#Valkyrie the Vicious

[c0nfessions-of-a-writing-freak]

Chapter Three: A Lightfury’s Guide to Stealing A Dragon Rider

Pairing: Hiccup 'Horrendous’ Haddock III x fem!oc

Word count: 3.6k

Chapter Summary: It’s not easy trying to persuade a rouge dragon rider, Hiccup finds that out the hard way. In a chase across the open water, there aren’t many places to hide, only deceiving one another or getting a little help from some other riders. It isn’t easy to lose a seasonal dragon rider, Valkyrie finds that out the hard way.

Overall Summary: A mysterious new dragon rider has been starting to make their presence known by tearing through dragon hunter ships and leaving nothing in their wake. What dragon they ride is unknown. What they look like is unknown. Why they are hunting the dragon hunters is unknown. The only thing that is known is that they will stop at nothing to destroy every dragon hunter ship at any cost.

“Valkyrie?” Hiccup was startled, nearly dropping the helmet he had caught midair as he stared at the girl from the markets he had met a day prior. As his eyes rocked down to the dragon that Valkyrie was sitting on. “What are you doing out here? Better yet, what are you doing on a… Dayfury?”

“Lightfury,” Valkyrie corrected, the white dragon below her gargling at the name Hiccup had called her. Stardust’s head turned to glower up at Hiccup, doing so until a green eye caught hers. “Now if you would be so kind, I need that helmet back.”

“You need to answer my question first,” Hiccup demanded, pulling the helmet closer to his body. He could see Valkyrie look back nervously, eyes flickering over the ships before her head turned back forward, a more set expression on her face. Hiccup tried again, “Why are you out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” She rebutted, hands growing restless as she felt her hair smack against her skin. She felt exposed. “You don’t understand Hiccup, I need that mask.”

“Why?” He made his voice gentler as he asked this time around, trying to offer a sense of calm to pull an answer out of Valkyrie. “What is so important about this mask that you can’t go without it?”

“Because Ryker knows who I am, alright?” Valkyrie felt the words slipping from her mouth in a burst of desperate anger. The terror that dawned on Valkyrie’s mind came crashing in waves at the information she just shared with Hiccup. Taking a steadying breath, Valkyrie tried not to let the unsettling silence get to her. She had to think of something, and something quick. “A few years ago I had a run-in with Ryker. Stardust wasn’t with me at the time and I hadn’t yet found the sword you saw me use, so I was basically defenceless. Ryker thinks I’m dead, and with all honestly, I probably should be.”

Now the silence that hung in the air was for a different reason. Hiccup’s face was calculating, the new information being absorbed and stored away somewhere in his brain for later analysing. “But why are you fighting the dragon hunters? Wouldn’t you want to get as far away from Ryker as possible?”

“There is no running from that man Hiccup,” Valkyrie warned, her voice eerie as her eyes shot back down to her helmet. She needed this to sound believable so she could get her helmet back and then promptly disappear. “Ryker has eyes and ears everywhere. So I took on a new face, a face he can’t see.”

“You’re the reason we’ve had destroyed armadas turning up at our island,” Hiccup nearly whispered, the answer dawning on him for something that had been eating at his mind since he and the other dragon riders came upon their first destroyed ship. As he turned to face Valkyrie, the Lightfury below her made a snap of her jaw, drawing Hiccup’s eye once more. “Come with us Valkyrie. Me and the other dragon riders can help you. We want Ryker gone just as much as you do.”

“Oh, we want very different things Hiccup,” Valkyrie’s voice was dark as she spoke, eyes staring hollowly into Hiccup. Valkyrie lifted her left hand and ran it along Stardust’s neck, leading down to her leg, sending a silent message to the dragon. “Now, I’m gonna need that helmet back.”

In a quick arch of her wings, Stardust went hurtling towards Hiccup and the dragon he was flying. Valkyrie had never seen a dragon like it before, the species being of a similar build to Stardust. Valkyrie didn’t plan on finding out what type of dragon that was though as Stardust curved over the top of Hiccup and his dragon, one of her arms outstretched as she snatched the white helmet from his hands. When the scaly thing was back to its rightful owner Stardust flipped back around and shot forward, leaving Hiccup and his dragon behind.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Hiccup yelled, making Valkyrie fasten the helmet on her head quicker. Valkyrie could feel as the muscles in Stardust’s back tense, her wings winding out further as she readied a plasma blast in her jaw. “We got to catch them bud.”

As Hiccup spoke, Stardust released her shot of pink flames. Valkyrie tucked herself in close to Stardust’s back without a second thought. As the warm flames washed over them, Valkyrie felt the sensation of warping run across her skin, the cloaking that covered Stardust extending to her.

“What the?” Valkyrie heard Hiccup ask, a confused mew following his words. Valkyrie chanced a glance back, to see Hiccup and his dragon flying straight forward, the dark dragon looking wildly around. “Find them Toothless.”

Without warning rings of purple shot out straight at Stardust and Valkyrie. Valkyrie tried to warn Stardust as silently as she could, twirling her finger in a circle along her back but Valkyrie wasn’t quick enough as those purple rings wrapped around them. They didn’t hurt but Valkyrie could feel the energy surging over her.

“Good job bud,” Hiccup said at the same time Valkyrie realised her outline was somehow visible. An elated hum left Toothless as he now had a target to chase after. Valkyrie faced forward quickly, keeping herself low down to Stardust.

“Lose the cloaking Star, they can see us so there’s no point trying to stay hidden,” Valkyrie whispered lowly, pressing her right hand down on the side of Stardust’s neck. “Hiccup’s dragon is going to naturally blend in with the night sky while we are going to stand out. Our best bet is to tire them out by both leading them in every direction and vanishing without a trace. Worst case scenario I have to use one of the Zippleback canisters on them.”

Stardust let out a disapproving grumble as she shook her head, effectively shaking the cloaking off of them while also telling Valkyrie her plan wasn’t as thought out as she hoped it to be. “I’m giving you the reigns here Star. Do whatever you need to lose them.”

The words didn’t need to be said twice as Stardust instantly tucked her wings to her body, falling from the sky as they dived towards the ocean. A startled whump came from behind them as Stardust showed no sign of stopping. At the sound of beating wings behind them, Valkyrie knew that they were being followed just like she had hoped. Before they could hit the water, Stardust’s wings shot out, slowing them down for half a second before they were thrown upwards, shooting back towards the sky like an arrow as they attempted to leave Hiccup and Toothless behind them.

Another shot of plasma was launched forward, Stardust diving through it as Valkyrie clung onto her back. As they flew into invisibility, Valkyrie could hear the same echo of the purple rings being shot upwards. This time Stardust was prepared to avoid them as she took a sharp left, flicking out of the firing range of Toothless’s location blast. Stardust began to steer upwards now that the rings had passed her. Their peace didn’t last long though as multiple rings were shot in circles, dancing across the sky as Toothless continued to shoot them at every angle manageable.

“Why can’t that dragon just let us get away?” Valkyrie questioned to no one, in particular, a grunt following her words as her hands grew an outline. A similar response was drawn out of Stardust as she became visible once again with a grumble, her teeth snapping together a few times like she was mimicking talking. “You know what? Let’s just drop a Zippleback canister on them now. Stardust fall.”

A gargle of joy fell from Stardust’s throat as she stopped moving her wings, the two appendages going limp as the dragon started to fall backwards. As the two of them whipped through the wind, Valkyrie struggled to pull one of the canisters from the saddlebag. She probably should have thought everything through a little longer.

It didn’t take long to pull one of the canisters out of the bag, just in time as well as she heard the questions rising from both Hiccup and his dragon. Unlocking the canister, Valkyrie throws it over to Hiccup, the boy naturally catching it. It was only then that he realised what the green gas coming from the small box.

A little too late as well as Stardust’s mouth lit, a small blaze of fire shooting out as they continued to fall. As the explosion emitted above them, Stardust flipped over in the air and shot forward, repeating the process that would turn her invisible. “Sindri isn’t getting that back any time soon.”

Valkyrie was hoping that Hiccup would get the hint this time around. Would leave her alone. But when her hands became outlined in front of her and rings of purple spiralled away, it became clear that she wouldn’t be getting away from the dragon rider that easily.

Hiccup’s hair stood up and was only slightly singed. Valkyrie was good at running away, disappearing–literally–without a trance. But he knew dragons. He had been herding them to and from the Edge for months at this point. With a bit of luck, he’d be able to steer her toward the Edge and hopefully–if Odin’s looking out for him–the other riders will take notice and help him.

Valkyrie was already outlined again in front of him. She didn’t shake the cloak that took over her this time around, making it slightly harder to follow them since the outlining still faded after a while but Toothless made sure to keep them visible.

After the Zippleback attack–in which Hiccup still had the canister held in his hand–he and Toothless were a bit more careful with how they approached the duo in white, not knowing what they might throw at him next. “Come on bud, they’re already taking themselves towards the Edge, let’s just make sure they don’t get off track.”

Toothless’s wings spread as he glided off to the left, silently encouraging Valkyrie and Stardust to fly right, their presence acting as a deter. And it worked as the Lightfury that Valkyrie was riding zipped away, trying to force Toothless (Hiccup) away from her. Every time they got too close the dragon’s nose scrunched up, her head swirling backwards to narrow her eyes at the rider sitting on Toothless’s back before shooting in the opposite direction of where Hiccup and Toothless were.

A few times Valkyrie went off track anyway. Taking sharp turns and dives as they tried to throw Hiccup off their trail, making Toothless have to work extra hard to catch them and turn them away from where they were headed.

When the Edge came into view, Hiccup’s shoulders sagged, relief flooding through him as it meant all of this would be over soon. Toothless let out a mighty roar as they flew closer to the island, the huts and stable becoming clear. He was able to gain the attention of a few dragons as they neared.

Valkyrie’s head shot back at the roar, brows pinching together at how unnecessary it was. But when there was a screech in return, Valkyrie realised what the dragon had been doing. The flaming body of a Monstrous Nightmare soared up from one of the huts on the island, gaining Valkyrie’s attention while a Deadly Nadder sailed through the air, spikes at the ready. The crackling of a Hideous Zippleback scratched through the air while the buzz of Gronckle wings followed.

Valkyrie had flown herself straight into an ambush.

“I’m going to kill that Nightfury rider,” Valkyrie seethed, getting a confused rumble from Stardust below her. “Well, he called you a Dayfury when he first saw you, meaning he thought you were the same species as his dragon. So the first thing that would have come to his mind would have been the opposite of yours.”

“But now we got bigger fish to fry than what Hiccup wants to call you.” If Valkyrie didn’t know that Stardust couldn’t hiss, she would have thought the noise that erupted from her was exactly that. It came at the exact moment Valkyrie had said Hiccup’s name. Stardust wasn’t a big dragon or people animal, especially when certain people on certain dragons chased after her.

Valkyrie’s eyes scanned over the island, trying to think of a way to lose the dragon riders. She was on their home turf so no matter what she did they would have the upper hand. They knew the landscape of the island better, the dragons that inhabited it and how their dragons react and can work together.

“We got to lose them Star,” Valkyrie said as the Deadly Nadder and its rider flew underneath them, popping up on their right as the Monstrous Nightmare tried to close in on their left. Toothless was still behind them while the Gronckle lugged after them from underneath. The Hideous Zippleback maneuvered itself around the sky, not sticking to a single path which Valkyrie was guessing they did on purpose. “Hit the Gronckle. It’ll be easier to get path them.”

Stardust didn’t waste a second before shooting a blast of pink flames down at the Gronckle before plummeting towards them. The blast that Stardust had shot wasn’t deadly but enough to wound or stun any dragon. Shouts of concern could be heard all around Valkyrie, the boy who was sitting on the Gronckle letting out a high-pitched yell as they both went down. Valkyrie tried not to worry about the pair, knowing that if she allowed herself to get concerned with the dragon she wouldn’t be able to pull herself away.

Stardust made sure not to fly too close to the ground, a few meters in between the long grass and her stomach as she wove in between the trees, blocking out certain dragons from following her as their movements weren’t as smooth as the Lightfury. Toothless was able to follow them because of course Hiccup and his Nightfury couldn’t let Valkyrie have anything today. The Deadly Nadder was also pretty close to catching them, a bit behind Toothless as they fought to keep up.

Valkyrie’s hands began to fiddle through Stardust’s saddlebag, another one of Sindri’s Zippleback canisters coming out. As Valkyrie unclasped the box, she didn’t throw it like she did last time. Instead, she held it out to the side, letting a trail of gas run behind her.

“Watch out for the Zippleback gas!” Valkyrie heard Hiccup yell, Toothless letting out a squawk as he tried to fly above the gas and avoid it. The Deadly Nadder tried to get out of the way of it as well but couldn’t get far enough as an actual Hideous Zippleback flew out and into range.

“Zippleback gas?” A female voice questioned from one of her heads of the Hideous Zippleback. “Hiccup, why didn’t you tell us Fury’s could spew Zippleback gas?”

“They can’t,” Hiccup tried to warn, much to the dismay of those sitting on the Hideous Zippleback.

“Who cares?” A male voice now spoke from the Hideous Zippleback. “Belch, let’s light this place.”

“No,” Another feminine voice yelled, but a little too late as the sparks began to light from one of the Hideous Zippleback’s mouths. As the cloud of gas began to light, Valkyrie let go of the canister, Stardust taking a sharp turn and flying through the trees and away from the explosion lighting.

Stardust began to shoot up to the sky again, throat warming as plasma began to build in it. They were going to disappear again. But before anything could be shot forward, a yell rang out through the air as the flaming body of a Monstrous Nightmare came hurtling towards Valkyrie. “Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi.”

Valkyrie’s head shot towards the Viking yelling. The short man’s eyes were already on her, a devilish grin on his face as his dragon bound after them. Valkyrie shook her head as she turned back to face forward, tapping Stardust on the neck. The fire that she had previously been warming was shot forward, Stardust diving through it.

As the sensation washed over Valkyrie, they were barely cloaked for a second before Valkyrie felt something slam into her and dig into her back. Valkyrie was ripped from Stardust’s back, the Lightfury whirling around to see what happened when her eyes landed on Toothless, his front claws dug into the scales of Valkyrie’s armour. A class of distress left Stardust as she watched Valkyrie dangle.

Trying to shoot forward to grab Valkyrie back, Toothless deterred her as he turned, keeping his body between Stardust and Valkyrie. That however left Hiccup exposed to Stardust. Slicing her claws into the back of Hiccup’s leather suit, Stardust tried to pull Hiccup from Toothless’s saddle. Hiccup’s foot however got caught. Valkyrie looked up to see why his feet hadn’t fallen from the buckles onto to see a metal foot in its place.

Hiccup’s other foot came undone, jostling him from Toothless’s back and pushing him forward and off until he hung twisted and connected to the saddle, hanging backwards as his head slotted next to Valkyrie’s. The boy let out a nervous laugh as he stared at Valkyrie from upside down, trying not to show too much struggle as Toothless began to fall from the sky as well as having Valkyrie’s deadpan stare on him. “Uh, how’s the view?”

“Really?” Valkyrie asked as she tried to cross her arms, struggling lightly at the tight grip Toothless had on her. As Toothless’s body whirled around, throwing Hiccup and Valkyrie around with him, Valkyrie began to grow worried as Stardust couldn’t get close enough to pull her from Toothless’s grip. “Are you going to do anything about our current situation?”

“I’m working on it,” Hiccup said, slightly more unsure of himself as he pushed himself up, gripping the side of the saddle as he cranked his body up. Slotting himself on Toothless’s back properly, Hiccup could see that they would get too close to the ground for comfort and that Valkyrie was in the crushing zone. Shoving himself nearly off of Toothless’s saddle, Hiccup yelled, “Take my hand Valkyrie.”

“You’re crazy,” Valkyrie said as her head shot down to see how fast they were falling before one of Toothless’s claws left her shoulder, giving her space to swing up and stretch a hand towards Hiccup. As their hands met, a shock ran through Valkyrie’s bones as she was pulled up and pushed behind Hiccup.

“I know. Now, hold on,” Hiccup warned as Toothless’s wings spread, trying to slow down as they crashed down. Valkyrie’s arms instinctively tightened as she dug herself closer to Hiccup’s back. The clanking of Hiccup changing his foot’s position rang before Toothless glided forward, tail nearly smashing into the ground as Hiccup tried to redirect them up.

A sigh escaped Hiccup’s lips as they became suspended in the air again. When Valkyrie didn’t make the instant decision to throw herself from Hiccup’s back, even with Stardust hovering nearby, he leaned forward so he could talk to Toothless. “Take us to the stables, bud.”

Toothless’s gargled response came quickly before he was carefully making his way towards the Edge’s stable. Toothless made sure to keep an eye on Stardust as they flew, the Lightfury hovering as she waited for Valkyrie to signal something to her. Hiccup had half a thought that Stardust might try and pull Valkyrie or Hiccup from Toothless’s back but after the fall they had just suffered he was hoping she wouldn’t try anything. That the Stardust probably didn’t want to hurt Valkyrie.

As Toothless touched down on the stables landing strip, Valkyrie was jumping from Hiccup’s back. She hesitated for a few seconds, eyes darting between the edge of the platform and where Hiccup stood and Stardust flew. But as the other dragon riders landed around her, Stardust fell from the sky and curled herself around Valkyrie’s front, nose scrunched as a snarl started to rise from her throat.

Hiccup was the one who stepped forward, a hand raised as he tried to calm both Valkyrie and Stardust. “We need to talk, Valkyrie. Just hear us out and we’ll let you go.”

