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lucyfloyenworkshop · 2 months

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Awakening the Dragon : Malleus Draconia Overblot Theme

It's been now one year since Diasomnia Arc, “Ruler of the Abyss“ began...

There so many things, too many topics that I wish to talk and write about. About the tribute to Eyvind Earle's art in the esthetics and ambiance of Briar Valley. About the connections between the Arc narrative and its inspirations. About Night Faeries folk and Silver Owl Knights. About Silver, Malleus, Lilia and all the others characters... For tonight I will write down about Malleus Draconia's Overblot Theme.

When the Diasomnia Arc pre-trailer was released, some notes of Overblot Malleus's theme can be heard. The complet musictrack had been finaly revealed during the first fight against Malleus. Even with the few notes in the pre-trailer, this music really give goosebumps. It is dark, eerie, dangerous and yet graceful and noble.

Diasomnia’s Chapter is an intense turmoil of emotions and, after all that happened in the Main Story so far, I realized that Malleus Overblot's theme not just represent the Arc's climax like it had being the case for the six previous Chapter. Not just only about an epic battle music, but also about a character.

[Beware : the following post content some spoilers for Chapter 7 : Ruler of the Abyss]

Featuring song and music

There is something about Malleus and music.

In his personal data, it's say that his “talent“ is stringed instruments's practice (ref. Twisted Wonderland : Magical Archives and in game data). According to his close relatives, such as Sebek during “Harveston's Kelkkarotu“ event, Malleus appear to be a really talented musician. And yet that aspect of Malleus wasn't fully explored in the Main, Events and Personals Stories. That was just a fun fact about Malleus's hobbies outside school or his daily royal duties.

Then came the performance of Malleus longside Idia and Azul during the Symphorium in the Halloween event Glorious Mascarade : Crimson Flowers and Bell of Salvation.

It's could be logical since Diasomnia Arc and Mascrade's events released their preview trailers around the same time. But nothing could make us suspected how much deep of that aspect of Malleus's character design is important. Not just as for characterization but also a tribute from Sleeping Beauty.

But to go with Chapter 7 and the Overblot's theme, let's return to the Symphorium, during its preparation as presented in Malleus's Mascaquerade Dress Personal Story [link]. Glorious Mascarade's iconic song Let My Wish Resound ( Twst wiki's traduction [link] ), is the gift of Night Raven College's students to the invitation for Night Bell College's Symphonium and its three main singer featuring Azul Ashengrotto, Idia Shroud and of course Malleus Draconia. In Malleus's Personnal Story, the trio are gather in Diasomnia Lounge for practicing. Both Idia and Azul (and even Lilia), are amaze about Malleus's singing skills. Not just because of his tense practicing, even outside his royal education as confirm Lilia to Idia. If Let My Wish Resound had a special signification for Malleus and his character (his desire and fear about connect with the Outside World and meeting other peoples), the fact that such song, and by extension the music, resound deep within Malleus.

In Chapter 7, that particular bond between Malleus and music/song is once again up under the lightspot, and even become an major element of the narrative. Just after he took his Overblot's form and cast [Fea of Maleficent] on everyone, Malleus start to humming a lullaby. The medley is the one of Once upon a Dream, Sleeping Beauty's famous and iconic song. There is many things that need to be discussed about that familiar medley and Malleus's story and personal journey and I will in the futur write a proper and complet review about. For now, we can notice that reference make not only as a tribute to the original animated pictures movie but also to Malleus's paradoxe as a character in that very sequence, and, even if it is more subtle, in the rest of the story. Indeed he is now a Dark Fea Lord, becoming in a way Maleficient just like Riddle with the Queen of Heart or Vil with the Beautiful Queen. And yet there is that lullaby medley, that medley which took after Princess Aurora's song. Malleus is depicted as both Light and Darkness, an impression that can be found in his Overblot theme.

The Choir and the Cello, picturing a story

There is two main musical elements in Overblot Malleus' track. The Choir and the Cello.

If is true that in the previous Overblot’s theme, a kinda choir is used in the medley, but its seems to have for fonction to put some extra more tension in the music like we can see in many soundtrack from cinema or video-game, but in the others Overbolt's theme, the choirs doesn't lead the medley. The instrumental instruments does.

But that was before Vil's Overblot and Mascarade Event’s theme, where the chorus and choir became the main leading of the music. In a kinda latin language with Dies Irea's leitmotif, choir become the medley's core and identity.

In popular culture, the choir is generally used as reference to Medieval Age’s music and its esthetics, real or dreamed . From Historical productions such as in Kingdom of Heaven (a Historical Movie setting during the early years of the Crusades) to Fantasy realms Lord of the Rings’s trilogy, we can tell that kinda of music had a special power to increase emotions and ambiance in a song.

In Overblot Malleus's theme, the choir became an extension of the Dragon-Fea’s power and personality. Giving to his character so much strength and presence, just like with Davy Jones's organ and it make a tribute to Sleeping Beauty’s soundtrack. One of the particularity of this Classic Disney Animation Picture, it's one of the very few movie from Disney's Silver Age, than doesn't have song like we see it in Cinderella or in Alice in Wonderland. As explained by cinema historian, Charles Solomo, in the documentary Picture Perfect: The Making of Sleeping Beauty [link], those kind of “Broadway like song“ doesn't fit to that world made of the gorgeous detailed background designed by Eyvind Earl or the music score inspired by Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Ballet. Only songs in the movie are Once upon a Dream and choirs. Theses ones can be found in several track in the score. One of them, “Aurora's Return/Maleficent's Evil Spell“, is in my opinion, one of most powerful and representative of that directive for Sleeping Beauty's music. At one point of track a eerie and dark voice can be heard and as its materialize Maleficent's presence when Aurora is hypnotize by the curse.

Those choir segments supporting the narrative and characterizing each protagonists. Just like it's happen with Malleus's Overblot theme !

In Malleus's Overblot theme, alongside the choir, the second main leading instrument is the cello. The using of that particular string instruments in the track make a easter egg to both Malleus’s personal talents as to Diasomnia Dorm's music theme.

Cello, as other stringed instruments, are very often used in movie, video-game or musical composition because of a rich palette of tones and sounds that those musicals instruments can create and so increase emotions. Notes created by cellos are know to be rich and deep, and how depending how it played, it can express joy and light ambiance as epic, nostalgic world, mysteries or tension and terror.

The slight presence electric guitar (recurring in the Overblot music track) give an extra sensation of danger and tension in the medley, but without shadowing the leading of the chorus and the cello. It sound like lightings bolts, and each time the electric guitar is heard it increase choir's powers in the narrative of the medley with attacking notes. Giving the feeling that we are caught into a storm.

Conjuring the Dragon

As we start listening Malleus Overblot's theme, we fall into some dark or gothic fey world, more that Diasomnia Dorm's. Despite the presence of a electric guitar sound, the music had the same feels as Maleficent's themes from Sleeping Beauty. In fact the very first notes are very similars or at least sharing the same tones than some of Maleficent's leitmotif in “Aurora's Return/Maleficent's Evil Spell“ or in her music entrance.

The musictrack is divise in five segments. First, it start with a very aery voice sound, as we can found in mysterious or dark music track and then the storms began, leading by the choir. With the cello and the electric guitar, its give at that moment (and is reinforce in game by the image of Malleus in his Overblot form), that we are facing some kind of powerful Lord or a Dark Dragon. Malleus had a very complex personality and as far we know, at his core, ins't a evil character. But he is a Dragon-Fea and he had dark powers. If someone put in danger the persons he will care about (friends, family...), he will riposte with all his might and once of thoses times where Malleus's powers are show as dangerous and dark because its are beyond mortal understanding and standard, not as evil. It's true that consequences of some Malleus's actions are terrifying because of his non-human nature and can show him as the Dragon, the most dangerous foe of tales and legends, as the storm parts of the Overblot music despict it.

And at the middle of the music track, just between the two storms part, for a brief moment a calm, noble music segment is played. Its the same medley than the rest of the track but the tone is completely different as tone and ambience from what had been previously heard, even if there is still a certain tension in it. In fact Malleus Overblot's theme where there is a such calm. Yes it's true that in Leona Overblot's theme there is a kinda of “pause“ in the music but the same amount of epic tension. It's sound like if the character taking a short break, checking if everyone is is okay before return to battle. In Malleus's if we got same general medley but the music tale an other aspect of that character, of that Dragon, at the opposite of the Dark Dragon previously depicted. In that segment, the cello leading the music instead of the choir which became calm like lamentation, giving a powerful, melancholic and noble ambiance to the music before the storm restart and end once again on the eerie voice and notes.

That melancholic noble music caught in the storm show all the balance between light and dark that Malleus carries with him during his personal journey. Give him an aura of nobility and danger as we can found it in the Malzeno's theme or Elder Dragons ( Amatsu, Alatreon or Shagaru Magala) from Monster Hunter for exemple.

Right at the beginning and at the end of the track we got some slight but clear notes of piano. Like cello, that chordophone instrument (musical instrument that use both stringed and percussion (ref, Britanica)), can create intense and emotional ambience. It's true that I wished to heard some organ note in that music track, which could fit to the medieval gothic leitmotif of Diasmonia Dorm but I think it would change the characterization of Malleus in the music track. Organs are, in popular cultures and soundtracks very very bond to the figure of the Evil Lords such as Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time or Dracula in his many adaptations from movies to video-games or it played by shady antagonists like Davy Jones or Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. Even there it's cannon that Malleus know to play organs (Endless Halloween event), it's a piano. To listen those cold and sad notes, featuring a eerie voice, as opening and ending of Malleus Overblot's music theme, give us the ton of the music but also of the character it depicts. In plus to reinforce the feeling of melancholy, its contrast with the storms that reign in most of the track. Like the calm noble leitmotif, the piano show the “softer“, tragic and lonely side of Malleus beyond his dangerous and scaring first apparence and nature as a Dragon and a Dark Fea.

As I was writing that post, I discover that during the battle between the Knight of Dawn and Maleonora, Malleus's Mother, the Overblot can be heard and that discovery make more deeper to Malleus. Making it more personal to Malleus than it's already etablished in the music itself. Far more than I originally suspected.

During the last showdown between the Knight and Maleonora ant their tragic ending, the use of the Overblot's theme don't make that scene feels like one of Maleficient in the original picture or only reflecting the way the Humans sees Maleonora. As a dark witch, a monster.

The Overblot's theme show her as royal princess, a Crown-Heir and a mother that will do everything in her power to protect her people, the persons she love and her child. Between him and his mother there is big similarities, and not just physical. Malleus had indeed inherited some of Maleonora's traits, but in his heart and his general personality, Malleus is more close to his father Lord Revan, as it's confirmed by Lilia.

"Just like his father, he is a kind person who ins't able to be ruthless“ "(Episode 7 Ruler of the Abbys Part 6, chapter 99)

At the end, that Overblot's theme not just a dungeon's final boss theme or a musical representation of the Arc's aesthetic.

Even more than Diasomnia bgm, this is Malleus Draconia's Theme. Not just his Overblot. His theme, as character, like we discover in both Diasomnia's trailer and Twisted Wonderland's Story. That music score give us more clues about who Malleus really is.

That music can be seen as the refection of Malleus's complex personality. Noble and benevolent, fierce and powerful ..

Both the Greatest Foe than the Devoted Protector.

Thank you for reading this review/analysis about Malleus. I hope you enjoyed it :-)

Lucy Floyen

Musictrack link : [Twisted Wonderland BGM - Overblot Malleus] (Soundcloud)

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland bgm #twst bgm #malleus draconia #malleus overblot #malleus bgm #fiction and lore chronicles

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sillymercury · 2 months

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Stolen Lullabies

Summary: When war returns to Pyrthian the inner circle finds themselves on the losing side. In a desperate attempt to turn the tides three brother perform a forgotten spell to call forth a great power through time and space. What happens when that ‘great power’ is a human girl who knows nothing of magic? Will she be of use or has destiny abandoned them?

Word count: 4.7k

Part i (New York Version)

Part i

Prythian ver.

The three men weren’t speaking as they trudged through the dense wood, looking for the cave entrance they had been directed to. What they were about to do was unorthodox and would be condemned by the other Prythian leaders, even the other members of their own court. Words had no place among the intense nerves that were seeping from each of them.

Over the course of three and a half years the state of their world had unraveled quickly and been thrown into desperate times so the brothers stole away into the night to carry out desperate measures.

After the other human queens learned the death of their friend was at the hands of faeries, they went quiet and started planning what they called “necessary preemptive strikes.” These strikes consisted of newly constructed blasting jelly laced with faebane, planted in many different fae lands that tore apart ancient infrastructure and killed thousands. The queens took over the unruled human lands in south Pyrithan encouraging the humans there to join their war efforts. They now had many large armies ready and willing to kill the fae with stolen and poisoned weapons.

In light of these attacks, the fae lands of the continent banded together to fight against the human queens, they rationalized that all humans needed to be “taken care of.” Rask had moved into Hybern, taking in the citizens left without a king, since they already shared the twisted beliefs of humans. The autumn and spring courts had also been compromised. Beron excitedly joined the continents efforts and exposed the weakened spring court for a hefty payout. Tamlin tried to fight back but when Rask came in and rebuilt the ruin his court was left in his hands were tied as what was left of his citizens rallied with the continental savior, afraid of what might happen without their support. Over time he became more and more helpless, falling into the backseat and letting Rask take full control of his court.

The other five courts of Pyrinthian scrambled as the world broke out into war, trying to protect the humans while simultaneously trying not to be killed by them. There was also the topic of infighting as some of the courts questioned if fighting for someone who doesn’t want their help was worth it as they were consistently losing soldiers and resources to both sides. All the while Koschei was moving in the shadows, playing his own game.

Rhys was weighed down by the weight of the world; he wanted to protect his court, family, and the peaceful world he envisioned his son growing up in. Everyone was spread too thin, growing weary from another war so quickly after the last and Rhys knew he had to do something, fast. He put his trust into a vision from his sister-in-law, one that foretold a happy ending to the gruesome war.

“The most unlikely of heroes- a star out of place - a terrible tragedy accompanied by a new age of law is the only way to ensure a clean victory.”

They had spent weeks trying to sort out the cryptic message but they hit a wall and the war wasn’t letting up. Rhys had watched as the hope of the inner circle was being sucked out of them slowly as they lost battles, allies, and friends. It wasn’t until Azriel came into his study, in the dark of the night, covered in shadows and determination. He whispered his far-fetched solution to their problem and Rhysand finally felt a semblance of hope.

The spymaster had spent weeks scouring any place he could for solutions or clues when he stumbled upon a small nomadic civilization that traveled through the vast cave systems under their small continent. He communicated with a single tribe member who could speak his language as all the rest spoke an ancient and forgotten tongue. Azriel had been provided with two stained and crumbled papers from their sacred book, the confidant explained in broken English, their ceremony to call on spirits throughout the ages.

The powerful magic is seldom used, only in the most desperate of times do these nomads perform the ritual that is meant to pull individuals through space and time. The magic will bring forth an individual with the power to remedy their obstacles and only once their duty is fulfilled will they be able to return to their time. It was tricky magic that could easily backfire and the language on the paper was lost and untranslatable, so the ritual could easily be floundered. It looked like a mess of scribbles and Azriel could only make out the words for the spell because the nomad pointed to it and relayed the pronunciation.

Azriel and Rhys had spent the better part of a week debating themselves and each other on whether such magic was worth the risk. The biggest worry was that a misexecution would kill Rhys and in turn, Feyre, leaving their court weak and their son orphaned. Knowing that the rest of the inner circle would immediately disregard such a risk, they only brought in their other brother on the decision as a tiebreaker. Cassian was just as bad as his brothers, if not worse, constantly going back and forth on a decision.

In midst of their decision making the summer court was faced with a particularly brutal attack, the young high lord was targeted by forces from the south and was left incredibly weakened. The struggle was nightmarish and Tarquin only survived because of a great sacrifice from his cousin, Varian. Upon learning of Varian’s death the inner circle was thrown into terrible mourning, and Amren of course, had the worst reaction. She was constantly being pulled back and forth through all stages of grief. Her anger had torn her apart, and coupled with her inability to wield otherworldly powers, she wasn’t able to enact the damage she craved. She couldn’t tear through the spring and autumn courts claiming her revenge like she wanted. The people who loved her were forced to watch her self-destruct.

Cassian, the warrior with a bleeding heart, was the first to come to a definite decision, he wanted to do it. His friend’s hurt was hurting him and his mate which was making each of their pain individual worse in a vicious cycle. Azriel agreed to do it as well, he was confident in the solution he found. Rhys followed soon, feeling he was out of options and trusting his brother’s instincts.

So here they were following a makeshift map to a sacred cave hidden from the world. The instructions they were given were simple: find the center of this cave and when the full moon was at its highest Rhys would begin the spell. Simple enough, they thought, but when they stood at the cave entrance they could smell each other’s anxiety.

