#booklovingturtle writes

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan’s POV of Chp 21 from QON

THIS IS LONG SO WHY WASTE ANY MORE TIME. Hopefully, this makes up for my absence throughout the semester.

Jude was clad in the armour of a queen and it fit her perfectly. Tatterfell had done an excellent job dressing her for the night to come. Her golden dress had the straight cut of a chaste lady but it fit her curves with the confidence of a seductress. Even the fine, chain-like material combined with leather plates broadened her shoulders like one of the knights she had desperately fought to become. Cardan was focusing on all the menacing parts of her attire to ignore the way it exposed her. He was also choosing to ignore the soft coils Tatterfell had delicately worked into Jude’s chestnut hair. In fact, Cardan made it a point not to notice the brushed on flush left by cosmetics or the teasing tint of her lips.

He repressed any thoughts of her terrifyingly beautiful reflection in favor of thoughts about state.

“Tonight you’re going to have to speak with all the rulers.”

“I know,” she doesn’t look at him. Cardan couldn’t help but feel encouraged at her quickness to agree.

“Because only one of us can tell them lies. And they need to believe our victory is inevitable.” Jude looks surprised but pleased by the thought that Cardan had put into their first appearance as husband and wife to their kingdom.

I trust you. He had admitted to her in the garden. Funny how his trust was in not only her willingness to tell him the truth of her schemes but also in her ability to lie her way through them.

“Has the Court of Termites arrived?” Jude was understandably nervous about facing Lord Roiben after all that had transpired.

“I’m afraid so. Come, let us charm and confound our subjects.” It had taken the High King so long to get used to the idea that he had any subjects yet no time at all to consider them to also belong to his new High Queen.

And so, they went into the den of scared Lords and envious Ladies. Jude buzzed around the great hall, grinning through lie after lie.

“Do you truly believe the mortal’s promise of victory?” Cardan spun to find an ambassador of one of the lower courts. The High King had also been playing his part. A charming and merciless ruler unafraid for the threat yawning beneath his throne. If only the courtiers knew the real threat was poised underneath the slanted crown.

“I trust the High Queen’s word,” Cardan declared. “As should you.”

One after the other, the Folk approached the High King. They asked for his assurance. They avoided mention of the mortal Queen though it was clear they cared little for her claim to the Blood Crown.

Anger swelled in his chest at their outright disrespect. Elfhame had no idea the lengths their mortal queen had gone to protect their land. Were it not for Jude, Balekin’s cruelty would have seeped into the land. Madoc’s blade would have uprooted every seed of goodness out of the soil.

They may never truly understand the sharp edge of the High Queen’s blade. Cardan wanted them to see that they should nonetheless fear it.

The High King raised the goblet in his hands. “Be welcome on the Isle of Insmire,” his voice cut through the gossip-filled air. “Seelie, and Unseelie, Wild Folk and Shy Folk, I am glad to have you march under my banner, glad for your loyalty, grateful for your honor. To you, I offer honey wine and the hospitality of my table.” At least that much of his statement held no untruths.

He looked around the floor, searching for a pair of honey-colored eyes full of molten determination. When he finally found Jude, standing beside Vivienne and her partner, he continued his speech. “But to traitors and oath breakers, I offer my queen’s hospitality instead.” Cardan didn’t have to fake the proud smirk that broke across his face. “The hospitality of knives.”

He waited anxiously for Jude’s reaction to his declaration. It was not exactly one made to fit a queen. Instead, it was a declaration fit to back a cunning ruler.

Relief fills him at her raised glass. She tips back the goblet, taking a drink of the wine. The room slowly shifts back into a court gathering.

No one questions the High King further.

***

Centuries later, the High King and High Queen retreat out of the great hall. Cardan’s body aches from the feigned nonchalant sway in his gait. Even Jude, unstoppable as ever, deflates once in the royal chambers.

“You were very formidable tonight, my queen.” Cardan loved the way the words sounded on his tongue.

“After that speech you made, it didn’t take much.” He hardly believed that to be true. Jude would have found a way to bend their knees with or without him.

“It cannot be anything other than the truth. Or it never could have left my tongue.”

Had he imagined the way Jude’s eyes danced across his face? Surely she couldn’t have meant the way her gaze darkened.

“You didn’t come to bed last night,” her whisper shakes every thought from his head.

Last night? Cardan had slept on a cot in the Court of Shadows after he had put out a few fires left in the wake of Jude’s reappearance. Perhaps she hadn’t meant it to come out the way it had. It was possible that she was worried he had been plotting against her while he was gone. But if that was why she had asked him, that didn’t explain the softness of her words.

“I’m here now,” Cardan hesitates.

Jude shifts closer to him. She stands just within his reach. His body moves on instinct, intertwining his fingers with hers. That touch alone is enough to make him forget all about the weight of their crown or the drums of war pounding outside their door.

He doesn’t forget the ever-lingering fear of her rejection. Cardan bends towards Jude, waiting for her to scorn his forwardness. He’s relieved to his very core when she doesn’t. Then he is nothing but a whisper of a thought as his lips press over hers.

Cardan tastes the sweetness of the night’s wine on her lips. He feels the heat of her passion against his. Every brush of her lips against his is like the first sparks of a growing fire. Cardan yearns to feel it’s burning.

“You looked like a knight in a story tonight,” he remembers the thoughts that were buried away earlier in the night. “Possibly a filthy story.” He couldn’t help but add.

Jude’s kick to his leg only stoked his fire more. Cardan’s hands left hers to cup her rosy cheeks. He kissed her in a way he’d only dreamed about. He prayed it would be enough to get her to believe his adoration of her was true.

They had somehow stumbled to the edge of his room. Jude didn’t hesitate to pull him into her. She was pressed between him and the wall in a way that allowed Cardan to feel every inch of her body. Her fingers found the hem of his shirt. She ran them along his back. Cardan’s muscled tightened against the teasing tips of her fingers.  Jude had let him touch her before but she had never touched him like this. As though he was hers and she will never let him forget it. A shudder runs up his spine as his tail curls around her calf. Every line of her body against his and it's still not enough.

The High King works to return the dizzying chills her hands leave along his skin. He tastes the salty skin along her neck, pulling her hips higher all while lighting her to get in a better position.

Her hands curl into fists where they were moving across his body. Cardan feels her body tense to a stop. Reality pours freezing ice over the flame of his desire, leaving the ashes of shameful regret to steam in its place.

Cardan lets go of her as soon as he realizes what he’s done. Jude looks terrified at what transpired between them. Cardan curses himself. Time and time again he has proved to lead with his heart instead of thinking with his brain.

He tries to correct his mistake. “We need not-“

“No,” his heart crumbles for a second before she continues, “just give me a second.” Jude bites her swollen lips. Cardan can’t help but wish that was him once again.

Fool. Wicked, arrogant, stupidly rash fool, his mind rages over her promise to return.

Every single time Cardan gets close to earning Jude’s trust, he does something horrible to ruin it. While she was trapped beneath the waves, Cardan had dreamed of the chance to see her one last time. Once she was exiled, he pleaded with her to return even if it was just to curse him. Now that he had her in his hands, he’s allowed his wanting to overcome his thinking.

Years turn into centuries turn into millenniums as the High King waits for his queen to come out of the wardrobe.

Cardan has rehearsed an infinite number of apologies by the time he hears the door open. He turns away from the bed he paced towards, ready to grovel at her feet if it means earning her forgiveness.

Except all the words die on his lips. In fact, the High King might have died himself. For before him stood Jude, completely bare and looking equal parts amused and scared.

Naked. Jude was standing in his bedroom completely naked. It was a scene from his wildest dreams and worst nightmares wrapped up into one unbelievable reality. He can see the jolt of confidence that fills her at his reaction. It gives him the courage he needs to rasp out two words.

“Come here.”

And she does. Jude moves with the grace of a warrior intent to prey on her target’s weakness. She drops to her knees before him. Cardan is once again reminded of dozens of dreams about the mortal queen he’d tried to swat away with other women.

“Is this what you imagined I’d be like, back in your rooms at Hollow Hall, when you thought of me and hated it? Is this how you pictured my eventual surrender?”

Eventual surrender. Cardan’s thoughts went to a hard wooden chair with cold steel pressed against his throat. Then to a quiet room full of their shared breaths. Both had been a part of a game. A test of their desire for one another. He didn’t want this to be a game.

“Yes.

“Then what did I do?” Her hand is against his thigh. He’s still fully clothed but the touch is more intimate than anything he’s ever experienced.

Cardan isn’t sure if he would survive another match with Jude. If she was using this to spar with him, the scars left would be too raw to ever heal. Even with all that in mind, he can’t stop his mouth from forming the words.

“I imagined you telling me to do with you whatever I liked.” The Queen was always in charge. He wanted her to give up some of her control willingly for a change.

“Really?” Her surprise ends with a mocking laugh.

Cardan’s nerves strengthen. “Along with some begging on your part. A little grovelling.” Thankfully his brain finally wakes up with enough to stop himself from getting into too much detail. “My fantasies were fire with overweening ambition.”

Just when Cardan thinks Jude is going to turn the tables on him, she lays back against the floor. Her hands come up to plead, “You may do with me whatever you like. Please oh please. All I want is you.”

He knows her statement was more for show than out of true desire. Yet still, his chest tightened at the sight of his High Queen spread before him on the floor. Cardan drops to his hands and knees, moving to cover her body with his. He catches her hands and presses a kiss against her mortal pulse along her wrists.

“Mock me all you like,” his voice was thick with desire intermixed with an earnest plea. “Whatever I imagined then, now it is I who would beg and grovel for a kind word from your lips.” His eyes follow the curve of her mouth. “By you, I am forever undone.”

Cardan catches her lips with his, praying she would finally believe he was sorry for all that he had done in the past. Praying she would believe his promises for their future.

Her hands once again return to his doublet but this time do not hesitate to remove it. Cardan quickly helps her take it off. Once its off Cardan pauses to make sure he’s not moving to fast. Jude’s fingers are precise as they touch his skin. Her eyes follow his when he leans back in towards her. She kisses him deeply, tracing a path to his jaw.

“I’m not mocking,” she admits.

He’s so startled by her words that he breaks their embrace long enough to meet her eyes. Cardan thinks about how long it took for them to be where they are. He’s reminded of the hateful words she said to him. The cruel actions he’s inflicted on her.

“We have lived in our armour for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it.”

“Is this another riddle? And if I answer it, will you go back to kissing me?”

The High King wanted to do nothing more than just that. Though he wasn’t sure himself if he had meant it as a riddle.

Cardan moved off of her to clear his head. “If that’s what you want.” He refused to go any further without hearing her admit her own desires first. His tail, sentient as always, snakes around her waist.

“I told you what I wanted.” A familiar flash of annoyance filled her face. “For you to do with me whatever-”

Cardan has to repress the urge to roll his eyes. “No. What you want.”

Jude’s legs wrapped around his body. Now she’s on top of him. Still naked. It almost hurts to look at her like that and keep his hands clenched on the floor.

“I want-” she cuts off her sentence. Maybe it isn’t possible for anyone like them to stripe themselves of their armour, no matter how badly they wanted to.

Jude bends down and kisses him just as hard as he had kissed her. There was no mistaking the fierce determination with which she moved her lips against his. She ran her tongue against the seam of his mouth and Cardan obeyed her. It wasn’t an admission of her feeling but it was enough for him.

His fingers tangle in her curled hair. Cardan’s lost in the smell of her floral perfume. He brushes her rounded ears, relishing their curves. Most of her body is strong with perfectly honed muscle. He runs a reverent hand down her throat, tasting her body with his lips. Her scars are rough under his touch but her moans are soft.

Jude’s hips are rubbing against his. He is suddenly very aware of how little is between them. Then nothing is. Jude is visibly nervous so Cardan cups her cheeks with his hands, never breaking eye contact. She inhales sharply when they finally unite. She turns her face into his hands to bite the soft skin of his palm. The stab of pain adds to the dizzying effect her body has on him. Cardan is overwhelmed with too many emotions to put into words.

When she finally readjusts herself against him, Cardan can’t help but let out a relieved moan. She’s perfect in every way he’d imagined and addicting in ways he hadn’t. His hands are on her muscled thighs, guiding their every move. Jude’s nails dig into his shoulder. Unlike their last stolen moments together, Jude says his name as if she’s no longer repulsed by it. He’s no longer afraid of leaving any marks on her. Cardan soothes each soft brush of his teeth against her skin with a kiss. He can feel the rush of pleasure overwhelming him.

He readjusts, making sure Jude is ready when the wave of desire crashes and breaks into a chorus of their voices. For a few blinding seconds, Cardan has to bite back three very dangerous words.

The High King isn’t ready to let the Queen go just yet. Cardan kisses Jude, hoping to ease any lingering pain. Or quell any fears that may have already started to grow.

“I missed you,” he hears her say through a haze. They weren’t the same three words he had almost said to her but they had the same effect on him. “In the mortal world, when I thought you were my enemy, I still missed you.”

Amber pools of honesty swim in her gaze. Jude’s face was free of any hidden agendas.

“My sweet nemesis, how glad I am that you have returned.”

He twists their bodies so they’re laying on their sides. Cardan tucks her body into his, focusing on how his breathing has synced with hers. He doesn’t think about the dangerous curse that calls to him. Or how one day she won’t return to him. No, the High King doesn’t have any of those thoughts as his High Queen lays wrapped in his embrace.

Tags: @greenbraiar @andromeddea @maskedlady @morgancaylah @natskys-w  @hizqueen4life

#booklovingturtle writes #i can't believe i finished this book and the pic within four days #i really hope this is actually good and doesn't disappoint anyone #holly black #The Folk of the Air #Folk of the Air #Fota #tfota #the cruel prince #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #queen of nothing spoilers #qon spoilers #jurdan #jude x cardan #cardan x jude #jude duarte #high queen of elfhame #high queen jude #cardan greenbriar #prince cardan #high king of elfhame #high king cardan #king cardan

[crowsvalentine]

Hi!! I love your hcs but I feel like Nina and Matthias don’t get enough love in this fandom!! Can you please write some NSFW Helnik?! I wanna see my smol Matthias be scandalizes by my queen Nina!!

Okayyy I’m warning you but you asked for this

Nina was laughing

Because she’d never seen a man go so red before

“It’s just a bit of skin, Matthias” she teased, playing with the little black bow that rested between her breasts 

It was just a bit of skin, covered in red lace

He didn’t say a word as she stepped closer

Only placed his hand on her hip when she stood between his legs 

“It’s pretty, right?” 

He could only nod

Pretty wasn’t the word he would have used

What he was thinking was much too vulgar to say out loud 

He opted to guide her to sit on his lap

Just looking up at her face, obviously keeping his eyes away from the rest of her

Nina laughed again

“This wasn’t cheap, Matthias, I’d like it if you looked”

He looked

And even if he didn’t say a word, Nina could feel everything he was thinking

Her fingers wove their way into his hair as he took it all in

And when he looked back up at her

Nina’s breath caught 

He wore all of his thoughts in his eyes and from the way they seemed to darken, all innocence from earlier had been replaced 

Nina squeaked when she was lifted 

But smiled when Matthias laid her on the bed

No matter what he was thinking, he’d still be gentle with her

She pulled him down to her with her arms around his neck

He’d never kissed her like this before

Like she was everything he ever craved 

Her hands moved from his hair, to his shoulders down, his chest and arms

A soldier, the only thing she could think of when she could feel his every muscle move against her

He’d carefully removed the lace garments 

And the way he looked at her 

Well, not much could make Nina blush

But the way Matthias looked at her had her cheeks warming making him smile before he bent down to kiss each one

“I love you so much, Nina Zenik” 

Her eyes were closed as he said it

It was barely above a whisper, but it made her eyes open as she grinned

Kissing him again just as he did to her earlier

He’d slid into her without pulling away

A little gasp leaving Nina as he moved

“I love you too, Matthias Helvar”

But when they finished and fell asleep tangled in each other

Nina opened her eyes to watch him

But he wasn’t there any more

Her bed was cold

No trace of him anywhere

And that’s how she knew it would be

She just hoped she’d have a bit longer this time

#i write for soc #nina zenik #matthias helvar #helnik #six of crows #crooked kingdom #booklovingturtle

[grishaversebigbang]

#11- The Acolytes

Project Info:

Gang name: The Acolytes

Title: Sankta Anastasia

Synopsis: Galena has some unique talents; as a gifted healer, she’s never considered the damage she could do with those gifts. As Galena starts to drift away from her closest friend, she finds only one person at fault, Anastasia. Galena learns that Anastasia and Feliks are closer than ever and that Anastasia is gifted in a similar way to herself. With a malicious plan to finally get rid of Anastasia, Galena finds herself tangled in a web of her own mistakes. With her heart on the line, Galena finds herself facing kindness she doesn't  deserve and making choices she won’t be able to come back from. 

Gang introduction

@emmaaspin03

Role: Etherealnik

Short introduction/fun fact: I’m a writer and aside from the GVBB I’m also working on writing a book. I really like reading and right now my current obsession is YA fantasy. I currently want to run to the store and buy lime nacho chips.  

@lady-ekatherina-de-mika

Role: Materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact: Love YA fantasy, cats and travelling. I am on my own book and being insufferable know-it-all. 

@luvidlovearts

Role: Materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact: I love drawing, reading, writing (sometimes) and singing. I love watching video essays about movies I like.

@sammiemai

Role: Materialnik

Short introduction/fun fact:  I’ve been drawing probably since I could hold a pencil, a lot of my family are artists but I also love reading and coming up with fantasy stories!

@dearzoyas

Role: Materialnik

@booklovingturtle

Role: Corporalnik

Short introduction/fun fact: If I had to pick only one movie to watch for the rest of my life it would be 10 Things I Hate About You.

#gvbbgangintro #grishabigbang20

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan gives Jude a present (1)

Short and light hearted fic to help me destress from a combination of having to move while trying to figure out this stupid online classes! Keep an eye out for part two within the next week! Unedited btw!

“Jude,” Cardan’s voice echoed off of the bathroom walls. 

Jude rolled her eyes at the sound of his sing-song voice. “What?”

Cardan’s steps were confident as he strode towards where she sat at her vanity. He was carrying a large, knit bag in one hand and was using the other clutched what looked to be some kind of blade wrapped in velvet.

“One should speak to the High King with more respect. Especially when he comes to present you with a gift.”

She gave him an intimidating once over. “One also should never barge into the High Queen’s bathing chamber without permission. Yet here we are.”

Cardan’s grin was maniacal and laced with mischief. “I know you love when I grace you with my presence, dear wife.”