“What makes you so certain you can keep me here?” Valkyrie asked, settling a calming hand on Stardust which the dragon ignored, her teeth still bared at the other dragons and riders. Valkyrie’s eyes kept rocketing between those in front of her, trying to stay as aware as possible of who was surrounding her.

“We were able to get you here,” Hiccup brought all of Valkyrie’s attention back to him as he spoke. He still had a hand raised, taking slow steps towards Valkyrie and Stardust every few seconds, making Stardust’s hackles raise. “What makes you think we won’t be able to keep you here?”

“I’ve seen this island on maps before. I know where we are and where the nearest islands are,” Her voice was even as she spoke. Valkyrie took a step forward until she was at Stardust’s side, one of her hands falling into place on Stardust’s saddle. “We could disappear and get there quicker than any of you.”

“Maybe,” Hiccup tried to agree, his head tilting to the side slightly, earning himself a sharper glare from Stardust than he did Valkyrie. Valkyrie’s own eyes hardened, daring Hiccup to say something more. “Look, we have a common enemy. Let us convince you to work with us.”

#hiccup haddock x reader #hiccup haddock iii #hiccup httyd #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #hiccup x reader #httyd #rtte #race to the edge #how to train your dragon #x reader #x oc #fem reader #reader insert #fem oc #Valkyrie the Vicious #fanfic #rtte fanfic #httyd fanfiction #fanfiction #toothless #nightfury #night fury #light fury #lightfury #stardust oc #Valkyrie the Vicious oc #deadly nadder #stormfly #astrid #astrid hofferson

[semina-art]

My Tomarry | Harrymort recs: Updated

⭐ My Preciousss

A Dangerous Game by @cybrid

A Future Without a Face by @dividawrites

And the living will envy the dead by @k-s-morgan

Consuming Shadows by @childotkw

Death of Today by @epic-solemnity

Diagnosis by MaidenMotherCrone

Either must die at the hand of the other by @metalomagnetic

In Willing Sacrifice by @hikarimeroperiddle

Let’s Cross Over by @whisprchrysalis

love is touching souls (surely you touched mine) by @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger

Mi Aedijekit by @kitastrophea

No Glory by @obsidianpen

The two hundred and twelfth loop by Bakuko

Vicious Circle by Bakuko

What He Grows to Be by @k-s-morgan

⚡ Extremely good

(never) let me go by @perhaps-sunlight

dawn of a death of a dream by @cindle-writes

draw me after you (let us run) by @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger

equals in life (partners in death) by @reggieblk

Exquisitely by @obsidianpen

Full Circle by tetsurashian

Growing pains by @whisprchrysalis

Haunted and Hunted series by @obsidianpen

Heir Apparent by @monsieurclavier

In this Last of Meeting Places by redbadger

Inevitabilities by @shadow-of-the-eclipse

One year in every ten by @saintsenara

Past’s Player by The Fictionist

Revolution of Configured Stars by @tollingreminiscentbells

Seeing Sand by @valkyrie-chemist

Surface Pressure by handsonmyheart

Terrible, But Great by @isalisewrites

The Sense of Self by SpitFire97

The Train to Nowhere by MayMarlow

The Weight of Gravity by Skylanian_Writer

Too old to be this young by Nadia_Castillo

We still have time by @duplicitywrites

Many thanks to these talented authors for their works. You inspire me so much! ❤️ I love every fic from this list! UPDATED: 30.03.2024

#hp #harry potter #fanfic #fanfic rec #tomarry #harrymort #tomarrymort #fan fiction

[olenvasynyt]

Parallels between Gwyn and Az

People don’t often realize this, but Gwyn and Az have a lot of things in common.  And imo, it points to Gwynriel.  So let’s talk about it!

Dynamics with Nesta

They have similar dynamic with Nesta.  It’s not identical but neither of them shy away from her bluntness like others do.  They both seem to admire it and at some points, it gets Gwyn and Az to open up.

Page 251 of ACOSF: “Nesta watched the shadowsinger with a frankness that most people shied from. Azriel returned the look with the stillness that most people ran from.”

Page 114 of ACOSF: “ I don’t need to be coddled.  Only spoken to like a person.”  “I doubt you’ll enjoy the way I speak to most people.” Nesta said. “Gwyn snorted.  “Try me.”  Nesta looked at her from under lowered brows again.  “Get out of my sight.” Gwyn grinned, a broad, bright thing that showed up most of her teeth and made her eyes sparkle in a way Nesta knew her own never had. “Oh, you’re good.” Gwyn turned back to the stacks.  “Really good.”

Page 101 of ACOSF: “I hope you’re not giving my brother a hard time.”“Is that a threat, Shadowinger?” Azriel said coolly, “I don’t need to resort to threats.” Nesta gave him a smile, holding his stare.  “Neither do I.”

Page 348 of ACOSF: “Nesta scowled, and Az offered her a slight smile.  They could be allies, that smile seemed to say.  Against Cassian’s utter insanity.  She found herself answering Azriel with a slight smile of her own.”

Competitiveness

 They’re both competitive.  Cassian says that Az gets really competitive, and you can see the competitiveness in the bonus chapter where he has his plot to win the snowball fight.  

Page 254 of ACOSF: “Azriel had a vicious competitive streak.  Wasn’t boastful or arrogant… or possessive and terrifying…No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal.”

Gwyn is super competitive with cutting the ribbon and when the Valkyries are doing the obstacle courses.  

Page 624 of ACOSF: “Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder.  She wanted to be the first.  Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces.  Especially Azriel.”

Knowledge

They both get pretty fascinated by things, they both like to learn stuff. Cassian said that Az was really fascinated by the solar system and other-worldly stuff Rhys likes to research.  

Page 37 of ACOSF: “At the far end of the room, a little dias led into a broad raised alcove…and in its center, a massive, working model of their world, the stars and planets around it…Az, of course, had been fascinated.”

Trauma / light and darkness

Quote page 113 of ACOSF: “If marks of trauma lingered, any evidence was hidden by her robe.  But Nesta knew how invisible wounds could be how they could scars deeply and badly as any physical breaking.” 

This is a really big one: Gwyn’s healing seems like the kind of healing Az had.  Az was hidden in darkness and he was brought to the Illyrian camps which might have been the first time he saw true light in a while.  He found Cassian and Rhys who took him in and they trained together. And Gwyn hid herself in the library for years and saw true light for the first time in a while and trained with Nesta and Emerie and found true healing and confidence in herself.

This quote really got me:

Quote page 272 of ACOSF: “Gwyn’s hands were shaking as she took another step into the ring and peered into the open bowl of the sky.  The first time she’d been outside—truly outside—in years.  She met Nesta’s gaze and smiled.  "I forgot how it feels to have the full sun upon my head.  Forgive me if I spend some time gawking at the sky.”

I can just imagine Az having a similar reaction when he’s at the Illyrian camps for the first time.  A little 11 year old unsure of how to hold his wings up right just…looking up at the sky.  And he’s hiding his hands.

The main difference with this is Az was locked up in the darkness and Gwyn chose to be in the darkness, but I think the fact that light and darkness are key parts of their healing process is important to note.

Fear of making mistakes, and their loyalty to loved ones

Another super significant thing about them is their sense of loyalty to the people who took them in, and their fear of making mistakes and failing.

This quote from Gwyn really got me because it just screams Azriel to me.

Quote page 148 of ACOSF: “because I don’t like to fail I can’t…” Gwyn shook her head.  “I don’t want to make any more mistakes.” “These females took me in. Give me shelter and healing and family.” Again, her large eyes darkened.  “I cannot stand to fail them in anything.”

That just seems so much like Az.  Rhys and Cassian took him in, gave him shelter and healing and family, so he’s super loyal and he hates when he fails them.  Az seems to often feel guilty when one of the plans goes wrong; he thinks he didn’t do as much as he could have.

Page 346 of ACOWAR: ”Hybern had made its grand move at last.  And we had not anticipated it.  I knew Azriel would take the blame upon himself.  One look at the shadowsinger…told me he already did.”

Unworthiness 

Another thing is they feel unworthy.  You can see this with Gwyn and her invoking stone she says she doesn’t deserve to wear it, she is ashamed of her history and is afraid of people finding out things that she hates about herself.

Quote page 173 of ACOSF: “Why don’t you wear that stone on your head like the others?”  Gwyn pocketed the gem.  “Because I don’t deserve to.”

Page 521 of ACOSF: “I understand,” Gwyn repeated, “what it is to fail the people who mean the most.  To live in fear of people finding out.  I dread you and Emerie learning my history.  I know that once you do, you’ll never look at me the same again.”

Page 696 of ACOSF: “But even training these months hasn’t erased the fact that I let my sister die.  You asked me once why I don’t wear the hood of the Invoking Stone.  That stone is a sign of holiness.  How can someone like me wear it?”

That’s just so similar to Az I feel like, specifically this quote in the bonus chapter where he feels like his hands are tainted and that he’s unworthy of touching her.

ACOSF bonus chapter: “She looked up at him, her face so trusting and hopeful and open that he knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars.  Such terrible things that it was a sacrilege for his fingers to skin, tainting her with his presence. 

He also feels guilty for not doing enough, to fail the people around him.  You see this with Mor a lot.

Page 429 of ACOWAR:  ”As Azriel turned his face toward me—The frozen rage rooted me to the spot.  But beneath it, I could almost see the images that haunted him: the hand Mor had yanked away, her weeping, distraught face as she had screamed at Rhys.”

Now kind of diverting from the topic: I see people make debates about why Gwyn thinks she’s unworthy.  There are theories that she’s actually an inside spy for Koschei and maybe she feels guilty for that but there’s literally a quote that says she thinks she let her sister die and that she’s guilty that she lived and her sister didn’t.  I dislike the evil Gwyn theories, I think they’re gross.  I also kind of think her SA made her felt tainted, that’s a very common thing among SA survivors.  

Coping skills / being unbreakable 

And this is kind of a looser connection than the others I mentioned but we see moments from both where they tell themselves that they are unbreakable or hard to break.  When Gwyn cut the ribbon, she quoted the Valkyrie mindstilling technique:

Page 621 of ACOSF: “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.  Nothing can break me.”

"Nothing can break me" is something that Gwyn added, it was not part of the original Valkyrie passage.  And it reminded me of something that Az says to Feyre when they are doing their flying lessons in ACOWAR.  

Azriel tells Feyre Page 305 ACOWAR: “You’re immortal.  You’re very hard to break.  That’s what I told myself.”

The Blood Rite, friendships, and healing journey

And this similarty pertains to the Valkyries and the batboys in general, not solely Az and Gwyn, but the Valkyries during the blood rite is a reflection of the batboys during their blood rite.  It was the beginning of their journey when it came to healing and finding their strength and proving people wrong.  It was a pivotal point in their friendships, both groups fought like hell to reach each other.  

Page 693 of ACOSF: “I don’t want to take the safe road.  I want to take that road.  To prove to them, to everyone, that something new and different might triumph over their rules and regulations.”

And this is the start of Gwyn’s journey, this is the start of her friendship with Nesta and Emerie, who have become very important to her. She’s still struggling with her fears, she tells Nesta that she might come out of the library to go to her mating ceremony.  

And Az is kind of similar.  He has had centuries to heal and be with his brothers.  But he is absolutely still healing, he’s got tons of issues to sort out still.  You can say they’re aloof and they lock themselves up in a similar way: he doesn’t seem to want to go out to bars and parties unless his friends go.  

Page 377 of ACOMAF: “And when I pointed out that he did go to Rita’s with her whenever she asked, Mor simply informed me that it had taken her four centuries to get him to do that.”

He seems content to brood but he opens up because of his friends.

Differences

There are obviously tons of differences, I think the main ones being Gwyn is significantly more joyful than Az, she smiles and laughs a lot while it’s very rare to see Az smile or laugh.  He’s super broody and aloof.  Gwyn seems to open up a lot more easily.  She has a lot of hope.  She doesn’t seem to want to suppress herself.  Even though she struggles she is trying to break free.  

Page 524 of ACOSF: “ Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn, but she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.”

And with Az: literally impossible to get him to confess anything.  There are a lot of things that Cassian doesn’t know about his brother.  He is content to brood.  He shuts his feelings down until they build up to a point where they almost explode sometimes.  There are some points where he suppresses his shadows on purpose, I feel like.  I don’t know how his shadows work but he can control them at some points.

I feel like whether or not you believe these parallels point to Gwynriel, you can’t deny that they are very similar and can be very good friends and heal together because of that. 

But also, Gwynriel is endgame 🤷‍♀️

#pro gwynriel #gwyneth berdara #gwynriel #professor layton and the azran legacy #acotar

[jeannineee]

Intertwined (Ⅲ)

Batboys x Reader

a/n: part threeeee!! Parts one and two can be found in my masterlist. Hope you guys enjoy!! There will be one more part after this!!! Quickly proofread, sorry for errors. Requests open!!

I tried to keep reader’s powers vague, so you can kinda decide what that looks like. 

PART FOUR

warnings: canon-typical themes, Illyrian misogyny 🙄violence (18+ please)

You vaguely remembered falling asleep against Rhys’s chest. Vaguely remembered Cassian carrying you to bed, Azriel placing the fur blankets over you. Vaguely remembered the hushed whispers between the three of them, as sleep beckoned you for the night.

“Do you think she knows?” Cassian.

“Obviously.” Azriel.

“We don’t push her. We don’t ask her. She’ll talk to us tomorrow.” Rhysand.

The other two didn’t argue as the door to your room closed, and you finally succumbed to your exhaustion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The meeting was to be held in the main hall of the camp.

Cushioned chairs spanned the perimeter of the room, all made to accommodate Illyrian wings. Rhys led the group, with you and Mor behind him, Azriel and Cassian flanking you.

Upon entering the room, all eyes were on the High Lord. Some sneered, while others remained unreadable.

Rhys’s power thrummed throughout the space, providing a not-so-gentle reminder to the warlords that a mere flick of his wrist could level the room. And that if he didn’t feel up to the task, a single word from Rhys’s mouth would send the two Illyrian warriors behind him to do the same.

Rhysand sat first, with you on his right, Mor on his left, and Cassian and Azriel standing guard behind the three of you. You quickly realized you and Mor were the only two women in the room.

Devlon opened his mouth to speak, but Rhys cut him off.

“You know why we’re here,” Rhys said, his tone cold, lethal. The High Lord of the Night Court.

“To wipe away our values. Our traditions,” one of the older warlords spoke. Echoes of agreement filled parts of the room, while others remained silent.

You were fuming. As was Mor.

Didn’t realize brutalizing women was a worthy ‘tradition,’ you hissed into Rhys’s mind.

Breathe, darling. Don’t scare the warlords before we’ve started discussions.

Indeed, every face in the room was glued to you, now. You were so blind with anger that you didn’t realize your power was billowing like pure energy from your fingertips.

You inhaled, exhaled deeply, and your power dissipated.

Good girl, Rhys purred.

You had to fight the urge to not snap your head towards him as he refocused his attention to the men in the room. You were certain your cheeks were blazing red.

“I am only going to make this clear one more time,” Rhysand began, violet eyes sweeping across every face before him. “You will not, under any circumstances, clip your females’ wings. You will not damage their wings in any capacity.”

“You will not stop the females in your camps from joining the Valkyrie. You will not keep the ones who have already joined from their training. You will not stop them from leaving your camps, if they wish to do so.”

The room went dead silent for several moments, before the oldest warlord opened his mouth, addressing the other men in the room. “I will not have our legacy crumpled by Amarantha’s half-breed whore and his bastard dogs.”

The snarl that left you was vicious and inhuman as your blood went cold in your veins.

Before the warlord could blink, your power snaked around his throat, constricting the air from his lungs. You didn’t even lift a finger.

Cassian and Azriel watched you, but made no move to stop you. Mor’s lips twitched upwards, fighting away a smile.

Easy, Rhys spoke in your mind. His words don’t mean anything. He means nothing.

I should kill him, you snapped back.

You’d never felt so enraged in your life. To insult them—your—your mates.

Maybe. But not now, Rhys replied, daring to put a hand on your arm.

“If you ever, ever insult them again in my presence, I will rip your fucking throat out,” you eyes darted around the room, rage rippling off of you. “That goes for all of you.”

Finally, you released the hold your power had on the old warlord’s neck, and he collapsed to the ground, choking and gasping.

Not one male in the room dared to negate your words.

Rhys snapped his fingers, a roll of parchment unfurling on the table in the center of the room. “This entails everything I just told the lot of you. My word is law. If you sign this, you are bound by it. If not…” Rhys glanced to you, and then Mor. “If not, I will treat you the way you’ve been treating your women for centuries.”

Within minutes, every person in the hall signed the parchment.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, you were back in the House of Wind, nestled on the couch with a book. Rhys, Azriel, and Cassian were sparring together outside, once again fighting over wingspans. Mor sat on the couch beside you, a glass of wine in hand.

“When are you going to tell them that you know about the mating bond?” Mor asked casually.

You gaped at her as you closed the book you were holding. “I—don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mor smiled, sipping at her wine. “Don’t play dumb, y/n.”

You sighed, leaning back into the cushions, wishing the couch would swallow you whole. “Is it even possible to have three mates, Mor? Three?”

“I don’t see why not,” she shrugged. “I’ve heard of people having two. I’m sure three is possible. Rare, sure. But possible.”

You peered through the open windows, watching the three males spar together. As if on cue, you felt a pang in your chest. And then another. And another.

Mor’s brows furrowed as she observed you. “They all love you, in case you’ve been blind to that.”

“I know.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

“It’s not fair to them. To be mated to me. To have to…share me.”

