#hmm remembering how you said his castle has roses everywhere

[tetrakys]

My rewrite of MCL UL first dates - Castiel

I liked the Episode10, I just think the writing could have dared more. Here’s my take on Castiel’s date.

I was finishing my shower when I heard someone knocking on my dorm’s door.

“Yeleen? Come in!” I wrapped a towel around me before going into the room. “Why did you…”

It wasn’t Yeleen.

I pulled my towel tight around me, making sure nothing was showing and let him in.

“What are you doing here, Castiel? Weren’t we supposed to meet at the Snake Room?!”

“Y-yes, but, do you mind getting dressed first? It’s kind of flustering to have a conversation like this.”

He tried to laugh it off, but couldn’t hide the heath in his eyes while he tried and failed not to stare at me from head to toe. Was he really a little flustered? The big bad wolf. The famous rocker, man of the world.

“My my… did you change your mind about that shower?”  I came a step closer grabbing the end of his tie nonchalantly “you are a little overdressed though.”

He looked me straight in the eye with a barely contained mischievous smirk at the corner of his lips and I realised… he was baiting me! He really was the big bad wolf! Damn… was I ever going to play on an even field with this guy?! Backing off before giving him a chance to call my bluff, pointing at the wardrobe behind him, I said “Just teasing” voice shaking just a little while avoiding his hot stare “move so I can grab some clothes.”

Instead of moving he rummaged through my closet for a few seconds and then handed me some clothes wadded up in a ball.

“I have always found your innocence so endearing, particularly when you try to act out all grown up.” He was openly grinning now, the asshole! “Get dressed, we’ll worry about that afterwards.”

I grabbed the clothes with one hand and locked myself securely up in the bathroom. Geez…

I straightened the clothes he had handed me and realised what he had picked. It was a little black dress he knew very well, he had given it to me as a gift for my birthday a few weeks before our break up. I had never had a chance to wear it while we were together and never had it in me to do it afterwards. I put it at the back of my closet and left it there for years but, for some reasons, I took it with me when I moved back in town. The subconscious can really work in funny and not-so-mysterious ways sometimes.

I put the dress on and realised right away that there were two big problems. First, my body had definitely changed in the past four years. Now I had boobs, and hips. The dress was very tight around my chest, making breathing a little more difficult than what it’s supposed to be, and short on my legs, reaching mid-thigh. This may have not been a great inconvenience if it wasn’t for the second problem: the bastard didn’t give me any underwear! I looked myself in the mirror and briefly considered asking him to get me something else to wear. Hell no, no tapping out. Endearing innocence my ass.

I quickly put on some make-up, just mascara and eyeliner, left my long hair still a little dump hanging on my shoulders, and stepped out of the bathroom barefooted. He was looking out of the window and turned around when he heard the door opening. If I didn’t know him as well as I did I would have been a little disappointed because, as he started at me, he looked completely relaxed if not slightly bored. But I knew better, he had some tell-tale signs he wasn’t completely aware of that had been quite revealing in the past. When he was nervous he tightened his fists. When he was sheepish (crazy I know, but sometimes it did happen) he swallowed. When he was aroused he became very stiff, everywhere.

Right now? He was doing all of it.

“I though I was going to fall asleep”

I just looked at him without replying, sitting down on the bed, and his eyes didn’t miss how my skirt rose a few extra inches along my thighs. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

“There was no way around it… There’s a huge crowd in town. It looks like there’s some kind of festival organised in the park. I’d barely left my apartment when a bunch of girls rushed up to me in the street. I tried to get to the Snake Room but I got followed.”

“You got rushed by groupies? High school girls, I assume.”

“At first yes, except the swarm kept getting bigger. They were asking for selfies every which way. I hurried towards the bar, but a lot of them kept following me. So I came here, thinking they’d give up at the campus entrance, but…”

“They followed you all the way here?”

He didn’t reply.

“They followed you all the way here!”

“Still, I managed to get into the dorm alone, but the rumour must have spread.”

I picked the key on my desk and hurried to lock the door.

“… I guess it’s not the night-out you were expecting.”

I could tell he was feeling guilty but, to be honest, I was happy to be with him no matter where we were.

“I’m sure we can have a nice time here. I can put on some music and we can chat. Well… I don’t have anything to drink, but other than that, it’ll be just like the Snake Room!”

“Hmm, I’d like to see that” he said with his typical lopsided grin.

I switched on the music on my laptop. Some nice background music, kind of rock, obviously. Then, I turned on the string of lights hanging over my desk. “So, impressed?” I asked sitting back on the bed.

“Very” he laughed.

“Still, is it always like this? As soon as you leave home?”

“No, we released a new videoclip… and it has done really, really well online.”

“Oh really?” I picked up my phone “Show me.”

“Are you interested?” he asked surprised.

“Of course.” He searched online and clicked on the video before handing my phone back to me.

The videoclip started up.. The music started with bass sounds, and all of a sudden the drums joined accompanied by the guitar. It was powerful, it almost sounded like heavy metal. Much gloomier than what they’d done up until now. The first person that appeared in the video was Castiel. He was at the wheel of a black car and tearing through the forest at top speed. I recognised him, without recognising him… even though he was barely wearing make-up but… He got out of the car, dressed all in black, low-cut jeans and a black tank top. As he moved to close the car door, you got a glimpse of his hip bone and V-line abs. He was… incredibly charismatic and sexy. As I watched the video, he got up and leaned against my desk, watching my reaction. His voice rose in the music, powerful and soft at the same time… In the video you saw him go into a huge castle and hurtle down the stairs four steps at a time before joining a young woman in a bedroom. She was just wearing a see-through, navy blue negligée. He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck forcefully, and she abandoned herself totally in his arms. Close-ups of certain parts of the two actors’ bodies were the only things the viewer could see… I felt bile rising up my throat and didn’t even dare glance over at Castiel. God, I was jealous. The video ended focused on her, totally nude on him, blindfolded. She hold a vial of poison between her teeth and pretended to kiss him so she could pour it into his mouth. Castiel pushed her away, she got up and run off, letting him strangle alone in the bedroom. The other musicians weren’t in the video, just him. And the directing was incredible. It seemed like a short film.

“So there…” he said maybe a little embarrassed. I laid my phone down.

“Wow, that was… I understand the infatuation better now. The video’s awesome.”

“Thanks.”

“Up until now your face wasn’t in the videos. But you’re a really good actor.” Too good.

“They convinced me to do it, telling me it’d be successful if I put myself in the spotlight. I wasn’t really convinced but… I was the only one against the decision. So I gave in.”

We heard giggling. I got the impression they were sitting right outside the door in the hallway.

“Looks like they were right” I said smiling.

When he told me he had put it online just early that afternoon I almost couldn’t believe it. There were already 400,000 views and thousands of comments. I scrolled through the comments, they were all about Castiel. Mostly stupid thigs like “Marry me” or “To think that this guy goes to MY school!” I saw a link about a fan page asserting they had all the info about Castiel and clicked on it out of curiosity. “Castiel…geez… look!”

The latest post online was a picture of my dorm room door, indicating: ‘He went into an Anteros Academy resident room! OMG!’ Castiel looked at the picture for a long time before reacting.

“Well now, it definitely looks like we’re going to spend the evening here. They’ll end up getting tired of waiting.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t care.” He sat down on my bed.

“Aren’t you afraid of what they’re going to say when you leave here?”

“There’s another solution…” he said serious.

“What, using the window as an escape route?”

“Never leaving this room.” He looked at me straight in the eye and my heart skipped a bit. I could feel my skin burn everywhere he was caressing it with his eyes, and I suddenly remembered that I was completely naked under that little piece of fabric that was supposed to be a dress.

“You know… You have no reason to envy the girl in the video.”

He could tell, could he. “And yet, there’s good reason to” I said matter-of-factly. She had had her hands all over him.

“You are so very wrong…”

He sat closer to me and laid his hand on mine gently before looking me in the eye.

“Castiel…”

“The proof… I’m here… with you. Not with her. And you’re the one I want to be with tonight…”

His gaze went down to my lips. He raised his hand to caress my thigh, up and down, and up again always a little higher… When he moved his face close to mine I could feel his cool breath caress my chin, and then he left a small tender kiss at the hollow between my shoulder and neck.

I was about to lose my mind, but he had said something that had ticked me off a little. He wanted to be with me tonight. Meaning what? Tomorrow he would be with her? Or someone else?

“Funny how you were the only one in the video though… your bandmates never showed up.”

“Of course not” he said in between kisses along my neck “the story is about me.”

He froze at those words, like he had shared something he wasn’t supposed to. And then it hit me.

Him running to her. The passion, the hunger, the love. Then she betrays him and runs away, leaving him for dead. The actress had my same hair colour. Similar high and built.

“To the risk of sounding really pretentious… was that video about… us?”

He didn’t reply and I knew I had hit the nail on the head.

I raised my hand to his cheek caressing him with fake tenderness and, with poison in my voice, said “what a nice opinion you have of me… a murderous bitch.”

“The video was filmed in the summer, before you came back in town.”

“Still…”

He pushed me and I fell with my back flat on the bed. Setting between my legs, hands at each side of my had, he brought his face close to mine.

“You have no idea… Four years ago… how I felt.” Oh he was angry, looking at me with dark eyes… but I was angry too.

“I think I kinda know” I spat out.

“You left” he growled.

“You stayed!”

VLAN!

What the…?! A big bang on the door. We both jumped fast. It was so hard I thought the door was going to break. We heard giggling in the hallway. “Damn, watch out, you’re going to bust the door! We could get into trouble with the administration!” a voice said. “It’s the only way to find out if he’s really in there!”

“Well, looks like we’re going to have to cut the evening short. I’m going to handle this once and for all!”

He got up, really pissed off, and I was sure the crazy groupies were only part of the reason. I grabbed him by his wrist.

“Don’t do that, it’ll make the band look bad, it’ll calm down over the next few days! Don’t do anything you’d regret.”

Still, he flung the door open, and about fifteen speechless girls stood face to face with him in the hallway. A long silence ensued.

“Excitement’s what you want? Here you go!”

He took my face in his hands and angrily put his lips on mine in front of the group of girls gaping in the hallway. He kissed me with fervour and hunger and, at first, I just stood there, shocked, letting him have his way with me. However my body quickly acted on his own grabbing his hair and following him in the kiss. When my mind finally snapped out of it and I remembered all those people staring at us, he pulled away.

“Hi there!”

Castiel cut through the group before running down the hallway towards the exit. I stood there in the same position for a second, in the doorway, as the girls stared at me in shock. I stepped back in my room as soon as I saw one of them rummaging through her bag to pull out her phone, and slammed the door hard behind me.

Wow. I shook my head as if to get my thoughts straight. What had just happened?

The night was going so well, amicably chatting and flirting a bit at first. Then things got heated and we were about to… when we started to fight, still on the bed though. Who knows what would have happened if we had been left alone. At this point we would be either making out or killing each other. Possibly both by the look of that kiss. A kiss he gave me in front of a bunch of strangers to… what? Make a point?

I turned around right away and locked the door, thinking that those maniacs could open it if they wanted to. I caressed my lips… despite everything, he had definitely just kissed me. Did he really do it just to shut them up? Even though… before those silly morons banged on my door, we were going to…

I checked my phone and considered sending him a message, but I didn’t know how… or what to say. I let myself drop down flat on my stomach onto my bed, arms spread out in a cross. What had just happened for goodness sake?!! I played his video again and watched it non-stop, until I finally dozed off.

#my candy love #mclul #episode 10 #first dates #castiel #fanfic #my writing #mcl fanfic #university life #amour sucre #dolce flirt #amor doce #corazon de melon

[upthenorthmountain]

Strange Magic - Chapter 1

Still not quite sure how this finishes but I’ve got no self-control apparently so here you go

A new multi-chapter story! Canonverse, directly after Frozen Fever, which for my purposes here takes place on the summer solstice eleven months after the main film. My story my rules.

Rated T and this chapter is pretty long but don’t get used to it, let’s go

Chapter One

The morning after her birthday Anna woke late. She'd been up half the night with Elsa, of course; although Elsa had mainly been sleeping, and Anna herself had been curled up in the chair by the bed, or after a while, asleep on top of the blankets on the other side of the bed. She'd been persuaded to go down to the party for a little while, and it had been fun! But she'd felt guilty and worried and after less than an hour she'd gone back upstairs.