Jude turned away, feigning disinterest. “I prefer it when you leave me alone, impish husband.”

Cardan chuckled and held her gaze in the reflection of her black wooden vanity. He dropped the bag to her right and placed the dagger at her left side.

Jude raised an eyebrow. “Placing it near my non-dominant hand won’t make me any less of a threat.”

“Yes, I know. You could kill me in less that three moves if you wanted to.” He tugged at the satin robe she’d wrapped herself in after her bath. Cardan placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder and pulled her into the circle of his embrace.

The gesture pulled at her lips. A smile pulled at her lips but Jude forced it away in order to keep up her act. “One day I’ll get tired of making threats and may actually do something about it.”

His arms tighten around her. “Then I guess I better pray for a swift death, my Queen.”

“I'm going to drag it out so it’s a long, painful death. Lots of moaning and groaning and begging for mercy.”

Cardan smirked at her word choice. “I know a few way to make you moan and groan and beg for mercy that doesn’t involve death.”

The blush that burned her cheeks was enough to break Jude’s character. She laughed at his forwardness and leaned into him. “Why the gift?” She nodded towards the still concealed weapon.

“That, my dear Jude, is a thank you present for my terrifying wife.”

“A thank you for what?”

“Because you are going to make me the happiest Fae in all of Elfhame tonight!”

“Isn’t our marriage doing that already?” She teased.

Cardan rolled his eyes. “Yes of course. But tonight you’re going to grant me an even bigger favor than ever.”

Jude’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh so you’ve decided for me that I’m going to grant you a favor? That’s why you’re giving me the dagger first. To bride me.”

Cardan pulled away from her and knelt to the left of her vanity’s seat. He finally pulled the velvet cover off of the dagger. Jude gasped. It was a beautifully crafted blade of pitch black glass. The hilt was made of a midnight steel. In the pommel was a sparkling moonstone.

“Cardan...” she breathed at the sight of the expertly crafted weapon. She’d heard rumors of a swordsmith from another kingdom who'd found a way to enchant glass and make beautifully deadly weapons. For months she’d had spies from the Court of Shadows sweeping other kingdom’s territories. All had come back empty handed and with no information as to who this swordsmith was. She’d stopped searching, believing the rumors to be nothing but myths about a year ago.

“How did you get this?”

Cardan looked smug by her reaction. “Six months ago Roach told me he had a lead on the glass blades. I’ve been following the trail for a while now and found the swordsmith. Then I commissioned this dagger from him as a surprise for you.”

Jude’s finger gingerly ran against the tip. It was sharper than she’d expected and drew a drop of blood. She smiled hungrily at the weapon.

“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Hey now, let’s not exaggerate. Your extraordinarily attractive Faerie husband is right here.”

Jude shoved him away and took the dagger in her hands. It felt perfectly balanced which made Jude wonder what sort of magic was working on it. She was itching for a target to use it on. Then Jude remembered why Cardan was giving her the blade and turned back to him.

She brought the tip to rest below his chin. “What’s the favor?”

His smile was playful as he glanced at the bag on the other side of her. “You’re going to let me do your make up.”

#booklovingturtle writes #jurdan fluff #jurdan #prince cardan #high king cardan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #jude #cardan #holly black #The Folk of the Air #the cruel prince #the wicked king #queen of nothing #tcp #twk #qon #jude x cardan

[booklovingturtle]

Would you perhaps help write a Jurdan pregancy hcs?? If that’s not your forte, I understand. I just love fluffy Jurdan.

I don’t usually do pregnancy hcs but I love Jurdan fluff and I’ll write anything for a request! This actually turned into a rather long fic bc I ended up really enjoying it which means thank you to whoever suggested it!

Jude stumbled from bed, pushing the covers off of her slick body. She felt as if her life had been slowly drained from her for the third day in a row. Her feet tripped over themselves and she made it to the bathing chamber just in time to lose her dinner from the day before. Jude felt her stomach contract violently. She felt dizzy from having stood and ran so quickly and was clutching the rim of the waste bin. The door, which she had been too disoriented to shut all the way, pushed opened. The High Queen heard her husband’s footsteps enter her bathing chamber.

“What…the hell…,” Jude groaned into the circle of her arms. She felt a gentle hand rub circles down the length of her spine.

“Jude dear,” Cardan’s voice was gentle as he tried to pull her chestnut hair back for her. His concern was palpable in the way he hovered over her. “I think we should call a healer. This is the third night in a row you’ve jumped out of bed like this.”

Jude tried to relax the chills that racked her muscles. Judging by the two nights before, her body aches would calm down after a few minutes. Cardan pulled her against the heat of his body. Her back was pressed against his chest and he took her hands in his.

“I’ve been poisoned.” Jude reasoned.

Cardan’s laugh vibrated through her. “Or maybe it’s a cold. I hear humans get them quite frequently during the turn of the seasons.”

Jude shook her head. “I have an incredible immune system, Cardan. I’m offended that you would accuse me of not being able to handle a common cold.”

His tail tickled her ankles as it curled around the exposed skin. “I would never call you weak,” his words were light but the tension in his body told Jude he wasn’t in a joking mood. “I just don’t think it’s poison and if you say it’s not a cold then you must be seriously ill.”

Jude released a heavy breath. Her brain had finally woken up enough to filter through all the poisons that could be eating at her health without her realizing. She didn’t have a fever or cough so she doubted it was a cold. Jude’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what else it could be. The High Queen took a mental tally of her last cycle. Tatterfell had discovered a new tonic that would lighten the burden of her cycles. There was no way to be sure if her late period was thanks to the Faerie tonic or…

“Cardan,” her voice cracked.

“Yes?” He kissed her temple.

“Can you call for Taryn? She caught a cold like this a few months ago. I want to know if her symptoms matched mine,” the lie came out easily. Guilt ate at her.

It had been years since Jude had lied to her husband. They had worked so hard to turn their complicated relationship into one that thrived on love and trust. It was hard in the beginning but after ten years of being married to Cardan, Jude could trust that when he spoke, it was never laced with deceit. Just as he could trust that she’d never use her mortal ability to trick him ever again.

This lie, however, felt different. If her worries were correct then she’d come clean soon enough. If she was wrong then there was no need to confuse Cardan with the possibility of something that may not even be real.

Cardan agreed to call for Taryn and Jude took that time to clean herself up a bit. Once she felt presentable, she made her way back to bed. The High King also rang for a healer, not wanting to risk anything worsening.

The minutes slowly passed as Jude waited for her sister. Cardan continued to run his hands through her hair as they waited. He was a silent, steady presence behind her. A loud knock burst through their room and he called for the servant to enter. Behind the nymph trailed a concerned looking Taryn and a bored court healer.

Cardan excused himself from the room as Jude talked to her sister. Taryn’s eyes widened as her twin described her symptoms.

“Jude!” She exclaimed in joy.

“Quiet down, Taryn! I don’t want anyone to get suspicious before it’s confirmed.” She glared at her sister. The High Queen turned her eyes to the healer. “What do you think?”

The healer’s sharp eyes ran down the length of her body. “Have you experienced any unusual weight gain?”

Jude couldn’t answer with certainty. She was a warrior before she was a monarch. Her body had fluctuated in weight after numerous changes in diet, training, and not to mention torture. She had noticed her armor fitting a little tighter in areas it hadn’t usually bothered her.

“Yes, I think so.”

The healer motioned for her to lay down. She spoke quiet words in an ancient language. Jude shivered as the Fae placed a withered hand on her stomach. The words whispered of life and seemed to echo in the large bedroom. The healer’s eyes closed for a second as she waited to hear the response.

“It’s true, Your Majesty. You are with child.”

Jude’s limbs froze. Taryn squealed through her hands. The healer stood unmoving.

“I-I’m pregnant?” she looked down at her stomach in disbelief.

The healer nodded. “You and your sister are twins.”

Jude’s eyes jumped to the Faerie again. “Yes. Why?”

The healer gestured again but this time to tell the Queen to sit up. “It’s still too early to tell but there is a chance that you could carry more than one.”

A shocked laugh escaped Jude as she stared at her sister. She looked back at the healer and thanked her for her service. The creature nodded a goodbye. Taryn bobbed up and down, looking with undiluted happiness at her twin.

“Jude! Congratulations! Vivi’s going to be so jealous when she finds out that I got to be here.”

“Taryn, what the hell am I going to do? I don’t know how to be a mom. I can’t-I don’t…” Jude words cut off and her face flushed with tears she hadn’t realized were building.

Taryn looked surprised by Jude reaction. To her credit, she didn’t hesitate to take a seat on the edge of the bed. “Jude. Listen to me. You are High Queen of Elfhame. You’ve been kidnapped, poisoned, stabbed, beaten, and tortured. You’ve stood against enemies older than most human civilizations. You are Jude Duarte. You will handle this like you’ve handled every other situation that has been thrown at you…or well, like every other situation that you’ve blindly out yourself in!”

Jude shook her head. “I’ve stabbed my way through most of those situations. I can’t exactly stab an infant, Taryn.”

Her sister scoffed. “Believe me, Jude, if I could make it through my pregnancy and learn the ropes of motherhood given everything that was happening around us, you can as well.”

Jude chewed over the thought, realizing Taryn was right. When Taryn’s first child was born, she was recently-widowed and Elfhame’s monarchy was still new to the land. Right now they were in a time of peace with no imminent threat to the kingdom. Plus Jude had her sister’s previous experience to learn from. And Cardan.

“Cardan!” Jude started. “I have to tell him.”

Taryn jumped from the bed. “Oh! You have to let me know how he reacts!”

Jude wiped a stray tear from her cheek and nodded. “Thank you, Taryn.”

Her sister gave her a sweet smile. “I hope he faints,” she giggled and turned to leave.

Not two seconds later, Cardan strode into the room. He took one look at Jude’s pale face and stopped in his tracks.

“What is it?” He sounded anxious.

Jude stood, meeting him halfway in the room. The High King intertwined his fingers with his wife’s. He leaned forward so that his brow met hers. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to say the words.

“Cardan…I’m pregnant.”

He jerked back, but kept his hands in hers. “You’re-you’re what?”

“I’m pregnant,” She repeated the words, not fully believing them even as they left her mouth.

His dark eyes were wide as he stared down at her. “You’re carrying our child,” wonder filled his voice. “I’m going to be a father?”

“There’s no guarentee that you’re the father but-” she broke off with a wicked smile.

Cardan laughed, a silver shine glittering in his eyes. His smile was blindingly bright as he said, “I’m going to be a father!”

Jude nodded, once again surprised by the tears that welled in her own eyes. “You’re happy about the news?”

Her husband gave her a look of disbelief. “Jude, I’m more than happy.”

“But we never talked about children. Never made plans.”

“That’s because I was afraid. Some Faeries go decades without reproducing and we’ve always been aware of the fact that won’t have decades to wait. It felt selfish to ask you to spend all that time working towards a family that we wouldn’t have gotten. I didn’t want to disappoint you.” 

Jude ran a finger along his sharp jawline. “You could never disappoint me, Cardan. I love you. Child or no child. We would have found a way to make our own family if that’s what we wanted.”

The High King didn’t bother to wipe the tears of joy from his cheeks. He grabbed Jude’s waist and ran a hand across the front of her stomach. “This is going to be most beautiful child Elfhame as ever seen. How could it not be? With me as it’s father.”

The Queen used her thumbs to brush away Cardan’s tears. “That’s assuming you’re the father.”

His laugh filled the room. Cardan’s smiling lips met hers. Jude melted into a kiss that left her soul singing. His fingers tickled the curves of her waist. Jude pressed herself hard against him, wanting to feel every part of him. Cardan held himself back.

“Careful, I don’t want to squish our little bean.”

Jude rolled her eyes. “We’re not going to squish it, Cardan.”

He shook his head. “I’m not willing to risk it.” Instead, the High King kneeled at Jude’s feet and placed a protective hand over her stomach. “I love you very much, my little bean.”

“Cardan!” Jude groaned. “Stop calling it that.”

He looked up at her through innocent eyes that were framed with beautiful lashes. “Little Bean,” he said thoughtfully. “I like it.” He looked back at her stomach and pulled up her shirt. Cardan kissed right above her naval. “I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you, Little Bean.”

Jude’s chest tightened at the fierceness in his voice. She ran a hand through his unkempt curls.

“I didn’t have a family who fought for me. But I will fight for you. Every day of my life, Little Bean.”

A lump formed in Jude’s throat and she had to push back yet another wave of tears. Apparently, this pregnancy was going to turn her into a crier. She was not excited for that.

“I’m sure Little Bean can hear you,” the gentleness in Jude’s tone was new to her. “You’re going to be a great father, Cardan.” She could already see the wave of fears that were dancing around her husband’s head.

He didn’t meet her gaze so Jude knelt down to look him in the eyes. “This Little Bean is going to be loved and protected in all the ways we weren’t. We’re going to make sure of it.” She pulled her husband into a tight embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you,” he repeated. He let himself hold his wife tightly for a few lingering moments.

“But I love Little Bean more now so please stop trying to squish it.”

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #the cruel prince #the wicked king #queen of nothing #tcp #twk #qon #jude duarte #prince cardan #cardan greenbriar #high king cardan #high queen jude #high queen of elfhame #high king of elfhame #The Folk of the Air #jurdan #jurdan fluff

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan gives Jude a present (2)

Lol okay so I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone to really like part one  of this little hc bc I typed it up really quickly and it was full of typos and was honestly just more of a pick-me-up for myself. But y’all really enjoyed the fluff so here’s part two! Also I decided to make this into three parts bc I’m also enjoying the fluff

Please send me more things to write bc this state lockdown/online classes/being quarantined away from my family thing sucks and I love writing!

“You’re going to let me do your make up.” Cardan looked completely unfazed by the sparkling blade at his throat 

“I’m going to let you do what?” Jude’s mouth dropped.

Cardan’s smile crested into a wave of deep laughter. “I brought everything I could possibly need to do your make up.”

Jude glanced at the knit bag on the floor beside her. “What why is that bag so big? Why the hell do you need so much stuff? It looks like you could fit Taryn’s entire child in it!”

Cardan’s fingers snaked around the wrist holding the dagger. “I should hope I’m not trying to fit part of your sister’s toddler in a bag.” His laughter broke between the words. “If you promise not to decapitate me I can show you what I had in mind.”

Jude’s eyes narrowed. Distrust filled her gaze as she peered down at her kneeling husband. “Show me what's in the bag.”

Cardan guided the glass tip away from his neck. Not before placing a lingering kiss on the inside of Jude’s wrist. His lips pressed against the sensitive skin and she held back a shudder at the touch. Cardan’s smile turned wickedly sharp.

“Vivi gave me the idea.” He explained as he pulled a few items out of the bag. “She told me about this thing they have in the mortal world. It’s called you tubes, I think, and she showed me a thing called a video about make up. But the make up, Jude, was like nothing I’ve ever seen before!”

Jude stared at him in astonishment. He pulled out an assortment of mortal made paints and brushes. “Vivi showed you YouTube? When?”

“Two weeks ago during our monthly brunch.” He shrugged off her question.

The High Queen couldn’t believe her ears. She had known that Vivi was an acquaintance of Cardan’s back when he was just a princeling. However she hadn’t realized that their friendship had developed far enough that they had “monthly brunches”.

For a change, Jude was at a loss of words. Cardan ran a thumb against the shell of her ear. “I promise Vivi and I don’t share your little secrets to each other, if that’s what your worried about.” 

“I’m not worried...just surprised. I didn’t realize you and Vivi were such good friends.”

“That’s because Vivienne and I choose to keep our relationship out of the public eye. We’re very private people.” He teased. 

“Didn’t you two go skinny dipping with your other devilish friends? How is that private?” Jude pointed out. Cardan placed a finger on her lips to quiet his wife. “Let’s not dwell on the past. Let’s get back to what’s important, Jude. Art!”

“Art!” She mocked him but waved her husband on to continue.

"These humans, they paint art on themselves but with makeup. It’s incredible!”

“So you want to try it out on me?” Jude grabbed a rectangular paint holder with small circles of paint in it. She opened the lid and tried to test out the paint only to find that it was dry.

“That’s a water activated palette!” Cardan sounded like a child who’d stumbled into the world’s largest toy store. “It means I have to wet it for it work.”

“What do you want to paint on me?”

"Is that a yes?” he looked down at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

The unblemished joy on his face made it impossible for Jude to deny his request. In truth, even if he hadn't given her the dagger she would have said yes. There was no way she was going to make her husband put away all of the paints now. Not when he looked at her like that.

“Of course it’s a yes,” she said warily, though secretly she was excited to see how it would turn out.

Cardan was buzzing with excitement now. “Okay great. First thing’s first, take off your robe!”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Not for that, Jude! Okay well maybe later...but not now at least. I don’t want to risk getting paint on your robe so change into something you don’t mind getting dirty. I’ll grab everything else I need and meet you back here in three minutes.”

The High Queen of Elfhame rose from her vanity mirror. She walked towards her armoir of clothes but sneaked a glance back at her husband. Her heart filled with an indescribable amount of warmth at the sight. The High King was expertly laying out the paints on her vanity. He looked back at her and smiled.

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #the cruel prince #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #The Folk of the Air #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #jude #high king cardan #prince cardan #high queen jude #jude x cardan #jurdan #jurdan fluff #cardan x jude

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan finds out how Balekin tortured Jude

This turned out to be longer than planned. As soon as I submitted my last final assignment for the semester, I opened up Tumblr and wrote this for @duarteegreenbriar bc of this post. You can def expect another fic where he finds about Locke *wink wink*

I hope you enjoy it! This is kinda like hc/fic based in QON while Jude is still exiled. Also its unedited because I wanted to get this out before I went on Christmas break. 

“We have news for you,” was the Bomb’s way of greeting Cardan one earlier morning. Yellow and pinks drops of sunrise had just barely started to fall over Elfhame when he received the Roach’s message, asking to meet.

Not too far into Jude’s exile and a few months since the old Court of Shadows had been demolished meant that the High King and his Queen’s band of spies were meeting in an old cellar long since forgotten in the palace. The only way to even enter it was through an opening Cardan had used his new-found magic to make. The opening was hidden in a fake armoire of one of their guests rooms. The room itself was perpetual damp, insufficiently furnished, and lacking any of fun memories the old court held. But it was well protected from prying ears and hard to access so it would due.

“How are my favorite pair of mischievous friends?” Cardan smirked reflexively at the serious look on their faces. His tail twitched uncomfortably beneath his clothes.

