#i don't think i need to elaborate on who his majesty is—

[gglitch1dd]

King Katsuki x Courtesan Reader Snippet

So... I realised I forgot Katsuki's birthday and that's one of the only days I write something for him. But to be fair... I don't care about Katsuki but its a yearly tradition so I guess I gotta do something for the blond pomeranian.

SO yall remember the Breedingtober thing where Katsuki was supposed to have a one-shot where it was king Katsuki x Courtesan reader? Yah that.

I'll work on finishing that as my atonement to all the Bakugou stans.

Here's a snippet for yall. Hopefully its done by the end of the week.

Katsuki walked into the building with his men. The beautiful building was filled with sweet fruity fragrances. He pushed past the hanging lace that was around the entrance way. It revealed the one thing Katsuki’s men had been begging to stop in while they rode back to the capital. It was something that Katsuki wanted to outright deny but Eijiro had done a good job persuading him into trying to “Keep moral up”.

When Katsuki agreed, he didn’t think that would mean visiting the pleasure district.

The pleasure house had beautiful welcomers that bowed before them, motioning towards an old lady who sat in front, leading further into the elaborate building. She sat with her eyes closed, her hands on her lap as she seemed content, despite the place she was currently in. Her blue eyes opened as she looked to the warriors in front of her. “Evening, gentlemen. How can I assist you?” She asked, moving to shuffle onto her feet.

Eijiro, the highest ranking military general of his armed forces, stepped forward. He had an easy smile on his face like always. He motioned over to Katsuki. “I would like to introduce, his majesty, Emperor Bakugou Katsuki, as well as his royal first legion.” He motioned to the rest of the men that had come with the two of them. “We would like to implore your…” Eijiro hesitated as two girls, from the way they were dressed in lighter paler colours, with their hairs done up with hairpins, were clearly courtesans in training. They giggled at the sight of the officers and highest ranking noble. Eijiro looked back at the old lady with a glint in his eyes. He motioned behind him. “your institution’s services for the night.”

Coming out from behind them all was a chest filled with gold, carried in by two of the squires that were travelling with them. The lady’s grey eyebrows raised in surprise, her eyes looking down at the contents in front of her. Her eyes flicked to Eijiro who held a smirk on his face, knowing that the only currency that places like this spoke was in gold.

The old lady grinned and motioned to the room to her right. “You are more than welcomed to stay as long as you please, your majesty.” She bowed, allowing them further into the pleasure house.

Katsuki rolled his eyes as he stepped forward to the room that she had motioned to. To say that Katsuki didn’t want to be here would be an understatement. He wanted to be farthest away from here. He wanted to be on his horse being closer to the palace than further away. The battle that happened on his Eastern border was more taxing than he thought it would be. It was the last thing he needed but it was a great distraction. It kept him out of that stuffy palace and back with a sword in his hand.

It also kept him away from his wife.

“Eijiro, this better not be a waste of my gold.” Katsuki spoke as his crimson gaze moved back to his taller best friend and most trusted comrade.

The redheaded military officer chuckled as he rolled his shoulders. “Your majesty, this is supposed to be our celebration of our great victory.” He reminded the blond emperor. Were they alone, Eijiro would have called him by his first name, however with so many eyes and ears around, Eijiro chose the safer route.

Katsuki tsked as he moved towards the front. This seemed to be a greeting area, where they would receive more higher ranking guests. It would make sense from the red fully stuffed pillows, silks, laces and the incense being burned and wafted into the air. Katsuki scoffed as he motioned down to the front of the rows of pillows. Another pillow was brought, placing it on top of that one. Katsuki finally sat down unceremoniously, his hands on his knees as he stared forward with a scowl.

“Aww come on, Emperor.” Sero spoke up this time, sitting on the other side of him while Eijiro sat to the left of Katsuki. He spoke with an eased back straight smile. “You’ve been so tense ever since you got married, it’s time for you to live a little. Just like we used to before you got crowned.” He reminded the blond.

The good old days.

Something Katsuki missed more than anything. A time where he was fighting for his throne, where he had blood and dirt under his nails, a sword always resting on his hip and a tan from the hot sun that shone down on him. It was perfect to him. With nothing but his close friends around him and a burning fire reminding Katsuki of all he lost and all he would gain back again.

Now as Emperor, although Katsuki accepted and enjoyed the extravagance of his life, he missed his old one.

“Speaking of which,” Denki started to speak as he moved to sit beside Sero. “I’m sure a certain Empress Ochaco will be more than happy to see you, your majesty.” He spoke with one of those stupid smirks on his face.

Katsuki tried to bite back a groan at the thought of Ochaco. She was a good looking woman that was for sure with a good body and she did what a wife was supposed to, Hell, she was a great empress even. The only problem was…

Katsuki couldn’t seem to give more than half a fuck about her.

It wasn’t Ochaco’s fault. Not in the slightest. Katsuki just couldn’t find it within himself to see her as anything more than what she was. A woman who got sold through an agreement made by her father so that Katsuki could win the war. She never desired Katsuki nor did she ever see a need to do anything more beyond her wifely duties to him should he wish. She was a great empress when she wasn’t annoying the living daylights out of him. But she wasn’t Katsuki’s woman.

Which was probably why he felt little to nothing about the fact that he was about to entertain whores in a pleasure house tonight and return to her tomorrow.

Katsuki closed his eyes and fought back a scowl unsuccessfully. He really was tense. “Where’s that old woman!?” He asked loudly now that all of them were seated.

A low chuckle came as the old woman walked from a side corridor over to them. She moved towards the men, moving to stand at a wall. “I apologise, your majesty. I was fetching my girls.” She informed him. “Now, of course, since you have graced us with your presence, your majesty, you will be the first to choose from my highest-ranking courtesans.” She motioned to where she had come from.

Walking in from the hidden sides were a group of five women, all more beautiful, curvaceous and enticing than the last. They carefully sat down on their knees, their bosoms nearly spilling out of their dresses and their make-up perfectly complementing their complexion. Katsuki’s eyebrows eased at the sheer beauty in front of him. No wonder his men were so eager to be here. He had heard from them about how this was the best pleasure house in the entire kingdom and was hesitant to believe them, however looking at his options, he wasn’t surprised.

There was one, that did catch Katsuki’s attention more than anyone else.

You sat in the middle of them all, your eyes looking straight at Katsuki almost as if you weren’t afraid to look at death straight in the eyes. You had this stare that had something brewing inside Katsuki immediately. It made him feel like he was suffocating, like he couldn’t breathe under your scrutiny. You were by far the most beautiful out of all of them. Not by looks but just by your presence. Your eyes scanned over his front line highest ranking officers. Each one of them stiffening under your gaze, blushes blooming to their cheeks.

Your eyes finally settled back on Katsuki. You bowed your head, moving your hands in front of you as you lowered your head, bowing down towards the floor. “Your majesty, the honour is ours.” You all spoke but Katsuki only wanted to hear from you.

“Now, you can pick any of the-”

“That one.” Katsuki pointed a single finger towards you. His crimson eyes stayed honed on you. “I want that one.”

-Glitch1d

#bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugou x reader #barbarian king bakugou katsuki #barbarian king bakugou katsuki x reader #mha x y/n #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader

[just2bubbly]

So apparently I decided to write fluff after a long long time and I'm quite proud of myself for that! :)

Masterlist

Romantic Diversions

Ship: Kaider

Words: 925

Genre: Fluff

Kai's Perspective:

Dhsam!

The door was opened with a loud bang which caused Kai to stir from his work. This uninvited disturbance gave rise to subtle anger and he was ready to pounce on the individual who had decided to barge in his cabin in such a dramatic fashion. 

Regardless, he didn't do any of that since the person who was standing at the door was his own wife. He smiled at her sight, expecting the generic 'Did I disturb you?' from her but she had more surprising cards up her sleeves today. Her theatrical entry just led to an even bigger bouncy voice. 

"I can't believe you did that?!" she cried as she pulled a seat before him. That phrase left him more baffled than ever. Cinder wasn't the one for dramatic flair if truth be told- he was the theatre kid out of the two. 

"What did I do?" he questioned, the file he was working on completely forgotten. 

"Look," she said as she passed the tablet to him. Kai was really curious about what he had done that had got Cinder so excited so he looked into the screen without asking any further questions. 

The screen played a video: 

"Your Majesty, would you like to say anything about the lack of apprehension-" some reporter asked before being interrupted by another.

Kai was not expecting to be chased by a mass of reporters as he flew back home. Alas, he was having a press conference in the airport parking lot right now and he definitely wasn't prepared for this one. 

"Goodness, is that Dr Alan Coetze I see there," he exclaimed- seeing the familiar face of the scientist who talked in a language Kai wasn't quite fluent in. Cinder used to love watching his shows and Kai had seen them from time to time too.

"My wife, the Empress is a big fan of Dr Coetze. You would have to excuse me. I need to have his autograph. My wife would be sorely disappointed if I let down this chance," he explained as he tried making his way towards his saviour. 

The press seemed taken aback by his words, having a hard time believing that it was the Emperor gushing about a European scientist who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize for his thesis. 

"But you are the Emperor, Your Majesty-" someone argued, trying to put sense in him. 

"So what? You don't have any idea how inconsiderate intelligent people are towards royalty," he noted. His arguments made little sense but he needed an escapade and this crazily intelligent man that was standing a few yards from him was going to give him exactly that. 

"Your Majesty, you don't- " 

"I understand it's your work but you do have to be a little understanding about my situation too. My anniversary is getting closer and what better gift than the autograph of Dr Alan Coetze. You would have to excuse me for now. However I promise you, there will be a press conference in New Beijing and I look forward to seeing you all there." 

..

"Oh goodness!" Kai laughed and looked up, his wife's contagious smile made him smile more. 

"I can't believe you said it!" she gushed again. 

"Well, I had a flight to attend and the press wasn't going anywhere. I had to make some diversions," he elaborated, passing the tablet back to her. If he knew anything, he was sure this news was everywhere by now. 

"You're telling me the world's best diplomat needed a romantic diversion?"

"You're never gonna let this one go, are you?" he asked, knowing very well the answer to that question, instead he focused on signing the bottom of the page. 

"That isn't going to be the problem. Next press conference everyone is going to talk about this and this only," she pointed out, forgetting to mention that she too was going to make multiple jokes at his expense. 

He glanced at her, thinking how if these small diversions were what made her smile ear to ear then Kai would be likely to commit more of them every now and then. 

"Nothing that a small 'I love my wife' can't suffice." 

"Which reminds me - you said 'my wife' so many times throughout the entire thing." 

"I have a lovely wife. You can't forbid me from bringing her up all the damn time," he said. 

"Stars, I can't believe you," she continued to say, glancing back at the video before whispering, "I love my wonderful husband too." 

"Shh, don't let my wife hear about this. She gets quite protective," he smirked, throwing a wink in her direction. 

That made her chuckle again as she leaned over the desk to whisper in his ear, "Where's my autograph, Your Majesty?"

He tipped to stare into her brown orbs and replied, "I think I said it was an anniversary gift."

Before closing the inches between the two, he murmured, "Wait your time kitten." Cinder captured his lips with hers, her hands holding the back of his neck. One of his hands spread across her cheek, as he deepened the -

Tring! Tring!

The kiss was cut short by the comm that rang through Cinder's tablet and both of them groaned over it. 

"I'd see you at dinner," Cinder said, getting up from her seat. She was almost out of the door when she looked over her shoulder and announced, "I better have an autograph." 

Kai chuckled at the demand and had a delighted feeling for having met the scientist that day.

--

A/N: Wrote this because I have got myself fixated on this power celebrity couple and they had a fun banter on the media and I couldn't help but imagine it for Kai and Cinder. It seems a lil unrelaistic but it's mostly the modern day alteration of the royalty and media. Hope you like it! <333

tagging: @gingerale2017 @salt-warrior @slmkaider @cinderswrench @cindersassasin @impossiblesuitcase @kaiderswell @kaider-is-my-otp @therealkaidertrash21 @fangirlforever0704

#kaider #just2bubbly fics #kaito #cinder linh #lunar chronicles #tlc #fanfiction #fluff #tlc fandom #marissa meyer #selene blackburn #kai #cinder

[jordanianroyals]

11 March 2024: Queen Rania underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to end the war and its obstruction of critically-needed humanitarian aid. She also stressed that widespread hunger in Gaza is not a natural disaster, describing it as a “man-­­made, Israeli-made disaster.”

“This has been a slow motion, mass murder of children, five months in the making. Children who were thriving and healthy just months ago are wasting away in front of their parents,” Queen Rania said, in a remote interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

“It is absolutely shameful, outrageous, and entirely predictable what's happening in Gaza today – because it was deliberate,” she added.

Marking the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Queen Rania explained that the people of Jordan were welcoming the holy days with heavy hearts.

“Ramadan is typically defined with family gatherings, people coming together, sharing a meal and breaking their fast together – but what is it like for the people of Gaza today, who are now hungry and thirsty in tents or makeshift shelters…who are mourning their dead and mourning the life that they had just a few months ago?” she asked.