“You’re psyching yourself out before you’ve even spoken to them,” Mor laughed gently. “Sounds about right.”

Mor sighed when you didn’t return her laugh. “The three of them would do anything for you, y/n. Just talk to them. You’ll figure it out.”

You nodded, nervousness beginning to flood through you. “I’ll talk to them. Right now.”

Mor arched a brow, as if impressed. “Hm. I’m going to the townhouse for a few days, then.”

“What?”

“I enjoy quiet, and sleep,” Mor said, rising from the couch. “You should prepare yourself, because you probably won’t be getting much of that any time soon.”

She winked, before winnowing away.

Slowly, you stood from your seat, moving to the open doorway. “Rhys? Cas? Az?” you called to the three men, who froze immediately, bodies still glistening with sweat from their sparring.

“We need to talk.”

#acotar #acotar headcanon #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfiction #azriel x reader #azriel acotar #rhysand x reader #rhysand #Cassian x reader #batboys x reader #acosf #acowar #acofas #Rhys x reader #acotar smut #acomaf

[nicstylus]

Billy-Ray sanguine had taken her smile with one vicious punch.

'Let me see. Open your mouth.'

'The moment we're out of here, we'll have Professor Grouse fix up your tooth, OK? You've got nothing to worry about.'

'Oh, my dear,'

'There's no need to cry, there's no need. What's happened to you, eh? Let me have a look. A broken tooth? Is that all?'

'That's nothing, Valkyrie. That's a half-hour's work at the very most. You've nothing to worry about. We'll get that smile working again, don't you worry.'

'You can wait elsewhere, Detective Pleasant. I'll have her back to you soon enough.'

#This. what SO fun to draw #Those expressions made ME sad #skulduggery pleasant #valkyrie cain #kenspeckle grouse #professor grouse #skeleton #detective #skeleton detective #the faceless ones #the faceless ones spoilers #tw blood #tw teeth #tw dentist #billy ray sanguine #sanguine #magic #art #digital art #stylus #nic stylus

[danikamariewrites]

Hi how have you been

Can I make request for Nesta? Just her being very protective of her innocent gf who is too nice to people and does not know when she is being used and manipulated (so relatable) so nesta always needs to be with her to make sure she doesn’t get taken advantage of

Best Friends Forever

Nesta x reader

A/n: I would kill for a protective gf like Nes. She also gives scary gf privileges. I also could’ve used her to weed out my shitty friends because I was so bad at that.

Warnings: none

Nesta had sworn you were supposed to be out with your friends. She had sworn she heard you tell Gwyn over morning tea, excitedly for that matter, about your plans. So when she arrived home later that afternoon Nesta was confused as to why you were home.

You were curled up on the couch, your favorite fluffy blanket wrapped around your body, with a book in hand. Nesta didn’t ask why. You already had a frown on your face, Nesta didn’t want to upset you anymore.

Weeks went by. Nesta watched as the vicious cycle continued. Your friends promising to hang out with you and then canceling or straight up telling you, “oh, so-and-so will be there and you don’t like each other, so you shouldn’t come out.” You put on a brave face, acting like it didn’t bother you.

It did. Nesta knew it did. The problem, besides your “friends”, was that Nesta didn’t know how to help. She wanted to be mean to your friends. Hell, she wanted to throttle them. The Valkyrie has been protective of you since the day she met you. The fact that you’re being treated so poorly drove her crazy.

You had finally broached the subject, telling Nesta how you felt and that you would talk to them. Of course this conversation came mere weeks before Starfall. Just in time for them to get back in your good graces to go to the party at the River House.

It’s been days since your conversation with your friends. “It went well,” you said joyfully as you strolled along the bridge above the Sidra, hand-in-hand with Nesta. “That’s good.” Nesta said, not fully believing either of your words.

The two of you chatted about any and everything as you explored town. Passing by a restaurant’s patio seating you hear familiar laughter that has you stopping dead in your tracks. Nesta didn’t need to ask you who it was. She knew and she was fuming.

Looking down at you she felt her face heat with anger. Your lips turned down in a small, heartbreaking frown, defeat clouding your eyes. “I asked if we could hang out today.” Your voice came out small. That was Nesta’s breaking point.

Dropping your hand she smoothed down the bodice of her dress to her skirt, taking a long inhale and letting out a long exhale. She turns to face you, gently holding your shoulders. “Why don’t you go into that shop over there,” she points over your shoulder, “and pick out something you want.” Nesta smiles at you softly. You don’t have it in you to argue. Your friends deserved whatever tongue lashing Nesta would give them and you weren’t going to stop your girlfriend.

Nesta stomped over to the table of females, casting a dark shadow as she stared down her nose at them. Those silver flames burning bright in her gray eyes. They all stopped to look at her. The scent of their on her tongue. It was no secret they were never comfortable around the oldest Archeron. Which made Nesta’s job here easier.

“You are the most wretched group of females I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. At least some of the fae here are honest about getting into Rhysand’s good graces but you. You lot just lie and use y/n. She is the last person who deserves to be used. Now I could point out other flaws you all have but that would include me standing here and speaking to you longer than you should have the privilege of. Stay away from y/n, my sister, and the High Lord. Or I won’t be so nice next time.”

Before they could have a reaction Nesta briskly turned on her heel and walked away. Entering the shop she sent you to she found you lurking by a clothing rack by the front window. You immediately ran to her, hugging her tightly around her middle and burying your face in her chest. “Thank you.” You mumble against her.

Nesta squeezed you tighter to her, kissing the top of your head. “Of course my love.” You stayed like that for a few more moments before Nesta spoke again. “I’m interviewing all future friends.” You let out a small laugh in answer. “Deal. But on one condition.” You lean away and meet her curious gaze. “You’re my only best friend.” Nesta pecked your lips, holding your face in her hands. “Always and forever, my love.”

#acotar #acotar fanfiction #acotar reader fic #acotar reader imagine #acotar imagine #nesta archeron #nesta fic #nesta fanfic #nesta #nesta acotar #nesta x reader #nesta x you #nesta acosf #nesta archeron x you #nesta archeron x reader #nesta fluff

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi can I request a reader that is like:

Miss Fernandez that well known as “The Silent Killer.” in the philippines Alone and dressed in all-black attire, she would set up ambushes in the jungle armed only with a makeshift shotgun, which she made out of a gas pipe, and her bolo.she killed 200 japanese men all By herself during the war

She also saved villages,people and comfort women from the Japanese she also led her own her own command compose of 110 Filipino's called the guerrillas

Her small guerrilla army became so efficient and deadly, the Americans were astounded a woman led them. In fact, Fernandez was the only female guerrilla commander in the Philippines during World War II

And for the characters i would like see!

Gods: Beelzebub, poseidon, hades

Humans:Qin shi Huang, Nikola Tesla,kojiro sasaki.

(ps.i love your contact so much! <3)

-World War Two was a dark time in the history of the world, fighting from all sides on all battle fronts, and millions of innocents who suffered because of it.

-There were many heroes during this time, one of them was a woman from the Philippines. Nobody knew her true name, many only knew her as Miss Fernandez, but others, mainly her enemies, knew her as a boogeyman, a shadow demon, The Silent Killer.

-Dressed in all black to hide in the shadows, your second home, many grew to fear you, hearing whispers in the darkness, their deaths imminent, but many people grew to adore you, those you saved, women and children, and many grew to respect you, those you called you commander, teaching them your ways in the shadows.

-The term guerrilla spread around the world, news spreading of your actions, stunning so many that a woman was the one doing all this, killing soldiers who were attacking civilians and innocents.

-You didn’t consider yourself a hero, you were protecting your home and those who lived there, you were doing that you thought was right when nobody else would lift a finger to help.

-Your enemies deemed you a criminal, offering bounties for your capture, increasing more and more with each raid you and your men launched, but you can’t catch a shadow so easily.

-You lived your life defending others, even well after the war, defending your people against those who thought they could take advantage of your homeland.

-When you ascended to Valhalla, after living a life well lived, doing what you knew was right, you were welcomed by other warriors, humans and gods, who had seen your actions, hearing what you had done, but so many were surprised that you really were a woman!

-You weren’t bothered by this, however, as many rumors had spread around on earth, to throw your enemies off, to make them angrier, that a woman was the one doing what you did, but you didn’t mind, they made more mistakes that way.

-You didn’t have to fight or defend others in Valhalla, you were able to live in peace, living each day quietly, reuniting with friends you had lost in your fight for peace.

-Your peaceful second life was rattled when Ragnarok was announced, and the Valkyries approached you to fight, and while you didn’t want to ever have to fight again, to protect humanity, you wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

-You proved in your fight against an evil, oppressive god, Chernabog, that you were not a pushover by any means, you were violent, vicious, never backing down, and despite being heavily injured and nearly dying yourself, you were the one who stood tall at the end of your fight.

-After missing the remainder of the tournament in the infirmary, getting your wounds dealt with, you were happy to learn that humanity fought and fought hard, winning their salvation and earning the respect of many of the gods.

-Due to a selfless wish, all who perished in the fights before you were brought back to life, gods and humans, and with it came a time of change and peace, the gods now willing to work with the humans, as they should have done since the beginning.

-Bonds and friendships were formed all over Valhalla, and you were no exception, finding a man, a warrior much like yourself, who was taken by your drive to protect others and do what’s right!

-Beelzebub- Your drive to live stirred something inside of him, he couldn’t understand why you wanted to live so badly, despite all the horrors around you. However, after learning about your valiant heart, seeing how hard you worked to defend the lives of others, he realized that he was missing just that, something worth living for. Adores you but is a little shy with public affection, except for holding hands, he’s afraid that your image will be damaged if you’re seen with a monster like him, but you don’t care, you’ve known real monsters, and Beelzebub wasn’t a monster.

-Poseidon- You were a leader, which he respected immensely, he didn’t care that you were female, he knew that being a woman didn’t affect anything when it came to commanding armies. Saw you as an equal, your drive to protect what you cared about is what made you break into his heart like a wrecking ball, despite being a human, you took shit from nobody, including him, and he adored that. He believes you complete him, you balance him out with your warm personality, you are the emotional heart to his stoic logic, and he loves you for that.

-Hades- As a king he admires your ability to command others, you were a proud and fierce warrior, dangerous but loyal at the same time. He found it amusing when you would hide in the shadows to jump out and scare others, you were so bright and warm for someone who grew the legend of being a shadow monster. You were friends long before you started dating, you both felt comfortable around each other, just hanging out and bouncing ideas off each other. When you first started dating, nothing really changed at first, you went along as usual, until he took your hand in his, holding onto it. It was slow but comfortable.

-Qin Shi Huang- Was originally a pest, constantly hunting you down and demanding you teach him how you hid and hunted others in the shadows. Was rather demanding and pushy, until you put him in his place, showing him why you were a commander, and as an emperor, he respected that, but it still didn’t mean he let up on wanting you to teach him. He grew on you over time, if he didn’t bother you for a few days you found yourself missing his stupid antics. When he came to you with a different question, asking to date you, you were honestly stunned, completely shocked which he did tease you about afterwards for a while, but you’ve never been happier with him by your side.

-Nikola- Looked at you as if you hung the stars and the moon in the sky just for him, was stunned and amazed that you were a guerrilla leader, but after learning why you did it, to protect others, he fell hard and fast for you. Is a lot like a puppy with you, if he sees you he’s immediately going after you to ask questions, sometimes about the weather, sometimes on how you hid in the shadows so easily, or things like your favorite foods. He was definitely a cutie pie and you could do nothing against his adorable charm and were quick to fall for him. However, Nikola learned that being in a relationship with you came with some consequences, when you would pick him up and throw him over your shoulder when he needed to take a break.

-Kojiro- Was amazed you were a commander during your time on earth and the first time you formally met him, he asked you for a sparring match. Despite fighting barehanded, he knew instantly that he was going to lose, he could tell that you were very dangerous, even unarmed, and was quick to give up. You were surprised to realize how strong he actually was, especially when he was able to realize that you would have beaten him, but you couldn’t help but fall for him pretty easily, especially when he immediately asked you out for a drink right after he forfeited to you. Kojiro was easy going and you got along easily with him, and most thought you were both laid back, but those who knew what you both could do knew not to underestimate either one of you.

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror poseidon #ror hades #ror beelzebub #ror qin shi huang #ror nikola tesla #ror kojiro sasaki

[popjunkie42]

sirens in the beat of your heart (read on AO3)

A humble offering for @nestaarcheronweek 2024! This is for @witch-and-her-witcher who is my fearless beta and takes all my writer whining in stride!

Nesta watched Feyre breathe, watched the tension in her with some queasy feeling. At how quickly tempers still flared between them.

So different from her Valkyrie sisters. They were a unit, complements to each other. Unlike the Archeron sisters, always discordant foils to one another. An ongoing play of hurts and scores and changing allegiances that tore at them all.

The specter that was between them: sleeping but still present, of jealousy. Of hunger. Of two skinny, vicious girls scrabbling for whatever was left on the table. Teaching themselves not to need love from the inhospitable desert that was their family.

Feyre took deep breaths until her muscles relaxed, just a little.

Or: Nesta and Feyre try out a bit of their new relationship post-ACOSF.

Behind the cut or Read on AO3.

It wasn’t the dull, constant thud of knives in wood that drove Nesta to the roof.

The truth was she couldn’t sleep, feeling a restlessness inside of her that had her lacing up her boots and leaving Cassian alone, sprawled out on their oversized bed.

The House of Wind was silent at night, except for the wind that sometimes howled outside, the cold stone air smelling crisp and mingling with the ash of dead fires from the evening. Nesta moved quietly, reluctant to break the stillness, heading towards the roof for a breath of fresh air.

At the first noise she had tensed, reaching for a knife that wasn’t at her side, but quickly relaxed when she saw the familiar lazy braid of her sister.

The night sky hung over the training ring like a dome, the jeweled stars of the Night Court sparkling overhead. It was a cold night, for spring, and a chill wind whipped across the stone, masking her footsteps.

Feyre was in leathers that looked a size too tight, thrown on hastily. Her youngest sister was never one to shy away from the casual or practical but tonight she looked…disheveled. Light hairs were whipping out of her braid, a halo of fine, frizzy hair framing her forehead and temples. Her boots were thrown on without being laced. She stumbled in them as she leaned forward for a throw.

There was also the fact that she was flinging knives, alone, at almost three in the morning. At someone else’s house.

Only one knife was lodged in the painted wood target, others littered around it. As Feyre released another blade, the wind kicked up and blew the dagger wide.

“Shit,” she muttered into the night.

“Your stance is crooked,” Nesta observed, walking up behind her before she could grab another blade.

Her sister gasped a little and whirled around, revealing a blotchy red face, blue eyes puffy with tears.

“Nesta,” she said, sounding guilty. Feyre quickly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Did I wake you up? I’m sorry. I just — I didn’t want to wake anyone at home and I thought it would be quieter —”

“You didn’t wake me. What’s wrong?” Nesta’s mind ran through the options — she wouldn’t be here if something happened to Nyx, and to be alone— “What did he do?” she asked, ready to draw blood.

Feyre laughed in exasperation, sniffling. “Rhys didn’t do anything. I’m fine.”

She turned away, and another knife flew through the air, silent and fast, missing the target by an inch and clattering on the ground amidst a dozen other failed attempts.

“You need to loosen your shoulders.”

“Thanks.” Her voice was clipped, her back stiff. Nesta wondered if she had been hoping for Cassian to be the one to find her. “Do you want me to leave? You can use the ring or whatever you came to do.”

Another knife thudded against the wood, hitting the target but failing to find purchase. Feyre avoided Nesta’s eyes. She swallowed, sorting through the maze of Feyre’s emotions.

If her little sister thought she could hide her avoidance, or if Nesta wouldn’t rise to uncomfortable confrontation, she was sorely mistaken.

“Feyre,” Nesta demanded. That unsettled feeling was only growing, as Feyre’s magic seemed to crackle and hum in front of her. Like her emotions were a storm about to spill out of her body. Nesta hadn’t woken up tonight prepared to deal with this emotional powderkeg.

The way Feyre’s eyes grew cold, like she retreated in on herself, and the stubborn jut of her chin made her look so young. This was the Feyre she was used to tearing apart over a worn dining table — raw with anger and a little self righteousness, fear and cruelty simmering just underneath.

Someone she hadn’t seen in a while, under Feyre the Cursebreaker, under the High Lady.

“I was just stressed, all right? I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you came here to lose all our knives?”

Feyre went stiff.

Her own wisps of wind cast out and gathered the knives, scraping over the stone and into a gently swirling cloud she brought back to the small table beside her. “Maybe I just wanted to throw things. Maybe I don’t care if they hit or not.”

Nesta didn’t know what to say. So she grabbed a knife and stepped up to her sister.

“We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” Maybe she could call Cassian. Her stomach sank a bit at the thought, the guilt. Maybe Cassian would be better at this, maybe he wouldn’t fumble and stomp his way through Feyre’s mess of emotions.

Thunk. The tip of Nesta’s knife buried into a bullseye.

Feyre huffed.

This time when her sister stood she anchored her back foot, setting the other in front, bouncing her wrist to feel the weight in her hand.

She pulled back her arm, stepped forward and they both watched as the knife went short, skidding loudly across the stone.

“Your stance is too tight. You need to loosen up your back a little, let your arm go.”

Feyre grunted, her lip curling up in a little angry sneer.

“Hey. Look at me.”

The eyes that met hers were like a beast in the forest.

There was her feral little sister. For a while now she had been the cool High Lady, the head of her house, the responsible sister. To see her old anger flare up again startled Nesta.

