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narrans · 3 years

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A Tall and Small Collection | Soren | WaterWorks

The following days between Ashlynn and the Borrowers were progressively becoming less tense. There were brief conversations between the four of them which went smoothly and let both Dorian and Rey come to terms with the fact they’d be staying with a human for a little bit longer.

They moved from the bedside table to the ground not because they were uncomfortable, but because Soren insisted that he continue to practice and walk on his healing leg. Yes, it made Dorian and Rey a little more comfortable to be slightly hidden from Ashlynn’s eyes, but this dissipated after a few days as they would go on walks in the open with Soren within eyesight of Ashlynn.

Rey, for the most part, felt more at ease than his older brother Dorian ever since his conversation with their human host. Dorian was still skeptical, his father’s words ringing in his ears about humans and their tricks; however, he couldn’t deny that Ashlynn was, at the very least, receptive to Soren’s requests. It was strange seeing his brother, Soren – the one who taught Rey and him to stay away from humans – trusting and defending a human.

Dorian would have been at more unease if his brother showed fear, but that wasn’t the case. Twice during these following days, Ashlynn had pulled Soren to the side to change the cast on his leg. Soren remained completely calm as Ashlynn changed his cast. The eldest Borrower’s injured leg was now a soft cast, definitely an improvement and more flexible than the stiffer material Ashlynn had been using. It was still sensitive and bruised, but nowhere near where it used to be.

At the same time, it wasn’t where Soren wanted his injury to be. The Borrower knew Ashlynn meant no ill will or harm to his brothers or him, but he also knew this couldn’t be how things remained. He was grateful for everything Ashlynn had done; the eldest Borrower could not thank her enough – but this wasn’t the way things were supposed to be.

There were only a few things he could do to aid his recovery however, and they were walking and climb holds. So, Soren spent the majority of his time walking the length of the room near the wall without his walking stick. Each step with his injured leg ached, but it no longer sent a shockwave of pain up his leg. It was a good sign that his healing was headed in the right direction.

There were obvious issues other than the injury in his leg, which were energy and the continuous progression of time. Every few laps, Soren would have to take a break, needing the throbbing in his leg to ease before starting again. The other issue, time, was against him as usual. Soren knew he needed to get better so they could resume their lives back in the walls where Soren would keep borrowing and teach his brothers how to live – where they belonged.

Soren kept his desire to recover rapidly close to his chest, however, so he didn’t let up his brother’s hopes of leaving anytime soon. Instead, he encouraged Dorian and Rey to continue their training by climbing and running when Soren did his exercises.

Of course, Dorian and Rey did their best to help their older brother by walking with him and propping him up using their shoulders to balance when he was unsteady, but this was something Soren knew his body needed to do this on his own – and healing took time.

It was one of those days when Ashlynn was working quietly and Soren was taking his laps when Ashlynn’s voice carried from her kitchen table to her bedroom.

“Hey, Soren. Can I come in? I need to grab my headphones,” said Ashlynn.

“Yes, you’re good,” called Soren, noting that Dorian and Rey were currently resting in their box.

Soren had just made it back to the bedside table and propped himself against the leg base, feeling the subtle pulse of his heartbeat in his leg. Ashlynn poked her head into the room, her keen blue-grey eyes picking up his location after a moment of scanning the ground. She saw him and gave a small wave as she retrieved her headphones, but hesitated before leaving, noticing the momentary grimace on Soren’s face before he forced a smile.

“Everything okay?” she asked, her brow furrowing with concern.

“Yeah,” replied the eldest Borrower, running his fingers through his lengthening hair. “Just tired.”

Ashlynn sat on the ground nearby, scooting closer after noticing Dorian and Rey weren’t nearby. She had been conscious of their feelings and, knowing they were still a little uncomfortable with her nearby, had tried to give them the necessary space. Yes, they had gotten better over time, especially Rey, but there was an unease inherent and instinctual in their size difference.

“You could take a break,” she suggested. “You’ve been pacing back and forth for days nonstop.” Soren shook his head.

“Not really,” he muttered. “Not if I want to get better.”

“True,” Ashlynn signed. “But you can overwork your body. That’s why you need recovery time and rest days; and you haven’t taken any of those. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“I can’t afford a rest day Ashlynn,” insisted Soren, reaching up and rubbing his eyes. “Not if we want to leave, hopefully sooner than later.”

His mind had been swirling with his worries and concerns that this slip of the tongue almost went unnoticed by him; however, the moment the words left his mouth, Soren wished he could rephrase or take the words back entirely. He wasn’t fast enough. He glanced up at Ashlynn who was already preparing for a rebuttal.

“Leave sooner than later?” she echoed hollowly. “Wow. I didn’t think I was that bad of a host.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” said Soren, attempting to backpedal out of his words.

“No?” asked Ashlynn, appearing slightly incredulous. “How’d you mean it then?” Soren was starting to feel uneasy and took the defensive.

“I just…” Soren’s mind scrambled to think of how to approach the subject. “I mean… that we, my brothers and I, aren’t supposed to be seen by humans, let alone stay with them. Don’t get me wrong! You’ve been wonderful and there is no way I can repay you, but… it’s not how things are supposed to be.”

“Wow! Now you’ve lumped me into the ‘humans’ group. Good to know. And why does it matter if you stay or go at this point? Haven’t I proven myself – at least to you?” Ashlynn shot back. Her blue-grey eyes steeled coldly at Soren’s inability to answer quick enough. He attempted to recover quickly after a beat of time.

“Ashlynn, I know you’ve earned my trust, but it’s not about that. There are rules; rules about us and things we need to do and…”

“And haven’t you broken basically all of them at this point? Really, what’s the point of upholding this set of rules of you’ve broken then already?” interjected Ashlynn.

The hair on Soren’s neck raised uneasily. Was she having second thoughts about letting them go? What was different? To Soren’s horror, Ashlynn continued; and what she said sent his instincts into a frenzy.

“I don’t know. It just seems like a hard time of it when it doesn’t need to be. Gathering supplies, living like nomads, hiding in the shadows like you’re in the dark ages or something. Just… wouldn’t it be easier if you stayed?”

Soren hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath while Ashlynn spoke. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, palms sweating slightly. Soren hoped his younger brothers weren’t hearing this, fearing their reaction. Calm down. She can’t know how this sounds; or does she.

The eldest Borrower swallowed dryly and readjusted his position as he sat. Don’t say anything reckless. She can change her mind at any point in time.

“Ashlynn,” said Soren. Thankfully, he managed to suppress the tremor playing with his vocal cords. “You’re right. It is a hard life; and one that I feel useful in. Being injured has only reassured me that I’m not meant to sit around having things brought to me. This life gives me purpose.”

“I’m sure it does, but…” Ashlynn cut in.

“Ashlynn, there are rules about being seen – about leaving to protect not just us, but all of our kind regardless of circumstance,” interrupted Soren, feeling his spark of bravery waxing and waning with every pulse of his heart. “Why do you want us to stay?”

The question left the Borrower’s mouth before he could stop himself. Ashlynn’s eyes steeled again as she looked away harshly. This made an uncomfortable hollow knot in Soren’s insides. For a solid thirty seconds of silence, Soren feared he may be grabbed before Ashlynn moved, pushing herself to her feet and rolled her eyes muttering, “Forget it,” under her breath angrily before leaving the room.

Soren could have collapsed with relief, but his mind still reeled with possibilities. Why the change of mind? What wasn’t Ashlynn saying? Soren now had the hard choice in front of him – leave and chance not being able to provide for his family or stay and risk being unable to leave ever again.

~~~~~~~

It was a few hours after Ashlynn and Soren spoke. It wasn’t unusual but, after the tenseness of the afternoon, anything was possible and up in the air. Soren was in enough of a right mind to gather up some necessary materials and let Rey and Dorian know where their packs were. Soren also shuffled some emergency provisions behind the electrical cover if the worse case scenario were to happen.

It wasn’t until the third hour that Ashlynn reappeared looking a little bit sheepish and, for lack of a better word, embarrassed.

Soren felt his body flexing, preparing to flee if necessary. He thanked the stars he sent Dorian and Rey into the walls to train their climbing skills on the low beams while he continued to pace outside the walls.

“Hey…” said Ashlynn quietly, making eye-contact intermittently before shying away. Before Soren could initiate the same greeting, Ashlynn stepped up to him, sat down in front of Soren with her shoulders slumped slightly, and continued speaking. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to get angry.” Ashlynn’s sudden close proximity to the four-and-a-half-inch person only let him hear part of what she said through the pounding of his heart in his ears, but understood the overall gist based on his human counterpart’s demeanor.

Soren swallowed dryly again as he looked into the human’s softened features. “It’s okay,” he said slowly.

“I get what you were saying,” said Ashlynn. “And I get why you asked me about why I wanted you to stay. It’s just…” Ashlynn’s voice dropped off and, to Soren’s surprise, he could see clear drops of water glazing the surface of her blue-grey eyes which were still averted. “I’ll miss you.”

Those three words set Soren back on his heels. Missed? Him? Soren would believe his brothers or mother would miss him, but a human missing him? After his distrust? Rules? The disruption Soren had caused in Ashlynn’s schedule? All of these things should have had the opposite effect. Or did it?

Soren thought about the questions Ashlynn asked him over the days and the conversations they had. Suddenly, the realization dawned on him that he had indeed enjoyed his conversations with his human host. At first, what was a terrifying experience when he first arrived had become a saving grace – a distraction and something to cling to when he was completely alone.

He understood now – Ashlynn was going to feel lonely. She was asking why he had to leave not because she wanted to keep him against his will, but because the disruption and conversation had become a quick norm – something for her to cling to – and she was going to miss him.

Soren, with this information, felt the tenseness easing from his body. His chest, once clutched with an unease and anticipation to flee, was now heavy and aching.

“Ashlynn, I’m…” Soren couldn’t think of what to say, so he did the only thing he could think to do. Carefully, he hobbled over to Ashlynn’s left hand and boldly reached out and touched it. His mind flashed back to when she had reached out to him, pressing her pinkie against his leg. It was a nice memory.

For a time, it was quiet. It was all they needed. Warm tears threatened to leak over the edges of her eyes and, though unnerving, she reached over with her free hand and pressed the tips of her fingers against his back. While Soren was more certain of Ashlynn’s motives, his body still instinctually tensed. Her fingers were warm and soft. Finally, she pulled her right hand away.

Ashlynn laughed under her breath as she wiped her eyes with her now freed hand with a muttered, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” replied Soren. “I… didn’t even think about how leaving sounded to you.” Ashlynn shook her head.

“No. It’s just me being stupid, as usual,” she sighed. Before Soren could say anything, Ashlynn continued through a stifled sniff. “I… uh… well… Sorry, again. I found something that might help with your leg.” Soren felt his curiosity peaking as his unease began to subside.

“Help my leg?” he asked. Ashlynn nodded.

“Yeah,” she muttered. “I was reading up on physical therapy techniques and I think that if you were suspended and could keep the weight off of your leg that you could keep going for longer. It’s not much, but it could help.” Soren’s heart thumped nervously, but in partial excitement. The prospect of getting better faster and getting back to normal was lightening the conversation tremendously.

“But, how are you keeping the weight off of my leg. Isn’t that what strengthens my leg? The weight?” asked Soren. Ashlynn nodded.

“Well, that’s part of it,” she replied. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but there’s this thing called aquatic therapy. Basically, you have a bunch of exercises you do in the water.” Soren felt the excitement fading rapidly.

“Water exercises?” he asked hollowly. “But… I can’t swim. I mean, I’ve bathed, obviously. How can I do it if I can’t swim?” Ashlynn nodded.

“You wouldn’t have to swim. You just need to walk in the water in the tub back and forth,” replied Ashlynn. “It wouldn’t be too high and there would be things for you to grab onto just in case.” Soren felt slightly uneasy, but Ashlynn hadn’t steered him wrong before.

“Okay… what do I need to do?”

~~~~~

Ashlynn was gone for five minutes or so before coming back and retrieving Soren who, after giving permission, allowed Ashlynn to carry him to the bathroom. He had slipped into a pair of loose pants he didn’t mind soaking in water on and let Ashlynn explain the different exercises and where he needed to grab if he accidentally slipped. She offered to stay and, after careful consideration, Soren agreed.

The tub had be set up as a set of connecting lines connected to the bathtub walls. Each line was at water level so he could grab it easily. There were also odd things in the water which Ashlynn called flotation devices.

She lowered him into the water which came up just below his arms. It was warm and, thankfully, he could reach the bottom even without dipping his head under the water. Ashlynn then instructed him how to stay afloat and gain his footing. Mainly, she taught him that he needed to remain calm even if he plunged beneath the water.

Admittedly, it was unnerving like the first time he saw Ashlynn standing above him. His skin crawled and his heart raced in his chest, but he had to admit that walking through the water kept the weight off of his injured leg. Before he knew it, an hour had passed of him speaking to Ashlynn and walking around and around in the tub.

While walking around in the water, it slowed Soren to half of his normal speed, but the ease of walking combined with the floating sensation made exercise manageable and, boldly thinking, enjoyable.

What was an unease became regular as, over the next week, Ashlynn helped set up the bathtub so Soren could walk around freely. Eventually, Dorian and Rey began to get in on the exercises as well, splashing in the water and learning the value of holding their breath while submerged.

Soren looked out on the scene before him one of these later days in the week. While watching his brothers splash and gain a fearlessness in the water, the eldest Borrower couldn’t help but smile. He was gaining strength faster than he thought with Ashlynn’s suggestion of exercising in the water. His brothers were looking brighter and stronger by the day. Even Ashlynn seemed to be feeling better about the prospect of departing.

There were so many things going in their favor. It felt like Soren’s luck was finally returning. Despite so much fortune, Soren couldn’t help but worry – was there something coming for them? Something Soren hadn’t thought of?

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bacchxnal · 2 years

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[[hwang hyunjin, cis male, he/him]] — wait i could have sworn that was [soren kim] we just walked by, the [twenty-one] year old is a [tiktok star] who has been living in the city for [four years]. normally i see them wandering around [venice beach] but they apparently like to [figure skate] in their free time so that could explain why they’re here. if you ask their friends they’re known to be [driven] & [savvy], but i’ve also heard some rumours about them being [intense] & [enigmatic]. something about them really reminds me of [athletic tape hidden under baggy clothes, designer cologne scented skin, & online analytics always in the green] but maybe that’s because they’re a [leo].

hi everyone! i’m cece and this is my newest child soren. i’m excited to play him here and figure him out further as i go along but if you want to plot something to go off of, we can do that too! just throw anything at me and i’ll probably say yes, honestly. also you’re gonna have to deal with gif icons because apparently not a single larger gif hunt exists for my boy sad. anyways, without further ado!

tw: injury, addicition, rehab

adopted by a ballerina and her choreographer husband, soren was destined for a life of artistry. while he was encouraged to dance from the moment he could walk, it never really clicked. he liked the music and could see his parents’ discipline and passion for it but it wasn’t until his family moved from their prestigious new york residence to colorado after his mother’s retirement that he found his true calling -- ice skating.

socializing was initially hard for soren. he had a soft spoken personality that directly clashed with his confident, ambitious and well-connected parents. as an only child, and an adopted one at that, soren had no one at home to really bond with besides the occasional housekeeper that smiled fondly at the sweet-faced babe.

with parents frequently busy with travel and making “appearances”, soren was often left in the care of his grandparents who owned a successful ice skating rink. olympic hopefuls would train there and soren would watch, wide-eyed and curious. his grandparents caught on and the minute they had training blades on his feet, the rest is history.

soren blossomed into a charming, outgoing and popular child on the ice. he was a natural talent and started winning local competitions as soon as he was old enough to enter. he grew up surrounded by success and admirers, even attracting the attention of a coach to start him on a more competitive level. he made his first friends in the competition ring and while they’d often be pitted against one another, going out for ice cream together afterwards never left them with ill will or resentment.

while his parents funded his endeavors, they were never any more present in his life to support their budding ice star. soren pushed himself harder and harder, hoping to garner their attention but besides a few spare compliments, it was more his grandparents doing the raising. he relied on his friends, even when they went long distance to meet with coaches, and kept himself busy although the homeschooling required for training of his caliber made the former more difficult.

now an olympic hopeful himself, soren started winning championships on a national scale as an early teen. with more eyes on him, the pressure ramped up so it was less about familial approval and more about achieving perfection time and time again. he pushed boundaries and tested limits, to the point that injury was practically inevitable.

[ tw begin here ]

the fall that put a stop in his career was a brutal one and very publicly documented. bones were broken and he couldn’t even get himself off the ice. the healing process was agonizing, both physically and emotionally. the doctors speculated plenty about whether he’d be able to get back on the ice let alone at the level to which he had grown accustomed. soren didn’t want to imagine a life without skating and so he pushed himself to get better just like he pushed himself on the ice.

he was lauded as an inspiration after his long recovery but things weren’t so simple. with his passion at a standstill, soren felt like his life was over but with the painkillers helping him feel better, he became addicted to the sensation. soon it became too painful to stop taking him and finally, his parents took notice.

how could they not? addiction is an ugly, crippling affliction that turned their ambitious, artistic son into a drug-dependent shell of himself. he was irritable and isolated, unhealthily fixated on his next fix in the same way he used to be hyperfocused on his sport.

he was sent to los angeles under the ruse of seeing the best physical therapist money can buy but secretly attended rehab on the side. soren knew it was more for appearances sake than out of actual concern for his health so the rehab stint put an irrevocable rift between him and his family. slowly, he got better but in the interest of spending more of his parents money, soren feigned his continued struggling, draining large sums out of their accounts. even after his extended stay was up and he was given a clean bill of health and the number of his sponsor in case things went south, soren decided not to move back in with his parents and instead took residence in los angeles on his own.

[ end tw ]

personality and present day: soren hides the troubles of his past behind fake smiles and a confident, almost cocky personality. he’s successful in a different way now, attracting attention for his physical appearance and impeccable online life. he started tiktok as a way to distract himself but the algorithm worked in his favor: an attractive former sport phenom now using his talents for dances and trends caught attention and quickly.

he ‘dates’ other semi-famous internet stars, maintains his audience and fabricates the perfect existence. he indulges in designer brand deals and his posts earn more than most people see in a few paychecks. he creates parasocial friendships with his fans and hangs out with other tiktokers on the regular. people know him but no one knows him.

he pushes himself behind the scenes to try and get back on the ice but it’s an uphill, and very slippery slope that may reintroduce the worst of his habits. he almost definitely shouldn’t get into competing again but with his age not slowing down, he wants to make the most of his ice time and the career he put on hold.

tl;dr -- popular, charming (and slightly self centered) ice skater turned social media star who probably makes it into snapchat news and twitter trends on the regular. his icarian past -- the fall, the injury -- is swept aside for his successful and lucrative los angeles future.

facts

name: soren kim (birth name kim seojun)

faceclaim: hwang hyunjin

ethnicity: korean (adopted into a white american family)

height: 5′10

hair: blond (dyed) shoulder length

eye color: brown

sexuality: bisexual

tiktok handle: sk8rboy (like, figure skating -- so clever)

relationship status: single

publicly, he’s only dated women but he’s made it clear in his content that he ‘goes both ways’ and is often ‘shipped’ with some of the other guys in his tiktoks

(he doesn’t mind) (he thinks its fun really)

favorite color: black

aesthetic: think eboy meets sporty

#introduction.#lala:intro

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iamdarkness · 3 years

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Chapter two of To Feed a Tiger Forces of Will.

To Feed a Tiger.Forces of Will

Alfonse x Summoner, Alfonse X Summoner X Lif

And one sided (as of now) Dimitri X Summoner X Alfonse X Lif

Triggers for talk about mental health. It is Feral Dimitri after all. Mentions of death and depressive thoughts.

Sexual Harassment and maybe more than that.

Incest. (Freyr and mentions of Freya).

I thought about making my Summoner gender-less to fit all kinds of genders, but there is a part of the story where it becomes a necessity for them to be female.

A/N At the end of the chapter.

Chapter 2

Alfonse did not return that morning…

The morning after the meeting with Lif, when Alfonse was suppose to return passed and Sharena came instead. She said little to you, except that prince Hrid had come to visit Fjorm. Sharena and Fjorm left aster breakfast. They didn’t even take Ylgr with them and that was weird. You were suppose to go into town instead of Sharena that day with Alfonse to oversee the care for the refugees. You go to talk to Anna and learn she has gone with Sharena and Fjorm without telling you. Luckily for you Anna had left her most efficient Captain in charge and instructions. Zelgius is there to help too.

You decide to take one of the heroes with you to town and meet the soldiers and other heroes in charge of the operation there. First you go to both Robins and ask them to run things for you as planned with Soren so you can go.

You are about to go talk to M Grima and King Marth when F Dimitri comes from the direction of the tree house and asks to talk to you.

-Of course. Say! I am going into town and I may be gone some hours. If you want to come, we can talk on the way. I need someone of trust to accompany me.- He seemed to think about it.- I mean you don’t have to do it. I am just going to be overseeing the operation at the back of the warehouse as to not get in the way if I am not helping. I need to count the supplies and to asses what to buy and get for the next shipment.

-I see. I will go with you.- He says and you two take off.

You wait for him to open up to you and tell you what he said you needed to talk about, but he asks about the operation and then about the “Victory Gardens” where the heroes were growing the food. He tell you how relaxing it is to work on the fields and grow plants.

-Say, Dimitri. What did you want to talk about? -He looks sideways at you and keeps quiet a moment more.

-I… King Dimitri came to see me the other day. He came to offer me to work together in the fields with his companion Marth.- You can see that he had changed the subject, but this is good information and if he wants to share it, then it is progress.

-I see. How do you feel about that? Are you interested?

-Marth seems like a good person…he is good for Dimitri.

-Oh so you noticed they are together.

-I can see it in their eyes when they are together. I will work with them.

-Good. Just be careful with the bees. If you leave them be, they will not sting you, but some people just won’t leave them alone. Then they wonder why they get stung.

The whole trip to town went on like this. He would often ask you questions about your world and you try not to talk about difficult stuff and so you talk about music and how technology works and the difference between modern medicine, healing and magic. All in all it was a pleasant trip.

When the work was over it had taken you longer than anticipated and you had to get some food from the inn and eat it with him in a sort of picnic.

You were on the way back when you hear a yell of help in the fields by the road. You go to see if someone needs help but Dimitri stops you. He goes to find out and you stay on guard just in case. He tell you to run if he thinks you are in danger. He will make time for you to escape. Instead you hear him call out your name.

You go to meet him and find him looking at a woman who is fallen on the dirt by the road. Her belly is swollen and her face red from pain and strain. She is having contractions.

- Please, it is coming! Please help me! - She ask you and you kneel to her feet while Dimitri stands there shocked into silence.

-Do you live near? Do you want us to take you home or something?- You ask her while checking her vital like the healers taught you.

- No my hou….grrr…aaahhh- She is cut off by her yell and you take the this time to check under her dress. With the light of the afternoon sun you can tell the bay is indeed coming and you can see the crown of the head. There is no time to taker to the castle, as it is still far away. She won’t make it that far.

-Dimitri. Listen, the baby is coming and I need your help. You can say no because there will be a lot of blood and I don’t want you to..

-I will do it. What do you want me to do.- He had been standing looking lost at the woman, but now he was full on attention and alert.

-Help me stand her up and then let her use you as a support.-

-Standing up?- He asks while helping her stand. She also looks at you skeptically.

-It is going to be easier on her and the baby.- You tell him. He nods and help you stand her up.

-The baby will get better oxygen supply and she will not strain herself as much. That is what the healers taught me any way.- You say and you lie because you saw that somewhere on the internet, but they need the reassurance.

She finally stands up and he uses his arms in a kind of wide hugging position for the woman to hold herself steady. Meanwhile you take off your summoner coat off and ask her to breath as normally as possible through the nose and then let it out through her pursed lips as if whistling.

- Don’t push now! Wait for the pain of the contraction OK! Ready Dimitri?- You ask him and he nods. The contraction comes and the woman hangs off of Dimitri’s arms and body, pushing with all her might.

-Keep breathing! Don’t breath through your mouth!- You say leaning under her open legs. The head is almost out and you know you will need something to clean the baby once they come out. You see nothing and take off your blue shirt. Dimitri looks at you questioningly. Another contraction.

-OK let the breath out and PUSH! The head is almost out!- and indeed the head is out and you take the coat and lay it under the legs.

Another wait and the next contraction comes. You take the shirt and clean the baby’s face and nose of liquids and blood, and as she is still pushing a little of the shoulders can be seen now.

Another contraction and you help the baby by pulling at the the head and shoulders gently and carefully. On the next contraction the baby is completely out.

- OH! The baby is coming!- You are able to get the baby safely on the summoner’s coat. The baby starts crying loudly as soon as he is out. There is still some liquid and blood coming out and you remember the placenta is coming out too.

-You can let her lie down now Dimitri. Let me finish cleaning the baby. Congratulations! It’s is a boy! And by the sound of those lungs he is very healthy !!

After the placenta is out and the baby clean you have to check the mother for a hemorrhage. You check her pulse and it looks kind of low…wait is that normal?

-How long had you been waiting for help?

-I don’t know…a long time…my water broke and I… the sun… it was after midday.-So she was bleeding and dehydrated too…nice.

-Dimitri please lend me your cloak and wrap it around her. Can you please carry her? We need to take her to the healers at the castle. I will be caring the baby. Dimitri do me a favor and talk to her too. Don’t let her go to sleep. Here drink this water Mam.- You say that all smiling and give her your bottle of water to drink. It is a just in case but shouldn’t new mothers have higher blood pressure and faster pulse? She seemed cold and sleepy and it may have been due to her exhaustion but just in case you tell Dimitri softly to hurry up.

During the walk the woman seems to liven up and starts asking questions and answering them as well. She was actually the wife of one of the soldiers currently at the castle, and was walking back into town after coming to tell him the baby may be coming soon. The baby seems tried as well and you shush him and sing a quiet lullaby to help him sleep until she can breastfeed him.

When you get to the castle you tell the guards to send for the father and tell him to go to the infirmary. They probably saw you from afar because they were already waiting for you with a first aid kit and a stretcher. Dimitri informed them he could finish the job and take her to the infirmary himself, without wasting more time. All of this while still walking.

You are walking inside when Alfonse comes out running towards you with brows knitted and worried. He was about to say something but focuses on the bundle of bloody summoner’s coat on your arms and your state of undress.

-Alfonse! Look we had a baby!- You tell him excitedly. He looks confused for a second and then an indescribable emotion comes to his face. Yo notice your mistake and rewind. - I mean I had it. No! What am I saying? I delivered it! She had it and Dimitri was awesome!- Dimitri had kept on walking to the infirmary. You notice Alfonse’s eyes look moist and a little red now and you are about to ask him, what is wrong, when he finds his voice.

-What? What happened! They told me you came back all bloodied and carrying a wounded! I thought you had been ambushed!

-Oh we were coming back when half way through we heard her cries for help. She must have heard my horrible singing from afar heh,heh!- He made a face at that. He didn’t like when you made derogatory jokes about yourself. You were trying to catch up to Dimitri.- Dimitri went to see if it was safe or an ambush and he called me over. She had been there since after midday Alfonse! Was no one patrolling the road?

-I will find out. - He said in a cold tone.

-So I asked Dimitri to get her to stand so she can deliver it easier and he made such a great job of being her support! Of course she did all the hard work, I just caught the baby in my coat and cleaned it. Still it was awesome! Alfonse I think she is very dehydrated and I thought she may be having low blood pressure and that’s very dangerous.- He loos at you smiling fondly.- Sorry I am very exited if you can’t tell.- And you laugh. The baby starts crying.- Oh Alfonse ! See what you did? You woke him up with all the noise!

- What did I do?- But he sees that you are kidding with him and smiles.

