#elora danan: princess princess ever after

[swashbucklery]

Was watching ep4 last night and got thiiiis close to reteaching myself how to make gifs again before I remembered I have like. Finite time and so many fics I want to write with my fandom energy.

But this scene THIS SCENE. THIS LITTLE MOMENT where Kit tries to tell Elora about the eckleberry bush just twists around my heart every time.

SPECIFICALLY kit's little face which makes me FERAL with gay emotions KIT IS THE ONLY PERSON ELORA CONFIDES IN. ABOUT THE WOODCUTTERS BEING KILLED. SHE IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS THAT ELORA TRIED TO BE ELORA DANAN AND WATCHED PEOPLE BE MURDERED FOR IT.

She is also the only person who knows that elora can do magic! SHE HAS THE POWER TO MAKE OR BREAK HER AS A SYMBOL. And when Elora tells her that she feels useless - Kit recognizes that feeling. Knows how demoralizing that is.

And you see her make a decision. To allow Elora to crystallize in her mind as a person and, to be generous. Kit decides to give Elora the kind of love and affirmation that Kit herself needs because she knows what it's like to lose faith in oneself. And it's not about magic it's about HUMAN CONNECTION it's about the two of them looking across the castle hallway and suddenly loving each other.

IT'S THE SPARK OF THE LOVE THAT BRINGS ELORA'S MAGIC BACK because ultimately Kit's faith is what gives Elora faith in herself.

HOW DO YOU NOT JUST WANT TO LIE ON THE FLOOR WEEPING ABOUT HOW STARCROSSED THEY ARE

#first person to tag this as sisters #i swear to gosh #anyway in case you were wondering if i was normaller on discord i am not #why yes i am writing two eloras #why yes i am rolling around on the floor in my feelings about the ways that kit and elora are mirrors #why yes there will be gay sex #why do you ask #kit x elora #kit tanthalos: girl prince #elora danan: princess princess ever after #ot3: kit and jade and elora something something powerful magic #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation

[agir1ukn0w]

In the Meadow - a Graylora Ficlet for #WillowWednesday

Synopsis: It's Elora's birthday and Graydon has taken her for a picnic in the woods surrounding Tir Asleen. But things get a lot more romantic than they anticipated😌✨

feat. Kit Tanthalos and Jade Claymore

Note: I wrote this fic for @krazy-ky-sta-hatter because she's been having a hard time lately, and I wanted to cheer her up. Hope this helps, Queen!!💖💋🦋✨

The flowers tickled her nose with their mixture of fragrances. The wind was soft, serene, playing with her hair. Elora Danan smiled, content beyond what words could describe. Graydon was off somewhere relieving himself behind a tree (or so he said, though it seemed to be taking him longer than expected). Beyond the treeline, the meadow sang with light and clear spring color. Elora lay back on the picnic blanket that was spread over a moss bed and stared up at the blinding blue sky.

Kit and Jade were a bit farther off, but still just within earshot, in case the empress needed something or was imperiled in some way. Elora knew that Jade really came for Kit, to protect her princess who was also the empress’s sword and shield. Still, she was grateful for the extra support of Jade’s quick eye and steady hand, ever on the hilt of her sword. Jade also came to protect the empress, of course, but Elora knew that someone would need to watch Kit’s back while she was watching hers.

The sound of Graydon’s boots shuffling awkwardly back through the undergrowth brought Elora back to the present, and she sat up. He was walking towards her with one hand behind his back. His normally gentle smile betrayed a hint of eagerness that Elora also knew well. His luscious black hair was slightly out of place, a few strands hanging down over his eyes as though he’d been bent over for a while. She’d already guessed why by the time he unveiled a bouquet of gorgeous spring blooms.

“Graydon!” Elora said, jumping up to receive the multi-colored gift. She inhaled their fragrance and smiled.

“I’m glad you like them.” Graydon blushed, something which happened often when he gave her gifts, another not infrequent occurrence.

“I love them.” Elora placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. Graydon’s hands found her hips and pulled her closer. His goatee was always rough but not too scratchy against her cheeks, similar to how the marks on his chest felt against her body. He was a very good kisser, though whenever she told him this his blush deepened and he only shook his head, (which wasn’t necessarily a disagreement, Elora thought).

“I know it’s not much of a birthday present, but—”

“Graydon,” Elora stopped him, “you’ve already given me more than I could ever ask for. And I don’t just mean the books, the chocolate, the carriage ride, the private dinner…am I missing something?”

“The bubble bath.”

“Yes, thank you! And the bubble bath.”

Graydon laughed. He even looked pleased, which excited Elora. Then, in the next moment, he looked concerned. “Oh. Did you not enjoy those things?”

Elora gave him a look. “Graydon, they were perfect. And you know how I felt about the bubble bath.”

He looked down, smiling. “No, yeah, you were unequivocal about how much you enjoyed the bubble bath.”

“Well,” she grinned mischievously, “only after you joined me.” Her hand had crept down from his face to his collar and begun absentmindedly undoing the buttons. His eyes went back to her parted lips, as his own hands wandered up to where her dress ended and her dewy skin began.

Graydon kissed her again, passionately, the tender forcefulness of his lips causing Elora to moan in surprise. She bit his lower lip and he grunted quietly.

“What is it?” Elora said, pulling away to look at him.

He looked slightly agitated. “It’s not…you wouldn’t—”

“Yes, I would. Tell me.”

Graydon took her face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. “It’s stupid, but…I wish we could…I wish I could—”

Elora finished for him, “Have me?”

“In essence, yeah,” he said, embarrassed. “Yes. I know I’m not making this sound very romantic, but—”

Elora was smiling, her cheeks turning bright pink.

Graydon looked down again, admonishing himself. “See, it’s stupid.”

She lifted his face. It was all she could do to keep from giggling like a five year old. Then, in a low voice, she said, “You’re saying you want to have sex. Here.”

He nodded, a look of desperation beginning to bloom across his face. His fingers combed hungrily through her hair, and she could feel the tightness in his pants already.

Elora’s smile grew devious, as she whispered in his ear, “You’ll have to catch me first.”

Graydon had a split second to look confused before Elora took off running towards the meadow. Although she was fast, it didn’t take him long to catch up with her, grabbing her by the waist and causing them both to tumble head over heels into the tall grass, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

Elora climbed on top of Graydon, straddling him and holding both of his hands down over his head. His chest rose and fell rapidly under her.

“So,” she said, “right here?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

In the next instant, Graydon had enthusiastically unbuttoned his pants, and Elora removed her underwear and climbed back on top of him. Her hair was already disheveled, cascading over her bare shoulder like a burning waterfall. Elora let him put his hands on her hips to help guide her, and she sank down onto him slowly. The second he was inside her she gasped, and a shuddering breath left her throat.

“You okay?” Graydon asked.

Elora nodded, her eyes closed as she began rocking back and forth. Graydon tried breathing softly through his mouth, but as Elora’s pace quickened they both found it difficult to stay calm. Elora busied herself with undoing the rest of the buttons on his shirt, lovingly tracing each intricate line that had been carved into his skin when he was young.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured, before another exclamation rose up in her chest and leapt out into the sun dappled air. “Oh, gods!”

Graydon inhaled sharply, baring his teeth. He pulled himself up so that he was facing her, their bodies pressed together. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he adjusted her position so that it was more comfortable, and they swayed together in unison, breathing fast and loud into each other’s mouths. Elora clutched the fabric of his shirt with one hand and raked her fingers through his dampened hair with the other. Graydon lifted her up and bent his head reverently to trail kisses along her breasts, even biting them at one point and making Elora squeak excitedly. His hands slid up the side of her legs, lifting her skirt, before coming to rest back on her hips.

Sensing that they were both nearing the edge, Elora said, “Ready?”

Graydon could only nod, kissing her roughly. His final thrusts were forceful, and Elora cried out as they came together, panting and shimmering with more than just sweat. A golden aura had settled around their bodies, glinting in the falling sunlight. Their magic, combined as one. Their bond.

Releasing a final shuddering exhale, the two fell gently back into the grass, Elora’s arm slung across his torso, her head resting on his shoulder. As soon as she caught her breath, she laughed contentedly, and Graydon joined her. Their voices were tired but clear. The wind rose up again and the fragrance of the flowers drifted over them like a thin blanket. They breathed deeply together, hearts beating in time with one another.

Elora’s eyes slid closed as she whispered, “I want to stay like this, with you, forever.”

“I know,” Graydon said, pressing a kiss to her dewy forehead.

A few minutes later, they were woken by both Kit and Jade calling their names. Quickly buttoning himself back up and handing Elora her under things, he helped her to stand. They walked back languidly towards the others, fingers tightly intertwined.

“What are you two grinning about?” said Kit, smirking as she took in their unkempt appearance, the blades of grass hanging from Elora’s tangled hair and the uneven way Graydon had buttoned his shirt.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” said Elora, her voice still slightly breathy.

“We’ll take your word for it,” said Jade, eyeing Kit. “It’s time to go home, Empress.”

#Willow Wednesday #WillowWednesday #willow wednesday #willow 2022 #willow series #willow #willow disney+ #Renew Willow #RenewWillow #renew willow #willow tv show #fiction #fan fiction #graylora #elora x graydon #graydon x elora #graydon hastur #elora danan #graydon hastur x elora danan #elora danan x graydon hastur #good ol' fashioned fluff/smut combo #minors be warned #people say graydon is a 'sad angry frown prince' but i know he's really a puppy☺️ #kit tanthalos #jade claymore

[mowsyling]

Willow Lore transcripts

(&other interesting tidbits, cutting out less important bits)

Ep1: The Gales

Story of Taramis

Kit:

Have you ever heard the story of Taramis? She was a princess of Cashmere thousands of years ago, and she was, by all accounts, the most gorgeous woman that ever lived. So the King invited all the knights and all of the princes to complete for her hand. The winner of each event advancing to the next until two remained. This cocky young knight of Galladoorn and this helmeted warrior from some far off distant land who's face no one had yet seen. After a fierce battle, our mysterious stranger bested the knight, then removed his helmet. ..... It was princess Taramis.

Writing on the wall scene

Graydon:

"We stand at the threshold. We peer into the void. We bear witness to his glory. The Eternal One, the healer of worlds. (Rumbling) As he stirs from his deathless slumber deep below the surface, the Harbinger of the Wyrm will come." (Rumbling)

Meeting Willow

Willow:

Your brother is alive. A prisoner of The Withered Crone, who dwells in the Immemorial City that lies beyond the Shattered Sea. The four who came to Tir Asleen are her servants.

Willow:

You are Elora Danan, Last Blood of Kymeria, future Empress, High Priestess, Semprum Sorceress of the Nine Realms, and the worlds last, best hope against the evil coming to destroy us all.

*****

Ep2: The High Aldwin

Boorman about Madmartigan &the cuirass

...he spent five years searching the world for it.