They were both far too powerful now to let it get the better of them.

“Take a deep breath. Just like me. And hold. Ready?” Nesta exaggerated the swell of her lungs, the lift of her shoulders. Cold night air filled her chest and she felt her feet ground into the stone, like she was an extension of the mountain.

Feyre fought her at first. She had to close her eyes to take in the deep breaths and let go.

“Let your thoughts come to you, whatever’s on your mind. Just let them fill you and then pass through. Keep breathing.”

Nesta watched Feyre breathe, watched the tension in her with some queasy feeling. At how quickly tempers still flared between them.

So different from her Valkyrie sisters. They were a unit, complements to each other. Unlike the Archeron sisters, always discordant foils to one another. An ongoing play of hurts and scores and changing allegiances that tore at them all.

The specter that was between them: sleeping but still present, of jealousy. Of hunger. Of two skinny, vicious girls scrabbling for whatever was left on the table. Teaching themselves not to need love from the inhospitable desert that was their family.

Feyre took deep breaths until her muscles relaxed, just a little.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help,” she finally said.

Nesta’s voice was as cold as ice. “I think maybe we spent so long fighting over scraps, and now it’s hard to remember —”

“That there’s enough?”

Nesta nodded.

It was hard to put into words. She was still getting used to the endless affection that poured from her mate, how she could ask for things and be given them without a thought, without a cost.

Even though a new peace lay between her and Feyre, the old scars were human, and wouldn’t heal so easily.

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”

Feyre sighed again, her eyes focusing on the shining knives in front of her.

“Nyx finally went down and I was trying to fall asleep, but I remembered this fae a few weeks ago who came to petition — she and her family needed help with their farmland since their father died unexpectedly. And I told them we would send assistance — and then I just — forgot.” She swallowed thickly.

“I got up and was at my office trying to find the notes, and Rhys tried to send me back to bed, like he isn’t up working late into the night most days. Like the weight on me isn’t the same as his,” she played with a knife, pricking her fingertips on the tip of the blade idly.

“Then Nyx started crying, and it was like my whole body seized up. It was weird. It was like…my body didn’t belong to me.” Feyre shook her head, looking pale. “I just thought about that family, waiting every day for help, waking up every morning thinking ‘this will be the day.’ And I just…forgot.”

For a moment, something vicious slithered inside Nesta’s gut: a preening, satisfied feeling. At perfect Feyre, finally stumbling for once.

No. Nesta breathed through the thought, watching her sister’s tight face. Checked frantically that her shields were up.

That was an old way of thinking. When she thought they were competing. Let the thought pass through you. Feel it and let it go.

Nesta shifted on her feet. This was her terrain, her familiar training grounds. How would Feyre fit in this space?

She tried to shift the way she saw her sister. How would Cassian, or Azriel, size up a new recruit? What would Nesta feel towards her if she was a new priestess, walking nervously through that door?

How had she felt when she saw Gwyn pass that threshold for the first time, scared and seeking strength? Why was her sister any different?

“I might not be able to give any High Lady advice. But why don’t you pick up a sword? Let your body work it out.”

Feyre shook her head, her arms wrapping around her stomach. “I haven’t trained in months. And — I feel different. My body feels different. Even with everything healed I just feel…changed.”

“We can start at the beginning. I won’t go too hard on you.” Nesta cocked her head, unsure of what to make of the writhing mass of Feyre’s emotions.

“I don’t want this. I don’t want to —” Feyre paused, looking away, unable to meet Nesta’s eyes. “I don’t want some competition to see who’s the better fighter. You can be the warrior now. I don’t want it. Maybe I never did.”

Nesta swallowed. Thought about the emptiness that came when she first spilled blood –

She let the thought pass through. Focused back on Feyre, circling her slowly, watching the way she was tracked with her sister’s eyes, how her body turned instinctively to keep Nesta in her sights.

Not a fighter, she said.

This one needed an anchor. A goal. Something outside of her own panic to hold to, to pull herself up.

“Koschei is coming.”

Her words were casual. As if he were arriving tomorrow for tea.

Feyre’s face hardened. “Yes.”

“And are you ready to face him? Ready to protect your family?”

“Nesta…”

“Are you?”

Silver lined Feyre’s eyes. Nesta felt her heart crack. But she stayed still.

“No.” It was a whisper in the wind.

She watched as Feyre worked through it, the seizing fear, the desperation, the stubborn Archeron resolve to face it.

Mother knew there was nothing Nesta wanted more than her life here, small but full, with Cassian in her bed and next to her in the training ring, with her friends nearby and her work. Growing every day, luxuriating in love and happiness and sore muscles like it was a warm bath.

But Rhysand had shared Cassian’s memories with them all, of a frozen lake, of a chill wind that promised death and malice. Of even Cassian’s quaking fear.

“Then we’ll get there. I’ll help you. If you want. Or Cass can or — whoever you want.”

Nesta tried not to feel the worry of rejection. Every swing of the axe, or pull of the bow in lessons between them before had been fraught with sizzling tempers and cold viciousness.

She thought about Gwyn and Emerie, about Roslin and the other priestesses she worked with, encouraged, cheered for everyday. Thought about those emotions like a cloak and tried to see how it would fit around her sister.

“You would train me?” Feyre asked. Nesta tried not to bristle at her surprise, at whatever part of that offer caught her sister off guard.

“I could show you the Valkyrie techniques that will work with your Illyrian training. Sometimes these days, I’m the one teaching Cassian things.”

Feyre gave a watery grin. “I’m glad. Someone needs to check that Illyrian arrogance.”

“Maybe that’s why we’re mates. The Mother knew they all needed to be put in their place.”

A blade turned slowly in her sister’s hand. “You’re the Oristian.” A small, wistful smile came over her face. “I wish I could’ve been there when Devlon and the camp lords found out.”

Nesta’s smile was cold. “They don’t know what they’ve unleashed.”

“I’m proud of you,” Feyre said, her voice a choked whisper, Nesta's eyes going wide. “Not that — I know you don’t need —”

“Feyre.” At her tone, her sister stopped babbling. “That’s —” Nesta took a deep breath, letting all the discomfort and swaying emotions from her sister settle and pass through. Whatever anger or resentment she might have from before had washed away when she smelled the blood in that birthing room, when she had to beg for her baby sister’s life from the Mother herself. “Thank you. It was really hard, for a long time. But I’m happy. I’m happy here.”

Her sister’s chin wobbled and her face crumpled just before she buried it in her hands.

Breathe. In and out.

Nesta thought about her Valkyrie sisters. How sharing their heavy stories had made them feel lighter. How they looked into each other’s souls and didn’t turn away.

“Feyre. It’s ok.” Nesta rested her hand on Feyre’s arm, feeling her body shake with sobs under her palm.

At her touch, Feyre fell forward, burying her face in Nesta’s shoulder, covering her leathers with tears.

Nesta stiffened, unused to her sister’s touch.

Hating how she felt like her mother.

How would she want her mother to hold her? How would they all hold Nyx from this day forward —-- without reservation?

You can do this.

She could do it —-- accept love, and give it too. It would be hard but —-- she reached out her hand, pulling Feyre closer, rubbing her back gently, breathing through her discomfort and trying to bring down those walls.

When Feyre had tired herself, she stepped back, looking somewhat ridiculous with a swollen nose but with a new lightness in her eyes.

“I thought — I worried — you and Elain might never be happy here.” Nesta thought of her library and her friends there, of Cassian’s scent, and his stupidly handsome face. Happy.

The moment sat quietly between them, Feyre’s fears and the miles they’d traveled unraveling.

“I’m sorry I’m falling apart,” her brow furrowed in frustration. “I had Nyx and everything makes me cry now. Yesterday I stepped on a worm in Elain’s garden and Rhys raced home from the Governor’s council because he thought I was dying.”

Nesta’s lip curled. “I think Nyx has the power to turn all of us soft.”

“Do you ever look at him, and —” Feyre stopped short, like the words died in her mouth.

“What?”

“Sometimes I look at Nyx, and I think…I hate them. Mother. And…father. Sometimes.”

Nesta stayed still. Like the admonition would have her sister bolting at any wrong move. “I think I know what you mean.”

Feyre nodded. “I love him so much. And how could they have seen us so young and still do what they did? How could they have let themselves look away? It seems impossible. And then I worry: what if there’s some secret terrible thing that will happen that will make me feel the same way someday?”

“You will be a thousand times a better mother than our parents ever were to us. There’s no way you could ever be like them, Feyre. It’s impossible.”

“But —”

“Feyre. You’re a good mother already.” Feyre’s chin wobbled again. “And if you do slip up, I’m sure your sisters will let you know about it.”

Feyre took a deep breath, in and out through her nose. “You promise?”

“Try and stop us.”

A smile was on her sister’s face.

Nesta grabbed a throwing knife, the metal warming in her hand.

“Ok, do ten shoulder rolls, then we’re working on your stance.”

The yellow-pink fingers of dawn were pulling at the horizon by the time Feyre’s boots were tied, her muscles stretched. It wasn’t enough to warm them, yet, but the light shone on something brighter in Feyre’s face. Nesta reveled in the new feeling of being the cause of it.

She turned to her new recruit.

“Are you ready?”

#nesta archeron #nestaweek2024 #feyre Archeron #Archeron sisters #acotar #ACOSF #acotar fanfic

[shardminds]

the gods grow tired

pairing: gwyneth berdara x azriel rating: e (for everything hurts) wc: 8k and some change primary tags: angst, hurt/comfort, major character injury, arguing as a form of foreplay, sex. for more detailed tags, see ao3. read on a03

In the aftermath of battle, Gwyn follows her heart… what's left of it. It leads her to the edge of chaos, where there is one more life to save.

a/n: happy gwynriel week(s) everyone! this fic isn't necessarily in line with any of the prompts (sorry!) but it tore its way out of me just in time to join in with the festivities. thank you to @gwynrielweeksofficial for throwing such an amazing celebration! i can't wait to work through all the fresh gwynriel content!

@damedechance - here's the tag you asked for, bestie. couldn't have done it without you 💕

warnings: there are some heavy topics in this one, boys. this is the seed that plants the PTSD… or like, exacerbates it. it's rough. the only way out is through and BOY are they going through it. please check the full tags list and take care of yourself first ♥

snippet under the cut!

When the last soldier fell and the scarlet rivers fracturing the battlefield slowed to thin veins, then, and only then, Gwyn let herself breathe. Gentle morning sunlight on the horizon lit the clearing for what it was— a massacre. Where once verdant green and lush copses of sycamores spread through flat meadows, there was now only blood, mire and scorched earth. Bodies, face down in viscera, were all the same. Friend or enemy, and all of them still. Silence, in the wake of war’s cacophony, curled tight around her spine — awaiting the ring of steel against steel, the sting of an arrow.

Koschei met them evenly matched and, in the end, equally damned.

Exhaustion dragged at her bones in the aftermath of adrenaline, its iron chains clasped to her boots and leathers. Five days. It had taken five full days for the battle to wage. Rhys had warned of how long it could take. A fortnight, his estimate. Heavy with hope, rations were packed to last the week. 

Hers were lost the first night, along with four males from her cohort who died to protect it, and her, while she clutched at the edges of rest.

Sleep, apparently, was a luxury the Mother did not allow them. She did not attempt it again.

Food, water — all of it became second to survival. Second to the blade in her palm, the stained ribbon at her brow. 

Despite the training, the blood rite, the experience gained along the way… nothing could’ve prepared for the ferocity, the unyielding brutality, of real and true war. 

The bitter taste of victory was the only thing keeping her upright now, from falling to her knees on the sodden ground and screaming. As if tears could somehow cleanse the filth from her hands. 

No, she had to keep going — to keep moving through violence’s cruel remnants, to find her team, her friends, her Valkyries.

Feyre and Rhys attacked from the field's distant edge, infernal power allowing them to mist entire battalions with hands entwined. Nesta had been back-to-back with Cassian the last time she’d seen them, manifesting death and destruction in their wake. Emerie had taken to the skies in one of twelve aerial legions, an obsidian pegasus lifting her above the cloud cover with over a dozen chosen riders heeding her command as gospel, Morrigan among them.  

Gwyn had volunteered to take the flank, a smaller group of their swiftest, most vicious warriors tasked with infiltrating the scores of Koschei’s hoards by surprise. She’d taken the south and Azriel— oh Gods, Azriel — he’d headed north.

When the first explosion hit on the second day, it had been far from her side of the battlefield. Yet, her chest spiked with fear. 

Then, silence. Horrific, terrifying silence. As if the mountains themselves had held their breath to hear it. 

read more here!

#gwynriel weeks 2024 #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #gwynriel fic #gwyneth berdara #azriel #gwyn x azriel #acotar fanfic #pro gwyneth berdara #pro azriel #so many tags #damn i forgot what posting fic to tumblr was like #ficminds

[four-loose-screws]

FE2 Novelization Translation - Cover and Book Intro Pages

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

New year, time for another new FE novelization translation!

2024's novel of focus is that of FE2, the original game Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was a remake of. Enjoy reading this take on the same exact plot, ~25 years prior!

Cover

Fire Emblem Gaiden

The Zofian Liberation War

Book 1

STORY

The continent of Valentia is divided between the north and the south, as well as their beliefs in War Father Duma and Earth Mother Mila. While the Kingdom of Zofia is ruled with kindness and compassion, the Rigelian Empire believes in raising its citizens to be prepared for war. Their hostility towards each other has finally pulled them into a vicious war. Units from both sides spill each other’s blood, fighting for their god and loyalty to their homeland each and every day, with no end in sight…

The protagonists of this tale are Alm, Celica, and countless other young units. They all wish for Valentia to be unified, but differ in how they want that outcome to be reached. And so, a grand tale of love and hate is about to unfold!

-

Written by Katsuyuki Ozaki

Cover Illustration by Ichiro ?*

Cover Design by Kazuo Hiroi (WIDE)**

*T/N: I cannot find the Kanji character in this person’s last name anywhere to confirm its reading.

**T/N: First name could also be ‘Ichio’ or ‘Itsuo.’ I cannot find any record of this person online, so I cannot confirm the correct reading of their name. Their nickname is ‘WIDE’ because their last name, ‘hiroi,’ is the Japanese word for wide.

Published by Futabasha

Author’s Profile

Katsuyuki Ozaki

An up-and-coming author also working as a copywriter. His major works include “Valkyrie no Densetsu,” “F-Zero,” “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link,” and many more, all published by Futabasha. He has also written for other strategy guide series. His hobbies include golf, cars, and computer games. He is of course also passionate about Fire Emblem, and has completed all of the games so far. He poured all of his love for the series into writing these two books without rest!

Front:

Alm and Celica each set out on their own journey to forge!

This is the epic adventure of this young man and woman!!

The stage unfolds on a Valentia in chaos in this epic tale of love, blood, and war!

-

Back:

Ad for Book 2.

Ad for a Shin Megami Tensei novelization.

Color Art

A necrodragon was here. In Zofia. When she realized exactly what that meant, Celica was petrified in horror. Earth Mother Mila had lost all power over Zofia.

Title Page

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1: The Deliverance

The Six Resurrection Pills

Alm’s Awakening

The Mysterious Girl Silque

Chapter 2: Mila’s Restoration Army

Celica Embarks on Her Journey

The Ruffian Saber

The Necrodragon’s Trial

Chapter 3: To Zofia Castle

Rescuing Clair

The Night Before Storming Zofia Castle

Cliff’s Gambit

Chapter 4: The Red Haired Woman

The Port Town Tavern

Differing Paths

Chapter 5: To Mila’s Shrine

The Sisters from Archanea

Blake, Wielder of the Shadow Sword

Royal Bloodline

Desert Army

Princess Anthiese

Chapter 6: The Newly Reborn Kingdom of Zofia

His name is Zeke

Cross-Shaped Birthmark

Collapse and Liberation

The Throne Bathed in Light

Epilogue

-

Illustrations: Ichiro ?* & Kazuo Hiroi (WIDE)**

*T/N: I cannot find the Kanji character in this person’s last name anywhere to confirm its reading.

**T/N: First name could also be ‘Ichio’ or ‘Itsuo.’ I cannot find any record of this person online, so I cannot confirm the correct reading of their name. Their nickname is ‘WIDE’ because their last name, ‘hiroi,’ is the Japanese word for wide.

Book design: Yusuke Matsuoka (NEXT)

Editing & printing: Rekkasha

Character Introductions

Alm’s Army

Robin: A Villager who grew up with Alm in Ram Village. He later transcends to become an Archer.

Silque / Shilk: A Cleric in service to the goddess Mila. She specializes in healing magic.

Cliff / Klihs: A Villager from Ram Village. He later transcends to become a Mage, specializing in long range combat magic.

Delthea: A female Mage who has fallen into Rigel’s hands by Tatarrah’s magic. She wields the Aura tome.

Luthier: He decides to join forces with Alm to lead his younger sister Delthea’s fate down a righteous path. A mage with a tragic past.

Mycen: A former unit of the Knights of Zofia, transcended to one of the highest level classes, Gold Knight.

Python: An Archer prodigy whose short-temper is as great as his skills with a bow.

Clair: A Pegasus Knight who was granted the ability to fly a pegasus by the two gods. Clive’s younger sister.

Forsyth: A soldier who’s greatest skill is his ability to calmly make decisions in the heat of battle.

Mathilda: An exceptionally talented female Cavalier. She possesses both a brave soul and bewitching beauty.

Tatiana: A Saint captured by Nuibaba. Zeke’s beloved.

Clive: A Cavalier and the leader of the young surviving units of the Knights of Zofia.