Her Majesty spoke to Amanpour from the King Abdullah II Airbase, where food and relief aid are prepared and dispatched directly to the people of Gaza via airdrop. Since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza, the Jordanian Armed Forces - Arab Army has conducted 38 solo Jordanian airdrops, as well as 46 with partners.

Describing air drops as “resorting to desperate measures in order to address a desperate situation,” Her Majesty emphasized that air drops alone could never meet the needs of the people of Gaza, noting that His Majesty King Abdullah has explained they are “neither sufficient, nor are they a substitute for humanitarian access at scale.”

The Queen underlined that countries should not use the execution of airdrops as an excuse not to take more decisive measures, including calling for Israel to begin “implementing an immediate and sustained ceasefire; opening all access points into Gaza, particularly land routes; streamlining the inspection process; and making sure that there is safe access within Gaza so that the aid can be distributed.”

Queen Rania explained that Jordan began organizing humanitarian aid drops to Gaza because they could not “sit idle” as people went hungry.

“Children are starving as we speak, so every moment and every meal counts.” she said. Her Majesty also called on other nations to use their political leverage to push Israel to implement a ceasefire and drastically increase aid access.

Elaborating on the scale of the hunger crisis in Gaza, the Queen reported that, according to the United Nations, every single person in Gaza today is hungry. “Over a quarter of the population – that's more than 550,000 people – are one step away from famine. Experts say that they have never seen a population descend into such mass hunger so rapidly,” she said.

“In the north of Gaza, people are not on the verge of starvation, they're actually dying of starvation,” she stated. “It starts with the most vulnerable: the elderly, the wounded, babies. We're hearing of an increasing number of babies who are dying from severe malnutrition and thirst, and if things don't change, I think these cases are going to be spiraling throughout the Strip.”

Queen Rania noted that, while she was pleased to hear of plans to open new access points to Gaza, tons of food aid are currently sitting in trucks just miles away from people dying of starvation.

“Since the beginning of this war, Israel has cut off everything that is required to sustain a human life: food, fuel, shelter, medicine, water…” she commented. She explained that this has left the people of Gaza completely reliant on outside assistance, much of which Israel systematically denies and delays.

She also stated that Israel has engaged in “occasionally bombing some of the convoys that bring this assistance, and shooting at some of the people who are trying to get whatever scarce resources that they can.”

“As devastating and as traumatic as October 7 was, it doesn't give Israel license to commit atrocity after atrocity,” Her Majesty asserted. “Israel experienced one October 7. Since then, the Palestinians have experienced 156 “October 7s.” They have been going through this every day,” she said.

The Queen commended nations that have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, cooperated with Jordan on humanitarian airdrops, and exhibited solidarity with Palestinians. However, she noted that many in the Middle East who once admired Western values are now “disillusioned and disappointed,” which has hurt the credibility of Western nations and ideals.

Her Majesty also expanded on the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, explaining that Palestinians have endured more than 50 years “of oppression, of occupation, of having their movement restricted, having every aspect of their lives dominated, and being humiliated.”

She also stated that, even before October 7th, Israeli settlement expansion reached record highs last year, and that, despite global opposition to settlement-building, the construction of 3,500 new illegal settlements in the West Bank was recently approved by the Israeli government.

“As long as Israel is allowed to get away with breaking international law – as long as its allies don't hold it accountable – it will just increase its sense of impunity,” she said.

Queen Rania further explained that the “ubiquitous” dehumanization of Palestinians within Israeli society fosters a kill-or-be-killed mentality.

“I think it's no coincidence that we're witnessing one of the most violent episodes of this conflict under one of the most hardline, racist governments in Israel's history,” Her Majesty asserted, stressing that there is no shortcut to lasting peace without addressing the occupation, the root cause of the conflict.

“If you want to safeguard Israel's security, there is no better way to do it than through a just and comprehensive peace,” she said. “Israeli leaders must stop treating the existence of Palestinians as an inconvenient truth, as a demographic challenge, as a [lawn] that needs to be mowed every now and then. Palestinians are here to stay.”

#Queen Rania

[waltwhitmansbeard]

my fair lady: chapter eighteen

previous chapters! inspired (yes, still!) by @romeoandjulietyouwish's medieval au

Having had no easy time falling asleep, Keyleth doesn't wake until late in the day, when the sun is close to its apex in the sky. When she does wake, it is to the distant sounds of activity from somewhere outside her chambers. She sits up, rubbing at her eyes. "What is the commotion?"

She's startled to see Vax, dressed and armored with dagger in hand, just beside the door. He looks at her and places one finger over his lips. He then gently creaks the door open, where they're greeted by the suddenly audible sounds of a very familiar voice.

"Stop squirming, you churlish clotpole. You'll tell the sovereign what you know."

Keyleth sighs in relief as Vax stows his dagger with a roll of his eyes. Master Gilmore. She slides out of bed quickly and wraps herself in her dressing gown. She hurries past Vax into the hall, where she darts as fast as she dares to her father's chambers. With Vax hot on her heels, she comes into view of the bustle just as Master Gilmore, elaborately dressed and looking both annoyed and quite pleased with himself, shoves a scrawny, tow-headed boy a few years Keyleth's junior past her father's guards into the sovereign's rooms. "Master Gilmore!"

The man in question looks up and immediately grins his signature self-satisfied smirk. "Well there she is! Come quickly, we have a war to end!" He starts to turn into the room, but then stops to say sultrily, "And a very good day to you, Vax'ildan."

Vax, now standing just beside Keyleth, laughs despite himself. "Good day, Master Gilmore."

"Please, don't call me master here, we're in polite company." Then he's gone, and Keyleth, honestly grateful for Gilmore's particular brand of levity, follows him in, where several of her father's advisors, including Percy and Pike, who did not return to Zephrah with the others, have joined the sovereign to speak with whomever Gilmore has just unceremoniously tossed before them.

The young man is huddled on the ground, eyes darting between everyone surrounding him nervously. He's disheveled, but when her father barks at him, "Stand up, boy," he does so, straightening his clothes best he can.

"Master Gilmore, who is this?" her father asks.

Gilmore dips low into a bow. "Your Majesty, this is Tadhg, and who Tadhg is matters far less than who he works for." The sovereign frowns in confusion. "You are familiar with Gaben Finefirn, I presume?"

"Of course. A conjurer who did excellent work for us during the war. We'd never have taken as much of the Dreemoth Ravine as we did without his assistance."

"And charged you a pretty penny for it, did he not?"

One of the gathered advisors snorts. "I'd say so."

Gilmore, always a fan of a good presentation, throws out his hands dramatically. "Well, as it would turn out, our friend Gaben was dipping into both nations' coffers, as it were. Seems a conjurer-for-hire will conjure for, well, whomever hires. And during the course of this war, he turned himself from a novice battle mage into a crucial chess piece for both sides of the conflict, and in the process amassed a fortune the likes of which a once-pauper could only imagine."

The sovereign straightens, his face drawn. "Is that so?"

Gilmore floats over to where Keyleth stands by the entrance and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Now before we proceed, I do need to give credit where credit is due. All we are about to learn here today was only uncovered due to the princess's ingenuity and quick-thinking."

Keyleth's face burns hot. "No—I didn't—"

"Without her instruction, I never would have thought to dig into Mister Finefirn, though—" He turns to speak directly to Keyleth. "—once I received your letter, dear, I knew exactly where to start looking. A brilliant young thing, you are."

Keyleth would like nothing more than for a hole to open up directly beneath her feet. All of her father's advisors are looking at her now with curious expressions, and Percy is grinning from ear to ear. Before she can collect her thoughts enough to say anything, Gilmore is gone again, striding forward to clap a strong, intimidating hand onto the shoulder of Tadhg, who flinches. "You see, Your Majesty, your daughter requested I begin investigating those mercenary-types we hired on during the war to aid us in our cause, as she had a sneaking suspicion that whoever brutally slaughtered those innocent revelers at the peace celebration did so with the intention of continuing to profit off of our hostilities with Draconia.

"But I didn't need to investigate too hard, because I had heard a rumor, a scrap of gossip, really, that Gaben's new palatial estate in Emon was really something to behold. Which I did find curious when I first heard it, because as much as we paid him for his efforts, could he really afford such a place with just what he's earned in two years of war? Perhaps—if he was earning from both sides."

Gilmore squeezes Tadhg's shoulder tightly. "Go on then, boy. Why don't you fill the sovereign in on your master's scheme?"

Shaking, Tadhg gives a tiny, apprehensive bow of his head, before squeaking out, "M-my lord, I—Master Finefirn is my employer, and h-he asked me to make payments to the commander of a mercenary group out of Emon. I delivered the f-funds and the instructions, but I swear to you, the p-plan was not my own!"

The look on her father's face is ominously dark, but he says nothing. Gilmore squeezes the shoulder again. "Explain the plan, boy."

The tremble of Tadhg's limbs is violent now. "I-I heard my master explain that he needed the war to continue, th-that he could not keep up his lifestyle during a time of p-p-peace. If the peace treaty were not signed, he could continue to sup-support both the Ashari and D-Draconian war efforts."

"Why were our people targeted?" her father booms, his voice a thunderclap in the night. "Nearly three times as many Ashari died as Draconians!"

Tadhg shrinks down to almost half his size. "Y-Your Majesty, my m-master believed that if the death were equal on all sides, the attack would seem r-r-random. The scales needed to be unbalanced, and he b-believed that the Ashari Nation would be the more difficult nation to c-convince to go back to war."

Keyleth's heart sinks to the floor. All that death, the screaming and the blood, and all for one man in a foreign land to make more money. She wants to vomit, but more than that, she wants to be holding Vax's hand. She wants his voice in her ear, saying the exact thing she needs to hear to keep her upright.

"Why attempt to kidnap the princess?" Percy asks, stepping forward. "What would taking her have accomplished?"

Tadhg gives a small shrug. "I b-believe he thought that the final n-nail in the coffin of peace. If the heir to the Ashari throne were taken, the s-s-sovereign would have to go to war."

"Where is your master now?" her father asks, his voice dangerously calm.

"I do not know, Your Majesty. When Master Gilmore arrived in Emon, he fled through arcane means. He left me b-behind."

There is a long, tense silence in the room as her father regards Tadhg with an inscrutable expression. Finally, he looks to Pike and says, "Take this boy and question him further. Employ your method of demanding the truth. If there is any more to be learned, we shall learn it as quickly as possible. Then the Draconians shall be informed of how we were played."

Pike bows, and then gestures for Grog to help her escort Tadhg, who now resembles a pile of wet towels, from the room. The boy lets out a terrified squeak when he's lifted by the scruff and carried out in one of the goliath's massive hands. When they are gone, the sovereign says quietly, "Daughter, please come here."

Now very much wishing she had taken the time to properly dress before rushing here, Keyleth obeys, taking a few wobbly steps toward her father, keeping her dressing gown tightly closed. She dips her head in a bow. "Father, I—"

A finger lifts her chin up, and she is staring into his face. "You remind me so much of your mother."

The tears come so suddenly that Keyleth imagines them magically conjured. "I—"

"She, too, loved nothing more than undercutting my authority at every turn, and she shared your frustrating habit of being right to do so every time."

Keyleth quickly brushes the tears away with a small laugh. "I promise, Father, I did not intend to...undermine you. I merely thought..."

"You did what any good sovereign would do: you acted. That action very likely staved off a resumption of hostilities in a long and costly war. The Ashari Nation and Draconia both owe you our gratitude."

All around him, his advisors give her a polite bow, and despite her flustered embarrassment, she finds herself standing a bit taller. "Father, I would never have come to the conclusion I did without the wise counsel of both Lord Percival and Vax'ildan. They have been great aids to me, both in these past few days and well before. Lady Pike as well, she has also given me some...much needed advice. I am lucky to be surrounded by such sage individuals, whom I trust with both my life and my nation's future."

"Good. Every sovereign needs those people. You cannot lead your nation without them." He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead. "I am so proud of you, Keyleth of the Ashari Nation."

.

Things move quickly from there. Pike finishes her secondary interrogation of Tadhg, who reveals a few more specifics of Gaben Finefirn's plot but nothing quite as dramatic as Gilmore's original reveal. The Draconians are brought in to hear the tale as well, and a meeting is set for the following morning between Keyleth's father and King Kruvanis to discuss finally signing the peace accords and ending the war once and for all.

When news of this meeting reaches Keyleth, she tells Vax to get word to Prince Tiberius as quickly as possible that now is the time to strike. He departs at once, leaving Keyleth under Derrig's watch. When he does, Keyleth then returns to her father's chambers to request an audience with him alone. He acquiesces, sending his advisors elsewhere and his guards outside. Then, for a rare moment, Keyleth is truly alone with her father.

"What do you wish to discuss, daughter?" He stands at his writing desk, a copy of the original peace treaty in his hands, having just been reviewing it with his advisors.

"That, actually," she says, gesturing toward the parchment he holds. "The peace treaty."

"Ah." He places it on the desk, which he leans back against. "We have not spoken of this since your arrival here in Syngorn."

"Well, things got a little busy," she jokes. Then she sighs. "Do you remember just earlier today, when you claimed in front of everyone to love how much I undermine you?"

His eyes narrow. "I don't recall claiming that I loved it, no."