No one spoke, afraid it would scare them into backing out. Rhys and Azriel shared a look while Cass kept his eyes trained forward. Cass silently sheathed Nesta’s Made sword that he was gripping like a lifeline as he followed behind Az who was the first to squeeze into the tiny opening. The first few meters were tight. The men huffed and puffed as they were forced to make themselves as small as possible to force themselves through.

The tight space gave way to slippery steep rock and Azriel slid down like a child on a playground until his feet hit the floor. Cassian, right behind him, knocked into him almost making him fall over. The shadowsinger gained his composure and pushed Cass back just in time for Rhys to knock into him. This time both men hit the ground. Az could not help the small breathy chuckle at the scene from his brothers, Rhys and Cass followed suit in laughing as Cass gently shoved Rhys off of him.

The atmosphere between the brothers lightened enough to speak, “Homey,” Cassian said as he observed their surroundings. The Cave was dark and chilly, the floor was covered in puddles and the walls protruded in dangerously sharp ways. The air was thick and smelled like damp earth, “I can see what the Murdians like about it so much.”

“Yeah, I would never leave either,” Rhys spoke following his brother’s bravery in making a joke.

“We have just under an hour,” Azriels turn to speak, “we should hurry.” His brothers responded to his seriousness with just nods. They started to move through the darkness, Azriel took the lead, they all could see well in the dark but his vision was the best. He avoided the sharp rocks and stepped over the puddles. As they got deeper into the cave Azriel reminded Rhys of the warning he was given, “Stay as quiet as possible, there are beasts here that attack based solely on sound.” Rhys nodded even though Az wasn’t looking at him as he relayed the message to Cassian. Rhys kept the line to both men open in order to communicate silently, despite this none of them talk much; some deep part of them telling them this was a death march.

Azriels shadows were splayed in front of him, inspecting every crack and crevice, darting through every corner, scoping the scene as they always do in new places. Azriel listened as they whispered only to him, warning when to duck or when to take a big step.

They twisted and turned through the cave for the better part of about 45 minutes before the tight halls opened up to a giant clearing. As each man stepped through, they took in their surroundings. There were four other entrances that met in the circular “room” and when they stepped in the breeze was more intense and there was a thin layer of water covering more of the floor.

Although he was sure his shadows confirmed i, “This is it, Az said. His voice was soft as they made their way to the center of the room, “Speaking here should be fine…” Rhys produced three small orbs of light that lit up the space, the smooth walls were iridescent and seemed to constantly change colors as the orbs swirled and flickered. The ceiling was leaking in multiple places and what could be seen of the floor was covered in markings that vaguely resembled the scribles on the pages they were given.

“I’ll put up a barrier just in case,” Rhys said and it was evident when he did as the breeze let up. He turned to face his brothers and he couldnt control the shake in his voice, “We should be good.”

Cassian turned to his brother wide eyed and worried, what they were about to do was sinking in for real this time. “Are we one hundred percent sure we want to do this?”

“Yes,” Azriel was the one who responded, steady voice just above a whisper. He was nervous but deep down he had a really good feeling about this, he knew in his heart this would work.

“One thousand percent sure?” Cassian pushed

Rhys responded with a nod before saying, “We dont have much of a choice at this point, and this was your idea.”

Cassian scoffed in response, “It was definitely Az’s idea, I was just the first one to agree.” Cassian had taken to assessing his surroundings, he would never show his trepidation in front of anyone other than his brothers here.

“And now you’re the first to choke,” Az said cooly as he moved passed his brothers to the center of the room, he looked around and noticed the ceiling had a large circular indentation. “Im guessing this is where the portal will open. We only have a few minutes. You ready Rhys?”

Rhys blew out a puff of air and he pulled up next to his brother inspecting the same spot above him, “As ready as I’ll every be. You have the spell?”

Az pulled the paper out of his pocket and handed it over, Rhys inspected the pronunciation over and over again. He had no idea what any of the words meant, he could be speaking gibberish for all he knows. “You didnt memorize it?” Cassian asked with a slight incredoulisty and slight satirical tone.

Rhys rolled his eyes at him, “Of course I memorized it… I just want to be sure.” The last part came out as a whisper as he went back to studying, trying some of the harder words out loud. He was shifting his weight as he paced back and forth. His companions shared a knowing look. Seeing their high lord in such a heap of nerves was a rare sight but they knew where his anxiety was coming from. If anything went wrong it could mean a terrible fate for him and his mate as well as a dark future for their young son who would barely be able to remember his parents should anything happen.

Cassian made his way to Rhys and pressed a strong hand on his shoulder, “We got this… Okay? Were going to bring a powerful lord or sorcerer or something and we are going to end this war. Nothings going to happen to any of us. We’ll get our happy endings.” Rhys let out a low breath before nodding at Cassian mumbling a slight agreement under his breath.

“Its time,” Azriel spoke delicately knowing those two words were terrifying everyone in the room. Rhys swallowed hard before nodding again, standing right before the circle with both of his brothers flanking him he bagan chanting.

“Bvenis sorcha meh chall encie tord de vamer al pasht kahl achtokishan sorana snal leehan-” as Rhys chanted his eyes rolled to the back of his head, only the whites of his eyes were visible and his voice bounced eerily off the cave walls.

The breeze had come back stronger, winds were blowing around the cave, whistling as they pushed themselves through the small cracks. Cassian’s hair was blown about making his messy bun even messier, him and Az had to pull their wings in tight to keep them from being pulled around. As Rhys voice got stronger they saw it, the ident in the ceiling had begun to glow. The light was sparkling, swirling in on itself, and as he continued the light filled the indentation more and more.

“Ech telli ha- mores temur chenti forus-” Rhys was slowing down, his voice breaking as he had to dive deeper and deeper into his power reserve. Eventually the lights he produced went out and the barrier he had up disappeared. This was a spell meant to be performed by many, even with all his power he wasnt sure it was enough. “Bakk regumar tordehan aus-” Rhys swayed as blood began to pour from his nose, he would die if he continued like this.

“I dont have enough power,” he spoke to his brothers through mindlink, “I cant finish the spell.” Rhys had kept chanting as he spoke to his brothers, the act alone had taken up more of his precious magic. His swaying intensified and he would’ve fallen if his brothers hadnt moved so quickly, within a second they were by his side, holding him up.

“Yes you can,” Azriel spoke as he placed a hand on Rhys’ chest, Cassian got the message and moved a hand to Rhys’ chest as well. They were offering him their own magic, hoping it would be enough. “You’ll die if you stop.” Rhys kept chanting, he was able to stand up straighter now as he drained his brothers magic as well. Looking up Azriel saw that the indentation was almost full, they were so close “Almost there,” he encouraged.

“Incan ghalhi snaleeham borgetchi de moranti-” the indent was full now and the walls began to shake, the entire cave began to shake. The spell was coming to a close and now Rhys was screaming, he’d used the last of his magic, relying only on that of his brothers to finish the spell. The wind was absolutely violent now, it seemed to scream back and the men had to fight to stay upright.

“Borveni zalest- yormachti mal sten corus-” There were only two lines left of the spell when Rhys most wanted to quit. The magic of his brothers had run out, he had no choice but to tap into his life force, he wanted to tell his brothers that he wouldn’t let them die with him but he couldnt mindlink anymore. Four deaths wouldnt come from his insolent decision, he felt a tear slide down his cheek as his heart sent out an apology. He hoped Feyre would forgive him in the afterlife.

“Maktelhi por venscious tam tam shalk jemelk pureni korcuh-” One line left and he could feel himself close to death, just a little further. The cave was groaning deeply as it lit up from the bright light of the portal. A silent prayer went up to the mother as he hoped this last line wouldn’t kill him, “Snoliyan lek pactari evenosh dam heer est na nebhi!”

As Rhys spoke the last line he collapsed only to be caught by his brothers, he was alive but barely hanging on. He was weak and had no magic left. The boys struggled to keep themselves up aswell as the tremors seemed to challenge the integrity of the cave. Stone and debris were falling all around them, they moved their wings to act as umbrellas above their head. At this point they were sure the whole world was shaking.

The portal guttered and groaned, spinning faster as it let out a warbling sound, Rhys had found his footing as they all stared hopeful. A few seconds had passed since he finished the spell but nothing had come yet. Azriel and Cassian shared worried glaces as they hoped they didnt just dance with death for no reason.

All at once everything stopped, the shaking, the groaning, and the violent wind. The portal had finally regurgitated someone and whoever it was hit the now still floor with a thump. Rhys was perfectly straight as he pulled himself out of his brothers grasp and toward the mass on the floor. No one spoke as they watched the person start to move.

A low groan sounded through the room as the person bagan to move, when they stood up the boys could make out a tiny figure, about the size of Amren, looking around. It was a girl, a human. The boys were speechless. She threw whatever she was holding on the ground, stomping on it as she mumbled what sounded like a name.

The sound of her voice floated through the cave and hit Azriel’s ears like a gentle wind chime. He involuntarily stepped forward as well not noticing the splaying of his wings behind him. The light from the portal was slowly leaving as she turned around but in the darkness he could see her clear as day. She was small, with a petite body, and her curls danced around her head in the now gentle breeze. He saw as she threw herself back with a yelp, Azriel could make out golden eyes shining with panic. He saw her plump lips part and her eyes squint as she attempted to make out the men in front of her in the darkness. Azriel studied everything about her, convincing himself that was his job. He clocked her high cheekbones, and strong eyebrows, her fox eyes and the devilish curve of her scared lips. She had a single blonde curl and the rest of her hair was dark with hints of blonde sprinkled throughout, he noticed her perfect button nose and the beauty mark under her left eye. He smelled her before he smelled her reaction, she was very unique, he had to fight to put his finger on her scent. It was praline amber, like when the wood was boiled perfectly to bring out its full scent, but that wasnt all, there was also the tart sweetness of ruby currant. She also had the fresh undertones of wild iris after rainfall that was being hidden by the bitter smell of her fear.

Cassian was the first to speak, “Its a girl,” he sounded like he couldn’t believe it, “a tiny girl.” Cass’ head was cocked to the side as he observed the tiny human infront of them. Faeries were normally larger than humans but she was even smaller than the Archeron’s when they were still human. In response to his words fear rolled off of her body in waves, strong and pungent enough to mask the delicious scent from before.

Her back hit the wall as her eyes roamed the cave wildly, with the glow gone and Rhys unable to produce any more light so the only source was from his and Cassian’s siphons; their flicker was only to prove they were still alive as they no longer had access to any magic either. Despite that Azriel could practically see the wheels turning in her head, she was scared and trying to find a way out.

Rhys stepped forward trying his luck, “Don’t worry,” his voice was gentle, the voice he used usually used in the face of small children, “we brought you here… to help us.” The girl pressed herself further into the wall as her eyes trained on Rhys. Her breathing shallowed and soon her fear was flooding the entire room. Rhys looked over to his brother but Azriel had his eyes trained forward, like a hawk intently watching its prey. He tried another tentative step, this time putting his hands up in a vulnerable, indefensive position, “We won’t hurt you.”

The girl didn’t answer, she continued to stare. It wasn’t until she brought up a shaky hand and pointed that Azriel realized she wasn’t looking at Rhys but rather past him, all three heads followed her finger and that’s when they saw it. The Umbramaw or better known, shadoweater. Its misty body was subtly dancing behind the men. With the barrier down all the screaming must have attracted it. The warriors were quick to move into a fighting stance, the reaction so natural. Cassian let out a low swear as he unsheathed his sword, Azriel had one of his half way out before resheathing it. The girl was running away and her steps were loud, if there were more shadoweaters she wouldn’t stand a chance on her own. Looking over he saw his brother with Ataraxia and trusted him to protect himself and Rhysand. He hesitated for a beat but when Rhys turned to him and nodded once it was all the shadowsinger needed before taking off.

Rhys pulled out a dagger that Nesta had constructed for him right after the war had broke out, he had it hidden under his tunic and held it in front of himself defensively, he wasn’t sure if he had what it takes to fight right now. The Umbramaw must’ve sense his uncertainty, registering him as an easy target, it twisted toward him. Cassian didn’t miss a beat, he was in front of his brother protectively in an instant. Cassian was confident in the sword his mate had constructed as he wielded it an against the shadoweater. The first slash produced a low hiss as the beast registered the deadly weapon being used against him. The Umbramaw adjusted splitting its body into multiple parts and attacking both men from multiple angles.

Rhysand struggled to stay upright, the Umbramaw darted around quickly leaving cuts across his face and body every time. He tried to fight back, swinging the dagger haphazardly as his exhaustion caught up to him, his mind was scrambled and most of his energy went into not passing out. Cassian on the other hand was fierce and steady, he was determined to return himself and his high lord home to their mates. He cut through the parts of the shadoweater that were badgering him and in the little time they took to dissipate he would swing at the ones around Rhys. Every time the mist came in contact with Ataraxia it would take longer to rematerialize.

Sweat was dripping off Cassian’s face and rolling in beads down his back by the time the Umbramaw was repairing slow enough for an escape. “This thing must already be dead, that’s why I can’t kill it,” Cassian said through gritted teeth as he rushed to Rhys, he had about 90 seconds before the it would rematerialized. Rhys was fighting to stay awake, threatening to nod off when Cassian threw his arm under his shoulder and hauled his brother up. “We’ve got to go, you’ve got to run.” Rhys didn’t have the energy to respond and when Cassian started moving the warrior was essentially dragging him. “Oh mother,” Cassian muttered, 72 seconds. The general decided he wouldn’t waste anymore time trying to get Rhysand to function normally, that was clearly not in the cards. Cassian made it out with only a few scratches but Rhys was covered, blood was oozing from nearly every part of his body as Cassian threw him over his shoulder and began running in the direction Azriel had went.

He could hear his brother grunting and yelling, “C’mon!” “I’m right here!” “Look at me!” He followed the sound and found his brother struggling to keep the Shadoweaters attention. The girl was motionless on the floor and every time the mist would make a move towards her Azriel would yell again, drawing its attention back. Cassian laid his brother down and pulled out his mates swords once again, Azriel was doing fine with the truth-teller but this Umbramaw’s rematerialization wasn’t slowing.

Cassian and Azriel fighting together was able to slow it down quicker this time, Cassian’s palms clammed up as he hoped the other monster wouldn’t hear all of Az’s commotion. Fighting together for hundreds of years had them moving in perfect sync, every blow Azriel landed Cassian was there to deliver another one. They didn’t have time to wait for it to disappear for a minute and a half like last time, who knows how many more Shadoweaters were on their way to the noisy group. When they slowed the demon down to 30 seconds Cassian threw a barely awake Rhys over his shoulder once again as Azriel scooped up the unconscious girl into his arms and both men took off.

They moved through the cave system swiftly and quietly, but without his shadows Azriel had to rely on his own vision and memory to know when to duck or jump. Their long maintained stamina gave them the ability to keep running until they reached the entrance they came in from, the tight squeeze made it impossible to carry the compromised individuals through with them. Cassian gave Az a boost up the makeshift slide and then lifted the girl, then Rhysand, before Az pulled Cass up as well.

When they came out Cass placed his brother on the ground to catch his breath as Az continued to hold the girl in his arms. Even though he knew the immediate threat was gone the part of his brain that controlled his instincts told him not to let her go.

“Im sorry, I-“ Rhys breathed the fresh air greedily. Blood was dripping into his eyes but he couldn’t muster up the strength to wipe it was so he just kept them shut as he spoke, “I can’t conjure my wings.”

Cassian shook his head at his brother as he hoisted him up, “I’m just glad I’m not bringing home a body,” the words were painful, the thought of such a thing… no. He wouldn’t even let himself think it. Rhys forced his eyes open to glace at the brother that was holding him as he mumbled something intelligible, Cass is pretty sure he heard something about loving him and being so thankful.

“Lets get out of here man,” Cass spoke to Azriel as he adjusted the large man in his arms to which he just nodded, Cassian shot into the air dodging the high branches.

Az spared a look back at the cave entrance then one down at the girl in his arms, “Please… save us,” he whispered to her but she remained undisturbed. He pulled her tighter against his chest before following his brother into the sky.

A/N: Ayooo first series les gooooo!!!

I’m so excited for this one. This is part i (Prythian Ver.) I have part i (New York ver.) that gives some insight on our female lead(oc)

If you made it this far I love and lemme know how y’all like it 😚

Masterlist

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honeybeefae · 1 year

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Coming at you with another fic idea bc I guess I’m just completely unhinged this early in the morning.

When the King of Hybern finally found all the Cauldron pieces and put them together, he knew if he wanted to win the war he would need the Mortal Queen on his side. He could promise them many things, but he knew the most enticing would be to be Made. The gift of a fae, the gift of an immortal life, it was what everyone wanted.

However, he couldn’t just test the powerful Cauldron in front of them. If something went wrong, it could be the end of their alliance and his plan to take back what was his would crumble.

