried about what society has to say about me—not that I care, of course.”

“Just let her know that I’m most definitely not giving up my friendship with you just because of the nonsense the Ton spews on an hourly basis.” You give an extremely unladylike snort at his words, which sends the both of you into a fit of laughter.

The both of you finally reach the site that Anthony must have wanted to show you. It’s a corner beside the lake, with a patch of wildflowers and a small woodland area behind it. The sunlight shines onto the surface of the lake, and small dragonflies lazily float around the flowers. What entrances you most is the flora near the area. While, of course, you've seen flowers before, since your own father boasts one of the most intricate gardens in London, there isn’t any garden that could hold a candle to the natural beauty, the wild, untamed, disorderly allure of this particular strip of land. Fireweed and cattails rub against the agrimonies and bellflowers, and you have to physically stop yourself from letting your jaw drop and stare at the scene in front of you.

The dark-haired boy enthusiastically gets down from his horse, rubbing his eyebrow, and holds his hand out to your stunned self. You bite back a smirk when you notice his actions, and steady yourself against his glove. “I don’t need you to do all this,” you tease. “I can get down from a horse just fine by myself.”

“Really?” He smirks. “Alright then.” Letting go of you abruptly, he wipes off his hands on his breeches, while behind him, you trip to the ground, dust pooling and clouding around you, and you land on your ankle.

“Ow!” You shriek, your hands scratched from the rough, gravelly grass. You examine your ankle, which is slightly swollen and red, along with giving you large, throbbing pains. “Anthony, you’re such a prick!” You steady yourself against a tree trunk when he turns around and sees you, in pain. He quickly rushes to your side, steadying you by placing his hands on your hips, and you try, (and fail), to ignore your heart working on overdrive. “Y/N, I’m so sorry. Really, I didn’t know it would hurt you, I didn't know you were that high up.”

“What do you know, then?” You grumble, trying to hold weight on your foot. When you wince, Anthony immediately carries you in his arms in a bridal hold, and you have to take all the willpower you have to not stare at his biceps, or worse, swoon right there. “Anthony! Put me down!” You cry, halfheartedly, your inner thoughts wishing that he wouldn’t listen to a word you said. “If you drop me, I swear I will hurt you.”

“Y/N,” he smiles at you, “trust me, I know better than to cross you by now.” He readjusts his hands, and one of them, (you’re too frazzled to notice which), lands on the small of your back, and you are sure that you will combust within a second if he keeps this up. “And,” he continues, “I haven’t dragged you all the way here just so you can go home. And trust me, you're not heavy at all.” He smirks, raising one of his hands so that you can see it, and taps your nose.

“Anthony—oh god—what the bloody hell are you doing?”

“Proving you haven't got anything to worry about. Don’t worry, darling.” The word sends a shiver down your spine, and the moment just seems so perfect: you, in his arms, his dark, dreamy eyes gazing into your own, his breath hot on your cheek. He smells of sandalwood and citrus—the same smell that haunts you day and night, in your dreams and nightmares.

You relax into his arms, and are snapped out of your daze only by the soft brush of something against your nose—petals? You open your eyes to a grinning Anthony, tapping your face with a hastily bundled bunch of flowers.

“Anthony,” you frown, “I was relaxing. Do not forget that you caused my devastating injury.” You pout, widening your eyes and biting your lips, trying to play the fact that you’re merely an innocent bystander of his tomfoolery. He sighs, and waves the flowers in front of your face.

“That is precisely what this is for, you hypochondriac—ow! Sorry! I picked you flowers, because you're so microscopic that I can carry you with one hand.” He gently placed you down on a gravelly stone bench, among the wildflowers and its concomitant insects, hurriedly putting a bouquet of flowers in your hand. 

Daises.

The Guide for Flora for Debutantes: Resplendent in its simplicity, the daisy's tender white petals encircle a sunny heart, a poignant reflection of the chaste and enduring affection shared amongst esteemed companions of a non-romantic nature. The suitor that gives this flower to you may not desire to pursue a romantic relation, but shows no ill will towards you, and would in fact like to continue a relationship based purely on friendship. 

Your mind flashes to a paragraph in one of your least-loved books, but one your governess insisted you study. Perhaps he didn’t mean to give you these gut-wrenching, heartbreaking flowers, flowers that left your soul shattered on the ground, due to your dramatics. Men, in particular, were never very observant when it came to flowers. “Well, there might be a privilege to being microscopic then,” you smile, feigning delight. “Say,” you gaze up at Anthony’s eyes, “what made you pick these particular ones? Is there anything special about daises?”

“Er, no…” Anthony frowned. “They were the only ones that looked nice enough to give to you. The others looked like weeds, if I am being completely forthright.” You stifle a laugh, and perhaps there indeed was no symbolism behind the flowers the gave you, nothing other than fate.

As you settle on the stone bench, your ankle throbbing slightly, you peer at the bouquet of daises now cradled in your hand. The delicate blossoms seem to mirror the delicate dance of emotions within your heart, or so your heart believes. Anthony's actions have always been a mixture of exasperating and endearing, and this moment is no different.

"Anthony," you say, suppressing a smile, "your chivalry knows no bounds, it seems." He chuckles, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Ah, my dear, a gentleman's duty is to come to the rescue of a damsel in distress, is it not?" You roll your eyes with a playful sigh, though your heart flutters at his words. There's a familiarity between you that goes beyond mere friendship, a connection that has woven itself over years of shared experiences. But society's expectations and the complexities of your own heart keep those feelings hidden beneath the surface. 

"Are you suggesting that I am in distress, Mr. Bridgerton?" you retort, raising an eyebrow. His smile widens, and he takes a seat beside you on the bench. 

"Perhaps not in distress, but certainly in need of a flower-bearing rescuer." He quips, gently nudging your shoulder. You both share a laugh, the tension that briefly hung in the air dissipating like morning mist. There's a sense of ease in his company that you've never found elsewhere, a comfort that stems from him, merely his presence.

A sense of home—of love, and for now, it did not matter if he didn’t feel it, but the warm feeling that enveloped you was merely your own to enjoy.

#anthony bridgerton x reader #anthony bridgerton #bridgerton #anthony bridgerton imagine #anthony bridgerton x you #bridgerton fanfiction #bridgerton netflix #bridgerton imagine

[jackmanbj]

school hours

A/N: this is a time skip fic, jack would be like 35 and reader is 34, with a 13 year old and a 6 year old.

summary: your teenage daughter gets into a fight and you and jack get into a small argument about the right punishment, but she has other plans.

jack signed as he pulled up in front of the school building getting out of his car and making his way into the office of the school.

jack went to the room in the office he was directed into opening the door to see his daughter sitting in a chair with her head down on her phone.

“hello mr. harlow please have a seat” as soon as jadore heard jacks name she picked her head up and placed her phone on the table “ok so, we are here because your daughter got into a altercation with another student uhm, the cameras show jadore did put her hands on the other girl first, but the other girl started it so, with that being said there both suspended jadore is suspended for 4 days and the other girl is suspended for a week” “jesus christ jadore, your lucky im here and not your mother.”

“i know” “also if jadore gets into another fight this year, she will be kicked off of any extracurricular team she may be on” “sounds fair to me, if thats all me and jadore should probably head back home so her mother could talk to her” jadore groaned and stood up “ yes sir thats all” “lets go jadore.”

jack and jadore walked out the school and back to the car, jadore got into the back seat while jack started driving.

“jadore, im not going to take your phone or ipad but if your mom does i wont stop her, what did that girl possibly say to you to make you put your hand on her??” jack started the car and pulled off.

“she said i only had friends because my mom is well known and my dad is jack harlow” “that cannot be the only reason you put your hands on her..” “she also said sarija looked like a horse and thats when i hit her…” jack signed “your mom might punish you so get ready.

jack pulled up at the house and when they walked in they found you sitting on the couch watching tv.

“Jadore Tovi Harlow, come here please” “yes ma’am” jadore hurriedly went over to you and placed her bad on the floor.

“why” “..at first she said the only reason people talk to me and the only reason i have friends is because your well known and because dad is jack harlow and went on to say how people use me, and at first i ignored her and walked away then she said sarija looked like a horse and thats when i hit her..” “did you win?” “thats what people are saying..” “you have a video?” “yea..” “let me see” “BABY!!” “huh??” “come here real quick!” “mk, jadore pull up the video!” “ok mom!”

jack brought you to the bedroom “baby..explain!” “what?” “why are you encouraging it?!” “im not! shes still in trouble but shes not in that much, she was defending herself and her little sister so im not that upset!” “if you don’t punish her i will!” “fine what should her punishment be?? im thinking like a week with no phone and no ipad, no going out with friends for about 2 weeks and no friends over for 2 weeks?” “how about all that but no phone for a month and no ipad for a week” “what no!” “why not??” “jack i remember getting my phone taken for months for defending myself it made me hate my parents and ect, i dont want her feeling the same way, 2 weeks without the phone is the most im going. the end.”

you walked out the room heading back to you daughter “i was kidding sweetheart i dont want to see the video, but me and you dad agreed you are in trouble baby, so no phone and no i pad for a week, no friends over and no going out with friends for 2 weeks understand?” “yes momma..” you grabbed her phone “go put your ipad in my room please and thank you. also go apologize to you daddy for fighting, if it was up to him you would be grounded for 2 months, go think of a longggg apology to say, give it to him tomorrow!” “ok.”

you went back to your bedroom and found jack kicked back onto the bed.

you went and climbed on too of his lap and gave him a few kisses on his neck “hi handsome” “what y/n” you huffed and pulled back so you were sitting straight up in him.

“jackk! please stop being mad with me!”

“im not mad” “you are.”

you started messing with jacks belt trying to get it off but jack just moved your hands out the way.

“baby!” “im not in the mood.” “mk..can we go shower together..?” “kiss” you bent down and gave him a kiss while he put his phone next to him and grabbed his hands full of your ass “mm” “lets go shower baby.”

jack picked you up and brought him to the bathroom.

jack placed you onto the bathroom countertop and turned around and started the shower water.

you pulled jack back to you and kissed him rough “mm jack” jack hands were rubbing up and down your waist while your hands were getting into his hair and around his neck.

jack pulled back once he heard a knock on the door.

“whats up pumpkin??” “do you guys want me to go get sarija??” “oh fuck” “no im about to go!” you quickly jumped off the sink and put on your shoes “you coming j?” “yea hold on.” jack put on his sandals and grabbed the keys and started to walk to the door.

“you wanna come jadore??” “nope” “ok”

once you and jack left jadore found herself going into you and jacks room and grabbing her phone, she knew she wouldn’t have long on her phone because sarijas school wasnt to far from the house but she wanted to take all the time she could get.

jadore ended up getting lost in time and didn’t hear the front door open, she was laughing on her phone until she heard the room door open “JADORE TOVI!” “yes daddy..?” “give me your phone NOW!” “yes sir..” jadore got off the bed and slowly walked to jack “now your not getting you phone or your ipad back for a month, you mom isn’t changing my mind either. go to your room.”

once you seen jadore walk out of your bedroom to find jack sitting on the bed strolling on his phone with jadores phone next to him.

“what happened?”

“she wanted to sneak her phone but doesn’t know how to be sneaky, i walked in to her ok tiktok”

“jesus..what did you say??”