You all enter the infirmary and they take the lady to a bed to check out. Alfonse stays out in the waiting area while you take the baby to the other healers to be checked out. Your coat is probably ruined and you are all bloodied. You go to the toilet and wash off the blood and return to be checked for disease as the healers told you. You never know what you can catch from blood. There is no HIV in Summit but there are always diseases you can catch from blood. They give you a spare gown to wear. They inform you that the woman was indeed very dehydrated and had lost a lot of blood as well. It was a good thing you had found her in time or it may not have gone right. The problem now was that she was not lactating and the baby needed feeding. The husband had come and was now trying to talk to the lady who was being administered some potions to replenish her blood supply and to help with lactation.

You check on Alfonse and he is talking to Dimitri. When you are about to join a healer comes out and asks to talk to you. The baby will need a wet nurse or two. In her state the mother would not be able to lactate as of now. She will need at least three days for the potion to take.

-we can search for one at town but it will be until tomorrow. We can administer a potion to someone to be a wet nurse for the night and the effect will wear off by the day after tomorrow.

You go through your list of heroes that have been mothers and may want to help and wonder for a while how cute it would be to see Lady Camilla nursing a child too. - I can send for Lady Mikoto and probably Arete? See if they can help. I mean I have never done this, but I can try if they are not available…I mean that is kind of a lot to ask of a hero…

They let you take the baby and he while they tend to the mother and locate a hero that may help or even a servant (most of them are older women who may not be up to the task). You wonder how it would feel to have a baby suckle at your breast. The baby starts crying. Here’s when a pacifier would be of great use! He sounds hungry.

<<Well….no body is here…>>

But do you use a finger or …

<<What the hell! No one is going to know. They will know….No one’s gonna know….how will they know… Here goes>>

It feels so funny!…But at the same time…can you imagine one of these, but yours and Alfonse’s? And look at that, he is quiet.

<<I mean, there is nothing coming out but at least he is quiet. Oh you poor thing!>>

-_______ Can I talk to you?What are you doing?- Alfonse…. Of course…At first he looks confused and then he can see part of your breast and his face turns redder than a tomato.

-Umm…They are looking for a wet nurse for tonight until they get one at town…I just wanted to know if I could volunteer…- You lie. You take the time to fix yourself but the baby starts crying again and you put the nipple back inside the little mouth.

-We have servants for that.

-Well he may as well use them, since no one else is!- Oh that sounded so wrong and it makes you laugh when he turns to you and makes a face of incredulity. You take this time to wiggle your eyebrows because you are already way deep and there is nothing else to loose and no one to save you.

-_______!- He covers his face with his hands and collapses on a chair. You approach him and stand with one of your legs between his knees. He looks up and the look he gave you, made you shiver. You feel like at any moment he will do something and you imagine yourself sitting on his lap while he kisses you, baby in arms and all. Instead he closes his eyes and turns away from you.

- I came to tell you Runa wanted to talk to you. She already talked to Dimitri.

-Who’s that?You can look, I covered myself.- He still will not look up.

-The child’s mother. You didn’t asked her name?

-I was a little busy telling her how to breath and push and the blood and you know. I forgot.- You walk away from him.

-________. I need to talk to you. Later.- He gave you a look that you only saw when things got very bad. In that moment you saw a lot of his father in him.

-OK.

-….I didn’t know you received training on aiding childbirth.- He asks, curious about it.

-I didn’t. I had good internet…umm I saw some videos about it and they looked interesting. You never know when you will end up using something like that. To be fair I never expected to use it. If someone had told me this morning this was going to happen I would not have believed them. It sounds far fetch to me. -<And now I had my breast inside a baby’s mouth in front of the man I love. How is that for far fetched?>

-You never cease to amaze me.- He looks at you with a warm expression and it makes you blush.

-_______! I heard….Oh! You are …. breastfeeding a baby…- Fjorm comes inside the room with a look of utter horror and then it turns into confusion and later to …. She looks at you again and her eyes water. - Nifl! I thought you were injured! I better tell the other heroes before they have a breakdown. You look…adorable…-She says and turns to leave. You can hear her crying. Oh crap! She didn’t even let you say a word. Didn’t even ask who’s baby that was. You chalk that up to her thinking she will not live long enough to have a baby and it makes you so sad.

You turn around to look at Alfonse and he is looking at you the same way Lif did last night. But why?

Sakura takes this time to come in and inform you they have a volunteer and she take the baby now crying his lungs out while you are left worrying about three people now seeing you “breastfeeding” a baby that was not yours…The ground could open up and swallow you and you would thank it.

Alfonse accompanies you to talk to Runa, who alongside her husband thanked you for your help. Runa had seen many of the heroes on the way in and does not know who Alfonse is and he did not want you to introduce him. That is until…

-My darling Brant is always talking about you and our prince. I remember seeing him once when he was a little boy and the royal family came when this was but their Summer retreat. He was so very cute! He must be a very handsome man right now.

-He is. I can tell you that I have met hundreds of people and heroes and he is by far the most handsome of all.- You say and know he is getting flustered.

- I never thought I would get to meet you in person Summoner ______ and here we are. Brant says you are so nice and clever and I think he came up short! Our prince better propose before one of those dashing heroes snatches you first.

You laugh at that and feel your face heat up. Brant, who was Runa’s husband was beet red looking at Alfonse who was also beet red. Sharena who was standing at the back started giggling.

-Nah they’ll return me in a week tops heh, heh,heh!

-That’s not what Claude would say, or Seth or Chrom or Leon. Oh and Zelgius…-Says Sharena in a singsong voice.

-Not every one is as patient as Alfonse.

-Well, I grew up with Sharena…- He said and turned to face Sharena who laughed harder at his red face. Runa seemed to catch up to what this meant and gasped.

-Oh Your highness! How could I not recognize you! Please forgive me I meant no disrespect.

-Please do not worry about this. Concentrate in getting better for your child’s sake. It was my fault for not being polite and introducing my self or my sister.

-Yes it was his fault don’t worry about it! I am princess Sharena and I wanted to congratulate you on your beautiful baby!How are you going to call him?- Sharena comes like the friendly and energetic girl that she is, and stands by the side of the bed. Runa is taken aback at the difference between the two royal siblings. She smiles and takes the princess’ hand.

-Thank you your highness! We thought about it and we will like to name him Dimitri like the prince of Faerghus who helped us today. We talked to him and he gave us permission.

-Dimitri! That is a beautiful name! I really like it. All our Dimitris are great warriors.

-Sharena I think it is time to let her rest. She needs to recover for the potion to take effect. -He says to Sharena; then turns to the new parents.-Congratulations to both of you. You have brought us the happiness we needed in these times of turmoil. Thank you. - Alfonse say in a solemn tone but smiling.

You all leave and Alfonse asks you to meet him in your shared study after dinner and you agree. This means Alfonse is not going to be present at dinner and so you take your food and take it to share it with Dimitri.

-Dimitri I wanted to congratulate you on your job today! You were great.-You tell him once you are done eating.

-My hands were awash with blood…but for once it was the blood of life, not death. It brings me peace and happiness. As if water had cleansed my dirty hands.- He says this, while he looks at his hands.- Is there truly forgiveness for what I have done?

-It is the miracle of life. I feel the same way. I am sure we can not only repent for our sins but also make up for them. This may be one way.- You take his hands in yours, but he goes to lay his head on your shoulder. He starts to cry and you embrace him and pull him to you. He needs this and you will be there for him.

-Let it all out. I am here for you.- You caress his head and hair like a mother to her child and he hold on to you like a lifeline.

When he lets go he tells you smiling that the family has asked him for permission to name their child like him.

-I feel happy about it, but I can not help but think…I do not want him to fare the same as I. At least he has good parents. I am afraid to not measure up to his expectations.

-Well. You are right about the parents. And he is way too young to expect something of you; except probably to carry him when he wants to be held. You got time to heal and grow… and become a good example.

-I will.

He left a little after that, but before he left he gave you one of the crystal necklaces to find the tree house. He trusted you enough to have you near.

You returned to your room and found Alfonse already in the study. It looked like he was drinking tea, but it was cold and forgotten. He had lit the fireplace even though it was not cold. He was watching the fire when you found him. His violin discarded on his desk.

-Alfonse? What is wrong?- Now that the excitement of the day was gone you could see clear signs of distress in the prince. His eyes looked red and tired. At first he tried to hide them, but he faced you with a sight.

-Sit down. - He tell you and you sit in the chair across from him.- When we arrived at the palace. Prince Hrid was already there along with Princess Leagyarn. The Queen was about to call us over when we sent her the message that we were coming to visit.- You ascent to tell him to go on.- I already gave my report to Commander Anna about this.

-It sounds serious.- He nods and still not looking at you.

-Both Leagyarn and Hrid report, there are rumors of war. Places left totally destroyed by unknown forces. There are travelers form different realms seeking refuge in Muspell and Nifl. They think this war is coming our way.

You gasp at that. Those are bad news indeed. You had enough problems with what had happened in the past. You were still recovering from Surtr for goodness sake! And you have Embla, to deal with.

- As you know our resources are not limitless and we need help. If this is true; it will be disastrous. The Queen and the other two royals have formed a council and decided to form a treaty…- There was a knock at your door and Alfonse just gave a tired sight and rubbed his face with his hands. You went to open the door to find Fjorm. She looked as tired as Alfonse and now you knew why…or at least part of it.

-May I come in? I…Alfonse asked me to be here for the conversation.-You let her in and she looked like she truly didn’t want to be there.

-I was just getting to the treaty.- Alfonse tell her without looking at her. She nods and sits on one of the chairs father way from both of you.

-Hrid...had the idea of cementing our treaty with a personal tie, not only of friendship but familial. He means a marriage of both our Kingdoms. Leagyarn did not need such ties. She trusted our word alone.- Fjorm flinches at that.

-Who…

-Fjorm and I are getting married…- He says with finality and Fjorm starts crying. He does not meet your eyes. You feel like the floor is sinking and thank God that you are already sitting down. The air is not getting into your lungs and are getting dizzy, but you remember to breath again.

-I’m so sorry _____! It is all my fault!- You hear Fjorm say between sobs.

-Wait…your fault? Why?…I thought you were in love with someone already! Was it him you loved all along? Did you do this behind my back?- You are crying now not only of sadness but anger of being betrayed by one of the people you like best. She knew you loved Alfonse .Fjorm cries harder and you can hear her apologies mixed up with her sobs.

-______ let her be. It really is not her fault. She sacrificed herself again to save us!

-Oh by marring you?

- Hrid wanted YOU! He wanted YOUR hand in marriage! He is angry at her now, for speaking out against it and asking to marry me instead. She is in love with you. Can’t you see!- Alfonse says waving a hand towards Fjorm. There is anger in his voice.

-What? Me? Why?

-What do you mean why? For the same reason Claude loves you, Corrin , Eliwood ,Camilla, Lif and I and now Hrid.- He stands and start pacing around the room. He could have gone on with the list because he thinks every hero loves you as he does.

-Hrid? He doesn’t even know me. We’ve seen each other only a couple times! That is not love!- It is true he comes to see his sisters twice a year and stays a couple of days, but he usually spends the time with his sisters at town, or at the resort. You welcome him and have dinner with him and the heroes, but that is it.

Alfonse stops walking and looks at Fjorm and when he sees that she can’t stop crying he explains.

-Fjorm writes to him constantly and has told him everything about you. What you do, how you do it, what you say and even how you sing. He sees you through her love’s eyes and now fancies himself in love with you. She …volunteered to marry me, because she knows she will die and then…- He could not finish the sentence. You look at Fjorm. She avoids your eyes and covers her face with her hands. You go and hug her. She flinches a little.

-Please forgive me…I …the shock did not let me think strait.

-It is my fault! Please don’t hate me _______. When I die he will be free.

-Fjorm I don’t want you to die! And I don’t want to think about you dying so I can be with him! There has to be another way!

-We have tried to talk our way out of this, but there is no…

-Hrid is a good man _____. He just thinks that if you two are not together he may have a chance at winning your heart. And _____, he will not relent. I know him.

-Doesn’t he know he is hurting you as well?

-He doesn’t know I am in love with you. He thinks the one I love is Alfonse and I am taking advantage of the treaty to marry him. -’Just like you had though’ she doesn’t say. That must have stung quite a lot coming from you.- There is no convinsing him of the truth. I know you don’t love me the way I do, and never will, but you have given me so much that seeing you happy made happy. I did not want this for you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but if you marry my brother, he will never let you go and then you will never be happy with Alfonse.

- I see…

-There is going to be a ball in two weeks to make the engagement official. Hrid will be there to…- You see Alfonse’s ungloved hands tighten. The knuckles are white with strain and it may be a trick of the light but you can see a line of red coating the white skin.

-I should go now.- Says Fjorm still in your arms and stands up to leave. You walk her to the door and she opens it.

-Please forgive me. Jealousy is the worst of feelings and it turns us into monster. I should not have reacted that way.

-It is my fault. I never said anything. You probably thought I was following you around all this time just for him, when I was actually there for you…At least Eir thought so. She confronted me once. I had to tell her the truth.

-To be fair I always thought you were doing research like us, when you were at the library. Are you going to tell her about…- You could not finish. She just nodded, said her good night and left.

You were left alone with Alfonse. The man you love, but are too afraid to face now. It is strange but, even though you know he will marry another, there is comfort in knowing he loves you still. You only have to find a way to save him. < Yeah! Like I saved Lif right?>

You enter the study and find him leaning on the chimney mantle. You had hugged him before in friendly terms but you have never been this bold to initiate such intimate contact. This time you stand behind him and embrace him; leaning your head on his back. He takes your hands in his.

-I love you Alfonse.- he makes a strangled noise at that and tightens his hold on your hands. You can’t help but cry your self.- I will wait for you. I promise.

-Fjorm sees herself dying any day now…but I can’t help but think about her surviving all this years…and I hate myself for it. I will hate my self for waiting and her for living…and yet I can live with that. The thought of you marring another is what drives me insane.

-I will wait for you. Or I can be your mistress…

-No! I will not do that to you. I will not stain your honor that way. You have no idea how the people here treat …no.

-(sigh) Honor…what use is honor if it does not bring me happiness…but I understand you. I know it looks like I don’t care about what people say about me, and I don’t, but I care about what they think about you.- You close your eyes and take a deep breath to take courage for your next question.- Can I at lest have you once?

-If I touch you…I will not be able to stop my self… I will not be able to leave you. It is already …I think it is time I move my chambers somewhere else. Go to sleep. We will talk tomorrow.- He lets go of your hands and move away.

You go to your room and close the door of the study. Your heart is broken and his refusal had stung, but you also know him enough to know how he deals with heartache. He is suffering more than you in this and he will suffer more still, having to be married to a woman he doesn’t love and who doesn’t love him back. A woman he is clearly jealous of.

Of course you could not sleep that night but a fitful couple of hours. Especially because you could see the light of the fire in the study and a shadow pacing around outside your door. You wanted to go out and end that torture, but you also understood him. Getting closer now would only complicate matters and make it harder in the end.

Maybe it was fate that you had fallen in love with the same man twice and lost them both. Fate may be telling you, happiness was not for you. About some hours before day break you hear a violin begin to play. It was your favorite piece.

The melancholy melody reached you and your mind wandered to the times he had played for you when you told him you could not sleep. Perhaps he knew that like him, you were not sleeping. How could you live without him? He was your other half. Loosing him again will be like loosing part of yourself. You fall asleep to the sound of his pain. (1)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~

Hours later you get up to go to work, you can’t hear anything in the study. You open the door with a bit of trepidation and find it empty. The door to his room is wide open, but there is no sound inside. You think he may be sleeping, but after a quick look, you find the room empty.

You go to the dining hall and get something to eat. You are not hungry of course, but there is a long day of work ahead of you and getting sick will only make it worse. Before going inside, you fear to face him again, and even more in front of other people.

-Hey Boss! Do you know what’s wrong with the prince!- You turn to look at the sound of the familiar voice, but find not only one Claude but two. Double trouble stand there looking at you and the younger of the two whistles.

-You look worst than him! Did you have a party last night?- This earned him an elbow to the side by King Claude.

-Yes Claude. I went to a rave. You found me out.- I say flatly.- You saw Alfonse?

- He was going to the library, but he looks sick. You are not getting sick are you? Is it contagious?- He asked concerned.

-No. I just couldn’t sleep. You needed him for something?- They look at each other for a second and young Claude nods and excuses himself to go have breakfast. Having these two together is a wonder. They do this thing where they have whole conversations with their eyes and it is scary to watch, knowing how smart and mischivious they are.

-You had a fight?- King Claude asks quietly, eyes not straying from yours. You know he can read you like an open book. He hums a little and say.- We were tasked to let him, and you now there is a meeting in two hours. Commander Anna and princess Sharena look almost as bad as you. Is something going on?

-Perhaps… Yes. I will let you know when I find out all the details.- You tell him. He is resourceful and know he will eventually find out and you will need his sharp mind to make plans any way.

-Did you cheat on him with Fjorm?- He say it jokingly and you look at him with a “TF you mean?” look, but you also wonder why he even mentioned Fjorm.- You know that lady is in love with you right? I consider her my strongest opponent by the way. Sturdy and strong.

-Claude…why do you even say that?

- Well, when we were going to give him the message; we found him arguing with Fjorm. She came and said something to him and he looked ready to kill someone. You know that growly thing Lif used to do when he was actively trying to kill us?Well just like that. He went storming into the library. Fjorm looked ready to cry. I give her props for not running away. That’s why my girl is my strongest opponent.

-Did everyone know about Fjorm but me?

-Yep. You do know about me right? Please tell me you do; because I don’t know how else to..

-Yes, Claude I know about you.- You smile at him.- And believe me when I say, that if I had not been Summoner here and had met you first. It would be very different. I would be crazy in love with that wit, those gorgeous green eyes, that astute mind and personality…Oh that sense of humor too and you would probably not even look my way.

-I do have beautiful eyes, don’t I. (sight) Not as beautiful as Alfonse’s I suppose- He said teasingly. You can’t help not going along with his sense of humor. He was trying to cheer you up, so you smile at him and punch him lightly on the arm.

You went together to have breakfast and then you ask the people working the kitchen if Alfonse had come to get food. He had not and Sharena confirmed he was still in the library and didn’t want anything.

You think of taking him something, but at the end you just get an apple and some cookies you stole from the kitchen.

You get to the War Room and Anna and Sharena are already outside. They greet you but they don’t meet your eyes. Alfonse is already inside looking at the giant map of Askr and the surrounding lands that is carved on a stone table. You go near him and put the apple and napkin with cookies in front of him. He did not made to take it.

-Don’t make it worst by getting sick.- He sighs, takes them and start eating them. You sit in one of the chairs by the high stained glass windows, take out your schedule for today and start making plans.

-You look better today.

-If by that you mean, I look like I couldn’t sleep until you started playing, then yes. Thank you, by the way.- He nods but does not say a word. You feel like you are talking to Lif. Which tells you just how hurt he is.- Are you researching on who you think is behind the attacks?

-There is too little information to do a proper research.- He answers after finishing the apple.

- Could it be one of the realms from the Norse folklore? We already fought some of them. I can talk to Freyr and ask him what he thinks about this. He may even dream of something.

- Perhaps.- He say simply. You are getting flashbacks of the days when you had first arrived to Askr and he would only answer with these kind of sentences. You can’t help to sigh and he just looks sideways at you, but doesn’t elaborate.

Anna and the rest started coming in. Ten minutes later Anna starts the meeting that turned out to be just an announcement since there were people missing.

-We will be having a meeting today at around six. The Royal Army Generals are coming. _______, I have a list of heroes I need in the meeting and I leave whoever you think should attend as well to your discretion. Here.- She hands you a list with names.- The King of Nifl and Queen of Muspell will be attending. - You look at Alfonse and he is looking at Anna intently but you can see he is doing that jaw thing he does when he is angry. Sharena is looking down at her feet.- They will be here two days and we need to be on our best of behaviors and safety. They will be arriving in three hours tops.

Hrid.

Two days.

Now you understood why Alfonse was angry at Fjorm. She must have told him, Hrid was coming.The meting only lasted a few minutes while she gave the officers and heads of staff their orders.

As soon as the meeting was over, Alfonse went out the door but was stopped by Delthea who was asking for you. He pointed you out and you wondered what was wrong with the bright magician.

-Summoner! Someone spiked Freyr’s drink and he is drunk in the infirmary. He won’t let anyone touch him. Natasha wants you to go and see if you can help them out. He keeps saying he wants to talk to you and go to the beach.

-Seriously? Do you have any idea who it was? Wait …Why was he day drinking at this our? It’s like 8 in the morning!- She shrugged. You rub your face out of frustration.- God! Why no one told me I was going to be babysitting grownup heroes that behave like five year olds? - Delthea started giggling and you noticed Alfonse had stopped to listen to the exchange. He came close and said.

-Take the morning off after you let the heroes know, they are needed. You need the time off Summoner.- Even Delthea stopped giggling. She looked at him and then you, like she was expecting something bad to happen, like kids do when their parents argue in front of them. -Just be sure to be here for the meeting and dinner. His highness will want to see you as well.

-I do not think that is prudent, there is a lot to do. Besides you need rest as well.

- I have stuff to do- He turns to leave, then adds without looking at you.-…But summoner, Do go.

You see him leave and after those cutting words you feel empty inside. You take Delthea by the hand and start to go towards the infirmary. It seems so impossible that you had been there just yesterday, full of joy and happiness and it feels now like a lifetime ago. It is enough to make you cry but not in front of Delthea.

-______. The prince…

- He is going through a lot right now Delthea.

-Is it because of his marriage to Fjorm?- She asks biting her lip.

-What do you know about that? How?- You stop to look around to see if someone is around to listen to your conversation.

-I heard Fjorm telling Eir about it. I was looking at this book I found in a secret compartment under one of the bookcases in the library.- She shows you a blue book with golden runes and a set of locks on the side.- They couldn’t see me and they started talking and I didn’t know It was a secret.They are both very sad. Eir promised Fjorm to help her find a way to get off the marriage and not make you marry Fjorm’s brother. Is he the one coming today? Is that why Alfonse wants you to go to the beach? You know Fjorm is in love with you right? I think Alfonse is looking for a way to not marry Fjorm as well and that is what he is doing in the library.

<<WTF?>>-I see. How did you know about Fjorm?

-You can’t see the way she looks at you?- She rolls her eyes.- Just like Chorm and Claude and Leon…and his demon -She made a face- Oh and Xander.-You look at her questioningly- Sigbert told me. That is why he stutters when he talks to you. Oh Dimitri!

<<Dimitri??>> You think, because King Dimitri has Marth, Savior Dimitri has Byleth and Student Dimitri has a sweetheart as well. Then you look up and see she meant “Feral” Dimitri is coming your way.

-____ are you going to the infirmary?- You nod yes.- May I accompany you?

-Of course! Are you not feeling well?- You ask concerned and make sure to remember not to burden him with your issues and give him your best smile, just like the one you will have to give the kids.

-I...-He lowered his gaze- I want to know how…the baby is doing.- He said a little embarrassed.

God this man is so sweet, you have to wonder just how much he had to suffer for him to be turned into what you saw of him earlier.

-Oh I see. So was I,but now I need to check on a Dream God, that someone got drunk.

-Do you need help?- He asks concerned.

-I am not sure, but he is…he has touching issues and I am guessing it is because of his sister.-He looks confused.- Dimitri… no matter how bad thins get, remember that at least you are not trying to bang your sibling, without their consent.

-What does that mean?- He asks in a small voice. Delthea starts giggling. Of course she knew what you meant.

- His sister is in love with him and was actively trying to…you know… marry him…- You finished awkwardly.

-What?…I suppose I understand why he would not want to be touched by people.

- And it does not help that he is very attractive. This is why he always wear loose tunics.- Seriously the first time you saw him without that tunic, it was shocking! That man is a God…well literally as well, but still. Dimitri just nods and keeps walking at your pace looking sideways at Delthea who was trying hard to open the blue book.

-Where did you get that book any way? What is it about?

-Umm. Well last week I was hiding from Luthier, because he wanted me to finish my homework and I hid in the bottom shelf where there were no books, and I saw this crack in the shelf on the bookcase next to mine, and it had a spell on it right? So I waited until Luthier went looking for me somewhere else, and tried to undo the locking spell. It was an old spell, but like easy to undo, and the book was inside it. I just can’t open it. I has this spell I can’t make out.

-Delthea,maybe it is a cue for you not to mess with it. It may belong to someone already. It may give you tentacles or something. Wait! Alfonse can translate those runes! I have seen him do it. It is some dead language we have encountered before. Why don’t you see if he can open it or knows what it is?

-Oh! Yes!….But what if I get in trouble?

-Tell him I sent you, because I wanted to know what that was and Delthea…Can you do me a favor?

-Of course _____

-Can you see what he is researching and try to help him? He is very intelligent, but sometimes people need another fresh mind to find the answer they are looking for.

-OK. I’ll do it. I want to help you with...- You shake your head slightly and widen your eyes so she would not say a word about the betrothal in front of Dimitri. She understood.- his research.

-You can do that once we come back from the beach.

-No. You go, but you can please take my brother! He needs to go out. Deal?

-Deal! Now go and tell Luthier, I need him to come help me with Freyr and that he can take whoever he wants to come with us. - She nods and starts running towards the library. You turn to Dimitri- Hey Dimitri. After visiting the baby I am taking Freyr to the beach. We are having some guests tonight and I need some relaxing time beforehand. Want to come? You don’t have to answer now. Think about it. I also need to run some errands before we take off. -He nods and opens the door of the infirmary.

You both go inside and ask him if he wants to go with you and go together to visit the baby or go by himself. He decides to wait for you outside the room Freyr is in. Brady informed you he had calmed down when they told him you were coming, but he had been very dizzy, could barely walk and had not wanted anyone to help him on the bed. He had also not wanted to tell them, whom he though had spiked his drink.

- Freyr? How are you feeling?- His eyes were open. This was bad.

-______? I feel dizzy. I need to go…

-We are going to the beach Freyr. Who spiked your drink? Do you know?

-Freya.- He pointed to the night table where a pitcher of water was placed. You go and take it to smell and …-Do not drink it. It is a potion for deep sleep.- Indeed the liquid did not smell like alcohol. He was not drunk, he was fighting sleep. You were going to ask him why he thought Freya had done this if she was dead, but then so was him and you had called him fro the dead.

- I swear your sister is like Freddy Kruger! This is bad! When did you see her?

-This morning I was dreaming… having a pleasant dream. When a nightmare came to me. I saw your sadness summoner. Then she came to me, and said we would soon be together, now that she had come back to me. I tried to wake up and could not. She came near me and I could not move. I woke up when I heard Peony knocking on my door. She had sensed something, but she could not see her or feel her. I could barely stand and she helped me get far enough to come here. I sent her to look for anyone who could have penetrated our security.

-I need to tell Anna bout this…But first I need to tell Brady if he has something to fight the sleeping potion.

-Don’t go.

- I am not going anywhere Freyr.- You open the door and ask Dimitri to please go get Brady or any healer and to bring something to fight sleep. Then you go and stand by Freyr’s side to talk to him so he can stay awake. You ask him what the dream he had about you was about, but he did not want to elaborate.

-You know Sir. It is not my place to tell you this but; have you though of maybe marring someone to see if she gets the idea?- He looks at you and actually smiles.

- I have…but I find my self in the predicament of being in love with someone who does not love me back.- Suddenly his smile fades and he continues.- Can you imagine the calamities my sister would rain upon my beloved?

-Oh yes. I surely can. I am so sorry to have intruded. Please forgive me, I did not meant to hurt you.- He sighs, extends his hands to you and asks you to sit on the bed by his side.

- Do not fret ______. It is an obvious question. I should have ended this madness a long time ago, but the love for my little sister blinded me to her misguided pursuit, until it was too late to change.