Mouth in a thin line. Back straight. Eyes narrowed. Hand on nearest weapon. Yes, everything about the way they stood told him whatever he was going to hear would not be pleasant.

“We have news,” the Roach mimicked his companion’s no-nonsense tone.

“So I’ve heard,” Cardan rolled his eyes. He retied the thick red cape he’d thrown on himself to fight of the chill of the cellar. It gave his hands something to do other than twitch at his sides. “Jude?”

“Yes and no.” The Bomb started. “She’s fine. Safe as usually doing some odd jobs for a faerie in the mortal world.”

“This about what happened before her exile.” Roach continued. His beady eyes were unreadable as usual. “We looked into Balekin’s connections with the Sea as you asked us to. We found out what Orlagh had been doing with Jude while she was imprisoned.”

A lump sat in his throat. No matter where she was Jude always felt like the center of his world. He couldn’t go longer than an hour awake or asleep without thinking about her. Her time in the Undersea had only intensified the problem for him.

“Out with it. What did you discover?”

“You already know that Balekin thought he could glamour her. I-” the Bomb looked anxiously at the Roach. They shared a glance and she pulled a weathered envelope from inside her coat. “We think it might be best if you just read this. It’s a collection of court documents detailing what the Undersea would do to her.”

“I don’t understand. Why would they keep records of that? What use do they have of collecting memories of Jude’s torture? I thought those events were mostly private for Orlagh’s own pleasure.”

“We can only assume that there were more people attending them than Jude was led to believe. Perhaps as secret spectators. One can only guess what Undersea’s Queen was plotting.”

“There’s more. Some came from Balekin’s personal journals, uncovered despite Orlagh’s attempt to destroy any evidence of her alliance with him.”

Cardan couldn’t stand their cautious looks. He turned to face the wall behind him. He wasn’t sure if it was possible to feel such a heady mix hate and fear and sorrow and freedom all at one time. Every mention of Balekin’s name was like a blow to the stomach.

“Just tell me what happened.”

“We think it might be best if you read it. You don’t have to. There’s nothing really useful to us if you’d prefer to not know exactly what they did.” The Bomb said I’m a voice usually soft for her.

“She’s right. But I think it’s important that you know regardless. Take the papers. Read them if you want to. When you’re ready.” The Roach said in a way that suggested that it shouldn’t have even been an option to not read what was contained inside the envelope.

Cardan faced them again. The Bomb handed him the collection of papers and left. The Roach stayed back long enough to warn the High King.

“It won’t be easy. What you find in there.”

Cardan looked him in the eyes, trying to find some comfort or understanding that he could lean on. Instead he just found pity.

“Thank you. Tell the Bomb that I appreciate it. No matter what I find.”

Roach nodded and walked out of the cellar. Within seconds it was just Cardan standing in a damp cellar by himself. He stared at the weighted envelop. It felt like it was full of explosive lead, not weathered folded leaves of paper.

Cardan tucked it into his belt and trekked back up to his room. The guards lined outside of his chambers looked curiously at the sight of their High King. He closed the door behind him and stripped off the heavy cloak. Cardan sat at the bench at the foot of his large bed. He wasn’t sure if it was his right to know what happened to her during her imprisonment. If Jude had wanted to share those details with him then she would have.

Cardan stared at an empty corner of his room. A spiraling curl of vines snaked up the walls. White dahlia’s sprung up amidst the green leaves. He’d been practicing how to control his pull of the land for a few months now but it still felt odd to be able to sway nature this way and that.

He thought about the dizzying display of power he’d used when he was face to face with Orlagh. It had felt as if the very land he stood on bowed beneath his fists. He knew she’d never admit it but he remembered the look on Jude’s face when she’d first realized what was happening. She was impressed by all that he’d learned to do while she was gone.

Not gone. Captured. Held prisoner.

Cardan didn’t let himself second guess his decision. He yanked the envelop open and scanned the first few documents.

The mortal is starting to loose it’s sanity. It’s clear even the glamour can’t help it hold on much longer. It is much thinner than it had been when Orlagh first brought it. There are also a considerable number of marks left along its body. Rumor has it the princess herself may be responsible fo them.

Cardan felt like throwing up. He remembered how Jude had looked like a ghost when she'd first returned. All bones and angles when she’d been hard muscle and soft skin.

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the images of her skin touching his. Of his fingers touching her. The papers in this hands made him sick to his stomach. They called her an it. And said she had marks. Not one but many.

The dahlia’s crumbled up and withered to dust. Hot pink heart-shaped buds bloomed in their place.

He flipped to the next page, recognizing the handwriting of the thick stationary paper. His hand was shaking by the time he go to the end of the torn journal entry.

Jude has been an interesting toy. A fun toy. Her attachment to my brother has been a mystery. I though perhaps she had some sort of secret or piece of black mail to hold over him. Even with the glamor, she hasn’t revealed anything if she does. Though the nature of their relationship is still unknown, I believe I have a way of figuring it out.

Cardan stood abruptly. His body hummed with nervous. His tail wriggled uncomfortably until it came loose. It swung behind him and Cardan had to step away from the bench to keep it from slamming against it. The next journal entry had him regretting he’d stood up.

Any suspicions I’d had of their relationship have been answered. I used a glamour to force her to kiss me as she would kiss my brother. It worked perfectly. It was horrendous. I hate myself for even asking her to do it. For degrading myself enough to touch a creature like her but it worked. She kissed me with all of the fires that mortal are described to feel when they love something. Their bright and easily extinguished fires. She looked at me as though I was the only man she’d ever seen and ever wanted to touch. I almost withdrew the demand but I’m glad that I didn’t. Had I gone back on my command, I never would have understood how deep her affection for him went. She truly cares for him.

The next question is how much does Cardan care for her? It’s clear he’s fascinated by her. Curious about her. But cats are curious of mice when they first chase after them. It’s after they’ve caught them beneath their claws that they bare their fangs. Perhaps that’s what Cardan has been doing. Though knowing the naive nature of my brother’s heart, I highly doubt it. I’ll find out soon enough. for the girl’s sake, I hope it’s later rather than sooner. Should Orlagh let her live long enough to ever see Cardan again, I’d love to watch him destroy that mortal love of hers.

Cardan’s knees gave out from under him. He stared at the letters for what felt like centuries. They didn’t feel real. Balekin had forced Jude to kiss him. He knew she wasn’t glamoured as he thought she had been. That meant Jude had to kiss him completely aware of her actions. She had to force herself for kiss Balekin in a way that would convince him of her love for his brother. Cardan reread it a forth time, praying that somehow the letters would rearrange themselves to tell him a different story.

Distantly he realized why the Bomb and the Roach had opted out of telling him themselves. How did you tell the High King of Elfhame that his abusive older brother forced the woman he loved to kiss him.

The paper crinkled in his hands. Cardan released an angry growl. His blood boiled as he read it for a sixth time. She never mentioned it. Not that they had much time before her banishment to talk through all the details. Nor was it likely that Jude, with her affinity for secrets and lies, would tell him the truth about the situation.

Cardan paced back and forth in the room. If she would just answer his damned letters. If he could just get her to come back to Elfhame and talk to her. To see her. To apologize for what happened between them. Between her and Balekin. He was never more grateful than he was in that moment that she killed him.

After reading the letter Cardan almost wished he’d come back to life just so he could drive the blade through his older brother himself. Cardan heard the crackling fire of the hearth. He threw the stack of papers into the fire. A thick puff of smoke fizzled out of the flames as they blackened into ash.

The ugly words disappeared from existence but the High King would never forget the torturous curves. He’d never forget what the Undersea did to her. What Balekin did to her.

Cardan rushed to his desk, brashly scribbling out a missive to send to Jude.

Jude, he started the letter. Jude. He couldn’t think of anything else to write to her. Jude. Please come back. Just come back. Jude. I’m sorry. I’ll be better. I promise. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude .Jude. Jude.

He’d filled the paper with her name. If he couldn’t see her then maybe the letters of her name would be enough to erase the sickness he felt after opening the envelope. 

-

Author’s Note: I couldn’t figure out how long she was exiled bc I’m still on campus and my books are at home so excuse the ambiguous timeline. If anyone knows the answer to how long she was imprisoned/exiled/when the letters were written please let me know.

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #Folk of the Air #The Folk of the Air #the cruel prince #the wicked king #queen of nothing #queen of nothing spoilers #tcp #twk #qon #qon spoilers #prince cardan #king cardan #cardan greenbriar #jurdan #jude duarte #cardan x jude #jurdan angst

[booklovingturtle]

Jurdan Bathtime Fun HC

“...for example TCP Cardan enters in her room without knocking and she is on a bath or something like that, and she gets very pissed with him. Like throwing things at Cardan.😘” - @hufflepuffproudbadger​

OKAY I ACTUALLY HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH THE IDEA OF JURDAN A SFW BATH TIME SO THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST. Here is an HC set around TWK but also connected to this fic. (while this is completely SFW...I may be willing to write a NSFW fic if people are interested)

Oriana and Taryn had spent countless hours going to Faerie vendors for special bath herbs but Jude hated taking baths. They reminded her too much of what her childhood had been like before Elfhame swallowed her whole. She’d remembered what it felt like to grab bars of soap with sticky fingers and wait for the water to turn fluffy with bubble mix. Now the water usually ran red with blood when she bathed. Taryn called baths relaxing, Jude called them a waste of time.

Perhaps it was time for her to change her opinion, Jude wondered as the hot water soothed her sore limbs. The last week of her life had gone like this: three hours training Cardan as soon as the moon rose, ten hours running the kingdom and playing seneschal, and finally three hours training with Roach and an extra two practicing with the Ghost. By the end of the week her body was screaming for a break so Jude asked Tatterfell to boil some water with muscle relaxing herbs and oils for her to rest in.

The sun was creeping it’s way into her bathing chamber from the mosaic of fogged glass windows. Jude watched as rays of light bounced off of the swirling bubbles. She exhaled and dunked her head in the water, trying to drown the lifeless voices of courtiers out of her mind.

Jude stayed under until fire burned her chest. She broke through the surface, gulping large breathes of air. At least her body was too busy trying to breathe for her to think about another council debate.

The door to her bathing chamber pushed open with a whisper. Jude reached for Nightfell’s hilt as it rested against the porcelain rim of the bathtub.

“No need for that, Jude dear,” a frustratingly familiar voice sang.

“Get out,” Jude growled. Her back was turned to Cardan as her grip on Nightfell tightened.

“Not until I tell you what I’ve just found out.” He sounded smug as always and completely unaffected by her vulnerable state.

“I’m literally naked right now, Cardan. Whatever you have to say to me can at least wait until I’ve put clothes on.” She turned to find him smirking with a decorated hand covering his eyes.

“Believe me, you’ll want to hear what I have to say.” His smirk grew wider.

Jude glared at him but decided to let him live to see the next day. If only out of curiosity for whatever it was he had to say.

“Three minutes to tell me whatever earth-shattering news you have to share or else I carve that pretty smirk off forever.”

She put her sword back at its rightful place and settled back under the waters. Luckily, Tatterfell had drawn her an extravagant bath with full bubbles to cover her properly.

“You think my smirk is charming,” he said with an amused tone and settled at the ledge of the tub. His eyes were still covered but Jude suspected that was a part of an act.

“Two minutes. You can quit pretending not to peek. I’m covered.”

His fingers opened just enough for her to see the gold rim of one pupil. He examined the state of her bath before deciding to uncover his eyes. Jude wished she’d let him continue to close his eyes so she wouldn’t have to see the way he looked down at her. Eyes full of an unspoken emotion and cheeks flushed with an untamed one.

“One minute,” She reminded him.

“I have reason to suspect the Ghost’s intentions with Taryn.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “You what?”

“You heard me. I believe your sister has an admirer other than betrothed.”

Jude rolled her eyes. “You’ve lost your mind. The Ghost doesn’t like Taryn. He doesn’t even know her.”

“Maybe not but he at least finds her interesting to look at.”

“How could you even know that?”

Cardan’s fingers twirled around a wet lock of her hair. The gesture seemed unconscious as he spoke. “He said so while we were training.”

“Are you seriously trying to tell me that the Ghost spent your training session gossiping about Taryn?”

Cardan’s eyes danced with mischief. “Not the whole time.” His hands had stopped playing with her hair. Jude couldn’t quell the disappointment she felt when his fingers let go of her to neatly fold themselves at his lap.

“What exactly did he say?” The only reason she was even entertaining the conversation was because she knew Cardan couldn’t lie. The Ghost had to have said something to make him truly believe what he was saying.

“He started off by asking if I had given their marriage my blessing as High King. I told him that he knew the only blessing anyone ever needed in this kingdom was yours.” That made her roll her eyes but he ignored her. “He said he was surprised that you would let your sister marry someone like Locke. I asked why he cared and he shrugged.” Cardan sounded as if the conversation had died as quickly as it’d started.

Jude left a wet hand print on his shirt sleeve as she prompted him, “And then what did he say?”

“That I needed to stop shifting my weight so much.”

She grunted in disapproval. “Cardan. Is that seriously all that he said? That’s why you came into my bathing chambers and interrupted my bath?”

He looked shocked. “I thought you would want to know that one of your spies was interested in your dear twin.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why would I care? Taryn can protect herself from hoards of Faerie men trying to win her hand if she has to. If I had known you just wanted to gossip I would have run you through with Nightfell.”

“Jude dear, you can’t really mean that. I know how much you love when we spend time together.” Cardan’s fingers went back to her hair. Jude watched as he followed a strand stuck her arm until it reached the surface of the water.

The heat that burned her skin felt hot enough to boiled the bath water dry. Cardan’s smile went from impish to flirtatious. His black eyes scanned the bubbled again until the settled on the sight her knees peaking out from the water. His hand came back up from her shoulder and traced the shell of her ear. Jude bit the corner of her lips, fighting for something to say that would break whatever glamour he’d put on her. 

But there was no glamour. Only the whirling haze of his eyes locked with hers and his skin against hers. Finally Jude’s body unfroze enough for her to act.

She clumped a handful of bubbles and brought them to his head before Cardan could react. He gasped as they hit the side of his cheek and tumbled into his perfectly curled hair.

Jude’s laughter echoed off the walls and she clutched her side. Cardan jumped from where he was sitting and looked unamused at her. “Did you really have to do that?”

“Did you really have to barge into my bathroom?” She shot back.

Cardan’s glower deepened. “You’re merciless.”

Jude shrugged and her other hand found a brush Tatterfell had used on her hair. “I am nothing if not a Redcap’s daughter. Now get out before I hit you with this.”

Cardan ran the bubbles through his hair. “Don’t I at least get a thank you?”

“For what? Ruining my relaxing peace?”

“For telling you about the Ghost and Taryn?”

Jude shook her head. “The only thing you’ll get from me is a bruise if you don’t leave right now.”

He opened his mouth to object but Jude aimed the brush lower. Cardan blanched and backed away.

“Before I leave-”

Jude’s brush hit the door frame just as his figure ducked behind it.

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #The Folk of the Air #Folk of the Air #the cruel prince #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #jurdan #jude duarte #high queen jude #high queen of elfhame #cardan greenbriar #prince cardan #high king cardan #high king of elfhame #jurdan fic

[booklovingturtle]

Jude Tells Cardan About Locke

Hiya! This is a kinda like a part two to this fic and once again, dedicated to @duarteegreenbriar for the idea! I also reference this one at the end.

In this fic, Cardan notices Jude has a nasty new scar and Jude tells him about what Locke did to her the night before Taryn’s wedding. Buuuutt...some Jude mildly-nsfw (fluff) before he sees it because I had time so why not make it long-ish.

Cardan flopped into his bed, feeling drawn out after an intense day full of arguing with the lower courts. It’s only been two weeks since the High King split his throne in two; he was already wishing that he could go back to the carefree life he lived as a serpent. 

“You should get out of your court clothes before you call asleep.” Jude was already in her closet so her words came out muffled.

As much as he loved sharing his room with her, Cardan didn’t love her completely valid ideas that required him to get back up from bed.

“I was hoping you could help me out of them, Your Majesty,” he called out to her.

She laughed from the other side of the room. “I could hear you snore during Lord Roiban’s proposal. I don’t think you have the energy for that tonight.”

Cardan didn’t bothering hiding the coy smile on his face. He felt a blush on his cheeks but his eyes were still sealed shut. The warm caress of sleep was already pulling him under. He heard her door open and close. She stepped towards him, still laughing at the High King of Elfhame falling asleep on their bed.

“Come,” she whispered, tugging at his arms.

Cardan felt her fingers curl around his. She gently pulled his upper body up. He sat up while still kept his eyes closed. He faked a loud snore and she kicked him but giggled at the sound. God, Cardan loved the sound of her laugh. For so long he thought he would never get to hear it and now he couldn't go an hour without trying to get her to smile at him.

“Hurry up. If you don’t change then you’ll ruin your ugly coat and be upset with yourself tomorrow.”

That did make him open his eyes. “You think my coat is ugly?” His question was already forgotten as he took one look at Jude.

The High Queen of Elfhame looked sinfully beautiful in her sleeping clothes. Mortal day clothes, or “pjs” as Jude had called them, were very different from Faerie ones. Jude wore different clothes to bed, some times Faerie day gowns, sometimes these black pants that she called “leggings”, and other times nothing at all. The latter was his favorite outfit of hers.

Tonight she wore a simple, over-sized white shirt that was clearly mortal in fit. It went down to her the middle of her thighs, allowing Cardan to admire her beautiful legs. Her hair was twisted into a messy knot at the base of her neck.

“No.” Jude swatted his hands away. “Go change.”

He groaned, extending his arms again to pull her waist closer to him. To his luck she let him draw her in this time. “Jude dear...”

“Yes?” Her hands were on top of his and she made eye contact with him without any hint of malice. Months as husband and wife and weeks of a true relationship yet Cardan still couldn’t believe that she was really his. And he was hers.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She smiled gently. Jude and gentle almost never belonged in a sentence together but he was her exception. 

“I know,” she played with his fingers.

He chuckled. He knew that the smile on his face was probably too wide to be kingly but he didn’t care. “You love me, too. You said so yourself.”

“Really? I don’t remember saying that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Come here,” he begged, loving the way her mouth teased him with every word.

She obliged his request. Cardan tasted mint and the sweetness of happiness on her lips. His whole body started to wake up as her hands moved up his arms and buried themselves in his hair. Cardan’s own fingers danced under the hem of her shirt. She tugged on his curls and his fingers curled agains the material of shirt. He gasped when she surprised him by bitting his lower lip.

“Jude.”

“Somebody seems awake all of a sudden.” She played with his tail that twisted around her leg.