*****

Ep3: The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb

Cuirass story intro scene

Boorman:

It was ten thousand years, and about three weeks ago.. Thuul, heir to the Kymerian Empire, had been sick as a child. When his father died, his younger brother, Tiberius, felt he'd make the stronger king. For forty days, Tiberius lay siege to the capital (capitol in subs?), starving his own people to force his brother to abdicate his throne. So, their mother, Annabel, a fay of the Grove, forged for her son, Thuul, a cuirass of pure Khromium. Then she assembled the Lux Arcana, a magical key that activated the enchanted armor, so it would only serve he who was worthy of it's power.

Watching the storm scene

*The Crone speaking pnakotic*

Graydon:

The stars align, the door is open. The sphere turns, a God is awoken. Extinguish the flame, snuff out the light, and exile the child to the Thirteenth Night.

Willow:

Ah, so you speak cursed Pnakotic?

Graydon:

They're gonna kill her, aren't they?

Willow:

No, if they killed her, her spirit would endure, be reborn. But if they banish her, they can imprison her soul for all eternity. It's what Bavmorda was trying to do when I stopped her.

Rain fight

Ballantine:

I've seen the future, Jade. Looked into the void. The Eternal One will cleanse this world of all disease and pain. We shall be free.

*****

Ep4: The Whispers of Nockmaar

Tapestry scene

The Crone:

Do you renounce your name, your family?

Young Bavmorda:

I do.

The Crone:

Will you embrace the light of the Eternal One? Pledge your life to our endeavour, that we might deliver this world from suffering, into his warm embrace?

Young Bavmorda:

I will.

The Crone:

The Blood of the Six runs in your veins. You shall be his harbinger. Primal Priestess of the Wyrm, Queen Bavmorda.

~*~

End scene:

Kit:

What is the Blood of the Six?

Willow:

In the beginning, in the Grove, six fays betrayed the Mothers to serve the dark power. That line continued through the ages, strong magic but corrupt. The Blood of the Six.

Kit:

So Bavmorda, she was the Blood of the Six. Which means so am I. - And so is Airk.

*****

Ep5: Wildwood

Wand&magic talk scene

Willow:

This wand is a splinter from the Great Tree at the centre of all things. ...

In the wrong hands, Cherlindrea's wand is a powerful instrument of unimaginable destruction.

Scorpia interrogates Boorman scene

Scorpia:

The relic? You didn't find it?

Boorman:

*shakes head*

Scorpia:

And the others? Allagash?

Boorman:

Trolls got him. I only hope he suffered as much as possible before they killed him. Long story.

Scorpia:

And Madmartigan? They got him, too?

Scorpia/Jade mark scene

Scorpia:

Here, by the child's hundredth day, they get seared with it's family's mark, so they remember where they came from. This is my father's mark. The mark of Kael.

Jade:

General Kael.

Scorpia:

You've heard of him? He was the first Bone Reaver. ....

Jade:

My father was a free man, killed by your people.

Scorpia:

He was killed by Madmartigan at the Battle of Nockmaar. Your mother was killed by the rangers that kidnapped you and took you to Tir Asleen. ......

Jade:

Kael served Bavmorda. Bavmorda served the Crone.

Scorpia:

Bavmorda made a pact with the slaves of Galladoorn. She'd help them overthrow their masters in exchange for their loyalty. People do whatever's necessary to be free.

(After Nockmaar fell)

Those who survived, fled. The armies of Tir Asleen and Galladoorn, they persued us. They feared us. As they should.

*****

Ep6: Prisoners of Skellin

Door riddles scene:

Wiggleheim:

So I pass from sire to heir, and each of brothers takes his share. A gift or curse I may be, used by others more than thee. (A: Name)

Beggars have what wise men crave, but both shall take it to their grave. (A: Nothing)

*****

Ep7: Beyond the Shattered Sea

Dinner scene:

Kit:

What are you doing out here all alone?

Zeb:

Uh, well, I was a warrior. Paladin of Cashmere.

One of three sent to rescue the princess who was taken by servants of a dark power and whom I loved, though she was betrothed to...

-This one was to find an enchanted pool, that granted whosoever drank of its water...

-Years, wandering the Shattered Sea. Our boots rotting, our swords rusting in their scabbards. Till we forgot who we were, what we were searching for. And in the end, turned on each other. Murdered each other.

Kit:

What's beyond the Shattered Sea?

Zeb:

Some say that, uh, eventually you reach the edge of the world and get swept off. Others speak of a leviathan, so monstrous that even to see it is to lose your mind.

2nd Airk/Crone (aka "Lili") scene:

Crone:

I think, maybe, I know why we're here. How much do you know about Cashmere?

Airk:

Just what everybody knows. The Paladin Circle, Ivory Tower, streets lined with moonstones.

Crone:

It's very beautiful. High walls that keep us safe, isolated. There are rules, and so long as you follow them, you'll never want for anything. Except...

There were rumours of a secret sect that worshipped some sort of ancient blood magic, called The Order of the Wyrm. Their acts of sedition were small, at first. Desecrations, fires, crimes without culprits, but they'd always leave their mark.

One night, they fought their way into the tower, killing the guards and kidnapping the princess.

Airk:

Why? To what end? To seize power?

Crone:

Maybe. I don't know. I woke up here.

Willow & Kit inside the sled

Kit:

What is the Wyrm?

Willow:

If magic is the bloodstream of the universe, the Wyrm feeds on it. Imprisoned a long time ago beneath the surface of the world, it waits, sleeping.

Kit:

When it wakes up?

Willow:

Stares at Kit, haunted... sounds/echoes of screams leading into a vision of Mims..

Vision:

Mims looking bloodied, pressing her hands to an equally bloodied, wounded Karthy's side.

Da! I really need you right now. I wasn't strong enough to keep him out. Please!

Season Finale

Ep8: Children of the Wyrm

Kit hearing her father's voice

Madmartigan:

Kit... Can you hear me?

Kit:

Dad?

Madmartigan:

I need you to listen. I don't know how much time we've got.

Kit:

Is that really you?

Madmartigan:

I need your help.

Kit:

Are you here? Where are you?

Madmartigan:

I'm with you. Always.

Kit:

You kinda left a while ago.

Madmartigan:

It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But love is sacrifice. You've gotta be willing to give up what you want for what you believe in. It's the only way to save Elora.

Kit:

Dad, I'm not you.

Madmartigan:

Yes, you are.

Kit:

No, really, I'm not.

Madmartigan:

All right, you're not. You're better. You are her shield. You are her sword. And I am already so proud of you. Now go.

****Fin****

Wip will updated. Please lemme know if I forgot something important. 💜😊

#willow 2022 #willow lore #willow series #willow spoilers #losing way too much sleep over this show😆😅 #for interested parties #willow series lore

[secret-kkh-fics]

Wash Away the Rain - C1: Shades of Gray

Soulmate AU Challenge - Colours: You see in black and white until you look into your soulmate's eyes. Then you start seeing in colour.

“…Oh shit!” she gasped. “What, did you forget your ‘magic’ muffins in the oven?” Kit scoffed. They both ignored her. “Oh shit,” he echoed the girl. No, not ‘the girl’. His soulmate.

When Graydon Hastur is sent out on a journey he did not want to go on, the last thing he expected to discover was his soulmate. Let alone that his soulmate was Elora Danan! The party discover a girl following behind them, and when he looks into her eyes, his world bursts into colour. There's just a few problems... He is engaged to Princess Kit. And she is in love with Prince Arik. It wasn't complicated at all...

Read on AO3!

Crown Prince Graydon Hastur’s heart bet frantically in his chest, practically trying to break out of his ribcage as he pressed up against a tree, trying to stay as invisible as possible. It was beating so loudly he was certain that whoever was following could hear it from where they were. He could hear the muted thumps of their horse’s hooves on the soft grass of the clearing but couldn’t bring himself to even peek around the tree. Not even as Boorman launched himself from his hiding place at the incoming enemy, closing his eyes tight at the thuds and grunts and sounds of the ensuing scuffle.

“Hey! Put me down!!!” a distinctly female voice echoed through the clearing. His eyes snapped open.

It was a young woman by the sound of it. Certainly not the voice of the horrible Bone Reaver or one of the hellish Gales that Graydon had imagined was following them with the intention of eviscerating them and tearing them limb from limb.

Cautiously, he finally peeked around the tree to see that the others had already all jumped out to attack their stalker, only to stop short seeing a thin young woman with pale skin and light hair that he assumed was blonde. She was wrapped in a knitted shawl as dark as the trees around them… so, possibly green? - though he’d never been able to tell ‘colours’ apart very well when they were a similar shade of grey. She also wore a scowl as Princess Kit scoffed as they approached. Even then, he found that the girl was… pretty.

“Uh-uh. Absolutely not,” Kit scoffed. Clearly, she knew who this was.

“I want to help rescue the prince!” the girl argued.

“Tough. Go home.”

She scowled at the princess, and Graydon couldn’t help but smile, seeing someone who was clearly one of her subjects standing up to her like that. No one at home would dare treat him like that openly, even if he knew they did behind his back.

“You don’t understand!” she continued. “We’re in love.”

Oh.

So, she was in love with Prince Arik? …Of course, she was. The prince was handsome and charming, and any person could easily fall for him. He’d seen several women and men swooning over him while he flirted with them at dinner the night before.

...Not that it mattered that she loved Prince Arik anyway. It’s not like it mattered to him. He was engaged, after all.

“…I don’t know how to break it to you,” Jade said delicately, “but Arik’s been in love with quite a fe-”

“Not like this!” she cut her off passionately. “Not like us!” She was met by a lot of rolled eyes from some of the people who knew Arik well. She sighed in frustration. “You think I’m a fool. Fine, I don’t care! What we have comes around once, maybe – if you’re lucky. And there is nothing we wouldn’t do for each other!”

Graydon blinked in surprise hearing the girl’s impassioned speech. He could only imagine what it would be like to have someone love him that much. Someone who loved him so much that they braved unknown perils and most probable certain death to get him back. His chest burned sickly as he thought of Arik flirting with the courtiers last night. Did he even know what a treasure he had?

“Have you ever been in a fight?” Kit asked the girl, her frustration barely hidden.

“You mean, like… verbally?” He couldn’t help but smile at the response. It was funny and adorable. Though, the snickers from the others he knew were making fun of her.

“I mean, like, defending yourself against someone who wants to hurt you.”

“No,” she said. “Have you?” He couldn’t help letting out a low ‘Oooh!’ under his breath as he finally moved out from behind the tree, watching as the fair woman verbally sparred with the others below him. Everyone seemed stunned by the response. “I can do other stuff,” she continued, turning imploringly towards Jade, Boorman and General Kase. “Whatever you need - tend horses. Somebody’s gotta cook, right?”

“Are you any good?” Boorman asked, perking up at the mention of food.

“I’m phenomenal!”

This time he grinned. She certainly was confident. He wished he could be as confident and passionate as she was.