So, he sent two of his men to capture some ragged human that he had captured recently. The king didn’t particularly care who, his plan was to kill them anyway, but he needed to test its power and he couldn’t use it on one of his kind.

The guards came back up with you, dressed in tattered rags with your hair in knots and reeking of the filth that coats the floors of the dungeons. You were already teetering on the edge of your life, having been captured when you took the place of your brother who had unknowingly insulted one of the Fae.

You could still recall his face as you begged the the faeries to let them take you, to spare your younger brother. When they dragged you away his cries stabbed your soul, your own tears wetting your face.

It had been months of rotting away in the cell they had given you. Now, as you were finally brought before the King, you pleaded with whatever gods would listen that it would be a quick death.

The cauldron sat in the middle of the room, smoke billowing out that seemed to wrap around your legs. The King briefly explained his plan, leering at you in disgust before you were thrown into the waters without so much of a warning.

Darkness surrounded you, filling every orifice of your body as you thrashed and screamed. You realized that this was your death and slowly stopped fighting, the icy water filling your lungs and veins. You closed your eyes and prayed. Prayed for your brother and family to keep safe, prayed for the human world, prayed for peace.

And as you felt yourself fading away, heading towards the light on the other side, something tugged you back. It was a comforting presence, one that made you feel like you were wrapped in the arms of a mother singing a lullaby, but it ended all too soon.

Four hands seized your body out of the depths of the Cauldron and threw you onto the floor, your wet hand and knees slapping against the tile as you gasped for air.

Your entire body felt different, changed in some way. It was like all of your senses had been heightened and suddenly everything felt too much all at once. You looked up at the King, sitting upon his throne, who visibly flinched back when your eyes connected.

“Seize her.” The King ordered, his voice eerily quiet. “Now. Do it now.”

Those same hands as before tried to touch you, to capture you, but you felt some sort of force begging to be released from your hands and just as they had grabbed you, you let it free.

The ground rumbled underneath your feet, the ceiling above shaking as everyone around you was sent flying backwards. Even the King himself couldn’t block the wave of power, stumbling backwards as dust covered his court room.

You heard someone whisper, “Run.” And without a second thought, you did.

Your feet were still wet as you took off as fast as you could, past the guards, the gates, the slaves, until you almost ran off the cliffs of the island. There was nowhere left for you to go and as you turned to run back, several soldiers appeared in front of you out of thin air.

Their swords were drawn, lips in a sneer as you held your hands up. The edge was getting closer and closer as you inched back, your heart thudding loudly in your ears.

And as the front one suddenly reached out to grab you, his hand mere inches from your face, you felt yourself falling and falling and falling through darkness.

It felt like hours but surely was only a few seconds, a loud scream ripping from your throat as you ripped back through reality and landed on something.

A loud grunt and shout made you realize it wasn’t something, but someone.

You scrambled off and winced when you fell on hardwood, glancing around to find yourself in some sort of bedroom. The person you had landed on sat up in their bed, a dagger drawn and pointed at you.

You realized it was a male, with large, bat-like wings, tan skin and dark eyes and hair. Blue, glowing stones were around his wrists and you couldn’t stop yourself from gawking.

He was the most beautiful person you had ever seen.

“Who are you?” He asked, his voice deep and serious. It sent a shiver down your spine.

“I’m Y/N.” You whispered, staring up at him. “Please, help me.”

#acotar #ACOTAR imagine #azriel x reader #azriel imagine #azriel acotar #azriel x you #azriel fic #azriel reader #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #ACOMAF #acowar #acofas #ACOSF

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shyvioletcat · 3 months

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A/N: I'm gonna be honest, i lost my editing steam about halfway through Rowan's second POV, so past there we're just going to ignore any errors due to my impatience. Thank you so much for your patience, this chapter has been sitting in my brain for a long time. It's something other than poorly edited

~ Made of Ashes Masterlist ~

~~~~~

Aelin was so tired she didn’t know how she was conscious or functioning. The inevitable had happened, her precious little baby was sick. And she was left floundering.

It had started out fairly mild. Just a little bit of a runny nose and some irritability. The first few days had been next to nothing and Aelin had been able to cope fairly well. She was a little sleep deprived and a little anxious, but that was all and overall it hadn’t been too bad. And then Elsie didn’t get better, in fact she got worse, and everything flipped on its head. Now Elsie was coughing, often wheezing, a low appetite and a fever just to round it out. Aelin was doing her best and she managed to get Elsie to take some pain relievers that helped the baby sleep. The real issue was getting Elsie to eat enough, she was still only breastfed but Aelin fed her whenever she wanted, no matter when. It just felt like it wasn’t enough.

It had been two days of Aelin barely sleeping while fretting over her fussy daughter. Every cough and whimper had her nerves on edge, as did trying to placate to Elsie’s every whim. Aelin was battling this fight on her own. Her parents were on a business trip in Rifthold and she didn’t want to risk spreading the infection to Rue, and Korby was already sick. So Aelin would soldier on, in the trenches and on the front lines.

Seeing her daughter sick was heartbreaking. It left her with a deep feeling of helplessness, because at the very heart of it there was nothing Aelin could do to ease her baby’s suffering. Nothing seemed to please her and the best Aelin could do was hold her just about every minute of the day. When Elsie wasn’t attached to her mother she cried like her own heart was breaking. Aelin hadn’t showered in a good 36 hours and sustenance came from whatever she could make and eat one handed.

They were currently on Aelin’s bed with the pillows stacked so that she could lean back and rest Elsie on her chest so they were both mostly upright. Elsie fussed, fighting sleep, her little whimpers sounding congested. Aelin knew her daughter needed rest, it would be the fastest way to get better. A nap would do them both some good in fact.

“Come on, darling,” Aelin whispered, eyes closed like all her energy diverted to keep her mouth moving. “Just sleep, even for a little bit.”

Elsie protested, rubbing her face on her mother’s shirt, no doubt getting drool and snot everywhere. Aelin didn’t care, dirty clothes weren’t a concern right now. Keeping her eyes closed Aelin started to hum and there was a moment of quiet before Elsie started fussing again. She changed to singing You Are My Sunshine softly. That one almost worked but Elsie’s contentment only lasted about a minute. And then a song came into her head at random, and Aelin was singing it before she even realised what she was doing.

Beautiful Dreamer, wake unto me,

Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;

Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,

Lull'd by the moonlight have all passed away!

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,

List while I woo thee with soft melody;

The song was one Rowan used to sing all the time, one that his mother used to sing to him if he was to be believed. Aelin’s voice was weak and uneven, but she did her best. This song sounded better when Rowan sang it, his accent adding a bit of whimsy, almost making it sound like some kind of faerie lullaby.

Gone are the cares of life's busy throng

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,

Mermaids are chanting the wild Lorelei;

Over the stream let vapours are borne,

Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,

E'en as the morn on the stream let and sea;

Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Elsie went quiet and Aelin let out a shaky sigh of relief. Finally, a reprieve. Aelin sang it again and Elsie stayed quiet, and half way through the third time the baby was asleep. Too tired to care, Aelin didn’t bother trying to open her eyes knowing that sleep was hovering over her. It was barely a minute later and she was asleep.

Something pulled Aelin to consciousness, not even realising how deep of a sleep she had fallen into. Within a few heart startling moments she would realise it was mother’s intuition. Elsie was still on her chest, awake and in distress. Her breathing was rapid and Aelin was sweating herself from how hot the infant was. Aelin’s body reacted first—tipping forward and cradling Elsie in her arms so that she could see her better.

Elsie’s breathing was deep and rapid and she was looking pale. One of her fists waved about, knocking the side of her head and ears. And then Elsie coughed, an awful sound that had Aelin’s insides twisting with panic. Her baby was unwell, severely unwell.

Aelin fumbled for her phone, her hand shaking from panic and exhaustion. She couldn’t manage the string of numbers so she went to contacts instead, tapping frantically on the one that simply read: Mum.

“Hello, hello,” Evalin said cheerfully, her face appearing on the screen.

“Mum, what do I do?” Aelin asked.

Concern flooded her mother’s features. “What do you mean?”

“She’s breathing so hard and her temperature is so high,” Aelin said, her voice heightened with her increasing alarm. “I just fell asleep for a second, just a second.”

Aelin was aware she was reaching hysterics but she couldn’t help it. Panic well and truly had set in and the overwhelming need to protect had taken over, except there was no physical threat. There was nothing she could do.

“Show me what her breathing is like,” Evalin said, the tension in her voice clear but she was trying to stay calm.

“It’s ah… it’s fast,” Aelin flipped the phone to show Elsie. “And she’s coughing and the pain medicine must have worn off because her fever is back.”

Elsie’s breath caught and she coughed, disrupting her breathing more. Two sets of worried turquoise eyes met each other through the phone screen. Aelin broke.

“Do I take her to the doctor or the hospital? How am I supposed to drive? I can’t watch her if I’m driving, what if she stops breathing?”

“Oh my sweethearts,” Evalin sounded devastated. “I’m sure she’ll be okay but I think you should take her to the hospital.”

Aelin sobbed, she couldn’t help it. She tried to keep it together but exhaustion and fear were overwhelming her—she was so alone right now.

“Aelin, don’t drive. Call someone to come get you,” Evalin said.

But Aelin’s brain was scrambled, no one immediately came to her. “Who?”

“Aedion, he’s the closest.”

“Yeah, okay,” Aelin said a bit weakly.

“Call him and then call me back,” Evalin said. “I’ll stay on with you until he gets there.”

Aelin hung up, then called Aedion straight away. She was holding her breath until she got an answer. Somehow she managed to be coherent and Aedion promised to be out the door moments later. Aelin was about to call her mother back when Elsie had a coughing fit, lasting so long that the baby vomited. It covered both of them and Aelin swore under her breath as she tried to contain the vomit and make sure Elsie was all right.

Elise cried and cried, her pain and discomfort obvious. Aelin tried to comfort her as she bundled Elsie up the best she could and headed for the bathroom, snatching a change of baby clothes from a clean washing basket on the way. There wasn’t time for a shower and Aelin didn’t want to risk the chill Elsie might get after. Aelin stripped the soiled clothes off both of them and threw them in the bathtub and then yanked down a towel to give Elsie a wipe down before dressing her in leggings and a long sleeved t-shirt. The crying hadn’t stopped and Aelin felt tears gathering in her own eyes. The helplessness was overwhelming.

“Aelin.” Aedion was standing in the doorway, his face tight as he took in the scene.

“She’s sick,” Aelin said, sniffling. Her brain was fried and she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Yeah, poor thing.” Aedion’s tone was soothing, low and soft.

Aelin stood, keeping a safe hold on her daughter. “We gotta go.”

Aedion stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Hold on—’’

What was he doing, didn’t he realise they had to leave? Now. Aelin was about to verbally protest when Aedion gave her a look that had her biting back the words.

“You don’t have a shirt on, and you’ll need your wallet and the nappy bag.”

Aelin had been so concerned about getting Elsie dressed after the vomiting that she hadn’t got a change of clothes for herself. All Aelin wore was a crop bra and pyjama pants. She couldn’t go to the hospital like this.

“Pass her to me and go get what you need,” Aedion said, holding out his arms to take the baby.

Aelin nodded, passing Elsie over. “Clothes, wallet, bag.”

Over the crying Aedion repeated, “Clothes. Wallet. Bag.”

Aedion left the bathroom, murmuring to Elsie as she cried, but Aelin forced her brain to focus on what she needed to do now. She needed clothes, and her wallet, and stuff for Elsie. Three things and then they could go. In her bedroom Aelin threw on a pair of leggings and the first clean t-shirt she could find, also grabbing a sweatshirt because hospitals were always cold. Next she darted off to Elsie’s room, stuffing more clothes and nappies and a pacifier into the bag. All that was left was her wallet that was on the kitchen counter.

She found Aedion pacing between the living area and the edge of the kitchen, whispering to Elsie. Aelin was so focused on getting out the door that she didn’t notice the quiet at first. Her daughter was still whimpering softly but the desperate crying had stopped. It irrationally hurt to see Elsie settled when Aelin had been trying so hard—for days. Aedion’s eyes met hers over the top of Elsie’s head and he gave her a weak smile.

Aelin didn’t return it, too single minded to sort through her feelings. So she just grabbed her wallet from the bench and she was done. “Ready.”

There was a wordless agreement that Aedion would keep Elsie, at least until they got to the car. Elsie was content for the time being and there was no use disturbing her more than she needed to be, even though it caved in Aelin’s chest a little to keep the distance. Blessedly the elevator was quick to arrive and there were no stops down to the garage parking lot. Aedion unlocked the car, but Aelin opened the door and he eased Elsie into the car seat. As soon as the connection to her uncle’s chest was lost the crying started again. Each second seemed to drag on, and for a few of them Aelin waited just holding the door. When Elsie’s cry broke into a screech it kicked Aelin into gear and she was darting around to the other side of the car and climbed into the back seat.

“I’m here, baby girl. I’m here,” Aelin tried to soothe and Aedion finished up with the buckle. Elsie’s eyes peeked over at her, her bottom lip pouting. “Just hold on, we’re going. You’ll feel better soon.

The drive consisted of Aelin repeating assurances over and over again, words of comfort and keeping her hands on Elsie so she knew her mother was right there with her. When they got to the hospital everything passed in a blur. Aedion dropped her at the doors and Aelin hurried with Elsie through the doors. As a sick infant Elsie was seen within minutes.

Aelin felt like she was in a limbo as she waited for Elsie to be assessed. To help with her initial comfort they gave Elsie oxygen and put a monitor on her foot. Next it was quickly determined that she was at risk of dehydration so they attached an IV too. That was traumatic, and Aelin thanked the gods that Aedion was by her side when that happened. He was able to hold Aelin’s shaking hand and help keep Elsie still while the nurse injected the needle in her hand. Aelin wasn’t letting her daughter go, even if she barely had the strength.

It was nearly another hour before they got the full diagnosis. The doctor had introduced herself as Sorsha and Aelin had to hand it to her, she had an excellent bedside manner. She was patient with both Elsie and her mother while the stress was high. Her hazel eyes were kind and sympathetic, but she was assertive and clear every step of the way.

Sorsha delivered the news on Elsie’s diagnosis herself. She had RSV, which led to an ear infection and bronchitis. Aelin’s heart seized at the words but Sorscha assured her that it sounded scarier than it was. All three were common and treatable, and it was all caught early enough that there were no serious repercussions. And on top of that they had discovered there was a slight structural abnormality in the tubes that connected her ears to her sinuses which had been the cause of the ear infection. It had to do with drainage and bacteria, but Aelin had been too focused on fixing it that most of what was said went over her head. She was told Elsie would most likely grow out of the ear problems, she would just be more susceptible to more infections until she did. The doctor commended Aelin on her actions and left her to process what she’d just heard.

Aelin had done the right thing, Elsie was okay— just needed to be monitored.

They were moved from the ER department to a room in the children’s ward of the hospital because they would be staying for at least a few days. Aelin barely left Elsie’s bedside, and quickly fell back into the habit of barely sleeping. There was a reclining armchair for her to sleep in, a consideration made for those parents that would be staying with their children. But the constant beeping and noise of the hospital kept her awake, as did the anxiety over her daughter’s welfare. It didn’t help that every time Aelin started to drift off she was graced with dreams of Elsie screaming, or crying, or vomiting. She would startle awake, unsure of what was reality and what wasn’t, only to find Elsie sleeping soundly.

Aelin’s mother arrived around lunchtime on their first full day in the hospital, and it was only then that she managed to get a solid amount of sleep knowing that someone else had eyes on Elsie. She was unfortunately woken up about an hour later by a nurse coming in and doing another check. The consensus was that Elsie wasn’t declining, but she still needed to stay in for observation.

Evalin went out for food, which Aelin only picked at until visiting hours were over. Elsie’s condition had kind of plateaued instead of getting better. Everyone kept saying at least she wasn’t getting worse. What ate away at Aelin was that maybe she hadn’t done enough, that she hadn’t seen the signs earlier and acted too late. Maybe all this could have been avoided if she had been more vigilant. Aelin had been hanging by a thread so she hadn’t noticed how serious Elsie’s condition was. To punish herself further Aelin had googled the what ifs in those hours that she couldn’t sleep and was berating herself for letting it get this far to begin with.

Another night in the hospital was spent watching Elsie as she slept, sometimes fitfully in between medications. They gave her doses to keep her comfortable but it couldn’t take all her ailments away. The tiny girl still woke up in distress, crying from pain or discomfort from the IV, or coughing and waking up in an unfamiliar bed. Aelin was doing everything she could to make sure Elsie was comfortable and content. But it wasn’t enough.

A new day started and Aelin was still staring at her daughter, cataloguing everything. Her breathing was easier, but it still shuddered every once and a while. There was a slight decline in the frequency of the coughing fits and blessedly they deemed that Elsie was eating enough that she was unhooked from the IV, temporarily at least.

Evalin was their visitor today and had taken it upon herself to fill everyone in with the updates, using the group chat on Aelin’s phone. Lorcan was checking in incessantly, because guilt was riding him too. Unbeknown to everyone Korbin had RSV, and yes, it was the consensus that was where the sickness had come from. Elide and Lorcan had kept him home instead of coming to dinner that night, but it seemed that Lorcan had been the one to pass it on to Elsie. He felt awful and had sent Aelin numerous apologies, he even went as far as calling which was all but unheard of from him. Aelin told him it wasn’t his fault, reciting the statistics of how common infections were this time of year. It was winter, it was cold, people got sick.

All her friends were rallying to Aelin’s side, offering any and every kind of help they could—mainly in the offering of food to keep the visitors down in the hospital room. Her mother was in charge of crowd control, Evalin was a pro at managing people and telling them when to do things. That was probably the reason why the next guest arrived.

“Hey,” Fenrys said softly from the doorway.

Aelin nearly jumped despite the non-startling care he had taken. “Hey, Fen.”

“I’ve got some snacks,” he said, holding up a bag as he walked into the room. “How’s she doing?”

Aelin looked back at Elsie, who was sleeping. “She’s doing okay. Getting better.”

“That’s good,” Fenrys said.

Fenrys drifted over to where Evalin sat by the window, passing over the food and chatting quietly. Aelin didn’t bother to try and decipher what was being said, the beeping of Elsie’s monitor was too loud. As were the thoughts tumbling around in her head.

“Go home, Aelin,” Evalin said, snapping Aelin out of her trance. “She’s okay, I’ll be right here.”

“I can’t,” Aelin replied.

“You can,” Evalin’s voice was a little firmer. “Have a shower, get some clean clothes. I won’t leave her side, I promise.”

Aelin looked up to her mother’s face, seeing the honesty there. If she promised not to leave Elsie’s side, Aelin believed her. It would be hard but Aelin knew it was the right thing to do. She’d been in these clothes for two days and she hadn’t done more than wash her face.

“I’ll drive you, come on,” Fenrys offered.

Fenrys dropping by with food had truly been divine intervention or very purposeful planning. Aelin supposed it might be the latter. She might have been able to take her mother’s car, but she wasn’t too confident in her driving right now. With Elsie sleeping and Aelin didn’t want to wake her but she couldn't leave without pressing the softest of kisses to her daughter’s head.

On the way out to the car Aelin stopped by the nurse’s station just to let them know what was happening and that she would be back as soon as they could. They nodded along and promised to ring if anything occurred while she was out. When they undoubtedly saw the colour drain from Aelin’s face they told her nothing would, because Elsie was doing fine. It still left Aelin’s stomach in a tight knot.

Fenrys led her out to his car and opened the door for her. Aelin fingers drummed on her thigh as she waited for him to get in. The quicker they left, the quicker she could get back. The usually talkative man was silent on the drive back to her apartment and Aelin wasn’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse. She didn’t have the energy for conversation but the silence also left her alone with her thoughts. They swirled inside her mind, building and inflating into what felt like a treacherous storm.

“Want me to come up?” Fenrys offered as he yanked on the handbrake.

“Um,” Aelin's brain was foggy. “If you want?”

Fenrys looked at her for a moment and then made his decision. “I’ll come up.

As soon as they were out of the car Aelin had her keys in her hand, ready and waiting to get her to her apartment. Then it was just the habitual ride up the elevator and walk down the hallway.

Being inside her apartment had Aelin relaxing, even if it was just by the smallest amount. She wanted a shower, maybe some food, but then she found she couldn’t move from where she stood in front of her couch. Aelin’s tumultuous emotions were winning, try as she might she couldn’t hold them at bay any longer. She wrapped her arms around her body as the last defence of keeping herself together. It failed and a sob tore out of her before she could stop or flee to where no one could see her long held in breakdown.

“Aelin,” Fenrys said tentatively. She didn’t answer, she just cried harder.

Fenrys was moving closer and a little voice in the back of Aelin’s head told her to stop crying, wipe her face and smile. But she was tired and sad, her daughter was sick in the hospital and it was all her fault.

“Hey, come here.”

Arms that weren’t hers wrapped around her and Aelin was pressed against a hard chest. She let it happen, accepting the small gesture of comfort. Tears soaked Fenrys’ shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind, he just kept holding her until she was the one to call it. Aelin was embarrassed at how long it took her to calm down, and even then she couldn’t stop tears from gathering and falling down her cheeks.

“I’m okay, Fen,” Aelin murmured, not pulling away just yet though. “Sorry about your shirt.”

“I don’t mind,” Fenrys said. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I—” the words were choked on a sob. “This is my fault.”

“What? No.” Fenrys pulled back enough so that he could look down at her. “This is not your fault.”

Those words meant nothing, guilt and despair was all consuming. “It is. Because I am not enough for her. I let it go too far, I should have taken her to the doctor or the hospital sooner, but I was just so tired and I have no idea what I’m doing. Elsie is suffering because I am not enough. I am supposed to be everything that she needs and I failed her.”

“No, Aelin. You know that’s not true,” Fenrys said.

“It is. I should have seen the signs but—”

“Aelin, please listen to me,” Fenrys actually pushed Aelin back so that she could look her in the eyes. She couldn’t hold the eye contact, she turned away, eyes closing and squeezing more tears from her eyes. “Kids get sick, and you were everything Elsie needed. There is no doubt in my mind that you sacrificed just about all of yourself for her benefit. That was enough for her, but shit happens, things that are out of your control. That is what happened. Not you.”

Aelin exhaled, her body shuddering as she tried to wrangle some control over her emotions. She risked a glance at Fenrys’ face. This man was known for his perpetual joking and troublemaking, seeing him so serious was odd but comforting.

“You are more than enough for Elsie,” he said. “You always will be. We’re all here for you, the both of you, but you are all she needs.”

“How did I mess up so badly then?” Aelin’s tears fell with a new fervour.

“Because you’re new to this and you did do the best that you could. And when you had to, you asked for help,” Fenrys told her. “And RSV is so common, it’s something that they say is only a matter of time.”

“How do you know that?” Aelin asked, dabbing her nose on her sleeve as she finally felt brave enough to step away.

“I did my research once your mum let us all know,” Fenrys replied. “She’s awesome by the way, real cool lady.”

“I’ll have to tell her you said that, she’ll be flattered.” Aelin felt a bit lighter.

“What makes you think I haven’t told her myself?” Fenrys said cheekily. That made Aelin laugh and he tapped a knuckle in her chin. “There we go.”

“That’s gross, Fen. Who knew it would take you hypothetically flirting with my mother to break me,” Aelin's voice was shaky with laughter and withheld tears.

“Had to get you to listen to me somehow,” Fenrys said with a genuine smile.

“Um, watch TV or whatever,” Aelin waved at the couch. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

That question threatened to trigger a new wave of tears. Aelin had always been too independent for her own good, the last few days had proven that. So not wanting to set off another round she declined and all but fled to the bathroom and showered. It felt amazing and she was more than refreshed when she stepped out onto the mat and grabbed her towel. It was then she noticed that the vomit covered clothes had been removed. Someone had been in and tidied up, and instead of feeling embarrassed she just felt gratitude.

Dressed and ready to go, Aelin did a quick check of her phone to see if there were any messages. Just one, from her mother, letting her know Elsie had woken up but was content. Aelin knew that would only be for the time being she would have to get back as soon as she could to prevent a monster meltdown. She also noticed that it was mid afternoon on a Tuesday—time and space had no relevance in the hospital.

Fenrys was sitting on her lounge and Aelin shot him the question her phone had triggered. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Nope,” Fenrys said, not looking over right away. Like he needed a moment to form his single word answer.

“But, it’s a work day. Don’t tell me you took it off for me.” If he had… it was just something else that she would beat herself up over.

Fenrys now doubt sensed her rising panic as it was broadcasted across the room because he said without hesitation, “I quit. Finally.”

Aelin remembered something about a game company seeking him out, but as far as she knew he had stuck with Stone City. “You what?”

Slapping his hands on his things once, he stood from the couch. “Come on, let’s get you back before your mum eats all the good snacks.”

There was something more going on here, Aelin could feel it. But she definitely lacked the tact to get it out in the right way. So she just nodded and grabbed what she needed. They stayed silent until they got to the elevator, right up to when Aelin started to fidget again. Fenrys hip checked her, making her smile.

“Remember what I said, okay?”

Aelin turned so that she could face him, finding him looking quite serious but still with that underlying playfulness which she decided to take advantage of. “What exactly? You say a lot and most of it is straight bullshit.”

Fenrys raised his eyebrows at her, like that was the most preposterous thing he’d ever heard her say. But then made a show of contemplating the words, making Aelin smile.

“You may be mostly right,” he conceded. “But you are everything and more to Elsie. You will always be enough, don’t forget that.”

Those words were said with such sincerity that Aelin felt her frayed emotions rise up again. She nodded and then turned away before the tears could fall. Fenrys, being the decent guy that he was, pretended not to notice. Damn him and his unfailing charm because despite herself, Aelin might just be starting to believe him.