That drove him to the edge. He closed the little space between them by twisting their bodies so she was pressed against the plush mattress. He was in between her legs, feeling the slope of her stomach and the curves of her body under the shirt. She gasped under hime, her body arching at his touch.

“And somebody seems to be wearing far too many clothes,” he smirked and continued to push up her shirt to reveal all of her body to him.

“Not so fast, High King,” Jude shook her head. “You first.”

Cardan didn't even hesitant to yank off his coat and shirt, then his bottoms. She laughed at his rushed actions. He cut her laughter short with another heat-filled kiss. His lips ran down the length of her body until he reached her naval. She moaned once his mouth moved lower down. Then huffed as he skipped to the soft skin of her thighs. His hands brace the back of her knees, lifting them to position her better until his fingers feel the ragged skin of a scar.

Cardan froze at the feeling of an old puncture wound, one he didn’t remember from the first time he touched her. Cardan tried to remember if it was there the last few times they were together. It was possible that in the heat of the moment he’d never noticed it before but now that he had, he couldn’t ignore it.

“Jude?” his breathing was ragged and his voice deep but his head had cleared just enough for him to talk.

“What’s wrong?” she looked down at him, clearly confused.

“What is this?” He traced the edges of the scar again.

She paled, curling her legs into herself. “It’s nothing. An old scar.”

His eyes narrowed. He didn’t break eye contact with her as he sat on his knees. “No, it’s not. I don’t remember it being there before. Where did that come from?”

She gave him a frustrated sigh. “I have lots of scars, Cardan. Some old, some new. It’s really nothing.”

“I don’t believe you. If it was really nothing then you would have answered me the first time.”

Jude rolled her eyes. “Cardan-”

He took her hands from where they’d been resting at her lap. He brought her left hand up and kissed her ring finger. “You can tell me. Part of being husband and wife is sharing each other’s burdens.” 

She watched him, not resisting his action. Finally she spoke, “It happened the night before Taryn’s wedding.”

The night before she was taken. Before Balekin and Orlagh got their hands on her. Before Balekin-

Cardan blocked the thoughts from his mind, trying to focus on Jude’s words instead of the ones he’d read in his brother’s handwriting. He still hadn’t worked up the courage to ask her about what he’d read.

“I was on my way to see Taryn when seven riders attacked me in the woods. It was dark and they caught me by surprise. Don’t worry, I left most of them with worse than a little scar,” she tried to brush off the attack.

“Seven riders? Faerie riders?”

“No, seven teletubby riders.”

“What?” Cardan had never heard of any faerie creatures by the name. After a beat he realized the deadpan nature of her words meant she was being sarcastic. “Oh, never mind.”

A small smile played at the edges of her cheeks. “Yes, faerie riders. I don’t know for sure if they were trying to kill me but they definitely wanted to make sure that I was scared.”

“Did Orlagh send them after you?” Cardan had never forgiven the Undersea Queen but if he knew that she’d somehow managed to hurt Jude in his own territory, he’d find a way to repay her for that crime as well.

“No...it was Locke.”

Cardan shook his head in disappointment. He wished he could say that it was a surprise. That he’d never suspected Locke to be capable of leaving such a nasty scar on his fierce wife. But he knew better than that. He knew that Locke was a cruel Master of Revel who relished in sadistic games. Of course he'd gone after Jude that night. She would have been too preoccupied with trying to keep Oak safe and Taryn happy for the wedding to truly protect herself. If Locke was still alive, he’d have had him strung to a tree by the points of his ears.

“Locke did this to you?”

“I’m not sure if it was his arrow but it was him and his rider friends. They chased me through the woods until I scared them away. Not before I could chop a few down with an axe.”

His jaw ticked in anger. “Who were the other riders?”

“I don’t know. It was dark so I couldn’t really see anything. The only reason I know for sure that it was Locke is because he took my wedding present for Taryn and gave it to her himself.”

“I don't understand,” the High King shook his head. “Why would he do that?”

Jude gave him a sad look. “There’s nothing to understand, Cardan. Locke was a bad man who enjoyed causing others pain. He hated me and probably you for loving me. I should have seen it coming.”

Cardan looked at her in disbelief. “No, this is my fault. I entertained his games far too long. I made him Master of Revel for God’s sake. I should have paid better attention. I should have drawn a line for him to stay behind. Instead I was too afraid of my own feelings to ever protect you.”

That sounded ridiculous even to himself. Jude was an unstoppable force. She was the rock that sharpened the sword, and the hand that wielded it, and the tip that pierced skin. She had protected him time and time again even after he'd failed her. But never again. There would never be another Locke or Valerian or Orlagh or Balekin. Not as long as he was alive.

“That was in the past. It’s over now. Besides, Taryn handled him well enough for the both of us.” Jude caressed his face.

“I know I can’t protect you the way that you’ve been there for me. But Jude I swear to you as long as I live no will ever leave another scar on your body and last through the night.”

Her smile was a bright as the morning sunrise. “How about you wait to make those kinds of threats until we’re able to pick up our training sessions again.”

Cardan groaned, throwing himself back on his back. “Please no more training. You’re High Queen now. I can’t handle your wrath anymore.” 

He knew she was changing the subject on purpose but he didn’t mind. She’d opened up to him and that was enough. Tonight was just another reminder of how far they’d come together and how much Cardan and Jude still had to look forward to.

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #The Folk of the Air #Folk of the Air #the cruel prince #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #cardan greenbriar #prince cardan #king cardan #high king cardan #jude duarte #jude #high queen jude #queen jude #high king of elfhame #high queen of elfhame #jurdan #jurdan fic #jude x cardan #cardan x jude

[booklovingturtle]

A Sweet Suli Spice (Kanej GVBB)

A/N: AH I can’t believe the time has finally come for me to share this with you all! I had so much fun working on this in the midst of the worst and most stressful semester of my life!

Shout out to my gang, Spice of Life, for making this so much fun bc they are all so talented and easy to work with! The Corporalki both understood my writing which made the revising/editing process really smooth. They made sure the fic you’re about to read is actually understandable. They read this more than once and in the midst of their own crazy lives which I will never not be thankfull for. The Materialki are ridiculously talented. You HAVE to click their links to check out their work. I know they all worked really hard on them and it totally paid off.

Also big thank you to @grishaversebigbang​ for hosting this and being a terrifying yet wonderful Master of Tides.

Please feel free to comment, reblog, or message me your reactions to this! It’s the first super long pic that I’ve ever written and I’m really proud of it. Okay enough rambling…ik y’all just want the fic!

Corporalki: @ninxszenik , @ethereal-magia

Materialki: @theartistwitch  @wavesofinkdrops @xan-drei

Masterlist: Don’t have an Ao3 but I do have a master list of all my fics.

Summary: Inej Ghafa hasn’t seen her family in four years. Not since she’s been taken. Now that it’s been so long since she’s seen them, Inej is scared and nervous to go back. One night, while sitting on the rooftop, Kaz asks her to teach him Suli. That inspires Inej to fight her nerves and finally find her family. She asks Kaz to go home with her and he takes this opportunity to learn more about her and her people. Once home, Inej is faced with a guilt of her past, the fear of family’s reactions, and the hope of finally being ghar (home).

The heart of Suli culture flowed with spice-flavored blood and beat to the sound of performance drums. It hummed through Inej’s body every time she whispered her native language to herself under Tante Heleen’s ring-clad fist. She stored the precious words so deep inside of her that she feared the garbled sounds of Kerch would drown out their melodious syllables.

Once she was under the employment of the Dregs, she would practice Suli as often as she could. Some nights she would stare into the mirror, barely recognizing the woman in front of her as she spoke in Suli to herself. She would even write letters to her family in the beautiful script they had taught her. Those letters were always burned before the ink could dry. The content didn’t matter to her. She didn’t write them for the sake of filling a paper with impossible hopes and dreams. She wrote them because she feared losing her mother tongue. It was an irrational fear that she had never been able to vocalize to anyone before. Well, at least before Kaz came into the picture. He had asked her one night if she could teach him Suli and noticed, as he always did, the change in her face at the mention of it.

“I understand if you don’t feel comfortable teaching me. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Kaz reached out to place his hand on her leg.

Inej watched his pale, scarred knuckles rest on her knee. They had made their way up to the roof of the Crows Club, as they usually did when Inej was home. Whatever time wasn’t spent up there was used to carefully test the idea of being together.

“It’s not that I don’t feel comfortable. It’s that…” Inej’s words wandered away from her. She watched the way his thumb moved along the inside of her knee. It was such a small touch for someone else; for a different boy and a different girl that touch was meaningless. For them, it was everything.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

“No. I want to. I’ve spent so many years away from Ravka and most of my people. I only ever get to speak Suli when I’m working with the Dregs or helping people escape a sinking slave ship. For years, I was afraid that one day, I would wake up and forget the language entirely.”

“Is that possible?” His deep voice sounded raspy but soothing against the black night. “Not to lose it in one day, but for you to just forget Suli that easily?”

Inej nodded slowly. “I already have.” It broke her heart to admit it. “When I first arrived to Ketterdam, everything came to me in Suli. Dreams, thoughts, speech. I had to learn to filter my words into Kerch. Now I find that more and more of my thoughts and dreams come in Kerch than they do in Suli.”

Kaz was silent for a few heartbeats. Inej felt as if she had stripped herself bare in front of the entire Barrel. It was odd to feel that way around Kaz now. He had seen and touched parts of her that no one else was ever given permission to. Kaz knew her like no other person could, yet this was a part of her she hadn’t accepted about herself, let alone explained to him. There was an intimacy that came with talking about her culture that made her feel exposed.

“The language is not the only thing that ties you to the culture, Inej. You will always be Suli as long as you carry it in your heart.”

Tears surprised Inej by burning the back of her eyelids. “Come home with me,” she spoke through the lump in her throat.

He looked taken aback. “Home? You mean Ravka?”

She nodded. Inej had felt confident the first time she asked the question, but the way Kaz was looking at her now made her doubt her request.

“Yes. To Ravka. To my family. I-I’ve been thinking about going back for a while now. I even asked Nina for her help in tracking my family down.”

“I didn’t know that,” Kaz’s eyebrows came together in a way that meant he was already calculating things. She recognized that look: scheming face.

“You may be Dirtyhands on this island, Brekker, but that doesn’t mean you’re privy to everything east of Kerch.”

Kaz grinned wickedly. “Maybe not east, but we all know that I was able to conquer the North quite easily.” This was also a new side of Kaz that she had gotten to know over the last few months: one that was playful without an edge of cruelty attached to it. The air around them changed and Inej no longer felt the sadness that usually came with thinking about home.

“We conquered the Ice Court together. With the help of some friends, which you had to beg for help from, if I remember correctly.”

Kaz looked appalled. “I never begged.”

“So you admit that you did need our help.”

“Need is a strong word, Inej. The only things I need in this world are food, air, and you.”

It was her turn to look speechless. Kaz was rarely ever so direct with her about his feelings for her. She knew, of course, that he cared for her as she did for him. It was one thing, however, for her to know it and another for him to be so forward about it.

“And because I need you, Inej, my answer is yes. I want to go to Ravka with you. I want to go everywhere and anywhere with you. We’ll conquer the world together if that’s what you want. I want to be wherever you need me to be.”

Kaz’s words echoed in her head. She would hear them every time she thought of home. Her real home. Thanks to Nina’s help, Inej was sailing to Ravka within months with Kaz by her side.

The Wraith soared through the water and, in what felt like one night’s rest, Inej’s crew was docking The Wraith in Os Kervo’s main dock. From the stern of her ship, Inej could hear the sound of her crew talking and moving. The water lapped against the underside of her ship, gently rocking her reflection back and forth.

Inej prayed in Suli as she strapped Sankt Petyr and Sankta Alina to her forearms. She tried to quell the anxious shake of her hands while Sankta Marya and Anastasia were readjusted on her thighs. Sankt Vladimir fit snugly into her boot, making Inej wonder what her mother would say at the sight of her in Fabrikator-made boots, not Suli slippers. Sankta Lizabeta with her rose-engraved handle sat at her belt, hidden under the folds of her black Suli wrap.

When not in front of a roaring crowd, the Suli were a reserved people. Despite Tante Heleen’s disgusting portrayal of her culture, Inej still loved the vibrant colors of Suli dupattas and embroidered kurtas. When she felt the jerk of the anchor settling into place, Inej realized how long it had been since she dressed in chiffon and silk. She didn’t recognize the Suli woman staring in the mirror staring back at her. For one, the sleeves were tailored to be much longer than she would have normally needed during Ravkan summers. However, she didn’t want anyone to see the network of scars that decorated her skin from years of violence. The second thing that threw off her reflection was the way she’d styled her hair. Though she performed with her hair in a braided coil, Inej knew her mother loved it best when it was wild and loose. Finally, the last time she had seen herself like this was when she was still an innocent girl who yearned to grow into a talented acrobat.

Inej was now so fundamentally different from that child. If anything, the dupatta she was wearing felt like a costume.

Knocking forced her to turn away from her damned reflection.

“Adara aaen,” Inej called out, already knowing who it would be before he stepped into the room.

“I assume that means ‘come in,’” Kaz’s slim figure filled her doorway. He was dressed in an inmanulate suit as usual, gloved hands resting on top of his crow’s head cane and a smirk on his face.

“What?” Inej hadn’t realized the words had come out in Suli instead of Kerch. It was rare for her to mix the languages up like that. The fact that it had even happened spoke of her nerves. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to translate everything into Suli to get some last minute practice.”

Kaz’s arrogant look slipped and he shook his head. “No need to apologize. I love hearing you speak Suli.”

Inej forced a smile to her face. “If the Saints allow it, soon that’s all you're going to hear.” She looked out the port window, watching the lazy rays of sun dance along the sky. Somehow the Ravkan sky seemed to shine brighter than the Kerch one.

“Don’t slip away from me,” Kaz prompted her gently. She realized that she had started to float off into her own thoughts, something she’d found herself doing more and more the closer they’d gotten to shore.

“Are you ready?”

“No. But I don’t think I ever will be.”

“We don’t have to do this, not if you don’t want us to. I’ll go and ask Getz to take The Wraith right back if you’ve changed your mind, or we can take a trip to Nina’s instead. Whatever you want to do, I'll be here for you.”

Inej shook her head. “I might be terrified, but I want to do this. I just feel out of place in a Suli outfit after not having worn one in so long.” Her fingers pulled at one of the tightly knitted seams.

Kaz leaned his cane against the wall, closing the door behind him. He went up to Inej and turned her to face the mirror. “I don’t think your parents will be any less happy to see you if you wore a dupatta or a kefta or a sack. They’ll be too excited to see you.” Kaz’s arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her body into his. Inej felt his warm, solid chest against her back. She inhaled his calming smell, grateful for his presence.

“In Suli, we have a saying for people who have betrayed their kind, who have disgraced them or turned their back on them. Kadema mehim. It’s the worst sort of punishment you could receive for your actions.” She shuddered at the thought of ever hearing those words said to her. Inej herself had only ever used them once.

“I am not the same little girl who was taken from them. They might realize that and see me as forsaken. As someone who has turned away from the Saints.”

Kaz brushed her hair off to one side to rest his head on her shoulder. Kaz’s reflection towered over Inej’s own in the mirror. His sable eyes looked stubborn and unwaveringly serious. “You are many things, Inej, but a traitor is not one of them. It’s true that you are not the same girl you were when they knew you. But they will see that you grew into a brave, strong woman who will stop at nothing to do what is right for the people she loves.

“They will see that you have fought against all the odds and have become an unstoppable force that they should feel blessed to have in their lives. They will love you, Inej. It is impossible for them to not love you.”

This time she didn’t stop the tears that slid down her cheeks. She took a shuddering breath and placed a hand against his jaw. The sharp line was lined with light stubble, but that didn’t stop her from running a finger against its curve. Her fingers traced the scar beneath the right edge of jaw, thinking about the other scars that peppered his skin. Many of those scars earned alongside her.

“They will love you, too, Kaz.” Inej knew that he was almost as nervous as she was to meet her family, though he would never voice it out loud.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” He kissed her cheek and pulled away. “They might think of me as the man who corrupted their daughter.”

She shook her head. “No, they will think of you as the man who has made their daughter too happy to put into words.”

Kaz stared at his gloves, refusing to make eye contact. “Will they? Have I?”

It was her turn to reach out to him. Inej wrapped her hands around his neck. “Yes and yes. You have made their daughter happier than she ever thought possible.”

Kaz’s hands tentatively grabbed her waist. His eyes were on her lips but he didn’t move. Not until she did. Inej leaned up, catching his mouth with hers. The sounds of the crew and the ocean were replaced by the sound of her heart in her chest. Kaz was always gentle with her. His kisses were soft like the petals of spring and sweet like caramel. He held her like there was nothing that could ever separate them.

Inej sighed, melting into his every touch. It was impossible to feel anxious or scared in his arms. His fingers pressed into her silk wrap and Inej released a gasp. Kaz took that opportunity to take everything she gave him. Her skin suddenly burned. The sweetness was still there, dancing with a fiery spice that surprised her. They had rarely ever held each other this long without the waters swallowing him up.

His hands buried themselves in her long hair. Inej reached into his jacket, feeling the muscles beneath his white shirt. Kaz then broke away, breathing hard and shuddering. His face was flushed and his lips looked deliciously swollen.

Inej, realizing what they had done, began to apologize for having been too forward.

“No. It wasn’t you. Believe me, it wasn’t that.” Kaz shook his head, gloved hands holding hers against his chest.

“But if it wasn’t...why did you stop?” Inej could feel a blush spreading across her cheeks.

“I really didn’t want to,” Kaz’s gaze made goosebumps dance across her skin. “But we need to leave soon if we want to make it to Ivets before dark. And to be quite honest with you, Wraith, I’m not sure how far we would have gone this time. I really didn’t want to stop.”

Inej laughed. “Neither did I. It’s okay. We’ll have time another day. We have the rest of our lives to do that and so much more.”

“Captain,” Getz called from outside her door. “The crew’s settled and waiting for your orders.”

“Duty calls, Wraith.” Kaz’s smile was as sharp as ever. He adjusted the tie she’d crinkled.

Inej pulled her shoulders back, stepped through the doorway and told her crew that they could do as they pleased for a few hours. Within the next hour, she and Kaz were on their way to Ivets, the city where Nina had informed Inej her family would be performing for the next week. Every road they passed brought her closer and closer to her family. Inej could hardly contain her excitement and nervousness. While passing a crowded marketplace, Inej almost barreled into a group of children running across the street.