"Well, I hope you can learn to." She pulls from her pocket a thick scroll, which Percy had delivered to her just an hour before. "I would like you to read this over, please."

Curious, her father walks over, taking the scroll from her. He unravels it and begins to read. After a minute of agonizing silence, his eyes widening the entire time, he sighs, "Oh Keyleth, what have you done?"

"This treaty was negotiated between myself and Prince Tiberius of Draconia," she replies, tone defensive and chin high. "We worked together to rewrite the terms of the peace—"

"When did you meet with the prince?" he exclaims loudly, staring at her in shock and horror.

"—to better suit both of our nations' interests," she presses on. "This deal is far better than the one in which you sell me off like a prize milking cow and not the crown princess of a nation."

"Keyleth!"

"Our imports and exports have been more evenly balanced, Draconia receives the diplomatic support they've been lacking for generations, and both nations will be better positioned to become serious players on the global stage. This—" She points to the scroll in his hands. "—is the Ashari Nation I wish to lead someday."

"Keyleth, a legion of trained diplomats, each of whom has more life experience than you and the Draconian prince combined, carefully worked out the details of this accord over weeks of arbitration. You believed you could do better in one conversation with some third son who has never listened to someone else speak once in his life?"

Gritting her teeth, Keyleth argues, "I did do better, Father. Will you please just read it?"

She can tell he doesn't even want to entertain the notion, but he has little reason to argue with merely reading the thing. He throws himself into the desk chair with a huff and begins to read. Too nervous to watch him, Keyleth goes over to a window and looks outside at the Syngornian cityscape. It really is a beautiful place, with magnificent, magical architecture the likes of which she never could have imagined. Despite the terror and heartbreak she's faced in these halls, she can't help loving a city so clearly devoted to beauty and wonder.

It takes her father nearly half an hour to go over the treaty. As he reads, he makes a few thoughtful noises, but Keyleth can't decipher if they're pleased or annoyed. When he's finished, he carefully rolls up the scrolls, tips his head back against the chair, and closes his eyes. Keyleth's knee bounces anxiously. She knows better than to interrupt his thoughts, but she is desperate to know if he approves.

Finally, after what to Keyleth feels like days, her father lifts his head. "Well I'll be damned."

Keyleth folds in on herself with a sigh. "Truly?"

"You did this? Just you and Prince Tiberius?" She nods. "Perhaps the adage about too many cooks in the kitchen is true, after all. This is exquisite, Keyleth. There are terms in here I wouldn't even think to ask for."

"I do listen, you know. I know what our people need."

"Come here." Keyleth walks over to her father, who takes her hand and squeezes it. "I obviously cannot promise that this will earn King Kruvanis's approval, and I do want to discuss it with my advisors, but it has earned mine, at the very least for the clear care and effort you put into it." He tips his head to the side. "When did you get this done, anyway?"

Keyleth bends down to kiss the top of her father's head. "Let's not worry about that just now."

"Keyleth..."

"Talk to your advisors, please. Prince Tiberius should be giving this treaty to his father now. Hopefully tomorrow, we will finally no longer be at war."

When Keyleth leaves her father's chambers, Vax is waiting outside with the other guards. She meets his eyes, and he nods once to confirm the delivery of her message. He follows her back to her chambers, where, once they are inside, he asks hesitantly, "How did he take it?"

"Wonderfully," Keyleth gushes. "I mean, he wasn't thrilled it happened behind his back, but he supports our revised treaty."

"That's incredible, Keyleth." He closes his eyes. "I mean, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Vax'ildan." She twists her hands nervously in front of her. "I'm sorry that things became so...hectic today. I know you had plans to speak with my father."

He gives a small smile. "I believe what we learned today is worth the delay."

They stand in her rooms, the distance between them aching and awkward, for a long beat, until Keyleth can't take it anymore. She excuses herself to her desk, where she sits and pretends to have anything of importance to write, when in reality, all she needs is to not be looking at him. She begins to scribble out a fake letter, the scratch of the nib against the parchment comforting as she tries to focus on the bright future ahead for her and her nation, and not the past her people need her to leave behind.

#critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxleth fic #vaxleth au #tlovm #tlovm fic #my fic #vox machina #vox machina fic #my fair lady #remember when i said in the last chapter that i didn't know how i was gonna get out of the situation i made for myself? #yeah i was being a dramatic little bitch #i wrote this the literal next day

[notmuchtoconceal]

Anyway, you have given me a wedding present. The best I coud have. A future.

Mrs. Bond -- shut. up. And don't eat it all at once.

He loves me...

Instinctively.

Infuriatingly.

Intensely.

In...

in...

in...

in...?

Indubitbly.

bro, you ever stumble across a comment that so elegantly and succinctly encapsulates an essential theme of a film that it sticks with you forever, despite no recollection of its source?

keep coming back to this comment i read somewhere that on her majesty's secret service is a film "about determinism".

That is, the film opens with Diana Rigg's Tracy on the beach, about to walk into the ocean. George Lazenby's Bond rescues her, falls in love, and decides to leave the service. Blofeld, famed architect of multiple schemes in counting, decides he wants to quit being a supervillain and is going to use a mass-hypnosis and pandemic scheme as a ploy to bargain for amnesty and the recognition of an aristocratic title --

Then, in the final moments, with one-fell swoop, it's all undone and everyone is returned to their initial status quo --

Tracy is dead.

Bond and Blofeld will continue their cat and mouse game.

The film maintains a tone of eerie unreality throughout. From the uncanniness of the quality of light when Tracy first walks into the water, culminating in Bond's fourth wall break which cues the bombastically epic and wordless electronic opening theme, which later plays in disembodied form over the floaty and dreamlike rear projected ski scenes, the DNA of which you can of course see in the climatic final chase of Christopher Nolan's Inception -- of which, the director has cited this as his favorite Bond for it's character psychology and brazen daring.

Inception is a film with a lot I like, though I tend to view it as an elaboration on the heist picture primarily, for its screenplay is so nuts-and-bolts and expository -- it's a film which is almost relentlessly rational for a story about diving into the unconscious, but Leo Decaprio's Dom Cobb is absolutely owning Nolan's fetishistic male hyper-professionalism. Of course the dream-like aspects are going to be underplayed when this man is a professional idea smuggler. The most deviously underplayed element about this film is, of course, the delayed onset realization that Nolan and his team, it's their job -- to use the medium of the motion picture to plant an idea so deep into the recesses of your mind that once it sprouts you think its yours.

What draws me back to Inception most of all, I think, is Marion Cotillard's Mal, not only because Marion Cotillard makes me melt into a pile of watery snakeskin lubed up her shorn and silky legs, but Mal's reality as both the memory of Cobb's dead wife, but also how she's a part of him -- eternally, a part of him which had been transfigured, revealed, reshaped as his wife -- who has her own will and needs. How the two, for the eternity of an evening, spent years at the bottom of their minds building skyscrapers out of sands on the shoreline, and only woke up laying eye to eye with their head on the tracks as the whistle called.

She couldn't stop wondering if her life was a dream.

He only moved on once he realized the questioning was meaningless.

We're alive now and nothing could be more real than that.

#most straight guys are straight for christopher nolan #fucking prove me wrong #haha #hey brother

[shirebor]

Tauriel: Why is his majesty so sad?

Legolas: He took one of those “Which Character Are You?” quizzes.

Tauriel: And...?

Legolas: He got Thorin.

—

#i don't think i need to elaborate on who his majesty is— #eyy finally we've got the elves in on this as well— #the hobbit #legolas #legolas greenleaf #tauriel #thranduil #the hobbit incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes

[obeythebutler]

Revised Snippet for the Soulmate Killer Leviathan Idea: _________________________________________________

"You know, it's always been interesting to me how your Father created angels whose purpose is to spill blood. Now that he's bartered for peace between our realms, what will become of you?"

Leviathan paused, his gaze falling from the sweets on his plates to his half-drunk companion, who was nursing their third bottle of Demonus and half-slumped over the table with their head buried between their arms.

"I don't know." My purpose is war. My purpose is gone. "I'll likely be reassigned to another job. Maybe guarding the gates, or even becoming an assistant to the Seraphs." He sours at the thought, thinking of the looks of disapproval they had given him the last time he had been around them. Granted, he had been trying to start a conversation about war strategies and hypothesizing battle scenarios, but they didn't have to narrow their eyes and scold him.

Say it was unbecoming of an angel to be desiring bloodshed, that he was being a terrible example to the other, younger angels. That he should be like the other generals and be grateful that there is now peace and an end to the bloodshed that's been going on for eons.

(Oh how he hated those words more than anything. Those unknowing yet prejudiced expressions knew nothing of being an angel created for a purpose that no longer exists.

His Father should've never created him if He had been planning for peace.)

"What about you? I can't imagine your kind has been adjusting well to the lack of bloodshed."

"It's been difficult," the general admits with a sigh, using their pointer finger to lean their bottle this way and that, ignoring Leviathan's warning glare when they tip the bottle a little too much in his direction. "The head general still tries to hold war councils even while Lord Diavolo reminds us we are at peace, and His Majesty looks less than pleased about the quiet and the energy in the Devildom, but overall we're learning to live with it. I certainly have. Gives me more time to think- and to drink. Can't splurge and indulge in alcohol when there's an army vying for your head." They laugh.

"But guarding the gates? Really? I'd thought a general like you would be told to head back to guard your sacred ground?" The demon general queried as they turned their head to stare into vermillion eyes. "I heard all the commanders of the Celestial Army planned to return to their grounds now that there's no war to be had."

"I don't have one." Leviathan answers, a bit sharp and immediate, his tone almost spiteful as he elaborates at the questioning look he receives, "Father made me with the purpose fight a war and lead an army, and it's all I have ever known. An angel who is never around long enough to stand guard had no need of a blessed ground to protect, so Father said." The food, which he had once been happily though guiltily indulging in, now looks as unappetizing as his current conversation. "It makes sense." He defends lamely, at the knowing look he receives from them.

The generals sat together quietly as they let the silence wash over them, one too afraid to continue their conversation and the other too confused to continue.

"...We demons... We aren't made to love. We aren't meant to hold delicate things, to hope for better days, to desire peace." The general spoke, voice gentle and lacking the honeyed optimism they normally spoke with, "We're meant for fire and brimstone, for tragedies, for pain. No one aside from our Prince and perhaps his butler believes that this peace will last. The other generals still have their armies ready for war and every merchant still has weapons to sell in bulk ready to be shipped out at a moment's notice." "But my mentor- the one person who has been in this war for far longer than I have- He renounced his title and left the army. He has a cute little family now, living by the river in the south with a few spots of grey in his hair."

"Grey hair?" Leviathan asked, confused. Demons don't... age that way.

The other smiled, melancholic and brittle but full of a sort of something he couldn't quite grasp. "He became human, Levi. He's a magicless mortal now."

"Why are you telling me this?" Leviathan couldn't help but ask. This is- it's too much information. Too much about the inner workings of the Devildom, too much information to give to someone you had held at sword point less than a handful of years ago numerous times over an eon of war. Too much information about a possible power vacuum and vulnerability in Devildom's defenses.

Too much love in the other's tone for it to be anything but real.

"He loves even if he is a demon. It's against our nature to love, to cherish, but he proved me wrong, Leviathan." They stared, eyes focused on him as they gave a wobbly half-smile, "If he could do something that's against our very nature to do, then I don't doubt that my greatest adversary is capable of finding meaning to his life outside of the battlefield." Leviathan felt his heartbeat stutter as he is faced with the raw emotion in them, as he senses the utter adoration and love the other general has for their former mentor and the sincerity of their words. It washes over him like a tidal wave and he feels overwhelmed by their presence as he flushes, suddenly finding it too hard to look at them while they bare their soul (do demons even have them?) to him.

They laugh, pulling away and taking another long drink from their bottle as they cheer, "To peace everlasting. May you one day find your meaning and may I one day have more to drink than to think." _________________________________________________

Leviathan stood before the King of Demons, no longer in the white, holy garb iconic to the Celestial Realm's angels, but in inky black and dark hues of demons, as he kept his gaze deferential despite all the eon's worth of teachings telling him to run or to kill the enemy in front of him.

"You were once one of our greatest enemies, but now that you are one of us, you will become one of our greatest strengths. You are Leviathan, the Avatar of Envy, the Third Brother, and Grand Admiral of Hell's Navy."

The Demon King had the barest hints of a smile on his face as he awarded the fallen angel with the position, pleased to have the once-feared and dreaded general of the heavens now in his grasp and serving his kingdom. He turned to Diavolo, who smiled and quickly took over the conversation easily as the King departed from the room with nary a glance at anyone else.

"The seas of the Devildom are always raging and ravenous, so you will find no shortage of battle there. Do what you must to keep people in line, the seas will have no mercy for kindness."

"I understand."

Again, my purpose is to wage war.

Will there ever be a day I can escape from it?

_________________________________________________ (this feels less angsty than I originally thought but eh. I think its cuter)

!!!

Will Levi find something... something to treasure and love too? Will he ever ....

#so.many.emotions. #op you genius #i am kissing you on the lips #this is beautiful!! #obey me #obey me leviathan

[padfootagain]

The Adviser

Hey! I'm writing this little fic for @musicallisto's event! I'm using her prompts 4 and 29 for Caspian :

4. “Can you stay with me?”