At some point she vaguely remembered being carried back to her own bed. That must have been Kristoff. Yes, definitely Kristoff; she'd rested her head on his shoulder and made a vague protest, but he'd carried her away and into her room, and then someone had undressed her (that definitely HADN'T been Kristoff, more's the pity) and put her to bed. And now here she was.

She was starting to feel bad for Kristoff. She knew he'd spent all day helping set up her party, and most of it trying to protect her cake from the little snowmen that had been running around everywhere. She knew that last night he'd even had to trek all the way up the North Mountain with Sven and Olaf to to get all the little snowmen out of the way. Her initial worry over Elsa now past - it really was just a cold, and with some rest and care she'd be fine very soon - she was starting to get a little disgruntled about missing a big chunk of her first real birthday party.

There's always next year, she thought. But that was a whole year away! And it was only, oh, eleven in the morning on the day after her birthday. Eleven already! She should get up.

So Anna hauled herself out of bed, and rang for breakfast, and by the time the tray arrived she was dressed and brushing her hair. Her maid Birgitta, who brought the tray and made her bed, said that Queen Elsa was still in bed but looking a lot brighter and would probably be up later; but she had asked not to be disturbed for the present. So what did Anna do now?

Kristoff. She needed to talk to him. They'd only had a chance for a few snatched words since - well. She needed to talk to him and she needed to do it in private. There were so many things she wanted to say, and she wanted to hear what he had to say without interruptions. Now she just had to find him.

He wasn't in his room, but that was to be expected at this time of day. Kristoff always rose with the dawn; she hoped that he hadn't already headed back out of the city, if he had, she wouldn't be able to find him today. But if he wasn't inside (and it was a beautiful sunny day, surely anyone who had a choice wouldn't be inside) then that was the likeliest place for him to have gone.

She was wrong, though; the next place she checked was the stables, and there he was, brushing down Sven. His face lit up when he saw her, and then he looked a bit embarrassed. He coughed and greeted her. "Good morning. If it still is morning."

"Just about, I think. How are you?"

"I'm good. Didn't get enough sleep, but I'm good. You?"

"I got LOTS of sleep, this morning, anyway."

He smiled. "I'm glad. How's your sister?"

"I haven't seen her - a bit better, they said? But she doesn't want me, or anyone, and I wanted to find you, so. Here I am. I thought you'd be gone by now."

"No, not yet." He carried on brushing. Anna sat on an upturned box and watched him.

"So you don't have any plans for today?" Kristoff said after a minute.

"No. Well, if you're not busy, I thought we could..."

"We could what?"

"I don't know, go somewhere? Just the two of us? Talk about...some things."

"That sounds - good. Hang on, I have an idea."

"What?"

"No, let me think about it."

She sat in silence and watched him. The day was so warm that he'd changed back into his shorter-sleeved shirt. She could have sat and watched him for hours.

"Okay," he said after a short while. "I'm going to sort some things out, okay? You stay here."

"In a stable? By myself?"

"I won't be long. Keep Sven company."

"But where are we going?"

"Just for a drive. But I need to get some things."

"A picnic?"

"Maybe. Stay here."

He was gone for maybe quarter of an hour. Anna talked to Sven, who was always happy to see her, and then wandered down to where the sled was stored. It was already on its summer wheelbase, and she found a rag and wiped down the seats neatly. It was then that Kristoff appeared, with a hamper.

"I knew it was a picnic!"

"It might not be. It might be anything." He heaved the hamper into the back of the sled. "It might be - puppies."

"Then you shouldn't keep them shut up in a basket."

"Okay, maybe not puppies." He left for a second, then returned with a pile of blankets and put those in the sled as well. "Let me get Sven. You go out into the yard so I can move this about without worrying about hitting you. Go on, off with you."

"Is that how you talk to a princess?" she teased.

"Sounds like it, but then, I don’t know many. Go on, I'll be through in a minute."

She waited in the yard. It really was a glorious day, and for a guilty minute she felt glad that Elsa hadn't wanted to see her. Anna hoped she wouldn't get ill herself - if I do I'll go straight to bed, she told herself. I won't go jumping about worrying people. I'll go to bed and have everyone wait on me instead, ha.

True to his word, Kristoff wasn’t long. He had Sven hitched up and the sled pointing the right way, and he jumped down to hand her up to the seat. “Your highness,” he murmured as he took her hand, bowing as she sat.

“That’s better,” Anna said calmly, then when he climbed up and sat next to her she caught his eye and burst into giggles. He smiled at her, then turned back to what he was doing; the streets round the castle were busy and he had to keep tight control of Sven and the wagon. Once they were out of the city gates, the guards tipping their hats at them as they went past, he could relax and leave just one hand on the reins. Anna took the other and held it in her lap.

“At least the guards saw us,” Kristoff said. “I’m always a bit concerned that you never tell anyone where you’re going.”

“Oh, they could find me if they wanted to. They’ll know I’m with you.”

“And I’m still not sure why they let you go gallivanting all over the country without a chaperone.”

“Because it doesn’t seem to have occurred to anyone that I should have one, so don’t you dare even mention the word. Anyway, if I didn’t go gallivanting all over the country without a chaperone we never would have met in the first place.”

“Well, that’s true.”

He had taken the main road up into the mountains. At first they saw a fair amount of other traffic, coming and going from Arendelle, but after a while it got quieter and quieter. Soon it had been several minutes since they saw another wagon or horse and rider. It was then that Kristoff said, “Actually, I wanted to apologise to you.”

“To me? Why?”

“Because, I…” he hesitated, looking at the road ahead. “I put you on the spot. I embarrassed you, in front of everybody. I shouldn’t have done that, it should have been a - private moment.”

“Oh, that! I didn’t mind! It was wonderful!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I just felt bad because I didn’t get a chance to talk to you after, stuff happened and Elsa and, you know.”

“I know. Not your fault.”

“But that’s why I wanted to talk to you today. To make sure that you knew.” She pulled on his hand until he turned to face her, letting Sven keep on plodding along unimpeded. “That I love you too.”

“I knew,” he said quietly. “But thank you.”

She leant up to kiss him but the wagon jolted over a pothole and Kristoff hurriedly picked up both reins again. “Sorry - shall we find somewhere to stop? I know a good place, a bit further on.”

“Somewhere quiet,” Anna said. “A bit - private.”

“Oh?”

“So we can talk.”

“Mm-hmm. A little bit further on, then.”

After another quarter of a mile he drove them off the main road and down a side track. It was bumpy but Anna never minded that. A bit further, and the track petered out altogether and they were driving straight through the forest; and then suddenly the trees ended, and they were at the edge of a small meadow, on the side of the mountain. A small stream flowed down one side, the clear water sparkling in the sun. Kristoff drove them over to a flat area to one side and helped Anna down. She explored a little while he unhitched Sven and made everything safe.

The meadow was full of flowers and grasses. Bees buzzed among the petals. After a few minutes she found an area where someone had made a fire, with the grass a little flattened down around it; sitting, she saw that it had a perfect view out over the valley.

“How did you find this place?” she said when Kristoff joined her. He shrugged.

“I like to explore. But I know this side of the mountain pretty well. I’ve never seen anyone else come through here, though. It’s as private as anywhere you’ll find up here.” He went back to the wagon and fetched the hamper and the blankets, laying them out neatly on the ground.

“Are you hungry?”

“I only just had breakfast before we came out.”

“Of course you did.”

“But you can eat if you want.”

“No, I’ll wait. Let me show you around.”

They walked around the little meadow, hand in hand. It really was lovely on this sunny June day. Sven had a drink from the stream and then relaxed in the shade of the trees. Anna sat on a rock to take off her boots and stockings, then paddled in the stream; the water was cool and refreshing on her toes. After a couple of minutes Kristoff took off his boots and socks as well and joined her. They walked along to where the stream disappeared, dropping down through the rocks, towards the river in the valley. He kissed her, then, standing on the mountainside; completely secluded, completely in view of the whole of Arendelle.

“I love you,” he said quietly when they parted.

“I know,” she said. “Everyone does.” He pulled a face.

“I love you too,” she said, more seriously. And pulled his head down to kiss her again.

They walked back to their picnic spot barefoot. Kristoff had left the hamper in the shade, and he opened it without letting Anna see inside. First he took out a flask and put it to cool in the stream. Then he made her a plate of cheese, ham, the sweet rolls that he knew were her favourite, strawberries and raspberries.

They ate. Everything was delicious, as it always was when eating outside. When they had finished, Kristoff fetched the flask from the stream and poured her a cup of wine.

“Do they know you brought this?”

“Yes, ‘they’ gave it to me. Gerda did. And there’s only enough for a cup each so I shouldn’t have to carry you home. She said happy birthday.”

“It’s not my birthday.”

“It sort of still is. And hang on.” He rummaged in the hamper again and produced two pieces of cake, the chocolate birthday cake from the day before. “Since neither of us actually got any, yesterday. I spent all day keeping that cake safe for you and then you didn’t even eat any.”

“Oh! Thank you! I wanted to, but…”

“I know. They’ve saved you plenty, anyway. Don’t drink that too quickly or you’ll get me in trouble.”

“Get Gerda in trouble.”

“And that.”

“I feel completely happy and at peace with the world,” Anna said drowsily ten minutes later, having finished her cake and her drink and laid down flat on her back. The sun was so warm, the sky was so blue, her boyfriend was washing the plates in the stream while she lay here. What, actually, could be better?

“Good,” Kristoff said, returning and repacking the hamper. “That’s what I was aiming for.” He sat next to her and smiled down at her.

“Do we have to go back?”

“Not for a bit.”

“Good. Come here.”

He hesitated, then laid down next to her and put out an arm so she could rest her head on his shoulder. She looked over at him and smiled. He smiled back, then a cloud passed briefly over his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Everything is fine.” He reached out and stroked her hair back from her face.

“You looked sad.”

“I’m not sad, I - I’m just happy. And sometimes when I’m happy, I feel like - it can’t last.”

“You can’t think like that.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m happy.”

He was so close. Anna knew part of the reason she got away with going out with a man, without a chaperone, was that Elsa trusted Kristoff - trusted him, in this respect, more than she did Anna. He would kiss her and hold her but he never did anything more, never pushed for anything more. If she sat on his lap he would put one arm around her, but only loosely. Kisses only lasted a short while. She had never been lying down in his arms like this before.

And she understood why, and she didn't blame him; throughout their relationship, he was the one who would suffer most if there were any rumours of impropriety. He was the one who had to be careful. But they were alone, now; and they loved each other; and she was nineteen, which was almost as grown-up as it was possible to be; and it was almost a year since that first kiss. Surely it was time for a little bit more.

The bit of hair blew across her face again and she tried to blow it out of the way. As she'd hoped, he reached out and pushed it back, then left his hand gently cupping the side of her face. She leant up and kissed him, softly, on the lips. Nice.

Anna slid her own arm up and onto his chest. He was only wearing a linen shirt and she could feel the warmth of his skin, feel his heartbeat. She kissed him again, moving her hand further up to the back of his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair.

This time the kiss didn't end as it usually did. It kept on happening, and Anna found herself wriggling further up and slightly out of Kristoff's embrace so that she could press her lips more firmly to his. Then he surprised her completely by turning onto his side, drawing her against him with his arm, cupping the back of her head with his other hand.

With his chest pressed against hers she could feel the crystal that he wore around his neck on a string. It felt warmer than it should, even considering the heat of the sun and of their bodies.

It's just kissing, she told herself. He's kissed you so many times before, and held you so many times before - but this was different. She felt it all through her body, all the way down to her toes. There was a want that she couldn't understand, but somehow her body knew what to do,  pressing against his and trying to wrap herself around him.

It wasn't until she lifted her leg and slung it over his hip that Kristoff pulled away from her. He was breathing hard and Anna realised that she was, too. He tried to put her away from him but she clung, her foot still hooked round his leg, her hand on his neck. "Anna," he said, and he sounded almost hoarse. She squirmed, squeezing her legs together, not even knowing why. This, this was what she wanted, and she hadn't known. Had he?

"Anna, we can't -" he stopped and then started again. "Anna, we mustn't."

"Mustn't what?" she replied. "We're just - kissing."

"You know what I mean. We mustn't take it any further."

Anna pouted and tried to pull him back to her, but he was stronger and held her in place, a hands-breadth away. "I should take you home," he said. He kissed her once more, gently, then he sat up.