“Whoa, Inej,” Kaz called as he held her back from stepping into the walkway. “Careful. I know you’re excited to see your family, but even I think it’s a little much to trample a few children along the way.”

“Could you imagine that after getting back to Ketterdam, the Wraith and Dirtyhands voyaged all the way to some unknown city in Ravka just to run over a few children?” she joked, though her voice wavered enough for Kaz to notice.

“When you put it like that...” Kaz’s eyes had the same spark in them that always appeared right before a job. “While that does sound tempting, I think my bloodthirsty reputation will survive despite having let them live.”

By sunset, Inej could hear the pounding of Suli drums. They had passed through the heart of Ivets’ main city before reaching the boundary of an open field. A golden tent heavily embroidered with thick swirls rose high over the clearing. Inej’s breath caught in her throat at the familiar sound of Suli folk music floating outside of its flowing entrance. Sweet curling smoke filled the air with the smell of fried dough, glazed fruits, and…

The smell of her family gatherings to celebrate the Saints. She envisioned her mother, kind and beautiful, carrying baskets full of fresh vegetables for dinner. Her father, strong and brave, chopping potatoes alongside his wife. Her cousins fighting over plates of food. Her aunts handing out sticky sweets. Her uncles setting up place settings.

The music reminded her of the first time she stood on a tightrope. The bottomless drop that yawned beneath her and the open sky that blanketed her. How it felt to be covered in performance glitter and to curl her hair to fall around her round cheeks. She remembered scrapping her hands on trees, trying to beat her cousins to the top. How it felt to look over the Ravkan landscape and see nothing but endless opportunities.

After years of darkness, years of bloodshed, years of the staccato sounds of Kerch, Inej Ghafa was finally home.

Home...and rooted to her spot at the edge of the circus grounds. Ravkans stood in line, waiting to be let into the performance tent; the same tent that she had spent countless days in during the early years of her life. A bronze-skinned man stepped out of the tent, dressed in loose fitted black pants and a thick, colorful coat. His voice was deep and stern as he hollered the rules of the performance out into the crowd of people.

Inej stared in wonder, unsure about who the man was. Chaacha Jilé was the one who used to tame the crowds before they entered the performance area. The man at the entrance was not her uncle.

“Hanzi,” the name came to her with a jolt.

Inej was suddenly flying. Or at least that’s what it felt like as the grass was crushed beneath her racing feet. One minute, she was standing beside Kaz and the next, she was running straight to her cousin, pushing through the crowd of guests until she stood at the very front.

“Hanzi,” she said again, this time facing the man whom she now recognized.

Her cousin’s words died on his lips and he froze, arms limp at his sides as looked at her. “Inej?”

A sob escaped her. She could hear the sound of the crowd’s confusion but she didn’t care.

“Hanzi,” was all that she could say.

His face broke into a smile. A roaring shout came from him as he yelled in Suli. “Inej! Inej is here! Masi Calla! Chaacha Baraz! Inej is home!”

Tears streamed down her face at the sound of her parents’ names: Calla and Baraz. Mama and Papa. Inej waited anxiously as the longest few seconds of her life passed. She could see from the sliver opening in the flaps a flurry of motion. She caught her name be repeated and questions thrown. Hanzi shouted again, tears in his own eyes.

Inej’s whole world froze as Mama and Papa came through the entrance. They stepped out, first looking at her cousin with an agonizing look of hope and confusion on their faces.

“Mama. Papa.”

They turned towards Inej as she called out to them. Her mother’s face was more wrinkled than it had been when she’d been taken. Her hair was still long and elegantly braided to the side. Her father’s beard was mixed with grays where it was once solid black. He was clutching his wife’s shoulder, eyes landing on his daughter for the first time in four years.

“Inej.” He didn’t say her name like Hanzi had. He said it with such certainty and conviction that it made Inej’s knees give out from under her.

Before her body could fully hit the ground, her parents’ arms were around her. She buried her face in her mother’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around her father’s waist.

“Esfir,” her mother whispered in her ear. Inej couldn’t describe the relief and joy that flooded through her at the word.

Esfir was Suli for ‘little star.’ Late at night, they used to tuck her under her covers with a kiss. Her mother used to say that Inej was her little star and her father would explain that she was their guiding light.

Inej didn’t know how long they sat in the damp grass, crying and hugging and whispering to each other.

“I’m home,” she would say.

“You’re home.” One of them would repeat.

“I prayed to all of the Saints that you would find your way home to us.” Her father said.

“They called us fools. Said that we would never see you again. They told us that you were taken too far for us to ever reach you again,” her mother cried.

“Never,” Inej promised. “I will never be too far to come back home. The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true. My heart is here.”

After some time, Inej realized that the rest of her family had come outside of the tent. Night had fallen and the crowd was now gone. Her older cousins looked as if Sankt Juris had come down to blow his blue flames. Disbelief filled their faces. Some of her younger cousins looked just as shocked, though less afraid of her. Inej also noticed the soft coos of the newest editions to her family. One toddler who must have born within the first year she was at the Menagerie. Two more who looked as though they came along while she was in service with the Dregs.

The Dregs. Kaz.

Inej pulled away from her parents, realizing who else she had forgotten about for the second time that night.

“Mama. Papa. I didn’t come here alone,” her words scratched against her throat. She hadn’t realized the tears had dried out her voice until that moment.

Inej turned around, knowing that Kaz would have waited as long as she needed him to. He still stood towards the edge of the trees. Inej called out to him in Kerch.

Kaz came forward, trying his best not to look like Dirtyhands under the cover of night with his crow’s head cane and thick gloves. Though he no longer needed them with her, Inej knew that he wasn’t ready to hug every member of her teary-eyed family.

Kaz stood beside her. Inej took his hand in hers and squeezed tightly.

“This is Kaz.” Inej had practiced this speech so many times in her head. She had carefully racked her brain for the proper words in Suli to say what she needed to say.

“Kaz and I...we have been through too many things together to explain in one night. Most of the last four years have been cruel and lonely. Kaz has been one of the few good things to come into my life since I was fourteen,” her words choked off. “I ask that you be kind to him and embrace him as a part of my life. He has saved it in many ways over the years. In some ways, it is thanks to him that I am here.”

Her father stood from where he was still crouched in the grass. He approached Kaz, looking more serious than Inej had ever seen him look in her life. He stood a few inches shorter than Kaz, but still managed to look down at him.

“Do you speak Suli?” Baraz asked him.

“No-” Inej was cut off by Kaz.

“Not fluently, but I am learning.” Kaz shocked her by responding in fluid Suli instead of Kerch. He gave her side-eyed look, clearly enjoying the shocked look on her face.

Her father nodded. “Then I can thank you properly. For helping my daughter return to us.”

Kaz bowed his head. “Inej is the wisest, most determined person I have ever met. She would have found her way back to you with or without me.”

Baraz laughed, “Esfir is just like her mother in that way. Nothing stands in the way of her and what she wants.”

Inej smiled in relief. “That is true. And right now, what I want is some stuffed peppers and goulash made the proper Suli way.”

Her mother laughed, standing to embrace Inej once again. “You can have whatever you would like, Inej.”

“My turn!” Hanzi called out from the cluster of cousins closest to her. Inej turned to find him now barreling towards her.

Inej froze for a second, not feeling entirely comfortable with the tight embrace. She tried her best to laugh through the rush of panic. It hadn’t even occurred to her until that moment how her homecoming would be full of physical touching that she wasn’t entirely ready for.

Her arms didn’t move from her sides, but at least she didn’t pull away until he did. Hanzi didn’t seem to register her tight shoulders.

“I can’t believe you’re really back, Inej! What took you so long? Adja has been driving me crazy. She thinks that she’s in charge now because she can do a handstand on the highwire, but now that you’re back, you can prove to her that you’re in charge. I even reminded her that you used to be able to do an entire double front routine on the high wire without a net.” While her older cousin may have gotten older, he still rambled half made up tales as though he hadn’t aged a day.

“I don’t even have the energy to explain how wrong that is,” Inej shook her head at her cousin’s infectious joy. Hanzi had always been one of her favorites because, no matter what, he could always tell some ridiculous story to make her laugh.

“First of all,” a female voice interjected, “I’ve been able to do a handstand on the high wire for years. Second, all I said was that you weren’t in charge, Hanzi.” Adja said from behind him. She was only two years younger than Inej, but she had been terrified of the high wire. While Inej had danced around it barefoot, Adja refused to step onto one.

“Come on, Nej. Remind Adja who the real master is!”

“No,” Calla stood in between her daughter and her nephew. “Inej has only been with us for a few minutes and already you are trying to get her in trouble,” her mother chided Hanzi.

Kaz chuckled from behind her. It was clear from his expression that, while he wasn’t able to understand all of their conversation, the sound of an upset mother seemed to be universally understood.

“Come, Esfir. We’re going to have a proper welcome dinner,” her mother nodded towards the rest of her family. “Disah and Remen, go to the Ivetan market…”

Inej allowed her mother to assign everyone their tasks while she looked back at Kaz. He was smiling, looking proud of her, but she couldn’t tell why.

“What?” she asked him in quiet Kerch.

“You didn’t pull away when he hugged you,” he truly looked proud of her. Inej looked towards Hanzi worriedly.

“No. I didn’t exactly hug him back.” It would have been a lie to act as though she wasn’t disappointed in her reaction to Hanzi’s embrace. It was an unexpected reality of what she had endured all those years ago. “Do you think they noticed?”

“He was too excited to have you back to notice,” Kaz shook his head. “That’s not the point. The point is that you didn’t pull away. It wasn’t easy, but you did it, Inej. You’re home and your family couldn’t be more happy to see you.”

She took a deep breath. She hadn’t even realized that her nervousness had started to creep up on her after Hanzi’s hug until now. For a while there, she had forgotten about all of her anxieties. Now that her family had split itself into their roles to prepare for her homecoming diner, she had a quiet moment to be reminded of them.

That was when Kaz, ever supportive and aware of how she was feeling, stepped in to ease her nerves. “Kaz, do you think I should tell them the truth?”

“You don’t owe anyone any explanations. You tell them as much as you want to. It’s your story to tell.”

Inej had known long before that night on the rooftop that she was in love with Kaz. She had known for quite some time. As she stared into his honest eyes, surrounded by the sounds of her family, Inej was reminded of how deep her love for Kaz Brekker went.

“What did I ever do for the Saints to bless me with you,” she wondered out loud.

It was hard to tell with the pale moonlight as her only source of light, but for a moment, Inej thought that she saw Kaz’s face blush. His gaze left her and landed on the starry Ravkan sky.

“I ask myself the same question about you every day that we are together, Inej.”

“Nej!” Adja yelled from the performance tent. “Masi Calla asked me to help you and your...friend...find new clothes.”

Inej looked down at her Suli dupatta. “What’s wrong with what we have on now?”

Adja eyed the Wraith and Dirtyhands with pursed lips. “You both look as though you’re going to a funeral. Tonight is a party, Nej. You need to be dressed in party clothes. Now let's go, Masi might cut the wire during our next performance if I don’t get you both dressed in time.”

Inej remembered how her mother used to fuss over her dirty silks when she came back inside from an afternoon spent playing outside. “You’re right. Mama would absolutely do something like that.”

“Where are we going?” Kaz asked her, keeping up with her hurried steps with his usual ease.

Inej glanced at him. “Oh, so you suddenly don’t speak Suli anymore?” They walked around the performance tent to the line of caravans far behind it.

Kaz smirked arrogantly. “I never said I did. Just that I was learning. You didn’t think that I was going to come and meet your entire family without at least attempting to familiarize myself with the language, did you? It’s not that difficult to memorize a few phrases here and there.”

She pushed him lightly with her shoulder. “How about on the boat? Were you faking then?”

Kaz shook his head. “Technically, I wasn’t faking. I know some words and phrases, but not everything. Not yet. Give me a few weeks with your family and I’ll be fluent.”

Inej rolled her eyes. “Not a chance, Brekker. My language is too poetic for a shevrati like you to con your way in that short amount of time. Memorizing a few parables is not the same thing as being able to use all the beautiful nuances we have.”

“It would be easier if I had some help from a beautiful and smart teacher.”

“You’re right. I think Hanzi would probably be willing to sign up.”

“It’s rude to speak in another language, you know,” Adja said from in front of them. The three of them finally stopped in front of Adja’s family caravan.

Kaz shot a glance at her cousin. Inej translated and he apologized in Suli.

“Not you,” Adja nodded towards Inej. “I meant Nej. She was always a quiet one, you know. At least you got her talking.”

Kaz nodded along pleasantly thought it was clear he didn’t understand. When Inej explained, his bitter coffee eyes looked amused.

“I wasn’t quiet, Adja. Hanzi was just usually screaming over me about nothing.”

Adja giggled and unlocked the door. “That is probably true. I was thinking, you should fit in my outfit from Sankta Day last year instead of just a normal dupatta. As for Ka-s,” she stumbled on his Kerch name, “He can borrow Papa’s performance kurta.”

Kaz looked somber, but didn’t argue. “Chaacha Micta used to make some interesting fashion choices,” Inej explained to him as her cousin went in search of the outfits.

“How so?”

Inej bit her lip, holding back laughter. “Let’s just say that he probably could take a few tips from Jesper.”

His eyes widened. “Inej-”

It was too late. Adja emerged from behind a curtain carrying multiple pieces of thick fabric. For Inej, she had a neatly folded Anarkali suit of rich burgundy. Sparkling gold embroidery lined the long, slightly flared skirt and traced the cuffs of the fitted sleeves. A light, white and gold wrap also came with the outfit. On top of it sat a pair of high heels that matched the wine-colored clothes. Inej took the clothes into her hands, feeling the soft yet firm fabrics that were saved for more festive clothing in her culture.

“It might be a little long for you,” Adja eyed Inej’s smaller frame. “But it will do.”

“Thank you, Adja.”

She shrugged off her cousin’s thanks. Her other hand still held Kaz’s outfit. He was standing dangerously still beside Inej. His face was blank of any reaction, but Inej could only imagine what was going through his head. While her outfit was designed with elegance and grace in mind, Kaz’s was made for a true showman. Or at least for a color blind one.

Chaacha Micta had a performance kurta that was radiant white with orange and green gems cascading down the sleeves. Sunset colored pants were folded to match the sparkling jewels. It was both bright and sparkly, two things Kaz hated in clothing.

“Dhanyavaad,” Kaz mimicked Inej’s Suli to thank Adja. Inej was reminded of how good of a liar he was because if she hadn’t known better, she would have thought Kaz looked almost excited to wear her uncle’s kurta.

Adja beamed, looking between the two. “I don’t think Chaacha Baraz or Masi Calla would be okay with me leaving you two in here alone to change but…” Her cousin broke off and shrugged. “If you brought, Ka-s all the way here, I have to assume that it is not the first time you’ve been left alone.”

Heat flooded Inej’s cheeks. She couldn’t meet Adja’s eyes when she nodded. “It’s okay. Mama and Papa won’t know if you don’t tell.”

Adja continued to look between them. It was the same look Nina had given them before Inej had actually opened up about her relationship with Kaz. A look that said that Adja could see something they couldn’t. She was used to getting that look from her friends or other Dregs, but it was a little unnerving to see that look in the eyes of someone she hadn’t seen in years.

“Just don’t take too long. Chaacha and Masi will seriously cut the rope if they find out about this,” she pointed between Kaz and Inej. She swiftly ran out of the caravan, giggling at Inej’s eye roll.

Once she was out the door, Inej’s focus was back on Kaz. His polite smile dropped with Adja out of sight.

Kaz spoke seriously, “Inej, you know that I care for you deeply. More than anything in this world, I care for you.”

Warmth filled her heart, but her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Because I care for you, I want your family to like me.”

“I already told you-”

“Yes, I know. I’m wonderful. A trickster god amongst men. But that’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what is it?”

Kaz looked at her in disbelief. “Do you even have to ask me that question? This,” Kaz raised the clothes in his hands to meet her eye level. “I’ve never seen anything so…”

Laughter burst out from Inej. She quickly moved to cover her mouth with her hands, but there was no concealing the way her body shook from amusement.

“That is a traditional Suli kurta, Kaz. It’s an important part of my culture.”

He shook his head. “I have seen kurtas. This does not look like that. This looks like some nightmare Jesper and Nina would have designed.”

“Poor Dirtyhands is too insecure to wear something so dazzling,” Inej placed a hand on his cheek. She ran a finger down the sharp cut of his jawline. “I’m sure you’ll look great. Not as good as Chaacha would in it, but a close second.”

Kaz’s eyes held a playful fury. His ebony eyes only ever fixed on her that way. It was a look that promised both a punishment and sweet reward for her words.

“If the Dregs ever find out about this…”

A wicked smile broke onto her face. “I can’t imagine how they would. I keep all your secrets.”

“Don’t even think about telling them, Wraith.” One of Kaz’s arms found her waist.

“Jesper, on the other hand,” her fingers moved to run through his hair. “Jesper is a bit of a big mouth. If this somehow got to him, I don’t think there is any way of stopping him.”

“I can think of at least twelve different ways I could stop him with this kurta alone.” His face moved closer to hers.

Inej turned so his lips landed on her cheek. “No time for that, Brekker. We have to get dressed.”

He sighed and gave the bedazzled shirt a weary look. “If you ever doubt how I feel about you, Inej, just remember this moment.” Before she could respond, Kaz gestured towards the room Adja had gone into to find the clothes. “I’ll change in there.”

Time and time again, Kaz reminded her of why she fell for him in the first place. He had seen every part of her and touched almost all of her, yet Kaz never made assumptions about her limits. No matter how far they had or hadn’t gone, Kaz always asked for permission. On the nights when all she could do was hold his hand, he never pushed her to go further. Even now, after what had happened on the boat and having had met her family, Kaz gave Inej the privacy she needed without hesitation.

With Kaz gone from her sight, Inej was left to unstrap her daggers and quickly dressed into Adja’s Anarkali suit. After a few minutes, Inej stopped hearing Kaz’s quiet cursing.

“I’m almost ready.” She called to him through the curtain.

He shuffled around on his side of the caravan. “This looks even worse than I imagined.”

Inej ignored him, debating whether or not to strap on her beloved blades for the feast.

“Inej?”

“I’m almost ready, you can come out.”

Kaz had been right. The kurta had looked worse than she had imagined. The shirt hung at little too loose from his slight frame, but the pants were too short for his tall stature. They stopped just above his ankles, showing a peak of his white socks.

“Oh.” Inej cringed. “You were not joking.”

Kaz looked at her intently. “You look beautiful, Inej.”