Zeke: A mysterious Gold Knight who has lost his memory. He serves Alm under Emperor Rudolf’s orders.

Lukas: A hot-blooded soldier who wields his lance like lightning.

Alm: A fighter raised by Zofia’s hero Mycen, and the protagonist of this story. He is a boy with a grand fate!

Gray: A Villager from Ram Village. He later transcends into a Cavalier.

#fire emblem #fe #fire emblem 2 #fe2 #gaiden #fe gaiden #fire emblem gaiden #fe15 #fire emblem 15 #shadows of valentia #fire emblem echoes #alm #celica #japan #japanese #translation #novel #light novel #fe2 novelization translation

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I was already scared about the next Captain America movie, but now realizing that Sam hasn't even been mentioned in like 4 years when HE IS CAPTAIN AMERICA,, now I'm terrified. I don't want them to destroy another of my favorite characters, we suffered enough with Loki Wanda and Stephen's bastardization. Sam is such a good man and deserves so much more

also kinda out of topic, did they seriously made Carter say that shit about little girls in Russia?? When Natasha exists???? It's way too specific, like a jab at Natasha for ??? some fucking reason I guess

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately, yes, they said this in the episode:

Why? No fucking reason, that's why.

She has no story and no arc of her own, so the writers need to claim everybody loves her and admires her in order to convince the audience to fall for her. You know, like Sylvie in the Loki series. These writers don't care about these women, they do the bare minimum and then count on the fans to shout "misogyny!" at those of us who complain about their terrible work with them.

It's a vicious cycle but some fans think kissing the ass of every female character = feminism, when in truth what they're doing is kissing the ass of the same writers who can't be arsed to write those women well. They're not kissing the ass of a fictional woman who doesn't exist, they're looking at those writers and telling them "you don't care about female characters and we love you for it" and calling that feminism. It's bonkers.

Other female characters in Marvel deserve this much attention if not more. Why not give it to them? Hell, I'm pretty sure we would all love to see Layla again, for instance. What about Sharon? Or Maria Hill. I wouldn't mind a What If with Carol or Valkyrie or more Wanda...

I'm definitely worried about Sam too, especially when it's Spellman (same guy as TFATWS) the one writing him. He was never given too much focus but at least the movies gave us enough that we could see he's a good man. The problem is I don't know if we're going to get something akin to TWS (so, the focus on Sam and some supporting characters showing up occasionally) or another CW (a team-up movie where the title character is sidelined.).

Sam was given the shield in 2019. It's 2024 already. And no cameos, no mention of him, nothing. When Steve was part of the franchise non-stop for a decade.

#anti peggy carter

[c0nfessions-of-a-writing-freak]

Chapter Two: A Lightfury’s Guide to Stealing A Dragon Rider

Pairing: Hiccup 'Horrendous’ Haddock III x fem!oc

Word count: 3k

Chapter Summary: With her helmet on and blades out, Valkyrie goes after another dragon hunter armada. This time there are a few more dragons and a lot more Vikings hiding amongst these ships. With familiar faces turning up left and right, Valkyrie is left to figure out what’s going on or be left behind as chaos erupts around her.

Overall Summary: A mysterious new dragon rider has been starting to make their presence known by tearing through dragon hunter ships and leaving nothing in their wake. What dragon they ride is unknown. What they look like is unknown. Why they are hunting the dragon hunters is unknown. The only thing that is known is that they will stop at nothing to destroy every dragon hunter ship at any cost.

Warnings: Graphic description of violence

The wind slapped against Valkyrie’s face as she and her dragon hid within the pale clouds of the night sky. They still stuck out amongst the darker-toned balls of fluff but had decided against turning invisible for the flight over. Once again she was in her white-scaled armour. Her mask rested on the top of her head, not yet concealing her face as there was no one to hide from yet.

Even though she couldn’t see them yet, she could hear the bustling coming from an upcoming armada, the second one this week. Only this time it would be a different sort of mission. Below deck was meant to be cages filled with dragons so Valkyrie had to take a different approach to get them all out before she could sink the ships.

The process took longer and was rather more dangerous–or disastrous. Each ship would have to be infiltrated and checked for dragons. If the ship had dragons she had to try and safely release each one of them. Leading up to that though she had to try and sneak onto the ship and try and go undetected and if found out try to silently take the dragon hunters out. So by the third or fourth boat, it became rather clear that something was going on that the rest weren’t aware of. It was a lot of extra work Valkyrie had to deal with when she didn’t get to the fleets before they got to the dragons.

When the armada was in sight, Valkyrie tapped her dragon–Stardust–on the back of her neck twice, a signal that told Stardust that she needed to cloak the two of them. A dark pink shot of plasma was fired in front of them. It came fast approaching as Stardust dived through the flames. Valkyrie tried to hug low on Stardust’s back, the reflective light bouncing off her scales to the armour that hugged Valkyrie. Because the same scales that were on Stardust littered Valkyrie, the same cloaking took over, rendering them both invisible until Stardust decided to turn visible again or Valkyrie left her back.

Diving low, Stardust flew close to the water’s edge, a small ripple breaking as they flew. The first ship that came up wasn’t heavily fortified, making Valkyrie question if there was another ship that stole some of this one’s hunters, needing the extra number of men to take care of something.

Not one to complain about the easier workload, Valkyrie steered Stardust to the side of the ship. When she was close enough, Valkyrie stood from Stardust’s back. Pulling a small dagger from her belt, she dug it into the side of the ship. There she crouched on the side of the boat, watching as she became visible once again and the ripples of the water showed Stardust leaving Valkyrie’s side.

Pulling herself up and over the ledge, she landed softly on the wooden deck, eyes scanning for any hunters. There were two placed on the other side of the deck, one on a platformed strip where the steering station stood. She could hear the bang of metal below deck as well with spines rattling and talons scratching.

Before the two hunters could look back, Valkyrie stalked across the boat, heading for the hunter in control of it. Valkyrie paused on the stairs as she came up behind the man. He stood unaware as his eyes tracked the other boats, following them as he was led through the water. The same dagger that she had used to climb the boat rested steadily in her hand. Launching forward, Valkyrie wrapped an arm around the man’s neck as she wound herself around him, her knife digging into his shoulder before she flipped him over and onto his back. A grunt erupted from the man as he hit the ground hard.

Valkyrie wasn’t done yet as she twisted the knife from his shoulder, a hand coming down to muffle the yell he let out before she was plucking it from his shoulder. The blade was lightly coated with the man’s blood. Valkyrie tsked at the sight of the blood before the hand covering the hunter's mouth moved to grip his shoulder instead, pulling him up to stand on his feet before dragging him to the railing of the boat and throwing him overboard. The hunter fell with a yell, alerting the other two hunters onboard.

“Great, look what you’ve done,” Valkyrie complained as she rose both her arms, staring down at the hunters that were coming towards her. Spreading her shoulders out, she readied herself before throwing herself forward, skipping the steps as she jumped from the other deck. Raising her knife, Valkyrie threw it down into the first hunter's shoulder. The woman that she landed on tumbled to the ground with her, fighting to try and push Valkyrie off of her. The other hunter came up behind her, hands landing on her arms as she tried to tug her backwards. Valkyrie let herself be pulled backwards, using a little kick off the fallen hunter to knock her head back into the man’s nose. A groan left his lips as blood began to spill from her nose. Valkyrie offered the man a warning as he fell to the ground, “If your smart you’ll stay down.”

She only got a whimper in return, making a crooked grin dance across her face. With quick steps, Valkyrie fled from the fallen hunters, headed to the lower parts of the boat. The door was left unlocked as she pushed it open, finding two guards working the dragon. The both of them took notice of Valkyrie quickly. The one closest to her left the other hunter behind with the Deadly Nadder they were plucking spines from, leaving the hunter to fend for himself with the dragon.

Valkyrie dived into a roll as she popped up at the hunter’s feat, arching her small dagger upwards. The blade sliced through the man’s shirt as she jumped to her feet, sending the hunter staggering back. Valkyrie didn’t waste a second as she pushed forward, digging her shoulder into the man’s stomach before hitting him on the temple with the handle of her knife, sending him tumbling to the floor as he fell out of consciousness.

As Valkyrie’s eyes fell on the next hunter, she could see him busy with the Deadly Nadder, trying to fend off spines that were launched his way. While he was distracted, Valkyrie made her way over to the back of the boat, unlocking the dragon cages as she dug her knife into the locks. As she worked her way through the cages, a Monstrous Nightmare that she had just let free spat a burst of flames towards the side of the boat, making an opening for itself as he set itself aflame and flew through the hole. The next few dragons that Valkyrie let free followed after the Monstrous Nightmare, alerting the other ships of their breakout. “So much for trying to go unnoticed."

When it was just the Deadly Nadder left, Valkyrie unlocked the cage with more cation than she had with the others. Rightfully so as she spiked dragon came barreling out of the cage, forcing Valkyrie to fall to the floor out of its way as it stormed out of the boat, taking the stairs like the other dragons had to before the Monstrous Nightmare left its mark.

Valkyrie quickly followed after the Nadder before the hunters could come back to their senses. When she got to the deck of the boat, she could see hunters looking her way, trying to decipher what had happened.

Pursing her lips and whistling, Valkyrie waited for Stardust to come and find her. The steady whistle that she got in return, was caused by the wings of a Lightfury as she plummeted down to the ship. A pink ball of plasma lit up the sky as it was shot towards Valkyrie’s ship. As it hit the deck, a wave of power ripped through the wood as two pars dug into Valkyrie’s shoulders, pulling her from the boat’s deck as it was in the progress of getting destroyed.

“Cutting it a little close, don’t you think?” Valkyrie asked her dragon as she was carried from one ship to the next before being dropped into a swarm of hunters, a rumbling running through the sky as Stardust disappeared into the night once again.

A woman lunged for her as soon as she landed on the deck, her fist connecting with the side of Valkyrie’s head as she stumbled back. Valkyrie held in a grunt as she used the momentum of falling back to push herself forward and barrel back into the woman that had attacked her. She was able to push her back and into another hunter, the both of them stumbling over each other as they fell to the floor.

Valkyrie didn’t need to ponder over what happened to them as she swivelled around to take on the next hunter that was trying to jab a spear her way. Valkyrie ducked down at the poisoned tip that sailed past her head. Using her free hand to grab the handle wrapped around her waist, the broken-down blade from her waist and snapped into a proper functional blade that arched upwards and cut through the wood of the spear.

As half of the spear fell to the ground, a hidden smile danced across Valkyrie’s face, concealed by her helmet. The hunter let out a loud grunt at the sight of the fallen spearhead. Using the half he had left, the hunter tried to charge Valkyrie, not getting far, as Valkyrie sidestepped him before using the hand that still held her small dagger to throw into the hunter’s side. Valkyrie stepped up to the man and pulled the blade from his side as he staggered away, gargling on blood that started to twist in his stomach and rise to his throat.

Looking away, Valkyrie moved on. She fought her way through the hunters on the ship, making her way to the lower deck where a singular dragon rested. The Gronckle seemed startled by the girl in white scales, the scent of a Lightfury wafting off of her. Valkyrie didn’t try to stay long, jamming her blood-coated dagger into the lock until it unlocked. She pulled the cell door open, urging the dragon to follow her as she led the dark orange dragon to the sky where it could fly away.

Again, a whistle rang out that was soon matched from above, a similar blast lighting up the ship as Valkyrie was swooped from it. Now that she was in the air, Valkyrie could see that some of the other ships had already been destroyed. Stardust must have been checking them herself, searching for a scent of a dragon and determining from there if a ship should be sunk or not. “Someone’s been busy.”

That earned a purr from the white beast that she couldn’t see. Valkyrie’s eyes passed over a few of the ships before they landed on the boat leading the armada. There she could see a line of Vikings bound, caged dragons behind them and an army of hunters in front of them. Pointing her dagger at the boat, she wrapped her sword back around her waist as she said, “Take me over there girl.”

Valkyrie didn’t have much of a plan as she was dropped onto the deck of the boat, the girl quickly lunging forward into a dive. She rolled forward, using her knife to slice through the leg of an upcoming hunter as she rose to her feet. “Looks like our masked rider has come to rescue her crew.”

Once the voice rang out and registered in Valkyrie’s ears, her eyes narrowed, turning her head to see Ryker standing tall with a smug grin on his face. Valkyrie didn’t move from her spot as her eyes flickered over the bound Vikings and the hunters that stood all around her. Dropping her voice so it sound deeper than it already was, Valkyrie said, “I’m not associated with these riders.”

“Pity,” Ryker said, pulling the sword from his back and pointing it at Valkyrie’s head. “Your about to suffer the same fate as they are.”

Valkyrie threw the bloodied dagger at Ryker, using the few seconds it bought her to pull the sword from her waist as Ryker deflected the blade away from him. Valkyrie didn’t set the sword into place, letting it hang at her side as it dangled back and forth. “Great! She doesn’t even have a working sword!”

Not acknowledging the yell from one of the trapped Vikings, Valkyrie ran forward. Ryker met her heal way as he threw his sword down. Valkyrie’s own sword flew up to meet it, the slices of the blade wrapping around his. The two of them stood there for a few seconds, a battle of strength as they waited to see who would break first.

As Valkyrie’s arms began to shake, she threw her arms to the side, forcing Ryker’s arms to follow along. Valkyrie was quick, but not quick enough as the tried to whip her sword forward so the blades could wrap around the neck of Ryker, only for her blades to be blocked and wrap around Ryker’s arm cuff. A conniving grin spread across Ryker’s face as he tugged his arm back, ripping the sword from Valkyrie’s grip and tossing it down on the deck of the boat. “If I were you, I would invest in a working sword.”

“It works plenty,” Valkyrie stated, ticking her head to the side as she backed up a few steps from Ryker, circling him until she found the dagger she had lost on the floor, crouching to pick it up. “If I remember correctly, last time we met I was able to send you overboard with that ‘broken’ sword.”

She rose to her feet quickly, launching the dagger away from her. Instead of sending it towards Ryker, the blade landed in front of one of the bound Vikings. Valkyrie hadn’t bothered to check who Ryker had on the boat, her attention caught by the man in front of her once she had figured out it was him in front of her.

Ryker’s head snapped towards the blade as it was seized by the Viking, the boy cutting through his ropes before beginning to work on the person next to his. Ryker’s face twisted at the sight of the free Viking, “Seize them!”

Valkyrie ran forward in the chaos, dropping so she could slide along the floor and grab her sword. As soon as her hand locked onto the handle, and with a flex of her wrist, the blade locked into one piece, straightening into a useable sword. Ryker’s face twisted at the straight-standing blade in Valkyrie’s hand. “What’s wrong Ryker? I thought I needed to get a proper sword?”

The man let out a yell as he charged forward, swiping his sword forward which Valkyrie met with her own. Unlike before the two blades bounced away from each other, sparks flying from the metals as their sharp edges sliced against one another. 

Valkyrie made sure to block out the noise of all the commotion going on behind her, her eyes lit ablaze as she fought to keep up with the speed at which Ryker was striking. It wasn’t until a third sword was thrown into the mix that Valkyrie’s mind short-circuited.  

Head turning to face who had joined in, her eyes landed on the boy who had found her at the Nothern Markets. Hiccup.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Valkyrie exclaimed as the boy faced Ryker with stone eyes. But at the sound of her voice, Hiccup’s head swivelled to face Valkyrie. He didn’t recognise her with the mask on, and Valkyrie was hoping to keep it that way.

Both Valkyrie and Hiccup pushed back on Ryker, making the man throw his arm to the side and stumble back. “You two say you aren’t in allegiance with the other, but here you are working together.”

“Desperate times call for desperate needs,” Hiccup muttered, offering Valkyrie a glance before the sword in his hand lit to flames. “Now, Ryker, you’re going to let us go or this isn’t going to end very well for you.”

A deep frown settled its way onto Ryker’s face as his eyes flickered between the two dragon riders. Valkyrie could already tell that Ryker would rather go down fighting than willingly let his cargo go free. Before Ryker could answer, Valkyrie let her sword fall once more, unlocking it from its still position. “Good thing we aren’t giving you much of a chance.”

Valkyrie shoved her sword forward, betting on Ryker throwing an arm up to block it. When he did exactly that, Valkyrie wrapped her sword around his arm cuff once again before using her body weight to swing Ryker down. Hiccup helped her in pushing Ryker to the ground as he used his flaming blade to trip Ryker to the ground.

Pushing forward and away from both Ryker and Hiccup, Valkyrie ran towards the edge of the boat. As she ran she let her whistle ring out, waiting for the returning call. When it came, she ran up to the ledge of the boat, jumping from the side and placing her faith in Stardust as she fell from its side.

With a swoop, Valkyrie was picked from the sky as Stardust began to fade back into light. Stardust swung Valkyrie forward, throwing her higher into the air so she could fall onto her back. At the rough landing, Valkyrie was jostled forward, her body knocking forward as she tried to catch herself on Stardust’s back. In the midst of that, her helmet fell from her head, plummeting to the water below.

A similar whistle rang through the sky but this time it wasn’t coming from Stardust.

“I think you dropped this, ”A voice called out, offering the white helmet up to Valkyrie as he flew up beside her. But as Valkyrie’s head turned to face Hiccup, the half of a smile on his face fell. “You?”