The day was still warm but Anna felt suddenly cold where she could no longer feel his body heat. Tears pricked at her eyes. "You were right," she said petulantly. "I was happy before but it didn't last."

"Anna! Come on." He sounded exasperated. "You know this as well as I do. It's not that I don't want to - but -"

"You don't want to. You don't want to - ruin me. Like I'm a THING."

She knew she was being stupid and childish but she didn't care. Suddenly she was upset and bitter about the missed party yesterday, the missed opportunities this afternoon. She sat up and folded her arms. "It's been nearly a year, Kristoff. If not now, when?"

"When we're married."

His words shocked both of them. They gaped at each other. After a moment Anna found her voice.

"Are you asking?"

"I - I don't know."

Anna looked away, then at her hands. A little voice in her head reminded her that he was right, if they wanted to do - things like that - then they had to get married. He'd said when we're married, though. When. Not if.

Kristoff stood, and took a few steps away from her. She watched his back. Then suddenly he turned round and said "I mean, do you - will you? Not just because of that - but -"

"I..."

"Or we can forget it. It's not important. I mean, it's not important today. Another time."

"Yes."

He nodded, thinking at first that she was agreeing that they would discuss it at a later date. Then he froze. "Yes? Yes you will?"

“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He pulled her to his feet and into his arms. She buried her head in his chest; then she kissed him. “Let’s go back,” she said. “Let’s go back and tell everybody.”

“Okay.” He kissed her again. “Let me pack up.”

Anna sat and pulled her stockings and boots back on. Kristoff loaded the hamper and blankets into the sled, and hitched up Sven. They kept looking at each other and grinning.

“So, when?” Anna said once they were moving back down the mountain. “When do you want to get married?”

“I...hadn’t thought that far ahead. Spring, isn’t that when people get married?”

“It’s only just summer now. Solstice yesterday. So if we wait for the spring, that’s the equinox, that’s three-quarters of a year.”

“This summer is too soon.”

“Probably. But you can get married in the autumn and winter, you know.”

“But won’t you have guests and things to come? They can’t do that in winter.”

“I know, but….I don’t want to wait that long.” She snuggled up against his arm.

---

As they bumped through the forest back to the road, Kristoff said “Anna, I’ve been thinking.”

“Yes?”

“Can we really just - tell everybody? Don’t I have to talk to your sister and officially ask for your hand and everything? I mean, I’ve got the impression she’ll say yes, but shouldn’t I do it properly?”

“Of course she’ll say yes, she likes you, if she didn’t she’d have said something before now, but…” Anna sighed. “You’re right. You should ask her first. Before we make an announcement, anyway.”

“It’s okay. I’ll do it straight away - except,” he remembered, “she’s not well. I won’t be able to speak to her today.”

“No, you won’t, most likely. I’ll see her, though, so I could say something?”

“I think I should ask.”

“Well - I’ll tell her you need to speak to her about something important.”

“Okay.”

The journey down the mountain was not as easy as the journey up it. They were barely onto the main road before a rabbit running across the road made Sven jump and lurch to the side, then something went crack and the sled slipped almost completely off the wagon base. Anna grabbed Kristoff’s arm so hard he nearly let go of the reins, not that they were much use with the sled pointing sideways and nearly on the ground.

Once she was sure they had stopped moving, Anna jumped down and ran round to calm Sven. Kristoff climbed round and tried to see what had happened. “Are you alright?” he called over.

“I'm fine,” she replied, stroking Sven's nose. “Is it bad?”

“No, it can be fixed - I'm not sure if I can do it here, though.” He sighed. “I can't see properly until I get the sled off, and while I could probably do that, if I can't fix it here I'll never get it back up again and home. Not that I can get it home like it is now.” His jaw ached with the effort of not swearing in front of the princess.

“So I'll go and get help,” Anna said. “You stay here with the sled, I'll ride Sven home and bring some men back with some tools and things.”

Kristoff sighed. “Okay,” he said. “Let me unhitch him and get the sled all the way down, first, so I can see what the problem is. I'll need him to pull it, too. Then we'll wait for you.”

#kristanna #fanfic #fanfiction #strange magic

[heyyyharry]

In Another Life Series: Chapter 5 - The Love Triangle

…in which Harry gets back with his ex and Y/N thinks it’s a terrible idea.

Series description: Y/N and Harry are soulmates and destined to meet in every lifetime, but no matter how many times they reincarnate and find each other again, they never seem to get it right.

AU: reincarnation, soulmate!harry, prince!harry, assistant!y/n, witch!y/n.

Chapter 4 - The One He Loved: Heartbroken Harry and his assistant Y/N disappear for a day.

I know spooky season ended already but…

.

“I was alone in a room, in a big castle…There were many portraits on the walls, the faces I cannot remember…” Y/N narrated with intensity in her eyes. Her eyebrows were pinched together as she shifted to be more comfortable in the velvet armchair. “I walked to the closest door, which led me to a long corridor. Standing at the other end was a shadow of a man. He was just standing there, like a statue, so I called for his help and started running to get to him, but no matter how hard I tried I always stayed in the same spot. Then suddenly, I fell down into a big black hole…just keep falling…falling…until I see them again…two flames in a pair of green eyes.”

“Wow…” her best friend Jason finally spoke to break the silence she left for him. “And then you woke up?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “My dreams, they always ended that way.”

“Are you sure those are the eyes in the King’s portrait?” Jason questioned and she could see the obvious doubt in his facial expression. He either thought she’d been doing drugs or she was just out of her mind. However, the fear she had after waking up told her she had never been saner.

“I’m 100% sure!” Y/N asserted. “There’s still one more thing I haven’t told you.”

“What’s that?”

“Harry Styles’ got the same pair of eyes.”

“Harry, your boss?” Jason tilted his head down and raised both eyebrows as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. She didn’t reply with words, just gave him a slight shrug in return.

“Y/N…” he began. “Are you seriously telling me your boss is the reason you’re having these spooky dreams every night, and that he is somewhat related to the king who died like five centuries ago?”

“Look…I’m not joking, I’d never had those dreams before I started working for him.” Now not only did she sound completely crazy, but she also sounded obsessive.

“Maybe you’re just stressed that’s all. Being a celebrity’s personal assistant is a difficult job,” Jason assumed, giving his friend a smile. “Do you wanna go grab a coffee?”

Y/N exhaled exhaustedly and rose from the chair, leaving Jason a bit disappointed, knowing beforehand that his offer had been declined. “Nope, sorry. I have a meeting with Harry’s team to discuss his next tour.”

“This is exactly what I was talking about! Your life has been all about Harry Styles for the past month, he’s driving you insane.”

“Well, the man does pay me to follow him everywhere so…” She paused and lifted her shoulders slightly “…if he’s driving me insane, so be it.”

Jason knew too well he couldn’t convince her to quit her job for her mental health, so he just stayed quiet and watched her head to her room to get changed. 

“Y/N?” He spoke after a while.

“Hmm?” She hummed, her voice was muffled behind her closed door.

“I’m sorry about the kiss…”

Silence.

“I’m glad you decided to forgive me. I won’t do it again.”

He was holding his breath while waiting for a response (if she was gonna give him one). Maybe he should not have brought up this topic and just felt grateful to be the first person she’d call for help.

Y/N exited her bedroom shortly after, wearing a white blouse and her favourite pair of high-waisted jeans. She stood at the door with her hands on her hips and shot him a smile.

“Jason, you’re my best friend. I love you but only as a friend.”

“I know…”

“I don’t want to ruin this friendship we have.”

“I know,” he repeated those two words, which sounded less depressing this time so she would take it as a good sign.

“Now get up! You’re giving me a ride!” 

Despite the look of surprise on her best friend’s face, Y/N picked up her bag and her coat then headed straight to the front door.

…

It’d been a week since Ann decided to stay at Court and she had started to get impatient. The King was taking too long to consider her simple requests. If it hadn’t been for Edward, maybe she wouldn’t have stayed that long.

She was well aware of her social status, a girl like her would never end up with a prince like him, but like her mother had once said, ’you love who you love’. She couldn’t be at fault for loving someone, right?

“But mother,” Ann mumbled, watching Edward and his fiancé in the garden from her room’s window. “What if the person you love doesn’t love you in return?”

Her heart ached to the sound of her own question, to which she thought she might already know the answer. Therefore, Ann decided to try and focus on more important things rather than the fact that the man she loved was soon to be married. She took advantage of the absence of the guards outside her bedroom to sneak out and head into the woods.

Most people in the Kingdom would find the woods a very scary place. However, to Ann, the scariest place was the King’s Court. She could handle hungry wolves lurking in the dark, not angry and malicious people wanting the blood of her kind to spill.

There were myths about witches being ugly old ladies with pointy noses, dark souls and black hearts, the ones that would cook you for dinner and put you in a curse just because they could. However, people like Ann were nothing like that. They were just unfortunate human-beings born with dark magic on the tips of their fingers, the gift they’d never wished to possess. There were just a few families of witches in one village so as to not draw much attention. Once in a while, the young witches in an area would meet up to practice their spells and learn to have better control of their powers. 

There was a little cottage far in the woods, underneath of which was what they called ‘the meeting hall’. On the night Ann met Edward, she was on her way home from there.

“Ann darling! It’s so good to see you again!” Exclaimed an old witch when she saw the young girl. She took Ann by the hand and led her to the long table nearby, where sat a few others. Some were mixing potions, some were learning spells, some were putting them to practice. 

“These girls are only sixteen, seventeen.” The old woman sighed contently as she held onto Ann’s hand with both of hers. “I remember when you first came here with your mother. How time flies.”

“Yeah…” Ann nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she went on, “I need your help, Madam Maggie.”

“What is it dear? You look distressed!”

“Well…it’s about a man.”

“It’s always about men.” Madam Maggie rolled her eyes, smiling to show her gold front tooth. “Ann, darling, are you in love?”

“Not with whom I’m supposed to be in love with.”

“Who’s the lucky young man?”

“The Prince.”

“Ann!” Madam Maggie gasped, looking around to make sure no one else could hear this conversation. “Are you insane?”

“I think I am! I don’t know what to do! Is there a spell to erase my feelings for him? Or is there some kind of reverse love potion?”

“Darling, calm down!” The old witch puckered up her forehead as she pursed her lips to think for a second or two. “I’m afraid magic cannot help you with this, at least not without consequences. But how do you know the prince? His father is a terrible man—”

“He’s nothing like his father! It’s a long story, but I’m—“

Without waiting for her to finish, Madam Maggie took her right hand and started observing her palm. Ann knew what she was doing, in fact, it was something Ann was capable of doing as well, telling someone’s past, future, and present through their palm lines. The only downside to this was that you couldn’t read your own palm, someone else had to do it for you.

“You’re trying to help us by staying at Court!” Madam Maggie widened her eyes at the girl in shock and terror. “Ann, you’ve got to leave as soon as possible!”

“Why? W-What did you see?”

“Terrible things are going to happen if you stay for too long.”

“I need to wait until the King's made up his mind.”

“It’s a matter of life and death here Ann!” That sentence put the young witch to silence immediately.

“Life and death?” She asked, unable to believe it was true. “Whose?”

“Yours.”

For a second, Ann felt her entire body stiffen. Her face turned a shade lighter and her mouth fell open. “I’m going to die?”

“Different courses of actions can lead to different results, so I’m not sure, I just don’t think you should risk putting your own life in danger.”

“Everyone’s dying, it’s the risk I have to take!” Ann insisted, still the older witch didn’t agree.

“You cannot help anyone if something bad happens to you, darling. Leave the King’s Court, and go home.”

Ann looked down, frightened and at the same time downhearted. She couldn’t decide which one was worse: going home empty-handed, or never seeing Edward again, either way, it would be too painful to bear.

…

The meeting finished shortly because Harry couldn’t seem to concentrate. They all agreed to meet up again the next morning to continue the discussions. Jeff was slightly mad, he didn’t say it but everyone could tell. They assumed the reason for Harry’s distraction was Lillie, his girlfriend, who had been caught cheating but they’d got back together at the end of the day. 

However, it wasn’t Lillie, well, not entirely her, it was Y/N as well. It might sound weird to say his assistant had anything to do with him not being able to focus. Harry couldn’t explain it himself, he just knew from the first moment he’d met her, he couldn’t shake her off his mind. Maybe it was the fact that after their first day spent together, she refused to talk to him about anything else besides business, and he loved talking to her much more than he could admit.