Inej had yet to see herself in the mirror, but Kaz’s reaction was all she needed to confirm what she had already suspected. Adja was slim like Inej but stood a few inches over Inej . The rest of her outfit fit as it was tailored to. The top complimented her figure while the bottom flared out into an elegant skirt that pooled around Inej’s feet more than she would have normally allowed. It wasn’t perfect, but she loved it regardless.

“Traditionally, I would have special Sankta Day earrings that have some sort of token to represent a Saint.” Inej absentmindedly tugged at her ears. “Though, I haven’t worn any earrings since leaving the Menagerie.”

His look softened. Kaz forgot all about his unfortunate attire. “Would you like to? I’m sure Adja would let you borrow hers.��

“The holes have closed by now. It’s okay. I don’t need them. I have these.” She slid Sankt Petyr, the dagger he had given her so long ago, into place. She tried to ignore the fact that it took her far less time to strap all seven of her blades into place than it had to properly dress herself in the Sankta Day skirt.

“I’ll tell Adja we’re ready.”

“Wait,” Kaz’s fingers intertwined with hers. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a matingkia made of expensive gold and rich-colored stones. It was simple, as far as Suli headpieces went, with one clear diamond in the middle of a small ruby flower.

“Kaz,” Inej’s breath caught in her throat. “Where did you find this?” Her fingers curved delicately around the precious metal.

“A vendor in Ketterdam had a tent full of Suli jewelry. He has a Suli wife that makes all the items to sell.”

“Do you believe him?” It was more than possible that the vendor’s story was a ruse to get more money from gullible tourists visiting the island.

“I’ve met her.”

“You did?”

“Yes. When I asked her to make this one for you.”

The matingka felt heavier in her hand than it had moments ago. “You asked her to make this for me?” Inej tried to envision Dirtyhands entering a Kerch market to meet with an ederlly Suli woman. She thought of how long he must have spent picking the design, and then jewels to place in it.

“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered to him. “She’s clearly very talented.”

Kaz tried not to look too smug which was a change for him. “Only the best for my Wraith.”

“Sometimes we wear them for special holidays.” Inej debated whether or not to say the next part. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by making any assumptions. “These are traditionally given to Suli women by their father or husbands.”

She saw him nod nervously. “I know. The woman, Gintha, explained to me the tradition. She said fathers would give them to their daughters and pray that the Saints would give them wisdom as they grew into strong women.”

“Did she tell you why husbands give them to their brides?” She couldn’t deny the fear or eagerness that she felt waiting for his answer.

“To symbolize the love and respect he promises to show her every day after they are wed. The same love and respect that I have felt for you every day for too many years to count.”

Inej’s body was frozen with emotion. Love. Kaz loved her. He didn’t just love her. He respected her. Respected her boundaries and dreams and goals.

“Nej! Are you done yet?” Adja suddenly banged against the door of the caravan.

The reality of her situation flooded back to Inej. For a few moments, she had forgotten who she was. Where she was. Inej took the head piece, not bothering to hide her flustered look as she pushed Kaz back behind the curtain.

“Get out of those clothes. Hurry!” Kaz laughed and she realized how her words sounded. “No! That’s not what I meant. I mean change back into yours! My family will just have to deal with your Kerch suit during dinner.”

She rushed back to the door and let Adja in. “I’m almost ready.”

Adja looked her up and down. “It fits better than I thought. And Ka-s?”

“The clothes didn’t fit him so he’s changing back into his. Here,” she handed Adja the matingka. “Can you help me put this on?”

“Did he give this to you?” she pointed towards the curtain.

“Yes. Now help me put it on. I’ve never put one on myself. Papa only ever put it on me once.”

Adja waved her off. “It’s easy.” She spun Inej around and took a few hair pins from her own brown hair to fasten it into place. “There! Done! Just in time.”

Kaz walked into the room, looking much less miserable now that he was dressed in his own clothes.

“Tell her that her father’s wardrobe should be burned.”

“He says that he loved the kurta and is sorry that it didn’t fit,” Inej easily lied. “Also your tie is crooked again.”

He cursed under his breath and nervously put into place as her cousin spoke.

Adja beamed at her. “I don’t believe that’s true, but it doesn’t matter. Come on! Everyone is waiting for you.”

Inej’s stomach turned over nervously. She had been so overcome with emotions when she’d first greeted her family. Those emotions were starting to settle, but in their place grew the seeds of anxiety once again.

Inej and Kaz trailed behind Adja as they made their way back from the caravan section of their carnival to the performance area. Inej looked around the cool night air, keeping track of all the things that looked familiar and different at the same time.

She pointed to a smaller performance tent made of a thick white sheet. “What’s that?” she asked Adja.

“We started to tour with a second family about two years ago. Hanzi is engaged to the daughter of their paira vaala.” A breeze opened the flap of the white tent and Inej could see the bed of coals used for the paira vaala, or fire walker.

“Hanzi’s getting married?” Inej couldn’t imagine her cousin as she had last known him having a fiancé. He was always too loud and playful when around his family, but unearthly quiet around other girls their age.

“I know! We were all just as surprised as you were. Chaacha Jilē almost fainted.”

“He didn’t tell them that he was seeing her?” Inej’s surprise only grew. While she may not have gotten her parents’ permission before choosing to be with Kaz, her situation hadn’t given the option of choosing the favored Suli traditions.

“He didn’t even tell me! And I’m his favorite bhara. At least I have been since you…” Left? Were taken? Disappeared? Inej could hear the end of Adja’s sentence even if her cousin didn’t want to fill it in.

“I remember that,” Inej awkwardly filled the silence. She pointed to a section of tents reserved for carnival games. “Kila,” one of their older cousins, “once bet me thirteen kruge that I couldn’t win every game in the tent.”

“Kroog?” It wasn’t until the word left Adja’s mouth that Inej realized that she’d forgotten the Suli word for currency or money. It was such a small thing to forget, but it made her stop in her tracks.

“I-” she started to explain. “I’m sorry. I guess I just haven’t used that word in Suli in a few years. Uhm,” Inej racked her brain, digging deep into her memories to find the right word.

“What’s wrong?” Kaz, who had been silently listening to their conversation, spoke up. He couldn’t understand them, but he could see Inej’s face change. “I think I heard you say ‘kruge.’”

She shook her head, momentarily confused as Suli and Kerch collided with each other in her head. Rupe. The word finally came to her in a blunt memory. “I forgot the Suli word for money,” she said to him in Kerch and then explained it to her cousin again.

“Oh!” Adja didn’t seem fazed by her cousin’s slip up. “Kila was such a gambler. A terrible one too. Though I guess he doesn’t need to worry about that anymore. He married a wealthy Shu family. How he wiggled his way into that, I have no idea.”

Inej nodded along as Adja rambled. She was no longer listening to her cousin’s end of the conversation. Instead, she began filing through the mental dictionary in her brain. What other words had she forgotten?

Bread? Roti. Butterfly? Titali. Bowl? Katora. Horse? Ghora. Ocean? Samudara.

Random words were tossed and turned in her head. Adja continued to talk about their uncles and aunts. She went through family gossip as quickly as Nina went through maple-drizzled waffles. Inej didn’t hear any of it. All she could hear was the sound of her Suli-Kerch dictionary flipping page after page.

Torsion wrench? What was the Suli word for the little tool she had used numerous times to pick a lock? Had she ever known the word? Had she ever needed to use that word in her native language before? Would she even need to say torsion wrench during dinner tonight?

Ketterdam isn’t all that bad. At least I learned how to pick locks using a torsion wrench.

No, there was no way she could even imagine herself saying something like that to her family. Inej realized that she had let her nerves run a little too wild. Adja hadn’t even noticed when she said “kruge” instead of “rupe”. The odds of her family being upset with her for not remembering a word here and there were small.

Kaz tugged on the fabric of her skirt, drawing her attention to him once again. His dark eyes met hers, silently asking her once again if she was okay. This time she didn’t have to force a smile on her face to reassure him.

“How did Mama put together a dinner so quickly?” Inej said the moment the smell of paprika, garlic and bell peppers hit her. They had circled back around to the performance tent. Instead of it holding a crowd of entertained Ravkans, tonight, the tent would be used to spread out a Saints-worthy feast.

Adja beamed at her. “Masi Calla asked all of our masis and chaachas that were cooking dinner for after the show to add extra coals to the fires. Some of the food had to be bought from the markets so it won’t be exactly like you’re used to, but it’s all that we could get together so quickly.”

“It’s perfect. You could have fed me rocks and I would have been just as happy to be home.”

The heavy tent flaps were pulled wide open and she could see dark-haired figures moving frantically around the tent. The round seats used for audience members were stacked on top of each other. Inej remembered how long it took to carry the iron seats from the caravans to place them in their rows. She had been too small to carry them herself, so she would hold the bottom half of a stack while Hanzi carried the brunt of the weight.

The high ropes were still strung up from their looming poles. She itched to climb up and test her technique. The chaacha who had first taught her how to balance was strict about proper posture. Though she had no real use for it when sleuthing for the Dregs, she could still hear his sharp calls to straighten her spine or keep her gaze forward.

“Make room! Inej the Great has entered the tent!” Hanzi exclaimed. His voice cut through the flurry of her family’s movement. Inej realized why her uncle had stepped down to let Hanzi handle the crowds. His deep voice was effective when it came to getting a crowd’s attention.

Toffee and hazel eyes all met hers. All of her family, almost twice as many as earlier, froze where they were to stare at her and Kaz. His gloved fingers curved in hers, but no one seemed to care at that gesture as much as they cared about the dazzling headpiece sparkling in the candlelight. Her parents had tears in their eyes as if it was the first time they were seeing her again. Inej had to hold back tears of her own. She saw the circle of food splayed out around the lush carpets dragged from Saints know where to cushion the hard ground.

Sarma, stuffed peppers, bogacha, and xaimoko were still in their metallic cooking pots, steaming as if the fire had just been dosed from under them. Pirogo and xaritsa sat in porcelain crockery that Inej suspected came from the Ivetan market her cousin had mentioned. Silver kettles of chao filled the room with a lingering sweet smell. Dark cups of kafa were already served and in the hands of some to her cousins.

The meal flooded her with too many memories to catch at once. She was swimming in a stream of random memories. Her tongue burning from spicy stuffed peppers and then from chugging a fresh cup of chao in a vain attempt to ease the sting. Mama teaching her how to prepare the sarma properly. Papa stiring a pot of goulash.

“Why are you just standing there? Come! Sit!” Papa gestured to a spot right in front of Inej’s favorite platter.

She blinked back tears. No more tears. Tonight was for celebrating all that she had come back to, not for mourning the years she had lost.

“Some of it had to be bought so it won’t taste exactly like you remember but-” Her mother rushed to her side, holding her daughter’s hand and pulling her and Kaz towards her father.

“Mama, I don’t care how the food tastes. This is already so much more than I could ask for. Just being with you and Papa and everyone else is enough for me.”

Her mother’s dark brows furrowed. She took great pride in her cooking, as a Suli should. “Yes, yes, but still...If you had sent us some sort of message so we could have been prepared, the food would have all been ready. We would have canceled the show much sooner. But no, leave it to our little Esfir to show up as if the Saints had let her fall from their very sky at random.” The novelty of Inej’s arrival was definitely wearing off if her mother was already scolding her.

She laughed despite her mother’s pointed words. Inej settled in her seat comfortably. Kaz sat beside her, looking so out of place in this bright colored tent surrounded by equally colorful kurtas. She couldn’t believe the sight in front of her. Kaz Brekker being handed a steaming cup of chao in his crisp, black suit.

Her own hands were already clutching a plate overflowing with food. Her father had served her heaping spoonfuls of every dish that sat before her. He paused, looking at Kaz curiously.

“Eh...food?” Her father surprised her with the Kerch word. She hadn’t known he spoke any Kerch.

Kaz nodded, “Krpya.”

Her father looked excited by his answer. He piled almost as much food on his plate as he had on hers. Kaz was excellent at hiding his emotions, but there was no hiding the amusement in his eyes. He took the plate with open arms. Everyone, including Inej, watched as Kaz lifted a fork to take a scoop of the rice-stuffed green pepper. He didn’t even flinch at what she could assume to be the spiciest bite of food he’d ever had. He chewed slowly, ignoring the flush that creeped up his neck. Judging from the smell, her family hadn’t held back when it came to spices that night. Finally he smiled, thanking her father for the food.

That seemed to be the cue her family had been waiting for. Everyone unfroze and went for a plate.

Kaz waited until they were no longer staring at him to reach for the tea. She had to bite back a laugh as he gulped down the entire cup.

“Spicy?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

Kaz looked at her as if she had grown an extra ear. “Spicy? Inej, I thought I was going to die.”

This time she couldn’t hold back the laugh. Everything about the night filled her with so much joy and laughter that Inej had to put down her food for a second. Her stomach burned from the giggles that shook her body. Kaz was actually blushing as her cousins closests to her looked at them.

“Kaz said the food almost killed him.” She explained to them. “The Kerch prefer their food much less seasoned. Mostly a hint of salt and pepper. It’s actually very sad.”

All of them broke out into smiles.

Her mother who was still standing behind them said, “Tell Ka-s that he’ll have to get used to real food if he’s decided to stay with you.” She placed a hand on Kaz’s shoulder affectionately.

Kaz, clearly not expecting the sudden touch, went still. His body tensed beneath the touch and his jaw tightened. Her mother noticed the change in his posture and jerked her hand back. She looked at her daughter quickly, but Inej could see the hurt and confusion in her eyes even if it was just for a second.

“It’s not you, Mama.” She rushed to explain for Kaz. His eyes had dropped to the plate resting on his lap.

“I told you that our life in Ketterdam wasn’t easy.” She tried to find a way of explaining without revealing too much of Kaz’s past. “He isn’t used to people touching him unless they’re trying to hurt him. Give him time, Mama.” That part was at least true.

Her mother nodded, looking apologetic but no less confused. This time she was looking at the visible scars along Inej’s arms. Her cousin’s outfit didn’t hide them the way her earlier outfit had.

Hanzi, who was watching the whole exchange from across the tent, spoke out. “What was it like, Nej? In Ketterdam?”

His father, Chaacha Jilé, used a serving spoon to give him a hard tap on the head. “Hanzi!”

“What? We were all thinking it!”

His father shook his head. “You know better than to ask that kind of question.”

“It’s okay.” Inej cut in before her uncle could use the spoon again. “Hanzi is right. You all want to know what happened. I don’t blame you.”

“See!” Hanzi pointed a vindicated finger towards Inej.

“Hush!” His father waved the spoon in front of his son.

She bit back a smile and continued. Inej looked at Kaz. His rigid spine loosened a bit, but he still looked a bit on edge. “I’m going to tell them.”

A small smile tugged on his mouth. “You know I support whatever decision you make.”

It was all the encouragement she needed. “Mama, Papa, you may want to sit down. It’s a long story and most of it isn’t pleasant.”

Her mother worriedly sat beside her. Her father put an arm around her shoulders, physically supporting his wife in the same way Kaz had just supported her.

“I was taken by slavers. They broke in and took me just as the sun had started to rise. They brought me to Ketterdam, where I was sold to a heartless woman who made me do unspeakable things for terrible men. Kaz worked for a group of young men trying to build a new business and went to meet with the woman at the request of his boss. I realized I could escape with his help, so I offered him my skills as an acrobat. He agreed to employ me legally and without having to do any of the things that I was doing there. He taught me how to defend myself. I worked as his spy and I was good at it.

“Ketterdam… it can be an ugly place that brings the ugliness out of even the best people. I’ve done things I pray the Saints will one day forgive me for; but I’m not the same girl I was when I was taken. If I was, I don’t think I would have made it through the first night in that city. I will never be that girl again, no matter how hard I try. And I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.

“I was able to eventually afford a ship and a crew to run it. Now, I'm the captain of a crew of people dedicated to keeping other people from having to go through what I went through. I hope that the work I do at sea can help weaken any shadows I have created during my years in Ketterdam.”

Inej had, of course, changed a few details in her story. There was no way she was going to tell her entire family that the “business” Kaz was running was actually a deadly street gang. She was also never going to explain to them exactly how good at her job she had gotten. They would never understand the things she had done. In fact, if they could see the crimson stains on her hands, they’d probably be so repulsed that they would kick her out on the spot.

Her mother was crying again. Her father looked heartbroken as if all of his worst fears had come true.

“Inej…” Adja spoke first. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Inej was surprised to realize that she wasn’t in tears as she feared she would have been. “It’s not your fault.” She looked at her parents, realizing that they must have carried some guilt with her disappearance just as she carried the shame of the things she had done.

“Nor is it yours. We couldn’t have known those slavers were going to break into our home. You two did everything you were supposed to. When things were at their worst, I could hear your voices teaching me how to pray to the Saints. I was able to survive so long because I always carried the hope you taught me to hold on to. The hope that I would one day return to you.”

Her father looked furiously stubborn as he said, “And you have. You are home, Inej. That’s all that matters. We don’t care what you had to do to get here. As long as you are here with us again.”

“The Saints don’t punish actions done to survive.” Her mother agreed. “You don’t need to ask them or us for forgiveness. Forgiveness is earned, Inej, and you have been through more than enough to deserve it. We know you. We know you have a good heart. We love who you are now because it brought you back to us.”

“You will always be our esfir.” Her father held his daughter's trembling hands.

Those words were like the first bite of bread after a year long fast. Inej hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear them, or how much it would mean to hear them from her parents. Her father’s touch didn’t wipe away any of the blood on her hands nor did it take away the dark memories she would always carry. But it did make her feel hopeful for the future. For so long she feared that she could never return home; she feared her family would reject the woman she was sharpened into. Her parents didn’t look like they were ready to throw her out. In fact, they looked like they were ready to hold her tighter than ever.

“Wait a second,” Hanzi once again drew all the attention in the room back to him. “You said you were a spy and now a ship captain?”

Inej wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “Yes.”

“And that Ka-s...runs a business?”

“Yes, Hanzi.”

He looked suspiciously between Kaz and Inej. Then at the leather gloves and silver crow’s head of his cane. His jaw dropped. “Inej, you’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?”

She bit her lip, unsure of how to answer.

“He knows, doesn’t he?” Kaz’s gravelly voice was full of pride at being recognized.

“Don’t look so smug. I don’t think he recognized you until I said that I was a ship captain.”

“INEJ!”

She turned back to Hanzi. He was almost buzzing with excitement to hear her answer. “Are you who I think you are? Is he who I think he is?”

Her mother narrowed her eyes at her nephew.“Inej is whoever she wants to be. As for Ka-s, he’s Inej’s...”