“she’s definitely grounded for a month, no phone no ipad.”

“i guess.. im about to go back dinner go ask the girls what they want” “mk”

jack walked out the room and knocked on both the girls door and asked them what they wanted for dinner, they both said burgers so thats what you made.

“GIRLS DINNERS READY!! jack can you go get sarija and bring her down??” “of course”

jack went to grab sarija and came back with her on his hip and jadore next to him laughing.

“jadore i was thinking, good behavior gets your phone back faster, keep up the good grades, do your chores without us having to remind you, and you’ll get your phone back faster.”

jadore look excited and quickly started eating dinner.

jack sat sarija down and put her plate in front of her so she could eat.

“mommy!” “yes sweet girl??” “i full” “ok baby.”

you picked up sarija’s plate and started to wash it, once you were done you started to hold sarija’s hand and started walking upstairs “jack when your done can you wash you and jadore plate?” “sure baby.”

you jack and jadore ended up having a movie night because jadore was suspended anways, she didnt need to go to bed super early, but you made sure to let her know if her violent behavior kept going, her punishment would be wayyy worse.

#jack harlow x reader #jack harlow #jack harlow fluff #jackman thomas harlow #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow x y/n #jack harlow x you #dad! jack

[luckypoppymilliemama]

I am seriously so saddened to realize people have used my name and my cat to steal money from some of you. This is crazy, never, ever did I think that my Poppy would be used negatively.

Let’s give a little rundown of who we are. I’m Michelle, a 30-something year old married mama to 3 skin kittens, and 3 fuzzy kittens. One of my skin kittens is an adult, the other two are rapidly approaching attempting to leave the nest. I am disabled, physically and mentally which leads to emotionally, too. My fuzzy kittens help a lot with that.

2 summers ago, a friend texted me asking if I wanted a kitten. Of course I did. Then I found out she was a feral kitten that her mama had left behind because her one back leg was missing a foot, so she couldn’t climb and jump like the rest of the kittens were, and she was getting too heavy to carry in her mouth. That kitten now only have 3 legs, and is my Lucky baby.

Come early February of the next year, I saw on a friend’s aunts rescue site two of the most gorgeous little calico kittens I had ever seen. I claimed them before Valentine’s Day, even though I wouldn’t be able to get them until after Mother’s Day since they were slow to grow. They were attached at the hip, there was no way I could get one and not the other. Those were my Poppy girl and Millie moon.

That’s how I ended up with my fuzzy kittens. They are the best fuzzy kittens I have ever met. All 3 of them have a different job in calming me and my middle daughter down while in emotional crisis. Poppy is and has always been that calming rumble that you try to concentrate on instead of everything else that is happening. And it works more than anyone would believe.

Poppy is sick. My go fund me has all the explanations and updates you could ever need; I even have to add the email with the vet when she gets a chance to email back to me. I have endless pictures and videos to show she is my little love.

Please, if you can, share this post anywhere and everywhere, across all forms of social media. My follower numbers are so low, I’m surprised it’s not a negative number. I know a bunch of you got scammed, and I’m sorry. I really am. If I could make it better, I would.

Myself, I’ve even cut back some of my less essential but still needed medications so I have the money to get Poppy the treatment she deserves. I just need my baby girl to be better. It’s time sensitive because we honestly don’t know how much time she has left with her red blood cell count being in the low 10s percent wise (I think it was 13-14% last time, and it should be above 35). I am extremely transparent in what I show you all because if you are helping pay for it, I figure you have a right to see where the care is going and what it’s being used for.

We are trying to get the maximum amount of funding so we can get all the testing done because the liver and spleen are just as important as the bone marrow biopsy, but we will not look a gift horse in the mouth. Whatever we get it, it’s another cent that we didn’t have to scrounge around to find, another minute off the ever clicking clock.

Best ways to donate: to the hospital itself:

Philadelphia Animal Specialty and Emergency

Dial 267-727-3738, press 2, ask to place a credit on Poppy Riggs account, #FE22554C. All of this info is able to be found on the images in the gofundme.

The Gofundme. It is the *only* go fund me I have up. Anything else is a scam.

These account below are the only official ways to donate outside of the gofundme.

My email is listed below, and I am willing to answer any and all questions via email or on here, your choice.

Thank you so much for helping. It means everything to us.

#gofundme #go fund me #cats #cat #sick cat #sick cats #mutual aid #mutualaid #pretty cats #cats of tumblr #cats of instagram #cats of the day #cute cats #calico #calico cats #long post #longpost #disabled #mental heath issues #mental heath support #emotional support cat #emotional #support cat #doctor cat #therapy cat #donate #will the real poppy please stand up #please save poppy #real Poppy #please donate

[horsesarecreatures]

Sigh more barn stress this week.

The person who was going to try Amba yesterday ghosted. D also raised the price of board by over $150, for only the 3 pasture boarded horses. It's now $800+. The owner of the haflingers warned me that she thinks D wants us gone and is trying to price us out. They are thinking about leaving after being at this place for over 35 years, and if they do that will be the end of pasture board for Amba because she'll have no one to be with at night. I told them that I would like to go with them if they leave and to keep me in the the loop with their plans. So we've been brainstorming back and forth about places to go. Nothing is set in stone yet, but D apparently has in the past abruptly given people 24 hour notices to get out, and I don't want to be in a situation like that and not know where to go.

#amba #arabian

[vergilsama922]

Hope Universe: Year of the Dragon Wives #35 - Hikari Kamukura the Second Oldest Prodigy

Hikari exuded an aura of confidence as she lounged on the vaulting horse table, her unbuttoned jacket revealing her perky, small breasts with pride. With a smug smirk playing on her lips, she met Makoto's gaze head-on, her eyes sparkling with mischief and desire. Despite the blush coloring her cheeks, there was a palpable sense of dominance in her demeanor, a confidence reminiscent of Satsuki Kiryuin.

As she sat cross-legged, her pantyhose-clad legs folded neatly beneath her, Hikari toyed with the hem of her sliding panties, teasingly keeping them precariously balanced on one of her shins. With each subtle movement, she knew she was driving Makoto wild with anticipation, reveling in the power she held over him. And as she leaned in closer, her voice dripping with seduction, she whispered, "Don't be shy now... I know you're dying to get a closer look."

Hikari's confidence only seemed to grow as she sensed Makoto's gaze lingering on her exposed form. With a daring grin, she shifted on the vaulting horse, deliberately letting her panties slip further down her shin, knowing the tantalizing view she was offering him. "You're enjoying the show, aren't you?" she purred, her voice dripping with sultry allure. "But I bet you want more than just a peek, don't you?"

As she spoke, she leaned in closer, her breath hot against his ear as she whispered her dirty desires, her words laced with explicit intent. "You want to touch me, don't you, Makoto?" she teased, her voice low and husky. "You want to feel how wet you make me, how badly I want you."

#danganronpa #makoto naegi #danganronpa au #hope universe #hikari kamukura #makoto x hikari

[bropunzeling]

jess bropunzelling i would die if i got a director's cut/alternate pov of leon's response to matthew accidentally popping the question post coutal. how is she chewing on this!!! are her flight or fight instincts kicking in!!! what makes her suddenly decide actually today works best but tomorrow is also fine!

Just think about it.

Leon stares down the exercise bike, then grimly hops on and starts pedaling. Despite how hard she's pushing herself, she can't not remember what Matthew said last weekend, the way he had broken the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

Just think about it.

Over the past few years, Leon has prided herself on not getting too mad at Matthew. Okay, on the ice is one thing. He practically expects it. And of course they fight -- but it's mostly teasing. Who has the better hometown. Where to go during their limited time together. Winning and losing at video games, or horse, or the stupid challenges they set for themselves throughout the season around points streaks. It's not about big stuff. When it comes to big stuff, they've been good. Talking through things. Noticing shit before it can grow into something poisonous, that brings out the worst in them both.

Right now, though, she's pretty mad.

She can't believe he fucking sprung that on her. Talking about -- and it was ten in the goddamn morning, and she was naked and her thighs were still damp and she was getting cold, the way she always does after sex, and all of the sudden he's talking about -- about marrying her.

Leon pedals harder, until the lactic acid starts burning in her quads. Then she ups the resistance.

Things have been good, is the thing. Or at least, she thought they were. Her parents like Matthew, and her sister does too. His parents like her, or at least his mom does -- she can never quite get a read on whether Big Walt actually likes her, and his advice is incredibly annoying, but Matthew doesn't seem worried, so she won't worry either. Taryn thinks she's cool, which is both flattering and kind of a trip. Even Brady's warmed up to her, and Brady nearly concussed her the year before last.

Everything has felt steady. Like Leon's finally found her sea legs. Like she's finally figured out how to manage playing as hard as she can, finding her place among her boys, and also having Matthew, too. Calling him when she's tired on the road. Spending her days off at his place when they did their swing through Florida. Planning out their bye weeks. She's navigated Christmas shopping, and more than one actual, proper date, in a restaurant with cloth napkins and everything, and she even told her grandmother -- or at least, after her mother told her grandmother first.

This summer especially she's felt like they've found a rhythm, gotten in sync. It's been comfortable. It's been easy.

And now Matthew wants to change it.

Now that Leon's legs are screaming at her, she hops off the bike and grabs a towel to wipe off the sweat. Only once she's taken care of the worst of it does she stagger off to the women's locker room and into the showers.

She wasn't lying to Matthew when she said she never thought about marriage. At sixteen, she figured she'd play until she was 35 -- 40, if she was healthy and lucky -- and then after that -- well. After that, everything else could happen. A partner. Children. Maybe moving back to Germany; maybe staying around in Canada. It was always hazy. Nothing was as clear as the scrape of skates, the noise of the crowd, the way the Cup would feel in her hands.

Now, though, she has to think about it. If nothing else, because she basically told Matthew she would.

What would it even look like, though?

As she scrubs off the sweat and grabs some shampoo from the dispenser, Leon tries to think it through. Immediately, memories from Brady's wedding last summer come to mind: the seemingly endless number of aunts and uncles and cousins who kept sucking her into conversation; all the noise that seemed to start at noon and end at midnight; the matching dresses and the speeches and the enormous cake and the dance party and the way she didn't even see Matthew until he snuck out to make out with her for ten minutes in the middle of dinner. When she tries to picture herself in Emma's place, smiling in a white dress as hundreds of people she barely knows come up to congratulate her, she wants to peel herself out of her own skin.

So. Definitely not that.

As she towels off and roots around for her street clothes in her locker, Leon tries to be logical. She knows that's not necessarily what Matthew meant. Marriage isn't a wedding, even if the thought of another enormous Tkachuk bash with her at the center of it makes her want to walk out into the wilderness and not come back. When he'd talked about it, he'd talked about permanency. About knowing she'd be there for the rest of his life.

It's more than a little frightening.

If she's honest with herself, that's the real reason she's so angry: she's fucking scared. Scared to want to tie themselves together, when it feels like they've only just figured out what being together means. Scared to choose someone -- choose Matthew -- and know that she can't take that choice back.

Scared that maybe now Matthew will realize who he thinks he wants to be with forever actually is. Someone who can't always control their temper. Who will always think about pushing him away. Even though she's trying, even though she doesn't want to be that person anymore, she knows that version of herself is still there, that it won't ever leave.

What if this time, Matthew figures out that she's too difficult to want?