This conversation gave Brady time to come. He knocked on the door and came in with Dimitri and a young Leon in tow.

- Lord Freyr, _____; I have here a potion that may counter the sleeping potion you took.- He gives Freyr the bottle and picks up the water and smells it.- Leon said he gave you the whole bottle, if you hadn’t been a god, you would be dead, even with one fraction. This is our strongest sleeping potion. Used for surgeries.- You look at Leon who is currently looking down at the floor.- Take all the bottle Lord Freyr, if you feel uncomfortable you can come see me later. _________, please don’t be hard on the tike. It ain’t his fault.- Freyr took the potion.

-What happened Leon?- You asked him in a soothing tone. How can you be mad at him? He is a good boy and was probably tricked into doing this.

- He told me to do it.-He pointed at Freyr. Everyone looks confused except Brady.- Well it wasn’t him I guess. I had a dream for two nights and he was crying, because he could not sleep. In my dream he kept asking me for help. He said he wanted to see his little sister and he needed a potion for that but he could not ask for it, because he did not want to worry you _______. He said not to ask him in real life so it would be our secret. He told me where to get it, and to just put it in his water when he was not in his room so no one would know. So I did what he asked...but now that I think about it; his horns looked different and he had a big ugly mole in his nose.

Freya.

If this had not been as serious as it was, it would have been funny. Freya was so self conscious about that mole… but also that mole was the root of the whole damned problem. Leon looked worriedly at Freyr, which was still looking at him with open eyes. Freyr smiles at him.

-Do not be afraid child. I hold no ill intent toward you. You are innocent. I know my sister well, but I confess I am shocked, by her tricking a child to do her wicked work.

Freyr felt better and now could close his eyes and sleep as he always did. It was worrisome that Freya was back, not only because of the sick obsession she had with her brother, but because it meant someone had revived her.

You send word to Anna about the incident and she comes to talk to Freyr and you. After this you, Dimitri and Freyr ( who probably does not want to be alone), go visit Runa and her baby. You had a good talk, you got to hold the baby and Freyr gave him his blessing. Runa could not believe she was in the presence of one of the ancient Gods.

After sending word to the heroes that need to be in the meeting and King Claude who you think needs to be there as well, you take the stuff you need and pick up Luthier to go to the beach. Dimitri ends up going with you.

It was around ten when you got there. Double trouble decided to come along to Dimitri’s chagrin, but thankfully young Claude decided to befriend Luthier. Young Claude took it upon himself to teach him how to make friends and charm the ladies. Meanwhile, King Claude was mostly talking to Freyr, and Sharena, whom Alfonse had sent along to have fun, but had done so just after he had learned K Claude was coming along.

-Here Lord Freyr I got you a pineapple the way you like them. Do you want me to check it first?- You tell the silver haired man. He shakes his head slightly and and takes it from your hand.

- Thank you _______. I can do this. I never did this before because I had no reason to do so, she had never been so bold as to do these king of wicked deeds.

- I am sorry I can’t protect you more efficiently. I will go and do some research at the library to see if I can find something to help you. Physical barriers and security is something, but the mind and dreams are not easy to deal with.- Just how far had his sister gone before Peony had woke him up? The way he behaved this morning…you did not want to think about it, but you were sure he needed therapy after that.

- I can put up shields in my mind to do so and now that we are aware she is back, it will be easy to detect her presence in dreams.

King Claude took the opportunity that Dimitri was still getting a coconut for you and himself to come and talk to you.

-Hey ______. I just noticed something. This Dimitri...Byleth choose Black Eagles and…

- Claude I swear if you tell me not to bother with him, because he is going to die; I will slap you silly.

- What? No! That is not it! In fact I wan to help you get him ready to win! After all the other me in his world may die along with him; and he will need someone like me, to teach him to charm his way into getting more allies! What I wanted to tell you, is that I have been talking to some of the other heroes that had different destinies and I understand that This Dimitri still has both eyes. He wears the patch but he still has his eye intact. I thing it was kind of like his sense of taste, maybe? I remember you telling me, when we first met that Dimitri had lost it either because he had had some physical trauma, or it was psychological. If it is the later he may recover it; just like King Dimitri started tasting certain foods after he started being such “good friends” with Marth.

- Son of a witch! Seriously? Look, let me find it out. I just need to find the right time to do it. I don’t want him to get flashbacks or something. Oh and Claude you are a frigging genius! And a good man to boot! Thank you!- You hug him.

- Do I get a little kiss as well?- He asks laughing and you can hear Freyr laughing too. You kiss him in the forehead. - Well that’s better than nothing.

You can see Dimitri coming back in the distance with Sharena to his side. When they are near, you can see him looking sideways to the princess with a knitted brow. It may be because she is not her usual bubbly self. He asks her something you can not hear and she looks at him and smiles, but shakes her head.

When they get to where you are sitting by Freyr and Claude Dimitri is furrowing his brows and looking intently at you like searching for something. You take this time to evade any questions or suspicions and distract Sharena with something fun by asking then if they want to build a sand Castle.

Freyr and Dimitri have never don this and are instantly intrigued by the idea. Sharena perks up instantly and Claude proceeds to make it a competition and proclaims that his team consisting of himself and Sharena will win. You are left with Freyr and Dimitri who looks with trepidation at the items used to make the castle. You would think they will bite him, but understand it is his fear of breaking them, what is bothering him.

-The point of this is to have fun Dimitri. You can use your hands and items to do it and if you don’t want to use the pail or shovel it is perfectly alright. First you go and get some shells and plants and stick or stones that you find on the beach to make the castle look better.- You ere picking up shells and pebbles when Young Claude and Luthier come back and make their own team, when you tell them about the sand castle competition.

Watching both Freyr and Dimitri so invested in their work really made you happy. They looked so carefree, it almost made you forget about Alfonse’s engagement. Luthier also looked happy and it looked like Claude, as other extroverts do, had adopted Luthier.

-Mister Sandman! Give me a dream. Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen!- The moment the soft words of the song came out of your lips, Freyr looked at your smiling face with open eyes and smiled himself. - Give him two lips like roses and clover; and tell him that his lonesome nights are over.

When you reached the part with “lots of wavy hair…” You could hear Claude shout “Someone wants gorgeous wavy hair?”.

-You know she meant blue and gold! - Young Claude said and threw a shell at his older counterpart. This earned them a laugh from everyone. Even Dimitri gave his quiet laugh. Well everyone except Sharena. She was looking down at the sand castle.

-Maybe we do need a nice dream. Would you like to take a nap in the sun? -Asked Freyr softly.

- I can watch over you while you take a much needed nap.- Said King Claude. You agreed to do it after you finished the sand castle competition, which young Claude and Luthier won. The winners went to celebrate their win at the drink stand. You told them not to drink alcohol.

Sharena agreed to take that much needed nap. You all were very used to not getting enough sleep by now, but somehow the stress of the situation was even greater, than some of the battles you had fought in.

You lay on a blanket between Freyr and Sharena; and Dimitri chose to lay down on a reclining chair next to Claude who was going to remain awake.

You have the most wonderful dream in a while, and by the time you woke up, you felt like you had slept for days. (2) You felt so well rested you did not notice the sting on your skin, not did you notice you were tightly hugging a very firm body and being tightly hugged in return by someone behind you. That someone was still snoring right in your ear.

-Had a nice dream huh Summoner?- Came Claude’s voice from behind you. You could hear the laughter in his voice.- I think you forgot to put on sun blocking lotion.

-What do you …-Now you felt it. You were laying on your side and so only one side of your body was an angry red. You then notice the firm body you were hugging was Freyr who was smiling in his dream. His chest was just as red as your left arm and the left leg you had over his.- Oh Fudge!- You say trying to disentangle yourself from him, but an arm around your waist prevents you from moving. You turn around and see Sharena’s face about three inches from yours. You both are lying on Freyr’s arm. After taking your arm from his chest you notice it leaves a tan line with its shape.

-Sharena! You are getting sunburned!- You say trying to move her arm. Half her face is red and you suspect your face fares the same. She opens her eyes and smiles broadly at you.

-______!! I had the most wonderful dream! I….Ouch! Hey I got sunburned! How did that happen I got the lotion on!

-So did I, and Freyr as well, but I probably look like Neapolitan ice cream!- You tell her and point to Freyr who is sitting up by now.

-I count my self lucky, and this mistake worth the fun and happiness. -He looks down and smiles at the mark of your hand on his chest. He was moving his left arm and you were sure it was sore after all the time you and Sharena had been laying on it. God that man was a saint. You look around to find an umbrella over Dimitri who is still asleep. You look over at Claude who smiles at you.

-They only had one, and I rather not have a very sore and angry Dima on our hands when he wakes up all red and in pain.- He gave you an apologetic look.

- It’s all cool Claude. I rather he doesn’t suffer for it at least. I wonder why the lotion didn’t work?

-Because it is regular lotion!…I am so sorry ______! I was so distracted this morning I got the wrong one!- Said Sharena bashfully.

-Don’t worry Sharena! We will get all fixed up when we get back home. Right Freyr!- You hear a rumble of ascent coming from the God.- We better wake up Sleeping Beauty and get our Dynamic Duo, and eat some lunch so we can go home, by the way. We still have to get ready to meet King Hrid.- You tell them and Claude gets up to get the other two from the dink stand. That leaves you to wake up Dimitri who looks so serene sleeping. So relaxed and young…It feels like a pity to awaken him. You stand there contemplating how to go about it when he wakes up smiling. He looks at you and say…

-Beloved…- he seems to realize what he said and sits up all red in the face.- I…

-Mmm having a great dream I see! I am sorry to wake you up Dimitri, but it is time to go home.- You wonder if like Student Dimitri, this Dimitri is in love with Marianne, but you feel it is not your place to ask. He’ll confide in you when the time comes.

After a hurried lunch, you get home all sore but relaxed and happy. Even Sharena looks like her old self.

-Wow Thank you Lord Freyr! I had the greatest of dreams! Everyone was my friend! Even Navarre and Valter! Oh and Fomortiis too!

-Why would you want to be their friend? I get Navarre but…- Asked Luthier.

-They all deserve a chance to be understood. -Says Sharena.- Our dear Summoner taught me that.- She looks at you and winks. You return her smile in kind.

- I guess, but Fomortiis is a literal demon…- Responds Luthier.- Oh so what did you dream of Summoner?- He ask you and you feel your heart beat faster. Your dream...You did not want to talk about it. Dimitri must have seen your hesitance and started to talk.

- I… I dreamed my beloved gifted me a wheel of cheese and asked for my hand in marriage.- He said scarlet faced. Everyone looked at him surprised, but no one laughed.

-Wow that sounds like something ________ would do!- Says King Claude.

- I have you know…wait that does sound like a good idea. I mean if someone were to give me my favorite food and then asks me to marry him; I’d say yes right away! I think that is very romantic!- You say to the King.

-Well, don’t keep your favorite food a secret! I need to know right now!- He asks and now everyone laughs.

-Try a wheel of cheese Claude.- Says Dimitri to Claude’s surprise.

-Quesadillas! Yummy!! - You say.

-I got a pair of mice in my hands!- Says King Claude and gives a sigh.

-I love cheese and Quesadillas too!- Pipes in Sharena.

-I enjoy cheese and quesadillas my self as well.- Says Lord Freyr.

You were all laughing by the time you reach the castle and were on your way to the infirmary to get fixed up when you see a group of people walking to meet you. It was Alfonse followed by Fjorm walking by Leagyarn. On Alfonse’s side was the King of Nifl.

-Hrid…

A/N

1. The piece Alfonse is playing is clearly from his world, but I imagine it sounds a lot like Ikuto’s Violin Solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET8hV8yPNNQ

2. I wonder what the Summoner dreamed about? Should I leave it to your discretion or should I write about it. I am sure I will end up writing about Dimitri’s. Also Freyr’s forced dream was a dubious consent and I am not sure if I should write about that.

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frauleindermorgen · 2 years

Note

Adronitis: Frustration with how long it takes to get to know someone.

obscure feelings meme | closed

Even after her voyage back she’s kept the Hattari vestments she’d bought for the ease they give her. The dark headscarf and face covering provide a privacy she has not had in some time, and it is only when she reaches Goldoa that she removes them and enjoys the feel of the cold air on her cheeks reminding her suddenly and powerfully of her homeland.

The winter sky is different here, though, and Micaiah finds herself often wandering at night tracing the constellations in hope she might one day compare them with those of her home. It is a faint hope but so too is their light at times, and still she relies on it.

Still, it leads her down a road worn down by feet to a place where Soren sits. There is a house not far from them; there are more houses here in Goldoa than the last time she’d visited Kurth here and when she’d commented on it he had smiled, but it feels wrong to ask if it is Soren’s, it feels wrong to ask if Soren like her has yet to find home.

She sits next to him instead.

“I met Ena’s baby for the first time today, though I suppose they aren’t a baby anymore,” she says, her laugh trailing off into contemplative silence. “The people of the dragon tribe mature quickly, don’t they? It makes me wonder how my own so – ah, well, it makes me wonder a lot of things.”

She looks at Soren and sees he is listening, sees he understands. She looks away again but says: “I’m glad I met them. I’m glad to see you too.”

#atypicalsenerio #((mmmmmmmmmmmm lots of hcs in here...))#((they))

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fictionaffliction · 3 years

Text

Better Forgotten

Chapter 3

Summary: Dr. Ingrid Hansen is a respected psychologist struggling with the aftermath of the Snap as well as her own trauma from an accident she endured many years ago. Her world is thrown into utter chaos when she meets a dangerous man posing as a client. Dr. Strange is reluctantly tasked with protecting her, but in order to do so, he must first help her recover who she truly is. While she is grateful for his help, she has to wonder, are some things better forgotten?

Rated M

Chapter Warnings: Canon typical violence, memory loss, chronic pain

The black SUV pulled up to the curb outside of an old, well-kept building. Stone columns supported the brick walls and framed a large circular window, with four asymmetrical grilles laid across the glass so that they criss-crossed over each other. Fury led the four of them to the door and knocked. The sound echoed around the inside of the building.

The door swung open and the four of them stepped inside. Ingrid looked around for the person who opened it, only to find that there was no one there as it swung shut again. She squeaked and grabbed Soren’s arm in an attempt to protect herself.

“Really?” Fury asked. “Isn’t the door thing a little cliché?”

A man appeared at the top of the stairs, but his feet did not touch the ground. Instead he floated down to meet them, landing lightly on his feet on the patterned wood and stone floor. Ingrid gasped and stared. As he emerged into the light, she realized that she recognized the man standing in front of them, though he looked a little more world weary than the last time she had seen him. His hair, which had been a lustrous dark brown when she had met him, had greyed at his temples. Fine lines framed blue eyes that narrowed in a calculating stare as he took in her face.

“Dr. Hansen, this is-” Fury began.

“Dr. Stephen Strange,” she finished for him, locking eyes with him and extending her hand. He took it and she noticed that his hand, covered by a yellow leather glove, trembled despite his firm grip.

“We’ve met somewhere before,” Dr. Strange said, quickly withdrawing his hand again.

“At a neuroscience conference about twelve years ago. I saw you speak and you bought me a drink.” The other three watched them intently. Soren looked like she might produce a bucket of popcorn from beneath her jacket. “I said I was a doctor of psychology and you said that I-”

“That you weren’t a real doctor,” he recalled with a grimace. “Yeah, I remember.”

Fury shook his head in disapproval. Maria and Soren looked disgusted.

“Remind me where that wine ended up,” she said, feigning ignorance.

Dr. Strange pursed his lips, embarrassment coloring his pale face. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, desperate to move on from the subject. “Can I ask why you’re here? Besides to bring up embarrassing memories.”

“Dr. Hansen had a confrontation with Loki earlier today,” Maria explained.

Dr. Strange’s brow furrowed. “That was you?” he asked incredulously.

“We called ahead,” Soren whispered to Ingrid.

“Yeah, and there was a faint magical disturbance,” he answered shortly. “But no definite source.”

“So he’s hiding his magic?” Fury inferred.

“It would appear so,” Dr. Strange replied. “Sounds like he’s picked up some new tricks.”

“Great,” Soren said, throwing her hands up in the air.

“We’ll figure that out,” Fury assured him. Ingrid’s eyes darted from person to person, trying to glean as much information as she could from their expressions, trying to find some hint that she wasn’t in danger, that Loki would be locked away by tomorrow morning and she could simply move on with her life. There wasn’t one.

Dr. Strange put his hand to his chin, circling her with scrutiny. Ingrid wanted to yell at him, but she didn’t have the energy. “What does he want with a psychologist? She doesn’t seem all that remarkable.” At Ingrid’s aggravated expression, he added a quick, “No offense.”

“We’re not sure,” Maria said, crossing her arms. “But we need you to look after her until we figure that out.” Both doctors looked at each other skeptically.

“I don’t exactly have time to play bodyguard, I have other things to do,” Dr. Strange protested.

“And I don’t need a babysitter,” Ingrid said.

“What you need is protecting, Dr. Hansen, and who better to protect you than the Sorcerer Supreme?” Fury asked. His words were careful, knowing that even with all that Dr. Strange had been through in recent years, he still relished a stroke of his ego here and there.

Ingrid wasn’t sure what to say. In reality, she knew he was right, but to ask Dr. Strange to protect her seemed far too dangerous. She looked up at him to find him studying her carefully. Before she could ask what he was looking at, he said,

“Alright, fine. If I’m trying to track Loki down anyway, I might as well have a bargaining chip.”

“Excuse me?” Ingrid replied indignantly. “I am not-”

“Wonderful!” Fury said, ignoring Ingrid’s protest. “We’ll be in touch if we learn anything. Make sure to keep us updated.” He, Hill, and Soren turned to leave. Soren turned back to her before they went out the door and put her hands on Ingrid’s shoulders.

“Trust us,” she said, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Ingrid only nodded mutely as the other woman gave her a gentle smile. Soren joined Hill and Fury as they walked out into the cloudy New York evening. The door swung shut with a thud, leaving Dr. Strange and Dr. Hansen alone in the foyer.

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments after the heavy door swung shut. Each of them tried to start at least two sentences before giving up and turning away from each other, the embarrassment and anger from their first meeting bubbling into the air.

Unable to take the silence anymore, Dr. Strange said, “Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum,” and gestured lamely to the large room. She looked about for the first time since she had entered. She had to admit it was lovely, with its grand staircase and dark wood walls. Old, well kept chairs and couches were placed in strategic spots among cases of antiques and decorations. It reminded her of an old library.

"So...you're a warlock now?" Ingrid said, trying to break the awkward silence that had brewed between them.

"Master of the mystic arts, actually," he replied shortly.

"Oh." She shuffled her feet, her heels clicking against the hard floor. "Seems like you've had some life changes."

He grimaced. "Yeah, you could say that." Ingrid bit the inside of her cheek and looked away from him. "Well, it sounds like you've had a pretty long day. Wong and I were thinking of ordering a pizza. Do you want in?"

She gave him a small smile, only just now realizing that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and it was fast approaching seven o'clock at night according to her phone. "Sure, that sounds fine,” she said haltingly. “Who’s Wong?”

"That would be me," said a man who was standing in a doorway on the far side of the room. He was bald, tan, and had a large build, but judging by the way he moved, he wasn't out of shape. "I heard everything from the next room.” He gave Dr. Strange a meaningful look. “Should I show you to your room?"

"Wong, why don't you order the pizza. I'll show Dr. Hansen around," Dr. Strange said. Wong rolled his eyes like he knew exactly what was about to happen.

Dr. Strange waved his hand, and Ingrid felt the room shift around her. Her heart leapt to her throat like she was on a rollercoaster and she shrieked. When her vision settled they were standing in the middle of an old kitchen that had been refitted with new appliances.

“This is the kitchen, feel free to use it whenever,” Dr. Strange said. The tiled floor slipped out from under her feet again and was replaced with hardwood. She lurched forward and caught herself on a bookcase. “This is the library,” he said, looking around the room with no concern for Ingrid’s loss of balance. “Well, part of it. That part that won’t have you accidentally unleashing an elder god. That would be messy,” he said nonchalantly.

She opened her mouth to ask him what kind of books would do that, but before she could, the room shifted again. Dizziness overtook her and she fell against a door that opened as she did, sending her falling to the floor like a drunk sorority sister. Her migraine, which had never really subsided, reminded her of its presence. Though she didn’t dare betray her pain to Dr. Strange, who stared down at her with smug amusement.

"You'll be staying in this room," he said. Ingrid took a moment to right herself and looked around. It was a cozy room with a dark wood, queen size bed that took up about a third of the space. The merlot bedspread had the odd effect of making the air feel warmer, and the lamps glowed with a soft amber light. “The bathroom is the next door on your right,” Dr. Strange explained. “And I’m guessing you’ll need fresh clothes.”

“Yeah, I-” she felt a sudden weight in her hands and grasped at it instinctively. Ingrid looked down to find a set of cotton pajama pants and a soft, oversized T-shirt in her hands. She yelped and dropped them in surprise. Dr. Strange raised an eyebrow.

“Are you more of a satin nightgown kind of girl?” he asked, amused.

“No, I just- How did you do that?” she stammered.

“Master of the Mystic Arts, remember?” He leaned against the door frame nonchalantly with a smirk that she recognized from their last meeting. Seeing it made her scowl.

She crossed her arms, her new pajamas still in her hand. “Look, I need to get something off my chest. You were a complete asshole when we met, and I’m not a fan of being called a bargaining chip,” she snapped. Dr. Strange’s expression barely changed.

He seemed to regard her with the same concern she would expect him to give a barking pomeranian. “Noted. Just as long as you know I’m not your babysitter,” he sneered, craning his neck towards her.

“Fine,” she said.

“Fine.” He turned to leave with a flourish of his cape. He looked back over his shoulder. “There’ll be new clothes in the dresser and a few pairs of shoes in the closet,” he said, gesturing to each with a tilt of his head. “We’ll save you a slice.”

He vanished, leaving Ingrid with her mouth hanging open, both impressed and infuriated. She wished she had another glass of wine to dump on his head for disorienting her for his own amusement, though that certainly wouldn’t earn her any favor from him.

Once she had gathered her wits, Ingrid gathered her newly acquired pajamas and headed into the bathroom. There was an old-fashioned clawfoot tub stocked with shampoo, conditioner and soap. The water took a moment to heat up, which was not surprising given the building’s size and age. As it did, Ingrid brushed out her hair and lamented at how tangled it had gotten while she had been on the run. She wished that when she had met Dr. Strange again that she had looked less disheveled.

She slipped into the water and let out a deep sigh. The hot water pressed against her bare skin was a welcome relief from the frightening events of the day. She took her time washing her hair, trying to distract herself from the looming threat of Loki. She closed her eyes against the memory of his face as he paced in her office, the glint in his eye when he revealed himself to her, the terror she felt when he pressed his hand over her mouth. Her chest tightened as panic rose in her throat.

No, no, no, she thought. That bastard wouldn’t be allowed to take up any more space in her mind. She took a deep breath and ducked her head under the water. The bubbles of the shampoo slipped through her hair and rushed to the surface, brushing against her face and scalp as they went. She focused on the feeling as she willed her rate to slow.

He’s not here, she reminded herself, but then the image of that smirk flashed across the theater of her mind. She shook her head but the image persisted. As she tried to think of something else, the memory faded into a misty recollection. A face she couldn’t quite make out. A voice she couldn’t quite hear.

A sharp pain throbbed in her head, striking maliciously from the middle of her skull. Ingrid’s hands flew to press against her head as she resurfaced with a gasp. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as the ache swelled. But then, just as suddenly as it began, it receded away like an ocean tide.

A frustrated sob escaped her mouth. She could deal with her migraines just fine on most days. They were no picnic, but ever since her accident, it had become a normal part of her life. Usually, she just needed a good dose of caffeine, something salty to eat, and a dark quiet room where she could hide away from the bright lights and loud noises of the outside world. If that was the price she had to pay for surviving, then so be it, but couldn’t her migraine give her a break? It wasn’t enough that she had been afraid for her life less than four hours ago, she had to be in pain too.

Once the worst of the pain subsided, she finished her bath, leaving the tub more exhausted than when she got in. She dried off before slipping into her pajamas and going out into the hall.

Bare feet padded against the cold stone floor as she meandered down the hall, realizing that she wasn’t entirely sure which way to go. The place was deceptively easy to get lost in. Ingrid scanned the numerous shelves of old books as she walked, many in different languages that looked near ancient to her eyes. There was a knife made of white crystal that seemed to emanate a soft yellow glow that sat behind a protective glass case, a set of what appeared to be some sort of full body bindings set against a wall, and other antiques that Ingrid could not name.

As she approached a long stretch of hallway with a single ornate door at the end, she felt certain she had gone entirely the wrong direction.

“Dr. Strange?” she called out, listening for an answer. There was none. “Strange?” she called a little louder. Nothing.

Ingrid turned to walk back the way she came, but felt a sudden pull in her gut, as though a hook had been caught on her ribs. Bewildered, she turned back toward the door. It was carved as handsomely as the rest of the doors in the Sanctum. In all ways, unremarkable, and yet there was the strange sensation of something beckoning her towards the door.

She took a step down the hall, curiosity propelling her forward. Something inside her whispered for her to stop. She paused, but stuffed the feeling down. What was the worst that could happen? Another step, then another and another until she was at the door. She reached out a slim hand and touched the cool metal of the old brass doorknob.

“Bad idea,” Dr. Strange’s deep voice said. Ingrid yelped and whipped around, finding herself face to face with him.

“I was just-” she stammered.

“Just about to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?” he offered with a disparaging look.

Ingrid wilted. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. He seemed a little surprised by her apology. “I just felt like there was something calling to me. Is that weird?”

Dr. Strange considered this, still looming over her. “In this place? Only a little.” He stepped aside and jerked his head back down the hall. “Come on, I’ll take you downstairs.” Ingrid nodded and moved past him. Dr. Strange glanced back at the door, scrutinizing what lay hidden behind it for just a moment before he followed Ingrid and guided her to the kitchen.

When they found their way to the kitchen, Wong was sitting watching a sitcom in the next room on a television mounted to the wall, with a half-eaten slice of pizza on his plate. They both took a slice and went to join him. Dr. Strange sat next to his friend unceremoniously with one foot propped on the coffee table, while Ingrid placed her plate neatly in her lap and huddled awkwardly against the arm of the couch.

Neither she nor Strange said anything as she ate and Wong, who sat between them, shifted uncomfortably.

“So, Dr. Hansen,” he began, desperate to dissipate the fog of tension in the air, “what sort of psychology do you practice?”

Ingrid, who had just taken a bite of food, chewed politely before answering. “Marriage and family counseling,” she said once she had swallowed. She saw Dr. Strange smile tightly on the other end of the couch.

“Good money?”

“In a city like New York? Absolutely,” she said with a laugh. “But that’s not why I do it.”

“Then what is?” Wong asked curiously.

Ingrid sighed wistfully. “To help people, just like every other sap who becomes a doctor.”

“Oh I don’t know about that,” Dr. Strange chimed in. “Some of us do it to feed our egos.”

“Like I told you back then, that was not an official diagnosis, Doctor,” Ingrid replied shortly. “But my door is open if you would like an appointment.” Wong grimaced at the exchange, looking as though he regretted bringing up her practice.

They finished the episode of the show in relative quiet, with occasional comments here and there before Wong stood up to turn in for bed. Ingrid and Dr. Strange sat in tense silence, neither of them really watching the television.

“Well,” Ingrid said, getting to her feet, “I’ve had a hell of a day. I’m going to turn in.” Dr. Strange followed her to the stairs, walking her back up the stairs to ensure she didn’t get lost again.

“So...How long do you think I’ll be here?” Ingrid asked as they walked.