Inej looked to Kaz for the answer. They had never felt the need to use a word to explain their relationship. Everyone on their tiny stretch of an island knew better than to question Dirtyhands or the Wraith. Their friends didn’t need an explanation. What she shared with Kaz went deeper than anything she could describe.

“What?”

“They want to know what you are to me.”

“Then tell them.”

“What do you want me to tell them?”

“What do you want to tell them?”

“That you’re the person I love most in this world.”

His smile was blinding. “I’m more than okay with that answer.”

“Kaz is my heart.”

Adja cooed, clutching her heart. Her mother looked approvingly at Kaz. Her father looked relieved by the answer. Hanzi still looked unsatisfied by it.

“Why are you all just staring at us? Let’s eat!” She mimicked her father’s earlier remark. The silence was once again filled with her family’s celebratory cheers.

“Thank you for coming with me. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Kaz looked smug. “I love you.”

Inej smiled, looking around the circle of happiness brought together by a bond that went deeper than blood. “I love you, too.”

A/N Pt 2: Hi hello! If you happened to have read this before January 2, 2020 then you might remember that there used to be a long paragraph at the end of this fic where I acknowledged all of the cultures that I read about as inspiration to flesh out the Suli culture in this fic. Welp, because Tumblr enjoys to make life difficult, it actually decided to erase the entirety of this fic, leaving only the title. Why? I have no idea!!!! But that means I had to do everything and luckily I had all of the fic saved except for this second A/N bc I added it in right before uploading. While I’m incredibly annoyed by Tumblr glitch and am not able to fully write the original acknowledgment, I still want to give add a smaller version of the previous one.

All of cultures I drew from for this fic can be found listed here. The Suli language was a modified mixture of Hindi and Punjabi. The foods are mostly Romani in origin. The names are a mixture of Turkish, Hindi, Romani, and Slavic names. The clothing have all been specifically named. The head piece Inej wore was directly inspired by a South Asian maang tikka however out of respect for this real cultural practice, I changed the name/origin for the fic. Any parables/customs/religious beliefs explained in the fic are completely fictional that were either pulled directly from the SOC series or made up for this fic. Any connection/similarities to real cultural practices are completely coincidental unless I specifically said so. I believe that was everything important that I had in the original acknowledgment. I’m so sorry if anything was left out. If you do feel that I forgot to mention anything in this rewritten version, please let me know and I’ll do my best to fix it immediately! 

#grishabigbang #gvbb #gvbbfic #booklovingturtle writes #leigh Bardugo #Grishaverse #six of crows #crooked kingdom #soc #ck #Kaz Brekker #kaz rietveld #kaz #dirtyhands #ketterdam #inej ghafa #inej #suli #the wraith #wraith #ravka #kanji fic #kanej #kaz x inej #inej x kaz #gvbbcreation

[booklovingturtle]

i WILL have a Cardan’s POV of chp 21 up by the end of the week or else I’ll turn into a giant serpent

(lmk if you wanna be tagged. also shameless plug for my version of Cardan’s POV from TWK Chapter 15)

#cardan greenbriar #king cardan #prince cardan #holly black #jude duarte #jurdan #the cruel prince #jude x cardan #booklovingturtle writes #jurdan fanfiction #the wicked king #queen of nothing #qon #queen of nothing spoilers #qon spoilers #jude #high queen jude #high queen of elfhame #high king #high king of elfhame

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan has an appraisal kink and we all know it

No one ever really made him feel loved or appreciated so now every time Jude says something kind to him, he literally melts and turns into a soft boi bean but also then can’t keep his hands off of her

Jude knows it to!

Like some nights she’ll just curl up next to him and say something like, “I love your hair, Cardan. The curls are so pretty and it’s so soft,” all seductively in his ear. Cardan’s heart will quite literally explode.

Jude totally uses it to her advantage when she wants things!

If she wants him to do something she won’t even ask him. She’ll just say, “Cardan, you’re one of the best bed makers I’ve ever seen. I’m mean seriously. Every time you make the bed it comes out perfectly.” And he will make the bed for weeks in a row before realizing what she did.

#anyone want a fic about this headcannon? #booklovingturtle writes #king cardan #prince cardan #cardan greenbriar #holly black #jurdan #the cruel prince #jude duarte #jude x cardan #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #the folk of the air #folk of the air #fota #cardan

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan and Balekin talk about Jude

I really don’t know where this came from. It’s 4am. I was going to sleep. Ended up writing this. It’s set sometime before TCP.

If there were two things that Cardan was completely sure about in his life it was this:

1. Eldred’s taste in wine was horrendous.

2. He wanted to jump out of window and into the deepest, nixie-infested lake he could find.

Some rational thinking part of his brain realized how ridiculous both thoughts were. Well, the first one wasn’t too far off. Eldred always served vinegar-tasting wine at his parties. The fact that this one cause Cardan’s face to scrunch in disgust was no surprise. The latter was the one he was more concerned about.

Nicasia was off at Sea with her mother. Balekin had made it clear Cardan was not allowed to bring Locke or Valerian. That left him with nothing more than a terrible goblet of wine and his own imagination to keep him company.

Cardan coukd have easily take this time to charm one of the women lounging about the party. He wasn’t really in the charming mood, though. He chose to stand near the pitchers of dark liquid until it took his ability to stand at all. As he sipped the soured wine, however, the Prince couldn’t keep his eyes off of the mirrored girls who stood in one of the deep corners of the ballroom.

Jude and Taryn sometimes unnerved him in their likeness. Faeries had long lives cursed without the same ability to reproduce as humans could. That meant having six children, as Eldred did, was unlikely but the pair of sisters were an even greater anomaly. He tried to hide his intrigue but Cardan wasn’t the only member of the court who enjoyed watching them. They all shared a fascination with trying to desipher one sister from the other.

Picking the two apart was always easy for him. Jude, he had long ago noticed, was always eager to prove herself. Taryn searched for the eyes of a suitor but Jude searched for trouble. She walked into every room surveying her surroundings. He could never tell what she was looking for but it was always clear that she was disappointed whenever she found him.

The way her shoulders squared and jaw tightened every time she saw him was always like a blow to the chest. The effect she had on him was maddening. He wanted to make her beg for mercy all while wishing he could hear her beg him in other ways. Tonight was no different.

She and Taryn stayed close together, assessing food spreads and carefully picking options from the feasts. At one point he saw Oriana walk towards them and scold their choice to risk a bite of food. Taryn bowed her head and looked apologetic. Jude rolled her eyes and threw a pastry back on to the plate. She waited until her foster mother stalked off to take a large, vengeful bite of the cream puff.

A smile rugged at his lips that he tried to hide with his own goblet. There was so much spite hidden between those rounded ears. He wondered what went threw her head in those moments of small rebellions.

Cardan envied her for that. The way she could go against the world that she had been thrusted in so young. She was never safe and yet he has never seen her waver. Cardan’s own cowardice made him bow beneath Balekin’s fist then later drink himself into the warm embrace of nothingness. She didn’t seem like kind of person who cowered beneath anyone or hid herself anywhere.

“Disgusting, is it not?” Speaking of Balekin, Cardan’s beloved bother chose to make an appearance behind him. He too was watching the twins from afar except he looked much less entertained by them than Cardan was.

“What?” Cardan felt his jaw lock and the stone mask of indifference slide into place.

“Everything about Madoc’s little wards. The way that they’re dressed up and paraded in court as if they belong here. They way they’re rotting fingers poke at our food. Look at them, sprinkling salt on everything as if it will help stave the inevitable.”

The Prince felt his stomach turn at Balekin’s words. Hate completely unfiltered spewed out of his older brother as if it were nothing more than comments about the chilly weather.

Cardan tried and failed to think of a clever way to voice how he felt. There was no way for him to pretend to agree with Balekin so he stayed silent.

Clearly that was the wrong answer. “What’s wrong, little Prince? Have I upset you by offending your school friends?” Balekin’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

Words stacked themselves higher and higher in his gut until they are falling out his lips before they could stopped.

“I just don’t find your bigotry amusing, dear brother.” Cardan wished he could grab the words midair and shove them back into the deepest parts of his brain.

It was too late, the damage was done. And Balekin was furious.

“Oh? Is that so?” His bloodthirsty eyes went back to Jude and Taryn. “Have you grown fond of the worm food?”

Blood pounded in his ears. Not for the first time, Cardan wished he could use his clenched fist to beat the smirk off of Balekin’s face. “Of course I’m not fond of them. I have Nicasia. I just find your opinions uninspired. If you are going to hate something, at least be creative about it.”

Balekin’s dark chuckle ran a chill down Cardan’s spine. A terrifying look crossed over his face. He was now watching the sisters like they were round eyed does unaware of the sharped toothed beast looming behind them.

“All that may be true but I sense that you aren’t being entirely honest with yourself. You may have Nicasia but I suspect she is not the one that truly want.”

Cardan glared at Balekin. He wasn’t sure what game his older brother was playing. He didn’t need to know what his plan was, Cardan already knew he wouldn’t like it. Balekin took a step towards them. Cardan’s hand reached out to snatch him back.

His brother jerked back in surprise. “What do you think-“

“Leave them alone, Balekin.” A steel note rung in the young Prince’s voice, one that he didn’t recognize.

“Or what?”

“Or you would be risking Madoc’s wrath. You may think of them as nothing more than vermin in your household but they are treasured guests in his. If you so much as breath in their direction, I don’t doubt that Madoc will be washing his red cap in your blood.”

Balekin hated being told what to do but Cardan knew he couldn’t deny him about that. A painful hand closed around Cardan’s wrist. His brother’s attention was now completely off of Jude and her sister. It was now turned viciously on Cardan.

“What makes you think you have the right to touch me that way?” He was avoiding the truth of Cardan’s statement by hiding behind anger.

He recognized that look. Cardan could already feel the hot blood soaking the ripped skin of his back.

“I’m sorry,” His voice came out weak.

Balekin’s chest inflated as he yanked Cardan towards him. “Madoc may be protecting those little girls from harm but no one is protecting you. I suggest that you take a long look at them, Prince and ask yourself if they were worth the pain you’re about to feel.”

Hot tears burned in Cardan’s throat. He tried to stop himself from looking at Jude and Taryn. His eyes were still stuck in a glare, pushing back tears when they locked with Jude’s. He knew all she would see was a spoiled prince, glaring indescribably hate at her. Her walnut eyes filled with a coldness that made his bones chill. Part of him wanted to cry out to her and the other part blamed her for what was about to happen. She didn’t know. Couldn’t have know her very existence had been the result of his incoming pain.

She turned toward Taryn, sneering something in her ear. Taryn glance toward him and looked bashful as she slapped Jude’s arm. Whatever she has said about the Prince, it was clearly not pleasant.

Cardan’s eyes tore away from her and met Balekin’s again. “Noting is ever worth your lessons.”

He has read once about a girl who could escape down a rabbit hole to run from numbing boredom of real life. The rabbit hole led her to a world full of adventures and magic. As Cardan was dragged away from the room and into the quiet of his quarters, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to be able to really disappear down a hole from the horrors of his lonely life.

#booklovingturtle writes #king cardan #prince cardan #cardan greenbriar #holly black #the cruel prince #jude duarte #jude x cardan #jurdan #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #folk of the air #the folk of the air

[booklovingturtle]

A Sweet Suli Spice (Sneak Peak)

I’M SO EXCITED TO SHARE MY FIC WITH YOU ALL!!!! It’s a 10896 words long, the longest fic I’ve EVER written, and part of a really cool project called the Grishaverse Big Bang organized by the awesome and scary Master of Tides. 

It should be uploaded on December 28th @ 5pm USA EST-time but as an early Christmas present, here is a sneak peak of it!

Summary: Inej Ghafa hasn’t seen her family in four years. Not since she’s been taken. Now that it’s been so long since she’s seen them, Inej is scared and nervous to go back. One night, while sitting on the rooftop, Kaz asks her to teach him Suli. That inspires Inej to fight her nerves and finally find her family. She asks Kaz to go home with her and he takes this opportunity to learn more about her and her people. Once home, Inej is faced with a guilt of her past, the fear of family’s reactions, and the hope of finally being ghar (home).

The heart of Suli culture flowed with spice-flavored blood and beat to the sound of performance drums. It hummed through Inej’s body every time she whispered her native language to herself under Tante Heleen’s ring-clad fist. She had stored the precious words so deep inside of her that she feared the garbled sounds of Kerch would drown out their melodious syllables.

Once she was under the employment of the Dregs, she would practice Suli as often as she could. Some nights she would stare into the mirror, barely recognizing the woman in front of her as she spoke in Suli to herself. She would even write letters to her family in the beautiful script they had taught her. Those letters were always burned before the ink could dry. The content didn’t matter to her. She didn’t write them for the sake of filling a paper with impossible hopes and dreams. She wrote them because she feared losing her mother tongue. It was an irrational fear that she had never been able to vocalize to anyone before. Well, at least before Kaz came into the picture. He had asked her one night if she could teach him Suli and noticed, as he always did, the change in her face at the mention of it.

“I understand if you don’t feel comfortable teaching me. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Kaz reached out to place his hand on her leg.

Inej watched his pale, scarred knuckles rest on her knee. They had made their way up to the roof of the Crows Club, as they usually did when Inej was home. Whatever time wasn’t spent up there was used to carefully test the idea of being together.

“It’s not that I don’t feel comfortable. It’s that…” Inej’s words wandered away from her. She watched the way his thumb moved along the inside of her knee. It was such a small touch for someone else; for a different boy and a different girl that touch was meaningless. For them, it was everything.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

“No. I want to. I’ve spent so many years away from Ravka and most of my people. I only ever get to speak Suli when I’m working with the Dregs or helping people escape a sinking slave ship. For years, I was afraid that one day, I would wake up and forget the language entirely.”

“Is that possible?” His deep voice sounded raspy but soothing against the black night. “Not to lose it in one day, but for you to just forget Suli that easily?”

Inej nodded slowly. “I already have.” It broke her heart to admit it. “When I first arrived to Ketterdam, everything came to me in Suli. Dreams, thoughts, speech. I had to learn to filter my words into Kerch. Now I find that more and more of my thoughts and dreams come in Kerch than they do in Suli.”

Kaz was silent for a few heartbeats. Inej felt as if she had stripped herself bare in front of the entire Barrel. It was odd to feel that way around Kaz now. He had seen and touched parts of her that no one else was ever given permission to. Kaz knew her like no other person could, yet this was a part of her she hadn’t accepted about herself, let alone explained to him. There was an intimacy that came with talking about her culture that made her feel exposed.

“The language is not the only thing that ties you to the culture, Inej. You will always be Suli as long as you carry it in your heart.”

#grishabigbang #gvbb #booklovingturtle writes #leigh Bardugo #Grishaverse #six of crows #crooked kingdom #soc #ck #Kaz Brekker #kaz rietveld #kaz #dirtyhands #ketterdam #inej ghafa #inej #suli #the wraith #wraith #ravka #kanej fic #kaz x inej #inej x kaz

[booklovingturtle]

Cardan Gets Honest With Jude

Summary: Cardan and Jude are finally King and Queen of Elfhame but neither are happy with the way their relationship has developed. After weeks of tiptoeing around one another, the silence finally becomes too much of Cardan to ignore.

I MADE IT THROUGH MY FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE ALIVE!!! Thank you so much for being patient with me as spring semester bulldozed over me!!

This is my first doc of the summer and in honor of that (plus as a way of making up for the long break) I wrote a bit of a longer fic for y’all!!

(it won’t let me add a “keep reading” tab bc Tumblr sucks so I’m sorry for its length)

—

A comfortable silence filled the room the High King of Elfhame shared with his queen. Orlagh had been handled and with Jude back in the Faelands, Jude and Cardan has no choice but to live as married monarchs should. They shared living quarters, attended court together, and defended each other in council meetings.

It took a few weeks for Jude to get used to the idea of having to share a space with Cardan. The bed was enormous and allowed them each or have separate sides. Jude has been to nervous to truly sleep once she had been moved into his room. They had developed an unspoken agreement that their marriage was more of a formality than a declaration of love but Jude couldn’t deny the way her body reacted to Cardan. She was terrified that while asleep she wouldn’t be able to keep the mental restraints she has placed between them. Instead of sleeping, she laid awake for hours listening to his steady breathing. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her and one morning she had curled up on her side of the bed and awoken in the same spot. And so for weeks they had followed a strict routine.

As soon as the moon rose, Jude and Cardan dressed in separate quarters and faced the public as an undivided unit. When dawn came near, they retreated to their room and silently worked on whatever each had to do. They rarely spoke to each other. Cardan signed off on treaties and agreements as Jude revised them and handed finals copies to him. Once that was complete, they changed into their sleep clothes and went to bed. Sometimes Cardan was up for hours, other days it was Jude who would lay awake completing her royal duties.

Tonight was no different in her mind. Jude and Cardan looked over the lesser courts reports as usual. She had gone into her closet and emerged expecting to see Cardan already in bed but to her surprise, he was still bent over his desk, quill scribbling furiously in a leather bound book. Jude bit her lip but said nothing.

They had been successful in making positive change to Elfhame with their carefully constructed relationship. The constant sickens sometimes Mande Jude felt more like a ghost trapped in a mortal body as she hovered around the castle. The loneliness of their lifestyle was suffocating but she could bare it. She was willing to lie, cheat, steal, kill a path for Oak to one day take the thrown as safely as possible. This should be no different from any other decision she had made for the greater good of her family.

Yet some how it had felt different. She felt hollow on the inside in a way she had never expected she could feel. She was Queen of Elfhame. No one save for Cardan was more powerful than she was. Though the courtiers weren’t pleased with having a mortal queen, they couldn’t do anything but give curt bows as she passed by them. Oak was still safe with Vivi. Madoc and Orlagh were no longer threats to her. Even her relationship with Taryn had begun to mend. She had gotten everything she had spent over a year working for. She should have been reveling in her success.

Unfortunately, the crown, the kingdom, the power weren’t enough.

She knew why of course. She has begun to realize it soon after she had returned to Elfhame to help defeat Orlagh. With Orlagh threatening their lives and Madoc threatening the throne, she was forced to put her anger at Cardan aside and work beside him to end the war before there was nothing left of their world. He never brought up the desperate words he had spoken to her before her exile. Jude was relieved to not have to face it but unnerved by how much he has changed.

She had returned to find a serious, rigid High King instead of a vexing, carefree Prince. She never questioned the shift in his treatment of her. Where there was once fire and passion there was now a cold aloofness.