Now that she's changed, Leon heads back out to the rink. Matthew and Brady are still there, horsing around. And Leon's still pretty mad -- she might always be mad; there might always be that small kernel of rage and frustration burning in the pit of her stomach for so many reasons, impossible to stamp out -- but when Matthew notices she's there and starts making his way towards her, face cracking into a wide open grin, she can feel that mix of affection and annoyance and the overwhelming desire to drag Matthew closer, to not let him out of her sight. Like a magnetic pull, impossible to ignore.

Leon may never be sure when what she felt for Matthew changed from irritation and attraction into this, this sense of love that's simultaneously comfortable and totally overwhelming. It doesn't matter. The point is that she feels it. That she wants to feel it. That she wants to care this much about somebody else, and know that they care the same amount in return.

Once Matthew's close enough, Leon grabs his jacket and drags him in; kisses him. Pulls back. "Go shower. You stink."

Matthew grins at her, eyes curving, grin somewhere between shit-stirring and soft. "Uh-huh," he says, before he sneaks another kiss.

"Shower," Leon repeats, shoving him away, before turning around to ask if Brady is getting lunch with him.

She still isn't sure that she wants that big Tkachuk wedding. Still isn't sure how to reconcile the way she imagined her life at 16 with what Matthew is asking her to consider now. Still isn't sure that this time Matthew won't finally figure out exactly the kind of person Leon is, how she's always going to be, and decide that it isn't worth it in the end.

But she is sure that she wants to have this. This intense, horrible and wonderful pressure in her chest and warmth in her limbs and sense of rightness when she and Matthew are in the same room. She doesn't want to give that up. Not now, not ever.

So. Maybe marriage is something worth thinking about.

#ask meme #girl!leon wip :)

[ohdorothea]

hoax: a web weave - part two (part one)

1. hoax / 2. willow / 3. Babe / 4. You’re On Your Own, Kid / 5. Mastermind / 6. I Think He Knows / 7. betty / 8. Mastermind / 9. peace / 10. Last Kiss / 11. Question…? / 12. The Last Time / 13. august / 14. betty / 15. Stay Stay Stay

16. hoax / 17. So It Goes… / 18. Death By A Thousand Cuts / 19. I Think Be Knows / 20. Masterpiece / 21. Better Man / 22. State of Grace / 23. Treacherous / 24. Afterglow / 25. So It Goes… / 26. I Know Places / 27. New Romantics / 28. White Horse / 29. Gorgeous / 30. champagne problems / 31. Renegade / 32. The Great War

33. hoax / 34. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) / 35. Death By A Thousand Cuts / 36. The Great War / 37. Mastermind / 38. ivy / 39. Afterglow / 40. The Lucky One / 41. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) / 42. exile /

43. hoax / 44. peace / 45. Afterglow / 46. You’re Losing Me / 47. High Infidelity / 48. my tears ricochet / 49. Dear Reader / 50. Dear John / 51. Call It What You Want / 52. Blank Space / 53. Safe and Sound / 54. I Know Places /

55. hoax / 56. Delicate Music Video / 57. Delicate / 58. Holy Ground / 59. Daylight / 60. Mean / 61. Question…?/ 62. False God / 63. Death By A Thousand Cuts / 64. Welcome To New York / 65. cardigan / 66. I Think He Knows / 67. Delicate / 68. False God / 69. King of My Heart / 70. Cornelia Street / 71. coney island / 72. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) / 73. right where you left me / 74. coney island / 75. my tears ricochet /

76. hoax / 77. Look What You Made Me Do Music Video / 78. my tears ricochet / 79. right where you left me / 80. If This Was A Movie / 81. Anti-Hero82. Cold As You / 83. my tears ricochet / 84. this is me trying / 85. exile / 86. The Archer / 87. Breathe / 88. If This Was A Movie / 89. the 1 / 90. my tears ricochet /

91. hoax / 92. Everything Has Changed / 93. evermore / 94. The Last Time / 95. Look What You Made Me Do / 96. Look What You Made Me Do Music Video / 97. illicit affairs / 98. Hits Different / 99. tolerate it / 100. The Last Time /

101. hoax / 102. coney island / 103. long story short / 104. High Infidelity / 105. the 1 / 106. So It Goes… / 107. happiness / 108. …Ready For It? / 109. High Infidelity /

110. hoax / 111. willow / 112. mirrorball / 113. Blank Space / 114. the lakes / 115. Cold As You / 116. cardigan / 117. A Perfectly Good Heart / 118. Never Grow Up /

119. hoax / 120. this is me trying / 121. Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve / 122. Why She Disappeared / 123. The Lucky One / 124. Look What You Made Me Do / 125. Look What You Made Me Do Music Video / 126. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things / 127. Run / 128. The Archer / 129. long story short / 130. evermore /

131. hoax / 132. Babe / 133. Renegade /134. I Think He Knows / 135. The Archer / 136. I Know Places /137. cowboy like me / 138. evermore / 139. right where you left me / 140. Clean / 141. Safe and Sound / 142. You’re Losing Me /

143. hoax / 144. Tell Me Why / 145. it’s time to go… / 146. …Ready For It? / 147. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) / 148. Lover / 149. Ours / 150. Paper Rings / 151. New Years Day / 152. Sad Beautiful Tragic / 153. The Archer / 154. hoax / 155. Long Live / 156. Tied Together With A Smile / 157. King of My Heart / 158. Look What You Made Me Do / 159. it’s time to go / 160. New Romantics / 161. Call It What You Want / 162. exile / 163. Love Story / 164. King of My Heart /

165. hoax / 166. King of My Heart reputation stadium tour (source) / 167. tolerate it / 168. The Last Time / 169. coney island / 170. Afterglow / 171. my tears ricochet /

172. hoax / 173. …Ready For It Music Video / 174. Lover Music Video / 175. Delicate Music Video /

#taylor swift #web weave #Kelly makes stuff #I think these ones are tooooo long #but either way it’s been fun spending like a week and a bit just thinking about hoax she deserves it

[cantsayidont]

Some more highlights of the Archie Goodwin/Carmine Infantino STAR WARS comics from the period between the first two movies.

Issue #28. Han can't resist being snotty even to someone who's been actively trying to kill him for days:

Issue #29. The bounty hunter Valance finds that Darth Vader is no easy opponent:

Issue #30. Leia on her own, infiltrating an Imperial installation:

Issue #33. Baron Orman Tagge (elder brother of the officer who complains to Vader in the movie about the dangers of the Rebels having the plans to the Death Star) has been practicing for years with the lightsaber in hopes of avenging himself on Vader. Luke demonstrates that it won't be quite so easy:

Issue #34. Even months before THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, Leia does clearly like scoundrels at least a little:

Issue #35. Dark Horse later dragged out Vader's efforts to discover the identity of the pilot who destroyed the Death Star in a disappointing and mediocre four-issue miniseries (VADER'S QUEST). Goodwin and Infantino handle it in a splash page:

Issue #36. Han Solo offers some important life advice:

Vader corrupts Orman Tagge's sister Domina, whom Orman has unsuccessfully attempted to keep out of the family's political intrigues by making her a priestess of a monastic order. (Domina Tagge has recently reappeared in the DOCTOR APHRA series, where she has the same outfit, but not the same background or motivations — she's now just a SW version of Lena Luthor from SUPERGIRL.)

Han can't ever leave well enough alone:

Issue #37. Orman Tagge belatedly realizes how out of his depth he's always been in his rivalry with Darth Vader:

#comics #marvel star wars #star wars #archie goodwin #carmine infantino #gene day #bob wiacek #han solo #c-3po #baron orman tagge #domina tagge #darth vader #leia organa #luke skywalker #valance the hunter

[fattest-disney-characters]

Zootopia where Anyone can be anything, ZPD (Zootopia Police Department), an 4’7”, 45yrs old Horse-humanoid named Officer Max, Max try to fix his underwear from being wedge up because of his “bigger than soccer balls but sags low” asscheeks, it gives super tight wedge from between of his asscheeks, his “fairly large doughy sloshing single belly with the standard indent towards the bottom that makes it look like a butt” belly, hus bottom belly flops down cover his FUPA, you can see his bottom belly wobbles and slaps against her FUPA area, his “sacks of flour” DD’s struggled her tank top, His dark blue button-down Police shirt completely unbutton where you can see his messy tank top, his belt no longer need to buckle it up. His Police Uniform sleeves strengths from his “very hammy lower arms but upperarms fattening like fatten hams that her arms got so fat that resemble sausage fattening hams that slowly engulffing his lower arms” upperarms, and you can see her 30 back rolls hidden from back of his Uniform, His two small single-chevron collar pins barley leaves it open because her neck and chins, you can see his gold-tinted badge because his belly is in the way, so Max move to top short where his chest poking out, his oval patch featuring a silver police-style badge is covered in pizza sauce and Donut crumbs and frostings, he had fatten sausage fingers with chubbier hands and fatter face with heavy chin and double chin was starting to appear on his fat face. Max wonder how’s Darla been doing, it’s been 5 years and 6 weeks where Max and Dales met at Police Academy, he still had crush on Darla

In the girls lockerroom is Deputy Darla Brown, a 33 years old german sherperd that reeks of donuts, alcohol and cigars, she had 35 back rolls, her asscheeks were the biggest, fattest and the most saggy that hangs low, her panties were all the time getting between her ass crack causing a immense itch and revealing her pink panties, her pants barely fit her immense figure, the poor belt was ripped and the pants were unbuttoned, her breasts size was DD, her belly was a double belly with a larger underbelly that cover her fupa. Darla does her best to look presentable but she is unable to do that since she was in her mobility scooter "Police Car"

[helaelaemond]

Osferth and #35

White Mustang - Lana Del Rey - 'caught up in my dreams / you held me a little too tight in your arms / I couldn't stop the way I was feeling the day [...] I saw your white mustang.'

Based on some of the comments in s4-5...... Osferth has turned into quite the womaniser. So have some Osferth angst.

Osferth x established relationship!reader, allusions to smut

"He's got a different girl in every town."

"Some towns he's got half a dozen girls."

"You're nothing special to him, love. Don't pin your hopes on a man who doesn't want you like you want him. You won't be the one he chooses."

The summer sun is warm overhead as you wash the sheets with your friends. You push your hair back from your face and sigh. "I know. I know."

And you do know. In your little town, there are at least two other women whose beds he warms when he passes through. He doesn't talk about it openly, but it's not a secret, either. But he's your one and only. You hope that one day, he will change his mind. That he'll choose you.

The women washing with you give you pitying looks, and it makes your cheeks burn. Their advice is sage, despite the cut of their words, and anyone sensible would heed it. Love is rarely sensible, though.

Two days later, Osferth arrives. He clatters into the town square on his white horse with a smile that lights up the sky. You watch from the tavern doorway with your feet rooted to the ground and heart racing. He does not notice you. There is a flurry of activity around him, so why would he? His words carry across the distance in drips and drabs - hints of my lord Uhtred, four days past, and forces gathering to the north. Once upon a time, you would have listened with interest, but now? Now it is only the sound of his voice that you care for. It is not deep or high, mighty or weak. Mild and unremarkable, it is. It makes your soul sing.