“Hopefully not long,” Dr. Strange answered curtly.

“Right,” she replied, pursing her lips. “Good. The sooner we take care of Loki, the sooner I can go back to being...how did you put it again? Oh, right. Not a real doctor,” she snapped. The combination of her persistent headache and their constant back and forth made her more irritable than she might have been otherwise.

Dr. Strange sighed and caught her shoulder. She spun around to look at him, one step above him on the staircase. “Look, Dr. Hansen, this is only going to be made more difficult if we can’t find some way to coexist.”

“You’re right,” she admitted, reigning in her desire to be stubborn.

“I know I am,” he said. She rolled her eyes. “I know I was rude when we met, but I’ve changed a lot since then.”

“I know, you’re a wizard now.”

“Master of the mystic arts,” he corrected. “But yes, that’s my point. I’m not the same person I was back then and I’m willing to bet you aren’t either. I just don’t know what you want me to say.”

Ingrid raised her fair brows and crossed her arms. “How about ‘I’m sorry’?” she proposed. To her surprise, he nodded.

“I’m...I’m sorry, Dr. Hansen. Truly,” he said, making a concerted effort to hold eye contact with her. His hand twitched where it rested on the banister. “I was wrong to treat you that way.”

Ingrid gazed down at him, as though trying to interpret every insignificant movement of his features. He held his breath as he looked up at her. Apologies clearly did not come naturally to him, but he had struggled through it anyway.

“I forgive you,” she said finally.

“Great,” he said, relief flooding his features. Ingrid gave him a genuine smile.

“Humility looks good on you,” she said as she turned to continue up the stairs. He chuckled and followed after her.

“Better than white wine?”

“Much better,” Ingrid replied. “I’m sorry about that, by the way.”

“I deserved it,” he replied with a shrug as they walked down the hall to her bedroom.

“You know,” she said as they approached her door, “I had wondered what happened to you.” He gave her a questioning look. “When you stopped publishing papers I figured something had happened.”

“Ah.” He clasped his hands behind his back, his fingers twitching uncomfortably in his gloves. “And did you ever find out?”

She shook her head. “I never did,” she admitted. “I figured it wasn’t my business.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you the story sometime,” he said as they turned right at the top of the stairs. She smiled softly up at him, as if to tell him to take his time. “By the way, do you have a headache?” he inquired as they stopped at her bedroom door.

“How did you-?” “You keep wincing at sharp noises and avoiding looking at bright lights,” he observed.

“I’ve had a migraine since Loki’s stunt this afternoon,” she admitted. “I thought the bath would help, but it actually got worse and I can’t seem to shake it.”

“Is this common for you?” he asked, his tone suddenly clinical.

“Migraines? Yeah. I get them pretty often.”

He nodded, studying her closely. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at it in the morning.”

“I don’t know what good it would do. I’ve already been examined by numerous doctors and none of them can find anything,” she explained, resigned to her fate.

He raised his eyebrows. “Right, well, none of them were a former neurosurgeon with mystic abilities.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded, opening her door and stepping inside. “Good night, Dr. Strange.”

“Sleep well, Dr. Hansen,” he said as she closed the door. “Oh, one more thing.” He pressed his hand against the door while it was still ajar.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I don’t want to make this all ‘forbidden wing’ or whatever, but a lot of things here are dangerous in the wrong hands. So don’t sniff around without me or Wong there, got it?” She nodded. “Good.”

The door clicked closed and Ingrid turned to her bed. A bottle of aspirin sat on the bedside table, which she was certain had not been there before.

Rather than retiring to his bedroom, Dr. Strange opened a portal to the room Ingrid had nearly entered earlier that night. It was hard to say what might have been calling out to her, given that the whole room was filled with arcane items. Still, he opened his mind to listen for anything that might be connected to her. It wouldn’t be an actual sound, of course, but he found that some items managed to have a sort of “voice” of their own within the metaphysical planes. At first it was silent, but then there was a thrum of energy from the back of the room. He followed it past old noh masks, ancient swords and suits of armor. It grew stronger with every step he took until his eyes landed on a golden bowl sitting beneath a glass case. Intricate metalwork shaped into numerous symmetrical knots around the rim. The handles were shaped into the head and tail of a serpent, its mouth gaping open as if it were about to strike.

He approached it and lifted the glass case, and set it aside. He reached a gloved hand toward it, still listening. As he did, an anguished scream echoed in his mind. Stephen recoiled from the sound instinctively, though he knew it wouldn’t help stop the noise from reaching him. The wretched wailing continued and was joined by other sets of voices, shouting indistinguishably at each other. Horrified, he closed his mind to it.

The silence that followed deafening. Dr. Strange stared at it in disbelief, breathing hard. Wong approached him from behind.

“Has this thing always been so...miserable?” Dr. Strange asked him.

“There are many things we keep that do not have happy memories attached to them,” Wong said as he held his hands behind his back. “Some of them are even more haunting than this,” he elaborated, placing the glass back on the case.

Dr. Strange’s eyes stayed trained on the artifact. “I think it’s calling to her, Wong.”

Wong nodded. “I think you’re right.” His own gaze fell onto the bowl. It stood quietly under its glass, looking to all the world to be perfectly unremarkable.

#Better Forgotten #my fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #fanfiction #loki x oc #loki x ofc #doctor strange #stephen strange #Marvel #marvel fanfiction #loki #fanfic #marvel fanfic #Dr. Strange #mcu fic

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kuno-chan · 4 years

Text

Sides of the Moon - Ch. 25, The Loyalties of Old Friends

Summary: Runaan and his team of assassins discovers that Rayla has defied him. Again. But when they find her, she’s bleeding out in the woods with precious cargo under her arm and face to face with the princes of Katolis running away from their own castle. They find that, upon this meeting, the die has already been cast.

Rating: T

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The caldera was strange, but the illusions were stranger still. Claudia wasn't deterred.

Once they'd realized the illusions were just that, nothing stopped her march to the summit. The trek took a day, maybe more, but getting to the top was more than worth it. An elven settlement. Here, in the human kingdoms, no less.

No elves, apparently. She gestured for Soren to follow. If the princes were here, they had to locate and dispose of the elves, quietly.

-:-:-:-

Hugging Callum was the highlight of her night; even if things weren't entirely fixed between them it put Rayla a little at ease. That trust would need to be rebuilt. Or maybe she was overthinking.

Callum held her hand and squeezed it. "You should go to bed."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "Oh? Since when were you in charge of my sleep schedule?"

"Since you were out here all day. Don't you think you should sleep?"

"No, actually," she said. "I'm going to patrol the perimeter for a while. Then, maybe I can go to sleep. You, on the other hand, should get some rest. You humans seem to love it so much, you sleep in every morning."

Callum laughed. She smiled. He said, "Not everybody can get out of bed at five in the morning. Are you saying all elves are up that early?

She thought about it. "... not all of us, I suppose."

"See?" he said, pleased with himself.

Too pleased with himself. She pushed him along. "Yeah, yeah, off to bed with you." Her voice softened. "I'll see you in the morning."

He paused. She almost asked him what was wrong, but he gave her a hug before leaving. Callum didn't say another goodnight to her, but he held her for a second longer than usual.

She didn't even hug him back before he left her standing there.

Strange, this human. Even if she considered him her favorite human. Tied with Ez, maybe.

The half-moon was high in the sky and she ventured that not all of the team were asleep. She hoped Runaan, at least, was resting because he needed to. Meditation was... fine, but he needed actual sleep. If she found him awake, she might have to enlist Andromeda's help to persuade him. Even Callisto.

Maybe Callum had a point about needing some rest if she got any of her habits from Runaan.

She was willing to bet on it. Hoped, anyway.

Walking the stone path, Rayla kept her ears and eyes open for any disturbances. She walked along, letting the moonlight ease her nervous heart. She was no fool to think Callum was entirely over the assassin issue. Not that she blamed him.

Sometimes, she questioned it as well.

Focus, she ordered herself.

She righted her mind onto the task at hand. A patrol was hardly useful if she wasn't listening for intruders who could slip by her.

The Nexus, she had to admit, made her miss home. It had all the hallmarks of Moonshadow architecture and the nuances the human towns and kingdoms simply didn't. They were different and they weren't home.

Sounds of home hummed in her mind.

Sweet music of The Silvergrove.

Rayla grew sleepy.

And sleepier still.

Her body drooped and her mind lit up just long enough to grab a rose and prick the thorn on her thumb before she collapsed to the ground.

Then, the voices. Two of them. The voices and the thorn embedded in her thumb stirred her. She roused from her sleep, but kept her eyes closed.

"... if we kill her and somebody finds her, they'll know we're here."

"Then, we hide the body. Soren, c'mon. Kill her. She's a Moonshadow elf. Are you honestly having second thoughts, now?"

"Claudia, I've never fought someone who's asleep like this. It feels like-- like I'm cheating, okay?"

Claudia hissed. "Cheating? We have to rescue the princes. This was even your idea--"

"To rescue the princes. Not kill the elves as soon as we got here."

"I saw an opportunity. How else are we supposed to search the grounds if--"

Rayla heard enough. She swept Soren off of his feet, then pointed her swords at Claudia.

Right. The Dark Mage's daughter.

She approached Claudia, ignoring the fear in her eyes and paying more attention to whether she would fight or fly. Rayla didn't forget the soldier. Soren picked himself up off the ground and unsheathed his sword. Cornered by two enemies, Rayla pointed a sword at each of them.

She thought of the bigger threat. On another day, in another time, she would leap for Soren and go toe to toe with him. She would let Claudia be. Claudia's fear would be enough to stay her.

Rayla leapt for Claudia.

Warrior or no, the girl used dark magic and more dark magic was the last thing any of them needed. A sword only did so many things, but Xadia only knew what the girl had in her bag of tricks.

Immediately, the boy tackled Rayla. She threw him off. He rolled.

The girl was rifling through her bag. Rayla charged her, throwing her sword in her direction. Soren interceded and jumped between her and Claudia. He smacked Rayla's sword away. Rayla caught it.

Alright, then. The boy first. Rayla and Soren circled each other, both of them with an eye on Claudia.

If Rayla couldn't stop her from performing dark magic, she could at least dodge. The thought of whatever macabre thing being cooked up made Rayla's stomach churn.

Soren jumped first. He leapt, Rayla dodged and came back with her own attack. He parried her and she moved out of the way. Leaping around him, she went straight for Claudia.

Rayla tackled Claudia to the ground. Whatever it was -- a paw, Rayla realized -- Claudia dropped it on the ground as the girls tousled, Rayla raised her sword--

Claudia screamed--

--and cut the bag from Claudia's body.

Soren roared and charged Rayla. He lifted Rayla off of Claudia. Rayla elbowed him and he let her go. She put distance between them, panting.

Rayla braced herself for another round. Her only saving grace was that Claudia was not apparently a warrior. She wouldn't fight like one. That was an advantage and a disadvantage.

Soren, closed in on her with his sword. Claudia picked up something from her bag and--

"Wait!"

Rayla's eyes widened. She twirled around. Callum ran at breakneck speed to come between them. His back to Rayla, he said to them all. " Stop fighting. Soren, Claudia, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad you're here, but--"

"It's okay, Callum," Claudia said, raising her -- it was a severed paw. Rayla was going to be sick. "We're here to rescue you."

"Wait, you guys don't understand. I don't even understand--"

Soren flexed his grip on his sword. "It'll all make sense once we're done here. Just get out of the way, okay, step-prince? And then we can take you home."

Something in Rayla spiked, but Callum extended his arms out and backed up into Rayla. "What? No."

"Don't worry. I know a good spell that will have her off our backs for good."

Rayla leaped at them, but Callum caught her around the waist with everything he had, whirling her in a circle and holding her against him with both his arms. "Everybody, wait a minute."

As if on cue, the trees rustled.

Andromeda dropped first. Then, Callisto. Then, Ram and Skor.

Finally, Runaan stalked from the shadows, into the moonlight.

They all had their weapons out. Ram and Skor were behind Claudia and Soren.

"You again?" Andromeda sneered.

"They're my friends," Callum answered. "I grew up with them-- please, can we all just wait a minute and figure out what's going on."

"Make it quick," Callisto said, his knives ready.

Callum looked at Soren and Claudia with a meaningful face.

"We're here for you," Claudia said finally. Gently. "You and Ezran."

"Claudia, I ran away. Remember? Why would I go back?" He demanded. "Your dad wanted to kill me."

"My dad's only doing what's best for us. All of us. I'm sure we can convince him that you and Ezran are okay. He's just... confused. It's a misunderstanding."

Callum held Rayla tighter. She said what he wanted to. "He killed Callum's stepdad. How is that a misunderstanding?"

"That's not true," Claudia retorted, glaring. "He would never do that. Callum, we need to talk about this."

Andromeda said to Runaan, "We should kill them. Silence them. If they leave, they run back to the human kingdoms with our whereabouts. No doubt there's a force waiting to ambush us."

Skor agreed. Callum immediately shook his head. "No, no! Wait, listen-- Everyone, this is crazy. You guys can't just kill each other at the drop of a hat. Claudia, Soren, you attacked Rayla without even seeing if I wanted to go. You knew I'd gone on my own and still did it, anyway." He looked to Runaan. "That doesn't mean I want them to get hurt. Runaan, please, give me a chance to sort this out and figure out what's going on."

Runaan bristled. "You expect me to trust them?"

"No, I'm asking you to trust me on this. You don't have to trust them... you don't really have a reason to, but please."

Runaan paused, blue eyes piercing the three of them. He glanced at Rayla.

Rayla sighed. "Runaan... they're his friends. We should..." She hated to say it. "We should honor it."

His face did that thing. The slightest twitch which meant he would relent. "Very well. But they will be watched. If they act on their ill intentions or I think they have become a danger to us all, they will be killed. I will not hesitate. None of us will hesitate. Is that clear?"

Callum nodded. "Thank you."

He glared at Soren and Claudia. After a moment, Soren sheathed his sword. Smart.

Claudia picked up her ruined bag as Callum let Rayla go.

Rayla looked at Callum. He put his hands up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"Don't worry about it," she smiled at him.

He smiled back, albeit apologetically. He went to walk with Claudia and Soren as the elves escorted them away.

To Claudia, Rayla said. "Don't do anything stupid."

Claudia's glare was frigid. The feeling was mutual.

Rayla only regretted the worry in Callum's eyes when he glanced at them.

-:-:-:-

The next morning, Callum brought Claudia and Soren breakfast to their room. Runnan kept them under lock and key until he decided when they could walk the grounds. Callum needed to talk with him about it, but otherwise things were fine...

He guessed.

As Callum looked in the mirror and rubbed his face he sighed. No, things were not fine on that front.

Claudia and Soren had sided with their father, who killed his father-- he would not back down from the fact -- and were now trying to convince him to take Ezran home. To the same father who wanted to kill them.

Whether or not Claudia and Soren could convince their father to let them live wasn't a risk Callum wanted to take. Not with his life. Not with Ezran's life.

Frankly, he was safer here.

That didn't mean he didn't want to hear them out. It didn't mean he didn't miss them and some semblance of his old life.

"Listen." Rayla shut the door behind her. "We can't trust them."

Callum was already tired. He nodded. "Right..."

"Why are they here? They want to rescue you? They knew you left with us. That doesn't sound right."

"Rayla, I get it. I agree, but I also can't just ignore what they have to say. What if they really are here to help?"

Rayla blinked at him. "Callum, they told you what they wanted: to bring you home. Do you really think they just came here, on their own, defying their father's wishes to bring you home so they can help you? And their father didn’t send them to capture you? You don't believe that, do you?"

Callum turned away.He rubbed his eyes and went back to the mirror. Worry lined his face.

"I don't trust anybody right now." He didn't look at Rayla through the mirror. "Trust isn't the easiest thing for me right now, okay?"

When he finally looked at Rayla’s reflection, her face told him enough about how his words made her feel.

Her ears drooped and she opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately closed it. When she turned to leave, he wanted to turn around and stop her. He didn't.

Callum plopped back on the bed. Why was his life getting so complicated?

-:-:-:-

"I don't understand," Claudia was biting her thumb and pacing. She'd had her hot brown morning potion and was ready to work. But hanging out with all these elves made her nervous. What's more, they were assassins. "Callum and Ezran would never act like this."

"I mean, we don't need to worry about Ezran. We're talking about Callum here," Soren said. "If Callum comes, Ezran will follow."

"But it’s Ezran too... he's so attached to that other elf. What if he's just as comfortable? What are we supposed to do?"

"Clauds, you're thinking way too hard about this."

Claudia stopped pacing and crossed her arms. "And how do you figure that? We have a tall order to convince Callum we're the ones actually on his side. He's been... brainwashed by these elves. He's spent time with them. You noticed how he was with that one elf from last night."

"We really ought to learn their names," Soren mused. "This is getting confusing."

"Soren, focus!"

"I am focusing. Look, Clauds." He stood up and put his hands on Claudia's shoulders. "We've known the Step-Prince and the Crown Runt--"

"Soren."

"-- for years. I'm sure we can figure something out. Normally, I'd say let's just pick them up and carry them home, but even I might have a hard time beating off a team of Moonshadow elf assassins. Though I'm good. Pretty good."

Claudia snapped her fingers and walked away from Soren. Sometimes... sometimes, Soren was brilliant.

"Clauds? Yoo-hoo, I'm over here. Mind telling me what's going on in Claudialand?"

"You are absolutely right."

"I am?" He blinked, then straightened up. "I mean, of course I am."

The'd been friends their whole lives. And Callum had, well, a special connection with her. Surely, that hadn't just evaporated, had it? Elf or no elf.

"Listen, let's just talk to Callum. No crazy stunts. No tricks. Like you said, he knows us way better than them, right?"

"Okay, I said that, but... you also made a good point. What about her?"

Right. Her.

What was her name again?

What did Callum call her when he brought them their breakfast?

Rayla.

Rayla was her name. "We talk to Callum without Rayla. You see the way she is with him."

"The way he is with her, you mean."

"The point is that we need him to remember we're his friends. Not them."

They could manage that. She was sure of it.

-:-:-:-

When Runaan gave the leave, Callum was admittedly relieved to be able to spend time with Soren and Claudia. Even if they did misunderstand the situation he and Ezran were in. Still, talking to them was nice. Surely, they'd come around and understand. Wouldn't they?

Nobody escorted them. Considering there were six assassins plus Lujanne around to monitor them, Callum was marginally able to convince Runaan to let them be.

Rayla hadn't bothered objecting. She hadn't even looked at him.

He squirmed when she didn't.

"... and this is the temple of the Moon Nexus. I've only been in here once, but it's pretty nice, huh?"

"It's amazing, Callum."

Claudia marveled at the inscriptions on the temple walls and what they might mean. Callum let her explore. He had forgotten so much about what home was like. Or around something that felt like home. Watching Claudia in all her beauty and curiosity… he missed this.

"It's alright."

He even missed Soren's interjections, maybe.

Part of him wished Ezran came along with them, but Ezran was more comfortable with Andromeda and Ram right now, looking after the egg. Lujanne was still trying to save the egg after all.

Watching Claudia, his face fell slightly.

He wondered when they might ask about the egg.

They hadn't thus far.

Since when was he so distrusting? Perhaps Rayla called it cautious. He never questioned Soren or Claudia once upon a time. Today, he did. The one blow that always came to mind was their refusal to listen to him about how Lord Viren had killed his father.

He'd seen the killing blow.

Nobody would tell him otherwise.

Whatever his face did, Claudia frowned at it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said. "I'm alright."

"... how have you been, lately?"

Callum wasn't even sure how to answer that. He sighed and looked at the ceiling for a second before turning back to Claudia, his lips tight. "Okay? Not okay? Not as okay as I could be? I'm not sure if I'm happy. Some things make me happy--"

He thought of Rayla.

"--some things... make me sick. And angry. A lot's going on right now."

"I'm sorry... about everything. You... I understand you don't trust us because of what happened with your dad, but don't you think it's at least a little possible that the elves might have tricked you?”

"No."

There was that feeling again. Tight and miserable.

He knew what turned his and Ezran’s life upside down.

"Callum--"

"You weren't there. Neither of you were." Callum turned away from Claudia. His eyes stung. "I- I saw the flash of light. It was purple like all of your spells, and I saw King Harrow -- my stepdad -- fall. I heard it."

The twin sickening thud of Lady Eveline’s body echoed in his mind.

His stepdad's dying collapse also came back, fresh and ready to haunt him for a time, too.

"... can we talk about it?"

Callum clenched his fists. "What's there to talk about? You don't believe me."

A hand laid on one of his fists and he blinked his tears away. Claudia said, "No... I do."

Even Soren seemed... sorry. Apologetic, even. "I do, too. Callum, we're sorry."

"We're sorry about what happened. And... we're sorry about what our dad did. This... this doesn't make it right.But maybe there was a reason. They had a long friendship. Why would they just... why would our dad just do that to yours without a reason? I'm not saying you ever have to forgive him, but you can imagine, can't you?"

Claudia squeezed his hand.

Callum wasn't sure if he should be angry or sad. Relenting or resisting.

"I don't really have to imagine."

"What if he was sorry? What if it was an accident?"

Callum froze.

He'd never considered the idea that any of it had been an accident. From what Claudia had told him, dark magic went wrong sometimes. Still, he swore they were shouting. He swore they'd been arguing about the egg. His stepdad blamed Lord Viren.

"I don't know."

"Callum, you don't have to forgive my dad. And we can even deal with that later, but it's not safe for you here. What will happen when you get to Xadia? They’ll fix everything? You're still safer with us. Humans. Humans who care about you. Even if they lock my dad away forever for what he did to yours--"

Callum looked at her sharply.

"-- you still have Opeli. And all the other counselors. You have your Aunt Amaya."

If she forgave him, anyway. He ventured that she would want an explanation about what happened at the Banther Lodge. But Aunt Amaya was always reasonable.

Moreover... Claudia had a point.

"You'll have us, too," she added.

Callum squeezed Claudia's hand. He appreciated her.

That didn't completely set aside the unease in his belly.

"I missed you guys," he admitted. "But I... I can't just go back now. Things aren't that simple. So much has happened since then. They've protected me."

Claudia's face was crestfallen, maybe even a bit upset when he kept walking.

"Even if they're assassins?"

Claudia and Callum twisted to look at Soren. He said little during their walk, but he'd been listening.

"Yes, even if they're assassins."

Soren frowned. "Callum... we heard about Meraxia."

Callum froze. He must have been like an animal on the road.

The sick thud played in his head again and again and again--

"We were on the road when we found out," Soren said. "But what... What happened with you? How did you even get mixed up in that?"

How did he even answer?

With the truth, he supposed.

What else was there but the truth?

So, he told them. He told them everything and explained what happened, leaving out little detail. For the first time, he had someone to tell. Rayla had lived it with him. And nobody would ever sit above her in that regard.

But to finally have it off his chest with someone who wasn't there.

It gave him some relief. Some.

Even if Soren looked uncomfortable and Claudia a little horrified. It was their turn to be speechless and their turn to feel a bit of what he felt on a daily basis.

When Soren gathered himself, he said, "None of that needed to happen."

"It was my idea--"

"But you wouldn't have been in that situation if it weren't for them. They're assassins, Callum. All of them."

Callum sighed. "Yes. I've already had to deal with that."

"... she's an assassin, Callum."

Callum paused. A common fact, at this point. He wanted to tell Soren as much. Make him back off.

There was also a part of him who wanted someone to listen to what it was like adapting to a bunch of assassins and, well, caring about them. Not that Callum didn't care about a lot of people, but this situation was different.

On top of it all, it wasn't like he was entirely past the thing about Rayla and the guard from Meraxia.

"I know, okay," Callum said. "It hasn't been easy."

This time, Claudia put her hand on his shoulder. "You can tell us what happened."

Callum pursed his lips.

He told them.

He told them all about his fight with Rayla, how she killed the guard and why she did it. It was like he kept trying to convince himself or debate with himself about how he was coping with that bit of knowledge. There was a part of him still horrified by what she did. There was another part of him that remembered what Lujanne said and why Rayla had done it in the first place.

All of it made him hear Lady Eveline's death again.

Was that going to haunt him for the rest of his life?

He reckoned so.

"Callum... that's horrible."

"You see, it sounds horrible, and then I remember, hey, she did it to protect us--"

Soren shook his head. "That's not really an excuse."

"Yeah, but--"

"But nothing. You keep making excuses for her, but she murdered him. In cold blood. She's a murderer, Callum. That's her job."

Claudia stood with Soren on this one. "That's... all she'll ever be, Callum. Do you really want to be around people like that? Just like-- like everybody has always said. Listen, we're only trying to protect you, okay?"

Callum stopped walking. "Wait a minute, she's not a murderer. And it's not like that. Not even close. You weren't there. We were being hunted. We're still being hunted. Rayla did what she felt like she had to do to keep us safe. I don't like it, but I won’t judge her like that. You shouldn't either."

"Why are you protecting her?" Soren demanded. "You said it yourself. She killed a guard, then lied to you about it. Sounds like murder to me."

"Because it isn't like that. She had a good reason. I mean, she shouldn't have lied about it, but..."

"But what? Why are you defending them so much? Why are you defendingher so much?" Soren crossed his arms. "They're Moonshadow elves. She's a Moonshadow elf."

"Callum, I know everything seems confusing, but I promise if you just come home with us then everything will work itself out. It's like Soren said, she's a Moonshadow elf." Claudia said. "She's not worth your time."

"What? No, Rayla means the world to me." Callum shook his head. "I won't leave her."

Claudia and Soren looked at him, then they looked at each other.

He didn't know what they were thinking and, frankly, he didn't want to know.

-:-:-:-

When Callum found her, Rayla was sharpening her knives. Naturally, she was somewhere doing something sword related.

She was in her room and she didn't say anything when he came in. Okay, maybe he deserved that. He was supposed to be getting better at dealing with this thing that was still between them. Despite her lack of acknowledgement, he sat next to her and sidled up as far as he dared.

"Hey."

"... Hey."

Rayla kept sharpening her blades very pointedly, but he continued. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

She hunched her shoulders. "It's fine."

He reached out to her, then stopped. Maybe not while she was handling those things. "It's not. I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't trust you. I'm still not... okay with everything. But what I said wasn't meant to be toward you. Never toward you."

She paused and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Pouted slightly.

But she let her shoulders down and grumbled at him. "You're so... ridiculous."

He grinned. "You're right, but at least I'm ridiculous with you, right?"

Rayla smiled, she looked down at her swords, then back at him. "I suppose. So, how did it go?"

That immediately made Callum tired. "Okay, I guess. Claudia's always easier than Soren. But I also have a better connection with her. Magic and all. Speaking of which--"

Knock, knock

They looked up. Claudia stood at the doorway, smiling, her knuckles raised to rap at the door. "Hey, want to go for another walk? I could use another tour of the place," she said. Her voice was a bit easier this time. "Just the two of us?"

This was the Claudia he knew and could be around. Callum nudged Rayla, who was already frowning. "I'll be back, okay?"

Rayla grumbled, but otherwise nudged him back. "I'll be around."

For you .

She didn't need to say it.

One day, he'd tell her he appreciated her waiting for him.

-:-:-:-

"I'm sorry about earlier, Callum. Can we put it behind us?"

Callum couldn't be more tired of fighting with the people around him. "Yeah... I guess. Of course. I... I kind of want to give it a rest, too."

Maybe, things were okay.

Maybe, it wasn't all bad.

Claudia smiled. That bright, beautiful smile that made his stomach lurch and his heart leap. His face was warmer, too.

"So... the Moon Nexus temple was beautiful, but you never took us to the Nexus itself."

Callum stammered. "O-oh, yeah. Guess I got a little sidetracked about it, honestly. You seemed to love the ruins though."

"They were beautiful. So magical and full of history. I'd love to go there again, sometime."