“She’s not coming with us, Boorman,” Kit groused.

“You heard the Princess,” Kase told the girl as he led his horse. “You’re going back to Tir Asleen at first light.”

Kit turned to look at him sharply. “What?!”

“What? It will be dark soon. She can go back in the morning.”

From the sheepish look on the General’s face, Graydon could tell he wanted to keep her around for the night so he could get a good meal. And if General Kase was willing to keep her around for her cooking after all the warnings he’d given them about safety, then she must be as good as she said. He could do with a nice meal himself, and he certainly wasn’t against her staying with them longer. She seemed nice.

Before Kit could argue any further – something he was quickly tiring of – he took a step forward to the top of the hill and finally drew attention to himself.

“So, what can you cook out here?” he asked the girl.

She turned sharply to look at him, surprised having forgotten there was another in their party, and his breath caught in this chest. He had thought that her voice was lovely, and her delicate features were beautiful… but that was nothing compared to her luminous eyes. Her brilliant eyes locked with his, and after a second they blew wide. He found himself doing the same, his mouth falling open as he was suddenly overwhelmed by an assault to his senses, the world around him bursting into intense vibrancy. The shades of grey he’d known his entire life being chased away by what he could only assume was colour. It was so much all at once, almost giving him a headache, and he looked about wildly to take it all in. He saw the colour of the sky above them, something he’d always been told was blue, and the green of the trees – indeed the colour of the girl’s shawl. He didn’t yet have a name for the shocking colour of Jade’s hair, unlike anything else around them.

Amongst all the new mess of colours, the girl stood out like a bright, fair beacon, looking about as frantically as he was before their eyes locked once more. Their stunning blue colour, the first he’d ever seen…

“…Oh shit!” she gasped.

“What, did you forget your ‘magic’ muffins in the oven?” Kit scoffed.

They both ignored her. “Oh shit,” he echoed the girl.

No, not ‘the girl’.

His soulmate.

“Ah… what’s going on? You two having a staring contest?” Boorman asked looking between them before getting a look of realisation. “Ohh… I see, you have a thing for princes, don’t you girlie? We got a bit of a… ex-lovers reunion going on, don’t we?”

“Wh-what? No!” she protested. Graydon wanted to protest as well, but he was too stunned to talk. “He- I- It- …I’m going to forage some ingredients!”

“Hey! You’re not staying!” Kit shouted as his soulmate fled into the treeline in the other direction to him. “Ugh. She’s going to get killed out there.”

“Shut up and kill me a possum, Princess!” she shouted back. Kit scowled, muttering something under her breath and Jade was attempting to hide a smile.

Graydon looked about at the others, the bright colours of their clothing and the overwhelming green of the forest making him dizzy. This was why he wore dark clothing. You didn’t have to deal with colours when everything was dark. Not that he’d ever had to deal with colours until just now.

“I… I’ll get some firewood,” he stuttered. “You need fire to cook, right? Yeah. Firewood. Cooking. Firewood… Cooking…”

Muttering as his mind swirled with chaos, he turned and wandered aimlessly into the trees behind him.

“Well, that was weird,” he heard Boorman say.

It was ten minutes later that Graydon realised he hadn’t even looked at the ground, let alone picked up a twig for kindling… And he might be a little lost.

…Which way was the clearing?

And hour later, Graydon lazed on the grass, close to a crackling fire, sheltered by a makeshift ‘tent’ he’d made with two large sticks and his coat. His soulmate sat not far off, working over a cast iron pot at the edge of the fire. The stew she was preparing smelled amazing already, but… She hadn’t said anything to him since she’d gotten back, and he’d been too nervous to do the same. She had barely even looked at him.

Overwhelmed by the colours he wasn’t used to seeing and incredibly anxious about the entire idea that his soulmate – his soulmate! – sat mere feet from him, he had pulled out his flute in an attempt to ease his mind. The high, reedy notes drifted peacefully through the air for a few wonderful moments. Until…

“Seriously? You brought a flute?” Kit scoffed.

“Yeah, was that not a good idea?” he asked, annoyance and anxiety mixing together. “My nan believed that music was a balm for the soul. So...” He wasn’t entirely sure why he was always explaining why he did the things he did, why he felt the need to justify every action he took. But he always had. This was something important to him. He was sort of moments away from a panic attack to be honest, and he needed the calming sound of his music. He needed the distraction of focusing on the notes he was playing. How could something as innocuous as music annoy the princess? Gods, was there anything she enjoyed? He could understand that she was stressed about her brother’s kidnap, but it felt like she had been in a perpetual state of irritation since they’d met.

“This is not some jaunt or your chance to see the world,” she snapped. “It's dangerous. And those things that took Airk, they're not just gonna give him back!” There was silence for a moment, and she looked over to Boorman for help. “Hey, tell him.” She pointed towards him.

Boorman turned his head to the side and spat out the stick of blackroot he’d been chewing on. “Well, you're all so naive, it's- it’s adorable,” he told her. Kit turned away, offended by the accusation. “What? You've never known pain, fear, hunger…” Graydon’s stomach twisted. He did know those feelings… all too well. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone. Despite the fact he was a prince… No, not despite – because he was a prince of Galladoorn, he knew just what it was like to live in pain and fear, and yes, even hunger. But not how Boorman was thinking of it. “Out there, it won't matter who your parents are, or what you think you deserve. ‘Cause the world is bigger than you could possibly imagine... It doesn't give a damn about any of you.”

“Possum stew?” his soulmate said sweetly, cutting off anything else Boorman had been about to say. He leaned forward eagerly, not just to watch Boorman’s reaction, but to observe his soulmate more. Living at court, he knew well the art of distraction, so he could recognise she was preventing him from upsetting them with his words. It was very diplomatic, and incredibly sweet of her. He could tell she was a very compassionate woman, and despite only being a kitchen maid, it seemed she had picked up a few tricks living in the castle.

Oh, gods. His father would never allow him to marry a kitchen maid! …But screw it! She was his soulmate. Surely his father would understand that. And if he couldn’t… well… Well, he’d just have to stay with her. Leave Galladoorn and forsake his crown. Certainly, his father would prefer he marry a servant over losing his last and only heir… Maybe it would overcome his insistence to use him to gain an heir to Tir Asleen…

He shook his head. That didn’t matter away. He was set to be married to Kit, and his soulmate was already in love… He wasn’t about to stand in the way of her happiness. They’d only just met…

“Wow!” Boorman exclaimed after taking his first mouthful of the stew. It was clear he was impressed.

“Phenomenal,” she whispered at him smugly, nodding to him. She knew she was good, and proud to have proved it to him. His heart fluttered in his chest, his gut twisting in a way that was more pleasant than what he was used to.

She went back to the pot, filling up a bunch of bowls and handing them out to everyone in turn. When she handed him one, he was all too aware that their fingers gazed as she handed him the bowl – the first time they’d ever touched, and he thanked her with a gentle voice, earning a nervous smile in response. Once everyone had their bowls and was happily slurping away, she grabbed a bowl for herself and settled down across the fire from him. Sure, it was near where she had been cooking, but he couldn’t help but notice it was as far away from him as she could get… but it was also directly in sight of him.

As soon as conversation started up, Kit stood and went and sat on a log not too far away, leaving her bowl of stew behind. Boorman immediately went to reach for it, only to be swatted away by Jade.

As he ate, he watched his soulmate look over at Kit, unable to read the emotions there. It was clear they had some kind of history, considering she was in a relationship with the princess’s twin. And from the way Kit treated her and reacted to her, and the annoyed yet melancholy way his soulmate gazed at her, he didn’t think it was a good one. Eventually, his soulmate’s gaze moved past his… fiancée, further out to the shimmering haze of magic on the horizon.

“I know this is a silly question…” she said eventually, “but what is the Barrier, actually?”

“It's a force field,” Jade informed her before he could even open his mouth to explain. “Forged by Raziel and Cherlindrea to protect the realm. It was a refuge for those who wanted a life that was more than just survival.” She hesitated a moment, looking as if she was going to say something else. She leaned back, sniffing and clearing her throat to get rid of the tears he hadn’t noticed had welled in her eyes. “My, um, family was headed to the Mothers' Gate when we were attacked. I was the only one who survived.”

“That's... depressing,” Boorman said, “but not why they built the Barrier.”

Graydon’s attention was drawn by movement, and he noticed Kit coming back over to the group, placing a comforting hand on her protector’s shoulder and sitting beside her. It was clear the woman was more than just her guard. They were friends.

“He's right,” Kase told them. “It wasn't built to protect the realm, it was built for Elora Danan.”

“What happened to her?” his soulmate asked.

Graydon looked down, for once not wanting to eagerly share his knowledge. He had a few theories. His father certainly had one to, similar to what he believed to be true, but very different in conclusion. They both believed that Queen Sorcha and her husband had taken Elora Danan back to Tir Asleen, disguised her, given her a new name, and raised her there under their protection, unknown to the rest of the world. But while he believed the Queen had kept her close in the castle, but not too close as to put her in a position someone could suspect who she truly was, his father believed they had raised her as one of their own. After all, it’s only natural to protect one’s child (or so he’d been told, even though he hadn’t experienced much of that), and what better way to prepare the empress for her duties without causing problems in the matter of succession. His father believed they had disguised Elora Danan as their own daughter… Kit. It was why he was forcing him to marry her. Kit and Arik could be asked to stand down at any point when Elora Danan returned. But if Kit was Elora, being her husband would make him consort to the empress, exactly what his father wanted…

But he didn’t think his father was right. Kit wasn’t Elora. He knew she wasn’t. He didn’t know how he did, but he was certain of it.

“People say she's dead,” Jade said, a wide smile growing as if telling her favourite bedtime story. “But the prophecy says that one day she'll return and unite the world against forces of darkness.” She gave a small chuckle before her smile fell and she threw away the balled-up bit of grass she’d been fidgeting with. “Truth is, no one actually knows.”

“My mother knows,” Kit said with certainty, staring into the fire blankly.  He looked over at her, wondering if she had any idea… Hoping his father hadn’t been right, despite the certainty he felt that he was wrong. “Pretty sure my father knew too. I think he snuck her out of the castle one night and took her somewhere far away where nobody would find her. And then… stayed with her.” She let out a breath, the subject clearly something that upset her. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like for your father to just leave one day and never come back…

…He imagined he would have found it a relief…

“That what you really think or what you wanna believe?” Boorman asked her.

“Why would I want to believe that he chose her instead of us?”

“I don't know,” Boorman said with his usual almost sarcastic tone, reaching over for his blade and hugging it to his chest. “Maybe 'cause, you know, sometimes it's easier to hate them.”