That evening, you return to the tavern for supper. Your master has an arrangement with the establishment to feed his washer women twice a week in exchange for their services, and you have been in their number for a few years now. This summer's eve, fish is served to you. It is a fine meal. It does not distract you from the sight of Osferth across the hall with another woman in his lap. She is prettier than you. More lovely by far.

The food is ash in your mouth.

You know that you shouldn't try to approach him this evening and spoil his fun, for he is wild at heart, despite his calm disposition, and that has never been a mystery to you - but you can't help yourself. Jealousy curls in you like a serpent, and it warps your smile into a pained grimace that does not meet your warm eyes.

You approach his table where he is kept company by laughing men and women. His gentle gaze sharpens when he notices you approach, and his pretty lips part. "Oh. Good evening." Osferth says your name, and it sounds like a prayer. Such power he wields without even knowing. It kills your sorrow for a moment. "Would you care to join us?"

The woman in his lap looks at you as if you are truly welcome - no threat at all. You were girls together. She knows you. Knows you do not compare. His hand is on her thigh.

"No, thank you. I wished only to bid you a good evening, Osferth. Your company has been missed greatly."

"As has yours, kind lady."

What's the point in hiding your red eyes? Everyone here knows of your devotion to him. They pity you, for it is not you. It will never be you. But when it comes to Osferth, you have no pride. Only love. And so when your eyes sting and tears fill them, you only smile and nod, and excuse yourself. It's a moment of weakness that makes you look over your shoulder before leaving the tavern, and a moment of joy is your reward when you see him watching you go.

On your way home, you pass the stables and peek in. His pretty, white mare is boxed away for the night. You pass her an apple that you picked earlier and she takes it from you without flattening her ears back. It makes you feel close to him. His mount likes you. Or, at least, tolerates you. Much like him. Toleration. No devotion.

The moon is shining above you when there is a knock on your door. You wipe the tears from your eyes, and open it. There's rosemary oil in your hair.

Osferth stands in the threshold. "Forgive me for the hour." He holds out a handful of wildflowers. "For you."

Anyone with pride would send him away. You have no pride. "Osferth."

It's sickening how widely he smiles when you say his name. "I've missed your voice a great deal."

"I've missed saying your name."

"Say it again. Please?"

Your eyes sting again. "Osferth."

He kisses you.

What is worse, you think later, is that the kiss does not last long. For after a tender kiss, he closes the door and sits with his legs crossed on your bed, and he talks with you. For what feels like hours, you talk together of what has happened in your lives since the winter you saw him last.

"You're unlike anyone I've ever met," he murmurs as you lie, face to face, on your straw bed. He strokes the hair away from your face.

"Is that a good thing?" you ask, butterflies in your stomach.

"I think so. You make me... you make me feel understood."

"You are understood."

He whispers your name. His lips are gentle against yours, his hand warm on your waist. It slides down over your hip and around the back of your thigh, and he hooks your leg over his. "Please," comes his request between deep kisses. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too." You drag your fingernails across his scalp and it brings a moan to his throat. "Stay with me tonight."

"There is nowhere I'd rather be."

"Did you have her?" The answer doesn't matter really, for he can have you either way now, too. But the question escapes you before you have the chance to catch it.

"No," Osferth breathes. His hips slowly move against yours while he scatters kisses over your jaw and neck. "She tried, but... all I could see when she kissed me was you."

"She is prettier than me."

"Yes." He runs his nose through your hair and whimpers your name. "But you are dearer to me by far."

You make his toes curl later. You know you make him forget everything but your name, and it turns his tender touches harder and more demanding, until his sweet lovemaking devolves into rough fucking. You take from each other over and over, giving as much in return, too. In your arms, Osferth finds bliss. In his arms, you take the love he cannot give. It's too much. It's not enough.

Morning comes, and you roll over with an ache between your legs and longing in your heart. "Osferth," you murmur sleepily.

The empty room offers no answer. There is no trace of him left, and you wonder if you imagined it all. Across the town square, Osferth tucks a vial of rosemary oil into his bag. He cannot take you with him. But the memory of you is something he will keep.

#osferth x reader #osferth x you #mine #osferth x oc #ask #arcielee

[addaxus]

Some spicy stuff here👀

A Western Papá Bruno AU

It’s been awhile but for good reason. I know I’m shuffling more AUs than I can keep up with but this one drew me in so fast! This person came to me with this AU idea that I was already drawn into. They asked to remain anonymous so I’m keeping my word.

I was like heck yeah I’m so down!

Here’s small summaries of each major age in the timeline so far:

A 15 year old Bruno has a massive falling out with Alma and leaves the Encanto. He becomes an outlaw to survive; using his precognitive powers to out-draw and out-shoot other gunslingers. His skills, deeds, and the superstitions of others earn him the nickname “Bruno the Brujo.”

By age 21 Bruno turns to the drink to cope with his increasingly painful visions. This has the unfortunate effect of turning him into the notoriously violent and intemperate outlaw known as “El Ojos Diablos” (The Devil’s Eyes).

By his early to mid 30’s, El Ojos Diablos has hit his lowest point. His gang attempts to betray him while they sleep in their hideout so they can claim the large bounty on his head. For their troubles they all end up biting the bullet. Wounded and near dead, he is found by a woman, Maria, and her brother, Alonzo.

By the time he reaches 35, Bruno has been brought back to health, wed to Maria, has gained the trust of her brother, and has a baby, a daughter, Mirabel that same year. He’s a renowned horse breeder and rancher at their farm trying to live a normal life. Some time later, Maria dies of pneumonia. From the start of her birth, Bruno has struggled to father Mirabel after seeing her in a terrible vision where she guns down someone with a shotgun.

There’s so many more details but that all comes later when it’s been sorted out. This AU IS STILL IN DEVELOPMENT!!

#encanto #bruno madrigal #young bruno #encanto brainrot #encanto fanart #mirabel madrigal #papa bruno au #dad bruno au #Western papa Bruno AU #stay tuned #this one’s a dark one too #art #digitalart #myart

[hannahhook7744]

Modern Merlin Moodboards (Part 3) (Revamped);

Previous parts: Modern Merlin Playlist, Moodboard Masterlist, Modern Will Fic, Modern Gwaine Pie Story, Au, 1 , and 2.

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

Character: William of Ealdor.

Modern name: William 'Will' Knightley.

Age: 37 years old.

Modern job: Professional soccer/football player.

Short rundown of their modern life: Will grew up poor in a small town in England after his father (who worked for the royal family) died for their country.

Because of this, he grew up without his father and started to resent royalty, causing him to move to the states the first chance he got after playing football for awhile after his mother died. Which America calls Soccer. Because of this he refers to the sport by both names.

Soon after moving to Nashville, Will started volunteering at Tristan and Izzy's Youth Center, where he went on to meet his wife, Elena. Who he fell for immediately.

During a vacation the two went on not long after they started dating, Will got into a tree chopping accident and was saved by a mysterious doctor, Merlin Everstone, who soon became his best friend and introduced him to most of the other people who he soon began to see as good friends.

When he and Elena got married, Merlin was his best man, and when they adopted their son, Marcel, they made him the God Father.

They are also the godparents of Merlin's own son, Dragonet.

Merlin is also the one Will seeks advice from when he decides to hire someone new because he finds that Merlin has good instincts. Which Elena agrees with.

Which is how they came to hire George and several of his family members.

Character: Princess Elena of Gawant.

Modern name: Elena Knightley.

Age: 35 years old.

Modern job: Horse Riding Instructor.

Short rundown of their modern life: Elena grew up different and was seen as a problem child by many because of the fact that she was a clumsy tomboy.

Seen as a problem child by everyone except her father who encouraged her to follow her dreams. So she did, becoming an horse riding instructor and a volunteer at the local Youth Center where she met her husband, Will.

Who would be saved by a man named Merlin who became a good friend of theirs and the best man at their wedding after he saved Will during a tree chopping accident that occurred while on vacation.

The man also became the Godfather to their adoptive son, Marcel, after they adopted him and they became the Godparents to his son in turn.

Not long after they adopted Marcel, Elena got back in contact with her cousin, Winnie, who she convinced Will to hire as their son's musicial tutor.

And now they're very happy together.

Character: Druid boy.

Modern name: Marcel Knightley.

Age: 11 years old.

Modern job: None. He's a student.

Short rundown of their modern life: Marcel Knightley grew up on the streets until he broke into the Knightley house, looking for food where he was found by Will and Elena—who took him in.

He's lived happily with them for the past 5 years ever since.

Though all is not perfect because nightly he is plagued by nightmares that he isn't quite sure are just dreams. Which has caused him to be labeled a problem child by many—which his parents disagree heavily with.

Even when he was oddly terrified of their friends for some unknown reason (which had Merlin cringing).

Character: Sir Gwaine of Camelot.

Modern name: Gwaine Jones.

Age: 39 years old.

Modern job: Bartender and YouTuber.

Short rundown of their modern life: Gwaine Jones was found in a field in America when he was twelve with serve amenisa and wounds.

When questioned, he could only vaguely recollect that he'd come from a big family with a mother, a father, and a sister specifically. The names turned up nothing and because of that, Gwaine was placed in foster care.

He ran away and picked fights often. Eventually, the system lost track of him due to him constantly moving around.

He hopped trains, rode busses, burrowed bikes, and hitchhiked to get around. Earning money in any way he could (under the table jobs, mowing lawns, helping people move, street performing, boxing, poker playing, etc) until he was finally able to get a bartender license.

Gwaine then saved up to get an RV. Eventually becoming a father of three, marrying Percival, and saving a doctor named Merlin Everstone in a bar fight. Reopening an old scar on his thigh that he doesn't remember how he got in the process.

Character: Sir Percival of Camelot.

Modern name: Percival 'Percy' Armstrong.

Age: 38 years old.

Modern job: Kindergarten Teacher.

Short rundown of their modern life: Percival 'Percy' Armstrong grew up in a big family with tons of cousins, siblings, aunts, and uncles for the first ten years of his life until they all died in a fire (that was later determined to be arson) that he just barely survived.

After he got out of the hospital, he was placed into foster care and stayed there for three years until he placed into a military boarding school by the state due to misbehavior on his end.

But luckily for him, some of the 'weird' staff at the military liked him so it wasn't all that bad.

There he'd meet Lancelot, who'd eventually introduce him to Leon and Merlin.

Who he then, in turn, introduced to his cute bartender friend (who he is now married to with kids and living in an apartment with) Gwaine.

Character: Sir Le Bel Inconnu from the legends.

Modern name: Gingalain 'Everard' Jones.

Age: 11 years old.

Modern job: None. He's a student.

Short rundown of their modern life: Gingalain 'Everard' Jones was the product of a one night stand between bartender, Gwaine Jones, and an unknown woman he met at a music festival.

9 months later, he was abandoned at a hospital not far from where the music festival took place only to be picked up by his dad when the hospital was able to get ahold of him.

Gingalain eventually gained a little sister in Constance 6 years later and a step brother in Percival's son, Lohengrin 'Grin' Armstrong 11 years later.

He now lives happily with his siblings, dad, and stepfather, Percival.

Character: None. This is an original character of mine.

Modern name: Constance Jones.

Age: 5 years old.

Modern job: None. She's a student.

Short rundown of their modern life: Constance Jones was a result of yet another one night stand between bartender, Gwaine Jones, and an unknown woman he met at a bar.