29.“Their hands on your skin…”

I'm also including a bit of the drunken confessions trope for this one!

I hope you all like it, tell me what you think about it, and thank you again Clara for hosting this event! This is just pure fluff, you know me, it's soft hours time!!!! We love cute clichés here!

Pairing : Caspian x reader

Word Count: 3597 (I've proofread but I've been writing for four hours and my brain is fried, I am so sorry if there are more mistakes than usual, forgiiiiiive meeeeee!!!)

You shouldn't have been drinking like this. Deep down, you knew it was a mistake. But what choice did you have? It was the only way to forget what this princess what doing at that moment.

Her hand was on Caspian's arm, and you didn't fail to notice the way her fingers slipped down the length of his velvet sleeve to brush against the skin of his wrist. You took another large gulp of liquor, but the image was already printed all over your eyelids when you closed your eyes and tried to blink the sight away.

It was more than you could stand. So much more than what you were humanly able to stomach. And the worst part of it all, really, was that none of this was Caspian's fault. He didn't even know about how you felt for him, so how could he have guessed that him letting her touch him like this, being so close to him, were hurting so.

But it did hurt. God, it hurt so bad.

The room was full of noises and conversations. You were celebrating the signing of a new commercial agreement between Narnia and their neighbours. It was exciting, and all the politicians that had been involved in the elaboration of the treaty and its negotiations were now enjoying a much-deserved celebration. The treaty had been signed earlier in the afternoon, and hopefully it was the first step towards a friendship between the two nations.

And you should have been celebrating as well, because after all, this treaty was your baby. You had written parts of it, you had worked for months to convince lords that this treaty was a good thing. You had worked and worked relentlessly for so long on this project. It was your baby, in a way.

When you had begun this adventure, you had envisioned yourself in the position you were finally in now. With a signed treaty resting on the king's desk in his study, and surrounded by lords, princesses and other important political figures, drinking wine and eating pastries and laughing as the future seemed a little brighter than it was before.

What you had never imagined though, was that during the months you had spent working closely with the King of Narnia, you would fall madly, desperately, hopelessly in love with him.

You wanted to slap some sense into your own head for falling for him the way you had, but it would be useless. There was nothing you could have done to avoid it. And every time you looked at him, you were reminded of this cruel truth. Nothing could have prevented you from falling in love with the king, not even yourself, not even him. Nothing, no one, could save you now.

Sometimes, it was driving you mad, really. The way he was so kind, and a little shy around you. You forgot that he was even a king, then. He had a way to make you feel safe by simply smiling at you. There was something in the way he walked, in the way he held himself, that would have betrayed his rank if he had tried to hide it. He was so… inspiring, in a way. More than that, he was magnetic. When he walked into a room, it was clear who he was. A mere glimpse at him, and even if one had no idea what the King of Narnia looked like, they would have recognized him. But then he would blush in the most precious way when complimented, bending his head as if to hide his reaction, and there was so much hesitation in his polite smiles, as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Maybe it was that contrast that had make your heart melt. The way he was the most charismatic man when you saw him, and the kindest when you talked to him.

Yes, yes, that was it. Or at least, part of it. Maybe it was the starting point of it all. Then, every single detail that made him unique had sealed the deal, and your heart was his, for good.

At the end of the day, though, no matter how much you loved him and how friendly and kind he was to you, he was still the King, and you were merely a representative. There was nothing special about your ancestry, even if your position now was quite high in the government. But you were one of the King's advisors, that was all, and every time you looked at one of these princesses throwing all their charms and manners at Caspian, you really couldn't hold it against him to fall for them and not you.

If he had known these inner thoughts of yours, he would have been adamant at contradicting you, at telling you that you were just as special as they were. But he was busy talking to one of them, and you were busy drinking. It ought to be the way things were meant to be, right?

After a couple more glasses of wine, your head was starting to spin and Caspian seemed to finally notice that something was off with you. He frowned hard as he saw you reaching for the nearest wall to keep your balance, while you lifted your glass to your lips again. You finished all the alcohol in one gulp. It wasn't like you though, to drink like this…

At first, he thought maybe you were simply letting loose more than usual in celebration for the treaty, but you didn't seem happy at all. On the contrary, your features were twisted in one of pain. Were you sick? A wave of fear rushed to his heart, crushing the little organ in his chest. He hurried to excuse himself and leave the princess he had been talking to. He was aware it was barely polite, but if you were unwell, he didn't exactly care about the etiquette. In fact, all his thoughts were set upon you and his worry now, he couldn't even realize what he was doing as he crossed the room in just a few long strides, ignoring people in the crowd trying to intercept him as he passed by.

You hadn't noticed him approaching, you had settled your attention on the marble ground, in an attempt to avoid seeing Caspian talk with the flirty princess that had been clinging to him for the past hour. Only when his brown boots appeared on the floor right before you did you notice his presence. You looked up in a jolt, your hair growing with fear and apprehension, while your quick movement made your head spin even more than before.

"Your Majesty," you mumbled, trying to stand a little straighter. "Can I… do anything for you?"

Your words were slurred, obvious sign of your intoxication. Caspian's frown only deepened.

"I was about to ask you the same question, you don't seem to be well," the king answered.

"I… I am perfectly fine," you lied.

"You seem to need a bit of fresh air," Caspian insisted. "Let me accompany you to the gardens."

You didn't have the strength to fight against him or argue in any way. Besides, Caspian was right, you did need a bit of fresh air to clear your mind. So you let him take your arm, assuring your balance, while he guided you outside.

The afternoon was slowly dying out into the early evening. The sun was still quite high in the summer sky, but the heat it released had diminished as the hours passed by. A salty breeze was blowing through the roses in full blossoms and the branches of the tall oaks that offered their shades to the visitors. It was quiet though, most of the inhabitants of the castle being either busy with their daily tasks, or at the reception. It was an easy task for Caspian to find a quiet spot for the two of you to walk by.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, noticing your steps were a little steadier, even if he still kept a careful hold on your arm, just in case.

"I did need a bit of air, indeed. Thank you. I feel better," you nodded.

You tried to give him a smile, but it was harder to hide your feelings when you were drunk. It seemed more like a wince, instead, and Caspian fully turned to you this time, stopping you in your tracks in the middle of the narrow path in between the bushes of roses. He remained silent for a while, the noises of the wind in branches and the bees buzzing in the flowers the only sounds you could hear. And in this quiet place, staring right into the king's dark eyes was even more hypnotizing than usual. You were suddenly very aware that the two of you were alone. And very aware that his hand still rested on your arm too…

"Are you sick? What is wrong?"

Under his insisting tone, you recognized worry. If Caspian had tried to hide it, he had failed miserably.

"I… am quite fine. I think I simply celebrated a little too much…"

"You seemed sad back there," the king shook his head, cutting you off because you could finish your lie. "You did not seem to be celebrating at all. Why? What happened?"

"Nothing. I guess… I must be very tired. The negotiations were difficult and…"

"Why are you lying to me?"

You merely stared at him, not knowing what to answer.

"I know you are lying. I know you. Why will you not tell me what is bothering you?"

"It… is nothing…"

"Is it why you drank too much?"

"I am not drunk…"

"Yes, you are. You can barely stand."

"I can," you replied, even if it wasn't true. You knew that if Caspian suddenly let go of you, you would probably fall down in the roses, and the thought of the many thorns cutting your skin wasn't particularly appealing to you.

Caspian's frown slowly disappeared though. From worry, his expression changed to one of sadness and hurt, but you didn't understand why.

"I am your friend, Y/N. Why will you not tell me? I could help…"

You let out a bitter laugh. The liquor was taking the better of your judgement, for you would have never answered him this way had you been sober.

"My friend? As if we were friends…"

Caspian stared at you with the most puzzled expression you had ever seen adorning his handsome features.

"What do you mean? Of course, we are friends."

"We are not friends. You are the king, and I am… a commoner working for you."

There was so much hurt passing through Caspian's eyes, but you didn't feel guilty. It was true, after all. And the sight of this woman with him… with her eyes all over him, and the way she leaned towards him…

It was more than you could take…

"I thought we were more than just that by now," Caspian answered in a low voice.

"How could we be?"

"Why did you drink so much tonight?"

"Because I cannot take it anymore… I… these feelings I just… I can't fight them…"

"Feelings? What…?"

But then it dawned on him, only, not completely.

Of course, a question of heart would explain your sadness and your drinking tonight, such behaviours that were so out of character for you. He wasn't particularly good at hiding the way his heart broke in his chest at the thought that you loved someone else, though. He had to be thankful for your inebriated state that made you fail to notice his reaction when it was written all over his features.

He opened his mouth to ask who this was about, but you spoke first. The wine was making your mind blurry, your thoughts turning into a whirlwind, bumping into each other and making your usual filters lift. In any other circumstances, you would have never said any of the words you were about to utter, but then, liquor and broken hearts make confessions tumble easily.

"I cannot do this anymore. I want to resign."

"Resign? What…?"

"I cannot handle it. Being around you all the time…" you went on, barely realizing Caspian was trying to speak. "And today seeing her… her hands on your skin and…"

Your voice broke, and you lost your balance for good. Caspian was still here though, and he managed to catch you in his arms right before you would fall to the dusty ground.

His brain was repeating again and again your words, trying to analyse their meanings…

Did it mean that… you… was it about him, then?

"I will take you to your room. You need to rest. Come on…"

With the gentlest gestures, he guided you back inside and to your room, crossing empty corridors and avoiding people as much as he could. No one else but him needed to see you like this.

He helped you settle in bed, and only then did he notice that you were crying.

"I'm sorry," you mumbled.

He brushed your tears away. He had never touched you this way before, and it made his heart pound in his chest like it had never before. He let his fingers linger a little longer on your cheek.

"You must rest. We will talk about this in the morning."

He gave you a warm smile before turning away, but you held him back, catching his wrist before he could walk too far away. He turned to you again with a puzzled look.

"Can you stay with me?"

Your voice was barely more than a whisper, uncertain and fragile. He was used to hearing it loud and confident while you discussed amongst politicians and advisers, it was such a drastic change, it scared him. It was evident you needed someone to take care of you at that moment, and Caspian wouldn't have let anyone else do it in his stead.

He should have gone back to the reception, but how could he leave your side now?

So, he dragged a chair next to your bed, and sat down, offering you a reassuring smile. He held your hand in his, giving it a soothing squeeze.

"As you wish. But you need to sleep now."

"Are you angry?"

"No, I am not. We will talk about it tomorrow. Now, you need to sleep. Close your eyes."

You did as ordered, and fell asleep as soon as your eyelids had fallen. The warmth of Caspian's hand on yours was the last thing you remembered before surrendering to slumber.

-----------------------------

Your headache wasn't the worst thing that happened when you woke up. Nor was your nausea, or the disgusting taste that lingered on your tongue. No, the worst part of waking up was the note you found folded by the side of your bed.

Caspian would be waiting to see you in his office.

If parts of the previous day were a little blurry, you still remembered perfectly your conversations with the King.

He would ask you to resign. Or he might even fire you altogether. He could have asked you already for someone to pick up your things and carry them out of the castle… but then, Caspian was a kind man, and you weren't altogether surprised when you picked up an outfit to dress up and found all your belongings exactly where they belonged.

After your behaviour, there was no other alternative. You had been disrespectful, and you highly doubted that the king would appreciate working with someone who had romantic feelings for him.

But your pride made you decide that you would resign first. You would not let him throw you out of the castle. If you had to leave, which was painful enough already, never to see the man you loved again, then at the very least, you could be spared the humiliation of being pushed away. At least, you would be the one leaving.

You made your way to his office, at last. Taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. Your heart missing a beat when you heard Caspian's low voice answering on the other side. You walked in.

Caspian welcomed you with a smile, he was sitting at his desk, his back to the stained-glass windows that painted colours all across the room. The light coming from behind him made the image ethereal, a vision you could have summoned in one of your dreams…

"Good morning, Y/N. Please, take a sit," he invited you. "Are you feeling better?"

You struggled to swallow, cleared your voice. His voice made butterflies tickle your belly, but you ignored the feeling. You ignored how much you wanted to comply and approach him. This was not the time. Now was the time to be strong.

You remained at a safe distance from his desk, refusing to sit down.

"Your Majesty," you tried to keep your voice steady, but couldn't help the slight shake that accompanied your words. "I am well, thank you."

He opened his mouth to speak again, but you interrupted him, raising your hand to silence him.

"Please, your Majesty… let me speak."

He nodded, letting you continue. You took a deep breath, and finally gathered the strength you needed to speak again.

"I…My behaviour yesterday was… unforgiveable. And I am aware that I have crossed a line. What transpired last night is the proof that I can no longer work for you and serve Narnia at the best of my abilities as your adviser anymore. It is why I would like to resign. I would be very thankful if you would agree to allow me to stay in the castle for one last week, to allow me to look for a new home. My resignation will be effective immediately, and I can write it down, if you want me to."

Caspian remained silent for a moment, before slowly standing up, and walking towards you. His hands behind his back, he only stopped when he was but one step away from you. You stared at him, waiting for his reaction, completely motionless.