~~~~~

It had been an uneventful few days at work. The company was in their post Yulemas lull, giving all the employees a slight breather. All their clients had blown out their budgets in the lead up to the biggest commercial season of the year and were now recuperating and re-evaluating their next steps. So, all Rowan had to do was maintain contact and scope out new clients, wooing them through stories of successes from the past few months.

The wider office outside his door was fairly quiet as Rowan read the company email that went out everyday. It was full of information he already knew, most of which he had some hand in as part of his managerial role. Skimming it, Rowan assumed there was nothing he needed to take note of.

And then he almost missed a memo, it was so short and brief and he’d been intent only glancing over the words. But Rowan’s eyes caught on a familiar name and that was enough to give him pause and to give it the time of day. His eyes went a bit wider and he even went as far as checking his phone like the answer would appear. It didn’t, all he had were email notifications from clients.

Rowan sat back in his chair, reading over the memo again. Fenrys had left Stone City Advertising. There was no explanation, just a short note that he was leaving that was meant to notify everyone else that there was no point in contacting him. Rowan didn’t know why, but none of his friends had said a thing about it. That unsettled him, and it also made Rowan question why he wasn’t notified as part of his role as manager. He picked up his phone ready to send a text off to Lorcan to ask him about the sudden departure when there was a knock on his office door.

It was Dresenda, a new hire. Maeve’s assistants usually had a two year job life span before they started to look for employment elsewhere. Rowan liked his job well enough but he would never want that job. “Hey, Rowan. Maeve just got in and she wants to see you.”

“Thanks,” Rowan said, standing and slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Maeve had been over in Terrasen, wooing a high profile client and from how long she was gone, it seemed like some sight seeing as well. It would be bitterly cold there this time of year. The end of January into February was when winter sunk its claws in. Snow would cover the city for days, maybe weeks if they were lucky. In Doranelle the weather was milder all year round, snow was a rare sight here. Rowan loved the cold, it had made Terrasen feel like home in a way—like that climate was made for him. All things considered it certainly didn’t feel that way anymore.