She, like her brother before her, she was abandoned at a hospital until her father was able to pick her up from the hospital.

Now she lives happily with her brothers, dad, and stepdad, Percival.

Character: Sir Lohengrin from the legends.

Modern name: Lohengrin 'Grin' Armstrong.

Age: 9 months old.

Modern job: None. He's a baby.

Short rundown of their modern life: Lohengrin 'Grin" Armstrong was recently adopted by Percival, who he now lives with alongside Gingalain, Constance, and Gwaine.

Character: Sir Leon of Camelot.

Modern name: Leonard 'Leon' Grant.

Age: 43 years old.

Modern job: Detective.

Short rundown of their modern life: After watching Percival, Giaus, and Gwen grow older and older while he stayed the same, sir Leon of Camelot realized he was immortal.

Because of this, he's been traveling and has kept running into Merlin.

Eventually, the two realized that the others have been reincarnated (FINALLY) when Lancelot was assigned as Leon's partner at work (who has become his roommate). They've also realized that it isn't just their friends because of Lady Vivian (who is now Leon's wife) and Princess Elena's presence in this time.

Needless to say, they're both scrambling. Trying to find everyone who has reincarnated before Arthur rises because they're sure he's coming soon (they're also trying to figure out WHY he's going to rise and WHY Leon is aging all of a sudden).

Character: Lady Vivian.

Modern name: Vivian Grant.

Age: 38 years old.

Modern job: Butterfly Habitat Curator.

Short rundown of their modern life: Vivian Grant grew up the daughter of a violently protective socialite and looked down on others—including her future husband, Leon, who eventually showed her that she was wrong for doing so and helped her grow as a person.

They became friends and eventually married after he saved her from a kidnapper and would be murderer.

Afterwards they moved into an apartment building with one of Leon's close friends and detective partner, Lance, where they met and befriended a friendly couple Tristan and Isolde.

Leon also introduced her to a friend of his named Merlin and she never suspected that the two were immortal until her memories started to trinkle back.

#bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin #merlin modern #modern merlin #the adventures of merlin #will of ealdor #merlin will #Druid boy #Princess Elena of Gawant #sir percival #sir gwaine of the round table #sir gwaine of camelot #sir gwaine #based on arthurian legend loosely #merlin moodboard #moodboards #character moodboard #sir leon of camelot #lady vivian #oc #etc

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 35: Bad Ju-Ju

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language

* Word count: 3,195ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Tate stood on the fence the next morning and watched his dad train Lucky some more. “Are you gonna ride him today?”

“Probably not today, buddy.” Kayce stepped closer to his son.

“Tomorrow?”

“Can’t be in a hurry with horses, buddy.”

“The day after tomorrow?”

Kayce laughed at his son’s impatience and looked over to Stella standing over by the run up area. They smiled at each other and he went back to running the horse around the ring.

Stella heard footsteps crunching in the gravel behind her. John’s voice came from her right. “Spend most days wonderin’ why I bother, then see something like that, and it all comes back to me.” He paused. “So, what’s going on here?”

“Whattaya mean?”

“Between you and my son.”

“Oh,” Stella chuckled. “We decided to give it the old college try.”

“So that’s why my grandson has been spending time with me.” Stella felt her cheeks heat up. “I can’t have that cloud your judgment when it comes to helping him like I asked.”

She leaned sideways on the fence to face him. “I know, John. Trust me.”

“I do.” He observed her peaceful manner. “How’re you doin’ after the other night?”

“I’m okay for the most part. Trying to settle with myself that if I hadn’t done what I did, I would be the one that’s dead.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Her eyebrows shot up her forehead. “For what?”

“Handling it. Stepping up.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“This new role looks good on you.” He grinned at her and spotted Rip walking to the arena.

Stella saw the lead wrangler at the same time and sprayed gravel behind her as she took off. “Rip!”

“Easy easy easy,” he pleaded with her coming in hot.

Stella skidded to a halt in front of him and placed her arms around his neck standing on her toes. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“Me too, Stella-belle.” She let him go, dropping back onto her feet.

“You’re supposed to be in bed.” John joined them in the alley walk up.

“Shit, I’ve slept more in the last two days than I did all last year.”

“Just take it easy.”

“I will.”

“You better,” Stella threatened from beside him.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll make you regret even coming out here.” The men chuckled at her seriousness. “You think I’m kidding?”

“No, Stella. If there’s one thing I think, it’s not that.” Rip laughed.

When they reached the pen, Kayce continued running Lucky. Rip leaned against the fence and groaned.

“We’re startin’ to have a few too many things in common, big fella.” John mentioned to Rip.

“You got any more of them pain pills left over? If I take anymore banamine I’m gonna fuckin’ whinnie.”

Stella laughed, but it was cut short when she spotted Beth coming down the hill. “Sir,” she nodded to the hillside.

John followed her line of sight and looked back at Rip. “Thank you. I mean it.”

“I know you do, sir. I know.”

John stepped to the side and Stella trailed after him. She figured she would leave Rip and Beth be. John asked Kayce, “you close to bein’ done there? Need a word.”

Kayce saw Stella next to his dad and moved closer. “Well, we were just gettin’ started.”

Rip patted his boss’s arm as he weaved in between John and Stella. “You know what, I’ll take care of him sir, all right?”

John warned his trusted right hand, “I said easy.”

“Yeah well, Tate will look after me, won’t you Tate?” He tapped the boy on his arm. “Go on, run over there.”

“I’ll help him, sir.” Stella offered.

“No, I need you over here.”

Her eyebrows rose for the second time that morning. She trailed behind the men as they got further from Tate and Rip. They paused at a lower fence and John looked around carefully before going into detail.

“The Becks have their own plane.”

“Those slimy motherfuckers.” Stella said, disgusted. Kayce locked eyes with her around his dad.

John caught his son’s gaze. “Is that useful information to a soldier?”

“Where is it?” Kayce asked.

“Private airfield in Billings.”

“Yeah. It’s useful.”

“Then use it.”

“How much do you wanna know about it?”

Stella felt like she shouldn’t be here for this part. “How much should I know about it?”

“For this? You should know everything.” She nodded to him.

Kayce formed a plan. “Set a meeting. Somewhere too far for a man with a plan to drive.”

“It needs to happen where we can control it,” Stella offered locking eyes with her best friend.

Kayce did the math quickly in his head and determined a place for his father to set up. “Set the meeting in Jackson Hole. They’ll fly right over us.”

“Alright.”

“Dan Jenkins has an SF guy working for him.”

“Yeah I met him.”

“I’m gonna need his help on this.”

John shook his head. “I don’t know, Kayce. I dunno.”

Stella defended Kayce’s idea. “With him involved, Dan can’t use our plan against us, John.”

Kayce interjected. “I just want this whole thing to be over.”

“I don’t know that this game’s ever over, son.” A solitary crow cawed from their left. Stella locked onto it sitting about five feet away, and dread crawled up through her belly.

In the lodge, Stella flitted around the house anxiously cleaning the rest of the day. Kayce came to watch from the bedroom door. She’d already done the dishes, cleaned the counters, mopped the floors, picked up and separated laundry, folded blankets, cleaned the bathroom, remade the bed; which he’d never seen her make any bed she’d slept on. Ever.

“Stella.” Her head snapped to him. “What’s wrong? Remember what we talked about?”

“I’m not keeping it from you. I’m just trying to figure out what I need to say.”

Kayce stepped into the main room and made his way to her. He wrapped his arms around her. “Just breathe.”

A wave of calm washed over her brain, and she felt her thoughts line up. She pulled back to look up at him. “I’ve got a terrible feeling.”

“About?”

“This whole situation with Malcolm. He attacked your livelihood, your sister, me. What’s next? He’s evil.” She cuddled her arms in between her and Kayce and looked down at her hands.

“Don’t think about what’s next because you know what’s next. We’re gonna set him up, and he’ll fall.”

Stella groaned. “But we don’t know who’s working for him because he’s clearly not the type to get his actual hands dirty and destroy his precious reputation. So how do we know what they will or won’t do for him? How far they’ll go?You know what I mean?”

“I do, but we’ll take care of it as it comes. Like we always do.” He pulled her back into a hug.

A loud knocking at the door startled them. “Kayce.” John’s voice floated through the wood. Kayce let Stella go and headed for the door.

John knocked again. “Kayce, it’s me.”

Kayce pulled the door open and took in his dad’s appearance. “Where you headed?”

“Is Stella with you?” She peeked around his son.

“I’m here.”

“Hop in the truck. I need to get Jamie. Stella, make sure you’re armed.”

She and Kayce frowned at each other. “I’ll meet you at the truck. I gotta get my gun from my car.”

They left the lodge and Kayce headed toward the truck, but made sure he had an eye on Stella the whole time. Her Subaru wasn’t far from where the truck was, so it wasn’t hard. Kayce hopped into the front seat and watched her through the windshield.

She moved quickly but skittish. Almost like she was waiting for someone to jump out from the shadows. He had never seen her this freaked out. He didn’t blame her, of course, especially after the events of the last few weeks. She looked like she was holding her breath. Her jaw remained tight and her eyebrows furrowed. Kayce knew her mind was racing in a million different directions; processing taking lives, being attacked, diving further into his family’s bullshit. He didn’t have any doubt in his mind that she knew she was safe with him, but there was something hovering over her that Kayce wasn’t sure even Stella could explain. He wished there was something he could do to ease her mind.

She opened the white Subaru’s passenger door and opened the glove box. Her pistol sat there in its holster, reloaded from the other day’s events. Stella shut the white door and made her way to the truck. She fussed with her belt to get her holster on. She undid her belt and slipped the holster along it until it reached her right hip.

As she approached John’s truck she hopped into the backseat behind Kayce. “Do you know what this is about?”

Kayce eyed his dad getting closer to the vehicle. “I’m afraid to guess.”

John got in the truck with a groan. Stella watched Jamie come out of the bunkhouse, swinging his jacket on. He pulled the door open where Kayce sat and looked spooked. He then tried her door.

Stella smiled. “Hey Jame. Other side.” He saw her holster and he looked even more panicked.

They drove along in silence until they reached a security guard box outside of the reservation. It was the place they planned the construction to build the new casino with Dan. Jamie breathed heavily every few minutes.

The cop lights lit up the inside of the car and Jamie looked around. “What is this?”

John turned to face him. “You’re a lawyer tonight.” Jamie’s body crumpled in relief. “Where’d you think I was takin’ ya?”

Stella giggled from behind Kayce. Jamie glared at her. “I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat. He must have thought they were making a trip to the train station. They climbed out of the truck and made their way over to Officer Waters and Sheriff Haskell arguing about who the jurisdiction belonged to.

Kayce put his hand on her elbow. “Back here for a minute.” She huffed, but listened to his direction. She caught sight of the bullet hole in the poor security guard’s head and her mind flashed back to the other night. She gripped Kayce’s forearm tightly.

He whispered, “you okay,” as he leaned closer to Stella to give her some semblance of safety from her own mind.

She gulped. “Yeah,” she mumbled while she stepped closer to him.

Jamie watched the interaction with curiosity. It wasn’t out of their norm, but the way they leaned toward each other was different.

Donnie walked over to John and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll be damned if this doesn’t look like you.”