As the rest of Harry’s team went out for lunch, he was left alone with Y/N. They were going to a fitting next for him to try on his new suits for a movie premiere, which he’d be attending tomorrow night.

“Hey, Y/N,” Harry spoke nervously as he tapped lightly on her shoulder. The girl turned around and stared at him with round eyes. “Would you like to go to the studio with me later?”

“I’ve got a lot of work to do, sorry.”

“I’m your boss, I decide what task I want you to do.”

Y/N snorted, raising an eyebrow at the man in front of her. “Don’t use that tone on me.”

“Sorry…” Harry shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut for a second. He didn’t know where that demanding tone of his came from. He’d never been like that before, maybe he was just upset because she was acting so coldly towards him. “I just can’t write, I need someone to talk to I guess, makes me feel more at ease.”

“Where’s your girlfriend? Maybe she’ll be happy to help,” she reminded him. Even though she’d tried to not sound too bitter about it, she thought she might’ve failed somehow.

“Lillie’s busy today, the entire day. I'm not even allowed to call her.”

Y/N didn’t say anything, just nodding her head, the thing she normally did when she was tired of hearing something and she just wanted it to be over.

“This is about me getting back together with her, isn’t it? You’re not talking to me because of it?”

“I am talking to you, Harry.”

“Not like this, I mean…really talk,” he explained then rolled his own eyes. “I’m not making sense but, I miss the conversations we had the day we first met, it’s only been about work since.”

“Okay, you want me to talk to you like a friend?” She asked, holding the folders to her chest with both arms. “You’re an idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, your assistant would say you’re so clever because she doesn’t want to lose her job, in the role of your friend, I’m saying that you’re an idiot,” she told him straightforwardly. “You got back together with a cheater. There are plenty of nice people around you Harry. You went around spreading the slogan ‘Treat people with kindness’ then ended up dating someone who treated you like you didn’t matter.”

“Lillie loves me.”

“Does she? Or is it only you that love her?” She shut him right up. He could only stare. “Do you even love her, Harry? Are you just staying because you think you have to or what?”

Harry actually stopped to think. She waited patiently as he did. Having only known this man for a month, Y/N cared about him way too much, more than she should. She really wanted him to be happy, and ever since he’d got back together with Lillie he’d been stressed. That was when you know the relationship was no longer valid.

Finally, Harry began, “you have no idea how hard it is to find someone who’s willing to stay with you for two long years despite everything. Lillie has sacrificed a lot to be with me. She told me her friend kissed her without her consent and I believed that. You should understand more than anyone because that’s what happened with your best friend right?”

“But—“

“You know what? Maybe I prefer you as just my assistant.”

Harry turned as soon as he finished that sentence and then stormed away, leaving her speechless. Little did she know, he regretted saying that immediately.

…

“Edward!”

“Ann, how are you?” Edward’s eyes brightened the moment he saw Ann. She looked beautiful today, even more than yesterday, if it was possible. He hoped he wasn’t showing how infatuated he was with her, but he was already smiling too wide to keep it hidden.

“Have you spoken to your father?” She asked, looking very worried. “It’s been a month, more people are dying of hunger, and not to mention more witches are being burnt. You’ve got to do something.”

“I’m still convincing him. I’m trying my best Ann,” he said, looking straight into her eyes. “But don’t worry, until he approves of abolishing the witch hunts, you’re safe here at Court.”

Ann shifted her eyes to her feet and Harry’s heart fell with them.

“What is it?” He asked, eyebrows pulled together as he laid a hand gently on her shoulder. “Why are you so upset?”

“If I don’t have my answer from the King by morning, I’m leaving tomorrow night, to go home. I don’t feel safe here, your mother hates me, Princess Emilié hates me, and your father…he looks at me like I’m his prey. Just...let me go home, at least I feel safer there.” 

“You have me here, I’ll keep you safe, love.”

Ann took a step forward, taking his right hand in hers and brought it to her chest. “You’re going to be King one day, you have more important things to care about.”

“Nothing is as important as you,” he told her softly, cupping her cheek with his other hand. There was no one around so he could just kiss her without worrying about her reputation or his own. However, he wouldn’t do that, not until she wanted to.

Ann was taken aback by those words. She wanted to raise a question whether or not he felt the same as she did, but it didn’t matter as she was going to leave.

“Is there another reason?” He asked after a moment of silence. She couldn’t look at him in the eyes, so that made him feel alarmed. Ann wanted to tell him the truth, but even she wasn’t sure what it was.

“Is it me?” Ironically, his question was the answer she was looking for. Yes. It was him. He was the reason she couldn’t stay. “Ann, please tell me…”

“You’re getting married to a princess,” was all she said before running off, ignoring him desperately calling after her. 

Whether he loved her, or he loved her not, they would never, ever, belong together.

…

Harry couldn’t write.

It had happened before but this time it seemed worse. It was getting late and he was lying on the floor in his home studio, a pencil in his mouth, holding a notebook above his face. He had been staring at the blank page for an hour now, still...nothing. Maybe he was stressed, or maybe he wasn’t inspired enough. It was a song about love, and he was in a relationship. It shouldn’t have been difficult to write about love when you were in love!

The knock on the door caused Harry to sit up straight. He told the person to come in and Y/N opened the door, leaning her shoulder against the wooden frame as she stared at him.

“Why are you on the floor?” She asked, raising an eyebrow but he just gave her a shrug and said nothing at all. “I brought you the Gucci suit for the movie premiere, left it in your bedroom.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Y/N pressed her lips together and told him she would see him tomorrow morning before turning around. Before Harry could even think twice about what he was going to say, he opened his mouth and the words escaped all on their own.

“Please stay.”

Y/N was left speechless. She turned back, eyebrows knitted together, lips slightly parted but she didn’t know what to say.

“I mean…stay here and talk to me for a while. I’m under a lot of stress and I don’t think my mind’s working anymore,” Harry sighed heavily while holding his head in his hand. “I need to get to the chorus before tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t think I can help,” she responded softly and slowly, but the look on her face told him she was weighing her options.

“I’m…” He hissed, looking up to lock eyes with her. “I’m sorry about what I said. I really don’t want to be alone now. I’m gonna go insane.”

She was quiet for a couple seconds, which seemed like hours to Harry. Finally, she nodded her head, making him sigh in relief.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” the assistant said with a small smile as she closed the door behind her.

“This is not a request from your boss, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he told her out of guilt when she joined him on the floor. It was very demanding of him to ask her to stay here this late at night. She could just quit for this reason.

“I’m here as your friend.” She giggled, watching dimples appear on his cheeks. She might not notice, but it was the first time that day Harry genuinely smiled.

An hour passed by.

Then two hours.

Then three.

Then four…

The two had been so lost in the conversations to realize how fast time flew. Harry had only known this girl for a month, yet he felt he had for much longer than that. He’d told her a lot of things and she wasn’t afraid to confide in him either. It was indeed a magical night, in the quiet room lit up by the moonlight, two lonely souls healed each other.

“Is that your mum?” Harry broke the silence when he saw her lockscreen when her phone lit up in the dark.

“Yeah.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Thanks. I lost her when I was fourteen, never got to know my dad.” She laughed sadly staring at the phone though the screen had turned black and all she could see was her own reflection.

“I’m sorry. I never should’ve brought her up.”

“No, no, I love talking about her, she’s taught me so much in life.” Y/N lifted her shoulders slightly and gave him a small smile. “She put so much trust in me. I just want to make her proud.” 

“I’m sure she’s proud of you.”

“Yeah right, she must be so proud of how lost and clueless her daughter is in life.” She rolled her eyes and exhaled a sarcastic laugh and expected him to react the same way. However, Harry’s face remained serious.

“I don’t think you’re lost and clueless. You have a passion for painting, right?” 

She nodded.

“As long as you have something you’re passionate about, you’re doing fine.”

“Wise words from Mr. Harry Styles!”

“I’m serious!”

“I know.” She was beaming at him. “Thank you.”

The silence sank in for a little while, they were just staring at everywhere else in the room but each other. Until Harry couldn’t take it anymore, he had to be the first to speak, “can I ask you a very personal question?”

“Yeah, sure. What is it?”

Have you been in love?

“Harry, what is it? Don’t just stare at me like that!” Y/N snorted and Harry only smiled awkwardly. He had no idea where that question had come from. All he knew was that he was curious, or he was probably just searching for confirmation to be sure if her idea of being in love was the same as his, though honestly, now he wasn’t so sure if he had an idea. 

He almost let it slip. Thank God he stopped himself just in time, for Harry knew such question would be too invasive, and she was still his employee despite him not seeing her as one. 

“How do you feel about going to a movie premiere?”

“I’ve never been to one so how do I know?! And it’s not even a personal question, Harry!” She tossed her head back and laughed, but then she was quick to notice the look on his face and realized what he was truly implying. “Wait, are you serious?”

“Yes! I want you to go with Jeff and me.”

“Harry, I’m not a celebrity! There’s no way I’m going!”

“It’ll be fun!"

“I—I have nothing to wear!” That’s a very good reason, she thought to herself. The face of Gucci would not take someone so underdressed to a red carpet event with him, and she was sure the most expensive item in her closet was cheaper than the cheapest one in his.

“You won’t have to worry about that if you say yes.”

“I don’t know…”

“What if I say going to a movie premiere with me is part of your job?”

“You’re overusing your powers!” Y/N scoffed as she picked up a wrinkled ball of paper and tossed it at him playfully.

“You left me no choice but to bring out boss Harry!” He defended himself, raising both hands in the air, cracking her up.

“I’ll think about it.” She pointed a finger at him and squinted her eyes. “So that’s a maybe.”

“Great! I’ll have your dress ready.”

“You’re unbelievable!” She rolled her eyes though there was no way she could hide the joy written on all over her face. He had made her day a thousand times better.

When the first ray of sunlight sneaked into the room through the gap between the window curtains, Harry and Y/N were still sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. Harry had finished the first verse and chorus of his new song, and Y/N was still asleep, with her head on his shoulder. 

Sure he had got the work done before the deadline, which was worth to celebrate. Nevertheless, Harry didn’t know what to feel, when the song which was supposed to be about the love of his life, wasn’t inspired by his girlfriend of two years.

He carefully moved his head to the side and looked at his sleeping assistant who was subconsciously smiling in her sleep. Then he started to wonder, what would happen if she found out he’d written a song about her.

#harry styles #in another life series #soulmate!harry #boyfriend!Harry #prince!harry #assistant!y/n #witch!y/n #harry styles writing #harry styles series #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff

[nadziejastar]

I'm sorry but I just had an evil thought: what if the breaking point of Isa's trauma wasn't Lea being threatened? What if Lea was hurt or even had his heart torn out right in front of Isa?

sorry, I had to reupload this ask. For some reason the original post was glitched.

Voice: Hmm. Turn from the light. Shut your eyes. Here blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But…

Riku: What’s this?

Voice: It is a door to the truth. Take it and your sleep ends, as you take the first step toward the truth. But know this: the truth will bring you pain. Will you still go? There is no return to the security of sleep.

Oh, I actually SO agree with you. It sounded like the perfect messed up backstory to me, too. I think that’s exactly what happened. I think he got possessed before he reached his true breaking point. I think as Subject X, he broke down many times (like Xion), but didn’t truly break until Lea lost his heart. I’ll elaborate on what I think happened in my theory. I think fear was supposed to be a major aspect of Isa’s character.

“No. It is because you are trying to hold it in. Let the dark impulses waken in the pit of your heart. Release them, here and now! Sharpen your fear into rage!” Xehanort shouted to Ventus.

I don’t know how to. There’s nothing like that in me.

I can’t change my fear into rage. I’m just scared.

“You must! If you do not let the storm within you run its course, it will wipe you from the face of the world, make no mistake! Do it. Embrace the darkness. Produce for your Master the χ-Blade!”

Just like there were a lot of similarities between Axel and Terra, I think there were supposed to be a LOT of parallels between Isa and Ven/Roxas. Going to the Realm of Sleep is a last resort for someone in truly unbearable pain. It’s a choice to stay asleep or not. You have to face your pain and fears, so someone has to convince you to wake up. That’s why it has to be someone close to you. I think Isa was a very benign person by nature. He didn’t show any interest in fighting and the novel hinted that he actually hated it. He was content to watch from the sidelines like Pence and Olette. He was shy and wouldn’t come out of his shell for anyone except Lea.