Callum swallowed hard. Maybe...

Maybe this was his chance. Maybe things were kind of back to normal.

Back in Katolis, he never mustered up the courage to ask Claudia out on a real date. It was always a coincidence of Soren being around or just finding her when she was out. But asking her out on a date. An actual, hopefully romantic date.

He could do this.

Callum rubbed the back of his neck.

He could do this.

"How... how about tonight? I can take you there. And the Moon Nexus. Only if you want to, of course. If not, I totally understand and I can show you sometime in the day when it's not just the two of us. You know, I understand how that might--"

"Callum."

"--not be entirely comfortable and I totally respect that and--"

"Callum."

Callum froze. He dared to look at her directly.

"I'd love to go on a date with you. Let's say, tonight? Moonrise?"

He blinked. "U-uh, yes! That'd be great. If it's great--good, sounds good-- with you?"

Nervous should just be his middle name right about now.

Claudia laughed. He could have melted right there. "Of course it's good with me. Besides, I'd like to make it up to you. Everything, I mean. I just want to have a good time with you again."

Callum cracked a smile. "I'd really like that, too, Claudia."

She began to walk away, but not before brushing her hair behind her ear and smiling back at him. "It's a date then."

He was practically breathless. "A-a date."

When she was out of view, he almost collapsed right there.

A date. With Claudia.

He had to talk to somebody. Had to tell somebody. If Ezran was here, he'd tell him, but he was probably busy.

Callum was going to burst. With nerves or joy, he wasn't entirely certain.

-:-:-:-

When he came back to see Rayla, she had migrated to the tree outside and was just about done with her swords, putting them away as he approached her. Her face was already in question when he strolled toward her, his heart and face on fire.

He took Rayla by the elbows and sat her down again.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked.

"Date."

"... what?"

"Date. With Claudia."

Rayla froze. "With Claudia."

"I have a date with Claudia," he grinned. Her reaction was the exact opposite of his. He could do anything. Wanted to do everything right now. Rayla sat next to him, eyes wide and her mouth frozen.

"T-that's... yeah."

"We talked about things and, you know, we've been friends for so long. I guess good things can happen in crazy times, right?"

"... right. I'm, uh... good for you. "

Her face was still unreadable. He held her arms when they stood back up, but Callum was grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks for being so easy about this. I know you don't trust them, but everything will be fine. You trust me, right?"

Out of instinct, he held her hand to his chest.

Her expression was still weird, but he couldn't read it with so many things going on in his head.

"...of course, I trust you," she said finally. Her smile was small.

"Okay, I still have to tell you something, but I have to get ready first. We’ll talk tonight? When I get back?"

She only nodded.

Callum squeezed her hand as he let her go. Then, he left.

-:-:-:-

Skor watched from his place, a safe distance away. He saw Rayla.

Beside him, Ram did, too.

"You see that?" Skor asked.

"I tried not to, but yes."

"You realize that'll be a problem, right?"

"Yes, I do," Ram sounded tired.

Skor grumbled. Damned teenagers.

We're back! After a couple months, I know it was a while, but I did win Nanowrimo with 50k words of TDP fic. About 25k for both Sides of the Moon and Gales of Yesterday. I really appreciate the wait you guys and things are going to start picking up in terms of the thick of the plot for the first part of Sides of the Moon.

Other than that, I think I'll let you guys sit on what that means for future chapters (the next 4 will be coming on regular intervals).

I also just want to give a heads up that I am planning an original novel right now (in earnest) and would love your support on that. Follow me on twitter for any future updates! I'm kuno_12 on Twitter.

As always, I love it when you guys leave those reviews. They keep me motivated and keep me writing. Thank you for reading! Tune in for next chapter!

Please consider reviewing on AO3

#the dragon prince #rayllum #tdp #rayla #callum #my fics

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scarletemeterio-thesecond · 4 years

Note

hey, i saw you write for tdp, could i request a soren x reader imagine where reader is a half-elf or something like that? please make reader gender neutral if you can

Omg, my first request! I love this idea, there are not enough Soren imagines, and of course I'll make it gender neutral! I hope you like it! It's a bit long because I had to put some context in it, much love <3

•••

Uncovered Secrets (Soren x Reader)

Warnings: Mentions of death

Genre: Angst, a lil bit of fluff.

Fandom: The Dragon Prince

Summary: See request

Word Count: 1978

part 2

I've always had to hide myself from everyone. I had to learn from a young age how to do it. I've always been told how, when I was a baby, I was found at the border and given to my father after saying he would take care of me, and he has ever since. I'm a hybrid, half Moonshadow Elf and half human, so I had to learn as soon as possible how to do magic in order to create illusions to hide my appearance. I remember when I first did it at the age of ten, I was so happy, all those years of covering my head and half of my face were over, I didn't even have to paint my eyebrows anymore; I could finally be normal and treated like any other human in Katolis.

Life from that moment really changed for me. My father was a respected general so I'd always lived in the castle, but I started hanging out with the other kids, Prince Callum and Lord Viren's children. We quickly became inseparable and did pretty much everything together. I think it's safe to say that everyone knew about my special friendship with Soren. I don't know why, but we just understood each other even from a young age, and it only got stronger as the years passed. He was always there for me as I was there for him, he'd helped me a lot when my father passed away and I trusted him with my life, we knew everything about each other... except for what I really was. I thought about telling him a couple times but I knew it was wrong, and I knew how much humans hated elves, even Soren. But this was the life I had, I was destined to hide from the people I cared about the most. Or at least, that was until Rayla appeared in our lives.

The two Princes, Rayla and I discovered that the egg of the dragon prince hadn't been destroyed, and we were going to take it home to its mother. During our trip, I decided to tell them the truth, if Rayla had been accepted as our friend then there was no reason to fear anymore. Thankfully, I was right, nothing changed between us and I even stopped using magic to hide my true appearance. It was weird but at the same time it felt right, it was freeing.

We've been staying with Lujanne for a few days now, enjoying the little dragon's company and giving ourselves a little break. Rayla and I knew we had to go, though, but the Princes weren't very interested on leaving yet, so we agreed to stay one more day. Everything seemed fine but the elven girl and I felt a bit unsafe, so we decided to take turns and keep guard in case something or someone decided to appear.

It was my turn to keep guard so I was looking for Rayla to replace her but when I found her she was lying on the ground, surrounded by two people. I prepared myself to attack, thanking my father for all those sword and combat lessons he'd make me take, I wouldn't let them hurt her.

"Get away from her!" I yelled as I approached them, but I stopped when I realized who they were. Soren and Claudia were standing a few feet away from me and it felt like I hadn't seen them in a lifetime.

"Oh, great, another elf?" Soren said. "So what, there's like a whole other group of you?" I could sense the hatred and disgust in his voice. He didn't recognize me, neither of them did. Before I could say or do something, Rayla woke up and took them by surprise.

She started fighting with Soren and I got out of my trance only when Callum showed up, trying to calm everyone down. He was happy to see them and I would've been too, but I just couldn't believe what had happened.

"She kidnapped you and Prince Ezran, how can she be good?" asked Claudia about Rayla. "And it seems like she didn't act alone because there's another one of them too!".

"No, wait! There was no kidnapping, Claudia. We went with her by choice" explained the older Prince. "And what do you mean by 'another one of them'?"

"Well, what does that mean then?" said Soren, pointing at me. Hearing him speak about me like that was the worst thing I could've ever imagined.

"That is (Y/N)" answered Rayla, clearly annoyed at the blonde boy.

"What do you mean? (Y/N)'s hair is not white and they don't have horns, or pointy ears, or those weird things under their eyes! Stop lying!"

"Soren, she's right. It's me" as soon as I said that I used my magic to change how I looked, going back to how they knew me. "I'm a hybrid, I've been using magic ever since I was ten to blend in".

I could tell he was shocked and he opened his mouth to say something but the words never came out.

"Listen, guys, it's late. Let's just get some rest and cool off, okay?" We all agreed to Callum's words and went back with the others but I could tell there was a thick tension in the air. And that tension stayed there until we all went to bed.

When we woke up, we had breakfast together and I started using my magic again, at least when Claudia and Soren were around, I already knew what they thought of me and I didn't want to put up with their looks too. I spent all day learning some magic with Lujanne, it was nice to learn from an actual mage and it didn't hurt to get my mind off some things for a while.

When I was done for the day and ready to go to bed, I heard someone knocking the door.

"Come in" I said loudly.

"You'll never guess what happened today, (Y/N)" said Rayla as she entered the room, we had become good friends in the last couple days and it felt nice to have someone kind of like me around. She told me about what Soren had done earlier that day, and about how she tried to talk to Callum but he didn't pay any attention to her. "And I just talked to Lujanne because maybe she would help me and I realized that the only way for them to completely trust me is by telling them the truth, even if it hurts them".

"The truth? What do you mean, Rayla?"

"This is not easy to say but... Their father is dead and I've been wanting to tell Callum but I just don't know how to and I-"

"Hey, Rayla. It's okay, you're just trying to protect them, I'm sure they will understand. We're friends, remember?" I interrupted her, trying to clam her down. She let out a deep breath and nodded with her head. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, (Y/N). We're friends, remember?" she said, repeating my words. I smiled weakly before continuing.

"I'm not totally surprised about what you said about Soren, not after how he reacted with me at least. And you know what's the worst part? I'm sure that his father is behind what happened earlier today. I know him but he just needs Viren's approval, you know? And it hurts, a lot actually. I just hope he realizes there are people who truly care about him before it's too late".

"You like him, don't you?" I opened my eyes at her words, trying to deny it but all she did was smile. "You're not very good at hiding it, (Y/N)".

"I guess I'm not. I just hope that deep down you are wrong and that they both realize that what they're trying to do is wrong".

"I hope so, too" she hugged me tight, wrapping her arms around my neck. "It's late, I think I'm gonna go to bed" she said as she started heading towards the door to go to her room.

"Go, I'll stay up a bit longer".

And suddenly that 'bit longer' turned into at least two hours. I couldn't sleep, I just kept thinking about Soren and his attitude. I decided to get out of my room and go to the Moon Nexus, if I was going to stay awake thinking about things at least I would have a nice view while doing it.

I was standing against the edge when I heard someone coming. I started hiding my true appearance out of instinct but was interrupted in the middle of the act.

"You don't have to do that". Soren's voice sounded loud in contrast to the silence of the night. I stopped using my magic and he came to my side. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah... What made you change your mind?" He stood there looking confused, not understanding what I was talking about. "Yesterday you didn't even recognize me without the illusion and even looked disgusted at the sight of me. What's changed?"

"I noticed you hide your elf-like features when I'm around, but I've never seen you being more you than when you stop hiding" I looked at him confused, I thought I'd made sure to use my magic whenever he was around. I could tell he saw how disconcerted I was. "I saw you practicing your magic earlier today and then playing with the kids. I've never seen you so... Happy and free".

There was a brief silence between us until I broke it.

"That's because I've never truly felt like that, until I stopped hiding".

"I'm sorry for acting like that yesterday, I was a fool. And I think you look really cute like this".

"So you don't hate me?"

"How could I ever hate you? You're the most important thing in my life, (Y/N)".

I smiled at his words and turned my gaze to the water underneath us. I looked into his eyes again and we started getting closer and closer, but just when our lips where about to touch, I backed off.

"I'm sorry but I really need to ask you something. Why did you lie to the boys earlier, saying that King Harrow missed them?" he looked confused and a little bit scared.

"W-What to you mean?"

"There's no way you hadn't known that he was dead, you literally are a Crown Guard, Soren. So just tell me why you did it, please".

Again, there was silence, but this time it was tense and extremely awkward.

"I-I'm sorry but-"

"But what? You can't tell me? Why? Because it would ruin whatever plan your father has regarding the Princes?" I stopped to look at him but he was avoiding my eyes. "Because you don't want to admit that it was a strategy to be able to kill the boys a lot easier by making them trust you?" I said, remembering what Rayla had told me before about the zip line.

He just stood there, now a few feet apart from me and I could se how surprised he was, but I also could see something else, that I was right about my assumptions.

"You don't understand, (Y/N), I-"

"Oh, no, Soren. I think I understand really well".

As soon as I said that I left, going back to my room with tears running down my face, and ignoring Soren's voice calling for me. How could he even think about doing that? How would I tell the Princes? Would I even tell them at all or would I just try to keep them safe without destroying the image they had about his so-called friend? I had so many questions and not even one answer. I only knew that Rayla wasn't wrong at all.

•••

Oh, boy, this took a long time to write. I was thinking about doing a part 2 but I'm not sure about it.

-Mica :)

#soren x reader #the dragon prince fic #the dragon prince #soren fic #soren fanfic #soren tdp #soren imagine #soren the dragon prince #the dragon prince imagines #tdp imagines #tdp x reader

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de-profundis-ad-astra · 4 years

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Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Project Masterlist

Word Count || 2.5k Author’s Note || This is part two of what I posted yesterday. You don’t need to have read the first part for this to make sense, but I would recommend it. You can find it here. So, yesterday you met Kerri, today you get to meet Charlotte!

Charlotte Moore was most easily identified by the click clack of her heels on the gleaming tile floors and the way the temperature seemed to flux around her. Her thick, curling red hair—hanging down her back and spilling over her shoulders—practically bounced with a life of its own as she flounced up the stairs and through the halls of Legion’s Los Angeles corporate location. She would have used the elevator, but the prospect of a new job had her positively bursting with energy. The stairs provided an outlet, just enough to take the edge off. Even then, those she passed along her way made sure to vacate more than enough space for her. A privilege that came with her title, she knew.

For someone trained to be silent when entering new or unpredictable situations, Charlotte was capable of making a hell of an entrance. Though unpredictable, she aimed for it every time she met with her… handler.

She reached her destination, wrapped her long, freshly manicured fingers around the knob, and pushed the door open without knock or warning. Most people felt that walking from a well-lit atmosphere into a dark room was disconcerting. Charlotte thrived on such excitement.

Director Cecil Soren tried, and failed, to conceal his jolt of surprise as his office door flung open and crashed into the wall. He knew he’d failed the moment he heard a hint of low laughter join the fading echo of the door and the thud of his knee hitting the underside of his desk. The laughter subsided as Charlotte dropped her body into one of the seats directly across from him.

“You can’t be surprised to see me,” said Charlotte, grinning at the fatigue in her handler’s eyes as he hunched forward to grip his throbbing knee. It seemed her mere presence already wearied him. “I’m always on time.”

Director Soren looked at the clock above his door, his mouth forming a tight line. Eight o’clock sharp. As always. He straightened. “Your punctuality is merely a standard you’re expected to uphold, and is one of the few you actually care to meet.”

Charlotte sniffed, disappointed that he didn’t rise to meet her banter. They were always so good at it. She moved along, not without making a mental note of this, “So, if we aren’t going to play.” She crossed her arms. “What do you have for me?”

Director Soren reached into a drawer, removed a slim file, and placed it on his desk with a certain amount of delicacy. Placing one hand flat over the cover, he slid it towards Charlotte. “The panel has decided to grant you one more chance to prove your worth as a Named Agent of Legion.”

Charlotte nodded with recognition. Over a week had passed since what they considered the unmitigated disaster that had been her last meeting with her disciplinary panel. To Charlotte, it had been just another Tuesday.

What was meant to be a review of her most recent discipline case had devolved into what he could only describe was an amalgam of arguing and backtalk until Charlotte was ordered out of the building and given strict instructions to remain on call.

This was the first she’d heard from Soren since then. Hence the excitement.

Charlotte tilted her head, her eyes locking on the folder like a piece of meat. Her fiery curls fell over one shoulder with the motion. “Can’t say I’m hard pressed to disagree with the decision. What’s the job?”

“Getting you this opportunity was a hard fought victory,” said Soren, deflecting. “I do not suggest you take it lightly.”

“Whatever gave you that impression?” asked Charlotte, her eyes rounding and mouth falling open partway. The portrait of innocence.

Her whole career, actually, might have lead one to believe this. But Charlotte never passed up an opportunity to gibe at her handler.

Director Soren easily saw through the ruse. “Anyone reviewing your service record wouldn’t need to make it far to know your history of insolence.”

Air hissed from Charlotte’s nose as she exhaled, the soft features of her face hardening into hard planes and angles. “Fine,” She huffed, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering to conceal the way she rolled her eyes before her focus narrowed back to the file. Without asking, she reached for it.

Soren yanked the folder back before she could touch it. She leaned back with a puff. “You swore an oath to support and defend this corporation. To bear allegiance to it and no others. Do you still swear it?”

Charlotte’s heart soared at those words, wings fluttering against her ribs. Excitement rose in her throat, and she tamed the face-splitting grin that threatened to break across her face to a mild conspirator’s smile. “I do.”

“You swore to serve as a living example of this corporation’s philosophies and beliefs and to uphold these values at all times. You took this obligation freely and of your own accord. Do you still swear it?”

Charlotte allowed some of her control to slip, and her resulting smile reminded Director Soren more of a predator baring its teeth than an expression of happiness. “I do.”

“Do you swear to give yourself wholly to this assignment and complete the request of its commissioner?”

“I do.”

“Thank you,” Director Soren withdrew his hand, and Charlotte greedily snatched the file off his desk. She flipped it open, immediately faced with the small headshot of a stern-looking blonde clipped to the inside of the cover.

Charlotte snorted, “Hell of a mugshot. What do we want from her.”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Charlotte repeated, incredulous. “Then why—”

It dawned on her, then, and she trailed off. Her handler’s expression gave her everything she needed.

“Oh, Cecil,” Charlotte breathed, placing a hand over her heart. “You shouldn’t have.”

Soren ignored the flattery and the way she casually flung around his first name instead of addressing him by his title. “Agent Gatsby, you’ve been commissioned an assassination.”

Charlotte gave a low whistle as she skimmed over the few pages the file had to offer. “Haven’t had me one of those in… oh, what’s in been? A year? Year and a half?”

“One year, three months, and eleven days.”

Charlotte cocked an eyebrow. “You kept track?”

“It was the biggest mess I’ve ever seen a Named Agent make.”

Charlotte recalled that memory fondly. Another assignment that had put her under scrutiny from Legion’s board of directors. Perhaps even Alpha, herself. It was hard to tell, though. Alpha rarely deigned to show her face to anyone outside her cabinet.

She hummed, handling the file with tender delight, the way she supposed people may feel when holding a newborn baby. “And yet…”

“And yet, indeed.” Soren pinched at the bridge of his nose. “I advised that this kind of mission was inappropriate for your circumstances, but they did not heed my council.”

“Why would anyone ignore you? You have such a commanding presence.” She gave him a once over that seemed all too invasive. There was nothing promiscuous behind the action, but that was of little comfort to Director Soren. It was too reminiscent of a predator assessing a threat. “It’s your broad shoulders. They really work for you.”

Soren ignored the jab; Charlotte’s smile turned into a wink.

“So,” he emphasized, taking back control. “This is a very important mission, and you should treat it as such. This is your opportunity to prove to the board that you are more of an asset than a liability. Success without infraction will put you on the road back into their good graces.”

“And all it’s going to take is a ticket to Texas and one body?” There was far too much glee in Charlotte’s words.

Soren folded his hands and rested his fingers over his mouth. “It’s less about the task itself and more about your performance. Remember what you need to prove to the board.”

“Surely you don’t think I’m taking this seriously?” said Charlotte, feigning incredulity. She tugged the small, index-card sized sheet of cardstock free of its paperclip and inspected it closely.

“I’m ordering it, in fact,” he forged forward. “Your target is dangerous, and you would be wise to proceed with extreme caution.”

Charlotte kicked her feet up onto the edge of Soren’s desk, leaning heavily against the armrest of her chair. “That’s what all the girls say behind your back,” she said without looking away from the photo.

“And if you have any self-preservation instincts,” his voice grew strained. “You’ll listen to me. Please—”

“You say that so imploringly. It gives me goosebumps.”

“Please,” Soren did, indeed implore her. “Be discreet. Do not make another spectacle of yourself.”

“But I’m such a lovely spectacle,” Charlotte pouted.

Director Soren barely had the energy to glare. “There is a lot hanging in the balance, Agent Gatsby. This kind of behavior is not what will tip the scales in your favor.”

“Believe me, if you didn’t make it so fun, I wouldn’t bother,” said Charlotte. “But that’s neither here nor there. I just want to know what Blondie here did to make herself such a prize shot.”

Sure enough, Charlotte’s initial skim of her file had given her absolutely nothing to suggest that her newest target was an overt menace to society. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t above killing another for small reasons. However, she was plagued by an incessant curiosity that yearned to at least know why.

“To borrow a phrase: that’s neither here nor there.”

“Oh, Cecil, you make me laugh.”

She wasn’t laughing.

“I should not have to remind you to remember your place, Agent Gatsby,” said Director Soren. “Everything you need to know to do your job is in that folder.”

Charlotte looked down at the pathetic excuse of a folder. Such a meager amount of information certainly was not typical for her. “You’ve given me enough high-profile jobs to know my resume is stacked with Legion’s trust. When you look me up in the database, it says Intelligence Specialist. Which is code for ‘really really likes secrets’. So—” she flicked the photo around between her fingers and shoved the image of the austere woman into Director Soren’s face. “I’d like to know who this Kerri Stevens is.”

Director Soren’s mouth formed a tight, impenetrable line.

“Classified.”

Charlotte frowned, leaned back, then schooled her features into a neutral mask. She looked pensive, considerate, even, as she secured the photograph into place with its paperclip. She lowered her feet to the floor, but when she looked up, her dark green eyes were positively aflame. Delicately, she flipped the folder shut and placed it down on the desk.

“I wonder what would happen,” she said slowly, carefully, as she slid the file towards Soren. “If I were to… rescind the mission.”

Director Soren stared at Charlotte, yielding no reaction other than a subtle tilt of his chin downwards as he swallowed. She sat back and mirrored her handler’s stare, patiently awaiting an answer. She could be a very patient person.

“I see I’ve made you speechless,” she commented at last.

“You think you can rescind an assassination that came straight from Alpha’s desk?”

Charlotte shrugged, an air of indifference about her that brought Director Soren’s blood to near boiling temperatures. “Depends. How badly do they want me to stay?”

“It’s your status being evaluated, no one else’s,” Soren shot back. “How badly do you want to stay?”

Charlotte clucked her tongue and sighed, “Well, where’s the fun in saying no to such a mysterious target?”

Soren fumed, “Fun?” He glared at the redhead casually slumped in the chair across from him. “This is all just for fun, then. The tests, the trials. All of it… fun?”

“Is working for a max-security espionage operation with blurred ethical and moral boundaries not you idea of a good time?”

“No.”

“That’s probably why you’re not a field agent, then.”

Her handler’s fingers began twitching over the metal surface of his desk. “Perhaps I should tell the board you’re not interested in taking the assignment.” He pulled the folder towards his side of the desk. “We can see how keen they are on providing you with another opportunity once they’ve learned of your apathy.”

“Ah,” Charlotte held a finger up, looking all to pleased by his chosen response. “But you just said they wouldn’t take your council when they chose this for me. They clearly want me to stick around. Maybe it’s time you jumped on the bandwagon.”

Director Soren’s hands slammed down onto his desk so hard his palms stung. It did get Charlotte to shut up, which he reaped a moment of satisfaction from. He fixed his most wrathful glare on his agent who, infuriatingly, remained unperturbed. When he leaned over his desk, her gaze turned questioning.

“Might I remind you, Agent Gatsby, that bearing a Name does not make you untouchable.”

Exhaling deeply, Charlotte leaned forward and braced her elbows on her knees. She gave Soren a wolfish smirk.

“Cecil,” she breathed. “If you want to touch me, All you gotta do is a—”

Director Soren’s hand snapped forward, wrapping her around her throat before she could finish her statement and clenched. Not hard enough to see stares, but just enough to—hopefully—remind her who was superior.

Charlotte gasped, choking on her words, but did not appear alarmed as she casually wrapped a slender hand around his. If anything, she looked more annoyed than fearful. Her manicured nails dug into the bone protruding from his wrist. But, just as she showed no reaction, Director Soren gave nothing away as he pulled her forward until the corner of his desk dug into her stomach.

Charlotte hissed, her nails scratching over his skin, “Buy me dinner, first.”

Soren tucked the pain to a corner of his brain where he would not let it bother him. “Consider the ones who earned the Director’s desk—not a mere Name.” He managed to keep his voice low, despite his rage. “I’ve done more than my due diligence.”

As annoying as the gesture was, Charlotte couldn’t blame him for lashing out like this. Legion was a cut-throat corporation and, in all honesty, she was accustomed to being treated roughly. With her, violence or other physical displays of authority were often the only thing her superiors could do to get through to her. Or at least, it was a way for Charlotte to know that she’d pushed the right buttons.

“A desk,” she snorted, her fist jabbing out and catching Director Soren in the throat. An eye for an eye, a trachea for a trachea.

When his hand retracted, Charlotte calmly drew in a full breath, and scooped up Kerri Stevens’s file from her chair. In a stunning whirl of leather and red curls, she swept towards the back of the office and opened the door.

“You can keep your desk,” she said with pointed lethality.

And with that, the door slammed behind her, leaving Director Soren coughing and ruing the day he was assigned to be Agent Gatsby’s handler.

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#atlastracking #writeblr #writing community #my writing #original stuff #legion #excerpt #nanowrimo #nanowrimo 2020 #once again i am posting this early bc i require immediate validation #and i'm trying to figure out the best times to post shit so it gets seen sjafkldjakf

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iwillhaveamoonbase · 4 years

Text

The Long Game ch. 2

Rayla glared a bit at her reflection in the mirror. How could she look just like herself and look nothing like she always did at the same time? Her horns were gone, her skin lacking the pink undertones, and she had the human pinkos. No…pinkies. They were called ‘pinkies.’ Her hair had yellow in it now and her lavender eyes were now a piercing blue. She hated it. Even her voice had lost it’s Silvergrove accent. She had spent the whole six months trying to get rid of it only for the powerful illusion to take care of it for her. Rayla quirked a lip as she remembered how she had reacted to that back at Lujanne’s. Lujanne had taken the whole thing as a learning process, that she was capable of losing her accent, but Rayla had been frustrated with the situation.

Rayla put a hand under her bare eye. She was sorely missing the dye normally under her eyes. She felt naked without it. The dye…she hadn’t been able to bring any with her and the design she chose….it had been a variant of the one her parents had put on her.

Rayla wasn’t foolish. She knew why the Assassins Guild had approved Runaan’s plan so easily and why no one but Ethari had opposed the idea. It didn’t matter if she died in the process; she was here to make up for her parents’ disgrace. “You two just had to run away…”

Rayla turned her head to look around the lavish room. She had hoped that King Harrow would take her in and give her a place among the palace staff. Easy to hide, easy to maneuver. That’s not what was happening, apparently. The room was right next to Prince Callum’s if she had heard correctly because she had asked for a view of the moon. Rayla walked around the room. It was too big, the balcony too ostentatious. She needed the moonlight to continue to charge the talisman, but she didn’t need all this. The dark purple stone had been created by all the mages of Silvergrove and crafted by Ethari. Lunjanne had added her own illusion magic and the power of the Moon Nexus had made it even stronger. It had to be perfect. She had to be perfect.

The moon was slowly rising, signaling the end of the day. Dinner had been awkward to say the least. They had done introductions and Viren had glared at her the whole time. His son, Soren, had stared at her for most of the time. Rayla was used to people staring at her, but this was different. All she knew was she didn’t like it. One of the princes, Callum, had also stared at her most of the night. But, his look had been different than Viren’s suspicious one and Soren’s….whatever that was. Callum looked at her with pure confusion. Did he see through the illusion? Lujanne had warned her that incredibly magically sensitive beings would be able to see through it, but that shouldn’t count a human, right? Right?