It was irrelevant, he was here—his life was here. His affection for the cold wouldn’t be enough to draw him back. Roman wasn’t sure there was anything that would lure him back to that city that had so painstakingly thrown him out.

~~~~~

Rowan should have been working. Not technically, but there were things he needed to do. It was a Thursday evening and he’d only left work half an hour later than everyone else with the plans to go home and finish off a few things before he went to bed. And he had opened his laptop and left it by the chair he planned to eat in… but then he’d got distracted. Rowan had made his dinner then had every intention of reading over some reports when he very randomly opened a website for one of the local department stores and was now scrolling through pages of children’s toys.

He didn’t know much about kids but he knew that they liked toys. His company had developed more than enough advertisements to appeal to the younger audiences to know that it was a very lucrative business to be in. What Rowan hadn’t been prepared for was the sheer amount of variety.

Dolls, building blocks, miniature kitchens, unicorns, plush toys. The list went on. His mother had mentioned that Elspeth’s birthday was coming up soon, and an idea had taken root. In his quest to get to know his daughter better he had the idea that he might buy her something. To him sounded dangerously close to bribery, but he was willing to try anything.

Rowan was cleaning up after his fairly late dinner when there was a hurried knocking on his door. He shook his hands off over the sink and then snatched the tea towel from where it hung on the over handle to dry his hands. The knocking came again, this time more urgently. Curiosity had him moving a little faster, wondering who was insistently trying to disturb his evening.

This time the knocking was short, sharp and hard.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Rowan muttered.

He swung the door open and the sight in front of him made his heart skip a beat. Aelin stood there, Elspeth cradled in her arms. The child didn’t look good, her skin was pale and her body seemed to be shuddering.

“She’s sick,” Aelin said, stating the obvious.

For a moment Rowan just stood there, trying to process. Then his brain kicked into gear, along with a healthy dose of panic. “What’s wrong?”

“I just need you to drive us to the hospital,” Aelin said, ignoring his question. “Please.”

“Yeah, of course,” Rowan wouldn’t press the issue—not when he could see the urgency of the request. “Just one minute.”

The door swung when it was released but didn’t close but Aelin didn’t bother with entering his apartment. All Rowan did was grab his wallet and keys and then found them waiting in the hallway. Elspeth’s head was now resting on her mother’s shoulder and Aelin swayed in place. There was a bag hanging off Aelin’s arm and taking that small burden was the first thing Rowan did.

Aelin rushed off to the elevator and Rowan followed. He kept a cautious eye on Elspeth, feeling useless as they waited. What he was trying to comprehend was that Aelin had come to him for help. It must have been a real emergency then if she wasn’t going to wait around for someone else. Or maybe, Rowan selfishly thought, this was progress.

The elevator finally arrived and Aelin stepped in, Rowan right behind her hitting the button for the garage. Elspeth coughed and then let out a whimpering cry. It was an awful sound, something in his chest twisted because of it.

“My keys are in the small pocket, we’ll take my car,” Aelin said, nodding at the bag Rowan held.

He found the keys, holding them in his hand so he was ready. Rowan wanted more information but he knew this wasn’t the time or place to ask, he would just have to silently manage his building concern. And even though he was being useful, he still felt a little helpless struggling with the unknown. He would drive them to the hospital and then what? What would happen to Elspeth when they got there? Would it just be a short stay or would it be longer? Would Aelin want him to wait? What could he realistically do to help in this situation when they got to the hospital? Rowan could feel the tension in his body building with each new question.

It wasn’t much longer until they were at the car. Rowan left Aelin to get Elspeth sorted and he dropped into the driver’s seat. His long legs were bent uncomfortably and he pushed the seats back. This brought him back to years ago when he would drive Aelin’s car. He always copped it afterwards if he didn’t put it back to the original position.

“I know, baby I know,” Aelin murmured as she strapped Elspeth into her car seat while she protested. “I know you don’t want to go but we need to make you feel better.”

Rowan monitored the progress in the rearview mirror. When Aelin sat back and clicked her seatbelt into the buckle he started driving.

Elspeth whimpered and complained, and he saw her reaching for her mother. Aelin lent over and kissed that little hand and gave Elspeth and her own to hold onto. “You’re okay, Elsie. I know it hurts, but we can make it better.

Rowan was tempted once again to seek some explanation over what had Elspeth so distressed, but it seemed he didn’t have to.

“She’s okay,” Aelin said, no doubt noting how Rowan couldn’t stop checking the rearview mirror. “I would have taken her to the doctor but it’s after house and the quickest and easiest way to get her seen is take to the hospital. It’s just a bit of a cold but they hit her pretty hard and I just want to get some things checked.”

“Poor thing.” Rowan couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“We manage.”

Those words were clipped and a little defensive and they had no need to be. Rowan wouldn’t come for her over this. Gods, seeing Elspeth so miserable and in obvious pain… Aelin was doing the best that she could. And it would have taken a lot for her to knock on his door for help. It stung a little that she would still assume he would think so negatively about her in that way.

It was ten minutes more before they reached the hospital and Rowan dropped them as close to the doors as he could. Aelin hadn’t said anything besides thanks before she left so Rowan wasn’t sure what he should do. Maybe he’d just wait in the car, but when he parked he saw the bag that Aelin had been left behind.

Rowan ended up in the waiting room, the bag keeping him company on the seat beside him. Neither Aelin or Elspeth were in sight, and he was glad that they were seen so quickly. To kill time he mindlessly scrolled through his phone, his mind too muddled to do anything productive. The bag next to him was all the prodding he needed to approach the reception desk and get whatever information they would give him.

“Excuse me, I was wondering if I could get an update on Elspeth Galthynius?” Rowan asked.

The woman at the desk gave him a polite smile and then clicked a few things. “She’s been moved to the children’s ward.”

“Her mother left a bag with me, am I right to take it through?” He held up the bag as evidence.

“No problem, go through.”

“Thanks,” Rowan said and then followed the signage to the children’s ward.

He was stopped again at those doors and he gave the same story and was let through without much fuss. They had also given him a room number so he kept an eye out for the right one. The door was open and he found Aelin sitting next to Elspeth’s bed, watching her daughter. There was a monitor bandaged to Elspeth’s hand and he noted there was an oxygen apparatus next to the bed that wasn’t being used. Besides that Rowan couldn’t decipher anything about her condition because Elspeth was asleep. Rowan could immediately tell that Aelin was less stressed and that was reassuring. She didn’t look ready to fight the nearest threat anymore, her shoulders were looser, the lines of her face more relaxed. He knocked and then stepped into the room.

“Hey, I just wanted to see if there was anything else you needed,” Rowan said, handing over the bag.

“Oh,” Aelin looked and sounded exhausted. “Um, no we’re okay.”

“Alright,” Rowan still hesitated. “Is anyone else coming? I can leave your car here and get myself back.”

“Shit, I didn’t even think of that. Take my car, Fen should be here soon,” Aelin replied, rubbing at her face. “Thank you, again.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Rowan moved closer so he could lower his voice. “What’s wrong?”

Aelin rubbed her hands on her thighs and swallowed hard. “When Elsie was just about four months old she got RSV, it’s a respiratory infection. Since then she’s been more susceptible to reinfection or getting a bad cough when she gets sick. She also has something a little off about the structure of the inside of her ears, so whenever she gets sick we usually get ear aches as well. Just… Overall she gets infections easier so I always want to make sure they get seen and diagnosed right away.”

Elspeth being this unwell explained why she had fallen asleep so suddenly on him the other day.

“Do they happen often? The earaches?” Rowan asked and Aelin nodded. “I had ear problems too, the eustachian tubes, Right?”

Aelin swallowed again, eyes darting from him to Elsie. “I didn’t know that.”

Rowan took a chance and sat down on the chair next to Aelin, feeling less awkward and imposing. “I used to get horrible earaches, so bad that I still remember them vividly. But I eventually grew out of them.”

Aelin just nodded, eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. They were quiet for a while and then Aelin laughed stiffly. It left Rowan a bit surprised and he didn’t know what he was supposed to respond with.

“It hurts so much to see her in pain and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s a sickening kind of helplessness,” Aelin explained. “I try… but it never seems good enough. She wanders off and licks the glass at work or something, or we go to the library and some random kid coughs on her.”

That comment made Rowan huff a small laugh, and to his surprise his response made Aelin lips quirk in a fraction of a smile. But it fell away too quickly and when Aelin looked to where Elspeth slept Rowan could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

“Last time you saw me I lost her and then there was her almost taking a solo ride in the elevator,” Aelin said. “I don’t know what it is but you seem to keep witnessing my worst mothering moments. I just—”

Aelin broke. Her breath caught and Rowan recognised her tell tale efforts she was dedicating to stop herself from crying. It stunned Rowan for a moment and he was about to tell her that these supposed failings didn’t affect his opinion of her as a mother, but he didn’t get the chance. From what he had seen, Aelin was a dedicated mother, this evening had been proof of that. Right now she was practically shaking—he could see the tremors in her hand from where it rested on the arm of the plastic chair.

He wasn’t sure what made him do it but he reached and took Aelin’s hand, squeezing it just a little bit.

“You’re doing great,” Rowan said, hoping she could understand how genuine he was.

Aelin looked from his hand to his face, reading his open sincerity. She swallowed, and she withdrew her hand to stop tears from rolling down her cheeks. Rowan was searching for something else to say when there was a knock on the door. Aelin’s head jerked towards the door, Rowan looking away from her to send his eyes in the same direction. A pretty doctor stood in the doorway, probably around Aelin’s age, her hazel eyes darting between him and Aelin.

“Dad, I assume?” she said.

“No,” Aelin said quickly. “I mean, yes. But no. Gods,” she muttered.

Rowan’s gut twisted at hearing that awful and hurried explanation. He didn’t dare contend it.

“Can we talk outside? I don’t want to wake her.” Aelin stood and was halfway to the door when she stopped. “Is this… you all right with this?”

Meaning being left alone with Elspeth.

Without hesitation Rowan gave his answer. “No worries, I’ll sit with her.”

An expression filled with mixed emotions appeared on Aelin’s face and then she followed the doctor out the door. Rowan was left alone in the room with Elspeth. It was quiet except for the quiet hum of the machines and Elspeth’s sharp intake of breath every once and a while. She was still asleep, laying on her stomach, her hand with the monitor attached resting beside her head. Her skin was still pale, but there was a rosy flush on her chubby cheeks. Every once and a while she took in a deep breath and it jerked her whole body, making Rowan start every time. He had never seen her this still, she was usually so energetic and it gave him the opportunity to study her.

She looked so much like Aelin. He could still recall the photos of her as a child that he had seen and Elspeth was like a mini double. But Rowan was also starting to see himself in her too. His mother had been right, the way her brow furrowed was like him and maybe there was something in the shape of her face that was like him. And there were her green eyes, of course.

Those eyes that opened now, lost and hazy for a moment before they focused on the unfamiliar room and what was weighing down her hand. Elspeth’s face fell, tears quickly gathering.

Rowan was out of his chair in an instant, panicking with the need to calm her down. “Hey, there sweetheart. It’s okay.”

That did nothing and tears ran down her cheeks as she raised her head up, no doubt looking for her mother.

“Hey, Elsie, it’s okay,” Rowan said, crouching beside the bed. He realised a moment later that was one of the few times he had said her name. But it seemed to get her attention. “Mum’s just outside, she’ll be right back.”

”Mama,” Elspeth just about squeaked.

“Yeah, she’s talking to the doctor, she’s still here,” Rowan assured her.

“Hurts, Rowan.” She remembered him and was saying his name a little better. Elspeth pulled on her ear. “Hurts here.”

So carefully, he pulled her hand away from her ear so that she didn’t irritate it more. “I know, sweetheart.”

Elspeth held onto his thumb, not even trying to go back to her ear. Her hand was so godsdamned tiny compared to his. She didn’t say anything, but did start to cry harder.

”Hey, hey,” Rowan tried to soothe, scrambling for something. “How about a lullaby, one from when I was small?”

She didn’t give a verbal response, just watched him with expectant and wide eyes. Rowan cleared his throat and then started singing.

Beautiful Dreamer, wake unto me,

Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee

Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,

Lull'd by the moonlight have all passed away

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,

List while I woo thee with soft melody

Gone are the cares of life's busy throng

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,

Mermaids are chanting the wild Lorelei

Over the stream let vapours are borne,

Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,

E'en as the morn on the stream let and sea;

Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me

Rowan stopped singing and it seemed to have worked. Elspeth breathed a little faster and her eyes fluttered, but she was relaxed and happy. The smile she gave only reached half her mouth with her cheek squished on the mattress. Regardless, it was sweet enough to make Rowan’s chest tighten. It was beautiful in a heartbreaking way. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes open but they stayed close, and just like that she was asleep again. For longer than he should have, Rowan let Elspeth hold onto him, not wanting to lose the small weight of her hand just yet. It was only when he was sure she was soundly asleep and that moving away wouldn’t wake her, he did so. A little regretfully because he had been more than happy to offer her that small comfort as long as she needed it. He sat back in his chair and just waited.

Aelin came back into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. “How’d she go?”

”She woke up for a second but then she settled,” Rowan said, some of that awkwardness from before still lingering.

“Thank you,” Aelin said.

Rowan couldn’t help the slight smile that tilted his lips, remembering Elspeth’s little smile. “I was no problem, Aelin.”

“I mean for everything.”

Rowan took in the way that Aelin stood with her arms crossed, but not with hostility. It was enough of a reprieve to prompt him to ask, “Why me?”

“You were closest,” was Aelin’s simple answer. “I might have been able to drive myself but I would be fretting. Everyone else is on the other side of the city right now and I don’t like to wait, not when it comes to her.”

”I would never have turned you down,” Rowan said. He almost added I hope you know that but Aelin answered before he could.

But he didn’t need to. “I know that.”

They fell into silence again, slightly awkward, but when weren’t things awkward between them these days? At least they’d expended most of their anger. Aelin shaking her head drew Rowan’s attention, and there was nothing he could think to say. Then he heard hurried footsteps and then the door opened. Fenrys stepped into the room, concern written all over his face.

“How’s she doing?” Fenrys asked, all his focus on Aelin and Elsie. Rowan wouldn’t have been surprised if his presence was going completely unnoticed.

“She’s okay,” Aelin said, as Fenrys met her at the foot of the small bed. “It’s her ears again.”

Immediately Fenrys wrapped an arm around Aelin, and it was over her head that Rowan was finally noticed. Fenrys’ dark eyes went a bit wide, but there was no other reaction besides that. Rowan shifted his attention back to Elspeth who was still soundly asleep thanks to his singing. Aelin and Fenrys were conversing quietly and it was apparent that he was no longer needed, so he’d excuse himself and leave.

“I’ll head back,” he said. “Hope she feels better soon.”

”Thank you, Rowan,” Aelin said again.

In response Rowan nodded, and with one last look at Elsie, he left. He didn’t get far before he heard his name being called. Turning, Rowan saw Fenrys walking towards him. It gave Rowan a chance to take the other man in—he looked dishevelled, his curls were messy and there was almost a frantic air about him. He must have raced from wherever he’d been, likely getting caught in traffic.

“Hey,” Fenrys said when he got close enough. “Thanks for bringing them here.”

This was the first civil interaction since the park and, like now, they had been in public. But this time there was no impactful audience here in the hospital hallway. Nothing about what Fenrys was doing right was performative, that much was very clear.

“Don’t mention it,” Rowan said. “Even if that was the least I could do, I was happy to do it.”

“I know.” Fenrys extended his hand. “I mean it. Thank you.”

This was strange for Rowan. Once upon a time he would have been Aelin’s knight in shining armour, now that role was taken by someone else. Fenrys’ affection for both Aelin and Elspeth was genuine, there was no doubt about that. And Rowan saw the hand shake for the peace offering it was. This was an offer for burying the hatchet once and for all, prompted on by gratitude.

Rowan had nothing to lose here, and everything to gain. Holding onto this grudge when he didn’t even have the full story of how things ended up the way they had was going to keep him from his goal. Rowan’s priority was Elspeth, any animosity that remained would only cause more damage to everything he was working so hard to build. More than that, seeing the way it had unfolded tonight, how many times had Fenrys been the one to step up when no one else would?

His daughter had benefited from that care and attention. That was the bitter truth of it, because Rowan was not there himself.

Rowan shook Fenrys’ hand. “It’s all good, Fen.”

Some of that tension lifted from Fenrys’ face, and a soft smile appeared instead as he glanced back to the hospital room. “I’ll let you go.”

”Look after them,” Rowan said and left before he got any kind of reply.

It was clearer than anything now, Elspeth—and Aelin— had everything they needed. And it wasn’t just a ride home for the hospital. If Rowan left tomorrow, the impact he would leave on Elspeth’s life would be next to nothing. She would go on and forget he existed. That didn’t sit well with Rowan. His daughter didn’t need him but Rowan was beginning to wonder if he was the one that needed her.

~~~~~

Rowan left and Aelin felt like she could breathe again. She had been thankful for the way he hadn’t even hesitated to get them to the hospital, but there was still so much tension when he was around.

“I’ll be back in a sec.”

Fenrys left, dropping a kiss on the top of Aelin’s head. She didn’t know what he had to say to Rowan and she was too tired to try and eavesdrop. It didn’t feel like her place to monitor their every interaction, not like it had before. All the volatile feelings that led to adverse reactions seemed to have worked themselves out. That was good, one less thing for her to worry about.

Her boyfriend wasn’t gone too long, and he ended up leading them over to one of the chairs, pulling Aelin down to sit in his lap. She’d been stuck in a trance watching Elsie breathe and hadn’t realised how close her legs were to giving out until they started moving. Aelin leaned into Fenrys, letting the closeness of his body and his steady heartbeat relax her. She dropped down a bit more so she could rest with her feet on the other chair.

“What happened?” Fenrys asked softly.

Taking in a deep breath Aelin explained everything. Elsie had been rundown for a few days, Fenrys had known that, he’d even been the one to point it out when he picked them up from the shopping mall the other day. It had started with a runny nose, then a cough, then this evening Elsie’s temperature had spiked and the earaches had started. Aelin knew what would happen next, the symptoms would escalate and so would Elsie’s distress. When her daughter was sick she would wind herself so much that it would exacerbate her cough, then she’d vomit and then it would go down from there. At the hospital they could put her on oxygen and give her pain relief, minimising the risk of dehydration and worse.

“Elsie was close to vomiting and I couldn't get her to keep the medicine in her mouth,” Aelin explained. “I weighed my options and Rowan was the best of them.”

”It was good of him to bring you two down,” Fenrys said. “I thanked him for it.”

”I did too,” Aelin said, then she laced her fingers with Fenrys’ and snuggled into his side. “So, it turns out that Elsie’s ear problems were inherited. From him.”

Fenrys huffed out a breath. “Guess that they have more in common than that frown, huh?”

“Mhmm,” Aelin hummed. Then she was silent for a long time, considering if she should say what she was thinking, knowing Fenrys would rally to assuage her doubts. But she couldn’t leave it, not when old insecurities raised their ugly head. “Do you think she might have suffered less if I had of known?”

Just as she knew he would, Fenrys wasn’t hearing a bar of it. “Chances are she would have had the same problems no matter what. Maybe we might have cottoned onto the cause a bit earlier, but don’t beat yourself up about it. Elsie is fine, she always is and always will be as long as you’re her mother.”

Aelin tilted her face up while Fenrys looked down at her. Her boyfriend was full of shit and she was about to tell him so when he stopped down and kissed her. “Don’t start. I’ll always win. I have years of evidence to counter every argument.”

“Fen,” Aelin said, her throat getting tight. “You’re too good to me.”

He kissed her again. “Maybe.”

There was a soft groan from the bed and Elsie stirred, her free hand rubbing at her eyes and she panicked for a moment while she tried to work out where she was. Aelin was instantly moving, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing a hand over Elsie’s hair.

“Hey, I’m here. We’re at the hospital, remember?”

“Where Rowan?” Elsie asked, raising her head up a bit, but that seemed to disturb her ear which she started pulling at.

Aelin gently pulled that hand away. “He went home.”

Her daughter looked visibly upset by that. “He sung me my song, Mama.”

“He…” it took Aelin a moment to figure it out. The lullaby she had stolen from him. “That was nice of him.”

“He’s my friend,” Elsie said with full confidence, as much as she could be in her sickly state.

Aelin didn’t know how to take that little bit of news, little did Elsie know that biologically he was much more than that.

“Uncle Fen!” She said when she saw who was seated behind her mother.

Fenrys gave the girl a smile full of adoration. “Hey there, Pumpkin. Not feeling good?”

Elsie shook her head. “Ears, uncle Fen.”

”We should get rid of them,” Fenrys said, making Elsie gasp.

”No.” she drew out the word, her voice hoarse.

“I’ll do mine to match.”

Elsie laughed and Aelin smiled along with her. But then her daughter’s demeanour changed to something more serious.

”Home, Mama?”

Aelin shook her head. “Tomorrow, my love.”

Elsie frowned in response, Aelin hated to see her upset.

”Can I come up there and give you a hug?” She asked.