Beast: The last rose petal is about to fall… When it does, I’ll lose– No! I can’t bear it–I don’t even want to think about it!

Roxas: The rose?

Xaldin: How fascinating. Then his beastly form must be tied to it somehow.

Roxas: It’s related to the spell?

Xaldin: Yes. It seems if he doesn’t complete some task in the rose’s lifetime, he stays a beast.

Roxas: One of his servants did mention something about time running out.

Xaldin: The key to his cursed form… Heh heh, this morsel will prove useful.

Roxas: What do you mean?

Xaldin: I’d only waste my time attempting to explain it to you. Come along. We must return.

Day 150 is called ~Fear~. I think Isa was extremely terrified during the experiments, especially when he was by himself. People were dying and being turned into Heartless, so it’s only natural. They probably tried to turn all of Isa’s fear into rage, but weren’t having much success getting him to use the power of darkness. He’d just collapse and black out from the fear. Ventus’ heart collapsed after Master Xehanort was through with him. He didn’t have any close friends. There was no one to keep him going. There was no reason to wake up until he met Aqua and Terra.

Roxas: I ran into somebody today, and… Well, he had something like that. Something so important to him he couldn’t bear to lose it. Why don’t I have anything like that?

Axel: Because you don’t have a heart.

Roxas: Uhh, I guess… But Demyx doesn’t have a heart, and I bet he’d get upset if you took his sitar away.

Axel: Hmm, true, but…I don’t think that’s quite the same. I guess the closest thing we Nobodies have got is our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn’t bear to lose, back when we couldn’t bear to lose it.

But Isa was different. He had Lea. I think Xehanort found Isa to be a very unique subject, and took a special interest in him. He could take a lot of abuse, but his heart would never break. I think Isa was Xehanort’s favorite lab rat and they performed all sorts of fear-based experiments on him. Isa may have inspired the apprentices to focus on convincing the mind to renounce its sense of self. This conversation also happens on Day 150. I think Saïx’s nasty remarks were probably him projecting his own disgust over his memories of Isa. He hated how emotionally dependent he was on Lea and how afraid he was without him around. To Saïx, Isa was childish and pathetic. He needed Lea to hold his hand everywhere he went.

Day 150: Dealing with Xion

Author: Saïx

As expected, the Duplicate is starting to show its limits. The Program showed promise, but a puppet is just a puppet: something to be toyed with until it breaks. I am utterly at a loss as to what Roxas and Axel see in that thing. How best to dispose of it merits my consideration going forward.

Isa was probably treated like a toy. He’d pass out for long periods of time, like Xion did. But he’d always wake up because he had someone that kept him going. And they’d experiment on him and abuse him some more. Saïx didn’t start getting really nasty with Xion until she started fainting. It might have been because it brought back memories of how “weak” and “defective” Isa was. He hates puppets because they’re something to be toyed with until they break. Just like Isa was.

What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it’s just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

I kinda think Saïx must have been disgusted with Isa more than anyone—even Xion—due to how “weak” he was. In his report he is aware that he has changed from how he was in the past. He’s mad at Axel for changing. Makes me think Lea was filled with hatred and anger over what happened to them as humans, while Isa was more concerned with trying to stay calm and comfort him. I think one of the reasons Axel became less enamored with the idea of revenge is seeing how much Saïx changed due to his obsession.

Roxas (thinking): So he wasn’t fighting to protect the rose. He was protecting the people in the castle. Protecting her. She’s what matters most to him. But…Xaldin said it was the rose.

The apprentices would have known Isa’s true weakness was Lea. Like with the Beast, he was more afraid of losing someone he loved than whatever happened to him.

He shifted, relaxing his legs. “Are you that worried over Xion?”

“It’s just…when I saw her lying there, she was so quiet. It made me think she might never wake up.” Roxas’s voice was hushed with something very like fear.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” The best Axel could offer was empty words of comfort.

Roxas closed his eyes for a moment, as if he had to say something terribly important, and took a breath that he let out in a sigh. “Saïx called her ‘defective.’”

This conversation happens on Day 172 ~Sound of the Surf~. The day after Day 171 ~Love~.  

Axel sighed, too. He had his doubts that Saïx realized just how special Roxas and Xion were. How they seemed to process things with an emotional quality that none of the other Nobodies had. Speak in those cold, dispassionate terms to one of them, and it would provoke the opposite reaction—just as if they had hearts.

But whether they were unknowingly reliving emotions from when they were human, or whether it was something unique to them, Axel couldn’t have said. Roxas was the Nobody of the hero of light, while Xion (he suspected) had something to do with the same person. Maybe that made them more special than even he knew.

Axel’s response is interesting to me due to how understanding he is toward Saïx’s coldness.

Saïx didn’t understand that. Despite the lack of a heart, he could imagine what it was like to have emotional responses based on what he remembered from his human life. And he must be able to remember how much trouble it was.

But ESPECIALLY this part. He seemed to know that Isa’s emotions got him into trouble as a human. It’s probably why Axel always had such understanding and patience with him. Maybe Axel knew that Isa’s sensitivity made him a target. If Isa constantly passed out, Lea would be constantly worried. It might explain why he was so angry at Saïx when Xion passed out and he told him to shut his mouth. It brought back painful memories for him, too.

“As if. We’re not even supposed to ‘exist’ in the first place.”

“Then what about Nobodies? We don’t have hearts. Does some part of us remain?”

What’s there to leave behind?”

“Then whoever it was at Castle Oblivion—”

“Gone,” Xigbar emphasized. “Without a trace.”

At some point after they performed enough experiments on him, my theory is that some kind of threat was issued that Isa would never see Lea again if he didn’t comply. It wouldn’t be an idle threat, either. Many people turned into Heartless during the experiments. Isa had no reason to doubt that Lea could be turned into one, too. And then Isa was put into a very dangerous life-or-death situation to make him a vessel. Isa went into his berserk trance out of fear of losing Lea, lost all sense of self, and got possessed.  

Roxas hung his head. “So…I’ll never see them again?”

“Nope.”

He felt his fists clench. So maybe I’ll never see Axel again…?

“You coming?”

“Oh…” When Roxas raised his head, Xigbar had already started walking. “Yeah.”

He moved to catch up, but before he could—the world around him blurred.

All the sounds of Agrabah fell silent. It felt like he was falling… And then darkness swallowed his mind.

Like with Ven and Roxas, I think Braig was involved with Isa’s situation as well. After blacking out, Roxas woke up.

After seven days’ observation, she spoke her first words, but could not provide a name. Subject exhibits signs of profound amnesia

Ansem the Wise finds out about the experiments and is furious. He releases everyone, including Lea. But Isa was reduced to an amnesiac state. So Ansem took him away somewhere and tried to help him. He couldn’t even speak for a week. Like Ventus after his ordeal. Isa still remembered Lea in his heart, so he was able to come back to consciousness. He wanted to come back. He still had a purpose to go on.

After his initial experiments on me, Ansem the Wise ceased his research into the heart, his hand stayed by some fear I cannot fathom. Yet this new subject is like me: devoid of memories. She is the perfect sample upon which to continue my master’s work. She, too, could benefit from it; by traversing the heart, we have a direct path into memory. I myself have begun to reclaim my lost past thanks to these very experiments.

Because Lea didn’t know where Isa was, I think he stuck around the castle. He was sneaking around without anyone knowing he was there, trying to figure out what happened to his friend. Ansem the Wise was able to successfully restore Isa’s memories and that’s why he has orange eyes instead of yellow.

Where is Subject X now? Has “wise” Master Ansem hidden her away? Whatever the case, I will not be deterred.

Xehanort is not just gonna give up on Isa that easily. He’s taken back, Ansem is banished, and the apprentices start manufacturing Heartless. Isa is a prisoner again.

He would never see Axel again.

Was there a word for how that idea made him feel?

I want to get out of here, Roxas thought, starting off for his mission. He would rather be anywhere else.

Roxas dashed headlong through the streets of Twilight Town destroying Heartless. He didn’t know why. He just had to.

“Annihilated.” “Terminated.” I’ll never see him again.

Every time the realization struck him, he couldn’t bear to stand still. What was driving him forward like this?

Now this is the scene right before Axel comes back from Caste Oblivion. Roxas could not stop thinking he’d never see Axel again. But it wasn’t a proven thing yet. He still had some hope.

It really was him. Him and his ever-present sardonic smile. Roxas fumbled for words. “They said…the whole team at Castle Oblivion was annihilated…”

“Not me. I’m tough,” said Axel, cockily brushing imaginary dirt from his sleeve.

But something feels off, thought Roxas. Besides, Axel isn’t as strong as he says he is—I think.

“You had me worried,” he admitted.

“Worried?” Axel laughed. “That’s a feat, considering you haven’t got a heart to feel with.”

Roxas had to laugh, too—a little bit. He really was glad that Axel wasn’t gone. Now that they were both here, they could hang out at their usual spot, and…

“I’ll go get us some ice cream!” Roxas took off at a run.

He’s so happy Axel is okay and tells him how worried he was. And this makes Axel not want to report in. He was sorting out his feelings because he remembered how Isa used to worry about him just like Roxas, but not anymore. Compare this scene to one from the novel.

The Sixth Day

My head is buzzing, I can’t pull myself together.

I couldn’t really sleep.

From his bed, Axel stared blankly at the ceiling.

It wasn’t necessary for nobodies to have a human-like lifestyle, but rest was necessary.

Other than being told today’s mission, I didn’t really do anything yesterday. Maybe in reality it’d even be okay to have called it a day off.

A holiday…

“Didn’t get to go in the end,” muttered Axel, and he got up.

Today I have to destroy Roxas.

I cannot betray the organisation.

It’s on Day 6 of KH2, where Axel decides he can’t betray the organization. He has to destroy Roxas. Which says a lot, considering how much he cared about Roxas.

From the little shelf at his bedside, Axel took a white envelope, and looked at it vaguely for a while. Putting it in his pocket, Axel got up off the bed and left the room.

A short while after Axel had entered the room, Saïx still hadn’t said a word. As he typed away at the keyboard, working, the pallid light radiating from the monitor gleamed on the already pale Saïx.

“Top of the morning to you, sir,” said Axel, in a put-on tone, but Saïx turned to Axel disagreeably.

“Have you finished preparations?”

“Of course,” Axel shrugged, smiling.

“I sent dusks in before you in numbers. Think of failure as leading to immediate erasure.”

“Certainly, sir,” said Axel, and he bowed exaggeratedly.

“Was that supposed to be a joke, Axel?”

“That’s not too far is it?”

“…It’s not at all funny.” Saïx resumed typing on the keyboard.

He’s trying to emotionally connect with Saïx.

Maybe, this is the last time I’ll see Saïx, too.

Thinking, Axel looked at the seated Saïx’s back.

“We’ve known each other for a pretty long time, haven’t we?”

Ignoring Axel’s words, Saïx continued typing on the keyboard.

“Say something. Have you even thought that maybe I can’t erase Roxas?” Axel said, in a playful tone, and Saix finally looked up. “It’ll be all right. Cause I’m tough.” Axel puffed out his chest.

“How stupid,” said Saïx, and for a moment he smiled. “Let’s hurry up and prepare. Time is limited. The hero will wake up soon, too. I’ll send you in right in front of Roxas.”

“Okay.”

Axel stood in front of the sending device. Saïx rested his finger on the button.

“I’m off the~n!”

Waving to Saïx, Axel’s figure disappeared.

Axel thought it might be the last time he’d ever see him again. And he said the exact same thing to Saïx that he did when Roxas was worried. “I’m tough”. And Saïx actually SMILED for a moment. This novel chapter clearly wanted you to understand that Axel couldn’t betray the organization because of Isa. Judging by the way he acted, Axel still had a strong attachment to him. I mean, he’s still trying to be affectionate with Saïx of all people. The line Axel about used about being tough must relate to their past. And it must have been a VERY good memory to make Saïx smile, even for a moment.

And yet, Axel couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his response. “Well, nice to know where I stand.”

He said it with a grin, but the hint of a frown tugged at the scar between Saïx’s brows. Apparently, the joke wasn’t very funny. “You made it back in one piece, didn’t you?”

Were you worried I wouldn’t? Axel almost said, but he didn’t want to deal with putting him in an even fouler mood. Disgust and rage seemed to linger closest to the surface of Saïx’s memories.