"I agree that… your confessions from last night make it impossible for us to continue like this. Things cannot remain the same now."

You fought with all your might to refrain your tears, that merely gather at the corner of your eyes, but didn't fall. You didn't flinch, nor did you back away though.

"I do think that you need to resign from your position in our government. I would not be… proper… to have my advisor be…"

"I will inform the rest of the staff immediately," you interrupted him. Which was incredibly rude, interrupting the king… but you couldn't take it. You couldn't stomach the pain that it would make you feel to hear him say the words he was about to utter.

It was enough that he didn't love you. You didn't need him to say it out loud.

You turned on your heels, but Caspian didn't let you step away. He caught your wrist before you could move away, and you turned back towards him, your eyes growing in surprise.

"I have not dismissed you, yet," he told you, quirking an eyebrow.

"I apologize, your Majesty."

Caspian gave you a smile. You wondered what was worth smiling for though.

"I thought we had agreed that there was no need to call me this way when we are alone."

"Things have changed."

"Not nearly enough, yet."

It was your time to frown.

"There is no need for you to move out of the Castle."

"But I…"

"Would you like to take a walk in the gardens with me this afternoon?"

You opened and closed your mouth a few times, completely confused.

"I… don't understand…"

"Did you mean what you said? Yesterday? Or did I not understand you right? I thought you said you had feelings for me."

You nodded, unable to answer, fleeing Caspian's gaze.

"I did… but…"

"Well, I am asking you if you would like to take a walk with me this afternoon."

"But I… why?"

His smile grew fonder, and you noticed the way his fingertips were shaking when he reached to hold your other hand.

"I… was hoping you would… like to spend some time with me," Caspian added, hesitant this time, a little shy, pinker shades appearing to colour his cheeks. "Not as my advisor but… as… a friend…"

"A friend?" you repeated, stunned.

"Or well… maybe… maybe more than a friend."

"But I… I am…"

"I feel the same way."

He had said the last sentence as fast as he could, forcing the words out like he would have pulled an arrow out of a wound. In one, quick motion, before the strength and courage would fail him.

Your mouth fell open.

"You… you do?" you stuttered, out of breath for some reason. You only just then noticed that you seemed to have forgotten how to breathe altogether.

"I do. And well… I am afraid that you need to resign, for it would be impossible for me to court one of my advisors. But as you have done so, I thought… what about a walk?"

There were a thousand thoughts swarming in your head, and most of them were going against Caspian's idea. Most of them told you this was impossible.

But you chose to simply ignore all of them, and answer what your heart was desperately begging you to say instead.

"Yes. Yes, a walk would be lovely."

#caspian #caspian x y/n #king caspian x reader #caspian x reader #caspian x you #king caspian #narnia #caspian fanfiction #caspian fanfic #caspian imagine #narnia imagine #narnia fanfic #narnia fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #writing challenge

[athys-obelia]

character/s: claude de alger obelia, diana of siodonna, felix robane

synopsis: it's...uhm....an empress!diana x concubine!claude crackfic 😭😭

warning/s: uhh a sprinkle of politics, the robane duchy is now siodonnan and not obelian screw canon, diana is lowkey mean to rogrog

a/n: i'm so sorry this is so bad

part one

felix's foot taps against the tiles of the empress' room impatiently. "you stayed up finalising the agreement all night, your majesty, perhaps some rest is due?"

diana spares him glance, turning sideways from her position on her bed. "what was his name again?"

  "pardon?"

  "the painter," she elaborates, pointing towards the painting on the ceiling above the bed. "i keep...i don't know, i keep finding new things the more i look at it."

  "is that so?"

the painting itself, a coronation gift from felix, depicts the goddess diana reaching out to the children of the world and vice versa. "if you look at the sky closely - remember our old siodonann classes?- 'for the people' is hidden in the stars. isn't that cool?"

the knight squints at the painting. "oh, i see it! i wonder why it's in old siodonann, though?"

  "i would guess it's because the imperial family wasn't worshipped in the old days," diana explains, "for example - right now, in some parts of the empire, my late father - bless him - and i may actually have shrines because people believe the imperial family's descent is from the gods. when the kingdom was just formed, though, kings and queens weren't allowed to ride alone in carriages as they greeted their subjects- they needed to have a slave with them at all times, who kept on repeating 'you are human' to them. 'you are human', 'we are all the same in the eyes of the true gods."

the sound of the army of maids behind the door is enough to pull felix out of his trance. "er...horatius calvus, your majesty."

  "hm?"

  "the artist, that's his name."

  "ah." diana turns to the painting once more, eyes staring at the goddess' hair that melted into the night sky. "would you be able to get in contact with him? i'd like to commission a piece."

felix bows gracefully. "as your majesty commands. oh, and - for the obelian delegates' farewell celebration tonight...has your majesty decided on an escort?"

she groans, falling back on the bed. "i've had so much free time lately, the harem is all i think about!"

  "very funny, ma'am. then...shall i prepare the usual?"

diana shakes her head. "i'll visit viscaria palace later and see for myself. the obelians brought some concubines with them as presents, it's be nice to weed through the bunch."

felix's eyes nearly pop out. "you're visiting the harem?! your majesty! did you find someone you like??"

she chucks a pillow at him before he can continue. "you weren't loud enough just now, fe, i don't think all of siodonna heard you."

  "...apologies, ma'am."

three years ago, when she had only just come into power, diana remembers being afraid of the large, gold doors between her and the council room. she remembers pausing before entering, regaining her breath, preparing her mind. projecting an image.

if there is one thing she has learnt, though, it's that only fools can be afraid of their own property. their assets. the larger-than-life doors swing at her command, allow or deny entrance with solely her permission. confidence comes easy when you act like you own the place - nevermind the fact that she did own most places.

but i have no reason to be afraid.

the obelian delegates stand at her arrival and bow like good little lords should before an empress. one of the more prominent ones stands to address her as soon as the meeting commences.

  "blessings and glory upon the sun of the great siodonnan empire," he says.

diana raises an amused eyebrow. this game, hm? "is that an obelian greeting, duke? how interesting. here, one would usually wish 'a long life to the protector of the siodonnan people'. that's all i am, after all - how could i be the sun?"

duke alpheus sputters. "er...i failed to acquaint myself with siodonnan culture appropriately, my apologies, your majesty. i shall do better next time."

how arrogant. still, she smiles, "i must confess, duke alpheus - i am slightly susceptible to praise, so i'll let you off this time."

  "thank you, ma'am."

  "although making the assumption that there will be a next time at all was quite courageous of you." diana signals the guards, who open the door to let the final participant of the meeting inside. "however -courage and bravery are traits best suited for kings and queens, duke. not lords."

the obelian delegates pale as they watch their - former - emperor, wrists bound, enter the hall with an entourage of knights.

diana glances at the newcomer. "although i suppose even for an emperor, too much of a bravado may cost a war."

anastacius de alger obelia glowers at her.

she frowns at the knights. "how come such a precious friend of mine is tied up like this? is this how we siodonnans treat our guests?"

felix bows deeply. "i apologise, ma'am - he was resisting far too much."

  "whatever the case. get a seat set up right here, beside me - after all," diana smiles at the fuming obelian, "we were dining together just a few months ago, weren't we?"

  "three months ago, to be precise," anastacius spits out, "after which you decided to switch tides and invade us like a coward."

she watches one of the knights set down a fancy chair to the left of hers, reaching out to untie the bindings on anastacius' wrist. diana frowns suddenly, waving over felix, "ah, is this the leash my brother used when he tamed his dragon?"

the former emperor flinches, staring down at it. "someone here tamed a dragon?" a light pink dusts his cheeks - did he really touch the actual leash of a dragon?

felix shakes his head with a small smirk. "this is the leash her majesty the late dowager empress used, ma'am. for her dog."

  "-ah, right, i remember now! all the ones marked with this little purple line are used for tying down senseless animals, aren't they?"

  "yes, your majesty." felix returns to his spot behind her, clear amusement swimming in his grey eyes as he watches the obelians try and maintain their composure.

diana gently lets the leash loose, a hand on the stunned anastacius' shoulder to lightly push him into the seat. "you aren't wrong - i did betray your hospitality, didn't i?"

roger alpheus winces at the sudden authority in her tone as the knights pass out a document to each of the obelian lords.

  "obelia's greeting and offer for peace was kind to me, so i must return this generosity. your country is now part of the siodonnan empire, so we should be parting on a good note. will a little present suffice?"

a brunette diana remembers to be a count speaks up, "...a gift, your majesty?"

felix moves closer to the table, watching the detailed map of siodonna carved into its centre. as he raises his hand, almost as if it were a chess piece, a small island moves to the left. its color flickers between a siodonnan purple and the obelian teal.

diana sighs. "i was planning on the island of delphine, since it not only contains a relatively large gold mine, but also much tourist attraction."

oh, she can see the stars in alpheus' eyes already. "thank you, your ma-"

  "but." he shrivels under her piercing gaze, "but, obelia doesn't need gold, does it? what you need is better foreign relations. and what better way to form an alliance..."

she eyes the map, and with a flick of felix's wrist, a small stretch of land connecting two continents switches from its original purple to a hue of blue.

diana looks up now, meeting even anastacius' shocked eyes. he eyes her suspiciously, "do you really-?"

she nods. "...consider it a gift from your sovereign. it is enough, yes?"

  "i- uh," duke alpheus blinks twice, "the isthmus of erven is...an adequate present, yes, your majesty. the people of obelia shall thrive due to your generosity."

  "it is not generosity, duke. your people are my subjects now. however, i hope you realise the isthmus isn't obelian property for obvious reasons. there is no trust between us. despite this, what i will allow is some access." diana stands, watching the foreign nobles mirror the action. "the terms and conditions of our relationship from this point onwards are in the papers before you and are, obviously, subject to change. feel free to approach me with concerns, should you have any."

  "you were firmer than i'd expected with the obelians, your majesty," felix comments.

diana recoils as his eyes light up at the sight of viscaria palace. "remember when i visited obelia for anastacius' coronation? i was only seventeen, but two years into my studies as heir - and they were all over duke renauld's son! poor cousin ronnie couldn't stop apologising."

felix snorts. "the renaulds wouldn't have dared challenge your majesty's claim, not while the late empress dowager was behind you."

  "ha! that's right, everyone was scared of mama." she grins fondly, "papa most of all."

the knight nods, murmuring a prayer.

  "i want them gone as soon as possible," diana admits, "but there's much to settle before that. i need to fix up anastacius before we can let him back, the second prince is still...what was his name, again?"

  "claude de alger obelia, ma'am."

she winces. "yes, he's an impo-"

a commotion sounds from within viscaria. felix raises an eyebrow at the shouts echoing from the beautiful building, a hand already atop his sheathed sword. "ma'am, stay back, i'll have a look- your majesty! where are you going-?!"

navigating through the decorated halls, diana halts before the entrance of the garden. the argument is between two men she doesn't recognise, as the older concubines gather to the side, amusing twinkling in their eyes.

  "attention!" felix roars, "her imperial majesty, empress diana celeste!"

the two freeze in fear.

  "disrupting my peace. how dare you?" diana demands.

one of them, dressed too finely for someone she hadn't even seen yet, steps forward. "your majesty, my name is xerre, i was only-"

she raises a hand, effectively shutting him up. tone softening, diana turns to the group crowding around the desert table. "lex?"

the group shuffles to let a young, silver haired young man forward. lex bows gracefully, laugh lines around his eyes crinkling. "yes, my lady?"

  "do you know what happened here?"

lex nods. "the monthly salary was being distributed, your majesty, and xerre - being a present from the kingdom of masur - had some trouble believing his amount was the same as a former obelian slave's. verhan stepped in to argue that your majesty was the one to decide this, and they began fighting."

  "shall i prepare for his voyage back to masur, majesty?" felix asks, as the rest of the concubines roll their eyes at his antics.

diana studies the masurian concubine, beckoning him closer. "it is common knowledge i do not generally accept gifted concubines from territories out of my own."

she watches his adam's apple rise and fall, tracing a nail over the well defined jawline. xerre shivers.

  "however, your king is new to his throne, and his queen one of my dearest friends. do you realise how our alliance will look were i to send you back?"

he nods cautiously.

  "i do not wish to withdraw support from someone i consider a brother, xerre. especially when he is engaged in armed conflict on two fronts."

  "i- i am prepared for any punishment your majesty deems appropriate."

diana sighs softly. "i would send you to work for me in the capitol, but the rules state every concubine entering must reside here for a certain amount of time. until then, bear with it. this palace, and a life of luxury, is only meant for my favorites. clear?"

  "yes, your majesty."

  "my apologies, ma'am," felix says once the crowd disperses, his head hanging. "i should've prepared for your arrival with more care."

she waves off the apology, heading to the guest hall to take a look at the new obelian  concubines.

  "vera leaves for her son's wedding for a week and we've already had an incident. honestly, felix."