Stella rolled her eyes at his accusation. Mumbling under her breath to Kayce and Jamie, “this motherfucker always has something to say.” Kayce nudged her, giving her a side eye. “What? It’s true. He did this with Rip and I too.”

John defended himself. “This wasn’t me, and you know it.”

“I’m not sayin’ it was you. I’m saying it looks like you. You’ve been real clear about how you feel about this casino.” Donnie stopped talking as Thomas came to join them.

“Oh we know who did it.” Thomas stated. He glanced between John and Donnie. “Witnesses?”

“No.” Donnie answered. “No evidence other than the bullet hole in his head.”

“So now an investigation.” Thomas prompted Donnie.

“Yeah.”

“That halts construction.”

Donnie sighed. “Look, I know them. And they are not gonna wait around for a reaction. They’re already plannin’ what’s next.”

Stella leaned close to Kayce, facing away from the group of leaders. She whispered through her teeth. “I told your dad months ago during that bear problem, that Donnie was full of shit, he knows more than he’s letting on.”

“Wait.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Don’t you—,”

Kayce interrupted her. “Stella not now.” She took in his flat face and decided now wasn’t the time. The words she heard next from Donnie made her nauseous.

“I highly recommend you make a public statement saying that you’re halting the construction on your own. Even that’s not gonna stop him, but it’ll slow him down and give you time to figure out a move. Cause right now, you don’t have one.” Donnie pointed at John. “And he’s gonna take a swing at you next.”

“He already took one.” He locked eyes with Donnie.

“Twice.” Stella interrupted with a deadly sounding tone. She was still pissed about almost being kidnapped or killed.

“John, you need to watch out here cause there’s another one comin’. If he sees deputies outside your place, it’ll be me he’s after next. I can get state police—,” John interrupted him.

“Nothing would please me more than them comin’ on my ranch. I’ll leave the gate open.” John marched back over to his sons and Stella.

Stella jumped at the chance to talk to John and didn’t hold back. “I told you he was full of shit and now it turns out he’s fuckin’ buddy buddy with the bastards!” Kayce grabbed her arm to slow her attack down. “Why does he know so well how they’ll move?!”

John stared at her and waited for her to stop. “We’re takin’ care of this right now.”

John made a call to Malcolm to set up the meeting. John, Kayce, Jamie, and Stella hopped into the truck. “Kayce, you’re going with Dan’s man tonight. Be ready.”

When they pulled into the ranch, Stella stopped Kayce on his way to lodge. “Hey,” she grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry for earlier. And it doesn’t matter now. Just please, be careful tonight. I’ll keep an eye on Tate.”

He didn’t bother looking to see who was around. He leaned down quickly and laid a kiss on her that she swore stopped her heart. When she pulled back, she could feel eyes on her and Kayce. She looked to the side and John and Jamie stood there unsure of how to proceed. It was a new sight for both of them.

Kayce pulled her focus back to him. “I’ll come home. Just have Tate in bed by 10, please.”

“Yeah.” She was still breathless. She walked in the opposite direction, past John and Jamie, ignoring them. She wanted to get her brother to see if he would come stay with her while Kayce was gone.

She went inside and the bunkhouse was calm. “Hey Ry,” she called out for her brother.

He poked his head around the corner. “Yeah Stellee?”

“Kayce’s gotta take care of some stuff. Would you mind keeping me company while I watch Tate?”

He could read the message that she didn’t want to be alone loud and clear. He smiled fondly at her. “Of course.” He disappeared around the corner to finish whatever he had been doing.

Jamie came in and stared at her. He stood next to her. “So that was new.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “It’ll take some gettin’ used to.”

Jamie smirked. “You sound like him.”

Stella glared at him, hoping it took away from the blush that crept up her neck. “Shut up, Jamie.” They shared a chuckle. Jamie continued by her and started to take his jacket off and settle in.

Ryan strode around the corner and grabbed for his jacket. “I’m ready when you are.”

“John’s bringing him down from the big house. So head for the lodge.” Stella directed him while she stood. They exited the house and began their adventure to Kayce’s place.

It was quiet. Which wasn’t out of the ordinary for them, but Stella needed to tell someone else. “Ry?”

“Yeah?”

“I've got a really bad feeling about all of this.”

He tripped over his own feet a few times not used to hearing her so unsure and stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“I just have a feeling this Malcolm thing is gonna bite back harder than we anticipate.” She glanced at him. “Which is partly why I don’t wanna be by myself with a nine year old to protect.”

“You’re also still spooky from the guys following you, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’ll be in the lodge until Kayce comes back.” He scratched his neck and thought about how to tenderly ask the next question. “Speaking of him, have you two had a chance to talk?”

“We have.” Stella stopped walking when she spotted John’s truck in front of the lodge. She didn’t want Tate to catch wind of the conversation.

Ryan crossed his arms as he came to a stop. “Did you guys figure it out?”

“We did. We’re gonna give it an actual try instead of just hooking up and ignoring the topic.” She cringed as she admitted that to her brother. “We actually had a productive talk about expectations and such. I promise.”

He took a moment to breathe. “Okay. The second he pulls any dumb shit, I’ll kill him.”

Stella smiled at his overprotective nature. “Okay, brub,” she chuckled. John walked around the back of his truck looking in their direction.

The sibling pair made their way over to their boss. “If you two need anything, just call me.”

“Okay, sir. He’ll be just fine.” Tate bounced around the truck to them and Stella laughed. “Won’t ya bud?”

“Yeah it’s gonna be awesome!”

“And before you know it, your daddy will be back.” Stella told him with a soft smile.

“Grandson, run inside. I need to speak with them.”

“Okay!” He took off for the door and raced inside, excited for his sleep over with his dad later.

“Thank you for watching him tonight. I know Kayce’ll like coming home to him. I packed a toothbrush from my house for him.”

“Thank you, sir. I used my last one for him a couple months ago.” Stella laughed through her nose. “Oh, did he eat earlier?” Ryan smiled fondly at her maternal instincts coming to the surface.

“Yeah, I had Rip make sure he ate. You two be safe, and keep my grandson safe.”

“Yessir!” Stella grabbed the bag from John’s hand and headed into the house to get Tate ready for bed.

Ryan walked in behind her and he and Tate watched her set to work. She went into the bedroom and placed his bag on his dad’s dresser. She pulled out some pajamas for him. “Tate! Come get a shower buddy.” She heard a little groan from the living room. “You’re gonna hate me even more when I tell you to brush your teeth.”

“Oh c’mon! You’re supposed to be cool!”

She came to stand in the door. “Hygiene is cool, little dude. C’mon. Ryan and I will be right out here if you need anything.”

She plopped down on the couch next to her brother with a sigh. She was ready for sleep. She closed her eyes to enjoy the silence. Well the sound of the shower running, and the silence. The past few days had taken a lot out of her.

“You’re gonna be a great mom, you know that?”

Her eyes shot open at Ryan’s observation. “I’m sorry, what.”

“You heard me.”

“I dunno about all that, now.”

“Don’t you want kids?”

“I do, but I still got time. I’m not thinking about that for a while. I’m not gonna make him run for the hills just yet.” She laughed sleepily. “Do you?”

“If it happens, it would be nice.” He shrugged. “If it doesn’t, I won’t be broken over it.”

“I, for one, know that I would absolutely thrive with little yous running around for me to wrangle.” She smiled wide and her dimples cut into her cheeks.

“Well, it’ll happen for us one day.”

Stella leaned against Ryan’s shoulder and listened to the shower turn off. She groaned and stood. She went to the bedroom door to call out to Tate, “you good bud?”

A muffled, “yeah,” came from behind the bathroom door.

“Don’t forget to brush your teeth, mister!”

“I’m gonna do it right now!”

Stella and Ryan jumped awake on the couch to the sound of the front door. Both of them grabbed their pistols and pulled them up, aimed with deadly precision at the intruder.

The silhouette in the door held up their hands. “Woah, it’s me!”

Hearing Kayce’s voice made her sigh out in relief. “Thank god.” She popped the safety back on and holstered it as she stood. “I’m still jumpy, I guess. Even more so, since I was responsible for your youngin’.” She jutted her thumb behind her to the bedroom door.

He met Stella across the floor and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you for getting him to bed.” He flicked on the light seeing that the door was closed to the bedroom and wouldn’t bother his son. He spotted Ryan on the couch as he took off his hat and hung it with his jacket at the door. Kayce glanced at Stella in curiosity. “You needed help?”

“No, Tate was fine. I just didn’t want to be by myself. Like I told you, I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this.”

Kayce walked over to her and wrapped her in an embrace. “It’s gonna be okay.”

She returned the hug and said into his chest. “I hope you’re right.”

Ryan rose from the couch. “That would be my cue. Sleep tight, Stellee. I’ll see you in the morning for winter prep, yeah?”

She looked out from Kayce’s arms. “Yeah, I’ll see you in the mornin’.”

#yellowstone #kayce dutton #yellowstonetv #luke grimes #ian bohen #ryan #kayce dutton fan fiction #yellowstone fanfic #yellowstone fanfiction #kayce dutton fanfic

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

From the Ashes Pt. 30

Pairing(s): Pairing(s): Rhaegar Targaryen x Lannister!Reader, one-sided!Jaime Lannister x Lannister!Reader, Jaime Lannister x Cersei Lannister

Warnings: slow burn fic, changing povs, Rhaegar POV

Words: 4834

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 3.5  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35

Book Two of Dārilaros hen ōrbar se perzys (Heir of Ash and Fire)

The stench of blood still burned his nostrils as Rhaegar and his massive army ventured forward. Earth difficult to travel over due to the deep scars that ran through it thanks to Aerys’ wildfire. Most of their carts had already broken several wheels and had gotten stuck in them. Even their horses would resist to cross. Hooves caked in mud and blood alike, eventually the beasts would relent to their handler.

Even without the northern army, Rhaegar could still advance with the men he had now. During the battle with Aerys’ men, much to everyone’s surprise, the local lords had rallied together to swear their allegiance to Rhaegar Targaryen. Clear to many in the Crownlands, they realized that Aerys was truly in trouble; succumbing to the madness that ate away at his brain. They wanted to put an end to the Mad King’s reign and put Rhaegar as the new King of the Seven Kingdoms. By the gods old and new, the Silver Prince would become the Silver King.

King’s Landing was practically in sight, but all Rhaegar could think about was his missing siblings. Who on Dragonstone could have possibly spirited them away? In some ways he supposed this was a good thing. They were now out of Aerys’ grasp. He had always been worried about their father’s influence on young Viserys. Prince Viserys had already showed signs of tyrannical tendencies as a small boy. He was cruel to those he deemed beneath him which happened to be everyone who wasn’t a Targaryen. The days he spent at Dragonstone with Rhaella were ones that Rhaegar and (y/n) had both dreaded. It wasn’t his fault that he had become a menace. Aerys had already warped him. Viserys revered his father as close to a god among men. After all, Targaryens brought dragons to Westeros and had ruled for hundreds of years.

That’s what Aerys had tried to convince Rhaegar. Above anything he found his father’s fate incredibly sad. He knew that there was a time when Aerys wasn’t ‘the Mad King’. It made Rhaegar worry about his own sanity. Over time, would he become like his father and many others in his family? The coin the gods tossed often didn’t land in favor of the Targaryens.