I think that when Lea did find Isa again, he was possibly locked up in his cell. Isa was worried he’d never see Lea again, then Lea showed up to save him. Isa was very worried and relieved that he was okay. Lea was happy that Isa cared about him. Then he jokes that he survived because he is so tough, to cheer him up.

“Al said he wouldn’t rely on magic, right? I want to fix it for him, but you gotta respect your friend’s wishes.”

“Your friend’s… wishes…” So, even if you mean for something to be for your friend’s sake, their wishes are still more important?

Of course, that’s where this comes in. It happened on Day 75 ~Inseparable~. Even if you’re worried about your friend, you have to respect their wishes.

“Genie sounded really worried about his friend–some guy named Al. But, I guess you can’t always jump in and do everything for your friends–even if you want to. And then he said that you have to respect your friend’s wishes.” Xion bit her ice cream, swinging her feet. Axel leaned his head to one side.

“Your friend’s wishes, huh…” It feels like I have heard that before, a long time ago, when I was human.

And this idea had a connection to Axel’s past.

Ven: I’m asking you, as a friend…Just…put an end to me.

I think Isa told Lea to leave him. If he stuck around and tried to save him, he’d just be captured again and they’d both be doomed. Isa didn’t want that to happen, and he told him to respect his wishes and escape without him. Similar to how Ven made his friends promise to destroy him if they had to.

I promised Ven—but I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I never have to honor it. I can’t bear the thought of losing him…

But Lea cant bear to lose Isa or keep such a promise. Just like Aqua.

“This is right,” Xion said firmly. “It’s better this way.”

Axel hated that argument. Nothing was better any which way. All it came down to was what you wanted to do and what you didn’t. He’d learned that lesson back when he had a heart.

I think it’s why he was so disgusted when Xion tried to sacrifice herself. Because Isa tried to do the same for him before and said it was better that way. He hates hearing it from another friend. I also think it’s why he used the same lines while looking for Isa that he did for Xion.

Roxas: Hey, Axel. You haven’t forgotten?

Axel: Hm? What?

Roxas: You made us a promise.

Axel: I did?

Roxas: That you’d always be there…to bring us back.

Axel: Yeah…

Roxas: Got it memorized?

Axel: Best friends forever.

I actually think Lea made a promise to Isa. And I think his dream of Roxas made him remember it.

“Relax, Ven. We’re here and we’re gonna take care of you,” Terra said as he walked up to Ven and laid a hand on his shoulder. Next to Ven, Aqua also nodded her agreement.

That wasn’t it—no. That wasn’t what he was trying to say.

It doesn’t matter that I’m scared. This is something much worse.

“I may have to fight Vanitas after all. If I do, guys…”

He was afraid to voice the rest. What if it actually came to that? What exactly would happen next? Ven let out a big breath, his gaze still lowered.

I have to tell them. I have to make this request.

“I want you to—”

Terra cut him off.

“The three of us can never be torn apart, all right? I’ll always find a way.”

So, Lea stuck around, trying to find some way to save his friend and bring him back. Then he realizes that the apprentices are all going to be turned into Heartless, including Isa. And that’s when he tries to intervene and heads toward the computer. But he loses his heart in the process. Isa witnesses this and it’s finally his breaking point. He goes to the Realm on Sleep and would not come back anymore. He doesn’t want to. He thinks Lea is gone forever and Lea would have to use the power of waking on him to get him to wake up.

#kh isa #kh lea #kh leaisa #kh meta #kh axel #kh saix

[jinkisbelly]

Eventide - 2/?

Chapter 2, of skyrim au~  Part One, can be read on aff as well

Pairing: Jongyu

Rating: pg as of now~ (But small badly written fight scenes)

w/c:3.2k

Summary: They continue on their journey north, finding more about each other along the way.

Jinki was leaning against a thick tree, arms crossed as he casually ate his papaya. He smiled, incredibly amused as Jonghyun struggled to start a fire as the setting sun was quickly disappearing on the horizon. “Do you need assistance?”

Jonghyun glared up at him, grumbling as he wiped his forehead. “No, I got this.”

“All you’re doing is making a scent that’ll keep the wildlife away.” He pushed off the tree as his hand fell from his lips, papaya still held in his grip. Flames appeared around his other hand, swirling around as he lifted it from his side. “Come on, it’s almost dark. You can redeem your pride tomorrow night, I promise.”

Defeated, Jonghyun fell back into the leaves and dirt, glaring as he waved his hand for Jinki to continue. “Just, don’t burn everything down.”

“Are you questioning my aim, Mr. Swing at everything and hope one of my strikes hit?” Jinki shot a little flame straight at the pile of dried leaves in the middle of the stones they collected as he sat down on the log he had found when they decided to stop for the night.

“You weren’t complaining about how I fight back with the spider.”

“I thought we agreed those gross things wouldn’t be discussed again.” It wasn’t a question, and with the flames still present in his palm Jonghyun pressed his lips together and let the topic go. Then the fire was put out, and he worked on eating his piece of fruit.

“Are mages vegetarian?” Jonghyun quietly asked after ripping off a piece of jerky.

“Some, I would take a gander that they would be statistically,” Jinki hummed, “If you’re referring to myself, then no, I’m not.”

“I’ve just never seen you eat meat.”

“We’ve only known each other for three days Jonghyun.”

“Mm, good point.”

After a few more bites and wiping his mouth with a cloth from his bag Jinki quipped, “And you missed killing that hare.”

“Well, I didn’t want you to burn it to a crisp!”

Jinki sighed, focusing on the last bit of his fruit. “I do have other powers you know. I just prefer fire.”

“Mm, don’t you all,” Jonghyun mumbled.

He almost didn’t catch it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Jonghyun moved to lay on his bedroll, chewing on his jerky and staring up at the sky. Jinki pressed his lips together before grabbing his book from his bag, raising his hand to produce a soft floating light, and quietly began to read. The quiet sounds of the woods as night completely fell were interrupted when Jonghyun spoke again. “I’d like to stop in Windhelm.”

Jinki rose his gaze, finger brushing against the corner of the page he was reading. “Alright. It’s on the way.”

“You aren’t going to ask why?”

“I have no business to.” He hummed, closing the cover of the book with his right hand still flat against the pages to hold his place for the time being. “Do you wish me to?”

Jonghyun was lifted up onto an elbow, turned onto his side, and the fire illuminated him as the flames flickered. “It delays your quest. I figured you’d want to know why to see if you deem it worth it.”

Jinki laughed quietly, opening his book to continue reading as he commented, “We both know you don’t respect my opinion.”

And he was right, so Jonghyun just pressed his lips together and rolled over to try and sleep. Jinki’s gaze lifted, watching his back for a moment as a frown pulled at his lips. He wasn’t sure what he had done for the warrior to dislike him, but he could feel the animosity coming toward him in waves. He hoped he could figure out why by the end of this.

----

“Good ole Whiterun.” Jonghyun softly stated as they walked through the big wooden doors.

Jinki rose his hands to gently curl around his hood, pushing it back from the top of his head. The sun was high in the sky for such an early morning. “Let’s get supplies and move on. I want to make some more ground before nightfall.”

“Can’t we just stay the night here?”

“Why?”

“I like sleeping in beds any chance I can.” Jonghyun gave him a goofy smile, “Besides, I want to explore the city. I basically grew up here.”

Jinki squinted suspiciously. “I thought you said you grew up in Riverwood.”

“I was born there yes, but Grandpa always rode up here when he wished to buy things the local merchants didn’t and I remember running these streets way past sunset.” Jonghyun hummed, “Like the sweet rolls Mama likes.”

With a deep sigh, Jinki gave in. “Fine, but we’re leaving first thing in the morning.”

Jonghyun was almost running toward the inn before he was even done speaking.

----

Dragonsreach, the castle of Whiterun’s Jarl, loomed before him as he made it over the last step. If he was correct, the city’s mage would be in the keep, and it would be nice to see if they had anything of interest to him for sale. The guards watched him closely as he walked further into the place, taking the steps and looking around. The Jarl wasn’t sitting on his throne, but after a quick survey, Jinki could see the mage in a room to the right. As he stepped into the rooms the woman raised her head, and she was quick to bow it again. “Archmage~ I wasn’t told you’d be visiting.”

Jinki shook his hands with a kind smile. “No need for formalities my dear. I’m on my way back up to the College and thought I’d see what you have for sale. Maybe even ask you about your research.”

“Oh- I.” The young girl nervously giggled. “Wow, the Archmage asking me about my research.”

“I remember teaching you how to control your power when you learned how to produce flames.”

She dipped her head, shy, and almost embarrassed. “I promise I still remember.”

“You wouldn’t be the court mage if you weren’t qualified, my dear.” Jinki smiled softly, “Now about that research.”

----

He found Jonghyun by the fire in the inn sometime after the sun had set. By the looks of him and the sound of his voice, the man had at least a few ales in his system. After paying for his own room, a loaf of bread and a drink, he made his way over to sit across from him. Jonghyun squinted, trying to make out his form in the flames. When he recognized him his face bloomed almost. “Magey!”

Okay, maybe more than a few. “It seems you’ve been enjoying your night Jonghyun.”

“Mmmm maybe a bit too much, but,” He reached behind his back as if reaching for his ax that was no longer there. A pout formed on his lips. “I guess I left my ax in my room.”

“What about your ax is so important you wish to tell me?” Jinki asked as he pulled off a piece of his bread loaf.

“I sharpened it at the blacksmith.” His words were slurred, face flushed so easily seen even in the dim light of the inn. ��Ssssso sharp.”

“I think it’s time for you to get some rest.”

“But I’m not done with my ale~”

“You can take it with you.”

“Can I?”

“Yes.”

“Will you mm help me to my room?” Jonghyun was permanently squinting. “This place is spinning. Did you know this place is spinning, Jinki?”

“Mm, yes completely.” Jinki rolled his eyes before standing up. He downed his drink quickly and stuffed his bread into his bag. Once it was over his shoulder he rounded the firepit to hoist Jonghyun to his feet. The man clung to him desperately. “Where is your room?”

“Mm, far one to the right of the bar.” Jonghyun softly explained, breath smelling of meat and old ale. “It has a red flower vase next to it.”

Sure enough, there was, and as soon as the man had been laid in bed, Jinki tossed the blanket over him. “Try not to get sick everywhere. There’s a bucket under the bed.”

“Mm, yes, bucket.”

Jinki was just about to step out of the door when his eyes squeezed shut. He let out a frustrated breath before turning and slamming the door close. He pulled out his bedroll and leaned against the wall, getting his bread and canteen to eat. He couldn’t leave Jonghyun alone this drunk. Even being a slight asshole as he was, Jinki knew he’d never forgive himself if something happened to the poor bloke. He did, however, owe him his room fee.

----

In the morning Jonghyun’s head was pounding. He felt like he could hear smells at the point. Hearing the sound of wood scraping against wood he turned, a little panicked, only to see Jinki sitting at the small desk provided in the room eating his breakfast. “What the hell are you doing in my room?”

Jinki didn’t even look up as he said, “Good morning to you too Jonghyun.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“That was a question?” Jinki finally glanced up, flipping a page in his book with his left hand as he ate with his right. “Sounded more like a demand to me.”

“Jinki!”

“Don’t yell at me.” Jinki calmly returned to his book. “You got drunk off your ass and against my better judgment I stayed to make sure you didn’t choke in your sleep.” After a moment he continued. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh.”

Jinki hummed, “Yeah, oh. Do you want breakfast? I’d eat it before it gets any colder.”

It was then Jonghyun looked to his left, seeing the plate of food for him. After pressing his lips together, trying to forget how much of an ass he’s been, he wiggled to sit up against the headboard and began to eat. When he looked at Jinki again he noticed he didn’t have his robes on. “What the fuck.”

“Hmm?”

“Where are your robes?” Jonghyun’s nose scrunched up. “I feel like I’m seeing you naked.”

Jinki snorted lightly. “I do own other things besides my robe. It’s just enchanted to help my powers.”

“It’s… weird.”

After closing his book and turning a little Jinki asked, amused, “It’s a heavy thing. I hate wearing it during the summer season.”

“So… Weird.” He whispered. Jinki just laughed at him. Jonghyun tried to not look at his arms too long, but the thought of how a mage had such toned arms kept nagging at him.

----

3 weeks later

“Come on. It’s just one dwemer ruins.” Jonghyun almost whined, arm held out at the looming structure. “Think about the stuff that is inside this place and it looks completely untouched.”