Elsie nodded enthusiastically, and Aelin cradled her in her arms, rocking back and forth gently. Then she started humming the lullaby again, knowing that it would calm Elsie down immediately. Because Aelin had been singing it for years, ever since that first hospital visit. That lullaby had been one thing she could rely on to soothe her fussy child. While Aelin hummed her way through the tune she tried not to think about the unexpected and lasting effects the father of her child seemed to be having in not just her and Elsie’s lives, but what it might mean for him now as well.

~~~~~

I have no faith in the tagging system at the moment, for better notifications please follow @works-of-shyvioletcat

#made of ashes #it is 2:16 am I will see you in the next round of mornings for me

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emyluwinter · 7 months

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I…..I don't even know where to start here, my dear.

It's not like "everything burns with a blue flame"

TWST decided to punch the OUT.

So everything is according to the old scheme. Then there are spoilers.

SHOO

So we continue to lead our news feed with Twisted wonderland AND THIS IS DAMN THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONAL UPDATE OF THE PLOT.

I love this game so much, you would know, it gives me such an emotional explosion that I need so much in life from time to time.

You can find now a bunch of different interpretations of a more detailed plot from the game. I will pay attention to what I remember the most

First. Grimm is my cute little gremlin/little devil. Scares poor cooks, a married couple hiding in the basement(?) to get brooms for to fly. And the funny thing is… YUU CAN JOIN THIS. YES. TIME TO BE THE MOST DANGEROUS!AND NOT TO SOLVE IT! Don't tell me Yuu doesn't enjoy a little chaos when he and Grimm start making a complete mess.

While the conversation was going on, the sound of a very hungry stomach sounded. Everyone immediately looks at Sebek.

Sebek burning with shame - …………… it's not me.

Silver didn't believe him for a split second!!*laughs*

And then this crocodile accuses that it's rumbling in Yuu's stomach! Sebek!!How could you!!Ahahahahahaha. First you say with the stubbornness of the rock that you will not be friends with us, and then you substitute that it is not you who is rumbling in your stomach, but the "person" Yes. Sure. Pffffff.

Sebek continues to deny it. But his rumbling stomach interrupts his own words. Ahahahahahah. Nice guy, just say you're hungry.

Silver DISNEY PRINCESS is already a canon, my dear. Sebek came up with a plan to use this "Princess of Diasomnia" so that they could escape past the knights of the Silver Owl. Use animals as a distraction. They really managed to escape. And when the "Dream" team (Yuu, Grimm, Silver and Sebek) were almost attacked, Lilia came to the rescue. Scolded his "not sons" for something they were inattentive. And Lilia was also attacked by birds thinking that he was dangerous to Silver. OMALVDPOALDVPODA

We were shown the castle of Princess Meleanor. (Mallenoa, it turned out to be not quite the right name from Japanese to English. We were shown how to do it right) This is a frame from the Sleeping Beauty cartoon. Such beautiful backgrounds. I like the visual style.

*San takes a deep breath*

WE WERE SHOWN MELEANOR. AND I'M ABSOLUTELY NOT OKAY. I AM WEAK AGAINST THE WOMEN THAT TOBOSO CREATES.

NO, JUST LOOK AT HER. THIS GODDESS.

With not the easiest character, but as Lilia said, Malleus is definitely more calm than his mother.

How powerful this goddess's thighs must be to lay this healthy egg….

Meleanor - * the most gentle dragon mom who loves the baby in the egg, sings a lullaby to him*

she's in a second

"I'LL SET YOU ON FIRE WITH LIGHTNING RIGHT NOW, IDIOT!!"

Lilia meanwhile with the face "I want to retire"

Meleanor considers her husband to be a world-class beauty and that Malleus will definitely grow up and receive beauty genes from his father. Ma'am, I want to know what your husband looks like since you worship him so much. I need to see him!! TOBOSO PLEASE. Who is this man capable of stealing the heart of Draconia?!

Oh, yeah….

Meleanor threw such information that set the fandom on fire. As if it's not enough for us right now..khem…

Lilia proposed to her when he was younger, and Meleanor also said that Lilia also loves Levan. And that they both spent more time together than any married couple.

Well … technically, "love" can be perceived in different ways, as a family, as a friend, as a dear fairy heart, and in romantic or not, everyone decides for himself. Lilia grew up with Meleanor and Levan, in fact, these are the two closest faeries that have been to him throughout his life.

TWST decided to tear our hearts to shreds, I'm not kidding.

Silver…..

….guys…..he's already having a tantrum for the third time probably happening. The screenwriters didn't spare him at all. Like us, too.

It's not like a panic attack, it smells like a nervous breakdown.

And yes, he was dragged away by ink due to the fact that his entire consciousness went to dust.

It wasn't enough for us to have one overblott, IT ALREADY SMELLS LIKE TWO AT LEAST

Sebek, Grimm and Yuu are trying to find Silver lost in the ink. They wander in the dark long a lot and Sebek is worried that we might get lost. Yuu takes them by the hand and Sebek is confused and confused. Phphhavadlp. This guy. Tsundere. You're in our gang, no excuses.

Silver is of course pulled out, Sebek swears with him, fights with him, swears again. He's crying eyes out. And they put up. Silver uses the magic of the ring to pull everyone out of the ink.

Yuu and their poor battered back from all these falls…Ahahahahaha

They notice that behind the Lily's footprints there are traces of knights from Silver Owls and rush to help.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand

this is the end of the chapter.

Considering that there will be a new event in October.Which will stretch until mid-November? I think that we can expect updates to the plot of the main story in December. Perhaps. But this is not accurate.

As we can see, they try not to "artificially stretch the plot" as sometimes happens. And to work it out carefully and in detail. Keep in mind that we are only approaching the middle of the story somewhere. Because Ortho is still waiting for us with dogs and Styx And the fight is not in a dream with Malleus.

+Analysis of the consequences.

And I reааааааally hope chapter 8 for Yuu and Grimm.

Let's summarize the results.

Silver turned out to be the son of the Knight of the Dawn, immersed in a deep sleep because of the three fairies until the war ends. CANONICALLY SILVER IS TAKEN FROM THE HISTORY OF AURORA And that "only love can wake him up" Lilia, who was staggering next to an abandoned castle for 300/400 years, it is unknown why.

-huh?…is there a baby crying somewhere?

The unique magic of Lilies. - check The unique magic of Sobek. - check

It remains only to learn the unimalkuyu magic - Ace, Grimm and Ortho!

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #twst spoilers #twsited wonderland #twst news

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thesistersarcheron · 1 year

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Pairing: Feysand Rating: E Word Count: ~3.7k Summary: Every court has their own Great Rite with unique, ancient traditions. The Night Court’s priestesses have played coy with Rhysand since he inherited the throne last year about what imbuing the land with his power really means; all they tell him is that he is meant to spend the night in the Night Court’s mines while everyone else gets to attend the orgy without him. He doesn’t expect to find Feyre, a faerie made of crystal who leads him on a chase deeper and deeper into the mines as the Rite’s magic overcomes him. ———Check out Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 on tumblr, go to my masterlist for more, or read this fic on AO3 here.

“Pick one.”

The hand around Feyre’s waist tightened, and her mate’s lips grazed her temple.

Feyre shook her head, struck speechless, and tore her eyes—wide and awed—from the wall of crowns in front of her to glance, uncertain, at Rhys.

“I can’t just—take one.”

Her voice was breathless. Awed.

And she had been rendered so by the radiant, endless trove of jewels stretching out around her on all sides.

After a week in a palace made of moonstone atop the tallest of the southern mountains, Feyre thought little would have the ability to do that anymore. Jewels rarely impressed, anyway, and after experiencing the mating frenzy…

It had consumed her and Rhysand both, and they had surrendered to the seemingly endless pleasure it wrung from them gladly. The memory of the long, endless nights taking her fill of him left her weak in the knees and wanting.

And although Rhys’s scales and claws had receded back into the deep well of power within him after that first night, he had not bothered to replace the damper on his power. She spent the full week at the heart of it with him, bathed in the night-dark tendrils rippling off him like smoke—dreams and nightmares and lullabies given form. They reached for her, drawing her deeper and and deeper into their embrace, and each new caress of Rhys’s magic against her skin was more silken and decadent than the last.

Those ribbons of dreams were dotted with stars that coalesced into shining diamond cuffs around her wrists. During one of the lulls, Rhys had smiled to see the way they shone against her skin and, with a snap of his fingers, replaced them with the real thing, drawn out of some pocket dimension with half a thought. That brief moment of clarity had faded again into burning, animal desire when he saw them on her.

They ate simple meals while lounging in bed together—roast chicken and greens, creamy soups, richly spiced stews—and swam in a bathing pool cut into the cliffside and climbed to the peak of the mountaintop palace to gaze up at the stars at night from cushions of eiderdown, until the ever-present need roared back to life and Feyre found herself sprawled over the table or perched on the lip of a balcony.

They talked, and Feyre learned more about her High Lord than she’d ever dared to imagine—the models of the stars he built in rare moments of leisure, the artist’s quarter he couldn’t wait to show her in a city called Velaris, what coming up as a half-Illyrian in a war camp had been like, the family he lost and the Inner Circle he would protect to his final breath.

She barely had the presence of mind to have Rhys jot down a note for her sisters to let them know where she was and why she never returned from the Fire Night festivities. Rhys had groaned at the reminder that the world spun on without them, but wrote a second note to that Inner Circle.

“So they don’t get any ideas about interrupting,” he’d murmured darkly, slicing the line through a T with calm, murderous grace that made Feyre’s blood heat again. “For at least a week.”

They barely pulled themselves together when a pair of them finally came knocking the morning after Rhys’s deadline. The roguish, long-haired male and the gorgeous blonde female, Rhys’s cousin Morrigan, who had accompanied him into the cave during the Rite winnowed into the dining room in the middle of the first breakfast they managed to eat without interruptions.

Feyre had to give it to them. Their timing was incredible.

But as Rhys set down the knife he was using to butter his toast, he shot a look like cold death into one of the writhing shadows in the corner of the room, and Feyre realized for the first time that tendril of darkness was not one of his. The shadowsinger’s then. The male Rhys considered a brother.

And in the dining room, Rhys’s second brother took one long look at Feyre, and drawled, “Well, she certainly beats a crate of jewels, Rhysie.”

A snarl ripped out of Rhys, so furious and savage that Feyre dug her fingers into his arm, as if she might have to hold him back.

“Cassian.”

“I’ve never had an oread before,” Cassian went on, tying back his dark hair. His wings flexed, spreading wide.

Rhys fisted his hands on the table and rose so, so slowly from his chair.

Cassian paid him no mind, waggling his brows at Feyre instead.

Gently, Rhys pried her hand off of him. One glance at his face revealed feral, predatory fury.

The wrath of a newly mated male.

Feyre had to avert her eyes to avoid the temptation to drag him out of the room and show him what she thought of the beastly snarl on his lips.

Morrigan, who had been half-hidden behind the hulking Illyrian, peered around the edge of one wing and gasped at the sight of her. She nudged Cassian with a sharp elbow.

“Hurry it up,” she hissed out of the side of her mouth.

Cassian chuckled, rolling his shoulders. “Is it true that her pu—”

Rhys exploded.

Fists flew, teeth snapped, growls cut the air, and Feyre cringed as blood sprayed a pile of silk cushions piled on the floor after Rhys slammed a particularly vicious punch into the side of Cassian’s face. The general gave as good as he got, though, ducking the next blow and kicking Rhys back, gaining a moment’s reprieve to regain his footing before Rhys winnowed behind him and trapped him in a headlock.

“Welcome to the family,” Morrigan said, her songbird voice dry as ash, as she breezed past Rhys and Cassian with so little care that Feyre surmised that their dirty, ferocious brawling was a regular occurrence. She took Feyre’s hand, pulling her out of her own chair and spinning her into a twirl so insistently that Feyre couldn’t refuse. “And, oh, just look at you! Amren’s going to have a heart attack.”

Feyre’s jaw dropped. “Amren?”

The name brought to mind claws so sharp they tore through the very fabric of the world, glowing eyes that peered through the tears to hunt their master’s prey—

“Mor!” Rhys barked. The hold he had on his brother slipped as Cassian dropped to his knees, dragging Rhys down with him. “Fuck, Feyre, don’t—“

Cassian sank his teeth into Rhys’s arm, and Feyre’s horror melted into uneasy concern as Rhys swore filthily.

She took a step toward the brawling males. “Should we…?”

Mor caught her by the arm.

“Oh, don’t worry about those two. Or Amren. Rhys needs to get it out of his system sooner or later, and even if he’s been terribly selfish keeping you all to himself up here, Amren wouldn’t dare take a chunk out of the newest member of our little circle for her collection.” She winked at Feyre, who did her best to forget decades of chilling bedtime stories. “We have things to do, anyway.”

Feyre eyed the wrestling males. “What, like give each other concussions?”

Mor barked a laugh, but Feyre couldn’t look too long; just the sight of Rhys’s shirt riding up and the muscles flexing beneath it as he bared his teeth stoked the fire between her legs—

Her mate stilled, his dark eyes cutting to her.

Mor and Cassian seemed to sense it, too. Cassian took advantage and rolled, pinning Rhys beneath him, and Mor, still snickering under her breath, took Feyre by the elbow.

“You’ll fit in nicely.” She squeezed Feyre’s arm. “Come, let’s polish you up and see if we can’t get Nuala and Cerridwen to scrounge up something for you to wear. They were beside themselves when they heard the news, you know. One of their own on the throne after a Great Rite mating ceremony. It’s like something from a storybook.”

Tearing her attention away from Rhys, away from the sobering reminder of her new place amongst the Night Court’s ruling family, Feyre asked, “Nuala and Cerridwen?”

“The wraiths who deliver the offerings to your people on Fire Night. They’ve been here all week, making sure you two didn’t starve to death while—” Mor cut herself off, and a knowing smirk curled the corner of her red-painted lips. She glanced at Feyre. “Hm. I supposed you wouldn’t have seen them. They’re quite discreet.”

Feyre cast her mind back to all of the meals that appeared like clockwork wherever she and Rhys found themselves at mealtimes—their bedside, the bathing pool cut into the mountain, the wide balconies overlooking the snow-kissed mountain range beyond, and, once, against a wall in one of the wide, endless hallways—and blanched. “No, I suppose I haven’t.”

“Well they have excellent taste. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”

And she didn’t. The twin wraiths stepped out of the shadows in the stairwell that led to the High Lord’s suite, falling into step on either side of them.

As they approached the door, Mor made a choked noise. The room was restored to immaculate order, the bed made so neatly Feyre could bounce a copper off of the plush comforter, but even the open windows did nothing to clear the scent of herself and Rhysand, embedded as it was on every surface in the room, from the air.

“Perhaps you might wish to stay here while we dress her, Lady,” one of the wraiths murmured, quiet laughter in that voice. Mor nodded, wrinkling her nose, and Feyre…

Feyre bit her lip to suppress her own grin at Mor’s relieved nod.

She couldn’t find it in herself to be ashamed of thoroughly loving her mate. Already, the bond ached keenly, and all of those years of longing in the mines paled in comparison to the razor-sharp yearning strumming down that line.

“Yes,” Mor said. She was still smiling, though, so happy for her cousin that Feyre couldn’t help but adore her. “Perhaps I might.”

And Nuala and Cerridwen were discreet, just like Mor promised, dressing Feyre in a gauzy replica of the gown she wore for the Rite without a single sly look or snide word. That gown had been reduced to dust by Rhys, as had many of the clothes she’d worn recently, and one of them—Nuala, maybe, but telling them apart was near impossible even after they introduced themselves—only winked when she asked how they possibly could have remembered what she was wearing that night. The dress was a perfect copy; the only difference was the band of diamonds belted at her waist to hold the two panels together and the diamond cuffs they sighed dreamily upon seeing on the vanity and fastened around her wrists.

They didn’t linger, either. One twin brushed her hair into a smooth sheet of gold and the other buffed a cloth over her skin until she sparkled with practiced efficiency, and they handed her back to Mor within minutes.

The fight was over when they reached the dining room. Rhys must have won the fight and healed most of his injuries—the hole Cassian had bit through his sleeve had disappeared completely. His skin glimmered faintly with the residue of his magic under the light, and his wings, drawn out of that secret place where he kept them hidden, were spread wide. So arrogantly wide that Cassian, shuffling about somewhere behind him, was obscured from view.

“You’re a vision, Feyre darling,” Rhys said, at her side in a heartbeat. His eyes flashed, and the heat in them was a white-hot brand against her skin. They should have known better than to put you in that dress today.

She reached out, ignoring the way she was suddenly aware of the weight of her breasts beneath the taunting silk, to graze a sickeningly dark bruise on his jaw that he’d missed. “I wish I could say the s—“

Cassian groaned under his breath. “Oh, blease, fucking sbare be.”

At her side, Mor snorted. “Ego a bit sore, Cass?”

Feyre craned her neck, peering around Rhys’s wings.

Please don’t look at him, the thought that slid into her mind was strained, apologetic, and…

Feyre bit her lip. Those impressive wings weren’t spread out of simple dominance, but as a screen to block Cassian from view. Her view, if the way Mor grabbed a napkin from the table and swanned around them was any indication.

And Feyre couldn’t resist poking the bruise, just a bit. Perhaps it was cruel to test Rhys’s limits while the instincts of the mating frenzy still raged, but she wanted—needed—to know. So she lifted herself onto her toes, peeking over her mate’s shoulder and through his wings…

And found Cassian nursing a crooked nose that seeped blood onto the floor.

“Noses are off libits when we’re sbarring,” he was grumbling, spitting a mouthful of blood into the napkin Mor handed him with a grin. “An’ always hab been.”

Mor lifted a brow. “And biting isn’t?”

Feyre couldn’t help herself. Mor’s poorly concealed amusement was contagious, and she laughed. “Poor Illyrian baby.”