With the blade cuddled into him, he grunted as he lay back, shifting about to get comfortable. And at the sound of a soft snore, they realised Kase had already drifted off. The rest of them all silently agreed to follow suit, getting comfortable to rest for the night, Jade quietly saying she’d take first watch and wake Boorman up later. His soulmate had giggled and said he wouldn’t like that, earning a drowsy ‘I’ll kill you if you do’ from the man in question. And his assurances that they were safe within the barrier allowed the bright-haired woman to lay down beside the princess and drift off too.

It was hard to get to sleep. Partly because he was used to soft feather beds, not hard damp grounds. He’d tried to avoid joining his father’s hunting parties as often as he could, but even when he couldn’t, they had at least brought tents and sleeping pallets. But he was also far too aware of the woman sleeping across from him. His soulmate so close, yet so far away, staring off into the night at the shimmering barrier… probably thinking of her prince. The prince that wasn’t him.

He knew that he should talk to her. Everyone else being asleep would mean that they would have some privacy. He didn’t want his soulmate to think he was avoiding her. But the idea she was thinking about someone else right now kept him where he was, mouth shut, laying on the hard ground and looking up at the bright pricks of starlight.

He started searching the sky, finding every constellation he could, just like he and his mother had when he was young and couldn’t sleep because of the nightmares. And soon, his eyes grew heavier, the stars becoming harder to find, and thoughts slowing to a stop as he drifted to sleep.

He woke the next morning to the incessant sound of chirping birds who were awake far too early and the quiet whispers of voices around him.

“The kitchen maid?” Jade was asking someone in a hushed voice.

The kitchen maid? …his soulmate?

“She's gone,” Boorman responded quietly. “When I woke up. Yeah, one night of sleeping on the hard ground will cure anyone of their romantic fantasies.”

His sleep-hazed mind played the interaction around on repeat, trying to make sense of the words, an ache growing deep in his chest. As he became fully alert, that ache paralysed him so all he could do was lay there.

She was gone?

She wasn’t here anymore?

She had left while they were asleep?

“Maybe she kept going?” Jade suggested.

“Nah, unless she found the gate. She won't get across that gorge,” Boorman said.

Graydon’s breath caught in his chest.

His soulmate had packed up and left in the middle of the night. And from what little he knew of her, he knew she had not gone back to Tir Asleen. If she was going to head back home, surely she would have stuck around and made breakfast so she could try to convince the others to let her come along. But the fact that she had gathered all her things and quietly snuck off while they were all asleep meant she didn’t want them to stop her. Which meant she was pressing on… Alone. Into dangerous territory with Bone Reavers and Gales and bandits and marauders who could kill her and worse. And that was if she could get across the gorge… which she seemed stubborn enough to try.

What if something happened to her? Fuck, and he would know if something did. What if on the way to the Mother’s Gate his new colours suddenly dimmed? What if she died out there and he didn’t even have the chance to ask his soulmate her name before he lost her?

Oh no.

Fuck.

…He was going to be sick.

“Ah… Graydon, you okay there?” Jade asked, her voice quiet but concerned. He opened his eyes and looked over to see her leaning over and peering at him in worry. “You’re kind of… hyperventilating…”

“What? Oh, yeah. No, um… I-I get nightmares,” he told her, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. It wasn’t exactly a lie, since he did still suffer from terrible nightmares most nights that made him wake up already having a panic attack, or with anxiety ticks like hyperventilating or trembling hands. But that wasn’t what had him panicking right now.

And he couldn’t exactly tell her the real reason why. It didn’t feel right…

He groaned to try and clear away the remains of sleep and the panic attack that Jade had unknowingly halted when his focus shifted to pretending to be normal and okay for those around him. It was rare that worked, so he was glad it did this time, his need to pretend outweighing the anxiety. The kind guard was nodding in understanding, sitting back to give him some space. And he found his eyes drifting over and settling on the empty patch of ground his soulmate had chosen to settle down on last night.

Whether she had gone back or pressed on… she had not even spoken to him before she left. He hadn’t even managed to ask her name… And that made the still lingering ache in his chest grow stronger.

He should have taken his chance and spoken to her last night…

“She left in the night,” Jade told him, unaware he’d heard them before. “We think she’s gone back to the castle.”

He looked over at her. “With the way she spoke about Arik yesterday, you really think she snuck away in the dead of night to go home?”

After a moment, Jade shook her head. “No… She’s stubborn and dedicated when her mind is set. She’s gone after Arik by herself… I’m just hoping she gives up and goes home if she can’t find the Mother’s Gate.”

“If she does find it, I bet you she’s charming the guards with food,” he joked in an attempt to lighten his mood. He could practically picture it already. His soulmate cooking up some lovely meal and serving it to the guards while sweetly and passionately pleading her case.

There was a groan from the ground beside them. “Whose got food?” Kit mumbled, groggily dragging herself up.

“No one, Kit.”

“Mmm…” Kit smacked her lips, blinking hard a few times to wake up properly and looked about. “Speaking of food, where’s muffin girl?”

“Already gone,” Boorman told her.

“Oh, good. Kind of. Would have been nice for some breakfast before she left.” She paused when she realised what she said. “…Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Your secrets safe with me, Princess,” Jade said in amusement.

“Not with me,” Boorman countered, his delivery flat and serious, but his eyes shining with mirth.

“What have you got against her anyway?” Graydon said, the words leaving his mouth before he’d even processed them. Kit looked at him in surprise.

“Nothing… I don’t…”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “You could have fooled me. I know you’ve got your own… thing going on right now. You’re worried and stressed, and you have every right to be, but you didn’t need to take it out on her. She was just trying to help.”

“I didn’t take it out on her,” she protested. “She just didn’t need to be here. She’d just get in the way.”

“Sure,” he said, unconvincingly.

“What, you think she should come with us?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. She’d probably be more useful than I’ll be. And at least she wants to come and help, we all know I’m only here because my father forced me to. I’m not good at this sort of stuff. As far as I could tell, she was.”

“Shows what you know,” Kit muttered quietly, but Boorman’s snicker was louder.

“You sound like you admire her.”

“She seemed nice,” he said simply, turning to start packing his belongings in hopes of stopping the conversation there.

“Did she now?” he went on, his voice heavy with suggestion and amusement.

He turned back, roughly jamming a tunic back into his bag. “Oh, for the gods s- We only met yesterday, Boorman!”

“Oh yeah, sure. Because staring at each other in shock, then fleeing in opposite directions into the woods and ignoring but glancing surreptitiously at each other all night is totally normal first meeting behaviour.”

“Look, would you just drop it? I never met her before yesterday, and that’s the truth. I don’t even know her name… When would I have had the chance to meet her? I’ve never even left Galladoorn until we came to Tir Asleen!”

“Mmm, he’s right,” Kit agreed, surprising him. “She’s never left Tir Asleen. She’s been at Prunella’s heels as long as I can remember. Until she decided to cling to my brother like a baby possum to its mother.”

Boorman paused and looked at her oddly. “Are you jealous that she’s spending time with your brother?”

“What? No!” she scoffed, looking about in a familiar way he knew meant she was looking for a distraction. Her eyes landed on Kase, who had wrapped himself in his twilight-sky cloak and rolled over so many times he was practically swaddled in it. “How has he slept through all of this? He looks like he’s in a giant blue cocoon.” Oh, so it was blue. It must just be a darker shade. Wait… As she went over and shook him awake, Graydon’s brow furrowed as he realised she had just said the colour of the cloak. …Kit could see colours? He looked over at the others to see Boorman wearing a similar expression of surprise as him, but Jade hadn’t even blinked. “Kase,” Kit said as she jostled the older man. “Hey, Kase. Wake up, we’re getting ready to go.”

“What? Oh… yes…” He blinked blearily at them, then rolled back over. “Five more minutes…” he mumbled. The four of them looked from the drowsy general, then at each other in varying degrees of annoyance, bafflement and amusement.

…This quest was out to a great start.

Graydon sighed heavily as he walked, tilting his head back and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face as it slowly dried his uncomfortable, wet clothing. He was trying to decide if the day had been more chaotic than the day before.

Yesterday, Prince Arik had been kidnapped by the Gales, he’d been forced to go on a quest to save the prince, and he had met the prince’s girlfriend only to discover she was his soulmate.

Today he had woken to find his soulmate had left in the night, discovered the Mother’s Gate was deserted and a warning in Pnakotic written on the wall in what he was refusing to admit was probably the blood of the missing guards, an earthquake had struck as he’d read the warning – which somehow felt connected – an odd sensation making his skin prickle, they had found his soulmate again walking across the planes, and Kase had been killed by Bone Reavers who had then pursued them right off the edge of a cliff!

Thankfully there had been a lake bellow the cliff with a deep, sharp drop-off right where they had landed. Also thankfully, the drop-off wasn’t too large. They had landed in the safest spot and been able to quickly get to shallower waters. Because he was admittedly not the strongest swimmer, and his coat had weighed him down too much to keep swimming long. Honestly… he might not have made it if he wasn’t still clinging to his horse’s reins. The wet clothing was uncomfortable, but it was preferable to dying, so maybe he wasn’t as cursed as he’d always thought. Also, as luck would have it, the lake they had come out of was fed by the River Freen. So, it was just a matter of following the river to the Nelwyn village so they could meet with the great sorcerer, Willow.

He was a bit nervous about meeting Willow. He’d heard so many stories of him growing up and had studied as much of the battle of Nockmaar as he could. As a child he had been fascinated by the idea of magic, though he knew there were no more sorcerers left in the world. He had still wanted to learn anyway, but it had been his possession that had truly driven him to studying magic. Mostly Pnakotic, in an attempt to understand what had happened to him and prevent it from ever happening again. A part of him hoped that he could ask Willow to teach him. He knew the theory of magic… at least of dark magic, as he’d found quite a few resources hidden away in the Galladoorn royal library. But he didn’t yet know how to channel it and make it work… He’d been too scared to even try. Especially since he knew better than to trust the magic in the books he studied. But Willow was one of the two great sorcerers who had defeated Bavmorda. He would be able to teach him better magic, kinder magic… If he accepted him as an apprentice… If he even had the aptitude for it.

The other reason he’d never tried to do magic, other than the fear of doing something terrible with dark magic, was that he didn’t want to give it a go and discover he was unable. He had spent his childhood playing at being a sorcerer, pretending to cast spells and fight battles against Bavmorda and her forces. But he’d always been told to stop being silly, that he was no sorcerer, and to put the fantasies aside. Even his older brother, whom he adored and looked up to, who was always kind to him and encouraged him in everything he did, told him that he ‘just couldn’t do magic’. And the thought that they were right was worse than the thought of never knowing.

…But he was going to try anyway. He had been focusing on how he could ask Willow to train him, practicing what he was going to say. Because it was better than focusing on the girl that kept slipping into his thoughts when he let his mind wander. As they began walking, she had fallen in step with Jade ahead of him. He had tried to move up and join her, but the so-called ‘knowing look’ Boorman had given him made him fall back again.

He wanted to talk to her… But not with these three listening to him so intently.