It hurt to look him in the eyes and not see the same spark of life that had once blazed there. It was a pain that she could feel in the marrow of her bones. She kept from looking too closely at it by interacting with him as little as possible. He seemed unbothered by the silence and stayed away from her.

As Jude wrapped herself under plush blankets, she was already chiding herself for looking too closely at his tense shoulders. His jaw was set tightly in anger and his eyes held pain as he continued to write. After a few more moments of silence, Cardan dropped the quil and went into his closet. Jude released a sigh of relief, selfishly grateful that she wouldn’t have to address his odd behavior.

She closed her eyes and willed sleep to come. Cardan came out of the closet but Jude didn’t feel the bed shift as it usually did when he laid beside her. Instead she felt him gingerly sit on top of the duvet. She kept her breathing steady, choosing to feign sleep in hopes that he would eventually lay down. Minutes, or maybe hours later, Jude opened her eyes to find him still sitting against the edge of mattress. His shoulders were hunched forward and he was staring at nothing.

“Cardan,” his name came out as an exhale before she could fully decide what to do.

His head turned slightly towards her but he didn’t move. She sat up now, fear starting to grip her heart.

She spoke his name again and reach out towards him. She rose to her knees to move across the bed. Jude lightly place a hand on his shoulder and his body bowed beneath her touch.

“Jude,” he spoke her name as if it was both a prayer and curse. It was barely a whisper but it echoed in the worried silence of her thoughts.

“I-“ she cut off, not sure what to say. This wasn’t them. They didn’t speak to each other. They didn’t show each other weakness or seek comfort from the other. Jude couldn’t even remember when was the last time she used her words to comfort instead of manipulate.

She knew so many words but none of them came to her. Could tell any lie she wanted but for some odd reason she told the truth, “I don’t know how to do this. How to ask you what’s wrong.”

His cheek twitched, the ghost of a smile almost flickering to life beneath his marble features. It wasn’t until right then that Jude realized how long it has been since she had seen that smile. She wanted nothing more than to see it again.

“This isn’t your burden to carry.”

Despite his words, Jude felt as though it was.

“I know that we don’t-that we aren’t each other’s first choice in a confidant but...” Jude fought a flush. She felt so stupid. Here she was, holding the fate of Elfhame in her mortal hands yet cowering at such a vulnerable moment.

“If you are being burdened by something, part of my job as your Queen is to carry it with you.” The words felt strange on her tongue. She had never felt the need to carry anyone else’s burden. The weights of her own were crushing enough.

The muscles beneath her hand relaxed. Cardan deflated. Whatever air supply has been keeping him afloat had ran out.

“I thought I could be a great king. I thought I could prove everyone, including myself, wrong by leading us out of our violent past. I’ve never been much of a fighter. Even back when I was just a vice-stricken prince it was about attention for me, not sadistic pleasure.

“When we were working to prevent a war, Jude, I felt like I had purpose. I found a part of myself that I didn’t know had existed. A part that yearned to end the fight before it began. I thought perhaps the crown was meant for me. Maybe being High King wouldn’t be a prison but a calling.” A dam had broken open inside him and Cardan was pouring out from the spiderwebbed cracks. His voice cracked near the end of his statement with such raw emotion that it made Jude flinch.

Jude was struck speechless. He hadn’t turned to face her so all she could do was stare at the black curls that covered his head. She was grateful that he couldn’t see how hard it was to remain impassive and patient as he spoke.

“Where is this coming from? I thought that you were doing well, Cardan. That you had settled into the throne peacefully.” Her hand had slide down his shoulder to his back and she could feel his pulse hammering away under her finger tips.

She remember what it felt like to have that same pulse pressed tightly against her chest. What the lean muscles of his back felt like under her nails.

His sad voice broke through her desire filled thoughts. “We prevented a war with the Sea and kept Madoc’s rebellion from causing a civil war. Everything I did, Jude, was in the name of keeping peace. I didn’t know it then, but I understand that now.”

“What changed?” She prayed that he couldn’t hear the guilt in her voice. She hadn’t been fighting in the name of peace. Peace was not something Jude was familiar with. Vengeance, survival, and bloodshed were the only areas she felt truly at home in.

“The council members wish me to start a war with one of our neighboring courts,” he spoke quietly.

This was news to her. “Why am I just now being told about this? Who? Why?” She felt her temper flare up but she held the lid of her anger firmly closed.

Cardan shook his head. “That doesn’t matter now. I said no. I told them that my reign begun in bloodshed and that I refused to live in it. They said my sovereignty remained untested because we have yet to prove my own endurance in a real war. By choosing a mortal queen, I’ve only made our kingdom seem weaker. They told me that choosing peace over war was risking the stability of the Crown.“

Jude was so angry that all she could do was repeat herself. She sat up straighter, “Cardan. Why am I just now hearing about this? When was this? Who would dare question our authority?”

“It doesn’t matter, Jude. But what if they are right? Faeries are ruthless. Many of us revel in war. How can I lead a kingdom that yearns for something I feel so strongly against?” Doubt laced every sentence and turned them into honest questions. “Balekin was a terrible brother but he was correct in his assessment of my nature.”

She placed a hand on his face so that his body was forced to turn towards her on the bed. Jude couldn’t believe the words she was hearing. Though Cardan had never really seemed happy as High King, he had never done anything with the purpose of jeopardizing his throne. Even when at his worst before she was kidnapped, the biggest threat to his rule was his own indifference. The Cardan who sat before her now was nothing like the one she had hated.

“Listen to me, Cardan. Balekin was an arrogant, selfish coward. His only drive for the throne was vanity and narcissism. You are not weak for choosing a reign full of peace. That is exactly what your people need right now. You cannot lead us into an unjustified war just to prove our strength as rulers. There is no honor in that.”

“Maybe the honorable way is the wrong way.”

“No, Cardan. We defeated our enemies before using this,” she placed her right hand over his temple, “and this,” then her left over heart. “It was our wits that kept us out of a war but is your passion for peace that will keep us out of one.”

Cardan looked surprised by her statement. “And if we are dragged into a war regardless of my wish to keep us out? What then, Jude? What do I do?”

“You are not alone. I may be mortal, but we both know I am no stranger to the sword. You, however, have the kind of heart that Elfhame has never seen. I am Queen of Shadows and Spies. You are High King of the People. You are not alone in this battle. You have me for as long as I live.”

He closed his eyes. Jude’s hands and shifted without her knowing. The hand that had rested hear his hairline now cupped the sharp edges of his jaw. Her other fingers were resting just bellow the low hem of sleeping shirt. If she moved a hair’s width, her skin would be touching his bare chest.

She was too afraid to move so she pressed forward. Her next words were some of the hardiest she’d ever said to him. “I am sorry if I have not been fulfilling my end of our marriage, Cardan. We share the crown. I sit beside you on the thrown. There is no burden that you have to carry alone. If I have not been faithful to my duties as Queen, I apologize. We fight for peace together and when the need arises, I will fight the battles with you.”

Cardan’s eyes opened. His eyes were a kaleidoscope of mixed emotions. Relief, fear, and desire swirled together in the onyx gaze he set on her. Jude’s spine shuddered at the way he looked through her. Then he was no longer looking at her because they were kissing.

Cardan had tangled his hands in the low ponytail that was trailing over her shoulder. His mouth moved thoughtfully over hers. There was no rush to the way he kissed her. Just a controlled passion that left her gasping for air. He took that as an oppurtunity to scoop her into his arms.

Her legs were now wrapped around his waist and he dug his fingers into her hips. A groan came from the back of his throat as Jude slipped her hands into the material of his shirt. She felt the muscles pull and loosen beneath her touch. His body was warm and came to life beneath her touch. She yanked the shift off him and he pulled her long hair hair out of its restraint. He stared at her perched above him, eyes roaming on her still fully clothed body. She pulled her own shirt off, wanting to feel his hands on her again. The ice that had separated them for the last few months melted away and boiled into hot passion as Jude left herself be flipped over by him.

She was now laying beneath him, Cardan’s wild eyes watching the deep rise and fall of her bare chest. Her heart was racing wildly but lurched to a violent stop when he said her name.

Cardan was staring deeply at her, lips beautiful swollen from her kisses and hair pulled in different directions. There was a flush to his cheeks now and she felt the soft tip of his tail tickle her thigh.

Jude realized the horror of what they were about to do. Her body was crying out for him to touch her. It remembered the way he touched and pleased her long ago. How he had felt beneath her hands. The emptiness she had felt moments ago was filled with the sound of Cardan’s breathe against her skin. If they continued, the emptiness would mold itself into the shape of his heart and she wasn’t sure if she could survive that.

“Cardan,” mental blocks were starting to stack one on top of the other.

“No,” he whispered softly. His thumb was tracing her bottom lip. His fingers loosened on her hips so they could trace the hem of her cotton shorts. “Please, Jude. I need you.”

She didn’t stop playing with the dark edges of hair that curled around his pointed ears. All of the hard parts of him were pressed against her. She knew that she shouldn’t keep touching him but it was so hard to keep her hands off of him when he was this close to her.

He had so vulnerable with her that Jude felt a responsibility to be honest “No, you only think you do. When Orlagh had me imprisoned, it was you who got them to release me. You stayed on top of things while I exiled. I admit that while I may have picked you as a last resource, I’m glad that you ended with the crown. We have worked so hard to do right by the land. I don’t want that work to go to cease because of one moment of weak judgment.”

He was shaking his head and leaning to kiss her again. This time, he was not soft or gentle with her. He opened her mouth with his and Jude was drowning in her feelings for him again.

She held up a hand to push him away but he caught it and held it to his chest. Before she could tell him to stop, he silenced her by speaking. “This isn’t a moment of weak judgement,” he admitted against her lips. “I love you. I have loved you for so long, Jude, that I don’t even remember how it began.”

Fear spiked through her veins. “You don’t-“ she stopped remembering that he had no choice but to tell her the truth.

“I do mean it. I know that you’re still angry with me for banishing you and that you’re only tolerating me because I bound you to me by marriage. That doesn’t change the way I feel about you. I love you,” he leaned in to her so that his forehead rested on hers.

Honesty dripped from every syllable of his confession. She had just promised him her partnership as Queen but he was asking for something else now.

She wished that she could say that his desperate plea made her want to turn away from him. She wished that the ringing in her ears was from her hatred of him, not from fear of her own thoughts.

She wanted to give him every part of her but she was no idiot. He wasn’t mortal like her. He would go on for centuries after she was gone. She could offer him her whole life only for him to cast her out as soon as her body matured past the point of any physical release. He loved her now when she was strong and could wield a sword for his kingdom but there are only so many blows her mortal body could withstand before it became broken beyond repair. She could give him all the days of her life and yet there was no guarantee that he would give her anything more than a few years of his.

“I don’t know if I can give you what you are asking for,” she said after a long pause.

“I’m asking for you. It is true that as High King, I need you as my Queen. But as myself, as Cardan, I need you, Jude. If all you can offer me is your hatred then I will gladly take it. If you are willing to offer me friendship then it will be honor that I could never fully repay. I just can’t handle another minute of living in silence beside you.”

She eyed him worriedly. He couldn’t lie to her but she still feared that he was manipulating her in some way. This was exactly why she wanted to keep things from going beyond the formality of their titles. It all became to complicated when they tried to include friendship or even worse...love.

“I don’t hate you, Cardan. Believe me when I say that I have tried. I’m not even mad at you. You did what you did because you thought it was best. It’s true that I was furious at first but I’m not anymore.”

He drew back to look her in the eyes. Light had begun to grow on his face as hope filled him.

“That doesn’t change that we have to work together now as King and Queen. As hard as it is for me to admit, we make a great team, you and I. If we become...more than that then we risk our kingdom. We risk the progress that we have made.”

Cardan’s glow dulled a bit at her words. “I don’t believe that. I know that I love you. I know that I can’t rule without you. Why would those two have to exist separate from the other?”

She was surprised to find that tears burned her throat. “Because you will have to learn how to rule without me. I will not live forever. I am still a mortal, Cardan. You’re going to be King for much longer than I am Queen. You will also go on to love many more people.”

It was the hard reality of their life. They had never really addressed it which made Jude decide it was time they did.

His face flushed all the way to the tips of his ears. “All of that may be true some day but it is not true today. Today and always, I need you as my queen. Today and always, I love you.”

Jude wanted him to stop saying that. It was too much. The hollowness of the last few weeks combined with the heat of the last few minutes and the way her heart leaped in her chest at his words made her head spin. Everything inside of her felt raw.

Cardan had reached into her chest and dug around until he found everything that was evil and wrong. He’d seen her at her very worst and still he spoke to her as if she was his only guide in this miserable life. He knew she was a liar, a manipulator, a mortal and still he loved those parts of her. The longer she thought about it the harder it became to say no.

“What happens now?” She asked. It wasn’t a confession of her own raging feelings but it was enough for him.

His smile split the sadness that had begun to cover his features. “We live our lives however we want to without fear of tomorrow because I love you and that’s enough for us.”

Since Jude was a child she had been living in fear of her mortality. He made her want to change that.

She nodded. “Okay.”

He sealed their promise with a kiss that left her feeling light headed but better than she had her whole life.

#booklovingturtle writes #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #jude x cardan #jurdan #prince cardan #king cardan #holly black #folk of the air #the folk of the air #the cruel prince #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #jude #jurdan fic

[booklovingturtle]

Jurdan anything tbh (if a prompt will help: “Alice in wonderland”)

I love this!!! Thank you for the prompt!! I had so much fun with this idea!! I’m sorry it took so long to finally publish it! I wanted to make sure that it felt right bc this is actually the first request I’ve ever gotten.

Stress filled every vein of Jude’s body and pumped fitfully through her head. The High King and Queen of Elfhame had spent the last forty-five restless hours in war council meetings thanks to a rebellion of smaller courts on the outskirts of Elfhame mobilizing to move against the Crown. They had met with an endless stream of advisors, representatives, generals, noblemen, and ambassadors trying to find the cleanest way out of a war. Jude was almost positive that the courts weren’t actually planning any real attacks. Instead, she believed their goal was to tire out the mortal queen so they could remove her from the kingdom.

If that was indeed their plan, then it was being executed perfectly. Bone-deep exhaustion had settled in her but Jude laid on edge in Cardan’s warm arms. Her mind was swimming with strategies. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could see was the black and white squares of a chessboard filled with their respective pawns. Jude opened them again and twisted away from his peaceful body.

They had been granted a merciful twelve-hour gap to rest and recuperate before the next round of meetings. Cardan had fallen into the bed and was out almost immediately. An hour into their break Jude gave up on sleep and slipped out of the bed. She moved towards her desk to get started on preparing for their future council meetings. Cardan shifted under the covers, hand reaching for a waist that was no longer beside him.

“Jude?” his gravel, sleep-gilded voice stopped her mid-step. “What are you doing? Where are you going?” His eyes were unfocused as they looked in her direction. He looked more asleep than awake but he still spoke clearly.

“Go back to sleep. I’m just getting some work done before we meet with Lady-”

“Work? Jude. We’ve been working for four days straight.” He sat up, eyes clearing up as his brows scrunched in concern.

She sighed through her nose. “I tried to sleep. If I can’t sleep then I should at least get a head start on what needs to be done later.”

He frowned at her. The High King was almost irresistible when he looked like that. Jaw stubbornly set and hair wildly tousled. “You’re going to work yourself to the grave if you don’t get some sleep. If it means that much, I’ll start the papers.”

“It’s not the work that’s keeping me up. It’s this,” Jude gestured to her head. “I can’t turn it off. I can’t put it on silence long enough to close my eyes.”

Understanding softened his gaze. “Then I’ll help you ignore the noise long enough to sleep.” He saw the objection already working its way out of her lips. “Please, Jude. I’ve heard that sleeplessness can do dangerous things to humans. Just let me try.” He added the last bit in the same quiet tone he used whenever they were faced with the fragility of her mortality.

She couldn’t say no to him. Not when his face wrinkled with concern for her wellbeing. The tense muscles in her shoulders dropped in resignation. She folded herself under the covers of their plush bed. Jude waited patiently for Cardan to find whatever he was looking for in the wooden stand beside their bed. He pulled out a blindfold that they usually reserved for much more entertaining nights.

Jude laughed at his suggestive look. “Maybe if you sleep today, you’ll have enough energy for a different sort of destresser tomorrow,” was his response to her smile.

She rolled her eyes, pushing his shoulder lightly. “The only ‘destresser’ I need is a few minutes in the training room to wipe that smirk off your face.”

Cardan’s smile crested into a wave of laughter. He was still chuckling to himself when he went back on with his search. Finally, he pulled out a familiar book.

“Alice in Wonderland?” Surprise filled her at the sight of the cover. She hadn’t seen the dark cover since the short time that she had served as one of Dain’s spies. The memory of the paper she found stashed in between its pages rose up and filled her once again with curiosity. “I didn’t know that you still had it. Did you bring it from Hollow Hall when you became King?”

He nodded gingerly. “It was one of my favorites back then. I didn’t want to leave it behind.”

Her heart constricted at the memory of everything else she had witnessed during that mission. All she could see now was Cardan flinching beneath the cruelty of his older brother and the sick way she enjoyed it. Even if it was just a few seconds of pleasure, the wrongness of it all made bile taste bitter in her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered yet again. They had apologized to each other countless times over the last few years. Each time felt like the first. Like Cardan would suddenly realize that Jude as too power-hungry or selfish to tie himself to her and he would finally turn away from her. But it never happened. He never left. Just as she would never leave him.

He shook his head and waved her off. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. We both did unspeakable things. We are not those children anymore. Now lay back. I’m going to read to you.”

“Okay, dad,” she playfully whispered while wrapping herself in the warmth of their duvet. 

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do...” his soothing voice began.

“I would be willing to kill both Alice and her sister to have nothing to do,” she piped in. “If she’s that bored then I could chase her around for a bit before I do.”

“I can’t read if you’re talking, Jude dear,” he chided her but his scolding held notes of a laugh.

“Fine, fine. Please continue.”

Jude listened to the rise and fall of his voice as he narrated the story. Every once in a while Cardan would interject with his own commentary about the book. She laughed at his silly interpretations of the text and wild questions about humans. At some point, he had begun to gently run his hands through her hair. The feeling of his fingers in her hair and the sound of his voice eventually did their job in calming her thoughts. It wasn’t long before Jude's body eased into the softness of sleep.

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #The Folk of the Air #folk of the air #the cruel prince #tcp #the wicked king #twk #queen of nothing #qon #jurdan fluff #jurdan fic #jurdan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #prince cardan #king cardan #jude x cardan #cardan x jude