#hiccup haddock x reader #hiccup haddock iii #rtte #httyd #httyd fanfiction #hiccup httyd #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #hiccup x reader #how to train your dragon #x reader #reader insert #x oc #oc insert #oc #fem oc #Valkyrie the Vicious #fanfic #fanfiction #rtte fanfic #lightfury #light fury #race to the edge #ryker grimborn #rtte ryker #gronckle #deadly nadder #deadlynadder #monstrous nightmare

[violet-shadows]

Missing Piece (Part Four)

Series Index | Masterlist

Summary: Cassian and Nesta are happily mated and in love, so why do they feel like something is missing? When a newcomer arrives in the City of Starlight, they learn that their bond is not yet complete. 

Pairing: Cassian x Nesta x Reader (She/Her) (Poly Relationship)

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: n/a

⊱ —————— ❈  —————— ⊰

Cassian woke with a start, his hand on the short sword he kept next to the bed before he was fully conscious. His heart was racing and his chest ached with fear and grief that didn’t quite belong to him. He turned to Nesta, relieved to find her sitting up in bed, unharmed, but his heart sank when he saw her face. She too looked stricken, her own heart thundering in time with his, and Cassian realized that she too, had been awoken by the sharp sting of despair radiating down the bond. 

“Y/N,” Nesta gasped, leaping out of bed with Cassian close behind her. They dressed swiftly, arming themselves without needing to say a word. Cassian felt Nesta’s anxiety, amplifying his own as he pondered what fate might have befallen their third mate. The surge of emotion that had woken them both was fading now, but it was intense enough to send the General and Valkyrie into a near-panic. 

“You should stay here,” Cassian said when they reached the balcony, the thought of both his mates in peril almost too much to bear. Nesta shot him a vicious look, nearly snarling as she refused, and Cassian knew the request was futile. Sweeping her into his arms, he took flight, plummeting towards the inn where Y/N was staying with his heart in his throat. 

When they landed on the clay tile roof of the inn, they were both relieved to find no immediate signs of disaster. They dropped silently onto the balcony outside of Y/N’s room, the location of which they had identified the day prior, purely for security purposes, of course. Inside, they could hear only one heartbeat, steady, but too rapid for a person that was sleeping. Nesta crept close to the window, peeking through a gap in the sheer curtains while Cassian hung back, careful to stay hidden from view.

Y/N was upright in bed, an open book on her lap that she didn’t seem to be reading. In the dim faelight, Nesta could barely make out the tear tracks on her beautiful face. There was something about her posture and the distant weariness of her expression that felt painfully familiar, and Nesta ached for her mate. She was unharmed, but something troubled her nonetheless. 

“She’s alright,” Nesta whispered, pulling away from the window. “A nightmare, perhaps.” Both she and Cassian were familiar with the way dreams could torment even the toughest of people. Cassian nodded, the corners of his mouth downturned, and they returned to the roof to avoid being seen. The two sat there in silence for quite some time, listening to the fluttering heartbeat below them. They wouldn’t be able to sleep if they went home, the disquieted feeling having stirred old memories in them both. They knew what it was to be haunted, and worse, what it was like to watch someone they loved struggle with their past. Several hours later, as the sky began to brighten, Y/N heartbeat slowed as she fell back asleep and they reluctantly returned home.

“You know that’s called stalking…”, Azriel deadpanned when they landed at the House of Wind. Nesta rolled her eyes, brushing past him.

“Says the spy,” she called over her shoulder, heading towards the training ring. Azriel chuckled before shooting Cassian a quizzical look. 

“We just went to check on her. Felt something through the bond… probably a nightmare,” said Cassian, appreciative of the fact that his brother didn’t press for further answers. Despite the lack of danger, the General’s stomach was still in a knot, and he could hardly voice his feelings to Nesta, let alone anyone else. 

The uneasy feeling stuck with him throughout the morning, following him through training where he and Nesta were unusually quiet, their playful banter notably absent. The panic of the morning and the impending dinner were eating at both of them, and neither knew what to say to ease the other’s stress. Nesta went to the library afterward, intent on discussing Valkyrie training with Gwyn in order to distract herself. Cassian, on the other hand, did not have such restraint, and soon found himself circling in the air above the inn. 

When he landed on the roof it was midmorning and the streets below were busy, a sharp contrast to the lonesome quiet just hours before. He knew the new healers were given the day off and he expected Y/N might still be sleeping. When he heard no heartbeat in the room below, though, he took flight again, scanning the area for an already familiar head of hair. He found her just a few blocks away, wandering towards the Palace of Thread and Jewels alone. Her shoulders were slightly slumped and he noticed how she looked down as she walked, as though lost in thought. 

He hung back, intent on staying hidden, and lost sight of her briefly as she rounded a corner. Just as he was contemplating leaving her be now that he was assured of her wellbeing, a high-pitched scream rang out. The sound hit him like a blow, and despite Y/N being a near stranger, he knew in an instant it was her. Tucking his wings, he barreled downwards, making a hard landing on the side street she had just turned down. Her back was to him and she was turned to face the male healer he had seen before, who had a hand outstretched to rest on her shoulder. 

Rage seized him and he stalked forward, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. Cassian was protective of Nesta, yes, but she was a Valkyrie and fearsome warrior, and he worried less now that she had proven herself capable in battle. Y/N, however, had gentleness about her that had him aching to whisk her to safety. She turned, her eyes widening when she saw him, and he tried to reign in his fury as he asked her, “Is everything alright?” 

“I just startled her, that’s all—”, the male, Ezran, began, the words dying in his throat with one look from Cassian. 

“I believe I was asking her,” he growled, resisting the urge to seize him by his collar and demand to know why twice now he had laid a hand on Cassian and Nesta’s mate. He forced a neutral expression when he turned to Y/N, searching for signs of injury or discomfort. 

“It’s okay,” she said sweetly, flashing a small, disarming smile, “I was just surprised, that’s all.” There was a part of Cassian, one that was ruled by base instinct alone, that still wanted to rip Ezran to pieces for his indiscretion. He was once again reminded, though, that Y/N was not his and might not ever be if he terrorized her friends. 

“Right, my apologies,” Cassian tried to smile at the male, but reckoned his attempt came up somewhat short. He turned back to Y/N, “Well, I suppose I’ll be seeing you tonight?” 

She seemed somewhat caught off guard, pausing before she answered, “yes, of course. We look forward to it.” 

Cassian truly hoped she was telling the truth.

⊱ —————— ❈  —————— ⊰

It was times like these that I missed my mother the most. She always had an uncanny ability to calm people down, even in the most stressful of situations; it was one of the many qualities that made her such a good healer. If she were still alive, she probably would have told me that there was no need to get worked up over a simple dinner and to enjoy the night. Coming from her, I might have believed it, but alone, I couldn’t seem to talk myself down. Something about the night felt pivotal, as though I was crossing some sort of event horizon. Although I couldn’t put my finger on why it felt so important, my instincts had scarcely been wrong before. 

I took calming breaths as I dressed, willing myself not to fuss with my hair any longer. I hadn’t spent long in the clothing district of Velaris before realizing a new dress was an expense I couldn’t quite stomach, so I would be wearing the finest gown I brought from home. The dress was floor length, constructed of thick, ruby red velveteen. The sleeves came to my elbows, gathering there and the sweetheart neckline showed a hint of cleavage, without being immodest by Winter Court standards. It did not match the style of the Night Court, the fabric was heavy and the silhouette not quite right, but it would have to do for this occasion.

Elise knocked on my door shortly before we planned to leave. She had purchased a new outfit for the occasion, a smoke gray dress made of light fabric with cut-outs in the sleeves. She looked stunning, and if I didn’t know better, I might have assumed she was Night Court nobility, rather than a recent transplant. I tried not to fret about my outfit choice, but juxtaposed with her, it was difficult. We chatted in the hall while we waited for Ezran, who appeared wearing a slick black suit that seemed to be new. He complimented us both, offering us his arms as we made our way to the House of Wind. 

I hadn’t thought about the logistics of reaching our venue until we approached the base of the steps and were met by a pair of Illyrian warriors and a gorgeous blonde female in a black, backless dress. “You must be our guests,” the blonde said, approaching us with a warm smile. “I’m Morrigan, but please, call me Mor.” 

I had heard of Morrigan, the Night Court’s third in command and cousin to the High Lord, and I hadn’t expected her to be quite so warm. I smiled as I shook her hand, then turned to the other two. Cassian stood next to another Illyrian, one slightly shorter and shrouded in shadow, and somehow even more intimidating than the General.

“This is Cassian and Azriel,” Mor introduced them. Azriel gave a polite greeting, reaching out to shake our hands. I had heard a rumor that his hands were scarred by fire and made a point not to look at them as they touched mine. I knew what it was to be looked at with morbid curiosity. 

I turned to Cassian next, meeting his blazing hazel eyes as I greeted him, “It’s good to see you again, General Cassian.”

“Please, call me Cassian,” he said, flashing a smile that made my heart flutter. “Shall we?” 

“Azriel and Cassian will fly you two up,” Mor explained to Elise and me, “I’ll winnow you, Ezran, provided you don’t mind a bit of a jump.” Ezran grinned, taking her hand and I thought I saw something like jealousy flash across Elise’s face, but I was quickly distracted by Cassian’s approach.

He held out a hand to me, beckoning me closer, and I stepped into his arms without hesitation. Despite my nerves, there was something about being close to him that felt deeply right, and I couldn’t help but lean into his touch. He swept me up as if I weighed nothing and leapt into the air. I let out an involuntary yelp, squeezing his neck as the ground moved away from us, and he chuckled. The flight was short, but unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I couldn’t help but giggle as we landed on a large balcony atop the mountain. He set me down carefully and when I looked at his face he was grinning warmly. 

The others had already landed, and we moved towards the entrance together. I expected to find a party in full swing, with other guests invited to dine with the Inner Circle, but only a few others loitered inside and the dining room was set for an intimate gathering. “It’s just us, then?” Ezran blurted, looking around the room. 

“Were you expecting someone else?” a smooth voice asked. We turned to see Rhysand and Feyre, the High Lord and Lady, enter the dining room. 

“No, my Lord. It’s an honor to be here,” Ezran stammered, beginning to bow. Elise and I moved to follow, but the High Lord held up a hand.

“No need for that,” he said with a warm smile on his face. “You’re among friends here.” 

“May I introduce my lovely mate, High Lady Feyre.” The female at his side stepped forward to greet us and I fought the urge to bow again, instead inclining my head respectfully. Standing hand in hand, the pair before us radiated power and nobility. 

“Please, call me Feyre,” she said, then stepped aside to beckon the other guests lingering behind her. “This is Amren, the Night Court’s second in command, and my sister Elain. I believe you have met Nesta.” 

It was then that I caught sight of the eldest Archeron and I fought the urge to stare. She was dressed in a deep blue, floor-length gown adorned with silver beading. Her honey-brown hair was pulled into a bun, with strands pulled free to frame her face. She was utterly breathtaking, and I had to tear my eyes away to greet Elain and Amren. 

I hid my surprise as we took our seats and found that mine was situated between Nesta and Cassian. Their scents intermingled as we sat shoulder to shoulder and I tried not to let it distract me too much, making an effort to listen to the polite conversation happening around us. Ezran and Elise shared their stories, answering our hosts' questions as dinner was served, and I welcomed the chance to sit back and observe. The group seemed oddly casual, given their status, and while they remained well-mannered, slight lapses in decorum spoke to comfort between them. If I didn’t know better, it was as though I was a guest at a regular family dinner. 

“So, Y/N,” Feyre spoke and the attention of the table turned to me. “What brought you to Velaris?”

���A chance at a fresh start, I suppose,” I began, “and the opportunity to train under Madja, of course. While I had heard of Velaris’s beauty, my lady, I must say the city has exceeded my expectations.” Feyre smiled appreciatively at that, sharing a look with Rhysand.

“Will any loved ones from Winter be joining you?” the High Lord asked. Beside me, Nesta stiffened, dropping her fork rather loudly. 

“No, I’m afraid it’s just me,” I replied. Cassian let out a sigh like he had been holding his breath and I resisted the urge to glance sideways. 

Nesta turned to me then, her bright eyes boring into mine when she asked, “How long have you been a healer?”

“Well, my mother was one, so I trained under her from childhood. When I came of age I began working under master healers in the capital. I suppose I always wanted to follow in my mother’s footsteps,” I told them, a flash of grief striking me.

“Did you work alongside your mother in the Winter Court?” Elain asked, flashing a bright smile. 

“I– uh— I never got the chance. She passed on before I started my official training,” I said, looking away before I could see pity in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said the High Lord, something like genuine empathy on his face. “The Night Court is lucky to have a healer so dedicated to the craft.” 

The conversation drifted after that, allowing me to remain quiet save for a few comments here and there. The more I observed the Night Court’s Inner Circle, the more relaxed I felt. Their dynamic made it easy to forget I was amongst some of Prythian’s most powerful Fae, and by the time the meal ended, I was watching the banter with an easy smile. 

After we finished eating, the party migrated towards the balcony and I found myself standing to the side with Cassian and Nesta. There were a few beats of awkward silence as the rest of the group broke off from us, then Nesta spoke.

“You look beautiful.” Her comment caught me off guard, butterflies filling my stomach. To my shock, Lady Death herself then blushed crimson, fumbling over the rest of her words. “I mean– your dress is beautiful… Not that you’re not. You look beautiful in the dress… and out of it… not naked I mean but… I’m sure you do look beautiful nak—” 

Cassian cut her off with a gentle jab to the ribs and she froze, her wide eyes locking with mine as she gauged my reaction. The corner of my mouth twitched, breaking the tension, and all three of us laughed loudly. The sound of their laughter intermingling with mine had warmth blooming in my chest, as though a light there had begun to glow. To my shock, the feeling of warmth spread until it was outside of my body, connecting me to the male and female in front of me. I gasped, nearly stumbling as it hit me.

Mate. Mates. Plural.

The bond that had just snapped was not singular, but an infinite number of individual cords tying me to both of them. I had heard of triad mating bonds before, but never in a million years had I dreamt I’d be part of one. My mind spun as I grappled with the realization, my breath coming in short gasps. Cassian and Nesta were no longer laughing, their faces growing serious as they realized what had happened.

“You should sit down,” Cassian said. A gentle pair of hands guided me to a nearby chair and I plopped down. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“We’re…”, I trailed off, tugging on the newly formed bond to check once more that I wasn’t mistaken.

“Mates,” said Nesta, coming to sit next to me. The rest of the party had gone quiet, casting us weary glances as Feyre and Rhysand herded them back inside.

“I don’t understand,” I mumbled. My body felt heavy and I had pins and needles in my hands and feet. “You were already mates.”

“We are,” Cassian sat down on my other side, “but we were still missing a piece of the bond. Missing you.” I tried to focus on steadying my breathing as my mind raced. His words rang true, and underneath the all consuming shock was something else, something like hope. Being with them, in their presence, felt so intrinsically right that my instincts sang. It reminded me of another feeling, one I had only felt so far in my dreams. 

“I dreamt of you,” I said the words as soon as I thought of them, finally looking up to see Nesta’s eyes lined with tears. To my other side, Cassian let out a soft gasp.

“We dreamt of you, too,” said Nesta. She reached out her hand as if to touch mine, then pulled back, biting her lip. A million questions swam in my mind. Did they know I was their mate when they dreamt of me? Did they want to find me? Did they want me at all?

“What happens now?” I whispered, dread filling me. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted a mate until I had two and I braced myself for the potential of rejection. 

“We’d like to get to know you,” Cassian spoke softly, “if you’ll have us.”

“I’d like that too.”

⊱ —————— ❈  —————— ⊰

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[merymoonbeam]

The Wild Hunt-Fionn-First Gods

Disclaimer: I'm not saying I'm right about all of this. Just theorizing here.

This is gonna be long post so buckle up...

Because this is a long post I’m gonna write what I’m gonna talk about in this post. Also not every myth points to one thing and not every thing we have in the books are inspired just one thing. To me it looks like sarah used different myths from different countries and connected them all together.

The Wild Hunt myths and how sarah might use them for plot for the next books and crossover

First gods are still running free in the world

Narben is actually a spear not a sword? Or fourth dread trove is a spear?

Fionn is not dead but sleeping?

Fionn is(was) the leader of wild hunt and betrayed the Daglan.

Let’s start....

The Wild Hunt

It is described like this in mythology

The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif that occurs in the folklore of various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by a ghostly or supernatural group of hunters engaged in pursuit. The leader of the hunt is often a named figure associated with Odin in Germanic legends, but may variously be a historical or legendary figure like Theodoric the Great, the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag, the Welsh psychopomp Gwyn ap Nudd, biblical figures such as Herod, Cain, Gabriel, or the Devil, or an unidentified lost soul or spirit either male or female. The hunters are generally the souls of the dead or ghostly dogs, sometimes fairies, valkyries, or elves.

and this is from Acosf

“The Daglan delighted in terrorizing the Fae and humans under their control. The Wild Hunt was a way to keep all of us in line. They’d gather a host of their fiercest, most merciless warriors and grant them free rein to kill as they pleased. The Daglan possessed mighty, monstrous beasts—hounds, they called them, though they didn’t look like the hounds we know—that they used to run prey to ground before they tortured and killed them. It’s a terrible history, and much of it might be elaborated myths.” (Acosf)

I think the reason we got Valkyries plot in Acosf sarah is going to connect to wild hunt. But the whole Wild Hunt plot is not only about that.

In Acosf we met Lanthys. He is one of the First gods. (thank to @lesolehabitantdelalune for showing me this quote because without her I wouldn't catch this.)