As she stepped onto the balcony, she sighed at the cool breeze that came over her. She heard a scritch-scatching to her right and turned her head to see Callum drawing the half moon. The moonlight was hitting the planes of his face and his green eyes almost looked like they were glowing. When he looked up again, she saw the emergence of a sharp jawline; something that would come as he grew older. He was a lot more handsome than her initial perusal had indicated. “Drawing the night sky, Your Highness?”

He yelped, startled out of his thoughts. “Oh! Rayla, right?”

She quirked a brow. “Yep.”

“Sorry. I just…get into a groove, I guess.”

“Don’t let me keep you from your ‘groove.’”

Callum gave her a soft smile, before turning back to his sketchbook. They sat in silence for a bit, Rayla perfectly content to stare at the stars. After some time, Callum nervously coughed. “Do you want to see?”

“Sure.” Before Callum could hand the sketchbook over to her, Rayla got on the ledge of her balcony and jumped onto his. He looked shocked for a moment, unsure. “Everything OK?”

“Yeah. I’ve just never done that before. I don’t think I’d have the confidence to not fall to my death.”

Rayla shrugged. “You need good control and balance. It’s not that tricky once you get those two things.” Callum had a look of disbelief on his face, but showed her the sketchbook. Rayla’s eyes went wide as she stared at the picture. Callum had indeed drawn the moon, craters and all, but he had also drawn her. There was a peaceful expression on her face. “I didn’t realize you were drawing me.”

“Sorry. I should have asked first.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m amazed you would pick me to draw.”

“It was hard not to. I have a feeling you don’t often feel as at peace as you did right then.”

“What makes you say that?”

Callum shrugged. “Just a feeling. Maybe I’m projecting. I don’t feel at peace very often myself.”

“Really?”

Callum nodded. “The king is my step-father and he’s been great, but our relationship isn’t really the parent-child one I want.”

“And your biological father?”

“Dead. Has been since I was about a year old. And my mom died about ten years ago.”

Rayla was quiet for a few moments. “I don’t know where my parents are. I was raised by their friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s for the best.”

Callum looked away for a bit. “You said your village is gone?”

“Yeah.”

“And it was elves?”

Rayla shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe. I don’t really know. Everything’s a little fuzzy.” Callum let it drop, but he turned his eyes back to her. There was that look again. “What?”

“What?”

“You’re looking at me like you’re confused.”

Callum flushed a bit. “Sorry.” He apologized too easily, Rayla decided. He tried to make himself small and unnoticed. Why? Weren’t humans supposed to be arrogant? “I don’t know how to explain it, but when I look at you, something’s…off.”

“‘Off?’”

“I don’t know. I asked Soren and Claudia and they both said you’re just really pretty and I’m not used to it.”

Rayla blinked twice. “What do you think?”

The light flush on his cheeks became a dark red. “I mean, you are quite pretty, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“What do you think it is, then?”

Callum stood up, so he was almost at her height. He was about an inch shorter than her, their eyes almost meeting directly. His lips were a lot fuller than she had thought. He tilted his head, an intense look directed right at her. “Do you dye your hair? Claudia does.”

“No.” Rayla gulped. He was too close. Could he hear her heart beating loudly? Why was it beating so fast? What was happening? She had to get out of here! “Sorry, but it’s late. I think I’ll head to bed.”

“Of course. Good night.” Rayla quickly turned and got on the railing to jump back onto her balcony. She turned her head to see Callum still looking at her with that same intense look. She gave him a quick wave and closed the balcony doors. Rayla leaned against the door, putting a hand to her chest. Why was her heart threatening to beat out of her chest? Was she almost caught? No….That hadn’t been it. Prince Callum was dangerous to her mission. That she knew.

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

“Harrow! We can’t trust her!”

Harrow pinched the bridge of his nose as Viren continued to denounce his commitment to Rayla. “We must care for all of our citizens.”

“Prove to me she’s one of our citizens! There has been nothing about what she claims! No villages have been attacked. NOTHING!”

“Viren, there could be a million reasons why her story isn’t adding up. What if she hit her head and this is the story her mind’s put together? We’ll help her find her home. If there is no home, I’ll give her one until she’s ready to leave.”

“This is a mistake. We can’t just take anyone in! Do we want a repeat of Duren? You don’t think things through enough when you’re trying to be compassionate.”

Harrow grit his teeth. “Let’s make something clear. I take full responsibility for what we had to do in Xadia. I lost my wife because I didn’t think ahead enough. My sons have to grow up without their mother! But I will not leave someone in need. I am trying to build a world that will accept the love and compassion that is so strong in Ezran.”

“Ezran?”

“His heart is far purer than mine ever was. He forgives easily and is incredibly understanding. He’ll be a better king than I am. But, I have to show compassion and understanding as well.”

“Harrow, listen to me-”

“The subject of Rayla is closed. She stays unless she proves she cannot be trusted.”

Viren growled low in his throat, quickly leaving the room. Harrow sighed as he leaned against his chair. Pip began to sing, the melody almost cheerful.

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

The next morning, Rayla followed Callum and Soren as they went to do their lessons. Callum looked completely unenthused while Soren kept sending smirks her way. What was with this blonde idiot? She watched Soren basically not teach Callum much of anything, except to expect to fall down. Which, would have been fine if he was also teaching Callum how to get up quickly. “Can I interject?”

Soren gave her a cocky grin. “No offense, but what does someone from a farming village know about swords?”

Rayla wracked her brain for the excuse Lujanne and her had come up with. “I’ve seen the military practice often enough. Besides, you don’t think children pretend to play with swords?”

Soren shrugged, handing her his sword. Rayla shook her head, taking Callum’s from the ground. “You’re not teaching him right.”

“With all due respect, I’m teaching him fine.”

“You’re teaching him to expect to fail but not how to get back up. In other words, you’re screwing with his confidence. That’s not teaching.” Rayla lunged forward, Soren barely able to block it. “His mother used a lance. Train him on that.” Soren pushed back, shock on his face as Rayla spun and used his own force against him so that he leaned forward, almost losing his balance. “Not everyone is made for the same thing.” Soren spun to face her. They traded blows, but it was obvious to all that Rayla was the superior swordsman. She was too light on her feet and knew when to add the right amount of power. She also knew when to back off, which was ultimately Soren’s downfall as she finally swept his legs out from under him, landing him on his back.

“You-You SWEPT THE LEG!” Callum exclaimed. Rayla smirked over at him. She wanted his attention on her, she realized. She wanted his praise.

“That’s not a thing in sword fighting!” Soren groaned from the ground.

“Apparently it is.” Everyone looked up to see Harrow, Viren, and Opeli at the entrance to the courtyard. “Rayla, you have a lot of talent in sword fighting.”

“I played a lot as a kid with fake weapons.” Viren raised a brow as Opeli looked her up and down.

“Perhaps, you would be better suited to training Callum.”

More time with Callum? BAD IDEA. He wasn’t suspicious of her, but he saw through the illusion, in some way he knew it was there. Rayla turned to see Callum looking at her. There was hope in his gaze instead of confusion. How could she refuse him when he looked at her like that? “I would be honored, Your Majesty.” She briefly curtseyed, sighing when the adults moved on. ‘I’m in trouble.’ “Alright, Prince Callum. No more swords. You’re going to be learning how to use a battle lance.”

“Let’s do it!” He looked so excited, his toothy smile and shining eyes hit her heart way too hard.

As they moved through practice, every little touch sent lightning coursing through her body. His laugh was infectious and his questions were actually incredibly insightful. The hours passed so quickly, she had barely noticed when dinner time came and judging by his expression, he hadn’t either.

As Rayla lay in bed that night, her heart still hadn’t slowed down. Every time she closed her eyes, a pair of green ones haunted her. Was this a crush? No, it was too intense for that. Either way, she had to pack these feelings deep into the corners of her heart and forget about that. There was no room for error. She couldn’t…she couldn’t fall in love with someone she was going to leave without a family. ‘Oh, gods…I’m falling for him….’

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

Callum went through his sketchbook. It’d been several months since Rayla had come and his notebook was becoming filled to the brim with pictures of her. The last time he had drawn Claudia had been the day Rayla had come. That itch in the back of his mind was still strong, but he felt drawn to Rayla in a way he didn’t know was possible. Every move she made had his immediate attention. Her laugh was infectious and her snark and sarcasm showed an intelligent mind that was screaming for knowledge and also an eye for loopholes. She had taken to lessons with him and Ezran, devouring knowledge almost as soon as it was presented to her, though she preferred to be outside and moving about. It was hard to keep her attention for long when the sun was shining and there were things to do outside.

“Hey.” Callum looked up to see the object of his thoughts smiling at him from her balcony.

“Hey.”

“The moon’s full.” Callum nodded, wondering where this was going. “Back home, we sing and celebrate the passing of each cycle. I haven’t been able to do it much since coming here. Do you mind if I sing a bit?”

“Not at all.” Callum had not expected the haunting voice that Rayla had when she sang. He felt the gooseflesh on his skin as she vocalized for a bit.

There's an old familiar silence

When I'm lost inside my heart

I can't hear the voice inside me

So I look up to the stars

There is darkness ever waiting

I can feel it in the air

So I call upon my angels

Are you still there?

When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me

When the band plays your song

I feel strong enough to keep dreaming

Even when I'm all alone our love goes on and on

When the wind bends the branch to softly touch me

When the band plays your song

I feel strong enough to keep dreaming

Even when I'm all alone our love goes on and on

When she finished, she turned to him. Callum was struck speechless. The softness on her features as she sang compared with just how deep her song reached his soul…In the back of his mind, Callum remembered a conversation his mother and Viren’s ex-wife had once had when he was little. That, sometimes, souls called out for each other in ways no one could run away from. The light of the full moon hit her gaze and Callum wondered if that’s what was happening. Was his soul drawn to Rayla’s? It felt like it. “Thank you for sharing that,” he whispered. Whatever spell had taken over the both of them, he didn’t want to break it.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back. When they parted for the night, Callum stared at her balcony for a few moments longer. He wasn’t quite sure when he had stopped liking Claudia, but he knew that what he was feeling for Rayla was far stronger and, most likely, not nearly as easy to let go of.

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The song is Love Goes On and On by Lindsey Stirling and Amy Lee. If you have not seen the Older Rayllum AU content that is Lindsey Stirling's Between Twilight, go to YouTube and watch it!

#rayllum #rayllum fanfic #moonbase fanfics #tdp #the dragon prince #the long game

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hazel-writes · 3 years

Text

Summary: While recovering from the events that took place on Dantooine, you learn more about Finn and Takoda's complicated pasts.

Word Count: 3,300

Warnings: mentions of canon-typical violence and childhood trauma

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

It will take a while

To make you smile

Somewhere in these eyes

I'm on your side

• Space Song - Beach House •

It had been three days since your mission to Dantooine, and you still hadn’t wrapped your head around what had happened there.

Rilea kept asking you if you were alright, and you always responded with an enthusiastic yes. Any other response prompted a long, worried conversation about stress following traumatic encounters, followed by a rant on the violence perpetrated by patriarchal societies. She wasn’t wrong, but you just didn’t feel like talking about it.

Akilah kept asking you how you escaped. You could tell she didn’t buy your story — and she knew that you knew that — but wanted to make you admit it anyways. How she knew this still remained a mystery, one you couldn’t solve unless you revealed something about yourself that you were determined to keep a secret.

Soren was quiet, as usual, but instead of shooting you his typical iconic glare, he had been avoiding your eye contact completely.

Koda, on the other hand, was furious. For some reason, he felt guilty for what happened, despite the fact that he was miles away at the time. You told him over and over that it was not and could not be his fault, but you could tell that your words were not enough to appease his guilt.

Based on Koda’s reaction, you felt as if you should be more angry about what happened, but you understood why the men had attacked you. Years of pent up anger, frustration, and loss, mixed with the alcohol they had most likely consumed earlier, had combined to incite the unfortunate turn of events. You had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

No, I should be more mad, you shamed yourself. They attacked me. Hit me. Kicked me. Watched as I gave up.

A knock sounded on your door. You already knew who it was. Ever since Finn found out about what happened on Dantooine, he had started showing up everywhere you were: inside the cafeteria, throughout the hallways, and now, outside of your room.

You sighed, making your way to the door. You opened it, and just as expected, found Finn there, helmet in hand, smirking at you with a sheepish grin.

“Finn…” you drew out his name, as if patronizing a small child. He looked back at you with apologetic, yet pleading, eyes. “I already told you, I’m fine.”

“I know what you told me,” he said, stubbornly.

Darn his freaky emotional intelligence.

You rolled your eyes. “Well, since you are already here, I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

He nodded enthusiastically, eager at the opportunity to help out. “Yeah, of course. Anything.”

You ushered him into your room, closing the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, you continued, knowing he wouldn’t like what was coming next.

“What’s goin’ on between you and Takoda? It’s just… you both are so sweet and it’s weird to see you guys act so distant around each other.”

He smirked. “Well, first of all, we’re sweet around you — I am still a trooper, remember, so I can’t be this charming all the time.”

“Right,” you said, cheeks reddening slightly as you rolled your eyes. “But why the lack of charm around Koda?”

He sighed heavily, avoiding eye contact. “Koda and I… We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things.”

“Such as…” you inquired further.

“Such as the trooper program.”

That didn’t make any sense to you; Takoda had never spoken about the program before.

“Why would Koda be interested in the trooper program?”

The room was silent.

“Because he was one.”

“Koda was a trooper??!” You couldn’t picture it. As hard as you tried, you just couldn’t. He was too silly, too full of life. But the same was true for Finn, and he was a trooper too…

“Yup,” he replied, somber. “We were in the same fleet too. We always had each other's backs.”

You thought for a second, processing the new information. “So what changed?”

He hesitated, looking down at his feet. You’d never seen him look this sad before, and it made your own heart feel heavy.

“A couple years into his program, Koda got injured.”

“Injured — how?”

“We were on a planet with a heavy rebel presence. Our orders were to… eliminate a village that housed supposed Resistance sympathizers. We went in with grenades,” he paused, choking on his words. You looked up at him, reaching out and grabbing his hand, supportively. He nodded appreciatively and continued. “At one point, a trooper next to me threw one. It landed by a little girl, maybe nine years old. Koda jumped forward — pushed her out of the way. He ended up catching most of the blow. I can’t honestly say that I would’ve had the courage to do the same. I hid my grenades in a nearby bush and ran over to him; he was hurt badly. So the med guys took him, and he was airlifted outta there.”

You squeezed his hand, gently urging him to continue. “What happened next?”

“I visited him in the hospital a few days later. He told me he’d been ‘medically discharged’ and was free to go wherever he wished… I was so happy for him. Not many stormtroopers get that kinda opportunity to start over, live their own life. Many injure themselves on purpose to get discharged, but usually they’re too obvious about it and end up executed on the grounds of ‘treason’.”

You shook your head in shock. “Stars…”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “So I asked Koda what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go… I mean, the possibilities were endless for him! But he surprised me. He told me he wanted to stay with the Order, try to make it 'better'. I couldn’t believe it — especially given his background.”

“What do you mean, his background?” you questioned.

“Koda hasn’t told you?” he said, eyes widening.

“Told me what?”

“Kriff…” he mumbled. “I think that’s something you should discuss with him .”

“Yeah, okay...” You paused, thinking. You were still confused about one thing.

“So Koda refused to leave the Order, and you and him just… stopped talking?”

He sighed, his hand leaving your grasp to run through his hair. He seemed frustrated, not at you, but at the newly-unearthed memories of his past.

“It’s not as simple as that. Koda had a choice. He had a choice to join the trooper program, and a choice to leave it. I never had a choice. I was forced into it. It was either this, or death.” He paused, sighing, before lowering his voice. “Had I known what it would be like here, as a trooper, I would’ve chosen death.”

Hearing that tore your heart in two. “Finn, please, don’t say that.”

He threw up his hands. “It’s true! Being forced to tear apart planets, villages, houses, families, people… It’s horrible. Sickening.” He paused. “I- I had almost given up hope completely, when all of a sudden you came into the picture.”

You gave him a sad, appreciative smile.

“Anyways, he had a choice to leave this life, and he said no. I’ve never had a choice, but if I did, I would be out of this place in a second. That’s why we don’t talk anymore.”

“I see.” You paused. “Finn, I-”

Words couldn’t describe how incredibly sad you felt that such a strong, empathetic man like Finn had been forced to endure so much pain.

You reached out and pulled him into the biggest hug you could manage. Your eyes prickled with tears. “I’m so sorry Finn, I’m so, so sorry,” you whispered over and over into his ear.

After a few minutes like that, you finally pulled away to see Finn smiling warmly at you. How could he still do that — smile — after everything he’d gone through?

“Hey, I just thought of one good thing that came out of me staying in this stupid trooper program.”

“What?” you asked, genuinely interested.

There was that sheepish smile again. “Well, if I left, I never would’ve met you.”

You didn’t deserve a friend like Finn.

“And I would’ve never met you…”

You grabbed his hands in yours and held them to your forehead. You closed your eyes and breathed deeply. It was your turn to worry.

“I wish there was more I could do for you,” you whispered.

He shook his head. “You’ve already done so much.”

“Not enough,” you replied.

He sighed, bringing both your hands back down to your lap.

“Listen, there’s something about you — I don’t know what — that gives me hope, and I don’t use that word lightly. I felt it from the first, or should I say the second, time I met you.” He laughed, his eyes brightening. “If anyone can change the way things are in the galaxy right now, it’s you.”

You looked at him, wondering where this blind trust was coming from. He had only known you for a short amount of time… You finally understood why the Commander was so surprised by your own blind trust in his orders.

“I should get back,” he said, standing up. “But please, try to remember what I said.”

After giving you one last hug, he put on his helmet and made his way out of your quarters, leaving you to your thoughts.

——————————————

You spent the next few hours reflecting on your conversation with Finn. You found yourself desperately wanting to find out more about Koda’s enigmatic background.

After pacing back and forth across your room a couple hundred times, your curiosity finally got the best of you.

I have to go talk to Koda. I need to find out what he has been keeping from me.

You found him sitting in the artist workspace, alone.

He didn’t seem to see you at first, so you cleared your throat, announcing your presence.

His head jerked up, startled. His brown hair was a bit more disheveled than usual, and his hair fell over his face slightly.

You smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, no, I was just spaced out for a sec,” he smirked. “I’m back now.”

A moment passed before his features became more serious. “How are you feeling?”

This was the first time you’d really talked about what happened on Dantooine with Koda. Most of what he knew was from Rilea’s retellings.

You shrugged. “Fine, considering. It could’ve been worse.”

He looked down, wringing his hands uncomfortably. “Why wasn’t it… worse? How did you end up getting away?”

You couldn’t tell him what really happened — it’s not like he would believe you if you did. You settled for a half-truth instead.

“I managed to kick one of the guys who jumped me and while he was distracted, I made a run for it. That’s when you guys found me in the field.”

He shook his head, still looking at his hands. “Kriff… I’m sorry. We should’ve never split up.”

“No, no, don’t apologize, it’s not your fault. I just seem to be a magnet for trouble,” you chuckled, trying to bring up the mood.

He nodded, unconvincingly. “So what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be in a hospital bed or something?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah, they won’t miss me,” you smirked, earning an eye roll from Koda. “I actually came here because I wanted to ask you about something.”

He squinted in your direction. “Uh oh, you have serious voice on.”

You laughed before continuing, “I just wanted to ask you about Finn.”

“Ahh…” he said, as if he knew this conversation was coming.

“I already talked with him today, so now it’s your turn to endure the wrath of my nosiness.”

“Okay, fine,” he said, letting out an audible sigh before rolling his shoulders and assuming a more comfortable position. “What do you want to know?”

You continued hesitantly, not wanting to offend Koda or worsen the tension between him and Finn. “Well, we talked about why you two don’t get along and how you chose to stay with the Order after you were discharged from your trooper duties. Finn mentioned — and please, don’t get upset that he told me — he was surprised by your decision… especially considering your background. What exactly did he mean by this?”

Takoda paused, looking at you as if considering something. Finally, leaning towards you slightly, he continued. “What I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room, alright? People onboard wouldn’t think too kindly of me if they knew.”

You nodded. “Of course, Koda, I would never do something like that — never.”

His hazel eyes met yours as he spoke in a low, serious voice. “I wasn’t born First Order. I was born Resistance.”

He looked up at you, attempting to gauge your reaction. When you didn’t look angry or disgusted, he continued.

“I was pretty independent from a young age. My parents were never home. They were always working on something Resistance-related. They were pretty much consumed by their work. One year they even forgot my birthday,” he huffed, looking to his feet. “When they hadn’t come home by dinnertime, I left the house. I walked for hours before I came to a small village. A group of off-duty stormtroopers walked by, chatting about their latest mission, and I approached them.”

He took a deep breath before continuing.

“At that moment, all I wanted was to be a part of something. A team. A community of people that truly had my back. I couldn’t join the Resistance, not after what it had turned my parents into. So I asked the stormtroopers, begged them, to let me join them. FN-2187, or Finn, as you call him, was there. He was against it. The others that were with him, however, were all for it. So just like that, I went with them.”

You were surprised. “So the Order just let a random kid into their program?”

“Pretty much. At the time they were desperate. Less and less people wanted to be a part of the trooper program. They took anyone they could get. So, I signed up, trained, and fought as a stormtrooper. Finn took me under his wing. Kept me outta trouble.” He paused, his eyes downcast. “He was like the only true family I ever had. Then I got injured, Finn got mad when I decided to stay, and they transferred me here, to this job.” He looked up at the ceiling, releasing a dry chuckle. “Funny thing is, I found out years later that my parents had missed my birthday, their own son’s birthday, to attend some random Resistance diplomat’s birthday party instead. Talk about the ‘Parent of the Year’ award…”

You were starting to appreciate your family on Lothal more and more. They weren't perfect, but they had never forgotten your birthday.

“Listen, I know I can’t change how they treated you, but please believe me when I tell you that they are missing out. Big time.” You smiled at him. “You have the biggest heart. They don’t deserve you. And I know you don’t want to hear it, but Finn truly did, and does, want the best for you. He cares about you so much, but is too stubborn to admit it, just like another certain someone I know.” Koda rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not saying you should forgive him right away… I just think that second chances are important, and are something that Finn has hardly ever been offered in his life.”

Koda sighed dramatically before speaking again. “Fine, maybe someday, in the very, very, very distant future, I will consider talking to Finn.”

You smiled, satisfied. “Good.”

“But only so you will stop bugging me about, like I know you will.”

You smirked. “Hey, I’ll take what I can get.”

He shook his head, looking at you incredulously. “You know, you’re pretty good at the whole active listening while subtly brainwashing thing. It’s annoying.”

You smirked. “I have lots of experience.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you do… So, is my interrogation over?”

“I suppose it is… for today at least.” You looked at the papers laying on the table next to Koda. “What were you up to?”

“Oh,” he started, looking a bit flustered. “I was just trying to sketch something up.”

A twinge of anxiety hit you. “What? I didn’t know we had a new assignment already!”

“No, no, it’s not for a new assignment,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “It’s for Rilea.”

“Rilea…” You smirked, knowingly. “I knew something was going on there.”

The look of panic on Koda’s face was almost comical. “What? No! Nothing is going on! The going is off. A hundred percent off.”

“Wow, consider me convinced,” you replied sarcastically.

He shook his head emphatically. “I swear, we’re just friends… not even that! We’re basically enemies.”

You smiled devilishly. “Alright, I’ll be sure to let her know the next time I see her.”

The panicked look on his face turned to one of pure terror. “No! Please! Ugh. Just- just don’t say anything alright?”

“Whatever you say, Koda,” you said, once again smiling in victory. “Anyways, I’ll let you get back to your project.”

You walked back towards the door, stopping briefly before you exited.

“And Koda?” You turned to face him. “Thank you.”

He looked back at you, confused. “For what?”

“For not giving up.”

And with that you made your way out of the workspace and back to your quarters.

———————————————————

Upon arriving in your room, you headed straight to the bed, face-planting into the pillows. You sighed loudly before turning onto your back, casually scanning your eyes over the space. Something on the floor next to the door caught your eye: a white slip of folded paper.

You stood up, making your way over to the mystery letter. The word artist was written on the front. Opening it up, you found it simply read:

Meet me in room E23 tomorrow night at 8. This is not a request.

Commander Ren

You chuckled. Of course he had to add the ‘this is not a request’ bit.

Alarm bells soon began sounding in your head. You wondered what this meeting was about: Were you in trouble? Was this about your Force abilities? Were you being led into a trap?

But there that strange feeling was again: trust.

For some strange reason, you trusted that the Commander wouldn’t hurt you. After all, he’d proven as much over the last few days, after saving you from Hux and the men on Dantooine.

You thought back onto your conversation with Finn, remembering how he told you about the way he was forced into the trooper program. It shocked you that some troopers had attempted to injure themselves to get discharged from their duties. You recalled how Finn, himself, said he would have rather died than have accepted his position with the First Order…

If that’s the way these seemingly robotic and unempathetic troopers truly felt, then what was to say that the Commander was any different?

You had seen him in battle — you had found footage on your data pad. He was fueled by emotion; each strike of his fiery crossguard blade exploded with passion.

Though this raw emotion scared most, it enticed you — it gave you hope.

An excess of emotion was always better than a lack of it.

Maybe the Commander was forced into his role, just like Finn was. Maybe he had no choice but to join the Order. Maybe that’s why he wore his mask: to distance himself from his true feelings, from his inner conflict.

Of course, you knew more than anyone…

Things aren’t always as they seem.

——————————————————

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angelguk · 5 years

Text

» in your arms tonight - jeongguk scenario

Jeon Jeongguk - BTS

words - 5.2k

genre - college!au, smut, established relationship, domestic!au, drabble

warnings - oral sex (fem and male receiving) / fingering / riding / nipple play / edging + orgasm denial / unprotected sex / switch!jeongguk / dom!reader / gukkie finds out he has a new kink ( or fetish man idk) / this is mostly soft so don’t expect some hardcore bdsm / this was meant to be a drabble but clearly i have no idea what that word means (5k words im really,,,,,,)

soundtracks - beabadoobee, soren & dance with me (please listen to them, these songs sound like what falling in love feels like)

He heard the rush of water from the tap in the bathroom come to a halt, followed by the patter of your bare feet against the tiles as you searched for a towel to wipe your mouth with. Your movements were in time with the gentle patter of rain rushing from the skies above. The sound did something to his heart, a wave of contentment floating through his body as he wiggled in the bed sheets. He almost wanted to get up and join you but the ache in his legs from yesterday’s workout kept him cemented to the soft comforter beneath him. And the pillows smelt like you too – at least like your shampoo. It was peach or something and he couldn’t help but bury his nose into the fabric, eyes fluttering close.

The towel hit his head with a resounding thud.

“Yah! Are you not going to get up and brush your teeth?” You didn’t sound annoyed so Jeongguk didn’t retaliate, still enamoured by the way his bed smelled like you. But he did toss the towel into some corner of his room - he’d find it tomorrow morning.

“Later,” He whined instead, cracking open his eyes to find you standing at the door of his bathroom, one of his white t-shirts bellowing around your minute frame and a miffed frown on your face. It hid the shorts you had underneath but from where he was situated it looked like you were wearing nothing but his shirt. He didn’t expect the jump in his heart when that small realization hit him. “Come here.”

“Do I look like a dog to you?” You retorted, shutting the bathroom door as you moved forward, a small smile on your face. “Ordering me around with your stinky breath. Heathen.”

“Shut up, you know you like it.” He rolled back, pulling down the sheets he’d cocooned around himself so you climb in beside him. You rolled your eyes in response, tossing aside the pizza boxes Jeongguk had dumped on your side of the bed and clambering onto the mattress. The small act had his shirt raising up your bare thighs and oh – oh.

“You removed the shorts?” He asked, acutely aware of how his voice sounded constricted in his throat.