“I don’t doubt that it may be untouched,” Jinki’s gaze lowered back to Jonghyun’s face, “But, we both know that dwemer ruins are full of operational mechanicals. They’re also always forever long.”

“There’s probably some type of long-forgotten book in there.” He tried to reason. “I may have only known you for a few weeks, but you’re a book enthusiast.”

Jinki squinted at him, before sighing and moved to climb the staircase as he gathered his robes into his hands to prevent himself from stepping on it. Jonghyun beamed, the smile almost as big as his face as the mage grumbled. “You’re lucky I enjoy knowledge.”

“Don’t get your skirt in a twist.” Jonghyun snorted when Jinki glared at him from his spot at the top of the stairs. “It is a skirt.”

“It’s a robe.”

“Uh huh.” A frown formed on his lips when he realized the front door of the place was locked. He turned, “Got any lockpicks?”

“How do you not have any?”

“Used too many on a chest when I was too drunk on ale to really see straight,” Jonghyun answered easily. “So, lockpicks?”

Jinki rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, laying the knife and lockpick for the man to use in the outstretched palm. “Don’t break it. That’s the only one you’re getting before we continue on our way.”

“You sound like a mom.” Jonghyun laughed quietly to himself. “Scolding me for not lockpicking properly.”

Before Jinki could retort, the lock clicked, and the ancient metal groaned as he pushed the door open. Inside was dark past the bit where the light from the sun shined through the open door. Jinki smiled as he waved Jonghyun through. “After you.”

Pulling his ax from his back he grumbled, “What am I, your all-purpose meat shield?”

“Basically.” Jinki softly replied, fire already swirling around his fingers as the magelight he created floated just before Jonghyun. “Like you said, I’m soft.”

The clanking of metal and the hissing of steam caused the banter between them to grow silent. Soon enough a Dwarven Sphere rolled from the shadows. Jonghyun was quick to block their attack against Jinki, pushing them back. He froze for a moment as Jinki’s flames shot past his ear, hitting the sphere dead center. After a few more hits the sphere crumbled into it’s various parts. After kicking through the pieces Jonghyun turned to Jinki, “Do you want any of this?”

“Just the oil.”

“The oil?” Jonghyun rummaged a bit more before curling his fingers around the circular contraption. “What do you need the oil for?”

“Of course I want the oil,” Jinki grinned as the little container was handed to him. “It’s used for a lot of my more.. Useful potions.”

“Do I even want to know what that means?”

Jinki turned to search an adjacent room in an almost too dramatic swirl of his robes. “Probably not.”

---

The gem was deep blue and was cool to the touch in Jinki’s hands. He put it into his bag along with the history book he found and a few plants in the separate pouch. After they had found the large, domed room, they had split up to investigate the different rooms. The quiet of the ruins is shattered as the hissing of steam began. Gears roaring to life after centuries of being immobile. Slowly Jinki turned, to see Jonghyun standing in the middle of the larger room holding the sword that had been in the large contraption just to the right of him. He yells then, a little out of frustration, and to just be heard over the creaking of the newly awoken metal. “What did you do Jonghyun?”

Jonghyun attempts to hide the sword in his hands behind his back, as he nervously says. “Pillaging?”

Jinki whips around when he hears the crashing, and curses as the metal spider begun to attack him. Quickly, ice is shot, trying to slow the contraption down enough for him to get far enough away to hit them with something more powerful. He runs, full sprint until he’s a few steps from Jonghyun, looking around the room at the amassing foes. As the dozen or so dwemer protectors came closer Jinki hissed, “You just had to touch the sword.”

“It was glowing!”

“Number one rule of raiding ancient ruins,” Jinki growled, “Don’t touch the items that are glowing in the huge, domed ceiling room.”

“Stop yapping at me and think of a plan.”

“A plan?” Jinki exclaimed, baffled. “Why do I need to think of a plan?”

“You’re the brains of this operation.” Jonghyun hissed.

“Who pulls out a sword knowing it’s probably rigged WITHOUT A PLAN.” And then it sparked. “Stay close and don’t press out too far.”

Jonghyun slowly stepped back until they were pressed against each other. He looked over his right shoulder, “What’s the plan?”

“Hopefully these things don’t like lightning.” Jinki closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he felt the power fill him.

“Well,” Jonghyun hummed, sounding slightly panicked. “Whatever you’re doing, I’d do it fast. They’re so close I can feel the steam.”

He also felt his hair begin to rise on his arms and the back of his neck as sparks began to grow from Jinki’s hands. Just before he let the power go, he calmly stated, “I’d just like to remind you, this was your damn idea.”

As the thunderstorm crackled and boomed from his fingertips, Jonghyun ducked his head and squeezed his eyes shut to avoid the bright light. And then the crackling stopped and all that could be heard was Jinki’s heavy breathing and the sound of metal collapsing. Nervously, Jonghyun rose his head, opening his eyes and his lips parted in surprise. Every single one of their attackers was in pieces, their parts in a circle about a foot away from them. His attention fell on Jinki, standing behind him. His eyes were open, hair blow into his face, and his hands were still smoking a little from where he had them raised. Jonghyun blinked rapidly. Impressed and slightly terrified of the man. “Could you do that this entire time?”

“Yes,” Jinki ran his hands through his hair before brushing off his robes. He leaned down to rummage through the remains of the metal protectors. “What did you want me to do, shock a deer to death?”

“Well, no, I just-” Jonghyun pressed his lips together. “You’re a lot more powerful than I pinned you as.”

Jinki smirked, rising with another tiny container of oil. “I know.”

“And you didn’t think to enlighten me?”

He shrugged, moving onto the next to find oil. “I can create thunderstorms and walls of fire. Create giant ice creatures that protect me.”

“Wait, what?”

“Like a Frost Atronach.” Jinki gestured with his hands. “This big, little faces. Blue and made of ice.”

“You could literally make an ice man and you let me get hit by Falmer and dwemer spheres all morning?”

“I was helping you stroke your ego.” Jinki smiled over his shoulder, “It worked, didn’t it?”

Jonghyun just grumbled as he moved to pick up his glowing sword.  It sure was pretty. Jinki shook his head and returned to the room he had been searching for when they had been attacked. There were a few mushrooms underneath the table where the soil had come up through the crack in the ancient stone floor. And then he saw the skid marks along the floor as if a door swung open. Curious, he searched for some type of rock to push, running his fingers over the stones of the wall. When he didn’t find one he took a step back and found the outline of the secret door.

“What are you doing?”

Jonghyun’s voice breaking the eerie silence made him jump, a curse flying from his lips. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I jingle as I move.” To prove his point he shimmied a little. “Not my fault you were spaced out.”

“To answer your question, I’m looking for what makes the secret door open.”

“Secret door?” Jonghyun perked up.

Jinki waved his hands in the general direction, brows furrowing as he focused his attention on other parts of the room. And then the torch on the wall caught his attention. The light was encased in woven metal, and for all intended purposes, it shouldn’t still be lit. Going on his hunch he curled his fingers around the lip and pulled, and sure enough, it slid down, causing the door to begin to swing open. Lights around the room began to flicker on as Jinki stepped in, hands raised just in case something appeared. Dwemer ruins were full of old, powerful traps. When nothing jumped out, he lowered his hands and gave the room a good look around. That’s when he saw it. The book was up on a pedestal, thick pages with a heavy duty binding. He ran his hand over the cover carefully, a huge smile forming on his face as he read the title. “Seems this little side quest of yours panned out well for me.”

“Told you there was some old, dusty book in here.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jinki wiggled it into his bag before shouldering it. “Let’s get out of here before you find something else that’ll really get us killed.”

“I’m never living this down, am I?”

“Nope.”

-----

#jongyu #onjong #onew #shinee #jonghyun #jinki #skyrim au #ah yes #them trying to be quiet going through a cave : WHAT DO YOU MEAN IM LOUD #You also find out in this chapter the position of Jinki that Jonghyun will find out later but #ayooo #I hope you like it >.< #my fic

[the-east-wind-shall-come]

FEH Valentine’s Day - Ayra

Here’s a ficlet I did for the weekly writing prompt on the FEH reddit. It ain’t particularly good, but it’s cute I guess.

The Day of Devotion. The most annoying holiday to ever exist, Ayra thought to herself as she passed through the castle gardens. Couples were lounging about on benches, opening presents with smiles.

“You are the wind at my back and the sword at my side,” she overheard Chrom telling Robin. Ayra passed behind a bush, and paused her stroll to watch.

Chrom held Robin’s fingers tenderly in his hands, teasing them gently.

"Chrom, what’s that sticking out of your pocket?"

"Oh! That’s a gift for you. I remember how your eyes lit up when you saw it in town." he said with a chuckle. "I love you, Robin. I just want to make sure I say that often."

Robin smiled, and placed her other hand over Chrom’s.

“I love you, Chrom. I’m lucky to have you by my side," she said to him, before leaning in to kiss him.

Ayra rolled her eyes, and stepped away from the bush before turning to head in the opposite direction. “Why am I wasting my time listening to this garbage? I should be on the training right now,” she muttered under her breath, marching away with her head held high.

A few more paces, and she finally reached the Training Tower. The faint echoes of steel hitting steel escaped through the tower’s walls. Ayra opened the door, and stepped inside. It was mostly empty, save for a few sparring teams. She spotted Lon’qu and Olivia, Seth and Eirika, and Roy and Lilina all teaching their partners correct technique. Marth and Caeda dueled in the corner, laughing and chatting the whole time.

“Hold your sword steady, Olivia. I knew a Wo Dao would be perfect for you,” Lon’qu whispered in Olivia’s ear over her shoulder, causing her to blush. He straightened her arm. “Crouch first, and then strike at your target with the full force of the moon.”

He turned to face her, and she lunged at him with the sword tip aiming for his throat. “Not bad,” he commented with a smile, causing Olivia to blush again. Seeing her blush caused Lon’qu to blush in return.

Ayra silently watched the couples spar, as her nerves began to build. Not here, too! She wanted to scream. Why can’t you people take your lovey dovey romance elsewhere?

She spun on her heel and walked out as angrily as she walked in. With a steady march, she made her way to the Great Hall, where the summoner was coaching the Tempest Team during their morning break. Seated at the table were Lyn, Arden, Sheena, and the Black Knight.

“You’re doing great guys,” Alethia congratulated her armored knights. “Just about 75 more rounds, and we’ll have looted all that the Tempest has to offer. Our rate of score growth is all thanks to you, Lyn!”

The blue dressed Lyn smiled. “Consider it a gift from me to you.”

Without hesitation, Ayra marched right up to the summoner. “Alethia, send me into the Tempest. Right now.”

“Hmm, looks like someone’s having a bad day…” Alethia commented. “What’s got your panties in such a twist?"

“Say that again and you’ll pull back a stump,” Ayra threatened with a glare.

“All right. I suppose you could use a bit more skill. Who wants to take the next round off?”

The Black Knight raised his hand, slowly. “Release me from this nonsense. I will take part in no more of this.”

Sheena rolled her eyes. “I think we’ll manage without him, Alethia. He’s earned enough merit as it is.”

“All right. You’re all set to go, Ayra. Enjoy,” replied Alethia, before leaving to return to her studies.

“Come now,” Sheena said. Lyn and Arden stood up. “Follow me,” she said, and the team followed her through the portal into the mists of the Tempest.

Battle #1

“Ayra, what’s wrong?” asked Arden, sincerely. “I’ve never seen you this angry before.

Ayra huffed as she sliced another axe cavalier to shreds. “It’s those stupid couples today. Everywhere I go, they’re swooning all over! HYAAA!” she growled, cutting a red mage in two.

“Watch out!” Arden yelled, before shielding her from a blue manakete’s attack. “Calm down, please. You keep advancing toward our foes, but you need to hold back a little so you don’t get hurt.”

“Arden?” she asked as the magical mist from the attack cleared. “How did you get here so fast?”

“I got a new pair of boots,” he said with a smile. “Like em’?”

Ayra stared at the green shoes on his feet, and couldn’t stifle a laugh. “They make you fast now… but they do look a little funny.”

Arden grinned. “Well, I’m glad I could bring a smile to your face, then. You look nice with one.”

Ayra turned away before he could see the blush on her face. “That was a bad joke. Let’s go, and restore your health from Sheena’s renewal.”

Battle #80

“Arden...I can’t go on much longer…” Ayra said with desperation. She was covered in wounds, and it was obvious that Lilina was going to kill her in one shot.