Perhaps the gods were real and the Mother was showing mercy by taking them away. Wherever they may be. Princess Daenerys thankfully was still too young to be under any influence. She could still grow up to be good. That is. . . unless Viserys got to her.

Rhaegar grimaced at that dark thought. Poor Daenerys. He wanted to do something, but on the warpath what was there he could do? His men had tasted an overwhelming victory. The new additions added to their spirits. Especially the Dornish. He couldn't very well steer his horse away to search for them. The Spider might have knowledge but Rhaegar wanted to keep him at arm’s length. He didn’t trust him. It was hard to grasp what Varys was after. The eunuch didn't seem to have any allegiance to anyone.

For now Rhaegar would have to tuck away his siblings in the back of his mind. There was a war to be won and he was so close.

Birds above acted as if nothing in the world could go wrong. As if there hadn’t just been a bloodbath just a few yards back. The men that Ser Jonothor Darry had brought with him to the battlefield were but a small portion of King’s Landing entire defense. It revealed to Rhaegar that his father hadn’t taken him as much of a threat if he sent out so little men. He would show his father soon that he was not to be underestimated. Within a few hours, they would be at the King’s Gate.

“I still think we should lay siege to the Old Gate. Not many guard it and it will be closer to the Keep.” Arthur raises his voice atop his horse so that Rhaegar could hear him over the clopping of hooves and stomping of feet.

Bringing his beautiful chestnut mare in the middle of the two, Oberyn gives Arthur a toothy grin. “The odds are in our favor! Look behind us, our numbers have grown despite the northern soldiers departing. We can take on whatever men Aerys has waiting for us.”

Griff had shown his dislike of the Dornish prince many times. Feelings clear on his downturned face, Griff faces forward with his ears paying attention to whatever ludicrous thing that Oberyn was saying. If Rhaegar remembered correctly, it was Griff who had called Oberyn an “obnoxious, arrogant, loud-mouth bother”. Rhaegar would not deny either of the claims. Oberyn was overly cocky that they could easily break down the King’s Gate defense. He had been confident for the whole entire campaign that it wouldn’t be much of a war with the Dornish on the side. Ned Stark leaving with his men did nothing to discourage them. Arrogance always came with a price.

Rhaegar shot a sidelong look over to Griff who immediately met his gaze. They hoped the price to pay for Oberyn’s cockiness wouldn’t cost them the war. If all went according to plan, this man would become his brother-in-law after he claimed the Iron Throne.

“The future king of Westeros is my brother in law!!” Tyrion gleefully exclaimed. Rhaegar had accidentally walked in while (y/n) and her younger brother were in deep conversation.

(y/n)’s laugh rang loud and clear to where it echoed in Rhaegar’s mind. “I guess it’s pretty impressive, huh?”

Tyrion narrowed his mismatched eyes at her. “Pretty impressive? It’s the most amazing thing ever! Even father can’t say that he has a better brother-in-law!”

Rhaegar had to cover his mouth with his hand, the smile peeking past his fingers. Tyrion thought him to be impressive, something that Tywin Lannister should envy.

Rhaegar had grown to love that boy. His deformity didn’t seem to bother the youngest Lannister one bit. Tyrion was incredibly witty and smart for someone his age. Not even Viserys had such a commendable vocabulary like Tyrion possessed. He even happened to teach Rhaegar a few things during his days at the Keep.

“Using the Old Gate would take longer. Plus they’ll be able to spot us and have more time to prepare.” pointed out Oberyn.

A scoff from Griff was barely audible, but Rhaegar heard it loud and clear. “What does he know of King’s Landing?”

Even with the noise going on, Oberyn unfortunately heard Griff’s remark. “Ah, yes what would I know of King’s Landing? Me being from Dorne. What would I, someone who has studied at the Citadel and forged six links, know of King’s Landing?” He had taken a lot of insults from Griff with a relaxed smile up until then. The fact that Ser Connington doubted his knowledge seemed to sting Oberyn’s pride. He had had enough of that red-headed bastard.

“Then you’ll know how long it takes for King’s Landing’s complete defense to be put together. Certainly you know that the combined arms Aerys holds forty thousand men at his disposal.

“Less now.” Easy going smile having returned only pissed off Jon, making him pull his horse behind to move over to where Oberyn’s mare was marching.

Beneath his close shaven beard, Rhaegar could see Griff’s lips pull into a snarl. The multitudes of freckles inflamed with anger. As good of a man Jon Connignton was, he had always had a short temper

“Jon.” Rhaegar said in a warning tone making the Lord of Griffin’s Roost turn to face him. His pale blue eyes are slitted in hostility. “Leave it be.”

Expression wavering, Griff fought with himself. He had disliked Oberyn Martell from the very moment they had met up with him in Dorne. He had liked him even less when Oberyn convinced Rhaegar to take his sister Elia as queen once the war was won. Callous and tasteless, Jon had called the act.

Clenching his fingers tighter around the leather straps of his rein, Griff looks ahead. “Forgive me, Your Grace.”

Rhaegar lowers his eyes. “As it is, my father probably knows we’re on the way. There might have been some survivors from the battle. Survivors that ran back to King’s Landing to warn everyone.”

“If they’re smart, they’ll ring the bell and surrender the city to us.” A bit too hopeful, even Arthur doubts his words. The Sword of the Morning was the one beam of optimism without fail. “There’s still good, righteous men in the Gold Cloaks. They’ll do what’s right.”

“Never trust people to do the right thing, Arthur. They will always disappoint you. If they’re terrified of Aerys, their fear will make them silent puppets.” Remarked Griff.

Rolling his dark eyes, Oberyn presses his heels gently at his horse’s side. “You must be so fun at parties, Ser Griff.” With that, Oberyn leaves them to move closer to the front.

“I can’t believe you agreed to take that man’s sister as your wife.”

He couldn’t believe it either. He didn’t want to believe it.

Rhaegar had no time to meet his future bride. His stay at Sunspear was filled with plans of war and grief. Many pleasant things had been said about Princess Elia, of her beauty and kindness, but it fell on Rhaegar’s numb ears. He had already had a beautiful and kind bride. So incredibly kind that it could be considered a fault. Originally, he would have been happy enough to live out the rest of his days taking no other wife. But Oberyn was sacrificing a lot. All of Dorne was sacrificing a lot. He had to repay them in some way and this was the best way possible. Oberyn had once told Rhaegar how in search of his own bride prospect, their searching had led them to Casterly Rock. Of course Lord Tywin turned down the marriage offer, claiming that Cersei was to marry Rhaegar. It all seemed funny now, Cersei actually becoming Oberyn’s wife in due time. That old man could easily switch cloaks.

There was a lag in the march forward that didn’t go unnoticed by Rhaegar as he lifts his head. Quite a few men ahead of him prevented him from seeing what was going on. Motioning to a squire that had been lingering around him, Rhaegar instructs the young man to check to see what was going on. He didn’t have to move much before the men in front yelled out “ARCHERS!!”

“There seems to be archers with barrels up ahead, Your Grace.” He rushed back after getting word from those in the frontline.

“Barrels? What banner do they fly?”

“None, Your Grace. There’s but four archers ahead. We can possibly overwhelm them with our own horseback archers.” With more commotion coming from behind him, the squire turns his head; anxiety made a vein in his neck thump to life.

No time at all. Before a decision could be made there was a hissing noise before the loud ear bursting sound of a large boom. A rush of green clouds fled above. Rhaegar’s panic drummed in him when realization hit everyone.

More fucking wildfire.

“DISPERSE!!!”

The wildfire was quicker than any horse and it was hungry. Eating up the frontline of men, a green hell broke loose. Men and horse alike were being swallowed up and spat back as ash. No bones remained. Not with wildfire. Rhaegar knew his father had a large storage of wildfire made by the mages, but he had figured all of it was used for the sea that had met them at Tumbleton.

His mind raced as his army tried desperately to outrun the wildfire. There was no use trying to go around it. Wildfire spread with such speed and could cover acres within seconds. More than likely the archers that had set it ablaze were now dead. It was impossible for them to get away in time before the wildfire met oxygen.

Damn Aerys.

Damn him!

Was wildfire his only weapon?

Rhaegar grit his teeth.

Coward.

But. . . it made Rhaegar smile like a mad man.

Aerys may have been a coward, but this meant he was a scared coward. Scared of the now all too real threat of his son coming to take his throne.

The roaring of wildfire grew all too close behind him.

Nothing he hadn’t anticipated for. While he had hoped that had been the last of the wildfire, Rhaegar knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

“CATAPULTS!!” He roared and the message was obediently followed down the line.

Men in the way back had already started preparing it once they spotted the green flames. They knew time was of the essence. The three catapults they had obtained from the lords that had newly sworn loyalty would not extinguish all of it, but enough so that the cavalry could reform into a single file line. Wagons with sand had been pulled in the back, all filled to the brim. Though troublesome to carry across the uneven terrain, it would prove to pay off.

Rhaegar wouldn’t let his father pull another surprise on him. He had come to realize that he shouldn’t underestimate his father’s madness. Rhaegar had to think like Aerys to prevent another Tumbleton. The frontline had already been destroyed, thousands of men perished. He wouldn’t lose anymore.

Orders flew and in a matter of moments, the catapults released.

Rhaegar didn’t dare to turn around and check if it was working. He had to make it closer to the rear. More instructions were given and the catapults refilled. The loading did take longer to do, but even a little respite from the wildfire could turn the tides.

One day Tyrion and Rhaegar had been leisurely flipping through a book with a diagram of a catapult that had been used in a battle centuries ago. Tyrion had tried to explain the physics of the design. The pullback and the spring, all the components that made it a valuable military tool.

“How do you remember all these things? At your age I wasn’t quite as knowledgeable.”

“I spend my days in the library. With no one setting any expectations for me, it’s easy to read for hours on end.”

It saddened Rhaegar that this child was treated harshly but it didn’t surprise him. (y/n) had told him as much about her own childhood and how similar it was to Tyrion’s: utterly lonely.

If Rhaegar ever saw Tyrion again, he would have to thank him. And once Tyrion was old enough, Rhaegar would have him as a squire. He would give that boy all the opportunities necessary to shine. He knew (y/n) would be overjoyed if her little brother were to show the world that he was not limited by his stature. Like his sister, if Tyrion really wanted to live his life, then he had to be far away from Casterly Rock. Out of Tywin’s domain.

Wildfire parted, being smothered in patches as catapults continued to be reloaded. Soon there was just enough space for a horse to safely pass through.

Already reading his prince’s mind, Griff called out “COLUMN!!!”

Somewhere in the distance Rhaegar could hear Robert Baratheon repeating the word to the squadron that managed to stay in form. If there was any cocky bastard that Rhaegar would trust, it was Robert. The man held great command in his booming voice that no one else had to repeat it. The remaining men of his army gather in a swarm.

“Your Grace!!” A knight that had the sigil of House Wagstaff rides alongside him. “Ser Arthur Dayne has been injured!! As is Prince Oberyn Martell! The skin and muscle on his side is falling off. And Ser Arthur’s leg is nearly skeletal.”

Hardly listening, all Rhaegar could focus on was the opening in the wildfire. An opening to King’s Landing. Practically able to see the towering structure made him eager to trample right through. The iron throne was in sight. This could all be over in seconds.