You hummed in response, collapsing beside his figure, the fabric of his shirt bunching around your waist as you did so, fulling exposing the little black underwear you had on. In a second, the sight that had Jeongguk’s heart thrumming against his chest and his blood flowing to places he was too tired to deal with, was gone – covered by the sheets he suddenly abhorred.

“Fuck.”

You tutted, shifting upright so you could grab the laptop perched precariously on his bedside table. “Nope, don’t you dare. You said you’re too exhausted for sex tonight.”

“I am!” He replied, writhing a little bit so the semi he was sporting could disappear. “You’re just doing that a purpose!”

“I did absolutely nothing.” But he didn’t miss the glimmer in your eyes when your said that, or the way the corners of your lips titled upwards in the smallest smirk.

“I hate you.”

“Sure you do,” You easily replied, fingers swiftly taping away at the keyboard. “Want to watch a movie?”

“Why not.” Hopefully that would distract him from the burning desire to fuck you into the mattress. As much as he wanted to, his thighs couldn’t take it – Hoseok had gone too rough on him at the gym yesterday and coupled with his training for baseball Jeongguk’s legs felt like absolute mush.

“We’re not watching a good one because I’m sick and tired of your commentary.”

“It’s not my fault you don’t have an artistic eye for cinematography,” He sharply retorted, delivering a poke to your waist. “Whiny baby.”

You snorted. “Me? The whiny baby in this relationship? Please go take a look in the mirror.” Jeongguk kicked you shin. “Aw! Fuck off! And it’s not just the cinematography you take a dig at everything – the character development, the plot line, the dialogue – do I need to go on?”

“You don’t get to say anything – you enjoyed Twilight.”

“Yeah when I was fourteen!”

“I saw you watching it last weekend when you were supposed to be studying.”

“Edward is a hot vampire. Like anyone can agree that Robert Pattinson looked good despite that terrible makeup.”

He huffed, raising a hand to ruffle through the soft chestnut strands sticking to his forehead. You reached out your own, fingers slipping through his own as your nails dragged across his scalp. He sighed into it, back arching slightly as you drew patterns on his skull, the feeling of your nails scraping against his skin send shock waves of pleasure through his system. “I don’t care if he was hot, the special effects for that movie were disgusting.” He let out a soft gasp that had your rubbing your thighs together, his eyes closed in pure bliss. “I thought you were Team Jacob.” His voice was husky, telling sign that you’d set him off once more.

“I’m Team I Would Like To Be Fucked Tonight.” You stated, blatantly ignoring the stink eye he shot your way. “But clearly that’s not on our agenda. Have you ever seen Vampires Suck?”

“Obviously not – it sounds horrendous.”

The laugh you let out made something twist in Jeongguk’s gut, a rush of disappointment radiating through him when you retracted your hand. It was bizarre to him, how much he craved your touch. Even the smallest of encounters left him breathless. For fuck’s sake you were just giving him a half-assed head massage and he was riled up again.

“Oh you’re going to hate it,” You replied, oblivious to the wanting look Jeongguk had on your face. The blue screen illuminated your features, eyes bright and sparkling with mischief as you searched up the terrible film. He couldn’t help but smile, a crushing urge to kiss your nose rising in his chest. Sometimes you were so cute and it made him feel like his heart was bursting.

“It’s so stupid but kind of funny at the same time? It’s like a badly made version of Twilight,” You continued, pulling it up on the screen.

“A badly made version of Twilight? Babe, Twilight was terrible, how much worse can it get?”

You beamed. “So much worse.”

“God the things I do for you,” He groaned, shoving his face into the pillows. To be honest Jeongguk didn’t care about what you were watching tonight. His body already felt heavy with sleep and he was most likely going to knock out as soon as the opening credits rolled in.

“Scoot stinky boy,” You commanded, sliding back down into the comforters with the movie loading on the screen. You grabbed a pillow, propping it underneath the device as you scuttled into Jeongguk’s space, your legs landing right above his.

He sniffled, pushing up the pillows with his head so he could get a better view of the screen, “I’m not stinky, you smell,” He countered, wiggling his legs until yours were intertwined with his and your bare thigh was pressed against his own.

Sometimes Jeongguk regretted wearing nothing but boxers to bed. Yeah it was more comfortable but fuck if it wasn’t annoying to have you so close and not have the energy to fuck you the way he wanted to.

“Phew what was that? Smells terrible in here, close your mouth.” Jeongguk wanted to kiss the smile off your face.

“Shut up the movie is starting,” He instead chose to say, trying to distract his mind from how warm you felt against him, how his skin literally tingled with every gentle graze of your skin against his own, and how his dick was starting to become hard again for the third time that night.

It took five minutes of the opening scene for Jeongguk to realise that this was going to be the worst thing he’d ever see with his own two eyes and for his persistent boner to deflate like a popped balloon.

“What the ever living fuck was that?”

You giggled, leaning over to place a finger on top of his pink lips, the action causing Jeongguk to subconsciously pout.

“Shh, Bella is saving Edward.”

“They covered his dick with a disco ball! Why is he stripping in Italy? Why are there fan girls smashing each other with garden tools? What’s with the girls in bikini’s dancing in a jello fountain? Y/N what is this?”

“A masterpiece,” You murmured, pressing a kiss on his check – one that had Jeongguk leaning in for another, preferably on his mouth but you pulled away, flicking him gently against his forehead. “Now shut it and watch the movie.”

“Fine,” He retorted but his mouth was open a second later, eyes already observing a fault in the way the movie was shot.

And that’s the way the rest of your Saturday night ensued, Jeongguk throwing comments that whole movie was a pile of shit while you defended it (and occasionally critiqued because god this movie was horrible). Somewhere along Jeongguk had found a way to envelop you in his arms, pulling you right against his bare chest. He’d slug one of his legs over yours, fully dwarfing you in his hold as he pressed his warm mouth against your neck. His fingertips followed next, idly drawing lazy patterns against your skin while his eyes stayed sharp on the scene. But the movie got boring for him quick, the jokes were sub-par and the style it was shot it physically hurt his soul.

It didn’t take long for his mind to digress, nerves picking up the warmth you were emanating in his arms. Or the way his shirt had ridden up your thigh once again and the only barrier between you and him was the fabric of your panties which was pressed right against his own thigh. And his boxers but that wasn’t on the forefront of his mind. He could slide his thigh in between your legs if he wanted too, he couldn’t help but think about that, dragging a finger against your neck.

The shiver that jerked through your body jostled your backwards, further into his arms until the familiar curve of your ass was pressed right against his crotch.

He forgot the movie was playing in an instant.

You felt his hands suddenly drop to your waist, grabbing at the fabric that had bunched up there, his grip firm as he ground into the curve of your ass. It didn’t take long for you to start dripping, the need for his touch already buzzing beneath your skin just from being near him. But you weren’t going to give in that easily, despite how good his felt against your ass or the little sighs he made as he grew harder by the second.

“Nope, no,” You yanked yourself free, immediately yearning for the feeling of him against you.

“Babe~” There was a nip at your neck, one that nearly had you melting right back into him.

“No – no. You said you were exhausted. Sleep.”

“I retract that statement. Please, fuck, I need you.”

“I can’t hear you over this funny joke,” You taunted, making a point to laugh loudly.

“That was terrible joke and you know it,” He replied, yanking your back into his chest. You whined, raising your fists against his broad chest. Your hands hit taunt muscle as Jeongguk crawled on top of you, pulling underneath his hulking figure.

“No – Jeongguk,” You wheezed out, a laugh stuck in your throat. “The laptop, you’re going to drop it-”

He grabbed it before it could descend to the floor and shatter. In an instance it was slammed shut, abruptly cutting off Bella’s scream, and Jeongguk tossed it back onto the stool it was previously perched on. When he returned his attention to you, you couldn’t help but squirm, a rush of wetness slipping from your pussy at the sight of his dark blown out eyes.

“I was watching the movie,” You said indignantly.

“We can finish it later,” He breezily replied, “Want you now.” The peck on your nose took your off guard but when he pulled away, eyes glimmering with something you couldn’t use words to describe, you couldn’t help but grin.

“I don’t think you know what you do to me,” Jeongguk continued, a hand on your hip tugging you closer underneath him. You swung your legs over his waist, giving him the room to lean down and nudge his cock right against your wet clothed pussy. The sigh he gave at the contact made your stomach flutter with need. “Fuck, babe, you have no idea what you do to me. You’re always so fucking cute even when you’re talking shit.” A press of his lips against your forehead as his hips rolled into yours. You groaned at the movement, revelling in the weight of your boyfriend over you. “You talk back all the damn time and it just makes me so hard. Even when you know you’re wrong – and you’re always wrong.” Another roll of his hips, this time rougher, one that had your cunt dripping. You nearly smacked the side of his head for the backhanded compliment but the next thing that slipped from Jeongguk’s mouth had you halting. “I love that – I love you.”

“Fuck,” You whispered, hands finding themselves entangled in his hair. “Fuck, I love you too.”

He stuttered to a pause, cock still pressed against you, staring at you with wide eyes. “You – you don’t have to say it back, if you don’t mean it.”

“No, I want to. Wanted to for a while now and I mean it. Jeongguk I love you.”

The bewildering laugh he let out echoed in your chest, the smile on his face so wide you couldn’t help but cup his cheeks and grin back. “I love you too Y/N.”

Then his lips were on yours and you could only melt into it. His tongue slipped beside yours, coaxing soft broken moans from your lips that had him bucking harder against you. Jeongguk tasted like the pepperoni pizza you’d gotten for dinner and coupled with the mint flavoured toothpaste you used the combination was not the best but it didn’t even matter because the boy above you loved you. You’d know for a while that this relationship was something else because Jeongguk made you feel things you didn’t even know you were capable of sometimes. Things were always so comfortable with him, even if they weren’t always easy. Being with Jeongguk felt right.

And he felt the same, even if he could only communicate it with nips to your lower lip and the tight hold on your hips as he rocked you into the mattress. Jeongguk felt like he was ablaze, from the tips of his toes to the heart slamming against his chest. He never expected you to say it back, at least right away. He didn’t even expect it to come out, it just happened. And the fact that you feel the same has him on the fucking moon and incredibly hard. He could only kiss you harder, map out your mouth with his own because he wanted to imprint the feeling of you whining into him in his memory for the rest of his life.

“Jeongguk,” You pulled away, exposing your neck when Jeongguk immediately latched on to. He was never going to stop kissing you. Never.

“Yeah,” He groaned into your skin.

“Need you to do something else with your mouth.”

“Whatever you want baby.”

He took the hint, sliding down until his breath was hot against your blazing cunt, His arms had pulled up the shirt and you reached down to yank it over your head when Jeongguk stopped you.

“K–keep it on please.”

“Why? You don’t want to see my tits?”

“Fuck,” He sighed, fingers digging into your naked thighs. “No I do, I love your tits… It’s just – I can’t explain, could you keep it on though?”

You raised an eyebrow but dropped your arms, complying with his request. You didn’t miss the little exhale he let out. And then his eyes were trained on your pussy once more.

The first lick made you jolt, even though it was through your underwear you could feel the familiar knot of tightening in your gut. It didn’t help that Jeongguk looked so pretty between your legs, how his wide eyes would flicker to yours for reaffirmation that he was pulling you apart.

“Take them off,” You whispered, after Jeongguk had delivered a kiss to your cunt. He did so with protest, eyes darkening when they landed on the slick covering your inner thighs.

“Look at you princess, you made such a fucking mess. Should I clean it up for you?” He hummed, brushing his nose against your inner right thigh.

“Yes, please fuck-”

He didn’t bother to open you up like he usually would. Jeongguk would take his time eating your own, sliding his tongue down your cunt, tongue dipping below to play with your entrance until he dragged it back up and teased his way to your clit. Tonight Jeongguk immediately latched onto your clit, swirling and flicking in sharp swift motions at had your toes curling in pure bliss and your hands fisting the sheets.

He abruptly pulled away, leaving you heaving as you glanced down. He grinned at your confused expression, lips coated in your slick and a rose flush on his face, and then reached out to direct one of your hands onto his head.

“Pull at my hair,” He murmured.

Oh – oh that you could do, and were about to state it when he resumed his assault on your clit, effectively making your brain melt from the pressure of his tongue on your cunt.

“Holy fucking – Jeongguk!” Your hips moved on their own accord, bucking into his mouth in search of something that would help you topple over and come because you really needed too. It didn’t help that Jeongguk had a low vibration going on his throat, the humming resounding into your cunt with every wet lick and press of his tongue on you. You couldn’t help but claw at his scalp, yanking helplessly at the strands there.

“Please, fuck! Let me come, please let me come.” He didn’t reply, choosing to instead slip two of his fingers between your thighs, circling your entrance with them as he gazed intently at you. The stretch you felt as he pushed them into you had you throwing your head back, legs spreading further apart so he could get deeper. It took a moment or two for him to establish a rhythm that kept in time with the ministrations of his tongue but it didn’t take long for you to come undone underneath them.

The need to orgasm was becoming unbearable. The small tremors in your thighs that you moaning into the heated atmosphere made Jeongguk grin, the flicks against your cunt speeding up. And then he crocked his fingers upwards, the pads of his fingertips slamming right into something that had you screaming his name.

It happened faster than you expected, one second Jeongguk had you unravelling with the sharp jabs into your sopping cunt and the next one you were clenching down on his fingers, thighs shaking with every tidal wave of pleasure that coursed through you. The only thing you knew was him name and he couldn’t help but bask in it. You looked gorgeous like this – mouth thrown open and your eyes on the brink of shutting. It made him so unbelievable hard that it was starting to hurt.

“Fuck,” You exhaled, blinking at the ceiling as Jeongguk pulled his fingers away, immediately cleaning them with his own mouth. The movement garnered your attention and you were left mesmerized as he licked you slick away before giving you a bright smile.

He rose upward, taking his place above you, heart leaping at the sight of your small figure still lost in his shirt but this time with a glow on your face.

“If you want we can do that agai-”

The taste of you on his mouth didn’t deter you. In fact you pulled him closer, your fingers grazing his abdomen, taut muscles involuntarily fluttering at the contact. Jeongguk was built magnificently – you could not deny his hours in the gym really paid off. And it made you want to climb him like a tree.

When Jeongguk detached himself from your lips, he huffed a small laugh landing another peck on your nose. “Your nose is so cute. Have I ever told you that? I love your nose.”

“My nose is ginormous you idiot. Stop trying to change the conversation.” You hand had wandered further down, dipping into the black fabric that strained against the curve of his cock. You didn’t know whether to start with him in your mouth or to sit on his dick immediately.

“Baby,” His mouth was in your neck, “I wasn’t joking when I said I couldn’t fuck you tonight. I don’t think I can handle being on top.”

“Then you don’t have to,” You retorted simply, causing Jeongguk to pull back so he could look you in the eyes. “Do you want me to sit on you first or would you prefer it I sucked you off instead.”

He was visibly stunned, a bewildering look glazing over his eyes. “I-”

You palmed at his cock, relishing in the way he arched into your touch, his eyes falling shut as a choked “Shit” slipped from his lips.

“Pick one baby.”

“Wanna fuck your mouth.”

You grinned, gently pushing him off so you could roll on top. He was now beneath you back against the mattress as his eyes eagerly followed your moments. You kissed the crock of his neck, hands dragging down to roll his nipples in your fingertips. He reacted the way you expected him too, with a soft groan and a curse that went straight to your core.

“Look at my baby, such a good boy,” You whispered against his ear with another flick to his nipples. “You’ve treated me so well tonight and I promise to do the same but I need you to do something for me. Only come when I say you can. Is that okay?”

He nodded so hard his head jolted the pillows apart. That was more than okay for him. You rarely ever took the dominant role in the bedroom but when you did he found it incredibly hot. He wouldn’t come until you let him, even he was aching to right at this very moment.

The only reason why you wanted to withhold his release was because you wanted Jeongguk to feel so good could he couldn’t help but come, you needed to see him like that tonight.

You pressed a satisfied kiss against his mouth, no tongue this time, and then found your way down to his boxers, kneeling forward before the hardness there. This stupid thing should have disappeared ages ago.

Jeongguk tossed them off at your command, leaving his cock exposed to the warm air, curving against his stomach, the tip red and dripping with precum. Your lips wrapped around it with a soft kiss, the welcoming wetness of your mouth leaving Jeongguk groaning as you sunk down on his cock. Where your mouth couldn’t reach your hands occupied.

Your wrists snapped up and down, twisting around his length in quick motions that you knew he liked. You tried to keep up with the pace you’d created with your hands but Jeongguk was thick enough that it was difficult to swallow his cock easily. Especially from this angle. But you pushed through the ache that was burning your jaw and kept the tight hold of your mouth around his dick, tongue swirling around the tip as your hollowed your cheeks.

“Fuck baby, fuck! Like that, yes, fuck I’m gonna – shit I’m gonna come-” He remembered what you’d requested but your mouth was so warm and so wet he couldn’t help but want to come down your throat, not when he could hear the way you were gagging around him. So when you pulled off with a disapproving look he didn’t feel sorry at all.

“Jeongguk,” You slapped his thigh. “You’re terrible at being a sub.”

“Sorry,” He replied, mouth twisted in a languid grin. “I haven’t jacked off in a couple of days and you’re mouth was – yeah your mouth was really nice.”

You sighed, bunching up his shirt at your waist. That revealed the new coat of slick coating your cunt that had the smile tumbling right off Jeongguk’s face. “Do you really need to come right now?”

“Yeah, fuck yeah I do.”

“Where do you want to come? In my mouth or in my pussy?”

Jeongguk’s brain went haywire.

“We’re – we’re not using a condom?” He choked out, painfully aware of how his dick twitched at the prospect of being buried inside you with no barrier.

You shock your head. “No, I want you like that.”

“You sure?” His tone was incredulous.

Another nod.

“Baby, I love you but, like, I’m not ready to be a dad.”

You hit his arm with a laugh bubbling from your mouth. “Idiot my period starts really soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes – please just pick a place to come.”

“Your pussy obviously, shit, come here,” He was reaching out for your hips, dragging your over his crotch. You hovered above him, cunt aching to have something inside it.

“Want me to keep the shirt on?”

“Yeah,” He replied dreamily, eyes enamoured with the way your pussy looked covered in wetness that he was responsible for.

“Jeongguk,” You continued innocently, a sharp look in your eyes.

“Yes baby,” His fingers were digging into your hips, gently pulling you closer to his cock.

“Do you have a kink for me wearing your clothes?” This halted everything.

He didn’t look you in eye as he mumbled out a hasty rambling sentence, “Maybe I do.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“Yeah, is that a bad thing?” He looked so innocent like this, gazing at you with the widest eyes that were brimming with apprehension. He looked like fucking deer caught in headlights who didn’t know whether to run forward or wait for the incoming disaster. You chose not to reply, instead wrapping your hand around his length and lining it up with your entrance. His own fingers were still digging into your hips, tensed as he awaited your answer.

“Jeongguk,” You said, using his cock to toy at your entrance. He groaned despite his uneasiness, the veins in his neck twitching. “Anything you find hot, I find hot. Just know that you’ve just given me free range to steal all your shirts now.”

The snarky reply on his tongue transformed into a groan of pleasure as you sunk down on him, your wet pussy sucking in every inch of his cock. You welcomed the stretch, pushing yourself down as your walls fluttered around his dick. Eventually he was burrowed inside you, your entrance flat against his crotch and the fabric of his shirt brushing against his abdomen.

Every time you had sex Jeongguk always found himself losing it at the feeling of your walls contracting and stretching around him. It felt like absolute heaven because you were always so wet and warm and welcoming for his dick. He’d never felt so connected to a person during sex, but with you even when it was a rough quickie before class, Jeongguk felt alive. Like this was where was meant to be – between your legs giving you everything he ever had.

You sighed, eyes wavering shut, and hips shifting slightly as you adjusted to the familiar stretch of his dick inside you. Jeongguk swore, his hips painfully still as he waited for you to start. His hands were grazing your thighs as he did so, hands trailing to your back so he could give you ass a tight squeeze.

For some reason, one Jeongguk couldn’t wrap his mind around, you in his clothes looking like this made his gut seize up with desire he’d never felt before. You just looked so beautiful like this, mouth open and pussy wet because of him and only him. And the fact that you were wearing his clothes – it was like a signal in his mind that this is for him. That you were for him.

“Baby, remember you can’t come until I say so.” Your smile was lazy as your forced open your eyes, hand on his stomach. You leaned forward and then you started moving. The grip on your hip tightened as you bounced on his dick, your pace quickening with every slap of his skin against yours. It took Jeongguk a second to process the pleasure exuding from his core, he couldn’t even speak, only watch in awe at the way your breast bounced gently beneath the fabric of his white shirt. Or the way your slick leaking all over his dick, making a mess that he wanted to touch.

You jolted up with the pad of his finger hit your clit, immediately moaning when he established a rhythm that had you jerking up and tightening around his dick.

“Jeongguk!” He’d raised his knees so you could lean back, the grip on your waist know purposeful as he fucked up into you with harsh precise thrusts.

“Say my name,” He groaned as you squeezed his cock, using one hand to guide your bounces with the other made quick work of your clit. “Say it baby.”

“Fuck, fuck! Jeongguk – fuck! Love you so much, ugh, love y-you” You threw you head back, screaming his name as your second high came crashing down upon you, pussy clamping down tightly around your boyfriend as you creamed around him. You couldn’t anything else but his name as your rode out your orgasm, toes curling in delight as the tremors cause your shudder above him, mouth wide open.

Jeongguk briefly projected from his body. You were so snug and tight around him he couldn’t help but grab at your hips, pulling your down roughly as his own hips bucked upwards, in a mad chase for his own high. He found it quickly enough, but forced himself to wait until you were coherent.

“Can I come?” He ground out, as you rested your palms against his stomach. You felt the muscle quiver beneath your touch, his stomach caving in with every thrust inside you pussy. You could tell we need to come so badly and yet he had waited for your permission. How was Jeongguk even real?

“Yes, yes, come baby.”

“Fuck,” His eyes were screwed shut as he fucked you through his orgasm, hips stuttering against your own as waves of ecstasy shot through his veins in bursts of pleasure.

It was strange, feeling his come inside you but it was feeling you welcomed. That was until you rolled off and it started slipping out of you. Your knees hit the mattress with a thud as you flopped down beside him.

“You owe me a thigh message,” You muttered into the air coloured by the scent of sex and your joint heavy breaths.

“Your thighs hurt?”

“Mhmm.”

“Good, now you know what I was feeling,”

“Fuck you Jeon Jeongguk,” You replied, the stupidest smile on your face as you whacked at his sweat coated arm.

His grin matched your air, brown hair tousled from your hands and eyes twinkling as he gazed at you. “You just did baby. Give me thirty minutes and we can go again.”

“Ugh, for that you have to get up and turn off the lights.”

#jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #bts smut #jungkook fanfiction #jungkook scenario #bts fanfic #this the third time im making this post because the tags always break #like wtf

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haro-whumps · 4 years

Text

Box Boy Dancing

CW: slavery, brainwashing, stockholm syndrome, dehumanization, creepy + intimate whumper

Tag list: @thatsthewhump @whump-it @ashintheairlikesnow @fairybean101 @finder-of-rings @comfortforthepain @shameless-whumper @that-one-thespian @burtlederp @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @raigash @im-not-rare-im-rarr @spiffythespook @whumps-the-word @frnkieroismydaddy @whumpity–whump–whump @michelleswhumpyreblogs @jo-castle @newandfiguringitout @lumpofwhump

Largely fluffy, given the uh... everything about this verse

Masterlist

Soren stretched again, eyes on the clock. He reminded himself of how nice it was, that he was able and allowed to read things like clocks. Ren would be home, soon, and he had promised himself that he wouldn’t back out today.

He’d been in dance lessons for a couple months, now, and he practiced every day. He’d even won some begrudging praise from his lyrical dance instructor, which was why he decided to go with that one.

His first performance. He pressed a hand to his collar and took a deep breath. His first performance for Ren. He wanted to be perfect for them. They always called him perfect, but he wanted to be perfect, to be everything they thought he was.

He rolled on the balls of his feet and jumped, then swung his arms out and around, nerves spilling into an anxious energy that didn’t have anywhere to go. Yet. Ren should be home, soon, some days they would already be home by now. Soren tried not to think of horrible things happening to them. They never left him alone too long, which he was grateful for, and if they were going out for the evening, they told him before they left for the day. He was just impatient. Ready to start.

The sound of their car had Soren perking up, heartbeat rising. He checked over his appearance once more, real quick, giving his hair a short tousle so it looked shimmery and fluffy. Good to touch. He loved it when Ren touched his hair (which was excellent, because they touched it a lot). He ran to the door to greet them--

--and stopped short at the sight of Yanni, laughing brightly at something Ren had said. Oh no. This was not part of his plan. Should he bail? He promised himself he wouldn’t, but, the idea of having an audience was, well, he hadn’t even done it for Ren and he wanted it to be special, and, and, and.

“Soren, angel,” Ren crooned, extending a hand, and Soren’s rising panic was quickly squashed as he ran to them, pressing himself up against their side and feeling their arm around him. “You’re all dressed up for me.” Ren turned to Yanni and said, “More than usual, anyway.”

Soren would tell Ren, and they would decide. It was so simple, so easy, why had he ever panicked in the first place? Ren was in control. “I, uh, was wondering, if you would like me to perform for you tonight, Exalted. S-since lyric dancing has been going so well.”

“Awwww!” Yanni cooed, raising her hands to her bosom. “That’s precious!”

“Oh, pet, were you going to surprise me?” Ren asked with a laugh, raising Soren’s face by the jaw and then giving his cheek an affectionate pinch. He winced a little, but a friendly pinch was far from the worst thing that ever happened to him. Soren smiled up at them.

“I, I wanted to, Exalted.”

“Well, Yanni?” Ren asked, turning to her, leaving a hand at rest on Soren’s hip that made him warm. “Wanna watch my boy dance?”

“How is that even a question!” she squealed, looping her arm around theirs and bumping bodily into them, “YES!”

Ren’s sunroom had turned into Soren’s practice room, more or less, the furniture all pushed to the sides and only his harp was really in regular use. Mats coated the floor, an early purchase, and Soren took a deep breath. Yanni was there, but it was okay. That was fine. Ren was there and they’d approved of her watching him. Soren pressed start on the cd player, and took his first position in the center of the room, arms poised.

As the music began, he took a step forward and dipped. The song wasn’t quite sexual, but it wasn’t tame either; something he’d intended for his owner. For his everything. But it was okay, if Yanni saw it too. Pride, dignity, the belief he had a right to modesty, they’d all been taken from him, beaten out, trained away. He was a vessel for the entertainment of others.

He opened his eyes, leveling a brown stare on Ren, right as the beat dropped. He would entertain well.

He lifted his whole body, arm tossing over him in a long arc, and lifted his leg, careful with his balance, standing knee bent. He angled himself carefully as he brought his foot down, slapping the mat with the flat of his foot so it was louder without much force behind it. Hurting himself this early in would be a stupid way to embarrass himself. He bent to the side, then swiftly shifted in the other direction, ducking into a roll along the mat, landing with his leg crossed coyly over the other. He sent his owner a smile, heart fluttering to see the way they looked so pleased. It bolstered him, to see them smiling with that special satisfaction they kept in tight reserve. He did that. He earned that.

He danced, counting the measure, body moving in time with the music. His heartbeat was high, but he wasn’t… he wasn’t scared. This wasn’t like routine drills or exercises at the facility, and Ren and Yanni were nothing like his trainers. This was fun. He. He was having fun.