  "...who's vera?"

diana pauses at the unfamiliar voice. her gaze falls on the figure sitting on the window seat, entirely immersed in the book in his hands. she blinks, stunned, watching the colourful window's filtered light paint the brilliant blonde of his hair.

felix is the first to address him, scoffing, "i believe your majesty's beauty has enchanted one of the gods - who else would dare address the empress of our nation so casually?"

diana chuckles, watching as the man stands, intrigued. she stays silent, breath hitched, as he towers over her, studying her with a curiosity that rivals hers from a moment ago. and only when he finally lowers himself to a knee does his hair part, and diana flushes at the red tinting his ears.

  "greetings to her imperial majesty, may the gods grant the protector of the siodonnan people a life long and blessed."

she offers him her hand. "rise. and tell me your name."

a beat of silence passes as he stares at her outstretched hand before hesitantly accepting. "claude, your majesty."

  "claude," diana tries, finding it rolls of her tongue deliciously.

he raises an eyebrow as she regards him. "your majesty...?"

diana smiles, her hand moving to touch the various jewellery adorning his fingers. gently, she slides off the gold ring off of his ring finger. "you must have a good reason to be donning an unauthorized magical item in my palace."

he doesn't answer, head lowered.

her hand lets go of his, raising to grip the blonde's jaw. diana tilts up his face, meeting his gaze. the dull grey eyes from before have vanished, replaced by glittering blues.

she inhales sharply. "you're...the obelian pr...the second prince of obelia."

he nods.

diana turns, more puzzled than angry. "why is he in my harem?"

  "... didn't your majesty wish for it?" felix tilts his head in confusion.

  "what? no?"

the knight frowns. "but i was so sure...your majesty said you didn't have an heir because you wanted a concubine as beautiful as me...when we took over the imperial palace, as the army swore their allegiance...your majesty said the prince was the prettiest you’ve ever seen?"

  "i- felix, i was kidding!"

  "...oh."

she turns to the prince then, "and you! you're a prince! how come you just went along with this??"

  "well...it was the most peaceful part of the palace..."

diana gapes at the two men, before finally sighing in defeat. "you're telling me i was scouring the lands for you, while you were right...?" she raises a hand to massage her temple, "...gods grant me patience."

felix cautiously steps forward, "your majesty...i understand this is shocking, but... tonight's escort..."

she glances up at the obelian prince. "allow them all to retire. i've found the perfect escort."

a/n: hmmm this was a bit empty claudiana wise, wasn't it? their development is coming though, i had to give empress!diana an intro :) also !! the situation may seem a bit confusing rn, but next chapter will clear things up! or you can just ask me for clarification <3

💕 felix is dying to find a concubine diana likes bc he really really really wants to be an uncle

💕 in siodonna, emperors/empresses are referred to by their first(diana) + middle name(celeste) and not a last name bc they technically can't belong to a house, they belong to the empire. but the middle name is important bc you have to ask for it (from someone you love and respect usually), you're never just born with one (so you could ask a parent / friend / mentor yada yada and they give you a name they believe fits best)

#wmmap #sbapod #who made me a princess #suddenly became a princess one day #au #empress!diana #concubine!claude #the word concubine annoys me for some reason smfh #claude de alger obelia #felix robane #diana of siodonna #wmmap fic

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #12

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

[AO3]

~POV Generals~

King Sinbad opted to escort Mori all the way to her guest room. Ja'far carried her bag and walked ahead of them. The 3 left the rest of the Generals -sans Masrur- to cope with everything they had just witnessed by themselves.

"A different reality? It's hard to believe.” Hinahoho ran his hand along his scalp as he thought out loud.

Drakon turned to their lead magician. "Is a world without Rukh even possible?"

Yamuraiha was watching where the 3 had entered the Tower. "I don't know about that, but the Rukh were acting very strangely around her. It's almost like they were surprised she's here. The Rukh move differently around his majesty too, and he can read the waves, so it could have just been that..."

Spartos crossed his arms and looked at the door with her. What in the world had he walked up to??? Poor guy was the last to arrive so was still picking up the context clues. He turned to the group, "Would someone please explain what's going on? And who that woman is?"

The group did their best to explain. When it became obvious that those that arrived in the middle also wanted to know about the beginning, Drakon decided to lead the retelling of events since he had been there the longest.

---

~POV Sin~

Since the King was the one to escort her to her room he was also able to choose which one she would use. Sinbad selected one of the suites intended for high profile groups -like the one the Magi and his friends were using. It had much more space than she would need, but he wanted her to have it.

Mori wasn't as bad as she was at the docks. She managed to climb the stairs with relative ease, and she had little problem walking on her own. When she finally entered her new space she seemed to get a slight boost from her curiosity, but she wasn't very talkative for obvious reasons.

Ja'far was still a little frustrated that she hadn't followed him earlier, but watching her condition deteriorate softened him. "Now please get some rest. We will have the doctors come to check on you as soon as possible." He put her bag on the table.

Mori nodded and said, "Thank you," with a weak voice. Her expression turned sour and she touched her throat with one hand. Then put her hand down and stared at the room.

Ja'far continued, "Well then, we will be going now." He said it in a way clearly more intended for his King than the Prophet. "If you need anything there are people in the hallway who you can ask for assistance."

She gave him a thumbs up. It was to keep from using her voice but it was an entertaining choice.

"Rest well, my Beautiful Prophet." Sinbad showed her one last smile before leaving.

Mori just looked at him for a second before waving him off. She was blushing just as much by fever as embarrassment.

The two men left the room and when they got half way down the hallway Ja'far let out a deep sigh.

The King hummed then voiced a question, "Something wrong, Ja'far?"

He was answered with a look of disdain and when they broke eye contact the only clarification he was given was, "There's no point in trying to stop you when you've already made your decision." Ja'far refused to elaborate.

---

~POV Mori~

I watched the door close and listened to their footsteps until it seemed like they were on the stairs before I let myself relax. I went over and flopped on the bed.

'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???' I was screaming in my thoughts.

'Why did I think covering his mouth with my hand was a good idea??? It's rude and it always backfires!!!'

I let out a high pitch moan into the mattress, and thanked the Rukh for the increase in sound absorption of springless mattresses -they were guaranteed to not be spring since springs wouldn't exist until the Industrial Revolution.

'HEKISSEDMYHAND??' SINBAD KISSED MY HAND??? DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN??'

I might be a simp but I was not ready for that level of intimacy! I was questioning all of my life decisions. When it had happened Mori.exe had stopped working, and by the time I had rebooted the only option I could think of was to deflect... At least I finally thanked him for his help...

---

~POV Generals~

When Drakon finished, the younger Generals ended up derailing the conversation before they could get back to discussing the information Mori had left them with.

"I don't really get any of this stuff, but things are definitely going to get more interesting around here. " The small blonde ended excitedly.

"I'll say." Sharkkan had a smirk of his own. "Looks like she's the type that's fun to tease."

Hinahoho cackled at the memory while Spartos groaned in disapproval.

"If you want to flirt with her after what we just saw you really are an idiot." Yamuraiha covered her mouth with one hand as she sneered at Sindria's greatest swordsman. Before he could make a comeback she continued, "Of course, you'd have no way to know. You can't see the Rukh."

"The Rukh did something?" Sharrkan asked and the rest all turned to her.

"That's right!" The magician was willing to put their rivalry aside for something this momentous. "It was only for a moment -right before Ja'far interrupted," her own excitement was growing as she got closer to saying it, "but the Rukh definitely turned pink around his Majesty!"

"What does that mean?"

They all just starred at her waiting for the punch line.

"It means he's falling in love with her!!"

"WHAT?? Are you sure?" Sharkkan yelled over everyone else's shock.

Yam gave the ground a pound with her staff. "Yes, I'm sure! I know what I saw!"

"Are you sure those pink Rukh weren't around her instead?" Drakkon wanted to be completely sure.

Hinahoho was just as unconvinced. "Yeah. As much as I want to see him finally settle down..."

The magician closed her eyes in frustration. "They were also around her but-"

Sharkkan made a show out of shrugging. "That's just like a magician. Acting cocky and trying to look smart when you don't actually have anything to show."

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Drakon looked to the guest tower and ignored the two that had started fighting. "Even if those Rukh weren't focused on our King, his attitude towards her seemed different to me."

"How so?" the Imuchakk asked.

Drakon hummed. "I got the feeling that he was uncomfortable when I shook her hand."

"He didn't like when Sharkkan was flirting with her either!" Pisti added.

Sinbad hides behind a smile, and his Generals were experienced enough with him to be able to glimpse some of the emotions he hid behind it.

"Hold on,” Sharkkan stopped his squabble with his own crush at the sound of his name. "You think he was jealous of me??” Wouldn't that also mean that King Sinbad acknowledged him as competition? Sharkkan had made his King his main role model from a young age, so this boosted his pride.

"It's hard to imagine him getting jealous, but if he was that would be a clear sign..." Hinahoho trailed off before smirking. "This would be the first time he's ever fallen in love wouldn't it? Who knows how he'll respond?”

---

~POV Mori~

The silence I was ruminating in was broken by Hinahoho's laugh from outside.

I pushed myself back up and went to the window to listen into their conversation. Given the bombshells I had left them with I figured it might be about me so I didn't feel bad about trying to hear their first impressions of me.

Sinbad wasn't the only one who knew how to eavesdrop. I grew up in a house where this was a necessary survival skill -luckily it normally went unneeded these days. I was only eavesdropping because it was a public area and directly involved me -I wasn't about to listen into someone's private and personal conversation like some Kings.

Normally I wouldn't be able to hear them from this many floors up, but there was no electric hum to get in the way, and they weren't controlling their volume.

"That's right!" Yamuraiha's voice was loud and clear in her excitement. She got a little too quiet to hear while I was still adjusting, but I definitely could hear the end when she got loud again to say, "but the Rukh definitely turned pink around his Majesty!"

The Rukh turning pink was only mentioned as part of a joke about Hakuryuu crushing on Morgiana. It was a side statement. A joke. Sure it was cannon but -

"It means he's falling in love with her!!" Yam yelled her explanation and stole my attention back.

"WHAT??" Sharkkan's voice was the loudest in response.

I covered my face with my hands. I knew I was alone, but hearing

her say it that loudly was way too much for me. 'THE RUKH TURNED PINK AROUND SINBAD??? Wait- is she sure they weren't around me???'

I couldn't make out exactly what was said in response, but the 2 oldest Generals seemed to ask the same questions as me.

They didn't seem to accept her answer and I couldn't hear it well enough make my own opinion of what she said. Regardless, they seems to be talking themselves up on the subject and convincing themselves that Sinbad did like me regardless of the Rukh.

I was calming down and started brushing my hair with my hands to stim.

Was this real? It couldn't be. If Sinbad was able to fall in love with someone then this would have to be a fanfic. Sinbad never let anyone close enough to his heart for that to be possible; as he got older and got more powerful he ended up seeing others as incapable and lesser than himself. Even if it turns out he's not full aromantic there's no way anyone can actually fall in love with someone they don't see as worthy of their self. What in the world could make him see me as being on the same level he saw himself?

I gasped as I realized a possible reason. I could read the waves of Fate, and use magoi manipulation; I had also read this world's Fate in full and had already made Fate change a little-arguably for the better. Sinbad was able to read the waves so would be aware of those changes directly. I had the same ability that he thought made him the chosen one of this world. That could definitely make me seem like an equal to him.

It's what I had figured before, but in this context-

---

~POV Sin~

When Sinbad exited the Green Sagittarius Tower the rest of the Generals were excitedly talking amongst themselves. He wasn't sure what half of their comments meant until his oldest Generals gave some clarity.

Drakon seemed wistful and hopeful as he said, "I must admit it makes sense that the person he would fall in love with would also be able to feel the waves of Fate."

"Yeah!" Hinahoho agreed.

"Huh?" Sinbad was at a loss for words. This wasn't what he was expecting at all.

Hinahoho noticed the King and after walking over to him, slapped him on the back. "It looks like we'll be hearing some good news soon."

They couldn't be serious.

Ja'far had a hand at his chin with the face of someone seriously reevaluating.

"You all know that I have no intentions to ever get married!" Sinbad stepped away from all of them and crossed his arms. "Back in Balbadd, Mori said, herself, that she knows that's not what I'm after when I flirt with her. She may be a prophet but how is it that my own Generals can't understand this?" Saying it out loud put a bad taste in his mouth for some reason.

Sometimes he couldn't trust his own Household Members. Surely, they would better understand how he felt about her after he told them all about what he had experienced in Balbadd.

---

~POV Mori~

That's right. In the entire franchise, Sinbad never falls in love or gets married. Hearing him say it, himself, was a sobering reminder. Even when he spoke quieter I was so focused on him I could make out his words.

Those pink Rukh were probably because of me. Considering any other possibility was just fantasy.

Since my mood was on a rollercoaster, I needed to ground myself. I didn't have the energy to do much so I decided to analyze my new room.

Even if Sinbad didn't see me as some lesser person, he still knew that my prophecies would run out someday. My position was temporary so of course I was placed in the guest tower.

'If Sinbad was in love with someone he wouldn't put them in the guest tower, and as King the others would have to accept his decision.'

But he was still the one who chose this room. As I looked it over, I realized I might be able to figure out some of how Sinbad views my worth.