Rhys stiffened, his lips a thin line, and held out an arm to Feyre. “We need to go. Now, please.”

“Such manners,” Mor trilled. She met Feyre’s eye over her cousin’s shoulder, wicked amusement in her warm eyes. “Do try to get yourselves under control before you come back. It would be such a shame to see the Court of Nightmares reduced to bloody rubble.”

Feyre started. “The Court of Nightmares?”

“They’ll love you.” The next look Rhys cast at her promised to devour her, but his eyes snagged on the arm she threaded through his, the facets of her skin glittering faintly in the watery morning light stretching in through the wall of windows to their left. “Though a little bloody rubble might help convince them of it.”

His tone was so flatly serious that Feyre didn’t have anything to say to that.

So she cleared her throat. “What does she mean, ‘before you come back?’”

If he were put off by the abrupt change of subject, Rhys didn’t show it. No, he only shot her a devious grin and said, “Before we come back.”

Magic tugged and wind whipped and Feyre shrieked as the ground fell out from beneath her as Rhys winnowed them into the sky. His wings were already extended, beating hard, and she clung to him as they soared to a balcony twenty feet below.

The shock of falling and landing and throwing a shoe at her mate’s head (“Some warning next time, you prick!”) bled together; it wasn’t until Rhys apologized, brushing a chuckling kiss over her lips, that she relented and allowed him to lead her into another mountaintop palace, this one made of red stone.

Down and down and down, they descended into the dark heart of the mountain as he explained his plans for the afternoon. He spoke until they came to a door sealed by a web of wards and spells that, smiling softly at her, Rhys disabled with a wave of his hand.

The door slid open, and he gestured her forward.

Into a trove bursting with treasure.

She gasped. The collection stretched from wall to wall on either side of them, caskets and busts and mountains of riches fading back into shadow as far as Feyre could see, all of it brilliantly lit with a gentle turquoise light that shimmered off of the ceiling like…

Glowworms. Just like glowworms.

Feyre looked closer, and she could see that the trove was lit by glowworms, the floor formed of glassy obsidian tile that stretched as far as the eyes could see, reflecting the glittering jewels and metals and silks like a night-sky blanket of constellations over still water.

“It’s… Gods, it’s just like the altar.”

Feyre took a step into the room, breathless at the sight of a trunk full of gems the size of her fist. She startled when the floor beneath her shimmered and shifted, skittering backward as if she might sink into it like she might have fallen into the lake under the mines. But when she glanced down, she found only herself, her sparkling, polished skin incandescent, as if she were lit from within by that gentle light from above.

“One of my ancestors must have taken some inspiration from the Rite,” Rhys said, brushing a soothing hand down her arm. Together, they watched the light shatter and refract against his own golden skin until Rhys took a deep breath, cooling the warmth kindling on the bond between their souls.

“Come,” he said, lacing their fingers together.

He drew her to the back of the trove, past countless millennia worth of treasure collected by High Lords who, Cauldron save her, must have magpie blood somewhere in their line. Just one of the many trunks they passed put the small collection of gems Rhys had amassed over the years, Feyre’s favorites, to shame.

But she couldn’t spot any of her jewels in the collection. No, with every step, the heady need thrummed back to life once more, burning hotter and harder than before.

Rhys groaned low in his throat. The sound shattered Feyre’s fragile resolve, but when she turned toward him, he was gone.

“Run, Feyre,” a dark voice rasped into her ear.

A clawed hand traced the edge of her gown from the pulse pounding in the hollow of her throat to the jeweled belt at her hips, rough calluses scraping the skin exposed by the low neckline. He barely stopped to graze her breasts, didn’t so much as weigh them in his palm, and Feyre whimpered with need as his hand stopped by her navel. A long, long tongue licked a hot line up her throat. He gripped her belt, pulling until she felt the hard length of him against her ass.

“I want to chase my pretty little gemstone again.” She was shaking with anticipation by the time his hand fell away and he growled, “Run.”

So Feyre ran, adrenaline pumping fire and ice through every inch of her body. She darted across rivers of sapphire and through forests of emeralds. Rhys nearly caught her beside a small sea of diamonds—a shining glass display laden with bracelets and lavaliers and rings—and she ducked away, laughing breathlessly as she climbed across mounds of intricate, hand-knotted rugs straight from Cesere. A swath of shadow swiped out of the shadows at her; Feyre shrieked, whirling away, but he caught her around the middle, dragging her down to the plush silk beneath her feet.

Their joining was hard and fast. Rhys laid her out on the rugs, dragging her skirt to the side with one hand and freeing his cock with another. Then his mouth was on her, feasting once again, and then he was in her, around her, and the bond became all she knew. All sounds were muted, all colors faded, and all that existed was the feeling of him, falling into eternity beside her. Everywhere she looked she saw him, all scales and claws and rolling muscle, surrounded by twinkling constellations of fragmented light, and he held her, moving in her, carrying her through it, as she shattered for him again and again until he joined her.

They didn’t speak when it ended; no words were necessary. Rhys simply held her, cradling her with infinite tenderness, as if she were the most precious treasure to be found in the trove.

Long moments passed before a cooling wave of magic restored her to perfect order, hair neat and skin shining. The wrinkles fell out of her dress as they stood, his scales melting away, and he cupped her jaw in his hand.

He studied her for a moment. Whatever he was looking for and whatever he found made him smile.

He brushed a kiss over her lips. “My Feyre.”

Feyre brushed back a strand of raven-black hair, watching his eyes flutter shut. The lines of his face softened, and her chest seemed too small to contain the urgent, depthless affection beating against her breast with bruising force.

“Rhys…”

His hand caught hers, and he laid another kiss to the inside of her wrist. “I know.”

Then he guided through the aisles of finery once more to a wall of crowns set into glowing niches. Each was studded with gems so fine that Feyre had never seen their like in all her years in the mines, each different from the last and so brilliant in its own right that they must all be priceless…

And he wanted her to choose one.

He pulled her impossibly closer, murmuring against her temple once more, “Go on, Feyre darling. Whichever one you like.”

“I can’t,” she said again. Still, she reached out a hand to test the platinum point of one diadem crafted to look like a band of stars.

“It will be hard to find one that doesn’t pale in comparison to you,” her mate crooned, nipping at her ear. “None of it compares to you. None of it ever could.”

A delicious shiver raked its fingers up Feyre’s body.

“Choose one, High Lady,” he whispered against her skin.

Fear followed those words—fear and anxiety and dread. What business did she have on the throne?

But a thrum across the bond grounded her, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she found Rhys looking back, solemn and understanding. Another pull at the bond, this time full of promise—to help her, to guide her, and to show her how to rule at his side as his equal.

The Night Court chose you. The midnight voice in her mind was a gentle thing. Fragile. But it is a sacrifice, to accept the magic’s decision. I understand if you don’t—

“No,” Feyre said, reaching deep within herself. Deeper than the connection between their minds, deeper than the bond between their souls, down, down, down to the endless abyss of starlight that had chosen her, revealed itself and opened to her, atop the altar. It was life and death and endless, shimmering bliss, and its lights danced and shone under her attention. “I do.”

Rhys loosed a shuddering breath of relief.

Feyre gripped his hand and reached for the diadem of stars.

#feysand #feyre archeron #rhysand #rhys #a court of thorns and roses #a court of thorns and roses fic #my fics #bejeweled #feyrhys #feyre x rhys #rhys x feyre #acotar #smut #acotar fic #it is what it is and it is finished which is all that matters to me rn #did someone say secret court of nightmares bonus chapter? maybe! but not rn

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wolfytae-exe · 5 months

Note

You think my anon name is cute and fitting 🥺 best compliment ever!!

Anyways, ever since your posts on monster fucking I've literally been going feral-

Which type of monsters do you think suits txt best?

Ah! Lvlee, I was just thinking about you omg! Yess it’s so cute! I’m not sure how it’s pronounced but i’ve been pronouncing it (liv-lee) and it’s so adorable.

Ooo types of monsters txt would be~ I think about this everyday.

Soobin- he’s fitting for a bunny hybrid but i also think he fits a poltergeist, he’s so tall and pale but i don’t think people see him for him, just his height and bunny features. I think that he’d be like a dead boyfriend that is so jealous that you replaced him with another man, so what if he’s dead? he’s still here and he won’t stop haunting you until you see that!

Yeonjun- Incubus (alr y’all i get it) He has that demonic vibe that’s so luring anyways, I LOVE the thought of him being an incubus that will torment and do you so well in bed before killing you or keeping you as a sex slave for when he’s hungry again.

Beomgyu- Vampire or Werewolf. Beomgyu has this vibe that’s so gloomy if you pay close attention, like he’s hiding something sinister, guilt maybe. His pale skin and evil smirk that shows up from time to time is bone chilling. But Beomgyu is also feral at times, nasty and mean, possessive and rough. He would have no control over himself around you because he constantly smells other men on you, it’s so upsetting he has to tie you up and keep you to himself, so what if he claws you a bit? You asked for it when you ran from him to be with other men.

Taehyun- Siren!!! I will forever stand by this! His voice is so luring, so soft and kind with a small rasp that warns you of incoming danger. He loves you but he loves toying with you more. All he has to do is show you his pretty scales and sing his siren song and you’re so easily smitten over him, and when you snap out of it, it’s so much better, he knows you know but it’s so much fun watching you pretend you don’t know that he’s trancing you, having you play dumb is so so cute. Soon enough he’ll get bored and get rid of you though, so keep him entertained as long as possible.

Hueningkai- Faerie! Specifically temptation lullaby concept hueningkai. His ears pointy and cuffed in hardened , skin glittery and mystical with high cheekbones and a bumpy nose. He loves to play with you so much, so cute looking for your way back home, don’t you know these woods are impossible to escape when he has all the control, you look so scared and hopeless and he loves every bit of it! Once you’re tired he wants your name so he can have full control <3

#cici -> lvlee🐝#cici is being a freak again #txt hard hours #cici is rambling again #txt #txt hard thoughts #monster txt

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pythonthesnaketamer · 2 months

Text

~the shadow jester's play~

reupload bc the first didn't have audio and got weird when I tried to fix it. Sigh.

I saw the update trailer and had the idea to make a puppet show of the story we know from shadow milk's point of view!

I made a script at 7 am and the video at 10 pm so It isn't the best but. Yk

All assets made by me one way or another, either drawn from scratch or using the trailer ones as ref

Song: shadow bonnie's lullaby

script in the part below ^^

(Dark blue curtains open to an empty stage. Only puppets of gingerbrave, strawberry and wizard are visble.)

"Our story begins with a small little INSAGNIFICANT child~! Oh! There he is now! Say hello, gingerbrave~!"

"Insignificant??"

"Poor old gingerbrave! He was baked by the witches just to be EATEN! good thing he and his stupid little friends weren't there!"

"Stupid?!"

"Nonono! They were seeking down the ancients~!"

(Curtains close. They open to show a pink, hollyberrian themed stage. A puppet of hollyberry, princess, and the redish green dragon are present.)

"There was hollyberry! The 'brave dragon warrior'! Can't be too brave to abandon her kingdom.. oh, but she came back to defeat the dragon! Doesn't that justify EVERYTHING in the end?"

(Pink curtains close. They open again to a purple, caconian themed stage. Puppets of dark cacao, caramel arrow, affogato and dark choco are present.)

"Then there came dark cacao, the undefeatable king! He's bested dragons, he's defeated armies! Just to be betrayed by his own son..~"

(Purple curtains close. They open to a yellow, golden cheese themed stage. Puppets of golden cheese, burnt cheese and mozzarella are present.)

"Then there was golden cheese! The golden sovereign as her people cry! But she couldn't even save those very people from death~!"

(Yellow curtains close. They open to a green, flower decorated stage. Puppets of white lily and dark enchantress are present.)

"Then there was white lily.. precious white lily.."

"Precious..?"

"She did her verryyy best to keep us sealed away.. oh but then came dark enchantress~! Pasts do come to haunt us, hm?~"

(Green curtains close. A stage opens to a soft yellow, vanillian themed stage, also decorated with flowers. Only a puppet of pure vanilla is present.)

"And there was pure vanilla. The great king, pure vanilla! But what king was he? His kingdom was dead! And worse, so much of this could be blamed on him~!"

"..."

(Soft blue and yellow curtains close. They open to a stage themed like a eye infested faerie tree, with Puppets of the ancients, gingerbrave, strawberry, wizard, elder faerie and some faerie kingdom cookies present.)

"Gingerbrave and his friends collected these five 'ancient heros' to defeat the (mock voice) 'BiG BaD AnCiEnT BeAsTs'! When the beasts came free, however, these silly silly cookies quickly realized they were outmatched! They quickly lost, and the beasts roamed free once again~! Hahahahaha~!!"

"!!"

(The curtains close, and open one last time, to a bowing shadow milk surrounded by discarded- showing to be "dead", puppets)

"The end."

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kisskida · 1 month

Text

Forbidden Love

-A bookstore girl and a fae on the run in a world where magic is forbidden

“Catch him! Get him! Kill the Fae!” Shouts rang down the street as the poor creature fled from authorities. Magic was somewhat taboo in this town, after the changeling incident…

Vicious chants crept closer and closer to my store, I hurried to the front of the shop and flipped my sign to say ‘closed’. Shutting the curtains across the display window, I stuck my head out the door to see this Fae. One couldn’t not be curious, having never seen the creatures in stories, the creatures of legend. Wind ruffled in my hair and the skies were dark, not dark from night but dark from the clouds, thundering in, protecting their kin.

The earth would always protect her children, my mother sang me lullabies and rocked me to sleep in thunderstorms, telling stories of faeries and fae and elves and dwarves. She would whisper in my ear and hold me close, we would dance in the kitchen, waltzing through the living room and into the storm. She would throw me in the air and laugh, so bold and bright, telling me the same thing every time she caught me “See how high you fly? The earth does not want to let you go, little child of magic”. I knew magic was a taboo in town but still couldn't resist, couldn’t help seeking it out, to find the truth in her words, was I a changeling too? Maybe, maybe not. Who had she loved, to whom was I born? Was it the fair elven folk? The swift faeries? Perhaps the elusive fae? Or was it a shapeshifting beast, those who lured in pretty girls to carry their magic. Was I part selkie? Or Siren? Was it the skies, the sea or perhaps the earth herself who watched over me?

I smiled at the storm, whispering a prayer into it, the magic in my blood stirring as the sky spoke back, a rumble in the air. I scanned the street for the Fae but was unable to see the poor creature, though I could see soldiers hunting the streets for it. I quietly shut the door behind me as I crept out, little sprinkles of rain kissing my exposed skin and dampening my clothes until they clung to my skin, hugging my body like those sweet summer storms my mother would laugh so gaily for. I turned my face to the breeze, listening for the whispers, picking up the secrets spreading on the dampening wind.

My fingertips twitched, an invisible string pulling me like a magnet, weaving between houses and into the back alleys. If a man were to search for magic, it was here he would find it, nicknamed the half-blood courtyard for the way it vibrantly sprang to life as they gathered, magic abuzz and the enchanting figures whipping across in graceful swings from dances long inherited into tradition.When the clouds rolled in, it was then they gathered, among the storms. Shivers ran down my spine and my hairs stood on end as I reached the half-blood courtyard, cruelly desolate and eerily cold despite the humid summer storm roaring above. “Fae…” I whispered, facing the sky, could it carry a message made selfishly rather than my prayers for the earth and sea?

I took a deep breath and whispered again, a little louder this time “Fae, come on, come to me. Hear my whispers” I clasped my hands together, bowing my head for the earth, perhaps she would hear me when the sky refused.My body froze, my fight or flight instinct begging me to flee as a soft feather brushed my face, I slowly opened my eyes, letting my hands fall to my sides, though keeping my head bowed in respect. “You heard me…” the wind howled over me, trying to protect her child from me, to drive me away. I suppose the magic in my veins was not of the sky, perhaps the earth?

“The earth was whispering to me…you smell…” he leaned in close, placing his head against the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply “human, you smell very human but if the mother spoke for you then to her I shall listen” he stepped back from me “Geto. Suguru Geto, at your service” the corners of his lips curled upwards as a smirk played on his face “not without a price of course but whatever you desire, shall be yours” he gently bowed, maintaining eye contact the entire time.

Lost for words, I swayed in the wind, only silence escaping my throat as this wild fae, son of the wind and sky, freer than the waves upon the surface of the sea, bowed to me. A smile spread to my lips and I closed my eyes, bowing my head to him, I couldn’t care less of his motives. This was the creature straight out of my dreams and the food that feeds lonely girls dreams in the dead of the night, the ruler of fiction. “I just wished to see what enchanted my mother so that she would disappear into the woods and leave a child behind. I wish nothing more of you” My soul ached as I told him to leave, my chest felt hollow as I forced my mind to empty of thoughts. It felt so very wrong to dismiss him, so very wrong that I almost put my hand to my throat, itching to repent for a sin with the only remedy, death.

“As much as I would like to leave these accursed lands, those hunters are skilled” He flexed his wings, spreading them out. My eyes shone as I beheld the velvety glory of the ebony feathers, glistening as the rain carelessly slid off them, diamond droplets sitting so gently, a galaxy sketching itself onto the inky surface. A gasp left my lips at the jagged wound stretching across his left wing, my right. Blood swelled from tiny cuts peppering my palm as I dug my nails in, clenching my fist at the gaping slice.