Cassian took a bite of food. A good sign that this, at least, was acceptable territory. “When you lived in the human world, you had legends of the dread beasts and faeries who would slaughter you if they ever breached the wall, didn’t you? Things that slithered through open windows to drink the blood of children? Things that were so wicked, so cruel there was no hope against their evil?” The hair on her neck rose. “Yes.” Those stories had always unnerved and petrified her. “They were based on truth. Based on ancient, near-primordial beings who existed here before the High Fae split into courts, before the High Lords. Some call them the First Gods. They were beings with almost no physical form, but a keen, vicious intelligence. Humans and Fae alike were their prey. Most were hunted and driven into hiding or imprisonment ages ago. But some remained, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.” He swallowed another mouthful. “When I was nearing three hundred years old, one of them appeared again, crawling out of the roots of a mountain. Before he went into the Prison and confinement weakened him, Lanthys could turn into wind and rip the air from your lungs, or turn into rain and drown you on dry land; he could peel your skin from your body with a few movements. He never revealed his true form, but when I faced him, he chose to appear as swirling mist. He fathered a race of faeries that still plague us, who thrived under Amarantha’s reign—the Bogge. But the Bogge are lesser, mere shadows compared to Lanthys. If there is such a thing as evil incarnate, it is him. He has no mercy, no sense of right or wrong. There is him, and there is everyone else, and we are all his prey. His methods of killing are creative and slow. He feasts on fear and pain as much as the flesh itself.”(acosf)

So we learn quiet a few things from this quote.

Lantys is a first god.

First gods were near-primordial beings who existed before the High Fae split into courts, before the high lords.

They were beings with almost no physical form, but a keen, vicious intelligence.

But some First gods remained, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.”

These are all important.

Later we find that Lanthys was a part of the Wild Hunt.

“Oh, I do not think so,” Lanthys seethed. “I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”(acosf)

Before we dive more into to the Wild Hunt I wanna show this.

The description of the First Gods (with almost no physical form, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.”)reminded me of something. I think this is a scene as a fandom we find not important but I think it might be one of the biggest hints?

that scene happens in Acofas. In Mor's chapter.

But Mor scented nothing, saw nothing. The tendril of power she speared toward the woods revealed only the usual birds and small beasts. A hart drinking from a hole in an iced-over stream. Nothing, except—.There, between a snarl of thorns. A patch of darkness. It did not move, did not seem to do anything but linger. And watch. Familiar and yet foreign. Something in her power whispered not to touch it, not to go near it. Even from this distance. Mor obeyed. But she still watched that darkness in the thorns, as if a shadow had fallen asleep amongst them. Not like Azriel’s shadows, twining and whispering. Something different. Something that stared back, watching her in turn. Best left undisturbed. Especially with the promise of a crackling fire and glass of wine at home. “Let’s take the short route back,” she murmured to Ellia, patting her neck. The horse needed no further encouragement before launching into a gallop, turning them from the woods and its shadowy watcher. Over and between the hills they rode, until the woods were hidden in the mists behind them. What else might she see, witness, in lands where none in the Night Court had ventured for millennia?(acosf)

She sees a shadows... and what we know about the first gods? with almost no physical form.

She was in the lands where none in the Night Courth had ventured for Millennia... what we know about the first gods? lurking in forgotten corners of the land.

Did she saw a First God? Are there more like it? Why mor was the one to see it? I will talk about mor more later in the post but a little hint... it is interesting that The Morrigan is called ""great queen" or "phantom queen" in myths.

Okay back to Wild Hunt.

In Wikipedia it shows that in different countries the leader of the wild hunt is different.

I'm gonna talk about two of them in this post.

Brittany: Arthur

Ireland: Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna; Manannán—also known as The Fairy Cavalcade.

Brittany:Arthur

We are starting with Brittany:Arthur. (I added the wiki page if you want to read about more because I can't talk about everything.

I think Sarah used this legend as a part of Gwydion-TT-Narben.

Arthur was the King. I think the most popular myth about this is Excalibur and Sword in the stone(some stories say they were one and the same)

Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are not the same weapon, though in some modern incarnations they are either the same or at least share their name.

Now let's look at Gwydion.

“Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.”(acosf)

From Hosab we know that Gwydion is actually Starsword.

It was its twin. The Starsword began to hum within its sheath, glittering white light leaking from where leather met the dark hilt. The dagger—.The male dropped the dagger to the plush carpet. All of them retreated as it flared with dark light, as if in answer. Alpha and Omega. “Gwydion,” the dark-haired female whispered, indicating the Starsword.(hosab)

Other things we know about Gwydion(Starsword)

That your son, not you, retrieved the Starsword from the Cave of Princes in Avallen’s dark heart. That your son, not you, stood among the long-dead Starborn Princes asleep in their sarcophagi and was deemed worthy to pull the sword from its sheath. How many times did you try to draw the sword when you were young? How much research did you do in this very study to find ways to wield it without being chosen? (Hoeab)

like Arthur, Ruhn was the one to pull it out.

But we know that the sword actualy belongs to female heir of Theia.

“Theia was dead by that point,” Aidas said flatly. “Pelias slew her.” He nodded to the Starsword in Ruhn’s hand. “And stole her blade when he’d finished.” He snarled. “That sword belongs to Theia’s female heir. Not the male offspring who corrupted her line.”

@offtorivendell talks about this in this post if you wanna read it. Theia's secret legacy

so how this connects to Truth-Teller and Narben?

Arthur had two other weapons.

A dagger and a spear.

Other weapons have been associated with Arthur. Welsh tradition also knew of a dagger named Carnwennan and a spear named Rhongomyniad that belonged to him. Carnwennan ("little white-hilt") first appears in Culhwch and Olwen, where Arthur uses it to slice the witch Orddu in half. Rhongomyniad ("spear" + "striker, slayer") is also mentioned in Culhwch, although only in passing; it appears as simply Ron ("spear") in Geoffrey's Historia. Geoffrey also names Arthur's shield as Pridwen; in Culhwch, however, Prydwen ("fair face") is the name of Arthur's ship while his shield is named Wynebgwrthucher ("face of evening").

We know that Truth-teller and Gwydion(Starsword) are twins. Alpha and Omega. (I made a post about this. You can find it here Alphan&Omega)

Now... Narben. We know little about Narben.

“Amarantha destroyed one,” Amren said. Cassian started. “I never heard that.” Amren amended, “Rumor claimed she dumped one into the sea. It would not come to Amarantha’s hand, nor the hands of any of her commanders, and rather than let the King of Hybern attain it, she disposed of it.” Azriel asked, “Which sword?” “Narben.” (Acosf)

"Narben was even older than Gwydion,” Rhys said. “Where the hell was it?” (Acosf)

Narben’s powers had not been the holy, savior’s light of Gwydion, but ones far darker. (Acosf)

Rhys studied her blade. “Narben is a death-sword. It’s lost, possibly destroyed, but stories say it can slay even monsters like Lanthys.” (Acosf)

These are all the things we know. It is a little bit sketchy that Sarah had given us so little information about it.

Also it looks like she is using Arthur's weapons as an inspo for Gwydion and Truth-teller...which one is missing? A spear. So that makes me question if Narben is not a sword but a spear? Or the Fourth dread trove is a spear? 👀

now...we are done with Brittany:arthur as the leader of the wild hunt. this other part is more in depth with the where I think the story is going.

second leader of the wild hunt we are going to talk about :

Ireland: Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna

Ireland: Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna; Manannán—also known as The Fairy Cavalcade.

Fionn mac Cumhaill , often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the Fianna bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer and poet.

He was a seer...So is Elain. 👀👀

He is often depicted hunting with his hounds Bran and Sceólang("raven" and "survivor”), and fighting with his spear and sword. 

in this it is mentioned that he hunts with his hounds. and has a spear? another spear mentioning. Narben is a spear? Or the Fourth dread trove we haven’t found yet is a spear?

From what lanthys said there were hounds in Wild Hunt in Acotar.

“Oh, I do not think so,” Lanthys seethed. “I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”(acosf)

and nesta says that the hounds Lanthys showed her in the vision looked like the beasts from Court Of Nightmares.

Nesta could see the portrait Lanthys wove into the air around them. She saw herself on a black throne, a matching crown in her unbound hair. Enormous onyx beasts—scaled, like those she’d seen on the Hewn City’s pillars—lay at the foot of the dais. (Acosf)

and these are a few description of the hounds on the Hewn City's pillars.

Great, scaled black beasts were carved into those gates, all coiled together in a nest of claws and fangs, sleeping and fighting, some locked in an endless cycle of devouring each other. Between them flowed vines of jasmine and moonflowers. I could have sworn the beasts seemed to writhe in the silvery glow of the bobbing faelights throughout the mountain-city. The Gates of Eternity—that’s what I’d call the painting that flickered in my mind. (Acomaf)

We at last came to a throne room of polished ebony. More of the serpents from the front gates were carved here—this time, wrapped around the countless columns supporting the onyx ceiling. It was so high up that gloom hid its finer details, but I knew more had been carved there, too. Great beasts to monitor the manipulations and scheming within this room. The throne itself had been fashioned out of a few of them, a head snaking around either side of the back—as if they watched over the High Lord’s shoulder. (Acomaf)

and we have the prophecy from acomaf

Life and death and rebirth Sun and moon and dark Rot and bloom and bones Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me. (Acomaf)

continuing with Fionn...

Fionn in the myth literally has the same name as the high king we learned about in acosf.

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.” (Acosf)

Is it a coincidence that Fionn is the leader of Wild Hunt in myths and we have Fionn in Acosf who rose up to Overthrow the Daglan?

Was the Fionn, from acotar, the leader of the Wild Hunt in acotar?

Rigelus mentions that the fearsome warriors they built were traitors. They joined the Fae and overthrow his siblings.

“Can’t you?” The cold voice slithered through the intercom. “You are Starborn, and have the Horn bound to your body and power. Your ancestors wielded the Horn and another Fae object that allowed them to enter this world. Stolen, of course, from their original masters—our people. Our people, who built fearsome warriors in that world to be their army. All of them prototypes for the angels in this one. And all of them traitors to their creators, joining the Fae to overthrow my brothers and sisters a thousand years before we arrived on Midgard. They slew my siblings.” (Hosab)

“The Daglan delighted in terrorizing the Fae and humans under their control. The Wild Hunt was a way to keep all of us in line. They’d gather a host of their fiercest, most merciless warriors and grant them free rein to kill as they pleased. The Daglan possessed mighty, monstrous beasts—hounds, they called them, though they didn’t look like the hounds we know—that they used to run prey to ground before they tortured and killed them. It’s a terrible history, and much of it might be elaborated myths.”(acosf)

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. (Acosf)

moving onto myth again. I will be doing a little bit paraphrasing.

In the myth Fionn is the son of Cumhall mac Trénmhoir. Cumhall was the leader of Fianna. The Fianna were a band of warriors also known as a military order composed mainly of the members of two rival clans, "Clan Bascna" (to which Finn and Cumall belonged) and "Clan Morna" (where Goll mac Morna belonged), the Fenians were supposed to be devoted to the service of the High King and to the repelling of foreign invaders. After the fall of Cumall, Goll mac Morna replaced him as the leader of the Fianna, holding the position for 10 years.One feat of Fionn performed at 10 years of age according to the Acallam na Senórach was to slay Áillen, the fire-breathing man of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who had come to wreak destruction on the Irish capital of Tara every year on the festival of Samhain for the past 23 years, lulling the city's men to sleep with his music then burning down the city and its treasures. When the King of Ireland asked what men would guard Tara against Áillen's invasion, Fionn volunteered. Fionn obtained a special spear (the "Birga") from Fiacha mac Congha ("son of Conga"), which warded against the sleep-inducing music of Áillen's "dulcimer" when it was unsheathed and the bare steel blade was touched against the forehead or some other part of the body. This Fiacha used to be one of Cumall's men, but was now serving the high-king.After Fionn defeated Áillen and saved Tara, his heritage was recognised and he was given command of the Fianna: Goll stepped aside, and became a loyal follower of Fionn, although a dispute later broke out between the clans over the pig of Slanga.

Keep Tuatha Dé Danann in mind because I'm gonna use later on--soon.

There is a mention of High King. We know that Fionn was the first and the last high king acotar world saw.

Moving onto Fionn’s death from the myth.

According to the most popular account of Fionn's death, he is not dead at all, rather, he sleeps in a cave, surrounded by the Fianna. One day he will awake and defend Ireland in the hour of her greatest need. In one account, it is said that he will arise when the Dord Fiann, the hunting horn of the Fianna, is sounded three times, and he will be as strong and as well as he ever was.

He is not dead but sleeping. He will wake up when the horn is sounded three times. And you know who just arrived at Acotar with the horn tattooed to her back? BRYCE. Is this all crossover is about. To wake up Fionn from his sleep? This is how the crossover is going to affect the Acotar world? Is Fionn good or bad?

“Can’t you?” The cold voice slithered through the intercom. “You are Starborn, and have the Horn bound to your body and power. Your ancestors wielded the Horn and another Fae object that allowed them to enter this world. Stolen, of course, from their original masters—our people.

Rigelus says that the horn was stolen from his people. The Daglan. And the wild hunt was their way to terrorize the fae. And if fionn betrayed them and rose againts them...he might have stolen the horn from them?

In the myth Fionn was the leader of Fianna.

Fianna were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A fian was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of the túath". For most of the year they lived in the wild, hunting, raiding other communities and lands, training, and fighting as mercenaries. Scholars believe the fian was a rite of passage into manhood, and have linked fianna with similar young warrior bands in other early European cultures

Fian was a Rite of passage into manhood? does that sound familiar? hello...Blood rite.

“What’s the Blood Rite?” “What it sounds like.” He rubbed his neck. “When an Illyrian warrior comes into his full power, usually in his twenties, he has to go through the Blood Rite before he can qualify as a full warrior and adult.

It seems like sarah took inspo from here.

And you know which mountain is sacred for Illyrians...RAMIEL.

and you know how ramiel was described.

Ramiel. The sacred mountain. The heart of not only Illyria, but the entirety of the Night Court.

Cassian soared toward it, unable to resist Ramiel’s ancient summons. Different—the mountain was so different from the barren, terrible presence of the lone peak in the center of Prythian. Ramiel had always felt alive, somehow. Awake and watchful.

Felt alive somehow? Is it because Fionn is sleeping in there? With Fianna?

Ramiel rose higher still, a shard of stone piercing the gray sky. Beautiful and lonely. Eternal and ageless. No wonder that first ruler of the Night Court had made this his insignia. Along with the three stars that only appeared for a brief window each year, framing the uppermost peak of Ramiel like a crown. It was during that window when the Rite occurred. Which had come first: the insignia or the Rite, Cassian didn’t know. Had never really cared to find out. (Acofas)

The thing Cassian says about the insignia is really interesting. Which one came first? The rite? or the insignia?

We know that the courts took place after the fall of Fionn in Acotar.

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.” Nesta could have sworn the last words were spoken with a sharp look toward Cassian. But Cassian only winked at Rhys. “What happened to the High King?” Feyre asked. Rhys ran a hand over a page of the book. “Fionn was betrayed by his queen, who had been leader of her own territory, and by his dearest friend, who was his general. They killed him, taking some of his bloodline’s most powerful and precious weapons, and then out of the chaos that followed, the seven High Lords rose, and the courts have been in place ever since.”

My theory is that...THE SECOND DAUGHTER was the first ruler of night court.

Did she come back to Acotar and was the first ruler of the Night court? @silverlinedeyes talks about in "The Illyrians—A (Crack) Theory" how illyrians might be demons from hel and the second daughter came back to the acotar with them.

in Hosab we learn that Theia was the queen who betrayed Fionn and she crossed to Crescent city. She had two daughters as far as we know. Helena and the second daughter. What we know about the second daughter is that...she vanished into the night. With Hosab we know that Ruhn and Rhys looks similar...maybe because they came from the same lineage? Ruhn is descendant of Pelias and Helena. So if the second daughter came back to acotar and was the first ruler...that makes ruhn and rhys a distant relative? so that explains why they look the same.

Aidas laughed coldly. “Your celebrated Prince Pelias, the so-called first Starborn Prince, was an impostor. Theia’s other daughter got away—vanished into the night. I never learned of her fate. (Hosab)

The winged, dark-haired male who stepped in behind her … Bryce gasped. “Ruhn?” The male blinked. His eyes were the same shade of violet blue as Ruhn’s. His short hair the same gleaming black. This male’s skin was browner, but the face, the posture … It was her brother’s. His ears were pointed, too, though he also possessed those leathery wings like the two other males.(Hosab)

so there is that.

Which had come first: the insignia or the Rite, Cassian didn’t know. Had never really cared to find out.

Back to Ramiel. Ramiel has a stone on top of it. A sacred stone.

Cassian snorted, but his words were serious. “There’s a sacred stone atop it. Touch the stone first, and you win. It will transport you out immediately.

Before we dive into the stone. We have to talk about Tuatha Dé Danann. I mentioned when I was talking about Fionn.(Also danann...Ruhn Danaan. Hello.) (@offtorivendell talked about Tuatha Dé Danann in her dusk court post so if you wanna read it I will add here.)

The Tuath(a) Dé Danann , meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"),are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

In Irish mythology, *Danu is the reconstructed mother goddess of the Tuatha dé Danann (Old Irish: "The peoples of the goddess Danu"). Though primarily seen as an ancestral figure, some Victorian sources also associate her with the land.

so they are a folk of the goddess Danu. and she is a mother goddess...interesting. We have the Mother in acotar 👀🤭

the members of Tuath(a) Dé Danann.