He let out a little laugh as the music shifted key mid-note, the reason he’d chosen this song, finding the keyshift captivating. He didn’t know if he’d been flexible before the wipe. But he sure was flexible now, and he had played with it. Toyed with it, had fun with it, he was having fun and it was great and all too soon and not soon enough it was over, Soren back where he’d started, exactly where he started, at the intersection of the four middle mats. His chest was heaving, his eyes on the glass ceiling above him, and his hands trembled faintly, one extended high above him.

“Oh angel that was wonderful!” Ren praised, and Soren lowered his gaze, right to them, only on them, Yanni clapping at their side (irrelevant). He smiled at them, beamed, really, feeling like he’d simultaneously discovered and fulfilled his purpose.

“What a good boy,” they cheered, clapping lightly, and Soren’s heart felt full enough to burst.

#bbu #whump #slavery #box boy #dehumanization #brainwashing #creepy whumper #intimate whumper #possessive behavior #codependent whumpee #ren #soren #writing #mine #slave #pet #fluff #first time I've used that tag on this blog

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artisticvicu · 4 years

Text

Playing with Fire

The lute strings sang under his fingers and the words of some song fell from his lips without him being overly aware of what exactly it was he was performing. The common space was full, though, and there were people singing along or chatting happily with companions and strangers so he figured he was in the clear with paying more attention to the people than his music.

Bodies were constantly moving throughout the space so the figure entering shouldn't have drawn his eye as they had. Many here wore hoods for whatever reason but this figure seemed off to him. None of the other patrons noticed. Heck, the figure cut right through a talking pair and the duo didn't so much as blink at the figure. This way and that the figure weaved and this way and that he tracked their progress till the figure was sitting at the table he had claimed for himself, a pretty metal bowl on the table for tips. It had a decent amount in it. He hoped it was enough to leave him a few gold richer when he paid the owners for putting up with him.

He let the little gaunt end and the room erupted into cheers. He grinned and tucked the lute away as one of the staff came over bearing a tray of food. He hadn't ordered and he certainly hadn't seen his new companion order anything either.

"Well played, minstrel," the young dwarf offered, placing the food on the table. Apparently someone was buying him a meal because he had already eaten what he had paid for a few hours ago. "Seems the room took a liking to ya." As if to solidify the point, a few patrons darted in and dropped a few coins into the bowl. He caught sight of the glint of gold and was humbled as much as he was grateful.

He offered the dwarf a smile. "I have you and yours to thank for that. Let your ma know I'll get the coin separated out and to her before I'm done here."

The dwarf nodded, offering a quick, "Will do," before heading to the kitchen.

He turned to his new companion, arching an eyebrow at them. "Meal from you or a different admirer, Soren?"

The figure smiled, tugging the hood back and away. He belatedly realized the cloak was wet. Must have started raining. "Good to see you too, Verena."

He grinned. "Hey, I didn't order any of this." Soren chuckled, low and deep. Verena's gaze flickered over the other, taking in the changes the years had done. Vey still had a head of red hair, skin still darker than what he remembered of veir father's, but what softness that had been there making the other's lack of gender obvious wasn't there. "Presenting more male nowadays?"

The amusement left Soren's expression and he gained a shrug as an answer. "Makes it easier to get by most of the time."

He frowned, watching as Soren closed off to him. His pulse quickened and for a fleeting moment fear gripped his soul. "Soren." He didn't gain the other's gaze like he had hoped and he reached out, grabbing at their arm. "Soren," he repeated. Those amber brown eyes finally focused on him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"A lot. Most of it not good."

His heart fell at that. "Ah, Soren." He shook his head, removing his touch. "You should have said no when I reached out."

Soren shook his head in turn. "It's nice remembering what I can of the times before the bad. Besides, it sounded like you really needed the help."

"I would have asked for help elsewhere but when I had heard of what you've been doing, I had hoped you'd come with company."

Another shake no. "We were in the middle of serious business that, in the end, turned to being safer that I came alone. I've got ways to reach out to them if we need assistance or when I'm heading back." Soren fixed him with an accusing look. "It hadn't sounded like it would need much force. We're just going after some kid, yeah?"

"An Aarakocra so age isn't really something we can go off."

"An Aarakocra."

His gaze flickered across the room before he nodded towards a patron not far off. "Winged. Looks more like a bird than a human. The winged human two tables to the left is an Aasimar."

"Hmm." It took a moment for Soren's gaze to return to him. "So we're going after some Aarakocra. Why?"

Verena leaned back in his chair, cup in hand. "I owe Zerros a favor and his wife's family owns this inn. They had sent this Aarakocra - Artemis, if I'm remembering correctly - off on some courier trip but haven't seen a single feather of him since. He's somehow a friend of the family despite him only having been here because of the caravan he was riding with. Caravan leader is a family friend, apparently."

"Why send us in and not the city guard or something?"

Verena arched an eyebrow over the rim of his cup. He let his chair fall back onto four legs as he put the emptier cup down. "You don't know much about the town we're in, do ya?"

Soren arched an eyebrow. "Wouldn't be asking if I did."

Verena grinned. "Town's built on the Black Market," he explained, voice low to the point where Soren was forced to lean closer; "quite literally in some areas. Place is an intense maze of buildings and back alleys despite it's small size. Most things are tall because the surrounding lands are extremely fertile for crops and no one wanted to encroach on the farmlands but the number of people coming and staying kept increasing. So, they built skyward."

"Quite literally how?" Soren asked equally quiet.

"There's some hidden history here but from what I've overheard, there'd been a city in the area. A massive city. Something had happened that came in and not only killed everyone who lived here but also sank the city beneath a good layer of earth. What remains of that city has created a cavern system that's almost like catacombs beneath our feet and it houses a lot of the Black Market for the surrounding areas."

"So we're infiltrating this Black Market and freeing an Aarakocra that, what, looks like an eagle?"

Verena shook his head. "A barn swallow. It's a small blue and copper colored bird with a forked tail. Unusual in these parts from what I've been told. Supposedly Artemis is from the southern continent."

"Hmm." Soren leaned back, crossing his arms. "When do we leave then?"

"Do you need to rest?"

"No. I had camped not too far off so the walk was easy. I'm good to go whenever."

"Cool. Let's finish eating then and I'll go get my things and drop off what I owe to June."

Just over two hours later they found themselves beneath the city. Verena's tail was wrapped tightly around Soren's belt only because Soren had warned him about the high possibility of getting burned holding onto veir wrist. They were standing in the shadows of a tunnel that crossed the one they needed but there were people there talking. Verena crouched closer to the ground as the voices got louder, Soren pulling back to as far as Verena's tail could reach before following suit.

The duo they had been waiting on walked by without even noticing too caught up in their conversation. Verena didn't recognize the language and he didn't ask if Soren did.

Deeper into the maze they went, finding that it wasn't just one level when the floor caved in under Soren's feet. Verena was yanked in after vem. They came across stairs that led another level down.

An unusually warm hand gripped at his tail and he froze, suddenly alert, but the only thing that happened was Soren getting close and whispering into his ear, "Next left. Should lead us somewhere." He frowned back at Soren, who shrugged. "I'm running off of a hunch of what I remember of the upper levels. Just go with it."

Verena raised both eyebrows at that but followed Soren's words. He took the next left and followed it, keeping straight when Soren made no move to correct his direction.

Somewhere was right. Verena found the tunnel ending at a door and the amount of noise coming from beyond it proved Soren's statement lacking. With a quick glance back at his companion, Verena opened the door enough to see.

The room beyond was massive compared to what they had been traveling through. The room itself was two levels high and the noise beyond didn't echo horribly like it should have. Crates, cages, and containers filled the space of varying sizes. Bodies were moving everywhere, whether it was moving freight about or simply walking through. A few bodies were stagnant here and there but attentions were nowhere near the door he and Soren were at.

"Damn," Soren hissed, as Verena closed the door. "Ideas?"

"One. But I don't know how useful it'll be."

"Try me."

He started digging through his pack. "I know a spell, concentration based that I can hold for about ten minutes. Let's me see and hear what's going on around the target. Only," he pulled out a copper tinged down feather and tucked it into his braid for safe keeping before he went back to digging, "I haven't had the chance to get a focus for it yet."

"What kind of focus?"

He looked up at Soren, "A crystal ball or a silver mirror, the expensive kind. Like, at least 1,000 gold pieces expensive kind." He went digging again. "A holy water font would work too but I have neither a font nor that amount of holy water."

A water skin bumped his arm and he stared at it, bewildered, before looking up at Soren again. The other shrugged. "Endless supply of holy water. A gift from a friend blessed by Silvanus and enchanted by the Fae Queen. There's only one other like it and I am to return this to said friend as soon as I'm heading back to my company."

His hands wrapped around the water skin in shock. Standing abruptly, he uncapped the water skin and pressed the opening against the palm of his hand. He flipped the whole thing over and let magic do the rest.

The change in perspective was jarring but he had sight of a small Aarakocra with a coppery toned off white chest, blue feathers rich around the copper red feathers of the face and throat. The stout wings and deep forked tail were black from the underside. He bristled at how the small being was strung out, stout wings flat and open wide against the bars of some cage, tail clamped open. Nothing appeared clipped yet, which was a blessing in its own right, but it was clear there had been some rough treatment already.

He shuddered feeling Soren's hand on his tail and it took him a second to get both sensory inputs to agree. It turned into where his focus went, like one was a window with a scene and the other was the stage performance before him. The sounds stayed. Soren's expression was worried as he met veir gaze. "I'm ok. I can split it, be here and there but I have to focus to see one or the other. The sounds will blend but I can keep quiet. I can move. The spell will follow Artemis if he's moved."

Soren nodded. "What do you see?"

Verena turned his focus back to Artemis and looked around. "Cage with thick bars. I can see through them, see the room beyond. I'm trying to see if there's anything significant in the area I can use to get us there."

The perspective was horrible and even when he moved the spell to the edge of the spell's tether, he still couldn't make anything significant out.

The roar made him jump but it was faint when he came back to Soren, eyes wide as adrenaline shot through him. "Artemis is in a cage close to that sound. We'll have to just run in and head for it. I should recognize the area when we get close enough but I don't have anything else to lead us with."

"Stay close then."

Another roar tore through the space as Soren opened the door. What had been a room of organized and calm action was now utter chaos. There were bodies running all over the place, creatures throwing their voices to the noise of the space, and Verena stumbled after Soren when the other took off at a run. For a moment, his heart leapt into his throat. Someone was bound to stop them.

But Soren was running straight towards the roars, body thrumming with determination so potent, Verena could make it out from behind him and he realized what Soren was doing. No one was going to bother them as long as he followed Soren's silent lead.

He cut the spell when he gained sight of Soren from the cage's perspective. He overtook Soren, coming to the edge of the cage as another roar erupted into the space. They were at the back wall of the large space but there was an open doorway next to Artemis's cage. Beyond it was a short hallway or tunnel that opened into a different space. He could make out the flicker of firelight.

"A dragon," Soren spoke for him. He met Soren's amber brown eyes and the other grinned at him. "No better distraction than their own merchandise. How good are you with locks?"

Verena blinked. "Depends. Am I trying to be stealthy?" Soren gave him a bewildered look and he rushed, "I know a spell - Knock. It's well named as it gives off a very loud knock sound when it unlocks something. I've got enough magic to use it on all of Artemis's bindings and cage but it won't be stealthy."

Another roar drew both their gazes and Verena caught the mischievous grin out of the corner of his eye. "Time it with the roars. We should be fine."

Verena moved into place, asking, "And if the roars stop?"

Soren's right hand ignited. "I can make sure they don't."

Verena sent him a worried look. A roar ripped through the space and he almost missed the chance. The cage door unlocked as a loud knock blended with the roar. Verena's heart was in his throat. "Soren, I don't think that's a good idea. We're already in the pan. No need to go playing with the fire, too."

Soren laughed. "Ren, playing with fire is in my blood. It's who and what I am." Another loud roar, another knock as the lock on Artemis's tail came undone. The Aarakocra didn't even twitch from any of the sounds around him. "Just get the kid to safety."

Soren took off down the hallway at a quick pace. Verena's tail flicked anxiously behind him, waiting. Four- no, five more locks and they could leave. He just hoped Soren could get either long enough roars or the right number for him to get Artemis out of there.

Screams suddenly echoed down the hallway but the bellowed roar was far louder and he managed two locks with the two loud knocks within it. His heart clenched. "Please be careful, Soren," he muttered to himself, hands running over the Aarakocra looking for injuries as he waited for the next roar. "I don't want to exchange your life for his."

Another roar, only one lock.

"It wouldn't be fair."

#All the Creation #Creative and Prompt Writing #phrase prompt #100 word minimum

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althealuisa · 5 years

Text

Trust

BASED ON Doubt by @jinmukangwrites (this is the URL bc I don’t trust Tumblr yet) , one of my favourite authors that brightens my day, every day <3

Go read that first, it’s basically like part one. Please leave a kind comment <3 <3

Just as a disclaimer, I’m not native and I didn’t even check for typos more than once soooooooo... Expect to find a few here and there

I’m tired now and need to go to bed. i wrote this in class the last two days bc I was bored and actually came up with this Idea while not being able to sleep after reading Doubt. Oh well.

________________________________________________________________

Twilight stood and stretched his hand out to Wild. “Let’s go back. The others are worried.” For a second, Wilds panicked mind told him to run. He didn’t want to go back to the others. He didn’t want to talk to them. He wasn’t ready to tell them yet. He never was ready to begin with.

They wouldn’t want to know anyway.

He grabbed Twis Hand and stood up. “You know that we need to tell them, right?” Twilights voice was wary, as if he was afraid to break something. Wild nodded. Twilight frowned. “I mean now. Like, I mean right now. They will want to know. And, I’m sorry, but they deserve to know” Wild stared at the ground, rolling the words around in his head. “Okay” He hated how sore and tired his voice was.

Twilight turned around and started slowly walking back towards camp, not noticing how Wilds back straightened, how his breathing evened into an forcefully slow and pressed rhythm, how the torment on his face faded into an emotionless mask. This wasn’t the first time he did this, and he guessed it wouldn’t be the last. He followed his predecessor, his steps too stiff and even, his movements too controlled.

Look at you. Do you think they won’t see right through you? This is ridiculous.

They won’t. He caught up to Twilight, walking just a few steps behind him. They moved in silence, the conversation they were to have looming over them. They could hear the others arguing from far away. “I just want to search for them, come on!”, “You can’t just waltz of on your own. Twilight can handle this.” Obviously, Twilight had been right. Wind didn’t seem too happy with just waiting for their return. Although Time seemed more than calm, Wild could hear the slight worry in his voice.

Twilight stepped into the small clearing and all the Links fell silent. “Did you find him?” Time asked concerned. Twilight nodded and continued to walk forwards without a word. His expression had changed into an almost angry stare. He sat down at the fire place and said nothing as Wild stepped out of the woods. “Wild! Are you alright?” Wind shouted, bolting forwards and throwing his arms around Wilds waist, breaking the upright posture he had remained in. Wild froze in place, not moving at all.

Wind let go of him after a few seconds and studied his face worriedly. “Come”, he said, dragging him towards the fire. He obeyed and sat down next to Twilight. The others followed them. The short, uncomfortable silence that fell was broken by Time. “What is going on Wild, what happened?” His voice was sturdy and calm, his features relaxed. Wild didn’t dare to answer. He knew his voice would fail him and he certainly didn’t want to break into tears in front of the others again. None of them noticed how he straightened his back again and raised his chin, but they all recognised how he lifted his hands.

It’s about the TriForce. He signed. Only Time spoke sign apart from him, so he sighed silently and began translating for him. “It is about the TriForce… He doesn’t have it”. He frowned at the last word as Wild lowered his Hands. A silence fell over the group. Wind shifted uncomfortably. “So?” asked Twilight. “What does it matter?”

“Well, it’s a sign Twilight. We all have the TriForce, we know that we are the Hero of our times because the gods gave it to us. How would we…” Warriors stopped himself seeing the look on Wilds Face. The Facade he had kept up had broken quickly. His features were twisted in pain and his eyes now stood out to them as red and puffy. He lifted his hands again.

“That’s not true” Time answered angrily to Wilds movements, but Wild shook his head and continued. “Time what is he saying?” Asked Hyrule worriedly. Time took a deep breath and began to translate Wilds signs. “He is right. It’s not only the TriForce, there is much more like that. I don’t belong with you, which is not true.” anger was shining in Times eyes as he said the last words. Warriors paled. “Wild, no. That’s not what I meant. You are as much of a hero as everyone of us.” Most of the others either nodded or hummed in agreement. Wild shook his head again. Tears were leaking out from his eyes as he signed. You don’t understand.

Look at you. They are lying to you again, trying to get your hopes up. They always have to care for you.

Time repeated him again and Twilight suddenly stood up, his face twisted in anger and sadness.

All because of you.

“How could you even believe for one second that you are not like us?”

Because you aren’t. You failed. So many dead people.

He spoke, his voice crumbling as he formed the words: “Because I am nothing like you.”

You are a failure.

“Why would you think that?” Hyrule asked, his voice soft and understanding. Suddenly Wild just wanted to get away. Panic flooded every inch in his body, his Head screaming at him to run away, to leave the others and to stop bothering them, to leave them behind for their own good and go back to doing what he did before he was a burden to everyone around him.

So, you want to be dead? Because every second of you being alive was a burden to someone, a problem in their way. How old where you when you pulled the sword? When your mother was killed because of you?

The image suddenly flashed through his mind, and before he knew it, he was sucked into the memory.

The World was different. Brighter. So colourful. Every little creature strolling by or floating through the air brought joy to his little heart. His father was walking in front of him, a bright smile adorning his features, surrounded by a few more men, all clad in armour bearing the royal crest like him. “Come on my boy! It’s not much further!”

He was right. Only a few minutes later they stood in front of a dense forest. Although he was little, he noticed the uneasiness with which the guards were looking at the fog wavering through the trees.

“The princess and the king are going to be here soon. So, do as I taught you son!” He smiled at him proudly as Link stiffened his back and brought his feet parallel together. They stood to the side as Princess Zelda, barely 6 years old, arrived. Her face seemed too serious, her eyes just too old for her age as though she had seen more than even she herself could comprehend.

Her father walked right behind her, his face more relaxed and happier than you would expect him to be. “Let us begin. As I promised, your Son is allowed to come with us Soren.” The King said and nodded to Links father. The knight nodded and stepped into the fog, tightly holding his sons Hand. “Stay close to me Link.” He drew his sword and walked onwards in a seemingly illogical pattern. The Princess, the King and the knights followed them close behind.

When slowly there appeared, what seemed to be an entrance into a brighter part of the forest, Link had the strange sensation, that it could have been a mistake to follow his father to this place. They stepped through a huge hollow tree trunk and suddenly stood in a brightly lit area. “We have arrived, Sir” Links father said and stood to the side. The Royals walked past them and took the lead further into the forest.

Zelda stopped in front of a big stone pedestal. She looked up at a massive tree right in front of her. “Great Deku tree. Hear our prayers.” Even her voice sounded mature for her age. “We have heard of a prophecy that has told of the return of the great evil, Ganon himself. We seek your advice in this time of need as the gods have proven themselves deaf to our pleas.” She fell silent. A dark chuckle filled the air. “Princess, you have come here without knowing that you have searched in vain.” The Kings shoulders dropped.

“Because what you need has been with you the whole time. As the ancient legend tells, a legendary hero, wielding the sword of evils bane that I have been guarding over the past millenium , and a sacred princess, with the blood of the goddesses have sealed the evil away in the past. You, my dear bear the blood of the goddesses. And the legendary hero is right here with us.” The trees voice sounded almost sad, like he didn’t like what was going on. Links father suddenly paled. He grabbed Links shoulder so strongly, that his knuckles turned white.

“What do you mean?” The king demanded, his voice echoing though the empty forest. “The young boy behind you, he has been chosen by the goddesses. As you know, only the chosen hero himself could pull the sword from its pedestal. Let him try it.” Shocked silence had fallen over the group. The King and his daughter spun around and stared at Link. He was hiding behind his father, panic in his eyes. He didn’t understand all of it, but enough to know that whatever was happening wasn’t good.

“Link.” The King said, his voice sounding almost sorry. “Do as the tree said.” Link didn’t move. “Soren, step away. I am sorry, but if the tree is right…” His father swallowed and stepped aside. Link stared at him, his eyes big and scared. “Do as the king said Link. Like I taught you. Be a good boy…” Soren didn’t look at him as he said those words. Link turned and walked past the King and the princess. Panic was brooding in his stomach.

He could see the sword, its blade buried in the ancient stone. “Pull at it, boy. And don’t let go, whatever happens.” The tree boomed. Link grabbed the hilt, his teeth clenched. He pulled at the handle and suddenly pain fired through his body. He screamed, but he kept pulling, thinking that he might die if he wouldn’t.

He pulled and shouted and screamed, his father screaming something behind him. But Link knew that the tree had been right. Light was erupting from the pedestal and the blade was coming lose. Suddenly, with a loud sound it slipped out of the pedestal. The light died down and the princess shouted something seemingly surprised.

Link sank to his knees, his body shaking and his hands firmly grabbing the hilt of the sword in his hands. He heard faint steps behind him. “Link?” His father asked scared. “He is the chosen hero, Hylian.” The tree said thoughtfully. “I reckon that you will take such actions as to prepare the boy for what is to come. You have loads to do” He continued, directing his words at the King.

Suddenly the scenery changed. Link stood in front of a big door, listening to the argument going on behind it. “He is only five sir! You can not ask something like this of a boy this young! He can barely lift the sword by himself, how is he to already train with it?” He heard his father shout, his voice exhausted but determined. “Soren, this is nothing we can debate about. I can not change his destiny as the gods have chosen him. He will begin his training soon. Travel home and let him say goodbye. He will not return for long. That is an order.”

The scene changed again and Link and his father were approaching the door of their home. His father stopped and looked at his son for a second. “Whatever your sister and Mum say, It doesn’t matter.” He kneeled down. “It is not your fault my son. I know you think that I am sad because of you, but I couldn’t be. I love you boy.” He hugged Link for a second, then stood up. Without another word, he knocked at the door. Nothing was to be heard from inside the house. His father opened the door and stopped the second he entered.

He sank to his knees right behind the doorframe. “What’s going on Father?” Link asked worriedly. As he received no answer, he squeezed himself through the gap between his father and the door frame and then turned. He froze in place. His mothers corpse lay on the floor, a big bloody wound in her chest. His father suddenly jumped to his feet. “Stay back Link.” He snarled without looking at him.

He pulled his sword and walked further into the house. Suddenly, a loud cry sounded and the clanging of metal. Another cry followed and another, suddenly 4 people appearing seemingly out of nowhere. One of them was fighting his father, while the others approached him. They were laughing with glee and raising their strangely curved swords, ready to strike him down. He backed away, his way to the door cut off.

But he didn’t need to worry.

Before they could even touch him, they were dead, his father standing above them panting. “Yiga…” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “How could we forget…” suddenly a small cry was to be heard. His father rushed forward and opened the closet. A brown shadow jumped out and threw its small arms around Link’s father. “Daddy!” the little girl cried, tears streaming down her face. The man kneeled down, hugging her close and trying to comfort her. Link watched from afar, the pained expression on his fathers and sisters faces seemed to clench his heart together.

“I think he’s waking up guys! Wild!” someone shouted as Wild snapped out of his memory. His muscles collapsed beneath him and he tumbled to the ground. Shouting surrounded him that blurred into a confusing mess as he turned to his side and threw up into the grass. His body was trembling, his vision obscured by his tears, his throat seemed to be on fire. He choked as his body was held by two hands, helping him to stay more or less upright. The images of his newly acquired memory were flashing through his mind, confusing him and making his head feel like it exploded. He felt sick, seeing the images of the corpses, but most dominantly guilt seemed to have stuffed his throat.

“Wild calm down!” Twilight shouted, bringing him suddenly back to reality. They helped him sit back up against a tree and tried to hand him a bottle of water. He waved them away as his stuttering breathing started to calm. But the shivering that was rocking his body back and forth only continued on stronger. Time and Twilight had each grabbed one of his shoulders and were holding him tightly. But their firm grip only reminded him of his fathers hand, digging into his back. He choked again, coughing on and on while tears ran down his face. After a few minutes he calmed, his breathing levelling out at least a little bit. “Wild, are you alright?” Time asked seriously. “Yes” Wild choked, His voice hoarse and weak. “You saw one of your memories, didn’t you?” Time asked cautiously, loosening his grip a bit. Wild just nodded in response. “One you knew? Or a new one?“, „A new one”, he answered quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. He could see that the others knew that it couldn’t have been a very pleasant memory. They all looked like they pitied him.

There you go. You finally did it. You managed that they care about you enough to feel sorry for you. And what good did it do?

He lifted his hands and clutched them at his head. The dizziness was confusing him and clouding his mind. “That’s not true”, he whispered quietly. “What do you mean?” asked Hyrule confused. Wild froze. A shadow seemed to go over Times Face. “Wild who were you talking to?” His voice was more than concerned, but he also sounded somehow angry.

“Nobody”, Wild answered carefully, almost scared. Time crouched down, so that he looked into Wilds Face, just a few inches away. “Listen, Wild. You need to let it go. It doesn’t matter how true it sounds, It’s not. Forget it and tell us. Talk to us. We miss you, the way you were before you thought all that nonsense. You are not a burden, you are our friend.” The others looked at Time surprised, but Wild took his hands away from his face and stared at Time, his eyes widened in shock.

“How do you know?” He asked quietly, tears still running down his face. “I knew someone” Time said, looking at him with sadness written all over his features. Wild bit his lip, staring at the ground.

You aren’t strong enough to do this. You are more than just weak. Just give up and let them go.

No, he thought, suddenly determined. They believe in me. I don’t need to protect them. Sometimes… it’s okay to need someone.

“I’m not like you because I failed. I let everyone down. So many people died because of me” he said silently, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady.

What do you expect them to do? To tell you that no one died?

“You didn’t let them down Wild”, Legend said carefully. “You gave your life for them. You did all you could and more. How could anyone tell you that you failed?”

Lies. All lies.

“Sometimes all you have isn’t enough Legend”, he whispered sadly. “So what?” asked Twilight irritated. “After all your torment, after you gave your life, after you saved the kingdom all on your own, without any help, how would anyone still even dare to question what you did? I mean, it was practically the embodiment of heroism if you ask me” Twilight huffed annoyed.

Don’t believe their lies, they are trying to blind you.

“There are so many differences between all of you and me. Different people and villages, even languages in my time. Heck, even the monsters are different!” Wild shouted frustrated throwing his arms around in the air. “We are all different, that’s just the way it is”, said Time slowly.

Distractions. Empty promises. Empty words. Don’t listen to them.

“I think”, Sky started nervously, “That we all feel guilty at some point or another. That we could have stopped the evil earlier. Saved more lives. But the truth is, we couldn’t have. All of us did our best. And although we just don’t seem to understand that, it’s the truth”, he smiled.

NONSENSE!

“I… I think you are right”, Wild slowly nodded. “I’m sorry guys. For all the drama.” He looked down.

THIS WON’T FIX IT!

“Don’t be. We all need that kind of episode sometimes”, Four shrugged. He smiled. “Must be a part of the spirit of courage. You will be very brave but also immensely dramatic when you feel bad. Too bad for you.” The heroes laughed and even Wild managed a smile, a real, genuine smile.

THEY ARE right. I should trust them more.

He felt like a big stone had suddenly been removed from his head. He breathed in slowly.

“I just don’t want to annoy you”, Wild said carefully, but still happily. Time put a hand on his shoulder.

“You couldn’t. We are family, Wild.”

#linked universe #hero of the wild #hero of twilight #hero of time #doubt #trust #go check jin out #as if not everyone that would probably read this is from there anyway #legend of zelda #fanfic #hero of the four sword #hero of warriors #hero of legend #hero of the winds #hero of hyrule #hero of the sky #lw #what am i even doing

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