“Come…come with me Geto, I’ll shelter you until it can heal” I spoke before thinking, inviting a fae to your dwellings was an invitation for trouble, even among magical communities. The Fae were not elusive for their good, they were not elusive at all, they were chased away, driven off by fearful families left coping after a poor son or a tragic daughter invited one home for a night of revel or a day of dreams.

“Silly girl, did your mother never teach you to admire only from afar?” He tilted his head cheekily,folding his wings carefully behind him.

“My mother ran off with your kind Geto, I don’t take the words of hypocrites.” I shrugged and beckoned for him to follow me, the wind softening against me as he joined me. Rumbling thunder and rolling clouds darkened, the noise reaching levels unheard of in this quiet little town, so far from everything. “Stay quiet and stay close. I don’t plan on getting caught” I made a quick dash for the next side street, tuning back into my surroundings, the wind whispering to me and the droplets spattering my face guiding my timing as I sprinted from one side street to the next.

I shoved the door open with my shoulder, ushering the alert Fae into the little bookstore. As soon as his wings cleared the doorway, I slammed it, shelves rattling as it collided with the frame. Yanking the curtain across the window and checking the rest of the curtains had closed I sighed in relief. I sank to the floor, tired from the sprinting and the tension that had built in my shoulders.

“Cozy…” his voice shook me out of my relief and I jumped up, stopping him in his tracks.

“Don't move a muscle” I warned him, a threat evident in my tone, he looked irritated at my words and was about to speak but I cut him off “Your wings are covered in water droplets that are getting everywhere”

“And?” he raised an eyebrow, confused

“This is a bookstore! You can’t get these wet!” I held a hand up, stopping anything he was about to say “I’ll be right back with a towel, if you get anything wet, you’d best pray to your ancestors because not even the gods themselves could stop my wrath” I felt satisfied as his body froze, stiller than a statue at my words, he clearly understood I was not joking.

I handed him the towel and started to shift piles of books away from him to give him space “Wipe up, unless you want me to and injured or not, I’m not gentle” though he understood I wasn’t as harmless as I first seemed, he was still amused by this threat. “What are you smiling at, stop dripping water on my carpet”

“You’re not scared? Scared I might kill you? Scared I’ll enchant you” He leaned close to me, sultry voice in my ear, breath tickling me as one of his hands found its way onto my shoulder.

“Scared? I’ll give you a reason to be scared if you don’t wipe the water off your wings right now Geto” I shook him off, trying to calm my racing heart, fighting the blush threatening to rise. His laugh soothed me more than I’d ever admit, charming and bold like the falcons on the border of the forest, always curious for a taste of human life and so very gorgeous in their noble disposition. Despite his amusement, he cooperated, gently brushing the towel over his wings, soaking up the droplets into the fluffy material.

“So, charming little home you’ve got. Reminds me of a little bird surrounding itself with things it enjoys” He did a small spin, looking around the shop

“This is my store, I sell and loan books. My living quarters are further back” I smiled and nodded my head in the direction of another door. The hallway was warmly lit, flickering lanterns weaving illusory shadows among the twisted gold light resting on the off-white walls. I did a small spin as I got into the larger space, it was a one room apartment behind the shop so everything lumped together, except the bathroom “Kitchen, bedroom, living room…whatever other rooms, this is it, this is the nest” I smiled at him before reaching up to the top shelf in the kitchen space “Let me treat your wound, don’t want it infected” I huffed and groaned as the ointment slipped back past my fingertips and out of reach.

Cursing under my breath I prepared to hoist myself onto the counter but a warm chest pressed against my back, hot breath tickling my cheek as he whispered “need a hand little birdie?” Easily reaching the ointment, he withdrew from me, ointment in hand. I jumped into action, not hesitating to snatch it from his grasp, quickly scanning the instructions to see if any negative side effects were mentioned or if it was possibly ineffective against magical creatures such as Fae.

“Let me, you’ll make it worse by twisting to reach the edges” I applied a small dollop to my fingers and reached for his wing. He hissed fiercely and withdrew from me, shoving me backwards and flaring his wings as wide as possible. A low, rumbling growl filled the room, the hair on my body stood on end as I felt truly threatened. Ivory fangs were bared as he glared at me, navy eyes a bottomless abyss, despair gazing back at me as I reeled back in fear. “Fae, stop it, this is an order. You are in my home and under my care” I fought to keep the tremble out of my voice, though I failed as it wavered in the face of his fury.

“Like I couldn’t kill you here and now fool. Touch my wings you foul human and you’ll suffer a fate worse than death. I’ll make sure of it myself” He snarled out, folding his wings back to his body “hand me that ointment human” his hand reached for the tube in my hand.

“Kida. My name is Kida, use it” I defiantly glared back at him, my initial fear gone with the wind, the hum of the storm outside encouraged me and soothed my discord.

“Human-” he clicked his tongue “Kida, hand me the ointment, I’ll take care of myself” I sighed defeatedly, handing him the tube and watching as he stretched the wound further, wincing as he applied the salve to the laceration. I almost exhaled in relief when he was done successfully, without tearing it further or bleeding all over the carpet.

“You can take the bed tonight, I’ll keep watch in case anyone saw you come in here” I picked up a blade from the kitchen and sat myself by the door, draping a fleecy blanket by my feet in case I got cold.

His fingers were icy as he wrapped them around my wrist, yanking me off the floor “Get up and get in bed. That pathetic blade is useless if someone came to kill me” to prove his point he pushed my arm, forcing me to press the blade to myself, blunt pressure on my chest until a tiny sharp pain caused a little crimson droplet to well up “see how blunt that is?” He squeezed at the pressure point, forcing me to release the blade as I thrashed my arm in his grip, trying to get him off me.

“Enough Geto! You take the bed, you’re the guest” I insisted, pulling my arm away from him, but I was ill prepared for him to grab me by the waist, picking me up like a sack of potatoes and tossing me onto the bed. He pushed me down before getting in beside me and pulling the blanket up to his chest.

“Go to sleep, noisy bird. Nothing will harm you while I’m here, nor can anything sneak up on me, not even while I sleep.” He closed his eyes and put his hand over mine, taking away any sense of sight I had. I relaxed my body, I could die, or I might not, either way I had no objections to sleeping beside this gorgeous Fae. Visions painted behind my eyelids in wondrous dreams as I began to fall asleep, unfortunately this didn't last as long as I wanted it to as a heavy object flopped over onto me, feathery fibres brushing my skin, silk smooth and softer than the down on a duckling. It took me a moment to realise he had draped his wing over me, likely under the impression that I was asleep. I couldn’t help reaching my fingers towards them, I was quickly stopped though as he smacked my face with his wing “Don’t touch. Sleep”

The morning air was cool, or rather it should have been cool but my body felt like it was on fire, I couldn’t even shuffle around, or roll over. Strong arms pinned me against his body and soft but heavy wings wrapped around me. I managed to lift my hand up just enough to reach for the wing, I was foiled again as he jerked his wing away from me, though still holding me tightly “please? It looks so soft…it was so soft” I remembered the silky feel of heaven as it had rested on my face last night

A defeated sigh sounded and the wing returned “Be gentle with me little birdie” his voice rasped, rumbling deep from his chest. The noise shot tingles down my spine and my heart skipped a beat. I softly caressed his wing, holding it still with one hand as I stroked the feather appendage, ignoring the way he shuddered and twitched his wing in my grasp, heavy breathing in my ear as he practically crushed my ribs squeezing me tight to him. They really were sensitive huh…

“Geto-” I called to him, letting go of his wing and trying to get up.

“Sugru, you call me Suguru, understand?” he cut me off, letting me go and getting out of bed, his hair still gorgeous despite being ruffled from the pillow, he still looked half asleep as he poured hot water into my mug, adding instant coffee to the full mug.

“Suguru then…what are you going to do today?” I shuffled to the fireplace, it was supposed to be late summer but the mornings here were almost as cold as the midwinter nights, it was rarely a warm town. I groaned as my last matchstick snapped in half, not even lighting itself before breaking. “I guess I’m going out, don't go into the shop unless all the blinds are closed okay?”

I reached for my coat but was stopped my his hand, fingers icy cold despite the heat radiating off his body. “You’re forgetting something important dove” he held his palm close to his face, closing his eyes and whispering in a language lost, only for the creatures of magic. A tiny ember burned in his palm, as he blew on it, life flared in it, bursting into flame as he threw it into the fireplace, now roaring with protective warmth. “Magic” he said, taking a sip from my mug.

“Magic…” I agreed, never having seen magic, it awed me. “Hey…you’ve obviously got nothing to do today and the skies are clear which means I won’t have much to do either so…” I fiddled with my hands, toying with my thumbs as I shyly looked at him “could you help me learn my heritage?” I rushed to explain what my mother always said to me, how she had called me magic blooded but she never told me which creature, not even which blessing. He sighed but still agreed, grabbing my fleecy blanket from the floor and tossing it at me.

“Come, sit. We’ll start from the basics and then it should be relatively easy to figure out once you grasp the basics of magic creatures” He scanned the room for a pen and paper before finding my little sketchbook on the counter. “This will help me explain,we’ll start with blessings. All magical creatures have a blessing, now even though we call them blessings, they're just the part of nature that we can communicate to, the element we thrive in. As you know, Fae are of the sky, the creator, along with faeries and similar winged beasts. Elves, dwarves and nymphs are of the earth, the mother, not many creatures have her blessing which is why you-” he pointed the pen at me and gave me an inquisitive look “-why you surprised me so much yesterday, when the earth spoke to me for you whom I only know to be human. Selkie, naiads and sirens are of the sea or ocean, the father and the final resting place of magic.” he held up a hand to stem the questions bubbling up in my throat “When we die, we go to the sea, this is where every natural death occurs and why seawater is so important to witches and mages, it holds the essence of magic and can freely give and take it.” He drew little figures in the book; an elf, lithe and elegant, graceful and gorgeous, they were introverted by nature but friendly if you showed kindness. A siren, enchantingly beautiful but far more deadly, venomous and ravenous for the flesh of stray travellers, they were unfriendly even to other magical beings. A Fae, noble and proud but fearsome and aggressive to any but their own kind, tricksters who preyed on naive fools, omnivorous hunters who closely resembled humans, if not for their long, pointed ears, massive wings and cat-like fangs. The elves were human-like, however like their nymph cousins, their skin took hues of nature, rather than the peachy colour of humans and their eyes resembled cats, ears long like the Fae and little webs between their fingers. Sirens barely resembled humans, though they bore the same eyes and upper torso shape, their skin was slippery and smooth like a serpent and hued in every shade of blue, purple and grey, 2 rows of pointed teeth in their mouth ensured their carnivorous diet was successful.

“Now do you understand?” After hours of explaining the intricacies of the magic species, my head was spinning with the information. Ghetto sighed and pushed his bangs off his face, tying his hair back with one of my spare elastics “should I go over it again?” He placed his hand on the top of my head, knocking me in the face with a wing.

“Ouch…you know your wings are heavy Suguru,” I whined “,and no, thank you…I think I’ve come to a conclusion” He eagerly looked at me, waiting to see if I could determine why the three blessings seemed so fond of me. “My conclusion is, my mother was a whore for magic and I have no idea what I am” I grinned as I gave my verdict, enjoying the pained sigh leaving Geto’s mouth.

“Sure, now my turn to pick something to do for the rest of the day” he grinned, unfolding his wings and flexing them a few times. “How do you feel about crown weaving? You shared your bed so it's my turn” my mind reeled back to the lore he spent 3 hours detailing to me and I realised exactly what mistake I had made. Sharing a bed was practically equivalent to a proposal…weaving crowns was considered a holy ritual between lovers. Not sure whether I enjoyed this mistake or I was dreading it, either way my heart was pounding.

Sprinting through back alleys until we reached the forest was tiring, my bones ached and my soul was weary as we neared the forest. The tidal fogs were rolling in at this hour, when the sea swept forward as far as it could onto the land, a fog always accompanied it. “Here, stop here” Geto stopped me, just as we breached the treeline. “Allow me” he knelt down, untying my laces and tugging my shoes off my feet “it would be disrespectful to continue in shoes, not to mention that weariness you feel will go away once the earth can connect with you” He guided me deeper into the woods, as the trees grew taller and the trunks thicker, the mist thinned out and the padded earth grew harder, moss and mulch becoming sand and stone. Sirens called out, though I wasn’t their intended target, they almost seemed to ignore my presence as they sang for Geto. “Don’t listen Kida, hold onto me” he grabbed my hand tightly.

They were quite beautiful singing, I could see why sailors painted such beautiful pictures after surviving such an experience, I could also see how easily it was for them to lure in prey as they weren't even trying to charm me but I was still drawn to them.

“Another human Suguru?” A sleek nymph with silvery skin appeared beside us, short brown hair and a weary expression “The mother killed the last one…you Fae bring trouble to us all with your exploits” she sighed, slinking off again with one final glance at me. Her footsteps were so light I would never have noticed her moving if I hadn’t been watching her.

“Another human? Suguru, what was she talking about?” I squeezed his hand as he pulled me further along the beach as it slowly ascended to cliffs, finally resting by a cave formation that must have been his nest.

“Years ago…years ago another Fae, an older Fae brought home a human, she was wild and carefree with more spirit than most forest dwelling creatures but the mother disagreed. Humans don't belong in here, she was strangled to death by roots as she slept, a forest nest is always dangerous but the Fae was truly foolish to think a human could survive one”

“Suguru, I’m human!” I wrenched my hand free from his grasp, stepping back from him as fear clutched my heart and tears stung the corners of my eyes. My chest ached as I forced my tears back, a lump forming in the back of my throat as I suppressed my cries.

“No, no you’re not Kida. The mother reveres you and the creator guides you! The sirens clearly believed you one of their own when you walked past, neglecting to even try hunt you.” he grabbed me, pulling me into his chest. The soothing scent of ocean breeze and old books drifted into my lungs, his smell was such a perfect mix, my mind relaxed into a content daze as he continued speaking lowly into my ear “I would never, ever, let you go into danger.” He tucked his head into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply, like he did when we first met.

“You smell so…human, but still so alluring, so perfect” he mumbled, wrapping his wings around the both of us, the silky smooth texture was soothing to my skin and quite quickly, my heartbeat settled and the lump in my throat dissipated. Though my chest still ached, I couldn't attribute it to fear anymore, it was more a yearning, an ache for something I couldn’t have. “Stay with me Kida…I’ve lost so much, don’t be another casualty to my tragedy of a life” he placed a soft kiss on my forehead, eyes a gentle abyss, searching deep into my soul as I carefully reached my hands up to his face, cupping his cheeks gently I whispered back to him “I can stay, for you I can stay. My life in town can be left behind, nothing I can’t get back”. I almost felt like I had said this before, like I was getting deja vu from this but I knew I’d never said anything like this…

The skies rumbled softly, almost congratulatory as rain began to pepper the cliff. The cave sheltered us but I shook off my jacket and ran out, the silver clouds rolling and rumbling with lighting prancing across them. The earth would always protect her children, my mother sang me lullabies and rocked me to sleep in thunderstorms, telling stories of faeries and fae and elves and dwarves. She would whisper in my ear and hold me close, we would dance in the kitchen, waltzing through the living room and into the storm. She would throw me in the air and laugh, so bold and bright, telling me the same thing every time she caught me “See how high you fly? The earth does not want to let you go, little child of magic”. Magic had been a taboo all my life, I knew it yet still my heart couldn’t stay still, seeking the thrill of the creatures we were taught to fear. Was I a changeling of the elves? A blessing of the sky? The sea? Was the earth my mother? After my own disappeared into the forest with a Fae…

My heart snapped back to reality and I threw myself into Geto’s arms “Suguru…” The emotions I’d suppressed since such a young age all rushed back to me, tears flooding my cheeks as he held me in the downpour. My clothes clinging to my skin desperately as the rain yearned for my skin “This ache in my chest, I know it now, I understand it now” I wept into his arms, falling limp into the lithe muscle holding me up. “I am my mother, I've made the same choice, to flee for the forest, run from reality into the land of magic” I nuzzled into him, taking comfort in his scent “I watched her leave, heard her words, the ones I just said to you and I still believed it a mistake but my eyes are wide open now” I looked into his eyes, searching for answers in the midnight expanse.

“The forest is in your bloodline dove, you are one of us. Embrace it, forget the humans” He placed chaste kisses all over my face, kissing my tears away, dredging the sadness from my soul, the melancholy from my heart.

“Suguru… just don't leave me” I hummed, swaying softly in the rain, slow dancing across the cliff with him as the sky, the creator blessed us with rain, thunder rumbling in approval and wind dancing beside us, whisking us in circles, performing dances long lost to magic traditions for the earth, sea and sky.

#geto suguru #jjk geto #jujutsu geto #suguru #geto x oc #fae #alternate universe #fluff #jjk fluff #jujutsu kaisen fluff #Spotify

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