Instead, he had fallen to the back of the group alongside his fiancée where they had walked in silence for a few hours, both consumed by their own thoughts.

“I wanted to say, um…” Kit suddenly spoke, drawing his attention. “I'm sorry... About the way I behaved.” He blinked, surprised by the sincere apology, and looked down to hide his reaction. His expressions didn’t always match what he was feeling, and it always made his father angry. He didn’t want to make Kit angry, especially not since she was being nice and apologising to him… and especially because it took him a moment to realise that she was apologising about the way she’d acted at their engagement dinner. “It was... I was very childish. And...”

“No, it's okay, he told her quickly, showing her mercy so she didn’t have to force out the painfully awkward apology. “I- I can understand not wanting to marry someone that you barely know. I wasn't happy about it either.”

“You weren't?”

“I mean, you're...” He couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that escaped him. “You're a very pretty person, but, uh... I just think you should be in love with someone before you commit to spending the rest of your life with them, right? Or- or, you know… better yet, find your soulmate. You- you do have a soulmate, right?” he asked. “I heard you mention colours very accurately this morning.”

Kit looked down to try and hide a small smile, very unsuccessfully. “Yeah. Um… We met when we were kids. What about you? If you could tell that I was mentioning colours ‘very accurately’, then you must be able to see them too.”

“Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s… fairly new. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to her about it yet. It’s like… our eyes met, we awkwardly danced around each other… and then things got really hectic.”

That was an understatement. The last day had been one thing after another, and he was leaning towards it being the more chaotic of the two. He really should have taken his chance to talk to her at the fire last night. Come up with some excuse to pull her away from the group so no one could hear and have a talk. He still didn’t actually know her name, for crying out loud! But the biggest issue that had made him so hesitant, it seemed, was still a factor. They wouldn’t have found her still travelling out past the barrier if it wasn’t.

His soulmate was in love with his betrothed’s twin brother.

Kit sighed in amusement, rolling her eyes. “So, we both have soulmates we’d rather be with, but are stuck with each other… We could marry for appearances. You know, say the words and all, but be with the one we love in secret.”

He shook his head, trying to push down bitter memories. “No… No, I couldn’t… Sorry, I just… can’t do that. I’ve seen what my father has put my mother through with his mistresses. Even if it was something we agreed to, I don’t think I could do that to you. And rumours always spread. If word got out, it could put you in danger if you got pregnant and the parentage was called into question.”

She scoffed. “Trust me, that won’t be a problem.”

“Besides, like I said, I think you should be in love with someone before you marry them.” He wasn’t in love with his soulmate… Not yet. But he could easily see how he could. He even thought he might be on the way there already. Even before he knew she was his soulmate, before their eyes had locked and their worlds burst into colour, he had admired her. He had felt a surge of jealousy towards Prince Arik for having her love. He had always tried to ignore emotions like jealousy, scared it would feed the entity that had once (and possibly still did) possessed him, and make it surface once more. But he couldn’t deny what he’d felt in that moment. Just as he couldn’t deny he thought his soulmate was beautiful and sweet and funny. She was adorable, and he wanted to spend all his time around her… But she still refused to look at him. Too aware of what they were, and likely conflicted over being in love with someone else. He understood… but it still stung.

But his feelings aside, he knew in his heart he could never go through with an arranged marriage. It was only the threats from his father that had made him go to Tir Asleen at all. His mother and father had been in an arranged marriage, his mother once a princess of Chashmere. He knew that they weren’t soulmates because his father still only saw the world in shades of grey, while he’d come to realise that his mother could see in colour. And while his mother had assured him that they grew to love one another, the things he’d seen and heard his entire life told another story. His father’s blatant affairs, his mother’s secret letters to her soulmate… He did not want to end up like his parents.

“And what about our responsibility to unite the realm?” Kit asked, drawing him back to their conversation.

He thought about that one a moment before hesitantly voicing an idea he’d been too afraid to tell anyone for years. “One day you and I are gonna be in charge. And when that day comes, we don't have to do things the way our parents did.”

He looked over at her with a reassuring smile, happy to see that she was smiling at him in return. She must like the idea. And who knew, maybe they could come up with a plan and stall the engagement when they got back. Even if it was just long enough for one of them to be put in charge.

…Okay, that was horrible, he was considering their parent’s demise. Those were bad thoughts, and he knew they were his own. Nothing had put the idea in his head or played on his negative emotions to cultivate it. Gods, what kind of person was he? Maybe he really was as evil as his father said…

But he knew he could never hurt his mother or Queen Sorcha… He wasn’t entirely sure how he would react to his father’s death, but he knew he could never bare to be the cause of it. He had already killed one family member. He couldn’t kill another.

He shook his head, willing his thoughts to move away from the morbid subject. They had time to figure this out… if they made it back alive.

Once more, he looked up ahead, his eyes instantly drawn to the bright, fair hair of his soulmate. She looked luminous in the sunlight, even more so as she smiled and laughed as she talked to Jade. Seeing her so happy made his heart flutter in his chest, and he quickly looked over at the princess’s protector instead to stop that train of thought in its tracks. She was happily chatting away too, glowing in the sun in that rich colour he didn’t have a name for yet.

“…Hey, can I ask you a question?” he said to Kit suddenly.

“Sure.”

“What, um… What colour is Jade’s hair?”

Kit looked at him incredulously, her mouth popping open in shock. “Ohhhh, it’s that new of a thing!”

He looked down uncomfortably, and she bumped into his shoulder with a comforting smile. The gesture gave him the courage to continue, a smile returning to his face. “Yeah… and I haven’t really told anyone… Except you, now. So far, I’m just kind of guessing colours based off what I’ve heard. You know, sky, grass, trees. I didn’t even know Kase’s cloak was blue until you said it because it wasn’t the colour of the sky.” He looked up at the sky above them, the usual bright blue he had immediately associated as the colour blue. “But I swear I’ve seen the sky be twenty different colours already.”

“Yeah, that stage is super confusing. You never know just how many shades there are until someone explains them to you. And to start with you don’t know if something is a different colour or just a different shade. And that’s without considering the in-between hues. Like, you know how trees are green, right?” He nodded, despite it being rhetorical. “Well, so is that.” She pointed to a rolled-up bundle of fabric on the back of Boorman’s horse. It was definitely not the colour of the trees.

He squinted at the blanket, not understanding what she meant. “Wait, what?”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know, right? It’s a shade of green that’s a little closer to blue. So, it’s like someone mixed the sky and the grass together. There’s heaps of in-between colours that you’ve probably heard the names of, but have zero concept of. Colours are confusing, like… So, you asked what Jade’s hair colour is, right?” He nodded in confirmation. “People call it ‘red’, but it’s not quite red. Not really.”

“So… her hair isn’t the colour of blood?”

“Dude, you haven’t seen blood yet?” she said, taken aback. Her brow furrowed. “How new is this for you?”

His eyes widened. They were both all too aware that he would have seen plenty of blood the night the Gales took Arik. Which had only been the other night.

“Ah… What colour is it, then?” he asked, his voice going up an octave.

Kit chuckled at his obvious deflection, the most genuine smile he’d seen from her so far. “No, her hair is not the colour of blood. Her shirt is closer to the colour of blood than her hair is. That is usually what people mean when they say red. But ‘red-head’ is a little closer to orange… like your blanket back there. But it’s not the colour of the fruit, the fruit is a brighter version. Her hair is a deeper shade. Some call it ‘ginger’… But that is not what colour ginger root is.”

His brows furrowed as he struggled to take that in. “Right… Sure. Not confusing at all.”

Kit laughed so loudly, their companions all turned back to look.

It wasn’t too long later that the woods began to grow up along their side of the river, and they began to see remnants of man-made structures. They were in some kind of village, or at least… what remained of one anyway…

Gods, he hoped it wasn’t the Newlyn village they were looking for.

“Where is everybody?” Jade asked, looking about as they tethered the horses. Everyone looked concerned, probably thinking the same as him. But just when he was about to start panicking that something bad had happened to the legendary Willow Ulfgood, he heard a new voice fill the clearing.

“Oh, Daikini,” he groaned. “Terrific. Just what I needed.”

They all whirled around to see a Nelwyn standing by one of the structures. It was a fusion of natural and man-made, skeletal branches trained around the worked wood of a dilapidated dwelling, covered in overgrowth as nature reclaimed it. Two moss-covered doors of crafted wood stood open, showing the dwelling no longer had a back, making it appear more like a gate.

Finally seeing another living being who wasn’t trying to kill them right away, the group moved towards the man.

“What happened here?” Jade asked him.

“Plenty,” he replied, taking a step towards them so they wouldn’t get too near the gate. “And if you're not careful, it will happen to you too.” Graydon was all too aware of the man’s hands resting on the hilt of two daggers at his side.

“We're looking for the sorcerer, Willow,” Kit told him, ignoring the warning.

“Congratulations. You found him.” He gestured to himself, his hands never leaving the dagger hilts.

“You're Willow?” Boorman asked, sounding somewhat disbelieving.

“Yep, that's me. Willooowww.” Graydon pulled a face, taken aback by the strange way he’d said the name. No one said their own name like that, especially not so mockingly. This man was not what he’d expect when meeting the great Willow Ulfgood. And if this was really Willow, why was he armed with daggers when he could easily do any number of things to them with magic without even getting close? “But I'm out of the sorcery business now. I've retired. So, jog on.” He finally let one dagger go to gesture them away. Yeah, Graydon didn’t believe a word of it. It was clear he was just trying to get rid of them.

“My name is Kit Tanthalos,” she said, stepping forward, trying to convince the Nelwyn to hear them out. “My mother is Sorsha. She sent me here to come find you. She told me that once long ago, you stood together against the forces of evil and defeated them. The world needs you again. It needs your magic.”

The Nelwyn stood there, silently measuring her words, until another voice spoke up from somewhere behind the structure.

“It's okay,” the voice said. “She is who she claims to be.”

“How do you know?” the Nelwyn asked back towards the voice.

“I read her mind,” came the reply. And then he stepped out from the gate and towards his friend. A Nelwyn with a wide grin and a staff taller than he was. A magical one, Graydon guessed by the large blue-ish crystal encased in the top. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that this was the real Willow Ulfgood. Willow let out a good-natured chuckle. “Kidding! Had you though, didn't I? I didn't read your mind. It's just…” He looked fondly Kit. “You remind me of your mother.”

“My brother, Airk, was taken by-”

“The Gales,” he said, already knowing what Kit would say. Queen Sorcha had been right. He was expecting them.

“The what?” Jade asked.

Willow continued to address Kit as he filled them all in on the parts they didn’t know. Well, what most of them didn’t know. Graydon was ashamed to admit that he knew more than he let on, but admitting he could understand Pnakotic was not something he did easily. And there was no way he could tell them how he’d hid in his room that night when he heard the whispers commanding the Gales to ‘get the prince’. He hadn’t even thought about Arik, he’d thought they’d come for him. After all, he was the prince that had been touched by darkness so deeply it scarred more than just his skin. Nor could he tell them where he’d heard the Gales say to take Arik without giving away the shameful secret his father demanded he keep. The secret he’d stupidly given away by reading the warning on the wall.