Ser Arthur and Prince Oberyn could stay behind to heal. But Rhaegar couldn’t let this opportunity slip between his fingers. The men that left in his army were ready for his command. Another young lord interrupts him before Rhaegar had the chance to part his lips.

“Prince Rhaegar,” his voice holds a pleading tone. “Please don’t go through with this. Look around you. We’ve lost more men than you even realize. The Lord Cockshaw and the Lord of the Grassy Vale have deserted you.” Such audacity this boy had with concerned brown eyes and the daggered heart of House Staedmon on his chest.

Tunnel vision had blinded him to the hundreds of corpses that littered the ground beneath him. The lad spoke the truth though. The ugly truth that Rhaegar’s own madness had blotted out. Revenge against his father was making him callous. Where once he had cherished those he fought alongside, at the moment he could care less. All that he could see was the throne ahead. And his father’s head on a spike.

Recollection briefly entered his mind when he looked at the Staedmon knight. A knight that he had found joking with Robert Baratheon many times. For the life of him, Rhaegar couldn’t come up with a name.

Despite the sand having made a path for them, the wildfire was still very much a threat to the rest of his army. Sections that weren’t suffocated by sand were running rampant and eating away at the land. Screams from men being burned alive suddenly grew loud in Rhaegar’s ears. The cloud of retribution was lifting to the horror around him. How could he have not seen the true reality of what Aerys had done?

Banners of stags and suns alike were tattered and bloody.

Rhaegar caught sight of Arthur Dayne being hauled away. His purple eyes were open and looking up to the sky. That sight scared Rhaegar more than anything.

Griff rides up to him, urgency in his tone. “What is your command, Your Grace? Shall we proceed?” Soot and ash covered his brow. His horse panted fretfully, scared of the surrounding wildfire. “We can’t stand here much longer!”

More men were dying by the second while his remaining brigade continued to pulled further back as the fire advanced. Sooner or later they would be back to where the first wildfire outbreak had been.

He looked once more to Ser Staedmon.

The young man saw the conflict immediately that was swirling inside of Rhaegar. Vengeance against his father or protecting the rest of his men like he had wanted? “If you continue on your path, we will all die. We simply do not have enough men anymore, Your Grace.”

“Who are you to be questioning Prince Rhaegar?!” Snapped Griff but Rhaegar ignored him.

Ser Staedmon spoke the truth.

He hated to let Aerys win again. What could they do against wildfire? At the rate the catapults were able to function, there was absolutely no way to completely destroy it. Wagons had already been emptied and one catapult had even been engulfed by wildfire that strayed too close. The Kingswoods were up in flames and everything was lost. It was impossible to take the capital by land, that much was clear. Not as long as Aerys continued to use wildfire as his last ditch effort. Who knew how much more wildfire he had in store.

“FALL BACK!!” Brief silence met him from Griff until he repeated himself more harshly making Ser Connington move into action to obey his prince. To Ser Staedmon, he instructed “Use the remaining sand to build a line where the wildfire cannot pass through. And hurry!”

Relieved, he nods. “Yes Your Grace!”

Disappointment was a disgusting pill to swallow as was humiliation.

None so much as watching acres upon acres being destroyed and possibly surrounding towns.

He had to think of his men though. Men that had given up everything to fight alongside him. In that regard he would not be like Aerys. Aerys wasted life as one would with tissues. He didn’t know how many men he had left, but he would not take them for granted.

By the end of it, Rhaegar's army had been knocked down to half of the men he had originally had. A heartbreaking loss of Rhaegar.

Oberyn and Arthur had barely survived the wildfire's clutches. Unable to use his left leg, Arthur was forced to stay in his improptu gurney as septas went to work on amputating the visible femur away. The Sword of the Morning was delirous from the pain and for him, Rhaegar gave up his stash of milk of the poppy to help him get through the surgery. Griff held vigil next to his prince as many other men were being tended to around them. For the wildfire not to have immediately consumed the two men was a miracle. Many others were injured due to the sudden and unexpected betrayal from those lords that had 'deserted' his campaign. The Lord of Cockshaw and of the Grassy Vale had left initially only to regroup and start attacking the men that were trying to flee from the green flames. Perhaps thinking that if they were to get rid of the scattered men, King Aerys would reward them greatly. The only reward they got was their execution by the hands of Rhaegar. Griff and his men went out to search for them and returned with them. Rhaegar didn't even bother to hear their execuses or their pleading. He shoved them down onto their knees and swiftly beheaded them without any remorse. He would send their heads back home and warn them that that was the result if anyone was to betray Prince Rhaegar.

Ser Arthur's screams of agony jolted Rhaegar back to the present before him. The crunching of his bones were enough to make nearby knights gag and go running for a bush to vomit behind. Rhaegar and Robert Baratheon hold him down but they needn't use much force. He was weak and didn't try to pull their hands off of him. Sweat ran down the sides of his face and his normally tanned complexion was pale, ghostly even.

Rhaegar forced himself to watch as the septas forced the saw down onto Arthur's femur. Could see the progress they had made, but they lacked sharper instruments.

After five more minutes of their sawing, Arthur passed out; thankfully still breathing. Rhaegar and Robert release him and let out a collective sigh.

"He can't fight with us after this. Not with just one leg." Robert said sadly. Grime and soot made his cheeks just as black as his beard. Weary blue eyes are blood shot. "We need Ned and the North back."

Rhaegar plopped down onto the ground. "Even the North wouldn't be able to help us now. Not if my father is going to keep resorting to wildfire."

"He can't have that much left!"

"Never underestimate the mind of someone who has gone insane. He's always had a fascination with wildfire. I don't doubt the pyromancers have vaults filled with wildfire for his majesty to use at whim. We can't take King's Landing by land."

Robert huffs and lets himself fall beside Rhaegar. Beyond, they could still see the wildfire's glow as it continued to rampage the Crownlands. It could be days before it lost it's velocity and died out. In that time, how many people would lose their lives and homes? Not just those in the Crownlands, but also those inside of King's Landing. The terrain was torn to shreds and not the most hospitable for carts of supplies and necessities that those living inside the walls needed to survive. Without food from the Reach, many would starve and soon.

"So by sea then?"

"King's Landing only has a handful of naval ships ready for battle." explains Rhaegar. He could hear Oberyn's curses in the background. He was not as bad as Arthur although the wildfire had eaten away the top level of his skin and had nearly stripped him of his external oblique muscles. "It wouldn't exactly be impossible."

"Putting together a naval fleet takes more time." sighs Robert as he begins to think of how long it would take Storm's End to procure the sufficient naval power. "Might even have to build more ships. In that time who knows what Aerys will do."

"He's scared. That much is clear. Why else would he keep utilizing wildfire? He knew the men he had would not be enough to take on our swords. With so many lords turning sides, Aerys knew that the outcome would not be in his favor. It was a good thing Ser Staedmon stopped me when he did, otherwise. . . I would have led us all to death."

Usually a gruff man, Robert's voice softens. "Virgil is a good man. Able to shed light on any blind fellow."

So hellbent on getting his revenge, Rhaegar had lost sight of the lives he had put in danger. He wanted to be better than Aerys. He would be better than Aerys.

"I think it's time to call upon Tywin Lannister." Rhaegar grudgingly admits. "While we can't take King's Landing on foot, Tywin has enough funds to build us all the ships we need."

Dark blue eyes flick over to him with uncertainty. "You sure you want to bring him in so soon? I don't trust that gold shitting bastard."

"And you shouldn't. But you yourself said that putting together a naval fleet will take time. We don't exactly have time. I'm worried what my father will do. Not just for the next battle, but for the people in the capital. They're all going to starve."

"Our best hope is that they'll revolt against Aerys and we won't even have to deal with him."

That was the ideal plan, but they feared Aerys. Even the hungriest citizen wouldn't dare go up against him in fear of the repercussions.

Being marched past them were a few prisoners Rhaegar's men had tracked down. Those men of the Grassy Vale and of House Cockshaw who had betrayed him. Part of Rhaegar regretted using the last of his milk of the poppy on Arthur. He could use some of it at the moment. To go into dark oblivion at least for a few hours. Arthur had worried that his prince had become addicted to the substance. Maybe he had been right.

"They may not be the friendliest bunch, but maybe you should consider allying with the Iron Isles." Robert recommended.

He scrunched up his nose and shook his head. Rhaegar definitely didn't want to deal with the surly Baelon Greyjoy. If one could believe, he was less enjoyable than Tywin. When Rhaegar had still lived in the Keep, he had read many missives from the Lord of Pyke and how bitter he was that Aerys was preventing his people from pillaging coastal towns in Westeros.

"Do you really want to give Tywin the upperhand? The more you ask of him, the higher the payment will be when this is all over."

"At least he's not expecting me to take Cersei as a wife." Even saying it outloud put a sour taste in his mouth. "Oberyn gets that. . . pleasure."

"Someone as beautiful as Cersei Lannister can't be that bad."

"Lannisters are not all that they appear. Beauty and kindness do not always correlate." He didn't want to give Tywin so much power, but now he had to resort to using his backup plan.

His black armor made it difficult for him to stand back up, but Robert was already there helping him. "I guess we couldn't keep winning. It was all seeming too easy."

At that, Rhaegar laughed for the first time in months. "The other shoe had to drop eventually."

A grin stretched across his dirty face. "At least that means there's more fighting ahead of us."

"If that is something you look forward to."

"What I really look forward to is relaxing with a pretty girl on my arm and another on my lap." Robert sighs and Rhaegar had to stop himself from reminding the lord of his wife Lyanna. Even Rhaegar knew of Robert's infamous womanizing and philandering. It hadn't stopped with the marriage to Lyanna and he doubted nothing will stop it. As much as Robert loved Lyanna, he had more love to share with other women. "But fighting reminds you that you're alive and that men, no matter how noble or blue of blood, still has an animalistic tendency. We are all the same on the battle field. Death doesn't discriminate between sinners and saints."

Rhaegar had never heard Robert put anything so eloquently. He smiled at the burly man and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let us rest for the next battle then. Rest and bide our time until we are ready once more."

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[horsesarecreatures]

There are many aspects of the horse industry that I find completely contemptuous, and one of the worst ones that affects not horse welfare but rider welfare has to be people’s absolute insistence on making snitty comments about the equitation of others all the time. One of my friends from the shore barn was in a horrible car accident where she got crushed by a fire truck that blew through a stop sign. She was in a wheelchair for over a year, and had to wear a back brace for another. Today she was finally able to get on her thoroughbred again. She shared a video of him and her just walking around the arena to an OTTB group because she was so excited to be back in the saddle, and a grown 35 year old had to comment, “Wow you are so stiff. Not to be a downer but I don’t think you’re a good match for an ottb. They react to nervousness.” Because clearly my friend being a bit stiff was due to nervousness and not the fact that she had fourteen bones broken recently. 

I just HATE how people take one glance at someone’s equitation and start making all these inferences about their riding experience or state of mind. You don’t know what is going on with a person physically that could be impacting their posture. Maybe they’ve trained with Olympians but are bending over a little because they have stomach cramps. Maybe they’ve been in the saddle before they could walk but have a bit of scoliosis that makes their shoulders stoop. Maybe they’ve trained every type of horse there is, but broke their ankle twice and now can’t keep their heels down. You never know. Flawed equitation ≠ bad, inexperienced rider. So shut up and go eat a vegetable.