I was finally aware enough to acknowledge how weird it was that they gave a room with a King sized bed to someone my size. I could starfish and have room to spare. Everything about this room was big. This room was bigger than the hotel room. There was enough space between the bed and table for it to feel like separate rooms even without a wall dividing the space. Instead, strategically placed rugs helped mark the areas. There was a folding room divider for changing that also hid a chifforobe and dresser.

There was no reason one person would need such a room. Maybe he did see me as more than just a guest. It was a small hope, and it warmed my heart.

I kept exploring the space. There was a side room with just a chamber pot in it... It was more common to have group bathing areas in these time periods -not like there was a tub in the hotel room either. If nothing else, it was probably easier on space and resources to do things this way.

Communal bathing was going to be hard to get used to... I couldn't help but wonder how it was done. Reim would have a level of running water, and Balbadd's Palace had a fountain, but there didn't seem to be plumbing anywhere else. This fantasy world had such a mixed bag of modern and historic technology, and resources.

On a related note I needed to start taking better care of my skin again, so I wasn't about to sleep in the same clothes I wore all day -I made a mental note to ask for lotions and more clothes. It was warm in Sindria; even the night was probably a decent temperature so I wouldn't have to worry about getting a chill by sleeping naked.

One touch of the sheets and I had an epiphany. Surely the only reason I hadn't noticed earlier was because I was distracted.

I often slept naked whether from my clothes twisting and making me uncomfortable or from getting too hot. That paired with my HSD made me picky about my sheets. I had made do in Balbadd and the boat through sheer force of will. But these sheets... Holy fuck.

No wonder Sinbad slept naked frequently.

Soft and smooth and breathable. A good thickness. The weave was much tighter than I expected for this time period. The way it moved and draped when I messed with it was also nice.

Could I make lounge wear out of this? Does it handle dyes well?

No. I could analyze it later. It was better if I try to rest before the doctors show up- I had completely forgotten that doctors were called. Thank goodness I hadn't stripped yet. I decided to lay on top of the covers until they showed up...

---

I hadn't been asleep for very long before a knock at my door woke me up. It was followed by a femme voice I didn't know saying, "Lady Mori are you awake? We are here to examine you."

As I sat up I forced out, "I'm awake." It didn't hurt -luckily- but my voice was a frog's at that volume.

The door opened and six people walked in, two of which were clearly magicians. One was pushing a cart. Why were this many people sent to diagnose and treat one person?

The magicians looked at me and commented to each other about the Rukh acting strange around me -just like Aladdin had told me.

I was examined in a normal way, as well as with magic. The magic felt somewhere between having full body pins and needles, and the tickle feeling of having a loose hair stuck in your clothes. The six discussed my current condition, symptoms, and the condition I had reportedly been in the night before and this morning.

"She's recovering quickly considering how she was this morning."

"Some of the bad air from Balbadd must have been trapped on ship. She stayed below deck the whole time so she was trapped with it.”

'That... That is not-!!!'

If my throat wasn't killing me I would have tried to talk to them directly.

As the doctors decided on a medicine, I climbed out of the bed and walked over to my bag on the table. I ignored their complaints since they'd understand soon enough.

This room was definitely intended for a group with the number of chairs at the table. I was lucky to have such a big table because I could unroll my scrolls across it without them hanging far off the side. I had made a bunch of scrolls that last night in Balbadd on different sciences. It was a good thing I had one on anatomy. It would have been better if I had time to rewrite it to make it more understandable for any readers, but it would have to do for now.

The doctors continued to tell me to lay back down until my diagrams of the bone and muscle systems of the human body were revealed. Then was the respiratory system -since I have a weak one I knew what my priorities were- and then the digestive system. At the end I had a several stage zoom showing increasingly smaller cell structures and had a brief on blood, and the immune system.

While the doctors were examining my bio scroll I pulled out the one I did that started with microscopic and single cell life forms and ended with atoms and the table of elements -I even put as much as could remember of what I knew of the higgs boson which admittedly isn't much, but we'd

only just started studying it and seeing how it changes what we know.

None of these scrolls where made in any particular order, I had kinda just started and wrote as much as I could as quickly as I could.

The doctors were mumbling about different parts of my scrolls. Talking about how much lines up with what they know and if what I wrote past their knowledge was right then this or that could be the case...

One of the magicians seemed to test something with magic, but I couldn't tell what they were doing. "I have to tell Yamuraiha right away!” they yelled before running out of the room.

I took my bag and the rest of my scrolls to the bed with me -I didn't want to risk them trying to see if I had any other scrolls worth studying. When I was showing everyone the 'Fate' scroll earlier, I noticed I had written down some things that should absolutely not be revealed yet. It was why I had rushed past a lot of the early stuff.

"His majesty said she was a prophet who had untold knowledge, but I never imagined she'd know something like this!”

Not gonna lie, hearing that really boosted my self-confidence. The way the waves were moving were nice too. I had been hoping to sell my knowledge so I could save up, but I wasn't about to let anyone have to deal with the fall out of bad medicine if I could help it.

It was only when the doctors asked me how I figured all this out, and how I could prove it that they remembered I was a patient who had lost their voice and was still waiting for a first dose of medicine. The four traditional doctors decided who would make the medicine and who would get to continue reading the scrolls.

I made the mental note to reinvent the microscope while I watched them from my bed. I had taken some apart before when working in labs, so I knew the structure and order of lenses. The hardest part was going to be revolutionizing the manufacturing of magnifying lenses to be able to make ones strong enough for this. Magic was definitely going to helpful there.

((I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done. One of my roommates is moving out next weekend, the summer heat is killing me, and I ended up deciding to change a bit of the plot so I have a lot I'm changing for the next chapter. Chapter 13 is already at draft#15 so it's definitely been giving me a hard time.))

#magi fanfic #magi fanfiction #magi prophet fanfic #sinbad magi #magi sinbad #king sinbad

[shoezuki]

i cannot believe my phone crashed bruhhhh

okay here we go again better fuckin WORK this time

plotlines that would be cool to explore, canon or not. obv the chance of any of these happening is super low and i don't own any of this shit etcetc jus Cool Shit

1. The scene from earlier where Ranboo yells at Sam except he goes feral and takes Sam's first canon life.

2. Eret adopts Ranboo arc. Think about it - double redemption, emotional support and trauma closure, brother figures for both of them. Also voice/crown buddies please I'm on my knees begging

3. Ghostinnit and Tubbo meet up. The concept of Ghostinnit's introduction being giving Tubbo an allium at the bench is... yeah

4. Techno breaking Dream out of prison. Would be very interesting

5. Dreamon pspsps I'm a sucker for possession and obv I'm not a dream apologist an all but it's such a cool concept? Dream being forced to hurt the server he cares about because he's trapped in his own mind, watching as his body and his mouth hurts his friends and allies... hm :)

6. A couple different takes on Sam's current angst that would be cool to see:

a) Sam kills Dream. Moral prisons be damned, I'm not here for morals I'm here for block men drama. I wanna see Sam fucking lose it and take Dream's final life.

b) Sam tearing the prison apart to find the cause of the explosions and eventually breaking down because of guilt

c) Sam tearing the prison apart to find the cause of the explosions and accidentally letting Dream out

7. Eret getting involved in the Egg was hinted at in their stream earlier and that would be so cool to see - they tried taxing it as a gag and they mentioned that they "definitely would not break it" and pspsps your majesty you wanna break it so bad

8. Ranboo redemption arc but it's borealis content

9. Revival of everyone who is dead, at the same time. Wilbur, Tommy, Mexican Dream, and Schlatt, all in the same room as Dream (who would have to revive him) and probably everyone else. Everyone on the server in the same room. Wooh.

10. Jack Manifold and Niki talking about Tommy and realizing he wasn't really the villain

11. Eret killing Dream. I don't think I need to elaborate onto why this would be good.

Again, not saying I want these to be canon, I respect the dsmp writers and their decisions and they're doin amazing, these are just concepts I wanna explore as possibilities.

Ok Egg scorching opinions go - andy

YOOOO YESYESYESYESYESY holyfuck yo o ok okokok

1. YO. HOLYFUCK. thatd be like. holyfuck>? thatd be SO harrowing and thinkin a how fandom would respond Fucks Me Up a Little. like the idea of ranboo being So upset to react without thinking maybe into his enderwalk state and like. potential of just Showing that neither a them r particularly wrong or right and that Ranboo isnt incapable of hurting others and making fucked up choices like everyone on this server. god. id imagine sam would take it hard n terms of ‘i deserve this’ 

2. any instance a eret gettin to get In on things got me Screamin but in like. one thing i Always wanted to see is them getting involved w the anarchists/borealis boys. but eret and ranboo in particular??/ fuck yes. two kings dealing with their feelings of having wronged their allies n recovery as ‘traitors’

3. god the concept of ghostinnit is So good like. we seen w wilbur mans lost pieces of himself/wasnt quite ‘him’. i would love seein like What he’s like n how tubbo would see him and react to him. ghostinnit would be such a shock n like snap tubbo into realizing the severity of death

4. TECHNO PSPSPS TECHNO i cant help imagining like. a shit buddy criminal type comedy ajkghsklghshlglghs....

5. imma admit i have NO clue a any a the dreamon stuff but bringing it back n up front??? could be p fuckin cool. 

6. sam breaking Down like. very bluntly would be Really good i feel. mans needs to let that shit OUT. he’s a very firm/strong character n no doubt pent up like. i can imagine Many ways a it going w him and his self-blame. if he ended up bumpin dream out???? oooooo boy.

7. I WANT ERET INVOLVED!!!! if she got into some role a bein like. a strong force Against the egg. thatd be REALLY good. they need a sort of ‘main’ hero type role.

8. BOREALIS CONTENT. aAA

9. an absolute fucking moshpit. the dead role up n brawl. oh my god itd be hell

10. jack and niki talking it through n like. rationalizing tommy’s death and therefore what him as their antagonist Meant to them. like i know jack has been realizing his grief and anger as something deeper n that he didnt Want tommy dead like... them being lost without a means to an end or a ‘goal’ of killing tommy.

11. ERET KILLS DREAM YES. GOOD. BEAUTIFUL. A WIN FOR THE GAYS

#KHFGKSJHHKL YESYESYESYES #hhnrtbbhgfbg #andy #anon

[flamingredanon]

The sound of gun shots rang through the corridors of the orbital station, that had been in space for a week or so. Everyone ran towards the sound, only to stop in shock as they saw Reginald on the ground, a bullet hole through his chest, and another bullet hole through his forehead.

Henry and Right ran towards his body. Tears streaming down their face. "No no no no NO!" Henry yelled out, Right sat in silence, as the body bled out, Dr V would no longer listen to them. So that wasn't an option. Reginald is dead.

More Toppats surrounded the area. Looking at the body, some were crying, others were filled with rage, a large portion of the Toppats were panicked. Whoever did that, was still on the ship, and they didn't know if it was a fellow Toppat or someone who got in without anyone noticing.

That question was answered sooner then anyone would expected, a person wearing a hoodie walked towards the body, some kind of shield around them. They took their hands out of their pocket and a gun, was now in view. It was made clear who did this. "You bastard!" Yelled Right has he stood up to try and attack. Before he could though the mystery person wrapped something around him and held him still, it was the same thing as the shield protecting the mystery man.

"I apologise for hurting your feelings, I guess, but it was needed to be done" . Henry stopped trying to free Right when he heard the person speak. Everyone stopped. The mystery person took off their hood, and everyone stared. "Reginald, but-" "that isn't me, it was some fake who took my place a long time ago. I've only gotten out of that cage she shoved me in recently. So I'm sorry I have no idea who you were" the person who looked like Reginald and has the same voice as Reginald, used some sort of dust, he sprinkled it on the body and it was revealed that magic was used to look different.

Reginald stopped and unwrapped Right before speaking again. "and I'm sorry, but the person you loved no longer exists. Sure we have the same name and look the same, but she was someone I'm not, she created the Reginald Copperbottom you know that I will never be." The real Reginald spoke now walking away from the body with a bullet piercing right through the face. "And no, I won't join your Toppat Clan or try to get to know you, I not joking when I say stay the hell away from me and we'll stay in somewhat good terms. I already don't like you Toppats very much, don't push anything and maybe won't have the urge to kill you all". Reginald smiled saying that, a bitter smile that made it very clear to Henry and Right that they wouldn't be close to the man who was apparently the real Reginald Copperbottom. Someone who was a stranger to them, no one knew what to do, this wasnt something that happened everyday. The real Reginald probably wouldn't answer questions either, so the Toppats were now stuck on what to do.

It had been a few days since everything happened. Right decided to burn off some anger by punching some Government dogs in the face and Henry tried to continue to lead the Toppats, but his mind was elsewhere, so Sven was put on temporary leadership for a few days.

Henry laid in his room and texted his dad, explaining everything that happened about Reginald not really being Reginald, and hoping that Terrence didn't think he was too crazy. A few minutes later Terrence called Henry and said "Do you know why that random witch disguised herself as Reginald?"

Henry was confused as hell because he never mentioned the duplicates original gender to his dad. Terrence continued speaking "Because you two knew the original Reginald, before the accident. She fed off yours and Right's memories when you two fell to Earth, creating the Reginald persona and taking advantage of your memory losses."