“Your brother's alive,” Willow said. “A prisoner of The Withered Crone, who dwells in the Immemorial City that lies beyond the Shattered Sea. The four who came to Tir Asleen are her servants.”

“I'm sorry, did you say, ‘beyond the Shattered Sea’?” Boorman asked, a hint of worry in his tone. Willow nodded and Boorman immediately turned around to leave. “Okay.”

“What?” Kit asked him.

“Princess, I've travelled all across the world, met some real magical marvins, but I never met anyone who crossed the Shattered Sea. That's where all the maps end.”

Graydon already knew this setting out. He’d even tried to explain it to his father in hopes that he’d see just how perilous it was to send him on this quest. But, as usual, he’d been given no choice in the matter, sent on his way with the encouragement of a dozen terrible threats and a list of atrocities his father asked him to commit that he immediately decided he’d do none of. It had genuinely made him wonder if his father had sent him on this quest in hopes he wouldn’t return. It would certainly give him an excuse to start a war with Tir Asleen, if he could blame them for the death of his only heir… But surely even King Zivian Hastur wasn’t that cruel…

“And that's where we must go,” Willow told them. “Beyond the edge of our world, into the unknown. It's the only way to...” His eyes widened. “-to...”

He faded out, distracted by something he’d seen behind them, and they all turned to see what he was looking at. Willow was looking at his soulmate, who lingered at the back of the group. Also wondering what he was looking at, she turned to look behind her, and then back again when she realised there was nothing there and that they were all looking at her. A look of panic spread over her face, and Graydon felt his heart speed up. Why was Willow Ulfgood walking over to his soulmate? Did he know her? Had he seen something about her? Graydon knew from experience that there was something about her, something he could never hope to name, that drew him to her, even before their eyes met and revealed their connection. But he thought that was perhaps him sensing their connection before it was realised. Or just her natural beauty and passion captivating him…

Still confused as to why, he watched Willow go over to his soulmate and stare at her a moment before stepping closer and pulling down one of her arm warmers

“What... What are you...” Her question died on her lips as he reached up and placed a hand on the crook of her arm, muttering an incantation, his staff glowing brightly, looking almost green like Boorman’s blanket. As he did, Graydon felt the energy of the spell well around them all, making him shift uncomfortably. It had been a long time since he’d been around real magic, and he’d forgotten how it felt under his skin. Not bad, just… overwhelming. He’d felt it earlier in the day during that earthquake too. It made his heart pound, and he tried not to panic at the feeling or worry over what the sorcerer was doing to his soulmate. Willow was good. He wouldn’t hurt her.

When the incantation was complete, the Nelwyn pulled his hand away to reveal a mark on her arm that had not been there a moment before. A mark of an all too familiar rune that had Graydon’s heart stopping in his chest.

It couldn’t be…

But despite all logic, his every instinct screamed that of course, it was. How could it be anything else? How could she be anyone else?

“You shouldn't be here,” Willow told her seriously before a fond smile touched his lips, “but it's so good to see you, Elora.”

“Did he just say...” Kit couldn’t get the name out. Everyone was too shocked, their eyes wide as they looked at one another. But Graydon couldn’t take his eyes off his soulmate – off Elora.

“No, you've made a mistake,” she stuttered. “That's not... I'm not... I'm nobody!”

The insistence made something surge up in him, something protective that made him want to tell her it wasn’t true. That she was someone. Someone incredible, someone passionate, someone sweet and kind, someone talented… someone important – to the world. To him.

But Willow spoke before he could break out of his stupor.

“You are Elora Danan, Last Blood of Kymeria, future Empress, High Priestess, Semprum Sorceress of the Nine Realms, and the world's last, best hope against the evil coming to destroy us all.”

“What?” she said dumbly, too stunned to say much more.

And Graydon completely understood why. It was a shock to find out something like that. He could only imagine what it would be like for her. It was already bewildering enough to know that his soulmate was…

It sounded impossible… and yet, somehow, it felt so right. Something inside him told him that yes, of course, she was. There wasn’t a doubt in his heart that Willow spoke the truth. It’s who she was all along and who he had been waiting to meet his entire life.

His soulmate was Elora Danan.

#Willow Wednesday #willow 2022 #willow series #willow #Graylora #elora danan #graydon hastur #graydon x elora #willow tv series #soulmate AU

[lavellenchanted]

in the twilight beyond the deep

Standing beneath the stars in the Shattered Sea, Elora opens up to Kit about her life in Tir Asleen.

(Or: an expansion on Elora and Kit's conversation in E7)

Read it on AO3

“I wanted to be brave . . . and loved. And to not be a princess.”

A laugh, one’s that soft, quiet, almost not there at all, is threaded through Kit’s voice.

And despite everything, despite the fear that’s been lying slick and cold in her stomach for days now – or maybe it’s weeks, or even months, time doesn’t really seem to mean much out here – and making her already frayed nerves stretch to breaking point, despite the doubt constantly whispering in the back of her mind and the anger that she tries her best to ignore but is buried too deeply beneath her skin to dislodge, despite the guilt that beats at her like a drum, Elora feels herself start to smile in response.

“It’s funny,” she says, staring up at the star-flecked sky, “I sort of did.”

Not long ago, Kit would have made fun of her for the admission – would have snorted and said something pointed and sarcastic meant to probe at her weak spots.

Now all she says is, “. . . yeah?”

There’s genuinely curiosity there, but restrained, respectful, opening a door and giving Elora the choice of whether or not she wants to walk through. It’s an attempt to make amends, and maybe it’s that, or maybe it’s just the fact that all Elora ever wanted was for someone to notice and to ask that she answers.

“Yeah. Not because I wanted to rule over everyone or cared that much about fancy clothes or jewels – although fancy clothes and jewels would be nice,” she adds, thinking about how long she’s been wearing the same dress and how the ends of skirts are now filthy and ragged and probably beyond repair. Honestly, if she had the choice, she would be incredibly tempted to give up all her magic for a hot bath and some clean clothes right now. “It’s just that . . . I guess when you’re sweeping floors and scrubbing pans, the life of a princess seems pretty great in comparison.”

She keeps her eyes on the sky as she talks. It’s like someone took a handful of diamond dust and threw it across silk that’s not quite black but more of a deep, inky bluish-purple. With the reflection of it all stretched out in the water at her feet, it surrounds her, makes her feel like she could fall into it and float forever.

It reminds her of being a child, slipping out of the servants quarters on clear summer nights to go and look at the skies. She would sit beneath a tree, huddled in a shawl, and imagine the world that lay outside Tir Asleen, wondering if somewhere out there she had parents or family. Maybe they had lost her and were looking for her, but would one day some riding into the city and know her instantly, and she would finally know who she was.

The idea that she might be Elora Danan had never, ever, crossed her mind.

“Whenever there banquets or balls I used to hide in the corridors to watch it all. All the dancing and the laughter. I wanted to be a part of it all.”

“I never saw you.”

Elora glances over her shoulder then, and her lips twist with amusement at the look of puzzlement on Kit’s face. “No one did. No one really pays attention to you when you’re a servant, unless you’ve done something wrong. You just kind of fade into the background.”

It’s not meant as recrimination, but guilt flashes in Kit’s eyes anyway.

“Was it . . . did you have a hard life?” She asks the question like she’s not sure she wants to know the answer.

Elora shrugs. “In some ways. It was hard work. The days were long – I was up before sunrise and didn’t go to bed until well after it was dark – and cooking for an entire palace is no joke. Neither’s cleaning up after them. And I didn’t have much money, or could do anything other than cook, really, so it wasn’t like I could dream of going somewhere else and starting a new life.”

Not that they would have let her leave, she realises now, a thought which nettles more than she likes. What would have happened if she had tried to go somewhere else? If she had wanted to be something other than a servant?

“But,” she continues, deliberately pulling herself away from questions that have no answers before they start circling in her mind. “I had a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, food to eat. A lot of people have it worse.”

Kit seems to mull this over for a few moments, her brow scrunching up in thought, then she takes a couple of steps towards Elora and asks in a very deliberately casual manner, “Did you . . . have friends? Or . . .” She falters, pauses, then finishes with sort of resigned sigh, “Anyone?”

Their gazes meet, and there’s a kind of pleading in Kit’s eyes, silently begging Elora to tell her she wasn’t completely alone.

But Elora hasn’t lied to Kit yet, and she’s not about to start now.

“Not really. I had Prunella, I guess, but she . . . she looked after me and taught me to cook, she was the closest thing I had to a parent, but she wasn’t motherly, exactly.” It isn’t that Prunella was cruel, far from it, but she had always kept a distance between them, one that Elora never understood until now. “I think she knew who I really am. She used to dye my hair every few months, but never told me why. It was just something I had to do, ever since I was little, and I never really questioned it. I hated it though. The smell always lingered. You think lemon and honey smells nice until it’s been hanging around for weeks.”

She wrinkles her nose in distaste, almost able to smell that cloying, citric sweetness now, even though she can see that the loose waves that have escaped her braid and are twisting about her face are a brilliant, vibrant red.

It’s so strange. Her reflection in the water is blurry but it’s the closest she’s got to seeing herself since she left Tir Asleen, and truthfully . . . she hardly recognises the face staring back at her any more.

“She watched me like a hawk. But sometimes I’d catch her looking at me while we were working, just out of the corner of my eye and it was like she was almost afraid of me.”

“What about friends your own age?”

“I didn’t really have any. I wasn’t allowed to play with other children that much, and then I guess I just got used to being alone.”

Looking back, knowing the truth, she can see it was probably about keeping her safe – they couldn’t have known if her magic would suddenly manifest or if anyone might come after her, so she was kept always with Prunella so she could be watched over. But at the time it had felt like being punished for something, only she didn’t know what she was being punished for.

Kit takes a breath and Elora’s a little surprised to realise they’re now standing side by side, gazing out into the darkness together.

“But you got close to Airk.”

It isn’t phrased as a question – Elora wonders if she realises how close it is to dancing along the lines of an accusation – but Kit gives her a sidelong, curious glance that invites her to keep talking.

“Yeah. I had gone to market when Prunella told me not to, and I was in so much trouble when she got back. I didn’t understand why she was so mad then, it was just the market! But she must have been scared that something had happened to me or someone had taken me.”

Elora shakes her head, unable to help some of her frustration bleeding into her voice. So much of her childhood and adolescence that had confused and angered her has begun making much more sense since Willow had revealed the truth.

Once, she thought knowing who she was would give her peace, help put to rest the questions that had always plagued her. It’s answered some of her questions, certainly, but in other ways she finds she’s more frustrated than ever – that this decision was made and that no one ever told her about it. Maybe were never going to tell her. But if they had . . . if they had, maybe she wouldn’t have spent so much time feeling lost. Maybe she would have mastered her magic long before now and been far more use to everyone.