It was just the two of them on the final map, for the 80th time.

“Not..on..my watch!” yelled Arden, and swiftly swapped spaces with her. “I like fighting with you. I do a lot better than I normally would,” he said, kneeling beside her. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the final blow that he knew would end his life.

Within moments, the green light of Lilina’s presents cascaded down upon him, and shattered his armor. “Goodbye, Ayra….I...have...no..regrets….fighting...by...your...side,” he said with a cough, before fading away from reality.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!” screamed Ayra, eyes blazing. “HOW DARE YOU! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS!”

Luckily for Ayra, Lilina was the last foe in Castle Ostia. She raised her sword and attacked with full force. “I WON’T LET YOU LIVE!”

She sliced at Lilina not once, but 150 times, faster than the speed of purple light. Her foe faded in a flash of light, and a whirlwind of mist shrouded her senses.

“Ayra?” she heard the summoner ask. “Are you all right? You returned unconscious with almost all of your health gone at the end of that last round.”

“Alethia?” Ayra replied. “I don’t know what came over me. If you don’t mind me asking, where is Arden?”

Alethia giggled. “Funny you should ask that. He’s waiting for you in the Sanctuary.”

Ayra leapt up from her bed in the infirmary. “I must go and thank him.”

She quickly made her way to the Sanctuary, where she found Arden waiting quietly by the rows of garlands hanging upon the wall, looking out the window. The scent of roses wafted in the air, and petals were strewn about the floor. The scene reminded her of the castle garden she walked through earlier that day.

“Arden...what are you doing here?”

Arden turned to face her with a genuine smile. “I could ask the same of you, I guess. You did an amazing job out there on the battlefield. You always do.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to speak to you about,” Ayra said, walking to stand beside him and gaze out the great windows. “I want to thank you for helping me out today. I couldn’t have accomplished anything with how frustrated I was, if you hadn’t been by my side. And in the end, you saved me,” she paused, turning to study his face. “I really appreciate it.”

“Ayra…” he said, with a pang in his voice. “You know, I had a great time fighting beside you today. It has been one of the happiest days of my life since I arrived here. And I--” he began, but ended abruptly.

A moment of silence passed.

“You what?" Ayra demanded. "What are you trying to say?"

Arden took a deep breath. “I love you.”

Ayra felt as if a great wind had blown her back. “What? You love…me?” A tear fell down across her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.

“Well…” Arden paused, looking into her eyes. “Does that mean you love me, too?”

“After all we’ve been through? Of course, you big slowpoke!” she shouted at him, before throwing her arms around his neck.

Arden laughed, embracing her in a warm hug. “Strong and tough is good, you know I love that. But don’t call me slow. You said so yourself that I’m fast now,” he said with a smile.

Ayra laughed for the second time that day. Guess the Day of Devotion isn’t so bad, after all, she thought, as she finally found her one true S-Support.

hope you enjoyed this cheese sandwich

#arden #ayra #feh #fire emblem heroes #valentine's day #fe heroes #genealogy of the holy war #fire emblem #fe4 #ayra x arden #arden x ayra #fanfic #oneshot #ficlet #my writing

[ehyde]

Worlds Unseen, chapter 5

Yona’s mission to take down Hiyou and rid the Water Tribe of nadai is interrupted by the appearance of a ship floating in the sky … and by the revelation that neither Lili nor Suwon are the people she believed them to be.

(Part of a scifi au where the dragons and all of Kouka’s history are the same as in canon, but there is also a sort of alien invasion happening. And Suwon is an AI.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / full work on ao3

Lili tapped on the wooden doorframe, carrying a pillow and blanket in her arms. “Can I stay with you tonight, Yona?”

By the time Lady Yong-hi, the human woman who knew far more than she ought to, had finished outlining her proposal to Lili, night had fallen. She didn’t ask Lili to answer right away, and Lili didn’t think she could—but she wasn’t sure she could sleep, either. Lady Yong-hi had given Lili a room to share with Ayura and Tetora, and Yona and Zeno a room of their own, but Lili wanted to be with her human friends.

“Of course, Lili.” Yona slid the door open. “Oh!” she exclaimed at the sight of Lili’s dark feathers. “You're back to yourself again!”

“It didn’t seem like you minded. It's more comfortable this way,” she explained. The holomasks that Lili and other nonhumans used to disguise their appearance were primarily visual, but they made use of some forcefields here and there, and ended up constricting and itching a little bit. Though she probably should have turned hers back on when she left her room, in case any servants saw. Oops.

“Of course I don’t mind! Actually, I'd rather see you like this.” Yona stepped back, making way for Lili to enter the room.

Zeno was still on the bed, sitting upright and grinning at her. “There's room for everyone!” he said. “Will the bird-lady’s feathers tickle, Zeno wonders?”

“Actually,” said Lili, “I don't like lying down.” Humans always looked so vulnerable when they slept. “But I can roost right next to your bed if you want.” She crouched down and arranged the pillow and blanket around herself as best she could, leaning against the side of the bed for a little extra cushioning. Once everything was in place, she puffed out her feathers and tried to get comfortable.

Zeno blinked at her. “Miss bird-lady is so cute!” He hopped down off the bed and sat cross-legged on the floor, facing her. “But you wouldn’t have come over here if you just wanted to sleep.”

Yona sat down next to Lili and reached for her hand. “Lili,” she said. “Do you think you’ll accept Aunt Yong-hi’s offer?”

It was a ridiculous idea, and Lili's answer should have been an immediate no. Introducing galactic tech and culture to Kouka on the level that Yong-hi wanted—on any level—would be far worse than anything the Company did. Lili had always believed that. But Yona and Zeno had adjusted remarkably quickly, and Yong-hi—well, she’d shown Lili something extraordinary. This house was lit by electric power. Yong-hi had taken the water wheel of an old millhouse and converted it into a primitive power plant. Of course, Yong-hi had the entire knowledge base of the planetary AI to work from, but from the sound of it, the AI hadn’t made things easy for her, not until recently. And the servants just accepted this as the product of a scholar’s eccentricities. Lili wondered what else they’d accept.

And wouldn’t this be better than being manipulated in secret? When the Galactic Alliance was happy to allow the Company to interfere here—so long as they did so in secret—the phrase ‘pre-contact’ was just a polite fiction. Yong-hi was right; there was no going back.

“Whether I want to or not, I don’t know if I even can.” She could act as living proof to the people of Kouka. That part might be awkward, but it wouldn’t be hard. But returning home, seeking out galactic citizens who would willingly violate first-contact protocols in defiance of both the government and the Company, convincing them to put their safety on the line and come here—did she really have it in her to inspire that sort of confidence? “I don’t have anything like the Water’s golden seal to make people listen to me this time.”

“You’ll find a way, I know you can,” said Yona.

“And beyond that,” Lili said, “I don’t know if I should . Forcing my world on yours—Yona, I shouldn’t make that decision. Yona, Zeno, this is your world. Do you really think—?”

“Zeno won't lie, it's a pretty scary future. If the lady is right, the world's going to change faster than it ever has before no matter what we do. So it's probably not a coincidence that the miss sought out the four dragons at this time.” Zeno looked intently at Yona. “Miss, what do you want to do?”

Yona took a deep breath. “I can’t allow the people of this world to be harmed,” she said. “But beyond that...Lili, what you originally wanted, to make the Company leave Kouka, to make everyone from your world leave us be…”

“Your aunt is probably right,” Lili admitted. “It’s probably not possible.”

“Even if it were, would it really be better that way? To hide away from the wider world, instead of reaching out to it? Lili, I spent the first sixteen years of my life locked away in that castle,” said Yona. “I had a small, safe home there, and I was content. But if I could erase everything bad that happened and go back to that life, I wouldn't. I've seen so much, met so many people. I learned that the world was more cruel than I ever dreamed, but also kinder. Everywhere I've been, I saw people reaching out to each other. So I can’t choose to stay hidden away. I want to reach back, to reach out to your world, on our own terms.”

“I...I guess I was really wrong about humans.”

“Thinking we’d be better off in the dark?” Lili nodded. “It’s alright. You were doing what you thought was best. And after saying all that...it’s not like I’m not afraid. I don’t even know how I can help you.”

“Miss will find a way!” said Zeno.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” said Lili. “You’ve helped me already.”

Even with her mind more settled, Lili still couldn’t bring herself to fall more than half asleep. It seemed that Zeno couldn’t sleep either, for about two hours after he and Yona lay down together, he rose again and tiptoed quietly out the door. Where was he going? Lili stood up and followed after him as quietly as she could.

She caught up with him as he stepped out into the central courtyard—and ran straight into the cloaked ship, falling backwards after colliding with what appeared to be thin air. “Yep, the invisible flying ship is still here,” said Zeno as he stood up. “Are you still here too, mister computer?”

In answer, the door slid open and the boarding ramp slid out. Lili tried to imagine it from a human perspective, a strange doorway to another world hovering in the air. Ayura and Tetora’s ship wasn’t equipped with external speakers as part of its comm system. If Zeno boarded the ship to speak with the AI, Lili wouldn’t be able to hear what he had to say—but he only walked halfway up the ramp, then sat down on the metal surface, facing the open door. “We can talk like this, right? Zeno doesn't want to fly away again!” Whatever response the AI gave, it was too faint for Lili to hear. She darted from the shadow of one column to another nearer the ship. “Do you know the story about King Hiryuu, mister?”

That was a popular fairy tale, right? Lili had no idea why Zeno would bring up that of all things. Though she couldn’t remember what the story was actually about. Maybe it was relevant. “Are you asking me if I’ve chosen to become human?”

“No, no, Zeno’s just asking about a story!” The human paused. “Oh, can you do that?”

“My human body could live on without me,” the AI said. “It might even think of itself as the same person. But no. I could not become human and remain who I am. More importantly, my human body alone could not do the things I need to do to protect this world. Though I do like it very much,” it added.

“Hmm,” said Zeno. “Dragon gods are a lot bigger and stronger than humans, too. But don't worry, Zeno can tell that mister computer is doing his best! You think so too, right, bird lady?”

Oops, she’d been found out. Lili stepped forward into the light pouring from the ship’s open door. “Zeno, you’re talking to a powerful AI as if you’re praising a child.”

“Of course! Aunt said that mister computer is only ten years old!”

“That’s not—computers are different when it comes to things like that, you know!”

“Probably!” Zeno agreed. He looked at Lili. “You’ve made a decision, haven’t you?”

“I want to help your planet,” Lili said. “I’ll do it. But...I heard what you were asking. I don’t know what the story you mentioned is about, but you’re worried about humans being led by someone who isn’t human, right?” She looked towards the open door of the ship—unfortunately, she didn’t remember where the ship’s visual sensors were, so it wasn’t like she could look Suwon right in the eyes. “There had better be humans involved in your plan,” she said. “You kept trying to keep Yona from finding things out, but she’s really strong! She could have helped you, if you hadn’t—” She still didn’t know what exactly it was he’d done. “Anyway. This is her world, not either of ours.”

“It’s true that I’m a product of galactic technology, but Kouka is the only home I’ve ever known. It may not be your world, but it is mine.” Lili blinked. She hadn’t considered it from that perspective, but she supposed it was true. As much as an AI had a home at all, at any rate. “Of course, the Galactic Alliance won’t recognize an emerging civilization led by anyone other than a human,” Suwon continued. “Lili, this world is going to change very quickly. I'm sure there are many humans capable of leading the Kouka it will become, but even I can't predict who they are, not yet.”

Well, Yona. Did the AI have a blind spot where she was concerned, or what? Was that even possible? But it had answered the important question. “Then—then as long as you—”

“The Company set me on Kouka's throne. I have no desire to remain there once it becomes unnecessary.”

Lili nodded. “Good.”

Zeno stood up and looked back towards Lili. “Miss bird-lady, let’s go back to bed!” Lili nodded.

“Ouryuu.”

Zeno turned around. “Oh? Does mister computer have more questions for Zeno?”

“...perhaps another time.”

“Okay!” He hopped off the side of the ramp and then bowed towards the ship. “Goodnight, mister computer!” The ramp pulled back in, the door slid shut, and the cloaked ship was once again completely hidden from view. Yona was still sound asleep when they returned, and this time, Lili had no trouble following suit.

#akatsuki no yona #alien larp au #akayona fanfic #I didn't forget about this sorry it's been so long #the next chapter is mostly done too so it'll be up in the next day or so #my fic