Prominent members of the Tuath Dé include The Dagda ("the great god"); The Morrígan ("the great queen" or "phantom queen");  Lugh;  Nuada;  Aengus;  Brigid; Manannán; Dian Cecht the healer; and Goibniu the smith, one of the Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craft").[5] Several of the Tuath Dé are cognate with ancient Celtic deities: Lugh with Lugus, Brigit with Brigantia, Nuada with Nodons, and Ogma with Ogmios.

The Dagda...sounds familiar—The Daglan.

“The Fae were not the first masters of this world. According to our oldest legends, most now forgotten, we were created by beings who were near-gods—and monsters. The Daglan. They ruled for millennia, and enslaved us and the humans. They were petty and cruel and drank the magic of the land like wine.”

and mor. I talked above how Mor was the one seeing one of the "first gods" so it is connected to that.

Other things I think are important about Tuatha Dé Danann.

The Tuatha Dé Danann are described as a supernatural race, much like idealized humans, who are immune from aging and sickness, and who have powers of magic. The powers most often attributed to the Tuath Dé are control over the weather and the elements, and the ability to shapeshift themselves and other things. They are also said to control the fertility of the land; the tale De Gabáil in t-Sída says the first Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuath Dé before they could raise crops and herds.

Weather and Elemental magic? Sounds familiar. Rhys talks about how the high fae once more elemental.

“Once, the High Fae were more elemental, more given to reading the stars and crafting masterpieces of art and jewelry and weaponry. Their gifts were rawer, more connected to nature, and they could imbue objects with that power.” (Acosf)

and shapeshifting. Rigelus talks about how the Fae from bryce's world could shapeshift.

“Not your kind of Fae, of course—your breed dwelled in a lovely, verdant land, rich with magic. If it’s of any interest to you, your Starborn bloodline specifically hailed from a small isle a few miles from the mainland. And while the mainland had all manner of climes, the isle existed in beautiful, near-permanent twilight. But only a select few in the entirety of your world could shift from their humanoid forms to animal ones."

They are also connected with fertility of the land.

Prison island.HELLO

According to legend, the pegasuses had come from the island the Prison sat upon—had once fed in fair meadows that had long given way to moss and mist. Perhaps that was part of the decline: their homeland had vanished, and whatever had sustained them there was no longer.

So Pegasus were originally from Prison island but whatever had sustained them there was no longer? So... Prison island is dusk court and they were the ones sustaining the fertility of the land but when they vanished they took the magic with them because there was no more Fae to sustain it?

and this is about where Tuath(a) Dé Danann lives.

They live in the Otherworld, which is described as either a parallel world or a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth's surface. Many of them are associated with specific places in the landscape, especially the sídh mounds; the ancient burial mounds and passage tombs which are entrances to Otherworld realms.The Tuath Dé can hide themselves with a féth fíada ('magic mist') and appear to humans only when they wish to.

and these are a few description of Prison island.

I stared up at the sharp grassy slope of the small mountain, shivering at the veils of mist that wafted past. Behind us, the land swept away to brutal cliffs and a violent pewter sea. Ahead, nothing but a wide, flat-topped mountain of gray stone and moss. (Acomaf)

Velaris had been brisk, sunny. This place, wherever it was, was freezing, deserted, barren. Only rock and grass and mist and sea. (Acomaf)

also it is interesting that Avallen in CC is also an island and they have the power to use shadows and mist...

But rumor claimed Ruhn’s magic was more like those of his kin who ruled the sacred Fae isle of Avallen across the sea: power to summon shadows or mist that could not only veil the physical world, but the mind as well. Perhaps even telepathy. (Hoeab)

Another reason his father resented him: beyond his Starborn gifts, the bulk of his magic skewed toward his mother’s kin—the Fae who ruled Avallen, the mist-shrouded isle in the north. The sacred heart of Faedom. (Hoeab)

And bryce notes when she comes to Velaris that they wear clothes like they do in Avallen.

The petite, dark-haired female with angular eyes like Fury’s drew up short. Her red-painted mouth dropped open, no doubt at the blood all over Bryce’s face and body. This female was … Fae. Clad in beautiful, yet thoroughly old-fashioned clothes. Like the stuff they wore on Avallen.

so sarah seem to take one thing from the myths and use it in several parts and try to connect them in some way—we will see how they all connect together in the books 👀.

and we lastly have the part I will connect to Ramiel... the four treasures of the Tuath(a) Dé Danann. (Also four threasures... four dread trove. It is not connected to them but it is funny lmao)

Dagda's Cauldron

The Spear of Lugh

Claíomh Solais (The Sword of Light)

Lia Fáil (The Stone of Fal)

Side note: @offtorivendell is going to make a full post about all of these four treasures and she is going to dive more into lugh’s spear being narben and gwydion being the sword of light. So keep your eyes on that 👀🤭 I will tag it when she posts it. Here is the post

Cauldron..I MEAN. It literally explains itself.

The spear of Lugh:

No battle was ever sustained against it, or against the man who held it.

This is one of the other reasons why I think Narben or fourth dread trove might be a spear not a sword.

Remember what Amren said about narben:

“I don’t know, but she found it, and when it would not bend to her, she destroyed it. As she did all good things.” It was as much as Amren would say about that terrible time. “It was perhaps in our favor. Had the King of Hybern possessed Narben, I fear we would have lost the war.”

Claíomh Solais (The Sword of Light):

The Sword of Light or Claidheamh Soluisis a trope object that appears in a number of Irish and Scottish Gaelic folktales. The "Quest for sword of light" formula is catalogued as motif H1337.

The sword may be rendered in English as the "Sword of Light", or "Shining Sword".

HELLO GWYDION/STARSWORD.

Narben’s powers had not been the holy, savior’s light of Gwydion, but ones far darker.(acosf)

The Starsword sang with light, her power flowing into it. Activating it. And nothing had ever felt so right, so easy, as plunging the blade into the bony chest of the wounded Reaper. It arced, bellowing, black blood spurting from its withered lips. (Hosab)

Also Sword of light is described as this.

No one ever escaped from it once it was drawn from its sheath, and no one could resist it. The sword is also described in the Tain legend as "Nuadu's Cainnel"—a glowing bright torch.

You know what that reminds me of.

With shaking fingers, she put it back into its sheath. Dimmed its light. But the Starsword still sang, and Bryce had no idea what to make of it. Of the blade that had slain that which was unkillable. (Hosab)

Lia Fáil (The Stone of Fal):

This is where it gets interesting for Ramiel.

The Lia Fáil; meaning "Stone of Destiny" or "Speaking Stone" to account for its oracular legend) is a stone at the Inauguration Mound (Irish: an Forrad) on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland.

Coronation stone for the High Kings. Fionn was a high king. 👀

Ramiel has a stone on top of it.

Cassian snorted, but his words were serious. “There’s a sacred stone atop it. Touch the stone first, and you win. It will transport you out immediately. (Acosf)

and it is a living stone. that sang to him.

But when he’d touched the onyx monolith, when he’d felt that ancient force sing into his blood in the heartbeat before it had whisked him back to the safety of Devlon’s camp … It had been worth it. To feel that. With a solemn bow of his head toward Ramiel and the living stone atop it, Cassian caught another swift wind and soared southward.(acofas)

so Lia fail is speaking stone and Cassian felt the sacred stone on top of ramiel sing into his blood and describes it as the living stone.

In myths it is said that the Lia Fail has powers.

The Lia Fáil was thought to be magical: when the rightful High King of Ireland put his feet on it, the stone was said to roar in joy. The stone is also credited with the power to rejuvenate the king and also to endow him with a long reign.

Does this sound familiar? It is like the gates in Crescent City. They took power when people made a wish and this way Bryce was like a gate because her powers comes from the gate.

“Your power came from the Gate—with a shit-ton of firstlight mixed in. So your magic—beyond the light, I mean— needs to be powered up. It relies on firstlight, or any other form of energy it can get. You’re literally a Gate: you can take in power and offer it. But it seems the similarity ends there. The Gates can store power indefinitely, while yours clearly peters out after a while.”(Hosab)

So what if the stone is keeping Fionn alive in Ramiel? what if it's feeding him? Or is the stone on top of ramiel is a daglan creation and under ramiel they have their feeding point like in hosab?

Also Lia fail is connected with Fianna. As I mentioned they were the warriors that served Fionn.

It is from this stone the Tuatha Dé Danann metonymically named Ireland Inis Fáil (inis meaning island), and from this Fál became an ancient name for Ireland. Fál in Old Irish means several things like hedge, enclosure or king, ruler. In this respect, therefore, Lia Fáil came to mean 'Stone of Ireland'. Inisfail appears as a synonym for Erin in some Irish romantic and nationalist poetry in English in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; Aubrey Thomas de Vere's 1863 poem Inisfail is an example. The term Fianna Fáil ("the Fianna, warriors, or army of Ireland"; sometimes rendered "the soldiers of destiny") has been used as a sobriquet for the Irish Volunteers; on the cap badge of the Irish Army; in the opening line of the Irish-language version of Amhrán na bhFiann, the Irish national anthem; and as the name of the Fianna Fáil political party, one of the main parties in Ireland.

this is from what I added to fianna. > Scholars believe the fian was a rite of passage into manhood, and have linked fianna with similar young warrior bands in other early European cultures

In blood rite they try to touch the stone on top of Ramiel. In Fianna they have fian which is a rite to passage into manhood. Fianna is connected with Lia Fais(speaking stone) and Ramiel has a stone on top of it that sings.

So I think that's all. Thanks for reading.

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #a court of silver flames #theories #wild hunt #fionn #high king #narben #firsf gods #crescent city #my theories #Sarah j maas #sjm theories #sjm #elriel #rhysand #bryce quinlan #azriel #elain archeron #feyre archeron

[thegloriousshieldmaiden]

Lagertha is a respected warrior and the former queen of Kattegat. Through the loss of her children, Lagertha has come to understand that Freyja's fertility is for others and that a path as a warrior Valkyrie was predestined for her by the Goddess. Lagertha is very strong-willed and particular when it comes to protecting her family - and the throne. Lagertha is a shieldmaiden who fights alongside her male warrior companions and is very skilled in battles. Just like her former husband, Ragnar Lothbrok, she possesses a sense of adventure, equaled by her strong ambition and desire to rule. Besides her physical abilities, she is a person who loves those close to her, such as Ragnar, her surviving son Björn, her deceased daughter Gyda, her friends and allies. She possesses compassion towards non-Nordic people; this is shown when she protects an Anglo-Saxon woman in Hixham-Northumbria who is raped by Knut, a half-brother of old Jarl Haraldsson. While she uses her power wisely and justly, she is vicious to those she deems enemies. Lagertha thus shows herself impulsive in some situations and does not hesitate to attack her, from her point of view, enemies, not thinking about possible consequences. This shows early on when she kills Knut, the half-brother of Jarl Haraldsson, during a raid, to stop him raping an Anglo-Saxon woman. Harsh consequences follow, as Jarl Haraldsson attempts to murder her and the rest of her family and comrades. Lagertha killed Jarl Kalf for once stealing power and title over her county of Hedeby, castrated Einar for aiding him in this cause, and came close to killing Rollo in the attack on Paris. She also demonstrated her desire for revenge by killing Aslaug after she had already surrendered to Lagertha. This was her revenge for Aslaug allegedly using spells to flatter Ragnar and persuade him to leave Lagertha, which shamed her honor. This ignored the fact that it was Lagertha's choice to divorce Ragnar and leave Kattegat. This too had disastrous consequences, leading to civil war in Kattegat and the death of thousands of Normans, including her lover Astrid and many of her close friends. However, Lagertha also possesses a hypocritical side. Despite her past as a farmer, she initially rejected the suggestion that some inhabitants leave Kattegat to farm land in peace, something Ragnar always wanted for the Normans, which they discovered to be Iceland. Despite her hatred of rape, she has no problem committing one herself by raping Harald. She saw it as an act of revenge against Harald, which led to with his men killed her loyal soldiers. In the end, she said that Ivar was a usurper, regardless of the fact that she herself is a usurper and Ivar has the greater right to claim the throne of Kattegat than she does. For by divorcing Ragnar she lost all rights to the throne, while Ivar is the son of Ragnar and Aslaug, Kattegat's previous regent.

#userfakevz

[aldbooks]

Gwynriel Week 1 Day 4 - "You're the new ribbon Az"

Vaguely inspired by this lovely artwork.

---

Rhys approached the small crowd that had gathered in the training ring, having been summoned by Feyre, who had been training with the Valkyrie that morning. The tension and concern quickly drained out of him, morphing into bemusement, as he observed what was happening. Unsurprisingly, he spotted Mor and Amren perched on lounge chairs nearby, glasses of wine in hand as they observed the show. 

Cassian stood a few feet away, arms crossed over his massive chest, shaking his head as he watched. Beside him, his mate and Emerie were half hunched in silent laughter. Rhys carefully made his way to his mate, who stood next to Cassian, also clearly amused. The priestesses still lingering to watch, quickly bowed out of his way as he passed them and he greeted them with polite nods.

He had a better view once he joined them and nearly burst out laughing himself. Gwyn and Azriel stood across from targets, blindly firing arrows as they glared at each other. Or, more accurately, Gwyn was glaring, and Az was smirking. It did not escape Rhys' notice that the Shadowsinger's shadows would stealthily snap out on occasion to either straighten the path of Gwyn's arrow, or knock their masters' slightly off course. A small group of nervous looking acolytes stood behind them, dumping arrows into their quivers as they emptied and the targets were littered with arrows, some broken or split in half and he was half surprised they hadn't fallen from the weight. 

"How long have they been at this?" he murmured. 

Feyre snorted. "Oh, about... a quarter hour?"

He blinked, somewhat startled. Cassian shot him an amused grin. "They started with daggers." He nodded to the opposite end of the room where Rhys found a pair of practice dummies riddled with an alarming amount of knives. 

Brows lifted, his attention turned back to the dueling pair who were still glaring at each other. "Have they even looked once at the targets? Who's keeping score?"

"Oh, we gave up on that about 5 minutes in when they started throwing daggers too fast for us to tell who landed what," Emerie explained, still laughing. "They kept trying to hit each other's targets, as well as their own."

"And, of course, the more Az goaded her, the more determined Gwyn became to beat him. Hence that truly impressive scowl," Nesta's silver eyes flashed with vicious delight. 

He flashed her a grin. "Do you think they're even aware anyone else is still here?" he asked no one in particular. "Or do you suppose they think their quivers are being magically refilled?"

"Who knows," Feyre chuckled. "I'm not sure they've said a word for at least ten minutes. And I'm afraid if she glares any harder, Azriel will burst into flames."

Just then, Azriel's crooning voice drew their attention back to the spectacle. "Give it up, Berdara. You can't beat me without cheating. Admit it." Casually tossing aside his weapon, Azriel's smirk turned condescending. "Your aim has improved, but you're still leagues behind me, sweetheart."

Emerie hissed quietly and winced as Gwyn bristled, tossing down her bow. "Don't call me sweetheart," she said through gritted teeth. "You- decrepit old bat."

The acolytes carefully backed away from them as Azriel let out a menacing chuckle and stepped closer. To her credit, Gwyn didn't back down, just balled her fists at her sides and continued glaring up at him. 

"Well, this old bat is still kicking your ass, little one." 

A snarl curled her lips, and Rhys could've sworn her hair seemed to glow a brighter shade of red. "Yes, that's quite the boast, Spymaster. A female with barely a year of training, nearly bested your centuries worth. Perhaps you should practice more, your skills are bit dusty- sorry, rusty. Oh, ancient one."

This time, it was Azriel who bristled, even as he tried to play off his pricked pride with a scoff. "You only hit as many targets as me because my shadows decided to help you out."

Gwyn's snarl slid into a smirk as she taunted, "Because they like me better." As if in confirmation of that bold fact, Rhys saw- to his astonishment- a few brave souls dart out to wreath the priestess' shoulders. 

At that point, the argument devolved into childish bickering. All the while, the two gradually inched closer until they were nearly chest to chest, their faces a breath apart. Mor, he noticed, was on the edge of her seat, watching intently and he swore he spotted gold changing hands between Cassian and Feyre when, instead of the kiss that seemed inevitable, Gwyn sniffed and shoved past Azriel, ignoring them all. The remaining priestesses quickly scattered.

For a long moment, Azriel stared at nothing, looking vaguely disturbed, as Nesta and Emerie burst into laughter and Feyre tsked in annoyance. Mor fell back into her seat with an annoyed huff. And Cassian... grinned while counting out ten gold coins. For his part, Rhys just observed, caught between confusion and amusement. 

He'd noticed Azriel's protectiveness towards the young priestess before, particularly after she'd been taken into the Blood Rite but, at the time, he'd written it off as concern for one of his students. He was not unaware that Azriel was the reason Gwyn had been brought to the Library, but she was certainly not the only female he'd had a hand in rescuing over the years and, unlike most, she seemed almost bizarrely unfazed by him. Utterly unafraid to challenge him.

An admirable quality to be sure.

Now, he wondered if perhaps there was more going on up in the House of Wind than he'd previously been aware of. 

To round out the strange morning, he watched his brother startle when Nesta sauntered over, and slapped a hand on his shoulder. Like he'd been snapped out of a daze, Az blinked and shook his head before glancing down. "I told you Az," Nesta teased. "You're the new ribbon." 

At that curious statement, Rhys glanced towards his mate who shrugged. With one last contemplative glance at Azriel, Rhys turned back for the house. "Where are you going?" his mate's voice spoke in his mind.

"To have a chat with a priestess."

#Rhys being a busybody... as usual #gwynriel #gwynrielweeks2023 #gwyn x azriel #gwyn and azriel #gwyneth x azriel #azriel and gwyn #azriel x gwyn