Maybe she would be more prepared for what she knows is waiting for them.

“Anyway, I was upset and I had gone outside – there was this alcove in the wall near the kitchen door I’d go and sit it sometimes to be alone – and Airk was just walking by, but he noticed me crying and he stopped to ask what was wrong.”

The anger fades a little as she remembers the way she had jerked her head up in surprise and saw Airk standing there, looking down at her, green eyes soft with concern, the last afternoon light just catching the copper lights in his dark hair.  

Was it any wonder she’d caught her breath?

“He tried to offer me a handkerchief but then realised he didn’t carry one.” She smiles at the memory, and beside her Kit laughs.

“Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“So he said if he couldn’t dry my tears that way, he’d do it another way, and sat down beside me and told me bad jokes until I’d stopped crying and started laughing. He sat with me until I was ready to go back inside,” she continues. “Then he came to the kitchen the next day to check on me, and I baked him some muffins to say thank you. We started smiling and waving at each other when we passed in the corridors, and sometimes he’d stop and say hi and we’d talk. And soon we were spending every hour we could together.”

“. . . he was kind to you.” Kit echoes her own words back to her. Did they have the same touch of sadness when she said them?

Elora meets the princess’s gaze and offers a small, helpless shrug. “He saw me when no one else did.”

Although she doesn’t say it, she likes to think that she saw him too, or at least a part of him, that others hadn’t. Of course she had loved him. Loves him still.

. . .  doesn’t she?

It feels so distant now, those hours talking and laughing with him, feeling her heart skip a beat and butterflies in her stomach. Airk feels distant. She can barely remember what it was like to kiss him, even though at the time it felt like the whole world would melt away whenever she was with him.

When she’s training with Willow she tries to find the certainty she felt when set out after the rescue party, determined to do whatever she could to help her prince, but all she can seem to find is a yawning abyss of cold fear and doubt that wants to swallow her whole.

“I don’t know what your parents felt when they hid me away, and maybe they did do it because they cared about me as well as the world,” she says slowly. “But when I was with Airk, it was the first time in my life I ever really felt loved.”

Something that Elora can’t quite decipher flickers in Kit’s eyes, and a hesitant expression crosses her face, but then she squares her shoulders, looks Elora in the eye and says in a firm, clear voice, “I think they did love you. I think they still do. And I know that they –” She gestures behind them, where they can see the camp silhouetted against the sky, and their friends preparing themselves to sleep. “They definitely love you.”

It's instinct, at first, to deny it.

Elora knows that when they first started on this quest, most of their group cared for her out of duty. Perhaps Willow still held some affection for the baby girl he had protected once, but the others looked at her and saw the legendary Elora Danan, the saviour, a story come to life – and they protected her for what she meant, rather than who she is. If Elora Danan had been someone else, they would have done exactly the same thing.

But over the last weeks (or months, she still can’t decide which, being on the Shattered Sea seems endless and nothing around them changes to mark the days by any more, it all blurs into one), they’ve all grown closer, become friends, and Elora knows if anything were to happen to them she would miss them dearly – miss Jade’s calm steadiness, Boorman’s tall tales, Graydon’s unwavering belief, and Willow’s stubborn courage. She would even miss Kit’s brashness and confidence.

Is it so unreasonable to think they care for her not as Elora Danan, but as just Elora?

Slowly, she nods, not quite able to speak.

“I’m glad he was kind to you. That he gave you that,” Kit says suddenly, looking back at her. “I know my parents did what they thought was best but you – you deserved better.”

She says it firmly but quickly, like she wants to get the words out before she loses her nerve, and Elora hears in them the unspoken apology that the princess is still a little too proud to give for what she said at the bottom of the mines.

“Thank you,” Elora whispers.

They hold each other’s gaze a moment longer, then Kit grins and adds, “And, hey, at least you know you won’t be invisible any more when we get back to Tir Asleen.”

Elora laughs, but  that slick, frightened feeling rises up inside her at the same time and she feels the sting of tears at the back of her eyes, because she can’t say that as much as she tries to pretend and have confidence . .  . she doesn’t think she’s going to be going back.

She only hopes she can save the rest of them first.

“Yeah,” she says, and hopes Kit doesn’t hear the slight crack in her voice. “Right.”

“Come on, we should get some rest.”

A part of her would like to stay watching the stars for a while longer (maybe forever, until she’s forgotten all the anger and doubt and fear), but she knows Kit’s right.

Together they make their way back down towards the camp, but for the first time the silence between them is warm, companionable, and Elora feels just a little of the weight lift from her shoulders.

For the first time since they reached the Shattered Sea, there’s a flicker of something like hope inside her. She’s seen the vision of what’s coming and she doesn’t know if she’s strong enough to change it, but for the first time in her life she’s surrounded by friends, people she cares about and who genuinely care for her.

And maybe that’s enough.

#willow #willow 2022 #elora danan #kit tanthalos #am I turning my own meta into a fic? #maybe so #but I wanted more to their conversation in e7 #so I wrote it #mostly just an elora character study #but also some mentions of elora/airk and speculating on their relationship #my fic

[starjane312]

Kit Tanthalos x OC

Big Masterlist

Masterlist

Chapter 8

J: This is a Big ass waste of time.

K: Oh Really ?

I look at her.

J: No need to get Sassy now.

K: Sorry I’m just Upset.

I hug her.

J: It’s ok. I’m too. Let’s go.

Kit nods in my Shoulder. I give her a Kiss on the Head and let her go.

Ja: And where do you think you’re going ?

K: To the Shattered Sea.

Ja: Alone ?

J: You’re More than Welcome to Join us.

K: But we’re sure as hell not waiting around for Muffin Girl to learn to pick the Right finger.

Jade stops in front of us.

Ja: Okay. Her name is Elora Danan, and we owe her our Allegiance.

K: Says Willow.

Ja: She bears the Mark.

K: Maybe he put it there.

J: It wasn’t there before. And even if it was Raziel.

K: How do we know she didn’t mark a bunch of Babies ?

J: Maybe you have one too ?

K: Maybe You’re Elora Danan.

B: Maybe I’m Elora Danan.

I look at Boorman who puts his head in a Bucket and then looks at us.

B: Always thought there was something special inside me.

He walks to us.

Ja: You don’t believe it either.

B: It’s not that I don’t believe it, as much as I don’t Really care. 

I look at Kit who Nods. We both get on our Horses.

Ja: So, you have a better idea how to save the Prince ?

B: Oh, I’m bursting for the Better Ideas. But first I recommend that we Split, before miss chosen face catches Wind and decides to follow.

G: You shouldn’t do that.

Boorman Jumps surprised. I look at Graydon.

J: Lurk Much ?

G: She is Elora Danan. I’m sure of it.

K: How can you provide me one shred of Evidence that proves she’s capable of Literally anything.

J: Magical or not ?

W: Idiots ! Nincompoops ! Where is she ?

J: Yo, what’d you just call us ?

G: Elora ?

Ja: We thought she was with you.

I roll my Eyes and Look at Kit. She has the same look. Great, she ran away. Again.

W: This right here is why no one’s allowed above the Ground ever.

K: Relax she’s probably just frolicking in a meadow somewhere nearby.

W: Oh Yeah, forgot you’re Hilarious. You and your Friend are also being awfully cavalier with the fate of the World Princess.

I raise my eyebrows. Did he just call me her friend ? Thought we were obvious enough.

W: Now think about this for a Moment. Everyone you’ve ever Cared about will be made to serve the power behind the Crone and their only hope of escaping that nightmare is now wandering around in the Woods !

I sigh.

S: Stay in Pairs. Let’s spread out.

Jade starts walking too.

K: Where are you going ?

Ja: To look for her. But you two just do what you want. You always do. 

She walks off. I turn Moon around and look over my shoulder to Kit.

J: Let’s go.

She nods. And starts riding.

J: Maybe she’s also on the way.

K: I hope not.

After we’ve crossed the Woods and arrive by the Mountains. From there on we walk. Moon and Eclipse walk in front of us. I hold Kit’s hand.

K: You really think they’ll come after us ?

J: Elora won’t stay with the Nelwyn. She loves Aryk. 

K: What would you’ve done if I was taken ?

J: Oh I would have panicked a lot. Then I would’ve Panicked even More and then I wouldn’t stop till I found you. Especially considering your Condition.

Kit stops and Looks at me.

K: Did you just call our Baby a condition ?

I lay my hands on her Hips.

J: I didn’t mean it like that. But I worry all the time. What if we don’t get back on Time or you get Hurt ? I won’t be able to Forgive myself if you get hurt when I could’ve prevented it. And I won’t let anything Bad Happen to you.

Kit looks at me with Tears in her eyes.

K: Don’t you dare to get yourself killed to keep me safe.

J: If I have to I would.

K: Please don’t.

She gives me a Kiss. I smile at her.

J: Let’s keep walking.

After a few minutes we hear other Horses. We stop and look back.

J: Told you.

Kit nudges my side. Boor man gets off his Horse. And walks next to us.

B: Wow, you really Covered some distance.

K: I’m really not in the Mood for Banter.

B: Ah, that’s a shame. You know I want you two to know I’m with you. I’m not with them.

We both look at Boorman.

B: I was coming to find you. But, uh, it just so happens we’re all going the same road so I, I duped them into thinking that I’m with them. The truth is I’m with.

J: Yeah.

K: We get the Gist.

B: You know Despite what you may’ve heard I’m not actually a thief by Trade. I’m what you might call an Obtainer of Rare artifacts.

K: Grave Robber.

B: Hmm. Treasure Hunter. And I became this, because when I was about your Age someone told me the Legend of the Kymerian Cuirass.

J: The Kymerian Cuirass ?

B: Yeah. The Cuirass. A legendary Armor …

K: Yeah we know what that is.

B: Kinda changed my Life.

I look at him. 

K: And so, you wasted it ?

J: Searching for a Magical Breastplate that somebody told you in a Bedtime Story ?

K: Yeah that’s like the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.

B: No. Your Father and your Brother Jane, They didn’t think it was sad. No, they spend Five years searching the world for it. I know ‘cause I was with them. I was your dads, Squire.

K: So, what ? You’re telling me you know what happened to them ?

Kit’s grip on my Hand tightens.

B: Oh yeah. They found it.

We stop walking. Boorman doesn’t.

K: Huh ?

Moon and Eclipse walk to us. We get up and keep riding ahead of the others. On the way I see Rabbits. I grab Kits Bow and shoot two of them.

K: Oh, really ?

J: What ? We gotta eat something, don't we ?

I get off Moon, pick them up, pull the Arrows out and bind the Rabbits to Moon's saddle. Then I catch up with the others. When the sun starts to go down, we make Camp. After eating we sit down by the Fire. I sit behind Kit learning on Moons saddle. She’s laying in my Arms and we listen to Willow and Elora Talk.