Henry was even more confused now, falling to Earth? Knowing the original Reginald? Memory loss? Henry asked his dad to elaborate because at this point, what was going on anymore. Terrence just told Henry that he would be at the station tonight and to bring Right, that he was going to unpack a shit ton of things.

---

So Henry and Right are sitting in Right's room as Terrence starts to explain things "Have you two ever noticed having strange abilities, like an odd control over the elements or the ability to stop time?" Henry and Right looked at each other before Right spoke "We have, it is kinda second nature for us."

Terrence crossed his arms and nodded his head before continuing "You two aren't from Earth, hell the real Reg, myself and Wilfy aren't from here. We all come from a world where magic is bountiful but a dark magical war is going on. Reginald was a magitech scientist trying to find a way to end the war, mainly to spend more time with the prince and his knight, but he was always too stubborn to ever talk about his love life publicly. Did he try the whole "don't get close to me or else" schtick with you two?"

Henry and Right only nodded as a fourth person flew into the room, locking the doors with that familiar sheet of magic. It was that Reginald again, now glaring at Terrence.

Terrence only shrugged as he continued, almost as if he was used to this Reginald's behavior "Listen Reginald, I understand you want to protect these two, you were always the protective one of the three, but my son and his knight need to know this, they need to remember who they are because those bastards are on Earth now."

Henry and Right continue to look at Terrence and this Reginald in confusion, not understanding anything. Reginald just sighed seeing their faces, he was always a sucker for the prince's sad blue eyes. "What his majesty is trying to say is this. Henry you are actually Prince Henry, son to King Terrence, and Right, you are actually the noble knight Wright, personal guard to Henry."

"The reason you two don't remember anything is because of an attack one day by the enemy Nrevog forces. Their top attacker, Charles the Unpredictable, had thrown you two at one of our light crystals with an odd spell, causing a bright light and for you two to disappear."

"We searched endlessly for you two, before finding out you two were thrown into Earth and without your memories, you two were separated, and given false guardians disguised as myself and the King."

"Sadly we were caught, and sealed away in those damn magical cages. His majesty got out and killed his fake, and as you saw, I killed mine as well. Sir Wilford is still in his cage, but on purpose because he is reporting what the enemy is doing back home."

Henry was looking down on the floor, the look of guilt filling his face as he spoke up "So we fell in love with a fake who was deceiving us? Was I so stupid to be fooled and probably-" Reginald lifted Henry's face with his hands, slightly squishing his cheeks "You and Right were not stupid in the slightest. You two lost your memories and the Nrevog forces took advantage of an opportunity. The fact that you two do remember your magic means everything is not lost."

Reginald saw Henry's face get red and quickly stood back up before rubbing his moustache and looking at Terrence "Your majesty, I suggest we take our leave and find somewhere not riddled with the magic stealers that caused this whole incident in the first place. Don't worry you two, we will explain everything else soon and get us all back home."

Before Reginald undid his lock, he quickly turned around and asked "Was the "Supreme Dominance" built on this thing?" Henry nods his head as a smile formed on both Reginald and Terrence's faces. "Take us to it, and we can get home sooner then that."

Henry and Right had heard quite the tale, and in any other circumstances, they wouldn't be trusting these two after hearing all that. But they had magic, just like Reginald and possibly Terrence did, while no one else on Earth did. And the Toppats had a huge collection of strange treasures that were almost like they weren't from here.

So Henry and Right led the way to the area Supreme Dominance was at, and could only guess at what crazy things could happen next.

#lizzyask #henry stickmin #right hand man #reginald copperbottom #terrence suave #murder #impostor #gun shots #bullet holes #being decieved in a relationship #another world

[bbrandy2002]

Two Men and a Baby Part 7

Not your typical Royal Romance series....crazier.

TRR/TRH gang.

Warning: Language

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Part 5 Part 6

@carabeth @emceesynonymroll @katedrakeohd @sirbeepsalot @romanticatheart-posts @rafasgirl23415 @drakensword

[[MORE]]

Part 7

" 911, what's your emergency?"

"Yeah, um, I have a guy in the back of my carriage who got his trouser snake caught in his zipper."

"Sir, is this a joke?"

"No, but, this guy sure wishes it were"

"How serious is this?"

"Let's just say, it was the 'frank..and...beans', then something popped, now its just the frank."

Poor Bertrand, all he wanted was to give his sweet Savannah a wonderful birthday. Now he's stuck in the back of a carriage with his manhood on the line.

He is aware of the news reports of a wild boar attack on Contess Madeleine earlier tonight and that said boar is still holding itself hostage inside his estate. He has no idea if his son is okay, but, has no doubt his brother is somehow responsible for the carnage that has taken place this evening.

Hospital ER

Riley and Olivia sit in Maxwell's room, waiting for him to return from radiology. They had only seen him for a few seconds before he was taken for x-rays, but, he appeared in good spirits; then again, when is he not.

They were both intriqued to find out what he meant by "the demon pig", that supposedly caused his predicament. It was surprising to hear Maxwell describe any animal with such disdain, but, apparently he met one he wasn't prepared to describe as a "life changing experience" in fond terms.

Riley jumped up from her seat, "Maxwell, you're back!"

Maxwell was wheeled back into his room on a stretcher, but, he seemed to be uncharacteristically subdued now.

"How is he? Is it broken?" Riley asked the nurse.

"He has a hair line fracture and will be down for several weeks, but, we don't expect complications. Someone will be in shortly to put a cast on him. Also, congratulations on the baby your majesty", the nurse stated before exiting.

That was the fourth time today a random person congratulated her.

"Why does everyone keep congratulating me on a baby? I wonder if it was the bean burrito I ate for dinner last night?", she questioned while patting her bloated tummy.

"You do look a little puffy today." Olivia observed.

"Thanks", Riley said while rolling her eyes, "I have been trying to drink more water and..."

"HELLLLOO!!" Maxwell interrupted in an annoyed tone, "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm here."

"Oh, I'm sorry Maxwell, how're you feeling?", she asked with concern.

"Like a demon pig attacked me, without warning, without cause, out of no where...it was a sneak attack Riley." he began to shake his fist furiously and yelling, "damn you demon pig.....damn you to hell!"

Olivia and Riley tried to calm him down. "Maxwell, Maxwell, shhhh, you've got to calm down." Riley pleaded, "you're going to disturb the other patients."

"Yes you are", Madeleine chimed from a wheel chair at the door with an icy stare.

All three turned their heads in her direction simultaneously. To see Madeleine sitting there with a neck brace on, a black eye, messy blonde hair and a ripped green dress; it was shocking and amusing to say the least.

"What the hell happened to you? Olivia asked with her signature scowl.

"Oh, what happened to me?", Madeleine asked with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes while patting her chest, "ask Maxwell and his quote 'damn demon pig'."

Olivia and Riley turned to Maxwell trying to make sense of what both were referring to as the demon pig.

"Maxwell, I'm two seconds away from breaking your other leg. What happened?", Olivia spat out.

Maxwell took in a deep breath and recalled the events of this evening.

"Okay...Okay, so, yesterday morning, I was attending Zeke and Penelope's outdoor animal exhibition in the capitol.  Zeke was giving me kind of a private tour before all the guest arrived. We came upon a stall that he said had a wild pig. I thought he meant it was a party animal, wild like me, which, would be an awesome addition to the next Beaumont Bash. I asked if I could have it and he said no, that it was just too wild for me. I thought, nonsense, nothing is too wild for me. I just had to have this pig. So, when I seen Penelope a little later, I offered to buy it from them. She was a little hesitant at first, but, she agreed after I forged a letter from Bastien saying Liam requested this particular pig at the next Beaumont Bash. In exchange for her cooperation, he would emcee her next Dog Fashion Show."

"Maxwell! That's sick", Riley blurted.

"Yeah Maxwell, what made you think she would just go along with that?" Asked Olivia.

"I wasn't sure she would, but, she does seem to respond well to requests from Bastien, so I assumed it would work this time too", he replied.

Madeleine spoke up, "so let me get this straight, Penelope, can't stop talking about her poodles, Penelope, just gave you a wild boar?"

"Oh, no, I had to pay for him", he said.

"How much?" Olivia asked.

"A box of dog treats", he replied.

Riley bent over in her chair, arms resting on her knees, covering her face while shaking her head, "Unbelievable....I'm afraid to ask, but, how did you get him out of there and to the estate?"

"Well, that part was tricky. Penelope told me I had to keep him enclosed or he would go wild. Well, I wanted to make sure I kept his wildness in until the Beaumont Bash. I figured it would just build up inside of him and he'd really let loose at the party",  he chuckled, "anyway, I saw Gladys there and thats when I got the idea for her to cause a disruption..."

"Hold up, Gladys...my majordomo, Gladys, helped you with this?" Riley asked stunned.

"Kind of, see I knew she had cleared the hallways when Anton and his minions kidnapped you and Olivia. I also knew she had the hot's for Bertrand, so, I told her if she would create a distraction for me, I would set her up with him".

"Maxwell, your brother is engaged", Riley stated.

"You are a lot more evil than I ever gave you credit for Maxwell; this is really elaborate for you", Olivia remarked with astonishment.

"Well, Im not proud of myself, but, greed causes people to do evil things" he replied.

"Hold up" Madeleine would interject, "So Penelope knew about this? That little....I just saw her not more than an hour ago at the Beaumont Estate, she interviewed me and everything, she never mentioned her hand in any of this".

Maxwell replied, "I would say not, Penelope's a master at keeping secrets while seemingly innocent of her involvement. She's a sweet girl though".

Riley just continued to shake her head.

"What happened next Maxwell?" Madeleine asked.

He took another deep breath, "Okay, well Gladys started screaming and running around the exhibits. Then she unlatched the pen holding the ducks. They started to scatter. Zeke and his assistants started to chase after the ducks and security went after Gladys. I grabbed a large cage and Gertrude ran right in. Penelope helped me carry him back to the limo and I took him home."

"Okay, how did you break your leg?" Riley asked.

"Welp, the driver helped me unload Gertrude and get him in the backyard. I knew I had to build an enclosure to keep his wildness in, so, I started building a small barn for him to live in until the bash. It didn't take very long to build at all. When it was finished, I opened the cage door to let him inside his new dwellings, but, he ran inside and immediately jumped out the window."

"You put a window in it?" Madeleine questioned.

"Yeah, but, I must've not built it high enough and I didn't put a covering over it. Jumped right out of it" he said while use his hand to motion the jump, "I started to run right after, I swear, I heard it say 'kill Maxwell'. It attacked so quickly, I never had a chance. I stepped on a rock and my foot went sideways, causing me to fall. It rammed me a few times, before running off. Then Drake came out to help me, but, it attacked him also. Let's just say, demon pig-2, Maxwell and Drake-0."

All three women sat in silence. There were no words they could think of in that moment to express what they just heard.

"Does Bertrand and Savannah know about this?" Riley asked.

"I don't think so", he replied.

Riley took out her phone and sent a text, letting them know Maxwell was in the hospital and Bartie was there with Drake.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom....

Drake and Liam were still locked in arms, literally, fighting over an ascot.

"Let go of my ascot Drake."

"Liam, he has to have something covering his bottom until we get a diaper."

"Then give him your denim shirt!"

"What?" Drake gasped, "take it back Liam."

Bartie, who was still lying on the changing table naked, took this opportunity to settle the issue once and for all.

"What the hell!" Drake shouted as his denim shirt was getting soaked.

"Sir Walker, I do believe you have a spot on your shirt", Liam said with a British accent and a laugh.

Drake looked at Liam, "I hope you're happy now. He just pissed all over my good denim shirt."

Liam raised an eyebrow, "Drake, that's the only denim shirt you have, or wear for that matter."

"Why do you think it's my favorite?" he remarked sadly.

Bastien cleared his throat, "Your majesty, need I remind you, we can't leave this bathroom with a naked baby. It may be in everyone's interest for you to hand over the ascot."

Liam thought about Bastien's words for a moment, then looked around to see if there was anything else that could be used as a diaper. Wadded up hand towels, too flimsy, Drakes white shirt, no, he would just be shirtless in a hospital, his own socks, no, too small. He let out a loud huff, reached up and removed his ascot.

Drake reached out to grab it, but, Liam continued to cling onto it. Drake pulled harder, Liam pulled back even more.

"Give me the fucking ascot Liam!"

Liam pouted then handed Drake the ascot.

Drake looked Liam in the eyes and said, "Dude, you need therapy."

Drake began fashioning a diaper out of Liam's ascot. "Aha, perfect fit".

"What do we do about that disgusting car seat?" Liam asked.

"After all this, just leave it in here. When Bastien opens the door, we make a run for it."

Drake picked up Bartie and he and Liam stood at the door, readying themselves for the getaway. The bathroom was absolutely disgusting, shit was on the floor, the walls, the trash can, not to mention, the sink had an exploded diaper full of diarrhea in it. Liam couldn't risk someone seeing the King of Cordonia coming out of that room.

"Alright, on my count, Bastien will open the door and we will run as fast as we can."

"Hang on", Liam said as he removed his suit jacket and covered the top of his head so no one would recognize him. "Okay, ready".

"There's no turning back now. 1...2...3...Go!"

What hijinx await in Part 8?