#kit tanthalos #kit tanthalos x reader #kit tanthalos x oc #willow #jade claymore #aryk tanthalos #elora danan #thraxus boorman #graydon hastur

[douxreviews]

Willow (1988) Review

"W-w-i-l-l-o-w! You i-i-i-i-d-iot!"

With Willow, George Lucas tries to do for High Fantasy what he did for Space Opera. He really shouldn't have bothered.

Set in a fantasy land so generic they don't even bother to give it a name, the film kicks off with the birth of Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about the end of Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh, there to collect an easy paycheck). Who is Queen Bavmorda? No idea. This film never really takes the time to delve into the backstory of any of its characters. All you need to know is she is your standard evil monarch/sorceress with an imposing looking castle in a desolate wasteland. Fantasy movie villains never build their castle anywhere scenic. Do they have something against nice views? Are they worried they'll attract too many tourists? Or are they just really cheap? I imagine real estate prices are low in desolate wastelands. Ideal for a evil queen looking to save some cash while fighting a lot of expensive wars.

In a moment of shockingly lax security, the guards leave the baby alone with the midwife who then promptly escapes from the castle with the newborn and sends it floating down a river, Moses-style, before she is killed. Bavmorda sends her daughter, Sorcha, and head minion, General Skelator, to find Elora and bring her back so she can cast her into another dimension with a ridiculously long ceremony instead of, you know, just killing the little shit then and there. Honestly, movie villains would fail a lot less if they didn't give into their inherent need to pointlessly over-complicate things.

Eventually the baby is found by the family of Hobbits Nelwyn led by Willow Ufgood, a farmer and amateur magician who longs to be apprentice to the local wizard. After the village is attacked by one of Bavmorda's hounds, the local wizard tells Willow that he must go on a grand quest to return the baby to her people. A quest that he decides to sit out. I guess he knows what happens to fatherly mentor figures in these type of movies and realised he was better off staying home.

If this all sounds familiar that's because it is. Willow doesn't just rip whole pages out of every major fantasy novel ever written, it recycles the plot of Star Wars (I am not calling it A New Hope). Willow is basically Luke, a farmer who longs to escape his farm and become a great Jedi wizard. He's reluctantly entrusted with transporting the means of defeating the bad guy (a baby instead of a droid with Death Star plans) first to a OAP with magical powers and then to a rebel base. Along the way he teams up with Val Kilmer as a poor man’s Han Solo who later develops a love hate relationship with Joanne Whalley's spirited princess who just so happens to be the daughter of the villain.

I mean, it technically isn't plagiarism if you're just shamelessly stealing from yourself.

As with Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucas entrusted this potential new franchise to one of his dear friends. Unfortunately, that dear friend was Ron Howard not Steven Spielberg. Now, Howard isn't a bad director, he's just a rather unremarkable one. He's the epitome of a safe pair of hands. He's the type of guy you hire when you want the film to come in on time, on budget and to spec. That's really all Willow is: a by the numbers tale made so competently that it lacks anything even remotely distinctive or memorable.

Davis is likeable, if bland, as Willow while Kilmer and Whalley are just bland. There’s no denying that Kilmer can be a magnetic presence in the right role (see Tombstone or Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang), but his character is nothing more than a dashing rogue stereotype, there to balance Willow’s earnestness with snark. And his romance with Sorsha? God, that is as clumsy as it is unconvincing. The same can be said for her decision to switch sides halfway through the movie. Just as the film never bothers to develop its villain, it is also skips on her relationship with her daughter or what would motivate her to betray her, besides meeting a cute boy.

Notes and Quotes

--Despite playing the title character and hero of the film, Davis gets third billing behind Kilmer and Whalley.

--Lucas' original title was Munchkins.

--The finale starts off with two sorceresses throwing special effects at each other until they run out of money and then it's just two old ladies punching each other.

--Industrial Light & Magic developed new digital morphing technology for the scene where Willow tries to turn Fin Raziel back into a human, but keeps turning her into different animals instead.

--There are some comedy pixies that are a worrying sign of the horror that was come with Jar Jar Binks.

--Lucas wrote a trilogy of novels with X-Men writter Chris Claremont, entitled The Chronicles of the Shadow War, that picked up the story fifteen years later and followed a teenage Elora Danan.

--James Horner provides a rousing score that is typical of his 80s output.

Willow: "What are you doing?" Madmartigan: "I found some blackroot. She loves it." Willow: "Blackroot? I'm the father of two children, and you never, ever give a baby blackroot." Madmartigan: "Well my mother raised us on it. It's good for you! It put's hair on your chest, right Sticks?" Willow: "Her name is not Sticks! She's Elora Danan, the future empress of Tir Asleen and the last thing she's gonna want is a hairy chest!"

High Aldwin: "Go in the direction the bird is flying!" Burgelcutt: "He's going back to village!" High Aldwin: "Ignore the bird. Follow the river."

Two and a half out of four imposing looking castles in desolate wastelands.

Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011

#Willow #George Lucas #Ron Howard #Warwick Davis #Val Kilmer #Joanne Whalley #Jean Marsh #Doux Reviews #Movie Reviews

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i'm rewatching Willow and i still can't comprehend what exactly Elora's weird wrap shawl thing with a hood is. or why it is. why is she wearing THE most impractical garment i've ever laid eyes upon. as the resident Willow textiles expert, what are your thoughts?

Oh I actually fully know the answer to this question!

One: if you would like to better understand the garment construction, there's a detailed knitting pattern with a schematic here. The in-show garment is definitely knitted, but if you're a crocheter this person's got you. What you need to understand is that if there is a thing that has a fandom, and in that thing there is a handknitted garment, viewers who knit have started mentally deconstructing it immediately.

BASICALLY both of these garments are a very long scarf, and then you make a big keyhole, and then more scarf, a second keyhole, then even more scarf. After you have the world's most giant scarf, you add a hood in between the keyholes. The way it's actually worn is with each hole as a sleeve; the trailing ends are then crossed in front of the body and tucked through the sleeves to secure them, which creates the crossed-bodice covering effect.

Two, in terms of practicality, I endured two years of The Improbably Clean White Mother Confesssor Traveling Dress so I know the real answer is that trailing ground-level things look really cool and High Fantasy Femme Heroine on-camera.

However, one of my favourite things to do with this show is take costume elements and read them in-character, because I think it adds another little layer of worldbuilding flavour that really pleases me. So in my heart of hearts:

Elora knit that scarf herself. Or maybe she had help with it, maybe she started knitting it and got frustrated and lost track of rows and couldn't bring herself to rip back, and someone else finished it for her. Either way that scarf was made by hand and it took a long time and so much care. I like to think about Elora packing for a long and dangerous journey and bringing something that makes her feel a little extra loved.

Assuming that scarf is made of wool (which again: idk what it's made of for costuming-sake but in-universe it would be) it is going to be warm as shit. A lovely, densely-knitted wool cape and hood, with the construction designed to allow it to wrap around the whole upper body, would actually be extremely practical for cold, damp nights and staying warm while keeping her arms free to ride or cook. The longer tails you could argue might be practical for wrapping more of the torso or using as a pillow on long nights.

You could also make the case that, while the other members of the party are outfitted with capes and other warm garments, Elora as a kitchen maid might not have had access to something like that. I've talked about this more in my fantasy textile post but basically: woven wool textiles are expensive. Something like that scarf could well be the warmest thing Elora owned, and might have been practical to bring from that perspective as well.

Anyway I love that scarf to bits, it is not something I'll ever make myself but I think it's gorgeous and incredibly distinctive, and the odd construction adds a great bit of Fantasy Je Ne Sais Quoi that is really great.

#grouchy aunt j's willow costume nerd hour #grouchy aunt j's fantasy textile opinions #elora danan: princess princess ever after #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation

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Elora Danan using the word voilà implies the existence of Fantasy France, in this essay I will -

#elora danan: princess princess ever after #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation #fantasy france #i make my own fun

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Do you ever think about how in the first episode Elora tells Airk to let their love be his strength and he doesn’t get it?

Do you ever think about how in the end, Kit lets her love (for Elora, and also Jade and her father and Airk) be her strength, and that’s why she’s worthy of the cuirass?

Follow up: do you ever think about this and just need to lie on the floor for a little while because it’s too delicious?

#it’s the parallels #it’s the way that they were always destined to be princess and knight #it’s the way that they’re so similar #highly highly recommend rewatching this show with the paradigm of two love stories #10/10 #kit tanthalos: girl prince #elora danan: princess princess ever after #kit x elora #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation

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Elora’s secret Tir Asleen name being Brunnhilde implies the existence of Fantasy Norse Mythology in this essay I will -

#this has been bothering me for weeks now #i have no solution i just needed to say it #also it pleases me to think that like #on the other side of the mountains is fantasy norway #and somewhere fantasy eivor is chopping wood to impress fantasy randvi #like what the fuck is a sorcerer #a;slkdfjs;al #elora danan: princess princess ever after #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation #memery

[swashbucklery]

OK OK though I’m rewatching Willow and in ep 6 (the troll prison one) Elora is feeling anxious and making the whole mountain shake. The thing I missed on first watch is: this is her mastering the magical art of divination.

When she’s panicking the most, the audio is not flashes of random yelling the audio is Kit hurting her feelings in that moment where she just loses it on Elora because she thinks her dad loved Elora more. The emotions Elora is feeling aren’t random anxiety they’re premonitions of the way she’s going to feel when Kit says that to her. And when Kit hurts her like that, Elora feels it so strongly that it’s almost enough to bring down a mountain.

#just the most over the top gayest thing i've ever seen #they're so similar #the universe wants them to protect each other because of mystical destiny #but they have to hurt each other so badly before they can love each other #they have to have that push #that breaking open #to realize oh hey: it's you it's always been you #h e l p #kit x elora #elora danan: princess princess ever after #kit tanthalos: girl prince #ot3: kit and jade and elora something something powerful magic #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation

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everything starts with soup and lighting!! the only way this could be more elora is if there was something to mop up the soup. i wonder what that would be.

a;slkdfj so i was super tired after work today and read this and my brain for some reason didn't supply "bread" it supplied "handwoven tea towels" and I stared at this ask for an embarrassingly long time before I parsed it properly.

like they're BOTH Elora but you bully me about her love of bread MORE, so it should have been front of mind.

#everything starts with soup and lightning #elora danan: princess princess ever after #fandom nursing home roommates association #laugh rule

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All Too Well (10 minute version) is the ultimate Elora Danan song in this essay I will -

#my spotify is going to be like #hey buddy you okay #but i am! #it’s about disillusionment it’s about the forcible push from girlhood to womanhood it’s about violence #it is if you squint about sorcery #i promise #elora danan: princess princess ever after #elora danan: darkness darkness ever after #au: two eloras no waiting #willow: medium powerful magic once adjusted for inflation